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Quote by Leonard Peltier

“If you look at the statistics regarding Native Americans, you will see that most of the tribes since the 70s have improved their economic situation in some form. And this has been brought about by their aggressive assertion of their sovereign treaty rights.”

Quote by Leonard Peltier

Author

Leonard Peltier

Leonard Peltier is an American Indian activist born on September 12, 1944. He is known for his involvement in the American Indian rights movement, particularly his role in the American Indian Movement (AIM). more

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“There are tribes, I should say nations, which prior to the AIM movement had only ten or fifteen employees, and now have upwards of 2000. There are educational programs that didn't exist before, there are housing programs, health programs, senior citizen programs, cultural programs and the list goes on. It's all because some people stood up and said sovereignty is our right by treaty and the constitution says treaty law is the supreme law of the land.”

“With what sovereignty we have retained, we choose to decide for ourselves our needs in accordance with our values, exerting our rights of empowerment under those articles of the treaties.”

Needs Values Rights Empowerment Articles Sovereignty Treaties

Author:Leonard Peltier

“I, however, fear that at some future point there will possibly be concerted backlash against us because of our successes in business and other ventures. I fear this because I see a concerted effort by writers across the countries to sway public opinions by past AIM organizers”

Country Past Effort Opinion Aim Business Success Venture Public Opinion Organizer Backlash

Author:Leonard Peltier

“In the past, when we were initially organizing to bring about changes, our elders had little or no political experience. However, today, most of those American Indian Movement organ-izers are the elders. They are quite adept at bringing attention to the public about any attacks upon our people.”

People Littles Today Past Political Attention Movement Indian Organs Elders American Indian Adept American Indian Movement

Author:Leonard Peltier

“I see, or at least it appears to me, that there is some concerted effort to discredit them, and categorize the American Indian Movement as some adverse entity, as opposed to it being a manifestation of the desperations of a whole race of people.”

People Whole Effort Race Movement Indian Manifestation Entity Desperation American Indian Adverse Discredit American Indian Movement

Author:Leonard Peltier

“Ultimately, I would like to say yes, conditions have improved, but there is still vast room for more improvement; we are still the poorest of the poor. And we are still statistically considered to be extremely disrupted culturally, and have extreme health needs in many areas, as well as high suicide rates and infant mortality rates.”

Needs Wells Stills Poor Rooms Conditions Areas Suicide Rate Extremes Improvement Mortality Infant Poorest Infant Mortality

Author:Leonard Peltier

“I would like to say, historically, from the very beginning, our people have time and again expressed the need for people to live in harmony with the creator, the mother earth, fellow man, and respect our brother's vision. In the past and the present, we have been respon-sible for the greatest gains; cultivated foods and medicines; democratic government, and many other areas of concern.”

People Men Needs Has Beens Government Earth Past Mother Vision Brother Gains Areas Concern Harmony Fellows Medicine Democratic Creator Fellow Man Mother Earth Democratic Government

Author:Leonard Peltier

“It is a written fact that our people had warned of all these consequences of wrongful environmental behavior since our very first contact with the non-Indians. There was a time when our elders used to say to us, "You can't function with one foot in the white man's canoe and one foot in the Indian's canoe." With these extreme environmental concerns taking place on the earth, mankind is all in the same boat. Or better be.”

People Men Firsts Facts Earth Used White Written Feet Mankind Behavior Consequence Concern Function Environmental Extremes Contact Boat Indian White Man Elders First Contact

Author:Leonard Peltier

“There are so many things that we could do but education would be our primary need in this regard. And in obtaining this education we need to also educate ourselves and others to the truths that we have possessed from the beginning that allow men to live in harmony with one another.”

Men Needs Would Be Harmony Regard Primaries Educate Possessed Obtaining

Author:Leonard Peltier

“There is probably a high percentage of Native Americans as well as non-Indians who feel that participating in this greater American economy that you mentioned is and has become a recipe for disaster in the long term, because the response to social and environmental problems has been responded to with a drug mentality, which is to say, anything for the quick fix. And it has trained the public to always believe they are one purchase away from happiness.”