Long Standing Bear Chief aka Harold Gray/Grey

[AnnOminous]

Does anyone else here know Harold Gray aka Long Standing Bear Chief?

His website is here:  http://www.blackfoot.org/
 
This is his message forum:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blackfootnation/
 
Here is an article written about him, although his name is not stated specificially.  In these parts it did not have to be:  http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/15797
 
In these parts we call him Long Standing Bull Sh*t.

I have personal knowledge and experience with him over the past dozen years or so.  Please....Be Careful of this person.

[educatedindian]

Blackfoot.org claims to be "the Blackfoot Nation's official website." Used to be the site was run by several Natives who were followers of Ed McGaa. I don't see that mentioned on the site anymore. Perhaps the domain name was sold. Perhaps they let the domain name lapse and Gray bought it.

Instead the site now says:
"All contents and images on this site are the copyright of Long Standing Bear Chief and belong to him....
The Web Site Owner can be contacted at the following email address: 
LongStandingBearChief@blackfoot.org"

Also  "Website Owner: Long Standing Bear Chief
Copyright 1998-2008 Long Standing Bear Chief all rights Reserved
Official Site of the Blackfoot Nation"

The actual Blackfoot Nation website is blackfootnation.com. I wonder what they think about his site's claim?

Perhaps the claim is based on this.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3683/is_200007/ai_n8891945/pg_19
"On 29 November 1999, members of the Confederacy issued the "Proclamation Restoring the Independence of the Sovereign Nation State of Blackfoot," and declared themselves a sovereign nation with jurisdiction over their traditional territory (Yellowhorn and Long Standing Bear Chief, 1999)."

Outside of that claim, the only possibly objectionable thing at the site is a book, "Native Spirituality" by "Speaks Lightning". But it probably is a book simply describing beliefs and customs, not a how to guide. Here's SL's bio.
http://www.lib.montana.edu/tcli/98bios.php

Here Gray describes how he received his traditional name.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3971/is_200201/ai_n9063054/pg_4

Another about his founding a paper aimed at what he describes as corruption on the rez and describing him as once in Native Studies at the Univ of Montana.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/06/16/news/mtregional/news06.txt

Legal dispute with a church.
http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/pen-l/1999m07.d/msg00236.htm

Other articles mention his involvement with Head Start on the rez, anti racist education, support for Peltier, support for the standoff at Gustafsen Lake in Canada, telling traditional stories for kids, running for office once as an independent, and lots of public statements about corrupt govt on the rez.

The "be careful" statement from you is pretty vague. What is it about him that you think others should be careful about? Can you tell us about those experiences?

So far he seems to be largely someone with strong opinions whose probably angered many, but nothing that points towards fraud.

[zoi lightfoot]

Ok folks,firstly,I have a long history of working for and maintaining DIRECT contact
with Leonard Peltier.I don't know this guy.Second at Gustaffessen lake AND Ipperwash
park which was part and parcel of the same flare ups.It was the Mohawk Warriors,Ojibwa
Warriors and elders and the Shushwap Sundance leader and his peoples.I was also party to
that on the International side of things and NOT ONCE did this guys name come up,i checked!.

[educatedindian]

I didn't say he was directly involved in any kind of central way with Peltier or Gustafsen Lake, only that he spoke or wrote in support. Here's what I found on him concerning Gustafsen Lake.
http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/pen-l/1999m03/msg00598.htm

For Peltier, he was part of a statement (among a great many others) calling for clemency.
http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/pipermail/nat_issues/1999-October/003179.html

[zoi lightfoot]

Thank you for clarifying that Educated Indian,I am some what tetchy about the thousands
I meet who tend to use situations like Leonards and Ipperwash etc,where OUR peoples
lost thier lives,to give creedence to the myths and fantasies they weave around themselves.
Given whats happening in Mohawk and Ojibawa territories right now some of us are battle
hardened,fatigued and lacking patience I guess.Hands up guilty,once again thank you.

[chiefytiger]

Zoi I just want to say , that I have known Mr.Peltier and was also in the federal Prison in Lompoc Calif ,when he escaped and the loss of Dallas Thundershield as well as Rocky D .