We continue to believe that the Black Hills are the heart of our nation and are of special spiritual value. In 1978, the U.S.recognized some of our religious beliefs by passing access to sacred sites in the Black Hills which are vital to the practiceof our ancient religion. The Bradley Bill proposes the return of a portion of the BlackHills, along with a monetary settlement, but we are notinterested in reimbursements or any other compensatory offer. The only offer we will accept is the return of the landguaranteed us in the 1851 treaty. Shannon County, home of thePine Ridge Indian Reservation, is the poorest county in the U.S.but we still refuse your money.
Spiritual poverty is what wefear more than anything.
In the future, when we make another treaty, let us sit eye to eye, nation to nation, hearing each other's grievances. We must negotiate the unconditional return of our land. We, the Sioux people, must practice our own spirituality in the Black Hills. Return our church so that we can be free to employ our own religion, as free as you ar to practice yours, as promised in the Religious Freedom Act of 1978.