From gars@netcom.com Wed May 13 00:39:06 1998 Date: Tue, 12 May 1998 19:38:04 -0700 (PDT) From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews06.020 _ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' O ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ O o O / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' O o O / /-< / /--/ /-- VOLUME 06, ISSUE 020 O o o o o O __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, May 16, 1998 O o O KANOHEDA ANIYVWIYA Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin O o O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min 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 Big Mountain, Innu-L & Nat-Film Lists; Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty; UUCP email; Newsgroups: alt.native,soc.culture.native; http://www.execulink.com/~hkoehler/peltier.html Articles appearing have been previously posted for public dissemination and/or permission for inclusion has been secured. Letters of authorization are on file. A list of those granting permission to repost their words in this issue are listed at the end of part A. I thank each of you for allowing your words to be shared with the people. IMPORTANT!! ----------- To all who send copywrite protected articles, make very sure you have permission from the copywrite holder (a newspaper, the AP, a magazine, an author) because a new law is now in effect that says you can be prosecuted even if there is no monetary gain. Just because a newspaper has a website where it posts some or all of its editions does not grant permission for their redistribution. Be careful and be sure you pass on the items you do with full permission. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, all material appearing in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for educational purposes. <----<<<< >>>>----> This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our Spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the Red Road. ++ It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own internet addressable account to gars@netcom.com ++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org 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. Downloading Wotanging Ikche on AOL From: MAANG1419@aol.com Just thought I would share some info. I could not download on to a .txt because I kept getting the message (when I tried to retrieve it) that the text editor could not handle the volume. This time I downloaded it on to a .doc and when I retrieved it out of file manager, IT WORKED. "We're coming back to our old ways as were told in our prophecies. We're coming home to reclaim our Spirituality! You'd better be ready! We're coming Home!" __ Joe Chasing Horse, Oglala +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! There are meetings going on in South Dakota now to determine who can and cannot participate in ceremony on Bear Butte, where those who are permitted to participate will do so, and rules determining what is and is not acceptable. As a case in point, there is serious discussion what will and will not be acceptable cloth and cloth size for prayer ties. There is also serious effort to move Lakota to the back side of the butte, away from the tourists. By the way, the tourists will, of course still be most welcome at the visitor center. Is this just paranoia on my part or is this more cultural genocide? As a Cherokee/Blackfoot I will not be permitted on Bear Butte if the current plans are enacted, though I have Lakota teachers and may be asked to support or participate in ceremony. When I see these same officials cruse into Rapid City and tell the corner Baptist Church they can only accept Irish descendants into their ceremony, that the alter boys can only hold candles of a specified length, and they must move their church entrance to the alley so as not to disturb the local traffic - only then will I not believe this is cultural genocide, and only then will I believe this isn't a targeted attack on the traditional beliefs of Peoples of the First Nations. If you wish to protest against this intrusion into our spirituality send your comments to the following: South Dakota Tribal Government Relations Capitol Lake Plaze, Suite 250 711 E. Wells Ave. Pierre, SD 57501-3369 (605) 773-3415 =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\= On the May 10, 1998 issue of CBS Television's news show "60 Minutes" one of the feature stories concerned the complicity of the FBI with known New Jersey gangsters, even to the point of helping cover up the gang leaders murder of an Oklahoma businessman. Attorneys and police detectives from New Jersey, Florida and Oklahoma were interviewed, all lending substantial credence to the charges. Keep this in mind next time your "trusted" FBI agent tells you the reasons why Leonard Peltier must remain imprisoned, though it is proven he is only there as a scapegoat, evidence against him was manufactured and has since been refuted (numerous times); and even the prosecuting attorney admits Leonard is there by whim, and not by proof as required by the United States Constitution. =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\= Without language a culture dies. What is said in any language seldom translates literally to another. It, at best, approximates the meaning. Our languages are dying. Our cultures will not linger long without our own words to describe the events in our lives, the ways passed down by our ancestors and our prophecies. I am collecting language resource information. Please send me all information each of you have regarding language resources. This should include all written teachings including dictionaries, grammar books and stories. Include all audio and video resources. Include the source, how it is distributed, the publisher, ISBN or other catalogue information that might be known. Include cost and current availability if you have it. Finally, include _your_ opinion. Is it good, bad, indifferent? I will keep this information, by language/nation and make what I have available to any who request it. Send what you can via email to gars@netcom.com You may also send info via snail mail to P O Box 672168. Marietta GA 30006. 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 ---------- - Peltier & Canadian Connection - BC Bids to Speed Treaty Talks - News from Leonard's Parole - Cayuga Nation Response - For Leonard Now More than Ever - AIM Florida Statement - Bear Butte Forum - Blackfoot Confederacy - The Bison of Yellowstone Park - Truth about Schemitzun 97 - Shawnee Receive Oklahoma Recognition - 10 Life Observations - EJ Internships at Ward Valley - Old Ways of Respect - UAINE Petition - Native Prisoner - Stolen Seeds - A Hundred Years Ago - Zapatista Library Request - Poem: A Mothers' Day Gift - Uashat Band Council Loses Appeal - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days - Peabody Coal To Expand - Conferences and Powwows --------- "RE: Peltier & Canadian Connection" --------- Date: Sat, 09 May 1998 15:27:16 -0400 From: Frank Dreaver Subj: Peltier & Canadian Connection Please note that a web site is being created for this article and should be accessible shortly. Closing remarks by the LPDC Canada have been added. The URL is: Thank you for your assistance in circulating this document. A. Dreaver ________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ..... LEONARD PELTIER DEFENSE COMMITTEE CANADA May 4, 1998/updated May 7, 1998 THE CANADIAN CONNECTION IN THE LEONARD PELTIER CASE Urgent Action Required to Save the Life of Famed North American Indian Political Prisoner Leonard Peltier Internationally renowned American Indian Movement leader and political prisoner, Leonard Peltier, is suffering a tortuously slow death as a result of inhumane treatment during his 22 years of imprisonment for crimes he never committed. Either U.S. President Bill Clinton urgently grants him executive clemency or a specially convened parole board hearing on May 4, 1998 must release him on compassionate grounds due to failing health. Otherwise, Peltier, just 53 years old, may become this century's most beloved martyr to die defending Indian rights and sovereignty. Peltier was originally convicted on F.B.I. coerced, falsified and manufactured evidence, then sentenced to the Marion, Illinois federal penitentiary for two consecutive life terms. Marion State penitentiary warehouses the majority of that nation's political prisoners, alongside their most hardened criminals and is infamous for its "behaviour modification unit." Peltier's prolonged confinements to these units; his efforts to improve prison conditions for his peoples; and his never-ending persecution for his continued support of human rights' issues globally have marked the beginning of his rapidly deteriorating health. But his fragile medical condition only worsened with his transfer to the notorious Leavenworth penitentiary in Kansas, where there have been numerous long stretches of solitary confinement within a small, dark cell, dimly lit by a single 75-watt bulb. Despite his own critical health condition, Peltier has continued to be a powerful leader for Indian peoples throughout the Americas by his ongoing written statements and interviews to support groups around the world. And to strengthen his sanity against the inhumane treatment intended to silence him, Peltier has turned to painting as a means of re-creating images of his peoples, gaining strength from them to endure the ever-increasing politically generated abuses he has suffered since the beginning of his years in captivity. Now, however, as a result of the continuous damage inflicted upon him within those two infamous institutions, Peltier is left partially blinded in one eye and with progressive degeneration of sight in the other. So, ironically, if Peltier does not die first, he may ultimately be denied one of the minimal pleasures of life left to him, one which keeps his fighting spirit alive. His future rests entirely on the public's commitment to respond on his behalf before it is too late. Only political intervention at the highest levels will halt the further degeneration of his health. Peltier is plagued with a multitude of other potentially life-threatening disorders, including a condition similar to lockjaw, whereby the atrophied muscles and the jaw bones are immobilized. His teeth are therefore painfully and permanently locked a half inch apart, severely limiting his diet strictly to mashed food and liquids. Needless to say, Leavenworth prison officials are unwilling to accommodate his dietary needs, an act which may lead ultimately to malnourishment, starvation or possibly death ... unless the prison warden is convinced to change his stand on Peltier's overall medical attention. From previous brutal experiences he suffered at the Springfield prison hospital, Peltier steadfastly rejects any further subjection to the tortuous treatment at that facility. His only hope now is to enter the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Mn., where a leading surgical specialist, Dr. Eugene Keller, has informed Leavenworth officials he is willing to treat Peltier. The warden has failed to respond to the offer, despite the fact countless other inmates have successfully been transferred to the clinic before. More alarming is the fact the Leavenworth warden is well aware of the consequences of leaving Peltier untreated. Unless he is granted immediate release, Peltier's health is expected to deteriorate and at this rate it is doubtful whether he can hold out another 15 years until his next scheduled parole board hearing, if the May 4th special hearing denies his release on humanitarian grounds. Due to the urgency of his situation, the Canadian national "Leonard Peltier Defense Committee" with headquarters in Scarborough, Ontario and headed by Frank and Anne Dreaver, is urging his supporters to initiate immediate letter-writing campaigns directly to President Clinton for executive clemency and the U.S. Parole Commission for Peltier's humanitarian release. In addition, due to the fact Canadian sovereignty was violated in order to gain Peltier's extradition, political pressure should also be maintained to have the United States return Peltier to this country. By violating the Canada-U.S. extradition treaty, Prime Minister Jean Chretien; Justice Minister Anne McLellan; and Lloyd Axworthy, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, can, by force of international law, seek to have Peltier returned to political asylum here. (All relevant addresses, phone and fax numbers are included on the last page.) The terrible irony, however, exists that, despite the fact Leonard Peltier's struggles have taken place on this continent, he is largely unknown amongst the general public due to the limited coverage of his political prosecution, akin to a near total media blackout. Ignorant of his history or the origins of his case, the average person disbelieves the very notion that the United States could possibly have its own political prisoners while denouncing or demanding of other nations the release of theirs. Peltier, nevertheless, is a household name throughout Europe, including Russia and other parts of the globe. POLITICAL PRISONER In order for Canadian people to respond to this urgent request to become involved in a letter-writing campaign to save the life of an American Indian leader, captured on this side of the border, but unlawfully returned to the U.S., it is essential to understand how Leonard Peltier became a political prisoner in the first place. Only then, by reviewing the facts of his case, can the Canadian public add their voice of protest to the multitude of peoples from around the world. By strength of numbers it may finally be possible to obtain the freedom that true justice demands for Peltier. Leonard Peltier has always rightfully maintained his innocence in the trumped up charges of murdering two F.B.I. agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota on June 26, 1975. In fact, had he been tried at the same time as his two co-accused, Dino Butler and Bob Robideau, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he would have been found innocent on the grounds of self-defense. However, in what has now proven to be a devastating error, he fled to Canada to escape U.S. government persecution in the misguided belief this country would provide the necessary asylum he sought. Peltier was taken into custody by the R.C.M.P. in Hinton, Alberta. He was transferred shortly after to an outdated and overcrowded prison in Vancouver, Canada, where he was held in solitary confinement and shackles throughout the extradition hearings in 1976. No reasons were ever given in regards to the cruel and inhumane treatment while Peltier was incarcerated here, other than a later incident, which occurred during the Fargo trial, between Kitty Sparrow, a reporter for Indian Voice and the chief of the F.B.I. investigation, Norman Zigrossi. He informed her there was a very good working relationship between them and British Columbia police. Needless to say, Peltier never expected the extreme measures the United States government would utilize in their efforts to extradite the Native American political prisoner. Through abuse of their own justice system, manipulated by the F.B.I., the American government violated Canada's sovereignty and made an absolute mockery of the Canadian justice system. The United States government alleged Peltier had murdered two F.B.I. agents, Jack Coler and Ronald Williams, cold-bloodedly in a shootout between the two men and other members of the American Indian Movement (AIM). The shootout took place near the Jumping Bull Hall area of the Pine Ridge reservation, South Dakota, where a small group of AIM members had been asked by the Lakota elders to set up a spiritual encampment to protect and teach their youth the traditional ways. The F.B.I. contended Coler and Williams were only present on the reservation to serve a warrant to Jimmy Eagle for the theft of a $25 pair of boots, although, under the Major Crimes Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1863, they had no jurisdiction in this misdemeanor offense to be on reservation land. Witnesses to the shootings, on the other hand, steadfastly maintained it was the two agents who had driven separately at high speed into the Jumping Bull Hall area of Pine Ridge, parked their cars in a "V" angle meant to provide optimum defense and started shooting up the village. Some defensive gunfire was returned. However, Peltier along with the other AIM members, were responsible for the protection of the Indian youths and, once the shootout began, Peltier was among the group to lead some of the youngsters to safety through a hailstorm of flying bullets fired to and from every direction. In the Vancouver Supreme court month-long extradition hearing, which began May 13, 1976 and was presided over by Judge W.A. Schultz, a lawyer from the Canadian Justice Department, the late Paul Halprin represented the United States government's interests as part of the Canada-U.S. extradition treaty agreement. On their behalf, Halprin presented four affidavits to substantiate numerous crimes allegedly committed by Peltier. The two most incriminating depositions were the notorious Myrtle Poor Bear affidavits, the first one dated Feb. 23, 1976, and the second, dated March 31, 1976. The two documents, presented by Halprin to the court, were asserted to be the true statements of Poor Bear who claimed that, as his girlfriend she was present with Peltier and an eyewitness to his murder of the two F.B.I. agents. The third affidavit was from the police department of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, charging Peltier with attempting to murder one of their police officers. And the fourth sworn statement was from two Oregon State Police officers alleging the American Indian Movement leader had shot at them. (Judge Schultz found insufficient evidence for Peltier to be committed for trial on the Oregon charges.) MYRTLE POOR BEAR AFFIDAVITS Shortly after the extradition proceedings took place in Vancouver, Peltier's two co- accused, Dino Butler and Bob Robideau, stood trial in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for their part in the alleged murders of Coler and Williams. As a result of the disclosure of all documents during their trial, a third affidavit of Myrtle Poor Bear, dated Feb. 21, 1976, surfaced. This additional affidavit pre-dated the two documents Halprin presented in the Canadian court and flagrantly contradicted them. The Feb. 19th Poor Bear deposition clearly stated she was not an eyewitness to the alleged murders and was nowhere near the area of the incident. Instead, she claimed she had only been told by Peltier much later that he had shot and killed the two F.B.I. agents. This affidavit was, in fact, the first and original statement given by her and it contained none of the two later alleged eyewitness accounts of the gruesome and bloody murders. Peltier's defense lawyers only learned of the Feb. 19, 1976 written testimony after Judge Schultz ordered Peltier's extradition. Yet, at the time of their introduction by Halprin as evidence to the court, Peltier immediately advised his two lawyers he had never even heard of Myrtle Poor Bear, let alone talked to her. The justice system had taken advantage of one of the major flaws of the Canada/U.S. extradition treaty which permits evidence to be presented by affidavits only, without benefit of cross examination in person of the accusers. Without the defense knowledge of the pre-existing Poor Bear affidavit and the inability to question her in person under oath in the Canadian court, Peltier's lawyers could not disprove her written evidence. The two depositions Halprin presented to Judge Schultz gave such a grisly and savage picture of the murders, they weighed heavily against Peltier. Meanwhile, Butler and Robideau had the benefit of a change of venue for their trial from the highly racist states of North and South Dakota to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Additionally their defense lawyers were allowed to present the broadest scope of evidence, including provisions in the historical Fort Laramie Treaty; the background of the violence-ridden Pine Ridge reservation, ongoing since the 1973 Wounded Knee uprising which left dozens of unsolved murders of traditional tribal members or AIM supporters; and establishing the unrelenting misconduct of the F.B.I. With the benefit of a full defense and a fair trial, Butler and Robideau were acquitted of all charges on the grounds of self-defence for returning the agents' fire. Unbeknownst to Peltier or his defense team, however, Butler and Robideau's verdict of innocence would later hold severe repercussions for him as the F.B.I. intensified their efforts to prosecute the one remaining AIM leader. Peltier's Canadian lawyers, Stuart Rush and Don Rosenbloom, ultimately received the Feb. 19, 1976 Poor Bear affidavit and with this new evidence, the two lawyers appealed the decision to the B.C. Court of Appeal, but were turned down. The appeal's court justices concluded that irrespective of the false Poor Bear affidavits, there was still justifiable cause of Peltier's extradition due to the remaining two prima facie cases established regarding the charges in Wisconsin and Oregon. The defense made a final, but futile appeal to the then federal Minister of Justice Ronald Basford who upheld the appeal's court decision based on the theory the other two prima facie cases were sufficient to extradite Peltier. The conditions placed on Peltier's extradition order were that he not face the death penalty (a prerequisite for anyone under Canada's extradition laws since capital punishment was banned over three decades ago in this country) and he be given a fair trial. By the time Peltier was finally returned to the United States, the F.B.I., in conjunction with the U.S. Justice Department, were well prepared to gain a conviction of murder in the first degree of two of their agents. Since their humiliating defeat in the Butler-Robideau trial, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was unwilling to risk further embarrassment by not convicting someone, anyone, for the alleged crimes against members of their agency. By the end of the trial in Fargo, they achieved their goal when Peltier was found guilty, sentenced to two consecutive life terms and sent to Marion penitentiary. TRIAL IN FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA When Peltier ultimately went to trial in Fargo, North Dakota, the venue was established within the highly racist state and the original judge, believed to be too liberal, was replaced with the chosen hardline, arch- conservative U.S. District Judge Paul Benson, known to be favorable to the F.B.I. Benson's prejudice was clearly demonstrated by his refusal to allow nearly 80 per cent of all evidence presented by Peltier's defense to be heard by the all-white jury. They were excused the majority of the defense's time, while only Benson heard and decided what could be presented to the jury members. In the United States justice system, as in Canada, the court procedure permits witnesses to testify in what is termed as an "offer of proof" (or voir dire) without the jury's presence, with the presiding judge deciding, in what is basically "a mini-trial within a trial," whether or not the jury will hear the evidence presented. While the prosecution was able to call upon 25 separate witnesses, not one of whom saw the shootout, Judge Benson disallowed the majority of the defense witnesses' accounts. Benson had ruled against admitting into evidence anything before or after the one day of June 26, 1975 when agents Williams and Coler died. This single ruling by Benson so thoroughly limited the scope of admissible evidence by the defense, it guaranteed Peltier's conviction by ruling out all the crucial testimony that could have demonstrated the evidence was coerced, manufactured or manipulated by the F.B.I. To illustrate the token defense permitted Peltier's defense team, headed by Elliot Taikeff, it is more noteworthy to demonstrate, with but a few examples, what crucial testimony was heard only by Benson, and then ruled inadmissible to the jury. Wilford Draper, for example, a 15-year-old Navajo, testified for the state prosecution, with the jury present, as to the type of gun Peltier had at the time of the shootout. Later, when Draper was produced as a witness for the defense, Benson dismissed the jury to decide whether or not the young Navajo's unperjured statements could be heard by them. Draper recanted his earlier testimony and described how he had been coerced by F.B.I. agents who had come to his reservation, arrested him without charges and proceeded to interrogate him in front of his mother. Initially he refused to cooperate with the F.B.I. agents' demands to implicate Peltier, but one agent, Gary Adams, threatened to charge the young man with the same crime unless he collaborated with them and the prosecutor's office. His mother, terrified at what would happen to her son, immediately began to pressure him into saying whatever they wanted to hear. Draper was able to resist only briefly, at which point he was forced into a swivel chair, with his hands cuffed behind his back, and whirled around for hours. All the while his mother kept screaming for him to cooperate. He testified he finally broke and agreed to say anything the F.B.I. told him to say. In his testimony for the defense, Draper stated he did not know one gun from another and that his earlier evidence for the prosecution regarding Peltier's gun and whereabouts at the time of the shootout, had originated from the F.B.I. Due to the rigid limitations of Benson's ruling that only evidence relating to the severely restricted boundaries of the single day that Williams and Coler died, the jury heard Draper's prosecutorial testimony, but not a word of his statements of how he had been forced to take the stand against Peltier. It appeared truth meant nothing to Judge Benson as long as he could manipulate the scales of justice to protect the image of the federal agency. It was a ploy carried on throughout the entire Fargo trial. But his restrictive ruling, excluding any and all evidence to the single date, applied only to Peltier's defense. The prosecution, had free reign to guarantee a guilty verdict. As just one case in point, Benson allowed Evan Hultman, head of the prosecution and backed by U.S. attorney Lynn Crooks to introduce the attempted murder charges of a Milwaukee policeman and the two Oregon officers in a brazen attempt to prove to the jury that Peltier was a rabid, psychopathic cop-killer. Yet, Peltier has not stood trial for either of the charges at the time of the Fargo trial. By exposing these prejudicial charges to the jury, Peltier was denied his constitutional right to "presumption of innocence until found guilty." Furthermore, prosecutor Hultman, without application of Benson's notorious confinement of admissible evidence imposed upon the defense, paraded both alleged incidents before the jury despite their variation in time. The Milwaukee charge of attempted murder of a police officer preceded the June 26, 1975 date by about two years! The other alleged Oregon incident occurred several months after the shootout. And, the most disturbing aspect of these charges being used at all during both the Canadian extradition hearings and the Fargo trial, is that Peltier was not convicted in either of these two States for any of their charges! Judge Benson's bias was again made obvious when the defense called for Myrtle Poor Bear to testify regarding the role of the F.B.I. in preparing her three affidavits for Peltier's extradition. The jury was again dismissed while Poor Bear testified F.B.I. agents David Price and William Woods held her "incommunicado" while in protective custody under the pretext they were safeguarding her from the American Indian Movement. She had testified in an earlier case against an AIM member and they implied other members of the movement would seek revenge against her. Poor Bear swore she had no idea as to the contents of the three affidavits which she was forced to sign. She told the court the F.B.I. agents showed her gruesome photos of an autopsy performed on a Micmac Indian woman from Canada, Anna Mae Aquash, who was an AIM member. While living on the Pine Ridge reservation, Aquash was not present on the day Coler and Williams died, although she was later questioned by the F.B.I. and warned she might not live out the year. She did disappear later, but her body was not discovered until February of the following year beneath a bank of thawing snow. She was buried quickly in an unmarked grave, with cause of death listed as having "frozen to death." The F.B.I. had cut off her hands and sent them to their Washington D.C. headquarters for identification, Once identified, her family went to South Dakota to recover her remains, intending to re-bury her according to the traditional ways. Prior to this, though, they had a private autopsy performed which easily identified the cause of death: a bullet right through the back of the head, shot at close range. Poor Bear testified that even though Aquash's remains had not yet been identified, agents Woods and Price constantly referred to her as "that AIM bitch." And throughout the eight months she was held in custody by the F.B.I., the agents continually threatened her with the same fate and eventually the life of her eight-year-old daughter. Needless to say, Poor Bear also confirmed to Judge Benson she met Peltier for the first time that same day in court. VITAL EVIDENCE SUPPRESSED Benson was able to exclude the jury from hearing this crucial defense both under his prejudicial exclusion of evidence outside the scope of the one day in June, 1975. And, more critically, due to his constant blatant rulings that were meant to protect the F.B.I. from any charges of judicial misconduct. He decided against her testimony on the basis her three affidavits had already been proven false despite -- or better still, because Peltier's defense had proffered her factual confirmation of the events to demonstrate what extreme measures the F.B.I. were willing to use to gain Peltier's conviction. The exclusion of Draper's and Poor Bear's evidence are but two illustrations to indicate how 80 per cent of the most vital evidence to prove Peltier's innocence was suppressed. His defense attorneys were obstructed time and time again throughout the Fargo trial in their efforts to prove the F.B.I. could only gain a conviction by such damning tactics of coercion, fabrication or manipulation of evidence against him. Since all these damaging actions by the federal agency had occurred either before or after the stated date, the defense team of Elliot Taikeff and John Lowe were literally knocked out of the fight in the defense arena. While Butler and Robideau were granted a fair trial without limitations, Taikeff and Lowe were not allowed to place into evidence before the jury any past transgressions of the F.B.I. Nor were they allowed to expose the heavy concentration of diverse law enforcement officers spread out all over the Pine Ridge reservation from the very beginning of that day. But, Edgar Bear Runner, a defense witness for the Canadian extradition hearings, gave a highly detailed eyewitness account of what real conditions were like on what he constantly referred to as the "Pine Ridge Concentration Camp." Bear Runner was able to fill in the gap of facts, unheard at the Fargo trial, by retelling precise pieces of information regarding his disheartening efforts to halt an inevitable massacre there, starting from the early morning of June 25, 1975. After Bear Runner was informed military forces were surrounding the entire Oglala area, he made every effort to mediate a peaceful resolution between the approximately 250 "armed and ready to fire" mix of enforcers and the small band of AIM members in an area referred to as "Tent City." It was there, near the Jumping Bull Hall, Peltier and other AIM members had set up their spiritual encampment. Bear Runner recounted how, along his path to "Tent City," at specific intervals he encountered clusters of Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) funded tribal "goon squads," headed by the elected Tribal Chairman Dick Wilson (intent on suppressing resistance from the traditional people or their AIM supporters), another blockade further along that included a mixture of 150 different members of the State Highway Patrol, U.S. Federal Marshalls, police S.W.A.T. teams and members of the armed forces in combat uniforms. All of them were heavily armed with sniper rifles and machine guns. Arriving at the Jumping Bull Hall area after being given a deadline of 10 minutes to accomplish his objectives by the BIA Superintendent, Bear Runner was shaken up by the sudden outburst of an order to place his hands above his head. Frantic to depart the area before his 10-minute deadline, he was unable to locate any Indian people in the area, but was lead to a ravine overlooking another large group of uniformed men in combat green uniforms. They, too, were heavily armed with machine guns and sniper rifles, but with the addition of grenades. For his own safety, Bear Runner returned to the area where the BIA Superintendent was located. He was informed the men were getting impatient, as they were all preparing for a military assault. His attempted mediation failed. Even so, his observations of the overnight increase of military forces who, by then, had the whole area entirely secured and cordoned off, were pivotal in the quest for the motivation behind such an armed forces' intentions and presence there on such a significant day. In order to assemble the vast array of military and law enforcement officers, then to carry out their intended assault, they would have unquestionably worked out the strategic planning much earlier and begun to assemble long before the time the two F.B.I. special agents were shot at. These facts, however, only stimulate further questioning regarding a possible hidden agenda. The unanswered questions, never brought up in any court, could not help but arouse logical and justifiable suspicions. In turn, there was definite uncertainty regarding any rationale for the eruption of unusual para-military actions on that June day in 1975. The only logical conclusion was the most obvious: the never-ending, historically based greed of the invaders for Indian lands. THEFT OF INDIAN LANDS What else but lust for Indian lands and their resources could reproduce such similarities to the 500-year-old struggle to defend what little land has ultimately been left to them? The motivation remains the same, only the technology, strategy and tactics have been refined to achieve the same goal: theft of Indian lands. Lest anyone forget, the mid-seventies OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) oil crisis was reason enough for then President Jimmy Carter to call for solutions against what he considered to be international blackmail regarding essential resources for the U.S. In order for the United States to become an energy self- sufficient country, President Carter formally declared there would be certain areas throughout the country that would have to be declared "national sacrifice areas" in the "moral equivalent of war." What Carter failed to inform the public was the fact that due to population expansion and abuse of non-sustainable resources, 70 per cent of the remaining resource-rich lands were located on Indian reservations throughout the country. In particular, the Oglala Sioux lands contain uranium, natural gas deposits and other resource rich supplies, untapped by them as a result of their sacred relationship to the lands of their peoples. To maintain secrecy regarding Tribal Chairman Dick Wilson's arbitrary decision to support, or, in all honesty, to take advantage of the President's announced plans to exploit the necessary resources from the national sacrifice areas, he did not announce his travel plans to Washington D.C. With assistance from the BIA, Wilson, at some point related to the day of the shootout, signed away an eighth of the Pine Ridge reservation for uranium and other resource extraction. To avoid the natural consequence for his illegal act, by way of retaliatory measures from the traditional peoples, it had to have been deemed essential to distract and divert their attention elsewhere. And there was no doubt the men and women of the American Indian Movement would be fully supportive of the traditional people in their desire to defend their lands. Just as warriors have for 500 years sacrificed their lives for the protection of the land and the people. From the time of the Wounded Knee uprising whereby the traditional people, as always backed up by active support of the American Indian Movement, reaffirmed their sovereignty, until after the deaths of Coler and Williams, the Pine Ridge Indian reservation has been an armed camp, a powder keg ready to blow over the smallest or most simple reasons. Within the judicial system, Peltier has been required to circumnavigate the unexposed field of mines in the courts' ruling against him. It is much like the June 26, 1975 date when only a few dozen members of AIM were on the Pine Ridge reservation and, with over several hundreds of sheriff's officers and military men shooting, Peltier was able to help guide members of the encampment to safety despite the cross fire of thousands of bullets. Swift responses from leaders of both the United States and Canada may still permit Leonard Peltier to be safeguarded from the hazardous lack of medical responses to his tortuous afflictions. This must be done at the highest political levels, without forcing him through any more trials, stress-filled with their own set of traps to deny him a fair hearing. The Fargo trial was the most gruelling because Judge Benson granted the prosecution full reign to present their case to the jury, while severely limiting the defense. This created an impossible imbalance with no possibility for a fair trial. Yet some of the testimony presented by the F.B.I. was at times so outrageous that, at one point, even prosecutor Evan Hultman could not refrain later from commenting on its content. Specifically in regards to Special Agent Frank Coward's claims to have seen Peltier in the area from a half mile away through the scope of rifle as he ran in the opposite direction! Hultman, in discussing Coward's incredible ability to sight and correctly identify anyone from such a distance with his back to the agent, while fleeing the scene, let his guard down briefly once the jury had retired for deliberations. During a discussion with the Vancouver based indian Voice newspaper reporter, Hultman smiled slightly and confessed he found Coward's testimony "totally impossible!" At another point in the Fargo trial, a badly burned AR15 semi-automatic was introduced into evidence as being Peltier's weapon. A Los Angeles forensic expert testified it was bullets from this gun that killed Coler and Williams. What the prosecution did not admit, however, is why they had to fly a California expert all the way to Fargo, South Dakota. It was only after the trial ended with Peltier's conviction, that his defense team was able to obtain 6,000 documents under the Freedom of Information Act. Within those hidden files it was discovered two local forensic experts had both tested the gun, which inoperable, but were able to conclude there was absolutely no way the weapon, alleged to be Peltier's, was the one that killed the two agents. When both experts refused to testify otherwise, the F.B.I. expanded their search for another expert who would swear to the court precisely what they needed in order to convict an innocent man. CANADIAN COMPLICITY Meanwhile, prosecutor Hultman unwittingly provided the initial witness, F.B.I. Special Agent David Price, who would give the court and his defense, the first hint of the Canadian Justice Department's complicity in the falsification of the Myrtle Poor Bear affidavits. Price testified that lawyer Paul Halprin, the Crown Counsel assigned by the Canadian Justice Department to represent F.B.I. investigation into the deaths of Coler and Williams at Pine Ridge was carried out in that city with over 150 agents involved. Price specifically recalled Halprin went there to assist in formulating the second and third Poor Bear affidavits, dated Feb. 23 and March 31, 1976. This was done because the first affidavit signed Feb. 19 and sent to the Vancouver division of the Justice Department allegedly did not conform in format to the Canadian evidentiary requirements for extradition. Yet it was not so much the fact that the format was changed from the first one, but the facts clearly show there was a major alteration and addition of information in the second and third affidavits which totally contradicted the first. Poor Bear's first statement declared she was not at the Jumping Bull Hall area the day of the shootout and recounts a significantly shorter version, with limited details of events allegedly confessed to her later by Peltier. By the time Halprin was in Rapid City that version was retracted and kept secret. The subsequent affidavits, formulated by Halprin while in Rapid City, claim she was Peltier's girlfriend and was beside him while he ruthlessly murdered the F.B.I. A longer, dramatically grotesque story of the manner in which Peltier ruthlessly assassinated both Coler and Williams was added. At the very least, Halprin had known about the first Poor Bear affidavit throughout the entire extradition hearing he conducted on behalf of the U. S. government while Peltier was still in Canada. He withheld this very pertinent information from Judge Schultz and the Canadian defense lawyers. He had to also have been entirely aware the first and contradictory affidavit gave insufficient evidence to extradite Peltier on those charges. By not disclosing his knowledge of the inadequate original Poor Bear affidavit, Halprin guaranteed Peltier's inability to have a fair hearing even in Canada! In order for the Canadian reporter from The Indian Voice to write an exact summary of Peltier's Fargo trial, daily copies of the trial transcripts were obtained to supplement notes taken throughout the proceedings. Inexplicably, though, the transcript of agent Price's testimony on Halprin's key role in formulating the Poor Bear affidavits was for some reason "unavailable" at the end of the day. After requesting a copy be sent to her office in Vancouver, the transcript arrived in Canada two weeks later. Without any explanation given, agent Price's testimony relating the extent of Halprin's involvement was completely garbled. Nevertheless, when the reporter returned to Vancouver, she phoned the office of Stuart Rush, one of Peltier's senior defense lawyers representing him throughout the year-long series of hearings and appeals. She informed one of the junior lawyers in Rush's firm, Peter Grant, of Price's statements implicating Halprin as the author of Poor Bear's 2nd and 3rd affidavits, which Halprin introduced in Canada as the only affidavits provided to him. Grant then phoned The Vancouver Sun, this area's largest daily newspaper, and informed the paper that according to Price's testimony, Halprin had assisted in composing the two false affidavits. The newspaper reprinted a major story on it and Halprin ended up filing suit against both The Vancouver Sun and Grant for slander. The Honourable Justice Anderson, of the British Columbia Supreme Court, presided at the trial. His pivotal ruling that the United States was guilty of misconduct by falsifying the Poor Bear affidavits was the first judicial recognition there was illegal evidence constructed to prosecute Peltier. As a result of Justice Anderson's findings, Halprins' defamation suit was dismissed. Back in the U.S., Peltier's conviction was appealed to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, Missouri. The Fargo trial defense attorney Elliot Taikeff had the responsibility of preparing the appeal in St. Louis. As time for the hearing drew close, though, Taikeff did not have all the submissions completed. Peltier, both profoundly concerned and angered at the possibility of losing his case, dropped Taikeff. He turned his case over to the now deceased William Kunstler who won the acquittal of Dino Butler and Bob Robideau on the same charges. Attorney D. Tiger assisted Kunstler, yet in such a crucial hearing each defense attorney was limited to a mere 15 minutes for summary arguments to win an appeal for Peltier. Incredibly, Evan Hultman, the head of the prosecution at Fargo, was given no such time restrictions. At the time the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on Peltier's case, Kunstler, on such short notice, was unable to be fully versed on every detail of the Fargo trial. So, when the cardinal question, "Did Draper recant?" was asked, Kunstler responded, "No." There were audible gasps from Taikeff and others who had been present at the Fargo trial when Draper had indeed recanted his evidence on behalf of the prosecution and, testified for the defense in detail regarding the threats and force used against him by the F.B.I. Since Taikeff had been excluded entirely from the St. Louis appeal, he was unable to communicate to Kunstler anything regarding his erroneous response concerning Draper's retraction. But. largely due to that one wrong answer, the appeal was denied. Insofar as the fraudulent poor Bear affidavits, Prosecutor Hultman made sure the Appeals Court wold not be unduly influenced by them as an example of the F.B.I.'s misconduct in gaining Peltier's conviction. Hultman gave an unusually long-winded and melodramatic account of how, during the Fargo trial, he had never given any credibility whatsoever to her sworn statements. By implying Peltier's conviction was in no way influenced by the manufactured evidence, the St. Louis court dealt with them in the same manner as the Canadian appeals court's excuse for extraditing Peltier: that there were two other prima facie cases still facing him in Milwaukee and Oregon which would justify his continued imprisonment. Despite the 8th Circuit Court's denial of an appeal on Peltier's behalf, the evidence heard still prompted one of the judges, Judge Ross, to state that: "It is obvious to anyone that the woman had to have been pressured to add more and more to the affidavits. If this is the way Indian people are treated by our judicial system, it is no wonder they have lost faith." With the two prima facie cases against Peltier still untried, from Canada to St. Louis they continued to tie the hands of his defense teams, hindering justice and influencing the various courts' decisions against him. By the time those two alleged prima facie cases were to be heard, Peltier's two life sentences for the murders he never committed were firmly established. With these two unproven charges continuously paraded by prosecution as smoke screens for F.B.I. involvement, true justice has been denied Peltier right up to the present date. MILWAUKEE CHARGE The primary case in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, finally went to trial January, 1978. From Marion prison, Peltier was brought to Milwaukee for trial. The charges were "The State of Wisconsin versus Leonard Peltier," alleging that on Nov. 22, 1973, outside the "Texas Restaurant," Peltier attempted to kill two plain clothes police officers. Officers Ronald Hlavinka and James Ecles stated Peltier threatened to kill them and pulled out a gun. After a brief struggle, the two officers claimed to have disarmed Peltier. The Milwaukee defense was handled by the late Lew Gurwitz (a famed Boston attorney who gave up his private practice completely to defend Indian rights' cases all over the United States for more than 30 years.) Gurwitz steadfastly maintained Peltier and several other Native Americans were drinking in the restaurant where two men dressed as bikers sat close to them. The bikers continuously and loudly made derogatory remarks about Native people. After ignoring this racist harassment for a period of time, Peltier finally asked one of the bikers, who hurled an insult so derogatory it could not be disregarded, to step outside. When the biker left the premises with Peltier, the other biker followed them outside. Immediately the two men handcuffed Peltier, searched him and found a gun: (At the time, AIM members carried guns for their own protection due to the threats and violence directed at them and the dozens of actual murders on the Pine Ridge reservation that were never investigated.) Once the gun was found, Peltier was immediately charged with the attempted murder of police officer Hlavinka. He was jailed and the gun was taken as evidence. When Peltier was brought into the Milwaukee court, the charge was laid before a judge who released him on bail. The gun was later checked and found to be inoperable. Because Pelter knew he was being framed, he fled Milwaukee back to the Pine Ridge reservation, thus becoming a fugitive from "injustice" and the so-called enforcers of the law. This Milwaukee charge was contained within another affidavit used by Halprin to establish an additional prima facie case which would enable the Canadian government to justify Peltier's extradition to the U.S. even after the Poor Bear affidavits were proven false. The trial was going badly for the defense until Belle Anne Gild, Hlavinka's former fiance, surprisingly showed up to testify for the defense. She swore under oath that the day after the incident, a jubilant Hlavinka told her he had caught a big Indian. Gild asked if it was Russell Means or Dennis Banks, but he informed her it was Leonard Peltier. He then pulled out an F.B.I. picture of Peltier from his files. She told how her then fiance, Hlavinka, explained she would have to stay away from him for a while because the F.B.I. had warned him the Native Indian people might retaliate. As a result, she might be injured. Her testimony on the connection between Hlavinka and the F.B.I. gave the appearance the federal agency had targeted Peltier and that Hlavinka was their instrument. The entire Milwaukee case against Peltier was dismissed. OREGON CHARGE The second prima facie case hanging over Peltier's head, which for so long had obstructed justice for him, occurred after the Pine Ridge reservation shootout when Peltier fled the area with Dennis Banks, another fugitive in the case and prominent AIM leader. Actor Marlon Brando, known for his support of Indian rights, had provided them with his mobile home in order for them to escape wrongful persecution by the F.B.I. On route through Oregon they were stopped by two police officers who shot at them as they fled. Abandoning the vehicle, Banks headed south to California, with Peltier heading north to Canada. In an unusual twist of fate, the liberal and noted intellectual, California Governor Jerry Brown was more knowledgeable of his federal government's mistreatment of Indian activists at that time, and refused to extradite Banks from his state back to South Dakota. Ironically, Peltier's belief in Canada's humanitarian treatment of political refugees led him, with the aid of other native Americans along the way, to Canada, where he hoped to find justice and sanctuary. He found neither. The final, outstanding prima facie case alleged by the Canadian justice system to prove justifiable grounds for Peltier's extradition was contained in the affidavits by the two Oregon police officers who shot at Peltier and Banks. In their signed depositions to the Canadian Justice Department, they swore Peltier had shot at them and not the reverse. This case, as with sworn affidavit against Peltier proved to be fabrications (with the F.B.I.'s involvement in each case.). The three infamous Poor Bear affidavits were recognized as false in the B.C. Supreme Court (Halprin's libel suit); the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis; and even prosecutor Hultman conceded they were false at the Fargo trial. The Milwaukee Court dismissed the charges there and the Oregon case could not be brought to trial. Yet the Canadian extradition of Peltier depended solely on these affidavits and throughout the Fargo trial, the St. Louis Appeals court, the Milwaukee case, and up until the final Oregon charges were dismissed, they were used by the prosecution to endlessly portray Peltier as a dedicated "cop killer." But, anyone who has come to know the real Leonard Peltier -- especially from before the great wounds of his incarceration set in; before the brutal and inhumane conditions were imposed upon him; and, even now, after 22 years of rising above the torturous suffering inflicted on him -- knows there is no killer lurking within. He is, first and foremost, a leader who places the needs of his people above his and consistently, tirelessly, works to unite all peoples for the common good of humanity. It is for this reason the Canadian national Leonard Peltier Defense Committee requested Kitty Sparrow, the one Indian Voice reporter, who covered all of Leonard Peltier's trials dating back to early 1976, to begin this summary. (Due to time constraints to have readers respond by May 4th for the specially convened parole board hearing, this is a highly condensed version which, over time, will be expanded upon so the entire story will be told.) Appalled at the abuse of the Canadian justice department's fraudulent extradition of Peltier, Sparrow and Rose Charlie, president of the former B.C. Indian Homemakers Association, had sent a lengthy brief to the then Minister of Justice Marc Lalonde on Oct. 19, 1978. The brief contained the judgements of each of the many courts where the Myrtle Poor Bear affidavits were used, along with the subsequent confirmation by U.S. prosecutor Evan Hultman at the Fargo trial and the St. Louis Appeal Court of the fact the Poor Bear affidavits were completely false. Their brief ended with the damning statements made by Judge Ross of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis as to the force used by the F.B.I. to coerce the Indian woman into signing the documents. Charlie demanded an accounting from Lalonde for his department's integral role in assisting the F.B.I. in persecuting and prosecuting an Indian leader. The Hon. Minister Lalonde replied that he, too, was very concerned about the Poor Bear affidavits and that he would make inquiries to the U.S. Government concerning these. But again, he added the two other charges from Milwaukee and Oregon constituted prima facie cases, sufficient to extradite Peltier. Lalonde ignored the fact that, earlier the same year the charges from Milwaukee had been dismissed at trial and the Oregon charges had been thrown out. Despite Lalonde's promises to the contrary, the results of his inquiries were never made known to The Indian Homemaker's or the public. It was only much later, from the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, it was discovered the reasons for Lalonde's lack of response. The U.S. information revealed their response to Canada's inquiry in F.B.I. memos and further implicated Canada's own involvement through Paul Halprin in the falsified affidavits. Lalonde, who had most likely believed his department would be vindicated, discovered the opposite. The Canadian Minister of Justice was informed "The selection of the two affidavits (dated Feb. 23 and March 31) was based upon recommendation of Paul William Halprin, Canadian Department of Justice, Vancouver, British Columbia" and that "... he travelled to Rapid City, South Dakota ..." In fact, the affidavit of March 31st was obtained at the request of Halprin who indicated he desired "amplification of certain issues." Despite their claims the affidavits were taken "in good faith" -- four years after their introduction into a Canadian Court -- there is no possible way that by 1980, the F.B.I. could still maintain their innocence in providing falsified evidence. The most damaging indicator of this is the glaring fact that nowhere in any one of the memos and covering letters sent to the Canadian Minister of Justice is there a single name or trace of any F.B.I. agents' identities ... not even of those who directly dealt with Halprin. POLITICAL REMEDY This cover-up of crucial information, such as the above response to the Canadian inquiry, proves the F.B.I. from start to finish, manipulated the evidence, manifests Canada's reluctance to be involved in a dispute with the United States over the violation of its justice system and its sovereignty. However, in part responding to the inquiries of millions of peoples over the years from Canada and worldwide; a Supreme Court of Canada recommendation in in 1989 for a political remedy and recommendation of a ministerial review by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, Canada's then Minister of Justice Allan Rock finally agreed to a departmental review of the extradition in April, 1994, which, four years later, is still pending before the present justice minister, Anne McLellan. Now more than ever before, while the review takes on a renewed urgency, with the department of justice announcing that it is almost complete but for the minister's decision, it is important for each person to send in their demand to Canada's Justice Minister, the Prime Minister of Canada and to their federal Members of Parliament along with letters to the United States president and to the U.S. attorney general. It is our hope that in reading this comprehensive overview, particularly noting Canada's role at the time of the extradition, and this country's stunning lack of response to the mounting evidence of fraud over the past 22 years, that we can all raise our voices in a Canada-wide and worldwide demand for Leonard Peltier's freedom. LPDC CANADA CLOSING REMARKS This article was written by Kitty Bell Sparrow (the original "Indian Voice" reporter in 1976) with the assistance of her daughter, Kathleen Bell Younger and Anne Dreaver of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee Canada. Mrs. Sparrow, who lives in Vancouver, B.C. is a member of the advisory council to the LPDC Canada which was established in 1987 following Leonard's second appeal and the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to grant him a new trial. Attention then turned to Canada and Leonard's illegal extradition. A legal team was soon assembled and a national defense/offense committee, founded by Frank and Anne Dreaver, began its lobby and advocacy work under an autonomous legal/political mandate as the only other country violated in this case. Today, the Canadian LPDC functions by bringing to light Canada's involvement and to seek remedies both in Canada and internationally which has included filing interventions, appeals and presentations at United Nations human rights forums, with world governmental bodies, political organizations and directly with the Canadian government. LPDC international spokesperson Frank Dreaver, (Plains Cree, Saskatchewan) has participated in and helped to organize more than a dozen European lobby initiatives since 1990 including the first ever prayer vigil for Leonard Peltier's freedom at the U.N. human rights commission in Geneva in 1996 and in April, 1997 toured the former East bloc countries of Poland, Slovakia and Czech Republics as a keynote speaker & lobbyist. Over the years other representatives have accompanied him, including two of Leonard's original defense attorneys, Bruce Ellison and the late Lew Gurwitz; Edgar Bear Runner of Pine Ridge Reservation and various staff at the U.S. LPDC, Lawrence, Kansas office. "The struggle for Leonard's freedom stands today as a foremost example of what happens to indigenous peoples who have the courage to defend their true identity and nationhood rights," stated Dreaver. We also want to acknowledge Ethel Pearson, an elder of the Kwakiutl nation and 52 traditional chiefs who offered Leonard sanctuary during the 1976 extradition process by formally adopting him into their nation to try and stop the extradition. (Gwarth-ee-lass was the name given to Leonard by the Kwakiutl elders; meaning "to lead his people.") "In principle, this country should annul all past (extradition) proceedings and request the return of Peltier, join the worldwide campaign for his clemency and forward all evidence and information regarding this case to any future inquiry," continued Dreaver. If Justice Minister Anne McLellan was to register a complaint in accordance with international law, she would be defending Canada's jurisdiction and the right to question this case beyond the domestic concern of the U.S. where it continues to be suppressed. Even the Supreme Court of Canada did not deny that a fraud had occurred between two countries when a formal appeal of the extradition was argued before the court eight years ago. Over the years, numerous resolutions seeking remedies from Canada have been successfully adopted. Highlights of some include the N.D.P. federal party (June, 1991) being the first political party in North America to officially recognize Leonard's political imprisonment in defense of the rights of all North American Indian peoples; the Canadian Labour Congress and its affiliates, representing about 2.5 million unionized workers; numerous aboriginal nations, human rights organizations and many others. In 1992, 55 members of Canada's Parliament officially intervened in support of Leonard's immediate release to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals recommending that "this tainted conviction be set aside.". The highly publicized action was carried into the United States courtroom through the oral arguments of our Canadian attorney; news of which was carried on national television across Canada. And finally, in November, 1993 we presented thousands of pages of documentation and oral presentations in public hearings to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, which within weeks later recommended a ministerial review of the Peltier case directly to the then Justice Minister of Canada Allan Rock. In April 1994, 18 years after Leonard was extradited, the Canadian Department of Justice finally re-opened the case for examination. In October of 1996, Dreaver collaborated with 16 Canadian musicians and bands, including Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy; award-winning singer-songwriter Sara McLachlan; The Tragically Hip, poet Michael Ondaatje, to name a few and produced an album titled: "Pine Ridge: An Open Letter to Allan Rock." Available across Canada in major music stores or through the LPDC Canada; its release through Warner Music has drawn national attention and support amongst the peoples of Canada to pressure the Canadian government to conclude its review by finding remedies for Leonard Peltier's immediate release. Dreaver's letter to the justice minister is in the liner of each CD and tape. In closing and with our appreciation to Kitty Sparrow for her sharp memory and meticulous records, we turn to her words: "It is only right that the "Indian Voice" reporter retells Peltier's story to a new generation of readers unaware of the true history, so that Leonard's voice is not silenced by inaction or apathy regarding this great warrior." --------- "RE: News from Leonard's Parole" --------- Date: Mon, 04 May 1998 19:04:13 -0400 From: not@inthe.game (justanoldman) Subj: NEWS FROM LEONARD'S PAROLE Newsgroup: alt.native [All this was reported last week, but I want to share this poignant commentary from an elder and warrior] I'm REALLY pissed... NEWS BULLETIN!!! BULLETIN!!! BULLETIN!!! BULLETIN!!! 5:00PM 04May1998 LEONARD PELTIER'S PAROLE... "RECOMMENDATION THAT PAROLE BE DENIED" Just got the call from Leavenworth a few minutes ago. The sole Parole Commissioner that went to Leavenworth to hear out Leonard Peltier's request for parole, a Mr. Essex, showed up with..., Mr. Lynn Crooks, the prosecutor in Leonard's Trial, and..., the widow of FBI Agent Collier!!! Lynn Crooks is the piece of two-legged garbage who admitted that Leonard's in prison for murder that NO ONE CAN PROVE HE COMMITTED!!! (from "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse" by Peter Matthiessen, Viking 1983 (1991 hard-cover edition) pp. 574, in the Epilogue) "... With its ballistics evidence in tatters, the government knew it could never prove what [Prosecutor Lynn] Crooks had trumpeted to the Fargo jury in order to convict Peltier at any cost, and as early as 1982 - well before the evidentiary hearing at Bismarck - it had begun a cautious shift in its references to Peltier, making him out a mere aider and abettor. This came out in the open once and for all at the oral arguments before the appellate court in 1985, when Judge Gerald Heany reminded Crooks that in his closing polemic to the Fargo jury he had identified Peltier as "the man who came down and killed those FBI agents in cold blood." To this Crooks responded with a tacit admission that justice interested him much less than a conviction: "I'm a trial lawyer. I go for the best I can," he said. When Judge Donald Ross brought him back to this same point, Crooks exclaimed, "But we can't PROVE who shot those agents!" Crooks had told the truth at last. This Mr. Essex looked Leonard right in the eye this afternoon and repeated the almost same words..., "WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROVE YOU DID IT, BUT SOMEBODY IN INDIAN COUNTRY DID, AND YOU WERE THERE, SO SINCE SOMEONE'S GOT TO PAY FOR THIS, YOU'RE IT. I'M GOING TO RECOMMEND THAT PAROLE BE DENIED".. Do you believe this crap in "the land of the free and the home of the brave"??!! THIS is "American Justice"?! What a garbage country!!!! Is it any wonder that hundreds of millions of people around the world spit on the Stars & Stripes?! And ANYONE who sits there and does NOTHING about this is garbage too, as far as I'm concerned!!!!!! Oh really?! That doesn't include YOU?! What exactly have YOU done?! Have you gotten off your ass & actually phoned your congressman/woman/, or your senator? The Whitehouse? More than just once? Scared you might strain that finger? Or complained to your local news media? No..??? If you haven't done any of these things then you ARE garbage! Because by your very silence and inaction you agree that, "Hey! "ANY OLD INDIAN WILL DO! 'Cause SOMEBODY's GOTTA PAY!" ... Contrary to EVERY tenet of International Law, contrary to the Law of Nations, contrary to every fundamental of human decency, of morality...!! But what the hell, that's AMERICA! That's the reason that in EVERY country around the globe the USA is known as THE WHORE OF NATIONS!!!!! The American public? Hell, just throw them all a few hotdogs, a televised ball game to keep their brains from getting strained doing anything as strenuous as THINKING and they'll keep their mouths shut like the sheep that they are!! They hung Nazis for punishing those guilty by association alone, but if AMERICANS do EXACTLY the same thing it's OK, right?! No wonder the flowers wilt & livestock sickens in Canada every time the wind blows from the south... Any country that allows someone to rot in prison, when even the prosecution ADMITS he may be innocent, AND DOES NOTHING ABOUT IT is beneath contempt.. it's disgusting!!!!!!!!!!! SCREW THE USA, THE WHORE AMONG NATIONS!!! And every single American citizen that stands by & allows this to happen too!! --------- "RE: For Leonard Now More than Ever" --------- Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 02:24:08 -0400 From: not@inthe.game (justanoldman) Subj: FOR LEONARD NOW MORE THAN EVER! Newsgroups: alt.native,soc.culture.native d'laan'te'... Some of you who know me also know that I have been doing whatever one person can to get Leonard Peltier out of prison since about half an hour after his arrest at Smallboy's Camp on 06 February, 1976. I am no one special. No more or less than any one of you. I ask that you actually DO something to get Leonard out of prison & home where he belongs. The United States Parole Commission is presently deliberating as to whether or not to release Leonard on parole. Some jerk on this ng asked me, "You don't actually believe that parole is possible, do you?" My answer to those people is "YES I DO!!" Why the hell should I, or anyone else stop fighting in whatever way we can to get Leonard home?! If you don't believe it's possible, then just get the hell out of the way, anonymous "oh-I'm-so-helpless" fool, & let those of us who believe in justice for Leonard get on with doing EVERYTHING we can at EVERY opportunity, by EVERY means to get him OUT!! For the rest of us, those who are NOT whining, weak-kneed quitters, those who actually walk our talk instead of just giving lip service to action... please join me in the following ACTION CAMPAIGN... We have to get on the Parole Commission NOW, by email, FAX, snailmail & by any & every other way you can think of, to make SURE that they consider the FACTS... Start by sending an email letter to the US Parole Board NOW!!!! Follow up with signed faxes & snailmail. Leonard Peltier has paid with over 22 years of his life... the time email will cost you is nothing in comparison. So "IF" you believe in justice, "IF" you believe in Human Rights, "IF" you believe in Indian Rights, then DO SOMETHING BESIDES TALK ABOUT IT! Here are some sample letters to the US Parole Commission. Use them NOW. Address your letters to the United States Parole Commission AND, if you wish, you can put them to the attention of Mr. Sam Robertson (Mr. Robertson was the US Parole Board's Hearings Officer who had recommended parole for Leonard in 1995. Contrary to what some ignoramus previously posted, he was not demoted and is in fact now a full-fledged Commissioner on the US Parole Board.) PLEASE FEEL FREE TO: + print and mail the letter after signing it yourself + fax your letter to the Parole Commission after emailing it, so no one can say it wasn't received + write your own letters and fax them or send them by snailmail + post your own letters on any relevant listserves you may belong to in order to encourage others to write AND SEND IN their letters. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Here's a sample letter. (From NA-Net in 95, updated). Either copy, sign & send in as is or use it as a model for your own letter. United States Parole Commission 5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420 Chevy Chase, MD. 20815 FAX: (301) 492-6694 Dear Commissioner, I write to urge you to grant full parole to Mr. Leonard Peltier, Federal Inmate #89637-132, presently incarcerated in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Mr. Peltier has been incarcerated since 1976 - for no legitimate reason. This deprivation of Mr. Peltier's liberty has nothing to do with "justice." To the contrary, it has been done with the spirit of injustice to the extreme. The government - the FBI and U.S. Attorney - used all means available, legality notwithstanding, to insure the conviction of Mr. Peltier despite an utter lack of evidence against him, and despite a preponderance of evidence that: (1) Leonard Peltier did not commit the crimes for which he has been imprisoned, and, (2) the conviction of Leonard Peltier was obtained on fabricated evidence, coerced perjury on the part of witnesses, and deliberate perjury on the part of FBI agents. Leonard Peltier has paid for the crimes of the government, paid with the loss of over twenty-two years of his freedom. Think of what you have done with your own career and family in the last twenty-two years, and then imagine the drastic impact it would have had on your life had your freedom been taken away from you not because of anything you had actually done, but to cover up the corruption others. It is impossible to give Leonard Peltier back the time that has been taken from him. But because you are in this position of responsibility, you can and must do your part to restore justice in the U.S. You have been appointed to the position of Commissioner of the United States parole Commission because you have integrity and sense of morality and justice. You therefore have a moral responsibility to remove this stain on our government and our nation. I urge you to remember that by not setting this right, you are effectively embracing the corruption of those who fabricated evidence to engineer the incarceration of a man that even such moral degenerates as those who engineered his conviction have been forced to admit is innocent. I urge you to grant full parole to Mr. Leonard Peltier immediately. Sincerely, (Your Signature) (PS: I am forwarding a copy of this letter to you via US Mail.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SAMPLE LETTER #2 United States Parole Commission 5550 Friendship Blvd. Suite 420 Chevy Chase, MD. 20815 FAX: (301) 492-6694 Dear Commissioner, I am writing to urge you to parole Leonard Peltier as soon as humanly possible. Never has a case of government misconduct been so thoroughly documented yet this misconduct at the same time been so blatantly ignored. Examples of the government misconduct cited above (but far from a comprehensive list) include: * Leonard Peltier was extradited from Canada based on a perjured affidavit which had been coerced by FBI agents from a "witness" with no less than three (3) differing versions of the events * The judge barred most of the overwhelming amount of evidence in Peltier's defense, evidence which cleared his co-defendants of the same charges for the same crime before another court of law * The judge at Leonard Peltier's trial allowed FBI agents to perjure themselves by giving statements that contradicted their own written reports and their own testimony at the earlier trial of two other men who were acquitted of the same charges. * An FBI agent testified about key ballistics evidence while his own memos - suppressed until well after Peltier's conviction - showed his testimony to be utterly false. Leonard Peltier was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, without ever having a fair trial. Despite FBI documents demonstrating that the original evidence against him was falsified and fabricated, he has been denied all appeals. The prosecutor has admitted in court on several occasions that THE PROSECUTION DOES NOT KNOW WHO SHOT THOSE FBI AGENTS! Yet Leonard Peltier remains in prison. Leonard Peltier has widespread support from around the world: over 35 million people have signed petitions for his release: support for the immediate release of Leonard peltier has been expressed by over 50 members of the US Congress, more than 50 members of the Canadian Parliament, and the European Parliament, the Belgian Parliament, the Italian Parliament, the Dutch and Danish Parliaments have ALL passed resolutions calling on the United States of America to either release Mr. Peltier or, at the very least, undertake a Congressional Review of his case. He is the ONLY person that Amnesty International has listed as being a political prisoner in the United States. His release has been requested for years by the National Association of Christians and Jews, the American Council of Churches and the canadian Council of Churches. Bishop Desmond Tutu, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum, and South African President Nelson Mandela have also expressed their opinion that Mr. Peltier is wrongfully incarcerated. (And the latter two personages should certainly recognize injustice when they see it.) There is presently a formal Motion tabled in the House of Commons of the Parliament of Canada demanding that the government immediately return Mr. Peltier to Canadian soil. Canada;s Supreme Court found, in 1989, that Mr. Peltier had been extradited from canada to the USA on the basis of "fraudulent affidavits" and this court recommended that the Government of Canada seek "immediate redress through whatever diplomatic channels be available". I respectfully draw your attention to a declaration made by Mr Justice R. H. Jackson, Chief of the Prosecution for the United States of America (and later US Supreme Court Justice) during his Opening Statement at at the Trial of the Major War Criminals before the International Military Tribunal at Nuremburg. "... The United States believes that the law has long afforded standards by which a juridical hearing could be conducted to make sure that we punish only the right men and for the right reasons." (Transcript Volume II. Proceedings: 11/14/1945-11/30/1945. [Official text in the English language.] Nuremberg: IMT, 1947. pp. 100.) The FACT that this cornerstone of law has been completely disregarded in the case of Mr. Leonard Peltier is a disgusting travesty of justice, making an absolute mockery of America's oft-touted ideals of justice and civil rights, and contravenes every international covenant concerning judicial process to which the USA is signatory. I urge and beseech you to immediately remove this blight on justice in the U.S. by releasing Leonard Peltier. Thank you for your time. I pray you'll make a choice for justice rather than support prejudice, racism, and abuse of power. Sincerely, (Your Signature) (PS: I am forwarding a copy of this letter to you via US Mail.) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Well people, you now have two (2) sample letters that you can copy, sign & send. Or write your own, sign it & send it. You have the street address AND the fax number for the United States Parole Commission. All you have to contribute is the will power to ACT & the price of a stamp or fax to actually send that letter. Is that really so much to ask? Incarceration is the most horrible sanction short of death that any society can impose on any human being. In this case the human being, Leonard Peltier, is ENTIRELY innocent of the charges of murder for which he stands convicted. If you can't be bothered to ACT, to show some backbone and to STAND UP FOR JUSTICE FOR LEONARD, what makes you think that anyone will stand up and act when you, or someone close to you, are subjected to the same treatment? Think about it. ACT NOW!! masi:cho... --------- "RE: Bear Butte Forum" --------- Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 03:35:39 -0600 (MDT) From: Wolfsongs/Cherokee Productions Subj: Bear Butte Forum UUCP email Fourth meeting to consider alternatives for use of Bear Butte for ceremonial use. The previous group meeting states that family camping and non-ceremonial use must be moved to an alternative location to be decided in the future. There was considerable discussion about restricting who should have access to the area. Suggestions ranged from relying on guidance from spiritual leaders and medicine men to identify who had access to restricting use to those wit APPROPRIATE DOCUMENTATION OF TRIBAL ENROLLMENT. It was also suggested that access be limited only to those people from the Cheyenne, Sioux and Arapaho tribes. All agreed that some controls needed to be imposed but identifying them is difficult to accomplish. The group agreed that all materials used for prayer offerings should be natural rather than synthetic and the size should be kept as small as possible to "minimize the visual impact on the mountains natural beauty." The group also suggested that items not meeting the requirements be removed. Which means....that cloth can no longer be used as prayer ties and that even if they are made from buckskin, etc they must be immediately removed from Bear Butte, and not kept on the hill as is traditionally done. The issue of Ceremonial Trail Renovation...The group consensus was that the Ceremonial Trail NOT be reconstructed for recreation use and the lower platform NOT be rebuilt. However, the group felt the trail should be rebuilt for ceremonial use only, while still providing ceremonial users with a linkage to the Summit Trail. Fire Protection Issue...Wide spectrum of discussion and the main concern dealt with possible relocation of the sweatlodge fires however it was decided that limited camping in the area would limit the other fires and the sweatlodge fires may already be in the safest location. Bison Herd Management--- The group clearly agreed the size and range for the herd should be expanded but felt that it should be contained rather than allow free roaming. Education and Interpretation--- The group suggested increased Native American involvement in the interpretive and educational efforts at Bear Butte. Comprehensive Management Plan--- Suggested an official advisory board be established to provide ongoing input into the management of Bear Butte. Now...all that having been said...the breakdown options... Issue: Overcrowding: Today's meeting could not get past the first issue of Overcrowding with many strong opinions voiced from participants regarding usage of Bear Butte. A Majority felt that non natives should be restricted from being able to come to ceremonies at Bear Butte. Option 1 - Restrict Use at Religious Use Area Implement a registration/reservation system Limit # of people allowed at any one time Limit duration of stay Allow entry for TRIBAL MEMBERS ONLY Other? Option 2 - Relocate use at Religious Use area Remove family camping from religious use area Move to off site location Move to nearby site east of Highway 79 Move to existing campground west of Highway 79 Move to new location near Bear Butte Lake Develop inter-connection trail system ISSUE: Prayer Cloths Management Options: Option 1- Limit Type and Leave in Place Limit size of prayer offerings Limit material to bio-degradable material All others removed when encountered Consider ceremonial cleanup every four years Option 2- No Restrictions, Hold Annual Cleanup No limitations on size or material Coordinate annual spring cleanup with tribes Other Issue: Resource Management (Ceremonial Trail Renovation) Management Options: Option 1-Rehabilitate and modify the Ceremonial Trail and other Access Trails Access to Ceremonial Trail for ceremonial use only Do not intersect with Summit Trail Construct minimum number of trails needed to access different ceremonial sites from religious use area and restrict all traffic to those trails. Option 2- Revegetable (Eliminate) Ceremonial Trail Limit Off-Trail traffic by ceremonial users Other? Issue: Resource Management (Fire Protection) Management Options: Option 1-Improve fire protection standards in existing religious use area Require all fires in approved grates Meet minimum safety requirements for outdoor Fireplaces Conduct routine prescribed burns and maintain clear safety zones Ban all fires during periods of high winds and/or high fire danger index Option 2-Relocate Sweatlodge fires and camping fires to alternative location Select site in terms of fire safety and access Provide appropriate water source and fire equipment Other? Issue: Resource Management (Bison Herd Management) Management Options: Option 1- Securely Fence Park Perimeter and Allow Bison to free range would allow for better vegetative management Would result in more visitor/user interaction-possible safety issues? Option 2- Expand Bison Pasture but continue to confine and separate from users Better control of herd Better able to ensure they can be viewed by public Issue: Education and Interpretation Option 1 Create a resource group to assist GFP in the renovation and expansion of interpretive exhibits and program Option 2- Reduce GFP involvement in interpretation at Bear Butte Increase NA role in interpretive displays and programs Explore NA employment opportunities The last issue was to develop a comprehensive plan for Bear Butte that balances the needs of all user groups and preservation of the sites natural and cultural significance Having said all that.... The main basic issue, that of overcrowding was the only one discussed with very strong feelings both pro and con for non enrolled tribal members to be able to use Bear Butte for ceremony or to participate in them. Speaking only for myself, my personal feelings is that the government has no authority to restrict, limit or impose standards in any way, upon Indian people concerning their ceremonial usage of sacred sites. I argued this point in the forum meeting with strong arguments by the Park Service. I pointed out the fact that most of our children and grandchildren are unable to become enrolled tribal members of most nations because of our intermarriage to non natives, therefore would they be deprived of their heritage rights of ceremonial spiritual prayers because they were not card carrying? Are only the Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho nations spiritual enough to use the sacred sites? The Cheyenne nation members there agreed and stated that they wished, at least for the northern part of Bear Butte, that they hold as tribal lands, to remain open for ALL nations to use and were welcome to come to their side of the Butte to do ceremonies. There was no final decision made on any of the issues and Rosalie Little Thunder suggested the Rosebud Sioux host a traditional meeting at the lodge the tribe owns near the Butte for all nations to come and discuss the issues and resolve them. The date will be announced in the future for the meeting. People need to be aware that there is governmental controls starting to be put in place to manage and restrict our sacred ceremonial sites with their rules and regulations as to when, who and how they can be conducted. "And least we forget - While Lincoln was freeing the slaves, he was hanging the Dakota." Maryann and those Honorable Dakota who paid the ultimate price for their beliefs. Wolfsongs/Cherokee Productions Black Hills, Lakota Territory --------- "RE: The Bison of Yellowstone Park" --------- From: Duegon@webtv.net (Willow Butler) Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 20:59:08 -0400 Subj: The Bison of Yellowstone Park... UUCP email Hau Mita Kolapi, Well once again..... the bison are caught in the middle. On 5- 9-98 The Cleveland Plain Dealer published an article written By Tom Kenworthy of The Washington Post, the headline read as follows, "Discord afoot in Park Service plan for bison". I am pleased to see, that even as far north/east as Cleveland Ohio, the tribulations of the Yellowstone National Parks bison can still be heard. It is no secret that there is an ongoing problem in the management of the Yellowstone bison herds and the disease (brucellosis). Aside from the management issue not being a simple task, there is also a problem with harmony between the National Park Services which run the Parks and the U.S. Department of Agriculture whose animal, plant and health inspection services job is to stomp out diseases such as the brucellosis which is carried by some of the bison. There is however a disagreement on just how much of a threat the bison pose to cattle..."It makes a person stop and wonder"...Federal agencies and Montana State Government are often at odds with each other. Montana State Gov. demands high vigilance against the disease brucellosis which causes cows to abort their calves, but yet, brucellosis has not been known to be transmitted in the wild between the bison and the cattle..."Again it makes a person wonder". After the massive Buffalo hunts in the 19th century, only two dozen wild roaming animals remained. Now their descendants face harsh winters that force them to forge for food outside the Yellowstone Parks boundary lines. What is so very disturbing is the fact that these animals are slaughtered by the hundreds by State and Federal sharpshooters some of which are sure to claim they are waiting for a more humane way...This past winter nearly a third of the 3,400 bison herd was cut down, this, to me is an alarming figure. Now, after a decade of toil, the officials say they have come up with a comprehensive management plan for the Parks bison which is soon to be unvailed but in the same breath, they openly admit that they are still in disagreement over many of the issues at hand. Also to add to the chaos the environmentalists have put the plan under attack saying it gives the Montana cattle industry to much authority. The management plan was designed to prevent the wholesale slaughter of the bison, protect the Montana cattle industry and stop the inter-agency bickering...none of which look like things that are going to happen in the near future. It would seem logical that instead of each side working against the other, a joining of the forces would be the way to go...only this would make things a little to easy and unfortunately in the mean time the bison are the ones who will suffer at the hands of the sharpshooters and the inhumane acts targeted against them. If you would like to voice your opinion, write to the Yellowstone National Parks and/or The Montana State Gov. The more voices heard the stronger the word. Pilamaya Mends the hoop http://www.angelfire.com/hi/newpoetsandpoems THE BALANCE OF LIFE 'LOVE' --------- "RE: Shawnee Receive Oklahoma Recognition" --------- Date: Sat, 09 May 1998 22:25:21 -0500 From: "James R. Squirrel" Subj: Loyal Shawnee Receive Oklahoma State Recognition UUCP email Loyal Shawnee Receive State Recognition On Monday, March 16, 1989, Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating signed a Joint Resolution recognizing The Loyal Shawnee as a tribe separate and apart from the Cherokee Nation. "We have been a part of the Cherokee Nation for nearly 130 years, and this is the first step toward being federally recognized. "The tribe still must win recognition by the government before we can achieve total independence," Tribal Chairman Don Greenfeather said. The resolution was presented before the State Senate where it was unanimously passed, 48-0, on Monday, March 2, 1998. After the Senate passed the resolution, it was then presented in the State's House of Representatives where the bill passed 58 - 34 on Wednesday, March 11, 1998. The resolution was introduced in the Senate by Senator Rick Littlefield, D-Grove, and presented in the House by Representatives Larry Roberts, D- Miami; Joe Eddins, D-Vinita; and Bill Settle,D-Muskogee. Being recognized by the State of Oklahoma and by several federally recognized tribes in the area, this will give us the much needed support to present a bill before the United States Congress. The Loyal Shawnee Tribe would like to thank the Peoria, Ottawa, Miami, Eastern Shawnee, Modoc, Quapaw, Wyandotte and Seneca-Cayuga tribes for their assistance in obtaining our state recognition; and especially Senator Littlefield for authoring and sponsoring this resolution. The tribal council will continue to pursue our federal recognition. When we receive federal recognition, each individual will have to decide if they want to become a member of the Loyal Shawnee Tribe or the Cherokee Tribe. --------- "RE: EJ Internships at Ward Valley" --------- Date: Tue, 5 May 1998 17:42:56 -0700 (MST) From: swv1@ctaz.com (Save Ward Valley) Subj: EJ Internships at Ward Valley UUCP email SUMMER ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE INTERNSHIPS NEEDLES, CALIFORNIA: WARD VALLEY The environmental organization Greenaction is seeking students for a summer internship program based in Needles, California. Students will work with local Indian Nations, community, and environmental organizations in the campaign to protect the area from the radioactive waste dump proposed for Ward Valley in the Mojave Desert, near the Colorado River. Students interested in environmental studies, environmental justice and environmental racism, community organizing, Native American cultural issues, or political science are encouraged to apply. Student interns must be self-funded through school programs or other grants. Interns will work under the supervision of Greenaction's Executive Director. Interns will work closely with the Native American programs coordinator and the Save Ward Valley office coordinator. Interns will work out of the Save Ward Valley office in Needles, CA and in the field. Field work will include community outreach and education, writing of reports and assistance with newsletters, and monitoring of industry and government activity on the proposed dump project. Interns will work with the Fort Mojave, Chemehuevi, Cocopah, Quechan, and Colorado River Indian Tribes to help provide current information about the dump project and the campaign. For more information send a letter of interest or call: Bradley Angel, Greenaction 915 Cole Street, POB 249 San Francisco, CA 94117 Phone 415/566-3475 FAX 415/566-5079 Save Ward Valley 107 F St. Needles, CA 92363 ph. 760/326-6267 fax 760/326-6268 http://www.shundahai.org/SWVAction.html http://earthrunner.com/savewardvalley http://www.ctaz.com/~swv1 http://banwaste.envirolink.org http://www.alphacdc.com/ien/wardvly4.html http://www.wildrockies.org/cmcr --------- "RE: UAINE Petition" --------- Date: Sat, 02 May 1998 20:37:37 GMT From: johnny@SBLOCKWildfieldStudios.com (Pope-About-Town) Subj: United American Indians of New England petition Newsgroup: alt.native United American Indians of New England http://idt.net/~uaine19/ Please print this petition out and return to UAINE address below. We, the undersigned, wish to express our outrage over the police assault on Native Americans and their supporters in Plymouth, Massachusetts on November 27, 1997, U.S. "Thanksgiving" day. On that day, hundreds of Native Americans and their supporters gathered in Plymouth, Mass. to observe the 28th National Day of Mourning, organized by United American Indians of New England. Their peaceful march was attacked by about 150 police from the Plymouth Police Dept., Mass. State Troopers, and other police agencies. During the assault, the cops used pepper spray and mace in the eyes of elders and children. People wearing buttons or T-shirts demanding freedom for Native political prisoner Leonard Peltier were singled out for harassment and arrest. This completely unprovoked assault resulted in the arrests of 25 women and men from all four directions -- Indigenous people from North and Central America, Black, Latino, Asian, and white, straight, lesbian, and gay -- on charges ranging from assembly without a permit to assault and battery on a police officer. The ages of those arrested ranged from 20 to 67 years old. UAINE P.O. Box 7501 Quincy, MA 02269 617 773-0406 Email: uaine19@idt.net --------- "RE: Stolen Seeds" --------- Date: Tue, 5 May 1998 23:35:08 -0600 (MDT) From: Rosalie Little Thunder Subj: Stolen Seeds UUCP email A very dear friend of mine collected some seeds and was on his way to North Carolina to help with the planting at the Pepperland Farm Camp and would you believe..someone ransacked the vehicle? Whoever it was, got away with personal belongings and the seeds!! He's heartsick about this, but undaunted. Do you know where we can get seeds quickly? I can try to find some funds to replace the seeds, but you know how that works...it takes precious time to raise funds. I think the easiest solution is to ask for seeds to be sent directly so they can get on with the planting. Pepperland Farm Camp Rt. 4 Box 255B Murphy NC 28906 Dustyn's been a great help at Ward Valley (nuclear waste dump protest) and also at Buffalo Nations (buffalo slaughter prevention). He's somewhat behind schedule because of his efforts at these sites. I hate to see him set back because of someone's thoughtlessness. Good things always happen though. Thank you for whatever you can do to help out this situation. Rosalie --------- "RE: Zapatista Library Request" --------- Date: Sat, 2 May 1998 02:51:29 -0700 (PDT) From: mexicopeace@igc.apc.org (Mexicopeace) Subj: Zapatista Library Request Mailing List: Chiapas-L (chiapas-l@profmexis.dgsca.unam.mx) Oventic Library Technology May 1, 1998 Does anyone know of an effective way to protect books and computers in the middle of a rain cloud? This summer we hope to finish construction on a library facility at Oventic Aguascalientes II as a part of the first autonomous, indigenous junior high school in Chiapas, MEXICO. Many books have already been donated and we hope to find more by the summer. However the climate in the highlands of Chiapas is challenging to the printed word with humidity staying at about 110%. What can we do to protect the books (and computers) at the Oventic library? The library facility will be of concrete block with concrete floor similar to the classrooms that can be seen on our web site listed below. There is usually electricity available. The indigenous school board at Oventic Aguacalientes II has requested that we investigate both low and high tech solutions to this problem. Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Please forward this message to folks who might have good ideas. >****************************************************** A. Cultural and Educational Exchanges in Chiapas, MEXICO: Join Mexican and international "tourists of conscience" as we live and work in a Zapatista educational and cultural center helping create the first autonomous, indigenous junior high school in Chiapas, MEXICO! After a lively bus trip from Mexico City (air option available) each team will spend two weeks in Oventic Aguascalientes II hosted by Mayan rebels just 45 minutes from San Cristobal de la Casas in the cool, misty mountains of the Mexican southeast. (Four and six week options are also available.) B. Skills required: The key skill for successful participation on these unique trips is a respect for human diversity and enormous patience. Knowledge of construction is not necessary; Mayan language skills useful, but not not required. (Free daily classes will be offered in Mayan and Spanish.) Living conditions will be rustic living in dormitories with bunks or in personal tents. Food will be basic and prepared on open fires. The weather will be unpredictable, but will probably include rain and cold. No particular construction skills are required! Our major work begins and ends in our home communities. In Chiapas much of the effort of "tourists of conscience" will involve carrying sand, gravel and cement blocks with the goal of completing construction on a dormitory, kitchen, library, and bathrooms for the 400 student boarding school. In addition, particular skills which might be used include knowledge of fruit trees, computers, sanitation, solar heating and cooking, plumbing, poultry, carpentry, masonry, baking, medical, electrical, painters, mechanics, musical, theater, shoe making, and library science. You may or may not be able to utilize these skills. (More information will arrive after you complete your application.) C. Expenses Cost from Mexico City will be equal to two weeks of the national minimum wage of your country of residence. In the US: $5.25 / hour X 80 hours = $420. Students and retired pay 20% less US = $346. This price includes bus transportation from Mexico City, photo credential, food in Chiapas, housing, administrative overhead, and donation for tools and construction materials. >******************************************** Help build a popular bilingual Junior High School in Zapatista territory! We invite you to participate in the effort to build a school for Indian children in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas. Since beginning an seemingly impossible rebellion three years ago, the indigenous people of Chiapas have survived and are moving forward with an ambitious educational project. Their struggle for human dignity has inspired international attention and welcomes your support. This summer teams of Mexicans and internationalists will work with the indigenous of Chiapas to build a popular, bilingual education center in the Zapatista civilian community of Oventic. This Junior High School will provide a new style of education for Indian youth and will be directly administered by civilian indigenous Zapatistas. We are excited to facilitate the involvement of others in the inspiring process of social change sweeping Chiapas and all of Mexico. We know from personal experience that every participant on a construction team, like those who support us from home, will gain far more from our indigenous Mayan hosts they could ever give back. Join us in the highlands of Chiapas! >**************************************** Coupon to send funds (you can just email this and send the cash by snail mail) YES! I'll help promote schools not violence in Chiapas! My donation support your ongoing efforts is in the mail. Circle one: $25 $50 $85 $125 $500 Other $___ OK! I'll sell one packet of twenty, five dollar bonds to raise $100 for school construction. YES! I'll pledge $100 every month to sponsor one student in the junior high school of hope. CALL ME! I'd like to sell bonds, sponsor a house meeting, or volunteer in the office. ____________________________________________ Name Phones ____________________________________________ Address Zip E-mail Checks should be made out to Grass Roots Events, a tax exempt California corporation. Chiapas School Construction Teams / San Diegans for Peace in Mexico 3909 Centre Street #B, San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 232-2841 FAX(619) 232-0500 >********************************************************** A. To receive updates about the junior high school at Oventic Aguascalientes II at the rate of two three messages every month, please send the following message to mexicopeace@igc.apc.org: subscribe maya penpals B. To receive update about the junior high school at Oventic Aguascalientes II about once a month, please send the following message to mexicopeace@igc.apc.org: subscribe mexicopeace --------- "RE: Uashat Band Council Loses Appeal" --------- Date: Mon, 4 May 1998 11:28:49 -0300 From: Larry Innes Subj: NEWS: Uashat Band Council Loses Appeal Mailing List: Innu People Forum list Band loses appeal MONTREAL - Native band councils have no right to prevent individual members from initiating legal proceedings, the Quebec Court of Appeal has ruled. It was asked by the*Innu*band council of Mani-Utenam, northeast of Quebec City, to reject a request for an injunction by two band members who had asked for an injunction to stop a nearby mining venture, claiming they have ancestral rights to the area. The band council - which has been negotiating a land-claims settlement with the province - argued that any injunction could hurt the talks and asked that any hearings into the dissidents' request be postponed for one year. The court of appeal rejected the band council's arguments. --------- "RE: Peabody Coal To Expand" --------- Date: 5:13 PM May 1, 1998 From: saiic@igc.apc.org Subj: Big Mountain: Peabody Coal To Expand Mailing List: Big Mountain List Quoting from Akwesasne Notes Spring 1989: "Peabody Coal Company is planning to strip mine an additional 54,000 acres on the Hopi Partitioned Lands.... According to minutes of a secret meeting obtained by Akwesasne Notes, the project is being designed to be on-line in eight to twelve years." "The coal company officials estimated that 300-500 million tons of coal lie just beneath the surface of the proposed site located in an undisclosed area 'just south' of the existing Black Mesa leases." "The meeting was also notable for the specificity of its plans. The representatives from Peabody's Western Division told the Hopi officials that the US government is pressuring Japan to buy more American coal to ease the balance of payments outflow; Peabody is having some luck in identifying markets, hoping to finalize its Japanese markets; Tokyo Electric Company plans to build a 2,000 megawatt power plant; Peabody plans to build a 300 million dollar railroad, the 'Alameda Corridor' to move the coal from Black Mesa to west coast ports; authorities in Long Beach and Los Angeles have agreed to upgrade their port facilities to handle the coal shipments; Black Mesa coal is the closest reserve to Los Angeles; the entire project will take eight years to develop; and Peabody wants to begin now." [let's see, what's 1989 + 8?] "At the closed meeting, the company's Executive Vice President virtually cautioned the Hopi officials to conclude the relocation in order to avoid a community-based challenge to their exploration plans. 'We don't want to be involved in the Navajo-Hopi land dispute' he said." A consortium of US and Japanese companies named Los Angeles Export Terminal (LAXT Corporation) has built the west coast's largest coal and coke handling facility at the Port of Los Angeles, with a capacity of 10 million tons per year, expandable to 20 million. (For perspective, total US coal exports are around 100 million tons/year, US coal imports are under 15 million tons/year, Peabody's existing Black Mesa mines produce 11 million tons/year, and Peabody's total coal sales are 163 million tons/year.) An opening ceremony was set for December 3 1997, but the first shipment was actually completed in October. See their web site at www.worldportla.com/laexport.htm for details. It appears www.portla.com is the same as www.worldportla.com. The Alameda Corridor is expected to be completed in 2001 for $1.8 billion including port, state, and maybe federal funds. It is designed to handle up to 100 trains per day, each up to 2 miles in length (this is for all kinds of traffic, not just coal). Its description refers only to development in the immediate vicinity of the port, not a long-distance link. The Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority is composed of ports, railroads, local governments, and "others". See their web sites at www.scbbs.com/alameda/alameda.htm and www.worldportla.com/alameda.htm for details. Of LAXT shareholders, listed under "Electric Utility" is Japan Coal Development Corp (based in Tokyo; I haven't had time to research who is behind this), and listed under "Coal Producers" are: Andalex Resources ARCO Coal Terminal Canyon Fuel Cyprus Western Coal Lorencito Marketing Former shareholder Coastal Corporation, with mines in Utah, was bought by ARCO and Itochu. Other shareholders are listed under transportation, trading, construction, and oil refinery categories. Neither Peabody nor the Energy Group are in the list. In November 1997, LAXT said the facility will be primarily used by the shareholders, but is open for use by others. Commonwealth has already shipped some. While refusing to divulge names until "coal is on the ground", it said other companies may begin shipping as soon as early 1998. LAXT says destinations are primarily Japan, but other Pacific Rim and Latin American countries are possibilities. Apparently much of what has been handled by LAXT so far is petroleum coke. My dictionary says coke is "a solid fuel obtained by heating coal so as to remove its gases". The Port of LA Shipping Handbook says petroleum coke is a "byproduct from Los Angeles area oil refineries". The McGraw Encyclopedia of Science & Technology says 95% of coke is used in blast furnaces and foundries, ie for making metals, but it has a variety of other uses, and petroleum coke is primarily used as fuel. UBE Industries runs the Okinoyama Coal Center, in Yamaguchi Prefecture, the largest coal storage site in Japan. They say they have focussed on Australian coal; I haven't had time to research how much they may import from the US now or in the future. UBE is also researching new fuels based on Coal Water Mixture. >From their web site (www.ube-ind.co.jp/contents_e/ar-02-04.htm): Domestic demand for coal is expected to escalate from 1998 when several boilers currently under construction at major users' facilities, primarily electric power generation stations, commence operations. In anticipation, UBE Industries is adapting its operations at the Okinoyama Coal Center to increase the volume of coal it is capable of shipping. As existing ship- loading facilities at the center are operating at close to full capacity, the Company is constructing a second loading line to meet the expected rise in demand. The new line will have a loading capacity of 1,000 tons an hour and, once operational, will boost the annual loading capacity at the Okinoyama Coal Center 1.8 million tons, to 4.5 million tons. >From their web site (www.ube-ind.co.jp/contents_e/ar-02-06.htm): UBE Ammonia Industry, Ltd.'s coal-gasification facilities-the only such facilities in Japan-produce 380,000 tons of ammonia annually. In the latter part of 1996, UBE Ammonia will completely convert from using coal to petrocoke as a raw material in its ammonia operations. Petrocoke, an end product of oil refining processes, contains more calories, is less expensive, and releases far less ash during combustion than coal. In light of these advantages, UBE Ammonia has already converted 80% of its raw material procurement from coal to petrocoke. UBE Ammonia procures the majority of the petrocoke needed for its operations from U.S. oil refining companies, including UBE Industries (America), Inc. As many of the chemical production processes performed at the factories in Ube use ammonia as a raw material, the cost savings resulting from the changeover to petrocoke will have a ripple effect throughout these operations. In October 1995, UBE Industries formed a new subsidiary, UBE Industries (Shipping) Ltd, that will operate a fleet comprising 15 cement tankers and one tanker each for transporting limestone and coal. >From their web site (www.ube-ind.co.jp/contents_e/ar-03.htm): UBE Industries has amended its articles of association to enable it enter the electric power wholesale business. from www.kobelco.co.jp/p001/pr970120e.htm: TOKYO (January 20, 1997) -- Kobe Steel, Ltd. announces that it has been awarded a contract today to supply electricity to The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. The electricity will be generated at the Kobe Works and Kakogawa Works of Kobe Steel, both located in Hyogo Prefecture in western Japan. Roughly 158 billion yen is expected to be invested in new facilities for power generation. At Kobe Works, Kobe Steel plans to invest about 150 billion yen to construct a coal-burning power plant with a capacity of 700,000 kilowatts of electricity. When the power plant begins operation in April 2002, it will supply 659,000 kilowatts to Kansai Electric. In the future, Kobe Steel plans to build an additional 700,000-kilowatt power plant. Together, the two plants will yield a total of 1.4 million kilowatts. Kakogawa Works is planning to supply electricity to Kansai Electric from April 1999 using recycled heat from coke dry quenching equipment (CDQ). www.fepc.or.jp/pre96/pre080402.html has statistics on planned Japanese coal plants. Tokyo Electric Power brought the 1000MW coal-fired Shinchi Thermal Power Station online in 1994. I think this is the same one that goes by the names Soma Kyodo and Soma Cooperative Thermal Power Plant. They have been developing Integrated Coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology, and have conducted pilot-scale operational tests, but I haven't had time to research other developments, nor who their US suppliers may be. Peabody has coal mines in Australia, undoubtedly on indigenous land. Japan imports coal from Australia. For example, 60% of the coal for the Shinchi coal plant at Soma Kyodo, which is jointly owned by Tokyo Electric and Tohoku Electric, comes from Australia. I haven't had time to research whether these are connected. from www.soma.or.jp/~soma-shi/english/html/10_03.html: Soma Cooperative Thermal Power Plant is situated on approximately 170 hectares of the Soma Central Industrial Estate East Area, and turbines no. 1 and 2 are in operation. A third and fourth turbine are also being planned. This power station is built on reclaimed land. Two coal-fired unit generating a million kilowatts respectively, are fired by imported coal, and the station uses 4,500,000 tons of coal annually. from www.soma.or.jp/~soma-shi/english/html/10_01.html: Soma Port, which handles coal and other products and is adjacent to the power plant, is expanding its capacity, completion date 2001. The completion dates of both the Alameda Corridor and the Soma Port expansion are 2001, just after the deadline for relocation. Perhaps this is just a coincidence. Does anyone know when the Black Mesa mining lease expires? Contacts for more information: Port of Los Angeles general info 310-732-7678 Port of Los Angeles, Public Affairs Barbara Yamamoto (310) 732-3506 mailing address: Port of Los Angeles, POB 151, San Pedro, CA 90733-0150 Los Angeles Export Terminal, Inc. (LAXT) main number 310-732-1101 LAXT terminal operator 310-514-2300 LAXT public relations 213-966-5727 Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority, Veronica Soto 310-816-1780 Tokyo Electric Power (English) Tokyo Electric Power main web site, requires ability to read Japanese language, and to view it you must either have Japanese language support installed on your PC or access it via www.shodouka.com/ with graphics enabled. While the English web site has a significant amount of info, it is a subset of the larger amount of info on the Japanese site. Tokyo Electric Power, Washington DC office: (202) 457-0790, email stephanie@wash.tepco.com www.soma.or.jp/~soma-shi/english/menu.html Soma website www.tepco.co.jp/common/wwwlistoe-e.html has links to all the major Japanese electric power companies. www.ube-ind.co.jp UBE Industries main web site http://ns.ube-ind.co.jp/contents_e/ UBE Industries English Kobe Steel, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan tel (03) 3218-6055 fax (03) 5252-7961 e-mail www-admin@kobelco.co.jp URL http://www.kobelco.co.jp ------------- South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) P.O. Box 28703 Oakland CA, 94604 Phone: (510)834-4263 Fax: (510)834-4264 Email: saiic@igc.apc.org Office: 1714 Franklin Street, 3rd Floor, Oakland Home Page: http://www.nativeweb.org/saiic ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Carol F. L. Liu Research Analyst Queens Borough Public Library 89-11 Merrick Boulevard Jamaica, NY 11432 718-990-0890; fax 718-291-8936 cliu@queens.lib.ny.us --------- "RE: BC Bids to Speed Treaty Talks" --------- Date: Thu, 7 May 1998 01:56:53 -0800 From: SISIS@envirolink.org (S.I.S.I.S.) Subj: BC: "system in overload" :-:-:-:-:-:-:-Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty-:-:-:-:-:-:-: BC BIDS TO SPEED TREATY TALKS Victoria Times-Colonist, April 16, 1998, page A6 [S.I.S.I.S. note: The following mainstream news article may contain biased or distorted information and may be missing pertinent facts and/or context. It is provided for reference only.] The treaty process in BC is moving too slowly and top-level meetings are underway to try to unblock the logjam, says Aboriginal Affairs Minister Dale Lovick. Government business has been thrown into confusion since the landmark Delgamuukw ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada in December, which asserted native rights to traditional lands, putting everything from natural resource revenues to Crown land applications in doubt. Three days of intense meetings between representatives of the federal and provincial governments and the First Nations Summit were held in Vancouver last week. Another session is planned for later this month. Lovick said in an interview Wednesday. A report from the tripartite talks will be submitted by April 30 and will then go to cabinet. They system is in overload and in Crown land applications the government is caught between people applying for permits and native interests, Lovick said. Liberal critic Mike de Jong said the government should not be hiding behind closed-door meetings on something as important as a new treaty negotiation mandate. "BC is facing the single biggest issue in the history of the province and this minister doesn't want to tell us what the provincial decision is," he said. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: Letters to the Times-Colonist - mailto:timesc@interlink.bc.ca In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty P.O. Box 8673, Victoria, "B.C." "Canada" V8X 3S2 EMAIL: SISIS@envirolink.org WWW: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/SISmain.html --------- "RE: Cayuga Nation Response" --------- Date: Fri, 8 May 1998 07:53:54 -0400 (EDT) From: mfadden@slic.com Subj: Re: Actions Taken by Cayuga Nation to 'Clean House' UUCP email Please post this in response to the message posted about the Cayuga Nation entitled "Actions Taken by Cayuga Nation to 'Clean House'" Niawen, Mary -------------------------------------------------------- Forwarded Message: -------------------------------------------------------- CAYUGA NATION P.O. BOX 11 VERSAILLES, NEW YORK 14168-0011 (716)532-4847 TELEPHONE (716)532-5417 FAX April 30, 1998 To All Interested Parties: Greetings from the Cayuga Nation Chiefs, Clanmothers and People. We hope all is well. The Cayuga Nation is responding to the letter dated April 30, 1998, by Michael Campbell and Frank Bonamie. These two individuals have no authority to speak for or represent the Cayuga Nation. The individuals who claim to represent the Cayuga Nation in that letter of April 30, 1998, do not. The Cayuga Nation does not have a "Men's and Women's Council". The Cayuga Nation is governed by the Traditional Council of Chiefs and Clanmothers. The governing body of the Cayuga Nation is Chief Vernon Isaac (bear), Clint Halftown (heron), William Chuck Jacobs (heron), Gary Wheeler (turtle), Timothy Twoguns (turtle), Heron Clanmother Bernadette Birdie Hill, Bear Clanmother Marie Thompson and Acting Turtle Clanmother Lena Pierce. The Wolf and Snipe Clan's at this time have no representatives. At this time, the only condoled Chief of the Cayuga Nation is Vernon Isaac. Chief Isaac and the Cayuga Nation Council is recognized by the Haudenosaunee, the United States Government and the State of New York. The Cayuga Nation would expect that any and all correspondence received from these individuals, Frank Bonamie, Michael Wheeler, Burt Arthur Parker, Christian Borrelli, Heman Doctor, Michael Campbell, Samuel Campbell, Catherine Rombaut, Edna Printup, Carol LaPorte, Gloria Borrelli, Corline Campbell, Kate John, Vicky Parker and Jacquelyn Fields, be disregarded. The above listed people do not represent the Cayuga Nation and have no authority to speak on behalf of the Cayuga Nation. The Cayuga Nation is embarrassed by the action's of the above listed Cayuga perpetrator's who do not understand the traditional ways of the Cayuga Nation or of the Haudenosaunee. The Cayuga Nation is sorry to involve you in the internal matters of the Nation. If you should need further understanding of whom the impostor's of the "Men's and Women's Council" are, please feel free to call the Cayuga Nation Office at (716)532-4847. Sincerely, Chief Vernon Isaac Cayuga Nation --------- "RE: AIM Florida Statement" --------- From: Aimfl Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 22:12:32 EDT Subj: Re: aim florida UUCP email Greetings: The American Indian Movement is an international Indigenous civil, human, treaty, sovereignty and religious rights and liberation movement founded in 1968. The position of AIM is that whenever and wherever Indigenous peoples or Nations need help AIM is to stand to help in any way necessary and possible. Florida AIM is Florida's only American Indian rights and community service organization. Our problems are that two (2) individuals over the course of 19 months abused the organizational calling card in excess of a combined $5,000 we currently need $896 to reclaim the phones additionally our office went up $250 a month and we have been struggling as is. We plan to move, but that takes first month up front and a deposit. Assistance is tax deductible-make checks to the Florida Indian Alliance or American Indian Movement and send to 33 4th Street N Suite 207 St. Petersburg, FL 33701. The board of directors have cancelled calling cards as a policy and we will be going with prepaid cards in the future. Sincerely, Sheridan Murphy Executive Director American Indian Movement of Florida Inc. --------- "RE: Blackfoot Confederacy" --------- Date: Tue, 5 May 1998 12:13:06 -0700 From: Long Standing Bear Chief Subj: Press release re Blackfoot Confederacy UUCP email Press Release - for immediate release - May 5, 1998 Chief Yellow Horn descendants and others announce re-creation of Blackfoot Confederacy. The Blackfoot Nation - For many years members of the Blackfoot people and others have been meeting in what now is called Canada and the United States. Their discussions have centered upon the necessity of re-creating the ancient Blackfoot Confederacy that once numbered many thousands of people. Among them the Blood, Blackfoot and Peigan. Among the members this group there has always been included the descendants of Chief Yellow Horn. Today his modern day descendants carry on the discussions and are among the many hundreds of people who seek the revival of the Blackfoot Confederacy. The Yellow Horn family is represented by Vern, George, Rocky and Howard, and their wives, of Brocket, Alberta. Rocky Yellow Horn said, "We seek ways to bring our people out of the grinding poverty we find ourselves in today. We are in this situation because we have no control over our present or our future". One idea we have" Mr. Yellow Horn continued, "is to create a situation where we use our existing land base to use ourselves instead of leasing it out to non-members of the Blackfoot Nation". He said, "We must use our resources to stop the growth of welfare rolls and create an nation of self-supporting native people". Mr. George Yellow Horn said, "We appreciate the welfare support of our white relatives to this time, but it is time for all of us to recognize that the whiteman's welfare system has been a gross failure". "There are other things we must discuss with our white brothers and sisters in Canada and the United States", George Yellow Horn continued. "This is the fraudulent nature of Treaty 7 that has divided the Pikanii into two different groups, the so-called Blackfeet of Montana and the Peigan of Alberta. We are actually one people". "We also have to discuss this Treaty 7 situation with our American relatives", said Yellow Horn. "They have land rights in Alberta. We want them to come home, so to speak, because they are separated from us by an imaginary line". Vern Yellow Horn said,"Our father, Albert Yellow Horn, found in 1985 that Treaty 7 was not signed by all 54 men whose names appear on the fraudulent treaty. His research confirmed that the supposed signers of Treaty 7 had their names put on the paper by the same whiteman who made all the "X" marks". And he continued, "The research of Albert Yellow Horn is further collaborated by a Father Constantine Scollen who wrote the RCMP Major Irwin that the Indians who were at Blackfoot Crossing in September of 1877, did not even understand why they were there" These are but a few of the reasons we announce the re-creation of the Blackfoot Confederacy." The declaration reads as follows: Declaration: The Blackfoot Confederacy and allied nations is re-created as a means of bringing the people back to a great and beautiful heritage, a time when people honored each other and felt their native spirituality at the center of their being. We are the children of the Great Holy Being, iit-tsi-pah-tah-pii-oop (the Source of Life) We gather together of our own free will because the Creator made us to be free and to live in harmony. We announce to the world that we hereby take our place among the nations of mankind, responsible to no one person or authority, because there is no one greater than ourselves except the Great Source of All Life. We call together those who have been members of our alliance in the ancient past. We welcome those who wish to join us from among the other nations. We call you home to be our relatives in the shining light of knowledge and the love of our Creator. Once again, we shall live by our sacred vows, spirituality, traditions, and beliefs. We have created a great and powerful nation based upon respect and honor for all beings of this Earth and beyond. Among the many purposes of our confederacy are these: l. We join together to freely associate with all people in honor and respect. There is no greater way. 2. We gather together to help each other in good times and hard times. 3. We seek our rightful share of the Earth's resources and to correct the greed that has denied us this right. 4. We seek to correct those political, religious, economic, social an