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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2005)
AUGUST 15, 2005 Mm A Publication of the Grand Ronde Tribe www.grandronde.org After his nearly 30 years in jail, the debate over the innocence of an American Indian icon continues today. The story of a man; the story of a people By Ron Karten On June 30, Leonard Peltier (Anishinabe, Dakota Lakota) was unexpectedly moved from the federal peniten tiary at Leavenworth to the federal facility in Terre Haute, Indiana. "He is arbitrarily being held there in solitary confinement indefinitely with the resulting suspension of all his prisoner privileges and basic hu man rights," reported a website for the Peltier defense committee, LPDC, Inc. www.lpdcinc.blogspot.com. The news about Peltier these days is not as dramatic as it once was, but the larger story of Indian injustice in America is as compelling through this case as it gets. Today, there is no consensus about the role played by Peltier during the shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation on June 26, 1975, a gun battle between members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and a'fluWiDer of" police agencies led by the FBI. Documented in the 1983 book, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by Peter Matthiessen, and a 1992 film, In cident at Oglala, presented by Rob See LEONARD on page 8 si , : - $M X. - o Editor's Note: Like many Natives, I have followed the ongoing saga of Leonard Peltier since I became aware of the case while in college. I have gone from a staunch supporter of the freedom of Leonard to joining the ranks of those who now e rmthijeallv is. Like manv of us in Indian Countrv. I want to believe that he is an innocent pawn in an ongoing struggle for independence from the oppression of the United States government and its misguided policies toward Indians. This story has been years in the making and although the Smoke Signals leans towards covering only the local news of the Grand Ronde people, this story is significant and powerful and I have listened to those of you in our community who have continually asked us to look at the bigger picture issues that face all Native people throughout Indian Country. Feature writer Ron Karten has put his heart and soul into this story and I ask you to read it with an open mind. Dino ButlerPeltier host anti-war conference. By Ron Karten On May 15, at what was likely the first Indian anti-war con ference in the area, the state of freedom of speech came into ques tion. Top among announcements was one that asked photographers not to photograph the audience, and report ers not to interview audience members "for the comfort and security of event attendees." Eugene Johnson (Siletz and adopted by Blackfoot Nation), a KBOO radio host and the MCTV cable host of Na tive Nations, said, "Don't be afraid to spread the word. I do it all the time and no one comes knocking on my door." But not everybody in attendance had been as fortunate. (See related story on front page). One attendee told the story of a family member who had been petitioning for better housing and so cialized medicine back in the 1960s. The police came to his home, dragged him away and a year and a half later he returned talking about the govern ment putting chips in his head. He was diagnosed schizophrenic and all these years later, this attendee said, he is now finally able when well medi- See ANTI-WAR on page 9 Trickster This photo of a coyote was taken earlier this summer in the Alvord Desert on a dry lake bed near the OregonNevada border. This photo was taken by licensed PPC pilot Barry Smith. Smith is one of only three instructors in the State of Oregon certified to teach how to fly the powered parachutes. Photo by Barry Smith ill Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon 961 5 Grand Ronde Road Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 PRESORTED FIRST-CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID SALEM, OR PERMIT NO. 178 OR NEWSPAPER PRO J. UO LIBRrtRV SYSTEM PRESERU 1299 UNI VERS IVY OF OREGON EUGENE OR 97403-1205 Northwest Tribes Participate In The "Healing and Unity Journey" Grand Ronde Tribal members paddle 200 miles by canoe. By Toby McClary Cheers from the crowd could be heard throughout Hollywood Beach in Port Angeles, Washington on Monday, August 1, as a proces sion of more than 60 canoes ended the 2005 Canoe Journey, "The Paddle to Elwha." See CANOE on page 3 .v ' NTs J vr7p, i The Way To Elwha Over 70 canoes pulled in to Hollywood Beach in Port Ange les, Washington on Monday, August 1 , marking the end of this year's canoe journey ' "Paddle to Elwha.' ' Members from Grand Ronde joined with Chinook Tribal members paddling over 200 miles beginning at the Squaxin Island Tribe and ending in Port Ange les. The trip took 12 days and Grand Ronde is already planning for next year's journey.
