Red Tail Alliance -- preserving and practicing our Traditional Native American spiritual beliefs
protecting our future by preserving our past. . . . . . . . . . .
Tribute to Chief
Our beloved Chief Ray Two Thunders Gauthier crossed over to the Blue Road of Spirit on Friday, January 22, 2010, at Lemuel Shattuck hospital after a short battle with cancer.
Ray spent his entire adult life fighting for Traditional Native American rights, especially religious rights for Native prisoners throughout the U.S.
In the 1970's while living in California, he met the world-renown Intertribal Medicine Man, John Rolling Thunder Pope of Carlin, Nevada. Recognizing Ray's inborn talent for the medicine ways, "RT" took Ray under his wing and began mentoring him in the ways of traditional Native American medicine.
Returning to his birth home of Massachusetts in the late 70's, Ray continued his relationship with RT and protested against injustice toward Native Americans. Earning the affectionate name, "Many Red Poles", Ray was fearless in his battle against oppression.
Plymouth Rock in Massachusett's Pilgrim Memorial State Park has been a symbol to Native Americans of the wars waged on us after the Pilgrims' landing. The rock has been ceremonially buried twice by Native American rights activists; once in 1970 and in 1995 as part of the National Day of Mourning Protests (Thanksgiving).
Ray brought his own style and sense of humor to the protests. He pitched a tipi on the hill behind the rock and lived there despite attempts by state officials to have him removed. Coincidentally, somehow the dingy of the Mayflower II, a replica of the original Mayflower, was cut loose from its ropes and floated away. Park officials did find the dingy the next day and returned it to the Mayflower II.
Demonstrating his contempt for the meaning of Plymouth Rock, Ray urinated on the rock. Arrested and charged with Public Lewdness, Ray argued his action was an act of protest, not a deviant sexual act. His argument was ignored and the charge stood.
In 1982, Mattie Ryan was Hampden county district attorney and IT Corp of Wilmington, California, filed a notice of intent to build a $100 million hazardous waste plant on 220 acres of Turnpike Authority land in Brimfield and Warren, Massachusetts. This haz-mat plant was going to make a lot of powerful people very wealthy--politicians, mobsters.
Ray lived in Brimfield, Massachusetts.
Fast-forwarding to 1990, Mattie Ryan did not seek re-election as the newspapers reported more and more "irregularities" by the district attorney's office.
September 10, 1992, The Boston Herald reports that Adolpho "Big Al" Bruno, reputedly the mob's No. 2 man in Springfield (Mass) once said he had killed a man to curry favor with then former Hampden county District Attorney Mattie Ryan. The mob informants alleged that Bruno killed a man who had "caused problems" for Ryan.
It was within this corrupt county that in 1982, Ray became a founding member of T.R.I.B.E., which worked to prevent the building of the toxic waste dump in Warren and Brimfield on what was sacred Native American ceremonial grounds.
T.R.I.B.E. was successful in preventing the building of the toxic waste dump when archeologists examining the turnpike site, confirmed that the land was very likely sacred Indian land based on the finding of Native artifacts.
Under the Ryan regime, five years later still living in Brimfield in Hampden county, Ray was arrested on charges of aggravated rape and kidnapping of the alleged family member of the mob. Despite no DNA evidence, despite an alibi with three witnesses, and despite irregularities in police conduct, in 1988 Ray was convicted and sentenced to MDOC for 25-30 years.
Always maintaining his innocence, refusing to attend Sex Offender Programming (where admission of guilt is required), Ray fought the system year after year after year. Denied parole, subjected to incorrect calculations of time served, Ray spent the rest of his life in prison.
Always fighting the system through legal, legitimate means. Never bowing to the corrupt system even when retribution was the answer to his grievances, Ray organized and incorporated Red Tail Alliance, Inc from behind the ironwalls in 1995.
"RTA" would become a 501c3 non-profit, religious organization which would seek to protect and continue traditional Native American spiritual beliefs and practices. Understandably, closest to Ray's heart, were Native American prisoners across the U.S. who were denied religious rights.
With release in sight in the spring of 2011, the years of prison stress, poor nutrition, and poor medical care began to take its toll on Ray's health. Diabetes, high blood pressure, blocked arteries and an abdominal aortic aneurysm were the results.
Attempts to obtain medical care were blocked by Nurse Carol at North Central Correctional in Gardner, Mass. Chronic care appointments were purposefully delayed by DOC staff until the excruciating back pain on December 15, 2009, which Ray had suffered with for several weeks, sent him to Shattuck.
Ray never returned to Gardner. In less than six weeks he was dead. There are many more horror stories of events Ray and his wife were subjected to by MDOC and UMass during his time at Shattuck.
As Roger, a friend of Ray's wrote,"This World isn't as Good as it was with the Chief in it. Let our Hearts sing Ray home."
Raymond Two Thunders Gauthier, Sr.
August 31, 1948-January 22, 2010
Always a true Warrior of the People, fighting for Native rights. Willing to lay down his life for his family, friends, Tribe. Never bowing to injustice and indignities by the Department of Corrections.
Ray dedicated his life to helping others, remaining always Native Proud, and in the end, sacrificing his life to protect his own.
He walked his talk down a Red Road that was often lonely as well as dangerous.
May his life, inspire us! Aho.
Ray spent his entire adult life fighting for Traditional Native American rights, especially religious rights for Native prisoners throughout the U.S.
In the 1970's while living in California, he met the world-renown Intertribal Medicine Man, John Rolling Thunder Pope of Carlin, Nevada. Recognizing Ray's inborn talent for the medicine ways, "RT" took Ray under his wing and began mentoring him in the ways of traditional Native American medicine.
Returning to his birth home of Massachusetts in the late 70's, Ray continued his relationship with RT and protested against injustice toward Native Americans. Earning the affectionate name, "Many Red Poles", Ray was fearless in his battle against oppression.
Plymouth Rock in Massachusett's Pilgrim Memorial State Park has been a symbol to Native Americans of the wars waged on us after the Pilgrims' landing. The rock has been ceremonially buried twice by Native American rights activists; once in 1970 and in 1995 as part of the National Day of Mourning Protests (Thanksgiving).
Ray brought his own style and sense of humor to the protests. He pitched a tipi on the hill behind the rock and lived there despite attempts by state officials to have him removed. Coincidentally, somehow the dingy of the Mayflower II, a replica of the original Mayflower, was cut loose from its ropes and floated away. Park officials did find the dingy the next day and returned it to the Mayflower II.
Demonstrating his contempt for the meaning of Plymouth Rock, Ray urinated on the rock. Arrested and charged with Public Lewdness, Ray argued his action was an act of protest, not a deviant sexual act. His argument was ignored and the charge stood.
In 1982, Mattie Ryan was Hampden county district attorney and IT Corp of Wilmington, California, filed a notice of intent to build a $100 million hazardous waste plant on 220 acres of Turnpike Authority land in Brimfield and Warren, Massachusetts. This haz-mat plant was going to make a lot of powerful people very wealthy--politicians, mobsters.
Ray lived in Brimfield, Massachusetts.
Fast-forwarding to 1990, Mattie Ryan did not seek re-election as the newspapers reported more and more "irregularities" by the district attorney's office.
September 10, 1992, The Boston Herald reports that Adolpho "Big Al" Bruno, reputedly the mob's No. 2 man in Springfield (Mass) once said he had killed a man to curry favor with then former Hampden county District Attorney Mattie Ryan. The mob informants alleged that Bruno killed a man who had "caused problems" for Ryan.
It was within this corrupt county that in 1982, Ray became a founding member of T.R.I.B.E., which worked to prevent the building of the toxic waste dump in Warren and Brimfield on what was sacred Native American ceremonial grounds.
T.R.I.B.E. was successful in preventing the building of the toxic waste dump when archeologists examining the turnpike site, confirmed that the land was very likely sacred Indian land based on the finding of Native artifacts.
Under the Ryan regime, five years later still living in Brimfield in Hampden county, Ray was arrested on charges of aggravated rape and kidnapping of the alleged family member of the mob. Despite no DNA evidence, despite an alibi with three witnesses, and despite irregularities in police conduct, in 1988 Ray was convicted and sentenced to MDOC for 25-30 years.
Always maintaining his innocence, refusing to attend Sex Offender Programming (where admission of guilt is required), Ray fought the system year after year after year. Denied parole, subjected to incorrect calculations of time served, Ray spent the rest of his life in prison.
Always fighting the system through legal, legitimate means. Never bowing to the corrupt system even when retribution was the answer to his grievances, Ray organized and incorporated Red Tail Alliance, Inc from behind the ironwalls in 1995.
"RTA" would become a 501c3 non-profit, religious organization which would seek to protect and continue traditional Native American spiritual beliefs and practices. Understandably, closest to Ray's heart, were Native American prisoners across the U.S. who were denied religious rights.
With release in sight in the spring of 2011, the years of prison stress, poor nutrition, and poor medical care began to take its toll on Ray's health. Diabetes, high blood pressure, blocked arteries and an abdominal aortic aneurysm were the results.
Attempts to obtain medical care were blocked by Nurse Carol at North Central Correctional in Gardner, Mass. Chronic care appointments were purposefully delayed by DOC staff until the excruciating back pain on December 15, 2009, which Ray had suffered with for several weeks, sent him to Shattuck.
Ray never returned to Gardner. In less than six weeks he was dead. There are many more horror stories of events Ray and his wife were subjected to by MDOC and UMass during his time at Shattuck.
As Roger, a friend of Ray's wrote,"This World isn't as Good as it was with the Chief in it. Let our Hearts sing Ray home."
Raymond Two Thunders Gauthier, Sr.
August 31, 1948-January 22, 2010
Always a true Warrior of the People, fighting for Native rights. Willing to lay down his life for his family, friends, Tribe. Never bowing to injustice and indignities by the Department of Corrections.
Ray dedicated his life to helping others, remaining always Native Proud, and in the end, sacrificing his life to protect his own.
He walked his talk down a Red Road that was often lonely as well as dangerous.
May his life, inspire us! Aho.
