RETURN THE BLACK HILLS
This document is prepared out of concern for the treatment of
Native american
people and, in particular, the Sioux Nation. The land mass
promised to the Sioux
in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851, which included parts of what
are now five
states in theU.S., must be returned. This land was once more
reserved for
theSioux Nation in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. This second
treaty dictated
that a 3/4 majority vote cast by all the adult males of the Sioux
would be
required before any of the reserved land could be sold or
otherwise relinquished.
The treaty also guaranteed peace between the two nations involved
in its signing,
promising to punish whosoever would break the trust. Both
treaties were violated
by the U.S. through attacks on the Sioux Nation in 1876 and 1890,
attacks which
were carried out by the U.S. Army. The Sioux want to see the men
responsible for
these atrocities punished, appropriate to the First Article of
the Fort Laramie
Treaty of 1868. Specifically, we demand a posthumous removal of
the Medals of
Honor awarded to the Army commanders at the Battle of Wounded
Knee.
The Manypenny Commission Treaty of 1877 is another point of
serious contention
for the Sioux people and, when objectively viewed, must be
considered an illegal
treaty. The Chiefs who did sign the Manypenny agreement were
duped into ignoring
the intentof the 3/4 majority rule agreed upon in Article 12 of
the 1868Fort
Laramie Treaty. The Sioux do not want the money offered by the
Supreme Court for
the illegal seizure of this land. The Sioux hold the land
sacred: It is not for
sale, nor has it ever been legally sold.
In order to practice our religion, we need access to sacred sites
within the
boundaries of the 1851 and 1868 treaties, namely, our homeland --
THE BLACK
HILLS. The Sioux Nation originated in the Black Hills and our
ancestors
worshiped there for generations. We continue to believe that the
Black Hills are
the heart of our nation and are of special spiritual value. In
1978, the
U.S.recognized some of our religious beliefs by passing access to
sacred sites
in the Black Hills which are vital to the practiceof our ancient
religion.
The Bradley Bill proposes the return of a portion of the
BlackHills, along with
a monetary settlement, but we are notinterested in reimbursements
or any other
compensatory offer. The only offer we will accept is the return
of the
landguaranteed us in the 1851 treaty. Shannon County, home of
thePine Ridge
Indian Reservation, is the poorest county in the U.S.but we still
refuse your
money. Spiritual poverty is what wefear more than anything.
In the future, when we make another treaty, let us sit eye to
eye, nation to
nation, hearing each other's grievances. We must negotiate the
unconditional
return of our land. We, the Sioux people, must practice our own
spirituality in
the Black Hills. Return our church so that we can be free to
employ our own
religion, as free as you ar to practice yours, as promised in the
Religious
Freedom Act of 1978. THE BLACK HILLS ARE NOT FOR SALE!!! As
Crazy Horse said,
"You cannot sell the land, which the people walk on".
Mount Graham (Next) | Sovereign Dineh Nation