“It’s Finally Over – I’m Going Home” ~Leonard Peltier
Greetings, Lekší Leonard is returning to his homelands of Turtle Mountain Anishinaabe territory! President Biden has granted Leonard Peltier commutation of his life sentence, to serve the remainder of his sentence at home, effective February 18, 2025. This grant of clemency resulted from 50 years of intergenerational grassroots organizing in Indian Country. Together we witnessed the unveiling of extensive evidence of prosecutorial misconduct and constitutional violations committed during Peltier’s case. “Leonard Peltier’s liberation is our liberation – and while home confinement is not complete freedom, we will honor him by bringing him back to his homelands to live out the rest of his days surrounded by loved ones, healing, and reconnecting with his land and culture,” said Nick Tilsen, NDN Collective Founder and CEO. Watch the NDN LIVE:
There is no real justice after losing 50 years of freedom, but today, our hearts are full of joy and gratitude that Lekší Leonard is returning home. “Today’s decision shows the combined power of grassroots organizing and advocacy at the highest levels of government. We are grateful to President Biden and the leadership of Secretary Deb Haaland. said Holly Cook Macarro, Government Affairs for NDN Collective. “All of us here today stand on the shoulders of three generations of activists who have fought for justice for Leonard Peltier. Today is a monumental victory – the day that Leonard Peltier finally goes home.” We remember the countless prayers that were said for Leonard. We remember and honor those who organized, mobilized, took to the streets, rallied, signed petitions, called representatives, lifted his story, and fought against Leonard’s unjust incarceration across Turtle Island and internationally— especially those who have traveled on and are witnessing this moment in the stars.
NDN delegation goes LIVE outside of the Coleman, FL Penitentiary where Leonard is being held. Photo credit: Angel White Eyes.NDN delegation speaks with Leonard Peltier outside of the Coleman, FL Penitentiary.Photo credit: Angel White Eyes.
To learn more about Leonard’s release, read NDN Collective’s press release here. For media inquiries contact: Cabot Petoia, cabot@ndncollective.org, 828-899-9239, and Sarah Manning, sarah@ndncollective.org, (208) 591-0672.
Our hearts are with our relatives who are still unjustly incarcerated and continue to be targets of police and state violence. The fight to release Leonard Peltier from prison is over, however, the fight for justice and the healing of our People from systems that continue to violate Indigenous rights globally, and target, criminalize, incarcerate, and murder our people, is a fight we continue to take on at NDN Collective. Please continue to hold Leonard in your hearts and say prayers for all that comes next for him. ✊🏽 In Gratitude, NDN Collective
From acknowledging the winter solstice to celebrating mainstream society’s holiday season, this time of year has always brought together gatherings of family and friends throughout Turtle Island. And every December, reminders of our history add to the difficulties faced by many families, and tribes, as some of their people’s most tragic memories all occurred during this month — the assassination of Chief Sitting Bull, Wounded Knee Massacre, and the Dakota 38 Hanging.
The day after Christmas is more widely known as “Boxing Day,” especially outside of Indian Country, but in the last several years there has been growing momentum for mainstream society to acknowledge the day after Christmas as the day when 38 Dakota “Sioux” men were hanged in Mankato, Minnesota in 1862. The hanging, the largest mass execution in United States history, was carried out in front of an estimated 4,000 people in downtown Mankato and remains largely hidden from classrooms and public knowledge.
As the year ends, and millions gather to celebrate and acknowledge the holiday season, some Indigenous communities acknowledge its tragic past through memorial ceremonies aimed at teaching and healing while building community.
The hangings were approved by former President Abraham Lincoln as a result of conflict between Dakota people and settlers in southwestern Minnesota. Dakota people were promised food and safety in exchange for ceding their lands, but they received neither, leading to attacks on white settlements in August 1862. The resulting widespread war in Minnesota lasted for five weeks, culminating in the hanging of 38 Dakota men in Mankato on Dec. 26, 1862.
Some say the Dakota War officially ended after the hanging, but the U.S. government’s oppression of the Dakota people, as well as other Indigenous groups, did not end with that atrocity. After the mass hanging, Dakota people were exiled and forcibly removed from Minnesota. Many sought refuge in Canada, South Dakota, Nebraska, and other communities willing to take them in. Memorializing such a painful history involves more than riding on horseback through blizzard-like conditions. While it remains a painful and tragic past, many have undertaken healing and positive efforts to repair relations with those in the places where history unfolded, hoping that such history will not repeat itself.
The movement to pay tribute to tragic times past is active healing in Indian Country. While memorials take time and tremendous effort, the initial memorial horse ride has caused great positive ripple. Today there are additional horse rides and a memorial run that begins at Ft. Snelling, the military fort where thousands of Dakota people were imprisoned during the Dakota War, and all convene at Reconciliation Park in Mankato, MN on Dec. 26. Many other Indigenous communities have begun to host memorial rides, runs, or walks, to pay their respects to their past, as well as to the land in hopes we continue to heal beyond times past.
Beginning in 2008, an annual memorial horse ride was organized to begin on the Lower Brule Reservation in central South Dakota and ride for 16 consecutive days, convening in Mankato, MN on Dec. 26. Their ride and ceremonial arrival to memorialize the Dakota 38 continues to this day — now under a new name — Mahkato Reconciliation and Healing Ride.
Forever riding forward, while sometimes looking back, is magic we all have to embrace in this work. We’re grateful and gain strength as we join together to honor the pain and sacrifices of the past by celebrating and supporting these ongoing healing movements.
Miigwech — thank you, always, for remembering with us! Darren Thompson Director of Media Relations Lakota People’s Law Project Sacred Defense Fund
Lakota People’s Law Project P.O. Box 27 Santa Fe, NM 87504
Warm greetings to you from the sacred (and chilly) He Sapa (Black Hills)! I’m here to witness and celebrate many young, Native runners on route from Fort Robinson, Nebraska to Busby, Montana, where — in solidarity with our Northern Cheyenne relatives, and on behalf of Lakota Law, Sacred Defense Fund, and the Standing Rock and Oglala Tribal Nations — I’m bringing you along for this year’s 29th Annual Fort Robinson Outbreak Spiritual Run.
I encourage you to watch my short video introduction to this important and deeply meaningful yearly event. It honors — with a 400-mile run over six days through subzero temperatures and some of the most beautiful, wild, and sacred territory in all of Turtle Island — Northern Cheyenne ancestors who broke free from captivity in Fort Robinson on January 9th, 1879. The run retraces their steps and allows their descendants to complete the journey they were unable to finish to their homelands nearly a century and a half ago.
Watch: Here I am at the Fort Robinson barracks. In my new video, I discuss the history behind this run, which promotes healing through acknowledgment of generational trauma and taking healthful action.
I want to give recognition to the Two Bulls family and Yellow Bird Foundation for hosting this powerful event. The runners — mostly youth from many tribal nations — began with an orientation on Thursday before hitting the trail yesterday from Fort Robinson to Hot Springs, SD. After crossing though the He Sapa into Deadwood today, they’ll have three remaining legs before reaching their final destination in Busby.
Our participation here — and yours, through your support — is important, not least because it raises more awareness (both within our communities and without) of how colonization and imprisonment in “frontier” forts impacted our Northern Cheyenne relatives. In some ways, being present for and supporting this run embodies what our work is all about. It gives us a real opportunity to acknowledge the painful past while alchemizing generational trauma through healthy activity to empower the next generation.
Wopila tanka — my gratitude for your solidarity with our youth and ancestors! Tokata Iron Eyes Spokesperson & Organizer Lakota People’s Law Project Sacred Defense Fund
P.S. A second reminder: We remain deeply grateful to all of you who give of yourselves to make the ongoing work of Lakota People’s Law Project possible under our new home at Sacred Defense Fund. For those of you who donate through checks, please send them to our new mailing address, listed below, and kindly make out your checks to: Sacred Defense Fund. Thank you so much!
Note our new mailing address (and please make any checks payable to: “Sacred Defense Fund”)
Lakota People’s Law Project c/o Sacred Defense Fund PO Box 27 Santa Fe, NM 87504
NDN delegation goes LIVE outside of the Coleman, FL Penitentiary where Leonard is being held. Photo credit: Angel White Eyes. 
NDN delegation speaks with Leonard Peltier outside of the Coleman, FL Penitentiary. Photo credit: Angel White Eyes.
Water is Life 