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Inter-Tribal
Coalition Update
In
the Moon of Black Cherries
Indigenous
Nations Gather to
Defend Bear Butte
by Debra White Plume
Writing from the
banks of Wounded Knee Creek
Aug 15, 2006 |
 |
Many Nations of
Indigenous Peoples, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), and
government representatives gathered at the sacred mountain Bear
Butte. Traditional Healers, Tiospaye Headsmen, Matriarchs,
Traditional Societies, and community leaders camped together to have
good talks, debates, and form agreements on how indigenous peoples
can work together to strengthen the pockets of resistance across
Turtle Island. All are working to stop the desecration of sacred
lands and sacred places. While we camped at Bear Butte for those 42
days, we saw a rainbow surround the Sacred Mountain.
At the Summit of
Indigenous Nations August 1-4, respected elder and leader Carrie Dan
of the Western Shoshone Defense Project encouraged everyone to take a
strong heart and keep working to protect sacred land, "We have
to learn to use new words to educate the world about how indigenous
peoples view our land-all land is sacred, but we have these special
places that are tied to our identity". She spoke of how the
Western world has a difficult time comprehending how native peoples
have a relationship with sacred places, such as Bear Butte. An elder
from Canada, Wolverine, addressed the people to remember that the
fight is not over, as long as there is one sacred place still
threatened, we must all come to the aid of our allies to protect
these places and the ceremonies conducted there. Wolverine's history
of struggle includes an attack on his Sun Dance ceremony by the civil
authorities in British Columbia in the mid-1990's, who laid land
mines on the road to his Sun Dance, exploding the vehicles driven by
people traveling to the ceremony.
An action item for
consideration by the full Summit was the Papal Bull of May 3, 4, 1493
Inter Cetera. The papal bull has been the basis for the
extinguishment of aboriginal land title and the subjugation of
indigenous peoples of North and South America. The implementation of
the papal bull evolved in the United States through the Supreme Court
decision of Johnson v. M'Intosh [1823] which established the
precedent for the denial of aboriginal title to American Indian lands
in the United States. Delegations of indigenous nations and ngo's, by
consensus, adopted a resolution condemning the historical use of the
doctrine of discovery as an instrument of genocide. Tupac Enrique
Acosta, coordinator of the Tonatierra ngo based in Phoenix, AZ stated
that this effort at Bear Butte continues the indigenous battle to
halt genocide of indigenous peoples and seizures of their homelands
in the Americas. ''It has been resolved by 23 Nations and NGO's and
100 individual signatories that the 'Doctrine of Discovery' is a
legal and political fiction in violation of the rights of indigenous
peoples and intellectual act of oppression which continues to serve
to suppress and repress the indigenous peoples in the Western
Hemisphere,'' said Tupac Enrigue.
Santiago Delacruz,
vice president of CONAIE (Confederacion de Nacionalidades Indigenas
del Ecuador/Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador).
CONAIE is a formation of 28 indigenous nationalities and Pueblos of
Ecuador said ''We have come from the southern part of this continent
Abya Yala which we share with you all as indigenous nations of this
hemisphere on a mission to strengthen and re-establish our ancestral
ties as a continental confederation of nations and pueblos".
Delacruz offered support for rescinding the papal bulls and support
from the south for the protection of Bear Butte. ''It is with great
concern that we have come to be informed of the threatened
desecration of the Sacred Mato Paha, also known as Bear Butte, where
we now gathered in summit as indigenous nations. ''This sacred area
must not be allowed to be destroyed or desecrated by the proposed
construction projects of 'biker bars' and the like,'' Delacruz said.
Chief Oliver Red
Cloud of the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council said the
Catholic church has continuously made money for the Red Cloud Indian
School at Pine Ridge and has not helped the communities that are most
in need for daily survival, not to mention the long term reservation
needs to help address the causes of poverty.
Nongovernmental
organizations presented the work they are doing at the frontline on
the grassroots level. Rosalie Little Thunder, President of the South
Dakota Peace and Justice organization encouraged all the delegates to
continue in their struggle, that ancient ways of life will continue
as we protect our sacred places.
Kent Lebsock and
Chris Soverow from the American Indian Law Alliance presented, with
Debra White Plume from Bring Back the Way, research data on the
Cameco, Inc. uranium mine operating an Insitu Leach Mine through the
company Crow Butte Resources, located near Crawford, Nebraska.
"This uranium mine has had a leak which lasted from several
months to two years, leaking radioactive contamination into the air,
water, and land" said Severow to the stunned audience. "This
mine is located on 1868 and 1851 Ft. Laramie Treaty territory, this
mine uses up to 5,000 gallons of water each minute," said White
Plume. "Our Oglala Sioux Tribe must take the lead in fighting
this mine, and lead the "Great Sioux Nation" in this fight.
This contaminated land is just a few miles from where Crazy Horse was
killed. This has to be a national issue as well."
Young adults all
the way from Canada down to Arizona participated in the Summit of
Nations, giving speeches about sacred site protection work they are
involved in which includes fighting the Sun Peaks Ski Resort, to the
Snow Bowl Resort, to the bars and concert amphitheaters near Bear
Butte, and the "Divine Strike" proposed 700-tom bomb the US
plans to detonate on Shoshone Nation's Ruby Valley Treaty land. The
common linkage to these developments all revolve around business
owners not only making money, but increasing profits that are already
in the millions per annum range.
The final day of
the Summit the delegations marched on Sturgis and had a rally
downtown in order to educate the bikers about the Bear Butte
desecration issue. "Don't Ride Highway 79" and "Bear
Butte is Sacred Land" were the major messages of the protest.
The Summit of
Indigenous Nations delegations will take home to their communities
the collective action taken at the Summit for increased public
awareness, and more discussion at the grassroots level. The Summit
will reconvene in the summer of 2007 for the delegations to gather
again, the 2006 Summit served as a starting point for collective
action and the making of allies.
We honored Carrie
Dan and Wolverine as elders who have committed their entire lives and
who also have risked their freedom and lives to protect their
ancestral land and ways of life. Both are tireless in their
commitment and are a great encouragement to everyone who is in this
for the long haul. We say wopila to them. (Part
II next week) |
