American Indian Movement Quotes

“According to court records, during the siege at Wounded Knee, more than two hundred and fifty thousand rounds were fired at our people by U.S. marshalls, FBI agents, the tribal police, the GOONs, and white vigilantes. These boys weren't kidding. And neither were we.”
― Leonard Peltier, Prison Writings

“The Lakota...close, open, and often punctuate their prayers with the word Meta­kuyeayasi, a generally accepted translation of which is "all rela­tions"...human relations are, of course, included. But, in the same sense, so are the four legged animals, the animals which crawl and swim and fly, the plants, the mountains, lakes, plains, rivers, the sky and sun, stars, moon, the four directions...in short, everything. Everything in the universe is related within the tradition of Lakota spirituality; everything is relational, and can only be understood in that way. The basis for this understanding on the part of traditional Lakota culture is its spirituality. The relationality ofthe universe is a spiritual proposition, a force so complex and so powerful that it creates a sense of wonder and impotence in any sane human who truly considers it.”
― Frank Black Elk