Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews04.012 From: gars@netcom.com (Gary Night Owl) To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Message-ID: _ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' O ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ O o O / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' O o O / /-< / /--/ /-- VOLUME 04, ISSUE 012 O o o o o O __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 23 March 1996 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 Triballaw-L,NATCHAT & NATIVE-L listservers; AISESnet; UUCP & Genie email; gopher://gopher.igc.apc.org/0./orgs/urbanhab/.RPE/10; Newsgroups: apc.indig.canada,soc.culture.native,alt.native 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 "The white people never cared for land or deer or bear. When we Indians kill meat, we eat it all up. When we dig roots, we make little holes. When we built house, we make little holes. When we burn grass for grasshoppers, we don't ruin things. We shake down acorns and pinenuts. We don't chop down trees. We use only dead wood. But the white people plow up the ground, pull down the trees, kill everything. The tree says, 'Don't. I am sore. Don't hurt me.' But they chop it down and cut it up. The spirit of the land hates them. They blast out trees and stir up its depth. They saw up the trees. That hurts them. The Indians never hurt anything, but the white people destroy all. They blast rocks and scatter them on the ground. The rocks say, 'Don't. You are hurting me.' But the white people pay no attention. When the Indians use rocks, they take little round ones for cooking." "How can the Spirit of the Earth like the white man?" "Everywhere the white man has touched it, it is sore." __ Old Holy woman, Wintu +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! The drum sang strongly, the dancers moved about the Circle, children laughed and ran among the spectators. It was a good gathering. The People had answered the call of the drum, and joy was all about. Then a dancer stopped. Two warriors stood above the fallen feather as the Commander of the Warrior Society and an Elder came to the place where this warrior had fallen. They held a prayer and offered tobacco, and carried it on a fan of warriors from the dance arena. The dancer was counseled in a quite, but stern manner. With head bowed he removed the hawk feather from his dance wand and gave it to an Elder, an admission he had failed to honor the trust he had been given to carry this warrior. Feathers of raptors represent warriors, and we do not shoot our wounded. We do not abandon our fallen warriors. Lands Sacred to the People are being stolen and pillaged by those who have no respect for the lands they steal. The Vatican, a world symbol of religious belief, is among these; commissioning a telescope on Mt. Graham. We must not silently watch as lands entrusted to our keep are taken. We do not shoot our wounded. We do not betray our trusts. 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 - Apache call Clinton on Promises - Conferences and Powwows - online - Attack on NA Lands and Peoples - Mt. Graham URGENT Appeal - Timbisha Removal Urgent Action - Stoney Point Pinery Park - Wolf Watershed Project - Greetings to Sisters in Prison - Fort Reno Update - Round Valley Murder Case Update - Washita Massacre - Clash of Values - High Arctic Exiles - AIM Call for Peltier - International Court of Justice - He Who Holds the Pen - Poem: They Come to Us - Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days - Conferences and Powwows - offline --------- "RE: Apache call Clinton on Promises" --------- Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 10:56:41 -0700 From: silver@indirect.com (Robin Silver) Subj: Apache call Clinton on promises UUCP email A news release just received from San Carlos: Apache Survival Coalition P.O. Box 1237 San Carlos, AZ 85550 News Release: March 17, 1996 President Clinton to break promise: will deny Apache religious rights Apache veterans shocked: "Another betrayal!" Many Apaches have died fighting for the United States. Most recently, the first casualty of the Persian Gulf war was a San Carlos Apache. Apaches have not only fought in combat for the United States, we were part of the famous "code-talkers" in World War II. At the funeral wake this month of decorated World War II veteran, Ms. Janie Ferreira, concerns about the continuing disrespectful treatment of Indian people were again expressed. Ms. Ferreira was one of the founding members of the Apache Survival Coalition. She was dedicated to the survival of traditional Apache religion and culture. She was most upset by the disrespect shown to Apache military veterans by the United States in its failure to protect our religious rights. "Another betrayal!" she would say. On April 29, 1994, at the White House, President Clinton promised Indian leaders: "I promise to continue my efforts to protect your right to fully exercise your religion as you wish...No agenda for religious freedom will be complete until traditional Native American religious practices have received the protections that they deserve..." U.S. Forest Service officials admit that they have known of the central sacred importance of Mt. Graham to the Apache since the earliest planning stages of the proposed telescope project. President Clinton has the petition from nearly every one of our traditional spiritual leaders which says: "We the undersigned spiritual leaders of the Apache people acknowledge the central sacred importance of dzil nchaa si an (Mt. Graham) to the traditional religious practice of the Apache. We oppose the Mt. Graham telescope project because it will interfere with the ability of the traditional Apache to practice their religion." All U.S. partners, except the University of Arizona, have withdrawn from the telescope project. Only mostly foreign astronomers from Germany, Italy, and the Vatican remain. It is not surprising that the new Congress would chose to help foreigners over Indians, it has been consistently hostile towards Indian sacred site issues everywhere. We are surprised, however, that in spite of his promises, the Forest Service admissions, and the statements of our spiritual leaders, President Clinton now apparently doesn't care either. Says ASC Chairperson Ola Cassadore Davis, "We are shocked. By lying to us, by building the Mt. Graham telescopes, President Clinton does what generations of killing and forced separations could not do...bury the Apache forever." For information call:ASC San Carlos Office, (520) 475 2543 President Clinton, (202) 456 1111 Accompanying the News Release, is a letter to the editor from Indian Country Today, dated March 11, 1996: Apache veteran watches UA destroy tribal holy place To the editor: I am a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and proud to be the Sargeant [sic] At Arms of our Veterans Organization for our San Carlos Apache people. We Apaches fought Germany and Italy in World War II. We Apaches do not have grudges or animosity toward those we fought. But today the German and Italian governments and Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., are making war on us Apache. They now demand a telescope on top of a sacred Apache place, Dzil Nchaa Si An or Mt. Graham. It starts four miles from our present reservation boundary, but for centuries it has been an Apache holy place. Rep. Kolbe inserted a last-minute rider exempting the telescope from all U.S. religious and cultural protection laws. Almost every Republican in Congress voted for it. Almost every Democrat voted against it. All North American universities over the past nine years have quit or rejected this University of Arizona scandal because of its poor visibility or because they heard our pleas. So far this university can only get two foreign countries, Germany and Italy, to finance this desecration. We pray that the families and friends of the Germans and Italians we fought will hear our plea and ask their governments to show respect for our beliefs. We pray that Arizonans will replace insensitive people like Rep. Kolbe. Kenneth Bread San Carlos, Ariz. --------- "RE: Attack on Native American Lands and Peoples" --------- Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 11:42:58 -0800 (PST) From: "Patricia J. Cummings" Subj: Attack on Native American Lands and Peoples Mailing List: TRIBALLAW (triballaw@thecity.sfsu.edu) The only legal protection for sacred sites, religious landmarks and traditional cultural properties that exists in the United States is under a sneak attack. The radical property rights interests have quietly introduced a bill in Congress that would end historic protection for all traditional native places and sacred sites. H.R. 563 would amend the Historic Preservation Act to specifically exclude any natural landscape that has not been "modified" or does not have artifacts. This means that if a lake, mountain, river, tree or any place that has meaning but that does not have discoverable physical evidence of human modification, it will not be protected. This includes Mt. Graham, for instance, and many sites in the western United States that are largely used for ceremonial purposes or for gathering and other non-modifying activities, and it is intended to discriminate against traditional land based religions. But it could even include battlefields and>other "historic" sites that may not meet the criteria of artifacts as defined by western anthropologists. The law specifically targets Mt. Shasta, California, declaring that it can not be protected under any designation of the National Historic Preservation Act. The bill is sponsored by Congressman Herger who has launched an all out attack on efforts to protect Mt. Shasta, a mountain continuously used for thousands of years by many Northern California tribes, as well as recently by western religious groups . This law is an example of a few powerful interests privately legislating their own agenda and seeking exemptions from laws already passed and well respected by the American public. Please call, fax and write to your U.S. representative about H.R. 563, the Herger bill, and tell them to keep the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470) in tact and to vote against the Herger amendments. Hearings will be held in the House Resources Committee in April. Please distribute this message widely. For further information contact: The Cultural Conservancy, P.O. Box 72086 Davis, California 95617 Phone 916-759-2285, Fax 916-759-2268 or pcummings@igc.apc.org --------- "RE: Timbisha Removal Urgent Action" --------- Date: Wed, 13 Mar 1996 18:06:11 -0500 From: RPaton2@aol.com Subj: Timbisha Removal Urgent Action UUCP email Secretary Babbitt Promises To Throw The Timbisha Shoshone Tribe Off Its Ancestral Homeland In Death Valley For Immediate Release Monday, March 11, 1996 Contact: Richard F. Boland, Chief Spokesperson, (619) 786-2374 Death Valley, California(Thursday, March 7, at a meeting in Death Valley, California, federal officials from the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management told leaders of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe that their boss, Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt, has decided to throw the Tribe off the last remnant of its traditional homelands in Death Valley. The Secretary will force the Tribe to give up the tiny 40 acre camp in Death Valley it was relocated to when President Hoover took the Tribe's land away in 1933 to establish the Death Valley National Monument. Pauline Esteves, Acting Tribal Chairperson and tribal elder, observed that this latest action by the federal government is just one more attempt at "ethnic cleansing". Since 1933, the National Park Service has done everything in its power to deny the Tribe's historical claims, pretend we do not exist, and to get us out of the Park. While only about fifty of our members managed to maintain a continuing presence in the Valley on this water starved, sand blown 40 acre parcel, the Park Service has treated us like dirt. Over the years, this arrogant agency has controlled our every movement, cut off our power, severed access to our sacred sites, fined us for engaging in our traditional practices, and bulldozed our homes when our people vacated them to return to traditional summer camps. According to Richard Boland, Tribal Administrator and Chief Spokesman for the Timbisha Shoshone Land Restoration Committee, the Tribe reacted in disbelief to the news delivered by the federal officials. The Tribe had been hopeful its sixty-three year old grievance would be finally redressed with the passing of the California Desert Protection Act. This Act, passed in October 1994, largely because of strong support from California Senator Dianne Feinstein and environmentalists, added some 3 million acres of desert land to the National Monument and made the whole area into a National Park. But of particular interest to the Tribe, the Act included a provision instructing the Secretary of Interior, while implementing this huge land transfer, to conduct a study of the Tribe's aboriginal homelands with the purpose of identifying "lands suitable for a reservation" for the Timbisha people. Congress explicitly instructed the Secretary of Interior to prepare this study in consultation with the Tribe. In the words of Tribal Chairperson Esteves: Finally the secret is out. And once again the federal government did it to us rather than with us. It was on long eleven-month charade. Those pasty-faced bureaucrats knew from the beginning that they would not restore ancestral lands to us. They sat there through presentation after presentation by the Tribe, fooling us into believing that there could be a sincere dialogue between the federal government and its constituents. We spent over a hundred thousand dollars, hiring the best anthropologists, historians, lawyers and economic consultants, gathering data, establishing the "suitability" of segments of our traditional homelands proposed to be taken into trust. We made countless proposals. We got nothing of substance back, no effort on their part to even meet us part way. Instead of a dialogue and a respectful exchange of ideas, we were stonewalled. Instead of a commitment to right an old wrong, to fulfill the government's trust responsibility to this nation's first people, this Democratic Administration has used its enormous power to clobber us. And to add insult to injury, this Administration used the Desert Protection Act, to legitimatize the government's decades long racist policy to get Indians out of National Parks. This liberal Act has been used by the Clinton Administration as the 'final solution' to its Indian problem in Death Valley. The forced removal of the Tribe from its homelands in Death Valley will extend the lie that the Park Service has perpetuated ever since it stole the land and created the myth that there were no Indians living in the area. This is not only unfair to the Tribe but it continues to corrupt the Park's mandate to truly share this national treasure with the American public. There are over a million tourists who visit Death Valley each year both lured by the area's stark beauty and its unique history. An essential part of the region's legacy has been the Timbisha Shoshone people who have been an integral part of the desert for thousands of years. The lands are replete with historical encampments, hunting trails, burial grounds, hidden springs and archaeological sites that have powerful traditional and spiritual significance. Instead of the Valley just perpetrating "Death" as the National Park Service would have visitors believe today, the arid land and natural resources have sustained a resilient and creative desert people and a rich Native American culture for thousands of years. Until the Tribe was cut- off from its land in 1933, it had been an integral part of the ecological equation--cultivating mesquite, pine nuts and other indigenous plant life for food, developing and preserving springs for their own use and to protect and enhance the wildlife, and selectively burning underbrush to prevent forest fires in the mountains. The Timbisha Shoshone Tribe holds the secret to surviving one of the most awesome deserts in the world and the public most assuredly would love to learn the knowledge and wisdom directly from the people who possess it. Until now the National Park Service has kept all this a closely guarded secret lest the truth of its land theft also has to be revealed. We will not take this lying down. We still have faith in the American people and in the democratic system of government. If our government can stand up for justice in Bosnia, it should be able to do the right thing in Death Valley. We welcome your support. Write to us c/o: Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, PO Box 206, Death Valley, California 92328. Contact: Richard F. Boland, Chief Spokesperson, Timbisha Shoshone Tribe PO Box 206 Death Valley, CA 92328 (619) 786-2374 12 March 1996 In an earlier transmittal, we sent you a March 11, 1996, Press Release regarding Secretary Babbitt's decision to evict the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe from its aboriginal homeland in Death Valley National Park. During 1994 many of you supported the Tribe when we fought to have our amendment added to the Desert Protection Act and our efforts were successful. Now, however, the Secretary of Interior has chosen to ignore his trust responsibility to the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe and is using the Desert Protection Act as an instrument to bludgeon the Timbisha people. In addition to the National Park Service's desire to remove from Death Valley National Park, what they consider an "eye-sore", we also have reason to believe that this latest action may have some bearing on the Tribe's active opposition to an open pit cyanide heap leach gold mine proposed for the middle of the Tribe's aboriginal territory. In the gold mine case, the Tribe has challenged the Bureau of Land Management and Inyo County on their failure to adequately consult with the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe in the permitting process. The Tribe is currently in litigation and threatens to change the status quo. We need your support. Please contact your Congressional representatives, Secretary Bruce Babbitt, and the following Congressional committees and demand that the Department of the Interior upholds their trust responsibility by working with the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe on a government-to-government level to restore a portion of the Tribe's aboriginal territory in Death Valley National Park. Please fax or mail copies of your letters of support to us. If you would like additional information, please contact us at (619) 786-2374. We appreciate your help. Thank you. Bruce Babbitt Secretary of Interior The Honorable Ralph Regula 1849 C Street, NW Chair, Interior Appropriations Washington, DC 20240 United States House of Representatives (202) 208-7351 Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2309 (202) 208-6956 Fax Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-3876 The Honorable John McCain (202) 225-3598 Fax Chair, Committee on Indian Affairs United States Senate The Honorable James V. Hansen Russel Office Building, Room 241 Chair, National Parks, Forests and Lands Washington, DC 20510 United States House of Representatives (202) 224-2235 Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2466 (202) 224-5429 Fax Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-0453 The Honorable Slade Gorton (202) 226-2301 Fax Chair, Interior Appropriations United States Senate The Honorable Elton Gallegly Hart Office Building, Room 730 Chair, Native American & Insular Affairs (202) 224-3441 United States House of Representatives (202) 228-0542 Fax Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2441 Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Ben Nighthorse-Campbell(202) 225-5811 Chair, Parks, Historic Preservation (202) 225-7110 Fax and Recreation United States Senate Leon Panetta, Chief of Staff Russel Office Building, Room 380 The White House Washington, DC 20510 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (202) 224-5852 Washington, DC 20500 (202) 228-0302 Fax (202) 456-6797 To: Tribal Governments and Interested Individuals/Organizations Re: URGENT Request for Letters of Support Timbisha Shoshone Tribe Land Restoration Study, PL 103-433, Section 705b (California Desert Protection Act of 1994) S A M P L E T R I B A L L E T T E R The ...............Tribe fully supports the restoration of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe's aboriginal homelands within the boundaries of the Death Valley National Park and in the Panamint Mountains and Valley. These are the Timbisha people's sacred ancestral homelands and must be taken into trust by the federal government to preserve and protect the Timbisha Shoshone culture. The ...............Tribe condemns the decision of Secretary Babbitt, the National Park Service, and the Department of Interior officials to remove the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe from its ancestral homelands within the Death Valley National Park, and condemns the Department's failure to protect the Tribe's ancestral lands in the Panamint Mountains and Valley from destruction by open pit cyanide gold mining operations. These adverse actions by the Department of Interior amount to a breach of the Department's trust responsibility to the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe and is further evidence of the failure of the Department to follow the President's directive that government agencies must directly and actively consult with Indian Tribes on a sovereign government-to-government level. The sovereignty of all Indian tribes and Indian people in this Nation is threatened by this direct attack upon the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe. We urge you to request that the Department of Interior reconsider their actions immediately and begin a government-to-government negotiation process with the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe to restore, preserve and protect the Tribe's land and culture. Sincerely, cc: Timbisha Shoshone Tribe --------- "RE: Wolf Watershed Educational Project" --------- Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 23:24:07 -0800 (PST) From: Alice McCombs Subj: Wolf Watershed Educational Project Newsgroups: alt.native Wolf Watershed Educational Project INVITATION TO PEOPLE EVERYWHERE WHO WANT TO STOP UNSAFE MINING: Come to Wisconsin this Spring to Help Prevent Metallic Sulfide Mining Upriver Speaking Tour on Crandon Mine Begins April 22: Statewide Gathering to Oppose Exxon in Rhinelander on May 4 Press Conferences in Green Bay and Madison on March 25, the anniversary of the Exxon Valdez Toll-free Hotline: 1-800-445-8615 The Exxon mine controversy in Wisconsin is heating up again. This time, it is mine opponents who are going on the offensive. The Wolf Watershed Educational Project has announced a speaking tour and gathering to bring the issue of Exxon's proposed Crandon mine to the public that would be directly affected by the mine--either environmentally, economically, or culturally. The project is a joint effort of grassroots environmental groups, sportsmens' groups, and Native American nations, particularly along the Wolf-Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. Two speaking tours will simultaneously go up the two waterways, starting on April 22 (Earth Day) in Green Bay and Madison, stopping in at least 20 other communities along the way. They will meet in Rhinelander--the headquarters of Exxon/Rio Algom's Crandon Mining Company. -- culminating in a large, statewide gathering on Saturday, May 4 (the opening of the angling season). The May 4 Gathering will be at 12 noon at Hat Rapids on the Wisconsin River, where Crandon Mining Co. proposes to dump wastewater piped from the mine. (To get to the site, take Highway 8 west of Rhinelander, go south on Highway 17 to Hat Rapids Road and take a right). A public picnic will follow at Pioneer Part, at Business 8 and County G (no alcohol or glass containers please). Organizers declined to give an estimate on the numbers expected. The 12-day Upriver Speaking Tour will involve speakers with a well-informed background on the sulfide mining issue. There will be an event (free and open to the public) in each of the towns along the two rivers, with one representative each from environmental, sport fishing, and Native American groups speaking and taking questions. Some speakers will also address other audiences and classes. The project will bring information to people from many different walks of life--including sport fishing groups, chambers of commerce, students and teachers, media, public officials, media, canoeists/kayakers/rafters, tourists and tourism businesses, Native American communities, social clubs, health care workers, real estate dealers, resort and cottage owners, and environmental and conservation groups. Along the Wolf-Fox waterway, the tour will stop in Green Bay, Appleton/Menasha, Oshkosh, Fremont, New London, Shiocton, Shawano, Keshena/Bowler, White Lake, Antigo, Mole Lake, and Crandon. The Wisconsin River tour will stop in Madison, Sauk City, Portage, Wisconsin Dells, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Wausau, Tomahawk, Merrill, and Rhinelander. (Call the toll-free hotline for information, posters, or ride information). "The Exxon mine is not simply another environmental issue," said George Rock of the Wolf River Watershed Alliance in Langlade County, "This new movement wants to protect our local environment, our local tourism-based economy, and our local rural cultures from control by an outside corporation. It includes people who wouldn't identify themselves as environmentalists, but who don't like being told they have to let in Exxon. Local opposition to Exxon has mushroomed recently around Crandon, Rhinelander, and other towns, and this gathering will bring that into full view." Organizers say that the goal of the project is to reach as large and as broad an audience as possible. "If there was ever a single issue to unite the people of Northern Wisconsin, it is the threat of mining by the world's second-largest corporation," said Menominee mining director Kenneth Fish. "The mining issue has brought together different communities of people--particularly Native Americans and sport fishermen who have been at odds over resource issues, but who nevertheless agree that the resources should be protected." The project is dedicated to the memory of Menominee environmental leader Hilary Waukau, Sr. Alice McCombs of the Watershed Information & News Service (WINS) in Shawano described the proposed mine as "the largest toxic waste dump in state history, at a size of about 340 football fields." McCombs stated, "We've learned from experience that the county, state or federal governments are not going to ride in and save our communities. Only by organizing ourselves can we protect our children's future from another Exxon Valdez." Press Conferences in Green Bay and Madison: Monday, March 25, (Exxon Valdez anniversary), 11am Green Bay: City Council Chamber, City Hall, Room 203, 100 N. Jefferson, 11am Madison: Assembly Parlor at the State Capitol, 11 am. The Wolf Watershed Educational Project will hold a joint press conference on Monday, March 25 (the 7th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska) in Green Bay and Madison, where the Upriver Speaking Tour will kick off on Earth Day. Spokespeople will answer questions pertaining to the project, and the status of the proposed Crandon mine. In addition, Rhinelander-area media with questions about the May 4 Hat Rapids gathering can contact Wally Cooper at 715-369-0528. PLEASE COPY & DISTRIBUTE THIS INFORMATION. THANKS! --------- "RE: Fort Reno Update" --------- Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 10:31:50 -0800 (PST) From: cheyarap@mind.net (Joseph Thompson) Subj: Fort Reno Update (Fwd) Mailing List: TRIBALLAW (triballaw@thecity.sfsu.edu) Dear Friends of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, I want to thank those of you who have responded to the call for support for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma in their quest to regain possession of the Fort Reno lands. Hundreds of responses have arrived at my computer and each one has been forwarded by mail to the C&A Tribes in Oklahoma. These letters of support from the international internet community have had a powerful impact on the Tribes in reaffirming their resolve and commitment to reclaim the Fort Reno lands. Many of these letters have been shared with the entire Tribal membership through their publication in the Cheyenne-Arapaho Bulletin. I have been in contact with the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and it appears that the internet petition is having some impact in Washington D. C. as well. A downsizing of the Department of Agriculture's, Experimental Station at Fort Reno has begun. This would be the necessary first step in declaring the lands surplus and returning them to the Tribes. This action, however, has caused an increase in resistance to the Fort Reno transfer from the United States Congressional delegation from Oklahoma. U. S. Senator Nickols and U. S. Representative Lucas have raised the level of their opposition to the return of Fort Reno by renewing Congressional funding for the DOA Experimental Station. Congressman Lucas and Oklahoma Governor Keating have shown where their true sympathies lie by publicly supporting the proposed construction of a monument to George Custer at the Washita Battlefield historic site in western Oklahoma. On November 27, 1868, the Washita Battlefield was the site of the massacre of Cheyenne women, children and men. The stage is set for a behind the scenes political "tug of war" over the Fort Reno lands. It now becomes more important than ever for us to let President Clinton know that it is time to "Return Fort Reno" to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. The President can make this a reality with a signature on an executive order. These letters are having an impact in Washington and they will ultimately tip the balance in favor of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. I ask you all, once again, to send your letters of support to the White House. Please do it today. It will make a difference. Sincerely, Joseph Thompson p. s. I am sending the Fort Reno form letter in a separate e-mail for your convenience. Please remember to sign it and Cc to . Please Copy and Paste the Following --------------------------------------------------------------- The Honorable William J. Clinton The President of the United States The White House 1600 PennsylvAnia Avenue, NW Washington D. C. 20500 Dear Mr. President, I strongly support the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma in their efforts to regain possession of the Fort Reno lands through an Executive order. Sincerely, (Place your name here) ---------------------------------------------------------------- End Copy and Paste HOW TO REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT To e-mail this letter of support to the President, please follow these steps: 1.) Type your name into the space provided in the above letter of support. 2.) "Copy" and "paste" this letter of support into your e-mail program as a "new message" (Please copy only the material between the dotted lines above. ) 3.) Add any additional words of support or leave as is. 4.) Write in the subject "Return Fort Reno" 5.) Write in the President's e-mail address which is: president@whitehouse.gov 6.) Please include the following e-mail address as a "Cc". This will help us gauge the volume of support letters going to the White House. cheyarap@mind.net 7.) "Send" the message to the President. If you would like more background information on the Cheyenne Arapaho/Fort Reno Petition, visit the "First Nations/First People Issues" Website at: http://www.sover.net/~jsd/firstnations.html Joseph Thompson thompson@mind.net --------- "RE: Washita Massacre" --------- Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 23:36:02 -0800 From: thompson@mind.net (Joseph Thompson) Subj: Washita Massacre Newsgroups: alt.native This is an open letter to President Clinton Dear Mr President, It is important that you understand the motives of the Oklahoma politicians who are resisting the transfer of the Fort Reno Lands to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. Two years ago, the DOA Experimental Station at Fort Reno, Oklahoma was scheduled for closure due to federal budget cutbacks. This most likely would have resulted in a federal declaration of the Fort Reno lands as surplus and their ultimate return to the Tribes. Oklahoma politicians (Senator Nickols, Representative Lucas and Governor Keating) were instrumental in re-establishing congressional funding for the Station at Ft. Reno. These politicians have now publicly demonstrated their strong anti-Indian bias. A western Oklahoma citizens group under the leadership of U. S. Representative Frank Lucas met recently to discuss development plans at the Washita historic site. (In November of 1868, Gen. George A. Custer led an early morning raid on a sleeping Cheyenne encampment resulting in the massacre of hundreds of women and children.) Tribal officials from the Cheyenne Tribe asked to be present at this meeting due to the sensitivity of the Cheyenne people to this solemn site. The elected officials from the Cheyenne Tribe were refused an invitation. At this meeting, it was subsequently decided that a monument would be constructed to honor Gen. G. A. Custer. Governor Keating has publicly praised U. S. Rep. Lucas in this callous affront to the Cheyenne and Arapaho people. By lending their support to the construction of this monument to General George A. Custer at the Washita Massacre site in Western Oklahoma, these politicians have demonstrated their utter disregard for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe and for all Native Americans. Mr. President, it is important that you understand that these Oklahoma politicians are the very same ones who continue to resist the return of the Fort Reno lands to the Cheyenne and Arapaho people. You must now follow through on this countries 113 year old promise to return the Fort Reno lands to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. Sincerely, Joseph Thompson Ashland, Oregon 97520 --------- "RE: High Arctic Exiles" --------- Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 15:56:12 -0800 From: jhicks@nunavut.ca (Jack Hicks) Subj: High Arctic Exiles UUCP email Hi Gary, The Consulting Editor of the Nunatsiaq News says that he would be delighted if you were to include the following editorial and/or articles in Kanoheda Aniyvwiya -- all he asks is a plug for their website, which can be found at http://www.nunanet.com/~nunat Cheers, Jack Today's issue of Nunatsiaq News -- the spunky weekly newspaper published here in Iqaluit -- contains an editorial and two stories on last week's acceptance by the High Arctic Exiles of a compensation agreement with the federal government. Today's Ottawa Citizen carried two letters to the editor on the subject, and the Calgary Herald carried another. For those of you curious about the author of the second letter to the editor, 'Tungoyuq' is Inuvialuit name of Mary Carpenter -- the only Inuit member of the small but persistent group of people (mainly former bureaucrats involved in the planning and implementation of the relocation) who claim that the Exiles are a bunch of liars who never suffered any hardship as a result of the relocation... Have a good weekend, everyone. Jack Hicks --------------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: More bitter than sweet Historical events sometimes have a way of blowing up in our faces, like unexploded bombs left over from a bygone war. Something like that has happened to those federal government officials who planned and executed the movement of 17 Inuit families from Inukjuak and Pond Inlet to Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord in the 1950s. In the early 1950s, when they ruled over Canada's Inuit like Olympian gods, they could not have known then how history -- and the Inuit -- would judge them. They could not have known that the children of those relocatees would grow to adulthood and insist that their version of history be told in their words. Most, like former NWT Commissioner Gordon Robertson, still cannot accept the truth of the history told by people with names like Patsauq, Amagoalik, Nungaq, Salluviniq, Iqaluk and Flaherty. And largely for that reason, the High Arctic exiles gathered in Iqaluit last week held their noses and agreed to sign a deal they know is not enough. They know they were used to assert Canadian sovereignty in the High Arctic and they know they were used as human guinea pigs to test the theories of men who thought they could move human beings around on a map like so many pieces on a chess board. They know they were brushed aside, lied to, and even accused of being liars themselves. And they know that it's Ottawa's loyalty to its former civil servants that is preventing Ottawa from apologizing. That's unfortunate, for Canada, and for the exiles who Canada wronged. After so many years, the High Arctic exiles deserve a sweet victory, not a bitter one. But in order that their surviving elders may benefit from the $10 million that Ottawa is willing to pay, in the end they agreed to a stale pile of lawyers' weasel-words. Here's one example: "[I]n part because of government planning and implementation of the relocations, the High Arctic Relocatees encountered hardship, suffering and loss in the initial years of these relocations..." And here's another: "[T]he High Arctic Relocatees and Makivik Corporation hereby recognize and acknowledge that in planning the relocation to the High Arctic the government officials of the time were acting with honourable intentions in what was perceived to be in the best interests of the Inuit at that time." There are two other words whose absence from the agreement is loud and glaring, two words that non-Inuit Canadians need to hear as badly as the exiled Inuit need to hear them, two words that are always a prelude to genuine reconciliation: "We're sorry." When Indian Affairs Minister Ron Irwin travels to Inukjuaq to sign the deal later this month, maybe he can whisper quietly what Ottawa can't say out loud. JB --------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXILES DENIED APOLOGY The surviving High Arctic exiles are signing a $10 million compensation agreement with Indian Affairs Minister Ron Irwin later this month -- but they're still waiting for an apology. by JIM BELL Nunatsiaq News After more than a decade of pleading, weeping and testifying, it came down to a few pieces of paper, a set of carefully-crafted lawyer-words, and $10 million in cash. And for the sake of the elders who will soon pass to the other side, they signed. But even now, Canada will not apologize for what 17 Inuit families from Inukjuak and Pond Inlet endured in the 1950s, after Canadian officials moved them to Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord. "For many of us, it's pretty hard to accept without an apology," Markoosie Patsauq, who now lives in Inukjuak, said this week of a compensation deal worked out over the past year by northern Quebec's Makivik Corporation and the federal government. After debate, exiles signed Patsauq, along with about 70 other High Arctic exiles, gathered together in the second floor gymnasium of Iqaluit's Ukiivik residence last week to look at that deal. There they listened to Makivik President Zebedee Nungak, Makivik lawyer Sam Silverstone, and DIAND bureaucrats John Berg and Sheila Meldrum. They also received independent legal advice from Ottawa lawyer Sally Gomery, whose fees will be paid by the federal government. And after searching their souls, every one of them signed. "We feel that this may be the best solution to the problem that has been hanging around our neck for 40 years," Patsauq said. "So for the sake of the old people, we want to see something done. Personally, I feel that if I was not thinking about the elders that we have, I would not have accepted the offer." Survived harsh conditions Along with his parents, Allie and Edith, and his brother John Amagoalik, Patsauq was hustled by RCMP officers onto the federal government ship C.D. Howe and left to fend for themselves on the gravel shores of Resolute Bay in August of 1953. Their tents, their clothes, their food and even their knowledge of the High Arctic environment were inadequate. In an article published three years ago in Nunatsiaq News, Patsauq said he suffered so badly from tuberculosis he coughed blood into a bucket nearly every morning during his family's first terrible winter in Resolute Bay. "When we visited Resolute Bay a couple of years ago, I couldn't believe that they survived up there," says Markoosie Patsauq's son, Aibiellie. But survive they did, long enough to conduct a decade-long campaign that led to last week's agreement. "If we were to reject this deal and wait for a better one to come along, those people are not going to be around and we're not prepared to contemplate that right now." -- John Amagoalik Still seeking apology Markoosie Patsauq's brother, John Amagoalik, who for years has been in the forefront of the fight for compensation, also says he and his fellow exiles are accepting the agreement for the sake of their elders. "If we were to reject this deal and wait for a better one to come along, those people are not going to be around and we're not prepared to contemplate that right now," Amagoalik said this week from Ottawa. But Amagoalik said nearly all the exiles still demand an apology. "I think there was pretty much unanimous agreement that the absence of an apology is a real slap in the face for us and everyone agreed that everyone wants to continue to pursue an apology," Amagoalik said. A silent apology But Patsauq also said the $10 million in compensation money that Ottawa is offering could be interpreted as a kind of "silent apology." "We also know that the federal government does not give $10 million away for nothing," Patsauq said. "So a good gesture like that is also hard to refuse after so many years of negotiations and disappointments and so on. So for the sake of the old people who are the originals -- and I'm not that young myself anymore -- it's time to start the healing process." But Patsauq said that without an apology, it's still hard to find the feeling of emotional closure. "For me personally, it's still painful. The pain will always be there, thinking about what my parents went through and what some of us had to go through for so many years of disappointments and things like that." War of words continues And Amagoalik said it was not an easy decision for he and the other exiles gathered in Iqaluit last week. "It was very difficult for quite a number of people. It was very difficult, especially for the second generation. They found that the lack of an apology was very disturbing and they really had to struggle to make a decision." Meanwhile, the bitter war of words between the exiles and those who don't believe them continues. "Personally, I feel that if I was not thinking about the elders that we have, I would not have accepted the offer." -- Markoosie Patsauq, an exile now living in Inukjuak Amagoalik lashed out this week at Gordon Robertson, a former Commissioner of the Northwest Territories who told the Ottawa Citizen last week that he doesn't believe the exiled Inuit should get an apology. "I don't think for a minute that they suffered any real hardship. I am completely baffled by the compensation," Robertson is quoted as saying. "Many of us are quite upset at Gordon Robertson," Amagoalik said. "I can't understand why he would say that." And Amagoalik said the words in the agreement that say the government officials who carried out the relocation "were acting with honourable intentions" was "very hard to swallow." Who will get money? As for what the exiles will do with the compensation money, Patsauq said it will take "several meetings" until that is worked out. "We don't want to start the future plans until we actually get the compensation." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT ARE THE EXILES SIGNING? by JIM BELL Nunatsiaq News The deal between Canada and the High Arctic exiles isn't official until certain things happen. Here's what each exile over the age of 18 is asked to do in the document they're being asked to sign: + Agree that the Makivik Corporation has the mandate -- or power of attorney -- to represent them and sign the deal on their behalf; + Agree that the deal is satisfactory and "adequately finalizes the reconciliation between myself and Canada;" + Agree that they received "independent legal advice" explaining the agreement; + Agree not to make any more legal claims against the Canadian government; + Agree that the terms of the High Arctic Relocatees Trust have been explained to them. Here's what Zebedee Nungak, the president of the Makivik Corporation, must still do. + Sign a piece of paper that releases the federal government and all federal government employees, past and present, from any further obligations towards the exiles, and which promises that the exiles will not launch any lawsuits of any kind against Canada; + Sign a legal agreement with Indian Affairs Minister Ron Irwin at the Makivik Corporation's annual general meeting in Inukjuak March 25-29. Part of that agreement says "government officials of the time were acting with honourable intentions in what was perceived to be the best interests of the Inuit at that time." Awaiting compensation money Technically, there will be no official agreement until all the exiles have signed the paper that gives power of attorney to the Makivik Corporation. As of our press-time this week, attempts were being made to explain the agreement to exiles who couldn't make to the Iqaluit meeting. Within 45 days of the agreement being executed, Ottawa must pay $10 million into a high arctic relocatees compensation fund. Of that, $2 million will be divided up among the surviving original exiles or surviving descendants of original exiles. "My mom's going to get her money soon," said one teenager, who's mother is a former exile. "Then next year I get some. I'm going to buy a ski-doo." As well, the exiles are agreeing that Ottawa will no longer pay for housing for families returning to Inukjuak, twice-yearly family visits between the High Arctic and Inukjuak, and transportation costs for relocations back to Inukjuak. Northern Quebec's Makivik Corporation and officials from the Department of Indian Affairs worked out the deal in a set of negotiations that began in the fall of 1994. In an interview at the time with Nunatsiaq News, Irwin hinted that although Ottawa was willing to offer money, an apology was unlikely. Nothing official yet As for the Makivik Corporation, their officials, including president Zebedee Nungak, aren't even admitting that there's a deal. "I don't think we'll be commenting on it this week," said Stephen Hendrie, a Makivik Corporation public affairs officer. When asked why Makivik's officials aren't commenting, Hendrie said, "you'll find out when we tell you." John Berg, a DIAND official who attended last week's meeting in Iqaluit, said Ottawa isn't ready to comment on the deal either. "We're not commenting, because we don't have an agreement yet," Berg said. Berg said the deal won't be considered official until all the exiles have signed. --------- "RE: AIM Call for Peltier" --------- Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 10:20:54 -0800 (PST) From: American Indian Movement Subj: AIM call for peltier Newsgroups: alt.native AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT CALLS FOR A DEMONSTRATION TO FREE LEONARD PELTIER March 20, 1996 6:30 a.m. U.S. Federal Bldg. 450 Golden Gate The American Indian Movement has joined forces with Earth First, Food not Bombs, and many other groups in the Bay Area to call a day of action and Civil Disobedience to force the United States Government to Free Imprisoned leader of the American Indian Movement Leonard Peltier. ARRESTS: Many of the demonstrators have pledged to allow themselves to be arrested in Civil Disobedience actions in various parts of San Francisco. We can not allow business as usual when the government continues to incarcerate Leonard Peltier, who is innocent of any wrong doing. We the members of the American Indian Movement maintains that it is and has been the Federal Government who has violated the law in it broken treaties, land thefts, murder, destruction of mother earth, and for holding political prisoners and prisoners of war in the United States. Leonard Peltier was convicted in the deaths of two FBI agents who were provoking and assaulting a camp of members of the American Indian Movement on June 26, 1975. Peltier and his associates were there because of the extreme rash of murders and assassination of members of AIM and supporters in two years at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The deaths were being supervised by Tribal Chairman and Death Squad leader Dick Wilson. Dick Wilson and his band of Goons were all armed and trained by the FBI. Because the FBI was trying to smash any opposition to its policies of lies and deceit they declared war on the American Indian Movement on April 24, 1975. The FBI and Department of Justice tripled the amount of law enforcement on the Pine Ridge Reservation just prior to the shoot-out. Since the government has imprisoned Leonard Peltier, they have tried to assassinate him, transferred him around the country, tortured, denied him proper medical attention. WE DEMAND: THE FREEDOM OF LEONARD PELTIER WE DEMAND: THE FREEDOM OF ALL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WE DEMAND: THE FREEDOM OF ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS/POW FREE THE PEOPLE! FREE THE LAND! JOIN THE AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT OF CALIFORNIA AND ALL THOSE WHO SEEK FREEDOM IN THIS ACTION! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ GOVERNMENT ADMITS GUILT!!!!!!!!!! "We don't know who shot those agents" - Prosecutor Lynn Crooks in Court of Appeals, Nov. 9, 1992, p. 12 of oral arguments transcript. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "The FBI (was) determined to get the AIM movement and completely destroy it." - Judge Fred Nichol, after presiding over the "Wounded Knee Leadership Trial," quoted in NY Times, Sept. 17, 1974 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "The United States government must share in the responsibility for the June 26 firefight.. It appeared that the FBI was equally to blame for the shoot-out." - Gerald Heaney, Senior Judge in the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals, in a letter supporting clemency for Leonard Peltier ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ACT NOW, 20 YEARS IS ENOUGH For More Information: American Indian Movement (415) 386 4373 or Earth First (510) 848 8724 AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT (CALIFORNIA) 3145 GEARY BLVD. #517 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF 94118 PH- (415) 386 4373 FAX (415) 386 4547 E MAIL aimca@igc.apc.org AIM (North Coast) (707) 869 2446 AIM (Sacramento area) (916)647 9849 --------- "RE: International Court of Justice" --------- Date: Wed, 13 Mar 1996 05:05:11 GMT From: sfuwki@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us (David Goyette) Subj: International Court of Justice - first sitting (2-4 April 1996) Newsgroups: apc.indig.canada,soc.culture.native,alt.native Date: April 2,3 & 4, 1996 Location: Radisson Hotel 100 Kent Street Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5R7 Telephone: (613) 238-1122 FAX: (613) 783-4229 The first sitting of the court will be held in the ballroom of the hotel. The sessions are open to the public and everyone is welcome to attend. Rooms have been blocked off at the Radisson Hotel at the rate of $73.00 single or double. Travel arrangements: Pash Travel is the official travel agency for the First Nations International Court of Justice. Special convention rates have been arranged with Canadian Airlines, American Airlines and Air Canada. Please call: Pash Travel at 1-800-665-5554 or Canadian Conventionair directly -1-800-665-5554 and refer to MJ10245, or Air Canada Conventions -1-800-361-7585 and refer to CV961148 For further information on the Court, please contact: Chiefs of Ontario, 22 College Street 2nd floor, Toronto Ontario. M5G 1K2 Telephone- 1-416-972-0212 FAX - 1-416-972-0217 FIRST NATIONS INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE 22 College Street 2nd Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1K2 Phone: (416)972-0212 FAX: (416)972-40217 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: National Launch of the First Nations International Court of Justice Toronto, Ontario A reception launching the First Nations International Court of Justice will be held Thursday, February 22, 1996 at 6 pm in the "Penthouse" of the Radisson Hotel, 100 Kent St. Ottawa. Media are invited to attend the reception which will include a brief program to introduce the Court and its procedures. This reception will launch a series of events nationwide leading up to the sitting of the First Nations International Court of Justice to be held in Ottawa, April 2, 3, and 4. 1996 Fundamental to the well being and prosperity of this country, is the recognition of the rights of the First Nation Peoples of this land. The continual Crown breaches of international law and constitutionally protected treaty and Aboriginal rights experienced by all Aboriginal groups in Canada, has led to a unique show of support for this International Tribunal. Mr. Gordon Peters, Ontario Regional Chief and chair of the First Nations International Court of Justice stated "we can no longer wait for other governments to protect and implement our rights. Their agenda is to reduce us to municipal governments. It is time we acted to put back into place our aboriginal, treaty and inherent rights and relationships". The First Nations International Court of Justice represents the continuation of a long battle for First Nations to give full expression to the Treaties and implement our Aboriginal, Treaty and inherent rights which have never been relinquished. It is a tangle demonstration of the exercise of our sovereignty and jurisdiction. For more information please contact: Gordon B. Peters, Ontario Regional Chief Tel: (416) 972-0212 Andrea Chrisjohn, Executive Director, Chiefs of Ontario Fax: (416) 972-9217 Sylvia Thompson, Chiefs of Ontario FNICJ Registrar, c/o University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, 57 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 PHONE: 613-562-5800 ext 3314 FAX 613-562-5124 David Goyette Co-director First Nations Resource Network, Inc/Red Sticks Press PO Box 59 St Petersburg, Fl 33731 813-821-6604 813-821-8804 fax sfuwki@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us 90:3603/264 1:3603/390 --------- "RE: He Who Holds the Pen" --------- Date: Fri, 15 Mar 96 16:59:26 EST From: gwelker@mail.lmi.org Subj: He who holds the pen controls history Source: gopher://gopher.igc.apc.org/0./orgs/urbanhab/.RPE/10 How else can we explain the white-washed versions of what passes as truth in this country? From the historical lies taught to school children to the false images projected by mainstream media to the tomahawk-chopping stereotypes absorbed and perpetuated by the masses, the truth about Native peoples and our history has been colorblind and culture-blind for far too long. After years of repressive struggles, we are finally seeing the voices of Native peoples emerge to shed much-needed light on the dark past of America's history. The journeys of Native people through the last 500 years have been painful and much has been lost since the invasions. Whole nations of our relations were wiped out in the holocaust with no survivors to carry on their distinct cultures. The list of nations lost that appears in this issue was researched by the Morning Star Foundation with the acknowledgement that it is only a partial list of those no longer with us, except in spirit. We remember and mourn for them in 1992, and we learn from them as well. A memory cannot hold her child or protect his family. The price of survival was and continues to be very high for Native Nations. Many of us are descendants of prisoners of war, living on small islands of what was once our homelands. We must continually fight for water and land rights, for religious freedom, for equitable treatment in the courts, and for dignity as a people. In our homeland, we now have the highest rate of infant mortality, the highest rates of teen suicide, of alcoholism, of unemployment, and poverty. These conditions were caused by the unjust and inhumane treatment Native people have had to endure for 500 years. If anything, we are survivors. Our spiritual ties to our Mother, the Earth, have kept us strong in times of great hardship. The words of our grandmothers and grandfathers have taught us respect for the web of life and the interdependence of all things in the universe. The stories passed down through the oral tradition remind us that we are all connected. At this turning point in history, the elders remind us that the paths we choose today are critical to sustaining the Native Nations of tomorrow. We all bear the responsibility of making choices that will affect the generations to come. As we look toward the next 500 years, we can be encouraged by the increasing number of strong Native voices that are surfacing from the pervasive oppression of the past to help enlighten our journeys. In this issue of RPE, we have collected the insightful words of some of Native America's most clear and articulate thinkers -- writers whose words educate, anger and inspire us. Their words help to bring clarity and vision to some of the critical issues facing today's Native Nations. As you will see, it is long past time for Native people to hold the pen. Valerie Taliman, Guest Editor ---------------------------------------------------------------------- IN THIS ISSUE: Lost in America, by Paul Smith.......................................1 Discovering Columbus: Re-reading the Past, by Bill Bigelow...........1 We Are Still Here: The 500 Years Celebration, by Winona LaDuke.......3 Our Visions -- The Next 500 Years....................................4 Native Lands 1492-1992...............................................5 Stuck Holding the Nation's Nuclear Waste, by Valerie Taliman.........6 Status of MRS Grants.................................................7 Oklahoma Tribal Response to MRS, by Grace Thorpe.....................8 No Nuclear Waste on Indian Lands, an IEN Resolution..................9 The Western Shoshone: Following Earth Mother's Instructions, by Joe Sanchez...............10 Declaration of Quito................................................12 The Off-Again, On-Again Garbage Dump, by Marina Ortega..............13 Partial listing of those Native Nations that did not survive the invasion, 1492-1992.................................... 14 Struggles Unite Native Peoples: An Interview with Chief Tayac, by Phil Tajitsu Nash................................................16 Healing Global Wounds, by Valerie Taliman...........................18 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RESOURCES: Oren R. Lyons, John C. Mohawk, Vine Deloria, Jr. and others, Exiled in the Land of the Free: Democracy, Indian Nations and the U.S. Constitution, 1992. Available from Clear Light Publishers, 823 Don Diego, Santa Fe, NM 87501. 505/989-9590. Three excellent publication are available from the American Indian Program, Cornell University, 300 Caldwell Hall, Ithaca, NY 14583. - The Indian Roots of American Democracy, an examination of the Iroquois' influence on the development of American democracy, Special Constitution Bicentennial Edition, 1988. - View From the Shore, American Indian perspectives on the Quincentenary, Columbus Quincentenary Edition, 1990. - Northeast Indian Quarterly, a magazine dedicated to the proposition that "there exists an American Indian World." The quarterly seeks to promote a better understanding of Native communities. Soldiers Falling Into Camp, written by Native authors and historians who documented the Crow and Lakota oral traditions of the Battle of Little Big Horn. Published in 1992 by Affiliated Writers of America, PO Box 343, Encampment, WY 82325. Andrew Maier, "Beating the MRS." A step-by-step how-to manual on stopping Monitored Retrievable Storage nuclear waste sites in your community or reservation. Mountaineer Policy Institute, 264 High St, Morgantown, WV 26505. 304-296-8611. Stop Radiating Native Lands: End 500 Years of Injustice, Healing Global Wounds Participants Handbook published by the Western Shoshone Nation and the Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance. An excellent and informative resource on nuclear waste and Indian lands. Healing Global Wounds, Box 4082, Las Vegas, NV 89127. 702/386-8696. Rethinking Columbus, a special issue of Rethinking Schools focusing on education, offers 96 pages of resources and teaching ideas for kindergarten through college. Available for $6 from 1001 E. Keefe Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53212; 414/964-9646. Indigenous Environmental Perspectives: A North America Primer. A discussion and series of case studies of North American Indigenous environmental issues. 56 pp. Available for $6 from the Indigenous Womens Network, PO Box 174, Lake Elmo, MN 5 5042; 612/777-3629. Bradley Angel, The Toxic Threat to Indian Lands: A Greenpeace Report (1991). Details the toxic assault on Native America. Available from Greenpeace, 139 Townsend, San Francisco, CA 94109. Periodicals Indigenous Woman, a publication of the Indigenous Women's Network. Comes with $15 voting membership or $25 supporting membership in the IWN. Write IWN, PO Box 174, Lake Elmo, MN 55042; 612/777-3629. News from Indian Country, a twice-monthly newspaper of national Indian news. $24/year. Route 2, Box 2900-A, Hayward, WI 54843. 715/634-5226. Native Peoples, a quarterly dedicated to the sensitive portrayal of the arts and lifeways of native peoples of the Americas. $18/year. Order from Media Concepts Group, P.O. Box 36820, Phoenix, AZ 85067- 6820; 602/252-2236. NACE News from the Grassroots, published by Native Americans for a Clean Environment. $6/year. NACE, PO Box 1671, Tahlequah, OK 74465. South and Meso American Indian Information Center Newsletter, brings extensive news of indigenous struggles in Central and South America. Published 2-4 times/year, $15 from SAIIC, PO Box 28703, Oakland, CA 94604; 510/834-4263. California Indian Basketweavers Association Newsletter, monitors environmental issues that touch on basket weaving, such as herbicide use in forestry. 16894 China Flats Road, Nevada City, CA 95959. Native American News, a publication of the Citizen Alert Native American Program. Major focus on nuclear issues. PO Box 5391, Reno, NV 89513; 702/827-4200. Groups Indigenous Environmental Network. A national coalition of Indigenous groups that provides support and expertise in local struggles. IEN, 19 Ellicott Boulevard, Tonawonda, NY 14150. Midwest Region, PO Box 485, Bemidji, MN 56601. Native Americans for a Clean Environment. Provides technical assistance and support in Native environmental struggles nationwide. NACE, PO Box 1671, Tahlequah, OK 74465; 918/458-4322. California Indians for Cultural and Environmental Protection. Provide technical assistance in local struggles throughout Southern Calif. and the Southwest. PO Box 324, Warner Springs, CA 92086; 619/782-3703. Alaska Indigenous Council for the Environment. An organization of grassroots indigenous people who are concerned about protecting Alaska Native environment. Alaska ICE, PO Box 100454, Anchorage, AK 99510. Seventh Generation Fund. A national Native American intermediate grant making foundation dedicated to maintaining and promoting the uniqueness of Native people and nations. P.O. Box 2550, McKinleyville, CA 95521; 707/839-1178. International Indian Treaty Council. Advocates for treaty rights before the United Nations and other international tribunals. 710 Clayton Street #1, San Francisco, CA 94117. ===================================================================== Race, Poverty & the Environment | c/o Earth Island Institute | Phone: 415-788-3666 Urban Habitat Program | FAX: 415-788-7324 300 Broadway, Suite 28 | E-mail: earthisland@igc.apc.org San Francisco, CA 94133-3312 | ===================================================================== --------- "RE: Poem: They Come to Us" --------- Date: 17 Mar 96 03:58:23 EST From: Brave Wind <103651.3511@compuserve.com> Subj: They Come to Us UUCP email THEY COME TO US The heart seeks that which was lost from generations long ago It's the prayer of our Ancestors that makes that fire grow If we listen very carefully to what is being said we will hear their spirits say that they are not dead They come to us in visions they come to us in dreams We need to learn to listen as their wisdom flows in streams Once we find the path that leads us on our way we will begin our journey and our Centeredness will stay Each day our eyes will open in the Spirit we will see what lies ahead to help us to see that we are free We are a Native Peoples Keepers of the Earth we have just experienced a spiritual rebirth Each part of life begins to have more meaning than we knew our spirits have awakened we now see what is true We feel the heart of Mother Earth as the Drum beats in a Sacred Way We feel One with All Creation and we have learned to pray Not as those who beg and ask for favors as those who do not understand We pray to help Our People and the Creatures of this land Brave Wind --------- "RE: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days" --------- Date: 96/03/13 21:55 From: Debra F. Sanders (dfsanders@genie.geis.com) Subj: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days Genie email A HAWAIIAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of March 24-30 MALAKI (March) (Nana) 24 The creative source is also the source of life. 25 Each of us must aspire to the heights of our own abilities. 26 Our spirits are reborn in the land. 27 What benefits the Earth, Ke Au Nei, benefits all life. 28 Find the good in every aspect of life. 29 The wind bides for a spell in this place, then it seeks other lands to explore. 30 Stone remains when all else passes away. (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, 21 Mar 96 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 Genie email From: Art Coulson <72650.3712@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Native Voices event, Rochester, NY Newsgroups: soc.culture.native,alt.native Native Voices Symposia on Contemporary Native American Issues March 29-20, Rochester, N.Y. All events free and open to public Friday, March 29 - 8 p.m., Dewey Hall, University of Rochester Keynote: Alfonso Ortiz (San Juan Pueblo), Univ. of New Mexico Saturday, March 30 - 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. - Eisenhart Auditorium, Rochester Museum & Science Center Potluck and Social - Benefits Freeman Johnson Scholarship Fund Eisenhart Auditorium, 5-10 p.m. Emcee: G. Peter Jemison (Cattaraugus Seneca) For information: Susan Applegate Krouse (Western Cherokee) 716-586-2525, Ext. 630; Paul Goldblatt, 716-475-7433; Yvonne Bilinski (Navajo) 716-275-3157; or E-mail totsuhwa@aol.com ----------------------- From: John Berry Subject: OSU Native Awareness Week Oklahoma State University Native American Awareness Week Schedule of Events Spring 1996 Friday 22 March Potluck Dinner Celebrating Family and Friends 6:00 pm Stillwater Community Center 8th and Duck, Stillwater, OK Saturday 23 March Competition Pow-Wow Colvin Annex Master of Ceremonies Ron Harris - Stroud,OK Headsinger Mike Whitecloud - El Reno,OK Head Man Dancer Ralph Haymond - Pawnee,OK Head Lady Dancer Angela Thurman - Shawnee,OK Arena Director George Alexander - Ponca City,OK CoHost Osage Gourd Clan - Pawhuska,OK Gourd Dance 2:00pm Supper 5:30 Grand Entry 7:00pm -------------------------------------------------------------------------- --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- 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, Robin Silver, Patricia Cummings, Brave Wind, Richard F. Boland(via R. Paton), Alice McCombs, Joseph Thompson, AIM (California), David Goyette, Glenn Welker, Andrea/Planet Peace, Harold P. Koehler, Stephen Kishewitsch, Nicholas Wilson, --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Part B of this newsletter (not included) has already been distributed via the NATIVE-L or NATCHAT mailing lists. --------- "RE: Conferences and Powwows - online" --------- Date: Thu, 21 Mar 96 08:00 -0500 From: Janet Smith (Evening Star) (jans@genie.geis.com) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows already posted to Mailing Lists NATCHAT or NATIVE-L Genie email ============================================= Original Sender: ltate@hiwaay.net (Les Tate) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) The Trail of Tears Symposium will be held in conjunction with the Inaugural Meeting of the Trail of Tears Association at the Riverfront Hilton Inn in North Little Rock, Arkansas on April 17-18, 1996. The following is a synopsis of the schedule. (To save space, I am using ToT as abbreviation for Trail of Tears) Tuesday April 16 6:30pm Early Bird Reception Wednesday April 17 8:30am ToT Association Plenary Session 9:30am Introduction to the Trail of Tears 10:15am ToT Assn State Caucus Meetings 11:45am Keynote Luncheon 1:00pm Welcome and Introduction 1:15pm Early Indian Settlement to Governmental Policy Focusing on Jacksonian policy 2:15pm The Cherokee Removal 3:15pm The Creek Removal 4:00pm The Choctaw Removal 6:00pm Reception 7:00pm ToT Assn Benefit Dinner ($50/person) Thursday April 18 8:30am ToT Assn Plenary Session (gen'l business) 10:00am Notable Trail Sites in Arkansas 11:00am New Research - New Findings: Recent ToT Research 12:00 Luncheon 1:30pm Panel Discussion (symposium speakers) Registration deadline is March 22: after this date add $5/person late fee. Non-member registration, $50/person; Members, $30/person. Make checks payable to Trail of Tears Association. Mail name, address, etc. (and check) to Trail of Tears Symposium, American Indian Center of Arkansas, 1100 N. University, Suite 133, Little Rock, AR 72207-6344. Vendors and display space available at $50/unit. Call AICA at (501) 666-9032 for details. ------------------------------ Original Sender: john.farrington@psl-online.com (John Farrington) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) For your pow-wow calendar, here is an updated TX-NM-LA list. To the best of my knowledge, admission is free to all except the Gathering Of Nations Pow-Wow in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 3/23/96: Southern Cherokee Tribe Intertribal Benefit Pow-Wow, at Albert Sallas County Park Arena, New Caney TX. Bill Busby, 713-429-9991, or Jerry Ann DeLeon, 713-477-1570. 3/30/96: Smokes Of Spring Pow-Wow, American Indian Science & Engineering Society NNMCC (N. New Mexico Community College, 505-751-0447, E-mail to jabeyta@nnm.cc.nm.us or danbegay@nnm.cc.nm.us 4/6/96: Alabama-Coushatta Benefit Pow-Wow, at the A/C Gym. Drum: not listed, probably the A/C Woodland Singers Bring a covered dish supper at 5:30 PM Gourd dancing at 6:30 PM, Grand Entry at 7:45 PM. For information call Sharon Miller or Bryan Williams, 409-563-4391. 4/12-13/96: 2nd Annual Native People's Of Texas Festival And Championship Dance Contest, in association with the American Indian Veterans Society, at the Pow-Wow Pavilion/Collector's Mall, East 15th St., Plano, TX. Dancing starts Friday at 6 PM, Saturday at 1 PM. For information call Frank Tongkeamha after 6 PM, 214-333-3908, or Doris Lieber, 214-422-4794. 4/13/96: Intertribal Council Of Houston Benefit Pow-Wow, at St. Mary's Seminary Gym, 9845 Memorial Drive, Houston. Gourd dancing at 6:30 PM, Grand Entry at 7:30 PM For info call 713-920-1251 (please do not call St. Mary's) 4/26-27/96: Texas Gulf Coast Tiah-Piah Annual Pow-Wow, at Albert Sallas County Park, New Caney, TX. Gourd dancing at 7 PM Friday, 2 PM and 7 PM Saturday Supper break 5-7 PM Saturday For information call Mrs. Linda Venzke, 409-948-9048 4/25-27/96: Gathering Of Nations Pow-Wow, Miss Indian World Contest, Univ. of New Mexico Campus at Albuquerque, NM For information, call voice: 505-836-2810, fax: 505-839-0475. Internet page: http://www.atiin.com/gathering.of.nations 5/4/96: Alabama-Coushatta Benefit Pow-Wow, at the A/C Gym 5/17-19/96: Tunica-Biloxi Of Louisiana Pow-Wow, at Marksville LA Registration 17th 12 noon to 18th 12 noon. For information call Pat or Barbara, 800-272-9767, or Sharon, 800-946-1946, X-2042, or John, X-2030. 5/18-19/96: Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb Louisiana 3rd Annual Pow-Wow Call Tribal Office to verify location and times, as they are not listed. Info: (318) 645-2588 (Tribal office) 5/18/96: Alabama-Coushatta Mini Pow-Wow, on the A/C Res. 5/31/96 to 6/1/96: Alabama-Coushatta 28th Annual Pow-Wow, on the A/C Reservation Livingston, TX. --------- "RE: Mt. Graham URGENT Appeal" --------- Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 14:49:48 -0800 From: amt@teleport.com (Planet Peace) Subj: Mt. Graham URGENT Appeal to Our Supporters Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) [ Visit the Apache Survival Coalition's Home Page at http://www.teleport.com/~amt/planetpeace/ for background info on the Mt. Graham issue and other issues concerning indigenous peoples. ] PLEASE POST/CIRCULATE THIS MESSAGE Apache Survival Coalition PO Box 1237, San Carlos, Arizona 85550 Tel/Fax: 602-475-2543 Friday, March 15, 1996 To Our Supporters & Friends: This note is an urgent appeal to our supporters. We are calling on President Clinton to inform Congress and the news media in writing that he will veto any anti-environmental and anti-cultural riders and any provisions reducing the rights of citizens to participate or challenge government decisions. Specifically, we are asking him to veto any appropriations bill or any continuing resolution that contains the Mt. Graham rider. The Mt. Graham rider is Section 335 of the Interior Appropriations Bill. A short note might say: "Dear President Clinton: Please veto all bills with any anti-environment and anti-cultural riders, especially bills containing the Mt. Graham rider which is offensive to Native American and undermines environmental protection and due process." Please send at once by fax to: 202-456-2461. Mail may be too slow, but if you have no fax, send to: White House, Washington, D.C., 20500. Sincerely, Ola Cassadore-Davis ASC Chairperson -- \Planet Peace http://www.teleport.com/~amt/planetpeace/ /-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\ Nothing Real Can be Threatened. Nothing Unreal Exists. \-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/ --------- "RE: Stoney Point Pinery Park" --------- Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 08:04:47 -0600 From: hkoehler@web.apc.org Subj: Stoney Point Pinery Park Urgent Act Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) STONEY POINT PINERY URGENT ACTION Mar 11, 1996 VISITING THE PINERY PROVINCIAL PARK? We hope you enjoy our traditional hunting area. We are always willing to share the earth with all creation. Are you aware that this is the Stoney Point Aazhoodena homeland territory? One day we will again be the managers and stewards of this park. It is part of the unceded territory set aside by the treaty of 1827. Another part of our territory was taken under the War Measures Act in 1942 with the promise that this territory would be returned at the end of World War II. This was to be done 53 years ago. We wish to hold the government to their promises. We feel that since you are aware of the beauty of this land, you will also be interested in the history of it. POINTS TO PONDER The Pinery Provincial Park is situated on unceded Stoney Point Aazhoodena Territory that was set aside by treaty. In 1942 when the War Measures Act was invoked the Stoney point people were stripped of all human rights and it was against the Canadian laws for them to even come together to protest. Their affairs were administered by the Indian agent. While you are enjoying this beautiful land, remember that it is the traditional hunting grounds of the Stoney point people, their source of food and livelihood. This camping enjoyment comes at the expense of Stoney point homes and lives. CONCERNED? Write, phone or fax the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Mike Harris, the Solicitor General, the Attorney General, Ron Irwin, David Collenette, Ralph Brant, your MP and MPP requesting that the rights of the Stoney Point people be honoured and respected and urging them to promote a peaceful resolution of the Stoney Point restoration. Ask them to honour the 1827 Treaty. Ask them to honour the promise to restore the Stoney Point community at the end of World War II. Request that there be no more bloodshed. Ask who killed Dudley George and why? We hope you enjoy your spiritual renewal at the Pinery Provincial Park in Aazhoodena Territory giving thanks to Gzhe-Mnidoo, the Creator, for this beautiful resource and when it is transferred back into Stoney Point Aazhoodena hands, we hope you will continue to do so. Gehi-miigwetch! The Aazhoodenaang Enjibaajig - The Stoney Point People. ADDRESSES Ron Irwin, Indian and Northern Affairs, House of Commons, Ottawa ON K1A 0H4 Fax: (819)953-4941 Tel: (819)997-0380 Mike Harris, Premier of Ontario, Legislative Building, Rm 281, Queen's Park, Toronto ON M7A 1A1 Fax: (416)325-3745 Tel: (416)325-1941 Robert Runciman, Solicitor General of Ontario, 175 Bloor St. E. #400 North Tower, Toronto ON M4W 3R8 Fax: (416)326-5085 Tel: (416)326-5075 Charles Harnick, Attorney General of Ontario, 720 Bay ST.. Fl. 11, Toronto ON M5G 2K1 Fax (416)326-4016 Tel: (416)326-4000 Chris Hodgson, Minister of Natural Resources, 900 Bay St.. Rm M1-73 Toronto ON M7A 2C1 Fax (416)314-1593 Tel (416)314-2000 David Collenette, minister of national Defence, 101 Col. By Drive, Ottawa ON K1A 0K2 Fax: (613)995-8189 Tel (613)992-4581 Ralph Brant, Chief Negotiator, Indian and Northern Affairs, 10 Wellington, Hull PQ K1A 0H4, Fax: (819)953-9406 Tel (819)994-7544 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Marcia Simon, Stoney Point, (519)786-4052 Glen George, Stoney Point Canadian Alliance in Solidarity with the Native Peoples, Toronto (416)972-1573 ---------------//--------------//-------------- Posted by: Harold P. Koehler, 43 Napoleon Drive, London ON N5V 4A8 (519)453-5452, Fax 453-3676 E-mail hkoehler@execulink.com --------- "RE: Greetings to Sisters in Prison" --------- Date: Wed, 13 Mar 1996 11:28:26 -0500 From: stevek@web.apc.org (Stephen Kishewitsch) Subj: send greetings to sisters in prison for women Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) The Prison for Women in Kingston, Ontario, Canada's largest lockup for women, has a disproportionate population of Native women in particular (no news there). It's known for not being a particularly enlightened place. Last year a disturbance took place in which a number of women were strip- searched by male guards, shacked and left with nothing to wear. Wanda Whitebird, who regularly visits the sisters in the prison, will be giving a talk this Thursday evening, March 14 in Toronto. If anyone has greetings to send to the sisters in the prison, please post them to me, stevek@web.apc.org by Thursday evening and i will pass them on to Wanda. Letters are about the only thing likely to make it past the prison gates, but they will give comfort and support to the sisters. There will also be a social at the Prison for Women, April 20, for any who wish to attend. You get to meet the sisters (in a locked gymnasium). Anyone interested will need to get security clearance, which takes 10 days, plus mailing time. You can write the prison for the forms (CPIC, Canadian Personal Information something) or other info, PO Box 515, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 4W7, or call Pat Tate in the Kingston Friendship Centre, (613) 548-1500. (If you're in Toronto, Wanda's talk will be at 7:00 PM, Thursday March 14, First Nations House, 563 Spadina Ave, top floor.) Meegwetch. Steve Kishewitsch --------- "RE: Round Valley Murder Case Update" --------- Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 14:40:03 -0800 From: nwilson@mcn.org (Nicholas Wilson) Subj: Round Valley murder case update Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Round Valley Murder Case Update Change of Venue Sought for Bear Lincoln Trial Newspaper Editor Defies Subpoena by Nicholas Wilson March 16, 1996 UKIAH, CA A change-of-venue motion has been filed in the murder case of Eugene "Bear" Lincoln, the Wailacki Indian man charged in the killing of a deputy sheriff on the Round Valley Indian Reservation. In a separate development, a newspaper editor refused to provide the prosecution with the original of a letter to the editor from the defendant. Lincoln's court-appointed attorney Philip DeJong says he's not likely to get a fair and impartial trial in Mendocino County. A preliminary report from a jury expert concluded that pretrial publicity was "extremely high" and prejudicial, with 142 newspaper articles in just the first 90 days following the shootings on April 14, 1995. The defense cited a new poll showing that 92.7 percent of the county residents polled recognized the case, and that 45.4 percent of them believe Lincoln is "definitely" or "probably" guilty. The venue motion cited bias and prejudice against Native Americans in Mendocino County, where they make up only 4% of the 1990 census population of 80,345, while 84% are White, 10% Hispanic, and 1% Black. The prosecution revealed in February it is seeking the death penalty against Lincoln. He is charged with first degree murder of Deputy Sheriff George "Bob" Davis, with special allegations of killing a law enforcement officer and lying in wait. He is also charged with second degree murder of his friend Leonard "Acorn" Peters, who was killed by deputy Davis minutes before Davis was shot. The prosecution alleges that Lincoln fired the first shot, setting off a gun battle in which first Peters, then Davis died. Lincoln has said that he and Peters were ambushed in the dark on rural Little Valley Road, and that Peters was killed in front of him for no reason and with no warning. Lincoln's lead defense attorney, J. Tony Serra, has said that the defense will be based primarily on self- defense. Deputies were staked out just off the winding mountain road watching for a suspect in another killing on the reservation earlier the same evening. A massive manhunt for Lincoln resulted in a lawsuit alleging police misconduct and civil rights violations against reservation residents. Lincoln avoided capture for four months despite a $100,000 reward and coverage on TV's America's Most Wanted program before turning himself over to authorities at Serra's San Francisco law office August 16, 1995. THE LETTER TO THE EDITOR At a March 15 court hearing on the case, Anderson Valley Advertiser editor and publisher Bruce Anderson fought a prosecution subpoena demanding he produce the original letter to the editor from Lincoln, and the envelope that contained it. Anderson appeared without the letter, but with an attorney, who invoked the California Reporters Shield Law. Anderson declared in an editorial two days before the hearing: "I have the letter and I have the envelope. The DA is not getting them." He vowed to go to jail rather than produce the letter. Deputy District Attorney Aaron Williams told the judge that he wanted a handwriting expert to establish that it really was written by Lincoln so it can be used as evidence against him. Williams feels the letter is incriminating, placing Lincoln at the scene of the shootings. He said it also could be used to attack Lincoln's credibility because of statements made in the letter. Lincoln wrote that he and Peters were ambushed, and that it sounded like five or six M-16s firing simultaneously. Referring to Peters, Lincoln wrote: "He broke no laws, he had no warrants for his arrest, there was no roadblock, no lights, no warning, only darkness, and then a blaze of gunfire." Anderson's attorney, Carl Shapiro, cited the shield law's clear protection against newspersons being forced to produce information which has not been published. On that basis the judge quashed the subpoena as to the envelope. Shapiro then argued that case law provides a number of hurdles that must be met before a newsperson can be forced to produce information. The first test is that the information must be so vital that the outcome of the case would be changed without it. The prosecution already has an earlier letter Lincoln wrote to his girlfriend that places him at the scene and contains many of the same allegations. A second test is that the information can be had in no other way. Shapiro pointed out that the letter was published, and that a copy can be used as evidence when the original can not be had after reasonable effort. Shapiro's main argument was that the letter to the editor is the last bastion of the freedom of speech constitutionally guaranteed by the U.S. and California constitutions. He called it "as vital a part of free speech as exists in our culture today." If the editor is forced to produce the letter, other writers would lose confidence in the paper as a safe place to write their opinion, chilling free expression. Judge James Luther delayed a decision in the matter until March 22, when the next hearings in the case are scheduled. The change of venue motion may be heard as soon as April 3, but may be delayed due to scheduling conflicts. The complete letter to the editor follows. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Anderson Valley Advertiser January 17, 1995 Editor, On the night of April 14, 1995, on top of "Little Valley Ridge" is a night I'll never forget. It was a night that I lost one of my best friends, Leonard Acorn Peters. He was a man who was respectful of everyone, he was very easy to get along with. He was a non-violent man, well-loved and respected among the Indian community on the "Round Valley Reservation." He loved the hills in Hull's Valley where he lived with his wife, Cyndi and his children. He was happy living the simple life with the family he loved very much. April 14th was a dark dark night, it was very hard to see anything. On top of Little Valley Ridge the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department laid in wait, and ambushed and murdered our brother Acorn. He broke no laws, he had no warrants for his arrest, there was no roadblock, no lights, no warning, only darkness, and then a blaze of gunfire. Acorn died quickly, I believe he was dead before he hit the ground. The M-16s were still going off even after he was down, there sounded like five or six weapons going off all at the same time. I believe that the Sheriff's Department was only interested in getting a body count. I believe it was their plan to kill as many Indians as they could. After the shooting was over and it was still very dark, no one could see 20 feet in front of themselves. It is my opinion that the police fired approximately 200 to 250 rounds of ammunition, and there was definitely more than just one M-16. We the native people on the "Round Valley Indian Reservation" are a sovereign nation, or at least on paper anyway. What the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department did on the night of April 14th, to any other sovereign nation would be considered an act of war! "Shoot to Kill," Bear Lincoln was the order of the day. Don't give him no chances; blow him away, guilty or innocent, he must die. So "shoot to kill," was the order of the day in Mendocino County, with a $100,000 bounty for my scalp, just to make the hunt more interesting. So I must send a warning to all my Indian brothers to be wise and be strong, because your lives are in danger in northern California. Especially in Mendocino County, Sheriff Tuso has declared war on the whole Indian population. They could not catch me in the hills and execute me like they wanted. But they will settle for someone else for now, they still want their revenge, and they still want their body count of Indians! Signed: Pissed off, but still a "Peaceful Organic Vegetable Farmer" Bear Lincoln Ukiah --------- "RE: Clash of Values" --------- Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 13:38:44 EST From: gwelker@mail.lmi.org Subj: A Clash of Values Mailing List: NATCHAT (natchat@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Here are some observations on this subject. Perhaps they are true. Glenn --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Clash of Values AMERICAN INDIAN (AI) vs. ANGLO AMERICAN (AA) Slower, softer speech (AI) Louder, faster speech (AA) Avoids speaker/listener with little or no eye contact (AI) Addresses listener directly often by name (AA) Interjects less (AI) Interrupts frequently (AA) Less "encouraging signs" (nodding of head, "uh huh" etc.) (AI) Much verbal encouragement (AA) Delayed response to auditory message (AI) Immediate response to auditory message (AA) Nonverbal communication prized (AI) Verbal skills highly prized (AA) Cooperation (AI) Competition (AA) Group needs most important (AI) Personal goals most important (AA) Harmony with nature (AI) Power and control of nature (AA) Control self, not others (AI) Control of self and others (AA) Sharing, keep only enough to satisfy present needs (AI) Material things important collected and respected (AA) Participates only when certain of ability (AI) Trial and error (AA) Privacy and noninterference (AI) Need to control all situations (AA) Physical punishment rare (AI) Physical punishment accepted (AA) Patient, allows others to go first (AI) Aggressive and competitive (AA) Broken English accepted (AI) Command of the English language respected. (AA) http://www.indians.org/welker/values.htm