From a press release by Native American Voters:
Native American activists and their supporters will be holding a press conference and rally Wednesday, September 20th at 5 pm prior to Wellsville’s, City Council meeting. They are responding to the “Sham Battle,” a recent Founders’ Day celebration, that featured white men and women dressed up as “Indians” with their faces and bodies painted red and wearing costumes that mimicked what they assumed to be Native American attire. They are also concerned that the Wellsville event distorted the historical record and downplayed the violence and profound suffering Native people experienced as a result of Cache Valley settlement. Not only is the behavior insulting, but it reinforces harmful stereotypes that continue to undermine the overall well-being of American Indians in the United States today. Particularly upsetting was the event’s narration that seemed to celebrate the “Battle of Bear River,” that historians have now characterized as the “Bear River Massacre,” one of the worst massacres of Native Americans in American history.
Robert Lucero: Utah activist with Native American tribes, and an organizer of Wednesday's press conference and rally in Wellsville.
Darren B. Parry: Chairman of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation.
James Singer: Utah League of Native American Voters
