“Lakota Nation” Confirmed — They Are Not Part of the U.S. — Precedent for Other Indigenous Peoples? Can Rethinking of “U.S.” & “Canada” Be far behind? [Story of the year – MNN. Dec. 25, 2007] The times, they are a-changin’.

On the website formerly known as Lakota Freedom, now hailed as The Republic Of Lakota – you’ll see Canupa Gluha Mani of the Strong Heart Warrior Society of the Lakota Nation (aka: Duane Martin Sr) cutting up his colonial driver’s license. He’s doing this because on December 17th 2007 the Lakota delivered their “Declaration of Continuing Independence“, just in time for the Winter Solstice.

The history of Lakota with the U.S. is long, complex and tragic. They knew something had to change. After the Wounded Knee Occupation of 1973, the International Indian Treaty Council was established. From June 8 to 16 1974 the Council called for a “Western Hemisphere” Conference at Standing Rock Sioux.

Over 5000 delegates of 97 Indigenous Peoples from the Americas gathered. The “manifesto” that was created on that occasion supports the rights of all Indigenous Peoples to live free and take whatever actions are necessary to uphold our sovereignty.

It is rumored that the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, a powerful world leader said that he is considering recognizing the Lakota as an independent nation.

Withdrawing from the treaties is entirely legal. It is within the laws on treaties passed at the Vienna Convention and put into effect by the U.S. and the rest of the international community in 1980.

The Lakota never relinquished their lands and have always refused to accept payment estimated close to $1 billion to give up their sovereignty and nationhood. Offering to buy them out means the USA acknowledges their sovereignty.

They declared the obvious. The lands belong to the various Indigenous peoples and are clearly defined by the treaties. Where there are no treaties, the U.S. and Canada are squatters. Plain and simple!

The indigenous people have the same rights under international law as anyone else, whether a country chooses to acknowledge it or not, as in South Africa. The vast tracts of land, which have been cared for by Lakota ancestors, continue to be theirs despite the delusional fraudulent claims of the colonizing states. Treaties concluded through bribery and with colonial puppets, instead of with valid representatives of Lakota, are not legal.

It should be borne in mind that most, not all, of the treaties ever made with the colonizers granted them only very limited rights that fall far short of the greedy advantages they imagined. They had no intention of ever living up to any treaty. They were hell bent on stealing everything. The U.S. and Canada came as profiteers and fraudulently tried to steal all of the assets they found. Such documents were concocted in clear violation of international law then and now.

This requires the informed consent of the people concerned. No State can incorporate another unless a clear majority of the people have expressed consent through fairly conducted democratic processes based on a clear question. The Six Nations Confederacy and the Algonquins are the title holders of most of the eastern half of what is known as the colonies of Canada and the North eastern U.S.A.

Lakota’s Indigenous laws prohibit alienation of their lands. They hold them as trustees for the coming unborn generations. The Lakota refuse to surrender their own lands. The implementation of the Indian Act and federal Indian law is genocidal. According to article VI of the U.S. Constitution, treaties represent the Supreme Law of the Land binding each party to an inviolable international relationship. Those without treaties with the colonists hold their lands independent and free. The only legal authority are Indigenous folk.

Article II sets out the primary nation-to-nation relationship. In Canada Section 109 of the British North America Act 1867 respects the primary authority of the Indigenous peoples. The U.S.A and Canada have violated the independent Indigenous Peoples by “clerical” action, edicts and pronouncements violating our international treaty rights and authority.

The Lakota declaration of withdrawal from the Treaty of Laramie 1868 is vested in the power of the Lakota people and the children. One individual does not represent the nation. The nation represents the individual. The withdrawal is for the people, elders, mothers, fathers and children including the unborn faces beneath the ground. The Treaty of Laramie was never honored. It’s been a colonial catastrophe,which was not its intent on our part. Indigenous children are still being taken away putting them out of balance from learning the traditional lifeways.

“We are the Lakota Nation of Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana; We are alerting the Family of Nations of our action with the backing of Indigenous, international and U.S. law. Should all Indigenous nations of OUR Hemisphere assert our freedom and independence, what would happen? The action of the “Lakota” is going to have repercussions far and wide. The colonists would go out of business, especially the oligarchs. They would have to work out agreements with all the Indigenous people on whose land they are squatting. Indigenous “liens” on buildings, development, resource extraction and all activities on our land will have to be governed and executed by us. Each Indigenous nation will assert our power over our lands, assets and resources.

“The colonies of U.S. and Canada will just have to become law abiding. They will have to learn to respect indigenous and international law. This will not bring a catastrophe for the ordinary people living on our land. They just have to come to terms with the reality that they are living within our jurisdiction, that they are visitors on our land and that they are required to follow our law. The pointlessness of their former reliance on their handpicked “Indian” puppets set up by the colonial Indian Act band councils and federal Indian law tribal councils will become obvious. These sell-outs will have to live amongst their relatives without colonial power and support.

“Alcohol, money and guns will lose their mystical attraction. The Lakota call upon the world to support this struggle for sovereignty and treaty rights. They pledge their assistance to all sovereign people who seek their independence. The Lakota have invited those living on their lands to join them. Lakota will issue permits to them, passports, driver’s licenses and other documents. Living there would be tax free providing the residents renounce their U.S. citizenship. The Lakota are to open negotiations with the State Department of the U.S.government to establish diplomatic relations. They are setting up offices in Washington and New York City. Are we going to see the other nations of OUR Hemisphere asserting their sovereignty? Don’t let those “dirty rotten lawyers” meddle or intervene. They’re not the ones who decide what the law is. The law belongs to the people. As our ancestors told us, “One nation will take the issue so far. Then another will take it further. Until we all regain everything that is ours“.