'Traditional Alliance Day' declared during Little Bighorn commemoration

By: Leo Killsback

CROW AGENCY, Mont. - On June 25, 1876, the 7th Cavalry of the U.S. Army, under the command of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, was defeated by seven bands of the allied Cheyenne, Arapaho and Lakota nations. June 25 marked the 131st anniversary of what is known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Nearly 200 people who attended the Little Bighorn commemoration that day witnessed the presentation of an executive proclamation from Oglala Sioux Tribal President John Steele and the Lakota Treaty Council that declared June 25 as ''Traditional Alliance Day'' for the Oglala Sioux Nation.

The proclamation reflected on the victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn as the traditional allies of the Cheyenne, Lakota and Arapaho protected their land and way of life against a ''military machine,'' the U.S. Army. It also described the encroachment on Bear Butte as an ''utter disregard for human rights.''

''History has shown that when the traditional allied nations of the Cheyenne, Lakota and Arapaho people are unified and work together, we can never be defeated,'' Northern Cheyenne Tribal President Eugene Little Coyote said. ''Today our people continue to fight battles to protect our inherent sovereign rights, our rights as indigenous people, and our human rights. We will rekindle this alliance to protect the sanctity of a shared sacred mountain. This mountain is Noavose to the Cheyenne, Mato Paha to the Lakota, but is commonly known as Bear Butte.''

Want the whole story? Click here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415426