From Indianz:
Lakota Freedom Delegation withdraws from US
Thursday, December 20, 2007
A group called Lakota Freedom Delegation is withdrawing from the treaties their ancestors signed with the U.S. and is setting up their own independent nation. Four activists, including Russell Means, were in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to announce their plans. They said the federal government has failed to abide by 33 treaties that promised land, health care, education and other services. “Our people want to live, not just survive or crawl and be mascots,” Phyllis Young said, Agence France-Press reported. Members of the new nation won’t pay taxes. The new nation’s territory covers western parts of North and South Dakota and Nebraska and eastern parts of Wyoming and Montana.
Get the Story:
Lakota group pushes for new nation (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 12/20)
Descendants of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse break away from US (AP 12/20)
Lakota group declares sovereign nation status (The Rapid City Journal 12/20)
Relevant Links:
Lakota Freedom Delegation – http://www.lakotafreedom.com
Turtle Talk 
I thought this was hot news when I received links from a respected elder. However, when I went looking for coverage of the event, I could find nothing but the press release, and then, except for USA Today, could only find it in foreign news papers. That got me looking at the people who staged the event. It turns out they do not represent anywhere close to a simple majority of the Lakota and none of the members have ever held elected office in any of the various Lakota tribes. I keep wondering what good it does us to have Russell Means and others pull stunts like this. In some ways I think this is quite counter productive.
I was so excited to hear of this news. I look forward to seeing updates, hearing how the US has taken this news, etc., and what people can do to help the Dakota Nation in getting what they are asking for and so deserve. (So far, I haven’t heard anything other than from a few websites and Amy Goodman reporting on the event.)
I am so thankful that Russell Means has the brilliance, courage and strength it stand up to the powers of the US.
Let me know if i can help.
Those Lakota leaders do have courage! However, we know that if they attempted to send Lakota settlers to the lands they have claimed, we would most definitely hear about it in the news. They have right to refuse to acknowledge the treaty’s their ancestors made with the back stabbing United States during the 19th century. In the case of the Anishinabek, there are many bands of Anishinabek who are not federally recognized by the United States, and in many of their cases, if not all, their leaders absolutely refused to sign treaty’s with the back stabbing Unied States, which left the United States with but the option of signing their treaty’s with Anishinabek leaders who did not have the authority to sign away their peoples lands. Those non federally recognized Anishinabek have every right to claim as their land, their ancestors land which was illegally signed over to the United States. In other words, that land (it may cover upwards to 100,000 sq mi) is rightfully ours. Next for the Lakota leaders is to send their settlers to the land they are claiming. And we know just what the whites will do!
VAMOS A VER ¿Y LOS BLANCOS? LOS INDIOS SERÍAN MINORÍA EN UNA NACIÓN ASÍ ¿ES QUE SE PIENSA EN DEPORTAR A LOS BLANCOS?