From gars@netcom.com Tue May 19 23:48:28 1998 Date: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 19:31:49 -0800 (PST) From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews06.004 _ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' O ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ O o O / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' O o O / /-< / /--/ /-- VOLUME 06, ISSUE 004 O o o o o O __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 24 January 1998 O o O KANOHEDA ANIYVWIYA Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin O o O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min 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 NAT-Film list; UUCP email; Indigenous Environmental Network; Newsgroups:alt.native,soc.culture.native; Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty 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. IMPORTANT!! ----------- To all who send copywrite protected articles, make very sure you have permission from the copywrite holder (a newspaper, the AP, a magazine, an author) because a new law is now in effect that says you can be prosecuted even if there is no monetary gain. Just because a newspaper has a website where it posts some or all of its editions does not grant permission for their redistribution. Be careful and be sure you pass on the items you do with full permission. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, all material appearing in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for educational purposes. <----<<<< >>>>----> 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 ++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org 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://aises.uthscsa.edu/94_dis.html 1995: http://aises.uthscsa.edu/95_dis.html 1996: http://aises.uthscsa.edu/96_dis.html 1997: http://aises.uthscsa.edu/97_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. "You can see the images of our kachinas depicted on rock walls all over this country. Images of gods and men, of horned dancers and plumed serpents. They were made by our people hundreds of years ago." -- Encarnacion Pen~a,San Ildefonso +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! Thursday, January 15 Traditional Lakota Elder, Ed Iron Cloud crossed over. Creator has been calling many of the traditional warriors home. Friday January the 23rd is the hearing for the termination of the native cemetery for the construction of a Wal-Mart supercenter in west Davidson County tennessee. It will be at 9am in Davidson County Tennessee Chancery Court with Judge McCoy presiding. Please see http://www.darkstartechnologies.com/seals/Wal-Mart.html and http://www.mtsu.edu/~kesmith/TNARCHNET/critaprel.html for details about this project. Please attend if you can and phone Wal-mart and Lowe's and contact your congress people to stop this. History has shown that this hearing always results in a termination order being issued. By a untied effort we may receive a favorable decision. Update: the US Army Corps of Engineers has not decided whether a permit will be necessary for this site. If one becomes necessary then the Archaeological Resources Protection Act will be activated and a section 106 will have to be done which should kill this project. So follow the links and contact the US Corps as well. Mike Sims SEAL =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\= This is the final issue for listing the contact list to help elders and children this winter. Please clip and save it, though. The winter is not yet ended. The need never ends. It is only made worse by the demands of winter. =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\= From: Wanige Date: Tue, 13 Jan 1998 16:46:42 EST Subj: Sending to the needy Gary, I have friends among the Red Stick Confederacy who send clothing and other supplies to Pine Ridge & Rose Bud every year. Usually they ship via UPS or send via a friend who makes trips up there. They normally pay for shipping out of their own pocket. However, this year they are strapped for cash, and they need help to find a way to get the clothing & blankets to the Dakotas. If you know of anyone headed up that way that might have room to carry these supplies, please contact me as soon as possible. The Red Stick Confederacy has allotted some funds to help out with the shipping, but since we are still in our infancy, we don't have much money to donate at this time. The funds we have on hand would only cover the shipping costs for a fraction of the clothing that has been gathered here. If anyone wants to donate funds specifically for this project, they can send them to: The Red Stick Confederacy/Project Warmth, P.O. Box 556, Franklin, TN 37065-0556. The Red Stick Confederacy is a registered non-profit organization in the state of Tennessee, so contributions may be tax deductible. Thanks for your help, Dale =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\= EMERGENCY REQUEST Date: 16 Jan 98 09:14 EST From: DORSEY.THOMAS@FORUM.VA.GOV Subj: Contact information I sure you are aware of the tremendous ice storm that devastated upper New York State, Vermont, Maine and eastern Canada. It is being recorded as the worst storm of the area. In the midst of this is the Akwesasne ( Mohawk) Nation. With power out, roads impassable and no heat the Nation is struggling. I've talked with the Nations emergency command post and they are getting donations of food, clothing, generators and other items, whats needed now is money to defray the costs that they have incurred. Charitable contributions may be sent directly to - Ed Smoke, Nation Emergency Coordinator St. Regis Mohawk Nation Hogensburg, New York 13655 Ed can be reached at 1-(518) 358-6245 =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\= I am pleased to tell all who have followed this list that the concern raised last week regarding communication problems between Sahoni Redbird and Lakxota Kxoyag is in the process of being resolved. I also heard from two different people not personally associated with the organization who had good words to say about them. While it is good this makes the reliability of this list hold up, it is far more important that the gifts intended for a less fortunate family will reach them, as intended. Aho! gary The following is one of the letters received supporting Laxkota. I am including it here with permission. Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 07:52:55 -0800 From: Pat Mitchell Subj: Laxkota I sponsored two children from Laxkota. I also had my three of my friends and my mother also sponsor children and elders from the Laxkota list. I sent a calling card to one of the children I sponsored. He's in a substance abuse program. I didn't just want to send him gifts, I wanted to encourage and give some support. He called me two days after Christmas to say thank you. We had a wonderful talk. In fact, I promised him one of the big gifts from his Christmas wish list when he gets his GED. He has become more than a name on a list, as I have become more than this nameless donor. I am thankful to the Laxkota people for giving me the opportunity to reach out to this young man with not a christmas gift but more importantly with the knowledge that no struggle is alone and perhaps a seed of inspiration or better yet hope. Pat Mitchell =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\= The tragic plight of our elders on the various reservations is so great, their peril so real, their walk so close to the edge that I will continue to feature contact addresses where you can send donations of clothing, food, blankets, money to purchase fuel and repair throughout the winter. Christmas has come and gone. Winter has not. The need for clothing and food did NOT take a holiday. As new contacts are received they will be added to the list. PLEASE help the elders. PLEASE help grow this list and help ALL the elders. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For additional information or to make donations contact: For the Red Shirt Community: Marvin Helper P.O. Box 312 Hermosa, SD 57744 For Porcupine, Oglala and Wounded Knee: Joe Chasing Horse % P.O. Box 8392 Rapid City, S.D. 57709 For Truck loads & UPS Shipments: Joe Chasing Horse 714 Paha Sapa Drive Rapid City, SD 57701 From: Lora Czarnowsky Adi Defender Project New Dawn PO Box 616 McLaughlin, SD 57642 This is for the various communities on the Standing Rock Reservation. Another contact is actually two projects: One is Santa's Workshop and the other is called Wakanheja Tipi. They are both run by Liam Paterson and his wife. Liam Paterson 1434 Creek Road Manheim, PA 17545 717-665-2727 From: tusweca Darlene Cross PO Box 52 Kyle SD 577075 From: yona@infi.net Toy drive going on for the Cheyenne River Reservation in Eagle Butte If you would like to donate a toy or more information, you may contact me by email: yona@infi.net or phone me 757-425-7992..you may also drop off a toy if you are in the vicinity of our store Na-va'kee 618 Hilltop West. biah yazzie From: DORSEY.THOMAS_J+@ALBANY.VA.GOV Norma Grassrope Lower Brule Reservation Lower Brule, South Dakota 57028 (605) 473-5594 She is the chair of a charitable group called the Womens Support Group. From: Pioquark@aol.com Clay Watson Pioneer Industries 1100 E. 24th St. Cheyenne, Wy. 82001 (307)778-7860 pioquark@aol.com These donations will be gifted to the Rose Bud and Pine Ridge Reservations in South Dakota and the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. I'm on the road a lot, out back loading the truck etc. PLEASE leave a message if there is no answer.. MORNING STAR OUTREACH c/o Cassada 320 N. 31st #13 Bismarck, North Dakota 58501 Charitable organization founded and directed by Dawn & Douglas Cassada. MORNING STAR OUTREACH chooses to offer direct as well as mediation assistance to the United States American Indian Reservations in the form of clothing, bedding, food provisions, toys for the children, scholarship funding and household provisions. This also includes craft items, fabrics, beads, patterns, yarns and notions. MORNING STAR OUTREACH chooses, because of the census reports, to Support the reservations of the Native Lakota Sioux Nation within the United States,South and North Dakota. From: ALBERT SUN BUTLER Ti Ospaye PO Box 200 Wanblee SD 57577 Supporting the elders through personal contact: Adopt A Grandparent Mountain Light Center PO Box 241 Taos NM 87571 TEL: 505 776 8474 FAX: 505 776 8050 For information call 800 291-8474. email: agpmlc@aol.com For the Cherokee, NC Rez and South FL (Now taking one load/week): From: "lonewolf" Lone Wolf -or- Bob and Linda Crowe 1060 N. Bee St. 2800 West Highway 5 Deland, Fl 32720 Bowden, GA 30108 770-258-1536 From BIGMTLIST The Dineh could use some blankets to help with the cold winters. Bonnie Whitesinger Box 1073 Hotevilla, AZ 86030 Bonnie is Dineh elder and resistor Pauline Whitesinger's daughter. Bonnie, her husband Bob, and their children are at this address. Anything would have to be sent by US postal service, and not UPS as UPS doesn't deliver to PO boxes. BTW, I have been told that often people who send clothes usually send in sizes too small; apparently the Dineh are generally large people. From: FNAIC@aol.com Walking Shield in Southern California regularly send truck loads of food, clothing and needed items to many reservations. They are located at 2472 Chambers Rd. Tustin, CA. 922680 telephone 714-573-1434 Hugh Stevens is the boss. they will only take fairly new and clean used items - any new items - and donations form large corps. They seem to be on the up and up and have helped many local reservations and native organizations. Carol From: leslie@neca.com Pathways to Spirit in Fort Collins Colorado Contact: Carmeen Klausner Phone: 970 282 8573 email pathways@webaccess.net This group is non profit and takes tractor trailer loads of clothes and furniture to Pine Ridge several times each year. From: POP ACCOUNT We would ask simply that you take a few minutes to visit our web site at http://www.nightwalker.org/holidays and review the information provided there. If you find it in yourself to help these children, there is a link on the site there to our SSL Secure server for online donations, or you can download and print out a form that can be mailed instead. If you do not have access to the World Wide Web, but would still like to help out, you can send an email to donate@nightwalker.org, and a donation form will be automatically sent back to you. Night Walker Enterprises is an all volunteer, 501(c)(3) non profit corporation, and all donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by IRS regulations and current US tax law. From: Pioquark Clay Watson Here is the first installment for Ft. Peck Reservation in Montana. The site is a homeless shelter/family shelter/abuse shelter/soup kitchen They can only house 10 women and 10 men. They feed from 60-100 people daily. They need warm clothes/ blankets/ Soup stock,beans, macaroni, rice, butter and other soup or kitchen foods. Also needed are personal care kits, and personal items such as towels, soap, shampoo tooth brushes, tooth paste etc. Contact person is: Mike Boyd Box 1597 Poplar, Mt. 59255 406-768-3695 Two more individuals who are dedicated to the people at Ft. Peck in Montana. They are true to the cause. Youth: Rhonda Kirn, works with youth and Foster children. Foster parents do not get additional income in this area due to lack of funds. Arriving kids need a start off kit: Back Pack, clothes, personal care items, school supplies, underwear, sox, bed clothes. These items can be assembled by groups or individuals and sent as a kit. Also needs all other kid support stuff for all ages. Board Games, craft supplies, etc. Rhonda got an area set aside for an ice rink and now needs all sizes ice skates, boot laces, leather care stuff like mink oil, neatsfoot oil etc. (good exercise) any kid supplies are needed. Rhonda Kirn Foster Care Licensing Prog. Ft. Peck Assiniboine-Sioux 200 Block St. East Box 1027 Poplar, Mt. 59255 (406) 768-5155 Ext: 365 (w) (406) 768-5443 (H) Elders: Lonnie Iron Bear works with 325 low income elders and the needs are great. 15 people are in need of housing. The buildings that many live in, are falling apart. The needs for elders are great. Construction materials, weatherization et. Personal care items (kits with tooth brush, tooth paste, soap etc) Blankets, warm clothes, seeds for gardens. Many elders on all reservations don't go outside in the winter due to fear of falling. Clip on or velcro Ice Cleats that strap on to shoes are needed to help prevent falling....Small nutritional food care packages would help. Soup packages, instant single serving type, cocoa, etc.. Lonnie Iron Bear 605 Indian Ave. Box 1027 Poplar Mt. 59255 (406) 768-5155 Ext: 386 (W) (406) 768-5416 (H) From: FirehairSS@aol.com Subj: From PAPAPOSSUM- more info re: Elders Program ------- FORWARD, Original message follows ------- From: PAPAPOSSUM Subj: Re: Elders program again ok this is a federally, tax exempt, private non profit,charitable non denominational program ran by Linda Meyers POB 3401 ParkCity, Utah 84060 801 649 0535 their e-mail address is http://www.anelder.com/who.htm Right now I am trying to help the elders in Arizona by myself I did not find these people till I started on my own and my name is James C.Cogsdil 1775 W.Gregory dr. Layton, Ut 84041 801 773 5171 my e-mail is papapossum@aol.com my home page is http://members.delphi.com/papapossum I am working primarily to help the navajo elders who are still on big mtn. I hope this is what u need - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - If any of you have addresses/contacts to add to this list for other Rez's PLEASE email me with them soon. Include some name/info for me to verify where gifts will be sent and how. Winter winds have already brought snow. I am especially concerned about the lack of contacts for the Montana Rez's. email to gars@netcom.com =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\= Thanks to Mike Wicks for these reminders: In Memory (with Respect and Honor) 1.17.1974 Edward Means, Jr. - AIM member found dead in Pine Ridge alley, beaten. No investigation. 1.30.1976 Byron DeSersa - OSCRO organizer and AIM supporter assassinated by Goons in Wanblee. Arrests by local authorities resulted in two Goons - Dale Janis and Charlie Winters, serving two years of five year sentences for "manslaughter." Charges dropped against two Goon leaders, Manny Wilson and Chuck Richards , on the basis of "self-defense" despite DeSersa having been unarmed when shot to death. Peace! Night Owl , , Gary Night Owl gars@netcom.com (*,*) P. O. Box 672168 gars@nanews.org (`-') Marietta, GA 30067, U.S.A. gars@igc.apc.org ===w=w=== gars@bellsouth.net Fax: 770-528-9643 gars@juno.com ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- - Letter to Peltier Parole Commission - NAs Enter Wolf Controversy - New News About Leonard - Petititon to Save the Wolves - Aboriginal Title a Burden - Court Looks at Tribal Sovereignty - Lac du Flambeau Sacred Site - Choctaw Nation Civil Rights Case - Cherokee Chief Defends Bonuses - Wannabe Article - The Murderer of Melvin Coombs - Story on the Power of Alcohol - Energy Tribes - The End of the Journey - Jim Craven on Energy Tribes - Interview with Bill Lightbown - Surrounded on Three Sides - Native Prisoner by Fort Belknap - A Hundred Years Ago - FONSI Signed for Yellowstone - Poem: Rolling Thunder - Buffalo Nations and - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days the DOL Butt Heads - Conferences and Powwows - Eyewitness to Buffalo Nation --------- "RE: Letter to Peltier Parole Commission" --------- Date: 15 Jan 1998 04:39:13 GMT From: givers@badlands.NoDak.edu (David R. Givers) Subj: letter Peltier Parole Commission Newsgroup: alt.native U.S. Parole Commission 5550 Friendship Blvd Suite 420 Chevy Chase MD 20815 Dear Members of the Commission, The enclosed copies of letters and faxes show that I have previously written to you explaining why you must release Leonard Peltier for the sake of justice. I am including them in case you no longer have my letters or in case there are new members on the parole board. Our country has stood steadfastly on the side of protecting and championing human rights. If you look on the envelope of this letter, you will see a sticker from Amnesty International. I support Amnesty International because I believe in justice, especially for the most oppressed. Late last year, the director of Amnesty International, USA informed the membership that the organization intends to bring focus and public attention to human rights violations in the United States starting in 1998. Indeed Amnesty International believes that justice may have been been denied to Mr. Peltier.The following is excerpted from the 1997 Amnesty International report to its members: "In March, the federal parole board refused to grant parole to Leonard Peltier, a member of the American Indian Movement serving two life sentences for murder. A petition for clemency in the case was still pending before President Clinton. Amnesty International had sent the parole board a copy of its 1995 communication to the Attorney General, in which the organization reiterated its concern that Leonard Peltier may have been denied a fair trial on political grounds and sought a review of the case." Over 20 years ago I met the Amnesty International observer during the trial of Leonard Peltier in Fargo, North Dakota. At that time Amnesty International did not adopt Mr. Peltier as a prisoner of conscience because he was involved in a shootout in which two FBI agents and a Native American were killed. Since the trial of Mr. Peltier, through the Freedom Of Information Act, we have learned about the government's manipulation and withholding of evidence that led to the wrongful conviction of Mr. Peltier. Consequently, several years ago, Amnesty International refocused its interest on the U.S. Department of Justice. Not only has Mr. Peltier been wrongfully convicted, he has also been mistreated while incarcerated. He has reported that medical information from the prison doctors was withheld from him thereby keeping him from making informed decisions on his health care. His religious freedom has been curtailed and his religious garments confiscated and apparently destroyed. Every time there has been a parole board hearing, prison officials increase their harassment pressures on Mr. Peltier. This is shameful treatment of a fellow human being. It degrades us as much as it harms Mr. Peltier. It is time to stop this cruelty by granting parole to Mr. Peltier. I am sending a copy of this letter to Amnesty International along with my request that they intensify their efforts to help restore justice to Mr. Peltier. Increasing public attention will ultimately bring justice as it always does with political prisoners. Please release Mr. Peltier. Sincerely, David R. Givers --------- "RE: New News About Leonard" --------- Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 03:00:25 -0400 From: not@inthe.game (justanoldman) Subj: New news about Leonard! Newsgroup: alt.native Me again folks, sorry my posts are so long. Just be glad you don't have to listen to me talk... (;-) d'laan'te'h friends & family... hope today is a day to say thanks for for all of you... I have good news that I want to share with you to maybe get your day going in that direction. A small thing for Leonard... First some background: As most of you know Leonard Peltier was arrested here in Canada after the "incident at Oglala". He made it as far as a community (then brand-new) in the eastern Rockies (western part of Alberta) called Smallboy's Camp. (I was on the way to visit John Smallboy, the elder that formed that "breakaway" community as they were hauling Leonard out that very day, & that's the closest I ever been to Leonard.) Anyway, they had to extradite Leonard back to the USA on the 2 fabricated charges of murder. To do that, the extradition treaty between Canada & the USA demanded that the US govt had to present the Canadian Minister of Justice with proof that there was a case (evidence) against Leonard. So the FBI just made up what is now called the "Poor Bear" affidavits, so called because that was the name of the woman that those big brave FBI agents coerced & threatened until she signed the affidavits that they had written up as being "the truth". They laid those lies on the Minister &, since those "representatives of the Government of the USA" swore oaths that the affidavits were 100% true, the Minister had no real choice but to hand him over to US marshals. The rest of the story is history. When the man who was Minister then found out he'd been lied to a few years later, he started work to get Leonard returned to Canada & he kept on working hard for that goal until he retired from Parliament in 1997. With a heck of a lot of hard work by the LPDC-Canada (Frank Dreaver & his wife Anne Fitterer have worked 25 hrs a day, 366 days a year since Leonard was arrested) Canada's Supreme Court held, (in 1989) that Leonard's extradition was "highly questionable" & they "strongly urged" the govt of Canada to "seek diplomatic redress" from the US govt. Under the terms of the extradition treaty between Canada & the USA, if the party extraditing someone is shown to have made that request fraudulently, with or without the intention to do so, the person so extradited must immediately be returned to the country they were extradited from. Well that was George Bush days in the US & Brian Mulroney days here in Canada, & both heads of state didn't give a sweet patootie about justice, & cared even less about Indians, let alone one in prison. So they just ignored the case. Then in 95, Warren Allmand, the guy who was the Minister of Justice that the FBI conned, still an MP, (Member of Parliament) convinced 54 other MP's to sign a petition, hire a lawyer & present a legal document called an Amicus Brief to the USA Court of Appeal that heard Leonard's case back in 95. That was Leonard's last hope of getting a new trial through any court. That appeal was turned down on a technicality, leaving Executive Clemency by the President of the USA as the only hope for his freedom other than parole. (The most recent parole board hearing Leonard had turned parole down because they said Leonard didn't show remorse, even though he didn't commit the crime! But he's up trying again in May of this year.) Anyway, the fact that 55 Canadian MP's took the unprecedented step of presenting a brief on behalf of Leonard in a US courtroom sent shock waves through the US govt, the FBI & most important, through Canada's parliament. The Minister of Justice in 95 was Alan Rock. He got so flustered at all of the questions from the press & the public (again thanks to the work by Frank & Anne) here in Canada over this that he publicly announced that the Minister of Justice of Canada would "undertake a thorough internal review of the circumstances surrounding the extradition of Mr. Peltier'. That was June of 95. That review is long finished, but the Minister refused to release it. It is still stashed away with a big "Top Secret" label on it. (Not hard to figure out why; the terms of the extradition treaty...). I started calling the Minister's office every couple of weeks to ask about it & kept getting stonewalled, so I finally got p.o.'d after last summer's (June97) elections. As soon as the opposition parties had named their critics on each of the government's ministries, I was in their faces. Of the 4 opposition parties, only one didn't throw me out of their offices; the New Democrats (NDP, socialists, strong hearts even with only 11 seats of 364 in the House). Now my news... After months of meetings with, calls & faxes to the Justice Critic of the NDP at the House of Commons regarding the Minister of Justice's stonewalling on releasing that review of Len's extradition, I got the news today by fax that the issue is on the agenda for this sitting of the House (resumes sitting 04 Feb). That gutsy NDP MP has formally requested that the new Minister of Justice (Anne McLellan) table that internal review of Leonard's extradition NOW. Now the House is not allowed to rise (usually in June) until that document is presented to the House (ie, made public). If & when that happens it will certainly state that Leonard Peltier was extradited from Canada based on evidence deliberately falsified by the US govt's agents. There's just too much proof of that, too public, to deny. That would mean that by the terms of the Canada-USA extradition treaty, Canada has NO choice but to lay a formal diplomatic protest on the govt of the USA demanding Leonard's immediate return to Canada (where he would be 100% free). That development would also lay a heavy embarrassment on the USA in diplomatic circles around the world, since violating this particular aspect of international law would be one BIG black eye for Uncle Sam. That's why they sat on their hands since the Supreme Court of Canada's finding in 89, & again with this review in 95. The Canadian govt doesn't want to get on Uncle Sam's bad side & the USA govt desperately wants to avoid being seen as a violator of international law by every country on the planet. Now they're both stuck between a rock & a hard place. Leonard's next parole hearing comes up in May. Besides your emails to US parole commission, US politicians & to the Whitehouse demanding executive clemency for Leonard, I ask that you send a note of thanks to the NDP Justice Critic at Canada's House of Commons. He may be a greenhorn MP but the man's got "cojones" taking this on. He was under a lot of pressure to ignore Leonard & throw me out too, but he stuck to his guns. His name is Peter Mancini (address him as "The Honourable Peter Mancini, NDP Justice Critic" in your email) & his email address is: mancip@parl.gc.ca (Your email will also let him know the world is watching.) Woohooo!!!!! One more small step to get Leonard home!!!! It might be thanksgiving feast time not far now folks!! --------- "RE: Aboriginal Title a Burden" --------- Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 01:26:22 -0800 From: SISIS@envirolink.org (S.I.S.I.S.) Subj: Delgamuukw: SCC Calls Aboriginal Title a Burden :-:-:-:-:-:-:-Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty-:-:-:-:-:-:-: SUPREME COURT CALLS ABORIGINAL TITLE A BURDEN The Martlet, Thursday, Jan. 8, 1998, by Chris Morabito A long-running and historic land-claims case ended Dec. 11, 1997, when the Supreme Court of Canada sent the Delgamuukw case back to B.C. for retrial. The Supreme Court also recommended the government and Aboriginals negotiate a treaty rather than pursue a solution through the courts. The claim, started over 17 years ago, involves the Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en nations. Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en leaders were quick to announce the Supreme Court ruling as a victory for their nations, which have together claimed a territory of 57,000 square km in northwestern B.C. The Supreme Court ruling overturned a 1991 decision by B.C. judge Allan McEachern that Aboriginal rights had been extinguished by the colonial government of British Columbia. According to the recent Supreme Court ruling, McEachern (who was later promoted to Chief Justice), erred in dismissing the oral histories of the nations' chiefs as evidence they occupied the territories in question. The Supreme Court ruled: "He [McEachern] dismissed the action against Canada, dismissed the plaintiffs' claims for ownership and jurisdiction and for Aboriginal rights in the territory, granted a declaration that the plaintiffs were entitled to use unoccupied or vacant land subject to the general laws of the province, [and] dismissed the claim for damages..." The Supreme Court ruled the province had no authority to extinguish Aboriginal rights under the Constitution Act, 1867 or by section 88 of the Indian Act, and that Aboriginal title "still exists though it is only a burden on the Crown's underlying title." The plaintiffs originally pursued ownership and jurisdiction over their traditional territories during the trial. On appeal in B.C., the claims for ownership and jurisdiction were replaced by claims for Aboriginal title and self-government. The Supreme Court ruled a new trial was necessary because "[W]hat the appellants sought by way of declaration and what they set out to prove by way of evidence were two different matters." The Supreme Court also ruled that although Aboriginal rights are protected by the Canadian constitution, they are not absolute and may be infringed upon by the federal or provincial governments. The development of agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, hydroelectric power and the general economic development of the interior of B.C. are just some of the infringements which supersede Aboriginal rights. However, the Supreme Court ruling did not address jurisdiction, which is the legal argument that Aboriginal sovereignty is already defined in existing law. It means that B.C. has no legal right to impose decisions made by non-native courts on Aboriginal nations. In a 1991 article entitled "The Fork In The Road", Tsemhquw (aka Harold Pascal), of the Lil'wat People's Movement wrote: "[T]he non-native courts do not lawfully enjoy the jurisdiction to decide the question of existing Aboriginal rights since that question has already been decided and confirmed constitutionally in the natives' favor." Bill Lightbown, a Kootenay elder and former President of the United Native Nations, said the question of sovereignty has been continuously stonewalled by the courts in B.C. Lightbown said the only time the jurisdiction argument ever went before the Supreme Court was during the Gustafsen Lake standoff. Aboriginal constitutional-rights lawyer Dr. Bruce Clark presented the jurisdiction laws to the court in an attempt to seek an injunction against further aggression by the RCMP at Gustafsen Lake. Clark was ordered to return to B.C. to raise the issue in a lower court. "Well he hasn't been able to raise the issue again," said Lightbown, "because they keep beating him up and throwing him in jail." Dr. Clark called the Delgamuukw case a "very sophisticated fraud" because: "[T]he essence of the native sovereignty position is that until there's a treaty, the Indians were here first and they have jurisdiction. Therefore, until there is a treaty the non-Indians don't have jurisdiction and correspondingly, their courts don't have jurisdiction." While sovereigntists believe that Delgamuukw's end in law is a victory because the B.C. courts can no longer claim that it has settled the jurisdiction argument for Aboriginals, they don't see treaty negotiations with governments that have no legal jurisdiction as very rewarding. Lightbown says the purpose of treaty negotiations is to give up the legitimate Aboriginal title and sovereignty that already exists in B.C. "The treaty process is more of the continued theft of our lands that has been taking place in the past 100-odd years in B.C. and the last 400 years in Canada," said Lightbown. "There's no question it's a fraudulent process. If there was a proper justice process it would never stand up in any court of law." :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: Letters to the Martlet: martlet@uvic.ca, :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty P.O. Box 8673, Victoria, "B.C." "Canada" V8X 3S2 EMAIL: SISIS@envirolink.org WWW: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/SISmain.html SOVERNET-L is a news-only listserv concerned with indigenous sovereigntist struggles around the world. To subscribe, send "subscribe sovernet-l" in the body of an email message to For more information on sovernet-l, contact S.I.S.I.S. --------- "RE: Lac du Flambeau Sacred Site" --------- Date: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 12:12:03 -0800 From: Serena Subj: sacred sites UUCP email Hello NANews Please post these articles from On Indian Land Newspaper. I don't think they are general knowledge. thanks Serena STRAWBERRY ISLAND, LAC DU FLAMBEAU SACRED SITE by Carol Brown Biermeier, Esq. Analysis Prepared for the Tribal Historic Preservation Office, Lac du Flambeau Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa Indians GEOGRAPHY AND PHYSIOLOGY Strawberry Island is located within the exterior boundaries of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indian Reservation, Vilas County, Wisconsin, comprising approximately 26.5 acres of undeveloped and densely wooded forest. The Island is covered by a mature forest dominated by red pine, red oak, and big tooth aspen. The presence of the red pine represents one of the few remaining stands of natural origin in the upper Great Lakes region. There is a small wetland of less than five (5) acres on the South end of the Island. A review of the endangered and threatened plant species listed by the State of Wisconsin reveals that five of these species have the potential to occur in the habitats found on the Island, although a perfunctory walk-over revealed no such plants evident. The plant qualities are not unique, but are of high quality and worth preserving for the many plants traditionally used by the Chippewa as well as for their aesthetic value. The Island is also an important bald eagle and osprey hunting and perching area and has significant potential as future nesting site. Strawberry Island has remained virtually undeveloped through the years, with the exception of natural erosion and minor clearing by the owner of dead trees and brush in the mid-1960s. TITLE The Island is owned in fee by a non-Indian, who acquired title to the Island in 1910 by warranty deed, purchasing the property from a Lac du Flambeau Tribal member. Title has remained in the same family, with the property being deeded through inheritance in the 1950s to an heir to the family, who currently holds title under a family trust of the same name. For reasons uncertain, the Tribe was unaware that the Island had passed title in fee to a non-Indian until the early 1960s, when the owner hired some tribal members to assist in the clearing of some of the trees and brush. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Early in the 1960s, the Wisconsin North Lakes Project, under the direction of Beloit Archaeology Professor, Dr. Robert Salzer, obtained permission from the owner to conduct an archaeological survey on the Island. The interest in the Island was due to studies indicating historic or prehistoric occupations and the discovery of artifacts on the Island. The resultant report revealed significant evidence to support the fact that three separate societies inhabited the Island: A Nokomis Phase Middle Woodland occupation dating approximately 200 B.C. to A.D. 200, a Lakes Phase Late Woodland occupation dating approximately A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1400, and a John Badger Phase Historic Chippewa occupation dating approximately to the late 19th century. Artifacts were also discovered in all parts of the Island, including a workshop area, pottery shards, stone tools, copper beads, copper awls, historic fishing lures, and evidence supporting potential unmarked burials and cemeteries. Further, based on Lac du Flambeau Chippewa Tribal oral history, a significant territorial battle occurred on the Island between the Chippewa Tribe and the Sioux Tribe. Evidence of this battle have been discovered in and around the Island. Finally, according to Chippewa Tribal legends, the physical location of the Island, when viewed in conjunction with other significant sites on the Reservation, plays a significant role in the Tribe's philosophy and beliefs connected to the Tribe's origin and creation. Tribal legends also indicate a taboo to anyone who walks on, inhabits, or degrades the Island. Therefore, the Island plays not only a significant role with regard to archaeology and history, but weighs heavily in the Tribe's religious beliefs. As a result, the Tribe has continuously viewed the Island as sacred, worshipping on the waters around the Island for various ceremonial purposes. This revealing archaeological study, together with the revelation that the Island was not owned by the Tribe, launched an aggressive campaign by the Tribe to protect the Island from degradation. In 1976, the Tribe was successful in obtaining State and National Historic Register status. Publicity about the impacts to the Island by potential development led to the State of Wisconsin adding Strawberry Island to its Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties List in 1994. TRIBE-OWNER NEGOTIATIONS From the mid-1970s to the present day, the Tribe has unsuccessfully attempted to purchase the Island. Discussions began in 1976, when the owner subdivided the Island by plat into 16 lots. Negotiations included bonafide offers by the Tribe to options of federal land trades involving the Bureau of Land Management. Each option failed on the base disagreement between the Tribe and the owner of a price mutually agreeable to the parties. In 1988, the owner listed the property for sale for approximately $350,000, but shortly after the Tribe showed an interest in the Island, the price escalated to $1.2 million. The Tribe asked for an appraisal from the owner justifying the asking price, but the resultant effect was for the price of the Island to escalate to $3.5 million, which is the current asking price to date. In 1995, the Tribe made an offer of $200,000, which is 40% more than the highest appraisal conducted by certified appraisers hired by the Tribe. The offer was rejected, and the owner obtained a sanitary permit for one of the lots, and applied for a building permit for the same lot (Lot #7). A tribal public hearing and a county public hearing was conducted on whether a permit to develop a condominium project on the Island was in the public's best interests. The county hearing resulted in a denial of the building permit by the Vilas county Zoning Committee. An appeal to the Board of Adjustment resulted in an affirmance, and the owner appealed that decision to the Vilas County Circuit Court. Before a decision was rendered, the owner applied for a building permit on another lot on the Island. Immediately thereafter, in October, 1996, the Tribe petitioned for and received a temporary restraining order, against the Vilas County Zoning Administrator issuing any building permits until the previously filed appeal was decided. A preliminary injunction remains in effect and the court has set a briefing schedule with a final decision expected in March 1998. The owner has made it clear he wants to sell the Island to the Tribe. The Tribe believes, however, that with the advent of Indian gaming, the owner is under the misperception that the Tribe has the financial wherewithal to purchase the Island at any price. The Tribe is unwilling to purchase the Island for anything other than a justified figure. CONCLUSION Land is central to Native American culture. More specifically, sacred land is the center of many Indian religious practices. Native American religious worship focuses on the intrinsic spiritual significance of the site where spiritual events occur and not on the events themselves. Therefore, the loss of tribal lands has had a devastating effect on Tribes. No situation is more evident than the one surrounding Strawberry Island. This particular land loss incurred by the Tribe, coupled with the fact that Congress has yet to pass legislation that would protect sacred sites from arbitrary governmental actions, even when those actions result in the destruction of the site, leaves the Lac du Flambeau Tribe facing an insurmountable uphill battle. Meanwhile, the owner of Strawberry Island continues to threaten to clearcut the Island and other destructive activities that place pressure on the Tribe to agree to his terms. WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP To help the Lac du Flambeau Tribe reclaim Strawberry Island write or phone the following people: - Vilas County Zoning Administrator, Vilas County Courthouse, Eagle River WI 54521, phone: (715) 479-3620. - Vilas County Zoning Committee, Chairperson, Vilas County courthouse, Eagle River WI 54521. - Vilas County Board of Adjustment, Chairperson, Vilas county Courthouse, Eagle River WI 54521. - Editor, Lakeland Times Newspaper, Minocqua WI 54548. - Sen Feingold, 502 Hart Senate Office Bldg, Washington DC 20510. Phone: (202) 224-5323. - Senator Roger Breske, Room 408 South, State Capitol, PO Box 7882, Madison WI 53707. Phone: (608) 266-2509. - Rep. Joseph W. Handrick, Room 21 North, State Capitol, PO Box 8952, Madison WI 53708. Phone: (608) 266-7141. For more information contact the Lac du Flambeau Chippewa Tribe, Box 67, Lac du Flambeau WI 54538. Phone: (715) 588-3303. Reprinted, with permission of the author, from the Winter 1997/98 issue of On Indian Land, PO Box 2104, Seattle WA 98111. Phone: (206) 525-5086. --------- "RE: Cherokee Chief Defends Bonuses" --------- Date: Tue, 13 Jan 1998 12:53:47 -0600 From: Summerfield/Marvin&Linda Subj: Cherokee chief defends bonuses given to 75 -Muskogee Phoenix-By Donna Hales Newsgroups: alt.native,soc.culture.native Posted courtesy of your only independent Cherokee newspaper, The CHEROKEE OBSERVER http://www.cherokeeobserver.org The following article was published 1/13/98 in the Muskogee Daily Phoenix. It is posted with permission from the Muskogee Daily Phoenix. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cherokee chief defends bonuses given to 75 Human Resources director says bonuses are in some employees' agreements By Donna Hales, Phoenix Staff Writer TAHLEQUAH - Cherokee Chief Joe Byrd on Monday defended giving bonuses to 75 of 1,900 tribal employees "who have gone above and beyond what their job demands." "I believe these people ned to be rewarded," Byrd told an overflow crowd at a Tribal Council meeting. Spectators packed the council chambers and stood around the walls. He said the individual bonus amounts couldn't be released without employee permission. But some councilors and tribal members expressed dismay over the bonuses, especially in light of the tribe's cash-flow problems. "We didn't have the money and shouldn't have paid it out - not when we're in a financial crisis," Councilor Nick Lay said. Byrd said the tribe's deficit might be serious. But he said the federal government, owes $5.4 trillion, and people want to close the tribe down because we have a $1 million to $2 million deficit. They want to cut the (federal) budget at the expense of the Indians." Councilor Paula Holder told Byrd the tribe's cash flow had nothing to do with the national debt, reminding him the tribal constitution didn't allow spending more than estimated revenues. Holder reminded Byrd that "when you work for a government, that's public money - that's the people's money - they're entitled to know what you're making and spending. I don't recall these bonuses in the budget." Earlier, Byrd went on the offensive in his monthly state of the nation address, clicking off a litany of good things happening in the nation. He lauded the accomplishments of the tribe's Sequoyah High School, including award-winning athletic teams, a 38 percent increase in the number of students qualifying for the gifted program, a 40 percent increase in the school's Iowa test scores, and the school's North Central Association accreditations. "What do we have to do to get some good press?" he asked. But he was immediately put on the defensive when it came time for councilors to ask questions. He left before the evening break and before fielding questions he told councilors he would answer. After Byrd left, Councilor Barbara Starr Scott asked Comptroller John Uzzo what the 75 bonuses cost, but Uzzo said he didn't know. Scott said she wanted to know where the money came from, "because I know that for the last several months we've advanced money from our fuel tax money to keep the tribe going." Tribal records show the general operating account owed the tribe's fuel tax fund more than $2.7 million. Councilors complained they could foresee no revenue that would pay that amount back. Ervin Rock, the Cherokee Nation's human resources director, said some employees have bonuses built into their employment agreements, and others get merit bonuses that are included in the budget. Rock said only "half a dozen to 10" employees received as much as $10, 000 in bonuses. A Tulsa TV station had reported last weekend that up to 75 people got bonuses of $10,000. Councilor Troy Poteet challenged Byrd on why he went to Washington in August to work out a peace agreement to settle the tribe's constitutional crisis but didn't tell federal negotiators a judge had dismissed a tribal arrest warrant against him in June. "No action being taken on those arrest warrants was part of the (peace) agreement." Poteet said. Although the warrant was dismissed in June, the action was not made public until last week, when the Phoenix obtained a copy of Judge J. DeWayne Littlejohn's order. It was Littlejohn's first official act after Byrd appointed him to the job. Byrd said the agreement was cut and dried, and the arrest warrant never came up in the negotiations. He asked Councilor Harold DeMoss, who attended the negotiations to back him up. But DeMoss reminded Byrd that the tribe's officials and a Washington law firm were consulted throughout the negotiations. "We all had input," DeMoss said. "We all got to speak." --------------------------------- BINGO BATTLE Cherokee Nation Enterprises goes before a federal magistrate in Muskogee at 2 p.m. today seeking to get its MegaMania bingo machines back in operation. Officials said the tribal corporation has lost $15,000 a day since federal agents shut down MegaMania machines in the tribe's bingo parlors in Catoosa and West Siloam Springs and New Year's Eve. U.S. Attorney Steve Lewis of Tulsa alleges the machines are Class 3 gaming devices, which are illegal in Oklahoma. The National Indian Gaming Commission advised earlier the MegaMania machines were Class 2 gaming devices and legal to operate in bingo parlors. One of the questions U.S. Magistrate James Payne will be asked to answer is whether Lewis had authority to bring the action or if that authority rests with the gaming commission. --------- "RE: The Murderer of Melvin Coombs" --------- Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 02:45:26 -0500 From: Sunfox Subj: The Murderer of Melvin Coombs goes on Trial On Monday, February 23, 1998, in Wakefield, RI, a Preliminary Trial will be held for the man who murdered a beloved Warrior of the Wampanoag Tribe, Melvin Coombs, Ken-nup-mus-si-tac. Mel was murdered in Rhode Island and the man who allegedly murdered him is out and walking the streets because he says that he doesn't remember what happened. Mel was found dead, run over by the man's own truck and the alleged murderer buried him in his back yard. Mel will be remembered by all of his friends and family. We will miss seeing him in the CIRCLE dancing his heart out. He is with us. Mel was also a champion dancer and won at Schemitzun (Green Corn Festival of the Mashentucket Pequots in Connecticut) in September 1996. . "Purple Ribbons for Justice." Please write letters of the RI Attorney General's Office 150 South Main Street, Providence RI 02903 Write letters to the Providence Journal If you are in the area, show support at the courthouse...Wakefiled RI Wear purple ribbons in support There will be a drum and posters Circulate this letter: Post or do mailings Attend monthly support meetings for JUSTICE in Exeter RI on the 4th Tuesday of the month This man is going to go free even though he killed one of us. He is white and claiming not to remember and Mel was Wampanoag and that in and of itself has us all feeling that he WILL get off. He drove over him in his backyard and moved him and then covered him over so he wouldn't be found. What a horrible way to die. This preliminary trial is important and we need to keep the focus on the horrible murder of Mel..the Attorney General needs to get letters, as do the RI papers. If you would like more information, you can Email me. If you are able to be in the area on the 23rd...please come in support of JUSTICE FOR MELVIN! There is also a letter from his family on my website http//.capecod.net/~jboucher Thank you!! In Hope and Peace, Sunfox --------- "RE: Energy Tribes" --------- Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 14:23:48 -0500 From: Louis Proyect Subj: Energy Tribes UUCP email One of the crowning ironies of the history of this racist, capitalist country is that Indian reservations today hold enormous quantities of coal, oil, gas and uranium. If the 19th century architects of genocide had been able to predict this startling outcome, they probably would have simply killed every last Indian in order to put a lock on future profits. The struggle for Indian control of these resources has turned out to be one of the sharpest struggles of the past 25 years. What is the magnitude of these reserves? "Breaking the Iron Bonds," by Marjane Ambler (U. of Kansas, 1990), lays out the numbers for the year 1974: "The Interior Department said thirty-three reservations had as much as 200 billion tons of coal, which represented as much as 30 percent of all the coal west of the Mississippi. Federal estimates of uranium holdings ranged from 16 percent to 37 percent of the nation's total. The department said forty Indian reservations held reserves of 4.2 billion barrels of oil and 17.5 trillion cubic feet of gas--3 percent of the nation's known reserves. Most of these minerals still lay underground; so even if the tribes had been politically able to operate as a cartel, they could not have influenced energy fuel prices. Nevertheless, they represented the largest mineral owners in the country outside the federal government and the railroads." These reserves became the subject of intense interest in the early 1970s during the so-called energy crisis. Almost overnight, tribes who eked out a living as ranchers or farmers were receiving bids from some of the biggest and most avaricious companies in America. Two American Indians emerged as champions of tribal rights against the marauders. They sought to accurately measure the amount of energy reserves. They also had to figure out how to defend the development needs of the tribes against the interests of corporations who were merely out to make a quick profit. In other words, all corporations. One of these was the Comanche LaDonna Harris, who was instrumental in the formation of Council of Energy Resource Tribes (CERT) in 1975, a coalition to protect Indian interests. Not coincidentally, she was Barry Commoner's vice-presidential running mate on the Citizens Party ticket in 1980. Such was the racism of the radical movement that when her name used to come up that year, they referred to her as "Just some Indian woman." That was enough to satisfy the curiosity of a brain-dead leftist movement that could not appreciate the importance of ecologists and American Indians coalescing. There is evidence that it still doesn't. Harris had founded Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO) in order to promote tribal self-government. Concerned about disadvantageous contracts with energy companies, she hired 3 interns from Dartmouth University to review federal records. The results were earthshaking. Nobody had ever realized the magnitude of the potential wealth. She presented Federal Energy Administration (FEA) chief Frank Zerb with the evidence in the summer of 1975 and read him the riot act. "You can't have an energy policy without Indians; collectively, they're the biggest private owners of energy in the country." Another key figure was Chuck Thomas, a Cherokee who worked as an oil- field inspector for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). If Harris was instrumental in putting a spotlight on the existence of huge energy reserves, Thomas was critical in raising tribal awareness about the need to tightly control them. He figured out something was amiss on June 13, 1980 when he caught an oil truck leaving the Wind River Reservation without a permit. This led to a full-scale investigation and upgrade of the inspection and accounting system on the energy-rich reservations. Thomas was the right person to help put new training procedures into place. Before going to work for the USGS, he had worked in the oil fields for fifteen years as a roustabout and roughneck. He was plain-spoken about his qualifications. "I'm not a man of long words and big politics...I have a worm's eye view of it (oil thefts) because I was the man in the field." He had blunt advice for Indian youth who were interning with him: "Be suspicious and trust nothing or nobody." CERT played an important role in defending tribal interests during the energy boom years. The revenues that came from royalty payments from big corporations, while not eliminating Indian poverty, did play a role in tribal development. One of the most tangible results was the creation of the Blackfeet Tribal bank, the beneficiary of Jim Craven's consultation services. The Blackfeet tribe derived 90 percent of its total income in 1985 from oil and gas royalties and taxes. The emergence of a cartel-like formation like CERT scared the tribes' enemies out of its wits. During the mid-1970s OPEC was the bogeyman of many Americans, rich and not-so-rich. The notion that Americans would have to pay top dollar for petroleum was shocking. It was one thing for Americans to have a monopoly on computer software, automobiles, weapons, medicine, etc., but it was another thing for the rest of the world to assert itself in this manner. All nations were equal, but some nations were more equal than others. The Denver Post fretted over the emergence of CERT in a 1979 editorial: "Supposedly we are to pony up cheerfully so the noose of escalating energy prices can be tightened around our necks... The people who manipulate Indian policies are indulging in much nonsense...Admittedly, justice has not always been dispensed equitably. But is the sufferance of our national government--dedicated to tribal advancement [??!!]--that gives the tribes leeway to act with more independence than other Americans. "But limits there are. Imagine what would happen if some adviser persuaded a tribal group to sign a treaty with Libya which Colonel Quaddafy was to ship Russian missiles to the reservation to guarantee the tribe's integrity." These fears, which were largely a psychological projection of rapacious American capitalists on their victims, were heightened when CERT hired Ahmed Kooros as its chief economist. Kooros had served as Iran's deputy minister of economics and oil under both the Shah and Khomeini. The parallel with OPEC nations was of course overdrawn. The true relationship between the U.S. and the energy tribes was not unlike that which exists between it and oil-producing countries like Nigeria and Angola that have non-industrialized, financially weak economies. The possibility for exploitation is much greater. The producers do get royalties, but it comes at a price. The big corporations leave the underdeveloped countries in a state of ecological ruin while draining the life-blood of the nation. The relationship is like Dracula's to his victims. Dracula might treat somebody to a good meal but afterwards the guest became a blood-pudding dessert. The most dramatic instance of the social and environmental costs of energy development was the break in a tailing dam at the United Nuclear Corporation's Church Rock, New Mexico uranium mill on July 16, 1979. (Tailings are the residue of uranium mining.) One hundred million tons of radioactive water spilled into the Rio Puerco River on the Navajo reservation and it took on a sickly yellow hue, like battery acid. Animals that stepped into the river developed sores on their legs and died almost immediately. For the next year Navajos could neither eat nor sell mutton, an economic mainstay of the tribe. For the next decade the Indians and other people living near the river could not use local water supplies for drinking or stock watering. Despite all the publicity surrounding 3-Mile Island, this was the worst nuclear plant accident in American history. Another noteworthy example of the destructiveness of unregulated energy development is what happened at the Upper Missouri River Basin in the 1980s. The tribes of the Northern Plains felt the need to defend their long-term interests against some powerful energy corporations that were planning a huge coal gasification plant in Wyoming. The companies needed water from nearby states where Indians had ownership of the potential supply. The plant and ancillary energy development operations would require huge amounts of water. The only source was the nearby Yellowstone River, as important to the Northern Plains tribes as the Rio Puerco was to the Navajos. The federal government was all for the diversion of water to the Wyoming mega-project. A formal request had come from the following companies: Peabody Coal, Gulf Oil, AMAX, Shell Oil, Exxon, Kerr-McGee, Western Energy Corporation, Consolidated Coal, ARCO, Conoco, Mobil and WESCO. How could the US turn down a request from such companies? After all, they bribe both parties to carry out their wishes. Arrayed against the government and energy companies was a coalition of ranchers, environmentalists and Indians. Potential royalty payment to the tribes was not enough to placate them. Their relationship to the land and water, which had pastoral and spiritual dimensions, could not easily be priced. This in essence is the source of the conflict between the tribes and capitalist America, just as it is in other parts of the world. Last week 10,000 villagers occupied the construction site of a dam on the Narmada river in India. It would destroy their livelihood as well as strip the river of the sacred quality it held in their lives. The main beneficiaries of the dam would be wealthy farmers. A final example will illustrate not only the conflicts between the corporations and the tribes, but within different tribes themselves. The power of the dollar is enormous. A big corporation will not be above pitting one group of Indians against another when it is seeking to advance its bottom line. Capitalists have been dividing and conquering for centuries. Since they are such a tiny percentage of the population, they are always seeking ways to weaken their potential victims. I am referring here to the conflict between the Hopi and Navajo tribes over development in the Black Mesa region of New Mexico. This is an extremely complex problem that pits the development needs of the Hopi tribe against Navajo sheepherders. There are enormous profits at stake as the Peabody Coal Company has targeted this area for extensive development of coal and other energy resources. I will not even begin to try to arbitrate the rival claims of the two tribes, but refer to the Black Mesa Web Page for testimony from both sides in the dispute. In a 1993 complaint to Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, the Navajos complained about the slurry line that transports approximately 5 million tons of coal each year from Black Mesa to Laughlin, Nevada. It was "the only instance in American history where coal has been transported with groundwater that represents the only source of drinking water for an Indian Tribe." Since the Peabody Coal Company uses over a billion gallons of pristine drinking water from the Navajo-Aquifer, it is no surprise that a drought afflicted both the Hopi and Navajo reservations in 1996. Development comes at a cost. As long as tribes insist on putting their own interests above other tribes, the capitalist will come out ahead. The capitalist has trained himself to do this. Cecil Rhodes perfected this art in Africa and was able to safeguard the interests of the mining companies while trampling on the rights of the tribal peoples. A recent PBS biography of the arch- imperialist showed how he did it You promise one tribe one thing as long as it will make war against the other. When the tribe is victorious and hands the spoils of war over to the British colonists, they simply find another tribe to enlist in their sordid fight. There is absolutely no question that a higher level of American Indian unity is necessary to protect the economic and ecological rights of one and all. This is easier said than done because the tribes have histories that go back for hundreds of years. Some experts analyze the conflicts between Hopi and Navajo as having existed long before the appearance of Peabody. Their resolution would seem to be one of the most urgent tasks facing Indian peoples. Economic necessity is driving Indian nationalism, a progressive force. The emergence of CERT shows that Indians can coalesce nationally when their interests as a people coincide. Despite a downturn in the energy sector of the economy through the 1980s and 90s, there is little question that it will reemerge with a vengeance. There are several factors that lie behind this. First of all, energy companies have a double standard when it comes to pollution. They view Indian reservations and Third World countries as less deserving of the sort of protections that white American neighborhoods enjoy. The term for this is "environmental racism." This is in part a reflection of the tendency of mainstream environmental organizations to fight harder for their own constituencies, which are largely white and middle-class. An oil spill in the ocean near Santa Monica aroused the affluent swimmers and surfers to action. A uranium spill in New Mexico hardly registers on mass consciousness, even when it is greater than what occurred at 3-Mile Island. Energy companies have less latitude in white, middle-class or even working-class neighborhoods, so they go overseas to make the kind of profits they need to satisfy Wall Street. Chevron Oil had to clean up its act in the waters off Santa Monica, but throws caution to the wind in Nigeria. Nigeria, like large sections of New Mexico, is an environmental disaster. When poor people object to pollution, their "benefactors" argue that they have to make a choice between clean air and water, and jobs. The term for this is "greenmail." Opposed to greenmail is the demand that all development take place under the strictest environmental guidelines. People must come before profits. Another important consideration has to do with the potential importance of uranium mining in the near future. Concerns over global warming have spurred new interest in alternatives to oil and gas, greenhouse emission producing fuels. The more sensible approach would be to explore solar and wind energy, but nuclear power companies have been pressing their case. Their lobbyists were very active at the recent Kyoto Global Warming conference. East Asia is a potential market for their poisons. The Chinese and other Asian governments are planning to build 70 nuclear power plants in the next 25 years. A large portion of the fuel will certainly come from the Indian reservations, where more than 1/3 of potential reserves exists. The capitalist would love to mine uranium without caution in such places and sell it to Asian governments whose willingness to poison for profits equals their own. The choice is not between poverty and pollution, although this is what the big corporations would have us believe. Development can take place without destroying rivers and soil in the process. Mining and oil-drilling can take place in a relatively safe manner, as long as certain guidelines are in place. The decision to mine or to drill for oil must first of all be made by the tribal peoples who will suffer the consequences both good and bad. Once they make this democratic decision, the oil, coal or uranium companies must respect the surrounding ecology. How can the numerically small and impoverished Indian tribes force huge corporations like Peabody Coal or Exxon Oil to respect their economic and ecological demands? The answer is that they first must find ways to merge their tribal interests into a larger Indian collective. The American Indian nation would not abolish the local traditions of the tribe; it would simply present a united fist to those who would exploit it. Closely related to this task is the need to internationalize the struggle. The American Indians on their own are a tiny percentage of the United States. However, they are part of an immense struggle that is going on world-wide against the same exact corporations who are attempting to foul their air, soil and water in the pursuit of profits. The Indians of the Amazon rainforest, the aborigines of Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand, the Odongi people in Nigeria are all in similar fights. There are signs that this type of internationalism is already beginning to take shape. North American Indians have offered solidarity to the peoples of Chiapas, who are defending themselves against a capitalist system that has more and more of a global character. NAFTA and similar agreements accelerate the economic onslaught that has taking place within the borders of the United States, but displaces them into regions where protection of human rights are weaker. When a corporation faces a determined coalition of ranchers, environmentalists, trade unions and tribes within our borders, it has no recourse except to go places where the cops or army can openly repress such a coalition. This is what happens in Mexico, Guatemala and Brazil where the popular movement must deal with death squads and lesser forms of intimidation. There is no other way to defend oneself from a marauding, profit-hungry, globe-trotting capitalist system except through international solidarity. The collapse of the East Asian economies makes the promise of prosperity through low wages and polluting industry even more hollow than it ever was. The only beneficiaries of low wages and pollution are the shareholders of the corporations who expect maximum profits. To satisfy these shareholders is to risk death from the poisons that the corporations spew in their name, since cutthroat competition will simply allow the investor to shift his money to a more profitable and anti-human corporation. In my next post I will discuss American Indian beliefs about ecology, which are essential to understanding a way out of the madness of a capitalist system run amok. Louis Proyect (sources for this post include Marjane Ambler's book and the Black Mesa Web Site) --------- "RE: Jim Craven on Energy Tribes" --------- Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 16:47:58 -0500 From: Louis Proyect Subj: Comments from Jim Craven on Energy Tribes UUCP email Jim Craven's mother was a Blackfeet who was adopted at a young age by Jews. He is also an economics professor who works closely with the Blackfeet Tribal bank. These are comments he posted to the PEN-L (Progressive Economists List) on "Energy Tribes", which you should find enlightening. Louis Proyect Comment: This piece was simply very well done and to the point. Under the old formulae of Reagan/Bush, the oil-holding Tribes were ripped off for over $5 billion through systematic and calculated under- valuation of oil and mineral assets. Add another $3 to $5 billion of BIA accounts suddenly "missing" (with the records torched)--perhaps much more. Right now the old formula is being examined as the claims for lost royalties due to undervaluation were about to expire under statute of limitations--in 1992-93. Further, we have a history of the BIA (Boss Indians Around) doing seismic and other surveys in order to tip off developers and oil/mineral extractors where the most profitable reserves were and in order to de-Indianize land by buying out land for a song. According to the U.S. and Blackfeet treaties, there is a provision that the reservation remain 100% Blackfeet-owned forever. Historically, the BIA, acting under the authority of the Secretary of the Interior, issued forced patents on Blackfeet allottees and severed Blackfeet land from Blackfeet ownership. Some of this land was taken for grocery bills amounting to $9.00 for a 320 acre allotment. The Blackfeet allottee did not receive due process because the Indian traders presented a bill to the Indian agent and the Blackfeet allottee was forcibly removed from his land by the BIA. In more recent times, allottee land was taken by Glacier County and sold for delinquent taxes which should have never been taxed under the terms of the Blackfeet Treaty. The Blackfeet Tribal Council has had to formally request the Senate Indian Affairs Committee to come to Browning to investigate these and other violations. These stories are happening among virtually all of the Tribes across the country. The Peigan ( Amskaapipiikani) Blackfeet in Browning and the Blackfoot [ Siksika] and Blood [Kainaa] in Alberta--the Tribes of the Blackfeet Nation-- all have some substantial oil reserves on reservation lands that have been progressively carved away and stolen for a song over many years. And as their have been problems forging unity even among the Tribes of a given Nation, forging unity and collective action among the diverse Nations and Tribes is even more difficult. Added to all of this, as Louis so eloquently points out, is the divide-and-rule strategy of the BIA, historical enmities, stark poverty demanding immediate solutions and scarping for crumbs and meagre resources, some sell-out Indians in position of privilege, bankrupt liberalism offering aspirins--or less--for cancer, and I agree wholeheartedly, some of the "brain-dead" or theoretical masturbators and parlor debaters of the "left" who refuse to lend a hand or a voice to this ongoing genocide; it seems that struggles in Chiapas (very important no doubt), or conditions in Bosnia (also very important) or Nike in Indonesia (also important) are easier to grasp, relate to and wax eloquent/esoteric about than ongoing genocide right here, in your face, next door, in America. Jim Craven *-------------------------------------------------------------------* * "Who controls the past, * * James Craven controls the future. * * Dept of Economics Who controls the present, * * Clark College controls the past." (George Orwell) * * 1800 E. Mc Loughlin Blvd. * * Vancouver, Wa. 98663 (360) 992-2283 FAX: (360)992-2863 * * jcraven@clark.edu * * MY EMPLOYER HAS NO ASSOCIATION WITH MY PRIVATE/PROTECTED OPINION * --------- "RE: Surrounded on Three Sides by Fort Belknap" --------- Date: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 14:05:07 -0500 From: JEFF BERMAN Subj: Surrounded on three sides by the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation... http://www.nwf.org/lands/mining/zortman.html When a mining company fails to reclaim a mine, it is the public that ultimately pays the price for inadequate regulation of hard rock mining on public lands, thanks to the Mining Law of 1872. A case in point is unfolding today in Montana. Surrounded on three sides by the Fort Belknap Indian reservation, the Zortman-Landusky (Z-L) gold mine, Montana*s largest, was historically part of the tribal lands of the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre tribes. The area continues to be held sacred by these peoples despite water pollution and a completely destroyed landscape. According to Gus Helgeson, President of Island Mountain Protectors, "Clean Water Act violations are still occurring daily. On the southern drainage in Montana Gulch the water is still running red." Environmental problems began almost from the day Pegasus Gold of Canada, who owns Z-L, commenced mining there. To extract tiny specks of gold from large masses of rock, massive quantities of cyanide are sprayed on crushed heaps of ore. Lax environmental controls at the mine have allowed water pollution from spills, leaks and discharges through almost every route possible. They even had to spray cyanide solution on a hillside to avoid failure of a dam holding back a stew of mine waste. Meanwhile, toxic heavy metals and acid mine drainage have found their way from the mine into local waterways, killing aquatic and other wildlife. Today, an ominous threat looms even larger over the land -and the peoples that rely on it. Pegasus Gold of Canada is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, according to recent news accounts in the Billings Gazette (MT). If Pegasus goes belly-up, much of the cleanup tab will be left with the taxpayers of Montana and the whole U.S. Sometimes a bond (i.e. insurance policy) is collected by the state or federal government to cover cleanup costs should the mining corporation fail. Too often, however, the bond is woefully insufficient to pay for the necessary cleanup. The Mining Law of 1872 - which governs mining operations on public lands - does not even require mining companies to post a bond to ensure the clean-up of such mine sites. The American public may soon be pegged with the clean-up bill if Pegasus fails to live up to its obligation to cleanup the mine and restore the water to productive use. What You Can Do: Contact the Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, and tell him to strengthen the bonding requirements contained in the BLM*s mining rules: so they clearly apply to both surface and groundwater, so that water quality is monitored over many years to ensure that the long term problems often associated with hard-rock mines is accounted for and cleaned up, and so that bonding requirements are set to levels that guarantee cleanup of both land and water resources. In particular, to ensure that long term water pollution problems are addressed at Z-L and taxpayers don*t get stuck with the bill if Pegasus Gold goes belly-up, request that Secretary Babbitt reassess the BLM*s liability to ensure that the bond for Z-L is sufficient. You can reach Secretary Babbitt by writing to: The Honorable Bruce Babbitt Secretary of the Interior 1825 C St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20240 fax: 202-452-5113 Also, write Jan Sensibaugh at the Montana Permitting and Compliance Division. Insist that no part of Z-L*s bond is returned until Pegasus shows it can operate the water treatment plant to meet the requirements of the forthcoming MPDES (Montana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit. She can be reached at: Jan Sensibaugh, Administrator Montana Permitting and Compliance Division Box 200901, Helena, MT 59620-0901 fax: 406-444-1374 email: jsensibaugh@mt.gov This alert was prepared by the National Wildlife Federation. NWF works to publicize damaging mine proposals now on the drawing board throughout North America, and to help correct the pollution and taxpayer problems so often associated with older mines. Each month in 1998, NWF will publicize a single mine problem or proposal such as Zortman-Landusky, coupled with the information you need to help stop the environmental,. fiscal, and social problems so often associated with hard-rock mining. To learn more, contact Jeff Berman at 303-786-8001, ext. 13, or on email at berman@nwf.org. --------- "RE: FONSI Signed for Yellowstone" --------- Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 15:19:06 -0500 From: Laura Joss Subj: News release INFORMATION FOR THE MEDIA CONTACTS: KARLE OR MATTHEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (307) 344-2015 or 344-2010 January 16, 1998 98-03 FONSI SIGNED ON ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ON TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF A WINTER ROAD, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK UT Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Michael Finley announced today that the Intermountain Regional Director John Cook signed the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the Environmental Assessment (EA) - Temporary Closure of a Winter Road, Yellowstone National Park on January 16, 1998. The document complies with a court-approved settlement agreement that required the National Park Service (NPS) to prepare an environmental assessment on the closure of a winter road segment in Yellowstone National Park in order to further studies on the effects of groomed snowmobile trails on bison movements. In the EA, four alternatives were considered, including the proposed alternative to close the Hayden Valley road segment between Fishing Bridge junction and the South Canyon Drive junction on or about January 18, 1998, and possibly continue a closure for up to two subsequent winters. The FONSI decision calls for the park to continue to groom and keep open the Hayden Valley and the Gibbon River road segments this winter season (1997-1998) and for the next two winter seasons (1998-1999 and 1999-2000). The park will not close the road segments during these winter seasons for monitoring purposes but may close them to protect park resources and infrastructure and provide for visitor and employee health and safety, as provided for by National Park Service regulations for emergency road closures. Over the next two winters, the park will continue and expand research and monitoring of wildlife movements and their use of groomed roads; information on weather patterns, snow conditions, grooming, and visitor use patterns will be collected; and the park will begin to construct a model of bison and visitor data to assist in evaluating possible management actions. At the end of the three winter seasons (Fall 2000), research and monitoring results will be evaluated and a determination will be made on a possible closure of the above two segments or other road segments to gather additional information. If it is determined that road closures are necessary to help understand wildlife use of groomed roads, closures will be announced at least one year before the closure would take place. The NPS may change or modify this decision as a consequence of other planning processes underway or intended. As the issues have been reviewed and public comments analyzed, the NPS acknowledges that the question about wildlife use of groomed roads and possible adverse effects needs more detailed monitoring, research, and analysis. The current limited pool of knowledge does not sufficiently demonstrate that an immediate road closure for study would provide the context or range of conditions necessary to make a closure productive. The NPS believes it is prudent to invest three years to extensively study bison use of groomed roads so that annual weather, visitor, and wildlife variations can be taken into account. Hence, the decision is to increase monitoring and research on bison use of roads over three winters, evaluate the results of that work, and then determine if a road closure is appropriate and necessary to gather additional information to help answer the question on the effects of groomed snowmobile trails on bison movements. --------- "RE: Buffalo Nations and the DOL Butt Heads" --------- Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 22:17:09 -0500 From: Buffalo Nations Subject: BN saves 14 more buffalo UUCP email Buffalo Nations P.O. Box 957 West Yellowstone, Mt. 59758 Phone (406)646-0070 Fax (406)646-0071 E-mail buffalo@wildrockies.org. Press Release Jan. 15, 1997 Buffalo Nations and the DOL Butt Heads Over Wild Buffalo Buffalo Nations and Montana's Department of Livestock (DOL) butted heads again today as the DOL attempted to haze wild buffalo into one of the capture facilities they use to corral buffalo before sending them to slaughter houses. The DOL used "cracker barrels" (firecrackers shot from guns) in an attempt to scare five wild buffalo on the buffalo hater's land towards the capture facility, but as it turned out the buffalo outsmarted the DOL by turning and running right past them away from the facility. Buffalo Nations volunteers then moved through waist deep snow into positions where they could interfere with the DOL operations. It was at this point that Bryce Smedley, a volunteer, was forced into a confrontation with the land owner Mr. Koelzer. Not wanting to be video-taped, Koelzer lowered the snow plow on the front of his truck and aggressively told him to leave. Immediately after this, Koelzer turned his vehicle around and drove into him, knocking him down and running over his foot. Luckily, Bryce sustained only minor injuries. The DOL continued throughout the afternoon trying to haze a total of 13 wild buffalo towards the facility and even hazed the buffalo in the direction of volunteers monitoring DOL's efforts endangering the lives of those volunteers. By day's end all 13 wild buffalo had moved into a safe area and the DOL gave up. Buffalo Nations volunteers trespassed onto the land where the capture facility is to confront the DOL, but no arrests were made or citations handed out. Background *Last year, nearly 1100 wild buffalo were slaughtered by the Montana's Dept. of Livestock and rangers from Yellowstone National Park. These wild buffalo were leaving Yellowstone National Park in search of food during an extremely cold and snowy winter. There is no justification for this slaughter. *Buffalo Nations is a coalition of Native American Traditionalist and grassroots activists of all races volunteering to save the last wild buffalo in the United States. There are less than 1000 wild buffalo left in the lower 48. Buffalo Nations PO Box 957 West Yellowstone, MT 59758 406-646-0070 phone 406-646-0071 fax buffalo@wildrockies.org --------- "RE: Eyewitness to Buffalo Nation" --------- Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 08:28:58 -0700 From: Shemah Subj: Buffalo Nation UUCP email My daughter and I got back late last night from spending the weekend in West Yellowstone with Buffalo Nation. These folks are doing a splendid job of protecting the buffalo from the Department of Livestock (DOL) while at the same time pursuing a "non-violence" policy. From what I was able to tell, they have earned the respect and support from a great deal of the local community, and (respect at least) from the local law enforcement as well, which says a great deal! Things appear to have been going well to date This happy state of affairs is not expected to continue. The DOL guys are very unhappy about their loss of income as a direct result of BN's interference and from what I understand, they seem to be taking it increasingly personal (rumors are they receive $200 per buffalo, don't know if this has been verified). At any rate, they have been attempting on occasion to herd/spook the buffalo INTO the activists! That seems pretty personal, to me. With an anticipated 70 head of buffalo due to leave the Park with some immediacy as part of the 250 in the process of heading for the Park borders, Buffalo Nation is expecting the confrontations to escalate enormously, not just in quantity, they are expecting *seriously* intense confrontations with the DOL, as well as possibly significant slaughter of the buffalo. I myself can't see how they can protect 250 buffalo at all times from hostile guns, there is almost no way that some buffalo aren't going to be lost. I would urge everyone to do what they can... and ANYONE who can get to West Yellowstone in the next few weeks needs to do so as the situation in this time period may become quite critical. Their site is at http://www.wildrockies.org/Buffalo/index.html which will bring you up to date on the latest developments as well as the impending critical point. As for Christina and I, we spent yesterday wading and stumbling through hip-deep snow to check on bison in various safe resting spots. It was quite incredible to see these animals close up (relatively speaking), I got lots of pictures! We stayed over Saturday night at the cabin. It is the most wonderful place, and the people are just fantastically friendly and relaxing to be around... when you walk in the door you feel like you've been there all your life, you just sit down somewhere and feel right at home, and with the people there, it's like walking into a room full of old friends that you've know since kindergarten! While Christina went out and help a couple of the people who'd just come off a shift dig a snow tunnel, I sat in the cabin and just soaked it all in, asked a few questions and listened as people talked about their experiences. I sure learned a lot! When I went out Sunday morning (5 a.m., ugh!!!) with the patrol I was assigned to, I was quite amazed and pleased at how MANY "Buffalo Safe" area signs were posted... on driveways, fences, walls and even front windows of homes! The DOL seems quite determined to SLAUGHTER the buffalo. It is not enough for them that the buffalo are in designated SAFE lands, well away from the cattle themselves; they use their cracker barrels to try to frighten them OFF the safe land so they can kill them on the spot or haze them into their "capture" facilities for slaughter. It seems to me.... wasn't the concern over the buffalo coming onto public lands, the possibility of brucellosis spreading to cattle (to be more specific, the public's *perceived* danger of brucellosis) supposed to be the justification for the slaughter? If the buffalo are in designated safety zones, and even some of that (according to what I was told) belonging to cattle ranchers themselves, and the cattle are in NO danger (real or otherwise) of coming into contact with them.... what, then, is the justification for the continued attempts and declared intention of continued slaughter? I can give you the justifications... a few thousand of them, and they are all green. Please, PLEASE visit the Buffalo Nation site and do anything you can! -- Shemah http://www.mcn.net/~shemah ICQ #5087162 AOL Messenger ID: ShemahF Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons For you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup --------- "RE: NAs Enter Wolf Controversy" --------- Date: 16 Jan 1998 08:41:56 From: nfnena@sover.net Subj: NATIVE AMERICANS ENTER WOLF CONTROVERSY FROM THE INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK PRESS RELEASE Date of release: January 14, 1998 For Immediate Release Released by: Bob Shimek, Indigenous Environmental Network (218) 751-4967 Jean Braveheart, Minnesota Wolf Alliance (612) 724-2399 or 673-7217 NATIVE AMERICANS ENTER WOLF CONTROVERSY Within the past couple weeks, the Indigenous Environmental Network, a Native American non-governmental environmental organization based in Bemidji, Minnesota has been advocating for Minnesota tribal members to take part in the public meetings being scheduled by the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR). During the first couple of meetings this month, no Native American participation was present. After contacting tribal members the attendance had expanded at the Grand Rapids and Park Rapids meetings in northern Minnesota. "We weren't notified about these meetings. Many of us don't get the newspaper. We are concerned citizens that are worried for the protection of the wolf. We have a right to take part in these public hearings and take part in any state policy decisions that will affect our brother the wolf," said Bob Shimek, a White Earth band member and member of the wolf clan who is organizing efforts to protect the wolf. Many members of the Chippewa bands throughout the state and the country are members of the wolf clan. Many of these tribal clans exist in the White Earth reservation located southwest of Bemidji, as well as some other tribal reservations. "The wolf is part of our heritage and has a cultural and spiritual relationship to our people," said Bill Bush, another White Earth Chippewa and wolf clan member. "Beliefs of the Chippewa believe that the creator once place the wolf and the original Chippewa together to walk this world together as brothers. Then the creator separated the Chippewa and the wolf to walk different paths saying that whatever befalls one will befall the other. If the wolf tribe perishes, so will the Chippewa people. That is why we are so concerned with how Minnesota proceeds with developing a wolf management program," said Ann Dunn, a Chippewa elder and published story teller that resides on the Leech Lake Chippewa reservation. IEN and other tribal members of Minnesota state tribes have been worried with the mentality of some Minnesotans that have disregard for the wolf and would prefer to see the wolf killed. Farmers and hunters are feeling threatened with the rapid growth of the state wolf population from previous endangered levels of a couple hundred to recent estimates of 1, 000 to 2,200. With this rapid growth, it is more likely that the federal agency, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will remove the Minnesota wolf from the endangered species list which gives authority back to the state to manage the wolf population. "These management plans have the potential to establish death quotas of the wolf population that could create state funded wolf hunting and trapping programs," said Shimek. "It could create a frontier mentality and frenzy of indiscriminate killing of wolves and who is going to control this," asked Shimek. "The survival of the wolf is important for the survival of our Anishinabe (Chippewa) culture," says Tom Stillday, spiritual elder of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa. "Our traditional leaders and tribes need to be involved with the planning process of conservation and management plans that are developed to protect and preserve this important species," says Tom Goldtooth, national coordinator of IEN. "The timberwolf habitat doesn't stop at the state and tribal boundaries. Tribes and their members must be part of this planning process. State authority over the wolf will not apply on tribal lands unless the tribes relinquished their sovereignty on this issue. The tribes and the state must work together in this process, and they must allow input from their elders and spiritual leadership" Goldtooth said. IEN knows tribes are viable partners in developing good wolf management plans. In Idaho, the USFWS set a precedent by forming a partnership with the Nez Perce tribe in 1995 by entering into a cooperative agreement with them that gave the tribe state-wide recovery and management responsibilities for wolves throughout Idaho. This happened when the state of Idaho declined to participate in wolf recovery efforts. As with the tribes of northern Minnesota, the Nez Perce identify strongly with the wolf. "The tribe now has the opportunity to bring the best science to the table to insure a victory for the wolf," says Jaime Pinkham in a recent article of International Wolf. "But it is also a cultural victory for the tribe. Restoring the wolf to its rightful place provides an opportunity for the tribe to rekindle its cultural ties to the wolf In "the victory song of the wolf," Pinkham adds, the Nez Perce will find positive messages about their own future. With the eastern woodland bands of Dakota (Sioux) in Minnesota, the ties to the wolf is equally strong and respected. "The Dakota people have great admiration for the wolf. We learned many good things from the wolf and the wolf helped our people in the past to survive. We learned honor, endurance, perseverance, and loyalty from the wolf," said Ray Owen, spiritual leader from Prairie island. "The wolf is the true warrior to our people. The Dakota people must be allowed to be part of the planning process to protect our wolf relative," said Dennis Blue, pipe keeper of the Lower Sioux community. IEN is working with the newly formed Minnesota Wolf Alliance to educate the Native and non-Native public of Minnesota on this wolf issue. "We don't want this wolf issue to divide our communities. We must work together to seek an answer on how wolf management in Minnesota can recognize all groups, as well as maintain a rightful place for the wolf," said Jean Braveheart, a volunteer coordinator of Minnesota Wolf Alliance. INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK P.O. Box 485 Bemidji, MN 56619 Ph: (218) 751-4967 Fax: (218) 751-0561 e-mail: ien@igc.apc.org Web: http://www.alphacdc.com/ien A Turtle Island alliance of Indigenous Peoples protecting the sacredness of Earth Mother --------- "RE: Petititon to Save the Wolves" --------- Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 16:37:05 -0500 From: Karen Red Fox Mitchell Subj: Petititon to Save the Wolves UUCP email PETITION TO SAVE THE WOLVES TO: The American Farm Bureau FROM: The First Nations of Turtle Island Many centuries ago, the People found they could live in harmony with other nations of beings. We understood that our origins were the same. The Great Mystery made us all. We recognized that other species were here long before we came and we also understood that we shared this earth with them, we did not own it. We respected each other's ways and lived together in peace. Respect for others was ingrained in us by the teachings of our elders. Your wanting to have the wolves in Yellowstone and Idaho "removed" and/or killed is not surprising to us. You have a history of removing and/or killing anything that does not fit into your vision of things. There was a speech recorded by a Blackfeet medicine man named Morning Eagle about Chief Wolf and Chief Bear, the spirit entities who watch over the wolf and the bear tribes. Morning Eagle had witnessed the plight of the plains wolf and guessed that his tribe would suffer a similar fate. Speaking to his fellow Blackfeet, Morning Eagle tried to reassure them with these words: "But even in these late days of the old gods, Chief Wolf, Chief Bear and others, no longer come and talk with us in person, we know that they still roam the earth, that they live in some far part of it which the white men have not yet found and desecrated, and we have the assurance that they will still come and visit us in the spirit, unseen and unheard as they come to us in our dreams. And we know that they still heed our prayers and intercede for us with the sun, ruler of all, for his mercy and aid". As a Native American, I am sick at the behavior you have demonstrated toward a species who has done nothing to harm you. When will the madness stop? When will it be enough for you? Please count my name among the people who understand that it is unintelligent and savage to annihilate a nation of beings simply because they do not fit into your vision. Come now, out of this place of ignorance and drop your suit against the U. S. Fish &Wildlife Service. Leave the wolves alone. Let them live in peace. Please return signed petitions to: Wolf Recovery Foundation P. O. Box 44236 Boise, Idaho 83711-0236 Collector's Name_________________________________________ E-Mail Address __________________________________________ Street Address __________________________________________ City/Province____________________________________________ State/Country____________________________________________ Zip____________________________________________________ Phone_________________________________________________ Total ____________ Month of ______________________________ - with respect, Karen Red Fox Mitchell [My Studio-Florida] --------- "RE: Court Looks at Tribal Sovereignty" --------- Date: Fri, 16 Jan 98 09:43:40 -0600 From: berryj@okway.okstate.edu Subj: Indian News 01-14-98 (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 01:54:42 EST COURT LOOKS AT TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY OKLAHOMA CITY AP Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise 12 January 1998 U.S. Supreme Court will be the panel to decide just how far sovereignty extends beyond the borders of tribal land. The court today will hear arguments In the case Involving the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma. The case has implications far beyond Oklahoma's borders because it goes to the heart of economic development engaged in by American Indian tribes off their tribal land. The Kiowa Tribe agreed to purchase stock in Clinton-Sherman Aviation Inc. in 1990. Clinton-Sherman is an aircraft repair center on land that was at one time a military base. The tribe gave Manufacturing Technologies Inc. a $285,000 promissory note payable in two in installments in 90 days in exchange for the Clinton-Sherman stock. The transaction took place in Oklahoma City. Included in the deal was a provision that the note did not limit the sovereignty of the Kiowa Tribe. The tribe never made a payment and was subsequently sued by five parties holding the note. Legal judgements against the Kiowas amount to more than $1.5 million - more than the tribe's annual budget. An Oklahoma County District Court did not support the tribe's argument that it could not be sued because of sovereign immunity in a lawsuit filed by Manufacturing Technologies. The court ordered the tribe to pay $285,000 plus interest and costs. Another lawsuit landed in the Oklahoma Supreme which said that the tribe could be sued for violating contracts it entered into beyond the borders of tribal property. That case went to the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, which upheld the state high court's ruling. The tribe appealed to the U. S. Supreme Court. The tribe argues that Congress, not the state court system, has authority over Indian affairs and tribal sovereignty. A brief filed on behalf of the Kiowa tribes states that the expense of litigation would be economically detrimental to "financially disadvantaged tribes." The brief also states that judgments against the tribe have already put its very existence in peril - oil and gas severance taxes have been frozen and the tribe has not been allowed to enforce its own tax laws. "Seizing tribal tax revenues, freezing federally appropriated funds and enjoining enforcement of tribal law upon tribal land is virtually a complete infringement upon tribal self-government. A state has no such power with respect to an Indian tribe," according to the brief written by the Kiowa's attorney, R. Brown. Wallace. The Oklahoma City attorney representing Manufacturing Technologies argues that the tribe waived its sovereignty right by virtue of entering a business deal off tribal land. "The tribe would have us believe that its promise to pay is meaningful only if later decides to honor it. This position is not supported by the Constitution of the United States, congressional enactments or the decision of this court," according to a brief written by attorney John E. Patterson Jr., who represents the company. The Oklahoma Attorney General's office has submitted a brief in support of the company's position. The U.S. Justice Department has lined up with the Kiowas, saying that only the federal government can define the limit of tribal immunity. --------- "RE: Choctaw Nation Civil Rights Case" --------- Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 13:33:00 -0600 From: "Scott Kayla" Subj: Choctaw Nation civil rights case Gary, Thought you might want to see this. Bob Burlison (chahta@atoka.net) You have my permission to publish this article in the Native American News PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact Persons: January 14, 1998 Scott Morrison Doug Dry [A copy of the video is on the Choctaws for Democracy 918-465-5033 webpage located at http://www.atoka.net/chahta/,=20 along with a narrative of the arrests] e-mail: skayla@cwis.net WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS FILED IN CHOCTAW CASES Criminal charges have been pending against Douglas Dry, Wilburton, Rosie Burlison, Atoka, and Juanita McConnell, Tuskahoma, since September 4, 1995 in the Choctaw Court of Indian Offenses, Tuskahoma. The trio has challenged the validity of these charges and the legitimacy of the court in tribal forums. Now the three have filed a writ of habeas corpus last Friday (Jan. 9, 1998) in Muskogee, asking the federal court to decide whether they are being legally held. The charges stem from the 1995 Choctaw Labor Day Festival where the trio were arrested for violating a law prohibiting passing out literature on tribal lands on September 4, 1995. But when their defense attorney Scott Kayla Morrison asked for a copy of this law, it was discovered no such law existed. Ten days later, the trio were charged with a multitude of laws, superseded by codes later passed by the Tribal Council. It is ironic that the new Choctaw Chief Greg Pyle is more concerned about the civil rights of bingo patrons than these Choctaw citizens, who collectively face a total of 12 years in jail. In a January 2, 1998, Durant Daily Democrat article, Pyle is quoted as saying "We are tired of having our civil rights violated and those of our Indian customers," in response to the U.S. Attorney's Office closing electronic bingo machines at the Choctaw Bingo in Durant. "It appears to me the rampant lawlessness that Bob Rabon speaks of to justify his empire exists only in the tribal administration,"said Bob Burlison, husband of one of the defendants. "These arrests were part of the political agenda of the man in whose shadow Greg Pyle still stands under (former chief Hollis Roberts). Pyle's refusal to end this charade involving his own people makes a joke of his sudden concern for the civil rights of the tribe. If you don't wave a dollar bill under the nose of this administration, you can't get its attention." The writ alleges seventeen reasons the trio should be released, including challenging the criminal jurisdiction of the court. When the Choctaw citizens adopted the constitution in 1983, they were specifically asked if they wanted a court with criminal jurisdiction. They voted no. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has now taken the position that the tribe is exercising federal criminal jurisdiction granted by contract. This is the same as saying the United States can contract federal criminal jurisdiction to Mexico, Columbia or Panama. The writ states this cannot be done. "The position of the BIA and the contracts between the tribe and the BIA has created a legal nightmare for Choctaw citizens such as Petitioners," the writ said. Dry, Burlison and McConnell "have done everything in their power to define and clarify the type of court and the jurisdiction of the court in many forums. It should be obvious that the court was established with little or no thought or oversight. This has harmed Petitioners in that it has fallen to them, by default, to attempt to bring justice and fairness to the Choctaw Nation court system." Dry, Burlison and McConnell have always maintained that with the lack of criminal jurisdiction of the tribe, the BIA, with its trust responsibility, must operate law enforcement within the Choctaw Nation. "Lawlessness", as has been alleged by the tribal attorney Bob Rabon, Hugo, would not be rampant within the Choctaw Nation without the tribe operating law enforcement. The writ states that the charges were politically motivated, as evidenced by the fact that only these three were prosecuted in 1995, and the only three charged in the four years the court has existed prior to 1995. Since 1990, there have only been 19 citizens charged in the Choctaw court. Robert Rabon, tribal prosecutor, is also the son and law partner of tribal attorney, Bob Rabon. They have represented the three branches of Choctaw government. This violates the separation of powers under the Choctaw and U.S. constitutions, the writ alleges. The Rabons also manipulate the court process for advantages in other cases pending in other forums. According to the writ, Bob Rabon asserted in state and Choctaw Constitution courts that the defense's motion to dismiss had been denied four months before the trio were informed of this. The irony is that Judge James Wolfe sits on Choctaw Constitutional Court, as well as the Choctaw Court of Indian Offenses. Wolfe knew that the trio had not received a ruling when Rabon asserted that he had. The Choctaw chief is allowed to manipulate the court and law enforcement, according to the writ. Under the Choctaw Constitution and court cases, the chief may fire the Choctaw Court of Indian Offenses judge and law enforcement officers at will without cause. Former Choctaw Chief Hollis Roberts instructed the council to change the statute of limitations to avoid a civil lawsuit by one of Roberts' victims of sexual assault. Roberts was convicted in June 1997 on three counts of sexual assault and sexual abuse. It came out during his federal jury trial that the chief has the power to fire at will the law enforcement officers. After Roberts' conviction, he resigned and Assistant Chief Greg Pyle became chief. However, Pyle was not elected by the people as required by a federal act. Pyle appointed James Wolfe to the Choctaw Court of Indian Offenses in September 1997. Pyle is illegally sitting in the office of chief and cannot legitimately appoint judges, stated in the writ. Upon taking office, Pyle announced a new "Open Government" policy in his administration. There have been a few cosmetic changes but substantially, his regime is as heavy- handed as Roberts'. Pyle has refused to meet with Dry over concerns within the Choctaw Nation. One concern was the lack of an apology by the tribal administration to the victims of Roberts. Dry was also charged with assaulting a Durant police officer at Tuskahoma during the 1996 Labor Day Festival. Durant Officer Ben Veenstra allegedly was assaulted by Dry. But Dry has a video tape showing that he was in fact assaulted by Veenstra and other Durant police officers. A video of the 1995 arrests of Burlison and McConnell, as well as the 1996 assault on Dry, was attached to the writ and filed in federal court. Dry has offered to take a polygraph test in relation to the 1995 and 1996 arrests and challenged the tribal and Durant officers to do the same in order to find out who is telling the truth about the arrests. The writ is 30 pages long, with 59 exhibits, plus video and audio tapes. A copy of this voluminous document is available upon request. No court date has been set to hear the writ. --------- "RE: Wannabe Article" --------- Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 01:58:37 -0800 From: dAVe burlingame Subj: [NAT-FILM] Wannabe article Mailing List: NAT-FILM Date: Sun, 9 Jun 1996 09:47:16 -0800 (PST) > Would someone please define "wannabe" for me, I find it so amazing that so > many of you would judge me for wanting to live a spiritual, natural > existence just because I am a non-native. White people, new agers, environmentaliSSts, etc., etc., sometimes see with clearer vision than they have grown accustomed to, and with these temporarily hazeless eyes realize what many others (mostly aboriginal cultures, in AmeriKKKa and abroad) have known for thousands of years: it is much more beneficial to live with the land, to let it provide for you so that you may provide for it, than to take from it and offer no compensation. What happens is that in order to save this land, to care for it, love, and respect it as NAtives do, many narrow and small-minded outsiders want to be inside, to "be Indian," as if adopting the ways of the Humans is the pathway to enlightenment. What really happens, time and again and almost without exception, is that the rock that is NAtive spirituality is constantly being chipped away at by outsiders who think that owning a piece of that rock is as good as owning the whole thing. They never realize the true nature of the rock: that like all else on this planet, it belongs to all, and is owned by none. The outsiders are looking for Heaven, for salvation, for answers to the Universe, and think that our dreamcatchers, our prayer bundles, our smudgings are direct pathways to their Gods. All these thoughts chip away at our rock, because the outsiders fail to see that we do not do things to gain some God's favour. We take care of our land and our people, because in doing so we take care of all of us, including ourselves. And nothing else is more important. Ever. Ever see the movie "Lost in America?" Albert Brooks' character was obsessed with driving out West and "touching Indians." We are treated as religious icons, as holy artifacts. Not as people. That we know how to take care of our land is beyond reproach. What is appalling is when others want to take part in things that they have no right to. They believe our ceremonies to somehow be public domain, that anyone with a shell and a feather can "be Indian." The rock is chipped even further. This rant comes very close to dividing right from wrong down racial lines. But for all the supposed sympathy and empathy given us, outsiders are still trying to tell us what is NAtive and what is not. AmeriKKKa's campaign of genocide continues... If non-NAtives ARE GENUINELY CONCERNED about what is being done, they will ignore the problems of race, of what constitutes a wannabe, or a newager, or an environmentaliSSt, and focus instead on what to do in their own backyards, in their own governments, to affect the change that is so sorely needed. None of us can ever be united, none can hope for a true mending of the circle, if instead of taking action, we sit around discussing and using labels. It is action, and action alone, that will reveal your true nature. NAtives' concerns about wannabes, etc. aren't meant as remarks or attitudes based on racial divisions. We've all seen Indians who do not act Human at all, who trade the objects and materials of their culture, of their heritage, for a wallet of green paper. Just as there are NAtives who do not treat their people or land with respect, there are many non- NAtives who DO care, who understand what is happening today and are taking steps to stop (and hopefully reverse) the damage already done. However, a caring attitude is not an entitlement to the "trappings" of a native culture. Outsiders cannot and should not be the ones to decide what things they are ready to learn from NAtives. It is the sole province of the Keepers of the Ways to find who is worthy of knowledge and, more importantly, who is not. Final Word: what is needed, above all else, is respect. For the land, for the self, and (most importantly) for our Elders. Don't demand that an Elder provide you with answers, with stories or legends, for secrets of their Ways. There is no respect in making such demands. Simply sit and listen. When it is truly time for you to learn, the Elders will know. The Grandfathers will know. The Grandmothers will know. And you will be taught, and you will never forget, because they can see that you are worthy. The same thing goes for the land. Make no demands. Sit and listen, and when the land knows you are truly ready to listen, it will tell you what needs to be done. The land is always speaking to us, but it also decides if you will understand its words. I hope I in some small way have begun to answer your question. I have made some gross generalizations and said things perhaps out of anger, but I nonetheless take responsibility for each and every word. THE SHORT ANSWER: wannabes are simply trying to be something they're not and have no right to even pretend to be...and they don't know how to listen when they are told certain things are none of their business. They chip away at our rock and prize their fragments (or sell them), and they never realize the effect their actions have on the rock they have no right to take part of. These are my words. All My Relations dAVe \\|// ________________________________________________________________________ New files: access these files from: Type these words exactly as shown in message body: GET NAT-FILM.MENU Website Always under construction |/////////////| Nat-Film Posts are "c" copyright original author/sender |\\\Role'em\\\| --------- "RE: Story on the Power of Alcohol" --------- Date: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 18:21:42 -0800 (PST) From: der@infomatch.com (Harry D.) Subj: Grandma TA 7A's (84 year old Elder) Story on the Power of Alcohol UUCP email GRANDMA TA 7A'S STORY ABOUT THE POWER OF ALCOHOL* written by Harry Derbitsky of ACT Training Inc., edited by various members of the community, including Edward Thevarge Alita came over to Grandma's house and started talking to Grandma. Grandma laughter lifted the spirit of Alita who was feeling a bit sad. Alita loved so much sitting and being with Grandma. She asked, "Grandma, what was life like when you were my age, how did you learn". Grandma said "there was not much school in my days, we learned most things from the elders. Often, there was gatherings at Shookumchuk, Samahquam and Douglas. The Chief of Skookumchuk would often give a speech, talking about what the younger generation should learn and live from the old ways. There was no writing on paper or for the newspaper, it was all talking. My Dad, Mom and all of the kids went. We played outside - kickball, baseball, canoe racing, girls with the boy. Often, all the people watched the young boys and girls play baseball in front of the Church. Then Dad would call to me "go cooking, go outside and help with the cooking". When all the food was ready, we all would sit on the ground, especially if it was a sunny day. We would pray, and then eat after. Now there is lack of trust and communicating on account of drinking". Alita asked, "Grandma, did you have fun when you were my age". "Yes, but I worked very hard. From morning to night, I worked and did the chores for the family. This left me little time for play and fun. My parents were strict and demanded that I live like this." This answer surprised Alita, but there was another question which Alita wanted to ask from the earlier talk. Grandma, did the people always drink booze. Grandma looked at Alita sadly " No, they did not. Long ago, they used to work at gathering hops in the fields. The tall green hops were on acres and acres of farmland around Chillawack and Agassiz. Our people could earn enough money in the fall to feed themselves all winter. This work brought happiness and self esteem into their hearts. This kept their minds peaceful and content. One day the breweries brought in machines to do the hop picking, and the work stopped for the people. Then, the people became idle -- lack of work and changing times lead to many thoughts of doubt and low self-esteem, and the people started to drink. A sad feeling came into Grandma. She closed her eyes and shook her head gently from side to side and said "so much suffering, so much suffering". Grandma seemed in another world, her heart was feeling the evil of the alcohol to her community. Her feeling of what she was seeing, deeply, deeply affected Alita. Alita somehow felt wiser by sharing this feeling. Grandma was not poisoned by what she was feeling, she was simply sharing what she understood spiritually. And she was feeling SO MUCH AND SO DEEPLY, it touched Alita's heart. Alita knew then that booze is crazywater. (water that weakens your spirit). For the first time Alita understood the suffering, but where is the help for her Mom and Aunties. Grandma looked with sparkling eyes into Alita's. Somehow, sharing her stories with Alita makes her alive. To be truthful, she could not understand why more of her people did not listen to her stories. She was old physically, but her mind was young and alive. She has so much wisdom to share. Could not her people recognize this? Grandma started to talk story. She looked deep into her own mind, and said, "In a DREAM long ago, there was a PowWow at Seattle. In the gathering, 1/2 the Indian people were drinking alcohol for the first time and the other 1/2 would not drink the alcohol. Grandma called the people who had started drinking as The Black People and those that were not drinking The White People. The Black and White people were in a Power struggle. A wise White Indian stood up and said to the Black People, you must change and stop drinking or you will never stop shaking. The Black People loved the feeling of drinking more than anything else. They felt that they had the power to communicate because they talked louder, they thought that they were strong, that they had no problems and they laughed and laughed. The alcohol influenced their thinking. The Wise White Man said "the alcohol makes your decisions for you. If you do not stop now, you will be shaking in sixty days. It is not healthy and you will not be happy. You must stop now or you will never quit. Your children will suffer. Your wives and husbands will suffer. However, the greatest suffering will be inside yourselves. Your minds will never be free. Your Spirit will be poisoned by your own crazy thoughts controlled by this alcohol. Drinking means sad times for you". Many of the Black People listened to the love and caring of this wise person. They felt that what he was saying was True, but they did not understand how powerful alcohol is. They did not understand that it would lead to a bad habit. However, they did not care, because they felt good now - life was a party, and they were sure that what they were doing was right, besides what harm could it do. Sixty days passed. The Black People had continued to drink. They looked older and poorer. They had smiles on their faces from time to time, but it was obvious to the White People that they were suffering. They were unhappy. They were poisoned. So many great warriors, craftsmen, healers whom only cared for one thing in their lives. And worst of all, they were shaking uncontrollably. The same Wise Whiteman stepped up and said "you are not going to stop drinking for a long, long time You have sold your Spirit power for a bottle of alcohol. The suffering will consume you, but remember you are still loved by all the members of this community. We love you, and will wait for you to find the healing powers. One day your bad habit and ugly feelings within yourselves will end."Alita was touched by this Dream. She asked Grandma, if she had drank alcohol. She said "yes , but one day I went to the doctor and he told her not to drink anymore." Grandma listened to her doctor. Her doctor said "Mrs. Siah, either you stop drinking or you will die within six months". Grandma looked into Alita's eyes, and smiled. You know the power of the Spirit is incredible. I simply realized that I had a choice. I had the power inside me to change my Mind. And I did. I am so thankful that my suffering from alcohol is over and now my spirit is free to do much greater things, allowing my thoughts to soar like the eagle."I worry about the grandkids and why it is so hard for them to stop drinking. I say to them "stop thinking so much, it causes too much stress". One day, it is my hope that our children will not be consumed by the power of alcohol. One day they will be free in their hearts and minds. HARRY DERBITSKY CAN BE CONTACTED AT (604)943-3598 OR FAX (604)943-8720 OR E-MAIL der@infomatch.com --------- "RE: The End of the Journey" --------- Date: Tue, 30 Dec 97 08:11:00 GMT From: dfsanders@genie.geis.com Subj: The End of the Journey UUCP email THE END OF THE JOURNEY by D. F. Sanders We all cherish the lessons of nature, but each time we encounter something wild, there is always the same sense of awe and wonder. In August, 1991, not long after I made my formal commitment to follow my Spiritual Path, I was doing my morning rounds at work, which included a long hike around our hotel's 22 acre property. I was on my way back to the office, not paying attention to what was going on around me, when I noticed two fairy terns wheeling and playing above the roofs of the shops. Terns of many varieties pass through Hawaii on their incredible round trip from other lands. They are models of endurance, making long annual migrations between their winter and summer homes. When there is no land below them, they will sleep on the wind, true creatures of the air. Most beloved for me has been the pure white fairy tern with its dark, soulful eyes. This bird is known by the Hawaiians as Manu-o-Ku, or Bird of the great God Ku. Fairy terns can often been seen flying by day or night, their pure white bodies brilliant against the sky. They are birds who perform wondrous, joyous dances in the sky, much as the dolphin dances in the ocean. The pair I spotted, obviously mates, flew over my head, and I watched them loop around and around, secretly admiring their aerial skills. Their long, slender wings, distinctively v-shaped, shifted ever so slightly as they displayed their talents. The male made a sharp left turn and started to leave, but the female suddenly whirled around and flew after me. She slowed down just behind me and about three feet above my head and just hovered there, watching me. I looked up into her dark eyes and felt a thrill of excitement flow through my body. Seconds passed, and still she hovered, her eyes never losing contact with mine. I took a couple of steps forward, and she followed, maintaining exactly the same distance from me. It was as if her spirit was communing with me on a level I could not yet understand. The spell was broken when a lady I work with, who had witnessed the whole incident, said, "I think she likes you!" I turned away for just an instant, and when I turned back, the bird had left to follow her mate. The incident had a profound effect on me, and I felt charged with energy, buoyant almost, for the rest of the day. The incident might have ended there, yet I forgot that the tern's lesson is one of cycles and endurance. In late January, 1992, I was just leaving on my morning rounds, and I stopped by a little pagoda shop in our bazaar to watch the turtles we had in the pond there. I called this area my "Turtle Island," and it was a special place which I visited often. Hung with brass temple bells, it was a place with almost spiritual qualities, and it helped to ease my mind in those times when the pressure of city living got to be too much. I was admiring one large turtle, who had turned t