Editing Leonard Peltier (section)

==Prison writings: ''My Life Is My Sun Dance''==
{{Overly detailed|date=December 2024}}
{{POV section|date=December 2024}}

===Introduction and Preface===
Chief [[Arvol Looking Horse]] and former Attorney Clark [[Ramsey Clark]] contributed the introduction and preface, respectively, to ''My Life is My Sun Dance''. Chief Looking Horse is a spiritual leader and an activist, who notably was involved in recent protest against the [[Dakota Access Pipeline protests|Dakota Access Pipeline]]. Clark has provided legal counsel to Peltier in relation to his appeals for clemency.

In his introduction, Chief Looking Horse emphasizes Peltier's suffering and role of a Sun Dancer- "...(Peltier) offered himself to Wakan Tanka so that the People might have peace and happiness once again" (pg. ix). Looking Horse also makes a call for the freedom of Peltier, that his freedom mirrors the return of Indigenous land, and that action must be made to ensure these things occur.

Former Attorney General Ramsey Clark notes in his preface that Peltier's struggle is representative of human rights and Indigenous rights as a whole, and he is known the whole world over yet seemingly hidden from Americans. He makes a case for Peltier's innocence at [[Pine Ridge Indian Reservation|Pine Ridge]], and mentions the repeating of history that has occurred since [[Wounded Knee Occupation|Wounded Knee]] in 1973. Clark praises the efforts of the [[American Indian Movement]] taking initiative to protect their people, and berates the FBI and American judicial system on their willful ignorance of Peltier's case of innocence (pg. xxi).

In both the preface and introduction, these figureheads—one who champions Indigenous peoples’ rights, and the other who has worked extensively within the American judicial system—both call for the release of Peltier.

===Part i – In My Own Voice===
Leonard Peltier starts his memoir by explaining the uncomfortable and unsafe conditions in which he writes his passages. He expresses gratitude, welcoming his reader, unsure if his book will ever reach anyone. Despite his worries, his writing is personal, soaked in a humanizing tone of not only himself but of his reader. Peltier explains his intention behind writing his personal testimony on the 23rd year of his life sentence, proclaiming, "[I'm writing] not because I'm planning to die, but because I'm planning to live" (p.&nbsp;8).<ref name="book71" /> He spends much of this part reclaiming his identity, commonly restating his names, both Leonard Peltier and Gwarth-ee-lass, to allow his reader to view him as a person beyond any other label or event that has been used to strip him of his identity. As an Indigenous man to the Great Turtle Island, Peltier writes about his struggle against imprisonment, not as his sole struggle but as a struggle of his people, a struggle he would continue to endure for his people. He does not view himself as powerful until he aligns himself with his people, and only then does he find strength in the struggle he endures. Furthermore, he talks about the wisdom passed down to him from elders, that speaking out from the heart against injustice is the duty of all and is an Indigenous way of living. Peltier gives a detailed account of [[Sun Dance]], a spiritual ceremony in which one sacrifices his flesh and life to the [[Great Spirit]]. This spiritual journey, like his Indigenous ancestors, allows him to resist his oppressors rather than abandon his people. As a Sun Dancer, he embodies an unbreakable resistance often misunderstood by settlers. Through the parts that follow, he shows the reader the power behind Sun Dance.

===Part ii – Who I Am===
In part 2 of ''My Life is My Sun Dance'', Peltier discusses what it means to be Indigenous in North America but more specifically the United States. He explains that his story is not specific to him but "is the story of my people, the Indian people of this Great [[Turtle Island]]."<ref name="book71" /> He discusses some key point in history that outline what he describes as a history saddened in tragedy, deceit, and genocide.<ref name="book71" /> He describes how Indigenous peoples' lands have been stolen from them and how they were pushed onto reservations. He describes the events of the [[Wounded Knee Massacre]], South Dakota on December 29, 1890, which was a crucial part in what he describes as the genocide of Indigenous people.<ref name="book71" /> He also describes how the genocide is being carried on into modern day by citing statistics such as the fact that some of the highest levels of poverty, unemployment, infant mortality, and teen suicide rates in the country are on the reservations in South Dakota. He highlights the [[American Indian Movement]] which has sought to reveal to the world the crimes against humanity that were committed against Indigenous people. Part 2 also contains a poem titled "an eagle's cry" which is about wanting to be heard as the lines "Listen to me!" and "hear us" are uttered many times throughout.<ref name="book71" />

===Part iii – Growing Up Indian===
Peltier writes about the importance of names in this section of his memoir. As they relate to Indigenous identity, Peltier notes how names give individuals a sense of who they are and their possibilities. He highlights that names provide individuals with something to live up to and that names can point to where a person is supposed to be in life. Peltier explains the different names he has, such as Tate Wikuw, which translates to "Wind Chases the Sun" in the [[Dakota language|Dakota]] language, which was his great-grandfather's name, and Gwarth-ee-lass which translates to "He Leads the People" (Peltier 61).<ref name="book71" /> This section of his memoir also showcases the struggles of Indigenous sovereignty and agency, as Peltier notes that he, along with every other person of the Ikce Wicasa (the Common/Original people), have their land and identities under occupation. He highlights the frequency of racial profiling of Indigenous people like himself and how the [[prison–industrial complex]] (PIC) targets and thrives off of them. Peltier illuminates the genocidal projects of the PIC by showcasing the harmful effects of [[colonization]], and the PIC replicating colonization in prisons, these systems have had on Indigenous peoples.

===Part iv – Becoming Political===
Peltier writes about his entry into and work for Indigenous movements. Upon seeing Indigenous people being brutalized for trying to maintain and protect their rights, which are guaranteed under federal [https://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/ntreaty.asp treaties] and not upheld by the U.S. government, he began fighting for civil and Indigenous rights with [[American Indian Movement|AIM]]. He discusses how the U.S. government was primarily interested in taking Indigenous land through means of brutalization, murder, and wrongful incarceration for colonial and extractive reasons. As an AIM member, he participated in the [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]] (BIA) takeover in November 1972, which began as a peace march called the "[[Trail of Broken Treaties]]" that escalated due to BIA and security officials attempting to forcefully remove protestors. He also worked with AIM to help find work for Indigenous people and worked in an alcohol rehab program, as well as spiritual work. In 1975, Peltier arrived at the [[Oglala]] nation to help protect the Indigenous people living there who were being murdered.<ref name="whoisleonardpeltier.info">{{Cite web |title=The Shootout {{!}} International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee |url=https://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/home/facts/shootout/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |language=en}}</ref> He and other AIM warriors were sent to defend the residents of the land, not as a para-military force.<ref name="whoisleonardpeltier.info"/> However, they were ambushed and forced to defend themselves with the small supply of defensive arms they had. Peltier reflects on how the government hid information and lied to place blame on him and AIM members as aggressors in the exchange.<ref name="book71" />

===Part v – That Day at Oglala===
This section goes over Peltier's recounting of the day of the attack on his people at [[Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota|Oglala]] that led to his eventual arrest and imprisonment. Peltier was staying in a "tent city" with other [[American Indian Movement|AIM]] members on Harry and Cecilia Jumping Bull's property. The [[Lakota people|Lakota]] Elders had asked for their protection from the [[Guardians of the Oglala Nation|GOON]] squads who had been "terrorizing" the [[Pine Ridge Indian Reservation|Pine Ridge Reservation]] "for months" (Peltier 126).<ref name="book71" /> On June 26, 1975, their group, which included women, children, and elders, was attacked by "lawmen, GOONs, [[SWAT]] teams, vigilantes, [[Bureau of Indian Affairs Police|BIA]] police, you name it" (129).<ref name="book71" /> Peltier's group did not want to immediately retaliate. However, two FBI agents, Jack R. Coler and Ronald A. Williams were killed and the violence against Peltier's group escalated. Despite being convicted for their murders, Peltier denies killing the two FBI agents and says that he would have tried to stop whoever was the true assailant. Peltier and his people managed to escape the attack and all survived, except for Joe Killsright Stuntz. While running away, the group stopped for prayer and Peltier says they were led to safety by an eagle. Peltier thanks those who gave them sanctuary after the attack and those who cheered on and aided their escape. While Peltier's group hid, police went on a large manhunt and terrorized the Pine Ridge Reservation looking for them. Elders in Peltier's group decided they would hide until [[Sun Dance]] in August where they could thank [[Wakan Tanka]] for saving their lives, but police caught and arrested members of the group one by one until Peltier decided to flee to Canada. He hoped for safety among the Indigenous communities there and possibly being granted political asylum, as he did not trust the American government to give him a fair trial, or even to let him live.

===Part vi – A Life in Hell===
Peltier accounts his arrest in Canada on February 6, 1976. Following his arrest, the FBI suborned and coerced Myrtle Poor Bear to provide false affidavits against Peltier, claiming she was an eyewitness to the killing of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation in June 1975 and an ex-girlfriend of Peltier's.<ref name="book71" /> Despite Peltier's unjust and inhumane treatment since his arrest in Canada, he refuses to be made a victim, emphasizing his status as a warrior who finds his strength in Sun Dance.<ref name="book71" /> After being falsely promised a fair trial, Peltier signed the extradition papers to facilitate his return to the United States, where he received two life sentences on June 1, 1977, and was transferred to the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas.<ref name="book71" /> The FBI elaborately orchestrated Peltier's sentencing through fabricated evidence and "willful illegality" as they desperately needed a public "scapegoat" to pay for the deaths of two of their agents.<ref name="book71" /> Peltier describes the "unconstitutional" treatment he has experienced since his imprisonment, including surviving an assassination plot and prison escape during his transfer to Lompoc prison in 1979.<ref name="book71" /> Further, Peltier recounts a recurring and changing dream he experienced while in solitary confinement, which he conveys in the form of a story titled "The Last Battle".<ref name="book71" /> Peltier also describes the "''inipi'', or sweat-lodge ceremony" he participated in every Saturday at Leavenworth, through which he was able to feel a “blessed freedom” and total escape despite his imprisonment.<ref name="book71" />

===Part vii – A Message to Humanity===
In the final section of his memoir, Peltier envisions humanity's mutual future. He discusses the necessity of respect, compassion, and collaboration among all people. He encourages the reader to celebrate humanity's differences and to find strength in togetherness and common humanity. He finds hope in children and anticipates a "Great Healing" toward a better future.<ref name="book71" /> To realize this vision, Peltier emphasizes the necessity for sincere effort and change in the present. He writes about the importance of individual action and underlines the need for [[Indigenous rights|Indigenous sovereignty]].