The passing of Michael Stephen Haney, Oklahoma activist

[Yvonne Yazzie / YazzieNet]

From: ForCER...@aol.com

[http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=7084]

Oklahoma AIM leader dies
Haney was longtime member of group, also fought against the use of mascots

TULSA OK
Sam Lewin 10/11/2005

A longtime Indian activist from Oklahoma has passed away.

Michael Stephen Haney, Seminole/Lakota, died in a Tulsa hospital on Oct. 8
following a lengthy illness.

"He was a diabetic. He had been fighting diabetes for years," his wife,
Cheri, told the Native American Times.

That wasn't the only thing Haney, who died at the age of 57, fought. He was
active in the American Indian Movement, and joined the organization when they
occupied Alcatraz Island in 1969. The leader of the National Coalition
Against Racism in Sports & Media, Haney remained a firebrand and continued to
speak out on other Indian issues, including the use of Native American
mascots,
until his death.

"What I am saying is that after you have run the people that inhabited, the
people that welcomed your ancestors to Illinois, teach you how to exist, fed
you, the first welfare line in Illinois was your ancestors. We fed you. We
offered you our resources. And in return you named Chief Illiniwek after
us. In
return, after you hunted the Mesquaki, Chief Blackhawk, after you hunted the
Sauk and Fox people to their death like animals, hunted them, killed man,
woman and children, then you named ice hockey teams after them and you
think we
should be satisfied," Haney said in opposing the University of Illinois'
"Chief Illiniwek" mascot. "I wonder why they call them outside agitators.
I am
from Oklahoma, but I wouldn't be from Oklahoma if your ancestors hadn't
run my
people out of Illinois."

In 1993 Haney filed a discrimination complaint with the Illinois Department
of Human Rights over the mascot and more recently he criticized the Seminole
Tribe of Florida for its acceptance of the Seminole mascot at Florida State
University. He also confronted officials with the Smithsonian Institute for
housing Indian artifacts in the dinosaur section.

Despite his strong words, Cheri said her husband was a man that "loved to
laugh. He liked to eat-especially any type of Indian food."

Recalling their courtship and subsequent marriage, Cheri, Muscogee (Creek)
Nation, said about her husband: "He was a Creek captive. I dated him until I
captured him."

Haney was born in Seminole and graduated from McCloud High School. He had
more recently been living in Glenpool.

His wife, three children and several grandchildren survive him.

Some quotes from Michael Haney:

"The longest undeclared war in history is the war against American Indians."

"We need to concentrate on cultural sovereignty as much as political
sovereignty."

"And I guarantee you that the American Indian Movement, I guarantee that the
Choctaw Nation, I guarantee you that the people of St. Louis and the people
of Chicago, will not cease until Chief Illiniwek is dead."

"I'm not going to get involved in a popularity contest. We've been losing
those for 500 years."

"One in five of our youth will attempt suicide. We need to do everything we
can as Indian leaders to lift up every obstacle so our children can reach
their full potential."

And a quote about him: "There is Michael Haney, the tallest American Indian
you've ever seen. He was always there, with stories and humor, challenging
students to be involved, challenging the university administration to
resurrect
decency, and reminding them of their obligation to teach the truth about
Native Americans," attributed to newspaper columnist Stephen Kaufman.

You can contact Sam Lewin at s...@okit.com

<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>
Articles are posted under the fair use
(http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html) doctrine of international
copyright law, Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. All copyrights belong to the
original publisher.
<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>