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Show Pagi a Thursday, April 12, The We Bulletin 173 WOUNDED KNEE AIPA Views WOUNDED A) KNEE, Three separate and conflicting sets of issues underlie the takeover of this tiny Indian town Feb.27 by members and supporters of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and the Oglala Sioux Civil Rights Organization (OSCRO). Issues proclaimed by the AIM and OSCRO leadership, the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council, and the Nixon administration all became working points in continuing negotiations during the volatile Indian crisis. These were, in the order they emerged: S.D.-(AIP- ISSUES 1. Treaty Commitments: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee must investigate the nature and possible violations of the 371 treaties between the federal government and Indian tribes in order to determine whether the U.S. government has failed to live up to the terms of the treaties. 2. Administrative Probe: A Senate committee must probe the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Interior Department regarding their handling of Oglala Sioux tribal affairs and those of other Indian tribes, with special scrutiny toward the Nixon administration's handling of Indian affairs, to pull administrative policy and practice in line with treaty AIM-OSCR- Issue Three-Side- d O obligations. 3. Ouster of Tribal President: Utilizing recent alleged grounds for the impeachment of the tribal president, Richard A. Wilson, the Interior Department must order the removal of Wilson and the holding of a new tribal election. 4. Reform of Tribal Constitution: On land already enjoying sovereign status under the legally constituted authority of the Oglala Sioux Nation. The seizure of 40 acres of tribal land at Wounded Knee constitutes an illegal seizure of tribal lands, and can legally be met with armed' tribal forces. 2. Illegal Suspension of Tribal Author ity: Seizure of all existing authorities by the Justice Department and de facto suspension of all tribal and BIA authorities and business by the U.S. Justice Department constitute an illegal and dangerous usurpation of tribal sovereignty and elected tribal government, and a n threat to all existing Indian and local governments. 3. Who Speaks For The Tribe: AIM members and supporters have no legitimate right and no proper responsibility to air grievances or common problems faced by Oglala tribal members. A legal, constitutionally elected tribal government, both responsive and responsible to its tribal members, has that right and duty. Under 4. Invasion By of multitudes the tribal rights, existing activists, liberal churchmen, federal marshals, FBI agents and employees of the Interior Department, together with members of the reservation without the consent of tribal authorities. Tribal authority includes the right to govern entry and exit on tribal land, and the right to expel undesirables. non-India- Non-Ogla- la non-existe- nt Non-resident- s: non-Ogla- la NIXON ADMINISTRATION ISSUES 1. Halting of Indian Militancy: Indian militants comprise a revolutionary Indian element" involved in symbolic actions arising from attempts to redress stitution formed in 1935 is inadequate to the bloody Indian past. They are not meet the political, social and economic representative of the Indian population at in the the of members 1970s, tribal needs large, are criminally oriented, and must be stopped by criminal prosecution beInterior Department must order a tribal constitutional convention to rewrite the fore they create more havoc throughout Indian America. tribal constitution in line with the 1868 of Laramie. Fort 2. Legitimate Indian Leadership: The Treaty 5. Redress of Tribal Grievances: AlNixon administration is intent on dealing leged discrepancies in the execution of only with elected Indian leaders on Indian land leasing, welfare assistance, reservations and elected Indian leaders of on their own land, rights-of-wa- y groups and associations. and forced sales of individual land make The administration currently contends it cannot contract with or serve any but necessary widespread reforms in policy and practice on the part of the BIA and such constituted groups. the interior Department. 3. Quelling Domestic Disorders: The 6. Ouster of Superintendent and Area Justice Department, not the Interior Director: Claiming that the failures of the Department, is the proper agency to BIA and Interior ean be laid squarely at handle domestic disorders occurring the feet of Pine Ridge Agency Supt. within any minority in the nation. Infractions of public law require responses from Stanley Lyman and BIA Area Director Wvman Babby, these two men must be law enforcement officials, not policyremoved for mal administration. makers from any other department in. government. The Justice Department TRIBAL COUNCIL ISSUES further has the right to pursue prosecution of offenders anywhere within the 1. Sovereignty of Oglala Land: No external borders of the United States. Nation can legally Independent Oglala be declared from portions of tribal trust the premise that the current tribal con- land-owner- s' Nixon Warns Militants: Nothing Gained by Blackmail MENLO PARK, Secretary Rogers C.B. Morton in a special report here spelled out clearly the Nixon administrations views on Indian militants, which is expected to prevail for the next four years. Among his observa. tions: It is difficult to generalize when describing the characteristics of the Indian community. There is great variance in point of view and attitude among individuals and wide differences in the styles and approach to life from tribe to tribe. On the fringe of all this there has grown up in the wake of the black militant movement in this country a revolutionary Indian element. Dramatic violence is their pattern. The occupation of Alcatraz, Nike sites, the federal office building in Washington, the village of Wounded Knee and others all fall into it Their effort is symbolic rather than substantive. They believe that the pursuit of their cause transcends their criminal methods. Their demands are vague and change from day to day. They do not represent a constituted group with whom the government can contract or can serve. Some of their leaders are star struck with some are renesome are gades, youthful adventurers, some have criminal records. They come forth with great gusto when there is hell to raise, otherwise, they are loosely organized, slipping from one event to the next under a cloak of false idealism. The bloody past is the odor of their banner, publicity is the course of their future. ...There is one thing of which I am very sure. Nothing is gained by blackmail. You cannot run this government or find equitable solutions with a gun at your head or the head of a hostage. Any agency of government that is forced into a fast deal by revolutionary tactics, blackmail or terrorism is not worth its salt There are criminal actions and should be dealt with accordingly... expensive-to-the-taxpaye- Dear Editor: I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks for all those who supported me in this recent election and for their support. I will assure all members that I w31 work in behalf of all Indians and in your interest. We must first, however, all realize that we have our jobs to do as your representr ative. Any decision made by the governing body or any Enterprise Manager should be adhered to or supported to some extent. Too often we are criticized, and too often the members are mistled by here-osy- , half truths, or facts. It should be the responsibility of all members to see that this does not happen. Too many times people take foi granted that the Tribe owes each of us a living without having to work for what we get. This maybe true to some extent, however, in order to accomplish the goals we set for each other we must follow certain rules, regulations, and policies as set forth in those employees manuals and whatever the employer expects of us. If for some reason we fail to perform as expected, then we should not find fault in another or blame someone else for our own failures. We must look to ourselves and our life style and ask: Where am I going? And what do I hope to accomplish, then where to from here. We cannot always blame someone else for our wrongs, we should instead take time and reanalyze ourselves and see what direction we have taken. At other times some of us go out of our way to champion a cause, right or wrong, without first having obtained the facts completely or by using second hand information, this could prove to be more determental to what we are trying to accomplish. We must learn to trust those elected offficials andor Enterprise Managers to do the job that is called for them to do instead of trying to do their job for them. There are too many people running around trying to champion every cause that comes along. Our elected officials are badgered at every confrontation with nothing being accomplished. We should aO work together in a manner more befitting grown adult individuals seeking the overall improvement of this, our reservation, instead of breaking it down, or destroying what we have accomplished, because this is where we may end up in the end, with nothing! Instead' of a slap on the face how about a pat on tne back, again thanks for your support Lester M. Chapoose, Whiteriver Tribal Business Committee Member rs Dear Maxine, As a reader of many Indian periodicals I couldnt help but bring to your attention of the awareness the periodicals provide and of the effect it can have on our people by subscribing to Indian publications and circulating them among the communities, especially to the younger people in ' schools. The Navajo Times and The Akwesasne Notes are fine examples furnishing their readers of its tribal enterprises flourishing and the latter, the strangulation of Indian dvfl rights. These two mixtures of information provides feeling and concern as to what is happening with happening withto the Indians. The whole concept of publication is obvious, however when people are not furnished; the purpose is niL Regret fuliy, it creates ignorance not being fully aware of the Idian news media calling to unawakened people Be aware. Unfortunately, unawareness exists on the Ute nation. As a concerned member of the our people I suggest subscription to Indian periodicals be initiated. If interested, I have a tentative listing of addresses I can provide. I certainly feel this should be dealt with. Appreciate your response. Sincerely, Darrel L. Shavanaux EDITOR'S NOTE: We agree with Darrel on the need for awareness and we feel the American Indian Press Association is also aware of the need. We do belong to AIPA and try to publish as much of their on controvercopy as possible-especia- lly feel sial issues since we the AIPA does of the sides both story. The present Public Relations office of the Ute Tribe does receive most monthly periodicals including The Akwesasne Notes and a relatively new publication of the American Indian Historical Society, Wassaja. These papers are available to tribal members on a first come first serve basis. However, we feel an unbiased, condensed version of controversial issues is provided by AIPA. The Bulletin welcomes letters and editorials on all issues, especially local reservation issues. Dear Maxine, Would you enter a subscription to the Bulletin at the above address. Halliburton Oil Field Services trans-fere- d me from Oklahoma to this growing rocky mountain oil boom as I'm working towards a hopefully meaningful place in their new environmental program. I caught and was glad to hear you speak on the local radio station this morning. Working here in Vernal you come across all sorts of comceptions and misconceptions about the Ute Tribe and Indian status in general. The Tribe as a whole seems alot better off that pervious-ly- , but the problems of individuals and of local Indian-Whit- e mutual understandstill ing change only slowly as I see it. But change must be the only certainty in life. I know Ive changed alot, and it looks like some really good things are beginning to happen as I think some of the Hybrid seeds of recent years sowing are beginning to sprout Sincerely, Dan Terry Vernal, Utah EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Terry was referring to an Operation Opinion" broadcast over KVEL during which Maxine s answered an woman concerning Indian taxation. A copy of Maxines rebutle will be printed in both Nat-chee- the Roosevelt and Vernal weekly papers in the near future. We thank Mr. Terry for his interest in the Ute people and the Ute Bulletin. Several other subscriptions were received as a result of the radio broadcast. Thank you Maxine, for your editorial on Social ills the invader. It was very well written, descriptive of the oft failures of social workers alone being able tb even contain the problems it meets. Yet, the heart of your editorial was expressive of the desire for something mere than the 'helps that give but temporary alleviation of the terrible ills that plague your people; without effecting a real permanent cure. The reason social helps are not enough, is because the approach is by way of external means, when the real trouble is interior: ie, within the heart or spirit of humanity. And this calls for the hefe of a higher power than man can provide. Only the salvation brings deliverance from akholism, marihuana, hard drugs, suicides, for He changes the innermost heart, taking out the derire for these things. When the desire is dealt with ..who wants it? Mrs. Esther Hicks |
