[IPSM] cpt delegation to Bear Butte

Wed Jun 21 07:44:49 PDT 2006

Dear people,

 This July and August, as a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), I am
 planning to join the Intertribal Gathering to Defend Bear Butte, one of  the Black
 Hills of South Dakota. 

The Black Hills are sacred for the Lakota, Cheyenne and many other nations,
 but they have suffered a series of desecrations over the years. The latest
assault has already begun -  the construction of a massive biker rally site
 at the foot of Bear Butte. To foil this, an Intertribal Gathering will be
 camping out to pray and wage nonviolent direct action. They have invited CPT
 to join them (invitation sent by the Intertribal Coalition is at the end of
 this message). See below for more on the project and for background.

**I would be happy to talk to you further about the project, in person or by
 phone. I can be contacted at 514 933 6198.

**If you are interested in receiving reports, please email back or call me
 at 514 933 6198 to let me know. Also, you can let me know if there are
 specific things I can do or report on in this project which would be useful
 to you in your work.

**If you can make a financial contribution, please make out your cheque to 
"Jill Foster" and put "CPT Bear Butte Project"  in the subject line. It
 can be mailed to 1984 Le Ber, Montreal QC H3K 2A7. Let me know if you'd like it tax deductible. Other forms of support
 would also be helpful.

 I will be organising a report-back for supporting groups and individuals and
 all interested in what is happening at Bear Butte at the end of August when
 I return to Montreal.

Thanks for listening,

 Jill

-------------

 THE PROJECT

A six-week Christian Peacemaker Teams project will take place at Bear Butte
(near Sturgis, SD), from July 4 to August 15, 2006. The CPTers will join
 traditional leaders and people from a number of Plains Nations in actions to
 defend Bear Butte from commercial development. Plains Nations are gathering
 together for a six-week camp at the base of Bear Butte over the time of the
Sturgis Bike Rally, which attracts close to half a million bikers each year.
 The Intertribal Coalition to Defend Bear Butte, a partner organization of
 the MCC Oglala Lakota Nation unit, is organizing this Gathering of Nations
 to Defend Bear Butte. The Coalition is aware of CPT's past work at the
 LaFramboise Island Mitigation Act camp in 1999-2000 and has requested a CPT
 presence at this camp as allies in nonviolent direct action to protect Bear
Butte. A formal letter of invitation from the Intertribal Coalition has been
 sent.

In early March, bulldozers broke ground for "Sturgis County Line," a massive
 new biker bar and concert venue to be located on 600 acres at the base of
Bear Butte. Bear Butte (on the outskirts of the Black Hills, near Sturgis,
 SD) is a sacred place of prayer for over thirty Native Nations across the
Great Plains, as well as a state park and a national historic landmark. Each
 year thousands of Native people travel to pray at Bear Butte.

Arizona entrepreneur Jay Allen originally planned to name his venue "Sacred
 Grounds" and to erect an 80-foot statue of a Native person outside the bar.
 He boasts on his web site that the re-named Sturgis County Line will provide
"hundreds of acres to party... in a safe haven, free from a policed
environment, that's what I'm talking about! ... over 150,000 s.f. of asphalt
for semi-tractor trailors... 22,500 s.f. of... ice cold beer... kick-butt
 music & oh yea, hot hot women!" [http://www.sturgiscountyline.net] The
 600-acre complex will include an outdoor amphitheater with space for 30,000
 people.

The location, within a mile of Bear Butte, is inappropriate for a massive
 biker bar and concert venue. The 24-hour drunken party and "biggest music
 acts known to mankind" will desecrate this sacred place of worship and
 interfere with prayers at Bear Butte. Massive outdoor concerts and large
drunken parties are not appropriately located next to a state park, a
 national landmark, or especially next to a sacred place of prayer.

 For more background, please visit the websites of the Bear Butte
 International Alliance (http://www.matopaha.org) and the Intertribal
Coalition to Defend Bear Butte (http://www.defendbearbutte.org). Traditional
 and spiritual leaders of the Lakota, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Osage, Pawnee,
 Ponca, Kiowa, and other Nations are involved in planning the Gathering. All
 seven council fires and tribal governments of the Lakota are firmly in support. There will definitely be nonviolent direct action to resist the
 encroachment on Bear Butte, though the details of the action(s) require
further consultation with the Nations involved and depend on other
 developments between now and July. The Gathering itself will be located on
 land owned by the Northern Cheyenne and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe adjacent to
 Bear Butte, so it will not be an occupation of disputed land.

The six-week time frame for the Gathering coincides with the Sturgis Bike
 Week motorcycle rally, which draws over 500,000 people to the town of
 Sturgis and surrounding area in late July and August of each year. Jay
 Allen's under-construction "Sturgis County Line" and the other bars and
 campgrounds in the area derive almost all of their business from this
 traffic, and most of them close their doors for the remainder of the year.
 Because of the seasonal nature of the desecration of Bear Butte, it is more
 likely that CPT could be asked to return for a similar gathering next summer
 than that the six-week time frame of the Gathering would be extended. The pr
 oject will rely on two CPTers. The same CPTers will remain at the camp for
 the six-week duration for building trust and an understanding of the issues.

The role of CPT at the Gathering will be to assist with planning and
 executing nonviolent direct action, in a supporting role and subject to the
 guidance of the Native leadership of the Gathering. Given the racial
 tensions in the area, these nonviolent actions could provoke intense
 confrontation and possibly violent response, in which case CPTers would
 interpose themselves if appropriate and document human rights violations.
 Organizers of the Gathering also hope that CPTers could assist in drawing
 national attention to the issue of commercial desecration of Bear Butte.

The Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Oglala Lakota Nation (OLN) Unit
 Program Coordinators will provide orientation to the situation and location,
 culturally appropriate behavior, and any other orientation/introduction
 needs. They also plan to visit the Gathering frequently, and will make
 themselves available to the CPTers as needed.

BACKGROUND (from the Inter-Tribal Coalition to Defend Bear Butte
 www.defendbearbutte.org)

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 its surrounding area. Its 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

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.

"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.

-------------------------------

INVITATION to CPT

Intertribal Coalition to Defend Bear Butte
 c/o Owe Aku
 Box 325 Manderson, SD  57756
 605-455-2155 or lakota1 at getc.net and www.bringbacktheway.com

14 June 2006

TO:
 Christian Peacemaker Team
 Mennonite Central Committee OLN Unit

FR:
 Debra White Plume, Owe Aku and Intertribal Coalition to Defend Bear Butte

RE:
 Gathering of Nations to Defend Bear Butte

Greetings:

             I would like to extend this letter of Invitation to the CPT to
 the Gathering of Nations to Defend Bear Butte.  The Opening Ceremonies are
 July 4, 2006.  The camp will be located at Bear Butte, near Sturgis, SD.
 The Gathering will continue until mid-August.  A major action during the
 Gathering will be the Summit of Nations: Sacred Site Summit to be held
 August 1-4, 2006.  There will be many other learning experiences during this
 Gathering, as well as the ceremonies of the Native Nations in attendance.

             We are also hoping that CPT will be able to help us lead
 training sessions in non-violent direct action during the Gathering, and to
 also co-lead such NVDA in the surrounding area as well during this time
 period, in addition to helping provide other training areas such as Human
 Rights.  We also anticipate working with our allies to utilize the press in
 order to provide general public education about sacred site protection work,
 and our Human Rights.  If there are other areas in which we can work
 collectively, we will be so glad to make this happen!

             Please contact me if there are any questions. Thank you for your
 interest and support of our work.

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