AIM Support Group of Ohio & N. KentuckyUpdates and Announcements
Thursday, January 12, 2006Subj: Gathering of the Nations to Defend Bear Butte Date: 1/10/2006 2:38:43 AM Eastern Standard Time FYI GATHERING OF THE NATIONS TO DEFEND "BEAR BUTTE" This is a "Call" to all Indian people. For two centuries our people have struggled to preserve and defend our sacred mountain, Bear Butte. It seems like every year some Indian group or Tribe is protesting, or going to court, or appealing to the Governor, to protect Bear Butte from some new destruction and desecration. Each year sees Indian people attempting to use every available avenue to prevent the further destruction of Bear Butte and its surrounding lands. Today our sacred mountain is threatened as never before, immense venues of drunken revelry are being carved into the land around her slopes and the worlds biggest "Biker Rally" will bring almost a million loud, polluting motorcycles and their thrill seeking riders, to the sacred mountain. They seem eager to dirty and disrespect our sacred lands in search of an escape from an empty American life. At first they came into our sacred grounds as trappers killing animals for their pelts; we fought them then and drove them away. Then more invaders were sent under Custer to dig for gold and take the land from our forefathers. Soon they were too many to resist and the Chiefs had to make treaties with them in order to protect the people's lives and our lands. Always they have been told: "The Black Hills are sacred and Bear Butte is sacred also" and it was included in the treaties as land that would belong to the People forever, never to be sold. Our ancestors clearly explained to the Americans that our sacred lands must remain within the care of the people and the Americans agreed, their Congress ratified it and their President signed it. It is only because the Americans have broken their own Treaty(s) with our Nations that today we must continue the struggle our forefathers began. Recently the announcement of a 600-acre "Biker Bar/Campgrounds" and a giant, man-made amphitheater and concert venue next to Bear Butte alarmed Indian tribes all across the Great Plains. Even more insulting was the promoters plan to name it "Sacred Ground" and construct a giant statue of an "Indian" facing Bear Butte! Indian people began once more to rally to protect the mountain from this development. Several Tribes passed resolutions and once more groups and individual people began attending meetings and trying to persuade the County and State governments to prohibit this development. That part of the struggle goes on and we are still attending meetings and filing our arguments against the development and against granting it a liquor license. We fully intend to continue to use these bureaucratic remedies in hope that we can establish some legal zoning and stop any development that way. At the same time it has become more and more obvious that the immense amount of money Meade County and the State of South Dakota make off the "Sturgis Bike Rally" means that once again our pleas will fall on deaf ears. As we began exploring ways to stop the "Sacred Grounds" developer we found out that he is far from alone in his intentions to develop biker bars and concert venues on grounds surrounding Bear Butte. We now know of at least a half a dozen major campgrounds and concert venues being planned and at least one under construction. These, in addition to some smaller ones already in existence that are getting ready to expand and a giant one called "Buffalo Chip" that is approximately four miles away, mean that soon our sacred mountain will be surrounded by noise and drunken partying. Mega speaker systems, giant TV screens, fireworks and 800,000 roaring motorcycles will drive Animals, Indians and Spirits away from the mountain. They will destroy the land and dirty the water. Already her lake is drying and the water from her spring barely flows. We are traditional Indian people. When a crisis like this one threatens the people we turn to our sacred ways to give us guidance. Since the announcement of the latest development many prayers have been offered and many ceremonies done on behalf of our efforts to defend Bear Butte. Like so many of our ancestors we ask that our words and actions be blessed before we decide how to go forward and we pray that our decisions will be the right ones. As we continue in our efforts to defend Bear Butte we intend to follow this way of doing things so in the end we can do things in a good and respectful way. In past days when matters of great importance were to be considered a "Call" went out to the people to gather together to make decisions that would affect all the people. Bear Butte, Nowa'wus, Mato Paha, our Sacred Mountain is that important to the people and the decisions made to defend her will affect all the people. A traditional Call is now being sent out for all traditional societies to bring together their people at Bear Butte during the summer. We invite our own traditional Chiefs, Headsmen and Headswomen to come to lead and guide the people and we will prepare a place for you. We invite our Sacred Men and Women to come pray for our efforts and for us in a ceremonial way and we will prepare a place for you. We invite our Elders to come stand with us and bless us with your knowledge, we have a place for you in our circle. We ask all who Sundance and follow the sacred Pipe to come lend your prayers and power to our struggle. We ask our youth, our future, to come stand beside us, we ask you to come early to lend your energy and strength to the sacred circle of your people. In the end our "Call" must be heard by all Traditional Indian People and we must gather together in unity, in prayer and with determination to make this one grand effort to defend Bear Butte. Our gathering will be called the "Great Inter-Tribal Gathering of the Nations" and it will be coordinated by the " INTERTRIBAL COALITION TO DEFEND BEAR BUTTE" as explained in the following letter. In early July an encampment will be established at Bear Butte and soon after the "Sacred Staff" will be placed in its own Tipi and ceremonies will begin and will continue until the "bike rally" is ended. The date of the Council meetings and other activities is yet to be decided and all important decisions will be made as our circle grows and the time nears. Finally we ask you to remember that ours is a society that values the drum, songs and dance of our people, so bring your drums, we'll dance and make our gathering a joyous wacipi as we take care of serious business for our people. "Owe Aku" a traditional group working on the Oglala reservation at Pine Ridge has been given the task of preparing the "Sacred Staff" and taking it to the Tribes. "Owe Aku" means "bring back the way" in Lakota and in this beginning they will act as our contact point and fiscal agent for fund raising. As a 501 c-3 organization, Owe Aku is able to receive tax exempt donations from individuals and Tribes and to be accountable for using it for the encampment and Council. A larger meeting of all concerned is planned for early spring; at that time a more formal organization can be formed to be more inclusive and to make the decisions necessary for the Gathering. If you or your society wishes to join with us in defending Bear Butte this summer feel free to contact us. I am Carter Camp of the Ponca Nation. cartercamp@yahoo.com I have been asked to serve as a coordinator along with Debra White Plume, Oglala Nation. Contact information for Owe Aku is as follows… Debra White Plume, Director 101 Lonesome Valley Rd. Manderson S.D. 57756 Ph # 605-455-2155 Vic Camp P.O. Box 95 Manderson S. D. 57756 Ph# 605-455-1122 ------------------- INTER-TRIBAL COALITION TO DEFEND BEAR BUTTE! Bear Butte is "Nowah'wus" to the Cheyenne Nation. It is "Mato Paha" to the Lakota. Across the Great Plains over thirty indigenous Nations acknowledge the sacredness of this Butte and it's surrounding area. It is a mountain inhabited by spirits and spiritual powers that are well known to our people. For this reason Bear Butte is central to our ceremonial life as native people of the Great Plains and is necessary for the continued health and well being of our people. All life on Bear Butte must be respected and defended. No people have a right to destroy or disrespect our sacred mountain. While we all as a people hold the entire Black Hills to be sacred, Bear Butte is under direct attack at this time and we are preparing to do our best to defend the sacred mountain again. We have learned of plans to build enormous biker bars and campsites all around our sacred mountain. In addition existing beer bars and concert venues are expanding and edging closer and closer into sacred grounds. Today one has dug outdoor toilets on the very slopes of the north side of our Sacred Mountain for their annual drunken binge! Over 600,000 motorcyclists are expected to attend the "Sturgis Bike Rally" in 2006 and they pay millions of dollars into the local economy of the people who claim to license and permit them on behalf of the public. Never since Custer discovered gold has our Mato Paha been threatened by such a combination of greed, government and legal adversity. Our struggle to preserve Bear Butte has lasted for centuries. In 1876 Chief Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapa Lakota gathered over 6,000 Indian people at the Butte to urge them to defend our sacred lands. Chief Crazy Horse spoke from the mountain to remind his people that the Paha Sapa is not for sale. In each year and decade since those days our people have engaged in efforts to save and protect the sacred mountain. In the early 1980's Chief Fools Crow of the Oglala Lakota fought to save the mountain in the U.S. court system (Fools Crow vs. Gullet, 706 F.2d 856 [1983] ). He lost after taking it all the way to the Supreme Court (464 U.S. 977 [1983]). Traditional Indian people have fought to save the mountain from treaty times until now. The " INTERTRIBAL COALITION TO DEFEND BEAR BUTTE" is a group made up of the Tribes and their "Traditional Societies" who are joining together to unite our people and our Nations to protect and defend our right to pray and have our ceremonies in peace. We are calling on all who value the heritage of our people and still practice the ancient ways of your tribes to join with us in defense of our ways. If you, your society and/or your Tribe want to join us, our invitation is open. In the traditional way of our people we know that our circle will begin small and grow as the people hear our words and respond to the threat. In the summer, at a time we will all decide, we will ask the people to gather in a "Great Inter-Tribal Gathering of the Nations" to sit in Council and decide what our people and their Nations can do to defend the Sacred Mountain. Our various Nations have acquired land for the ceremonial use of their people near Bear Butte. This land is an important part of our sovereign Nations because with it we preserve a link to the sacred mountain even though it has been taken from within our borders. We bought the land with the intention and right to utilize it in peace and quiet and this right predates the city of Sturgis, Meade County, the State of South Dakota, and in particular the "Sturgis Bike Rally". We have a right to use our land for sacred purposes during the entire year without interference from the above named entities. Therefore, we intend to ask our Nations and their Traditional Societies and People to preserve these rights by gathering together during the summer months of July and August upon our own sovereign lands at Bear Butte to convene a Council of Nations. As a people we will gather together to form a spiritual encampment as a place for our Societies to once again sing their ancient songs and renew their vows. Within our encampment we will ask our holy men and women to bless us with their ceremonies and prayers and give us guidance in our quest to defend our sacred mountain. In asking for the support of Tribal governments we do so with the knowledge that we the people will be the ones engaging in the effort. We ask our tribal governments to support us by passing official resolutions of support and providing material and financial support as you see fit. We also ask you to participate by naming a tribal liaison to interact with the coalition and provide input on behalf of the tribe. Each Tribe and Society will have a seat at the Council. Both as individuals and as an organization we continue our support for environmental organizations that are working to protect Bear Butte. The efforts of the "Defenders of the Black Hills" (an Indian-led coalition of environmental groups) and the "International Alliance to Save Bear Butte" (an Indian-led alliance of local people and concerned people worldwide) have taken the lead in organizing state and national opposition to the proposed developments around Bear Butte. It is our hope that we can work in harmony and support their efforts by adding our voice to theirs. In the future it may be our privilege to join them and the Tribes in further legal actions or in providing testimony in American political subdivisions and courts. As an inter-tribal organization we intend to concentrate on informing our own people and our Tribes about the danger infringing upon the sacred mountain and asking them and our traditional societies to use all their resources to defend Her. We believe our traditional spiritual ways can have a tremendous beneficial effect for the Sacred Mountain and we seek to help gather traditional people together to use those spiritual ways on our sovereign lands at Bear Butte. We are asking our traditional tribal societies to come add their prayers, songs and ceremonies to those of the other Nations so the powerful unity of our sacred ways can guide our steps. We ask you all to come sit in Council with us and join our growing Circle of traditional Indian people who are determined to save the "The Mountain that Teaches." In beginning this effort we were advised by respected Elders to construct a traditional "Staff" which is to be blessed and dedicated to defending Nowah'wus. This sacred staff will be taken to the Tribes, respected Elders, Chiefs, Society Headsmen, Headswomen and Clan leaders to explain our message and to seek their help. In July the "Sacred Staff" will be taken to the Sacred Mountain to be placed in a "Ceremonial Tipi" and the Societies and youth will begin to gather to prepare meeting grounds, ceremonial areas and campgrounds. Each Tribe and Society can move into camp on their own timetable during July to prepare themselves for the coming Council and Ceremonial Gathering. By the time the "Rally" begins in August we must be unified in a plan of action to peacefully and spiritually defend Nowah'wus, Mato Paha, our Sacred Mountain, BEAR BUTTE. For all our Relations. Carter Camp, Ponca Nation http://mail.yahoo.com/config/login?/ym/Compose?To=cartercamp@yahoo.com> cartercamp@yahoo.com I have been asked to act as a coordinator along with Debra White Plume, Oglala Nation "Owe Aku" a traditional group working on the Oglala reservation at Pine Ridge has been given the task of preparing the "Sacred Staff" and taking it to the Tribes. "Owe Aku" means "bring back the way" in Lakota and in this beginning they will act as our contact point and fiscal agent for fund raising. As a 501 c-3 organization, Owe Aku is able to receive tax exempt donations from individuals and Tribes and to be accountable for using it for the encampment and Council. A larger meeting of all concerned is planned for early spring, at that time a more formal organization can be formed to be more inclusive and to make the decisions necessary for the Gathering. If you or your society wishes to join with us in defending Bear Butte this summer feel free to contact us. Contact information for Owe Aku is as follows: Debra White Plume, Director 101 Lonesome Valley Rd. Manderson S.D. 57756 Ph # 605-455-2155 Vic Camp P.O. Box 95 Manderson S. D. 57756 Ph# 605-455-1122 NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure." - Helen Keller posted by Webmaster@ AIM Support 8:50 AM
Tuesday, January 10, 2006Subj: Gathering of the Nations to Defend Bear Butte Date: 1/10/2006 2:38:43 AM Eastern Standard Time GATHERING OF THE NATIONS TO DEFEND "BEAR BUTTE" This is a "Call" to all Indian people. For two centuries our people have struggled to preserve and defend our sacred mountain, Bear Butte. It seems like every year some Indian group or Tribe is protesting, or going to court, or appealing to the Governor, to protect Bear Butte from some new destruction and desecration. Each year sees Indian people attempting to use every available avenue to prevent the further destruction of Bear Butte and its surrounding lands. Today our sacred mountain is threatened as never before, immense venues of drunken revelry are being carved into the land around her slopes and the worlds biggest "Biker Rally" will bring almost a million loud, polluting motorcycles and their thrill seeking riders, to the sacred mountain. They seem eager to dirty and disrespect our sacred lands in search of an escape from an empty American life. At first they came into our sacred grounds as trappers killing animals for their pelts; we fought them then and drove them away. Then more invaders were sent under Custer to dig for gold and take the land from our forefathers. Soon they were too many to resist and the Chiefs had to make treaties with them in order to protect the people's lives and our lands. Always they have been told: "The Black Hills are sacred and Bear Butte is sacred also" and it was included in the treaties as land that would belong to the People forever, never to be sold. Our ancestors clearly explained to the Americans that our sacred lands must remain within the care of the people and the Americans agreed, their Congress ratified it and their President signed it. It is only because the Americans have broken their own Treaty(s) with our Nations that today we must continue the struggle our forefathers began. Recently the announcement of a 600-acre "Biker Bar/Campgrounds" and a giant, man-made amphitheater and concert venue next to Bear Butte alarmed Indian tribes all across the Great Plains. Even more insulting was the promoters plan to name it "Sacred Ground" and construct a giant statue of an "Indian" facing Bear Butte! Indian people began once more to rally to protect the mountain from this development. Several Tribes passed resolutions and once more groups and individual people began attending meetings and trying to persuade the County and State governments to prohibit this development. That part of the struggle goes on and we are still attending meetings and filing our arguments against the development and against granting it a liquor license. We fully intend to continue to use these bureaucratic remedies in hope that we can establish some legal zoning and stop any development that way. At the same time it has become more and more obvious that the immense amount of money Meade County and the State of South Dakota make off the "Sturgis Bike Rally" means that once again our pleas will fall on deaf ears. As we began exploring ways to stop the "Sacred Grounds" developer we found out that he is far from alone in his intentions to develop biker bars and concert venues on grounds surrounding Bear Butte. We now know of at least a half a dozen major campgrounds and concert venues being planned and at least one under construction. These, in addition to some smaller ones already in existence that are getting ready to expand and a giant one called "Buffalo Chip" that is approximately four miles away, mean that soon our sacred mountain will be surrounded by noise and drunken partying. Mega speaker systems, giant TV screens, fireworks and 800,000 roaring motorcycles will drive Animals, Indians and Spirits away from the mountain. They will destroy the land and dirty the water. Already her lake is drying and the water from her spring barely flows. We are traditional Indian people. When a crisis like this one threatens the people we turn to our sacred ways to give us guidance. Since the announcement of the latest development many prayers have been offered and many ceremonies done on behalf of our efforts to defend Bear Butte. Like so many of our ancestors we ask that our words and actions be blessed before we decide how to go forward and we pray that our decisions will be the right ones. As we continue in our efforts to defend Bear Butte we intend to follow this way of doing things so in the end we can do things in a good and respectful way. In past days when matters of great importance were to be considered a "Call" went out to the people to gather together to make decisions that would affect all the people. Bear Butte, Nowa'wus, Mato Paha, our Sacred Mountain is that important to the people and the decisions made to defend her will affect all the people. A traditional Call is now being sent out for all traditional societies to bring together their people at Bear Butte during the summer. We invite our own traditional Chiefs, Headsmen and Headswomen to come to lead and guide the people and we will prepare a place for you. We invite our Sacred Men and Women to come pray for our efforts and for us in a ceremonial way and we will prepare a place for you. We invite our Elders to come stand with us and bless us with your knowledge, we have a place for you in our circle. We ask all who Sundance and follow the sacred Pipe to come lend your prayers and power to our struggle. We ask our youth, our future, to come stand beside us, we ask you to come early to lend your energy and strength to the sacred circle of your people. In the end our "Call" must be heard by all Traditional Indian People and we must gather together in unity, in prayer and with determination to make this one grand effort to defend Bear Butte. Our gathering will be called the "Great Inter-Tribal Gathering of the Nations" and it will be coordinated by the " INTERTRIBAL COALITION TO DEFEND BEAR BUTTE" as explained in the following letter. In early July an encampment will be established at Bear Butte and soon after the "Sacred Staff" will be placed in its own Tipi and ceremonies will begin and will continue until the "bike rally" is ended. The date of the Council meetings and other activities is yet to be decided and all important decisions will be made as our circle grows and the time nears. Finally we ask you to remember that ours is a society that values the drum, songs and dance of our people, so bring your drums, we'll dance and make our gathering a joyous wacipi as we take care of serious business for our people. "Owe Aku" a traditional group working on the Oglala reservation at Pine Ridge has been given the task of preparing the "Sacred Staff" and taking it to the Tribes. "Owe Aku" means "bring back the way" in Lakota and in this beginning they will act as our contact point and fiscal agent for fund raising. As a 501 c-3 organization, Owe Aku is able to receive tax exempt donations from individuals and Tribes and to be accountable for using it for the encampment and Council. A larger meeting of all concerned is planned for early spring; at that time a more formal organization can be formed to be more inclusive and to make the decisions necessary for the Gathering. If you or your society wishes to join with us in defending Bear Butte this summer feel free to contact us. I am Carter Camp of the Ponca Nation. cartercamp@yahoo.com I have been asked to serve as a coordinator along with Debra White Plume, Oglala Nation. Contact information for Owe Aku is as follows… Debra White Plume, Director 101 Lonesome Valley Rd. Manderson S.D. 57756 Ph # 605-455-2155 Vic Camp P.O. Box 95 Manderson S. D. 57756 Ph# 605-455-1122 ------------------- INTER-TRIBAL COALITION TO DEFEND BEAR BUTTE! Bear Butte is "Nowah'wus" to the Cheyenne Nation. It is "Mato Paha" to the Lakota. Across the Great Plains over thirty indigenous Nations acknowledge the sacredness of this Butte and it's surrounding area. It is a mountain inhabited by spirits and spiritual powers that are well known to our people. For this reason Bear Butte is central to our ceremonial life as native people of the Great Plains and is necessary for the continued health and well being of our people. All life on Bear Butte must be respected and defended. No people have a right to destroy or disrespect our sacred mountain. While we all as a people hold the entire Black Hills to be sacred, Bear Butte is under direct attack at this time and we are preparing to do our best to defend the sacred mountain again. We have learned of plans to build enormous biker bars and campsites all around our sacred mountain. In addition existing beer bars and concert venues are expanding and edging closer and closer into sacred grounds. Today one has dug outdoor toilets on the very slopes of the north side of our Sacred Mountain for their annual drunken binge! Over 600,000 motorcyclists are expected to attend the "Sturgis Bike Rally" in 2006 and they pay millions of dollars into the local economy of the people who claim to license and permit them on behalf of the public. Never since Custer discovered gold has our Mato Paha been threatened by such a combination of greed, government and legal adversity. Our struggle to preserve Bear Butte has lasted for centuries. In 1876 Chief Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapa Lakota gathered over 6,000 Indian people at the Butte to urge them to defend our sacred lands. Chief Crazy Horse spoke from the mountain to remind his people that the Paha Sapa is not for sale. In each year and decade since those days our people have engaged in efforts to save and protect the sacred mountain. In the early 1980's Chief Fools Crow of the Oglala Lakota fought to save the mountain in the U.S. court system (Fools Crow vs. Gullet, 706 F.2d 856 [1983] ). He lost after taking it all the way to the Supreme Court (464 U.S. 977 [1983]). Traditional Indian people have fought to save the mountain from treaty times until now. The " INTERTRIBAL COALITION TO DEFEND BEAR BUTTE" is a group made up of the Tribes and their "Traditional Societies" who are joining together to unite our people and our Nations to protect and defend our right to pray and have our ceremonies in peace. We are calling on all who value the heritage of our people and still practice the ancient ways of your tribes to join with us in defense of our ways. If you, your society and/or your Tribe want to join us, our invitation is open. In the traditional way of our people we know that our circle will begin small and grow as the people hear our words and respond to the threat. In the summer, at a time we will all decide, we will ask the people to gather in a "Great Inter-Tribal Gathering of the Nations" to sit in Council and decide what our people and their Nations can do to defend the Sacred Mountain. Our various Nations have acquired land for the ceremonial use of their people near Bear Butte. This land is an important part of our sovereign Nations because with it we preserve a link to the sacred mountain even though it has been taken from within our borders. We bought the land with the intention and right to utilize it in peace and quiet and this right predates the city of Sturgis, Meade County, the State of South Dakota, and in particular the "Sturgis Bike Rally". We have a right to use our land for sacred purposes during the entire year without interference from the above named entities. Therefore, we intend to ask our Nations and their Traditional Societies and People to preserve these rights by gathering together during the summer months of July and August upon our own sovereign lands at Bear Butte to convene a Council of Nations. As a people we will gather together to form a spiritual encampment as a place for our Societies to once again sing their ancient songs and renew their vows. Within our encampment we will ask our holy men and women to bless us with their ceremonies and prayers and give us guidance in our quest to defend our sacred mountain. In asking for the support of Tribal governments we do so with the knowledge that we the people will be the ones engaging in the effort. We ask our tribal governments to support us by passing official resolutions of support and providing material and financial support as you see fit. We also ask you to participate by naming a tribal liaison to interact with the coalition and provide input on behalf of the tribe. Each Tribe and Society will have a seat at the Council. Both as individuals and as an organization we continue our support for environmental organizations that are working to protect Bear Butte. The efforts of the "Defenders of the Black Hills" (an Indian-led coalition of environmental groups) and the "International Alliance to Save Bear Butte" (an Indian-led alliance of local people and concerned people worldwide) have taken the lead in organizing state and national opposition to the proposed developments around Bear Butte. It is our hope that we can work in harmony and support their efforts by adding our voice to theirs. In the future it may be our privilege to join them and the Tribes in further legal actions or in providing testimony in American political subdivisions and courts. As an inter-tribal organization we intend to concentrate on informing our own people and our Tribes about the danger infringing upon the sacred mountain and asking them and our traditional societies to use all their resources to defend Her. We believe our traditional spiritual ways can have a tremendous beneficial effect for the Sacred Mountain and we seek to help gather traditional people together to use those spiritual ways on our sovereign lands at Bear Butte. We are asking our traditional tribal societies to come add their prayers, songs and ceremonies to those of the other Nations so the powerful unity of our sacred ways can guide our steps. We ask you all to come sit in Council with us and join our growing Circle of traditional Indian people who are determined to save the "The Mountain that Teaches." In beginning this effort we were advised by respected Elders to construct a traditional "Staff" which is to be blessed and dedicated to defending Nowah'wus. This sacred staff will be taken to the Tribes, respected Elders, Chiefs, Society Headsmen, Headswomen and Clan leaders to explain our message and to seek their help. In July the "Sacred Staff" will be taken to the Sacred Mountain to be placed in a "Ceremonial Tipi" and the Societies and youth will begin to gather to prepare meeting grounds, ceremonial areas and campgrounds. Each Tribe and Society can move into camp on their own timetable during July to prepare themselves for the coming Council and Ceremonial Gathering. By the time the "Rally" begins in August we must be unified in a plan of action to peacefully and spiritually defend Nowah'wus, Mato Paha, our Sacred Mountain, BEAR BUTTE. For all our Relations. Carter Camp, Ponca Nation http://mail.yahoo.com/config/login?/ym/Compose?To=cartercamp@yahoo.com> cartercamp@yahoo.com I have been asked to act as a coordinator along with Debra White Plume, Oglala Nation "Owe Aku" a traditional group working on the Oglala reservation at Pine Ridge has been given the task of preparing the "Sacred Staff" and taking it to the Tribes. "Owe Aku" means "bring back the way" in Lakota and in this beginning they will act as our contact point and fiscal agent for fund raising. As a 501 c-3 organization, Owe Aku is able to receive tax exempt donations from individuals and Tribes and to be accountable for using it for the encampment and Council. A larger meeting of all concerned is planned for early spring, at that time a more formal organization can be formed to be more inclusive and to make the decisions necessary for the Gathering. If you or your society wishes to join with us in defending Bear Butte this summer feel free to contact us. Contact information for Owe Aku is as follows: Debra White Plume, Director 101 Lonesome Valley Rd. Manderson S.D. 57756 Ph # 605-455-2155 Vic Camp P.O. Box 95 Manderson S. D. 57756 Ph# 605-455-1122 NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure." - Helen Keller posted by Webmaster@ AIM Support 9:44 AM Last updated:
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