Date: Wed, 07 Jun 95 07:54:00 PDT
From: "Gazoo, Dana" <dgazoo@mccspo.medctr.ucla.edu>
To: native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us
Subject: more Native American News
COMMEMORATING
THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TREATY OF 1895
AND
THE HUMAN, POLITICAL, CIVIL, AND CULTURAL RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
WORLDWIDE,
I, CHIEF FLOYD HEAVY RUNNER, A BLACKFEET INDIAN, PRESENT TO THE WORLD
COMMUNITY A PROSPECTUS FOR PEACE BETWEEN MY BLACKFEET SPEAKING NATION OF
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, BASED UPON THE
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON
CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS.
In 1870, my great, great grandfather, Heavy Runner the Elder, was murdered
along with 172 other Blackfeet people, mostly women, children and the
elderly of our tribe in a surprise attack of retribution on Indian people
for acts it was known that our village did not commit. 125 years later we
have not received a formal apology, compensation, or justice from the
acknowledged leader of nations promoting democracy and human rights in the
world today... the United States of America.
In 1895, starving and again stricken with small pox, and under direct threat
from corrupt officials of the United States with impending military
presence, my great grandfather, Heavy Runner the Younger, survivor of the
massacre of 1870, signed a treaty deliberately mistranslated into the
Blackfeet language that gave up portions of our sacred lands, our
Jerusalem, known today as the Badger-Two Medicine. Today, the world
champions of human rights, the United States of America, continues to make
war on myself and my people by allowing the destruction of the cathedral
provided to us by our creator...permitting Chevron USA and Petrofina
Belgium to destroy our last place of pre-Colombian cultural survival, the
Badger-Two Medicine.
In 1988, in a nearly identical situation with a tribe in California, the
Supreme Court of the United States stripped away protection for Native land-
based religions despite the court's admission that it would have "Devastating
effects on Indian culture" in the now famous case called G-O Road. In the
past six years, Congress has failed to pass laws protecting us, and industrial
interests continue to attack the Northern Rockies Eco-system Protection Act
which is the proposed law that would protect us and our human rights. At the
present time, there is little hope with United States law, but there is a pro-
spectus for peace and the salvation of my culture and the land based cultures
of indigenous peoples world wide.
Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights reads
that "In those states in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities
exist, person belonging...shall not be denied the right...to enjoy their own
culture, to...practice their own religion..." Therefore, I, Chief Floyd Heavy
Runner, a Blackfeet Indian, request in the spirit of faith in the goodwill of
Greater Humanity that all persons receiving a copy of this statement write a
letter to the President of the United States of America asking for the pro-
motion of the International Convenant, Article 27, beginning with the Badger-
Two Medicine, and the right of my people, and the all other land-based
cultures world-wide to continue in existence. Ask the President to issue an
Executive Order permanently withdrawing drilling approval, citing violation of
Article 27 of the International Covenant. And, with my payers, pass this
request on to at least two or more persons.
Signed,
Floyd Heavy Runner
===========================================================================
INSTRUCTION SHEET
HEAVY RUNNER WORLDWIDE HUMAN RIGHTS LETTER CAMPAIGN
All participants
This instruction sheet and the associated statement of Floyd Heavy Runner
relating to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International
Convenant on Political and Civil Rights may be duplicated by any participant,
in any form true to the original, including copy machine, retyping and hand
written. In case of doubts conforming to the original, copies of the original
may be obtained, upon request, through participating organizations, such as
the various participating Human Rights and environmental organizations in the
USA and Europe.
Campaign letters should be addressed to:
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
USA
<e-mail address>: president@whitehouse.gov
Any individual, environmental or Human Rights group, business, etc. may become
a self-declared co-sponsor by providing simple notice stating participation
and briefly describing who you are and what you do.
Confirmation of participation addresses:
Chief Floyd Heavy Runner
c/o Postmaster
Heart Butte, Montana 59448
Donations of monies are _not_ solicited, however, persons or organizations
interested in making contributions to the Heavy Runner Human Rights Fund may
do so. The fund will provide for further legal and humanitarian aid on behalf
of indigenous people working to save their cultures.
Donation address:
Heavy Runner Human Rights Fund
600 West 7th
Austin, Texas 78701
USA