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COAIM BLOG CO AIM LATEST NEWS MEDIA
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A CALL FOR THE RECONSTITUTION OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT "Only Indians help Indians." - Nicaraguan Indian saying - On July 27, 1968, recognizing the serious problems and threats to the continued survival of themselves and their homelands, Indian people met in Minneapolis, Minnesota and formed the American Indian Movement (AIM). It was decided at that time that the direction of this Movement would come from the traditional way-of-life (spirituality) given to Red people by the Creator and that Indian peoples should work together to express their sovereignty, regain their self-sufficiency, and remind the U.S. government of its legally binding treaty agreements with our nations. It was decided that AIM work would take place wherever Indian people were, dealing with such problems as poor housing, an alien system of education, alcohol and drugs within the communities, protection of Indian land bases and water rights, abuse by "law enforcement" agencies and hostile non-Indian communities (eg: the murders of Raymond Yellow Thunder and Wesley Bad Heart Bull), and the restoring of dignity and self-respect to Red people. It was understood that no one could give us our rights. We would have to take control of our own destinies and assert these rights for ourselves. Since that time, AIM has accomplished many things, including demonstrations of American Indian pride at the Mayflower replica at Plymouth Rock, Mass. (our "No Thanks Giving" ceremony) and Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills, the Trail of Broken Treaties (our "reorganization of the BIA) in 92, standing up for the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty at Wounded Knee - 73, the founding of the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC, the world's first indigenous Non-Governmental Organization at the United Nations) in '74, the Longest. Walk in '78, and the establishment of Yellow Thunder Camp in the Black Hills in '81. Along the way, AIM has created a whole series of Survival Schools, a housing project in Minneapolis for urban Indians, the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee and Support Groups, and has hosted a number of Treaty Conferences on the lands of various indigenous nations in North America. All of these achievements and more have brought positive local, national and international attention to the just struggles of Indian people. The "enemy" (which was initially identified as being the U.S. government, its BIA, and the Christian churches, and which has since been shown to include all such deadly puppets of corporate empire) responded by isolating those who they felt were AIM's leadership, and worked systematically to bring them down, one by one. Any and all methods were used to this end, including assassinations (eg: Buddy LaMont, Frank Clearwater, Pedro Bissonette, Anna Mae Aquash, Jancita Eagle Deer and others). The FBI in particular used a highly developed " counterintelligence program" (COINTELPRO) against AIM. The effect was devastating and resulted in massive trials, a large number of Indian Prisoners of War/Political Prisoners (eg: Leonard Peltier), and the like. It also led to the abandonment of AIM's national structure nearly 12 years ago. The problems which made AIM's creation necessary, however, have never ceased to exist. Today we are faced with issues such as the David So Happy case and ongoing denial of Treaty-guaranteed fishing rights in the Pacific Northwest, the struggle for land and water rights by the O'Odam people of the Arizona/Mexico border, the attempt to expropriate hundreds of thousands of acres of land from the Anishinabe nation of Minnesota, the ongoing struggle of the Lakota to recover the sacred area of the Black Hills, the continuing effort to free Leonard Peltier., the struggle of the Wampanoag nation of the Cape Cod area to regain its land and sovereign status, the need to prevent the continuing desecration of the graves of our ancestors (as well as the need to recover remains and artifacts which have already been stolen), and so on. We must also look to the spiraling rates of unemployment across the face of Indian Country, the diminishment of our peoples' standards of health care, the spectres of malnutrition, endemic disease, deteriorating housing, upsurging alcoholism and drug addiction, miseducation and loss of direction among our youth. ****** Because of these real and increasing problems confronting American Indian people today, as well as the sense of disorganization and dissipation experienced by AIM since its turning away from a national organizational structure in 1975, Russell Means and Dennis Banks called jointly for the convening of an interim AIM National Governing Board. The meeting, hosted by AIM's Colorado chapter, was scheduled in Denver on March 27, 1987. The pre-specified focus of the meeting was to consider future directions of the Movement, and to set the preliminary agenda for a National Membership Meeting at which formal organizational decision-making could once again begin to occur. An offer was made that Yellow Thunder Camp, in the Black Hills, near Rapid City, SD, could be used as a site for this meeting; this offer was accepted. The Meeting has been scheduled to occur June 1-4, 1987; additional information will be sent out on this in April and May. Those whose participation was requested at this initial, "let's get the ball rolling" meeting were (* indicates an individual who attended and directly participated; ** indicates an individual who was unable to attend, but who has participated long distance and wishes to be considered as part of the interim Board):
Approximately 30 other AIM members from other points around the country also made appearances at the meeting throughout the day. It was unanimously agreed by those in attendance that, given AIM's past accomplishments in behalf of Indian people, and the continuing struggles that are still waged in many locations for the benefit of future generations, there is a clear need to reconstitute a national organizational structure. It was further agreed that this structure must be centered on the Elders' Circle, functioning in correspondence with traditional Indian spiritual values. AIM's National Governing Council will serve as the executive arm of, under the direct guidance of, and accountable to the Elders' Circle. The present interim AIM National Governing Board will function only until the National Membership Meeting is convened in June, allowing for the creation of the National Governing Council with the input and participation of all AIM members, under the direct guidance of our Elders. In this sense, the present board is serving only as a steering committee to bring the National Membership Meeting together. The Board proposes that the overall structure of AIM should correspond with the following diagram (please forgive its sloppiness, a cleaner version will be drawn up): It was also decided unanimously that, in order for this national structure to have meaning and fulfill its obligations to the People, it is essential to begin to reconstitute and recognize local, district and/or regional AIM chapters on a formal basis. Particular note was made that the Minneapolis AIM chapter has already reactivated its community patrols (from which AIM emerged in 1968) in order to insure the safety of local Indian residents, as well as the ongoing local chapter activities at Navajo, in Colorado, and elsewhere. It was determined that this should coincide with the restructuring of organizations serving as AIM's more specialized arms. For this purpose, it was decided that the Board should send runners bearing tobacco to all existing AIM chapters and specialized organizations, as well as Indian communities where AIM chapters are not now known to exist (but where they are needed) to establish relations and bring them together at the National Membership Meeting. In its discussions, the Board determined that their had been a clear failure among the leadership and membership of AIM over the past decade in living up to the organization's original goals and principles. Among the worst signs of this are:
The Board further agreed that, of conduct representative of AIM, and its obligation to set an example for our youth, it is necessary for all individuals and groups purporting to "be AIM" to adhere to a consistent set of principles, in conformity with fundamental traditional spiritual values. These are set forth in detail in the attached document, which is the Statement of Principles guiding Colorado AIM, and which is submitted for consideration, revision, addition and ratification by the full membership. In brief, these principles are as follows:
In order facilitate the functioning of AIM as a national organization, it was agreed that it will be necessary to re-establish a national office and full time staff. Determination of the location and composition of this office is being held, pending the National Membership Meeting. However, a periodic newsletter will be prepared and distributed by Colorado AIM from this point until the Meeting occurs. It is felt that such communication is essential to the process of reconstituting AIM . It was unanimously agreed that those organizations, such as IITC, which have arisen as subparts of AIM, and which have historically accomplished excellent results functioning in specialized capacities in behalf of the Movement, must be returned to their proper role within AIM, under direction of the Elders Circle and National Governing Council. It is considered a matter of the highest priority and urgency that meetings be undertaken by which IITC can begin once again to serve in its rightful capacity as "the international diplomatic arm of the American Indian Movement." This is all the more true insofar as there are indications that the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations is prepared to submit a recommendation on the international legal status of indigenous peoples to the UN Commission on Human Rights and General Assembly this summer, without sufficient and appropriate input by American Indian peoples. Until the meetings in question have happened, however, it is important to note that no further actions, international delegations and the like by IITC will be recognized as reflecting the positions and interests of AIM. The pendelum has swung back. It is time for the reconstitution and revitalization of an Indian organization which is not beholden to federal funders for its existence, and which has proven over a period of 20 years its ability to militantly and consistently to defend the rights of Indians as Indians. AIM must once again be made worthy of the respect of the mothers and grandmothers who will point to the Movement as an example of principle, strength, honor, respect for traditional values, and dedication to the defense of the people. We must no longer shirk our responsibility as human beings pursuing Indian liberation, and we must return to the first principles of the Movement and not deviate for reasons of comfort or expedience. SEE YOU ALL AT THE JUNE MEETING! |
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© 2004-2005
Colorado AIM Contact us at
denveraim@coloradoaim.org or
303-832-2544 |
