witchlinblue
12-12-2005, 01:58 AM
Native Spirituality Inside Prison
In 1976 Leonard Peltier, of the Lakota Sioux Nation and a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), was in prison at Oakalla. Leonard was kept in solitary confinement and denied access to spiritual leaders and the right to observe his religious beliefs. Native religion was not recognized in Canadian prisons, in fact, earlier in this century participation in native religious or cultural practices was a criminal offence and punishable under Canadian law. Leonard would be unjustly extradited to the U.S. to stand trial for the murder of two FBI agents during a shoot-out at Oglala, South Dakota.
The struggle to gain Native Religious Freedom would be taken up again almost six years later. Again, the struggle would start at Oakalla, when Dino Butler, a Pipe Carrier, and his cousin Gary Butler were imprisoned there in February 1981. This time the struggle would find a hard won success. By the end of the year Dino and Gary would be allowed to hold ceremony in the south wing, while the prison made plans to extend the ceremonies to other prisoners in the other wings. Dino and Gary were sent to Kent Maximum Security Prison in January 1982. At that time 30% of the prisoner population was of native descent and there was no opportunity for them to practice their religious beliefs.
The Native Brotherhood Culture Club immediately took up the struggle inside Kent while The Society of the People Struggling to be Free, the Native Prisoner Support Group, and the Prisoners´ Rights Group took it to the streets. The struggle would spread to prisons across the country and the battle would rage on for more than two years. Many of the prisoners involved would end up in solitary confinement, involuntarily transferred, or in the case of one prisoner beaten by guards, but the prisoners spirit would not break. There were numerous negotiations, fasts and work stoppages and increasing pressure from the outside. Finally, prisoners at Kent went on a spiritual fast to pray for the recognition of their religious beliefs, they vowed to fast until this recognition came, every day more prisoners would join in the fast, it lasted 34 days. In 1984, provisions for the practice of native religion would be written into the Commissioners Directives that govern prison policy. However these directives would not encompass all forms of practice. Religious observance varies from Nation to Nation, and as First Nations prisoners are more likely to be involuntarily transferred from region to region, they often find that their only options for spiritual guidance comes from a differing system of belief.
Notes
Dino was one of Leonard´s co-accused in the death of those FBI agents, however Dino and another man Bob Robideau stood trial separately from Leonard. Both Butler and Robideau were acquitted. The jury concluded that the defendants were in fact firing at the agents, but it decided this was not excessive in the heat of passion. They also gave explicit credence to the defense´s contention that an atmosphere of fear and violence existed on the Pine Ridge Reservation and that the defendants could have been shooting in self-defense. The acquittal was significant, as well, because it pointed to an FBI conspiracy to provoke the incident on June 26, 1975, and to railroad a number of Indian activists into prison for taking part in the exchange of gunfire. A key element in exposing the plot came from the governments own witnesses who testified it was the FBI who fired the first shots. All charges had been dropped against the fourth defendant Jimmy Eagle. Leonard was the only one left. False affidavits were used to extradite him from Canada, and at his trial in the U.S., the evidence that was used at the Butler/Robideau trial was not allowed to be entered into evidence. Leonard was convicted and sentenced to serve two life sentences. His struggle for justice and freedom has never stopped, he has gained support worldwide, there are numerous books and films about him, and there are always ongoing campaigns.
For more info on Leonard Peltier contact:
International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee: www.freepeltier.org
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee Canada: lpdccfd (at) web.net
In 1976 Leonard Peltier, of the Lakota Sioux Nation and a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), was in prison at Oakalla. Leonard was kept in solitary confinement and denied access to spiritual leaders and the right to observe his religious beliefs. Native religion was not recognized in Canadian prisons, in fact, earlier in this century participation in native religious or cultural practices was a criminal offence and punishable under Canadian law. Leonard would be unjustly extradited to the U.S. to stand trial for the murder of two FBI agents during a shoot-out at Oglala, South Dakota.
The struggle to gain Native Religious Freedom would be taken up again almost six years later. Again, the struggle would start at Oakalla, when Dino Butler, a Pipe Carrier, and his cousin Gary Butler were imprisoned there in February 1981. This time the struggle would find a hard won success. By the end of the year Dino and Gary would be allowed to hold ceremony in the south wing, while the prison made plans to extend the ceremonies to other prisoners in the other wings. Dino and Gary were sent to Kent Maximum Security Prison in January 1982. At that time 30% of the prisoner population was of native descent and there was no opportunity for them to practice their religious beliefs.
The Native Brotherhood Culture Club immediately took up the struggle inside Kent while The Society of the People Struggling to be Free, the Native Prisoner Support Group, and the Prisoners´ Rights Group took it to the streets. The struggle would spread to prisons across the country and the battle would rage on for more than two years. Many of the prisoners involved would end up in solitary confinement, involuntarily transferred, or in the case of one prisoner beaten by guards, but the prisoners spirit would not break. There were numerous negotiations, fasts and work stoppages and increasing pressure from the outside. Finally, prisoners at Kent went on a spiritual fast to pray for the recognition of their religious beliefs, they vowed to fast until this recognition came, every day more prisoners would join in the fast, it lasted 34 days. In 1984, provisions for the practice of native religion would be written into the Commissioners Directives that govern prison policy. However these directives would not encompass all forms of practice. Religious observance varies from Nation to Nation, and as First Nations prisoners are more likely to be involuntarily transferred from region to region, they often find that their only options for spiritual guidance comes from a differing system of belief.
Notes
Dino was one of Leonard´s co-accused in the death of those FBI agents, however Dino and another man Bob Robideau stood trial separately from Leonard. Both Butler and Robideau were acquitted. The jury concluded that the defendants were in fact firing at the agents, but it decided this was not excessive in the heat of passion. They also gave explicit credence to the defense´s contention that an atmosphere of fear and violence existed on the Pine Ridge Reservation and that the defendants could have been shooting in self-defense. The acquittal was significant, as well, because it pointed to an FBI conspiracy to provoke the incident on June 26, 1975, and to railroad a number of Indian activists into prison for taking part in the exchange of gunfire. A key element in exposing the plot came from the governments own witnesses who testified it was the FBI who fired the first shots. All charges had been dropped against the fourth defendant Jimmy Eagle. Leonard was the only one left. False affidavits were used to extradite him from Canada, and at his trial in the U.S., the evidence that was used at the Butler/Robideau trial was not allowed to be entered into evidence. Leonard was convicted and sentenced to serve two life sentences. His struggle for justice and freedom has never stopped, he has gained support worldwide, there are numerous books and films about him, and there are always ongoing campaigns.
For more info on Leonard Peltier contact:
International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee: www.freepeltier.org
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee Canada: lpdccfd (at) web.net