Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews03.052 From: gars@netcom.com (Gary Night Owl) To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Message-ID: _ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' O ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ O o O / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' O o O / /-< / /--/ /-- VOLUME 03, ISSUE 052 O o o o o O __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 30 December 1995 O o O O o O K A N O H E D A A N I Y V W I Y A O ( N A T I V E A M E R I C A N N E W S ) This issue contains articles from Chiapas-L, INNU-L & NATIVE-L listservers; Newsgroups: apc.hr.indigenous,soc.culture.native,alt.native; UUCP & Genie (General Electric) email 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. <----<<<< >>>>----> 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. Thanks to Don Rayment ,don.rayment@uptowne.com, Wotanging Ikche/ Kanoheda Aniyvwiya is being redistributed via a listserver. If you would like to receive Wotanging Ikche via the listserver, you can send a message to listserv@uptowne.com and include, in the body of your message "sub wotanging.ikche " Thanks to Marc Becker and David Cole issues of Wotanging Ikche/ Kanoheda Aniyvwiya are being archived at a World-Wide-Web site. The URL is http://web.maxwell.syr.edu/nativeweb/journals/nanews Notice regarding phase out of gopher site: At the end of January I will be phasing out the WSU gopher directory where I've been saving issues of your valuable newsletter. The Web has grown dramatically this year, as you know, and gopher sites are becoming old technology. I plan to design my own home page soon which will feature video documentaries on aboriginal issues. So, thank you, brother, for allowing me to have a small part in making your newsletter available. The gopher directory gopher.wsu.edu /WSU Campuses Information/Public Services /Native Peoples will be gone around 2/1/96. Praying for Leonard Peltier and all others deserving freedom, -phil duran (duranp@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu) Thanks to Phil Duran, duranp@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu, for providing this gopher site. It has been a good gift. __ gary "If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian he can live in peace. There need be no trouble. Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow." __ Chief Joseph, Nimipoo +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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 +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ O'siyo Brothers and Sisters! This is the last issue of Volume three of Wotanging Ikche/Kanoheda Aniyvwiya. Never did I believe this newsletter would come this far. I can only pray it has served those who write the articles by helping their words find more eyes. I can only pray it has served those who read the articles by bringing more news of the First Nations to all who seek it. I am humbled so many grant me permission to share their words. I am grateful to those who receive these words. I send thanks to each of you for allowing me to briefly be part of your circle. It is truly an honor. Peace! Night Owl , , Gary Night Owl gars@genie.geis.com (*,*) P. O. Box 672168 gars@netcom.com (`-') Marietta, GA 30067, U.S.A. gars@igc.apc.org ===w=w=== ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- Part A: Usenet and e-mail Part B: NATCHAT and NATIVE-L lists - Letter for Leonard Peltier's Parole - AIM Call for E-Mail Letters - LPDC Internet Address to Parole Commission - Trouble in Florida - Position Statement of - Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute Update Black Mesa Residents - Book Project: Return to Nitassinan - Response to Big Mountain Update - Sunbow 5 Walkers Arrive in Flagstaff - Article About Nuxalk Blockade - 60 Minutes Report on Marcos - Poem: Silenced Hearts - Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days - Conferences and Powwows - offline --------- "RE: Letter for Leonard Peltier's Parole" --------- Date: Sat, 23 Dec 1995 10:33:47 -0500 From: R2JSQ@VM1.CC.UAKRON.EDU(Joe Quickle) Subj: Dec 23 - Letter for Leonard Peltier's Parole Chautauqua Newsletter A decision on Leonard Peltier's parole is due within the next several weeks. The Parole Commission appears to be actually considering the facts of the case rather than just rubber-stamping another failure of justice. Because this is such a window of opportunity, we need to get as many letters as possible to the Parole Commission. In order to further this, I'm going to attempt to write a new letter to the parole commission each day for as long as I can, and post the letter to this and other lists, as well as usenet groups. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO: + print and mail the letter after signing it yourself + fax the letter to the Parole Commission + write your own letters and send or fax them + post your own letters to the lists to give other people ideas, and so others can see that people are writing ______ United States Parole Commission 5550 Friendship Blvd. Suite 420 Chevy Chase, MD. 20815 FAX: (301) 492-6694 Dear Commissioner, By the time you receive this letter, it will be after Christmas. I hope you had a merry one, but I hope you also remember that Leonard Peltier has spent the last 19 Christmases in prison - for no legitimate reason. This deprivation of Mr. Peltier's liberty has nothing to do with "justice." To the contrary, it has been done with the spirit of injustice to the extreme. The government - the FBI and U.S. Attorney - used all means available, legality notwithstanding, to insure the conviction of Mr. Peltier despite an utter lack of evidence against him, and despite a preponderance of evidence that (1) Leonard Peltier did not commit the crimes for which he has been imprisoned, and (2) the conviction of Leonard Peltier was obtained on fabricated evidence, coerced perjury on the part of witnesses, and deliberate perjury on the part of FBI agents. Leonard Peltier has paid for the crimes of the government, paid with the loss of nearly twenty years of his freedom. Think of what you have done with your own career and family in the last twenty years, and then imagine the drastic impact it would have had on your life had this been taken away from you not because of anything you had done, but to cover up others' corruption. It is impossible to give Leonard Peltier back the time that has been taken from him. By the time you receive this it will be impossible to even give him back Christmas of 1995. But because you are in this position of responsibility, you can and must do your part to restore justice in the U.S. You have been led to where you are exactly now because you have a moral responsibility to remove this stain on our government and our nation. I urge you to remember that by not setting this right, you are effectively embracing the corruption of what we hope is the past. I urge you to free Leonard Peltier at the earliest possible time. Sincerely, ----------------------- I am sending a copy of this letter to the Parole Commission via US Mail. Please feel free to fax or mail copies yourself, or to write your own letters and fax or mail them. ---------------------------------------------------------- --------- "RE: LPDC Internet Address" --------- Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1995 14:46:59 -0500 From: lpdc@idir.net Subj: The LPDC has an Internet Address! UUCP email The LPDC is now on-line again - this time for good. Our address is lpdc@idir.net Please write to us about any questions, concerns or suggestions you may have. UPDATE on LEONARD: We have just received word from Leonard that he is at the federal medical facility in Springfield, MO. He is fine and seems to be in good spirits. This is very good news as he needs some attention for his jaw, teeth, and knee. We are very pleased with this move and thank those of you around the world who worked so hard to keep him safe and to divert the transfer away from Atlanta. Please help make this Christmas more tolerable for Leonard by sending cards, soft covered books, and postal money orders (he needs the money for phone calls, stamps, paper etc). His address is: Leonard Peltier, #89637-132, Springfield Medical Facility, 1900 W Sunshine, Box 4000, Springfield, MO 65808. Thanks again for your help. Remember to keep calling the White House Comment Line at (202)456-1111 and send letters to the parole commission at USPC, 5550 Friendship Blvd, Ste 420, Chevy Chase, MD 20815. In the spirit, Lisa Faruolo LPDC --------- "RE: Trouble in Florida" --------- Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 07:22:36 -0800 (PST) From: tahreer@aol.com Subj: Trouble in FL.. Need HELP now! Chautauqua Newsletter Help is needed desperately. Please respond to tahreer@aol.com. The Traditional Seminoles of Florida are being told by the authorities that they can no longer live in the traditional manner - they are trying to force the Seminoles to move out of their Chickees and press charges for code violations. Two lawyer teams have been offered to them: Holland/Knight and Cummins and Lockwood - both may be out of Miami. Looking for information about their track record. Can anyone recommend a lawyer who is experienced in NA issues with a good track record? (One with whom money is not major issue) This situation is urgent. There are some other pressing issues for the Traditional Seminoles going on at the same time - this could be the issue to springboard the whole string of issues - therefore a lawyer experienced in NA issues is desperately needed - one that can see the potential in this case to do a lot of good for a people struggling to survive. Remember - this case could lead to their eviction from their homes and the abolition of their way of life - it could be lost forever. Please e-mail me (Tahreer) ASAP with any suggestions. (FYI: - this is an authorized posting) --------- "RE: Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute Update" --------- Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1995 08:57:50 -0700 From: dh88691@goodnet.com (Jon Norstog) Subj: NAVAJO-HOPI "LAND DISPUTE" UPDATE: 12/23/95 UUCP email NAVAJO-HOPI "LAND DISPUTE" UPDATE: DECEMBER 22, 1995 Meeting with the Ninth Circuit Court On Friday, Dec. 15, there was a meeting of the mediation teams in San Francisco to report back to the court on the status of the mediation. Who went is almost as significant as what was reported. The Hopi Tribe's team and its attorney, Tim Atkeson were there; the U.S. was represented by Katherine Hazard; the Navajo Nation had Attorney General Herb Yazzie, Attorney Gerri Harrison, and the latest Executive Director of the Navajo-Hopi Land Commission Office, Ray Russel. Lee Phillips attended, but none of the people from the land. This was because Mr. Yazzie had said that the meeting was to be "only for attorneys". The Attorney General has been attempting to assert control over the mediation process since November, and is using the threat of withdrawing the Nation's technical support as well as hinting that Le's contract is up for renewal soon, and .... Claudeen Bates Arthur resigned as Legislative Counsel on Dec. 1. An anglo named Steve Boos is acting while a new permanent Counsel is recruited. (If you are a bilingual Navajo attorney with a taste for conflict, call (530) 871-7167 for particulars.) Roman is still working at the Office of Legislative Counsel Officially he is the interpreter supplied to the families by the Navajo Nation, and is employed on a month-to-month basis. What he really does is what he has always done, tell the families what is really going on, get them help and resources to continue the struggle, give them the best advice he can about what can be done. Claudeen has also become involved personally since the IGR Committee hearings last fall, and has attended virtually all of the family meetings and negotiations this year. The Attorney General's order was directed more at Roman and Claudeen than at the families. Roman and CLaudeen went anyway. What happened is that Navajo Nation groups, the Hopi Tribe, Lee Phillips and the U.S., along with the David Lombardi (I am not sure whether McCue was there) met with the 9th Circuit Court to present the "Accommodation Agreement" which was negotiated over the summer. What was presented was a Hopi tribe document which was virtually unchanged from the original, plus letters and "clarifications" (including letters from the Hopi tribe, the U.S., Lee Phillips, and the Navajo Nation) which made important changes in it. Roman and Claudeen had come with a document which recognized all these, putting all the key text into the main agreement. The mediator and the Court felt that the single document was a good idea, so it looks like that will be the outcome. It is most likely that this document will become the basis for a consent decree issued by the District Court for Phoenix (where the MANYBEADS lawsuit was brought). Legislative action by Congress will follow. What has Changed as a result of this Summer's Negotiations? The agreement states specifically that it's purpose is to respect and protect the religious rights of both Navajos and Hopis. The Navajo families have been assured that the homesites issued under the agreement, while they are nominally three acres, will actually include all the land used for homesite-related purposes. The Hopi Tribe is also accepting proposals for homesite expansion to accommodate new homes. The Navajo families have been assured in writing that all existing traditional land uses will be allowed to continue - essentially we see this as meaning continued access to customary use areas. Maps of family and community customary use areas are being included in the "lease" agreements. The agreement also provides that the Hopi tribe will not change its current land use plans to the detriment of the Navajo families without their consent. (This provision was in the agreement previously, but has been given more strength by the clarifications discussed over the summer) Religious sites will be protected. The Hopi Tribe will also give notice to the families directly of any construction activity which might affect their religious sites. The Hopi Tribe assured that families would be free to have their children and other descendants living with them. The families are allowed to have Horses, cattle, donkeys, and goats as well as just sheep. There were a number of minor changes which I will try to cover later. What is Unchanged? The lease term is still for only 75 years. This was not negotiable with the Hopi Tribe. It is hoped that Congress will have something to say about it. The grazing allocation for the families remains unchanged at 2800 "sheep". The agreement leaves open the possibility that this can be increased, but I am not convinced it will happen. This averages out to about 25 sheep per extended family, way less than they need to survive, and les than many of them have now. If this is not changed, there will be constant livestock impoundments and continued tension. The U.S. did agree to conduct a new range survey as a result of our insistence that the range is in much better condition that BIA admits. This will create the space for more grazing units to be allocated, but who will get them? The provisions for eviction remain in the agreement. What has changed is that the agreement specifically states that eviction of one family member will not affect the rest of the family's ability to remain on the land. Agricultural allotments remain at 10 acres. This is a provision that will affect John Yazzie's family at Sand Springs unless some special proviso is made for them. The U.S. Agreement with the Hopi Tribe The U.S. has reportedly signed an agreement with the Hopi Tribe which provides for compensation. We have not seen a copy of this document yet. What the newspapers say is that the U.S. will give the Hopi Tribe up to $50.2 million, with the opportunity to purchase up to 500,000 acres of land, in return for its accommodation of the Navajo families and dismissing its lawsuits ($320 million total) against the U.S. The Hopis get the first $2.5 million when they drop the lawsuits and go to Congress for permission to enter into 75-year leases (they are an IRA tribe and are limited to 25 years for leasing now). The Hopis will get more of the money if 50% of the Navajo families sign "leases" and all of it when 75% of them sign. The Hopi Tribe, we know, was asking the U.S. to agree to evict any Navajo families that refuse to sign a "lease". Not having seen the document we do not know if the U.S. has agreed to this. If not, presumably non-signers would remain on the land, either under current terms or in some kind of legal limbo. The Navajo Nation has not yet begun to negotiate with the U.S. For whatever reason, the Administration has chosen to wait until an agreement was reached before beginning discussions with the U.S. and the Hopi Tribe over compensation. As a result, the process has gone forward on terms set by the U.S. and the Hopi Tribe. It looks like the very least the Hopi will want is the $30 million plus judgement in the "money cases" which rose out of P.L. 93-531. The Hopi Tribe is also insisting that the Nation pay "rent" for the family "leases" and that it pay a big piece of this up front. The Hopi Tribe may also ask for lands owned by the Navajo Nation, and will almost certainly try to take away the Place of Emergence, which they call the Sipapu. The Nation may try to get the U.S. - which after all was the author of this whole mess - to offset the Nation's losses. Otherwise, you can do the math: the Nation is trying to run a $100 million government on $85 million now, mineral revenues are falling, the U.S. is cutting funds to the contract programs like law enforcement, social services and education. Meanwhile ... The Hopi Tribal Council did finally vote to accept the agreement but it has not been taken to the villages. Caleb Johnson has been quoted in the press as saying that the villages will oppose it, and could send it back to Council to be rescinded. We will have to see, I guess. All Summer I Worked ... I stuck it out with the families, I guess. I was fired by the Nation on June 1 this year, but continued to work as a volunteer, doing pretty much what I always have done, plus getting the mapping projects started. It was really a relief to cut the work down to essentials, no more paper-pushing. I would catch rides with Roman and Claudeen in her big Ford Crown Vic .... Roman and Claudeen were among a group taking lessons from Alfred Yazzie. They were working on their songs, so as we drove along they would sing. There are 12 Hogan songs, then 9 more that follow the twelve. Also with the Hogan songs are the Nahat'a', for the medicine man to sing: 7 songs, then 9 more, that are the most sacred. I guess I heard all of them, plus the dawn song. Its a good way to travel...you feel protected from what is out there. Roman says that learning the songs is harder than any of the work he had to do at Princeton. He is thinking of becoming a medicine man. --------- "RE: Book Project: Return to Nitassinan" --------- Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1995 08:55:33 -0500 From: Larry Innes From: Peter_Sibbald@magic.ca (Peter Sibbald) Subj: RETURN TO NITASSINAN, book project Mailing List: INNU-L Innu Supporters c/o Innu Nation Internet List INNU-L@YORKU.CA Dear Innu Supporter: I am a photographer who has been working on a still photography "documentary" on the Innu since 1988 (working title: RETURN TO NITASSINAN). Perhaps you may have seen my photo essay which EQUINOX Magazine of Canada published in April of 1995. This essay, an excerpt of the whole, documented the 1993 death of Mani Pasteen, an important Innu elder. In the spring of 1996, GEO, Germany's answer to the more familiar magazine, National Geographic, is scheduled to publish a larger selection of my work plus an article in their special issue on Canada. This piece, to be published in German, will be important because of the strong NATO presence of the German Air Force in Labrador/Nitassinan. Nevertheless, as desirable as it is to get the wide editorial distribution of a work, the mechanical limitations of such a format invariably lead to oversimplification. Moreover, from the beginning, I have always conceived of RETURN TO NITASSINAN as a book project. In these difficult economic times however, it is harder and harder to get books published in general, especially in Canada. More particularly, books with unpopular political views (as viewed by the establishment, that is) are even more difficult to get published, and books of photography are nearly impossible because of their huge cost of production and printing ($75,000 - $100,000). Last spring, after a very long search, I finally found a major publisher, a university press (i.e. non-commercial), who was prepared to take a serious look at the project and has remained extremely interested... until recently when their marketing people started to get cold feet. They have put the project on hold pending confirmation of a revised estimate of likely sales: i.e., unless it can be demonstrated that enough people are likely to buy the book (at least 2,500), they won't proceed any further with its publication. The publisher has asked me to generate a list of support groups worldwide and if possible their various membership sizes so that they more accurately project sales. In its current incarnation, the book would be soft cover/ 8.5 x 11 format primarily of black and white documentary photographs, approximately 80 in number, contain two or three written essays (one of which would probably be written by an Innu leader) plus excerpts from my journal writings. It would sell for roughly $30.00 - $35.00 (Canadian) and be distributed worldwide. This book would be a very good thing for the Innu as it would give them another forum to speak plus elevate, if not at least bolster, their profile internationally. I will also be trying to build into it's sales a fund raising component which might support an organization or project chosen in close consultation with the Innu Nation. (Personally, I neither intend, nor expect to make any profit from this project though I confess that I would be very happy if it helped me recoup any of the enormous financial costs that I've incurred in doing the research, photography and writing to date.) I hasten to emphasize that neither I nor the publisher are seeking commitments from any individual or organization, just a rough idea of the sorts of numbers of people who might be interested in and able to purchase such a book. I would greatly appreciate hearing back both from individuals and organizations (small or large) at your earliest convenience so that I may provide the publisher with what they need and hopefully restore the momentum of the book project before it lost altogether. In this traditional season of celebration, please accept my humble wishes of PEACE, good health and happiness for you and your families. Yours sincerely, Peter Sibbald peter_sibbald@mail.magic.ca 494 Indian Grove Toronto, Ontario CANADA M6P 2H9 Tel. 416-604-8310 Fax. 416-604-8623 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Magic Online Services Toronto Inc. (416) 591-6490 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- --------- "RE: Sunbow 5 Walkers Arrive in Flagstaff" --------- Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1995 20:37:59 -0600 (CST) From: "Philip A. Kratzer" Subj: SUNBOW 5 WALKERS ARRIVE IN FLAGSTAFF (please forward) UUCP email I received this from Marsha, a current Sunbow 5 walker, yesterday to post in the Circle and anywhere else appropriate. PLEASE REPOST AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE. PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DECEMBER 21, 1995 Media Questions: 214/960-6215 Contact: Philip A. Kratzer URL: http://www.sunbow5walk.org/sunbow5 SUNBOW 5 WALKERS ARRIVE IN FLAGSTAFF For more information call 214/770-0011 For donations call: 214/458-7625, ask for Phil For local events please contact: Katie Harris 520/525-2958 Sunbow 5 Walk for the Earth is a prayer walk that began June 23, 1995. Sunbow 5 Walkers have walked over 3,300 miles from Cape cod Massachusetts en route to Santa Barbara, CA. The vision for this walk came as a result of the 1993 Cry of the Earth Prophecy session held at the United Nations, New York. Blessings for this walk come from the Algonquin, Hopi, Lakota, Wampanoag, Arawak, Aztec, and many other Nations. This walk was called by traditional elders in the fulfilling of prophecy for all colors and Nations. This walk was called by traditional elders in the fulfilling of prophecy for all colors and Nations to come together in the spirit of union, remembering the original instructions given by the Creator. Sunbow 5 walkers offer and share prayers to re-establish a conscious relationship and connection to land and life. December 11, 1995, Sunbow 5 Walkers, 300 yards after entering Hopi land, in the Keams Canyon area, were gifted with a female deer who mysteriously appeared on their path. An on-going car hit this deer and she was left to die. Sunbow 5 Walkers never saw the deer get hit, cross the road, nor were there tracks indicating the direction the deer came from. The dying deer was consoled with prayer and was later carried to the camp where it was skinned. The food was greatly appreciated and received as a gift from the Creator, with offerings given, as well as food shared, with visiting traditional elders. December 14-17, 1995, Sunbow 5 Walkers, at the invitation of traditional Hopi from Hotevilla, camped at Titus's Farm. The walkers were welcomed with blessings of lightening, thunder, female rain and gentle snow which did not go unnoticed by the Hopi. Many prayers were offered for people to remain strong. December 17, 1995, Sunbow 5 walkers walked into Big Mountain, Navajo Nation, accompanied by two Hopi women who helped carry the Dineh staff brought from Church Rock Indian Village. The feeling of the walk into Big Mountain carried with it a sense of unity among people representing many Native Nations, other countries, and from many walks of life. The variety of participants, numbering over 30, is arriving in Flagstaff, AZ, on December 21, 1995, day of the Winter Solstice. The camp is now near Sunset Crater. The Native American Community Action Program, Dorothy Denetsosie and colleagues are coordinating a press conference, upcoming speaking engagements, and a food drive. Please contact Katie Harris 520/525-2958 for a listing of local events planned in the Flagstaff, Sedona area. December 26, 1995, the walk will continue to Santa Barbara, CA where it will be received by the Shumash Nation on February 4, 1996. ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ Philip A. Kratzer Chief Executive Officer Internet Marketing Partners, Inc. 13619 Inwood Road, Ste 300 Phil@NetBiz.com Dallas, Texas 75244 www.netbiz.com 214.960.6215 * 214.458.8270 fax --------- "RE: 60 Minutes Report on Marcos" --------- Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1995 20:49:05 +0000 From: "CECILIA RODRIGUEZ" Subj: "60 Minutes" report on Sub. Marcos Mailing List: Chiapas-L (chiapas-l@profmexis.dgsca.unam.mx) Maria Jimenez from AFSC in Houston just reported that Sub. Marcos will be one of three men featured by CBS' 60 Minutes on a special program on 3 fascinating men and 3 fascinating women that will be aired December 24 and December 31. It is probably worth trying to watch to see what spin they put on the issue. NCDM National Office --------- "RE: Poem: Silenced Hearts" --------- Date: Sun, 17 Dec 1995 19:11:09 -0800 (PST) From: cherokee@wolfenet.com Subj: Silenced Hearts UUCP email Those who Dreamed Spirit winds.... play the melody as drums beat the rhythm of silenced heartbeats.... Sand Creek... Wounded Knee.... Faceless silent dead Whose screams are never heard..... Another time..another place.... that never comes...never leaves... always there... Which hearts can hear this? It does not take a designated blood quorum.... Does anyone care? Or does the daily existence of this life silence the heart to sob anymore? Who cares that a woman's breasts were cut off and worn as a ornament to decorate a soldier's hat? Does anyone cry over the death of that breastless dreamer? We have told the stories.... Shared our fires... Given warnings.... And in the silence of the mountains I hear the whispers of the winds... who say....It shall be played again.... No one knows how to light the fires anymore...to warm the spirits... I stand...against the winds...and touch the heart of Grandfather Sky who weeps and bow my head as I see that flag of protection fluttering...in the winds as they stood....slaughtered as the buffalo..... dying..still believing.... But no one hears their songs anymore.... and I wish.... Someone knew how to light the fires for it is so very cold...without protection from the winds..... --------- "RE: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days" --------- Date: 95/12/22 22:41 From: Debra F. Sanders (dfsanders@genie.geis.com) Subj: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days GE Electronic Mail A HAWAIIAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of December 31-January 6 KEKEMAPA (December) (Makalii) 31 Greet the dawn of the new year with flowers, song, and dance by the ocean, where all life begins. OCEAN SONGS (Images of Hawai'i) By D. F. Sanders I have heard your ocean songs at dusk In the trees that sway with the sighing wind, And seen, in the soft glimmering of starlight, The iridescent waves caressing the shore. Sometimes, a voice calls to me in the silence, Bringing me memories of the land, ka aina. It is the voice of the sea that I hear, The murmur of the surf in a shell, Or the laughter of children as they play, All sounds repeating to me, in the vast chant of life, "Hawai'i, Hawai'i." You ask much: love of your heritage, Love of the land, with its sacred places, Yet you give of your bounty in return, And your splendor is a feast for all to behold. You have many moods, from the fiery wrath of a volcano To the gentle rain that falls, like a blessing, on the land, Graced by the fragile luminescence of a rainbow. If I were to ask you, "Where does your heart lie?" You might answer, "In the children and in the land, And in the everlasting melee of the wind and the sea." I have heard the beauty of your ocean songs, And I know, in the bright rhapsody of the morning, Hawai'i. IANUALI (January) (Kaelo) Ancient Hawaiians knew that January was the time of year when the enuhe, a worm very destructive to vegetation, appeared, and also when the vines began to put forth fresh leaves. 1 In the sound of the ocean, I can hear my ancestors calling. 2 A ho'okupu, a gift from the heart, enriches the giver. 3 In the family, ohana, lies the renewal of the past. 4 I am the child of many cultures -- in me grows the hope of the future. 5 I am a part of the land, ka aina. The soil is my flesh, the mountains my bones. 6 My voice is the voice of the wind, ka makani; my dance is the dance of the waves. (c) Copyright 1991 by D. F. Sanders Me ke aloha i ka nani, ... Moe'uhanekeanuenue (With love and beauty, ... Rainbow Dream) --------- "RE: Conferences and Powwows - offline" --------- Date: Thu, 28 Dec 95 08:00 -0500 From: Janet Smith (Evening Star) (jans@genie.geis.com) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows not previously posted to Mailing Lists NATCHAT or NATIVE-L GE Electronic Mail From: R2JSQ@VM1.CC.UAKRON.EDU (Joe Quickle) Newsgroups: alt.native,soc.culture.native Subject: Re: ? New Years Pow Wow Here is a text version of the flyer for the Sobriety Powwow. -Joe Quickle -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- THE OHIO CENTER FOR NATIVE AMERICAN AFFAIRS & SACRED RUN FOUNDATION PRESENT THE THIRD ANNUAL NEW YEAR'S WEEKEND TRADITIONAL SOBRIETY POWWOW DECEMBER 30, 1995, DECEMBER 31, 1995, & JANUARY 1, 1995 DOORS OPEN DAILY AT 10:00 AM DANCE SESSIONS: DECEMBER 30TH...1 PM - 5 PM / 7 PM - 12 AM DECEMBER 31ST...1 PM - 5 PM / 7 PM - 2 AM JANUARY 1ST.....1 PM - 5 PM MASTER OF CEREMONIES: DENNIS BANKS ARENA DIRECTOR: KENNY IRWIN, SR. VENDOR INFORMATION: ENJOY: LOCATION: ------------------- ------ --------- NATIVE TRADERS ONLY * NATIVE AMERICAN TRADERS! FRANKLIN PARK (BY INVITATION) * NATIVE AMERICAN FOOD! MULTI-PURPOSE * NATIVE AMERICAN DANCERS! BUILDING PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED * NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC! CALL OCNAA: 614-228-4710 1747 EAST BROAD STREET -NATIVE AMERICAN ITEMS ONLY COLUMBUS, OH -NO SACRED ITEMS SOLD -NO BURIAL ARTIFACTS PERMITTED (SEE MAP BELOW) ADMISSION: ---------- ADULTS - $5.00 AGES 6 THRU 12 - $3.00 AGE 65 & OLDER - $3.00 AGE 5 & UNDER - FREE! ==================== MEALS FOR ALL REGISTERED NO DRUGS ALLOWED! SINGERS & DANCERS ==================== NO ALCOHOL ALLOWED! PUBLIC INVITED! THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO ALL REGARDLESS OF RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, AGE, SEX, OR DISABILITY - WE ARE ALL RELATED! --- ===================================================================== SACRED RUN FOUNDATION P.O. BOX 315, NEWPORT, KY 41071 PHONE: 606-431-2346 THE OHIO CENTER FOR NATIVE AMERICAN AFFAIRS 203 EAST BROAD STREET, COLUMBUS, OH 43215 PHONE: 614-228-0460 OR 614-228-4710 ENDORSED BY THE AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT, OHIO AND KENTUCKY CHAPTERS AND SUPPORT GROUPS MAP: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + : + + : I-71 N + + | + + | + + | BROAD STREET E + +- - ------------------|------------------------ - -+ + | XX POWWOW! + + | + +- - ------------------|------------------------ - -+ + | I-70 E + + | + + | + + | + + : I-71 S + + : + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ----------------------------------------------------------- Ringing in the New Year From "The Spike" Dec 31 Sault Ste Marie, MI, Chippewa New Years powwow Info: 906-635-6075 Dec 30-Jan 1 Columbus OH, Third Annual Traditional Sobriety Powwow Info: 614-228-0460 Dec 31-Jan3 Thunder Bay, ONT, Inter-Tribal Osh Kwi Keenonawin Info: 807-623-6789 Dec 26-Jan 1 Miccosukee Reservation, FL. 21st Annual Miccosukee Arts Festival Info: 305-223-8380 Dec 5 Okeechobee, FL, American Indian Cultural Festival and Dance Info: 800-999-6710 From: News from Indian Country Dec 29-31 Minneapolis, MN, 8th Annual Traditional/Contest/Powwow Info: 612-724-3129 Dec 29-Jan 1 White Swan, WA, White Swan New Years Info: 509-865-5121 Dec 29-31 Tucson, AZ, Amigos New Year Info: 602-622-4900 Dec 30-31 Denver, CO, Denver New Years Info: 303-455-4575 Dec 31-Jan 1 Cherry Creek, SD New Years Powwow Info: 605-538-4221 Dec. 31 Neopit, WI, Menominee New Years Eve Info: 715-756-2354 Dec 31 Oklahoma City, OK, The Good Medicine Society Powwow Info 405-943-7935 ========================================================================== -------------------------------------------------------------------------- --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- Notice of Copyright Clearance by Contributors: The following have granted permission for their original articles to be reposted in order to help mend the Sacred Hoop: Janet Smith, Debra F. Sanders, Joe Quickle, Brooke Craig, Lisa Faruolo(LPDC), Jon Norstog, Peter Sibbald via Larry Innes, Philip A. Kratzer(Press Release), Cecilia Rodriguez, Dineh Alliance(Press Release), William M. Havens, Marsha Shaiman via Ray Morton via Annie(using enanfnca@web.apc.org) --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Part B of this newsletter (not included) has already been distributed via the NATIVE-L or NATCHAT mailing lists. --------- "RE: AIM Call for E-Mail Letters to Parole Commission" --------- Date: Sat, 23 Dec 1995 13:35:42 EST From: r2jsq@vm1.cc.uakron.edu (Joe Quickle) Subj: AIM call for e-mail letters to parole comm. for Peltier Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) From Kenny Kane, Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Chapter: INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF AUTONOMOUS AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT CHAPTERS PITTSBURGH CHAPTER ANNOUNCEMENT: CALL FOR E-MAIL LETTERS TO PAROLE COMMISSION The Pittsburgh Chapter is collecting e-mail letters to print out and deliver to the U.S. Parole commission, to convince them that Leonard Peltier must be freed. Send e-mail letters for the U.S. Parole Commission to: Internet: "r2jsq@vm1.cc.uakron.edu" or "r2jsq@akronvm.bitnet" Bitnet: "r2jsq@akronvm" If your system has a feature to fill in who you're writing to, use "U.S. Parole Commission." Format the letter as you would regular non-electronic mail. We will be printing and delivering these on Wednesday and Friday of this week, and on Tuesday and Friday of next week (if the number of responses is very high, we'll add more deliveries). Feel free to e-mail several different letters and we'll print and send them all. Send one or many each day if you like. ------------------------------------------------------------ IMPORTANT: Please don't stop faxing messages or sending them in U.S. mail - we need to get as many letters to the Parole Commission as possible so they know the magnitude of the movement for Leonard, and so they are thoroughly convinced that he must be freed. ------------------------------------------------------------ Address for the US Parole Commission: U.S. Parole Commission 5550 Friendship Blvd. Suite 420 Chevy Chase, MD 20815 Fax: (301) 492-6694 --------- "RE: Position Statement of Black Mesa Residents" --------- Date: 21 Dec 1995 14:58:52 +0100 From: dineh@primenet.com (Dineh Alliance) Subj: Position Statement of Black Mesa Residents Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) BIG MOUNTAIN UPDATE. DECEMBER 1995 POSITION STATEMENT OF THE BLACK MESA RESIDENTS REGARDING THE NAVAJO/HOPI LAND SETTLEMENT. On Wednesday, December 06, 1995, Navajo Nation Attorney General Herb Yazzie and attorney Lee Phillips met with Hopi Tribal officials in Flagstaff, AZ to discuss a compromise agreement approved by the Hopi Tribal Council on November 27, 1995. The "Accommodation Agreement" (Agreement) that has been touted as "the best deal" for Navajo Families living on the Hopi Partition Land (HPL) is FRAUDULENT. Because its predecessor, the Agreement-In-Principle (AIP), has died on its own terms, the Agreement is nothing more than a misrepresentation of the on-going reality. Let history correctly show that Lee Phillips has deceived and misled those he claims to represent. He DOES NOT represent the traditional Dineh resistors of Black Mesa who have rejected the ploys of those at the negotiating table and have refused to give credence to the puppet governments of the Navajo and Hopi tribes as well as the U.S. Government and Peabody Western Coal Company (PWCC). We, the traditional Dineh (and Hopi) people maintain "there is no land dispute or tribal warfare, therefore, there is no need for mediation!" The real issue is the on-going illegal activities during this illegal and immoral land grab. There are daily low-altitude overflights by PWCC, night time grid pattern air(plane) surveillance and periodic house level F-16 fly-bys, use of a military painted helicopter for increased co-ordinated livestock round-ups, (a Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force?); confiscation of wood and wood cutting tools; harassment of Navajos who repair their run-down homes-- all the way to Hopi Tribal Court; stepped up harassment of Navajos on HPL by "Hopi Rangers" and Field Monitors, Bureau of Indian Affairs Police and federal informants; and the list goes on. Where is Phillips on these and other cases too numerous to mention? He is too busy railroading many traditional elders who do not understand the English Language or the procedures of this hoax mediation into signing off our ancestors and future generation to this agreement. The mediation process itself has allowed these inhuman activities to escalate and is the reason why the U.S. and both tribal governments chose to ignore the plight of Navajos on HPL. It has also allowed unprecedented environmental devastation on Black Mesa and the unparalleled desecration of burial sites, shrines, medicinal and food plant gathering sites, Anasazi sites, etc. Black Mesa residents have obtained a lawyer who represents them in court and otherwise to establish working relationships with the three governments involved. For example, recently he was instrumental in the release of impounded livestock for locals. This was done in a respectful manner making an informal relationship possible. HPL Navajos who sit at the negotiation table DO NOT represent all of us who reside on HPL. We do not recognize this foreign system that brings death to the land and the people. Whoever signs on to this Agreement, let it only apply to them, not to those HPL residents who refuse to be a part of this underhanded trickery. The Spiritual (religious) issues are not addressed by any party to this agreement. The present Administration DOES NOT support us as HPL residents, if it did, President Albert Hale would have lived up to his campaign promise to provide funding for our legal representation. The absence of environmental justice on Black Mesa makes it clear that PWCC's wanton destruction of our sacred land must cease, both tribes stand to lose everything if PWCC is allowed to continue to operate under current conditions i.e. unpermitted slurry line and rail transport line and illegal mining permits. The Agreement signals the return of the brutality that created Public Law 93-531. The "Relocation Act of 1974" must be repealed or amended and the forced relocation of Dineh and Hopi people must stop. The traditional peoples must be protected at every level. Those of us who reside on the HPL know their are no rights or due process for Navajo families who reject the mediation process. Most certainly, there is no protection for our spiritual and religious concerns. No progress has been made under the ridiculous and unacceptable terms of the Accommodation Agreement. Dineh Alliance PO Box 180, Pinon. AZ 86510 (520) 607 1449 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Comments from NativeNet listowner, Gary Trujillo (gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us): I have hastily created an index to various articles on the Navajo-Hopi land dispute to provide some background on this matter. You can access these articles via the Web URL: http://bioc02.uthscsa.edu/~gst/nl/navajo-hopi.html The process by which the index was created is a manual one, and is some- what laborious. I need to do more work on the index to exclude those articles that don't really pertain to the subject and to add dates to all of them (they go back to the summer of 1991), so I expect this index to have more value in time. The main aim is to provide for those who are interested in getting some background in this subject a means of doing so. I hope to be able to index other important subjects as time goes on. Thus far, I have done only this index and one on the issue of the recent Ogoni executions in Nigeria. I am also preparing one on the subject of the Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP) that was the source of controversy in a discussion thread on NATIVE-L a couple of months ago, but which has been talked about from time to time on NATIVE-L over the past several years. Again, the URL for the NativeNet Web page is: http://www.fdl.cc.mn.us/natnet You can find whatever index pages there are pertaining to various issues either under the geographical subject areas or under what is currently labelled "issue-oriented references" on the page referred to under the "references" link from the main home page. --------- "RE: Response to Big Mountain Update" --------- Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1995 10:37:03 -0700 From: wmhavens@primenet.com (William M. Havens) Subj: Response to Big Mountain Update Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) I would like to respond to the recent "Big Mountain Update." The Big Mountain "resistors" are only one faction of a multi-layered complex problem. True, the Peabody Coal Company aggravates the problem and in many ways can be seen as one of the root causes. At least, there is a direct link between interest in energy development in the region and the imposition of tribal council governments on both the Hopis and the Navajos. I agree that Peabody Western Coal Company is probably the biggest threat to the wellness of the people on Black Mesa, both Hopi and Navajo (short of a continuation of the "dispute"). The depletion of the "N-Aquifer" will soon be permanent. The damage to the aquifer system in the area of Black Mesa has reached the point where it may not be able to recover. There is seepage of upper level polluted water supplies into the deep "N-Aquifer" and the water has been so depleted that the system could collapse. The "N-Aquifer" damage is out of sight and, therefore, difficult to demonstrate. But the permanent damage to the land's surface is real and photographable. This land will never be the same. Peabody reclamation efforts are superficial and even involve non-indigenous plants and a totally new contour to the land. But to refer to an opportunity to settle this more than a century-old dispute that has affected the wellness of thousands of Navajo as well as Hopi people as a Hopi "land grab" is an unfair extremely biased perspective that ignores the historical facts of just how and where the Navajos expanded their territory since their release from the atrocity of Bosque Redondo. Most of the territory acquired by the Navajos since Bosque Redondo has been land that can be shown to have been long time traditional use areas of the Hopis. Some small areas were also Paiute, Southern Ute, and Apache. Most of what is now the Navajo Reservation was traditional Hopi territory before the Navajos came to the region. All of the Navajos' current land holdings have been acquired in the last 150 years. Prior to Bosque Redondo, the Navajos were a thinly spread group of bands with a very loose connection to their core affiliation. Many had been forced out of New Mexico into Hopi territory by, first, the pressures by the Spaniards for more control over the Rio Grande area, and, second, by the aggressive demands of American western expansion and consumption of the fertile Rio Grande and Western New Mexico areas for farming and cattle ranching. This is only the surface of what could be turned into a life-long study. But, it is the picture in a nutshell. I understand that even the issue of "land ownership" is one that has been imposed on Indian people. But at this time in history, it is an unfortunate but irreversible fact. Had some effort not been made to set aside some territory as exclusively Hopi (owned), the Hopi may not have survived the Navajo encroachment. At least, they would have been left without any of their homeland. If they did retain anything, it would not have sustained any crops; sheep tend to destroy the ability of land to support vegetation. The Big Mountain people refer to their habitation on the land as having been for "time immemorial." In reality, they have only been there for a few generations. The Hopis had been there for centuries before the Navajos began their slow migration into the area. The Big Mountain Update also refers to desecration of sacred sites. It should also be mentioned that centuries old Hopi shrines and sacred sites have been desecrated both on Navajo Partitioned Land (where Navajos have harassed Hopis attempting access to sacred sites) as well as on Hopi Partitioned Land still occupied by Navajos. This desecration was not the result of mining operations; it was vandalism. There are many layers to this dispute. It may be true that without government and mineral company intervention there wouldn't be a dispute. There also would be no Hopi-land. The Navajos would have encroached on every inch of Hopi territory. As it is, it is difficult to dispute the fact that the Navajos have been successful, through whatever means, in consuming most of the traditional Hopi territory that used to spread West to the Colorado River, East to the Rio Grande, North to the San Juan, and South to the Springerville, AZ area. It is a convenient misrepresentation (convenient for Navajos, energy companies, ranchers, and others interested in taking Hopi lands) that the Hopis didn't use their traditional areas and that they limited their activities to the immediate vicinity of the mesas. Any restriction of Hopis to the mesas was a result of encroachment into their territory by more aggressive groups (ie: Navajos, Spaniards, Anglos, etc.) Granted, the efforts of the Relocation Commission were bungled, corrupted with conspiracy to defraud both the Government and the Navajo and Hopi relocatees, and was an incredible tragedy. But, claiming "genocide" in this case is not realistic. The cry of "genocide" has been an effective tool in inspiring the support of outsiders (and Europeans) who don't understand the whole picture. I guess the bottom line is that the Hopis have already lost most of their territory to the Navajos; they should not have to give up another acre to squatters. Now, if you've read this far, you at least have a perspective from the other end of the spectrum from which to consider this complex issue. I may have angered some of my Navajo friends, but I felt there needed to be a balance of what was being presented. Bill Havens --------- "RE: Article About Nuxalk Blockade" --------- Date: Sun, 24 Dec 1995 00:41:26 -0500 From: enanfnca@web.apc.org Subj: Article About Nuxalk Blockade Mailing List: NATIVE-L NUXALK NATION BLOCKADES LOGGING COMPANY by Marsha Shaiman "A long time ago . . . we had a number of settlements up and down the valley and on the Salt Water, but the white man took possession of them, and also the timber. I hear the white man are making a great deal of money out of the land that formerly belonged to the Indians. If I were to go to USA, England or any part of Canada and go on anyone's land like that I would be put in jail right away, and we should like to know why our lands have been taken from us in this way. We don't want to lose any more land than we have already lost." - Nuxalk Chief Sungwmay (Tom Henry), 1916 "Eventually things will come to a head here and our natural resources will be limited in time . . . I notice that the wood and fish, etc., are getting scarce . . . When I was a boy my father and the old men of the tribe told us to be very careful with the land and property here, not to give it away or sell it. We all discussed the matter a great deal among ourselves . . . The Creator gave us this land and we use this land and eat these fruits which the Creator provided . . . We want you to know that the fish is the same as the bank. This is where we derive our income." - Nuxalk Kwlhanii (Jim Pollard), 1916 "The sovereignty of the Nuxalk Nation comes from Tatau, the Creator. It is not granted nor subject to the approval of any other nation. As the Nuxalk Nation we have the sovereign right to jurisdictional rule within our own territory. Our lands are a sacred gift. The land is provided for the continued use, benefit and enjoyment of our people, the Nuxalkmc, and it is our ultimate obligation to Tatau, the Creator, to care for and protect it." - Nuxalk Nation, 1995 In early September 1995, members of the Nuxalk Nation and their supporters initiated a blockade near Bella Coola, British Columbia to stop International Forest Products Ltd (Interfor) from constructing a logging road into their unceded traditional territory. Interfor proposes to log in the center of Ista, a sacred site where one of the first Women descended to Earth. According to the Nuxalk: "Old Nuxalk village sites, hunting grounds, fishing grounds, grave sites, and sacred areas have been destroyed and raped by big logging corporations. Our fish and animals that we need to feed our people are disappearing. Our food plants, medicinal plants and trees are being trampled on. We, the Nuxalkmc, can no longer stand by and watch total devastation of our Nuxalk traditional way of life. We can no longer stand by and allow Interfor to destroy the link to our survival as Nuxalkmc." To stop further encroachment by Interfor into their territory, the Nuxalk established the blockade at Ista (Fog Creek) on Nuxalknalus (King Island), a large mainland island 30 miles west of Bella Coola. The Canadian owned corporation began road building in June and claims to have had no opposition to their advertised 5 year "development" plan for Nuxalknalus. According to an activist from Forest Action Network (FAN), a conservation organization working with the Nuxalk Nation, Interfor's 5 year plan is to log the whole coast. Interfor claims to have made all logging arrangements with the Heiltsuk Nation and expressed surprise at the presence of the Nuxalk. The Nuxalkmc agree that they share the area with the Heiltsuk Nation and traditional Heiltsuk people have come to Ista to support what the Nuxalk are doing there. Within its first week, Interfor obtained an injunction to stop the blockade and stated that anyone found at Ista would be charged with trespassing. Hereditary Nuxalk Chief Qwatsinas (Ed Moody) responded to this threat, "Interfor's injunction is invalid. We are not trespassing. This is our land. Interfor are the trespassers. They are stealing our forests." The Nuxalkmc do not recognize the jurisdiction of the Canadian court system over their territory and consider permits granted by the B.C. government to log in their unceded territory to be illegal. On the morning of September 9, 15 Interfor workers arrived at Ista to enforce the injunction. Nuxalkmc and supporters responded by burning copies of the injunction. As John Braaten, operations manager for Interfor, tried to read the injunction aloud, everyone burst into traditional Nuxalkmc song. The Nuxalk Nation has expressed its understanding of both Canadian and their laws. "We know through our Hereditary Chief and Elders who we are as Nuxalkmc, and they tell us OVER AND OVER that this land was provided for us by Tatau, the Creator, not by the government." "Our territory is ours, the Nuxalkmc, and we have never ceded it to the Canadian government. Our nation is not interested in entering into any treaties (B.C. Treaty Commission), agreements or any sort of arrangement with the Canadian government or the British Columbia government concerning our Nuxalk Nation hereditary rights and title." By September 12, as the blockade went into its ninth day, there were over 60 people on site, including Nuxalkmc hereditary chiefs, elders, band council and community members, and FAN activists. Also, by then Interfor had requested that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) enforce the Supreme Court injunction against the blockade. The Nuxalk Nation requested support and assistance from the people that share Ista territory with them, the Heiltsuk Nation of Bella Bella. On Friday, September 15, the Nuxalk hereditary chiefs greeted 4 visitors from Bella Bella, 70 miles west of Bella Coola. Heiltsuk Hereditary Chief Reggie Moody, Dean Wilson, and Don and Mitchell Vickers were received with honor. Nuxalk Head Chief Nuximlayc (Lawrence Pootlass) danced the welcome honor dance and speeches were exchanged. "We can only protect this land together," according to Reggie Moody, Heiltsuk hereditary chief, "We have come in friendship and partnership, to support the protection of this place." As the Heiltsuk people left, he danced on the bow of his boat to say farewell to the Nuxalk song of "Ahiyala." On Saturday September 23, the RCMP began gathering an assault force on the mainland coast near Bella Bella. There were reportedly 41 RCMP personnel, a 20 person helicopter, 3 RCMP boats, and a Coast Guard ship on standby. The following Tuesday, the RCMP moved in on the 40 or so elders, hereditary chiefs, other Nuxalkmc, and FAN activists remaining at the blockade support camp. Among the 22 people arrested for violating the injunction were three Nuxalk hereditary chiefs, a Nuxalk elder, a representative for First Nation Environmental Network, and 5 FAN activists. At the B.C. Supreme Court, in Vancouver, all but 4 of the arrestees were released after signing an agreement to honor the injunction protecting Interfor logging operations. Three Nuxalk hereditary chiefs, Qwatsinas, Nuximlayc, Slicxwliqw (Charlie Nelson), and Lyle Morriseau, an Ojibway with the First Nations Environmental Network, refused to sign. They stated that agreeing to abide by the injunction would be to acknowledge jurisdiction of the B.C. government over them and their traditional territory. Hereditary Chief Qwatsinas told Justice Oliver, "We are defending our law just as you are defending your law." The Chiefs stated, "We have a responsibility for this land and territory. We can not sign a paper that would mean we could no longer care for this land." The 3 hereditary chiefs remained in jail until an October 16 hearing, at which a trial date of December 4 was set. Approximately 200 people came to the Vancouver courthouse to support the chiefs and the other 19 arrestees at the hearing. Still refusing to agree to honor the injunction, the 3 chiefs were returned to jail afterwards. Head Chief Nuximlayc's wife Amelia became suddenly ill and the chief was released on October 17 to be with her at the hospital, where she passed on later that day. Chiefs Qwatsinas and Slicxwliqw also signed agreements to honor the injunction and were released the following day. Trial began in B.C. Supreme Court on Monday December 4, for the 22 people arrested for violating the injunction against protecting Ista from logging. The 17 Nuxalkmc and 5 FAN members question the court's jurisdiction over Nuxalk territory. "We have an obligation to our potlatch system to protect the land, which gives us our songs and dances," stated Hereditary Chief Slicxwliqw. "I cannot allow myself to accept the assumption of jurisdiction that the Canadian government want to have over our land." Court came to a halt, that day, when Justice Saunders stepped down from the bench due to charges of conflict of interest on the grounds that she issued the original injunction. Court reconvened the following morning under Superior Court Justice Smith. The Ista defenders have built their defense on the fact that the court has no jurisdiction over Nuxalk lands. Paul Hundel, lawyer for the Ista defenders, asked the court to prove its jurisdiction by providing extinguishment papers for Nuxalk territory. The court was unable to do so. Justice Smith subsequently refused to recognize Nuxalk sovereignty and ruled they have no jurisdiction over their own territory. The three Nuxalk hereditary chiefs, followed by the other 19 defendants, walked out of the court house in disgust. According to Hereditary Chief Qwatsinas, "The whiteman's court system cannot define our people. Our law allows us to protect our land, their law allows destruction. When we go out to protect our land and forests, we go out with the law given by the Creator." Surprisingly, Justice Smith twice refused the prosecutor's request to issue arrest warrants for the 22 defender of Ista. He has instead postponed their trial until January 15, 1996. In defense of their actions, the Nuxalk Nation cites both the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Royal Proclamation of October 7, 1763. The Charter states that its guarantees, "...shall not be construed so as to abrogate or derogate from any aboriginal, treaty or other rights or freedoms that pertain to the aboriginal people of Canada including a) any rights or freedoms that have been recognized by the Royal Proclamation of October 7, 1763; and b) any rights or freedoms that now exist by way of land claims agreements or may be so acquired." And the following is contained within the Royal Proclamation: "...whereas it is just and reasonable, and essential to our Interest, and the Security of our Colonies, that the several Nations or Tribes of Indians with whom We are connected, and who live under our Protection, would not be molested or disturbed in session of such Parts of Our Dominions and Territories as, not having been ceded to or purchased by Us, as aforesaid, are reserved to the said Indians, or any of them...and...strictly forbid our Subjects from making purchase or Settlements whatever, or taking possession of any of the Lands above without our especial leave and license for that Purpose first obtained." The British Columbia Treaty Commission is attempting to deal with the lack of treaties and unceded lands within their province by engaging the First Nations in treaty and land claims discussions, but the Nuxalk Nation states: "The government is fooling a lot of Indian people today, and they say we have to settle our land claims through the B.C. Treaty Commission. The B.C. Treaty Commission is set up by the white government to wipe out all our rights as Nuxalk People. We DON'T have to sign treaties with ANYONE. The government has no right to take away what was given to our people by Tatau, the Creator." "We will do whatever is necessary to protect what little we have left for our children, our grandchildren and those yet unborn." For more information, or to offer help, contact the Nuxalk Nation, House of Smayusta, PO Box 8. Bella Coola, B.C. Canada V0T 1C0; phone: (604) 799-5376 or Forest Action Network, Box 625, Bella Coola, Canada V0T 1C0; phone; (604) 799-5800. e-mail to "fan@alternatives.com" Article to be published in the next issue of On Indian Land. Please write to: On Indian Land, PO Box 2104, Seattle, WA, 98111 for subscription rates. Email Typist: Ray Morton, Nuxalk Nation, Bella Coola ÿÿÿ