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
NAS -Invitation - Proposal - Shundahai Committment - Flyer
Proposition One --- Peace Park --- Current Events