Subject: nanews02.049 From: gars@netcom.com (Gary Night Owl) To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Message-ID: _ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' O ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ O o O / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' O o O / /-< / /--/ /-- VOLUME 02, ISSUE 049 O o o o o O __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 3 December 1994 O o O O o O K A N O H E D A A N I Y V W I Y A O ( N A T I V E A M E R I C A N N E W S ) This issue contains articles from IND-NET, NATIVE-L & NATCHAT Mailing Lists, Genie (General Electric) e-mail, UseNet newsgroups alt.native & soc.culture.native. Articles appearing have been previously posted for public dissemination and/or permission for inclusion has been secured. Letters of authorization are on file. A list of those granting permission to repost their words in this issue are listed at the end of part A. I thank each of you for allowing your words to be shared with the people. <----<<<< >>>>----> This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the Red Road. 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. Thanks to Marc Becker, mbecker@uclink2.berkeley.edu, issues of Wotanging Ikche/Kanoheda Aniyvwiya are now being archived at a World-Wide-Web site. The URL is http://ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu/~marc/journals/nanews/ This is a test site, and at some point in the future the location of these files will change. "Whenever there is any trouble, I shall not die but get through. Though arrows are many, I shall arrive. My heart is manly." __ Warriors Song, Crow +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! I am looking at a photo of a handsome Mescalero man and his beautiful four year old daughter. The photo was taken at a gathering, and both are smiling and happy. There will not be a photo next year. There will never be another photo taken of Paul Rides in the Wind Serna and his daughter. He died because he wanted to go swimming along with a brother and niece (who live, but are maimed for life). The one thing that jumps out about the "alleged" attacker's rap sheet is that violation-after-violation has no record of disposition. He was out on probation when he "allegedly" committed the attack on Paul and his family, and it appears he would not have been sought for violation without extenuating circumstances. ie: He would have had to have been nailed on another violation and a "wants and warrants" search being requested. Please read the first article in this issue and if you are as angered by it as I am write the DA's office in Signal Mountain, Tennessee and the presiding judge in Chattanooga. Write Governor McWherter and Governor-elect Sundquist. Write the Tennessee Attorney General. Let them know we are watching and will NOT tolerate the death of a brother being swept under their tidy little carpet. Dohiyi Oginalii! Night Owl , , Gary Night Owl gars@genie.geis.com (*,*) P. O. Box 672168 gars@netcom.com (`-') Marietta, GA 30067, U.S.A. gars@igc.apc.org ===w=w=== NativeNet Node 90:133/2501 FidoNet 1:133/2501 ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- Part A: Usenet and e-mail Part B: NATCHAT and NATIVE-L lists - Cry for Justice - Conferences and Powwows - online - Without and Within - Native Councils in Prison - IHS Customer Contact Standards - Mexico: The War Has Not Finished - Little Rock Reed Update - FBI Ad - Wilma Mankiller Honored - Keller George Chosen - Securite Quebec Resignation - Comments on FBI Ad - Poem: Sure Fire: A Very Bright Light - Anna Mae Aquash Investigation - Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days Reopened - Conferences and Powwows - offline - Crisis Within Okanagan Territory --------- "RE: Cry for Justice" --------- Date: Sun, 27 November 94 14:22 -0500 From: Janet Smith (jans@genie.geis.com) Subj: Cry for Justice GE Electronic Mail In October of 1994, Night Owl and I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Red Hawk Keeper of the Wind Serna, an Aseano- Mescalero Apache and his fiance at a Native American gathering. We learned at that time that Red Hawk had lost a brother, nearly lost another brother, and a niece, in a tragic and brutal car crash. His niece and an eyewitness to the crash accuse another man, Harvey Phillip Hester, Jr., of deliberately ramming the Sernas' car into oncoming traffic and then fleeing the scene. Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Hester and a Grand Jury subsequently bound him over on charges of first degree murder and attempted murder. The story, however, does not end there. Michael Red Hawk has reason to believe the case against Hester is not being pursued aggressively. Recently, knowing we had access to an international information network linking Native American brothers and sisters, he called us, asking our assistance, since he felt pressure on the system was the only way justice would be served. The following is the story as told to him by the only victim able to talk, his 15-year-old niece, Angela, by an eyewitness who followed the man he believed had caused the car crash, and by authorities investigating. "On August 8th, 1994, my brothers, Paul "Rides In the Wind" Serna and Rick "Strong Cloud" Serna, along with Strong Cloud's 15-year-old daughter, Angela, went to a local Blue Hole (swimming hole) on Suck Creek near Signal Mountain, TN. Upon their arrival at the roadside turnout, Harvey Phillip Hester, Jr. and three other occupants were preparing to leave the swimming area. Angela told me later that she had seen Hester put his billfold on top of his car while unlocking the door at that time. After a short time, Hester returned to the swimming hole accusing my brothers of stealing his billfold. After my brothers told him they hadn't taken it, he threatened them with a gun, or said he had a gun. My brothers decided to leave. Hester followed." "Once everyone was underway in their cars, Hester followed them down the mountain road ramming them repeatedly. After another confrontation at a traffic light, Hester then again rammed Strong Cloud's car four times, finally pushing it into oncoming traffic. Strong Cloud's 1983 Nissan Pulsar flew over one oncoming car, then was struck by two more vehicles. Paul "Rides In the Wind" was killed almost instantly (among his injuries, a fractured cervical spine). Hester then fled the scene. He was followed by a witness who took down his license tag number. Hester turned himself in the following day." "My brother, Strong Cloud, is still hospitalized with severe head trauma and complications which often occur in paralysis. His prognosis for recovery is poor. He has a tracheotomy tube which he may need for the rest of his life in order to breathe. He currently can move only his left arm and head. He cannot speak except with his eyes and expression." "My fifteen year old niece, Angela, is home with her mother, now in California. Her injuries are as follows: leg broken in three places requiring a metal rod and three pins, a fractured pelvic bone, multiple facial and skull injuries that required reconstruction. She still needs plastic surgery and dental reconstruction." "Paul Rides in the Wind is survived by his wife and three daughters, Crystal Dawn Serna, age 4, Keesha Sunshine Serna, age 9, and Shannon Marie Serna, age 15." The man accused of causing this, Harvey Phillip Hester, Jr. has a long record of skirmishes with the law. His arrest record begins when he was 18 (1990) and continues with arrests noted every few months, most of which show no disposition. He had been on probation since 1992 for theft, with a suspended nine month jail sentence. A few months later, he was was found guilty of felony theft, sentenced to two years supervised probation and ordered to serve eight days public service. In June of 1994, Hester was brought before the court in violation of several terms of his probation according to his probation officer. His arrest record shows that he was arrested on three occasions during that time, however these charges (larceny, assault) were dismissed or the record shows no disposition. However, Judge Steve Bevil decided not to revoke Hester's probation, but only to give him a warning. Hester's record since 1990 shows three instances when Hester was charged with attempting to avoid arrest by fleeing police pursuit or running a roadblock, and failing to appear in court. Twice he has been arrested as a fugitive. None of these arrests show any disposition. Even after he was arrested on one count of first degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, and with prior charges of flight to avoid prosecution, Hester's probation was not revoked. Bail was set at $25,000, and a local bail bondsman provided that amount. Hester was free on bond. The Serna family felt this low bail was an insult and pursued the matter both with calls to the authorities, and finally by turning to the local media to publicize the situation. After a month elapsed, during which local newspapers and television stations publicized the charges against Hester, his record, and probationary status, finally the local authorities revoked his probation and issued a warrant for his arrest. This warrant was not served by the Hamilton County (Tennessee) Sheriff's Department, even after they were specifically told where Hester might be located. Deputies stated that they never actively sought individuals to serve revocation of probation warrants, instead waiting until the individual was picked up for a subsequent offense or stopped for a traffic violation. Finally, Michael Red Hawk found out where Hester played pool each Friday night in Chattanooga and enlisted the aid of a friend who was on the Chattanooga Police Force. Hester was brought in on the outstanding warrant. Since that time, the Serna family has been to court four times for Hester to be arraigned on the murder and attempted murder counts brought by Grand Jury. Four times the case has been postponed (last court date 11-22-94). Michael Red Hawk Serna writes to me "I feel Hester should be tried on the charges brought by the Grand Jury, found guilty, and sentenced to no less than life without possibility of parole. Given the minimal seriousness with which the authorities have thus far treated the case, I believe the D.A. may accept a plea bargain for lesser charges, with little or no penalties to Hester. I feel my brothers and niece will be shortchanged by our inept justice system. History has shown this to be true especially for Native Americans. Nothing can bring back Rides In the Wind. But his memory will always remain." "I ask everyone to take a little time from their lives and write letters of protest or call the following authorities so that my family's suffering will not have been in vain! Please ask that the charges of First Degree Murder and two counts of Attempted First Degree Murder against Harvey Phillip Hester, Jr., be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible, and that if found guilty, he be sentenced so that never again can he endanger the community and so that the lives he destroyed and damaged can be honored." Gary Gerbitz District Attorney 7 Rock Crest Drive Signal Mountain, TN 37377 (615) 209-7400 Judge Steve Bevil 629 Spring Valley Lane Chattanooga, TN (615) 209-7555 --------- "RE: Without and Within" --------- Date: 23 Nov 1994 23:23:20 -0700 From: lizfrost@unm.edu Subj: without and within Newsgroup: alt.native I am a person take me as I come, as I go Know that I will change Know that I will grow I wear a skin it is not my soul what was once my culture is now my past what is my present will not last and somewhere in between my eyes, my heart, my soul has seen that the paths of the future are born from being They call this the land of enchantment. I know why. I have grown on this land, drank its water and lived under its sky. I see with a knowing eye. I can tell you many reasons why. But the mystery remains for only a bird truly knows how and why it flies. I have not always eaten its food, we don't live like that anymore. My nourishment comes from many places. My eyes see many perceptions, options and many different faces. The clothes I wear can come from anywhere, many different places. Not always from the land on which I stand. This was not always so. This state, holds mystery, power, and magnitude it is true. From one end where there are people who live between four sacred mountains to the other where there are two caves. One a hugh cavern and the other a crack that both go deep, dark into the ground. The cavern is dying I was told last time I was there, the ranger said "we used to think the indians did not enter this cave because they did not have the light source, but know we know that they went deep into Lechagia cave, way beyond the twilight zone" I remember him saying they went many miles into that cave "the cavern" he said "is dying the water is gone" it is the water that makes a cave grow "we blew a shaft in here in the 70's to put in the elevator so the millions of people that come through here each year and not have to walk three miles back out" and now the water is leaving, the balance destroyed with the updraft, and the people who bring in their breath leaving carbon dioxide and water and taking oxygen, hands touching the cave leaving oils, bodies perspiring sweat evaporating, bacteria in their intestinal tracks breaking down food creating methane , a million people breathing, passing gas, contaminating, putting their chemicals into this caves air. So now I know what it is my dear friend has been trying to convey to me. He tells me stories of his people and their land the ones who live between the four mountains. Then I question him and I ask, I want to understand. Deeper I want to see. He tells me that is the mystery and it must remain so. If it is written or spoken it is lost. And now I know. The cave was sacred something to not know. But I am guilty as are many, by my blood and by my kin, we all share the same sin. What we see we wish to know, so we take it apart to understand it, if it is destroyed in the process then away it will go. We entered that cave its mysteries we all wished to know. And now it dies and will soon no longer grow. And the mystery dies with it. The destruction of the cave the crime; the killing of the mystery the sin. Before I was absolved of quilt, because I did not see? But now I see. And never again will I enter within that cave. I held its dying heartbeat in my soul. And its anguish resonates and within I know. And the cave screams in its death throes as once did the people of this land, marched for a year across hot burning sand. Desiccated, and defiled. I learned not in school what was done to these people. Fed raw flour cake, bequested to die, ingested for three days they would retch in protest of its undigestible form. Yet they survived and remain, many other atrocities unnamed. The ones who eat unsacred, unclean, unwhole food, and their bodies distort as ours, the ones who wear our clothes, name their children by our names, the ones who get lost because their souls which still behold mystery retch at the confusion of playing our games. Power is money, land, education, prestige and fame all the same. But what is mystery, heart and soul? And how does one safely become integrated, sound and whole? I am white, what do I Know? save nothing except what I have seen within the depths of my soul. --------- "RE: IHS Customer Contact Standards" --------- Date: Wed, 23 Nov 1994 07:01:00 -0400 From: John Berry 301-443-5988 FAX t- Subj: IHS Customer Contact Standards Mailing List: IND-NET To all, _____________________________________________________________________________ FROM: "Continuous Improvement Bulletin; The Newsletter of the HHS Continuous Improvement Program", 1(3), Nov. 1994 Last September Vice President Al Gore's National Performance Review (NPR) Report recommended that "all agencies that provide significant services directly to the public" develop and publish {customer service standards} by asking customers what level of service they expect from government, then finding ways to deliver them. In response to the Report, President Clinton issued Executive Order 12862, which set the national standard as "service that matches or exceeds the best service available in the private sector." Agencies were asked to clearly identify their customers, survey them, then "benchmark" against "the best in the business." HOW TO GET NPR's Reports, Video The following are available by mail from National Technical Information Service (NTIS) at (703)487-4650: [these cost] "Creating a Government that Works Better and Costs Less: Report of the National Performance Review", Sept. 1993 (the original report) "Status Report of the National Performance Review", Sept. 1994 (accomplishments of the first year), also available on CD-ROM. "Putting Customers First: Standards for Serving the American People", Sept. 1994. (Service standards for more than 100 Gov't Agencies ** If you have Internet you can access all of these NPR documents and more. For a "road map", send a blank Internet E-Mail message to: npr@ace.esuda.gov ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE The Indian Health Service is currently distributing "An Information Packet" called, "Designing a New Indian Health Service" which includes a questionnaire for Patient and Customer Suggestions, as well as one for IHS employees. This packet has been put together by the Indian Health Design Team and is available from; Indian Health Service, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rm 6-22, Rockville, Maryland 20857 The Indian Health Design Team will distribute updates during the coming months. You may contact your local IHS Area Office to see if additional information is available: Aberdeen (605)226-7581 Alaska (907)257-1153 Albuquerque (505)766-2151 Bemidji (218)759-3412 Billings (406)657-6403 California (916)566-7001 Nashville (615)736-2400 Navajo (602)871-5811 Oklahoma (405)945-6820 Phoenix (602)640-2052 Portland (503)326-2020 Tucson(OHPRD) (602)295-2406 IHS HQ Rockville, MD (301)443-7261 The Indian Health Service has written its customer service standards in the form of rights. For example: Your right: You deserve to know who is treating you and what services are available to help maintain your health. Our standard: Our staff will verbally identify themselves to you upon contact, will wear name tags, and will provide information on the types of services available to you. Be Well All, John Berry ______________________________________________________________________________ A VISION FOR THE FUTURE Healthy American Indian and Alaska Native people and communities are at the center of the circle in my vision for Indian Health. Michael H. Trujillo, M.D., M.P.H. Director, IHS October, 1994 + We will be the best rural, primary care health system in the world. + We will be prevention oriented and devoted to wellness in the individual and the community. + We will provide culturally appropriate health care that is effective, efficient, and responsive to Indian people. + We will assist tribes to develop health care programs and provide health care services to their communities. + We will compete successfully in an era of constrained resources, increasing demands, and growing competition. + We will work hard to be the health care system of choice of American Indian and Alaska Native people. + We will always advocate on behalf of Indian people and sovereign tribal governments. --------- "RE: Little Rock Reed Update" --------- Date: 28 Nov 1994 02:36:36 GMT From: pns@sage.uucp (Prison News Service) Subject: Fwd: Little Rock Reed update - mid November Newsgroup: soc.culture.native ========================================================== | | | | |||||| PRISON NEWS SERVICE |||||| | | | | ====================================================== A Bulldozer Publication This Posting is from Issue #48 November-December 1994, to be printed December 5, 1994 Little Rock Reed update In the last issue of PNS, we briefly reported on the September 23, 1994 arrest of Little Rock reed by Taos, New mexico police officers. Although the warrant for his arrest stated that only federal officers were to execute the warrant, no federal officials were present at his arrest. As he was escorted to the Taos County Jail, the arresting officers told Little Rock that the federal charge of fleeing from justice (from Ohio) would be dropped, which it was. Nevertheless, Little Rock was detained for one week before being released on $50,000 bail which his supporters put up. Little Rock promised not to jump bail and he kept his promise. He was rearrested on October 27, 1994, after New Mexico Governor Bruce King signed a warrant for Little Rock's arrest and extradition to Ohio. The governor signed the warrant after ignoring over 250 concerned citizens, the traditional spiritual leaders of the Lakota Sioux Nation (included after this article), various lawyers, professors and organizations, and the Washington D.C. office of Senator Pete Domenici, all of whom demanded that Governor King conduct a thorough investigation of Little Rock's situation and circumstances. King was informed that Little Rock was released on bail in Taos primarily because the Ohio Adult Parole Authority (APA) led the Taos district attorney to believe that Little Rock had two outstanding warrants for his arrest-one in Cincinnati, Ohio and one in Covington, Kentucky - neither of which existed, as confirmed by the courts in Cincinnati and Covington. King was also informed that the APA lied to the Taos district attorney when they stated that the parole granted Little Rock in May 1992 was his first parole. In fact, Little Rock was granted parole in October 1990, but it was revoked because Little Rock complained about violations of his constitutional rights, according to a document signed by the APA chairman on February 5, 1991. King was also informed of the following: 1. That the APA seeks little Rock's extradition and imprisonment in retaliation for writing about unconstitutional conduct of Ohio APA and prison officials. 2. That the APA has already declared (without first affording Little Rock any kind of hearing) that they intend to imprison Little Rock for 15 more years for writing. 3. That Little Rock left Ohio after being informed of the APA's conspiracy (he was notified by three credible witnesses, including his 80-year-old grandmother; a Villa Hills, Kentucky city council member; and a retired lawyer serving as chairman of a division of the American Society of Criminology - all of whom have sworn under oath that Little Rock's parole officer informed them about the conspiracy.) 4. That several Ohio prisoners in various prisons have sworn under oath to their personal knowledge of prison officials' threats to kill Little Rock when he is returned to Ohio. 5. That all of the above has been determined as true by various lawyers, professors and the Center for Advocacy of Human Rights after their independent investigations. The FBI has claimed that it has "no knowledge" of any conspiracy against Little Rock, yet when they became actively involved in the search for Little Rock, they were informed about the conspiracy by various attorneys and supporters of Little Rock who demanded that the FBI investigate the situation and warned the FBI that the FBI's further involvement in assisting the APA in its search would result in the FBI being held liable for its participation. The FBI failed to investigate or to respond to the numerous complaints, but they did stop their active search for Little Rock and they did not participate in his actual arrest although the FBI's warrant was executed by the Taos police on September 23 (isn't that conspicuous?) On November 4, 1994, Little Rock filed a civil rights complaint in the U.S. District Court in Santa Fe, seeking protection from Ohio's unlawful demand for his extradition, and an injunction recalling Governor King's warrant pending an investigation and/or adjudication on the merits of the case. On November 9, the court dismissed his lawsuit without a hearing, leaving Little Rock - as always - without any legal recourse. It appears that Little Rock will be returned to the Ohio Department of of Corrections, from where he and his supporters intend to file a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court in Columbus, Ohio, to seek a transfer out of the Ohio prison system, a review of the merits of his case, and ultimately his freedom, which is many years overdue. PNS encourages our readers on the outside to contribute funds to allay costs of his lawsuits in Ohio, which has the potential for setting precedent protecting First Amendment rights of government critics, and limiting discretionary powers of parole boards. Although Little Rock has several attorneys assisting with the legwork and the drafting of legal documents, he needs the assistance of an attorney licensed to practice in the U.S. District Court in Ohio for the purpose of oral arguments, depositions, and trial. If any such attorney is interested in further information, please contact: Deborah Garlin, Attorney/President Center for Advocacy of Human Rights P.O. Box 880 Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557 (505) 751-0197 This is also where contributions should be sent(made payable to the Center), as well as letters to Little Rock, which we're sure would be encouraging to him. In closing, Little Rock says that he sincerely appreciates all the encouragement and support he has received, and that "with continuing and growing support and solidarity, we will prevail." * Traditional Circle of Elders proclamation It is our belief that Little Rock Reed, a part Lakota man and sundancer who has committed his life to working for the self-determination and the religious rights of the aboriginal peoples of this land, has been targeted by the Ohio government to be imprisoned, and possible murdered, in order to silence his voice which speaks to the injustices perpetrated on the aboriginal peoples and particularly our men, women and children who are incarcerated throughout this land. We demand that the government conduct a fair and unbiased investigation into the circumstances relating to the current imprisonment of this man so that he may be free to continue doing the work that Tunkasila has put in his heart to do. If such an investigation is not done, this relative's imprisonment, much like the imprisonment of Leonard Peltier, will stand as a symbol of the injustices meted out by the white man's government against our people who simply wish to live in accordance with the traditional teachings given to us by our grandfathers, and to them by Wakan Tanka, the creator. * signed by 63 Lakota Elders ///////////////////// Reprint and repost freely E-mail sage!pns@noc.tor.hookup.net Prison News Service is a 20-page tabloid, written mainly by prisoners with news and analysis from the prisons of United States and Canada. Subscriptions to Prison News Service are $10.00/6 issues (more is you can, less if you can't, nobody is ever refused a sub for lack of money.), Send a dollar or two for a sample. Write: PSC Publishers Box 5052, Stn A Toronto, Ont Canada M5W 1W4 /////End////// --------- "RE: Wilma Mankiller Honored" --------- Date: Fri, 25 Nov 1994 08:31:00 -0400 From: John Berry 301-443-5988 FAX t- Subj: Wilma Mankiller Honored Mailing List: IND-NET To all, Oklahomans' Institute of Indian Heritage honored Oklahoma Cherokee Nation Chief Wilma Mankiller during the 6th annual "Spirit of the People" fall festival held Nov. 18-19. In a ceremony held Sat. the 19th at 8pm the OIIH honored Chief Mankiller and Dominic Mastrapasqua, deputy commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans, with 1994 Spirit of the People Awards. Wanda Stone, OIIH chairwoman said the two "have demonstrated long and successful advocacy of all native people and truly reflect the `spirit of the people'". Ms. Mankiller was recognized for her years of service and her achievements as a national leader and chief of her tribe. Mastrapasqua was selected for the award for his advocacy of Indian peoples while representing the Federal government. OIIH held the Little Feather powwow early in the day on the 19th. This was an opportunity for young dancers ages 16 and under, from across Oklahoma and the region to demonstrate their abilities and learn. The young people organized and conducted the dancing Ms. Stone said, keeping with the OIIH credo of Elder Mentors providing cultural instruction and opportunities to young people. Be Well All, John Berry --------- "RE: Securite Quebec Resignation" --------- Date: 94/11/25 13:25 From: Brave Star (a.horovitch@genie.geis.com) Subj: Securite Quebec Resignation GE Electronic Mail The Parti-Quebecois has once again made an announcement that very happily surprises us. Without warning, this morning, the Minister of Public Security announced that the resignation of the head of the Securite Quebec ( Provincial police force) has been asked for and received. Both the incident at Oka when a SQ officer was killed in a raid on a peaceful Mohawk road blockade and the raid on the Chambly police force earlier this year were cited as examples of fouled up SQ actions. The person who shot the SQ officer is still unknown and after the 22 members of the Chambly police were all detained in a raid, only a few minor charges were laid. Kahnewake Chief Joe Norton has said he is very happy to hear this announcement. He felt that relations with former SQ head Lavigne has been stormy since the SQ raided the reserve in 1973 during an internal dispute. He feels the newly named Serge Gorgeau may be easier to deal with as he has experience with natives. Meanwhile, an agreement seems to have been reached in Kahnesatake concerning a Mohawk police force ( similar to the peacekeepers at Kahnewake and Akwasasne.) The editorial in the Eastern Door, the newspaper of Kahnewake for Oct. 7 asks an interesting question. " What would happen" they ask " if Quebec recognizes our right to unqualified self determination? Would that mean we would abandon Canada who refuses this right, and travel on a parallel course with Quebec as the Two Row Concept envisions?" ( The two row wampum shows two nations living side by side without interfering in each others affairs). Although they expect a more belligerent position from Quebec. . the editorial continues with " Are we ready to accept Quebec as equals after all these years of antagonism? An interesting question. When we demand equality and get it, will we be ready?" Brave Star --------- "RE: Poem: Sure Fire: A Very Bright Light" --------- Date: 22 Nov 1994 12:43:33 -0600 From: turtle@aicap.s21.com (Turtle Heart) Subj: Sure Fire: A Very Bright Light Newsgroup: alt.native White in the center of the eye a very bright small light. Red heart singing at the first light of day Yellow flowers carried around by Turtles in the wild land Black bowls filled with corn on the back porch Blue highways where all the toothless old men ride real slow Brown bellies warm (hot) in the sun Never close your eyes on the light. (Mhuk-wa) Tobacco Indian -- _________________________________________________________________ AICAP Pages copyright 1994 (c)AICAP http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/aises/aicap/archive/aicap.html Turtle Heart turtle@soft21.s21.com (Ahnishinabeg) American Indian Computer Art Project BBS 619-374-2100 PO Box 111 Johannesburg CA 93528-0111 Land of Kaw-ii-su ancestor: Land of Light --------- "RE: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days" --------- Date: 94/11/24 16:43 From: Kepola (dfsanders@genie.geis.com) Subj: A HAWAI'IAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of December 4-10 GE Electronic Mail A HAWAI'IAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of December 4-10 KEKEMAPA (December) (Makalii) 4 In simplicity, we can find the solutions to our most complex riddles. 5 Lava steams and crackles as it pours into the churning ocean -- the marriage of fire and water. 6 Let your dreams fly upon the wings of the wind. 7 May I one day sing the song of my being in the land of my heart's desire. 8 In the mirror pool, you will see reflected your own spirit. 9 Learn all that life has to teach you. 10 Seek love, knowledge, and above all else -- happiness. (c) Copyright 1991 by D. F. Sanders Me ke aloha i ka nani, ... Moe'uhanekeanuenue (With love and beauty, ... Rainbow Dream) --------- "RE: Conferences and Powwows - offline" --------- Date: Thu, 1 December 94 08:00 -0500 From: Janet Smith (Evening Star) (jans@genie.geis.com) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows not previously posted to Mailing Lists NATCHAT or NATIVE-L GE Electronic Mail =POWWOWS= From: John Berry Subject: Anadarko Exhibit To all, The Southern Plains Indian Museum and Crafts Center in Anadarko, Oklahoma is holding an exhibit of "Paintings by Cruz McDaniels", Nov. 20th - Jan. 15th. McDaniels, currently the art instructor at the Riverside Indian School in Anadarko, signs his work with "Set-Koy-Ke" (Kiowa Bear), his Indian name. The exhibition is the first solo showing of his paintings. Viewing hours at the museum are 9am-4:30pm Tues.-Sat. and 1-4:30 pm Sundays, admission if free, closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. A color brochure, 4 pages, is available free on request to: Southern Plains Indian Museum, POB 749, Anadarko, OK 73005 Be Well All, John Berry From: John Berry Subject: Red Earth '95 Artists wanted To all, Red Earth, Inc. is now accepting artist applications for exhibit space for the Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival scheduled for June 9-11, 1995, at the Myriad Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City. "All Native American Artists are encouraged to apply for the art show," says Christy Alcox, festival director. Artists applications are available through; Red Earth 2100 NE 52nd St. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73111 or by calling (405)427-5228. Application deadline is Dec. 30, 1994. Be Well All, John Berry ------------------------------------------------------------------ From newspaper sources: _News from Indian Country_ Dec 2-4 Native American Indian Festival, Melbourne FL Info: 407-253-6149 Dec 3-4 World Championship Hoop Dance, Phoenix, AZ Info: 602-252-8840 Dec 3 Lakota Powwow, Arlington Heights, IL Info: 708-882-1644 Dec 3 Na Long Moon, Middleboro, MA Info: 617-884-4227 Dec 3 Mason School, Tacoma, WA Info: 206-596-1139 Dec 3-4 7th Univ. of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN Info: 612-962-5950 Dec 10 Algonquin Social Powwow, Providence, RI Info: 401-421-0888 Dec 17-18 The Hot Springs Christmas Powwow, Hot Springs, AR Info: 501-760-2944 Dec 29-Jan 1 White Swan New Years, White Swan, WA Info: 509-865-5121 Dec 30-Jan 1 Amigos New Year, Tucson, AZ Info: 602-622-4900 Dec 30-Jan 1 Sobriety Pow-Wow, Covington, KY Info: 606-581-9456 Dec 31 6th Sault Ste. Marie, Sault Ste. Marie, MI Info: 906-635-6075 Dec 31-Jan 2 On the Red Road New Years Celebration of Sobriety Minneapolis, MN Info: 612-724-3129 ----------------------------------------------------------------- --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- Notice of Copyright Clearance by Contributors: The following have granted permission for their original articles to be reposted in order to help mend the Sacred Hoop: John Berry, Jordan Dill, Lisa Frost, Suzan Horovitch, Prison News Service, Janet Smith, Turtle Heart(mending the Sacred Hoop with songs) Lisa Hellwig, Oneida Indian Nation of NY, Bob Schapiro, Glenn Welker --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ all items below this line have already been distributed by our brother, Jay Brummett, via the NATIVE-L or NATCHAT mailing lists. --------- "RE: Conferences and Powwows - online" --------- Date: Thu, 1 December 94 08:00 -0500 From: Janet Smith (Evening Star) (jans@genie.geis.com) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows already posted to Mailing Lists NATCHAT or NATIVE-L = Powwows and Gatherings From the Internet listserv groups = Original Sender: anchor.engr.sgi.com!lyn (Lyn Dearborn) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) ANNOUNCING THE 6TH ANNUAL RISING ARROW OPEN HOUSE & ARTISANS ROW !! Sunday December 4, 1994 10 am to 5 pm Rising Arrow 265-M Sobrante Way Sunnyvale, CA There will also be an "In the Store" 10% Discount Sale. Not good with any other discounts. Not good for lay-a-way, consignment items, special orders or Artisans' Row. No phone or mail orders. Call Lyn for a coupon, or ask for one at the store. This is a great one-a-yr 10% off sale on EVERYTHING not mentioned above including: Pendleton Blankets, all Books, "Trade Cloth", Indian Craft Supplies, Fry Bread Mix, Beads, Findings, Kits of various types, feathers, furs, etc., etc., and everything else I don't have time to mention. Phone: 408/ 732-2001 (10 am to 6 pm, more or less) if you needs detailed instructions or further info. Directions from Palo Alto: Take Alma Street, south toward Sunnyvale. At some point it becomes Central Expressway. You will be taking the turnoff FOLLOWING Mary, which is called "Mathilda Ave, SOUTH". This "access road" is SOBRANTE WAY. It is only 1 block long, so if you get up to the "Libby Fruit Tower" you've gone too far! As you turnoff of Central, make an "almost- immediate" right turn into a very small industrial "park" comprised of 4 or possibly 5 bldgs. Go to your right across a speed bump and turn left at the second driveway which is actually a U-shaped loop between 2 long rows of bldgs. Go to the end of that row, and look for tables, etc. They are in "Suite/Bldg" "M"; there is always an Indian Flag hanging out in front. Directions from Sunnyvale. You are looking for the intersection of California and Mathilda. Going north on California, cross Mathilda. The next street is Sobrante. There will probably be a sign saying Central Expressway, South. Turn right and then turn left into the Industrial mini-park. Follow the rest of the directions above. Directions from 101: Take the Mathilda exit. Proceed WEST on Mathilda until after you cross over Central Expressway. Turn right onto California Street, go one block to El Sobrante/Central Expressway, South on ramp, & proceed with above instructions .... .... whew! You all Come! There will be a lot of local Indian Craftsmen/CraftsWOMEN & many of their teachers, including, hopefully, Genny Mitchell. Genny is one of their regular teaching staff and a Yurok/Karok Elder. Oh yeah, my son Kevin will have his dream catcher kits for sale. lyn Miigwech! ^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+ "We did not weave the web of life. We | Lyn Dearborn; Naturalist/Person are merely a strand in it. Whatever | Turtle Clan Ojibwe we do to the web, we do to ourselves" | dearborn@anchor.engr.sgi.com --"Walk gently on Mother Earth" -- Lyn | 415/ 321-1075 ^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+ --------- "RE: Native Councils in Prison" --------- Date: Mon, 21 Nov 1994 22:10:13 -0500 From: Bob Schapiro Subj: Native Councils in Prison Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) I am trying to compile a list of Native American Spiritual Councils in prisons throughout the U.S. and canada. If anyone knows of such a list with addresses or can tell me about Councils that they know of with the names of Brothers to contact, I would very much appreciate it. I am doing graduate work at the University of Massachusetts and want to communicate with Native prisoners regarding their conditions in the white man's prisons. Peace, Bob (schapiro@educ.umass.edu) --------- "RE: Mexico: The War Has Not Finished" --------- Date: Mon, 21 Nov 1994 13:23:47 EST From: mail.lmi.org!gwelker Subj: Mexico - The war has not finished! Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) MEXICO CITY, Nov 19 (Reuter) - Indigenous guerrillas in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas are "ready for more war" and are supported by armed groups in other parts of the country, rebel leader Marcos said in a speech published on Saturday. "Brothers, the war is not over," Marcos told troops and supporters of the self-styled Zapatista National Liberation Army at a ceremony in the Lacandon jungle earlier this week to mark the 11th anniversary of the foundation of the rebel group. "We are ready...if it is the order of our leaders, we, the mountain warriors...will fly again through the air, the shadows and the land to speak the word of fire and death." Marcos gave no indication of when an order to resume fighting might come from the rebel leadership. His speech, using imagery drawn from indigenous Maya lore, was published on Saturday in several Mexican newspapers. The Zapatista guerrillas, most of them Mayan peasants, rose up in arms on January 1 to protest against repression of Mexico's indigenous peoples and to push for land reform and greater democracy. They and the Mexican army have observed a cease fire since January 12 and the army has thousands of troops in position around the guerrilla strongholds. At least 145 people died in the opening days of the conflict. "Zapatista arms are ready to rise up in the mountains of the north of Mexico, in the northwest, the south, the east and the centre of our country," said Marcos, who as Zapatista military leader and spokesman follows orders from the rebels' commanding Indigenous Clandestine Revolutionary Committee. Marcos for the first time described national presidential elections, held on August 21, as "fraudulent" and called government attempts to negotiate an end to the Zapatista uprising "a joke." He also gave Zapatista casualty figures in January's fighting for the first time, saying the rebels had suffered 56 dead while 18 had been seriously wounded and 87 lightly wounded. Political analysts say the Zapatistas are in increasing danger of being ignored by the Mexican public and of losing popular sympathy if they break the 10-month-old cease fire in Chiapas. Fears remain, however, that more violence in Chiapas and possibly elsewhere in the country may be sparked by the December 1 inauguration of President-elect Ernesto Zedillo and the December 8 inauguration of Chiapas Governor-elect Eduardo Robledo, whom the rebels say they will oppose. MEXICO CITY, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Mexican rebels involved in a simmering January 1994 uprising warn that they have troops throughout the country and that "the war has not finished," according to a statement published Saturday. Rebel "arms are found ready to be raised in the mountains of northern Mexico, the northwest, the south, the east and the center of our country," guerrilla leader "Subcommander Marcos" said in a statement printed in Mexico newspapers. Zapatista rebels broke off talks in mid-October with government officials to resolve their uprising in the southern state of Chiapas, complaining of provocations by Mexican armed forces. Government officials and the mediator in the process seek to re-start the conversations. But Marcos said in the statement to mark the 11th anniversary of the rebel movement that "nothing has changed." "The Zapatista plan is the same -- to change the world, to do it better, fairer, freer, more democratically, which is to say, more human, " Marcos said. "Brothers, the war has not finished." The rebels rose up in arms on Jan. 1 in Chiapas, calling for social and political reform. A cease-fire in fighting between rebels and the Mexican army, which left at least 145 dead, has held since Jan. 12. In the statement, Marcos acknowledged Zapatista excesses and human rights violations, such as forced recruitment. Tension in Chiapas has been compounded by rebel charges, supported by the left-center Party of the Democratic Revolution, that their candidate in the Aug. 21 Chiapas gubernatorial vote won. The ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party candidate, who is to take office Dec. 8, won according to official returns. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This article was copied from the CHIAPAS-L mailing list. --------- "RE: FBI Ad" --------- Date: 23 Nov 1994 20:56:11 GMT From: jsd@infi.net Subj: FBI ad Mailing List: NATCHAT (natchat@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Having just been relayed hard copy of the FBI anti-Peltier ad which recently appeared in Indian Country Today, I am prompted to relay the following material. The ad itself is disgusting. It's assertions have been PROVEN to be false! That this piece of trash is forwarded to the world under the signature of organizations representing "over 15,000 active duty and former FBI agents" is, perhaps, the most perfect illustration of current FBI misconduct and their continuing gall re the First NAtions/First People. The fact that the ad appeared in a First Nations/First People newspaper is unnerving. Did the FBI pay well? Unless the ad slipped by the "editor," my guess is that Tim Giago (editor of Indian Country Today) is making a "statement" here. I suggest also that Tim Giago be contacted re his purportion that Dick Wilson and his GOONS were in the right on Pine Ridge. Anyone who says such needs to be knocked around a bit (figuratively). I recently asked if anyone knew of the http address for the FBI WWW page. I have finally run it down but am sorry to say that this page provides no access "into" the FBI. Nothing which'll allow for a response. Am hoping that someone will provide an email address for them so that we can go in directly an solicit some sorta response to the ad's purportions. Lisa Hellwig (LHELLWI@delphi.com) has said she is working on a compilation of material which will provide a complete data set so as one can see for themselves what happened at Jumping Bull Ranch. This is good. Lisa also mentioned ""Loud Hawk-The United States Versus The American Indian Movement" by Kenneth S. Stern (ISBN 0-8061-2587-X, University of Oklahoma Press). I suggest that this book (full well recognizing that "In The Spirit of Crazy Horse, is the layman's bible re what happened back then) is a much easier read, and will provide a detailed scenario of what happened to those "captured" from the van provided by Marlon Brando. Get this book! It's current and is written by one of the lawyers who got involved in the case as a law student and stayed with them after he passed the bar and became a lawyer. From the book's jacket:"Loud Hawk is a fascinating and gripping account of one of the most important instances of judicial repression in recent years-the thirteen years trial of Dennis Banks, a founder of the American Indian Movement. Kenneth Stern, a lawyer in the case who now works for the American Jewish Committee, tells a story of FBI misconduct and governmental vindictiveness whose importance lies precisely in the ways that it is not unique, but reflective of the ongoing problems facing American Indians in the United States...This book should be required reading in Introduction to American Political Science courses at universities, and for every lawyer and judge in the U.S."-Michael Lerner, Editor, Tikkun Magazine. I won't bother to state established facts which dispute the FBI ad here. I do suggest though that it's important to note that the man who killed the FBI agents has admitted such. This, of course, is "Mr. X." According to his relation of the incident he fired in self-defense as a reaction to aggressive movements on behalf of one of the agents. Since the Wasichu has admitted, IN COURT, that he/they don't know who killed the agents, yet persists in hanging on to Leonard, there is no point for Mr. X to come forward. If anyone is interested in the interview with Mr. X conducted by Peter Mathiesson(sp?) contact me and I'll send it direct. Finally: 93-07-16: Indian Activist's Lawyer Recounts Trial, F.B.I. Misconduct Although well-known authors have written about him, public figures from the Rev. Jesse Jackson to Marlon Brando have declared their support and congressmen have submitted amicus briefs on his behalf, Native American Leonard Peltier remains in prison convicted of murdering two F.B.I. agents on a South Dakota Indian reservation 18 years ago, awaiting yet another appeal decision. A recent U.Va. conference for K through 12 teachers on Native Americans, past and present, included a talk by law school alumnus John C. Lowe, who was part of the defense team for Mr. Peltier. Mr. Lowe also represented Robert Robideau, one of two other Indians acquitted for the killings. In addition to hearing Native American artists and scholars speak, conference participants watched a documentary on the case of the reservation murders called "Incident at Oglala," produced by Robert Redford. It has never been clear who fired first on June 26, 1975, at the Jumping Bull residence on Pine Ridge Reservation or why special agents Ronald Williams and Jack R. Coler pursued a red pickup onto the property. What is clear is that the agents, wounded after a shootout started, were then finished off at close range. Although there were no eye witnesses to the execution, according to Mr. Lowe, the F.B.I. brought the full weight and power of governmental resources to the prosecutions of Robert Robideau, Dino Butler and Leonard Peltier, all of whom were leaders in the American Indian Movement (AIM), a civil rights group active during the 1970s that stressed getting back to traditional Indian culture. During the shooting, a number of women, children and older folks managed to leave the area unharmed. About 15 others, including the three men later charged, escaped on foot despite dozens of F.B.I. agents, state law enforcement and Bureau of Indian Affairs police scouting for them and shooting, five roadblocks set up around the property and at least one plane trying to locate them. In the documentary, several Indians in the party said one of them spotted an eagle and the group followed its flight, which led to safety -- at least temporarily. Mr. Robideau and Mr. Butler faced trial for aiding and abetting in the deaths of the two agents a year later. Although he fled to Canada, Mr. Peltier was extradited in December 1976 and found guilty of first-degree murder in April 1977. Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark is currently representing him in another appeal, for which Mr. Lowe wrote the brief, that he did not receive a fair trial, and the decision could come any day now. "I want to believe that they're working on an opinion that will bring some justice to his case," said Mr. Lowe of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. No one was ever charged with the death of one of the Native Americans during the shootout. Having made his reputation as a civil rights lawyer in the South (and perhaps better known for filing suit against U.Va. in 1969 for not admitting women), John Lowe was urged to put his name in the volunteer pool and was picked as Mr. Robideau's lawyer. A flashy personality named William Kunstler represented Mr. Butler. "No South Dakota lawyer would take any of the Indians' cases," said Mr. Lowe, hinting at the anti-Indian sentiment of many whites in the area at the time. Moving the trial to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, didn't seem much better, but he said Judge Edward McManus "bent over backwards to be fair." One of the most distressing things about working on the case was the F.B.I.'s misconduct. "I had been raised that the F.B.I. could do no wrong. It was inconceivable to me that an agent would lie on the witness stand or tamper with evidence," said Mr. Lowe. "We one-two punched the government's case. We convinced the jury there was reasonable doubt that Robideau and Butler were responsible for the killings." Some agents were openly weeping in the courtroom, they were so surprised by the verdict, he said. "After the other two got off, the F.B.I. wasn't going to let Peltier live peacefully in Canada." Mr. Peltier's extradition was based on fraudulent affidavits, according to Mr. Lowe. FBI agents pressured false statements out of a mentally incompetent woman named Myrtle Poor Bear, in which she claimed to be Leonard's girlfriend and to have seen him kill the agents. Not only did the two not know each other, but it was later found that she was not at the scene that day. The trial was mysteriously moved to Fargo, North Dakota, "an extremely conservative community," added Mr. Lowe. The new lawyer serving as lead counsel, Elliott Taikeff, did not follow Mr. Lowe's advice or the same strategy that had worked in the previous trial. "By the second or third day, I saw the handwriting on the wall," sighed Mr. Lowe. "Every ruling went against us." With ballistics evidence, the FBI tried to prove that Mr. Peltier was the only one using a semi-automatic weapon called an AR-15, and therefore, the shell found in the trunk of one of the agent's cars must have been fired by him, even though the shell couldn't be definitely matched to the gun. Mr. Lowe said that years later FBI documents made available under the Freedom of Information Act showed the FBI knew that more than one AR-15 had been fired at the scene. "I'm satisfied that the answer [of who really killed the agents] lies with that red pickup truck," he said. "That hurt the FBI, because they had a record of an agent seeing that truck leave right after the time of the murders," but at Mr. Peltier's trial the prosecutors did their best to confuse the identification of this vehicle. Another tactic the prosecution used was making AIM seem like a dangerous terrorist group. The jury was escorted by a S.W.A.T. team and rumours were spread that AIM members were planning violent activities, none of which occurred, for example. "What I observed firsthand was AIM trying to do the right thing. Nowadays these people are too busy surviving to be political anymore, but a lot of them have been motivated to go back to traditional ways," said Mr. Lowe. He emphasized how bad life on the Pine Ridge Reservation had become, due to violence as well as "the worst poverty I have ever seen." Adult unemployment was a staggering 70 percent. Only one in 50 families had a telephone, and the reservation was so vast, police could easily be two hours away. "You heard about the goons in the movie -- they were killers. When an unfamiliar car came on your property, you grabbed your gun and turned out the lights," Mr. Lowe explained. The goons, ("Guardians of the Oglala Nation,") were a private police force hired by the corrupt president of the tribal council, Richard Wilson, and paid with federal highway funds. "Wilson and the goons kept things going the way the bureaucrats wanted," he added. A good view of the terror they created can be seen in the commercial film, "Thunderheart," directed by Michael Apted who also did the documentary, said Mr. Lowe. This case shows the importance of police authority, he said, when a teacher asked him to suggest what students could learn from it. "When a police officer is dishonest in court, the whole system breaks down. We have to prosecute them to let them know that's not acceptable. We have to maintain high standards." He also pointed to the reality of the devastating poverty as an important lesson. On a more positive note, the case could serve as "an inspiration to do what's right," he said. "Some things are wrong, some things are right -- that's the way I was raised." The fight continues... Peace...Jordan --------- "RE: Keller George Chosen" --------- Date: Mon, 21 Nov 1994 14:18:59 -0500 From: "Oneida Indian Nation of NY" Subj: Oneida Indian Nation News Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) KELLER GEORGE CHOSEN PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL INDIAN ORGANIZATION ONEIDA INDIAN TERRITORY, via Oneida, NY --- A man who has become known throughout the region by representing the Oneida Indian Nation will now additionally represent the Nation and 20 other Indian tribes of the south and east as president of United South and Eastern Tribes organization. Keller George, an Oneida Member, was elected president of the group Wednesday afternoon at the USET annual board meeting in Tampa, Florida. While Keller has represented the Oneida Indian Nation at the national level for a number of organizations, this new post elevates him to national stature. The post is for a two-year term. The organization represents political strength for Indian interests on the national level for the affiliated tribes of the country's most populated states east of the Mississippi. Mr. George has served with the USET organization the past two years in the capacity of secretary. He concurrently has held the post of treasurer of the USET Gaming Association. USET is a forum for tribal governments to come together and discuss issues, to develop common unified approaches and strategies for resolving problems and to meet and share ideas and concerns and provide support. The organization covers an area from Maine to Florida to Texas, and is composed of 21 tribes. USET's mission statement says that the organization, " is dedicated to enhancing the development of Indian tribes, to improving the capabilities of tribal governments, and to assisting the member tribes and their governments in dealing effectively with public policy issues and in serving the broad needs of Indian people." Mr. George will serve in this capacity while retaining his roles and position with the Oneida Nation. He also works as a Special Assistant to Nation Representative Ray Halbritter and is the First Representative of the Gaming Commission at the Nation's Turning Stone Casino. He serves as a member of the Oneida Nation Men's Council, and as first representative of the Oneida Indian Nation Housing Authority. He also is on the Board of Directors of the National Indian Gaming Association, and is a vice president for the northeastern area for the National Council of American Indians. Mr. George, who resides in Oneida, NY, accepts the elected position with the full enthusiasm and support of the Oneida Nation leadership, said Ray Halbritter, Nation Representative. Halbritter commented, " I can speak for the entire Men's Council and Clan Mothers in saying that we give him unequivocal support to represent USET with the same vigor and presence he has brought to his positions here. He has worn many hats and kept a busy schedule and he has handled all responsibilities with integrity, honor, and dedication. At a time when it was critical to our progress, Keller put aside his personal hesitancies and stepped forth for our Nation. He now is a respected public figure as well as a recognized part of Indian Country's emerging leaders." 11/21/94 --------- "RE: Comments on FBI Ad" --------- Date: Wed, 23 Nov 1994 19:12:24 -0500 From: delphi.com!LHELLWI Subj: Comments on FBI Ad Mailing List: NATCHAT (natchat@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Kathy Frenchman wrote: "In my experience it is true that many Indians neither fully support AIM, nor do they (obviously) fully support the Federal Government. We don't like to bad-mouth people either. I would just say that there is often a difference between what we want to believe and what is." My objection to Indian Country Today publishing this ad is *not* that I think Tim Giago, as an Indian, is obligated to support Leonard Peltier and AIM; rather I object that he accepted money for and published an advertisement containing allegations that have been disproven in Federal Court, and by the release of tons of FOIA documents. For instance, release of FBI 301 documents, and radio transcripts, indicated that agents Coler and Williams were initially in pursuit of a red pickup truck, not a red and white Chevy Suburban van. Months after the shootout, when the FBI discovered that Peltier owned a red-and white van, the description magically changed. The search for Jimmy Eagle was completely out of the FBI's jurisdiction, since they can only investigate "major" crimes on reservations. Stealing cowboy boots has never, in my recollection, been considered a major crime, even if the cowboy is wearing them at the time. Further, the cowboy wasn't abducted. (Eagle and the two men from Manderson were actually friends, they were drinking together and got into a fight.) The major lie in this ad is the ballistics/weapons information. The .223 shell casing discovered at the site wasn't even examined for almost 5 months. The prosecution claimed that the AR-15 recovered from Robideau's car in Wichita was too badly damaged to test-fire and was also too badly damaged to do a firing pin test. You can imagine the prosecution's chagrin when, at one of Leonard's appeals, evidence was uncovered which proved that the prosecution cold and did perform a firing pin test and it did not match the shell casing found at the site. Considering that Lyn Crooks had brandished this damaged AR-15 at the jury during the first trial, shouting that this was the gun that Leonard Peltier had used to kill the agents, and that this was the shell they found at the site which proved that this was the gun, the new evidence at the appeals hearing was a little awkward for the prosecution. Personally, I really don't care if Tim Giago supports AIM or doesn't support AIM, I don't care what his personal opinion is of Leonard Peltier. What I care about is that he has chosen to disseminate lies and false allegations rather than uphold his editorial obligation to dig out the truth. Weaseling out of his obligation by printing this as an ad doesn't fly; I seriously doubt that Giago would publish an ad from a missionary group claiming that all Indians who haven't converted to Christianity were going to burn in hell or any other such garbage. (And there are groups out there who would love to place such and ad: I've got some crazy Christian militant group in Texas sending me their newspaper. Reading it is like being slammed back into the 19th century when people believed that any Indian who didn't convert had to be killed in order to be saved.) Thanks for listening. Lisa Hellwig --------- "RE: Anna Mae Aquash Investigation Reopened" --------- Date: Wed, 23 Nov 1994 19:29:11 -0500 From: delphi.com!LHELLWI Subj: Anna Mae Aquash Investigation Reopened Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Press Statement November 7, 1994 FEDERAL RE-OPENING OF ANNA MAE AQUASH MURDER APPEARS TO BE AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP LEONARD PELTIER IN PRISON FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE For the past several months, the United States government has been engaged in an aggressive re-opening of the investigation of the 1976 murder of American Indian Movement (AIM) member Anna Mae Pictou Aquash. The investigation has taken the form of impaneling a federal grand jury in Pierre, South Dakota, and interrogating dozens of current and former AIM members across the United States, by the FBI and US Marshall Bob Ecoffey, once a member of the violently anti-AIM "GOON Squad" on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Anna Mae, a Micmaq Indian from Canada, was murdered in late 1975 or early 1976, her body discovered on February 25, 1976, about ten miles from the town of Wanblee, on Pine Ridge. Initially, federal contract coroner W.O. Brown, of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, ruled she died of "exposure" to the winter elements. After a demand by her family for an independent autopsy, the cause of her death was found to be a .38 caliber gunshot wound in the base of her skull. Given the violent political climate on Pine Ridge at that time, centering on a severely hostile relationship between AIM and the FBI, there is substantial reason to believe the FBI was, either directly or indirectly, involved with the murder of Anna Mae Aquash. After all, during the period of her death, more than 60 other AIM members and supporters were murdered on Pine Ridge in what the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights officially described as a "reign of [political] terror." Considerable evidence exists that the FBI was deeply involved in this ugly pattern of atrocities. The AIM Confederation remains more interested than anyone in seeing justice done to the murderers of our sister, Anna Mae. The current investigation, however, seems especially curious and suspicious. There are many indications that the FBI is more interested in carrying out a vendetta against AIM than in achieving justice in the case. Why, for instance, is the FBI suddenly so interested in "resolving" the Aquash case and not the scores of other unsolved murders of AIM members dating from the same period? And why, if it is genuinely interested in finding out what happened to Anna Mae , has the FBI never bothered to interview coroner Brown or agents such as David Price, who is known to have threatened her life shortly before she was killed? The FBI has made it clear that it has never forgotten another infamous date in 1975: June 26, the day two FBI agents and AIM member Joe Stuntz were killed in a firefight on Pine Ridge. As a result of that event, AIM member Leonard Peltier is serving two consecutive life sentences in federal prison. The AIM Confederation believes that, despite Peltier's unjust imprisonment, the FBI's desire for revenge will remain unsatisfied until AIM is finally and entirely destroyed. Consequently, we believe that the present investigation, rather than seeking to find the killers of Anna Mae, is designed and intended to cast suspicion upon our leadership and to sow distrust and confusion within our movement and among its allies. In sum, it appears that, far from seeking justice for Anna Mae, the FBI has gone back to its old COINTELPRO tactics of the 1970s, casting its net far and wide in a concerted attempt to disrupt the work of AIM and to keep Leonard Peltier in prison for th e rest of his life by suggesting that he and AIM are nothing more than "a band of thugs and killers." This is indicated by two recent ads in the _Washington Post_ and _Indian Country Today_ placed by current and past FBI agents asking President Clinton to reject a petition for clemency for Leonard Peltier. In the ad, the FBI repeats lie after lie, in an attempt to paint Leonard as a cold-blooded killer from a murderous gang - the American Indian Movement. --------- "RE: Crisis Within Okanagan Territory" --------- Date: Sat, 26 Nov 1994 17:48:57 PST From: sol.uvic.ca!cfuv (CFUV Radio) Subj: Crisis Within Okanagan Territory Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) URGENT ACTION NEEDED IN SUPPORT OF OKANAGAN NATION -- please read the following backgrounder by Okanagan national Jeanette Armstrong and then print-out, pass-around and return the petition at the end of this message. Crisis Within The Territory Of The Okanagan Nation Extensive developments proposed based on a master plan and a 50 year land use agreement in the Apex Mountain region is a large scale long-term threat to the environment. The Apex Mountain region is the proposed site for a World Class Destination Recreation site. While this sounds benign, in reality what is proposed is a huge scale real estate venturing project which will create a mini-city in an are that is a highly sensitive dry subalpine ecosystem. Clearly there are questions to be asked about the link between the 50 year Land Use Agreement from the government and who the investors really are and the sleazy way in which lands are being privatized to a Multinational Corporation. A corporation which happens just to be backed by real estate venture groups and strategic others in the city of Penticton. Questions about why the City Fathers are so supportive of loss of revenue to the 200 and some businesses in Penticton who desperately need to fill hotels, motels and restaurants with skier business during their winter off season. Questions about the role of the MLA's in the area in this made in the Okanagan Sweetheart deal. Questions about skyrocketing land values for lots originally bought for a few thousand dollars now selling for several hundred thousand dollars are certainly critical to ask in light of the financial assistance being made available to the project out of tax-payer pockets. Are roads and other services , including ancillary power supply services being supplied by Government of Crown Corporations? Do the people of the province realize that NAFTA regulations supersede where International corporate development interests are to be protected over and above domestic regulations, if they interfere with free trade capacity. The long-term development is proposed to include areas now outside the recreation development zone, including two other mountains in the vicinity surrounding the current ski resort site. The proposed development includes a large diversion of 160 acre feet of water per year from Nickel plate lake which is on yet another mountain and the levels of which are governed by an International Treaty between the USA and Canada. The region is already being depleted of much needed ground cover by huge tracts of this fragile eco-supersede being disturbed for the down-hill ski clear cuts, roads, other services and residentialing. Proposed developments of the scale intended present serious critical long-term questions about water, in an area where water shortages and water quality is always at a critical state because of the climate. Ground cover which retains moisture in this extremely dry climate. This area is the only wilderness area which the three bands share as their traditional territory and upon which they hold unsurrendered and unextinguished legal rights. We know the extreme sensitivity of this land and how it relates to water into the valleys, which relies on run-off and the retention of water from this supersede of ponds, wetlands, springs, creeks and moss plant moisture retainers. This area is also part of a larger area which was included in the Protected Area Strategy Study, for several reasons of ecological sensitivity, including the potential for high concentrations of surface and subsurface uranium. We understand that the mountain slated for developments and a huge area surrounding was taken out of the protected area strategy study in November of 1993. One mountain in particular which shows uranium mine claims staked prior to the moratorium on uranium mining and exploration is a serious concern if the surface is disturbed. The Province of British Columbia has been at the forefront of this attack on Indigenous cultures through the granting of a fifty year land use agreement. The enormous scale of Apex resorts Inc, a World Class Destination recreational project, entails extensive residential and large ancillary leisure developments in the surrounding peaks and at lower elevations in different phases as well as opening the door to other real estate venturing not connected to the Apex Corporation. The position that the Okanagan Nation has taken has been to seek a fair and equitable process which will result in a comprehensive statutory assessment under Federal Environment Bill 29. In our attempts to find a fair and equitable resolution, the Okanagan Nation has acted to assert its existing aboriginal jurisdiction over roads which provide access to the Apex Mountain development area now under extensive expansions. Since 1977, repeated attempts have been made to bring these issues to a formal process. Attempts which have been repeatedly ignored by British Columbia's various ministries. In order to draw attention to the continued serious questions and the erosion of caretakership rights held by the Okanagan Nation, road check points were organized to halt construction until a long overdue assessment is undertaken. On November 2, 1994 road checkpoints were set-up on all roads providing access through the Okanagan Reserves. The Checkpoints did cause the Province to make a feeble attempt at finding a resolution. The Province has continued to block every road to a formal process, with tactics of empty media messages designed to inflame and mislead the public against the Okanagan people. On November 17, 1994 the Okanagan Nation delegation met with the Province while at the same time and a day prior to the meeting, the Province was preparing affidavits to file for a court injunction in defense of multi million dollar Apex Corporation. On November 18, 1994 the Province announced a half-million dollar bridge financing to assist Apex Corporation. Approximately 5:30 pm the Department of Highways moved heavy equipment on to Similkameen reserves 12 and 12A, to move Highway 3A. The Department of Highways personnel were served with trespass notice and were asked to leave. On Saturday, November 19, 1994 the Attorney General of British Columbia served writ of summons on the three bands, the Attorney General of Canada and John Doe. The same day the Province announced the intent [to] assist Apex Corporation with an alternate road to the site that would have to be built over the next few months. On November 21, 1994 in the Supreme court of British Columbia the Province asked for full injunction to gain immediate access through lands reserved for Indians, reserve 12A and 12 of the Lower Similkameen. The Bands offered an interim access through another route for construction workers and said they would continue to allow skiers and residents through. On november 28, 1994 The Supreme Court of British Columbia will decide whether to grant or deny an injunction. A conciliatory process could be established prior to the hearing which could enable the Province to withdraw the injunction. The Okanagan nation has offered to meet in an exploratory setting to try to establish the perimeters of understanding. The results of granting a full injunction on the Okanagan people will pit them against enforcement officers. During these cold winter days the Okanagan people are demonstrating their perseverance to a highly emotional issue fed by the propaganda of the Province. They remain strong in their conviction and commitment to the preservation of their Aboriginal rights and their role in the care and protection of the total environment and in their continued resistance to infringements. This is potentially a highly dangerous situation. Any agreement between the Province and the Okanagan Nation would call or a complete moratorium on all developments during the full statutory environmental assessment. A statutory assessment, done in a process which combines environmental factors with aboriginal rights issues of caretakership, will be an opportunity to establish a 360 degree encircling of determinants in all future developments which must consider the "rights" of aboriginal peoples in accordance with policy and statutory environmental obligations. The federal government is being called to take an active role in the crisis because of the overlapping jurisdictions relating to the environment and Aboriginal people. A document prepared by Educom International Inc. for the Ministry Of Environment Lands And Parks in January, 1992 stated "the federal government has jurisdiction over a number of areas that may be related, such as the regulation of international trade and commerce, navigation and shipping, sea coast and inland fisheries, Indians and lands reserved for Indians." It further states "At this point, the provinces maintain ownership of natural resources, but the federal government has Environmental Assessment Review Process (EARP) Guidelines that require an environmental review of any project that has an impact on federal jurisdiction. Nickel Plate Lake located on Apex Mountain, which is slated for 160 acre feet of water diversion by the Apex Resort Inc., is supposedly protected by an international agreement with the United States. The Province's fiduciary obligation respecting Native People is clearly stated in the "Delgamuukw decision..... the province has a fiduciary obligation towards Native people. That obligation prevents the province from arbitrarily interfering with traditional aboriginal sustenance and cultural activities.... The province is, however, under obligation to consult with the Native people to ensure that traditional activities would not be infringed by a provincially-regulated activity." Further information and where to send letters of support: Jeanette Armstrong En'owkin Centre Penticton Indian Band 257 Brunswick Street RR2 Site 80, Comp 19 Penticton, B.C. V2A 5P9 Penticton, B.C. V2A 6J7 phone: 604-493-7181 phone: 604-493-0048 fax: 604-493-5302 fax: 604-493-2887 Direct protests to: Premier Mike Harcourt Environment Minister M. Sihota Legislative Buildings Legislative Buildings Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X4 Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X4 phone: 604-387-1187 Apex Alpine Resort Ltd. 1-800-387-2739 posted by uv583@freenet.victoria.bc.ca - - - - - - - - - tear here for petition below - - - - - - - - - DEFEND OKANAGAN SOVEREIGN TERRITORY Don't Ski Apex! We the undersigned support the Penticton Indian Band's ongoing actions to protest the expansion of the Apex Alpine Ski Development. We call upon the Provincial NDP Government to comply with the Okanagan Nation's request for an independent environmental impact study and to immediately commence honourable negotiations with the Okanagan Nation to avert the continuing ecocidal and genocidal effects of unrestricted development on sovereign unceded Okanagan territory. ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- DEFEND OKANAGAN SOVEREIGNTY return when complete to: Penticton Indian Band RR2 Site 80, Comp 19 Penticton, B.C. V2A 6J7 Phone 604-493-0048 Fax 493-2882