Minneapolis Big Mountain Support Rally

The protest went well today, around 60 people attended. Thunder Nation Drum Group opened the gathering with an honor song and a sundance song to honor the elders who were arrested. Most of the drum group sundanced at the Pipestone sundance. Then the Cuhactemoc Danzantes group did a ceremony from their roots in Mexico, and danced for around half an hour. Then Jim Anderson, Cultural Chairman of the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community spoke about the ongoing genocide against all First Nations, and how up until 1978 it was illegal to sundance or smoke the pipe. Then Rebekah gave an update about the situation at Big Mountain, and then Vernon Bellecourt of the American Indian Movement spoke.

All in all, it was a good event, focusing on prayer and ceremony and honoring the ongoing struggle of the grandmothers at Big Mountain to stay on their ancestral homelands. The head dancer of Cuhactemoc Danzantes talked about how we cannot let indian fight against indian and how the Government should get out of Indian land all throughout the Americas.

The protest and the situation at Big Mountain was the top news story on KFAI radio here in the Twin Cities at 6:00pm with a 12 minute interview that we copied and will send to you. Several local print media showed up and stories will be coming out soon that we will also send to you, especially the article coming out in the Circle, the native american newspaper of the Twin Cities. We continue to do whatever we can in a good way to break through the media blockade of Big Mountain, and please pass our messages of solidarity on to the grandmothers.

in struggle,
david

Black Mesa Indigenous Support

P.O. Box 23501, Flagstaff, Arizona 86002
Message Voice Mail: 520.773.8086
Email: blackmesais@yahoo.com