Spirit Lake Reservation – Dying In Indian Country

The Ramifications of Native American Heritage on U.S. Constitutional Protections (Video)

Apr 202017

Lenore Banning owned over a million feet of timber on her trust land in Washington State, but lived in poverty all her life. She was not allowed to sell any of her timber.

Toddler Lauryn Whiteshield was murdered a little over a month after her arrival to her grandfather’s home on the Spirit Lake Reservation in the spring of 2013. She and her three-year-old twin sister were taken from a safe, loving home in Bismarck and placed with their grandfather and his girlfriend, a woman known by Spirit Lake to have been abusive to children in the past. The woman beat the girls several times. On June 12, 2013, they were thrown down an embankment. Sometime later that night, Laurynn died next to her sleeping sister.

Factually, current federal Indian policy infringes on the lives, freedom, and property of many persons of Native American heritage.
– – Federal policies mandate tribal government jurisdiction over individuals of lineage in several situations, including
#1) Children across America who have never been near a reservation nor involved in tribal customs
#2) Families who have at one time lived on the reservation, but for their own reasons, have purposefully moved elsewhere and do not want tribal government jurisdiction
#3) Women of any heritage, victimized by reservation related violence, who are only allowed to seek justice in tribal court (even if the perp is a nephew to the judge) and are denied the option of county court
#4) And as the Department of Interior holds title to the property of millions of individual tribal members – Adult U.S. citizens who are not allowed to sell or use their property as collateral without permission.

Please share this video* with your friends.

PLEASE also share this video* with YOUR Congressmen. MANY of them take a stand on all kinds of things, demanding justice and civil rights. DEMAND that they take a strong stand for the rights of persons of heritage…CITIZENS subject to abuse by laws that Congress itself has created and MUST remove.

Most especially – share your thoughts on this video* with the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs – Senator John Hoeven. (701) 250-4618, or (202) 224-2551
or through his contact form at: https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/contact/email-the-senator

Find your State’s U.S. Senator and Congressmen here:
https://www.senate.gov/
https://www.house.gov/
– *This video was adapted from “The Implications of Native American Heritage on U.S. Constitutional Protections”, A Presentation Prepared for Liberty University, Research Week, Center for Research and Scholarship April 10-13, 2017

Thank you – and PLEASE Share….

Learn More:

https://DyingInIndianCountry.com

https://www.facebook.com/CAICW.org/

This video was adapted from “The Implications of Native American Heritage on U.S. Constitutional Protections,” A Presentation Prepared for Liberty University, Research Week, Center for Research and Scholarship, April 10-13, 2017

April 20, 2017 No Responses »

He died five hours after calling us –

Oct 242014

He died in a car wreck on Sept. 22, 2014. Just five hours earlier, he was talking to us on the phone, telling us he had tape recorded his meetings with BIA social services and tribal court because he finally wanted his story to be public.

Lavern “Bundy” Littlewind was a BIA policeman and Spirit Lake tribal member. He wanted people who don’t live on the reservation to understand why child abuse is endemic on so many reservations. Many Tribal social services don’t protect kids. They protect tribal sovereignty.

Jastin “Ian” Blue Coat

The latest: Toddler Jastin Blue Coat was murdered October 18, 2014, in Eagle Butte, SD. Because of his heritage, he wasn’t allowed protection.

After a series of child murders at Spirit Lake, our federal government – in the form of the BIA, FBI and U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon – was called in two years ago to oversee, improve care, and protect the kids. Federally funded programs such as Casey Family Services and ACF were also supposed to be improving care. But that money has been poured down the drain.

There is no serious intention to protect children if the only real solutions are perceived to threaten tribal sovereignty. Protect tribal sovereignty at all costs – even at the expense of children.

Power and money have corrupted nations from time immemorial.

In all our years of going to DC about this, Representative Kevin Cramer has been the only Congressman to take real action. This year, he pushed for an oversight hearing and called the BIA on the carpet. His office asked Bundy to testify at the June hearing as well, but Bundy was nervous, thinking tribal government might use his kids against him if he spoke up. That’s understandable – many have seen that happen.

The U.S. Government has set up a system that allows crime and corruption to occur without repercussion in Indian Country. We are very grateful to Rep. Cramer. It takes real courage to address something other Congressman have been afraid to touch. We need him to remain in office, pursuing protection for kids at Spirit Lake as well as across the country.

October 24, 2014 No Responses »