From gars@netcom.com Wed Oct  7 00:40:27 1998
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 19:29:31 -0700 (PDT)
From: Gary Night Owl <gars@netcom.com>
To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche <gars@netcom.com>
Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews06.041

    _       __  _____  __   _ __    ___    ____  _ __    ___
   ' )   / / ')  /    /  ) ' )  )  /   )    /   ' )  )  /   )
    / / / /  /  /    /--/   /  /  / ___    /     /  /  / ___
   (_(_/ (__/  (    /  (_  /  (_ (___/ '__/_    /  (_ (___/ '        O
      ____   _    ,  ___   _    , ___                            O   o   O
       /    ' )  /  /   ) ' )  / /   '                         O     o     O
      /      /-<   /       /--/ /--    VOLUME 06, ISSUE 041   O o o     o o O
   __/_     /   ) (___/   /  ( (___,     October 10, 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 Minn-Ind, Innu-L, Taino-L & Nat-Film
     Lists;   Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty;   UUCP email;
                 Newsgroups: alt.native, soc.culture.native
 
 Articles appearing have been previously posted for public dissemination
 and/or permission for inclusion has been secured.
 Letters of authorization are on file.  A list of those granting permission
 to repost their words in this issue are listed at the end of part A.
 I thank each of you for allowing your words to be shared with the people.
 
 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.
 
 Downloading Wotanging Ikche on AOL  From: MAANG1419@aol.com <Valentina>
 Just thought I would share some info.  I could not download on to a  .txt
 because I kept getting the message (when I tried to retrieve it) that the
 text editor could not handle the volume.  This time I downloaded it on to
 a .doc and when I retrieved it out of file manager,  IT WORKED.
 
 From: gwelker@mail.lmi.org
 Date: Mon, 22 Jan 96 18:45:45 EST
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
     "I was born here in this land. My grandmothers and
     grandfathers were born here.  I am a native of this place.
 
     I am a Human Being.
 
     I am part of Unchi and Ina Maka and she is part of me; for
     every part of my body comes from Grandmother Earth; without
     her I can not exist.
 
     When there are lessons to be learned, it is the four leggeds
     and winged nations that teach me.
 
     When I sat under the vast expanse of Wanakan-Tanka's sky
     and marveled at the multitude of stars; as I sat there in
     the cathedral of pine in front of the fire, it is the
     buffalo who came to me in vision, to teach me of living in
     harmony with nature.
 
     When it was time to learn of dreaming, it was the owl who
     came to teach me.
 
     When my family needed protection, it was the deer people who
     came to protect.
 
    . . . and when my family needed guidance down the Red Path,
     it is the wolf who came to guide us.
 
     I am a Human Being and that is enough."
 
     No matter where anyone cares to put me in their view of the
     world, I don't "wanna" be anyone but myself; a Human Being.
     I don't want to be invited to anyone's ceremonies, I don't
     need to be accepted into anyone else's community or circle
     of friends, I don't need to find out about anyone else's
     ceremonies.
 
     However, anyone who asks me and wants to share the knowledge
     I have been given has but to ask.
 
     Perhaps those who are so worried about who, in their
     opinion, wants to be whom, should spend time reflecting more
     on the words of Arvol Looking Horse and his request for a
     day of prayer and peace.
 
     I am a Human Being and that is enough.
 
    Barbara "Helping Woman" Griffith
    julie_m._carlson@hud.gov
 
 +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+
 |   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!
 
   It was my honor to participate in a Veteran's Powwow this past weekend.
 
   Many veterans carry a very dark place in their hearts.  It poisons their
 spirit and keeps them from the path they need to be on.  It is a thing
 that attaches itself and becomes part of the person who carries it.  It
 is a parasite that sucks the very life from its victim.
 
   Sometimes these men and women just need to know it's alright to turn
 loose of the pain.  That it is alright to turn loose and get on with their
 lives.
 
   I thank Creator that healing circles exist, and that I have received the
 gift of being there when a wilted flower once again became nurtured and
 bloomed.
  =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=
 
   Tribal Police Stupidity 101...(do these "police" really trust the IHS
   more than their own medicine keepers?)...
 Joe Flying By, a Traditional Medicine Man and his helper, were arrested
 near Little Eagle on the Standing Rock Reservation, for picking
 traditional medicines, by Tribal Police, held a few hours then released.
  =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=
 
 From: Tatanka Cante and the Treaty Unity Riders
   We the Treaty Unity Riders would like to thank the People of the World
 for their prayers that you have made a lot of things happen, not just for
 Our People, but for yourselves.
   We hope that one day we all will unite as human beings and that we can
 all respect Mother Earth and to obey the natural law of life.
   We, too, as the Treaty Unity Riders have prayed for you that one day we
 can walk hand in hand and hope that our drumbeat comes together with the
 heartbeat of Mother Earth.
   I'm just a common man and I try to live that way.  I really believe
 everything is sacred and my heart is starting to heal now from the prayers
 that you have sent.
  =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=
 
   The language project I have started is moving very slowly, but it
 is moving.  The need for this is a thing I truly believe.
   Without language a culture dies.  What is said in any language seldom
 translates literally to another.  It, at best, approximates the meaning.
 Our languages are dying.  Our cultures will not linger long without our
 own words to describe the events in our lives, the ways passed down by our
 ancestors and our prophecies.
 
   If you live near Fort Yates, ND you will want to participate in the
 following:
 Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1998 16:19:11 -0500
 From: Harold Ironshield <harold@PEPP.ORG>
 Subj: Language meeting
 Mailing List:    Minnesota Indian Affairs <MINN-IND@vm1.spcs.umn.edu>
 
 A Language meeting is being held at Sitting Bull College on November 14,
 1998. (Saturday) beginning at 10am to 5pm in Fort Yates, ND.  The meeting
 is to bring together language instructors, concerned community members and
 those who are advocates of tribal languages.  There will be a lunch served
 at noon and a donation is being asked.
 The agenda of the meeting will consist of upcoming legislation in
 congress, development of community language classes, Develop a Northern
 Plains Language Institute, Networking and other proposed projects.
 If you are interested give us a call at 605-823-4662 and ask for harold.
 We are sure that will be much more added to the agenda, we encourage you
 to bring handouts, information or any other good stuff you may have.
 
   I am collecting language resource information.  Please send me all
 information each of you have regarding language resources.  This should
 include all written teachings including dictionaries, grammar books and
 stories.   Include all audio and video resources.  Include the source, how
 it is distributed, the publisher, ISBN or other catalogue information that
 might be known.  Include cost and current availability if you have it.
 Finally, include _your_ opinion.  Is it good, bad, indifferent?  I will
 keep this information, by language/nation and make what I have available
 to any who request it.  Send what you can via email to  gars@netcom.com
 You may also send info via snail mail to P O Box 672168. Marietta GA 30006.
 
 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 ----------
 - College Funding                       - Amnesty International Report
 - Columbus Daze                           Blasts US
 - Emergency Grant Application           - Canadian Prison Experiments
 - Elders Evicted through Intimidation   - Micmac Activist to be Extradited
 - We Don't Want the                     - Building the BC Police State
   Accommodation Agreement                - Native Prisoner
 - Salish-Kootenai Tribal Forest Plan    - A Hundred Years Ago
 - Innu on Environmental Assessment      - Poem: Falling Leaves
 - Circle of Justice Public Notice       - We Cry
 - Kalpulli Newsletter                   - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days
 - Oversight in Sight for Cherokees      - Conferences and Powwows
 - Makah Whalers                         - Native America Calling
 --------- "RE: College Funding" ---------
 
 Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1998 18:14:38 -0500
 From: Chris Spotted Eagle <cseagle@maroon.tc.umn.edu>
 Subj: College Funding
 
 Mailing List:    Minnesota Indian Affairs <MINN-IND@vm1.spcs.umn.edu>
 
 SENATE PASSES BILL ON NO FUNDING FOR MINORITIES IN COLLEGE!!
 A bill will be heard in Congress next week to prohibit affirmative action
 in admissions for ANY institution of higher education that receives ANY
 federal funding (Pell grants, loans, etc.).
 
 This would end affirmative action in EVERY COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY IN THE
 UNITED STATES!
 
 PLEASE READ AND ACT SOON!
 
 Rep. Frank Riggs (R-CA)Chairman of the House Education
 Subcommittee on Children, Youth, and Families is planning to offer an
 ANTI-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION in admissions amendment when the
 Higher Education Act is voted on the floor NEXT WEEK.
 
 The amendment would prohibit all institutions of higher education
 from using affirmative action in its' admission decisions. If even one
 student at the institution receives federal funds (i.e., Pell Grant or
 Student Loan) they would be violating federal law under this proposal.
 
 Affirmative action would be illegal even if the school believes it is
 necessary to insure a diverse student body, or to remedy past or
 present discrimination.
 
 Call members of Congress (202) 224-3121  and the President (202)
 456-1414. They need to hear from us the importance of affirmative
 action.
 
 PASS THIS MESSAGE ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!  ALL OF
 US WILL LOSE IF THIS BILL BECOMES THE LAW OF THE LAND!
 
 Chris Spotted Eagle
 Spotted Eagle Productions
 cseagle@maroon.tc.umn.edu
 Voice & Fax 612/377-4212
 
 --------- "RE: Columbus Daze" ---------
 
 Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 04:46:44 -1000
 From: Tony Castanha <castanha@hawaii.edu>
 Subj: Columbus Daze (fwd)
 
 Mailing List:    Taino-L Taino interest forum<TAINO-L@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>
 
 Guaitiao y Aloha,
 
 The message below kicks off what has now become an annual
 global event. Last year a small group of us here in Honolulu  
 organized and demonstrated on so-called "Discoverer's Day" a
 non-violent symbolic burning of the 1493 Papal Bull (we're
 also concerned with the 1452 Bull), the one which formally 
 sanctioned Colon's genocide campaign against indigenous peoples
 of the Amerikas. It was a call for indigenous peoples and people 
 of conscience worldwide to persuade the Vatican hierarchy to 
 revoke these inhumane documents. We're doing it again this 
 year and call upon the Taino Tribal Council of Jatibonuco 
 to perhaps organize a burn, preferably at your local Catholic 
 church (invite the pastor, we will!). We'll be updating you 
 with more information soon. While Las Casas certainly did 
 not assist our Caribe/Taino ancestors very much at all, and 
 was very influential in introducing the African slave trade 
 diaspora, his work, at least according to Guttierez and 
 international human rights lawyer Francis Boyle, may be 
 most helpful to indigenous peoples today. 
 Sincerely,
 Tony Castanha
 ---------- Forwarded message ----------
 Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 01:33:49 -1000
 From: "Boyle, Francis" <FBOYLE@LAW.UIUC.EDU>
 Subj: Columbus Daze
 
   Tony C. has asked me to get the ball rolling on our Papal Bulls Burning
 festivities for October 12, Columbus Daze. I am going to be tied up on four
 cases in the next three weeks or so. So I might not be as active in the
 debate this year. But I thought I would lead off with some reflections upon
 reading Guttierez's book on Las Casas, Orbis Press. Every indigenous person
 living in the Americas should read it. Las Casas made all the legal
 arguments against everything the Spanish were doing in the Americas while
 they were doing it. In other words, all the legal arguments that Native
 Americans--north or south--need to reclaim their lands and their kingdoms
 can be found in this book. This is especially important because
 International Law operates on the basis of what is known as the
 intertemporal rule. What that means is that when evaluating a legal course
 of conduct in an earlier epoch, you cannot apply contemporary standards of
 international law but rather must apply the standards in existence at that
 time. Las Casas's arguments establish that pursuant to the intertemporal
 rule, and in accordance with the standards of the time, the Spanish conquest
 of the Americas--and pari passu the later British, Dutch and French
 conquests as well--violated basic norms of international law in existence at
 that time. Indeed, at that time "European Christendom" operated upon the
 principle of the "just war," going back to Augustine and before him Cicero.
 Las Casas establishes that the wars against the "Americas" and its Peoples
 were clearly unjust at that time. Even more so, Las Casas argued that Native
 American Peoples would be able to preserve and assert their claims against
 the Spanish(and, I would add, their successors) for the rest of eternity.In
 fact, Las Casas effectively preserved Their rights to do so. And finally,
 most importantly, Las Casas argued that not only would Native Americans be
 entitled to the return of their lands and compensation for the harm
 inflicted upon them, but also that they would be entitled to the return of
 their Kingdoms, that is their Nation States. And that this right of return
 would exist forever. And again, in my opinion, these claims would be
 assertable against the successors to the Spanish, Portuguese, British,
 French, Dutch, etc. In other words, assertable by Indigenous Peoples against
 the so-called Nation States that currently occupy their lands and their
 kingdoms in the Americas today. 
   Hence the importance to burn the Bulls. All alleged title goes back
 to there. If we can get the Pope to repudiate or withdraw  the Bulls, all
 title in the  Americas would immediately become clouded.
   Obviously, there is no way I can do justice to this wonderful book
 here. It is several hundred pages long. At times, it is rough going. But all
 the arguments and documentation are there. It is well worth reading with an
 eye towards how your Native American Nations can use Las Casas's heroic
 struggle to reclaim your Lands and your Kingdoms. In any event, have a great
 day burning the Papal  Bulls on October 12.
         Aloha.
         Francis.
 Francis A. Boyle
 Law Building
 504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
 Champaign, IL 61820
 217-333-7954(voice)
 217-244-1478(fax)
 fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
 
 --------- "RE: Emergency Grant Application" ---------
 
 Date: Thu, 01 Oct 1998 00:14:38 -0700
 From: Robert Dorman <redorman@theofficenet.com>
 Subj: Emergency Grant Application
 
 Mailing List:    Big Mountain List <bigmtlist@hotmail.com>
 
 This is the SDN fax requesting funding to send Dineh elders to the UN
 General assembly when Mr. Amor makes his report on human rights violations
 by the United States against the Dineh and Hopi peoples.
 
 Sovereign Dineh Nation
 P.O. Box 1968 
 Kaibeto, AZ 86053 
 (520) 673-3461
 September 24, 1996
 
 To: Bob Dorman for posting to the Big Mountain list on INTERNET
 Emergency Grant Application
 
 Re: Request for the assistance of Big Mountain supporters to provide
 funding for traditional Dineh (Navajo) people to travel to NY to respond to
 the United Nations report on the US which will be presented in early
 November to the Third Committee of the General Assembly.
 
 Dear Big Mountain supporters,
   On behalf of the Council of Elders, our Board of Directors, and the
 Representatives of Sovereign Dineh Nation we wish to express our
 appreciation for your support. At this time we are greatly in need of funds
 to travel to NY in early November to meet with UN officials and NGOs when
 Mr Abdelfattah Amor, Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance of the UN
 Commission on Human Rights presents his report on the US to the Third
 Committee of the General Assembly.
   As you know, we face many obstacles to religious freedom as land-based
 practitioners and the impacts on our sacred sites due to Peabody Coal
 Company's mining operations.  At this time we urgently need your help to
 preserve our sacred land and ensure greater respect and reverence for
 Indigenous land-based religion and the protection of ancient Anasazi and
 Dineh sacred and burial sites. It is our hope that you can help provide
 funding for Dineh travel to New York
   The Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance, Mr. Amor of the United
 Nations Commission on Human Rights visited the Dinah in Black Mesa in
 February, 1998. This is the first time that the US is being investigated by
 the UN for violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief which
 are human rights This visit was in response to a complaint we filed in 1997
 charging the US with human rights violations against the traditional Dineh
 people, charging that federal laws have denied us access to water,
 bulldozing of our homes, legalized the confiscation of our livestock, kept
 us from gathering firewood to heat our homes in winter, and prohibited any
 housing improvement.
   Public laws 93-531 and 104-301, known as "relocation laws", have forced
 aver 12,000 traditional Dineh off their lands. About 3,000 remain,
 surviving by herding sheep and weaving rugs, living subject to frequent
 harassment by the US government's Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). 
   Since we practice a land-based, site-specific religion, the Special
 Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance was invited to investigate human rights
 violations affecting Our religion. On February 3, 1998, over and over
 again, Dineh people recounted to Mr. Amor - their spiritual ties to the
 land and the destruction, both physical and spiritual, wreaked by the
 Peabody Coal Company, the partitioning of the land, and the relocation
 practices.
   Oh August 30th. the vision of the people of Sovereign Dineh Nation was
 renewed, after almost 2 decades. The meeting was held at the home of Glenna
 Begay, a place that reminds us of the energy and hope born in our people
 when the UN Human Rights investigators and Non Governmental Organizations
 (NGOs) visited with us on Black Mesa in February
   On September 19, a meeting took place of the Medicine Men's Association,
 the General Assembly of medicine men from across the Navajo Nation. On the
 agenda was discussion of a statement of support for Sovereign Dineh Nation
 to protect Anasazi and Dineh sacred sites, cemeteries - to stop the
 desecration by Peabody Coal Company
   On September 30, the Center for Dine' Studies of Dine' Community College
 will host "Religious Intolerance on Black Mesa - The Hopes and Struggles of
 the People of Sovereign Dineh Nation." Forthcoming is a letter of support
 for Sovereign Dineh Nation from Dineh Community College.
   Hundreds of testimonies appealing for justice have been submitted to the
 United Nations Commission On Human Rights, the US Department of the
 Interior, the US Department of Justice and Congress. They detail threats
 made against Dineh elders by US governmental officials that come to their
 door saying, "You must relocate or sign a 75-year lease Agreement to stay
 on your land, and if you do not sign your house will be burned down, and
 your possessions put on the "other side of the fence" And they say, "Your
 livestock will be confiscated." This is elder abuse As you ere aware, we
 hold sacred medicine bundles and remain on our sacred land in order to
 protect and preserve our sacred land and traditional ways
   Dineh lives, culture, arid human rights are being sacrificed in order to
 provide short-term profits for a non-sustainable industry, Peabody Coal
 Company, also threatening the regional and global environment. Over 4,000
 ancient Anasazi cliff houses, burial and ceremonial sites in the region
 have been destroyed, and these activities are condoned by the US government
 and the tribal councils in their pursuit of mining profits. The
 exploitation of natural resources and the destruction of ancient Anasazi
 and Dineh cemeteries continues.
   This past June, with the consent of the US government, during a United
 Nations investigation of religious intolerance. a Kiva containing 28
 Anasazi burials was destroyed and is now under tons of dirt. This drag line
 is operating adjacent to a public access road.  It is currently 100 yards
 from an occupied dwelling and the Navajo Nation as an agent of the coal
 mine is threatening eminent domain in order to force the elders living
 there to relocate.  Peabody Coal Company says the area is uninhabited.
   This summer, a cemetery by Ataid Y Lake and Maxine Kescoli was bulldozed.
 Human remains still lay scattered. We don't even know what happens to the
 remains that are removed. Next to the bulldozed area is a site where we
 make offerings and have held many ceremonies. When we pass on to the spirit
 world we can't even be buried on our land. We are powerless to protect even
 the burial sites of our ancestors These actions are being conducted and
 condoned in flagrant violation or our religion. After removal of the
 remains, many of the Anasazi burials sites are not even covered up. There
 is a sweat lodge in the area that was destroyed, they did not even bother
 to take the rake they used with them. This bulldozed area is currently 100
 yards from an occupied dwelling.
   Protests by our elders living in the region only resulted in threats and
 harassment by the tribes as agents of the coal mine. Our elders are being
 forced to stand by and witness the destruction, helpless to protect their
 sacred sites and cemeteries
   In July, an area on Hopi Partition Land was cleared in advance of mining
 activities. Our old trees are energy for the people and we make offerings
 to these places. If these areas are all clear cut they are taking away our
 rights to our energy and natural resources, plants, hills, and springs.
 This cleared region is currently 100 yards from sacred springs on Glenna
 Begay's customary use area. They were planted there by Medicine people and
 contain a year-round water resource
   Sections of the road that NGOs traveled from Kayenta to the Begay residence
 is now closed off and we are forced to use an alternative public road. Most
 of this construction was completed before a permit was ever issued by the
 US government's Office of Surface Mining. It Contains sharp turns,
 intersects with arid joins a mine haul road used by heavy equipment.  Our
 children ride on school buses through this area and we are concerned
 because they are endangered. Big rocks used to line the road is destroying
 our vehicles and causes us to get flat tires frequently, sometimes we get
 as many as two or three flat tires at one time. We were never consulted
 before this road was constructed and we never gave our consent.
   No one tells us about the mining operations and we have no voice in
 negotiations that take place behind closed doors by corrupt tribal and US
 governmental officials We are suffering from a Navajo Nation that has
 witnessed 4 presidents in the last six months due to convictions for ethics
 violations; an investigator from the Ethics and Rules office that was
 convicted for criminal sexual assault of his 15 year old daughter; numerous
 tribal council officials found guilty of pocketing tribal funds; office
 workers downloading pornography: approval of permits by officials that
 allows the destruction of our sacred shrines, homes and cemeteries.
   It is these and other issues that we wish to bring to the attention of the
 UN and NGOs. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Universal
 Declaration of Human Rights. This is the International Decade of the
 World's Indigenous Peoples. It is time now, finally, for Justice.
   Any financial assistance that Big Mountain supporters can provide will be
 greatly appreciated and is urgently needed to help fund Dineh travel to New
 York to meet with Mr Amor, the UN and NGOs. At stake is the survival of the
 people of Dineh Nation. Thank you in advance for your assistance and
 support.  We will remain in communication with you end let you know the
 date for the upcoming historic meeting of Dineh, UN representatives and
 NGOs as soon as we know.
   If you can provide an organizational tax-deductible contribution towards
 Dineh travel and outreach expenses to prepare for the UN please contact:
 Steve Sugarman, Executive Director
 Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE) 
 (an affiliate of the Earth Trust Foundation)
 20110 Rockport Way, Malibu, CA 90265-5340 
 phone: (310) 458-3534, Tax ID number 95-4116679
 Please specify that your contribution is for the Dineh Project
 Thank you for your support.
 Yours sincerely,
 
 (signatures and thumb prints of signers)
 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 You are on the BIGMTLIST, a moderated mailing list of Big Mountain
 relocation resistance information (not discussion or debate). To
 unsubscribe, email redorman@theofficenet.com with "unsubscribe" in the
 subject header.  For non-list members receiving this post as a forwarded
 message, you may subscribe by emailing redorman@theofficenet.com with the
 word "subscribe" in the subject header. For Big Mountain and other
 activist internet resources, visit "The Activist Page" at
 http://www.theofficenet.com/~redorman/welcome.html
 Also, for great internet tools please visit:
 http://www.msw.com.au/cgi-bin/msw/entry?id=1271
 
 --------- "RE: Elders Evicted through Intimidation" ---------
 
 Date: Fri, 02 Oct 1998 22:48:29 -0700
 From: Robert Dorman <redorman@theofficenet.com>
 Subj: Urgent Action Alert # 2
 
 Mailing List:    Big Mountain List <bigmtlist@hotmail.com>
 
 Received the following messages from Marsha of SDN-NY:
   We are currently at Dine' College in Tsaile Arizona, having traveled
 here yesterday with Glenna Begay, Rena Babbitt Lane and Roberta
 Blackgoat to do a presentation: "Religious Intolerance on Black Mesa-the
 Hopes and Struggles of the Peoples of Sovereign Dineh Nation".
   We are here talking with the Center for Dine' Studies at Dine'
 Community College about doing a Statement of Support for the UN
 Commission on Human Rights and the US Department of the Interior's
 Office of Surface Mining to protect the Dineh people, their land, their
 sacred sites and cemeteries.
   We have recently received some phone calls in response to the last
 e-mail alert we posted and we urgently need to update people and tell
 them what to bring out with them and urge them again to come by October
 5th.
   Please communicate with us via e-mail at:  monestersky@altavista.net
 today, Thursday, October 1 and Friday, October 2, until 3:00 PM.  And
 although this e-mail number will only be accessed infrequently, please
 add it to the Big Mountain list and encourage people to contact us at
 this address today and tomorrow.
 
 Note that there are some sentence errors in the following, but you
 can get the overall meaning pretty clearly.
 
 Urgent Action Alert # 2
 
 Subject:  Further news regarding the status of impending Livestock
 Impoundments on Black Mesa.
   Dineh elder, Rena Babbitt Lane has formally withdrawn from the 75-year
 lease (Accommodation Agreement) stating in her withdrawal letter that
 her name was forged by Navajo Nation officials and a woman, Kathryn
 Hazard, from the US Department of Justice.  Rena Babbitt Lane just
 received the letter that follows from the US Department of the
 Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs Hopi Agency (BIA).
   Pauline Whitesinger and Roberta Blackgoat, non-signers.
 So it is with these thoughts in mind of all the people on the Big
 Mountain e-mail list that care that I wish to thank you all for your
 support and assistance at this crucial time of the Agreement 
 received similar letters.
   Elder after elder is getting these letters in the mail whether they
 signed the Agreement or not and they are afraid of what will happen.
 They have therefore requested your presence on Black Mesa to
 protect them, their livestock and their sacred land.
   No Five-day notices of 'Intent to Impound' has been sent out by the
 BIA, just the blanket letter that follows.  This is in direct violation
 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs), US federal law.  It is also
 illegal for livestock to be seized on sight, but this is what the Hopi
 Rangers, many of them Navajo, are telling the elders.
   These people have already been denied wood cutting permits, the way
 they heat their homes in winter.  Peabody Coal Company is giving out
 free coal to the Hopi people because the Hopi tribe threatened to shut
 them down if they did not.  But the Navajo Nation continues to do
 nothing to protect their own people and the Dineh are being charged for
 coal.  And due to El Nino a harsher winter is being predicted.
 
 What the BIA has been doing:
 The BIA have been active in the region capping off and fencing off
 water wells.  This has forced people to drive 20 miles or more each way
 on unmaintained dirt roads to haul water for their use and their
 livestock while Peabody Coal is depleting their sole source aquifer in a
 desert environment and causing many of the wells in the region to go
 dry. You can frequently see animals standing by wells that offer them 
 no water, some even dying from lack of access to water.
   The BIA is going to the elders homes armed with semi-automatic
 weapons - repeatedly telling them that they are trespassing on Hopi
 lands. And the BIA is being assisted by Navajo Nation officials who
 visit the elders homes calling them mother and grandmother.  They are
 eating their food, then telling them to turn over their livestock counts
 to the BIA and if they do not reduce their herds their animals will get
 confiscated.
   The Navajo Nation has admitted in a Inter Governmental Relations (IGR)
 Resolution dated February 2, given to the UN Commission on Human Rights
 on February 3, that over 100 families never signed the Accommodation
 Agreement and an undetermined number, (which we believe includes hundreds),
 has never been included in any census.
   Furthermore, the IGR stated that they believed the Agreement violates
 Dineh religious and human rights. What they did not submit to the UN was
 their Resolution passed in October, 1997 stating that they believed that
 an excessive use of force was used by Navajo officials to obtain these
 signatures and they would conduct an investigation.
   This Resolution was submitted by Sovereign Dineh Nation to the UN and a
 grassroots investigation was conducted - what it demonstrated was Forgery,
 fraud, threats, intimidation and lies by Navajo Nation officials and the
 US Department of Justice coerced many signatures on the 75-year agreement
 and the Hopi Tribe received 50.2 million dollars from the US government
 in settlement of all outstanding  lawsuits against them by the Hopi
 Tribe, 25 million dollars of this was dependent upon signatures obtained
 >from those on list A, referred to as head of households.
 
 Hundreds of testimonies documenting this abuse was submitted to the UN
 Commission on Human Rights and the US Congress.  Kee Shay received 2
 trespassing notices on his hogan (home). Oscar Whitehair was threatened
 with having his house burned down.  Huck and Genevieve Greyeyes were
 lied to....
   The Navajo Nation instead of defending their people has been targeting
 them for livestock reduction to the BIA because as they state, the Hopi
 do not yet have full jurisdiction over Hopi Partition Lands.  However,
 if this is so, how can the Hopi Tribe authorize the BIA with the
 assistance of the Navajo Nation to conduct these campaigns of terror?
   The elders are afraid of what the Hopi tribe has in mind for them as
 their landlord if these actions are being condoned even before they have
 seized full control over Hopi Partition Lands - which will not happen
 until 1999.
   And after this time, under the terms of the Agreement the Dineh are
 offered no avenue of appeal other than in a Hopi tribal court - denied 
 a jury of their peers - denied the ability to vote in Hopi elections -
 denied a voice in the creation of numerous Hopi laws and ordinances
 under which they are forced to live - denied their basic human rights
 and religious freedom - their right to livelihood,  security of home,
 person and property.
   These are supposed to be unalienable Constitutional rights guaranteed
 to every US citizen.  Instead the Navajo and Hopi tribal councils to
 demonstrate that there is no land dispute when it comes to sharing
 Peabody Coal mining revenues have been meeting with Peabody Coal 
 Company officials behind closed doors allowing them to destroy ancient
 Anasazi and Dineh cemeteries and sacred sites that lie in the path of
 expanding mining operations.
   And Peabody Coal Company not wanting it to appear that they are
 relocating the elders use the Navajo Nation as their agents - who visit
 elders homes and threaten them with eminent domain if they do not
 relocate.
   This aggressive campaign by the US government is being conducted
 with the assistance of the Hopi tribe and the Navajo Nation in a
 concerted effort to freeze and starve the people off their sacred land
 to ensure the continuation of coal mining activities.
   And in flagrant disregard of numerous US laws and Dineh religion,
 this desecration is continuing during a United Nations investigation 
 of religious intolerance.
   Ataid Lake has witnessed her cemeteries and sacred shrines destroyed,
 human remains unearthed.  She was forced to stand by powerless and
 threatened with jail for interfering with the operations of Peabody
 bulldozers.
   Ancient Anasazi pottery shards lay scattered with human remains that
 were left behind in a bulldozed field by Ataid Lake.  They did not even
 bother to take the rake they used with them.  A kiva containing 28
 Anasazi burials, the largest find of its kind in the region was
 bulldozed in June and is now under tons of dirt.
   The drag line is currently 100 yards from an occupied dwelling and a
 few feet away from a ceremonial site where many fire dances were
 conducted.  Peabody Coal Company says the area is uninhabited.
   The Hopi Tribe told Peacekeeping Brigades International (PBI), an
 NGO that visited the region, that there is currently in place a 20 year
 moratorium on all mining activities on HPL.  But in flagrant disregard
 of this directive they are currently 100 yards from sacred springs - a
 year round water resource planed there by Medicine people - on Glenna
 Begay's customary use area.
   According to Judith Nies, author of "A Chronology of Native American
 History", she states that over 4,000 ancient Anasazi cliff houses,
 sacred sites and burial sites in the region have already been destroyed.
   These elders who request your support regularly confront Peabody
 Bulldozers and/or the BIA.  Some are affected by relocation by Peabody
 Coal.  Some by the US government. Some by both.
   We urge you to travel to Black Mesa to demonstrate your support for the
 Dineh elders.  Please call:  (520) 673-3461 for travel directions.  Most
 of the elders living in this remote region do not speak, read or write
 English and they have asked for your support now and for your commitment
 to come for a minimum of 1 month.
   The Dineh resisters have been denied any ability to fix their homes and
 build new homes for 32 years due to a US government imposed construction
 freeze denying them all services and infra-structure development. So we
 ask that you come prepared. There is no electricity, phones or running
 water.
   We ask that you come in pairs and be as self-sufficient as possible -
 equipped if possible with 4-wheel drive vehicles, scanners, two-way
 radios, cameras, cam corders, flashlights, drinking water and canned
 goods.
   Any food, wood hauling, hay and feed drives that you can organize will
 be greatly appreciated.  The home of Glenna Begay, where the UN visit
 took place will serve as your base camp.
   You will be on Black Mesa at the invitation of the elders and under
 their guidance.  There will be some training in civil disobedience and
 you will be directed to the home of particular elders or rove as
 security patrol in response to what best suits your particular skills.
   If you want to tell the Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian agency to stop
 perpetrating elder abuse please call the Hopi Agency's Branch of Land
 Operations at:  (520) 738-2225.
   We will keep you as updated as we can.  We urgently need your support
 now to stop the BIA.
   The Dineh people believe that it is here that the battle for land
 rights for Indigenous people must be won.
 Thank you for your support.
 -=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=-
 Text of letter from the:
 Bureau of Indian Affairs
 Hopi Agency
 P.O. Box 158
 Keams Canyon, AZ  86034
 (520) 738-2249
 
 September 17, 1998, received via certified mail:  September 27, 1998
 
 Dear Rena Babbitt Lane,
 
 Under the terms and conditions of the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act 
 of 1996 and the Accommodation Agreement, the Hopi Tribe has authorized
 the Bureau of Indian Affairs to issue temporary livestock grazing permits
 for this year.  Your allocation is based on he information submitted to
 the Hopi Tribe by the Navajo Nation as required under the terms and
 conditions of the Act and the Accommodation Agreement.
 
 Until the Hopi Tribe has assumed jurisdiction over the Hopi Partitioned
 Lands, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Hopi Agency, will issue your 1999
 grazing permit.  If you have livestock in excess of your allocation
 after October 5, 1998, they will be considered in trespass and subject
 to impoundment.
 
 The annual Hopi livestock sale is scheduled for October 5, 1998 at
 Second Mesa.  We encourage you to sell excess livestock at this sale, if
 you have not already disposed of them.  Livestock will be accepted at
 the sales facility beginning at 8:00 AM on Friday, October 2, 1998.
 Livestock will not be accepted after 6:00 PM on Sunday, October 4, 1998.
 
 If you have any questions or need assistance call the Hopi Agency's
 Branch of Land Operations at:  (520) 738-2225.
 
 Sincerely,
 Unreadable name
 Acting Superintendent
 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 You are on the BIGMTLIST, a moderated mailing list of Big Mountain
 relocation resistance information (not discussion or debate). To
 unsubscribe, email redorman@theofficenet.com with "unsubscribe" in the
 subject header.  For non-list members receiving this post as a forwarded
 message, you may subscribe by emailing redorman@theofficenet.com with the
 word "subscribe" in the subject header. For Big Mountain and other
 activist internet resources, visit "The Activist Page" at
 http://www.theofficenet.com/~redorman/welcome.html
 Also, for great internet tools please visit:
 http://www.msw.com.au/cgi-bin/msw/entry?id=1271
 
 --------- "RE: We Don't Want the Accommodation Agreement" ---------
 
 Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 10:30:46 -0700
 From: "Save Ward Valley" <swv1@ctaz.com>
 Subj:  URGENT Big Mt. info
 -----Original Message-----
 From: Seneca2 <seneca3@webtv.net>
 Date: Sunday, October 04, 1998 5:00 PM
 Subj: Fwd: URGENT Big Mt. info
 
   UUCP email
 
   Here is a message from Rena Babbit Lane (Elder), and Marsha who is
 working with several translators in Glenna Begay's (Elder) family. I am
 sorry for the spelling but I had to retype the fax because of a temporary
 lack of e-mail on Big Mountain. I have left the grammar untouched as the
 translations are as accurate as possible-
 
 Mauro Oliveira - SOL Communications
   Recent confrontations of Dineh elders and their representatives with the
 BIA and their voice on the Big Mountain list serving as a network for the
 dissemination of information, is a responsible for exposing what the BIA was
 planning to do-conduct massive livestock impoundments on Black Mesa beginning
 on October 5, 1998.
   The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) does not want their actions again
 the Dineh elders to be observed. They would rather confiscate Dineh
 livestock unobserved by the outside world. In an attempt to stop
 supporters from traveling to Black Mesa to support the elders. The Navajo
 Times just published an article entitled "no impoundment planned for HPL
 livestock says BIA".
   And while the BIA says that they will not impound livestock belonging to
 permit holders beginning on Oct 5, the majority Dineh resistors do not
 have Hopi permits nor do they recognize the validity of Hopi jurisdiction
 over them. They have their old Navajo permits. These people are still
 subject to impound by the BIA at anytime.
   For those that do hold Hopi permits, they are being told that they can
 only have a total of 20 to o40 sheep units- between sheep, horses, cows,
 goats. It is the hope of the BIA that these people will sell off their
 livestock in fear of seizure even though these are starvation tactics
 used against them
   Winter is coming and the Dineh people are depended upon their livestock
 for their survival. The amount of livestock permitted is well below the
 amount that they need to sustain their lives.
   The elders are afraid of El Nino effects predicting a harsh winter- not
 even allowed to cut firewood to heat their homes or to fix their homes in
 preparation for winter. They still need your help to support them, stand
 by them and help them. Many of these elders-grandparents and great grand
 parents are afraid of the harassment of the BIA officials that come to
 their homes armed with semi-automatic weapons to count their livestock
 and tell them that they must sell their livestock or they will get
 impounded- if not today then tomorrow or next week when no supporters
 are around to witness their actions. The elders still urge you to travel
 Black Mesa with truckloads of Hay, feed and building materials- to help
 them hold on. They also urge you to help fund a Dineh delegation to travel
 to United Nations in early November to respond to the UN commission on
 Human Rights on the United States.
   Rena Babbitt Lane is one of many elders that is afraid of what the BIA
 will do to her and what life will be like if the Hopi tribe is able to
 gain full jurisdiction over them on January 1st 1999- when their only
 avenue is of appeal in a Hopi court, denied a jury of their peers, denied
 their basic constitutional rights. They are afraid because all that they
 have seen- even before the Hopi have full jurisdiction is threats,
 intimidation and continued violation of their rights- repeatedly told
 that they and their livestock are trespassing on Hopi lands.
   Rena Babbit Lane has submitted detailed statements to the UN Commission on
 Human Rights and the US congress describing how she was beaten up by the BIA
 and suffers from numerous mental and physical wounds, including a broken
 wrist when she tried to prevent her livestock from being confiscated. She is
 also one of many elders that talks about the lies, threats and intimidation
 tactics that has been used against her.
   She states in her withdrawal letter from the 75 year lease accommodation
 agreement submitted to the UN Commission on Human Rights, President
 Milton Bluehouse of the Navajo nation and chairman Wayne Taylor of the
 Hopi Tribe,
   "Many of our elders have died from the effects of warfare, we call the
 relocation mental syndrome. For we who are elders, we are in need of
 housing, health clinics, the ability to drive on maintained roads and have
 access to water. We call what we ;endure psychological warfare. We even need
 outhouses and live without bathrooms.>
   I never had a formal education and do not speak, read or write English.
 My husband and I have 6 boys, 3 girls, 13 grandchildren, 6 great grand
 children and they keep growing. There is nothing for them in the 75 year
 lease, the accommodation agreement and life under Hopi jurisdiction. When
 they all come we don't have space for all of them. We used to have a
 house but the Hopi took it down and put a barbed wired fence in so we
 can't get over there.
   I was told that I signed the agreement but if my name was there they
 forged my name or used fraud. How could I have signed if I cannot write
 my name? I do not even know how my name is spelled. I use my thumb if I
 have to sign my name and I never did this. I do this on all the documents
 that I have to sign. But the officials say that I signed the agreement. I
 do not have any paperwork saying that I signed the agreement.
   The officials were trying to bribe us to sign the agreement. The US
 government department of Justice, Hopi and Navajo tribal officials, came
 to our homes to tell us that we have no choice and the accommodation
 agreement is a good way of planning. But they are lying. Not having an
 education I wonder how they can bribe us like we will get a new house,
 that our livestock will not get impounded.
   We are being allowed to have 40 units between sheep, horses, cows and
 goats. If we have 20 sheep, the other half only allows us 2 horses and 2
 cows at five units for one horse or one cow. That is not enough for a
 family. They are telling me that they are going to impound the remaining
 livestock. Is this what the agreement is about? We are uneducated. Dineh-
 that is our way of life, leave in peaceful way, happy. At the same time
 we suffer. We are 70 years old. Who is going to hire us for a job? Our
 livestock is the way we survive. But we never excepted this permit. We
 have our old permit from the Navajo nation. No such thing as Hopi permit
 or branding so what is going to protect us?
   I want to live here. This is the place I love. We have been threatened,
 intimidated, harassed and lied to and tricked. Before the deadline date
 on March 31 1997, they said they would throw my possessions away, bulldoze
 my home and confiscate my livestock. But still I live here.
   The officials came to give us 3 acre marks. They were doing a survey and
 I told them to leave. I did not want it so they came again to Bribe me.
 They offered me 3 acres , a house, water and other promises. These
 promises have never been met for anyone. They don't even have the money
 resources to help us get new homes or fix our homes or have access to
 water. I have to haul water for our livestock three times a day sometimes-
 16 miles each way over very rough unmaintained dirt roads. The
 rangers never even bring us water or hay, or horse feed, they only tell
 us they do not have the funds to fix our home and they want to impound
 our livestock. We were told that if we signed we could use the land the
 way we want. All broken promises. Bribes to collect to signatures during
 the deadline date.
   We look at the livestock as our relatives. We have prayers for them. It
 is not a business. This is how we survive. But if you allow me only to
 have six sheep and I have  an Enemy Way ceremony as I am currently a
 patient in ceremony- I would have to give away six sheep. And when the
 children come and we butcher. If they give me 20 sheep that is nothing.
 We need sheep for our ceremonies, birthdays, and families for major
 holidays. Always other people want to buy sheep from us. This is the way
 we survive and pay for the gas we use to haul our water. We want to be
 able to survive.
   We don't want the accommodation agreement. We withdraw our name from the
 accommodation agreement. We don't want it and we don't like it. So
 therefore,  am not bound to a 3 acre homesite or a Hopi grazing permit
 and other permit restrictions.
   I stand on my human rights and rights to my land. I pray you hear our
 concerns."
 
 --------- "RE: Salish-Kootenai Tribal Forest Plan" ---------
 
 Subj: Flathead Reservation Develops Innovative Management Plan
 Date: 10/4/98 9:34:33 PM Eastern Daylight Time
 From: news@wildrockies.org (Wild Rockies InfoNet)
 
 List Admin note:
 
 The following story about the Salish-Kootenai Tribal Forest Plan shows how
 an innovative approach to forestry, unencumbered by mainstream American
 values, can produce management options that are truly unique. It gives a
 whole new meaning to "ecosystem management." While a preferred alternative
 has not yet been tagged, when the final EIS is released, we'll update you
 on its provisions.
 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 Char-Koosta News, October 2, 1998
 Tribal Forest Management Plan nears completion
 by B.L. Azure
   PABLO, MT -- The Salish-Kootenai Tribal Forest Management Plan (FMP) has
 been years in the making and it's about to bear fruit. And because of its
 adaptive nature it will guide tribal forest managers well into the next
 century, according to the leader of the inter-disciplinary (ID) team
 charged with creating the document.
   Team leader David Rockwell said recently that the ID team is putting the
 final touches on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for internal
 review by mid-November. Following the review is a tentatively scheduled
 December presentation of the administrative document to the Tribal Council
 for their comments, suggested changes and blessing.
   Once okayed by the Council, the FMP will be ready for a 60-day public
 review and comment period beginning in mid-January, Rockwell said. What
 the public will have to comment on is a forest management document that is
 "in some respects, a significant departure from the way forests were
 managed in the past," he said. The departure is part of a national forest
 management philosophy that recognizes other forest values besides resource
 production and also recognizes and attempts to remedy the effects of fire
 suppression in the forests.
   "The way we look at forests is significantly different under the eco
 system management approach," Rockwell said. "The main focus under the eco-
 system approach becomes restoring the natural structure to the forest that
 have been lost through fire exclusion, silviculture and past forest
 practices. It is a broader view of the landscape that focuses on the
 diversity of the forest structure."
   In order to restore the natural structure, forest managers will attempt
 to mimic Mother Nature's "natural disturbance regimes" as much as possible,
 Rockwell said. The main natural disturbance regime is fire, which, along
 with silviculture practices, will be used to get forests back to a more
 healthy situation. Years of fire suppression has created dense forests
 with thick underbrush that are out of balance with their natural
 development. Many of the nation's forests are ripe for catastrophic fires
 that can render forest lands sterile for years before recovering.
   Through eco-system management, tribal forest managers hope to restore
 historic forest structures that are stable and sustainable. The FMP offers
 the Tribal Council five management alternatives to manage tribal forests.
 The FMP inter-disciplinary team has not picked a preferred alternative.
   Full restoration would attempt to restore, to the maximum extent
 possible, conditions that existed prior to European settlement while
 optimizing historic wildlife habitat and diversity while maintaining a
 natural appearing landscape.
   Modified restoration would restore the forest to more natural conditions
 and to allow natural processes to function in the forest.
   Restoration with an emphasis on commodity production would maximize
 tribal income and employment by emphasizing wood products and production
 through the use of intensive forest management methods, while attempting
 to restore natural or pre-European conditions.
   No action would be a continuance of forest management practices that
 existed under the old forest management plan that was affective from 1982
 to 1991.
   Custodial would maintain or enhance forest health and tribal employment
 opportunities through low intensity, custodial forest management, i.e.,
 low-volume salvage logging.
   Tribal forest management plans are usually redone every 10 years,
 Rockwell said. However, the latest plan can serve well longer than that
 because of its adaptive nature that allows management adjustments to reach
 goals if projections aren't realized. "It's not written in stone," he said.
 "The goals may stay the same but how we get there may be altered."
   To reach the goals through management strategies the ID team looked at
 the kind of forest structure that existed prior to European settlement -
 the conditions under which plant and animal communities evolved; analyzed
 the conditions that exist today; asked what activities are sustainable and
 desirable; and developed objectives to maintain and restore a forest
 structure that more closely resembles the structure in which the eco-
 systems evolved.
   In developing the plan the ID team used spacial analysis, computer
 modeling and the Geographic Information System (satellite photos). They
 also used the Integrated Resource Management approach of focusing on
 processes and relationships between resources rather than focusing on the
 individual resource rather than focus on forest structure rather than
 commodity output. The hope is to restore the forest to a condition that
 more closely resembles pre-contact forests.
   The ID team is comprised of people specializing in silviculture, plant
 ecology, fire/fuels, landscape, wildlife biology, hydrology, fisheries,
 recreation, soils and range, Salish and Kootenai culture committees and
 computerized mapping.
   Their goals are to: strengthen tribal sovereignty and self-sufficiency
 through good forest management; manage forest eco-systems to include
 natural processes and to balance cultural, spiritual, economic, social and
 environmental values; adopt a process which accommodates changes in tribal
 values and resources; facilitate tribal member involvement in forest
 stewardship; provide sustained yield of forest products and maintain or
 enhance forest health; develop options for managing land use conflicts;
 provide perpetual economic benefits of labor, profit and products for
 local communities; manage forested eco-systems to protect and enhance
 biological diversity; provide a variety of natural areas that tribal
 members can use for solitude, cultural activities and recreational
 pursuits; work cooperatively with adjacent landowners and federal agencies
 to minimize cumulative impacts; protect human life, property and forest
 resources through fire suppression and fuels management; and to comply
 with tribal and federal laws.
 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 List-Subscribe: <mailto:Wild-Rockies-Alerts-on@vortex.wildrockies.org>
 List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:Wild-Rockies-Alerts-off@vortex.wildrockies.org>
 News Submissions or Problems: <mailto:News@wildrockies.org>
 This list is a public service provided by WIN: http://www.wildrockies.org
 
 --------- "RE: Innu on Environmental Assessment" ---------
 
 Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1998 15:45:31 -0300
 From: Larry Innes <innuenv@web.net>
 Subj: News: Innu Nation on EA
 
 Mailing List:    Innu People Forum list <INNU-L@YORKU.CA>
 
     Innu seeks larger role in assessment process 10/2/98
     BY MICHAEL MUSCHEID
     Special to The Telegram
 
   The Innu Nation wants to play a larger role in the environmental
 assessment processes of Canada and the province.
   At the 38th annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Environmental
 Biologists in St. John's, representatives of the Innu said decisions taken
 by governments concerning land they claim in Labrador and eastern Quebec,
 which they call Nitassinan, rarely reflect Innu interests, hopes and
 objectives.
   The Innu Nation, with a population of approximately 1,700, is seeking to
 develop an alternative assessment approach, based on Innu values and
 knowledge, and respectful of Innu rights to make decisions about land and
 resources.
   Daniel Ashini, vice-president of the Innu Nation, told participants his
 people don't pretend to have the answers to the problems of environmental
 assessment, but are well aware of them, and know where they want to go to.
   "We want to ensure that all development in Nitassinan respects the
 environment, so that the culture and traditions, the wildlife, and the clean
 water and air that the Innu people have counted on for generations will not
 be damaged."
   In the past, environmental assessment processes have often failed to
 identify the cultural, ecological and economic issues presented by projects
 in ways that are respectful of Innu values or meaningful to Innu people,
 Ashini said. His people have been bulldozed enough, so that many Innu now
 refuse to have anything to do with environmental assessment at all, he
 added.
   As an example, Ashini mentioned the Innu's problems with the military
 jets which fly over their camps, "screaming out of the sky just above the
 trees, frightening the living daylights out of birds, animals and Innu
 people alike."
   Although the government conducted an environmental assessment of the
 impact of the flights, Ashini said the panel that was set up to review the
 project ignored the comments of scientists and experts hired by the Innu.
   "They dismissed all of the deficiencies that we identified in the studies
 that the military had done to justify their project," Ashini said.
   As a consequence, the Innu refused to participate further in the process
 and even announced that they were going to refuse to participate in any
 further environmental assessment process.
   Today, the Innu have changed their mind - and try to get more and more
 involved in the process of environmental assessment. Now that the Voisey's
 Bay project has hit the table, the Innu have at least reached some of
 their targets.
   "We were able to include a place for Innu and Inuit knowledge. We were
 also successful in getting Canada and Newfoundland to recognize the
 importance of the precautionary principle, and the value of biodiversity
 and ecological integrity," Ashini said.
   In addition, the Innu were able to nominate panel members, and they
 participated fully in selecting and appointing them.
   At present, the Innu Nation is pursuing the development of an
 environmental assessment regime.  Highly important in this context is the
 Innu's ecosystem-based approach to environmental impact assessment in
 which ecological, cultural and industrial landscapes play an important
 role.
   "Accurately describing the ecological, cultural and industrial landscapes
 that may be affected by a project will establish the proper context for
 impact assessment," Larry Innes, environmental adviser of the Innu Nation,
 told the participants of the meeting.
   "What we are proposing here is not an analytical approach that tries to
 break a complex system down into constituent parts, but rather, a synthetic
 or holistic approach that seeks to integrate many different ways of
 understanding the environment."
 
 --------- "RE: Circle of Justice Public Notice" ---------
 
 Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1998 01:04:36 -0800
 From: SISIS@envirolink.org (S.I.S.I.S.)
 Subj: Circle of Justice Public Notice
 
 1. Circle of Justice dismisses Rev. Annett
 2. Annett responds
 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:Forwarded message:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
 From: "James Michael Craven" <cravjm@ooi.clark.edu
 Organization: Clark College, Vancouver WA, USA
 Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 18:44:10 PST8PDT
 Subject: (Fwd) Circle of Justice Public Notice
   To Whom it may concern. I was contacted by the Circle of Justice on
 September 24th and told that Mr. Kevin Annett had been dismissed from the
 COJ on September 23rd. This was followed by faxes sent to me asking that I
 put this out on the Internet as none has access to the Internet and because
 the Circle of Justice feels that some things were put out on the net on
 which they had not voted and about which they had no knowledge.
   The headings below should attest to when this was originally written and
 sent as a draft copy pending a full vote of the Circle of Justice which
 they required before full release on all aspects.
   The following was approved by the Circle of Justice by a unanimous vote.
   I had no part in the voting, dismissal and edited their documents for
 clarity etc. My assistance was at their request as they had contacted me
 about their concerns and I had not contacted them prior to their contacting
 me and requesting my assistance.
 
 Jim Craven
 
 DRAFT COPY NOW A FINALIZED AND AUTHORIZED COPY
 ------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
 From: "James Michael Craven" <cravjm@ooi.clark.edu Organization: Clark
 College, Vancouver WA, USA
 
 Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 15:30:41 PST8PDT
 Subject: Circle of Justice Public Notice
 Priority: normal
 
  DRAFT COPY NOT FOR CIRCULATION OR PUBLICATION
  FINAL AUTHORIZATION FOR PUBLICATION PENDING
 
  For Public Distribution
   The following letter is a public announcement and notice by the Circle of
 Justice of Vancouver, B.C. Canada of the breaking any and all connections
 with Mr. Kevin Annett and the non-association of The Circle of Justice with
 the activities and positions of Mr. Annett past, present and future. Anyone
 who might question the origin, reasons for and authenticity of this letter
 may contact Amy Talio of The Circle of Justice at (604) 253-1891. This
 letter is to be circulated on the internet to all newsgroups on which Mr.
 Annett posted views and allegations that were posted noting Mr. Annett's
 connections with The Circle of Justice and thus connecting The Circle of
 Justice with views and allegations about which the members knew nothing,
 that had not been ratified through a vote and that had not been authorized
 for Mr. Annett to present as views and allegations of the Circle of
 Justice.
   
  The Circle of Justice September 23, 1998
 TO KEVIN ANNETT:
   We, the members of the group known as "The Circle of Justice" hereby give
 you notice that you are to cease any statements, implications or
 representations that you represent our group in any capacity or have any
 association with our group. We also hereby give you notice to cease the use
 of the name of The Circle of Justice or the name of any individual of the
 group in any association with you in any book, newspaper, on the internet,
 television or through any medium or in any conversations or representations
 with anyone.
   We also give notice to you Kevin Annett to cease any and all fundraising
 in the name of the Circle of Justice and to turn over and account for any
 monies collected in the name of The Circle of Justice or when the name of
 The Circle of Justice was associated with your name in any way. We also
 demand that you turn over any and all materials in whatever form taken
 specifically through your interviews and other work with Survivors of the
 Canadian Residential Schools.
 Signed:
 Amy Talio, Interim President
 Jim Belcourt, Interim Treasurer
 Caroline Nelson
 Irene Starr
 Ethel Wilson
 Dennis Talio
 William Quinn
 Sterling Talio
 Rita Blind
 Bill of Particulars and Concerns:
 
   As you well know, we of The Circle of Justice are firmly committed to
 justice for the Canadian Residential School Victims and indeed are
 committing to the cause of justice for all victims. With respect to
 Residential School Victims and in solidarity with all Victims of All
 Nations, we seek to have: facts uncovered; true stories told; lessons
 learned; Victims justly compensated; victimizers exposed and punished; true
 histories told and written; historical and present-day injustices and
 conditions of oppression exposed and recognized; educational curricula
 changed to tell the truth about various forms and instruments of oppression
 of First Nations Peoples and other Victims of Oppression; past and present
 forms and instruments of genocide recognized and eliminated; support
 systems for Victims suffering trauma from Residential School abuses and
 other forms of abuse.
   Our missions and goals put us in conflict with very powerful and very ugly
 forces seeking the opposites of the above-mentioned missions. These forces
 are very determined, in positions of power and influence and possess
 resources we do not possess. Therefore, we act as a democratic collective
 because what each does, affects the security and welfare of the others as
 well as the name, credibility and effectiveness of the Circle of Justice as
 an organization. For these reasons, we take very seriously anything
 represented or done by any member of the Circle of Justice, in the name of
 The Circle of Justice that has not been democratically discussed, voted on,
 ratified and authorized by the organization. Further we take very seriously
 any allegations or documentation of unethical, disruptive, divisive or
 destructive behavior on the part of any member of The Circle of Justice
 especially when such behavior has been done in the name of The Circle of
 Justice as a whole.
   You were asked to attend a meeting of The Circle of Justice on Wednesday,
 September 23, 1998. You said that you would attend that meeting but would
 be late. In fact, not only did you fail to attend that meeting, you failed
 to call and notify anyone waiting to see you that you would not attend and
 failed to contact the members for some time after that. You routinely sign
 your name on the internet as associated with the Circle of Justice but
 showed contempt and arrogance when requested to attend a meeting to discuss
 matters critical to the survival, effectiveness, missions and credibility
 of The Circle of Justice.
   Had you attended that meeting on September 23, 1998, you would have been
 confronted with and given an opportunity to respond to the following
 allegations with supporting documentation:
 a) That you have repeatedly in print and in word represented certain views,
 allegations and representations as having been voted on ratified and
 supported by The Circle of Justice that in fact had never been brought
 before the Circle of Justice or voted on or authorized by the Collective as
 positions of the Circle of Justice;
 b) That you have repeatedly in print and word spread unproven gossip,
 conversations given in confidence for reasons of security, information,
 sources of information and ongoing investigations that could compromise and
 has compromised First Nations activists and certain struggles and
 activities;
 c) That you have repeatedly in print and in word, slandered and libelled,
 without evidence, trusted and dedicated First Nations activists ( who dared
 to disagree with you or pose some penetrating and tough questions) with
 summarily-declared labels like"RCMP agents" or "The Eyes and Ears of the
 RCMP" or "Government-paid stooges" and with no regard to the damages done
 to them personally or to the struggles of which they have been trusted and
 effective instruments;
 d) That you have summarily and for purposes of self-promotion, assigned to
 yourself and used in print and in word non-existent titles like "Advisor",
 Chief Researcher" (we have not seen even one piece of your research),
 "Chief Expert Witness to the Vancouver Tribunal" and others that were
 neither authorized nor voted on and ratified by the Circle of Justice;
 e) That you have summarily and without authorization or vote/ratification
 by the Circle of Justice, using The Circle of Justice as your authority and
 base, declared for yourself self-conducted and self-declared supposed
 missions with unstated goals and objectives to organizations like Amnesty
 International in London;
 f) That you have in word and print designated yourself as the sole contact
 person for raising monies to support the work of The Circle of Justice and
 given no accounting or release to the Circle of Justice, certain donations
 known to have been specifically raised and designated for use by the Circle
 of Justice as a whole;
 g) That you have demanded of others to release to you and not others of the
 Circle of Justice, tapes, personal testimonies and other materials
 associated with abuses of Residential School Victims that were not properly
 released for general use by those who had them in their possession and,
 when asked the same of you, for tapes and other materials of Residential
 School Abuse Victims in your possession, you have delayed and obstructed
 release of those materials back to those who have legitimately requested
 them and suffer daily wondering how they might be used by you;
 h) That in print and in word you have raised monies designated to send
 Victims of Residential School Abuse to Geneva, given no notice that you, a
 non-victim of Residential School Abuse planned to use some of the monies to
 send yourself, and that you have conflicting accounts of the actual amounts
 raised and given no actual accounting of monies raised, by whom they were
 donated and how many Victims could be sent to give representations to UN
 bodies about Canadian Residential School Abuse and Genocide in Canada;
 i) That in print and in word, you have released the names of Circle of
 Justice Members and allies, and sensitive and confidential conversations
 that could compromise the security and welfare of others if released,
 without authorization or vote by The Circle of Justice;
 j) That you have sought inside and sensitive information from Residential
 School Victims and their allies and given no sensitive and needed
 information in your possession in return, in order to inflate an image and
 public perception of your own degree and depth of involvement in the Circle
 of Justice and various struggles and investigations;
 k) That members of The Circle of Justice have left the Collective and given
 as their reason, problems with what they considered to be opportunism,
 self-promotion, duplicity and disruptions on your part;
 
   It is our honest opinion, formed on the basis of evidence and without
 malice, that the above allegations are warranted and/or have enough merit
 that we have no choice but to act. We believe that you sensed what the
 meeting on September 23, 1998 was to be about--to present and give you an
 opportunity to attempt to rebut these charges--and we know that you made
 several calls to attempt to find out what the meeting was to be about, and
 sensing the possibilities, simply summarily avoided hearing and answering
 these charges after first promising that you would attend the meeting.
   We invite you at any time to answer these allegations in writing and we
 will acknowledge any allegations found not to be substantiated, but in as
 much as so much is on the line and our work and credibility and membership
 are suffering as a result of these allegations, we have no choice but to
 act based on our opinion that you have been apprised/are aware of these
 allegations and have chosen to respond not by attending a meeting to answer
 them or with counter-evidence, but rather with slander and accusations
 against anyone who dared raise them with you and invite responses from you.
 Signed
 Amy Talio
 Jim Belcourt
 Caroline Nelson
 Irene Starr
 Ethel Wilson
 Dennis Talio
 William Quinn
 Sterling Talio
 Rita Blind
 
 Comments/Revisions Invited.
  James Craven
  Dept. of Economics,Clark College
  1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663
  jcraven@clark.edu; Tel: (360) 992-2283 Fax: 992-2863
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:Forwarded message:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
 Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 17:16:44 -0700 (PDT)
 From: Kevin Daniel Annett <kdannett@interchange.ubc.ca>
 To: SISIS@envirolink.org
 Subject: Update on the residential school atrocity investigations
 
 for your networks, from the Truth and Justice Commission, formerly The
 Circle of Justice (Vancouver)
    Circle of Justice Widens to Become Permanent Truth Commission
   Vancouver - In an effort to broaden the scope and base of the ongoing
 investigation into medical experiments, murder and other horrors at native
 residential schools, the Circle of Justice has dissolved and its members
 have been encouraged to become part of a permanent Truth and Justice
 Commission, which is being established in Vancouver, B.C.
   The Circle of Justice had never formally constituted itself as an
 organization, but functioned as a loose network of victims of residential
 schools and their supporters. Accordingly, it was felt that a more
 permanent and formal body was needed to take survivors' testimonies and
 document the atrocities because of their magnitude and the complicity of
 government, church, police and native organizations in serious wrongdoing.
   The new Truth and Justice Commission will honour the request of those
 who have given testimonies, written and spoken, to the International
 Tribunal into residential schools, and will take responsibility for this
 evidence to ensure that it is used to bring the full truth of the
 residential schools to public light.
   In this regard, Reverend Kevin Annett will continue in his delegated
 role as the archivist, researcher and advisor with this investigation, and
 will hold survivors' testimonies and other evidence in trust,
 confidentiality, and safety.
   In a statement released today, Reverend Annett said,
   "I state again that I have not used, and will not use any of the
 testimonies given to me by residential school survivors for my own benefit
 or academic use. I will use this evidence only as directed to by the
 Statement of Purpose of the Truth and Justice Commission, and by the
 latter's Executive Body. This evidence does not belong to me or to any
 individual or organization, but is held in public trust for the sake of
 the living and dead victims of native residential schools, and for the
 cause of ultimate justice."
   The new Truth and Justice Commission will be constructed on a completely
 non-racial and democratic basis, embracing both indigenous and non-
 indigenous people on an equal footing. It will remain independent from all
 church, government and police agencies, and from all First Nations
 organizations which either receive state funding or were established by or
 are connected to the Department of Indian Affairs.
   A complete Statement of Purpose of this Commission will be forthcoming.
 Founding members and affiliates of the Commission will be announced at the
 same time.
   As of today, September 28, 1998, any statements issued by any group or
 individual calling themselves The Circle of Justice should not be
 associated with the investigative work of the Truth and Justice Commission,
 or with the Tribunal and forums that preceded the Commission.
   For more information contact The Truth and Justice Commission c/o
 kdannett@interchange.ubc.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
 
 --------- "RE: Kalpulli Newsletter" ---------
 
 Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 08:03:55 -0500
 From: "Frank Blazquez" <Frank_Blazquez@ipsd.org>
 Subj: Latest Kalpulli Newsletter from Chicago
 
   UUCP email
 
 Aho Gary,
 Wanted to forward you a copy of our latest newsletter. A lot of interest
 has been sparked by the 1847 Disturnell Map which will be released next
 week in mass quantities. This map shows the area in the southwest where our
 Mexica (Azteca) ancestors lived and migrated from, the four corners area.
 Roberto Rodriguez (X Column) has been writing about this subject.
 In Peace and Dignity,
 Tekpatltzin
 (Frank)
 
 NOT HISPANIC    NOT LATINO
 
 12-Tochtli              1-Cuetzpalin    
 Mexica Tiahui...
 In Tonan        In Tota Ometeotl !!
 
   May the spirits of our ancient teachers continue to provide us with
 the wisdom, humbleness and courage to stay committed to our path, 
 Mexikayotl, our red road.....
   Well, first of all I apologize for not sending out the newsletter
 sooner. I still plan on sending it out on a monthly to bi-monthly 
 basis. Much has happened to us here in Chicago, this summer. I have 
 had the opportunity to meet many good people on this road, people of 
 all colors coming together to pray for the unity of all mankind. 
 There is a lot of work that we as Mexica have to identify and 
 accomplish in order for us to reclaim our true spiritual, cultural, 
 ritual and indigenous identities. With this in mind we also need to 
 heed the voices of the past and not allow our anger, passion, hate, 
 and pride to cloud our focus and vision for the future, especially 
 for our children and grandchildren. Ometeotl
   We are approaching the day of the infamous encounter, October 12.
 This is a day that we as the original inhabitants of this land, the 
 First Nations, should set some time aside to pray for our 
 Taino/Arawak relatives, who were the first to experience the true 
 purpose of the Spanish Crown and Spanish Church and eventually 
 European colonization. Documents still exist today (written by King 
 Ferdinand) which clearly indicate a blatant, racist and evil 
 approach with the Taino and Arawak Nations (surprise, surprise). The 
 Spaniards were very proficient when it came to documenting all of 
 their accumulation of material possessions. They were also very good 
 at denouncing the customs and traditions of our ancestors in order 
 to convert and enslave our people to their European customs, 
 languages and religion. There is no need to get into all the inhuman 
 details of what happened to the Taino and Arawak people in the name 
 of the Catholic Church and Spanish Crown, for it will only incite 
 very negative reactions. What is needed is for all of us to begin to 
 use October 12 as a day to honor all of our First Nations, from the 
 Tainos on the islands to the Mexica, Maya and Incas to the south. 
 The Seneca, the Tsalagi, the Iroquois, the Seminole, the Lakota, the 
 Cheyenne, the Hopi, the Dine, the Ojibwa, the Huron, the Modoc, the 
 Shoshoni, the Kiowa, the Tarahumara, the list goes on. Mexica do not 
 forget that we are native to this land. Do not allow the American 
 school system to program us to think that we are a new race of 
 people. That is just another way to continue to divide us and to 
 keep us wallowing in ignorance. Remember these thoughts when you see 
 the countless Euro-centric parades that will flash across your TV 
 screens on October 12th, which continue to honor a very evil and 
 inhuman episode in the history of our people. Remember all our First 
 Nations this October 12th. 
   As was mentioned in our first newsletter, there is a very urgent and
 vital need to keep our different circles of warriors connected by 
 utilizing whatever form of communication is available. Whether you 
 are a radical, politically inclined, spiritually aware, 
 incarcerated, a danzante, a lowrider, a professional, someone 
 pursuing a higher education or just kicking back until you find 
 yourself, we need to honor all struggles, especially within our own 
 diverse Mexica/Native American community. The struggles of our youth 
 in Chicago mirror the struggles of youth in Los Angeles, San Antonio 
 or Denver. Just surf the Internet and you will find so many good web 
 sites highlighting our cultural and spiritual re-awakening. New ones 
 popping up almost on a weekly basis. As more Mexica warriors wake up 
 and reclaim the spirit of our ancestors, the more chances we have of 
 planting more seeds of awareness. But again we need to honor all, 
 and not judge one another. That has been our downfall in the past, 
 just read the history books. We really don't have the time to 
 criticize one another, for it will only impede our growth. If you 
 think you have a better way of teaching, than show all of us, for we 
 will all benefit. But don't sit down and then proceed to complain 
 about what is wrong with this or that. It only delays your own 
 enlightenment and growth. I for one cannot blame every one of my 
 misfortunes on the Spaniards and Europeans. When I was younger I use 
 to wish that I could turn back the hands of time to go back to 
 assist our ancestors in their encounter with Cortes and Malinalli, 
 but that is impossible, as we all know. So I have given up on living 
 in the past, and instead I concentrate on our future. My own 
 children are being groomed and prepared to be the new Mexica 
 Spiritual Warriors, for they have been sent to me, to teach me. Our 
 ancestors are coming back to us, just look and listen to your own 
 children. It is so difficult to believe in the spirit, especially 
 having been nurtured and raised in a very materialistic, scientific, 
 and technologically advanced culture such as the one in which we 
 find ourselves living in today. But the spirit, Ometeotl, is truly 
 guiding us right now and it is not by chance that we are meeting 
 each other on this path, Mexikayotl We have been taught not to 
 believe in inner gifts and instead we concentrate on a career, 
 having a family, living in comfort, watching TV, buying Lotto 
 tickets, and then going to sleep and sighing a big sigh of relief 
 that we didn't get robbed or shot. It may sound a bit exaggerated 
 but look around you and you'll see (and feel) the continued 
 criminalization and imprisonment of our youth, the warehousing of 
 our senior citizens in Retirement Homes and the hysteria and panic 
 that the media is all too often responsible for when they write 
 about the gang culture, not all youths of color are criminals. We 
 are in a war in which weapons of destruction will do you absolutely 
 no good. Our weapons will now have to be our spirituality, our 
 cultural re-awakening, our poetry, our arts, and the realization 
 that we are in for a long struggle with no time to waste criticizing 
 and blaming one another. As I stated earlier, I can't turn back the 
 hands of time but that does not mean that I will forget what 
 happened to our 500 nations, especially our indigenous nations in 
 Cemanahuac. If I carry hate in my heart then I have to honestly say 
 that the invaders have won, for they have been able to thwart my own 
 inner peace and happiness. I cannot allow my spirit to be a victim, 
 please understand this for it will help you on your journey.
   Watching an American Justice episode on TV the other day really
 highlighted the fact that we are caught in the midst of a very 
 hysterical American public, which dictates that all crimes committed 
 receive the maximum penalties.  And with the more severe sentences 
 comes the obvious realization that any chances for rehabilitation 
 have become  limited or non-existent. If the prison system were 
 serious about rehabilitation they would allow us to come in and 
 teach our youth, Mexika and indigenous spirituality. They would 
 allow us to run sweat lodge and pipe ceremonies. They would allow us 
 to work with instead of against, local prison officials. Please 
 always remember all of our youth, adults and elders that are 
 incarcerated and suffering at the hands of very despotic prison 
 regimes. We offer all you behind the walls all of our prayers, 
 support, and a smudge of copal and sage.  
 TONALAMATL
 Some of you have asked me to write down the day signs of our Mexica 
 Sunstone (Azteca Calendar). So here they are; 1-Cipactli, 2-Ehecatl, 
 3-Calli, 4-Cuetzpalin, 5-Coatl, 6-Miquiztli, 7-Maztl, 8-Tochtli, 
 9-Atl, 10-Itzcuintli, 11-Ozomahtli, 12-Malinalli, 13-Acatl, 
 14-Ocelotl, 15-Cuauhtli, 16-Cozcacuauhtli, 17-Ollin, 18-Tekpatl, 
 19-Quiahuitl and 20-Xochitl. The year count is Calli, Tochtli, Acatl 
 and Tekpatl. We are currently in a 12-Tochtli year. Next year will 
 be a 13-Acatl year, and will mean a Nuevo Fuego ceremony. I can 
 explain this in more detail, if you request, next time.
 MEXIKA HISTORY
 A very important person from our Mexika past that you should be more 
 aware of (and study more about) is Tlakaelel. He was actually the 
 second in command of Tenochtitlan (and Triple Alliance) and supreme 
 counsel to 3 Tlahtoanis; Acamapichtli, Itzcoatl and Motecuhzoma 
 Ilhuicamina. Tlakaelel's actual title was that of Cihuacoatl 
 (Female-serpent). Many believe that Tlakaelel was responsible for 
 the development of the spiritual-mystico-militaristic philosophy of 
 the People of the Sun, the Mexica of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. This 
 philosophy and spiritual essence would eventually spread through out 
 central Mexico. If Tlakaelel had been alive in 1519, we would not be 
 speaking Spanish today. Most history books in the western world 
 never mention his name. They do mention Montezuma (should be 
 Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin) and Cortes enough times though. I only list 
 some information about Tlakaelel because many of you should be aware 
 that we have such a deep and rich history that requires us to search 
 on our own. The US western schools will not provide you with this 
 history. But be careful when reading books, many are often written 
 with very little actual knowledge of our oral tradition and history. 
 I know many of our own people differ and argue about whom is right 
 and what happened on this day or that day. Don't waste your time 
 with such endless conversations. No one is right and no one is 
 wrong. We are so involved in and very passionate about our 
 re-awakening that we sometimes lose focus and wander off to the 
 bickering that has gotten us here in the first place. It's all right 
 to disagree, but don't walk off in anger. If you ever find or 
 encounter someone who insists that he is the carrier of all our 
 knowledge please send him to my home. I would love to meet that 
 person.
 
 September 16th (Mexican Independence Day (???)
   The famous Grito de Hidalgo, in which Padre Hidalgo allegedly
 climbed the steps of his parish in Dolores to let out a grito for 
 freedom and independence from Spain, actually turned out to be a 
 grito of "Long Live the King of Spain, Long Live the Religion of 
 Spain and Long Live the Virgin de Guadalupe" (Tonantzin). According 
 to many Mexica historians this is what Hidalgo actually said, but 
 since there is no actual transcript of what was said that night, 
 only Hidalgo's actions (or in-actions) are best remembered. Hidalgo 
 was a Criollo (spaniard born in Cemanahuac). Criollos at this time 
 in Mexico's history were beginning to challenge Spanish power, the 
 Spanish Crown and royal control, and of course taxes, (sound 
 familiar). Criollos were forming Literary Clubs and Hidalgo was a 
 member of the "Literary and Social Club of Queretaro", which boasted 
 a membership of very influential Criollos. Also at this time 
 Napolean had replaced King Ferdinand with his own brother, Pepe 
 Botella (for his fondness of wine). So the Criollos saw this as a 
 most opportune time to challenge Spain and ask for their 
 independence. But where are the indigenous voices in this matter. 
 History remembers Hidalgo as a very popular padre with the "pobre 
 indios" and had no problem rallying many to the Criollo cry for 
 independence. Actually thousands joined his self made militia and 
 yearned at any chance to punish the Spaniards. Maybe they should 
 have punished Criollos as well, who knows. Anyway during the year of 
 1810, Hidalgo embarked on a journey to Mexico-Tenochtitlan to fight 
 for independence. Along the way his army of 80,000 mad savages from 
 the north (Chichimecas, this is what they were fondly called by 
 Hidalgo) slaughtered many of the spanish citizens with the most 
 captivating victory occurring in Guanajuato in which just about 
 every spanish citizen was killed. Given what our ancestors had to 
 endure from 1519 on, I think they had just cause. Anyway, en route 
 to Mexico-Tenochtitlan and on the eve of battle in the city, Hidalgo 
 retreated his army, rather than to kill more spanish citizens. He 
 actually feared what the Mexicas were preparing to do and that is to 
 avenge their grandfathers and grandmothers deaths. This action is 
 what we should remember Hidalgo for, but we are taught that he is 
 the father of Mexican Independence. What Independence is this?? But 
 for the majority of our Mexica people, come September 16th, people 
 display the wrong Mexica Flag (yet another history lesson), drink 
 lots and lots of cerveza, and watch parades on TV. Hidalgo was 
 eventually captured, shot and defrocked by the Inquisition. Another 
 individual then enters the struggle for independence, Morelos (born 
 in Michoacan of African and indigenous parents). So as you can see 
 we continue to follow whatever we are told instead of leading 
 ourselves out of this deep sleep of apathy and ignorance. If we can 
 laugh at the hypocrisy of the 4th of July then we must also do 
 likewise for the 16th of September. Remember and honor our ancestors 
 and traditions. But do not romanticize our movement. Instead educate 
 and prepare for the future.   
   In the tradition of our elders, I offer you smudges of copal and
 sage. 
   In the tradition of our tlamatinimeh, I have humbly offered
 you these few lines In the tradition of our Kalpulli, 
 I offer you a safe haven and resting place, until the next struggle 
 or journey commences......
 IN TONAN                IN TOTA         OMETEOTL.....
 TLAZOCAHMATI
 Tekpatltzin (Frank Blazquez, email: mexicapride@earthlink.net)
 Chicometochtli (Luis Rodriguez)
 Rudy Rosales
 Xochimeh (Louise Blazquez)
 Our thoughts and blessings go out to:
 Ramiro Rodriguez (just assigned to Menard), Jose Vasquez, Alex 
 Cruzado (Borequa), Omar Hernandez, Jose Boner, Mark Leon, Pedro 
 Rodriguez, Larry Chirillo, Carlos Ramirez, Craig Hardy, Yayo 
 Quintinilla, Tony Ironshell (Lakota), Mario Soto, and all the others 
 that are a part of our journey.
 
 --------- "RE: Oversight in Sight for Cherokees" ---------
 
 Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 10:28:06 -0600
 From: "John Berry"<berryj@okway.okstate.edu>
 Subj: (FWD)Indian News 9-28-98
 ------- FORWARD, Original message follows -------
    Roger Iron Cloud
    FirstNations Listserv
    202.358.3252
    rironcloud@acf.dhhs.gov
 
 Oversight in sight for Cherokees
 By Rob Martindale
 Tulsa World 
 9/25/98
   TAHLEQUAH -- The Interior Department has laid down strict guidelines for
 the Cherokee Nation to follow in the reporting of its spending of federal
 funds, a tribal council member said Thursday.
   An Interior Department audit, which is expected to be released in early
 October, shows that the tribe misspent at least $88,000 in taxpayers'
 dollars, according to Chief Joe Byrd's administration.
   Barbara Starr-Scott, who met in Washington this week with Kevin Gover,
 head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, said she was told that the Interior
 Department plans to keep a closer eye on Cherokee spending, at least for
 an interim period.
   Starr-Scott said Gover told her and another member of the council, Paula
 Holder, that the tribe would be required to report to the Interior
 Department every 30 days on how it has spent federal funds.
   She said the tribe previously reported to the Interior Department
 quarterly.
   The tribe has an annual budget of at least $130 million, including more
 than $80 million in federal funds, she said.
   Meanwhile, a tribe official said Thursday that the Interior Department
 has granted a one-week extension for the Cherokee Nation to reply to a
 federal audit of the tribe's legal fees.
   Byrd had planned to make the audit public Friday, but that will be
 delayed for at least one week because of the extension, the official said.
   A preliminary draft of an initial Interior Department audit report
 showed that the tribe had improperly spent $88,000 in federal funds on
 legal fees, the Byrd administration reported.
   The funds were used in the tribe's legal effort to take control of the
 Arkansas riverbed from the federal government, Byrd said.
 
 --------- "RE: Makah Whalers" ---------
 
 Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1998 00:48:07 -0800
 From: SISIS@envirolink.org (S.I.S.I.S.)
 Subj: Makah whalers receive death threats
 
 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
 1. Whale Hunt is "In Our Blood" (Vancouver Sun)
 2. Protesters Shadow a Tribe's Pursuit of Whales and Past (NYT)
 [S.I.S.I.S. note:  The following mainstream news articles may contain
 biased or distorted information and may be missing pertinent facts and/or
 context. They are provided for reference only.]
 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
 WHALE HUNT IS 'IN OUR BLOOD' NATIVES SAY
 The Vancouver Sun, Oct.2, 1998, Page A1 by Larry Pynn
   NEAH BAY, Wash. -- Wayne Johnson and Donny Swan say they have endured
 the months of rigorous training, the death threats from animal-rights
 activists and the relentless scrutiny of the news media. The time has
 finally come, they say, for the Makah tribe to go to sea in a dugout canoe
 and slaughter a whale, thereby reawakening a traditional right that has
 sat dormant among their people since the 1920s.
   "I'm proud to stand up for our people," said Swan, 22, a member of the
 Makah Whaling Commission and a designated shooter on the eight-man whaling
 crew set to begin its hunt as early as today. "It's in our blood. There's
 not enough words to describe the honour."
   Johnson, 45, another crew member and commissioner, added that the road
 to cultural renewal hasn't been easy for the whalers, who have been
 subjected to telephone death threats at their homes. In an interview
 before a final tribal strategy meeting, Johnson recalled the worst of the
 threats.
   "One caller said that for every whale we get, they'd kill two Indians."
   Indeed, with the whale hunt imminent, emotions continue to run high at
 Neah Bay, a community of 1,300 and the hub of the Makah reservation on the
 extreme northwestern tip of Washington state's Olympic Peninsula, 20
 kilometres south of Vancouver Island. In this dishevelled-looking
 community surrounded by logging clearcuts, the natural inclination is to
 look to the Pacific Ocean, the source of the Makah's traditional wealth
 and culture.
   Indeed, conservationists do not question the historic role of the Makah
 as a whaling society, just the relevance of such a hunt to today's natives,
 who have grown up neither eating nor hunting whales.  And they point out
 the new whaling culture that now thrives in the Pacific Northwest -- the
 thousands of visitors who travel from all over the world to view whales as
 part of a vibrant ecotourism industry.
   Anna Hall is a marine naturalist with Victoria-based Prince of Whales,
 one of the B.C. whale-watching companies that have sent protest boats to
 support a flotilla assembled at the mouth of Neah Bay. Hall has led whale-
 watching expeditions for the past four years, and has helped collect more
 than 5,000 signatures, including those of visitors from Japan and Europe,
 denouncing the Makah whale kill. She said it is illogical that authorities
 should establish regulations to prevent ecotourism operators from
 harassing whales, only to allow the Makah to kill them. "Everyone feels
 this hunt is ridiculous," she said. "It's awful. We try to minimize the
 effect on the whales while another community tries to maximize their
 impact."
   While the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has said it will try to
 frighten the grey whales away from the Makah hunters by playing recordings
 of predatory killer whales, Hall cannot yet say what role her two whale-
 watching boats will play. "We'll see what happens," she said. "It's a
 highly charged emotional issue. We're interested in preserving whales."
   At the community marina, Jim Cook stood on the shoreline and offered a
 different opinion -- that of a tribal member who plans to savour the
 moment, if not the actual taste, of the first whale hunt. "I think it's
 great," said Cook, feeling a little harpooned himself by the fleet of news
 reporters gathered for the controversial event. "It's carrying on with one
 of the traditions of our tribe." But when it comes to following Makah
 tradition of actually eating the grey whale, Cook conceded he is a
 creature of contemporary society and prefers a deep-fried diet. Three
 years ago, he explained, a Makah fisherman accidentally caught and killed
 a small grey whale off Neah Bay and distributed the meat to tribal members
 -- most of whom had never tasted it before. "I wasn't impressed," Cook
 recalled. "We're so in tune with what's here today and not 75 years ago.
 Whale meat isn't an everyday commodity. If it was the only food around,
 I'd eat it. But I like KFC better."
   The Makah are allowed to hunt up to five grey whales over the next five
 years -- according to a U.S. treaty and the International Whaling
 Commission -- and aren't about to back down.
   "It's tremendous, it's bringing us together," Keith Johnson, president
 of the Makah Whaling Commission, said. "When we bring this back [the dead
 whale], it's the missing link. All our songs and dances in our culture
 have a meaning directly related to this whale and the whale hunt." He
 added: "We want the general public to know the Makahs are not this
 barbaric people."
   Janine Bowechop, executive-director of the Makah Cultural Centre, argued
 that the Makah people are overwhelmingly unified in support of the hunt
 and she criticized environmental groups for telling her people which
 traditions they should keep and throw out. "We have a legal and cultural
 right to go whaling," she said. "What's the big fuss? It's a very
 important part of our culture -- it's not about shoving another value
 system down our throats."
   While the Makah tribe's official position is that it is only interested
 in killing grey whales for cultural and subsistence reasons, other tribal
 members are demanding the right to the commercial sale of whale products.
   "Yes, if there are governments that want to buy whale meat and we can
 sell it, why not, if it helps the economy of the tribe?" Cook said. "We
 don't want to be on the federal payroll [welfare] year after year." Cook
 added he could not rule out the possibility of some tribal members selling
 some of the meat from the first grey whale killed. "Who knows what could
 happen?"
   Another tribal member standing on the waterfront and watching events,
 Eddie Kallappa, said he had never eaten whale but was looking forward to
 trying it. Kallappa never got any of the grey whale accidentally harvested
 by the Makah fisherman, but asked: "Did he say if it tasted like chicken?"
 He added that while the first Makah whale hunt may be for cultural reasons,
 he too supports the right to kill whales for sale. "We could sell it to
 Oriental people or Norwegian people," he said.
   While Keith Johnson insisted the plan is not to commercialize the hunt,
 he did say: "Three or four years from now and it's Makah Days and a family
 has just gone on a hunt and they have 50 pounds of [whale] meat, they
 might grind it up and make Indian tacos. If that's selling it, I guess we
 might get in trouble."
   Out in the harbour, Paul Watson's Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
 protest vessel, the black 29-metre ex-U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat
 Sirenian, made a slow pass flying a Canadian flag. Reporters looking for
 interviews had to be quietly picked up from the marina dock in smaller
 support craft because the Makah Tribal Council has refused to provide
 docking privileges to anti-whaling activists. As Watson told The Vancouver
 Sun by cellular phone: "Meet at the end of the dock and be ready to jump
 into the boat. If we touch the dock, the tribal police will nab us."
   Johnson watched the Sirenian from the window of the Makah Maiden Cafe
 where he was having breakfast and snorted: "They ought to thank us for
 being who we are. They wouldn't make so much money otherwise."
   Another man seated at a coffee table muttered: "We should get out the
 cannons. Anyone who gets kicked out of Greenpeace can't be all that good."
 His partner added: "That's the Sea Shepherd. That's the jerk."
   Watson said he doesn't mind ruffling feathers and doesn't care if people
 view him as a grandstander. "I am doing this for the whales, and for the
 children 300-400 years from now. I'm not here to win a popularity contest."
 
  MAKAH GREY WHALE HUNT
  ANATOMY OF THE MAKAH WHALE HUNT
  - Once a grey whale is sighted, eight men will approach, stealthily
 paddling a 9.5-metre (32-foot) black-and-red dugout whaling canoe carved
 from an ancient western red cedar.
  - Once alongside the whale, the harpooner will let fly with a five-metre
 (16-foot) spruce harpoon equipped with a stainless steel tip and attached
 to 60 metres (200 feet) of rope and a buoy.
  - Simultaneously, a gunner will fire from a .50-calibre, bolt-action
 Browning rifle, aiming for the whale's brain right behind the blow hole and
 hoping for an instant kill.
  - Two motorized support craft will be standing by to lend support with the
 shooting of the whale and hauling it back to an isolated beach on the
 Olympic Peninsula for butchering.
  GREY WHALES
  Female grey whales average 14.1 m (46 ft.) and may weigh almost 32,000 kg
 (70,000 lb.) Male grey whales are generally smaller than females, averaging
 13 m (43 ft.).
 Letters to the Vancouver Sun - mailto:sunletters@pacpress.southam.ca
 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
 PROTESTERS SHADOW A TRIBE'S PURSUIT OF WHALES AND PAST
 New York Times, Oct. 2, 1998, by Sam Howe Verhovek
   NEAH BAY, Wash. -- Armed with a steel harpoon, a .50-caliber assault
 rifle and official permission to conduct the first legal hunt for a gray
 whale in American waters in more than 50 years, members of a small Indian
 tribe gathered Thursday on a beach on Washington's rugged Olympic
 Peninsula to start an adventure intended to resurrect the glory and
 traditions of their whale-hunting forefathers.
   But before the eight-man crew could even launch its 32-foot cedar canoe
 into the steely waters of the Pacific, the Makah Indians had to contend
 with a modern-day flotilla of animal-rights protesters, themselves
 equipped with a Norwegian-built submarine painted to resemble a whale and
 an underground speaker system that the protesters said was capable of
 scaring off a whale and saving its life.
   And the U.S. Coast Guard, intent on preventing the groups from clashing
 with each other, kept close watch on a scene that has posed an exquisite
 dilemma for many environmental groups. Finding themselves caught between
 the save-the-whales ethos represented by the protesters and the respect
 for centuries-old Native American traditions that the Makah say their
 whale hunt is all about, many leading environmental groups have taken no
 position at all on the matter.
   Though no living Makah has ever hunted a whale, the Indian nation here
 at the very northwestern tip of the continental United States was once
 renowned for its prowess, and it is the only Indian tribe specifically
 guaranteed the right to hunt whales under an 1855 treaty with the American
 government.
   Supported by the Clinton administration and a $310,000 grant from the
 Commerce Department, the group won an exemption from the worldwide whaling
 ban last year and, as of Thursday, has the right to take up to five gray
 whales per year in the next five years. Though critics fear the Makah hunt
 will open the door to commercial whaling here and elsewhere, the Indians
 insist they plan to use the whale meat, oil and blubber only for their own
 food and for ceremonial purposes.
   "The hunt is the missing link, the thing that brings us full circle to
 our traditions," said Marcy Parker, the Makah tribal council's vice
 chairwoman. "We're ocean families, whaling families. So much of what we
 are all about comes from the ocean, and we feel a deep spiritual need to
 do this."
   Though the Makahs live in a spectacular forested setting hard by the
 roaring sea and at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, it is a
 community racked by joblessness and tainted by the plagues of modern life,
 such as drugs. Many here say that the whale hunt has succeeded in
 instilling a new sense of purpose in the lives of the young men selected
 for the hunt, and in the Makah nation at large.
   Some tribal elders who can remember the taste of whale meat are not so
 sure the hunt is a good idea.
   "I admire the young people for taking on the challenge, but I just hope
 to God that no one is hurt," said 82-year-old Hildred Ides, whose
 grandfather was a whale hunter. "Going for a whale is a very serious thing,
 a very dangerous thing."
   Her 88-year-old cousin, Irene Ward Ides, nodded her head in agreement as
 they sat watching dancers in the community hall here one recent evening.
 "I wonder if they really know what they are doing," she said. "The whale
 can get awfully mad. The whales know they're being chased. They know
 they're being hunted."
   Indeed, the gray whale, which can weigh as much as 40 tons and grow much
 longer than the hunters' canoe, was called the "devil fish" by 19th
 century whalers for its propensity to thrash and fight when attacked.
   Conversely, when not under attack, the whales can be inordinately
 friendly and are known to swim and play alongside boats, making them a
 popular tourist sight all along their annual migration route from Baja
 California to the Bering Sea.
   "In 1995, all of the crew on board the conservation ship Edward Abbey
 were privileged to meet a young, friendly whale we named Buddy," says an
 alert posted on the World Wide Web by the Sea Shepherd Conservation
 Society, a Southern California-based group that has taken the lead in
 opposing the Makah hunt and prides itself in having scuttled whaling
 missions around the world.
   "This October," adds the alert, "Buddy may be blasted to death against
 those cliffs, near the reservation at Neah Bay."
   The young men of the Makah nation, who have been training for months and
 have traveled as far as Russia to learn whaling techniques, describe the
 hunt in sacred terms and say it is a powerful way to connect with prior
 generations of Makah hunters and with the group's traditions, which
 include hundreds of songs and dances oriented around the hunt. They defend
 their planned use of a powerful rifle to finish off the whale once it is
 harpooned as a modern protective measure that would be sanctioned by their
 ancestors.
   "We are praying to be right with God," said Eric Johnson, a muscular 31-
 year-old who is a teacher in the Makah's Head Start program and the
 captain of the hunt team.
   "God is the one to judge whether or not we get the whale, and whether or
 not we will survive," said Johnson at dusk the other night, just before he
 and other crew members slipped away into the coastal fog for a practice
 session, chanting songs that are intended to coax a whale toward their
 canoe.
   With the gray whales driven almost to extinction by global whaling, the
 Makahs stopped whaling altogether sometime in the 1920s, and the United
 States banned the hunting of gray whales in 1937 in a bid to protect the
 species. It has been a conservation success story: there are now an
 estimated 23,000 whales out in the Pacific, the highest number in at least
 a century, says the National Marine Fisheries Service.
   The whale was officially removed from the endangered species list in
 1994, an action that sparked the Makah tribe's campaign for whaling rights.
   Even as members of the Makah group huddled Thursday on the beach and met
 with Coast Guard officials in a bid to find ways to keep the protesters at
 bay, the hunt's opponents were vowing to protect the gray whales by just
 about any means necessary.
   "We're not talking about five whales, we're talking about thousands of
 whales," said Paul Watson, the leader of the Sea Sheperd, from his cell
 phone aboard one of the group's boats, anchored off Neah Bay.
   Watson said he believed that if the Makahs succeeded in taking even a
 single whale, it would open the floodgates to demands for whale hunts by
 other Indian tribes in the United States and Canada and, even more
 alarmingly in his view, to non-Indian whalers in countries like Norway,
 Iceland and Japan. Those countries have conducted limited whaling in
 defiance of an international ban, but many groups who defend whales say
 they believe the Makah hunt is part of a campaign to broaden commercial
 whaling. (Whale meat is considered a delicacy in many Asian countries and,
 by some estimates, a single gray whale can be worth up to half a million
 dollars.)
   "Our concern is not really Neah Bay," said Watson through the crackle of
 his phone. "We're concerned about the message this will send to Oslo, to
 Reykjavik, to Tokyo."
   The protesters, who also gathered for a vigil Wednesday night in nearby
 Port Angeles, wearing gray and red ribbons (to symbolize the whale and the
 blood it would shed) have drawn the wrath of many of the Makah.
   So have the hundreds of people from around the country who have made
 threatening telephone calls or written scornful letters to the Makah, such
 as this one from Vermont: "So much for the 'We love the earth, peace,
 harmony, etc.' What garbage. You people ought to stick to welfare. Your
 culture -- what a joke."
   Janine Bowechop, the executive director of the Makah Cultural and
 Research Center here, which has an extensive display about the tribe's
 whaling history in its museum, said she was deeply frustrated by the way
 that animal-rights groups, in her depiction, had "slaughtered and
 distorted" the tribe's interest in a whale hunt.
   "They are completely misrepresenting what is a very meaningful tradition,
 something that is centuries old," said Ms. Bowechop. "The question should
 be, what's the fuss all about? America is supposed to be about the
 acceptance of different values."
   Said Keith A. Johnson, tribal treasurer and head of the Makah whaling
 commission: "They come all the way out here to harass the Makah, a little
 tribe that wants to take a few whales out of the ocean. They have no idea
 about the richness of our culture, what this is all about.
   "We've got to get the story out -- if we didn't, we'd be these horrible,
 dirty savages, the killers of the whales," he said. "It's just not that
 way."
   As he spoke in the tribal headquarters, which are in the barracks of
 what was once an Air Force radar station here, Johnson sprayed processed
 cheese spread on a cracker and popped it in his mouth. Even as he joked
 about his snack ("we hear you can make this stuff from whale blubber too,"
 he said), it was a small reminder of the ways in which modern forces
 pervade the 27,000-acre reservation.
   In the village of Neah Bay, amid rusted cars and broken-looking homes, a
 few businesses with names like Cedar Shack Espresso and the Big Salmon
 bait shop struggle to attract tourists, but the place has a melancholy
 feel. And at the Makah Maiden, a glum-looking waitress pointed to the
 hamburger portion of the menu the other night, explaining that the
 restaurant had no seafood that evening.
   Once whale meat comprised almost 80 percent of the Makah diet, and among
 other things, a successful hunt may revive the whale's importance in the
 community for both spiritual and sustenance purposes. But others think
 that time is past, and should be.
   "I just don't like the idea of killing whales, that's all," said Valerie
 Brown, a 38-year-old Makah woman who works as a cook at Beebe's, another
 local restaurant. "Nobody around here knows what whale meat tastes like,
 anyway. Nobody ever asks if we have it on the menu."
 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
 In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is
 distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed
 a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
 research and educational purposes only.
 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
     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
      
 --------- "RE: Amnesty International Report Blasts US" ---------
 
 Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1998 11:08:34 EDT
 From: NACFAnda@aol.com
 Subject: NACF NEWS ~  10/5
 
 The Native American Community Forum
 On America Online       
 Presents:
 
 Subj: Amnesty International Report blasts US
 From: "John V. Wilmerding" <jvw@together.net>
 Reply-To: prison-l@lists.yale.edu
 
 Date: Sun,  4 Oct 1998 19:00:12 EDT
 (london) Electronic Telegraph International News
 ISSUE 1227 Sunday 4 October 1998
 Amnesty International puts US in the dock over human rights record
 By Christina Lamb in London and James Langton in New York
 < The death penalty - North America Project -- Amnesty International >
 ==========================================
   THE United States government is planning a furious rebuttal to a stinging
 denunciation of its human rights record by Amnesty International.
   For the first time, the London-based human rights agency has made the US
 the target of its worldwide campaign, accusing it of double standards and
 creating a climate "in which human rights violations thrive".
   The 153-page report, which is released on Tuesday, attacks the US for what
 it calls "a persistent and widespread pattern of human rights violations".
 Although Amnesty has often criticised the US in the past, and carried out
 investigations into specific issues, it is the first time it has made it
 the focus of its campaign for the year.  Previous subjects in recent years
 have included Rwanda, Haiti, Afghanistan and Guatemala.
   US federal and state authorities, police, immigration and prison officers
 are all criticised in the wide-ranging report that paints a picture of
 generalised gratuitous violence, sexual abuse and cruelty.  Shocked at
 being singled out for such ferocious criticism, the State Department is
 planning to issue a detailed repudiation tomorrow.  The Clinton
 administration in particular has always been a supporter of Amnesty
 International, and there was a clear sense of betrayal over the report.
   The authors of the report said: "While successive US governments have used
 international human rights standards as a yardstick by which to judge other
 countries they have not consistently applied those same standards at home.
 Across the USA people have been beaten, kicked, punched, choked and shot by
 police officers even when they posed no threat."
   Aside from famous cases such as the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles
 police, numerous instances of police brutality are cited.  "Police officers
 have beaten and shot unresisting suspects; they have misused batons,
 chemical sprays and electro-shock weapons; they have injured or killed
 people by placing them in dangerous restraint holds."
   It claims that authorities pay out millions of dollars in damages rather
 than actually tackle the problem or institute any form of accountability.
 The report accuses the US of refusing to recognise the primacy of
 international law, reserving the right to use death penalty against
 juveniles, not paying its dues to the UN, to which it now owes over a
 billion dollars, and being one of only two countries (along with Somalia)
 that has failed to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
   Conditions in American prisons come in for particular criticism.  The
 number of people in US jails has tripled since 1980 to more than 1.7
 million, and chains and leg-irons are commonly used as restraints despite
 being prohibited by international law.
   The report says: "Women and men are subjected to sexual as well as physical
 abuse.  Overcrowded and underfunded prisons control inmates by isolating
 them for long periods and by using methods of restraint that are cruel,
 degrading and sometimes life-threatening.  Victims include pregnant women,
 the mentally ill and even children."
   According to the authors of the report, much of this abuse is linked to
 racism.  They say: "The US has not succeeded in eradicating the
 discriminatory treatment of blacks, Latinos and other minority groups."
   They also point out that up to one third of all young black men are in
 jail or on parole or probation and that in 39 states, gays and lesbians can
 be legally dismissed from their jobs because of their sexual orientation.
 It contains graphic descriptions of asylum seekers held in shackles, placed
 behind bars and detained in "inhuman and degrading" conditions.  It says:
 "The USA was built by immigrants and claims to stand against oppression.
 Yet the US authorities violate the human rights of people who have been
 forced by persecution to leave their countries and seek asylum."
   Amnesty has been involved in a long-standing battle with the US over its
 continued use of the death penalty.  Executions are on the increase, more
 than 350 people put to death since 1990 and a further 3,300 people are on
 death row.
   According to Amnesty, the death penalty is "applied in an arbitrary and
 unfair manner and is prone to bias on grounds of race or economic status .
 . . it has become so highly politicised that virtually no politician is
 willing to speak out against it".
   It cites for example the case of Karla Faye Tucker who was executed in
 February despite her acknowledged reform while on death row when she
 admitted her guilt, became deeply religious and spoke of her desire to help
 others to learn from her experiences.
 
 --------- "RE: Canadian Prison Experiments Revealed" ---------
 
 Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 02:52:29 -0800
 From: SISIS@envirolink.org (S.I.S.I.S.)
 Subj: Canadian Prison Experiments Revealed
 
 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
 PRISONERS SUBJECTED TO EXPERIMENTS IN '60s, 70s,: REPORT!
 Canadian Press, (Ottawa Citizen) September 27, 1998
 [S.I.S.I.S. note:  The following mainstream news article may
 contain biased or distorted information and may be missing
 pertinent facts and/or context. It is provided for reference only.]
   OTTAWA (CP) - Canadian prisoners were used as human guinea pigs in
 questionable medical experiments conducted for more than a decade, the
 Ottawa Citizen reports. An investigation by the Citizen and Southam News
 discovered that inmates of federal prisons were commonly used as test
 subjects throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s.
   The tests involved hundreds of male and female prisoners. They were
 given unproven pharmaceuticals, were subjects in sensory-deprivation
 research and were involved in pain studies employing electric shocks. The
 research was sponsored by drug companies, universities and the federal
 government, the newspaper reported Saturday.
   Similar experiments were performed in the United States two decades ago
 and were met with a public furore. Until now, said the Citizen-Southam
 report, it has been widely assumed such tests didn't go on in Canada.
   The federal government currently faces a lawsuit filed by Dorothy
 Parker, a former inmate at the Prison for Women in Kingston, On., claiming
 she was given LSD in the name of research in the 1960s.
   But archival documents, articles in scientific journals and
 correspondence obtained by the Citizen and Southam suggest the LSD trial
 was only one of many being conducted in Canadian prisons at the same time.
 In one sensory-deprivation study, 10 Kingston Penitentiary inmates spent
 seven days in dark isolation cells to test their desire for visual and
 auditory stimulation. In another test, inmates were given what some called
 terrifying shocks through electrodes attached to their forearms to see if
 the jolts would discourage them from smoking.
   Records indicate the prisoners volunteered for the studies, some going
 as far as to suggest the inmates felt the experiments allowed them to give
 something back to society.
   But the Citizen-Southam account quoted some ethicists questioning
 whether people locked up can truly offer informed consent. "You have to be
 extra careful when you're in these circumstances," said Michael McDonald, a
 University of British Columbia professor who recently helped develop a new
 national policy for human experimentation.
    (Ottawa Citizen)
 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
  "We are different than we used to be. The government has us in a little
 box, with a lid on it. Every now and then they open the box and do
 something to us and close it again. We are a dying race. Not this
 generation but the next, will die."
          Willie Denechoan, medecine man, Hay Lake
 IN THE SPIRIT OF TOTAL RESISTANCE AND SOLIDARITY WITH PRISONERS EVERYWHERE
 FREE PELTIER, FREE WOLVERINE, FREE MUMIA, FREE OURSELVES, YOURSELVES!!!
 In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is
 distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed
 a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
 research and educational purposes only.
 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
     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
 
 --------- "RE: Micmac Activist to be Extradited" ---------
 
 Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1998 01:05:08 -0800
 From: SISIS@envirolink.org (S.I.S.I.S.)
 Subj: Micmac activist to be extradited from Florida
 
 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
 ABORIGINAL ACTIVIST TO BE EXTRADITED FOR MURDER
 Canadian Press, Sept. 29, 1998, by Chris Morris
   FREDERICTON (CP) - Extradition proceedings have started in Florida to
 return a high-profile native leader to New Brunswick to face murder
 charges.
   Noah Augustine, 27, one of the principal figures in the bitter dispute
 over aboriginal logging rights in New Brunswick, is to appear in court in
 Jacksonville, Fla., Tuesday along with Thomas Wilfred Haddad, 38, a First
 Nations police officer. The two men, both residents of the Red Bank reserve
 near Miramichi, N.B., have been charged with the murder of 41-year-old
 Bruce Barnaby. He was shot to death in his home on the Eel Ground reserve,
 not far from Red Bank, on Sept. 19.
   Police released few details about the murder and their investigation, but
 confirmed that Barnaby was known to them. "We have had previous dealings
 with Mr. Barnaby and some of those dealings have included appearances in
 court," said Sgt. Rick Votour of the RCMP in Blackville, N.B.
   Votour said two RCMP investigators are in Connecticut checking out a
 vehicle that may belong to Haddad. "There's still plenty of investigation
 on this file," Votour said. "The officers are down there investigating a
 vehicle that was impounded which we believe belongs to Mr. Haddad."
   Votour said it's hoped Haddad and Augustine will be back in New Brunswick
 before the end of the week. Following their return, they'll be formally
 charged with first or second degree murder, depending on the decision of
 Crown prosecutors, he said.
   New Brunswick's native community was still reeling in shock on Monday at
 the news of Augustine's arrest. The young Micmac activist, an attractive
 and articulate spokesman for aboriginal rights, was seen as a rising star
 and a natural-born leader in the provinces Micmac and Maliseet communities.
 Even before the native logging issue propelled him into the spotlight,
 Augustine had made a name for himself as a businessman, a government
 adviser, a suicide prevention expert and an authority on prescription drug
 abuse among aboriginals.
   "He's a good person and he a smart person," said Tim Paul of Fredericton,
 co-founder with Augustine of the Micmac, Maliseet Logging Association. "He
 doesn't do people wrong. The business world here is a small world and the
 aboriginal community here is a small world, if you do people wrong, they
 don't want you around... Everyone is in shock. I'm giving Noah the benefit
 of the doubt here. I think he's innocent."
   Chief George Ginnish of the Eel Ground First Nation said counsellors are
 being brought in to help the community deal with the murder and the
 arrests. "Our community is in a state of shock and disbelief at the events
 that have transpired here over the past week," Ginnish said.
   Augustine, who is not and never has been a logger, seized on the logging
 issue this summer as a test of the strength of aboriginal rights.
   Two lower courts in New Brunswick ruled that New Brunswick natives had
 first right to timber on Crown land, based on interpretations of old
 treaties. However, the New Brunswick Court of Appeal overturned those
 decisions. Natives are hoping the Supreme Court of Canada will hear
 arguments, but it has yet to decide whether it will consider the case.
 Meanwhile, the New Brunswick government has gone ahead and signed
 individual logging agreements with seven of the provinces 15 First Nation
 communities and is busily trying to settle the rest.
   Both Augustine and Paul removed themselves from the debate in recent
 weeks, realizing, Paul said, that the government was winning with what he
 called its "divide and conquer strategy."
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 In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is
 distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed
 a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
 research and educational purposes only.
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     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
 
 --------- "RE: Building the BC Police State" ---------
 
 Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1998 00:48:30 -0800
 From: SISIS@envirolink.org (S.I.S.I.S.)
 Subj: Building the BC Police State
 
 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
 BC DISBANDS POLICE ORGANIZED-CRIME UNIT, PLANS NEW ONE
 Canadian Press, Oct. 2, 1998, by Steve Mertl
 [S.I.S.I.S. note: BC is building a new weapon likely to be used against
 Indigenous and popular resistance to BC's genocidal colonialism. Although
 the new police agency is allegedly aimed at organized crime, there are
 reasonable fears of its misuse for political purposes, especially since
 most of the officials mentioned in the following article - NDP Attorney
 General and Human Rights Minister Ujjal Dosanjh, former Deputy AG Stephen
 Owen, and RCMP Assistant Commissioner Murray Johnson - were key players in
 the l