Tells the story of three indigenous communities and the land they struggle…
American Outrage
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
Carrie and Mary Dann are feisty Western Shoshone sisters who have endured five terrifying livestock roundups by armed federal marshals in which more than a thousand of their horses and cattle were confiscated -- for grazing their livestock on the open range outside their private ranch.
That range is part of 60 million acres recognized as Western Shoshone land by the United States in the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley, but in 1974 the U.S. sued the Dann sisters for trespassing on that land, without a permit. That set off a dispute between the Dann sisters and the U. S. government that swept to the United States Supreme Court and eventually to the Organization of American States and the United Nations.
AMERICAN OUTRAGE asks why the United States government has spent millions persecuting and prosecuting two elderly women grazing a few hundred horses and cows in a desolate desert? The United States Bureau of Land Management insists the sisters are degrading the land. The Dann sisters say the real reason is the resources hidden below this seemingly barren land, their Mother Earth. Western Shoshone land is the second largest gold producing area in the world.
'American Outrage is an important document for all those who want to understand the ongoing resistance of Native peoples to U.S colonialism in Indian country. In documenting this struggle, the film is also an eloquent testament to the courage of the Dann sisters and through them to Native women around the country who have engaged and are engaging in this fight for justice.' Eric Cheyfitz, Director of the American Indian Program, Cornell University
'As Director of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival I have screened thousands of films on human rights over the past 13 years. I applaud filmmakers Beth and George Gage who have achieved that rare film which expertly delivers a potent and timely human rights issue through masterful storytelling, beautiful cinematography, and unforgettable characters. American Outrage is a beautifully crafted, powerful, truly exceptional human rights film whose message and impact will reverberate for years to come.' John H. Biaggi, Director, Human Rights Watch International Film Festival
'Every once in a while you come across a character in a documentary that you know you will not forget for a long time. Carrie Dann is one of those characters. Sadly, her story, like the title rightly tells us, is an outrageous but quintessentially American one: the near-impossible fight to save her pristine land from avaricious government and corporate interests. Compellingly-chronicled by veteran filmmakers Beth and George Gage, American Outrage is a film that will remain not only relevant but essential for decades.' David Holbrooke, Festival Director, Mountainfilm in Telluride
'A beautifully evocative yet morally disturbing documentary. American Outrage provides an excellent history of the Dann sisters' resilience to the dominant culture and of their struggle to maintain a subsistence lifestyle, living wholly and completely with and by their ancestral lands. Their defense of this lifestyle is inextricably linked to their defense against the trespass claims laid against them by the federal government. These complicated legal matters, cinematographically set against breathtaking footage of Shoshone land, are carefully and coherently described by lawyers representing the Dann sisters. The scenes of their humble ranch, of their constant toil to maintain the land and livestock, of their loving family relationships, and of the Tribe's steadfast adherence to its culture and traditions provide a real sense of the deep emotional attachment to their lands and validate their resistance to the terrible injustice done against them and of their rightful indignation. The film lifts this incredible story from the dense pages of the legal opinions and spreads it out in an incredible emotional vista.' Patrice H. Kunesh, Associate Professor of Law, Director, Institute of American Indian Studies, University of South Dakota
'American Outrage tells a story that all Americans should see. It recounts the attempts by Mary and Carrie Dan and the Western Shoshone people to keep their traditional homelands. This is a familiar tale, though, as the United States and the majority society have long used force and 'law' to take the lands and rights of American Indians. This is not just ancient American history, but is an ongoing reality for the Western Shoshone people.' Robert J. Miller (Eastern Shawnee), Professor, Lewis and Clark Law School, Author, Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and Manifest Destiny
'American Outrage shows the continuing application of the Right of Discovery to justify American acquisition of Shoshone land without native consent. The film reveals that the lust for wealth underlies the federal government's quest for Shoshone land and its possible collusion with multi-national corporations to mine the land for gold. This is a must-see documentary for its message that the United States acquisition of tribal lands under the guise of legality continues today, but also for the human story of two Shoshone women who with steel determination resisted both legally and physically the armed seizure of their land and livestock by federal authorities.' Dr. Linda Parker, Professor, Department of American Indian Studies, San Diego State University
'Highly recommended for academic and public libraries, American Outrage is an outstanding resource for courses in history, government, sociology, law, and ethics.' Douglas Reed, Ouachita Baptist University, Educational Media Reviews Online
'[An] epic story...This documentary portrays the Dann sisters' 35-year struggle for their human rights, a microcosm of indigenous peoples across the globe. Classes can utilize this film...to study Native American history, human rights, contemporary legal issues, and women's studies.' Patricia Ann Owens, Wabash Valley College, School Library Journal
'This moving testimonial is essential viewing...[American Outrage] will be appreciated by history buffs, students of Native American history, and general viewers.' Margaret Miller, University of South Dakota Library, Library Journal
'Should be required viewing for every U.S. citizen.' Sarasota Film Festival
'Here is a committed film made by artists taking the Shoshone side in their struggle against the brutal exploitation they still experience.' Presence Autochtone Film Festival, Montreal
'The big twist, as it turns out, is that the Dann's land was on top of a gold mine, making their removal very profitable for some of the world's largest gold companies. The film also points out the great irony that as the US was taking Shoshone lands for their gold, they were also distributing the new Sacajawea coin. Sacajawea, the woman who led Lewis and Clark safely across the West, was also a Shoshone.' Gina Telaroli, Human Rights Watch
'Real Indians. Real Lives. A powerful testament to Indian self-determination and women-power. The Dann sisters deserve our utmost respect.' Michael Smith, Founder and Director, American Indian Film Festival
'Engaging, illuminating...A worthy film that tackles a subject that ultimately embraces the whole history and foundation of the United States.' DVD Talk
Citation
Main credits
Gage, Beth (Producer)
Gage, Beth (Director)
Gage, Beth (Screenwriter)
Gage, George (Producer)
Gage, George (Director)
Steenburgen, Mary (Narrator)
Shenandoah, Joanne (Composer)
Other credits
Editors Suzan Beraza, Scott Conrad; videographer, George Gage; music, Joanne Shenandoah.
Distributor subjects
American Studies; Animal Rights; Anthropology; Biography; Citizenship and Civics; Conflict Resolution; Earth Science; Environment; Environmental Ethics; Environmental Justice; Geography; Geology; Globalization; History; Human Rights; Indigenous Peoples; Law; Mining; Native Americans; Philosophy; Political Science; Science, Technology, Society; Social Justice; Sociology; Water; Western US; Women's StudiesKeywords
WEBVTT
00:00:07.876 --> 00:00:15.876
♪ ♪
00:00:51.959 --> 00:00:53.501
(Carrie)
As far as the Western Shoshone\'s
00:00:53.542 --> 00:00:55.998
been here in this valley,
they\'ve always been here
00:00:55.999 --> 00:00:58.751
from forever, I guess.
00:00:58.792 --> 00:01:02.709
As the creator went by,
he planted his children.
00:01:02.751 --> 00:01:04.998
And it tells us our duties
of what we\'re to do
00:01:04.999 --> 00:01:11.709
as humans here on Earth.
00:01:11.751 --> 00:01:15.083
Most of the important things,
it was the land,
00:01:15.125 --> 00:01:18.334
the water, and the air
and the sun to us.
00:01:18.375 --> 00:01:20.959
Each one of those
represent life.
00:01:20.999 --> 00:01:22.584
And if you don\'t have
one of those,
00:01:22.626 --> 00:01:24.999
there will be no life.
00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:37.998
[woman singing
in native language]
00:01:37.999 --> 00:01:45.999
♪ ♪
00:01:55.334 --> 00:01:57.334
(Steenburgen)
In 1863,
00:01:57.375 --> 00:02:00.209
the United States
was embroiled in civil war
00:02:00.250 --> 00:02:03.998
and needed safe passage
across Western Shoshone lands
00:02:03.999 --> 00:02:06.000
to get to the gold fields
in California
00:02:06.042 --> 00:02:09.792
to subsidize their war.
00:02:09.834 --> 00:02:12.834
So the United States
and the Western Shoshone
00:02:12.876 --> 00:02:15.709
signed the Treaty of Ruby Valley,
00:02:15.751 --> 00:02:19.209
a treaty of peace
and friendship.
00:02:19.250 --> 00:02:23.792
The Western Shoshone never
forfeited any of their land.
00:02:32.083 --> 00:02:36.292
Carrie and Mary Dann
are Western Shoshone sisters
00:02:36.334 --> 00:02:39.167
who live and ranch
outside Crescent Valley
00:02:39.209 --> 00:02:41.999
in north central Nevada.
00:02:44.751 --> 00:02:48.042
Their ranch is off a long,
rutted dirt road
00:02:48.083 --> 00:02:52.334
literally in the middle
of nowhere.
00:02:52.375 --> 00:02:56.083
They have always grazed their livestock
on the open range
00:02:56.125 --> 00:02:59.209
outside their ranch.
00:02:59.250 --> 00:03:01.998
That range
is part of 60-million acres
00:03:01.999 --> 00:03:04.459
recognized as Western Shoshone land
00:03:04.501 --> 00:03:07.334
in the Treaty of Ruby Valley.
00:03:14.417 --> 00:03:17.998
In 1973,
the Bureau of Land Management
00:03:17.999 --> 00:03:21.792
informed the Danns that their animals
were trespassing,
00:03:21.834 --> 00:03:26.542
trespassing on United States
public land without a permit.
00:03:26.584 --> 00:03:28.999
That set off a dispute
between the Dann sisters
00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:30.792
and the United States
00:03:30.834 --> 00:03:35.542
that swept to the United States
Supreme Court and beyond.
00:03:42.250 --> 00:03:43.998
(Mary)
I was out riding.
00:03:43.999 --> 00:03:47.542
And then when I came back,
one of my brothers told me,
00:03:47.584 --> 00:03:50.998
\"There\'s a BLM guy
waiting for you.\"
00:03:50.999 --> 00:03:53.998
So I unsaddled,
and I asked him to come in,
00:03:53.999 --> 00:03:55.792
offered him coffee.
00:03:55.834 --> 00:03:57.709
He didn\'t want coffee
so he just,
00:03:57.751 --> 00:03:59.375
\"Did you know
you\'re trespassing?\"
00:03:59.417 --> 00:04:02.417
I says, \"No, I\'m not.\"
00:04:02.459 --> 00:04:04.667
And he told me I was.
00:04:04.709 --> 00:04:07.792
Then I went and got my map,
and I showed it to him,
00:04:07.834 --> 00:04:11.459
you know,
that I\'m within that boundary.
00:04:11.501 --> 00:04:13.292
And he looked at it and,
00:04:13.334 --> 00:04:15.998
\"Well, this is a large area.\"
00:04:15.999 --> 00:04:18.998
I says, \"Yes, it is, and I\'m not
over the boundary yet.
00:04:18.999 --> 00:04:22.125
\"If I had gone over
onto Paiute land,
00:04:22.167 --> 00:04:27.998
then I would say
I was trespassing,\" I told him.
00:04:27.999 --> 00:04:29.998
So he says,
\"Well, why don\'t you come up
00:04:29.999 --> 00:04:32.417
\"to an advisory board meeting,
00:04:32.459 --> 00:04:34.918
and we might
work something out for you.\"
00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:38.250
I said
I wasn\'t going to go up there.
00:04:38.292 --> 00:04:39.459
But I should\'ve told him,
00:04:39.501 --> 00:04:41.959
\"You\'re the one
that\'s trespassing.\"
00:04:41.999 --> 00:04:44.751
But I never thought that way
at that time.
00:04:44.792 --> 00:04:47.042
(Carrie)
Up to 1973,
00:04:47.083 --> 00:04:50.626
you know, we never had problems
with our neighbors.
00:04:50.667 --> 00:04:54.542
I think we have coexisted
peacefully with them.
00:04:54.584 --> 00:04:57.042
And that was what
the Treaty of Ruby Valley was about.
00:04:57.083 --> 00:04:58.999
It\'s called peace
and friendship.
00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:01.998
I think it\'s really important
for people to understand
00:05:01.999 --> 00:05:03.998
that you\'re supposed to share.
00:05:03.999 --> 00:05:07.083
You share the Earth,
because the Earth is common.
00:05:07.125 --> 00:05:10.999
We hold that in common
with all life.
00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:12.998
Not bad.
Not bad.
00:05:12.999 --> 00:05:14.250
Just make it real brown.
00:05:15.792 --> 00:05:17.667
(Steenburgen)
In 1974,
00:05:17.709 --> 00:05:22.417
the United States sued
Mary and Carrie Dann for trespass.
00:05:22.459 --> 00:05:24.709
They based their suit
on a stipulation
00:05:24.751 --> 00:05:28.792
by the Indian Claims Commission,
a federal agency,
00:05:28.834 --> 00:05:31.667
that stated in 1962,
00:05:31.709 --> 00:05:33.876
\"The Western Shoshone
had lost its land
00:05:33.918 --> 00:05:38.998
to the United States
by gradual encroachment.\"
00:05:38.999 --> 00:05:42.626
The Western Shoshone
were not permitted to testify,
00:05:42.667 --> 00:05:47.667
and the Treaty of Ruby Valley
was never mentioned.
00:05:47.709 --> 00:05:49.998
(Coulter)
The Indian Claims Commission
00:05:49.999 --> 00:05:52.626
accepted the idea
that the Western Shoshone
00:05:52.667 --> 00:05:55.083
lost their land
by gradual encroachment.
00:05:55.125 --> 00:05:56.501
Well, nobody else in the world
00:05:56.542 --> 00:05:59.501
loses land
by gradual encroachment.
00:05:59.542 --> 00:06:02.417
That\'s like saying a trespasser
gains title to your house
00:06:02.459 --> 00:06:04.998
by trespassing on your yard.
00:06:04.999 --> 00:06:08.334
It\'s nonsense.
00:06:09.751 --> 00:06:12.999
(Carrie)
The land is very important to us.
00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:16.998
It is very sacred
to the Western Shoshone people.
00:06:16.999 --> 00:06:18.998
It represents life.
00:06:18.999 --> 00:06:22.417
And to take our land
is to take our life.
00:06:25.501 --> 00:06:27.667
Everything had a prayer
that went with it.
00:06:27.709 --> 00:06:30.709
And whatever they took
from the land, from the Earth,
00:06:30.751 --> 00:06:33.918
they certainly have some type
of little family ceremony
00:06:33.959 --> 00:06:35.584
thanking the Earth
for the things
00:06:35.626 --> 00:06:39.000
that she\'s going to give you
and things like that.
00:06:39.042 --> 00:06:40.209
They lived with a prayer.
00:06:40.250 --> 00:06:41.998
They\'re very spiritual people.
00:06:41.999 --> 00:06:44.250
That\'s a leek too.
00:06:44.292 --> 00:06:45.751
Oh, look how big they are.
00:06:45.792 --> 00:06:49.250
Oh, my goodness.
00:06:49.292 --> 00:06:50.292
Too soft?
00:06:50.334 --> 00:06:53.000
No, they\'re ready.
00:06:53.042 --> 00:06:56.375
When you cook them in cones,
I bet they\'re ready, Mary.
00:06:56.417 --> 00:06:57.876
They\'re full.
00:06:57.918 --> 00:07:00.751
You know, it takes forever
for pine nut to grow.
00:07:04.417 --> 00:07:06.876
(Carrie)
There\'s spirits all over.
00:07:06.918 --> 00:07:07.999
All life has spirit,
00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:10.959
whether it\'s plant life,
animal life,
00:07:10.999 --> 00:07:12.998
bird life, fish life.
00:07:12.999 --> 00:07:14.584
And our grandma used to tell us,
00:07:14.626 --> 00:07:17.918
if you go out somewhere,
you\'re never lonesome,
00:07:17.959 --> 00:07:22.876
because you are among
the children of the Earth.
00:07:38.459 --> 00:07:43.998
Every food you get,
from a grain to an animal,
00:07:43.999 --> 00:07:46.375
they all have life.
00:07:46.417 --> 00:07:47.998
And some people say,
00:07:47.999 --> 00:07:51.959
\"Well, I\'m a vegetarian
because I don\'t want to take life.\"
00:07:51.999 --> 00:07:57.626
Every time you eat
a grain of rice, a grain of wheat,
00:07:57.667 --> 00:07:59.250
you\'re eating life,
00:07:59.292 --> 00:08:03.834
life that grain
has given to you.
00:08:03.876 --> 00:08:05.375
But don\'t waste it.
00:08:05.417 --> 00:08:08.334
Use it.
00:08:08.375 --> 00:08:12.375
Animals are given to you
for you to take their life.
00:08:12.417 --> 00:08:16.083
You give thanks for that life
that\'s given to you
00:08:16.125 --> 00:08:18.751
so that you can be healthy.
00:08:18.792 --> 00:08:20.042
Don\'t cut yourself.
00:08:20.083 --> 00:08:21.998
Well, that\'s a lot of blood.
00:08:21.999 --> 00:08:23.417
You don\'t worry about blood.
00:08:23.459 --> 00:08:24.876
You\'re going to become a hunter.
00:08:24.918 --> 00:08:27.998
Grandma, I\'m not going
to be a hunter.
00:08:27.999 --> 00:08:29.998
You\'re not going to be a hunter?
00:08:29.999 --> 00:08:33.000
What the hell
you going to be, then?
00:08:33.042 --> 00:08:34.292
Pilot.
00:08:34.334 --> 00:08:36.998
A pilot?
00:08:36.999 --> 00:08:39.999
[speaking native language]
00:08:42.334 --> 00:08:44.626
We must be hunters.
00:08:44.667 --> 00:08:45.834
Okay.
00:08:45.876 --> 00:08:47.334
(Carrie)
You\'ve got to use something
00:08:47.375 --> 00:08:51.292
so that the creator knows that
you enjoy what he has given you
00:08:51.334 --> 00:08:54.459
and that
he\'s going to give you more.
00:08:55.876 --> 00:08:57.918
(Steenburgen)
In 1979,
00:08:57.959 --> 00:09:01.834
the Indian Claims Commission
stipulated that 1872
00:09:01.876 --> 00:09:04.999
was when the Western Shoshone
lost their land.
00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:07.998
And based on 1872 prices,
00:09:07.999 --> 00:09:14.999
they allotted $26 million
for the loss of 24 million acres.
00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:18.250
The Western Shoshone
refused to accept payment
00:09:18.292 --> 00:09:21.209
for their mother Earth.
00:09:21.250 --> 00:09:23.334
It was accepted
by the Secretary of the Interior
00:09:23.375 --> 00:09:26.876
as a trustee
for the Western Shoshone people.
00:09:26.918 --> 00:09:28.584
The Secretary of the Interior,
00:09:28.626 --> 00:09:30.542
to me,
has a conflict of interest.
00:09:30.584 --> 00:09:32.042
It serves the United States.
00:09:32.083 --> 00:09:36.042
At the same time, it denies us
our rights to our land.
00:09:36.083 --> 00:09:38.292
As a trustee,
it\'s supposed to see
00:09:38.334 --> 00:09:41.542
that our rights are protected.
00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:51.000
You better see
that it\'s straight, Mary.
00:09:51.042 --> 00:09:53.375
It\'s tough now.
00:09:53.417 --> 00:09:54.751
(Carrie)
We live in two worlds.
00:09:54.792 --> 00:09:58.083
We see the Western civilized
society on one side,
00:09:58.125 --> 00:10:01.292
and we see our own rules
on which we should live by.
00:10:01.334 --> 00:10:05.999
And it\'s hard because, to us,
the real world is here.
00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:08.167
We are still of the old world,
00:10:08.209 --> 00:10:10.542
because we tried the best we can
00:10:10.584 --> 00:10:14.542
to live a spiritual
and cultural life.
00:10:14.584 --> 00:10:16.209
Good enough.
00:10:16.250 --> 00:10:18.918
Are you sure?
00:10:18.959 --> 00:10:21.542
Are you sure?
00:10:21.584 --> 00:10:28.334
Seems even closer
than it was the last time.
00:10:28.375 --> 00:10:29.667
Yeah, see it was -
00:10:29.709 --> 00:10:31.584
I thought you told me
it was out that way.
00:10:31.626 --> 00:10:32.998
Go to - no.
00:10:32.999 --> 00:10:34.584
[speaking native language]
00:10:34.626 --> 00:10:36.626
I already told you.
00:10:41.999 --> 00:10:43.709
All except
for that one post down there.
00:10:43.751 --> 00:10:45.209
I don\'t know
what kind of eyes you\'ve got,
00:10:45.250 --> 00:10:46.709
but...
00:10:46.751 --> 00:10:53.501
Jesus, man, every damn post
that\'s gone in is wrong.
00:10:53.542 --> 00:10:55.709
Looks straight to me.
00:11:05.999 --> 00:11:08.209
[speaking native language]
00:11:08.250 --> 00:11:10.334
It\'s the last time.
00:11:10.375 --> 00:11:12.125
No more.
00:11:18.709 --> 00:11:19.709
That\'s the last time.
00:11:19.751 --> 00:11:21.751
I\'m not going back there
no more.
00:11:21.792 --> 00:11:24.250
Good enough.
00:11:24.292 --> 00:11:29.667
[speaking native language]
00:11:29.709 --> 00:11:31.834
(Carrie)
And I find it quite appalling
00:11:31.876 --> 00:11:34.667
that a country
like the United States
00:11:34.709 --> 00:11:39.501
is legitimizing the theft
of the Western Shoshone land.
00:11:39.542 --> 00:11:40.876
It is offering us money
00:11:40.918 --> 00:11:43.751
for something
that we have no desire to sell
00:11:43.792 --> 00:11:45.998
and something we cannot sell
00:11:45.999 --> 00:11:48.709
because of its sacredness to us.
00:11:48.751 --> 00:11:52.334
I look at that
as spiritual genocide
00:11:52.375 --> 00:11:54.709
against the Western Shoshone people,
00:11:54.751 --> 00:11:58.292
that believe the Earth
is its mother.
00:11:58.334 --> 00:12:01.083
It\'s a death that nobody
will ever understand.
00:12:01.125 --> 00:12:04.542
It\'s a spiritual death.
00:12:06.709 --> 00:12:07.959
(Hankins)
The U.S. government
00:12:07.999 --> 00:12:09.042
did sign a treaty
00:12:09.083 --> 00:12:12.876
of peace and friendship
with the Western Shoshone.
00:12:12.918 --> 00:12:18.083
That treaty did not cede land
to the U.S. government.
00:12:18.125 --> 00:12:20.751
Since the treaty was signed,
00:12:20.792 --> 00:12:23.959
there has been
substantial immigration
00:12:23.999 --> 00:12:27.918
of people into northern
and central Nevada.
00:12:27.959 --> 00:12:29.667
Many of those people who came
00:12:29.709 --> 00:12:33.459
settled on lands
that were ancestral homelands
00:12:33.501 --> 00:12:34.751
of the Shoshone people.
00:12:45.999 --> 00:12:47.459
(Carrie)
We didn\'t feel like we were
00:12:47.501 --> 00:12:51.334
impacting the United States
in any way because of,
00:12:51.375 --> 00:12:52.998
you know,
the Treaty of Ruby Valley.
00:12:52.999 --> 00:12:54.999
It did not cede land
to the United States,
00:12:55.000 --> 00:12:58.250
so therefore,
it\'s still Western Shoshone land.
00:13:00.209 --> 00:13:03.667
We never went to the BLM
for a grazing permit.
00:13:03.709 --> 00:13:06.167
We never asked
the BLM for anything.
00:13:06.209 --> 00:13:08.250
We have never asked
the federal government
00:13:08.292 --> 00:13:10.999
to do anything for us.
00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:15.000
But they denied us the use
of our own land.
00:13:15.042 --> 00:13:16.125
And even worse today,
00:13:16.167 --> 00:13:20.334
they deny us the right to make
a living off our own land.
00:13:23.999 --> 00:13:26.083
(Fishel)
I first met Mary and Carrie -
00:13:26.125 --> 00:13:27.459
I was coming out to their ranch
00:13:27.501 --> 00:13:30.375
with the attorney
that introduced me to this case.
00:13:30.417 --> 00:13:32.417
You know, I\'d been told
by people who were involved,
00:13:32.459 --> 00:13:33.876
like, in the \'80s, you know,
00:13:33.918 --> 00:13:35.709
at the Senate
Indian Affairs Committee
00:13:35.751 --> 00:13:36.918
and others that say,
00:13:36.959 --> 00:13:39.417
\"You\'re working
on the Western Shoshone case?
00:13:39.459 --> 00:13:40.998
Good luck.\"
00:13:40.999 --> 00:13:43.584
So I knew there weren\'t going
to be a lot of people lining up
00:13:43.626 --> 00:13:45.167
to help them out.
00:13:45.209 --> 00:13:47.626
You know,
we were sitting there in D.C.
00:13:47.667 --> 00:13:49.375
And I watched
the Department of Interior,
00:13:49.417 --> 00:13:52.292
who\'s supposed to be the trustee
for the Western Shoshone,
00:13:52.334 --> 00:13:56.042
get up there and say
that the treaty
00:13:56.083 --> 00:13:57.998
had been abrogated
by this commission.
00:13:57.999 --> 00:14:00.125
That\'s preposterous.
00:14:00.167 --> 00:14:03.667
I was just so angry
that people can get up there
00:14:03.709 --> 00:14:06.459
and just abuse
their power like that
00:14:06.501 --> 00:14:08.125
against people with nothing
00:14:08.167 --> 00:14:10.209
and people who are so honorable.
00:14:10.250 --> 00:14:11.792
And Carrie
was sitting across from me.
00:14:11.834 --> 00:14:12.998
She says to me,
00:14:12.999 --> 00:14:14.998
\"So what do you think
of our trustee now, Julie?\"
00:14:14.999 --> 00:14:16.250
And I said,
\"Fire him.\"
00:14:16.292 --> 00:14:18.125
She said, \"We never hired him
in the first place.
00:14:18.167 --> 00:14:19.542
How are we supposed
to fire him?\"
00:14:19.584 --> 00:14:20.918
And I was like,
\"Oh, man.\"
00:14:20.959 --> 00:14:22.209
And I just
looked at these people,
00:14:22.250 --> 00:14:23.998
all these Shoshone people
at this table,
00:14:23.999 --> 00:14:25.751
and they were laughing
and eating.
00:14:25.792 --> 00:14:28.000
And I thought,
\"These people are incredible.\"
00:14:28.042 --> 00:14:29.918
And I thought,
\"This is their life.
00:14:29.959 --> 00:14:31.999
All they\'ve ever known
is this injustice.\"
00:14:34.999 --> 00:14:36.626
(Coulter)
The United States law
00:14:36.667 --> 00:14:38.167
says that Indian nations
are in a state
00:14:38.209 --> 00:14:40.998
of permanent involuntary
trusteeship
00:14:40.999 --> 00:14:42.792
subject to the federal government
00:14:42.834 --> 00:14:45.792
with no opportunity
to free themselves
00:14:45.834 --> 00:14:47.125
from that trusteeship.
00:14:47.167 --> 00:14:49.626
Nobody else in the United States
is treated like that
00:14:49.667 --> 00:14:53.998
except for infants,
disabled, and insane people...
00:14:53.999 --> 00:14:55.709
and Indian tribes.
00:14:55.751 --> 00:14:59.998
It\'s, frankly, in violation
of the United States Constitution.
00:14:59.999 --> 00:15:01.584
Why does Congress do it?
00:15:01.626 --> 00:15:03.959
Well, because they can.
00:15:03.999 --> 00:15:06.125
Why did the United States courts
put up with it?
00:15:06.167 --> 00:15:07.334
I don\'t know.
00:15:07.375 --> 00:15:09.542
We attempted to challenge
00:15:09.584 --> 00:15:11.334
the Indian Claims
Commission proceedings
00:15:11.375 --> 00:15:13.000
in five different cases.
00:15:13.042 --> 00:15:14.999
When we argued these cases
00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:17.250
and said,
\"This is unconstitutional.
00:15:17.292 --> 00:15:18.751
\"This is discriminatory.
00:15:18.792 --> 00:15:20.751
\"This violates the equal
protection clause,
00:15:20.792 --> 00:15:22.459
the fifth amendment and so on,\"
00:15:22.501 --> 00:15:24.999
they simply wouldn\'t hear of it.
00:15:30.999 --> 00:15:32.459
(Sewall)
The Supreme Court,
00:15:32.501 --> 00:15:33.999
taking a very narrow view,
00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:37.000
looked at the fact that
the Secretary of the Interior,
00:15:37.042 --> 00:15:40.209
as trustee over
the Western Shoshone people,
00:15:40.250 --> 00:15:43.876
had accepted this award
on their behalf
00:15:43.918 --> 00:15:46.959
and said, \"Well, it\'s clear
that the Shoshone people
00:15:46.999 --> 00:15:50.334
\"have been paid under
the Indian Claims Commission Act,
00:15:50.375 --> 00:15:54.000
\"and therefore, they have no
right to come before this court
00:15:54.042 --> 00:15:57.584
and argue that they
have title to these lands.\"
00:15:57.626 --> 00:16:01.751
So you have the government
taking money out of one pocket
00:16:01.792 --> 00:16:03.998
and putting into another pocket
00:16:03.999 --> 00:16:06.334
and stating
that justice has been done
00:16:06.375 --> 00:16:09.626
and the Shoshone people
have spoken.
00:16:12.999 --> 00:16:14.375
(Cheyfitz)
Federal Indian law
00:16:14.417 --> 00:16:17.834
is a separate body of law
that governs Indian people.
00:16:17.876 --> 00:16:20.167
And it is a colonial body of law
00:16:20.209 --> 00:16:22.250
that essentially declared
that the U.S. government
00:16:22.292 --> 00:16:24.998
held absolute title
to Indian land.
00:16:24.999 --> 00:16:26.375
And it declared
it under something
00:16:26.417 --> 00:16:27.998
called the Doctrine of Discovery,
00:16:27.999 --> 00:16:30.542
which essentially gave Europeans
the right by virtue
00:16:30.584 --> 00:16:34.083
of being Christian Europeans
to take over this land.
00:16:34.125 --> 00:16:38.334
That doctrine has not been
removed from federal Indian law
00:16:38.375 --> 00:16:39.918
to this day.
00:16:39.959 --> 00:16:42.292
This is something Carrie Dann
has stressed over and over.
00:16:42.334 --> 00:16:43.584
And I agree with her entirely.
00:16:43.626 --> 00:16:45.292
We have not faced up
to our history,
00:16:45.334 --> 00:16:47.998
certainly not the history
of stealing land from Indians
00:16:47.999 --> 00:16:50.042
and the current condition
of Indians.
00:16:50.083 --> 00:16:51.998
We don\'t like
to use the word \"genocide\"
00:16:51.999 --> 00:16:53.292
with what happened
to the Indians,
00:16:53.334 --> 00:16:55.167
but it was a genocide.
00:16:55.209 --> 00:16:57.292
There were 4 million
to 5 million native peoples
00:16:57.334 --> 00:17:01.834
in the continental
United States in 1492.
00:17:01.876 --> 00:17:03.918
By the end of the 19th century,
00:17:03.959 --> 00:17:07.959
there were 250,000
native people left
00:17:07.999 --> 00:17:11.083
because of genocidal practices.
00:17:11.125 --> 00:17:14.250
What Americans need
to wrap their minds around
00:17:14.292 --> 00:17:16.998
is that because something
is legal -
00:17:16.999 --> 00:17:20.000
Hitler had laws to destroy
the Jewish people,
00:17:20.042 --> 00:17:21.999
the Nuremberg Laws, for example.
00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:26.459
Because something is legal
does not mean that it\'s just.
00:17:29.083 --> 00:17:31.209
(Hankins)
The major issue the BLM
00:17:31.250 --> 00:17:34.584
has had
with the Dann sisters is,
00:17:34.626 --> 00:17:36.459
not only have
they been in trespass,
00:17:36.501 --> 00:17:38.876
but more specifically,
00:17:38.918 --> 00:17:41.417
they have been
running so many animals,
00:17:41.459 --> 00:17:46.709
and the range land has become
significantly degraded
00:17:46.751 --> 00:17:49.918
over the last 10 or 15 years.
00:17:49.959 --> 00:17:51.125
(Carrie)
Why are they accusing us
00:17:51.167 --> 00:17:53.083
of degradating the land?
00:17:53.125 --> 00:17:54.998
We\'re not degradating the land.
00:17:54.999 --> 00:17:58.125
You go out here and look
at the land that we used
00:17:58.167 --> 00:17:59.501
for our animals.
00:17:59.542 --> 00:18:03.334
And yet you go ten miles that way,
ten miles that way,
00:18:03.375 --> 00:18:05.998
ten miles that way,
and ten miles that way,
00:18:05.999 --> 00:18:08.083
you\'re going to find
the same condition.
00:18:08.125 --> 00:18:09.709
(Mary)
Yes.
00:18:09.751 --> 00:18:11.167
(Carrie)
And we weren\'t overgrazing.
00:18:11.209 --> 00:18:13.459
The overgrazing
is not the issue.
00:18:13.501 --> 00:18:14.751
The issue is the land.
00:18:14.792 --> 00:18:17.083
They want their resources.
00:18:17.125 --> 00:18:21.751
We have made numerous overtures
to the Danns.
00:18:21.792 --> 00:18:25.626
We have asked them
if they would be willing
00:18:25.667 --> 00:18:27.998
to get a grazing permit.
00:18:27.999 --> 00:18:30.667
And their position
has always been,
00:18:30.709 --> 00:18:32.167
\"These are Shoshone lands,
00:18:32.209 --> 00:18:35.918
and we aren\'t
going to work with the BLM.\"
00:18:35.959 --> 00:18:40.501
They\'re trying to address
land rights or treaty rights,
00:18:40.542 --> 00:18:42.709
and their view of that
and the U.S. government\'s view
00:18:42.751 --> 00:18:43.998
is different.
00:18:43.999 --> 00:18:45.667
(Herman)
Last year,
00:18:45.709 --> 00:18:48.000
the Bureau of Land Management,
which is the BLM,
00:18:48.042 --> 00:18:51.834
under the argument that
the Danns were trespassing
00:18:51.876 --> 00:18:52.998
on their own land,
00:18:52.999 --> 00:18:55.334
came in and confiscated
over 500 head of horses
00:18:55.375 --> 00:18:58.626
and took over 200 head of cattle
from their land.
00:18:58.667 --> 00:18:59.998
(Hankins)
In the case
00:18:59.999 --> 00:19:02.250
of impounding of livestock,
00:19:02.292 --> 00:19:06.918
we have given them
numerous notices
00:19:06.959 --> 00:19:10.876
that if they
would not work with us,
00:19:10.918 --> 00:19:13.876
that could be the consequence.
00:19:13.918 --> 00:19:16.626
Actually, there\'s been three
attempts on the horses
00:19:16.667 --> 00:19:17.834
and two on the cows.
00:19:17.876 --> 00:19:21.209
In April of 1992,
a single BLM agent
00:19:21.250 --> 00:19:23.918
with contract cowboys
attempted to round up
00:19:23.959 --> 00:19:25.876
a bunch of their cattle.
00:19:25.918 --> 00:19:28.998
Those animals are being driven
not by my people
00:19:28.999 --> 00:19:31.501
but by the Bureau
of Land Management,
00:19:31.542 --> 00:19:34.959
supposedly my trustee.
00:19:34.999 --> 00:19:38.998
These are Western Shoshone
cattle cows.
00:19:38.999 --> 00:19:40.959
I have a valid claim,
00:19:40.999 --> 00:19:44.959
but the Secretary
of the Interior will not allow it.
00:19:44.999 --> 00:19:48.792
I have a right
to protect my livestock.
00:19:48.834 --> 00:19:49.959
I can\'t allow you to -
00:19:49.999 --> 00:19:52.000
You\'re hurting me.
00:19:52.042 --> 00:19:54.501
If you don\'t mind...
00:19:54.542 --> 00:19:55.999
Lee, you\'re hurting me.
00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:57.542
You\'re hurting me, god damn it.
00:19:57.584 --> 00:19:58.584
You\'re hurting me.
00:19:58.626 --> 00:20:00.584
Let me go.
00:20:00.626 --> 00:20:01.792
I said,
\"Let me go.\"
00:20:01.834 --> 00:20:04.459
Carrie?
00:20:04.501 --> 00:20:05.501
Carrie, please.
00:20:05.542 --> 00:20:07.501
These are my livestock.
00:20:07.542 --> 00:20:09.209
You\'re hurting my arm, Lee.
00:20:09.250 --> 00:20:10.998
You\'re hurting me.
00:20:10.999 --> 00:20:13.459
You\'re hurting me.
00:20:13.501 --> 00:20:14.501
Carrie,
I cannot -
00:20:14.542 --> 00:20:17.501
You\'re hurting me, god damn it!
00:20:17.542 --> 00:20:19.501
You\'re hurting me.
00:20:22.999 --> 00:20:25.042
(Sewall)
And that was successfully thwarted
00:20:25.083 --> 00:20:28.542
when Carrie Dann
climbed into the loading shoot
00:20:28.584 --> 00:20:29.584
and wouldn\'t get out,
00:20:29.626 --> 00:20:34.042
thereby preventing them
from loading it.
00:20:34.083 --> 00:20:36.209
They didn\'t have
a bunch of agents on hand,
00:20:36.250 --> 00:20:42.667
so they decided to let
the cows go at that point.
00:20:42.709 --> 00:20:45.918
And then unfortunately,
the following November of 1992,
00:20:45.959 --> 00:20:50.083
they came in quite heavily
with force and helicopters
00:20:50.125 --> 00:20:51.250
and were here -
00:20:51.292 --> 00:20:53.709
I believe they were here
for almost a week
00:20:53.751 --> 00:20:58.375
doing a roundup in which
they confiscated over 200 horses.
00:20:59.959 --> 00:21:02.000
Come on up.
00:21:02.042 --> 00:21:03.417
(Carrie)
That\'s when Cliff
00:21:03.459 --> 00:21:04.998
poured gas all over himself
00:21:04.999 --> 00:21:06.999
threatening
to set himself on fire.
00:21:10.250 --> 00:21:12.999
Okay, now you guys can shoot me.
00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:15.501
Yeah, we\'re not going
to shoot anybody.
00:21:15.542 --> 00:21:18.375
Let\'s get that clear
right now, okay?
00:21:18.417 --> 00:21:19.542
Somebody\'s going to die
00:21:19.584 --> 00:21:21.375
or them cows
are going to be released.
00:21:21.417 --> 00:21:23.217
That\'s a federal thing,
and that\'s between you
00:21:23.250 --> 00:21:25.417
and the Bureau of Land Management
and the Department of the Interior.
00:21:25.459 --> 00:21:28.998
I want to proceed
down this county road.
00:21:28.999 --> 00:21:29.999
Well, we\'ll let you by.
00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:31.417
Okay, and...
00:21:31.459 --> 00:21:33.375
Move the truck.
00:21:33.417 --> 00:21:36.584
Let the man pass.
00:21:36.626 --> 00:21:38.626
[explosion]
00:21:42.209 --> 00:21:45.209
[frantic yelling]
00:21:52.667 --> 00:21:53.667
(man)
Get him down!
00:21:53.709 --> 00:21:55.667
Get him down!
00:21:55.709 --> 00:21:57.626
Get him down!
00:22:01.626 --> 00:22:03.918
Let me go, I said.
00:22:03.959 --> 00:22:06.626
Stop right now, Carrie.
00:22:06.667 --> 00:22:09.459
(woman)
We don\'t want you to get...
00:22:09.501 --> 00:22:10.959
Let me go.
00:22:10.999 --> 00:22:13.334
(woman)
We don\'t want you to -
00:22:13.375 --> 00:22:15.998
You know, you\'re going
to crush my heart.
00:22:15.999 --> 00:22:18.876
Let me go!
Ouch.
00:22:18.918 --> 00:22:21.999
How dare you guys
do that to that man.
00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:24.167
He\'s got blood all over him.
00:22:24.209 --> 00:22:27.626
Totally wrong.
00:22:56.959 --> 00:23:00.834
(Sewall) The BLM came in here
last September.
00:23:00.876 --> 00:23:03.250
They came in before sunrise.
00:23:03.292 --> 00:23:06.417
Around 4:15,
4:30 in the morning,
00:23:06.459 --> 00:23:07.834
we see off on the horizon,
00:23:07.876 --> 00:23:10.792
we see all these lines
of headlights coming
00:23:10.834 --> 00:23:14.999
as well as supporting semis,
fuel trucks, helicopters.
00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:18.918
And it\'s just dozens
and dozens of armed agents,
00:23:18.959 --> 00:23:21.876
bulletproof vests,
automatic pistols.
00:23:21.918 --> 00:23:24.999
And we stayed there
from about 10:00 in the morning
00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:29.083
till about 1:00 or 2:00
in the afternoon just waiting.
00:23:29.125 --> 00:23:30.584
And that\'s all we did is wait.
00:23:30.626 --> 00:23:34.792
We hit one roadblock
after the other.
00:23:34.834 --> 00:23:36.501
Basically,
we just want to make sure
00:23:36.542 --> 00:23:40.334
our animals are okay,
that they\'re not being run too hard,
00:23:40.375 --> 00:23:44.459
that they\'re getting water,
that they\'re treated humanely.
00:23:44.501 --> 00:23:46.667
But it took
the Eureka County sheriff
00:23:46.709 --> 00:23:49.167
to pull up like a crazy man.
00:23:49.209 --> 00:23:50.998
He just skidded to a halt.
00:23:50.999 --> 00:23:52.042
Jumped out of the car.
00:23:52.083 --> 00:23:53.250
His arms are waving,
00:23:53.292 --> 00:23:54.709
and he was yelling at people,
00:23:54.751 --> 00:23:55.959
\"The road\'s got to be clear.
00:23:55.999 --> 00:23:56.999
The road\'s
got to be clear.\"
00:23:57.000 --> 00:23:58.501
Get it out of there.
00:23:58.542 --> 00:24:02.417
Get it out of the road.
00:24:02.459 --> 00:24:03.667
Move it out of the road.
00:24:03.709 --> 00:24:04.751
Get it out of the road.
00:24:04.792 --> 00:24:06.459
You can\'t block the county road.
00:24:06.501 --> 00:24:08.792
(Sewall)
When I tried to introduce myself
00:24:08.834 --> 00:24:10.918
to the man who seemed
to be in charge,
00:24:10.959 --> 00:24:12.083
I said, \"I\'m Christopher Sewall.
00:24:12.125 --> 00:24:14.045
I work for the Western Shoshone
Defense Project,\"
00:24:14.083 --> 00:24:17.125
he just got in my face and said,
\"We know who you are.\"
00:24:19.375 --> 00:24:21.542
Don\'t get nervous.
00:24:21.584 --> 00:24:22.998
(Sewall)
Here the government was,
00:24:22.999 --> 00:24:24.998
you know, my own government,
00:24:24.999 --> 00:24:28.042
coming in to take people\'s
sustenance from them,
00:24:28.083 --> 00:24:30.167
people who have been here,
you know,
00:24:30.209 --> 00:24:32.042
since before we got here,
00:24:32.083 --> 00:24:35.250
people who signed a treaty
with the United States,
00:24:35.292 --> 00:24:37.998
a treaty that agreed
to share their land.
00:24:37.999 --> 00:24:41.083
And now this very same
government comes in here
00:24:41.125 --> 00:24:43.876
at gunpoint undercover of dark
00:24:43.918 --> 00:24:45.834
to take their animals.
00:24:45.876 --> 00:24:50.959
You\'re stripping us
of our dignity.
00:24:50.999 --> 00:24:51.999
And I think that\'s wrong.
00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:53.999
I think that\'s totally wrong.
00:24:55.792 --> 00:24:57.626
(Fishel)
And then, a few months later,
00:24:57.667 --> 00:24:59.083
the United States comes back out
00:24:59.125 --> 00:25:02.667
and takes
over 400 head of horses,
00:25:02.709 --> 00:25:04.459
horses that
had lived on these lands
00:25:04.501 --> 00:25:07.292
for as long as the Dann family
can remember.
00:25:07.334 --> 00:25:09.042
At the same time,
00:25:09.083 --> 00:25:11.667
they\'re issuing
this new stamp of Sacagawea,
00:25:11.709 --> 00:25:13.334
a Shoshone woman who helped
Lewis and Clark
00:25:13.375 --> 00:25:14.998
get Shoshone horses.
00:25:14.999 --> 00:25:16.459
And the United States,
at the same time,
00:25:16.501 --> 00:25:20.000
is coming out stealing
Shoshone horses in 2003.
00:25:20.042 --> 00:25:21.918
It\'s just...
00:25:21.959 --> 00:25:23.709
it\'s disgusting.
00:25:23.751 --> 00:25:24.751
(Paul)
We watched them
00:25:24.792 --> 00:25:25.999
run horses through the fence,
00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:28.083
and then they denied
having done it.
00:25:28.125 --> 00:25:30.998
But we received those horses
at the end of the day.
00:25:30.999 --> 00:25:33.918
We could definitely see that they\'d
been run through the fence.
00:25:33.959 --> 00:25:35.959
They were there
like three weeks,
00:25:35.999 --> 00:25:38.667
every day for three weeks.
00:25:38.709 --> 00:25:40.083
(Sewall)
I saw the horses
00:25:40.125 --> 00:25:42.542
before they did the roundup
last fall.
00:25:42.584 --> 00:25:45.998
The horses were healthy
and happy up there
00:25:45.999 --> 00:25:48.542
in those mountains.
00:25:48.584 --> 00:25:51.709
The only threat to the horses
was the roundup,
00:25:51.751 --> 00:25:55.000
because it was being conducted
in the wintertime.
00:25:55.042 --> 00:25:57.998
Many of these horses
had just had babies
00:25:57.999 --> 00:26:00.959
or were carrying babies.
00:26:00.999 --> 00:26:02.125
It\'s cold.
00:26:02.167 --> 00:26:04.501
There\'s less food out there
in the wintertime.
00:26:04.542 --> 00:26:07.998
It\'s not a good time to be
chasing wild horses around.
00:26:07.999 --> 00:26:10.542
And that was made clear
to the BLM,
00:26:10.584 --> 00:26:12.125
\"You\'re going
to lose horses.\"
00:26:26.999 --> 00:26:31.083
The BLM thought they knew better
and went ahead anyway.
00:26:31.125 --> 00:26:34.999
And the sad result has been,
horses have died,
00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:37.998
horses have starved,
babies have died,
00:26:37.999 --> 00:26:42.542
all because the BLM
had this overwhelming need
00:26:42.584 --> 00:26:45.334
to get these horses
off the range.
00:26:49.667 --> 00:26:52.584
(Steenburgen) Some of the horses
that the BLM captured
00:26:52.626 --> 00:26:55.999
were boarded in areas
without adequate food.
00:26:56.000 --> 00:27:01.459
Fenced in and unable
to forage for themselves,
00:27:01.501 --> 00:27:03.876
many died of starvation.
00:27:08.250 --> 00:27:10.250
In America,
you should not be dehumanized,
00:27:10.292 --> 00:27:11.998
and yet we are
being dehumanized.
00:27:11.999 --> 00:27:13.167
We\'re being humiliated.
00:27:13.209 --> 00:27:19.876
Right now, we are
just barely scraping by.
00:27:19.918 --> 00:27:23.998
From what I can see,
the ranch is going to die.
00:27:23.999 --> 00:27:25.998
It\'ll be a death to our place.
00:27:25.999 --> 00:27:27.375
When you got no income,
00:27:27.417 --> 00:27:29.250
there\'s no way
that you can operate.
00:27:29.292 --> 00:27:31.501
Money that was generated
from our livestock
00:27:31.542 --> 00:27:33.876
is what kept us going,
kept us in business,
00:27:33.918 --> 00:27:34.998
kept us -
00:27:34.999 --> 00:27:36.998
to make a livelihood.
00:27:36.999 --> 00:27:38.417
(Mary)
Yeah, I got rid of the cows
00:27:38.459 --> 00:27:40.375
because I got no place
to turn \'em out
00:27:40.417 --> 00:27:43.626
and because the BLM
has been saying
00:27:43.667 --> 00:27:45.998
that they\'re going to round up
our horses again
00:27:45.999 --> 00:27:47.998
and our animals of any kind.
00:27:47.999 --> 00:27:50.751
That\'s how come we have to sell.
00:27:50.792 --> 00:27:52.999
(Carrie)
Just let us live.
00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:55.834
Let us enjoy
a little bit of our -
00:27:55.876 --> 00:27:59.834
you know, our lives
through their economic system,
00:27:59.876 --> 00:28:02.667
because that\'s what
they\'ve forced upon us.
00:28:05.999 --> 00:28:07.998
(Sewall)
I believe this is Shoshone land.
00:28:07.999 --> 00:28:09.584
And if it\'s Shoshone land,
00:28:09.626 --> 00:28:12.334
then they ought to have a say
what happens to it.
00:28:12.375 --> 00:28:14.709
If you go by the BLM\'s theory,
00:28:14.751 --> 00:28:17.292
that it\'s all of our land,
well, then it\'s my land too,
00:28:17.334 --> 00:28:19.501
and I say that\'s not right,
00:28:19.542 --> 00:28:21.459
that the people
who have been here forever
00:28:21.501 --> 00:28:23.959
should not be alienated
from the land
00:28:23.999 --> 00:28:25.584
which has given them life,
00:28:25.626 --> 00:28:27.250
which has
given them their songs,
00:28:27.292 --> 00:28:28.959
which has
given them their culture
00:28:28.999 --> 00:28:30.250
and their history.
00:28:30.292 --> 00:28:31.918
(Fishel)
I don\'t know what
00:28:31.959 --> 00:28:37.542
the BLM\'s ulterior motive was
for the seizures of livestock
00:28:37.584 --> 00:28:39.626
that they\'ve done.
00:28:39.667 --> 00:28:42.998
These roundups cost
approximately $1 million apiece
00:28:42.999 --> 00:28:44.542
is what we\'re being told.
00:28:44.584 --> 00:28:46.918
Helen Hankins
and Bob Abbey both told me
00:28:46.959 --> 00:28:49.667
these orders were coming
straight from D.C.
00:28:49.709 --> 00:28:53.042
They just told me that
it was the top, the very top.
00:28:53.083 --> 00:28:55.834
And when I asked if
it was Department of Interior,
00:28:55.876 --> 00:28:57.999
Department of State,
Department of Justice,
00:28:58.000 --> 00:28:59.751
she told me all three.
00:28:59.792 --> 00:29:01.167
What was their motive?
00:29:01.209 --> 00:29:03.999
I don\'t think
it was a concern for the land.
00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:06.167
I do not believe that.
00:29:06.209 --> 00:29:07.709
(Herman)
Now, you may ask yourself,
00:29:07.751 --> 00:29:10.999
why would the United States
government come in
00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:13.998
and raid a ranch
that\'s owned and operated
00:29:13.999 --> 00:29:16.998
by two Western Shoshone
grandmothers
00:29:16.999 --> 00:29:21.626
that have lived there on this land
since time immemorial?
00:29:21.667 --> 00:29:25.667
Well, as it turns out,
their ranch in Crescent Valley
00:29:25.709 --> 00:29:28.334
sits atop one of the largest gold finds
00:29:28.375 --> 00:29:29.999
in the history
of the United States.
00:29:41.626 --> 00:29:43.417
(Fishel)
Just two or three months
00:29:43.459 --> 00:29:47.876
after the horse roundup
in February of 2003,
00:29:47.918 --> 00:29:52.876
Cortez gold, it was front page,
top fold of the local paper,
00:29:52.918 --> 00:29:56.167
\"Striking Gold\"
all in big gold letters.
00:29:56.209 --> 00:29:57.998
And Cortez was claiming
that it had found
00:29:57.999 --> 00:30:00.751
one of the most significant
deposits of gold.
00:30:00.792 --> 00:30:02.083
Where?
00:30:02.125 --> 00:30:04.792
Right there where those animals
had been removed.
00:30:06.542 --> 00:30:08.998
If you want to look
at degradation of the range,
00:30:08.999 --> 00:30:10.667
go look
over the top of this mountain
00:30:10.709 --> 00:30:11.834
down into those roads
00:30:11.876 --> 00:30:15.542
that the mine\'s been putting in
to do their exploration
00:30:15.584 --> 00:30:17.459
or go look
into one of these pits
00:30:17.501 --> 00:30:19.959
or go look at all the water
they\'re pumping.
00:30:19.999 --> 00:30:22.792
And yet that\'s not considered
degradation of the range?
00:30:24.083 --> 00:30:26.334
Shoshone land right now
00:30:26.375 --> 00:30:29.417
is the second largest
gold-producing area in the world.
00:30:29.459 --> 00:30:31.459
We\'ve got
all the biggest companies.
00:30:31.501 --> 00:30:32.998
We\'ve got Barrick,
and we\'ve got Newmont,
00:30:32.999 --> 00:30:34.998
which is the world\'s largest
mining company.
00:30:34.999 --> 00:30:37.998
And we\'ve got Placer Dome,
Kennecott.
00:30:37.999 --> 00:30:40.876
I mean, you look down a list
of who\'s who in gold companies,
00:30:40.918 --> 00:30:42.334
and they\'re here.
00:30:42.375 --> 00:30:46.042
Who stands to gain?
00:30:46.083 --> 00:30:48.167
Follow the money.
00:30:48.209 --> 00:30:49.667
Who benefits?
00:30:49.709 --> 00:30:51.125
Horse people don\'t benefit.
00:30:51.167 --> 00:30:52.999
BLM doesn\'t benefit.
00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:54.626
The Shoshone don\'t benefit.
00:30:54.667 --> 00:30:55.959
Does the general public benefit?
00:30:55.999 --> 00:30:56.999
No.
00:30:57.000 --> 00:30:58.125
It\'s taxpayer money.
00:30:58.167 --> 00:30:59.999
Who benefits?
00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:01.998
Whoever\'s going to make money
00:31:01.999 --> 00:31:06.834
if this whole Shoshone
title issues is cleared up.
00:31:06.876 --> 00:31:08.167
I mean, a very interesting
deposition to take,
00:31:08.209 --> 00:31:11.998
I would think,
is to depose the officials
00:31:11.999 --> 00:31:14.292
at the Department
of the Interior at that time
00:31:14.334 --> 00:31:17.998
and depose some of the people
who were profiting
00:31:17.999 --> 00:31:20.292
off of this
claimed extinguishment
00:31:20.334 --> 00:31:22.000
of Western Shoshone title
00:31:22.042 --> 00:31:24.709
and see if there was
collusion between the parties.
00:31:24.751 --> 00:31:27.209
Because it\'s just
too coincidental
00:31:27.250 --> 00:31:30.998
that the gold industry
discovered this process
00:31:30.999 --> 00:31:33.709
to extract the microscopic gold
from the rocks
00:31:33.751 --> 00:31:37.042
through cyanide heap leaching
in 1961.
00:31:37.083 --> 00:31:39.334
And Shoshone title
was mysteriously,
00:31:39.375 --> 00:31:43.542
amazingly extinguished in 1962.
00:31:44.999 --> 00:31:48.209
I don\'t think that time frame
is a coincidence.
00:31:52.292 --> 00:31:53.459
As an attorney,
00:31:53.501 --> 00:31:55.998
I see the connection
between problems
00:31:55.999 --> 00:31:58.876
with getting human rights
violations addressed
00:31:58.918 --> 00:32:01.417
when there\'s big money at stake.
00:32:01.459 --> 00:32:05.209
I had a meeting with Newmont,
and there was no denying it,
00:32:05.250 --> 00:32:08.834
that they are working very hard
to privatize.
00:32:08.876 --> 00:32:12.042
If they\'re allowed
to privatize the areas,
00:32:12.083 --> 00:32:13.501
then that takes them out
00:32:13.542 --> 00:32:15.876
of the National Environmental
Policy Act process,
00:32:15.918 --> 00:32:17.792
the duty to consult with tribes,
00:32:17.834 --> 00:32:19.626
the Indian
Religious Freedom Act,
00:32:19.667 --> 00:32:21.959
all of these special laws
00:32:21.999 --> 00:32:24.000
that at least provide
some minimal protection
00:32:24.042 --> 00:32:27.998
for Indian peoples.
00:32:27.999 --> 00:32:31.209
[man singing]
00:32:31.250 --> 00:32:33.292
(man)
Newmont, come on down.
00:32:33.334 --> 00:32:36.375
You got some people
want to meet with you,
00:32:36.417 --> 00:32:38.292
people whose land
you\'re stealing right now,
00:32:38.334 --> 00:32:40.250
whose land
you\'re poisoning right now.
00:32:40.292 --> 00:32:42.083
They want to have
a chat with you.
00:32:42.125 --> 00:32:45.083
[man singing and drum beating]
00:32:45.125 --> 00:32:49.375
♪ ♪
00:32:52.334 --> 00:32:54.998
(Fishel) The gold we have out here
is microscopic.
00:32:54.999 --> 00:32:57.998
But to extract it from the rock,
00:32:57.999 --> 00:33:00.501
the industry developed
this process
00:33:00.542 --> 00:33:03.876
where they, you know,
dig the earth out,
00:33:03.918 --> 00:33:05.125
crush it down,
00:33:05.167 --> 00:33:08.667
and then leach it with cyanide.
00:33:08.709 --> 00:33:11.998
And that separates the gold
from the rock.
00:33:11.999 --> 00:33:14.083
Then they take
the rock that\'s left
00:33:14.125 --> 00:33:16.999
and they make
these huge tailings piles.
00:33:50.417 --> 00:33:53.751
This microscopic gold
is underneath the water table,
00:33:53.792 --> 00:33:55.334
so they\'re having
to pump the water out
00:33:55.375 --> 00:33:57.125
to get to the earth underneath.
00:33:57.167 --> 00:34:02.125
The mines are pumping anywhere from
20,000 gallons of water per minute
00:34:02.167 --> 00:34:04.292
to 70,000 gallons of water per minute
00:34:04.334 --> 00:34:09.626
for one mine alone every day,
365 days a year.
00:34:13.999 --> 00:34:17.125
(Carrie) They\'re pumping
this virgin water out
00:34:17.167 --> 00:34:24.998
so that we as human beings
can enjoy wearing gold.
00:34:24.999 --> 00:34:28.501
Ladies and gentlemen,
you\'re killing the Earth.
00:34:28.542 --> 00:34:35.584
The Earth is dying
because of the way people act,
00:34:35.626 --> 00:34:40.998
you as consumers,
they as producers of gold.
00:34:40.999 --> 00:34:43.209
And as indigenous people,
we\'re yelling,
00:34:43.250 --> 00:34:47.998
\"Stop that.
You\'re killing our mother.\"
00:34:47.999 --> 00:34:49.584
Who\'s going to hear us?
00:34:49.626 --> 00:34:52.751
\"Stop that.
You\'re killing the Earth.
00:34:52.792 --> 00:34:55.626
\"You\'re killing mother of all life,
for God\'s sakes.
00:34:55.667 --> 00:35:00.000
Can\'t you wake up and listen
to what we\'re saying to you?\"
00:35:00.042 --> 00:35:04.959
And let us treat this Earth
with tender love and care,
00:35:04.999 --> 00:35:07.250
because it is our only mother.
00:35:11.125 --> 00:35:12.542
(Sewall)
They always insisted
00:35:12.584 --> 00:35:15.125
that the water
pumping at that mine
00:35:15.167 --> 00:35:17.834
would never affect any waters
more than a mile or two
00:35:17.876 --> 00:35:20.918
away from the actual mine site.
00:35:20.959 --> 00:35:23.501
And here we are
over seven miles away,
00:35:23.542 --> 00:35:26.667
and the water table\'s dropping,
and it keeps dropping.
00:35:26.709 --> 00:35:30.998
And not only is the water table
declining over here,
00:35:30.999 --> 00:35:33.667
but the water
down on the valley floor
00:35:33.709 --> 00:35:36.542
is being turned into salt water.
00:35:36.584 --> 00:35:40.042
So they take that clean water
they\'ve pumped from down deep,
00:35:40.083 --> 00:35:41.998
and they dump it on the surface.
00:35:41.999 --> 00:35:45.125
So by the time it gets back
into the ground water,
00:35:45.167 --> 00:35:47.998
it no longer meets
drinking water quality standards
00:35:47.999 --> 00:35:50.999
because there\'s too much salt
and minerals in it.
00:35:51.000 --> 00:35:54.459
And now they\'ve found more gold.
00:35:54.501 --> 00:35:56.667
And the next mine
they want to build
00:35:56.709 --> 00:36:02.209
is right here, right here.
00:36:02.250 --> 00:36:05.209
[man singing]
00:36:05.250 --> 00:36:13.250
♪ ♪
00:36:30.542 --> 00:36:34.751
(Carrie) To traditional indigenous person,
land means life.
00:36:34.792 --> 00:36:39.709
All the things that you have,
they all come from this Earth.
00:36:42.334 --> 00:36:45.998
Today they
call those things resources.
00:36:45.999 --> 00:36:51.250
Today those resources are taken
in the name of money.
00:36:51.292 --> 00:36:53.542
Who does that?
00:36:53.584 --> 00:36:56.959
Multinational corporations.
00:36:56.999 --> 00:36:57.999
They don\'t care.
00:36:58.000 --> 00:37:01.459
They\'re not going
to be here tomorrow.
00:37:01.501 --> 00:37:04.417
Soon as they take
the resources out,
00:37:04.459 --> 00:37:06.459
they will be gone.
00:37:06.501 --> 00:37:09.751
Do we as people have a right
to take away that life
00:37:09.792 --> 00:37:12.626
from the children\'s children?
00:37:12.667 --> 00:37:16.959
I don\'t think so.
00:37:16.999 --> 00:37:18.918
I think what we have to do is,
00:37:18.959 --> 00:37:21.792
we have
to take care of this land
00:37:21.834 --> 00:37:25.042
the way it was meant to be.
00:37:25.083 --> 00:37:27.542
(Blossom)
Let\'s give honor to our sisters
00:37:27.584 --> 00:37:29.792
that have stood and fought
long and hard
00:37:29.834 --> 00:37:31.125
and are still fighting.
00:37:31.167 --> 00:37:32.792
And that\'s why we\'re here today,
00:37:32.834 --> 00:37:34.626
to support my sisters
00:37:34.667 --> 00:37:37.999
that have been
on the battlefield for so long.
00:37:40.292 --> 00:37:42.998
(Mary)
We don\'t need all that gold.
00:37:42.999 --> 00:37:48.209
80% of that gold
goes into jewelry.
00:37:48.250 --> 00:37:50.083
80%.
00:37:50.125 --> 00:37:53.751
Any time you men buy gold
for your wives,
00:37:53.792 --> 00:37:56.459
you think about that,
00:37:56.501 --> 00:37:58.261
the destruction
that\'s happening to the Earth
00:37:58.292 --> 00:38:00.751
in the name of gold.
00:38:00.792 --> 00:38:04.375
I\'d like to say to the mothers,
00:38:04.417 --> 00:38:06.998
it is your duty
to take care of the Earth,
00:38:06.999 --> 00:38:11.542
because your body is modeled
after the Earth.
00:38:11.584 --> 00:38:13.459
So you\'re the giver of life.
00:38:13.501 --> 00:38:15.998
But when we look at all of these
things that\'s going on
00:38:15.999 --> 00:38:18.834
and I look at the children,
00:38:18.876 --> 00:38:23.998
what\'s their future
going to be like?
00:38:23.999 --> 00:38:26.626
I\'m going to talk
in my native tongue.
00:38:26.667 --> 00:38:30.250
And some of you people might ask me,
what did I say.
00:38:30.292 --> 00:38:31.751
Maybe I talk about you guys.
00:38:31.792 --> 00:38:34.542
I don\'t know.
00:38:34.584 --> 00:38:39.999
[speaking native language]
00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:42.876
(Sewall) You know, something that I\'ve
learned working in Indian country
00:38:42.918 --> 00:38:46.667
is the importance
of knowing your history,
00:38:46.709 --> 00:38:48.998
knowing where you came from.
00:38:48.999 --> 00:38:53.042
And so for me,
at least in my personal life,
00:38:53.083 --> 00:38:56.542
the history, those stories,
can give you power.
00:38:56.584 --> 00:39:01.542
Knowing your stories
can give you strength.
00:39:01.584 --> 00:39:02.584
And that\'s what I\'ve seen.
00:39:02.626 --> 00:39:07.998
And I think that\'s why...
00:39:07.999 --> 00:39:10.834
that\'s why Mary and Carrie
and the other Shoshone people
00:39:10.876 --> 00:39:15.542
have been able to survive
the onslaught.
00:39:15.584 --> 00:39:17.209
Now, let\'s think back.
00:39:17.250 --> 00:39:22.042
In 1979, when the U.S. government
awarded this claims money,
00:39:22.083 --> 00:39:25.998
they decided to award
approximately $26 million
00:39:25.999 --> 00:39:28.584
for over 24 million acres
00:39:28.626 --> 00:39:31.999
of Western Shoshone
aboriginal territory.
00:39:32.000 --> 00:39:37.999
So here\'s one mine
that sits on top of billions,
00:39:38.000 --> 00:39:41.083
several billion dollars
worth of gold.
00:39:41.125 --> 00:39:45.542
And so Congress says that
the highest and best use
00:39:45.584 --> 00:39:48.292
of all the lands here
in the West
00:39:48.334 --> 00:39:51.998
is their exploitation
for minerals,
00:39:51.999 --> 00:39:55.584
because it doesn\'t matter
if there are burials on the site.
00:39:55.626 --> 00:39:57.292
It doesn\'t matter
if it\'s a cultural site.
00:39:57.334 --> 00:39:58.834
It doesn\'t matter
if you hunt there,
00:39:58.876 --> 00:40:00.501
you get your medicine there.
00:40:00.542 --> 00:40:03.834
The gold they can get
out of this mountain
00:40:03.876 --> 00:40:08.667
is more important than
anything else I\'ve told you.
00:40:08.709 --> 00:40:11.751
And that\'s wrong.
00:40:11.792 --> 00:40:16.250
That\'s wrong.
00:40:16.292 --> 00:40:20.000
And they\'re doing it
in your name, in my name.
00:40:27.042 --> 00:40:31.792
(Steenburgen)
On Earth Day, April 22, 2005,
00:40:31.834 --> 00:40:35.999
Mary Dann died in an accident
on the Dann ranch.
00:40:36.000 --> 00:40:39.334
She\'d been out repairing fences.
00:40:39.375 --> 00:40:41.751
She died as she lived,
00:40:41.792 --> 00:40:45.999
with her boots on
and hay in her pockets.
00:41:28.542 --> 00:41:31.998
(woman)
♪ We are the land ♪
00:41:31.999 --> 00:41:35.375
♪ On a clear day ♪
00:41:35.417 --> 00:41:39.918
♪ You will see me ♪
00:41:39.959 --> 00:41:45.334
♪ Still riding free ♪
00:41:45.375 --> 00:41:48.334
♪ On a cloudy day ♪
00:41:48.375 --> 00:41:51.998
♪ In Crescent Valley ♪
00:41:51.999 --> 00:41:59.250
♪ Is where my heart
will always be ♪
00:41:59.292 --> 00:42:04.999
♪ You can take
all the cattle ♪
00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:11.998
♪ All the horses
you demand ♪
00:42:11.999 --> 00:42:18.375
♪ You will never
take our spirit ♪
00:42:18.417 --> 00:42:21.751
♪ Our way of life ♪
00:42:21.792 --> 00:42:25.834
♪ We are the land ♪
00:42:25.876 --> 00:42:32.292
♪ We do not want
your favors ♪
00:42:32.334 --> 00:42:39.042
♪ You will never
understand ♪
00:42:39.083 --> 00:42:45.042
♪ You cannot
steal our spirit ♪
00:42:45.083 --> 00:42:48.334
♪ Our way of life ♪
00:42:48.375 --> 00:42:52.083
♪ We are the Danns ♪
00:42:52.125 --> 00:42:55.375
♪ On a clear day ♪
00:42:55.417 --> 00:42:59.998
♪ You will see me ♪
00:42:59.999 --> 00:43:04.998
♪ Still riding through ♪
00:43:04.999 --> 00:43:08.292
♪ On a cloudy day ♪
00:43:08.334 --> 00:43:11.918
♪ in Crescent Valley ♪
00:43:11.959 --> 00:43:18.792
♪ Is where my heart
will always be ♪
00:43:18.834 --> 00:43:22.626
♪ On a cloudy day ♪
00:43:22.667 --> 00:43:25.375
♪ In Crescent Valley ♪
00:43:25.417 --> 00:43:33.417
♪ Is where my heart
will always be ♪
00:43:34.375 --> 00:43:42.375
♪ Where my heart
will always be ♪
00:43:48.999 --> 00:43:50.292
(Steenburgen)
Carrie Dann said
00:43:50.334 --> 00:43:53.751
Mary would not want her death
to interrupt the struggle
00:43:53.792 --> 00:43:57.542
to regain their land rights
and human rights.
00:43:57.584 --> 00:43:58.792
The following year,
00:43:58.834 --> 00:44:01.375
the Western Shoshone
renewed their grievances
00:44:01.417 --> 00:44:03.626
with the United Nations.
00:44:03.667 --> 00:44:04.667
(Fishel)
I was involved
00:44:04.709 --> 00:44:07.125
in the U.N. CERD presentation.
00:44:07.167 --> 00:44:08.876
What CERD stands for is
00:44:08.918 --> 00:44:12.209
the Committee on the Elimination
of Racial Discrimination
00:44:12.250 --> 00:44:15.834
that the United States
signed and ratified in 1993,
00:44:15.876 --> 00:44:16.876
I believe.
00:44:16.918 --> 00:44:18.417
A large part of our argument
00:44:18.459 --> 00:44:20.584
was that the expansion
of this open-pit
00:44:20.626 --> 00:44:24.000
cyanide heap leach mining
is in direct violation
00:44:24.042 --> 00:44:26.459
and threatens
to do irreparable damage
00:44:26.501 --> 00:44:28.375
to Shoshone cultural
and spiritual areas,
00:44:28.417 --> 00:44:30.834
in particular, Mount Tenabo.
00:44:30.876 --> 00:44:32.417
(Shahi)
Greeting the Shoshone people,
00:44:32.459 --> 00:44:34.250
they have legitimate grievances.
00:44:34.292 --> 00:44:37.918
There\'s an old Roman law,
I believe,
00:44:37.959 --> 00:44:40.292
where there\'s a wrong,
there must be a remedy.
00:44:40.334 --> 00:44:44.834
And no country no matter
how great or progressive it is,
00:44:44.876 --> 00:44:46.709
is a perfect society.
00:44:46.751 --> 00:44:49.083
There are always
elements of ethnic
00:44:49.125 --> 00:44:53.250
and other kinds of racism
or discrimination.
00:44:53.292 --> 00:44:56.999
And we bring the attention
of the party to remedy these.
00:44:57.000 --> 00:44:58.334
(Fishel)
And they rendered
00:44:58.375 --> 00:45:00.998
a full formal
urgent action decision
00:45:00.999 --> 00:45:02.542
against the United States,
00:45:02.584 --> 00:45:05.334
urging that the United States
immediately freeze, desist,
00:45:05.375 --> 00:45:07.125
and stop
from any further actions
00:45:07.167 --> 00:45:09.998
against the Western Shoshone people,
00:45:09.999 --> 00:45:12.998
any further legislative efforts
to privatize their lands.
00:45:12.999 --> 00:45:16.250
And they also urged the U.S.
to immediately initiate
00:45:16.292 --> 00:45:19.334
good faith dialogues
and to respect the rights
00:45:19.375 --> 00:45:20.959
of the Shoshone people.
00:45:23.999 --> 00:45:26.167
This isn\'t a decision
against a government
00:45:26.209 --> 00:45:29.501
that everybody recognizes
as a human rights violator.
00:45:29.542 --> 00:45:32.876
This is against a government
that portrays itself
00:45:32.918 --> 00:45:34.417
as a defender of human rights
00:45:34.459 --> 00:45:36.792
and yet,
through its corporate policies
00:45:36.834 --> 00:45:38.209
and government policies,
00:45:38.250 --> 00:45:42.876
allows for ongoing takings
of indigenous lands.
00:45:42.918 --> 00:45:44.918
And when you say
\"The United Nations
00:45:44.959 --> 00:45:49.083
has condemned U.S. behavior
against the Western Shoshone,\"
00:45:49.125 --> 00:45:50.751
that means something to people
00:45:50.792 --> 00:45:53.918
when they pick up the paper
and read it.
00:45:53.959 --> 00:45:56.209
And even if the U.S. ignores
and they continue to do this,
00:45:56.250 --> 00:45:58.834
there\'s that sense of hope.
00:46:03.167 --> 00:46:05.501
What I would like to see
from the United States
00:46:05.542 --> 00:46:08.751
is for them to initiate
a dialogue
00:46:08.792 --> 00:46:12.542
and put a hold on any further
lease applications,
00:46:12.584 --> 00:46:16.375
mining permits,
and move forward in a good way.
00:46:16.417 --> 00:46:17.998
Hello, Miss Carrie.
00:46:17.999 --> 00:46:20.501
Julie.
Little Julie.
00:46:23.999 --> 00:46:25.998
Came home finally.
They sent me -
00:46:25.999 --> 00:46:27.501
(Carrie)
After we heard the decision
00:46:27.542 --> 00:46:29.626
from CERD,
I was very pleased about it,
00:46:29.667 --> 00:46:30.998
very happy about it.
00:46:30.999 --> 00:46:32.918
You got a copy of the decision?
00:46:32.959 --> 00:46:34.167
Yes.
00:46:34.209 --> 00:46:35.918
Did it say what
you wanted it to say?
00:46:35.959 --> 00:46:37.125
Yes.
00:46:38.626 --> 00:46:41.000
(Carrie)
Okay.
00:46:41.042 --> 00:46:44.918
\"Today in historical
and strongly worded decision
00:46:44.959 --> 00:46:46.834
\"by the United Nations Committee
00:46:46.876 --> 00:46:50.959
\"on Elimination
of Racial Discrimination, CERD,
00:46:50.999 --> 00:46:53.959
\"United States was urged
to please desist
00:46:53.999 --> 00:46:56.998
\"and stop action being taken
or threatened to be taken
00:46:56.999 --> 00:46:58.501
against Shoshone peoples.\"
00:46:58.542 --> 00:47:02.998
Hopefully we will be able
to just sit across
00:47:02.999 --> 00:47:06.667
from the decision makers
from the United States of America.
00:47:06.709 --> 00:47:11.998
The relationship between America
and the indigenous peoples
00:47:11.999 --> 00:47:13.918
have been very bad.
00:47:13.959 --> 00:47:16.501
But we can learn how to talk
with each other.
00:47:16.542 --> 00:47:20.459
That was part of the indigenous way
of having consensus.
00:47:20.501 --> 00:47:22.876
And it was actually one
of the members that told me
00:47:22.918 --> 00:47:26.501
that this is
an historic decision.
00:47:26.542 --> 00:47:28.501
To be against the United States,
it has to be -
00:47:28.542 --> 00:47:30.501
No, on indigenous issues,
on this issue.
00:47:32.501 --> 00:47:33.998
So...
00:47:33.999 --> 00:47:36.667
And that\'s what Uncle
said yesterday too.
00:47:36.709 --> 00:47:38.042
Julie, he was so happy.
00:47:38.083 --> 00:47:39.167
He was?
Yeah.
00:47:39.209 --> 00:47:40.998
About this?
00:47:40.999 --> 00:47:41.999
Good.
00:47:42.000 --> 00:47:43.000
He really was.
00:47:43.042 --> 00:47:44.042
He told -
00:47:44.083 --> 00:47:47.083
He says, \"Well, we can
go dancing tonight.\"
00:47:47.125 --> 00:47:49.501
[laughing]
00:47:49.542 --> 00:47:50.751
(Fishel)
It\'s about time, huh?
00:47:50.792 --> 00:47:51.792
(Carrie)
It\'s about time
00:47:51.834 --> 00:47:52.998
the truth come out.
00:47:52.999 --> 00:47:54.751
So the thing is,
Carrie, you know,
00:47:54.792 --> 00:47:57.501
even if the government ignores
this for a while or whatever,
00:47:57.542 --> 00:47:58.998
it\'s there now.
00:47:58.999 --> 00:48:03.709
It\'s one of those issues
that\'s just going to blossom.
00:48:03.751 --> 00:48:05.959
Good job, Julie.
Good job.
00:48:05.999 --> 00:48:07.334
Good job, everybody.
00:48:07.375 --> 00:48:08.375
Good job, Julie.
00:48:09.542 --> 00:48:11.000
(Anaya)
Well, the Western Shoshone case
00:48:11.042 --> 00:48:15.584
is a very important case for
the indigenous movement worldwide.
00:48:15.626 --> 00:48:18.417
The Dann sisters in particular
have been very inspirational.
00:48:18.459 --> 00:48:20.042
They\'ve won the moral battle.
00:48:20.083 --> 00:48:23.998
The U.S. has its legal
maneuverings that it can make
00:48:23.999 --> 00:48:25.417
within its own domestic system,
00:48:25.459 --> 00:48:27.459
but when it comes
to judging these actions
00:48:27.501 --> 00:48:29.501
against fundamental
U.N. standards,
00:48:29.542 --> 00:48:31.751
the Danns and
the Western Shoshone people
00:48:31.792 --> 00:48:33.083
are the ones who are right.
00:48:33.125 --> 00:48:36.083
[men singing and drumming]
00:48:36.125 --> 00:48:37.999
♪ ♪
00:48:38.000 --> 00:48:41.998
This year, the Committee
on Elimination
00:48:41.999 --> 00:48:43.876
of Racial Discrimination confirmed
00:48:43.918 --> 00:48:46.459
the Inter-American Commission\'s finding
00:48:46.501 --> 00:48:48.334
and issued a full decision
00:48:48.375 --> 00:48:52.998
under their Early Warning
and Urgent Action procedures.
00:48:52.999 --> 00:48:55.834
We were very pleased that
these bodies have recognized
00:48:55.876 --> 00:48:57.709
the wrongs that the government
is committing
00:48:57.751 --> 00:49:01.292
against our people
and other indigenous people.
00:49:01.334 --> 00:49:02.542
I want to thank you
00:49:02.584 --> 00:49:04.501
for listening
to this little old lady.
00:49:04.542 --> 00:49:05.998
Thank you very much.
00:49:05.999 --> 00:49:12.998
[cheers and applause]
00:49:12.999 --> 00:49:14.959
(Steenburgen)
After the favorable decision
00:49:14.999 --> 00:49:17.501
from the United Nations
CERD committee,
00:49:17.542 --> 00:49:20.000
the Western Shoshone
waited for a response
00:49:20.042 --> 00:49:21.999
from the United States.
00:49:22.000 --> 00:49:23.417
Three weeks later,
00:49:23.459 --> 00:49:26.792
the United States announced
plans to detonate
00:49:26.834 --> 00:49:29.792
the biggest open-air
chemical blast ever
00:49:29.834 --> 00:49:35.998
at the Nevada Test Site
on Western Shoshone land.
00:49:35.999 --> 00:49:39.626
The blast,
code-named \"Divine Strake,\"
00:49:39.667 --> 00:49:43.417
was planned for June 2, 2006.
00:49:53.999 --> 00:49:55.334
(Carrie)
Are we ready to dedicate
00:49:55.375 --> 00:49:58.042
ourselves to the next
generations to come?
00:49:58.083 --> 00:49:59.959
Or are we ready just to,
you know,
00:49:59.999 --> 00:50:03.125
accept things as they are
and the hell with tomorrow,
00:50:03.167 --> 00:50:05.999
the hell with the future generations?
00:50:06.000 --> 00:50:09.542
And that is one of the reasons
why I try so hard
00:50:09.584 --> 00:50:11.626
to protect the rights
of the indigenous peoples
00:50:11.667 --> 00:50:13.125
all over the world,
00:50:13.167 --> 00:50:15.667
because they\'re the one that\'s
still related to the Earth,
00:50:15.709 --> 00:50:17.125
they\'re still
close to the Earth,
00:50:17.167 --> 00:50:19.999
and they do care.
00:50:22.626 --> 00:50:26.667
[cheering]
00:50:32.042 --> 00:50:38.999
[cheers and applause]
00:50:57.459 --> 00:50:58.709
Huh?
00:50:58.751 --> 00:51:00.998
I don\'t want
to take it up there.
00:51:00.999 --> 00:51:03.998
[woman singing
in native language]
00:51:03.999 --> 00:51:11.999
♪ ♪
00:51:23.999 --> 00:51:26.999
I should put a saddle on you
and ride you, huh?
00:51:29.876 --> 00:51:35.125
I will only hope
history of this nation
00:51:35.167 --> 00:51:39.125
will bring out in the open
the struggles
00:51:39.167 --> 00:51:42.417
that we have had
against the United States
00:51:42.459 --> 00:51:46.459
in order for us to find
a little bit of peace,
00:51:46.501 --> 00:51:50.209
little bit of justice,
little bit of humanity,
00:51:50.250 --> 00:51:52.209
and little bit of morality
00:51:52.250 --> 00:51:55.584
in the government
of the United States of America.
00:52:02.042 --> 00:52:05.000
[woman singing
in native language]
00:52:05.042 --> 00:52:13.042
♪ ♪
00:52:41.834 --> 00:52:49.834
♪ ♪
00:53:23.334 --> 00:53:30.501
(woman)
♪ Bones, grass, and valley ♪
00:53:30.542 --> 00:53:35.998
♪ Sagebrush
and poplar trees ♪
00:53:35.999 --> 00:53:42.459
♪ Who owns
all these horses ♪
00:53:42.501 --> 00:53:45.209
♪ Our way of life ♪
00:53:45.250 --> 00:53:49.918
♪ Whose policy ♪
00:53:49.959 --> 00:53:55.998
♪ We couldn\'t take
the money ♪
00:53:55.999 --> 00:54:03.000
♪ There are those
who said we should ♪
00:54:03.042 --> 00:54:09.834
♪ We held on
to the old ways ♪
00:54:09.876 --> 00:54:16.459
♪ The way
our elders would ♪
00:54:16.501 --> 00:54:23.167
♪ We held on
to the old ways ♪
00:54:23.209 --> 00:54:31.209
♪ The way
they said we would ♪
00:54:31.375 --> 00:54:39.375
♪ ♪
00:54:42.834 --> 00:54:46.125
♪ On a clear day ♪
00:54:46.167 --> 00:54:50.834
♪ You will see me ♪
00:54:50.876 --> 00:54:55.876
♪ Still riding free ♪
00:54:55.918 --> 00:54:59.709
♪ On a cloudy day ♪
00:54:59.751 --> 00:55:02.626
♪ In grass and valley ♪
00:55:02.667 --> 00:55:05.792
♪ Is where my heart ♪
00:55:05.834 --> 00:55:11.626
♪ Will always be ♪
00:55:11.667 --> 00:55:14.292
♪ Where my heart ♪
00:55:14.334 --> 00:55:19.292
♪ Will always be ♪
00:55:22.417 --> 00:55:23.918
(Carrie)
She was your grandmother?
00:55:23.959 --> 00:55:27.083
That\'s my grandmother.
00:55:27.125 --> 00:55:28.998
That I\'m naming -
My grandmother.
00:55:28.999 --> 00:55:31.876
Mine.
Our grandmother.
00:55:31.918 --> 00:55:32.998
No, mine.
00:55:32.999 --> 00:55:35.417
[laughing]
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 56 minutes
Date: 2008
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 10-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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