Open letter from Corbin Harney

February 26, 1996

I have been working at this for many years, defending Earth from this nuclear nonsense. Truman told my people in 1947 that he was going to use a piece of our land for a military base and we found out it wasn't so, that they were doing bad things where they call it the Nevada Test Site. when they tested that MX missile and killed six thousand sheep overnight the people suffered (and later died of cancer) we protested but it was just a very few of us Natives out there and no one paid any attention to us.

For many years I worked with my people but never could get together a group that was willing to back me because the Bureau of Indian Affairs has most of us under control, so if it's something the BIA doesn't want the people are afraid to go against it. the US government controls tribal government in other words. I started Healing Global Wounds in 1988 at the Nevada Test Site and asked the Native people throughout the country to join us to heal the Earth but that wasn't broad enough. Later, I asked people to go to Washington D.C. where the decisions are being made to be watchdogs for us.

The Shundahai Network was formed to include all the people because the nuclear is destroying Shoshone (and other Native) land and shortening the life of all the living things. We as Natives have been ignored for many years so I think we need to work with people who are sincere and dedicated about the cause without pointing the finger at their skin color. The Network is only helping me as I travel spreading my message. Our office and house is there for the Native people and other activists who come to DC to do work for their land and people.

I invited other anti-nuclear groups to join us at the test site this April to strengthen our movement and the National Anti- Nuclear summit was born. To start off, I met with people in Needles from the Mojave and Colorado river tribes in California and Shoshones that have been working with me to get their ideas together. A question has been raised about Native involvement in organizing - the summit is for all groups. This May there will be a strategy meeting for affected tribes and an Indigenous Anti- Nuclear summit in the fall and some of the same people will be at NAS in April but we don't need to copy those events.

Recently accusations were made about the intentions of several Shundahai volunteers claiming they aren't working with the Native people, that I and others are being used and it isn't so. Shundahai is an open group and I have invited my people to work with us.

Pointing fingers separates the people which is against what I worked hard at for many years. I talk about unity because the problem with nuclear waste is it doesn't stay in one area; wind and water can carry it from one end of the country to the other - everyone is going to suffer if there ever is an accident.

Our people, Natives of the land have survived many bad things and continue to struggle to save out land but if we stay divided we won't accomplish anything - we'll lose our water, it's already contaminated with radiation we'll lose everything to it. People around the world are concerned about radiations and we have to come together to stop it.

Sincerely,
(signed) Corbin Harney


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