HARDIN -- Veteran Indian activist Russell Means is lending his support to a group of Crow tribal members pushing to affirm new leadership, nullify the 2001 constitution and govern itself "without interference" from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Means said Thursday it's time that the Crow tribe assert its sovereignty and oust the "outlaw" government currently running the tribe.
The BIA has "blatantly assisted and is in collusion with a political coup d'etat," Means said Thursday, adding that the government under the 2001 Crow constitution is spending money without authority. "Every penny they're spending is illegal. As a taxpayer, that angers me as it should every taxpayer."
Giving notice
On Wednesday, the group notified the BIA of an "executive order," saying that the 1948 constitution is in effect, that the Crow tribe is not under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1935 and that it has the right to govern itself.
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Several people signed the order, including David Turns Plenty Sr., Charles Jefferson, Harold White Clay Sr. and Gerald Red Wolf, who were listed as chairman, vice chairman, secretary and vice secretary, respectively. All were elected in May 2002, supporters said.
"Two years were stolen from us under the illegal constitution," said Beverly Huber, who has mounted a legal challenge to the 2001 document.
Much of the dispute centers on a meeting of the tribal council on July 14, 2001, in which the 1948 constitution was repealed and a new constitution was adopted. BIA officials later acknowledged the 2001 constitution and those elected under it.
Huber, in her legal challenge, said Clifford Birdinground and other top tribal officials lost their authority when the 1948 constitution was repealed and therefore didn't have the power to push for a new constitution.
The case is still pending in tribal court.
Lawsuits to be filed
Means said civil and criminal lawsuits will soon be filed in federal courts in Billings and Washington, D.C., as an attempt to hold the government accountable to what's happened in recent years. Letters will also be sent to banks and others warning that those who do business with the current tribal government are dealing with an illegal entity and will be held accountable, Means said.
"This thing is going to blow up," said Means, an Ogala Lakota who was the first national director of the American Indian Movement and has a long history of activism.
Meanwhile, the tribal members who say they are following the 1948 constitution will continue to meet as a council and work on setting up a new government. About 30 people showed up to a meeting Wednesday, and backers say the group has strong support on among tribal members.
Means emphasized that the group isn't simply a small group of people looking to cause trouble. They are, he said, interested in reaffirming some basic rights of the Crow tribe and will go about it in a "sophisticated" way.
"This is not a band of malcontents," Means said. "These are not dissidents or hostiles or savages."
BIA officials in Billings and officials at Crow Agency offices could not be reached for comment Thursday.
A central part of the group's effort is asserting that the Crow tribe is a treaty tribe, because a majority of voters rejected the Indian Reorganization Act of 1935. The vote, according to a May 1935 telegram from Crow Agency, was 689 against and 112 in favor.
Ultimately, the changes in government and enhanced sovereignty will lead to economic improvements for the Crow people, Means said. As it is now, the government is restraining economic development, he said.
For all of the natural resources on the Crow reservation, the tribe "should be among the richest people in the world, instead of among the poorest in the Western Hemisphere," Means said.
Means came to the Crow tribe with several other activists from South Dakota who vowed to continue to help push for the changes in both the courts and civil rights meetings.
"We'll be coming back," said Duane Martin of the Strong Heart Society. "The time of compromise is over."
Mike Stark can be reached at 657-1232 or at mstark@billingsgazette.com.
Photo Caption: HARDIN - Veteran Indian activist Russell Means is lending his support to a group of Crow tribal members pushing to affirm new leadership, nullify the 2001 constitution and govern itself "without interference" from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Means said Thursday it's time that the Crow tribe assert its sovereignty and oust the "outlaw" government currently running the tribe.
