Copyright © 1999 NLThomas
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Sometimes it has taken violence to bring attention to American Indian causes. But a group of people camping on LaFramboise Island in Pierre are trying a peaceful approach to get what they want - land they believe is rightfully theirs.

The peaceful approach may be what is taking the protest so long to gain attention. Four members of the Freeman community hope to spread the word about the conflict over control of riverbank land and the peaceful protest being waged to get it back.

On Wednesday, March 21, Anette Eisenbeis, Jeanette Epp, Bob Hartzler and Barb Schrag, all of the Freeman area, made the cold and rainy 200-mile journey to Pierre to offer their support in the peaceful protest and educate themselves.

A group of seven men, members of the Lakota Student Alliance of Kyle on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, started a sacred fire March 22 on LaFramboise Island. They were protesting a 1998 federal law that turns much of the Missouri's riverbank in South Dakota to the state and two American Indian tribes: the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (which includes Dewey and Ziebach counties) and the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe (which includes parts of Lyman and Stanley counties).

The Sioux want the return of land that is rightfully theirs as promised by the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. The Mitigation Act gives some of that land to the state - which goes against the 1868 treaty. (See related story.) While only a few of the original seven protesters remain, they have been joined by other American Indians from the other Lakota tribes in South Dakota and members of Christian Peacemakers Teams. Tipis and tents have been pitched on the island, forming an encampment. The number of campers fluctuates from day to day. About 15 campers were on the island April 21. And more than one month later, the sacred fire still burns. It is because of their peaceful approach and the involvement of Mennonite Central Committee and Christian Peacemaker Teams that the group from Freeman traveled to LaFramboise Island.

The camp

More than 200 people strong, - mostly from the Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Cheyenne River and Lake Traverse reservations - they traveled to Pierre March 22. Supporters from the South Dakota Center for Peace and Justice and MCC, which served as a presence and provided assistance with transportation, food for the protesters and media contacts, also attended. The group led a peaceful demonstration at the state capitol and federal buildings in Pierre.

But for some Lakotas, that demonstration wasn't enough. A group of seven men wanted to continue their protest. So they picked LaFramboise Island, a small piece of land that juts out into the Missouri River with access from a Pierre city park on the eastern shore. More than five tipis have been erected and face east, as well as, a sweat lodge and several other tents. Food is made in a picnic shelter on the island and tarps hang to block the wind. A banner carried in the original March 22 demonstration is suspended on two wooden poles at the entrance to the camp. It reads: Treaty Rights Are Human Rights.

"When we came to the island, we had to give up a lot; school, jobs, relationships," said Robert Quiver, Jr. "But I believe if nothing is done, the state will take the land and build commercial waterfronts for boats and jet skis and the spirits of our ancestors might be threatened." Quiver, one of the original seven protesters, is a college student from the Pine Ridge Reservation and a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe. He said the men opened their hearts and felt they could not leave the island until issues regarding the land transfer were dealt with.

"It's something positive," Quiver said. "Look at us - we have 65 to 70 percent unemployment, high rates of diabetes, alcohol, suicide, vandalism, violence."

Quiver said violence escalated on the reservations in the 1970s with the occupation at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation and the murder of many American Indians who were affiliated with the American Indian Movement. But, Quiver said, the camp at LaFramboise Island is trying to find a positive way to address human rights issues. The camp is known as the "First Fire of the Oceti Sakowin," or Seven Councils Fire. The seven original bands of the Great Sioux Nation were joined in an alliance called the "Oceti Sakowin." The campers refer to it as a spiritual camp that is drug and alcohol free.

"This is what we have to do," Quiver said. "There's no way to explain it... we were led when we opened our hearts."

Camp life

Not everyone on the island is Sioux. The unofficial camp cook, Nelson Barbosa, is originally from Puerto Rico but made the United States his permanent home in 1979. He spends his days cooking over a grill for the campers. He fries potatoes and reheats fry bread prepared by women in Pierre but won't make the bread because it's too messy. Barbosa's wife is from the Standing Rock reservation, where they make their home, and that is why they are on the island. "I'm doing this for my children and their children," he said.

A member of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of the Northern District, Epp went to LaFramboise Island to learn more about the peaceful protest. Over a piece of fry bread, she talked about the camp with Barbosa. Another American Indian from the Cheyenne River Reservation told Epp about the violence on her reservation because the people are divided on the land transfer. Cheyenne River is one of two tribes that has accepted the land transfer. Epp arranged for a member of the Christian Peacemakers Teams to come to Freeman for a quarterly meeting of peace and social concerns committee. Hartzler, pastor for the MCC Northern District Conference, traveled to Pierre to educate his constituents as well.

A typical day on the island is includes spending time chopping wood or cleaning up the camp, Quiver said. Trips are made into Pierre for showers, laundry and to check e-mail.

At first communication was difficult, Quiver and members of CPT said, because no one had cell phones. Now nearly everyone on the Island is connected somehow to the outside world. During a prayer around the sacred fire, Quiver's cell phone rang.

Sometimes the work is spent educating the people who drive to the encampment and want to know what's going on. Education was the purpose of the trip from Freeman. Quiver and CPT members explained their positions and why the camp on LaFramboise Island existed.

The group shared a meal under the picnic shelter and huddled around a fire that was heating coffee to keep warm. Traditional Indian fry bread and potato soup were served with food from Freeman: homemade bread, whole potatoes and sausage. Barbosa told the Freeman group to come back and visit again - and to bring more sausage; he said he would have plenty of fry bread.

Everyone on the camp seems to have a role. Some people work security, unarmed, in shifts to guard the entrance to the camp at night; they sleep in tents during the day. Quiver is the spokesman of the group, serving as the main contact for visitors and media.

Campers often gather around the sacred fire to pray. The group from Freeman was invited to share in prayer before heading back.

A celebration was held April 20 in honor of Quiver and the other men who first stayed on the island - Clint Yellow Bird, Tom Cheyenne, Richard Shangreaux, Danny Merrival, Charles Yellow Bird and Loren Black Elk. More than 200 people were on the island for the event.

One of the best things about the protest is the drawing of the tribes together, Quiver said. "We've got Indians from Eagle Butte and Pine Ridge who had never met before and now are working together", he said.

MCC

Sue and Harley Eagle are program coordinators for the MCC Oglala Lakota Nation Unit in Porcupine on the Pine Ridge Reservation. They joined the original protest March 22. "We know the group here knows this is a spiritual journey," Sue Eagle said. "Something will work out somehow."

The Eagles, who are natives of Canada and expecting their first child this summer, were first asked to be involved with the original protest. Since then, they have often made the hour and a half trip from their home in Porcupine to Pierre to offer support.

"Everybody (the Sioux) has a right to the land, even if they don't live along the river," Sue said.

The Eagles enlisted help from Schrag, who is a constituency contact for them through MCC. Schrag said the trip to Pierre was typical of her duties as the Northern Tier regional associate for MCC Central States. "My job is to get the word out to the constituents," Schrag said. "I'm depending on the group to help me get the information out." She said the trip was typical of something MCC would be involved in because of the peaceful approach. She asked the group from Freeman to go because of their connections with MCC and the different factions they reach to tell about what they learned.

CPT

Three members of Christian Peacemaker Teams have also moved onto the island, including JoAnn "Jake" Kaufman, who has ties to the Freeman community.

CPT is an initiative among cooperating Mennonite and Brethren churches and Friends meetings. Their beliefs emphasize negotiation, protection of human rights, public witness and nonviolent direct actions. There are 12 full-time corps members who are available to staff CPT's violence reduction projects and scores of reserve corps members who are available to join CPT projects for two weeks to two months each year. "Our job is to monitor human rights, deter violence and educate churches," said Kathleen Kern.

Full-time CPT members Kern and Kaufman joined the stay on the island a few weeks ago and reserve Lisa Martens followed shortly after. CPT offers an organized, nonviolent alternative to war and other forms of conflict. The group has focus areas in Hebron, West Bank; Chiapas, Mexico and urban North America. And now LaFramboise Island in Pierre.

CPT was asked to come to the island by the Eagles and the South Dakota Center for Peace and Justice. The Eagles were concerned about the pressure the group on the island might feel to be violent or the racism they might face. CPT was called in to be advocates and keep a visible sign that the protest was still going.

"We requested a presence from the outside to be witnesses on the island and interact with the government," Sue Eagle said. The protesters say they are glad for the presence and support they have received from MCC and CPT. Both Quiver and members of CPT have been doing research and meeting with media and government officials to try to resolve the conflict.

"Calling on elected officials to honor treaties is important," Kaufman said. According to the sixth article of the Constitution, Kaufman said, there is no time limit on treaties. The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty promises land to the Great Sioux Nation, she said.

"Instead, the governor (Bill Janklow) and senator (Tom Daschle) have collaborated to return the land to the state," she said. "It's not legal. "It has to stop somewhere. There has to be a way to live together or make justice where pain has been," Kaufman said. "This is just a small way we can begin to do this."

Kaufman, who is a niece to Eisenbeis and daughter of S. Roy and Loretta Kaufman, is scheduled to speak at Salem Zion Mennonite (North) Church Sunday, May 2, at 7 p.m. about her work with CPT and the camp on LaFramboise Island.

Now what

LaFramboise Island is a popular spot for tourists and Pierre residents. It offers a view of the Missouri River, fishing from docks and a picnic area. But no camping is allowed.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorized the camp members' stay until April 22. But Quiver and other American Indians say they need authorization from no one to camp on land that is rightfully theirs.

"The governor believes they have a right to be out there," said Bob Mercer, Gov. Bill Janklow's press secretary, of the camp. "It's a peaceful protest. They're expressing their opinions."

Quiver and the other campers are happy to talk with anyone who comes to the encampment seeking information. He said many people have been stopping by out of curiosity.

Protesters held a treaty spiritual walk April 23 to continue to show their solidarity. They are calling for help and asking people who support their cause and its peaceful approach to write to Daschle, Janklow and other politicians who serve on the committee on natural resources or committee on Indian affairs. They hope to bring more attention to their cause, Quiver said.

"Now we're understanding how important getting our land back is. I think our objectives will constantly change as we go down the road. Maybe we'll want world peace before we leave, we don't know. It's an ancient, ancient way of life," Quiver said. And the Sioux and others who have made their stand with Quiver are prepared to stick it out on LaFramboise Island as long as it takes to make sure that way of life is preserved.