From gars@speakeasy.org Sat Jul 21 03:40:58 2001 Date: 3 Jul 2001 23:46:39 -0000 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews09.027 W O T A N G I N G I K C H E Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin KANOHEDA ANIYVWIYA O It-hah-pe-hah Ah-num pah-le Ha-Sah-Sliltha O o O ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min Un Chota O o O Aunchemokauhettittea O o o o o O VOLUME 09, ISSUE 027 O o O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse July 7, 2001 O o O Ximopanolti tehuatzin, Cherokee corn in tassel moon O inin Mexika tlahtolli Blackfoot Summer big holy day moon ( N A T I V E A M E R I C A N N E W S ) ==>If you want your Nation represented in the banner of this newsletter<== email gars@nanews.org with the equivalent of "News of the People" in your tribal language along with the english translation +-----------------------------------------------------------+ | Much more happens in Indian Country than is reported | | in this weekly newsletter. For daily updates check | | http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm - also events | +-----------------------------------------------------------+ This issue contains articles from www.pechanga.net; www.owlstar.com; indianz.com; Big Mountain, ndn-aim, LPDC and Triballaw Mailing Lists; UUCP email IMPORTANT!! ----------- 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@speakeasy.org ++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org As historian Patricia Nelson Limerick summarized in The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West, "Set the blood quantum at one-quarter, hold to it as a rigid definition of Indians, let intermarriage proceed as it had for centuries, and eventually Indians will be defined out of existence. When that happens, the federal government will be freed of its persistent 'Indian problem.'" "The American Indian is of the soil, whether it be the region of forests, plains, pueblos, or mesas. He fits into the landscape, for the hand that fashioned the continent also fashioned the man for his surroundings. He once grew as naturally as the wild sunflowers, he belongs just as the buffalo belonged...." __ Luther Standing Bear, Oglala +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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 +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Journey | In the summer and early fall | The Bloodline | of 1998 the Treaty Unity Riders | | rode a thousand miles on horse- | For all that live and live by law | back, carrying a staff and | We Stand, we Call, We Ride | praying each step of the way. | For All that fear and fear by sight | | We Hear, we Listen, we Ride | These prayers were offered for | For all that pray and pray by strength| each of us, and that the Unity | We Feel, we Move, we Ride | of all Peoples might happen. | For all that die and die by greed | | We Hurt, we Cry, we Ride | Tatanka Cante forwarded this | For all that birth and birth by right | poem on behalf of all the Unity | We Smile, we Hold, we Ride | Riders that we might stop and | For all that need and need by heart | ask if the next words we say, the | We Came, we Went, we Rode. | next act we make is for the good | | of the People or is it from ego | Treaty Unity Riders | for self. +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ O'siyo Brothers and Sisters! This is the first week of July on the invader's Gregorian calendar. In Amerikka, that is the week that includes the greatest holiday in honor of those who fled the tyranny of England and dared to declare their independence. Let them celebrate their Independence Day, but remember it did not represent independence for the Peoples already born to this land. In fact, it was the beginning of the end of our independence. How did the invaders celebrate their new freedom? By building cages for themselves and others. Instead of rejoicing in the great openness of this great land, they retreated from it and bloodied it with their greed. Let them celebrate their Independence Day. Even now their greed is gnawing the innards out of the "freedom and land" they stole. All circles are made complete in their due time. Don't get caught up in their greed. Remember the teachings of your elders, whatever your nation is. Your day of celebration is coming. -- - - - Again - If you have not reviewed the clip of the Mi'kmaq boat being rammed please do. The video clip is up on two websites in RealMedia format: - http://www.owlstar.com/who_will_sing_for_us.htm - http://www.wintercount.org/whowillsing/ Dohiyi Ani Oginalii , , Gary Night Owl gars@nanews.org (*,*) P. O. Box 672168 gars@speakeasy.org (`-') Marietta, GA 30006, U.S.A. gars@olagrande.net ===w=w=== gars@sdf.lonestar.org ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- - Don Hollowbreast - Seminole Chief steps aside - Algonquins of Barriere Lake to Sue Tribal Council present Forest Plan - Making O'odham Citizens Advances - U.S. can Prosecute Indians - Osage Nation a Second Time to get Settlement Share - Nevada wins Right - Chiefs planning to Enforce Laws on Indian Land Indian Act Court Challenge - Coal Mine Plan - Broken Treaty goes to Public for Comment haunts the Black Hills - BIA Engineer claims Retaliation - RCMP Solidarity - EPA asks BLM to rethink blocking Investigation Review of Weatherman Draw - News from Montana State Prison - Dine' Families request - Peltier Awareness Month Feedback Immediate Support - Native Prisoner - Complaint to NAFTA -- Pen Pal Request about N-aquifer Depletion -- Insite about - Hopi supports EEOC Lawsuit Last Week's Request against Peabody Coal - History: Carlisle Indian School - Frustrated Youth Center - Rustywire: Dress Blues CEO Resigns - Poem: Digital Fires and Home - Navajos Vote to keep - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days Health Care in U.S. Hands - Keeping Their Culture Alive - Chief Seattle's Tribe - Indians keep Alive with Baskets clings to its Identity - Rock the Rez - Suspended Seminole Leader - Upcoming Events seeks a Rehearing --------- "RE: Don Hollowbreast" --------- Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 06:22:37 -0400 From: Janet Smith Subj: OBIT http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?section=local&display= content/local/hollowbreast.inc Billings Gazette: Northern Cheyenne journalist, historian dies By JAMES HAGENGRUBER Of The Gazette Staff Pioneering Northern Cheyenne journalist and historian Don Hollowbreast, of Lame Deer, died Tuesday at the age of 84. Although Hollowbreast lived a traditional lifestyle, he practiced 20th century journalism. In 1959, he started the first newspaper on the reservation, the Birney Arrow, which he wrote, edited and printed. Hollowbreast even delivered the paper from the back of his pickup. "He gave the news to the people," said Alonzo Spang, former president of Dull Knife College. "I've always had a great deal of respect for Mr. Hollowbreast." Hollowbreast started the newspaper when he was in his 40s after he participated in an adult education course on writing held by historian Margot Liberty, said Victoria Westermark, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker who met Hollowbreast in 1985 while doing research. Hollowbreast had only an eighth-grade education. "I admired him the minute I read his work," said Westermark, who now lives in Billings. Because he had bad hearing, Hollowbreast interviewed elders in Plains Indian sign language, along with the Northern Cheyenne language, before translating the interviews into English for his readers, Westermark said. He was one of the last practitioners of centuries-old Plains Indian sign language. "I gather the news by observation and ask acquaintances what are the latest news," he told The Gazette in 1990. "They jot them down or tell me by sign language. I seek only the interesting news." Hollowbreast was also an accomplished painter, with his work being exhibited yearly at the Red Cloud Indian Art Exhibit, Pine Ridge, SD. "He liked to call himself a painter, but he'll be remembered long after as a journalist," Westermark said. "Nobody was doing what he did. Many people have picked up a paintbrush, but very few people did the writing he did." Hollowbreast's hearing impairment made him a bit of a loner. He lived most of his life on the reservation as a bachelor. From his log cabin, Hollowbreast wrote both about traditional subjects, such as the Cheyenne calendar, as well as contemporary issues, including alcoholism and attempts to develop gas and coal reserves on the reservation. His columns continued to run in the Rosebud County Press after he stopped publishing the Arrow in 1971. In a March 22, 1990 column, Hollowbreast described early spring in Montana. "When the chinook winds blow, the snow melts and causes muddy conditions. At this time, the moon, known to older Cheyennes as Mudface Moon, rises and Canadian geese wing their way north as they have done since time immemorial." Hollowbreast's writings in the Birney Arrow were entered into the Congressional Record in 1960 by former Senator Mike Mansfield. They were also profiled by Nicholas Vrooman in the 1996 book, "Writing Montana, Literature under the Big Sky." "The dreams, desires, values, beliefs, memory and passions of a whole people ... are found in this man's work," Vrooman wrote. In many ways, Hollowbreast's journalism carried on the ancient tradition of the Cheyenne camp crier, as he described in a Feb. 1, 1990, column in the Rosebud County Press. "For years before 1884 and after the Northern Cheyenne Reservation was established, the camp crier rides along the camp or stands atop a vantage point announcing the news of the day." ===== Janet Smith Owlstar Trading Post http://www.owlstar.com --------- "RE: Algonquins of Barriere Lake present Forest Plan" --------- Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2001 12:36:37 -0500 From: Charlie Angus , by way of Native Forest Network Subj: Algonquins present forest plan to Quebec Trilateral Agreement Newsletter Algonquins Of Barriere Lake present Forest Plan To Quebec June 13, 2001 Rapid Lake, Quebec - When forestry companies begin cutting operations in the Gull Lake area of Quebec as La Verendrye Park, they will be taking into account the traditional land uses of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake (ABL). The ABL are part of the technical team mandated to develop an integrated resource management plan for the traditional territory. It is the first of a series of resource management plans that are based on the traditional values of the ABL. The Algonquins of Barriere Lake have never signed away rights to their land. They still rely extensively on traditional activities to provide for their families. In the 1980s, the community was becoming increasingly worried about the damage being caused by clear-cutting and hydro development. A series of blockades garnered international attention. As a result, the ABL managed to bring the Federal and Provincial governments to the table. The three parties signed the Trilateral Agreement with the goal of developing an integrated management plan. Hector Jerome, Algonquin coordinator of the Trilateral Agreement, says that even with the agreement in place, there is still a great deal of work to done. "There is over $100 million in revenue coming off the territory every year and not cent of this money comes back to the Algonquins of Barriere Lake who are the original owners of the land and the only permanent residents in the territory," explains Jerome. The wealth from the territory is estimated at $34 million annually for forestry, $56 million in hydro, $4.5 million in tourism, $3 million in services, $1.5 million in recreation. Jerome points out that even though there are an estimated 233 full-time jobs created from these resources, not a single job has come to the ABL. The Gull Lake resource plan attempts to redress the balance by protecting areas of concern for traditional activities. Among the protected measures will be preservation of spawning sites, sugar bushes, wildlife habitat and medical plant collection areas. The average size of clearcuts has been reduced to between 20 and 30 hectares. The total area harvested has been reduced from 3000 hectares to 600 hectares. If the Quebec government agrees with the Gull Lake plan, it will become a model for other areas in the traditional territory of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake. For more information Contact: The ABL Communications Outreach Team --------- "RE: U.S. can Prosecute Indians a Second Time" --------- Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2001 10:04:18 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DOUBLE JEOPARDY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm [Editorial Comment: Question: When does the United States embrace tribal sovereignty? When it can use that sovereignty against the nation! It really is `double jeopardy'.] Appeals court says U.S. can prosecute Indians a second time By David Kravets ASSOCIATED PRESS June 29, 2001 SAN FRANCISCO - An American Indian who commits a crime on another tribe's land and is convicted in tribal court can be prosecuted again, with a longer sentence, in federal court, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday. In a case from northeastern Arizona, the 11-judge court ruled such multiple prosecutions do not violate the Constitution's ban on double jeopardy - being prosecuted twice for the same crime. It was the second time the San Francisco-based court heard the case of Michael L. Enas, a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. He was charged in White Mountain Apache tribal court with stabbing and wounding a man in 1994 on the White Mountain Apache Tribe's land. Enas pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and fined $1,180. The court ruled that an Indian tribe and the federal government are separate sovereignties and can file separate charges for the same conduct, in the same way that someone can be charged in both state and federal court for the same acts. Tribes can prosecute Indians from any tribe for crimes committed on their land. They cannot prosecute non-Indians. Tribes have customarily referred serious cases to federal authorities for further prosecution after tribal court sentences, which are usually lighter than federal sentences. The legality of that procedure was well- established in cases of Indians prosecuted by their own tribes, but it was challenged in Enas' case involving an Indian prosecuted by another tribe. The court's decision reinstates federal charges of assault with a deadly weapon, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. A federal judge originally barred the federal prosecution on double jeopardy grounds, saying a tribe that prosecutes an Indian from another tribe is acting as an arm of the federal government. The case is United States v. Enas, 99-10049. Copyright c. 2001 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. --------- "RE: Nevada wins Right to Enforce Laws on Indian Land" --------- Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 09:06:23 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SOVEREIGNTY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm [Editorial comment: This is yet another intrusion on tribal sovereignty. The court has determined a state has more sovereign protection than a Nation with `treaty rights'.] Nevada wins right to enforce laws on Indian land By Jennifer Crowe Reno Gazette-Journal Tuesday June 26th, 2001 The U.S. Supreme Court handed Nevada a major victory Monday in a nearly decade-long battle with the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Reservation over the powers of the state on tribal land, arising from a 1991 poaching investigation. The unanimous ruling essentially gives state officials immunity from being sued in tribal court for carrying out official duties on tribal lands, but they could be sued in state or federal court. "State sovereignty does not end at a reservation's border," Justice Antonin Scalia said, writing for the court majority. "The federal statutory scheme neither prescribes nor suggests that state officers cannot enter a reservation to investigate or prosecute such violations." But in a separate opinion, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said: "The majority's sweeping opinion, without cause, undermines the authority of tribes to make their own laws and be ruled by them." Justices Stephen Breyer and John Paul Stevens agreed with her. Jim Anaya, lawyer for the 900-member tribe, said Monday the decision indicates a new direction in relationships between state governments and Indian reservations, which have typically had great autonomy. Although there was some fragmentation on the court, with three justices concurring but not completely in agreement with the majority opinion, Anaya said the ruling significantly reduces the jurisdiction of tribal courts. "This case establishes specific rules and immunities for state officials," Anaya said. "It's disturbing for that reason." Senior Deputy Attorney General C. Wayne Howle, who argued the case before the U.S. Supreme Court, said the ruling provides relief to Nevada and its state employees. Before the ruling, if state workers were sued in tribal court, they had no avenue to appeal the decision. "It prohibits state officials from being subject to unlimited money judgments in tribal court that are not reviewable in any state or federal court," he said. The case, Nevada v. Hicks, stems from a 1991 incident in which a Nevada Division of Wildlife game warden was investigating a poaching report and obtained a search warrant for reservation land east of Fallon. A mounted bighorn sheep head was taken from reservation resident Floyd Hicks, but was deemed not to be evidence of poaching and was returned to him. A year later, another head was seized from Hicks based on a new warrant and later was returned. A tribal judge approved both warrants, and poaching charges against Hicks were never filed by the state. Hicks sued three game wardens and the Division of Wildlife administrator in tribal court, alleging a violation of tribal law and his civil rights. Hicks named the state of Nevada and several people employed by the state in his suit. Federal district court in Reno and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, ruled against the state, holding that tribal courts have jurisdiction whenever individuals willingly go on to reservation land. But the U.S. Supreme Court disagreed with the lower courts, finding that tribal courts lack the power to award judgments against state officials for doing their jobs. Paul Taggart who also worked the case for the state attorney general's office, said Native Americans could take disputes to tribal court rather than district court, "a remedy that no other Nevada citizen would have." "If this case had gone the other way, we would be reluctant to let state people go on reservation land," Taggart said. Anaya and Howle agree the ruling also signals a need for state and tribal officials to work together on cooperative agreements on how state officials will investigate crimes on reservation land. "There must be greater efforts for state and tribal officials to work together on cooperative arrangements," Anaya said. Copyright c.2001 Reno Gazette-Journal --------- "RE: Coal Mine Plan goes to Public for Comment" --------- Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2001 17:58:02 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="COAL MINE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.albuquerquejournal.com/news/366027news06-22-01.htm Friday, June 22, 2001 Coal Mine Plan Goes to Public for Comment By Rosalie Rayburn Journal Staff Writer Public hearings are scheduled tonight and Saturday on an Arizona utility's request to push ahead with a controversial coal mining project in northwest New Mexico. The Salt River Project says the proposed mine near Fence Lake will generate hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue for the state. But Zuni Pueblo argues the mine will endanger the Zuni Salt Lake, 10 miles from the mine site, which has been sacred to tribes throughout the Southwest for thousands of years. The state Mining and Minerals Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department approved Salt River's permit in 1996, but Zuni opposition has successfully stalled groundbreaking on the mine project. The opposition has delayed federal approval of the mine, which company officials now expect by the end of the year. The initial permit expires on July 12. Renewal is automatic unless the opponents can produce new evidence or compelling reasons not to renew it, said Jim O'Hara, coal program manager for the Mining and Minerals Division. Salt River anticipates the permit will be renewed and work can start on the mine as early as 2003. Salt River, a public utility that supplies water and electricity to Phoenix, wants the coal from Fence Lake near Quemado to supply its Coronado power plant near St. John's, Ariz. Salt River's Coronado plant supplies power to about 190,000 homes in Arizona. Its current coal supply, the McKinley mine north of Gallup, will be exhausted by 2006, and the Fence Lake site is just 44 miles from the utility's power generation station. The utility plans to build a railroad from the mine to the power plant to haul the coal. The alternative is to buy coal from Wyoming's Powder River Basin, 1,300 miles away. The price of Wyoming's coal has risen from $4 a ton six months ago to $12 a ton currently, said Bob Barnard, Salt River's project manager for Fence Lake. Costs of transporting the coal from Wyoming would raise the price to $24 a ton. Salt River estimates coal from Fence Lake will cost about $19 a ton, cheaper than they could buy it elsewhere. The Fence Lake mine "allows us to meet our goals of generating economical power," Barnard said. The company says the mine would mean jobs and tax revenues for New Mexico. Barnard estimated there would be 200 jobs during the construction phase and about 100 during the 25-year projected life of the mine. About $60 million to $70 million in royalty payments from sales of the mine's 81.3 million tons of coal will go to the New Mexico State Education Trust Fund over 25 years. In addition, New Mexico will benefit from about $60 million in various forms of taxes from the mining operation, Barnard said. But officials from Zuni Pueblo, 60 miles north of Fence Lake, have opposed the project for the past 20 years and plan to present their case again at the hearings today and Saturday. "It's hard to think that people in Phoenix should use the national energy policy to their advantage because their own environment can't sustain their energy needs," said Councilman Dan Simplicio of Zuni Pueblo. The lake is barely 4 feet deep, and the Zuni believe water usage by the mine could deplete it. "We're leading the fight for all the native people of the Southwest. We have to continue to use every avenue to stop them from getting the permit," Simplicio said. The tribe gained ownership of the lake under federal law in 1983 through a land exchange with the state of New Mexico and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Salt River says it has drilled test wells to monitor water use to ensure it won't impact the lake. Some residents of Quemado, with a population of about 450 about 14 miles from Fence Lake, also are concerned about the mine's water usage. "Water is a real precious thing in the Quemado area. We don't know how much they're going to take, and it worries us," said Jerry Armstrong, owner of J&Y Auto Service in Quemado. But unemployment in surrounding Catron County is 9.5 percent. "We don't want to refuse (the mine) either because we want our young people to stay," Armstrong said. Many of Quemado's young people must leave to find jobs, he said. The Mining and Minerals Division will look at everything submitted at the hearing to see if there may be better ways of doing things, O'Hara said. He said they also will look at other written testimony submitted by Zuni Pueblo. Salt River also needs federal approval from the Department of the Interior before mining can begin. The utility hopes to begin construction on the railroad next year and plans on delivering coal in January 2005. Copyright c. 2001 Albuquerque Journal: Albuquerque, New Mexico --------- "RE: BIA Engineer claims Retaliation" --------- Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2001 09:51:58 -0400 From: "Janet Smith" Subj: BIA retaliation BIA engineer claims retaliation By BEN NEARY/The New Mexican June 29, 2001 A U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs engineer says his supervisor retaliated against him for his work on a report that concluded a proposed coal mine near Quemado would threaten a lake sacred to the Zuni Indians. Zuni officials have long said they believe that powerful elements in the U.S. Department of Interior have been pushing for approval of the 18,000- acre Fence Lake Mine despite pueblo opposition. Now the pueblo says the engineer's claims that he was harassed for seeking an impartial study of the strip mine's likely effect on the pueblo's sacred lake could prove their point. Mohammad Baloch, a water-rights engineer in the BIA's Office of Trust Responsibilities in Washington, D.C., wrote to the agency's Equal Employment Opportunity office last week. He charged that his supervisor subjected him to harassment and threats of disciplinary action because of his work with a private consultant on a hydrology report released early this year. The Salt River Project, an Arizona utility company that provides power to Phoenix, needs Interior Department approval before it can begin development. Plans call for mining some 80 million tons of coal over the next 50 years from a site straddling the border between Cibola and Catron counties, in northwestern New Mexico. The Salt River Project wants to ship the coal by rail to its Coronado Generating Station in St. John's, Ariz. The plant generates electricity for about 190,000 of the utility's 750,000 customers. Zuni officials, already in a legal battle with state regulators who approved mining on state-owned land in the area, have promised to sue in federal court to try to block the project if the federal government grants approval. Informed of Baloch's letter this week, pueblo Gov. Malcolm Bowekaty said he intends to demand an explanation of how the Interior Department is handling the utility company's permit application. Both the Bureau of Land Management and the Office of Surface Mining, sister agencies with the BIA in the Interior Department, have expressed approval of the Fence Lake Mine. The BLM and OSM, as well as hydrologists retained by the company, say the mine wouldn't harm the lake. But the pueblo's private hydrologists and others have concluded that the mining would indeed pose a threat. The lake, on Zuni land about 12 miles from the proposed mine site, is fed by springs that produce brine. The Zunis and other Indian tribes in the area regard the lake as the home of Salt Mother, a deity. In response to entreaties from the Zunis, the BIA's Office of Trust Responsibilities last year agreed to retain a private consultant to investigate the Zunis' concerns. The BIA hired Phil King, an engineering professor at New Mexico State University, to prepare an independent hydrology report. King concluded that the mine operation would, in fact, threaten the lake. Pumping at the mine would reduce the flow of water and salt into Zuni Salt Lake, he wrote. Due to deficiencies in plans for monitoring the situation, he said, the impact might go undetected. The Salt River Project filed a response, written by an Albuquerque engineering firm, blasting King's report. However, the Department of Interior hasn't acted yet on the company's permit application. In a June 21 letter to John Nicholas, director of the BIA's Equal Employment Opportunity Office, Baloch states that he is a 68-year-old professional engineer and has worked as a water-rights specialist for the BIA for the past 10 years, receiving various commendations and awards. "I consider myself to be a very conscientious employee and I am greatly frustrated and disheartened by the recent actions of my new supervisor," Baloch wrote. "He is attempting to force me to retire by relieving me of my responsibilities. "I believe that my supervisor's actions are related to my age, and my efforts to determine with the assistance of a consultant a report which will determine the impacts of development of a coal mine project that would damage or probably destroy their sacred Zuni Salt Lake." Baloch states that his supervisor called him while he was in a meeting in Las Cruces with the consultants on the hydrology report. "During the telephone conversation, my supervisor was insulting and verbally abusive, shouting curses at me so loudly that the consultants, who were two university professor(s), heard the entire conversation." Baloch states that his supervisor was upset with him that the final report was released to Zuni Pueblo even though Terry Virden, director of the Office of Trust Responsibilities, had ordered it released. Attempts to reach Virden for comment were unsuccessful. Nedra Darling, BIA spokeswoman in Washington, D.C., said this week that Jeff Loman, chief of the Natural Resources Division in the Office of Trust Responsibilities, is Baloch's supervisor. The BIA hasn't come to any conclusions yet about the merit of Baloch's claims, Darling said. Loman declined to answer questions about Baloch's complaint, directing a reporter to Darling for comment. King, the New Mexico State professor who authored the independent report, said this week that he considers Baloch is "a very competent and experienced engineer." "And working with him on that Fence Lake coal mine study, I'm very confident in the conclusions and findings of it, largely because Mo (Baloch) took such efforts to make sure that he understood every aspect of it." Paul Bloom, a Washington, D.C., lawyer representing Zuni Pueblo, said Baloch has been diligent in working with the tribe but didn't grant the tribe any special favors. Bloom said no one else in the Department of Interior took time to look into the pueblo's concerns about the proposed mine until the Zunis went to the Office of Trust Responsibilities. Bloom said Baloch and Virden, director of the office, demanded to see hundreds of pages of information about hydrology issues in the area around the mine site before they agreed to commission King to prepare the independent study. If the federal government approves the coal-mine permit, Bloom said, the Zunis intend to sue and may try to explore Baloch's claims to illustrate whether the government lived up to its trust responsibilities to the pueblo. "He's an old-timer," Bloom said of Baloch. "He could retire with a handsome pension at any time. I view him as one of those old-time government bureaucrats that the public doesn't often hear about that try to do their job straight and don't like being bullied." Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., who chairs the Senate Energy Committee, has been monitoring the utility's application with the Interior Department. "My primary concern is that the department carefully consider all of the relevant information needed to make its decision," Bingaman said this week. "If it appears that the process has been undermined in any way, I would have grave concerns about that, and would want to follow up immediately with the department." --------- "RE: EPA asks BLM to rethink review of Weatherman Draw" --------- Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2001 10:04:18 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WEATHERMAN DRAW" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?section=local&display=content/ EPA asks BLM to rethink review of Weatherman Draw By CLAIR JOHNSON Of The Gazette Staff Calling Weatherman Draw a resource "more than the sum of its components," the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has asked the Bureau of Land Management to reconsider its decision to allow drilling of one exploratory oil well. "While the area contains numerous individual archeological and other cultural resources worthy of consideration on their own individual merits, it is the totality of the Weatherman experience that warrants heightened consideration," EPA Assistant Regional Administrator Max Dodson wrote in a recent letter to BLM State Director Mat Millenbach, The importance of the area southwest of Billings is "exemplified by its importance to the tribes," Dodson continued. Plans by the Anschutz Exploration Corp., of Denver, to drill an exploratory well in the area known for its ancient rock art and held sacred by Native Americans have generated controversy at a national level. Weatherman Draw is located 70 miles southwest of Billings between the Beartooth and Pryor mountains. Native American tribes, who call the draw "The Valley of the Chiefs," object to the drilling because they consider the area a holy site. The area also contains significant concentrations of prehistoric rock paintings and carvings. The Sierra Club, National Trust For Historic Preservation and about 10 tribes have appealed the BLM's decision to allow drilling to the Interior Board of Land Appeal in Washington, D.C. The IBLA is an independent board that reports to the Department of Interior Secretary. In a development last week, Anschutz agreed to postpone drilling while it talked with the Blackfeet and Crow tribes of Montana about alternatives. The tribes have offered to consider having the company do a project on reservation lands instead of in Weatherman Draw. Dodson said the BLM needs to reexamine whether its environmental assessment of the project supports the finding that drilling would cause no significant impact. The EPA thinks there is a "high probability" that the drilling will have "significant secondary impacts" to the resource and that the cumulative impacts from more public access to the site "may well be significant," he said. The EPA also noted the BLM's finding that traditional cultural values would be harmed by the proposed well and accompanying road. In addition, the EPA raised concerns that public notice and review of the drilling decision was insufficient. The EPA believes further public consideration and discussion is needed, Dodson said. The Sierra Club applauded the EPA's letter. "The EPA is saying the same thing we've said to the BLM," said Kathryn Hohmann, in Bozeman. "Is this letter going to carry the day? It helps." Millenbach defended the BLM's decision. The EPA's comments come late in the process, long after opportunities for public comment ended. Millenbach said it is unusual for the EPA to comment on an environmental assessment and that he wished the agency had done so before the BLM made its decision. Dodson said the EPA's comments were late because the agency only recently learned of the Weatherman Draw environmental assessment. The BLM has worked to protect the resources from drilling through mitigation requirements, Millenbach said. If the exploratory well is drilled and commercial quantities of oil are found, then the BLM would conduct an environmental impact statement before any development could occur, Millenbach said. An EIS generally is a more in-depth analysis. "We felt like an environmental assessment was adequate for the exploratory well," he added. The BLM also is concerned about the area. "It's one of our most difficult issues in the last six months," Millenbach said. In trying to address the issues, the agency believes it has "come up with something that protects the intangible values out there," he said. Millenbach dismissed efforts by some who want to tie the BLM's decision to allow drilling with President Bush's energy policy, which supports increased drilling for oil and gas. To suggest there was some political deal is inaccurate, he said. "It's a total stretch. This is something we've had in front of us for many years," he said. Updated: Sat Jun 30 06:02:39 CDT 2001 Central Time Copyright C. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises --------- "RE: Dine' Families request Immediate Support" --------- Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 14:37:02 -0700 (PDT) From: Black Mesa support Subj: Dine' families request immediate support Mailing List: BIG MOUNTAIN Two Dine' families (residing on Black Mesa) that are currently undergoing medical problems are requesting IMMEDIATE support to herd sheep, cook, for Elder care and help with chores. For more information please contact Black Mesa Indigenous Support. For other requests, please check the needs list on the BMIS website periodically, as requests are added onto. See: http://www.blackmesais.org/needslist.html Please pass this information along to others. Thankyou BMIS ===== Black Mesa Indigenous Support (BMIS) is a group of individuals acting to support the sovereignty of the indigenous people affected by mining activities on Black Mesa, who face forced relocation, environmental devastation, and cultural extinction at the hands of multi-national corporations, and United States and tribal governments. http://www.blackmesais.org -- - - - SUPPORT IS REQUESTED! Despite years of lawsuits against the federal government to repeal the relocation law, the United States continues to deny the Dine' the right to live on their homeland and preserve their traditional way of life. The families of Black Mesa have requested outside support in their struggle. Most resisting relocation and livestock reduction are elderly. Many of whose children have been relocated or otherwise forced to leave their homeland. As a result, many elders live alone and it is difficult for them to continue their daily lifestyles whilst also going to court and dealing with the everyday harassment from U.S. and tribal governments. Families ask for support from strong, responsible people willing to live on the land with them and help maintain daily life. Direct, on-land support is on many peoples wish list. It is strongly encouraged to read the Cultural Sensitivity Packet to help prepare you for your stay on Black Mesa. DROP BY THE WILDFIRE INFOSHOP, a not for profit publicy owned & operated radical bookstore, library, & alternative media resource center. Located in downtown Flagstaff,217 S. Francisco St. (the entrance is on Butler behind Dragon's Plunder), Wildfire has set up a Black Mesa Support Bulletin Board to connect and inform supporters of who is in need, onland & otherwise, in the Black Mesa area. It is also a place for residents & extended family members of Black Mesa to post any bulletins or maps of how to get to their homesites. If you also want your bulletin posted onto the BMIS website, you will have to contact BMIS. If a need or a request has been filled, please inform the Infoshop and also BMIS via voicemail, PO BOX, or email so support efforts do not overlap. Thankyou. (Support: you can also find Cultural Sensitivity Packets at Wildfire. If the Infoshop is closed, you can also leave your information in the drop box outside or contact BMIS. For more info on The Infoshop: wildfireinfo shop@yahoo.com ) Listed below is some of the same information that is posted at The Infoshop. With the bulletin board being fairly new, BMIS welcomes input and for help with keeping these needs lists updated and encourages folks to use the bulletin board. Residents and support groups/individuals: If you are willing, and have the time, we need people to collect "needs" lists so that support can be coordinated in as fair a manner as possible. Please note that BMIS is a collective made up of a diverse group of people with limited resources who are only volunteering what's possible. Thankyou. REQUESTS FROM SPECIFIC FAMILIES (updated as of late June; scroll down for general list) Note: There may be families who would like help but are not yet listed. BMIS will supply additional information as it becomes accessible, and with permission. Please email or call BMIS for further info. Two Dine' families that are currently undergoing medical problems are requesting IMMEDIATE support to herd sheep, cook, for Elder care and help with chores. Work crews are needed right now to build a sheep corral for an Elder so that she can keep her sheep near her during winter. Help is requested for mudding an adobe structure. (Especially now that it is monsoon season!) A small work crew would be most effecient. Ruth Benally would like a sheepherder and a person to help cook and do chores. A couple is preferred. There is a hogon to sleep in and some food available. Tom Bedonie has requested help building a hogon. He will be back on Big Mountain around the third week of June. He writes: "...I'm going home to rebuild my hogan and I need help, and whomever helps will learn how to build a hogan. So, send the call out for help. I need something to stay in this winter... and I'll have a home for myself. For anyone interested, please write to him: Tom Bedonie; P.O. Box 914; Hotevilla, AZ 86030 This list changes from time to time, so check back often! GENERAL NEEDS LIST FOOD PRODUCTS: potatoes, oats, beans, brown rice, peanut butter, white flour (Bluebird is excellent for fry-bread!), blue cornmeal (locally available, for pancakes, flat bread, and hot cereal), grains, oil, canned foods, fruit, Vegetables, dried milk, coffee, herbal teas, fresh vegetables & fruits CLOTHES: jackets, shoes, socks, wool items, skirts, pants, etc. (please no polyester) HARDWARE/TOOLS: Axes, shovels, pick-axes, hammers, handsaws, chainsaws, hoes, pliers, wire-cutters, nails, rope, sledgehammers, construction tools, drills, generators, floor jacks and tools for vehicles are very helpful. HOUSEHOLD ITEMS: Soap, toilet paper, personal items, pocket knife, matches & lighters, flashlight & batteries, propane, gas, dishwashing liquid, sponges, cloths, brushes ANIMAL FOOD: Food for dogs and cats are very much appreciated. Dogs play an important role in herding sheep and guarding ones homesite and cats keep the mice population down. VEHICLE PARTS : The rough, dirt roads on the reservation take their toll on the families vehicles. Car/truck parts are always required as well as supporters with mechanical knowledge. MEDICINE: Cedar, white sage, osha root, arthritis medicine eg Arnica muscle-easing salve, tiger balm, & first aid. If you are traveling to Black Mesa via Flagstaff, a great place to stop at is Winter Sun.(They have a good selection of herbs and other medicines. ) Another form of medicine for the Elders is massage. GOOD READING MATERIALS!!! Books on Chiapas, Indigenous authors, radical books, etc. FUNDS: BMIS is very grass-roots and prefers to not deal with a large amount of money. Financial help is needed however to maintain basic office needs such as the voicemail, PO BOX, to return phone calls, buying medicine for Elders and families, to occasionally buy building supplies and other small needs for families, BMIS truck insurance, copying costs, and maintainence on the chainsaws and truck from time to time. ===== Black Mesa Indigenous Support P.O. Box 23501, Flagstaff, Arizona 86002 Message Voice Mail: 520.773.8086 Email: blackmesais@yahoo.com --------- "RE: Complaint to NAFTA about N-aquifer Depletion" --------- Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 02:48:22 +0000 From: Robert Dorman Subj: BIGMTLIST complaint to NAFTA about N-aquifer depletion? ------- FORWARD, Original message follows ------- From: Stuart M Leiderman Group: My eyebrows went up when I came across this brand-new groundwater complaint to the NAFTA's Commission for Environmental Cooperation. Using the same procedure, why not make an international case of N-aquifer depletion at Black Mesa? Thanks, Stuart Leiderman Environmental Response P.O. Box 382 Durham, New Hampshire 03824 - - - - - - - CEC receives citizen submission on dispute over groundwater contamination in Guadalajara Montreal, 25 June 2001 The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has received a citizen submission alleging failure on the part of Mexico in its enforcement of environmental laws with respect to a civil dispute arising from contamination of groundwater in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. The submission (SEM-01-003) was filed by the company Mercerizados y Teidos de Guadalajara, S.A. on 14 June 2001. It claims that, in a civil trial, Mexico refused to treat as valid evidence a technical opinion issued by the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Procuradura Federal de Proteccin al Ambiente--Profepa), relating to groundwater contamination that the submission says was caused by the firm Dermet, S.A. de C.V., a producer of pesticides and fungicides in the city of Guadalajara. The submission asserts that in so doing, Mexico failed to enforce effectively Article 194 of the General Law of Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection (Ley General del Equilibrio Ecolgico y la Proteccin al Ambiente (LGEEPA), and its commitments concerning procedural guarantees and private access to remedies under Articles 5, 6 and 7 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). Under Article 14 of NAAEC, the Secretariat may consider a submission from any person or nongovernmental organization asserting that a Party to NAAEC is failing to effectively enforce its environmental law. Where the Secretariat determines that the NAAEC Article 14(1) criteria are met, it may then proceed with a process that can lead to the development of a factual record on the matter. In accordance with Article 15(2) of NAAEC, the Secretariat shall prepare a factual record if the Council, by a two-thirds vote, instructs it to do so. The CEC was established under NAAEC to address environmental issues in North America from a continental perspective, with a particular focus on those arising in the context of liberalized trade. The CEC Council, the organization's governing body, is composed of the environment ministers (or equivalent) of Canada, Mexico and the United States. For further information, please consult the Registry of Citizen Submissions: http://www.cec.org/citizen ========================================= Please visit http://www.theofficenet.com/~redorman/pagea~1.htm for more background on the Big Mountain relocation issue. To post to the list, email your message to redorman@theofficenet.com. To subscribe, send an email to: BIGMTLIST-subscribe@topica.com. --------- "RE: Hopi supports EEOC Lawsuit against Peabody Coal" --------- Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 09:45:31 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PEABODY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm Hopi supports EEOC lawsuit against Peabody Coal The following is a statement of the Hopi Tribe: "The Hopi Tribe supports the United States EEOC's efforts to address employment inequalities at the Black Mesa/Kayenta Peabody Coal Mines. Last week the EEOC filed suit against Peabody regarding their hiring practices surrounded non-Navajo Native Americans. The Hopi Tribe has always expressed concerns to Peabody that so few Hopi members are employed at the Black Mesa Mine and we again stressed this point at our meeting with Irl F. Engelhardt, Peabody President/CEO, on Friday, June 15, 2001. Peabody consistently claims that over 700 Native Americans are employed at the mine, and that it pays considerable sums to both tribes in royalties, taxes, and other benefits. What these statements do not reveal is that the Navajo Nation receives the bulk of these benefits because the Hopi Tribe does not assess taxes and we estimate that fewer than 20 Hopi are employed at the mine. The mining contract between Peabody and the Navajo Nation specifies Navajo hiring preference which violates Federal employment laws. We sincerely hope that this action brings positive change to Peabody's hiring practices at local mines. We have a 50 percent plus unemployment rate at Hopi and look to Peabody Energy as a key employer for people." Editor's note: The gist of the EEOC lawsuit and the response by Peabody Coal was published by the Observer on June 20, 2001 The suit alleges widespread national origin discrimination against non- Navajo Native Americans by refusing to hire them at its Kayenta and Black Mesa coal mining operations. The suit also alleges that Peabody Coal, based in St. Louis, Missouri, has refused to hire qualified Hopi, Otoe and other Native Americans at its Black Mesa and Kayenta coal mining operations. Peabody operates these mines through lease agreements with the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe. -- - - - Peabody report says no damage to N-Aquifer likely By Janel States James The Observer Managing coal and water resources on the Navajo and Hopi Reservations has become a balancing act. It is no secret that both tribes rely heavily on coal revenue for tribal programs and operation. But recent visible declines in springs and streams`on the Hopi Reservation in particular`have called into question the practice of using another precious resource`water`to slurry that coal to the Mohave Generating Station in Laughlin, Nevada, a distance of 273 miles. The Peabody Group operates two mines - the Kayenta and Black Mesa mines - under lease agreements with the tribes, and Peabody Coal Company also pays the tribes for the use of water from the N-Aquifer (Navajo Aquifer). The N-Aquifer is the only source of water for the Hopi mesas. According to the Black Mesa Trust, a local, non-profit organization that has spearheaded the movement to end the slurry, Peabody currently pumps water from the aquifer at a rate of 83,000 gallons per hour. "You could fill 945,560,356 fifty-five gallon barrels with this water," said Vernon Masayesva, Director of BMT, in an earlier interview. "If each of those barrels were placed end to end, they would reach to the moon and back three times. You cannot pump billions of gallons of water very year in a desert without serious consequences." Masayesva believes that there may be problems not only with continued water supply for the Hopi people, but also with the structural integrity of the aquifer itself. But according to a recent study released by the Peabody Group, "using aquifer water...will not significantly affect the integrity of the 7,500 square-mile aquifer or surrounding community water supplies." The study, prepared by two independent hydrologic firms and reviewed by an independent expert, follows on the heels of a report released by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in November, which stated that the aquifer is "exhibiting symptoms of decline and indications of damage." The study has renewed Peabody's faith in their computer modeling systems, which have also been called into question by groups like the Black Mesa Trust, which claim that the models are outdated and cannot be substituted for on-site studies. "We used the most extensive data available and developed the best modeling tool yet," says Frederick Palmer, executive vice president for legal and external affairs fro the Peabody Group. "The results confirm that the fraction of water being used is insignificant when you put the aquifer's vast size into perspective. "[The aquifer] is not that delicate; it is very, very robust." Brian Dunfee, Manager of Environmental Engineering for Southwest Operations for the Peabody Group, says that this updated, three- dimensional model allows scientists to see the vertical as well as the horizontal water flow in the aquifer, but even with the improvements in the model, the results still match Peabody's original predictions. "The 3D model is the better model, but our conclusions are still the same," he says. Dunfee also points out that Peabody operates six wells around the leasehold to monitor impacts of pumping. These results are matched up against the computer models. While the old models were beginning to demonstrate inaccuracies, he says, the new models have rectified the problems. "The predicted outcomes (from the computer models) now line up with the actual outcomes (from the wells)." Dunfee says that while Peabody is still reviewing the NRDC findings, he believes that they may not have had the tools to make accurate measurements. "The NRDC models don't differentiate between the percentage of water used by Peabody and the percentage of water used for municipal uses in places like Kayenta, so the impacts of mining alone cannot be assessed," he says. In addition, says Dunfee, there is a possibility that the NRDC was given some bad information. While the NRDC reported that water in one of the wells was down to one foot from the top of the aquifer, which violates the Office of Surface Mining's Cumulative Hydrologic Impact Assessment, the regulatory body that oversees operations likes Peabody's. But Dunfee says that the United States Geological Survey reports that the water level is 400 feet above the top of aquifer, within acceptable limits. Palmer points out that while this latest study was prepared at Peabody's request, they take their responsibility for the aquifer very seriously, constantly monitoring its condition. Still, organizations like the Black Mesa Trust believe that other factors, like population growth, must also be considered. In the next 40 years, population in the Black Mesa area is expected to increase from 68, 000 to 234,000. Added to a probable increase in the standard of living, water use could increase dramatically, from the current 3,800 acre feet per year, to 25,250 acre feet per year. Palmer does not believe, however, that population growth will have that much of an impact on the aquifer. "I take comfort in the fact that we are only taking 1/10 of 1 percent of the total water in the aquifer. That's not a lot of water." According to a Peabody press release, that is less than half of a beverage can, removed from a 55-gallon drum. While Palmer does not doubt that there are visible differences in the springs and streams, he does not believe that that difference is necessarily due to Peabody's use of the water. "There is a lot of anecdotal information used to say that there is a substantial difference in the springs and streams," he says. "But it depends on what timeline you are using, what the rainfall in the area has been, what the water patterns are. All sorts of things can impact groundwater from year to year." Peabody can continue its mining operations for about another 25 years, says Palmer, and can continue to slurry that coal to the generating stations. "We have mined about half of the 670 million tons of coal available. Coal delivery to the plants is about 13 to 14 million tons per year," says Palmer, pointing out that since the generating stations can be updated to meet changing environmental standards, they can run "forever." "All the coal will be mined," says Palmer. Neither Leonard Selestewa nor Vernon Masayesva of the Black Mesa Trust could be reached for comment on the latest Peabody report before press time. Copyright c. 2001 Verde Valley Newspapers, Inc --------- "RE: Frustrated Youth Center CEO Resigns" --------- Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2001 10:04:18 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YOUTH CENTER" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.thenavajotimes.com/Tribal_News/ChinleCEO/chinleceo.html Frustrated CEO resigns Cites lack of support from tribe By Nathan J. Tohtsoni The Navajo Times CHINLE (June 28, 2001) - The bedrooms are conspicuously empty. Two security monitors take turns blinking images of silent hallways, vacant parking lots, unoccupied beds and most notably, no clients. A dedication at the Hayool Kaal Hooghan Adolescent Treatment Center in Chinle six weeks ago was viewed as the "flagship" for how adolescent treatment centers would be handled on the reservation and in Indian Country. The Navajo Nation was to become the first tribe in the United States to run its own adolescent treatment program when the center becomes operational. The dedication featured dignitaries and hundreds of visitors who toured the facility. There was much optimism that the treatment center would succeed where others failed. Young Navajo youth with substance abuse problems would be able to stay on the reservation they so truly love. No longer would they be shipped off the reservation and treated in a Western modality that did not consider their proud heritage. Today, its resigning chief executive officer sees the treatment facility as nothing more than a $2.5 million "convention center" for tribal offices that need a place to meet. Lack of support After serving as the center's only CEO, Ron Reid is stepping down Friday (June 29) after eight months frustrated with what he sees as lack of support from the tribe. Reid heard many promises when he was recruited and he's heard just as many excuses since taking the position. "It's frustrating to persuade (tribal officials) that this is in the best interest of the Navajo Nation," Reid, a Ph.D. child psychologist, said. "In a sense it does feel like a sort of abandonment since we have something here that can help Navajo kids." The Hayool Kaal Hooghan Adolescent Treatment Center was dedicated as a "one-of-a-kind" facility May 14. The adolescent residential facility would treat 20 male and female adolescents, ages 12-17, for 60 to 90 days. The Navajo Division of Health would stop subcontracting substance abuse treatment for its young people to off-reservation facilities. The tribe spends between $3- to 4 million annually to subcontract what the facility could do on the reservation. The Department of Behavioral Health targeted May 21 as the day clients would be admitted. That was postponed to this past Monday, but still only a skeleton staff answers phone calls in the eerily quiet facility. More youth unserved "The thing is, the longer we wait, the more children will be shipped off the reservation," Reid said. "It's been 20 years in the making to get the facility on Navajo ... This is a big step in the right direction and if the money's there, they need to use that money for that purpose." Reid added that perhaps if the facility was operational, the three suicidal deaths of teens in Ganado and Pinon in recent months could have been avoided. During the May dedication, Director of Behavioral Health Herman Largo said the Navajo Nation could take a deep breath because it could say it "accomplished something." Several messages left at the offices of Largo, his deputy director Richard Showalter and Division of Health Executive Director Judy Begay- Secody were not returned to the Navajo Times by press time. Reid said in addition to losing himself, the center has lost several professional staff members who have resigned. Also, the facility has yet to be accredited by the federal, state, local and tribal governments. Reid added that the staff has stayed active despite tribal programs and offices using the facility for meetings. They were able to complete a standard operational procedure policy for Behavioral Health on adolescence and adult outpatients and inpatients, he said. "This is the only (treatment center) the tribe owns," Reid said. "It's exhausting when you're trying to politic and put a staff together. Essentially, I feel like a fancy hoop dancer because of all the hoops I've jumped. I don't like talking about economics and politics when lives are in the balance ... let's not forget of the lives that could be saved here." Copyright c. 1999-2001 | Navajo Times/Navajo Nation --------- "RE: Navajos Vote to keep Health Care in U.S. Hands" --------- Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 09:24:11 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NAVAJO HEALTH" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm Navajos vote to keep health care system in U.S. hands Betty Reid The Arizona Republic June 20, 2001 An attempt by the Navajo Nation to take control of its own health care failed during a referendum election on Tuesday. A majority of the 87,000 registered voters among the state's largest tribe was required for the referendum to pass. The issue was whether Arizona's largest tribe should take charge of its health care services now overseen by Navajo Area Indian Health Service, an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The vote was 16, 255 against the tribe taking control and 3,710 in favor. The health service has a $443 million operating budget and employs 3,800 people throughout Navajo land in northeastern Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. It is responsible for health care for the Nation's 227,000 members. Voters tended to share the sentiment of Sonia Nelson, a Mesa Navajo resident originally from Fort Defiance who voted against the idea. "The Navajo Nation is not ready to take over Indian Health Service," Nelson said. "Yes, there is room for improvement, especially in customer service. For example, I go into IHS, they say, 'Why didn't you come in two days ago?' I tell them, 'Well, I have children, relatives or livestock to tend to.' " Others thought the best way to make improvements was for Navajos to design it themselves. "We should say 'now' but all we heard in this campaign, is 'doo bideie'ne'ighah da,' or 'we're not ready' or 'we're not prepared,' " said Mary Helen Creamer, deputy director of Navajo Division of Health. "It might be a much better program if Navajos designed the health programs for themselves and for their people." The Navajo Nation, using the Indian Self-Determination Act approved by Congress in 1975, allows the tribe to "contract" services that are overseen by the federal government. Some programs already operated by the Navajo Nation include Division of Public Safety, local-controlled campuses called "grant schools" and parts of its social service programs. Reach the reporter at betty.reid@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8049. Copyright c. 2001, azcentral.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Chief Seattle's Tribe clings to its Identity" --------- Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 07:26:52 -0700 From: Jess Hansen Subj: "Chief Seattle's tribe clings to its identity" Mailing List: ndn-aim http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134307867_duwamish18m0.html Monday, June 18, 2001 Chief Seattle's tribe clings to its identity By SARA JEAN GREEN, Seattle Times staff reporter [Photo caption: "Chief Seattle's daughter, Kickisomlo, who was dubbed Princess Angeline by the white settlers, was born sometime around 1820. She died in 1896. In this 1890 photo, she's seated by a photo of Snoqualmie Falls."] Theirs was the land the white people wanted most. To the Duwamish, the indigenous people of what is now Seattle and King County, this place was an ideal site for winter longhouses and summer camps, salmon weirs and canoe landings. To the newcomers, the place lent itself to a new town, with gridded streets, a mill, deep-water anchorage and, eventually, steel mills and boat docks, concrete plants and sports stadiums. The newcomers' vision won, and the Duwamish were dispersed. For them, there would be no reservation, no fishing rights, no visible landmark of their legacy. "But ... many of our people never left," says Cecile Hansen, the Duwamish tribal chairwoman. One hundred and fifty years after the Denny Party arrived and started the settlement that would become Seattle, Hansen and other Duwamish have no desire to turn back the clock. But they do seek federal recognition as a distinct tribe and want a place where their people can gather in the city that bears their chief's name. Hansen is the great-great-grandniece of Chief Seattle, and her grandmother is buried next to him on the Suquamish reservation. The Duwamish want to deal with the United States on a government-to- government basis and want to offer their members services such as education and health care - rights guaranteed in the treaty they signed. In the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott, 81 Indian leaders representing 15 tribes ceded Puget Sound to the United States. Chief Seattle was the first to make his mark on behalf of the Suquamish and Duwamish. The Suquamish got their own reservation; the Duwamish didn't. The Duwamish were supposed to move to the Suquamish, Tulalip, Muckleshoot or Lummi reservations and live among other tribes. Many did, but others never left or soon returned to their homeland, dismayed by the restrictions of reservation life. Without a land base, the 570 or so registered Duwamish members struggle against invisibility. Their numbers are small, their blood mixed. Without recognition, "the prospects of the tribe existing and surviving are extremely limited," said James Rasmussen, a third-generation Duwamish council member. "We followed through on our end of the agreement, and we're waiting for the federal government to follow through on theirs." Federal recognition, he says, will fulfill the treaty that guaranteed signatories a government-to-government relationship with the United States. And it will ensure the Duwamish "more than a place at the table" when decisions are made about environmental and other issues, said Rasmussen, whose great-great-great-grandmother was a Duwamish elite and niece of one of Puget Sound's last medicine men. A brief recognition The Duwamish thought they were close to establishing such a relationship when, on Jan. 19, just before 9 p.m., Washington, D.C., time, tribal chairwoman Hansen got a phone call from Lee Fleming, head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Bureau of Acknowledgement and Research. With three hours left in the Clinton administration, Fleming told Hansen the federal government was recognizing the Duwamish tribe. But less than 48 hours later, Hansen learned President Bush suspended a batch of his predecessor's 11th-hour orders, including federal recognition of the Duwamish. "Now we're 'pending.' We're in this terrible limbo," Hansen said. The Duwamish had the misfortune of living on some of the most sought- after real estate in the region, says historian David Buerge. Their longhouses were torched, and they were banned from owning land that had been theirs for generations. The Duwamish ceded 54,700 acres of land, but it took almost 120 years and a long court battle for the United States to pay up: In 1971, about 1,000 people were each paid $64. "I bought groceries," said Hansen. "What else can you do with $64?" The Duwamish and other landless people were dropped from the list of federally recognized tribes sometime in the 1960s, Hansen said. Though Judge George Boldt ruled in 1974 that tribes who signed the Point Elliott Treaty had rights to half of the area's fish, he later ruled the Duwamish and four other groups weren't political entities and so weren't entitled to treaty rights. Tribe takes priority Hansen's story is much like the story of her tribe, a people who have adapted to survive while holding tight to their Duwamish identity. She's brusque, tough and funny. She's a Catholic and volunteers at her church. She has borne eight children and buried three. She loves Neil Diamond, boats and her rose bushes. She's a private woman who has tried to resign many times in her 26 years of leadership. The last was in 1996, when the BIA rejected Duwamish recognition. Hansen called the council together and they split up the tribe's roster, phoning every Duwamish to find out what to do next. "They overwhelmingly said, 'We want to keep fighting,' " Hansen said. "That gave me the motivation to go on. "The tribe always takes priority to everything else," she continued. "As many times as I've tried to get away from this work, I think this is the Lord's plan for me because I was just minding my own business, trying to raise my kids." She was elected tribal chairwoman in 1975. It's a lifetime position and, until this year, an unpaid one. Hansen was a young mother when the tribe began fighting for recognition in 1978. Now, she's a great-grandmother. Hansen works out of the tribe's office, most recently a rented Burien storefront next to a hair salon, less than two miles from the house where she lived as a Highline High School student in the 1950s. Her dad was a longshoreman, fisherman and woodsman who knew how to fix cars. Her mom was raised in Indian boarding schools from age 4 to 17, worked in canneries and raised five children. At age 50, she went to college and became a nurse. In the early 1970s, Hansen's late brother Manny was arrested several times for fishing in the Duwamish River, and that was the beginning of Hansen's research into her people's past. Around the same time, she met Buerge, a teacher and local historian who is writing a biography of Chief Seattle. Hansen credits him with piecing together much of what's known about Duwamish history. But there were many people along the way - historians, anthropologists, linguists and others - who helped compile necessary evidence for the tribe's application for federal recognition. Should the Bush administration approve Duwamish recognition, the decision inevitably will be appealed, likely by tribes already recognized. According to Rasmussen, the Muckleshoot have already indicated they would appeal. The Muckleshoot didn't return phone calls requesting comment. Herman Williams Jr., chairman of the board of directors for the Tulalip Tribes, said it was unlikely the Tulalips would appeal, having lost other recognition cases. The Tulalips argue that the Puget Sound Indians who moved to reservations are the ones who kept their end of the treaty bargain. "We ceded our land and moved to reservations, went through the hardships, sifted bugs out of our flour and endured the diseases. We were Indian when it wasn't popular to be Indian, while other people got to assimilate into the community," said Williams. Hansen knows if and when recognition comes through, there will be more red tape. The tribe will need to write a constitution, determine membership criteria and establish ordinances. The tribe's top priority now is getting a longhouse built on West Marginal Way, across the street from the city's new Herring House Park, site of an old Duwamish village and a 360-foot potlatch house. A couple of years ago, an anonymous group of West Seattleites gave $52,000 so the tribe could put a down payment on a small parcel of land downstream from Terminal 107 and Kellogg Island. So far, the tribe has secured two $60,000 grants from King County and $5,000 from Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods for design work and mortgage payments. Hansen estimates the tribe needs to raise $2 million more. "We need to be able to bring our people back together again, to educate our children in their culture, to welcome other tribes to the area, and most importantly, to be able to tell a story to the people who live here, to give them a sense of place and history," Rasmussen said." [Sara Jean Green can be reached at 206-515-5654 or at sgreen@seattletimes.com] Copyright c. 2001 The Seattle Times ===== To subscribe to this group,send an email to: ndn-aim-subscribe@egroups.com Archived on line at: http://www.eScribe.com FREE LEONARD PELTIER --------- "RE: Suspended Seminole Leader seeks a Rehearing" --------- Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 07:50:16 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JAMES BILLIE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm Suspended Seminole leader seeks a rehearing By JEFF TESTERMAN published June 20, 2001 TAMPA -- Suspended Seminole Chairman James E. Billie has decided against trying to win back his job by suing his own tribe in federal court. Instead, Billie will rely on a petition drive seeking a reversal of last month's vote by the tribal council to suspend Billie and remove him from the payroll. "The council may have spoken once, but council members can change their minds," Billie's attorney, Robert O. Saunooke, said Tuesday. "That's their prerogative." Saunooke filed a notice voluntarily dismissing Billie's suit in U.S. District Court in Miami. A petition bearing the signatures of 20 percent of the electors in the last tribal election for chairman is needed for Billie to win a rehearing, Saunooke said. In Billie's last election, in 1999, 828 tribal members cast votes, so 165 names would be required to take the suspension back to the tribal council. Billie, 57, has led the tribe since 1979. Although he is credited with taking its 2,800 members to new levels of prosperity, thanks to gambling ventures, Billie now finds himself mired in controversy and at the center of a federal investigation. After the tribe's former director of administration filed a sexual harassment suit in federal court, tribal council members voted to suspend Billie on May 24. Christine O'Donnell claims Billie got her pregnant, forced her to get an abortion and then fired her, paying her off with $100,000 worth of phony sick leave in a final tribal paycheck. Billie fired back with his own lawsuit on June 4, alleging the vote denied him due process and violated his constitutional rights. The FBI, Interior Department and IRS are investigating possible corruption involving Billie and tribal businesses. Federal agents have questioned O'Donnell about the alleged $100,000 payoff and Billie's involvement in investments in Nicaragua. They have interviewed Maria Santiago, 23, a former tribal gift shop worker, about expensive gifts and trips to Nicaragua provided by Billie. And they have secured the grand jury testimony of Charles H. Kirkpatrick, a former pilot for the tribe. Kirkpatrick agreed to plead guilty to a charge of making a false statement on an income tax return in 1995, when he was a tribal employee, and to testify about "the activities of any individual involved in theft, embezzlement and fraud" involving the Seminole Tribe. Copyright c. 2000 St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved --------- "RE: Seminole Chief steps aside to Sue Tribal Council" --------- Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 08:18:28 -0700 From: Jess Hansen Subj: "Seminole chief steps aside to sue tribal council" Mailing List: ndn-aim http://www.oklahoman.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=708937&TP=getarticle "Seminole chief steps aside to sue tribal council" 2001-06-27 By BOB DOUCETTE, Oklahoman Staff Writer WEWOKA - "Jerry Haney, the principal chief of the Seminole Nation, says his inquiry into the tribe's gaming proceeds led to his suspension. He also said he'll step aside while he sues the tribal officials who voted to remove him. The tribe's General Council voted to suspend Haney without pay on Saturday. The council named Assistant Chief James Factor acting chief. Haney said Tuesday he plans to file a lawsuit in federal court to stop what he calls an unjustified action by the General Council. "The council has taken this action and it's totally illegal," he said. The chief said trouble started when he asked for financial information from the Seminole Nation Development Authority about the tribe's gaming operations. The authority is the tribe's economic development agency and manages, among other ventures, the tribe's four gaming sites. He said he'd been told that recent profits were nearly $1.4 million. But when he wanted to use the money for tribal programs, he was told by authority members that the money wasn't there. Haney asked to see the authority's financial records, but he was denied, he said. Half of the General Council's members are also board members of the authority. Those members make up 12 of the 16 General Council members who voted to suspend him. Eight council members voted against the suspension. "When I go after them, they come back after me," Haney said. "I don't think things are going right (at the authority). I just can't prove it." Authority members, however, blame Haney for financial problems that plague the tribe. Council member Rick Deer, who also serves on the development authority board, said Haney is responsible for not submitting three years worth of tribal government audits to federal authorities. The General Council voted to suspend Haney so it could find out more about the tribe's finances, he said. "All it boils down to is money," Deer said. The conflict between Haney and the development authority began in 1999, when the tribe opened its casinos, Deer said. When the casinos became profitable, other officials - including Haney - wanted to use the money to fund pet projects, he said. Gaming has been problematic for other reasons. Federal regulators and prosecutors have been targeting the tribe's casinos, accusing the Seminoles of operating illegal Class III games at their four gaming sites. Class III games are games of chance. The tribe contends the games are Class II, or games of skill, which are legal. The National Indian Gaming Commission also ordered the tribe to provide 1999 and 2000 audits of its gaming operations or face heavy fines. Federal prosecutors also are appealing federal district court rulings concerning the games' legality. With tribal elections scheduled for July 14, rhetoric surrounding tribal gaming, politics and financial issues will probably get louder, Deer said. Haney said the conflict isn't about politics, but accountability. "When tribal members go into the casinos and they see how busy they are, they think we're making a lot of money," he said. "Then they come to me and want to know how that money is going to be used. "I'm having trouble with our economic development arm, how much money they make and how much money they spend." Copyright c. 2001 The Oklahoman --------- "RE: Making O'odham Citizens Advances" --------- Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 08:14:36 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TOHONO O'ODHAM" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm Making O'odham citizens advances By Carmen Duarte ARIZONA DAILY STAR U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor is planning to introduce a bill this week that would amend federal immigration laws to make 8,400 Tohono O'odham members U.S. citizens. The Arizona Democrat supports a revision in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 that seeks U.S. citizenship for all enrolled tribal members. Under the amended act, a tribal membership card would serve as proof of citizenship or a birth certificate. "The congressman needs to go over the bill's wording with Tribal Vice Chairman Henry Ramon before he moves forward," said Maura Saavedra, Pastor's press secretary. She said Pastor and Ramon plan to meet today. "We know Congress never intended that our people would not be United States citizens," said Ramon. "We call on Congress to make it right." Tribal Chairman Edward D. Manuel said "the international boundary has split our land in half and this situation must be corrected." If the act is amended, enrolled tribal members could freely cross the border to work, participate in religious ceremonies, keep medical appointments in Sells and visit relatives. For decades, the U.S. government allowed the crossings, but things changed beginning in 1986 with new immigration laws and with beefed-up drug enforcement along the border, making it more difficult to cross into the United States. The border, tribal officials say, is causing hardship for 8,400 Tohono O'odham members on both sides - most of them with no birth certificates to prove citizenship. The tribe has 24,000 enrolled members. Tribal delegates began lobbying for the citizenship cause earlier this month by meeting with lawmakers in Washington to discuss their plight. "I feel real good about our meetings with politicians and their aides," said Mary Narcho, who returned to Tucson from Washington on Monday. While in Washington, Narcho went to many lawmakers handing out a book, a video and documents explaining the problem. "It seemed Democrats were more for it than Republicans. But, there were Republicans who favored the bill, too," said Narcho, 58, who works for the tribe as a contract specialist. "I was born at home. I don't have a birth certificate, and I am having problems obtaining a delayed birth certificate because I need three witnesses to my birth. My mother is alive, but my two aunts are dead," she said. Those affected by the amended citizenship act would include 7,000 Tohono O'odham members who: * Were born in the United States, but do not have documents to obtain birth certificates. * Were born in Mexico but who now live illegally in the United States. * Were born in Mexico of parents who are U.S. citizens, but whose parents cannot prove it. Also helped by the act would be about 1,400 other members who were born in Mexico and still live there. For centuries, Tohono O'odham, which means "desert people," lived on their traditional lands - lands that stretched from Phoenix south to Hermosillo, Sonora, and west to the Gulf of California. The Tohono O'odham Nation's capital is Sells, about 60 miles west of Tucson. The Tohono O'odham lived there long before it was part of New Spain, and later, Mexico, after it won its independence in 1821. The Gila River was the boundary between Mexico and the United States in 1848, when Mexico ceded the land north of it. The river remained the international boundary until Congress ratified the Gadsden Purchase of the southern portions of New Mexico and Arizona in 1854. A year earlier, the tribe's lands were divided between what is now Mexico and the United States. Raul Grijalva, chairman of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, said he expects supervisors to pass a resolution July 17 instructing the county's federal lobbyist to work in behalf of the Tohono O'odham Nation and the passage of the bill. Grijalva, who was in Washington, joined tribal members in educating lawmakers about their situation. "They have a powerful message, and the injustice needs to be corrected," he said. Contact Carmen Duarte at 573-4195 or at cduarte@azstarnet.com All content copyright C. 1999, 2000, 2001 AzStarNet, Arizona Daily Star. --------- "RE: Osage Nation to get Settlement Share" --------- Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 08:02:24 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="OSAGE SETTLEMENT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm Osage Nation to get settlement share 2001-06-21 The Associated Press TULSA -- The Osage Nation is expected to share in a $25 million settlement reached in an oil-buying case between Bill Koch and Wichita, Kan.-based Koch Industries. The amount has not been determined, but the Osage "quite likely" will receive a portion of the settlement, said Stephanie Hanna, a Department of Interior spokeswoman. "Ultimately, the Osage Nation can expect to get some distribution," Hanna said. Koch Industries could have been required to pay as much as $214 million after a federal jury in Tulsa found in 1999 that it deliberately cheated oil producers on federal and Indian lands. The $25 million settlement was approved last month by the Department of Justice and a federal judge in Tulsa. About 44 percent of the oil leases involved in the case were on tribal land in Osage County. Osage Nation shareholders receive royalty payments on oil production from tribal lands. The tribe never joined in the lawsuit filed by Bill Koch on behalf of the federal government. But because the government will get about $17 million of the settlement, the Interior Department plans to issue a "proper allocation" to the tribe, Hanna said. Bill Koch sued under the federal False Claims Act, which allows him to receive 30 percent of any award. His share is more than $7 million. Bill Koch is the younger brother of Charles Koch, Koch Industries' chief executive. He has said the settlement marks the end of a long-standing legal battle over the family business. In the Tulsa case, Koch Industries admitted it received about $170 million in oil it did not pay for. But the company contended that amount represented a fraction of the oil it collected from federal and American Indian lands between 1985 and 1989 and fell within industry standards. All content copyrighted c. 2001 The Oklahoma Publishing Co. --------- "RE: Chiefs planning Indian Act Court Challenge" --------- Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 09:06:23 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="COURT CHALLENGE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm Jun 25 2001 3:01 PM EDT Chiefs planning Indian Act court challenge THOMPSON, MB - The leader of the northern Manitoba chiefs group MKO wants to challenge a section of the Indian Act in court. Grand Chief Francis Flett says a 1985 change to the act is doing more harm than good. Before the Indian Act was amended in 1985, an aboriginal woman would lose her Indian status if she married a non-aboriginal man. Bill C-31 put an end to that. Now, women who were once in that position can regain their status and move back to a reserve to get benefits and services such as housing. But the grandchildren of those women are not eligible for status and that has Flett concerned for the future. Flett says it's a threat to the numbers of aboriginal people and his goal is to get it changed. "In dealing with all these issues like governance, treaty land entitlement, it's going to affect everything because, if you're going to make all these deals and there's no treaty, Indian people in 25 years, who's going to be using our property under the treaty?" Flett will also be asking other native communities to help with his legal bill, by asking all the First Nation communities or organizations to donate $500 each. "There's about 630 communities in Canada that have a shared interest in this," he says. Flett will be seeking support for a court challenge at a meeting of the Assembly of First Nations in Halifax next month. Copyright c. 2001 CBC. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Broken Treaty haunts the Black Hills" --------- Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 09:06:23 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BROKEN TREATY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm A broken treaty haunts the Black Hills By STEVE YOUNG Argus Leader published: 6/27/01 RAPID CITY -- Rick Two Dogs leans against his pickup in the forested hills west of Rapid City, lulled by the saw-blade cadence of a tree cutter and the sight of a white ash falling in the distance. Each spring, the Oglala medicine man travels here to the sacred Paha Sapa, or Black Hills, to harvest tipi poles for his annual July sun dance on the Pine Ridge Reservation. It's like coming home again, Two Dogs says, to what the Lakota believe is the womb of Mother Earth. "All of our origin stories go back to this place," he says as the tall, slender trees continue to fall nearby. "We have a ... spiritual connection to the Black Hills that can't be sold. I don't think I could face the creator with an open heart if I ever took money for it." Yet 125 years after the Great White Father broke his treaty promises to the Sioux and illegally confiscated the gold-rich Black Hills, a pot of money now worth $544 million is all that is being offered in return. Sioux ownership of the land is gone, given away to towns and cities, sprawling commercialism and government-run forests and parks. Now to drive into the woods and cut down trees --as his ancestors once did freely --Two Dogs needs a permit. While he readily complies, it still doesn't seem right to him. "I don't believe we ever gave up the land," he says. "Technically, if you look at the treaties, what it reads is that we rented the Black Hills to the whites. We never said we were going to sell it. And we never did." Few issues in Indian-white relations today are more charged than the taking of the Black Hills. Throughout history, the two sides have shed blood over it. They have paid lawyers to fight over it. They have argued about it before the U.S. Supreme Court. In fact, on June 30, 1980, after decades of legal wrangling, the high court upheld an award to the Great Sioux Nation of $17.1 million for the illegal taking of the Black Hills, plus $88 million in interest. Since then, that total has multiplied five-fold. Yet 21 years after that decision, the money remains untapped in the U.S. Treasury as the Sioux hold out for return of the land. "This is just my opinion, but I believe that the tribes would like to resolve this claim in a fair and honorable manner," says Mario Gonzalez, a tribal attorney for the Oglala Sioux Tribe who worked on the Black Hills claims issue. "The only way that can be accomplished is through a negotiated political settlement through the U.S. Congress. And any settlement must include land restoration as well as monetary compensation for the denial of the absolute and undisturbed use and occupation of the Black Hills as guaranteed under Article II of the 1868 treaty." Treaty history Such usage was promised to the Lakota 133 years ago in return for their agreement to allow safe passage of settlers and travelers through their homelands on the way to gold fields in California, Colorado and Montana. Until about 1850, white America hadn't shown much interest in what it called the "Great American Desert" on the Northern Plains. Undisturbed Indian occupancy of the area was assumed. But that view changed with the discovery of gold, the Mormon migration to Utah and the opening of Oregon. When California became a state in 1850, establishing a secure route west became a priority for federal lawmakers. The government accomplished that in 1851 with the signing of the Fort Laramie Treaty. Some 10,000 Indians representing 12 tribes came to the fort to negotiate. A settlement was reached on Sept. 17 of that year. In exchange for allowing the government to establish roads and military posts along the Oregon-California Trail, they were promised undisturbed use of the land north and south of the trail. They also were promised $50,000 in goods a year for 50 years because of previous damage done to their lands --the killing of their game, the using up of their scarce wood supplies and the deadly cholera and smallpox brought by the white man. But the U.S. Senate trimmed the annuity from 50 to 10 years before ratifying the treaty. That didn't sit well with the Sioux. Settlers ignored the boundaries of Indian territory, and when gold was discovered in southwestern Montana in 1862, prospectors and settlers started following a route across eastern Wyoming that became known as the Bozeman Trail, bringing the same problems. The government also built military posts along the trail, and through 1866 and 1867, the forts were under a virtual state of siege by the Indians. Traffic on the trail was in constant danger. Congress, caught up in the costs of Civil War reconstruction and battling a debilitating recession along the eastern seaboard, attempted to pursue a "policy of peace." That meant providing for a concentration of the Plains Indians in two large reserves. The Northern Plains tribes would be concentrated north of the North Platte Valley. The Southern Plains tribes would occupy the area south of the Arkansas River. The Black Hills were conceded to the Sioux as part of the northern reserve. And the Bozeman Trail and the forts along it would be abandoned. Numerous attempts were made to push the idea in councils with the tribes at Fort Laramie. But Red Cloud and others refused to participate until the forts and the Bozeman Trail were removed. In April 1868, the treaty commission made one more attempt. Again, few Indians showed up. But Spotted Tail and a few other Brule leaders did eventually come to the fort and "touch their pens" to the original draft. That became the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie. In addition to promising protection from intrusion from non-Indians and provisions such as clothing, food and health care, the government guaranteed the Sioux absolute and undisturbed use of present-day western South Dakota, including the Black Hills. It also agreed that no part of the Great Sioux Reservation could be ceded away unless three-fourths of all adult males consented. In return, the Sioux would give up the right to occupy land outside the reservation, though they could still hunt buffalo in eastern Wyoming and Montana, and would allow construction of railroads. In many ways, it was a flawed agreement. For one thing, the treaty leaves the impression that the Oglala, Minneconjou, Hunkpapa and Blackfeet bands of Lakota all signed the document when Spotted Tail did. Some Oglala eventually did sign. But many of those represented on the treaty did not. According to David Miller, a former history professor at Black Hills State University, the treaty was taken to Chicago from Fort Laramie for Gen. Phil Sheridan, commander of Military Division of the Missouri, to review. Concerned it would limit military operations -- and convinced a showdown was inevitable -- Sheridan had an addition made, Miller has written. Called "the Chicago rewrite," the new language stipulated that the Sioux would not oppose the "construction of railroads, wagon trains, mail stations or other works of utility or necessity which may be ordered or permitted by the laws of the U.S." Miller wrote there is no evidence that the bands of Indians who signed onto the treaty ever knew that language was added. But years later, the Army argued that the "works of necessity" clause justified Lt. Col. George Custer's expedition into the Black Hills in 1874 looking for sites for a military post, Miller says. On top of all that, because the tribal leaders involved in the treaty negotiations were illiterate, they were dependent on the spoken word of interpreters for their understanding of the treaty. "Chances that all the bands of Indians influenced by the 1868 treaty had the same understanding of the document are not very great," Miller wrote. "Therefore, it could be argued that almost from its inception, the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 was misunderstood and never provided a valid point of departure for ethical and moral questions concerning the taking of the Black Hills." The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty on Feb. 16, 1869. But peace would be short-lived. Gold in the Hills In July 1874, Custer was ordered out of Fort Abraham Lincoln near Bismarck with 1,200 men on a 60-day reconnaissance of the Black Hills for potential military fort sites. It would be the first major violation of the 1868 treaty. On July 30, 1874, two miners found placer gold in French Creek. The rush to western Dakota Territory was on. For the next 17 months, the military fought a constant battle trying to keep miners out of the hills --and trying to prevent the Lakota from attacking those that got through. Miners poured in by the hundreds. Those who were caught were escorted out by the soldiers. Few were ever prosecuted. White America seemed to have little regard for the Sioux's claim to the land. Editors at newspapers from Sioux City, Iowa, to Sidney, Neb. -- including the Sioux Falls Independent -- saw the financial possibilities of their cities becoming the jumping-off point for the gold fields. So they promoted the possibility. Growing frustration Gen. Sheridan complained about the double duty of protecting settlements from raids by hostile Indians while dealing with the illegal occupation of the Black Hills by miners. In fact, it was those Indian hostilities, caused in large part by white incursions into the Black Hills, that helped to fuel the animosities that exploded on the battlefield at the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876. President Ulysses S. Grant apparently shared Sheridan's frustrations. In a Nov. 3, 1875, meeting with Sheridan and several cabinet leaders in Washington, D.C., the president made a decision that ultimately figured heavily in the Supreme Court's 1980 ruling that the Black Hills were taken illegally. "... the President decided that while the orders heretofore issued forbidding the occupation of the Black Hills country by miners should not be rescinded, still no further resistance by the military should be made to the miners going in; it being his belief that such resistance ... complicated the troubles," Sheridan wrote in a confidential memo to Gen. Alfred Terry afterward. In other words, the government admitted it was going to violate the 1868 treaty, says Mark Leutbecker, a researcher with Nicklason Research Associates in Arlington, Va., who helped the Sioux in their case. "The Sheridan letter resulted in proof of a ... taking, the only time that happened in the history of the Indian Claims Commission," Leutbecker says. "It really exposes an incredible government conspiracy." Call off your men, Grant told Sheridan. And get the Sioux and Cheyenne to sell their rights to the Black Hills. To assist in the cause, Congress passed the Sioux Appropriation Bill in August 1876 that said, basically, either the Sioux signed away their claim to the Black Hills and Powder River country or they would lose promises of food and other provisions forever. Hungry and malnourished, many Sioux did sign. But tribal lawyer Gonzalez says it fell far short of the three-fourths of adult males required, and probably numbered closer to 10 percent. By the fall of 1876, the government had all the signatures it was going to collect. Congress made the taking of the Black Hills official on Feb. 28, 1877. What followed was decades of legal wrangling over the issue. In 1920, Congress passed an act allowing the Sioux to submit claims before the Court of Claims specifying that the Black Hills were illegally taken. The Sioux did so in 1923, but in 1942, the Court of Claims dismissed their grievance, saying it didn't have jurisdiction. In 1946, Congress established the Indian Claims Commission to hear Indian complaints about property improperly taken. It allowed the Sioux to resubmit their claim, but stressed that they could only sue for monetary compensation, not for the land. Three decades of legal maneuvering followed until 1974, when the Indian Claims Commission decided the Sioux were entitled to $17.1 million for reimbursement and interest of 5 percent from the time the land was taken. In 1979, that decision was affirmed by the Court of Claims, and the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed it on June 30, 1980. Land, not money The trouble is, the Sioux don't want the money. In fact because so much time has passed, Gonzalez says Congress would have to reauthorize the payment now if the Sioux decided to take it. Which they have no intention of doing, says Johnson Holy Rock, an 83- year-old Oglala elder whose father, Jonas, survived the Battle of the Little Bighorn. "It's a healing place, a nurturing place, for us," Holy Rock, of Pine Ridge, says. "Red Cloud used to say, 'A man almost on the verge of death could go into those hills in the fall and not come out all winter, and when he did finally come out, he'd be fat and robust and saved from starvation and totally healthy.' "It's always been that way. That's why the buffalo would go into the hills in the fall. And that's what we want returned." Sen. Bill Bradley proposed in a 1985 bill that the government return 1.3 million acres --about one-fifth of the Black Hills --to the Sioux, along with monetary compensation. It wasn't the towns Bradley intended to give back, but the land held through the parks, forest service and Bureau of Land Management. "We're not interested in taking people's homes," says Oliver Red Cloud of Pine Ridge, great-grandson of Chief Red Cloud. "The only thing that changes is instead of the taxes and fees being paid to the government for the minerals and forest, that will go to the tribes." It also would have meant that any use of the Black Hills would have been based on Lakota respect for the earth. That means sacred areas like Bear Butte and Harney Peak could have been temporarily closed for Lakota religious or ceremonial activities. Bradley's bill made little headway in Congress, in large part because of opposition from South Dakota's congressional delegation. A similar bill introduced by Rep. Mathew Martinez of California in 1990 also went nowhere. No further legislation has been introduced. There have been, however, more radical efforts by the Lakota to reclaim their land. On April 4, 1981, the Dakota American Indian Movement established a settlement called Yellow Thunder, 12 miles southwest of Rapid City, to dramatize their demand. The 800-acre site was supposed to become a permanent Indian religious, cultural and educational community. But it was framed in controversy, including an incident in July 1982 when a Rapid City resident was shot to death by an alleged camp member. Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from the Lakota, who were denied a special-use Forest Service permit for the camp. The same summer that Yellow Thunder was established, 1981, a group of 100 Oglala Sioux --many of them elderly -- set up a camp on the north edge of Wind Cave National Park to dramatize their claim to the area. This time the group was granted a 14-day camping permit from the National Park Service. And the occupation went peacefully. What next? How reasonable is it to think the Lakota might ever get all or part of the land back? In September 1993, a poll by Political/Media Research of Washington, D.C., found that 26 percent of South Dakotans favored returning unoccupied federal lands in the Black Hills to the Sioux people; 58 percent opposed it and 10 percent were undecided. Tribal officials viewed those numbers with optimism. "I am very pleased with the poll because it indicates that we are making progress," Gonzalez said at the time. "If the same poll was taken in 1980, my guess is that only 1 or 2 percent ... would have favored returning federally held lands." Even now, many Lakota see promise in the attitudes of their white brethren. For example, discussions are going on among state Game, Fish and Parks officials, lawmakers and tribal people about the use of Bear Butte near Sturgis and land around it. For decades, GF&P officials have looked at purchasing land around Bear Butte as a buffer against commercialization. Such a buffer would preserve the site's tranquility for tribal people who practice traditional religious rites there, says Webster Two Hawk, commissioner of the state Tribal Government Relations office. The GF&P officials also are looking at other options including asking the public to limit use of the hiking trail at Bear Butte in June, a peak month for religious use, and directing hikers to an educational program abut religious use at Bear Butte. To many Lakota people, that's a start. But it is only a raindrop in the vast and complex sea of issues enveloping the Black Hills. Teaching the young Perhaps one of the great challenges facing the Lakota today and tomorrow is connecting their future generations to the significance of the past of the Paha Sapa. For if they can't, will the lure of millions, maybe even billions of dollars in the U.S. Treasury override any attachment their parents and grandparents had to the land? "You can only speculate about future generations," Gonzalez says. "Over time, people die and new generations come into existence, and it's the long-term plan of the U.S. government that ties to the old ways will eventually diminish upon the passing of several generations. "What they hope is that at some point in the future, the ties to the old ways will only be a remembrance. And thereafter, new generations will have more loyalty to the U.S. government than the Sioux government. At that point, the 'conquest' will be completed." It's up to the Sioux people to determine whether that happens or not. The education process is occurring, says Faith Taken Alive of McLaughlin, who works with Standing Rock Reservation's schools to teach students about the treaties and the old ways. "The Black Hills is not just the Rushmore Mall in Rapid City to our young people," Taken Alive says. "It's not the shrine of hypocrisy at Mount Rushmore. It's not Crazy Horse Mountain. "We tell our young people that. They understand the meaning of what the Black Hills is once they've been to Bear Butte." They understand it is a sacred place, a land rich, nurturing and sustaining, Rick Two Dogs says. And that lesson is learned as simply as cutting down a white ash tree in the forest outside of Rapid City to be used as a tipi pole in a sun dance. "When we visit sacred sites, or do things like this, we're part of that same spiritual journey that our forefathers did long ago," Two Dogs says. "Accepting money for the land is like giving all of that away. How could we do that? How could we ever do it?" Reach reporter Steve Young at syoung@argusleader.com or 331-2306 All content Copyright c. 2001 Argus Leader. --------- "RE: RCMP Solidarity blocking Investigation" --------- Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 08:14:36 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RCMP BLOCK" www.pechanga.net http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/ Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=993748680582& REGINA (CP) - A "blue veil" of police solidarity is blocking an investigation into the freezing death of an aboriginal man on the outskirts of Saskatoon, charges the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. "Somebody knows something within the Saskatoon police service and they're not saying it," vice-chief Lawrence Joseph said Thursday. Rodney Naistus, 25, was found frozen to death on Jan. 29, 2000 on the outskirts of Saskatoon. Another man, Lawrence Wegner, was also found dead under similar circumstances in the same area around the same time. "This is why I am so frustrated with the system. We know darn well that this is a suspicious death. We know someone did wrong. We know somebody committed this crime," Joseph said. A special RCMP task force investigated Naistus's death. It is also looking into Wegner's death and other cases of alleged mistreatment of aboriginals by police. However, after a lengthy investigation, the public prosecutions office announced Wednesday no charges would be laid in the Naistus case. Al Stickney, president of the Saskatoon City Police Association, said Joseph's comments will worsen the relationship between police and the native community. "I think that Mr. Joseph certainly doesn't help anything by making statements like that," Stickney said. "He just further damages the relationship between police and First Nations people and makes it almost impossible to remedy any sort of problems that he sees that exist between the police and the aboriginal community." "I'm frustrated that despite what was brought into light, despite the best efforts, or the efforts of the justice system to say this is not police wrongdoing, that we still can't convince people of this." Joseph called for full disclosure at public inquiry into the Saskatchewan justice system. "I think only then will government people, leaders and ministers see that they are under a microscope, not only from our people, but Saskatchewan people," he said. "I think one of the big things is we have to find out what regulations, what rule book, the police services in Saskatchewan are playing under." Saskatchewan Justice Minister Chris Axworthy has announced an inquest into Naistus's death. The purpose of an inquest is to come up with ways to prevent further deaths and the coroner cannot lay blame. Inquests have already been held in the deaths of Darcy Ironchild and Lloyd Dustyhorn, two other cases in which the task force had earlier recommended no charges be laid. Ironchild died of a drug overdose at home after his release from police cells. Dustyhorn froze to death outside an apartment building after his release from police custody. Another aboriginal man, 34-year-old Darrell Night, has accused two Saskatoon police officers of forcing him out of their cruiser on Jan. 28, 2000, when temperatures were - 25 C, in the same general area where the bodies of Wegner and Naistus were found. Constables Dan Hatchen and Ken Munson have been charged with assault and unlawful confinement in the alleged incident involving Night. The officers are expected to face a trial this fall. As well, Night has filed a civil lawsuit against the officers. Night said he launched his complaint after hearing that Naistus and Wegner had been found frozen to death. Native leaders say cop solidarity blocking probe RCMP task force investigating freezing death of Sask. aboriginal --------- "RE: News from Montana State Prison" --------- Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 02:23:04 +0300 From: "Brigitte Thimiakis" Subj: News from Montana State Prison (Please forward to your lists) Greetings, Many thanks to every one who sent letters and supported the Native American Brothers illegally held in the Maximum security of Montana State Prison. Manuel Redwoman sent us good news: "Cliff T. Lamere is getting out of Max and he has only 9 points, which is really low." Jim Buccelli is the next one who should be released. Cliff and Jim were included in the letter campaign against the racial profiling at MSP. The African American prisoner who is sick, and who was kept in Max for longer than needed and was the victim of racial harassment by the staff, was also just released into general population, due to the info released by Manuel that was made public on the Internet. As for Manuel Redwoman, he is still confined in Max, 23/24, 7/7, where he has been held since February 22nd - illegally - in spite of his good record - in spite of his having only 5 points (even less than Cliff T. Lamere). So much for justice at Montana State Prison. Yet Manuel has not given up. He has sent us new evidence showing the injustice of his confinement. In a few days a new round of letters will be needed to be sent to the officials, to ask for his release from Max. They are very grateful for all your support, prayers and letters. Thank you ! respectfully, Brigitte --------- "RE: Peltier Awareness Month Feedback" --------- Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 19:13:32 -0500 From: "LPDC" Subj: Peltier Awareness Month - Send Feedback Mailing List: LPDC Dear Friends, Peltier Awareness Month is officially over, but the beginning of a new and invigorated campaign has begun. We want to thank everyone for their hard work. We would love to hear your feedback about how things went for you. What obstacles do we face in getting the word out to more people, and what strengths are on our side? What kinds of activities did you participate in? What worked and what didn't? How can we get the word out to more people on an ongoing basis? Please share this with us, and we will compile a report for the network and incorporate your feedback during LPDC planning sessions. Again, outreach and education is the key to broadening and strengthening the network. All of Leonard's lawyers say that raising public awareness is the best way to support their legal efforts - which are moving ahead. Of course, the same is true with our work around Congress. So, thank you again for your valuable efforts. In Solidarity, LPDC P.S. New listing of broadened LPDC Speakers Bureau to be released soon! Leonard Peltier Defense Committee PO Box 583 Lawrence, KS 66044 785-842-5774 www.freepeltier.org To subscribe, send a blank message to < lpdc-on@mail-list.com > --------- "RE: Native Prisoner" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2001 20:34:13 -0400 From: "Janet Smith" Subj: Native Prisoner News Tell a Native American Prisoner someone cares! -- - - - Peltier, Leonard #89637-132 Box 1000 Leavenworth, KS 66053 Birthday: 9/12/44 Ancestry: Ojibwa-Lakota -- - - - Pen pal request from this week's mail: Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2001 22:18:11 +0200 Could you please add the following address of my friend William to one of the next issues of Wotanging Ikche? William is looking for penpals, male or female doesn't matter. He and I would appreciate it very much! William Scheaffer #40586 700 Conley Lake Rd. Deer Lodge, MT 59722 USA (note: William is from the Hidatsa tribe) ---------------------------------------- >From last week's mail - the South Dakota mother who sent her son's name, requesting pen pals, mentioned a few things that got my curiosity going (especially since I know there's been an inquiry into criminal justice inequities in South Dakota) so I asked a few questions. Here's her initial request, and her follow up with answers to my questions. Somebody please start writing to this kid! He needs a buddy or three to let him know somebody cares. Note 1: My son's name is David Burgess, he was sent to the South Dakota State Prison in 1996 at age 15. He turned 20 years old June 22, 2001. His address is David Burgess #32391, South Dakota State Prison, PO Box 5911, Sioux Falls, SD 57106. He is doing 10 years for aggravated assault. I understand that you help Native American prisoners receive letters from penpals and was hoping that you could add his name to the list. Thank you. Kathleen Burgess Note 2: Yes, my son is Lakota, his father is enrolled in the Pine Ridge Reservation, I am white. I always thought David was sentenced very harshly-but as you say, I am his mother, so I guess my judgment would be tempered by what my son has been thru in his life. The judge was so harsh my son just sobbed in the court room, and said he would kill himself rather than go to prison. He was transferred to adult court without my even being notified of the hearing, or his own lawyer being present. She sent her husband, also a lawyer in the same legal aide office. He willingly agreed to it because they said they were going to give him 70 years, but if he plead guilty and went to adult court he would only get 5 only they changed their minds at the last minute and gave him 10. He will have done 50% of his time on Dec 24, 2001, but his counselor said he has too many writeups and won't make his automatic release date, he said he has to go before a parole board instead. He was sentenced in Roberts County in Sisseton, SD. They don't have good time anymore. The weirdest thing was, my son didnt assault anyone, he was with someone else who did, and they said by law your just as guilty as if you did it yourself. I dont really know the law-and all we got was a really bad public defender. I asked her-couldnt she have him plead guilty to something he actually did do? and she said no. What is even stranger, is that my son was stabbed clear to the bone by a white girl just the year before in Dilworth MN and she only got 4 days in jail and probation that I know of. She never got prison time. Lots of things they don't tell you either like if you have a wrinkle in your bed you get wrote up, he got wrote up for having his pillow at the wrong end of the bed, having a coffee pot on his fan shelf, stupid stuff, all of which is going to affect his parole, and they don't give you a lawyer to defend yourself in there from all of their pettiness. So its like he is never going to get out if they keep that up. He feels his situation is pretty hopeless right now. I thought maybe getting penpals and someone to write to might help him feel some better. It gets hard trying to keep up his spirits. So many people kill themselves in there-I worry all of the time about him. So I go to visit 2x's a week, let him call collect everyday, and send him $25/wk for commissary and do what I can to keep up his spirits. I would be interested in receiving any information you might have about the investigation going on about how Native Americans are treated more harshly. I have signed my son up for PrisonPenpals.com so he can get mail also, but he hasnt received any mail yet from that yet. Not a whole lot you can do in a 6 x 9 cell for 20 hours a day. It gets pretty boring. He has arthritis in his back now from lack of exercise I think, so he likes to get mail and write to people. Keeps his mind active if not his body. Well I guess I had better get this sent off. Thank you for adding his name to your list. Janet Smith Owlstar Trading Post http://www.owlstar.com --------------------------------- Please especially remember Leonard. Leonard Peltier #89637-132, Box 1000, Leavenworth, KS 66053 --------------------------------- Standing Deer's new address: Robert H. Wilson #640539, Estelle Unit, 264 FM 3478, Huntsville, TX 77320-3322 ---------------------------------- If you know of a Native American inmate who would like to correspond with brothers or sisters on the outside - please drop me a line with whatever information about them they'd like shared. Janet Smith Owlstar Trading Post http://www.owlstar.com owlstar@speakeasy.org --------- "RE: History: Carlisle Indian School" --------- Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2001 22:24:22 -0400 From: Barbara Landis Subj: History: Carlisle Indian School, June 8, 1888 INDIAN HELPER [Editorial Note: These reprints are being included in this newsletter so that you might know the mind of those who ran institutions like Carlisle.] THE INDIAN HELPER ----------------------------- ~~ FOR OUR BOYS AND GIRLS ~~ =========================== VOLUME III FRIDAY, June 8, 1888 NO. 43 CARLISLE, PA. =========================== WHAT A BARREL OF WHISKEY CONTAINS. ------- "A barrel of headaches, of heartaches, of woes, A barrel of curses, a barrel of blows, A barrel of tears from a world-weary wife, A barrel of sorrow, a barrel of strife, A barrel of all-unavailing regret, A barrel of cares and a barrel of debt, A barrel of crime and a barrel of pain, A barrel of hopes ever blasted and vain, A barrel of falsehood, a barrel of cries, That fall from the maniac's lips as he dies, A barrel of agony, heavy and dull, d barrel of poison - of this nearly full. A barrel of poverty, ruin and blight, A barrel of terrors that grow with the night, A barrel of hunger, a barrel of groans, A barrel of orphans' most pitiful moans, A barrel of serpents that hiss as they pass >From the head on the liquor that glows in the glass. My barrel! My treasure! I bid thee farewell, Sow ye the foul seed, I will reap it in Hell!" -Wisconsin Prohibitionist. -------- WELCOME! ----- The following address of welcome to the young ladies of Wilson College who visited the school last Friday night, was given by Kish Hawkins, of the Cheyenne tribe. The speech was almost impromptu, he having been informed only a short time before the arrival of the young ladies, that an address would be expected from him: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF WILSON COLLEGE: On behalf of the Carlisle Indian School I extend to you a hearty welcome. We are always very glad to have our friends especially students, as WE are students, to come and see us. I trust that this meeting between you and us shall never be forgotten. We have prepared for you a little program from pieces of our last monthly entertainment hoping that each performance may please you. We may consider this a *lunch* of an entertainment. I want to tell you, that our whole number of pupils on the roll is now 558. But where are the rest? you may ask. I would say to you, look to the East, West, North and South and you will see Carlisle Indian students, working out in fields in barns, in kitchens and elsewhere. They are getting the experience of a farm life, they are learning to take care of themselves. If you should go back of that long building (the boys' quarters) you would see us working in the different shops. Then if you should go into that building, there you would find yourself in the midst of a busy humming noise-a sewing-room in one part and the laundry in the other. These places are where we train our hands to usefulness. Then should you go into that long building (school-building) you would find us doing just your kind of work-training our minds. Our intention is to be able to help ourselves and our motto is--"God helps those who help themselves." Let us hope that Carlisle may turn out some of its pupils, who will respect women's rights, members of Congress, who will support the passage of a Bill providing for women to have a voice in the government. I do hope that at some future time we shall have another bright representation from Wilson College to pay us a visit again. -------- How to Learn to speak Plainly. When Curran who became a famous orator was a boy he used to be called at school "stuttering Jack Curran." But he determined to overcome this defect in his speech and when he grew older he used to read aloud strongly and plainly for several hours every day from books so that his speech might grow distinct. He spoke plainly, not because nature had given him a clear articulation, but because he determined that he would do it. When he was a boy it was as hard for him to pronounce English plainly as it is for an Indian boy who understands it when he reads it and hears it. If the Indian boys took Curran's way of improving their speech, if they read aloud to themselves even half an hour a day and resolved that every word should be uttered distinctly before the next was spoken, what would be the result? One thing at least would happen. When the debating clubs give their exhibitions in the autumn, everybody would say. "What good English! Well done!" ======================================== (p 2) The Indian Helper. ----------------------------- PRINTED EVERY FRIDAY, AT THE INDIAN INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL, CARLISLE, PA. BY THE INDIAN PRINTER BOYS. ----------------------------- Price: - 10 cents a year. =============================== Address INDIAN HELPER, Carlisle, Pa. Miss M. Burgess, Manager. =============================== Entered in the P.O. at Carlisle as second class mail matter. =============================== THE INDIAN HELPER is PRINTED by Indian boys, but EDITED by The-Man-on-the-band-stand, who is NOT an Indian. =============================== The INDIAN HELPER is paid for in advance, so do not hesitate to take the paper from the Post Office, for fear a bill will be presented. ================================ We are pleased to hear of the marriage of Louie Cornelius with Jones Schanandoah, at the Oneida agency, Wis. Louie was a pupil of Carlisle at one time, and Jones of the school at Martinsburg. May joy go with them, is the wish of their old gentleman friend. ========= We were pleased to hear from Bennie Thomas this week - one of our printers now on a farm in Bucks County. He is with David Turkey. The people with whom they live are very kind, he says. Bennie sees Benajah nearly every Sunday, and he says they often talk about the Printing Office. ========= At the great Democratic Convention held in St. Louis this week, Mr. Cleveland and Mr. Thurman were nominated for President and Vice-President of the United States. Republican Convention will be held in Chicago before long. No one knows who will be nominated. There will be exciting times in politics from now until the Presidential election in November. Read the papers, boys! Keep your eyes open, and decide for whom you would vote if you had a chance. ========= The Dakota Trip. Miss Trvine arrived from Pine Ridge Agency, Dakota, Saturday evening. The sick girls stood the journey very well. When she left, Dessie was at the boarding school but expected soon to go to her home about forty miles out. Miss Irvine saw a number of our returned students. Clarence Three Stars was still at the Boarding School as Disciplinarian, and she heard that he was very faithful in the discharge of his duties. Frank Twiss is growing stout and is much interested in his trade which he learned at Carlisle - that of tinner. Emma Hand continues to make her home with her brother-in-law, Mr. Kolhoff. Edgar Fire Thunder has married one of the Agency boarding school girls, and still holds his position in the blacksmith shop, where he gives full satisfaction. Amos is putting up a school house at one of the distant camps. Alice Wynn, in spite of the rumor a few weeks ago quite to the contrary, is strong and well. Martha Bordeaux and Winnie Schweigman were at Pine Ridge from Rosebud on a visit. George Firethunder's record is such that we take no pleasure in publishing it. Robert American Horse was well and doing well. ====== "Oh, the joys of fishing! To rise early in the morning and wend one's way noiselessly along a clear sparkling brooklet, perchance in a great quiet forest, while the birds above warble sweet songs of exquisite comfort and joy filling one's heart, with praise to Nature's God. Oh, ladies, it is charming, a delight to my soul." The speaker was one of Carlisle's brilliant young merchants and the audience a company of our ladies gathered under the trees within hearing distance of the Man-on-the-band-stand. The worst of it is, after this burst of eloquence the b.y. merchant and an officer of our school actually went fishing but caught nothing but a bull-frog. ======== The party of ladies from our school who went to visit the great Normal School at Millersville, on Tuesday, report having had a delightful time. The cordial manner in which they were received and entertained by the faculty of the Normal were most gratifying, and the Man-on-the-band-stand hopes that the teachers, officers and students of-the Carlisle school may sometime have the pleasure of returning the compliment. ======== The young ladies of Wilson College, Chambersburg, visited the school last Friday evening on their return from Gettysburg where they had spent an enjoyable day. They entertained our pupils with singing and recitations, and were enthusiastically applauded after each performance. Come again and make our hearts glad! ======== Through Miss Noble's kindness forty-three of the girls spent an afternoon at the farm. The old boat was made to do full duty in spite of its many leaks. The girls say they went horse-back, helped milk, read, rested and had a grand, good time. ======== The Apache babies, a most interesting picture, will be given for five new subscribers to HELPER, or one new subscriber to the Red Man, or for 20 cents cash. ======================================== Picnic! Tuesday next. Crokinole is setting some folks wild. -------- My chief clerk was _5 years old, Wednesday. -------- Levi Levering led our Sunday evening service. -------- Rat scalps 5 cents each. Small Apaches leading traders. -------- The fences about the grounds are being white-washed. -------- A party of ladies from Lancaster visited the school, on Tuesday. -------- Alex. Y. Wolf, oue of the bakers, went to work on a farm Saturday. -------- The Captain's phaeton is all fixed up in new paint and hardly knows itself. -------- At the girls' quarters they are administering Rough on Rats judiciously. -------- Stacy