From gars@speakeasy.org Wed May 22 16:38:26 2002 Date: 21 May 2002 23:44:16 -0000 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews10.021 WOTANGING IKCHE -- Lakota -- Common News Kanoheda Aniyvwiya -- Cherokee -- Journal of the People Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin -- Blackfeet -- News for All the People Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse -- Creek -- People's New News Aunchemokauhettittea -- Naragansett -- Let Us Share News Ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min -- Ojibwe -- We Are Talking About Ourselves Ha-Sah-Sliltha -- Ditidaht Nation -- News of the People Un Chota -- Susquehannic Seneca -- The People Speak Ximopanolti tehuatzin, inin Mexika tlahtolli -- Nahuatl -- For you we offer these words It-hah-pe-hah Ah-num pah-le -- Chickasaw -- Together We Are Talking Sho-da-ku-ye -- Teehahnahmah -- Talking Birchbark Acimowin -- Plains Cree -- Story or Account Native American News -- Language of the Occupation Forces Wotanging Ikche and Native American News Copyright c. 1996-2002 nanews.org ==>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 O +-----------------------------+ O o O | Much more happens in Indian | O o O VOLUME 10, ISSUE 021 | Country than is reported in | O o o o o O | this weekly newsletter. For | O o O May 18, 2002 | For daily updates & events | O o O | go http://www.owlstar.com/ | O | dailyheadlines.htm | Pomo umchachich-da/seeds ripen moon +-----------------------------+ Anishnaabe waabigwani-gilzis/blossom moon <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is produced in straight ASCII text for greatest portability across platforms. Read it with a fixed-pitch font, such as Courier, Monaco, FixedSys or CG Times. Proportional fonts will be difficult to read. <================<<<< >>>>================> This issue contains articles from www.pechanga.net; www.owlstar.com; www.indianz.com; Big Mountain, ndn-aim, Frostys Amerindian, NetRez, LPDC and Iron Natives Mailing Lists; UUCP email; newsgroup:alt.native 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.'" "When this pipe touches your lip, may it operate as a blessing upon all my tribe. May the smoke rise like a cloud, and carry away with it all the animosities which have arisen between us." __ Black Thunder, Fox +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! It is now predicted only twenty Native languages will survive through the next sixty years. Several tribes, Eastern Band of Cherokee for one, are making their own language mandatory in tribal schools. This is a recent effort by most tribes. Will it be in time to reverse the effects of the Pratt designed boarding schools, where children were tortured for uttering even one word of the own tongue? I pray many languages will be saved in this way. My wife and I, like many prison volunteers, must remain diligent to the efforts of the prison authorities to disregard or dismiss our traditional ways. What is sadder, is that the prisons are just more blatant in this regard. They are by no means the only organized bureaucrats engaged in killing traditional ways. There are countless others, including some tribal governments. I pray our traditions will survive, in spite of our own failings to safeguard them, though our own grandparents had to risk their very lives to keep these ways alive. The great melting pot... the United States. I pray I and many others remain unmeltable. We are beautiful Peoples. Our ways are beautiful and bound to seven generations who came before and to the seven generations who will follow. Remember and cherish and work hard to remain who we are. Dohiyi Ani Oginalii , , Gary Night Owl gars@nanews.org (*,*) P. O. Box 672168 gars@speakeasy.org (`-') Marietta, GA 30007, U.S.A. gars@olagrande.net ===w=w=== gars@sdf.lonestar.org ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- - Crossings - B.C. Court dismisses - Urgent call for Supporters effort to stop Referendum on Black Mesa - Sentencing Circles - Drought forces Navajos gain Judges' Approval to sell Livestock - Judge throws out attempt - Tribal upheaval in Belcourt to halt Makah Whaling - Seminole Tribal Rift - Hearing sought over Plan is a Matter of Blood to Pave over Graves - Upper Moencopi Village - Open Letter from turns a New Page LPDC Board of Directors - A Legacy in Stone - Peltier Event - CRST vote forestalls Foreclosure - Native Prisoner - No Privatization -- Update on Alex Montana of Indian Schools this Year -- Attn for Joel Ritchie again - Historic Status - Rustywire: set for Mount Graham Wandering Around People - Proposal to drill - Poem: Shaking the Earth in Canyons of the Ancients - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days - Charges fly in - Sac and Fox breaks Ground Trust Reform Dispute on Wellness Center - Canadian Indians to get - New Book about $1-Billion held in Trust Siksika/Piegan/Kainah Tribe - Shuswap Leaders - Native America Calling put Ballots in Flames - Upcoming Events --------- "RE: Crossings" --------- Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 08:10:52 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CROSSINGS" May 14, 2002 Paul Day Paul Day, 72, passed away peacefully on Mother's Day, May 12, 2002. He was born on February 1, 1930, in the village of Paraje, Laguna Pueblo. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Ruth Satala Day. He was a recipient of two Purple Heart medals of the Korean War and a member of the"Chosin Few." He served in the Marines and Air Force of the U.S. Armed Forces and received numerous medals, ribbons, and awards for military service from 1948 to 1959. He attended the Albuquerque Indian School and received a B.S. in Criminology from the University of Albuquerque in 1975. He was a member of the Arizona Territorial Gourd Society, Phoenix, Arizona. He retired from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) as an investigator with the Phoenix office in 1989. He resided in Phoenix, Arizona and Albuquerque, NM. He will be remembered and greatly missed by his six children, Michael Day, Brenda Shanta, Chalmers Day, Julie Buckman, Paul Stewart, and Laura Day; mother, Marie Day; sister, Emelia; four brothers, David, Lewis, Victor and Eugene; 17 grandchildren; one great-grandson; and a large extended family. A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, May 16, 2002, 10:00 a.m., at Eastern Hill Baptist Church, 3100 Morris NE. Interment will follow service at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. Reception to follow in Rio Rancho. Arrangements by Direct Funeral Services, 2919 4th Street NW, Albuquerque, (505) 343-8008 Copyright c. 1997 - 2002 Albuquerque Journal: Albuquerque, New Mexico. -=-=-=- May 14, 2002 Shirley Mae Charley Shirley Mae Charley, 53, of Kirtland died at her home Saturday, May 11, 2002. She is survived by her husband, Phillip Charley of the home; two sons, Rudy Keedah of Las Cruces and Jared Charley of Kirtland; and one daughter, Cheryl Charley of Kirtland. She is also survived by seven sisters, Fern J. Begay, Fermine J. Blackwater and Lena R. Johnson, all of Shiprock, Julia Roanhorse of Cortez, Norma J. Benally of Farmington, and Veda E. Glover and Corina J. Atencio, both of Kirtland; and four brothers, Henry J. Johnson of Tulsa, Okla., Franklin J. Johnson of Shiprock, Russell J. Johnson of Sacramento, Calif., and Jerry J. Johnson Sr. of Shiprock. Her aunts are Rose Ann Johnson and Katie Clark of Shiprock, Martha Tellos of Sacramento, and Anna Mae Ironmoccasin of Shiprock. Her uncle is Harry J. Johnson. She was preceded in death by her parents, Tom and Marie Johnson; uncles, Daniel B. Johnson and Jim B. Johnson; one aunt, Jessie B. Frazier; and two brothers, Raymond J. Johnson and Rory J. Johnson. Shirley graduated from Shiprock High School in 1969 and received her bachelor's and master's degrees in education from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. She was working on her Ph.D. in education at the time of her death. She taught one year at Rough Rock School before joining the staff at Nenahnezad 22 years ago. She was a member of the National Teachers Association and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints First Ward of Kirtland. She married her husband, Phillip Charley, in Farmington June 15, 1985. Funeral services will be conducted at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 16, 2002, at the Stake Center in Kirtland, with Bishop John Sherwood officiating. Burial will follow at the Kirtland Community Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Wilbert Johnson, Franklin Johnson, Johnny Johnson, Ted C. Begay, Kee Blackwater Sr., Kee Blackwater Jr., James Ironmoccasin and Chad Dawson. Honorary pallbearers will be Phillip Charley, Jared Charley, Cheryl Charley and Rudy Keedah. Funeral arrangements are with Chapel of Memories Funeral Home in Kirtland, (505) 598-9636. Jay Yazzie Sr. Jay Yazzie Sr., 73, of Nenahnezad died Sunday, May 12, 2002, at San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington. He was born Sept. 13, 1928, in Nenahnezad, the son of Claushchee' Yazzie and Alice Yazzie. His paternal clan was Ashiihi and his maternal clan was Tiaashchiii. Mr. Yazzie started work for Utah International Inc. in 1962, and retired from BHP Minerals in 1991. He served as Nenahnezad Chapter President pro tem vice president. He was also the Farm Board vice president, Nenahnezad community vice president, Community Land Use Planning Committee member, Din Action Mining Center Board member and Grazing Board member, and he was a lifetime farmer and rancher. He is survived by his wife, Annie Mae Yazzie; sons, Tommy, Harrison, Calvin, Clifford "C.Y.," Wilson, Alfred, Charles, Jay Jr., Lorenzo, Timothy and Raymond Yazzie; daughters, Orlanda Yazzie, Suzanne Begay and Judith Yazzie; a sister, Arlene Charles; 24 grandchildren and 10 great- grandchildren. Funeral services will begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 15, at Open Bible Baptist Church in Waterflow. Pastor Nathaniel Begay and the Rev. Robertson Jackson from the Apostolic Faith Tabernacle Church will officiate. Burial will follow at Greenlawn Cemetery in Farmington. Pallbearers will be Waymore Yazzie, Brian Yazzie, Renaldo A. Yazzie, Joseph Yazzie, Jon-Wesley Yazzie, Clifton J. Yazzie, Clinton Yazzie, Christopher Yazzie and Carlos Yazzie. Honorary pallbearers are all the sons and daughters, also Kenneth Benalley, Robertson Jackson, Henderson Jackson, Harvey Harwood Sr., Andrew Barber Jr., Roger Barber, Nathaniel Begay, John Grubb, James Mason, Jim Maynard, Allen Gleason, Mario Joe, and all the grandchildren. Arrangements are with Cope Memorial Chapel of Farmington, 404 W. Arrington St., (505) 327-5142. May 15, 2002 Trisha L. Vicenti Trisha L. Vicenti went to be with her Lord May 11, 2002. Born June 16, 1968, she was a member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Henry (Buster) L. Vicenti, and Zebedeo and Mary Valdez. Trisha is survived by her son, Fabian Talamante; parents, Bill and Naomi Vicenti; sisters, Tiffany Vicenti of Albuquerque and Trinity Vicenti of Independence, Mo.; brothers, Billy Vicenti of Independence, Brandon Vicenti of Albuquerque, and Terrell Vicenti of Las Vegas, N.M.; niece, Alexis Saiz of Albuquerque; grandmother, Maggie Vicenti of Dulce; the father of her son, Andy Talamante; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins; close friends, Sabrina Baca and Rhonda Gomez; and boyfriend, Carl Key. Trisha worked at the West Las Vegas Schools Headstart as a substitute teacher. Funeral services will be conducted at 10 a.m. today, Wednesday, May 15, at the Reformed Church in Dulce. Burial will follow at the family cemetery in Dulce. Pallbearers are Dayton Ladd, Mercury Vicenti, Gerard Gonzales, Elston Tafoya, Wilburn Tafoya and Marvin Salazar. Honorary pallbearers are Carl Key, Kirby Tafoya, Ela Salazar, and numerous cousins and friends. Funeral services are entrusted to Funeral Options, (970) 247-8555. Copyright c. 1999-2002 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington Daily Times. -=-=-=- May 15, 2002 Vivian Mabel Wounded Head POTATO CREEK - Vivian Mabel Wounded Head, 85, Potato Creek, died Monday, May 13, 2002, in Rapid City. Survivors include two daughters, Brenda Bullman, Salt Lake City, and Donna Long Soldier, Rapid City; three sons, Garrett Wounded Head, Tulsa, Okla., Paul Wounded Head, Rapid City, and Darrell Wounded Head, Olny Springs, Colo.; one sister, Gloria Amiotte, Rapid City; three brothers, Roger Amiotte, Interior, Gordon Amiotte, Wanblee, and Wallace Amiotte, Rapid City; 22 grandchildren; and 38 great-grandchildren. A two-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. today at St. Timothy's Catholic Church in Potato Creek. The second night will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at Native American Church in Potato Creek. Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday, May 17, at Native American Church, with the Rev. Emerson Spider officiating. Burial will be at Native American Church Cemetery in Potato Creek. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Leo A. Siers OGLALA - Leo A. Siers, 70, Oglala, died Wednesday, May 8, 2002, in San Francisco. Survivors include two sisters, Fran Karr and Anne Sherman, both of Rapid City, and three brothers, John Siers, Rapid City, William Siers, San Francisco, and Al Dreamer Sr., Oglala. A one-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. today at Brother Rene Catholic Hall in Oglala. Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 16, at Brother Rene Hall, with Brother Clarence Rowland, Sister Julie Brochamp and the Rev. Asa Wilson officiating. Burial will be at Makasan Presbyterian Cemetery in Oglala. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. May 16, 2002 Sarah Belt-Brave OGLALA - Sarah Belt-Brave, 92, Oglala, died Monday, May 13, 2002, in Pine Ridge. Survivors include four daughters, Dora Brave, Red Shirt Table, and Verna Yellow Horse, Georgianna Brave and Regina Brave, all of Oglala; 17 grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. A one-night wake will begin at 4 p.m. Friday, May 17, at Brother Rene Catholic Hall in Oglala. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at Our Lady of the Sioux Catholic Church in Oglala, with the Rev. Bill Pauly, S.J. , officiating. Burial will be Saturday at Our Lady of Good Counsel Cemetery in White River. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. May 17, 2002 Evelyn Emily Little Hawk CALICO - Evelyn Emily Little Hawk, 32, Calico, died Tuesday, May 14, 2002, in Calico. Survivors include two daughters, Deanna and Denishia Little Hawk; her parents, Cecil and Leona Little Hawk, Calico; two sisters, Loretta Little Hawk, Porcupine, and Jane Rodriguez, Pine Ridge; and one brother, Cecil Little Hawk Jr., Calico. A two-night wake will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at Advent Chapel in Calico. Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, May 20, at the chapel, with the Rev. Ben Tyon, the Rev. Agnes Tyon, and the Rev. Leo American Horse officiating. Mr. Marvin Helper will officiate over traditional services. Burial will be at Advent Chapel Episcopal Cemetery in Calico. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. May 19, 2002 Frederick P. Whiteface RAPID CITY - Frederick P. Whiteface, 80, Rapid City, died Sunday, May 19, 2002, at his home. Survivors include his wife, Pearl Whiteface, Rapid City; six children, Charmaine Whiteface, Wayne Iteska, Lorraine Brave Heart, Elaine LaMere and Delaine Bloom, all of Rapid City, and Germaine Hughes, Fort Collins, Col.; one brother, Clifford Whiteface, Rapid City; 27 grandchildren; and 37 great-grandchildren. Arrangements are pending with Kirk Funeral Home of Rapid City. Copyright c. 2002 The Rapid City Journal. --------- "RE: Urgent call for Supporters on Black Mesa" --------- Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 12:41:38 -0600 From: "Marsha Monestersky" Subj: Urgent call for supporters on Black Mesa Mailing List: Big Mountain List Dear Big Mountain Supporters, Several Dineh elders living on HPL have asked me to post an urgent request for college students and anyone else interested to contact us to find out how you can provide on-site help. Drought conditions and a lack of access to water has made survival difficult for HPL residents resisting relocation by the U.S. government. Please consider spending some time on-site with Dineh elders this summer. Please call: Betty Begay for Rena Babbitt Lane Phone 928-606-7348 and Vergie Greyeyes for Huck and Genevieve Greyeyes 928-283-5301 and Anna Yazzie for Billy & Betty Begay 623-846-5227 and me via e-mail for Pauline Whitesinger Thank you, Marsha E-mmail: sdn57@earthlink.net --------- "RE: Drought forces Navajos to sell Livestock" --------- Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 08:10:52 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DROUGHT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news02/051102_news_cattle.shtml Drought forces Navajos to sell livestock THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. - The windmill pumps are spitting dust instead of water, and the Navajo Nation is urging drought-stricken ranches to sell livestock to people who have the water to keep them alive. Alex Dinatale, Navajo Water Resources Department hydrologist, said the current drought will be listed among the worst in U.S. history and calls for immediate action. If drought-impacted cattle and horses aren't sold soon, they will die, Dinatale said. He said the humane thing to do is sell the animals. It's a step endorsed "absolutely" by Judy Willeto, range conservationist with the Navajo Agriculture Department. Willeto said she wants no repeat of the parched summer of 1996, when her agency had to organize a major emergency cattle auction in Naschitti, N.M. "This is the worst drought in over 50 years," Dinatale said. "It's going to be worse than the 1996 drought." Naschitti, in San Juan County, is said to mean "badger water" and is sometimes translated "scratching for water" in Navajo. Navajo rangelands are almost grassless, Willeto said, and without grass, cattle are even eating the gray rabbitbrush and Douglas rabbitbrush that they usually wouldn't touch because it makes them ill. "Cattle won't eat it unless it's the last thing out there," Willeto said. "We've seen cattle eat dry wood." Windmill-powered stock tanks aren't producing because the wells are fed by all-too-scarce runoff. Cattle are at a disadvantage in drought, Willeto said, because they don't find water as readily as feral horses do and aren't tended as carefully as sheep. Dinatale said it is already too late to even feed many cattle, which he said must be sold now or they will perish. After a cow, steer or calf has suffered a certain period of water deprivation, it affects their ability to eat. They cannot chew, become dehydrated and starve. Feed won't help, only water will, he said. In fact, he said, when cattle are in such a state, food only makes their condition worse. "People think they (cattle) are so skinny that they need food. But they're beyond that point, . . . and yet the farmers are going for the food. It's just a sad situation," Dinatale said. Dinatale compiles monthly and seasonal drought reports, as well as six- month Standardized Precipitation Indexes. As a result of the latest index, which extended through March, Navajo President Kelsey Begaye and Chairman Herman Shorty of the tribe's Emergency Management Commission declared a state of drought emergency March 26. Begaye has applied for federal drought relief through the U.S. Interior Department. Dinatale said national climatology statistics show pasture conditions on the reservation deteriorating, with 75 percent of tribal pasture in New Mexico and 58 percent in Arizona rated very poor to poor. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that the Chuska Mountain snowpack was 17 percent of average as of April 1. The tribal Department of Water Resources, which monitors Navajo rangelands, has prepared a Drought Contingency Plan and Drought Report in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of Indian Affairs. John Leeper, a civil engineer with the tribal Department of Water Resources, said possibilities include the federal government providing increased water storage capacity for the tribe, drilling new wells and upgrading water points. One Army Corps of Engineers analyst took photos of cattle that have already perished on the reservation. Cattle in the tribe's Western Agency and Chinle Agency have been hardest hit by the drought, said Willeto, who doubted that an emergency cattle auction can be organized in time to save cattle and other livestock. She recommended that Navajo ranchers and farmers sell their animals at one of several off-reservation locations, including: - San Juan Livestock Auction in Aztec, noon Mondays. - Valley Livestock Auction, noon Wednesdays, in Sun Valley, Ariz. - Cattleman's Auction, 10 a.m. Saturdays, Albuquerque. - Southwest Livestock Auction, noon Saturdays, Los Lunas. - Cortez Livestock Auction, Cortez, Colo., noon Wednesdays. - Breen Livestock Auction, 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Breen, Colo. Copyright c. 2002 The Albuquerque Tribune. --------- "RE: Tribal upheaval in Belcourt" --------- Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 07:55:16 -0700 From: "mikola 18" Subj: "Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa: Tribal upheaval in Belcourt" Mailing List: ndn-aim http://www.grandforks.com Friday, May 17, 2002 "Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa: Tribal upheaval in Belcourt; Tribal council wants chairman, treasurer out" By DORREEN YELLOW BIRD Herald Staff Writer BELCOURT, N.D. -- "Six members of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribal Council passed a resolution Monday to remove Chairman Richard Monette, alleging malfeasance and neglect of duty. The resolution also called for the dismissal of Will Grant, secretary- treasurer for the tribe, and all five members of the election board. Council members refused any comment to the Herald. Monette, formerly a law professor at the University of Wisconsin and a lawyer, vetoed the resolution. An open meeting called by Monette for Thursday was rescheduled by the council for noon today at the Sprung Building, next to tribal offices. The blowup came partly as a result of work done by an ad hoc committee charged with changing the tribe's constitution. Under debate At the center of the debate seems to be a petition for a special election. After about nine months and 12 drafts, the constitutional committee gathered 1,800 signatures calling for a special election on their newly crafted tribal constitution. Committee members believed only 900 signatures were required to call an election. But the tribal council rejected the petition, saying 4,400 signatures were required, which is 20 percent of the tribal population. Monette argued that tribal code states that 20 percent of those who voted in the last election is what is required for a special election. "That is the way we have determined it in the last five times the Constitution was amended. They have a good record of that being that way," he said. Monette accepted the petition from the committee. He said the people have reserved the right to amend their constitution. The petition calls for the election "not me, not anybody else," he said. He said he campaigned on changing the Constitution because he believed the people want it. He purposely stayed away from the ad hoc committee because he wanted the change to be a grass-roots effort without influence of the government. Council make-up One of the issues at the root of the disagreement is a proposed change in the make-up of the council. The revised Constitution says the executive branch will consist of the chairman and vice chairman and the departments of education, commerce, labor, treasury, human services, enrollment and justice. Under the revised Constitution, some current council members stand to lose significant wages. Their terms would be curtailed from full-time jobs to simply attending meetings. The current council salaries range from about $60,000 to $70,000 per year. The part-time council positions would be paid considerably less. Most important, the committee's findings said, the revision would give professionals on the reservation an opportunity to sit on the council because they would be meeting at night and only about six times a year. Restraining order The council submitted a restraining order to keep Monette from Tribal Headquarters. Tribal judge Sharon Malaterre recommended approval of the resolution. According to Yvette Falcon, chief clerk of the court, the restraining order is pending the approval of the Bureau of Indian Affairs superintendent Patrick Hemmy. Malaterre heard Wednesday from Monette and the council. Based on that testimony, the judge recommended the temporary restraining order be approved. "There is no specificity in the resolution," Monette said Thursday. "What, did I walk backwards in the hall?" Monette said that when he went to court, he didn't know what to argue. "How can I argue the merits if I don't know what the merits are?" he said. In the meantime, Monette is not allowed in the tribal office, and all locks have been changed. In spite of the turmoil, Monette said, he made an immediate appeal to tribal residents to follow due process. "We have tried to maintain calm and just follow procedures. Rumors of unrest are blown out of proportion," Monette said. Criminal activity? Monette, who was elected in November 2000, also said that he's been investigating tribal practices. He said he is finding crimes such as embezzlement, election corruption, extortion and misapplication of tribal funds. Monette and Grant have been piecing together purchase orders, contracts, checks, bank statements and doing the math, he said. "Their idea of a budget is to take last year's budget and add 4 percent for raises. We are $2 million dollars in the hole," Monette said. "We are not surviving." Added treasurer Grant, "We are almost $3 million dollars in the hole." Monette said the council's assertion of neglect of duty is a question of his out-of-office time. He said that when he ran for chairman, he disclosed that he had a couple of cases as a lawyer and some as a judge. He said he took annual leave for these trips." Copyright 2002, Grand Forks Herald ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 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: Seminole Tribal Rift Is a Matter of Blood" --------- Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 08:11:16 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SEMINOLE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-000034587may16.story Tribal Rift Is a Matter of Blood May 16, 2002 - Politics: A tense standoff marked the battle of two Seminoles over who will head the nation. Big gambling money is at stake. By MEGAN K. STACK, TIMES STAFF WRITER SEMINOLE, Okla. -- It was blood and money that fractured the Seminole nation and started the siege. A tense battle of wills between two men-- each of whom swears he is the rightful head of the 12,000-member Seminole nation--paralyzed this smattering of gambling halls and old meeting grounds for more than a week. Longtime chief Jerry Haney is recognized by the U.S. government, even though he lost the last election by a wide margin. His wildly popular foe, Kenneth Chambers, has managed to cling to power ever since he triumphed in a racially charged and illegal election last summer. The two sides spent the last week staring each other down across a country road--neither wanted to relinquish the tribal buildings he had seized. Threats gave way to physical scuffles. Haney backed down late Tuesday, and tensions were easing slightly. The bustling casinos and shops reopened Wednesday night after having been closed for days. "This has devastated our nation; it's one of the lowest points in our history," said Michael Haney. A pigtailed supporter and relative of Jerry Haney, Michael Haney pored over court orders in a smoky backroom of the tribal mission last weekend. "It's family against family. Our morale is broken." The two factions can't even agree on what started what Haney calls "this war--I mean, this conflict." It was a long-simmering racial split that brought the Seminoles into chaos--but it's a thirst for power and self- determination that lends the standoff its stubborn longevity. The two men stand to gain plenty: 150 years after the U.S. government pushed their ancestors out of Florida and onto the wilds of the Oklahoma prairies, the Seminole nation is worth millions of dollars and controls a burgeoning betting industry. Things got messy two years ago, when the tribal council agreed to strip away the voting rights of approximately 2,000 black Seminoles. The so- called Freedmen are slaves' descendants who have coexisted and mingled with the indigenous "blood Seminoles" for decades. To indigenous Seminoles, the change in blood requirement was a stroke of self-determination. To the black Seminoles, it was a painful crack at their culture. "My heart is just really, really heavy that these folks have so much hatred when their own ancestors did not have it," black Seminole Lena J. Hunt Shaw said. "People of African descent played a major role, I mean a major role, in helping those Indians survive. Everybody has the blood in them." The Bureau of Indian Affairs failed to return numerous phone calls for this story, but the U.S. government appears to agree with Shaw. The federal agency regards the disenfranchisement of the Freedmen as an illegal maneuver, a constitutional amendment that took place without the needed approval of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. All tribal council business that fell after the decision to oust the black Seminoles is nullified, the bureau has told the Seminole leaders. That includes the August election of Chambers, who spent this past week holed up in the tribal compound in blatant defiance of a tribal court order. As dusk gave way to torrential rain this weekend in the tiny town of Wewoka, children raced in the corridors. Old men in work boots rested against the walls. The families who stayed loyal to Chambers lived on hot corn stew and sandwich cookies delivered by the tribal elders. They slept in cars and tents pitched in the grass; they took turns standing sentry. No matter what, they said, they would not leave. And as it turned out, they didn't have to. The siege ended late Tuesday, when a tribal appeals panel overturned the order that had banned Chambers from the Seminole offices. The panel ruled that a tribal judge had overstepped his authority when he froze the tribe's bank accounts and disarmed the Lighthorsemen, the Seminole police. But the bitter fight over Seminole leadership still has the nation crackling with tension. The federal government will continue trying to force the Seminoles to hold a new election--and count the votes of the Freedmen. Federal programs have ground to a stop, one by one, for months: meals for elderly, Head Start, transportation to and from dialysis treatments. Graduates have been unable to pin down scholarship funds; families have applied for emergency food stamps. "People are getting hurt physically, they're getting hurt financially," Chambers supporter Marsey Harjo said. "Oh, yeah. It's hit us hard." Chambers says he has no ethical choice but to defy the U.S. government and the Haney group. He says it's a question of sovereignty, not race. His followers are fighting for the right to decide who is and is not Seminole, to pen their own constitution, and to pick their leaders. "We're a sovereign nation. Our government was here before the U.S. government," Chambers said. "If we hold our ground we'll win." Jerry Haney was chief for 12 years before losing to Chambers. The U.S. government says he's still in charge, and Haney agrees. He and a handful of followers spent last week hunkered down in the Mekusukey tribal grounds, a high, breezy stretch of land with a meeting hall and a wide view of the rolling pastures below. They have the formal recognition of federal authorities--and not much else. Chambers sneers at them and calls them stooges for a meddling U.S. government. After Tuesday night's ruling restored guns to the Lighthorsemen, Haney fled the meeting hall and took refuge in his house. The tribal police remain loyal to Chambers, and Haney feared an attack. "I knew it was going to come to a physical confrontation, and we don't need that," Haney said. "I vacated peacefully." For days, Chambers' men hunched in folding chairs at the threshold of the Seminole bingo hall across the street from the Haney group. The two factions sat stolidly, glowering at their foes through binoculars, each one silently daring the other to cross the road. When a Chambers supporter crossed, a melee broke out. Rick Deer ended up in the hospital, beaten bloody by a crowd that included his cousin. Three people were arrested by Bureau of Indian Affairs agents, the only law enforcement allowed on tribal property. Although the leaders insist they were fighting for freedom, not race, the men on sentry this week told a different tale. "We're not black--we're Indians," said blood Seminole Yogi Harjo, who drove out from Oklahoma City to help Chambers stake out the bingo hall. His hair is woven into three braids; an eagle feather flaps from the back of his Hilfiger cap. "We're trying to keep the black people out." The origin of the black Seminoles is a point of dispute. Some of the tribe say the bloods and blacks banded together for protection back in the days before the United States shoved the Seminoles out of Florida. Others say the Seminoles kept slaves, who were freed and granted citizenship after the Civil War. Most likely, the truth is somewhere in between, says University of Oklahoma Native American studies professor Jerry C. Bread. "But [the Seminole standoff] is really not a matter of race; it's a matter of politics and the right of the people to define their own blood," Bread said. "This is just the beginning of a trend that we'll see across the country. How far do we go in allowing the U.S. government to dictate the rights that we have?" The U.S. government has said the black Seminoles have been members since the tribe signed an 1866 treaty and can't be kicked out without the approval of Congress. The move to oust the black Seminoles came just as tribal politics became high-stakes. The federal government had paid the Seminoles back for the loss of Florida with a $35-million settlement. The advent of bingo halls and slot machines dropped millions of dollars into tribal coffers. "It's ethnic cleansing, revisionist history," said Jonathon Velie, a lawyer for the Freedmen. "They're out of control." Times researcher Lianne Hart contributed to this report. Copyright c. 2002 Los Angeles Times --------- "RE: Upper Moencopi Village turns a New Page" --------- Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 08:39:07 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MOENCOPI ELECTIONS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.navajohopiobserver.com/navajohopiobserver/ Upper Moencopi Village Turns A New Page In Hopi History By Suetopka Thayer Photos by George Multine III Another page in Hopi history was written on May 7th, 2002 as two Upper Moencopi women took the office of Governor and Lt. Governor of the northwesternmost village of the Hopi Tribe. Not since a Hopi woman, Parrot Clan member and Old Oraibi village matriarch Mina Lansa, served as the first woman chief of Old Oraibi, has any Hopi woman held such high office. Three Hopi women have, in the past, been placed on the ballot for what is considered a very contemporary and non-traditional form of government at the Hopi Tribal government level. The positions were for both Hopi Tribal Chairman and Tribal Vice Chairman, but all three were unsuccessful in winning these slots. The three Hopi women who sought the office of the Vice Chairman of the Hopi Tribe in the past were Marilyn Harris-Tewa from Mishongnovi, Carrie Watahomogie from Shungopavi and Mary Felter from Hotevilla. Of these three, only Felter made it past the primary to the general election category in the Hopi Tribe's most recent election. Felter ran against Elgean Joshevema, who was the landslide victor in the tribal election race. Joshevama currently serves as the Hopi Tribal Vice Chairman. Hopi women have not traditional been embraced as serious candidates as these roles in a traditional village setting are usually held by men. But times and current thought are changing and this trend is taking the Hopi Tribe along with it. Alene Garcia, Bamboo Clan, was sworn into the Governor's office by Chief Hopi Tribal Judge Gary LaRance, who co-incidentally, is also a Hopi tribal member of Upper Moencopi. Governor Garcia spoke to the attending audience about her vision for their village, her ideas about economic development and spoke appreciative thanks for former Governor Hubert Lewis and the outgoing Governing Board for Directors and asked the community for their support and ideas regarding the village of Upper Moencopi and its future. Newly installed Governor Garcia, "I want to firstly thank my mother, my husband Del and my family. They have always been there for me, not just during this campaign but throughout other times as well. I would also like to publicly thank the village of Upper Moencopi for showing the support and confidence in electing me to office. "Times are obviously changing on Hopi and my election to this position as well as new Lt. Governor Yvonne Hoosava show that. I would also like to recognize former Governor, Hubert Lewis for his work with our village during his two terms of office. He had a never ending job. We need to work together as a community team. We want to get things done for our village in a positive way. I will be asking Mr. Lewis for guidance in my new post. "I will be learning from all of you as this is a tough job. Being governor is a big responsibility as you are now all my children and it will be my job to take care of you and look after you. I thank you again for your support and for voting. Voting shows your support and participation in our village activities and issues, and is vital for our administration to know how you feel." Once installed, Governor Garcia, introduced her new Lt. Governor, Yvonne Hoosava of the Water/Coyote Clan. Lt. Governor Hoosava also had the opportunity to express her vision and observations on Upper Moencopi and possible village endeavors. Lt. Governor Hoosava, " I have been talking with our Moencopi people for the past two years and it became obvious that they would accept and endorse a woman candidate. Times are changing, and we are stepping into the new millennium along with our off-reservation neighbors. "Some of us who have lived off the reservation know that we must adapt to new experiences to survive and we bring this off-reservation experience to our board and villages. We know what it is like to live among non- natives. For myself, I was the only native in my school, so hopefully I have learned to use this off-reservation experience of being assertive for our village's benefit. "I would like to see an 'open-community house meeting', so that we can discuss our basic issues in an open setting. We need to invest in our village people, and create job opportunities. I would like to see a trailer court established so that we can provide home areas for our village members. We hope to do our best. I'm also glad we have new members on our board because its time for a change. There will be a lot of work and we need everyone's help. This is a new millennium and we need to find out what we can do to help one another. "We also must remind ourselves to have respect for one another, this is one of the most important things. I also want to thank the village members for voting. We are seeing a Hopi history making event by electing two women to this office. I again thank you for your confidence." Former Governor Hubert Lewis also spoke of his past two terms and recognized his own village members for their support. Hubert Lewis, "I think the best advice I can give is to remind our new officers that we can never satisfy everyone. We try to do our best as Governor, Lt. Governor and Governing Board members. I hope that we keep in mind that anyone who serves is doing the best job that they can. "Again I would also like to thank the Board members I served with, and hope that our new board will give their full support to the newly installed officers. It's a big job and they will need our support. I would also like to thank my village for giving me the opportunity to serve them in the past two terms." The term of office for these Upper Moencopi posts are 18 months. The past Governing Board members who were acknowledged and thanked by other members of the community at the event were: Hubert Lewis, Sr. - Governor, Kingston Honahni Sr.-Lt. Governor, Jonathan Phillips-Tribal Council Rep., Michael Elmer-Tribal Council Rep., Darrell Tsimoga, Board Member. New Board of Directors for the Village of Upper Moencopi are: Alene Garcia- Governor, Yvonne Hoosava-Lt. Governor, Danny Humetewa Sr.-Tribal Council Rep, Robert Sakiestewa Jr.-Tribal Council Rep., Florence Albert- Tribal Council Rep.,Henry Seweyestewa-Tribal Council Rep., Wilfred Moore- Board Member, Ethel Gilbert-Board Member, Wayne Kuwanhyaoima- Board Member, Alden Seweyestewa, Board Member. Event Coordinator, Lolita Honanie and ladies of the Moencopi community prepared a reception after the swearing-in which provided time for members of the community to talk with the new officers. The new Governor and her Lt. Gov. can be reached through the Upper Moencopi Administrative office at (928) 283-8051. Copyright c. 2002 Northern Arizona Newspapers, Inc. --------- "RE: A Legacy in Stone" --------- Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 14:11:43 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PUEBLO TEACHER" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.santafenewmexican.com/site/news A legacy in stone By JENNA NARANJO/The New Mexican May 11, 2002 JEMEZ PUEBLO - You could have heard a pin drop in Marie Baca's carpeted classroom the day she taught her students about Pope', an American Indian who is believed to have organized the Pueblo Revolt in 1680. "They love hearing the history of the pueblos," said Baca, a Jemez Pueblo Day School teacher. Baca's students were among nearly 300 people who gathered here Friday morning for a special ceremony to celebrate the arrival of a 7.5-ton chunk of Tennessee pink marble that Jemez Pueblo artist Cliff Fragua will transform into a statue of Pope'. Some believe the revolt for which Pope' is famous helped preserve pueblo culture by driving out Spanish colonists from Northern New Mexico. The Spanish, however, were invited back in 1683. When completed, Fragua's piece will be sent to the National Statuary Hall in the U.S Capitol in Washington, D.C. "This occasion celebrates many firsts for New Mexico," Gov. Gary Johnson told the crowd gathered outside Fragua's Singing Stone Studio. Other state and tribal officials were also present. Johnson told the audience Fragua will be the first American Indian to create a piece for the National Statuary Hall, and his statue will depict the oldest figure chronologically in the exhibit. "The legacy of a man and a spirit of a stone has brought us together," Fragua told the crowd. While the project - a collaboration by state and tribal entities - has faced various hurdles, including controversy and lack of funding, members of the state's Statuary Hall Commission said it is a relief to see the project being completed. Commissioners hope to have the piece at the nation's capital by the end of the year. Fragua said he will have to work eight to 10 hours a day to complete the sculpture on time. When the project was in the planning stages, some state residents and lawmakers said they did not want to send a statue of Pope', who was from what is now San Juan Pueblo, to the U.S. Capitol, reasoning he was a murderer and responsible for the deaths of thousands of Spanish settlers. Others question his very existence. "I proposed a code-talker statue, which would have been much better and would have been historically accurate, precise and appropriate. The Pope' story is none of those," said state Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell, who questioned the project when it was introduced to the Legislature in 1997. "It would have been much easier to choose a hero and not an anti-hero," Adair said during a phone interview. Commissioners argue the opposite. "He was the first leader of the first American revolution," said commission member Marcia Keegan. "This will be a lasting symbol of man's desire to be free," said Herman Agoyo, a commission member and president of the Pope' Foundation, which is responsible for raising money to pay the estimated statue costs of $150,000 to $200,000. Agoyo said about $60,000 has been raised to date. Agoyo, who initiated the project, said he decided more than 10 years ago that Pope' should be represented in the statuary hall, where figures of historically notable, deceased citizens are on display. The Pope' statue will be the state's second and final contribution. The state's first submission depicts the late U.S. Sen. Dennis Chavez of New Mexico. Speakers at the event said it will be an honor to have a Pueblo Indian depicted in the hall along with other leaders like Chavez. "Pope' is a hero," 9-year-old Nicolette Sandia said when asked whether she knew who Pope' was. "You cannot have a revolt where people aren't injured or even killed," said Fragua. "The significance of this revolt is that the pueblo culture survived and that the pueblo culture and ceremonies are still strong." After the hour-long event, Fragua invited state and pueblo officials to use his chisel to break some of the first pieces off of the rectangular block. "All of my journeys that I've gone through in my life have led me to this," Fragua said. "You could call it destiny if you like." Copyright c. 2002 Santa Fe New Mexican. --------- "RE: CRST vote forestalls Foreclosure" --------- Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 08:11:16 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FORECLOSURE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm CRST vote forestalls foreclosure; VE ranch safe for now forestalls foreclosure By:Pauline Webb May 15, 2002 The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council voted to take out a $630,000 loan at the American State Bank in Pierre to stave off foreclosure on 22,000 acres of land, 800 head of buffalo and the custom buffalo processing unit formerly owned by Pte Ke Hca, the tribal buffalo corporation. A $100,000 CD from the Homestake mining settlement was added to the collateral for additional loan. The motion came late Wednesday afternoon (May 8). The loan payment was due May 1, and the tribe was given 10 days before the "event of default" would begin. "Six months ago when the issue was brought to the council there were several options," said CRST Councilman Raymond Uses The Knife, "but today there are only two - do this extension for six months and still be in the business....or default." The buffalo corporation purchased the 22,000 acres of land, known as the VE Ranch, from a local grazing association two years ago. The purchase was financed in large part by the issuance of a bond backed by the land itself, 800 head of buffalo, the processing unit, and a $2.2 million guarantee from philanthropist Jennifer Easton. A series of irregularities within the buffalo corporation resulted in the tribe removing its semi-independent status and placing it under the auspices of the CRST Game, Fish and Parks Department, as well as obtaining a $403,000 loan to make last year's payment. The tribe is asking the BIA to underwrite a $6.5 million guaranteed loan that would pay off the bond and restore fiscal integrity to the program, but the measure has not been approved at this time. The BIA is asking that the buffalo processing program be certified before approving the loan. The tribe hopes to sell buffalo to the USDA, and in fact, has sold approximately $170,000 worth of processed product. Producing and marketing buffalo jerky, in a new $300,000 plant, is part of the plan. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe owns approximately 2500 head of buffalo. If the loan payment is not made or the program refinanced, lenders would begin by selling the buffalo and equipment currently mortgaged, then the land, then take the $2.2 million from Easton, who could sue the tribe to recover the funds. If those sales did not satisfy the note, the rest of the buffalo and equipment, as assets of the program, would sell. "We're going to end up with nothing, all the buffalo gone and possibly zeroed out if we default," said councilman Maynard Dupris. "If we use realistic figures, and run outside cattle, we can probably make it." "If we get an interim loan now and think the BIA loan won't work, we could sell the land ourselves and be no worse off than before we bought the VE," concluded CRST Chairman Gregg Bourland. Copyright c. 2002 ebnews.net/Eagle Butte. --------- "RE: No Privatization of Indian Schools this Year" --------- Date: Mon, 21 May 2002 08:41:18 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NO BIA PRIVATIZATION" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nj.com/newsflash/washington/ Administration won't pursue privatization of Indian schools this year By ROBERT GEHRKE The Associated Press 5/20/02 8:00 PM WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration won't try to privatize a number of failing American Indian schools this year after its plan failed to win support from Congress. The privatization program was the centerpiece of the administration's efforts to reform the Bureau of Indian Affairs-run schools, many of which were found in a congressional report to be providing a substandard education. But the plan met with resistance from tribes and several members of Congress who said the BIA had not consulted with them before deciding on privatization. "This was just a violation, we felt, of our treaty rights" and of federal law, said Merlee Arviso, executive director of Dine Education, which manages education programs for 70,000 students of the Navajo Nation. "Overall the nation was very offended." The BIA runs 185 schools scattered across 23 states, although more than 70 percent of them are in Arizona, New Mexico, North Dakota and South Dakota. Roughly 50,000 students, just 10 percent of school-age Indians, attend BIA schools, with the rest going to schools run by tribes or local communities. According to the BIA, 121 of the 185 BIA schools are already run by tribes. The administration proposed spending $11.9 million to transfer management of more schools to tribes or, more likely, private entities. Bill Mehoja, director of education for the BIA, said privatization has not been abandoned altogether. But the proposal met with enough resistance in Congress that BIA doesn't plan on discussing it in meetings with tribes that are scheduled to begin next month. Indian schools could still be operated by private contractors in time for the 2003-2004 school year, Mehoja said. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said BIA made the right decision in not pursuing its privatization plan. "The federal government has a certain obligation and responsibility to all BIA schools, and it has not always held up its end," he said in a statement. "It is very important that our Indian leaders and education specialists be brought into the circle" before privatization is considered. Domenici, the senior Republican on the Senate Budget Committee and a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, said in March that privatization would be doomed if the BIA did not engage in adequate consultation with the tribes. Since taking office, President Bush has worked to aid public schools, with mixed results. Congress defeated his effort to offer students in failing public schools a voucher of up to $1,500 for private-school tuition. However, he won a compromise that allows federal funding for private tutoring and after-school providers to help students raise their test scores. Bush resurrected the voucher concept in his 2003 budget, proposing to give a tax credit of up to $2,500 per child to families who choose private schools over failing public schools. Last month, Philadelphia school officials awarded a contract to Edison Schools, a private, for-profit company, to run 20 of the city's failing schools. The BIA schools spend more money per pupil than public schools and have more computer access, although many of the computers are outdated. In August, the last BIA school was linked to the Internet. Copyright c. 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2002 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Historic Status set for Mount Graham" --------- Date: Mon, 21 May 2002 08:41:18 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MOUNT GRAHAM" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/20521MOUNTGRAHAM.html Historic status set for Mount Graham By Thomas Stauffer Tuesday, 21 May 2002 ARIZONA DAILY STAR The U.S. Interior Department says Mount Graham is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places as a traditional cultural property of Western Apache tribes. The ruling is a major victory for San Carlos and White Mountain Apaches, who have fought the construction of the University of Arizona's Mount Graham International Observatory for more than a decade, said attorney Michael Nixon. "The significance is this vindicates or proves what the Apaches have been saying all along to the Forest Service and the UA, and that is that Mount Graham is a historic site, and furthermore, a very special kind of historic site," said Nixon, who represents the Mount Graham and Apache Survival Coalitions. By presidential executive order, the ruling requires the U.S. Forest Service to protect the physical integrity of Mount Graham, Nixon said. The Forest Service must complete a formal application process, which can take several months, for the mountain to be officially listed. Nixon said that is mostly a formality now that it's eligible. "What this means, first of all, is no more telescopes on Mount Graham, and only those current uses that are compatible with the mountain's special status," Nixon said. However, others said what effect the ruling and subsequent historic designation will have on the mountain is not clear. UA officials said the decision does not change their plans concerning the Mount Graham telescopes. The 8-acre astronomical observatory was built in a spruce-fir forest, home to an endangered red squirrel, on a mountain that is sacred to traditional San Carlos and White Mountain Apaches. Environmentalists and Apache tribes have filed numerous lawsuits in failed attempts to halt the project 100 miles northeast of Tucson. Two Mount Graham telescopes were completed in 1994. A third telescope, the Large Binocular Telescope, considered the cornerstone of the observatory, is scheduled to be operational in 2004. A 25-mile power line to the observatory was recently completed, and the UA plans to build at least four more telescopes on the site. The UA has yet to receive official documents from the Interior ruling made April 30, but the decision should have no bearing on the UA's plans, said Richard Powell, UA vice president of research and graduate studies. "I don't think it's bothersome to us," Powell said. "The scientific zone for Mount Graham had sites for seven scopes, and those sites are already approved." But Nixon said the ruling could not only halt the construction of the four additional telescopes but could also result in the removal of the power line. "We'd like to somehow get that power line out of there," said Ramon Riley, White Mountain Apache Tribe cultural resource director and member. "You have to be Apache to know what we're talking about when we speak of the elements of the sacredness of that mountain and our religion," Riley added. "I really believe things are finally moving in the right direction now," said Wendsler Nosie, a spiritual leader for the San Carlos Apache Tribe. "If the Forest Service can step back and try to correct some of the things that they did wrong, I'm pretty sure the University of Arizona can do the same thing, and if that happens, you're going to see a lot of healing take place." Safford Mayor Van Talley said instead of healing, the ruling could harm many people who have used the mountain for a variety of reasons. Talley said what the ruling will actually do is unclear to him and many other people involved with Mount Graham, but that he fears it could eliminate some uses of the mountain that benefit people and the local economy. "It seems to me the mountain should be managed for the use of all people, instead of putting the interests of one people over another," Talley said. "There are homes up in that area, cabins, public safety communications, church camps, tourism and picnicking. Mount Graham is important to the Gila Valley area for a lot of reasons, and this could restrict those uses in a very decisive way." Nixon said he doubted the ruling would restrict the uses Talley mentioned. "This is not going to restrict current uses that are compatible to the Apaches," he said. The ruling states that ethnographic research done by the Forest Service shows that the entire mountain "is associated with the traditional beliefs of Native American groups about their origins, cultural history, and the nature of the world," and is a place Apaches historically and currently use for ceremonial activities. The document also states that not only Mount Graham but the Forest Service's Pinaleno Mountains unit is part of a larger regional landscape sacred to Western Apache tribes. "Potentially, this larger regional landscape, or certain parts of it, may be eligible for listing with further identification, evaluation, and documentation," the document states. Guy Lopez, a longtime observatory opponent, said the UA and the Forest Service had denied the tribal significance of Mount Graham and marginalized the views of Apaches. UA officials repeatedly claimed the mountain was sacred to only a few Apaches and that most were neutral on construction of the observatory, he said. The UA's Powell said the university has always consulted with all of the people who have an interest in Mount Graham and will continue to do so. "We assumed that part of the mountain would be recognized as a historic site, and now we're just going to have to sit down with the Forest Service and all the people involved like we always have and will continue to do," Powell said. Most of the 75,000 listings on the register, administered by the National Park Service, are structures such as houses and courthouses. But the register also recognizes archaeological sites, parks and areas like Mount Graham deemed worthy of preserving. George Asmus, district ranger of the Forest Service's Safford Ranger District, which oversees Mount Graham, would not comment on the ruling or its impact. * Contact Thomas Stauffer at 573-4197 or at stauffer@azstarnet.com. Copyright c. 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 AzStarNet, Arizona Daily Star. --------- "RE: Proposal to drill in Canyons of the Ancients"--------- Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 08:10:46 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DRILL CANYON??" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/ Kinder Morgan eyes drilling in Canyons of the Ancients May 18, 2002 Herald Staff Report Kinder Morgan Co. has submitted a proposal to drill four more carbon dioxide wells in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument about 20 miles west of Cortez. The Bureau of Land Management is accepting public comments on the proposal because the wells would be drilled on BLM lands inside monument boundaries. According to the BLM Web site, about 85 percent of the monument is under lease for oil and gas resources. Production of carbon dioxide from monument wells for the year 2000 was 272 billion cubic feet, translating to $8.6 million in royalties; $4.3 million to the state of Colorado. Under the proposal, two wells would be drilled in the Yellow Jacket Unit and two would be drilled in the McElmo Dome Unit. The wells would be on existing federal leases. Surface disturbance for well pads, access roads and roadside pipelines would be about 13 acres, an agency official said in a news release. No access road or pipeline would be needed for one well site, which is adjacent to infrastructure for an existing access road and pipeline. If the wells prove unproductive, they would be abandoned and reclaimed to BLM specifications. Copies of the environmental assessment are available at the Anasazi Heritage Center, 27501 Colorado Highway 184, Dolores; the San Public Lands Center, 15 Burnett Court, in Durango; and on the Web at www.co.blm. gov/canm/index.html and www.co.blm.gov/sjra/index.html. The BLM will be accepting public comment until Friday, June 14. Written comments should be sent to Manager, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, c/o Anasazi Heritage Center, 27501 Colorado Highway 184, Dolores 81323. Comments may also be e-mailed to Colorado_CANM@co.blm.gov. For more information, call Loren Wickstrom, 385-1373. Copyright c. 2002, the Durango Herald. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Charges fly in Trust Reform Dispute" --------- Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 08:10:46 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRUST CHARGES" http://www.indianz.com/News/ Charges fly in trust reform dispute MONDAY, MAY 20, 2002 A federal judge and attorneys for Secretary of Interior Gale Norton traded barbs last week over the Bush administration's efforts to fix the historically mismanaged Indian trust system. Amid a full-scale attack on one of his officers, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued an order decrying the "shipshod and haphazard way" the government treats records belonging to 300,000 American Indians. While allowing Department of Interior officials to keep watch over the documents because they promised to keep his court informed, he derided their "sad and cynical" complaints of additional oversight. "The court has yet to see any 'effective operations of the Interior Department' regarding these individual Indian trusts," Lamberth wrote on May 17. But those words were just a small picture of the sparring that has occurred since a court investigator released his most recent report earlier this month. After refusing requests to strip his work of passages the government said were damaging to Norton and other officials, Joseph S. Kieffer III was slammed in a lengthy document -- a part of which was filed under seal -- authored by the Department of Justice. Government attorneys accused Kieffer of overstepping his bounds by making public a dispute over the role of the department's top trust reform official, a presidential appointee. Calling on the "improper" report to be rejected in its entirety, they said it was filled with "unsubstantiated theories and opinions" that questioned Norton's judgment of the performance of Special Trustee Tom Slonaker. "[T]he court monitor opines on the qualifications that Interior officials must possess, the role Interior officials must be assigned, which officials must manage which projects, which officials' advice the Secretary must accept, and which officials' advice she must reject," the May 16 filing stated. "The court monitor is not conducting himself as an objective observer and reporter," the defense team added, "but rather has sought to become an active agent in the decision-making process." Attorneys representing the Indian beneficiaries quickly responded with a filing of their own. Saying the objections lodged on behalf of Norton were "groundless," they asked Lamberth to refer her defense team to a federal disciplinary panel for alleged "misconduct and unethical behavior." The acrimony comes ahead of a long-awaited contempt decision Lamberth has mulled since he concluded Norton's trial in February. The Bush administration faces five charges for regarding the handling of the trust, including the submission of false and misleading reports and the failure to protect the assets of Indian account holders from computer hackers. A guilty finding guarantees the imposition of fines against the government. The last time he ruled the government in contempt, Lamberth awarded the plaintiffs' attorneys about $600,000 for the Clinton administration's failure to produce records relevant to the case. Contempt could also lead to the appointment of a receiver to handle the Individual Indian Money (IIM) trust, a system which sees about $500 million in transactions for land and royalty owners throughout the country. Doing so would be extraordinary and uncalled for, according to the government, although Lamberth's own words seem to point to no other solution for years of fiduciary incompetence. "The record of this case suggests that 'fixing the system' has gone so far in the wrong direction that the [Indian beneficiaries] are worse off today than they were six years ago, when this case was filed, or even one year ago," Lamberth wrote on Friday. Norton declined to elaborate at length on the dispute when asked by Indianz.Com last week but said her department was working with Lamberth's court. "I will have to let the filing that we are making," she said, "stand for itself." "That is all I have to say." Copyright c. 2000-2002 Noble Savage Media, LLC/Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Canadian Indians to get $1-Billion held in Trust" --------- Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 13:50:17 -0400 From: "Frosty" Subj: Indians to get $1-billion held in trust Mailing List: Frostys Amerindian Indians to get $1-billion held in trust 'Economic freedom': Minister says natives will manage 'own financial affairs' May 20, 2002 Rick Mofina Southam News OTTAWA - A century of government control over Indian trust accounts, now totalling $1-billion, could be transferred to Canada's First Nations after a new bill is tabled this fall, says Robert Nault, the Indian Affairs Minister. "What we're trying to do is move towards giving First Nation governments the responsibility of managing their own financial affairs," Mr. Nault said in an interview. Indian trust accounts are a little-known aspect of federal responsibility and have long been a bone of contention between Ottawa and First Nations. The federal government is being sued for billions of dollars by native bands or individuals who allege Ottawa mishandled their trust money. In one of the largest ongoing cases, Alberta's Samson and Ermineskin bands are seeking $1.4-billion because, they claim, Ottawa mismanaged their oil and gas royalties for five decades and deprived them of earning higher interest returns. The government has said it adhered to the law and denies the allegation. Mr. Nault would not speak about any specific case, but said the aim of his new bill would be to give First Nations responsibility for how trust money is managed and remove any legal obligation of the federal government. Mr. Nault said as Indian Affairs Minister he must sign off on virtually every aspect of trust accounts. As it stands now, the government is responsible for all decisions on how most trusts are handled. That process frustrates First Nations who believe such decisions should be made by themselves. "And I agree with that," Mr. Nault said, adding that more consultation is needed in shaping the new bill. The areas of contention over government handling of Indian trusts have involved disputes on trust account interest rates, entitlement and distribution and claims that funds were not received. Native leaders have for years attempted to get the federal government to overhaul what they deem is a paternalistic trust account system. The Assembly of First Nations has, over the years, worked with Indian Affairs, which oversees trusts, to amend the Indian Act to give management control of trusts to more First Nations bands. "When First Nations communities administer their own trust accounts, they'll probably access better dividends on their money," Dennis Whitebird, a regional AFN chief who co-chaired its committee on trusts, said in an earlier interview. Mr. Whitebird noted a few bands have already negotiated self-management of trust accounts. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says First Nation communities need responsible, accountable government and economic freedom to prosper in Canada's mainstream economy. "To achieve a degree of economic freedom through native management of Indian trusts, the native people -- not just the native band councils -- must have a say or vote on how the Indian Trusts are managed," said Tanis Fiss, director of the group's Centre for Aboriginal Policy Change. "Otherwise control of the Indian trusts is simply being taken out of the control of one paternalistic government and placed into the hands of another," Ms. Fiss said from Victoria, B.C. When Parliament introduced the Indian Act in 1876, it legislated Indian Affairs to manage nearly all aspects of the lives of Indian people in Canada, including their financial affairs and trusts. Little has changed since then in the area of trust accounts. Indian Affairs maintains two types of trusts. One is for First Nations bands and usually involves a band's revenues from land transactions or oil, gas and mineral royalties. The other involves trusts for certain individual Indians, such as minors, mentally incompetent people and adoptees. These accounts in band and individual trust funds total some $1.05- billion. There are 608 bands that have a total of 1,216 trust accounts and there are 13,500 individual trust accounts, according to the most recently available federal figures. Copyright c. 2002 National Post Online. --------- "RE: Shuswap Leaders put Ballots in Flames" --------- Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 08:11:16 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SHUSWAP" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canada.com/search/site/story.asp?id=156E1CE3-1551-4A8E-9E96-DDC43C4AFB45 Shuswap leaders put ballots in flames Cam Fortems Kamloops Daily News Friday, May 17, 2002 Shuswap native leaders thrust burning treaty referendum ballots to the sky Monday in a protest against what they say is unfair and irrelevant B.C. government action. "To open and fair negotiations for land title," declared Shuswap Nation Tribal Council chairman Nathan Matthew as he and other leaders held aloft burning ballots and then cast them into a burning barrel. Matthew estimated about 500 ballots, along with names signed to anti- referendum petitions, were gathered. About 40 people attended the protest on the Kamloops Indian Band reserve, including chiefs from the Whispering Pines and Skeetchestn Indian bands. Paul Lake resident Ken Jefferies was one of the few non-natives at the event. He gave two ballots mailed to his household to Matthew. "It's nice to have an alternative to this stupid referendum," said Jefferies, who brought his ballots to the burning ceremony after hearing about it through the media. "It's an insult." Matthew called the referendum and its eight questions "unfair and biased." "Balloting and questions are constructed to elicit a Yes vote." B.C.'s Liberal government has collected more than 700,000 ballots so far in its attempt to define the principles it will take to treaty negotiations. Those include sanctity of private property and various Crown licences, access by all British Columbians to resources and delegating municipal-style government to First Nations. The deadline for returning ballots is Wednesday. Results will be announced when counting is complete. "There's got to be a better way of dealing with relations," said Matthew, adding courts have already decided self-government is a constitutional right of First Nations and "not something we're going to negotiate." Skeetchestn Chief Ron Ignace said band council was originally going to advise members and those sympathetic with their position to return ballots with a No vote to each of the eight questions. "Our elders came out unanimously and said provincial government has no role to deal with native issues. It's between us and the federal government and we should burn our ballots." Some of the ballots were burned while others will be sent on to the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and First Nations Summit for another protest. Matthew acknowledged Shuswap bands are not in the treaty process and won't be impacted, whatever the results. But he said the referendum will only drive natives and government further apart. "They have to deal with our relationship in a much more respectful manner. ? It just drives us further from a negotiated settlement. It drives us to the courts." Copyright c. 2002 Kamloops Daily News. Copyright c. 2002 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest Global Communications Corp. --------- "RE: B.C. Court dismisses effort to stop Referendum" --------- Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 08:39:07 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BCTREATY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canoe. ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.Treaty-Referendum.html B.C. Supreme Court dismisses effort to stop treaty referendum vote count May 15, 2002 VANCOUVER (CP) -- An aboriginal organization has lost its bid for an injunction to block the ballot count on the B.C. government's treaty referendum, but the judge said serious issues about the referendum's constitutionality should be heard in a trial. The First Nations Treaty Negotiation Alliance went to court last week seeking an injunction to stop Elections B.C. from counting the mail-in ballots. The B.C. Supreme Court dismissed the application Wednesday. Justice Daphne Smith said she had to apply a three-point test for obtaining an injunction: whether there is a serious issue to be tried, whether the applicant will suffer irreparable harm if the injunction is not granted and whether the balance of convenience favours granting the injunction. She agreed with the first test, saying the constitutional issues raised by the natives "are neither frivolous nor vexatious .. and merit further examination at trial." "However, they have not established on the evidence that irreparable harm will result from the referendum vote being counted and reported to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly." The natives did not meet the third test because "the balance of convenience weighs in favour of the public interest being served by the counting and reporting of the referendum vote," she said. Last week, the First Nations Treaty Negotiations Alliance -- representing more than 40 First Nations negotiating treaties with the provincial and federal government -- went to the court seeking an injunction to stop the referendum ballot count. More than 2.2 million ballots have been mailed out and must be returned by Wednesday afternoon. Elections B.C. said 724,000 had been returned as of midday Wednesday. British Columbia has about four million people, of which about 150,000 are aboriginal. Aboriginal groups, as well as church and social activist groups, oppose the referendum, which the provincial government says is an effort to give British Columbians a say on the principles guiding treaty negotiations. One other aboriginal group had its court challenge of the referendum thrown out of court. In March, the Hupacasath argued the referendum is illegal because of the way the eight ballot questions are worded. The band said the questions are ambiguous, misleading and threaten to destroy British Columbia's treaty process by undermining current negotiations. But Justice Robert Hutchison ruled that although the questions may be misleading, it will not harm aboriginals whose rights are guaranteed in the Constitution. The First Nations Summit, the largest aboriginal group in British Columbia and the umbrella organization for bands involved in the treaty process, encouraged a referendum boycott. Even pollster Angus Reid called the referendum amateurish and its questions one-sided. The mail-in referendum ballot asks voters to answer yes or no to eight questions. Among the questions: do you agree that private property should not be expropriated for treaty settlements and do you agree aboriginal governments should take a form similar to municipal governments. The Canadian Taxpayers' Federation is one organization, other than the government, that publicly supported the $9-million referendum. The B.C. Liberal government promised a provincewide referendum on treaty negotiations during last spring's election in which the Liberals decimated the New Democratic government, winning 77 seats in the 79-seat legislature. Attorney General Geoff Plant said the mail-in referendum results, which are binding under the Referendum Act, would provide provincial treaty negotiators with guiding principles during negotiations. After almost a decade of talks, negotiators have yet to sign one treaty. There are less than 20 treaties with the almost 200 aboriginal nations in British Columbia. Most were signed during the mid-1800s and early part of the 20th century. The 1998 Nisga'a treaty, the province's only modern-day treaty, was signed after more than 100 years of on-again, off-again talks between governments and aboriginals. But it was reached outside of the current treaty process. While still in opposition, the B.C. Liberals mounted a constitutional challenge to the Nisga'a treaty in court, arguing it created a third order of government. But they dropped the case after their election victory. Copyright c. 2002, Canoe, a division of Netgraphe Inc. --------- "RE: Sentencing Circles gain Judges' Approval" --------- Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 08:21:19 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SENTENCING CIRCLES" http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?f=/stories/20020515/232070.html Sentencing circles gain judges' approval 'It's a way of healing when you have a crime that cuts across an entire community' May 15, 2002 Heather Sokoloff National Post Though it is rare for non-natives to make use of aboriginal sentencing circles, a nearly identical process known as a community conference is increasingly becoming accepted by judges as an integral part of the criminal justice process, particularly when sentencing young offenders. "Certainly the principles of restorative justice are much broader than just the aboriginal culture. It is a way of healing when you have a crime that cuts across an entire community and affects a lot of people," said Ross Gordon Green, a legal aid lawyer from Melfort, Sask., and author of Justice in Aboriginal Communities: Sentencing Alternatives. In circles and conferences, members of the community -- victims and offenders -- discuss the crime and its effects before making a sentencing recommendation. The final decision, however, is up to the judge. "What judges are saying now is, 'OK we know these programs work in small aboriginal communities. How can we make them work in an urban setting?'" said Daniel Brodsky, a Toronto criminal lawyer who has also written about aboriginal sentencing. "After hearing from all the sides, from the hang 'em side and the side that says let them go with a warning, all the parties have to come to somewhere in the middle they can agree to," said Mr. Brodsky. The circles allow families of both the offender and the victim to talk about the crime's effects as well as encourage the offender to play an active role in choosing his punishment. Recently, at the Calgary Community Conferencing Project, for example, a teenager who vandalized his elderly neighbour's car met his victim in such a forum. He admitted guilt and offered to pay her back for the damages. The victim instead asked him to help her work in her garden as part of the community service component to his sentence. The process was pioneered a decade ago in the Yukon, and the circles are now commonplace within the territory. According to the Department of Justice, sentencing circles are practised most often in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, though even in the west they remain far from mainstream. Mr. Green says the popularity of sentencing circles in Saskatchewan is encouraging the emergence of other forms of restorative justice such as community sentencing panels and mediation committees, which have gained currency in the last five years. However, despite praise from victims, offenders and criminal lawyers, there appears to be no quantitative data on whether circles and conferences reduce recidivism rates. Federal government researchers found no evaluation had been done anywhere in the world comparing sentencing circles to conventional court decisions. Jeff Latimer, senior research officer at the Department of Justice, said general research on restorative justice points to high levels of victim satisfaction and low levels of recidivism. However, Mr. Latimer admits those results are skewed because only offenders who have accepted responsibility for their crimes are allowed to participate. "The problem with the research, unfortunately, is that ... you are comparing a group of people who voluntarily chose to participate with a group who are forced through the criminal justice system," he said. "It sets it up so that it will likely be successful since you have motivated people in the program." hsokoloff@nationalpost.com Copyright c. 2002 National Post Online, a CanWest Publication. --------- "RE: Judge throws out attempt to halt Makah Whaling" --------- Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 17:03:21 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MAKAH" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/70993_makah18.shtml Judge throws out attempt to halt Makah whaling Tribe's treaty rights found to outweigh other interests Saturday, May 18, 2002 By MIKE BARBER SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER Three years to the day that the Makah nation returned to whaling by killing its first whale in more than 70 years, the small tribe on the northwest corner of Washington state yesterday won another affirmation of its treaty rights. U.S. District Judge Franklin Burgess rejected calls from animal rights activists to halt Makah whaling until a lawsuit they filed challenging the hunt is resolved. "Once again, this court has been called upon to address issues" concerning the tribe's right to hunt, Burgess's order denying an injunction began, noting previous challenges to the hunt. "While the court is sensitive to plaintiffs' concern, these concerns are outweighed by the Makah Tribe's rights under the (1855) Treaty of Neah Bay, " his order concluded. Burgess said he was not convinced that the Makah and the federal regulatory agencies that conducted environmental assessments to allow the hunt were acting in bad faith, and that "there is not a substantial likelihood of plaintiffs' success on the merits." "The record suggests that the only potential hardship facing the plaintiffs is the potential for aesthetic, emotional and economic harms," the judge said. The Makah are the only native people in the lower 48 states to specifically retain a right to whale in their treaty with the United States. After giving up whaling in the 1920s, when whale populations were decimated by commercial hunting, the tribe initiated efforts to resume it for cultural, spiritual and subsistence reasons when gray whales were removed from the endangered species list in 1994. Since then the tribe has tried to accommodate various environmental review processes by seeking U.S. government assistance through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Among the stipulations are that they can conduct a traditional hunt in a dugout canoe but must kill the whale quickly and humanely with a large-caliber gun. "It sounds like he's cleared the way for the tribe to issue permits to whaling captains that want to hunt, that want to take out a crew," said Seattle attorney Marc Slonim, who argued for the Makah in Burgess's courtroom Wednesday. Plaintiff's lawyers saw it differently. "It's not a resolution of the merits of our case, and we're still hopeful and going forward," said Michael Markarian spokesman for the plaintiff group, Fund for Animals in Washington, D.C. The plaintiffs are considering an appeal of the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said spokeswoman Kimberly Ockene with the public-interest law firm Meyer & Glitzenstein in Washington, D.C. "We're obviously disappointed with the ruling, particularly because it means the Makah can now begin whaling even through there are still serious concerns about safety and the impact of the hunt on the resident whales," Ockene said. The plaintiffs argue that the government failed to adequately study the impact of Makah whaling on public safety while hunts are under way. Activists also believe the government's environmental impact assessment, conducted a year ago in response to a 1998 lawsuit they filed, is flawed and want a more extensive environmental impact statement. However, Burgess said the new plan "reflects thoughtful consideration and a thorough examination of all the environmental and safety concerns plaintiffs raise." The activists also dispute assessments of so-called "resident whales," those that feed along the coast during the migrations of gray whales to and from winter breeding grounds off Mexico and summer feeding grounds off Alaska. The 1998 challenge by activists backfired, however, when it resulted in a less restrictive assessment that allowed Makah whalers to hunt "resident" whales and to expand the range of the hunt. In Neah Bay yesterday, Burgess's decision was seen as yet another affirmation of treaty rights that were specifically negotiated in return for Makah lands. "Everybody is feeling great about it," said Arnie Hunter, vice president of the Makah Whaling Commission and traditional chief of Neah Bay. "It is important for us. We have a treaty right. It's U.S. law. It's a treaty that needs to be protected. "We figured that's the way (the decision) would go because what is a federal judge going to do, not honor a U.S. treaty?" asked Hunter. Hunter worked the chase boat during the tribe's successful hunt on May 17, 1999, when a whaling crew in a dugout canoe hunted and killed the first whale in more than 70 years, a female gray whale. Despite the victory, no one was rushing out to get a whaling permit yesterday, Hunter said. A Makah Whaling Commission representative is now attending the International Whaling Commission conference in Japan, where the tribe is trying for another portion of a subsistence harvest already granted to Russian native peoples. The Makah tribe has been allocated five of the Russian peoples' quota in 2001 and 2002 and must use the whales for Makah ceremonial or subsistence purposes. In addition, a key whaling captain is in Hawaii, building canoes with native Hawaiians, he said. "Everybody is busy trying to earn a living. A lot of the guys are fishermen and there's nobody around. But it's nice to have our treaty rights affirmed," Hunter said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. P-I reporter Mike Barber can be reached at 206-448-8018 or mikebarber@seattlepi.com Copyright c. 1999-2002 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. --------- "RE: Hearing sought over Plan to Pave over Graves" --------- Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 08:11:16 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TENNESSEE DOT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/02/05/17601969.shtml?Element_ID=17601969 Native Americans seek hearing over plan to pave over graves Thursday, 05/16/02 By PEGGY SHAW Staff Writer FRANKLIN - For three years, courts have closed the door on protests against a road-widening project at the intersection of Hillsboro Pike and Old Hickory Boulevard that affects Native American graves. Now a different door has been opened. Native Americans filed a petition this week for a state hearing so officials could explain TDOT's latest plan to cover the ancient graves with concrete and pave over them. After the petition for a hearing is resolved - whether TDOT ignores it, denies it or agrees to hold the hearing - the group could then take the case to Chancery Court for judicial review, said Joseph Johnston, attorney for the Alliance for Native American Indian Rights in Tennessee and four individuals. Johnston characterized the ongoing legal effort as a "cultural war." "You've got a pre-Western culture that's been repressed surfacing to claim their rights under the U.S. Constitution, and it's difficult." TDOT officials said in a statement yesterday that they are considering the petition for a hearing. "We just received it and it's under review," said Deborah Fehr, information representative. "As we understand it, we have 60 days." A key issue in past court cases has been whether the Native Americans have legal standing to question TDOT's treatment of the graves. Under the Administrative Procedures Act, anyone who is affected by an order of the state can appeal for a hearing to have the state defend and explain the order, Johnston said. "The Administrative Procedures Act says that any affected person can seek to have a petition for a declaratory order (for a hearing). We would argue that we are affected by the actions of the state because of my clients' race, ancestry and religious beliefs." TDOT's view of those protesting the road widening, however, is that they are unrelated to the ancient people buried in the graves. The six graves were discovered three years ago when the state was preparing to add turning lanes at the busy intersection. "The state argues that they can't show they're directly related, and we've been backed up by the court system all along the way," said Luanne Grandinetti, director of public affairs for TDOT. "They do not really have any voice in this - period. The state has a right to do by law what we're doing." Grandinetti added that it would cost "tens of thousands more" dollars to move the road to avoid the graves, as Native Americans have suggested. Johnston is pursuing three avenues to protest TDOT's current road- widening plans: the petition for a state hearing, an appeal in one Davidson County Chancery Court case and the possibility of an appeal in another. Last Thursday, a Davidson County chancellor denied a request for an injunction to stop TDOT from covering the graves. Copyright c. 2002 The Tennessean. A Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper. --------- "RE: Open Letter from LPDC Board of Directors" --------- Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 13:06:18 -0500 From: "lpdc" Subj: open letter from LPDC Board of Directors Mailing List: LPDC An open letter from the newly formed LPDC Board of Directors: Dear Friends, Family and Supporters of Leonard Peltier, We, the Board of Directors of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, are honored to join Leonard Peltier and each of you in one of the most important struggles for justice in this country today: THE FREEDOM OF LEONARD PELTIER. We strongly believe that the fight to free Leonard Peltier is of the utmost urgency and importance and we vow to commit our time, influence, hearts and minds to this effort in the fullest degree possible. We greatly admire the past and present work of Leonard's supporters and we look forward to collaborating with you on the work that lies ahead. It is critical for this work to continue and for the movement to free Leonard Peltier to grow UNTIL FREEDOM IS WON. In the next weeks we will be in a huddle, outlining everything we can do to compliment and push forward the goals of the current campaign. Please stay tuned for new events, plans, and projects. We want to ask you to continue working closely with the LPDC. Letters are urgently needed for Leonard's upcoming parole hearing, the lawsuit against the FBI has been filed and requires our support, the effort to press the House Government Reform Committee for hearings continues, and a new campaign focusing on the 6,000 documents withheld by the FBI is soon to be launched. Leonard needs your continued support. Write and encourage others to write letters, sponsor an LPDC speaker, pass out literature, make a contribution. There is something for everyone to contribute. Leonard is now 57 years old. He has suffered more than 26 long years in prison and in doing so has given voice to the injustices all of us face as Indigenous Peoples. We extend our deepest thanks and reverence for his sacrifice. Let's show him that we will continue fighting for his freedom until he comes home. We thank you again for all your good work and commitment. Yours truly, The LPDC Board of Directors: Glenn Marshall, Michael Yellow Bird, Kenarahdiyoh, Natsu Saito, Sammy Toineeta, and Ed Nakawatase (To view short bios of the board visit our web site) http://www.freepeltier.org/lpdc_info.htm#board_of_directors Until Freedom Is Won! The New Peltier Justice Campaign Leonard Peltier Defense Committee PO Box 583 Lawrence, KS 66044 785-842-5774 www.freepeltier.org ----------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe, send a blank message to lpdc-on@mail-list.com --------- "RE: Peltier Event" --------- Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 13:06:18 -0500 From: "lpdc" Subj: Peltier Event! June 26, 2002 Mailing List: LPDC Peltier Supporters, We Call For Your Presence WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26TH, 2002 11am to 6pm 27 years since the shoot-out on the Pine Ridge Reservation that led to the deaths of two FBI agents, the uninvestigated killing of an American Indian Movement activist, and the Wrongful Conviction of Leonard Peltier. We ask you please to put the date aside, take time off from work, travel from out of town. The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee has designated Boston as one of three locations for a show of strength. Let us make a sacrifice, as Leonard has for 27 years. We will not forget about Leonard Peltier and all those innocent whose lives were lost at that time. Justice has not yet been served. LEONARD PELTIER FREEDOM RALLY AND FUNDRAISER 11am Rally at One Center Plaza FBI Offices 1pm March to Common 1pm to 6pm Rally on the Common NO MORE FBI LIES! Speakers, music, theatre, drumming, puppets and banners, education on FBI misconduct, update on Leonard Peltier's case, and serious need for financial support. Host drum: Wakeby Lake Singers of Mashpee Speakers: Jean Day - Pine Ridge shoot-out survivor, Ho Chunk (Invited) Glenn Marshall - Tribal President, LPDC Board of Directors, Mashpee Wampanoag Kenarahdiyoh - LPDC Board of Directors, Mohawk (Invited) Chip Berlet, author - 'On Political Repression - Then and Now' Joshua Rubenstein - Director, Amnesty International Northeast Region and Solidarity Statements Contact: Boston Area Leonard Peltier Support Group 20 Rugg Road, Boston, Ma 02134 (617) 789-3938 ahornbein@earthlink.net an overnight accommodations listing will be posted at http://www.peltiersupport.org Thank you to our sponsors and endorsers: Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, Council for Native American Solidarity, Boston Area Leonard Peltier Support Group, American Friends Service Committee - CJP, American Indian Cultural Support, Boston Mobilization, Community Change, Community Church of Boston, Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook Abenaki, IAC/A.N.S.W.E.R, Lew Gurwitz Stichting - Holland, Munro Graphics, National Laywers Guild - Mass. Chapter, Northeast Regional Office - AIUSA, Prison Book Program, Red Sun Press, United American Indians of New England Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, PO Box 583, Lawrence, KS, 66044 (785) 842-5774 http://www.freepeltier.org Until Freedom Is Won! The New Peltier Justice Campaign Leonard Peltier Defense Committee PO Box 583 Lawrence, KS 66044 785-842-5774 www.freepeltier.org ----------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe, send a blank message to lpdc-on@mail-list.com --------- "RE: Native Prisoner" --------- Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 08:19:12 -0600 From: Janet Smith Subj: Native Prisoner ----- Original Message ----- Date: Friday, May 17, 2002 5:21 PM From: Brigitte Thimiakis Subj: [ironnatives] Update on Alex Montana From Valerie Scott: ===================================================== Update on Alex Montana, Eastham Unit, TX 17 May 2002 Received word from Alex, informing me that Lt. Jackson has now agreed to allow him to purchase the hearing tape through the open records coordinator, Mr. Duncan. He has also confirmed that Warden Stacks is conducting an investigation into his case; however, we need to ensure that not only are the charges dismissed, but that our other demands are met. Often when disciplinary cases are dismissed, the prisoners are left at the higher security level resulting from the charges, and their overall situation does not change. Alex wishes to thank all of you for your support, and urges you to continue to push for a thorough investigation, as well as a reversal that reinstates him to the position he was prior to the charges (SAT 3, G2, minimum-in, 30 days good-time, job and housing). Valerie Scott NAPS ===== NAPS (Native American Prisoner Support) http://www.hri.ca/partners/naps/ =========================================================================== <>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<> Please visit Manuel Redwoman's websites Against Child Abuse: www.geocities.com/occitaniafr/Child_Abuse and about his case : http://www.geocities.com/occitaniafr/index.html Please sign and forward the petition "Justice for Manuel Redwoman" http://www.PetitionOnline.com/jfmr2001/ -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- ----- Original Message ----- From: Brigitte Thimiakis Sent: Monday, May 20, 2002 9:28 AM Subject: [ironnatives] Urgent! Attention for Joel Ritchie again! [From Jessie Metz - Please forward - Thank you] Hello everyone, My Ojibwe friend Joel Ritchie is very desperate at this moment, and asked me to ONE MORE time spread the facts about his case in this following letter he wrote himself: (He's about ready to give up, has no faith & trust anymore, is very lonely & confused, and his letters are so depressing lately, that I'm very worried and concerned, especially knowing about his suicide attemps in the past...) My name is Joel Ritchie, I'm a Native American prisoner from Wisconsin, being housed in an out-of-state CCA facility in Whiteville, Tennessee. I'm an innocent man convicted for the alleged murder of my friend/roommate. Is there anyone who can help me out seeking legal assistance??????? At this point any advice or suggestions are welcome. Let me give you some details about the case. In April of 1997 I was charged and arrested for the murder of my friend and roommate Terri Schreiber. In October of 1998 I was convicted and given Mandatory Life. I was denied a fair trial due to judge and jury being bias. The Judge said that people with an interest in the case should not make further contact with jurors. Still, the jury had contact with friends and family of the victim! Witnesses were sequestered, juror's were not. "Any off-the-record contact with the jury is presumptively prejudicial and the government bears a heavy burden of proving that such a contact did not effect the jury; if the Government can not meet this burden a new trial required . Accord-United States v.Forrest , 620f.2d457 ( 5th Cir. 1980) The suspect of the murder was described as having long hair, I did not look like this, at the time I had Mohawk haircut. A recent picture of me was admitted into evidence, but was not shown to the jury. Two people gave information on my description , this was not shown to the jury either. The judge denied my motion for a change of venue, he said "we think we can find an unbiased group of 12 persons". However at the time of my trial, 3 people were found guilty of 4 murders, 1 charged with the murder of a police officer. With this much media attention in a small community, I mean; 8 murders within a year, the change of venue should have been granted. The "Sixth Amendment" provides that the defendant shall have the right to a trial "by an impartial jury of the state and district where in the crime shall have been committed". "every procedure which might lead him not to hold the balance nice, clean and true between the state and the accused denies the latter due process of law" Estes v. Texas , 1965s.ct1319. Other details: The judge allows a witness to assert his attorney/client privilege in front of the jury, later he believes he made a mistake pursuant to Wis. Stat. 905.08 The D.A failed to show good cause on the latest disclosure of a witness, however the judge allows the witness to testify, against Wisc. Court Rule and Procedure 971.23,3 (A) Juror Foreman and two other juror's know testifying Police officers , and two others have family members who are Police officers. (like Det. Swetlik who testified at my trial, knew juror # 8 Jane Gau, and juror #11, and knew John Bartel since High School) Witnesses who could help on my behalf were not called to the stand Conflicting witness statements were not reviewed My fingerprints were not found on the alleged murder weapon Unknown fingerprints were found No blood or DNA from victim was found on me or my clothes Strong allegations that lead into the direction of my half brother John Arndt JR. and his friend Ralph Shipman being the true perpetrators. Alleged murder weapon belongs to my half brother John Arndt JR. DNA from John Arndt JR as well as from Ralph Shipman was not tested Conclusion; my conviction was all based on "circumstantial evidence" and "Conflicting and lying testimony"! Thank you so much for your time & attention, Joel Ritchie http://members.lycos.nl/justice_for_joe/ --------- "RE: Rustywire: Wandering Around People" --------- Date: 13 Nov 2001 06:55:25 -0800 From: rustywire@yahoo.com (john rustywire) Subj: wandering around people Newsgroup: alt.native I didn't sleep good last night? Why? I don't know I just felt uneasy I guess, something kept waking me up, I don't know what it was or where it came from it was just there. Sometimes it's just like that, once a long time ago when this country was still new to our people, a young Navajo boy left his family, he was poor and had done some things he was ashamed of, so he left the country where they lived decided to cross into a new area that he had not been to before. Where was this place? It wasn't really that far off, not too far from here, but a little further than the places he had known. It is said he left his family and lived only on small things you could catch on foot. It was a time when our people wore animal fur for cover and yucca plants were made into clothes. They didn't have a Walmart? No this was a long time before they had Walmarts, and roads and even any kind of trading posts, everyone walked around on foot. Anyway saw a mountain far off and went to that country and there found a beautiful valley where there was tall grass, streams of fresh water and trees of all kinds. He thought to himself I would like to make this my home, but there must be someone else who likes this place, it is too good to be by itself. What kind of place was this valley? It was halfway up the mountain, there were mountain flowers, birds, and the sky was blue, the breeze cool and it didn't get so cold. A place where you would like to spend the day just being there, a place you find that you don't want to leave. Are there places like that, grandfather? Yes, there are places like that. You will find one some day as you travel around and you will see what it is like yourself. This young man was by himself, he didn't have anyone with him, except for a turkey. A tahzhi' (turkey)? Yes, a tahzi', it was a special turkey. How was it special, grandfather? It had special powers, it carried with it a special gift. This turkey was his friend and followed him everywhere, even to this spot on the mountain. In it's wings it carried the seeds of corn, melon and other plants that men need so he could start over. It followed him around and that is why he was there to help him start over with his new life. Who would think of a turkey as being a friend to someone. There are funny looking, grandfather. I don't think I would like a turkey following me around. This turkey followed him so he would not be lonely, so this turkey stayed with this young man to keep him company. Was there anyone else around there with them? No, the young Navajo searched all over walking in a circle going outward to see if there were tracks for something to show that other people were around, because people like places like this so he thought surely there must be someone around, so he looked closely going out each day in a bigger circle and found no one. So he was alone? Well one night he couldn't sleep like you. He tossed and turned and couldn't sleep so he got up and looked around. When he sat up he saw a faint light way up on the mountainside, he saw firelight. Someone was up there, he could see the light way way up there. He put a forked stick in the ground and looked through it and went back to sleep. In the morning he looked through it and saw the spot on the mountain and went up there to look for it. He left the turkey there and went up to find the place where he saw the light. He searched all over and didn't find anything. What was it? He didn't know. The next night the same thing happened. He saw the firelight and to help him find it, he placed a second stick behind the forked one and lined them so he could see in the morning where on the mountain it came from. The next day he went up on the mountain again, to find the place where the light came from and searched all over the place he had seen and didn't find anything. He wondered about what he had seen. What did he see? If he saw a fire then it had to be someone up there. There had to be people up there, someone was there. The young Navajo couldn't sleep good, he thought about what he had seen at night and when nightfall came he saw the light again. This time he took a stick and lined it up on the mountain, it pointed straight to the place he saw the light. In the morning he set out straight for that place he had marked. He went over every rock, tree and plant looking for the something there. Did he find anything? Yes, he found many things there. What did he find? In the light of dawn he found a rainbow in the feathers of his pet, he found that in the light there is also darkness, witchery and teachings. He found out about life, a wife and some things he had never known before existed in having a parner, he also lost his friend, his pet turkey, the loss of black clouds, the sight of rainbows. He learned that there is treachery in the offer of cornmeal mush, and meat, that where there is a smile there is also hidden anger. He found all these things? Yes, that is what he saw in the light way up on the mountain. How come you say it like this to me, I want to tell know how he found each of these things? I would tell you, but there are some standing the shadows of those trees, not too far from here, you can't see them but they are watching. They want to know these things too. Where? Just over there, they would like to travel with us to the mountain top and like to learn about the dark side, to tell you that coyotes have beards, that light comes from spaceships, that trees talk and that they somehow were there. Are there really people like that grandfather? Yes, they listen and don't understand what they hear, so maybe we shouldn't say anything anymore, because it changes shape in the wind and somehow it beconmes theirs. Oh, the grand child said, then when will you tell me about such things. When we are alone my grandchild. What was the name of the young Navajo man? He was called, the One who teaches himself, that is what he was called. He thought he knew nothing but then when he thought about it he found that maybe there was more to life than what he had seen, so he needed to listen to himself, to that part that speaks to us and tells what we should do something and when not to do something. What was his english name grandfather... I don't know.... rustywire --------- "RE: Poem: Shaking the Earth" --------- Date: 22 Aug 1995 23:24:53 -0500 From: turtle@aicap.s21.com (Turtle Heart) Subj: Shaking the Earth Newsgroup: alt.native down in the heart four doors open and close corn grows from the rain looking around at the gates the old man said what will you grow thunder or rain? (Grow Corn) Tobacco Indian (c)Copyright 1995,AICAP Turtle Heart. Ahnishinabeg Artist. turtle@aicap.s21.com http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/aises/aicap/archive/aicap.html American Indian Computer Art Project (AICAP) 619-374-2208 PO Box 111, Johannesburg California 93528-0111 Land of Kaw-ii-Su Ancestor. Land of Light. --------- "RE: Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days" --------- Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 06:39:55 -1000 From: Debbie Sanders Subj: Hawaiian Book of Days A HAWAIIAN BOOK OF DAYS, week of May 27-June 2 MEI (May) (Ikiiki) 27 No act of kindness ever goes unrewarded. 28 I have walked this land before in a child's dream of freedom. 29 Today's memories will be cherished tomorrow. 30 We are all voyagers in life's ocean. 31 In the tiniest of shells is found the eternal cycle. IUNE (June) (Kaaona) June was the time when the fishermen got their a-ei nets in readiness for catching the opelu, procuring in advance the sticks to use for keeping its mouth open. 1 To walk between the islands is a secret of the ancients. 2 Summer rain is illuminated by the beauty of a rainbow. (c) Copyright 1991 by D. F. Sanders Me ke aloha i ka nani, ... Moe'uhanekeanuenue (With love and beauty, ... Rainbow Dream) --------- "RE: Sac and Fox breaks Ground on Wellness Center" --------- Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 08:21:19 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WELLNESS CENTER" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.news-star.com/stories/051502/New_36.shtml Sac and Fox breaks ground on Wellness Center The Sac and Fox Nation has broken ground on a Wellness Center that will promote better health among tribal members and other Native Americans who live within the nation's jurisdiction. The facility will be located at the Sac and Fox government complex, five and one-half miles south of Stroud on SH 99. "The focus of the facility is to improve the life of diabetics and prevention, such as early stage monitoring or hereditary monitoring," said Chenenia LaDeaux, Sac and Fox Nation realty director. The facility will include a teaching kitchen, an exercise room, physical and aquatherapy rooms, restrooms and locker rooms, examination rooms and offices. A serpentine, quarter-mile walking track will be part of the facility. Sac and Fox officials say the 6,032-square-foot facility will provide a setting for a variety of wellness services. It is designed to be flexible and inviting, they say. The locker rooms and restrooms are designed so patients can enter from one side, change into physical therapy attire and go directly into the physical/aqua therapy room without walking back through the main corridor. The exercise room is large and contains glass entry doors. Both the exercise room and the aquatherapy rooms contain windows that allow in natural light. The wellness facility will be used as a diabetes center, available every day for aquatic therapy and exercise. A podiatrist will also be on site for diabetic foot care, along with a nutritionist. Construction is to begin within 30 days, with the facility to be completed and in use by the end of 2002. Copyright c. 1997-2002 The Shawnee News-Star. --------- "RE: New Book about Siksika/Piegan/Kainah Tribe" --------- Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 10:09:51 -0500 From: Jay Criswell Subj: new book about siksika, piegan, kainah tribe Mailing List: Net Rez hello, this new history book came out about the blackfoot . was produced by blackfoot people with the help of glenbow museum in calgary alb. even if not interested in this particular tribe it is an excellent (and unique?) example of a tribe defining who they are for public consumption. reading level sort of falls in between young people and adults, so maybe strecthing to buy for some university libraries. of course those kind of libraries aren't very good anyway so who cares. check it out. Blackfoot Committee, (2002). The story of the Blackfoot people: Nitsitapiisinni. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. isbn 1552975835 see you, tuck --------- "RE: Native America Calling" --------- Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 10:41:25 -0500 From: Eric Martin Subj: NAC Topics for 5/20 - 5/24 + Memorial Day Special from Different Drums + more... 1) NAC Topics for 5/20 - 5/24 2) Voices From The Circle 3) Different Drums - Memorial Day Special 4) Oyate Ta Olowan - Pulefano (Samoan) 5) alterNative Voices 6) Earthsongs - Ulali 1) NAC Topics for 5/20 - 5/24 Listen live every weekday from 1-2pm ET by going to www.airos.org or tuning into your local radio station. For a list of affiliates go to http://www.nativeamericacalling.com/nac_affiliates.shtm MON - 5/20: Music Maker Edition: Janice Marie and Robert "Tree" Cody: Janice Marie, who descends from the Stockbridge/Munsee Nations, and Robert "Tree" Cody, a member of the Salt River Pima Maricopa Nation, were both born in L.A. Now, they're teaming up on the Indian Trail for a new single and music video called "Until the Eagle Falls." Marie, a member of the Grammy Award winning group A Taste of Honey, is producing an upcoming CD of the same title as the single. She and Cody, whose father was the late Iron Eyes Cody, have a similar message to share with Native America about peace and respect. Join us, as we Boogie Oogie Oogie with Janice and the Tree. TUE - 5/21: Infant Nutrition: Diabetes and obesity are occurring at epidemic proportions in Native America, and according to a new study, the behavior that leads to both may start at the early age of infancy. A recent report by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia finds that "rapid rates of weight gain during infancy could be linked to obesity later in childhood." What does that mean for Native infants? Are Native mothers aware of this new finding? What are you feeding your infant? Invited guests include Dr. Lucy Rifle of the Rosebud Sioux Tribal W.I.C. Program and Carrie King of the South Central Foundation of Alaska. WED - 5/22: Ethics of Cloning: The prospect of furthering the human cloning process took another step forward with the announcement that an Italian scientist has impregnating two women with cloned human embryos. Proponents of cloning say this can help those couples who are infertile and can produce needed human stem cells for future research. Opponents say cloning is unethical and fraught with high-risk developmental malformation. But what do Native medicine people say? Do the benefits outweigh the risks? And just because scientists can, should they? Guests include Dave Pratt (Dakota), traditional spiritual leader and George Annas, MPH, Professor/Chair, Boston University School of Medicine. THU - 5/23: A Native Path to Personal Discovery: Justin, a 27-year old American Indian man who is lost in a world he feels is passing him by, looks to his grandfather for direction and guidance. He tells Justin the parable of Cricket, an Indian boy from the past, who has a series of adventures that teach him important lessons about his own ability to be successful in life. Is the warrior path that leads to personal discovery for Native people different than what we see in the movies, hear in music, or read in books? Our guest is motivational speaker, and author of the book "Tiny Warriors," D.J. Vanas of the Odawa Nation. FRI - 5/24: Myths and Facts About Suicide: There are many contradictions between the Native ideal way of life and how Natives actually live. One very important Native philosophy is living a balanced, holistic life. Yet for decades, suicide has been the second leading cause of death for Native Americans and Alaskan Natives between the ages of 15 to 24. Why are so many Native youth losing the battle of fighting to stay alive? Are tribal communities failing to recognize and properly treat individuals who are at risk of committing suicide? What are the facts and myths about suicide? Guests include Dan Romer of the Adolescent Risk Communication Institute. 2) Voices From The Circle This week, VOICES FROM THE CIRCLE/AIROS listeners will have the opportunity to hear from some of the most established artists in Indian Country as well as one of its newest! Robbie Robertson begins with "In The Blood." The Thunderbird Sisters give us a "Peaceful Easy Feeling." Smokeytown warms up the pow wow circle with a "Fancy Shawl Dance." Keith Secola gives us a view of the "Northern Lights." Thirteen-year-old Kaitlin Corbett Jones amazes us with her skillful interpretation of "My Heart Will Go On." Ah Nee Mah invites us to join them at the "Sacred Fire." The Thunderbird Sisters return to present their prophetic "Rise Above My Enemy Upon The Smoke." Bill Miller takes us to "Every Part of the Forest." The group AO - who are in the midst of scoring new music for the next Olympics in Beijing - asks us to listen in on "Chameleon Make Believe." Coyote Zen plays their title song from the "Blood of Many Nations" CD. Bad River Chippewa youngster, Kaitlin Corbett Jones rejoins VOICES with an introspective version of "Lucky." Andrew Vasquez along with Rodney Grant bring us their concept of Native altruism with "Wind River Reprise." Listen online by going to www.airos.org (All Times ET) Monday - 5/20: 4pm, 10pm Tuesday - 5/21: 4am Saturday - 5/25: 3pm Sunday - 5/26: 4am, 3pm Monday - 5/27: 4am 3) Different Drums - Memorial Day Special During this week leading up to the Memorial Day holiday, we have chosen to share again with you a special sequence of music put together by Different Drums producer Tricia King in 2001. With songs from the heart of Indian country we honor veterans and loved ones who have made their journey to the spirit world on this special Memorial Day edition of Different Drums. Listen online by going to www.airos.org (All Times ET) Tuesday 5/21: 10am, 4pm, 10pm Wednesday 5/22: 4am Saturday 5/25: 5pm Sunday 5/26: 6am, 5pm Monday 5/27: 6am 4) Oyate Ta Olowan - Pulefano (Samoan) This week Oyate Ta Olowan visits with Pulefano (Samoan). Pulefano is the Cultural Director at the Polynesian Cultural Center on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. He was born in 1945 in the village of Makusana on the Samoan Island of Tatula. His mother and father were composers and were instrumental in setting up the Samoan music for the Polynesian Cultural Center. Although they made their homes on Oahu to be near the Mormon Temple, Pulefano did return to Samoa and stayed for nine years, becoming a chief and living in the traditional way, in open-aired huts in the village. American Samoa is a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Samoa is just one tiny group of a total of 20-30 thousand islands. The land base of all of these islands combined is still less than the state of Alaska. The Samoan Islands are believed to have been occupied for approximately 3,000 years and are sometimes called "the cradle of Polynesia." It is thought that the original Samoans came from Southeast Asia but made their way to the islands long ago. The natives of Samoa are an enduring people whose primary occupation for thousands of years has been fishing. They are famed for the construction of seaworthy canoes that they used to travel extensively between distant islands. Listen online by going to www.airos.org (All Times ET) Wednesday 5/22: 7pm Thursday 5/23: 1am, 7am Friday 5/24: 10am, 4pm, 10pm Saturday 5/25: 4am, 2pm Sunday 5/26: 3am, 2pm Monday 5/27: 3am 5) alterNative Voices AlterNative Voices legal reporter, Attorney Brenda Bellonger, joins Vernon and Susie to report on federal legislation impacting Indian people. The new Farm Bill is especially important for our Native farmers and tribal people who rely on food subsidies. Although we only make up about 1% of the total population, professional farm families and agribusiness by Native people is 10% of the U.S. farm population. Vernon reports on an Alaska Native woman running for Governor of her state, among his stories this week. Music is by XIT, Bill Miller, Brian Akipa, Quiltman and Keith Bear. Join us each week for AlterNative Voices and our interesting mix of music, events, news and views. Our website is always available with events, jobs, scholarships, announcements and news you can use. www.alternativevoices.org Listen online by going to www.airos.org (All Times ET) Wednesday 5/22: 10am, 4pm, 10pm Thursday 5/23: 4am Saturday 5/25: 6pm Sunday 5/26: 7am, 6pm Monday 5/27: 7am 6) Earthsongs - Ulali Next time on Earthsongs, we'll visit with the first nations women's a capella group Ulali. Ori