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EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE BUY BACK MOUND
According to an article which appeared in the Asheville Citizen Times,
the Eastern Band of Cherokee have purchased one of the few undisturbed
mounds in North Carolina.
Located in the Cowee Community, the area was vital to the Cherokee
economy because of it's nearness to white settlements and location on
the river. It was inhabited until the late 1700's.
The area will be left in its natural state and will offer interpretive
signs, educational programs and a park.
We are regaining the land - one piece at a time.
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POLITICAL PRISONER LEONARD PELTIER NOMINATED FOR
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
Leonard Peltier, Lakota/Anishinabe leader of the American Indian
Movement has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Peltier has been in prison since 1976, accused of murdering 2 FBI agents
in a shoot out at Pine Ridge.
In 1975 Pine Ridge Reservation was a war zone. Leader Dickie Wilson,
although Lakota, was hand picked by the US Government to make sure the
USA would have access to the uranium and other riches which was under
Lakota territory.
Traditionals were murdered by the dozens by their own people during this
time. AIM, the American Indian Movement, came to Pine Ridge to protect
the People. In 1975, 2 FBI agents opened fire on a compound where
children, elders and adults were living. During the gunfight, a native
man, Joseph Stuntz and 2 FBI's were killed.
U.S. prosecutors have publicly admitted that they do not know who
actually
fired the shots that killed the agents but three men were arrested. Two
of the men were released but Peltier was convicted.
It is alleged that the U.S. suppressed hundreds of thousands of pages of
documents, including ballistics evidence, which would indicate Peltier's
innocence.
If you would like to know more about this case, I suggest you see
Incident At Oglalla, a documentary produced by Robert Redford.
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MEMORIAL DEDICATED TO VICTIMS OF SAND CREEK MASSACRE
On November 29, 1864, 150 Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians, mostly
women and children, were massacred by 700 members of the Colorado State
Militia led by Methodist Minister Colonel John Chivington
..
Chief Black Kettle and his weary band were camped on the Big Sandy
River, a site that had been assigned to them by the military. When the
attack began, Black Kettle raised the American Flag, but that action
didn't stop the militiamen. Black Kettle was one of the few survivors,
but was later killed by Custer at the Washita in Oklahoma
The massacre was revenge for the killing of several white settlers even
though Chivington knew the Sand Creek Band was not responsible. In
anger, President Lincoln fired territorial governor John Evans and
Congress condemned the barbaric action. But Chivington was honored as a
hero in Denver. In 1909 a plaque was dedicated in the state capitol
listing Sand Creek as a great Union Victory. In 2002 another plaque was
added setting the record straight.
On Saturday, April 28, 2007 a Memorial honoring the lives of the
innocent men, women and children was finally dedicated.
But some say that the cries of the babies murdered that day can still be
heard in the early morning hours on the banks of the Big Sandy.
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"If there were any savages that day, it was not
the Indian people." Former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colorado, a
member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe.
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