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M.B., Nanaimo, writes: Chief Robert
Satiacum is a 54-year-old North American
native and hereditary chief of the Puyallup
nation in Washington State. Currently

satiacum is a ‘fugitive from American jus-
tice’ and is being held at Oakalla prison in
Burnaby awaiting bail hearing and poten-

lally facing extradition to the U.S. authori-
ties for alleged crimes.

Satiacum may be said to be an example
of what happens to North American native
people when they become activists and also
enjoy a measure of economic success in
their own homeland. After years of legal
hassles with the U.S. government concern-
ing Native rights, that same government has
finally worn down Chief Satiacum and have
branded him a criminal and racketeer. He is
also charged with income tax evasion.
Many of these charges are open to question
and in all likelihood could be beaten if
Satiacum was given half a chance to prepare
ae and rally his supporters to assist

Of course, the federal and state govern-
ments do not want to afford this man a fair
trail. He has already been tried, convicted
and sentenced in the minds of city, state and
federal officials.
It is this situation that I as a North Amer-
ican native wish to take issue with. I appeal
to your readers to give this matter their
serious consideration and when they are
satisfied that Chief Satiacum merits their
support, to provide that support morally,
politically and financially wherever and
whenever possible.

We have only just become aware of the
case involving Chief Robert Satiacum but
ven as we began to study the background
material, the parallel with the case of Ameri-
can Indian Movement activist Leonard
Peltier became all too ominously apparent.

A great grandson of Chief Seattle and a
hereditary chief of the Puyallup tribe in
Washington state, Chief Satiacum has been
the key figure in a 35-year battle to win U.S.
government recognition of aboriginal land
claims and fishing rights.

Beginning in 1948 when many of his people
had been dispersed and most of the original
reserve land expropriated, he launched an
historic campaign to re-establish aboriginal
fishing rights.

The campaign attracted considerable
attention — at one point, film star Marlon
Brando was arrested in a canoe with Chief
Satiacum — and culminated in the early
1970s with the landmark Boldt decision giv-
ing Indians in Washington State entitlement
to 50 per cent of the fishery.

Chief Satiacum has pursued land claims,
enshrined in the Medicine Creek Treaty of
1854, and in a decision just upheld this month’
by the U.S. Supreme Court, won the return of
40 acres of prime developed real estate in the
city of Tacoma. That victory, although it no
doubt incurred the wrath of both government
and developers, also gave new legitimacy toa

much larger aboriginal claim which ulti-
mately includes the city of Tacoma as well as
the port, the latter having been built on treaty
land originally set aside for the Indian people
but later expropriated.

More recently, utilizing a little known
clause in the treaty giving Indians the right to
trade in tobacco, he established a smoke shop
on the reserve which provided the initiative for
several such shops in other states and gave an
economic base for developing native enter-
prises free of government funding.

Having failed to defeat Chief Satiacum in
his battle to uphold Indian rights, the state
clearly decided instead to “criminalize’’ his
actions.

Last year, he was arrested and indicted
with 96 counts involving income tax evasion,
illegal sale of cigarettes, arson, embezzlement
of tribal funds and attempted murder. The
number of counts alone was part of the
process — lawyers now defending him have
stated that the tax indictments could have
been a single count but were made into more
than 90 in order to give credence to the charge
with which he has been publicly branded, that
of “racketeer.””

In many of the charges, a co-conspirator
was named. But each was later freed after he
had testified against Chief Satiacum. As in
the case of Leonard Peltier, the state relied
heavily on perjured witnesses and fabricated
evidence.

In the attempted murder charge, an inci-
dent that had been deemed unworthy of inves-
tigation seven years earlier was resurrected
and a suspected contract killer, already held
on a murder charge in Oregon, was brought

in. He was later given immmunity from the
Oregon charge after he had testified against
Chief Satiacum. The incident strained even
the credulity of the alleged victim — but not
the courts.

Chief Satiacum’s case also strained the
credulity of a cartoonist for the Seattle Post
Intelligencer who ran a cartoon showing two
prosecutors standing over the body of a drunk
sleeping in an alley and saying ‘Shall we get
him as a witness against Chief Satiacum?”
His lawyer in Seattle, Wes Hohlbein said that
Satiacum was “‘the object of a shameful polit-
ical conspiracy.”

Facing 300 years imprisonment, Chief
Satiacum fled the country just days before he
was to be sentenced and sought refuge in
Canada. But last November he was arrested
in Saskatchewan and is now being held in
Oakalla pending a deportation hearing.

His lawyers, Louise Mandel and John Tay-
lor are beginning to prepare his defence and
the campaign is underway to press the federal
government to grant him refugee status.
Immediately, supporters are striving to win
bail to give him time to prepare his
defence. A bail hearing is set for Mar. 14 and
petitions are being circulated asking people to
pledge moral and financial support for his
request for bail. In addition, band councils are
being asked to pass resolutions of support
pledging $1 per member bail money, which
will be deposited with the local RCMP. As
Indian Voice writer Kathleen Bell-Younger,
who has publicized the case, put it: “It may
not make much of a financial impact but our
hope is that it will make a great moral and
political impact.” — Ed.

March, rally among IWD events

Lynn McGown, International Women’s
Day Committee, writes: International
Women’s Day began on March 8, 1908. On
that day, 128 women died in a fire at the
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York
City. Other garment workers marched in
the streets to demand better and safer work-
ing conditions. In 1910, women from seven-
teen different countries established March 8
as a day of solidarity and action among
women.

What do we women have to celebrate on
International Women’s Day? On this day,
we celebrate our strength. We celebrate our
struggle for freedom. We celebrate our
unity. We celebrate our differences.

We celebrate our heroines of the past and
those of today. British women at Greenham
Common who are protesting outside: the
U.S. base so that we are not destroyed by a
nuclear holocaust; women of Nicaragua
and El Salvador who fight in battle to keep
their country free; women who work. in
non-traditional trades and show society
that women can do everything well; women
who combine their efforts to free us from

the fears of physical violence, unwanted
pregnancies and unfair labor practices.

We celebrate immigrant women who add
their unique traditions to our Canadian cul-
ture. We. celebrate Native Indian women
who continue to be the leaders of their
people.

The International Women’s Day Com-
mittee of 1984 is a group of women who
come from different backgrounds. We do
not represent any political party. What do
we have in common? We know that women
are responsible, intelligent and capable. We
know that women deserve respect and real-
istic payment for the work they perform.

Won’t you celebrate our day with us this
year?

On Saturday, Mar. 10, join our parade
and rally. The parade begins at 11 a.m. at
Victory Square, the rally at 12 noon at the
Art Gallery (old Courthouse). ~ :

Sunday, Mar. 11, is an Information Day .
at Sir Charles Tupper High School, 419
East 24th (between Main and Fraser) 10
a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be information
booths as well as workshops, films and
videos throughout the day.

Classified

| SLE re Fe

Puyallup chief fleeing persecution

COMING EVENTS
MAR. 10 — ODETTA, see display ad.

MAR. 11 — IWD Dinner with guest speakers:
Ald. Libby Davies & Dr. Adrianne Ross. Musical
Entertainment. 5:30 p.m. at Russian Peoples
Home, 600 Campbell Ave. Sponsored by CCW.

MAR. 15 — Canadian Cuban Friendship
Association AGM & slides of Cuba. 8 p.m.,
Music Room. Britannia Centre.

MAR. 18 — Report back and slides of
Nicaragua. Adm. $3, wine and cheese, 2063 E.
12th Ave. 1 p.m. Daycare provided.

MAR. 18 — International Festival for Peace,
600 Campbell Ave. 2 p.m. An exciting program
featuring participants from the Federation of
Russian-Canadians, Assoc. of United Ukrain-
ian Canadians, Yugoslav, Chilean and Portu-
guese organizations, Union of Young Douk-
hobors and soloists. All proceeds to the peace
movement. Adm. $3. For info. call. 253-3032.

COMMERCIAL

GRAMMA PUBLICATIONS. Complete print-
ing services. Brochures, menus, leaflets, etc. A
union shop. 1595 W. 3rd Ave., Van. Hours:
Mon-Fri. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat. 12 noon to 5
p.m. 733-6822.

ROOF REPAIRS — New roofs. Reasonable.
Phone 277-3352.

ELECTRICAL, plumbing, appliance repairs.
Don Berg. 255-7287.
WRITER-RESEARCHER Social, labor, muni-

cipal issues. Phone Ron Sostad. 688-2873,
922-6980.

GENERAL INSURANCE, auto, home, boat,
business. Dave Morton, bus. 734-7124; res.
433-4568

LEGAL SERVICES

RANKIN, McMURRAY, BOND. Barristers
and Solicitors. 2nd Floor, 157 Alexander Street.
682-3621.

DIRECTORY

COMMUNIST PARTY OF CANADA offices
located at 102, 2747 E. Hastings St. Vancouver.
Phone 254-9836. Office hours 9:30-12 noon;
1-5:p.m. Mon. to Fri.For information on political
issues or assistance in political activity.

HALLS FOR RENT

RUSSIAN PEOPLE'S HOME — Available for
rentals. For reservations phone 254-3430.

UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CULTURAL
CENTRE — 805 East Pender St. Vancouver.
Available for banquets, weddings, meetings.
Phone 254-3436.

Classified advertising rates $1 per line per
week. Deadline for insertions. Wednesday of
week prior to publication.

Ash Street Productions
ODETTA

Sat., March 10, 8:00 p:m.
New York Theatre
639 Commercial Drive

Tickets $10. VTO, CBO, Eaton’s
& Woodwards. Info. 987-1691

~ RANKIN

— &
COMPANY
Barristers & Solicitors

4th Floor, 195 Alexander St.
Vancouver, B.C. V6A 1N8

682-2781

Offers a broad range of
legal services including:

Personal Injury & Insurance claims
Real Estate & Conveyancing
Divorce & Family Law

Labour Law

Criminal Law

Estates & Wills

DANCE PARTY!

Communique

and
The Nickel-Silver Band

Saturday, March 10
8 p.m.

Ukrainian Hall
805 E. Pender St.

Benefit for the Admission:
Unemployed $4 employed
Action Centre = $2 unemployed

DINNER

Sunday, March 11, 1984
Speakers: Ald. Libby Davies

Dr. Adrianne Ross

Musical Entertainment

Russian People’s Home

600 Campbell Avenue
Doors: 5:30 p.m. Supper: 6 p.m.
Admission: $8 & unemployed $5
For more information: 254-9797

CELEBRATE.

International Women’s Day 1984.

Congress of Canadian Women

"MARCH & RALLY
Saturday, March 10, 1984

11 a.m. at Victory Square
‘ March under the CCW banner

_ INFORMATION DAY
Sunday, March 11, 1984
Sir Charles Tupper High School

10 a.m. to 5. p.m.
See the CCW display

PACIFIC TRIBUNE, MARCH 7, 1984 e 11