December 24, 2010
Today I received an e-mail from a visitor to my website and he asked the
question "Why do you not comment about the good things that people did?" And
his question has been on my mind all day.
I recall it was my main focus to find the feel-good stories all through my
research of the Black Hawk War in Utah over the past decade. And to be very
truthful I found only a few, and those I have posted to my website. One in
particular I titled
"The Peace Treaty Tree." Historian Will
Bagley told me, "we want to find the stories in the Black Hawk War that are
inspiring, but the harsh reality is the war was a cold, brutal, and bloody
event, it was among the worst events in American history." And I have to
agree, sadly, Will is correct, there is nothing about the Black Hawk War
history that would make anyone proud.
My years spent living among the American Indian people of Utah, New Mexico,
Arizona, Oregon, and so on - as I listened to their stories again and again,
I never found any feel-good stories about their ancestors who died
needlessly while fighting for their survival.
And this is the whole point to my website here, I have made every effort to
give an accurate and fair account of those trying times. I have done this
from the point of view of the victims, not the victors. For we have not
heard before what the Ute's side of the story is, all we have heard is what
the Mormon's side of the story is. And so yes, my reader is absolutely
correct, there is very little in what I have written on this website that
feels good to the reader, unless you are Native American, for many have
written me thanking me for telling the truth. Just take a look at my
guestbook, there you see several Native American comments. And it stands to
reason that their side of the story is going to be very much different from
the victors view. And so have many non-Indians given their support of the
work I am doing.
Indeed the history of the Black Hawk War is depressing to read. Perhaps this
is why it has been ignored and forgotten, brushed-aside,
swept-under-the-carpet, covered-up, watered-down, varnished-over, and left
out of our school curriculum. Who's agenda is it that we are serving by
ignoring the truth? How have our teachers explained to American Indian
students why their history has been ignored? Maybe these are some of the
reasons why most visitors to my website are shocked even disappointed, and
feel that I am just posting the bad stuff and ignoring the good. For many
this is the first time in their lives they have heard the truth. It takes
awhile, after reading the historical accounts, before one realizes there is
little that is benevolent or uplifting in our relations with the Indian
peoples in Utah both past and present. At the same time, this is why this
story is so important to tell. We owe it to the tens of thousands of Native
Americans who died, to understand their pain, to feel it, to finally come to
grips with the harsh truth about the Black Hawk War of Utah and of it's
legacy. We owe it to ourselves and to generations to come to speak the
truth, and walk our talk. To rid our society of racism and discrimination
that plagues our society. These are what we must do if we are ever going to
realize our full potential as decent human beings living in peace and
harmony with all.
I welcome your comments, and anyone who has some good
stories to share I would be honored to post them here on this website.
Sincerely,
- Phillip B Gottfredson
June 13, 2009
Grave Robbing in Utah is a Cultural Tradition
Deseret
Evening News 1919
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Grave Robbers Blanding Utah
Grave robbing in Utah is a Cultural Tradition
"Why should a man loose his life over trash and trinkets." - a spokesman for
Blanding told a Channel 2 News reporter.
FBI agents after years of undercover work arrested a couple dozen grave
robbers. Among those charged was Dr. James Redd who was the local physician
in the town of Blanding, along with his wife Jeanne Redd on June 10, 2009.
The following day Dr. Redd was found dead on his own property from apparent
suicide, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. This was Redd's second run in
with the law over grave robbing.
It is said, if we do not learn our history, history will repeat itself. And
this is exactly what has happened as I shall point out. And I am going to
push the envelope a bit to make my point.
Arrogance didn't end with the Black Hawk War in 1870. Imagine, if you will,
having the corpse of your father disrespectfully unearthed by grave robbers;
then for some strange reason put on public display in the Church museum on
Temple Square as a mere curiosity.
Black Hawk's remains were unearthed by Mormon looters in 1919, just 49 years
following his death. And for two years were placed in the window of a co-op
store in downtown Spanish Fork; afterwards taken to the LDS Church museum on
Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
Was the reason simply amusement for others, was grave robbing for art,
pleasure, punishment, a morbid fascination of death, divine obligation, or
most importantly, the wielding of power?
Oh yes, I vividly recall seeing the display in the museum as a boy as do
countless others, and no doubt someone reading this remembers as well. For
the skeletal remains of Black Hawk remained there for nearly 70 years, and
all the while his living descendants bore the agony, and humiliation -
unable to convince the church to give up the remains of their beloved
grandfather.
In the year Black Hawk's remains were dug up by Bishop Ben Bullock and Lars
Croft, Heber J. Grant was president of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. Followed by George Albert Smith (1945-1951); David O.
McKay (1951-1970); Joseph Fielding Smith (1970-1972); Harold B. Lee
(1972-1973); Spencer W. Kimball (1973-1985); and Ezra Taft Benson
(1985-1994). These prophets have administered the affairs of the Church from
Church headquarters in Salt Lake City. These men presided over "Gods Church"
as the "mouth piece of God," but for some reason never had enough respect,
or compassion toward their fellow man to give up their claim to the bones of
Black Hawk or even consider his living descendants.
The family of Nooch "Black Hawk" had no legal or political recourse until 86
years after his grave was robbed. In 1996 under the protection of the Native
American Graves Protection Reparation Act (NAGPRA) enacted by then president
George Bush Sr., the family of Ute leader Chief Nooch "Black Hawk" were at
last able to rescue his remains. With the help of Charmain Thompson,
archaeologist for the National Forest Service, his bones were found in a
storage box in a basement room at BYU. Gratitude and credit goes to a young
Boy Scout Shane Armstrong who in 1993 elected to earn his Eagle Badge by
getting Black Hawk registered with the National Forest Service NAGPRA. For
weeks no one could locate his remains, according to news paper articles. "I
thought it was weird that no one had records on him," the young Scout
remarked to reporters.
Now pretend the remains of your father, or say Dr. Redd for example, was dug
up, and put on public display in the window of a hardware store, would there
be anger? Let me take this a step further. Suppose Dr. Redd's head were cut
off and sent to Washington for scientific study, just as Mormon settlers did
at Fort Utah in 1850. Would you feel demoralized? Would you perhaps feel
rage? Suppose all your anger fell upon deaf ears, and you were told there is
nothing you can do about it, "it's just trash and trinkets." And lets
pretend you have to wait 86 years, or until the year 2095 before you are
granted legal right to the remains of your own family member. Or hang Dr.
Redds head from your house like the Mormon settlers did at Fort Utah with
the head of Old Elk. Then, I ask, why is it ok to apply a standard for one
people, and not equally? Are we all children of God - or just some?
And just one more thought in closing, we don't see American Indians going
around robbing non-Indians graves, do we?
- Phillip B Gottfredson
June 7,
2009
Synopsis of the Black Hawk War in Utah
"It's a curious business,
the history of the First People of Utah. Our ancestors came from abroad
seeking freedom. Here the American Indian were already free and had been for
thousands of years. Our ancestors took from the First People their freedom,
and they have been struggling ever since to be free again.
Over the past seven years
as I have sifted through the now silent ashes of their lives, the haunting
words of my great-grandfather, who spent much of his life in the Ute camps
during the war, kept echoing in my mind "I have often queried; why should
those conditions be forgotten, and why has so little interest been taken in
keeping memoranda's and records of events and conditions of those early and
trying times." He was of coarse referring to the Black Hawk War. It was
116 years ago when he wrote these words, and the answer still remains a dark
troubling mystery.
It is deeply disturbing to
me that the tradition has been for most historians and writers to
trivialize, and underrate the agony of the Indian people in Utah, those who
suffered the greatest loss in terms of land, culture, lives, and dignity. It
is criminal to ignore their history, and it is time their story be told.
"If the inhabitants of
this Territory, my brethren, had never condescended to reduce themselves to
the practices of the Indians, to their low, degraded condition, and in some
cases even lower, there never would have been any trouble between us and our
red neighbors. Treat them kindly, and treat them as Indians, and not as your
equals."
The above quote are the
words Mormon prophet Brigham Young delivered to a congregation in the
Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, April 6, 1854. He was the father of the
flock, and his words helped forged the mindset of supremacy toward the
Indian people, while arcane messages such as his have some how survived
unchallenged in our modern society. Remember, discrimination has to be
taught. Our children learn to discriminate from their parents, friends, and
community. Up to this
time
when Brigham gave this speech, 139 Ute had been killed at the hands of
Mormon settlers. The family of Black Hawk had been murdered, innocent of any
wrong doing. Seventy more were killed at Fort Utah, beheaded, tortured,
while heads were hung by their long hair from the eves of the buildings.
Human heads that would be later shipped to Washington for scientific
examination. Among those held captive at the fort was a young boy by the
name of Noonch, who had been made to view the horrid sight of his kin for
two long agonizing weeks. This tormented boy would later become known as
Chief Black Hawk of the Noonchee', better known as the Northern Ute Indian
Tribe.
But the name "Black Hawk"
is not a Ute name, it was a name Brigham Young in jest called him. So it
became that Brigham being supercilious referred to him as 'Black Hawk' and
this is the name by which he is now most commonly known. His Ute Name was
Noonch, and he was so
named in honor of his people
the Noonchee. Noonch was born into a noble family of legendary leaders
spanning centuries of time.
The 'Walker' War had broke
out, even though Noonch's uncle Chief Walkara, (or "Walker" as the settlers
called him), had been baptized and given membership in the LDS Church.
Then in late 1849 apostle
George A. Smith instructed the legislature, "Indians have no right to
their land," to "extinguish all titles and prepare for their
removal." And the most essential first step in the removal process was
to change the conditions in which they thrive. Without any legal basis for
doing so, it was the LDS Church's land grab. Undoubtedly fueled by
O'Sullivan's 1838 Manifest Destiny.
Remember these were different times, and looking back on American history it
is easy to see that the Manifest Destiny concept was ego driven,
manipulative, hypocritical, and down right wrong. But some things, in their
minds were, simply put, necessary evils.
Walkara
was poisoned to death, with the Utes leader out of the way, chaos soon
spread among the tribes. It was the beginning of the end for the Ute Nation.
Twenty-three years of bloody confrontations followed until the year 1872
when Black Hawk, the last of the great war Chiefs, died. The decimated
population of the Ute now overcome with despair and hopelessness, the
remaining fewer than 3000 survivors would be rounded up as prisoners of war
and placed on the Uinta Reservation, which in all truth was nothing more
than a concentration camp. There they were left with little regard as to
their well being. Many more would parish from starvation.
"Why has so little
interest been taken in keeping memorandas and records of events and
conditions of those early and trying times" my great-grandfather
pondered in 1884. It would be inaccurate to suggest the
settlers were without conscience, as many accounts attest to their remorse.
But memories of the past were short lived as the promise of prosperity
unfolded before their eyes. The end justifying the means giving birth to the
words, "the past is the past, we just need to forget about." And forget they
did, 150 years have passed and but a handful of people know anything about
the war. But for the First People of Utah the story is quite the opposite.
On September 20, 1919, an
article appeared on the front page of the Deseret Evening News with the
headlines that read, "Bones of Black Hawk on Exhibition L.D.S. Museum."
Deep within the article, the writer explains that first the remains of Black
Hawk had been on public display in the window of a hardware store in
downtown Spanish Fork, Utah, before they were taken to the church museum on
Temple Square.
Just 46 years had passed
when Noonch had been laid to rest in 1872 at Spring Lake, Utah, when miners
deliberately plotted the robbery of his grave. Accompanying the article is a
photo of a man standing in the open grave, grinning ear to ear, while in his
hands he is holding the skull of Noonch. While the living descendents of
Noonch were outraged, but their voices fell on deaf ears. They had no legal
recourse until the enactment of the National American Graves Protection
Reparation Act, or NAGPRA, passed in 1994. Noonch was again reburied in the
year 1996. This raises the question why a religious institution and it's
leaders would have no moral compassion toward the family of Black Hawk.
It's
common knowledge Euro-Americans have for centuries forced upon the First
People their views, opinions, cultural and religious beliefs. "The
Mormons brought with them a moral code, a new technology, and an economic
system. Mormon's inability or refusal to accept Indian culture on its own
terms is a conflict repeated countless times throughout the west.
Coexistence, with each culture intact, was impossible; compromise seemed
unattainable, for the cherished ideals of one culture were the unpardonable
sins of the other."
(The
Other 49ers)
Mormons brought the ways
of civilization with them, in their minds. Contrary to their desire for a
enlightened spiritual way of life, they gave way the very kind of
discrimination that they ran from.
Today it's also the little
things that add insult to injury that go unnoticed. For years an
Indian statue by renowned artist Cyrus Dallin has adorned the grounds of the
Utah state capitol, which to many has came to symbolized the First People of
Utah. The fact the figure in the statue is that of Massasoit who died circa
1662, and that Massachusetts was named after him, or that Dallin employed a
African-American model from whom he sculpted the Indian figure, this irony
doesn't seem to matter to the non-Indians of Utah, but most assuredly the
Indian people of Utah are less than amused. For never has there been a
monument or memorial built in honor of the First People, much less a statue
accurately representing Utah American Indians. Is it anti-Indian or
anti-Mormon? Actually it's both. A paradox considering the thousands of
Native Indians who are members of the LDS church."
The arrogance and attitudes
of supremacy toward the First People of Utah has prevailed since before the
Black Hawk War, and few have had the courage to stand up and say, enough, we
must defend a person's right to live a decent life. I am astonished that
they have had little or no voice, ignored, shunned, kept out on the fringes
of society and denied access to even most the basic fundamentals of equality
and human rights. That they live in fear of telling their story, their
truth, that there may be retribution for exercising their legal right of
free speech. That non-Indians have been made to feel they have no obligation
to own the past. I often wonder, is the Black Hawk really over, or has
discrimination simply morphed and become institutionalized?
(Click on above photo
for explanation)
What is the true story of First People of
Utah? The only people who can intelligently and accurately answer that
question are the Indian people. But has anyone ever asked the Indian people?
And that is the essence of our film documentary project. Twenty-six years of
Utah history has been ignored and left out of school curriculum. Twenty-six
years of Utah Indian history that more than 90% of Utah's population never
heard of. A quarter of a century of the history of 40,000 lives has been
tossed aside, forgotten, and made a mockery of.
1853 Indian deaths
may be executions by Mormon settlers
1853 Indian deaths may be executions by LDS
By Jason Bergreen
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:06/08/2007 06:47:12 AM MDT
An extensive analysis of seven American Indian skeletons unearthed in a mass
grave in Nephi last year shows that the men and boys did not die in a
skirmish with Mormon settlers, as most historical records suggest, but were
killed execution-style.
That is the conclusion of state archaeologists who spent nearly nine
months examining the roughly 1,800 bones and bone fragments that were found
in a shallow grave in downtown Nephi in August 2006.
Of the seven skeletons belonging to men and boys aged about 12 to 35,
six
showed evidence of gunshot wounds, said Utah assistant state archaeologist
Ronald Rood. Three had bullet wounds near the top of their skulls.
"It's a situation where you see people down on the ground, with their
heads lowered and then shot in the back of the head," Rood said.
The killings appear to be connected to a larger conflict between Mormon
pioneers and American Indians during the summer and fall of 1853 known as
the
Walker War, Rood said.
On Sept. 30, 1853, four men driving a pair of oxen-drawn wagons to Salt
Lake City from Manti were attacked and killed during an overnight raid at
Uintah Springs, according to Springville historian D. Robert Carter. The
killings outraged settlers as the men's bodies were returned to Nephi for
burial.
Two days later, it appears Mormon pioneers sought retaliation for the
slayings by executing the American Indian men and boys, who are believed not
to have been involved in the attack on the wagons.
"I think it's unlikely they were involved in that," Rood said.
Official accounts written by militia leaders of the time referred to the
killings as a "skirmish," Rood said. But the archaeological data and
forensic
study, as well as two journal entries written by two women who witnessed the
men die, now suggest the slayings were committed execution-style.
"These people were seated and shot at close range," Rood said.
Three of the skeletons have defensive marks on their arm bones
suggesting
they were trying to defend themselves.
The child who was around 12 years old had a gunshot wound through his
right leg, Rood said. It is also clear that one of the men killed was bound
because his skeleton was found buried face down with one arm behind his back
and a leather strap with a buckle was still attached to his wrist.
Forensic science was unable to determined the cause of death for a boy
about 16 to 18, Rood said, because gunshot wounds or another cause of death
were not apparent on his bones.
After they were killed, the bodies of the men and boys were dumped in a
shallow grave in Nephi. Last summer, 153 years later, a landowner who dug
into a ravine to pour foundation for a new home unearthed the skeletons. The
bodies were lying on top or next to each other in the 3-foot-wide grave.
Rood said it took him about six days to excavate the site. Then he and
University of Utah forensic anthropologist Derinna Kopp spent two weeks
sorting out the bones and matching them up.
>From that point, Kopp spent several months analyzing, measuring and
recording each bone.
The reason for the extensive analysis was not to rewrite history but to
add to it and give the men and boys who were silenced a voice, Rood said.
"I think it's important that the voices of the seven dead people can be
a
part of the record," he said.
It is still unclear whether the American Indians are members of the Ute
or Goshute tribe, but it was probably one or the other, Rood said.
Their remains will not be shipped to a museum, but hopefully be returned
to their families or tribes. Rood said a process will start in a few months
allowing American Indian groups to make claims on the remains and help
determine their final resting place.
Rood will present his findings today in Orem at a Utah Statewide
Archeological Society gathering.
7/08/2008
Forgive, yes, but never should we forget."
by Phillip B Gottfredson
"Personally I am horrified that our fellow
citizens living in this age are being treated with such indifference. And
that we, we who live as neighbors to indigenous people know so little of
their lives. We can say "that's all in the past and we just need to forget
about it." But it would be criminal to do so.
We assume that the Indian people have been
given every opportunity to succeed, that "its their own damn fault." But I
have lived with the Native people, I have listened to them talk about what
it means to be Indian. I can say with certainty we are the ones who are
blind to the harsh realities that they are faced with each and every day of
their lives, and because of this there is a direct correlation to poor
health and political strife.
It is difficult for Indian people to talk about their painful past,
especially to non-Indians. And I can't blame them, they have been so
demoralized and beaten down, it is very hard for them to trust. And for
non-Indian people it is difficult to come to grips with the truth, that our
ancestors were involved in such a horrible tragedy.
So it is that there is much healing that is needed on both sides.
Healing that can only come from mutual respect, self-respect, and
understanding. Some how we need to find a common language that will bring us
together as one people, without having to compromise our individuality, our
traditions, our culture, but in a good way, where there is freedom for all
to live our lives according to the dictates of our own conscience. Without
forcing our individual beliefs upon one another. That we may walk our paths
together with integrity, honesty, respecting each other, being kind to each
other.
Instead of arrogance there should be humility, and instead of hate,
there should be love. Both Indian and non-Indian should realize that we all
are suffering from the evils of the past in ways we all need to understand.
We need to talk, but we also need to stop talking, and listen. From
our hearts we should talk, and listen.
We need to learn from each other. Who is more qualified to teach us
about human equality than those who are the victims of the American
holocaust? While our ancestors came to America for various reasons, some
sought religious freedom, some wealth, and others for political reasons. But
unlike our ancestors, the American Indian were not then fighting for
independence, or wealth, or religious freedoms, but ironically would find
themselves victims of the very injustices that our forefathers died
defending for themselves. It is very difficult to explain why our people who
advocated human equality, and rebelled against aristocracy and religious
dictatorship would come to America and dispossess the Native people of their
unalienable rights as human beings. 300 years have gone by and still, to
this day, the American Indian continue to struggle for equality as American
citizens. It is a disturbing reality that so many cling to the old ways of
thinking that one is inferior, and others are superior.
The Black Hawk War was not about race, it was not about religion,
race and religion later became the excuse to justify greed, and superiority.
It was a human condition where each were putting their lives on the line to
defend their freedoms and culture according to the dictates of their own
individual beliefs, beliefs that had evolved long before they encountered
each other.
It is time that we stop blaming each other. It is time we stop
viewing these injustices as simply white or Indian processes, and begin
viewing them as human processes.
It is time that our schools adhere to federal mandates and teach the
truth about our history in the spirit of equality, and explain
compassionately the dynamics of the time that led to such a horrific human
tragedy, that we may avoid repeating those mistakes again and again.
Explanations give us the tools to bring change. We need to recognize that
there is still much work to be done before we can say with a clear
conscience that we live in a country that guarantees liberty and justice for
all, and not just for some.
It is time that we forgive, and reconcile the past with the present.
Forgive, yes, but never should we forget."
GIVE ME A BREAK!
"Testimony to the Ute
Indians" ...?
Give me a break! I came upon the website
called "Parley P. Pratt" today and found this:
"As the Book of Mormon is very
concerned with the history of the Native Americans, Mormons have always been
interested in spreading the Gospel to them. Apostle Francis Marion Lyman
went on a number of missions to the American Indian tribes throughout Utah,
some of which were partly focused on making certain these tribes had fertile
land to work with, beyond teaching the Gospel as revealed through Joseph
Smith."
I normally don't get upset at other
people's articles, but this one really made my blood boil. The sentence
"making certain these tribes had fertile land to work with" has anyone
visited the Uinta reservation and looked at the so called "fertile" land the
Ute were given to work with? Well in case you haven't look at this
photo
which gives us an idea of the so called "fertile land" the Ute were exiled
to beginning in 1868. Of the three million acres they were originally
allotted, less than 25% of that land remains, the rest, the most fertile,
was turned back to public domain. The Ute were given a choice, either join
the church and do everything the Mormons commanded them to do or suffer dire
consequences. And suffer they did, even though many did join the church they
too were made to live on the reservation. Meanwhile the Mormon church stole
260 thousand square miles of Ute land, much of which is the most fertile
land in the state of Utah.
The above article I cited is a classic
example of the kind of sugar-coated rhetoric, filled with platitudes, I have
referred to many times on my website here.
Contemporary Mormons say this: "It's a rather common mistake for
uninformed people to think these type of verses in the scriptures mean that
righteous people will be Caucasians on the day of judgment. Certainly that
is the conclusion that most of the anti-Mormons want people to draw. They
would like to make people to falsely believe we are racist.
Surely the critics aren't suggesting that garments, robes, and fruits
are being made Caucasian? To reiterate, the Book of Mormon used imagery,
symbolism, and metaphors quite frequently. The term white is often used to
denote holy and pure things, especially things which have been cleansed by
the blood of Jesus Christ. When the Book of Mormon refers to someone's skin
becoming white, it is a metaphor meaning that they are becoming free from
sin through Jesus' Atonement."
Brigham Young had a different opinion: "You see some classes of the
human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in
their habits, wild, and seemingly without the blessings of the intelligence
that is generally bestowed upon mankind... "Cain slew his brother.... and
the Lord put a mark upon him, which is a flat nose and black skin.
(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, pp. 290-291)
Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the
white man...mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the
law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so." (B. Young,
Journal of Discourses,
Vol. 10, 110)
Well this is one Mormon who believes in truth. And for anyone to suggest
that the Ute were treated compassionately, and with equality is absurd. In
the words of Dr. Floyd O'Neil,
"You can't stretch a rats ass over a rain barrel."
April 20, 2008
Our goal, the Black Hawk War Project, is to reveal the
true story of the Black Hawk War in Utah. To honor those who this day morn
the past in silence because they have been forgotten. For some reason we
have not found a common language where through mutual respect we can begin a
healing process based upon a spirit of equality, balance, and compassion. We
need to stop blaming each other, and look upon the past as a human
condition. To simply ignore this tragedy is to be disrespectful and bigoted
toward those whose ancestors died defending their rights, and to their many
living descendants who have never understood why. To say "that's all in the
past, and we should just forget about it," is to say that the lives of our
ancestors are unimportant and have no relevance to anyone. This is the very
stuff that causes anger, hate, discrimination, and hence racism.
Explanations empower us with the tools to bring about change toward a more
humane and compassionate society.
A couple days ago I visited the town of Ephraim, Utah for
the purpose of investigating a story about Black Hawk that occurred in the
year 1868. The story goes that a Mormon who was prominent in the community
at the time by the name of Canute Peterson had learned that Black Hawk had
been wounded in battle at Gravely Ford. Canute and his wife sent food and
medicine to the ailing Ute leader, a kind gesture, an extraordinary gesture
considering this was at the same time the war between the Mormons and
the Ute was at it's apex.
Upon receiving the gift from the Peterson family, Black
Hawk paid a visit to Canute and his family to show his gratitude for their
kindness. He then asked the Peterson's to accompany him to a nearby place
where stood a Juniper tree next to a small creek. There Black Hawk asked if
Canute if he would share in a prayer for peace. Black Hawk then filled his
pipe with sacred tobacco and during the ceremony Black Hawk made a promise
to Canute and the people of Ephraim that he would forever be their friend
for as long as the stream ran. Today, one hundred and sixteen years later,
the stream still runs, and the old Juniper tree stills stands. And the
people of Ephraim... some still remember the bond that was made that day
between two caring people.
It was an memorable day for me, one I shall never forget.
When I arrived in Ephraim I first went to the city building, then to the
Snow College to inquire if anyone knew where the place may be located, or if
it even still existed. It wasn't long when I was given directions to the
very spot.
I can't say enough to congratulate the town of Ephraim for
caring enough to preserve this place. There in a beautiful little park the
old Juniper, though barely alive now, stands tall. I sat on a bench next to
the tree and tried to imagine that moment, trying to get a glimpse of that
day in 1868 in my minds eye.
What is important to me about that story is that it speaks
to the humanity of both Black Hawk and Canute, and certainly the same for
the people of Ephraim. It says that Black Hawk was a man of heart and not
the "savage" and heartless warrior who went on a murderous rampage. And too
the story teaches us that Canute, a Mormon leader, thought well of the old
Chief, well enough to care for him.
I hope the folks of Ephraim will continue in their efforts
to preserve the "Peace Treaty Tree" next to the stream for many generations
to come, that it may continue to stand as a witness to the best of virtues
of humankind.
See The Old Juniper Tree click
here.
March 16, 2008
Yesterday I was in a meeting interviewing an individual of
social influence in Provo, Utah for our documentary film. Out of respect for
this person I will not name names, it is not important to this comment
anyway. But we were discussing my work in Utah as an advocate for the Indian
people of Utah when the Interviewee made the following comment: Sometimes
when whites learn of the history of the Indians they become so sympathetic
toward them that they feel it is their obligation to help them. And because
they now have some knowledge of their past they feel that they can speak for
the Indians, and represent them. The Indian people are capable of taking
care of themselves, they don't need such people speaking for them. Often
these people who have good intentions do more harm than good. (Words to that
effect).
Of coarse I understood that this persons comments were
directed toward me. I was being accused of poking my nose into Indian
affairs and assuming the role as a spokesperson for the Indians people of
Utah, what is ironic the person was making assumptions by telling me what
she believes they think... had been an Indian I would have taken her comment
seriously.
A couple years ago I was speaking with my mentor and
Indian Elder, and she was asking me why I wanted to help the Indian people.
I gave my explanation when she said to me, "who died and made you God." In
other words she was asking what made me think that I have the answers that
would help the Indian people? She went on to explain that the biggest
problem between the whites and the Indian is that the whites have always
believed that they know what is best for the Indians, that they never ask us
what we need, they never listen, they only cram their ideas down our
throats. Indeed it was a valuable lesson I learned that day, and one I will
never forget. Its true about us whites, our culture has this tendency to
think that our ways are better than anyone else's. One of the reasons for
our lack of humility is, and there are many, goes back to the time of our
ancestors. Manifest Destiny, the belief that God led our ancestors to the
promised land, and because of that God in his infinite wisdom favored our
ancestors who then believed they were superior to all others. The concept of
being superior is not unusual in our culture, our ancestors came from
societies ruled by monarchs. To be number one in all things is to be
American. To be ahead of others is our ambition.
In the Indian culture I learned that no one person is
superior another. That Creator gave each person talents and gifts, that
should be used unselfishly for the betterment of the community. That things
have there purpose, and no one or anything should be taken for granted. It
follows then that if one person or thing suffers then all suffer, for all
things are interconnected one to the other and dependant upon one another.
An example would the plant people who breath in the carbon dioxide we exhale
to live and breath out oxygen so we can live. Which is more important?
Returning to my interviewee's comment suggesting I am
assuming the role as a 'savior' to the Indian people is absurd. It is not
about me, or the Indian people that I work with. Its about human rights.
When there are injustices against anyone, there are injustices against all
others. When one person is denied equal rights guaranteed to all under the
constitution, my rights have been violated and so have all others. We are
American citizens, regardless of race, color, or religion. And we have two
choices in our life, either we forever defend our rights as a community, or
we forever leave them alone. To say it's not my problem, I am too busy, or I
am just doing my job; is to contribute to the discrimination and bigotry
that we think we oppose. Martin Luther King said, "Its not the voices of our
enemy were fear, its the silence of our friends." Perhaps in my passion for
my work I said something wrong, but I don't know everything, I am only
learning as we all are.
I am not "anti-Mormon" but I do discriminate against those
who believe they are superior to others and are so fanatical in their
beliefs that they are closed minded. The Black Hawk War was about who would
control the land and who would survive, the Native Indian people or the
uninvited intruders the Mormons. It is what it is.
I am not a spokesman for the Indian people of Utah. Nor do
I consider myself an expert in their ways. But they are my brothers, and my
sisters, and fellow human beings. And I will stand in defense of their
rights as American citizens as I do for myself. We need to stop blaming each
other and look upon the problems in our past and present with compassion and
equality as a human condition.
"Do not follow me because I
may not always lead. Do not lead me for I may not always follow. Let us walk
our path together as one."
- Author unknown
Its damned if you do and damned if you don't
in my world. One the one hand if I use the words Mormon and Indian in the
same sentence I am labeled with the dreaded word "ANTI-MORMON." On the other
hand if I say I am an advocate for the American Indian I am a "WANNABE."
Both statements are derogatory and demoralizing. And both people who use
these terms are being hypocritical in their own beliefs. Both say they
believe in equality and do not condone segregation, but do so when they use
these terms against others. Anti-Mormon, wannabe,
anti-Mormon, wannabe, anti-Mormon, wannabe,
anti-Mormon, wannabe, - sounds like the school yard.
How many times do I hear the words, "That's
all in the past we just need to forget about it and move on." True it is all
in the past when we are speaking of our history, but we should never forget.
On one side of the river the whites don't want to be reminded of how their
ancestors treated the Indian people and say, "I have heard it all a thousand
times, so what, get over it." On the other side of the river the Indian
people are saying we are victims and we won't be happy until you go away and
give back our land you stole." Neither side wants sympathy, and sympathy
wouldn't resolve anything. Both sides do want empathy however. Each would
start to feel better if people would understand why they feel the way they
do.
If you want to see the power of empathy and
compassion at work I encourage everyone to take a break for a few minutes
and look at what is happening in a tiny town in Washington State called
Twisp. The town boarders an Indian reservation. Google Twisp for the story,
or get the video called Two Rivers. Two cultures came together to reconcile
the past. The rules were simple, no religious entity could be involved, no
government either. They simply agreed to listen to each other with open
minds and open hearts. And if you want to see the power of Creator at work,
this will blow your mind.
I began my journey to find answers in 2001. I
simply wanted to know what is the Indians side of the story. There is no way
I could have anticipated what that question would lead me to. This I know
for a certainty, for us to think that we don't need to understand our past,
we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes again. Explanations give us the
answers to fulfilling the dream we all have - to live in a world of peace
and freedom for all our relations.
Bear Butte Update - Since this article ran, many who were
concerned voiced their opinions to the legislator who have conceded to
purchase the land surrounding Bear Butte to recognize and preserve the
sacred site, and to honor the religious rights of the American Indian
people.
February 2, 2008
Bill fails to ban alcohol near sacred mountain
Feb. 06, 2008
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) An effort on the behalf of
American Indians to make
alcohol off-limits near Bear Butte was
rejected today in the South Dakota
Legislature.
The mountain on the outskirts of Sturgis is
sacred to Indians, and many of
them go there to pray.
HB1309 would have prohibited alcohol
beverage sales within 1 mile of Bear
Butte.
Representative Jim Bradford of Pine Ridge
says increased development in the
area is encroaching on the mountain and
should be stopped.
But the House Commerce Committee did not
agree. It rejected Bradford's
proposed buffer zone by a vote of 9-4.
_www.kxmc.com/
News/206652.asp_
Here we have American citizens with good intentions, asking
their government leaders to project their religious rights but are denied
protection under the law in favor of those who want to use a sacred site so
they can get drunk. Are there not enough places in South Dakota to drink
alcohol? Or is it because they are Indians who are asking for help? People
say there is no racism in America. People say that the American Indian
people are treated with equality as are all Americans. Yet here is one of
many examples that proves the opposite to be true.
The issue here is not just a few people who choose Bear Butte
as a place to drink a few beers. It is the crowds of people who are going to
Bear Butte, blasting the area with loud music from boom boxes, and leaving
their trash everywhere. This kind of activity is disruptive to those who go
to Bear Butte to worship. It would be the same as a drinking party being
held in the parking lot of a church disrupting religious services. Of coarse
authorities would then take immediate action. Then why are one people given
protection under the law and not others? Bear Butte has been a sacred site
for worship long before the area became populated by whites.
Discrimination that goes by ignored, people who say "its not
my problem" are in fact contributing to the erosion of the human rights of
everyone everywhere.
December 17, 2007
Today I read this most disturbing article in the Salt Lake
Tribune regarding the school systems on the reservation. Another stark
reminder of the racism that continues to exist in Utah resulting in
segregation and substandard education for the indigenous people. Those words
that I have heard so many times are now ringing in my ears, "We (meaning the
Mormon church) have given the Indians every opportunity to succeed, ...it's
their own damn fault." Here in this article educators are accused of being
racist. Teachers of all people are demoralizing their own students, our
children, our American citizens. But because these are Native American
Indians, this most likely will be ignored. Whereas if these were white
students, and a white school system in would be national news.
Fort Duchesne School Closed After
Failing To Meet Fed Standards
By Julia Lyon
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last
Updated: 12/17/2007 08:07:33 PM MST
Posted: 8:06 PM- If the goal of No Child Left Behind is to shut down the
worst schools in America, then the federal government has scored its first
success in Utah.
After seven years of failing to meet testing and attendance
requirements, seeing its student numbers plunge and its reputation decline,
West Middle School in Fort Duchesne is shutting its doors. The school was
technically the worst in the state. With fewer students came fewer teachers.
No band to learn flute in. No wrestling team to join.
Forced by federal No Child Left Behind rules to restructure West, the
Uintah County School Board decided to send the kids on a 20-mile bus ride to
Vernal instead of shoring up a deteriorating institution. This is the first
school in Utah whose struggles to meet NCLB led to its demise.
The roughly 120 students will leave a school almost entirely populated
by American Indians to attend schools that are nearly exclusively white.
This fact, tribal parents fear, along with a long bus trip is not the best
decision for their children.
Rather than being forced to get out of bed early, the students should be
able to receive the same education in their own community, parents say. The
school is surrounded by the Uintah and Ouray Reservation with several
thousand Utes.
Guzman, chairwoman of the Ute education board. "We want the same
type of education that the students in the Vernal schools are receiving."
This fall when the Uintah School District considered options for the
school's future - its enrollment history and the cost of operating and
updating the school - locking the doors seemed the fastest and most
economical step toward a solution. There had been complaints that West was a
de facto segregated school, said Superintendent Charles Nelson, and bringing
the seventh- and eighth-grade students to Vernal schools would immediately
provide them with a variety of classes and extracurricular activities.
Exactly when West Middle will close remains undecided. It could take
place as early as the middle of January.
The West Middle School property is slated to become home to a new K-6
elementary school, though tribal members hope the school could accommodate
additional grades. That could allow American Indian middle school students
to stay in the community and off the bus. On Wednesday, the Uintah board of
education will meet with tribal members to hear their ideas.
What's offered as a solution to a failing school is more of a question
mark, said Curtis Cesspooch, chairman of the tribal business committee.
"The other comments that are made: 'Will this new school guarantee
students better academics? Are we going to ensure they are going to learn?'
" he said.
Over the years, racial tensions have existed between tribal
members and the district.
"Teachers are just blatant," Guzman said. "They outright say very harsh
things to their students about their culture and who they are."
If that is the teachers' attitude when the American Indian students
arrive at the new schools, "that's not a positive learning environment," she
said.
The district is aware of the racial and cultural concerns and is
planning cultural sensitivity training for the staffs at the junior high and
middle school in Vernal. When West closes, a transition specialist will be
hired for Vernal Middle School.
Vernal Junior High Principal Kent Bunderson remembers riding 30
miles on a bus to go to high school when he lived in Emery County years ago.
It's something people get used to, he said.
"I can understand that folks would have some concerns that suddenly
they're not going to be right next door, but they'll have a lot more and
different opportunities," the principal said.
He sees that students who get involved take ownership in the school.
"We'll welcome those students with open arms," he said.
- JULIA LYON can be contacted at jlyon@sltrib.com or 801-257-8748
*Please see Truth in Education by Phillip B Gottfredson
here.
November 24, 2007
Tis the Holiday Season
Years ago I recall vividly when the
streets of downtown were brightly lit with the spirit of Christmas. The
stores were all decorated in red, gold, and green, and fresh fallen snow
blanketed everything. The sidewalks were filled with people all bundled up
in warm clothes, and carolers could be heard on the street corners. Horse
drawn sleighs with bells jingling. There truly was a magic in the air.
People were happy, having a good time strolling about, laughing, smiling, it
was the time to celebrate the blessings of life and all that was good. One
of the favorite places to shop was a clothing store, because when you went
in the scent of apple cider and cinnamon filled the air. It was free if you
wanted a hot cup of cider. And they served it in a real ceramic cup, no
Styrofoam in those days. I think you could buy all your gifts for five or
six people for under a hundred dollars. I remember a seal skin wallet was
only $5.95. And if you wanted to have it embossed in gold lettering to the
person you were giving it to, it was only a dollar or two more.
There weren't any malls or giant
chain stores. Down town shopping meant a leisure walk from store to store,
and when you got to the end of the block you crossed the street and walked
up the other side. It was just fun to window shop with a good friend by your
side.
Often I think back on those days in
the late 50's and early 60's. One thing I remember is that the snow on the
streets and sidewalks weren't shoveled, and people weren't suing each other,
and store clerks were having a good time because customers weren't yelling
at them over some petty thing. Those were the good old days, where did they
go?
So much has changed in such a short
time. The small shops are gone. The merchandise is cheap and over priced.
It's a time for corporate America to dump as much junk on the market as they
can. "Black Friday," it all about the almighty dollar and if sales quotas
are going to be met. A time to crunch the numbers to see if the economy is
good or bad. It's the super bowl of the giant retailers. People have
terrible attitudes, and so do the clerks in the stores. Christmas
advertising now begins in July as television networks start showing re-runs
of shows with a Christmas theme. The old magic of the holidays has been
eroded by cliché marketing and meaningless sales. Even charitable causes
such as feeding the poor has become photo-ops and promotion schemes to
generate more sales in the shopping centers. Having 'done their duty' they
can now forget the needy again until next year. These things I know to be
true because I worked in retail for 35 years. And the last eight years I
helped manage a shopping mall. And when it was time to go home after
Christmas I was totally exhausted and embittered by the whole experience.
One of the worst scams I would see run in the shopping mall was when the toy
liquidators would come in and set up shop. They would sells thousands of
cheap toys and the second the last day was over they would vanish leaving us
to deal with all the irate customers who discovered they were ripped off.
Toys that would break only after a few minutes of use would be brought back
to be be replaced or to get a refund only to find the sellers had run. Still
the profits out weighed the problems so they were brought back by the mall
year after year.
So the truth we face is that
Christmas is not like it used to be. It is unfortunate as the altruistic
intentions behind this most noble of celebrations has been bastardized by
corporate greed. Once again we have become blinded by our own acculturation
as the greed and selfishness of others have become not the exception, but
the norm. A mindset that has shadowed our good intentions from the very
inception of America. And for many millions of American citizens who were
the brunt of this mindset, Christmas is and always has been a time of
remembrance of when their ancestors suffered unimaginable agony under the
banner of Christianity. I am referring, of coarse, to the Native American
Indian. But lest we forget, there were people with good hearts and good
intentions then, as there are now. People on both sides of the river who
truly have good hearts and sincerely care about the injustices. Were it not
for these people there would be nothing of real value left in our society
for the money mongers to capitalize upon. For it has been and most likely
will always be, there is nothing that is sacred enough that some greed
driven person won't find a way to make a buck from it.
Buy into the bling-bling and you are
funding the robber barons, the Grinch who has stolen Christmas.
We wish all our friends a holiday
filled with peace, love, food to eat, shelter, and comfort. May our prayers
be for the children who are starving in this world, that they may find
comfort. May there be beauty above, below, and all around. May we not forget
the plants and animals who give of themselves every day that we may live.
Let us not take anyone or anything for granted. Let us walk our paths to
serve all our relations, that one day we may stand before Creator without
shame.
October28, 2007
Ignorance Equals
Racism
Many times I have been told with
intensity by people here in Utah, "That's all in the past, we should just
forget about it and move on." And Nauvoo, Carthage, Illinois; Mountain
Meadows Massacre, the Civil War and so forth are in the past too, shall we
apply the same mindset and forget those events and move on? Then why is it
ok to apply one standard for certain people and not equally? And what about
the descendants of those who's ancestors were so brutally treated, is it
fair to ask them to just forget about the past and move on? I would be
immoral to forget such human injustices as the Black Hawk War.
To tell of this story seems
impossible to be politically correct. The indigenous people of Utah have
suffered unimaginable physical and mental torment. Exiled from their home,
forced onto desolate reservations, thousands die from pandemic disease. They
were blamed for mass murders. They were beheaded, and tortured. How many
from died from hopelessness and despair? The answer will never be known.
Their remains were put on public display as a mere curiosity and
entertainment, what other reason could there be, perhaps to express
dominance and supremacy? These are glaring examples of the "saints" mindset
of arrogance, and moral ambiguities. As shocking the Massacre at Mountain
Meadows has been to thousands of people, there is no other event comparable
to the trail of tears left behind in the aftermath of the Mormon domination
over the Native American Ute Indian in Utah. And last, but not least, they
have been portrayed as a "loathsome" people who's dark skin is God's
punishment for the sins of their forefathers. One Saint offered this
explanation, "In those early days it was at times imperative that harsh
measures should be used. We had to do these things, or be run over by them.
It was a question of supremacy between the white man and the Indian." This
statement was made by John Lowry, the man accused of having triggered the
war. It is the single most honest statement I have thus far read in my six
years of research of the war. I think the time is way past due that we take
a closer look at our Mormon heritage and begin asking questions, reading the
accounts, and learning from our history how fanaticism leads to extremism?
The indigenous people of Utah are
grossly misunderstood by contemporary society, as are all Native American
Indians. Their complex cultures are their traditions; their languages are
their traditions; their traditions are orally passed from parent to child
many of which take a life time to learn. Once lost, they are gone forever.
We should have an America where these unique cultures thrive. "Surely God
would not have created such a being as man, with an ability to grasp the
infinite, to exist only for a day! No, no, man was made for immortality." -
Abraham Lincoln
Today I was told by a well educated
Mormon man that he "can't see why it is such a big deal that the Utah
Indians are so concerned about loosing their languages and culture." he
said, "I am Scandinavian, and my ancestors came from Norway. I don't speak
Norwegian or follow those traditions. My life is good and I don't feel I
have lost anything." He would not allow me to speak to his comment, he kept
interrupting me. But Norway, as with all Scandinavian countries, are intact,
and their languages are alive as are their customs and traditions. And if
this man wanted to learn to speak his native tongue and live the traditions
of his ancestors, he could. Unlike the indigenous people in Utah and
elsewhere, this is their homeland. This man had not been stripped of his
ways completely. He was not forced speak English or severely punished for
practicing his religion. He was not forced to dress & wear his hair a
certain way. His society did not kill the white, and spare the child. He was
not taken from fertile places & put far away on desolate lands. Nor were his
God given staples taken far from him & his family in hopes they would starve
to death. Speaking of God, he was not told he would no longer pray to Him
either, or there be no more of his churches to attend. This man was not
banned from town, voting & public places.
He was not forced to sign treaties, one's he could not read or
comprehend. Treaties that "ceded" the lands to Indians. He was not told by
General Philip Sheridan that if he did not sign, he would "walk knee deep in
the blood of his people."
This man I spoke with was not ordered by the government to remain or
pay a penalty, which may be incarceration into an insane asylum, death, or
maybe it would forced removal to a different reservation so he would never
see his people again under penalty of death. BUT, this man's ancestors were
treated this way which was the very reason they and hundreds of thousands
like them came to America to be free! Free to worship in their own way. Free
to speak. Free to live their lives according to the dictates of their own
conscience. Free of government dominance. Free to live in a society that
believes in equality and justice as an inalienable right for all.
September 11, 2007
LDS Admit to
Mountain Meadows Massacre, BUT...
The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints finally says yes to their involvement in the
Mountain Meadows Massacre. In a recent article that appeared in the church's
Ensign magazine, church historian Richard E. Turley gives what is said to be
the church's official account of the Massacre. By clicking
here you can see the entire article on Paul Harvey's Blog site.
While Turley denies
that Brigham Young had anything to do with the murders, that some "saints"
acted on their own, I applaud Turley and the church for finally doing the
right thing by finally acknowledging addressing this horrible event in a
positive, albeit patronizing way. Much of what lingering respect I had for
the church has been in some degree reinforced, however I am very
disappointed by Turley's blatant disrespect for the Paiute in his article.
Again as with so many church authors, Turley stands arrogantly pointing the
finger of guilt damning the Paiute Indians without a shred of respect or
compassion toward them. True to form the church then bashes the Utah Indian.
Turley or the church could have had at least asked the Paiutes what their
side of the story is, but instead Turley's obvious biased opinion is proof
and sufficient enough.
Mr. Turley goes to
great lengths to distance the church and it's leaders from John D. Lee and
the other members that were in affect renegade Mormons, to suggest that
there were good and bad people in the church and that the massacre at
Mountain Meadows was an unfortunate but isolated incident, and that we
should not blame the church for the mistakes of a few. Hypocritically he
does not apply the same compassion when he unofficially speaks on behalf of
the Paiute and makes broad assumptions and presents his case as being gospel
truth without making any allowance that they may have their own opinion
different from his. Are we all children of Creator, or just some? As Michael
Quinn said
in 1981 when he
spoke to an assembly of Church members, "The Accommodation History advocated
by Elders Benson and Packer and actually practiced by some LDS writers is
intended to protect the Saints, but actually disillusions them and makes
them vulnerable... The tragic reality is that there have been occasions when
Church leaders, teachers, and writers have not told the truth they knew
about difficulties of the Mormon past, but have offered to the Saints
instead a mixture of platitudes, half-truths, omissions, and plausible
denials..." And I stand firm on my observation that believing in these
contrived sanitized stories of innocence contributes in the acculturation of
a society that is blind to the truth, thereupon unintentionally
discriminates, and in so doing the church segregates itself from their
fellow human beings.
"Richard E.
Turley Jr., “The Mountain Meadows Massacre,” Ensign, Sep 2007, 14–21
This month marks the 150th anniversary of a terrible episode in the
history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On September 11,
1857, some 50 to 60 local militiamen in southern Utah, aided by American
Indian allies, massacred about 120 emigrants who were traveling by wagon to
California. The horrific crime, which spared only 17 children age six and
under, occurred in a highland valley called the Mountain Meadows, roughly 35
miles southwest of Cedar City. The victims, most of them from Arkansas, were
on their way to California with dreams of a bright future.
For a century and a half the Mountain Meadows Massacre has shocked
and distressed those who have learned of it. The tragedy has deeply grieved
the victims’ relatives, burdened the perpetrators’ descendants and Church
members generally with sorrow and feelings of collective guilt, unleashed
criticism on the Church, and raised painful, difficult questions. How could
this have happened? How could members of the Church have participated in
such a crime?
Two facts make the case even more difficult to fathom. First,
nothing that any of the emigrants purportedly did or said, even if all of it
were true, came close to justifying their deaths. Second, the large majority
of perpetrators led decent, nonviolent lives before and after the massacre.
As is true with any historical episode, comprehending the events of
September 11, 1857, requires understanding the conditions of the time, only
a brief summary of which can be shared in the few pages of this magazine
article. For a more complete, documented account of the event, readers are
referred to the forthcoming book Massacre at Mountain Meadows."
