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"They want to pay 15 cents an acre to legitimize the theft
against us.
We are facing genocide in the Senate and the House."
- Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone elder
Statement by Carrie Dann
on George W. Bush signing into “law” HR 884
July 7, 2004
Today the United States government has officially attempted to complete the largest
theft of land in United States history. In violation of United States law, including
the Constitution, George W. Bush, signed into law HR 884, an attempted payoff
of the Western Shoshone land. However, this bill does not change the fact that
title of the land still exists with the Western Shoshone. Fraud is fraud, and
no matter what the U.S. does to us we will never give up our struggle to protect
our Sacred Newe Sogobia – the Earth Mother.
The United States government signed the Treaty of Ruby Valley with the Western
Shoshone Nation in 1863. According to Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution, the
treaty is the supreme law of the land. But the United States government does not
view the treaty this way. If they do not want to follow their own laws, that the
constitution is the supreme law of the land, then this country is not a democracy.
A democracy would be following the laws of the land.
I have said this a thousand times, I am not taking money for this land. This land
has no value, there is no price for it. In Western Shoshone culture, the earth
is our mother. We can not sell it. Taking our land is a not only a cultural genocide,
it is also a spiritual genocide. The United States is attempting to steal our
religion and our cultural.
I ask the United States today to show me how they received title to the land.
The sole legal theory stated by the Indian Claims Commission (ICC) was that the
Western Shoshone land title was extinguished through “gradual encroachment”
by non-indigenous miners and settlers. However, such legal theory is no where
found in American law. The only issue decided by the Supreme Court was whether
the Western Shoshone had been paid, not who has title to the land. We have never
had a court hear the issue of who has title to the land. The ICC was not a court.
The United States did not give us the land, nor did they sell us the land. The
land is ours. The United States can not show how they obtained title to the land.
The government continues to steal our cattle and horses. But I ask them, if they
have clear title to the land, why do they come in the night like a thief to take
my horses and cattle – why do they make sneak attacks – why do they
attempt to take my livestock with no media attention? If the land title is clearly
theirs – why do they act like thieves?
Why does the United States want this land? So they can sell it to large inter-national
corporate interests, including mining companies, so they can test more nuclear
weapons, so they can write the Indians off? The United States should not be allowed
to steal the land so they can test more weapons that kill people. In fact, weapons
that kill all life, including the plants and the animals. The United States also
should not be allowed to steal the land so they can sell it to companies in order
to obtain more gold and in the process ruin the water and kill the plant and animal
life. This should not be allowed.
Today, the government has attempted to steal our mother earth – but this
will not stop our fight to keep our land. We will not stand by to watch the United
States steal our religion. We will not stand for the United States to commit spiritual
genocide. For today what happens to us, tomorrow will happen to you. Although
George W. Bush, Sen. Reid, and Rep. Gibbons believe that they can now sell this
land to private interests, we will fight to stop it. This bill changes nothing.
We are here to protect our mother earth. That is our responsibility. Our obligation
will not be deterred by thieves.
Carrie Dann
For more on the signing of the bill see this news story:
http://www.elkodaily.com/articles/2004/07/07/news/local/news2.txt
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