Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews04.018 From: gars@netcom.com (Gary Night Owl) To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Message-ID: _ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' O ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ O o O / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' O o O / /-< / /--/ /-- VOLUME 04, ISSUE 018 O o o o o O __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 4 May 1996 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 TRIBALLAW, NATCHAT & NATIVE-L listservers; UUCP & Genie email 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. Thanks to Don Rayment ,don.rayment@uptowne.com, Wotanging Ikche/ Kanoheda Aniyvwiya is being redistributed via a listserver. If you would like to receive Wotanging Ikche via the listserver, you can send a message to listserv@uptowne.com and include, in the body of your message "sub wotanging.ikche " Thanks to Marc Becker and David Cole issues of Wotanging Ikche/ Kanoheda Aniyvwiya are being archived at a World-Wide-Web site. The URL is http://web.maxwell.syr.edu/nativeweb/journals/nanews "I have heard talk and talk but nothing gets done. Good words do not last long unless they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people. They do not pay for my country. They do not protect my Fathers grave. Good words do not give me back my children. Good words will not give my people good health and stop them from dying. I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises." __ 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! Arvol Looking Horse, keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe for the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Nations has called for World Peace and Prayer Day on June 21, 1996 at 10:00 am Mountain Time. According to Arvol Looking Horse there is a Sacred site every hundred miles around the world. If you can not be at the one in South Dakota you might wish to hold an event on June 21 at one of these sites. Many have created Sacred places by holding prayer and/or drumming there many times. If you do nothing else on June 21, go to that place you have made Sacred and Pray. Pray for Our Mother. Pray for guidance and strength from Creator. Pray for the People. Peace! 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=== ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- Part A: Usenet and e-mail Part B: NATCHAT and NATIVE-L lists - World Peace and Prayer Day - Conferences and Powwows - online - Tecumseh - Enola Hill Ban Expires - Cree Community and UN Recognition - New Age or Old Prophecy - Dishonor of our Traditions - Big Mountain Action Alert - Words from Leonard - Cultural Bandits - Action Needed on ICWA Legislation - Poem: The Children Of Indians - Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days - Conferences and Powwows - offline --------- "RE: World Peace and Prayer Day" --------- Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 16:22:22 -0700 (PDT) From: mosa@netcom.com (Michele Lord) Subj: PRESS RELEASE - World Peace and Prayer Day Mailing List: TRIBALLAW (triballaw@thecity.sfsu.edu) PRESS RELEASE April 25, 1996 In 1996 the Lakota, Dakota, Nakota (Sioux) Nation began to fulfill their prophesies by beginning to mend the Sacred Hoop of their nation which was broken during the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890. For four years, from 1986 to 1990, spiritual leaders led the "Bigfoot Memorial Ride" to perform their sacred ceremony of Wiping the Tears which those massacred at the mass gravesite at Wounded Knee were denied. The prophesy told of a time which the " Seventh Generation" would mend the Sacred Hoop and that a new era of peace and strength would reign. The Sacred White Buffalo born in 1994 validated and demonstrated the prophecy was unfolding. Lakota spiritual leader Arvol Looking Horse- Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe originally brought to the Sioux 19 generations ago, must fulfill his responsibility of giving her message and warnings. He has met with spiritual leaders such as the Dali Lama of Tibet, traveled to South Africa to meet with Desmond Tutu, as well as meeting with numerous Indigenous leaders and elders to secure the appropriate support and actions at this time. According to the prophecies, the Black Hills have great significance, especially during the longest day of the year, June 21st. Dr. Looking Horse traveled to the Sacred Assembly in December 1995 and proposed June 21st as a day for all Indigenous people to unite in prayer at their sacred sites to begin Mending the Hoop of the Nations. The proposal was upheld by both Elijah Harper and National Chief Ovide Mercredi. Aboriginal peoples across the globe will join to pray for peace and unity. Non-Aboriginal people are also asked to join in and support this effort. On May 3, 1996 a Unity Ride, on horseback, will begin in Wahpeton, Saskatchewan and complete a 1,200 mile spiritual journey to Grey Horn Butte (Devils Tower) in the Black Hills of Wyoming. There are riders from many First Nations participating to "Mend the Sacred Hoop" which has been broken through years of genocide, colonialism, residential schools and assimilation. The healing is needed not only for First Nations but also for a distressed Earth and all of humanity. We ask for the public's support and understanding and sincerely wish that this historically significant journey is promoted and explained. We ask for your time and energy in getting a very special message out. This is for all peoples and all living things. Please Note: There will be a Press Conference held at the Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium Press Room on May 1, 1996 at 4:00p.m. Contact people regarding the press conference are: A.J. Felix, vice Chief: (306) 953-7200 .cell phone (306) 961-1221 A.F.N National Chief (613) 241-6789 Dr. Dawn Martin-Hill: (905) 768-0017 Indigenous Studies program McMaster University: (905) 525-9140 ext. 27426 To lend financial support for the "Unity Riders", who number many more than anticipated , please send donations to: "From the Circle"-Native assistance" c/o Elizabeth Stinson (Secretary to Arvol Looking Horse) 4760 Paulsen Lane, Sebastopol, CA 95472 or Phone: 707 829-3443 We will be in contact with Dr. Looking Horse and the riders throughout the ride and ...all support is greatly appreciated In Peace, elizabeth +*~+*~+*~+*~+~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~+*~+*~+*~+*+ "When we walk upon Mother Earth, we always plant our feet carefully because we know the faces of our future generations are looking up at us from beneath the ground. We never forget them." -Oren Lyons, Onondaga Nation *~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+*~+~* Michele Lord LoomWork mosa@netcom.com +*+ +*+ +*+ +*+ +*+ +*+ --------- "RE: Tecumseh" --------- Date: Thu, 18 Apr 1996 17:11:57 -0400 From: Lady of Shallott Subj: Tecumseh UUCP email Rani Huber Prof. Stewert Political Science 435W 18 April 1996 The man, myth and legend of Tecumseh The times were troubled. The White Man had come from across the ocean and discovered the unfathomable glory of a new continent. The Revolutionary War had freed the Americans from the yoke of the suppressive British, but also set the new settlers against a new enemy. The Indian. The White Man considered the Red Man an uncivilized barbarian, living a nomadic life with seemingly no religion or ethics. The Red Man saw the whites as invaders of their land, destroying their homes and needlessly killing their animals. Many independent tribes roamed the continent, sometimes friendly or sometimes warlike with their nearby neighbors. There was no unifying force to draw the distant tribes together to fight against the encroaching tide of the White Man. American generals bribed Indian chiefs with whiskey, treaties were quickly signed, and just as quickly broken. Minor skirmishes were breaking out between the two peoples. It was into this turbulent time that Tecumseh was born. The year was 1768. Tecumseh was the forth of seven children born to the Shawnee warrior Puckeshinwa and Methoataske of the Turtle Clan (Oskison, 3). All in his family but Tecumseh and his youngest brother Laulewasika, who later attained fame as "The Prophet", faded into history. However, all had a severe impact on the great warrior's life (Oskison, 3). Methoataske, his mother, was a strong willed and powerful woman. She instilled in Tecumseh a deep and utter hatred of the invading White Man (Tucker, 19). Even before reaching his seventh year, his mother had taught him the dramatic "poetry of words" that went on to make him one of the "greatest orators of his time" (Tucker, 23). Tecumseh's brother, Laulewasika, the mother molded into a "mystic" (Tucker, 23). However, not soon after this, after his father was killed by a scouting party of whites, she left her sons under the care of the eldest daughter and traveled to the South, drifting off into obscurity (Tucker, 19). One of the leading figures of the time that most influenced the young Tecumseh was Cornstalk, the war chief of the Shawnee. Cornstalk dreamed of a "federation of northern and southern nations that would establish a free Indian country" (Tucker, 24). Cornstalk bravely fought against the whites but was forced to sign a treaty, greatly disappointing the impressionable youngster. Lord Dunsmore, the governor of Virginia, and his militia invaded Ohio. To avoid additional bloodshed, Cornstalk ceded more of the precious Indian land to the American. Sometime later, Cornstalk and his son were ruthlessly gunned down in their home (Tucker, 28). This murder was not only unjustified and brutal, but it was also costly. The killing of his mentor Cornstalk "aroused in the nine-year-old Tecumseh such a deep distrust of whites that he almost never took their word at face value" (Tucker, 28). Tecumseh was not only educated in words and speech, but he was also taught the skills of guerrilla warfare (Tucker, 29). However, he suddenly learned the power that laid behind the first skill. Sometimes during his sixteenth year, Tecumseh witnessed the brutal torture and burning of a white captive. The man had been taken from one of the many boats that journeyed down the Ohio river and ambushed by the irate Indians. Horrified at what he was witnessing, he cried out against the cowardly act, issuing forth a sizzling oratory that no man who heard it soon forgot. This was when Tecumseh learned that words could be "powerful as a battle-ax" (Tucker, 51). By the age of 27, the people who followed him no longer saw him as an equal. He was called chief- Chief of Ohio, the Beautiful River (Tucker, 75). By 1807, war was beginning to brew between the fledgling United States and Britain. Tension was beginning to build in the Northwest. Land deeds were being made with individual chiefs who gave land without thinking. The land, air and water, the Red Man believed, could not be owned. Settlers came to chiefs asking for a little plot of land to raise a family, but they returned for more and more. Large purchases of land were being negotiated by the United State's government. In September of 1809, the Treaty of Fort Wayne transferred 3,000,000 acres of land to the United States for the minuscule price of $7,000 in cash and an annuity of $1,750 (Billington, 276). Tecumseh took this as a sign to plan his scheme of an Indian confederation (Tucker, 121). "If all natives were united in a confederation," he is noted as saying, "with members pledged to make no land cessions without the consent of all, they could resist American demands" (Billington, 275). Tucker states that, "During his four years of his extensive and intensive travels, [Tecumseh] visited virtually every independent Indian nation from the Scioto and the Kanawha to the Midwaters of the Arkansas and the Missouri, and from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico" (Tucker, 133). Goaded by American Generals and Governors, the Red Man quietly began preparing for war. Battle of Tippecanoe While away on his recruitment of the various southern tribes, his brother the Prophet was left in marginal control of the northern tribes. Encouraged by several victories in minor skirmishes with the White Man, the Prophet grew even bolder. However, Governor William Henry Harrison caught wind of a possible Indian attack and, against the wishes of the President, gathered his troops and stationed them down the Wabash river from their headquarters in Vincennes. The governor "who had formerly regarded the Prophet as top man, realized that Tecumseh was 'one of those uncommon geniuses who spring up now and then' to overturn existing order..." (Brant, The President, 385). Tecumseh's trip south to unite the tribes against the United States' army was undoubtedly going to be a nuisance, but his sudden absence was seen as an immediate opportunity (Brant, The President, 385). In the early dawn, the slumbering troops of Harrison's army were awakened by a sudden gun shot. A single soldier, seeing a skulking Indian in the bushes, had fired his pistol and raised the alarm. The gun shot was followed by a war whoop of over two hundred Indians that descended upon the campsite. Initially successful, the Indians were soon pushed back by the mounted soldiers of the Americans. Despite this defeat of the Red Man, the casualties on the American side was equal to that of the much smaller attacking Indian force (Billington, 278). Harrison's losses had been heavy: "Thirty-seven men and officers were killed in the fight, and 151 wounded. Of the wounded, 25 died. Thirty-eight Indian dead were found on the battlefield. How many of their dead and wounded the Indians carried away could not be known" (Oskison, 166). The town of Tippecanoe, following tradition, was burned and 5,000 bushels of its stored corn destroyed (Oskison, 164). Harrison was nonetheless branded 'victorious', having made it back to Vincennes without any further loss of life. Billington writes, "The word 'retreat' was not used, nor was it mentioned in the report that all personal baggage was thrown away, the wagons being needed to carry the wounded" (389). Meanwhile, Tecumseh was making tracks back up from the South, blissfully unaware of the altercation between Harrison and his brother. The Battle of Tippecanoe had greatly reduced the popularity and power of the Prophet. As well, it had frustrated Tecumseh's labors to bring about a confederation of the Indian tribes as a unifying force against the Americans (Oskison, 170). Tecumseh made several more futile gestures of peace towards Harrison. The governor ignored his grievances, only attempting to reason with the Red Man why he should become an ally of the United States. The Chief of Ohio "listened with an attitude of indifference, uttered a few generalities, and left" (Oskison, 172). From there, Tecumseh took his case to the British. The Final Conflict: Battle of the Thames, October 5, 1813 After several successful encounters against the Americans, aided by his alliance with the British, Tecumseh believed his dream of freedom for his people to be near. With the help of the British Major General Brock, Tecumseh and his Indians captured Detroit. The fort had been under the command of General Hull. Hull was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, governor of the Michigan Territory, and had prescribed to the Jefferson-Harrison formula of getting land (usually instituting lies and outright bribery). However, Hull was old and fat. His appointment as commander of Detroit had been what Oskison coined "a tragic mistake" (Oskison, 176). With the loss of Detroit the "last vestige of American authority on the western lakes disappeared" (Adams, 335). It was called the greatest loss of territory that ever befell the new United States of America (Adams, 336). Time was running out for the legendary Chief, however. The American Captain Perry's victory on Lake Erie reopened the lake region to American armies. Harrison "seized the opportunity, regained Detroit, [and] drove the British back..." (Madison, 338). The final confrontation between Tecumseh and Harrison was at hand. Frustrated by the weakening of his British allies and position against the Americans, the two opposing forces came together on the banks of the Thames river. Tecumseh is reported to have said, as he prepared his men for the onslaught of American troops, "Brothers, we are now about to go into a battle. I shall never come out- my bones will lie on the battlefield" (Oskison, 214). Twenty minutes into the thick of the battle, Tecumseh was shot and killed by an American officer. (Tucker, 245). Rumors abound about who had been the officer, but to this day no one can honestly claim the 'honor' of killing the warrior. Several Indian chiefs were questioned after the battle and said the body was taken away some five miles from the field and buried in an unmarked grave (Tucker, 246). Manifest Destiny- or Genocide In twenty short minutes, the dream of a unified Indian Nation was forever destroyed. In the years that followed Tecumseh's death, the individual tribes were facing possible extinction. Andrew Jackson crushed the remainder of the Warrior Chief's Creek followers with the helping hand of a regiment of friendly Cherokees. The southern tribes, including Jackson's new found Indian friends, were soon sent out on the long "trail of tears", leading to permanent exile west of the Mississippi (Oskison, 221). Oskison writes, "... Harrison's stroke on the Thames opened Indiana and Illinois to further penetration of white settlers. Also, it served effectively to defeat the claims of the British commissioners, meeting with American representatives at Ghent to hammer out a treaty of peace, to a protectorate over the Indians of the region" (221). The Westward Expansion of the white settlers with the publication of the Manifest Destiny scattered the few remaining tribes into almost inhabitable reservations. Assimilation into the Dominant culture dampened the bright spirits of those Indians that remembered the days of the mighty Tecumseh. However, the warrior chief did not fade into the history books, and his life's adventures impacted on the outcome of many future occurrences and people. Thomas Jefferson As President of the United States during the initial movements of Tecumseh, Jefferson took to heart the American ideal of a nation stretching from coast to coast. He wished to preserve peace, and felt he treated the various tribes adequately with sufficient reparation for their land. However, Jefferson's policy in practice "offered a reward for Indian extinction, since he not only claimed the territory of every extinct tribe on the doctrine of paramount sovereignty, but deliberately ordered his Indian agents to tempt the tribal chiefs into debt in order to oblige them to sell the tribal lands" (Adams, 74). James Madison Succeeding Jefferson in the White House, Madison was left with the consequences of the former President's 'Indian' policy and forced to deal with the irate Tecumseh. He wanted nothing more than peace on the frontier and friendship with the Indians. His policy of not antagonizing the tribes, which Harrison "ruined", was imperative with the ongoing contest with England. The American settlers would cry out for war against the British who they blamed for their 'Indian problem'. Madison knew if he declared war against England, Tecumseh and his followers would inevitably be allied with the British arms (Brant, 388). A mobilized force already situated in the country, more familiar with the indigenous terrain, would be a major weakness for the American troops. Governor Harrison acted against his orders in mobilizing near the town of Tippecanoe. Madison realized "the destruction of the Prophet's Town would be paid for with the lives and flaming homes of scattered settlers all the way to the Mississippi" (Brant, 388). William Henry Harrison "Is one of the fairest portions of the globe to remain in a state of nature, the haunt of a few wretched savages, when it seems destined by the Creator to give support to a large population, and be the seat of civilization, of science, and of true religion." - William Henry Harrison Harrison is clearly seen as the ultimate nemesis of Tecumseh. Harrison, the only son of Benjamin Harrison who had introduced the initial resolution declaring America's independence from Britain, joined the army at age twenty in 1793, serving under General Mad Anthony Wayne (Kelsey, 27). Fighting at the General's side, it was his first clash between himself and the Indian Chief. From that moment on, the two would remain bitter enemies. Appointed as Governor of Indiana Territory, Harrison worked under the "philanthropic principles" of Jefferson (Adams, 68). Adams writes, "No acid ever worked more mechanically on a vegetable fibre than the white man acted on the Indian. As the line of American settlements approached, the nearest Indian tribes withered away" (Adams, 69). No single man caused more trouble for the mighty Tecumseh than Harrison, though the feeling was most likely mutual. In 1806, Harrison caught wind of the infamous Prophet and immediately began to question the legitimacy of his words. He sent a missive to Tecumseh stating, if his brother was a true prophet "ask him to cause the sun to stand still, the moon to alter its course, the rivers to cease to flow" (Billington, 275). Chance happen to fall into the hands of the Prophet, overhearing a white settler's prediction of a total solar eclipse that was to occur. On June 16th, the Prophet, bowing to Harrison's wish for a demonstration of his power, said he would blot out the sun. The forecasted eclipse quenched any doubt among his followers, and his and Tecumseh's words were forever after accepted as law. Harrison's maneuvers at Tippecanoe were both applauded and criticized. Americans feared the possible retaliation of Tecumseh's followers when their leader returned from his travels down in the South (Adams, 107). However, Tecumseh was unwilling to strike the initial blow. Harrison waited for a signal from Congress as to the situation with the British.. Similar to Madison, Harrison knew that war against England was a war against the Indians (Adams, 107). After the blazing victory at the Thames, Harrison took his remaining veterans to Niagara, hoping to help in the final battles in winning of the war. However, "Old Hickory Jackson" apparently did not need his help. His "cloud of glory" invisible to the War Department, Harrison resigned from the service and retired to his farm in North Bend, Ohio (Oskison, 223). However, the tale of Tippecanoe would be revived now and again. Owing to this "victory" over the Indians, Harrison was brought forward as a Presidential candidate in 1840. The slogan of "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!' paved his way into the White House. However, unlike his nemesis Tecumseh who died a martyr on the battlefield, Harrison caught a cold riding out in the open during his inaugural parade and died only a month after being instated into office. The Legend Lives on... Tecumseh plays an important role in the history of America and its Native inhabitants. There is no doubt that he was a pivotal player in the pattern of colonization and expansion of the United States. He represents the only man to ever unite many of the diverse tribes of North America against the encroachment of the Dominant Culture. His intelligence, oratory skills, and fighting abilities make him indeed stuff that legends are based on. He indirectly created two American Presidents. He raised the banner of the Red Man in one final battle for land, friendship and peace on the continent. He was honorable and not ostentatious with his power. He was passionate about his cause and loved his people dearly. He saw himself not as a Shawnee but as an Indian, a Red Man, a warrior of the land. He fought fearlessly, seeing the 'slaughtering' of his people by the white man's drink, religion, and culture. Charging at his enemy at Thames, he saw his death. Yet with his death, he knew his spirit and name would live on to encourage his people to continue. While his bitter foe is lost in the obscurity of insignificant Presidents, Tecumseh's name lives on in history books, stories, and movies. After years of borderline extinction, massive assimilation by the white culture, and outright discrimination, the Red Man is once again fighting back. The name of Tecumseh and other warriors are being resurrected by Elders, demonstrating the honor and bravery of their ancestors. Oskison aptly concludes, "Tecumseh takes his place among the dreamers and leaders of the red race who for nearly four hundred years have considered martyrdom not too high a price to pay for holding the dream..." (237). Every American knows the longing of freedom, the burning desire to rebel against encroachment upon liberty. The dream of Tecumseh is a dream of many. Far from being buried in an unmarked grave, forgotten and ignored, the mighty spirit of the Indian Chief Tecumseh lives on in all of us.. --------- "RE: Cree Community and UN Recognition" --------- Date: 26 Apr 96 07:24:10 EDT From: Ann Stewart <75361.1143@CompuServe.COM> Subj: Cree Community and UN Recognition UUCP email For immediate release JAMES BAY CREE COMMUNITY GAINS FURTHER INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION (April 26, 1996, Ouje-Bougoumou) The Ouje-Bougoumou Cree First Nation of the James Bay Cree Territory in Quebec has been informed that it was selected by the Technical Advisory Committee of the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) as one of the 100 Best Practices in Improving Living Environments. The community was recognized for its alternative energy project in the course of developing a new village in northern Quebec. As part of the new village, a unique method for providing heating energy was installed. A single boiler in the village burns wood waste products from nearby sawmills which then heats water and then distributes the hot water via underground pipes to all the buildings and houses in the village. The community successfully converts industrial waste into energy while creating local employment and retaining significant financial resources within the village. In association with energy-efficient building design, and a unique self-reliant housing program, the Ouje-Bougoumou people have built a village guided by the principle of sustainable development. As part of the Habitat II Conference, to be held in Istanbul, Turkey in June, a Best Practice Exhibition will be presented. In addition a special CD-ROM database and videos describing the 100 Best Practices will be disseminated through various media including paper catalogue, diskette and through the Internet via the World Wide Web. Ouje-Bougoumou is a new village in the James Bay Cree Territory, having been constructed over the past five years. The community had previously experienced a number of forced relocations from earlier village sites because of mining and forestry activities in their traditional territory. Since constructing the new village Ouje-Bougoumou has come to be recognized as a "model aboriginal village". Ouje-Bougoumou is also a model of determination and an example of what can be accomplished with an indomitable will to survive and thrive despite all odds. This recognition by the United Nations follows an award which the community received in September 1995 when it was chosen as a recipient of the "U.N. 50 Communities Award", an award established in celebration of the UN's 50th anniversary in which 50 communities around the world were selected as best expressing the objectives of the United Nations. Ouje-Bougoumou was selected in the category of Human Settlement. Ouje-Bougoumou was also recently invited to participate in the planning and eventually in preparing an exhibition of the community's accomplishments for presentation at "Expo2000", the world's fair to be held in Hannover, Germany. Chief Abel Bosum, who has led the community through many years of difficult negotiations and through the planning and development phase of the new village commented as follows upon hearing of the latest international recognition of Ouje-Bougoumou: "It is very humbling to know that what we have done here is considered to be very important by the world community. It makes us realize how we are connected to something much larger than us even though we live in a small remote village. It makes us feel not only proud of our accomplishments but it also creates in us a certain sense of responsibility. In the course of trying to solve problems of our own we have come up with solutions that may be useful to many other people. We feel an obligation to share that experience and to do our small part in making this world a better place to live." The community is currently exploring potential sources of funding to permit several Ouje-Bougoumou members to attend the events in Istanbul in June. For further information contact: Chief Abel Bosum or Paul Wertman, Advisor Ouje-Bougoumou Ottawa: 613.761.1655 or 418.745.3911 Ouje-Bougoumou: 418.745.3911 --------- "RE: Dishonor of our Traditions" --------- Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 08:04:26 -0700 (PDT) From: cherokee@wolfenet.com Subj: Dishonor of our Traditions UUCP email O'siyo... Oh April 21st of this year, the Gulfport, Mississippi Sheriff's Office proved, once again, heaped indignities upon our People by raiding a City Sponsored Pow Wow and harassing our elders, dancers and young ones. The irony of this stuck me as I had just read a article stating the Methodist Church is apologizing for the massacre, led by a lay Preacher, of our People at Sand Creek in the last century. Those in First Nations respect our traditions at a pow wow so greatly that we have a sacred ceremony we do if a Eagle Feather is dropped during the dancing...We have a set of values so inherently sacred that we do not touch another's sacred items..we do not disrespect any item held in sacred esteem. Yet...these of the dominant culture came...grabbed a kachina doll because it "looked LIKE an owl" though it was made from rabbit fur and turkey feathers. They took one of our young...frightened him....racially dishonored us by words of dishonor...threatened one of our women dancers who stood up to question them...and arrested two people....They claimed our legal sage was marijuana...and entered the sacred grounds without permission... I have told you the messages...how they desecrate our dead...how they harass our elders by displacing them from their homes..the Navajo Grandmother..the Shoshone..How they take our fishing lands...our food to be given to our children...How they will not let us even PRAY on our sacred lands with paying...How we cannot hold legally those sacred religious feathers given to us by Creator for our prayers... I sat....with a Sacred Holy Woman two nights ago...my friend..and she and I spoke our hearts..of our old ways..of how we now have agreed to bring forth traditional teachings to all...How we shall work hand in hand to give you the words..the ways..the messages...and I sit here this morning and do not know if, even in this, anyone shall hear them... but they must be spoken... Do you know the Hopi have now stated they will no longer pray for mankind? They have given up....A traditional people have given up on all of mankind...Does that speak loudly to each heart? It did to mine... I have Journeyed far into this land...spoken with many...and I see a shadow in the hearts of First Nations...a sense of defeat...of hopelessness as we see no way to stop the evil that comes to us...more and more and more... Are we so defeated that we shall not demand the respect our Grandfather's died for? Shall we allow all of that to have been in vain...purposeless..for nothing? Shall we forget our old songs..our old dances..our language..our culture...our ways of loving all who come with open arms? Shall we then lay our hearts on the ground and continue to allow our elders, our babies, our women to be dishonored? I ask you this question...Shall First Nations die? Shall we die? If so...let us not allow it to be a slow death...painful...degrading..I would rather see us destroy our own lodges..our own sacred items than to allow dishonorable hands to touch them.. Think, my Brothers and Sister, strongly of what your hearts say now..NO NO...we shall not let it die....Does not your heart speak this thing? "We have survived 500 years...we shall not lay now our hearts to die now?" If this is so then...what shall be do? Our tribal leaders continue to take monies doled out by the Federal Government just like a hundred years ago when we were given the worm infested meats...when we became the "around the fort Indians"..depending on their handouts for our survival...We continue to be on our knees...begging... I say...refuse the monies...refuse the handouts..We, of First Nations survived for countless centuries without the mere morsels given to us to shut us up. I say...throw it back..refuse it...Get OFF our knees..Get OFF them..Stand in Honor..First Nations has the ability to provide our own food...our own medicines..our own shelters...to care for our People..Brothers..go BACK to the old ways..the Honorable ones..Are we so assimilated that we do NOT remember them? We get two weeks vacation each year...Instead of going to Disneyland with our children...take them HOME...take them to the elders to learn how to survive..Give them back their heritage...give them back a way to survive..a way that no college trust fund could give them for their future. Someday..and hear my words well...someday mankind will have to survive on his learned survival skills...Olivia and Is spoke of how Mother is no longer going to absorb the blood of innocents...Look around you...see the seasons changing..the animals moving and migrating from territorial homes they have lived in..look at how late the seasonal gifts were even this Spring. Have you looked? Have you see the changes on Mother Earth? Many of we who are traditional have...and we see even past this...Many in this circle know the meaning of this... I say to you...you MUST hear the messages given by the winds...The Honorable Nations..the Sioux, the Shoshone, the Comanche, the Apache, the Cherokee, the Cheyenne, the Mohawks, the Hope, the Pueblo, the Navajo...hundreds..see it..and we have choices at this moment, I think...not many...but some...We can sit back in the shadows and allow it to continue..refuse to stand up for Honor...or we can stand as a Nation loudly..natives..nonnatives alike..and scream..NO MORE! I recently was asked to speak at Iowa State University and the University of Minnesota, by the NA group there...In the process of exchanging messages on the arrangements I was sharing with Feather (who is in our circle) and asked this question.."If I bring my Eagle Feather to use there, you think I'll be arrested." *smiles* Then as I was driving back yesterday from Atlanta I thought of this question and I felt a great sadness at the dilemma of that...for the question remains...Do we stand in honor...or stay on our knees in fear? Each heart must speak its own words...Each person is responsible for their own actions in life...but I am struck by the thought...how can ANYONE stand by and see innocent people treated with such disrespect and dishonor? How could ANYONE refuse to help? My heart cries at this for I have always believed in the Dream of One Nation..One People..standing in Honor for All...yet, I see no outcry today...I do not see the Warrior Societies standing and demanding apologies...I do not see tribal leaders demanding public apologies to our People...Does NO ONE CARE anymore? I would hope each person in this circle will fax...CALL..forget E mail..they never read it...the President ...the Sheriff of that County..the Governor of the State of Mississippi...I would PRAY that all groups will CANCEL any conventions..any meetings in the state of Mississippi...Friends..Prejudice is alive and well in that state...I would PRAY that each of you today will make it a GOAL to not go to bed tonight without protesting...without telling your mail lists..forums..friends..of this indecent act... And more...I hope each of you will ask yourself...WOULD I carry that Eagle Feather if asked? There is symbolism in that question...think on it well...a'ho "Only by standing up and demanding HONOR be given to us shall we be given the freedom we so desperately wish. If we are not given this..we have nothing..NOTHING...and might as well be dead!" A Cherokee Elder.... --------- "RE: Words from Leonard" --------- Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 13:13:48 -0500 (CDT) From: freedom@prairienet.org (Freedom Heart Rising) Subj: Words from Leonard UUCP email O'siyo: I rec'd the newsletter, "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse" today, from the LPDC. Following are Leonard's words: ++++++ Greetings, Friends: For over 20 years, people of conscience have shouted for justice in my case. We have asked for a new trial, for investigations, and hearings. In 1993 we asked that the President examine the mass of factual information we had collected and grant me executive clemency. The request for clemency is still pending. That is why in my statement today, I urge you to attend the third _ Freedom Forum_ which will be taking place once again in Washington, D.C. on June 26 and 27. In 1994, the LPDC (with the aid of many Support Group members in and around the Virginia area) organized _Peltier Weekend_. According to numbers put together by the police, over 1500 supporters gathered at just past 7 AM to march to Lafayette Park. By noon, there were over 3000 people attending the all day rally. Our speakers included author Peter Matthiessen, my late spiritual advisor Louie Irwin, AIM members from around the country, entertainer Kris Kristofferson, and many others. It was a scorching hot day from what I have been told, but the power of our spirit opened the sky just minutes after our event closed and cooled the earth. In 1995 we gathered at The American University for a Freedom Forum. Prayers were led by Grandfather Semu Huaute and Wallace Black Elk. Our keynote speaker, Rev. Jesse Jackson electrified the auditorium with his powerful speech. My attorney, Ramsey Clark, and my good friend Ernie Stephens, Jr. had their speeches aired for 3 days on C-Span. Suzie Baer showed her film _Warrior_, and music legend Pete Seeger gave a performance that had young and old alike singing along with him that evening. The following day we held a press conference at the United States Capital Building. Congressmen Bill Richardson, John Conyers, Eni Faleomavaega, and Joe Kennedy presented strong statements in support of justice. The room was filled with so many reporters and supporters that many had to sit on the floor while others spilled into the hallway. We have been invited back to the American University. This year we will focus a lot on the ongoing investigation of the Canadian Government into my extradition. Among our speakers will be Warren Allmand, a member of the Canadian Parliament since 1965. Mr. Allmand will be in D.C. with the permission of his Parliamentary Ethics Committee to speak to members of our government specifically about my case. This is very exciting to me! Congressman Bill Clay has again secured us a room at the Capital Building which we will use for a Press conference, meeting with legislators and for a strategizing meeting after which those supporters who are willing, will be unleashed into the halls of D.C. to distribute information about my case and try to gather signatures on another Congressional letter supporting Clemency. Please realize how much this means to me and do your best to BE THERE. If we can get enough people together, we could visit EVERY Congressperson, Senator, and Justice Department Official! Imagine the impact of such a project! You are in my thoughts, my friends, and I pray that you will continue to be people of good will. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, Leonard Peltier --------- "RE: Cultural Bandits" --------- Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 12:10:40 -0700 (PDT) From: plptwr@powernet.net Subj: Cultural "Bandits" Mailing List: TRIBALLAW (triballaw@thecity.sfsu.edu) The damage is done. The Bureau of Land Management and Nevada State Museum are violating the natural law that govern all Indian people. To think and act in the manner in which they are, goes beyond any human nature that is based in any form of spiritual belief. The "find" of human remains in the Nevada desert has added fuel to the fire regarding the struggle of Indian people to preserve the dignity of our ancestors. In today's Reno Gazette Journal, experts hail the mummy test results, and further add that it is proof in showing the value of re-examining many museum collections. The BLM has declared a spiritual war on Indian people of Nevada. All you educators and people of greed will determine your own value of this issue, but to us it represents further insult to our ancestors. The only result of this attempt is to continue to divide and conquer Tribes. It will provide their "evidence" to continue land disputes, while allow them to gather the information they need to better themselves. DNA tests destroy bones of remains. In order to repatriate and rebury our people, all parts must by whole. These people - Amy Dansie, Don Touhy, Cynthia Pinto, Pat Barker - is further proof that there are others like Jack Harelson that thrive on desecrating our people. No proof has been provided by BLM or museum officials that authorization was given to conduct these studies. There is a strong suspicion that no authorization was afforded and that more DNA studies have been completed without the knowledge of Indian people. All tribes must be put on notice that their ancestors face the same destruction that has been suffered by the Nevada Tribes associated with this mummy. Thank you. Mervin Wright, Jr. Vice Chairman Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Nevada --------- "RE: Action Needed on ICWA Legislation" --------- Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 15:27:42 -0700 From: fouche@rmii.com (Marie Fouche) Subj: URGENT ACTION NEEDED ON ICWA LEGISLATION UUCP email Hi Everyone, I'm writing to you with regards to the Indian Child Welfare Act. As some of you may or may not know, Congresswoman Pryce of Ohio has joined forces with Congressman Todd Tiahrt of Kansas and has introduced an amendment to the ICWA to the US Congress which will severely weaken it. Many of you may have seen Mark Fiddler's post not long ago with a copy of this amendment...it's on my web page at this time (address in signature), and it's also at http://rs9.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query. As some of you may know, Pryce decided to skip the subcommittee and directly introduce this bill to the HR, which means it's coming up for a vote this May 6th...they're trying to sneak this one by us folks, and we CAN'T let them get away with this! I'm asking all of you to please help us with this...we need to flood the offices of Congresswoman Pryce, Tiahrt and your own congresspeople and senators from your state protesting the passage of this bill every day through May 6th...we need to write to our senators, and we need to start writing to President Clinton urging him to veto this if it finds its way to his desk...THIS AMENDMENT WAS DRAFTED WITHOUT THE CONSENT, CONSIDERATION, ADVICE OR APPROVAL OF ANY FIRST NATION...just opposite of what Congresswoman Pryce promised...Please help us....below I have written a cut and paste letter that you could use...I've enclosed the e-mail addresses for Pryce, Tiahrt, President and VP, the resource committee, democratic leadership, and speaker of the house....all you have to do is fill in the blank, type in the e-mail addresses in the "To:" and "CC" areas of the document, and click on Send and Send Again over the next few days...it will take you a minimal amount of time. If you don't know the e-mail address for the representatives from your state, you can look them up at the web addresses of http:..www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1007/house.html and http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1007/senate.html or you can e-mail me with your state, and I'll send you the addresses..I'm hoping to create links to these sites in a few minutes from my page. If you live in another country, please don't let that stop you. We need international support. Thank you for taking the time to read this..... ADDRESSES Congresswoman Deborah Pryce of Ohio: pryce15@hr.house.gov Congressman Todd Tiahrt of Kansas: tiahrt@hr.house.gove Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich: georgia6@hr.house.gov Democratic Leadership demldr@hr.house.gov Resource Committee (the committee that should be reviewing this legislation): resource@hr.house.gov President Clinton: president@whitehouse.gov VP Gore: vice.president@whitehouse.gov LETTER Dear _____(insert name of your representative, and cc Pryce, Tiahrt, Speaker of the House, President, VP, Resources, and Democratic Leadership), I am writing to you with regards to H.R. 3275 which would dramatically weaken the protections established by the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in 1978. Congresswoman Pryce has been aggressively seeking a way to pass this legislation without consulting any Native American Nation within this country. This amendment is not for the benefit of the Native American people, rather it is for the benefit of adoption attorneys who profit off of these adoptions and non-native families. Where is the consideration for the Native American family, more importantly where is the concern for the well-being of the Native American generations yet to be born? It's astounding that the United States Congress would even consider this without speaking directly to the people that it will effect the most, without researching the numerous psychological studies about the ramifications of these types of adoptions, without speaking to those who were adopted off of the reservations or away from their Native American families before the ICWA was enacted and to hear firsthand how this type of adoption effected their lives. How could you not speak and listen to the numerous stories of parents and the extended families who lost one of their little ones because of the practices of social workers before the ICWA was adopted? This legislation is a blatant step towards destroying the Native American family, thus furthering the cultural genocide the United States has waged against all First Nations for generations...This amendment will take away from those children yet to be born what we hold so dearly and closely to our hearts...our families. Can you imagine what it would be like if an outside country were to come in and make decisions about how the children within this country were to be treated, adopted, and taken care of? Well, this is what this country is thinking of doing at this moment if this legislation is passed. First Nations are sovereign nations, and this is something that needs to be respected. This legislation would prevent any family member from coming forward and saying that they wish to raise the child, or allowing the biological parents to change their minds within the allowed time period. This legislation will effectively remove from Indian children, families and tribes a basic right that all United States citizens have to appeal unjust court decisions affecting their families. The extended family within the Native American culture is far different from ours. Whereas we might see our grandparents or our parents a few times out of the year, families within the Native American culture are very close and see each other on a constant basis. The responsibility of raising a child does not fall solely upon the parents within the Native American community- the grandparents, the aunts and uncles, the cousins, and other siblings all take an active part in raising the child. The baby is never left alone, rarely put in daycare, and grows up with a strong cultural identity, a strength that is greatly lacking in our culture. This legislation also will give states the control as to decide who is "Indian" and who is not based upon a subjective criteria. This is utterly ridiculous. I can't recall any adoption dispute between non-natives, where the people had to prove they were "white" enough do you? These different criteria are completely absurd...for instance, a biological father lost his battle to bring his Pomo twin girls home, because he hadn't attended a ceremony within the past year, didn't read Indian newspapers, and didn't participate in tribal politics. Well, let me ask you how many people in this country attend church on a consistent basis, take the time to read a newspaper, let alone participate in their city or town politics? I think this new tactic is blatant racism, and if you vote to approve this legislation, you will be supporting and continuing the long standing racist attitude of this country. This legislation will also allow state officials to walk onto Indian reservations without permission where tribal governments and courts and have historically had jurisdiction and remove Indian children at will according to state, not tribal, standards. If you don't respect First Nations as sovereign nations within this country, then does not the United States Constitution apply to Native Americans? Or does it cease to exist when a Native American is involved? The Indian Child Welfare Act was established to give each and every Tribe the right to make determinations as to the welfare of their children, and I appeal to you to respect the original law and to leave it in tact. A law that was created after numerous discussions with Native Americans from several different Nations, something that this legislation is lacking. I ask you to please vote against the passage of this amendment, to respect the abilities of each individual tribe to make the best decisions for their own people on each individual basis...Since you do not participate or understand the many cultures of the several tribes on this continent, how could you possibly ever assume you know what the best choices are for their children? Please leave these choices and decisions to the many Tribes....VOTE AGAINST THIS LEGISLATION. If you wish to learn more about the Native American viewpoint on this issue, please call the National Indian Child Welfare Association at 503-222-4044 and ask for David Simmons. At the 14th annual "Protecting Our Children" National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect" in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a resolution was written. I ask you to read this and listen to the words of Tribal elders. "We, the tribal leaders, Indian child welfare workers, service providers, and advocates who are attending this the 14th Annual "Protecting our Children" National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect in Albuquerque, NM are here to discuss and advocate for the protection of our Indian children and families. We are here not only as professionals, community members and tribal leaders, but also as the parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents of these Indian children who are so important to the future of our communities. "Whereas, the participants of this conference are united in opposing any legislation that would harm our Indian children and families and take us back to the era when Indian children were easily and unnecessarily removed from their homes and families to be sold by private adoption agencies and attorneys, "Whereas, Congresswoman Pryce of Ohio has introduced and is aggressively pursuing legislation-H.R. 3275-that is blatantly anti-family in its values and would deny large numbers of Indian children the right to know their families, culture and their tribal communities; "Whereas, H.R. 3275 reflects a value that the connections that children have to their parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and community are unimportant in deciding where an Indian child will live the rest of their lives, "Whereas, this legislation does not reflect the values or input of Indian people, the participants of this conference oppose this legislation for the following reasons: 1) The legislation was developed without even a single source of input from Indian representatives anywhere in the United States even though Indian families and children are the most affected by this legislation 2) Congresswoman Pryce has aggressively sought to avoid using the Committee process in the House of Representatives, a process which was created to help inform Congressional debate on public policy issues and develop the most reasonable, effective solutions to issues being raised 3) The primary source of advocacy on this legislation outside of the Congress comes from the National Council on Adoption which represents the moneyed interests of private adoption agencies and holds a position on this issue that is far removed from most of the mainstream organizations that work on adoption issues. 4) H.R. 3275 allows state courts to develop subjective cultural tests regarding who is an Indian child or parent using vague criteria developed by courts, many of which have little or no knowledge of Indian people, families or communities. 5) This type of test has many legal problems and even some constitutional problems that will result in an explosion of litigation that will cause Indian children who are awaiting adoption to wait even longer for permanent homes. 6) Removing from Indian children, families and tribes a basic right that all United States citizens have to appeal unjust court decisions affecting their families. 7) Allowing state officials to walk onto Indian reservations without permission where tribal governments and courts and have historically had jurisdiction and remove Indian children at will according to state, not tribal, standards. Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the participants of this 14th Annual conference "Protecting Our Children" are firmly united against this effort and legislation sponsored by Congresswoman Pryce- H.R. 3275-and demand that Congress utilize the committee process and hold hearings on this or any other legislation to amend the Indian Child Welfare Act before recommending it for a full vote of the House or Senate." Sincerely, _______________ In Lak'ech Yelir, Marie Fouche - fouche@rmii.com http://rainbow.rmii.com/~fouche. If that doesn't work, please try http://www.rmii.com/~fouche - The Lost Bird Page discusses the contentious issue of American Indian adoptions. --------- "RE: Poem: The Children Of Indians" --------- Date: Sat, 6 Apr 1996 11:48:36 +0900 From: travisj@ca2.so-net.or.jp (Travis Johnson) Subj: The Children Of Indians Mailing List: NATCHAT (natchat@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Date: Fri, 5 Apr 96 16:17:02 -0500 From: Ralph Ianuzzi And even if you are not interested, would you please post this for others to see? NATIVE AMERICAN POETRY Hello! All my fellow Native American tribal members out there and anyone of other cultures with a desire to learn more about modern Native American "Indians"! I am half Potawatomi/Chippewa, half English and was placed in a boarding home at the age of five and adopted at the age of ten, hence the Italian surname. I was completely separated from my cultural background (in fact, was bullied in an attempt to deny my heritage), and was raised as a white in white suburban neighborhoods. I have been attempting to reach you as well as those who aren't on-line, to tell them that I have written a book of Native American poetry that I'm trying to sell. What I have written about, I have drawn from my own life, that which I've heard and read elsewhere, watched on various television broadcasts and documentaries and heard from my fellow community members (United American Indians of Delaware Valley - U.A.I.D.V.) and at Pow Wows. I'm sure there are many of you out there with similar experiences who will understand. The book is called "What I Have To Say", One Native American's Viewpoint. There are nineteen (19) poems which I made up from my experiences as an urban-raised Indian. One of the poems follows: The Children Of Indians (Copyrighted 1995) by R.C. Thomas (Potawatomi/Chippewa) I was also one of those: The children who'd been taken then. The punishment the white man chose Was that their parents were forsaken them. . . Because they were the children of Indians. They'd divide us so we wouldn't fight: That's what they supposed back then. They'd turn our red skin into white And convert us to their religion. . . Because we were the children of Indians. But listen close and you can hear: The grumbling - the eruption's near. We've been silent but now it's time; The earth is rumbling - the awaited sign. . . For us, the children of the Indians. The Panther streaks across the sky. Tecumseh's footsteps shake the earth. We now begin to raise the cry To rise and fight for all we're worth. . . Because we are the children of Indians. And the Families once divided Are gathering now to fight. 'Cause we, the children, have long decided We'd rather be Indian than white. . . Because we are the children of Indians. So listen close and you can hear The grumble of the earthquakes here. He who's slept now gives the sign: The rumble begins - it's now our time. . . We're no longer children - We're the Indians!! If interested in how to obtain this book, please e-mail me at: temp@prep.net --------- "RE: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days" --------- Date: 96/04/26 23:37 From: Debra F. Sanders (dfsanders@genie.geis.com) Subj: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days Genie email A HAWAIIAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of May 5-11 MEI (May) (Ikiiki) 5 Find the perfect music of the spirit, and know fulfillment. 6 Dance the joy your heart feels. 7 Feel the winds blowing through you, cleansing your spirit of all sorrow. 8 The joyous heart has as many blessings as the stars in the sky, na hoku. 9 Give me the wings of a bird, and I will possess all the world! 10 My heart leaps with the dolphins in the incredible blue of the ocean. 11 Sing to me a song of beginnings in this land of many rainbows! (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, 2 May 96 08:00 -0500 From: Janet Smith (Evening Star) (jans@genie.com) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows not previously posted to Mailing Lists NATCHAT or NATIVE-L genie email From: "Mark A. Maggard" Subj: DeVry Phoenix Cultural Day Mailing List: AISESnet General List I would like to invite everyone to the upcoming DeVry Native American Cultural Day. This event will take place between 10am and 2pm of May 16th, 1996. Throughout that time on Thursday, food will be available (Fry Bread and assorted pre-made dishes), artists will be demonstrating their skills (Kachina carving, sand painting, and possibly silver working) and dancers/drums will be performing. This is the first such event held by DeVry and we look forward to wonderful success. So, if you are in the Phoenix area in mid-May, stop by. We are conveniently located east of I-17 and Dunlap (near Metro Center). At that intersection you head east past two lights. Our campus is south (on the right heading east) just past 25th. Parking for visitors is available to the south west of the building. I hope to see each of you there. Mark A. Maggard ----------------------------------- From: garyf@ocbtp.com (Gary Fuller) Newsgroups: alt.native,ca.general,ca.news,la.news,soc.culture.native The following information contains listings of Pow Wows in the greater southern California area. All events listed are subject to change at any time. Where possible and provided on distributed literature, I have placed the admission or parking prices. All Pow Wows do not allow alcohol, drugs or firearms. I will add in a general Pow Wow etiquette guide into the next listing. This listing will be an occasional listing, updated as necessary. The general plan is to have this listing posted once per week. This listing covers the last week of April 1996 through the end of June 1996. You can also access it on the web at http://www.ocbtp.com/powwow/socal.html It is presented as a public service of OCB Trading Post. A abbreviated printed version is available at OCB Trading Post, 657 E. Arrow Hwy, Suite M, Glendora Ca 91740. You can either pick it up or send a self addressed stamped envelope. OCB Trading Post takes no responsibility for errors, omissions, misrepresentation or any other human mistakes that occur. If you know of a Native American event in Southern California which you feel should be publicized, please send a copy of the flyer on white paper to the above address and make it attention Gary Fuller. You can also e-mail the information to garyf@ocbtp.com. Future plans: Weekly mailing list Pow Wow Etiquette Guide Western/Mountain Man Events List (separate) Comments, questions, flames, etc should be directed to garyf@ocbtp.com. Use of the information contained within this document for commercial purposes is banned. This information, presented in this form, is copyright OCB Trading Post, 1996. If you redistribute this information, please do so in complete intact form. Permission is granted to distribute this information for free, without cost, in electronic, printed or any other commonly available medium so long as this notice is included in any redistribution. Commercial entities which use this information in any way, including using this information to contact organizations, are hereby restricted from charging any fees beyond reasonable copying and mailing fees for this information or any resulting information. These fees are not to exceed $.50 US Funds. May 4th - May 5th, 1996 11th Annual UCLA Pow-Wow University of California, Los Angeles Intramural Soccer Field Los Angeles, Ca Head Staff: Master Of Ceremonies: Sammy White, AZ & Paul Apodaca, UCLA Arena Director: Mike Burgess, CA Head Gourd Dancer: Les Hand, CA Head Woman Dancer: Teresa Jim, NM Head Man Dancer: Tahlee Redbird, AZ Southern Drum: Cozad, OK Northern Drum: Black Lodge, WA No Alcohol, Drugs, Animals, Weapons or Overnight Camping Permitted On Premises! More information: Call A.I.S.A. (310) 206-7513 or (310) 206-8043 Host Hotel with Special Rate: Holiday Inn Brentwood/Bel Air 170 Church Lane May 11th - May 12th, 1996 Second Annual Northern Southern Winds Pow Wow Recognizing No Borders! East Los Angeles College Stadium Field Cesar Chavez Ave & Atlantic Blvd. Monterey Park, Ca Free Admission, Free Parking Noon to 10pm both days Grand Entry 1pm, 6:30pm Head Staff: Master Of Ceremonies: John Dawson Head Woman Dancer: Marsheila Thompson Head Man Dancer: Sylvan Beautiful Bald Eagle Host Drum: Wild Horse Cahuilla Bird Singers & Aztec Dancers CONTEST DANCING - PRIZE MONEY FOR ALL CATEGORIES! No Drugs or Alcohol. Information: E.L.A.C M.E.C.H.A office (213) 265-8753 Sponsored by Iron Circle Nation & E.L.A.C. M.E.Ch.A. May 17th - May 18th, 1996 Fourth Annual American Indian Celebration Pow Wow Mesa College San Diego, Ca Hours: Vendors open at 10:00am for Campus Community Friday 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm Saturday 10:00 am - 10:00 pm All Drums Welcome * All Dancers Welcome Information: (619) 292-9911 (9am - 7pm) May 18th - May 19th, 1996 Honoring The Creator Native American Pow Wow Memorial Park Grove and Foothill Blvd. Upland, Ca Host Drum - Raising Hail - Marty, SD Head Man Dancer - Pat Crow Head Woman Dancer - Leafie Hare Head Boy Dancer - Perter Hare Head Girl Dancer - Andrea Diaz Arena Director - Wayne Arroyo Public Invited, Free Admission All Dancers & Drums Welcome! Please bring your own chairs or a mat to sit on. This is a cultural family event sponsored by: Walking The Red Road Ontario, Ca Information: (909) 988-8636 No Drugs or Alcohol! May 18th - May 19th, 1996 4th Annual Sweet Grass Gathering Contest Pow Wow Pfau Library Lawn California State University San Bernadino, Ca Saturday Noon - 11am, Sunday Noon - 7pm Intertribal Bird Singers 12noon - 1pm Gourd Dancing Sat. 6pm - 7pm & Sun Noon - 1pm Grand Entry Sat. 1pm & 7pm, Sun 1pm Head Staff Head Southern Drum - Sooner Nation - Steve Bohay Head Northern Drum - White Cloud Singers Head Man/Gourd Dancer - Jan Michael Goingsnake, Cherokee Head Woman Dancer - Stefanie Campos - Tewa Pueblo/Azteca Master Of Ceremonies - Mike Burgess - Comanche Arena Director - James Red Eagle - Assiniboine Sioux Free - Open To the Public - Free Vendors, please call Mike Schindler at (909) 987-3244 Sponsors: The Native American Student Assoc. (NASA) Joe Miera (909) 877-4622 Associated Students Inc. Pamela James (909) 880-5188 All Tribes Cultural Arts Program ''Not Responsible for accidents, injury, thefts, or riots - absolutely no drugs, alcohol or weapons permitted.'' May 18th - May 19th, 1996 Lake Casitas Intertribal Pow Wow Lake Casitas Ojai, Ca Hours: Saturday 10:00 am - 10:00 pm Sunday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Northern Drum: Mesquaki Nations - Iowa Southern Drum: White Tail - Macy, Nebraska Head Staff Master of Ceremonies: Tom Phillips - Kiowa Headman Dancer: Les Hand - Pawnee Headwoman Dancer: Dede Goodeagle - Osage and Sac-Fox Head Boy Dancer: Jesse Palomino - Cheyenne / Pueblo Head Girl Dancer: Raetava Yazzie - Dine Head Gourd Dancer: Saginaw Grant - Sac-Fox Arena Director: Fred Burrow - Osage Head Judge: Steve Lewis - Oglala Lakota / Pima Registrar: Gary Bell - Tuscarora 1995/96 Princess: Shamaray Yazzie - Dine 1996/97 Princess: Esther Cadman - San Carlos Apache / Dine Spiritual Director: Fireshaker - Ponca Admission: $6.00 for adults, $4.00 for children. Weekend passes available, Senior Discounts Sponsored by Visions in Time Foundation Inc A California Non Profit Corporation 2509 Thousand Oaks Bl. #351 Thousand Oaks, Ca 91362 Information: (805) 496-6036 All drums welcome, All Dancer Welcome, Contest Dancing Absolutely no Drugs or Alcohol. May 31st - June 2nd, 1996 Four Moons Pow Wow California Steel Industries 9400 Cherry Ave Fontana, Ca Hours: Friday: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm Saturday: 10:00 am - 10:00 pm Sunday: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm Public Welcome, Bring your own chairs & Shade. Head Staff: Northern Man Dancer - Eric Jiminez, Apache Northern Lady Dancer - Robin Cornett, Blackfoot Southern Man Dancer - Walter Ahhaitty, Kiowa Southern Lady Dancer - Cher Sisto-Moreno, Navajo/Apache California Man Dancer - Bob Rivera, Chumash California Lady Dancer - Natalie Rivera, Chumash Youth Boy Dancer - Brenden Zamudio, Tewa Youth Girl Dancer - Jennifer Kordak, Shoshone Master of Ceremonies - Orville Little Owl, Mandan/Hunkpapa Arena Director - Robert Jacobo, Sr., Yaqui/Mecica Whipman - Roger Slaughter, Mohawk Native American Youth Conference - Friday, May 31st, 1996 9am to 4pm Keynote Speaker and Workshops Funded in part by - California State Department of Education High School Teaching and Learning Division - Gender Equity, Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act Fund. Miss Four Moons Contest - Applications Due May 11th, 1996 Honor Drum - Bear Springs Singers Drum Contest !!!! Dance Contest !!!! No Alcohol or Drugs allowed on grounds, will be strictly enforced. Information: F.N.A.I.C. (909) 823-6150 or (909) 350-6709 May 31st - June 2nd, 1996 Santa Monica Indian Show and Ceremonial Santa Monica Civic Center 1855 Main Street Santa Monica, Ca Hours: Friday: Noon - 8:00 pm (show) Saturday: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm (show) - Noon - 8:00 pm (pow-wow) Sunday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm (show) - Noon - 6:00 pm (pow-wow) Free Door Prizes & Demonstrations Dance Contest ''Many displayers featuring millions of dollars of turquoise & silver Indian Jewelry, Indian Rugs, baskets, pottery, paintings, Pre-Columbian Artifacts, fine art, etc.'' Featuring a genuine Plains Indian Pow-Wow! This information provided as a free service of: OCB Trading Post 657 E. Arrow Hwy #M Glendora, Ca 91740 (818) 914-0306 Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am to 7:30pm Sunday 10:00am to 5:00pm Closed Mondays & Major Holidays - Open Mondays in December E-mail address: garyf@ocbtp.com - Gary Fuller ================================ From: native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us Subject: The Great Sioux Nations' Interworld Concert Original Sender: aconcert4u@aol.com Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) A Benefit For An Education and Economic Development Project For All Future Generations Four Day Interworld Event: Proposed date: August 30 through September 2, 1996 at Yankton Sioux Reservation, All Nations Welcome 1st Annual Interworld Concert & Celebrity Pow Wow DAKOTAH CENTRAL George Cournoyer Intertribal Chairman's Contact International Affairs Of State Phone 605 384-3641 Fax 605 384-5687 Ray Uses Knife Concert & Cultural Affairs Central Cultural Committees Contact Phone 605 964-6685 Fax 605 964-4151 Loren Zephier Native American Musical Advisor Video/Effects Committee 605 384-5152 Steve Emery, Esq. PIERRE AREA Legal Committee Advisor East Coast Representative Joe Camp Talent/Production Coordinate Pre-Organizer Fax: 201 343-8977 aconcert4u@aol.com Noel Berdman East West Communications Link birdscan@aol.com SUMMER 1996: Ancient Words Tours For the first time in over 100 years, many tribes of the Great Sioux Nation will unite! All peoples have a prayer of peace and unity. The children of all Nations, in all places of the world, are the hope of tomorrow. Let the ancient words of all cultures speak wisdom to the children. We are our childrens' children-we are their hope. This land they call by many different names has her stories and teachings to contribute - let us listen and help her heal. Let us help and we will be helped - for the sake of tomorrow your children. Welcome to an exciting project. Your help is needed so that others may live. Future generations' lives are at stake. Children who may have the answers to many of tomorrow's problems need a vehicle that will enable them to learn from their elders the virtues and ancient knowledge that now hangs by a thread. This is a project that will help weave those threads into a strong chord. The progress that is made here will grow and will cover the earth in good will, save wildlife, and much of the natural beauty of threatened lands. This project is centered around providing a means for all Native American nations to help restore lost parts of their cultures. These cultures have virtues and knowledge paramount to interracial harmony and ecological survival, as well as their own medicines and religious systems - all were nearly destroyed by the heartless advance of so-called civilization into their paradise. Now the very civilization which nearly relegated the Indigenous Americans threatens to destroy itself. The proceeds from this annual event will go toward creating and expanding an educational and environmental project that will be the best and perhaps only means to help put back some of what has been almost totally destroyed. Modern technology will be used to help recover ancient wisdom. This project's aim is to build a Native American broadcasting system. Using four public channels, this system could provide hope; in traditional education, modern education, communication, and ecologically-safe commerce. This is a system which could be expanded by other Native American Nations. It will start from the heart of the earth-the Black Hills and the people who call this their birthplace - the Lakota, Dakotah, and Nakota (a.k.a. Sioux Indians). We have chosen a project which can help all good projects. This project will be headed by the caretakers of the land, those who have fought to protect the land for a way of life which could do the earth no harm. It is time for all nations and all races to come together in peace and heal what was known for centuries as the heart of the earth. The Black Hills is sacred place to the people known as the Star Nation (the Lakota). It took a thousand years of European science to evolve this knowledge: The Black Hills from a satellite appears as a heart. 2. That all beings are created from what is essentially star-dust - carbon. Only now the wisdom of the ancient peoples of the world are proving that modern science does not have all the answers. Dear Friends On behalf of the tribal Executive Committees of this project I wish to thank you for this opportunity to ask you for your time to examine these materials. This is crucial to the lives of future generations. This project is acceptable as an annual live or prerecorded event, or a fund-raising telethon. Location is not crucial - what is crucial is your support as we need to get this first year event together soon. We need high-visibility entertainers to get involved in this project by supporting us in any or all of the following ways: A written or public endorsement of the project. A letter of intent to donate performance or speaking time. Recommend this project to a colleague. Recommend this project to a producer, promoter & network. Recommend this project to a corporate or private sponsor(s). Please email the Preliminary Production & Communication Office, Joe Camp @ Aconcert4U@aol.com You may at any time investigate the validity of this concert by contacting Ray Uses Knife, at the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Phone 605 964-6685 Fax 605 964-4151. Or, George Cournoyer, Secretary to Darryl Drapeau, Chairman of the Dakota Territory Chairman's Treaty Council, a council of tribal chairman made up of the many Sioux Tribes at Phone 605 384-3641 Fax 605 384-5687 email us with your feedback at Aconcert4u@aol.com we hope you will support us EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Cheyenne River Sioux Crow Creek Sioux Devils Lake Sioux Flandreau Santee Sioux Lower Brule Sioux Oglala Sioux Omaha Ponca Rosebud Sioux Sac & Fox Santee Sioux Sisseton / Whapeton Sioux Standing Rock Sioux Three Affiliated Tribes Turtle Mountain Chippewa Winnebago Yankton Sioux -------------------------------------------------------------------------- --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- 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: Janet Smith, Debra F. Sanders, Michele Lord, Rani Huber, Ann Stewart, Brooke Craig, Mervin Wright, Jr., Ralph Ianuzzi via Travis Johnson, Marie Fouche, Pam Venn, Noqua, Sky Crosby, Freedom Heart Rising --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Part B of this newsletter (not included) has already been distributed via the NATIVE-L or NATCHAT mailing lists. --------- "RE: Conferences and Powwows - online" --------- Date: Thu, 2 May 96 08:00 -0500 From: Janet Smith (Evening Star) (jans@genie.com) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows already posted to Mailing Lists NATCHAT or NATIVE-L genie email ------------------------------ From: souljny@aol.com Subj: NJ pow wow Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Native People's Spring Celebration of the Eagle May 31 - June 2, 1996 Friday 9-5pm Sat/Sun 10-8pm dance sessions 12, 3, 6pm South Mountain Reservation - Tulip Springs area, Maplewood, NJ MC: Louis Mofsie Drums: Otter Trail and Silver Cloud Arena Director: Raven from WBAI Circle of Red National Radio Hour Head Dancer: Barton Standing Elk Cartwright Aztec Dancer: Javier Alarcon Hoop Dancer: Randy Shenandoah Storytelling: David Blue Wolf Chavez adults $6 children 12 and under $3 if raining, event will be under tent bring own seating LEASHED pets are welcome Email me for directions! Sandi --------- "RE: Enola Hill Ban Expires" --------- Date: Thu, 25 Apr 1996 13:22:41 -0700 From: pamb@efn.org (Pam Venn) Subj: Enola Hill Ban Expires Today-ACTION ALERT! Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) URGENT ACTION ALERT!! The 10-day injunction to halt clear-cutting at Enola Hill, on the western side of Mount Hood in Oregon, expires today! It seems certain that the logging company will go in tomorrow to begin cutting as many trees as possible, as quickly as possible, despite pleas from tribes throughout Oregon and Washington that this is sacred land. Tribal members from Warm Springs, Umatilla, Yakima and others, attended the protest rally at Enola Hill last weekend, pleading for a ban on logging this old-growth forest. Yesterday a federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld Federal Judge Michael Hogan's order to begin logging now. Film crews from CBS's 60 Minutes have been filming at sites around Oregon this week and this story may air as early as this Sunday. Please watch this program and then become involved in helping to protect these last few old-growth forests and sacred sites. Watch this program to get a better understanding of what is involved with this issue. Our rights have been taken away to protest at the sites, or to file law suits in this matter. Please write, phone, fax, e-mail, the President and your congressmen TODAY! It takes a thousand years to grow a forest and only a few days to bring it down. ______ Pam --------- "RE: New Age or Old Prophecy" --------- Date: Thu, 25 Apr 1996 15:24:31 -0800 From: ftneb@aurora.alaska.edu (BUNCE NORA E) Subj: New age or old prophecy Mailing List: NATCHAT (natchat@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Please, if I may I would like to add my voice to that of John Eagle Smith's-I have been following this line from it's beginning, listening to every ones comments. I keep asking myself- who do these truths found in the ceremonies belong to? Do they belong to the people that they have been given to or do they belong to Creator? In my understanding of the Sacred Circle I know that Creator has placed all races and all people in the Sacred Hoop. Everything Creator has made belongs in the Sacred Hoop. If I believe that what Creator has to teach us through the ceremonies given to us by Buffalo Calf Woman and Black Elk is truth, then what right have I to deny these teachings to another in the Sacred Hoop. These truths do not belong to me, nor to anyone else- they belong to Creator and who am I to dictate to Creator who and who shall be taught. As a human being the only responsibility I have is to live my life as close to Creators purpose for me, as best that I can- and if anyone asks of me what I know, I am to give them an honest answer. At the same time I am responsible for who I choose to listen to. It is very necessary to have a discerning spirit- through quiet time in prayer, knowing myself, being with Earth and Creator, understanding and discernment comes. I would not go to any other than my grandmother and other respected traditional Native people for teachings about Native ceremonies, nor would I deny any other the right to do the same. I would never be so presumptuous as to assume that because I know how and have participated in ceremonies that I am qualified to teach and lead others. Being practiced in and knowledgeable of does not equate a calling to teach. The teachings Creator has given to us through Buffalo Calf Woman and Black Elk is life and it is so very painful to see these teachings misrepresented, bastardized, used to control others, and used to make money. Let us not forget that there have been Native healers and shamans who have misused the gifts given to them to exert and insure their control over others. For this to happen is part of the human condition. There has never been a belief system on the face of the earth that has at one time or another not been misused, bastardized, and misrepresented. It is time for this truth to go out to all who will hear it. I am thankful to Creator and my ancestors for the opportunity to be living at this time and my prayer is that my heart remain open and teachable so I may be worthy of living in this time. Thank you for your time and thank you John Eagle Smith for opening the door to this line of reasoning. Noqua --------- "RE: Big Mountain Action Alert" --------- Date: Wed, 24 Apr 1996 01:50:16 -0700 From: sky@indirect.com (Sky Crosby) (by way of sky@indirect.com (Sky Crosby)) Subj: BIG MTN. URGENT ACTION ALERT Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) URGENT MESSAGE TO SUPPORT NETWORK TWO WEEK EXTENSION GRANTED,. THREE DAYS LEFT TO ACT: URGENT!! BIG MOUNTAIN SUPPORT PEOPLE: We must inundate the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs with letters to support the human and constitutional rights of the Dineh residents living on HPL. The Senate committee must not approve passage of the proposed accommodation agreement. Hopi rangers have been stepping up a campaign against HPL residents by illegally bulldozing a ceremonial hogan and confiscating livestock. Resistors are being threatened by their former attorney Lee Phillips, the Navajo and Hopi Nations and the US Government, that if they do not accept this agreement they will face forced eviction by December 31, 1996. There are only three days left to get your comment on the congressional record. WE ASK YOU TO GET AS MUCH SUPPORT AS YOU CAN IN BY THE 26TH. After that date, continue to inundate the senate committee with e-mail and faxes. PLEASE SEND FAXES NOW, THEY WILL BE READ QUICKLY. Email messages arrive by the thousands and it sometimes takes weeks to read all of them. The Dineh residents on HPL are being denied the right to testify before congress because of inadequate notice. The residents were promised a congressional oversight hearing in May or June 1996 and were only given nine days notice for a hearing rescheduled to Washington, DC on March 28, 1996, a location several thousand miles away, with no possibility of getting there. To our knowledge only three residents went: one opponent, Key Watchman was not allowed to speak, only one opponent, May Tso spoke. One proponent, Roger Attakai, spoke. Can Congress really condone forced eviction? HPL resistors need your help NOW. ITS' UP TO YOU to express support for these people. Please help HPL residents. We were just granted a two-week extension of the public comment period to oppose the Accommodation Agreement being forced upon us by the Hopi Tribal Council. This Agreement violates our human and Constitutional rights. Please write to Senator John McCain and members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Please have all letters sent to arrive in Washington, DC before April 26, 1996. We have attached 2 sample letters for your use. Please use or adapt. Thank you, Please send a copy to us c/o sky@indirect.com or by mail HPL Residents Box 1072 Hotevilla, AZ 86510 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Honorable Senator John McCain, Chairman and Members Senate Committee on Indian Affairs 838 Senate Hart Office Building Washington, DC 20510 fax # 202/228-2862 April Dear Senator John McCain and Members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, IMPROPER NOTICE AND OPPORTUNITY GIVEN TO HPL RESIDENTS HPL residents of the former Joint Use Area (JUA), recently called Hopi Partition Land (HPL) need your understanding and your help. They have been denied adequate Notice and Opportunity. They were given only 9 days notice of Oversight hearings re-scheduled to Washington, DC, a location thousands of miles away from where they live, on March 28, 1996. No previous attempts were made to notify them in person, by notice at the Trading Post, and by mail, even though they still believed that an Oversight hearing would be conducted in Phoenix, AZ, May or June, 1996. EXTENSION OF PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD "ON THE RECORD" GRANTED UNTIL APRIL 26, 1996 We understand that Steve Heeley, your Staff Director and Counsel was at Mae Tso's hogan on Hopi Partition Land (HPL), April 10, 1996. At that time he stated: "HPL residents are granted on the record, a two-week extension of the public comment period." The public comment period previously scheduled to end April 11, 1996 is now extended to April 26, 1996. We request that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs honor this promise. Steve Heeley said that the Navajo Nation was given four weeks notice about the April 10, 1996 visit, yet they provided no itinerary as requested, did not attend the meeting held at the Hopi Day School and failed to notify HPL residents. We further request that Congress delay their vote on the Senate floor, and allow the public comment period to be extended until an Oversight hearing is conducted on HPL, June, 1996. If this does not occur, we request that the Senate Committee recommend that this case be heard before the U.S. Supreme Court. Congress must hear the voice of the people. WHY CONGRESS MUST READ THE AGREEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY Congress believes that the only issue left for negotiation is the length of tenure for the Agreement because the Justice Department has determined that Congress only need approve the right of the Hopi Tribe to grant a lease of 75-years duration. They further state: "that the U.S. will not consider the Agreement "ratified" by residents unless there is a 75% signature threshold." Thus Congress does not have to ratify the entire Agreement, just the lease length section. The majority of HPL residents do not accept the terms and conditions of the Agreement. The only reason some have signed is under "duress", being told by the Navajo Nation and their paid legal representation: "that if we do not sign we will be subject to forced relocation. Can Congress condone forced relocation? It is apparent that numerous termination clauses cited in the Agreement provide a legal means for our eviction by the Hopi Tribal Council. For example: If the Navajo Nation fails to pay rent for Dineh living on HPL, the "Agreement" is terminated without recourse effective immediately, contingent upon a 30-day period elapsing after written demand for payment to the Navajo Nation. No back-up is given in case the Navajo Nation fails to pay rent. We pray that you stop this policy of Genocide and Ethnic cleansing upon residents of HPL. Please recommend that violations of HPL residents Constitutional rights be heard before the Supreme Court. Is it not time finally for justice to be served? We pray for justice, cc: Steve Heeley, Staff Director, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, 838 Senate Hart Office Building, Washington, DC fax # 202/228-2862 Attorney General Janet Reno, U.S. Department of Justice, Box 23795 (L'Enfant Plaza Station), Washington, DC 20026 fax # 202/514-4371 Attention: Elsa Stamatopdou, Centre for Human Rights, United Nations, Room S-2914, New York, NY 10017 fax # 212/963-4097 President Albert Hale, The Navajo Nation, P.O. Box 9000, Window Rock, AZ 86515 fax # 520/871-4025 Attorney General Herb Yazzie, The Navajo Nation, P.O. Box 9000, Window Rock, AZ 86515 fax # 520/871-6177 President William B. Clinton, the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20026 fax # 202/456-2461 e-mail president@whitehouse.com` David E. Lombardi, Jr., Chief Court Mediator, Settlement Program, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Court, 121 Spear St., P.O. Box 193939, San Francisco, CA 94119-3939 Katherine Hazard, Appellate Section, Environment & Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, P.O. Box 23795, L'Enfant Plaza Station, Washington, DC 20026 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Honorable Senator John McCain, Chairman and Members Senate Committee on Indian Affairs 838 Senate Hart Office Building Washington, DC 20510 fax # 202/228-2862 April Dear Senator John McCain and Members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, HPL RESIDENTS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS HAVE BEEN VIOLATED WHY THEIR CASE NEEDS TO BE HEARD BEFORE THE U.S. SUPREME COURT Hopi Partition Land (HPL) residents need your understanding and your help. We urge you Senator John McCain, Chairman and members of the Senate Committee to consider their unalienable Constitutional rights. We request that the Senate Committee recommend that the U.S. Supreme Court hear their concerns for the following reasons: The U.S. Constitution supersedes all U.S. Codes, federal laws and regulations. The U.S. Constitution guarantees certain unalienable rights to every U.S. citizen regardless of race, color or creed. HPL residents demand their unalienable Constitutional rights denied to them under the terms of the proposed Accommodation Agreement. HPL residents demand equal enforcement, applicability and protection of U.S. laws and the U.S.Constitution with non-native peoples and their land. The U.S. Constitution, Amendment XIV states: "No State (Tribe) shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the U.S.; nor shall any State (Tribe) deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Due process means that the proposed Agreement cannot be introduced for a vote on the Senate floor until a final decision is made by the Supreme Court. Due process means that HPL residents should be able to be tried by their peers. However, under the terms of the Agreement, Dineh living on HPL would be tried by Hopi citizens in the Hopi tribal court. This is hardly an impartial jury of their peers that cannot be expected to fairly deliberate a case regarding HPL residents. HPL residents are also denied the ability to retain Navajo Nation legal representation when tried in the Hopi tribal, foreign court. The U.S. Constitution, Amendment XV states: "The right of citizens of the U.S. to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the U.S. or by any State (Tribe) on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Under the terms of the Accommodation Agreement, HPL residents are denied the right to vote in the elections of the Hopi government even though they will be subject to full Hopi jurisdiction and are bound by all Hopi laws. HPL residents are denied the right to elect delegates from each of the affected HPL communities and obtain seats with voting power in the Hopi Tribal Council, even though they are subject to all present and future laws that they may create. The U.S. Constitution, Amendment IV states: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause." HPL residents are denied the right to be secure in their homes. They are subject to on-going harassment, threats and nocturnal visits by para-military equipped Hopi Rangers. HPL residents are denied the right to protect their property from unreasonable search and seizure and are subjected to livestock impoundment's, often done without providing proper notice as required by law. We request application of the hardship clause under Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) grazing regulations. Robert Carolin, Superintendent, Hopi BIA Agency, Keams Canyon, AZ, must cease impounding resident's livestock. We request that you grant a hardship grazing permit for Rena Babbitt Lane, an HPL resident whose livestock was confiscated, and for all HPL residents. They must be able to protect their livestock, their primary means of survival. The U.S. Constitution, Amendment I states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." HPL residents are being denied the right to Free Exercise of Religion. In 1988 the main preliminary injunction was held of the Manybeads lawsuit, challenging forced relocation as a violation of the First Amendment right. Witnesses testified about the impacts that forced relocation, the construction freeze, livestock impoundment, has on the practice of traditional Navajo religion. And although the Manybeads law suit prompted the mediation process, Religious concerns have still not been adequately addressed. Estimates of 50% of those that relocated have died from alcoholism, suicide and emotional abuse. Many HPL residents only see their relatives that have relocated when they attend their funeral. We pray that you stop this policy of Genocide and Ethnic cleansing upon residents of HPL. Please recommend that violations of HPL residents Constitutional rights be heard before the Supreme Court. Is it not time finally for justice to be served? We pray for justice, cc: Steve Heeley, Staff Director, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, 838 Senate Hart Office Building, Washington, DC fax # 202/228-2862 Attorney General Janet Reno, U.S. Department of Justice, Box 23795 (L'Enfant Plaza Station), Washington, DC 20026 fax # 202/514-4371 Attention: Elsa Stamatopdou, Centre for Human Rights, United Nations, Room S-2914, New York, NY 10017 fax # 212/963-4097 President Albert Hale, The Navajo Nation, P.O. Box 9000, Window Rock, AZ 86515 fax # 520/871-4025 Attorney General Herb Yazzie, The Navajo Nation, P.O. Box 9000, Window Rock, AZ 86515 fax # 520/871-6177 President William B. Clinton, the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20026 fax # 202/456-2461 e-mail president@whitehouse.com` David E. Lombardi, Jr., Chief Court Mediator, Settlement Program, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Court, 121 Spear St., P.O. Box 193939, San Francisco, CA 94119-3939 Katherine Hazard, Appellate Section, Environment & Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, P.O. Box 23795, L'Enfant Plaza Station, Washington, DC 20026 ÿÿ