Articles appearing have been previously posted for public dissemination
and/or permission for inclusion has been secured.
Letters of authorization are on file. A list of those granting permission
to repost their words in this issue are listed at the end of part A.
I thank each of you for allowing your words to be shared with the people.
IMPORTANT!!
-----------
To all who send copywrite protected articles, make very sure you have
permission from the copywrite holder (a newspaper, the AP, a magazine, an
author) because a new law is now in effect that says you can be prosecuted
even if there is no monetary gain. Just because a newspaper has a website
where it posts some or all of its editions does not grant permission for
their redistribution. Be careful and be sure you pass on the items you do
with full permission.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, all material appearing in
this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a
prior interest in receiving this information for educational purposes.
<----<<<< >>>>---->
This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our
Spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the
Red Road.
++ It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own
internet addressable account to gars@netcom.com
++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org
++ There is also a hyperlinked version of the Current Issue at
http://bearvisions.com/NativeNews/NEWS.html
Borries Demeler advises AISESnet doesn't exist anymore, instead there is now
NativeNet where people can search for archives of Wotanging Ikche issues:
_ All past AISESnet archives (1992-1998) can now be found in:
http://aises.uthscsa.edu/discussion/
_ All new messages will be archived in:
http://nativenet.uthscsa.edu/archive/nn-dialogue/archive.html
The mailing address for AISESnet/NativeNet the lists have changed.
Please make a note of the new address.
The old address aisesnet_discussion@listserv.umt.edu should *NOT*
be used any longer. Instead please use:
nn-dialogue@nativenet.uthscsa.edu
Downloading Wotanging Ikche on AOL From: MAANG1419@aol.com <Valentina>
Just thought I would share some info. I could not download on to a .txt
because I kept getting the message (when I tried to retrieve it) that the
text editor could not handle the volume. This time I downloaded it on to
a .doc and when I retrieved it out of file manager, IT WORKED.
""It is the general belief of Indians that after a man dies his
spirit is somewhere on earth or in the sky, we do not know exactly
where but we are sure his spirit still lives."
__ Mato-Kuwapi, Santee Yanktonai
+- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+
| Indian Pledge of Allegiance | The Indian Pledge of Alleg-
| | iance was first presented
| I pledge allegiance to my Tribe,| on 2 December '93 during the
| to the democratic principles | opening address of the Nat-
| of the Republic | ional Congress of American
| and to the individual freedoms | Indian Tribal-States Relat-
| borrowed from the Iroquois and | ions Panel in Reno, NV. NCAI
| Choctaw Confederacies, | plans distribution of the
| as incorporated in the United | Indian Pledge to all Indian
| States Constitution, | Nations.
| so that my forefathers |
| shall not have died in vain | Walk in Beauty! Night Owl
+- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+
+- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+
| Journey | In the summer and early fall
| The Bloodline | of 1998 the Treaty Unity Riders
| | rode a thousand miles on horse-
| For all that live and live by law | back, carrying a staff and
| We Stand, we Call, We Ride | praying each step of the way.
| For All that fear and fear by sight |
| We Hear, we Listen, we Ride | These prayers were offered for
| For all that pray and pray by strength| each of us, and that the Unity
| We Feel, we Move, we Ride | of all Peoples might happen.
| For all that die and die by greed |
| We Hurt, we Cry, we Ride | Tatanka Cante forwarded this
| For all that birth and birth by right | poem on behalf of all the Unity
| We Smile, we Hold, we Ride | Riders that we might stop and
| For all that need and need by heart | ask if the next words we say, the
| We Came, we Went, we Rode. | next act we make is for the good
| | of the People or is it from ego
| Treaty Unity Riders | for self.
+- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+
O'siyo Brothers and Sisters!
Much has been happening these past few weeks, but nothing is more
important than helping our relatives make it through another winter. To
my elders I apologize for the delay in starting this winter's help list.
Please send contact information for donations to those in need this winter
so others may know how to help. Please include who to send donations to
(include name, address, phone number), what sorts of donations are being
accepted (money, food, clothing, etc), and a way for me to confirm the
contact information (this does not have to be published, but I will not
include a listing I cannot validate), and any time limits.
We already know there are still many without homes on Pine Ridge, this
because of the tornadoes that struck July 4th. Many are living in tiny
RV's on loan from FEMA. In 18 months even they will be gone. There is a
simple solution. For a tax deductible donation of $595.00 through
Pathways To Spirit, a Colorado non-profit organization, Carmeen Klausner,
Director (970) 282-8573 you can place a mobile home on Pine Ridge.
=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=
Note of Caution: I do NOT edit for content <period>. The words in the
articles are not mine to change. There are two articles in this issue
with some "plain spoken" adjectives...View From The Hogan 6 and On Anna Mae
Peace! Night Owl
, , Gary Night Owl gars@netcom.com
(*,*) P. O. Box 672168 gars@nanews.org
(`-') Marietta, GA 30417, U.S.A. gars@crl.com
===w=w== Fax: 770-528-9643 gars@wolfstar.com
----------- News of the people featured in this issue ----------
- Native Elders Await Eviction - Leonard's Open Letter
- Semi Load to Flagstaff - Critique: CNN Report
- Black Mesa Indigenous Support on Leonard Peltier
- View From The Hogan 6 - Boxes for Leonard
- Mi'kmaq Take Stand - November 1st/Show Your Support
Against Gas Company - Native Prisoner
- Tsuu T'ina Court - A Hundred Years Ago
- Nisga'a Closer to Self-Government - The Cornfield
- Innu Nation President - Poem: Indian Mama
David Nuke Resigns - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days
- Sault Sainte Marie Canada - Arvol Looking Horse Presentation
Deportation Case - Upcoming Events
- Personal Thanks from Robert - First Nations on Newsworld
- On Anna Mae - Native America Calling
--------- "RE: Native Elders Await Eviction" ---------
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 05:34:27 GMT
From: (MW) <lwsr@my-deja.com>
Subj: Native Elders Await Eviction
Newsgroup: alt.native
http://www.cow-net.com/tiltulum
>From the Cowichan News Leader
October 20th 1999, Vol 97 Number 27
Jennifer McLarty - Staff Reporter
Page 1&3
___________
Eliza Jack sits by her living room window anticipating the worst.
The 70 year old Cowichan Tribes elder has been keeping watch
since Friday Morning, surrounded by Family, Friends and pictures
of grandchildren tacked to the wall.
She's waiting to learn whether or not she'll be evicted from her
Jack Road home after refusing to sign a new housing agreement and
mortgage payment schedule with the band office.
"I'm not saying I refuse to pay" said Jack, "I just want to be
heard. I want my questions answered first, that's all."
In a letter dated September 7th 1999, Jack and her husband Sam
site a litany of problems with their nine year old house, from a
shifting foundation, mold and wobbly cupboards, to a faulty water
tank.
To date the letter hasn't been answered by the band's housing
department, and Jack is questioning why her family should
continue to pay for a building that's falling apart.
She also wants to ensure that her grandson is listed as a "Full"
Cowichan Tribes member, before committing to another agreement.
Both she and her husband fear he'll be "kicked out" when they die
unless his status is on solid ground.
"All I want is to be heard" said Jack - clenching her hands and leaning
towards the window.again. "Do you think that's wrong? Am I asking too
much? They're just questions."
According to her family, a $1000.00 payment was made towards the
$63,000 house on September 3rd. and Jack produces the receipt
as evidence.
But earlier this month a tentative notice of eviction for October
15th was dropped at the back door, leaving the elder in shock.
Unless the signs the new contract now, she believes the house and the
land her family has occupied for generations will be lost.
The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that she and her
husband have limited records of how much they've paid towards the home,
which is part of a group mortgage negotiated by the band and the
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
They thought payments were being deducted from welfare cheques sent
directly to the band office since 1991.
Jack says she has requested the balance from Cowichan Tribes
several times, but hasn't been provided the information, and is
at a loss without it.
"People are always talking about Indian Teaching, but I felt
very sad by the way they treated me there" - said Jack who
only has an elementary school education and admits that
she is confused by the process.
Other band members like Harvey Alphonse have also refused
to sign the new agreement, this time on the advice of a lawyer.
He stopped making payments on his home in 1992, after his family
fell ill. Alphonse believes one granddaughter wound up in Victoria
hospital as a result of toxic mold growing in his home, which
was built in 1980 and later torn down due to the problem.
If Alphonse had agreed to sign the paper, his monthly payments
would have jumped from $130.00 to $432.00 with a clause stating
that rent would now be reviewed yearly, and based on personal
income.
He questions whether the new agreement is legal, and with what
authority the band office can threaten to remove people from
their homes.
"There are too many questions and no accountability" says
Alphonse who has moved his family into a trailer for the interim.
I've requested to meet with Council to explain my side of the story
but I've been refused."
In response to growing concerns on the Cowichan reserve, Chief
Lydia Hwitsum told the News Leader she's sympathetic to what some
people are experiencing, but adds her community must take
responsibility for the mortgage debt its accumulated.
She says a new housing policy and tenancy agreement will end the
confusion regarding housing payments, and when faulty structures
will be repaired or replaced.
"We haven't had a clear policy to keep the program running smoothly."
explains Hwitsum, admitting not everyone's mortgage balance
has been compiled. "It lacks some organization right now"
"If everyone would come into the band office, and provide us with their
information we could get everything straightened out."
But Hwitsum adds responsibility for an improved housing program doesn't
rest solely on the shoulders of band members.
Cowichan Tribes has introduced a program to tackle the mold issue and the
housing department is now being properly staffed, revamped and improved.
The band is also considering legal action against contractors and
possibly the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which Hwitsum says
was contracted by Indian Affairs to inspect homes during the later 1970's
and early 1980's.
"We have a definite problem with housing on reserve," says Hwitsum.
"Its become an enclave for contractors and companies that cut corners
in order to widen their profit margins. And that's only been made worse
by the fact that we're one of the biggest reserves in B.C."
She adds that band members whose homes are lost to mold won't be
abandoned and will be compensated for their investment.
While Hwitsum believes part of the Tribes problem is the result of
delinquent payments, she told the News Leader - she can't comment about
specific cases out of respect for people's privacy.
A 130 name petition challenging the new housing agreement is expected
to be turned into the band office this month.
+++++++++
Feel Free to redistribute this article as you see fit.
Somena Governance Society Information
--------- "RE: Semi Load to Flagstaff" ---------
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 10:10:06 -0700
From: Robert Dorman <redorman@theofficenet.com>
Subj: Semi load to Flag; Living Museum
Mailing List: Big Mountain List <BIGMTLIST@onelist.com>
From: BSmith1948@aol.com
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 09:15:35 EDT
The truck can make various stops on route 40 the following is a note I sent
:I have a semi willing to carry supplies to Flagstaff. I believe the
biggest needs are for wood for heat and cooking along with non perishable
food items, warm clothes and feed for livestock The Semi will be driven by
an Oneida Woman from La Salle Illinois area. She will be able to pick up
either along route 40 or at Peoria Illinois.
I Have spoke with the People at the white Buffalo in Janesville and they
have agreed to allow anyone working for the cause to come on their property
and gather wood.
The woman who will be driving the semi is about 4'11 and wt is about 80lb
but her heart for the People is that of a giant. Her name is Patty Boyer,
I hope this clarifies the kind of help
I could also furnish names of places which would sell the items needed.
Perhaps some knows some farmers that could donate some straw or hay even
a few bales from multiple farmers could make a big difference.
For the living museum I will need letters of support to introduce for
showing interest and suggestion on how and what should be offered to help
teach and help the old way survive.
Also ideas on places for grants. This place can tell the history and story
of the mesa and be sure that after February this fight is not forgotten.
This is a BIGMTLIST post.
Email addresses---
To Post message: BIGMTLIST@onelist.com
To Subscribe: BIGMTLIST-subscribe@onelist.com
To Unsubscribe: BIGMTLIST-unsubscribe@onelist.com
For more information on this on-going human rights crisis in the
United States, visit my web page at
http://www.theofficenet.com/~redorman/pagea~1.htm
--------- "RE: Black Mesa Indigenous Support" ---------
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 15:40:57 PDT
From: "FBMSN GROUP" <fbmsn@hotmail.com>
Subj: Black Mesa Indigenous Support
Mailing List: Big Mountain List <BIGMTLIST@onelist.com>
From: "FBMSN GROUP" <fbmsn@hotmail.com>
Hello Robert,
Hope that you and all the support network out there are happy and
healthy. Hopefully you can post this to inform others of activities out
of Flagstaff and ways people can plug in to help.
WOOD RUN - October 30, Meeting at Macy's Coffee Shop Beaver St.
Flagstaff. Call 520-773-8086
We need volunteers! Pick-Up Trucks and gas money to help haul
large quantities of wood up to the Black Mesa area prioritizing
Non-signing families.
BMIS is working with a Environmental Communicators group of Northern
Arizona University who have arranged to rent U-Haul to collect wood from
outside Flagstaff and transport it to Black Mesa. More vehicles are
urgently needed to help distribute more wood to as many families as
possible. Since my return in September, wood and long term supporters have
been the two predominant requests from families, and unlike reliable
supporters, the wood is just lying around, SO LETS GET IT UP THERE!!! (If
there are any reliable supporters lying around bring them too!!
Other Updates:
Work parties are ongoing. BMIS travels up to various homesites on the
reservation every weekend with all the volunteers we can muster to: chop
wood, build hogans, bring food, repair homes, vehicles, chainsaws, check in
on families and to place long term supporters. We keep an ever-growing list
of requests for help from the families and try our best with limited
resources and people numbers to attend to those needs. As winter
approaches, the focus is currently on supplying wood (see wood run above).
For those wishing to come to the reservation or Flagstaff to help, short
or long term (many families are requesting long term supporters); we provide
Supporter Information Packs. These include what to bring, what to
(possibly) expect, cultural sensitivity, non-violence information, and an
application. We are requesting people bring $35 in gas money if you need us
to transport you to the reservation from Flag (we otherwise pay for gas out
of our pockets as we keep BMIS funds for direct on-land needs of residents).
Be aware that there is no supporter accommodation in Flagstaff. We have
been debating a office and supporter house but are restricted due to lack of
funds...comments (warnings) on this very welcomed!!
Weekly meetings are open to all: at 6:30 pm every Wednesday at the
Excellence in Education Building, room 150 of N. Arizona University.
Thank you all for your work to support the families resisting
relocation. It is strengthening to know that people are working on many
levels internationally to bring justice for indigenous people. Please feel
free to contact us any way you desire.
in the spirit of William Wallace, with respect, Jason - BMIS
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Black Mesa Indigenous Support
P.O. Box 23501
Flagstaff, AZ 86002
v-mail :(520) 773-8086
Web Page : www.netmanor.com/unity/unity.html
e-mail : granmonta@hotmail.com
------------------------------------------------
This is a BIGMTLIST post.
--------- "RE: View From The Hogan 6" ---------
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 11:47:17 +0100
From: lesley <lesley@hawthorns.demon.co.uk>
Subj: vfh6
Gary
The Grandmother's words and actions may bring a smile to your face but
what is going on is very, very sad!
Lesley
------- Forwarded message follows -------
View From The Hogan 6 September 1999
???days till the final solution
Notes from Big Mountain
Ya'a'tee
It seems I am suffering from a bout of verbal diarrhea this month, and
View From The Hogan is a little longer than usual. Might I respectfully
suggest (if you don't already do it) that you print it out and read it
later, away from this infernal screen?
As well as the "raid" on Paulines cornfield, we hear that my Grandma,
Rena, is being threatened and intimidated. We hear also that the cows of
one non-signing family have been snatched. Summer recess is over, Warmakers
minions are back in the saddle with the daily grind of low-intensity warfare
and siege tactics. The attack on Rena is grossly disturbing. I know the land
she herds her sheep on, I have walked it every day for many, many, moons.
The Hopi Tribal Council do not graze any of their animals there. The land
has not been grazed by any animals for many years. This is not good for the
health of the land as any Range-Management expert will tell you. By taking
her animals across the fence to another "grazing district" her animals are
doing the lands "owners" a favor. To continue to claim that the harassment
of these grandmas is to protect the land is blatantly, and verifiably
untrue. By the way, the fence Rena and her animals crossed was not between
HPL & NPL, but between "grazing districts" of the HPL. As more details came
in about the raid on Paulines cornfield, I was aghast ( a word I've longed
to use) at the depth of the disrespect perpetrated. Bahe has , as usual,
done an excellent job of translating Paulines statement about the incident.
If you haven't read it, and I would highly recommend you do, let me know and
I'll pass it on.
A recent visitor to the land made the following comment: " I think what's
going on here is criminal." Those eight words contain volumes of truth.
Let's begin with International Law, because there is such a thing, though
currently the biggest "outlaw" on the world stage is the U.S. of A. What
follows is by no means a complete list of laws that are, or have been,
broken here at Big Mountain, but I would urge you to find copies of them
yourselves and draw your own conclusions.
Article II (c) & (e). Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the
Crime of Genocide.
Articles 21 (2) and 22 (5) of the American Convention on Human Rights.
Principles I, II, III, &V of the Helsinki Final Act.
Paragraph 6 of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to
Colonial Countries & Peoples.
Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Article 12 of the American Convention on Human Rights.
Principle 7 of the Helsinki Final Act.
Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Article I of the International Covenant on Economic, Socail, & Cultural
Rights.
Article I of the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights
Principle I of the Helsinki Final Act
Paragraph I of the General Assembly Resolution 1803 (XXII) Concerning
Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources.
Paragraph 2 of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to
Colonial Countries & Peoples.
And then of course, there are the Treaties. Is there anyone out there who
does not know that of the many hundreds of treaties made between the U.S.
and the inhabitants of this continent, not a single one has been honored?
Co-signors of such treaties as GATT and NAFTA would be naive in the extreme
to believe that the US will honor them if they become inconvenient.
Then there is Domestic, Federal, and Constitutional law. Check out:
U.S. Constitution, Amendments I, IV,VI,XIV, and XV.
Native American Religious Freedom Act
Native American Graves Protection Act.
I'm not even going to touch the many Environmental Laws that are broken
here with impunity.
If any of you are familiar with U.S. Contract Law, check out the
Accommodation Agreement. I'm not a lawyer, but I recognize a good joke when
I see one.
But, to be fair, I must also report on the other side of the coin.
With my very own eyes I have seen "illegal" and "undocumented" sheep
grazing.
With my very own eyes I have seen roofs, hogans, & corrals be built and
repaired, "without permission".
With my very own eyes I have seen firewood collected "without permission".
With my very own eyes I have seen elderly women "trespassing" on land
composed of their ancestors bones.
There are those that live in some of the large cities that take a perverse
pleasure in claiming to be the "Crime Capital" of the country. Hah! There is
more crime here "per capita" than anywhere I know.
But in a very real sense all of the foregoing is irrelevant.
It's not the issue.
Let me try to explain.
In navigating my way through lifes sometimes complexity I have always
found it extremely useful to distinguish between two things, Rules and Laws.
The distinction is simple, rules have exceptions and change rapidly, laws
are absolute and change slowly, if at all. In any conflict between the two,
I will hopefully opt for THE LAW every time. I admit to the necessity and
wisdom of rules some time, but I think to confuse rules and laws is the
cause of much misunderstanding. Much of the mythology called science is
rules. And, this is the point, much of the dominant societies "laws" are
rules. These rules are owned and created by those with power. I do not
believe there is a single reader who has not had personal experience of this
fact. As Corbin Harney puts it "These so-called laws that we've got today,
they make them every hour on the hour. Then they keep changing the law,
because whoever presents it doesn't like the law of whoever presented it
before, so they make another law to replace the first one."
So what is THE LAW?
Some would call it the Creators Law, some would call it Natural Law or
the Law of Life, some might say Conscience. Yet another might call it
Original Instruction. Leonard Peltier astutely perceives 3 levels of
Original Instruction. The first is the Original Instruction given to
humanity, all 2 leggeds. Then there is the Original Instruction given to
each of the many different Peoples, and then there is the Original
Instructions given to each of us as individuals.
I can't tell you what the LAW is; we must each come to it ourselves, by
paying attention to how the world works, by listening to our hearts, and by
listening to those with wisdom, the Elders. On this last point I offer the
following pearls.
Whenever the subject of the Whitemans law came up, my Grandma would
always say "when they can make it rain, when they can make the grass grow,
THEN I'll listen to their law"
Roberta's well known statement "The Creator is the only one who will
relocate me" cannot be surpassed for simplicity.
My current favorite though is another anecdote from Pauline. Seems that
one day yet another official came by with yet more paperwork. " It's the
law" he told her. Pauline took the offered paper and asked "This is the law
you say?". "Yes, yes!" answered the official eagerly. Pauline opened the
door to her woodstove and placed the paper inside. Within seconds it was
reduced to ashes. "Oh well " she sighed, "it failed the first test".
Pauline has been "deprived" of the "benefit" of a school education.
She has the sharpest mind I have ever encountered.
Could these two facts be related?
If it were possible for me to communicate just one thing, if it were
possible for me to pass on to you just one simple truth, it would be this:
THE NON-SIGNING GRANDMOTHERS HERE AT BIG MOUNTAIN WILL CONTINUE TO PROTECT
AND DEFEND THE LAW WITH THEIR LIVES. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US, AND THE
GENERATIONS YET UNBORN, BENEFIT BY THIS.
If as Katherine Smith suggests there are 7 non-signing grandmas, surely
they must be known as the Magnificent Seven?
It continues to rain and rain here. I have never seen the Mesa so green.
For some years now the BIA/HTC has been claiming that the drought is the
reason for the continued reduction of the peoples small flocks. What are
they going to do now? Maybe it's too wet for livestock? Recently I heard
murmurings that actually its going to take "years" to recover from the
drought. Yeah right.....It's hard to exaggerate what a blessing the rains
are. We do not live in a climate of abundant rainfall. Sometimes it rains,
sometimes it doesn't. We do not have rivers we can divert for irrigation. We
cannot turn a spigot and turn on sprinklers or drip irrigation for pasture
or the cornfields.( For those of you with plumbing, do you not feel as Gods
& Goddesses to have such power over the water of life?) We must depend on
THE LAW. So when we have a really wet summer like this year, it is
impossible not to experience it as a gift The sheep are fat with the
abundant grass. This is good for the new life growing inside them. We
2-legged are eating plenty of delicious fresh corn, potatoes, squash,
pumpkins, tomatoes etc. This is a great help in dealing with the daily grind
of low-intensity warfare and siege tactics.
At the end of the last VFH I told you of the "raid" on Paulines cornfield,
and that I couldn't understand how a few women growing corn could be a
threat to the HTC. Well, obviously such a thing as women working together in
life-sustaining activities is a threat to any patriarchal institution such
as the Hopi tribal Council, but I think the real reason may be simpler, I
think I've surmised the real reason the HTC wants the cornfield left
unguarded. The cornfield is right beside the road. Every day Hopi "Law
enforcement officers" (I'm sorry, but it is impossible for me to write those
words and not laugh) travel the road, making sure the land is safe for
their bosses cows. Now, I don't know how many of you have seen Hopi cops,
but like most cops I know, the kindest thing that can be said is that from
their appearance they certainly seem to enjoy their food. There are no donut
shops round here. A field full of fresh corn may be just a little too much
temptation. Fortunately 2 women are still standing guard.
For those of you who do not live in Northern Arizona, and as one of View
>From The Hogans aims is to bring you the words of the Grandmas directly, I
include a letter written to the Navajo Times. Any of you who have seen
"Broken Rainbow" will be familiar with Katherine Smith. Like all of the
elders here, her oral tradition leads to a simplicity and poetic power in
her words that is lacking in much of the way the Whiteman speaks. No words
are wasted. So I urge you to read her letter "slowly and carefully", which
is always the best way to listen to Elders..
Editor July 29th
Navajo Times
We heard of a law called PL 93-531 about twenty three years ago. At that
time, the people within the HPL were peaceful, all of our people smiled with
nice faces and they were polite and helped each other. At that time, this
crazy law came, we didn't even know that this law was made and what it did
to us.
We didn't see the judge that passed this law , and we didn't go to court
at that time. They passed this law in Washington, not on Navajo land.
Now, not only one law has been passed, more laws have come to us. I'm
still here yet on the Big Mountain. I have fifty grandchildren, four
generations. What happens to them now that the Hopi and the Whiteman have
swallowed our land. They have swallowed our livestock and our big
cornfields. Now they want to swallow our life, our body.
I've seen a lot of police around Big Mountain, because we have the
Sundance. We left the gates of the dance and police chased us, stopped us
and ticketed us. I think these police are so hungry, nothing to eat, they
want to swallow us after they have eaten our land and livestock. After I am
gone what are they gonna swallow next.
So police harassment is going on in the HPL today. The policemen have a
badge, so they tell the jailor at the office lies about us on their land.
Their words and stories are not true. The police want to capture me like
they did Peter McDonald. If the big trouble comes, with large crowds and a
lot of police, then somebody gets killed, then they will quickly capture the
seven ladies who didn't sign the agreement and take us to prison.
We are already in prison, but they won't lock us up. I think that's why
they are really bothering us. We can not support or let policemen make up
stories to scare people.
Please read this letter. This is a true letter.
Katherine Smith
Big Mountain
I have received enquiries as how to support ceremonies here, and before
answering I wanted to clarify some points with the Bosses, so I paid a visit
to Roberta's. As usual Unclejake was out with the sheep. As usual I found
this Great Grandmother cross-legged on the floor weaving. Not just one rug
though, she was surrounded on 3 sides by looms with unfinished rugs. Without
interrupting the rhythm of the weaving, without taking her eyes from the
rug, she answered my questions. One of the things she said was "tell them to
use their own ways, to use their own ceremonies, and to pray for Big
Mountain." A point so obvious that I had forgotten to mention it to you.
I'm a sheepherder.
I spend vastly more time with sheep and goats and dogs than I do with
2-leggeds.
Most of you reading this do not, therefore I'd like to tell you a little
about sheepherding, and by implication, sheep, as they are as an integral
part of what is going on here as the Grandmas, and also because someone
wrote me and said I "seemed intelligent for a sheepherder". I don't feel
competent to judge wether I am intelligent or not, but the people I live
with have been sheepherders all their lives, usually from even before they
could walk, and these sheepherders are the wisest people I have ever met,
so I remain hopeful.
Some years ago, when I was living with my Grandma and Grandpa, we went
through a rather "lean" period one winter of being "cash poor".
Breakfast was mutton soup, frybread, and coffee. Lunch was mutton soup,
fry bread, and coffee. Supper was, well, you figure it out. This went on
continuously for eight days. Each day the soup got thinner. I have to ask
you to trust me that you cannot imagine how tasty mutton soup is to me since
that time. I now experience "Mutton Hunger", a curious complaint that
afflicts Traditional Dineh. When I visit Babble-on, after a few days I start
to yearn for mutton. Store bought, Whiteman-raised mutton can relieve the
condition slightly, but only mutton from the land I live on will bring
relief. It's a very real form of homesickness. The sheep and goats we live
with eat a whole variety of food and medicine plants that give a unique
flavor to the meat. In a different area, the plant life varies in different
ways, the sheep eat a different diet, the sheep taste different. To eat the
mutton is to partake of a sacrament, an acknowledgement of connection to an
area of land, the source of our lives, our home.
At the time of this "lean period", I'd only been herding sheep for six
months. In many ways it was a "chore". I did it because my Grandma and
Grandpa shouldn't have to do it at their age. It was something of an
inconvenience. One day soon after, I was standing on a rock watching the
flock, and I was invaded by the statement " A happy sheep is a tasty sheep".
Maybe the flock had been collectively psyche-bombing me with that notion,
but I realized, and have since found it impossible to forget, that in a most
real way I owed my life to the sheep. From that moment on , my attitude to
the sheep altered. As a sheepherder, my function, my "job", is to serve the
needs of the flock, not vice versa. I hasten to add that their "needs" don't
always match their "wants", but mostly they do. My job is to assist them to
do what they want, but pretty much it means I just follow them around, and
be on-call 24 hours a day for them. These are not "resources" in the
Whiteman sense, they are not "economic units". We let them do their thing.
No drugs, dipping, controlled breeding,.... we let the Men sheep and the
Lady sheep do what comes naturally to them. Consequently the flock is
composed of all sizes, shapes, colorings, and personalities. We know the
lineage of each animal, its mother, grandmother, great grandmother,....
sometimes we know the father. We know them as individuals. There is little
"control" imposed on them. This makes it in some ways much more work for us.
The old sheep, the grandmas, are not killed because they are no longer
productive. They are looked after with care, in gratitude for their
offspring that will sustain us, even though it means more work for me,
picking the medicines for their ailments, slowing the whole flock down so
they can keep up.etc. Lambing is the time that is most work for
sheepherders. The weather is usually at its worst, mid winter, and any weak
or sickly lambs must be bought into the hogan, kept warm, bottle fed, etc.
Pre and Post-natal care is my job. We cannot afford to lose any, especially
as the flocks are so small nowadays. The flock must be checked several times
a night to see if there is any problem births. Every single lamb that makes
it is an affirmation that life will go on, at least for now. It is a gift we
cannot presume the right to, but must earn by following THE LAW. I love "my"
sheep. I cannot ignore that they are relatives. With each passing day, they
teach me new things about life. I guess the sheepherders life is not for
everyone, but I remain the richest man I know. When the BIA take the peoples
sheep it is much more than economic terrorism, it is an assault on the very
source of life for these people. We know it is not done to protect the land,
but out of greed and a kind of fear-based hatred. Every winter the
Grandmothers need help to protect and defend their flocks. This coming
winter will be no exception.
I note with curiosity that the majority of emails I'm receiving are coming
from females. I further note that among the sheepherding/support community,
females again predominate. The frontlines here at Big Mountain are occupied
by Grandmothers. With them stand mothers, and daughters, and sisters. This
seems to be so in so many of the other places around the world where the war
against life rages.
Where are the men?
(a cry heard too often, I fear)
But then, what the hell do I know,........ I'm just a sheepherder.
"Disobedience is the first step towards freedom"
I thank you for taking the time to read my words.
Your prayers, support, and correspondence are invited.
For all my relations
Bo Peep
Consultant to SDN (Sheepherder Defense Network)
Probationary Member, Union of Sheepherding Philosophers, Local 101.
reachable via unclejake74@hotmail.com
P.S. To all those who have written to me, please be aware that owing to the
pressing needs of the flock, the corn, and the Grandmas, the office is
sometimes left unattended for days at a time. It may take as much as a half
moon between when you write, and when you hear back from me. Around here the
information superhighway is a muddy jeep trail. Please be patient, you will
hear from me.
If you have received this update as a forward, but want to sure of getting
them in the future, please let me know and I will add you to the list. Also
if there are any "back issues" you don't have, again, let me know.
SADLY, ANOTHER STOP PRESS
September 9th. The View From the Cornfield.
It is with a heavy, heavy heart, and with a growing sense of outrage that
I must report to you that Paulines cornfield has been raided yet again.
As soon as the news reached us, I jumped in the SNN (Sheepherder News
Network) Mobile Unit ( a fully loaded 99 Suburban Deluxe with a totally cool
camouflage paint job) and headed straight to the scene of the crime. By the
time I got there the thugs had already left.
Let me recap, and place all this in context. Paulines cornfield is way out
in the middle of nowhere, miles from witnesses or help. 2 large men (and I
use the word men very loosely), employees of the U.S. Government, with
firearms in their truck if not on their person, invaded the camp of Paulines
female helpers, and systematically began harassing the women and children,
taking dozens of photos.
The first time they came (august 18) they desecrated a very sacred female
ceremony, the collecting of the corn pollen. This was rightly felt by
Pauline to be a case of sexual harassment. As she says, when men repeatedly
invade a female camp, bad things must follow. That they come again and
repeat their obnoxious behaviour makes it obvious that they have absolutely
no respect for women, or for U.S sexual harassment law, or for even basic
human rights. When one enters a Hopi village one sees huge signs demanding
that visitors do not take pictures or in any other way interfere with the
inhabitants. Yet they feel it perfectly OK to harass elderly women and
children way out in the middle of nowhere. Oh how proud their mommas must be
of them.
And what is the logic of their behaviour? It seems that a single tent,
with an outhouse and a cooking fire somehow constitutes a "permanent
structure". When I hear the words "permanent structure" I think of the
Pyramids, or the World Trade Centre, or some such structure. I feel
somewhat honored, as it was I who helped build the outhouse in question,
and let me tell you, a carpenter I ain't. That they would consider my
humble attempt to provide shelter from the weather for one of lifes
necessary activities a "permanent structure" is flattering. To the long
list of crimes being perpetrated here at Big Mountain, must now be added
"possession of an outhouse". And of course, in the middle of one of the
wettest summers on record, a cooking fire is also illegal. There is an
elegance to their logic though. If an outhouse is illegal, and to take a
shit in the open is illegal, then the only way to prevent such crimes is
to make it illegal to eat, therefore cookfires must also be illegal.
Surely, somewhere out there is a Radical Feminist Lawyer, with experience
of leading-edge sexual harassment lawsuits that would be very interested in
what is happening here? Surely it would be a very simple procedure to slap
an injunction on the Hopi BIA so that if they felt it absolutely necessary
to continue to harass these old women and children that they at least keep
the thugs in their cage and send female cops?
There is little harassment of men here,.... when there are men around
the armed hooligans run away. What is going on is the worst kind of sexual
harassment. To repeat the last sentence of VFH6, "where are the men?". They
seem few and far between.... boys there are aplenty..... sitting around in
groups talking about how "cool" it would be to make yet another video, how
"radical" it would be to put together yet another newsletter. In the
meantime the grandmothers ask for help to protect the cornfield, to chop
wood to stay warm through the impending winter, and no-one is to be seen. I
am angry right now, so please excuse if these words seem critical, but I
simply do not understand. Each one of these women and children are my
relatives and friends, and I am feeling very much alone.
US GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES ARE SYSTEMATICALLY HARASSING AND TERRORIZING
DEFENSELESS WOMEN AND CHILDREN WITH IMPUNITY. Who cares? If y'all are going
to wait till the Feb 1st deadline to come and help, don't be surprised if
its all over.
With sadness and anger
For all my relations
BoPeep
reachable via unclejake74@hotmail.com
P.S. September 10th
Today a Hopi Ranger (The Men in Black) delivered an "official" notice for
the camp to be abandoned. For those of you that are only recently becoming
familiar with the situation here, let me give you a little history. For over
30 years Pauline, and the other resistors have been forbidden from repairing
their homes, or building new ones. As their children have grown and started
families of their own there is therefore nowhere for them to live, therefore
they have to move away. This is called (by the U.S. Government) "voluntary"
relocation. Left on their own, these elderly people need visitors to come
and help them with the simple chores of life. These visitors must stay in
tents. Therefore the U.S. government (and their lap-dog the HTC) makes tents
illegal. If you are visiting the Hopi reservation, and it starts to rain, DO
NOT use an umbrella. You will be cited for constructing an illegal permanent
structure.
When the 2 goons came yesterday, one of them said "hey, I know you're not
doing anything wrong, but I have to enforce the law". That this did not work
for Nazi concentration camp guards is well accepted, so I will leave you
with Paulines thoughts on the law. "No attorney will ever adequately
represent my concerns. How would they represent the ancient conditioning
that my great grandmothers set forth for me and our people on these lands?
Is a lawyer supposed to be able to interpret the Supreme Chants that my
father, a medicine man, provided to the sacred shrines throughout this
land?"
I would have liked to have sent this message out straight away, but
unfortunately no-one could give me a ride to the phone. Things are hard here
at Big Mountain.
-- lesley--------- "RE: Mi'kmaq Take Stand Against Gas Company" ---------
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 08:22:22 -0500 From: berryj@okstate.edu Subj: (FWD)Indian News 10-24-99 Roger Iron Cloud FirstNations Listserv 202.358.3252 rironcloud@acf.dhhs.gov
Mi'kmaq take stand against gas company c. CBC Oct 22 1999 HALIFAX - Mi'kmaq natives said Friday that if the pipeline company pushes on with its gas pipeline project despite a court ruling against it, it will do so at its own risk.
Aboriginals not adequately consulted on project The landmark ruling for the Mi'kmaq decided by the Federal Court of Appeal said natives were not adequately consulted on the natural gas pipeline project. According to the Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline company, the Sable project is going ahead. "From what we can understand this does not impact the mainline project at all," said Krista Jenkins of the pipeline company "we're going to proceed preparing for operations. And we should be ready by next month." Natives are not ruling out asking for a court injunction to halt the project. Premier Hamm is calling on the company and the native community to strike a deal now. "The ruling is clear there must be a written agreement so my advice would be to get on with the issue." But Bernd Christmas, lawyer for the Mi'kmaq hints the asking price on the original $147 million claim might not be enough now. The federal court of appeal wants the National Energy Board to review how Maritimes and Northeast has dealt with the natives' concerns.
--------- "RE: Tsuu T'ina Court" ---------
Date: Sat, 16 Oct 1999 13:45:47 -0400 From: ishgooda@tdi.net Subj: Tsuu T'ina Court - Mandamin - Office of the Peacemaker
Mailing List: TRIBALLAW (triballaw@thecity.sfsu.edu)
Date: Sat, 16 Oct 1999 13:18:50 -0400 From: Lynne Moss-Sharman <lsharman@microage-tb.com>
Saturday, October 16, 1999 'A new partnership' Canada's first court based on aboriginal values opens on the Tsuu T'ina reserve By PAUL LUCAS, SUN MEDIA
CALGARY -- Justice for members of the Tsuu T'ina Nation underwent a historic change yesterday with the inauguration of the first aboriginal court system in Canada. The new system, described by Tsuu T'ina Chief Roy Whitney as a "new partnership in peacemaking and justice," will blend traditional aboriginal values with modern justice. The judge, staff and Crown prosecutors will all be hired from the First Nations community, while such native traditions as sweatlodges will be used to solve legal problems. Yesterday's inauguration began with Tony Mandamin being sworn in as judge of the court, which will deal only with provincial laws. Mandamin, an Anishnawbe aboriginal from Ontario, is the first person to preside over a court that will have specific jurisdiction over offences committed on a reservation. Among those attending the ceremony at the Council Chambers of the Tsuu T'ina Nation were Premier Ralph Klein and members of the provincial court, Court of Queen's Bench and the Alberta Court of Appeal. "This is the first court in Canada with a First Nation judge, run by people of the First Nation, and held on First Nation land," said Klein. "It is an excellent model for other courts in Canada to follow." Chief Whitney described the new system as being the first step in reconciling some of the many judicial problems faced by Tsuu T'ina people in the past. "It is appropriate that we take this step on the eve of a new century," he said. "We believe it will make all the difference to our people." In order to achieve the traditional component of the new system, two cultural advisers were also sworn in yesterday. Referred to as the Office of the Peacemaker, these advisers will work closely with the court by resolving problems through traditional means such as sweatlodges and spirit healing. Mandamin is expected to start hearing cases in the Tsuu T'ina court early in 2000. "Let Us Consider The Human Brain As A Very Complex Photographic Plate" 1957 G.H. Estabrooks www.angelfire.com/mn/mcap/bc.html
FOR K A R E N #01182 who died fighting 4/23/99
lsharman@microage-tb.com www.aches-mc.org 807-622-5407
--------- "RE: Nisga'a Closer to Self-Government" ---------
Date: Wed, 6 Oct 1999 07:52:08 -0500 From: berryj@okstate.edu Subj: (FWD)Indian News 10-06-99 Roger Iron Cloud FirstNations Listserv 202.358.3252 rironcloud@acf.dhhs.gov
Nisga'a closer to self-government c. CBC Oct 21 1999 OTTAWA - Ottawa introduced legislation Thursday to make the historic Nisga'a treaty law, the final step in the British Columbia band's long journey towards self-government. The agreement, which gives the Nisga'a control over more than 1,900-square kilometres of land in B.C.'s lower Nass Valley, has already been approved by the province and the band.
Nisga'a's territory It also provides them with self-government powers comparable to municipalities. The deal includes about $500 million in cash, grants, and financing for government programs. "This treaty is a full and final settlement of the Nisga'a aboriginal rights and title claims in Canada," Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault said. Nault described the settlement as "fair, affordable and honourable." In exchange for land, money, and more political powers, the Nisga'a are giving up tax-exempt status and the right to make future claims. Ottawa is paying 70 per cent of the financial portion of the deal, the most comprehensive in B.C. this century. The province is providing the land, and covering the rest of the costs.
Once approved by Parliament, the treaty will become law. The Liberals are promising swift passage of the bill, but the Reform Party has threatened to hold up the legislation.
--------- "RE: Innu Nation President David Nuke Resigns" ---------
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 22:35:15 -0230 From: Larry Innes <linnes@INNU.CA> Subj: News: Innu Nation president David Nuke resigns
Mailing List: INNU-L <INNU-L@odie.ccs.yorku.ca>
The President of the Innu Nation, "David Nuk", says it's time to let go of the past and work towards the future. Key Words: [Lower Churchill; Voisey's Bay; IOC] Media: CFCB-AM Reporter: ANGELA GARNIER Date: 12:01:30, 991019 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Angela Garnier: The President of the Innu Nation says it's time to let go of the past and work towards the future. After holding the President's position for a year, David Nuk has decided to tender his resignation. Nuk feels he has accomplished a lot in the past 12 months by laying the groundwork for better relations with several parties.
David Nuk: What happened 30 years ago happened 30 years ago with the Innu, in terms of the Upper Churchill and the IOC mining and so on. You know, now it is Voisey's Bay coming on the stream and Lower Churchill coming on the stream, things will be different. You know, people have learned that if you are going to play, you're going to play with us in our own ball field. And I think I've pretty well established that fact, and I think that we will be successful in . . .we're going to be successful in dealing with Hydro Quebec, and you know, we're still going to work as a team.
Angela Garnier: Nuk intends to remain active within the Innu nation. A bi-election will take place in November.
-- David Nuk, President of the Innu Nation, has resigned. Key Words: [Lower Churchill; Nancy Nuna, Acting Executive Director] Media: CBNT-TV Reporter: COOPER / LETTO Date: 18:37:10, 10/19/99 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Debbie Cooper: The President of the Innu Nation has resigned. David Nuk had shown a willingness to work with the Province on projects such as the Trans Labrador Highway and the Lower Churchill Hydro Development. Acting Executive Director Nancy Nuna says Nuk resigned for personal reasons during a weekend meeting of the Innu Nation's Board of Directors. A by-election will be held in about a month to fill the post.Larry Innes Visit the Innu Nation WWW site: Environmental Advisor http://www.innu.ca Innu Nation P.O. Box 119, Sheshatshiu, Labrador, Canada A0P 1M0 phone: (709) 497-8398 email: linnes@innu.ca fax: (709) 497-8396 ------> PGP Public Key available on ldap://certserver.pgp.com
--------- "RE: Sault Sainte Marie Canada Deportation Case" ---------
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 18:13:40 -0400 From: Bernie <harder@uwindsor.ca> Subj: Sault deportation case
Thanks for the newsletter. We are involved in a case in Sault Sainte Marie, Canada, that involves a Lakota person and his community of native people (and others) from many nations. He is a traditional Teacher residing in Canada and married to a Canadian. He was picked up for deportation by the Canadian Immigration authorities and detained in jail for one week, without scheduling any detention (bail) review or even (for 2 full days) instructing his lawyer what charges he faced. A lawyer friend, acting as Counsel, secured his release with conditions after a lot of effort that is not customary in other cases and under other Acts. But the Immigration Act is a perfect instrument for oppressing Indians since the individual has virtually no rights under the Act until they prove themselves not guilty of whatever an official and an adjudicator may dream up before or during the hearing. The official on the other hand can investigate, write their own warrant of arrest, and call the RCMP for assistance and lock up the individual for 7 days and leave it to another office to deal with in a video hearing. If the person is an Indian from the US who has certain convictions there (they can be from ages ago, past and served, not outstanding) then they are subject to imprisonment and deportation. In this case, he was imprisoned for seven days and would have been in jail longer despite the Constitution! And even the wording of the Immigration Act itself. A wonderful opportunity for the Gov't to prove that Indians are treated equally under the law. Of course there is no regard for the Jay Treaty and applicable recognized constitutional rights. On top of that, the administrative decisions along the way don't need to favour Indians. It's ok to lie, to not make documents available, not to allow access to the prisoner-- just totally stop any possible process for release until the weekend is over, to provide the wrong documents, and also to not issue any charges, just verbally describe some of the allegations and rumours to the prisoner himself (while at the same time continuing to 'investigate' him..., again contrary to his Constitutional ('Miranda') rights to instruct a lawyer without delay!). And the whole process is dominated by an Immigration Board and not the courts at all, who become the investigators, accusers, the judge and prosecutor all in one. The warrant for the arrest is issued by the investigating official and served by him with RCMP backup - who then claim they are not really involved, just assisting in their capacity as 'those who carry guns'. Then you are guilty until you prove that you are not. In Canada, one is usually innocent until the court finds a person guilty; but not under the Immigration Act. The Act allows the Immigration officials to imprison any one at all; everyone is considered an immigrant under the Act until they prove themselves otherwise; and they are subject to its provisions which allow extraordinary powers to detain or 'banish' you - from your friends, family and community. In other words, they can lock up anyone for seven days without charges; and maybe longer; and do it without hesitation, especially if it is 4 pm on Friday and everyone with authority at Immigration is heading 'home' for the weekend. Then there has to be an Immigration Board hearing before the person can be released. No courts and no judges, nor police will agree to get involved to intervene in the process in order to protect or ensure the individual's rights; or the rights of the community to affect the process which presumes one of their own to be a criminal - and subject to 'banishment'. Does this sound strange, or am I just expecting too much? Bernie Harder Windsor, Ontario.
--------- "RE: Personal Thanks from Robert" ---------
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 09:34:00 -0700 From: "Robert A. Pictou-Branscombe" <bbmicmac@sedona.net> Subj: Personal Thanks
Newsgroup: alt.native
Personal Thank You, We appreciate the support we have received in the last month and a half. I especially say this to the Nation of Canada, the Assembly of First Nations, Mato Paha - Traditional Elders of Lakota Nations, Our Mi'kmaw Nation, the Media and the Press, you have given this case the support and coverage it has deserved and should have had almost a 1/4 of a century ago. It may have taken us as a family (Pictou) to come forward, well, we have spoken and we will continue to speak. This murder of our relation will not go away, each day more witnesses, testimony and support comes forward. For those who have been negative, first, I wish you luck, you have broaden my investigation and strengthen my doubts. Sometimes it is best to listen and I have listened. For those that have doubts about me, it is simple enough to pick up the phone (520-567-7229). And for others, I am real easy to check out. Enough said. To all, I say, Anna Mae is the beginning, I have Faith in that and I only wish everyone shared that belief. It is time. In the Spirit of Anna Mae, Robert A. Pictou-Branscombe
--------- "RE: On Anna Mae" ---------
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 12:09:52 EDT From: Ojibwawife@aol.com Subj: (no subject)
****There are two separate issues attached-please read the second one carefully and see if you can find out anything else about this. The first issue is getting more serious by the day. The Pueblo Chieftain is NOT publishing ANY letters supporting the demonstrators and has already published their editorial backing the Pueblo Police Chief and ALL letters to the editor that have published support the Chief of Police. They have made it very clear where they stand and it is a biased and racist stand. They are portraying these water balloon throwers as prospective felons. This is serious guys, no joke. A prison sentence for a water balloon dye filled or not is totally overkill and a way they feel they can put an end to the Columbus protests. Please follow through with letters to the Police Department or fax them asap. I have called the Pueblo Chieftain and told them since they have chosen to take sides and not even publish anything supporting the demonstrators we will take it to the TV stations and radio stations. We don't support destruction of property or violence, but this is certainly NOT a felony!!! In The Struggle, Renee
I called the Sheriff's office to get an update and was told that the information that was first broadcast over the news stated that it was the sheriff's office. He now says that the charges are being considered by Jim Billings, Pueblo Police Chief. The Sheriff will forward all mail to him that is sent to their office. But I will broadcast to everyone that it is the police chief and his fax number is" 719-583-1289. If you would help pass that it would help. The Pueblo Chieftain came out with an editorial supporting charges against the protesters and although several letters were sent to them not ONE was printed supporting the demonstrators. This is escalating into an issue I don't think they want to have to deal with. We recommended sitting down and trying to work out a compromise that would appeal to both factions, but the Italians won't even consider it. So they are really asking for an all out war. I'm afraid if this felony business gets any more serious that the situation may become violent. We really need to try to mediate before it gets worse. Me-Gwitch Renee The following was received this morning and is startling to say the least, please read carefully and let me know how much validity there is in this news bulletin if you have any information at all on it:
On Sept. 16, robert pictou branscombe (anna mae's cousin), together with her daughters, representatives of the assembly of first nations and a couple members of the canadian parliament held a press conference at the capitol building in ottawa. it was broadcast live, nation-wide. in it, they named the rotting hulk, his little brother clyde, herb powless and ted means as having ordered anna mae's kidnapping and execution. bruce ellison was also named as a participant in her interrogation and torture during the week or so she was held beforehand. d.j. banks and john trudell were named as having given the go ahead, or to have at least collaborated in the cover-up. the shooter was named as john boy patten, who was also part of the crew who grabbed her in denver and took her up to rapid city. head of the crew was theda nelson clark. the other member was arlo looking cloud, who, along with john boy, is supposed to have raped her before she was killed. grim stuff, eh? this has been all over the indian press the past couple weeks, along with a bit of e-mail traffic. seems somebody is turning state's in exchange for immunity (theda, i think). meanwhile, patten has been living among some people up in the yukon for the past 20 years. people there are cooperating with the assembly to arrange for his arrest (i guess) in a manner least hurtful to his family (he's married in up there). word is, the rcmp's getting ready to do its first "interview" with him (maybe already has, at this point; if so, methinks he'll roll over too). canadian government has apparently requested meetings with ms. reno to explore how a joint investigation, considering there's a rather strong stench of fbi complicity. supposedly, there's to be a federal grand jury convened in denver shortly. the hulk must be going batshit. keep's babbling about how he "can't believe" his name has come up in this connection. maybe he'll finally have that last coronary... peltier also seems to be going batshit. any idea why? smile. ugly as it is, it's time some of this sewage got itself flushed. and at this point, i'm not even sure i care if it's the feds who do it as a "cost cutting" measure. it's sure as shit true that the "radicals," indian or otherwise, ain't up to even demoting these motherfuckers from their self-anointed station as the collective grand poobahs of political purity. actually, seeing old vern, in a cage would do my weary heart good, even if david price isn't in the next cage over (as he should be). world ain't a perfect place, but it may just be getting a tiny bit better, in spite of itself. we'll see.
--------- "RE: Leonard's Open Letter" ---------
Date: 20 Oct 1999 00:03:00 GMT From: apictou@aol.com (APictou) Subj: PELTIER'S OPEN LETTER~Shannon Collins
Newsgroup: alt.native
RE: Leonard Peltier's open letter dated Wed. 29 September 1999. It breaks my heart that reality sometimes eludes Leonard. Yet, don't misinterpret what I am saying. He is not blind, nor incompetent and he is a strong and capable man. <<There is one very important truth to what he said in his letter which I would like to validate.>> But, first I must answer to some of his assessments. His feelings are understandable and appreciated, but out of context. To begin with, he has always told me since I first got acquainted with him in 1994 that he was a good friend with Anna Mae. I know that he was very close to her. It disturbs me that he is not doing more to dispel rumours against her because he can, even with the knowledge that three Indians (pawns to the FBI he has stated) ultimately took final action against Anna Mae. And if this is true that they are/were pawns to the FBI let's improve on the facts about that particular issue and we will convince the FBI that they are held even further accountable. I am willing to do so if you are. I have been an avid supporter of Leonard's and at great emotional cost during significant transitions in my personal and professional life. When my mother and I donated and delivered the gravestone markers to the graves of Anna Mae and Joseph Stuntz in August 96' it now appears that many people were in denial. I did not know then what I know today and neither did my mother. Yet it still would not have distracted us from our responsibilities to assist Leonard with a quest to research land development for a school and the needs upon the Pine Ridge reservation to benefit underprivileged American Indian youth and elders. We had not even known that those two unmarked graves were there. We stumbled across them in our visit to the reservation and in doing so we asked if we could lay the markers so that the new generations would not forget two important warriors in history. We thought perhaps the families could not afford to have markers made and delivered, especially if they were not residents of the State. It was an innocent gesture and I am not going to be left adrift in an honorable effort and I would do it all over again. But, there is so much more that has kept me here and at times I feel overwrought with the burden of it, yet I have gained a greater strength and confidence that I will never sequester to anything less. I know why I am here and if someone questions this they should hear it from me. As many of you well know, I met Robert and his mother Lillian Pictou- Branscombe at the gravestone ceremony on August 20, 1996. This acquaintance generated interest from Leonard to elect Robert to the Board of Director's of the Leonard Peltier Charitable Foundation, which he accepted and he brought awareness to grant writing and proposals to strengthen our goals to succeed. If you read Robert's resume that is posted on both websites of the A.N.N.A. Foundation and Justice for Anna Mae you will see for yourself a detailed work, education, military, and heritage background. Is it true? Robert speaks to Veterans of War and to Am Indian Veterans of War on a regular basis and has helped to establish employment programs and benefits to them for 30 years. This includes serving as a counselor and supervisor to Am Indian youth camp programs and Johnson O'Malley higher education programs (as observed on his resume). All of this is accountable for. I DULY QUOTE FOR YOUR RECORDS: Robert has never worked in law enforcement of any kind, and if he were a FBI agent "I would use it against him in a court of law" and sue him as he then will have betrayed my trust and the trust of Anna Mae's daughter's and family and all of the First Nations people for publicly declaring that he is EXACTLY whom he says he is and what he has been doing for the last nine years in this investigation!!!!! His own 75 year old Mother, Lillian Pictou-Branscombe, lives on the property with us. I have observed Robert's life achievement album and other family albums and records along with Military Decorations and International, National, State and Community service awards, including a whole wall dedicated to Robert at a Veterans Center in Arizona. All of this unveils an endless history of Pictou family relations, dated newspaper articles, archive references, and pictures of Robert in uniform in Hoa Phu, South Vietnam. Robert discovered that his Mother was half Mi'kmaq Indian when he was 18 years old and just entering the Marine Corps, unlike 2 years ago as Leonard stated. This is one of numerous reasons that Leonard does not always have the availability to the facts and we "try" to advise him. Lillian's father, Alexander Pictou, was a full blooded Mi'kmaq who served in the Canadian Army WWI and is recognized as one of the highest Decorated Veterans of his time. Remnants of his military service is in a Halifax museum, quite an honor in behalf of Anna Mae and the Pictou's. So, for Leonard to accuse Robert of being a FBI agent...and I will add the person Chris (whom many know fully well how hard he has worked to support Leonard's quest for freedom and has initiated numerous petitions for his release and much more. I am convinced of his dedication toward him) it is consequential in Leonard's letter that he had hoped to discredit both of your true mission in life in seeking truth and justice, something that he himself is known to fight for in hopes to be vindicated. Robert and I have told Leonard that Anna Mae's case will set him free. We believe this to be so. And while Leonard states that we are using him as a bargaining device against his will...why exactly does he believe that we would even wish to do so and how is that even possible, with the exception that his own words could reveal "why" it may have happened and offer support to the family of Anna Mae? And what precisely is his will when it comes to Anna Mae if he has pursued this since the beginning as he claims? Robert and I were both present at the visit that Leonard references to in his letter. Leonard states that Robert was going to ultimately turn him into another Myrtle Poor Bear by having him offer information to help find the truth. It was an excruciating effort to bring an opportunity to Leonard as to learning "any" knowledge that he might be able to share leading up to the death of Anna Mae and how or why she was killed. Whereas, considerations of Leonard's confinement could have held potential favorably just for saying "anything" that might help. It was a bold pursuit and filled with potential, but it was distorted from an honest quest for truth. How utterly hopeless that Robert would be accused of such an indignity after putting himself on the line for more than Anna Mae, but to help Leonard too. Robert told Leonard that Anna Mae would have wanted it this way and that he wished to help Leonard because she would have tried to and she did. There were no promises made and we expected nothing and exchanged mostly cordial commentary about his spirited friendship that they once had shared. It was not our place to make any decisions for Leonard, nor put words in his mouth and it was a difficult decision as to whether or not to even bother asking. The truth of the matter is that Leonard preferred not to help and we understood the consequences of his imprisonment and left it at that. Robert visited Leonard on a few occasions when we were both traveling and we both went there together, as I first had business with Leonard as to the LPCF and how to proceed with it. I had visited Leonard on numerous occasions before and it was I who asked Leonard to allow Robert to visit with him. Robert has a life long track record of tremendous success and under tremendous odds. I see it for myself and I contribute to it and not without great concern even for the accused and the alleged suspects. Just imagine it if you can. Robert never asked Leonard to sign an affidavit and I would take a lie detector test to that effect, too. Please pay attention: The problem is that whatever Leonard believed was transpiring is not necessarily unworthy. It is either how he interpreted it (or wished to) and that created an opportunity to justify his own actions. I'm sorry Leonard, but I was there and I will not tolerate anything less than what was intended to be and maybe you were offended by our effort, but I personally would do it all over again and no other way. I will NOT make decisions for you! Let us also keep in mind that the very first thing Leonard said to us before we sat down to visit was "WE ARE BEING MONITORED". That would also mean that Robert and I took extreme care NOT to incriminate him, or us. We were there to help him...help us...help all - get to the truth. It was intense and I told Leonard when we first sat down "Leonard would rather say nothing at all than to tell a lie". That was not a read-between-the-lines comment. It was left in Leonard's corner to make any decisions and we will not and we have not made any decisions for him. It also explains why it is so very deeply difficult to try and help Leonard. The level of communications is often so intrusive and lacking that you don't know whether to pursue with Leonard's consent or try to find a way to ask him and get a reasonable accountability that he understands what we're asking of him in the first place. So, I heed to Leonard that I know that Robert did not place him in a derogatory position. Robert still takes full responsibility for the visit and any conversation that took place, allowing Leonard to make his own decisions as to whether or not he wished to help with the case of Anna Mae. Nothing was said about the shoot-out and we appreciate that Leonard took responsibility to at least hear Robert's quest for truth and to allow Robert to ask him personally for assistance. We assumed that he would for Anna Mae, but there are obvious reasons that make this too compromising for him and with that we appreciate his time and that's that! It may be that it was too much to ask, but Leonard's "rights" were provided to him in the choice of voice. That is far more than he typically receives and we all know that. I hope that this helps him too, because Leonard has his own fight. No one should second-guess him. We didn't. I repeat: If this was too controversial position for Leonard to be placed, it was not unjustified to allow Leonard to make that assessment for himself and Robert believed that he did the right thing by presenting to Leonard the opportunity to say what he wished or nothing at all. To imply that Robert was determined to discredit Leonard is an abomination and a disgrace as he has moved mountains for Leonard and the US Justice Department listened to Robert when he declared "Leonard should be freed". This was stated in numerous letters to Congress, the US President, Senators, the FBI, the US Marine Corps Commandant and publicly on many occasions, including in the US and recently at Parliament in Canada...not as a spokesperson, but for reasons that Robert believes that Anna Mae would have wanted it this way. Some of those letters and the replies to them are posted on pages on the Internet with JS Dill's "Anna Mae Archive pages", and Robert's personal website "Justice for Anna Mae". There are many more letters and correspondences where those came from. Too many to post. When I moved to Rimrock Arizona it was with distress and a great disturbance. I asked Robert for help. He took me in and we soon became more than friend's and confidant's. I was working as the Executive Director and POA representing the Leonard Peltier Charitable Foundation. I had no interest in the Anna Mae case whatsoever and always told Leonard I was not interested in the political arena including where he was concerned. I was hopeful to make a difference in alleviating prejudice and persecution against the First Nations people and still do, particularly in South Dakota where I was born and raised and throughout the years, since childhood, I frequently observed it. I really did not know for certain what I was getting involved in, but I knew I was going to be subject of skepticism and I remain satisfied with my intentions. Yes, it is most definitely this difficult. I have always wished to be of service to the children and elders of all First Nations people and also for all people who need special support, especially in crisis. It is a triumph to see any results. I have taken responsibility for that which was specifically brought to my attention and I am good at what I do and I do not take responsibility for that which I am not qualified. If I have or ever do and make mistakes I will be held personally accountable and I accept this wholeheartedly. If we do not work at it we will make no strides at all. When I moved to Arizona in the early months of 1997, I did not know how long I would stay until I road the highways with Bob and soon became more learned of what happened to Anna Mae. There is no significant understanding of why I could not leave and then chose not to because I believed in what I saw Robert pursuing. I was seeing the results of his labors and he has surmounted confidence in so many, giving hope to people who have also lost loved ones to wars, murder and where they are in need. Where I was concerned, the crossroads between the two cases of Leonard and Anna Mae was not a path I had foreseen. What a painstaking position to be placed when I believed that we would all be working together as a team. I felt so sorry for Leonard that he could not have helped Anna Mae during the period of time after the shoot-out, and that he had lost a dear friend within the same compelling era that ultimately imprisoned him. How catastrophic that she died and that he sacrifices his freedom when they had dedicated themselves to answer to the cry of the struggle to protect and fight for all of their traditions and rights as First Nations people. That alone magnifies the gravity of controversy that brought Anna Mae to her demise. I am certain that everyone wishes that it had not happened and not only because of recent times. I concluded long ago that I would do all that I could do to help Leonard, and still do under the most extreme of circumstances and I very much miss him and the simple things that we have talked and cared about throughout the last several years. He is a genuine person and very easy to love. A father and grandfather and a figure in history where no one should stop supporting his right to fairness and just in his cause. Which takes us to the purpose of giving Anna Mae the same considerations in behalf of the sacrifices she made and to the sacrifices her family also lives with. No matter what the conclusion, it will take courage to make it right for history not to repeat itself as we see it on the poverty stricken reservations too often and it must end if we can help it and should try to for everyone's sake. Lastly, Leonard made reference to Robert as to a literary work in progress. I adamantly add that Robert has been responsible for documenting his investigation since it began, as a professional and resourceful way to determine the course of actions and information to learn the truth. After I moved to Arizona to be with Robert I made a conscious choice to remain in a relationship with him that held promise as companions. I was thoroughly miffed at the thought of an investigation that imposed the same terror on me that I had experienced just months before, the very reason for my call to Robert. I trusted him like no other and I still do. I had no other person I wished to turn to that was qualified to assist me. My personal plea is to place the entire truth on him and let him take "full accountability" as to what he does with it. THAT is a lot of responsibility! Those who do have that much courage should be acknowledged for having faith in their own ability to deal with the hard, cold, hazardous truth. But, only true leadership (and those with conscience) can take that truth and make amends for the future of many, instead of pointing blame on anyone else to do so. I, for one, will commend you and respect it no matter what the truth is. That is what dignifies and gives true meaning to courage. I did not turn away from answers to my prayers as I soon realized that Anna Mae's case delivered me from my own previous nightmares. I found healing in knowing that even a case as controversial as hers would then justify so many other horrible episodes that have plagued the lives of others...in so many ways. Robert needed someone to trust too, someone who would not betray his potential for doing what he believed righteous. I was determined to examine further and took caution to the wind as I soon found myself in another predicament of legal-versus-the-people's-call-for- justice, tradition and the white man's law. Controversial does not begin to describe it. I started to assist Robert and Leonard both, trying to heed to public relations, secretarial and administrative discretion to each...and dedicated myself diligently and objectively to both. I have every reason to be proud of myself because it was an enormous and often frightening dilemma. My work is meaningful and I am broken over the loss of communication with Leonard, but I am not to be subject to the lessor of integrity in my efforts to be honorable. The book has been manifesting over the course of time. There are obvious reasons why a literary work about this case and of this nature is imperative. Would anyone have ever known what I have explained in this letter had I not taken the time to write it? What this "book" is, and for lack of a better description as it is far more, is a dialogue of comprehensive facts and transcripts. It will consist of incredible historical and recent pictures, along with expert analysis from career soldiers and open statements from AIM - as they choose to express it "and" the US Government and others in respect to Phoenix/Cointelpro and "what- it-did-to-the-reservations". Also included will be a chapter dedicated to their mother by Anna Mae's daughters where everything that they had never had the opportunity to share will give a fresh perspective on a long lost warrior, friend and mother. This, along with a full disclosure of Robert's heritage and his plight to finish this case as he has always done throughout his life and to dispel all other versions by providing ACCOUNTABLE FACTS! The only other thing left to say to Leonard is that he and his attorney's are not in possession of, nor fully enlightened as to current assessments of this case documentation. Everything has changed because I could not qualify the work in previous times. I was only beginning to learn about Anna Mae's case history and it was a huge and rude awakening, to say the least. So, Leonard has only voiced on the lessor of what he really knew as to what this literary work entails, no fault of his own and he should not be held accountable for what he said. This work is benefiting Anna Mae's family and the futures of many through means of the A.N.N.A. Foundation (Assembly for Northern Native Americans). And anyone who would even try to contend to understand all of the implications that this family has been through and even more so willing to express. It is the truth as we have come to know it. The book has only just resurfaced after many months of taking a back seat to other very significant priorities. And last but not least, I have worked on a pro-bono basis for the last six years. I have invested all of my time and financial assets to the sole purpose of the work that I had chosen, including if not most significantly to Leonard and I am more than satisfied with my achievements. It is high time to consider giving some priority to my own future. Healing has only just begun with this inevitable frontier that asks that all of the people who wish to partake in a legacy of honor will consequently seek less destruction for generations to come. It is our choice and our task. ++++++ Ref: (TOP OF THIS LETTER) << There is one very important truth to what he (Leonard) said in his letter which I would like to validate. >> ++++++ Quote from Leonard: It is not justice if a full investigation into the FBI's role in all of the deaths is not carried out. Answer: I totally agree, Leonard. Because if the FBI told anyone to specifically pull the trigger on Anna Mae or if you or "anyone" believes/knows that it was manipulated, explain your reasons or help to present the evidence because I will help you. We want to know about it because you are implying that this is how Anna Mae died. Or would you rather just accuse us of being the FBI? YOU KNOW what's at stake. Please make it right. In the Spirit of the future! Shannon M. Collins (Observe the following) WEBSITES Robert's personal website "Justice for Anna Mae" http://members.aol.com/Apictou/pictou-branscombe.html
JS Dill's public website~ Please reference this page for Robert's letter's described in this message http://www.dickshovel.com/annalay.html
The A.N.N.A. Foundation (Assembly for Northern Native Americans) http://members.aol.com/ANNAinc/Foundation.html
--------- "RE: Critique: CNN Report on Leonard Peltier" ---------
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 18:38:04 -0500 From: "LPDC" <lpdc@idir.net> Subj: CNN critique-Leonard Peltier
RE : CNN REPORT ON THE CASE OF LEONARD PELTIER : CRITIQUE AND RESPONSE For those of us who have long followed the tragic case of Leonard Peltier, and who are familiar with the full and rather frightening factual record, the CNN broadcast of Sunday evening, September 10, 1999 was disturbing indeed. False and conclusory statements were made about Mr. Peltier and the June 26, 1975 gun battle: statements which have no support or basis anywhere in the record or the available evidence. Worse yet, information of critical importance was simply omitted altogether or presented only superficially. While we are grimly accustomed to false and misleading statements by U.S. officials in this case, we must question why a news organization of the caliber of CNN could so fail, either to have done its basic homework or to have maintained its professional neutrality and courage. Was this a form of self censorship resulting from the recent forced recanting of the Vietnam scandal and the discharge of two top level journalists? Has the chilling effect of that negative experience indeed set such deep roots so quickly ? Let us be specific in our criticisms . The broadcast failed to present the clear and massive evidence that the FBI officials simply manufactured a case against Mr. Peltier because he represented their last chance at obtaining a murder conviction for the deaths of their agents. He was extradited on the basis of a fictional affidavit obtained through FBI intimidation and coercion of a local woman. Other witnesses openly admitted that they too had been coerced; and changed their testimonies repeatedly. A key ballistic test was withheld for years from the defense because it showed that the fatal bullets could not have been fired from Mr. Peltier's alleged weapon. A red pick up truck mysteriously metamorphosed into an orange and white van as the trial approached. Even the U.S. Prosecutor now admits that no one knows who did the killing. Yet Mr. Peltier remains in prison, long overdue for parole and in deteriorating health. What more shameful a symbol of United States repression and injustice against Native American peoples could exist?
We would ask that the CNN journalists reflect on the following facts and issues : I. The program makes virtually no mention of the context in which the deaths of the two FBI agents and the Native American youth occurred. These facts are of crucial importance for many reasons, including legal ones. The American public needs to know that during the 1973 AIM occupation of Wounded Knee, the United States government responded with military force, firing nearly half a million rounds at the men, women and children inside the town. The siege ended only when the White House promised an investigation, convincing the AIM members and supporters to return home. The investigation never materialized. Worse yet, for the next two years, the AIM members were subjected to what is now known as the "Reign of Terror" on Pine Ridge Reservation. During the next three years, 64 AIM leaders and traditionalist supporters, and their relatives, were murdered, and scores more were harassed, beaten and threatened.The victims included men, women and children. Despite a massive FBI presence, no one ever stood trial for these crimes. Instead, hundreds of charges were brought against AIM members over the Wounded Knee siege. Most were dismissed when the courts ruled that the United States had illegally deployed military force in its response. In many of the court hearings, the FBI was rebuked for coercing witnesses and otherwise tampering with the evidence. In one notable case, the outraged judge wrote that the FBI had "polluted the waters of justice". It was in this atmosphere of terror, tension , and repression that the 1975 shoot out occurred. As Judge Heaney of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has noted, the FBI bears equal responsibility for the skirmish which took place. It is simply irrefutable that the unmarked FBI car drove onto private property, and that shooting unexpectedly began, trapping children in the cross fire, and creating immediate and very understandable confusion and fear amongst the AIM members camping out nearby. They believed they were about to die. So many of their friends already had. None of this justifies the close range killings of Mr. Williams or Mr. Coler, or the sniper killing of a young Native American named Joe Stuntz. However, this context makes it very clear that AIM was not simply a terrorist group launching a premeditated and cold blooded ambush of two unsuspecting FBI officers. The AIM people were the ones being hunted and brutalized. They were returning fire in the full good faith belief that they were acting in self defense. The conditions at that time certainly justified their assumption. The jury, in the trial of Mr. Robideau and Mr. Butler for these murders, listened to this evidence and agreed, finding that the act of returning fire had indeed been a matter of self defense. Notably, this critical background evidence was withheld at Leonard Peltier's trial. We do not condone the murder of any human being, whether Native American or FBI agent.. However, to this day no one knows who carried out the killings, nor how they occurred. Perhaps, as stated by a heavily disguised witness years ago, someone had approached the agents, incorrectly believing them to be dead. When one of them moved and fired, he reflexively shot them both to protect himself. Then again, perhaps someone else shot the agents in a moment of rage and grief that had been accumulating throughout the "Reign of Terror". Perhaps we will never know what really happened that day. Even the prosecutor, Mr. Lynn Crooks, has long since admitted that the government does not know who fired the fatal shots. Why then, does Mr. Peltier remain in prison? What gives us the greatest cause for concern here is the fact that CNN apparently found it appropriate to spend a great deal of footage on the two slain FBI agents, while the 64 Native Americans murdered for political reasons were deemed scarcely worth mentioning. Unlike Judge Heaney, the journalists seemed unable to comprehend that the United States too bore responsibility for the tragic shoot out.The program comes dangerously close to portraying the incident as the mere act of irrational savages. Hence our opinion that racial insensitivity and indifference did indeed play a role in the production and editing of this broadcast.
2. Given these realities, we were rather taken aback by the statements of both the FBI Officer Nicholas O'Hara and the U.S. Prosecutor Mr. Lynn Crooks, to the effect that Mr. Leonard Peltier is a cold blooded killer and even a "mad dog". As made clear in the above discussion, we find no reasonable basis for such claims, and we question why the reporter made no attempt to ask for the actual facts behind these declarations. As anyone at all familiar with the case knows, Mr. Lynn Crooks himself has long since admitted that he does not know who fired the fatal shots at the FBI agents. He made this admission in court after being confronted with the long concealed FBI ballistic test stating that the bullet in question could not have been fired from Mr. Peltier's alleged rifle. At that point, of course, there was little else Mr. Crooks could say. There is simply no evidence tying Mr. Peltier to the actual murders other than the fact that he was present at the Jumping Bull Ranch on that fateful day, and that he was an adult leader. In this respect, he is in exactly the same position as Mr. Robideau and Mr. Butler, who were acquitted so many years ago. The suggestions of the FBI and Mr. Crooks that Leonard Peltier actually ordered or directed the killings are, in our opinion, simply without basis. Why would experienced CNN reporters merely accept these official declarations instead of demanding proof and facts? After the all we have learned about the FBI abuses of power against minority leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King or Mr. Geronimo Pratt, or even in the recent Waco case, have our eyes not been opened enough to at least question what we hear from such officials?
3. We were also surprised by the statements that the two slain FBI victims had driven onto the ranch and been accosted by Mr. Peltier in an orange and white van. Again, if the reporters had done their homework, they would have known that this version of the facts has long ago been uncovered as yet another instance of tampered evidence and altered testimonies ; precisely the sort of abuse of power that Mr. Peltier's supporters are complaining about. The story of the "orange and white van" is as follows. On the day of the actual shootout, FBI Agents Coler and Williams were looking for a young man named Jimmy Eagle, and had information he was driving a red pick up truck. There exists evidence showing that the two agents knew Mr. Eagle was staying at the Jumping Bull Ranch, had spotted his pick up on the road, and had chased him onto the ranch. On the day on the day of the shoot out, FBI Officer Adams heard Agents Williams and Coler on their radio, stating that they were at the house on the Jumping Bull Ranch, and that people were getting out of a red pick up truck and shooting at them. Other agents also heard the agents refer to a red truck or similar open red vehicle. Shortly after the agents were killed, a red pick up was seen speeding from the Ranch by approaching FBI officials. The day after the tragedy, the FBI Director Mr.Clarence Kelley gave a press conference, referring to the suspect red pick up truck described by the Agents Williams and Coler in their radio communications. In fact, for some time thereafter, all red pick up trucks or similar vehicles on the reservation became the subject of intense FBI scrutiny. At the trial of Robideau and Butler, FBI officials Adams again reported the red pick up truck description. Once the acquittals occurred and Mr. Peltier presented the FBI's last chance at revenge, the pick up truck suddenly turned into an orange and white van. Jimmy Eagle and the red pick up were forgotten about. A year later, U.S. government officials decided to discard any case against Jimmy Eagle, "so that the full prosecutive weight of the Federal government could be directed against Leonard Peltier." Given all this, we were disturbed to hear Mr. Lynn Crooks state that there was no evidence about any red truck, and that this must be some new "theory" of the defense. This is not a new theory. The evidence comes directly from the FBI's own records, dating from the first few weeks following the tragedy. We understand that the CNN journalists had many of these FBI documents in their possession. Why then, were these not mentioned or used? 4.The FBI refers to "witnesses" who supported their various theories, apparently referring to the three Native American youths who gave inconclusive, vague and highly self contradictory testimonies throughout the trial as well as before. None of them pinned Mr. Peltier to the actual killings. Notably, two refused to swear on the Sacred Pipe. According to various reports, all had been threatened with serious FBI prosecutions and long sentences if they did not "cooperate". One was threatened with a beating even after he stated that he did not wish to answer questions. He had no lawyer. His original statements and his trial testimony were vastly contradictory on key issues. Another witness was tied to a chair and threatened with a murder indictment; he later admitted that some of his statements to the grand jury were false. The third had similar experiences. Are these the witnesses the FBI and the prosecutor are referring to as the basis of their air tight murder case? Where was CNN on these issues? 5. Similarly, we were disturbed by Mr. Crooks' statement that the fact that the FBI coerced Myrtle Poor Bear into signing completely fictional affidavits identifying Mr. Peltier as the killer, was harmless. In previous interviews, he has declared that the coercion of witnesses and intentional use of perjured evidence bothers his conscience "not one whit". In the CNN interview he blithely reports that these grossly illegal acts did no harm, since Ms. Poor Bear was not permitted to testify in Mr. Peltier's actual trial. We beg to differ. Terrorizing Ms. Poor Bear into signing an affidavit falsely stating that she was Mr. Peltier's girl friend and had directly witnessed the murder had a very immediate and harmful result. Mr. Peltier was extradited from Canada and returned to the United States in chains to stand trial, despite the fact that there was no genuine evidence against him. A fraudulent extradition is hardly "harmless". More importantly, the fact that Ms. Poor Bear was not allowed to testify to the jury was extremely harmful to Mr Peltier's case.In other prosecutions against AIM members throughout the "Reign of Terror", the defense counsel had been allowed to introduce evidence about the FBI's repeated and current tampering with both witnesses and evidence in order to obtain convictions of AIM leaders. This permitted the jury to carefully evaluate the prosecution's evidence; to question whether or not witnesses might have been improperly coerced, to be alert for signs of falsifications. Had Ms. Poor Bear been allowed to testify, or had the defense been able to show the FBI pattern and practice of misconduct in AIM prosecutions, the jury would have been far better equipped to evaluate the numerous and otherwise inexplicable contradictions in the testimonies of the three Native American youths. The jury would also have scrutinized the ballistic and other information with far greater care. However, all of this information was withheld from the jurors. They were left to innocently trust their government officials. Myrtle Poor Bear was a good enough witness to use in an extradition case; but too "unstable" to permit her to open the eyes of the jury. We have no doubt in our minds that if a jury heard the whole truth today, they would immediately acquit Mr. Peltier.
6. Perhaps the most painful misrepresentations concern the long concealed ballistic test. At Mr. Peltier's trial, the FBI ballistic expert said he had carried out two tests. He claimed that the first test had not been carried out on the key bullet casing found near the slain agents' car. That bullet casing was tested much later. Although he would have liked to perform the more precise test, called the firing pin test, he was unable to do so because of the damage done to the rifle during a fire. Instead, he had to make do with the less precise extractor test .According to the expert, this extractor test showed that the casing could have come from Mr. Peltier's alleged rifle. This is the expert testimony that went to the jury. Years after Mr. Peltier's conviction and imprisonment, his attorneys managed to gain access to a portion of the FBI's files through the Freedom of Information Act. There they found two FBI reports indicating that the far more precise firing pin test had indeed been performed on the correct casing. That was the first test, performed shortly after the tragic shoot out. The same FBI expert had concluded in writing that the bullet casing did not come from the rifle in question. The FBI and Prosecutor in the program brush this aside, and claim that the reports were not conclusive and were confusingly written. In fact the language is crystal clear : "Recovered .223 caliber colt rifle received from SA (redacted) BATF, contains different firing pin than that in rifle used at resmurs scene" and "casings not identifiable with AR-15 rifle".
The officials' argument that they are correct in their statements about the ballistics tests because the courts ruled in their favor is a bit circular. Leonard Peltier's supporters, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Amnesty International, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, among many others, have recognized him as a political prisoner, not because they have not bothered to read the court rulings, but because they have indeed read them and found them to be irrational. Our position is that the courts have failed utterly in this case, largely as a result of FBI misconduct. For this reason we are seeking justice from the other branches of our government, as provided for in our constitutional system of checks and balances.
7. We also note that the CNN program makes short shrift of Mr. Peltier himself. Mr. Peltier has now been in prison for 23 years for a crime that he clearly did not commit. The truth about his case has been withheld from the public for decades ; even the distribution of Mr. Peter Matthiessen's book "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse" was delayed for years by litigation. Mr. Peltier is fifty five years old and long overdue for parole. The same government officials who openly admit that they do not know who fired the fatal shots, have blocked his parole, insisting perversely that he is a cold blooded killer, or that he has not shown enough contrition for a crime he has said time and again that he did not commit. It is difficult for us to imagine what mental anguish and long term psychological suffering these abuses have caused. Those of us who know Mr. Peltier have always found him remarkable in his ability to maintain hope, humor and an unbroken spirit from day to day, and to continue with his many humanitarian efforts, including his Native American Youth Scholarships and other excellent programs he carries out from behind bars. Yet there are times when his sudden silences and unspoken sadness cause us great concern. Far more disturbing is the current deterioration of his health. He is now near blind in one eye as a result of poor medical treatment. He is diabetic and suffers from a heart condition as well, conditions which can only worsen swiftly and dangerously if he remains in prison. He also suffers from a worsening jaw problem, which leaves him unable to move his lower jaw. This makes it difficult to speak and chew properly. It also causes him constant and intense pain. Prison physicians have been unable to properly treat this condition. A Mayo Clinic jaw specialist is willing to treat Mr. Peltier free of charge. Permission has been denied. Given all of this, it is hardly difficult to understand why Mr. Peltier might view outsiders and questions with caution and even outright distrust. Nor is it difficult to understand why, in a moment of tension, fatigue, or quiet despair he might have misheard a question or misspoken an answer. We are all capable of human error. Leonard Peltier has been in prison for far too long. Once again we note that CNN journalists never posed any hard hitting or decisive questions of any kind to the FBI officials or to the U.S. officials involved in this disturbing case. Why such disparate treatment?
8. In the CNN broadcast, Mr. Peltier's vast and often illustrious list of supporters is noted, but quickly dismissed by U.S. officials with vague insinuations. According to them, we are blindly objecting to a garden variety murder conviction because, for some reason we don't wish to see a Native American in prison. We are romanticists who have never troubled ourselves with learning the facts. We certainly feel that the above analysis sets this misconception to rest.
Amnesty International, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, the National Conference of Churches, the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop of Canterbury are only a few of the world renowned human rights leaders and organizations which have recognized Leonard Peltier as a political prisoner and are demanding his immediate and unconditional release.These world leaders are hardly irrational romanticists. They are fully aware of the full factual record.
That is why they are protesting Mr. Peltier's imprisonment. That is why so many of us have protested Mr. Peltier's imprisonment since the day of his arrest nearly a quarter of a century ago. We stand by Mr. Peltier because we have taken the time to learn the facts, and because we have the courage to take a stand against such gross abuses and acts of corruption. We had hoped that CNN would do the same.
Mr. Peltier is a remarkable Native American leader who deserves to walk free at last so that he can dedicate his remaining years to serving his people. This is not a matter of being soft on crime. This is a matter of being tough on official corruption and the abuse of power. The COINTELPRO program of the FBI has destroyed many lives, from Dr. Martin Luther King, to Mr. Geronimo Pratt, to the Pine Ridge residents and AIM supporters, to Leonard Peltier, to name only a few. We have only to look to the recent Waco disclosures to see that these problems have followed us into recent years as well. Our most basic concepts of democracy demand that these corrupt practices and abuses being swiftly exposed, examined, and corrected, not covered up or concealed. We had hoped for better from CNN.
Sincerely, Jennifer Harbury Attorney at Law, Human Rights Director, Global Exchange
Gina Chiala Leonard Peltier DefenseCommittee
It's 1999, why is Leonard Peltier still in prison???
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee PO Box 583 Lawrence, KS 66044 785-842-5774 To subscribe, send a blank message to < lpdc-on@mail-list.com > To unsubscribe, send a blank message to < lpdc-off@mail-list.com > To change your email address, send a message to < lpdc-change@mail-list.com > with your old address in the Subject line http://members.xoom.com/freepeltier/index.html
--------- "RE: Boxes for Leonard" ---------
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 13:03:10 EDT From: JTRoad@aol.com Subj: BOXES FOR LEONARD PELTIER
Dear Bill Siegel-- 10/21/99
Many thanks for your comments about Leonard's book PRISON WRITINGS--and for your suggestion that Bill Clinton receive hundreds--even thousands--of copies of the book, or at least of copies of Ramsey's preface, to show him that people CARE about Leonard. This needs to be done NOW if we are to outshout those who would keep Leonard imprisoned for life. E-mails to the White House just don't work; don't even get read except by an auto-responder. Meanwhile, the corporate media refuse to even review Leonard's book, don't even MENTION the book on CNN's recent hatchet job on Leonard. They've built a WALL OF LIES as well as a WALL OF SILENCE around Leonard and around the continuing misdeeds of those who hide behind those LIES and that SILENCE. We the People can overcome those LIES and that SILENCE! Why not send BOXES to the White House--THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF BOXES...each marked on the outside "FREE LEONARD" or something like that, each with a copy of the book or the CD or of Ramsey's preface or of some other item--a Peltier button or bumpersticker, etc (NOTHING OBSCENE OR NASTY, PLEASE)--tucked inside along with newspaper or tissue. I'd like to see the White House lawn PILED HIGH with such boxes. The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee can provide bumper-stickers, buttons, and other Peltier paraphernalia to help.... contact them at lpdc@idir.net or 785-842-5774 Or MAKE YOUR OWN PELTIER PARAPHERNALIA and put it in the box.
Somewhere in his book Leonard calls on EACH OF US to be "AN ARMY OF ONE." That's what's going to have to happen to get Leonard out. We need a multimillion-voiced ARMY OF ONE to shout so hard and so long that we WILL be heard and Leonard Peltier WILL be released from his false imprisonment. Hey, each of us--and all of us--can BE that ARMY OF ONE. Let's DO IT! Every Post Office in the country should be FILLED with BOXES FOR LEONARD PELTIER. PS: Keep them down to relatively small size....say shoebox-sized or smaller...flat, square, oblong...whatever. Though maybe here and there a few largers one, too, so long as they meet the P.O.'s size restrictions. Be sure to include correct postage (hey, the P.O. will love this). Bill, thanks for passing on your GREAT idea...please send it around to everyone and every list you know of; ask them to do the same. I will, too. For a dollar or two in stamps apiece, we can each VOTE to FREE LEONARD PELTIER via the U.S. Post Office! Let that be the beginning of a new realization of just how many we ARE! IT'S 1999--WHY IS LEONARD PELTIER STILL IN PRISON? In solidarity, /Harvey Arden Leonard's editor PS: Also tell everyone to go to www.wisdomkeepers.com to hear a 3-minute free SOUND SAMPLE from the new reading (with musical accompaniment by New Orleans blue musician Reverend Goat Carson) of Leonard's book PRISON WRITINGS: MY LIFE IS MY SUN DANCE. The on-line music distributor MP3.com tallies and makes public all such "hits" on Leonard's CD...LET'S GIVE THEM TENS OF THOUSANDS, NO, MILLIONS of "HITS"!! IT'S TIME FOR MILLIONS OF "ARMIES OF ONE" TO JOIN TOGETHER AND RESPECTFULLY BUT FIRMLY DEMAND THAT OUR BROTHER LEONARD PELTIER BE RELEASED AND RETURNED TO HIS PEOPLE NOW!!!
--------- "RE: November 1st/Show Your Support" ---------
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 22:03:46 -0500 From: "LPDC" <lpdc@idir.net> Subj: NOVEMBER 1ST-SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!
(Please forward)
NOVEMBER 1 IS DAY ONE OF LEONARD PELTIER FREEDOM MONTH! LAFAYETTE PARK RALLY 8:30 am to 1pm MONDAY NOV. 1 PLEASE BE THERE TO SUPPORT THE NATIVE AMERICAN SURVIVORS FROM WOUNDED KNEE, PINE RIDGE, AND OGLALA
Dear Friends, As you know, the Leonard Peltier Freedom Campaign begins on November first in Washington D.C. and will continue through Thanksgiving Day. We will be in Lafayette Park every single day, and we need you to be there with us to show support and solidarity for Mr. Peltier and for all Native Americans. Mr. Peltier has been unjustly incarcerated for some 23 years as a result of FBI misconduct, including the coercion of witnesses, the utilization of falsified evidence, and the concealment of a key ballistics test reflecting Mr. Peltier's innocence. He nevertheless remains in prison, denied a new trial and long overdue for parole. Why ? Because he was a leader and he stood up for his people. Time is running out in this tragic case. Mr. Peltier's health is beginning to deteriorate : he now suffers from diabetes and a heart condition as well as a worsening jaw problem that causes constant pain. Although a Mayo Clinic specialist has offered to repair the jaw, permission has been denied by prison authorities. Amnesty International, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, the Dalai Lama, the National Council of Churches, and the Archbishop of Canterbury have all recognized Leonard Peltier as a political prisoner and are demanding his immediate and unconditional release. The time has come for us to act as well. Monday November 1st s the first day of the month long campaign. There will be an opening rally in Lafayette Park to start up the activities, and we believe that you will find the presentations very moving. Chief Billy Tayac will give the welcoming comments, and Freedom Runners will arrive from the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to demand justice and freedom for Leonard. There will be a traditional prayer circle lead by David Chief, a spiritual leader, and a group of Freedom Fasters will begin their long fasting in the square. Most moving of all will be the arrival of the survivors from the siege of Wounded Knee, from the Reign of Terror at Pine Ridge Reservation, and from the shoot out at Oglala. This will be the first time these people have gathered together to speak out in public in decades. From 1973-1975 these people endured one of the worst campaigns of repression by the U.S government that was carried out in this century. Hundreds of thousands of rounds of live ammunition were fired at the men , women and children in Wounded Knee. The promised hearings on local abuses and treaty violations never took place. After Wounded Knee, some 64 AIM members and traditionalist supporters were murdered on Pine Ridge Reservation. Many others were battered, abused and threatened. Despite a massive FBI presence not one person ever stood trial for these crimes. After the incident at Oglala, which a federal judge has recognized was equally the fault of the U.S. government, Leonard Peltier was extradited from Canada on the basis of a false affidavit obtained by the FBI through coercion and intimidation. Other witnesses were terrorized as well . The FBI ballistic test reflecting his innocence was withheld form the defense. In short, Leonard Peltier was framed, one more victim of FBI corruption. Where were we while all this horror occurred? To be sure, the truth was long withheld from the press and the public. Peter Mathhiessen's book was kept off the shelves for years by litigation. Yet many of us were indeed aware, at least in part, of what was going on. We were appalled, but we believed that the courts and the human rights leaders and our Congressional members would somehow take care of things. We believed that matters would soon be set straight, that justice would be achieved. We were wrong. People continued to be killed and terrorized on Pine Ridge and even today, Leonard Peltier remains in prison. We were not present for our Native American friends and neighbors in those terrifying years. We did not take a strong enough stand. We did not make ourselves heard. They paid the price. This time we must all be there, to show our full support for Mr. Peltier and all of the survivors, and to express our outrage at the injustices which have occurred. We must insist on Leonard Peltier's immediate and unconditional release from prison. The time has come to demand justice and respect for all Native Americans. November is Native American Heritage Month. Let's not leave this grand title as an empty euphemism. Let's make it count. BE THERE ON NOVEMBER FIRST TO SUPPORT PELTIER AND THE SURVIVORS!
For further information call Za'Yn @ Amnesty International: 202.544.0200 xt. 245 email zmclean@aiusa.org or Leonard Peltier Freedom Coalition at 202-857-1469 or 785-842-5774 or visit our web site at: http://members.xoom.com/freepeltier/index.html
It's 1999, why is Leonard Peltier still in prison???
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee PO Box 583 Lawrence, KS 66044 785-842-5774 To subscribe, send a blank message to < lpdc-on@mail-list.com > To unsubscribe, send a blank message to < lpdc-off@mail-list.com > To change your email address, send a message to < lpdc-change@mail-list.com > with your old address in the Subject line http://members.xoom.com/freepeltier/index.html
--------- "RE: Native Prisoner" ---------
Date: Sun, 24 Oct 1999 19:41:37 -0440 From: "Janet Smith" <jansatlcom.net@mindspring.com> Subj: Contacting those in the Ironhouse
Tell a Native American Prisoner someone cares! The following is a portion of the list of Native American Prisoners incarcerated in prisons throughout the United States. The full list is found at the Native Prisoners Pen Pal list the following web site: http://www.brooks.simplenet.com/penpal.html. The list is compiled from contributions by Wotanging Ikche readers, other friends and from Laura Brooks' research on Native American Spiritual Freedom in Prison. If you know of a Native prisoner who would like to be included here, please e-mail Janet Smith at jans@atlcom.net. My thanks to Laura Brooks for giving this list a home on the web.
Newsome, Charles M Myers, Joseph Michael #219-573 #R143-651 PO Box 5500 PO Box 5500 Chillicothe, OH 45601 Chillicothe, OH 45601 Date of Birth: 8/6/63 Date of Birth: 9/13/67 Ancestry: Cherokee Ancestry: Apache/Cherokee
Pike Jr., William J. Newcomb, John Wayne #315-725 #285-267 PO Box 69 PO Box 511 London, OH 43140 Columbus, OH 43216 Date of Birth: 10/13/70 Date of Birth: 3/7/61 Ancestry: Cherokee Ancestry: Lakota
Pierce, Randy Norris, Matthew Gene #120836 -M.S.U.- #A225-147 W.K.C.C. PO Box 69 PO Box 5000 London, OH 43140 Eddyville, KY 42038-5000
Laura Brook's website is being updated and old pages moved to a mirror site temporarily. The current address for Laura Brooke's Native American Prisoner pen pal archive list is: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/9118/penpal.html. I'll try to keep an eye on the page to see where it finally ends up and let readers know immediately. Reminder and Caution: It is common for prisoners to be moved abruptly. If your correspondent suddenly quits writing, don't assume it's by choice. Inquire about his location and situation -- often the prison chaplain can help you with this. If you know a prisoner on our list has been moved, please let me know. If your correspondent requests that you send him anything, particularly ceremonial items, check the prison to ensure the requested items are not contraband. Sometimes items of religious significance that are ordinarily banned may be given to the prisoner by the chaplain. --------------------------------- Please especially remember - this is the "Year of Leonard". Leonard Peltier #89637-132, Box 1000, Leavenworth, KS 66048 --------------------------------- Write Eddie Hatcher directly at North Carolina Central Prison: Eddie Hatcher, 1300 Western Blvd., Raleigh
--------- "RE: A Hundred Years Ago" ---------
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 23:27:29 -0700 From: Barbara Landis <blandis@epix.net> Subj: [NAT-FILM] History: A Hundred Years Ago - Carlisle - Week 124
Mailing List: NAT-FILM <NAT-FILM@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> [Editorial Note: These reprints are being included in this newsletter so that you might know the mind of those who ran institutions like Carlisle.]
THE INDIAN HELPER ~%^%~ A WEEKLY LETTER -FROM THE- Indian Industrial School, Carlisle, Pa. ================================================ VOL. XIV. FRIDAY, September 8, 1899 NUMBER 46 ================================================ KEEP TRYING ------ If boys should get discouraged At lessons and at work And say, "There's no use trying," And all hard tasks should shirk, And keep on shirking, shirking, Till the boy became a man, I wonder what the world would do To carry out its plan?
The coward in the conflict Gives up at first defeat; If once repulsed, his courage Lies shattered at his feet. The brave heart wins the battle Because, through thick and thin. He'll not give up as conquered, - He fights, and fights to win.
So, boys, don't get disheartened Because at first you fail; If you but keep on trying, At last you will prevail; Be stubborn against failure; Try, try and try again; The boys who kept on trying Have made the world's best men. ------------- CORRECTION. ------ The following letter explains itself. It is to be deplored when our informants get things mixed, careful as we are to print only what comes from a reliable source, but it seems that a statement made by letter and published in June, to the effect that one of our girls died on the Crow reservation, "neglected by her husband and friends" is a mistake. Superintendent Watson, of the Crow School, is a new man there, having been in the position only since August 15, 1899, but he says: "I find the story to be false in every particular. She had the best of care and food, given by the ladies of the Government Boarding School and by Rev. Burgess, the Congregational minister. Chickens were killed and dressed with other nice food, and taken to her. The teachers and ladies sat up with her at nights, and some were there the night she died. I have no interest in the matter further than letting the truth be known, and relieving the good people here of a false charge." The Man-on-the-band-stand does not believe that the person who alluded to the case in a private letter, meant to falsely charge the good people of the Crow School, as it was stated that the girl was "neglected by her husband and friends." We suppose the writer of the letter meant the girl's Indian friends, and as this case seemed so much like other instances of neglect of dying Indians by friends of their own blood, which have come to the personal observation of the writer, in her several years of experience among the Indians on a reservation in the far west, we did not hes