Declaration of Continuing Independence

BY THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL INDIAN TREATY COUNCIL
AT STANDING ROCK INDIAN COUNTRY JUNE 1974

A long time ago my father told me what his father told him. There was once a Lakota Holy man
called Drinks Water, who visioned what was to be; and this was long before the coming of the
Wasicus. He visioned that the four-legged were going back into the earth and that a strange
race had woven a spider's web all around the Lakotas. And he said, “When this happens, you
shall live in barren lands, and there beside those gray houses you shall starve.” They say he
went back to Mother Earth soon after he saw this vision and it was sorrow that killed him.

Black Elk, Oglala Sioux Holy Man


PREAMBLE

The United States of America has continually violated the independent Native
Peoples of this continent by Executive action, Legislative fiat and Judicial decision. By
its actions, the U.S. has denied all Native people their International Treaty rights, Treaty
lands and basic human rights of freedom and sovereignty. This same U.S. Government,
which fought to throw off the yoke of oppression and gain its own independence, has
now reversed its role and become the oppressor of sovereign Native people.

Might does not make right. Sovereign people of varying cultures have the
absolute right to live in harmony with Mother Earth so long as they do not infringe upon
this same right of other peoples. The denial of this right to any sovereign people, such as
the Native American Indian Nations, must be challenged by truth and action. World
concern must focus on all colonial governments to the end that sovereign people
everywhere shall live as they choose; in peace with dignity and freedom.

The International Indian Treaty Conference hereby adopts this Declaration of
Continuing Independence of the Sovereign Native American Indian Nations. In the
course of these human events, we call upon the people of the world to support this
struggle for our sovereign rights and our treaty rights. We pledge our assistance to all
other sovereign people who seek their own independence.


DECLARATION

The First International Treaty Council of the Western Hemisphere was formed on
the land of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on June 8-16, 1974. The delegates, meeting
under the guidance of the Great Spirit, represented 97 Indian tribes and Nations from
across North and South America.

We, the sovereign Native Peoples recognize that all lands belonging to the various
Native Nations now situated within the boundaries of the U.S. are clearly defined by the
sacred treaties solemnly entered into between the Native Nations and the government of
the United States of America.

We, the sovereign Native Peoples, charge the United States of gross violations of
our International Treaties. Two of the thousands of violations that can be cited are the
“wrongfully taking” of the Black Hills from the Great Sioux Nation in 1877, this sacred
land belonging to the Great Sioux Nation under the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. The
second violation was the forced march of the Cherokee people from their ancestral lands
in the state of Georgia to the then “Indian Territory” of Oklahoma after the Supreme
Court of the United States ruled the Cherokee treaty rights inviolate. The treaty violation,
know as the “Trail of Tears,” brought death to two-thirds of the Cherokee Nation during
the forced march.

The Council further realizes that securing United States recognition of treaties
signed with Native Nations requires a committed and unified struggle, using every
available legal and political resource. Treaties between sovereign nations explicitly entail
agreements with represent “the supreme law of the land” binding each party to an
inviolate international relationship.

We acknowledge the historical fact that the struggle for Independence of the
Peoples of our sacred Mother Earth have always been over sovereignty of land. These
historical freedom efforts have always involved the highest human sacrifice.
We recognize that all Native Nations wish to avoid violence, but we also
recognize that the United States government has always used force and violence to deny
Native Nations basic human and treaty rights.

We adopt this Declaration of Continuing Independence, recognizing that struggle
lies ahead – a struggle certain to be won – and that the human and treaty rights of all
Native Nations will be honored. In this understanding the International Indian Treaty
Council declares:

The United State Government in its Constitution, Article VI, recognizes treaties
as part of the Supreme Law of the United States. We will peacefully pursue all legal and
political avenues to demand United States recognition of its own Constitution in this
regard, and thus to honor its own treaties with Native Nations.

We will seek the support of all world communities in the struggle for the
continuing independence of Native Nations.

We the representatives of sovereign Native Nations united in forming a council to
be known at the International Indian Treaty Council to implement these declarations.

The International Indian Treaty Council will establish offices in Washington,
D.C. and New York City to approach the international forces necessary to obtain the
recognition of our treaties. These offices will establish an initial system of
communications among Native nations to disseminate information, getting a general
consensus of concerning issues, developments and any legislative attempt affecting
Native Nations by the United States of America.

The International Indian Treaty Council recognizes the sovereignty of all Native
Nations and will stand in unity to support our Native and international brothers and
sisters in their respective and collective struggles concerning international treaties and
agreements violated by the United States and other governments.

All treaties between the Sovereign Native Nations and the United States
Government must be interpreted according to the traditional and spiritual ways of the
signatory Native Nations.

We declare our recognition of the Provisional Government of the Independent
Oglala Nation, established by the Traditional Chiefs and Headmen under the provisions
of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty with the Great Sioux Nation at Wounded Knee, March
11, 1973.

We condemn the United States of America for its gross violation of the 1868 Fort
Laramie Treaty in militarily surrounding, killing and starving the citizens of the
Independent Oglala Nation into exile.

We demand the United States of America recognize the sovereignty of the
Independent Oglala Nation and immediately stop all present and future criminal
prosecutions of sovereign Native Peoples. We call upon the conscionable nations of the
world to join us in charging and prosecuting the United States of America for its
genocidal practices against the sovereign Native Nations; most recently illustrated by
Wounded Knee 1973 and the continued refusal to sign the United Nations 1948 Treaty on
Genocide.

We reject all executive orders, legislative acts and judicial decisions of the United
States related to Native Nations since 1871, when the United States unilaterally
suspended treaty- making relations with the Native Nations. This includes, but is not
limited to, the Major Crimes Act, the General Allotment Act, the Citizenship Act of
1924, the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, the Indian Claims Commission Act, Public
Law 280 and the Termination Act. All treaties made between Native Nations and the
United States made prior toe 1871 shall be recognized without further need of
interpretation.

We hereby ally ourselves with the colonized Puerto Rican People in their struggle
for Independence from the same United States of America.

We recognize that there is only one color of Mankind in the world who are not
represented in the United Nations; that is the indigenous Redman of the Western
Hemisphere. We recognize this lack of representation in the United Nations comes from
the genocidal policies of the colonial power of the United States.

The International Indian Treaty Council established by this conference is directed
to make the application to the United Nations for recognition and membership of the
sovereign Native Nations. We pledge our support to any similar application by an
aboriginal people.

This conference directs the Treaty Council to open negotiations with the
government of the United States through its Department of State. We seek these
negotiations in order to establish diplomatic relations with the United States. When these
diplomatic relations have been established, the first order of business shall be to deal with
U.S. violations of treaties with Native Indian Nations, and violations of the rights of those
Native Indian Nations who have refused to sign treaties with the United States.

We, the People of the International Indian Treaty Council, following the guidance
of our elders through instructions from the Great Spirit, and out of respect for our sacred
Mother Earth, all her children, and those yet unborn, offer our lives for our International
Treaty Rights.

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