Cloudman, guest poet, shares “ME” – a poem that references the infamous Nebraska town of Whiteclay where selling alcohol to the Lakota is the raison de existence.
Soon after the territory entered the public domain, a trading post was set up to sell alcohol to the Lakota, and merchants have continued to do so since. In 2010, its four beer stores sold an estimated 4.9 million 12-ounce cans of beer, an average of over 13,000 cans per day, for gross sales of 3 million dollars.[1] They have no place to consume beer on site, and it is not supposed to be drunk on the streets, but there are often inebriated customers sprawled around Whiteclay. John Yellow Bird King, president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, says that tribal members bring alcohol illegally back from Whiteclay and “90 percent of criminal cases in the court system” are alcohol-related.[5] Beer is sold almost exclusively to residents from the reservation, as the nearest big city is two hours to the north.[5] According to Mary Frances Berry, the 10-year chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, Whiteclay can be said to exist only to sell beer to the Oglala Lakota.[6]
Victor Clarke, the owner of Arrowhead Foods, a grocery store in Whiteclay that does not sell alcohol, said he “did more than a million dollars in business last year, with an entirely Native American clientele.”[2] As the reservation has no banks and few stores, its residents spend most of their money in Nebraska border towns, for regular needs as well as alcohol. The beer stores in Whiteclay cash welfare and tax refund checks for the Oglala Lakota, taking a 3 percent commission.[5]
re- public comments on Bear Butte Oil Well drilling due now. Urgent!
Dear Defenders,
Public written comments are due by March 30th for a rehearing on Oil Well Drilling near Bear Butte.
Approximately one and one-half miles west of Bear Butte, the SD Board of Minerals and Environment approved of Oil and Gas Order No. 17-2010 for Nakota Energy LLC. However, they did not do a review according to South Dakota Historic Preservation laws. Bear Butte has National Historic Landmark designation as well as being a sacred site to many Native American nations from North and Central America.
Please send your written comments to SD DENR, Oil and Gas Supervisor Fred Steece at fred.steece@state.sd.us
and South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office, Jason Haug, State Historic Preservation Director at Jason.Haug@state.sd.us
Another hearing, open to the public for verbal comments, will be held on Thursday, April 21, 2011, at 10:15 AM (CDT) at the Joe Foss Building, 523 East Capitol, Pierre, SD.
For more information go to the SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources website.
If each member of Defenders of the Black Hills sent in an email to Fred Steece and Jason Haug, the Board of Minerals would know how many people are concerned for this National Historic Landmark and sacred site. As a National Historic Landmark, comments from all over the nation would have to be considered.
Let’s see if we can flood DENR, Fred Steece, and Jason Haug with our comments.
Madison, Wisconsin isn’t the only place with an ongoing protest in America. As things have “frozen up” on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, the Lakota Elders have been dealing with mounting issues of “abuse” on several levels. They’ve taken all they’re going to take and are appealing for news coverage of the corruption that has lead to the conditions they are experiencing.
The Lakota Elders on Pine Ridge have issues, MAJOR ISSUES involving food, housing, sanitary conditions, threats, intimidation, eviction and more. Apparently their patience has reached the point of taking protest action. Do note that this situation involves longstanding cultural conflicts. The posting of this media release presents an introduction only to the situation.
Here is a Media Release.
Cante Tenza Okolakiciye – Strong Heart Warrior Society
Free & Independent Lakota Nation
Box 512, Hill City, South Dakota 57745 | 605-454-0449 or
605-517-1547 | lakotaoyate.net
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release: March 4, 2011
Contact: Duane Martin Sr. 605-517-1547 or 605-454-0449
LAKOTA ELDERS, WARRIOR SOCIETIES, NOW OCCUPY PORCUPINE ELDERLY MEALS
CENTER – WILL STAY UNTIL DEMANDS ARE MET
Porcupine Elderly Meals Building, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD – After
four years of abuses and calls for remedy from the Bureau of Indian
Affairs(BIA) Oglala Tribal Government, Lakota elders with support from
the Strong Heart Warrior Society, United Urban Warrior Society, and
Rapid City AIM- Grassroots have peacefully taken over, and now occupy,
the Elderly Meals Building in the Porcupine Community of Pine Ridge
Reservation.
The occupation occurred as a result of human rights and civil rights
abuses, including physical assault, of Lakota elders at the center,
the illegal selling of drugs and alcohol from the building by center
staff, refusal of Oglala tribal government officials to take action,
and the use of the tribal judicial office to attack and penalize
elders and advocates who spoke out against abuse, graft, and
corruption occurring in the elderly meals program and throughout
complicit tribal government officials.
The elders and warrior societies are demanding the removal of all
current center staff, the construction of a new, sanitary building,
restoration of healthy meals, expansion of elderly meals to those home-
bound, and an investigation into the graft and corruption in the
program and those complicit tribal officials.
Respected Lakota elders including Lorraine White Face Eagle Elk,
Cecilia Martin, Elizabeth Young Bear, and Enoch Brings Plenty issued
the following statement:
“The former president and the cook have discriminated against the
elders at the Porcupine Elderly Meals Center. Elders are demanding
them to be removed immediately.
The Elders will be leading this occupation with the support and
protection of three warrior societies – the Strong Heart Warrior
Society, United Urban Warrior Society, and Grassroots AIM.
I, Enoch Brings Plenty, as president of the Meals for the Elderly
Program at Porcupine, will try my best to please the Elders in my
district as best as I can -to bring back honesty, trust and integrity.
This is why these three warrior societies are here with us. They are
going to teach our children how to protect and remain free with the
elders of our oyate. Hoka hey!”
In support of the elder’s statement, the Strong Heart Warrior Society
said, “The elders have exhausted all legal remedies that they possibly
can and now they face the critical mass. So it is now their urgency to
request these warrior societies to step up and give them that
opportunity to regain control for what is rightfully theirs.”
The Oglala Tribal Council, which has been at the center of controversy
for years over graft and corruption in their ranks, continues to
publicly state there is no problem with Pine Ridge Reservation elders.
Activists have noted numerous incidents of retaliation and dirty
tricks in order to penalize elders and advocates from speaking out and
making these abuses public.
The occupation is planned until the demands are met. While State and
Federal officials have been slow to respond to this crisis, the South
Dakota Governor’s Office is now aware of the situation, as is the U.S.
Justice Department.
###
The Oglala Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation in southwestern South Dakota
is the size of the state of Connecticut. Due to decades of abuse,
corruption and colonial enforcement, Pine Ridge faces epidemic rates
of suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, elder abuse, and poverty. Life
expectancy for Lakota men is below 40 years of age. Nearly ¾ of the
Lakota people have lost their language, and the traditional language
is on the verge of extinction in Pine Ridge. The reservation has one
of the highest rates of unsolved murders. These unsolved deaths are
widely attributed to violent retaliation against those seeking an end
to corruption and assertion of traditional Lakota sovereignty.
Cante Tenza Okolakiciye also known as the Strong Heart Warrior Society
of the Lakota Nation is an ancient Lakota warrior society as well as a
broad-based civil rights movement that works to protect, enforce and
restore treaty rights, civil rights, and sovereignty of Native people
and their communities across Turtle Island. In addition to activist
efforts to protect the land and people, each year Cante Tenza collects
and freely distributes shoes, winter coats, school supplies, food, and
other support to Oglala Lakota elders, children and families. www.lakotaoyate.net | “Lakota Oyate” on Facebook
As I was trolling the net for visuals, I came across this lovely composition in blue that was posted at The Blarg. After coming across some disturbing media coverage (see Mother Jones regarding Jeff Cox, an Indiana official, advocating using live ammunition on Wisconsin protestors. Excuse me, is this Libya or America? Oops, my bad, sorry Kent State) , this man’s expression and signage just hit the nail so hard that I figure it deserves a post all its own. Unlike other group organized protests with manufactured signs, there are all sorts of protest signs visible in Madison. Some are hilarious, others obnoxious, but all are well-aimed individualized expressions of free speech and asserting a statement. You’re invited to share any photographic or video gems you’ve discovered while following Mad-city’s showdown with Koch Tool Walker.
<<Click the banner above to visit Native America Calling.>>
Wondering what Native Americans think of Johnny Depp playing Tonto in a new film? Well, surf to Native America Calling’s online former broadcasts and find out. Heads up, make sure you’re wearing your satire hat for the “win Depp” show. There’s an online archive list and summary of several years of broadcasts covering everything from healthcare to water rights to “matchmaking.” Oh yes, there is more talk radio in America than the usual media attention beasts bellowing on the sound waves. The discussions on Native America Calling are lively, smart, informative and enjoyable. Harlan McKosato is the show’s host and producer. Listeners are invited to call in and participate in the conversations.
Native America Calling broadcasts live Monday through Friday, 1-2pm Eastern time. 10 am PST. You can listen online too.
On Monday, February 7, 2011 the topic will be the “State of Indian Education.” Having blogged my thoughts about the general state of education in America, I’m very interested in hearing this particular broadcast.
They’re serving everything from Casino Jack to Adapting to Climate Change. And it all gets archived for listening at later dates.
In the Kansas City Metro area there’s only ONE hour a week of radio programming featuring Native American music, news, issues, and people. Native Spirit Radio airs on www.kkfi.org hosted by Rhonda LeValdo (Acoma Pueblo), on Sundays, 5-6pm CST. NSR streams online.
Escape the radio boxes by expanding your listening horizons to Native America Calling. Sharing your discoveries here is very welcome.
OOPS! Another example of inaccurate information from the news source famous for misinformation, misrepresentation and–now-mis-location. OOPS! Who needs social studies classes? Where in the world IS Egypt???? Not “here”…..OOOPS!
Where in the world?
These are serious times, deadly serious times and yet–yet there are moments of sublime humor. Though the degree of sublimity depends upon your own individual subjective sense of humor. Btw, if anyone is interested, there is a little town called Sublimity in Oregon. Really, I’ve been there. Sublimity has a beautiful park of OLD trees, a post office built in 1890 and a few cemeteries for your touring pleasure. Now back to the main menu:
Oh lordy, lordy, lordy! I first heard about Fox’s inability to find Egypt via KKFI radio–but I thought they were being sarcastic and facetious–until a friend shared the image. I just could not keep it all to myself. Have to share it with everyone else who missed this priceless piece of world news coverage.
Where’s a geography teacher when Fox News desperately needs one? Mapquest anyone? Got a 3D globe? Rand McNally wall map? Hey, they only report “news”, right? What do we expect from journalists? Who needs geographic accuracy? Might be useful for a “smart bomb” programmer—or not. Just send out the drones.
Oh hey, ABC is on the ball–or the “CAN” as in this case. Yes, if you haven’t had the dubious pleasure of tear gas in person, this is its package. complete with Made in the USA. Click the can to read more news coverage–American style. OOPS! WE make this stuff? Export it? Our economy needs some serious greening from the looks of things.
ABC: Made in America
OOPS! And a major OOOOUCH! to everyone enjoying unemployment in America. What can one billion American dollars buy? Depends on where you’re spending it. It could house a few people made homeless by the ongoing foreclosure crisis. It would buy A LOT of propane for folks on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota –which, btw, contains THE POOREST county in the USA–Ziebach. What would you spend a BILLION dollars on? According to Democracy Now! the American government has been “donating” at least a billion dollars a year to the Egyptian government for the last 30 years. Click on the bundled buckeroos to learn more about this artwork–and view other visual aids. You can visit Democracy Now! for more about what H. Clinton did and didn’t say about Egypt at http://www.democracynow.org/2011/1/27/egyptian_american_activist_hillary_clinton_forget
Visual Aid: One Billion American Dollars
Come on, don’t be shy–what would you do with a BILLION dollars every year?
Here’s a heads up for all lovers of Native American flute music in the Kansas City metro area: John Two-Hawks will perform at Stone Spirit Lodge on January 29, 2011 (Saturday). You can hear Two Hawks in concert and explore the wild joy of Stone Spirit Lodge at 309 Westport Rd. A simple call to Paul and Dawn at 816-561-7900 can score you some incredibly affordable tickets ($15) for a concert by this award winning Oglala Lakota flutist.
Follow the link or click on the photo of John Two Hawks to visit his website for more music, photos and information.
Violating copyright births bad karma---imagine a mad hacker you'll never see coming--nor catch going. Respect = my work is my work and your work is your work.
Everything posted here is my work, copyrighted, unless otherwise noted. Comments aside. Om
KKFI
Streaming Online
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For Kili 90.1 fm, Pine Ridge, SD, click the image below for The Voice of the Lakota Nation.
Cemetery Hill, Wounded Knee, Mugged by a Squirrel for a plum, Ed's driving, Art for Art's Sake, painting nudes, Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, KKFI, Crazy Horse, Reading, Marry, Critical Path, Political Missionary, White Wolves, teaser (1), We Shall Remain Shallow, Winter Fox Frank, Wes Studi, The Only Good Indian, Spotted Elk, naked woman centered, devotees (Crazy Horse), Blue Heron, Critical Path, An Adaptable Woman, and other plums ripening and Tanka Bars.
Art Short Bull Gallery
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to see more of Arthur Short Bull's original Art online at www.dawnhawk.org. Clicking on other images on the sidebar will take you to other places or enlarge photos.
om mani padme hum jewel in the lotus wahupa qi prana universal life energy
