Garvard Good Plume. My
name is Wakiya ho tonka mni (Walks With a Loud Thunder Voice), given to me by
the invisible ones. My colonial name is Garvard and using my grand fathers
name Good Plume, Garvard Good Plume.
I'm of the seven camp fires the nation of Tetuwan Oyate ( nation of the prairie dwellers) named Great Sioux nation, a band
of Crazy Horse the Ogalala and speak the Lakota language. Also a lineal
descendent of Rain in The Face, White Cow Bull, Long Wolf, tizi ska, Black
Feather and Yellow Boy, great warrior's 5th generation. These are my roots. I'm from the POW camp 344 Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, I'm
honored to be interviewed was'te (good). I was raised in a village called
Wolf Creek. Named after Chief Black Wolf of the Cheyenne's red bear camp.
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
JL: . I would first like
to ask you about the violation of the Lakota peoples human rights and
their long history of Human rights abuse? In the news, you often hear
about human rights abuse in third world countries like Afghanistan,
Iraq, North Korea, China, Tibet, etc but not usually in in places like
Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.
GGP. In my
perspective what I heard from the old ones and what I see and what is
happening, first treaty rights is human rights. Historically, in the
1700's, hundreds of treaties were made with great England the crown,
then France who sold the
US to US. This
new country, who made many treaties, but only two were ratified the 1851
and the 1868. This was a international treaty, nation to nation
and one passage. I will not go to deep into them, there's many
books and stories written about it.
We were to be left alone to live the way of life nature laws and culture.
It is painful to talk about and think about, but I grew up hearing about it.
We
are a common man. The red man. We had a government that had a lot of morals and
respect for each other. Oral stories tell what happened and our winter counts
had records of events. I'm 50 years old now. I remember my great grandfather,
Washington Black Feather. He was in the battle of Little Big Horn at age 16.
I was 6 years old when he went to the spirit world. He shared a lot of events
and said "never forget and remember who you are".
In this land of dreams is a
nightmare for our people. Treaty violations began human rights violation,
removal of people destroying a race of people, physically, mentally and spiritually,
which is
still going on, with the boarding school. In the 1900's and acts of congress, relocation, moving natives to the urban areas and
allotment's on land, religion, Bureau of Indian Affairs.
We are the only group of people with this department of
interior, in the US. They forced foreign language and worship upon us, which
came by the papa's bull's in the 1492 Columbus, which he massacred indigenous
peoples who where not Christians of what faith? and took the resources.
Today many of our people are Christians. We still don't have rights and we didn't get our lands back. I remember as a child in school at the age of
five, I was punished for speaking my language, which made us hate school and white
people and they went to church every Sunday. My grand parents and my parents
with three generations of terror in school which effects many today. My grand
parents and father is gone. They took the fear and terror to the grave. God bless
their souls if they had any left, telling me to learn the white mans ways, so I
won't suffer, but still do.
Growing up on a reservation and oppression, puts fear
in a person going off the reservation, when by treaty this area was set aside for
the great Sioux nation lands being taken away. Even as I speak the Corps
of Engineers is planning to take our water away, water rights. In spite of these
things. my grand mother said forgive them, they are pitiful, they don't
understand. It brings tears to your eyes when our young who are educated and
have degrees can't find a simple job. Or make bank loans for we have land but
say we don't have collateral, when the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has our land in trust and to many
heirs and are forced to sell at a cheap rate. We can't even have business,
because of tribal codes and CRF regulations of the BIA.
The tribal
government was imposed upon us in the 1934 Indian reorganization
act and forced us to be American citizens in 1926. We were here
for thousands of years. To day our burial sites and
petroglyphs
are being destroyed like we were never here.
Housing is a
big issue, when you see mansions going up in the scared Black Hills, while our
peoples home are shacks and run down. Forced giving to the peoples who were removed
from their allotments into cluster housing. When one family try's to go back to
their allotment, they are forced out while the ranchers are leasing the land for
99 years, according to the BIA. The BIA are back stabbing and lying to us.
The reservation is now 50
percent non native ranchers. Native ranchers are also suffering.
When the state gave the farms and ranchers drought funds, they left the
native ranchers out. The waters are contaminated by abandoned mines and
logging. In the treaty there is to be consent by three forth male,
but it is not being done. The tribe (bands) are divided. Can't come
together. For this system did a good job, even down to our grand
children there is a lot of competition. When as a child I grew up
sharing and looking out for our families and relatives.
Human rights are being
violated in personally and as a collective
people. We are under the federal
laws and yet we still pay taxes. We were cheated. You have to live here to
know. We are
perpetrated
every day.
While I heard the elders telling horror stories you think came out of a book or movies the 70's. I was told
the doctors
at the PHS hospital were overdosing babies and elderly. The goal is to get
rid as much full blood and our people where diagnosed with diabetes and
other diseases, when some went to out side doctors and found that they weren't
sick. I just found out at a meeting that a doctor told many people are sick.
There is a form of genocide, so their will be no treaties. We were forced on the reservation because of our resources, not just gold,
but coal and gas and oil.
In 2000 the Ogallala people took over their tribal building for two
years which stirred up the system. A lot of things were exposed in
the state, national and tribal level. It was a peaceful take over with a sacred object and this
moved the UNPO. (Unrepresented Peoples Organization)passing a resolution in
Estonia Russia for a non violent demonstration and the general secretary, came to
investigate. This happened in the 73's. Wounded Knee were promised that things
will be done and even got to Geneva, but nothing was done.
I asked the
governor of South Dakota and Senator Thune at a small meeting here in
Rapid City during their Candidacy, what they could do about the human right
violation by the state and the federal and tribal governments. They said they
didn't understand, what human right ????? The governor then invited me to a
dinner asked me if I ever ate in a white mans house???? Which upset the
people at the round table!
I also helped my uncle who was
spokesperson for
the Teton Sioux nation treaty council going to Geneva working on the declaration
of indigenous peoples rights for 13 years the declaration originated in wolf
creek, Pine Ridge Indian reservation in 1977 and has gone around the
world.
JL: When Senator John
Thunes question about whether you" ever ate in a white mans house" upset
the people at the round table. Who did you mean and how did you
interpret the senators question?
GGP: Sorry it was the
Governor Mike Rounds of South Dakota. I said no just in his
restaurant and he said "I never ate in a natives house either, but
we need to visit one another, if you came to my house I will feed you".
I was with some others, former tribal leaders and treaty people and
native media were shocked and told him he shouldn't be condescending.
It is what politicians do to every native.
My interpretation was he
wanted to get closer to the native community and have a open dialog.
POW CAMPS
JL: When you
said the reservation is now 50 percent non native ranchers. Did
your people sell or lease some of Pine Ridge reservation to these non
natives ranchers? Did you lease or sell any of your land to the
mining companies. When was Pine Ridge called. POW camp 344.
GGP: To give a little history and what my late uncle made some
statements, and then I will go into the question. POW camp 344 was
all ready planned in the 1865 and took place in 1870's when chief red
cloud signed 1871 with out the consent of the heads men every was n
the big horns present day Wyoming for the fall hunt ! Chief Red Cloud's
brother spider, went to the hunting camp and told what happened, which
started history, the people felt betrayed.
In the fall of 1875
the US government issued an ultimatum to a nation of people that stood
in the way of their advancement across the North America continent. The
Lakota people were given a few weeks to leave their own country and
return to a reservation 344 established by the Americans " or be
considered 'hostiles' subject to forced removal". The Lakota refusal to
heed the ultimatum resulted in a war that included the change of the 7th
cavalry under the command of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his
ultimate defeat on June 25, 1876.
If America, or the world for the
matter, wants to understand the American mind set, simple ask an Lakota
the latest chapter in the American colonial process. It is a process
that hides behind the forced imposition of democracy and human
rights. As Americans interpret these terms. Usually that
interpretation involves benefits for American interest whether those
interests are land, resources, gold, oil .
LIBERATION AND OCCUPATION
BY FOREIGN FORCES
Our territory was to be
"liberated" by the Americans when gold was discovered in the scared
Black Hills. The occupation of our land by foreign forces began shortly
after the American discovery of these resources and in violation of
international treaties and conventions has continued ever since. I'm
still trying to get to the point of the question, in it's
colonization of Indian territory in the north America, in violation of
the US constitution in which " all treaties made , or which shall be
made. shall be the supreme law of the land". The American government
has gone to great lengths to give the appearance that our territory was
never colonized in violations of these treaties. The myth has
evolved into a romantic history in which the land never belonged to any
one but the Americans. plenary power, sovereignty, nation to nation,
citizenship and Indian reorganization are all terms familiar to
individuals aware of America's manipulation of the language of
colonization. still dealing with land and peoples. My uncle would say "
human rights, sovereignty and self determination are fundamental
principals of the Lakota natural law and the UN charter. Unilateral
invasion and colonization is a violation of international human rights
law and cannot be condoned or supported "
OK. Now the Americans
made laws, first the article IX of the article of confederation 1781,
the continental congress with "the sole and exclusive right and power of
regulating the trade and managing all affairs with the Indians not
members of the state" and of the so called commerce clause of the
constitution, stipulated that the fed government alone would be
responsible for regulating trade with Indian tribes. Also Article I
section 2 of the constitution, which defines Indians not taxed as
comprising a polity separate from the that of US, and Article 1, section
10, precludes the federal government from entering into treaty
agreements and any entity other than another sovereign national
entity, some of the laws.
LAWS AND ACTS
GGP: 1. The Indian
removal act (1830) an exchange of lands with any of the Indians
residing in any of the states & territories.
2. The general allotment
act (1887) also "Dawes act" The US intervened unilaterally in the
internal affairs of native nations to break up their traditional systems
of collective land tenure, on the basis of a racist blood quantum code.
3. The citizenship act 1924 passed as a clean-up measure.
4. The Indian
reorganization act 1934, Wheeler-Howard act. imposed by the US to
supplant traditional forms of indigenous government n favor of a tribal
council structure modeled after corporate boards.
5. The Indians claims commission act 1946 "receive justice"
6. The termination act 1953 federal policy of unilaterally dissolving
specific native nations.
7. The Indian
mineral development act 1982 cost cutting encourage natives to engage in
whole sales mining of their residual land base for the economically self
-sufficient. Just some of the laws.
The elders say. "Don't
sell your land. Money is like fire, burns and is gone, but the
land is there for ever. One of these days you will be walking down
the road with your coat and children by their hand crying" and it is
seams that we are there now.
RANCHERS AND LAND LEASES
JL: What about the land
leases and non native ranchers?
GGP: There's a law suit.
Cobell - V - US on leases. What happens to the thousands of
dollars, now there is an offer for the BIA to buy land for the tribe.
Sell your land and many are be foreign. The fifty, they were told
they will be taxed and lose their lands. Some sold their lands to
ranchers who was leasing land. Bennet County is on the reservation and
most sold and turned into a county. I have land there from my
grand father I'm leasing. I'm not going to sell. I have children
who need it. I will gift it to them. BIA says some of the
land are to small, my brothers land was taken after he died he had two
boy's have nothing. I only have 17 acres and hanging on to it for dear
life bad thing is was undivided interest and to many land owners some
sold out the tribe took it we go rounds with the reality office
and there is a lot of land stealing. One lady said she had 80
acres. She went away to go for training returned to live on her
allotment. She only had 40 left and the BIA superintendent built a
house and was taken to court. He moved the house but the land issue is
in court, yet 20 years.
My family and I leased
this land with cattle. It was over grazed, so we decided to end
the lease and the BIA turned around and gave it back to the leaser.
He put money up front. We had no say, so we barely got my nephew to live
on the land it was a battle to prove that the land was ours.
There's some up coming
meetings, the office of the special trustee for American Indians
is hosting called "protection of Individual Indian trust land" it is
hard to trust them. Them that sold their lands were given a letter and
they are no longer able to use the Indian hospitals (public
health service) cutting cost turning them in to clinics you can't get
help from the tribal government, there is oil, gas, water, mineral
rights, when you sell they want the mineral rights. Very touchy.
I just got a letter
from the office of trust, list of real property list, trust land . My
account number starts with 344 -******* numbers at the end of the
letter has encumbrance/ holder receives trust income from encumbrance
activity expiration date . Date the encumbrance ends if there is an end
date; HBP = held by production (oil & gas) IP = In perpetuity (
the encumbrance does not have an expiration date)
These are new to my letter checking with other letters something is
going on, so I think this meeting is about this their making this letter
good with buffalo feed and door prizes and presentation,
Fishy. That's why I put those laws in here. I can get in trouble
for this, but it is my allotment.
A lot of violations my
cousin got 360 acres from his mother when she passed, the government
took half and told him the rest of the land was useless. His hands were
tied he couldn't do any thing. It is very hard to work with the BIA
realty office. When you ask questions they get rude. I'm hanging
on to my land to see what happens. When it is leased you can't pick
berry's and herbs and the cows eat everything in sight and the white
face cow and the anguses have more rights then a native.
Garvard Good Plume with his uncle Tony
black Feather
JL: Wasn't your uncle
Tony Black Feather? Didn't he die of cancer? Do you know what the life
expectancy is on Pine Ridge at this point in time?
GGP: My uncle Tony
died of a tumor between his heart and lung they couldn't get. He
was on chemotherapy. Did not help. He went fast . Cancer
rate is higher in and round the reservation. I guess while where in
Edmonton for the meeting with the UN. There was a
report in the local paper that life expectancy is around 40.
Lately among the natives so far is 50. It is bad. It seem like there
is a funeral every other day.
JL: What is the
declaration of indigenous peoples rights and can you please tell me what
happened in 2004 in Geneva?
GGP: The draft
declaration is the original sub commission text on indigenous peoples
right for over 15 years. There where debating on the articles the sub
commission on human rights, passed to article 3 and 36 , in 2004.
I went to Geneva for the final debate. Some wanted a year
extension, which it did, but during this time it stared to fall apart.
The Sammie's of Iceland and the Tibetans proposed some changes and the
chairmen accepted it. He is from Peru. Enrique Louise Chavez. He
decided to propose the chairmen's text and undermining the indigenous
peoples. Some started to fold. The Teton Sioux Nation Treaty
Council stood our grounds. No changes. The second day of the meeting, a
hunger fast and prayer strike took place. Seven people the UN security
was called in. The security to full responsibility to protect the hunger
strikers. US and Russia protested. During this time the strikers
demanded to see the human rights commission. It was set in the mean
time. There was over 8000 e-mails from around the world supporting the
hunger strikers. In Mexico some elders also started to fast. ABC news
was the only one covering the story. Same time the city of Geneva
wanted a meeting with some of the delegates and was in full support of
the strike. That time we went in a meeting with the chairmen of
the working group.
He stated, he was going
to put in his text if there was no consensus and that the state
countries don't want us to have rights. That's why it is taken so long,
but he wanted to get in cross cutting words. That afternoon small words
like or , are , obtain, as and is. I thought how ?? So they,
indigenous group got into groups worrying and we went off to drink tea ,
cause we are standing on no change before our elders passed on that was
the request on their death bed. Late that afternoon, the HR
Commission wanted a meeting. They wanted to know what the chairmen
stated so it was told. Then the commission promised that if there
is no consensus on the chairmen's text, they will go back to the
original text , and asked why it took so long in years. The working
groups last six years and this group about 13 years to long , why?
During that year the
Teton Sioux Nation Treaty Council was not invited to the meeting s on in
Minnesota and one in Ontario Canada and they where not notified. But by
the time the human rights commission was abolished and a human rights
council was created, the US didn't want a seat. There was couple
of votes. U.S. didn't vote and wanted it out. Surprising. So this
passed June, the human rights council
accepted the chairmen's text which is not good. It does not allow
us to continue in international forums, but domestic states. We
wanted to take our case to world court. Plus what about article 3
and 36 , and it doesn't say we are in the family of human right like the
one that was made in the forties and in the chairmen's text that the
indigenous people must continue their rights. What is this?
We where lied to again!.
Just like 1851 & 1868. During the rap up on the chairmen's report, the
US wanted to delete the hunger strike out. To say that it didn't
happen, but it did happen and one person said there was no consent.
So now on Nov 16 or 18
the general assembly will meet to see if it pass's. The
elders are wondering with these land meetings with the office of the
special trustee for American Indians on land are up to something and the
closing of the treaty hospital !
There was harsh words today with the
administrator. So so we are looking at extinction. In nice words . This
is my version.
See the new
book by Steven Hendricks titled The Unquiet Grave. Thunder
mouth press
