Sioux Nation Treaty Council - est 1894

Hello Everyone,

In the last large Newsletter sent May 26, 2026 with attachments, quoted were the positive words that Spain and Mexico said regarding the Doctrines of Discovery. We also told how these Doctrines are the basis for American Indian federal law. Included in the May newsletter were the copies of the letters we sent to the King of Spain, Felipe VI; the President of Mexico, Claudia Scheinbaum; and Pope Leo at the Vatican in Rome, Italy. That Newsletter, May 26, 2026, is available at www.siouxnationtreatycouncil.org .

We received responses from Spain and Mexico. The response from the King’s office was that they would take our recommendations under advisement. The response from the Mexican President’s office was that they will not infringe on another nation’s sovereignty as we asked for a recommendation to the UN Decolonization Committee. (What about our sovereignty? We are a nation illegally occupied by the USA.) There has been no response from the Pope.

However, in the intervening months since then, one of our people sent to us a copy of a Bulletin from the Vatican Press Office entitled: Joint Statement of the Dicasteries for Culture and Education and for Promoting Integral Human Development on the “Doctrine of Discovery”, 30.3.2023. (A “dycastery” is a department of the Roman Catholic Church.) This was during the time of Pope Francis, not the current Pope Leo. Attached is a copy of that Bulletin so you can know the Catholic Church’s response in 2023. As it also says they support the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, perhaps it is time to send the Pope a copy of my book, Indigenous Nations Rights in the Balance which shows the betrayal of Indigenous peoples by the UN.

Following upon the King of Spain’s and the President of Mexico’s remarks regarding the admission of ill treatment of all of us, a large gathering was held in Mexico City by the International Continental Commission on the Doctrine of Discovery. Although our Spokesperson was invited to attend but was unable, she did give an opening remark via Zoom to the assembly.

The plan of action from that meeting included choosing an Indigenous candidate for the UN Secretary General’s position as the current term expires at the end of December. The candidate would represent all who support true Self Determination. Eventually the Spokesperson for this Treaty Council was asked to be the candidate. After much prayer and consultation with different Treaty elders, the Spokesperson agreed knowing that it was a symbolic gesture. She would not be elected and not move to New York City, but would be a symbol of Self Determination (free will) for all nations.

The Preamble to the United Nations states that it is for “all nations great and small”, and that there would be justice for treaties. Under Article 1, the Purposes of that same UN Charter, No. 2 states: “To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace;...” It is this statement of their purposes of equal rights and especially SELF DETERMINATION that many Indigenous nations continue to go to the UN just as we have been doing.

In the May Newsletter, I said that I would be going to New York the first part of June and asked for donations. Unfortunately, we were not able to get an audience with the Secretary General and many of the leaders from Mexico, Central and South America were unable to get visas to enter the United States. We are hoping to all be there in October or November when the UN General Assembly meets.

My deepest gratitude to all of you who gave donations for the travel expenses. The Plane ticket has been paid and the hotel reserved. Your donations will still be used for the New York trip.

In the meantime, an article was released in La Jornada in Mexico City announcing the candidacy from an interview with Aucan Huilcaman, the organizer, and leader for the Mapuche nation in Chile. The article can be found at https://www.jornada.com.mx/noticia/2026/08/04/sociedad/pueblos-indigenas-impulsan-primera-candidatura-originaria-para-dirigir-la-onu and translate to English. (Note: the picture is very old when I was about sixty.)

As the article mentions Aug. 9^th, the UN’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, also attached is an Editorial that was sent to various newspapers including the New York Times. It talks about true Self Determination.

On another note, from Sept. 6-11, 2026, the Treaty 6 Nations in Canada will be celebrating the 150^th Anniversary of their Treaty with the British Crown, not with Canada. Their whole treaty situation is different than ours. They have graciously invited me and my cousin, Dr. Edward Valandra, to give presentations at their celebration. We will do our best. We probably will eat moose nose soup. It is good.

For any one of you interested in learning more about the United Nations, Applications for UN Fellowships are now available. Age does not matter. This is a time to be a scout for us and learn if there are more ways for us to reach the ears of the UN. Information is attached.

Finally, we are planning for a possible Treaty meeting in Kyle on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Last year in 2025, I gave a talk at Kyle to some young people. They seemed to be thirsty for more knowledge about the Treaty and asked for a meeting. However, there were a lot of other meetings already scheduled and we were unable to organize a meeting. But I didn’t forget and am hoping we can have a meeting in October or November in Kyle. One of our elders there, Julia Hernandez is helping me.

Old way for Treaty Meetings: It used to be that the community would provide the meeting space and meals. But that has changed over the years as costs went up, and our treaty elders went home. In the summer, the meetings would be held outside under a shade, and people could camp if they wanted. In the colder months, the meetings would be in a building and different ones would bring different food. For example, someone brought soup, someone else brought the wojapi, and someone else brought the fry bread. Someone else would bring the coffee and water. And elders who traveled far distances were invited to spend the night in different homes. With the increase in our dysfunctional families due to alcohol and drugs, those ways have been gone for a while.

New Way for this Treaty Council’s meetings: Now, the Spokesperson for the treaty council raises money to rent a room, buy food, pay someone to prepare the meals, and pay for lodging for elders. However, when a community asks for a meeting, we try our best to do it. We need to do this to keep educating our young people. Because we don’t accept any tribal, state, or federal money, we always need help with the expenses for a treaty meeting.

If you want to bring food or drinks or a dessert, or do the whole meal in honor of someone, please let me know. My phone number is 605-342-1626. It will help out our Treaty Council a lot. Remember, if you are Tituwan or Ihanktowan Oceti Sakowin, or Arapaho, and an adult, then you are a member of this Treaty Council. We are not set up like the wasicu way. We are set up like our old way where all adults had a say and decisions were reached by consensus, not voting.

It will only be a one day meeting, and we wish to honor some elders who have been involved with this work for many years. We want to honor them before they go home. A notice will be sent to you ahead of time for the date and time. Look forward to seeing you then.

Warm wishes to all of you,

Charmaine White Face, Spokesperson Zumila Wobaga, Itancan