The Cheyenne Declaration regarding the Protection of Sacred Ceremonies

May 6, 2003

The Cheyenne Declaration regarding the Protection of Sacred Ceremonies:

The Cheyenne Nation will seek support of the Plains Sundance Nations for the following Declaration on May 10, 2003 at Bear Butte, South Dakota. This Declaration was authored by the Cheyenne Nation through its Elk Society's Headsman, Bernard Red Cherries, Jr.

UNIFIED DECLARATION REQUESTING CEREMONIAL AND CULTURAL INTEGRITIES PROTECTION AND REQUEST CHANGES TO THE AMERICAN INDIAN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT, RELEVANT FOR THE PROTECTION OF OUR CEREMONIAL SUNDANCE, SWEAT-LODGE AND SACRED HEALING CEREMONIALS.

October 9, 2002

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA VICE-PRESIDENT RICHARD CHENEY - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF SENATE AND CONGRESS

COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS-UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: WE hereby state and declare that we were given the Sacred Sundance as a way of offering and sacrifice by the Creator through his Prophets and spirits, and that the Sacred Sundance Ceremony is exclusive of the Plains tribes of which we descend. Our aforementioned Tribes practice and maintain the Sacred Sundance, sweat lodge and continue to heal our people in our ceremonial traditional Native healing ways. And that we reserve the right to protect, and ensure its preservation of these very sacred ceremonials for our People and our future generations. These aforementioned ceremonials are exclusive of our native peoples in our inherent right to offer sacrifice and worship not always understood by society at large. We the aforementioned Nations have come together in an unprecedented unified effort to seek remedy to protect and to preserve for our future generations our sacred Sundance, sweat lodge, and related Native American Indian healing ceremonials. We move and state that the following be considered:

1. THAT RELEVANT CHANGES BE MADE IN THE AMERICAN INDIAN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT.

We understand that this law was created for the purpose of ensuring the reservation of our Ceremonial and Cultural integrities of our most sacred ceremonial prayer ways. These ways have been left for us as a way of life and prayer expression by our Grandfathers, since time immemorial. We were born into this way of life and ceremonial prayer way and do not practice any other Nations ways of prayer or expression, choosing to respect their ways that was left for them by their Grandfathers, be it Christian, Muslim, Hinduism, etc.,..

2. WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR INHERANT RIGHT TO WORSHIP AS OUR GRANDFATHERS BEFORE US IN THE WAYS OF THIER GRANDFATHERS AND TO KEEP THESE WAYS SACRED AS IT WAS IN THE TIME OF OUR GRANDFATHERS, FOR OUR GRANDCHILDREN AND FUTURE GENERATIONS:

As the UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT has recognized this ever important factor in the Creation of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act in its induction into our system of laws, that was provided for the benefit of our people, Native Americans. This law however has been, we feel, manipulated and protected non-natives and those who have no Traditional or biological connection to the peoples it was intended to benefit, NATIVE AMERICANS.

These very people are the very ones who continue to sell and profit from our Sacred Ceremonials and ways of life, and do not represent us but for their own motives and interests. We the undersigned Traditional, Validated, Legitimate Spiritual Leadership of our respective Tribes do come together in unison to request for these relevant changes after consulting with each other and respecting each others customs, and more importantly understanding together the abuses, and exploitation of our most Sacred Ceremonials, and its already devastating impacts on our Native American Peoples.

And requesting this help as it was this UNITED STATES OF AMERICA through their Representatives in SENATE and CONGRESS assembled, that under sec.2. of the American Indian Religious Freedom act states, THE PRESIDENT SHALL DIRECT THE VARIOUS FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS, AGENCIES, AND OTHER INSTRUMENTALITIES RESPONSIBLE FOR ADMINISTERING RELEVANT LAWS TO EVALUATE THEIR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES IN CONSULTATION WITH NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN ORDER TO DETERMINE APPROPRIATE CHANGES NECESSARY TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS CULTURAL RIGHTS AND PRACTICES.

We as Traditional Spiritual Leaders and Keepers of our Traditional and Ceremonial ways of life humbly come before you now in a unified Tribal effort. We feel that because of the blatant abuse of our Sacred prayer ways by those who do not know better, nor are neither Ceremonially qualified to give guidance continue to bring harm physically, spiritually and emotionally to those who innocently seek their guidance for spiritual enlightenment, sometimes resulting in grave danger or even death, as was the case in a "Solstice sweat lodge ritual", which is not of our culture, but imitated as such.

This supposed "Native ceremony" neither was under the guidance of a Traditionally recognized spiritual leader or "Medicineman". And as a result two (2) people of non-native descent died in El Dorado County, California., as was reported in the Sacramento Bee Journal, dated June 22nd, 2002. The following unfortunate incident is a direct result of what happens because of the illusion of seeking "Native American ceremonial experiences" without the proper guidance of QUALIFIED Spiritual Leaders, and combination of Laws protecting the innocent, and the Intended protectee, The Native Americans and their cultural & ceremonial integrities. We hope that these unfortunate incidents can altogether be avoided with the proper relevant changes to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, making it impossible for those non-natives to lead these sacred ceremonials, taking into account the element of our "Native language" which is our key component in summoning the Powers and Sacred Elements in prayer and song and which is exclusive of the Native Americans in our Inherent right to worship in the ways of our Grandfathers and theirs before them.

Each Tribe has their own Traditional laws that govern their ways of life and ceremonials, each provides for the traditional laws relevant for our protection and safety and guidance. These laws cannot exist and do the most benefit for the preservation of our sacred ways and for the protection of those non-natives who seek native traditional spirituality without the coordination of the UNITED STATES SENATE AND CONGRESS, through their representatives. All across this land and overseas as well, our Native Traditional ceremonials are being exploited in a fad like fashion, without regard to the impact it's effects will have on our Children and future generations, already we hold on desperately to what we have left, we are the Leadership entrusted by our customary traditional laws to uphold and to preserve our most Sacred Ways. We also feel that because of the blatant abuses and exploitations of our most Sacred Ceremonials, that this Earth and its inhabitants are out of balance and would rather resist this endeavor than to favor a stand on preserving our most Sacred Ways. We also at this time humbly and respectfully request of our white brothers and sisters to cease leadership, authoritarian and interpretive roles in our traditional ceremonies.

We request this as we need to restore balance and harmony to our traditional ceremonies and spiritual ways of life.

Moreover this document does not address the participation of non-natives in these ceremonies as actual participants, this is at the discretion of each tribe who have in place already existing traditional laws that address this issue. Each tribe since time immemorial have customary laws that address concerns relevant to this protection endeavor, and respects these traditional laws of each Nation as it pertains to their tribal customs. Our foremost concern is for the leadership and interpretations of our Sacred ceremonials and to maintain and stabilize our ceremonial and cultural integrities of the aforementioned spiritual ways.

We also have made it very clear that this is not a document of hatred or dissention of which its contents efforts have been mistakenly identified, but a very simple plea for the preservation of our most Sacred Ceremonial integrities, which are priceless and irreplaceable. We also understand that some Tribes make concessions allowing for the participation of other Tribes and non natives into their sacred ceremonials, however keeping for their own the cultural and ceremonial integrities, preserved in song and language.

We have also identified and all agreed that our key component in communicating with the Creator, Earth, Sacred beings, Stars, Moons, Seasons, Animals, Sacred Grandfathers and Grandmothers is our Native Language and songs which are priceless and irreplaceable and cannot be duplicated or fully rationalized by non natives. We believe that the guidance and interpretations of our Sacred Ceremonials belongs to the Traditional Leadership, made possible because of their Spiritual and physical participation in their Tribes Sacred Ceremonials earning this right and having been customarily taught the contents of these aforementioned Ceremonials, thus making it possible to offer the Sacred Ceremonials at the customary required and much needed times.

We come to you seeking remedy and consultation as it is this UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN SENATE AND CONGRESS ASSEMBLED that guaranteed the protection through it's creation of the AMERICAN INDIAN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT.

"WE THE FOLLOWING NATIONS HAVING MET IN TRADITIONAL COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY CONCUR THAT THE EXISTANCE OF OUR PEOPLE AND SACRED WAYS DEPENDS ON THE DEPTH OF OUR AWARENESS ABOUT THE EXPLOITATION OF OUR CULTURE. OUR CONCERN FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS AND OUR SUPPORT FOR ONE ANOTHER CAN BE BENIFICIAL TO ALL OUR PEOPLES BY HOW WELL WE SUPPORT ONE OTHER" WE CONCUR ON THIS ENDEAVER TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE OUR CEREMONIAL AND CULTURAL INTEGRETIES AND THE WAYS OF OUR GRANDFATHERS FOR OUR GRANDCHILDREN AND FUTURE GENERATIONS.