Ottawa Report

Page 2

The head of the Leonard Peltier Defence Committ is a tall bony Indian name Steve Robideau. His journey through life used to be a highway of violence. Twenty years ago he was in prison for armed robbery and assault. Now, he follows the path of peace.

He was walking in a big circle when I met him in Ottawa recently. He was taking part in a two day demonstration on Parliament Hill. There were no speeches or loudspeakers ? just a dozen Indians with picket signs marking in a slow, silent parade. He was asking for Canada's help to free Leonard Peltier from an American prison.

I spoke to Steve Robideau in the shadow of the Peace Tower for more than an hour. His jet-black hair was tied in a single braid that fell to his waist. He wore a thin jacket, a ribbon shirt, blue jeans and cowboy boots. An ugly scar ran half-way across his throat and the index finger on his left hand was missing.

We spoke about the way he had changed his life and about his crusade for Leonard Peltier. I came away surprised ? not by what he said but by the way he said it. He wasn't spouting the militant tough talk from the old days of the American Indian Movement. Instead, he delivered a quiet, soft-spoken message of peace and prayer.

Steve Robideau used to be an Indian warrior in the classic, radical sense. He was at Wounded Knee in 1973 when the American Indian Movement shot it out with the Army and the FBI for more than two months. He helped to smuggle food, medicine and supplies into the village.

Two year later, there was another shoot-out on the same reservation. Steve Robideau wasn't there then but his life hasn't been the same since. Two FBI agents were killed in a six-hour gun battle. One Indian man was also killed. The man was Steve Robideau's cousin-in-law.

Eventually, three Indians were tried for killing the FBI agents. Two of them were acquitted. The jury ruled that they were acting in self-defence. One of the two men acquitted was Steve Ribideau's brother.

The third man was Leonard Peltier. He was arrested in Alberta in 1976. Since then he has insisted that he is innocent. He was convicted, however, and he is now serving two life sentences at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. Leonard Peltier and Steve Robideau are first cousins.

For the past eleven years, Steve Robideau has devoted himself to one full-time, unpaid mission ? trying to free Leonard Peltier. Steve Robideau still considers himself a warrior but the strongest weapon he uses now is the power of prayer.

He must be doing something right. The defence committee he founded and heads has pulled together a world-wide network of supporters. The list includes 55 members of the American Congress, 60 Members of Parliament, groups like Amnesty International and dozens of church leaders.

In the course of our conversation, Steve Robideau said he gave up the use of force, threats and violence because all they produced was pain and death. So he began to follow the instructions of the Great Spirit as handed down by Indian Elders and Indian traditions. That's why prayer ? not violence ? is the driving force behind the defence committee.

The demonstration on Parliament Hill was called a prayer vigil, so the demonstration stopped their march three times a day to hold a prayer ceremony. Steve Robideau prayed for strength and guidance. He prayed to help to win his cousin's freedom. He also prayed for the future of Indian people and the future of the Earth itself.

Steve Robideau is confident that someday Leonard Peltier will get a new trial and be acquitted. But even then, he says his crusade won't be over. He says he'll continue working on behalf of other Native people in prison and he'll continue working with Indian children to pass on the ancient traditions.

Steve Robideau answered my many questions without hesitation but he kept drifting back to his favourite topic ? the importance of prayer and the need for a religious revival amog Indian people.

In addition to seeking his cousin's release, Steve Robideau wants to do two other things with his life. He wants to protect the environment of Mother Earth and he wants to win social justice for Indian people.

There was little more to say. Our conversation was over. As he stood up to resume his place in the silent march on Parliament Hill, Steve Robideau told me that he had a lot of work to do.