I feel like I've lived a hundred lifetimes in prison already. But I'm prepared to live thousands more on behalf of my people. If my imprisonment does nothing than educate an unknowing and uncaring public about the terrible conditions Indian people continue to endure, then my suffering has had - and continues to have - a purpose.
Peltier, who was sentenced to the two concurrent life terms in 1977, has produced some critically acclaimed oil paintings while at Leavenworth, according to an article in the journal the Progressive (July, 2001). "Painting is a way to examine the world in ways denied to me by the United States Justice system, a way to travel beyond the walls and bars of the penitentiary," Peltier is quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, on page 17 of his book, Peltier share some of his Indian philosophy of life, and also, he insists that he is not guilty of the crimes he was sent to prison for:
Speaking out is my first duty, my first obligation to myself and to my people. To speak your mind and heart is Indian Way. In Indian Way, the political and the spiritual are one and the same.
You can't believe one thing and do another. What you believe and what you do are the same thing. In Indian Way, if you see your people suffering, helping them is an absolute necessity. it's not a social act of charity or welfare assistance; it's a spiritual act, a holy deed. I know who and what I am. I am an Indian - an Indian who dared to stand up and to defend his people. I am an innocent man who never murdered anyone nor wanted to...To the still- grieving Coler and Williams families [the FBI agents' families] send my prayers if you will have them. I hope you will...we have many dead of our own to pray for, and we join our prayers of sorrow to yours. Let our common grief be our bond. I state to you absolutely that, if I could possibly have prevented what happened that day, your menfolk would not have died...And I certainly never pulled the trigger that did it. May the...
The stage was set for violent conflict (Incident at Oglala). The American Indian Movement The American Indian Movement (AIM) emerged in the 1960s during the civil rights era. It started in urban areas to protest oppression of the Indian people and to support their traditional way of life. They described themselves as "an indigenous, land-based spiritual movement, a call to Indian people to return to their sacred traditions and, at the
During the same time period, upon learning about the evidence that Hatcher had in his possession "Sheriff Stone and State Bureau of Investigation Agents met and decided they would "have Eddie Hatcher before the week was out." (Federal Trial Transcript Witness Testimony) DISCUSSION These two cases are, at first glance, quite different from one another however; upon a closer look the similarities are shockingly obvious. In each instance, both that of
Wounded Knee II Describe the conditions that led up to Wounded Knee II and the trial of Leonard Peltier. Leonard Peltier has been in prison since 1979, after being convicted of the murder of two FBI agents at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation four years earlier. He was an activist with the American Indian Movement (AIM) and at least on the Left has been regarded as a political prisoner, convicted for a
An interesting aspect to the film is the communities change in attitude towards Delbert. While they had previously shunned him and his brothers they now supported Delbert as they felt that he has been wrongfully accused by the authorities. They also believed that he had been bulled and forced to sign. An interesting insight that the film provides is that the community rallied behind Delbert largely as the result of
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