The Sentencing of Arlo Looking Cloud

SENTENCING OF ARLO LOOKING CLOUD

Arlo Looking Cloud was sentenced, Friday, 4-23-04, sentenced to life in prison, found guilty of killing Anna Mae Pictou-Aguash, AIM activist who was murdered 28 years ago. Everything is going according to plan. All the evidence against AIM has been carefully planted during the trial. Camook has stated that Leonard Peltier shot those 2 FBI agents. And Agent Price is looking like the knight in shining armor. And the press is scrambling around the courthouse to report the story, right on cue.

In the meantime, the real story is going on right here on the Pine Ridge Reservation, as it always has. The day before, Thursday, 4-22-04, Anna Mae’s body was being exhumed from the Little cemetary near Oglala.
This is how the story is reported in the news: “The family of a slain American Indian activist exhumed her remains from an Oglala cemetery Thursday, so they can be reburied on her home reservation in Novia Scotia, Canada.”

Of course, many details were left out of the story. These details, once again, raise more questions than are answered. Present at the Little cemetery near Oglala, in addition to Anna Mae’s daughters, were numerous Federal agents. Observing this activity from a distance were some Lakotas. A couple of Lakota women were at the grave site. The body of Anna Mae had been carefully wrapped in a buffalo robe. The robe was opened and they said he body was still intact, that her hair had grown long. They say that a buffalo robe preserves the body.

But this raises a number of troubling questions. Why all the Federal agents? Why did the real Indians stay away? This whole event looks like it was planned by Federal agents for another photo opportunity for the distressed daughter, Denise Maloney, at the expense and exclusion of the real Lakotas. This is a real slap in the face of the real Lakotas to remove a body that was buried with honor and ceremony. Also, over 60 deaths occurred during 1973 and 1976. With all due respect to Anna Mae, why were these other deaths never investigated with the same persistent vigor as that of Anna Mae? Why was Arlo Looking Cloud accused, tried and convicted without a shred of evidence to show his guilt?

“Looking Cloud’s new lawyer, Terry Gilbert, said Thursday, he may request that DNA samples be taken from Agush’s remains to determine if she was raped. “If it’s somebody that has no connection so far to this case, that could be a bombshell and call into question the credibility of the entire investigation,” he said.”
Judge Piersol turned down the request for the DNA samples. As Lucy was noting, “I watched the Discovery channel and they took a DNA sample from a dinosaur, so what’s the problem here?”

It looks like the Feds want to make sure that all incriminating evidence is if not destroyed, at least safely removed from this country. And Judge Piersol turned down Gilbert’s request for DNA samples. The South Dakota court system is well known for its racism and unfair and unusually harsh treatment of Indians. I wish that Senator Daschle could conduct an investigation into this whole travesty of justice.

The sentencing took place on Friday, 04-23-04. What mainstream news failed to report was that the courthouse in Rapid City was packed with Lakotas from the Pine Ridge Reservation. They all showed up to support Arlo, in this dark hour of justice for the Indian in America. As Pictou-Aquash was addressing the court, crying, and saying that her mother now could rest in peace, her killer having been sentenced, a number of Indians got up and walked out . The news failed to note that.

You would think that this day was more about Maloney and her statements, rather than about Arlo. So here is Maloney surrounded by Federal Agents, making statements such as now her mother can rest in peace now that the killer has been caught and condemned. And the press is really lapping it up. What a load of crap! Once again the Lakotas are shoved aside, and their voices are silenced. So here’s what really happened in court at the sentencing of Arlo Looking Cloud that is worth noting.

Deborah Maloney Pictou got up to address the court. According to the Rapid City Journal, she said, “My sister and I were just 10 and 11 years old when you took our mother from us,” Maloney Pictou told Arlo Looking Cloud, 53, who was convicted Feb. 6 of the first-degree murder of American Indian Movement activist Anna Mae Pictou Aquash. “You took away my opportunity to make memories of her.” At this point, my friend Lucy Bull Bear got up and walked out. Mary White Thunder was right behind her.

Deborah went on. “There is a spiritual healing going on in this case. It can touch Looking Cloud and my family. But first Arlo must accept responsibility for his actions. All I can give you is my forgiveness, but you have to ask for it.” And Deborah was waving around an eagle feather she claims her mother gave her.

At this point, Joe American Horse and Guy White Thunder spoke to each other in their Lakota language.
They said to each other that she is doing this all wrong. She is disgracing the eagle feather and herself by taking it out in such a public way. She is dishonoring the burial of her mother. If she was a true Indian, she would realize what shame she is bringing on herself and her mother’s memory. She is rubbing our nose in it, in a spiritual way.

Joe and Guy are two venerable elders, full blooded Lakota Sioux. In the tradition of the Lakota, they would be chiefs. Joe, with gray thinning long hair, small of body, like his nephew, Arlo, rose to speak. With a quiet dignity, he said, “Anna Mae was buried in a cemetery with honors befitting a Lakota. We gave her a piece of our home and our heart to mark where her brave and tortured body lies. Once a body is buried in spiritual way, you sully yourself and your mother by disturbing her. You bring great discredit upon yourself. What harm follows, is of your making.”

Rose Spotted Eagle, Arlo’s aunt who helped raised him, stood up and spoke for Arlo. In her quiet and gentle way she told how Arlo was raised to respect all life, especially elders and women. She told how he was a helpful boy, how he enjoyed life, learned how to ride a horse, played with his cousins, went to ceremonies, spoke his Lakota language, and learned his traditional ways. Arlo loved women. Arlo did not know Anna Mae. Nor did he know John Graham. He did not know Theda Clark, but would respect her to drive her to South Dakota from Troy Lynn’s house. It is not the Lakota way to ask a lot of questions. “And if Anna Mae was such a good mother, why didn’t she stay home and raise her daughters? A Lakota mother would never leave her children for any reason.”

But, of course, no one paid too much attention to this quiet voice of wisdom. The wasicu have no ears. But the Lakotas sitting in the courtroom heard every word this lovely, charming woman was saying.

According to the news, Jake Maloney, the father of Pictou Aquash’s daughters, stood to address the court. He said, “I watched my daughters cope with the devastating loss of their mother. My daughters have been suffering a life sentence of pain, a pain that always has been in their hearts. I want you, Mr. Arlo Looking Cloud, to start your sentence of pain, so someday you will start your healing process.”

Deborah Maloney Pictou spoke next, clutching a small prayer bundle and wearing a feather in her hair that her mother had given her.

At about this time, Mary White Thunder, wife of Guy, had made her way back into the courtroom and was working her way down to the front. Mary is elderly, small, with a great, big spirit, strong for the Lakotas and the Lakota way of life. She is a friend of mine. I have known her for 13 years. She walks straight and talks straight, and isn’t afraid of anyone when she thinks someone is harming a Lakota.

As Maloney Pictou was speaking, “We will always carry the spirit of our mother with us….” Mary barked out, “We are not hear to listen to your whole life. If your mom would have stayed home with you girls, and raised you like a real Indian woman, instead of running around with the AIM men, none of this would have happened, and we wouldn’t be here today.” Mary was moving down front.

Mary made her way toward Arlo. “Hey, you can’t go through there,” one of the guards said. Mary said, “I want to shake hands with my nephew.” As Arlo held out his handcuffed hands, Mary made her way through the barrier, and clasped his hands in hers. She told Arlo she believed in his innocence and one day soon, he would be home.

Arlo was taken back to his jail cell where, with a heavy heart, he sang in Lakota, icilowan. For thousands of years, Lakotas have sung these songs of encouragement for when they are to die or are defeated.

Today, I went down to the Senior Center in Kyle to see Mary. There she sat at a table with other elderly women, eating their senior meal. “I came to shake your hand,” I told her. I asked her if what I had heard was true. Yes, and then some. She said, “It just made me mad to see how they treat a Lakota. I will always stand up for a Lakota.”

“You did have a way of getting everyone’s attention and pointing out the truth,” I said.

“It’s lucky I didn’t end up behind bars with Arlo.”

“Well,” I said, “it wasn’t the icing on the cake. More like a few hairs in the butter. But we’re all the better for it. I am proud of you and what you did. Always the Lakotas are in the background.”

You know what really bothers the Indian? Someone else is always playing around with his life, treating him like he is nonexistent. Maybe that’s what the government intends—declare the Indian nonexistent—end of Indian ‘problem’. This whole Anna Mae—Arlo Looking Cloud story has always been told by the wasicu, which is why there is no understanding. It just promotes fear and hatred of the Indian, not only the Lakota, but every Indian living like a prisoner-of-war in this country called the United States of America, home of the free and land of the brave.

Tony Black Feather, UN representative for the Lakota Nation who represents not only indigenous people here but around the world, told me I must always look at the bigger picture, “try to take a broad look at things.”

What I take this to mean is that every Lakota here on the reservation is feeling the injustice that Arlo has received at the dirty hands of the U.S. government. America was founded on the blood of a lot of innocent Indians. When they couldn’t kill off all the Indians, they placed them on Reservations and diabolically took away all their rights, their land, their resources, their culture, their history and their religion. And they still couldn’t turn the Indian into a white man, no matter how hard they tried. They took away the Indian’s form of government and placed the Indians under house arrest. They forced a white penal code of law upon the Indian and told him he could now govern himself by the white man’s law. Just to make sure the Indian never had any real authority, the Reservation was placed under control of an Agent who had the final say in everything. Nowadays, the Agent has been replaced by the Superintendent who can trump every decision the Indian makes.

What you can do. First of all, identify the problem. Identify the enemy. “The elders told us not to trust the U.S. government. The politcal system is not to be trusted. You cannot work with a corrupted system and not become corrupted yourself.” And most of all, you cannot fight the corrupted system alone. This is why Mary’s bold action, encourages us all, reminds us that we all each other’s keeper. Lest we forget the suffering and anguish of our brother, let us always have the courage to defend the defenseless as Mary so courageously did.

So, what are you to do? Start living your tradition by practicing the virtues and values. Start planting
your garden, raising some chickens and buffalo. Start getting ready for winter. It is time to get ready. Prepare yourself for a vision, renew your vows at the sundance. Speak in Lakota. Don’t know the language? Well, learn it. This is not hard. Let’s get going on it.

What to avoid. Do not start arguing, backbiting, bickering, and gossiping with each other. Try to get along. Learn how to love each other again. Then life will be truly beautiful. And recognize that you are not each other’s enemy. No, you are brothers and sisters in Indian way. You should help each other, encourage each other, defend your brother. And most of all, don't give in or cave in to the corrupt system. That is the enemy. I am not the authority. You should go to a most respected elder and ask them what you can do. You know who there are. Any questions or comments or suggestions, you can reach me at 605-455-2239 or e-mail jlschmidt [at] gwtc.net