_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' O ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ O o O / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' O o O / /-< / /--/ /-- VOLUME 04, ISSUE 040 O o o o o O __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 5 October 1996 O o O KANOHEDA ANIYVWIYA Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin O o O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse Aunchemokauhettittea O ( N A T I V E A M E R I C A N N E W S ) This issue contains articles from NATIVELIT-L, NativeWeb & NATIVE-L listservers; North American Spirit Lodge; UUCP & genie email; Newsgroups: alt.native,igc.indig.education 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 Thanks to Borries Demeler all _Wotanging_Ikche_ (part a) submissions to AISESnet are archived under AISESnet and can be accessed easily by World Wide Web: 1994: http://bioc02.uthscsa.edu/94_dis.html 1995: http://bioc02.uthscsa.edu/95_dis.html 1996: http://bioc02.uthscsa.edu/96_dis.html This is a searchable index to the AISESnet Discussion mailing list database archive, and the keyword "Wotanging" will retrieve all issues for that year. "During the first year, a newly-married couple discovers whether they can agree with each other and be happy -- if not, they part and look for other partners. If we were to live together and disagree, we should be as foolish as the whites. "No indiscretion can banish a woman from her parental lodge. It makes no difference how many children she brings home; she is always welcome. The kettle is over the fire to feed them." __ Black Hawk, Sauk +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! The Minnesota Civil Liberties Union, on behalf of the G. Heileman and Hornell Brewing companies, won an appellate court victory that will allow beer companies to resume selling a malt liquor named after Crazy Horse, the famed Sioux Indian leader and an outspoken opponent of drinking. The Minnesota court of appeals overturned a 1994 state law banning use of American Indian leaders' names as brand names. The court said the law was too specific and violated the free speech rights of the brewer, New York-based Hornell Brewing Co. I do not advocate emulating your enemy. That means you have to become superior at the things it does to become a victor, and I do not want to see any American Indian poison his or her own spirit by trying to be more greedy or more insulting and disrespectful than we have seen the dominant society capable of. Still, it is tempting to wonder how the court would have reacted if the bottler of First Nations Cola decided to distribute a rot-gut whiskey or fortified wine and named it "George Washington Spirits" or "Andrew 'Stoned Wall' Jackson Swamp Fever Swill". My thanks to Ted Burton for adding a language to the banner. He has given us "Aunchemokauhettittea", 'Let us share news' in Nanhigganeuk. Peace! Night Owl , , Gary Night Owl gars@netcom.com (*,*) P. O. Box 672168 gars@juno.com (`-') Marietta, GA 30006, U .S.A. gars@igc.apc.org ===w=w=== gars@genie.com ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- Part A: Usenet and e-mail Part B: NATCHAT and NATIVE-L lists - Peltier Updates - Conferences and Powwows - online - Christmas Clemency Tour - Conspiracy to Defraud - Another Elder Lost - Logging in the Headwaters Complex - Selu and Cyberspace - Save Owain Lake Forest - Good News for the Delawares - Education of Akwesasne Mohawks - ICWA Alert and Update - Increasing Violence in Chiapas - Western Shoshone Hotspring Threatened - Native America Calling - Singing Wolf:A Walk of Hope - Kinsella (More on Wannabes) - NA Foods Given to the World - Poem: Ancient Elders - Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days - Conferences and Powwows - offline --------- "RE: Peltier Updates" --------- Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 13:44:55 -0500 (CDT) From: Freedom Heart Rising Subj: IMPORTANT!!! Peltier Update: and please stand by: UUCP email [Editorial Note: Read all three posts from Freedom Heart, then follow through with calls and letters!] Hello: I just got off the phone with Lisa, at the LPDC. It appears that we were not successful at stopping the transfer of Leonard. The LPDC hears from Leonard daily, and they have not heard anything. They have reason to believe he is in transit. If that is indeed the case, we are now all on stand-by, in case we need to mobilize and take action. As I've explained, transfers for Leonard are very dangerous, and if they mess with him, it is up to us to take action. PLEASE let the BOP know that we hold them accountable for Leonard's safety. I will be talking to the LPDC again tomorrow. In the meantime, Pam has been kind enough to forward this post from alt.native, from the LPDC directly. (see below.) Until we know anything for sure, remember that there are still things you can do. Share what is happening with Leonard with people you think will take action, or tell others. Fax the BOP, and make sure they know we hold them fully accountable for Leonard's welfare. (If you cannot fax, please phone.) Call, email, and write a letter to the President, and urge Executive Clemency for Leonard. If you have copies of the petition, get signatures on them, and mail them to the White House and copies to the LPDC. (Please let me know when you are doing this, so I know how many petitions are going in from this LPSG. Thank you!) If and when the LPDC knows anything, they contact their LPSG's as soon as possible...but there are a lot of us. That is why I check in every so often with them....sometimes daily, when things like this are happening. Lisa knows I will call tomorrow, so if anything happens before then, we will let you know. Anything else you can do? Yes. Pray. And Pam, if you catch an update on alt.native before I do, I greatly appreciate the forwards, and thank you once again for this one. I watch for them, but they are not always there when I look! :-) Thank you most kindly, and my heartfelt thanks to you all: Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1996 11:17:26 -0500 (CDT) Subj: Update: Hello, all: I just spoke with Bill at the LPDC. They have been told that Leonard is indeed at the Springfield Medical Facility. It seems that he arrived there on Wednesday, and was put in the hole. (This is customary when transferring a prisoner, that they are put in the hole for 24 hours. Then, they are supposed to be out of the hole.) However, Leonard is still _in_ the hole. The people at Springfield are not being extremely cooperative. When asked why Leonard is still in the hole, the reply was "we don't move people on Friday." Which means he will be in there until _Monday_! The attorneys got permission for Bill to be allowed to go in and see him tomorrow, which is good. Since the LPDC has not talked directly _to_ Leonard, it is difficult to know how he is, and/or what has transpired. If Bill sees him tomorrow, we will know more. However, I will not know until I contact the LPDC again on Monday, which is the soonest I can reach them. They will know more by then, anyway. In the meantime, please continue to contact the BOP, and tell them that Leonard needs his medical records. He has filled out all the necessary forms, and they are just stalling. He cannot make an informed decision about his own health care, without a copy of his records. And they are _his_. They belong to him. Since he is at the Medical Facility, which is where they did his surgery, it is of utmost importance that he receive those records _quickly_! Contact information for the BOP: The Bureau of Prisons Holc Building 320 First Street NW Washington, DC 20534 Phone #: 202-724-3083 Fax. #: 202-514-6867 (Updated phone number may be: 913-621-3939 Kansas Regional Office +++++ Also, please continue to call, email, fax, write President Clinton at the White House, and urge Executive Clemency for Leonard Peltier. (Please remember when emailing to make your header "LEONARD PELTIER".) You _cannot_ do this too many times! :-) Keep letting them know we want Leonard free, and home, where he should be. Thank you! President Clinton The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC 20500 Comment line: 202-456-1111 (F) 202-456-2461 Email: President@Whitehouse.gov +++++ The LPDC has requested that if you _do_ have any further questions, please _email_ them to: lpdc@idir.net (Peltier Defense Committee) They are very busy with all this, and their phone lines are flooded. They keep the LPSG's notified of anything major. In the meantime, we keep working, and there's a lot of waiting involved. Thanks for caring, working, and waiting. If you pray, please do. While we are sitting at our computers, Leonard sits in the hole, for no reason. We cannot forget that. Thanks. In the Spirit: Freedom Heart freedom@prairienet.org Freedom LPSG FREE LEONARD PELTIER!!! "to the people who struggle for their freedom, i embrace you and send you my love and strength." --Leonard Peltier / POW -- Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 13:06:51 -0500 (CDT) Subject: URGENT!!! Leonard Peltier! O'siyo: I just received a call from the LPDC. Leonard is still being held in solitary, instead of having been released back into the general population, as he should have been. Springfield Medical Facility is _not_ doing what they said they were going to, and have not, all along, since this transfer. There is _NO_ reason why Leonard should still be in solitary. (He has been in there since his transfer last Wednesday. It is customary to hold prisoner's transferred in, in solitary, for 24 hours. This is his 7th day!!!) It is time to move quickly, and effectively. Please phone Warden Koehane at the Springfield Medical Facility. The number is: 1-417-862-7041. There are three points to be made: 1.) There is _no reason_ for Leonard to be held in solitary. 2.) They said he would definitely be released back into the general population yesterday, and it was not done. Why? 3.) We want him released back into the general population, and out of solitary _now_! Please pass this on to people who you think would make the call. We need to get him out of the hole. This is getting ridiculous, to say the very least. Leonard objected to the transfer in the first place. We tried to stop that, unsuccessfully. There is absolutely no reason for him to sit in solitary. Thank you for your help! In the Spirit: Freedom Heart freedom@prairienet.org Freedom LPSG FREE LEONARD PELTIER!!! "to the people who struggle for their freedom, i embrace you and send you my love and strength." --Leonard Peltier / POW -- --------- "RE: Christmas Clemency Tour" --------- Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 23:20:55 -0400 From: Miketben@aol.com Subj: N.A.S.L. - Fwd: xmas tour * NORTH AMERICAN SPIRIT LODGE * FOR YOUR INFO --------------------- Subj: xmas tour Date: 96-10-01 19:38:56 EDT From: MOMFEATHR hi mike have made call to warden for Leonard............the calls must be made before 5 o'clock or they will not get to the warden...............thanks marti PLEASE PUT THIS OUT FOR US THANKS "BRING PELTIER HOME" P.O. BOX 315 NEWPORT, KY 41701 606 431 2346 --- FAX 606 5819458 XMAS CLEMENCY TOUR SET BANKS, RED CROW WESTERMAN SIGNED TO HEADLINE 15 EVENTS U. S. PRESIDENTS USUALLY GRANT PARDONS, AND EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY ORDERS A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE X MAS HOLIDAYS we are requesting all Leonard Peltier supporters to give an extra push this '96 holiday season asking President Clinton to bring Peltier Home. Dennis Banks AIMS NATION FIELD DIRECTOR, and Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman, noted entertainer and featured actor will headline a Xmas Clemency Tour for Peltier, beginning Nove. 30th in San Francisco, California, ending in Chicago December 23rd. This tour will be done in the same style as a Presidential election!!!! Which means; TOUR BUSSES, NATIVE MUSIC, NATIVE BANDS, NATIVE POETRY, TRADITIONAL DRUMMING, SINGING & DANCING. NON NATIVE MUSICIANS AND POETS ARE WELCOME AS WELL. If you know anyone who would be interested in joining this tour have them contact the INTERNATIONAL BRING PELTIER HOME CAMPAIGN OFFICES IN KENTUCKY. should be financially able to return home after the tour is over and assume their own cost of travel. ALL EXPENSES ON THE ROAD WILL BE COVERED. THE TOUR DATE SITE CONTACT PERSON/# Nov 30 San Francisco Toby Dubes 415 388 4732 Dec 2 Chico, Ca. Lynell Smith 916 895 1171 Dec 4 Flagstaff, Az Lindy Jim 520 774 4991 Dec 5 Phoenix Vernon Foster Dec 7 Santa Fe Tosh/benito 505 466 2884 Dec 8 Albq TBA Dec 10 Ok City TBA DEC 11 Tulsa TBA DEC 13 Lawrence, Ks Gloria Lowe 918 266 1423 Dec 14 Iowa TBA DEC 17 Bemidji, Mn TBA Dec 19-20 Mpls/St Paul mn TBA Dec 22 Oneida, Wisc D Powless 414 869 2641 Dec 23 Chicago, Ill Ed 2 Rivers 312 728 6756 ALL DATES ARE FIXED!!!!! WE ARE ALSO PUTTING OUT A CALL FOR SOUND EQUIPMENT AND LIGHTING. IF YOU OR YOUR COMPANY COULD LEND US THE SOUND WE WILL RETURN IT AS SOON AS WE FINISH THE TOUR. DJB/FW/LP --------- "RE: Another Elder Lost" --------- Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 15:01:41 +500 From: "Trika" Subj: Another Elder Lost UUCP email Another respected Elder lost. Sad news of another Comanche speaker lost, if you have not already heard. Forrest Kassanavoid, Comanche teacher of Indiahoma, OK, passed away Friday, September 20, 1996 after a long illness. For those who did not know him, he was one of the finest language teachers and resources on Comanche culture and history. He was a member f the Comanche codetalker unit in WWII (there are now 3 remaining). He collaborated with lots of anthropologists, linguists & museum directors, etc. He taught a community Comanche class for adults in Indiahoma. Forrest will be missed by all his students and friends. Subeet' ma, Trika --------- "RE: Selu and Cyberspace" --------- Date: 27 Sep 1996 02:25:51 GMT From: Dennis McClain-Furmanski Subj: Selu and Cyberspace: Marilou Awiakta Newsgroup: alt.native [Note from Dennis: If it's not entirely clear that this was my experience of her words -- very little was actually direct quote -- please make a note of that? I'm sure my words weren't spoken as well as hers, and I want to be sure this is understood. And thank you for asking.] It is my honor to be able to pass along to you, with permission, something of the words of Marilou Awiakta as spoken at Radford University, Sept. 26, 1996, in the keynote address for the Year of Corn and Culture. I am writing from memory, and apologize in advance for any mistakes and for not being able to provide more of what she said. Marilou Awiakta is Cherokee from eastern Tennessee, and is proud to consider herself Appalachian. Her most recent book, "Selu: Seeking the Corn Mother's Wisdom" was released in 1994. It contains stories and poems of both personal and spiritual natures. Her first book "Abiding Appalachia" is one of poetry, and her second "Rising Fawn and the Fire Mystery" is a children's book. Before she spoke, the audience was told that this year Radford University received a grant of 376 acres of land from a donor, and raised $400,000 for a building going on that land. This is to be the Selu Conservancy, a study center for environmental sciences, a recreation area and a retreat for creative artists. It is five miles from the main campus in the Appalachian hills along the New River. There is already a garden of corn growing there, a companion to the garden of corn growing on campus. Marilou Awiakta's talk was on "Keeping Connection: Selu, Cyberspace and Our Appalachian Heritage." She began by telling of herself and her family's history, a Scotsman marrying a Cherokee in the late 1700's in southwestern Virginia. Her family has been Appalachian residents for seven generations. She spoke on the need for people to be connected -- to each other as well as all other things. She began thinking about this upon the birth of her grandson a few months ago, and very soon after watched a TV show about the internet. She saw a parallel between the internet, particularly the World Wide Web, and the way the world works. She illustrated her idea by having eight people stand in a circle and pass a ball of string back and forth between them until they had formed a web. She had them hold it tight so that all could see the shape, then had one let go. This cause the web to lose its shape, showing how the loss of one affects all. She then spoke of her experience in living in Appalachia among people who are kind and friendly. Her good experiences showed in her manner of speaking, as she had good to say about everyone she mentioned. She also spoke of her experience with the coming of technology, which helped raise Appalachia out of poverty. She claimed great respect for the science and technology and the people who do these things, with the understanding that although they can be misused, they can also do much good. She told of Marie and Pierre Curie first seeing Radium glowing in their lab and being awed by the constant light, but not knowing better, they started carrying it around with them. Not knowing enough of the power of what they had discovered, they caused themselves great harm. She hoped that people would learn to learn more about their great successes to avoid the damage they can do. She spoke of corn, and particularly of the lessons of life that can be learned from it. It demands respect in the way of a great deal of work in order for it to bear fruit, but when treated with respect can provide food for many. She quotes an encyclopedia which stated that many people came to the this continent on a "bridge of corn". Also from the article was the history of the spread of corn to the rest of the world. Both the African/Arab traders and the Chinese came here before 1,000 CE and took corn back with them to their homes. She connected the science which described the emergence of corn (discovered by a woman botanist for which she earned the Nobel prize), terms a "catastrophic sexual transmutation" with the spiritual description of corn being "a gift from the creator". She said these were the same thing in different words. She ended her talk by describing an ear of corn, showing all colors when it is dried. Brown, yellow, white, red, black, around and around the ear of corn, each with its own place, and each fitting perfectly side by side with the others around it. And this was where she ended, saying that the picture of a well balanced world lived in an ear of corn. She closed her talk with a dance, playing first the North drum, then the South drum, and then the North again, and having the audience dance in front of their seats. It has been my pleasure and honor to be allowed to share my experience of Marilou Awiakta's words. "The Law of Respect is in the seed. Remember." -- Marilou Awiakta --------- "RE: Good News for the Delawares" --------- Date: Thu, 26 Sep 96 08:09:00 PDT From: "Cade, Susan, , SAM-GNFB" Subj: Good News for the Delawares Forwarded email I just got a phone call from my mother telling me that the Delaware tribe has had their Federal Recognition status RETURNED after upteen years of legal battles with the BIA and the Oklahoma Cherokee Tribe. My mother (Nancy Falleaf) stated that she thought she would never see this day arrive in her lifetime. I'm so happy that she has... The elders are rejoicing along with all the tribal members. We will no longer be known to as "The Delawares, adopted tribe of the Cherokees"... I would like for all of you the send the Delaware Chief, Curtis Zunigha, a email note to congratulate him for his persistence in following this issue through . He put in many, many long hours in meetings with other tribal chiefs gaining support, traveling many miles to meet with the Cherokee Chief, drafting correspondence , traveling to DC many times to meet with the BIA (Ada Deer and lawyers) and working along side of the Delaware tribal lawyer, who I might add, KNEW HER STUFF !! Her research was awe inspiring!!!! And of course the many other tribal members who helped bring this day around. We will no longer have to sing that familiar song "LET OUR PEOPLE GO" Please help me spread the happy news to any member of the Delaware Tribe (Lenape) located in other parts of the country or abroad.... You can contact the Chief and council members at the following address.. you might want to visit their web site also http://www.cowboy.net/native/lenape.mail2.html Susan Cade, Delaware (Federally Recognized Tribal Member) smile :) --------- "RE: ICWA Alert and Update" --------- Date: 96-09-28 00:15:58 EDT From: KarenJG@gnn.com (Karen J Gould) Subj: N.A.S.L.: ICWA Amendments Alert and Update * NORTH AMERICAN SPIRIT LODGE * FOR YOUR INFO The Senate passed Senator McCain's bill (S.1962) amending the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 last night (9/26/96). This bill includes most of the proposals suggested by the National Congress of American Indians in the June Tulsa meeting, including timely notification of tribes regarding an Indian Child being placed for adoption or foster care, and penalties for adoption agencies and lawyers who mis-represent the Indian ancestry of a child to avoid invoking the protections of the ICWA. A "companion" bill introduced in the House by Rep. Don Young of Alaska (H.R. 3828) is ready to be acted upon. This bill is essentially the same as the McCain bill. Cynthia Ahwinona, staff member of the House Committee on Resources, reports that they are attempting to get Rep. Young's bill on the schedule for a floor vote later today (9/27/96). If they are successful, the bill will go to President Clinton for his signature. These bills grew out of an attempt to prevent another amendment to the ICWA which would have directly attacked Tribal Sovereignty by allowing courts to decide which children are "indian enough" to be protected by the ICWA. That bill (H.R. 3286) is essentially dead. While Senator McCain's and Rep. Young's bills enjoy widespread support among many Native American groups, some Native American groups and activists are concerned that the bills do not directly prohibit use of the "Existing Indian Family Doctrine" which has been used in some cases to avoid invoking the protections of the ICWA in some adoptions. More information on the history of these bills can be found at: http://members.gnn.com/karenjg/ICWA_Info/homepage.htm Karen Life is a Rorschach test. It's what you make of it that counts. --------- "RE: Western Shoshone Hotspring Threatened" --------- Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 16:55:47 -0700 (PDT) From: "Byron C. Pickett" <74642.3551@CompuServe.COM> Subj: Western Shoshone Hotspring Threatened Mailing List: NativeWeb Protect Western Shoshone Lands Oro Nevada Mining Company Crescent Valley Nevada Native American land WESTERN SHOSHONE DEFENSE PROJECT P.O.Box 211106, Crescent Valley,NV. 89821 Ph:(702)468-0230 Fax:(702)468-0237 Canadian Mining Company Threatens Western Shoshone Hot Spring September 8th, 1996 The Dann family of the Western Shoshone Nation, the Western Shoshone Defense Project, and the Western Shoshone National Council are asking for your immediate assistance in protecting a site of cultural/spiritual significance. Oro Nevada Mining Company has filed a Notice of Intent with the Bureau of Land Management to conduct exploratory drilling for gold directly on top of a hot spring located approximately one mile south of the Dann ranch in Crescent Valley, Nevada. The drilling is scheduled to start in early September and may begin any day now. The Danns and the W.S.N.C. have informed the B.L.M. and the mining company that the hot spring and the surrounding area is extremely important spiritually and culturally and requested that it not be disturbed by mining activity.In response to these requests Oro Nevada has repeatedly mislead Western Shoshone representative and moved forward with their exploration plans. Past exploratory drilling has destroyed other hot springs in the area. The hot spring adjacent to the Dann ranch is especially vulnerable because of its low flow. The intrusions of mining activity onto their sacred area represents an attack on freedom of religion, a right guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Public pressure must be applied to force the BLM and Oro Nevada to respect the rights of the Western Shoshone and preserve their cultural sites. The U.S. Constitution states that treaties, agreements between sovereign nations, are the supreme law of the land. The 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley between the U.S. and the Western Shoshone Nation remains in effect, affirming the sovereign status of the Western Shoshone and recognizing the boundaries of their territory. The destruction of cultural sites and water sources was clearly not intended to be permitted through the Treaty of Ruby Valley. Oro Nevada's activities fall within the boundaries of the Western Shoshone Nation and violate the Treaty and the U.S. Constitution. Oro Nevada Mining Company first appeared in the Crescent Valley area in early spring 1996, staking claims on most of the so-called public lands surrounding the Dann ranch. In July 1996 Oro Nevada purchased the neighboring Dean Ranch, 48,276 acres of private land spread across the Dann's traditional use area. In total, Oro Nevada controls over 94,000 acres of land in the Crescent Valley area. The company is completely owned by Oro Nevada Resources Inc. of Toronto, Ontario Canada and selling stock through the MVP Capital Corporation, also of Toronto. They were able to raise 40 million dollars almost overnight to fund the purchase of the Dean Ranch and their exploration activities in Crescent Valley. One of the founding directors is a wealthy Canadian geologist named Ian Parks who has connections with mining ventures around the world. The Danns live on one of the few areas surrounding the world famous "Carlin Trend" ore body that has not been extensively explored or impacted by gold mining ventures. These activities by Oro Nevada represent the final invasion of trans-national gold mining ventures on the traditional lands of the Dann family. The potential of these activities to destroy the hot spring and other cultural sites represents not only an attack on the Dann family but on the cultural integrity of the Western Shoshone Nation. The destruction of sacred sites is an attempt at the destruction of the spirit. These acts constitute genocide against the Western Shoshone Nation. 1. Phone calls, faxes and letters area needed to the BLM and Oro Nevada. Calls and faxes are better because of the immediacy of the situation. Important points to make are: The Danns and the Western Shoshone National Council have asked that no drilling or other mining activities occur in Section 10, Township 28 North, Range 49 East, the area containing the hot spring. The United States government has still failed to provide documentation on how they acquired legal title to Western Shoshone lands. Until they prove title has been legally transferred, the Western Shoshone retain their rights and responsibilities towards their traditional territory. Mining companies and the Federal government must respect the wishes of the Dann family and the Western Shoshone Nation. The U.S. Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion. This freedom is meaningless if the sites connected to the practice of the religion are destroyed. Other laws protecting cultural sites such as the American indian Religious Freedom Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act have been ignored in regards to the drilling around the hot spring. Hot springs are rare and represent places of very significant cultural and spiritual value to the Western Shoshone. If a hot spring is destroyed it cannot be replaced. Drilling has damaged or destroyed hot springs in the past. The destruction of these sacred places represents a continued genocide against the Western Shoshone. You support the Western Shoshone in their desire for the hot spring and other cultural areas to remain undisturbed. The following individuals and companies should be contacted immediately and frequently: Anne Morgan State Director Bureau of Land Management 850 Harvard Way P.O.Box 12000 Reno, Nevada 89520-0006 Ph: 702-785-6400 fax: 702-785-6411 Helen Hankins District Manager Elko BLM P.O. 831 Elko, Nevada 89803
Ph: 702-753-0200 fax: 702-753-0255 Robert Allen Jones President Oro Nevada Mining Company 6490 South McCarran Blvd. Building D-1, Suite 34 Reno, Nevada 89509 Ph: 702-825-7499 fax: 702-825-5277
Peter M. Slocombe Investment Manager Oro Nevada Resource Inc. 20 Adelaide St. East, Suite 200 Toronto, Ontario M5C 2T6 Ph: 416-368-2985 fax 416-368-5201 Margaret Jamieson MVP Capital Corp. Box 28 20 Adelaide St. East, Suite 200 Toronto, Ontario M5C 2T6 Ph: 416-867-1100 fax: 416-867-1109 2. People may be needed to participate in protests on non-violent civil disobedience to protect the hot spring and other cultural sites in the area. This would be a last resort if other avenues fail to persuade the BLM or Oro Nevada. Call us if you would be able to come out to Crescent Valley to assist. Please remember that the Western Shoshone continue to abide by the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley, a treaty of "Peace and Friendship" with the United States. We are committed to non-violence. Firearms, drugs and alcohol are strictly prohibited! Please call us first if you come out! 3. Donations of money and office supplies are always need. Research is needed on Oro Nevada and its Canadian relations. We are especially interested in discovering what individuals and/or companies have invested in oro Nevada Resource Inc. or MVP Capital Corp. PLEASE CONTACT THE W.S.D.P. FOR MORE INFORMATION! --------- "RE: Singing Wolf:A Walk of Hope" --------- Date: 96/09/26 19:52 From: Suzan Horovitch (a.horovitch@genie.com) Subj: Singing Wolf: A Walk of Hope genie email SINGING WOLF: A WALK OF HOPE Nov. 28, 1994 in Victoria , British Columbia the journey of hope started. Singing Wolf, dedicated to a better way of life for his people began on his mission to raise money for a nation wide 1 - 800- HOPE line. Singing Wolf believes that through sincerity and commitment this can be accomplished. He began his walk to raise peoples awareness of the affects that drugs and alcohol are having on all societies, Native and Non Native peoples. "I believe we can all come together in a good way and take a serious look at what drugs and alcohol are doing to our lives, especially our youth. I want to get the message out to the kids that there are people that care" he says. The Hope Line will be run by Elders and youth counsellors and available to all who need help. Singing Wolf stopped along the Trans Canada and in small communities to speak. He says many youth feel a real sense of despair, with suicide the leading killer in Native youths. " If this helps just one person - saves one life' it's worth it." he says. The hardest part of his walk across Canada was not the loneliness or the physical discomfort such as going without food or sleeping in the bush but the hardest was leaving behind the people he came to know. Singing Wolf is Plains Cree from Edmonton. He was motivated to start the walk because he had lost dear friends to alcohol and drugs. He collected beads throughout his journey which he strings on a sinew. These represent the Beads of Hope, the joining of hands across the country. He carried with him two symbols of unity, a flag filled with signatures of Chiefs, youth and teachers and a beaded medallion that has the circular symbol of the four colours of the human race being red, yellow, black and white. Also an Eagle Feather travelled with him. The feather was given to him by the Stolo Nation and is handed down to the Chief, Elders and Pipe Carriers in whose care he may be in as he passed through the Native Territories. On August 29, 1996 singing Wolf arrived at Mile 0 in St. John's Nfld and dipped his flag in the Atlantic Ocean. The walk ended but the work goes on. In order to set up the Hope Line, much more funding is needed. Please help our youth. Tax deductible donations can be sent to: The Beads of Hope Foundation, Suite 101, 2552 Vancouver St. Victoria, BC V8T 4A7 or to make a toll free pledge call the Beads of Hope Foundation Pledge Line 1-800-808-W.O.L.F or go to any Royal Bank in Canada and deposit your donation in the Beads of Hope Foundation Account: #08000-103-4735 --------- "RE: Kinsella (More on Wannabes)" --------- Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 07:40:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Larry Kibbey Subj: Kinsella Mailing List: NATIVELIT To Whom it may concern: Some of us grew up in the predominate white world, attending parochial and public schools, living in a society that provided us with none of our cultural concerns, which we may have gotten living in our own environment. Years ago, many of our people, stolen from their homes and forced into the boarding schools, some adopted out to all white families, some born and raised in the city, never seeing reservation life, never knowing any form of ancestral culture, only knowing that they were Indian, and those who were adopted out, some never ventured on to find their families, their roots, other's searched. At 48 years old, I have always lived in Shoshone Country or so it seems, however, I have lived on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in Idaho and the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Oregon and currently reside on the Elko Indian Colony in Nevada, but, I am not either a tribal member here, or of Ft. Hall or of the Warm Springs reservation, I am a Wiyot(Weott) of Northern California. There are three Rancherias with Wiyot's on them. I can leave Nevada and go to California to these three Rancheria's and ask about my relatives, and somehow, some way, someone would tell me my family history, just by saying who my grandparents were or who my aunts and uncles were, like most people would know Dave Kibby Sr. from Smith River, my late uncle. My son, who does not really know his family on my side, because we only go to California once in a while, I've told, that in the event anything ever happens to me, all he would need to do is go into California, to one of the three Rancherias and there he would find family. What I'm saying here is, governments don't have the most constructive form of keeping records, but tribal elder's have a very unique record keeping system all their own and they have always had this, someone, knows, someone has kept information of who is related and for the most part, if you can not find it there, tribes have data or historical family records with respect to blood and relations, and then maybe there is no one left and your the only one left, so everyone will have to believe you. Once, during the years I was partying, I met an Indian boy in the Sacramento County jail, I asked him how long he had been Indian and he told me, 6 months. He had been adopted out when he was a baby and didn't know his family, although he knew from what tribe he was from. I ran into him several months later, he was working and told me that he was finally going home, he had found his family, all just by going to the Sacramento B.I.A. and asking for help to locate his people. We meet people everyday of our lives, they say,"I am Indian although I can't prove it, what should I do?" These people, many of them search hard, while others make excuses that the tribes won't help or they can't find any information because all the records are lost and they get mad at us, because they say we don't understand or care. The problem in this is, people normally claim they don't have the time or money to search, they just want to be accepted for what they are claiming to be and whether there is proof or not, that shouldn't bother anyone, only some of these people decided to sell our ceremonies, our medicines, they have abused and misused something they had no right to, while yet others cry out,"thats not what I'm going to do, I just want to be Indian!" And they force theirselves on a people who wonder why it is so important to be Indian. 80 to 100 million Indian people of 600 or 700 tribes lived upon this land, now there is only 2 million, but there is 5 billion waiting to become Indian just at the drop of a pin. To some of us it is sad this issue of so many wanting to be Indian, especially when we have tribes of people who can't even be recognized, when we have tribes who are still fighting for their treaty rights, when we have so many issues going unanswered, when we have so many people still faced with racial problems and all the while we see people claiming to be Indian selling us out, giving away something that doesn't belong to them, telling us that we need to be "Good Indians" and give up our old ways, that their God and Jesus Christ belongs to everyone, that we are U.S. Citizens and we must share our culture, land and be free. There's so much to this issue, but we have talked and no-one listen, we have tried to explain, but no-one cared, our expressions we thought would provide us with some answers, but all we got was excuses, we tried to help people find their own self, and all we got was false prophets, we proclaimed our rights and we're told we didn't have any and that any- one could be Indian. Today, our history is being re-written, some by a people who only dream of how it was, some who write of it to make it appear to be colorful, some who add to it events or matter's that people often wonder where it came from, and some write of it using a name they borrowed, and often now and then, both Indian and Non-Indian write a little truth, and some will write anything in order to get it sold. The history is being written by tribal member's, maybe it will be good, maybe it will contain a matter of truth because much of it has been kept, and then maybe some of it will be written just to produce another dances with wolves..... --------- "RE: NA Foods Given to the World" --------- Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 09:04:01 -0400 From: IlzeC@aol.com Subj: Native America's contributions to the world: FOOD UUCP email Native America's contributions to the world: FOOD It is fitting that November, the month of Thanksgiving, is designated as Native American Month since food is one of the major contributions of Native America, not only to this country but to the world. Of the four basic food crops of the world, two were domesticated by Native Americans---maize (corn) and potatoes. The other two, wheat and rice, are of the Old World. As every American knows, the Pilgrims could not have survived without the generosity and assistance of the Native Americans who supplied corn over the first winter and taught the pilgrims how to grow it and other native crops such as pumpkins, squash, and beans. The harvest of those crops occasioned the first Thanksgiving. All the foods that are traditional on Thanksgiving are Native American---pumpkins, cranberries, squash, potatoes, corn, turkey, the pecans in pecan pie, etc. Ancient Native Americans, primarily in the Andes and Mesoamerica, were the world's premier agronomists. Today they are recognized for their sophistication in plant breeding, propagation, cultivation and food preservation. For example, the Incas used freeze-drying for potatoes making it possible to store them for as long as 5 or 6 years. Jerky, dried meat, was also created by the Incas who called it "charqui" in their native Quechua language. The beautiful terraces of Machu Pichu were apparently agricultural experimental stations where plants were tested with the different angles of sunlight and altitude. Today there is an effort to revive lost agricultural techniques and reintroduce plant foods of the ancient Native Americans, the world's premier agriculturalists. Native Americans cultivated over 300 food crops. Today 3/5 of the crops now in cultivation originated in the so-called New World. The following is a list of the major food crops domesticated by Native Americans and adopted by other parts of the world: Beans - while there were beans in Europe, the American variety were kidney, lima, pinto, wax, navy and common beans. Bean seeds 6 - 7,000 years old were found in an archaeological site in Mexico. They were often eaten with corn and squash and were a good protein source. Cacao or Chocolate - Cortes was served a cacao drink at Montezuma's court and cacao is documented in a Maya codex. The processing of cacao (extraction, drying, roasting and grinding) was copied by the Europeans and is essentially the same today except for the machinery. Cassava - Peruvian origin. Tapioca is derived from it. Along with corn, cassava became an important food crop for Africa ironically ensuring enough population growth to supply the evil slave trade. Corn or maize - Domesticated about 8,000 years ago in Mexico from where its cultivation spread all over the Americas reaching New England about 1200 AD. The many varieties of corn that were developed could grow in different environments from Canada down to S. America. The corn raised in the Corn Belt had its Native American origins: The corn and other crops the village women tended, employing some of the essential dry-farm techniques (such as hoeing to retain soil moisture as much as to remove weeds) that later would be put to use by white settlers on the High Plains, were well attuned to the severe northern climate and eventually provided valuable genetic resources for European farmers' upper Missouri crops. Of 13 types of corn said to have been raised and carefully maintained as pure strains by the long ago Mandans, nine were in existence early this century. A total of 50 relatively pure corn strains have been preserved from the Missouri tribes. Typical yields have short 8 to 12 rowed ears. The names are a pleasure on the tongue: Ree pink; Arikara red; Omaha blue; Mandan soft yellow; Ponca gray; Pawnee red-speckle... (from Magpies Rising, p.102, see below) Peanuts - the peanut became especially popular in Asia and Africa. Chinese and South Asian cooking use peanuts and peanut oil in their cuisine, along with chili peppers. Pecans - were cultivated by Native Americans and are especially favored in the South for Pecan pie. Pepper or chili pepper - domesticated in Mexico, the name "chillies" derives from the Nahuatl word "chili". The Bell pepper, cayenne and Jalapeno peppers all originated in Native America. The black pepper is of the Old World and is a different plant. Native American peppers have changed the cuisines of the world. Along with the tomato, another Native American food, the Bell pepper is a major ingredient in Italian food. Paprika, the main spice of Hungarian and other East European food, is derived from the sweet red pepper. And the spicy cuisines of China, Thailand and Korea are all based on the Native American chili pepper. Potato - It was cultivated thousands of years before the Incas. At the time of European invasion, the Andean people had developed 3,000 varieties of potatoes. Their cultivation had begun to spread into the southwestern United States at the time the Spanish arrived. Along with corn, the potato is a main staple in much of the world and contributed to the population growth in Europe which was the source of the land-hungry immigrants to the United States. It was especially suited for the cold damp weather of northern Europe. Squash - This food along with beans and corn was a major food for Native Americans. Zucchini is not Italian but Native American in origin. As with the rest of the foods on this list, it became a part of the national cuisine. Sunflower - Domesticated by North American natives, it became especially favored in Russia. It is used for oil and animal feed in Europe. Sweet Potato - Became a major food for Chinese commoners. The Chinese also developed noodles from this Native American crop. ( Yams are native to and were domesticated in Africa.) Tomato - Tomatoes, of course, became a main ingredient of Southern Italian cooking but they were also adopted into the cuisines of South Asian cooking. Vanilla - Comes from an orchid vine indigenous to the Caribbean and Central America. It was cultivated and processed by the Totonacs of Mexico 1,000 years ago who called the vanilla bean "tlilxochitl". Vanilla was used as a flavoring, perfume and even as an insect repellent. The Aztecs took it as tribute and from them it was taken by Spain. Vanilla requires longer and more complicated processing than chocolate. Some other crops domesticated and cultivated by Native Americans are: avocados, guavas, papayas and pineapples. Native Americans also taught the settlers how to extract the essence of mints and wintergreen. Much of American cuisine is derived from Native American foods, such as the following: The New England clambake Cranberries Succotash hominy grits cornbread hush puppies popcorn peanuts jerky Cracker Jack (mixture of corn, peanuts and syrup) maple syrup chocolate vanilla pecans for pecan pie cashews Besides corn, tobacco and cotton (a superior strain to the Egyptian variety) were other crops that contributed America's wealth. Postscript: There is a tragic paradox in the fact that Native Americans fed and assisted the early colonists but then suffered hunger and starvation as a result of the European invasion of their homelands. Hunger and starvation were constant companions as they were driven from their fields and homes. Even under the U.S. government, when on the reservations, Native Americans were often short of food or fed rotten meat that made them sick or killed the most vulnerable. One of the most shocking but little known tragedies in Native American history is the nearly 600 deaths from starvation suffered by the Blackfeet on their reservation in the winter of 1883/84. Sources: The Blackfeet: raiders of the Northwestern Plains by John C. Ewers. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1958. Chilies to chocolate: food the Americas gave the world. Nelson Foster and Linda S. Cordell, eds. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1992. Indian givers: how the Indians of the Americas transformed the world by Jack Weatherford. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1988. Magpie rising: sketches from the Great Plains by Merrill Gilfillan. Boulder, Colorado: Pruett Publishing Co., 1988 Seeds of change: quincentennial commemoration, edited by Herman J. Viola and Carolyn Margolis. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991. Additional sources on Native American contributions to this country. Extraordinary American Indians by Susan Avery and Linda Skinner. Chicago: Childrens Press, 1992. I have not seen this book but an adult friend found useful information about Ely Parker, for example. It would probably be good for a school project. Native roots: how the Indians enriched America by Jack Weatherford. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1992. As the author of Indian givers listed above, Weatherford provides information on the great extent that this country is indebted to Native America for its standard of living, political theories, wealth, etc. His two books ought to enlighten the ignorant who believe that Native Americans were irrelevant to this country's history and development into a world power. Jack Weatherford deserves a lot of credit for giving Native Americans the recognition that is due them in his two books. Hopefully, Native American children will read them so as to be rightfully proud of their heritage as well as prepared to educate the bigots and the ignorant. --------- "RE: Poem: Ancient Elders" --------- Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 18:16:44 -0700 From: Gordon Bainbridge Subj: Ancient Elders UUCP email I was hiking today in the golden hills and through the ancient redwoods that are my neighbors. The elders among them stood before Columbus they've seen it all, Coast Miwoks living, hunting, loving here forever, believing it would always be so, Spanish conquistadors, Mexican land grantees, Anglo pillagers and builders, and they will continue to stand silent vigil long after the last human who remembers me has passed from this earth. The elders among these trees towered over the ancient trading paths, for untold generations shared by two leggeds and four, and still tower over them today as they slip back to simple deer trails unnoticed by those who race by on asphalt trails. These elders have seen their cousins cut and hauled away to rebuild San Francisco after the great quake, or to build fences, or just to clear the land, always so that someone can get make a few bucks, but they survived it all, and still stand mute, reminding all who will come with a soul that is open and quiet of what has gone before, and that our world too can crumble, and be forgotten overnight. --------- "RE: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days" --------- Date: 96/09/25 01:38 From: Debra F. Sanders (dfsanders@genie.geis.com) Subj: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days genie email A HAWAIIAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of October 6-12 KEPAKEMAPA (September) (Mahoe Hope) 6 Walk in the paths illuminated by the moon. 7 I hear the bright music of the waterfall in my dreams. 8 Know what you want from life, ... and never give up until you find it. 9 The plover, kolea, rushes from place to place, stopping only a little while to enjoy his surroundings. 10 All places are here; all time is now. 11 Each person's perception of the world is a little different. 12 In life, there is no end of possibilities. (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, 3 October 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 Date: Tue, 01 Oct 1996 09:38:07 -0700 From: Doug Ginnings Subj 1996 Texas Indian Education Conference, Dallas Texas, Oct 18 & 19 The 1996 Texas Indian Education Conference will be held on October 18 & 19, 1996 in Dallas, Texas. The Conference is jointly sponsored by the American Indian Resource and Education Coalition (Texas non-profit/intertribal organization) and the American Indian Education Program of the Dallas Independent School District. This event is aimed at both Indian parents and students and at public school teachers who teach Indian children, or who teach about American Indians. Cultural events include Mississippi Choctaw Stickball games and Stomp Dance Exhibition. For more information on the conference or AIREC on the World Wide Web, go to: http://pages.prodigy.com/FGPP76A/96indned.htm or contact Susan Ginnings, AIREC Secretary at mailto:fggp76b@prodigy.com ============================= Date: 1 Oct 1996 11:51:42 GMT From: crawford@bscr.uga.edu Subj: Upcoming Toli game On Saturday October 5th, at 2:00 PM the Mississippi Choctaw will send one of their best teams, the team from the Connehatta Community, to meet the University of Georgia's Flying Rat Toli Team in a game commonly referred to as "The Little Brother of War". The Game will be played in Moundville, Alabama (15 miles south of Tuscaloosa) as part of their annual Native American Festival. In addition to the Toli demonstration, there will be Native American crafts, dancing and other activities designed to entertain and educate. For more information about the upcoming activities in Moundville, contact Gene . For more information about the game called Toli, keep reading, or, check out the TOLI WEB SITE which is full of info and graphics about Toli and the Choctaw who play it, so point your browser to: http://www.uga.edu/~toli ---------------------------------------------------------------- Toli is a traditional Native American game that has been played for at least 400 years. It has also been called the "little brother of war", as it has, at one time, been used to settle disputes between tribes. These games often involved hundreds of people per team, were played on fields that were several miles long, and lasted from sunrise to sunset. How is it played? Toli is a very fast moving game with very few rules. The action is continuous, there are no time outs, fouls, first downs, out of bounds, or free throws. We have no penalty box, no first base coaches, no off sides, and no walks. There are two written rules: 1. You can not touch the ball (a rock, wrapped in cloth then laced with leather cord) with your hands, and; 2. You can only tackle the person who has possession of the ball. This second rule is a bit fast-and- loose since "body checks are legal and the distinction between a body check and a tackle is pretty subtle. In addition to these two official rules, the Flying Rats have adopted two more rules to keep the game a bit more user friendly: 1. No "slide tackles", and ; 2. No hitting people with your sticks (sticks get broken this way). The point of the game is to bring the ball (called the towa) into contact with your team's goal (a 13' high, approximately 9" diameter pole) There are two ways of doing this in Toli. The first (and safest) is to throwing it using your sticks (called kapucha) of which you have two, each one being 2'-3' long with leather "baskets" 2"-3" wide at one end). The second is by touching the goal with your sticks while holding the ball in them. This latter method tends to result in great bodily harm since the defense will stop at nothing to keep you away from the goal when you have the ball. After each point and at the beginning of each quarter the ball is brought to the center of the field and tossed up in the midst of a circle of players (in a manner analogous to a "tip off" in basketball). Fall Quarter Practices are at 4:00 PM every Sunday on Field #8 of the Intramural Fields. Everyone is welcome to play and all necessary equipment required (i.e. the sticks) is provided free of charge. For more information please contact Gene Crawford: E-mail or by phone 542-2682. FOR MORE DETAILS SEE OUR WEB PAGE! http://www.uga.edu/~toli --------------------------------------------- From: chizzi@juno.com (Ron Duncan) Subj: Tribal taxation conference Sorry for the delay in responding to the requests for more information regarding our tribal taxation conference. Most of the staff working on this have been sick, me included! Anyway, there will be a tribal taxation conference to be held from October 23 to 25, 1996, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to talk about tribal tax administration. We had a conference last year about the same time and it went extremely well. The topics this year include natural resources taxes, fuel taxes, and an exercise in developing a tax program, but the emphasis is on information sharing. The reason why we are doing this again is because there are many tribes who have or want to start a tax program. We are interested in sharing this information with other tribes regarding common issues, and what strategies we all have developed in tribal tax administration. The states regularly meet to discuss such matters, especially how to handle Indian tribes now exerting their taxing jurisdiction. In the same manner, we need to share information on how to deal with states trying to exert taxing jurisdiction within Indian country. Please give us a call to the Navajo Tax Commission if this interests you especially if your tribe is just starting out in taxation issues. You can call us at (800) 871-6681. There is a conference fee of $175 to cover the costs for meeting rooms. If you're interested in being a panelist, definitely give us a call. Ron Duncan Office of the Navajo Tax Commission Window Rock, AZ ----------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1996 15:36:46 -0400 From: Sandy Cooper Subj: Powwow / Virginia 2nd Annual Indian Summer Powwow, October 12 & 13, 1996. Saturday 10am - 8pm & Sunday 10am - 6pm. Admission: Adults - $6.00 Kids (6-12) - $3.00 5 and under free Really great Powwow, located in Roanoke County, Va., Greenhill Park. For information call George Whitewolf at 804-929-0334 or Roanoke County Parks and Recreation 540-387-6086. Visit Barewisdom (Native American Support) Table for the latest info on many native issues, and FREE LEONARD PELTIER updates and information. ================================== Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1996 22:12:13 -0700 From: "Joanna Nanake (Earth Girl) Soto Aviles" Subj: Lenni Lenape "Time of Thanksgiving" Festival Invitation Tau, Hola, Hello, Chief Peter Guanikeyu Torres asked that I re-issue the Lenni Lenape's invitation to attend their upcoming festival. It is the Chief's wish that the Jatibonuco Taino Tribe of Southern New Jersey and the Taino Inter-Tribal Council, as well as the general public, attend this event. As a Board Member of the Lenni Lenape Historical Society/Museum of Indian Culture, I can assure you all that we will be well received and will have a very enjoyable time! The Lenni Lenape Historical Society/The Museum of Indian Culture 2825 Fish Hatchery Road Allentown, Pennsylvania 18103-9801 Invites the public to attend our next annual outdoor event: A Time of Thanksgiving Sunday, October 13, 1996 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Parking is a $2.00 a car donation. Please bring your own seating. NO PETS ALLOWED. Please note that the Museum is NOT open during the event. There will be Drumming, Dancing, Food, and Vendors at this event. Additional Drummers, Dancers, and Vendors are Welcome! For more information, including camping arrangements, call (610) 797-2121. ----------------------------------------------------------------- HELP PRESERVE AMERICA'S CULTURAL HERITAGE! By becoming a member of the Lenni Lenape Historical Society, you will be helping one of the finest small cultural museums in the country to preserve and share a local Indian culture. Your support will directly underwrite exhibitions and a wide variety of education programs serving pre-school, school age and special education students of this region. CALL (610) 797-2121 for details. ----------------------------------------------------------------- THE LENNI LENAPE >From the beginning, the Lenni Lenape have played a part in Pennsylvania's cultural history. Their ancestors were the first people to hear the whisperings of nature as they walked through the woods and swam in the streams: their heritage touches everyone who lives in the Commonwealth today. They respected the land and learned to live with nature, developing strong ties to the land, water, air, plants, animals, and other creatures. They were able to survive many changes brought by the settlers because of these ties and beliefs. Although many of the Lenape left the area, many others stayed and today pass along the lifeways of their ancestors for others to share. In 1980, Carla J.S. Messinger and Dorothy S. Schiavone, local Lenape descendants, founded the Lenni Lenape Historical Society to provide accurate, positive information about the Lenape people. Two years later, with the help of numerous volunteers and members, they opened the Museum of Indian Culture on Fish Hatchery road, along the Little Lehigh River in Allentown. The Museum celebrates the Commonwealth's diverse population by sharing Lenape culture from the Lenape point of view, with people of all ages and abilities. The founders have been recognized for their success in sharing the Lenape cultural heritage and encouraging ecological conservation with thousands of visitors. THE MUSEUM OF INDIAN CULTURE The Museum of Indian Culture offers a place for everyone to learn about the Lenni Lenape. They are most readily known as Delaware Indians, the Native Americans who lived in harmony with nature along the Delaware and Hudson Rivers for thousands of years before the "Shouwunnok" (salty people) came. They were hunters and gatherers and then, for 1,000 years before European settlers arrived, they farmed the region of what is now New York, eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. There were three geographic divisions: the Munsee, or Minnisink, lived in the Pennsylvania highlands and New York; the Unami, or river people, lived in what is today the Lehigh Valley region; and the Unilatchigo, or southern people, lived in New Jersey, Delaware, and southern Pennsylvania. EXPLORE the museum, participate in work projects, programs, or festivals, and listen to the words and memories of the Lenape who have lived in this region for thousands of years. TOUR the Museum and grounds, participate in specialized educational programs, and/or utilize the Resource Center. EXPERIENCE Lenape ceremonies. To interpret the importance of corn, the Society presents three annual festivals: Spring Corn Festival, 1st Sunday in May Roasting Ears of Corn Food Fest, 2nd Sunday in August Time of Thanksgiving, 2nd Sunday in October LEARN through the Museum's Educational Services, cultural heritage programs taught from the Lenni Lenape point of view, with slides, stories, artifacts, and games. READ and utilize the materials in the Museum's Resource Center and library. SHOP in the newly-renovated gift shop for crafts and project kits; books on Native American culture, history, arts and crafts, as well as cooking; cassette tapes; posters and cards; and education papers and booklets written by the Society, such as "Moccasin Making," "Clothing Changes," and "The Deer and Its Uses." RELAX in the outdoor Pavilion and enjoy the serene surroundings. (Advance reservations required.) COME TO THE MUSEUM The Lenni Lenape Historical Society is a membership organization, begun in 1980 to provide education opportunities for learning about Lenape lifeways. ,here are numerous opportunities for volunteers to assist with programs, research, and tours. HOURS: General Visitors: Tuesday-Sunday, 12 noon to 3 PM, unless group in progress. Group Educational Programs: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Call to schedule; advanced reservations required. DIRECTIONS: The Museum of Indian Culture is located in The Bieber House at 2825 Fish Hatchery Road in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is leased to the Society by the City of Allentown and is located along the Little Lehigh River, adjacent to the Fish Hatchery. >From Interstate-78, US-22, PA-309, and RT-222 (Hamilton Blvd): Cedar Crest Boulevard (RT-29) south to Fish Hatchery Road, turn left. >From Emmaus: Cedar Crest Boulevard (RT-29) north to Fish Hatchery Road, turn right. >From 24th Street: Turn onto Fish Hatchery Road. I look forward to seeing everyone there! Taino-Ti! ========================================================================== -------------------------------------------------------------------------- --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- 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: Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, Mohawk Nation, Freedom Heart, Ishgooda, Marilou Awiakta abstracted by Dennis McClain-Furmanski, Gordon Bainbridge, Karen J Gould, Ilze, Janet Smith, Debra F. Sanders, Susan Cade, Pam Venn, Byron C. Pickett, Bernard J. Rock, Sr. via Feather Eaglerock, Buffalo Woman, Native Forest Network-ENA, Wesley Laughing-at-me, Bernadette Chato, South and Meso American Indian Rights Center -//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Part B of this newsletter has already been distributed via the NATIVE-L or NATCHAT mailing lists. --------- "RE: Conferences and Powwows - online" --------- Date: Thu, 3 October 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: omoreno@netzone.com (Orlando Moreno) Subj: Annual Orme Dam Celebration Pow-Wow, Fort McDowell, AZ (15-17 Nov.) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) PRESERVING OUR SOVEREIGNTY Annual Orme Dam Celebration Pow-Wow Fort McDowell, Arizona November 15, 16 & 17 1996 Host Drums: RED BULL North Battleford, SASK. STONEY PARK Exshaw, ALBERTA. SO. MEDICINE Window Rock, Arizona. Invited Drum: Eagle Spirit Yakima, Washington (Tentative) M.C: Sammie "Tonkei" White Arena Director: Harrison Cly Gourd Society: Arizona Gourd Society Senior Men & Women Category. 50 yrs & Over. 1st...$700 2nd...$500 3rd...$400 4th...$300 5th...$200 Adult Men & Women Category. 18 to 49 yrs. of Age. Women-Fancy, Jingle, NO. & SO. Buckskin & Cloth. Men-Fancy, Grass, NO. Trad & SO. Straight 1st...$700 2nd...$500 3rd...$400 4th...$300 5th...$200 Teen Boys and Girls Category. 13 to 17 yrs of Age. Girls-Fancy, Jingle, NO. & SO. Buckskin & Cloth. Boys-Fancy, Grass, NO. Trad & SO. Straight 1st...$350 2nd...$250 3rd...$200 4th...$150 5th...$100 Junior Boys & Girls Category. 7 tor12 yrs. of Age. Girls-Fancy, Jingle, NO. & SO. Buckskin & Cloth. Boys-Fancy, Grass, NO. Trad & SO. Straight 1st...$175 2nd...$150 3rd...$125 4th...$100 Tiny Tots Category. Boys & Girls. 0 to 6 yrs. of Age. 1st...$100 2nd...$75 3rd...$50 4th...$25 Team Dancing Contest. 1st...$400 2nd...$300 3rd...$200 4th...$100 Drumming $ Singing Contest. 1st...$2,000 2nd...$1,600 3rd...$1,200 4th...$800 5th...$400 TEEN GIRLS TRADITIONAL SPECIAL...Sponsored By The Tsosie Family FOOD BOOTH...$400 ARTS $ CRAFT - Own Set-up...$250 Events Pow-Wow Committee will not be liable for short fund travelers, accidents or theft. For Information Call: (602) 837-3975 or 837-5121 Alcohol & Drug Free Event Fort McDowell Indian Community - Events Pow-Wow Committee P.O Box 17779 Fountain Hills, Arizona 85269 --------------------------------------------- From: jponze@aba.com (Janita Ponze) Subj: POW WOW: WASHINGTON DC Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Fifth Annual HEALING GLOBAL WOUNDS POW WOW On Washington Monument Grounds Friday Oct 4th (7pm to 10pm) Saturday Oct 5th (1pm to 10pm) Gourd Dance, Saturday at 1pm Sunday Oct 6th (1pm to 5pm) Head Woman Dancer: Melissa Konishi Head Man Dancer: Matthew Harmon MC: Bob Tenequer Arena Director: Dick Baker Host Drum: ALL NATIONS SINGERS, Oakland CA Invited Drums: OTTER TRAIL, New York, NY BLACK EAGLE, Jemez Pueblo, NM ROCKY PARK, Leupp, AZ CEDARTREE, Washington DC No alcohol, weapons, or attitudes allowed For more information contact Native Youth Alliance at 202 234 8631. --------- "RE: Conspiracy to Defraud" --------- Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1996 18:18:13 -0500 From: eaglerok@northernnet.com (feather eaglerock) Subj: Leech Lake Activist of Conspiracy to Defraud Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) NEWS RELEASE: NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA NATIVE AMERICAN VETERANS OUTREACH AND RESOURCE CENTER In the Sept. 4 issue of the Bemidji Pioneer (the day before ex-Sen. Finn was sentenced for some of his crimes) was a letter to the editor titled "Do any one of you have any wisdom?" The writer quotes the serenity prayer and asks if anyone can get anything out of it or gain anything from it First, we must remember our people have been the most brutalized and oppressed of all and the war of assimilation is still raging strong against us. Our people are peaceful people who have had the serenity to accept and make the best of things they were forced into believing they could not change. Then there are those of our people, and they are many, who have the courage to stand up and speak of a change for our people. There are those of us who believe we can changes things so our children can have a future. We have gained the wisdom to be who we are. Our people are not only victims of theft of our monies from Finn and his gang, but are the victims of an ongoing conspiracy to defraud our whole nation. This conspiracy includes using the state of Minnesota and its local county law enforcement to punish the people who the Reservation Business Committee (RBC) or their administration, including Finn, wanted harassed, intimidated or punished. For many years Skip Finn knew of the lack of jurisdiction in many areas of their state laws that are used to criminalized our people to carry out their war of assimilation. For years and years ex-Sen. Finn held the Leech Lake public defender contract, which most tribal members don't even know exist because of the secrecy in our government. Finn knew of the lack of jurisdiction and also had the opportunity to provide proper and effective counsel to the people but chose instead to use this as another tool against the people in their conspiracy to run a dictatorship government here. Yes, a lot of our people have been criminalized for actions the state and counties have no jurisdiction over. A lot of our people are on parole or probation, especially our youth, a lot of our people have sat in jails and prisons, had children and elders removed, paid fines, had property confiscated, lost jobs, home and family because of lack of effective legal counsel. The Leech Lake RBC and its program directors have been using the county law enforcement as their personal prosecuting-persecuting arm for a long time. How many families have had their children removed because of Leech Lake Family Services filing charges in county court? Or the Bug School, or Housing authority, or the the RBC themselves filing charges? Ironically, the band attorneys, Finn and now Larry Kimball, also hold the public defender contract. This is not just a Leech Lake issue as the very same setups exist on other MCT member reservations. This conspiracy is going on at the Tribal Executive level. In In the last 10 years, Finn has worn many hats, played many roles in tribal government. U.S. Attorney Lillehaug did not go far enough. Maybe the federal government does not have the jurisdiction to investigate civil rights violations within the MCT, but they do have the jurisdiction over county and state officials and attorneys who violate the Indian Civil Rights Act. and many other federal laws that were to protect our inherent rights that the treaties between our nation and the United States guaranteed. Tribal members have never authorized the TEC or RBC to deal away our inherent rights of any kind! Tribal members must demand that the TEC and RBCs immediately stop acting beyond the scope of authority that the tribal constitution authorizes. If the federal government can do nothing to stop the civil and human rights abuses throughout the six-member reservations of our tribe, then they too are aiding and abetting this conspiracy against our people by funding these TEC/RBCs. The people must take action to have a role in our government. All of the people should be concerned. A council government would give everyone a voice. The people don't even know that the TEC/RBCs and attorneys are dealing away to the state of Minnesota our inherent rights to be who we are. They have no right to do this and subject us to state courts without proper effective legal counsel. There is much information that should be public information to the tribal members, but these meetings and agreements are done in secret because most of them are written up by these crooked attorneys involved in running our government. Finn's insurance scam was just a little part of the conspiracy against our nation. Lillehaug's investigation should have been tribe-wide. Finn had flow charts for all of us. Roxanne LaRose Leech Lake Anishinaabe Cass Lake, Minn. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Bernard J. Rock, Sr. Leech Lake Pillager Band Spotted Eagle Warrior Society North Central Minnesota Native American Veterans Outreach and Resource Center --------- "RE: Logging in the Headwaters Complex" --------- Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 15:34:40 -0700 From: pamb@efn.org (Pam Venn) Subj: Logging in the Headwaters Complex Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Even though there was an "agreement" to not begin logging in this area for two weeks, according to reports coming in from the area, green, healthy trees are "falling all around us". The Headwaters is in the traditional territory of northern California tribes. The proposal, which had led to the agreement to hold off the logging operation, was to swap this stand of ancient redwood forest for The Presidio. Even while the negotiations are continuing, the logging has begun. Maxxam Corporation, parent company of Pacific Lumber Company, owes $1.6 billion dollars for its failed Savings and Loan in Texas, and yet they want the trees and The Presidio, and reports state that they want even more! Contact Pres. Clinton's chief of staff, Leon Paneta at 202/456-6797, or send a fax to him at 202/456-2883, and demand an end to this logging operation, a repayment of the $1.6 billion dollars, and a halt to the transfer of The Presidio and other public lands to this corporation. --------------------- Forwarded message: From:wfg@designlink.com Date: 96-09-25 12:50:48 EDT LEGAL FOUNDATION URGES FEDS TO FREEZE ASSETS OF MAXXAM CORP. by Mark Bult San Francisco (9/25/96) -- The Rose Foundation will today issue a legal brief urging the federal Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) to freeze the assets of Maxxam Corporation, parent of the Pacific Lumber Company and controller of the contested Headwaters Forest Complex in Northern California. The brief states that a pending government suit against Maxxam and its chief, Charles Hurwitz, as well as Maxxam's stated intent to liquidate its ancient forest assets, are legal grounds for the move. A lawsuit filed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) last August against Hurwitz cited a "pattern of deceptive financial reporting" in his role as caretaker of the United Savings Association of Texas (USAT), a savings and loan that went bust in 1988 and prompted a U.S. taxpayer bailout to the tune of $1.6 billion. The OTS followed with a second lawsuit against Maxxam and Hurwitz in December 1995, and a private citizen has also filed a suit under the Federal False Claims Act. "Each tree Maxxam and CEO Charles Hurwitz liquidate for profit now could lessen their ability to pay what they owe later," stated Jill Ratner, attorney and president of Oakland's Rose Foundation. "Based on the seriousness of [the FDIC's charges], and Maxxam's stated intention to liquidate the Pacific Lumber Company's most valuable old-growth redwood assets, we are surprised that federal regulators have waited this long." The OTS lawsuit charges Maxxam and Hurwitz of, among other things: violating federal statutory obligations to maintain the net worth of USAT, illegally purchasing junk bonds, enganging in unsafe and unsound banking practices, and making false and misleading statements to federal regulators to conceal their activities. The government is reportedly seeking to bar Hurwitz from banking in the future. The OTS has authority to issue temporary "asset preservation orders" that would effectively freeze Maxxam's assets and would "guarantee that Maxxam could pay pending federal claims in excess of $2 billion," according to the Rose Foundation. Hurwitz could not be reached late Tuesday for comment. Maxxam representative Bob Irelan has maintained that Hurwitz owes no debt to the government nor the taxpayers. "That savings and loan failed for the same reason practically every other Texas S&L failed--a precipitous drop in the Texas economy," he said. "Hurwitz's actions and decisions were taken in the exercise of his best business judgment at that time and are not legally subject to the FDIC's second-guessing," stated a rebuttal to the FDIC suit, filed by Hurwitz's attorney, Richard Keeton. "We trust Mr. Hurwitz's position will be completely vindicated by the federal court," Keeton said. The Rose Foundation's legal brief will be unveiled at a press conference 11am today, Wednesday, September 25, at the Press Club, 555 Post (at Mason) in San Francisco. For information contact the Rose Foundation at 510-658-0702 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sent by Bay Area Action's Headwaters Forest Project / Forest Action Team --------- "RE: Save Owain Lake Forest" --------- Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1996 11:45:56 -0700 From: nfnena@igc.apc.org (Native Forest Network-ENA) Subj: Save Owain Lake Forest-Help us now! Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) [ Please see my note at the end of this article which serves as a reminder of the importance of the preservation and protection of the Temagami forest area to the aboriginal people of Ontario. --Gary ] Owain Lake Ancient Pine Forest Need You!! This is an urgent call for activists to come to the aid of the third largest remaining ancient pine ecosystem in North America. The Owain Lake Ancient Forest ecosystem, located in the Temagami district of northern Ontario, is currently under siege by the logging company Goulard Lumber. Only 1% of ancient red and white pine ecosystems remain in North America, and one half of these are located in the Temagami district. EARTHROOTS, an Ontario based environmental action group, initiated an ongoing action camp on August 30th in the area to stop the destruction of this rare and irreplaceable ecosystem. WE NEED SUPPORT!!! WE NEED COMMITTED (AND IF POSSIBLE, EXPERIENCED) ACTIVISTS TO MAKE THEIR STAND TO SAVE THIS ENDANGERED ECOSYSTEM!! To date (as of September 25), 40 activists have been arrested in defence of these ancient stands. We need you to add your voice (and your body) to the many that are demanding the preservation of Owain Lake and the remaining ancient pine forests in Temagami. What you will need: -camping gear (be ready for cold weather at night, and bring rain gear) -all needed registration and licenses for your vehicle (police are checking) -enthusiasm, new ideas and a willingness to defend this place -donations of food, camping gear (in particular cold weather gear), climbing gear and other action tools would be welcomed!! What we will provide to you: -food (we have a functioning kitchen to feed all working participants) -legal support -our unending gratitude What to expect: -police presence-Ontario Provincial Police are out in full force- checkpoints are present along the Rabbit Lake Road (the access road to Owain Lake)-only the driver of the vehicle has to provide their ID-all others can decline, and vehicular searches should be declined -a group of committed activists engaging in direct action skirmishes to stop this destruction waiting to welcome you Other camp info: -the camp is alcohol and illicit drug free -please, if at all possible, leave your pets at home -come ready to work-this is not a party zone How to get here: -from south or east of Ontario-once you are in southern Ontario, head north on Highway 400 to Highway 11-follow Highway 11 north to North Bay, and continue on Hwy 11, 75 kilometres (roughly 40 miles) north, to Rabbit Lake Road (on your right, just after Gramp's Place Gas Bar and Store)-it's another 25 kilometres (roughly 14 miles) in to the base camp -from the northwest-follow Highway 11/17, and stay on Highway 11 when Highways 11 and 17 split, all the way to Gramp's and the Rabbit Lake Road as above -from all other points, call us for specific directions For more information: Call EARTHROOTS at (416)599-0152 to get more detailed travel information or updates on the camp situation, and visit our Web site at eroots@web.apc.org. Our e-mail address is eroots@web.net. If for some reason you cannot come to the Earthroots Forest Action Camp in the Owain Lake Forest, you can still help us defend this rare ecosystem. 1. Mail or fax letters to: Premier Mike Harris Hon. Chris Hodgson Legislature Building Minister of Natural Resources Queen's Park 6th Floor, Whitney Block Toronto, Ontario 99 Wellesley St. West M7A 1W3 Toronto, Ontario M7A 1W3 Fax: (416)325-3745 Fax: (416)314-2216 SAVE OWAIN LAKE ANCIENT FOREST!! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Comments from NativeNet listowner, Gary Trujillo (gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us): Following are quotes from an article previously posted to NATIVE-L which serve to establish the importance of this issue to aboriginal peoples: From: nfnena@igc.apc.org (Native Forest Network-ENA) Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1996 21:03:04 GMT Subject: Re: Temagami Urgent Action Alert >From Kingston Temagami Action Group ("cafe003@intcafe.kosone.com" or "4kem@qlink.queensu.ca"): Recent Ontario government actions threaten 48% of North America's remaining old growth red and white pine forests, all of it on native land... "We are not giving up our struggle for justice. We can't; we have not and never will. This land is our land, as well as that of our descendants 6,000 years from now; there is no other motherland for us on earth." Chief Gary Potts of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai in 1988 ...First Nations and environmental groups have begun the fight against the Provincial Conservative (Tory) government's plans to destroy one of the world's last remaining old growth pine forests in the Temagami region of Northern Ontario, Canada. The battle's opening salvoes have seen a logging bridge bombed, several others set on fire, blockades set up with 35 protesters arrested, and court action launched against the Minister of Natural Resources. ...N'Daki Menan (Temagami) has been the homeland of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai for more than 6,000 years. Seeking a treaty with the Canadian government since 1877, they have struggled for 120 years against the exploitation and destruction of their traditional lands. Teme-Augama blockades against logging on their land in the spring of 1988 were continued in the spring of 1989 with the participation of environmentalists. More than 350 people were arrested. Despite the government's strong-arm tactics, the blockades saved the Temagami forest and forced the Peterson government into serious negotiations with the Teme-Augama in 1990. The present government has set the clock back to 1988 by unilaterally ceasing these negotiations and is disregarding international law by allowing resource extraction to proceed on contested land. (For a complete copy of the previous article and other articles posted to NATIVE-L, please see "http://bioc09.uthscsa.edu/natnet/archive/nl/") --------- "RE: Education of Akwesasne Mohawks" --------- Date: 4:16 PM Sep 27, 1996 From: wesley_laughing_at_lme@isdtcp3.hwc.ca Subj: Update on Education of Akwesasne Mohawks Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Compromise Reached to Reopen Mohawk School September 26, 1996 Akwesasne. Over the past three weeks, an amazing event took place within the territories of the Mohawks of Akwesasne. The entire community became united for a common cause, the education of their children. All three Governments in the community, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council, and the Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs united on the education issue, each passing resolutions supporting the creation of a unified Mohawk school district. At community meeting after community meeting, everyone came out in support of this goal. A Mohawk name for the school district was chosen to reflect this unity, the Skanikonra (of one mind) School District. The events of the past three weeks came about because of the actions of outside governments and their entities that negatively affected the education of Mohawk children. These actions always forced the community to react. They included the State of New York determining who was a Mohawk child based on where they lived, and a local public school district that was unresponsive to the concerns of Mohawk parents and families. Members of the Akwesasne community decided it was time to become proactive and chose on September 4th, 1996 to occupy the St. Regis Mohawk School in Hogansburg, New York. The Mohawk school has a student population of over 340 with approximately 300 of the students being Mohawk. The Mohawk school is a pre-K through grade four school. The actions of the community to occupy the school forced the State of New York and Salmon River Central School District to react to the community. It is important to remember that the action taken by the community members was not a boycott of the Salmon River Central School District. Instead, it was done as an assertion of the rights and responsibilities of Mohawk parents to control the education of their children. The Mohawk community of Akwesasne is not part of the Salmon River Central School District. Salmon River has a series of contracts that pays them to educate Mohawk children. These contracts have a value in excess of $8,000,000 and the community of Akwesasne has no say in the education of their children. The action of occupying the Mohawk School achieved its goal. It got the community the attention of the State of New York and the Salmon River Central School District. It forced them to react to the assertion of the rights and responsibilities of the Mohawk community to educate their children. The State of New York and Salmon River Central School District would have objected strongly if the main Salmon River School campus had been occupied. It would have meant a direct interference in the rights of non-native parents in Fort Covington and Bombay to educate their children. However, how could the State or Salmon River argue if the Mohawk School was closed, a school that had a student population that is almost 90% Mohawk. How they argue over parents asserting their rights and responsibilities to educate their children. At the same time, the occupation of the Mohawk School disrupted the lives of Mohawk families, all who supported the creation of a unified Mohawk school district but also some who did not support the disruption it caused. To these people, an apology is made for the disruption. More importantly than just getting the attention of the State of New York and Salmon River, the actions have resulted in both now supporting the assertion by the Mohawk people to educate their children. A letter was received on September 11, 1996 from James Kadamus, Deputy Commissioner, New York State Education Department, stating: "I am writing this letter to confirm my commitment made last week to support efforts to obtain State and/or federal funding for a school district referred to as the Skanikonra school, which I understand means "of one mind." The Superintendent of the Salmon River Central School District, Michael Singleton, has also pledged his help in forming a Mohawk school district. This process will take time. A plan to open the Skanikonra School must be developed that would allow the school to open completely under Mohawk control. The goal of the community is to offer a 200% education: 100% external academic standards and a 100% Mohawk education to make Mohawk children proud of who they are, to be proud of the contributions of Mohawk people to Western society, and to know their culture and language. The State of New York is obligated to educate Mohawk children. However, because it is their money, they have set requirements in order for this money to be accessed. You must be a recognized school district in the State. That is why they contract with the Salmon River Central School District and the Massena Central School District to educate Mohawk children. The State has now offered to help the Mohawk community to recognize the formation of their own school district so that they can then contract directly with the community. Again, this will take time to do. The actions of the past three weeks is a historical moment in the history of Akwesasne. It has changed the relationship with the State of New York and neighboring school districts. The Akwesasne community now has a mechanism to control the education of their children. The other Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy are watching to see how the Mohawk people fare, encouraged by the successes to date. While the long term objective of the community is now within reach, it will take at least one year to achieve the long term goal. An interim plan was needed until then to ensure that Mohawk children are educated in an environment that is friendly and conducive to learning. The interim plan required a compromise to ensure that community stayed of one mind on the education of their children. The compromise wasn't with the State of New York or the Salmon River Central School District, but with the Akwesasne community. While all supported the creation of the Skanikonra school district, there was disagreement within the community on the continued occupation of the Mohawk school. A compromise was needed to ensure that the community remained of one mind on the education of their children. Whenever the community becomes divided on an issue, it is the non-native people who take advantage of the division. On September 11, 1996, the leadership of Akwesasne, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, the St Regis Mohawk Tribal Council, and the Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs, developed a proposal as an interim plan to give the community time to develop the Skanikonra School District. That proposal required a written commitment from the New York State Education Department to help the community form the Skanikonra School District. That commitment was received the same day. The second part of the proposal involved allowing the Salmon River Central School District to continue having a role in the education of Mohawk children, but not like in previous years. The following conditions were presented to the Salmon River Central School Board that if agreed to, would see the reopening of the Mohawk School as soon as possible: 1. An ombudsman system be established at Salmon River Central School so that Mohawk students will have a process to address their concerns. The community of Akwesasne would select the ombudsman. The State Education Department agreed to fund the ombudsman position. 2. The State offered to create an eight member Council, consisting of four members of the Salmon River Central School Board and four Akwesasne community members. The Council would meet and discuss issues of concern to the Mohawk community. A clause in the Salmon River Central School's contract to educate Mohawk children would require that their School Board act on recommendations of the Council in good faith. The eight member council would be mandated to ensure the voice of the Mohawk people is heard by the Salmon River Central School District. 3. The State Education Department agreed to see about returning the fifth grade Mohawk students to the Mohawk School by January 1997. The Mohawk School had been expanded to accommodate grade five and six by the year 1999. The State agreed to accelerate the timetable. 4. Two non-native teachers be transferred from the Mohawk School to the Salmon River Central School Campus. At a special meeting of the Salmon River Central School Board on September 12, 1996, the Board agreed to the conditions outlined above. The Salmon River Central School Board gave the Superintendent, Michael Singleton, the authority to transfer teachers from the Mohawk School to Salmon River's main campus. Board votes for all conditions were five in favor, 1 against, and 1 member abstaining. The Mohawk School reopened on Monday, September 16, 1996. For more information, contact James Ransom at (518) 358-2157. --------- "RE: Increasing Violence in Chiapas" --------- Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1996 15:47:23 -0800 From: saiic@igc.apc.org (SAIIC) Subj: Urgent Action: Increasing Level of Violence in Chiapas (Mexico) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Urgent Action: Increasing Level of Violence in Chiapas Information from Global Exchange. Since the beginning of June, reports of violence and human rights violations in northern Chiapas, particularly in the municipalities of Tila, Tumbala, Salto de Agua, and Sabanilla, have increased to a crisis level. The government is also reported to be continuing a huge armament campaign, flooding the area with military troops and vehicles. This illustrates the climate of terror present in indigenous and campesino communities, and is one of the factors stated by the EZLN for the decision to suspend the peace talks.. Talks between government officials and campesino representatives in Tila, northern Chiapas, to bring peace to the region and to enable the over 1,500 displaced campesinos to return to their communities were unsuccessful. Inhabitants of this region, especially the Masoja Schuc'ja community have been threatened by a paramilitary group called "Paz y Justicia." Its government ties enable it to manipulate the judicial system. Based on their denunciations "suspects" have been detained and penal processes have been opened. It seems that the judicial system is only willing to investigate denouncements made by groups like "Paz y Justicia." The official government campaign in response to the actions of the Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR) has led to a significant increase in military and police activity, resulting in patrols, military checkpoints and the detention of grassroots activists. It is important that the indigenous communities know they are not alone at this time. After 18 months of dialogue, there are no other results than the persistent misery and the encirclement of thousands of soldiers. We urge you to write a letter to the president of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo, asking for immediate measures. A sample letter follows. ------------------------------------------- Mr. President Ernesto Zedillo: I would like to express my profound concern toward the ongoing violence in Chiapas. The situation continues to deteriorate. This climate of terror is one of the factors stated by the EZLN for the decision to suspend their participation in the peace talks. After 18 months of dialogue there are no other results than the persistent misery and the encirclement of 60,000 soldiers. The resulting desperation amongst the population in rebellion places into question nonviolent political methods as a means to reach a solution. I would therefore like to ask you to listen to the demands and the needs of all the parties involved. The increased military activity of the last weeks, especially in the states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Tabasco, and Chiapas, that have lead to the detention of members of campesino and popular organizations, must be stopped. I ask you stop the human rights violations. Sincerely, ----- South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) P.O. Box 28703 Oakland CA, 94604 Phone: (510)834-4263 Fax: (510)834-4264 Email: saiic@igc.apc.org Office: 1714 Franklin Street, 3rd Floor, Oakland Home Page: http://www.igc.apc.org/saiic/saiic.html For more information about SAIIC, send an empty email message to: saiic-info@igc.apc.org --------- "RE: Native America Calling" --------- Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1996 21:31:20 -0600 (MDT) From: Bernadette Chato Subj: Schedule for Native America Calling Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) TO: PROGRAM DIRECTORS, GENERAL MANAGERS FR: NATIVE AMERICA CALLING DT: SEPTEMBER 26, 1996 RE: SCHEDULE FOR NATIVE AMERICA CALLING, SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 4, 1996 ---------------------------------------------------------------- **** P R O G R A M S U B J E C T T O C H A N G E **** Watch the DACS or your FAX for updates!! ---------------------------------------------------------------- HOST: TOM BEAVER WELLNESS HOST: SHARON McCONNELL PROGRAM SCHEDULE FOR 9/30 - 10/4: MON - 9/30: OPEN LINES -- INDIAN SLANG & NICK-NAMES: OUTSIDE OF OUR OWN TRIBAL LANGUAGES, WE NATIVES HAVE OUR OWN UNIQUE FORM OF ORALLY IDENTIFYING WITH EACH OTHER. OFTEN, WE EXPRESS OUR AFFECTION THRU NICK NAMES. IN ADDITION, WE ENJOY OUR OWN SLANG! JOIN US AS WE DISCUSS NICK-NAMES AND THE STORIES BEHIND THEM! SCHEDULED GUEST IS WRITER CHET BARFIELD OF THE SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE. TUES - 10/1: POLITICAL WOMEN & LEADERSHIP: ADA DEER, WYNONNA LADUKE AND GEORGIANNA LINCOLN. WHAT DO THESE WOMEN HAVE IN COMMON? YEA, YOU GUESSED IT! THEY'RE NATIVE WOMEN AND THEY'RE IN POLITICAL & LEADERSHIP ROLES. IN ORDER FOR WOMEN TO BE PLAYERS IN THE POLITICAL ARENA, DO THEY HAVE TO ADOPT A "GOOD OL' BOY" ATTITUDE? GUESTS INCLUDE MARIE CALICA OF THE WOMEN'S RESOURCE ASSOCIATION. WED - 10/2: FOREST FIRES: RECOVERY & CONTROLLED BURNS: THIS YEAR, OUR NATION'S FORESTS SUFFERED A MASSIVE NUMBER OF FIRES, DESPITE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES. WHAT'S THE RESTORATION EFFORT LIKE IN THESE AREAS? DOES THIS MEAN CONTROLLED BURNS ARE FUTILE? GUESTS INCLUDE MIKE GOMEZ OF WARM SPRINGS, OREGON FIRE MANAGEMENT OFFICE. THURS - 10/3: IMMIGRATION: ARE U-S IMMIGRATION LAWS DISCRIMINATORY TOWARDS INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF THE AMERICA'S? SHOULD WE STAND UP FOR OUR INDIGENOUS BROTHERS AND SISTERS? CONGRESS IS CONSIDERING WITHHOLDING ALL FEDERAL ASSISTANCE TO IMMIGRANTS. SHOULD PEOPLE OF COLOR BE PENALIZED IF THEY ARE GOING THROUGH THE IMMIGRATION PROCESS LEGALLY? GUESTS TBA. FRI - 10/4: WELLNESS: DIAL-A-DOC: MEDICAL ADVICE JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY! THIS WELLNESS EDITION FEATURES MEDICAL GUESTS ANSWERING YOUR HEALTH QUESTIONS. COLD AND FLU SEASON IS HERE -- THESE EXPERTS MAY BE ABLE TO SNUFF OUT YOUR SNIFFLES. WHAT ABOUT YOU? DO YOU HAVE ANY HOME REMEDIES YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE? GUESTS TBA. *Native America Calling* is produced and directed by Harlan McKosato (Sac and Fox from Oklahoma). Tom Beaver (Muscogee Creek from Minnesota) is Host/Associate Producer, Features Producer/Editor is Bernadette Chato (Navajo from New Mexico), and Michelle Cody (Navajo from Arizona) serves as Associate Producer. *NAC* is a production of Native American Public Telecommunications, Inc. Offices for *Native America Calling* are located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The program is produced at the studios of KUNM at the University of New Mexico. The staff of *Native America Calling* can be reached at 505-277-5201 or by fax at 505-277-4286. Address correspondence to PO Box 40164, Albuquerque, NM 87196, or e-mail to native@unm.edu. For information on how your local public radio station can carry the program, call John Belindo, AIROS at 1-800-571-6885 or e- mail to his attention to jbelindo@unlinfo.unl.edu. /////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bernadette Chato, Features Producer Snail Mail: PO Box 40164 NATIVE AMERICA CALLING Albuquerque, NM 87196 The Nation's 1st Electronic Talking Circle 505-277-5354/FAX 505-277-4286 Heard on public radio stations! E-mail: chato@unm.edu