The parade started at eleven this morning and traveled from the old Moccasin factory through Pine Ridge and ended at the Pow wow grounds.
Photos Courtesy of John

From: Pat Morris <wlfskr@leba.net>
Nebraska Town Edgy As 'Pow-Wow' Begins
4.35 p.m. ET (2036 GMT)
August 7, 1999

WHITECLAY, Neb. — The 22 residents and business owners of Whiteclay, Nebraska remained edgy late Saturday as Pine Ridge Indian Reservation across the border in South Dakota hosted its annual "pow-wow.''

"We're pretty sure the march and demonstration will be peaceful, but you're always on pins and needles over something like this; and their annual pow-wow is in Pine Ridge this weekend, so you never know,'' said Lance Moss an employee of Whiteclay's Jack and Jill grocery store.

American Indians have been crossing the border recently, marching the two miles from Pine Ridge to Whiteclay to raise awareness about the unsolved murders of two Indians whose bodies were found along the Nebraska border. They also have been protesting the sale of alcohol by Whiteclay businesses to residents of the alcohol-free Indian reservation.

"It was pretty quiet the past couple of days and there's a pretty healthy amount of law enforcement in town so I think everything will be okay,'' Moss said.

For each of the last six Saturdays, 50 to 100 protesters have marched to Whiteclay, threatening to evict several business owners and reclaim the town as Indian territory.

This weekend's "pow-wow'' had some Nebraskans thinking the number of protesters could reach into the thousands. As of mid-afternoon Saturday, no protesters had been seen, town residents said.

The protesters also are demanding that Nebraska turn Whiteclay over to the Oglala Sioux tribe, which was given rights to the land, the Indians claim, in an ancient treaty.

Indian protesters have posted eviction notices on some businesses in Whiteclay, giving owners until Saturday to get out.

Stuart Kozal, whose Jumping Eagle Inn in Whiteclay was one of four businesses targeted, said the eviction notices threatened only "legal action'' if the businesses were not vacated. But he said some in town feared that businesses would be burned if the eviction notices were ignored.

One of the early marches turned violent with looting and the burning of a local grocery store. But the recent marches have been peaceful.

The leader of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Tribal President Harold Salway, said while he was not involved in organizing the marches, he has been working with the Nebraska governor's office to try to resolve several of the concerns, and talks were proceeding well.