I pray all is well and that the blessings of the Lord are upon you. I have been wanting to sit down and write a few thoughts concerning our continuing fight for the right to use our eagle feathers, and I apologize for not writing sooner. This is a journey that started back on March 11, 2006 when a few federal agents or spies came into our family pow wow, taking pictures and video of our pow wow and everyone who was using eagle feathers. At the end, they ended up taking forty-two of our eagle feathers. I think it is important to know that thirty-six of the feathers taken from us were given to me back in 1971 and used to be my old set of fancy dance bustles; four of the feathers taken away from us were given to me by an elderly Native lady from Oklahoma for helping her through her final days of life, and two of the feathers taken from us were given to my brother-in-law Mike by a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan as a token of thanks for praying for him during his time at war.

I must confess, this issue has brought a lot of us together but at the same time, it has also divided us. I'm sure everyone has an opinion on whether the taking of our feathers was right or wrong. I am also sure that years from now, the debate will continue. I wish I had the time to share with you all I have learned through this experience. One day when I write a book, I will have to write a chapter or two on the subject. But I feel that our religious rights as American Indians were violated the moment they came in and took our feathers in the middle of our family gathering.

If you did not already know, we lost our case in the lower courts back on February 21, 2013. I must confess that I was a little disappointed. But at the same time, I was warned by a retired lawyer who had presented cases before this judge many times that we were going to lose. He told me, "The judge loves to make you think he is interested in your case. You might even win a couple of hearings. That is the way he works. But when he has to decide between you and your opponent, he will always rule for the government." Because I was warned, I did not lose heart over the decision. At the end the judge said something like this: "I know what you are saying. I understand how you feel. But I have to go with the Department of Interior on this one."

So, as I've been asked several times since then, "Is this it?" The answer is no. I told my lawyers that I was in on this for the long haul. I told him I would fight for this case all the way to the Supreme Court if allowed. So the ruling on February 21, 2013 was not the end. A few weeks later we filed an Appeal to the District Court. A few weeks later we got an answer that our appeal was accepted and would go to court at a later date. I asked if I needed to be present and was told no. I was told that the judge would review the case and decide yes or no. I was told if there was a problem, they would call our lawyers to discuss the issue and maybe even me. So I am here to tell you that a hearing has been scheduled and that our lawyers have been summoned to court in New Orleans Louisiana on January 8, 2014. I am writing to ask you once again to pray for our lawyers as they pursue our case in the higher courts. Pray for attorneys Milo Colton and Marisa Salazar as they go before the district court, not just to fight on our behalf but for all American Indians, for whatever is decided in this case will affect not only us down here, but every American Indian all over the United States. With each case lost comes changes in the laws to the advantage of the federal government.

The sad thing is that these laws and so-called violations could be charged against any American Indian, whether you are recognized by the federal government or not. I will say that I am not fighting only for my right to use these feathers. I am fighting to change ridiculous laws that would cause an outcry of discrimination if any other ethnic group was cited with them.

Thank you for your time and I ask that you remember our case on January 8, 2014.

Robert Soto, Pastor