_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' O ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ O o O / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' O o O / /-< / /--/ /-- VOLUME 05, ISSUE 008 O o o o o O __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 22 February 1997 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 Innu-L, Triballaw, Uptowne & NATIVE-L listservers; North American Spirit Lodge; Workers World News Service; Newsgroups: soc.culture.native,alt.native,alt.culture.us.southwest; UUCP and genie email Articles appearing have been previously posted for public dissemination and/or permission for inclusion has been secured. Letters of authorization are on file. A list of those granting permission to repost their words in this issue are listed at the end of part A. I thank each of you for allowing your words to be shared with the people. <----<<<< >>>>----> This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our Spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the Red Road. ++ It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own internet addressable account to gars@netcom.com 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. "I love that land of winding waters more than all the rest of the world. A man who would not love his father's grave is worse than a wild animal." __ Chief Joseph, Ni-mi-poo +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Indian Pledge of Allegiance | The Indian Pledge of Alleg- | | iance was first presented | I pledge allegiance to my Tribe,| on 2 December '93 during the | to the democratic principles | opening address of the Nat- | of the Republic | ional Congress of American | and to the individual freedoms | Indian Tribal-States Relat- | borrowed from the Iroquois and | ions Panel in Reno, NV. NCAI | Choctaw Confederacies, | plans distribution of the | as incorporated in the United | Indian Pledge to all Indian | States Constitution, | Nations. | so that my forefathers | | shall not have died in vain | Walk in Beauty! Night Owl +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ O'siyo Brothers and Sisters! The crisis from this rough winter continues. The People still need help. Window Rock, AZ had a huge blizzard this past week. Send blankets and donations for firewood to the following: Navajo Nation P. O. Box 308 Window Rock, AZ 86515 (520) 871-4941 Another note arrived this week from some people who are helping the People on the reservations survive this winter I wanted to share, but they asked that I not with this closing comment: Please don't mention our names as donors in the news letter, as we believe that these gifts are from the Creator, not from us. We are simply fortunate to just be a part of the process. I thank you for the elders who will live and remember your generosity. Creator knows of your gifts. Elaine Flattery offers this address and these suggestions: Mary works in the school there and also thinks of the childrens' needs (just like Helmina) that she sees daily. As a kind gesture, I suggest sending things for entertainment (if they can) for the long winters, or that could be used in school...such as videos, coloring books, crayons etc. Rosebud Reservation: M. Waln Box 283 Parmelee, SD 57566 (yes this address can be used by UPS) Ann Follett got the local Sams Club to help: When I spoke to Sams Club in North Dakota today they spoke of a truck load of clothes going up to Fort Yates. It sounds as if the clothing needs are definitely being met. We are in the process of sending some diapers now. We will be getting a special corporate discount...YES! Ann Here's the addresses I listed last week: PO Box 8392 Rapid City, SD 57709 Checks made out to Wapaha Canku Luta (a Lakota nonprofit organization) or to Joe Chasing Horses The Dakota Sovereign Traditional Oyate PO Box 732 Fort Yates, ND 50538-7104 (701) 854-7165 Blackfeet Tribe PO Box 850 Browning, MT 59417 (406) 338-7406 The buffalo slaughter in Montana has eclipsed 1000 head. This is a direct assault on Native Peoples. The brucellosis issue is a non-issue. That leaves greed as the motive. Here are some Montana Senators' email addresses you might wish to contact (flood!!!): senator@enzi.senate.gov craig@thomas.senate.gov, Max Baucus , Conrad Burns We ask that all persons come join the Buffalo Vigil (a/k/a protest) at Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner Mt (the Arch) beginning Tuesday through Friday of Each Week beginning Feb. 18th through March 6, 1997. For each traibe, organization, family, or town submitting a copy of petition, resolution, etc., a sign will be posted at the Yellowstone site on your behalf. InterTribal Bison Cooperative Brian EagleHeart sends this website: Hey Gary, I came across a website address in my e-mail that talks about many different Native prophecies, it is pretty good. Thought it might be useful, if you like it maybe you can pass it on to your readers: http://members.aol.com/spikegritz/mw44/bluelodg.htm 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 - Legal Aid Needed - Conferences and Powwows - online - Efforts to Protect Bison - Congressional Hearing for Leonard - Bison Advocacy Project Alert - Indian Gaming and Indian Poverty - Statement of Leonard Peltier - Ward Valley Indigenous Nuke Issue - Leonard Peltier Story - Day of Prayer for the Buffalo - Press Release from Hotevilla - Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute - Big Mountain News - Innu/Inuit Rights at Voisey's Bay - Kickapoo Oppose Transfer - AIM Club - Voices of the Wintercount - Sauk and Fox History - Royal Commission 3-4 - Senator Bruce Babbitt at the NCAI - Native Nations Block Nuke Dump - Landmark Treaty Decision - Oppose the Ptarmigan Trail - Akinksake Gravesite Threatened - HIV Care for Native Americans - Poem: Bare Trees - Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days - Conferences and Powwows - offline --------- "RE: Legal Aid Needed" --------- Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 16:48:04 -0600 From: Randy Whitewolf Subj: Legal Aid Needed UUCP email Hau, may I speak of a brother in need? A friend of mine, who is affiliated with the Kiethly Creek Band of the American Indian Alliance, and currently living in Tennessee, is desperately in need of low or no cost legal assistance, guidance, aid, or whatever. If anyone can point him in the right direction please let me know, on this list or privately, and I will forward it to him. The situation as I understand it is this; He was divorced last year. He was awarded custody of his 2 very young daughters based on evidence that they had been sexually abused by the ex-wife and her boyfriend. Recently the ex's family decided they wanted custody of their granddaughters. Though the Ex's family appeared to have the money to afford whatever legal *justice* they wanted, my friend was confident that he and the good old boy lawyer he could afford could win in a custody hearing. Then the dirty tricks began. The family pulled some strings to have the girls removed pending the hearings. They were removed from their beds in the middle of the night and placed in foster *care* in the home of an Evangelist Preacher and his wife. The girls' hair was cut off and their bodies scrubbed to *remove the stench of Satan*. They have been told that their Dad is going to Hell and that the native learnings he and his mother (a Medicine Woman) have taught them are *teachings of the Devil*. Their minds are being played with in hopes of getting them to testify that it was their Father, not the Mother's boyfriend, who had molested them. These girls are at a very impressionable age, have been through much trauma already, and the further damage intentionally being inflicted on their spirits may already be permanent. My friend cares deeply for his children and is in much pain that they are being used and abused in this way. He is also facing possible prison for child molestation if the family has their way. If it is within anyone's capacity to offer advice, assistance, or prayer please do. mitakolapi, pilamaya yelo Randy --------- "RE: Efforts to Protect Bison" --------- Date: Wed, 12 Feb 97 10:57:59 -0600 From: "J.D.K. Chipps " Subj: Efforts to Protect Bison UUCP email EFFORTS TO PROTECT YELLOWSTONE BISON MOVE FORWARD WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 1997-- Proposals to provide Yellowstone bison with additional winter grazing lands while protecting cattle from the spread of brucellosis were outlined today in a letter to the governor of Montana. The proposal, put forward by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Forest Service, and by the National Park Service, builds upon and further defines the proposals outlined in a similar letter last week. "This is a very important part of stopping the slaughter of bison in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem," said Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior. Intensive hazing to keep bison in Yellowstone National Park and adjacent Forest System lands, additional bison winter grazing range, and the protection of domestic cattle from transmission of brucellosis remain the principle elements. The potential for bison quarantine facilities was also discussed. While the measures are designed to alleviate this winter's acute situation, certain elements could serve as the basis for a long-term solution. The proposal identifies important winter grazing land in the Gallatin National Forest at Horse Butte onto which bison will be allowed. The three agencies have agreed on measures that will permit the bison to winter in this area undisturbed while ensuring that cattle are not exposed to any potential transmission of brucellosis. "These measures will help get us through the winter and into the spring while protecting cattle from the spread of brucellosis," said Terry L. Medley, administrator of APHIS, a part of USDA's marketing and regulatory programs mission area. "Further, I am optimistic that continued discussions among the involved agencies will lead to agreement and a long- term solution. "The additional bison winter grazing land will help relieve the difficult situation we are facing this winter," said Mike Dombeck, Forest Service chief. "Further, we are committed to discussing such provisions as part of a long-term solution." In the letter, the three federal agencies also reiterated their commitment to continue working together and with the states to develop long-term cooperative efforts to address critical issues. These issues include brucellosis elimination in the Yellowstone ecosystem, providing additional suitable bison winter range outside the Park, and encompassing the interests of stakeholders, including Native American tribes. (\######/) J.D.K. Chipps \ o ~ / "Wokiksuye Canpe Opi" (^ ^) (Remember Wounded Knee) \*/ http://www.eden.com/~jdkc --------- "RE: Bison Advocacy Project Alert" --------- Date: Wed, 12 Feb 97 22:06:09 -0600 Subj: Fwd: BAP Alert 2/12/97 From: "J.D.K. Chipps " ------- FORWARD, Original message follows ------- From: James Barnes \ Internet: (jbarnes@wildrockies.org) Subj: BAP Alert 2/12/97 UUCP email ***BUFFALO SLAUGHTER ALERT 2/14/97*** Bison Advocacy Project POB 7381 Missoula, MT 59807 (406) 728-5733 bison@wildrockies.org (or e-mail me at jbarnes@wildrockies.org) Today's official Winter '96-'97 bison kill-count: 855--a quarter of the entire population! Unofficially: "Over one thousand slaughtered!" FEDS FEELING THE PRESSURE: LETTER SENT TO MONTANA GOVERNOR RACICOT On Friday , Feb.7, the heads of the US Forest Service, National Park Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) sent a letter to Gov. Marc Racicot of Montana detailing their proposal to allow bison to stay on state and federal land in Montana--without Montana's brucellosis- free status being affected. The plan involves hazing and transportation, and still means the removal of all bison before cattle come onto the National Forests to graze. Bad ideas include building "barriers" on and along groomed snowmobile trails in the park to keep bison from getting out. One option being considered is to CLOSE THE SNOWMOBILE TRAILS. Right on: fence out snowmachines, not bison! They are also planning to remove bison from private lands rather than shoot them. A huge number have been killed on land belonging to the Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT), an armed survivalist cult who demand immediate killing of wild bison on their property. The obvious management option carefully ignored by the feds is to cancel cattle grazing leases on federal lands so that bison can winter there unmolested. This would be far simpler than all the byzantine machinations of trucking and hazing and monitoring proposed in this document. CANCEL THE GRAZING PERMITS! The state has yet to respond but they can't be happy. Their excuse for depopulating* the Yellowstone bison herd is getting weaker. Meanwhile the killing continues. * range management lingo for exterminating an entire herd GET INVOLVED! MISSOULA MEETING FOR INTERESTED FOLKS 5PM THURSDAY. Come by Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers office at Locust St., Missoula, or call ahead for directions, info at (406)728-0867. RALLY!RALLY!RALLY!RALLY!RALLY!RALLY!RALLY!RALLY!RALLY!RALLY!RALLY!RALLY! The Bison Advocacy Project and Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers will be sponsoring a rally in Helena, Montana's state capital, on Tuesday, February 25, to raise our voices in outrage at the continued killing of wild buffalo. Call a number below for more info. We need transportation help. Call if you can offer a ride. BOYCOTTS OF MONTANA: -The fund for Animals has called a tourism boycott of Montana. Call the Montana Travel Bureau 1-800-847-4868 (No more visits till the slaughter stops!) -BOYCOTT BEEF! Call the Montana Stockgrowers Association at (406) 442-3420 to register your distaste for beef tainted by bison extermination. ***Video clips of the slaughter are available from Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers POB 7941 Missoula, MT 59807 (406) 728-0867 cmcr@ism.net *** Check out this website! http://www.edn.com/~jdkc Tell Politicians and Bureaucrats WHAT THEY SHOULD DO! -APHIS must cease to threaten Montana's brucellosis-free status. -Montana must cease its bison extermination program. -Public lands in the Greater Yellowstone must accommodate bison as a native wildlife species. -Bison should be given to the tribes alive rather than shot. -Cattle grazing allotments on public lands should be phased out -Open range should be reestablished, and a wild bison economy should be encouraged. As it was so shall it be! -APHIS Administrator Terry Medley, (202)720-2511, fax (202)720-3982 -Governor of Montana, Marc Racicot, State Capitol, Helena, MT 59620 (406) 444-3111 -Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, Mike Finley, Box 168 Yellowstone National Park, Wy 82190 (307)344-2002 -Montana's US Senators Max Baucus at max@baucus.senate.gov and Conrad Burns at conrad_burns@burns.senate.gov -Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior, Interior Bldg. 1849 C St. NW, Washington, DC 20240 Ph: (202) 208-7531, fax: (202) 208-6956, e-mail: Bruce_Babbitt@IOS.DOI.GOV -Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture, 200 A Whitten Bldg., 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC, Ph: (202) 720-2166, e-mail: Agsec@usda.gov BISON BELONG IN MONTANA! For more information contact: -Bison Advocacy Project POB 7381 Missoula, MT 59807 (406) 728-5733 bison@wildrockies.org (or e-mail me at jbarnes@wildrockies.org) -Cold mountain, Cold Rivers POB 7941 Missoula, MT 59807 (406) 728-0867 cmcr@ism.net -Save Our Bison (406) 646-7457 -Bison Action Group (406) 589-9141 (\######/) J.D.K. Chipps \ o ~ / "Wokiksuye Canpe Opi" (^ ^) (Remember Wounded Knee) \*/ http://www.eden.com/~jdkc --------- "RE: Statement of Leonard Peltier" --------- Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 13:57:13 -0600 (CST) From: Freedom Heart Rising Subj: Statement of Leonard Peltier: UUCP email Hi: I thought some of you might be interested in Leonard's words. If you'd like to be kept updated, and help work for Leonard's freedom, please email me, and I will tell you how you can help. You can also be added to the LPSG/NET GROUP I have on the net. Thank you! Freedom Heart ***** Statement of Leonard Peltier: From "Spirit of Crazy Horse": LPDC Official Newsletter: Greetings My Friends and Supporters, I hope that every one of you enjoyed a safe and happy holiday season, and that the New Year brings prosperity and happiness. I must tell the truth and say that I experienced a lot of disappointment not having a decision yet on my Clemency request, but that pain was somewhat diluted by a visit from my beautiful daughter Marquetta and my adorable grandson, Jacob. The holiday season has been especially lonely for me, consisting of phone calls and photographs. It was wonderful being able to spend a few hours with family! It is easy to take for granted your loved ones. When a man is in my position, he learns that moments spent together are most precious. I want to send extra special thanks to my daughter for moving to Lawrence to join the Committee. I am so very proud of her! I also want to send my best wishes to Bill May who has decided to leave the LPDC after 3 years of service. I appreciate all you have done and I hope that whatever road you walk, you will know success and peace. I will always consider you a Brother. This Christmas our support network was able to sponsor two families in desperate need who came to us for assistance. One single Mom in Kansas faced having nothing for her four children because she was late in applying to local programs. The other family, residing in Arizona, began suffering when the children's father left, abandoning his responsibilities. My heart broke when I discovered the seriousness of their situation. Our generous and compassionate friends were able to provide new clothes, jackets, hats, gloves, toys, and food baskets. Whether or not you believe in the religious aspects of the holiday, I believe we can all agree with the spirit of good will which grows so much brighter each December. We must continue to face challenges with integrity and fortitude in the New Year. My clemency request remains unanswered. Within the pages of this publication you will read of the hardships and abuses faced by the Dineh, the Western Shoshone, and so many others. Let that holiday compassion carry over and take ACTION on those issues that demand attention. So many suffer and that suffering could be ended if people of conscience made stand in solidarity. I believe in you. I have faith in you. Please, do your part to better the world for all humankind. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, Leonard Peltier ***** To subscribe to "Spirit of Crazy Horse", and help with the support of the LPDC, send a check for $12.00 for a one year subscription - 6 issues - to: LPDC PO Box 583 La --------- "RE: Leonard Peltier Story" --------- Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 00:24:36 -0500 (EST) From: Miketben@aol.com Subj: N.A.S.L. - FOCUS ON LEONARD PELTIER # 1 - BACKGROUND INFO +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ * NORTH AMERICAN SPIRIT LODGE * FOR YOUR INFO +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ IN RESPONSE TO SOME BASIC QUESTIONS BY VARIOUS N.A.S.L. MEMBERS RECEIVED FRO TIME TO TIME : THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION COMES DIRECTLY FROM THE LEONARD PELTIER DEFENSE COMMITTEE WEBPAGE AT: http://www.unicom.net/peltier/index.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE LEONARD PELTIER STORY - -------------------------------------------- Leonard Peltier could be you, me, anyone who stands up for his family, friends, community, and beliefs. Leonard is a Native American serving two consecutive life sentences in a federal penitentiary, even though there is NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE that he is guilty of anything. On June 26, 1975 two FBI agents allegedly searching for a young Indian accused of stealing a pair of used cowboy boots, followed occupants of a red pick-up truck on the land of Harry and Cecelia Jumping Bull. Their behavior precipitated a shootout in which the agents and a Native American were killed. Within hours of the shootout, according to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, hundreds of paramilitary equipped, combat-clad FBI agents and US Marshals staged a dragnet through the reservation in a fever of revenge in which men, women, and children were terrified and properties and homes were ransacked. There was no investigation into the death of the Native American. Leonard had been previously identified as an AIM leader by the FBI and targeted by their notorious COINTELPRO program which "neutralized" people by slander, attack, and arrest. Fearing no possibility of a fair trial and perhaps immediate execution and at the request and advice of his elders, he fled to Canada where he was arrested and extradited by affidavits manufactured by the FBI that the gov't now concedes were false. Four men were initially accused of the murders. Two were acquitted and the government dropped all charges against the third to concentrate the "full" prosecutorial weight of the government against Leonard Peltier. He was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life terms. The handpicked judge, favored by the FBI for his anti-Indian reputation, refused evidence of self defense. Information from the acquittals of his codefendants was ruled inadmissible. Jurors were convinced that AIM "snipers" would kill them at any times. In short Peltier was convicted before his trial. The government has subsequently changed its theory on who killed the agents and today admits they have NO IDEA WHO KILLED THEM. This change of theory came about during an appeal when a judge suggested to the prosecution that the evidence was, at best, only circumstantial. The government then argued that they had tried Leonard as both the murderer and aider and abettor. According to the final decision of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, Peltier's trial and previous appeals had been riddled with FBI misconduct and judicial impropriety including: coercion of witnesses, perjury, fabrication of evidence, and the suppression of evidence which could have proved his innocence. The Court called the FBI's misconduct "a clear abuse of the investigative process". Yet they ruled against a new trial for Leonard Peltier because they were "reluctant to impute further improprieties to them (FBI)." Recently it was discovered that a terrible error had been made during the appeal by Leonard's own attorney during which he mistakenly agreed with the judge regarding the testimony of Norman Brown. What the attorney and the judge did not realize was that Brown had recanted his testimony at trial and stated he had been coerced by the FBI. He further stated that he never saw peltier anywhere near the bodies of the agents. No one deserves treatment like this. That is why more than 55 members of Congress, Amnesty International, 78 world religious leaders (including the Archbishop of Canterbury and Desmond Tutu), the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the National Congress of American Indians, and millions of world citizens have called for a new trial and an investigation into the illegalities of the Peltier case. Leonard's appeal was on November 9, 1992. July 7, 1993 brought the decision. Again, a denial. The decision rests on the following standards: arguments of misconduct either had been litigated before or should or could have been and that the government tried the case on alternate theories of close up murder, close up aiding and abetting, and long range aiding and abetting, thus completely ignoring and abandoning the conclusions of their own Circuit Court in two previous appeals. In November of 1993, a petition to the President for executive clemency was filed. We are still awaiting a decision. Several large scale events have brought new attention to the case in Washington, DC including Peltier Weekend and the Walk for Justice in June and July of 1994, and the Mothers of All Colors Caravan in October 1994. In June of 1995 we held a Freedom Forum in D.C. which was featured for three days on C-Span. On December 11, 1995 a parole hearing examiner congratulated Leonard for his good behavior and humanitarian work from behind prison bars. On March 18, 1996 the United States Parole Commission denied parole stating that Peltier had not given "a specific, factual account of (his) actions... consistent with the jury's verdict of guilt." How can an innocent man do such a thing? The parole denial is currently being appealed. (c) Copyright 1995 Cow Path Productions, Inc. --------- "RE: Day of Prayer for the Buffalo" --------- Date: Sat, 15 Feb 97 09:45:16 -0600 Subj: National Day of Prayer for the Buffalo, March 6, 1997 From: "J.D.K. Chipps " UUCP email Subject: National Day of Prayer for the Buffalo, March 6, 1997 History repeats itself...all over again. In the 1800's, the buffalo were nearly decimated, executed by the millions; their carcasses left to rot. And shortly thereafter, the Indians were confined to reservations, to be hunted and slaughtered if they dared to leave those boundaries, even if in search of food. 1997, on the eve of the 21st century, the buffalo are leaving their sanctuary, Yellowstone Park, in search of food during a harsh winter...and walking into the crosshairs of the guns of Montana. Our very existence once depended upon the buffalo and our prophecies forewarn that our survival still depends upon the buffalo. We face a great challenge that cannot be ignored. The Yellowstone buffalo...the only wild herd left from the 1800's slaughter, are again being slaughtered in a hysteria, without conscience. A thousand have already been killed and most of the heads, hides, and flesh are being auctioned. Brucellosis is the hue and cry of the shooters. But are the buffalo even being tested? Has the transmission of the disease to cows been scientifically proven? And couldn't humanity, in all its intelligence, come up with a more humane solution to possible starvation besides death itself? InterTribal Bison Cooperative, a coalition of tribes across the nation who are actively engaged in buffalo restoration, and the National Wildlife Federation, have already proposed a long-term plan to quarantine, test, and relocate the buffalo. The buffalo continue to stream out of the park (on man-made snowmobile trails) searching for food...and face an imminent and callous death. Meetings have been held and the objections raised, but the grisly killings go on. Now, Native American spiritual leaders are calling for a: National Day of Prayer for the Buffalo March 6, 1997 Noon EST - 10:00 AM MST Northern Border of Yellowstone at Gardiner MT Montana Capitol Bldg. at Helena US Capitol Bldg at Washington, DC If you are unable to be present at these sites, please pray in your homes and in your communities. You can also support a grassroots protest in progress at Gardiner, MT by your physical presence or contributions through: Seventh Generation Fund/Yellowstone Buffalo, POB 4569, Arcata, CA 95518 For more information, call InterTribal Bison Cooperative at (605)394-9730 Native Action (406)477-6390 --------- "RE: Press Release from Hotevilla" --------- Date: 17 Feb 1997 04:30:14 GMT From: dsew@packrat.aml.arizona.edu (David Sewell) Subj: Press release from Hotevilla (Arizona, Hopi) Newsgroups: soc.culture.native,alt.native,alt.culture.us.southwest I heard the attached press release read this evening on KXCI-FM's (Tucson) "Native American Program" and managed to track down a copy on the Net. It and a previous press release that announced the closing of Hotevilla religious ceremonies to non-Hopi are at http://www.infomagic.com/~abyte/hopi/messages/wiwimkyam/wiwimkyam.html In case anyone is unclear on the context, there has been much controversy in Hotevilla and elsewhere provoked by a couple of recent books by Thomas Mails, "The Hopi Survival Kit" and (co-authored with Dan Evehema) "Hotevilla: Hopi Shrine of the Covenant". Both books are supposed to convey to non-Hopis the essence of traditional Hopi religion and, in particular, prophecies about world history. They are given credibility by Evehema's status as a 100+ -year-old resident of Hotevilla. (This credibility is what the attached press release in part addresses.) I'm an Anglo, not a Hopi. I can't evaluate the merits of the dispute as it relates to Hopi governance, religion, and traditions. But as an Anglo, I'll claim the cultural ability to recognize the great American tradition of converting spirituality into moneymaking when I see it, and the Mails-New Age nexus that is now marketing Hopi teaching as the latest Religion-of-the-Month sure smells of it to me. (Exhibit from the cabinet of horrors: searching "Hotevilla" on www.dejanews.com, I found a posting on alt.gathering.rainbow, as in the tribal wannabee Rainbow Family, recommending Mails' books and saying, "There's talk around here about going the 501(c)(3) route with an organized church built around the Hopi Life-path." I can see it now: The First United Church of Hopi without Hopis...) Press release follows. ====================== HOTEVILLA WIWIMKYAM ASSEMBLY Press Release Tuesday, February 04, 1997 Hotevilla, AZ Following the recent night dances at Hotevilla it has become clear that Martin Gasweseoma and Dan Evehema will continue to encourage their supporters to defy the assembly of Wiwimkyam. Unwelcome individuals attended the dances in Hawiovi Kiva and outside, in direct defiance of the closure terms. In response to these individuals and their supporters the Wiwimkyam assembly are resolved to expose the reckless behavior of these two self-appointed chiefs. Martin and Dan do not hold any positions of religious authority in Hotevilla. Succession to leadership positions in Hotevilla are as follows: The Kikmongwi (village chief) and the Wim Momgwit (high priests) hold life long positions or until they no longer can perform the physical requirements of their position. They are selected while in the mother's womb. They are ordained in a hair washing ritual by the Kwakwant. Then they are instructed in the physical, natural and spiritual laws of the Land and their responsibilities to the people, by the assembly of high priests at the Kokop Clan house, wherein resides Masau. This same assembly removes irresponsible leaders. Martin and Dan have never gone through this process. No Bear Clan person has been Kikmongwi at Hotevilla. Poliwuhioma from the Bluebird Clan has served as Kikmongwi, during Patcavu. He passed this on to Siwihoima who then instructed Lomahoima. Yukioma and Pongyayawma (Kokop Clan uncle and nephew) have served as caretakers of the land, beyond the village proper, through safekeeping of the stone tablets, holding them in trust for the people. These tablets provides safe passage for the people so they have served the people in the village and throughout Hopi lands, through this service. This has been the leadership at Hotevilla. Martin and Dan are aware of their responsibilities in the community which does not include the authority to speak for the people. Dan claims Greasewood Clan, Katsina and Snake leadership and holds none of these but only membership in the Wuwuchim and in that membership he takes direction from the Wuwuchim at the Mong (Chief) Kiva. He has never been seen smoking and praying at the Katsin-ki, or any other Kiva during religious events, nor at community events such as weddings. Both know that a Hopi leader stays at home, available to the community but Martin's trips abroad selling his message are well known and Dan is seldom seen in the village. Both are engaged in Paho making outside of religiously prescribed places and times. Persons not entitled to this ritual are learning from them and so are engaged in the mockery of original, accepted practices. Martin and Dan try to emulate Yukioma's resolve never to accept the Whiteman's goods. The Whitemen arrive daily at Martin's house with material goods. Dan seeks contributions over the internet. Thomas Banyacya, Manuel Hoyungowa, Rena Murillo, Emory Holmes and non-Hopis Katherine Chesire (founder of Touch the Earth Foundation), Thomas E. Mails (author of Hotevilla, The Hopi Survival Kit, Native American Pathways, Mystic Warriors of the Plains) and Roy Steevenz continue to seek contributions for Hotevilla, supposedly with the Elders' blessings. Do not send contributions to Hotevilla, on their behalf or those of Caretaker's of Hotvela in Hopi and Hopi Sinom. Also be wary of contributions to Hotevilla through, Don't Waste Arizona, Inc. The people of Hotevilla will confirm this information. Those from outside the community who continue to create conflict are in headlong collision with the community. Gratitude is extended to the non-Hopi friends who respected the closure and showed restraint although they had a long history of attending these events. Gratitude also goes out to those assisting with the distribution of this information. On file, Eleven (11) of fifteen (15) Wiwimkyam signatories to Tunatya. For more information call: 520-734-2420 -- David Sewell * dsew@packrat.aml.arizona.edu | "Where the earth is dry, t Dep't of Geosciences, Univ. of Arizona | soul is wisest and best." WWW: http://packrat.aml.arizona.edu/~dsew/ | --Heraclitus --------- "RE: Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute" --------- Date: Sat, 15 Feb 1997 20:00:43 -0700 (MST) From: dh88691@goodnet.com (THURSDAY/Jon Norstog) Subj: NAVAJO-HOPI "LAND DISPUTE" UPDATE: FEBRUARY 15, 1997 UUCP email NAVAJO-HOPI "LAND DISPUTE" UPDATE: FEBRUARY 15, 1997 The Court Hearings Roman called me this evening to talk about the hearings in Phoenix. he thought they went pretty well, starting from Jack Hatathlie's testimony. Mr. Hatathlie was listed as a person in favor of the Accommodation Agreement, but testified against it. He had specific concerns which he made known to the judge. Roman thinks the judge is listening, at least. A number of people asked for extensions of the deadline for signing. The judge asked the Hopis if they were willing to extend. The Hopis said it was up to Council and they would try to get an extension. Roman thinks the Hopi Tribal Council will probably not vote for an extension - not a good thing to do to Judge Carroll. The judge said he was going to personally read all the statements submitted by people who did not get to testify, and is going to extend the hearings so the attorneys can testify as well. Judge Carroll has a reputation for toughness, and he hasn't shown much patience in the past with tribal governments, white attorneys, etc. He's a little easier on the Navajo people themselves, and tends to at least show them some respect. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Every once in a while you hear or read something that stands out because it's something you haven't heard before and it makes sense. Mae Tso's daughter Juanita, the baby of the family sent this into the Navajo Times this week. I hope it gives you all something to think about. (attachment) jn >From the Navajo Times, Thursday, Feb. 13, 1997, p.A-4, "letters" EDITOR Navajo Times My name is Juanita Tso. I live in the community of Mosquito Springs on the so called "Hopi Partition Lands." I am 22 years old and a single mother of two small children. I am writing to tell people of my disappointment in our government, all of it, from here to Washington, and of the grief it has caused my people and myself. I have lived here all of my life. I have seen what the dispute has done to us, slowly, without us really knowing what is happening. I have seen my mother turn from being gentle, loving and quick to smile, into a hard woman. I have seen her shed her silent tears. I see now a tire woman who wants no more of this dispute. I have seen young men turn to alcohol for escape from "our reality." Too often, men abuse their wives and young children. I've seen broken families and parents who neglect their children. I've seen people who turn to suicide. I've seen these people do what they do because they do not know where to direct their anger. I've heard their threats and seen their anger. These young men have a lot of anger in them, they're time bombs waiting to explode. I am another example, I saw this as I was growing up and I thought I should keep my distance from the dispute, so that I could have happiness. For my first job I started working with disabled people who could not speak, move or eat on their own. I had compassion for them. I started hands on care for 5 clients in a group home, one was a Hopi. I could not bring myself to touch her. I snarled at her every time I passed her. Why? Why? This person who had never done anything to me. She needed me to care for her. The I realized my problem and examined my thoughts, my feelings. I found in my heart, mind, and spirit that I was angry with her because of the land dispute. Even though I tried for it not to affect me, the racism the land dispute causes has seeped into me. A lot of young children are now watching the rest of their families express themselves angrily about the hardships they must endure due to this dispute, so they imitate them. My 3 year old nephew had just moved to Tuba City when he was outside yelling (in Navajo) "I hate Hopis." His neighbors are Hopi. The land dispute has caused this racism, it wasn't like that when I was small. My grief is there with the youth, the young children, and how their lives will be. Everything depends on us, the decisions we make. Here's a big decision, the Accommodation Agreement, the 75 year lease, it will have a big impact on our lives. I think to myself, I love it out here, I want to stay. I want my children to grow up here and to have the childhood I never had. I want them to run and play instead of being on the look-out for Hopi rangers and their livestock trailers. So I think, if my children can have a happy childhood, I could live with anything. I thought 3 acres isn't so bad, I could cope with all the rules and regulations. Everything doesn't seem so bad in my mind I picture my home, corral, and my cornfield not too far away. I knew where I would live. I would rebuild our ceremonial hogan that was taken down by the Navajo Tribe in 1992 because of the Hopi demand to do so. Right near there is a giant tree and I thought, a tire swing for the kids. So I am happy in my thoughts and settled on a decision. I would sign the lease. I started on how to do this. I went to see attorney lee Phillips. On January 21, 1997, I find that I am NOT ELIGIBLE to sign the lease. Because I was 12 years old in 1986, the relocation deadline. I am also not eligible for relocation benefits. So I walk away from MR. Phillips, dreams shot to hell, disappointed and wondering what to do. I am not only disappointed in only our attorney but also with Albert Hale, Navajo Nation President, Herb Yazzie, Navajo Nation Attorney General as well as John McCain, Bill Clinton and everyone else who helped to make this "Accommodation Agreement." The world didn't stop in 1986, people did not stop living out here. The Hopi Chairman, Ferrell Secakuku has deemed us trespassers in our own home, on our own ancestors homeland. What happens to all of us who were too young in 1986? Are we to be ignored, abandoned, evicted and made homeless? Juanita Tso Hotevilla, Ariz. --------- "RE: Big Mountain News" --------- Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 18:17:14 -0800 From: Robert Dorman Subj: Big Mt. "news" Newsgroup: alt.native GIVING UP LAND 'WOULD BE LIKE DEATH' Louise Benally has sheep to care for on the reservation, colorful rugs to weave and a household to maintain. But this week, she left her chores behind and traveled to Phoenix to U.S. District Judge Earl H. Carroll's courtroom to make her voice heard. The judge on Tuesday opened three days of hearings to determine the fairness of an agreement ending a century-old land dispute between the Navajo and Hopi tribes. "This agreement is not a valid solution," said Benally, who traveled from her home on Big Mountain Ridge, 100 miles northeast of Flagstaff. "No one can make me sign the agreement. I would be giving up my land. It would be like death." Under the agreement, Benally and 250 other Navajo families have a choice: Sign the agreement, which allows them to remain on 900,000 acres of high-desert land awarded by the courts to the Hopi Tribe, or move off the land that once belonged to their ancestors. Navajo families still living on land have until March 31 to sign 75-year leases that will determine the size of their home sites, farms, flocks and grazing lands. Arizona News Digest, Feb. 12, 1997 http://www.azcentral.com/flash/digest/digest.html --------- "RE: Innu/Inuit Rights at Voisey's Bay" --------- Date: Thu, 13 Feb 1997 09:11:39 -0400 From: Larry Innes Subj: G&M COLUMN: Simpson on Innu/Inuit Rights at Voisey's Bay Mailing List: Innu People Forum list :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 970310178 FRI JAN.31,1997 PAGE: A14 BYLINE: JEFFREY*SIMPSON* CLASS: Column DATELINE: Ottawa ONT WORDS: 738 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ** The Inuit and Innu should benefit from the mine at Voisey's ** ** Bay ** BY JEFFREY SIMPSON OTTAWA WHOSE land is it anyway, and who should profit from the bounty of the land? These are the issues of money, morality and law written across the Canadian landscape in the struggle by native people to lay claim to territories they once used. A hugely increased land base for natives lies at the heart of the recommendations of the royal commission on aboriginal affairs. Land is central to dozens of treaty claims. And land is at the core, in a manner of speaking, of the development of the giant Voisey's Bay mine in Labrador. Voisey's Bay is one of those once-in-a-generation mineral finds that investors dream about. Not only does the exploitation of the mineral wealth at Voisey's Bay fire the imagination of developers, it gladdens the heart of the Newfoundland and Labrador government. Revenues will flow from Voisey's Bay into the treasury of a province that needs every penny it can find. These potentially splendid developments, however, overlook one fact: The existence in those parts of aboriginal people - Inuit and Innu. They are small in number, weak in politics (although somewhat skilled by now in the ways of the media) and, if recent news reports are correct, in dire danger of being steamrollered in the rush for cash. Apparently, the government has told the native people not to expect any surface or subsurface mineral rights or a sharing of royalties in any negotiations. These are central questions in any land-claims settlement between a government and native people. If indeed the Newfoundland government sticks to this position, a huge injustice would be done to the native people. Although the Inuit rejected a 1993 offer of land that included the area around Voisey's Bay just months before the minerals were discovered, this rejection should not be held against them. Their rejection was presumably part of the give-and-take of any negotiation; besides, the issue now that the minerals have been discovered is how this territory, which they have used and roamed over, can be developed in ways that benefit everyone with a legitimate claim, including theirs. Overlapping claims from aboriginal and non-aboriginal groups often befoul land-claims negotiations and set group against group. That's been the story in other parts of Canada and indeed even in Australia. Down Under, for example, the High Court recently put the farmers association and the mining industry into a lather over a land-claims ruling. At issue was whether so-called "pastoral leases" given farmers (and squatters) decades ago extinguished native titles. Specifically, would those holding the leases have clear title to the land when the leases expired? Would they be able to renew them freely? Would the land revert to natives? The court's ruling was a bit inconclusive because it suggested native title "of some sort" could indeed co-exist with pastoral leases and that conflicts had to be resolved on a case-by-case basis. The majority decision found that "there is nothing in the stature or grant that should be taken as a total exclusion of the indigenous people from the land." Knowing how the Canadian courts, especially the Supreme Court, read Australian High Court rulings in the native-law field (and vice versa), don't be surprised if this case gets referred to in Canada. Stripped to its essence, the Australian case suggests native title and non-aboriginal use can co-exist. Whatever the applicability of the Australian experience to Canada, at Voisey's Bay a whole bunch of people lucky enough to have invested in the mining project are going to get very rich. The government will take its slice of the money, as indeed it should. Those who are employed at Voisey's Bay will make good in a corner of the country where high-paying jobs are at a premium. Whatever the strict law, it would be morally repugnant not to see some of the bounty flow to the Inuit and Innu, and for them to have some reasonable say over certain aspects of the development. They have accepted, however reluctantly, that the project should proceed, but their acceptance should not be taken as a green light to marginalize them in the rush for profits and royalties. For the Newfoundland government to push responsibility for negotiations on to the company is wrong, even offensive. Native people, in Labrador and elsewhere, have relations with the Crown, not with individual companies. \/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/= Larry Innes Visit the Innu Nation WWW site: Environmental Advisor http://www.web.net/~innu Innu Nation P.O. Box 119, Sheshatshiu, Labrador, Canada A0P 1M0 phone: (709) 497-8398 email: innuenv@web.net fax: (709) 497-8396 --------- "RE: Kickapoo Oppose Transfer" --------- Date: Mon, 17 Feb 1997 10:54:54 -0800 (PST) From: "D. English" Subj: Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas Opposes Fee to Trust Transfer of Mailing List: TRIBALLAW (triballaw@thecity.sfsu.edu) Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas Opposes Fee to Trust Transfer of Kansas City Ks Land June 28, 1996 (Horton Kansas) The Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas announced today that it will oppose the fee-to-trust land acquisition at Kansas City, Kansas by the Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma. The Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma recently filed an application with the Bureau Affairs (BIA) to place approximately one-half acre of land it plans to purchase adjacent to the old Huron Indian Cemetery in trust status so it can establish and operate a Class III (Las Vegas type) Gaming facility on the land. The 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act allows tribes to engage in Clas III Gaming on reservation lands that are held in the name of the United States in trust for the tribe. The Huron Cemetery is located just north of City Hall in downtown Kansas City, Kansas and consists of approximately two acres that was reserved as a "public cemetery" under the 1855 Wyandott Treaty. BIA has paid the City to maintain the cemetery over the years. In the 1950's the Oklahoma Wyandotte Tribe proposed to move the graves at the cemetery to Oklahoma and sell the cemetery land to commercial interests for over $1 million. These attempts were successfully opposed by members of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas, who live in the Kansas City area, and local civic organizations. The Oklahoma Wyandotte Oklahoma Tribe's latest attempt to capitalize on the cemetery is based on BIA's classification of the cemetery as "reservation land." If it is in fact part of the Oklahoma Wyandotte Tribe's reservation, the tribe might be eligible to purchase a one-half. acre tract adjacent to the cemetery with moneys awarded by the Indian Claims Commission and have it placed in trust status for Class III Gaming purposes. The Congressional act approving disbursement of their Indian Claims Commission money provided that land purchased for the tribe "shall be placed in trust." On May 31, 1996, Governor Bill Graves of Kansas sent a letter to Secretary of Interior Babbitt requesting that the Oklahoma Wyandotte Tribe's application be held in abeyance until the complex historical and legal issues involved could be studied. This request apparently fell on deaf ears- Assistant Secretary of Interior Ada Deer published a notice in the June 12, 1996 edition of the Federal Register stating that the Wyandotte's application was approved, BIA's action was final ant that interested parties had 30 days to initiate legal proceedings against the BIA to stop placing the land in trust. Fred Thomas, Chairman of the Kickapoo Tribe, stated that politics appears top be the motivating factor behind the BIA actions. he said that "the Kickapoo Tribe has been trying to get BIA to put land in trust on our reservation for several years, yet along comes an out of state tribe that doesn't even exercise powers of self-government in Kansas and the BIA processed their application in weeks." Thomas questioned whether the two acre tract containing the cemetery even has reservation status to begin with; stated that "BIA's action is unfair to the Kansas tribes who have spent considerable amounts of time, energy and money to get their compacts approved so they could conduct gaming in the state to benefit their peoples." Thomas stated that "the Huron Cemetery and two adjacent buildings has been designated national historic sites and are on the Register of National Historic Places."{ He said that "the general public also has an interest in the cemetery under other federal acts, such as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and National Environmental Protection Act. It is evident that BIA is ignoring the public's interest in favor of the commercial interests that are behind the Wyandotte Tribe's proposed gaming facility." Thomas stated that "BIA has indicated that the National Environmental Protection Act is not applicable to the Wyandotte Tribe's fee-to-trust land acquisition, but I question this. I feel that a full environmental impact statement should be demanded to assess what adverse environmental and social impacts will occur to the general public and resident Kansas tribes." Thomas indicated that he sent a June 19, 1996 letter to Governor Graves notifying him that the Kickapoo Tribe intended to initiate legal proceedings against the BIA to stop the establishment o the Oklahoma Wyandotte Tribe's proposed gaming facility at the cemetery. For more information Mr. Fred Thomas, Chairman Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas P.O. Box 271 Horton, KS 66439-0271 913-486-2131 or 486-2132 -------------------------------------> Darren Z. English / Chihoatenhwa denglish@sfo.com http://www.sfo.com/~denglish Huron Indian Cemetery Preservation Site "CURSED BE THE VILLIAN THAT MOLEST THEIR GRAVES" http://www.sfo.com/~denglish/huroncemetery Wyandot Nation of Kansas http://www.sfo.com/~denglish/wynaks/wyandot2.html --------- "RE: AIM Club" --------- Date: Thu, 13 Feb 1997 18:16:02 -0700 From: "Leo Chavez, Jr" Subj: AIM Club (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Russell Means Newsgroups: alt.native,soc.culture.native Here is something you might be interested in doing... THE RUSSELL MEANS AIM CLUB Dear Leo, It's time to take action! The Bureau of Indian Affairs is a waste of your tax dollars! Approximately, 83% of the $2 billion allocated to Indian Affairs is spent on administrative costs and another 10% on the administration of tribal government! That leaves 7% in welfare expenditures for the Indians! The institution hurts, not helps, Indians in this country. As reported in the Arizona Republic, on February 23, 1996, the B.I.A. cannot account for $2.4 billion (it was later reported at $9.2 billion) through the tribal trust funds in the past 20 years! This is an atrocity! Oh yes, the American Indian reservations in this country contribute over $10 billion to the Gross National Product of the United States of America. We need you to write to your Senators, Representatives and to the Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. This is not a partisan issue, it doesn't matter what or if any political party you belong to - this is about people! The B.I.A. locks Indians into the welfare system. This keeps Indians dependant on this system. We need you to write demanding the abolition of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and for the United States government, through the State Department, to sit down with each individual Indian reservation and honestly come to a just resolution! Newt Gingrich 2428 Rayburn Building Washington, D.C. 20510 May the Great Mystery continue to guide and protect the paths of you and your loved ones, Russell Means, Elizabeth Demers, Chairman/C.E.O. President/C.O.O. TREATY PRODUCTIONS PS - Leo, thanks for the last slogan it really describes the times! ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< /// /// \ // / / \ //// _/ / It is better to have less thunder in the mouth, \_ //// / and more lightning in the hand. \___/ / / \_ AIM /,)-_( \_ \ (/ \\ / \\\\ Leo Chavez // <---((`--<<< --------- "RE: Voices of the Wintercount" --------- Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 13:40:30 -0500 From: "Jordan S. Dill" Subj: Voices of the Wintercount! UUCP email [Editorial comment: Since Jordan's post this site has posted several First Nations' proclamations regarding the Yellowstone Buffalo Slaughter.] Good day all...please note the following new site... Welcome to Voices of the Wintercount! ()... This site is dedicated to sharing the thoughts, ideas, and words of traditional Native American people. These are the original, unedited comments by real people, taking a stand for their way of life. This page is still under construction. Please bear with us while we get things into working order! In the meantime, here is what is available... - Proclamation of Continuing Belief, Lakota Nation - A Message from Joe Chasing Horse, about preserving culture and traditions - A Message from Arvol Looking Horse about the Sacred Pipe - A Proclamation from the Traditional Military Societies of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe - Meeting of the Dakota Territory Council - Message from Arvol Looking Horse about keeping sacred traditions Ayatohihi... First Nations/First Peoples Issues Of Consequence PGP public key available upon request... --------- "RE: Sauk and Fox History" --------- Date: Mon, 17 Feb 1997 09:37:02 -0500 From: "Jordan S. Dill" Subj: Sauk and Fox History UUCP email Good day all... I am delighted to present to you a History of the Sauk and Fox (). Below is a brief excerpt from this latest History: "Although Fox will be used throughout, this is only their historical name. The Fox called themselves the Mesquakie (Meshkwahkihaki, Meskwaki, Meskwakihuk, Meskwakihugi) meaning "red earth people." Early French explorers mistook a clan name (Wagosh meaning fox) for that of the entire tribe and began referring to them as the "Renard" (French for Fox), and the English and Americans continued the error in their own language. Other names were: Asakiwaki (Sauk), Outagamie or Odugameeg (Ojibwa "people of the other shore"), Beshdeke (Dakota), Skenchioe (Iroquois), Skaxshurunu (Wyandot), Skenchiohronon (Huron), Skuakfsagi (Shawnee), Squawkies (British), Tochewahcoo (Arikara), Wacereke (Winnebago), and Wakusheg (Potawatomi). "Either Sac or Sauk is correct. Spelling variations of this are : Osawkee, Saki, Saque, and Sawkee. The name comes from their own language - Osakiwuk, or Asakiwaki, meaning "people of the outlet" and refers to their original homeland on Michigan's Saginaw Bay which gets its name from them - Saginaw meaning "place of the Sauk." Since the Fox were the "people of the red earth," Sauk has often been inappropriately rendered as meaning "people of the yellow earth." Alternate names for the Sauk were: Hotinestakon (Onondaga), Osaugee (Ojibwa), Quatokeronon (Huron), Satoeronnon (Huron), Zake (Dakota), and Zagi (Winnebago)." I'd like to take a moment to point out that no where else on the Net will you find a project such as being undertaken at the First Nations Compact History site...250 histories of the First Nations, all in one spot () presented to the world by Lee Sultzman . This is really a phenomenal project...if you'd like to see how the Histories are being presented visit so as to encounter a "geographic overview." Best regards, Jordan Ayatohihi... First Nations/First Peoples Issues Of Consequence PGP public key available upon request... --------- "RE: Royal Commission 3-4" --------- Date: Tue, 14 Jan 1997 04:59:00 +0000 From: don.rayment@uptowne.com (Don Rayment) Subj: Royal Commission 3 - 4 Mailing List: UpTowne Online Services [Editorial note: This is a continuing series of a public release of a Royal Commission Report. Paul Antone posted it to the UpTowne listserver maintained by Don Rayment.] Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples Restructuring the Relationship Employment The employment problem is immense. More than 80,000 jobs are needed now, just to raise Aboriginal people's employment rate to the overall Canadian rate. Without action, the situation will deteriorate. The Aboriginal population is young: 56 per cent are under 24 years of age, compared with 34 per cent of all Canadians. An additional 225,000 jobs will have to be found in the next 20 years to put them to work. We propose a sustained effort to increase employment for Aboriginal people, including * a special 10-year program to train Aboriginal people for the work that has to be done in newly self-governing nations * a new approach to employment equity, in which employers work with Aboriginal organizations to forecast vacancies and train Aboriginal people to fill them * measures to increase the number of Aboriginal employment service agencies and their capacity to place Aboriginal people in the labour force * provision of culturally appropriate and affordable child care, so that more Aboriginal parents can join the labour force Education and Training Aboriginal nations cannot rebuild their political institutions, manage their economies or staff their social services without trained people. Yet high school and university completion rates are low among Aboriginal youth. Motivating youth to complete their education is of great importance to the economic future of Aboriginal communities. Youth need a strong foundation in their traditions and proficiency in the skills valued by contemporary society. Those who master these skills and contribute to their communities and nations deserve to be celebrated as the modern equivalents of the great hunters and leaders of the past. Education and training are discussed in more detail in Chapter 3. Alternatives to Welfare The need for welfare in Aboriginal communities came with the confiscation of ever expanding tracts of their land. Indigenous people grew poor, malnourished and sick. Many died young. The government chose to provide short-term 'relief' instead of sustained help to rebuild ravaged Aboriginal economies a choice governments have made over and over again in the last two centuries. By the 1960s, welfare had become available to Aboriginal people as it was to other Canadians. Since then, more and more have become dependent. The rate of welfare dependence is now two to four times higher among Aboriginal people than among Canadians generally. Many speakers at the Commission's public hearings lamented the erosion of self-reliance among peoples once renowned for it, an erosion brought about by the combination of economic ruin and welfare availability. There may never be enough jobs to go around in Aboriginal communities. Yet social assistance, as now delivered, is not a good way of providing cash income, for it traps recipients in a marginal existence. It may protect against abject poverty, but it can also stifle individual initiative, and it does little to deal with the community conditions that lead to dependence. We think Aboriginal communities should be able to use the money now earmarked for individual welfare payments as an instrument of broader economic development: * Aboriginal communities or nations could take charge of the funds their residents now receive for social assistance. These funds, along with a top-up amount for capital and other costs, could be used for local projects such as new roads, a community centre or a business venture. The able-bodied unemployed could work on these projects, receiving wages rather than welfare. They would gain experience and skills, and the community as a whole would benefit from their work. * The maze of assistance programs available in urban centres could be simplified through single-window service delivery. Funds now available for life skills, job training, job finding, child care and income maintenance could be pooled to support holistic planning to help individuals make changes in their lives. * In remote areas, income support funds could be used to support hard-to-finance activities such as traditional harvesting. The James Bay Cree Income Security Program provides a model. These reforms are urgent. Commission research predicts that, unless economic conditions and welfare programs on reserves change radically and soon, the bill for social assistance will reach $1 billion by 1999 and $1.5 billion by 2002. Treaties: The Mechanism of Change The Commission proposes a wide-ranging agenda for change to achieve two goals: * Rebuilding Aboriginal nations as the best and proper way for Aboriginal people to protect their heritage and identity, restore health and prosperity to their communities, and reorganize their relations with Canada. * Restoration of relations of mutual respect and fair dealing between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. As complex as the project appears, it can be done. The central mechanism of change is the treaty. Treaties have a long and honourable history as a way of solving disputes between peoples, nations and governments. Although Canada's historical treaties with Aboriginal nations have been ignored and violated over the years, the treaty format is still a powerful way of stating the terms of a relationship. To see how treaties can be used in the modern context, Canadians need to understand them better. In brief, the historical treaties are Promises exchanged between the governments of France, Britain and Canada, and Aboriginal peoples. To secure peace or alliance with Aboriginal nations, or gain occupancy and development rights on Aboriginal land, the Crowns of France, Britain and, later, Canada promised Aboriginal peoples protection, benefits and shares of wealth in perpetuity. Those promises now rest with the governments of Canada. Nation-to-nation agreements. Treaties are not admissions of defeat or submission. Parties to a treaty do not give up nationhood or their own ways of living, working and governing themselves. Rather, they acknowledge their shared wish to live in peace and harmony, agree on rules of coexistence, then work to fulfill their commitments to one another. Commitments that are sacred and enduring. The historical treaties were taken very seriously by both sides. Their purpose was to create a relationship of peace and friendship that would last. The alternative was lost trade and possibly warfare and bloodshed. Treaties were sworn by sacred oaths, announced with great ceremony, and regarded as binding documents of state. The fact that they have been violated time and again does not change their underlying legitimacy. Part of Canada's constitution. The treaties set out broad social contracts between independent peoples, very like the terms of union by which former British colonies joined Confederation as provinces. They are constitutional documents, recognized and affirmed in section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. As such, they are part of the law of the land. Fundamental to Canada's honour. Treaty making is one of the great achievements of human societies. It enables the deepest conflicts to be set aside in favour of respectful coexistence. It expresses the choice to live in harmony with others, rather than spill blood or exercise power using more subtle forms of violence. The act of entering into a treaty, then as now, represents a profound commitment between peoples. Once made, a treaty is broken or ignored only at the cost of a stain on the good name of the nation or government that breaks it. We propose that the treaty relationship be restored and used from now on as the basis of the partnership between Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal people in Canada. This will require the fulfillment and renewal of existing treaties and the making of new treaties with Aboriginal peoples who do not have them now. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Internet: don.rayment@uptowne.com (Don Rayment) This message was processed by NetXpress from Merlin Systems Inc. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This multi-part series will be presented over the next several issues. My thanks to Don and Paul for bringing this to my attention. gary --------- "RE: Senator Bruce Babbitt at the NCAI" --------- Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1997 07:30:03 -0800 (PST) From: tlingit (William E. Martin) Subj: Bruce Babbitt's speech (fwd) ------- FORWARD, Original message follows ------- From BillnNorCa@aol.com Sun Feb 9 23:09:30 1997 UUCP email Thanks to Bill for Transcribing these critical speeches from the Winter NCAI. The next few issues will include speeches from the following: 1. NCAI President Ron Allen 2. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) 3. Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) 4. Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt 5. Senator John McCain (R-AZ)............ Secretary of Interior, Bruce Babbitt's speech at NCAI Winter Session: NCAI Winter Session Grand Hyatt Washington Washington, DC January 21-24,1997 Honorable Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of Interior I was listening to Senator Inouye and Congressman Patrick Kennedy and found it very refreshing to hear that kind of commitments. Of course, one can only wish that this sense of understanding of Native American Affairs were a little more widespread in Congress. This is just a way of saying that we still have a lot of work to do this coming year. I'd like to very briefly, in the limited time I have, to discuss just two of the many issues that we now must deal with. The first is the resignation of Ada Deer as Ass't Secretary for Indian Affairs. Ada has chose to resign effective upon confirmation of her successor. I said to Ada that I am pleased she has decided to stay on during the transition. I want to say a word about Ada. I think she has done a very able job, it's a very difficult cause. I was at a meeting out in a Southwestern state a couple of weeks ago and a leader got up during the course of the meeting and said "You know, we all, in our frustrations, and the lack of understanding of Congress tend to express our frustrations by taking it out on our own". It was a very poignant moment because he was, of course, talking about Ada Deer. He was acknowledging, we all have tendencies in our frustrations to turn on our friends for lack of anywhere else to discuss our frustrations. I said I understand it's a difficult transition. I am very grateful for Ada Deer for her stewardship and for her advocacy and for her burning passion for Native American People. With her goes our gratitude and good will. Now, we turn to the process of selecting Ada's successor. The Ass't Secretary for Indian Affairs is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. I hope that we can have a wide ranging discussion about possible successors. In fact, that discussion is already going on among ourselves and have been party to many discussions and I would say, at this point, that the circle is still widened while pursuant of those discussions, but at some point, the circle should begin to narrow. It will be my job, as the circle narrows, to see if I can sit down with the President and say "I have consulted all of the affected groups of Indian Country, and here Mr. President, is a short list of candidates for whom I can say to you on behalf of Indian Country that any one of these candidates will be acceptable, is superbly qualified and would have the enthusiasm and support of Indian Country". Now, I recognize that this process is complex, that there is no way of having an election for Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. We can't have an election because the choice belongs to the President, subject to the will of the Senate, but I would hope that we can throw out a net, that we can have a respectful and thoughtful discussion among all of the different groups that have an interest and that in very short order I would be in position to go to the President. It is important that we try to bring it to fruition, we can let it drag out to May or June, when we're right in the middle of a knockdown dragout problem over the budget process. I'd much prefer to get it done sooner. That's the agenda, I will do my best to talk personally to as many leaders as I possibly can. I hope we can work this process thoroughly, fairly, and intensively and together reach the right judgement. The second issue that I think deserves urgent attention right up front, is of course, the budget. The President will be releasing that budget very shortly, I am not at liberty to release the budget, but I think I can say to you with some confidence that we will get good results with the appropriations with the Indian Health Service, The Bureau of Indian Affairs, and a cluster of related issues such as the special trustee and the body of other particular programs. I can say to you that there will be a substantial increase in the Indian related budget requests. I would underline to you that this is no small achievement in the year in which the President has committed to taking the first major steps towards progressive spending cuts over the next seven years to the year 2002. So, without exception, discretionary domestic spending budgets for non- statutory driven entitlement programs, discretionary spending will be cut, year-by-year, inflation not withstanding, straight down to a zero target year 2002. Indian budgets are going to be an exception! The President has made that commitment, has made it out of increasingly strong personal understanding of the reality. The real issue of course, is going to be to make that stick in the legislative process. We've have some unhappy and very difficult experiences in the last four years because of the chaos in the budget process which resulted in cuts which were unjustified. I would hope that, once the budget is out, we can rallye our friends, make the case, and play hardball and say we're going send the Presidents budget. I recognize that these are the two items, get the Assistant Secretary, and the budget. I appreciate you time, I just want to say that I am very grateful to the President for having expressed his confidence in me personally by keeping me on as the Secretary of Interior. I will tell you that support from the leaders of Indian Country, in my judgement, was no small factor in the Presidents decision. I never went out and said I'd like you to talk to the President on my behalf, I don't do business that way. But on those times the President has had occasions to sound out leaders of Indian Country, I want to tell you, I really appreciate your honesty and candor. The word that came back from Indian Country was that "Bruce Babbitt's not perfect, we've got a lot of things we'd like to see him do differently, and we're going to keep beating on him." "The meeting in Boulder with a group of leaders was a start". I think the President heard from you was "well, maybe we're not going to give Bruce Babbitt an A+, but we think we ought to ride the horse we've got". I just want to tell you that I appreciate that because I'm deeply committed to this. I want to tell you, I'm here to start a new sense. A sense of gratitude, humility, and most of all, a feel a zeal to set this process up to make our voices more clear and greater sense of urgency. I look forward to this. Thank you very much. --------- "RE: Native Nations Block Nuke Dump" --------- Date: Sat, 15 Feb 1997 04:35:26 -0500 (EST) From: AJTerra@aol.com Subj: FWD: Native nations block nuke dump ------- FORWARD, Original message follows ------- From: "Workers World" ------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Feb. 13, 1997 issue of Workers World newspaper ------------------------- NATIVE NATIONS BLOCK NUKE DUMP By Bill Allen Needles, Calif. Native nations, the Arizona American Indian Movement, Save Ward Valley, local residents and environmental activists-- joined by supporters including Greenpeace and Farm Workers union--blockaded the entrance to the proposed radioactive dump site at Ward Valley, west of Needles, Calif., on Jan. 29. Officials of the U.S. Department of Energy and other government offices, along with industry representatives, were approaching Ward Valley for a tour of the site. They were met by 100 Native people and supporters who blocked the road. The protesters prevented the tour from reaching the site. The blockade lasted two hours. The action dramatized the Native peoples' total opposition to the proposed dump. Blockaders called on President Bill Clinton to intervene to stop the dump, and to respect the Tribes' environmental, cultural and spiritual concerns. Tribal and environmental activists had gathered at the site early in the morning. They took part in a traditional ceremony as they waited for the government and industry officials to arrive. Traditional Bird Singers sang their ancient songs as young Mojave girls danced. Farm Workers members sang "We Shall Not Be Moved." The Department of Energy had held a meeting the day before to discuss the "low-level" radioactive-waste dump proposed for Ward Valley. The DOE had invited state and nuclear-industry officials, but not the Native nations. Many people, including tribal leaders as well as reporters, were locked out of the Jan. 28 meeting. UNITED TO FIGHT The Fort Mojave, Chemehuevi, Quechan, Cocopah, and Colorado Indian Tribes have formed the Colorado River Native Nations Alliance to stop the dump and protect the Colorado River and Ward Valley. These are places of sacred significance to the Tribes. The nuclear industry and the government want to dump long-lasting, highly radioactive wastes from nuclear-power plants in unlined dirt trenches above an aquifer with pathways to the Colorado River. Such a dump could contaminate the river--which provides drinking water for 20 million people in Arizona, California and northern Mexico. "We object to the radioactive waste dump proposed for our traditional territory," said Steve Lopez, spokesperson for the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe. "Fort Mojave and the other river tribes will never allow a nuclear dump so close to our people and our river. "The Tribes are united to fight against this dump, no matter what it takes." On Jan. 31, California Gov. Pete Wilson filed a lawsuit in federal district court to force the Interior Department to transfer the federal land at Ward Valley to the State so construction on the dump can proceed. Wilson has also demanded that the anti-dump protest encampment--on the site for over a year--be evicted immediately. Native nations and the entire Ward Valley Coalition have vowed that they will nonviolently resist any attempt at eviction or construction. Further defying Wilson, the nations have announced that a mass Spring Gathering will be held at Ward Valley April 25-27. [Supporters can contact the Save Ward Valley office at (619) 326-6267.] - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if source is cited. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: ww@wwpublish.com. For subscription info send message to: ww-info@wwpublish.com. Web: http://www.workers.org) --------- "RE: Landmark Treaty Decision" --------- Date: Sat, 15 Feb 1997 10:39:31 -0800 (PST) From: MordecaiSp@aol.com Subj: Minnesota: Landmark treaty decision Mailing List: TRIBALLAW (triballaw@thecity.sfsu.edu) I wonder if list recipients have heard about the recent decision by a Minnesota U.S. district court judge allocating natural resources in a big hunk of east-central Minnesota to the Mille Lacs and Fond du Lacs Ojibwe bands and the Ojibwe tribes in Wisconsin, all signatories to the 1837 Treaty Local press coverage focuses on upcoming spearing and gillnetting of walleye pike in the Lake Mille Lacs (an hour north of the Twin Cities), the premier walleye sports fishing lake in Minnesota. There has been organized opposition to treaty fishing rights during the early '90s, and last week another rally/fundraiser by the anti-treaty took place in a local suburb. The decision by Judge Michael Davis follows the law set down in landmark fishing rights cases dealing with Puget Sound and the Columbia River. It affirms the right of the Ojibwe to hunt, fish and gather pursuant to their tribal conservation codes. The state of Minnesota has filed for a 4-month injunction against the exercise of treaty rights, ostensibly to educate the public about treaty rights and train law enforcement personnel in the new tribal conservation regulations. I'll be writing an article for The Circle newspaper in Minneapolis. If you'd like to offer your thoughts, feel free to e-mail: mordecaisp@aol.com. Migwich, Mordecai Specktor --------- "RE: Oppose the Ptarmigan Trail" --------- Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 14:23:45 -0400 From: Larry Innes Subj: URGENT ACTION: Protect Akamiuapishk! Oppose the Ptarmigan Trail! Mailing List: INNU-L URGENT ACTION: Protect Akamiuapishk! Oppose the Ptarmigan Trail! ================================================= Support the Innu in our struggle to protect one of Nitassinan's most important natural areas: Akamiuapishk (the Mealy Mountains). This roadless mountain region is home to both the Innu people and the Mealy Mountain caribou herd-but it is threatened by a 246 km snowmobile trail that will cut through the heart of this sensitive area. The Trail will link Goose Bay to Cartwright, running south through the Kenamu river valley and east across the southern slopes of the Mealy Mountains to Paradise River and Sandwich Bay. This route threatens important winter moose habitat, bisects the winter range of the threatened Mealy Mountain caribou herd and provide easy access to an area that is of special significance to the Innu Akamiuapishk has sustained countless generations of Innu. It is of vital importance to us. We hunt, trap, and fish here, and we want our children to be able to do the same. It is also an area of spiritual significance to us. There are many sites where shaking tent rituals and mokushan feasts have been held, and many of our relatives are buried there. The Trail will increase the human presence in Akamiuapish. Easy access into the area will create new conditions: increased hunting pressures and new cabin construction will destroy or seriously degrade this important environment. The area is also designated by Innu Nation, Parks Canada, and the Government of Newfoundland for a National Park Feasibility Study. The Trail threatens the very values that a National Park would protect. Innu Nation opposes the Trail on the grounds of the serious effects that it would have on our land, the animals we depend on, and the rights of the Innu people. We call on other groups who are concerned about the future of this important roadless area to support our efforts and oppose the Trail. URGENT ACTION REQUEST: Funding has been approved for the construction of the Trail, following a environmental screening done behind closed doors! Workers are now being hired, and construction is scheduled to begin within weeks! We ask you to send letters to Pierre Pettigrew, the federal Minister of Human Resources. His department is providing the funds for the Trail. We also ask that you copy Newfoundland Premier Brian Tobin and federal Minister of Indian Affairs, Ron Irwin. A sample letter and addresses appear below: Pierre Pettigrew Minister of Human Resources Government of Canada Place du Portage Phase 4 140 Promenade du Portage Hull, PQ K1A 0J9 Dear Messr. Pettigrew: via fax: (819) 994-0448 I am writing to express my shock and outrage over your decision to fund the construction of the Ptarmigan Trail. We strongly oppose the Trail on several grounds. * the proposed trail prejudices the aboriginal rights of the Innu Nation and their land rights negotiations with the Federal and Provincial governments; * the Trail directly impacts on land which is central to Innu culture-land which continues to sustain the Innu people; * the Trail will provide easy access by non-Innu to Innu land, facilitating hunting, trapping and fishing by non-Innu,and provide opportunities for constructing illegal cabins, camps, etc. which will only increase the level of conflict between the Innu and their non-Innu neighbours in this region and put additional hunting pressure on the threatened Mealy Mountains caribou herd; * The Trail bisects the Mealy Mountains National Park Study area, and compromises the work currently being done by the representatives of the governments of Canada, Newfoundland and the Innu Nation towards the establishment of a National Park to protect this important natural area; We are appalled by the utter failure of your department to consult with the Innu Nation on this matter prior to making a decision. Despite the fact that they are engaged in land rights negotiations with Canada and Newfoundland, and despite commitments by both levels of governments to keep them informed of any developments on this matter, they learned that funding had been approved through the media, and no official notification until after the funding was approved. We demand a full accounting of the reasons for your decision, and complete copies of every document written, referenced or received in the course of the screening of this project. Most importantly, we demand that you reconsider your decision to finance the construction of the Trail, and not commit any funds for this ill-conceived project until our concerns-and those of the Innu Nation-have been completely addressed by an environmental review panel. Send copies of your correspondence to the following: Brian Tobin Premier of Newfoundland Ron Irwin PO Box 8700 Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Confederation Building 10 Wellington St. St. John's, NF Hull, PQ A1B 4J6 K1A 0H5 (709) 729-5875 (fax) (819) 953-4941 fax Thank you for your support! Please forward this to other interested individuals and groups. \/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/=\/= Larry Innes Visit the Innu Nation WWW site: Environmental Advisor http://www.web.net/~innu Innu Nation P.O. Box 119, Sheshatshiu, Labrador, Canada A0P 1M0 phone: (709) 497-8398 email: innuenv@web.net fax: (709) 497-8396 --------- "RE: Akinksake Gravesite Threatened" --------- Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 20:01:15 GMT From: aconcert@carroll.com (Joe Campagna) Subj: Aakinksakee Lenape Site Encroachment ------- FORWARD, Original message follows ------- Source document: "Possible Akinksake Gravesite Threatened" Reported by Joe Campagna Newsgroups: apc.indig.info,soc.culture.native,alt.native --------- reprints granted do not change text below ---------- From BERGEN MAGAZINE - Joe Campagna, Editor "Gravesite" Encroachment Is Possible Disturbance" 2/11/97 Eric Martindale, Reporter Hackensack NJ - Road construction has begun near site in Hackensack where some informed individuals believe Native American gravesites may be located. The property is known as the Oliveri tract is at the corner of Fairmount Ave and Allen Street in the Borg's Woods area. Most of the Borg's Woods, a remnant virgin woodland with trees 8 to 13 feet in circumference, and 100 to 125 feet in height, was purchased by the County of Bergen in September 1994. Funds were earmarked for purchase and preservation of the Oliveri property, but the county opted not to buy this site. The half acre Oliveri property was owned by the City of Hackensack from 1940 to 1984, when it was sold off for $5,200, less than 1/10 of its true value. Activists are currently researching whether or not the Oliveri property was bought in 1940 for park purposes, because most of the city"s parklands were purchased at that time. Joe Campagna, a historian/researcher on local Lenape habitation has documented that Lenapi may have buried their departed near these particular streams at the Northwest side of hills. "Aside from the streamside location and surface evidence, it is to the West of a Hill where the sun may have been viewed setting" - Campagna. He also mentions that the stone circles coincide with Lenape gravesites he documented in the Ramapough Mountains of Mahwah. Campagna has documented extensive Bergen County trail structure especially along streams and rivers, often, overland trails connect large rivers. In many cases these trails have become county roads due to their age. The stream in Borg's Woods is met by a small runoff stream from a pool fed by an underground spring. "Water which comes from the ground like the spring in Van Saun Park and the spring in Borg's Woods are extremely significant both culturally and spiritually", said Campagna. The stone circles which almost invariably conform to the size of the newer and confirmed Mahwah graves occasionally show what appear to be double circles. Some have argued that these are glacial deposits. Mr. Campagna failed to report the site to the State of NJ feeling that they may disturb the site by excavating for archaeological evidence which would mean disturbing the graves which Campagna contends could be four hundred to over a thousand years old. Campagna has still not reported the potential site to the state. Borg's Woods and the Oliveri tract are the only site in Hackensack to match this description: an old trail, clearly seen on a 1940 aerial photograph, goes right through the Oliveri property, running generally parallel to the Coles Brook through an upland area. Some believe that this is an Indian trail that once connected downtown Hackensack to the Van Saun Creek area of Paramus. The Oliveri property was also on the grounds of the Fairmount Hotel, a country resort hotel that burned down in the late 1800's. It served wealthy residents of New York City who once had weddings and vacations at the hotel much like people have in the Pocono's today. Some of the trees cut were over 8 feet in circumference, and included American Beech, a slow-growing old-growth species. Oliveri and his partners plan a residential subdivision, which received approval from the Hackensack Planning Board. The board did not require any historical survey or environmental impact statement. The main part of Borg's Woods virgin area may stay undisturbed. Ground breaking has been done on the adjacent area and on the Borg's Woods trail. --------- "RE: HIV Care for Native Americans" --------- Date: 97/02/15 09:51 From: Douglas Goldin Subj: HHS PRESS RELEASE genie email Headline: HHS ANNOUNCES $1 MILLION IN AWARDS TO SUPPORT HIV CARE FOR NATIVE AMERICANS Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced Ryan White CARE Act awards totaling $1 million to three organizations to develop and evaluate health care models that provide the range of health care and social services needed by Native Americans living with HIV/AIDS and their families. Awardees include Alaska Native HIV/AIDS Case Management Project, Anchorage, Alaska; Native Care: HIV/AIDS Integrated Services Network, Oakland, Calif.; and Red Ribbon Bridge Project, Santa Barbara, Calif. "These projects offer models of HIV/AIDS care that break down the barriers Native Americans face in accessing needed services-- medical, mental health, substance abuse, housing, legal assistance and other support services--that respect their culture, spiritual needs and traditions," said Secretary Shalala. The projects were funded under the Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Program, which is part of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Its purpose is to demonstrate and evaluate for national replication innovative HIV/AIDS service delivery models for hard-to-reach individuals. It is not intended for long-term services delivery. Through the SPNS Program, HRSA also funds an Evaluation Technical Assistance Center for grantees at the Columbia University School of Public Health in New York City. "The SPNS Program tests innovative models of care to give communities and states better solutions for meeting the unique health care needs of hard-to-reach individuals and families, including Native Americans," said HRSA Administrator Ciro V. Sumaya, M.D., M.P.H.T.M. "This is an investment with a future once successful models are replicated around the country and individuals with HIV/AIDS have better access to a full range of coordinated services." The grantees and their awards are: Alaska Native HIV/AIDS Management Project $272,770 - This project is a collaborative effort of three regional Alaska Native health providers-- Chugachmiut, Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation and Kodiak Area Native Association. It will give Alaska Natives living in rural and remote villages nearby access to HIV/AIDS resources and services, with a special focus on preventing the transmission of HIV. Regional case management systems will help coordinate and integrate services. A comprehensive intake and client evaluation tool will be used to assess the multiple needs of Native villagers and develop individualized plans of care. Native Care: HIV/AIDS Integrated Service Network $500,000 - This project will increase access to care for Native American (American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian) individuals and families through an extensive network of eight regional sites: Phoenix, Ariz.; Chinle, Ariz.; O'ahu/Maui counties, Hawaii; Oklahoma City/Tulsa, Okla.; Minneapolis, Minn. ; Robeson County, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; and New York City, N.Y. The sites will better coordinate providers of HIV/AIDS services, including medical, mental health, nursing care, social, essentials of life, substance abuse and traditional healing services. Native Americans in correctional institutions are included in the project. All sites are linked with the grantee, the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center (NNAAPC), which will provide administrative oversight, training, technical assistance, information exchange and dissemination, and program design and evaluation services. Red Ribbon Bridge Project $227,230 - American Indian Health and Services, a non-profit community agency, is funded to develop a culturally appropriate model for the comprehensive, coordinated delivery of services by and for Native Americans in Santa Barbara County, Calif. Services will include counseling, nurse case management, social work/benefits counseling, risk reduction and other supportive services. By recognizing and respecting the unique cultural, spiritual and traditional values of Native Americans, the project aims to ensure client utilization and compliance. In addition to these three projects, the Navajo Nation Division of Health in Window Rock, Ariz., received a 5-year SPNS grant on September 30, 1996, to develop a tribal-focused model of HIV care. First year funding is $200,000. From fiscal year 1991, when CARE Act grants were first awarded, through fiscal year 1997, more than $3.8 billion in federal funds have been appropriated to assist people living with HIV/AIDS in every state, 49 major metropolitan areas and U.S. territories. --------- "RE: Poem: Bare Trees" --------- Date: Fri, 3 Jan 1997 14:36:08 -0800 From: berryj@okway.okstate.edu (John Berry) Subj: Winter Poem UUCP email Bare Trees Trees sway, losing their last leaves, as the cold winds, wing eastward, across the plains, into the hills. Mother earth, slumbers, beneath her quiet, and frosty breast, new life waits, and abides. Skies are blue, verging purple, water gurgles, heading downstream, beneath its icy coat. Four foots prowl, or sleep, twitching, dreaming, of the hunt, and food. Winged ones winter, or flurry south, perching fat for now, on bare trees, sharp eyed, searching for food. Fire warms us, as families gather, for stories, sharing laughter, and harvests bounty. The slow cold months, are here, all life waits, making ready for spring, between bare trees, and green trees. John Berry Oklahoma 1996 --------- "RE: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days" --------- Date: 97/02/10 00:51 From: Debra F. Sanders (dfsanders@genie.geis.com) Subj: Verse: Hawai'ian Book of Days genie email A HAWAIIAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of February 23-March 1 IANUALI (January) (Kaelo) 23 A dream is a wild bird upon the wind! 24 See the world through the eyes of a child. 25 Love is a gift that grows only with the giving. 26 What is once found is never truly lost. 27 I return to the earth to find the place of my beginnings. 28 Within me lie the wellsprings of my own renewal. MALAKI (March) (Nana) March was the season when the malolo, the flying fish, swarmed in the ocean. 1 Everywhere I look, I see beauty. (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, 20 February 97 08:00 -0500 From: Janet Smith (evestar@juno.com) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows not previously posted to Mailing Lists NATCHAT or NATIVE-L UUCP email Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 19:47:56 -0500 From: Ishgooda Subj: BENEFIT The following messages is being distributed for AIM Support Group Tennessee...Ish) ---------- FORWARDED MESSAGE ---------- A BENEFIT WILL BE HELD MARCH 8TH, 6PM CST AT RAVIS AT FORT SMITH ARKANSAS IN SUPPORT OF THE BIG MOUNTAIN SITUATION. HALF THE PROCEEDS WILL GO TO THIS EFFORT. PART OF THE COVER CHARGE IS FOOD, CLOTHING, BLANKETS, ETC. AND ALL THIS WILL GO TO THIS CAUSE. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. MIKE --------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 17 Feb 1997 13:05:58 -0400 From: changleska wakan wicasan Subj: Conference Update (Updates, Additions and Changes Announcement) NATIVE AMERICAN-STAR NATIONS CONFERENCES STAR FAMILY GATHERING San Diego, CA, Thursday through Sunday, March 13-16, 1997, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Conference site: Bristol Court Hotel, 1055 First Avenue, San Diego, (619) 232-6141 Lakota spiritual advisor Standing Elk has announced that the Spirit has indicated that another Gathering/information-sharing by Native American Elders and Anglo specialists on the Star Nations be held on the Pacific Coast near the Spring Equinox. This Conference is to keep up the flow of information concerning the trials that Mother Earth is commencing, and about the imminent return of the Star People. Thus, the Star Family Conference is intended to maintain the momentum of developing awareness developed from the Star Knowledge Conference on the Great Plains last June, and from the Star Visions Conference held in the Rocky Mountains in November, 1996. Presenters include: Standing Elk (Dakota), Floyd Hand (Lakota), Wablesa (Lakota), Pathfinder (Cherokee/ Apache), Silver Star (Cherokee), Kachinas Kutenai (Apache), Scout Cloud Lee, Ed.D., Mary Thunder (Metis), Monica Medicine Wind, Grandmother Wind Rider (Mayan), Nestor Night Owl, Steven Blue Wolf, Jose Fernandez (Puerto Rico), Dr. Brian O'Leary (Astronaut Corps), Dr. Steven Greer (CSETI), Dr. Richard Boylan, Dr. Truman Wong (Pine Ridge), NATO/SHAPE Command Sergeant-Major Robert Dean, Lee Shargel (NASA), Chet Snow, Angela Brown-Miller, Ph.D., LCSW, Alex Collier, Bettye Binder, Marilyn Carlson, CHT (Yellow Hand), Paula Peterson, Lewis Martin and Erica Snyder, Jeanette Matacia, Tom Scere and Star Sparks. Conference registration: $175 (after Mar. 1, $200). Single day=$60. Contact Bristol Court Hotel directly for lodging; mention "Star Knowledge Conference" for $85 rate. Shuttle available from airport. Alternate lodging: Holiday Inn-Mission Bay (special Conference rate $69); the Comfort Inn-Mission Bay. For registration/information contact: Rev. Collette Fields (619) 474-0842, P.O. Box 1612, National City, CA 91951; [back-up: Marilyn Carlson (206) 379-9624]. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Also, this summer plan for: STAR COUNCIL CONFERENCE of Native American Elders and selected non-Native Star People Specialists Rapid City, SD, Wednesday through Saturday, June 11-14, 1997 Conference site: Civic Center at Rapid City, the city closest to the sacred Black Hills. Presenters: Standing Elk (Lakota), Hun Bet Men (Mayan), Ed McGaa (Eagle Man), Galen Drapeau (Dakota), Nestor Night Owl, Marilyn Carlson, CHT (Yellow Hand), Dr. Richard Boylan, Leo Sprinkle, Ph.D. (invited), Steven Greer, M.D. (invited), Angela Brown-Miller,Ph.D., Joka Van Dieten, and others TBA. For information contact: Marilyn Carlson (206) 379-9624. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 10:37:12 -0800 From: "by way of gracev@pe.net Grace van Thillo" Subj: Press Release Mailing List: NAT-FILM February 16, 1997 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact: Ethan van Thillo, (619) 230-1938 FEATURE WORKS AND EDWARD JAMES OLMOS HIGHLIGHT CENTRO CULTURAL DE LA RAZA's 4th Annual LATINO and NATIVE AMERICAN Film and Video Festival - Cine Estudiantil '97 March 18-22, 1997. The Centro Cultural de la Raza proudly presents its Fourth Annual Cine Estudiantil '97. This exciting five day Native American and Latino student film/video festival will take place March 18-22, 1997 at San Diego State University's Montezuma Hall and at additional venues in Tijuana, Mexicali and Ensenada. This year the San Diego and Tijuana community will have the unique opportunity to not only view over sixty Native American and Latino student works from across Latin America and the United States, but also be treated to the appearances of renown Latino actor Edward James Olmos and Native American independent filmmaker, Sandra Osawa. Edward James Olmos will make his presentation at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18th and Ms. Osawa will be in person for her screening on Thursday, March 20th at 8:00 p.m. In addition, the festival will premiere three award-winning feature works (Lives In Hazard, Pepper's Pow Wow & Bienvenido/Welcome) along with providing a special outreach program geared toward local high school students. The feature works include Lives In Hazard to be screened on Tuesday, March 18th at 6:00 p.m. This documentary, produced and narrated by Edward James Olmos, is a stark exploration of East L.A.'s gang subculture, and an indictment of the cycle of poverty that perpetuates it. Lives In Hazard, is a one-hour documentary exploring the lives of the real gang members who acted as extras in America p.m., the Festival will be screening the San Diego premiere of Native American filmmaker, Sandra Osawa's, Pepper's Pow Wow. Screened at last years prestigious Sundance Film Festival, this documentary opens up new territory for Native American subjects by focusing on Jim Pepper, an international jazz musician, whose musical contributions to the world of jazz have never before been documented. For the first time, his amazing music is brought to life by filmmaker Sandra Osawa in this award-winning documentary. Finally, Cine Estudiantil '97 is proud to present the premiere screening of Bienvenido/Welcome to be screened Friday, March 21st, at 8:00 p.m. This award-winning film from Mexico follows a couple who are suddenly confronted with the possibility that one of them has contracted the AIDS virus through an infidelity. Director Gabriel Retes pays tribute to the art of filmaking in this unpredictable, comic, dramatic film within a film. The festival's founder and director, Ethan van Thillo, is very enthusiastic about this year's Cine Estudiantil. "For the first time, the festival will be including a showcase of Latino feature films, in addition to the student films and videos." Emphasizing the importance of the festival, Mr. van Thillo states that "the many films and videos to be screened at Cine Estudiantil '97 provide an avenue for members in our community to explore the history, stories, and many heroes so often forgotten by mainstream media; but vibrantly alive in this remarkable selection of over 60 works." Tickets and information All festival screenings are FREE and open to the general public. However, seating is limited and reservations are suggested. All screenings in San Diego (March 18-21st) will take place at San Diego State University's Montezuma Hall. Please contact Festival staff at (619) 230-1938 for times, dates, festival catalogue and ticket information. In addition, information is available on Cine Estudiantil's homepage at http://members.aol.com:/cineestud/index.htm. Cine Estudiantil '97 is co-sponsored by San Diego State University's Associated Students, MASSO, CASE, Latin American Studies, Women's Studies, P.S.F.A. and the Centennial Committee; Universidad Autonoma de Baja California; Landmark Theatres, The Mexican Consulate, California Council for the Humanities, Herdez Corporation, 15 Ayuntamiento, The San Diego/Tijuana Sister Society, and El Instituto de Cultura de Baja California. The Centro Cultural de la Raza's programming is made possible with support from the City of San Diego's Commission for Arts and Culture, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Performance Network, California Arts Council, The American Festival Project, San Diego City Schools, San Diego Foundation For Change, The Angelica Foundation, San Diego Housing Commission, The Nathan Cummings Foundation and Telesis Foundation. For more information contact: Cine Estudiantil 1997, c/o Centro Cultural de la Raza, 2125 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101, (619) 230-1938 or CineEstud@aol.com. ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 13 Feb 1997 13:54:14 -0600 (CST) From: Bo Subj: Northern New Mexico Comm. College 2nd Annual POW-WOW ------- FORWARD, Original message follows ------- Original Sender: wolfgang@nnm.cc.nm.us (Daniel Begay) OOO OOO O O O O OOO O O O O O O O O O O O O O O OOO O O O O O **** O O O O O O O O O OOO O O O O OOO O O NORTHERN NEW MEXICO COMMUNITY COLLEGE 2ND ANNUAL AISES POW-WOW APRIL 5TH, 1997 SPONSORED BY THE AISES CLUB ______________________________________ WE ONCE AGAIN WELCOME ALL DANCERS DRUMS AND ARTS/CRAFTS VENDORS!!!! ______________________________________ *Contest in Special Categories* ______________________________________ For more info Please Contact Pow-wow Coordinators:(by phone,smoke or E-mail) *Julia Abeyta - Native American Coordinator at: (505)747-2141 or E-mail at: jabeyta@nnm.cc.nm.us *Daniel W. Begay - President of NNMCC AISES Club at: (505)753-8200 or E-mail at: wolfgang@nnm.cc.nm.us *Charlene Tsoodle Marcus - NPI Coordinator at: (505) 747-2194 or E-mail at: charlene@nnm.cc.nm.us The Aises Club at Northern New Mexico Comm. College would like to invite all of you to the beautiful down town Espanola Valley, for our 2nd Annual Pow-wow. Our first Annual Pow-wow was a great success, we are still thanking each of you for all the help and support that was achieved during last event. We are located about 25 miles north of Santa Fe on State Hwy 84/285. The Town offers most major fast food chains, and motels, for those of you who may consider an over night stay. Taos NM, is also about 39 miles north of Espanola. So please don't hesitate to give us a call, We can inform you on any information you want about our location and southern hospitality in Northern New Mexico!!! But remember! Drum beats will be heard on in The Valley on April 5th!!!! Daniel Wolfgang Begay NNMCC Aises Pres. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 17 Feb 1997 15:05:18 -0800 (PST) From: kipp@ucla.edu Subj: Indian Gaming: Who Wins? A Forum for Tribal Leaders, Scholars, Government Representatives and Practitioners Friday, April 4 - Saturday, April 5, 1997 University of California, Los Angeles Law School Building Friday, April 4, 1997 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturday, April 5, 1997 9:00 am - Noon This conference brings together tribal leaders, scholars, government representatives and practitioners to address Indian gaming. The discussion focuses on three key areas: * Advisability * Legality * Achieving Success Specific panel topics will include: * Is Indian Gaming Advisable for Tribes? * Litigation and Its Aftermath * Legislative Possibilities * Community and Public Relations * Law Enforcement and Labor Relations * Investment, Economic Development and Finances Time will be scheduled for informal discussion of these vital issues during breaks and at Friday's lunch. For more information, please contact: UCLA American Indian Studies Center 3220 Campbell Hall, Box 951548 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1548 phone (310) 825-7315 fax (310) 206-7060 email < or < internet http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/indian/ Registration Fees: Non-Student $25 Student $15 Sponsored by the UCLA American Indian Graduate Student Association in conjunction with the UCLA American Indian Studies Center. Co-sponsored by the UCLA School of Law. Petition for state bar approval for MCLE credit pending. ---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 15 Feb 1997 23:34:39 -0700 From: "Chris Milda (_Akimel O`odham_)" Subj: ASM: Southwest Indian Art Fair (Fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- | S o u t h w e s t I n d i a n A r t F a i r | __________________________ | 1997 | A _free_ invitational show and sale of | jewelry, kachina dolls, pottery, baskets, | storyteller dolls, fetishes and sculpture by | 85 of the Southwest's most talented | American Indian artists! | Buy directly from the artists! | Live American Indian music! | Lectures on American Indian arts! | [IMAGE +---------------------+ _Hopi_Salako,_ Von Monongya, |Saturday, February 22| carver. (ASM photo #67237). | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | From _Kachina_Dolls,_ |Sunday, February 23 | | by Helga Teiwes] | 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm | | +---------------------+ | at the | A r i z o n a S t a t e M u s e u m | on the University of Arizona campus | at Park Ave. and University Blvd. | Call 621-6302 for information! |_____________________________________________________________________ Major Sponsors: Bahti Indian Arts The University of Indian Territory Desert Diamond Casino A R I Z O N A Jim Click Automotive Team Arizona Bank Tucson Arizona ----------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 13:40:15 -0500 From: Ishgooda Subj: Run For Freedom The American Indian Movement Support Groups of Ohio and Northern Kentucky present THE RUN FOR FREEDOM This run is in support of the "Bring Peltier Home" Campaign led by Dennis J. Banks The run will start in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 8th and arrive in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 19th - the first day of the international conference. All runners and all supporters are invited to participate in this 12 day multi-cultural event. This run will carry the clear message that it is time for Peltier Clemency NOW!! 21 YEARS IS LONG ENOUGH!!! For more information please call: Bill Boswell (513)797-8944 OR Jim Torsen (513)943-1229 OR WRITE: "Run for Freedom" 2851 Lindale-Mt. Holly Rd. Amelia, Ohio 45102 To the Four Directions Peace ===================================================================== -------------------------------------------------------------------------- --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- 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: Robert Dorman, Jon Norstog, David Sewell, Joe Don Chipps, William E. Martin, James Barnes via Joe Don Chipps, Jeffrey Simpson via Larry Innes, Mike Thee, Bill Allen, Mordecai Specktor, Paul Antone via Don Rayment, Debra Sanders, John Berry, Douglas Goldin, Russell Means via Leo Chavez, Native Americas, Darren Z. English, Indigenous Environmental Network, Ishgooda -//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Part B of this newsletter has already been distributed via the NATIVE-L or NATCHAT mailing lists. --------- "RE: Conferences and Powwows - online" --------- Date: Thu, 20 February 97 08:00 -0500 From: Janet Smith (evestar@juno.com) Subj: Upcoming conferences and powwows already posted to Mailing Lists NATCHAT or NATIVE-L UUCP email Date: Mon, 17 Feb 1997 14:39:31 -0500 From: morningstar@highland.net Subj: Ride Across the Nations '98 Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) Hello, friends. As was posted several weeks ago, there will be a Ride Across the Nations in 1998 which is sponsored by the American Indian Trust. I have been honored to be appointed US Coordinator and will be needing immense amounts of help to organize and find sponsors, as well as horses and riders, for this massive undertaking, the purpose of which is to raise awareness of native needs, assist in fundraising efforts for our native brothers and sisters in dire need, and to further education and preservation of culture and heritage. This ride will extend approximately 5000 miles for 100 days. We will need a tremendous amount of support, both financially and manpower-wise, in order to sustain the purpose of this project. Please e-mail me at: morningstar@highland.net if you have any interest in riding, assisting or contributing to this event. Thank you so much for your help. In Unity, Barbara MorningStar --------- "RE: Congressional Hearing for Leonard" --------- Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 13:54:23 -0500 From: ishgooda@tdi.net (Ishgooda) Subj: AIM To Call for Congressional Hearing For Leonard Peltier Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) FROM: AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL FIELD DIRECTOR P.O. Box 315 Newport, KY 41071 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEBRUARY 5, 1997 AIM To Call for Congressional Hearing For Leonard Peltier FBI Shakeup in Ballistics Lab May Expose Wrongdoing in Peltier Case The American Indian Movement will formally request a Congressional Hearing an the wrongful jailing of AIM leader Leonard Peltier. Peltier will have served 21 years in prison on February 7, 1997, after being wrongfully convicted by false affidavits and perjured ballistics reports. AIM's National Field Director Dennis Banks, and AIM's National Chairperson Clyde Bellecourt, will file three separate requests--one with the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and one with the Senate Judiciary Committee. The third will be a legal brief (amicus curiae) requesting the 8th Circuit Court re-open the case covering the ballistics area and to release Peltier pending the outcome of that hearing. The recent removal of Fred Whitehurst, FBI Supervisor of the Washington DC ballistics laboratory for botching rest results for the past 25 years,will be the basis for the formal requests. --------- "RE: Indian Gaming and Indian Poverty" --------- Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 12:52:13 -0500 From: native_americas@cornell.edu (Native Americas) Subj: "Indian Gaming and Indian Poverty" (_Native Americas_ magazine) Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) "NATIVE AMERICAS" RESPONSE CBS commentator Andy Roonie recently complained to his audience of millions that, "If American Indians are so poor," he offered a "great idea. The Indian casinos should help the Indians and they wouldn't be so poor." Roonie delivered this remark with a sneer, like he caught the Indians doing something bad. We offer this recent selection from "Native Americas - Akwe:kon's Journal of Indigenous Issues," Cornell University, to enlighten the topic. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indian Gaming and Indian Poverty According to a report entitled Survey of Grant Giving by American Indian Foundations and Organizations recently released by Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP), gaming on Indian reservations has yet to significantly lower the high levels of poverty endemic to Indian people nationwide. The report found that poverty among Indians has actually risen during the past decade of the gaming boom, and now more than half of all reservation Indians live below the poverty level-more than four times the national average. The findings refute the notion that Indians "have struck it rich" over the past few years. According to the report, among the reasons for this disparity between perception and reality is that "the big success stories in gaming are the exceptions rather than the rule." In 1993, out of more than 200 tribes with gaming establishments, two tribes-the Mashantucket Pequots and the Shakopee Sioux-accounted for almost a third of the $2.6 billion in gaming revenues. The 100 tribes with the smallest casinos and bingo halls averaged less than $5 million apiece that same year (see fig. 1). Small tribes located near major urban areas have benefited the most from the gaming boom. For many of them gaming has reduced or eliminated unemployment and has provided a substitute for shrinking federal funds. However, the combined population of the three most successful gaming reservations is less than 500. The ten largest reservations, where 218,000 of the 437,000 reservation Indians live, have, with only one exception, seen an increase in poverty during the 1980s. The one exception, the Hopi reservation, does not have a gambling operation (see fig. 2). For the country as a whole, the percentage of Indians living on reservations who live below the poverty rate has increased from 45 percent of the population in 1980 to 51 percent today. Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, in a recent letter to the New York Times, noted that the isolation of many Native communities precluded a viable gaming operation: "In Alaska, home to 85,000 Native Americans, 80 percent of the villages cannot be reached by roads. Navajos in Chinle, Ariz. must drive 70 miles across the reservation to reach a bank." The NAP report also noted that the needs of reservation Indians are so great that, "even if, for the sake of argument, all the Indian gaming revenue in the country could be divided equally among all the Indians in the country, the amount distributed ($3,000 per person) would still not be enough to raise Indian per-capita income (currently $4,500) to anywhere near the national average of $14,400." Furthermore, gaming revenues are not a true indicator of wealth because "gaming revenues represent gross income; while some Indian gaming operations are spectacularly successful, with a profit margin of up to 40% of revenues, most are only marginally profitable." The NAP survey found that those tribes with successful operations are currently unable to help other reservations. Among the reasons was that gaming tribes are simply "not structurally organized to be grant makers - very few tribes have foundations. Any request for money must go through their government decision-making process, a process that has many checks and balances." NATIVE AMERICAS Akwe:kon's Journal of Indigenous Issues First Place General Excellence Magazine Native American Journalists Association 1996 Native Americas Magazine c/o Akwe:kon Press American Indian Program Cornell University 300 Caldwell Hall Ithaca, New York 14853-2602 Homepage http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu/ E-mail native_americas@cornell.edu Tel 800.9.NATIVE 607.255.4308 Fax 607.255.0185 --------- "RE: Ward Valley Indigenous Nuke Issue" --------- Date: Sat, 25 Jan 1997 04:22:39 -0800 From: ien@igc.apc.org (Indigenous Environmental Network) Subj: Ward Valley Indigenous Nuke Issue Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us) [ I regret the delay in the relay of this bulletin. It got lost temporarily among items awaiting processing. --Gary (gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us) ] Subject: Indigenous Peoples Oppose Ward Valley Nuke Dump Date: January 24, 1997 Released by: Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) FORT MOJAVE AND COLORADO RIVER NATIVE NATIONS ALLIANCE CONTINUE TO FIGHT THE PROPOSED RADIOACTIVE WASTE DUMP AT WARD VALLEY The Department of Energy (DOE) will be holding a meeting of their "Host State Technical Coordinating Committee" on Tuesday, January 28, 1997 in Laughlin, Nevada where they will discuss the proposed Ward Valley "low-level" radioactive waste dump. The DOE invited state and nuclear industry officials to make presentations at their meeting, BUT FAILED TO OFFER ANY SIMILAR INVITATION TO THE IMPACTED TRIBES THAT RESIDE ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER. The proposed radioactive waste dump is being sited in an area that is sacred to the Fort Mojave and other tribes in the area. The proposed Ward Valley site is not within the reservation boundaries of the tribes. However, it is within Native traditional lands that have sacred and culturally significant value to the Native Peoples. The site is home of the desert tortoise, an endangered species. Plans are to bury long-lasting and highly dangerous radioactive wastes from nuclear plants in shallow, unlined trenches. Ward Valley is located directly adjacent to the new Mojave National Preserve and is surrounded by eight designated Wilderness Areas. The proposed nuclear dump site is right above a major aquifer and 18 miles from the Colorado River. The push for the Ward valley dump comes from the powerful nuclear energy and nuclear research industry lobby group looking for a cheap grave for their radioactive waste and a way to transfer liability for nuclear waste to the taxpayer. The Ward Valley dump contractor, US Ecology, has left a trail of leaking dumps and litigation across the United States. The DOE has announced that they will arrive at Ward Valley at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 29, 1997 to have a tour of the proposed radioactive waste dump. The site is located 22 miles west of Needles, California, near the Water Road exit off Interstate 40. Steve Lopez, Fort Mojave Ward Valley Director has announced th