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Report on Hiunan Rig�ts Conference Apr�I 26-27, 1974 A Laok At The Law and Hzunan Needs Conference opened Friday evening wi�h spealcers from the American Indian Movement: Larry I.evinthal, attorney work�ng on Watmded Knee Tr�al and Ed McGaa, Sioux indian spokesman, with d,egrees from Sto Johns College and University of South Dakota. Levinthal spoke on the issue of treaties brQken between Indian tribes throughout the history of our country and white mans govex°nments, McGaa shared with the corr�ussioners aspects o£ Indian religion and culture compared with the European value system whxch was tx°ansplanted to the American continenti by early settlers. He was critical of the European value system in that it traditionally established a society of a few rich individuals an�. families in positions of leader- ship as royalty or quasi royalty, and many poor; because this level of leadership has been traditionally concerned w�th materialism to excess, and produced a high 1evel of weaponry for defend�ng its positYOn of powex° and adding to their wealth. Tt has fttrther been involved in exploitation of Iarge amoLmts of populations by slavery and generally exhibited a lack o� sp�rituax leadership, �n that �ts spiritual leadership has reflected the matexialism and nationalxsm of a.ts government and social leaders. Comparing African and Amexican In.dzan societies to those established by European civilizations - they existed mainly as open societies with £lowing batuida.ries, without slavery, and were welcotning to outside, new, strange groups, without militarily de- fending any geograph�.c bolmdarzes. An example: The case given by Indians to first European arrivals to No�th American cantinent, w�til the beginning of exploitation and betrayal). Afr�cas� and American societies had religions based on the principles of the_preservation of Mother Earth fo� future generat�.ons. NfcGaa indicated that he believed that Ch�istian miss�onaries made a major contribution to the destruction of American Indian culture, that Christ would no� have acted as they have done, and that much of cux-r°eni Christian Ieadership is sick. He concluded by warning us of the "new royalty" inc�uding gover�nment leaders who can wage war fram their desks with 1Ytt1e personal risk, and �he "�uturists", same of whom seem to be saying that survival of aur� �pecies can nat on preserving Mo�her Earth, but on transporting htunan stock to othex� planetso He suggested strongly that in order to survive, we select the best (mos� h�na.n) elements o� Indian cultures an.d Judeao-Christian religions and PRACTICE themo Saturday, April 26th, Camattissioner Richardson introduced Lto Gavernor Perpich and Cha�rman of the State Board of Hi�nan Rights, Clax°ence Harris. Mr. Perpich is chairman of State Hiunan Sez°vices Council, Chairman of State Centennxal Com�aittee. He shared with us his sense o� urgency rega�d�ng discriminatory practices in higher educafi iono He znd�cated �o us tha� legislation has been passed which will cause state professional schools to repor�t regularly to legisla�ive coYrunittees an appropriations, �inance, and education, a� to how well they sexve women and minoriiy groups, and as to how well �hey are conform�g �o State Hwnan Rights Ac�o He also shared with us data on percentages of women in professional fields in Minnesota. 5ome examples: no female school superintiendents, 5o a� less of physicians are women, 30 or less of all lawyers are women, and 3% or less of all engineers are women. These figures con£oxrn rather clo�ely to national averageso