Leader was prepared for shoot-out

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He held before him a letter from Mohawk Warriors he received after traveling to Montreal looking for support for his Lonefighters Society.

The letter to Milton Born With A Tooth read in part. "You know in your hearts and minds you are right...don't ever surrender."

Born With A Tooth is the leader of the Lonefighters Society. He is determined to shut down work on the Oldman River dam that Lonefighters say threatens the existence of the Peigan Nation, 30 km south of Fort Macleod.

Construction on the $353-million dam is 80 per cent completed. On Aug. 2 the Lonefighters Society began work to divert the Oldman River away from a weir that supplies water to Lethbridge area farmland.

Their diversion would put the river back into the original riverbed. In 1923 the weir diverted much of the river water towards the Lethbridge area.

The area depends on the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District (LNID) weir for irrigation water.

But Born With A Tooth said the fight is not over the weir or water rights but over the dam, which he said will destroy sacred Peigan grounds and ruin Peigan land. So it must be stopped.

Although government ministers and the media are calling Born With A Tooth "militant" and "a renegade Indian" his Lonefighters, non-Native supporters and many Peigan people believe Born With A Tooth is right.

"Milton had farmers who were angry with us invited to our camp. And now they understand why we're doing this," said spiritual leader Davalon Small Legs.

Born With A Tooth said there is a desperate need for the general public to be educated on Indian culture, tradition, religion and politics.

"We learned about their system. We learned how to speak their language, how to count, how to live like them. But on the other side of the coin, the white man has never learned about our system," Born With A Tooth said.

Born With A Tooth has made it public that the Lonefighters are seeking a peaceful solution. He wants the provincial governments to halt work on the Oldman dam until negotiations can take place.

"We're trying to preserve an area for future generations. We've always maintained that.

"This is a peaceful camp and I'd like it to stay that way. I have proved for over a month to the government that we wanted a peaceful solutions to end this crisis, but they don't seem to hear," said Born With a Tooth.

Federal Indian Affairs Minister Tom Siddon refused to talk with the Lonefighters Society and Alberta Attorney General Ken Rostad still maintains that Lonefighters will be arrested and charged for attempts to divert the Oldman River.

He started to make good on his threats Sept. 7 at 8 a.m. when RCMP moved in to surround the Lonefighters' camp and the area where they were diverting the river.

By late afternoon the area was completely cordoned off.

During the confrontation, Born With A Tooth fired two warning shots because police were moving too close to Lonefighters' lines.

He also ordered an RCMP helicopter to be removed from Peigan air space or it would be shot down and that an RCMP officer from the Pincher Creek area who Lonefighters don't trust, be removed in full view of them.

RCMP complied with the requests but now say they have an arrest warrant for Born With A Tooth on two firearms' charges.

Born With A Tooth had told the media he will never give up.

On the second day of the standoff (Sept.8), Born With A Tooth held a meeting with the people in the Lonefighters' camp.

The RCMP were waiting for a Calgary judge to make a decision on a court injunction that prohibited the Lonefighters from diverting the river before moving on the camp.

The police moved into the area after they say they monitored Lonefighters breaking the injunction and because LNID officials wanted to "fix" the river before freeze-up.

"I am going to protect the truth and no one is going to stop that," Born With A Tooth told the gathering. All media had been asked to leave except for a lone Windspeaker reporter.

"I'm probably goingto die today but I won't take any of you with me," he said over the crying from Lonef ighters and their supporters.

While trying to hold back his tears, he said he had pursued a peaceful solution "for 35 days."

Born With A Tooth said he has always depended on his spiritual leader, Devalon Small Legs, and other advisors for advice.

"When I left here people thought I ran. But Devy (Small Legs) knew I didn't. I tried to find the last avenues for peace. I went all over the country and I just can't find it anywhere."

In the camp people cried.

"I have lived on my own and die on my own. The truth is precious to me. There has to be a sacrifice if the government won't listen to us.

"In my heart I will always seek a peaceful solution. So Devy, a lot falls on you.

"This day is real long, this day is real cold," said Born With A Tooth as he prepared himself to "run the rivers."

Running the rivers meant he would elude the police in the brush and creeks and along the Oldman River for as long as he could.

"They only want me," Born With A Tooth said.

He put on his war paint, tied on a black cloth armband and smoked the sacred pipe.

Around his head he tied a scarlet cloth. He smiled up at the lone reporter present and said 'No pictures.'

Then he silently walked away from camp to say good-bye to his family.

Only news from Court of Queen's Bench Justice William Egbert ordering the province and the Lonefighters to maintain the "status quo" stopped Born With A Tooth from his quest.

Egbert ordered the adjournment because Lonefighters had not given the government 48 hours notice of their application and he wanted further time to review the evidence on the original injunction.

Soon after, the police movement stopped and they pulled out from the area.