reprinted with permission from
Poison Fire, Sacred Earth,
TESTIMONIES, LECTURES, CONCLUSIONS,
THE WORLD URANIUM HEARING, SALZBURG 1992
page 87
And I told them if the children die, there would be no keepers of the land. They didn't listen.And I told them if they destroy the sky, machines would come and soon destroy the land. They didn't listen . . .
Floyd Westerman
Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Dakota (Sioux) Nation,
California, USA. Singer, poet and actor.
I feel honored to sing this song especially for this
Hearing. But before I do, I have something special to pass on,
that the sacred fire we have been keeping for the last four days
will be in a ceremony, it will be put out tomorrow at noon. So
those wishing to go to that ceremony at noon to put the fire out
for the fourth day, can be there. Thomas Banyacya will be there
to make the ceremony offering for the ending of the fourth
day. There's been much enthusiasm for the sacred fire. We have
decided to start another fire that day, that evening for another
four days, which will go until Sunday. So, those people who
wish to volunteer and be keepers of the fire, the sacred fire,
will be able to have opportunity to sit with the fire. So,
anybody who wishes to be with this fire all night can be at the
fire all night. You can go up there tonight, they will have a
tipi there, and people can sit by the fire and pray, and it will
be put out at noon tomorrow.
Before I sing this song, I would like to quote a very prejudicial doctrine that was handed down by the Supreme Court in 1823. It was written by the Church. This doctrine should be denounced by this Hearing in some formal way. I think that from this Hearing we should create a United Indigenous Nations Council, such as the United Nations. We shall be the United Indigenous Nations. We should denounce this prejudicial doctrine that was created by their Church, Catholic Church, in 1823. Here is the doctrine:
"This doctrine handed down by the Supreme Court in 1823, in which it said that the Indian Nations do not have title to their lands, they only have title of occupancy, because they weren't Christians when the Europeans first got here. That the first Christian Nations to discover an area of heathen and infidel lands has the ultimate dominion over those lands and the absolute title."
This is a doctrine that we should, the Indigenous Nations, should go to the Pope and also to the President of the United States to withdraw and renounce this document and to establish a new basis for relationship between indigenous peoples and other peoples of the world.
I changed a couple of words, so that this song might be one
representative of this international Hearing. The title
is: "They didn't listen".
(SONG)
"And I told them not to dig for uranium, for if they did, the children would die. They didn't listen, they didn't listen, they didn't listen to me.
And I told them if the children die, there would be no keepers of the land. They didn't listen.
And I told them if they destroy the sky, machines would come and soon destroy the land. They didn't listen . . .
And I told them if they destroy the land, man would have to move into the sea. They didn't listen . . .
And I told them if they destroy the sea -- they didn't listen . . . "
Thank you very much.
Dr. Zephania Kameeta (Moderator)
I welcome you all now for the afternoon session. In the Namibian Government, we bang three times on the table and say: "Order!" The afternoon session is resumed. I am very much happy to welcome Peter Bossew, and especially that he was told on short notice that he will then take the place of Oren Lyons, so that he has been willing to do that. I will not waste his time and will give him now the floor, that he introduces himself and continues then with his presentation.