On the borderline

Page 24

This week we begin a three part series linking Canada with the Sioux Lakota Nation in northern United States. To Native people, the boarder between the United States and Canada was artificial and Indians travelled across without notice. The settling of the West created two nations, yet to the Indians the border was not a barrier.

This series covers several "border incidents" involving Louis Riel, Chief Joseph, Sitting Bull, and from our own time, Indian prisoner, Leonard Peltier who was extradited from Canada in 1974 and is now serving time in a U.S. prison.

The Canadian Parliament recently deliberated a private member's bill seeking action on what is alleged to be an injustice to Peltier. Again the Canadian government acted against a North American Indian seeking justice in this country.

Guiou Taylor has been at Wounded Knee and Pine Ridge several times, and smoked the pipe with descendants of the history told here.

He adds the following postscript:

In 1973, members of the Pine Ridge Reservation took charge of Wounded Knee to call attention to what they felt were continuing injustices against American Indians. The U.S. Army, National Guard and FBI were along various government forces which responded with a military attack on the handful of Indian present.

The Second Battle of Wounded Knee gained international attention to the plight of Aboriginal people everywhere.

Later, several participants in Wounded Knee II sought refuge in Canada. They were refused and returned to the United States to stand trial.