Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, SD - Wednesday, October 18, 2000, marked the 277th day of the peaceful monitoring of the Red Cloud Building.

The Grass Roots Oyate and Tokalas are still strong mentally, physically and more importantly, spiritually - even through all the personal attacks they have endured since January 16th, 2000 and in addition to having to put up with threats of eviction. The Tokalas say of the opposition, "How can you fight the power of the Creator and expect to win?"

The on-going federal investigation is still in the process and more indictments are expected. All the OST Committee and Tribal Council minutes from 1995 to the present have been turned over to the FBI from the Red Cloud Building -- to uncover more corruption. (Every tribe in Indian country needs to get rid of all their crooks; jail them and then ban them.)

While the Oglala Sioux Tribe is continuing with tribal council elections, the Grass Roots Oyate still maintain the traditional government they truly are. They do not recognize the colonialism or the election process that the misled tend to follow.

The Oglala Lakota General Council is demanding the federal government to investigate all the bands within the Great Sioux Nation (Tetuwan Nation) for corruption. Every IRA government is so corrupt the Oyate need to immediately relinquish themselves before we are terminated as tribes. Other tribes in the so-called U.S. of A. should consider this move also. We elders feel that to continue with and under the IRA form of government will only place our children's future in jeopardy. We are members of the Red Race that Wakan Tanka placed here in this part of the world and we will always be that Red Race of people that the Great Spirit created. Oyate, be proud of who you are. You are a beautiful people that lived the life of what the good book called 'heaven on earth'. That's the way it was before Christopher Columbus touched the eastern shores of this part of the world. We have a task before us: the rebuilding of our traditional government, the un-brainwashing of ourselves, the uncovering of our roots.

As the mud slinging is continuing with the Lakota bands, the IRA government is forgetting the Indian Trust responsibility, the Black Hills Claim, the Mni (water) rights, and most importantly, our children. It has always been the federal government's position to terminate Indian tribes by the divide and conquer tactics. To date, IRA governments have been enhancing this process of termination.

We need to unite our nation as sovereign through enforcement of our treaties and our people's desire under natural law to follow our own way of life, our own culture and our own GOVERNMENT. We are a treaty tribe. As far as the Oyate are concerned, there are some of us who have relatives in other Lakota bands and/or living on other reservation; we need to strengthen our Tiospayes and keep each other informed of our current situation. Sharing information and supporting each other will strengthen our nation.

The Grass Roots Oyate will continue to occupy the Tetuwan Oyate - Oglala Band headquarters and have no intentions of vacating what belongs to the Grass Roots Oyate. We will continue to be here even through the next incoming administration.

The General Council is asking all Oglala Lakota landowners to immediately relinquish their leases and start utilizing your lands. The Tokalas say that without use of the land by the landowners, we cannot state that we are truly sovereign!