CPT has maintained a presence since April 5 with Lakota (Sioux) people
camped on an island in the Missouri River to uphold their treaty rights.
The camp is requesting that Congress hold oversight hearings on legislation
passed last fall which transfers 92,000 acres of land along the Missouri
River to the state of South Dakota for tourist development. Half of this
land is part of the landbase guaranteed to the Lakota people "in
perpetuity" by a treaty signed at Ft Laramie in 1868.

The bill, called the Mitigation Act, became law last October as Title VI of
the 1999 Omnibus Appropriations Act.

Please write, fax, or call your senators and representatives asking them to
call for oversight hearings on Title VI. Point out that:

--The bill never received Congressional attention or debate
thanks to the way in which it was passed, as a rider on a much
larger bill.
--Five out of seven Lakota tribes and the Black Hills Sioux
Nation Treaty Council are opposed to Title VI, and have not had
the opportunity to present their concerns to Congress.
--Title VI directly violates a treaty signed in good faith with
the Lakota nation and ratified by Congress, and thus violates
Article VI of the US Constitution, which states that "treaties...
are the supreme law of the land."

Send copies of your letter to SD Sen Tom Daschle, SD Rep John
Thune, and SD governor William Janklow. Letters on official
church or other organization letterhead are especially effective.

For more background on the Oceti Sakowin camp and CPT's presence:
http://www.cpt.org/southd.html
http://www.fireonprairie.org
http://www.communinet.org/News_Journal/lakota.html

Contact Information:

Your Representative
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Your Senator
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Representative John R Thune
1005 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-4101
Tel: (202)225-2801
Fax: (202)225-5823
Email: jthune [at] mail [dot] house [dot] gov

Senator Tom Daschle
509 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-4103
Tel: (202)224-2321
Fax: (202)224-2047
Email: tom_daschle [at] daschle [dot] senate [dot] gov

Governor William Janklow
500 E Capitol Ave
Pierre, SD 57501
Tel: (605)773-3212
Fax: (605)773-6115