Date: November 16, 2007
Place: Oklahoma State Capitol
Oklahoma City , Oklahoma
Time: 9 am to 12 pm
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oklahoma City , 11/4/07 – The Oklahoma Indians Survival Walk and Protest is scheduled for 9:00 am on November 16, 2007 .
This activity will counter the Oklahoma Centennial Celebrations because we, as Oklahoma American Indians, do not want our people to forget what happened to our ancestors nor can we let others across the nation lose sight of the real history of Oklahoma Indians and Indian Territory . We cannot sit quietly while the only mention or acknowledgement of the victimization of Indians is a re-enacted Land Run and Mock Wedding Ceremony.
“Our part of the story, the part where our lands are invaded and stripped away from us, and the part where our cultures are attacked, the part where our peoples' lives are trampled and forever altered by this encroachment of land hungry invaders is always conveniently neglected or overshadowed,” says Gerald D. Tieyah (Comanche).
Glenda Deer (Kickapoo), co-organizer of the protest says, “I think it's important for our children and grandchildren to understand how Oklahoma was really acquired...it's important for them to know the truth....”
“I remember a story a Sac and Fox elder told me some years ago. She said that her grandfather told her the Sac and Fox people had to remove the bodies of white people from the Deep Fork River before they could use the water, people killed by the ‘settling’ of Oklahoma” recounts Dr. Johnny P. Flynn, Department of Religious Studies, IUPU, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Earlier this year, Richard Ray Whitman (Euchee), an Oklahoma City artist, actor and activist, said, "Native Americans know the importance of celebration, but renewing the vows of Indian Territory and Oklahoma territory, what does that entail? Have they met? I think we've been in sort of an abusive marriage up to this point - not the ideal relationship. It's like the dominant husband and the submissive wife. We need to examine those things and say....what's the role of this today?"
Visit www.myspace.com/mvskoke_lady or www.myspace.com/thunderclanwoman for further details, or contact Brenda Golden at (405) 570-7752 e-mail musccreekgrl@msn.com, Glenda Deer in the evenings at (405) 275 4059 e-mail of thunderclanwmn@yahoo.com, or Cornell Tahdooahnippah at (405) 701-1823 e-mail of chieftain8@hotmail.com.
3 comments:
I feel the same about the statue they put on the state capital in Oklahoma City, perhaps there is a little justice to be found in the fact that it’s cracking the dome of that architectural mutt of a building, seems fitting, another great use of tax payer’s money to make a criminal politician look noble.
A subject I haven't seen much about, is who was living on that land before the US gov't decided to move so many of our ancestors to Oklahoma? I grew up in Tahlequah, but the Oklahoma history I was taught just mentioned French trappers and Spanish plunderers. (At least as far as I remember, that being the early 1960s).
Isn't it really creepy that the only thing we knew of those who'd been there before us, was the ghosts on arrowheads that turned up so faithfully in Spring plowing?
I believe they were Kiowas, Comanches, Caddos, undoubtedly among many others. But it makes me feel like we too were participants, however unwilling, in a hidden genocide.
These words were used by the non-ndns celebrating 100 years. O.E.T.A.'s hour documentary had one man of many speak on Okla.'s Oil progress which he said, 'horizonal drilling' that isn't acceptable by any Native government in Oklahoma. Our Treaties on Red River doesn't hold water against the non-ndn's. Texas & Oklahoma non-ndn's still getting water & sand without our permission. If nothing is done on this Issue, both Texas & Oklahoma Politicans will create their laws that Our Treaties will be useless. Okla. Attorney General Edmondson commented on the radio that Tourism & Recreation will have priority, possibly Agriculture be second. Looks like they'll shoot first & ask questions later. How could us Oklahoma Natives over-look this Issue.
Post a Comment