The road to Wounded Knee III: history and philosophy of AIM / Carter Camp (Part 3 of 5) ; The road to Wounded Knee

The organization of the American Indian Movement came into being around 1966 when a group of Native Americans in Minneapolis Minnesota gained control of a portion of Ojo funds the organization has gone through many changes. One of the most important being the move from centering their programs on the problems of Native Americans living on the reservations as well as in urban areas. Carter Camp who is a co-director of ame explains how and why the change came about. He begins by talking about the early beginnings of the American Indian Movement in the city of Minneapolis where if you are indeed in the organization 13 or 14 large in the organization of all the new organizations none of them were in the control room the board. Of directors or the Indian group. Completely controlled by Indian people when they first started there was a lot of discussion about whether or not there was a need for another Indian organization that possibly they could work within the framework of another organization. But they

decided that a movement such as their vision you know had to be completely and in control and had to present Indian solutions to Indian problems an organization of America that had done that yet. So some of the some of the men there. That were in on the original planning for the American Indian Movement decided that because of the situation that existed in the cities like Minneapolis that they in an organization that was totally an advocate for Indian people had to be started. The American Indian Movement started a group of men who had been living in an urban situation in Minneapolis Minnesota. Most of them had had done time and in federal correctional institutions and they were very bitter about the fact that. If they hadn't broken in the amount they had and in any way.

Broken any code of conduct against Indian Nation they were put in there because of the pressures that existed against Indian people at that time in the cities and still do exist. They knew the bitter frustrations of trying to exist in a six sided society though that would in no way accept them you know as human beings. They put together this movement to try to correct things that were happening in the cities and the sometimes 70 80 percent dropout rate of schoolchildren. The fact that in for more talent the rate is so high and especially in cities that are young adolescent people are committing suicide is tremendously alarming rate. Those statistics put out by the federal government convinced him that something had to be done to stop this. So they first started to work in the way of many urban organizations say the first action was to game to try to gain

control of a portion of government and federal spending. But I go you know money. They demanded that they be given a share and then they end in. You're given a share in it so they can in some way start working towards the solutions to problems in their respective very successful on their first dash in the American Indian Movement demonstrate against offices for two or three weeks and they they were finally able to have people sit on the board of directors or you know in the other funny organisations to begin channeling money into Indian programmes that would be set up by Indian people controlled by Indian people and you know were completely Indian oriented. They set up survival schools and then they they realized that one of the main oppressors there would be with the police the firemen and the way they brutally treated Indian people. We knew that like on Friday and Saturday night the place would go down and into. In an

area town and pick up bus loads of Indian people and take them to jail and next morning court appointed lawyers are telling the plead guilty. The American Indian Movement with it with its initial grant from the from one of the churches I believe. Has at this church. Started. An American Indian Movement patrol and this patrol was there to see that Indian people were giving their rights to justice. Like any other citizen they began patrol patrolling the Indian neighborhoods and when the police would arrest someone they were there to make sure that they weren't brutalized and beaten as so often and when. The American Indian Movement started their patrol they found that that they could sometimes go for. A week or several weeks without Indians being arrested. It was because the city government and county governments realized

that the American Indian Movement was not only there to ensure the rights of the people being arrested they also formed a group of young lawyers and in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to go into the courts the following morning it was these people that they didn't have to plead guilty to any charge that they were charged with and just pay a fine if they could plead innocent ask for a jury trial and have someone there to advocate for doing it as a religion. The leaders of the American Indian Movement. Knew that there was something missing they could go deal in the white man's courts they could they could go. Advocate for Indian people in the poverty program and that sort of thing but they still weren't helping the Indian people. In a way that they needed to be healthy. The statistics didn't change for the Indian way of life and the American Indian Movement realized that the people needed something more than just another in an organization that

was making money from various funding sources like churches and and then not really changing the basic facts of their lives that time. So in the American Indian Movement leaders heard about a spiritual leader and on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation they. Crow Dogs. And they made a trip down here to Rosebud Sioux Reservation to visit with Prolog and see if they could gain some sort of spiritual direction that they had realized it so. Vitally missing. That is actually when the American Indian Movement was first born. Because we think that the American Indian Movement is not only an advocate for Indian people it's a spiritual rebirth of our nation. It carries the spirituality of our ancient people of our elder people that are now living here and this type of reservation.

Credit gave a spiritual direction and caused us to that time seek out more spiritual direction from amongst our own tribe so now the American Indian movement relies very very heavily on the traditional leaders and the holy men of the various tribes to give them the direction they need so they can best help Indian people. At that time. The American Indian Movement was primarily an urban Indian group and at times you'll hear politicians critics detractors say that the American Indian Movement is an urban Indian group which is totally false but at one time it was true at the very initial formation of American Indian Movement it was a group for urban oriented Indian men and women. Fighting for the rights of the cities. It almost immediately changed because. Along with getting deeply involved in the

spiritual direction of our people the American Indian Movement soon realized that the very people that are in cities suffering and oppression there were also the same people that were on the reservation suffering from the oppression there are people would go to a bia a school and they would learn a skill they could only be used in a city. Then they return to the reservations not to be able to get a job and stay there for a while and they said Well try the city where the Bureau of Indian Affairs Then time was giving people relocation money to change from reservation status to city status and trying to. Amalgamate them or assimilate them into a melting pot of the United States. The American Indian Movement also realized then that these people go to the cities and they couldn't survive in this urban situation and people can't live in the cities is too cut

throat. You know it's always. Hurt your brother stab your brother in the back and then people can't live their way. They're not just psychologically built to do that sort of thing so. So they would return to the reservation and then they would be faced with extreme poverty and reservations inability to get a job. The place was no escape for men except maybe drinking. Are gambling are things that in people you know. Have such a problem with their abject poverty was their lot for as long as they stayed on the reservation and loss of manhood and pride. Many times and Indian men and their family would rotate between the city and reservation for a long time each time thinking when he changed his residence that he was changing his life for the better. We realized in the end that our involvement had to be with a total structure of Indian life across the whole nation we had to begin advocating

for Indians on the reservation off the reservation in Canada and Mexico. You know any place or any and people then we have to be there to be their champion and and fight for them for their rights. The recommended move is made up. The leadership of the American Indian Movement is made up of people that lived and have been fairly successful in the urban situation. They know how to deal and why society and there also. Are oriented to the traditional ways of our people it's traditional culture white people is the is the. Strength of the American Indian Movement It's what holds it together the cohesiveness and the brotherhood of the American Indian Movement is there because of our belief in the traditional ways of our people our traditional religion of the American Indian and its various tribes. At one time reservations were you know concentration camps for people.

They were they were a place where Indians were locked in and left there to die by this government after they took away their way of life of Indian people. Even though these were prisons in concentration camps our people because they live on the land. They live so closely with the land they became to love the place where they were put and that became their home when they became a place where their relatives were very in a place that they wanted to be forever. So making me a movement realizing realizing the way that people felt about reservations their home that they knew that they had to involve themselves while they themselves felt exactly the same way about their very own reservation their very own home and they had to be on those reservations to fight for their people to help for their people. The American Indian Movement sees itself as a new warrior society for Indian people.

And use a varying concept of warrior societies to to a white person it means warriors that is like the army. Or the armed forces of the United States it is again it goes out and fights and kills for its people but in and people have never have hired killers. You know in a warrior society to them means the minde. While men and women both really have OF THE NATION have dedicated themselves to give everything that they have to to their people they think that a warrior should be the first one to go hungry. The last one to eat his shit he should be the first one to give away his Moxon's and in the last one to buy new ones. That type of feeling the most in people is this what a warrior society is all about. Here of course also

you know I was ready to defend his family in time of war is very free to hold off any enemy and who's perfectly willing to sacrifice himself for the good of. His tribe and this people with a warrior society is to Indian people and that's what we tried to invision ourselves as that's what we try. Idealistically to be honest seeing that we're all completely selfless are we in any way any kind of see where we try from the spiritual direction of our holy men too. To strive to to get ourselves to the point where we don't have the avarice and greed that is so much a part of Anglo society white society and in the United States. Many other people have looked at the American Indian Movement watched its actions you know without paying attention to what the radio or TV or papers were saying about us.

They realized that you know our goals were were fear for their people. And our ways of attaining these goals of. Almost totally peaceful contrary to what people say about us. We believe that the power of this universe is held within our peace pipe and that is exactly that is a pipe of peace a place that ever all cos tries to guide us and you know voiding any any of us by our own hands. I mean any violence violence on the part of the American Indian Movement if if anyone will check back in the history of the American Indian Movement that we take a very strong stand. For our people we have a very strongly the things our people need. We've never killed anyone and never had to have violence unless violence was perpetrated on us first. People talk very often in the papers and in TV and I sort of think about the militancy of the

American Indian Movement the fact that we're violent prone them completely erroneous. The real violence in America is committed by the government against our people. You know the real violence is the fact that on a reservation you know our women are taken and raped in the blacks back to these police cars you know the real violence is the fact that our children you know are never able to learn to to live in a society that's completely alien to them. So they they suffer tremendously disorientation of their own lives and many times leads to suicide or. Drunkenness which is another form or suicide or hard drugs you know which are people who are the real violence against the American Indian Movement this when the Bureau of Indian Affairs was supposedly holding our lands in trust for us because we're incompetent to handle our own affairs.

Is reducing our land base in America by 160000 acres or so every year there's violence against our people when they build dams and flood our ancestral lands and disturb the graves of our past always just. You must. Be living in a fairy doesn't take away they give it away. I see that the federal government you know has and their laws. The fact that Indian people cannot competently handle her own affairs so that total power is vested in the United States government and then in the department interior Bureau of Indian Affairs. Well. This was to be trust and trust money that they hold. When when you see a reservation the size of the great Sioux Reservation

was born Ling and dwindling through a mismanaged land sales and then selling our land to the federal government nominal fees like they did with a gunnery range here that the Air Force uses giving our land away for national parks and by the thousands and thousands of acres allowing the Corps of Engineers to condemn vast tracts of land so they can build a dam and flood it over you know these are just a few other things. You're listening to a special report on wounded me and the Red Power movement you just heard Carter

Camp McCord director of the American Indian Movement describe the beginning of the organization aim and some of its goals and some of its grievances. The interviews you're hearing tonight were done inside Wounded Knee since the occupation began on February 27. The event of the occupation of Wounded Knee has received a great deal of coverage as a news event. The sudden attention given name and Indian people by commercial radio and television networks is often overly condensed sensationalized or superficial. They react understandably the reaction of most Americans has been one of confusion about the role of Jame the Pine Ridge Civil Rights Committee. Traditional tribal chiefs and of course one cannot forget Richard Wilson and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. What contributes most to the lack of understanding about the occupation of Wounded Knee on Feb. 27 is the lack of information concerning the events of the past year or so that have led either indirectly or directly to the takeover of Wounded Knee. Once again Carter Camp co-director of AIM explains.

We started first taking direct actions around the Sioux Reservation and around 1969 when from somewhere people started trying to force the BSA to deal on issues of Indian problems. You know trying to change the educational system here where they didn't teach own Indian children that that wearing their hair in its additional manner was bad for them. That Indian people were savages and that our religion was paganism. You know we've tried to get them to start teaching our children that religion is the very basis of Indian life and that and the way we wear our here or the way we dress in no way. Interferes with the way we can learn many things that happen. I was reservation around this area this great Sioux Nation is a stronghold of the American Indian Movement because of the very spirituality and the traditionalism that is here on this reservation. They can identify.

With the goals. He wants and needs of the American Indian Movement. One time about a year ago after many things that happened on the Pine Ridge Reservation death after death and suicide after suicide and jail being out of jail beating that the American Indian Movement was trying to fight the stuff of the Oglala Sioux people and they rose was who people were trying to fight to stop him in the border towns around here. Tremendous oppression against our people exist. One border town named Rushville brassica and all Indian men was on the street and when the police came along and because this particular policeman was very large and very sadistic he knocked us all Indian men down and they returned all Indian men would rise and the place was hit with a club or kicking until they fell

again to his knees and Rush feels only three blocks long he made their Indian man crawl from one end of town to the other while the young high school kids gathered around and spit on the old man and calling names. When they come to the American Indian Movement told us about that. And that was in 1970. You know what America is supposed to be saw where Gordon Nebraska. So white people kill Raymond Yellow Thunder I mean you know thunder was an. Old Indian man well respected on the Indian reservation and looked up to as one of the kindest people to him in people means that he was a real leader of his people. He he was in Gordon Nebraska. And I don't know I guess he had been drinking or maybe had Or maybe it doesn't make any difference because he was found on the street by a couple of white ranchers called the hare brothers

young men young British people along with a couple other companions. And he was beaten severely in an alley and then he was put in the trunk of their car and driven around and for 45 minutes an hour. They testified themselves was taken to an American Legion dance drawn in the American Legion Hall while all the American Legion here stood around and laughed about it. Some of the heroes kicked into the ground and invited the other white people there to kick them in because it was so much fun. Then they took off his pants and degraded him when he was half naked and doing back out of the American Legion Hall. They put him back in the truck again and drove around beat him severely again and tortured him with cigarettes and finally killed him. And at that time the American Indian Movement was in Omaha Nebraska. To me a convention for the

National Congress of American Indians to sisters and his brother Raymond Yellow Thunder then tried to go to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Well first I went to local police and they were laughed at. They call the FBI and the FBI said. It didn't mean anything to them and they were given no help. They even went to the Bureau of Indian Affairs who initially claimed that they didn't want to help any Indians they tried to call their local Congressman and we had no response whatsoever. And as a very last resort they call the American Indian Movement and told us of the circumstances. The American Indian Movement. Was just completely tired of first that our efforts did not meet any kind of success in stopping these depredations against our people. So we mobilized. To go to the town of Gordon and demand that justice be done over 2000 American women people drove in caravans from the fine Ridge Reservation the Rosebud

Reservation and then from a convention in Omaha and went to the town of Gordon Nebraska and completely took over that town for the three days that they were there. They demanded then that those people will least be arrested because up till that time the the official that had happened even filed charges against us here brothers the mayor of the town of TiVo pleased him completely capitulated their positions and in the American Indian Movement was successful in getting charges lodged against these people. We also were successful in showing the various towns around around the. Borders of the Pine Ridge reservation that we will no longer tolerate that type of thing this happening to our people. You know that in. General Branch and other small border towns Hot Springs Buffalo Gap and Custer South Dakota that the same type of depredation that go on constantly against our people. One time when they

win the land lease money came in and our people had a lot of money a lot of which the town. Of Lyons I think it was. I'm unsure which one of the border towns it was too. Well they go there to shop they go there to buy everything there's Harley stores on the reservation. The cops there soffit. Decided to lock up some Indians it was the same type of brutality that I mentioned before they. They gathered about 40 Indian people women and children and men some of them drinking and some of them so I'm just passing through town but instead of taking them to jail they took them and locked him in an abandoned fire house and filled it with tear gas and made those people stay in there. One of the pregnant women lost her baby and several people were permanently injured but it was it was just a matter of a good joke for the police department of that particular town.

When the American Indian Movement moved into Gordon Brasco we thought that possibly that action would convince these white racist border towns that there we were serious that we meant business and what we were doing but obviously it didn't. Because that's only been one year ago and since and been for beating deaths in the Elias jail there's been several more in the Gordon jail another one in Rushville jail than in Buffalo Gap white. Service station owner murdered Wesley bad heart bull and and the authorities refused to take any action on him. The American Indian Movement was calm because the band heard well family had faith that what we were trying to do we had known of other murders around the reservation and we hadn't taken definitive action because one thing we have been called in and we needed to have a time for support from from a group of Indian people before we could come in as outsiders.

When the when the. County that that. Had jurisdiction over this murder found out that Dennis Banks was in town to investigate that murder. Then they decided that they had better charge. Schmidt with that. Manslaughter second degree manslaughter or something like that because they knew that the American Indian Movement was becoming interested in the case and that we were going to do something about it. Then in people of course knew that that charge should be murder. Murder in the first degree because of the way that he was a tank to be because of the way that this man had been planning on attacking him and even talking about it publicly that he was going to kill Wesley bad heart bull and he did that. The American Indian Movement then decided to mobilize its forces. To try to once again assured town that they couldn't do that

to Indian people any longer. We first thought of going to Buffalo Gap which is a small community. That is insignificant. It's only like a wire service station but they're going to hold a trial in Custer South Dakota. And what he said to make them a target they're going to have it on February 6th of this year. Actually. It wasn't. They were going to have a range of manslaughter charges when they heard that the American Indian Movement was mobilizing they quickly set the date off till later in late February. We decided that because our forces were mobilized in Rapid City that the initial They didn't make any difference. We were going to go to that town and demand that he be charged with first degree murder. That is sufficient bail be be put against him to to make sure that he came to that to that trial and was convicted because we knew that we had evidence plenty of evidence to convict him and try to show the people that

you know that we couldn't tolerate this any longer. We went to that town the racist government of that town decided that they didn't need to deal with any Indian people. They didn't need to talk with us at all. You know well myself and Dennis Banks Russell Means we're inside. The courthouse building trying to negotiate with the with the city officials who didn't want to talk to us. They attacked our people knowing that they were trying to come into the courthouse. They attacked our people and we started fighting inside the courthouse or people thinking that our people thought that the leadership of the movement was trapped inside what we were for a time. They had they had knocked Russell Means unconscious and broken his arm and and they had him out back and beat him up. And Dennis Banks was in a different room. And we didn't know exactly what happened to him and I was stuck in the

hallway and also knocked out him maced him. And so my people dragged me out welly the membership of the movement thought that we were in there being killed him. And they immediately started fighting all over town and they burned the courthouse and the Chamber of Commerce and a couple other buildings there. And then generally you know wrecked havoc on the on the town of Custer South Dakota and then you know then that time ration wasn't planned by us. It wasn't something that we decided to go and do before we went up there. Something that spontaneously came about because of the extreme frustrations of the members of the American Indian Movement. We're back to Rapid City. And they realize that you know the town of Rapid City being the largest town around it was such a racist town that they control the feelings of the other towns in the area.

We concentrated there for a few days until we we made the town of Rapid City agreed to a separate set of. Demands and proposals by Indian people. Then they start meeting with the Indian people and start applying the solutions that we had brought for them and caused the Mir's of ten other towns in the area the small towns to also meet with us and start finding some way for the Indian people to deal with living in those cities during the time that this is happening. The Oglala Sioux people have formed a civil rights committee here in the Pine Ridge Reservation. And they had had two weeks of meetings trying to find a way that they could deal in a legal manner with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its puppet Dicky Wilson who is now a tribal chairman recognized by the US government but not

recognized by the Indian people. They tried to petition for impeachment. They had sufficient signatures and the government tore it up threw it away and said it had never been presented. So they had to go back start a new petition. They had enough travel Council to call a recall election and the government deal which they did and they impeached Dickie Wilson. And it is hearing he he was able to under a rule neighbors own judge his hearing him and they circumvented the will of the people again. Still Indian people were trying to work within the system of the U.S. government and they went to court to sue for for the redress of these grievances and the court wouldn't hear their case into the matter. And to enter a long time of trying and trying to get some sort of of a change in the government and the governmental system on this reservation. The the Oglala Sioux Nation

called the American Indian Movement which is then Rapid City in close proximity and asked us to come down to offer would aid assistance we could. We came down here to see you know what kind of support they had because we had made a promise not to involve ourselves in any internal policies or politics of any and in nation in this looked at first it. That's what it was. We came down here we realize it's a struggle was not at all with the Oglala Sioux people it had to be with the federal government the Bureau of Indian Affairs. And we offered them to stay and help the soup people. We said that we would stay and help if they could call together the traditional tribal chiefs and additional people around the reservation of the real leaders of the Sioux people. And if they wanted this. To take a direct action then we would. They went around to the various districts and called together a meeting of the traditional leadership

of ASU people in the Chiefs and holy men that they recognized as the real leaders. They came together the next day and decided to take action. And they left the motivation to the leaders of the Oglala Civil Rights Committee who in turn asked the American Indian Movement to to help them in the planning stages of some type of meaningful demonstration or anything that we thought would bring about change. Our original thought was to go to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Pine Ridge and thereby physically throw out the government. We soon realized that that was impossible because they had the place completely fortified and have a whole lot of federal marshals MVA pigs all around and they have sandbags on top of machine guns. Fortifications all over the town. So in order to avoid that type of pitched battle we decided to come to Wounded Knee

South Dakota because of its historic significance to our people naturally and the fact it lies right in the heart of the Pine Ridge Reservation. And we felt that by coming here occupying this town we would be telling the Sioux Nation that they had someone there to fight for them to help them fight and protect them. The Oglala people sent about two hundred two hundred twenty five in people here with us the American Indian Movement provided about 50. Indian people mostly warriors to come in here to occupy this town. We come to Wounded Knee and see the town of Wounded Knee and start. Telling the government that if they wanted this town you know. As part of the United States that they would have to start dealing with the Indian people and on the issues of. Replacing the Bureau of Indian Affairs

officials. Danny. Lyman of Pine Ridge Wyman babby of the Aberdeen area office. We also told him that they had to have a recall election to to replace Dickie Wilson and they refused to do that. And the American Indian Movement solidified its position here along with all the other Sioux people. The first thing we did. Was to identify some of the major enemies of Indian people. Of course one was the judicial system to discriminate so heavily as to people. One was the Bureau of Indian Affairs just been a driving force behind the impoverishment of the Indian people and the enrichment

of the white people their lives surrounding the reservations. The third was the churches of Christianity that were that were so eager to come here to any country to divide up our land you know and also to take so eager to take every vestige of our culture and heritage and religion away from our people and replace it with completely non-viable type of non religion which believes first in the almighty dollar first in. Greed and avarice you know and one day a week they go to their their houses that cost so much and pray here in Wounded Knee you have about a dozen churches for a community of about a thousand people or less than a community of about 500 people or something like that membership exact population but all these churches you know they they've got no reason to be here. Our people don't believe in Christianity and they know that if a

person shows the type of greed the type of avarice that Christianity has shown my people then they can't be truly religious. In religion. You know it was the cohesiveness that formed Indian Nations. I mean religion gives people a way to live with the land instead of on it. We live. With the Mother Earth and worship here and there or put ourselves above any anything below us. Animal or. Rock. Or tree or bird was our brother and sister still is the way that we believe in a traditional way is that we should never think of ourselves as being made in the image of any god. We're not God like in the in the people and all people. Are all our only equal maybe different but only equal from all other things on this earth. We know that. Everything here is a circle

with a purpose and every everything has its place from the lowliest in say you know to to the sun which is our father and which gives life to everything. These these things are part of the nature in people in their culture and heritage never think that we have to conquer anything. We don't have to build a great dam to divert a river. You know that will eventually end up harming the balance of nature. We will have to send something to the moon which is our sister and take her take away part of her and bring it down here tear away part of her flesh and bring it down here for no reason whatsoever. You know those things are not to be done in the great circles not to be tampered with American people by learning them. Finally they haven't found a solution they're trying to find a bigger and better technology to conquer even their own pollution problem. When

when. It is not a way at all they have to learn to live with nature. You know they have to learn it. That there should be no such word as a wilderness. Then the concept of the wilderness is completely foreign to Indian people. There are no wild animals. There are no wild things except man himself in particular white men. People knew that when they were with with Mother Earth and with nature as you call it. They were at home. They were never afraid. Of a bear or they were never afraid of what cougar or deer are and they were afraid of a turtle. But then they were never afraid because the stars were out instead of the sun and. Why people came over here and they said everything that lives over there without houses.

Is savage and vicious against him they feared what was out there. So they had to destroy these things and pretty effectively destroyed our brothers. The antelope and the buffaloes that our people lived with us for so long. But Indian people knew that that they didn't have to do that that day. Took something to eat like a buffalo. They knew that eventually their own bodies. Would die and be put back in the earth way deep in an iron box but put back with the earth and then they would grow grass and Buffalo it can read that grass of his children become eat dead grass and everything would be in a complete circle. Just like life itself we knew that everything had a place together. That's what we have now to teach the whole world.

As you know we have a way of living. That everyone can live. We have a way of living with with the earth. There one can do. Right now we have studios members of the American Indian Movement and also some. Native American residents of the bay area who've had some experience in Pine Ridge Reservation. A few minutes we're going to be calling South Dakota to talk to me American Indian Movement in

Rapid City right now and find out what the situation is there right now. The way he sees it raising money are thinking programs are going to solve anything they left. No thanks to remove yourself you know we went up to find out the situation because we weren't satisfied with what we were getting. On television newspapers knowing Indian people we know that we went to talk to people on Pine Ridge. Problem little children selling cigarettes to news men and in children. And we have. Little kids following the hustling Red Cross trucks because their parents told the Red Cross give things away very

very very bad things. Living conditions you only associate that with war movies or. Korea or Vietnam or something seeing little children begging. Statement. One of the leaders made about sandbags on the roof with a bourbon in a Paris building. Nearly all of the services that building was built toward the to provide the health education welfare of union people on Pine Ridge. That's not the case. It's a military command post. Most of the Indian services have been suspended indefinitely. All doors are locked except one is guarded by the president of the United States the very best hand-picked people.

And these old people stand in line Court and I do have questions from them to bring in affairs about land problems about welfare about fixing their house or something and they're waved away or told to come back tomorrow and. Those services have just begun immediately again. But there's martial law that I know and as long as they're taking their directions directly from Washington or somewhere because they can't see those people standing around them. What about the employment situation and the hundreds of Asian What kind of what how do most of the people spend their time. How do they support themselves and provide for the basic necessities of life such as food clothing housing and things like that. I'll see about welfare. You can lease money. One of the things that we want to try to erase from the public's

mind is this stereotype of Indian people as we charged along with the statement made by Carter Camp conspiracy by the press to with the peddles government to condition the people's minds to accept another massacre. And that's basically what the entire problem is now. This is their demand to ask for the suspension of the tribal Constitution from the Reorganization Act 1934. At that time the federal government mailed out to every reservation in the country a sort of form letter of a constitution that the Indian people could use as guidelines to govern themselves after the big shake up in the BN affairs whether that was meant much grappa and things like that

exposed. So this letter or this constitution was accepted by many of the tribes almost word for word. And so what if we can help those people. True what is considered legal procedures to suspend a tribal rebel constitution so they can re-examine it. Then taking Lee We're going to suspend every tribal Constitution in the country for examination and then we need these congressmen and senators and things like that to come in with teams and investigate the treaties and the policy. And this statement here by our attorneys now that are in contact with people all over the country. First paragraph of this it says recent events at Wounded Knee have caused surface issues of the most profound character having to do with relations

between our government and the Indian population. Such issues could not be or could have been and were totally ignored 30 or 40 years ago because of the almost universally accepted theory that Indians as Indians were on their way out. The theory was that in another generation or two Indians would be culturally and perhaps perhaps even numerically indistinguishable from the rest of the people in this country and their separate institutions governments reservations cultural religious establishment would be marginal if they existed at all. And what happened is the complete opposite. They were isolated from the mainstream by policies of federal government so that we really really found ourselves and many of those elderly people on Pine Ridge are quite proud to tell you that they are a member of the American Indian Movement. Their

grandmothers and grandfathers and uncles and I've talked to some of the people and they stand up straighter. There is a light in their eye again. And there. They believe that. Good things are going to come out of this. But a touchy situation or gambling with their lives. I think we have a rental car and telephone right now Lou had shortly a method City South Dakota. And are you there. Hi how are you going to help me. All right. Hi this is there Nancy the KPFA Radio in Berkeley California and we've been doing a special program all night tonight on and on Wounded Knee and on the situation there and it's been going on for about three hours and 15 minutes right now. These are tapes brought back by Ron Harvey who you may have met in also by the people from Munich or news who you are meeting right now if you have minimal Mark and know we thought we'd call you up and find

out exactly what you think is going on right now and what may be look for the next few days. Well we know we had a very good week at the present time and added one to Mandy although a lot of the people I represent of a couple other things about the country we have white supporters and there are a couple organizations. Lad I think you know me calling out in a bar and I turn people off and Americans are and if people are not standing and when you need a very interesting thing I've developed in me you know to be crucial to not only for Indian people but for for all citizens of the country and that is that we hand out a low order you're driving for something a little different here in South Dakota. Something bad you need a temporary restraining order. Plainly I got to the department and the other groups on a matter of

a man who had been harassing and intimidating Aboriginals by their own people to bring in food and medicine and I went out not enough time for anything more yet we find that it wasn't a Bartman farm. I need reservations at Wal-Mart also. FBI good Lonnie group and very big learning. Among white ranchers on the reservation and awful beer open in first believe at completely disregarded the order of the car and had a cup of food and medicine. I don't want me you know I mean for the people who are in various stages of a bronchial pneumonia or other respiratory diseases because of the insensitivity on the part of the government and in fact efforts by various federal police agencies who have not altered the federal court order so we have been in people only see that in Nevada.

I'm Martin Savidge. Several Indian people were arrested for attempting to bring in food and medicine into winning when we have well over 100 people from all walks of life where I had to make them. Efforts in the South Dakota area are now OK although I have been jailed. We can only get it double standard of justice is exactly what you said it's been happening to end people and other people without power in this country for years and it's very difficult for people to continue to think that it will stop them in this country when it does not serve all people on an equal basis. A few days ago Senator avarice announced that name was no longer in control inside Wounded Knee and that the civil rights movement had taken control leadership decisions inside Wounded Knee that Russell Means and Dennis Banks who disappeared and that he thought the settlement was in you within 24 hours it was now about well you must understand that

intimidation has not only taken place in the courts and against efforts to bring in force but it's also taken place against the press and the people the president has. The only information we are getting is rumor and another under very guarded view of what is really happening. Thanks. That nap wanted me for a short time to a very important and in fact we're back in one in NE even before the story broke. There was also indicated by some of the incompetence in the country that that meeting of the federal marshal was prompted by an effort to back the general of what he thought that the leadership of under the under cover of fire only for information you know and have provided. If I mean to write.

Indeed even among our maps of the border and we have a cross country and it should be pointed out that we do have support from almost every encounter organization in the country we have been together a coalition of all concerned Americans with a very serious issue facing not only Indian people but all that mankind in this country is the independent Oglala nations do exist today March 29 and are you still conducting negotiations as sure you have an ego to connect negotiations as such with the United States government. And so those negotiations continue. The meeting that we had yesterday with Martin Franklin into an apartment and the plane was only to bring about some type of avenue that we could think to start meaningful negotiations. If all else then the efforts of the American Indian Movement and all the lot of people that wanted me to go into meaningful negotiations and this has not happened because of a breakdown on the part of the federal government at the present time and would need a complete

unity there are Salzman complete afford even of all the American Indian Movement has always maintained its start as a organization that was an advocate of Indian people. We recognized that the real decision when money have to be made by a lot of people with unwanted need is always an opposition. Never see a mechanism is only providing that support that that people need at this time. We expect that tomorrow because of the efforts to this meeting will be that negotiator for Hank Adams along with several other attorneys will be allowed once again free and heard her say that it's going to win to me this is brought about through negotiations with Senators apparatchik and of course Martin Franklin and of course if you think down I think it's up to par for many people out here in the Bay Area remember the fact that George McGovern who is

very popular around here is something of a liberal on international and domestic issues is the senator from South Dakota. What is his role in the wounded new gear. Very very little at this point on the surface we don't know what is going on in Washington but at this point Senator McGovern has not showed any outward effort throughout and the first visit there to involve himself in that and primarily thank the apparat Kendall and the other feels like his first visit there he has picture taken and the stories written at least in the press and here with Richard Wilson and seem to be consulting with him exclusively Have you had any contact with him. We found that for the most part at the arm. Starting in the very last thing you know people don't know I came in here were only contained to me with it you will never recognizing me and a very grave concern of a whole lot of people having a government that will serve the people and way of tribal government all sorts of people change and I think people recognize the name I'm looking over a lot of people as a

very important very important area because they are the ones that can move on and contain at Wounded Knee and make all decisions that will lead toward a some type of meaningful that moment with me right. There's a possibility still exists for military confrontation. Do you think that that's recognized that unless the federal court here in South Dakota does not some way for the department to enforce the border until our food and medicine do that that's going to pull that into physical confrontation. Make like we think play and because of that we are putting out a call through all of me and young people all the fans I mean you have to recognize that the constant. It would need not only the United States government. Interior Department bureau in affairs who were asking to be investigated. But the concentration on hundreds of Americans were asking for all those people who are willing to go up to the dock and collecting food

medicines and other important material and if I might I think anybody can defend any communication center too low a level 3 Rapid City South Dakota. I want any communication center to know a lot of Rapid City South Dakota and that phone number is a full 5 3 4 8 1 4 5 4 5 3 4 8 1 or 5 and we hope that you get that off because you know we have so many Martha brought me. But all people who are wanting to help and we're asking them to respond to this very very much I mean we have a number of people around the table here who might want to seize and think you you know anything. GROSS Well I would like to this is Coyote were working in San Francisco and I was recently up and I couldn't get in but we came back to coordinate efforts in the Bay area so that. We should have had one

rental trailer that should've arrived at Rapid City at the Communications Center sometime late this afternoon and there should be one more arriving tomorrow we're going to try to keep at least one car moving every day until more supplies come in and we have the list from inside that were sent out of medical supplies and these are being gathered now. And we're getting volunteers to drive and getting people coming in and all sorts of volunteers who are going to try to coordinate this and at the same time release your information as we get it. And to try to erase some of the stereotype images that people have about our people. Right well we appreciate that up and we know that after the American Moment. Another concern people in California are helping very much and it is very very important effort not only confiding in people but often people are people in this country. What we do we do

for our mankind so we appreciate that help. It should be pointed out earlier that several people have made efforts to bring in food medicines across the state have been intimidated by the government and they should not allow that to stop and separate the humanitarian efforts like that to continue. What on nut case there were through communication set up with the National Lawyers Guild a number of other lawyers that are in contact with Ruby due there in Rapid City is we're giving a letter of record. Introduction that they carry from the urban Indian health that is donating his food and that we send them with a list of numbers to lawyers in Denver one in Los Angeles and then our opposite San Francisco so if anyone's arrested harassed or anything like that they're to get in touch with us for an attorney right away we have several attorneys that want to start proceedings against this violation of civil rights and freedom of movement.

I'd like to point out that is what important enough to be brought. Right out nationwide in the capital you've had several people who have attempted to send money to a lot of the money that have them having difficulty getting to the right location. So we're adding a lot of people wishing to make a contribution. Very important to them to send their money to me and wanted me then fine and care of United Bank of Denver. 7:00 p.m. to Broadway theater and recall rattle when you need it then run United Bank of Denver Denver Colorado. Thank you very much for talking to us tonight I'm sure we'll be in touch with your future. All right we wish her and broke her name in Rapid City South Dakota in a general sense Cody. The struggle in Wounded Knee is is that people struggle for self-determination. And there's a lot of difference between the Indians who live there on that reservation and the plight of Indians in an urban area like the Bay Area

and it starts as Steve pointed out with the DE cultural ization or the attempt to create a simulation of the white man culture in the bee I-A schools. Can you give us some of your observations about the difference between the urban Indian and the Indian on the reservation such as the one in Pine Ridge. You mean a thing that you notice I don't know it's kind of hard for me to try to describe some wild people but it's more relaxed or quiet Guillory. Gentle people begin to harsh when they come into your binaries very abrupt very impolite. They lose something when they leave the people. And the movement. Has to give as much to our

children as we can possibly do it through all these Native American Studies is a tremendous need to work with our young people in our own ways. We have the age of reasoning which is 12 Glover told me years old that this time a child is considered fully developed mentally so that he can then he does know he is he can then be submitted to a formal education if that's what it takes for that as Later he wants to get involved with it in a competitive society he would know who he was or who he is and he can compete that. But right now he's at a disadvantage because he does not know. This program goes back to. The Pacific. Program service. I'd really like.

To know for your heart. But. At the same time go to the archives because that catalog. 66. Stamps. To the Pacifica Radio. 5 3. 1 6. A.M. of. Los Angeles. California. Nicer. Than on. That specific. Site. Three. Point six. Tennis ball of fire. Lost Angeles California. 9 0 0 0.