Also this year Dakota Youth Project has handed out Christmas bags to children on the reservation.
These 200 bags contained fruit, nuts and candy. Also included were small gifts from Holland. Additional contributions from the United States, Germany and Austria made this Christmas Gift Drive possible.

Although most Lakotas do not celebrate Christmas according to the religious sense, the children on the reservation are happy to receive presents like any other child. Many families on Pine Ridge Reservation live below the poverty line and do not have money for Christmas presents. DYP thanks everyone who has contributed donations to treat these children.

SAD SUMMER

This year's summer was overshadowed by a tragic event - the passing of Steve Robideau. DYP board member and brother of James Robideau. After this shock DYP was slowly returning to the usual Project work.

In October DYP "Rezkid of the Month" Kyle ran a Dreamcatcher Workshop for Visitors from Germany. Everybody agreed that he did a great job.

REZ RAP

At the end of November two young Rappers from Pine Ridge Reservation went to Germany. They were sponsored by Michael Koch and the German City of Offenbach for a cultural exchange. Dakota Youth Project helped with the preparations, e.g. obtaining the passports. James Robideau, who has made a few trips to Europe, gave valuable tips for their first trip to Germany.

The Native Era CD "Tears of the Nation, Our Voice" is available on this website.
Buy it here.

In April the Dakota Youth Project received a visit from the Boston DYP support group. Shep Gurwitz and his brother Irving, as well as two friends from the Netherlands, Frits Terpstra, Chairman of the Lew Gurwitz Memorial Foundation, and his son Rogier, brought a van full of clothes and food for the children and families on Pine Ridge Reservation.
Irving works for a car dealership and convinced his employer to donate a large size van to use in bringing these donations.

The DYP and the families that received the food and clothes deeply appreciate the efforts and hard work of those that acquired the materials, loading, driving, and unloading them. Thank you very much!

Maya has received some more clothes from Germany. Beside this she has found a sponsor from
Germany who will further support her.

The DYP "Support a Rez Kid" project that was launched in the fall, has started succefully. Maya, the first "Rez Kid" presented on the DYP website, received contributions and Christmas gifts from Germany and Austria. An Austrian visitor bought a warm winter jacket for her.

The Lew Gurwitz Memorial Foundation was established in 1994 in the Netherlands and is a non-profit, registered NGO. The organization, formerly known as the Leonard Peltier Foundation, was named after one of the most prominent pleaders for Native American Justice.

In 1992, together with Lew Gurwitz, we lobbied the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, resulting in the first resolution adopted by the European Parliament, concerning Leonard Peltier, pleading to revise the conviction and calling for executive clemency.

Another case was that of the Haudenosaunee vs. the Dutch Government, concerning the right to travel on a Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) passport.
Although many members of the Six Nations had been travelling back and forth on these passports for years, in 1992 the Dutch Government suddenly decided that those passports were no valid travel documents anymore.
Backed by Lew’s indestructible enthusiasm and professional advice, we decided to find a Dutch lawyer and with two members of the Mohawk Nation, to appeal the decision of the Dutch government at the Council of State. We found a great lawyer and we won. The People of the Six Nations are still travelling on their Haudenosaunee passports.

These are only two cases out of many that we worked on. Lew was always there when we needed him. It was him that initiated the Leonard Peltier resolution. He showed how to lobby the European Parliament and how to work with politicians. He gave valuable advice during the Haudenosaunee passport case. But he never acted prominent; he was always working in the background, and kept the fire burning.

In August of 1994 Lew passed to the spirit world. With his death the Native Americans not only lost a concerned and a motivated lawyer, but also a friend and brother-in-arms who dedicated his life to fight injustice on all fronts and stood up for respect and the preservation of Mother Earth.

As a homage to his work and inspiration, we named our Dutch based organization the “Lew Gurwitz Memorial Foundation”. Together with Lew’s brothers, Shep, Irving and Bruce we’ll try to continue the work in his spirit.

Each year in November the Lew Gurwitz Memorial Foundation organizes a benefit event. Part of the proceeds goes to the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (LPDC) and part of the proceeds to another project. In 2005 we supported the Dakota Youth Project in South Dakota. We donated money and financially supported the food- and clothes drive from Boston, MA to Pine Ridge Reservation, SD, organized by Shep Gurwitz.

Frits F. Terpstra
Chairman
Lew Gurwitz Memorial Foundation - Netherlands