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Protect The Sacred
Defend Sovereignty, Spiritual & religious Freedoms,
Treaty Rights, Consultation Mandates & Sacred Sites
Protect The Sacred
“The Axis of Evil for us today is DAPL, KXL, and the Delisting of the Sacred Grizzly Bear.
The Missouri River is the lifeblood, the water, all stood to protect at Standing Rock. Now, with grizzly delisting, the very headwaters of the Missouri River are imperiled in Greater Yellowstone. The grizzly’s ESA status protected the headwaters, but with delisting, Trump is putting his fossil fuel backers over the health and well-being of our Mother, the Earth, and all she nourishes.”
Chief Stan Grier.
"Now the most-signed treaty in history, the document has become a symbol of inter-tribal unity in defense of sovereignty, spiritual and religious protections, treaty rights, sacred site preservation and holding the federal government accountable for its trust responsibility to tribes." Native News Online (12/28/16)
“Let’s work on a draft
of the key issues summarized in this treaty and let’s see if we can’t start advocating around that, and start educating by using social media and our friends in Congress.”
SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS
“Proceeding with this premature, piecemeal and politically driven approach would violate the ESA and grievously undermine
tribal rights.”
CONGRESSMAN RAÚL M. GRIJALVA
Chairman AJ Not Afraid of the Crow Nation introduces the treaty to the
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.
Chief Stan Grier,
Chief of the Piikani (Piegan) Nation of the
Blackfoot Confederacy.
Since September 23, 2016, some 170 Tribal Nations have signed this document of inter-tribal solidarity, only the third of its kind in 150-years. In terms of representation, with leaders from the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), it translates to over 700 Tribal Nations.
“We now face unprecedented times, the likes of which we have not encountered in our lifetimes, but that our ancestors confronted and left us with the examples to follow. This treaty between our nations is not just about the preservation of this sacred being, the grizzly bear, or the protection of one river, this is a struggle for the very spirit of the land – a struggle for the soul of all we have ever been - or will ever become. Within this struggle to protect the grizzly, and thus the land the grizzly, in turn, protects with the water, we find many of our struggles: the struggle to defend our sovereignty; the struggle to defend our treaty rights; the struggle to preserve and enforce consultation mandates; the struggle to defend and strengthen our spiritual and religious freedoms. In summary, the ongoing struggle to make the government uphold its trust responsibility to Tribal Nations. Should we lose this collective fight, we may lose any part of those fundamental issues at any time, for if the government can ignore us all, then the precedent will be set - a precedent that will threaten all that our people have fought through and endured to retain since Contact.”
CHIEF STANLEY GRIER
UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
“I sign this treaty as an indigenous person from the Philippines to show my support for this great effort and for all of the indigenous nations that have signed it. I urge the government to continue to honor its treaty and trust obligations. I recommend that for any extractive industry project affecting indigenous peoples, regardless of the status of the land, the United States should require a full environmental impact assessment of the project in consideration of the impact on indigenous peoples’ rights.”
UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz. (Ms. Tauli-Corpuz is a member of the Kankana-ey, Igorot indigenous peoples in the Cordillera Region in the Philippines).
UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR: SACRED SITES ARE NOT “DOTS ON A MAP”
& FEDS’ failed consultation process is marred by “LACK OF GOOD FAITH”
We thank the United Nations and UN Special Rapporteur Tauli-Corpuz for meeting with us and for the opportunity to discuss the crucial issues of sovereignty, treaty rights, religious and spiritual freedoms, government-to-government consultation, sacred site protection and the federal trust responsibility, all of which are threatened by the "Trojan Horse" of grizzly delisting. We are humbled to have the treaty described as "extraordinary work" by the UN (OHCHR).
The message is finally getting through...
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Must Read Articles:
TRIBES PREVAIL IN DEFENDING THE SACRED:
JUDGE RULES TO REINSTATE PROTECTIONS FOR THE GRIZZLY
More Stories About the Treaty & Issue
What are tribes asking for?
In testimony to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Chairman AJ Not Afraid summarized what Tribal Nations are asking for. Chairman Not Afraid’s testimony is in quotes:
“This treaty speaks to the consequences of this action [grizzly delisting] if it proceeds as it has to date, and the issues that Tribal Nations stand upon, which remain at the heart of the federal-Indian trust responsibility: Tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, consultation mandates, spiritual and religious freedoms, and sacred site protections – each of which is on the verge of suffering irreparable harm if this process continues as it is presently constituted.”
Consultation. “Formal, government-to-government consultation must be undertaken with ALL impacted tribes, and that Acts, Executive Orders, and Secretarial Orders pertinent to this issue must be honored – which they have not been – a conclusion supported by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”
Science. “We have serious concerns about the science being presented, and worry that ultimately this process will result in ostensibly zoo populations in two national parks, Yellowstone and Glacier.” Tribal Nations must be furnished with the raw data the federal government is basing its conclusions upon, and claiming is “the best available science.” Secretarial Orders stipulate that tribes are entitled to receive this raw data – the US Fish & Wildlife Service must provide it, so tribes can engage independent experts for a truly objective scientific review. We have serious concerns about the science being presented, and worry that ultimately this process will result in ostensibly zoo populations in two national parks, Yellowstone and Glacier.
Institute a Moratorium. “Several nations, the Navajo, Osage, Oglala Sioux, and Piikani Blackfoot among them, have formally requested that a moratorium be instituted so that all of the impacted Tribal Nations can be consulted, and so that we can contribute our ideas, our plans, and our alternatives. Those alternatives will provide for cultural, economic and environmental revitalization to tribal communities, and enable economic diversification.”
Reintroduction Not Trophy Killing. “There are Tribal Nations with biologically suitable habitat in the grizzly’s historic range who propose having this sacred being reintroduced to their sovereign lands. Instead of trophy hunting them, transplant the hunting quota from Greater Yellowstone and from the Crown of the Continent, to these tribal lands. This reintroduction can provide for economic and vocational opportunity where it is most desperately needed – on our reservations - where unemployment can run from 70 to 90%. This alternative provides for educational, training, and vocational opportunities in preparing tribal members in the fields of science and biology to undertake our own management programs. Crucially, this initiative will also provide for eco-tourism opportunities; from training and employing guides, to reservation infrastructure potential through the hospitality industry, which will allow for outside, business investment to be attracted. Each aspect will foster cultural revitalization and immersion, as all of these initiatives can be undertaken in a cultural context, which aids in the perpetuation of culture.”
From the Oceti Sakowin...
Great Sioux Nation leaders, including (L-R) Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault, Oglala President Scott Weston, Crow Creek Chairman Brandon Sazue and Cheyenne River Sioux Chairman Harold Frazier holding the treaty, and Santee Sioux Chairman Roger Trudell.
...to the Navajo Nation
TREATY SIGNERS
Navajo Nation
Ute Tribe
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
Crow Tribe
Pueblo of Zuni
Pueblo of Taos
Isleta Pueblo
Zia Pueblo
Pueblo of Pojoaque
Santo Domingo Pueblo
Picuris Pueblo
Nambe Pueblo
Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo
Tohono O’odham Nation
San Carlos Apache Tribe
White Mountain Apache Tribe
Tonto Apache Tribe
Yavapai-Apache Nation
Kaibab-Paiute Tribe
Havasupai Tribe
Hualupai Nation
Pascua-Yaqui Tribe
Blackfoot Confederacy
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Northern Cheyenne Tribe
Fort Belknap Tribes
Rocky Boy Chippewa-Cree
Little Shell Band of Chippewa
Northern Arapaho Tribe
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes
Eastern Shoshone
Northwest Band of Shoshone Nation
Oglala Sioux Tribe
Rosebud Sioux Tribe
Crow Creek Sioux Tribe
Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
Yankton Sioux Tribe
Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe
Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
Ponca Tribe of Nebraska
Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Tribe
Santee Sioux Nation
Muscogee (Creek) Nation
Seminole Nation
Hopi Tribe
Hopi Bear Clan
Tewa Bear Clan
Tulalip Tribes
Nisqually Indian Tribe
Puyallup Tribe
Chief Joseph Band of Nez Perce
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
Spokane Tribe
Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Comanche
Pawnee Nation
Osage Nation
Kaw Tribe
Tonkawa Tribe
Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma
Sac & Fox Nation
Kickapoo Tribe
Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Quechan (Yuma) Nation
Fort Mojave Tribe
Chemehuevi Tribe
Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians (Serrano)
Hoopa Valley Tribe
Karuk Tribe Yurok Tribe
Bear River Band Rancheria
Wiyot Tribe
Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation
Trinidad Rancheria
Big Lagoon Rancheria
Walker River Paiute Tribe
Yerington Paiute Tribe
Goshute Tribe (Skull Valley)
Te-moak Tribe of Western Shoshone
Battle Mountain Band of Shoshone
Elko Band of Shoshone
Absentee Shawnee Tribe
Assembly of First Nations
Songhees First Nation
St’at’imc First Nation
Skidegate First Nation
Neskonlith First Nation
Shushwap First Nation
Coldwater First Nation
Malahat First Nation
Cowichan First Nation
Sumas First Nation
Upper Nicola First Nation Lillooet Tribal Council
Lower Nicola First Nation
Tseshant First Nation
Ktunaxa First Nation
Nuuchahnulth First Nation
Nisga’a First Nation
Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation
Sec e emc First Nation
Chawathil First Nation
Katzie First Nation
Skawahlook First Nation
Snuneymuxw First Nation
Huu-ay-aht First Nation
Snaw-Naw-As (Nanoose) First Nation
Nuchatlaht First Nation
Okanagan Indian Band
Namgis First Nation
Aitchelitz First Nation
Tseshaht First Nation
Metis (Treaty 8)
Tsawwassen First Nation
K ik asut’inux Hax a’mis First Nation
Sto:lo First Nation
Tlowitsis First Nation
Simpcw First Nation
Kwakiutl First Nation
Shackan First Nation
Lake Babine First Nation
Tk’emlú s First Nation
Shíshálh First Nation
Omaha Tribe
Brokenhead Ojibway First Nation
M'Chigeeng First Nation
Mississauga First Nation
Mattagami First Nation
Kawacatoose First Nation
Saddle Lake Cree Nation
Ochapowace Nation
Shuswap Band First Nation
Beaver Lake Cree Nation
Slate Falls First Nation
Temagami First Nation
Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation
Cayoose Creek (Sekw'el'was) First Nation
Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation
Splatsin Secwepemc First Nation
North Caribou (Weagamow Lake) First Nation
Mathias Colomb Cree Nation
Gwawaenuk First Nation
Gitanyow First Nation
James Smith/Peter Chapman Cree Nation
Heiltsuk Nation
Pictou Landing First Nation
Lac Simon First Nation
Wapekeka First Nation
Mohawk Council of Kanesatake First Nation
O'Chiese First Nation
Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation
Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation
Northwest Angle 33 First Nation
Xaxli'p First Nation
Liidlii Kue (Dene) First Nation
Shakopee Mdewakanton Dakota
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Could Standing Rock happen in Wyoming?
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Putin Ally and Trump family friend set to profit from DAPL and Keystone-XL
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Huffington Post: Native Americans Challenge Government Over Fate of Yellowstone Grizzly Bears
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High Country News: Tribal nations fight removal of grizzly protections
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National Geographic: Inside the Effort to Kill Protections for Endangered Animals
Navajo Vice President Jonathon Nez and President Russell Begaye holding the treaty.
“The Piikani Nation’s relationship with the United States is enshrined by treaty.
The Piikani Nation, the Blood Tribe, and the Blackfeet Nation have held a government-to-government relationship with the United States since entering into the 1855 Lame Bull Treaty, of which all are signatories. The DOI, DOJ and DOA concluded their Dakota Access statement by saying, ‘It is now incumbent on all of us to develop a path forward that serves the broadest public interest.’ We believe that same sentiment must now be applied to the delisting of the Yellowstone grizzly bear. We remain the stewards of the land, and our ancestors and spiritual practices will forever be the conscience of the land. Water is the lifeblood of our Mother Earth,
and the grizzly bear is the guardian of both.”
From - Piikani Nation Chief and Council Declaration, September 12, 2016
