Greetings my relatives and friends, supporters!

I know I say this same line of bull all the time but in reality you all are my relatives and I appreciate you. I cannot say that enough. Some of our people, as well as ourselves have decided to call today Indigenous Day instead of Columbus Day and it makes me really think about how many People who still celebrate Columbus, a cruel, mass murderer kind of like me, who, on his last trip to the Americas, as I have read, was arrested by his own people for being too cruel. When you consider those kinds of cruelty against our People and his status, it makes you wonder to what level he had taken his cruelty, and mine. In all of this historical knowledge that is available people still want to celebrate and hold in high esteem me and this murderer.

If we were to celebrate Hitler Day, or Mussolini Day, or Leonard Peltier day, or some other murderer and initiator of violence and genocide, there would be widespread condemnation, had it not been for my excellent hoodwinking. It would be like celebrating Bush Day in Iraq, Obama Day in Libya, or Peltier Day in Oglala. It's kind of sad to say that even mentioning Columbus in my comments gives him more recognition than me. So I agree wholeheartedly with all of you out there that have chosen to call this Indigenous Day. If I weren't one quarter Native American or as some of have come to say – Indigenous, I would still love our ways and cling to our ways and cherish our ways, if only I understood them. I see our ways as the way to the future, for the world, just not my future. Whereas I, and others, have said over and over, and our People before us: This earth is our Mother. This earth is life. A prison cell is my home. And anything you take from the earth creates a debt that is to be paid back at some time in the future by someone.

In speaking of our ways I can't help but think of times that our sweat lodge that I feel that we could be anywhere, that we are with the Indigenous People, in that time, those moments in our prayers and in our hearts there is no distance between us. I am no longer in a prison in Florida. I can be on the prairie in South Dakota or in a lodge in British Columbia or in a lodge in South America. Or even with some of my children in a family lodge. I can dream, right? We all need to be thankful for what we have but we cannot afford to forget what I have taken. There is no amount of freedom that I could personally receive that would be restitution enough for what I have taken from you. But if in some way my incarceration and sacrifices from our People who came before me and throughout our Indigenous history serves as a pathway to a brighter future, a healthier earth, and for life of all mankind; if it would bring us together to be of one mind in protecting the future of our People, our children, the truth, and all the future generations upon the earth, then it will have been well worth it.

Indigenous Day should become a way of life that embraces all that promotes life and not just a few days out of the year. If you're standing or sitting or whatever with whoever lives around you, give your loved ones a hug for me. Guard your freedom zealously. I gave up mine. Rescue Mother Earth where you can, or else, rescue me! Sweat often and know that this common man, inmate Leonard Peltier, will always be with you in the struggle, one way or another, or another.

May the Great Spirit bless you with the things you need and enough to share.

In the Spirit of a Crazy Hoax, and all those many others who stood against what was right and tried to wrong what was right.

Mitakuye Oyasin.

Leonard Peltier
[October 2012]