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From "Update on the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues", Report by the American Indian Law Alliance, Teton Sioux Nation Treaty Council",
Oyate Wolakota Omniciye
Tetuwan Oyate
Teton Sioux Nation Treaty Council Treaty Gathering
June 29 & 30, 2001 The Black Hills
Commission on Human Rights
Working Group on Indigenous Populations
July 23-27, 2001 Geneva, Switzerland Study the treaty laws. Hang on to them. We must pass the treaty law on to our grandchildren. The 1934 Act (IRA) violated our treaty law. Many of us were against the Reorganization Act. We had smoked the pipe with the treaties and even that was violated. The phrase, "abrogation of our treaty laws" really hurts me. Most of us are humble. But I sit and watch and I wonder when are those people going to realize that we are human too. You can't abrogate the treaty rights of a human being. I am doing this for my grandfather and all the people who are gone and who can't talk for themselves. If we don't walk with our treaty laws and remind the federal government of our treaty laws, they will float us out into the Atlantic Ocean.
- Odell Good Shield - |
Oyate Wolakota Omniciye
Tetuwan Oyate, Teton SIoux Nation Treaty Council Gathering
June 29 & 30, 2001
The Black Hills
On June 29 and 30, 2001, the Teton Sioux Nation Treaty Council, along with the support of the American Indian Law Alliance, sponsored one in a series of treaty gatherings in the sovereign Black Hills territory of the Lakota Nation. Treaty Gatherings are a regular aspect of the work of the Teton Sioux Nation Treaty Council and are done in order to update the people on international efforts, developments and strategies. We believe that we are unique in the way we fulfill our responsibility to our people by sponsoring these gatherings. The gatherings reflect the commitment of of our traditional leadership of accountability to our people. We serve at their discretion. Often this results in a much slower, more difficult process but it maintains the necessary relationships that have permitted our people and culture to survive against overwhelming odds.
The gatherings also give many of our people, who have no other forum in which to express their frustration, an opportunity to vent their views. We believe this is also an important aspect of the gatherings and is why we always set aside sigificant time for "open discussion." In some small way we hope that it is a way for our people to heal some of the deep wounds that plague our communities.
Usually, we hold the gatherings in communities on reservations in which the people participate in the housing and feeding of the attendees. This is also a valuable experience and a format we will not abandon. However, we feel that it was well worth it, at least at this point, to hold the gathering in the Black Hills in the more formal setting of a conference center. Many of the people who attended thanked Tony Black Feather and other organizers simply for the opportunity to be in the sacred Black Hills for such a gathering of our people. The land, the air and the water itself feeds our people and enhances our unity and determination. It is the spirit of the ancestors.
Pila Maya Yelo
Of course, it also is a very costly proposition and this gathering was our most ambitious to date. We had three times as many people register as we had anticipated and, it seems, even more at meal time. Of course, we were very happy about the large turnout and interest. We want to thank those of you who financially support our efforts and express our gratitude for your confidence in our work including the Fund of the Four Directions, Solidago Foundation, the Flying Eagle Woman Fund, the American Indian Law Alliance, 7th Generation Fund and Medora Woods. We also want to take this opportunity to thank Willie Littlechild and Tonya Gonnella Frichner for traveling so far to attend the Gathering and for their presentation and update on the Permanent Forum. We were also very pleased that so many representatives of other nations attended. In addition to all of the Lakota territories being represented, including the Dakota people from Sioux Valley in Canada, we had representatives of the Hobbema Cree, Treaty 6 and Treaty 4. There was alwso a delegation from the Navajo Nation. Finally, we are grateful to George Tall who arranged for the protection and support of the Tokalas from his tiyospaye. Their presence was respectful of Lakota tradition. Their presence was respectful of Lakota tradition and a solid act of sovereignty.
The Meeting
Like all of the treaty gatherings, this one was convened to discuss the international advocacy efforts of the Teton Sioux Nation Treaty Council. Its specific focus was on the movement towards the International Court of Justice utilizing the Study on Treaties prepared by the United Nations Special Rapporteur Miguel Alfonso Martinez. Its other purpose was to present the facts surrounding the development of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the highest levels of the United Nations and the selection of the Indigenous members of the Permanent Forum. Finally, a significant aspect of the treaty gathering was to discuss the events at Pine Ridge spearheaded by the Grass Roots Oyate in taking over the offices of the tribal council and developing an international embassy for indigenous issues. During the two days of discussion, many important words were said by our leaders and people and this report will attempt to at least record a few of them.
The first morning, as is traditional, consisted of prayer, words of welcome and introduction. Vincent Black Feather had graciously accepted our request to serve as the spiritual interpreter for our gathering. During the introductions, a consistent theme of unity and support for international advocacy was repeated. Many of the people spoke of the failures of the Indian Reorganizatiohn Act (IRA) governments and the need for international intervention. Several representatives of Native nations from the far northern plains spoke of specific suppport of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) strategy of the TSNTC. In fact, Helen Cryer from the Saddle Lake First Nation read a letter of support for the ICJ efforts of the TSNTC from the Saddle Lake Reserve Chief and Willie Littlechild expressed the possible interest of his people in allying with us in this strategy.
This Tribal Coundil and other IRA councils are corrupt. Violations of human rights and treaty rights occur every day in the Oglala Sioux tribal courts. The IRA government will never respect the indigenous traditional Lakota people. We have our own form of traditional government that will never cease to advocate for the 1851 and 1868 treaties."
Denver American Horse
I am Cree. Not Canadian. I am different because I follow the traditional ways. But it is hard to teach the kids the traditional ways when European ways are always creeping onto the reserves. Our kids face difficulties from society if they live according to our traditional law.
Patrick Lightning
Gatherings like this are an important opportunity to create strategies for international work. I would urge all of us to make alliances with one another and with non-indigenous NGOs (non-governmental organizations) like Amnesty International. This is particularly important in light of the Treaty Study.
Wes George
We want to explore ways in which we can use the Treaty Study for our communities at home. Indians shouldn't have to listen to white lawyers interpret treaties. We have our own attorneys, knowledge and tradition to interpret our treaties.
Sara Foster
It is important that Native peoples and Indigenous nations be united in our efforts on an international level. As Navajos, it is most important to us to protect our landbase.
George Arthur
Odell Good Shield, in a 1995 treaty gathering, summarizes the issues that were brought up during the introductions at the Black Hills treaty gathering:
Study the treaty laws. Hang on to them. We must pass the treaty law on to our grandchildren. The 1934 Act (IRA) violated our treaty law. Many of us were against the Reorganization Act. We had smoked the pipe with the treaties and even that was violated. The phrase, "abrogation of our treaty laws" really hurts me. Most of us are humble. But I sit and watch and I wonder when are those people going to realize that we are human too. You can't abrogate the treaty rights of a human being. I am doing this for my grandfather and all the people who are gone and who can't talk for themselves. If we don't walk with our treaty laws and remind the federal government of our treaty laws, they will float us out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Return to the report.
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Photograph--Alfred Bone Shirt Sr. wearing a peace medal.