Topic: Social and Cultural Issues
A Short History of the Lakota Freedom Movement It's not anything new. There has always been a Republic of Lakotah.by Hickory Hendrickson
(Libertarian)
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Russell Means, Chief Facilitator for the Intern Government, Republic of Lakotah, is the most visual of today's Lakota Freedom activists but he's not alone in his quest. People of all races and religions support the Lakotah Republic and the idea of freedom it represents.
The men and women around the world who believe in this idea come from Reservations. They are people from Europe watching freedom being stolen
while the public cheers. They are people from South America who fight the same battle at home in their countries. They come from all corners of the Globe.
America is watching too, the Republic is in the middle our countries heartland.
These freedom loving few from around the world are the new Lakotah Freedom Activists! The new hope. The voice of liberty.
Means, a longtime Libertarian, has repeatedly lost close races within the Libertarian Party, and in tribal elections. He has been accused by his opponents of trying to grab control of the new Republic in a coup style takeover.
Means, in an interview in Black Hills South Dakota, seemed shocked and pleased by the overwhelming support for the Republic.
His critics have also accused him of using the Republic for personal gain, and point out his arrest for trying to keep alcohol off the Reservation.
What was the personal gain he received for his arrest?
Means is more of a figure-head for the Lakotah Freedom Movement then a Dictator by hijacking. At almost 70 years of age he may never even see this vision fulfilled!
The founding fathers of the Lakota Freedom Movement, men like Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, never enjoyed such national and international support. They did however, face strong resistance from within the Lakota tribes and from the US Government.
Crazy Horse was one of the first Lakota freedom activists. He battled against all odds to keep his people free. Crazy Horse kept fighting, long after other Lakota Chiefs had given in to constant US military pressure and the influx of miners into the Black Hills but was finally forced to surrender and return home.
The exact circumstances surrounding his death are somewhat controversial, but one thing is certain. Crazy Horse died fighting!
He was killed but his cause was not! It lives on in the hearts of the Lakotah Freedom Activists from around the world.
Crazy Horse had a constant rival who Means would have called, a "stay-around the fort Indian".
His rival was a Lakota Chief Named Red Cloud who had long before come to the agencies and adopted the white ways of living and trading.
Red Cloud is one of the ancestors of the Rosebud Tribe President Rodney Bordeaux.
Chief Red Cloud was jealous of Crazy Horse because of the respect given to him by military leaders and his being "wined and dined" by the US Indian Agents after his surrender.
Red Cloud is often given the image of a traitor or sell-out because of his association with the Jesuits. Views like this don't give him credit for the good things he did for the Lakota people.
In 1889 Red Cloud opposed a treaty to sell more of the Sioux land; Together, he and Sittng Bull forced government agents to obtain the necessary signatures through subterfuges such as using the signatures of children.
The Spirt of Freedom, lived on in the Lakota, and in the 1970's political tension and poor living conditions on the Reservations caused an eruption of violence.
In 1973 Russell Means and Dennis Banks along with a group of American Indian Movement Activists held off the FBI and National Guard for 71 days in what was latter called the "Wounded Knee Incident". During the firefight that ensued, two activists were killed and a U.S. Marshal was paralyzed. The Wounded Knee Incident ended peacefully.
The eruption of violence on the Pine Ridge Reservation which followed the standoff was nearly unprecedented. The murder rate on the Reservation between March 1, 1973 and March 1, 1976 was 170 per 100,000. Detroit, considered "the murder capital of the US" at the time, had a rate of 20.2 per 100,000 in 1974.
AIM claimed the FBI was behind the majority of the murders. The FBI denied these allegations.
One of the men murdered during the time period, was civil rights activist, Ray Robinson, who worked with Marin Luther King and other famous civil rights activists. His body has never been found.
The Lakota Freedom Movement, found new hope in 2007 when a group of five activists formed the Lakotah Freedom Delegation.
Russell Means and the Lakotah Freedom Movement then allied themselves with a much larger organitation, The World Freedom Movement.
It's comes down to a simple solution. The Freedom Movement has always existed and always will. It just keeps changing it's name.
Sources: Wikipedia, The Papers of Charles Philander Jordan Indian agent, Mari Sandoz's Crazy Horse, www.nebraskahistory.org.
Did you like this article? If you did, Thumb It! 17 thumbs so far
2008 Hickory Hendrickson, all rights reserved.
Published: Sunday, January 20, 2008
Last modified: Sunday, January 20, 2008
The views expressed in this
article are those of Hickory Hendrickson only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Hickory Hendrickson is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Mr. Hendrickson would do well to educate himself by reading my book, American Indian Mafia. If he does, he'll see how silly many of his comments are regarding the American Indian Movement. When telling what happened at Wounded Knee, for example, it would be really nice if the truth made an appearance now and then.
For a detailed history of the Wounded Knee 1973 happenings, and the Rez Murders of the late seventies on Pine Ridge Indian reservation, you need to read the recently published book "The American Indian Mafia" (Dec 2007 - Joseph Trimbach) It was recommended to me by Oglala Lakota award winning journalist Tim Giago to whom I am grateful.
It is incorrect to imply that Tasunke Witko was the last "fighting chief". Tasunke Witko was assassinated in 1877, one year after the defense of our People at "Little Bighorn". My Grandfathers fought there. Remnants of the Freedom Loving Lakotah then scattered. Many even fleeing to Canada. The US Gov fought long and hard to corral our People, finally culminating in the assassination of Tatanka Iyotanka in 1890, and the massacre of many of the Freedom Loving Lakotah near Wounded Knee. My Relatives are also buried there, in the mass grave. In fact, there were skirmishes with the army on the Cheyenne River Reservation(where I am from) in 1903 or 06, I believe, involving Utes assigned to Cheyenne River.
Maybe this is the irony that lies behind the reservation system. Sacrificing countless generations prosperity & honor, locked up in despairing states likening prisons in a cultural abyss. But still somewhat preserving & keeping some of the Nations of tribes intact. Cuz when the shit truly hits the fan - believe me that that day is not far away - and the white mans world and dream is sentenced to be but a mere horror story told around future campfires on restored trails around TURTLE iSLAND - one may be happy that there was a reservation system keeping the free spirit alive despite being torn and tattered. The alternative of all Amerinds being assimilated into mainstream American locust society would not have presented this truly ironic outcome of events and possible opportunity. Hoka Hey
Want to comment on this
article? Leave your comment here. Your email address is
required to track your comment. However, we will neither
publish your email address nor distribute it to other
organizations or persons. The only reason we might use
it would be if we needed to contact you regarding your
comment. All comments are subject to our
terms of use policy.
2008 Hickory Hendrickson, all rights reserved.