About #HalftownMustGo
The idea for the #HalftownMustGo campaign was presented by two non-Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ guests at a Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ community meeting on August 12th, 2021. This meeting was attended by two members of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ Council of Chiefs and various Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ citizens. Because the strategy behind this campaign specifically involves using the power mechanisms of U.S. representative government, participants at the meeting agreed that, in accordance with the Two Row Wampum, the specific responsibility for organizing this campaign lies with settlers.
Many more non-Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ people have since become involved in organizing this effort; many grew up occupying and/or currently occupy Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ territory, and are engaged in ongoing conversations with Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ citizens. We speak from our position as non-Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ people living on Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ land. To understand more about the experiences of Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ people, you can read official statements from the traditional leadership or watch some interviews with the community.
We take collective action to prompt President Biden and his administration to meet with the Council of Sachems (Chiefs) and Clanmothers and to heed the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ removal of Clint Halftown. As people of the United States, we aim to address our complicity in this present day form of colonial violence. We do this work in dialgoue and alignment with Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ community organizing and diplomatic efforts.
As the idea of the #HalftownMustGo campaign developed, participants discussed accountability in the relationships and processes around the effort. Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ and non-Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ participants in the initial meeting agreed on practices deemed by all present to be attentive to the nuances of cross-National collaboration, and specifically in accordance with the principles and values of the Two Row Wampum: mutual respect, peace, and friendship.
We view the U.S. federal government relating with the Council of Chiefs and Clan Mothers—instead of Halftown—both as a necessary immediate outcome and as only one step within broader processes of honoring the Two Row Wampum and addressing the ongoing impacts of settler colonialism. This campaign will close after Clint Halftown is no longer recognized by the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs, but organizers are committed to continuing to cultivate our relationships of care with Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ people and to continuing the work of holding fellow settlers and our governance processes accountable to the fact of ongoing Gayogo̱hó:nǫ⁷ sovereignty.