Independent news from the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance

The Battle of Queenston Heights Was the Shining Hour for Natives in the War of 1812

JT Shining Oneside shared stories about her Ojibwe and Anishinaabe inheritance during the Native American Heritage Month Celebration on Nov. 15. She spoke about the coming-of-age and traditional birth ceremonies. (Photo credit/ Adrianna Adame)

The Battle of Queenston Heights, which took place 200 years ago on October 13, is remembered among aboriginals as the epic fight in which a mere 80 First Nations warriors, hiding in the forest, besieged 1,300 American soldiers, scaring off their backup troops. Many historians believe that the battle-a key victory for the British-was a decisive moment in preventing the Americans from establishing a northern foothold and pushing on to conquer what today are Toronto and Montreal.
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Jodi Rave Spotted Bear

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear is the founder and director of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, a 501-C-3 nonprofit organization with offices in Bismarck, N.D. and the Fort Berthold Reservation. Jodi spent 15 years reporting for the mainstream press. She's been awarded prestigious Nieman and John S. Knight journalism fellowships at Harvard and Stanford, respectively. She also an MIT Knight Science Journalism Project fellow. Her writing is featured in "The Authentic Voice: The Best Reporting on Race and Ethnicity," published by Columbia University Press. Jodi currently serves as a Society of Professional Journalists at-large board member, an SPJ Foundation board member, and she chairs the SPJ Freedom of Information Committee. Jodi has won top journalism awards from mainstream and Native press organizations. She earned her journalism degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.