From gars@netcom.com Tue Jul 1 17:36:30 1997 Date: Tue, 24 Jun 1997 20:54:57 -0700 (PDT) From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews05.026 _ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' O ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ O o O / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' O o O / /-< / /--/ /-- VOLUME 05, ISSUE 026 O o o o o O __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 28 June 1997 O o O KANOHEDA ANIYVWIYA Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin O o O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse Aunchemokauhettittea O ( N A T I V E A M E R I C A N N E W S ) This issue contains articles from NAT-FILM, Taino-L, Minn-Ind, Triballaw, AisesNet & Native-L lists; Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty; UUCP email; Newsgroups: alt.native,soc.culture.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. ++ It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own internet addressable account to gars@netcom.com ++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org 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 Borries Demeler all _Wotanging_Ikche_ (part a) submissions to AISESnet are archived under AISESnet and can be accessed easily by World Wide Web: 1994: http://aises.uthscsa.edu/94_dis.html 1995: http://aises.uthscsa.edu/95_dis.html 1996: http://aises.uthscsa.edu/96_dis.html 1997: http://aises.uthscsa.edu/97_dis.html This is a searchable index to the AISESnet Discussion mailing list database archive, and the keyword "Wotanging" will retrieve all issues for that year. "An Indian who is as bad as the white men could not live in our nation; he would be put to death, and eaten up by the wolves. The white men are bad schoolmasters; they carry false books, and deal in false actions; they smile in the face of the poor Indian to cheat him; they shake them by the hand to gain their confidence, to make them drunk, to deceive them, to ruin our wives. We told them to leave us alone, and keep away from us; but they followed on, and beset our paths, and they coiled themselves among us like a snake. They poisoned us by their touch." "We were becoming like them, hypocrites and liars, adulterous lazy drones, all talkers, and no workers." __ Chief Black Hawk, Sauk and Fox +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! I had the honor of meeting one of Leonard Peltier's granddaughters at a Powwow this weekend. I was and am profoundly touched by her beautiful heart and quiet dignity. If you have not written a letter, made a call or sent a fax on behalf of Leonard this week, please do so now. Last week's issue included a lengthy article regarding a databank of Tribal information that _was_ available only through a BBS. This note arrived announcing this great resource is now on the world wide web. Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 10:39:37 -0600 (MDT) From: databank@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca Gary: We now have a website @ www.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/~databank Joe email: databank@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca Thanks to Mike Wicks for the following reminder: In Memory (with Respect and Honor) 7.3.1976 Betty Means - AIM member killed at Pine Ridge by Goons. No investigation. Peace! Night Owl , , Gary Night Owl gars@netcom.com (*,*) P. O. Box 672168 gars@nanews.org (`-') Marietta, GA 30067, U.S.A. gars@igc.apc.org ===w=w=== gars@bellsouth.net Fax: 770-528-9643 gars@juno.com ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- Part A: Usenet and e-mail Part B: NATIVE-L list - Statement of Leonard Peltier - White House Phone Blitz - Unprotected Sacred Site - Native American Prisoners Issues - Mohawk Nation Press Release - Indian Tax War in New York State - Cherokee Nation Judicial System - Alaska Tribal Sovereignty Case - Gustafsen: Damage Control - _Indigenous Internet_ Magazine - Open Letter to Elizabeth II - Canadian Aboriginals - Run for Freedom Ends - Training for Human Rights Observers - Alex Labadie (1920-1997) - John Rolling Thunder - The Term Redskin - Call for Participation - In Whose Honor - A Hundred Years Ago - Poem: Can You Hear Us - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days - Conferences and Powwows - offline --------- "RE: Statement of Leonard Peltier" --------- Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 12:17:17 -0500 (CDT) From: Freedom Heart Rising Subject: Statement of Leonard Peltier: As Submitted to the United Nations: UUCP email This just in, from the LPDC newsletter, "Spirit of Crazy Horse." For those of you who are new to the Freedom LPSG, you can get this newsletter for $12. It is published 6 times a year, and subscriptions can be obtained from the LPDC at: LPDC PO Box 583 Lawrence, KS 66044 Tell them you are part of the Freedom/LPSG. It let's them know we are still out here working! :-) Thanks! And thanks for all your hard work, and your support of Leonard. Also, at the end of Leonard's letter, is the information on contacting President Clinton, for anyone who does not already have this, or needs it again, to keep on hand. PLEASE keep on demanding clemency for Leonard. Think FREEDOM FOR LEONARD PELTIER. We can make it happen! In the Spirit: Freedom Heart +++++ By Leonard Peltier: To the United Nations: Greetings, Madame Chair, United Nations Officials, and all members of the Indigenous Delegations. Many people have come to this human rights forum on my behalf. They came with such dedication and love that they were willing to make a sacrifice of their time to stand before you and ask for your intervention in my case. Twenty years later, at this most critical point in my long incarceration, I speak for myself. The state of my Native Peoples, sadly, remains dim. Our traditional ways of life and personal freedoms are consistently threatened. I, with so many others, worked tirelessly in trying to better life for my Native brothers and sisters. These things live in my memory and remain my hope to once again experience the gratification of helping those in need and put behind me this terrible nightmare. I have just begun my 22nd year of unjust imprisonment. The United States admits to being directly responsible for my fraudulent extradition from Canada in 1976. They have admitted to preparing and submitting falsified affidavits to Canadian officials. This alone violates treaty protocol, extradition, and international law. In addition, they extradited me on a charge of murder, fully aware that there was no direct evidence against me, and now keep me confined by calling me an aider and abettor. My Constitutional Rights and right to due process under law have been denied. These are rights that should be guaranteed and extended to all citizens. Since 1986, the United States government and U.S. prosecuting attorneys have conceded that there is no direct evidence to prove guilt. They have repeatedly stated, on record, that they do not know who killed the FBI agents on June 26th, 1975 on sovereign Lakota territory of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The trial and subsequent appeals were riddled with lies, fabrication, and coercion and reveal deep conflicts of interest. The parole process as well has been an embarrassment to the United States legal system. These numerous unjust actions have been formally and periodically challenged by human rights organizations around the world. Amnesty International, London, has issued a letter directly to our Attorney General, Janet Reno. The letter supports and calls for Presidential intervention. This represents a dramatic modification of past support as Amnesty takes their strongest position in two decades in asking for a decision directly from the United States President. How long does an organization ask for something before it must strengthen its request? We have petitioned the United States now for over 20 years. My case is well documented in this place. Over 600 pages of documentation was received and entered by Secretariat Julian Berger of the Working Group for Indigenous Populations in 1995. There have been significant developments regarding support for my release. Bill Richardson, the newly appointed United States Ambassador to the United Nations, has been my ardent advocate. It was in a 1995 United Nations session of a Working Group that a Congressional press release from Mr. Richardson was submitted. In that release, he stated, "I do believe the way that the federal government conducted its investigation and prosecution of Mr. Peltier was wrong and inconsistent with the standard of due process afforded individuals under our Constitution...We need to be as vigilant as ever. And we must not forget that Leonard Peltier's executive clemency application remains under review"...In addition senior U.S. Federal Judge of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, Gerald Heaney, has also appealed to the president on my behalf. At some point, a healing process must begin...favorable action by the President in the Leonard Peltier case would be an important step in this regard." The facts are clear, and the base of support is strong and growing. We have the support of so many, including the Dalai Lama, Mother Theresa, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, and the European Parliament. I ask for the official support of the United Nations. I ask a formal resolution be drafted, passed, and that it be directly sent to the President of the United States. This resolution should call for executive clemency, a process which is currently under consideration. There is a great sense of urgency as the President will soon be due with a decision. The Department of Justice is now inexcusably late with a recommendation to the President. The voice of Native America can still be heard, despite the overwhelming oppression of my people. I am now 52 years old, and have suffered the pain of missing my children, and now my grandchildren, growing up. They have suffered by having to mature without the regular touch and guidance of a father and grandfather's hand. My health has deteriorated as well, due to these long years of neglect, abuse, and false incarceration. I am currently improperly assigned on work detail. Here at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary I am being forced to work at the furniture factory where I suffer severe headaches caused by unsuccessful surgery on my jaw, which continues to swell and causes me constant pain. All life is sacred. I did not kill those agents. I pray for them and those they left behind, parents, wives, children. I also pray for the prosecutors, judges, parole officers, and prison officials who have made so many hideous decisions in my case, and in the cases of others. And I will pray for you, for your direct involvement and that you will reaffirm your commitment to freedom and justice. I am an Indian man. My simple request is to live like one. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, Leonard Peltier ++++++ Please write, and/or call, and demand executive clemency for Leonard Peltier. The information is below: President Clinton The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC 20500 Comment line: 202-456-1111 (Fax:) 202-456-2461 Email: President@Whitehouse.gov Thank you. -FHR- +++++ freedom@prairienet.org Freedom LPSG FREE LEONARD PELTIER!!! "to the people who struggle for their freedom, i embrace you and send you my love and strength." --Leonard Peltier / POW -- --------- "RE: Unprotected Sacred Site" --------- Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 00:59:38 -0400 From: ishgooda@tdi.net Subj: DEVIL'S TOWER: AN UNPROTECTED SACRED SITE UUCP email Dead Indians, Live Indians, and Genocide As per "American Holocaust, Columbus and the Conquest of the New World, David Stannard, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-507581-1 the term "genocide" was coined by Raphael Lemkin in his book, "Axis Rule in Occupied Europe, published in 1944. His thinking is summarized by Frank Chalk and Kurt Jonassohn. pp. 279-280: Under Lemkin's definition, genocide was the coordinated and planned annihilation of a national, religious, or racial group by a variety of actions aimed at undermining the foundations essential to the survival of the group as a group. Lemkin conceived genocide as 'a composite of different acts of persecution or destruction.' His definition included attack on political and social institutions, culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of the group. Even nonlethal acts that undermined the liberty, dignity, and personal security of members of a group constituted genocide if they contributed to weakening the vitality of the group. Under Lemkin's definition, acts of ethnocide- a term coined by the French after the war to cover the destruction of a culture without the killing of its bearers-also qualified as genocide. Lemkin stated that "Genocide has two phases: one, destruction of the national pattern of the oppressed group: the other, the imposition of the national pattern of the oppressor." This has most certainly been the case as regards the First Nations. American Holocaust, pp. 279. United Nations General Assembly resolution, 1946: Genocide is the denial of the right of existence to entire human groups, as homicide is the denial of the right to live of individual human beings; such denial of the right of existence shocks the conscience of mankind, results in great losses to humanity in the form of cultural and other contributions represented by these groups, and is contrary to moral law and to the spirit and aims of the United Nations. Many instances of such crimes of genocide is a matter of international concern. The General Assembly Therefore, Affirms that genocide is a crime under international law which the civilized world condemns, and for the commission of which principals and accomplices-whether private individuals, public officials or statesmen, and whether the crime is committed on religious, racial, political or any other grounds-are punishable. pp. 280 - Genocide Convention of the United Nations (1948): ...Article II- In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of the group, (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group, (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. The United States failed to sign on to the Genocide Convention for forty years. NOW COMES...DEVIL'S TOWER Your support is urgently requested...please review the following data and then comment via the input LINK at the bottom of this page. This WWW site and email campaign has been sanctioned by Arvol Looking Horse... A federal district court judge in Casper, Wyoming is poised to decided the constitutionality of efforts by the National Park Service to accommodate American Indian religious practices at Devil's Tower National Monument in Wyoming. Devil's Tower is a sacred site and a vital cultural resource for Indians from over twenty tribes. For centuries, Indians have performed religious and cultural ceremonies there, including the Sun Dance, sweat lodge rites, vision quests, and prayer offerings. These ceremonies continue today. However, in recent years, growing numbers of rock climbers have disrupted them, preventing many Indians from completing their ceremonies and causing others to discontinue their spiritual use of the monument altogether. After lengthy consultations with environmentalists, Indians, rock climbers and others, the National Park Service devised a plan to balance the competing visitor uses of the monument and to accommodate Indian religious ceremonies at the monument. The plan discourages, but does not prohibit, rock climbing at Devil's Tower during June. Under this plan, the Park Service has posted a sign that encourages visitors to remain on the designated trails (and away from Indian conducting ceremonies at off-trail locations and the Park Service provides information to visitors on the significance of the Tower to Indians. (http://www.nps.gov:80/deto/sacred.htm) This is a unique case. Seldom has the federal government developed such a program to accommodate Indian religious practices at a sacred site on public lands. Most rock climbers support the plan, including the Access Fund, a national, non-profit climbing organization, which reports that since the plan took effect, climbing during June has fallen by over 86%. In March of 1996, however, several rock climbers sued the Park Service in federal court, asserting that the plan establishes Indian religion in violation of the Establishment Clause. The climbers are represented by Mountain States Legal Foundation, a conservative legal rights organization in Denver, Colorado. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and four of its traditional leaders intervened in the lawsuit to defend the Park Service's program at "Mato Tipila," or Bear Lodge, the Lakota name given to Devil's Tower hundreds of years ago. They are represented by the Indian Law Resource Center in Washington, D.C., and attorneys in the Tribe's legal department. "The unfolding legal battle is a milestone in the never-ending constitutional struggle to draw a principled line between the duty of the government to uphold the free exercise of religion, while not establishing or promoting religion," says Steven Gunn of the Indian Law Resource Center. In the 1988 case of Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association, the Supreme Court ruled that a federal court could not compel the government to protect sacred sites on public lands. In that case, the Court rejected a tribe's request for a court order to stop the U.S. Forest Service from building a road through sacred lands in a national forest. Two years later, in Employment Division v. Smith, the Supreme Court ruled that Indians could not assert their free exercise rights to demand a court-ordered religious exemption from generally applicable laws criminalizing the use of peyote. The net result: it is now extraordinarily difficult for Indians to use the federal courts to compel unwilling governments to accommodate their religious needs. However, in both Lyng and Smith, the Supreme Court made clear that the political branches of government may voluntarily enact reasonable religious accommodations. In fact, in Lyng, the Court stressed that the "Government's rights to the use of its own land... need not and should not discourage it from accommodation religious practices... engaged in by ... Indian[s]...." In that case, the Court commended the Forest Service's "solicitude" toward Indian religious practices in sacred forest areas, including its "ameliorative measures" to establish "protective zones" in which timber harvesting, off-road vehicle use, and other disruptive activities were strictly prohibited. "The Park Service has displayed similarly commendable, and equally constitutional, solicitude for Indian religious practices at Devil's Tower," say Gunn. "The Park Service's program at Devil's Tower accommodates, but does not establish, Indian religious practices," he adds. "Neither the Park Service nor the Indians are trying to impose Indian religions on rock climbers or other visitors at Devil's Tower. Indians have absolutely no interest in proselytizing or converting others to their points of view. They simply want the same respect and tolerance that mainstream religions take for granted. Their modest request is to be left alone for one month out of 12 to carry out their religious ceremonies as their ancestors have for centuries." There is a long, deep, and principled tradition of accommodating religious practices on government lands in this country. For example, at Arlington National Cemetery, a site described by the federal government as "our nation's most sacred shrine," recreational activities that would otherwise interfere with religious burial or memorial services are strictly prohibited. And in countless national parks, the Park Service owns or leases churches and other religious properties and manages them in a manner that prohibits activities that would conflict with religious services. Such accommodations of religion are not only permissible under the Establishment Clause, but in our country's best traditions of pluralism and tolerance. In defending the Park Service's plan at Devil's Tower, the Indians and the Park Service are joined by The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a bipartisan public interest organization whose Board of Directors includes U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), U.S. Representative Henry Hyde (R-Illinois), Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Sergeant Shriver, and Kenneth Starr. Also defending the plan are the National Congress of American Indians, which represents over 200 American Indian tribes; the Medicine Wheel Coalition for Sacred Sites of North America, a coalition of traditional religious practitioners from eight Plains tribes; and the Native American Rights Fund. Judge William F. Downes heard the arguments of the parties in April and is expected to decide the case this summer. As he reaches a decision, the Indians and the Park Service hope he does not forget the cautionary words Congress spoke nearly two decades ago when adopting the American Indian Religious Freedom Act: "America does not need to violate the religions of her native people. There is room for and great value in cultural and religious diversity. We would be poorer if these American Indian religions disappeared from the face of the Earth." Please render your support for the National Park Service Plan by filling out the input form at the following URL: http://www.dickshovel.com/twr.html ..your advice will automatically be sent to relevant politicians who are backing the Plan, as well as the climbing club which brought suit... --------- "RE: Mohawk Nation Press Release" --------- From: wsears@tiac.net Date: Sat, 19 Jul 1997 07:07:36 -0700 Subj: Mohawk Nation Press Release UUCP email http://www.slic.com/~mohawkna/mnprel.htm Notice The Mohawk Nation Council and its Chiefs are very dismayed at the news that some Mohawk People are misrepresenting themselves as chiefs of the Mohawk Nation. The following is offered as information to minimize any further confusion as to who the Mohawk Nation and its Council are. The Mohawk (Kahniakenhaka) Nation Council and its Chiefs are the designated representatives of the Sovereign Mohawk Nation. They are sanctioned by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and are participants in Grand Council sessions affecting the Mohawk Nation and other Confederacy members. The Mohawk Nation Council is an ancient democratic government, that was in operation centuries before European contact. The Mohawk Nation and the other member Nations of the Confederacy including the Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora, have built a government whose principles are based on peace and the participation of its citizens. It is sometimes referred to as a participatory democracy. The Mohawk and other Haudenosaunee Nations consider their government to be a gift of the Creator. [Mohawk Nation Council Logo] The emblem/logo used by the Haudenosaunee members illustrates the 50 Confederacy Chiefs holding hands in a circle, to protect the people and their ancient form of government. They are responsible for upholding the laws embodied in the Kaianerekowa (Great Law of Peace), as represented by the ever growing Tree of Peace in the center of the emblem. The animal clan symbols are representative of the family groups that the Chiefs are responsible to protect. The fire of the Mohawk Nation is alive at Akwesasne and the head administrative of the Mohawk Nation Council and its Chiefs are located at: The Mohawk Nation Akwesasne Mohawk Territory P.O. Box 366 Via Rooseveltown, New York 13683-0196 tel: (518) 358-3326 or (518) 358-3381 fax: (518) 358-3488 on the Internet: Mohawkna@slic.com The present representatives of the Mohawk Nation Council are: Teharoniakarenrons - Edward Gray, Turtle Clan Tekanatsiasere - Brian Skidders, Wolf Clan Teharonianeken - Jake Swamp, Wolf Clan Arihote - Curtis Nelson, Bear Clan Otistsakenra - Charles Patton, Bear Clan [Hiawatha Belt] Another emblem that is frequently used by the Mohawk Nation is the Ayonwatha Belt (Hiawatha Belt). It is the first wampum belt that was made to commemorate the peaceful alliance of Haudenosaunee Nations. The Mohawk Nation Council, its Chiefs, Clanmothers and Faithkeepers are not to be confused with the St. Regis (Mohawk) Tribal Council. The St. Regis Tribal Council is a form of government that was forcibly imposed upon the Akwesasne Mohawk people by New York State in 1892. Our people have consistently resisted and rebuked this form of government throughout its history. It has only shown significant consideration since 1972, when it gained federal recognition, and it began to administer much needed health, welfare and social service programs to this community. The St. Regis Tribal Council exists because the United States Government has chosen to recognize a "a government that it created", instead of the one that was given to the Mohawk people by the Creator. It is unfortunate that it has become the government recognized by New York State and the Federal government as the legal entity at Akwesasne. The St. Regis Tribal Council received federal recognition in 1972, even though it did not meet the minimum requirements under Federal law. The Mohawk Nation does not have the finances to challenge this administrative error in Federal court. The St. Regis Tribal Council has elected Chiefs who hold office for three year terms. Even though they are Mohawk people, the do not represent the Sovereign Mohawk Nation. They only represent the St. Regis Tribal Council. [SRMT]The logo which is as shallow as their history within this community, "SRMT" (S-stands for Saint, R-stands for Regis, M-stands for Mohawk, and T-stands for tribe). The "SRMT chiefs" are: Norman Tarbell, Phillip Tarbell and Douglas Smoke. A former Mohawk employee of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Lincoln White, is also a member of this council. The Mohawk Nation Council, is the traditional government of the Mohawk people, which has been legally recognized by numerous Nations, throughout history including the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, and the United States of America. Their legitimacy as a Sovereign Nation is evidenced by the countless agreements and treaties it has made between other nations. Today, it continues to be the legal holder of the treaties that were made with the United States and other Nations, and it continues to be the title holder of the Mohawk lands. Our ancient Mohawk government is not to be confused with the government that was created by New York State. The St. Regis Tribal Council government that was created by New York State is not a sovereign nation. It is merely a creation of New York State. New York cannot create sovereign nations nor can it take away Sovereignty that is vested in the Mohawk Nation Council. The Mohawk Nation Council is the real government of the Mohawk People. We urge anyone associated or dealing with the Mohawk Nation to beware of any misrepresentations or impersonations of the Mohawk Nation Council. Te ne tho. --------- "RE: Cherokee Nation Judicial System" --------- Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 14:21:37 -0400 From: Wicked Subj: Tsalagi Press Release - June 20, 1997 UUCP email ---------------------- CHEROKEE NATION JUDICIAL SYSTEM PRESS RELEASE June 20, 1997 Joe Byrd, with the assistance of eight Tribal Council Members and the Bureau of Indian Affairs ("BIA"), is attempting to overthrow and destroy the Constitution of the Cherokee Nation. The citizens of the Cherokee Nation have suffered dearly during this crisis. Their funds have been depleted to pay for Chief Byrd's lawyers. Their medical and housing needs have been sacrificed to pay for the illegal advice provided to Joe Byrd and Garland Eagle on how to establish the first dictatorship on the North American Continent. Now, those charged with high crimes have seized and taken control of the Cherokee Nation Courthouse. Instead of the inmates running the asylum, those charged with committing crimes against the Cherokee people are attempting to place themselves in charge of the courthouse. How ironic! The majority of Cherokee citizens have no choice left but to request the intervention of President Bill Clinton for the purposes of backing-off the Democratic National Committee and the BIA, and to restore the Constitution of the Cherokee Nation. If President Clinton does not intervene and restore democracy, the the illegal actions of Joe Byrd, Garland Eagle and the BIA will be condoned, and the first dictatorship in modern history will have been established in the United States of America. Please pray for the Cherokee people. ------------- For more information regarding this press release, contact Chief Justice Ralph F. Keen at (918) 456-9551. In the alternative, you may contact Justice Birdwell at (405) 236-4675, or Justice Viles at (918) 625-1407. --------- "RE: Gustafsen: Damage Control" --------- Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 11:36:14 -0800 From: sisis@envirolink.org (S.I.S.I.S.) Subj: Gustafsen: Damage Control (Terminal City) :-:-:-:-:-:-:-Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty-:-:-:-:-:-:-: [The following article is reprinted from the Vancouver publication Terminal City, June 20-27] THERE IS NO HAPPY ENDING, THERE'S JUST DAMAGE CONTROL: As the Gustafsen Lake trial moves into the sentencing period, RCMP, FBI and lawyers utilize their media to serve us up some neo-colonialism, defined here as 'genocide with a smile'. by Nicki Jordan and Rachel Iwaasa It has long been common knowledge to traditional native people in Canada and across the world that "there is no justice, there's JUST US" in the coloniser courts and prisons. Now, in a perverse parade of soothing lies, the very power structure which attempted to murder the Sundancers at Ts'peten (Gustafsen Lake) for refusing to abandon their own unceded land - and then stitched them up in a fraudulent judicial process - is trying to convince the public that it holds a just, lenient and peaceful position. Much of the current rhetoric of 'justice', 'healing' and 'resolution' centres around the 'traditional native sentencing circle', applied for by the lawyers of those defendants who have recanted their legal position and views on sovereignty and land rights and thrown themselves upon the mercy of the newcomer court. As stated by self-confessed "little weasel", 'defence' counsel Sheldon Tate, they "have a wish not to persecute or bring down this country or cause more rancor and dissension." Traditionalists from many nations have spurned the sentencing circle on the following grounds: *IT IS NOT TRADITIONAL: Coming from the Department of Indian Affairs colonial band council system, circle sentencing is a "new phenomenon in the criminal justice system of Canada" (Manuel Azevedo); it acts as a masked extension of that system and bears no resemblance to customary law. Under traditional law, the Ts'Peten defenders would be celebrated and honoured for defending their land and the future of their children. On the subject of the proposed sentencing circle, Haida elder Lavina White said, "That was not our way. This is all pretend, to make it look like our people don't support our freedom fighters." *IT IS NOT ABORIGINAL: The white judge retains control over all aspects of the process. Reportedly, participants will include RCMP, the mayor and Chamber of Commerce of 100 Mile House and American rancher Lyle James. As Wolverine put it, "We're raising the land question. A sentencing circle including Lyle James would say it's his land, but the law has never been dealt with. This is one of the ways the province is trying to get around the whole thing." *THE COURT HAS NO JURISDICTION: Lil'Wat elder Tsemhu7qw explained, "We Traditional people have long known that we have 'OWNERSHIP' and 'TITLE' to OUR LAND which the Canadians must purchase from us before the can own it or have jurisdiction and then must have our CONSENT based on our PEOPLES' CONSENSUS before they can consider us as part of the STATUS QUO!! THE CRIMINAL LAW that the CANADIANS are using on Indigenous people today is ILLEGAL because we do not have TREATY!!!! So in order to have a SENTENCING CIRCLE the CANADIANS must first have a TREATY with the Indigenous Peoples." International and Canadian constitutional law also confirm this Native law principle. Josephson, like several BC judges before him, claims that the Delgamuukw (Gitskan Wet'suwet'en) case decided that Canada does have jurisdiction, despite the fact that the Supreme Court of Canada declared unequivocally on Sept.12, 1995, that Delgamuukw never dealt with that issue. In any case, the disputed jurisdiction can only be fairly adjudicated by a third party court which is neither Shuswap nor Canadian. *THE DEFENDERS ARE NOT GUILTY: To participate in a sentencing circle, the accused must show remorse for their "crimes". The defenders will be expected to renounce their stand. As Wolverine explained, this will shut out the possibility of appeals. None of the accused pleaded guilty, because they were doing the right thing. "They were criminalized for protecting their inherent rights to practice their spirituality (religion). Criminalized for protecting the sacred Sundance grounds," declared Lil'Wat elder Lahalus. Or as James 'OJ' Pitawanakwat put it, "We were defending our people; we were defending our land." Those defenders who continue to assert their original legal position, including political prisoners Wolverine and OJ (who is now in solitary confinement), have very good reasons for withholding participation, even though have been told that they will receive tough sentences for not playing along. As defender Shelagh Franklin said, the authorities "claim they want to 'heal' when it was they who burnt the sacred Sundance arbor, they who only ever told lies and half truths when we were in the camp and in the courtroom. They tried to murder us, and now the criminals want to sit in judgment. They are trying to seal up the lie; they want closure". This trial has opened an enormous can of worms and every effort is being made to clamp the lid back on. We are being assured not only that the court has found a culturally sensitive solution, but that the verdicts were charitable, the RCMP did in fact behave admirably and no further action is necessary. But how well do these stories stand up? We're told that the 39 acquittals and 21 convictions were at best "a delicate compromise" (Times Colonist, May 22) or "a bold exercise in human compassion," (Vancouver Sun, May 24), at worst an outrageously lenient verdict, by jurors who "experienced a kind of traumatic bonding with the accused - a mild form of 'Stockholm syndrome'" (BC Report, June 2). In fact, the judge suppressed crucial evidence and directed the jury to convict. The Globe and Mail's Ross Howard claimed "no conceivable argument in defence of native militancy was left untried or was disallowed by B.C. Supreme Court judge Bruce Josephson." On the contrary, Josephson disallowed every one of the major defence arguments - self-defence, colour of right and jurisdiction - in the last weeks of the trial. His Reasons for Judgment, which are an exercise in creative logic, were not even filed until after the jury was sequestered. The media have been delinquent in attending the trial, but not so much that they wouldn't know these facts. They no longer have the excuse that they are being held behind the RCMP barriers. Now, they are simply and unabashedly lying. The media's complicity should perhaps not surprise us, given the outrageous lies they told in 1995. They are now recycling the same old RCMP misinformation, as though simply repeating it enough times will convince people. Most mainstream media quoted Sgt. Peter "Smear campaigns-are-our- specialty" Montague as though he were still a credible authority, telling us the RCMP "always tried to use moral suasion and avoid violence." How are we to reconcile this with Assistant Commissioner Brown's personal notes from Aug. 10, 1995: "The CO [Len Olfert] commented and I agreed that we need to clean them out entirely and not have any hanging issues similar to what happened at Oka"? More damning still are comments reportedly captured on RCMP 'training tapes,' like "Anyone got a gun? It's for a peaceful resolution" (Len Olfert), or "If there are natives on the ground and one has a weapon, I will empty two clips on full automatic in four seconds" (unidentified RCMP officer). The Vancouver Sun once again trotted out Dr. Michael Webster, the FBI psy-ops consultant whose professional specialty is manipulating people into changing their minds, and who advised the "negotiations" at the Waco and Tupac Amaru slaughters as well as Gustafsen: "Police resisted pressure to move in and end the dispute with an attack... Although a firefight did erupt, it was a spontaneous action triggered when police felt they were under attack." (June 11, 1997, A1) By now it should be well-known that police admit they initiated fire on camp members - who were on their way to collect water and meet with negotiators - after first blowing up their truck with a command mine and ramming it with an APC. The RCMP shot 77,000 rounds by latest estimate. Moreover, RCMP documents show the incident was planned well in advance. According to Brown's notes from Sept. 9, 1995, "Chief Supt. Johnston advised that Supt. Olfert wants to get more proactive and take down the red truck and occupants if they can." The "Tiger South Ops Plan" of the same day reads: "This operation will be conducted on a clear day when Wescam [airborne camera] is available to assist with surveillance... An ambush site will be determined after a thorough recci of the area... In the event of resistance, gas will be deployed at the vehicle and the occupants forced to surrender. The ambush team will be positioned on one side of the road and the Bison ahead of the ambush location and out of sight. Upon detonation, the bison will approach the vehicle head-on." RCMP snipers also admit that on Sept. 12, 1995 , they shot unprovoked at an unarmed camp member in a "no-shoot" zone, narrowly missing him. The very next day, they submitted a request to Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh for new military weapons (.50 calibre McMillan Sniper Rifles with Leupold scopes), saying: "After conducting an analysis of the distances relating to the proximity of our Emergency Response resources to the militants' encampment... we find that the ranges exceed the capability of police sniping rifles." Webster is trying to reassure us that Gustafsen is a blue-print of peaceful negotiation for police continent-wide. One shudders to think what the violent model looks like! The whitewash and pacification is an attempt to reconstruct silence and public consent around the government's actions, a silence that is being broken as the tide of opinion about the Ts'Peten (Gustafsen Lake) Defenders appears to be turning. Hundreds of people turned out to demonstrate their support for the defendants - rallying in downtown Vancouver on May 31 and repeatedly making the long trip out to the Surrey Courthouse on June 6, 9 and 10. Non-native people in Canada are finally beginning to join indigenous nations and human rights organizations worldwide in demanding the release of the Defenders, a third party tribunal to adjudicate the land issue in BC, and a comprehensive public inquiry into the crisis at Ts'Peten. So there is hope for a resolution or a 'happy ending' to Gustafsen Lake, but that hope does not reside in the current neo-colonial feel-good campaign. That hope, dear reader, resides in you. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty P.O. Box 8673, Victoria, "B.C." "Canada" V8X 3S2 ==>>NEW EMAIL : WWW: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/SISmain.html SOVERNET-L is a news-only listserv concerned with indigenous sovereigntist struggles around the world. To subscribe, send "subscribe sovernet-l" in the body of an email message to For more information on sovernet-l, contact S.I.S.I.S. --------- "RE: Open Letter to Elizabeth II" --------- Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 03:05:53 -0800 From: sisis@envirolink.org (S.I.S.I.S.) Subj: Open letter to Elizabeth II :-:-:-:-:-:-:-Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty-:-:-:-:-:-:-: To: Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her visit to the occupied Territories of Turtle Island: May 23 - July 1 1997 "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 should not be molested or disturbed in the Possession of such Parts of Our Dominions and Territories as not having been ceded to or purchased by Us are reserved for them or any of them as their hunting grounds... no Governor or Commander in Chief... do presume upon any Pretence whatever to grant Warrants of Survey or pass any Patents of Land... upon any Lands whatever which not having been ceded to or purchased by Us as aforesaid are reserved to the said Indians or any of them... And We do further strictly enjoin and require all Persons whatever who have either willfully or inadvertently seated themselves... upon any Lands which not having been ceded to or purchased by Us are still reserved to the said Indians as aforesaid forthwith to remove themselves from such Settlements... And whereas great Frauds and Abuses have been committed..." - The Royal Proclamation of 1763 "The fact is that the newcomers' European-derived criminal law simply does not, and never did, legally, apply to Indians upon their yet unpurchased lands. That law, represented today by the Criminal Code, is inapplicable, for the same constitutional reason that the newcomers' courts have no jurisdiction - the jurisdiction of the newcomers' governments and courts is derivative - not original... "Access under the rule of law to the independent and impartial third party court is all that the petitioners herein ever sought at Gustafsen Lake. To secure recognition of that right, as the specific means to apprehending the genocide of the aboriginal people, they occupied a defensive position in relation to a tract of disputed Indian land. The fact is that their sole demand, issued while under police siege, and dated August 25, 1995 reads as follows: "The Sundancers at Gustafsen Lake have one demand: that the petition dated January 3, 1995 be addressed publicly by an independent an impartial third party tribunal, one that is neither Canadian nor Indian, such as the special constitutional court established by Queen Anne at the request of the Mohegan Indians to which court the petition is addressed: (a) is the popular assumption that the Canadian courts and police have jurisdiction legal? (b) or is that assumption criminally treasonable, fraudulent and complicitous in the genocide of the aboriginal peoples of Canada as alleged in the petition? "For physically defending their constitutional right to third party adjudication as to the disputed tract at Gustafsen Lake, and for exercising their right physically to resist genocide, the petitioners were branded 'terrorists' in a 'smear and misinformation campaign' tantamount to the crime of hate propaganda contrary to sections 318(1) and 2(b) and 319(1) and (2) of the Criminal Code, perpetrated by the police under the orders of their political and judicial masters;" - Petition/Motion/Constitutional Question. Ignace et al v Dosanjh and Rock Your Majesty: The Ts'peten Defenders are innocent Canada is guilty. The crime is genocide. You can stop it. Uphold the law. Honour your commitments. End the colonization. Free the Ts'peten Defenders. Letters of Support: Elizabeth II c/o His Excellency Romeo LeBlanc Governor-General of Canada fax: 613-993-1967 Faxing by email: remote printer.Romeo_Le_Blanc@16139931967.iddd.tpc.int WWW comments:http://www.schoolnet.ca/collections/governor Leave your comments at the Royal Web Site: http://www.royal.gov.uk/ :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty P.O. Box 8673, Victoria, "B.C." "Canada" V8X 3S2 ==>>NEW EMAIL : WWW: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/SISmain.html SOVERNET-L is a news-only listserv concerned with indigenous sovereigntist struggles around the world. To subscribe, send "subscribe sovernet-l" in the body of an email message to For more information on sovernet-l, contact S.I.S.I.S. --------- "RE: Canadian Aboriginals" --------- Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 09:20:27 -0400 (EDT) From: mfdunn@freenet.carleton.ca (Martin F. Dunn) Subj: Canadian Aboriginals UUCP email Canadian Aboriginals (Copyright by Martin F Dunn.) May be distributed freely for non-commercial purposes. May not be included in formats or publications offered for sale except with the written permission of the author. In response to requests from some who indicated they would like to know more about how unregistered, off-reserve, and Metis peoples in Canada have asserted their reality over the last several decades, I offer the following paragraphs. First Installment - Chickens and Eggs I want to emphasize that I am not dealing only with Metis peoples, but with Indians who, for a variety of reasons never registered, were excluded from registration, had registration stripped from them, or were registered but denied residency on-reserve or membership in a particular Indian band. In Canada, by the way, people who are registered under the Indian Act are most often referred to as Status Indians. Until recently, those Indians who are not registered are referred to non-status Indians. The politically correct term for those people these days is unregistered Indians. There is a third category labelled as Bill C31 Indians, but more about that later. Like governments in the United States, Canadian governments have, since Confederation in 1867, assumed that Aboriginal peoples in Canada were, or soon would be, extinct. In fact, the original Canadian constitution (the British North America Act) contained only one 7-word reference to Indians which gave the Federal government the jurisdiction to legislate for =Indians and lands reserved for Indians=. Accordingly, government policy ever since has been dedicated to assimilating whatever Aboriginal populations managed to survive the ravages of colonial warfare, disease, racism, and other ethnocidal practices. Without getting into a lot of incredibly complicated detail about the effect of these policies, suffice it to say that by 1969, up to three- quarters of the Canadian Indian population were no longer registered and no longer lived on reserve. Others, who identified themselves as Metis had no official recognition outside of a few settlement lands in Alberta and Metis farms in Saskatchewan. The government, in what is now referred to as THE White Paper, felt it was time to publicly propose that all distinctions between Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal Canadians be eliminated. The paper proposed to do away with the Indian Act, with Indian registration, and co-incidentally, with Aboriginal and Treaty rights. The Justice Minister of the day, Jean Cretien, (who is Prime Minister today) was virtually overwhelmed by the negative backlash from the Aboriginal community to his proposal. The basic premise of the White Paper, that Aboriginal and Treaty rights were a colonial anachronism with no relevance in a modern world, was shattered by a split decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in the Calder case in 1973. Half of the judges found that Aboriginal rights did, indeed, still exist and that it might be possible for modern day Aboriginal people to make claims based on those rights. The government scrambled to cover its obviously exposed legal butt. In the late 60's the government, under heavy pressure from Status Indian groups, agreed to fund an Aboriginal representative organization to address Indian issues and propose solutions to government. It was at this point that the National Indian Brotherhood (NIB) was formed. Unfortunately, it was also at this point that this largely Status Indian organization asked representatives of unregistered Indians and Metis to leave their meetings. They did agree, however, to support separate government funding for organizations to represent unregistered Indian and Metis. The government, however, refused to fund two separate organizations, one for unregistered Indians and another for Metis. It became obvious that these groups were going to have to find a way to work together in a single organization if they wanted government Part 2 - Bundling in the 70's (For those of you who may not be aware of the ancient practice of bundling, it was a means of familiarizing a young betrothed couple with each other. They were allowed to sleep in the same bed -- usually fully clothed-- with a board --presumably without knot holes-- between them to keep things from getting too intimate.) In order to receive government funding, the proposed organization had to be incorporated, non-profit, and demonstrate some form of actual representivity. This created two very difficult hurdles. The first problem was that the off-reserve Aboriginal people across the country were extremely diverse and very difficult to represent. Some had family connections on reserve, others did not. Some had recently been enfranchised (struck off Indian Act lists) others had been separated for generations. Some lived a traditional life style, others were completely urbanized. Some still identified themselves as Indian, Inuit or Metis, others were losing, or had already lost any personal or social reason to maintain that identity. They did, however, have some general characteristics in common. Although from many different tribes, bands, and communities, they did share Aboriginal heritage, or at least Aboriginal ancestry. They certainly all lacked social and political recognition of themselves as Aboriginal people. As a result they lacked access to any benefit from their Aboriginal and Treaty rights. They were, for the most part, also very poor. The second problem was that, with some notable exceptions, very few off-reserve peoples had any recent tradition of social or political organization. They had been, in most cases, unilaterally divorced from their tribes and bands. In urban settings they were dispersed among a much larger non-Aboriginal population. Having been deliberately excluded from modern political processes (including the right to vote) right up to 1950, there was very little motive or opportunity to organize in any significant way. In fact, up until 1950 it was actually illegal. But there were exceptions. Many in the new leadership had (as a result of two World Wars) some military experience and the self-respect and self-reliance that came from being treated in foreign lands as soldiers, rather than belittled as Indians in Canada. There were also many Aboriginal tradesmen and skilled and semi-skilled workers who had some labour union experience. These two models formed the basis around which off-reserve Aboriginal organizations were, for better or worse, to develop. A few intrepid individuals, at their own expense, began the process of developing the needed organizations. They hitchhiked across the country encouraging the formation of "locals" (12 or more signed-up members) at the community level, who were then affiliated with organizations created at the regional or provincial level, who were in turn affiliated with a national organization incorporated in 1971 as the Native Council of Canada. The initial motivation behind these organizations were simple -- to improve the extreme conditions of poverty that many Aboriginal people had to endure. The basics --food and shelter-- and the frills of the day --education and jobs-- were the issues around which the early organization were formed. >From a government point of view, the motivation was equally simple. the Canadian government was being embarrassed both nationally and internationally by the third world conditions Aboriginal peoples faced. They were also worried that the Calder decision would raise the spectre of Indian land claims and thwart development in the northern parts of Canada where Aboriginal people were still a majority. Under the flag of "Participatory Democracy" the idea of Aboriginal representative organizations seemed politically appropriate. Government bureaucrats assumed it would be useful to have "little brown bureaucrats" who would deliver government programs to Aboriginal communities. They were in for a nasty surprise. Part 3 - The Attack of The Ugly Duckling For the first five or six years of their existence, the energies of off-reserve Aboriginal organizations and their leadership were very much absorbed by bread and butter issues and by attracting members to their community locals. The federal. and some provincial governments agreed to provide what was called core funding to the Native Council of Canada (NCC) and, as time went on. to provincial affiliates. These funds just barely covered the cost of office rent, salaries for elected executive officers, and a minimal administrative staff. In direct response to media exposes of pitifully inadequate housing both on and off-reserve, the federal government launched a Native housing program for reserves. Off-reserve leaders successfully negotiated a similar program to address inadequate off-reserve housing needs. This funding, more or less inadvertently, provided a financial base for organizations to hire field workers who doubled as organizers of new locals. Word spread that joining a Metis and Non-Status Indian (MNSI) local could put you in line for a brand new house. By 1975-76 things seemed to be developing fairly smoothly, at least on the surface. But an undercurrent was developing which would soon sweep the entire process down a very unexpected channel. The ugly duckling (off-reserve Aboriginal representative organizations) was paddling its way around the federal funding pool. But the other ducks (both governments and Status Indian bands and organizations) were laughing behind their backs. The Canadian government was spending money on Aboriginal people, but the spending was designed only to alleviate poverty. There was still a tremendous resistance to Aboriginal demands that their Aboriginal and Treaty rights be addressed. Those same demands were being raised with increasing frequency in the board rooms of the various off-reserve provincial affiliates and national Aboriginal policy makers focussed their attention on three closely related political issues: 1. Federal recognition of all Aboriginal peoples in Canada 2. Reinstatement of enfranchised Indians under the Indian Act 3. Resolution of outstanding Aboriginal land claims. The Trudeau government of the day, assuming that Aboriginal land claims were largely mythical, decided to fund representative organizations, on and off-reserve, to undertake the research necessary to identify what those potential claims might be. At the same time, the Federal government was becoming increasingly involved in trying to patriate the Canadian constitution which, up to then, could only be changed with the consent of the British Parliament and the Queen. When these two seemingly separate government initiatives met in Indian country, Aboriginal representative organizations exploded onto the national stage. Virtually every Aboriginal representative organization in the country plunged into a research process between 1977 and 1980 to collect and analyze data related to their potential claims. Libraries and archives were raided, elders were interviewed, and documents were collected that clearly established literally thousands of claims across the country. Most Aboriginal people already had a sense they had been ripped off, but the degree to which that process had been meticulously recorded by colonial authorities was a complete surprise. Most organizations now had more ammunition then they knew what to do with. The question was, how best to use that ammunition and to whom (public, courts or government) should they point the information guns. The government, on the other hand, quickly moved away from any perception that it was prepared to accommodate just any Aboriginal claims. Under pressure from the Justice Department and its Minister Jean Cretien (now Prime Minister) the government took a formal and legalistic stance. It proposed to address only those claims related to unsurrendered territory (which the government defined) and denied liability for claims in existing Treaty areas. Government policy also refused to recognize pre-confederation treaties in the maritime provinces. At the same time the government was lobbying British Parliament to patriate the Canadian constitution. They were soon joined, much to the delight of British Members of Parliament and the British public, by feather bonneted dancing and drumming Indians and sash bedecked Metis who were actively opposing patriation, at least until they received assurance Aboriginal and Treaty rights issues would be addressed. The ugly duckling had literally crossed the big pond and was on the attack. Part 4 - The Constitutional Swan Just when it seemed that claims initiatives had hit a dead end - at least as far as off-reserve peoples were concerned - the process of patriating Canada's constitution was gathering considerable momentum. When repeated attempts on the part of Aboriginal leaders to participate in that process were shunted aside with vague promises that "Indian issues" would be high on the post- patriation agenda, the Aboriginal leadership began playing hardball. If the ugly duckling couldn't be heard at home, perhaps it was time to get to the other side of the pond. As Prime Minister Trudeau invested more and more of his government's credibility into the success of the constitutional reform process, Aboriginal opposition to that process became more and more significant. In petitions to the Queen, in special committee hearings in British Parliament, and especially in the British tabloids, Canada's Aboriginal leaders presented their case for recognition of Aboriginal and Treaty rights in the Canadian constitution. In the final hours of negotiation between British and Canadian diplomats, it became increasingly obvious that Aboriginal leaders had to be brought on side. Trudeau ordered Cretien to make a deal. On (date) that deal was struck. The Canadian government agreed that the highest law of the land, the patriated Canadian constitution, would include: 1. Recognition of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights 2. Reference to Indian, Inuit and Metis as Aboriginal peoples 3. Reference to the Proclamation of 1763 and 4. A commitment to hold a constitutional meeting with Aboriginal leaders within a year to identify and define Aboriginal and Treaty rights to be included in the Canadian constitution. In return Aboriginal leaders agreed to withdraw their opposition to the Canadian constitutional proposal before the British Parliament. The ugly duckling, it appeared, had become a full-blown constitutional swan. The war for recognition was over, but the battle for real accommodation of Aboriginal peoples in Canada was just beginning. The Constitution was duly patriated in 1982 and, in the spring of 1983 the Prime Minister of Canada, the Premiers of each of the 10 provinces and the government leaders of the two territories met with the leaders of Canada's four national representative organizations in the first of what was to be a series of constitutional meetings held over the next 10 years. The trip to the table was not an easy one, especially for the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the Native Council of Canada (NCC). It can be fairly stated that the Aboriginal leadership in Canada had successfully exploited a closing constitutional window of opportunity, but it was not without internal opposition. There were traditionalists among the AFN who feared negotiating with anyone but the Queen would be compromising their sovereignty. There were Treaty groups who feared their Treaty rights might be compromised in the constitutional process. The Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) struggled but failed to achieve a separate seat at the constitutional table. The western Metis within the NCC split off to form the Metis National Council (MNC) who did successfully negotiate separate seats at the constitutional table, although the NCC continued to represent other Metis. Despite these internal tensions and differences, Aboriginal representative organizations had obviously grown far beyond their service-delivery beginnings. They had transformed themselves from little brown bureaucrats into full-blown Aboriginal diplomats who were negotiating the future of their respective peoples with Canada's federal and provincial leaders. They had finessed their way to the table. Now, the question was, what do they do now that they are there. Next Installment - Part 5 - Negotiating the Future Summaries of previous installments Part 3 dealt with the early development of off-reserve Aboriginal organizations and their emphasis on bread and butter issues. It briefly outlined two government initiatives - funding for claims research and partriation of the Canadian constitution - which were to result in a transformation of Aboriginal service delivery organizations and their leaders into international political activists maneuvering their way into national constitutional negotiations. Part 2 dealt with the circumstances which forced unregistered Indians and Metis into one organization, and the difficulties faced by early leaders in finding an organizational structure which could accommodate a wide variety of peoples. It briefly described the motivational issues of food, shelter and jobs, and government motivation in terms of the need to deliver government programs to Aboriginal communities. Part 1 dealt briefly with the assimilation policies of Canadian government since Confederation and with the White Paper of 1969 and its attempt to eliminate distinctions between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples. Negative Aboriginal reaction to the White Paper was noted, as well as a split decision of the Supreme Court of Canada (Calder et al, 1973) which proposed that Aboriginal rights still exist. Responding to Aboriginal pressure, the federal government offered to fund a national Aboriginal organization to address the government on issues and concerns of Aboriginal peoples. A National Indian Brotherhood was formed which then excluded unregistered Indians, Metis and (by default) Inuit peoples in favour of registered or Status Indians. The government refused to fund separate organizations for unregistered (Non- Status) Indians and Metis, forcing them to consider the development of a single organization covering both groups. <===============================================================> Martin F. Dunn Aboriginal Rights Consulting ab155@freenet.carleton.ca from an Aboriginal Perspective <===============================================================> --------- "RE: Run for Freedom Ends" --------- Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 13:01:06 -0400 (EDT) From: Andahatey@aol.com Subj: Fwd: Run Update June 18-19,1997 Days 11-12 ------- FORWARD, Original message follows ------- Here's the final installment --------------------- Forwarded message: Subj: Run Update June 18-19,1997 Days 11-12 Date: 97-06-23 12:57:50 EDT From: Andahatey To: MOMFEATHR FROM THE DESK OF MOMFEATHER. . . . An eyewitness account by Jim Toren. . . Authorized by Dennis Banks June 18th and 19th ~ Days 11 and 12 We ran to SHAWNEE where we stayed at the POTAWATOMI POW WOW GROUNDS. Arrangements were made by one of Oklahoma's Police Officers and we would like to thank him for all his efforts!!! JIM, MARCUS, AMOS, TOPAZ AND LITTLE BILL BOSWELL met up with an old friend, BURT POORE BUFFALO. We did a caravan to OKLAHOMA CITY and marched to the BOMB SITE. Here we did a special pipe ceremony. The feeling of the group is that our children are our future and the loss here took many of our children under tragic circumstances. Our Runner, Marcus, who is from Bosque said he wanted to pray for all the children who died in tragedy, in OKLAHOMA, RUBY RIDGE, WACO, BOSNIA and all other places in the world. We left for TULSA CREEK COMMUNITY where the conference will be held. We arrived at 3:30 where we were met by DENNIS BANKS, MJ, ANDY MADER, VERNON FOSTER and about 100 others! WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS TIME TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THE RUNNERS, SUPPORT DRIVERS AND ALL THE PEOPLE WHO PRAYED AND HELPED US ALONG THE WAY!!! PRAYERS FOR LEONARD WILL CONTINUE AND SO WILL THE RUNS UNTIL HE IS SET FREE!!!!! This is the final update on the 1997 RUN FOR FREEDOM. For a complete update from day 1, please see our site at: http://members.aol.com/Nowacumig/runup.html --------- "RE: Training for Human Rights Observers" --------- Date: 20 Jun 1997 11:12:09 From: Peace Brigades International - USA Subj: Training for human rights observers Newsgroup: soc.culture.native PLEASE POST. THANK YOU. INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES WORK FOR PEACE AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN GUATEMALA SRI LANKA COLOMBIA HAITI THE BALKANS CHIAPAS and with INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN NORTH AMERICA PEACE BRIGADES INTERNATIONAL 2642 College Ave. Berkeley, CA 94704 tel: 1-510-540-0749 e-mail: pbiusa@igc.apc.org check our WEB PAGE at: http://www.igc.apc.org/pbi/index.html Peace Brigades International is seeking volunteers for protective human rights accompaniment and popular education work with people's movements in Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Colombia, Chiapas, the Balkans and with indigenous people in North America. 1997 VOLUNTEER TRAINING SESSION Date: October 3-10, 1997 Location: Pyramid Lake, Paradox, New York Cost: $250-$350(US) sliding scale -- includes all housing and food. (volunteers for Colombia are subsidized). Registration and $75 nonrefundable deposit with application due by September 1. For application Call: 510-540-0749, or contact pbiusa@igc.apc.org. WHAT IS PEACE BRIGADES INTERNATIONAL? Peace Brigades International (PBI) is a non-partisan international organization committed to practicing nonviolence in conflict areas. PBI volunteers, by providing support and accompaniment, create "breathing space" for groups working nonviolently for social justice. PBI volunteers respond to requests for protective accompaniment from individuals and groups threatened with political violence, facilitate workshops upon request, and disseminate first-hand reports internationally. WHO CAN BE A PBI VOLUNTEER? PBI volunteers come from many countries, backgrounds and philosophical perspectives. They share a strong commitment to nonviolence and a belief in the power of local people to create more peaceful and just societies. PBI seeks volunteers age 25 and older. Volunteers must be able to commit to a minimum of 7 months of service (excepting North America Project). Spanish fluency required for Guatemala and Colombia. French for Haiti. Volunteers must complete a detailed application, with references, followed by a telephone interview before being accepted for the training session. WHAT DO OUR PEACE TEAMS DO IN THE FIELD? GUATEMALA: PBI has accompanied Nobel Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu, families of the disappeared (GAM and FAMDEGUA), rural campesino groups (CERJ, CUC, CONIC, CCDA and others) labor unions (dozens!), returning refugees, Communities of Population in Resistance, widows groups (CONAVIGUA), internally displaced (CONDEG and others), and many others. PBI also offers workshops on demand in Peace Education. (Volunteers must be fluent in Spanish.) SRI LANKA PBI has accompanied human rights groups and various democratic organizations in the capital city, Colombo. PBI did election monitoring accompaniment. Since the renewal of hostilities between the government and Tamil Tigers in 1995 PBI has been providing a regular accompaniment presence in the war-torn NorthEast region. COLOMBIA PBI accompanies national human rights organizations, such as ASFADDES (Families of the Disappeared), regional groups like CREDHOS (Regional Human Rights Organization), internally displaced victims of the violence in the Magdelena region and others. (Volunteers must be fluent in Spanish.) HAITI PBI placed its newest team in Port-au-Prince in December 1995, at the request of the Haitian Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace. PBI has been asked to facilitate workshops in conflict resolution and other areas of Peace Education. The team also prepares non-partisan reports for the international community. (Volunteers must speak French, and be prepared for intensive study of Haitian Creole upon arrival in Haiti.) NORTH AMERICA PROJECT Accompaniment and reconciliation work with native communities in the US and Canada. The project has maintained along relationship with the Innu people in northern Quebec, Labrador and Newfoundland. We are also building ties with Native communities in the US, including the Western Shoshone in Nevada. THE BALKANS PEACE TEAM INTERNATIONAL This coalition maintains peace teams in both Croatia and Kosovo doing accompaniment, conflict resolution, reconciliation and human rights support. SIPAZ, INTERNATIONAL SERVICE FOR PEACE, CHIAPAS, MEXICO This coalition maintains peace teams in Chiapas providing accompaniment, conflict resolution, peace education workshops, reconciliation and human rights support. FOR MORE INFORMATION CHECK OUR WEB PAGE AT: http://www.igc.apc.org/pbi/index.html OR CALL US TODAY AT: 1-510-540-0749. *** Peace Brigades International (USA) *** 2642 College Ave. Berkeley CA 94704 USA TEL: 510-540-0749 FAX: 510-849-1247 Email: pbiusa@igc.apc.org http://www.igc.apc.org/pbi/index.html --------- "RE: Alex Labadie (1920-1997)" --------- Date: Sun, 22 Jun 1997 07:27:23 -0600 From: Craig Barbic Subj: Alex Labadie (1920-1997) Mailing List: AISESnet General List Alex Labadie Osage 1920-1997 AISES is saddened by the loss of a dearly admired friend. Alex Labadie passed away on June 9, l997, due to complications from by-pass surgery. He was a member of the Osage tribe of Oklahoma. Alex was born in 1920 and raised on the Osage Reservation Pawhuska in Oklahoma and was educated in Indian schools. He was an engineering graduate from Oklahoma State University and one of thirteen original American Indian registered Professional Engineers in the U.S. He bravely served his country twice, once in World War II as a C-47 Pilot and Communications Officer flying daily missions. He was then called back to serve during the Korean War. After his military service, Alex married and worked as an engineer in Oklahoma and then California, which became his adopted home state. At Rockwell International, he worked on the design team for radio communications for the Apollo Program. He also worked as a design engineer in the computer industry. Having realized success in his own career, Alex became concerned with bringing more educational opportunities to American Indians. He served on the AISES Board of Directors in the 1980s and was a Charter Member of the AISES Sequoyah Fellow program. Alex was an active member and mentor during the organization's formative years, leading the effort to establish AISES student chapters in California. He retired in 1989 from his professional career, but remained actively involved in his community. Alex served in the Retired Senior Volunteer Programs for the Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach Police departments. Memorial services will be held at St. Wilifreds Episcopal Church in Huntington, California, on Saturday, June 14, at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the Alex Labadie family has requested that donations be forwarded to AISES in his memory. Donations can be sent to: American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) 5661 Airport Boulevard Boulder, CO 80301-2339. If you wish to contact the Labadie family, please address correspondence to Alex's daughter at the following address: Diana Wondergem, 1629 E. Dunnigan Street, Camarillo, CA 93010. On behalf of the entire AISES family, we express our deepest regrets to the Labadie family and wish them peace and comfort. --------- "RE: John Rolling Thunder" --------- Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 10:16:38 -0700 (PDT) From: BRUCE DAVID OLSEN Subj: John Rolling Thunder UUCP email Hau waste kolapi, While on the subject, in the same edition of the newsletter mentioned below, there was an obituary about the death of John Rolling Thunder Pope. Reference was made to a book about him which, after a little investigation, I discovered was titled "Rolling Thunder". I was intrigued, so I borrowed the book from the library. Wow! It is no wonder that the book has been through 12 printings. I have read about half the book, and it is the kind of book which makes me want to meet him. It truly saddens me that Rolling Thunder has passed away, and that I did not have occasion to discover the book while he was still alive. Out of curiosity, does anyone know what became of his son, Mala Spotted Eagle? In the book, he is described as being Rolling Thunder's apprentice medicine man. With love and respect, Bruce bolsen@ucla.edu ------- FORWARD, Original message follows ------- From: "coyote red hawk" Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 18:26:58 -0400 Subject: IN MEMORY OF JUDI BARI IN MEMORY OF JUDI BARI Mother Earth has lost an important defender. Earth first! Activist Judi Bari passed into the spirit World on March 2nd. at her home in Willits,California of breast cancer. Bari received world attention in 1990 when the car she and fellow activist Darryl Cherney were riding in,exploded. The two had been on a college tour recruiting for their "Redwood Summer" of nonviolent logging protests. The FBI and Oakland Police Department branded the two peace activists as terrorists,claiming they were transporting explosives. Later,by securing previously hidden documents,Bari demonstrated that the bomb was planted in an effort to kill her. When that proved unsuccessful,it was used by the FBI to smear the reputation of her organization. Bari spent her life as an activist. She worked as a union organizer as well as an environmentalist. She was 47 years old. The prayers of all involved in the Peltier struggle go out to her daughters,her parents,her sisters and all who loved and appreciated her strength and courage.. This excerpt was taken right from the Spirit of Crazy Horse newsletter...april/may edition...for those of you who do not know about this newsletter it is the official newsletter of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee...Debbie --------- "RE: The Term Redskin" --------- Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 08:23:45 -0500 From: Matthew Richter Subj: The Term "Redskin" UUCP email Redskin is the most demeaning term that can be used toward a Native American. Please educate yourself to the historical record. Indian people are not mascots. It is very disrespectful to try to attach to the honor of the ancestors while ignoring the damage done to their children alive today. Ignorance is no excuse. The following remarks were made by Clem Ironwing, Sioux, November 11, 1996, during a public hearing called by the Mascot/Identity Committee at Wichita North High School. Denied a seat on the Committee where he could more clearly explain the complexity of the issues, Mr. Ironwing, an elder, was only given three minutes standing alone on the school stage in front of bright lights, three television stations, local radio stations and the Wichita Eagle newspaper in front of an audience of 250 to explain why it is not right for the school to continue using this mascot. His remarks follow: The word Redskin was taught to me at a very young age, and this is the meaning it has for me. I am a Native American. I grew up on an Indian reservation. As a child, the United States Government and the Catholic Church came into our homes, took us away from our families, and forced us into Catholic boarding schools. There was no choice to be had in this matter, you had to go. The Catholic Church with the blessings of the United States Government took it upon themselves to determine that we were savages, and needed to be transformed to fit into their society. When my hair was cut short by the priests, I was called a "redskin" and a savage. When I spoke my native tongue, I was beaten and called "redskin". When I tried to follow the spiritual path of my people, I was again beaten and called a "redskin". I was told by them to turn my back on the ways of my people, or I would forever be nothing but a dirty "redskin". The only way "redskin" was ever used towards my people and myself was in a derogatory manner. It was never, ever, used in a show of respect or kindness. It was only used to let you know that you were dirty and no good, and to this day still is. , A long time ago, a group of people who had no knowledge of these facts, and who put no thought into what "redskin" actually meant chose to use this word for their mascot. A new group of people, now being confronted about it, have somehow decided it is their decision to change the meaning of this word to fit their purposes and agendas, but again have put no thought into its true meaning or what this word means to Native Americans. Matthew Richter 1131 Iron Horse Rd. McPherson, KS 67460-6014 316-241-7240 --------- "RE: Call for Participation" --------- Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 12:23:54 -0500 From: berryj@okway.okstate.edu (John Berry) Subj: Call for Participation: Four Directions Electronic Mentoring UUCP email I would like to invite you to join the Four Directions project as a Native electronic mentor for a Native student on one of 19 reservation schools. Four Directions is administered by the Laguna Pueblo Department of Education and funded by a five-year federal grant. The goal of Four Directions is to help reservation schools develop culturally based curriculum through technology. You can find out more through the Four Directions web site: http://4directions.org. I hope that you will also be able to extend this invitation to other Native adults you know who have Internet access. You may forward them a copy of this message. This is a very exciting project. I would like to have you join us! Sincerely, Loriene Roy (Anishinabe; White Earth enrollee; Pembina Band), Ph.D. +++++ Associate Professor Graduate School of Library and Information Science The University of Texas at Austin SZB 564 Austin, Texas 78712-1276 Research Associate, Four Directions, Laguna Pueblo Department of Education http://4directions.org Phone: (512) 471-3959 Fax: (512) 471-3971 E-mail: loriene@uts.cc.utexas.edu Councilor-at-Large, American Library Association Vice-President/President-Elect, American Indian Library Association +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Associate Professor Graduate School of Library and Information Science SZB 564 Austin, Texas 78712-1276 Phone: (512) 471-3959 Fax: (512) 471-3971 Councilor-at-Large, American Library Association Vice-President/President-Elect, American Indian Library Association ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 15:12:31 -0500 (CDT) From: Loriene Roy To: loriene@uts.cc.utexas.edu Subject: Forwarded mail.... (fwd) SUBJECT: CF Participation: Four Directions Electronic Mentoring Project "Everything wasn't passed down. Too many of our people died too quick back then. They didn't have time to pass it all down. So we Indians today have to go back and find the things that got left along the trail. It's up to us to go back and pick them up. We have to educate ourselves to know who we are." Eddie Benton-Banai, Ojibwe (in Wisdom Keepers: Meetings with Native American Spiritual Elders (Hillsboro, OR: Beyond Words Publishing, 1990). Indian People have a deep and innate respect for knowledge and for the wisdom distilled from the combination of knowledge and experience. They also have a very deeply imbedded instinct for passing along knowledge and experience from one generation to another. Contemporary Native adults have much they can contribute to younger people. One way you might participate in this honoring of traditional wisdom is through participating in the Four Directions Electronic mentoring project by volunteering to be an on-line mentor. FOUR DIRECTIONS: ELECTRONIC MENTORING PROJECT In 1995, The Pueblo of Laguna Department of Education School Board received a U.S Department of Education Technology Innovation Challenge Grant. This grant is used to fund a project called "Four Directions: An Indigenous Educational Model." The goal of Four Directions is to develop a model program to help teachers develop culturally appropriate curriculum through technology. Nineteen schools across the country, from Ahfachkee Day School in Florida to the Quileute Tribal School in Washington, are now part of the Four Directions project. The schools are supported by a number of educational institutions, businesses, and cultural institutions whose work as Four Directions partners involves helping provide curricular and technical support to the nineteen participating schools. I am Loriene Roy, an enrolled member of the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota (Pembina band), and a research associate in the Four Directions project this summer where I am employed at the University of Texas at Austin. I am working with Karen Ferneding-Lenert, the coordinator of the Electronic Mentoring project. One aspect of the Four Directions project is to provide a mechanism through which Native students can receive an opportunity to develop personalized learning relationships with mentors. Mentors are matched with students or classrooms of students, based on the mentor's interest areas. The mentor-student or mentor-classroom send and receive electronic mail communication at least three times a week for a mutually agreed-upon period of time. A description of the technology that makes this happen appears in the Four Directions web page (http://4directions.org). So that others may benefit from this model of learning, Karen Lenert and I will read copies of this electronic communication. If we write any research papers on the Electronic Mentoring project we will not identify you in any way. We will also share with you copies of any manuscripts that we create that describe this project. In addition to communicating with your student or classroom,we will ask you to communicate with us on occasion. We will also send you a brief evaluation form when you are completing your agreed-upon communication period and we will ask for your help in writing a one-page summary describing your experience in this mentoring project. I, know, as a Native person I am often called on to volunteer to many activities. I understand the many personal and professional commitments you have. Still, I hope that you will seriously consider taking part in this project of Native people helping Native youth. The Four Directions project is an innovative and challenging one. I invite you to join with us by volunteering to participate in the Electronic Mentoring project. You have much to offer. Please respond by indicating: _____ Yes, I am a Native adult, interested in participating in mentoring a Native child through the Four Directions Project ____ No, I am sorry that I will not be able to participate because (optional: please explain why you might not be able to participate: ____________________________________________________________________________ If you answered YES, you may now complete an application. You can do this in several ways: (1) you can apply through the online application available on the Four Directions web page; (2) I can e-mail you an application; or (3) send me your mailing address and I will mail you a paper application that you can then complete and return. 1. To fill out an application via the web page: Go to the Four Directions web page at http://4directions.org. a. Click on "Resources." This will bring you to the "Four Directions Educational Resource Library." b. Click on "Electronic Mentoring." c. Click on "Enter a New On-Line Mentor Application." 2. To fill out an application via e-mail, please indicate so on the next line: _____ Yes. Please send me an e-mail version of the on-line mentor application. My e-mail address is: _________________________________________ 3. To fill out an application via regular mail, please give me your mailing address: My mail address is: Name: Street Address with zip code: Please don't hesitate to e-mail me back if you have any questions about Four Directions, electronic mentoring, or the application process. I appreciate your time. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Loriene Roy, Ph.D. Enrolled member: White Earth Reservation (Minnesota Chippewa Tribe), Pembina Band Associate Professor Graduate School of Library and Information Science SZB 564 Austin, Texas 78712-1276 Phone: (512) 471-3959 Fax: (512) 471-3971 Councilor-at-Large, American Library Association Vice-President/President-Elect, American Indian Library Association --------- "RE: In Whose Honor" --------- Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 17:48:07 +0000 From: Jay Rosenstein Subj: mascot news UUCP email I've just learned that the Los Angeles Unified Schools have approved a policy that all schools must remove all American Indian mascots and names and references to American Indians in the school theme. They have the 1997-1998 school year to complete the transition. This came about as a result of struggle led by the director of local American Indian Education Commission, and the local chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. I'm also personally proud that the documentary I produced on the issue of American Indian mascots, "In Whose Honor?", was shown in part to help influence the board to make that decision. For anyone interested in the mascot issue, "In Whose Honor?" will be airing nationally on the PBS series P.O.V. on Tuesday, July 15th (local dates and times may vary-please call your local station). Please pass that information on to anyone you may know who might be interested. If anyone has any media contacts, or ideas to help publicize this program, please contact me via email. Sincerely, Jay Rosenstein Producer, "In Whose Honor?" jayr@ncsa.uiuc.edu http://fantasia.ncsa.uiuc.edu/~jayr/honor.html --------- "RE: A Hundred Years Ago" --------- Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 21:39:32 -0700 From: Landis Subj: A Hundred Years Ago - Week 8 Mailing List: NAT-FILM [Editorial Note: These reprints are being included in this newsletter so that you might know the mind of those who ran institutions like Carlisle.] THE INDIAN HELPER ==================================== PRINTED EVERY FRIDAY --AT THE-- Indian Industrial School, Carlisle, Pa., BY INDIAN BOYS. ---> THE INDIAN HELPER is PRINTED by Indian boys, but EDITED by The man-on-the band-stand who is NOT an Indian. --------------------------------------------- P R I C E: --10 C E N T S A Y E A R ============================================= Entered in the P.O. at Carlisle as second class mail matter. ============================================= Address INDIAN HELPER, Carlisle, Pa. Miss M. Burgess, Manager. ============================================= Do not hesitate to take the HELPER from the Post Office for if you have not paid for it some one else has. It is paid for in advance. ============================================== VOL. XII. FRIDAY, June 25, 1897 NUMBER 37 ============================================== WHO CALLS? ---------- "Progress" contains a most excellent address to the graduates of the Indian Industrial School, at Regina, North West territory, by Professor Baird. We re-print a part of it for the benefit of our graduates as well as for all of the readers of the HELPER: There lies a river not many miles to the north of us here which I suppose most of you have seen and on the banks of which I suppose perhaps some of you were born - a river called by a pretty French name, the qu'Appelle. Qu'Appelle. It is a name which in English means "Who Calls?" This River is a remarkable one and its valley makes a deep impression on everyone who has travelled along it, and indeed on everyone who has even seen it at all. The deep cleft which it makes through the prairie, the winding stream, the peculiar shaped hills which border the valley - bare on the north side of the stream and covered with wood on the south side - all this makes an impression on the beholder which can never be forgotten. "Who calls?" it says. And you know there is a strange and weird legend told of the way in which the River got its name. It is a story how an Indian in the valley heard voices in the air - strange voices that led him on, and on. There is a lesson in this for every one of us. Whether we live on the banks of the River or not, the air is for us full of voices; and what I want to try to do for you today is to help you to distinguish some of those voices so that you may hear them more clearly and be ready to obey them more heartily. Who is it that is calling you? Listen to the voices and if you listen attentively you will hear at least these three: --- Your country is calling you. Your people are calling you. God is calling you. YOUR COUNTRY IS CALLING. It is surely very plain that your country is calling you. The Government has watched over you and done what it can to take care of you all your lives long. It has made mistakes no doubt sometimes, but honestly and faithfully it has tried to do its duty in the way of giving you an education. The building in which we are met here today, the staff of this school and all its appliances show how really the Government is interested in your welfare. And now it is calling you to leave behind everything that is mean and base and ignorant and become citizens with a lofty ideal before you. Your country invites you to share with all its other citizens the responsibility which belongs to those who live in this land. I do not speak to you as Indians: I speak to you young men and young women who are leaving a high school or a college and going out into the world to take up responsibilities and to make a living for themselves. Your country is calling you to live worthily, so that you may serve her and be better able to advance her interests as one of the nations of the world. YOUR PEOPLE ARE CALLING YOU. This is a cry that you have heard already, I am sure, and that you will many a time hear again. I am glad to think that the fathers and mothers of some of you are Christians; but in some cases very likely this is not so, and out of the dim light and imperfect knowledge which they have, they are asking you to help them so they may see more clearly the Light which is life. They tell you again and again that you have had opportunities and advantages far greater then fell to their lot, and they urge you to do what lies in your power to better and brighten the lives of your own people. A great sadness has come upon many of the older men and women of your people. Their habits of life and their way of earning a livelihood have changed greatly since the white man came among them, and in many cases they do not understand why it should be so. Let it be your part to show that you can adapt yourselves to this new mode of living. The future of the Indian race in our land depends very greatly upon young men and women like you. If you prove worthy, the way will be opened for other of your people and great comfort and peace and usefulness will be theirs because you will have shown them the way in which they can make the most of their lives. GOD CALLS YOU. He speaks to you with a still, small voice; but it is a voice to which you must not fail to give heed. It is the voice of conscience within you. Through that, God speaks to you and invites you to spend your life in the way in which it will do the most good. =============================================== The Cherokee Training School, Cherokee, N. C., held Commencement Exercises on the 16th, to which we were invited. The Potawatomie Indian Boarding School, Hoyt, Kansas, has very neatly printed invitations out for the Third Annual Exhibition to their school, held the 18th. Haskell Institute, Lawrence, Kansas, invitations for Commencement and Graduating Exercises for the 23rd, have come to hand. They graduate from the Senior Commercial Class; Senior Normal Class and Ninth Grade of Grammar School. Invitations to the Graduating Exercises of the Indian Industrial School at Genoa, Nebraska, for June 22, were received, and the program accompanying the Invitation makes us want to attend, but distance and official business prevent. It is Genoa's first graduating class. Neatly printed invitations to and programs of the closing exercises of the Albuquerque Indian Industrial School for the 22nd have been received. We notice that Annie Lockwood is to have an essay on "Value of education" and Stiya Kowacura is to play the piano for the occasion. A large hay-wagon, in the bottom of which were some stray straws, serving as seats for Miss Richenda Pratt, Miss Irene Daniel, Miss Nickerson and others with Chaperon Mrs. Sawyer, drove out at the guard-house gate last Tuesday evening, on the start for Holly. They formed but the beginning of a load of young people from town. Mr. George Foulke had hold of the reins as the four prancing livery horses danced to the tune of tooting horns. It is best not to know the hour of return, but it is safe to say that the young people had a good time even though the straws were scarce. The school was greatly favored on Tuesday evening with an address from Dr. Josiah Strong, of literary fame. He had come to give us a talk, which he kindly consented to do. He spoke specially to the Indian boys and girls. He did not speak to them as Indians, but as young people struggling for advancement. "It is good for a man to bear the yoke of his youth," was the foundation stone of his talk. The school had sung in a very spirited manner, "My country 'tis of thee," and Dr. Strong felt the spirit of the song as he had never done before. No people in the world had a better right to sing "My country," in all its meaning than had the Indians of the United States in singing of this their native land. He referred to the blessing of his work in a way that was forceful, and held his audience bound in attention. He had written to a hundred prominent men at one time, asking them of their boyhood days, and all but two or three had answered that they had risen to prominence through hard work. They were poor, as boys, and had to struggle to get through school and college. His illustrations of self-mastery, and the importance of governing oneself will be remembered. We gain strength by overcoming resistance. Take a person from a poor environment and put him in a good environment and it is a great blessing. These Indian boys and girls were specially blessed having been transplanted from their home surroundings to a new and better environment, he said. --------------------------------------- We used often to see Indian boys working here-a-bouts in good clothing and in their white shirts. It really required a great deal of talk, much tact and some punishment to lead them to see that best suits and white shirts did not look well on boys at work, but now-a-days we see little of such foolishness. We work when we work, and wear work clothing; we play when we play and wear play clothing; we rest when we rest on Sundays and holidays and wear clothing that goes with such occupation, and thus keep the respect of our friends who are thrifty and wise. But once in awhile, even yet, some dude of a fellow has to be reminded to change his clothing. Those who went yesterday to the Northfield Summer School for Bible Study, as delegates from our school Y.M.C.A. are Professor Bakeless, Thomas Marshall, Joseph Blackbear, Frank Cayou, Jacob Jamison, Louis McDonald, Edward Peterson, Leander Gansworth, Ralph Taylor, and Vincent Nahtailsh. They have taken a tent, and who says they will not have a delightful as well as profitable time? Our summer school of printing has advantages that we cannot give in winter. The workers are mostly all day, and each man can remain at a special piece of work till the job is completed, and there is more opportunity in summer for individual instruction. Wedding announcements are out for the marriage of Reuben Wolfe, class '92, and Rose May Corden, on June 30, at the Genoa Indian School, Nebraska. The happy couple has the best wishes of friends at Carlisle. Have you heard Miss Keto Sing? Vacation. Cantaloupes? Stuart Hazlett has joined the typo-brigade. We hope all will read Prof. Baird's address on the first page. 537 of our students are now out on farms; 225 at the school. The best wheeling is on the slate road across the Conodoguinet. The school-rooms are undergoing their vacation calsomining and cleaning. Some of the roofs of the buildings which badly needed paint are getting it. There is no trouble in getting volunteers to go to the lower farm to pick cherries. Joseph Adams is rusticating at Hotel de Howe in the South Mountain, at Hunters' Run. The entire lot of school wagons has been renovated and made to look "something-like" again. The country roads in the vicinity of Carlisle are abominable for wheeling. There is work for the L.A.W. in this section. How do the Indian girls use their education after they go home? Read "Stiya." 50 cents post paid; address HELPER. Julia Williams, class '97, who has since graduation been teaching at our school, left for her home in Michigan last week. The bakery keeps up to time. Never has better bread or gingerbread been turned out, than since Taylor Smith took the management. Art teacher Miss Forster spends a part of her vacation hours in sketching scenes in the meadow, bringing out very pleasing results in light and shade. Delia Randall is here. She has finished her course at the New Haven School of Nursing, but expects to return to that city to do private nursing. Delia has made a success at her work thus far. She looks better than we ever saw her, and there is a purpose stamped in her every move which bespeaks further success. According to science the growing boy or girl who will not sit erect and stand erect will very likely die of consumption before he or she is thirty. We hear casually that Dr. Daniel likes his new field of labor in Montana, and that he is Superintendent of the Sunday School, at the Blackfeet Agency. The mowing of our large lawn by mower is not half so tedious or tiresome as to go around the paths with hand shears and cut the grass which the mower does not reach. Yet the service is performed by willing boys, and the lawn and walks look the better. Three blades of grass were growing fine, in field twice eight by ten, but those three blades were in decline while tramped by feet of men; so little fence with corners square and lumber from the mill, was built around the grass with care; now sheltered by a hill. Alex Upshaw, '97, who has been attending school at Bloomsburg, ran in upon us, last Tuesday. He is going to Northfield as a delegate from the Bloomsburg Y.M.C.A. Alex is looking remarkably well, and says he has to study "hard enough", to keep up with his classes. Bandmaster Dennison Wheelock, wife, and baby Edmund arrived Wednesday from Wisconsin, it being the expiration of Mr. Wheelock's leave of absence. We have not seen Edmund, but have heard his musical voice at a distance and judge that Wisconsin is a good place to develop lung capacity. Joseph Blackbear is spending a happy and well-earned vacation in New York. He visited Mr. and Mrs. Gallop in Jersey City, went thence to Albany and to West Point. His day trip down the Hudson he turned into a profitable history lesson. From New York he went with the party to Northfield, to Mr. Moody's Summer School for Bible Study. Which one of the little orderly boys is careless and lazy about his hat? No, sir, not Healey; but, b--,b--; Well, we will not say, now. We will wait a little longer. He stops, too, when sent on an errand. The other little boys are real little business men. You never see them stopping to talk or to look at things, but they go STRAIGHT to the place they are sent and hurry right back. THEY show the beginnings of successful business men. The little lazy boy will never be a successful business man, unless he changes his ways. -------------------------------------------------------- Enigma. I am made of 8 letters. My 4, 6, 7, 2 is the round top of a building. My 5, 8, 3 is a large body of water. My 1, 6, 5, 8 is a beautiful flower. If we do not 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 during the summer vacation we shall find in the fall that we have rusted, mentally. -------------------------------- Answer to last week's ENIGMA: Carlisle Indians. ========================================================== Submitted by Barbara Landis ____________________________________________________________________________ by NAT-FILMgroup, UNAT & UNITED Native American Television Broadcast Council Sub, To: Listserv@Maelstrom.stjohns.edu, Body: subscribe NAT-FILM full name Native Language Animation Group,To:NAT-IMATION-request@maelstrom.stjohns.edu NAT-SCRIPT(Languages)To:Listserv@Maelstrom.stjohns.edu, Body:info nat-script All content on Nat-Film lists are "c" copyright original authors/senders. --------- "RE: Poem: Can You Hear Us" --------- Date: Fri, 18 Apr 1997 06:29:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Larry Kibbey Subj: *Can You Hear Us?* UUCP email *Can You Hear Us?* Look at the mountains! Look at the hills and valleys! Look at the rivers and streams! Look at the plants and trees! Look at the land! The Traditional Territory Of the Indian. Clear-cut, polluted and destroyed, In a manner of greed. I ask, "What do you see?" Are you blind or have you no heart? Mr. President, Can you hear us? Look at the Four-legged-ones! Look at the winged-ones! Look at the aquatic life! Look at the insects! The Traditional Territory Of the Indian, Home of the wildlife. Destroyed in a manner of greed. I ask, "What do you see?" Are you blind or have you no heart? Mr. President, Can you hear us? For 505 years, Look at what you have accomplished? Total destruction Of the land, water and air. All destroyed by a government. All destroyed by corporate America. Destroyed by a people, In a manner of greed. Look what you have done, To the Traditional lands of the Native American Indian. Look what you have done, To the many homes of the wildlife. What does it take, For you to hear us Mr. President? Do you have no concern for the environment? Do you have no heart for life? Can you hear us Mr. President? Help save the environment! Help preserve and protect The Traditional Territory Of the Native American Indian, It is their culture, It is their Belief. It is one of America's most Unique Heritages.... By ================================================== = Larry Kibby - kibbey@sierra.net = = Elko Indian Colony = = Western Shoshone Historic Preservation Society = = 1581 Pinenut Circle, Elko, Nevada 89801 = = Phone: (702) 738-4147 Fax: (702) 738-7070 = ================================================== --------- "RE: Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days" --------- Date: Sat, 14 Jun 97 23:53:00 GMT From: dfsanders@genie.com Subj: Hawaiian Book of Days UUCP email A HAWAIIAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of June 29-July 5 IUNE (June) (Kaaona) 29 The mountains stand like sentinels above my valley. 30 All space and time live within me. IULAI (July) (Hinaiaeleele) July was the month in which the ohia fruit began to ripen. 1 I am the moon's child, born of starlight and dewfall. 2 The beauty of the wilderness renews my spirit. 3 We were all born in the stars. 4 Rejoice with the storms of the earth; shout joy with the voice of the thunders! 5 The wonder of childhood is preserved within. (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, 26 June 97 08:00 -0500 From: Janet Smith (evestar@juno.com) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows not previously posted to Mailing List NATIVE-L UUCP email Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 15:29:14 GMT From: mtn@igc.apc.org (MTN) Subj: June 28 Chicago Rally against Exxon mine For immediate release Contact: Debi McNutt (Madison) 608-246-2256 Kenneth Fish (Keshena) 715-799-5620 Carrie Benscheawall (Chicago) 312-563-6060 x. 204 JUNE 28 CHICAGO RALLY AGAINST PROPOSED EXXON MINE IN WISCONSIN On Saturday, June 28, at 11 am, the Wolf Watershed Educational Project will sponsor a rally against Exxon's proposed Crandon mine at the Wisconsin Travel Information Center at 342 North Michigan Avenue (corner of Wacker) in downtown Chicago, south of the Chicago River bridge. The rally supports the efforts of Northern Wisconsin citizens to stop Exxon's proposed Crandon zinc-copper sulfide mine, at the headwaters of the Wolf River, about 100 miles northwest of Green Bay. "Many Chicagoland people love to escape to the clean environment of Northern Wisconsin, including the pristine Wolf River. They want to support people in Wisconsin who are fighting to protect the Wolf River and its tourism- based economy from Exxon's proposed mine and toxic waste dump," said Bill Ahrens of Pearson, representing the Wolf Watershed Educational Project. "There are 8 to 12 possible mine sites in Northern Wisconsin, which together would form a new mining district," added Debi McNutt of Madison, representing the Midwest Treaty Network, "We know that if this happens, many tourists would prefer to go elsewhere for their recreation." Kenneth Fish, director of the Menominee Treaty Rights and Mining Impacts Office in Keshena, will speak at the rally on the mine as an issue of environmental racism, including impacts on the Wolf River (which runs through his reservation), Native American sacred sites and wild rice beds. Ahrens and McNutt will speak about the environmental and economic impacts of the proposed mine. They will bring water from the Wolf River to symbolically pour into the Chicago River. They will be joined by representatives from the Chicago Whitewater Association and Chicago Greenpeace. Mine opponents fear that sulfide mining will leak sulfuric acid into the Wolf River, which is a state Outstanding Resource Water and in one stretch is a National Wild and Scenic River. Fishermen, canoeists, kayakers, and cottage vacationers enjoy the Wolf River for its pristine qualities, and fear the mine will drain away groundwater from the riverway. The Crandon proposal led the national American Rivers group to recently name the Wolf as North America's fifth most endangered river. This Spring, the Wisconsin State Senate passed a moratorium on sulfide mining, which is now being considered by the Assembly, and citizens of a township covering part of the mine site voted out a town board that had signed a mine agreement with Exxon. The Crandon mine is considered the number one state environmental issue. The Wolf Watershed Educational Project (WWEP) was initiated by the Midwest Treaty Network two years ago, to educate citizens along the Wolf-Fox and Wisconsin rivers on the threat of sulfide mining to the environment and tourism economy. The WWEP has helped together Native Americans and sportfishing groups, who previously had been at odds on treaty-backed fishing rights, but now are uniting to protect the fishery. Last year, it held an Upriver Speaking Tour that drew 1,100 people in 22 towns along the two rivers, and 1,000 people to a rally in Rhinelander, where Exxon's Crandon Mining Company is located, and where the firm plans to dump its liquid mine wastes into the Wisconsin River. In response to the campaign, the company ran a series of newspaper, radio and television ads throughout the state. WWEP representatives have recently spoken to groups of Illinois tourists along the Wolf River. They urged tourists to write or call Secretary Moose Speros, Wisconsin Department of Tourism, P.O. Box 7976, Madison WI 53707, (608) 266-2345, to ask him to use his influence to protect the environment and tourism economy from sulfide mining. More information about the WWEP and the proposed Crandon mine can be found at on the Midwest Treaty Network web site at http://www.alphacdc. com/treaty/wwep.html or on the toll-free Hotline at 1-800-445-8615. For bumper stickers, call toll-free 1-888-SULFIDE. Tax-deductible contributions can be made to Wolf Watershed Educational Project, c/o Midwest Treaty Network. 731 State St., Madison WI 53703 (checks to MTN/PC Foundation). ======================================================= Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 06:52:59 -0600 From: Ime Salazar Subj: Cycle II of the AISES American Indian Art Auction Mailing List: AISESnet General List (aisesnet@victor.umt.edu) CYCLE II OF THE AISES Internet American Indian Art Auction Bidding will begin on June 20 and go through August 15, 1997!!!! http://www.colorado.edu/AISES/auction ATTENTION FRIENDS AND MEMBERS of AISES, COLLECTORS, CULTURAL ENTHUSIASTS-MUSEUMS, PHILANTHROPISTS, DECORATORS, ENVIRONMENTALISTS, HEALTH ADVOCATES, FASHION ENTHUSIASTS, BUYERS, BROWSERS, INDIAN ARTISTS +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ BOULDER, COLORADO: Beginning on Friday June 20, 1997, Cycle II of the AISES American Indian Art Auction will be open for bidding!! This exciting auction will support American Indian communities through art. AISES is proud to host the second cycle of our American Indian Art Auction on the internet. This project will support education, training and curriculum development for Indian communities on prevention and awareness of diabetes. We hope to help stamp out this epidemic that is attacking our friends and families and devastating our communities. Profits from this auction will be used in an on-going effort to provide support for this diabetes education and opportunities >for both Indian students and Indian communities. Only American Indian artists will be featured including several with national reputation such as Rabbit Knows Gun, (Crow), Raymond Nordwall, (Pawnee, Cherokee, Ojibwa), Cheryl Davis (Chocktaw, Delaware and Cherokee) Sam English (Turtle Mountain Chippewa). We are counting on people who support Indian education, Indian communities, and the AISES mission to join us and participate in this new fundraising effort. Tell your colleagues, friends, family and others and help us spread the word. Tell Indian artists and art collectors you know to participate in this type of auction on the Internet too. If you wish to make a donation or know of someone who would be interested in donating their artwork please write, call or e-mail me. I will be happy to send them information on AISES and the internet auction. Interested individuals may contact Ime Salazar, AISES Indian Art Auction, 5661 Airport Blvd., Boulder, Colorado, 80301-2339, (303) 939-0023 ext. 25 or e-mail to salazari@stripe.colordo.edu The art auction, can be seen at http://www.colorado.edu/AISES/auction. (View over 50 pieces of art. Various items of jewelry, framed fine art, traditional rugs and weavings, pottery and cultural art). We need you. This is a unique opportunity, and a rare privilege, to give to a cause that will benefit many Indian students, professionals and communities. Thank you for taking the time to learn about our American Indian Art Auction and for showing your support and interest. ####### The American Indian Science and Engineering Society, AISES, is a non-profit organization. ======================================================= Date: 19 Jun 1997 08:15:18 -0400 From: NativeEvents@caraveo.com Subj: event listings Newsgroup: alt.native These new event listings have been forwarded to you by the Native Events Calendar Visit us at http://www.caraveo.com/native/ Note: The state codes may not be correct for Mexico and Canada listings ------------------------------------------------------- 11th Annual Seminole Indian & Florida Pioneer Festival 10/12/1997 State: FL Country: USA Type: Other A celebration of Florida's Native American and pioneer cultural heritage, it blends Indian and folk entertainment, a craft show, and a food festival. It typically includes airboat rides, "cracker" cattle whip demonstrations, and wildlife exhibits. It is held October 11-12, 1997 at Brevard Community College in Cocoa, FL. Admission is free. ------------------------------------------------------- Silver Lake Traditional Powwow 8/24/1997 State: ON Country: Canada Type: Powwow A Gathering of Nations. Calling all drummers and dancers. Grand Entry noon, August, 23rd and 24th. Location is east of Sharbot Lake on Hwy.#7. For more information call: (613) 279-2927 or 613-375-6356. ------------------------------------------------------- Honor Our Children 6/29/1997 State: MI Country: USA Type: Powwow Pow wow date is June 28 thru June 29 Dennis Banks is MC for this event If you need information you can contact Vicki at 1-313-487-8678 Grand Entry is at 12:00 noon both days ------------------------------------------------------- Metis Nation of Ontario General Assembly 7/20/1997 State: ON Country: Canada Type: Other July 17-20 at River Valley,Ontario, near North Bay. Business incl. Metis registry, rules of order, scholarships. Camping for the family beside the Temagami River. Come share in Metis culture! To book your campsite and for more information please call the Metis Nation of Ontario (1-800-263-4889) or the North Bay Metis Council (1-705-474-9840). ======================================================= Date: Sat, 21 Jun 1997 18:31:47 -0700 (PDT) From: Glenn Gehring Subj: Cherokee Courthouse raided!! Mailing List: TRIBALLAW (triballaw@thecity.sfsu.edu) Cherokee Nation's Courthouse was raided Friday (6/20/97) at about 4 a.m. Witnesses said BIA police and local police assisted Byrd's GOONS in the armed assault. None of the police forces (or the GOONS) had a court order authorizing the action. No-one was shot. Several Cherokee people rallied outside the courthouse shortly after the raid. Some crossed the police line demanding to see a court order. Chad Smith, a candidate for Principal Chief in the last election, and a Cherokee Constitutional scholar, was with them. He was severely manhandled by several of Byrd's GOONS and arrested. He posted bail and is now free. Cherokee people are organizing at a hog fry Sunday, June 22, in the park at Pryor Oklahoma. It starts about 1 p.m. The following was posted on the Cherokee webBBS: Attorneys interested in assisting Chad Smith and the Cherokee people are encouraged to contact the Cherokee Press Association at 918-458-9322 For background see: http://www.YvwiiUsdinvnohii.net/Cherokee/Observer.shtml http://www.YvwiiUsdinvnohii.net/upnews.shtml For additional detailed info on the raid, look near the bottom of: http://www.YvwiiUsdinvnohii.net/Cherokee/ObserverWebBBS/index.cgi Glenn ======================================================= Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 22:48:47 -0500 From: Poppa K Subj: community hearings on higher education Mailing List: Minnesota Indian Affairs On June 25-26, the American Indian Urban Higher Education Initiative will host 2 public hearings on urban Indian higher education, and will also host a special lunch hearing for current high school and college students. Here are the specifics: =-=-=-=-=COMMUNITY HEARINGS ON INDIAN HIGHER EDUCATION =-=-=-=-= Questions to be addressed: - What can we do to improve the higher education system for urban Indian students? - How can we link tribal colleges and mainstream universities? - How can we improve the urban Indian student success rate? - What are the unique challenges faced by urban Indian students? Come share your ideas, enjoy free food, and find out about fall classes at the Twin Cities campuses of NAES College, Lac Courte Oreilles College, and Fond du Lac College. St. Paul- Wednesday, June 25. 5:00pm-7:00pm Center for Lifelong Learning 1030 University Avenue (1 block east of Lexington) Minneapolis- Thursday, June 26 5:00pm-7:00pm American Indian OIC 1845 East Franklin Students luncheon: Thursday June 26 12:00pm-2:00 pm Migizi Academy 3123 East Lake Street Minneapolis For more information, call Margaret at 813-1610 -Brian Klopotek klop0010@tc.umn.edu ======================================================= From our personal files: Oct 11-12 Ft. Payne, AL. Veterans Powwow. Alabama Vietnam Moving Wall displayed. MC: Gary Smith. Drum: TBA Info: 205-492-5217 From the Spike: July 4 Powwow at the Ceremonial Grounds, Cherokee, NC Info: 704-497-3028 July 3-5 Kewanee, IL. Rainbow Dancer Powwow Info: 217-525-3698 July 4-6 Yonkers, NY . Native American Warriors Society, Powwow on the Hudson. Info: 718-655-5560, 516-226-5306, 914-664-0974 July 4-6 Sault Ste. Marie, MI. 16th Annual Tribe of Chippewa Indians Summer Powwow and Spiritual Conference. Baweting Homecoming. Info: 906-635-6050 July 4-6 Oneida, WI. 25th Annual Oneida Powwow Info: 414-490-2052, 800-236-2214, ex 4373 July 4-6 Fultonville, NY. 2nd Annual Lily of the Mohawks Powwow Info: 607-776-6776 July 4-6 Mashpee, MA. Mashpee Wampanoag Powwow Info: 508-477-0208 _The Spike_ "The Original Newsletter on Native East Coast Events" Post Office Box 368, Milltown, NJ 08850 908-656-0074 ===================================================================== -------------------------------------------------------------------------- --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- 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: Freedom Heart Rising, Joe Fromhold, Ishgooda, Martin F. Dunn, Janet Smith, Wanita Sears (forward of Mohawk Nation Council Release), Debra F. Sanders, An eyewitness account by Jim Toren Authorized by Dennis Banks, Will Frye, Settlers in Support of Indigenous Sovereignty, Larry Kibby, Karen Abbott, Peace Brigades International(USA), Craig Barbic for AISES, Barbara Landis, Loriene Roy via John Berry, Jay Rosenstein(Announcement), Bruce David Olsen, Ria Verjauw, Scott Tippetts, Scott Gettman -//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Part B of this newsletter has already been distributed via the NATIVE-L or NATCHAT mailing lists. --------- "RE: White House Phone Blitz" --------- Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 10:30:38 -0500 From: tippetts@mail.pire.org (Scott Tippetts) Subj: June 26th -- White House "Phone Blitz" Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) JUNE 26th -- BLITZ THE WHITE HOUSE FOR PELTIER!! The Baltimore / Columbia Maryland LPSGs remind our local chapter members & friends of our activity on Thursday June 26th. On that day, we urge as many as possible to call, fax, and email the White House, to remind President Clinton that it is the 22nd anniversary of the Oglala tragedy. phone: 202-456-1111 (hit '0' to avoid the survey) fax: 202-456-2461 email: president@whitehouse.gov SUGGESTIONS: Don't just be a nameless voice -- tell the White House comment line operator your name, and where you live (city & state). If you are a registered voter, mention that too. Don't be rude (the operators answer phones, not make policy decisions), but be "courteously firm". Because President Clinton has recently convened a special task force on race relations & civil rights, and is currently seeking ideas for actions and initiatives he can take in this area, you might use this as a "tie-in", i.e., suggest that if he's serious about healing the historical wounds among Native Americans, the first step is to approve Peltier's Clemency application! Here's his chance to do more than just apologize for an injustice -- he can actually do something beyond "pretty words" to help heal the wounds! THURSDAY JUNE 26th -- DON'T LET CLINTON FORGET. *** in memory of Joe Stuntz *** NOTE: Please rforward this notice to others who are interested. --------- "RE: Native American Prisoners Issues" --------- Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 13:15:31 +0200 From: rverjauw@dma.be (Ria Verjauw) Subj: Native American prisoners issues Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) [ This is another in a series of articles that have been in the NATIVE-L queue for over a couple of months. This one was delayed because it required extensive reformatting. When sending articles to NATIVE-L and/ or the other NativeNet mailing lists, please be sure that lines of text are no longer than about seventy five (75) characters each, that there are no characters outside the 7-bit ASCII character set (Microsoft Word users note that you must disable "smart quotes" prior to preparing text for sending via electronic mail), and that the text of the article is easily readable outside of a word processor if you have used one to prepare the text (be sure to save files as "plain text with line breaks" or whatever term your WP software uses to refer to non-WP text files. Thanks. --Gary (gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us) ] hello, I'm an active member of FOR MOTHER EARTH BELGIUM, please is it possible to put the following message and letter campaign on the native net? In the letter campaign we don't refer to the Native Prisoners alone because the prisoners asked us to start a letter campaign for all prisoners and that includes of course also the Natives who certainly suffer the most under these violations (racism for instance). greetings Ria FOR MOTHER EARTH BELGIUM- Indigenous Working Group - sub-group Native prisoners INDIGENOUS WORKING GROUP "FOR MOTHER EARTH BELGIUM" Sub-group "NATIVE AMERICAN PRISONERS" - Issue Our goals are: to obtain, on request of the Native American Prisoners, - equal justice for all Native American prisoners to that of the other population, and fair trials, as well as equal treatment within the correctional system. - t