PDA

View Full Version : Sam Sneed Golf Course



Linda
03-26-2002, 01:19 PM
Not to brag on my husband, but he sent the following letter to the governor of VA.



Reference: Senate Bill 249 Sam Snead Golf Course in Occoneechee State Park

Dear Mr. Murphy:

I am of Native American ancestry and from Southside Virginia. My family has been living in Southside Virginia (in the Clarksville area) for over 1,000 years. We are some the descendants of the Eastern Siouan Indians who inhabited most of Virginia prior to the Europeans coming to the commonwealth. This includes the Occoneechee, Tutelo, Saponi and other Eastern Siouan tribes. My mother is from a tri-racial Native American community named Greentown, which was once the Fort Christanna Indian Reservation in Brunswick County for the Eastern Siouan Indians. My father is on Occoneechee descent from Mecklenburg County. There are hundreds of thousands of Southside Virginians who are of Eastern Siouan Native American Ancestry like us. These people know that they are Native American and they are also voters. I am the chairperson for the Southside Virginia/Piedmont Native American Descendants Association (SVNADA). We are a rapidly growing organization in Southside Virginia. In the past years there has been a ground swell of interest in people understanding and connecting with their Native American roots. We have been approached by thousands of people interested in what we are doing. Our mission is helping people understand their Native American heritage and culture and to preserve what is left of that culture and expand it.



As you are aware there is a bill coming before you to sign -- Senate Bill 249 for a Sam Snead Golf Course on Occoneechee State Park lands. Occoneechee State Park, located only a few hundred yards from Saponi and Occoneechee Islands, is the location that we consider the heart of our ancestral lands. Of the 99.9% of the lands in Virginia, which once belonged to Native Americans, Occoneechee State Park remains untouched and unspoiled, in mostly its indigenous form. We are all well aware of the history of how the land was stolen from our people. A Sam Snead Golf Course in Occoneechee State Park would be a rape of our ancestral lands and a final blow in a long list of rape and theft. There is plenty of private land and resources if Sam Snead desires building a golf course. However, we do not need to disturb one of the final pieces of land sacred to our Occoneechee people. There are 43 archeological sites on this land including some burial mounds. It would be a sacrilege to disturb this indigenous land with the kind of destruction that a golf course would bring. We are therefore opposed to the Snead Golf Course on Occoneechee State Park lands and will mobilize the hundreds of thousands of descendants of Native Americans throughout Southside Virginia and other states, if necessary to stop this.



In addition to the Southside Virginia Native American descendants we are also connected to many of descendants groups and tribes from around the country and into Canada who all look at Occoneechee State Park as sacred ancestral homelands. The Southside Virginia/Piedmont Native American Descendants Association (SVNADA) and other groups are not isolates Indians living on reservations somewhere. We are working and middle class voters—including authors, lawyers, engineers, doctors and business owners.

In addition, Sam Snead and his people should not be reliant upon government welfare and our ancestral lands to fund their private ventures. This golf course would be of little use to most of the VOTING citizens of Mecklenburg County, Southside Virginia and most of the Eastern Siouan Indian descendants. I am aware of the economic situation in Southside Virginia. However, there are other ways to resolve this problem. I have spent the past 20 years helping businesses such as IBM, GM, Hughes Aircraft, Revlon, Cooper Industries grow and become more profitable. I am the author of the business book Infinite Wealth – A New World of Collaboration and Abundance in the Knowledge Era. This is what Dr. Stephen R. Covey, one of the top business consultants in the world and author of the decade long best seller The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People says about Infinite Wealth “The game has changed! Using historical perspective and powerful analysis, Barry Carter beautifully teaches the new rules and the new paradigm which everyone must both understand and embrace."

Clarksville is about to be hit with an economic growth explosion due to changes in our global economy brought on by information technology as we transition into the Information Age. As people are able to work via the Internet, home-based businesses are and will explode. As this happens Clarksville, Boydton and Mecklenburg County will explode with growth. What better place to relocate if one is not tied to a job in Richmond, Raleigh, Norfolk, Washington? The issue for Clarksville and Boydton is how to preserve its history, natural beauty and core self as thousands of people move in bringing economic wealth to the area.



I am very interested in working with Clarksville, Southside Virginia and the state government in implementing plans that can get all of Southside Virginia and rural Virginia on the fast track for economic development in the Information Age. The path that I offer has no losers. It is a path that Black, White, Indian, the wealthy, poor and middle class can all support. Rather than going down the path of a public fight over these ancestral lands I’d prefer working with you and Southside Virginia in its economic development as it moves into the Information Age. I have talked to leaders in Clarksville and they are interested in the Information Age economic development that I am speaking of which entails high speed internet access and other advance information technologies in intentional community developments in the Clarksville area and through out Southside Virginia. We have plans to develop an intentional community near Clarksville called Occoneechee Town, which will be a win for everyone including our ancestors that we honor. Intentional communities like Occoneechee Town will be popping up all over the state as the new economic force as the Internet matures and connects these into networks of communities. Thousands of new small businesses will be the hallmark of these communities and herein lies the future of Southside Virginia and Virginia.

Barry Carter



[This message has been edited by Linda (edited 03-26-2002).]

tasheaka
03-26-2002, 02:00 PM
Barry and Linda,
That is direct and clearly to the point.
If you need letters of support, you have mine.

tasheaka

Linda
03-26-2002, 10:20 PM
There are two email addresses to send to. The second is the one that goes to the governor.

Mr. W. T. Murphy, Jr.
Secretary of Natural Resources
E-mail: TMurphy@gov.state.va.us


Mark R. Warner
Email: http://www.governor.state.va.us/Contact/email_form.html

That would be a perfect touch -- a bunch of Ohio Saponi whooping down on them not to touch Occaneechi park! You've been in those woods, you know how strong a spirit there is to that place.

Besides we're doing them a favor. The best thing that town has going for it is that pristine woodland surrounding the lake. Start chipping away at that and they'll just be shooting themselves in the foot. There may be a few well-heeled feet that benefit, but as a whole we think everyone will suffer for it.

We heard from someone who said the governor is likely to sign unless he hears from a lot of people opposed to it in the next two weeks. This person said he thought a big response from the NA community would be very effective. So . . . sending off a couple of emails could make a difference.

Linda
03-26-2002, 10:32 PM
Oh, I should get Barry to list some of the people who've jumped in. He's been hearing from chiefs all day. I've always thought he had a war chief temperament, myself. http://winwinworld.net/SaponiForum/UBB/redface.gif)

-cr21-
03-27-2002, 01:26 AM
Here is a copy of the e-mail I sent the governor.Hopefully he will do the right thing.Hopefully our voices will be heard!!

Governor Warner,
My name is Chad Rohlfsen.I am a decendant of the Eastern Sioux people.My family chose to move west to avoid the expansionism of the United States in the early to mid 1800s to avoid the racism and no opportunity.Occaneechee Park is one of the few places we have left.Some of my ancestors are burried in that area.You CANNOT allow anyone to disturb those remains.Im sure you would not like to see someone dig up your grandparents or ancestors.We will gather...ALL eastern siouan people from VA,NC,WV,KY,MO,OH,IA,KS,SC,TN, and PN WILL make sure this is never done.Do the thing you know is right in your heart and for all americans...especially all Native American voters who will remember your deeds and GOD who is watching you!!! Thank you for your time.

Linda
03-27-2002, 09:08 AM
Well done, Chad. I'm sure it will help. Thanks for contributing.

collins
03-28-2002, 12:36 AM
This is what I sent to the two e-mail addresses.

Mecou, this is Tutelo-Saponi for hello. I have been made aware of a possible problem brewing in your legislative body concerning our ancestors burial and sacred lands. Being that our history as South Eastern Siouans is what it is, it should be in the spirit of protecting that which is left in the way of parks, sacred lands, and those sites that are of great cultural significance which you should most certainly take a stand against whole sale exploitation and veto this Golf Coarse Bill. Let those who want golfing make a coarse of their own back yards and cemeteries. Keep Occanneechi State Park safe just as we keep Yellow Stone and Yosemite. Do it for Native American cultural survival. Do it for the future generations of Virginians. Do it because it is the right thing to do.

Linda
03-28-2002, 09:20 AM
Thanks. Very well said.

Linda
03-28-2002, 09:20 AM
Thanks. Very well said.

-cr21-
03-30-2002, 01:42 AM
Everyone I hope that I have helped a little more.I am involved with Litefoot in a footsoldier organization.I have contact with many groups from many tribes in the U.S.I have requested them to send emails to the governor telling him enough is enough.Hopefully he will read them in time.They all want me to keep them up to date....so please as soon as info is available on the final decision let me know. If they chose to go ahead and build the golf course, I will be there with hopefully several people. This will not be allowed. I would rather go to jail or die than see my people hurt.

collins
04-10-2002, 01:47 AM
Any news on this issue??????????

Greywolf
05-03-2002, 11:43 PM
I just received this in the mail this morning and wanted to pass in on.

April 29, 2002
Dear Mr. xxxxxx:
Thank you for writing to me regarding Senate Bill 249. I was mindful of the controversy surrounding this measure and the strong feelings both in support and opposition that it sparked. After carefully weighing all of the arguments for and against this measure, I have signed it into law.
Thank you again for writing to me.

Sincerely, Mark R. Warner

Note: I underlined the first sentence because my word processor said it was a fragment of a sentence. Apparently the stupid white garbage is good at stealing from Native people but to ignorant to write a complete sentence.

Greywolf
05-03-2002, 11:46 PM
I just received this in the mail this morning and wanted to pass in on.

April 29, 2002
Dear Mr. xxxxxx:
Thank you for writing to me regarding Senate Bill 249. I was mindful of the controversy surrounding this measure and the strong feelings both in support and opposition that it sparked. After carefully weighing all of the arguments for and against this measure, I have signed it into law.
Thank you again for writing to me.

Sincerely, Mark R. Warner

Note: I underlined (maybe not) the first sentence because my word processor said it was a fragment of a sentence. Apparently the stupid white garbage is good at stealing from Native people but to ignorant to write a complete sentence.

Linda
05-04-2002, 12:55 AM
This was just round one. It still has to go to the Federal government, the house, Senate and president, so it's by no means over. The governor was the most likely to sign it since he doesn't want to look bad to all the voters supporting it. Plenty more politics on this to come.

CoheeLady
07-10-2002, 05:04 PM
Hello Everyone,
The next time that an issue regarding land use in Virginia, that impedes upon Va. Indians, we must not wait until it is going to be voted on. Every bill & resolution must first go through a Rules Committe meeting, which is where we as a group can speak against or for certain issues. Letter's are very important, as by law the Gov. has to send you a response, which most likely is written by a staff member & not the Gov.! Call for an apointment with a Delegate member, to ask for their help. They will meet with you, trust me. Use the media as a tool to voice your concerns. http://winwinworld.net/SaponiForum/UBB/smile.gif
Sincerely,
CoheeLady