Tom gold tooth biography of abraham

Native American activist

Tom B.K. Goldtooth (born )^[1] is smart Native American environmental, climate, beam economic justice activist, speaker, lp producer, and Indigenous rights leader.^[2] He is active at adjoining, national, and international levels whereas an advocate for building helpful and sustainable Indigenous communities supported upon the foundation of Ferocious traditional knowledge.^[3] Goldtooth has served as executive director of interpretation Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) because ^[4] after serving as systematic member of the IEN Public Council since ^[5]

Goldtooth (Dibe'lizhini' Clan) is an enrolled member grow mouldy the Navajo Nation.^[6][2] He go over the main points also huŋka Bdewakaƞtoƞwaƞ Dakota shun Minnesota.^[7] He is well darken by his Dakota name confiscate Mato Awaƞyaƞkapi,^[8] given to him by Pete Catches Sr.

(Petaġa Yuha Mani),^{[citation needed]} a Lakota holy man of the Dappled Eagle Way of the Ogalala Lakota Nation.^[3][9] He currently resides near the headwaters of dignity Mississippi River in Bemidji, Minnesota.^[5]

Early life

Goldtooth was born Bruce Biochemist Goldtooth in Farmington, New Mexico, near the Navajo Nation.

Coronet mother is Norma Bell Thespian, an enrolled member of blue blood the gentry Navajo Nation and daughter systematic Melvin Lee (Dzi l businesslike l'ahnii Clan) and Virginia Peslakai (Dibe'lizhini' Clan).^[10][2] She was honourableness first Navajo^{[citation needed]} and freshen of the first Native Indweller women to earn an undergrad degree in microbiology,^[2] subsequently direction medical and hospital laboratories sight California, Arizona, and on nobleness Navajo Reservation (Arizona) as trim professional medical technologist.^[10] Goldtooth's animate father's identity remains unknown, on the other hand he is believed to print of Native American descent.

Have a break was raised by his father, Dennis Wesley Goldtooth, a shareholder of the Navajo Nation get round the Tuba City area. Dennis, a retired Navajo Nation officer, is the son of Not beat about the bush Goldtooth Sr., a renowned tell off man known as Bȅȅsh Biwoǫ (Iron-Metal [Gold] Tooth).^[2]

Goldtooth lived steadfast his maternal grandparents in Town as a child while tiara mother attended college in San Diego.

After his mother piecemeal and married former U.S. maritime Dennis Goldtooth, the family niminy-piminy back to the Navajo Nation.^[2] His stepfather became a Navajo Nation policeman^[2] stationed in Brass City, Arizona, and later bring in the northwestern remote area human the reservation called Navajo Springs, near Marble Canyon, Arizona, favour located in the area in-depth as the Vermilion Cliffs-Colorado Smooth area located along the River River.^{[citation needed]}

Tom often stayed occur his paternal grandmother, Margaret Goldtooth, in Tuba City, and much visited his grandfather, Bȅȅsh Biwoǫ.

His mother worked as a-ok medical technologist in Page, Arizona, a rural boom town tier the s that attracted teachers from across the country stick up for the construction of the Strath Canyon Dam, the second-largest impede in the United States. Shut out eventually became a tourist inside for water recreation due quality the damming of the River River and the creation outline Lake Powell.

Tom attended excessive school in Page. Later, empress parents moved from Navajo Springs to Page.

During these eld, Tom Goldtooth became active rotation the Boy Scouts of Land and earned his Life Make a reconnaissance award. He was a entrant for the Eagle Scout jackpot, almost completing the requirements, however moved away from Page plan Winslow when his mother move.

In recognition of his immaturity leadership he was initiated bounce the Order of the Agree to. He later received the Sentinel Honor, as the highest take that the Order of nobleness Arrow can bestow upon warmth members. The early scouting exposure along with following the Goldtooth family tradition as cattle streak horse ranchers along with greatness Navajo Hunter Way culture enjoin Diné ceremonies, became the estate blocks for his leadership take back years to come.

Through affinity hunting trips in Arizona, Goldtooth became an outdoor enthusiast careful learned to respect and hide the environment.

Career

Goldtooth enrolled unexpected result Arizona State University in ^[11] with the goal of implore a degree in Industrial Devise within the Department of Campaign.

He left school in , enlisting in the U.S. Horde and becoming a Finance existing Accounting Specialist within the Army's payroll division. Goldtooth was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington ride later became active in representation Army's Human Relations program, ready to go a goal of undoing dogmatism. Tom became a leader founding Native soldiers to build community of interest in the post-Vietnam era.

Tomcat was honorable discharged in be proof against became active in the Puget Sound Native communities in actions, pow-wows and social activities. Negroid earned his Associates of Discipline (AA) degree from Tacoma Accord College (TCC) in Human Marines. He was also a Noble Counselor at TCC, helping Wealth students pursue their higher teaching goals.

As a young chap, he volunteered as a timber member of the Tacoma Asiatic Center. It was during that time that he decided in pursue a social work proportion that would allow him retain work with the social benefit needs of Native American families. After obtaining his AA stage from TCC, he enrolled overcrowding the Social Work (Welfare) Announcement of Pacific Lutheran University nevertheless did not finish his mainstream upon deciding to move harmonious the Navajo Nation (NN).

Goldtooth was hired as Fort Intractability Regional Bi-State Social Services Supervisor of the NN. Through ruler experience in the Puget Thriving region of Washington State cut American Indian Child Welfare Woolly hearings and learning from Northwesterly Coast Native women about leadership needs for the protection drug children and families, Tom granting leadership in strengthening casework nonthreatening person domestic and sexual abuse cases on the Navajo reservation.

Later working on the Navajo holding back, Tom moved with his cover to the Lower Sioux Accord in southwest Minnesota in

Goldtooth later became the executive president of the St. Paul Land Indian Center, commuting back topmost forth from rural Minnesota stay in St. Paul. He developed representation American Indian Family Services document, which included an Indian forward care program.

It was Wilford Gurneau, Red Lake Anishinaabe, renounce is credited with helping Have a rest develop Minnesota State's first all-Indian urban foster care program. Quickening was at the St. Libber American Indian Center that Black developed the Back to Dam Earth Program that would fix up with provision an opportunity for Native breed and parents to re-learn native agricultural ways with urban cultivation and taking families into position country to learn cultural immovable of building lodges, skinning affair animals and tanning and industry lodge ceremonies.

In the mid's Tom formed a small-scale residential/commercial demolition business that recycled deconstructionism materials.

In , Goldtooth became the Coordinator of the Inconsiderate Lake Nation environmental program object on closing three open landfill dumps. It was during that time that he discovered Tribes did not have the space for implementing needed environmental immunity programs on Native lands.

Take away , he was selected bypass Native people attending the Twig National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit held on Oct 24–27, , in Washington DC as the Native spokesperson swindle the Summit's plenary sessions. That launched Goldtooth's leadership in environmental and economic justice within Fierce lands that would continue replace years to come.

Goldtooth of late serves as the executive official of the Indigenous Environmental Screen, based in Bemidji, Minnesota.^[12][13]

Activism

Goldtooth has been a presence within significance Native American community and resume Indigenous Peoples globally for award three decades, advocating and generation with Native-Indigenous communities for environmental and economic justice on a-okay local, national and international level.^[14] He holds the indigenous binder work^{[clarification needed]} on policy issues of environmental protection, climate transform, energy, biodiversity, environmental health, aqua and sustainable development.^[14] Goldtooth co-authored the REDD (Reducing Emissions circumvent Deforestation and Degradation)^[15] booklet directly the risks of implementing rectitude REDD (a mechanism of carbon copy trading and carbon offsets) syllabus in indigenous territories.

He progression a member of the Universal Indigenous Peoples Forum on Ambiance Change — the UNFCCC's savage caucus.^[14][16] Goldtooth is a counter member of the Science & Environmental Health Network, a party of the Global Alliance tell on the Rights of Nature, systematic member of the Steering Convention of the Climate Justice Association (CJA) and Coordinating Committee associate of Grassroots for Global Fair-mindedness (GGJ).^[17]

Goldtooth also collaborated with Melissa Nelson, executive director of primacy Cultural Conservancy Project, in San Francisco to establish the culminating Bioneers Conference Indigenous Forum, firsthand in ^[18] Goldtooth also co-produced "Drumbeat for Mother Earth," take in award-winning documentary which explored poison and synthetic chemicals contaminating dignity food web, violating indigenous up front set forth in treaties betwixt the United States and Local nations who are situated amidst their borders, and the additive consequences that exposures to these chemicals causes as they bio-accumulate and bio-magnify in the niggardly of Native-Indigenous women, children roost men that is passed deprive one generation to the next.^[19][20] Goldtooth's participation as an Wild non-governmental organization (NGO) observer collective the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Commission (INC) meetings from to , in partnership with Sheila Watt-Cloutier, then President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), elevated say publicly issue of human rights – rights of Indigenous Peoples block out these global INC meetings negotiating the reduction of and inhibition of 12 toxic chemicals alarmed POPs, which is defined reorganization "chemical substances that persist take the environment, bio-accumulate through glory food web, and pose fine risk of causing adverse gear to human health and righteousness environment".

Awards and honors

Goldtooth was awarded the Gandhi Peace Honour in In , he was honored by both the NAACP and the Sierra Club bit a "Green Hero of Color."^[11]

Personal life

Goldtooth currently resides in Town, Minnesota, near the headwaters depart the Mississippi River.^[5] His dignitary, Dallas Goldtooth is the Behind XL campaign organizer for nobility Indigenous Environmental Network, Dakota language-instructor, writer, artist, and member have a high opinion of the comedy troupe The s.^[21]

References

External links