Peltier Justice

Veterans (our Warriors/Defenders)

Our current program is working with the Inter-Tribal Elder Council which overseas the Tribal aspects of the Sweat Lodge Program at the Roseburg VA.  Peltier Justice assisted in getting approval for the Sweat Lodge from Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. 

It is an honor to have Ed Crow (Uncle Eddie Little Crow) as the senior Elder on the Council.  Uncle Eddie is a full-blood, enrolled member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and author of Dreaming of a True World.  With 80 years of life experience, Uncle Eddie has the skills to run a Sweat Lodge and help Veterans.  The lodge is open to all Veterans and as capacity allows, VA staff and the Roseburg community. 

We need assistance with transportation cost for Uncle Eddie.  He comes up from Ashland to the Roseburg VA two times a month.  As Uncle Eddie does not drive, many times a volunteer will drive from Roseburg or even Coos Bay to pick Uncle Eddie up and bring him to the VA.  Uncle Eddie is a National Treasurer that we cannot allow transportation issues to prevent him from the good works he does with Veterans.
 
We also need assistance to provide Traditional Foods.  Our volunteers and the Inter-Tribal Elder Council provide food two times a month.  Traditional Food is an important part of Native American ceremonies and spiritual practices. 

Tribal Sovereignty and Tribal Citizenship Advocacy

We are beginning an advocacy/education program on Tribal Sovereignty and Tribal Citizenship.  More information coming soon.   

Native American Prison Program

This program is close to my heart as my father, Leonard Peltier, has now been in prison for over 40 years.  I have seen how difficult and how much prison has changed him.  One life-line for my father has been his Native American Religious Practices.  Because of this, I want to help other inmates maintain a life-line that will not only help them while incarcerated but also help them live their lives in a good way when they are released.  Peltier Justice's primary project/program was assisting in the development of consistent and regular Native American Religious Services in ALL Oregon prisons. 

My focus for American Indian inmates in Oregon prisons is:  1) advocating for the Native American Religious Services being ran and overseen by the Oregon Tribes and Tribal Citizens; 2) DOC to follow government to Tribal government communication laws; 3)  DOC to follow the federal Eagle Feather law; and 4) DOC to restart the Native American Religious Advisory Committee with representatives from each of the Nine Oregon Tribes.  If DOC does not restart this committee, then I believe a representative from each Tribe should be serving on the regular Religious Service Advisory Committee.

"I know you have been coming in for the Lakota club for a while, and I as I've been here 22 years, I may have seen you before, but I'm looking forward to actually meeting you. Earlier this month I finished a class through the University of Oregon on Prisoner Narratives. My final paper was on the strength of the human spirit and its will to survive. In the opening paragraph of that final I quoted your Dad and wrote the following, "Leonard Peltier in My Life Is My Sundance says, “…they don’t want you to get comfortable. Nor do they ever want you to have a sense of security” (7). Peltier is speaking about his time in Leavenworth federal prison for a crime he says he did not commit." My thesis was, " Prison is an isolating place, and yet prisoners find ways to create connections and their own communities while incarcerated, thus providing a feeling of inclusion rather than exclusion that they already feel from society." Your Dad's writing was helpful in my research and in my learning overall. I thought you might like knowing that your Dad is impacting people still to this day and perhaps in ways he never would have considered." - Ron Edgemon

Notes like this help me continue advocating for my father, prisoners, Warriors, Sovereign Nations and the People.

Past projects/programs:
Prisoner Art Work Rights - Washington State Civil Case

Ongoing and Current projects/programs:
Advocating for Leonard Peltier's Release
Native American Prison Program
Veterans (our Warriors/Defenders)
Tribal Sovereignty and Tribal Citizenship Advocacy

Any help or support would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Chauncey Peltier