Soiled buckskins

Pioneer Press

Fort Jones , CA

Wednedsay, April 9, 2008

page E30, column 1

pioneerp@sisqtel.net

To the Editor,

The Shasta Nation has received a few calls and emails regarding the Macdoel Group's (Shasta Indian Nation) April 2, 2008 letter to the Pioneer Press.

One very specific email went as follows, "I suppose you have read this by now. To me, it reads as if there is a great distance between the 2 groups of the Shastas. Then, as you read on toward the end, it appears the author is looking for reconciliation. What's your take?"

In true Shasta Nation fashion, and addressing only pertinent issues, our take is as follows:

In said letter titled "Here's the black and white information on the Shastas," the statement, "shame on you Gary Lake for those intemperate remarks accusing us of treason at our Nation's time of war" was used.

We ask, what is the point?

Letters to terrorist related countries were written requesting funding for legal attacks and military supplies to wreak havoc with the US government and its minions. That to us is treason plain and clear.

The statement, "I think you ( Gary Lake ) were still on the Karuk Council" seems to be a very popular topic for the Macdoel Group and their friend, Karuk spokesman Craig Tucker.
Speaking of Tucker, the Macdoel Group states that, "We would like to make it very clear that we do not feel the same way about our brothers and sisters in the Klamath, Karuk and Yurok Tribes..." If you are speaking of the brothers and sisters in leadership of the same tribes that are trying to steal the Shasta People's sovereignty, customs, culture and sacred sites while at the same time are destroying Siskiyou and Klamath Counties , we would have to absolutely agree!

As for the People of the above mentioned tribes, they have MANY wonderful Tribal Members. WE have friends in all of those tribes. That however, does not give their leadership the right to attack Shasta Nation sovereignty.

Your statement you (Macdoel Group), "have not declared war on the said Tribes (Klamath, Karuk and Yurok ), but have offered talks of unification and they (Klamath, Karuk and Yurok ) are doing well in the process" is baffling?!  The Shasta Nation along with Siskiyou and Klamath County will be destroyed if dams are removed. The proposed settlement agreement stops nothing short of exterminating the Shasta Nation.

The Macdoel Group says, "We need the farmers, we need the ranchers, but we also need to find common ground and that will require sacrifice and compromise." Well, maybe your group should talk with the plethora of farmers and ranchers that are about to "sacrifice" everything they own while at the same time "common ground" is about to be flushed down the river with "compromised" Shasta Nation bones in it.

As much as the Shasta Nation believes in freedom of speech and the right to gather under any legal cause, the Macdoel Group's gig is up.

As for the first and second sentence in your above mentioned article, "We are writing to you today not to bore you with outrageous remarks, accusations or threats. Nor do we wish to air our dirty buckskins."

With ALL due respect, the entire Macdoel Group letter simply smelled of soiled buckskins.
 
Gary Lake ,
Vice Chairman, Shasta Nation

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