From gars@speakeasy.org Tue Aug 6 23:19:17 2002 Date: 7 Aug 2002 00:26:50 -0000 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews10.032 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 Dineh jii' adah' ho'nil'e'gii ba' ha' neh -- Navajo Nation -- What's Happening among The People News Okla Humma Holisso Nowat Anya -- Choctaw -- People(s) Red Newspaper 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 032 | Country than is reported in | O o o o o O | this weekly newsletter. For | O o O August 10, 2002 | For daily updates & events | O o O | go http://www.owlstar.com/ | O | dailyheadlines.htm | Mvskogee hvyoorokko/big harvest moon +-----------------------------+ Algonquin micheenee kesos/moon when Indian corn is edible <================<<<< >>>>================> 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; Frostys AmerIndian, Chiapas95-English/Ciepac-b, TN Indian Affairs and Amazon Alliance Mailing Lists; newsgroup: alt.native; UUCP email IMPORTANT!! ----------- In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, all material appearing in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for educational purposes. <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our Spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the Red Road. ++ It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own internet addressable account to gars@speakeasy.org ++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org <================<<<< >>>>================> As historian Patricia Nelson Limerick summarized in The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West, "Set the blood quantum at one-quarter, hold to it as a rigid definition of Indians, let intermarriage proceed as it had for centuries, and eventually Indians will be defined out of existence. When that happens, the federal government will be freed of its persistent 'Indian problem.'" "The way, the only way, to stop this evil is for the red man to unite in claiming a common and equal right in the land, as it was first, and should be now, for it was never divided." __Tecumseh, Shawnee +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Indian Pledge of Allegiance | The Indian Pledge of Alleg- | | iance was first presented | I pledge allegiance to my Tribe,| on 2 December '93 during the | to the democratic principles | opening address of the Nat- | of the Republic | ional Congress of American | and to the individual freedoms | Indian Tribal-States Relat- | borrowed from the Iroquois and | ions Panel in Reno, NV. NCAI | Choctaw Confederacies, | plans distribution of the | as incorporated in the United | Indian Pledge to all Indian | States Constitution, | Nations. | so that my forefathers | | shall not have died in vain | Walk in Beauty! Night Owl +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Journey | In the summer and early fall | The Bloodline | of 1998 the Treaty Unity Riders | | rode a thousand miles on horse- | For all that live and live by law | back, carrying a staff and | We Stand, we Call, We Ride | praying each step of the way. | For All that fear and fear by sight | | We Hear, we Listen, we Ride | These prayers were offered for | For all that pray and pray by strength| each of us, and that the Unity | We Feel, we Move, we Ride | of all Peoples might happen. | For all that die and die by greed | | We Hurt, we Cry, we Ride | Tatanka Cante forwarded this | For all that birth and birth by right | poem on behalf of all the Unity | We Smile, we Hold, we Ride | Riders that we might stop and | For all that need and need by heart | ask if the next words we say, the | We Came, we Went, we Rode. | next act we make is for the good | | of the People or is it from ego | Treaty Unity Riders | for self. +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ O'siyo Brothers and Sisters! This week's editorial space is being used to make you aware of a very important opportunity to get those Grampas and Grandmas on the Rez hooked up with a phone. Do them a favor... copy this and send it to everyone you can on-rez or who might know someone on-rez. http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/ [NOTE: The phone program described below is a FEDERAL program. While the story outlines Oklahoma benefits, the program is available to all Indian people who meet qualifications (listed in the linked FCC Fact Bulletin.)] Program helps Oklahomans without phones 2002-08-05 The Associated Press TULSA -- A little-known program could help Oklahomans who cannot afford a telephone, a consumer advocate said. The Enhanced Lifeline can give participants telephone service for $1 a month, Wanda DeBruler said. "It pays for people who can't afford service to join the mainstream," she said. "It subsidizes schools to get in the new age of technology -- just to tap into it. There are a lot of old folks living in rural Oklahoma who need emergency services, and young families with children. Not having a phone isolates them." The Enhanced Lifeline program is a federal service offered through the phone companies for people living on current or former American Indian tribal land. DeBruler said that includes 64 of Oklahoma's 77 counties. Program participants must already receive federal or state assistance to qualify. DeBruler said applications are distributed by local telephone companies. About 65,000 people in the state use the program, said George Mathai of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. An estimated 258,000 people are eligible, he said. Mathai said telephone companies are required to advertise the program but have problems reaching the Oklahomans who qualify. Boynton in Muskogee County has the state's highest percentage of residents without phone service, according to U.S. Census data. More than 30 percent of its 152 reporting households were without service. Mountain Park in southwest Oklahoma had the second- highest percentage with 29.6 percent, and Colcord in Delaware County was third with 28.4 percent. Jeff Wallace of the Oklahoma Commerce Department said the state's overall percentage of phoneless residents has fallen by half since 1990. Copyright c. 2002, Produced by NewsOK. -=-=-=- FCC CONSUMER FACTS - INCREASING TELEPHONE SERVICE IN INDIAN COUNTRY http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/tribalfactsheet.html A part of the mission of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is to ensure that telecommunications services are available to "all the people" of the United States. While much of the Nation enjoys access to these services, many people on tribal lands do not. To fulfill the Commission's basic mission and to remedy the problem of limited availability of basic phone service on tribal lands, the FCC has developed special programs as part of the Federal Universal Service Fund. Statistics In the U.S. overall, 94% of households have telephone service. On Indian reservations, 47% of households have telephone service. On the Navajo reservation (the largest reservation in the United States), only 22% of households have telephone service. The New FCC Rules In June 2000, the FCC took steps to increase the ability of people on tribal lands (both Indian reservations and Alaskan Native lands) to get and keep phone service. These FCC rules do the following: Substantially reduce the price of basic local phone service for income eligible customers on tribal lands; Promote telecommunications infrastructure deployment and subscribership on tribal lands, including both Indian reservations and Alaskan Native lands; Streamline the process for receiving Universal Service support for companies that seek to serve tribal lands as eligible telecommunications carriers; and Change the Commission's auction rules to provide greater incentives for wireless carriers to serve tribal lands. The Lifeline and LinkUp Programs The Federal Universal Service Fund includes the Low-Income program, which provides discounts on telephone installation and monthly telephone service to qualifying consumers. There are two components of the Low- Income program: Lifeline and LinkUp. Although Lifeline and LinkUp are available to all qualifying low-income consumers, the FCC's enhanced Lifeline and LinkUp programs provide special additional discounts to qualifying subscribers living on tribal lands. Lifeline provides certain discounts on monthly service for qualified telephone subscribers. The enhanced Lifeline program for qualified subscribers on Native American Indian and Alaska Native tribal communities gives discounts of up to $32.85 off monthly telephone bills. As a result, depending on current rates, many eligible subscribers on tribal lands will receive basic local phone service for $1 per month. LinkUp America helps qualified low-income consumers to connect, or hook up, to the telephone network. The enhanced LinkUp program for qualified subscribers on Native American Indian and Alaska Native tribal communities offsets up to $100 for installation fees costing $130 or more. The enhanced LinkUp program also includes a plan to encourage local telephone companies to offer low-income telephone subscribers a deferred payment schedule for these charges. Qualifying for Enhanced Lifeline and LinkUp Discounts -- The Lifeline and LinkUp programs are available to qualifying consumers in every state, territory, and commonwealth. Qualifications for participation in these programs vary by state. States that have their own state Lifeline program have their own criteria. In states that rely solely on the Federal Lifeline and LinkUp programs, the named subscriber must participate in one of the following programs: Medicaid, food stamps, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), federal public housing assistance, or Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). -- To qualify for enhanced Lifeline and LinkUp, subscribers living on tribal lands may also participate in the following: Bureau of Indian Affairs general assistance, Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Head Start (income-qualifying standard), or the National School Lunch Program. -- You should contact your local telephone company or your state regulatory agency for information about these programs and to determine whether or not you qualify for discounts under the Lifeline and LinkUp programs. The telephone number for your state regulatory agency can be found on the Web site of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners: www.naruc.org. You can also get the contact numbers from the FCC's Consumer Center at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice; 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY. 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 ---------- + Read the Editorial Section above - Mexico Gov't to renew for Critical Telephone Info push for Indian Rights - Mildred Goodstriker/ - Brazil: Ricky Standing Alone Violence Against the Xucuru People - Crossings - Single Aboriginal Police Force - Land Battle splits Shoshone Nation draws Flak - Treaty valid, no Land Claims, - Tribes sue over Cheap Mine Cleanup Interior says - Tribes, ACLU sue South Dakota - Pueblo Land Claim over Election Laws approaches Settlement - Tulalip Man Fatally shot at Party - OSM won't discuss - Panel to study Indian Issues Peabody's Mining Application related to Prisons - Top Interior Official Resigns - Native Prisoner - Indian Leaders won't Back Down -- Looks Away... - Panel OKs Navajo-Hopi another Child of the River relocation impact Study - Rustywire: Aunt HB - Drought Money divided up and the Indian Health Clinic - Lack of Resources - Poem: Dawn hampers Indian Health Care - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days - Indian Center opens at Vann House - History: Carlisle Indian School - B.C. Treaty Negotiators - Native America Calling get new Instructions - Native Americans revive - Burnt Church close Tradition of Firefighting to signing Fishery Deal - This Week on First Peoples TV - Fishermen protest - Review by Youth: 'Racist' Native Fishery Gold, Greed and Genocide - Alberta to clamp down - 3rd Annual Permian Basin on Native Child Agency Intertribal Powwow --------- "RE: Mildred Goodstriker/Ricky Standing Alone" --------- Date: Tue, Aug 6 08:03:22 2002 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HEAD ON COLLISION" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canada.com/search/site/story.asp?id=38ABDCB3-1108-40E6-9A92-BACDF7A74688 Principal on reserve dies in crash Educator on way to conference in Morley Robin Summerfield and Sorcha McGinnis Calgary Herald Monday, August 05, 2002 A well-respected aboriginal educator was remembered Sunday for her commitment to Blood reserve children and all native children. Mildred Goodstriker, the principal of the Aahsaopi Elementary School on the reserve, died Sunday after a car apparently ran a stop sign in Stand Off and hit the sports utility vehicle she was travelling in. She was 56. Police said the accident happened at 8 a.m. when a westbound Chevrolet Cavalier ran a stop sign on Highway 2 in the town of Stand Off, slamming into Goodstriker's Chevrolet Blazer, which was headed north. Stand Off is about 220 kilometres south of Calgary. Father of two, Ricky Standing Alone, 23, who was travelling in the Cavalier, also died in the accident. Seven other people travelling with Standing Alone, also a Blood reserve resident, walked away from the accident with only minor injuries. Goodstriker and her husband Alex, 59, were on their way to Morley for the 2002 World Indigenous People's Conference on Education when the accident happened. Goodstriker was supposed to participate in the conference's opening ceremonies. "She was a wonderful person, always thinking about others," said her niece, Beth Daychief, 32. Goodstriker was a mother of five, stepmother to two and grandmother of 11. Educating and helping children was a priority in her life and she was an inspiration to many, said Daychief. "She didn't get her degree until later on in her life, until she was in her 40s." Sunday's tragedy has hit the family doubly hard, as just two weeks ago Goodstriker's daughter also died in a car accident. Ricky Standing Alone, 23, the other Blood reserve resident killed in the accident, was fondly remembered by family Sunday for his adventurous spirit and love of life. "He wasn't afraid to try anything," said his sister, Dale Marie Wagner, 39. A natural athlete, Standing Alone played golf in the summer, hockey in the winter and rode saddle broncs. He lived on Standing Alone Ranch with his family, and was a school bus driver for the family business. Standing Alone was a devoted father to five-year-old daughter Jaden and son Teagan, 2, said Wagner. "He lived for his kids." "He made everybody laugh. He joke at everything and you never saw him mad. He always had a smile," said Wagner. Standing Alone is survived by a girlfriend and his parents, Alfred and Lily. Const. Steve Metcalfe of the Cardston RCMP was surprised so many people walked away from the accident. "It's staggering," Metcalfe said of the mangled wrecks. The accident is still under investigation. Police say alcohol may have been a factor. Copyright c. 2002 Calgary Herald. --------- "RE: Crossings" --------- Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 08:10:52 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CROSSINGS" July 30 Theresa A. Apple KYLE - Theresa A. Apple, 39, Kyle, died Sunday, July 28, 2002, in Kyle. Survivors include her husband, George Apple, Kyle; three daughters, Eileen Apple, Crystal Apple and Kimberly Apple, all of Kyle; two brothers, Darrell Janis and Clarence Janis, both of Kyle; two sisters, Lorna Apple and Francine Janis, both of Kyle; and 10 grandchildren. A two-night wake will begin at 2 p.m. today at Little Wound school in Kyle. Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at the school, with the Rev. Francis Apple officiating. Steve Pratt will officiate at traditional services. Burial will be at St. Stephen's Catholic Cemetery in Kyle. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Norman R. 'Dominick' Janis PINE RIDGE - Norman R. "Dominick" Janis, 33, Pine Ridge, died Saturday, July 27, 2002, in Wanblee. Survivors include his mother, Pearl Dull Knife, Wanblee; two brothers, Guy Dull Knife III and Ronald Dull Knife, both of Wanblee; and four sisters, Teri Dull Knife, Tanya Dull Knife, Tonette Dull Knife and Crystal Dull Knife, all of Wanblee. A two-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, at the Pearl Dull Knife home in Wanblee. The second night will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at Crazy Horse School in Wanblee. Traditional services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 2, at the school, with Sam Moves Camp and Francis Richards officiating. Burial will be at the Moves Camp family plot in Wanblee. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. August 1, 2002 Emery C. Arapahoe Sr. PINE RIDGE - Emery C. Arapahoe Sr., 59, Pine Ridge, died Sunday, July 28, 2002, in Pine Ridge. Survivors include three sons, Emery Arapahoe Jr., Colorado, David Arapahoe, Sioux Falls, and John Eder, Eagle Butte; four stepsons, Joe Hoof, Duluth, Minn., and Carlos Hoof, Tony Weston and Brian Jefferies, all of Pine Ridge; two daughters, Darlene Elk, Porcupine, and Adelyn Arapahoe, Pine Ridge; one stepdaughter, Mary Hoof, Rapid City; and numerous grandchildren. A two-night wake will begin at 3 p.m. today at the Wakpamni CAP Building in Pine Ridge. The second night will begin at 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, at Jo Ann Sierra's home in Pine Ridge. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at Jo Ann Sierra's home, with the Rev. Emerson Spider Sr. officiating. Burial will be at St. John's Cemetery in Allen. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2002 The Rapid City Journal. -=-=-=- July 30, 2002 Paul Richard Salazar Paul Richard Salazar , 51, of Guachupangue, died Saturday. He was preceded in death by a brother and sister-in-law, Gilbert and Barbara Salazar; father-in-law, Nelson D. Anglin; sister-in-law, Rita Salazar. He is survived by his wife, Anita M. Salazar of the home; two sons, Nelson J. Sisneros and wife Tandra of Santa Fe, and Merton Lawrence Sisneros of the home; a niece whom he helped raise, Erica Frenier of Guachupangue; his parents, Alex Salazar Jr. and Maggie Salazar of Guachupangue; three sisters, Jeanette Jamieson and husband Richard of Denver, Virginia Salazar and fiance Otis Halfmoon of Santa Fe, and Bernadette Frenier and husband Robert of Tesuque Pueblo; two brothers, Mike Salazar and wife Sandra, and Chris Salazar all of Guachupangue; three grandchildren, his mother-in-law, Barbara Anglin; and many other relatives. A rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. today at Block-Salazar Mortuary. Memorial mass will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Santa Clara Catholic Church. Salazar Family of Block-Salazar Mortuary. July 31, 2002 Mrs. Valerie B. (Rainbow) Lynch Mrs. Valerie B. (Rainbow) Lynch, 38, a resident of Albuquerque passed away on July 29, 2002. Valerie is the beloved wife of five years to Joseph I. Lynch. Valerie is also survived by her mother, Carmel Chavez and husband, Johnny R.; her father, Ivan Joseph Sanchez; a sister, Rosanne Sanchez; a brother, Blane Sanchez and wife, Carolyn; mother-in-law, Eileen Lynch; brother-in- -law, John Lynch and family; nieces, Lia Abeita-Sanchez and Breanna Abeita-Sanchez; many aunts, cousins, friends and Navy friends. Valerie was a member of the Catholic Church. A visitation will be Thursday morning from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. at St. Augustine Catholic Church, in Isleta Pueblo with Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at the Isleta Cemetery. Pallbearers will be John Lynch, John Trembly, Timothy Maestas and Archie Vigil. Gabaldon Mortuary, 1000 Old Coors Rd SW in charge of the arrangements. Juan A. Martinez Juan A. Martinez , 26, of Cuarteles and originally of Chamita, died Monday unexpectedly. He was preceded in death by his father, Juan A. Martinez; cousin, James Sanchez; paternal grandmother and grandfather, Marcelino and Marina Martinez; maternal grandfather, Adolfo Sanchez; and uncle, Orlando Sanchez. He is survived by his companion, Mindy Schwaegel of Cuarteles; daughter, Alexia Schwaegel of Cuarteles; stepson, Dylan Sarabia of Cuarteles; mother, Carmela Martinez of Espanola; brothers, Adolfo Martinez and companion Teresa Rice of Espanola, and Marcos Garcia and companion Miranda Martinez of Espanola; maternal grandmother, Ruth Sanchez of Chamita; and many other relatives and friends. Cremation has taken place. A memorial mass will be at 1 p.m. Friday at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in San Juan Pueblo. Burial will follow at a later date. DeVargas Funeral Home of the Espanola Valley. August 4, 2002 The family of Mrs. Valerie B. (Rainbow) Lynch would like to thank all their relatives and friends for their kind expression of sympathy extended to them during their bereavement; for the beautiful floral tributes and a special thank you to Father Larry and Father Hiliare, St. Augustine Catholic Church, celebrant of the Mass, to Alvino Lucero, governor of Isleta, for all of his support, to the people of the pueblo of Isleta for their kind contributions, and to the pallbearers. Gabaldon Mortuary, 1000 Old Coors Dr. SW, in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 1997 - 2002 Albuquerque Journal: Albuquerque, New Mexico. -=-=-=- July 25, 2002 Sterlen Kane A prayer service for Sterlen M. Kane Sr., 61, of Mescalero will be at 6 p.m. today, July 26, in the Mescalero Reformed Church, where the funeral will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 27. Burial will follow at the White Tail Cemetery with the Rev. Bob Schut officiating. Mr. Kane died Monday, July 22, 2002, in Mescalero. He was born there on Nov. 10, 1940. He served in the Air Force and had worked for the Inn of the Mountain Gods, Tribal Police Department and was a community health representative and attended the Reformed Church. Survivors include Shirley Kane; a son, Sterlen M. Kane Jr., and his wife, Marcene; a daughter, Selena L. Chino, and her husband, Mark; grandsons Jesse Reed, Keenan Kane and Kolby Kane; sisters Jacque Forte and Corliss Treas; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Arrangements are under the direction of LaGrone Funeral Chapel of Ruidoso. Copyright c. 1999-2002 MediaNews Group, Inc./Ruidoso NM. -=-=-=- July 31, 2002 Genevieve J. Billy Sheep Springs woman spent her life helping family and others By Katie Farley/For The Daily Times SHEEP SPRINGS A loving mother and grandmother, Genevieve J. Billy of Sheep Springs always thought of other people. She died Saturday after a long illness. Billy, 74, was born in Water Springs in 1928, a small community outside of Sheep Springs. Her family later moved to Sheep Springs when she was still young so that she could attend school there. For the majority of her life, Genevieve lived there. During her youth, Billy loved to ride her horse. She liked working with animals and later herded sheep with her family as well. She graduated from Wingate High School, and while there she met Sam Billy. They dated off and on throughout their teens and later got married in 1946 in Sheep Springs. Genevieve's lifelong occupation was working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs as an instructional aide in Sanostee. At the time, it was a boarding school and Billy was a dorm attendant. She loved working with the children there and family members said that she was equally loved by the juveniles in her dorm. While in Sheep Springs, Genevieve had three daughters, but her first child was stillborn. This was hard on the couple, but after trying again, they had two more daughters. She raised them while her husband worked, taking them wherever they needed to go. "She was always very active in our lives," Billy's daughter, Iris Miller said. Once Genevieve became a grandmother and later a great-grandmother, she really was happy. She spent many hours with her family, spoiling her grandchildren. Billy enjoyed sewing clothing for her family, making them whatever they wanted. Another hobby of Genevieve's was cooking. Her favorite was barbecue chicken, but anything her family liked she would cook. At any sort of family function or gathering that she attended, she always brought a lot of food. "She loved to have family gatherings on top of the mountains near her home in Sheep Springs. She would sit and watch all of her family having a great time. That was what she liked to do," said Judy Sandoval, Genevieve's daughter. Whether at her house or visiting family, Billy never let anyone leave empty handed. Her granddaughter, Jolene Wauneka said that her grandmother always brought her children and herself something; food, clothing, or just small objects to amuse everyone. "Of course we never asked her to bring things, but she always did," Wauneka said. Following her retirement in the early 1980s, Genevieve developed many health problems. She could not be as active as she previously had been, so her family visited her more often. Both of her daughters remember driving her around town, wherever she needed. Billy was always grateful for this, and expressed her thanks through her helpful ways. Whenever anyone that she knew needed help with anything, she was there doing what she could for them. Genevieve was in San Juan Regional Medical Center for the past five months, dealing with her illnesses when she died. Her husband died five weeks ago at their home of natural causes. August 04, 2002 Herman P. Tallbrother August 7, 1956 - July 31, 2002 Herman P. Tallbrother, 46, of Red Mesa, Utah, died Wednesday, July 31, 2002, in Farmington. H e was born Aug. 7, 1956, in Teec Nos Pos, Ariz. Graveside services and interment will be held Monday, Aug. 5, at 10 a.m., at the Family Cemetery in Rock Point, Utah. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral Home in Shiprock, (505)368-4607. Copyright c. 1999-2002 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM. -=-=-=- July 31, 2002 Jim Curley WITTENBERG, Wis. - Services for Jim Curley, 23, will be held at 1 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 1 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Stake Center, Gallup. President Lee Yazzie will officiate. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Park. Visitation will be held one hour prior to services. Curley died July 28 in Gallup. He was born April 21, 1979 in Crownpoint into the Bitter Water People Clan for the Folded Arms People Clan. Curley is a 1997 graduate of Tohatchi High School. He was a member of the Tohatchi Cross Country team, where he received numerous awards, certificates, metals, trophies and plaques. He attended UNM-Gallup, in the AVS program, in welding; a Science Engineering Program, Boulder, Colo. He was a welder, Wild Land Firefighter and a Iron worker for Local #1, Chicago, Ill. His hobbies included running marathons, Wings of America, attending powwows as a gourd dancer, basketball, and welding. Survivors include his sons, Treyin Muskett Curley of Tohatchi; daughter, Olivia Rose Curley of Wittenberg; parents, Herbie and Jane Curley of Brimhall; sisters, Mannon Yazzie and Gerilynn Curley both of Phoenix; Janelle Curley, Mercedes Curley and Bekki Curley all of Brimhall; and grandmother, Rose Jim Begaye of Brimhall. Curley was preceded in death by his grandparents, Navajo Jim Begaye, Emma and Ben Muskett. Pallbearers will be family members. Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Bobby Willeto Jr. ALBUQUERQUE Services for Bobby Willeto Jr., 39, will be announced at later date. Willeto Jr. died July 28 in Albuquerque. He was born June 14, 1963 in Gallup into the Water People Clan for the Towering House People Clan. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. August 2, 2002 RanDine' B. Yazzie SANDERS, Ariz. - Services for RanDine' Yazzie, 39, will be held at 10 a. m., Saturday, Aug. 3 at the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Sanders. Bishop Dan Garner will officiate. Burial will follow at Silversmith Family Plot, Burnwater, Ariz. Yazzie died July 30 in Gallup. He was born Jan. 3, 1963 in Gallup into the Zia People Clan for the Blacksheep People Clan. Yazzie attended Valley High School, Sanders, Ariz. and UNM-Gallup Branch, where he was a senior, majoring in Education. He taught at Special Education at Sanders Elementary School and Navajo Lanuage/Culture Preservation Camp, Albuquerque. His hobbies included painting, sketching and sculpturing. Survivors include his wife, Marilyn Yazzie of Sanders; son, LanDine' Yazzie of Salt Lake City, Utah; daughter, Sessaleh Yazzie of Salt Lake City; brother, Leo B. Yazzie of Chandler, Ariz. and Amos Dedman of Lupton, Ariz.; sisters, Shirley Hayme of Alameda, Calif. and Rena Begay of Sanders. Yazzie was preceded in death by his parents, Betty Lou Silversmith and Kee B. Yazzie and brother, Lester Yazzie. Pallbearers will be Craig Begay, Herbert Begay Jr., Jeremy Begay, Harold Matt, John Begay and Leo B. Yazzie. The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services at Houck Chapter House. Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2002 the Gallup Independent. -=-=-=- Wednesday, July 31, 2002 Isaac `Ike' SiJohn Sr. Worley, Idaho Rosary for Isaac James "Ike" SiJohn Sr., 89, will be today at 7 p.m. at the Worley Long House. Mass will be Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the long house. Burial will follow at the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Cemetery in DeSmet, Idaho. Hodge Funeral Home in St. Maries is in charge of arrangements. Mr. SiJohn, who was born in Lovell Valley, Idaho, died Saturday. He grew up on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation and was married to Sara Skanen as a young man. The couple later divorced. He served with the Army during World War II with the Army Engineers and was involved in the Normandy Invasion in the European Theater of War. Mr. SiJohn returned to Worley after his military service and married Evelyn Bonemache in the early 1940s. He worked in the construction industry until retiring in 1978. His second marriage ended in divorce, and in the late 1950s he married Marge St. Peter. She died in April. Mr. SiJohn was elected to the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Council in 1961 and served until 1981. He was active in the tribe's Natural Resource program for 18 years and was a member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, Sacred Heart Mission Catholic Church, and the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Warriors Society. He enjoyed huckleberry picking and drum sessions at pow wows. Survivors include three sons, Merle SiJohn of DeSmet, Frank SiJohn of Plummer, Idaho, and William "Tooks" Parr of Worley; four daughters, Inez SiJohn, Carol SiJohn and Allie Hendrickx, all of Worley, and Gwen Sijohn of Plummer ; 28 grandchildren, 60 great-grandchildren and 33 great-great- grandchildren. -- Spokane, Wash., Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and the Inland Northwest Copyright c. 2002, The Spokesman-Review. -=-=-=- July 31, 2002 Gloria Big Back Gloria Jean Wolf Black Red Neck Fisher Big Back, 65, of Billings, formerly of Birney, passed away at her home Monday morning, July 29, 2002. "Seven times seven kills women" (Big Gloria) was born April 22, 1937, in Birney, a daughter of Homer Red Neck and Gladys Wolf Black. She grew up in the Birney area and attended schools in Birney and the St. Labre Catholic School. She later attended Concordia College, studying for a degree in education. She married Eugene Big Back Sr. and was later divorced. She lived in the Lame Deer area and worked for the Lame Deer police department. She enjoyed beading and quilting, but most enjoyed visiting friends and being with her grandchildren. Gloria was an advocate of the traditional Cheyenne way of life, always mentoring her Cheyenne sisters and especially Cheyenne young who were in need of guidance. She demonstrated through her actions the traditional values that are important to the Northern Cheyenne people, especially the act of giving. Her recent ill health forced her to move to Billings for dialysis treatments. While in Billings, she was a member of the Hope United Methodist Church. Her parents; a son, Harry Big Back; a sister, Virginia Wallace; and a brother, Richard M. Fisher Jr. preceded Gloria in death. Survivors include her four daughters, Louise (Daryl) Price of Virginia, Eugenia (Kenneth) Duhart of Billings, Elisha Big Back of Oregon and Shrona Wolf Black of Washington; three sons, Charles (Debbie) Big Back, Sr. of Oregon, Eugene Big Back, Jr. and Benno (Lori) Big Back Sr. of Billings; her sister, Phyllis Fisher of Billings; a brother Leonard (Violet) Wolf Black of Crow Agency; 24 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; two uncles, James and Charles Wolf Black; as well as numerous Cheyenne sisters. Wake services will be held 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, in the Birney Community Hall. Funeral services will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, in the Hall, with interment to follow in the Birney Cemetery. Bullis Mortuary of Hardin has been entrusted with the arrangements. Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. -=-=-=- July 30, 2002 Viola Marie Spotted Bird Morning Star Woman BROCKTON -- Viola Marie Spotted Bird, 74, whose Indian name was Morning Star Woman, a teacher's aide for the Brockton School District for many years, died Friday at a Williston, N.D., care facility after a long illness. Her wake begins 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Brockton Cultural Center. Her funeral is 2 p.m. Thursday at the center, with burial in Fort Kipp Cemetery. Clayton Memorial Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. Survivors include sons Adrian Spotted Bird Sr. and Silas Drum, both of Brockton, Llewellyn Spotted Bird, Joel Grey Bull, John Spotted Bird and Perry Grey Bull, all of Poplar, and Richard Grey Bull of Enterprise, Ala. ; daughters Charlene Drum and Lorna Drum, both of Brockton, and Verdis Grey Bull of Poplar; adopted sons Billy Runs Above, Jim Dillon, Kenny Merrick, Sr., Gabe Dumont, LeRoy (Turbo) Boyd, Sr., Bernard Youpee, Harold Dupree, Sr., Sterling Ramsey; adopted daughters Sandra Yellow Hammer and Anita Dumont; sisters Josephine Black Dog and Carole Spotted Bird, both of Brockton and Catherine Spotted Bird of Poplar; a brother, Leland Spotted Bird of Brockton; traditionally adopted brothers Sean Brown Sr. of British Columbia, Tom Escarcega Sr., Dawson Firemoon and Gabriel Young, all of Poplar, and Moses Dionne Sr. of Wolf Point; 34 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Copyright c. 2002 Great Falls Tribune, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Land Battle splits Shoshone Nation" --------- Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 08:32:19 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SHOSHONE LAND" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-shoshone22jul Land Battle splits Shoshone Nation CRESCENT VALLEY, Nev. -- Though weary from a 30-year struggle, sisters Carrie and Mary Dann remain hopeful they can keep ancestral Western Shoshone lands in the hands of the Indian nation. But far from their dusty ranch here, an upcoming vote in Washington is expected to end their crusade. The Senate is considering disbursement of nearly $140 million to the tribe for land the government says the Indians lost 130 years ago. In the meantime, the Danns continue to run cattle and horses on the disputed land without paying grazing fees--as other Indians have, claiming the land is still theirs. At issue is about 24 million acres of historic Shoshone land, a swath of desert and mountains from the Great Salt Lake, across most of Nevada, and into California's Death Valley. The Danns and other traditional Shoshone Indians--as well as a host of historians, attorneys and international human rights commissions--note that the tribe never ceded its territory to the U.S. government nor lost it to Western conquest. But a congressional commission summarily declared in 1959 that the Shoshones had lost their land to encroaching pioneers in 1872. The Danns and their allies say they were blindsided by a bureaucratic ambush more contemptible than any act of violence. Carrie and Mary Dann, who won't give their ages but whose deep-creased faces betray at least six decades of hard life running cattle and horses, say distribution of the money will all but end any hope they have of retaining the land. Their claim to the land has been dismissed by the Supreme Court but is supported by human rights commissions sponsored by the United Nations and the Organization of American States. The sisters are mad that apparently most of their fellow Shoshone Indians want the money, which would amount to about $20,000 each. "What's $20,000?" asks Carrie Dann, the younger of the two women. "I'm looking at the future of our children. I'm looking at our birthright, which is not for sale." Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has sponsored a bill authorizing the money's release. The Senate's Indian Affairs Committee will hear debate on the bill Aug. 2. Since 1977, the $26 million set aside to reimburse Shoshones for their land and lost mining revenue has increased, with interest, to nearly $140 million. Reid, who sits on the committee, said he has sympathy for the Danns and others who resist losing their land. "But this matter has been through the court system, and the vast majority of the Shoshones--whether you think it is unfair or fair--want their money." Felix Ike is one of those who wants the money. Ike, chairman of the Te- Moak Tribe of Western Shoshones, the largest of the various tribes and bands that constitute the Indian nation, said he doesn't share the same passion for the land as do the Danns. "Yes, there's a case to undo the wrongs done to the indigenous people," he said. "We were shafted. But now we have to move on." Although three polls have indicated that a majority of the estimated 6, 000 Western Shoshone Nation members want their money, others such as Mary Gibson, 45, say they are standing on principle. "The money is dirty money, money that the government wants to pass off on us because it has a bad conscience," said Gibson, who works at the Elko County Library. "But I don't want to sell myself out." Yet her own daughter, she said, wants the money to buy a car. She said her daughter doesn't understand the issues, which are virtually unprecedented in U.S. history. In 1863, Shoshone Indians signed the Treaty of Ruby Valley promising peace and friendship to white settlers and travelers bound for California. These newcomers could hunt, mine, cut timber, run railroads, even establish towns. But nothing was said about Indians giving up their land. In 1946, Congress established the Indian Claims Commission to compensate Indians for lands taken during the westward march, intending to correct century-old wrongs. In 1951 a Shoshone band made such a claim for the land under dispute today, even though the government acknowledged that the band did not speak for all Shoshones. The government in 1962 concluded that Shoshone land had been lost to whites nine years after the Ruby Valley treaty was signed. Later, the Indian Claims Commission authorized payment of 15 cents per acre--the value of the land in 1872, just before gold and silver mining exploded across Nevada, dramatically increasing the land's value. The money was placed in a trust account in 1979. Shoshone activists protested, and a U.S. District Court judge sided with them, noting that there had been no act of Congress nor treaty that transferred the land from the Shoshones to the federal government. It was almost as if, some observers have noted, the government had realized it had never acquired the Shoshone Indian territory and was now belatedly trying to take it. But the U.S. Supreme Court in 1985, on appeal, ruled that because the government had already put the land money in an Indian trust fund for disbursement, their rights to the land had been extinguished. The court did not address the initial claims commission's actions, but rather was responding to litigation over the Dann sisters' refusal to pay livestock grazing fees to the government. The Danns were not alone. In May, the Bureau of Land Management seized about 130 head of cattle from Raymond Yowell, chief of the Western Shoshone National Council. It claims to represent all Shoshone Indians but is not recognized by the U.S. government. "If the government can show me a piece of paper that shows that we ceded or sold it to them, I'll change my argument," said Yowell, who had been running cattle for 18 years near Elko and now faces about $500,000 in grazing fees and penalties. To this day, the Dann sisters--living on 800 acres their parents acquired through a combination of homesteading and purchase from the railroad--continue to graze livestock on public land. The BLM continues to threaten to impound their animals--as it did 10 years ago--and has fined the sisters more than $2 million for past grazing fees, penalties and interest. BLM officials say more seizures are imminent, and the Danns still refuse to pay. "Why should we?" asks Carrie Dann. "The land is ours." The sisters feel comforted by the United Nations' Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In August, the committee expressed "concern" that plans for expanded mining and nuclear waste storage on Western Shoshone ancestral land (at Yucca Mountain) were "affecting the rights of indigenous peoples." The Danns hope the attention being given to their situation will persuade the government to rethink its position before the Senate disburses the money. They know that realistically all the land cannot be returned to the tribe, given the development of towns and cities and mining that has made the land within view of their home the richest gold source in the United States. But they say that some of the land can be returned for their exclusive use, as was done for the Timbisha Shoshone Indians of Death Valley, who after years of struggle were awarded 7,600 acres of National Park Service land in 2000. The Danns also believe the tribe should be awarded a small royalty for the gold and other metals and minerals mined from their aboriginal territory, and that it should be allowed to graze animals freely. "This land represents life for us and our future generations," Carrie Dann said. "It is our umbilical cord, our attachment, to Earth Mother. We cannot separate ourselves from life." Copyright c. 2002 Los Angeles Times. --------- "RE: Treaty valid, no Land Claims, Interior says" --------- Date: Mon, Aug 5 08:03:22 2002 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SHOSHONE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.elkodaily.com/display/inn_news/news2.txt Treaty valid, no land claims, Interior says By ADELLA HARDING, Free Press Staff Writer ELKO -- Western Shoshone Indians' Ruby Valley Treaty of 1863 is still in effect, but the treaty doesn't contain any legal land claims, Assistant Interior Secretary for Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb said Friday in Washington, D.C. He was testifying before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which also heard from three Western Shoshone witnesses on the proposed cash distribution of roughly $138 million in claims money. McCaleb said that in Interior's opinion, the treaty doesn't include any land rights, backing up a statement by Daisy West, a tribal relations officer for Interior who closely follows the Western Shoshone issues. "From the research I've done on this, the Treaty of Ruby Valley is a treaty of peace and friendship. It's not a treaty that recognizes aboriginal title or gave recognized title to lands in Western Shoshone Country," she testified. "I would say it is still in force," she said in answer to a question by committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii. Opponents of the 100 percent cash distribution claim the treaty shows Western Shoshone still have claim to millions of acres across Nevada and into neighboring states, and McCaleb testified he realizes that is a claim of opponents. The Indians testifying included Nancy Stewart of the Fallon Western Shoshone Tribe, co-chairman of the claims steering committee that pushed for the cash distribution. She urged the Senate panel to approve the bill, pointing out that a straw vote in June showed that 1,647 Western Shoshone voted in favor of the cash distribution, while 156 voted against it. She also charged that certain Western Shoshone people have misled others over the land issue, and "a lot of people say it's a sham." Te-Moak Tribal Chairman Felix Ike also urged the committee to vote for the bill based on the vote, but he also testified it is his understanding that the bill wouldn't prohibit hunting, fishing and gathering rights and Indian rights to more land. He also said he understands the bill won't negate the government's obligation to finally help the Western Shoshone tribes. "The Western Shoshone people have waited long enough," Ike said, referring to the cash distribution. Willie Johnny, chairman of the Wells Band of Te-Moak Western Shoshone was quick to say Ike doesn't speak for all, and that the Wells Band would only support cash distribution if provisions for more land are written into the bill. He said the Indians lost the resources to be self-supporting and many face a diabetes epidemic because of a change in diet from their traditional foods, so they need money for economic development, and they need more land for expansion. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who introduced the bill with Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., and is on the Indian Affairs Committee, said he believes it is clear the people want their money. "I hope this could be done quickly and get those people their money," said Reid, who canceled a hearing scheduled last March because of concerns about the wording of a 1997 straw ballot. McCaleb also brought up the June vote totals in his testimony on the years of negotiations between the government and Western Shoshone over the claims settlement. The government set aside $26 million in 1979 for the Western Shoshone. The amount has grown because of interest. Among the 27 people viewing the hearing on teleconference equipment at Great Basin College's High Tech Building were a number of opponents of the cash distribution who were upset that only three witnesses were allowed to appear, and none of them got their side of the story out. "If they didn't have time, they shouldn't have had the hearing," said Leta Piffero. Inouye said the committee will take written comments for the record from the Western Shoshone through Sept. 8, and he assured them he would read all of the comments. At the college, Barbara Ridley said she is still upset because she had family who never heard about the election on the claims issue so "none of this is fair." Art Thompson questioned why Ike, Stewart and "an inexperienced guy," referring to Johnny, were the ones chosen to testify. Elwood Mose of Lee, who considers himself tribal chairman under a disputed election, said he plans to comment, and he told a gathering of others who stayed in the viewing room after the hearing that "the whole thing is by no means ended." Mose said his comments would include mention of the disputed election. U. S. District Court in Reno recently ruled against Mose and the tribal council he claimed were legitimate in a case brought by a bank over who can sign checks. He said he is planning to appeal to 9th Circuit Court. Among the questions Inouye had for the witnesses was one regarding whether Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs monitored the straw vote in Elko in June. West said BIA considered it an "internal Shoshone manner," so BIA didn't supervise the balloting. He also asked McCaleb if he had any views on the Organization of American States report accusing the United States of violating human rights in its treatment of Mary and Carrie Dann of Crescent Valley and the Western Shoshone in general. McCaleb said the government's view is that the report is erroneous because the Dann issues have been "fully litigated," and that OAS lacked jurisdiction to judge the land claims. The report was released earlier this week in time for the hearing. Copyright c. 2002 Elko Daily Free Press. --------- "RE: Pueblo Land Claim approaches Settlement" --------- Date: Thu Aug 1 08:10:22 2002 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SANDIA CLAIM" http://www.indianz.com/News/ Pueblo land claim approaches settlement THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2002 Legislation to settle a long-standing New Mexico tribal land dispute cleared a key Senate committee on Wednesday, and its chief sponsors hoped for final passage this year. The Senate Energy and Natural Committee approved the bill, which was introduced by chairman Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and is supported by Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), a panel member. Domenici had been a critic but softened his opposition after a hearing earlier this year. "Senator Bingaman and I have worked to listen carefully to concerns raised in some form by practically all groups and interested parties," Domenici said yesterday in a statement. "I believe we have crafted a fair resolution to a matter that could have been tied up in the court system for decades." The legislation settles Sandia Pueblo's claim to 10,000 acres in the Sandia Mountains, which are considered sacred and used for ceremonial, hunting and other purposes. The tribe believes the area was wrongfully from its reservation when Congress confirmed an 1858 land survey. The view was supported in a Department of Interior legal opinion issued at the end of the Clinton administration. In January 2001, then-Solicitor John Leshy said the Pueblo's eastern boundary should be redrawn to include the missing land -- unless Congress acts to ratify a settlement struck by the tribe, the federal government and other parties. That deal terminates the tribe's rights to the west face of the mountains in exchange for numerous concessions. The T'uf Shur Bien Preservation Trust Area, which means "Green Reed Mountain" in the Tiwa language, would be established for religious and cultural purposes. The tribe has veto authority over new development, a codified right to consultation and "authority" in the area over Pueblo members and members of other tribes that use the land. Authority is defined as civil and criminal jurisdiction, which is also shared with the federal government. The tribe's civil authority extends to hunting and trapping in the area. The state would retain jurisdiction for non-Indians under its applicable laws, according to the legislation. The bill provides for a tract of land owned by the Pueblo to be acquired in trust and a provision for future transfers. One prized area, however, is being held tightly by its owner, who said at an April hearing he would not sell. This tract is currently excluded from the Trust Area, which despite its name will not be held in trust. In addition to the Pueblo, two neighboring counties are granted veto authority over new uses. With the agreement set to expire this November, Congress would need to move quickly. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee still needs to consider the bill. Sandia Pueblo Gov. Stuwart Paisano has said the tribe will seek legal enforcement of the favorable opinion if the conflict isn't resolved. The tribe has sought additional changes to the bill but Bingaman and Domenici said they don't expect to approve them. Copyright c. 2000-2002 Noble Savage Media, LLC/Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: OSM won't discuss Peabody's Mining Application" --------- Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 02:43:09 +0000 From: Robert Dorman Subj: OSM won't discuss Peabody's mining application with Hopi and Navajo people List-Unsubscribe: Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 20:35:47 -0400 (EDT) From: Stuart M Leiderman Subj: USDI refuses talk about Black Mesa from Stuart Leiderman, Environmental Response http://www.glencanyon.org/news/media/OSM.htm GLEN CANYON INSTITUTE _________________________________________________________________ Office of Surface Mining won't discuss Peabody's mining application with Hopi and Navajo people by Tanya Hayes Lee (KYKOTSMOVI, Ariz., July 8, 2002)- In what appears to be a move to ignore Black Mesa Trust's comments on Peabody Energy's revised mining plan for Black Mesa Mine and its application for a permanent permit for the mine submitted in January, the Office of Surface Mining has agreed to Peabody Energy's request to postpone indefinitely the informal conferences on the matter that they promised to hold this summer. "This is yet another totally unacceptable example of collusion between the government agency that is supposed to be overseeing mining and a private coal mining company," said Vernon Masayesva, Executive Director of Black Mesa Trust. "Peabody is obviously trying to sideline the Environmental Impact Study and Cumulative Hydrological Impact Assessment that OSM assured us would be conducted as part of its evaluation of Peabody's application. The coal company does not want public scrutiny of their corporate practices nor does it want to respond to the many allegations, concerns and comments raised by Black Mesa Trust and its attorneys." Among those concerns is the 250 million gallons of water that Peabody impounds at the mine site each year. "We must have a full and fair analysis of the cultural and environmental impacts of the Black Mesa Mine through a meaningful public participation process," said Mr. Masayesva. In a May 14 letter to OSM, Peabody said that they would amend their January 19 Black Mesa Mine Permanent Program Permit and J-23 Mine Plan Revision, noting that the revised plan as originally submitted would have required an "extensive regulatory review process of up to two years." Public comments on the January 19 plan were due on April 29, and Black Mesa Trust and its attorneys submitted detailed technical comments and questions as well as comments from farmers and residents living in the area affected by the mining. Most of the concerns focused on damage to the N-aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for the Hopi people and about 27,000 Navajos living on and near Black Mesa. In the plan submitted in January, Peabody requested permission to increase its use of N-aquifer water to 5,700 acre feet a year-32% more water than the company is currently pumping out of the aquifer, primarily to slurry coal from Black Mesa to the Mohave Generating Station in Laughlin, Nevada. On May 14, just two weeks after Black Mesa Trust and its attorneys submitted comments on the plan, Peabody wrote to OSM stating that "Mohave participants [including the power plant's major owner, Southern California Edison, the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation and Peabody itself] recently identified a secure source of water from the Lower Colorado River and have initiated an extensive engineering analysis for developing a new pipeline." They admitted, however, that "the feasibility and cost of the alternative is still being investigated" and that "the resources for constructing the water delivery system have not been committed." "The water issue on Black Mesa has been analyzed for thirty years, and still our washes and springs are dying, our people are buying water from the grocery store, and our farmers are seeing their crops fail," said Masayesva. "It could take months to complete this new analysis, and years to find the money and build the pipeline. In the meantime, Peabody will keep using our drinking water to mine and transport coal," he continued. Masayesva pointed out that for the last 10 years, Peabody, the United States government, and the tribes have been talking about a pipeline from Lake Powell to supply water for the slurry operation. "In fact," he said, "government officials reported that bringing water from Lake Powell was legally and economically feasible, and the Navajo Tribe identified a source for that water in 1984. The Bureau of Land Reclamation agreed that the Navajo idea was workable and said that they would support it." He added, "Had the parties gotten serious about a pipeline back in the early 1990s we might not be talking about switching to another water source at the 11th hour!. We are optimistic that the parties will solve this problem, but we can't wait another ten years, or even one year, while they argue about who is going to pay for the plumbing." "Where are our tribal leaders, our Chairman and our Tribal Council?" asked Leonard Selestewa, President of Black Mesa Trust. "The Hopi/Reliant power plant project was terminated because the Hopi people did not want it. Has the Tribal Council asked the people whether this new pipeline proposal is an acceptable plan? "Now is the time for the Council to start to restore the faith of the Hopi people in its government. They need to consult with us before they agree to a plan that could mean that N-aquifer water will continue to be pumped for years to come," he said. Organizations supporting Black Mesa Trust efforts include Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Oxfam America, WaterKeeper Alliance, Environment Now, Grand Canyon Trust, Glen Canyon Institute, Arizona Ethnobotanical Research Association, Black Mesa Water Coalition, Flagstaff Activist Network, Sacred Land Film Project, Earth Island Institute, Wild Angels, and Seventh Generation and the law firms of Shearman & Sterling and Hagens-Berman. or more information about Black Mesa Trust, visit www.blackmesatrust.org. _________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2002 - The Glen Canyon Institute ============================================================ Please visit http://www.theofficenet.com/~redorman/pagea~1.htm for more background on the Big Mountain relocation issue. To subscribe, send an email to: BIGMTLIST-subscribe@topica.com. --------- "RE: Top Interior Official Resigns" --------- Wed Jul 31 18:03:37 2002 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SLONAKER FORCED OUT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020731/ Top Interior Official Resigns Tue Jul 30, 9:11 PM ET By ROBERT GEHRKE, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - A top Interior Department official said he was forced to quit Tuesday because he challenged the department's claims that it is repairing a historically mismanaged trust fund for American Indians. Special Trustee Thomas Slonaker, whose position was created by Congress to provide independent oversight for the overhaul of the fund and to report back to lawmakers, submitted his resignation Tuesday to Interior Secretary Gale Norton. "I was given the choice of resigning or being fired," Slonaker said in an interview. "Things have not been going well in terms of trust reform, but it's not always the message they want to hear." Slonaker has clashed with Norton and department officials, offering testimony in court and before Congress that contradicted assertions of progress toward fixing the century-old trust fund designed to manage oil, gas, mining and timber royalties from Indian land. A history of mismanagement has resulted in the loss of an unknown amount of money. Attorneys for Indians who sued the government say at least $10 billion is owed to more than 300,000 Indian landowners. Last week, White House counsel and Justice Department ( news - web sites) attorneys urged Slonaker not to submit prepared testimony to a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing in which he challenged the department's plans to account for lost Indian money. The department has told Congress it will take $2.5 billion and 10 years to conduct a full accounting, but Slonaker said a complete accounting is impossible because records are missing or have been destroyed. He said he was given a letter of resignation to sign during a meeting with Norton and Deputy Secretary Steven Griles Tuesday afternoon. Norton appointed Donna Erwin, the No. 3 official in Slonaker's office, as a temporary replacement and in a statement thanked Slonaker for his service. Interior Department spokesman Eric Ruff would not comment on Slonaker's claims. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he was disappointed by Slonaker's resignation and the administration's refusal to give him real authority. "Mr. Slonaker's resignation is just one more signal that legislation is clearly necessary to cause reform to the Interior Department's management of Indian trust funds," McCain said in a statement. During a hearing Tuesday before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, American Indian leaders said they won't back down on demands that an independent commission supervise the Interior Department's management of $1 billion a year in royalties from Indian land. Tribal leaders want the commission to have the power to subpoena documents, audit the department's accounting of the royalties and impose fines against the interior secretary to repair a history of mismanagement that has squandered an unknown amount of money. An independent commission is essential to fixing management problems and is not negotiable, said Tex Hall, co-chairman of the task force and president of the National Congress of American Indians. Griles said the department has constitutional concerns about creating an independent commission with oversight of a cabinet secretary. The impasse probably means legislation meant to fix the historically mismanaged trust fund won't pass Congress by the end of the year. The Indian leaders and the Department have agreed to creating a new undersecretary for Indian affairs and an official in charge of trust fund accountability above the deputy secretary now in charge of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The government has managed proceeds from Indian tribal land since 1820 and for individual Indians since 1887. Today it controls 45 million acres of land belonging to 315 tribes and 11 million acres for more than 300,000 individual Indians. The lands generate more than $1 billion annually. Copyright c. 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2002 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Indian Leaders won't Back Down" --------- Wed Jul 31 18:03:37 2002 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="STAFF PLANTED" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/politics/3766235.htm Indian Leaders Won't Back Down ROBERT GEHRKE Associated Press Writer Tue, Jul. 30, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) - American Indian leaders said Tuesday they won't back down on demands that an independent commission supervise the Interior Department's management of $1 billion a year in royalties from Indian land. Tribal leaders want the commission to have the power to subpoena documents, audit the department's accounting of the royalties and impose fines against the Interior Secretary to repair a history of mismanagement that has squandered an unknown amount of money. An independent commission is essential to fixing management problems and is not negotiable, said Tex Hall, co-chairman of the task force and president of the National Congress of American Indians. Deputy Interior Secretary Steven Griles said the department has constitutional concerns about creating an independent commission with oversight of a cabinet secretary. The impasse probably means legislation meant to fix the historically mismanaged trust fund won't pass Congress by the end of the year. "Time is not on our side," said Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The Indian leaders and the Interior Department have agreed to creating a new undersecretary for Indian affairs and an official in charge of trust fund accountability above the deputy secretary now in charge of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. But Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said restructuring the BIA will solve problems that he said have deprived Indians of billions of dollars over the last century. "If this were being done to any other group of Americans, outrage would prevail across the country," McCain said. Griles said the departmental changes will ensure future Indians get what they are entitled to. The federal government has managed proceeds from Indian tribal land since 1820 and for individual Indians since 1887. Today it controls 45 million acres of land belonging to 315 tribes and 11 million acres for more than 300,000 individual Indians. The lands generate more than $1 billion annually. But mismanagement of the Indian money has squandered an untold amount of money. In 1996, the department was sued by a group of Indians who claimed government malfeasance cost individual Indian landowners at least $10 billion since the department began managing the funds. Also on Tuesday, Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced the resignation of Special Trustee Thomas Slonaker, whose post was created by Congress to provide independent oversight of the Indian money. Slonaker clashed with Norton and top Interior officials and earlier this year provided testimony damaging to the secretary during a contempt of court trial stemming from the department's failure to fix the trust system. The judge's ruling is pending. Norton appointed Donna Erwin as a temporary replacement. Copyright c. the Macon Telegraph. --------- "RE: Panel OKs Navajo-Hopi relocation impact Study" --------- Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 08:46:06 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RELOCATION STUDY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129%257E6574%257E750740,00.html Senate panel OKs Navajo-Hopi relocation impact study Special to The Daily Times Wednesday, July 24, 2002 WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has asked the full Senate to approve a bill which would require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an independent study of the impact of the Navajo-Hopi Relocation Law, Navajo President Kelsey Begaye said Tuesday. "Although the federal government has spent over $300 million on the relocation program, no study has ever been undertaken to assess its long- term effects or the ongoing needs of the affected communities," Begaye said. The study, to be conducted by an independent contractor hired by the Department of the Interior, would analyze whether the goals of the 1974 Act have been achieved; recommend activities to mitigate the consequences of implementation of the Act; and analyze the long-term effects of the relocation, as well as the ongoing needs of the relocated population and the ongoing needs of other communities including the Bennett Freeze area. The study would also address the effects of termination of the relocation programs and closure of the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation with transfer of its responsibilities to other Federal agencies and to the Navajo Nation. The Secretary of the Interior has one year to submit the results of the study to Congress, the Hopi Tribe and the Navajo Nation. "I know that many Navajo families have been traumatized by relocation and, as a result, suffer from a much higher incidence of alcoholism, poverty, suicide, depression and physical illnesses. This study will be critically important for future planning and funding efforts to help these families," Begaye said. The study legislation, which is part of the Indian Programs Reauthorization and Technical Amendments Act of 2002, must still pass the full Senate and the House before going to President Bush for his signature. EDITOR'S NOTE: The Navajo Nation provided this article. Copyright c. 1999-2002 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington NM. --------- "RE: Drought Money divided up" --------- Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2002 08:18:16 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DROUGHT MONEY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.thenavajotimes.com/nation.html Drought money divided up, ready for spending By Marley Shebala The Navajo Times WINDOW ROCK July 25, 2002 The $2.9 million for drought and wildfire victims is ready to be spent. Navajo Nation general accounting staff reported on Wednesday that tribal programs and the 110 chapters could begin spending their money in a couple of hours. The Navajo Nation Council appropriated $2,975,188 from the reserve fund on July 15 to provide help with the drought and for Navajo people who suffered from the Rodeo/Chediski fires in northeastern Arizona. Assistant controller Martin E. Ashley reported on Wednesday that the balance of the reserves, which was about $3.3 million on June 28, is now down to about $336,000. Ashley noted that the balance could increase or decrease after the tribe's auditors receive a letter from the attorney general concerning the tribe's litigation liabilities. He stated in a July 8 letter to Delegate Young Jeff Tom (Mariano Lake/Smith Lake) that the attorney general's letter "may not be favorable to the Navajo Nation." Ashley also urged the council's Budget and Finance and Public Safety committees in a July 10 memo to consider the terrorists attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., and to enforce tribal laws that mandate that the reserves be maintained at about $49 million. He also recommended that the Department of Emergency Management determine which chapters are severely impacted by the drought. The department should also be responsible for distribution of funds. President Kelsey Begaye signed off on the legislation on July 17, saying he decided not to veto the $2.9 million because the Navajo people are in desperate need of emergency drought and wildfire assistance. The Emergency Management Commission and Begaye declared a reservation- wide drought emergency on March 26. Vice President Taylor McKenzie and tribal staff on June 28 toured areas around the Rodeo/Chediski fires and visited with about a hundred Navajo people at the Round Valley evacuation shelter in Eager, Ariz. Tribal staff reported that some of the Navajo people lost their businesses, homes and wages or had smoke damage to their homes. The staff noted that the Navajo people traveled back to the reservation to ask for assistance but they were sent back to the Rodeo/Chediski shelters. The emergency management office asked for $75,188 to assist the Navajo families impacted by the Rodeo/Chediski fires, which was included in the $2.9 million approved by the council. The total amount for the 110 chapters is $2 million and will be distributed according to tribal law, which mandates that 50 percent be divided equally among the chapter and the other 50 percent be divided according to the number of registered voters at each chapter. A breakdown of the $2 million by agencies shows: Eastern (31 chapters), $511,615; Fort Defiance (27 chapters), $503,030; Shiprock (20 chapters), $370,612; Western (18 chapters), $345,537; and Chinle (14 chapters), $269,206. The Department of Agriculture is receiving $408,537, which will be used on livestock sales, land and livestock assessments, medical supplies, rental of equipment and to pay for overtime for eight extension agents, four veterinarians and five veterinarian technicians. A portion of the $408,537 will compensate District Grazing Committee members and Eastern Land Board members that assist with drought assessment and inspections at Department of Agriculture livestock sales. The Agriculture Department also plans to use $259,660 of its budget as an incentive for livestock owners to sell 1,250 horses, 2,285 cattle and 814 sheep for ten cents a pound. The Water Resources Department was provided $252,571 and they plan to use $239,971 to buy water storage tanks, stock troughs, handpumps, tires, tubes, parts to repair windmills, gasoline and diesel fuel and other supplies and materials. The remainder of their emergency drought budget is earmarked for travel costs and labor for their 12 field offices, which take care of livestock and domestic water facilities. The Emergency Management Office was allowed $221,280, which includes the $75,188 for the Navajo people that were financially and emotional hurt by the Rodeo/Chediski fires. The Resource Enforcement Rangers were given $44,000 to purchase radios, flares, gas cans, latex gloves, dust masks, reflective vests and other necessary supplies for rangers that are in the field and assisting with drought relief. Copyright c. 1999-2002 Navajo Times/Navajo Nation. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Lack of Resources hampers Indian Health Care" --------- Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 08:32:19 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HEALTH CARE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=45225 Lack of resources hampers Indian care 07/22/2002 PHOENIX (AP) -- The Phoenix Indian Medical Center is overcrowded, underfunded and outdated. The center, which serves six tribes on reservations near Phoenix and is a regional referral center for Arizona, Utah, Nevada and parts of California, has a budget of $67 million -- only half what officials say it needs. Built in 1970, the center has a capacity of 40,000 annual outpatient visits. Last year's total was 250,000. Some patients wait months for an appointment or go to emergency rooms for care. Others simply go without. "There is an impact on health," medical center Director Anna Albert said. "People self-select. They decide not to come to a crowded system." But most patients have no other options. Albert worries that cancers may be detected late. Emergency room doctors complain that broken hands become crippled. Podiatrists mourn that too many feet are amputated. If patients need specialists, the usual answer is, "Sorry, none available." There are no heart surgeons, no brain surgeons, no hand surgeons. Those cases are referred to other facilities, and patients often must qualify for aid or pay themselves. No money, no treatment. The center, one of only three in the Indian Health Service, is near the top of the service's list for replacement, which could mean a new facility, more money and additional staff in the next few years. Meanwhile, staff members make do, working with a dedication that surprises other professionals. "People who visit here say they can't believe how the staff thrives in an environment like this with this lack of resources," Albert said. Part of the problem is the exploding urban Indian population, which was minimal when the center was built. Now, more than 56,000 urban Indians rely on the center. Despite its problems, the center has islands of excellence, like a podiatry clinic that is a model for programs across the country. It recently spent $1million to create a state-of-the-art intensive care unit. And it blends traditional healing practices with Western medicine. In obstetrics, women in labor sit in a modern whirlpool tub, but can hang onto a length of knotted material suspended overhead, as Indian women have done for centuries. There are also healing ceremonies and sweat lodges and a teepee for group meetings of cancer patients. Albert is the first woman, first Native American and first non-physician to run the hospital. Copyright c. 2000-2002 Arizona Daily Sun. --------- "RE: Indian Center opens at Vann House" --------- Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 23:21:45 -0500 From: "D. Mitchell" Subj: Fwd: Chatsworth GA: Indian center opens at Vann House ------- FORWARD, Original message follows ------- Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2002 00:58:07 -0400 From: iktomi@sunday.net Mailing List: TN Indian Affairs , http://www.timesfreepress.com/2002/jul/28jul02/IndianVanncherokee.html Chattanooga Times Free Press - Sunday, July 28, 2002 Indian center opens at Vann House By Yolanda Putman, Staff Writer American Indians are not Tomahawk chops and wooden nickels, said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith. He said his hope is that people understand that Indians are a people with cultural and economic diversity. "We have a long way to go, but this facility helps us get past the stereotypes and bigotry," he said. Chief Smith was one of dozens of people who gathered near the Chief Vann House state historic site in Chatsworth, Ga., on Saturday for the dedication of the Robert E. Chambers Interpretive Center. Chief Smith was one of dozens of people of Cherokee descent who traveled from Oklahoma to attend the dedication. The event also included members of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, a federally recognized tribe in western North Carolina. Descendants of slaves who worked the land also attended. "My grandfather was a slave here," said Eula Branham, a black woman who drove from Atlanta to the dedication. The center included a book written by her grandfather, Levi Boisey Branham, in one of its displays. The center tells the story of Chief James Vann, a mixed-blood Indian who owned hundreds of acres of land and had 200 slaves. He also had a desire to educate the Cherokee people. He gained recognition early in life because he was one few Cherokee who could read English. As a teenager he was called to read letters to the tribe from Tennessee Gov. John Sevier and others. Mr. Vann, who was sometimes described as "brutal, violent and intemperate," was one of the richest men in the area in the early 1800s, according to historians. Rick Wood, Chattanooga project manager of the Trust for Public Land, stood outside the Vann House and pointed all around. "Just about everything over there you can see, he owned it," said Mr. Wood. It was about 900 acres total, he said. The Trust for Public Land hopes to raise funds to purchase 95 acres of the land in two years, he said. The organization plans to make trails on the land and use some of it as farmland. After Mr. Vann died in 1809, his son, Joseph, inherited most of the property. He was forced out of the house in 1835 after unknowingly breaking a Georgia law by hiring a white man to oversee his slaves. "I feel at home here, knowing that my ancestors were here," said Principal Chief Leon Jones of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. "We are survivors." Chief Smith said he had "mixed feelings" about the dedication. He said he remembered the history of the state government issuing a proclamation to keep peace between the American Indians and white settlers in Georgia. "Within a decade we were on our trail of tears," where thousands of Indians died after being forced to leave the area, he said. Before the interpretive center was built, people could only walk through the house and see the area where Chief Vann lived. With the $400,000 center, guests can know more about Chief Vann's life. The center also includes a 50-seat theater with a film that tells the story of Chief Vann and American Indians. The interpretive center was named after Robert E. Chambers, former mayor of Chatsworth and treasurer of the Chief Vann House committee. Mr. Chamber's grandson, Tom Greeson, and his wife, Jeannette, donated funds to begin construction of the interpretive center in 1998. ### E-mail Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com _______________________________________________ TN Indian Affairs (tn-ind) mailing list tn-ind@mail.highertech.net ][ tn-ind-admin@mail.highertech.net http://mail.highertech.net/mailman/listinfo/tn-ind News, information & discussion re. Native Americans in Tennessee. --------- "RE: B.C. Treaty Negotiators get new Instructions" --------- Date: Thu Aug 1 08:10:22 2002 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BC TREATY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canada.com/search/site/story Treaty negotiators get new instructions Dirk Meissner canada.com Wednesday, July 31, 2002 VICTORIA (CP) -- Treaty negotiators for the British Columbia government were told Wednesday to find workable solutions to the contentious issue of aboriginal self-government in talks with First Nations, Attorney General Geoff Plant said. Aboriginal leaders, who earlier threatened to scuttle treaty talks if the B.C. government pushes ahead with proposals for a municipal style of aboriginal self-government, said British Columbia can bring what it wants to the table, but that doesn't mean the province will get its way. "In a tripartite negotiation, no one party can walk in and set the rules of the game," said Lydia Hwitsum, a spokeswoman for the First Nations Summit, the largest aboriginal organization in British Columbia. Aboriginals are "anxious to get back to negotiations," she said. British Columbia, Ottawa and First Nations have been trying unsuccessfully to negotiate modern-day treaties for more than a decade. A provincewide referendum last month conducted by the B.C. Liberal government saw 35 per cent of voters support by more than 80 per cent eight questions the province intends to use as a guiding set of principles for provincial treaty negotiators. Voters were asked if they favoured a municipal style of self-government for aboriginals and hunting and fishing rights for non-aboriginals on Crown land. Plant, the minister responsible for treaty negotiations, said he issued his negotiators new marching orders based on the results of the July 3 referendum. "Now that the referendum is over, we have guidance from the people on those issues," he said. Plant's letter to negotiators says B.C. is committed to following the guiding principles of the referendum results, but "we must recognize that this is a negotiation among three parties and as such, some measure of compromise is inevitable." Negotiators must look for creative and flexible treaty solutions, Plant said in an interview. "In this particular dance, it takes three to tango," he said in an interview. Self-government will be difficult and it is up to negotiators to look for practical, workable, affordable models, Plant said. "We have a lot of work to do about what self- government really means," he said. Robert Nault, federal Indian Affairs minister, has repeatedly said Ottawa is opposed to a municipal style of self-government for First Nations. Ed John, a First Nations Summit spokesman and former New Democratic Party government cabinet minister, said aboriginals want to negotiate treaties before their grandchildren turn grey. Copyright c. 2002 Canadian Press. --------- "RE: Burnt Church close to signing Fishery Deal" --------- Wed Jul 31 18:03:37 2002 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BURNT CHURCH" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.NB-Native-Fishery.html Reserve in Burnt Church, N.B., close to signing native fishery deal July 30, 2002 BURNT CHURCH, N.B. (CP) -- The federal government and Burnt Church First Nation are close to signing a deal that could prevent more violent clashes over lobster fishing on New Brunswick's Miramichi Bay. The CBC reported Tuesday that a deal that could be inked as early as Friday and would allow the band to have a limited fall fishery for food only. In return, Ottawa would give the band new boats and equipment and band fishermen would be permitted to catch more lobster during the non- native spring season. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans would also hire natives to do scientific research into the fishery, the CBC reported. Bob Allain, a DFO spokesman in Moncton, N.B., said a deal should put an end to violent clashes that have marred the fall fishery the last two years. "If there is compliance with the agreement and if people respect the provisions that are there for the various fisheries involved and there's an acceptance of the framework, then there ought not to be a problem," he told the CBC. There appears to be a growing appetite for a settlement on the reserve, which has resisted any deal until now. The band is now in third-party receivership and unemployment is high. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled two years ago that aboriginals have a right to a moderate livelihood from a fishery managed by the federal government. But lower courts have said DFO can still shut down native fishing in the name of conservation. And it has, seizing much gear and small boats, leading to violence and even gunshots being fired on the water. Many reserves in the Maritimes have already signed similar agreements with Ottawa and are catching fish with a flotilla of new boats. Non-native fishers have always argued the only way to guarantee peace on the water is for everyone, natives included, to fish during the same spring season. "What we need is some common ground and this agreement has to be an important beginning to creating that common ground, for everyone's benefit, for this season and for the future," said Sandy Siegel of the Maritime Fishermen's Union. Copyright c. 2002, Canoe, a division of Netgraphe Inc. --------- "RE: Fishermen protest 'Racist' Native Fishery" --------- Date: Mon, Aug 5 08:03:22 2002 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FISHERY" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.canada.com/vancouver/news/story Fishermen protest "racist" native fishery Despite fines of up to $100,000 commercial fishermen illegally cast their nets BCTV News on Global Saturday, August 03, 2002 A B.C. member of Parliament is facing charges of fishing without a license. Alliance Member John Cummins was among 39 people issued orders to appear in court for their role in a protest fishery on the Fraser River Saturday morning. Early that morning there was activity at Steveston docks for the first time in a long while, as commercial fishermen prepared their nets before heading out to protest the weekend's native-only fishery. Phil Eidsvik of the B.C. Fisheries Survival Coalition said the commercial fishermen were protesting a government decision that they see as racist. "We're protesting that the department of fisheries, the Chretien federal government, thinks that race should determine whether fishermen go to work today. "You have to belong to one of two select aboriginal bands to go to work. And we think that racial segregation is something that belongs in Alabama in the 1900s and not Canada in 2002," he said. The commercial fishermen have only been allowed to fish salmon for three hours this season. In contrast, Tswassen and Musqueam bands have been given 26 hours this weekend. So, despite risking huge fines, commercial fishermen are dropping their nets and fishing alongside the natives. Commercial fisherman Norman Frites said he and his colleagues had no choice but to protest. "What else have we got to do?" he said. "I mean the salmon tab is worth nothing anyways if we can't fish. So if they take it away today, well, then what can you do about it?" The natives say they were given the large window because they have inferior equipment, which puts them at a disadvantage to the commercial fishermen. Arnie Narcisse of Aboriginal Fisheries Commission said the natives take longer to catch the same amount of fish. "In the three hours that it takes these guys to catch that number, it takes our guys two days to catch that number," he said. "So that's basically why these fisheries are planned in this way." As expected, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the RCMP were out in full force. The DFO says the protest was largely peaceful. Twenty officers from the DFO in six vessels patrolled the river from the Mission bridge to the mouth of the Fraser to stop the protesters. A first-time offender could face a fine of up to $100,000. The commercial fishermen are also going to have a hard time selling the fish they caught. Because it was an illegal fishery, their packagers cannot buy the fish from them. The DFO has threatened to seize their packaging equipment if they purchase any illegal salmon. Copyright c. 2002 BCTV News on Global --------- "RE: Alberta to clamp down on Native Child Agency" --------- Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 09:43:02 -0400 From: "Frosty" Subj: Alberta to clamp down on native child welfare agency Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian Alberta to clamp down on native child welfare agency POSTED AT 6:48 PM EDT Sunday, August 4 Canadian Press Edmonton - The deaths of seven Samson First Nation children have prompted the Alberta government to take a more active role in the band's child welfare agency. The children died under questionable circumstances between August 1999 and April 2002. All seven children had been under the care and jurisdiction of Samson's autonomous child welfare agency, Kasohkowew. In April, after the seventh death in less than three years, the province temporarily suspended the band's power to run its own child welfare services. Next month, the province must decide whether to terminate or renew its child welfare agreement with Samson Nation. Leaders on the reserve, 60 kilometres south of Edmonton, have to deal with Iris Evans, Alberta's Minister of Children's Services. Ms. Evans wants tough new measures written into the band's child welfare contract when it's renewed Sept. 30. If an agreement can't be reached, Ms. Evans says her department could resume control of child protection, which was handed over to the Kasohkowew Child Wellness Society in 1997. Ms. Evans wants the power to remove Kasohkowew's top manager and board of directors written into the new agreement. But Samson Chief Victor Buffalo, who was elected in May, said that may be excessive. "It seems very heavy-handed, as far as I am concerned," he said. The 4,800 Cree living on the reserve blame alcohol and drug abuse, poverty and lack of education, violence and hopelessness for social conditions that have seen 274 Samson children taken into care. Child welfare officials are involved in the lives of another 57 youngsters. The poverty on Samson, and on three other reserves around Hobbema, is difficult to understand given the hundreds of millions of dollars in oil and gas royalties the bands have collected for decades, said James Dempsey, an ethnohistorian with the University of Alberta's school of native studies. The Hobbema bands are among just 20 in Canada with sources of income that do not come directly from the federal government, he said. "Why do we have a band that, on the books, is making lots of money but, when you look at it, is not any different from [poorer bands] in northern Alberta?" He said Samson band leaders could have allocated some oil and gas money to social programs, including child welfare. But Chief Buffalo and other Samson leaders insist that a treaty signed in 1876 gives the federal government that responsibility. Mr. Dempsey said if real change is to happen on native reserves, that attitude must change first. Ms. Evans is also reviewing agreements with 17 other aboriginal agencies in the province, ending what critics have called a hands-off approach to on-reserve child welfare services. Ms. Evans wants annual reporting requirements for Kasohkowew written into the new contract, along with guaranteed access to case files when a dispute develops. The Minister temporarily stripped Samson of its delegated child welfare authority last spring after seven children died in a 32-month period. It was the only time the province has revoked authority from an on-reserve agency since the first delegated agreement was signed with the Calgary- area Siksika band in 1973. Kasohkowew refused to turn over case files and made it clear provincial employees were not welcome on Samson land. Ms. Evans returned delegated authority May 6 in exchange for Kasohkowew agreeing to a joint review of case files involving department staff. Scrutiny of 167 cases shows key areas for improvement include supervising suicidal children, monitoring foster homes and planning for the futures of youngsters, Ms. Evans said. With the deadline to rewrite the Kasohkowew agreement looming, Mr. Buffalo and Ms. Evans appear to have found common ground on the need to open up the authority's board membership, which is controlled by Samson band councilors. Mr. Buffalo said he has set a six-month timetable to change the makeup of Kasohkowew's board. He said he is willing to add representatives from the provincial government and the business community, along with more Samson members. He said the organization has functioned as a closed organization for too long. "I don't know ... what they do," Mr. Buffalo said. "They have isolated themselves." Kasohkowew is one of 18 aboriginal agencies providing on-reserve child protection services to aboriginal children in Alberta. Although funding is provided by Ottawa, quality-control standards are set by the province. The agencies have not been subject to the same annual reporting requirements as non-native children's services authorities operating around the province. Copyright c. 2002 The Globe and Mail. --------- "RE: Mexico Gov't to renew push for Indian Rights" --------- Date: Mon, Aug 05 2002 00:36:26 -0600 From: joewest Subj: Govt to renew push for Indian rights newsgroup: alt.native Mailing List: Chiapas-95 - This message is forwarded to you by the editors of the Chiapas95 newslists. To contact the editors or to submit material for posting send to: Subj: Brazil: Violence Against the Xucuru People / Violencia contra o Povo Xukuru Mailing List: Amazon Alliance Received from Oxfam GB - Brazil Office (FFranco@oxfam.org.br) ONE MORE ACT OF VIOLENCE AGAINST XUCURU PEOPLE RECIFE- The Xucuru people are inhabitants of the Ororuba Mountains in the state of Pernambuco, northeast Brazil, since time immemorial. With a population of around 8,500 people, divided into 23 communities, the Xucuru are a national reference and an example of strength, bravery and dignity. Although living in hostile and discriminatory surroundings, their force reveals a strong capacity for networking, and they have been rewarded with many victories, such as the recent official recognition of their traditional territory. This has caused the anger amongst rural oligarchies, that represent the regional political and economic power. Because of their bravery and resistance, many Xucuru leaders have been systematically murdered in an attempt to spread fear and intimidation amongst the people. Most of the crimes are not receiving proper investigative treatment and are surrounded by suspicious facts. One example is the suicide, while under Federal Policy custody, of the main suspect of the murder of a Xucuru leader (Chicao). It was recently broadcast by press that many Xucuru leaders are to be imprisoned, being accused of participating in the murder of their own leaders. This is a clear strategy to silence and demobilise their organisation. In our view, this is part of a national process that aims to make popular leaders appear to be criminals. This is what happened some days ago when Joao Campos da Silva, a Xucuru know as Dandao, was arrested and accused of murdering another Xucuru leader in August 2001 (Chico Quele). We want to call attention to this deception against the Xucuru People and its leaders, which aims to benefit regional rural oligarchies interests and demobilise the struggle of indigenous and oppressed people in Brazil. The entities affiliated to the National Movement of Human Rights, Pernambuco, asks people and entities to send messages to the following government officials: Ministerio da Justica Paulo Sergio Pinheiro Esplanada dos Ministerios, Bloco T, Cep: 70064-900 Brasilia/DF, Brasil Fone: (61) 2183000 Fax: (61) 2242448 E-mail: gabinetemj@mj.gov.br Presidencia da Republica Presidente Fernando Henrique Cardoso Praca dos Tres Poderes, Palacio do Planalto - 3 andar Cep: 70160-900 Brasilia/DF, Brasil. Fones: (61) 2231958 e (61) 221.1221, Fax: (61) 411-2222 E-mail: protocolo@planalto.gov.br Fundacao Nacional do Indio Presidente Artur Nobre Mendes e-mail: infocgae@funai.gov.br Procuradoria Geral da Republica Procurador Geral da Republica Dr. Geraldo Brindeiro Setor de Administracao Federal Sul (SAF-Sul) Quadra 4, conjt C 6 andar, gab 602 cep 70050-900 Fax (61) 3031.6493 e-mail- GBrindeiro@pgr.mpf.gov.br Srs. Procuradores da Republica Dr. Marcos Antonio da Silva Costa e Dr. Antonio Carlos Barreto Campello Av Gov. Agamenon Magalhaes, 1800, Espinheiro Recife/PE E- mail: informatica_lista@prpe.mpf.gov.br 6 Cmara de Coordenacao e Revisao- Comunidades Indigenas e Minorias Dra Ela Wiecko Volkmer de Castilho Setor de Administracao Federal Sul (SAF-Sul) Quadra 4, conj. C, 3 andar Sala 356 Cep 70050-900 Fax (61) 3031-6121 e-mail: ewc001@pgr.mpf.gov.br The text of the letter as following: We strongly express our total indignation relating to the treatment being given to Xucuru people in Pernambuco, especially the arrest of Joao Campos da Silva, known as Dandao, a Xucuru leader. To us, the way he was arrested reveals a conspiracy to weaken and demobilise Xucuru peoples' struggle and organization. Furthermore, we all fear for the security and physical integrity of Dandao Xucuru, due to the fact that the Federal Policy showed its incapacity to protect them in the episode of the suicide of "Ze de Riva", main suspect of the Chicao Xucuru murder. Therefore, we consider the Federal Police and the Federal Ministerio Publico for any damage to Dandao's integrity that he may sufffer while under Federal Policy custody. We also repudiate any strategy to make indigenous leaders appear to be criminals and any initiative to falsely accuse them of the murder of their leaders. We also require the true murders to be arrested. (Full Name, address, profession, organisation) ********************************* Distributed by: 'AMAZON ALLIANCE' FOR INDIGENOUS AND TRADITIONAL PEOPLES OF THE AMAZON BASIN 1367 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20036-1860 tel (202)785-3334 fax (202)785-3335 amazon@amazonalliance.org http://www.amazonalliance.org Disclaimer: All copyrights belong to original publisher. The Amazon Alliance has not verified the accuracy of the forwarded message. Forwarding this message does not necessarily connote agreement with the positions stated there-in. The Amazon Alliance for Indigenous and Traditional Peoples of the Amazon Basin is an initiative born out of the partnership between indigenous and traditional peoples of the Amazon and groups and individuals who share their concerns for the future of the Amazon and its peoples. There are over eighty non-governmental organizations from the North and South active in the Alliance. The Amazon Alliance works to defend the rights, territories, and environment of indigenous and traditional peoples of the Amazon Basin. ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: gars@speakeasy.org --------- "RE: Single Aboriginal Police Force draws Flak" --------- Date: Thu Aug 1 08:10:22 2002 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ABORIGINAL POLICE PLAN" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canada.com/search/site/story Natives slam 'paternalistic' police plan Single aboriginal police force draws flak Joe Paraskevas Calgary Herald Wednesday, July 31, 2002 Alberta native leaders are furious over a provincial government committee proposal for a single aboriginal police force, saying the move smacks of traditional condescending attitudes. "It's the same as saying there's going to be one (white) police chief for all of Alberta," Will Willier, legal counsel for the Siksika First Nation, said Tuesday as a two-day conference on native policing opened in Calgary. "It's very paternalistic," added Willier, a conference speaker, "something we faced for a couple of hundred years, (the suggestion) that we don't know what's best for us." But another speaker, a police chief from a regional native force in Manitoba who echoed some of Willier's displeasure, admitted that Manitoba bands co-operating to police themselves are saving millions of dollars in costs. And a spokeswoman for Alberta's solicitor general said the province hasn't shut natives out of negotiations about future policing, as some conference delegates claimed. About 75 representatives from native bands across the province, as well as speakers from outside Alberta, met Tuesday to discuss a recent recommendation that the solicitor general look into a provincewide aboriginal force. "Out of this meeting, I would like to see a framework and a strategy that you can bring forward," Calgary-born Senator Thelma Chalifoux, one of five aboriginal Senate appointees, told delegates. "If you want self-government, this is the time to really begin negotiating government-to-government," Chalifoux said. Earlier this month, the government's MLA policing review committee published a report containing 35 recommendations for consideration by Solicitor General Heather Forsyth. One of the recommendations suggested the government develop a provincial aboriginal police force, or at least a regional or treaty-based force working under a single police commission. Forsyth has called on the public to provide input on all the report's recommendations by Oct. 15, after which she will consider what changes may be made to the Alberta Police Act. But any plan that might see natives from one of Alberta's 43 First Nations policing those in another won't appeal to the province's native leaders, said Adrian Stimson, chief of the Siksika Nation, about 90 kilometres east of Calgary, and host of the conference. "It won't work," Stimson said, of a single native police force. He and others at the conference underscored that language and cultural differences between tribes, while appearing small to outsiders, were significant to natives. "My constables go to a Cree nation when they don't know the customs?" Stimson, a Blackfoot, said, chuckling slightly and shrugging his shoulders in disbelief. Stimson is currently embroiled in another policing problem: trying to reinstate the Siksika police after RCMP took over patrols on the reserve in April because of federal government allegations of mismanagement against the band. Five native police services are currently operating in the province. Two -- the Blood Tribe and Louis Bull services -- have full authority on their respective lands. Three services are being developed: the Lesser Slave Lake Regional Police Service, which represents eight First Nations, the North Peace police and the Tsuu T'ina police, the latter on Calgary's southwestern fringe. The chief of the country's oldest native police force shared the desire of conference delegates that they -- rather than the province -- should be the architect of future First Nation policing. But Frank McKay, chief of the Dakota Ojibway Police Service in Brandon, Man., a force that has operated since 1978 and that has had full authority among seven Manitoban tribes since the early '90s, saw one redeeming value to a provincewide aboriginal force. "The only merit I see would be that it's cost-effective," McKay said, before addressing delegates. "Our (annual) administration costs are about $600,000." If all seven tribes patrolled by his 26-member force had their own policing, McKay admitted, the same administrative costs might be as high as $3.5 million. A spokeswoman for Alberta's solicitor general countered natives' charges of being shut out of the MLA committee's original consultations last year. "All police services in Alberta were written to by the committee and invited to respond to the (policing) report," said Jean Olynyk, adding that only three native groups responded. Copyright c. 2002 Calgary Herald. --------- "RE: Tribes sue over Cheap Mine Cleanup" --------- Date: Thu Aug 1 08:10:22 2002 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MINE CLEANUP" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/ Tribes sue over cheap cleanup By JENNIFER McKEE Gazette State Bureau August 1, 2002 HELENA - Two American Indian tribes and several environmental groups are asking a judge to force the state to abandon a cheaper cleanup plan for two bankrupt open pit gold mines the tribes believe will spread dangerous mine waste over their land if they are not cleaned up correctly. The Assiniboine and Gros Ventre tribes, whose reservation borders the mines on three sides, filed suit Tuesday in state District Court in Helena, saying a so-called "backup" plan the Montana Department of Environmental Quality developed to clean up the defunct Zortman and Landusky gold mines is against the law. Those plans, designed to clean up the pits as much as possible with the $29 million reclamation bond the state already has, doesn't fill several open mine pits, nor does it remove one of the cyanide heap leach pads. Like many hard rock mines, the exposed rock at the Little Rocky Mountain area mines creates sulfuric acid when combined with oxygen and water. The tribes believe that left in that condition, acid and other pollutants would inevitably wash into tribal waters, fouling wells, irrigation water and otherwise spreading destructive pollution over tribal lands. The federal Environmental Protection Agency dubbed the plan "environmentally objectionable." All of that, according to the suit, violates the Montana Constitution and the Montana Metal Mine Reclamation Act. "At the present time, Swift Gulch Creek is running bright orange," said Dean Stiffarm, an environmental liaison for the tribes, which share the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, referring to one of the waterways hardest hit by the pollution. The backup plans are not the DEQ's first choice. But, said Andrew Huff, a lawyer for the tribes, the reservation community is afraid DEQ included the contingency plan only to give itself a backdoor to full-blown clean up. "It's a serious matter," Huff said. The state's first choice for cleanup is much more thorough and involves filling in pits using both existing waste rock near the mine and other material that will hopefully cut down on the likelihood that sulfuric acid will run off exposed rock after every rain. It also involves treating the water running off the site forever - something that will be necessary regardless of which path cleanup eventually takes, although DEQ says it can't afford it. That first choice, however, costs $33.5 million more than the reclamation bond, including the cost of perpetual water treatment, and the state says it simply doesn't have the money. Huff said he hasn't seen the DEQ try very hard to get it. But that's not true, said Jan Sensibaugh, DEQ director. The agency is lobbying the state's congressional delegation, along with a lobbyist hired by the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council and is dedicated to doing the better cleanup. "I think Zortman and Landusky is such a nationally high-profile site, and it's so imperative to do the right kind of reclamation, there is a good chance we'll get the money," she said. "We're absolutely committed to getting the money. We believe the cleanup is the right thing to do." The Bureau of Land Management, which owns some of the mine site, has submitted the $33.5 million this year to get the money as part of a supplemental payment outside the agency's traditional funding scheme. Sensibaugh said she understands the tribes' concerns, but believes that the state won't simply settle with its backup plan. "I don't think it's something we need to be overly concerned about," she said. "Everyone is committed to the environmentally preferred alternatives and getting money to fund those." Copyright c. 2002 The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Tribes, ACLU sue South Dakota over Election Laws" --------- Date: Tue, Aug 6 08:03:22 2002 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRIBES SUE SD" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nj.com/newsflash/national/ Indian tribes, ACLU sue South Dakota over 30 years of changes to election laws The Associated Press 8/6/02 4:10 AM PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- Members of American Indian tribes said in a lawsuit that state and county officials have failed to seek approval from federal judges or the Justice Department for changes to South Dakota election laws. The suit filed Monday said state officials have ignored legal requirements that they submit for approval all changes to election laws in Shannon and Todd counties since November 1972. It said officials have made roughly 600 changes but sought approval only 10 times. State election supervisor Chris Nelson told National Public Radio that any proposed changes in voting regulations are sent to the Justice Department for review. He later told The Associated Press he could not comment on the suit because he had not reviewed the allegations. The plaintiffs, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, want a judge to bar the state from enforcing any of the roughly 600 changes until they have been reviewed by the Justice Department or federal judges in Washington. Copyright c. 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2002 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Tulalip Man Fatally shot at Party" --------- Date: Mon, Aug 5 08:03:22 2002 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SHOOTING" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/81342_man05.shtml Man fatally shot at party identified as Tulalip tribesman Monday, August 5, 2002 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TULALIP -- A man killed in a shooting at a party on the Tulalip Indian Reservation was identified yesterday as tribal member George Jimicum, authorities said. Jimicum, 24, was shot multiple times during a fight at another tribal member's birthday party Saturday, police said. The shooter, a non-tribal member, then began firing into a crowd of people, injuring two others. "He was shooting every which way," said 18-year-old Jennifer Young, who suffered a gunshot wound just above her left knee. "Everyone took off running." Young was treated and released while another girl remained at Providence Everett Medical Center yesterday. Officials were not releasing any information on the girl because she is a minor, hospital spokeswoman Earlene Erickson said. Police said they arrested a man, but would not provide further details. He was being held in Snohomish County Jail. The man was treated at Harborview Medical Center for a gunshot wound to the hand, Tulalip police Chief Jay Goss said. "There is no understanding how he got shot," Snohomish County sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen said, adding that the man may have accidentally shot himself as he was firing his gun. Police were investigating what led to the fight on Saturday and why the man was at the birthday party. "We don't know why this person came in here with a gun," Jorgensen said. Copyright c. 1999-2002 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. --------- "RE: Panel to study Indian Issues related to Prisons" --------- Date: Thu Aug 1 08:10:22 2002 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PRISON ISSUES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.yankton.net/stories/080102/new_20020801013.shtml Panel To Study Indian Issues Related To Prisons By CHET BROKAW Associated Press Writer Thursday, August 1, 2002 PIERRE -- A legislative panel has agreed to study a wide range of alleged problems in the way American Indians are treated in South Dakota's prisons and county jails. The State-Tribal Relations Committee decided to study the prison issue Wednesday after two women told the panel that Indian inmates commit suicide at high rates and are treated unfairly in state prisons. "There's something wrong inside of there, and somebody needs to have a heart to look," said Marletta Pacheco of Rapid City, who lost a nephew to suicide in the Sioux Falls prison. The committee also agreed to study what state and tribal governments have done to prepare for coordinating their responses to emergencies, such as tornadoes or terrorist attacks. The panel will hold a couple of hearings later this year to gather information on its study topics. It then will submit a report to the full Legislature. Webster Two Hawk, state commissioner of tribal government relations, said Indians make up 8 percent of South Dakota's population, but 23 percent of the male prison inmates are Indians. More than 35 percent of the state's female prison inmates are Indians, he said. Rep. Stan Adelstein, R-Rapid City, said South Dakota has a much higher percentage of Indian inmates than North Dakota does. Indian inmates also commit suicide at a much higher rate than other inmates do, he said. "Something is wrong," Adelstein said. Pacheco said her nephew, Leighton Rich, died in prison a year ago, but the family has been unable to get much information from prison officials. "They found him hanging in his cell and they said he committed suicide," she said. "It just loads you up with a thousand questions, and you have no answers because the institution is a closed place." Pacheco said she believes more must be done to provide mental health services to prison inmates. Indian prisoners also complain about their treatment in prison, she said. Twylla Turney of Kadoka, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said she has filed a lawsuit because her son committed suicide in the Bennett County Jail. Inmates in prisons and jails are not given the treatment they need, she said. Turney said she is setting up a suicide-prevention program on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The legislative committee considered a plan to study ways of attracting more businesses to Indian reservations, but the proposal was rejected after lawmakers could not agree on how to approach the problem. The committee will hear a report later this year on efforts to get nursing homes or assisted living centers built on Indian reservations. Copyright c. 2002 Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan. --------- "RE: Native Prisoner" --------- Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 08:19:12 -0600 From: Janet Smith Subj: Native Prisoner ===== Date: Friday, August 02, 2002 11:33 PM From: "gumbycascadia" Subj: Looks Away...another Child of the River Mailing List: Iron Natives July 30, 2002 Thank you for your letter and for the work you have done. I wanted to sit down a few minutes and tell you a little about myself and give you some background on my case for the Break the Chains website. I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for, so I thought I'd give you an overview and anything you wanted form there. I would be happy to answer any questions. I was born to an Arapaho Indian father and a Scottish mother in 1977. My father went to prison not long after I was born and my mother died when I was young. My twin sister and I moved in with my Grandmother who was full-blooded Arapaho Indian and the elder in our family. My Grandma grew up in the boarding school era which was a very bad time for our people. The young children were taken off to boarding schools to be de-indianized. They were beaten for speaking their language and for any other thing considered savage by the 'civilized' society. They took the knowledge of our ceremonies by taking the young children from their families. In these schools they were taught that it is evil to be Indian and many were beaten severely and even sterilized during those times. The boarding schools traumatized my Grandma and made her afraid to teach us our ways. She didn't try to teach us about our heritage because she said we would be taken. Not long after we had gone to live at my grandmother's house, C.P.S. came and took us because they felt that my Grandma couldn't care for us and was too old to stop them, anyway. So in a sense, Grandma was right. It's all the same beast with a different name. We spent 5 years in the hell known as foster homes. Foster care is not a bad thing, but too many abuse the trust put in them and nothing is done about it. Finally, we were adopted by a Christian minister. That worked to further pull us away from our culture. My adoptive parents are good people, but they refuse to accept any belief except their own, so during the years that I lived with them I learned a lot about the Bible and the Jesus Road, but my heart was never there. I moved out of their house without a good spiritual foundation. I was confused, even though I did well. I got married, went to college, and worked in the oil fields. Then in '99, while helping a partner, I got caught up in something stupid. It wasn't until I was sent to prison for Robbery that things came full circle. I did my first six months at Oregon State Correctional Institution where there is strong support for the Indian Culture Club. For the first time in my life I was united with my Creator in a way that is true in my heart, also with my culture and my Indian brothers. I learned songs, listened to the drumbeat of my childhood. It brought back a lot that had been taken from me by the separation from my grandmother. Even before that, when the boarding schools had broken my Grandma's spirit, a lot of that Indian pride had come back during those short months in the sweat lodge and drum circle. Then for no reason I was sent to Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Eastern Oregon. When I arrived there with five other Indians we were told that there were no programs for Indians in that facility to conduct ceremonies because there were no volunteers who would come in. We were also told that all religious articles which we use to express ourselves would be severely restricted. We were told to cut our hair, take our personal medicine bags off, no prayer feathers and no headbands. When we stood up and asked why we were being denied our right to be Indian and express ourselves in the ways already set forth in the courts, we were all split up and sent to different units within the prison. For me personally, that set a fire in my spirit because it was Boarding School all over again. Once again, we as a people were being forced to endure the disrespect of our ways of life. That's what it is. We have no religion, it's who we are. We have ceremonies that are very important to us, and all our songs, our prayer feathers, medicines, it's all part of our everyday lives. The cops who run that prison refused to recognize our ways. And it broke my heart because I was again taken away from my brothers, the sweat lodge, the sacred pipe with which we pray, and the drumbeat that is the heartbeat of the earth. When I tried to represent myself in other ways as in songs, I was told (not by inmates, but by cops) to stop singing because I was disturbing the peace of the tier. When I put on a headband, I received a disciplinary report and was told not to wear one because it caused a gang issue. I was told not to wear my medicine bag because the thong was a security threat. This en