From gars@speakeasy.org Tue Oct 15 20:40:26 2002 Date: 16 Oct 2002 00:21:24 -0000 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews10.042 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 042 | Country than is reported in | O o o o o O | this weekly newsletter. For | O o O October 12, 2002 | For daily updates & events | O o O | go http://www.owlstar.com/ | O | dailyheadlines.htm | Mohawk kentenha/moon of poverty +-----------------------------+ Potawatomi e'sksegtukkisis/moon of the first frost <================<<<< >>>>================> 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, indigenous_peoples_literature, ndn-aim, Indians Online and Iron Natives Mailing Lists; UUCP email IMPORTANT!! ----------- In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, all material appearing in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for educational purposes. <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our Spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the Red Road. ++ It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own internet addressable account to gars@speakeasy.org ++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org <================<<<< >>>>================> As historian Patricia Nelson Limerick summarized in The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West, "Set the blood quantum at one-quarter, hold to it as a rigid definition of Indians, let intermarriage proceed as it had for centuries, and eventually Indians will be defined out of existence. When that happens, the federal government will be freed of its persistent 'Indian problem.'" "Our elders talk about the spiritual battle that's been going on for a long time. Industrialization has always wanted to control the land, control the people. That's going on today." "I believe that globalization is part of that. Globalization places no value in people, no value in religious and spiritual principles, no value in the protection of the commons. Spiritual values tie us to the importance of protecting the Mother Earth, the plants, all animate and inanimate things." "When we lose that understanding, industry, development,and globalization can do what they want to do, because there are no values behind their structures. Globalization has created a system of corporate ownership above the importance of plants, living things, and humans." __ Tom Goldtooth, National Director, Indigenous Environmental Network +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! Random thoughts from Indian country -- You can not get high from industrial hemp if you smoke 80 tons of it. The only real problem with growing industrial hemp is that Alex White Plume, a Lakota, wants to break the chain of Lakota poverty by growing it on the land the U.S. government assigned to the tribe -- land that will support little else. If Monsanto elected to grow it, the ridiculous law that forbids its growth and harvest would be stricken from the books as soon as the corporate hands could reach into their pockets and "contribute" to the appropriate political causes. My half-side, Janet, and I just returned from a trip back to New Mexico. We had the pleasure of enjoying a meal at a Gallup restaurant with friends from the Navajo Nation. During the conversation they confirmed that lease checks for trust lands are still being withheld nearly a year after the Department of Interior's Secretary Norton suspended their distribution in a spiteful response to the court monitor's proof DoI computers that (mis)manage the Indian Trust Accounts were vulnerable to hackers. Hackers have been around for years. Banks, insurance companies, brokers and other financial institutions defend their systems against intrusion -- successfully -- every day. The government at least wants us to believe our military, intelligence, IRS and Social Security systems are secure. Why should we believe that, when another branch of that same government cannot reliably secure their systems within eleven months? The United States continues to give lip-service to the notion of Indian "self-reliance" and the observance of "sovereignty" detailed in documents such as the Ft. Laramie Treaty, but the stark truth is Amerikkka continues to violate treaties and engages in oppression and cultural genocide at every opportunity. The latest in the "New Indian Wars" is the Department of Interior's stated intent to reacquire thosands of acres of Native-held property because it is not being actively managed. This is the same sort of mentality that would permit Sears to come repossess a refrigerator that you chose not to plug-in. I am suspicious there are many landowners in the U.S. who are not Indian who have undeveloped, unworked land. Not one inch of Native owned land, protected by Treaty should even be looked at until every other tract that fails the "use" test is reacquired by the government. -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- Winter is coming early to the north plains. Frost warnings and winter storm warnings are already a fact of life in the Dakotas and Montana. Elders in those areas already need assistance... remember Secretary of Interior Norton withheld checks after the court appointed monitor broke into DoI computers. If you know of a reliable point where funds can be sent to assist these precious elders please drop me a note at gars@nanews.org and make the subject (all caps) WINTER HELP. -----> this list will remain up through January -----> PLEASE email gars@nanews.org with any updates/additions Date: Tue, 01 Oct 2002 20:46:06 -0500 From: Dodie Subj: fuel fund Gary: At this time this is the only fuel fund I have. If I receive more I will pass them along to you. Thank you for including it. If you need addresses for donations just let me know. Dodie Ndn-AIM Fund c/o box 1334 Rapid City, SD 57709 At 04:20 AM 10/1/2002, you wrote: -=-=-=- Date: Wed, 02 Oct 2002 02:35:47 -0000 From: "Dodie Finstead" After less than one year, the Northern Cheyenne School, who this time last year had never received donations, with children often going without supplies and clothing, now have more than they can handle and store. They have requested that no more donations be sent to them at this time as Vicki gave us a head up on. I want to thank Vicki, they had not been able to contact us. My suggestion would be the other fund in MT or to Carter Camp if you were planning on sending to the Northern Cheyenne school. Please be sure if you send used thing they are in very good condition. If you do chose one of these two, please let them know you are sending things so they can be expecting them. Dodie >> Honor Your Spirit - Protect the Children % Sue Buck PO Box 901 Great Falls, MT 59403-0901 suemontana@mcn.net The same needs as the other school, clothing, school supplies, blankets, etc. Oh, don't forget the toys. :) Carter Camp P.O.Box 1012, Rosebud S.D. 57570 cartercamp@yahoo.com Carter and his wife distribute to families with children. So clothing for all age children are need, from infants up. The basic needs toys, blankets, warm things, diapers, panties, tooth brushes, hats, socks, etc. -=-=-=- Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2002 11:43:21 +0300 From: "Brigitte Thimiakis" Subj: IMPORTANT Note to Winter Request From: Sue Buck - Please Read, and Forward - IMPORTANT NOTE regarding the Urgent Winter Request for Donations for Children and Elders Recently we were all very happy to read that a large amount of donations was sent to the Northern Cheyenne schools in MT. This was great news! However, due to a recent inquiry about whether or not our project still needed donations, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that there are still great needs on the reservation. Please note that our request and aim is to try and help the abandoned children's shelter and elders' center on the reservation, which are totally separate from the Northern Cheyenne tribal schools. They have great needs (also for the most part, different from the needs of the tribal Schools). Please read our list below. These needs have not been catered for and these children and elders are still in need of warm clothing items for the winter. Toys are also much needed so that the children at the shelter can have a Christmas give-away . After reading our request below, please do everything you can to support these children and elders. Many thanks for your time and help, Respectfully, Sue Buck "Honor Your Spirit - Protect the Children" [ PLEASE FORWARD where needed - thank you ] Urgent Winter Request for Donations Greetings, If you wish to make a difference and help children and elders through the harsh winter months in Montana, please take the time to read this request. On behalf of reliable Northern Cheyenne contacts from Lame Deer, we are once again collecting donations for the children's shelter and senior citizens center on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Our goal is to collect new and good quality used items for the shelter and senior center, as well as toys which can be used for the children's shelter at Christmas time. The toys will be distributed during the Christmas give away but the clothes and blankets will be distributed right away. During Montana winters, the temperature can drop to 30 or 40 degrees below zero so warm winter clothing can be lifesaving. Often, when a child arrives at the shelter, all they have is what they are wearing. This is very sad, but it is the reality these children have to face. When a child leaves to go to a foster home, or some other place, the people at the shelter try to send a weeks' worth of clothing with the child so they will at least have something. In other words, what ever is sent to the shelter can be used and there is a great need. There is a very high turnover rate due to the extreme poverty in the Big Horn and Rosebud Counties. The senior citizens center is in special need of - blankets - warm winter coats also needed by the seniors are socks, gloves, boots, hats and scarves The children's shelter is in special need of - warm winter coats and clothing - a baby crib and related bedding - twin size bedding of all types, - blankets - toys The children range in age from 0 to 12 years. Since they have school for the children at the shelter, there is also a need for: - educational toys, - writing paper, - pencils, - crayons or anything else used in schools. They can also use grooming supplies like toothpaste, tooth brushes, soaps and shampoos, combs, hair brushes, hair barrettes, rubber bands or other types of hair or pony tail holders. Last but not least : pampers diapers or pull-ups. Please note that we have changed and reorganized our mailing instructions from those suggested last year. Contact suemontana@mcn.net for mailing information other than regular US Mail service. (Also please include your name and address if you would like for us to acknowledge/confirm receipt of your donations) Donations can be sent to the following address: Honor Your Spirit - Protect the Children % Sue Buck PO Box 901 Great Falls, MT 59403-0901 USA The priority of our group, "Honor your Spirit - Protect the Children" is to make sure all donations get to where they are supposed to and recognized. It is very important to us to make sure that everything is distributed fairly and to those in the greatest need. Additional contact information: Brigitte Thimiakis, Greece thimiakischool@the.forthnet.gr Celine Branchard, France littlered@club-internet.fr Sue Buck, Project Coordinator, MT suemontana@mcn.net Thank you for any assistance you can give. -=-=-=- Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2002 19:39:02 -0400 From: "floyd perkins" Subj: Housing Dear Gary Greetings, my name is Alice Perkins. I am a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Pine Ridge Reservation. Recently, my husband and I started working with a couple of individuals out of Michigan and Denver, CO., to bring liveable, affordable housing to the reservation and to create jobs for our people. Our efforts have been rewarding, but we are struggling. Let me first give you an overview of our business. Our fund receives donated or we buy lowcost mobile homes (used) from individuals. We pay all the costs incurred to transport these homes to the Pine Ridge Reservation. Costs include labor, driver payment, fuel, food/shelter, cleanup cost, dumpster, permits, lot rent etc. The cost varies with each mobile home we get. After delivering the mobile homes to the reservation site, we inspect the homes for maintenance and repair needs such as hotwater heater, furnace, roof, plumbing, floor and windows etc... We fix these at our cost. Once the mobile home is in liveable condition, we sell it at the total cost we paid out for the home (delivery plus repair costs). These sales prices are affordable, ranging from $3500 to $6500. Since we hire reservation Lakota people to transport and repair these homes, we have created jobs for drivers, laborers, prep workers, contruction, plumbers, electricians, escort, ect... The mobile homes are for buyers who do not qualify for loans through the banks because of bad credit, no credit, slow credit or whatever the reason. And these people are on a fixed income. Our payments are set according to their income and what they can afford -- usually about $100 to $200 a month until paid in full. We work with the buyers so that their payments go towards owning their own homes, which otherwise would be impossible. This also helps to reestablish credit. We also receive donor-directed homes (all costs are covered by the donor, who chooses the individual who will receive the donated home). Our problem is that we need funds to continue our efforts. We are seeking donations to help with transportation costs and supplies such as hotwater heaters, furnaces--any help would be appreciated. Winter is coming and we have many families waiting for a home. We have approximately 110 families on our waiting list, all of whom are in great need of shelter. Immediately we need 3 furnaces and 5 hotwater heaters. Visit our web site at http://www.americanindianhousing.com We had a very nice lady help set this up for us. Thank you. Alice Perkins HC 64 Box 58 Batesland, SD 57716 (605) 685-3362 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 ---------- - Gerald D. Slater - Tribe applauds Drug Bust - Crossings - Man Sentenced - Reconciliation to be Celebrated for Night-Hunting Incident at Wacipi - Sculpture moved - San Felipe Land Swap because of Vandalism has Cultural Significance - Shooting in Mescalero - Oil and Gas Producers balk leaves Seven Wounded at Tribal Land Bill - Big Surge in Murders on Rez - Law limits Teaching - Indians living in Danger of Native Languages - Corrections Project - Account Holders protects Native Inmates say System too Unfriendly - Leonard Peltier's Attorneys - Op/Ed: Feds Responsible seek his Freedom for Tribal Nursing Homes - Native Prisoner - Bush desecrates Geronimos Grave -- Emergency Religious Rights - Cobell Lawsuit Request may be key Turning Point -- Supporting Native Americans - Congress waits for Consensus at MSP - Aboriginal Health -- On Behalf of the Prayer Warriors still a Challenge - Rustywire: - Native Leaders angered Eagles and Chicken Spirits by Ottawa's Threat - Poem: The War is not Over - White Alberta Teens - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days charged with Hate Crimes - Indian Encyclopedia - Man may be Jailed wins Colorado Book Award until Citizenship Proven - Keeping their Stories Alive - Wild Bill Janklow - This Week on First Peoples TV disputes Rosebud Jurisdiction - Native America Calling --------- "RE: Gerald D. Slater" --------- Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2002 08:10:38 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GERALD D. SLATER" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/ Indian educator, former tribal college official, dies Associated Press October 10, 2002 PABLO, Mont. (AP) - Gerald D. Slater, a longtime American Indian educator and a co-founder and academic vice president of Salish-Kootenai College, has died. He was 59. Slater died Monday after a long battle with cancer, his family said. Slater received a master's degree in counseling from the University of Montana in 1972 and, shortly after graduation, began a 30-year career as an educator on the Flathead Indian Reservation. He served first as an Indian education counselor at the elementary school in St. Ignatius and was later hired as the founding principal of Two Eagle River School, a position he held from 1973 to 1978. In 1979, he joined the faculty at Montana State University in Bozeman, where he served as the director of the Native American Graduate Program. But he returned to the Flathead reservation that year to take the post of academic vice president of Salish-Kootenai College, which he helped establish in the 1970s. He held the academic vice president's job for 23 years. A memorial service was scheduled for Thursday morning. Copyright c. 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2002 The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Crossings" --------- Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2002 08:10:52 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CROSSINGS" October 11, 2002 Richard A. `Dick' Ten Fingers OGLALA - Richard A. "Dick" Ten Fingers, 68, Oglala, died Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2002, in Oglala. Survivors include his wife, Florence Ten Fingers, Oglala; seven sons, Richard Ten Fingers Jr., Dean Ten Fingers and Scott Ten Fingers, all of Oglala, Ron Ten Fingers and Wilmer Ten Fingers, Pine Ridge, Javan Ten Fingers, San Jose, Calif., and Clayton Ten Fingers, Manderson; one adopted son, Arpata McKay, Las Vegas; four daughters, Wanda Ten Fingers, Pine Ridge, Sherri Ten Fingers and Denyse Ten Fingers, both of Oglala, and Delores Anderlik, St. Roberts, Mo.; three sisters, Etta Youngman, Phyllis Dreaming Bear and Delores Two Bulls, all of Oglala; 40 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. A one-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, at Loneman School in Oglala. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 14, at the school, with the Rev. Robert Two Bulls Sr. officiating. Burial will be at St. Jude's Episcopal Cemetery in Oglala. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Luke Liu Kang Fire Thunder KYLE - Luke Liu Kang Fire Thunder, infant son of Edger Fire Thunder and Jaenette Lays Hard of Kyle, was stillborn Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2002, at Rapid City Regional Hospital. Survivors include his parents; one brother, Caesar Fire Thunder, Kyle; and his paternal grandmother, Betty Robertson, Kyle. A one-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. today at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Hall in Kyle. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, at the church, with the Rev. Cordelia Red Owl officiating. Burial will be at St. Barnabas Episcopal Cemetery in Kyle. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. October 12, 2002 Jayann Rio Baylon LITTLE EAGLE - Jayann Rio Baylon, infant daughter of Greg Baylon, Belton, Mo., and Victoria Red Legs, Little Eagle, was stillborn Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2002, at St. Alexius Hospital in Bismarck, N.D. Survivors include her mother and father, and her grandparents, Bernecita and Gregorio Baylon, Belton, Tresita and Asa Wilson, Oglala, and Patricia and Dean Dedman, Little Eagle. An all-night wake service will begin at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church of Rural Little Eagle. Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 14, at the church, with the Rev. Leslie Campbell, the Rev. Asa Wilson, the Rev. Patricia Dedman, the Rev. Beatrice Skinner and Joann Red Fox officiating. Burial will be at the church cemetery. Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge is in charge of arrangements. Patrick Thunder Hawk PINE RIDGE - Patrick Thunder Hawk, 60, Pine Ridge, died Thursday, Oct. 10, 2002, at Rapid City Regional Hospital. Survivors include his mother, Lucille Thunder Hawk, Porcupine. Arrangements are pending with Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge. October 15, 2002 Grace `Joey' Martin HOT SPRINGS - Grace "Joey" Martin, 52, Hot Springs, died Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2002, at Castle Manor Nursing Home in Hot Springs. Survivors include one son, Aron Jump, Santa Fe, N.M.; one daughter, Kimberly Johnson, King George, Va.; one sister, Arlene Hepner, Hot Springs; and two grandchildren. A one-night wake will begin at 2 p.m. today at Porcupine Presbyterian Church. Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, at the church, with the Rev. Simon Looking Elk officiating. Burial will be at Porcupine Presbyterian Cemetery. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Patrick Thunder Hawk PORCUPINE - Patrick Thunder Hawk, 60, Porcupine, died Thursday, Oct. 10, 2002, at Rapid City Regional Hospital. Survivors include one adopted son, Gary Moore, Mission; his mother, Lillian Thunder Hawk, Porcupine; three brothers, Francis Thunder Hawk, Pine Ridge, and Collins Gay and Victor Gay, both of Pine Ridge; and three sisters, Nancy Bush, Porcupine, Arlene Thunder Bull, Rapid City, and Myrna Garfield, Wolf Point, Mont. A two-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, at the Porcupine CAP Office. Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at the Porcupine CAP Office, with the Rev. Cordelia Red Owl officiating. Burial will be at the Thunder Hawk Family Cemetery four miles south of Porcupine. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangement Copyright c. 2002 The Rapid City Journal. -=-=-=- October 10, 2002 Harmon Wiley Harmon Wiley died Friday, Oct. 4, 2002, at St. John Hospital in Sapulpa. He was 86. Wiley was born May 4, 1916, in Dustin. He attended Euchee Mission School. He lived in Miami for 26 years before moving to Sapulpa seven years ago. He served in the Army during World War II. He was a retired Social Security representative for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He was a member of the Lions Club, the National Association of Federal Employees and First Baptist Church of Miami. Survivors include his wife, Anna Lee; children and their spouses, Grace Ann and John Smith of Edmond, David and Joan Wiley of Shawnee, Laura and Larry O'Dell of Caney, Kan., and Roger and Ryan Wiley of McAlester; a brother, Adam Wiley of Monterey Park, Calif.; and seven grandchildren, Jeff O'Dell, Erin O'Dell, Andrea Smith, Jordan Wiley, Nathan Wiley, Chebon Wiley and Carmen Wiley. The service is 2 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Faith Baptist Church with the Rev. Ron Ogle officiating. Burial is in South Heights Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Smith Funeral Home of Sapulpa. Copyright c. Miami News Record/Miami, OK. -=-=-=- October 10, 2002 Barney Ray Tiger-Emarthla Imogene Tiger-Emarthla Funeral services for former Seminole County residents Barney Ray Tiger-Emarthla, 75, and Imogene Bernice Tiger-Emarthla, 72, are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Cold Springs Indian Church, located 1/2 miles west of Hwy. 99 on Hwy. 39 east of Konawa. Revs. Edwin Jimboy and Leroy "Rusty" Davis will officiate. The couple died Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2002 as a result of an auto accident near Holdenville. Interment will follow at the Emarthla Family Cemetery, under the direction of Stout-Phillips Funeral Home. A wake service will be held Friday at 6 p.m. at the Stout-Phillips Funeral Home Chapel. Barney was born to Markosy Emarthla and Lucy Franks Emarthla on July 27, 1927 in Seminole County. He was a member of the Middle Creek No. 2 Baptist Church, and was baptized on June 13, 1937. Barney attended school in Konawa and was employed by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation until he retired in 1971. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Jimmy and Alex; and two sisters, Yan-nah Factor and Eliza Johnson. Barney is survived by three brothers and one sister. Imogene was born to Amos Tiger and Julia Wise Tiger on July 6, 1930 in Seminole County. She graduated from Dewight Mission in Vian and attended Draughen's Business College. Imogene was a seamstress and was employed by Big Yank until her retirement. She was also a member of the Hilltop Presbyterian Indian Church. Imogene was preceded in death by her parents; one brother, J. Lynn Tiger; and two sisters, Messilda Moppin and Winnie Mae Factor. She is survived by her brother and sister, Kelly Tiger and Frances Jo Tiger, both of Holdenville. The couple is survived by their children, Marcie Tiger and Dorsey Tiger, both of Holdenville, Lynn Tiger, Owasso, Danny Tiger and Dena Tiger Kloehr, both of Broken Arrow, and Donna Tiger and Marilyn Tiger, both of Tulsa; 14 grandchildren; and nine great- grandchildren. Pallbearers for Barney will be Noah Downing, Dorsey Tiger, Sr., Bud Keesee, Richard Emarthla, Steve Kloehr and Gilbert Beard. Honorary bearers will be Darryl Byerly and Wesley Factor. Pallbearers for Imogene will be Marcie Tiger, Danny Tiger, Victor Tiger, Anthony Tiger, Chris Tiger and Jim Stewart. Honorary bearers will be Ar-turo Band and George Franks. The couple were married on Nov. 16, 1951, and made their home in Hughes County. October 12, 2002 Mary Bear Funeral services for Mary Josie Bear, mother of Wewoka resident Jon Bear, are scheduled for 2 p.m.Tuesday at Montezoma Indian Church, Okemah. A wake is planned at 7 p.m. Monday at Montezoma Church, with Rev. Justin Deere officiating. Burial is planned at the Bear family cemetery under the direction of Robert Simons Funeral Home of Henryetta. Bear died Friday in Tulsa at the age of 59. She was born to Barney and Effie (Harjo) Leader, who preceded her in death. She lived most of her life in the Okemah area. She was married to Ashely Bear for 42 years; he survives her, of the home. Other survivors include her stepmother, Liza Leader; five sons, Jon of Wewoka, Timothy of Okemah, Daniel of Henryetta, Joe of Okemah, Patrick of Okmulgee; one daughter, Lisa Bear of Tulsa; six brothers, Jesse Leader, Mis-souri, Eddie Leader, Henryetta, Raymond Leader of Lamar, Ken-neth McCully, Bowlegs, William McCully, Pryor, and Eddie McCully, Oklahoma City; five sisters, Lottie May Coody, Florida, Joyce McCully, Evelyn McCully and Sandra McCully, all of Oklahoma City, and Marilyn McCully of Moore; 23 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. The Seminole Producer/Copyright c. 1999-2000 Arizona Newspapers Assn. -=-=-=- October 10, 2002 Nellie Begay May 28, 1929 - Oct. 8, 2002 Nellie Begay, 73, of Shiprock passed away Tuesday Oct. 8, 2002, at her home. Nellie was born May 28, 1929, in Tocito, to Sabegotten and Cecilia Bitsi' Begay. Left to mourn her passing are two daughters, Marilyn A. Notah and Rita Nez; one brother, Joe Begay; one sister, Maggie Chapito; nine grandchildren, including, Malinda Notah, Melanie Notah, Preston Wilson, Manny Dale and Manuelita Dale; and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Sabegotten Begay and Cecilia Bitsi'; and one brother, Andrew Begay. Funeral services for Nellie will be at 10 a.m., Friday, Oct. 11, 2002, at the First Methodist Church in Shiprock, with Pastor Jimmy Walters officiating. Pallbearers will be Michael J. Roy, Emerson E. Notah, Dexter Chapito, Dempsey Chapito, Preston Wilson and Paul T. Begay. Honorary pallbearers will be Robert A. Begay and Roselyn Williams. Burial will follow at Shiprock Community Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Cope Memorial Chapel of Farmington, 327-5142. Copyright c. 1999-2002 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM. -=-=-=- October 8, 2002 Naomi C. Owens BREADSPRINGS - Services for Naomi Owens, 55, were held at 10 a.m., today at Rollie Mortuary Palm Chapel. Pastor Jake Yazzie Sr. officiated. Burial followed at Sunset Memorial Park. Owens died Oct. 4 in Albuquerque. She was born April 8, 1947 in Rehoboth into the Folded Arms People Clan for the Black Streak Forest People Clan. Owens graduated from Wingate High School and attended University of New Mexico-Gallup. She retired from Breadsprings Day School. Her hobbies included sewing, arts & crafts, reading and volunteer work. Survivors include her sons, Darrell Owens, Doyle Owens and Merle Owens all of Breadsprings; mother, Marian Skeets of Breadsprings; brothers, Timothy Skeets of Albuquerque and Wison Skeets of Breadsprings; sisters, Irene Boyd and Bernice Gishey both of Breadsprings; and five grandchildren. Owens was preceded in death by her husband, Phillip C. Owens; father, Lawrence Skeets; and sister, Marie Chee and Margaret Tree. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Jane M. Etsicitty COUSINS Services for Jane Etsicitty, 77, will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 9 at St. Patricks Catholic Church. Father Jeff King will officiate. Burial will follow at private family cemetery, Cousins. Etsicitty died Oct. 5 in Gallup. She was born April 15, 1925 in Cousins into the Red Bottom People Clan for the Towering House People Clan. Survivors include her husband, Kee Etsicitty of Vanderwagen; son, Kurtis Etsicitty of Vanderwagen; brothers, Larry Yazzie of Breadsprings and Paul Yazzie of Chichiltah; sisters, Nonabah Begay of Church Rock, Nan Lee Burch of Fairfield, Calif., Sarah DuBosie of Chichiltah, Maggie Pino of Albuquerque, Rita Vallo of Barstow, Calif., Sadie Calvin, Glessie Little and Marian Pino all of Cousins; and one grandchild. Etsicitty was preceded in death by her parents, Anita and Charlie Yazzie and brother, Tim Yazzie. Pallbearers will be Jerome Burch, George Little Jr., Art Serna and Floyd Vallo. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Glehie Smith MEXICAN SPRINGS Services for Glehie Smith, 92, will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 9 at Rollie Mortuary Palm Chapel. Pastor Frank Curley will officiate. Burial will follow at Lone Pine Cemetery, Mexican Springs. Smith died Oct. 4 in Gallup. She was born Jan. 15, 1910 in Mexican Springs into the Black Streak Water People Clan for the Hairy People Clan. Survivors include her four granddaughters, Esther Tom of Blackhat, Marilyn Ashley, Darlene Ellison and Matilda Nez all of Mexican Springs. Smith was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Smith; parents, and daughter, Mary Smith-Nez. Pallbearers will be Michael Ashley, Jason Edison, Larry Kee, Vernon Nez, Sampson Sam, Norman Smith and Eric Tom. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Mae B. Benally BECENTI Services for Mae Benally, 96, will be announced at later date. Benally died Oct. 5 in Crownpoint. She was born Sept. 15, 1906 in Standing Rock into the Towering House People Clan for the Sleeping Rock People Clan. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2002 the Gallup Independent. -=-=-=- October 8, 2002 Carpio Trujillo CARPIO TRUJILLO , 79, of San Juan Pueblo, died Tuesday. He was preceded in death by his parents, Eliseo and Margaret Trujillo; two sisters, Fortuna Cata and Felicita Trujillo; and one brother, Joe True. He is survived by his wife, Gertrude Trujillo of the family home; his children, Norma Garcia and husband Richard, Mary Bridges, Mary Isabel Trujillo, Mary Agnes Trujillo, Roger Trujillo all of San Juan Pueblo, and Marie Toya and husband Alvin of Albuquerque; 12 grandchildren; 11 great- grandchildren; sisters, Belen Aquino, Emily Duran, Luberta Garcia and husband Jerry; Nettie Cata and Carlotta Martinez; and many other relatives and friends. A funeral mass will be at 9 a.m. today at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in San Juan Pueblo. Burial will follow at the San Juan Pueblo Cemetery. Salazar Family of Block-Salazar Mortuary. Copyright c. 1997 - 2002 Albuquerque Journal: Albuquerque, New Mexico. -=-=-=- October 9, 2002 Ivan Shay CHUBBUCK - Ivan Shay, 51, of Chubbuck, passed away Monday, October 7, 2002, at a local geriatric center following an illness. He was born December 31, 1950, in Pocatello, Idaho, to Ralph Shay and Helen Julia Use Shay. He attended local schools and earned a GED. He also lived in Fort Hall and Pocatello. He worked as a laborer and a mechanic. He was employed at the J.R. Simplot Gay Mine and FMC. He also repaired appliances. Ivan was a member of the Native American Church and Church of Latter-day Saints. He enjoyed being around family and friends along with salmon fishing, hunting and being a mechanic. He is survived by his wife, Cindy Neaman, Pocatello; three sons, Vernon Lee Shay, Fort Hall, Lenny Alvin Shay, Chubbuck and Colt Lee Tinno, Fort Hall; a brother, Ferlin Neaman, sisters, Darlene Eagle, Elvina Shay, Velva Shay and Debra Neaman Pevo, all of Fort Hall, along with two grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Melvin Shay and Robert Shay, and a sister, Rosalynn Shay. He was taken to the Elvina Shay residence on Tuesday morning, located on Philbin Road until the time of services. Traditional tribal services are Thursday, October 10, at 2 p.m. at Cedars Cemetery in Fort Hall. Downard-Hansen Funeral Home in Pocatello did the initial arrangements. October 14, 2002 Harold Q. Manwaring LODI, Calif. - Harold Quentin Manwaring, 83, passed away Sunday, Oct. 13, 2002, in Lodi, Calif. Funeral services will be held Wednesday in Lodi, and graveside services will be held in the Franklin, Idaho, Cemetery. A complete obituary will appear in a future edition of the paper with services under the direction of Webb Funeral Home. Copyright c. 2001 MyWebPal.com/Idaho State Journal/Pocatello, ID. -=-=-=- Golden Triangle On-Line Obituaries The following obituaries appeared in the Cut Bank Pioneer Press, Shelby Promoter or Glacier Reporter this week. October 10, 2002 Henry Evans Henry Evans, 90, of Badger Creek, a retired worker of Great Northern Railways, died Oct. 6, 2002, at the hospital in Browning of natural causes. He was a well-respected elder of the Blackfeet Tribe, who believed in his traditional ways. He was one of the oldest members of the Crazy Dog and Rough Rider Societies. A memorial mass was held today, Oct. 10, 2002 at 2 p.m. with burial following at St. Ann's Cemetery. Day Family Funeral Home handled the arrangements. Evans was born Nov. 8, 1911. He married Annie Irene Fast Buffalo Horse on Oct. 9, 1936 in Heart Butte. She passed away in 2001. He attended school at Holy Family Mission. He worked for Great Northern, Hungry Horse Dam and Tiber Dam, also as a Forest Ranger, he worked in road construction, was a fire fighter, carpenter and cattle rancher. He had many hobbies and interests including, Pow-wows, dancing, singing, rodeo, horseraces, handgame, arts and crafts, checkers, cribbage, going for rides to the mountains and picnicing, He loved his home at Badger Creek, enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren. He lived life to the fullest and made each day count. He is survived by daughters Carmaleta Blackcrow of Hayes, Marie Blacktongue of Seattle Wash., Mary Evans and Annie Evans; sons Henry Evans Jr., LeRoy Evans and Patrick Evans; adopted children Ester Spotted Bear, Rena Running Rabbit, Rose Evans, Frank Evans, Wanda Bird and Yvonne Spade, Felix Running Crane; 16 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife Annie Fast Buffalo Horse Evans, sons Galen Evans and Kenneth Evans. Copyright c. 2002 Golden Triangle Newspapers. -=-=-=- October 9, 2002 Agnes E. Bird Faraway CROW AGENCY - Agnes Elizabeth Bird Faraway, 76, of Crow Agency, passed away Monday, Oct. 7, 2002, in Crow Agency. Akbaanashchixiasa "Outstanding Beadwork Artist" was born Jan. 4, 1926, in Wyola, a daughter of Robert Brien, Sr. and Lucy Cummins-Eastman. Mae Takes Gun Childs, whose beadwork was chosen to be displayed in Washington, D.C., gave the Indian name to her. She received her education at St. Labre and Busby, later graduating from Busby High School. Agnes married Henry Scalpcane and the couple lived in the Lame Deer area and were later divorced. She married Steven Bird Faraway on April 7, 1972, in Reno, Nev., and the couple made their home in Crow Agency. Mr. Faraway died in 1996. She worked for the Lodge Grass Guild Arts and Crafts and later as a cook for the Crow Agency Daycare Center. Agnes was a member of the Catholic Church. She was a strong believer in Crow Traditional Religious Ceremonies and had a great respect for the practice the Sacred Tobacco Society. She participated in Sun Dances, seeking ways to help herself and her family, as well as participating in the beliefs of the peyote religion. She believed in the Crow Clan system as one of the foundation blocks of the Crow way of life and was a member of the Whistling Water Clan and a child of the Whistling Water Clan. She was a person who was known for her ready smile. The Crow people have a way of describing a person that appears happy all of the time; that description is "Even smiles with the eyes." Agnes was such a person. Her son Darrell Scalpcane, Sr.; and five brothers, Delmar and Richard Eastman, Clarence, Kenneth and Robert Brien, Jr., preceded Agnes in death. When she knew the time was near for her to leave this world, she was at peace with herself and told everyone that "she was ready to go." Survivors include five brothers, Harold "Buster" (Josie) Brien and John Pretty on Top of Lodge Grass, Mervin (Darlene) Eastman of Crow Agency, Jimmy LaRance of Lewistown and Ronald (Bernadine) Eastman of New York; her sisters, Francis LaRance of Billings, Dorothy (Perry) Huff of Wyola, Anna Bear Cloud and Henrietta Pretty on Top of Lodge Grass; three family members whom she raised as her own, Lucille Brien, Grant Scalpcane and Richard Eastman, Jr.; her stepdaughters, Rosie (Earl) Bear Crane of Pryor, Darlene Faraway and Warlene Fights Wellknown of Billings, Karen Austin of Arkansas, Faith Faraway and Shirley Not Afraid of Lodge Grass; her stepson, Woodson Faraway of Hardin; her Tobacco Society adopted parents, Robert Old Horn and Marilyn Burgess; her adopted children, Joe Tiona, Janice Hudetz, Lena Little Light and Stephanie Saupitty; two sisters-in-law, Joy Brien and Wilma Howe Brien; her uncle, Frederick Cummins; her favorite niece, Mervalene Eastman, who cared for Agnes during her illness; her grandchildren, Bernice, Dara Jean, Valerie, Darrell, Jr. and Brandon; 21 great grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, as well as member of her extended family including the Cummins, Brien, Eastman, Back Bone, One Goose and Takes Horse families. Rosary will be recited 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, in the Bullis Funeral Chapel. Funeral Mass will be celebrated 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 11, in the Lodge Grass Our Lady of Loretto Catholic Church. Interment will follow in the Lodge Grass Cemetery. Bullis Mortuary of Hardin has been entrusted with the arrangements. Richard Lyman Roberts, Growing Thunder WOLF POINT - Richard L. Roberts, Growing Thunder, 86, of Wolf Point, died on Oct. 6, 2002, at his home. Richard was born in Poplar on Feb. 6, 1916. He grew up in the Poplar and Wolf Point areas. He resided in the Wolf Point area all of his adult life. Highly decorated, Richard served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945. He married Vina Shields and she preceded him in death. He married Sylvia Campbell in 1947 and she preceded him in death in 1993. Richard worked for 36 years as a heavy equipment operator and mechanic for the BIA reclamation department. He also worked on the construction of the Ft. Peck Dam. Trapping, fishing, hunting and boating were enjoyed by Richard. He loved spending time with his family. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was also a member of the Assiniboine tribe. Richard was preceded in death by his parents; his spouse; three brothers, and one sister. Survivors include his sister, Elva R. Decelles of Las Vegas; daughter Wilma Desjarlais of Billings; two brothers-in-law, Donald Campbell of Wolf Point and Levi Enemy Boy of Fort Belknap; three sisters- in-law, Anita Morin of Fort Collins, Colo., Marian Hohman of Wolf Point and Ione Hughes of Poplar; grandchildren, Orville Desjarlais, Jr. of Oklahoma City, Okla., Sylvia Salway of Colorado Springs, Colo., Deborah Stockholm of Brookings, S.D., and Darren Desjarlais of Somersworth, N.H.; and seven great-grandchildren. He is also survived by many special nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 9, from 1 to 8 p.m. at Clayton Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will be Thursday, Oct. 10, at 10 a.m. at Clayton Memorial Chapel with Branch President Brent Hobbs officiating. Interment will be held in Poplar City Cemetery. Clayton Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. October 11, 2002 Delbert Littlebird Sr. ASHLAND - A beautiful spirit and loving heart entered the spirit to be with Ma'heo when Delbert A. Littlebird Sr., age 60, of Ashland, passed away on Oct. 8, 2002, in the St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings, following a year-long battle with cancer. Delbert was born on Feb. 18, 1942, the son of James Littlebird and Elaine Red Breath. He grew up and attended schools in the Busby and St. Labre area. Delbert later acquired his high school diploma in May of 1985. Delbert worked at St. Labre for 25 years, starting in 1970, where he began in the administration, later transferring to the janitorial position and finally settling in at the carpenter shop, where he worked until his retirement in 1995. On Sept. 21, 1965, Delbert was united in marriage to Judith Ann Eagle in McIntosh, S.D. Delbert loved many things in his life, including traveling, powwows, singing and sweats. His greatest love was for his Cheyenne people and their health. The achievement he was the most proud of was his involvement in having the new I.H.S building built to provide medical care to those in need. He saw this project from a dream to a reality. The hard work behind the scenes was what kept him striving for that goal. He made time for his friends, always had a word or two for them, a joke, to share or a handshake to extend, as well as something to teach. Delbert was always open to new things that passed his way. He also enjoyed doing puzzles during the winter months. We love you very much dad and we will miss you. Delbert is survived by his wife of 37 years, Judith of Ashland; and his 12 children, Elaine (James) of Missoula, Shannon (Lana) of Billings, Annissa (Sam) of Busby, Delbert Jr. (Anita), Helena (Tracy), Jonie, Shandel, Delmarie, all of Ashland, Selwyn of Lame Deer, Gilda of St. Charles, Idaho, and Lenora of Columbus, Mo. He is also survived by his adopted daughter, Bonnie Sisseton, South Dakota; adopted sons, Eldon Antelope, Mike Bryant of Virginia, Robert Sanky of Oklahoma, William Lone Bear of Deadwood, S.D., and Bryan Roberts of Lame Deer; 19 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren; three brothers, Vance, Geofredo (Jackie) and Lloyd (June) Littlebird; four sisters Clarice Wallowing Bull, Lois Magpie, Genevieve Seminole and Clarice (Norman) Cox. Other survivors include two special aunts Wanda Yellow Hair and Lena Gray as well as his good friends, Daniel Foote and Rick Wolfname and also several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother, Elaine Red Breath; father, James Littlebird; and his stepfather, "Smokey" Seminole. Funeral services will be on Monday, Oct. 14, at 11 a.m. at the Ashland Public School in Ashland. Burial will be at the family residence near Ashland. A wake will be on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Ashland Public School in Ashland. Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home of Forsyth is in charge of the arrangements. Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. -=-=-=- October 8, 2002 Louis LaMere FORT BELKNAP-- Former heavy equipment operator Louis LaMere, 79, who served in the Army during World War II and in the Air Force during the Korean War, died of cancer Saturday at his home in Fort Belknap. A wake begins 5 p.m. today at the Red Whip Center at Fort Belknap. His funeral is 11 a.m. Wednesday at the center, with burial in Pony Hill Cemetery. Edwards Funeral Home of Chinook is handling arrangements. Survivors include his wife, Ruth La Mere of Fort Belknap; stepdaughters Karen Lawrence, Agnes Lawrence and Jackie Weasel, all of Fort Belknap; a son, Elliott LaMere of Fort Belknap; stepsons Alvin Weasel of Omaha, Neb., Eugene Weasel and Jon Weasel of Fort Belknap; sisters Mercalene Parker and Marlene LaMere of Rocky Boy; brothers Jimmy LaMere and Mike LaMere of Rocky Boy; 25 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. A stepdaughter, Audrey Lawrence, has died. Copyright c. 2002 Great Falls Tribune, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Reconciliation to be Celebrated at Wacipi" --------- Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 08:22:44 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RECONCILIATION/MEMORIAL" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.pressanddakotan.com/stories/101402/com_20021014016new.shtml Reconciliation To Be Celebrated At Wacipi BY RANDY DOCKENDORF P&D Regional Editor October 14, 2002 The memory of a long-time leader in local reconciliation efforts will be honored tonight (Monday) at the sixth annual Native American Day Wacipi and Celebration at the Middle School old gym. A special song and dance will honor the late Charlene Stuhlmacher, who helped organize the first Native American Day Wacipi. A home school coordinator for the Yankton Public Schools, she was a community leader and respected elder within the Native American culture. Stuhlmacher helped Native American students remain in school and deal with concerns, said YMS Principal Wayne Kindle, a Rosebud Sioux Tribal member. "Charlene was one of the original organizers of this wacipi," he said. "We wanted to take this year as a time to honor her. We are very proud of what she did, and this is a way in Native American culture to honor somebody who did so much." A free meal will be served from 5-6 p.m. The grand entry honoring all veterans and the American flag will begin at 6 p.m. The wacipi will conclude with closing ceremonies at 8:30 p.m. All are invited to share in the celebration of reconciliation. In addition to the meal and wacipi, Native American art will be displayed and on sale. The display space is free and unlimited. The event is sponsored by the Yankton Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) and the Mayor's Commission for Reconciliation. The Yankton Area Arts Association (YAAA) assists with a portion of funding for this event. "This is a free opportunity for the area to see Native American dances, art and music," Kindle said. "They can come for 10 minutes, an hour or the while thing." The wacipi has drawn more than 1,200 people and 40 dancers in past years, Kindle said. "People come from Vermillion, Santee, Flandreau, Wagner and other surrounding towns. It's not just for Native Americans," he said. "The state has talked about reconciliation, and this is a great event for that." The entire school district will be in session Monday, and the powwow is culminating a full day of activities, Kindle said. Other PTAs are contributing to the wacipi, making it a district-wide event. City Commissioner Dave Dickinson chairs the Mayor's Commission on Reconciliation. Other members are Rick Althoff, Kathy Charging Hawk, Jean Cole and Sister Joelle Bauer. Dickinson credited Kindle and Stuhlmacher with organizing and building the wacipi. "The wacipi has really grown into a very successful event. People have the opportunity to see the Native American culture without needing to travel long distances to a reservation," he said. "I think the community needs a certain amount of annual effort directed to reconciling with all minority people in the community to create a communication bridge." Dickinson, who teaches at Mount Marty College, said the Catholic college actively supports the wacipi and other reconciliation efforts. "Dr. Karen Kostel and her Native American studies class have worked at the wacipi during the last few years, and Sacred Heart Monastery has also been very supportive," he said. The wacipi has helped make reat strides at reconciliation, Kindle said. "There are people who have decided they don't want to get along with other people, period," he said. "I don't know if you will ever change some of those people, but I know events like this help us to understand each other a little bit better." To contact Randy Dockendorf, e-mail him at rdock@yankton.net. Copyright c. 2002 Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan . --------- "RE: San Felipe Land Swap has Cultural Significance" --------- Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2002 08:10:38 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SAN FELIPE" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.sfnewmexican.com/site/news Land Swap Among Pueblo, State, BLM has 'Cultural Significance' Associated Press 10/08/2002 The state Land Office, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and San Felipe Pueblo have completed a three-way land swap. State trust land exchanged in the deal "has very special cultural significance to the pueblo of San Felipe," state Land Commissioner Ray Powell said. San Felipe Gov. Lawrence Troncosa said the public also benefited. "Not only did this partnership succeed in restoring ancestral lands back into pueblo ownership, but we were also able to give something back to the public by creating new open space and recreational opportunities," he said. Those involved said the pueblo will be able to administer cultural sites, the state Land Office acquired land with earnings potential, and the BLM will be able to protect critical holdings. Under the deal, 548 acres of federal land and minerals were traded to the Land Office. Powell said that land, east of Las Cruces at the foot of the Organ Mountains, is more appropriate for commercial development and will help consolidate Land Office holdings in the Las Cruces area. San Felipe Pueblo transferred 537 acres of nonfederal land and minerals west of Las Cruces to the BLM. The tribe had purchased the land in the Picacho Peak area from The Nature Conservancy. The Land Office transferred more than 1,800 acres of state trust land and minerals through the BLM to the pueblo. The lands transferred to the 3,185-member pueblo lie about six miles east of the pueblo's Casino Hollywood on Interstate 25. The land will be closed to the public. "This has been a very complex land transaction," said Edwin Singleton, Albuquerque field manager for the BLM. "Although we had some real challenges along the way, I am extremely proud of the good work we did by showing what can be accomplished through a cooperative effort among government agencies to benefit all citizens." The state land commissioner, an elected official, is responsible for administering the 13 million-acre state land grant trust which holds tracts in trust for public schools, universities and special schools and hospitals. The BLM manages about 12.8 million acres of public land in New Mexico, more than 2 million acres of American Indian mineral estate and more than 47 million acres of federal mineral estate in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. Copyright c. 2002 Santa Fe New Mexican. --------- "RE: Oil and Gas Producers balk at Tribal Land Bill" --------- Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2002 08:29:56 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LAND BILL" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show Oil and gas producers balk at tribal land bill 2002-10-02 By Chris Casteel The Oklahoman WASHINGTON -- Cherokee Nation Chief Chad Smith and the head of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association are scheduled to meet today with Senate staff members about legislation that would affect oil and gas leasing on much of the American Indian land in eastern Oklahoma. The legislation, which is aimed at removing Oklahoma district courts from various land transactions involving members of the Five Nations, has run into last-minute opposition from oil and gas producers and the state Corporation Commission. Passed by the House in June, the bill cleared the Senate Indian Affairs Committee last week and was headed to a full Senate vote before Congress adjourns later this month. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, announced last week that he would block consideration of the bill, House Resolution 2880, until concerns about oil and gas leasing are resolved. Corporation Commissioners Denise Bode and Bob Anthony wrote Inhofe last week objecting to the bill because it would give the U.S. Interior Department the authority to determine terms of oil and gas leases on land owned by the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws and Seminoles. The Interior Department has jurisdiction over mineral leases for other tribes' members in Oklahoma, but state district courts oversee the leasing for the Five Nations. "Under this Act, Congress is proposing to place the surface and mineral interests of thousands of Oklahoma Indians under the supervision of a department that historically has mismanaged billions of dollars held in trust for American Indians," Bode and Anthony wrote. Inhofe has received letters from other Oklahomans raising similar concerns. The bill also allows tribal members to sell restricted land and buy land in other parts of the state, giving it restricted status with federal oversight. That provision, Bode and Anthony wrote, could result in land being "checkerboarded" and discourage economic development. Mickey Thompson, executive vice president of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, is expected to attend today's meeting, along with Smith and staff members from the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. At a hearing last month, representatives from the Bush administration and Gov. Frank Keating's office endorsed the bill, as did leaders from the Five Nations. Mike Miller, spokesman for the Cherokee Nation, said the objections from the oil and gas industry came as a surprise because various groups were contacted for input. Miller said the legislation would have "minimal impact on the oil and gas industry, which is why it puzzles us that they would oppose the bill." He said the oil and gas leases on Indian land that go through district court in eastern Oklahoma are a minuscule portion of the leases granted statewide. Dwight Birdwell, an Oklahoma City attorney who ran for Cherokee chief in 1999, also has written Inhofe objecting to the bill, saying the proposed changes would be more time- consuming and more expensive for taxpayers. But Smith testified at a Senate hearing last month that, if the bill were passed, it would be "a dramatic step toward protecting the interests of Indian owners of restricted lands in eastern Oklahoma." Copyright c. 2002, Produced by NewsOK. --------- "RE: Law limits Teaching of Native Languages" --------- Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 22:19:41 -0700 From: "Chris Milda (_Akimel O`odham_)" Subj: Law limits teaching of native languages Mailing List: INDIANS ONLINE - - - - - - -- - - - - - - http://www.arizonarepublic.com/arizona/articles/1004yaqui04.html Law limits teaching of native languages By Carmen Duarte Associated Press Oct. 4, 2002 TUCSON - Siiki means red. Tosai is white. Tewei is blue. Juan Esquivias recited the colors in Yoeme, the native language of the Yaqui tribe. He was recalling words taught to him by teaching assistants Narciso Bule-Garcia and Maria Cupis, who are tribal elders. Juan, a fifth-grader at the Southwest Side Lawrence Intermediate School, and his classmates in Victoria Hawk's class now depend on a computer instead of the American Indian teachers to learn the Yaqui language, culture and customs. Bule-Garcia and Cupis were the only language specialists at the school working to preserve Yoeme, a dying indigenous language. But the two Yaqui elders no longer teach at Lawrence because a federal law requires them to obtain a high school diploma or equivalent. The school has 370 students, and 55 percent are Yaqui children. The federal law went into effect this fall for teaching assistants at schools with federally funded Title 1 programs. Title 1 provides additional money to schools with large numbers of low-income students. The new law is designed to place the most qualified teaching assistants with the neediest children, said Bob Wortman, director of school improvement and Title 1 programs for the Tucson Unified School District. Teaching assistants hired after Jan. 8, 2002, must have an associate's degree or two years of college, or pass a proficiency test. Like Bule-Garcia and Cupis, four other Yaqui teaching assistants at two other schools with large Yaqui student populations were affected in 2002. "It is hard to find Yaqui-language instructors or tutors who are fully bilingual who can come work at schools with these low wages. The pay starts at $7.23 an hour," Wortman said. Twenty-eight teaching assistants were removed from Title 1 schools and temporarily reassigned, Wortman said. He said 80 assistants are working on earning a GED or high school diploma. Karen Wynn, director of TUSD's Native American Studies department, said she is asking the Arizona Department of Education's Office of Indian Education to clarify the new federal regulations in relation to another federal law, the Native American Languages Act of 1990. "The federal government, under the act, supports tribes and local agencies to assist in the revitalization and preservation of Native American languages," Wynn said. She said she hopes that under the act, Bule-Garcia and Cupis can return to the classroom. --------- "RE: Account Holders say System too Unfriendly" --------- Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2002 22:54:10 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="KENNETH HAYES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/display/inn_news/news06.txt Account holders say system too unfriendly By Jodi Rave Lee, Lincoln Journal Star September 29, 2002 When his niece found him, Kenneth Hayes was living in a home without doors, windows or water in the same hardscrabble Arizona town where his older brother had died decades ago. His brother had been a hero. A national symbol of valor. The Pima tribal citizen and Marine Corps private had helped hoist the flag in the famous image of Iwo Jima. Johnny Cash even had paid tribute to Ira Hayes. Ira Hayes died destitute in 1955. And Kenneth Hayes was close to joining him when his niece, Sara Bernal, returned to the Gila River Reservation from California. Take care of your uncle, she was told, he's living in the shack his parents used to own. "I didn't think anybody lived there," Bernal said. "And they said, 'Yeah, he's there.' It didn't have no doors, no windows, and he was just in a room by himself, and he looked so skinny. It looked like he had the same clothes on for years. He had no water, no electricity." But he had money in the bank. Her uncle owned reservation land that was leased to others. The Bureau of Indian Affairs managed the lease proceeds collected from his land. Bernal approached the Bureau of Indian Affairs but was told her uncle's account was restricted because he had been deemed incapable of managing his money. Today, nearly 10 years later, Bernal has guardianship over her uncle. She provides the 70-year-old food, shelter and clothing. But getting money from his account still is difficult. "I have the paper that says I'm his legal guardian," Bernal said. "But it's still hard for me to try and get anything. They don't send him money; it's just there." Periodic statements indicate her uncle's account contains about $2,000, she said. But as with her own trust account - she also receives lease payments for land she owns - the statements don't provide such basic details as which tracts are leased or how much each contract earns, she said. "He knows that it's all his," Bernal said of her uncle's account. "But they act like it's their own money, but they don't want to part with it." The money is available, Evelyn Roanhorse, a social worker for the BIA's Western Region in Phoenix, said. "They (guardians) can come in and ask for funds to provide for food or clothing, but they have to provide receipts for everything," Roanhorse said. One of the last times his niece withdrew his money, she used it to help Hayes buy new clothes. He needed them for a trip to Washington to see the men who served with his brother. The reunions have become an important part of their lives. "In 1995, we went to the island of Iwo Jima for the 50th anniversary," Bernal, who recalled meeting veterans who survived the historical World War II battle, said. "They were all in Ira's regiment. They remembered him. It was really a place to be." Copyright c. 2002 the Rapid City Journal. --------- "RE: Op/Ed: Feds Responsible for Tribal Nursing Homes" --------- Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 10:09:50 -0700 From: "mikola 18" Subj: Op/Ed: "Feds responsible for tribal nursing homes" Mailing List: ndn-aim http://www.argusleader.com 9/25/2002 "Feds responsible for tribal nursing homes" Argus Leader Editorial Board "A bill before the Senate that would force the federal government to pay for tribal nursing home care faces an uphill battle from an administration worried about costs. But this bill is all about costs - and responsibilities. There are no nursing homes on South Dakota reservations, and there are unlikely to be any in the near future, because of a state-imposed moratorium on nursing home care. Statewide, we have more beds than we need. Tribes could build their own nursing homes regardless of the moratorium - but then residents and the homes wouldn't qualify for state Medicaid. A bill sponsored by Democratic South Dakota Sens. Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson would shift that responsibility to the federal Medicaid program, under the Indian Health Service, allowing tribes to provide a needed service to a growing elderly population. That's exactly where that responsibility belongs. "We believe that this is a federal responsibility, that promises were made to Indian people by the treaties," said state Rep. Paul Valandra, D- Rosebud. "There's little or no services provided by Indian Health Service to older Native American citizens." The lack of nursing home care on reservations forces the elderly to travel off-reservation, far away from their families and support systems, as well as far away from the medical care they need. "As far as I'm concerned, the federal government has an obligation," said state Sen. Arnold Brown, R-Brookings. This isn't about a handout. It isn't about state government shifting its responsibilities to the federal government. This is all about who should be taking care of this needed service. It should be the federal government." Copyright c. 2002 Argus Leader. Reno Gazette-Journal, a Gannett Co. Inc. Newspaper. --------- "RE: Bush desecrates Geronimos Grave" --------- Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2002 12:29:14 -0500 From: "Carter Camp" Subj: Bush desecrates Geronimos grave Mailing List: ndn-aim The head bone's connected to ... Bush? Saturday, September 23, 2000 One expects, from a family of politicians, a certain amount of skullduggery. But that is a term of art. It should not involve the actual digging of skulls. So begins one of the odder political stories of recent years. It involves allegations that George W. Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush, late of the United States Senate by way of Connecticut, had joined a midnight foray 82 years ago into an Oklahoma graveyard whence he emerged with the mortal skull of Geronimo, the Apache warlord who spent his final years as a tourist attraction and, it would seem, part of his afterlife as a souvenir. The story unfolded when Apache tribesmen from Arizona debated whether to have Geronimo exhumed and brought back to his native soil. They received, unsolicited, a letter advising them that Geronimo's head had taken up residence in New Haven, Conn., home to Yale University and its secret Skull and Bones Society. "He sent a photo," said Raleigh Thompson, a tribal council member. It showed a skull, remnants of a bridle and a photo of Geronimo. "The only people who dig up bones are the witchcraft people," Thompson shuddered. His group later obtained what purported to be an internal history of Skull and Bones that included this account: In 1918, Prescott Bush and two companions crept into the cemetery near Fort Sill and pried open the grave of Geronimo. The head was taken out, spiffed up and forwarded to New Haven, where it was given pride of place for goofy rituals that have been attended by generations of Bushes and a veritable army of powerful types. That there is a Skull and Bones Society is beyond doubt. The group keeps the ugliest house on High Street. In ceremonies, members dress up as skeletons, wizards, even the pope. That the society has skulls on hand is also beyond doubt, according to those who have penetrated the great tomb. Thompson, two other council members and tribal attorney Joe Sparks traveled to New York three times to meet with Skull and Bones officers, their lawyer and Jonathan Bush, brother to the then-vice president. "They said 'We have a skull that we call Geronimo,' " Thompson said. Then they offered up a skull. Thompson and Sparks said it didn't look like the photo. "They said it was the remains of a young Indian child, as if that made things better," Sparks said. Sparks said he confronted them with a Skull and Bones history, dated 1933, that purported to tell of the grave raid. "They said we were in a lot of trouble for having it," Sparks said. He suggested they might be in a bit of trouble for having a head not currently attached to a neck. There it ended. The impasse is gaining attention among the conspiratorial set who classify Skull and Bones with the CIA and the Trilateral Commission. That the elder George Bush has belonged to all three doesn't help. Nobody seems to have explored two important questions. The first is what a group of college students is doing with anybody's skull, whether it belongs to Geronimo or Geronimo's gardener. Just because somebody's not using it at the moment doesn't make it a souvenir. I am not using my television just now, but I had better not go downstairs and find Prescott Bush in my living room. The second question is whether such a theft was possible. A spokesman at Fort Sill doubts the robbery could have taken place, because Geronimo's grave is covered by a concrete footer, with granite stones implanted, and the whole affair is topped with a stone pyramid. "There is no way to really disturb that site," said spokesman Daran Neal. Sparks says the stones were placed long after 1918, and insists there is a base report referring to what authorities thought, at the time, was an attempt by Geronimo's kin to retrieve his bones. Given the current fashion for exhuming the famously dead, it is a matter of time before someone gets a court order, opens Geronimo's grave and counts the heads. One would be the correct number -- a bit of ethical math that might have been missed one night, long ago, by some frat boys from New Haven. --------- "RE: Cobell Lawsuit may be key Turning Point" --------- Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 08:10:58 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="COBELL LAWSUIT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.billingsgazette.com/~//65-cobell.inc Cobell lawsuit may be key turning point after a century of mismanagement By JODI RAVE LEE Special to The Gazette September 30, 2002 Missing money. Shredded documents. Arthur Andersen accountants. Congressional hearings. Enron? WorldCom? Global Crossing? How about Uncle Sam? "I say this, and I really mean it," said 56-year-old Elouise Cobell, a citizen of Montana's Blackfeet Reservation. "The United States government just robbed people out of a whole entire quality of life." And Cobell expects someone to pay for it. The banker from Browning and four others sued the U.S. Department of Interior six years ago, claiming the department has historically mismanaged the Individual Indian Money, or IIM, trust fund. About 230,000 Natives own trust land. For more than a century, the government has been responsible for collecting and distributing income the land earns through leases and mineral royalties. Specifically, Cobell is asking the federal government to correct its "grossly mismanaged" trust duties and provide an accounting for an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 past and present Native landowners. A federal judge since has ordered the government to document accounts dating to 1887. The suit has been described as "one of the most complicated pieces of litigation in federal court history," by Stephanie Mencimer, a Washington Monthly editor. This much is clear: The stakes are high. Cobell's lawyers have estimated that $100 billion is owed to landowners, and they've urged the Interior Department to settle for more than $10 billion. A department spokesman calls their claims overstated. The outcome will likely change the way the government manages Native trust funds. The Cobell suit is prompting Congress, the court, Interior Department officials and tribal leaders to try to overhaul the system. It has exposed the government's failure to uphold its responsibility to manage Native trust land and assets. "It would be difficult to find a more historically mismanaged federal program than the Individual Indian Money trust," U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth wrote in a December 1999 opinion. "The United States, the trustee of the IIM trust, cannot say how much money is or should be in the trust ... Notwithstanding all of this (government officials) continue to write checks on an account that they cannot balance or reconcile." Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Bureau of Indian Affairs director Neal McCaleb were held in contempt of court Sept. 17 for failing to comply with Lamberth's orders. Nearly four years ago, Lamberth held two Clinton cabinet members in contempt in the same lawsuit. As the suit was moving toward its seventh year of litigation, comparisons to 2002's business scandals were easy to make. "They are our first Americans. They have died in our wars. They have invested and contributed to our society," said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W. Va. "And today they are being treated with most callous disregard, no better than the heads of Enron and WorldCom treated their investors." Louis LaRose of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, one of five lead plaintiffs, sees only one difference: "They got 401(k) accounts. We got IIM accounts." ------------------------------------------------------------- Dennis Gingold, a 20-year banking attorney, was introduced to Native trust funds about a decade ago, after being invited to meet with "Indians." He expected to see people wearing turbans, he said. He found Plains-style headdresses instead. Then he heard a "three-hour horror story" about trust accounts. Today, as lead attorney in the Cobell vs. Norton lawsuit, Gingold has made a dramatic shift for a lawyer accustomed to representing people with power, money and respect. Now, his clients are now among the nation's poorest people. When he met Cobell, he said, she was "extremely frustrated, and had a right to be and didn't know what to do about it." "At the same time she was unwilling to give up. It was a remarkable impression because I'd never met anyone in that position before." Cobell also remembers those days. Too many meetings. Too few results. And all she wanted was answers for other Native landowners: Who leases their land? How much income can they expect to earn from it? Is that fair market value? "The total arrogance of people in power just made you so upset," she said. "You could go to meeting after meeting and nothing happened." At one of the last meetings, a Justice Department lawyer provided a turning point. She remembers his words: "'Don't come here with any false expectations.' They really didn't care. That's when I decided to sue." -------------------------------------------------------------- The money in question is not an entitlement. It's not a federal program. It's not welfare. It's generated from leases and royalties from land owned by tribal members and managed by the government. More than a century ago, when Washington started dividing and distributing reservation land to tribal members, it gave itself the duties of managing the land and its assets. "This is the Indians' money, not the government's," Rep. Dale Kildee, D- Mich., said during a July House debate. "The United States has admitted that it mismanaged and lost the money." How much money? "If it goes to judgment, we believe the judgment will be $100 billion, over $100 billion, and this is why the government has tremendous incentive to come to the bargaining table," said Keith Harper, a Native American Rights Fund attorney in the case. "We can establish what went into the system," he said. "They cannot establish what went out of the system. And they owe us everything. That's what trust law says." But Interior Department officials say Cobell and the other plaintiffs are painting an inaccurate picture. Eric Ruff, a department spokesman, said a recent review of 8,000 accounts showed an error rate of less than 1 percent. "So I think the plaintiffs are exaggerating and overstating the case, which is predictable. They've been doing that all along," Ruff said. "They've shown no reluctance at any time to exaggerate and hyperextend their rhetoric." But there's more than money at stake. Cobell said it's important for Native people to have more information, to have more opportunities. A tribal member with five oil wells producing income on her land ought to be able to walk into a bank with details about how much oil is being produced and how much revenue is expected. That's not possible now, she said. Some even struggle to prove they own land. "People cannot get the government to issue title status reports because the records are in such a mess," she said. "So when you do a home mortgage loan, it takes a year. Now, that should not be happening to Indian people." ----------------------------------------------------------- Although the case is far from over, it has already generated its share of rulings and revelations. * February 1999: Judge Lam-berth cited then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and BIA head Kevin Gover for contempt of court for failing to provide an accounting of the trust land and assets owned by the five lead plaintiffs. "The way in which the defendants have handled this litigation up to the commencement of the contempt trial is nothing short of a travesty," he wrote. * December 1999: Citing 11 breaches by the Interior Department of its trust responsibilities to Native landowners, Lamberth ordered a historical accounting of trust accounts dating to 1887. That December ruling also called for a court investigator to oversee government compliance with court orders. * April 2001: Lamberth appointed a court monitor to review the department's reform activities and file written progress reports. * September 2002: Lamberth holds Norton and McCaleb in contempt. ------------------------------------------------------------ When the Interior Department estimated this summer that an accounting dating to 1887 could cost $2.4 billion and take a decade to complete, Congress stepped in. The House Appropriations Committee tried to shorten the accounting by 100 years - proposing to approve only enough money for an accounting back to 1985. "This is litigation that has absolutely no end in sight. None," said Rep. Jim Kobe, R-Ariz. "There is no prospect of this litigation ever coming to a resolution. We are trying to put some parameters around it so that we can get an historical accounting for the people who really need it." But to some, the move smacked of an attempt by the Bush administration to shirk a full accounting. "Does this administration support it?" asked Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga. "This administration does know about this language and the administration does support this bill." Lawmakers killed the proposal. "We have had problems over the last few weeks and the last few months with the corporate scandals and the accountants that we have had in Enron and WorldCom and everything else," said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J. "We have to take responsibility and do the right thing to make sure that the accounting is proper." "Why is that any different for the federal government?" Jodi Rave Lee, a reporter with the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star, is at 473-7240 or jrave@journalstar.com Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Congress waits for Consensus" --------- Date: Fri, 4 Oct 2002 08:53:17 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NEW DOI" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.montanaforum.com/rednews/2002/10/02/build/tribal/changes.php?nnn=3 Congress waits for consensus By JODI RAVE LEE Lee Newspapers October 3, 2002 Tribes have wanted it for decades. Congress required it in 1994. Hundreds of thousands of Native landowners are suing for it. And now, perhaps, for the first time in a century, the Interior Department is poised to make a major change in the way it manages trust land and assets in Indian Country. "Dare I say," said Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., "that this level of commitment and focus is really unprecedented in the sad history of Indian trust fund reform." Trouble is, no one can really agree on how the Interior Department should change. Some of the options: As part of their six-year lawsuit, Native landowners are asking a federal judge to appoint an outside receiver to take over the department's management of the Individual Indian Money trust fund, which collects and distributes lease payments and mineral royalties for tribal citizens who own trust land. Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced last year her plan to shake up the Bureau of Indian Affairs by stripping it of its trust fund management duties. She then proposed a new agency to handle trust fund activities. Wary of how the landowners' lawsuit could cramp the way they govern -and unhappy with Norton's plan - tribal leaders are engaged in a sometimes- conciliatory, sometimes-contentious "consultation" process with the department to try to forge a new trust management system. And finally, Congress is standing by to pass legislation once tribal leaders and the Interior Department reach an agreement. All of this is more than political posturing. Consider what's at stake: The Individual Indian Money trust fund encompasses an estimated 230,000 Native landowners, 11 million acres and $400 million in assets. And for 310 tribal governments, the department manages 45 million acres and $2.7 billion in assets. "The issue of trust fund management is one of the most urgent problems we are faced with in Indian Country," said Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D. "I do not think there is anything more complex, more difficult and more shocking than the circumstances surrounding trust fund management." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- First, the landowners. The latest effort to overhaul the system started on the Blackfeet Reservation in northern Montana, the home of Elouise Cobell. The 56-year- old banker sued the Interior Department in June 1996. Her class-action lawsuit, on behalf of an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 past and present landowners, is seeking an accurate accounting of income earned from their trust land for mineral royalties and leases. The plaintiffs have claimed the government - charged with managing the trust land - either lost or misappropriated an estimated $100 billion since 1887. They're also asking for a federal judge to appoint a receiver to correct what they call more than a century of mismanagement. "All the past reports recommended the problem be fixed and nobody did anything about it," said John Echohawk, executive director of the Colorado-based Native American Rights Fund. "That's 's why we involved the federal courts." Said Cobell: "That's why I think asking the judge for a receiver is the perfect way to start." U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth has indicated in court documents he would appoint a receiver if the government doesn't move toward meaningful reform. Here's how it would work: A judicial officer would act as the receiver and bring in a team to oversee trust reform. The Interior Department would temporarily lose control of the Individual Indian Money trust fund - and it's possible the responsibility might not be returned. Cobell and her plan have critics. "Unless the scope of receivership is very well defined, it has the potential to do more harm than good," said Richard Monette, a citizen of North Dakota's Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe and a law professor at the University of Wisconsin. He sees two potential problems. First, tribes and the Interior Department question the constitutionality of delegating trust fund management to the judicial branch without congressional authority. Second, tribes fear their relationship with individual landowners - whose land typically falls within reservation borders - would be diluted if a receiver were appointed. "To give them a separate place to go is very dangerous for tribal governments," Monette said. "It will circumvent the basic day-to-day needs that we have to govern that property." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- So what do tribes want? Not Norton's Bureau of Indian Trust Assets Management, the proposed result of her shakeup. Across the country, tribes overwhelmingly rejected the plan, largely because they had not been consulted about possible changes. With tribes and the Interior Department both wary of receivership, they' ve joined forces for a series of so-called consultation meetings. The goal: agree on a better system for the management of Native trust funds. Since late last year, the two sides have met more than a dozen times in large consultation meetings and smaller task force gatherings. The task force leading the meetings consists of 24 tribal representatives from throughout the country, in addition to Interior Department officials. Neal McCaleb, head of the BIA and one of four task force co-chairs, said tribes and the Interior Department have come a long way since Norton announced her reorganization plan. At one point, task force members had reached a tentative agreement. The plan called for an undersecretary to manage Native trust funds and an independent commission to oversee the work. But tribal leaders and Interior Department officials couldn't agree on who would control the commission. And progress came to a halt last month. Tribal leaders on the task force announced an impasse, saying the two sides could not agree on how to define the government's trust fund responsibilities. "A reorganization at Interior will do no good if we do not clearly define the duties and responsibilities of the department in managing Indian trust funds," said task force co-chair Tex Hall, president of the National Congress of American Indians and chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation of North Dakota. "It would be just window dressing." Said Susan Masten, chairwoman of the Yurok Tribe of California and a task force co-chair: "It should be clear that the secretary has a fundamental set of standards to adhere to in her role as our trustee. Indians should be compensated by the federal government if their funds or resources are mismanaged - just as any private account holder would be if their funds were placed in jeopardy." Dan Dubray, a spokesman for the Interior Department, said the amount of time his department's officials have spent working and meeting with tribal leaders is unprecedented. "It's not for lack of participation that we reached this impasse," he said. "We hope to fix the fundamental management issues for the benefit of Indians, of tribes and of the taxpayers." After decades of trying to fix the broken system, some tribal leaders have expressed doubt that true reform will occur. "I find it very difficult after all these years I've been involved to say we can really develop something that has a true tribal complexion, that has a true tribal ideal," said task force member Michael Jandreau, who has served as chairman of South Dakota's Lower Brule Sioux Tribe for 23 years. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Congress will likely have to approve any meaningful change. It's tried - and some say failed - in the past. In 1992, a House subcommittee produced "Misplaced Trust: The Bureau of Indian Affairs' Mismanagement of the Indian Trust Fund." The watershed report prompted the passage of the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994, which was supposed to force the Interior Department officials to fix its trust fund system. But critics say a key provision was flawed. When lawmakers created an oversight position - the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians - it also required that position to report directly to the Interior secretary. "Everyone knew the act was a compromise," said Dan Press, a Washington attorney who helped draft the legislation. "It will work if the secretary wants it to work." In a court opinion, Judge Lamberth said Congress created an oversight position without power. "If Congress truly wanted a completely independent trustee to oversee trust management, entirely independent from the well-documented recalcitrance of Interior, then Congress surely would have explicitly restricted the secretary's power over the special trustee and his office," he wrote. Now, Congress is poised to amend the 1994 act, and it's been waiting for the Interior Department and tribal leaders to reach an agreement. Earlier this year, Sens. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced what McCain called a placeholder bill, something that can be modified with the groups' recommendations. But tribal leaders are urging lawmakers not to wait for consensus on the task force. They want amendments that call for clear trust standards - defining the Interior Department's responsibilities for Native trust fund management. And they want an independent oversight commission to monitor the department. "The bureaucracy on the administration is stronger than both Republicans and Democrats on this issue," said Masten of the Yurok Tribe. "That is why we need Congress to act." Key players on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, however, said legislation likely wouldn't be passed this session. Said Campbell of Colorado: "I'm more interested in doing things right rather than doing it fast." Copyright c. 2000-2002 Helena Independent Record and Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Aboriginal Health still a Challenge" --------- Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2002 10:30:07 -0400 From: "Frosty" Subj: Aboriginal health still a challenge: Pass the FNGA Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian ----- Original Message ----- From: Don Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 2:19 AM http://www.canada.com/health/story.html Aboriginal health still a challenge Tuesday, October 8, 2002 The Edmonton Journal One of the genuine health reforms of recent years has been the production of solid data on how Canada's health system is working. The latest such data, released last week in a federal report on national health indicators, is a stark reminder of the profound disadvantages still faced by many First Nations people. The epidemic of diabetes among First Nations people is well-known. Less well-known, but outlined in this new report, is the fact that First Nations people have higher rates of heart disease, hypertension, cancer and arthritis than other Canadians. They are four times more likely to be hospitalized for such chronic conditions. Tuberculosis rates on reserves are eight to 10 times higher than for the Canadian population. Rates of chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease, are seven times higher. Aboriginal people now make up 10 per cent of AIDS cases. They lose five times as many potential years of life due to unintentional injury and three times as many due to suicide. In its throne speech, the federal government promised to improve health care on First Nations reserves. That's clearly necessary. Yet better health care cannot ultimately cure these sorts of lifestyle- related diseases. Ultimately, the change must come through an improved lifestyle. And that means helping First Nations people escape their low socio-economic status through higher education and good jobs. While First Nations need better on-reserve health care, they also need to become more successful in how their band councils operate, so that reserves will be healthy places to live. The most important thing Ottawa may be able to do for the health of First Nations people is to pass the First Nations Governance Act, which will provide a modernized set of rules for band councils. It will not be an instant fix to deep-rooted disadvantage, but it will pay health dividends down the road. Copyright c. 2002 Edmonton Journal. --------- "RE: Native Leaders angered by Ottawa's Threat" --------- Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 08:28:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TREATY TALKS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.Treaties-Stalled.html Native leaders angered by Ottawa's threat to disengage from treaty talks VANCOUVER (CP) -- Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault has been musing for some time -- again as recently as last week -- about the federal government walking away from treaty talks that are unproductive throughout the country. But native leaders complain his pronouncements are too vague, and that's left them perplexed, frustrated and seeking more information. "There's virtually no progress," Nault said recently. "We will ask for certain requirements to be met and if the requirements aren't met, then we'll walk away." The federal government spends $70 million annually funding native claims negotiations. Ed John, a leader of the First Nations Summit, the B.C. native organization overseeing dozens of treaty talks in British Columbia, wants an explanation from Nault. "We have sent a letter requesting clarification from him as to his statements," said John. "We'd like to know precisely what he's talking about." The threat to walk away also was brought up a few months ago when Nault met with the summit and with B.C. Attorney General Geoff Plant, who was not available to comment on Nault's latest threat. Treaty talks under the auspices of the B.C. Treaty Commission have been underway for about a decade, with not a single treaty having been reached in a province where virtually none were signed after the arrival of Europeans. "He (Nault) said then that if the treaty commission is not doing its job, where they should be advising some groups to disengage, then he indicated they were in the process of reviewing a number of tables and would be disengaging from those tables," said John. The federal minister has indicated that talks seem to be stalled in about 30 tables across the country. Neither John nor the Assembly of First Nations has any idea of which ones the minister is talking about and a spokesman in his office wasn't saying, either. Alistair Mullin declined to be specific about which negotiations are going nowhere, but indicated they involve the entire gamut of negotiations -- on self-government as well as specific and comprehensive claims. "We've been looking at what the current status of these tables is and we're doing it on a case-by-case basis," said Mullin. "There is no list of them made up as yet." The federal government is concerned about spending millions of taxpayers' dollars without any tangible results, he said. "While we are sitting at a table . . . and we've been there for quite some time, we're using resources in our own department which could be put to better use elsewhere," he said. The First Nations are also spending borrowed money. "The negotiating team for the First Nations is punching the clock as well and they're borrowing against the cost of any eventual settlement. So the longer this goes on the more of that settlement they're burning up," said Mullin. He suggested the government is also concerned about accusations of bad- -faith bargaining. "That's been poisonous to the relationship in the past." If the federal government does decide to take a break from any talks, Mullin said the postponement would be for "as long as it takes for us to look at our position, or the other side to look at their position, or us to deal with other issues." The Assembly of First Nations, the national representative of First Nations in Canada, expressed frustration at the minister's comments. Spokesman Don Kelly said Prime Minister Jean Chretien talked about working in partnership with First Nations following the government's recent throne speech. "So we don't see how this fits with that and in fact the minister seems to be closing the door on partnership," said Kelly. The assembly said delays in progress at treaty tables is often the fault of the federal government because they "come with limited or narrow mandates that don't get to the heart of the issue and First Nations are not prepared to negotiate away their rights." The federal government already decides which First Nations it will engage in claims negotiations. "In fact, with land claims, the federal government is already judge and jury in the process," said Kelly. "And now the minister wants to be judge and jury and executioner and terminate processes that aren't getting the results he thinks they should be." John expects that First Nations in B.C. will hear soon about which treaty tables the minister is talking about, but also says natives have legal rights that governments must respect. "The legal reality is that, politically the governments may be pushing us around, but the courts are saying, 'These people have a legal interest in land.' "It's an enforceable interest and if the government is not prepared to sit down with us and iron matters out in a good faith way, then the courts will not be too favourably disposed to look at governments and their arguments in the courts that they've been making." Copyright c. 2002, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc. --------- "RE: White Alberta Teens charged with Hate Crimes" --------- Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 21:24:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PAINTBALL" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canada.com/search/site/story Attacks target aboriginals, police say Three white Alberta teens charged with hate crimes after paintball incident Canadian Press Thursday, October 10, 2002 David Rositer, Canadian Press STANDOFF, Alta. -- Six homes and an elementary school were sprayed with paintballs in what police are calling a deliberate and targeted attack against aboriginal people. Three white teenagers have been charged with a hate crime after the attack Tuesday on the Blood reserve, about 180 kilometres southeast of Calgary. "It is a hatred against an identifiable group," said Sergeant Brian Miller of the Blood Tribe police. "I haven't seen this before on a specific group of people. I've handled mischief before in my 28 years of policing, but never with regard to a specific group of people." Miller also said some witnesses said the accused teens used slurs, but he didn't know what exactly was said. Shots at one of the homes narrowly missed two young children jumping on a trampoline, Miller added. At least one of the homes had a window broken by the paint pellets and some vehicles were damaged. Agnes Firstcharger was in one of the homes that was hit. "I just heard some noise. It sounded like fire crackers," Firstcharger said. "There was just a whole bunch of paint on the window -- a bluey- yellow colour, pink and white." She said her five-year-old grandson was in the living room when the attack happened. "He was really traumatized," Firstcharger said. "He was just saying he was scared. He couldn't sleep by himself last night." The Aahsaopi school, which has 250 students in Grades 1 to 4, put a crisis plan into effect when students arrived Wednesday. Principal Carolyn Weaselfat said the school was hit at least 20 times. She also said she hopes the attack won't cause tension between aboriginal and non-aboriginal students. "It was kind of like a drive-by shooting," Weaselfat said. "They got our front entrance and as they drove by they got the rest of the school." Concerned parents were calling all morning wondering if it was safe to have their children in the building, she said. "I think in the whole community there is a scared feeling. Somebody was saying it is kind of a wake-up call for everyone." Darrell Smith, a counsellor at the school, echoed Weaselfat's concerns. "A lot of the students are feeling rather uneasy and one father wanted to take his child home because he thought it wasn't very safe," Smith said. Copyright c. 2002 Vancouver Sun. --------- "RE: Man may be Jailed until Citizenship Proven" --------- Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 21:24:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CHARLIE SMOKE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canada.com/search/site/story Man may be jailed until citizenship proven Julian Branch CP Thursday, October 10, 2002 REGINA (CP) - Federal Immigration officials are threatening to arrest and jail an aboriginal man living in Regina who can't prove his citizenship. It's the latest skirmish in an ongoing battle that began last year when immigration officials discovered Charlie Smoke was working as an associate teacher at a Regina high school without proper authorization. He was ordered to leave Canada but refused. When Canadian officials tried to deport Smoke to the U.S., officials there refused his entry because he had no documentation. "We'll be revisiting the terms and conditions of his release and we'll be asking the adjudicator to reconsider retaking Mr. Smoke into custody," said Darcy Warner, supervisor of the Regina Immigration office. "He's in violation of the terms and conditions of his release, that being that he co-operate with citizenship and immigration in terms of answering questions, things like this," Warner added. Smoke is currently free on $1,000 bail but Warner said the application to the adjudicator will be made within 48 hours. "Well, I guess that means I'll be spending the rest of my life in jail," said Smoke. "It's better in a Canadian jail than an American jail. They got cable and all kinds of stuff up here." Smoke, 40, said he met with Immigration officials for only five minutes. "They refused to respond to any of my questions. I refused to respond to any of their questions. They said that a warrant may be issued for my arrest because I am not complying with them." Smoke says he was born on the Canadian side of the Akwesasne reserve that straddles the Canada-U.S. border near Cornwall, Ont. He maintains he was never issued a birth certificate and was never registered as a status Indian, but that he considers himself to be neither a Canadian nor a U.S. citizen. Instead, Smoke refers to himself as a pre-Canadian aboriginal person and claims he has the right to live on either side of the border. "No colony has the right to come to another land and impose citizenship on indigenous people living on that land," said Smoke. Smoke even brought his own deportation order asking that four immigration officials who have dealt with his case "vacate Turtle Island, the land known to them as the Americas." Warner said the investigation to determine if Smoke is Canadian or American will continue whether he remains free or goes to jail. "It's an ongoing investigation. It could take weeks. It could take months," said Warner. Smoke is to appear in Regina provincial court later this month. A trial on a charge under the Employment Insurance Act that he fraudulently used his wife's social insurance number to gain employment has been set for Oct. 30. Copyright c. 2002 CP. --------- "RE: Wild Bill Janklow disputes Rosebud Jurisdiction" --------- Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2002 08:10:38 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JANKLOW" http://www.indianz.com/News/ State disputes 'illegal jurisdiction' of tribe THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2002 South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow (R) sued the Bush administration on Tuesday to dispute a tribal road tax and an Indian hiring program. In papers filed in federal court, Janklow refused to submit to the "illegal jurisdiction" of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. He said the state will not pay a two percent tribal tax or require highway contractors to give preference to tribal members and other Native Americans. "[T]he tribe lacks the authority, as a matter of federal law, to subject state contractors to tribal civil jurisdiction," the October 8 complaint authored by deputy attorney general John P. Guhin stated. Janklow, who is running for the state's sole U.S. House of Representatives seat, is not suing the tribe. He is challenging Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta's decision to withhold federal highway funds to the state. Upholding a Clinton-era policy, Mineta recently informed the state that it was in violation of the Rosebud tribal law. An August 20 investigative report concluded that all tribes in South Dakota "have the jurisdictional authority" to impose tax and hiring preferences. The position is based on a 1993 notice issued by the Federal Highway Administration, an agency of the Department of Transportation. The goal is to promote "employment opportunities for Indians on reservations." "Tribes may impose this tax on reservations, but they have no tax authority off reservations," the document states. But the state asserts that its road maintenance programs are threatened by tribal jurisdiction. Although the notice provides for federal reimbursement of tribal taxes, the court papers claim otherwise. The state also disputes the "extraordinary" power of the tribe to enforce its road programs. Fines, suspensions and termination can be imposed if highway contractors do not follow the tribal ordinance. During a six-year period, the state paid about $335,000 in taxes to the tribe but stopped in 1999. South Dakota receives federal highway funds in excess of $20 million. Federal law was amended to allow for tribal taxes and Indian preference under the Indian Reservation Roads (IRR) program. Tribal leaders yesterday testified before a House committee to support an increase in Indian highway funds. "Indian people," said Navajo Nation council delegate Andrew Simpson, "need better roads to reach a better future." Other witnesses said support from the federal agencies was crucial to their success. "We think the federal government could serve Indian Country better if it trusted us more," said Timothy Tubby, a planner for the Mississippi Band of Choctaws. The IRR program is funded through a percentage of a federal highway trust fund. It receives about $275 million per year, to be distributed to more than 500 tribes and Alaska Native governments. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) has introduced a bill to double the amount. Copyright c. 2000-2002 Noble Savage Media, LLC/Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Tribe applauds Drug Bust" --------- Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 21:24:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DRUG BUST" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://news.bellinghamherald.com/stories/20021010/ Tribe applauds drug bust CRIME: FBI, Lummi Law & Order will continue 18-month investigation of cocaine distribution. Kari Shaw, The Bellingham Herald October 10, 2002 After two days of late-night and early morning arrests, three Lummi Reservation residents are being held in Seattle on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. The arrests of Bruce Pierre, 42, John Jefferson Sr., 43 and Cathy Lane, 37 are part of an 18-month investigation in cocaine distribution on the reservation. Lummi Law & Order Chief Gary James said the investigation is ongoing. Tribal Chairman Darrell Hillaire applauded the bust as another victory in the tribe's battle against drugs. It is the second large cocaine bust on the reservation this year, the other being the arrest of six people in February. Those six eventually pleaded guilty to federal drug charges for trafficking crack cocaine at "the compound," a maze of abandoned cars and trailers on North Red River Road. The two busts are unrelated. "It brings the numbers (of arrests for federal drug charges) to nine," Hillaire said. "I think that's a record." At the same time, the tribal government recently landed a $1.2 million, three-year federal grant to plan a drug-treatment center on Kwina Road. Nabbed by agents Lummi Law & Order and Federal Bureau of Investigation officers made their first arrest in the case late Monday night with Jefferson as he pulled his crab boat into the launch at Gooseberry Point. Jefferson was fishing alone and cooperated with the officers, James said. Northwest Regional Drug Task Force officers arrested Lane, who lives in the 3700 block of Sinclair Drive, in Bellingham, also that evening. She has no known employment, James said. At about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Lummi Law & Order got a tip from a community member that Pierre was at home. He was awake when Lummi Law & Order officers arrived at his house on Lummi Shore Road, shortly after the tip, with a federal arrest warrant, James said. "The officers did say that he was very surprised," he said. Like Lane, Pierre had no known employment. James wouldn't comment on the specifics of the allegations - including details like what kind of cocaine was allegedly sold and whether any was recovered during the arrests - because the case is still open. He deferred questions to federal officials. Spokesmen with the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle did not return repeated phone calls for comment. James did say that the alleged trafficking was substantial, although not as large as the February bust. "This is on a large scale, but I don't know if we can compare it to that," he said. "It was a pretty large operation." Good news for tribe Hillaire said he hopes the arrests lead to a lull in drug abuse and distribution. "It's pretty good news," he said. His office launched myriad anti-drug programs early this year, including an effort to get funding for a drug treatment center. Hillaire said the center, with rooms for both adults and juveniles, should be open in a year and a half and fully built in about three years. Reach Kari Shaw at kari.shaw@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2290. Copyright c. 2002, The Bellingham Herald. --------- "RE: Man Sentenced for Night-Hunting Incident" --------- Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 21:24:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NIGHT HUNT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canada.com/search/site/story Man sentenced for night-hunting incident By Broadcast News Wednesday, October 09, 2002 WOODSTOCK, N.B. -- A New Brunswick man has been sentenced to seven days in jail in connection with a case that focused on native-hunting rights. Shawn Joseph Tomah, of the Woodstock First Nation was found guilty in July of illegal possession of deer meat stemming from a night hunting incident back in 1999. He was sentenced Tuesday. In addition to jail time, he was handed a $1,000 fine. However the matter's been set aside 30 days to allow Tomah's lawyer to argue that his client's sentence should be put on hold while the conviction is appealed. Tomah based his defence on native rights. But the judge ruled against him, saying his rights weren't infringed upon and hunting at night with a firearm is inherently dangerous. Copyright c. 2002 Broadcast News. --------- "RE: Sculpture moved because of Vandalism" --------- Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 21:24:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="VANDALISM" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.trib.com/HOMENEWS/WYO/SculptureVandalism.html Sculpture moved because of vandalism CODY, Wyo. (AP) - One of two sculptures atop Dead Indian Pass along the Chief Joseph Highway has had to be moved because of chronic vandalism. Two years ago, Powell artist Bill Rentschler commemorated the Nez Perce tribe's 1877 trek through the area with two steel statues of Nez Perce riders on horses. It wasn't long after the sculptures were mounted atop Dead Indian Pass that vandals started trouble. Since then, the sculptures have been shot, poked, prodded and even wrapped in a chain and yanked from their mounts, said Brent Larson, district ranger for the Shoshone National Forest, which surrounds the pass. "It gets patched up every year, it's just an ongoing dilemma," Larson said. "We put it up this summer. It was up for about a month before someone tore it off." The sculpture of the female rider was still standing Wednesday, but the male rider was recently removed by the Forest Service after it was damaged and bent. Every time the sculptures are damaged, Rentschler donates his time to make the necessary repairs. "It's getting to be a little frustrating," Rentschler said. "He does it out of the goodness of his heart," Larson said. The statues, which stand 3 or 4 feet tall, are a popular item atop the long hill between Cody and Cooke City. But Larson said that sculptures are never up for long before someone decides to damage them. "Sometimes it's just a matter of a week or two," he said. Copyright c. trib.com 2002, all rights reserved. --------- "RE: Shooting in Mescalero leaves Seven Wounded" --------- Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 22:54:10 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SHOOTING" http://www.ruidosonews.com/Stories/ Shooting in Mescalero leaves seven wounded By Sandy Suggitt Ruidoso News staff writer October 8, 2002 Seven young men were shot by six juveniles on Carrizo Trail in Mescalero early Sunday morning, according to Bureau of Indian Affairs officials. At 12:11 a.m., Ruidoso police transferred a 911 call to BIA police in Mescalero concerning a 13-year-old male shot in the leg at a residence in the 100 block of Carrizo Trail. Both BIA and Ruidoso police responded and reports of two additional victims being shot were received while they were in route to the scene. The first three victims were transported to Lincoln County Medical Center in private vehicles. The first officers on the scene found two additional victims, and further investigation revealed that seven people had been wounded. All were Native Americans and residents of the Mescalero Apache Reservation and between the ages of 14 and 20. All seven were taken to the hospital and three were sent to Alamogordo for emergency surgery. Witnesses told investigators that a shotgun was used and identified the six male juvenile suspects along with a small black truck. "Early the same morning, a vehicle fitting that description was reported leaving at a high rate of speed from Pena Housing Area," according to a release by Acting District Commander Ivan Bowekaty. BIA police stopped the vehicle on Highway 70 a short time later and took four male juveniles into custody on tribal charges and impounded the truck. Later Sunday afternoon, two additional suspects, accompanied by family members, turned themselves in to BIA police without incident. All were held without bond on tribal charges, and five of the six were arraigned at Mescalero Tribal Court Monday. The six suspects in the shooting were all Native American and residents of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, between 15 and 16 years of age. "There was no indication of gang or illegal drug activity in the incident," the release states. "Although reported as a drive-by shooting, there is no indication of this, but an escalation of events that started in the form of a verbal argument and shoving match. The suspects were leaving the area and fired the weapon toward a crowd of people standing in the street on Carrizo Trail." Alcohol was a factor in the shooting. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact BIA or FBI agents at 464-4451. Copyright c. 1999-2001 MediaNews Group, Inc./Ruidoso, NM. --------- "RE: Big Surge in Murders on Rez" --------- Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 08:22:44 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MURDERS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=50667 Big surge in murders on Rez By LARRY HENDRICKS Sun Staff Reporter 10/13/2002 Eight murders were reported in a 17-day period in September and October on the Navajo Nation. And that has federal authorities in Arizona working on developing new ways to combat the rising murder rate of the past two years, which had been on the decline from an all-time high in 1996. Based on population and number of murders reported for 2001, the Navajo Nation is one of the most dangerous places in the United States, with a murder rate six times the national average. In the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation alone for the year 2001, 31 murder cases were reported to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Flagstaff. So far, in the first nine months of 2002, 34 cases have been reported -- already an 8 percent increase. "We're looking for new and innovative ways to help the Navajo Nation," said Joseph Lodge, assistant U.S. attorney based in Flagstaff. "We must work diligently to reduce the current rate of murders." Lodge said that plans are being developed to map the locations of murders on the Navajo Nation in an effort to identify areas where murders are happening more frequently. Then, the U.S. Attorney's office, with a variety of federal and tribal authorities, will begin discussing efforts to take to combat the rising murder rate. The FBI, working in conjunction with tribal authorities, investigates all serious crime on American Indian reservations in the United States. "We're going to continue investigative methods that have proved successful in the past, as well as new and different ways to attack this problem," Lodge said. CURBING ALCOHOL USE The official unemployment rate nearly everywhere on the Rez tops 20 percent, but there are many more who are out of work and have stopped looking. Past efforts to reduce violent crime included cracking down on bootleggers and gang activity. McDonald Rominger, special agent with the Flagstaff office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said, in his experience as an agent with the FBI investigating murders on the Navajo Nation, nearly all of those crimes involved alcohol use by one or all parties involved. In summer 2001, a four-month, multiagency effort to combat the illegal selling of alcohol and drugs on the reservation called "Operation Bootleg" ended with 22 people being charged by the Arizona Office of the U.S. Attorney. All of the people charged pleaded guilty and were sentenced to probation and fines. A number of those who pleaded guilty have since reoffended and are serving prison sentences. At the time of the sting, Paul Charlton, U.S. Attorney for Arizona, said stopping bootleggers and the sale of liquor and drugs on the reservation was intended to reduce violent crimes like murder. The bootlegging effort was expected to last through the summer of 2002. There is no information if the effort has been extended or expanded. TARGETING GANGS Rominger said that in the past, the bureau had been "reactive" to violent crime on the Navajo Nation. Then, murders on the Navajo Nation hit an all-time high of 67 in 1996. "Over the years, particularly since 1997, both the FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office and Navajo police have taken a particularly aggressive stance toward gang-related homicides and activity on the Navajo Nation," Rominger said. Beginning in 1997, federal and tribal authorities cracked down on gang activity and aggressively prosecuted gang members in an effort to stem major violent crimes. "We actually did see a drop in the Window Rock and Fort Defiance areas," Rominger said, adding that both locations were identified as hotbeds of violent gang activity -- particularly with a gang called the Cobras. As the number of Cobra gang members who went to prison rose, the murder and violent crime rate decreased dramatically in those areas, Rominger said. SPATE OF DEATHS Rominger said it is unclear at this time if any of the victims' deaths in the most recent spate of murders were related to any gang activity. Rominger said from Sept. 16 to Oct. 4, eight murders were reported on the Navajo Nation: 9/16 -- John Doe, age unknown. Navajo police were called to a report of a badly decomposing body found in a wash in the vicinity of St. Michaels. Investigators who processed the scene determined the cause of death as homicide. The investigation into the murder and efforts to identify the body continue. 9/18 -- Leo Mike, 24. Navajo police found Mike's body outside his residence near Blue Gap. He died as a result of blunt-force trauma. There are no suspects in custody, and the investigation continues. 9/19 -- Fulbert Fowler, 23. Fowler had been stabbed multiple times near Hunter's Point. He was taken to the Indian Health Services hospital in Fort Defiance, where he later died. Lasheo Golden, 19, of Houck, has been federally charged with the murder. He is in tribal custody. 9/21 -- Delano Davidson, 29. Davidson's body was found near Little Well. He had been stabbed multiple times. Elvin Attakai, 42, of Middle Wells, has been federally charged with the murder. He is in federal custody. 9/23 -- A female was found shot to death in an outhouse at her residence near Kinlichee. A juvenile has been federally charged with the murder and is in federal custody. FBI, citing juvenile protection law, would not divulge any other information. 9/28 -- Ronald Sam, 41. Sam had been stabbed multiple times in the vicinity of Blue Springs near Leupp. He was airlifted to Flagstaff Medical Center, where he later died from his wounds. No suspects are in custody, and the investigation continues. 9/28 -- Leroy Little, age unknown. Little was flown to FMC from Navajo Mountain, Utah, with blunt-force trauma to the head. He was pronounced dead Oct. 1. The case is being investigated by federal authorities in Utah, and there is no further information. 10/4 -- A female, who had been stabbed multiple times, was found outside her residence on the Navajo Nation. Investigators are identifying the death as a domesti c homicide, and the investigation continues. Rominger said all of the investigations are being conducted jointly by the FBI and Navajo Nation criminal investigators. Anybody with information regarding any of these murders is encouraged to call the FBI in Flagstaff at (800) 818-2332, the FBI in Phoenix at (602) 279-5511, or any Navajo police district office. Reporter Larry Hendricks can be reached at lhendricks@azdailysun.com or 913-8607. Copyright c. 2000-2002 Arizona Daily Sun. --------- "RE: Indians living in Danger" --------- Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2002 09:18:59 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WINDOW ROCK" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1013accident13.html Indians living in danger Mark Henle/The Arizona Republic Oct. 13, 2002 12:00 AM For most Americans the leading cause of death is heart disease, then cancer. For Navajos, it's accidents. The unintentional injury, or accidental, death rate for Navajos is 138.5 per 100,000 compared with 30.1 for all races. It's the highest of all Indians. Chuck Thomas remembers being 8, standing on the side of the road near Gallup, N.M., watching his grandmother walk across. He saw the drunken driver who hit her. And he was with her at the hospital when she died two hours later. They had been driving from their home on the Navajo Reservation to celebrate the Fourth of July in Gallup, but hit a cow that had strayed onto the road. Thomas' grandmother was going for help. "It changed my whole childhood," said Thomas, 29, who earlier this year attended an alcohol treatment program in Gallup. "Every year around July 3rd I visualize the whole thing, every moment of it." Motor vehicle accidents kill the most. The death rate: 87.2 per 100,000 in the Navajo area compared with 15.9 for all Americans. Almost a third of the Navajo accidents involve pedestrians. "It impacts greatly on our community," said Nancy Bill, Navajo-area injury prevention specialist for the Indian Health Service. "The deaths are mostly young Navajo males, so it leaves families without a means of income. And most of them could be prevented." But Native Americans also die in falls: from mesas in northern Arizona, from ice floes in Alaska, from poor