Grandmothers march to raise treaty awareness By Jack McNeel, Today correspondent Story Published: Oct 24, 2008 Story Updated: Oct 23, 2008


COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Three grandmothers from the Makah Tribe are
doing what they can to raise awareness of treaty rights and how those
rights are not being honored by the federal government.


“Treaties are the supreme law of the land and judges in every state
will adhere to it,” Dotti Chamblin said, quoting the law.


“A treaty is a contract, but it’s never been lived up to by the U.S.
government. We want to give these papers to everybody because it’s all
backed up with facts and truths, and it’s informational,” she said,
holding several pages of information. “Anything to do with treaty
rights, that’s what we’re fighting for and we’re fighting against all
the government agents who do not honor their oath of office.


“We’re just humble grandparents and we’re marching because that’s all
we can do. We want to make the public aware of how important it is and
that you can do something. You can still make a statement; you can
still have your say. We have a responsibility as a grandparent for
those grandchildren. We have that responsibility because we have that
knowledge, the strength and courage to do the fight.”


Chamblin – along with Gail Adams and Rhonda Markishtum, all Makah
tribal members and all grandmothers – has been “marching” from the
northwestern tip of Washington state, where the reservation lies, down
through Washington and on to Portland, Ore. Along the way, they met
with various other tribes. They went to Rep. Norm Dicks office in Port
Angeles, Wash.; the city council; and commissioners and planners in
Clallam County that are involved with Indian affairs. They went to
Gov. Christine Gregoire’s office in Olympia, Wash., and the BIA office
in Portland.


Turning west, they traveled to the Colville and Spokane reservations
before reaching the Coeur d’Alene reservation in Idaho. The distances
required much of the trip to be made by automobile, but they walked
through the towns and other places they could.


Along the way, they talked with people on the streets as well as the
various governmental offices, and passed out literature in a peaceful
protest to alert others to the “atrocities” still being committed
against indigenous peoples. The next stop was the Nez Perce
reservation for the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board
meeting, where they hoped to speak with representatives from 48
Northwestern tribes. They also hoped to attend the National Congress
of American Indians convention in Phoenix.


One treaty violation the three elders spoke of concerned marine
mammals. In a well-publicized case, five tribal members were charged
with violating federal law after killing a gray whale in 2007. All
have served time in jail or are on probation, even though the 1855
Treaty of Neah Bay allows whaling rights for the tribe.


“When our tribe did the whaling, there was hateful racism and life
threats,” Chamblin said. “The general public doesn’t realize all this
land was ours and we ceded it to have health care and other things
[whaling].”


Extending beyond the whaling issue is ocean pollution, caused at least
in part by the dumping of barrels of nuclear waste and the aftermath
of atomic testing. Sea lions are now too toxic for human consumption,
according to information given the tribe, and seals cannot be
harvested despite treaty promises. The women feel the loss of such
traditional foods is at least partly responsible for many of the
medical problems within the tribe.


Another issue of concern is domestic violence. That area has become
Markishtum’s mission. Her life, and the life of her daughter and
grandchild, has been devastated by charges and countercharges about
domestic violence issues and legal matters within the tribe. She hopes
her march will inspire her daughter and granddaughter to be strong,
and hopes also to see a domestic violence center set up in Neah Bay.


As Chamblin summarized, “We don’t work for the tribe, we’re not on
the council, but we are enrolled members of the Makah Tribe and we’re
taking a stand, a serious one.”



Now lets see if the pro ALF hegmony there at Indymedia can bring itself to have some respect for the First Nation of America and not censor off this story.