_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' O ( N A T I V E A M E R I C A N ) O o O ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ O o O / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' O o o o o O / /-< / /--/ /-- VOLUME 02, ISSUE 010 O o O __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 5 March 1994 O o O ( N E W S ) O This issue contains articles from NATIVE_L/NATCHAT Lists PeaceNet: igc:web.native, and by members of the Invisible Band. <----<<<< >>>>----> This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters of the Invisible Band and those who share our spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the Red Road. It is hoped that our presence will be rewarded with a Native American RoundTable on GEnie. It is archived at the Native American FTP site ftp.cit.cornell.edu in the directory /pub/special/NativeProfs/newsletters; and is being sent to gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us (Gary S. Trujillo) should he wish to include it in his NATIVE-L or NATCHAT lists. "We do not want churches because they will teach us to quarrel about God, as the Catholics and Protestants do. We do not want to learn that." "We may quarrel with men sometimes about things on this earth, but we never quarrel about God. We do not want to learn that." -- Chief Joseph, Nee-Mee-Poo +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Indian Pledge of Allegiance | The Indian Pledge of Alleg- | | iance was first presented | I pledge allegiance to my Tribe,| on 2 December '93 during the | to the democratic principles | opening address of the Nat- | of the Republic | ional Congress of American | and to the individual freedoms | Indian Tribal-States Relat- | borrowed from the Iroquois and | ions Panel in Reno, NV. NCAI | Choctaw Confederacies, | plans distribution of the | as incorporated in the United | Indian Pledge to all Indian | States Constitution, | Nations. | so that my forefathers | | shall not have died in vain | Walk in Beauty! Night Owl +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ O'siyo Brothers and Sisters! Gradually, more and more avenues are opening for Native Americans to tell others of news affecting them and to hear such news, yet we remain a missing quantity to much of the dominant news media. With the "sound byte, witty exchange" mentality of mainstream news maybe it is really a gift to be left off such venues. Our oral tradition demands a careful weighing of words and consideration for the truth and message those words convey. This is a good way and it is a good thing to be known for. We enter another time for powwows and other gatherings. I encourage all to attend these at every possible opportunity. The social contacts you make and sharing of common experiences will strengthen your own path in many ways. Mitaquye Oyasin! Night Owl ------------------ clip here for news feature -- 8< ----------- --------- "RE: Eddie Hatcher, Political Prisoner" --------- From: J.AUDLIN James D. Audlin (Distant Eagle) Subj: Eddie Hatcher, Political Prisoner GE Electronic Mail O'siyo, sisters and brothers! Chief Walking Bear (Ann Seay) has asked that the following be put out over the electronic highway. I also am sending this to the on-line members of the Free Cherokee Executive Committee. If y'all are supportive, I will write a letter in behalf of the Free Cherokees saying we support this cause. --Chief Distant Eagle, for Chief Walking Bear FREE EDDIE HATCHER - A POLITICAL PRISONER IN NORTH CAROLINA Eddie Hatcher, a Tuscarora Indian, from Robeson County, North Carolina, discovered evidence linking the county Sheriff's Department and Sheriff Hubert Stone to drug trafficking in their count. Unable to get anyone to investigage and fearing for his life, Eddie Hatcher and Timmy Jacobs took over the Robesonian Newspaper Office to bring attention to his plight. After negotiations, Eddie and Timmy surrendered. The state agreed to drop charges and allowed the Federal Courts to try Eddie and Timmy. The charges were dismissed by the Federal Court. As soon as the charges were dismissed, the state once again brought charges against them. At the start of Eddie's trial, the judge dismissed the two attorneys who had come to defend Eddie and refused to let them represent him. The judge then appointed an attorney who was not familiar with the case and, when Eddie argued that he wanted the attorneys who were there to defend him, the judge proceeded with the trial with NO attorney representing Eddie, and he was convicted. Eddie's appeals have been denied and his parole hearings have all ended in denials. Eddie has the support of Amnesty International, the American Indian Movement, churches, and foreign countries, but can find no relief in his own state and country. HE NEEDS OUR HELP! If you, or any organization you may belong to, please contact us for further information. We also are asking you to join the caravan to the North Carolina Governor's Mansion in Raleigh, 5 March 1994. We will be leaving at 6:00 P.M. from the parking lot at Chesterfield Courthouse complex. For further information, call the number below. Renee DeGrasse, Director, American Indian Movement Support Group (919) 790-0166 --------- "RE: American Indian Entrepreneurs" --------- From: J.CASTO [JimC in OR] Jim Casto Subj: American Indian Entrepreneurs GE Electronic Mail The following is from an article that appeared in the Portland, Oregon "Oregonian" newspaper for 27 February 1994: "American Indian entrepreneurs get a boost" The Oregon Native American Business and Entrepreneurial Network helps in launching or fine-tuning commercial ideas Barabara Watson, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, is one of the first Portland-area (she lives in a small town south of Portland called Colton and off the reservation) graduates of a 14-week course that helped her launch her newsletter and publication design business. A few others have boosted their management skills through the network, which identifies itself under the acronym of Onaben (Oregon Native American Business and Entrepreneurial Network). Onaben was founded in July 1991 by the Siletz, Warm Springs, Klamath and Grand Ronde tribes to help individual American Indians open small businesses. The Umatilla Tribe plans to join, possibly later this year. There is nothing like Onaben anywhere else, said Peter Homer, Jr., director of the Office of Native American Affairs for the Small Business Administration. He said the SBA hopes to establish similar programs for American Indians elsewhere through community colleges. Charles V. Jackson, Onaben's board chairman testified before a House subcommittee that twenty four new businesses had been formed in Oregon as a result of Onaben. There have been over one hundred twenty nine graduates of the program. Here are a couple of success stories: - Amos Switzler (Warm Springs) started a trucking business to haul sawmill byproducts. He employs two other people. - Emily Doss (Pit River of Northern California) is owner of a Salem (Oregon) based communications company that builds and services cellular phone communications towers. There are ten employees. Three are from the Siletz Tribe. - Linda Olson (Grande Ronde) and her husband own Eagle Feather Construction which employs two full-time and two part-time employees. Both Olsons were unemployed in 1991 when they enrolled in the Onaben program. There has only been one graduate that started a business and faltered. "He just got tired of a seven and eight day workweek" said M. Wesley Patterson, Onaben's chief executive. The article goes on to give details of the four week, ten week (three hours per week) courses, cost, etc. There is now a yearlong advanced course being taught in Portland and Warm Springs (Central Oregon). The Northwest Indian College near Bellingham, WA gives college credit for the course. Various tribes help their members either directly through loans to get them started or help in acquiring loans. Barbara Watson is/was also the Indian education coordinator for Clackamas County (Oregon) schools. She conducts her business out of her home. She has contracts with Onaben and the Warm Springs Business and Economic Development Department. (The article says she quit her half-time job, but I'm not sure exactly what that was.) Emily Doss was actually in business before Onaben started, but they helped her with long-range planning. Ronald True (Haida from Alaska) is putting together a nonprofit corporation to aid Indian youth. He envisions the Native American Youth Association as "a social gathering place to keep our culture, tradition, and heritage alive for Native American Youth in the greater Portland (Oregon) metro area." He hopes his program, covering youths age eight to twenty-five, will divert youths from gangs and drugs including alcohol. In addition to teaching Native American traditions and skills, the program will include recreation. -=--=- Now, nowhere in the article is there an address or telephone number for Onaben. However, if you want more information, I suspect that you could get it by writing to: ONABEN c/o The Warm Springs Tribal Headquarters in Warm Springs, Oregon 97761 _OR_ ONABEN c/o The Confederated Tribe of the Siletz 1718 NE 82nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97220. The entire article (with a picture of Barbara Watson) takes up the better part of a page. In the same issue, there is also an article about a U.S. Representative's (Peter DeFazio) objections to shipping nuclear waste through Oregon and storing it on Piaute-Shoshone land (The Fort McDermitt Reservation) in Malheur County. (The plan has not been firmed up yet. Four sites are still being considered. Also, the Malheur County Commissioners unanimously _support_ the plan.) There is also an editorial by Steve Duin (an "political editorialist") who objects to the gambling casino being built by the Umatillas. As usual neither man proposes any alternative solutions to nation's high unemployment and other economic problems. (At least if they have some alternatives, they weren't stated in the articles.) --------- "RE: Kahnesatake Mohawks -The Other Side of the Coin" --------- From: A.HOROVITCH Art Horovitch Subj: Kahnesatake Mohawks -The Other Side of the Coin GE Electronic Mail FEB, 27, 1994. Montreal. Canada KAHNESATAKE MOHAWKS -THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN ------------------------------------------------ It was reported 2 weeks ago that there were rumors that the Canadian army was preparing to move into and take control of the Kahnesatake territory, as well as the larger Kanewake and Kanesatake reserves , all situated near Montreal. This was to be a response to the problem of cigarette smuggling which has been going through the reserves for several years, but reached a crisis recently when the government disclosed that it was losing millions of dollars in tax revenue due to the smuggling. The Kahnesatake elected chief, Jerry Peltier, claimed he had inside information from army sources that a raid was imminent, and discussed this at a community meeting of very jittery people in Kahnesatake. The Montreal Mirror, in an article by Lyle Stuart , reports that some people feel Peltier's motives in apparently warning the community of the imminent raid were suspect. There is growing opposition to Peltier's leadership in the community, and some feel that it may simply have been a smoke screen to detract attention from his unpopularity. Ronald Bonspille, who heads a group opposed to the elected chief, said" What's here for the army? The contraband is just about finished". (The federal and provincial government last week dropped cigarette taxes dramatically in an effort to destroy the smuggling networks. Legal cigarettes now sell for almost the same price as smuggled ones.) Bonspille said the meeting called by Peltier and attended by some 200 people was "chaos", and Bonspille accuses Peltier of using "strong-arm tactics" to quell the dispute over his leadership. A petition circulated by two former band councilors, Michelle Lamouche and Sheila Jacobsen, demanding that Peltier step down was signed by 321 people out of a population of 1000. Lamouche said Peltier runs a secretive council, and does not consult the community on important issues. Last October, Peltier launched a $200,000 lawsuit for defamation of character against Bonspille, his wife Judith and Clarence Simon. The three have accused Peltier of poor financial management and the hooliganism they say occurs nightly in the community. (No other local media have reported this as a problem in the community.) To further complicate the situation,the federal government is considering an investigation of the finances of the council, after a Montreal auditing firm reported that the band's deficit had doubled in the last 3 years, and payments of $712,000 which went to the chief and band council cannot be accounted for. (Canada's deficit has doubled in the last 5 years, but no one accuses the federal government of anything more than poor management and incorrect economic forecasts). --------- "RE: Reviews of Children's Books with Native Am. Themes" --------- From: sbrock@teal.csn.org (Steve Brock) Subj: Short reviews of new children's books with Native Am. themes Mailing List: NATIVE-L For ages 4-7: IKTOMI AND THE BUZZARD: A PLAINS INDIAN STORY, written and illustrated by Paul Goble. Orchard Books, 95 Madison Ave., N.Y., NY 10016, (800) 433-3411, (212) 213-6435 FAX. Illustrated, references. 32 pp., $14.95 cloth. 0-531-06812-9 REVIEW Iktomi, the Lakota trickster who appears for the fifth time in a Goble story, is off to a powwow resplendent in his Eagle Dance costume. He comes to a wide river and, not wanting to get wet, he talks a buzzard into giving him a lift across it. The buzzard spies Iktomi making rude gestures, however, and dumps him headfirst into a hollow tree trunk. He talks two girls into helping him out of his predicament, and off he goes. The reader never finds out if he actually makes it to the powwow. Parents will find that reading this richly illustrated tale is a complicated endeavor, as Goble has placed humorous commentary in a smaller typeface throughout the story. And they will also have trouble explaining why, on the title page, Iktomi introduces himself and says "Don't read this book. That white guy, Paul Goble, is stealing my stories and making money off of them." A contemporary twist on an ancient legend, Goble does it again. Highly recommended. For ages 5-8: SOFT CHILD: HOW RATTLESNAKE GOT ITS FANGS, retold by Joe Hayes, illustrated by Kay Sather. Harbinger House, P.O. Box 42948, Tucson, AZ 85733-2948, (602) 326-9595, (602) 326-8684 FAX. Illustrated. 32 pp., $8.95 paper. 0-943173-89-2 REVIEW According to this Tohono O'odham legend, Soft Child, a gentle rattlesnake, was born without fangs. All he asked the Sky God for was a rattle so he wouldn't get stepped on, and he was constantly being pestered by the other animals, especially skunk and jackrab- bit. When Sky God sees Soft Child's predicament, he breaks off the points from a devil's claw plant and tells Soft Child to put them in his mouth. When he does so, Sky God touches them with bolts of lightning and they turn into poison fangs. It doesn't take long for the other animals to understand that Soft Child has a new weapon that commands respect. The moral of this compassionate tale is that everyone has a place in the world and that place is to be valued. Recommended. For ages 5 and up: BUILDING A BRIDGE by Lisa Shook Begaye, illustrated by Libba Tracy. Northland Publishing, P.O. Box 1389, Flagstaff, AZ 86002-1389, (800) 346-3257. 32 pp., $14.95 cloth. 0-87358-562-3 REVIEW Anna and Juanita, who live a few miles from each other, get ready for school on the first day of a new semester. As Anna boards the bus, most of the faces are the brown of Navajo Indian children. The teacher, Mrs. Yazzie, greets the children in Navajo, saying "Ya'at'eeh," (Hello). At playtime, Juanita and Anna are told that the blocks they are looking at are magic. When they build a giant bridge of purple and green blocks, they see their magic in its splendor: when colors work together, the result is majestic. The message that differences make the world a better place cannot be learned too early, and this book is a large step in that direction. Highly recommended. For ages 10 and up: ABENAKI CAPTIVE by Muriel Dubois. Carolrhoda Books, 241 First Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55401. (800) 328-4929, (612) 332- 7615 FAX. Glossary. 180 pp., $19.95 cloth. 25% discount to schools and libraries. 0-87614-753-8 REVIEW A title in the "Adventures in Time" series, Dubois relates the tale of Ogistin, a young Abenaki, whose brother is killed by the English. After a vision quest, Ogistin vows revenge. Five years later, in 1752, trapper John Stark is captured and Ogistin sees his chance. Stark, however, is eventually adopted by the tribe, and Ogistin must consult the spirit world again for advice on how to proceed. Based on real events (Stark later became celebrated in the Revolutionary War), Dubois' story focuses more on adventure, emotion, and historical detail than characterization. Recommended. For ages 12 and up: SON-OF-THUNDER by Stig Holmas, illustrated by John Hurford. Harbinger House, P.O. Box 42948, Tucson, AZ 85733-2948, (800) 759- 9945. Illustrated, map. 126 pp., $10.95 paper (0-943173-87-6), 40% discount to schools and libraries. REVIEW Son-of-Thunder, is a N'de (Chiricahua Apache) Indian born during an attack by Mexican calvary. He and his midwife are the only survivors of the massacre. They travel to the tribe of the boy's uncle, who adopts him. As he grows, he is schooled in the ways of life, war, and the ways of the spirit by his brother - Cochise. As he begins to excel at his lessons, Son-of-Thunder encounters the man who gave the command to wipe out his family. A spellbinding and vibrant portrayal that reads more authentically than many history books. Highly recommended. WALKER OF TIME by Helen Hughes Vick. Harbinger House, P.O. Box 42948, Tucson, AZ 85733-2948, (800) 759-9945. 216 pp., $15.95 cloth (0-943173-80-9), $9.95 paper (0-943173-84-1), 40% discount to schools and libraries. REVIEW Walker Talayesva and his bahana (white) friend, the son of an archaeologist, go to a cave in Arizona's Walnut Canyon at the instructions of Walker's dying uncle. They duck inside just as a storm hits, and a streak of blue lightning strikes just above them, sending them back in time to 1250 A.D., when the area was inhabited by the Sinagua culture. The two boys investigate why the Sinagua disappeared in this enthralling story that will appeal to those looking for adventure and mystery. Appropriate for both school and public libraries. For all ages: MONSTER BIRDS: A NAVAJO FOLKTALE, retold by Vee Browne, illustrated by Baje Whitethorne. Northland Publishing, P.O. Box 1389, Flagstaff, AZ 86002-1389, (800) 346-3257, (602) 774-0592 FAX. 32 pp., $14.95 cloth. 0-87358-558-5 REVIEW We still know today That is the way it was With the people who lived long ago Brown and Whitethorne, both Navajos, continue the tale begun in "Monster Slayer. Monster Slayer and Child Born of Water, twin sons of Changing Woman and Sunbearer, come to the rescue of the Anasazi people who are plagued by two monster birds living in a nest on top of Shiprock (Arizona). After defeating the two parent Monster Birds, the brothers turn the baby Monster Birds into an eagle and an owl. The watercolor illustrations add drama to this story of adventure and virtue. Highly recommended. --------- "RE: American Indian in American Government" --------- From: Christopher.Newell@Dartmouth.edu (Chris) Subj: A little bit of the American Indian in American Government People seem to be having a hard time believing that US Constitution was based on the constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy so here are some excerpts of different things to give you an idea. The first is just a quote from Felix Cohen. He was Chief of the Indian Law Survey for the Department of Justice in 1939 and 1940, and associate solicitor of the Department of the Interior from 1933 to 1948. Later he was general counsel of the Association of American Indian Affairs and for many Indian nations. He was probably best known as author of the _Handbook of Federal Indian Law_. "As yet, few Americans and fewer Europeans realize that America is not just a pale reflection of Europe -- that what is distinctive about America is Indian, through and through. American cigarettes, chewing gum, rubber balls, popcorn, and corn flakes, flapjacks, and maple syrup, still make European eyebrows crawl. American disrespect for the authority of parents, presidents, and would-be dictators still shocks our European critics. And visitors from the Old World are still mystified when they find no peasants on American soil. But the expression of pain, surprise and amused superiority that one finds in European accounts of the habits of the "crazy Americans" are not new. One finds them in European reports of American life that are 200 and even 400 years old. All these things, and many things more important in our life today, were distinctively American when the first European immigrants came to these shores......" +++++++++++++++++++++ "We need to remember that the Europe that lay behind Columbus as he sailed toward a New World was in many respects less civilized than the lands that spread before him. Politically, there was nothing in the kingdoms and empires of Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries to parallel the democratic constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy, with its provisions for initiative, referendum and recall, and its suffrage for women as well as men. Socially, there was in the Old World no system of old-age pensions, disability benefits, and unemployment insurance comparable to the system of the Incas. Of what nation, European or Asiatic in the sixteenth century could one have written as the historian Prescott wrote of the Incas: 'Their manifold provisions against poverty...were so perfect that in the wide extent of territory -- much of it smitten with the curse of barrenness -- no man, however humble, suffered for the want of food and clothing.'" +++++++++++++++++++++ "Were not the first common councils of the American Colonies, the Council of Lancaster in 1744 and the famous Albany Congress of 1754, councils called for the purpose of treating with the Iroquois Confederacy, whose leaders were unwilling to treat separately withe the various quarreling Colonies? It was the great Iroquois Chief Canassatego who advised the Colonial governors meeting at Lancaster in 1744: 'Our Wise forefathers established Union and amity between the Five Nations. This has made us formidable; this has given us great Weight and Authority with our neighboring Nations. We are a powerful Confederacy; and by your observing the same Methods, our Wise Forefathers have taken, you will acquire such Strength and power. Therefore whatever befalls you, never fall out with one another.' The advice of Canassatego was eagerly taken up by Benjamin Franklin. 'It would be a strange thing [he advised the Albany Congress] if Six Nations of ignorant savages should be capable of forming a scheme for such a union and be able to execute it in such a manner that it has subsisted ages and appears indissoluble, and yet it is more necessary and must be more advantageous, and who cannot be supposed to want an equal understanding of their interest.' The author of the American Declaration of Independence and of our first bill of rights freely acknowledged his debt to Indian teachers. Comparing the freedom of Indian society with the oppression of European society, Thomas Jefferson struck the keynote of the great American experiment in democracy: 'Imperfect as this species of coercion may seem, crimes are very rare among them [the Indians of Virginia] so much that were it made a question, whether no law, as among the savage Americans, or too much law, as among the civilized Europeans, submits man to the greatest evil, on who has seen both conditions of existence would pronounce it to be the last; and that the sheep are happier of themselves, than under the care of the wolves. It will be said, that great societies cannot exist without government. The savages, therefore, break them into small ones.' Here Jefferson put his finger on the quality that distinguishes American attitudes toward government from continental attitudes. The caution against aggrandizement of governmental power, the preference for local self-government even though it seem less efficient, the trust in the ability of good neighbors to settle their own problems by mutual accommodation without totalitarian rule -- these enduring elements of our American democracy." --all these excerpts from _American Scholar_ "Governance Under the Great Law" The Iroquois, these People of the Long House, likened their confederacy to a long house, with partitions and separate fires under a common roof. Each of the five nations was made up of eight tribes or clans, with kinship bonds weaving the Iroquois League together. The authority of the League was vested in 49 sachems of chiefs. The sachemships were distributed unequally among the member nations, and were hereditary, held and bestowed by the clan mothers of the matrilineal society. Women appointed and instructed men as representatives to the various councils, and the men shared power by being the public speakers. The sachems of the Five Nations formed the council of the League, which met an Onondaga, the unofficial capital. the Council was the ruling body which held executive, legislative and judicial authority. As a Council, the sachems concerned themselves with external matters, declared war and made peace, sent and received emissaries, entered into treaties, regulated affairs of subject nations, and granted the League's protection. The Council did not interfere in the internal affairs of each tribe, which were each under the governance of their respective sachems. According to Morgan, "The crowning feature of the League, as a political structure, was the perfect independence and individuality of the national sovereignties, in the midst of a central and embracing government... The government sat lightly upon the people, who, in effect were governed but little." The power of the sachems was more advisory than executive, for the government of each nation and the council itself rested upon the popular will and not upon the absolute power of their leaders. Especially important matters that came before the council of the League were submitted to the people for their decision, which in turn affected the decision of the council If the people's will was not done, the sachems appointed to the Council could be impeached or even killed [geez sometimes i wish they left that in our constitution]. Authority was further shared between the Older and Yonger Brothers. The Mohawks, Onondagas and Senecas were "brothers" to each other, but "fathers' to, or the "older brothers" of, the other nations. The Cayugas and Oneidas were the "younger brothers" (or "children"). Because the Tuscaroras joined the confederacy later, they did not participate in the council, but did have their own sachems to administer the affairs of the their nation. The Council of the Iroquois League followed a fundamental principle of unanimity in a seven step decision-making process. The Mohawks would initiate a decision, agreed to by all the Mohawk sachems. The Senecas took up the decision in the same way. When the Senecas had considered the issue and agreed with the Mohawks, the Oneida and Cayugas took up the issue by the same process. The Oneida and Cayuga decision had to be confirmed by the Mohawks and Senecas, who would then present the issue to the Onondagas. The Onondaga sachems could disapprove and veto the decision, or present it to the Mohawks and Senecas to be announced as unanimous. It is difficult not to place on a society like the Iroquois such terms as bicameral, checks and balances, and veto power, and thereby reconstruct of translate history in the language and light of today. It is perhaps more important to understand that those statesmen who crafted the U.S. system of government had studied and learned from the system of governance under the Great Law." --Excerpt from article from the Friends Committee on National Legislation Newsletter, August/September 1987. If you'd like I got tons more from other sources You can send replies to Christopher.Newell@dartmouth.edu "When sun warms your body thru in the heart of the land And smiles play on our children's faces You can see the work of Koluskap's hand." Red Hawk Penobscot from the poem _Penobscot Home Nation_ --------- "RE: ACTION: Support Friendship Centres!" --------- From: nafc@web.UUCP in igc:web.native Subj: ACTION: SUPPORT FRIENDSHIP CENTRES! PeaceNet: igc:web.native The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC), which represents the 111 Friendship Centres of Canada, is on tenderhooks after the federal budget was released last week. The budget contains statements regarding organizations funded through grants and contributions which implies that Friendship Centres will face a 5% budget cut on April 1. This is in addition to a 10% funding cut that Centres took last year. The Liberal government, since it has been in power has continually stressed to the NAFC that Friendship Centres, as community development organizations in urban areas, play a pivotal role in looking after the needs of urban Aboriginal people. Government proposals such as the $100 million Aboriginal Head Start Program are being targeted for Friendship Centres, yet the same government has impeded our ability to deliver these services by reducing Core budgets. Friendship Centres provide a wide range of services including referral, justice, health, recreation, cultural and children's programs. Government ministers who spoke loudly in defense of Friendship Centres last year when the 10% cut was administered, are now silent after applying a 5% cut to our program. WE NEED YOUR HELP! THERE MAY STILL BE TIME! We are urging all Canadians to contact the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Hon. Michel Dupuy and strongly object to these cuts being applied to Friendship Centre operating budgets. The government has clearly spoken out of both sides of its mouth on this issue, leaving Centres strapped for operating funds, while the feds expect more and more work to be done on the local level. FAX LETTERS OF SUPPORT TO: HON. MICHEL DUPUY MINISTER OF CANADIAN HERITAGE HOUSE OF COMMONS OTTAWA, ONT. K1A 0A9 FAX (819) 994-5987 ALSO SEND COPIES TO: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FRIENDSHIP CENTRES 396 COOPER ST., SUITE 204 OTTAWA, ONT. K2P 2H7 FAX (613) 594-3428 THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! --------- "RE: Chiapas Negotiations Begin" --------- From: SAIIC Subj: Chiapas negotiations begin Mailing List: NATIVE-L February 21, 1994 San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas Nilo Cayuqueo, SAIIC Correspondent Peace negotiations between the EZLN and the Mexican government began yesterday in the Cathedral of San Cristobal at 9:00am. Approximately 2,000 unarmed soldiers were deployed around the cathedral, along with 400 civilians from Mexican NGO's and 200 members of the International Red Cross. Bishop Ruiz, and the government's negotiator Camacho Solis met with 19 members of the EZLN from different regions under the rebel's control, such as Las Margaritas and Ocosingo. All parties to the negotiations refused interviews to journalists. Yesterday at 6:00pm the negotiators held a joint press conference at the Cathedral where 18 Zapatistas from the General Command (Comandancia General) of the Indian Revolutionary Command, Camacho Solis and the Bishop all attended. Bishop Ruiz opened this conference then gave the microphone to the EZLN's apparent leader, Subcomandante Marcos who passed it on to the members of the general command. Each said a few words in their languages: Tojolabal, Zotzil, Zeltal and Chol. They emphasized that they are 100% Mexicans and Chiapanecos (residents of Chiapas). Then Subcomandante Marcos spoke very clearly about the EZLN's purpose in negotiating. He stressed that they had not come to ask forgiveness for what they have done. According to him, their agenda was the following: 1. a) total cease fire, b) respect for human rights, c) return of the 25,000 Indigenous people to lands they had been expelled from for religious reasons; (These people are Protestants who had been displaced as part of a repressive campaign by local caciques who rely on their role as Catholic leaders to maintain power.) 2. Economic justice, access to land, education and economic development for the poor; 3) Political autonomy for the Indian populations; 4) An end to government election fraud, and repression carried out by local caciques and the guardias blancas (paramilitary bands working for the large landowners). In the day prior to the negotiations, the Zapatistas declared they would not give up their arms. Rumors have been circulating about threats against suspected Zapatista sympathizers. Nuns doing social service work in the area of Altamiro were reportedly threatened by guardias blancas. Representatives of the State Indigenous and Campesino Council of Chiapas will be taking part in the negotiations, but it remains unclear when. The major political parties will also take part at some point in time. The city of San Cristobal remains chaotic, with hundreds of foreign reporters, as well as the Mexican army, the Red Cross and the members of various NGO's who have formed the circles of security around the cathedral. --------- "RE: Supreme Court Decision" --------- From: "Arthur R. McGee" Subj: Supreme Court decision re "Indian country" Mailing List: NATIVE-L ---------- Forwarded message ---------- ~Date: Thu, 24 Feb 94 10:38:07 EST ~From: MARTIN ~Subject: liibulletin - Feb. 24, 1994 (part 1) ---------------------------------------------------------------- AN E-BULLETIN LEGAL INFORMATION INSTITUTE -- CORNELL LAW SCHOOL lii@fatty.law.cornell.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------- The following Supreme Court decisions just arrived on the ftp site ftp.cwru.edu. These are not the decisions themselves nor excerpts from them, but summaries (syllabi) prepared by the Court's Reporter of Decisions. Instructions for accessing or ordering the full text of any of these decisions are provided at the end of this bulletin. [stuff deleted] ================================================================ HAGEN v. UTAH Docket 92-6281 -- Decided February 23, 1994 ================================================================ Petitioner, an Indian, was charged in Utah state court with distribution of a controlled substance in the town of Myton, which lies within the original boundaries of the Uintah Indian Reservation on land that was opened to non-Indian settlement in 1905. The trial court rejected petitioner's claim that it lacked jurisdiction over him because he was an Indian and the crime had been committed in "Indian country," see 18 U.S.C. 1151, such that federal jurisdiction was exclusive. The state appellate court, relying on Ute Indian Tribe v. State of Utah, 773 F.2d 1087 (CA10), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 994, agreed with petitioner's contentions and vacated his conviction. The Utah Supreme Court reversed and reinstated the conviction, ruling that Congress had "diminished" the Reservation by opening it to non-Indians, that Myton was outside its boundaries, and thus that petitioner's offense was subject to state criminal jurisdiction. See Solem v. Bartlett, 465 U.S. 463, 467 ("States have jurisdiction over . . . opened lands if the applicable surplus land Act freed that land of its reservation status and thereby diminished the reservation boundaries"). Held: Because the Uintah Reservation has been diminished by Congress, the town of Myton is not in Indian country and the Utah courts properly exercised criminal jurisdiction over petitioner. Pp. 9-22. (a) This Court declines to consider whether the State of Utah, which was a party to the Tenth Circuit proceedings in Ute Indian Tribe, should be collaterally estopped from relitigating the Reservation boundaries. That argument is not properly before the Court because it was not presented in the petition for a writ of certiorari and was expressly disavowed by petitioner in his response to an amicus brief. Pp. 9-10. (b) Under this Court's traditional approach, as set forth in Solem v. Bartlett, supra, and other cases, whether any given surplus land Act diminished a reservation depends on all the circumstances, including (1) the statutory language used to open the Indian lands, (2) the contemporaneous understanding of the particular Act, and (3) the identity of the persons who actually moved onto the opened lands. As to the first, the most probative, of these factors, the statutory language must establish an express congressional purpose to diminish, but no particular form of words is prerequisite to a finding of diminishment. Moreover, although the provision of a sum certain payment to the Indians, when coupled with a statutory expression of intent, can certainly provide additional evidence of diminishment, the lack of such a provision does not lead to the contrary conclusion. Throughout the diminishment inquiry, ambiguities are resolved in favor of the Indians, and diminishment will not lightly be found. Pp. 10-12. (c) The operative language of the Act of May 27, 1902, ch. 888, 32 Stat. 263-which provided for allotments of some Uintah Reservation land to Indians, and that "all the unallotted lands within said reservation shall be restored to the public domain" (emphasis added)-evidences a congressional purpose to terminate reservation status. See, e.g., Seymour v. Superintendent, 368 U.S. 351, 354-355. Solem, supra, at 472-476, distinguished. Contrary to petitioner's argument, this baseline intent to diminish was not changed by the Act of March 3, 1905, ch. 1479, 33 Stat. 1069. Language in that statute demonstrates that Congress clearly viewed the 1902 Act as the basic legislation upon which the 1905 Act and intervening statutes were built. Furthermore, the structure of the statutes-which contain complementary, nonduplicative essential provisions-requires that the 1905 and 1902 Acts be read together. Finally, the general rule that repeals by implication are disfavored is especially strong here, because the 1905 Act expressly repealed a provision in the intervening statute passed in 1903; if Congress had meant to repeal any part of any other previous statute, it could easily have done so. Pp. 12-17. (d) The historical evidence-including letters and other statements by Interior Department officials, congressional bills and statements by Members of Congress, and the text of the 1905 Presidential Proclamation that actually opened the Uintah Reservation to settlement-clearly indicates the contemporaneous understanding that the Reservation would be diminished by the opening of the unallotted lands. This conclusion is not altered by inconsistent references to the Reservation in both the past and present tenses in the post-1905 legislative record. These must be viewed merely as passing references in text, not deliberate conclusions about the congressional intent in 1905. Pp. 17-21. (e) Practical acknowledgment that the Reservation was diminished is demonstrated by the current population situation in the Uintah Valley, which is approximately 85 percent non-Indian in the opened lands and 93 percent non-Indian in the area's largest city; by the fact that the seat of local tribal government is on Indian trust lands, not opened lands; and by the State of Utah's assumption of jurisdiction over the opened lands from 1905 until the Tenth Circuit decided Ute Indian Tribe. A contrary conclusion would seriously disrupt the justifiable expectations of the people living in the area. Pp. 21-22. 858 P. 2d 925, affirmed. O'Connor, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Rehnquist, C. J., and Stevens, Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, and Ginsburg, JJ., joined. Blackmun, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Souter, J., joined. ---------------------------------------------------------------- HOW TO ACCESS OR ORDER EMAIL DELIVERY OF ITEMS REPORTED IN THIS BULLETIN ---------------------------------------------------------------- The full text of these decisions is archived at the ftp site ftp.cwru.edu in several formats (ascii, WordPerfect, xywrite...) You can also access the decisions using the LII's gopher server at gopher.law.cornell.edu, or through our World Wide Web server at http://www.law.cornell.edu/. If you don't have access to a gopher or WWW client, you can access one via telnet. Telnet to www.law.cornell.edu and log in as www. Finally, if you have only email access to the internet, you can retrieve these documents by sending a mail message to liideliver@fatty.law.cornell.edu. Put your document requests in the body of the message like: request 91-611 You can request several decisions at once by putting them on separate lines. Request court decisions using the docket number as it appears with the syllabus. --------- "RE: FAIR Meeting with Ada Deer" --------- From: Florence Steele Subject: FAIR Meeting with Ada Deer Mailing List: NATIVE-L On Friday, February 19th Dug Steele, Ron Lessard, and Melissa Biggs of FAIR (Friends of American Indians on Reservations), based in Charlottesville, Virginia met with Ada Deer, Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to discuss the role of support groups. The following message is a report of the meeting and thoughts for the future. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dear Friends, This is a letter I promised many of you I would write following FAIR's meeting with ADA Deer on Friday February 18th. For myself and the two people who accompanied me, it was a very disappointing meeting. As you may know, the White House has proposed an eleven million dollar reduction in the BIA's budget. Ada Deer was a busy lady yesterday seeing legislators and trying to salvage what she could. It was no day for us to be there, but we were -- at her invitation, to talk about support groups. At a previous meeting, she requested we return and talk with her about the work of FAIR. This could have been accomplished in a letter so I wrote her secretary and requested that we expand this discussion to support groups in general. At one time Ms. Deer had been active with the organization HONOR in Milwaukee. I'm going to have to paraphrase her words because I didn't take notes. At the opening she said she was very busy and for us to state what we had come to say. I did, as best I could, in a couple of minutes. Then I asked her opinion of support groups. Her answer was that support groups should be selective in their objectives and not try to accomplish more than they can handle. I think that's good advice but it didn't open up the dialogue I was hoping for. She went on to say she was a politician and that politicians come and go and that she has to work with the career people in the BIA. She mentioned some support organizations we might contact. As we left, I gave her two recent letters I had received pertaining to the current situation on the Hopi Partitioned Land in Arizona. One letter was from Bob Holtzman in San Diego and the other was a communique from Jon Norstog of Window Rock via the computer network. She gave them to her assistant, the only other person attending this meeting. As we left, she said she was familiar with the situation on the HPL and noted she had flown over both the Hopi and Navajo reservations. I regret that we were scheduled to meet at such a critical time and feel the substance might have been quite different had we met at some other time. But I'm convinced now, more than ever, that justice and fairness for the American Indian will come only through new and better legislation. And this will happen when enough people in this country want it to happen. As support activists, we are going to have to work harder to communicate our message to those who don't know how unjustly the American Indian in the country is still being treated. I really believe many legislators don't understand this. We must use every legal means available to communicate this message. We have to believe it can and will happen and be willing to work until it does happen. And we need to communicate better among ourselves. I am still compiling a list of support groups around the country who have given me permission to list them in this directory. If you have, thank you. If not, and you would like to be listed, please send you name, address, phone and fax number and briefly what you support. If you know of other support groups, please let me know so I may contact them also. When completed in the next couple of months, I'll send all who are listed a copy. If you could send a dollar, in return, that would be great but if you don't, I'll assume you are a broke as we are. I wish you all of the success in the world in the work you are doing. Keep it up and expand on it if possible. I look forward to hearing from you Take care and God bless you. Sincerely, Dug Steele FAIR 1226 D Smith Street Charlottesville, VA 22901 804 971 7105 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "The white man knows how to make everything but he does not know how to distribute it." Chief Sitting Bull ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Florence Steele fs@uva.pcmail.virginia.edu --------- "RE: Journal of Ritual Studies" --------- From: ritual+@pitt.edu (Karen S Billingsley) Subj: Journal of Ritual Studies Mailing List: NATIVE-L THE JOURNAL OF RITUAL STUDIES Founded in 1987, the Journal of Ritual Studies is the only serial publication dealing exclusively with ritual in all of its aspects. Our interdisciplinary audience includes scholars from: anthropology, religious studies, sociology, psychology, performance studies, ancient and early modern history, area studies, philosophy, art, literature, dance, and music. The Journal provides a forum for debate about ritual's role and meaning, and seeks better definition for this rapidly growing field. We publish articles about ritual in its various forms and contexts as well as correspondence debating its interpretation. Articles feature a wide variety of approaches to the study of ritual, as recent titles suggest: "Loss and the Recovery of Ritual Self Among Hindu Images" by Richard Davis "The Ritual Body and the Dynamics of Ritual Power" by Catherine Bell "Ritual and the Symbolic Function: A Summary of Biogenetic Structural Theory" by Charles D. Laughlin Special issues have appeared on Ritual in Korea (3/2), Ritual and Power (4/2), Art in Ritual Context (6/1), and Ritual and Sport (7/1). We currently publish 500-800 word reviews of the better half of the fifty or sixty books annually published on ritual in English. Recent review essays have discussed the use and misuse of Turner's ideas (Don Handelman) and of concepts of shamanism (David Holmberg). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Journal is published twice annually. Subscription rates for 1994 are: Individuals (US/Canada) $25.00 USD Individuals (International) $40.00 USD (Includes airmail) Institutions/Libraries (Us/Canada) $45.00 USD Institutions/Libraries (International) $50.00 USD (Includes airmail) Cheques or money orders should be made out to The Journal of Ritual Studies. $5.00 discounts are available to U.S. institutions using selected subscription services. Contact the Production Editor for details. Back issues are available for $15.00 USD, 4th Class mail. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inquiries and subscriptions should be addressed to: The Production Editor Journal of Ritual Studies Dept. of Religious Studies 2604 CL University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA 15260 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Daniel Ponech The Journal of Ritual Studies Production Editor Publishing interdisciplinary research in ritual. ritual+@pitt.edu 2604CL, Univ. of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --------- "RE: Review of _Indians R US_ by Ward Churchill" --------- From: LISA STALNAKER HELLWIG Subj: Review of _Indians R US_ by Ward Churchill Mailing List: NATIVE-L _Indians R US: Culture and Genocide in Native North America_ Ward Churchill Common Courage Press ISBN: 1-56751-020-5 ($14.95/paper) ISBN: 1-56751-021-3 ($39.95/hardbound) This is Ward's latest collection of essays written over the past few years. He writes about Columbus Day (specifically, how Columbus Day is actually a celebration of Genocide); Sports Team Mascots (and how we should be "honoring" all ethnic groups in the US the same way we're honoring Native Americans); The Men's Movement and how it randomly 'borrows' spiritual rituals and beliefs from any and all cultures; A review and analysis of Jerry Mander's book, _In the Absence of the Sacred_, and how despite Mander's good intentions, there are very few native voices in his book, just more 'Euro-Americans who know what's best for the Natives'. Ward Churchill is a co-director of Colorado AIM, a spokesperson for the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, and an associate professor of American Indian Studies and Communications at University of Colorado/Boulder. He writes with both anger and humor, making me laugh even as I squirmed when I caught myself being described as one of those 'well-intentioned' Euro- Americans who think I know what's best for Native Americans. Each chapter is followed by footnotes, which have the effect of enlarging one's "To Read" list. If this book is unavailable at your local bookstore (and I had a very hard time finding in, even in the Chicago area), you can order it directly from Common Courage Press, PO Box 702, Monroe, ME 04951. If you want to charge it, you can call them at 1-800-497-3207. Lisa in LITH --------- "RE: Conferences and Powwows" --------- From: JANS Janet McNeely (Evening Star) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows GE Electronic Mail This week's featured conference/powwow was announced on FIDOnet. The conference addresses issues of critical importance for Native Americans on and off the reservations. NORTHERN PLAINS NATIVE AMERICAN CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY ASSOCIATION presents the FOURTH ANNUAL HEALING THROUGH UNITY CONFERENCE April 4-7, at Howard Johnsons Motel, Sioux Falls, South Dakota Featuring Keynote Speakers: CLAYTON SMALL - "WORKING WITH ADOLESCENTS" GENE THIN ELK - "SPIRITUALITY" Other Presentations Include: Adolescent Suicide Gangs Cultural Identity Pipe Carriers As Counselors Criminal Thinking HIV/AIDS Nutrition And Wellness Gambling Addiction POW WOW, YOUTH DANCE, GENERAL POPULATION DANCE CALL: NPNACDA, INC.(605) 341-5360 P.O. Box 1153 Rapid City, SD 57709 =POWWOWS= The following powwow list was compiled from FIDOnet, The Spike, and News From Indian Country. I'm looking forward to receiving Indian Country Today's Special Powwow Issue, due out in the next couple of weeks. Mar 11-13 2nd Friendship, Bellingham, WA Lummi Indian Nation Info: 206-734-8180 Mar 12-13 WA-AK Tucson, AZ Info: 602-294-5727 Mar 12 Algonquin Providence, RI Info: 401-421-0888 Mar 11-13 "Education of the Next Generation" Norcross, GA Info: 404-215-0604 Mar 12-13 3rd Annual College Park Powwow, College Park, MD Sponsors: AIITCO, The Terrapin Society, Native American Student Union Info: 1-301-270-2991 Mar 25-27 Michigan Pow-Wow U of M Ann Arbor Info: (313)763-9044 Jul 8-10 ECHOES OF A PROUD NATION POW WOW Info: 514-638-0880 Send notices of forthcoming powwows, conferences and gatherings to: jans@genie.geis.com gars@netcom.com