Sounding Circle: Update On Lakota Sovereignty

Update On Lakota Sovereignty 4 comments

28 Dec 2007 @ 03:34, by Raymond Powers As of Dec. 24, 2007 Lakota Freedom: Treaty Withdrawal For Elders and Children Sovereignty Action Sparks World Discussion, Disagreement, Inspiration Lakota - What began as sparsely attended press conference announcing Lakota sovereignty has grown into an international roar of freedom inspiring people on every continent and sparking excitement and discussion in homes, tribal councils, schools, and on internet blogs and message boards. Across Indian Country in particular, the impact of the sovereign action is creating both inspiration and concern as the reality of freedom sinks in. But mixed with the excitement and joy are concerns the Lakota people's needs will not be fully met, especially needs and concerns of the youth. Lakota Freedom delegate and Oglala Lakota Cante Tenza - Strongheart Warrior Society leader Canupa Gluha Mani (Duane Martin Sr.) issued the following statement after discussion with the Strongheart Grandmothers: "The whole Lakota declaration of withdrawal from the treaty is vested on the power of the Lakota people and our children. When we undertook the process of announcing the withdrawal, the capacity was far greater than most people anticipated about an individual. But throughout our history, the people have never excluded anyone within their own lifeway and when it becomes a listener's view that its about one individual, one individual does not represent the nation itself, the nation represents the individual, and that is Lakota. The withdrawal is for the people, the Elders, mothers, fathers, and the children. Throughout our history and through the enforcement of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, Congress said they would oversee the provisions of 1868 (Fort Laramie Treaty), but they failed to do so. Some minor provisions were kept, but overall the treaty was not honored. Because if the treaty was honored, we would not have this colonial catastrophe of alcoholism, drug abuse and poverty and we wouldn't have the overall high incarceration rate of the male and female in the prison populations. This leads to our children being taking away by Social Services which puts our children out of balance from learning the traditional lifeway. When the children can reconnect with who they are, they come back to the process of knowing what is Lakota in the true point of view. In this true point of view Lakota is about being free and left alone, so we can govern and save our own with the teachings of the Animal Nations. If we can conclude with this statement in the positive venue, its not about Russell Means, and certainly not about Canupa Gluha Mani or any individual, this about the Lakota Nation and the Animal People who are no longer alone." We are the freedom loving Lakota from the Sioux Indian reservations of Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana who have withdrawn from the constitutionally mandated treaties to become a free and independent country. We are alerting the Family of Nations we have now reassumed our freedom and independence with the backing of Natural, International, and United States law. For more information, please visit our new website at [link] MEDIA ADVISORY Immediate Release: 24 December 2007 Media Contacts: Naomi Archer, Communications Liaison (828) 230-1404 lakotafree@gmail.com

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Category: Activism 

28 Dec 2007 @ 06:29 by vaxen : Thankyou...
very much, Raymond, for this update. Much appreciated.

In the face of the colonial apartheid conditions imposed on Lakota people, the withdrawal from the U.S. Treaties is necessary. These conditions have been devastating:
MORTALITY
Lakota men have a life expectancy of less than 44 years, lowest of any country in the World (excluding AIDS) including Haiti.
Lakota death rate is the highest in the United States.
The Lakota infant mortality rate is 300% more than the U.S. Average.
Teenage suicide rate is 150% higher than the U.S national average for this group.

DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
More than half the Reservation's adults battle addiction and disease.
Alcoholism affects 8 in 10 families.

INCARCERATION
Indian children incarceration rate 40% higher than whites.
In South Dakota, 21 percent of state prisoners were Native.
Indians have the second largest state prison incarceration rate in the nation.

DISEASE
The Tuberculosis rate on Lakota reservations is approx 800% higher than the U.S national average.
Cervical cancer is 500% higher than the U.S national average.
The rate of diabetes is 800% higher than the U.S national average.
Federal Commodity Food Program provides high sugar foods that kill Native people through diabetes and heart disease.

POVERTY
Median income is approximately $2,600 to $3,500 per year.
97% of our Lakota people live below the poverty line.
Many families cannot afford heating oil, wood or propane and many residents use ovens to heat their homes.

HOUSING
Elderly die each winter from hypothermia (freezing).
1/3 of the homes lack basic clean water and sewage while 40% lack electricty.
60% of Reservation families have no telephone.
60% of housing is infected with potentially fatal black molds.
There is an estimated average of 17 people living in each family home (may only have two to three rooms). Some homes, built for 6 to 8 people, have up to 30 people living in them.

UNEMPLOYMENT
Unemployment rates on our reservations is 85% or higher.

THREATENED CULTURE
Only 14% of the Lakota population can speak Lakota language.
The language is not being shared inter-generationally, today, the average Lakota speaker is 65 years old.
Our Lakota language is an Endangered Language, on the verge of extinction.


After 150 years of colonial enforcement, when you back people into a corner there is only one alternative. That alternative is to bring freedom back into existence by taking it back - back to the love of freedom, to our lifeway. Canupa Gluha Mani  

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