About Us

United Native Americans.org (or U.N.A.) a non-profit indigenous movement organization formed by Dr. Lehman L. Brightman in San Francisco, California in 1968 to promote the decolonization and unity of all Indigenous People.

Who We Are

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United Native Americans has testified before the United Nations Listening Sessions and the U.S. Department of Education’s Urban Indian Education Listening and Learning Sessions and founded Idle No More in the San Francisco Bay Area.

U.N.A was founded by Indians for Indians and is controlled by Indians.

U.N.A. has been Labeled a "Militant" organization because of it's Aggressive Stand it has taken and because of the slogan it stresses--"INDIAN POWER", which is defined as Self-Determination, the Right to Run your Own Affairs and to Direct your Own Destiny, which is something Indian People Definitely Need. U.N.A is Definitely an Action Organization and if this means "Militant" then we are Militants. We as Native Americans, in order to perpetuate our Heritage, Exercise Constructive Leadership, and to perfect a Native American Organization which will Respond to the Needs of Native Americans. 

U.N.A. Strives to Improve Indian Image. 

U.N.A. has been one of the Strongest advocates to improve the "Negative" image of Indian People, and has been critical of the "Movie Industry" for their Exploitation of Indians, and the Stereotype they have created of the "drunken, inarticulate, savage." Academic Revolutionary; Lehman Brightman Founded & Coordinated The First Native Americans Studies Program in The United States at UC Berkeley. 

U.N.A. Testifies In Congress. 

In 1968, Senate Sub-Committee Hearings on Indian Education held in Washington D.C., U.N.A. National President, Lehman L. Brightman gave some very damaging evidence against the Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools and their policy of taking young Indian children way from their parents and placing them in 'off-reservation" boarding schools, thousands of miles away from their homes. Mr. Brightman called Indian Education under the Bureau of Indian Affairs a "National Disgrace." 

U.N.A. Investigates Indian Boarding Schools. 

U.N.A. has tried to act as a "watch dog" over the governmental agencies that control Indian affairs, and has been extremely critical of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the U.S. Public Health Service for their lack of Aid and callous treatment of Indian people. Since 1968, U.N.A. has investigated four of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Boarding Schools because of complaints of "brutality, - lack of food, -overcrowded living quarters, and to find out why these four high schools were not state accredited." The four government boarding schools investigated by U.N.A. were: Sherman Institute in Riverside, California, --Stewart Institute in Carson City, Nevada, -- Pierre Indian School in Pierre, South Dakota and Phoenix Indian School in Phoenix, Arizona." 

U.N.A. Investigates Indian Hospitals. 

Due to other complaints by Indian people of "poor medical service and other wrong doings," U.N.A. investigated two Indian hospitals run by the U.S. Public Health Service and exposed the "outrageous practices" to the public and Federal Authorities. The Hospitals investigated by U.N.A. were: Phoenix Indian Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona and the Indian Hospital on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. 
 United Native Americans has led and participated in many pro-indigenous protests, marches, and sit-ins throughout the United States. United Native Americans is a strong advocate against the many hate crimes that are affecting Indigenous people around the world. We advocate for the enforcement of all indigenous treaties made with the United States, We advocate for reparations and accountability of the theft of tribal ancestral lands and the Protection of Indigenous Nations natural resources. U.N.A. advocates for the protection of Native American sacred sites and burial sites. U.N.A. has been a Leading Advocate for Native American Education since founding the first Native American Studies Program at U.C. Berkeley and we continue to Advocate for  pro-indigenous curriculum to be taught in public schools (K-12)
U.N.A. advocates to Ban Hydraulic Fracking, acidizing and well stimulation involving the injection of chemicals, acids and other materials into the ground to facilitate oil and gas production have been linked to groundwater and surface water contamination, air pollution, increased greenhouse gas emissions, loss of farmland and open space and earthquakes around the country. 
U.N.A  advocates to Decolonize The Food & Drug Administration FDA & Evict Monsanto World Wide. We the United Native Americans urge President Obama, Our Congressmen, Our Senators, Our Governors and Our Attorney General's to support the New national food-labeling bill proposed by Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Peter DeFazio’s (D-Ore.) to mandate the Food and Drug Administration to require food manufacturers to label products with ingredients manufactured or grown from genetically engineered seeds. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_27420.cfm In addition, We want all former Monsanto executives out of government positions and want protections for the corporation to stop. In March, H.R. 733 contained a bill rider, known as the Monsanto Protection Act that allows genetically modified seeds to be planted prior to USDA review

.Indian Influence & Contributions to America and the world The American Indian contribution to the world's food Did you know that over 62% of all the food that the entire world eats today was originally developed by American Indian people?

ending the use of the blood quantum, improving the negative image of indigenous people and ending tribal corruption in Indian gaming.