AIM For Freedom Reception July 30, 2008

Friends and Relations,

Thanks for your continued support and encouragement for the AIM 40 years retrospective exhibition. Make plans to attend the reception, July 30. Here's the latest painting from Leonard Peltier. It is for sale! A silent auction will be held at the Somarts Gallery during the time of reception! See you there!

Tony Gonzales

AIM-WEST

eltonyg@earthlink.net

415-577-1492

Painting Chief Red Crow by Leonard Peltier

AIM FOR FREEDOM!

A 40 Year Photography & Art Retrospective of the American Indian Movement
July 16th - July 31st, 2008

SomArts Bay Gallery

934 Brannan Street (between 8th & 9th Streets)San Francisco, CA 94103

http://www.somarts.org/
Gallery Hours

Tuesday-Friday: 1:00pm – 7:00pm, Saturdays: 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Featuring Photography and Art by J.R. Auginash, Dick Bancroft, DaveCordova, Ilka Hartmann, Brenda Norrell, Paul Owns the Sabre, LeonardPeltier, Kerry Richardson, Michelle Vignes, Floyd Red Crow Westerman,and traditional Dine rugs.
Opening Reception Thursday July 17th, 5:30pm - 8:30pm

Honoring thewomen in the movement with special guest AIM co-founder PatriciaBellanger. Also featuring the Vallejo Sweet Medicine Singers, TheCalifornia Traditional Pomo Dancers, The All Nation Singers, and TheTlingit Women's Dance Group.
Friday July 18th, 6:00pm - 9:00pm - A lecture and screening ontraditional basket weaving by Orie Medicine Bull and a performance byMedicine Warriors Dance Troupe care of Gilbert Blacksmith.
Tuesday July 22nd 2:00pm - 8:00pm Storytelling, poetry and musicFeaturing California Indian storyteller Anne Marie Sayers, all ageswelcomed.
Wednesday July 30th, 3:00pm - 9:00pm - Founder's Day Reception &Fundraiser A silent auction of work by Leonard Peltier and Floyd RedCrow Westerman with MC Bill Means, a ceremony honoring Lee Brightmanand the completion of the Longest Walk II, a book signing by AIMauthors and photojournalists, The All Nation Singers, The CaliforniaTraditional Pomo Dancers, The Tlingit Women's Dance Group, and Dr.Loco's Rockin' Jalapeño Band.
Curated by Tony Gonzales, Rene Yañez, and Rio Yañez
http://www.aimovement.org/

Tohono O'odham Baboquivari Defense founder jailed

From the Mohawk grandmothers, Kahentinetha Horn and Katenies, beaten at the northern border, to the bogus arrests at DQ University of students and elders in California, to the attack by the Columbus, Ohio police on the Longest Walkers, Native Americans are under assault by police and special agents using bogus charges. In the case of the Long Walkers, a taser was pointed at the forehead of Michael Lane, Menominee, without provocation, and walker Luv the Mezenger tackled and thrown in the concrete. Kahentinetha, publisher of Mohawk Nation News, suffered a trauma-induced heart attack while handcuffed in a police stress hold at the Canadian border. Katenies was tackled and thrown to the concrete and jailed. The arrest and jailing of Ernest Moristo, Tohono O'odham, defending the O'odham's sacred Baboquivari Mountains from tribal development and the swarming and littering Border Patrol agents on sacred Tohono O'odham land at the southern border, is the latest attack.

PRESS RELEASE
DATE: JULY 8, 2008
Baboquivari Defense Project founder jailed 30 days for trespassing and resisting arrest
From: sacredmtn@gmail.com
The Baboquivari Defense Project is funded by the Seventh Generation Fund organization. Baboquivari is the sacred mountain of the O’odham people. Ernest Moristo's family has lived at the base of the mountain for many generations. For over twenty years Moristo, with his family and friends has been fighting the development and commercialization of the area. The jail of the Tohono O’odham is currently crowded and the sentence is severe considering the charges. While Moristo is in jail, the development may begin again which has been opposed by the Moristo family. For O’odham, Baboquivari mountain is the home of I'itoi and has been the focus of our language strength truth and spiritual healing. Further disrespect of this area will increase the damage of our people and those yet to come. How can anyone trespass on their own sacred homeland? Contact sacredmtn@gmail.com with your concerns.

Remembering the vision of Corbin Harney

Corbin Harney and Olsaus Suleimenov at the Nevada Test Site near Mercury in 1990. Photo by Linda Putnam

Sent by Ian Zabarte

Secretary of State for the Western Shoshone Government

Corbin Harney was Spiritual Leader of the Western Shoshone National Council. Sometimes called "The hardest working man in shamanism," Harney, for many years, spent most of his time travelling around the world spreading a message about the dangers of nuclear energy and the problems facing our Mother Earth.

"The Mother Earth provides us with food, provides us with air, provides us with water. We, the people, are going to have to put our thoughts together, to save our planet here. We've only got one water, one air, one Mother Earth."

Among other excursions, he visited mutated children in Kazakhstan hospitals who lived close to the Russian nuclear test site. He received the 2003 International Nuclear Free Future Solutions award. [3] He spoke out about the contamination of our water and shared with people a vision that he experienced several years ago.

"I was praying to the water and the spirit of the water told me, 'Pretty soon, I'm going to look like clean water, but no one is going to use me .' I didn't really understand what I was told until I went to Kazakhstan in Russia. Kazakhstan is where Russia tested nuclear bombs for many years. Over there I saw water that looks like clean water, but people can't drink it because it is contaminated with radiation ... the nature put all the living things here for us to take care of, not to destroy them, but to work with them so that we may live with them for many more years."
Olsaus Suleimenov again became a world-wide name in 1989, when he led the establishment of international environmental movement Nevada-Semipalatinsk. Nevada Semipalatinsk campaigned to close nuclear sites in Nevada and Semipalatinsk city in Kazakhstan. After independence, Suleimenov established Peoples' Congress party in 1991 and served as the speaker of Parliament until 1994. While at the Parliament, he rose to the position of opposition leader, engaging in several political struggles with President Nursultan Nazarbaev. Many opposition leaders urged him to run as a candidate in the next presidential elections. In 1995, to preempt his potential candidacy, Nazarbayev broke a deal, and Suleimenov was appointed as Kazakhstan's ambassador to Rome. Currently, he serves as Kazakhstani ambassador at UN.

Mr. Ian Zabarte, Secretary of State
Western Shoshone Government
e-mail: mrizabarte@bigfoot.com

Protecting Mother Earth Conference, listen to final session

The 15th Indigenous Environmental Network, Protecting Mother Earth Conference, concludes today, Sunday, July 20, 2008, at South Fork, Nevada on Western Shoshone land. Listen live to this morning's final session, with Renee Gurneau, Red Lake Anishinaabe, speaking on internalized oppression and healing: boarding schools, finding self and finding home: http://www.earthcycles.net/ (The session has concluded. Watch for the saved audio files on www.earthcycles.net in a few days.)
Photo: Morning Star Gali and family. Photo by Brenda Norrell