*“LAKOTA NATION” CONFIRMED – THEY ARE NOT PART
OF THE U.S. – PRECEDENT FOR OTHER INDIGENOUS
PEOPLES? CAN RETHINKING OF “ U.S. ” & “ CANADA ” BE
FAR BEHIND? [Story of the year]
MNN. Dec. 25, 2007. The times, they are achangin’. Go to the
Mani of the Strong Heart Warrior Society of the Lakota Nation cutting
up his colonial driver’s license. He’s doing this because on December
17th 2007 the Lakota delivered their “Declaration of Continuing
Independence ”, just in time for the Winter Solstice.
The history of Lakota with the U.S. is long, complex and tragic. They
knew something had to change. After the Wounded Knee Occupation
of 1973, the International Indian Treaty Council was established. From
June 8 to 16 1974 the Council called for a “ Western Hemisphere ”
Conference at Standing Rock Sioux. Over 5000 delegates of 97
Indigenous Peoples from the Americas gathered. The “manifesto”
that was created on that occasion supports the rights of all Indigenous
Peoples to live free and take whatever actions are necessary to uphold
our sovereignty.
It is rumored that President of Russia , Vladimir Putin, a powerful world
leader, said today that he is considering recognizing the Lakota as an i
ndependent nation. Withdrawing from the treaties is entirely legal. It is
within the laws on treaties passed at the Vienna Convention and put
into effect by the U.S. and the rest of the international community in 1980.
The Lakota never relinquished their lands and have always refused
to accept payment estimated close to $1 billion to give up their
sovereignty and nationhood. Offering to buy us out means they are
acknowledging our sovereignty.
They declared the obvious. The lands belong to the various Indigenous
peoples and are clearly defined by the treaties. Where there are no
treaties, the U.S. and Canada are squatters. Plain and simple! The
indigenous people have the same rights under international law as
anyone else, whether a country chooses to acknowledge it or not,
as in South Africa . Our vast tracts of land, which have been cared
for by our ancestors, continue to be ours despite the delusional
fraudulent claims of the colonizing states.
Treaties concluded through bribery and with colonial puppets,
instead of with valid representatives of our people, are not legal.
It should be borne in mind that most, not all, of the treaties ever
made with the colonizers granted them only very limited rights
that fall far short of the greedy advantages they imagined. They
had no intention of ever living up to any treaty. They were hell
bent on stealing everything. The U.S. and Canada came as
profiteers and fraudulently tried to steal all our assets.
Such documents were concocted in clear violation of international
law then and now. This requires the informed consent of the people
concerned. No state can incorporate another unless a clear majority
of the people has expressed consent through fairly conducted
democratic processes based on a clear question.
The Six Nations Confederacy and the Algonquins are the title
holders of most of the eastern half of what is known as the colonies
of Canada and northeastern U.S. Our Indigenous laws prohibit
alienation of our lands. We hold them as trustees for the coming
unborn generations. We refuse to surrender our lands. The
implementation of the Indian Act and federal Indian law is genocidal.
According to article VI of the U.S. Constitution, treaties represent the
Supreme Law of the Land binding each party to an inviolable
international relationship. Those without treaties with the colonists
hold their lands independent and free. The only legal authority is
Indigenous. Article II sets out the primary nation-to-nation relationship.
In Canada Section 109 of the British North America Act 1867 respects
the primary authority of the Indigenous peoples.
The U.S. and Canada have violated the independent Indigenous
Peoples by “clerical” action, edicts and pronouncements violating
our international treaty rights and authority.
The Lakota declaration of withdrawal from the Treaty of Laramie 1868
is vested in the power of the Lakota people and the children. One
individual does not represent the nation. The nation represents the
individual. The withdrawal is for the people, elders, mothers, fathers
and children including the unborn faces beneath the ground.
The Treaty of Laramie was never honored. It’s been a colonial
catastrophe, which was not its intent on our part. Indigenous children
are still being taken away putting them out of balance from learning
the traditional life ways. The true way is to be free and left to govern
and look after our own with the teachings of the animal nations. This
is about the Lakota Nation and the Animal People who are no longer
here. “We are the Lakota Nation of Nebraska , North Dakota , South Dakota ,
Wyoming and Montana ”. We are alerting the Family of Nations of our
action with the backing of Indigenous, international and U.S. law.
Should all Indigenous nations of Onowaregeh, Turtle Island , assert our
freedom and independence, what would happen? The action of the
“Lakota” is going to have repercussions far and wide.
The colonists would go out of business, especially the oligarchs. They
would have to work out agreements with all the Indigenous people on
whose land they are squatting. Indigenous “liens” on buildings,
development, resource extraction and all activities on our land will have
to be governed and executed by us. Each Indigenous nation will assert
our power over our lands, assets and resources. The colonies of U.S.
and Canada will just have to become law abiding. They will have to learn
to respect indigenous and international law. This will not bring a
catastrophe for the ordinary people living on our land. They just have to
come to terms with the reality that they are living within our jurisdiction,
that they are visitors on our land and that they are required to follow our
law.
The pointlessness of their former reliance on their handpicked “Indian”
puppets set up by the colonial Indian Act band councils and federal
Indian law tribal councils will become obvious. These sell-outs will have
to live amongst their relatives without colonial power and support.
Whisky, money and guns will lose their mystical attraction.
The Lakota call upon the world to support this struggle for sovereignty
and treaty rights. They pledge their assistance to all sovereign people
who seek their independence.
The Lakota have invited those living on their lands to join them. Lakota
will issue permits to them, passports, driver’s licenses and other
documents. Living there would be tax free providing the residents
renounce their U.S. citizenship.
The Lakotah are to open negotiations with the State Department of the
U.S. government to establish diplomatic relations. They are setting up
offices in Washington and New York City .
Are we going to see the other nations of Turtle Island asserting
sovereignty? Don’t let those “dirty rotten lawyers” meddle or intervene.
They’re not the ones who decide what the law is. The law belongs to the
people. As our ancestors told us, “One nation will take the issue so far.
Then another will take it further. Until we all regain everything that is ours”.
So who’s next? MNN Editor.