From gars@speakeasy.org Tue Oct 29 19:13:34 2002 Date: 30 Oct 2002 01:02:35 -0000 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews10.044 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 044 | Country than is reported in | O o o o o O | this weekly newsletter. For | O o O October 26, 2002 | For daily updates & events | O o O | go http://www.owlstar.com/ | O | dailyheadlines.htm | Passamaquoddy amikahtin/harvest moon +-----------------------------+ Assiniboine anukope/joins both sides moon <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is produced in straight ASCII text for greatest portability across platforms. Read it with a fixed-pitch font, such as Courier, Monaco, FixedSys or CG Times. Proportional fonts will be difficult to read. <================<<<< >>>>================> This issue contains articles from www.owlstar.com; www.indianz.com; www.pechanga.net; Frostys AmerIndian, Indigenous_Peoples_Literature, ndn-aim, Iron Natives, & Native American Chat 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.'" "In the beginning of all things, wisdom and knowledge were with the animals, for the One Above did not speak directly to man. He sent certain animals to tell men that he showed himself through the beasts and that from them, and from the stars and the sun and the moon should man learn...all things tell of Him." __ Eagle Chief, Pawnee +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! To the Apache, Dzil ncha si an is a Sacred space. They view the mountain as the embodiment of spirituality. To the Vatican and several universities this place they call Mt. Graham is a place to map the sky - no brochure I can find indicates they hope to understand heaven, only the sky which stands as a portal. The University of Minnesota and the University of Virginia are the latest to buy time at the Mt. Graham Observatory for use by their astronomy departments. These schools have, however, promised to "aid the Apache" whose Sacred Mountain they now desecrate. Now we understand the rules. It's acceptable for the Eastern Band of Cherokee and the Southern Ute to invest in a penthouse observatory on top of St. Peter's Basilica provided they promise to "aid the Catholics" who might object to their Sacred place of worship being desecrated. It's so simple, once you know how to play the game. Since Dzil ncha si an is a place of burials and ceremony we will also want to build access roads through the Vatican Gardens and the Sistine Chapel. Just remember to promise (you only have to make the promise, not keep it) to aid the Catholics. I am sure the Vatican and the University regents have given due consideration to the spirits that dwell on Dzil ncha si an. Has history not shown us how the black robes understand and respect those things Native Peoples hold as Sacred? "We are not convinced by any of the arguments thus far presented that Mt. Graham possesses a sacred character which precludes responsible and legitimate use of the land. Such use has not been precluded in the past; we fail to see why it should be precluded now. In fact, we believe that responsible and legitimate use of the land enhances its sacred character. Land is a gift of God to be used with reason and to be respected." __ By Father George V. Coyne, S.J. Director Vatican Observatory Statement of the Vatican Observatory on the Mount Graham International Observatory and the American Indian Peoples. As for keeping promises...the Omnibus Appropriation Bill of April 25, 1996 containing the Kolbe Rider that allowed the University of Arizona to begin the Mt. Graham project was signed into law in spite of a "promise" no such bill would be signed. -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- Winter is here. 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, construction, 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 ---------- - Crossings - Quebec Inuit deserve - Tribal Board their own Provincial Riding seeks review of Health Care - Stunning win for Nisga'a Fisherman - Universities to partner - B.C. Tribe in Mount Graham Scope seeks return of Sun Mask - Tribal Status at top of AFN Agenda - Quebec split on Treaty Deal - Interior pulls out - Lawsuits can only name of Trust Reform Task Force Anglican Missionary Society - Trail of Frozen Tears - Patterson's Mobile Home Leveled - Water Settlements - Native Prisoner bring Economic Promise -- Unit Interview Advice - All Fishing halted -- Letter to Congress & Senate on Quillayute River -- Montana State Prison 2002 - Plan to pipe Clean Water - Rustywire: Lets go inside to Blackfeet Towns & get Something to Eat - Demo Official tries - Poem: What an Indian is not to rally Indians to Vote - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days - Bill Janklow - This Week on First Peoples TV has attacked Tribal Sovereignty - Native America Calling - Internet Site features - After-school Project teaches Lakota 1880 U.S. Census Records - Indian Market and - Territorial Integrity Native American Craft Fair of Kahnawa'kehro:non - ITBC National Conference --------- "RE: Crossings" --------- Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 08:10:52 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CROSSINGS" October 23, 2002 Glen A. Richardson BETHLEHEM -- Warren County Commissioner Glen A. Richardson, 57, of the Bethlehem Community in Warren County, died Saturday, Oct. 19, 2002, in Bladen County. He accepted Christ at an early age and was a faithful member of Mt. Bethel Baptist Church in Bethlehem. Commissioner Richardson was born April 18, 1945, to Garland and Bevise "Ardean" Richardson, who preceded him in death. He was a builder as well as a Native American cultural vendor. He owned Native American Crafts. He graduated from Haliwa Indian School in 1963 and he attended Nash Community College. All his life he stressed the importance of an education, a strong work ethic, and was a strong advocate for Native Americans, on the local and state level. Furthermore, he was proud of the fact that he was the first Native American/Haliwa-Saponi to serve as a commissioner in Warren County. He took pride in his voting record as a county commissioner and was careful to make sure that everyone understood that he represented the entire county, not just Bethlehem. He found pleasure in the fact that he could make a positive impact on the lives of the citizens of Warren County. He also took pride in the fact that he was the overseer of the rebuilding of Mt. Bethel Baptist Church and the lead builder of Walnut Grove near Arcola. He was a founding member and former president of the Bethlehem Recreation Commission Inc. In addition, he is a past council member of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe, past board member of the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs, past member of Preserve Haliwa Now and president and founding member of TOT Properties. He was also a founding member of NOW- CDC Inc. serving as chairman until 2001. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Avon "Joe" Richardson and Will A. Richardson. He is survived by his wife Ava; his son, Rory (Courtney) of Warrenton; his daughter, Wenona Mills (Sakima) of Warrenton; and his stepdaughter, Elizabeth Lynch of Garner. He was a doting grandfather to his two grandchildren, Raina A. Mills and Rory D. Richardson Jr. He is also survived by three sisters, Clairine "Ruby" Richardson of Warrenton (Jessie -- deceased), Aggelean Daniel (Tyrone) of Roanoke Rapids, and Pattie Rainer (Larry) of Fayetteville; his brothers, Willie D. Richardson (Doris) of Crofton, Md., and Donald W. Richardson of Manassas, Va.; and his loving nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 23, at Mt. Bethel Baptist Church. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends at a wake from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the church, and other times at the home. Blaylock Funeral Home in Littleton is handling the arrangements. Copyright c. 2002 Roanoke Rapids, NC Daily Herald. -=-=-=- October 26, 2002 Delly Young Bird NEW TOWN -- Delly Young Bird, 45, New Town, died Oct. 24, 2002, at the Dickinson hospital as the result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Four Bears Community Center, rural New Town. Further arrangements are pending with Fulkerson Funeral Home, Watford City. Marie Young Bear MANDAREE -- Marie Young Bear, 68, Mandaree, died Oct. 26, 2002, at a Bismarck hospital. Arrangements are pending with Fulkerson Funeral Home, Watford City. Copyright c. 2002 Bismarck Tribune. -=-=-=- October 23, 2002 Joseph Angel MANDERSON - Joseph Angel, 80, Manderson, died Saturday, Oct. 19, 2002, in Martin. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Survivors include four daughters, Iris Castillo, Denver, Lenora Angel, Manderson, and Cheryl Angel and JoAnne Angel, Sioux Falls; two sons, Clement Angel, Denver, and Alvino Angel, Kennewick, Wash.; one sister, Arlene Tradeway, West Virginia; one brother, Lawrence Twiss, Rapid City; 28 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. A one-night wake will begin at noon today at St. Agnes Catholic Hall in Manderson. Services will be at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, at St. Agnes Catholic Hall. Burial will be at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Kimberly E. Rowland PINE RIDGE - Kimberly E. Rowland, 24, Pine Ridge, died Saturday, Oct. 19, 2002, in Pine Ridge as a result of an automobile accident. Survivors include two sons, Matte Coy Steven Bad Heart Bull and Trevor Lane Red Cloud, both of Pine Ridge; one daughter, Ashley Marie Red Cloud, Pine Ridge; her parents, Stephen Rowland, Pine Ridge, and Patricia White Bear Claws, Calico; and three sisters, Sharon Rowland, Carrie Rowland and Phoebe Rowland, all of Pine Ridge. A two-night wake will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, at Billy Mills Hall in Pine Ridge. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Billy Mills Hall, with the Rev. Steve Sanford officiating. Burial will be at Holy Cross Episcopal Cemetery in Pine Ridge. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Bernard L. Red Cloud PINE RIDGE - Bernard L. Red Cloud, 30, Pine Ridge, died Saturday, Oct. 19, 2002, in Pine Ridge as a result of an automobile accident. Survivors include three sons, Jordan Red Cloud, Lyle Red Cloud and Trevor Red Cloud, all of Pine Ridge; one daughter, Ashley Marie Red Cloud, Pine Ridge; his grandfather, Chief Oliver Red Cloud, Pine Ridge; and one sister, Mellisa Red Cloud, Pine Ridge. A two-night wake will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, at Billy Mills Hall in Pine Ridge. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Billy Mills Hall, with the Rev. Steve Sanford officiating. Burial will be at Holy Cross Episcopal Cemetery in Pine Ridge. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. October 24, 2002 Pauline Kindle OGLALA - Pauline Kindle, 90, Oglala, died Monday, Oct. 21, 2002, in Chadron, Neb. Survivors include one daughter, Belva Long Wolf, Oglala. A two-night wake will begin at noon today at Wesleyan Chapel in Slim Buttes. The second night will begin at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, at Brother Rene Catholic Hall in Oglala. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Makasan Presbyterian Church in Oglala, with the Rev. Asa Wilson officiating. Burial will be at Makasan Presbyterian Cemetery in Oglala. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Myrtle Irene Young Means Schoenly MARTIN - Myrtle passed to the spirit world, surrounded by her family, from complications of pneumonia on October 22, 2002. She had been in frail health for many months. Our beautiful, vivacious, loving mother, grandmother and guiding light is now safely home. She was born to Edward J. and Cecilia Livermont Young on January 4, 1918, at home on Hume Creek in what was then Washabaugh County. She was the fifth of six children and was raised south of present-day Vetal in Bennett County. She was a member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe. Myrtle attended the Jelly School in Bennett County and graduated from the Pine Ridge Boarding School. She married John Means. Four children - Warren, Karen, Janice and Dennis - were born of this marriage and were raised in Laramie, Wyoming, where Johnny was employed. She later married James Schoenly and they shared nearly thirty years together. Myrtle returned permanently to Bennett County in 1974 and has resided in Martin since then. Myrtle's love for her family was boundless; living and caring for her children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and her extended family was the focus of her life. She loved to square dance in her younger years, and later became a mean card player. She is now at rest in Bennett County, close to her parents and family where she wanted to be. She is survived by her son Warren (Marge), 20 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Arrangements are under the direction of the Sioux Funeral Home in Pine Ridge. Rosary will be said at 7 p.m. Thursday, with the wake following. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, October 25th, at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Interment will be in the Catholic Cemetery in Martin, followed by a lunch to be served in the church basement. Myrtle was preceded in death by her husband, both daughters and youngest son, two grandchildren, her parents, siblings and one nephew. October 29, 2002 Myrna Marshall-Kovandal WOUNDED KNEE - Myrna Marshall-Kovandal, 47, Wounded Knee, died Friday, Oct. 25, 2002, in Mason City, Neb. Survivors include her husband, Ronnie Kovandal, Mason City; two sons, Mike Marshall, Wounded Knee, and Ron Marshall, Kearney, Neb.; three daughters, Rosa Marshall and Toni Marshall, both of Kearney, and Charlotte Marshall, Mason City; one brother, Ronnie Clincher, Laurel, Mont.; and four grandchildren. A two-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. today at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Wounded Knee. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, at the church, with the Rev. Bill Pauly officiating. Burial will be at Little Moon Family Cemetery in Wounded Knee. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Lucille R. Two Bulls RED SHIRT - Lucille R. Two Bulls, 73, Red Shirt, died Friday, Oct. 25, 2002, at Rapid City Regional Hospital. Survivors include her husband, Vernal Brown Bull Sr., Kyle; four sons, Vernel Brown Bull Jr., Rapid City, Oliver Brown Bull Sr. and Timothy Brown Bull Sr., both of Oglala, and Rick Mousseau, Pine Ridge; three daughters, Sandra Janis, Kyle, and Sally Brown Bull and Deb Mousseau, both of Oglala; five brothers, Francis Two Bulls Sr., Pine Ridge, Frank Two Bulls Sr. and Sam Two Bulls Sr., both of Oglala, the Rev. Robert Two Bulls, Red Shirt, and Pete Two Bulls, Custer; and three sisters, Ramona Colhoff and Elizabeth Belt, both of Rapid City, and Julie Garnier, Oglala. A two-night wake will begin at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, at Oglala Recreation Center. The second night will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, at Red Shirt School Gym. Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 1, at the school gym, with the Rev. Robert Two Bulls officiating. Burial will be at Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery in Red Shirt. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2002 the Rapid City Journal. -=-=-=- October 23, 2002 Beau Lyle Bekise April 26, 1980 - Oct. 20, 2002 Beau Lyle Bekise, 22, of Farmington passed away Sunday, Oct. 20, 2002. Beau is survived by his parents, Laurence and Rita Bekise; brothers, Bryan and Lavida and daughters, Brittney and Bryana, Joe and Brandon Bekise and girlfriend, Theresa and daughter, Lauryn Rae of Laguna; maternal grandfather, Billy Begay Sr., of Farmington. Beau also left behind special friend, Ivana Bryant. Beau is also survived by aunts, Anita DeLeon and family, and Sophina and Luke Pierce and family, all of Farmington, Eva and James Mason and family, Leroy Lee and family, Jeanette and Clifford Yazzie and family, and Janet and Jack Pinto and family, all of Fruitland, and Judith Bedoni and family of Farmington; uncles, Billy Begay Jr., and family and Floyd Begay and family, all of Farmington, Robert and Lucy Bekise and family, Stanley and Florence Bekis and family, all of Fruitland, and Mike Bekis and family of Kirtland. Beau was preceded in death by paternal grandparents, Charles and Rena Bekis; aunt, Lorene C. Lee; uncle, Kenneth Davis; grandpa, Roger Brown; and brother, Blayne L. Bekise. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Stake Center in Kirtland, Hwy. 64 #10 C.R. 6523. Pallbearers will be Bryan Bekise, Joe Bekise, Brandon "Bam" Bekise, Therroll "Bull" Bekise, Kerron "Mojo" Bekise and Lee Frank. Alternate pallbearere will be Harold Sam. Honorary pallbearers will be Laurence Bekise, Robert, Therron, Woody and Dinny Bekise, Ponche Bekise, Stanley and Sean Bekis, Mike, Marcus, and Mario Bekis, Shannon Bedonie, Ron Arthur, Clifford Clifton, Peanuts Yazzie, James and Jeff Mason, Jack, Josh, and Jeremy Pinto, Luke and Jordan Pierce, Floyd, Scotty, Ju-Ju and Chris Begay, Billy Jr., and Randy Begay, Carl and Quentin Benally, Amross, Ambrose, Ambert, and Justin "Moochie" Teasyatwho. Beau touched the lives of many people and he will surely be missed by everyone who knew him. We love you and miss you already, Beau - God-speed. Funeral arrangements are with Cope Memorial Chapel in Farmington. Gilbert Curley Feb. 14, 1945 - Oct. 20, 2002 Gilbert Curley, 57, of Two Grey Hills passed away Sunday, Oct. 20, 2002, at Newcomb. He was born Feb. 14, 1945, at Two Grey Hills. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Toadlena. Interment will follow at the family cemetery in Gray Mesa. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral Home, Shiprock, (505) 368-4607. October 26, 2002 David H. Tsosie David H. Tsosie Sr., 63, of Aztec died Thursday, Oct. 24, 2002, in Farmington. He was born Nov. 11, 1938, at Cove, Ariz. Funeral services will be held Monday, Oct. 28, 2002, at 10 a.m. at the Christian Reformed Church in Red Valley, Ariz. Interment will follow at the family cemetery in Cove, Ariz. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral Home, Shiprock, (505) 368-4607. Wilbert K. Tsosie Sr. Wilbert K. Tsosie Sr., 70, of Bisti, passed away Friday, Oct. 25, 2002, at San Juan Manor in Farmington. Mr. Tsosie was born May 15, 1932, in Bisti. Funeral arrangements are pending with Cope Memorial Chapel of Farmington, 404 W. Arrington St., (505) 327-5142. Copyright c. 1999-2002 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM. -=-=-=- October 23, 2002 Louise Elsie Plummer COYOTE CANYON - Services for Louise Plummer, 67, will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, at Rehoboth Christian Reformed Church. Pastor Phillip Nez will officiate. Burial will follow at Rehoboth Mission Cemetery. Visitation will be held from noon to 7 p.m. today at Rollie Mortuary. Plummer died Oct. 17 in Farmington. She was born Feb. 9, 1935, in Cove, Ariz., into the Red House People Clan for the Cove of the Mountain People Clan. Survivors include her husband, Richard Plummer Sr. of Coyote Canyon; sons, Duane Plummer of Farmington and Richard Plummer Jr. of Farmington; daughter, Sandra Ahasteen of Shiprock; brothers, James Nez of Las Cruces, Sydney Nez Jr., Daniel Nez and Phillip Nez all of Shiprock; sisters, Angie Nez of Kirtland, Theresa Begaye and Clara Nez both of Shiprock; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Plummer was preceded in death by her parents, Nila and Sidney Nez Sr. and brother, Wilfred Nez. Pallbearers will be Darren Barber, Edison A. Begay Jr., Harlen C. Begaye, Herman C. Begaye, Irvin B. Livingston, Harry Plummer Jr., Alvin Thomas and Keith Yessilth. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. October 25, 2002 Gilbert Curley TWO GREY HILLS - Services for Gilbert Curley, 57, will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 24 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Toadlena. Burial will follow at the family cemetery, Gray Mesa. Curley died Oct. 24 in Newcomb. He was born Feb. 14, 1945 in Two Grey Hills. Curley attended Brigham Young University, Weaver State, Utah and Navajo Community College, where he received a degree in general education. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Survivors include his son, Shalbert Curley of Two Grey Hills; father, Willard Fraizer of Red Valley, Ariz.; brothers, James Curley of Newcomb, Willard Johnson of Sheepsprings, Herbert Johnson, Robert Johnson and Kennedy Johnson all of Two Grey Hills; sisters, Lorita Billie and Virginia Johnson both of Two Grey Hills and Christine Johnson of Tuba City, Ariz. Curley was preceded in death by his mother, Nellie. Pallbearers will be Duaine Billie, Dean H. Johnson, Delaine Billie, Darrin E. Billie, Edison Johnson Sr. and Herbert Johnson. The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services at Two Grey Chapter House. Copyright c. 2002 the Gallup Independent. -=-=-=- October 23, 2002 Julia Mae Small Smith STILLWATER -- Julia Mae Small Smith, resident of Perkins, died Sunday, Oct. 20, 2002, in Oklahoma City. She was 82. The funeral will be 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, in the Iowa Tribal Community Building. Burial will be in the Iowa Tribal Cemetery southeast of Perkins under the direction of Strode Funeral Home of Stillwater. Julia Mae Small Smith was born in Perkins in 1920. She was the oldest full-blood female of the Iowa tribe, belonging to the Wolf and Eagle clans. She married William Smith in 1945 in Wetumka. She worked with him in the Methodist ministry for 10 years and became a certified lay speaker. They worked with the Cherokee tribe in Jay and the Creek and Seminole tribes in Wetumka. She moved to Shawnee and was employed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She was also a certified carpenter, serving as the National Indian Council of Aging worker for the Title VI program. She was a member of the Nagawee United Methodist Church of Shawnee. Survivors include one sister, Irene Shores of Shawnee, six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, two sisters and three brothers. Copyright c. 1998-2002 The Ponca City News. -=-=-=- October 27, 2002 Nancy Dumont WOLF POINT - Nancy Dumont, age 66, was born in Poplar on Jan. 7, 1936. Her parents were Robert V. Dumont and Emily Anderson Dumont. She was raised in the Wolf Point area and graduated from Wolf Point High School. After graduation, Nancy attended Haskell Institute and obtained a business degree. She worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in several agencies in various positions. In 1966, Nancy moved to Chicago where she gained a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University. Nancy was active in the Native American Education Services and enthusiastically supported her brother Bob's efforts in establishing the NAES site on Fort Peck Reservation. Nancy returned to live in Wolf Point in 1975, and began working for the Fort Peck Tribes in the newly developed Tribal Health Program. In 1978, she moved to the position of Head Start director and managed the program for four years. Education was very important to Nancy and she moved back to Chicago to obtain a master's degree from the University of Chicago in 1983. After graduation, she returned to the reservation and implemented the Tribes' Education Department. Her service to the Fort Peck Tribes included other positions in the alcohol program and the Indian Child Welfare program. She retired in January, 2001. Nancy was an artistic person, which she applied to ceramics and oil paintings. She enjoyed spending time with her many friends. Nancy is preceded by a twin sister, her brother Bob, and her parents. She is survived by her sister Vivan Welliver of Spokane, Wash., and a special aunt, Elva DeCelles of Las Vegas, Nev. Viewing will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27, with rosary services at 6 p.m. at Clayton Memorial Chapel. The funeral will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 28, at the Immaculate Conception Church in Wolf Point. Interment will be in the Greenwood Cemetery in Wolf Point. The Reverend Fr. Robert Fox will be officiating. Clayton Memorial Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. -=-=-=- October 23, 2002 Daniel L. 'Tommy' White Hawk WOLF POINT -- Daniel Loren "Tommy" White Hawk, 36, a former auto mechanic and Marine Corps veteran, died of liver failure Saturday at the veterans hospital in Denver. Visitation is 1 to 8 p.m. today at Clayton Memorial Chapel in Wolf Point, with a prayer service at 7 p.m. His funeral is 10 a.m. Thursday at Clayton Memorial Chapel, with burial in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Frazer. Survivors include a daughter, Danielle White Hawk of Wolf Point; a brother Michael Walla of Poplar; a sister, Wallis Renee White Hawk of Wolf Point and three sisters in Minnesota; and his foster mother, Iris Anderson of Wolf Point. October 27, 2002 Rose 'Rosie' Connor Na-Ga-Ni-Do Rose "Rosie" (Main) Connor, 85, of Hays, a homemaker whose Gros Ventre name was Na-Ga-Ni-Do or "Cries All Night", died Friday at a Havre hospital of natural causes. Her wake begins at 7 p.m. Monday at St. Paul's Mission recreation center in Hays. Her funeral is 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Paul's, with burial in Mission Cemetery in Hays. Survivors include a daughter, Kathy Limpy of Fort Belknap; a son, Thomas Cochran of Fort Belknap; sisters Dorothy Main Kinsey, Myra Main Walker and Annie Brockie Helgeson, all of Fort Belknap, and Mary Brockie of Oswego; brothers Elmer Main of Hays, James "Jim" Main of Big Warm, Gerald Main of Lodge Pole, and Jerome Main and Henry Brockie of Hays; 18 grandchildren, 38 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren. Her husband, Raymond Connor, and a son, Buckley Connor, have died. Copyright c. 2002 Great Falls Tribune. --------- "RE: Tribal Board seeks review of Health Care" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2002 08:34:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="IHS ISSUES" http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=935692 Tribal board seeks review of health care 2002-10-23 By Ron Jackson The Oklahoman LAWTON -- American Indian health board members are asking a high-ranking federal official to help with a money crisis that a tribal leader says has led to "our people dying from inadequate health care." In a letter obtained by The Oklahoman, members of the Southwest Oklahoma Inter- Tribal Health Board asked U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to meet with them "to discuss the grave situation" of delivering health care to tribal members. Board members have been deluged with complaints about referrals from Lawton Indian Hospital patients. In one case, a patient said he was prescribed ibuprofen for what turned out to be a cancerous brain tumor. Board members have concluded that insufficient funding has frequently prevented seriously ill patients from being referred to specialists because those specialists would have to be paid by the Lawton Indian Hospital. Board members suspect the hospital is millions of dollars in debt, yet the books have remained closed to the hospital advisory committee. Even the manual issued by the Indian Health Service, the federal agency that oversees the Lawton Indian Hospital and its sister clinics in Anadarko and Carnegie, recognizes money as a major determining factor for whether referrals are denied or approved. Along with money concerns, the letter to Thompson states the board has continually tried to go through the "correct chain of command" at the Indian Health Service area office in Oklahoma City. However, the board has only encountered "resistance and a complete lack of respect" from Area Director Dale Keel and his staff, the letter states. Keel, like his predecessor, Charles Grim, did not respond to repeated calls from The Oklahoman. Steve Barse, Keel's spokesman, said, "I don't believe the board has been ignored." He said he could not talk about the matter further because of his agency's policy on personnel matters. He said the board wasn't entitled to inquire about personnel matters. Lupe Gooday, acting chairman of the Fort Sill-Apache Tribe, said the time for talk at the local level is over. "The IHS (Indian Health Service) has ignored us," Gooday said. "They have yet to respond to our June resolution. They have yet to take us seriously. "We have repeatedly asked for specific questions concerning the hospital's finances, and we have repeatedly been ignored. "Our only hope might be to get Mr. Thompson personally involved." Board members unanimously passed a resolution June 14 asking for the firing of Lawton Indian Hospital Administrator Gary Davis and his two top supervisors, Bob Pipe and Fred Koebrick. Board members blame the three administrators in the "mismanagement and substandard delivery of health care" at the Lawton hospital, as well as at its sister facilities in Anadarko and Carnegie. Those medical facilities serve the Apache, Caddo, Comanche, Delaware, Fort Sill-Apache, Kiowa and Wichita tribes. Each tribe has one representative on the health board. "We are supposed to represent the people of our tribes with IHS (Indian Health Service), and yet they tell us we have no authority," said LaRue Parker, the Caddo Nation's chairwoman. "Meanwhile, our people are dying from inadequate health service." In a copied Sept. 12 letter obtained by The Oklahoman, Keel told board members their issues are "serious and require attention and evaluation by this office." Keel then informed the board he had appointed former Indian Health Service administrators Hickory Starr and John Daugherty to conduct a fact-finding inquiry. Copyright c. 2002, News 9/The Oklahoman/Produced by NewsOK. --------- "RE: Universities to partner in Mount Graham Scope" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2002 08:34:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MOUNT GRAHAM" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/breaking/10_23_02telescope.html Universities of Virginia, Minnesota to partner in Mount Graham scope, vow to aid Apaches IRENE HSIAO Tucson Citizen Oct. 23, 2002 Two universities that have hopped aboard the Mount Graham International Observatory project are vowing to aid American Indian tribes that consider the mountain sacred. The University of Minnesota and the University of Virginia this month bought time to use the observatory's Large Binocular Telescope, thrusting them into the controversy between astronomers and Apache Indians over access to the mountain. Despite objections from the San Carlos and White Mountain tribes, the schools are joining the consortium that built and operates the Large Binocular Telescope, including the University of Arizona, coalitions from Italy and Germany, and Tucson-based Research Corp. "It is our hope that being part of the project we can help heal some of the mistrust developed between the Apaches and the operators of the telescope," said Amy Phenix, a University of Minnesota spokeswoman. Minnesota's board of regents Friday approved the school's astronomy department's use of a $5 million gift from Hubbard Broadcasting to buy about 20 viewing nights each year. The University of Virginia purchased viewing time earlier this month, using a $4 million donation to the school's astronomy department. Some Apaches are wary of the schools' pledges of help. "You're asking us to sell our spirit," said Wendsler Nosie, a member of the Apaches for Cultural Preservation. "The answer is `No, we don't want anything they're offering to us financially.' `' Nosie was among 11 representatives of the San Carlos and White Mountain tribes who attended the Minnesota regents' meeting. Before joining the telescope consortium, both schools met with tribal leaders and university officials in Arizona. The universities recommended that UA form an American Indian cultural advisory committee to oversee activities with the mountain as well as create educational and health programs. The advisory committee, which was in the works, will include members of the Apache tribes, said Richard Powell, UA vice president for research and graduate studies. "One of the biggest problems we've had in the past is poor communication," Powell said. UA officials said some of the recommendations from the University of Minnesota are already in place, such as the appointment of a cultural liaison who would work with the tribes. "We have a number of people on campus already acting as liaisons," Powell said. They include members of the law school faculty and the American Indian graduate studies program, he said. The observatory encompasses 8.6 acres of federal property atop Emerald Peak, the third-highest peak in the southeastern Arizona's Pinaleno Mountains. The Large Binocular Telescope, which has been under construction for several years, is expected to be in operation in 2004. Copyright c. 2002 Tucson Citizen --------- "RE: Tribal Status at top of AFN Agenda" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2002 08:34:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ALASKA" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/102102/sta_tribal.shtml Tribal status at top of AFN agenda as annual convention begins Changing political landscape to be discussed as well as subsistence, health, housing and education October 21, 2002 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ANCHORAGE - The future of tribal status is likely to be a main focus this week as about 5,000 Alaskans gather at the Egan Center in downtown Anchorage for the annual convention of the Alaska Federation of Natives. The six-day gathering, which began today, is part business and part social. "It's probably the highlight of the year for many, many Alaska Natives," said AFN spokesman Mike Irwin. In addition to the crowds drawn to Anchorage, others will watch the events on television or listen to statewide radio broadcasts scheduled all week. The event includes cultural activities such as dance performances and one of the biggest arts and crafts show in the state. Delegates from Alaska's tribes and regional corporations will spend much of the time discussing the issues that confront Natives, including subsistence, health, housing, sanitation and education. One concern this year is how the changing political landscape in Washington, D.C., could affect Alaska tribes. "We might be seeing a watershed shift starting to happen" that could give Alaska Natives different tribal status than tribes in the Lower 48, Irwin said. That could affect bedrock programs such as health services. "It's a major challenge to understand it all," Irwin said. Another hot topic is whether the convention will endorse a gubernatorial candidate. A candidate forum Friday afternoon will be followed by debate among delegates over which candidate, if any, to endorse. The convention began today with the Youth and Elders Conference. In roundtable discussions and talking circles, groups of youngsters and seniors will talk about wellness, changing communities, motivation and topics such as "What does it feel like to be an elder?" A steady stream of speeches and presentations will mark the main convention, which begins Thursday morning. The keynote speaker is Paul Okalik, premier of Canada's new and largely Native territory Nunavut. Anchorage Mayor George Wuerch, Gov. Tony Knowles and members of Alaska's congressional delegation will address the convention. AFN president Julie Kitka will give an overview of the year and a look ahead for Alaska Natives. After five days of talking, listening and hallway debates, delegates come together Saturday to vote on a host of resolutions on issues such as tribal sovereignty, subsistence and other matters. The convention ends with a banquet Saturday night. One the Web: www.nativefederation.org. Copyright c. 1997-2002 Juneau Empire/Morris Communications Corporation. --------- "RE: Interior pulls out of Trust Reform Task Force " --------- Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 08:34:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DoI TRUST PULLOUT" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://indiancountry.com/?1035561114 Interior pulls out of trust reform task force Department, tribes disagree on leadership structure October 25, 2002 - 11:47am EST by: David Melmer / Indian Country Today WASHINGTON - Many tribal leaders now think it will take an act of Congress to bring about trust fund reform within the Department of Interior. Upset by indications that Interior wanted to end the relationship with the Trust Fund Reform Task Force, Indian members postponed its Oct. 24 meeting in Billings, Mont. The session had been scheduled to coincide with the last of a yearlong series of tribal consultation meetings on trust reform with Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb. The task force was formed to bring the tribal leaders and Interior officials together to repair the way tribal members' trust fund accounts are handled. On Oct. 9, Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Interior James Cason told Jacqueline Johnson, executive secretary of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), that the department intended to end its relationship with the Trust Reform Task Force. "We want to express that the request from DOI to end its relationship with the Task Force comes as a significant surprise," task force co-chairs Tex Hall and Sue Masten wrote in an Oct. 16 letter to McCaleb. "They can't go back to Indian country and to the Congress and say tribes didn't want to work together," Hall told Indian Country Today. "They said McCaleb would be available for one hour and the other members of the Interior would not be there [for the Billings meeting]. We now requested a follow-up meeting in D.C. so they can't run away from us. They shouldn't fool tribes with consultation and then pull back and say it didn't achieve objectives." John Wright, Interior spokesman, said the communication between Johnson and Cason may have been misinterpreted. He said Interior referred to the Billings meeting as the wrap-up meeting of the DOI/Trust Reform Task Force. He said specific language that indicated a separation of the relationship was not part of the conversation. Hall said that Interior has met with the Inter-Tribal Monitoring Association and is trying to get that organization to replace the task force. "That is my opinion," Hall said. "This task force has 36 of the top leaders in Indian country, and Interior is disrespecting the government- to-government agreement." John Dossett, NCAI attorney, said that reorganizing the task force to be more inclusive might be effective. "It needs to be clarified as not an exclusive club," he said. Dossett also said the scheduling excuse was just a "red herring." Speculation from many tribal leaders, task force members and NCAI is that the administration is waiting to see how the U.S. Supreme Court rules in two cases affecting trust relationships and sovereignty. Task force members have also privately complained about Interior's progress. Interior is under pressure from federal courts to implement a workable plan by Jan. 6. The tribal leaders say the issue has existed for 80 years and seven months is not enough time to come up with a solution. Tribal leaders want accountability and trust standards written into the system and Interior is advocating for an organizational approach. Key to the task force proposal is an independent accounting of the trust funds management. Interior wants it to be contained within the department. Senators Tim Johnson, D-S.D. and Tom Daschle, D-S.D. recently wrote to Interior Secretary Gale Norton asking why the Bush administration had no plans to deal with the trust issue and legislation this session. In a return letter, Norton did not mention any problems with the task force, but did say that department officials had devoted hundreds of hours "in consultation and listening meetings with tribal officials. The DOI/Tribal Leader Task Force on Trust Reform has had several multi-day meetings. These consultations have produced substantial agreement on: creating an under secretary of Indian affairs with line authority over all trust reform services; establishing trust centers at the regional level; appointing trust officers at the agency level; establishing an office of self-governance and self-determination that would report directly to a new under secretary for Indian affairs." In Norton's letter she alluded to an under-secretary position, which is what task force leaders want. But, the leaders claim that Interior favors a deputy assistant secretary, despite what Norton stated. Tribes want an under secretary that can oversee the BIA and the DOI. A hotly contested issue is the creation of an independent authority to oversee accountability. Another is allowing tribes and individuals to litigate over mismanagement of trust accounts. Trust standards are important to make the federal government comply with a protocol that will work in an efficient manner for the lease holders and the tribes. An independent accounting system would assure lease holders of fair treatment, tribal leaders say. "Hold to the standards," Hall said. "If you don't have a uniform standard it don't make a damned difference. I don't know why they don't get it. I think they feel they can blow this by the tribes and the judge without standards and then it will go away." Hall said that an unfavorable Supreme Court decision in the trust relationship cases could lead to a lower rate at which the federal government charges for leased grazing land, oil and coal royalties and other resources it holds for individual Indians and tribes. "We feel this administration wants the trust standard lowered. The poorest of the poor will be affected," Hall said. The task force is charged with producing legislation intended to reorganize the way trust management is handled, and some members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee have shown interest in introducing such a bill. But no bill has yet been drafted by the Tribal leaders "At first the BIA said all the tribes wanted the same old BIA," Hall said. "We want reform that goes beyond (the Department of Interior) efforts. We want accountability. If we don't have an independent commission - this is critical for true accountability. If we don't have standards the feds have to adhere to, we have nothing." In the letter to McCaleb, Hall and Masten said they were interested in a possible reformulation of the consultation process that would include all organizations and be more inclusive of tribes. "We have learned some lessons over the last eight months, and we believe this time could be viewed not as an end point, but as a starting point for a renewed and improved working relationship," Hall and Masten stated. "There are more critical issues than ever for us to work on, and we know that they will only be resolved if tribes and the Department are working together." Copyright c. 2002 Indian Country Today. --------- "RE: Trail of Frozen Tears" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2002 08:34:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GREENLAND REMOVAL" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62024-2002Oct21.html Trail of Frozen Tears The Cold War Is Over, but to Native Greenlanders Displaced by It, There's Still No Peace By DeNeen L. Brown Washington Post Foreign Service Tuesday, October 22, 2002 QAANAAQ, Greenland Half a century ago, a sudden storm raged. The huskies curled into balls against the wind. The blizzard pierced the tiny thin-walled wooden house that stood in the world's northernmost settlement, where it was once thought no people could live. The house began to shake. Roof nails gave way like unclenching teeth. And Balika Jensen, forced with 86 other members of Greenland's Inughuit tribe to move to this forbidding place when the U.S. military decided to expand an air base, feared what this new storm might do to this new house. Built hastily near the sea ice, it was too weak to stand up to the killing arctic winter. So she and her husband ran that day back in 1953. "We looked back at our house and saw it flipping over in the wind," she says. And they knew the place they had come to was not good. "We were all in tears, feeling sorry for the old people. It was a bad experience for us. The houses we were moved to were built up so fast they were not properly insulated. They were cold. They tilted over in a storm because they were built so fast," Balika Jensen, 70, is saying now, nearly 50 years after Denmark, which possessed Greenland, made a secret deal with the United States and told the Inughuit they had four days to move or the United States would bulldoze their houses. She is sitting with her husband, Magssanguaq, 77, in Qaanaaq, the village to which they were exiled in a region where ice trails lead over glaciers and through frozen fjords. Where the only way to travel by land is by foot or dog sled. Where glaciers loom higher than the clouds and the sun goes away for four months starting in November, bringing thick, black darkness and cold. Fifty years later, Balika Jensen still cries. She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. Over simple cookies and coffee and sugar, she tells her story. "It's hard to think back to those times," she begins. Imagine, she says, what it was like to hurry over a glacier into a place where there are no houses, imagine getting to the sea ice and setting up thin canvas tents and trying to make a new living knowing that an unforgiving arctic winter was coming fast, then watching elders die of the damp and cold. They had welcomed the Americans into a strange land, but they who had lived there for 4,000 years became the outsiders. For nearly half a century, this forced relocation was Denmark's secret. Since that time, the elders have demanded that they be allowed to return to their land. For decades they had been ignored. Until now. Now a lawsuit is forcing Denmark to reconcile its past. A Climate of Fear The installation that would become Thule Air Base began as a weather station built in 1946 by the United States with permission from Denmark. Though the installation was shrouded in secrecy, court records say that from the start the United States wanted something more. "The establishment of a weather station would shield the station's obvious military activities from the rest of the world," court records say. It was the beginning of the Cold War. Being close to the Soviet Union, Greenland provided a refueling stop for bombers pointed there and a good location for electronic surveillance. Plans were made to establish an air base, which would need a bigger restricted area. This would mean taking over the adjacent land where Inughuit hunted fox and polar bear, including the lands the Danish called Dundas and the Inughuit called Uummannaq, which was about three miles wide and five miles long. The government discussions went on for years, but the Inughuit were told nothing. The matter was considered "highly classified." Suddenly in May 1953, some say with little warning and others say with no warning, the Danish government ordered 87 Inughuit to leave to make way for antiaircraft guns. Tribal elders say they were forced out; the Danish government argued that the tribe's Hunters' Council requested to be relocated. Blankets and tents were distributed as houses were demolished. "Inughuit were told they had no right to return either to Uummannaq or to the land surrounding it," says Aqqaluk Lynge, president of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, which links Inuit in Canada, Russia, Alaska and Greenland. "They knew this land intimately over thousands of years. It sustained them. Then, in an instant, it was forbidden." After many years of grief, they went to court in 1996, filing a case that is now before the Danish Supreme Court. The court is being asked to decide whether the Inughuit have a right to return to Thule. They are seeking closure of the base, where close to 800 U.S. Air Force personnel and civilians work, to make way for the returnees. "The serious violation of human rights inflicted upon the Inughuit is well established by scholars, international organizations, victims' testimonies," Lynge says. "What remains to happen is moving back . . . with the land returned in the same condition as when they freely hunted there." Last month negotiators from Denmark, the United States and Greenland announced they had reached an agreement: A piece of Dundas, the land from which they were removed, would be returned to the Inughuit. The leader of Greenland's Home Rule Government, Jonathan Motzfeldt, called the agreement a victory. "We will now have access to the area from where the Thule population was moved in 1953," Motzfeldt said. But Lynge said the Thule tribe did not help negotiate the agreement, and it names a small portion of the former hunting grounds for return. "The location there is only 5 percent of the area that the indigenous people of Thule want to have returned or be compensated for," Lynge said. Lynge said the people would wait for the decision by Denmark's Supreme Court -- the offer is too little, too late, too many people have died waiting to return. Ice Land Greenland is a massive island like a bowl filled with ice. Its ice cap covers most of its 840,000 square miles, about three times the size of Texas. Greenland, which became a colony of Denmark in 1721 but gained home rule within the Danish kingdom in 1979, has about 60,000 people, most of whom are indigenous: the Kitaamiut in the west, the Tunumiut in the east and the Inughuit, once called Polar Inuit, in the north. Many of the people, who live on the coast away from the barren ice cap, depend on hunting, mining, fishing and tourism. In the far north tip, close to the North Pole, the average temperature is minus 22. Over the ice cap -- near Qaanaaq -- temperatures range from minus 53 degrees to 10 degrees. Greenland produces most of the world's icebergs. Only the toughest people survive there. This is why other Greenlanders idolize the Inughuit who moved to Qaanaaq from Thule. They survived by hunting in the desolate north. They still hunt by kayak and dog sled: Motorized boats and snowmobiles, used in the other arctic villages, are outlawed. From the air, one can see the Thule base, which at its height had 10,000 people, who lived in buildings connected by tunnels in a small city carved in the ice between mountains. Now it is home to a squadron that keeps track of thousands of objects like comets and satellites that orbit Earth. It is where the United States may install a radar as part of the "Son of Star Wars" missile defense system. From the air, one can also see some of the houses the people abandoned when they were forced out in 1953. The Move They say they never knew the relocation was coming, although there were signs. They knew something was wrong when the local trader and the priest were sent away for a meeting in Copenhagen. Nobody explained why. When they returned, a meeting was called at the school. It was then the tribe was told. Balika Jensen remembers the meeting. "They told us your town will be eliminated to the ground," she said, "and you have to leave from here and the people were confused because they didn't know where to go and what to do." Jess Henrik Qujaukitsoq was out hunting when he heard the news. "When we went back to Uummannaq, the inhabitants were preparing themselves to move and many of them wept while packing," he recalls. "We were told those who resisted would not get a replacement house. The Danes said it was the Americans who demanded the move." The Danish government later portrayed the move as something the Inughuit requested. But people here deny that. The Inughuit "were not people who refused anything to immense power," says Christian Harlang, an attorney representing them. "They didn't consent. They just received it as an order." Lynge says the Inughuit have "a very open society, but also a fragile one. You can do whatever you want. It took us so long to understand that it was not our own fault. That is the way of indigenous people. We think people are good." Hingitaq 53 Uusaqqak Qujaukitsoq's house is circled by a green picket fence on a small mound of a hill. Stone slabs piled upon one another make steps that lead to his door. Inside there is a pot of tea, warmed by a candle underneath. Pictures of Jesus hang on the wall. He slips from English to the Inughuit dialect of Greenlandic. He is telling the story of his relocation. In fact, he is telling his father's story of the relocation. When his father, Qujaukitsoq Qujaukitsoq, died, he asked his son to keep telling the story. His father had spent his years protesting the Danish version of events. Uusaqqak was 3 when it happened. He was too old to be carried on his mother's back, too young to run behind the dog sled. So he rode. He remembers the tribe members moving toward a glacier. "There was no one to lead us by the time we came to the foot of the glacier. Our parents consulted about which way they wanted to go and said their goodbyes and parted." The group dispersed to four locations. At first they lived in tents made of thin cloth. "I remember how cold it was and snow was already on the ground when we moved into the house that was newly erected. The houses were very cold. . . . They told our parents if they moved, they would live in comfortable houses. But it was not true. " The move was in May; according to court records, it was not until September that houses were built. Qujaukitsoq said some elders died from the cold. "I want the rest of the world to know what has happened, that this process can no longer suppress us." Elders say the hunting and fishing were not as plentiful as in their old hunting grounds. The move, they argue, forced them to change the culture and become more dependent on money and canned foods. "For years, we who were exiled thought nothing could be done but to try to put the terrible event behind us, and to make a living on the new and less plentiful lands we were told to occupy," Qujaukitsoq says. Early on, his father and other people spoke up. "They tried to write to the government in the 1950s and 1960s for compensation, but nothing happened," the lawyer Harlang says. "It was not believed they were forcibly moved." Then, in 1985, two scholars, Jens Brosted and Mads Faegteborg, published a book, "Thule, Hunting People and Military Bases." They documented what the elders had been saying all along -- they had been forced to move. When his father died in 1996, still angry, Uusaqqak Qujaukitsoq filed the lawsuit to fight for the right to return. He and others formed Hingitaq 53, a group representing the original 87 exiled people and 500 of their descendants. Hingitaq means "discarded" in the Inughuit dialect. Promises Not Kept Finally after a long battle, in 1999, the Eastern High Court of Denmark ruled that the government had violated the rights of the Inughuit. It found that there was no request to leave, but there was a meeting on May 25, 1953, "during which the inspector informed the people present about the relocation and that it had to take place in a few days' time. Then the people were promised merchandise and new houses would be available as compensation, and by several of the testimonies given, it appears that only those among them who relocated [without being forced] were to get new houses as compensation." The court found that the lack of a formal legal objection did not make the move voluntary, and that Inughuit were not a people whose nature was to challenge authority. The court said there was evidence the Danish authorities knew long in advance of the American plans. "There was nothing to prevent the authorities from giving the people fair notice to prepare themselves and to carry out the relocation," the court said, and perhaps give them a ride by ship to a new village. It ordered the Danish government to pay the people a total of 500,000 kroner, worth about $59,000. Harlang calls the amount scandalous. "They had some justice and the court proved there was a coverup by the Danish government," Harlang says, "but when it came to compensation, it was very low." The decision also brought a formal apology from the Danish government. "Nobody, today, can be held responsible for former generations' actions, close to 50 years ago," said then-Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen in a statement. "But in the spirit of the Danish Realm and with respect for Greenland and the Thule population, the Government will, on behalf of the Danish State, convey an apology -- utoqqaterpugut -- to Inughuit, the population of Thule, and to all of Greenland for the manner in which the decision about the relocation was reached and carried out in 1953." While the court found that the people were wronged, it rejected the solution they wanted, the right to return to Thule. So they appealed to the Danish Supreme Court, which is expected to rule later this year. The Yellow House Balika Jensen is still telling her story. She has never told it before. She does not want to be interrupted for details and clarification. Her people are great storytellers and sometimes the story is circular, progressing little by little, going back for detail and moving forward upon acknowledgment. She still lives in the settlement she was taken to, but now in a yellow house on the beach, with electricity and telephone. The phone rings. Someone is checking to see whether the tide is out. She looks south out her window, then reports that the tide is low. Beyond are icebergs, immense and mystical. The mountains are indeed higher than the clouds. She tells the story of an old woman who was forced to move. The woman had no house at the new place and lived in a damp tent. She developed a cough. It is not the custom of elders to complain. "But I could hear her in her tent coughing," said Balika Jensen. Her family would say she was no longer getting up because of the cough. Her son fed her pain killers. "The house she was to stay in was finished but there were still five carpenters occupying it. We went to visit her. I did not think of bringing her something warm. I left her because I had a 1-year-old baby to attend to. She had a small seal oil lamp and she had it on. And I saw she was trying to get something to drink. She had a piece of ice she was melting over the stove." Balika remembers leaving. Then later someone shouted, "My grandmother is dead! My grandmother is dead! "You should have seen her son. He was like a baby crying for his mother. He was trying to make her alive again. It was horrible." She is crying now, again. "A carpenter told them to keep a warm glass of lemonade near her if she started to breathe again," Balika Jensen is saying. "The thing that bothers me most is: Why had he given those instructions after she died? Why didn't he do anything before she died?" Balika says this land was not as good as the land they left. People died and strange things happened here among the "discarded people." Balika still does not believe that her friend, the old woman, was dead when they buried her. "People were saying her body was still soft. It was not hard. It was a sign she was not dead. When she was buried, all of a sudden the dogs started howling toward the churchyard. It was as if they could hear, as if a human being was making sounds up there even though no one was up there, as if they were scared there was a ghost." Copyright c. 2002 The Washington Post Company. --------- "RE: Water Settlements bring Economic Promise" --------- Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 08:34:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WATER SETTLEMENTS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413 Water settlements bring economic promise, newfound power to Indians Saturday, October 26, 2002 SACATON, Ariz. (AP) If he closes his eyes, if he shuts out the mile after mile of fallow fields that breed only brush and shriveled mesquite, Harlan Bohnee can still see when this valley thrived. Neat rows of cotton camouflaged the desert, painting the dusty earth an emerald green. Peach trees and wild spinach sprouted outside his boyhood home, in the shadow of mountains covered with cacti. Families like his lived off the land, and the land obliged with a bounty that sustained the cultural and economic existence of a community whose very name means "River People." His ancestors first settled the region because of the life-giving waters that flowed freely into hand-dug aqueducts. "That was the basis for our culture the river," says the 66-year-old farmer, who learned the trade from his father, who learned from his father before. "If you don't have water, you don't have anything. "You're not even living." If you ask Bohnee, the Gila River Indian Community hasn't really been alive for years. Its watershed, like those traversing so many of the nation's Indian reservations, was drained after white settlers headed West and began pumping the river for their own use. Farmland went barren. Irrigation canals dried up and became littered with weeds and trash. Self-sufficiency eroded with the shrinking river, as the tribe grew more reliant on government commodities. Today, Bohnee is one of only a handful of farmers left on the 370,000- -acre reservation, which sits south of Phoenix alongside swelling suburbs whose golf courses and stucco houses serve as the Indians' modern-day competitors for water. But now he sees promise in the neglected soil that spans his homeland. Legislation introduced last month in Congress would guarantee the community of 17,000 Indians about 2.1 billion gallons of water each year enough to serve roughly 3 million people and give the tribe $200 million in federal money to rebuild its dilapidated irrigation system. The deal is one of dozens of Indian water settlements in negotiation over the past 25 years as Western states, the federal government, farmers, industries and tribes seek to sort out who should get how much of the region's most precious resource. The Gila River proposal, among the largest in terms of how much water would be awarded, comes as the battle for liquid gold reaches new heights in the West. With severe drought draining rivers and reservoirs, some towns ran dry this summer while neighbors waged war over century-old water rights. For non-Indians, the settlements mean certainty about how much water they're due in wet times or dry. For the tribes, they carry the prospect of economic development and, for some, a return to traditional agricultural practices. They also bring something else: Newfound bargaining power to a group that has always had little. "At one level, it's very frightening to other water users," says Daniel McCool, director of the University of Utah's American West Center and the author of several books on Indian water settlements. "These water settlements are the treaties of this century, the way the land settlements were the treaties of last century. They are critically important, and will have profound consequences for Indian country for all future generations to come." Like the land they first took from the Indians, white settlers saw the West's streams and rivers as their sole domain and dug their own canals to irrigate arid pastures. They also developed a new legal system to delineate water rights: Whoever first diverted and used the water had the right to that resource over all subsequent claimants. Yet their doctrine of "prior appropriation," meant to serve the miners, ranchers and farmers who became the prevailing political forces in the West, faced an unlikely challenge from their old adversaries. In 1905, a Justice Department attorney in Montana filed suit on behalf of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, seeking water for a proposed irrigation project. He argued that when the United States established the reservation, it implicitly reserved the right to enough water to sustain the land. Though the position was contrary to prior appropriation, primarily because white farmers had been using the water while the Indians had not, a judge agreed. Three years later, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ruling in the first of a series of decisions creating federal reserved water rights for Indians. But these victories rarely resulted in actual water for the reservations, because few had any modern delivery systems or the money to construct them. With their land held in trust by the government, Indians couldn't obtain bank loans to build irrigation canals, and Congress was slow to fork over cash. Their so-called right became little more than a worthless claim. While communities such as Gila River withered, non-Indian farmers and expanding cities diverted more water for their needs. "Economies grew around the reservations and they began using the water under Western water law, never realizing that under federal law that water had a prior hold on it," says Pamela Williams, director of the Interior Department's office of Indian water rights settlements. "Mistakes were made. Things were not handled as they could've been, and tribes feel that they definitely got the short end of the stick." One by one, tribes began asserting their water rights in court sometimes suing independently, sometimes intervening in pending cases brought by states or non-Indians. A few early settlements were reached in the 1960s, but once again promises of water delivery went unfilled. By the late 1970s, court rulings had turned less favorable for the tribes, including one giving state courts the authority to resolve Indian water claims. With Western leaders concerned about the impact of Indian claims on future development, and tribes worried they couldn't win in court, the federal government began calling on all sides to come to the negotiating table. In 1978, the 750-member Ak-Chin Indian tribe, located just south of the Gila River reservation, became the first Indian community to settle its claims under the federal negotiating process. Approved by Congress in 1984, the settlement mandated delivery of 75,000 acre-feet of water annually to the reservation beginning in 1988. It also allowed the community to lease another 10,000 acre-feet annually to provide water for a development north of Phoenix. One acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, enough to cover an acre of land with a foot of water. Seventeen settlements have been approved since, according to Williams. Twenty more remain in negotiation, and other tribes await their chance to bargain. Not every tribe wants the water for farming. Some are seeking to protect streams and species they consider sacred. Others no longer have use for the water and intend to lease it back to non-Indian users, something opponents fear will result in a high-stakes bidding war. In return for settlement, tribes agree to waive all future claims to their federal reserved water rights. Yet the process is hardly without strife. Settlements involve nearly every significant watershed in the West and thousands of users. Some negotiations last for decades the Gila River case began in 1974 and are fraught with some of the same underlying attitudes that plagued early white-Indian relations. Copyright c. 1999-2002 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington NM. --------- "RE: All Fishing halted on Quillayute River" --------- Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 08:34:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LOW WATER" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/sited/story/html/109840 West End: All fishing halted on Quillayute River 2002-10-27 by JEFF CHEW LAPUSH -- Extremely low Quillayute River flow levels have led the Quileute tribe to curtail net fishing for salmon until rains replenish the waterway. The announcement Saturday ends a week of controversy in which West End sport fishermen and fishing guides protested tribal net fishing after the state closed the Quileute River to sport salmon angling Oct. 19. In addition to the tribe's curtailment of net fishing, all fishing in the Quillayute River system has been halted until state and tribal fisheries managers determine flow levels have risen enough to allow salmon to move upstream. Effective today, all sport fisheries will close until further notice on the Bogachiel, Calawah, Dickey and Sol Duc rivers -- all tributaries to the Quillayute River system -- state Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said. Copyright c. 2002 Horvitz Newspapers, Inc/Peninsula Daily News. --------- "RE: Plan to pipe Clean Water to Blackfeet Towns" --------- Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 08:34:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CLEAN WATER" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.missoulian.com/display/inn_news/news02.txt Plan is in place to pipe clean water to Blackfeet towns By MICHAEL JAMISON of the Missoulian October 27, 2002 BROWNING - Along a parched stretch of high desert between Mad Wolf Mountain and Appistoki Peak, on the crackling dry shoulder of Two Medicine Ridge, a trickle of water seeps into thirsty dirt. The dark stain shrinks from the soil almost immediately, scorched away by the windblown heat of an August sun. Kiowa resident Alex Smoling screws the cap back on his water bottle and looks west to where he collected that trickle, to the quickly shrinking snowfields that cling to the jagged eastern lip of the Continental Divide. Then he turns and walks east by southeast, crunching through brown grass toward the cattail headdress of Willow Creek, following the flow downhill, toward the stock well he dug 15 years ago, the well that dried up two years back. Beneath his feet, slipping silent through sandy soil and rock, pushing through clumps of root and dirt, the water he poured filters its way slowly toward the Blackfeet Indian Reservation town of Browning. Along the way, the trickle picks up iron from the rock, manganese from the soil, salt from the earth, as it works its way down, down, finally joining an icy ground water reservoir fed by crystal-clean glaciers and high mountain snows. Fifteen miles away, Darrell Kipp twists his tap in Browning, opening a line between his kitchen sink and that dark reservoir, a line interrupted only by a chlorine treatment plant. First, in a trickle, then, in a rush, the water fills his glass. "But it doesn't look like water here," Kipp says. "It's black and gooey. It's sludge, really. I don't drink faucet water anymore, that's for sure." Instead, Kipp drinks commercial water bottled by the tribe - clean, clear water sold under the name "Kimi," the Blackfeet word for water. It is pumped from deep springs off the reservation. Kipp is on the Kimi board of directors, and as a longtime Browning native knows as well as anyone the value of a clean glass of water. For years, Browning's water has poured thick from the tap, a vile brew steeped black and metallic on the tongue by the chemical interaction between the city's oxidizing chlorine and nature's iron and manganese. City officials have issued boil orders, paid claims for ruined laundry - white sheets stained iron-red in the wash - and finally cut off all new home construction until a cleaner and more drought-proof water source could be found. The result: Browning currently is short 1,000 homes, with as many as 15 or 20 people crammed into a two-bedroom house. But there will be no relief until clean water flows. Back down the road, just five miles from the spot where Smoling poured his trickle into the dust, the reservation town of East Glacier straddles the banks of Midvale Creek. The creek spills from Glacier National Park, from the flanks of Bison and Bearhead and Squaw mountains, from the great rampart that is Montana's Rocky Mountain Front. Here, Bill Grant, like Kipp, passes by the tap, heading instead for the jug of bottled water. Referring to the city's water, Grant says, "I wash my teeth with the stuff, but I certainly don't drink it down." Grant is president of the East Glacier Water and Sewer District, and he calls it "the stuff" instead of calling it water because it comes from the faucet tea-brown with dirt, a concoction stirred up straight from the turbid flow of Midvale. Turbidity in East Glacier's water sometimes hits 1,000 NTU's (nephelometric turbidity units, a measure of "cloudiness" in water). The federal Environmental Protection Agency says municipal drinking water should not exceed 1 NTU. "Which means that in East Glacier your water is brown," said Carole Boerner. "Your water is very, very brown. Basically, it's full of dirt." Boerner is an environmental engineering consultant who designs water and sewer facilities for the federal Indian Health Services agency. Lately, she's been designing a combined solution for both Browning and East Glacier, a project Grant says "is the greatest project in Montana, but nobody knows about it." The same could be said for this country's water woes, which are repeated in town after town east of the Divide: To echo Grant, it is the greatest problem in Montana, and nobody knows about it. This world is wet. From space, it appears a pale blue dot, not a brown sphere, because so much of it is under water. But with water, water everywhere, there is increasingly not a drop to drink. Of all the Earth's water, about 97 percent is salt water coursing through seas and oceans. Another 2 percent is locked frozen at the poles and in mountain glaciers, accounting for some 70 percent of the fresh water out there. More is caught in clouds, more deep underground. (In fact, clouds hold six times as much water as do all the world's rivers combined.) That leaves a fraction of 1 percent available for drinking, and most of that is sucked up by irrigated agriculture. Clean, fresh water, then, can be hard to come by, even on a world as wet as this one. Already, the United Nations estimates 1.2 billion people drink dirty water every day. Some of them live in places like India. Some of them live in Browning. At current rates of consumption, the UN predicts nearly 3 billion will drink dirty water, or not enough water, in the next 25 years. Some of them will live in the deserts of Africa and Mexico. Some will live in the desert of eastern Montana. All over the world, pumps are pulling down deep and ancient aquifers faster than those underground reservoirs are being recharged. Most of the water - some 70 percent - is used for irrigation, which grows 40 percent of the food needed to sustain a growing population. That population, in turn, needs more water. In America, where abundant clean water from the tap is generally taken for granted, it is easy to imagine the problems as belonging to someone somewhere else. If China's Yellow River dries up before it hits the ocean, for instance, does it really matter to a Montana farmer? But here at home, the mighty Colorado River is but a sorry trickle by the time it arrives at the Gulf of Mexico, and last year, the Rio Grande dried up. Those rivers are tapped by farmers and cities, by Los Angeles and San Diego and Albuquerque, N.M. Closer to home, Montana's Bighole River dried up two years ago, just like the Yellow River, running dry within eyeshot of its origins atop the Divide, pulled down by drought and irrigation. The desert country of Jordan gets more rain (12 inches a year) than does much of eastern Montana. "I believe water is the biggest environmental issue we face in the 21st century in terms of both quantity and quality," EPA Administrator Christie Whitman said earlier this year, during a nationwide call for conservation. Water is not only an environmental issue, though. It is an economic issue. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has a nearly $40 million backlog in funding requests for Montana water projects alone, with 20 communities looking to tap into more and better water. Included in Montana's $40 million of requests is a $2 million pool for Cut Bank that would hold a month and a half's worth of water, just enough to survive the drought days of summer. A much larger project centered on the Rocky Boys Reservation comes with a $200 million price tag, and would quench the thirst of 7,000 homes in 20 Montana towns. Not to be outdone, the biggest of the big Western states, Texas, recently proposed a $108 billion water program, big bucks even in a state the size of Texas. And California, forever thirsty, has a plan to suck fresh water from northern coastal rivers and float it south in giant plastic baggies. Sound crazy? Perhaps not much crazier than the fact that Butte currently pumps 60 percent of its city water up and over the Continental Divide from the Bighole at a cost of $1,000 per day, but does not have water meters on most homes. Right here at home in Montana, drought and pollution and urban growth and industrial use have left ever more people scrambling for what is the same amount of water that existed when Lewis and Clark crossed what they called the "Great American Desert." Havre has trouble encouraging economic development because no one wants to live in a town short on water, and where what water there is might bleach your lawn white with salt. Oilmont and Sage Creek aren't taking any more people onto their community systems, lest the dry get drier. Melstone "barely had enough water to get through last summer," according to Bill O'Connel, and Cut Bank "barely had a trickle left in the creek." O'Connel is a ground-water technician for Great Falls-based Montana Rural Water Systems, a group that helps small towns with issues of drinking water quantity and quality. "It's been getting worse and worse the last few years as the drought took hold," he said. "If some of these places don't get some snowpack, they won't make it. Plain and simple." Laurel officials put a dike in the Yellowstone River to keep the water above the city's intake valves. Cut Bank did the same. Lavina and Roundup got mighty dusty last summer, even dustier the summer before. Galata has lost half its city wells. Hobson lost 15. "The days of green lawns are over," O'Connel said. "Some of these towns aren't looking at much of a future. I mean, you're not going to grow without water." In Browning, the city hasn't grown for years. Houses, officials say, need water to grow, and that black goo pouring from Kipp's tap isn't good enough to sprout houses. But hope is hovering like a welcome rain cloud on the horizon, hope in the form of a many-mile pipeline connecting Kipp's tap to the cool, clear waters of Lower Two Medicine Lake. Along the way, the pipe will cut through East Glacier, quenching two thirsts with one squirt. East Glacier, according to Bill Grant, has had water trouble for decades. Midvale Creek runs dirty, especially when swollen by spring runoff, and it's hard work to get the dirt out. In the late 1970s, town leaders received some help from the USDA's Rural Development office, and were able to float a bond for a new water and sewer system. The new system, Grant said, abandoned Midvale in favor of deep wells. "East Glacier was supposed to have great water," he said. "But within days it became apparent it was no good at all. The wells were full of iron. The water was no good." In addition, drought pulled the water level down in the wells, so there wasn't enough anyway. The city leaders abandoned the wells, returned to Midvale, and defaulted on their bond, arguing that they had paid for a functioning water system, not a dry, iron-filled well. The East Glacier Water and Sewer District remains the only Montana water district to have defaulted on a bond, making it tough to find credit for further water system work. Shortly after East Glacier returned to Midvale Creek for its water, the state began monitoring drinking water there. Usually, the water failed to pass the test, as it was turbid with dirt. Soon, every billing notice had a boil order attached, and the city effectively has been under a boil order for nearly a decade. Chlorine helps with some contaminants, but will not kill giardia cysts, for instance, that attach themselves to the dirt in East Glacier's water. It was about the time of the first boil orders when things turned ugly, Grant recalls. The Blackfeet Nation owned the dam on Midvale, and so controlled flows. But the city and its water district did not want to give up any authority to the tribe. Meanwhile, the state and federal governments were battling over jurisdiction, trying to decide who would enforce drinking water laws in East Glacier. At the same time, the district cut off a tribal member's water when the bill went unpaid. That case trickled through tribal court, a tangle of tribal member's rights versus an independent water district. The tribe owned the water, but did not own the pipes and distribution system. Eventually, the district lost; it could not shut off tribal members, even if they didn't pay their bills. "Well, that started some serious negotiations," Grant said. "We had many public meetings, some of which were very nasty." In East Glacier, repeated attempts to clean up Midvale water were failing. Up the road in Browning, people were drinking sludge. Down in Helena, Rural Development wanted the money it had loaned East Glacier. "That's when Carole (Boerner) called and said let's get together," Grant said. Getting together meant creating a coalition between the two towns, the state, the federal government, the tribe and area residents, tribal and nontribal alike. The key to it all, Grant said, was the Blackfeet Tribe. "The tribe really showed some vision," Grant said. "They just took the bull by the horns and started going after money." Tribal member Stu Miller was hired to scare up the cash, and in a few short years he amassed some $12 million. Late last summer, the East Glacier Water and Sewer District agreed to give up all its assets to the tribe, as well as all its debt. The tribe negotiated a new value for the failed East Glacier water system, talking down the debt to Rural Development from $700,000 to $200,000. The cities will use the $12 million to tap into Lower Two Medicine Lake, a clear blue jewel set at the edge of the mountains, bisected by the Glacier National Park border. Crews are nearly done installing the intake system there, which will pipe water to a treatment plant expected to be built next summer. The pipe will hit East Glacier first, perhaps by July 2003. Then, it will be laid to Browning. (Currently, that stretch is in limbo due to right of way access problems. Back when the federal government granted each Indian 40 acres, few Indians had wills. The land passed down to all their children, and all their children's children. Now, as many as 150 people own one 40-acre plot, complicating issues of pipeline right of way.) "The turf wars finally went away when people got thirsty enough," Grant said. "In the end, it doesn't really make any difference who's providing the service, as long as the service provides clean water. That's what it comes down to. Battles over turf have to give way when clean water is at stake. Without clean water, you've got nothing." The new system, Boerner said, should increase flows as well as water quality. Browning currently has about 550 gallons per minute available. The new system will provide 3,000 gallons per minute. "It's really good news for this town," Boerner said. "We had exhausted every ground water source in Browning. There were no other good options." Stu Miller agrees, and he has raised 12 million good reasons to get the job done. "Our water looks ugly," Miller said. It sometimes doesn't taste so good, it smells, and whether it's good for you, well, I guess I'm not qualified to comment on that." He can, however, comment on the speed with which his coffee maker clogs when using Browning tap water. "But if I use bottled water, the coffee maker doesn't clog. Go figure." He expects clog-free days once the new system is online. He also expects new arrivals as the construction moratorium is peeled back. "Growth has absolutely been limited by water," Miller said. "There are many, many tribal members living off the reservation who would love to come home. But first we need the water." Already, he said, the local planning office has chosen land in the northwest corner of town, subdividing for 168 homes. They have started grading the land, laying new pipes, paving streets. Said Miller, "We'll build when the water flows." He is lucky, he said. He lives in a town where the water is expected to flow again. The farther you move from the mountains and their snowpack, however, the less likely that the water will flow any time soon. "This is dry, dry country," Miller said, "and I think sometimes people forget that. Every drop that is polluted or wasted is a drop that someone needs. It isn't just in Browning. Towns all over Montana should expect a wake-up call. "If you don't have water," he said, "you don't have spit." Reporter Michael Jamison can be reached at (406) 862-0324 or at mjamison@missoulian.com. Copyright c. 2002 Missoulian, Missoula, MT, A Lee Enterprises subsidiary. --------- "RE: Demo Official tries to rally Indians to Vote" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2002 08:34:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="VOTE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.montanaforum.com/rednews/2002/10/22/build/tribal/indianvote Demo official tries to rally Indians to vote By JODI RAVE LEE Lincoln Journal Star Tuesday, October 22, 2002 Frank Lamere has been traveling from state to state encouraging American Indians to vote and make a difference in the 2002 elections. "There is unity when there is unity of purpose," said LaMere, a National Democratic Committee member. "I am helping to ensure that tribes develop those relationships that will help them in the political process." LaMere, of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, has spoken to thousands of American Indian voters in the last two months during rallies, school assemblies, political events and community gatherings throughout Montana, Wisconsin, Nebraska, California, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. Getting involved With a host of elections - county, state and tribal - taking place now and culminating in November, American Indian people are getting involved in the voting process for good reason. They could determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate as well as set the course for future generations on tribal issues ranging from overhauling a North Dakota tribal constitution, to determining who can belong to a tribe in Montana. In tribal elections, some American Indian people are calling for change of the highest order. "Our tribe is at a crossroads at this election," said Susan Davis Decoteau, Project Peacemaker director at the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota. She helped oversee a yearlong constitutional convention committee that created a new tribal constitution. Tribal citizens will vote on the proposal today. "They can vote yes for the new constitution and at least hope for a better future or they can keep going with the current one into a black hole toward self destruction, " said Decoteau. "This constitution gives us hope." A number of complaints Turtle Mountain Tribal Councilman Ron Peltier does not support the new constitution and cited a number of complaints about the document. "It's dangerous," said Peltier. "You're giving too much power to one person. That person is the chairman." Meanwhile, two groups on the Flathead Reservation in Montana are stepping up their own tribal amendment campaigns. Citizens of the Salish, Kootenai and Pend d'Oreille Tribe are being asked to cast a vote to determine who can belong to the tribe. "It's a scary election. Very, very scary," said Marie Torosian, an enrolled Salish and Pend d'Oreille tribal citizen who opposes the measure. Lineal descendancy, she said, could dramatically increase tribal enrollment and lead to the tribe's demise of culture and resources. Supporters of the Split Family Support Group initiative want to eliminate the tribe's one-quarter degree American Indian blood requirement. The group wants to determine tribal citizenship based on lineal descendancy to the tribe. Flathead resident Regina Parot sees the matter as one that will correct enrollment irregularities of the past. "We have full brothers and sisters, some enrolled, some not. We're trying to put our families back together." The group is now suing the Bureau of Indian Affairs because it has failed to set a date for the special election. As tribal citizens wage support for tribal elections, others have been working steadily to increase voter registration among American Indian people. The efforts are strongest among the Democratic party. In Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation has registered more than 9,000 voters for this year's election. And 67 percent of new voters in five Oklahoma counties with a heavy Cherokee population registered as Democrats. Montana Democratic Party Tribal Campaign Coordinator Darrell LaMere, a brother of Frank LaMere, of Nebraska, has been recruiting voters. "All the tribal councils have made an effort to make tribal people know their vote does count," said Darrell LaMere. "There has been an aggressive get-out-the-vote registration drive on all the Montana reservations. We either matched or succeeded new registration drives compared to 2000." Furthermore, American Indians in Big Sky country are doing more than voting. They also have been actively pursuing state legislature positions. "In the long run we can become a political force in this state," said LaMere, of Montana. "We've already proven that with six American Indian legislators. It could be more, but it has to be nurtured constantly. We have to keep people aware of the issues. We are affected by political decisions daily." And in South Dakota, more than 5,000 American Indians have been registered in Rapid City alone through the American Indian American Voter Education and Registration Project of the United Sioux Tribes. "American Indian people in South Dakota have mounted an unprecedented effort with regard to get-out-the-vote activities," said Frank LaMere. "One that will certainly result in the tribes making tremendous impact at the polls." But the overwhelming number of new registrants is now under FBI scrutiny for voter registration fraud. Where were the feds, asked LaMere, when American Indian voters rights in South Dakota were being trampled on? The American Civil Liberties Union in August filed a voting rights lawsuit in federal court on behalf of tribal members from two South Dakota reservations, alleging they have been discriminated against. The suit says South Dakota has implemented more than 600 voting statutes over the past 30 years without obtaining the necessary federal pre- clearance. "It's so interesting that red flags were never raised by South Dakota Republicans regarding those irregularities, which have been there and brought to light a generation ago," said LaMere. Secretary of State Joyce Hazeltine has said that the state is in compliance with federal law and that her office recently filed documents for Justice Department review. LaMere describes the power of the American Indian vote in South Dakota as "ironic." "The most impoverished, the most ignored, the most disenfranchised of all of the people in this country will determine who controls the U.S. Senate in this election cycle. That's how important the American Indian vote is in 2002." Reach Jodi Rave Lee at 402-473-7240 at jrave@journalstar.com. Copyright c. 2000-2002 Montana Standard and Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Bill Janklow has attacked Tribal Sovereignty" --------- Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 08:34:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CARTER CAMP/JANKLOW" http://www.rosebudsiouxtribe.org/Janklow_attacks_Tribal_Sovereignty.html Subj: Carter Camp--Bill Janklow has attacked Tribal Sovereignty Carter Camp Oct. 2002 Ah-Ho My Relations, Bill Janklow has attacked Tribal Sovereignty again today. He is running for Congress and needs the Indian-hating vote. The worst part of this election is that Janklow is depending on Indian people to stay in office. His whole political career is built of his belief that he can spit in our face and we will take it. He knows we can kick him out of office anytime we see fit to vote, but he is betting he can slap Indians in the face to get white votes, and Indians will roll over for him. For over three decades this Indian-hating son of Custer has depended on Indians to be silent and let him defile us. He has taken our lands, diminished our sovereignty, stolen our water, abused our sick and elderly, taken our kids, defiled our culture, advocated a "bullet in the head" for Indian leaders and laid waste to our sacred He'Sapa for white economics. He has been completely out front with his continuing attacks on Indian people, he brags about destroying us and laughs at our lack of spirit to fight back. Janklow is where he is because Indian people give him permission to step on them, we have remained on our knees no matter what he does for three decades, now he depends on us continuing to kneel. What is wrong with us, you and me, to make us let Custer ride through our camps without lifting a red hand to stop him? As our grandparents watch Janklow tear our people apart in front of their eyes, I wonder what they think? Would they be happy in their graves if all of us woke up and decided to stop Janklow? We can. The wasicu has given us the weapon to protect our helpless ones with, what can keep us for throwing the switch or pulling the lever on a ballot box? Fear? Janklow can be stopped only by Indian people standing up for themselves, nothing else can stop him, no one else will stop him. Indians can either spend election day laying down on our backs, with Janklows spit dribbling down our red faces, or we can rise up! and fight this evil wasicu. Rise up! to say no more can Janklow kick us on the ground Rise up! to defend the homelands. Rise up! to stand for the Elders and children who can't protect themselves. It is our duty to stand up for the people. Janklow has chosen the vote as his weapon and counts on Indians not to pick up such a wasicu weapon. He uses his weapon to take our children and put them in cages. He uses his weapon to poison our water and land. He uses his weapon to deny our elders medicine. He uses his weapon to rule our people with his police. Now he wants us to help him get a bigger, more powerful weapon to use against our people. He asks us to help him by not voting, he dares us to pick up his weapon but knows if we do he will be defeated. Only you and I can keep Janklow in office and allow him to attack red people, and only you and I can throw him away. Shame on each of us if we fail. It is up to the true warriors to pick up the weapon, to fight back, it always has been. -- Carter Camp, voting in Rosebud. --------- "RE: Internet Site features 1880 U.S. Census Records" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2002 08:34:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="1880 CENSUS" http://www.indianz.com/News/show.asp?ID=2002/10/24/census Internet site features 1880 U.S. Census records THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2002 A new Internet web site contains millions of records from the 1880 U.S. Census, including information on 66,000 American Indians. A 17-year effort by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints debuted online yesterday. FamilySearch Internet, found at http://www. familysearch.org, contains more than 55 million individuals who were counted after the Civil War. With the help of a web browser, anyone can locate data on their ancestors who appear on the census rolls. All the site requires is a first or last name -- exact spellings are not required. "People used to search through rolls and rolls of microfilm with varying degrees of success," said D. Todd Christofferson, executive director of the Family and Church History Department for the Mormon Church. "Now with just a few keystrokes, they can search through millions of records from anywhere at anytime." Sample searches of the Native American rolls turned up Eastern Pequots in Connecticut, Pueblo Indians in New Mexico and numerous Lakotas in what was then known as the Dakota Territory. There even appeared to be data on the descendants and family of Cherokee Nation Chief John Ross, who died in 1866. Other records on Indians were less precise. One entry described a one- year-old girl living in Western Shoshone territory in Nevada simply as "Little Papoose." A total of 44 "squaws" -- a term considered offensive by today's standards -- turned up. There are, of course, some limitations to the site. It's not possible to list, say, every Indian who was counted on the Wahpeton Indian Reservation in present day South Dakota. And like today's efforts, not every Indian living at the time appears on the rolls. But the site contains a wealth of information for those who know what they are looking for. The 1880 Census was the first to include the birthplace of their parents and to record the relationships of family members. It also documents the end of the treaty-making era and the gradual removal of tribal nations to the West. There were examples of Indians who living in the Dakotas in 1880 but whose parents were born in the Great Lakes area. To access the records, select the "1880 United States Census" from the Census Records page at the FamilySearch web site. Doing so will show options to search via race -- the categories of All, Asian, Black, Mexican, Mulatto, Native American and White are available. Queries can be restricted via census state, county and location. For example, a combination of Dakota Territory for state and Yankton for county will allow searches on the Yankton and Wahpeton reservations. The 1880 Census visited a number of Pueblos in New Mexico, several reservations in Arizona and other parts of Indian Country in the West. Copyright c. 2000-2002 Noble Savage Media, LLC/Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Territorial Integrity of Kahnawa'kehro:non" --------- Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2002 08:19:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY" http://www.easterndoor.com/11-38/11-38-Editorial.htm Editorial: Securing the Territorial Integrity of Kahnawa'kehro:non By: Teiow':sonte (Thomas Deer), Teyowisonte@hotmail.com Unfortunately, Kahnawake seems to have evolved into an urban district of Montreal in terms of physical setting and even in sociological patterns. Complacency and greed now outweigh our community's security and sense of independence, thus diminishing our vigilance and leaving our community susceptible to foreign scrutiny. No doubt that surrounding communities feel this way about our community as they seem to feel they have the right to wander about our territory without heed. Recently, concerns regarding safety, security and convenience on the Old Tennessee Road (207) have been voiced by some community members living on the road; leading to direct action aimed at diluting and limiting its use by non-Natives. Perhaps the time has come once again to secure our territorial integrity by reestablishing checkpoints upon the entrances of residential areas and private roads. Who in Kahnawake hasn't encountered that idiot who decides at the last minute to turn into a cigarette store without using a blinker; thus almost causing an accident? This author can sympathize with the residents of OCR as when I lived on that road, turning into my driveway was always as dangerous an adventure as the Chateauguay "short-cutters" driving at 100km/h who nearly smashed into me from behind every time I came home. Not to mention the many who ignore school bus stops putting our children in a dangerous gamble every morning they go to school. These frustrating occurrences are reason enough to justify such a drastic action. Also, there is an outstanding array of motorists and wandering vagrants who visit our community with less than honourable motives. Non-Native drug dealers currently have an open door to supply Kahnawake with an enormous supply of narcotics. Every day non-Native vagrants can be seen wandering our streets without any clear business here. Moreover, Karonhianonhnha Tsi Ionterihwaienstahkhwa was recently reported a student who was approached by a potential kidnapper. All of these undesirable facts are attributed to Kahnawake's open gate and lax security. Another factor to be considered in this argument is national defence. A couple of weeks ago, the RCMP and INSET raided the home of a Native man in British Columbia because of his involvement in the West Coast Warrior Society; a non-profit vanguard of Indigenous people. Using the tragedy of 9/11 as a proverbial smokescreen, Canada now sees its opportunity to extinguish Indigenous resistance movements by falsely labeling them as terrorists. It is no secret that Kahnawake is a well-known symbol of Indigenous resistance in North America. How long will it be until the forces of colonialism become brave enough to try the same thing here? Here again, we can see more evidence to support the re-creation of a territorial security perimeter. One major obstacle that has been voiced by some community members is that if the OCR, the 207 and residential areas were closed to outside traffic, economic development would suffer. Indeed, creative alternatives should be thoroughly contemplated. However, the truth is the income of some individuals is incomparable to the security, peace and social stability of the collective; especially when many of these individuals use collective rights for individual gain. Perhaps, the existence of checkpoints will nudge entrepreneurs to explore a more self-sustainable economy based upon creating goods and services for our own Peoples as opposed to relying on a foreign market; thus resulting in true independence. Regardless, the reestablishment of security checkpoints seems to be the only feasible and realistic remedy to all of these problems. Indeed to re- erect checkpoints would be an aggressive act, but unfortunately it is quite necessary to do this now, since time will only make our community more complacent, greedy and impotent to act when it is too late anyway. We, as a unified community, must now aggressively take back our streets and territory before our ability diminishes. I welcome the installation of checkpoints again in Kahnawake; provided they operate under strict discipline and under the rule of the entire community as opposed to secular control. This project could be a primary phase of an extensive Territorial Security Program paving the way and harmonizing with any future national defence establishment. Ever onward towards the good tidings of peace and power! Copyright c. 1997-2000 The Eastern Door. --------- "RE: Quebec Inuit deserve their own Provincial Riding" --------- Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 08:34:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="QUEBEC INUIT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.Que-Inuit-Riding.html Quebec Inuit deserve to have their own provincial riding: Premier Landry October 24, 2002 QUEBEC (CP) -- Quebec's Inuit deserve a provincial riding to represent them in the legislature, Premier Bernard Landry said Thursday. The province's 10,000 Inuit live mainly in the northern Ungava riding, a huge territory that spans about half of Quebec's territory. It is currently represented by Parti Quebecois member Michel Letourneau. "It seems normal that they would be represented in our assembly," Landry said outside the legislature, where an Inuit statue was unveiled Thursday. "It's an idea we support wholeheartedly." The Inuit have sought their own legislative seat for years. However, the province's electoral law limits ridings to between 32,000 and 53,000 voters unless geographic conditions warrant an exception to the rule. Six ridings already have less than 32,000 voters -- including Ungava, which has 22,600 and the Magdalen Islands riding, which has 10,270. However, it may take a while before the Inuit region of Nunavik has its own seat. The province's elections office released its new eight-year electoral map last December and Nunavik wasn't on it. Landry said he wants an Inuit riding "the sooner the better." The premier made the remarks during a ceremony with Inuit representatives outside the legislature. The government and the province's Inuit groups signed a multi-billion- dollar power and land development deal earlier this year. Copyright c. 2002, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc. --------- "RE: Stunning win for Nisga'a Fisherman" --------- Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 08:28:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="COURT VICTORY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canada.com/search/site/story `Stunning' win for fisherman By Alan Mettrick princerupert October 15, 2002 A Nisga'a fisherman from Prince Rupert won what is being described as a stunning victory in provincial court here last week. At the heart of the case was a Fisheries and Oceans Canada regulation prohibiting fishing for commercial and food and ceremonial purposes at the same time - so-called - dual fishing'. In 1999 Max Haines, fishing out of Rupert, was charged with failing to comply with conditions of an aboriginal communal fishing licence and failing to comply with conditions of a commercial halibut licence. Now the court has ruled the FOC regulations unjustifiably infringed on aboriginal rights to a special kind of fishery. And the lawyers for 69-year-old Haines, and another man similarly charged, say the ruling is the first time that a Canadian court has included a First Nation's conservation laws as an aspect of an aboriginal fishing right. "This ruling significantly broadens the fishing right articulated by the Supreme Court of Canada in the Sparrow case," said defence lawyer Louise Mandel, Q.C. Haines, who has been fishing for more than half-a-century, since he was a boy, told the Daily News today: "Our traditional practice is that we don't waste the resource. We have always conserved ? we don't waste fish. That's why we fought this case and that is what it was about. Maybe this decision will change things." Under FOC regulations designed to ensure equal opportunities in the commercial fishery, any bycatch of halibut fishing, must be thrown overboard. Traditionally, however, yellow-eye had been distributed by aboriginal fishermen as food to their communities. "The yellow-eye come belly-up and dead," said Haines. "Why waste it?" Haines says he was unaware of the change in regulations which mandated the by-catch be thrown back. He kept the yellow-eye for distribution in the traditional way, as he had always done, the validators on the dock recorded it, and he was charged. The court found that the Nisga'a's constitutional right to fish for food and ceremonial purposes includes "a profound fisheries tradition of respect. This tradition involves practices of not wasting fish, fishing to need, and sharing the fish caught to meet the needs of the community." The Vancouver law firm of Mandell Pinder, which represented Haines and his co-accused described the court victory as "stunning" and issued a statement to the Daily News which said: "The decision is of great importance because it unmasks DFO's reliance on conservation as a reason to make regulations which neither give effect to aboriginal rights, nor which are good for the fish. "Where DFO regulations do not measure up to the aboriginal law of respect, they will be inapplicable. "This decision suggests that unless DFO engages in good faith consultation leading to co-management of the food and ceremonial fishery, they will continue to enact regulations which will unjustifiably infringe the law of respect, which is now part of the constitution." The court found the regulations which restricted dual fishing are an unreasonable infringement of the aboriginal right to fish because they prevent the Nisga'a fisherman from using their preferred time-honoured method which is "combination fishing." They imposed undue hardship, the court found, requiring Nisga'a fishers to make separate and costly food fishing trips. As a consequence the elders who reside in Prince Rupert did not receive their food fish. In addition the court found FOC's regulations were actually contrary to conservation, because prohibiting dual fishing wastes fish. The regulations actually resulted in more dead fish and less information in the overall fishery. The court said FOC's goals were designed to protect the integrity of the licensing system the department wanted ? "to keep things fair between the non-aboriginal and aboriginal fisherman." But, by definition, aboriginal fishing rights create a special class of fisher, and that must be respected. The discontent of non-aboriginal fishermen can not be a reason for diminishing the rights of aboriginals. The court also held there had been inadequate consultation regarding the regulation change which prohibited dual fishing. Copyright c. 2002 Prince Rupert. --------- "RE: B.C. Tribe seeks return of Sun Mask" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2002 08:34:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SUN MASK" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/ B.C. tribe seeks return of sun mask 10/22/2002 By GLENN FARLEY / KING 5 News ALERT BAY, B.C. - Members of the Namgis Tribe tell stories through dance. And the characters in the stories wear masks. Masks, worn through generations. Alert Bay near the remote northern end of Vancouver Island, B.C., is the home of the Namglis, one of what Canadians call a "First Nation." "They made it illegal for our people to practice the potlatch, practice their ceremonies, their songs, their dances," says Bill Cranmer, chief of the Namgis. The story of the masks in a climate-controlled room at the tribe's cultural center goes back 81 years. It starts with a dance, a native dance which under Canadian law was illegal back in 1921. "As a result of that potlatch, a lot of people that attended were arrested and tried, and some of the chiefs were sent down to Vancouver to prison from two to six months. And part of the agreement was if the chiefs gave up their masks and regalia and agreed not to potlatch any more, that more of their people would not go to jail," says Cranmer. But while the government in British Columbia seemed to want to make the masks go away, others around the world placed a lot of value on these artifacts. One of the masks ended up across the Atlantic Ocean at the cultural center of the British Empire - The British Museum. And the tribe says it can't get the British Museum to give it back, even though other museums have done so. "We would argue, that we hold these collections on behalf of a wider constituency," says Jonathan King of the British Museum. "Because the rules the museum operates under, prevents the trustees from alienating any object from the collections," says Jonathan King of the British Museum. Since the 1970s, the tribe has been able to get all but a handful of masks returned. But th