Clyde Bellecourt was invited to participate in an international meeting of the World Council of Churches at Montreux, Switzerland, the first WCC to invite representation by Native Americans. He says the principal goal is to elicit support for American Indian treaty rights.
Bellecourt also states that since AIM's formation in 1968, its’ three worst enemies have been the Christian Church, the Office of Education, and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
In 1973 the Standing Rock Treaty Convention was held, and Bellecourt hopes the WCC will endorse that declaration of continued independence; He says "only through recognitions of our treaties will we alleviate the poverty stricken conditions that WCC will be addressing." He will bring to the WCC's attention that some church promises to AIM, such as financial commitments, have never been fulfilled, and he will ask for help in publishing and distributing books that tell the true story of AIM and Wounded Knee. Bellecourt says the Lutheran church in South Dakota has not supplied promised money for Indian programs. In addition to seeking international church support for treaty rights, Bellecourt will seek financial support for projects for education, creation of international treaty offices, and other projects.
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GREG BARRON: Bellecourt was invited to participate in the opening presentations at the meeting, the First World Council of Churches meeting to invite representation by Native Americans. In his opening comments, Bellecourt said that one of his principal goals at the Montreux meeting is to elicit support for American Indian treaty rights.
CLYDE BELLECOURT: On May 28th of 1968, the American Indian Movement was formed here in the city of Minneapolis, and we numbered as our three worst enemies the Christian church, the offices of education, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. And for the past six years, we have lodged an attack against these three institutions. We have been successful in the past six years of establishing nine caucuses, Indian control boards, or foundations because of the challenges that were presented by the American Indian movement and major denominations throughout the United States.
On June 8 through the 16th of 1973, an international treaty convention was held on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in Mobridge, South Dakota. And I will hope to come out of this one-week consultation with the World Council of Churches with endorsement of that declaration of continued independence because I can only see that, through the recognition of our treaties where we ourselves alleviate the poverty-stricken conditions that this world body is going to be addressing themselves through December 1 through the 7th of 1974.
GREG BARRON: There will be other items on the agenda as well. Bellecourt said he'll inform the body that some church commitments to AIM have never been fulfilled, and also he said he'll ask for help in publishing and distributing two books he said contain the true story of AIM and Wounded Knee.
CLYDE BELLECOURT: I tend to tell the delegation about the six-year struggle of the American Indian Movement waged against the churches, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the various offices of education. I will attend to tell them that even though we have had commitments from the churches, from nine major denominations, and won some concessions, there has never been a fulfillment of the challenges that were presented and endorsed by these bodies of the church. And it was because of that that we have the poverty-stricken conditions that we live under yet today, has never changed.
And I'll be asking then, of course, for worldwide support and endorsement of these various challenges, endorsement of the 20-point solution paper that was presented during the Bureau of Indian Affairs takeover. And, of course, I'll be asking for support and publication and mass distribution of Voices from Wounded Knee and the Bureau of Indian Affairs-- BIA I'm not your Indian Anymore.
Both of these books were put out by Akwesasne Notes. It's the only Indian publishing firm in the world. They were only able to print 4,000 of these copies, and they went broke. This is the true story, the facts and issues surrounding the takeover, both of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
GREG BARRON: Commenting on what he said were some of the commitments church bodies have failed to honor, Bellecourt said the Lutheran Church in South Dakota has not come through with all of the monies promised for the development of Indian programs.
CLYDE BELLECOURT: The original challenges read that we were asking the three Lutheran synod bodies who held a meeting every two years in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, called Lutheran Church and Indian People. We challenged that particular body with eight basic challenge in asking for Indian-controlled boards and asking for a committed amount of money from all three synods. It was broken down to $750,000 a year just to develop Indian programs here in America, and this board has never received-- since its creation, has never received more than $150,000 a year, even though they had a commitment of $750,000 from this one major denomination.
GREG BARRON: Bellecourt said that in addition to seeking international church support for treaty rights, he'll ask for substantial financial support for a variety of projects.
CLYDE BELLECOURT: We have received some financial support, but it's been on a token basis as far as the World Council of Churches itself is concerned, and we will be presenting major proposals dealing with education, major proposals dealing with the creation of an international treaty office in New York and one in Washington, DC. We'll be looking for support, of course, in every program that we have initiated to date on behalf of the Indian people here in America.
SPEAKER: Financial support from the council?
CLYDE BELLECOURT: I will definitely be looking for financial support.
GREG BARRON: American Indian Movement leader Clyde Bellecourt on his departure for Montreux, Switzerland, where he'll address an international meeting of the World Council of Churches. This is Greg Barron.