Clyde Bellecourt to Obama at UN: Apologize for misuse of Geronimo's name
"It’s time for North America to get rid of the frontier mentality, and the myth that ‘the only good Indian is a dead Indian.’" Clyde Bellecourt.
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/
Photo copyright Ben Powless: Clyde Bellecourt and Tony Gonzales at UN Permanent Forum 2011.
NEW YORK -- Clyde Bellecourt, founder of the American Indian Movement, said President Obama should apologize to American Indians for the misuse of Geronimo's name during the assault on Osama bin Laden. Speaking to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, Bellecourt described the ongoing struggle to protect Native American resources, especially water, and protect traditional medicines from theft.
"We demand that President Barack Obama as the 'commander and chief' and his war council to recognize and issue a public apology for the continued attack on Indian people, for comparing one of our greatest leaders, Geronimo, to one of the most notorious terrorists known to the world, Osama Bin Laden. It’s time for North America to get rid of the frontier mentality, and the myth that ‘the only good Indian is a dead Indian.’
Bellecourt introduced himself as Nee Gon Nway Wee Dung, founder and national director of the American Indian Movement and executive director Heart of the Earth Inc. Bellecourt is also cofounder of the International Indian Treaty Council.
"My brothers and sisters, the battle to protect the land continues, when seventy five percent of the all energy resources in North America are still on Indian lands. Most importantly, water –our most precious medicine- is still being stolen by governments and greedy corporation," Bellecourt said.
"We must stand together in total solidarity to fight these monstrous acts for the survival of our children. We must continue to think like our grandfathers and grandmothers, chiefs and great leaders before us, who envisioned what it would be like for their children seven generations from now."
Bellecourt described how the United States failed to honor Indian treaties and the attacks on the essence of their ceremonial way of life.
"The American Indian Movement was formed in July 1968 when we felt that absolutely nothing was being done to upgrade the conditions that Indian people were being forced to live under here in the United States. Not one single treaty made between Native nations and the United States was being honored, which guaranteed us and our children’s survival. The right to practice our own spiritual and ceremonial way of life, to speak our languages, to hunt, fish and gather, and practice our traditional forms of government," Bellecourt said.
"In 1974, nine and a half months after the liberation of Wounded Knee, the American Indian Movement leadership was threatened with hundred of years in prison for defending our treaty rights at Wounded Knee in South Dakota."
Bellecourt described the events which led to the formation of the International Indian Treaty Council and conference which followed in Geneva.
"It was determined that we would never survive as a people unless we reached out to the world community, and brought our case before the world court. The genocide against our people did not allow us to pray in our traditional manner, speak our languages, or practice our traditional way of life. And these assault on our cultures continue in one form or another to this very day."
"The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples here today was the result of that conference in Geneva and we reached out to our 370 million Indigenous relatives around the world. As all of you know, it was a thirty year struggle within the UN structure to bring forth The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIP) of the world that was finally adopted by the General Assembly on September13, 2007."
Read Bellecourt's entire address to UN at AIM West website:
http://www.aimwest.info/
"It’s time for North America to get rid of the frontier mentality, and the myth that ‘the only good Indian is a dead Indian.’" Clyde Bellecourt.
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/
Photo copyright Ben Powless: Clyde Bellecourt and Tony Gonzales at UN Permanent Forum 2011.
NEW YORK -- Clyde Bellecourt, founder of the American Indian Movement, said President Obama should apologize to American Indians for the misuse of Geronimo's name during the assault on Osama bin Laden. Speaking to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, Bellecourt described the ongoing struggle to protect Native American resources, especially water, and protect traditional medicines from theft.
"We demand that President Barack Obama as the 'commander and chief' and his war council to recognize and issue a public apology for the continued attack on Indian people, for comparing one of our greatest leaders, Geronimo, to one of the most notorious terrorists known to the world, Osama Bin Laden. It’s time for North America to get rid of the frontier mentality, and the myth that ‘the only good Indian is a dead Indian.’
Bellecourt introduced himself as Nee Gon Nway Wee Dung, founder and national director of the American Indian Movement and executive director Heart of the Earth Inc. Bellecourt is also cofounder of the International Indian Treaty Council.
"My brothers and sisters, the battle to protect the land continues, when seventy five percent of the all energy resources in North America are still on Indian lands. Most importantly, water –our most precious medicine- is still being stolen by governments and greedy corporation," Bellecourt said.
"We must stand together in total solidarity to fight these monstrous acts for the survival of our children. We must continue to think like our grandfathers and grandmothers, chiefs and great leaders before us, who envisioned what it would be like for their children seven generations from now."
Bellecourt described how the United States failed to honor Indian treaties and the attacks on the essence of their ceremonial way of life.
"The American Indian Movement was formed in July 1968 when we felt that absolutely nothing was being done to upgrade the conditions that Indian people were being forced to live under here in the United States. Not one single treaty made between Native nations and the United States was being honored, which guaranteed us and our children’s survival. The right to practice our own spiritual and ceremonial way of life, to speak our languages, to hunt, fish and gather, and practice our traditional forms of government," Bellecourt said.
"In 1974, nine and a half months after the liberation of Wounded Knee, the American Indian Movement leadership was threatened with hundred of years in prison for defending our treaty rights at Wounded Knee in South Dakota."
Bellecourt described the events which led to the formation of the International Indian Treaty Council and conference which followed in Geneva.
"It was determined that we would never survive as a people unless we reached out to the world community, and brought our case before the world court. The genocide against our people did not allow us to pray in our traditional manner, speak our languages, or practice our traditional way of life. And these assault on our cultures continue in one form or another to this very day."
"The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples here today was the result of that conference in Geneva and we reached out to our 370 million Indigenous relatives around the world. As all of you know, it was a thirty year struggle within the UN structure to bring forth The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIP) of the world that was finally adopted by the General Assembly on September13, 2007."
Read Bellecourt's entire address to UN at AIM West website:
http://www.aimwest.info/
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