"There was no treaty withdrawal. It was three people."
"Russell Means and Duane Martin [Canupa Gluha Mani] and that lady [Phyllis Young], they do not speak for the nation. You've got to have consensus" among the eight tribes of the Lakota, he said, which the Lakota Freedom Delegation has not obtained. Mr. Hand stated that he was speaking as a tribal delegate with the consensus of the Oglala Treaty Delegation and his chief, Oliver Red Cloud.
Hand furthermore called the treaty withdrawal event a "publicity stunt" and that furthermore the 1974 meeting was not authorization to act on behalf of the Lakota people.
In response to the Press Release of the Lakota Freedom Delegation, The Teton Sioux Nation Treaty Council, Lakota traditional organization charged with the diplomacy with US govt on the question of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, organization created in 1893, issued the following statement:
ReplyDelete"There is a provision within the Treaty of 1868 that our ancestors had included. Article 12 says that the Treaty of 1868 could not be changed except by 3/4 of the (Lakota) adult male vote. This was done expressly to protect the people, the land, and our way of life.
Russell Means is only one man and has not received the 3/4 adult male approval. His efforts, however, remind the world that we still have an international treaty with the USA. Sincerely, Charmaine White Face, Spokesperson, Teton sioux nation Treaty Council"