From gars@speakeasy.org Wed Oct 3 01:47:17 2001 Date: 3 Oct 2001 01:34:05 -0000 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews09.040 + 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 + + Sho-da-ku-we + O o O + Aunchemokauhettittea + + Un Chota + O o o o o O VOLUME 09, ISSUE 040 O o O + Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse + October 6, 2001 O o O + Ximopanolti tehuatzin, Cherokee nvda udatanv/nut moon O inin Mexika tlahtolli + Potawatomi e'sksegtukkisis/moon of the first frost ( 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; ndn-aim and Big Mountain 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.'" "It was our belief that the love of possessions is a weakness to overcome. Its appeal is to the material part, and if allowed to find its way it will in time disturb one's spiritual balance. Therefore, children must early learn the beauty of generosity. They are taught to give what they prize most, that they may taste the happiness of giving." "If a child is inclined to be grasping or to cling to any of his or her little possessions, legends are related about the contempt and disgrace falling upon the ungenerous and mean person. . ." "The Indians in their simplicity literally give away all that they have -- to relatives, to guests of other tribes and clans, but above all to the poor and the aged, from whom they can hope for no return." __ Charles Alexander Eastman (Ohiyesa), Santee Dakota +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! We continue to find ways to fight among ourselves. It goes far beyond full against mixed, urban against rez. Old enmities simmer and new ones -- often based on imagined offenses -- flare. Our numbers are so few, yet we refuse to stand as one. It's absurd. Our enemies constantly use it against us, yet we continue to allow ourselves to be divided and conquered. What makes it even more absurd is how strong and beautiful we are when we stand as one. Tecumseh knew of this power and beauty, as did Crazy Horse and many others. Hiawatha wrote a code to help his people and their neighboring nations surmount their enmities and speak with one voice -- and that code stands today as an example of what could and should be between Indian people. Get off the dominant society's carousel, plant your staff with all our people and recognize who truly are our people's enemies. -- - - - If you have names and addresses of trustworthy collectors of food, money and clothing gifts at the various reservations please forward them soon. The winter winds already have come down from the north. 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 ---------- - Former Cochiti Governor - Moccasin Bend Bill Joe Hilario Herrera passes Subcommittee Vote - Crossings - Tennessee Native Americans - Court throws out hold Annual Convention Residential School Abuse Cases - Red Mesa plans Long Walk Finale - Abuse furthered by Appeals - Deh Cho begin talks - We Are All here on Development for a Special Reason - Rigoberta Menchu calls for - Families salute Brave Warriors War Crimes Tribunal - One American Indian's - Abolish James Bay Agreement view of Sept. 11 - Ipperwash Fires still Burning - Anti-war: - Traditional Inuit Diet A Grandfather's Tale of Sorrow cuts Heart Disease Risk - Akaka asked to oppose - First Nation Audits past due Arctic Drilling - Protesters found - Renewed call to drill Guilty of Contempt Alaska Wildlife Refuge - Means turned over to Tribal Courts - Respected Tribal Leader - Kanesatake Police is Stepping Down face Apparent Intimidation - Billie plans to fight - SQ helps Native Cops Fight Back Seminole Tribal Ban - Inmates scoff at - Secretary Norton's KNA Rehabilitation Pitch Penalty Discussed - Native Prisoner - BIA negates Acknowledgment -- Texas Hunger Strike, in 2 Cases Claiming a Quick Victory - Golden Hills buoyed by - History: Carlisle Indian School setting of Lawsuit Date - Rustywire: Waiting for Dawn - State Challenge to - Poem: Hear this Unworthy One Tribal Authority Rejected - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days - Researchers solve mystery - Native Americas Journal of Chaco Log Source wins Media Awards - Dineh sacrificed - Our Shared History while World isn't Watching - Native America Calling --------- "RE: Former Cochiti Governor Joe Hilario Herrera" --------- Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 08:55:38 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ELDER CROSSES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.imdiversity.com/Article_Detail.asp?Article_ID=7112 Artist, Former Pueblo Governor Dies by AP, The Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Joe Hilario Herrera, who transformed traditional Indian painting in the Southwest and served as governor of Cochiti Pueblo, died Wednesday. He was 80. Herrera's family said he had been suffering from diabetes. Herrera began painting beside his mother, Tonita Pena, a prominent San Ildefonso artist, when he was very young. She rewarded him with tubes of paint in return for swatting flies with a dish towel to keep them away from her easel. From 1934 until 1940, he studied at the Santa Fe Indian School. With other students, he painted murals on the classroom walls and was selected to paint a mural at Maisel's Trading Post in Albuquerque. Until about 1950, Herrera's paintings, like his mother's, were primarily traditional representations of Pueblo ceremonies. But while working on his degree at the University of New Mexico, his painting career took a major turn. One of his teachers, Raymond Jonson, encouraged him to explore modern styles such as cubism. While Herrera continued to explore ritualistic content, he began employing more abstract symbolism. His use of traditional symbols as elements of modern designs - called Pueblo Modernism - influenced a whole generation of artists. Herrera won many awards for his painting, including Les Palmes Academiques from the French government in 1954. He exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His work is in the collections of numerous museums including Harvard's Peabody Museum, the Heard Museum, the Wheelwright Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe, the Museum of Northern Arizona and the Philbrook Art Center. In the early 1960s, Herrera turned his attention to education and tribal politics. He taught painting at the University of Arizona Southwest Indian Art Project and was actively involved in the All Pueblo Council. By the time the Institute of American Indian Arts honored him with a week-long exhibition in 1993, Herrera had lost his eyesight and was no longer able to paint. Herrera is survived by his children, Joseph H. Herrera Jr. of Albuquerque and Yvonne Lewis of Santa Fe, as well as seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren. A funeral mass was set for Friday at St. Francis Cathedral, with burial following the service at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe. Copyright c. 2001 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2001 iMinorities, Inc. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Crossings" --------- Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 08:10:22 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CROSSINGS" http://www.cia-g.com/~gallpind/todaysnews.html#anchor7 Agnes Begay Draper WINDOW ROCK - Services for Agnes Draper, 73, will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Presbyterian Church, Ganado, Ariz. The Rev. Lawrence Harper will officiate. Burial will follow at the community cemetery, Kinlichee, Ariz. Draper died Sept. 26 in Gallup. She was born July 26, 1928, in Kinlichee into the Tsinajinnie Clan for the Bitter Water Clan. Draper attended Ganado Mission High School. She was employed with Indian Health Service Hospital in Fort Defiance, Ariz. She was a member of the Women's Bible Study Group of Community Bible Church, Tse Bonito. Survivors include her husband, Howard Draper of Window Rock; sons, Michael P. Draper of Gilbert, Ariz., Darl G. Draper of Tucson, Ariz., and Howard P. Draper of Window Rock; daughters, Janice D. Miller of Flagstaff, Ariz., and Cheryl A. Draper of Centralia, Wash.; brother, Alvin Wilson of Grants; and sisters, Pearl McCabe of Window Rock, and Peggy Cornfield and Frances Morgan, both of Kinlichee. Draper was preceded in death by parents, Dan and Ason T. Begay; daughter, Debra Draper; brothers, Luke Begay, John Begay and Thomas Begay; and sisters, Julia Wallace, Mary Jones and Alice Shirley. Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Ronald Ray Yazzie ST. MICHAELS, Ariz. - Services for Ronald Yazzie, 38, will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 1, at St. Michaels Catholic Church. Burial will follow at community cemetery, St. Michaels. Yazzie died Sept. 27 in Fort Defiance, Ariz. He was born Jan. 8, 1963, in Gallup into the One that Walks Around the House for the Black Sheep. Yazzie attended Wingate High School. He was a carpenter and cross- country runner. Survivors include his son, Terrance Yazzie of Navajo; daughter, Renee Yazzie of Gallup; mother, Mary C. Yazzie of Hunter's Point, Ariz; brothers, Anderson Spean of Oak Springs, Ariz., and Gerald Ray Yazzie of Phoenix; sisters, Carmelita Anderson of Window Rock, Evangeline Wooten of Hunter's Point, Ariz., Tilly Golden of Sanders, Ariz., and Veronica Fowler of St. Michaels; and grandfather, John Sam Jr. of Houck, Ariz. Yazzie was preceded in death by his father, Joe Ray Yazzie, and brother, Larenzo Spean. Pallbearers will be Gerald Yazzie, Anderson Spean, Darren Johnson, Monroe Yazzie, Randy Yazzie and Fulbert Fowler. A family meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, at St. Michaels Chapter House. Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Etsitty Benally BLACK MESA, Ariz. - Etsitty Benally, 96, died Sept. 25 in Blanding, Utah. Benally was a rancher, an herbalist and a medicine man. He was among those who were selected to testify before Congress in 1972 against proposed relocation legislation, pending in U.S. House of Representatives. Survivors include six children; 21 grandchildren; and five great -grandchildren. Erma Katherine Bitah LOWER GREASEWOOD, Ariz. - Services for Erma Bitah, 82, will be announced at a later date. Bitah was born May 10, 1919, in Lower Greasewood into the Big Water Clan for the Coyote Pass Clan. Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2001 the Gallup Independent. -- - - - http://www. -- - - - rapidcityjournal.com/obits/ September 26 Milo 'Keno' Jerome Black Crow Jr. WANBLEE - Milo Jerome Black Crow Jr., 40, died September 22, 2001, at his home. He was born January 5, 1961, in Riverton, Wyoming, to Milo Black Crow and Esther Addison Black Crow, and was raised on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, and Wanblee and Rapid City in South Dakota. Milo was an accomplished artist and painter with a gentle, caring and loving spirit. Survivors include his daughter, Debra Black Crow-Stauty, Ellsworth Air Force Base; six sisters, Celia Farley, Carmen Gray, Susan Spotted Bear and Alicia Bassett, all of Rapid City, and Angela Richards and Connie Lawrence of Fort Worth, Texas; two brothers, David Black Crow, Rapid City, and Allen Black Crow, Salt Lake City, Utah; one half-sister, Morgan Black Crow, and four half-brothers, Jessie Keta and Joseph, Justin and Jared Black Crow, all of Mission, S.D.; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. Also happy to have shared in his life is Salome Broderson, Rapid City, his fiancee and special friend for eight years. He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Gary, Aaron and Austin Black Crow; and one sister, Debra Black Crow. Services will be held at the Wanblee CAP office, with wake services on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and the funeral service at 10 a.m. Friday, September 28, 2001, with Rev. Daniel Makes Good officiating. Burial will follow at the Gethsemane Episcopal Cemetery, Wanblee, under the direction of Sioux Funeral Home, Pine Ridge, S.D. September 30 Major W. Brings Plenty EAGLE BUTTE - Major W. Brings Plenty, 68, of LaPlant, died Monday, Sept. 24, 2001, in Minneapolis. Wake services will be held at 6 p.m. today, Sunday, Sept. 30, at H.V. Johnston Cultural Center in Eagle Butte. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, at H.V. Johnston Cultural Center, with the Rev. Jeffery Barnes and the Rev. Richard Charging Eagle officiating. Burial will be at St Paul's Episcopal Cemetery under the direction of Luce Funeral Home of Eagle Butte. Copyright c. 2001 Rapid City Journal. --------- "RE: Court throws out Residential School Abuse Cases" --------- Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 09:00:01 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SCHOOL CASES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://winnipeg.cbc.ca/editorServlets/View?filename=mb_residential270901 Sep 27 2001 07:02 PM CDT Court ruling throws out residential school cases Winnipeg - At least 1,000 claims made my students of aboriginal residential schools could be thrown out of court after a court ruling on Thursday, according to a lawyer who represents two former students. The Manitoba Court of Appeal upheld the province's Limitation of Actions Act, ruling that a claim of abuse against a residential school must be filed within 30 years of the student's leaving the school. Lawyer Vic Savino says that will disqualify hundreds of claimants, including his clients, Margaret Moar and Donald Raymond Catcheway. Moar and Catcheway attended the Pine Creek Indian Residential School near Camperville in the 1940s and 1950s. They were seeking compensation from the Roman Catholic Church. "These claims are statuted - barred," he says. "In other words, they have not been brought within the time frame required by the limitations of the Act. "In this case, the Court of Appeal is ruling that the 30-year ultimate rule applies," he says. "For events that occurred more than 30 years ago, there is no remedy in Manitoba's courts." Savino says other provinces in Canada do not have time limitations for filing claims of abuse at residential school. Bill Percy, chairman of the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Lawyers for the Advancement of Survivors, which handles residential school court cases, says the court ruling will disqualify 99% of Manitoba claimants. Percy says the provincial government needs to change the Limitations of Actions Act. "That can be simply remedied by the present provincial government by amending the present legislation to make it comparable to that which exists in other provinces which enables these claims to go forward," says Percy. Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh has referred the matter to the Law Reform Commission. In a written response Thursday afternoon, the Roman Catholic Order of the Oblates of Manitoba said they do not condone or excuse the abusive conduct alleged by some former students, but the court is not the appropriate forum to deal with grievances relating to residential schools. They say they advocate a "conciliatory and non-judicial approach" to resolving any outstanding issues. The last residential school in Manitoba closed in 1969 - 32 years ago. Copyright c. 2001 CBC. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Abuse furthered by Appeals" --------- Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 11:11:56 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ANGLICAN STALL" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.Residential-Schools.html September 21, 2001 Cdn gov't and church's appeal of judgment further abuses natives:plaintiff VANCOUVER (CP) -- The Anglican Church and the federal government are heaping further abuse on natives by appealing a judgment that awarded four men $900,000 in damages for sexual abuse at a British Columbia residential school, says one of the plaintiffs. Terry Aleck said he began legal proceedings 13 years ago and was elated on Aug. 9 when a B.C. Supreme Court judge finally held the government and the church liable for sexual abuse during the 1960s and 1970s. But on Sept. 14, Aleck heard the Department of Indian Affairs and the Anglican Church had filed appeals. "It's like I'm starting right from scratch again and my emotions have been like a roller coaster ride," Aleck told a news conference. "I'm saying 'C'mon, government and church, stop, stop abusing us more. We've gone through enough pain.'^]" Aleck, 45, said he dreads the thought of retelling stories in court from his painful childhood at St. George's school in Lytton, B.C., which was operated by the Anglican Diocese of the Cariboo. He and the three other men, along with others who have settled out of court, were repeatedly raped by Derek Clarke, a dormitory supervisor at the school. Anthony William Harding, the principal, was also implicated in the sexual assaults. Aleck said he had hoped to close the door on the demons that have haunted him for years and have affected his two daughters and extended family members. "I think of the four generations of people that went to St. George's school and I think of all my best friends that suicided that were part of the residential school," he said. "And I think of my parents and uncles and aunties and all my great aunts and grandparents that are still alive who haven't dealt with this issue." Aleck said he has struggled with his identity as a First Nations person, contemplated suicide and battled a drug and alcohol addiction because of the abuse he suffered. "I've gone through hell, literally, emotional hell." Justice Paul Williamson awarded Aleck $223,000 in general damages for pain and suffering, aggravated damages for the government's and the church's conduct in operating the school, and for future care. The highest award of $256,000 went to a plaintiff identified in the judgment by the initials E.R.M., while the others, E.J., and G.B.S., were awarded $235,000 and $189,000 respectively. "I conclude the sheer horror of what happened to these children, and in particular the fact that all of the assaults continued over a period of time that must have seemed exceedingly long to children, warrants an award of aggravated damages," Williamson said in his judgment. Williamson held the church accountable for 60 per cent of damages while the federal government would have to pay the remaining 40 per cent. The higher amount for the church was based on a previous judgment that revealed Harding, the school principal, himself a perpetrator of sexual abuse, was aware of other abusers but covered up the truth. Rev. Catherine Morrison of Lytton said the Anglican Diocese of the Cariboo agrees First Nations should receive monetary awards, along with counselling for the abuse they suffered. However, Morrison said the church appealed Williamson's judgment because it doesn't believe it should be paying most of the money. Peter Grant, the men's lawyer, said the church and the government do not want to pay any punitive or aggravated damages, reducing each man's award by $75,000. Grant also said the parties want to reduce general damages by an unspecified amount. Copyright c. 2001, Canoe Limited Partnership. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: We Are All here for A Special Reason" --------- Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2001 08:53:11 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HERE FOR A REASON" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.navajohopiobserver.com/navajohopiobserver/myarticles.asp "We Are All Here For A Special Reason" By S.J. Wilson The Observer "Issues Without Borders." That was the title of the Fourth Annual Ethnobotany Symposium held by the Arizona Ethnobotanical Research Association. In the aftermath of the recent acts of terrorism in New York City and Washington, D.C., the symposium's message becomes even more poignant. "Basically," said Phyllis Hogan, Director of the AERA, "we are all in this together." In today's world, boundaries are being broken down. What affects one of us as a person - or as a nation - affects everyone else in the world. Presenters at the symposium had no clue how dramatically the world would be changed on September 11 when they accepted invitations months ago. Ironically, only three days later their topics were to be introduced by recognition of the national tragedy, and some explanation as to how a bioregional, global perspective is necessary for survival into the future. Mary Boone, the widow of prominent Navajo herbalist Sam Boone, was asked to deliver the opening prayer. With tears in her eyes, she began by recognizing the victims of the attacks and their families. "We are all here for a special reason," she said. "We all have a reason. It makes me sad how those people [who destroyed the Trade Towers and damaged the Pentagon] don't think of others. I shed a tear for them." She then reminded attendees that we must all thing of what Mother Earth has given us. As a nation, we may have lost thousands of people to terrorism, but the global reality is even more dire. "No one lives without water." Water was perhaps the most important topic to be addressed at the symposium. Vernon Masayesva, the Director of the Black Mesa Trust, well known for his stand on water, also took time to remember the victims and their families. This is a sad day, he said, but we as Americans should remember that there are other victims in the world. "A billion sisters and brothers of other countries do not have access to fresh water. A lot of children will never grow up to realize their potential because they will die young from lack of water. These are the invisible victims. They're crying out there but we don't hear them. If we could exert the same dedication and money to bring them water [as our country is dedicating to the victims of the tragedies in New York and Washington] we would be a great nation," Masayesva said. Enrique Salmon remembered the victims of the terrorist attacks in a poem he called "Prayer for Those Lost." The final line of the poem, written from his Raramuri cosmology, brings a strange comfort. "The heavens have many new stars." His people believe, he said, that when a person dies, their soul becomes a butterfly, which rises up into the sky into the Milky Way, which in turn becomes a star. Salmon's presentation explained how a person's language and culture forms the context of understanding of events for each individual within that culture. "We are all creatures of our culture. How we react to our reality. Every individual in this world has his own reality, as do all cultures." A man, who identified himself simply as Tom, wondered aloud what reality a human being must come from to have the conviction it would take to steer a jumbo jet into a massive skyscraper. Indeed. The Raramuri, Havasupi, Navajo, Yoeme (Yaqui), and other indigenous people might be considered impoverished on Wall Street, but for what they lack in money, they make up in spirituality and joy of living. Janneli Miller and Barney Burns both described a rich culture ordered by the environment in which people lived and interacted with. Felipe Molina and Lucille Watahomigie described life in their own indigenous cultures, and spoke of the respect one gives not only to each other, but to all living creatures. Without that respect, we cannot survive. Many valuable lessons were shared, basic rules for good behavior and a happy life. Navajo voices told listeners not to take from other's gardens, don't pick a plant without first making an offering and a prayer first, never take more than a third of what is growing, and finally, don't take anything at all if the survival of that species is threatened. Voices carrying the accents of the Havasupai and the Yoeme spoke of a life where a person harms no other thing without purpose - whether that be human, plant, animal or insect. Listeners were reminded that the tribal way of life on this continent did not damage the environment, because everyone understood that they would have to live in the mess they created. On the day that the Trade Towers fell, Hogan, like many of the people who work up and down San Francisco Street, was dazed by the events. She seriously considered canceling the symposium, but friends and colleagues urged her to go on with the event. As a result of the disaster, people are desperately looking for reasons to come together in a good way, to seeking human contact and support, as well as a hope for the future. Many who had committed to attending the symposium expressed their belief that it was one such opportunity. Editor's Note: The Raramuri lives in the southwest corner of Chihuahua, Mexico, among the higher elevations of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Copyright c. Northern Arizona Newspapers, Inc. --------- "RE: Families salute Brave Warriors" --------- Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 08:10:22 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WARRIORS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.cia-g.com/~gallpind/todaysnews.html#anchor7 Families salute brave warriors Larry Di Giovanni Staff Writer RED ROCK - Jay Charles, a corporal in the Marine reserves who could be called into active duty at any moment, has a personal view as to why American Indians join the U.S. military at a higher rate of service than any other ethnic group. "Since the fourth grade, when I learned that my grandpa was in the Korean War, having that military experience behind him, I looked up to him a lot," said Charles, a Marine-trained refrigerator mechanic who works at Pepsi-Cola Co. in Gallup. "I just wanted to pay my respect to veterans who have gone before us. "It was for me to show that respect to them and pay it back to them." Most of the men in Charles' family, including his younger brother, Jerrick Charles, serve or have served their country through the military. Jayson is serving an eight-year commitment to the Marines that began in 1994, while Jerrick, a Marine corporal on active duty, has re-enlisted for another four years. The Charles family was interviewed in Red Rock at the home of Jayson's mother-in-law, Nicole Walker. An ardent supporter of the U.S. military, Walker's combination patriotic/Navajo culture-themed home has two crossed U.S. flags in the entry way, with a framed picture that reads, "Jane Fonda call home, 1-800-Hanoi." Besides hoping that her military family members remain safe and serve heroically if called into the U.S. war against terrorism, Walker spends a lot of time thinking about Navajo tribal veterans. They don't get the treatment they deserve with respect to VA services, but love their country more than any U.S. citizens she has ever known. Walker's daughter, Valerie Walker-Ben, is a University of New Mexico- Gallup student and president of Gallup's National Native American Youth Coalition. Its purpose is to assist Navajo veterans, seniors, youths and the physically impaired. "We have been patting our (military) boys on the back long before this tragedy occurred," Walker said of the horrors that occurred Sept. 11. Coalition members, who plan to honor law enforcement officers and other brave people who protect the United States, will host a "red, white and blue salute" Oct. 5 at Veterans Memorial Park in Ford Canyon. Like the rest of her tightly knit family, Walker-Ben knows the sacrifices that military families make. Her husband, Army Pfc. Gary R. Ben, left Dec. 26, 2000 for Seoul, South Korea, to work in telecommunications and fiber optics. They thought he would be serving in the United States, but fate took a different turn for the family. Ben is allowed to spend just a few weeks home each year, and that was to be Dec. 18 this year, in time for Christmas. But the coming war has pushed that back to a later date. "We're feeling more badly for him because he is alone over there and we have each other here," Walker-Ben said. Their son, Daryl Ben, 5, a kindergartner at Red Rock Elementary School, doesn't know what terrorism means - not quite yet - but he can articulate its impact. "Airplanes crashed into the building and people died, and firemen died," Daryl said. "I miss my daddy." The anxiety over forthcoming family separation is equally felt by Jayson Charles, his wife Cheryl Walker-Charles, and Jayson's and Jerrick's parents, Edison and Cecilia Wauneka. Jayson and Cheryl have a baby girl, Jordyn, who is just 11 days old, and a daughter, Stephanie, who is a first-grader at Red Rock Elementary. Stephanie also doesn't know what "terrorism" means. She and her classmates have talked about what a bad thing war is. They made a poster that reads "I love America." "My heart's going to be here with my family," Jayson said. The family was able to talk by phone Thursday night with Jerrick Charles, who is stationed at Camp Lejune, N.C. His Marine unit provides support for infantry. As a corporal, Jerrick is a noncommissioned officer, which means he tries to answer questions and ease a lot of the uneasiness his men feel, some of which he is feeling himself. "I'm not looking forward to it, I'm not bouncing off the walls, if you know what I mean," he said. But Jerrick said he would have re-enlisted for another four years, terrorist attack or no terrorist attack. A new kind of war merely places more of "a burden on our shoulders." A ground war in and around Afghanistan, unlike the mostly air war that Desert Storm was, is a distinct possibility. "That's what I think, personally," Jerrick said. His stepfather, Edison Wauneka, a Navajo Nation Council delegate who represents the Crystal, Red Lake and Sawmill chapters in New Mexico, was asked if the Navajo Nation should be concerned that it could - like other locations around the United States - become a target for terrorism. "With the people that we're dealing with, I don't think anybody's safe because they (terrorists) don't care about people," Waneka said. "For that reason, I believe every family needs to be somewhat prepared." Wauneka said he doesn't believe the tribe needs to go as far as to create its own Navajo National Security Council, as has been proposed by Government Services Committee Chairman Ervin Keeswood Sr. (Hogback). The committee may demand that tribal programs provide their plans in the event of a military-type disaster. The United States is sworn to protect tribes, whose members are U.S. citizens, and Wauneka said the Navajo Nation already has a Department of Emergency Management. War should not be a time to ram home ideas that otherwise wouldn't fly, Wauneka said. "We don't need to overstep our bounds because we're a government authority. We need to be able to assist those with what's already in place," he said. Wauneka said the tribe can best help its people by taking care of its war veterans. A plan is proceeding that would use the upper floors of the old Fort Defiance, Ariz., hospital as a veterans hospital. Copyright c. 2001 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: One American Indian's view of Sept. 11" --------- Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 13:21:09 -0700 (PDT) From: Paul Pureau Subj: ITC:One American Indian's view of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack Mailing List: ndn-aim One American Indian's view of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack October 01, 2001 - 15:00 est by: Joanna Mounce Stancil / Today Correspondent The tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, have been branded forever into the hearts, minds and souls of American people. I'm but one of millions who needs to share something of myself - one American Indian's view of that day and the week since thousands of our brother and sisters perished at the hands of terrorists. We call them terrorists, but these were men who had no regard for life, not even their own. How would I know that on my drive from upper New York state to Washington, that previous Friday afternoon, that I would wake up Tuesday to a darkly different world. I was enjoying the drive from a business trip at the Standing Stone Casino and Resort where the hardest tasked I faced was to help an Indian Health Board build a more efficient team. Now I can't even make a simple decision without effort. As I drove south on 195 I looked to my left and sought the familiar sights of Manhattan, the Empire State Building and the twin peaks of the World Trade Buildings jutting upward as if to reach into heaven. Now it's Monday of the following week and life goes on. People hustle to get back to work, children laugh and tussle on school playgrounds, husbands and wives rush around like crazy trying to balance work with family life. The sounds and rhythms of America continue in the exquisite dance within the hoop of life. I've joined the ranks of thousands who got stuck in D.C., and who are out of money from the extra expenses. But that is just an inconvenience, a bug bite to be scratched and put aside. We will go back from where we came and pray for brighter days - holding dear the people we got to know from the news reports - those who have lost so much, those whose heroism and love stand taller than any mountains built by man. Maybe we Native peoples can relate better than most Americans to the horror of such inhumane acts against people. We have branded into our genetics a history of terrorism at the hands of those who saw us as less than human. Who saw us as roadblocks to progress, something to be removed and moved - out of the sight, out of mind, so to speak. I am amazed at the endurance of the human spirit. Even when the fabric of our survival is tattered and worn thin, threatening to expose our very souls to the freezing winds of terror, we take stock and apply yet another patch to hold it all together. As Native people we know a lot about the patches that hold Indian country together. Even in patches we can create beauty by adding some quills and beadwork. First and foremost this is our homeland. The blood of our people mixes with the soils of both coasts to form the very clay of democracy that is America. We have contributed more than most through our service in the Armed Forces to ensure that the Stars and Stripes are forever. Now in this time of need what role will we play as individuals and as Nations to show the world America and indeed Native America will never cower? What role will we play to rebuild upon the ground made sacred by the lives lost and heroic deeds performed? ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 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: Anti-war: A Grandfather's Tale of Sorrow" --------- Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 09:00:01 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ANTI-WAR" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.thenavajotimes.com/Opinion/GuestCol/GuestCol1/GC9/gc9.html Anti-war: A grandfather's tale of sorrow By Milton Bluehouse Jr. Special to the Times An older Navajo man walked on the side of the road for years, sometimes hitchhiking to a Veterans Administration hospital or to Gallup. At other times he stood around under the shade of trees near the post office leaning on his crutch and talking with other Navajo men. When people talked about him, they said he was in the Korean War. As a boy, I often wondered how my clan grandfather lost his leg. In 1995, after four years in the Marines, I came home. From an airplane high above Navajoland, I looked out the window and strained to see the Navajo mountains in the distance. The only mountain I could see was Tsoodzil, the turquoise mountain, and if I looked hard enough I imagined I could just barely make out Doko'oosliid. Before landing, I thought about the Mountain Songs and Journey Songs of the Blessing Way ceremony and fought back tearful emotions of a prodigal son returning home. Throughout that summer I worked different jobs on the reservation here and there saving money for college. I would see my grandfather standing on the side of the road, usually by the old two-story trading post near St. Michaels. Whenever I saw him, I would stop to give him a lift to the post office in Ganado. After he placed his crutch in the back of the truck, he would carefully balance himself to get in and we would be on our way. Usually, he would talk about hitchhiking and who picked him up, about his sore arm chafing against the sponge arm pad of his crutch taped over with gray duct tape, or about his relatives who were always worrying about him. As he talked, his stories would take away the strong smell of alcohol and nights spent on the streets in Gallup and I would forget about the cars and trucks ahead of me that had passed him over. One afternoon, coming off the mountain from Window Rock on the other side of Cross Canyon, my grandfather looked out across the valley and pointed at the mesa cliffs near Cornfields and said, "You never really feel home until you see those white cliffs over there." We sat in silence for a few minutes thinking about home. He looked away towards Kinlichee and was quiet. Finally, he began to talk about his friend who died in Korea, in the winter of 1950 when he lost his leg. During the battle they moved towards the action and he heard his friend cough - loud - and saw him fall. After stopping and dragging him to cover, he checked on his friend and saw blood coming from his chest and mouth. He said his friend was trying to breathe while he frantically removed his blood soaked field jacket to try and save him. My grandfather said his nightmares to this day never let him forget his friend who died in Korea. By Fish Creek, he turned to me with tears in his eyes and said he never wanted to see war again. Copyright c. 1999-2001 Navajo Times/Navajo Nation. --------- "RE: Akaka asked to oppose Arctic Drilling" --------- Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 08:14:11 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ARTIC" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://starbulletin.com/2001/09/22/news/story6.html Akaka asked to oppose Arctic drilling A Indian tribe from the region hopes to influence Hawaii Sen. Akaka's vote By Gordon Y.K. Pang gpang@starbulletin.com Members of a northeastern Alaska Indian tribe have brought their fight against oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to Hawaii. Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka, a Democrat, is considered the lone fence- sitter in a critical vote on an omnibus energy bill before the Senate Energy Committee. The issue could determine the fate of oil drilling in the 1.5 million-acre Arctic region of Alaska, as well as of 130,000 porcupine caribou that migrate to the area every year so their cows can give birth in early June. Lucy Beach, executive director of the Gwich'in Steering Committee, said she wants Hawaii constituents to apply pressure on Akaka to vote against the energy bill, which if approved would clear the way for oil drilling in the wildlife refuge "We call this the sacred place where life begins," Beach said. The Gwich'in living in Arctic Village, Old Crow and Fort Yukon rely on the caribou for food, skin, fat and other essential items to help them survive the sub-zero temperatures of the Alaskan winter, Beach said. The Gwich'in have both a physical and spiritual relationship with the caribou that some have compared to the tie once shared by native American Indians of the Great Plains and the buffalo. Oil drilling opponents say that just as North American tribes began their decline when buffalo began disappearing, so too will the Gwich'in if the caribou vanish. The caribou, described as the largest herd of migrating animals in North America, move north during the birthing period to get away from predators such as wolves and bears, as well as mosquitoes and other insects that hit the tundra in the spring. "We're hoping that Sen. Akaka will see the need to protect the last complete, arctic ecosystem in the world," Beach said. Local organizations such as the Hawaii Audubon Society have allied with the Gwich'in, adding that there is also a local tie because animals that could be adversely affected include about 200 species of birds that come here during the winter. Beach is scheduled to speak at 6:30 tonight at the annual meeting of the Conservation Council for Hawaii at the Waikiki Aquarium. There are many, however, who believe the drilling will not affect the herd or the Gwich'in. Paul Cardis, Akaka's spokesman, said the senator "believes that (drilling) can be done in an environmentally responsible way, but he would want to make sure that any package does do that." Cardis noted that the Inupiat Eskimos, who actually live in the refuge lands, back exploratory drilling. "The Inupiat people, who also rely on this caribou, should and do know their lands, and one should trust them to be good stewards, and if they favor exploration and economic development, credence should be given to their wishes as well." Beach said, however, that the Inupiats stand to profit from the drilling, adding that they have more of a connection with whales than they do with the caribou. Cardis said that developers are looking at agreeing to halt drilling during breeding months, as is done in the Prudhoe region. The oil drilling is being pushed by the Bush administration and supported by Alaska's two senators, Republicans Frank Murkowski and Ted Stevens. Environmentalists fear that last week's terrorist attacks will place more pressure on Congress to try to increase domestic oil production. Beach said she and the Gwich'in believe this should really be a time when Americans look more at conservation. Copyright c. 2001 Honolulu Star-Bulletin. --------- "RE: Renewed call to drill Alaska Wildlife Refuge" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 08:32:18 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DRILL ANWR" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/breaking/0925alaska-ON.html Renewed call to drill Alaska wildlife refuge San Francisco Chronicle Sept. 25, 2001 22:15:00 WASHINGTON - A controversial plan to drill for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has become a question of national security since the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on New York and the Pentagon, a group of Republican lawmakers said Tuesday. "This country needs energy produced by Americans in America for America, " said Rep. Billy Tauzin of Louisiana. "Secure energy sources for this country are critical." Oil from the Alaskan refuge could replace all of our oil from Iraq for the next 50 years, said Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas, the House Republican whip. "We can't wait another day," DeLay said at a news conference outside the Capitol. "The strength of our security, the health of our economy, rests on expanding our domestic energy supply immediately." The Republicans went public in an effort to push the Democratic- controlled Senate into taking quick action on an energy bill that focus almost entirely at boosting oil and energy production in the United States. Increased domestic production was a key element of the energy plan pushed by Bush during last year's campaign. But Democrats have been less than enthused about increased drilling for oil and natural gas, particularly in such environmentally sensitive areas as the wildlife refuge. Once Democrats took control of the Senate earlier this year, work began on an energy bill that considered a variety of other issues, such as electricity restructuring and global warming. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, for example, suggested that increasing fuel efficiency standards for automobiles could save about as much oil as the United States could get from increased drilling in Alaska. Even if drilling is approved, it would be almost a decade before oil began to flow. With Senate Democrats in no hurry to pass an energy bill of their own, House Republicans are trying to apply some pressure. "We must have a national energy policy that allows us to provide more of our own oil," House Resources Chairman James Hansen, R-Utah, said Tuesday. "It's literally a matter of national security. The American people are looking to us to make sure this nation is prepared when it launches its war on terrorism." The House passed its own energy plan last month on a 240-to-189 vote. Pressure from labor unions helped produce 36 Democratic votes to go with the Republican majority. "This (energy) bill will put Americans back to work," Jerry Hood of the Teamsters Union said Tuesday. "We ask the Senate to act now." Terry Turner of the Seafarers International Union was even more specific. Work on a new Alaskan oil field could provide decades of work for oil tanker crews and other maritime union members. Drilling in Alaska "could mean 30 years of solid, good-paying jobs for American families," he said. "The Senate needs to act. This is a jobs bill." After the terrorist attacks, Republicans want the Senate to consider a scaled-down energy bill that will include only measures that deal with increasing domestic energy supplies, reducing demand and maintaining and protecting the nation's power plants, pipelines, transmission wires and other infrastructure. A letter Monday from the 11 Republican members of the Senate Energy Committee suggested that such a bill could be ready for floor action immediately and on the president's desk before Congress adjourns. "It would be irresponsible for us to conclude this session without providing the president with the energy tools that are needed to provide for our long-term national security and economic growth," the letter read. There are few signs, however, that Democrats are willing to follow the GOP lead on energy. Despite the Republicans' attempts to make increased oil drilling part of the nation's fast-track anti-terrorism efforts, it won't be easy to rewrite the rules on an issue that was a partisan battleground just a few weeks ago. "I would be strongly opposed" to allowing drilling in the Alaskan refuge, Feinstein, a member of the Energy Committee, said Tuesday. Copyright c. 2001 azcentral.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Respected Tribal Leader is Stepping Down" --------- Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 09:00:01 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CHIEF QUITS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.tribnet.com/frame.asp?/news/ Respected tribal leader is stepping down September 27, 2001 The Associated Press GRAND RONDE, Ore. - Kathryn Harrison's story, like that of her tribe, is one of overcoming hardship. Orphaned at 10 and divorced in her 40s with five of her 10 children at home, she rose to become a respected national figure as the Grand Ronde tribe's first woman leader. Now, at 77, she is stepping down. A born storyteller, Harrison has been an advocate for setting the record straight. She helped build the tribe into an economic powerhouse. Under her leadership, the tribe gained federal recognition in 1983 - 29 years after the government terminated it, leaving its members without federal services. Former U.S. Attorney Kris Olson, who is writing a biography of Harrison, said Harrison's wisdom and pragmatism "can only be there because of the life she has led." Harrison lost both of her parents within days of each other to a flu epidemic. She went to a foster home but never forgot them. "They gave me what I needed to sustain me the rest of my life." Her parents often told her she reminded them of an ancestor, Molalla Kate, who was forced to move to the reservation but escaped and returned home to Molalla. She shares that stubborn will and determination. She rebelled in foster homes, and at 14 was sent to the Chemawa Indian School north of Salem for what she calls "the best years of my life." Harrison and her husband, Frank, met there and were married 30 years. She studied nursing at Lane Community College. At age 47, she became a licensed practical nurse. Harrison worked in an alcohol treatment program for the Siletz Tribe and in other programs for American Indians. At the time, the Siletz were campaigning to regain their federal status as a tribe. Harrison helped with that effort. She worked as a community organizer and tribal spokeswoman. As she told the tribe's story, she said she relived it. American Indians in Oregon were rounded up in 1856 and forced to move 263 miles from the Rogue River area to the Willamette Valley. Copyright c. 2001 Associated Press Copyright c. 2001 Tacoma News Inc. --------- "RE: Billie plans to fight Seminole Tribal Ban" --------- Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 09:00:01 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: Jim Billie plans to fight Seminole Tribal Ban - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JIM BILLIE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/ Billie plans to fight Seminole tribal ban By Tanya Weinberg Staff Writer Posted September 28 2001 Ignoring the acting chairman's protest that he not speak, suspended Seminole Chairman James E. Billie took the floor at a tribal council meeting Thursday and announced he planned to fight back. "You don't have a chairman up there, you have an acting chairman, so we're in violation of our constitution. I have a feeling that everything we're doing so far is illegal," said Billie, 57, who was not scheduled to speak at the meeting at the tribe's Hollywood headquarters. Billie, the tribe's chairman for 22 years, said he is starting a petition drive among tribal members to review his May 24 suspension for "gross neglect of duty" and misconduct. Billie's remarks came at the end of the meeting where tribal council members voted to banish from all Seminole lands three people considered close to Billie. Two fired employees were banned, including Tim Cox, accused by the tribe of scheming with Billie to defraud the tribe of millions of dollars. Also banned was Maria Santiago, who claims she is Billie's mistress and is pregnant with his child. Big Cypress Reservation Representative David Cypress said the council did not agree with Billie's interpretation of the constitution. "I'll tell you right now, general public, what we are doing, what we have done, I will stick to," Cypress said. He said he would not recognize the petition pending the outcome of the sexual harassment suit filed by a former employee against Billie and other investigations. A Bureau of Indian Affairs official earlier this month backed Billie's contention that the tribe had violated its constitution by not following procedures for removal of the chairman, which include calling a new election. Tribal Counsel Jim Shore says Billie was suspended, not removed. He sent BIA a letter protesting its interference and suggested the federal government is investigating Billie in connection with possible violations of federal laws governing embezzlement, theft or bribery. The BIA official withdrew his opinion a few days later. Tanya Weinberg can be reached at tweinberg@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7923. Copyright c. 2001, South Florida Sun-Sentinel. --------- "RE: Secretary Norton's Penalty Discussed" --------- Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2001 08:29:19 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NORTON PENALTY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20011001/aponline134253_001.htm Secretary Norton's Penalty Discussed By Robert Gehrke Associated Press Writer Monday, Oct. 1, 2001; 1:42 p.m. EDT WASHINGTON -- Interior Secretary Gale Norton should be held in contempt for not complying with a court order meant to protect whistle-blowers, an investigator says. In February, court-appointed investigator Alan Balaran ordered the Interior Department to notify employees that they could contact him directly and anonymously with concerns about government efforts to fix a trust fund that squandered royalties from American Indian lands. But Interior was slow to notify employees they would be protected from reprisal and issued memos undermining the open dialogue, Balaran said. "Senior management neglected to marshal its resources, impose its authority and demand the results needed" to comply with the order, Balaran wrote in his opinion, submitted to U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth late Friday. A class-action lawsuit filed in 1996 on behalf of 300,000 American Indians claims the government mismanaged at least $10 billion from the trust accounts. The fund was established in 1887 to manage royalties from grazing, logging, mining and oil drilling on Indian lands. The government admits that the accounts were mismanaged, with much of the money due the Indians lost, stolen or never collected. Lamberth ordered Interior to piece together how much the Indian account holders are owed and appointed Balaran as special master to keep the court apprised of the progress of trust reform. Interior spokeswoman Stephanie Hanna said the department has never retaliated against employees and has worked to comply with Balaran's orders. "We've encouraged employees to speak with the special master, and if employees are not comfortable speaking with the special master, we've provided other avenues ... where they can address their concerns," she said. Plaintiffs' attorney Dennis Gingold said Balaran's protest shows that reform efforts are faring no better under Norton than they did under her predecessor, Bruce Babbitt. "Many people in the Department of Interior are doing whatever they can to undermine and obstruct" trust reform, said Gingold. "It's a violation of the law, it's a violation of court orders and it has to stop." In February, Balaran recommended Babbitt and others be held in contempt for retaliating against an employee. Lamberth has not ruled on that motion. Other pending contempt motions have alleged that Interior allowed documents in the case to be destroyed and misrepresented the department's progress in trust reform. In 1999, Lamberth held Babbitt and former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin in contempt and fined them more than $600,000 for failing to turn over documents related to the case. At a hearing in April, Lamberth said he was willing to take the same steps if the government doesn't cooperate with the court. "I don't want it to come to that again, but I am prepared to do what is necessary to get trust reform accomplished," said Lamberth. Copyright c. 2001 The Associated Press. Copyright c. 2001 The Washington Post Company. --------- "RE: BIA negates Acknowledgment in 2 Cases" --------- Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 09:00:01 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DE-RECOGNIZED" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.theday.com/news/ts-re.asp?NewsUID=38188DD4-ABC5 BIA negates acknowledgment in 2 cases; ruling could affect local tribes By Eileen McNamara Published 09/28/2001 In a move that could have implications for two North Stonington tribes seeking federal recognition, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs has overturned its preliminary acknowledgment of the Nipmuc Nation of Massachusetts and its final recognition of the Duwamish Tribe of Washington. In rulings issued Thursday, Neal A. McCaleb, the BIA's new director, said the bureau's former acting director improperly issued recognition decisions for the Duwamish and Nipmucs. McCaleb said Michael J. Anderson also issued those decisions over the recommendations of staff researchers who determined that neither tribe met all seven of the government's mandatory recognition criteria. The same allegations were raised in the preliminary recognition that Kevin Gover, the BIA's former leader, granted last year to the Eastern Pequots and Paucatuck Eastern Pequots of North Stonington. The two tribes are due final decisions by the BIA in early December. Although BIA experts found that the Paucatucks and Eastern Pequots each failed two of the government's seven criteria, Gover issued preliminary recognition to each based on the state's long recognition of the historic Eastern Pequot tribe and its Lantern Hill reservation. The state and three local towns are challenging Gover's decision and were buoyed by McCaleb's decision to uphold his staff's findings in the Duwamish and Nipmuc cases. "It is important because it indicates an increasingly fair, impartial approach, with proper respect for the professional staff's findings and views," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. Blumenthal is suing to overturn the BIA's preliminary recognition of the Easterns and Paucatuck Pequots, in part because Gover ignored his staff's recommendations. "Tribes deserve recognition when they meet the BIA's legally mandated criteria. Granting recognition to groups that cannot meet the criteria is unfair, unwise and unlawful," Blumenthal said. Nicholas H. Mullane II, North Stonington's first selectman, said Thursday that McCaleb's decisions to reject both the Nipmuc and the Duwamish tribes should sound a warning to the Eastern Pequots and Paucatuck Easterns. "It looks like the BIA is taking a very stern look at these things and I suspect the groups have to have an awful lot of concern about that," Mullane said. But Marcia Jones Flowers, tribal chairwoman of the Eastern Pequots, said she is not concerned by McCaleb's decisions. "Each petition is different and stands or falls on its own facts and evidence," Flowers said. "We remain confident (our petition) will withstand the utmost scrutiny." The Paucatuck Easterns refused to comment. The towns have argued that neither group can prove it is a legitimate tribe and have said that Gover inappropriately ignored his staff's recommendations when he granted them preliminary recognition. McCaleb's action Thursday reversed controversial last-minute recognition decisions that Anderson, who was acting as the director of the BIA after Gover stepped down, granted the Duwamish and Nipmucs in January. Anderson and Gover were appointed by former President Bill Clinton. Anderson issued the recognition decisions Jan. 19, hours before the inauguration of George W. Bush. Anderson stepped down from the BIA directly after issuing the decisions. The incoming Bush officials immediately put the Duwamish and Nipmuc rulings on hold for review. Critics had alleged that Anderson overturned staff recommendations against recognizing either tribe because they had not met all of the recognition criteria. McCaleb on Thursday confirmed those allegations. He also said Anderson did not get the approval of bureau lawyers before making the decisions. McCaleb said the Nipmuc Nation failed to meet four of the bureau's seven criteria and that the Duwamish failed three. He said neither tribe could prove that it has maintained continuous political authority and community ties since historic times and were also unable to show that they have maintained a distinct tribal identity. The Nipmucs also failed the BIA's genealogical test. The tribe was unable to prove that its current members descend from historic Nipmucs, McCaleb wrote in his findings. Anderson on Thursday questioned McCaleb's legal right to reverse the decisions. "Both of my decisions in 2001 were final for the department and were communicated to the tribes," Anderson said. "Procedurally, I don't believe either of these decisions can be reversed." He would not comment on why he overturned his staff's recommendations. In a related decision Thursday, McCaleb also denied preliminary recognition to the Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck Indians of Dudley, Mass. Anderson in January also rejected the tribe's petition, but the decision was placed on hold along with the Nipmuc Nation and Duwamish decisions. McCaleb said the Chaubunagungamaugs failed three of the recognition criteria. The tribe could not prove it has maintained political and community ties since historic times and was unable to show that it has maintained a distinct tribal identity. Leaders of the Duwamish and Nipmucs on Thursday were shocked that McCaleb reversed Anderson's findings. Officials for both tribes said they are exploring legal options. "The reversal is yet another emotional insult added to the more than 20 years The Nation has endured the federal recognition process," the Nipmuc Nation said in a prepared statement. Leaders of the Chaubunagungamaugs, however, said they are glad McCaleb has finally issued a decision for their tribe because it starts the clock on a mandatory six-month public comment period, after which the tribes will have two months to comment before the BIA makes a final decision. In Northeastern Connecticut, where several small towns learned this summer that the Nipmuc Nation was eyeing land in Union and Sturbridge for a possible casino, officials were relieved to learn of McCaleb's decision. "It puts the burden on these two groups to now demonstrate whether they can satisfy the criteria," said John Filchak, executive director of the Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments. e.mcnamara@theday.com Copyright c. 1998-2001 The Day Publishing Co. --------- "RE: Golden Hills buoyed by Setting of Lawsuit Date" --------- Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001 07:56:29 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GOLD HILLS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.theday.com/news/ts-re.asp?News Golden Hills tribe buoyed by setting of date for lawsuit By Eileen McNamara - More Articles Published on 09/25/2001 A federal judge has set a date to hear oral arguments in a lawsuit the Golden Hill Paugussett tribe is pursuing to force the federal government to decide whether the tribe should be recognized. U.S. District Court Judge Janet B. Atherton, who also is overseeing a land claim lawsuit brought by the Golden Hills, will convene the hearing on Nov. 14 at the district courthouse in New Haven. At the same time, Atherton has told the tribe and officials with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to participate in mediation talks with a federal magistrate, and she turned aside a request by the bureau for more time to file court documents in connection with the tribe's lawsuit. A tribal leader Monday said the tribe is buoyed by Atherton's actions on the case. "Judge Atherton clearly appreciates that these matters have to be addressed promptly," said the tribe's chief, Aurelius H. Piper, who also goes by the name Quiet Hawk. The Golden Hills, who have reservations in Trumbull and Colchester, in April filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, claiming the agency had violated the government's Administrative Procedures Act because it had failed to meet its own deadlines in the Golden Hills' recognition petition. The tribe has asked Atherton for a "summary judgement," or a decision based on the facts raised in the case thus far without a full-blown trial. The November hearing scheduled by Atherton will be on that motion. The Golden Hills have argued that the BIA should have issued a preliminary finding on the recognition petition months ago. The bureau last year said it would issue a proposed decision in December 2000, but that deadline passed without action by the agency. In January the BIA's politically appointed leadership stepped down after George Bush was elected president. No recognition decisions were issued until this summer after new leaders took over. The BIA currently has several tribes that are due either final or preliminary decisions. The agency is under a court order to issue final recognition decisions by year's end to two of those tribes, the Eastern Pequots and the Paucatuck Eastern Pequots of North Stonington. Like the Golden Hills, the Paucatucks are suing the federal Indian agency on arguments that it has failed to meet deadlines on the tribe's recognition petition. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut's attorney general, is suing the BIA, along with three local towns, arguing that the agency's preliminary recognition of the Easterns and Paucatuck Easterns was invalid and should be overturned. Blumenthal also opposes the Golden Hills' recognition efforts, arguing the tribe can not prove that it descends from the historic Golden Hill Indians. The BIA in 1996 rejected the Golden Hills' "expedited" petition, but several years later the agency agreed to consider the tribe's full petition. Under the agency's expedited petitioning process, it assesses a tribe's genealogical claims only to determine if the group can meet that test. In the Golden Hills' case, agency researchers found that the tribe could not prove it descended from the historic tribe. Copyright c. 1998-2001 The Day Publishing Co. --------- "RE: State Challenge to Tribal Authority Rejected" --------- Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 08:14:11 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="COURT CHALLENGE" http://www.indianz.com/SmokeSignals/Headlines/showfull.asp?ID=env/9242001-1 State challenge to tribal authority rejected MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2001 Upholding a set of regulations implemented by the Clinton administration, a federal appeals court on Friday rejected the state of Wisconsin's challenge to the Sokaogon Ojibwe Tribe's authority over water within the Mole Lake Reservation. The Environmental Protection Agency was justified to treat the tribe as a state under the Clean Water Act, said a three-member panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Affirming a lower court decision, the judges said the tribe can control water quality on the reservation even if it impact the activities of non-Indians elsewhere. "Because the Band has demonstrated that its water resources are essential to its survival, it was reasonable for the EPA," wrote Judge Diane P. Wood for the majority, "to allow the tribe to regulate water quality on the reservation, even though that power entails some authority over off-reservation activities." Wisconsin's challenge is one of several cases that have tested the EPA's "treatment as states," or TAS, program. The program allows tribes, like states, to regulate air and water quality within Indian Country. But since the authority can involve regulating upstream or downstream rivers -- in the case of the Clean Water Act -- non-Indians are often affected. Understanding the limitations of tribal sovereignty, the Clinton administration implemented regulations which take non-Indian impact into consideration. Among the factors are non-Indian ownership within a reservation. In the case of the Sokaogon, all 1,850 acres of the Mole Lake Reservation are held in trust for the tribe, one factor which persuaded the court to conclude the EPA was correct in its TAS designation. Also affecting the court's decision was the impact of water quality on tribal health and welfare. The tribe "is heavily reliant on the availability of the water resources within the reservation for food, fresh water, medicines, and raw materials," said the court, writing that Rice Lake provides a traditional source of wild rice for tribal members. Notably, the lake is downstream from the Wolf River, where Wisconsin officials want to build a zinc-copper sulfide mine. Citing threats to Rice Lake, tribal officials and indigenous activists have opposed the mine, which would be located approximately one mile away from the reservation. Despite the victory for the tribe, the case is -- as the court said -- fact specific. Each TAS determination is made on a case-by-case basis and in some states, the EPA has withdrawn a designation due to a local challenge. The court also wrote it was "inevitable" that states would continue to challenge the regulations and any designations. EPA officials have agreed, saying there was a list of "usual suspects" among those who have fought the program. Earlier this year, New Mexico, South Dakota, Michigan and Nevada asked the Supreme Court to invalidate similar regulations implemented under the Clean Air Act. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case in March. Copyright c. 2000-2001 Noble Savage Media, LLC/Indianz.Com --------- "RE: Researchers solve mystery of Chaco Log Source" --------- Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2001 08:53:11 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CHACO TIMBERS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/breaking/0926canyonmystery-ON.html Researchers solve mystery of log source of ancient N.M. Indians Associated Press Sept. 26, 2001 07:40:00 TUCSON - The Chuska Mountains forest that Navajos log today were one of the sources of the timbers ancient Indians used in building multistory "great houses" in New Mexico's Chaco Canyon, researchers say. A University of Arizona team found that the San Mateo Mountains to the south were the other major source of the more than 200,000 conifer trees the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians used to build the early equivalents of apartment complexes a thousand years ago in far northwestern New Mexico. And the timbers from both sources were cut in the same year, UA geochemist Nathan English says. The team's findings not only solve the mystery of where the timber for the Anasazi great houses was cut, it also counters the idea that the Anasazi sought the spruce and fir trees more than 50 miles away only after they had exhausted nearby supplies. Researchers also said the findings reveal a level of planning and social organization among the Anasazi not previously recognized. "People have always looked at the amount of wood in these ruins and thought, 'Well, this was a forest that got wiped out," said Julio Betancourt, a paleoecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "But these people started going to the mountains early on. You can squint your eyes and imagine a great woodpile at Chaco Canyon that's being shared by all the great houses." Between A.D. 950 and 1150, the Anasazi, a dominant prehistoric Southwestern culture, used the spruce and fir beams to build 12 great houses, each containing several hundred rooms. If they had exhausted nearby timber supplies and moved outward, the spruce and fir beams from the two sources would date to late in their history. However, the study found evidence of spruce and fir beams dating to 974, Betancourt said. Another debate has centered on whether occupants of the great houses interacted with each other. One camp holds that their separate economies and social patterns suggest they did not, said English, who is with the school of renewable natural resources. That two different great houses contained wood from the same sources hewn at the same time provides solid evidence of interaction, he said. The element strontium was used in tracing the paternity of the ancient beams and matching them with current trees in the two forests. About 80 percent of the strontium isotopes measured in the tree samples came from atmospheric dust, which differs from range to range with wind patterns. The team found that the San Pedro Mountains to the east, roughly the same distance from Chaco as the other two sources, were not used for timber, Betancourt said. The San Pedros are about 50 miles east, the Chuskas about 50 miles west and the San Mateos about 50 miles south. English said the lack of cities to the east of Chaco combined with a rougher terrain over which they would have to haul the 15-foot, 600-pound logs probably explains why. Joining Betancourt and English, the lead author, were UA geologist Jay Quade and dendroarchaelologist Jeffrey Dean of the university's Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. The study was published in Tuesday's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright c. 2001, azcentral.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Dineh Sacrificed while World isn't Watching" --------- Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2001 06:32:58 +0000 From: "antoinette" Subj: BIGMTLIST More Uranium Mining ----- Original Message ----- From: Arthur J. Miller Subj: Dineh sacrificed while world isn't watching Mailing List: Big Mountain List Bush energy bill sneaks in $30 million for uranium mining Navajos call it corporate welfare while world isn't watching September 24, 2001 - 10:26 est by: / Today Staff / Indian Country Today CROWNPOINT, N.M. - The energy bill going before the Senate includes $30 million for Hydro Resources Inc., for leach uranium mining on the Navajo Nation where communities already suffering from disease and death after a half century of uranium mining during the Cold War. "We're mad as hell," said Lori Goodman, spokeswoman for Dine Citizen Against Ruining our Environment(Dineh CARE). While we are told there is no money to pay the ill uranium miners, funds are being set aside in the House Energy Bill - $30 million - to corporations to start uranium mining in New Mexico. "Where is the compassion for the miners made ill by their work? Or is that compassion only reserved for the rich?" Goodman said as Navajos prepared to rally at Red Rock State Park Sept. 25-26 in opposition to the funding. Calling it corporate welfare, Goodman said amendment sponsor, Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., was quick to fund uranium mining companies while she never lifted a hand for the uranium workers' concerns. Ann Reitz of Crownpoint said Wilson should move to Crownpoint if she wants uranium mining here. "The sad truth is that Hydro Resources would never get away with such an outrageous proposal in any Anglo community in this country," Reitz said. Uranium mining would contaminate the primary source of drinking water for more than 15,000 Dineh people and Anglo teachers and health care workers in Crownpoint, Coyote Canyon, Mariano Lake and Smith Lake. The people of this community have spoken, but their Navajo leaders and federal politicians continue to ignore the fact that the majority of us do not want this mine. Would Wilson like her children to be in school a quarter of a mile downwind from acres of drying ponds containing radioactive slurry, or to drink water from wells a quarter of a mile from `pregnant lixiviant' loaded with uranium, radium, arsenic, selenium, molybdenum? The uranium mining funding was added during consideration of the Bush energy bill by Wilson. It gives $30 million to Hydro Resources Inc. to begin the process of in-situ leach uranium mining to begin the process in four sites in northeastern New Mexico. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., said he attempted to strike the provision in the final energy bill but was not successful. The House passed the overall energy bill in late July. Action is pending in the Senate. Udall said "it is sadly ironic that the US on one hand recognized Navajo Code Talkers with Congressional Gold Medals, then delivers a slap in the face," to Navajos in New Mexico. "The uranium provisions are opposed by Native American groups, environmentalists and taxpayer watchdog groups who have labeled the Wilson provision as `blatant corporate welfare'," said Glen Loveland, press secretary for Udall. Udall urged his colleagues to vote against the amendment in H.R. 4 of the Securing America's Future Energy Act of 2001. Udall said Section 306 authorizes the appropriation of a $10 million payment, or subsidies, for three years to domestic uranium producers to identify, test, and develop improved in-situ leaching mining. "This legislation is not needed for research and development purposes. In fact, this in-situ leaching process causes radioactive uranium and other toxic chemicals to leach into groundwater, threatening the public health of communities surrounding the mines," Udall told Congress. "The local Navajo communities have suffered tremendously over this government's past practices and policies regarding uranium mining," Udall said pointing out that Arizona, Colorado and Utah are already suffering from long-term uranium mining. Udall said currently the nation cannot compensate for past damages caused by uranium mining. "We as a nation cannot find the financial resources necessary to fully fund the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, to compensate the victims of past uranium development, but we may put our stamp of approval on this $30 million subsidy for the uranium industry." The amendment came as Bush announced he will stall benefits to some victims of uranium mining. "Last year, Congress clearly mandated payments under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to former uranium miners, workers and downwinders," said Melton Martinez, president of Eastern Navajo Uranium Workers. But now, the government is denying and delaying justice by changing the rules, and have even stated clearly their priority constituents. In defense of her amendment, Wilson said, "The industry has convinced me that this is worth looking into. Wilson said she believes it is equally appropriate to do research into uranium. Hydro Resources Inc. is seeking approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to develop four in-situ mines northeast of Gallup. Jill Lancelot, co-founder and legislative director of Taxpayers for Common Sense in Washington, D.C., was among those opposing the amendment. "This is simply propping up the uranium mining industry at the expense of fiscal common sense," Lancelot said. Speaking out at a community meeting in Crownpoint, Navajoland doctors said their major concern is in-situ leach mining will produce harmful uranium levels and damage human kidneys. There is more than 200 times the uranium level in the Crownpoint aquifer than is designated as a safe level by the World Health Organization. Uniting to oppose the effort are Eastern Navajo Dine Against Uranium Mining, Dine CARE, American Indian Movement, Southwest Research and Information Center, Physicians Resisting In-Situ Mining, New Mexico Environmental Law Center, U.S. and New Mexico Public Interest Research Groups, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Mineral Policy Center, Nuclear Information Resource Service, Public Citizen and Taxpayers for Common Sense. ========================================= 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: Moccasin Bend Bill passes Subcommittee Vote" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 08:32:18 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MOCCASIN BEND" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nativenashville.com/mb_bill.htm Moccasin Bend Bill Passes Subcommittee Vote By Toye Heape (Nashville - 9-25-2001) A bill introduced by Congressman Zach Wamp that would create a National Park Unit at the Moccasin Bend National Historic Landmark in Chattanooga was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives' Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands today. The legislation will now be scheduled for consideration by the full House Committee on Resources. The bill, H.R.980, was modified by an amendment in the form of a substitution offered by Representative George Radanovich, R-California, chairman of the subcommittee. The amendment includes a provision to exclude from the park boundary approximately 13 acres of property, currently occupied by a radio transmitting tower operated by radio station WDEF, that would have been included under Wamp's proposal. The amendment also apparently drops a section of Wamp's bill that would have included a separate parcel of land known as the Rock-Tenn Property, which contains a segment of the Trail of Tears, within the park boundary and instead authorizes the acquisition of an easement that would connect the Rock-Tenn property with the Moccasin Bend National Historic Landmark. Other provisions of bill H.R. 980, as amended, include authorization of a cost sharing agreement between the federal government and the state of Tennessee for the purpose of removing the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute buildings if the property is ever donated to the park, and a requirement to develop a general management plan for the historic site. Copyright c. 2001 Native Nashville, Inc. All Rights Reserved --------- "RE: Tennessee Native Americans hold Annual Convention" --------- Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2001 08:29:19 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TENNESSEE CONVENTION" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=2433843&BRD=1614 Tennessee Native Americans hold annual convention October 01, 2001 Approximately 110 people attended the 2001 Native American Convention at Old Stone Fort Park in Manchester on Saturday, Sept. 22, to elect commissioners for a future Tennessee Indians Affairs Commission. Commission nominees will be presented to the Tennessee State Senate in January 2002. Seven delegations represented various areas of Tennessee. Commission nominees were previously nominated. A question and answer time started at 9 a.m. for nominees. Concerns expressed by delegates included: Native American history in schools, desecration of native people's graves, and upkeep of current Native American historical sites. After the question and answer period the convention broke for lunch, and at 2 p.m, a sacred circle was started with a prayer and an offering of tobacco. The elections started shortly there after. Each delegation's nominees were allowed to give a three-minute speech about their qualifications. The actual voting occurred after the speeches of each delegation. Delegations were from Middle, East, and West Tennessee. The major cities each had their own delegations as well. Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Memphis all had delegations present. Delegates and nominees came from all walks of life and professions. Cherokee, Choctaw, Lumbee, and Apache were just a few tribes present. Founders and leaders from various Native American organizations were present. Sandi Perry, one nominee, who is an educator, described it like this: "I thought it was awesome! It is the beginning of something that will make a difference for Native Americans in Tennessee. I believe a Commission on Indian Affairs is important; even if the state recognizes it or not. This is something that will not go away. The legislation that created the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs was affected by the sunset laws and is no longer in existence. The previous commission was crippled by power struggles between TN legislators and Native Americans. One legislator argued that Native Americans lacked the ability to govern themselves. Tom Kunesh, one of the organizers and an educator also, said "This election of commissioners is just people concerned with Native American people and their issues; just getting together and taking charge of their future." Kunesh will present the elected commissioners to the legislature. He also said he would be surprised if the governor and legislature would reinstate the commission. "The governor has never been behind the commission." Pinson Mounds was voted as the 2003 Native American Convention location. It is located in West Tennessee. Copyright c. 2001 The Tullahoma News. --------- "RE: Red Mesa plans Long Walk Finale" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 08:32:18 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RED MESA/LONG WALK" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.cia-g.com/~gallpind/todaysnews.html#anchor3 Red Mesa plans 'Long Walk' finale Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola Special to the Independent GALLUP - A closing reception and slide show presentation will be held 6-9 p.m. Friday to mark the final day of the Red Mesa Art Center's historical exhibition about the Navajo tribe's incarceration at Fort Sumner during the 1860s. The exhibition, "The Signers of the Treaty," features black and white photographs from Fort Sumner and photographs from the Navajo Nation's 1968 centennial re-enactment of the June 1, 1868, treaty signing. It also includes a book about that period of Navajo history by local historian Martin Link and an original painting, "Signing the Treaty of 1868," by Navajo artist Irving Toddy. The artist imaginatively created the treaty signing scene with historical figures painted from actual photographs of Navajo and U.S. leaders. Link, the former director of the Navajo Nation Museum and chairman of the 1968 Centennial Committee, will give a slide show presentation at 7 p. m. at the gallery, 105 W. Hill St. Link said he spent several months reading "every document the military wrote or received at Fort Sumner" in addition to reading published Navajo oral history accounts of the experience. At least 8,000 Navajo people were forced to leave their homeland in 1864 in what Navajos bitterly remember as the Long Walk. Four years later they were allowed to return to a newly created reservation within their homeland after signing the June 1, 1868, peace treaty. Although life at Fort Sumner was bleak for the homesick Navajo people, Link's research has led him to believe that perhaps it wasn't as desperate as is commonly believed. According to Link, a number of newspaper reporters, who closely supervised Fort Sumner and watched the military for any signs of abusive treatment of Indian people, also wrote accounts of the Navajo incarceration. In addition, he said, Theodore Dodd, the Army commander at Fort Sumner was asked by the Navajo people to resign his military post and become the tribe's civilian Indian agent, which he did. Dodd was an unusual Indian agent, Link said, in that he was an honest and honorable man. During the slide presentation, Link will discuss these and other findings in the historical records. ===== Copies of Link's book and prints of Toddy's painting are available for purchase at the Red Mesa Art Center. For further information, call (505) 722-4209. Copyright c. 2001 Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Deh Cho begin talks on Development" --------- Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2001 08:52:10 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DEN CHO" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://north.cbc.ca/editorServlets/View?filename=s20dehcho Deh Cho begin talks on development Sep 20, 2001 10:01:26 AM EDT Yellowknife, N.W.T. - The Deh Cho First Nations are working to dispel the impression they're against resource development That feeling comes from a special assembly on pipeline-ownership three weeks ago, when Deh Cho leaders rejected all pipeline project proposals. They said they wanted self-government and land claims negotiations settled first. Negotiations on an interim resource development agreement begin next week in Fort Providence. The Deh Cho chiefs want an agreement that'll give them control of resource development in their region. They also want a share of the revenue Ottawa will collect from developments like the pipeline. They want those rights and benefits in place as soon as possible. Deh Cho leaders say they don't want to wait five to seven years for a final agreement on the Deh Cho process. But the Deh Cho's chief negotiator, Chris Reid, doesn't expect negotiations with Ottawa to be easy. "One of their most troublesome policies is that they will not change existing legislation in anything other than a final agreement," he says. "If they take a hard line position on that, it tends to drag out negotiations." Reid says negotiations could take up to a year. He says the timing depends on how flexible the federal government is prepared to be. The federal negotiator says the same thing about the Deh Cho. Copyright c. 2001 CBC. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Rigoberta Menchu calls for War Crimes Tribunal" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 08:32:18 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CALL FOR TRIBUNAL" http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu/Default2.html RIGOBERTA MENCHU CALLS FOR LATIN AMERICA WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL by Bill Weinberg, Native Americas Journal, Summer 2001 Digest On an April visit to Spain, Guatemalan indigenous leader and 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu called for "an ad hoc tribunal to judge crimes against humanity committed in Latin America as we see in ex-Yugoslavia or in Rwanda." She specifically called for charges against those responsible for crimes committed by the dictatorships of Argentina, Chile and Guatemala, calling these "three paradigmatic cases." "In Guatemala, where there have been 200,000 deaths or disappearances, the most important thing now is that evidence of genocide not be lost," said Menchu, who was in Spain to receive an honorary degree from the University of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. She said there could be no justice for war crimes under Guatemala's judicial system, and called upon survivors of the genocide to "prepare our legal complaints in anticipation of the day that we have a legitimate tribunal." Meanwhile, in Guatemala, human rights attorney Mynor Melgar faced death threats and a violent attack on his family just two days after publicly announcing that the Archbishop's Human Rights Office was preparing to charge former dictator Gen. Efrain Rios Montt with genocide. At midday on December 22, 2000, two unidentified armed men called at Melgar's home. Answering the front door, he was ordered to the bathroom at gunpoint. The two men tied up Melgar, his wife and his two sons and said, "This is only a warning, but the next time . . ." They then took some valuables and made off with Melgar's car. General Rios Montt was president of Guatemala in 1982 and 1983, during the worst phase of the genocidal counterinsurgency against the country's Maya Indian majority. Coming to power in a coup d'etat, he masterminded a strategy of forced relocation of Indian populations into army-controlled "model villages," and hundreds of resistant hamlets were massacred. He is currently the leader of Congress. Interior Minister Byron Barrientos insists that the attack on Melgar is just a case of common crime. But human rights defenders have faced increasing threats and harassment in recent months. Amnesty International charges that "authorities have done nothing to investigate or prevent" such abuses. "Instead, they have issued a number of statements accusing human rights defenders and other activists of seeking to destabilize the country. They have also suggested that human rights organizations risk being attacked by unknown forces, in effect declaring open season on activists." Native Americas Journal, c/o Akwekon Press 450 Caldwell Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 1-800-9-NATIVE, nativeamericas@cornell.edu --------- "RE: Abolish James Bay Agreement" --------- Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 11:11:56 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JAMES BAY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nunatsiaq.com/nunavut/nvt10921_06.html September 21, 2001 Abolish James Bay agreement, POV mayor says Little help for disabled Inuit. ALISON BLACKDUCK Nunatsiaq News Harry Tulugak. PUVIRNITUQ - Puvirnituq's mayor says his constituents won't negotiate Inuit self-government in Nunavik until the James Bay agreement is extinguished. "We consider all the land above the 55th parallel as ours," said Mayor Aisara Kenuajuak. "As you can see, we have no `category land' because it's all ours, including what's underneath - that's the main concern of people here." According to the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, the land- claim area is divided into three categories. On Category One lands, Inuit have limited sub-surface rights to six inches of topsoil. In Category Two areas they have hunting and gathering rights. On Category Three lands, Inuit have no more rights than other Quebec citizens. In a 1975 vote, Puvirnituq, Salluit and Ivujivik rejected the agreement. Kenuajuak made his comments last week after Makivik Corp. representatives Lisa Koperqualuk-Uqaituk and Harry Tulugak hosted an information session in Puvirnituq about the Nunavik Commission's final report. The commissioners filed that report with Makivik's leadership earlier this summer. The report outlines a tentative model of Inuit self- government in Nunavik. At the beginning of last month, Makivik's public relations staff mailed copies of the report to each Nunavik household. Makivik's leadership hired Koperqualuk-Uqaituk and Tulugak to travel to Nunavik's communities to explain the report. The two are also asking Nunavimmiut for feedback about the report. They began their work in Kuujjuaraapik Sept. 4 and are planning to finish Sept. 21 in Kangiqsualujjuaq. Puvirnituq is the fourth community they've visited. Approximately 20 Puvirnituq residents attended the session, which was held in the conference room of the municipal council's office. "Are we not allowed to say no?" wondered Paulusi Novalinga, a municipal councillor. "Are we realizing that we [won't] govern ourselves [until] we're dead and in heaven? No, that shouldn't be the case." Since 1983, Kenuajuak said, provincial government leaders have told Inuit that they won't negotiate self-government until Inuit are united politically. "When we wanted to negotiate with the Quebec government [in 1983] Rene Le vesque said if all Inuit were together, they would start negotiating. But the Quebec government doesn't always agree. Why can't we have our own government [with] opposition parties? It's not right." Speaking in Inuktitut, Tamusi Tukalak told Koperqualuk-Uqaituk and Tulugak that he remembered when "white people" came to his community "to trample" him in 1952. "He was talking about the arrival of nursing stations and schools," said Koperqualuk-Uqaituk, who was raised in Puvirnituq by her grandparents. "He witnessed the first building being brought in by dog-team." Koperqualuk-Uqaituk and Tulugak said that Inuit in other communities are saying the same things as Novalinga, Kenuajuak and Tukalak. They said that most of the feedback they've heard from Inuit is about sovereignty and accountability. "It's been interesting," Tulugak said. "Many are saying that if it's based on shared jurisdiction (with the provincial government) it's not full autonomy - it's not good enough." "(People are saying) that they want a government based on an Inuit foundation," Koperqualuk-Uqaituk added. Koperqualuk-Uqaituk and Tulugak said they understand the frustrations expressed by Novalinga, Kenuajuak and Tukalak, but refused to comment on whether those frustrations are valid. "We're getting feedback," Tulugak said. "We're not supposed to have opinions." However, both said the meetings are going well. "They're very well-informed," Tulugak said. "A group of people in Inukjuaq formed a study group this summer. They were going over the report and coming up with questions to ask us or things about the report that they wanted to point out." Next month in Kuujjuaq, Inuit will tell Makivik's leadership whether they support the self-government proposal outlined in the commission's final report. If Inuit approve the report overwhelmingly, Makivik's leadership will start self-government negotiations in earnest with the federal and provincial governments. Five delegates from each community in Nunavik will go to Kuujjuaq. Members of each municipal government will appoint delegates who work in local politics, health and education. Copyright c. 2001 Nunatsiaq News. --------- "RE: Ipperwash Fires still Burning" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 08:32:18 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="IPPERWASH" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canoe.ca/OntQueTicker/CANOE-wire.Ipperwash-Harris.html September 25, 2001 Ipperwash fires still burning as legislature resumes fall sitting TORONTO (CP) -- Ontario Premier Mike Harris faced renewed calls for an inquiry into his government's role in the shooting death of native protester Dudley George during the second day of the legislature's fall sitting on Tuesday. Quoting from court documents disclosed last week, Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty said new evidence shows Harris and his government influenced provincial police to send a tactical squad to deal with a handful of protesters at Ipperwash Provincial Park near Sarnia, Ont., on Sept. 6, 1995. Harris, who is named in a civil suit launched by George's brother, is in a conflict of interest, McGuinty said. "Nobody believes you have been co-operative when it comes to getting to the bottom of what happened at Ipperwash," he said. Harris reiterated his statement that he was not privy to the police decision to send in a tactical squad. "Neither I nor our ministers, or our government interfered in the way police responded to the Ipperwash situation," he said, referring to sworn statements by senior police officers submitted to the court case. McGuinty quoted at length from court documents filed last week, in which aides to the premier wrote, "Premier feels the longer they occupy it the more support they'll get, he wants them out in a day or two." In the affidavits to be submitted this week, former provincial police commissioner Thomas O'Grady insists he received no orders from the premier. The affidavits state the premier did not influence "tactical decisions," or decisions on how the police would perform their operations. But the affidavits make no mention about receiving "strategic" direction from the premier's office, Liberal native affairs critic Gerry Phillips said Tuesday. Copyright c. 2001 Canoe Limited Partnership. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Traditional Inuit Diet cuts Heart Disease Risk" --------- Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2001 19:19:09 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="INUIT DIET" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2001/09/21/inuit_diet Traditional Inuit diet cuts heart disease risk: study WebPosted Fri Sep 21 17:12:52 2001 BEAUPORT, QUEBEC - The traditional marine diet eaten by older Inuit seems to protect them from cardiovascular disease (CVD), but younger Inuit are shifting their diets away from these foods and may not be getting the benefits. A new study has verified the relationship between omega-3 fatty acids and CVD risk for Inuit. It concludes the the traditional diet is probably responsible for the low death rates from heart disease among Inuit. Researchers surveyed 426 Inuit men and women in Nunavik, northern Quebec about their diet and analyzed the fatty acid levels from their blood samples. They found those who ate the most traditional marine foods had high plasma levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Heart healthy omega-3 levels are associated with greater high-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations and lower levels of triacylglycerols. Heart disease mortality rate among Inuit half provincial rates In several native populations, a shift away from traditional lifestyles and diets is associated with increased risk factors for CVD, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. In this study, 41 per cent of the Inuit surveyed reported eating traditional foods the day before the survey. Older Inuit ate more marine foods and their omega-3 fatty acid levels were higher than those of younger Inuit. The Nunavik Inuit omega fatty acid levels' were similar to those seen among Alaska Eskimos but were lower than those reported for Igloolik Inuit in Nunavut. The researchers conclude the promotion of safe nutritional habits among Inuit poses a two-part challenge: the need to maintain or increase traditional food use and supporting efforts to increase the use of healthy market foods. The researchers were from Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Quebec, Laval University and University of Guelph. Their study appears in the October issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Written by CBC News Online staff Copyright c. 2001 CBC. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: First Nation Audits past due" --------- Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 11:11:56 -0500 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="AUDITS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.Aboriginal-Audits.html September 21, 2001 Almost 30 per cent of First Nation, agency audits well past July deadline OTTAWA (CP) -- Almost 30 per cent of annual audits from First Nations and related agencies still aren't in despite a July 31 deadline, says Indian Affairs. The department spent almost $5 billion on native programs in 2000-01, and requires that independent, accredited auditors account for it. "We would be happier if the percentage of (accepted) audits was higher at this time of year," Cal Hegge, director of transfer payments for Indian Affairs, said Friday. "We'll review our procedures and determine problem areas. And we'll certainly consider any policy measures that we might take to improve the numbers." It's a familiar refrain from officials who've been repeatedly upbraided by the auditor general for lax financial tracking methods. Indian Affairs has so far accepted 665 of 908 fiscal reports required from various political organizations and more than 600 First Nations. That leaves 243 audits outstanding, or 27 per cent. Still, it's an improvement over the 38 per cent that were tardy last year. Forty per cent were overdue in 1999. Some audits were rejected for not including salary, honoraria and travel expenses for elected officials and senior, unelected staff, Hegge says. The information has been mandatory since last year, in response to calls for more transparent reporting. Most of the $5 billion goes to First Nation reserves or related agencies that administer about 80 per cent of native health, housing, education and other services. Almost all groups that have yet to supply required data are being penalized with funding freezes of between five per cent and 20 per cent of their departmental budgets, Hegge said. Cash-strapped First Nations, especially those with just one or two financial managers, must juggle "unfair" audit demands that single out natives, says Jean LaRose, spokesman for the national Assembly of First Nations. Salary, honoraria and travel expense requirements go beyond what's demanded of comparable public entities, LaRose said. Hegge disagreed. "We treat them as other levels of government," he said. "The salary information for elected officials is made available" and citizens can usually get salary ranges and other expense details for public servants, he added. One-quarter of Canada's more than 600 First Nations are under remedial management because of deficits that exceed eight per cent of their budgets. Of these, about 28 native groups -- three per cent -- have lost control of their finances because of ongoing problems, Hegge says. While aboriginal leaders blame lack of training for managers and under- funding, critics -- including some band members -- have called for more public reporting and accountability. Taxpayers will have more information by this time next year, Hegge says. Detailed reports on individual First Nations will show public money spent on social assistance, education, housing and other major programs, and may be posted on the department's Web site. It's Ottawa's way of providing more detail while respecting a 1988 Federal Court judgment that shields most aboriginal audit data from public scrutiny, Hegge says. That ruling deemed that native bands, although largely publicly funded, are private economic entities that can keep their finances secret. Audits that include even small amounts of private financial information are off- limits to all but band members and government officials -- a sore point with critics in the Canadian Alliance and taxpayer advocates. "There are still too many bands that aren't fully disclosing their financial activities," says Richard Truscott, Saskatchewan director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Operational audits should also be done to see how well reserve programs are working, he said. Copyright c. 2001, Canoe Limited Partnership. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Protesters found Guilty of Contempt" --------- Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 09:00:01 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GUILTY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://vancouver.cbc.ca/editorServlets/View?filename=bc_contempt010927 Protesters found guilty of contempt Sep 27, 2001 5:57:01 AM EDT Kamloops, B.C. - Ten native protesters have been convicted of contempt of court for their part in the occupation of a government building in Kamloops earlier this year. They were among 16 members of the Native Youth Movement who took over the B.C. Assets and Land office. At the time, they said they were trying to draw attention to the agency's role in leasing or selling Crown land that traditionally belongs to native people. They were found guilty of contempt because the defied a court order to leave the building. Six other protesters failed to show up for court. Warrants have been issued for their arrests. Copyright c. 2001 CBC. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Means turned over to Tribal Courts" --------- Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 08:10:22 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RUSSELL MEANS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.cia-g.com/~gallpind/todaysnews.html#anchor7 Judge puts Means into tribal hands Jim Maniaci Dine' Bureau WINDOW ROCK - A federal judge in Phoenix has ruled the Navajo Nation can prosecute Russell Means, rejecting his request to be released from custody (writ of habeas corpus), although he is not physically detained. Navajo police arrested Means in Chinle on Dec. 28-29, 1997, on misdemeanor charges of threatening and two batteries. He was released on his own recognizance. In July and September 1998, the Chinle district court rejected Means' dismissal motions. He claimed the court lacked jurisdiction and that Navajo jurisdiction over him violated equal protection of the law. On Aug. 19, 1998, Means asked the Navajo Supreme Court to issue a prohibition order (writ). On May 11, 1999, the court declined, ruling the tribe has criminal jurisdiction under the 1868 Treaty, that Means consented to that jurisdiction, and that he had not been denied equal protection... Copyright c. 2001 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Kanesatake Police face Apparent Intimidation" --------- Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 08:55:38 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="KANESATAKE POLICE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.Mohawk-Police.html September 29, 2001 Kanesatake native police face apparent intimidation by suspected drug dealers OKA, Que. (CP) -- The native police force in Kanesatake has decided to beef up efforts after several shots were fired at its headquarters. The incident came two days after a suspected drug trafficker was arrested and then released. No one was injured when the bullets went through a window Friday into a headquarters room where native police force members were meeting. "Some individuals drove by and took eight shots at the police department," Larry Isaacs, Kanesatake assistant native police chief, said Saturday. The incident led officers to move temporarily to the provincial police detachment in Oka, helped by native police from Kahnawake, Restigouche and Akwesasne. "The officers are tense," said Isaacs. "We don't know what's going to happen next. The situation is slowly getting out of hand." Isaacs said an officer's personal auto was hit Wednesday by a Molotov cocktail. The conflict will mean a reassessment of law enforcement, James Gabriel, grand chief of the Mohawks of Kanesatake, said Saturday. "We have to take a step back, take a look at everybody's security, including the police force, and our community members," he said. Members of the native police force say they received a number of threats after the execution of a search warrant on Wednesday. Gabriel was also attacked by someone during a band council meeting Friday. The band council has suspended police chief Larry Ross. Const. Melanie Gabriel, one of the native officers who took refuge Friday in the provincial police office, says the intimidation efforts have lasted for at least a year but now tension is higher. Copyright c. 2001, Canoe Limited Partnership. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: SQ helps Native Cops Fight Back" --------- Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 08:10:22 -1000 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SQ/MOHAWK" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://montreal.cbc.ca/editorServlets/View?filename=mohawk010930 SQ helps native cops fight back Kanesatake, Que. - La Surete' du Quebec is investigating a shooting in the Mohawk community of Kanesatake. Sep 30 2001 11:15 AM EDT Investigators say several shots were fired at the community's police station late Friday night. On Saturday, Kanesatake's police chief requested help from the S.Q. to investigate the drive-by shooting. There were no reported injuries. However band police say they've been attacked before, including one case where a Molotov cocktail was thrown through the window of an officer's personal car. James Gabriel, the band council chief of Kanesatake, says the shooting was likely another attempt to intimidate Mohawk police officers who have been cracking down on drug dealers. "The situation is pretty tense, there's no question about it," Gabriel said. "The officers have been subjected to some intimidation. One of their vehicles was firebombed on Wednesday, I believe. It's a very difficult task that they have at hand in the work that they've been doing on the drug trade in our territory," Gabriel told CBC in a telephone interview. Chief Gabriel says the Mohawk community is fighting drug trafficking and police intimidation. Part of that comes with help from other native communities in Restigouche, Akwasasne and Kanawake. "We have many first nation officers ready to assist should the situation escalate," Gabriel said. On Sunday, police had made no arrests in connection to Friday night's shooting. Copyright c. 2001 CBC. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Inmates scoff at KNA Rehabilitation Pitch" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 22:55:23 -0700 From: "Jess Hansen" Subj: Anchorage, AK - "'This is a cause'" Mailing List: ndn-aim http://www.adn.com/front/story/702257p-743596c.html September 26, 2001 "'This is a cause' KNA says rehabilitation utmost in prison pitch; inmates scoff" By TOM KIZZIA, Anchorage Daily News KENAI -- "Harold Kankanton, first chief of the Native Culture Club at Wildwood state prison here, was splitting wood for an inmate sweat lodge ceremony. He paused beneath the razor wire to answer a question about a Native corporation plan to build a prison nearby. "If it was up to me, I wouldn't do a private prison. All they do is warehouse you," said Kankanton, who spent five years as an Alaska prisoner in a private prison in Arizona. He slammed his sledgehammer into the beetle-killed spruce. "But it's not up to me," he said. As a convicted felon nearing the end of a 20-year sentence for rape, Kankanton won't be voting for a long time. Outside the double fence, however, Kenai Peninsula voters will be going to the polls next week to decide whether to move forward with what would be Alaska's first private prison. A key part of the pro-prison pitch to voters is a pledge by the Kenai Natives Association to provide "culturally relevant" rehabilitation programs to Alaska Native inmates brought back from Arizona for the new facility. Natives make up 37 percent of Alaska's prison population -- twice the percentage of Natives in the general population. Most committed their crimes under the influence of drugs and alcohol. What about those promises to help Natives? Kankanton was asked. "They don't have a clue," Kankanton said. The three other Native inmates working with him on the sweat lodge woodpile nodded. "It's like a chess game," he said. "They're using us as a pawn." In the larger scheme of things, the skepticism of longtime Native convicts like Kankanton may not measure up against the assurances of Native business leaders in Kenai. But those planning the prison don't have very specific answers yet for the Native inmates they say they're trying to help. "We haven't identified the specific program, but we know that what's happening in Arizona isn't helping them," said Mike Gilliland, an official with Cornell Companies, the private company lined up to run the Kenai Peninsula Borough's prison. Cornell's local partner, the Kenai Natives Association, says it plans to offer rehabilitation programs at the new prison with funding from the federal government and private philanthropic organizations. A possibility, still untested, would be Internet video hookups between Native inmates and their families and elders in remote villages, said KNA president Mike Slezak. "The Western concept calls it treatment, but in Native culture it's a healing process that revolves around the entire family," Slezak said. Cornell has experience in contracting for treatment programs, as a leader in the trend away from building more private hard-bed prisons, according to press reports in the Lower 48. "Until there's a vote to carry it to the next stage, it's too far down the road to spell out specific programs," Gilliland said. One corrections expert said private prisons aren't generally known for their strong programs. "It sounds very pie-in-the-sky to me, what they're going to do and where they're going to get the money," said Nancy Schafer, a professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage's Justice Center. Critics dismiss talk of special Native programs as an attempt to dress up KNA's money-making ambition in "beads and feathers." "I feel if their primary goal were Native rehabilitation, they've had ample opportunities to provide that at the Wildwood facility," said James Price, chairman of a group opposing the private prison. At the 255-bed Wildwood prison in Kenai, more than one-third of the inmates are Native, according to the state Department of Corrections. Slezak said past offers by KNA were rebuffed by the state. Bruce Richards, a special assistant in the department, said no one can remember a KNA offer to provide rehabilitation help. Slezak conceded that the problems of Native inmates were not a priority at KNA until recently. But once corporation officials took on the prison project, he said, they were shocked to realize how the system was chewing up Native lives. "We saw an economic opportunity at first. We were not aware of the needs inside the prison," he said. "But this is no longer an economic development project. This is a cause." KNA wants to make money on the prison, but the deal will not be hugely lucrative, Slezak said. Native corporation land will be sold or leased for the new prison. KNA also has bidding preferences written into its contract with Cornell, allowing it to match low bids to provide such services as medical, commissary and food preparation at the new prison, Slezak said. The Native corporation hopes to form joint ventures with local businesses in those areas, thus ensuring that jobs don't go to national contractors, he said. Promises of Native rehabilitation helped swing key votes last spring when the Legislature agreed to pay $26 million annually for 20 years to operate a private prison built by the Kenai Peninsula Borough. The prison of at least 800 beds -- twice the size of any prison now in Alaska -- would allow the state to return its inmates from Arizona. Although the borough has chosen its partners, details of construction and operations remain to be worked out before the project can go forward. The borough assembly supports the plan, but local opponents forced the assembly to put the matter before voters Oct. 2. A no vote would stop the project for two years. Prison opponents say that would allow time for more detailed plans. Prison backers say it would kill the project and its associated jobs. The state already has two facilities at Wildwood, a former Air Force base north of the Kenai airport that was purchased from KNA. The prison, which opened in 1985, houses 255 male felons, while the pre-trial jail holds 113 local prisoners. At the prison, state officials say they are having their best rehabilitative results with a segregated "therapeutic community" that treats 42 inmates, including 11 Natives. "I don't think the public understands, when you go to prison you don't come out better off," said Kevin Callahan, an Aleut inmate who says it's the first effective program he's seen."You come out way worse." Natives at Wildwood also take part in sweat lodges, drumming ceremonies and a craft program that teaches ivory carving. Most prisoners stay for relatively short periods, but several dozen Natives are at Wildwood for the long haul because their rural backgrounds make them ill-suited for transfer to Arizona, according to the state. "Being in jail, I don't like it at all," said one such inmate, 24-year- old Phillip Shelton of Alakanuk. Shelton, convicted of sexual abuse of a minor, was making Eskimo drums for an upcoming prison potlatch using blue parachute fabric, which he said has a higher pitch than sealskin. "Every day, I hear cussing, people talking behind other people's backs," Shelton said softly. "I wasn't raised up that way by my father." In regional jails, corrections official Richards said, the state is beginning to work with a Native substance abuse program known as White Bison, brought from the American Southwest, with money put in the budget by Sen. Jerry Ward, R-Anchorage. The private prison backers are also talking about adopting the White Bison program. But the state has few rehabilitation efforts aimed directly at Natives, partly because Native counselors are hard to find, Richards said. The programs for Natives were even worse in Arizona, said Robert Foster, a convict from Kotzebue who hopes to become a Native counselor after completing the therapeutic program at Wildwood. He said Natives at Arizona -- some 300 out of the 800 Alaskans -- banded together for self-protection and called themselves, after the Native land claims corporations, "the 14th region." Schafer, the Justice Center professor, said the proposed private prison would provide a relatively fast way to bring Native prisoners back to Alaska, even if it's hard to pin down what would happen to them once they got here. "Arizona is about the worst place you can put an Alaska Native," she said. Slezak said KNA has received many letters of support from Native inmates at Arizona who want to be moved back to Alaska. "The common thread is that they suffer from a lack of contact with their family," Slezak said." [Reporter Tom Kizzia can be reached at tkizzia@adn.com.] Election On Tuesday, Kenai Peninsula voters will be asked to vote yes or no on Proposition No. 1: May the Kenai Peninsula Borough contract with the state of Alaska and one or more private for-profit firms for the operation of a prison or correctional institution containing a maximum of 1,000 beds in the borough?" Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Copyright c. 2001 The Anchorage Daily News ----------------------------------------------------------------------> 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: Native Prisoner" --------- Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2001 7:48 PM 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 -- - - - 9-25-01 TX Hunger Strike -- Claiming a Quick Victory Dear Friends, As far as my efforts go the hunger strike is over. I have just written Hawk [Sid Byrd #872404 / POB 16 / Lovelady, TX 75851] asking him to consider halting the hunger strike on his end. I have a broader perspective than he has so I think that he will agree. Even though the strike was slated to commence on 9-13 it had been going on since the beginning of July. Within these last 3 months approximately 90 prisoners that I know of participated in the strike. Many lost alot of weight, Hawk losing about 40 lbs., some were hospitalized, some attempted suicide, and the strike stirred up much attention from the suited men from Huntsville. At Estelle the prisoners reported that the food handling procedure was improved by warmer food service and the wearing of plastic gloves for the handling of the food. At Eastham the warden has agreed to change the food service to a buffet system which would offer fresher food and to provide cleaning supplies for the prisoners' cells. It is better to claim a quick victory now, as these seem to be some very slight improvements, rather than continue the struggle in this particular manner doing more harm than good. The reasons for halting this action are many. The terrorist attack is not one of the reasons, as I have never banked on media attention for any of the campaigns that I have ever coordinated. I have always relie