Leonard Peltier

Watercolor 15 1/5 x 22 1/5 cm

"When colonial white society invades and occupies our territories these are not called criminal acts. But when Native people stand up and resist, these acts are considered criminal. But these are not crimes. They are political acts in which our people stand up for their rights of self-determination, self-dignity, and self-respect against the cruel and oppressive might of another nation· It is not a new development for white society to steal from non-white people. When white society succeeds, it is called colonialism. When white societyâs efforts to colonise other people are met with resistance, it is called war. But when the colonized Indians of North America meet this theft with resistance, we are called criminals." - Leonard Peltier, May 1976