Ah-ho My Relations,
Again many things have happened since I last wrote an update on our fight to defend our sacred mountain. The beginning of our gathering is only a few weeks away, and the local county government continues to license and permit booze and concert venues all around Bear Butte. In that respect nothing has changed, we still must come together this summer to stand in solidarity, united in our determination to defend Bear Butte. On a personal level I suffered a mild heart problem which hospitalized me for a while and has restricted my activities somewhat. I'm better now and the good thing is that Debra White Plume, Natalie Hand, and Vic Camp have carried on in notifying people and societies of our efforts.
Last month at their annual meeting in Pierre S.D., the Black Hills Nations Treaty Council, Chaired by Chief Oliver Red Cloud voted unanimously to join the Intertribal Coalition in hosting the Gathering of Nations encampment this summer and the "Sacred Sites Summit" August 1-4. We at the Coalition are very grateful that the Treaty Council Chiefs and Headsmen have seen fit to endorse our efforts and to participate in the Gathering. Their leadership and participation gives enormous credibility to our work and ensures other tribes and societies will join us too. In addition the Treaty Council has issued a letter to the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota nations and people stating their support and inviting them to join us this summer in our historic quest to save our sacred mountain, and ourselves.
Recently young men carried the "Sacred Staff" along with the message from Chief Red Cloud and the Treaty Council up to the Cheyenne people on their lands at Lame Deer, Montana, and on to the Arapaho Nation in Wyoming. There they informed the people of our intention to call the People together this summer to make allies, to Council, and to find a way to defend our sacred lands. Everywhere they went among the Cheyenne people and later the Arapaho people they were received with traditional hospitality, they took part in ceremonies and got to speak with various Society men and women. It was good and many people from each nation pledged to support and to be here to stand with us. Soon they will be traveling to other nations and societies to spread the word; however, they won't be able to visit and council with every Great Plains Nation the way they wanted to at the beginning. We'll have to find a way to make sure every nation knows they're needed and welcome. I guess the message is, if you value and love the old ways of the people and if you're unafraid to let the world know it, you, your society and your nation should come stand with us.
Last month I was finally able to make a trip on behalf of the Coalition to visit the "Arrow Keeper" of the Cheyenne Nation and to inform him of our activities on behalf of the Sacred Mountain and to seek his prayers and blessing. I took him tobacco and a few other things and spent the afternoon explaining how the traditional people who live around Bear Butte are sick at heart watching year after year as the Sturgis Bike Rally moved ever nearer and ever louder into the space around our sacred mountain. Of course he had heard of the insult hurled by the developer Jay Allen and how his ugly enterprise threatens all of Bear Butte. I've known the Red Hat family for many years, in fact the present Arrow Keeper's Grandfather, Ed Red Hat helped me in a ceremonial way back in the seventies when I needed it and once my friends and I stood guard for his sacred tipi when it was being threatened by KKK type rednecks in those hard days. We left with his prayers, support and blessings and a feeling of strength because of his words to us.
Although many people and several tribes are supporting us we're still badly in need of money and resources to insure we Indian people live softly on the lands we're protecting. Because we can't live freely across the lands like our grandparents did when the last great gathering was held; we must carry out any and all waste we produce. Even if we live responsibly, the cost will be in the $40,000 range for trash and waste pickup and disposal. That's basic and if we can't live cleanly it will defeat our purposes. If you can help us at all with this fund please do so, it's vital. Owe Aku is taking donations for us, their website is, www.bringbacktheway.com contact Debra White Plume, her address is on our web site.
I'd like to acknowledge the Oglala Nation for their continued support and the generous donation of TEN BUFFALO! to the Coalition. Also a good Lakota brother named Sonny Hare has donated a buffalo too. It will be good to share traditional food prepared in a good way. Alfred Red Cloud and Wilmer Mesteth will be conducting Native American Church services during the gathering, place and time will be announced soon. Both the Sicangu and Cheyenne Nations have allowed us some camping privileges on their lands, the Sicangu intend to run a shuttle bus from the rez up here to transport their people. I've also heard Cheyenne River is sending busses, we haven't heard if we can use the land they have there. I was also told that a large group of horse riders are planning a "Ride" through several reservations and plan to arrive at Bear Butte on about August 3rd, in time for the "rally". I sure hope they bring me an extra war pony to ride around. Within a few days another meeting is taking place with some brothers from a traditional Cheyenne society and us. So the contacts and organizing are ongoing even if I've been slow in reporting them.
On the bad side Meade County has continued to approve and re-approve liquor licenses (at $500,000 a pop) despite the pleas of Indian people, local residents, and tribal governments for at least some limit. Our lawyers made good arguments and the local coalition of residents, the BBIA, and local ranchers, have had no impact on their decision not to offer any protection at all for Bear Butte. Petitions have been passed, lawsuits filed, testimony given and given once again but everything has fallen on deaf ears.
In fact all of us in this struggle must acknowledge the great work being done on a local level by the Bear Butte International Alliance. I'm amazed by their energy and dedication to the many-headed struggle by Indian people to defend Bear Butte. They worked tirelessly to gather the petitions to defeat the proposed liquor licenses and to give the people a voice. Their case is still ongoing and their work for Bear Butte continues so if you read this please respond to their needs too. On the good news side our sister, Anne White Hat, founding member of the BBIA has thrown her hat in the ring for County Commissioners! Meade County is big and Anne needs support from everyone who loves Bear Butte. I wish I could vote a few times for her, come to think about it, if the encampment lasts long enough a bunch of us may qualify! I know one thing: the election of Anne White Hat will raise both the morals and IQ of the Meade County Commissioners tenfold. Good Luck Anne!!
"Cultural Genocide". I can't help but think of those words when I think about what they're doing to us at Bear Butte. More so when I read about the Nations of the Southwest and their struggle to save San Francisco Peaks from a damn ski resort's effort to pervert nature, all so rich white people can have fun while destroying another place sacred to our people. This is because our ways can not survive without our connections to our lands. Too much has already been destroyed and we are so much the poorer for it. This is why Bear Butte was preserved in the treaties and this is why it has been fought for by every generation since. At the wasicu latest meetings in Sturgis, at the Treaty Council meetings in Pierre, and at meetings and ceremonies concerning Bear Butte respected Elders, Traditional Leaders, such as Chief Red Cloud, Marie Randall and Loraine Walking Bull, verbally bequeathed to us the responsibility of carrying on the struggle they have been in all their lives. They told us not to give up. Be brave and don't falter because it's for the takoja, the grandchildren. What will they have if you quit? they asked.
Genocide must be resisted, are we no less human than the Christian occupier? A few days ago they had a big Christian Prayer Day at Mt. Rushmore, the monument they carved into the Paha Sapa. They guard their sacred places with machine guns year round and triple the security when prayer day comes. I don't question their needs but it does prove that they and their enemies know the concept of "sacred places", just not indigenous, native, Indian sacred places. No way Jay Allen could desecrate a place they love.
"Cultural Genocide". Our ways, our religion, our "culture", our land, water and air, the place our spirits reside, our ancient knowledge, our blood? Which part of the whole can be destroyed to qualify as a mortal wound? Do we have a right to dodge the fatal blow promised by the word genocide? Can we define what is vital to our well being as a people?
We believe the wanton destruction of our Nation's sacred sites constitutes "Cultural Genocide" against us indigenous people all across America. We further believe that it must be resisted by Indian people and all those who support us. We believe only a unified effort by all Nations in America can stem the tide of destruction. This is why we are asking all the Nations to come together this summer, each of us is losing alone. In doing this in an old traditional Indian way, by holding a month-long encampment, we hope to show the world just how serious we take our duty to defend what our Grandfathers and Grandmothers still tell us to defend.
We have prepared a tentative agenda for the encampment and the "Sacred Sites Summit" which I'll put on the web site as soon as our webmaster can get to it. I'll also post it wherever this update appears. Thank you for your patience between updates, my relations, as I said in my first letter, our circle will grow and I have confidence our people will heed our call. Because many people may be reading this for the first time I'm also including the last update. Feel free to share them.
Carter Camp
Inter-Tribal Coalition to Defend Bear Butte