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By Root 487 0

asked to represent the Indians in negotiations with the Alexian Brothers, the religious order that held title to the novitiate, in an attempt to end the standoff. I heard through the grapevine—I don’t remember how—that the apostolic delegate, the Catholic Church’s representative in Washington, had sent a message to the pope urging him to apply pressure on the Alexian Brothers to reach a settlement because the Church couldn’t allow blood to be spilled in a dispute over real estate. I didn’t let on during the negotiations that I knew this, but I told the officers of the Alexian order, who came from their headquarters in Chicago, that the Church had much to account for because of its virtual enslavement of Indians in its early California missions, that the Menominee Indians had originally owned the property which had been taken from them, and that the Church therefore had received stolen property. Our first meeting ended without an agreement, but was followed by others. Finally the Alexian Brothers offered a compromise: they would give the tribe the deed to the property, but the police wouldn’t accept their request for amnesty in the takeover, which meant that some Indians would have to go to jail.

With the light of the afternoon sun fading fast, I joined the Indians in the main room of the novitiate to consider the offer. As always, I was impressed by their inherent sense of democracy and respect for the individual. In Indian fashion, they went around the room so that everyone could express his opinion about accepting the offer or fighting on. It was soon apparent that there was a deep division. One group said that they had won the battle and should give up and take their medicine, but some of the younger men wanted to shoot it out with the National Guard. One said, “Let’s die as warriors. Our children will be proud of us and remember we were warriors.”

They went around the room until one of them said, “Brando?”

I answered with something like this: “Many of you either have a patch on your shoulder or a tattoo on your arms. It does not say, ‘Deed and Death,’ it says, ‘Deed or Death.’ You’ve gotten the deed; they made the accommodation. You won what you wanted and have all performed honorably. What you also have is an opportunity to continue fighting for your cause if you live. If you want to die, go outside and start shooting; the Guardsmen will take you at your word, and you’ll be dead in a few minutes. But death is an easy way out. What you’ll leave behind is a lot of trouble for your children. Who’s going to earn money to pay for your family’s needs? Besides, you haven’t got enough ammunition to last very long. You can die, but you won’t add anything to what’s already been accomplished. This is a very small piece of land, and there’s a lot of other work ahead. It will take a lifetime of dedication to right the wrongs you’ve suffered for hundreds of years, so I say, ‘Take the deed and do the time.’ ” There were a few murmurs, but nobody responded, and then it was somebody else’s turn to speak.

In the end they decided not to fight, and some of them told me afterward that my saying, “It says, ‘Deed or Death,’ not ‘Deed and Death,’ ” had swayed them. They were arrested and we were all escorted into Gresham by National Guard troops. On the way I tried to talk to one of the guardsmen, but he looked at me as if I were a piece of rotten meat. I’d never seen such hatred in a man’s face. I didn’t have a ride to Milwaukee, where I wanted to catch a plane, so Father Groppi offered to take me. He also gave me a meal and a bed for the night, for which I was grateful because I hadn’t slept or eaten much for several days. The next morning after breakfast, the priest said he was going to pray and asked if I wanted to join him. Sitting in a pew, I suddenly felt a great rush of emotion. I asked him if he would pray for me and give thanks that the standoff had ended without another massacre. As he did, I started crying. Tears flooded my face. I was overcome with feeling. I have no idea why.

It was all over except for one thing: in the