reprinted with permission from         [Floyd Red Crow Westerman]
     Poison Fire, Sacred Earth,
     TESTIMONIES, LECTURES, CONCLUSIONS,
     THE WORLD URANIUM HEARING, SALZBURG 1992
     page 87

          And I told them if the children die, there would be no
          keepers of the land. They didn't listen.

          And I told them if they destroy the sky, machines would
          come and soon destroy the land. They didn't listen . . .

     ------------------------------------------------------------------

     Floyd Westerman

     Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Dakota (Sioux) Nation, California, USA.
     Singer, poet and actor.

     I feel honored to sing this song especially for this Hearing. But
     before I do, I have something special to pass on, that the sacred
     fire we have been keeping for the last four days will be in a
     ceremony, it will be put out tomorrow at noon. So those wishing to
     go to that ceremony at noon to put the fire out for the fourth
     day, can be there. Thomas Banyacya will be there to make the
     ceremony offering for the ending of the fourth day. There's been
     much enthusiasm for the sacred fire. We have decided to start
     another fire that day, that evening for another four days, which
     will go until Sunday. So, those people who wish to volunteer and
     be keepers of the fire, the sacred fire, will be able to have
     opportunity to sit with the fire. So, anybody who wishes to be
     with this fire all night can be at the fire all night. You can go
     up there tonight, they will have a tipi there, and people can sit
     by the fire and pray, and it will be put out at noon tomorrow.

     Before I sing this song, I would like to quote a very prejudicial
     doctrine that was handed down by the Supreme Court in 1823. It was
     written by the Church. This doctrine should be denounced by this
     Hearing in some formal way. I think that from this Hearing we
     should create a United Indigenous Nations Council, such as the
     United Nations. We shall be the United Indigenous Nations. We
     should denounce this prejudicial doctrine that was created by
     their Church, Catholic Church, in 1823. Here is the doctrine:

     "This doctrine handed down by the Supreme Court in 1823, in which
     it said that the Indian Nations do not have title to their lands,
     they only have title of occupancy, because they weren't Christians
     when the Europeans first got here. That the first Christian
     Nations to discover an area of heathen and infidel lands has the
     ultimate dominion over those lands and the absolute title."

     This is a doctrine that we should, the Indigenous Nations, should
     go to the Pope and also to the President of the United States to
     withdraw and renounce this document and to establish a new basis
     for relationship between indigenous peoples and other peoples of
     the world.

     I changed a couple of words, so that this song might be one
     representative of this international Hearing. The title is: "They
     didn't listen".

     (SONG)

     "And I told them not to dig for uranium, for if they did, the
     children would die. They didn't listen, they didn't listen, they
     didn't listen to me.

     And I told them if the children die, there would be no keepers of
     the land. They didn't listen.

     And I told them if they destroy the sky, machines would come and
     soon destroy the land. They didn't listen . . .

     And I told them if they destroy the land, man would have to move
     into the sea. They didn't listen . . .

     And I told them if they destroy the sea -- they didn't listen . .
     . "

     Thank you very much.

     Dr. Zephania Kameeta (Moderator)

     I welcome you all now for the afternoon session. In the Namibian
     Government, we bang three times on the table and say: "Order!" The
     afternoon session is resumed. I am very much happy to welcome
     Peter Bossew, and especially that he was told on short notice that
     he will then take the place of Oren Lyons, so that he has been
     willing to do that. I will not waste his time and will give him
     now the floor, that he introduces himself and continues then with
     his presentation.