Lakota AID Registered Charity No: 1097444 Volume 2 Issue 5

Hi Everyone Long overdue newsletter, but better late than never!!!!! I have the sad duty to inform you that the wonderful Elder, Tony Black Feather, that I met both in march 2004, and also in june/july 2004, passed away aged 70 years, on aug 10th after a long battle with cancer. His funeral was on the 16th aug, and his casket was carried on a horse drawn wagon, with his family members and many, many mourners walking respectfully behind. Tony Black Feather was Oglala Lakota, and his home was in the community of Wolf Creek, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota, U.S.A. Tony, known affectionally as ‘Buzzy’, first became involved in Treaty work on behalf of his people, 30 years ago, and has devoted those years to campaigning for his people  to try and bring awareness as to the plight of the Lakota people. He also tried to highlight the problems that all Indigenous Peoples face, and started out in earnest with his ‘Treaty Work’, with Garfield Grass Rope, undertaking a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, a few years ago. Tony Black Feather had been defending the traditional Lakota people and upholding the 1868 Treaty signed on a nation–nation basis with the United States in 1868. Tony Black Feather was a member of the Indigenous World Association, and held a United Nations card which recognized him as being acknowledged as one of the 1,500 who are part of the U.N Permanent Forum. He always spoke the Lakota language at U.N meetings, using an interpreter. He felt that it was so important for the Native schools to teach their students their Native language, and Lakota was the first language he was taught by his parents. I am so thankful that I had the honour of meeting Tony Black Feather this year before he passed away. He was a wonderful character with a wily sense of humour and endless knowledge of Treaty Issues, and I am talking about the Treaties that were made back in the 1800’s by the White man, and which every damn one has been broken ever since and continues to this day to be violated by the U.S government!! Tony Black Feather had so many wonderful stories to tell, I could have listened to him for hours. Sadly when I met him again in June/July, he was very weak and getting very frail, but he still managed a joke or two! He still had that same sense of duty which had driven him to campaign for his people for 30 years, and although the body was giving up, his spirit certainly was not going to!!! Tony Black Feather had a pro-active voice and involvement in the effort to get the ‘Declaration of Indigenous Peoples Rights’ adopted by the United Nations. His dearest wish was to see this come to fruition in Sept 2004, and that along with the Elders, see the Lakota people protected by Human Rights International Law. Sadly he did not live long enough to witness this. Details of this can be followed, plus other updates on www.unpo.org I am sure that Tony Black Feather would have been very happy to know that people all over the world would like to take an interest in what is happening as far as Human Rights for the Lakota people, and all Indigenous Peoples throughout the world, progresses. I am going back  to the Pine Ridge Reservation on sept 16th 2004, and will put another newsletter out after I get back on oct 5th. There will be indeed an awful lot to tell after this trip, something I cannot reveal right now until after the event, so you will have to be patient until I return. I promise you though that the next article will be well worth waiting for, so until next time, take care everyone, and thank you for ALL your support from all over the world. Mitakuye Oyasin Brenda- Lakota Aid www.lakota-aid.co.uk Donations to Lakota-Aid via PayPal can be made using the above button. [Home] [Why the Lakota need your Help] [Newsletter] [Ambulance Project]