Opinion

Wambli Sina Win: An attack on Indian spirituality from the FWS

Monday, September 26, 2011

My Brothers and Sisters, environmentalists, nature lovers and those who support Native American culture and spirituality, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service under the guise of its rule making and “regulatory” powers has quietly launched an attack upon tribal sovereignty and our relative, the indigenous eagle.

Without sufficient direct government-to-government tribal consultation and without regard to current federal law which allows only members of federally recognized tribes to obtain permits for eagle feathers and parts, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service now proposes new rules to accommodate sportsmen, “master falconers” to own, breed and cross-breed the indigenous eagle with other species and the deadline for public comment is October 4, 2011.

This “redneck, hillbilly” agency, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife, which I say is akin to Custer, has become so arrogant that it even disrespects Congress which passed laws to protect the rights of only Native Americans to use and possess eagle parts and feathers. Despite the fact that the Courts have also upheld these laws, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is “supreme” in its arrogant attitude as it seeks to change the law all on its own, disregarding the Executive Office’s policy on direct consultation with Indian tribes.

This redneck agency appears to promote sportsmen’s rights over the religious rights of Native Americans. It is outrageous to even consider allowing anybody to cross breed the indigenous eagles and to create hybrids. To allow other species to be imported and to breed and cross breed eagles with other species will open the door to a regulatory nightmare.

In its pure form to Native Americans, the “Wambli Gleska,” the Golden Eagle has always been sacred. To cross breed this sacred bird is desecration and will doom the eagle to an unnatural life of captivity with unnatural keepers in an unnatural environment. This is an outrage and an attack of Native American spirituality and culture. Is nothing sacred to the white man? Is there no respect for nature and for creatures which the Great Spirit has placed upon this earth?

I feel a special kinship with the eagle. My name “Wambli Sina Win” (Eagle Shawl Woman), which I was given in a ceremony, bespeaks a close spiritual relationship with the eagle. Our relationship with the eagle is a cultural and spiritual relationship which predates the European presence. I have written previously about the desecration of eagle feathers and parts but recently, several Native American leaders alerted me to the proposed terroristic attack upon our sacred messenger, the eagle, by this government agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a “good old boy” agency at the very least.

The eagle, “Wambli,” according to our most ancient origin legends, is our forefather. He saved the first woman and as a hero, the Great Spirit gave him life as a man for his heroism. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans on this continent, the eagles, buffalo, bear and many other species which are spiritually important to Native Americans, did not have a problem harmoniously co-existing with humans. We lived as “ikciya wicasa,” “ikciya winyan,” ordinary men and ordinary women.

The introduction of foreign species has been destructive to our indigenous species. For example, the feral pigs which were brought here by the Spaniards and which have reproduced have become a threat in many areas.

A natural creature, the prairie dog, is being hunted night and day and will soon become extinct.

Our own wolves, bears and the buffalo are not that far from becoming extinct. It is unthinkable that Native Americans would ever treat eagles as a “hobby” or a creature for recreation since we believe that they carry our prayers to the Great Spirit. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife is favoring the rights of sportsmen over Native American culture and spirituality. Tribes must pass their own laws to declare the eagles as “endangered species” to protect them.

Much as the Native American has been exterminated, integrated, re-created, the attack on the eagle, is like the attack upon Native American tribes. Where are the brave warriors of our Strong Heart and Kit Fox societies to defend our relative from this attack? Who will stand in this hour of the eagle’s certain fate that is being decided by some high powered “hillbillies” who use legalized extermination of our relative?

This is cultural terrorism against Native Americans and an attack upon nature and the eagles. In the old days, such desecration would have been punishable by death. Where is our presence today to protect our relatives, the eagles?

The eagles will face a life of slavery, to be held in captivity, bred for economic reasons and sport, to be bought sold, bartered. Non-Indians will be able to do the very thing which Congress has to date prohibited, buying, selling, bartering eagles, their feathers, eggs, semen, parts, even their nests if this hillbilly agency has its way.

I call upon Tribes to remember the relationship that your ancestors had with the eagle. Make a stand against these “hillbillies with badges” who are ignorant about and have no respect for Native American culture and spirituality. Furthermore, is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife trying to create its own “Garden of Eden” and play God?

This is nothing more than an economic enterprise. It is commercializing the eagle and turning it into a chicken which can be mass produced. It will be a nightmare to allow this. It is a threat which could wipe out our natural indigenous eagles. Should a hybrid escape, it poses a threat to our native species. Is this agency trying to turn this into an “Ellis Island”?

Not so long ago, eagles were on the endangered species list and were protected to a certain extent. Now the U.S. Fish & Wildlife appears to be promoting the destruction of the eagle by the sportsmen’s economic exploitation. This is an attack on tribal sovereignty, identity, spirituality. It is cultural and environmental terrorism against a natural species, the eagle, which is sanctioned by a governmental agency.

Where does this end? Will the eagle become like a chicken? Will we have hybrid eagles mass produced in eagle plants? No more chicken feathers, everyone can buy a hybrid headdress from a “master falconer.”

Our Native American identity is closely intertwined with the eagle and we are one. At one time we had holy men whose spirit helpers were the eagle, George Eagle Elk, a powerful Sicangu holy man, was one such person. We had sacred ceremonial dances, the eagle dance, which only one who had such a vision could perform. Henry Crow Dog, another Sicangu holy man comes to mind.

Many of our youth have trouble due to “hybridization” and the loss of identity. The native eagle is born with its survival instincts and its home is here. It is not acceptable to allow cross breeding or hybridizing of the eagle in any way. Falconry use of the eagle for sport does not trump Native American religion, culture or spirituality. Anyone who loves nature in its wild state and who loves eagles should be offended by this disrespect and disregard for the eagle.

Only Native Americans should be allowed to have eagle feathers and parts. To allow this is to allow Non-Indians to have and to exploit the eagle. There has not been sufficient direct consultation with the over 566 federally recognized tribes to allow this rule making to go forward. Contact me at wamblisinawin@yahoo.com and I will forward any information you need to oppose this. I urge tribal leaders to contact your Congressional representatives and to protest this at the Executive Office level immediately.

Amidst the possible twilight of our forefather, the eagle, will we too share the same sunset that he may face or will we stand and defend what is ours? Terrorists and terrorism comes in all forms. This is an attack upon two nations, the eagle and the Red Nation.

I know that my great grandfather were alive today, he would stand with my son, Wiconi Was` te the Heyoka who says, “If there is one warrior who should stand as a man and through his determination and perseverance through oppression, rises like an eagle to defend what is ours, I and the Ghost Nation shall stand with him!”

Wambli Sina Win is currently an Associate Professor and Director of the Bacone College Criminal Justice Studies Department in Muskogee, Okla. Her grandfather was John Fire, Chief Lame Deer Tahca Uste, a well known Lakota Holy Man from the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota. One of her sons is also a medicine man. She has served as a Tribal Judge for the Oglala Sioux Tribal Court, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, a Tribal Attorney and as a legal Instructor for the U.S. Indian Police Academy at Artesia, N.M. You may contact Wambli Sina Win, J.D. at wamblisinawin@yahoo.com