Some of our followers have
asked for a report on the February 2012 presentations by Inila Wakan Janis
(a/k/a Keith Janis) at Colgate University. Below are some of the highlights from his
presentations.
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| Inila-Wakan Janis @ Colgate |
On February 15, 2012, Inila Wakan Janis, a leader and member
of the Kit Fox Warrior Society and Cheyenne River Lakota spoke at Colgate
University about the history of the Lakota’s struggle for social justice and
the movement for social change for American Indians. Janis resides on the Pine
Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and is a Co-Founding member of Green Party
USA. His overarching message to students
was to be socially conscious members of society, to take action to protect the
environment and to address social change through collective actions that
transcend cultural divides.
In the standing room only brown bag luncheon at the ALANA
Cultural Center, Janis spoke of growing up in the 1960’s and 1970’s, the victim
of systematic prejudice, discrimination and genocide. Janis described murders of
Lakota people that were officially recorded “cause of death: exposure,” even when
bodies were covered with abrasions and contusions. He spoke about assaults and
shootings of native men, rapes of native women, forced removals of children
from homes and the involuntary sterilization of native women by federally funded
Indian Health Service Clinics, (which continued into recent decades) and which
the United States government finally admitted to in the 1970s.
Janis said that before the formation of the American Indian
Movement and the 1970’s occupation of Wounded Knee in South Dakota, a period
where the Lakota faced prejudice but also were divided about how best to
advance their interests:
”Lakota people sought justice
through the police and the Justice Department, complaining about the numerous
racially-motivated beatings, murders and other crimes… only to be laughed at
and treated like animals rather than humans…. We had no recourse, and so our people and
other tribes occupied Wounded Knee for 71 days. Our people were prepared to die for the cause
of justice and civil rights in order to bring about meaningful social change. In
the 1970s many people died, others went to prison, but they brought about
change…. Our backs were literally up
against the wall. There was no other choice or recourse than to come out
swinging for our lives and survival. We had no choice! We could take no more, because
our people were being killed, murdered, and maimed only because they were
Lakota.”
Later in the afternoon, Janis spoke at Persson Hall
auditorium about the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre and the events that led to the
slaughter of hundreds of unarmed Lakota, including women and children. Janis
pointed out that what historians previously called “the Battle of Wounded Knee”
is no longer termed a battle, because it is now acknowledged that the encounter
was a Massacre of unarmed American Indians, not a battle. Nonetheless, the Massacre
resulted in the issuance of many Medals of Honor by the United States military.
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| The sign at the roadside at the Wounded Knee Memorial, commemorating the 1890 Massacre |
In both presentations Janis stressed the importance of
protecting the earth and its natural resources and the personal responsibility
that each person has to protect the ecosystem for future generations. Janis
explained how the Lakota people cherish the earth and its resources as
Mother Earth, and oppose any action that damages the ecosystem. “Each of our
footsteps should be a ceremony towards the healing of our Planet.”
Janis said although Native Americans are “in a position that
Westerners have labeled ‘poverty,’ we are still here, we are watching, and are
committed to protecting our land and our Earth.” He said: “You call this land
the United States of America and you have carved faces of supposed ‘Founding
Fathers’ into the stone of one of our sacred mountains, but this land is Indian
Land—Always was and always will be.”
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| The Badlands |
Janis urged students to be eco-conscious consumers and to be
mindful of the actions of their employers, and to pressure their employers to
refrain from investing in entities that harm the environment. “You have to make a choice about whether you
want to go through [college] and get an education in life, form connections and
bring about change, or whether you are going to join the forces of Wall Street
and other businesses that are wrecking the environment and destroying the
planet for our future generations.” He told students, "never surrender, as long as you don't
surrender, there is hope, and where there is hope, there is a way... YOU
can bring about change."
Concluding his evening presentation
Janis read from a prepared statement in which he encouraged students to form
collaborative coalitions and to peacefully call for a future that protects the
environment and respects all people. A portion of his final remarks are set
forth here:
“On the journey
towards achieving social and environmental justice a great deal of work must be done. First, one must be steadfast as we
rise to the challenge. Second, we must be willing to double our organizing
efforts as we gather the energy of others because this challenge is to preserve
a severely imperiled future—where life itself is at stake. And third, persistence and collaborative work
will be the cornerstone of success. Remember, there is unity even in diversity,
and all pairs of opposites add up to the soul of the whole.
I
promise you, in the process rare moments will transpire that will etch the
pages of history -- moments that you can all be proud of. The synthetic labors of
bringing people together, meeting and getting to know each other will prove
fruitful and nurturing towards building the larger community of humanity.
That’s
the essence of operational unity—to smash the false illusions and break down
the artificial barriers that have often come between us and create the movements of
social change. In these days of uncertainty –this is indeed a humble and noble
task.
That’s the challenge ahead of you—to reinvent community away from the highly fortified walls of the limited, small, divisive ego and its social form, the sovereign state.”
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| Entrance Gate to the Wounded Knee Memorial |
Caring+Action=Social Change. Go forth and do your part: spread the word and bring about change!
-- The LPRCEP Team, with a big assist from Inila-Wakan Janis
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