Is there anyone close enough to the Dann sisters' ranch who might be
able to help them get connected to NativeNet (I can help with technical
matters) or who could volunteer to receive fax messages and retype them?
I have sent a message to the Bay Area Action people, who posted an
article saying they were going out last Friday. Maybe when they return
to California they will have some ideas. Meanwhile, if anyone else is
able to help, please contact me or post a followup article to this one.
Thanks.
Gary
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Western Shoshone National Council
P.O. Box 140115
Duckwater, NV 89314-0115
Telephone/Facsimile: (702) 863-0332
URGENT ALERT UPDATE
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 1992
THE WESTERN SHOSHONE NATION ISSUES AN URGENT CALL FOR SUPPORT:
The Western Shoshone Nation is resisting the ongoing roundup by federal
agent and the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the nationalized
livestock of the Western Shoshone Nation that formerly belonged to Mary
and Carrie Dann. The recent US attack upon the Western Shoshone by the
BLM began November 19, 1992 at Cresent Valley, Nevada and is being
assisted by three helicopters carrying armed individuals wearing jackets
reading "FEDERAL AGENT." Also assisting in the roundup are members of
the Lander County Sheriff's Office and the Eureka County Sheriff's Office.
The Western Shoshone Nation has kept the agreements of the 1863 Treaty
of Ruby Valley. Chief Raymond D. Yowell has written two letters to US
President George Bush expressing outrage and demanding that the present
activity cease immediately. The letter also contained a "Cease and
Desist Order" which was ordered by the Western Shoshone National Council
while convened at the Western Shoshone court.
During the armed invasion, Clifford Dann, a Western Shoshone, determined
that he was willing to die as a sacrifice for the freedom of the Western
Shoshone people's way of life. Federal agents prevented him from
releasing the horses which are the source of support for this family.
He poured gasoline over his body and set himself on fire in the middle
of the road, shouting that he would prefer to die than to live without
freedom. Federal agents extinguished the flames, beat him unmercifully
and arrested him on the unfounded charges of assaulting federal agents
and local sheriffs officers. Clifford Dann is now in Washoe County
Hospital in police custody awaiting arraignment before a US federal
magistrate.
The armed federal agents have blocked the entrance to the Dann sisters'
ranch to prevent the world public and the media from witnessing the BLM
actions against the Western Shoshone Nation. The Western Shoshone Nation
has also closed several roads with blockades to deter the BLM roundup
and has informed the US special agents of the risk of proceeding.
Warning notices of the closures have been posted on the blockades.
Yesterday, several US vehicles were able to proceed through the
blockades and became inoperable, as warned.
COWBOYS AND INDIANS
The US BLM has contract "cowboys" hired and is attempting to round up
and confiscate Western Shoshone nationalized livestock. Because of the
covert nature of the BLM roundup there has been no public notice of this
situation. We have, however, recorded all events on video. The BLM
contends that they must protect the range from overgrazing. As late as
1989 in the case of *US v. Dann II* the BLM was unable to obtain an
injunction against the Dann Sisters grazing livestock in the area of the
present roundup. The lower court earlier had found that such an
injunction was unfounded, and that any overgrazing was confined to
localized areas around water holes and fence lines.
Only 30 of the over 100 horses presently rounded up bear a Western
Shoshone brand. The other horses are wild and deserve the protection of
the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act. The BLM has been restrained by an
injunction from removing wild horses for the past three years and is
using the present situation to remove the unbranded wild horses.
The Western Shoshone Nation contends that the issue is not overgrazing,
but, the attempt of the US to remove Western Shoshone people from the
land so that mining development, oil exploration, military expansion and
dam building can proceed uninterrupted. If the US is successful in
taking away the sole source of support for members of the Western
Shoshone people to stay on our lands, we have no choice but to go to the
cities and mines to work. We will then have been successfully
assimilated, unless you can help.
We are seeking your support to avert the illegal seizure of the Western
Shoshone nationalized livestock. We urgently need your help. You can
help by:
* Sending a tax deductible donation to the Western Shoshone National
Council at the above address to buy food, blankets and other supplies
for the resistors;
* Organize a food & clothing drive in your area to be sent to the
resistors in Cresent Valley, Nevada (we need nonperishable food and
warm clothing);
* Come to Cresent Valley, NV and stand with the Western Shoshone people.
For directions contact the Western Shoshone Defense Office at +001 (702)
468-0230 for directions and details, or write Western Shoshone Defense
Office, General Delivery, Cresent Valley, NY 89821 (be prepared for
rough high desert conditions);
* Contact you local media. Write letters to the editor. Call in to radio
talk shows and raise the Western Shoshone issue. Contact national media
talk shows and raise the Western Shoshone issue.
* Donate non-perishable foods, warm clothing, camping equipment, ham
radio & CBs or a base station and office equipment (computers &
printers, typewriters, copier, supplies). Bring with you or send to the
above address;
MAKE A DIFFERENCE! BE A PART OF HISTORY AND HELP END THE <undecipherable>
AND OPPRESSION. YOU CAN ALSO:
* Create a petition and circulate it. Make sure that your petition
contains the address of where it should be returned or sent to after it
is signed. We would also appreciate a copy, if possible.
* Write to your political leaders and demand that the roundup stop
immediately! Call for negotiations as an alternative to begin
immediately with the Western Shoshone National Council of the Western
Shoshone Nation.
President George Bush President Elect Bill Clinton
The White House Arkansas Governor's Office
Washington, DC 20500 Little Rock, AR 72201
Ph: +001 (202) 456-1414 Fax: +001 (501) 399-7096 [is this phone?]
Fax: +001 (202) 456-2461 Fax: +001 (501) 372-2292
-Senator Daniel Inouye, HI-Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs
Fax: +001 (202) 224-6747 or +001 (202) 547-2803
-Senator John McCain, AZ-Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs
Fax: +001 (202) 224-8938
-Senator Harry Reid, NV-Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs
Fax: +001 (202) 388-6829
-Senator Richard Bryan, NV Fax: +001 (202) 388-6501
-Congressman George Miller, Co-Chair, Interior & Insular Affairs Comm.
Fax: +001 (202) 225-5609
-Congressman Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Interior & Insular Affairs Comm.
<no contact info given - can someone provide it?>
-Congressman John Lagomarsino, CA-Interior & Insular Affairs Comm.
Fax: +001 (202) 225-0714
-Congressman James Bilbray, NV Fax: +001 (202) 225-8808
-Congresswoman Barbara Vucanovich, NV-Interior & Insular Affairs Comm.
Fax: +001- (202) 225-0714
-Congressman Eni F. H. Falemavaega, American Samoa-Interior & Insular
Affairs Comm. Fax: +001 (202) 225-8757
Write them at:
(Senator's Name) (Representative's Name)
US Senate US House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515
Also write:
Secretary of the Interior Secretary of State
Manual Lujuan, Jr. Lawrence Eagleburger
18th & C Street, NW 2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240 Washington, DC 20520
Fax: +001 (202) 208-6956 Fax: +001 (202) 647-6434
Governor Bob Miller
Nevada State Capitol
Carson City, NV 89710
Fax: +001 (702) 687-4486
[ In retyping this message, I have taken the liberty of correcting a
few obvious mistakes. I hope I have not introduced too many more.
I hope also that someone closer to the scene can help report on what
is happening there (this message is nearly two weeks old now), and
that we can get a modem hookup with these people, so it is not nec-
essary to retype fax messages. I regret to say that I will not have
the time to do so in future. Can anyone out there help? Thanks.
--Gary ]
--
Gary S. Trujillo gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us
Somerville, Massachusetts {wjh12,bu.edu,spdcc,ima,cdp}!gnosys!gst