Call to Action

Support For The Crow Creek Dakota

Call to Action:

The IRS is trying to exploit a legal loophole in order to, once again, unjustly seize indigenous held land as the US Government has done by various methods countless times before. The Dakota people need support and solidarity to save what's left of their land from yet still more government theft.

UPDATE: This issue appears to be at least temporarily resolved, though the resolution in no way represents justice. The IRS is not going to seize and sell the land after all, instead Crow Creek will be forced to pay to get their land back, using a loan from the Shakopee Dakota community. The issue of the ongoing IRS extortion of the Crow Creek Dakota will not be addressed.
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Crow Creek Land Is Not for Sale
by:Waziyatawin, Ph.D.

CROW CREEK RESERVATION, Friday, December 11, 2009—Brandon Sazue’s camper sitting in the middle of the prairie presented a lonely but inspiring image as we drove up Wednesday afternoon. Despite the bitter cold and wind, the young Crow Creek tribal chairman was taking a stand against the United States theft of any more Dakota lands, telling us "Crow Creek land is not for sale, and it never will be."

Symbolically placing his camper under a wind data tower, Sazue has committed to remain on this parcel of land as long as it takes to achieve justice. The land is part of the 7,112 acres recently stolen by the United States government in what amounts to a 21st century land grab. Because the land is not currently held in trust, on December 4, 2009, the Internal Revenue Service used that as an opportunity to claim it and auction it off as a means to settle what they assert is a delinquent $3,123,790 tax bill. Though most of the Crow Creek reservation is situated within the poorest county in the United States, the land under dispute happens to contain world-class sites for the harnessing of wind power. As the world's fossil fuels dwindle and alternative energy sources are increasingly sought after, Crow Creek lands also becomes increasingly more attractive to outside interests. Whoever develops the site for wind-energy stands to make a fortune. This connection is not lost on Chairman Sazue.

Anyone who understands the history of the Dakota people since invasion and conquest cannot help but be stunned by this attack on the tribal lands of people who have already suffered so much. After the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, the U.S. federal government and the State of Minnesota initiated polices of genocide and ethnic cleansing against Dakota people in our beloved homeland. White Minnesotans hanged thirty-eight Dakota warriors, rounded-up and force-marched our populations to concentration camps in Mankato and Fort Snelling, then forcibly removed us from Minnesota to fulfill Governor Alexander Ramsey's genocidal call for extermination or forced removal. Dakota people were loaded onto boats that went down the Mississippi River and then up the Missouri River on a journey that was so horrendous, a missionary at the time compared it to the Middle Passage of the slaves. Under gun and bayonet, our ancestors were brought to Crow Creek in 1863. Thus, Crow Creek began as a concentration camp.

The trauma to Dakota people only continued there. Within the first few months of arrival at Crow Creek, hundreds of Dakota people died from the dreadful conditions. In fact, the missionary John P. Williamson wrote “Nearly all the small children died in 1863.” The heartbreak from those events are still felt today. The people of Crow Creek live with that legacy, as do the rest of us with ancestors who were subjugated on these lands. After 1862, the United States government left our people with so little. Now, even what little we have is under attack again.

Sazue's stand in defense of the land is a rallying cry to the rest of the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires) of the Dakota Oyate (Nation). Though fierce winter weather has so far kept supporters from camping out next to Sazue, a steady stream of allies offering prayers, songs, food, supplies and encouragement continues throughout each day and even more people show their solidarity through phone calls and emails. We know more of our people will be coming. Like Chairman Brandon Sazue, we will not allow these lands to be taken. We will stand with him.

Waziyatawin, Ph.D.

waziyatawin@gmail.com

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Crow Creek Supporters:

In addition to your presence and prayers, we need supplies at the encampment site. The first objective at the site is staying warm. We need people to help cut, haul or donate wood to keep a fire going, lumber for building windbreaks and shelters, sandbags, blankets, sleeping bags (especially those made for below 0 temperatures), hats, scarves, mittens, boots, tarps and tipis.

Oceti Sakowin and other Indigenous relatives, please bring flags from your communities to show solidarity with the Crow Creek Oyate. Everyone bring banners—7,100 acres is a lot of ground on which to maintain our presence.

In addition, we need food, flashlights, cookware, tools (shovels, axes, saws), concrete blocks, matches, and water containers.

We also need people who have other gifts to encourage these resistors to U.S. land theft. Drummers and singers, your presence and support would be most welcome.

Supporters may stay in the tribal hall. Please bring your own bedding and linens. Showers will be available at the motel.

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Further Support Info:

We don't yet have an account for checks that is beyond the reach of further IRS raiding, but I hope that will be arranged soon. In the meantime, cash donations and supplies may be sent to:

Crow Creek Sioux Tribe
Attn: Chairman Brandon Sazue
P.O. Box 50
Ft. Thompson, South Dakota 57339

If you have any questions you can call:

Tribal Chairman's Secretary, Carol Quilt at (605) 245-2221

Please voice your complaints to the following:

Contact:

White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414

Here’s a link that will take you to an email form: White House Contact

And one to the senate: Senators' Contact Information

Also, sign the Online petition:

"Crow Creek Sioux Land is NOT For Sale"
hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petition service, at:
www.PetitionOnline.com/CrowCreek/

Many, many thanks for your support!

Waziyatawin

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Here is another way people can contribute...this is an email from a Lakota man trying to bring tipis out to Crow Creek.

Hau Mitakuyepi,
As many of you may or may not have heard, today 12/14/2009, I have officially begun to raise money to purchase tipis to take to the Crow Creek Reservation in support of the land sit-in/dispute currently going on there. Here's all this whole idea was started.....
I couple weeks ago I heard about the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and the fact that the IRS siezed about 7.1k acres of Indian land and auctioned it off. I was shocked at what happened, but not surprised because it IS the US Government. It hadn't really hit me what happened until I started reading some of the articles about the dispute and the fact that the Chairman was going to sit-in on the land, "forever" if he needed to. In that same article, it stated that even though they were having a "tipi" sit-in, there were no tipis.....and that got me thinking....so... I called the Chairman's office today and spoke the secretary, Ellen (605-245-2224) and she informed me that as of today there were no tipis on the land, but they were hoping to borrow "one" by sometime this week. I informed her that I was going to start getting donations to purchase (at least 2) tipis so I could bring them out to Crow Creek, hopefully over winter break.
I then called Sandy at www.arrowtipi.com, who I plan on doing business with in the near future for my tipi rental/sales business here in Seattle. He told me he has at least 2-24ft and 2-21ft tipis available to go out the door right now. If you look on their website, you'll see that we are talking about 3099-3550 per tipi, depending on the size. I thought about cutting corners, like not purchasing a liner, but that's like buying a new car without a radio and heater/ac unit, ESPECIALLY since these tipis will be getting major use throughout this winter. And, if any of you have been around tipis, 21 and 24 foot tipis are COMMANDING in size, beautiful, and would be the ultimate reminder to the Government that what they are doing is wrong.
So now I am on a mission to raise the money to buy and transport these tipis back to South Dakota. Donations can be sent to my paypal account at lakotaboy@gmail.com. Any help from you, my friends and relatives, would be greatly appreciated I am also going to compile a list of all the people that have helped in this cause, all of you that donate. I know its Christmas time and budgets are tight. You don't need to tell this unemployed father of 4, but the Creator works in mysterious ways. Thank you all for reading this long, drawn out note. Please copy, paste, and forward this on to others.... Merry Christmas and may the Great Spirit watch over you and yours. Hetche to yelo

Gary LaPointe
lakotaboy@gmail.com
206-491-7969

Donate to Gary LaPointe's Paypal


Additional Update From Gary:

Thank you for your inquiry into our cause “Raising money to go towards the purchase of tipis for the Crow Creek Sioux Nation.” My name is Gary LaPointe and I’m an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. I started NW Tipi Sales and Rentals only two months ago with the intention of eventually being able to better streamline tipis and tipi related parts/accessories to those interested, whether they are back home on the reservation, or Boy Scouts, tourists, etc, here in the NW. I also do cultural presentations at schools and eventually would like to work with some of the companies here in the Puget Sound area.

I would like to personally assure you that any funds that are donated to this cause will go to it 100%. I started a blog at www.thetipiguy.wordpress.com and I will list every donor there. For the privacy of all individuals I will not list the actual amount they have donated, but I will have it all available “to the penny” for future reference.

My goal is to be able to try to be heading out to SD by early February at the latest. I only say that because of the fact that the ICT article won’t be in the stands until at least next week, and many people in Indian Country may likely want to donate through the mail system. But the sooner, the better. I am able to leave within 24 hours if some big donors show up on my doorstep. I also want to keep this whole thing as transparent as possible so people will feel comfortable with helping this cause.

I initially wanted to purchase two 24 foot tipis, but according to the amount of funds I receive, I may drop that down to 22 foot tipis. $5,000 would easily pay for the purchase of these 2 tipis, If less is donated, I may even just purchase one tipi for $2,500 (that includes, everything, poles, transportation, etc). But I believe with the conditions in SD, we need to stick with the heaviest canvas available.

Last weekend I spoke with the Chairman, Mr, Sazue, and he stated that one of the biggest problems with borrowing a tipi is no one has poles, so my goal is to also try to bring some additional poles back to Crow Creek for them to use. I am currently in negotiations with a number of tipi makers and pole companies to get the best prices I can. Tomorrow I am also going to be prepping what poles I have to donate to the cause.

Again, Thank you for your interest in helping us help the Crow Creek Nation. I would do anything for my people, as Mr. Albert White Hat says “Nake Nula Waun,” to be ready for anything, anytime, anywhere.

Please feel free to contact me anytime at (206) 491-7969 if you have any questions/suggestions/ideas.

Hetche to, Pilamaya yelo!

Gary LaPointe
Owner, NW Tipi Sales and Rentals
17127 Gravenstein Rd
Bothell WA 98012

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News Articles:

Indian Country Today: Native-Owned Company Seeks Donations for Crow Creek Tipi - January 5, 2010
Indian Country Today: Vigil On the Plains Crow Creek Sioux Chairman 'Not Going Anywhere' - December 29, 2009
NDN News: Crow Creek: Stolen Lands, Wind Farms and Taking a Stand For the People - December 20, 2009
Argus Leader: Crow Creek Gains Support of California Tribe - December 18, 2009
News From Indian Country: Crow Creek Members to Protest Land Auction with Tepee Sit-in - December 9, 2009
Indian Country Today: IRS Auctioned Crow Creek's Ancestral Land For Purported Back Taxes - December 4, 2009
Argus Leader: Reservation Auction Fetches 2.6 Million But Courts Will Decide Legality of IRS Move on Tribal Lands - December 4, 2009
RaceWire, The Colorlines Blog: IRS Auctions Off Crow Creek Sioux Land For 2.5 Million - December 4, 2009
Inside Bay Area: IRS Sells SD Indian Tribe's Land to Settle Debt - December 3, 2009
Indianz.com: Crow Creek Sioux Tribe Fails to Block IRS Land Auction - December 3, 2009