From gars@speakeasy.org Thu Dec 26 00:22:44 2002 Date: 25 Dec 2002 00:57:04 -0000 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews10.052 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 Hi'a chu ah gaa -- Pima -- The stories or the talk of the People 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 052 | Country than is reported in | O o o o o O | this weekly newsletter. For | O o O December 28, 2002 | For daily updates & events | O o O | go http://www.owlstar.com/ | O | dailyheadlines.htm | Zuni Ik'ohbu yachunne/turning moon +-----------------------------+ Mvskogee rvfechi/little winter 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; Native Lifeways, Frostys AmerIndian, Rez Life and Iron Natives Mailing Lists; UUCP email IMPORTANT!! ----------- In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, all material appearing in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for educational purposes. <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our Spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the Red Road. ++ It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own internet addressable account to gars@speakeasy.org ++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org <================<<<< >>>>================> +-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + | As historian Patricia Nelson | | Once a language is lost, it is | | Limerick summarized in "The | | gone forever | | Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken | | * Of the 300 original Native | | Past of the American West... | | languages in North America, | | "Set the blood quantum at | | only 175 exist today. | | one-quarter, hold to it as a | | * 125 of these are no longer | | rigid definition of Indians, | | learned by children. | | let intermarriage proceed as | | * 55 are spoken by 1 to 6 elders;| | it had for centuries, and | | when they die, their language | | eventually Indians will be | | will disappear. | | defined out of existence." | | * Without action, only 20 | | "When that happens, the federal | | languages will survive the next| | government will be freed of | | 50 years. | | its persistent 'Indian problem.'"| | Source: Indigenous Language | +-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ | Institute | |http://www.indigenous-language.org| This issue's Elder Quote: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + ======================== "We have heard the likes of this before when smallpox blankets were pased out. "The weather was very cold." __ Chairman John Yellow Bird-Steele, Oglala, December 2001 speaking of the trust reform proposal by Secretary of Interior Gale Norton +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Indian Pledge of Allegiance | The Indian Pledge of Alleg- | | iance was first presented | I pledge allegiance to my Tribe,| on 2 December '93 during the | to the democratic principles | opening address of the Nat- | of the Republic | ional Congress of American | and to the individual freedoms | Indian Tribal-States Relat- | borrowed from the Iroquois and | ions Panel in Reno, NV. NCAI | Choctaw Confederacies, | plans distribution of the | as incorporated in the United | Indian Pledge to all Indian | States Constitution, | Nations. | so that my forefathers | | shall not have died in vain | Walk in Beauty! Night Owl +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Journey | In the summer and early fall | The Bloodline | of 1998 the Treaty Unity Riders | | rode a thousand miles on horse- | For all that live and live by law | back, carrying a staff and | We Stand, we Call, We Ride | praying each step of the way. | For All that fear and fear by sight | | We Hear, we Listen, we Ride | These prayers were offered for | For all that pray and pray by strength| each of us, and that the Unity | We Feel, we Move, we Ride | of all Peoples might happen. | For all that die and die by greed | | We Hurt, we Cry, we Ride | Tatanka Cante forwarded this | For all that birth and birth by right | poem on behalf of all the Unity | We Smile, we Hold, we Ride | Riders that we might stop and | For all that need and need by heart | ask if the next words we say, the | We Came, we Went, we Rode. | next act we make is for the good | | of the People or is it from ego | Treaty Unity Riders | for self. +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ O'siyo Brothers and Sisters! This past Saturday morning, while we were getting ready to go to drum practice, the message below arrived. To those cowards who slunk into the Big Foot Riders' camp under cover of night to slash their tires we can only say -- this will never stop The People. The Lakota have faced formidable and far more courageous enemies over the centuries, and they've faced enemies who were even more conniving and treacherous. The Lakota still ride and will ride. For those who'd like to help--right now help is needed to repair vehicles and get this ride back on the road. Contact information and instructions on how to assist appear below along with the note about what happened. -- We know everybody's stretched now, but please don't forget to help the families, elders and children benefitting from groups on our assistance list, as well. Date: Saturday, December 21, 2002 12:05 PM From: "Pamela Rickenback - Milos" Subj: EMERGENCY - On The Big Foot Ride EMERGENCY - Big Foot Ride - South Dakota Your Help Is Needed Greetings! The Big Foot Ride in South Dakota, headed by Chief Arvol Looking Horse , that takes place every year to commemorate the anniversary of the Big Foote massacre has been tragically halted. This morning it was discovered that EVERY vehicle and trailer tires were slashed. ANY help would be deeply appreciated. *** The Big Foote Ride *** Learn more... http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=44swvtn6.5sczrrn6.5iluvtn6&p= http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wolakota.org%2F *** Your Help Is Needed *** Please send Help: Wells Fargo trans #:091000019 Wolakota Foundation/Sunkan Wakan acct #:9876665879 Wells Fargo Soearfish Branch 131 West Hudson Spearfish, SD 57783 The effort to regain their rights to their culture, their history, and their children's futures has demanded that all concerned and compassionate fellow human beings join in their struggle. This is another opportunity for those of us who's lives have been so enriched by our native relatives, to rise up and participate in assisting them to continue on in their dream for the future generations. Thank You, your help will be most appreciated. Sincerely, Pamela Rickenbach - Milos dreamkeepers.net ---------------------------- email: pam@dreamkeepers.net voice: 413-268-7030 web: http://dreamkeepers.net --- This most welcome update arrived Tuesday morning, Christmas eve day. Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2002 07:20:06 -0500 (EST) From: Pamela Rickenbach - Milos Subj: Big Foote Ride UPDATE UPDATE ON THE BIGFOOTE RIDE, MESSAGE FROM ARVOL AND PAULA Greetings! Hello Everyone...Just got back from the Ride....everything is fine...like the Buffalo Nation that stands around to help one that is down...everyone did just that...the Mennonites assisted with equipment to patch and get the people to Rapid City, 2 hours away to get the Tires replaced, not every single tire as reported was the case, was 2 on each truck and trailer, but one is bad enough...so all the money that was donated, along with prayers will assist the Ride...we are non-profit, so all is accountable for their needs....some will continue to Ride through Christmas, some will rush home to families...but the last day of the Ride is the 28th, then on the 29th will be ceremony...a lot of these kids are learning lots from this...even the disgrace of vandalism and what that brings to People that are trying to learn a history of a people from a spiritual perspective....so all is good...thanks all for the prayers! May you have a Happy Holiday...Paula The Big Foot Ride The Big Foot Memorial Ride starts at the site of Sitting Bull's log home, where he was killed by tribal police 110 years ago. The contemporary riders will retrace the route of Lakota who fled Standing Rock Reservation fearing for their safety. A group of about 100 joined Chief Big Foot's band at Cherry Creek. Big Foot led a large group through the Badlands. Read more.... http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=ohkgwtn6.hzhowde6.5augwtn6&p http%3A%2F%2Fwww.argusleader.com%2Fspecialsections%2F2000%2Fbigfoot%2F Dear Friends What an amazing response to this call for help. As Paula says like the buffalo nation everyone gathered around to help support the ones in need. It's a wonderful thing to know that we are indeed All Related. Mitakuye Oyasin Pamela Rickenbach - Milos dreamkeepers.net ------------------------------------------------ email: pam@dreamkeepers.net voice: 413-268-7030 web: http://dreamkeepers.net -=-=-=- There's a powerful message here we MUST NEVER forget. There's a lot of evil and Indian hating. It's wise to be reminded of evil, but we also have here an example of how we stand can stand together and rise over the evil others do. We can meet the needs of our own, and there are still needs to be met. Children go hungry, elders shiver in unheated homes, and the effort to divide us as a people continues. We can feed our hungry. We can clothe and obtain fuel for those in need. There is a long list following this editorial. Pick someone/someplace and give. We have strong enemies. We need to remember they are sent against us to make us stronger, yet. Like the salmon, Creator doesn't let his warriors rest in quiet pools long before casting them against the current. I send smoke and prayers of thanks for those who helped the Big Foot Riders and those who help our elders and children in their needs. -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- -=-=-=- 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 -0520 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 -=-=-=- Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2002 07:33:45 EST From: Dnnfvpks@aol.com Subject: WINTER HELP >To: gars@nanews.org Dear Gary My name is Dianne Mountain. I'm with Wolf Band of Norfolk, Va. and Tidewater Native American Support Group of Virginia. I'm writing a request for help on the Rosebud Reservation, Norris S.D. our group helps out as much possible with assistance to our extended family at Norris. I work with an elder and she helps distributes clothing, money to the children and elders in her community. I would love to give you her address so that if you can help with some fuel assistance that would be a blessing. They can only get a delivery where they are at if there is at least 5 other family in need for fuel. Your help would be very much appreciated. Blessings Dianne Mountain Teresa Ammiotte PO Box / House #15 Norris , S.D. 57560 -=-=-=- *** NEW ITEM 11/16/2002 *** Date: Saturday, November 16, 2002 12:00 AM From: Dodie Finstead [mailto:dodiefinstead@ev1.net] Subj: Please help-Coats for Kids from the Cherokee Nation Mailing List: Native Lifeways Please repost. Cherokee Nation is working to provide a Coats for Kids in Sequoyah County this winter. Any and all help is appreciated and desperately needed. This project was supposed to end today (Nov. 15) but the project has run short in its goal and is asking for everyone's help. For more information on this special project please review the following news story: > http://www.cherokee.org/CurentNewsRelease.asp?ID=719 -=-=-=- *** NEW ITEM 12/10/2002 *** Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2002 10:46:30 EST From: Itsshngsprt2@aol.com Subj: Crow Rez --some needs for those who might wish to donate??? I asked Randy, on the Crow Rez in Montana. I've known him, his family for years, face to face, in my house. He sent the following in response to my question of need. Firehair In a message dated 12/8/02 2:46:32 PM Eastern Standard Time, PastorRB@earthlink.net writes: <= email here for mailing address Projects: Could always use kids HEAVY coats, blankets, and such. We have commodities sponsored by the Gov. and we have a food bank through the church, so food is not generally a problem. Financial issues are most prevailing, but lots of time it is due to mis-management of funds. wishing all of "Our Family" a Very Merry Christmas!! Randy 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 - Quest for Residential School - Tribes get compensation Compensation for Land lost to Dams - Native Children stripped, - Cure comes from Old, New Medicine held in Drunk Tank - BLM threatens Danns - Ahenakew Furor with more Seizures upsets Political Backers - Eastern Band Cherokee - Grand Chief supports to audit Tribal Enrollment Protestors' Efforts - Navajo & Hopi say no - B.C. Natives declare war to Snowmaking on Peaks on Fish Farms - Navajo Nation builds Hogan - Native Prisoner for Single Mother -- Prison Volunteers needed - Suspect in Rodeo Blaze -- Upcoming Book on Incarcerated not Competent Indian artists/writers - 'Time' probe of Casino Gaming -- Native denied PTSD Medication ignores Positives - History: Carlisle Indian School - Tribes furious - Rustywire: Macheveant with Interior's Reform Push - Poem: Talking to the Old Ghost Man - Opinion: Indian Enron Case - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days - White House presses - Saving Native Tongues for Trust Settlement - This Week on First Peoples TV - Abuse Compensation - Native America Calling --------- "RE: Crossings" --------- Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2002 08:10:52 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CROSSINGS" December 18, 2002 Alyssa Marie Martin PINE RIDGE - Alyssa Marie Martin, infant daughter of Louis Martin and Michelle Benson of Pine Ridge, was stillborn Saturday, Dec. 14, 2002, at Pine Ridge Hospital. Survivors include her parents; two sisters, Deanna Martin and Danielle Martin, both of Rapid City; her maternal grandparents, Lance Benson and Connie Titus, Oglala; and her paternal grandmother, Mona Janis, Pine Ridge. A one-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. today at Brother Rene Catholic Hall in Oglala. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at Brother Rene Catholic Hall, with the Rev. Bill Pauly officiating. Burial will be at the Little Family Cemetery in Oglala. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Geraldine K. White Face PORCUPINE - Geraldine K. White Face, 62, Porcupine, died Sunday, Dec. 15, 2002, in Porcupine. Survivors include her husband, Matthew White Face, Porcupine; five sons, Marvin Iron Boy Jr., Vine White Face and Duane White Face, all of Porcupine, Marty White Face, Seattle, and Cecil Martin, Alaska; four daughters, Althea DeClay, White River, Ariz., Charlene Garcia, Dallas, Verine Iron Boy, Porcupine, and Vestana Clifford, Kyle; three sisters, Noreen Lone Elk, Porcupine, Lavina High Hawk, Rapid City, and Charlotte Eagle Bull, Scenic; five brothers, Charles High Hawk, Garland, Texas, John High Hawk, Narcisse High Hawk and Wayne High Hawk, all of Porcupine, and Pershing High Hawk, Pine Ridge; and numerous grandchildren. A two-night wake will begin at 2 p.m. today at Porcupine CAP Building. Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20, at Porcupine CAP, with the Rev. Joe Brown Thunder officiating. Burial will be at St. Luke's Episcopal Cemetery in Sharp's Corner. Coy L. White Calf Jr. RAPID CITY - Coy L. White Calf Jr., infant son of Coy and Lisa White Calf of Rapid City, died Monday, Dec. 16, 2002, at Rapid City Regional Hospital. Survivors include his parents; one brother, Tyler Redleaf, Rapid City; two sisters, Kera and Sylvia Redleaf, both of Rapid City; his grandparents, Joe and Rose Redleaf, Rapid City; and a grandfather, Richard White Calf, Pine Ridge. Visitation will be from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. today at Behrens Mortuary in Rapid City. Wake services will be at 7 p.m. today at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church in Rapid City. Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at the church. Burial will be at Pine Lawn Memorial Park in Rapid City. Lucille M. Cottier PORCUPINE - Lucille M. Cottier, 41, Porcupine, died Sunday, Dec. 15, 2002, at Rapid City Regional Hospital. Survivors include one son, Jeremy Cottier, Porcupine; one daughter, Trinity Cottier, Rapid City; five brothers, Robert Cottier Jr. and Frank Cottier, both of Porcupine, Aldwin Cottier, Allen, and Mark Cottier and Alvin Cottier, both of Rapid City; one sister, Daphne Cottier, Rapid City; and one grandchild. Two-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Sharp's Corner. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, at the church, with the Rev. Bill Pauly officiating. Burial will be at St. Albin's Episcopal Cemetery in Porcupine. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. December 19, 2002 Vance Ghost PINE RIDGE - Vance Ghost, 81, Pine Ridge, died Monday, Dec. 16, 2002, in Pine Ridge. Survivors include one son, John Ghost, Manderson; two daughters, Wanda Thayer, Hermosa, and Joyce Little Dog, Manderson; and numerous grandchildren. A one-night wake will begin at 3:30 p.m. today at Wounded Knee District School in Manderson. Services will be at 9 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20, at the school, with the Rev. Abraham Tobacco officiating. Burial will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. December 20, 2002 Jesus Adam Espinosa OGLALA - Jesus Adam Espinosa, infant son of Carly Espinosa of Oglala, was born and died Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2002, in Pine Ridge. Survivors include his mother and his maternal grandparents, Adam Espinosa, Rapid City, and Ina Espinosa, Oglala. A one-night wake began Thursday, Dec. 19, at the Oglala Recreation Center. Services will be at 10 a.m. today at the recreation center, with the Rev. Jeff Weston officiating. Burial will be at the Espinosa Family Plot in Oglala. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. December 21, 2002 Grace M. Brown Bear PINE RIDGE - Grace M. Brown Bear, 73, Pine Ridge, died Thursday, Dec. 19, 2002, at Rapid City Regional Hospital. Survivors include three daughters, Leah Brown Bear and Tera Brown Bear, both of Pine Ridge, and Dorothy Brown Bear, Batesland; and five grandchildren. A two-night wake will begin at noon today at Batesland School. Services will be at 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 23, at the school, with Bernard Little Whiteman officiating. Burial will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2002 the Rapid City Journal. -=-=-=- December 17, 2002 Elroy Lee Yazzie Elroy Lee Yazzie, 25, of Teesto died Dec. 13, 2002. Mr. Yazzie was born on Feb. 27, 1977, in Keems Canyon and graduated from Winslow High School in 1996. Mr. Yazzie is survived by his father Leroy Yazzie and mother Eleanor Yazzie; brothers Alfred Yazzie of Rough Rock, Leroy Yazzie Jr., Alonzo Yazzie and Lorenzo Yazzie, all of Teesto; sisters Delphina Yazzie Nez of Navajo, N.M., and Sophina Yazzie of Teesto; and grandmother Roxanne Yazzie of Teesto. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. today at Greer's Scott Mortuary Chapel in Winslow. The Rev. Johnnie Nells will officiate. Burial will be in Desert View Cemetery. Copyright c. 2000-2002 Arizona Daily Sun. -=-=-=- December 24, 2002 Pasqualita "Peggy" Tafoya PASQUALITA 'PEGGY' TAFOYA , 81, of Santa Clara Pueblo died Saturday. She was preceded in death by her parents, Augustine and Clarita Tafoya; and two brothers, Julian and Juan P. Tafoya. She is survived by her daughter, Shirley Suazo and husband Robert of Santa Clara Pueblo; a nephew who was like a son, Pat Tafoya and Auderey Wright of Santa Clara Pueblo; brother, Frank Tafoya of Santa Clara Pueblo; five grandchildren; and many other relatives and friends. Funeral services have been held. Interment was at the Santa Clara Pueblo Cemetery. Salazar Family of Block-Salazar Mortuary. Copyright c. 1997 - 2002 Albuquerque Journal: Albuquerque, New Mexico. -=-=-=- December 18, 2002 Daisey E. Bruce May 19, 1948 - Dec. 15, 2002 Daisey E. Bruce, 54, of Cudeii went home to be with her Heavenly Father on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2002, in Farmington. She was born May 19, 1948, in Shiprock to Sam and Lillie Charley of Cudeii. She is survived by her daughters, Antoinette Gonzales and husband, Jerry of Ogden, Utah, Anjannette Billie and husband, Terril of South Ogden, Utah, Gwen Coleman and husband, Jerry Sr. of Cudeii; her sons, Sly Bruce and companion, Lisa Yazzie of Shiprock, Chester Bruce and wife, Theresa of Ogden, Utah; two sisters, Nellie Silversmith and Erma R. Charley-Boyd and husband, Leroy all of Cudeii; five brothers, Bobby M. Charley Sr. and wife, Judy, Wilson M. Charley Sr. and wife, Annie, Sammy Charley Sr. and wife, Erma all of Cudeii, Robert M. Charley and wife, Helena and Wilbert M. Charley and wife, Rosemary of Phoenix, Ariz.; and 14 grandchildren, whom she loved very much. She is preceded in death by her husband, Chester Wm. Bruce Sr.; grandson, Brandon Billie; and sister, Rose Ann Charley. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 20, 2002, at Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral Home Chapel in Farmington. Wilson M. Charley Sr. and Fred Begay will be officiating. Interment will follow at Greenlawn Cemetery in Farmington. Pallbearers will be Jerry Coleman Sr., Christopher S. Charley, Jerry D. Gonzales, Sylvester Wm. Bruce, Nathan Benally and Lefrino D. Josely. Honorary pallbearers will be Bobby M. Charley Sr., Wilson M. Charley Sr., Robert M. Charley, Wilbert M. Charley, Sammy Charley Sr., Shawn R. Boyd, Chester Wm. Bruce Jr., and Chester Wm. Bruce III. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral Home, Shiprock, (505) 368-4607. Tony H. Mike Dec. 15, 1945 - Dec. 14, 2002 Tony Mike passed away peacefully at home in Chinle, Ariz., on Dec. 14, 2002. He died of complications of an extended illness, which he courageously battled. He was born at home in the winter of 1945 on Dec. 15, at Sanostee. His parents who preceded him in death were Dan and Marie Mike. He was of the Hoghanlini (Many Hogans People) clan and born for the Ta'nee'szah'nii People ( Tangle People) clan. Tony is survived by his wife, Gloria B. Mike of Chinle, Ariz.; daughter, Toni M. Mike and her husband, Virgil Yazzie; and two grandsons, Brandon and Jordan Mike-Yazzie of Phoenix, Ariz. He is also survived by brothers, Eddie Mike and wife, Diana of Sanostee, Leonard Mike and wife Harriett of Kirtland and Lorenzo Mike and wife, Linda of Salt Lake City, Utah; sisters-in-law, Daisy Mike of Table Mesa and Barbara Mike of Ogden, Utah; many nieces and nephews and their families; and half-brothers and sister, Raymond Mike, Danny Mike and Lusandra Mike all of Sanostee. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Lee Mike of Table Mesa and George L. Mike of Ogden, Utah, and sister Phyllis Smith of Sanostee. Tony was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle. He was known for his devotion to his family and extended family of brothers and sisters, including cousins, uncles and aunts and their families. He especially cherished and loved his two grandsons. Tony loved to spend quality time as a grandfather and mentor to his many nieces and nephews. His grandsons' happiness, welfare and education were a large part of his life teachings. He had attended Kirtland High School and graduated with the class of 1964. He then continued his education at Provo, Utah, attending Utah Technical College and Brigham Young University. Tony then transferred to Weber State University at Ogden, Utah, and graduated with the class of 1979 with a dual degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts and Sociology. Tony encouraged all who knew him to live a life of healthiness in mind, body and spirit. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 20, 2002, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Stake Center, 10 Road 6523 in Kirtland. The church building is across from Foutz Trading Company, U.S. 550. Burial services will be at the Kirtland-Fruitland Cemetery conducted by Chapel of Memories Funeral Home of Kirtland. December 20, 2002 Albert Sosie -Dec. 16, 2002 Albert "Alfred" Sosie, 56, of Fruitland died Monday, Dec. 16, 2002, at San Juan Regional Medical Center. He is survived by two sisters, Linda Alsburg of Shiprock and Elsie Castillo of California; one brother, Matthew Yazzie of Newcomb and a very special friend, Michael Combs of Aztec. He also has one aunt, Mary Tsosie of Blanding, Utah and numerous nieces, nephews and friends. It is requested that all friends and family notify his sister, Linda Alsburg at (505) 368-5501, to provide input for the funeral service. Contributions for his services can be sent to Linda Alsburg at P.O. Box 1043, Waterflow, NM 87421, or taken to the family meeting Sunday evening at the family home. Funeral arrangements are pending with Chapel of Memories Funeral Home of Kirtland, (505) 598-9636. December 23, 2002 Franklin Tso Sr. June 28, 1913 - Dec. 21, 2002 Franklin Tso Sr., was born on June 28, 1913, in the family home at Rock Point, Ariz., and died on Dec. 21, 2002. He is a World War II Veteran of the European Theater and served two tours of duty from 1944 to 1949. Following an honorable discharge, he worked for El Paso Natural Gas Co., and worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Shiprock Agency, from which he retired in 1977. He served his Lord and church by serving as an elder or deacon in the Farmington Christian Reformed Church, now known as Maranatha Fellowship CRC, and Shiprock Christian Reformed Church, now known as Bethel CRC. He is survived by a brother, David Tso and family of Aztec and two sisters, Mary Jim and family and Pauline Begay and family, each of Rock Point, Ariz. He is also survived by three sons, Harold W. Tso and wife, Mary of Albuquerque, Benjamin Tso and wife, Frances of Shiprock and Dr. Wilbur R. Tso and wife, Joanne of Farmington; two daughters, Lorraine M. White and husband, Ken of Duncanville, Texas, and Valerie C. Reisinger of Olathe, Kan.; 16 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father, Nataani Libahi and his mother, Bitsii litsoi Bitsi as well as two brothers, William and Howard. He was also preceded in death by his wife, Sarah Goodluck Tso and two sons, Samuel Albert Tso and Franklin Tso Jr. Visitation will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002, at Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral Home, 103 E. Ute St. in Farmington. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, at the Bethel Christian Reform Church in Shiprock Interment will be at the Shiprock Cemtery follwing the services. Pallbearers will be Brian Tso, Benjamin Tso Jr., Michael Tso, Philip Tso, Barry Tso, Andrew Brady, Lyman Tso and Herbert Harvey. Honorary pallbearers will be the Rev. Sampson T. Yazzie, Benjamin Hogue, Gerry Van Dam, Dr. Taylor McKenzie, Chee Anderson family and Woody Davis. Funeral arrangements are with Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral Home, 103 E. Ute St., Farmington, (505) 325-8688. Copyright c. 1999-2002 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM. -=-=-=- December 20, 2002 Johnson Yazzie BLUE CANYON, Ariz. - Services for Johnson Yazzie, 47, will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 21 at Family Church Assembly of God. Pastor Bob Huger will officiate. Burial will follow at the family cemetery, Blue Canyon. Yazzie died Dec. 16 in Phoenix. He was born Feb. 3, 1955 in Fort Defiance, Ariz. into the Honey Combed Rock People Clan for the Mexican People Clan. Yazzie attended Window Rock High School. He was employed as a heavy equipment operator. He was in the U.S. Army, stationed in West Germany. His hobbies included playing basketball, traveling and reading. Survivors include his son, Jerome Yazzie of Gallup; daughters, Bridgette Yazzie of Gallup, Deanna Keeto and Jennifer Dominguez, both of Tempe, Ariz. .; parents, Gail and James Yazzie Sr. both of Blue Canyon; brothers, Wilbur Lilly of Summit, Ariz. and James Yazzie Jr. of Blue Canyon; sisters, Judy Yazzie of Kinlichee, Ariz., Jane Chavez of Blue Canyon, Maybelle Kinlicheene and Janice James both of Cornfields, Ariz.; and two grandchildren. Yazzie was preceded in death by his brother, Jonah Yazzie and grandparents, Bah and Herbert Yazzie. Pallbearers will be Jerome Yazzie, Darrell Yazzie, Wallace James Jr., Orlando Kinlicheene, Wilbur Lilly, Harvey Tom, Brian Tom and Anderson James. The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services at Fort Defiance Chapter House. Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Helen George CHURCH ROCK - Services for Helen George, 52, were held at 10 a.m., today, at Rehoboth Christian Reformed Church. Jerome Sandoval officiated. Burial followed at Rehoboth Mission Cemetery. George died Dec. 14 in Santa Monica, Calif. She was born Oct. 9, 1950 in Shiprock into the Zuni People Clan and Bitter Water Clan for the Mexican People and Many Goats Clan. George graduated from Rehoboth Mission School and attended school at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Ariz. She was a doctorial candidate in Linguistics at UCLA and an educator at Santa Monica College and Loyola University. Her hobbies included reading, writing and music. Survivors include her brother, Benn and James Smith both of Church Rock; sisters, Juanita G. Kinsel of Fort Defiance, Ariz. George was preceded in death by her parents, John L. Mary S. George; brother, Freddie George. Pallbearers were Alvina A. Begay, Troy D. King, Harry Mason, Carrie Ann Smith, Bennie J. Smith and Gary Redshirt Smith. The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services at the Mason residence in Church Rock, N.M. Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Elvira Cayaditto PREWITT - Services for Elvira Cayaditto, 20, will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 21 at Prewitt Assembly of God. Brother Douglas Cooper will officiate. Burial will follow at Thoreau Community Cemetery. Cayaditto died Dec. 14 in Prewitt. She was born June 2, 1982 in Crownpoint into the Chiricuhua Apache People Clan for the Two Who Came to the Water People Clan. Survivors include her son, Shawn Tulley of Prewitt; mother, Mary Jane Delgarito of Prewitt; brothers, Art Martinez of Show Low, Ariz., Jerry Delgarito Jr., Sylvester Delgarito and Larry Martinez all of Prewitt; sisters, Jennifer Cayaditto, Syltavia Cayaditto, Victoria Cayaditto, Jerralene Delgarito and Maria Jane Delgarito all of Prewitt and grandparents, Elsie Martinez and Juanita Martinez all of Prewitt. Cayaditto was preceded in death by his father, Jerry Delgarito Sr. and grandfather, Floyd Martinez. Pallbearers will be Jerry Delgarito Jr., Johnny Jake Jr., Art Martinez, Larry Martinez, Llyod Martinez and Ronald Sardo. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2002 the Gallup Independent. -=-=-=- December 23, 2002 Calvin Michael Last Star Sr. BROWNING -- Korean War Army veteran Calvin Michael Last Star Sr., 71, of Browning, a mechanic and laborer, died Wednesday in Great Falls of natural causes. His funeral is noon today at Little Flower Parish, with burial in Methodist Cemetery in Browning. Survivors include daughters Lolita Last Star and Marshalene Last Star of Browning and Melinda Buffalo of Yakima, Wash.; sons Calvin Last Star Jr. of Missoula, Virgil Last Star of Heart Butte, Brian Last Star of Pablo, Gerald Last Star of Browning and James Last Star of Great Falls; adopted sons Layne Last Star of Portland Ore., and Robert Baker Jr. of Browning; a sister, Beverly Baker of Browning; brothers Frederick Makes Cold Weather and Delbert Makes Cold Weather, both of Browning; 21 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his second wife, Alfreda Whitegrass Last Star; a son, Darrel Wayne Last Star, and a still-born son; and one granddaughter. Copyright c. 2002 Great Falls Tribune. -=-=-=- December 17, 2002 Isadore Smoker Kahkewistahaw First Nation, SK SMOKER--On Monday, December 16, 2002, Isadore (Assin Ganiipawit - Rock Standing Man) Smoker, the oldest elder of Kahkewistahaw First Nation, Sask., died at the age of 84 years. The funeral service will be held in the Kahkewistahaw Complex on Thursday, December 19, 2002 at 2:00 p.m. with Rev. Hector Bunnie officiating. Interment in the Kahkewistahaw F.N. Cemetery. A wake will be held in the complex on Wednesday starting at 4:00 p.m. Predeceased by his wife Georgina, his parents William Smoker and Agnes Miller, ten children, sisters: Tina Bear, Nancy Ponicappo, Georgina Sparvier and Maggie Smoker (Lonethunder) and two brothers: Peter Oneside and Robert Smoker. Isadore is survived by his children: Marie, Wilbert, Marvin (Annie), Brenda, John (Lynn) and Robert Raye; his numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. December 23, 2002 Sidney Francis Gordon First Nation, SK GORDON--Sidney Francis of theGordon First Nation, passed awayFriday, December 20, 2002 at the age of 83 years. Sidney was predeceased by his parents Benjamin and Clara Gordon, four brothers; Victor, Gilbert, John and David, two sisters; Isabel and Sarah. One son, Gilbert "Smokey" Gordon, grandchildren; John and Andrea Gordon. Sidney is survived by his loving wife Jean, children; Bernice (Andrew), Patricia (Tom), Sidney J. (Connie), Gary (Laureen), Shirley (Bob), Buddy (Sadie), Henry (Monica), Bonny. Plus numerous nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Sidney was a World War II Veteran, serving in Italy, France, Germany, Holland and England. The Wake will be held Monday, December 23, 2002 at 4:00 PM, Gordon Gymnasium, Gordon First Nation. The Funeral Service will be held Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 2:00 PM, Gordon Gymnasium, with Rev. Arthur Anderson, and Rev. Dale Gillman officiating. Burial to follow at St. Luke's Cemetery, Gordon First Nation. James Oochoo Muskowekwan First Nation, SK OOCHOO--In loving memory of James Oochoo who left us on December 20, 2002 at the age of 58 years old. Born March 9, 1944 of the Muskowekwan First Nation, he was predeceased by his mother and father Mr. & Mrs. John Oochoo. Also two brothers Ivan & Henry and one sister Mary. James is survived by one brother Joseph and four sisters: Alice & Evy Oochoo, Rose Mae (Noel) Kahnapace & Francis (Gabe) Crowe Buffalo. Also numerous nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren. A wake will be held in the Muskowekwan First Nation Band Hall on Monday, December 23, 2002. The funeral service will be held in the band hall on Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 4:00 p.m. with bad elders officiating. Interment in the Muskowekwan Cemetery. Copyright c. 2000-2002 Regina Leader Post Group Inc. --------- "RE: Tribes get compensation for Land lost to Dams" --------- Date: Mon 16 Dec, 2002 08:46:11 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MISSOURI CLAIMS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthtribune/4749542.htm Tribes finally get compensation for land lost to dams MISSOURI RIVER: After years of pushing their claims, nine tribes receive $625 million from the government. BY JUDITH GRAHAM CHICAGO TRIBUNE PIERRE, S.D. - A story of unresolved grief and injustice lies behind six enormous dams on the upper Missouri River and the large lakes created when they were built. Now, the saga of American Indian lands lost, homes destroyed and an entire village swallowed by the water is drawing to a close, ending a bitter piece of history on the northern Great Plains. The story centers on Indian tribes whose homelands along the river disappeared when waters spread far and wide behind the Missouri dams in the 1950s and 1960s. The Indian lands that were submerged -- an estimated 550 square miles -- were taken from the tribes by the government through a condemnation process without adequate compensation. Four decades after the last dam was finished, a bill redressing this wrong was signed by President Bush on Friday. It provides nearly $28 million to the Yankton Sioux of southeast South Dakota and the Santee Sioux of northeast Nebraska for damage done when the Missouri's waters covered almost 4,000 acres of their land. Congress approved the legislation before Thanksgiving. Obtaining reimbursement for the lost Indian lands has stretched out for a decade and involves five separate acts of Congress and payments of about $625 million to nine tribes. The new law will settle all outstanding Indian claims against the government over the Missouri River dams. "While we cannot recover the valuable lands that are now under water, we can provide compensation that the tribes deserve," Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said. But this formal act won't put to rest memories that haunt Ramona O'Connor, 66, a member of the Yankton Sioux. Her tribe lost almost 3,000 acres of land along the Missouri when the Fort Randall dam closed in 1952, inundating a portion of the reservation. Among the areas lost was the village of White Swan, the hometown O'Connor shared with her father and mother, two siblings, grandparents, four uncles and numerous cousins. O'Connor has not gone back to the site where her village vanished below the river waters. "I can't go through that. I just can't deal with the grief, I guess," said the social worker, who lives 15 miles from where she grew up. The people of White Swan, one of four main settlements on the reservation, were fortunate before the flooding, said Michael Lawson, a historian who has written extensively about the tribes who lost their land to the Missouri dams. The rich bottomland along the river was good for corn, hay and alfalfa. Potatoes, carrots, peas and watermelon thrived in gardens. Along the river, groves of trees provided a reliable source of lumber. The river supplied all the fresh water the village needed. Hunting was easy. Deer, pheasants, beavers, rabbits and coyotes were plentiful along the Missouri's shores. Many herbs and roots that grew only in the area were used in sacred ceremonies and healing practices. "We never went to the store to buy things. We had everything we needed," said O'Connor, who spent her childhood fishing and playing in the river. But in Washington, the government had other plans for lands along the river, where Sioux tribes had been confined after the Indian wars of the 19th century. Driven by a desire to control the Missouri's floods and inspired by opportunities to provide irrigation, generate hydropower and eventually employ veterans returning home from World War II, Congress in 1944 approved legislation known as the Pick-Sloan Plan. The plan called for five major dams on the river. The first of the main Missouri dams, which came before the Pick-Sloan Plan, was built in 1937, during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl years. The Fort Peck Dam drove 289 families on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in Montana from their homes and submerged 155,000 acres of the reservation. Control over the vast,$30 billion project fell to the Army Corps of Engineers, which had virtually no experience in dealing with Native Americans and possessed little understanding of the treaties that set forth Indians' legal rights. The corps used condemnation as the fastest, most effective way to get Indian lands needed to construct the dams. Many other non-Indian residents also lost property along the Missouri because of the dams. But Native Americans were disproportionately affected, experts agree. The Bureau of Indian Affairs declined to mount legal challenges on the tribes' behalf, nor were tribes represented in these transactions by private lawyers, which they could not afford, historian Lawson noted. The Pick-Sloan Plan contained no language protecting tribal interests; the Bureau of Indian Affairs did not even tell tribes of the damages that would accompany the dam-building project until 1949, several years after condemnations had begun. A few years earlier, a Corps of Engineers official had come to Armand Hopkins' home in White Swan. He surveyed the land and told the family of six they were to be evicted. "Get off our land," Hopkins' grandfather told the man. They were one of the families who stayed in the village until the very end, until the water began climbing up the shore toward their home. "Our house and everything in it went. We never got anything out of it," said Hopkins, 60, a retired construction worker and bar owner. "We didn't have no pickup to take things away. Back then, no one had no money, not much of anything. "Nobody wanted to leave. And still, everybody who lived there has a great sadness in their hearts." Resettled in makeshift towns on the prairie, White Swan families fell on hard times, according to Lawson's research. Instead of living off the land, they had to find jobs, which were scarce. While some families received minimal compensation, it came years late and did not cover the costs of resettlement and building new communities. "Our entire way of life collapsed," said Robert Cournoyer, vice chairman of the 8,000-member Yankton Sioux tribe. Displaced Yankton Sioux families received an average $5,605 payment for their lost homes and lands, according to a 1960 study by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, far less than other tribes or non-Indian residents represented by private lawyers. The tribe was not compensated for natural resources that were destroyed, including nearly all of the reservation's timber. The Yankton Sioux's portion of the government's new compensation settlement will be $23 million; the Santee Sioux, who lost about 600 acres, are to receive $4.7 million. Both tribes intend to use the money for schools, social services, job training and economic development. Meanwhile, other issues remain unresolved between the tribes and the government. The Corps of Engineers had promised to move Yankton Sioux gravesites to higher ground before the Fort Randall dam was finished. But surveys of existing burial sites were poorly funded and incomplete, and some graves were left behind. Over the past several years, low lake levels and construction projects along the eroding shoreline have exposed Indian burial grounds that were never moved, provoking deep anger and a lawsuit by the Yankton Sioux. Copyright c. 2002 Duluth News Tribune. --------- "RE: Cure comes from Old, New Medicine" --------- Date: Thu 19 Dec, 2002 08:49:18 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MEDICINE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2002/12/19/news/local/ Cure comes from old, new medicine By Heidi Bell Gease, Journal Staff Writer December 19, 2002 RAPID CITY -- When Wauneta Lone Wolf counts her blessings, she counts the illness doctors thought would take her life months ago. "It was such an incredible journey for me, and people say I'm crazy because I thank God for cancer," Lone Wolf, who grew up on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and now lives in Arizona, said. "There's always reasons why these things happen. I think it really renewed my belief in the power of prayer, faith and the type of attitude that you have." Her attitude is positive. After Lone Wolf - a nonsmoker - was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer in January 2001, she chose to follow a path that combined Western medicine with traditional Lakota healing ceremonies. Her journey was documented by the Arizona Republic newspaper. Lone Wolf will speak here Friday about her experience. (See box on Page A2.) Doctors did not expect Lone Wolf to be here today. "I was supposed to cross over November, last year this time," she said. Instead, she is cancer-free and continuing her work as a motivational speaker and counselor who focuses on youth violence and drug-use prevention. Lone Wolf, who is in her early 50s, underwent chemotherapy and radiation to treat the cancer that started in her lung and spread to her brain. She also used traditional herbs and Lakota healing ceremonies, including sweats and sun dances. Warfield Moose Jr., a Lakota Yuwipi medicine man, has worked closely with her throughout her illness. "He can also send the spirits from long distance, ... and they doctor me, " Lone Wolf said. "I can feel them working." She believes the faith-based portion of her treatment was the strongest part. "I'm sure even with the power of our ceremonies, the spirits could have healed me without telling me to use Western medicine," she said. "It was really all about balance." Faith has become the message of the video that will be shown here Friday. The video began as a piece on the Art of Healing, an event held in Phoenix in Lone Wolf's honor, that showcased healing traditions of various ethnic groups. "You never really know how much you're appreciated until people think, 'Oh, you're about ready to cross over,'" Lone Wolf said with a chuckle. Now, the video has become a teaching tool. "The message is universal. I think it goes beyond people who have cancer or chronic illness," she said. "It's just about life." Lone Wolf said she had asked the spirits how she got cancer. "Their response was, it had its origination in a time when my heart was heavy and my spirit was low," she said. "They said, 'Before I can heal your body, I have to heal your mind.'" For her, that meant delving deep into her past to deal with unfinished business, ranging from the grief of losing her mother at age 3 to the anger that lingered from boarding-school years to the pain of experiencing racism and domestic violence. "All those things had finally come to a head and manifested itself in the illness," she said. "I'm trying to share that with people. You can't go back and change the past, but the future's whatever you want it to be ... But first, you've got to let go of the past." Contact Heidi Bell Gease at 394-8419 or heidi.bell@rapidcityjournal.com Copyright c. 2002 the Rapid City Journal. --------- "RE: BLM threatens Danns with more Seizures" --------- Date: Fri 20 Dec, 2002 08:11:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BLM/DANN" http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2002/Dec-20-Fri-2002/news/ BLM threatens Dann sisters with more livestock seizures By SCOTT SONNER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Friday, December 20, 2002 RENO -- Two Western Shoshone sisters who had 227 cattle confiscated this fall are defying federal orders to remove additional livestock from public land and face seizure of up to 250 more cattle and nearly 1,000 horses, federal officials said Thursday. In an ongoing dispute over livestock grazing and tribal treaty rights, Bureau of Land Management special agents served Mary and Carrie Dann with a notice Tuesday that they have five days to remove the livestock accused of trespassing on BLM land in northeast Nevada. The deadline is Dec. 24, but BLM officials said they would not consider confiscations until after Dec. 25. "BLM will not impound those horses on Christmas Day," BLM spokeswoman JoLynn Worley said. The Danns maintain they have a right to graze the cattle on the land under the conditions of the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley. The government disagrees and argues the horses and cattle are causing damage by overgrazing the range about 60 miles southeast of Elko. BLM officials say the Dann's owe back grazing fees totaling nearly $3 million over the past three decades and that the impoundments are a last resort. "BLM is extremely concerned with the ongoing resource damage to the public lands in the allotment," said Bob Abbey, BLM's state director in Nevada. The Danns said not all the animals belong to them and have asked the BLM for proof that the livestock are damaging the range. Worley said the government has tried unsuccessfully for years to negotiate a settlement with the Dann sisters. Copyright c. 2002 Las Vegas Review-Journal. --------- "RE: Eastern Band Cherokee to audit Tribal Enrollment" --------- Date: Thu 19 Dec, 2002 08:49:18 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EBC ROLL AUDIT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/12_02/12_18_02/fr_cherokee_audit.html Cherokee to audit tribal enrollment By Don Hendershot December 18, 2002 "It's not about money, it's about blood," says Teresa McCoy, a member of the Cherokee Tribal Council who represents the Big Cove community. McCoy was referring to the coming audit of the enrolled members of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee. Tribal members passed a referendum Dec. 3 asking whether they wanted to conduct the audit. McCoy says she is disturbed by those who say the audit is about the bi- annual cash payments from casino profits. She was particularly upset by a WLOS-TV report she says aired on Dec. 16. She said the segment misrepresented the feelings of tribal members who voted to conduct the audit of tribal rolls. "WLOS needs just a little more information. Money is not the primary reason for the audit," McCoy said. The long, often contentious argument regarding was apparently settled by the Dec. 3 referendum. With 1,897 enrolled members voting, the referendum calling for an audit passed 1,089 for and 808 against. "They could have held this referendum in 1925, the year after Fred Baker established the official roll and the outcome would have been the same. My grandmother, who passed away in 1981, before there was any per capita, always felt there should be an audit. It is a question of legitimacy," McCoy said. Tribal members passed a resolution last June on a 7-5 vote calling for an audit. Principal Chief Leon Jones called the audit "camouflage," and he vetoed that resolution. When Jones defended his veto in July, he told council members that an audit was the first step toward disenrollment. "When we campaigned we didn't ask how did you get on the roll, what is your blood degree? We asked would you vote for me? We took an oath to take care of every member of the tribe, no matter how they got on the roll," Jones said. The vote on the veto was the same 7-5 as on the resolution. The veto stood because it requires a two-thirds majority to overturn a veto. McCoy introduced the resolution again in July and it passed 7-5. Council members consistently supporting the audit are McCoy, Brenda Norville, Rich Panther, B. Ensley, Albert Crowe, Marie Junaluska and Dwayne Jackson. The five in opposition were chairman Bob Blankenship, vice-chair Larry Blythe, Jim Owle, Tommye Saunooke and Glenda Sanders. On Aug. 1 the same seven council members passed B. Ensley's resolution calling for a referendum, which led to the December vote. McCoy said the next step would be for the election board to bring the referendum results before the board to be verified at January's council meeting. "Once the vote is approved council can proceed to call someone in to talk to us about the logistics of an audit," McCoy said. She said that person might be James Mills of the firm DCIAmerica. DCIAmerica has worked with several tribes across the country on enrollment issues. McCoy said that Mills had met with the enrollment committee before and that committee members felt comfortable with him. She says she has no idea what an audit might cost the tribe, but that when she asked tribal members if a quarter-million dollar price tag would change the way they felt regarding an audit the answer was no. McCoy said she was disappointed in some of the misinformation that was put out before the referendum. Some people told her they had been told every tribal member would have to undergo DNA testing. George Pheasant, a Big Cove resident, said he had heard that same thing. His wife said she was told it would cost a million dollars a year for five years. "I just hope the five council members who have opposed this audit understand that the quicker we get on with it, the better it will be for the tribe," McCoy said. Copyright c. 2002 Smoky Mountain News. --------- "RE: Navajo & Hopi say no to Snowmaking on Peaks" --------- Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2002 10:05:16 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NO SNOW" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.navajohopiobserver.com/navajohopiobserver/ Navajo & Hopi say no to snowmaking on Peaks By S.J. Wilson The Observer "I am who I am. I was a Hopi when I was born. I can never be a white man. " Elliott Selestewa, Jr. said during two Forest Service presentations held Dec. 9 in Tuba City and Kykotsmovi. "You remember who you are. When I die I will be a Hopi. "I will go home to the mountain as a spirit to bring rain to my people." In his view, skiing benefits very few people, and he said that the proposal to expand the ski area did not address the seriousness of the impacts such a project would have on the Hopi people. "Today there is no rain, no snow. We are taught there is a reason for that. The white man doesn't understand the way things work. Maybe the Creator is saying it is high time I speak to everyone on the planet," Selestewa said. The Forest Service held these two meetings at the request of the Hopi Tribe. Although two meetings had been previously held in Flagstaff, the current meetings were scheduled in order to allow reservation residents a chance to express their opinions. The Forest Service offered a brief slideshow and presentation outlining proposed changes, which will include the realignment or lengthening of three ski lifts, an additional chairlift and four surface lifts. It also includes the development of 66.5 new acres of skiing terrain, a new guest service facility and additional parking all within the existing Snowbowl boundaries. Then there is the proposal for artificial snowmaking from reclaimed water - which would see the City of Flagstaff providing 1.5 million gallons of reclaimed water each day of a skiing period extending from November to February. Now the length of the ski season is subject to the whims of Mother Nature. The reclaimed water will be piped to the Snowbowl via a 14-mile long underground pipeline, requiring three booster pump stations located along the route. Many wonder what effect this water will have on human and plant life. Raleigh Puhuyaoma compared the use of wastewater in the making of snow to "pumping dirty water on somebody's face. The Katsinas and other people are living over there." He suggested that anyone supporting the use of wastewater for snow consider drinking that water for three months before declaring it safe for use. Raymond Maxx, Councilman for Tuba City and Coal Mine on the Navajo Reservation, said that the Navajo people have many shrines on the San Francisco Peaks. "Just the other day my father was out there gathering herbs," he said. Maxx views the recycled water as nothing more than sewer water. "That's what it is to us," he said. "If you allow this to happen, our people will heavy hearts." Further, Maxx said, people think of the Forest Service as an entity that must protect and preserve. He was surprised, he said, to find the government agency involved in a clearly recreational matter. Wayne Taylor, Jr., Hopi Tribal Chairman, said that tribe opposes the expansion and is working to have Nuvatukyaovi (the Peaks) put on the National Register of Historic Places. He promised that the tribe would send a formal written statement outlining its objections to the Forest Service within the next few weeks. Klee Benally considers the Arizona Snowbowl indicative of "intolerance against our people." The lease for skiing, he pointed out, does not make it any less a sacred place. "New facilities will just compound the desecration that is already occurring," Benally said. Adair Klopfenstein, a teacher at Tuba City High School, underscored the significance of the mountain to Native Americans. "If you knew what the mountain meant to our people, you wouldn't be thinking of desecrating it," he said. "I don't even go on that mountain without proper preparations and guidance. "If you go through with this project, you will be desecrating and destroying the mountain." Lisa Talayumptewa from the Hopi Tribal Vice Chairman's Office expressed her concern about the long-term effects of wastewater on the archaeological sites on the mountains and on rivers and streams. "Our elders tell us everything has life," she said. She also spoke against the installation of lighting for night skiing and snowplay. "We all need private time. The beings on the mountain need private time, not noise all day and all night," she said. Tim Begay from the Navajo Nation President's Office reiterated to the Forest Service that the Navajo people hold Dook'o'oosliid (the Peaks) to be sacred, and that in 1998 the Navajo Nation Council passed a resolution opposing the expansion of the Snowbowl. It also called for the removal of the existing ski resort. In that context, he said, he could not see how the Forest Service could be considering the proposal for expansion. The Forest Serviced has asked the 13 tribes that consider the peaks sacred to consider accommodations in trade, such as the building of a cultural center or the provision of trees thinned during the process for use in kivas or hogans. "You say you can accommodate our views," said Talayumptewa. "We don't need accommodations." She and many others share the view that the Arizona Snowbowl should not be allowed to expand - and many insist the existing resort be removed. Although the formal period for written comments on the plan ended Nov. 15, Gene Waldrip, Peaks District Ranger, said the Forest Service is still accepting comments. For more information, contact Jim Golden, Coconino National Forest, Supervisor's Office, 2323 E. Greenlaw Lane, Flagstaff, AZ 86004-1810 or call 928-527-3600. The proposal is posted at www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconion/nepa. Copyright c. 2002 Northern Arizona Newspapers, Inc. --------- "RE: Navajo Nation builds Hogan for Single Mother" --------- Date: Thu 19 Dec, 2002 08:49:18 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HOGAN" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129%257E6574%257E1060126,00.html Navajo Nation builds hogan for single mother By Jim Snyder/Staff writer December 18, 2002 SAN JUAN - A single mother is having a free house built for her courtesy of the San Juan Chapter that identified her as in need, and the Navajo Nation that paid for the materials and labor. The house should be ready around New Year's Day. Arlene Fuentes, a seasonal worker at the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, currently lives in a dilapidated wooden house the size of a shed. It has dirt floors and a roof supported by charred beams from a fire. What it doesn't have is electricity, running water or a bathroom. The outhouse is nearby. Living conditions are so bad that her daughter lives in a dormitory at Northwest High School in Shiprock, in part just to stay warm. "The Navajo Council allocates for home improvement at all the chapters annually," said Albert Lee, San Juan Chapter community services coordinator. "The funding is for low-income people to try to help them update their housing needs. The chapter officials go out there to see who is in need of a new home." Lee added it is usually a single parent, a handicapped person or an elder who is able to receive a new home paid for by the tribe. The new house is actually a hogan with its door facing east. It is being built 40 yards west of the old house. It has 864 square-feet, two bedrooms, a living room with a wood stove and cathedral ceiling, a kitchen, a water heater and a full-sized bathroom with a tub. The hogan also has a concrete floor and a shingled roof. It is wired for electricity and has indoor plumbing. The total cost of the hogan is $25,000. The Navajo Nation's housing discretionary fund supplied $13,000 of that amount to purchase all of the building materials. The Navajo Public Employment Program came up with $12, 000 to hire the carpenters and other workers to build the hogan. Construction began Oct. 21. Frank LaMone, construction supervisor, said that the concrete foundation was mixed by hand. "We didn't have a cement truck come out here." LaMone added that the hogan design, the same square footage as a two- bedroom rectangular house, saved at least $4,000. They were able to save money two ways: first, the concrete floor is one slab. Second, the hogan has a single load-bearing truss holding up the roof. A two-bedroom house usually has 14 trusses in the roof. LaMone said "The family can't wait to get in right around New Years. She's really happy with it." He added that "The door always faces east because each day brings something good when they walk out of the house." Looking at the old shack, LaMone said that he couldn't believe its horrid living conditions. "It's really sad to see people living like that, due to funds (not being available) for housing. You can't serve everybody, that's what is really hurting the tribe as a whole," he said. Lee echoed LaMone's statement about poor and often unsafe housing conditions. "You see a lot of families like this. Not only here, but everywhere, with the limited funding the tribe has," he said. Fuentes' brother, Nelson Upshaw, said "She's very excited and is about ready to move. She's staying in that old shed it's a cardboard box." He added that "It is looking pretty nice. We used to live in hogans built out of mud." Her cousin Christopher Benally helped out on the construction. "I want to learn to build hogans. I'm working as a carpenter and helping the guys out. I appreciate getting housing for her." It will be up to Fuentes to get her electricity and water turned on, as well as furnishing her new hogan with appliances. Jim Snyder: jims@daily-times.com Copyright c. 1999-2002 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM. --------- "RE: Suspect in Rodeo Blaze not Competent" --------- Date: Tue 17 Dec, 2002 08:06:43 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FIRES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1217gregg17.html Suspect in 'Rodeo' blaze not competent Faces mental tests; Jan. trial canceled Judy Nichols The Arizona Republic Dec. 17, 2002 12:00 AM Leonard Gregg, the Apache firefighter accused of setting part of the state's largest wildfire, has been found incompetent to stand trial. U.S. District Judge James Teilborg on Monday canceled Gregg's trial, scheduled for Jan. 7, and ordered Gregg sent to a federal Bureau of Prisons hospital for up to four months for further evaluation. After the longer evaluation, Teilborg could set a new trial date or find that Gregg still is incompetent. Gregg, of Cibecue, was charged with setting the eastern portion of the "Rodeo-Chediski" fire, which destroyed 467 homes and blackened nearly 470, 000 acres of national forest and land on the Fort Apache Reservation. Valley resident Valinda Jo Elliot admitted starting the Chediski part of the blaze when she set a signal fire in the wilderness south of Heber after being lost for two nights. Some members of the Apache tribe, as well as White Mountain residents, were infuriated when federal prosecutors decided not to charge Elliott with a crime. "Personally, I think both of them ought to be charged with something," said Carol Timmerman of Show Low. "Even if he wasn't in his right mind, he ought to be held accountable. We're kind of a tourist area up here, and the fire ruined a lot of scenery. I hope after he spends his time in the hospital that they do find him competent." Teilborg said he found inconsistencies in the doctors' reports, which he ordered sealed, but said there were enough questions about Gregg's competency that the additional evaluation was warranted. Gregg's attorney, Deborah Euler-Ajayi, said after the hearing that the doctors who evaluated him have very strong reservations that Gregg will ever be competent to stand trial. Gregg, dressed in a black-and-white- striped jail jumpsuit, sat quietly next to his attorney as a court- appointed translator spoke to him in his native Apache. He could face up to six years in prison on two counts of arson if convicted. About 20 members of Gregg's family and friends came to the federal courthouse, but some were unable to attend the hearing because they didn't have picture identification. None of the family members would speak to the press. Friends of the family, Al Homer and Ivan Lewis, said they believe Gregg is a scapegoat and Elliott also should be facing charges. "She's competent and she walks," Lewis said. "He's incompetent and he's still locked up. What's the deal?" Homer said the family didn't understand why Gregg couldn't be released on his own recognizance. "It's double standards, double justice," Homer said. According to investigators, Gregg set the fire because he was angry about his parents' alcoholism and because he hoped to make money working as a fire crew member for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In court papers, Euler-Ajayi had stated that Gregg "has many symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome, his mental functioning is very low, he has poor capacity for abstract thinking (and) he functions emotionally as well as intellectually at a very primitive level." Euler-Ajayi said Monday that, after the issue of competency is decided, the court might take up the issue of statements Gregg made to investigators after being arrested. "I don't see how he could knowingly, intelligently waive his rights," she said. U.S. Prosecutor Vincent Kirby told the judge he would not object to the motion. "I have reviewed the report and the issues raised need to be addressed," Kirby said. "It is the prudent course." Kirby said Gregg should be in a facility where he would get treatment for his problems. Gregg has been in jail since about 10 days after the fires started. "He's very homesick and lonely, but he's doing fine," Euler-Ajayi said. Reporter Tom Zoellner contributed to this article. Copyright c. 2002, azcentral.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: 'Time' probe of Casino Gaming ignores Positives" --------- Date: Sun 22 Dec, 2002 16:23:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TIME REBUTTAL" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.arizonarepublic.com/opinions/articles/1222sun It's a tribal gamble, win or lose 'Time' probe of casino gaming ignores positives Dec. 22, 2002 In an extraordinary two-part series on the multibillion-dollar tribal gaming industry, Time magazine has exposed a lot of warts. But there are warts evident in the Time investigation as well. In consecutive issues this month, Time gave light to wretched problems that have blossomed since the advent of tribal casino-style gaming in 1988 with passage of the national Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, or IGRA. Its reporters identified the grotesque profits being reaped in many cases by a handful of individuals, some of whom didn't even acknowledge their status as "Indians" until after the passage of IGRA. It pointed out the non-Indian money men who are making fortunes, and the political shenanigans of "wealthy Indian tribes" - a nomenclature, by the way, unheard of before IGRA. What they wrote little about, however, was of the state with the third- largest concentration of Native Americans, Arizona. It's not as though there's no story here. Arizona has 21 tribes, 17 of them with valid casino gaming compacts. Just this fall we endured the most expensive media battle ever over three separate gaming initiatives. Perhaps one reason why Arizona provided so few anecdotes to the massive Time investigation is because the Arizona experience runs, in important respects, counter to Time's thesis: that tribal gaming is awash in corruption and, ultimately, fails to provide for its presumed beneficiaries, Indians. Of the 17 tribes here with compacts, every single one existed with functioning tribal governments before the creation of IGRA. There were no tiny covens of essentially Anglo men and women suddenly discovering their Native American roots in order to open a casino. What's more, Arizona has a regulatory environment that appears far superior to those in other states. Certainly it surpasses that provided by the federal National Indian Gaming Commission, which the Time investigation properly thrashed as pathetically funded and ineffectual. But what Time missed most - and what is certainly most galling to Indians across the nation - is grasping the admittedly complex notion of tribal sovereignty and the role it plays in casino gaming. Should the games be fair? Certainly. Should there be strict regulation? Most certainly. And should Congress take steps to ensure that tribal gaming revenue is invested properly, split equally and fairly among all Native Americans whether they operate casinos or not? Absolutely, unequivocally not. In its ardent quest to portray tribal gaming as a boon to only a scant few Indians - and, so, a failure - Time resurrects the very same socialist-paternalist sentiments that have wreaked havoc among Indians for generations. Without exactly saying so, it advocates the Bureau of Indian Affairs treatment: Resources, however scarce, must be spread indiscriminately and evenly among tribes if they are to be deemed fair. As the BIA has aptly demonstrated, this is not a recipe for success, but for endlessly shared misery. In Arizona, as elsewhere, there are tribes that have profited, some enormously, from gambling. There are others that have not. The reason is a cold, hard one that no Washington social engineer can impact. It is known as market share. Some tribes are profiting from the good fortune of having access to urban markets, while others have profited less or not at all. The new compacts approved by Arizona voters in November ameliorate inequities to some extent, allowing rural tribes to trade slot-machine allocations to urban tribes. But the fact will never change that the rural Navajos in northern Arizona never will benefit exactly as much from gaming as the Gila River Pimas, near Phoenix. As Time painstakingly illustrated, tribal-gaming corruption appears rampant in some states. Non-Indians appear to be reaping grotesque fortunes. As the series suggests, the corruptions need to be rooted out. But they must be rooted out by Indians. Assuming proper regulatory oversight, it is their money, fairly earned. And, for that matter, lost. It is their integrity at stake. Assuring casino profits are well invested is not in the purview of patriarchs in Washington, but vested in Indians themselves. Money does beget power; power does beget responsibility. And that is the essential function of allowing casinos in the first place - providing tribes the means of asserting responsibility over their own lives. That's a fact that Time forgot. Copyright c. 2002, The Arizona Republic. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Tribes furious with Interior's Reform Push" --------- Date: Fri 20 Dec, 2002 08:11:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="REFORM" http://www.indianz.com/News/show.asp?ID=2002/12/20/trust Tribes furious with Interior's reform push FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2002 Already upset with an effort they say reflects little of their input, tribal leaders lashed out at the Bush administration on Thursday for withholding key information about the Department of Interior's pending reorganization. At a meeting this week in Washington, D.C., department officials said they were waiting for Congressional authorization to "reprogram" $5 million in the upcoming budget. The money would be used to restructure the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Office of Special Trustee (OST), the two agencies most responsible for management of 56 million acres of Indian land and billions in trust funds. But Deputy Secretary J. Steven Griles, his top aide Jim Cason and Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb neglected to inform tribal leaders that the House had approved the request on December 10, well in advance of this week's task force session. The Senate agreed on Wednesday, a day after tribes who attended the two-day meeting said they would ask Congress to halt the reprogramming. When told of the final approval -- and the department's public relations campaign to promote it -- tribal leaders were furious. "I don't know why they are being so damn disingenuous," said Ron Allen, the outspoken chairman of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe of Washington. "What benefit does it serve?" Tex Hall, chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation of North Dakota and president of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), accused the Bush administration of being actively "deceitful" with the tribes. "I think it shows that the government is not telling us the truth, " he said. "Enemies have better respect for each other than a trustee-beneficiary relationship," he added. "What the hell kind of relationship is that?" John Berrey, chairman of the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma, was "sad" after learning that department officials kept the House approval from them until Interior spokesman Dan DuBray issued a press statement. "If they are trying to promote a spirit of open discussion, it makes it difficult to see that," he said. "When we see these press releases, obviously this was a done deal before they even told us about it." "It really hurts my feelings," he said. Secretary of Interior Gale Norton, acting Special Trustee Donna Erwin and McCaleb, who is retiring this month, held a press call yesterday afternoon with reporters to trumpet the latest development. "We listened to what we learned from Indian Country," said Norton. "The fact that Congress has now allowed us to go forward is an important recognition of that." "This has been a lot of work," added Erwin, who was chastised by a federal judge this week for not being forthcoming with her schedule. "This has taken a lot of people away from what they have been doing." Despite the attempt to paint the reorganization as the result of nine months of consultation, the circumstances of its announcement are not sitting well with many. On December 4, Griles, Cason and McCaleb invited six tribal leaders -- including Allen and Berrey -- to a private briefing on the proposal. Those who weren't invited, even though some were in Washington, D.C., at the time, felt the department was choosing sides. "I was never informed of a secret, select meeting," said one key leader who was excluded. Similar sentiments were expressed by others this week. "I felt some times that you all had your 'go to guys,'" Rachel Joseph, chairwoman of the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of California said on Monday. "If you are looking for people that you assume are going to go along with you, I guess that's fair, politics being politics. But that sends a message about the lack of true government-to-government consultation." The "back door" approval of the reprogramming letter, which many saw for the first time on Tuesday after Griles sent copies to the task force, only adds fuel to the fire, tribal leaders said yesterday. All agreed that the lack of candor jeopardized future discussions. "What they've done all month clearly shows that our relationship is severely damaged," said Hall. "and I don't know if it's repairable." Some tribes with significant trust assets condemned the reorganization before this week's meeting. The Navajo Nation, the largest tribe in the country, walked out of talks in September and officials last week said the department was incapable of reform. The Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana passed a resolution against the plan as well. In a letter to Norton, Chairman Arlyn Headdress accused the department of using the tribes as "pawns." Alvin Windy Boy, chairman of the Chippewa-Cree Tribe of Montana, and Michael Jandreau, chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, had harsh words about the proposal at the task force. A representative from the Flathead Nation of Montana said the reorganization didn't reflect what McCaleb characterized as consensus among the tribes. Charles Jackson, chairman of the Inter-Tribal Monitoring Association (ITMA), which represents more than 50 tribes with major trust assets, also had concerns. "Yes, there are a lot of questions that are yet to be resolved in the implementation of the organization," McCaleb admitted yesterday. "We are addressing those as we move decisively and as vigorously as we can." Although the task force members all agreed to oppose the reprogramming, many tribes have not developed opinions on the reorganization itself due to lack of details from the administration. Twenty tribes from Arizona are meeting today to discuss the issue further. Copyright c. 2000-2002 Noble Savage Media, LLC/Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Opinion: Indian Enron Case" --------- Date: Wed 18 Dec, 2002 08:49:18 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="INDIAN ENRON" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/ Guest Opinion: 'Indian Enron' case must not be ignored By MARY ANNETTE PEMBER December 18, 2002 History may remember 2002 as the year of the accounting scandals. But Native Americans have been victimized by the government's own accounting scandal for decades. In the "Indian Enron" case, as it's being called, the U.S. government has mismanaged the trust funds of up to half a million people for more than 100 years. While the media and politicians have loudly and righteously demanded accountability and reform in the private sector, there is almost a total lack of outrage by American citizens, Congress and the White House toward the culprit in the trust fund case - the Interior Department. Eloise Cobell, a Blackfeet woman, filed one of the largest class-action suits in U.S. history in 1996 against the U.S. government, now called Cobell v. Norton. Her suit seeks "redress of gross breaches of trust acting by and through the dependents with respect to the management of over 300,000 individual Indians' money." 11 million acres of land in trust Roughly 11 million acres of Indian land is held in trust by the Interior Department. Cobell and her attorneys estimate that more than $100 billion in royalties may be due individual accounts. In addition to monetary compensation, Cobell's suit calls for control over the individual accounts to be taken away from the Interior Department and placed in receivership to be handled by court officers who would report directly to the Justice Department. Interior Secretary Gale Norton is adamantly opposed to receivership and has instead, like her predecessors, created yet another internal accounting system called Bureau of Indian Trust Asset Management. This controversial proposal was devised with almost no input from tribes and seeks to lump tribal land with individual Indian's lands. Predictably, this has created a division in Indian country as tribes fear losing their trust relationship with the federal government. In September, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth charged Norton with civil contempt, stating that she "committed a fraud on the court" by lying about her department's efforts to address the problem and thus has undermined the public trust. For Native Americans, many of whom live a hardscrabble existence on reservation land, royalty payments are used for basic necessities. "The way these trust-fund holders have been treated is a national disgrace. If 40,000 people were cut off Social Security, there would be an uproar in Congress," Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., told the Washington Post last spring. Most people know little or nothing about this subject. There is a strange disconnect between mainstream America and Native America. Many white Americans view Native Americans as denizens of ancient history, which in this culture of instant gratification is anything that happened more than 30 years ago. To really tell the Indian trust fund story, however, we have to take a walk into "ancient" history. In response to the never-ending hunger for land by white settlers and entrepreneurs, the U.S. government enacted the Dawes Act in 1887. This policy sought to break up Indian land holdings by allotting small parcels of land, 80 acres to 160 acres, to individual Indians who had already been pushed from their land onto reservations through treaties. The government, as trustee, then took legal charge of the parcels and established the Individual Indian Money trust to manage and collect revenues generated by mining, oil, timber, grazing and other interests. The money was then to have been distributed to the allottees and their heirs. Numerous allegations There was trouble from the very start. The trust was handled in a sloppy and criminal manner. There have been numerous allegations over the years that large oil, gas and coal interests may have received special deals from the Bureau of Indian Affairs for use of Indian lands. Some revenues were not collected, or if collected, distributed in a spurious manner. Despite several court-ordered attempts at reform, the system continues to be hopelessly incompetent. In the words of Judge Lamberth's recent opinion, the Interior Department's handling of the funds "has served as the gold standard for mismanagement by the federal government for more than a century." "They made us many promises, more than I can remember. But they kept but one, they promised to take our land and they took it," said Lakota Chief Red Cloud in recounting his people's dealings with the white government's representatives. Native Americans and their supporters are closely watching the outcome of Cobell v. Norton. We are hoping that, for once, these words do not continue to describe the dealings of the U.S. government with Indian people. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mary Annette Pember, a Red Cliff Ojibwe from Wisconsin, is vice president of the Native American Journalists Association. She can be reached at pmprojprogressive.org, or by writing to Progressive Media Project, 409 East Main St., Madison, Wis. 53703. Copyright c. 2002 The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: White House presses for Trust Settlement" --------- Date: Sun 22 Dec, 2002 16:23:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BUSH WHITE HOUSE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129 White House presses for Trust settlement By Bill McAllister/Daily Times Washington Bureau chief Sunday, December 22, 2002 - 12:04:08 AM MST WASHINGTON - The Bush White House has been quietly pressing Interior Secretary Gale Norton to settle the Indian trust lawsuit for more than a year, according to a newly-disclosed letter. In the June 19, 2001, letter to Norton, Mitch Daniels, director of the Office of Management and Budget, praised Norton for "steady progress in implementing trust improvements and completing nearly 80 percent of the milestones" outlined in the department's "strategic plan." But Daniels then went only to describe the administration's three major objections in resolving the 6-year-old lawsuit filed by Montana banker Elouise Cobell and four other Indians over the government's inability to reconcile the trust accounts it holds for more than 300,000 American Indians. The OMB chief said Interior should: - Correct the court-declared breaches of trust responsibilities; - Pursue settlement negotiations to avoid the additional costs of a second trial in the Cobell litigation; Propose settlement legislation that is fair to both the Indian account holders and the taxpayers. The letter was disclosed by the government recently as part of the discovery process in the often contentious lawsuit. It was "the start of a conversation" in which the White House outlines its goals for the year as part of the budget process. In this case, settlement talks never have produced any fruit, according to both sides. Interior officials say that the Cobell lawyers are demanding too much money from the government. And the Cobell lawyers say that the government is unwilling to admit to the magnitude of its mistakes in handling the trust accounts. Still, the letter from Daniels, who is a key White House player, shows that the Bush administration has been anxious to get the lawsuit out of court and away from U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth. The judge has repeatedly hammered both the secretary and her department over their handling of the accounts. Current Interior strategy appears to be directed at continuing the costly process of attempting to balance the accounts. That's going to be a relatively slow task, but the top officials at Interior say that they are convinced that the department has been a far better steward of the trust funds than it has been able to prove in court. Their assumption is that if they can show the balances in enough of the accounts are accurate or even close to accurate then the pressure will be on the Cobell lawyers to settle the cases. And, the officials say it will then be at a price that's far more reasonable to taxpayers than what the lawyers have been willing to discuss. * * * * If anyone from New Mexico should be asking for favors from the White House, it should be Sen. Pete Dominici. No one from the state was more supportive of the president this year than the incoming chairman of the Senate Energy Committee. According to Congressional Quarterly's annual presidential support rankings, Dominici was the most loyal member of the New Mexico delegation to Bush. He voted with the president 96 percent of the time, the same rate as Colorado's Sen. Wayne Allard, a fellow Republican, the magazine said. That didn't make them the most loyal GOP senators, the label Democrat Tom Strickland attempted to place on Allard in his unsuccessful race against the freshman senator. Five senators voted with Bush on all issues on which the White House had stated a position this year. They were Republicans Sens. Richard Lugar of Indiana, Trent Lott of Mississippi, Jesse Helms of North Carolina and Fred Thompson and Bill Frist of Tennessee. The magazine said that Republicans in the Senate voted with Bush an average of 84 percent of the time. Both Colorado senators exceeded that level. Republican Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Ignacio was with Bush 91 percent of the past session, the magazine said. Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico was with Bush 79 percent time. In the House, retiring GOP Rep. Joe Skeen was Bush's best friend. He was with the president on 95 percent of the votes on which the White House had a position. No House member was more supportive. GOP Rep. Heather Wilson was with the president on 90 percent of the votes and Democrat Tom Udall was with him only 20 percent of the votes. * * * * High-tech ventures may no longer be the darlings of Wall Street, but the Denver-based law firm of Brownstein Hyatt & Farber recently landed a lobbying contract for one. It has filed with Congressional officials to represent the interests of Global Locate, Inc. of San Jose, Calif., a 3-year-old firm that says it has managed to link wireless technologies with global positioning satellite technology. Bill McAllister: bmcallister@denverpost.com Copyright c, 1999-2002 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM. --------- "RE: Abuse Compensation" --------- Date: Sun 22 Dec, 2002 16:23:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ABUSE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canada.com/search/story In Other Words Finally, abuse compensation December 22, 2002 Special to The Province The federal government has unveiled a resolution framework to resolve Indian residential schools' claims that will save taxpayers a bundle in court costs, according to the Centre for Aboriginal Policy Change. "The resolution framework for residential schools claims will permit the settlement of legitimate claims outside of the courts, saving taxpayers money," said Tanis Fiss, director of the Centre, a branch of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. "However, the new framework isn't cheap. The process is estimated to cost $1.7 billion over 7 years." Operational costs to implement the resolution process are estimated to cost $735 million.? "Given the federal government's recent $1-billion gun registry boondoggle, taxpayers should watch their wallets," she said. The primary focus of the resolution framework is to resolve claims of physical and sexual abuse.? Fiss said it was important that the alternate dispute resolution process did not expand to include language and cultural claims which are already heavily funded by Canadians. "The Department of Canadian Heritage and Department of Indian Affairs already spends $30 million each year on programs and projects designed to support aboriginal language and culture. And Ottawa has committed another $172 million over 10 years to continue funding these native programs." Residential Schools Claims: Program estimated to cost $1.7 billion over 7 years. Estimated $735 million for operational costs, $172 million over 10 years for language and culture. -- Cdn. Taxpayers Federation, Centre for Aboriginal Policy Change Copyright c. 2002 The Province. --------- "RE: Quest for Residential School Compensation" --------- Date: Sat 7 Dec, 2002 19:48:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ABUSE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.Residential-Schools-Lawsuit Native man leads class-action quest for residential school compensation December 6, 2002 OTTAWA (CP) -- Charlie Baxter was nine years old when a bush plane landed near his family's remote trap line to take him off to a native residential school. It was 1959. Baxter spoke Ojibway and didn't understand a word of English. He and nine siblings were plucked from their Ontario home, about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, by federal government agents and the RCMP. Any resistance by their parents could have meant jail time. The children wound up at the now-closed Pelican Falls Indian Residential School near Sioux Lookout, Ont. Each was assigned a number. Baxter was No. 11. He remembers being slapped until he understood what his number meant and how to respond when he heard it called. "Or if anybody different got up, they got slapped." Now 52, Baxter is named as the lead plaintiff on a countrywide, class- action lawsuit. If certified to proceed, it seeks at least $12 billion in compensation for former residential school students and their families. A judge is expected to rule next year on whether about 91,000 people who attended the schools between 1920 and 1996 shared a similar enough experience to sue as a group. The lawsuit, led by Toronto law firm Thomson Rogers, claims damages not just for sexual and physical abuse. It also seeks compensation for how the forced removal of native children from their homes caused "profound and permanent cultural, psychological and emotional injury." No Canadian judge has awarded damages for language or cultural losses, which federal officials say are unquantifiable. And since there's no legal precedent, Ottawa has refused to consider awarding compensation for such effects. Instead, it's developing a multimillion-dollar foundation to help preserve native languages. The initiative, touted as being a better response than cash payouts, is to be announced in the new year alongside a major plan to get residential school lawsuits out of the courts and into adjudication, sources say. Ottawa is seeking a faster way to resolve mounting lawsuits that already involve more than 12,000 plaintiffs. Otherwise, the snail's pace of litigation could tie up cases in court for decades. Baxter thinks the government, which first set up residential schools in the 19th century to "christianize and civilize" native kids, should be legally held to account. "They beat the hell out of us when we talked . . . our native tongue." But nights were the worst part of more than two years at Pelican Falls, Baxter said. Staff and older bullies would enter the dormitories looking for sex, he said. "The children that were there saw it, and there was nothing we could do. We were helpless." He recalled being forced to perform oral sex on an older male student. Baxter and his siblings were moved to another residential school in Sault Ste. Marie where he stayed until high school. When he turned 18 and was free of the school system, Indian Affairs offered no help getting back to his remote community, he said. Cut off from his roots, Baxter would not return to his home at Makokabaton Lake until he was 32. "When I got there, my parents, my dad, didn't want me. They thought I had abandoned them." Shunned by the community, Baxter started drinking. His marriage broke up, he got in fights and wound up in jail for 18 months for assault. It took years to repair relations with his parents that never fully healed, Baxter said, fighting tears. Today, the father of seven is a band councillor on the Constance Lake First Nation, about 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. Baxter has been sober for eight years, and works with Ontario government officials to solve band complaints about forestry and other issues. No amount of compensation can bring back a lost childhood, he says. His support of the class-action effort "is for all survivors who are still out there." Many are in remote areas without access to legal advice and most haven't come forward, Baxter said. "Someone has to start the process." Copyright c. 2002, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc. --------- "RE: Native Children stripped, held in Drunk Tank" --------- Date: Wed 18 Dec, 2002 08:49:18 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CHILDREN JAILED" http://www.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view Native children stripped, held in drunk tank Wed Dec 18 09:44:29 2002 WINNIPEG - The RCMP may lay criminal charges against three child welfare workers in Winnipeg. Three native children in their custody were stripped and held in a drunk tank for 24 hours. The province investigated the incident and suspended the three workers from the Winnipeg Southeast child and family services. The welfare workers took the children from the Pauingassi First Nation into custody and locked them for several hours, naked, in a police trailer normally used as the drunk tank. The agency said the children were gas sniffers and the workers thought they might kill themselves. Pauingassi First Nation is 280 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. The province's children's advocate, Janet Mirwaldt, said she was shocked by what happened. "This is highly unusual and in any standard of care I have reviewed, I have never seen this," she said. Mirwaldt said the standard procedure for dealing with potentially suicidal children is to remove only specific items, such as scarves or shoelaces, that could be dangerous and to monitor them for 24 hours. Linda Flett, who speaks for the Winnipeg Southeast child and family services, conceded that what happened was wrong, but said outsiders need to understand the pressure on her workers. "Keeping in mind Pauingassi is a community is crisis," she said. The community is plagued by gas sniffing and suicide, said Flett. Flett said stripping children in custody is not normal procedure. "I'm not sure what the thought process was but I imagine it was keeping the children safe at all costs," she said. The agency has apologized to the community and is trying to repair the damage caused by the incident. Written by CBC News Online staff Copyright c. 2002 CBC. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Ahenakew Furor upsets Political Backers" --------- Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 14:34:37 -0500 From: "Frosty" Subj: Ahenakew furor upsets political backers Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian ----- Original Message ----- From: Russell Diabo Ahenakew furor upsets political backers By GRAEME SMITH With a report from Gavin Taylor Thursday, December 19, 2002 Two prominent figures in Saskatchewan politics who helped David Ahenakew earn the Order of Canada say they're upset that he could lose the country's highest honour as punishment for his tirade against Jews. Lloyd Barber, who served as Canada's Indian claims commissioner through most of the 1970s and later became president of the University of Regina, and Edgar Kaeding, Saskatchewan's agriculture minister from 1975 to 1979, defended their old friend yesterday. The retired politicians said they vehemently disagree with the way Mr. Ahenakew interpreted history this weekend when he applauded Adolf Hitler for killing six million Jews. But they also offered a reminder of Mr. Ahenakew's own proud history as former chief of the Assembly of First Nations. "I think he got caught in a bad situation, and that should not nullify all the good he did," Mr. Kaeding said. Mr. Ahenakew, a war veteran, was named chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations in 1968, where he served for a decade. He also headed the AFN from 1982 to 1985. "At that time, the natives didn't have a lot of good spokesmen," Mr. Kaeding said. "They've got a lot of good people now, but at that time there weren't many people in the native groups that were very articulate. But he was very much so and he was pretty reasonable." Mr. Barber said he didn't hesitate to write a letter supporting Mr. Ahenakew's nomination for the Order of Canada. "He's a very distinguished guy who I found totally trustworthy," Mr. Barber said. In an autobiographical essay, Mr. Ahenakew thanks Mr. Barber and Mr. Kaeding -- whom he calls "good solid supporters and friends" -- for helping him become a member of the order in 1978, although both men said they couldn't remember their involvement in the confidential nomination process. After Mr. Ahenakew's remarks made headlines this week, Canadian Jewish Congress president Keith Landy wrote to Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin of the Supreme Court of Canada in her capacity as chairwoman of the advisory council of the Order of Canada to ask that Mr. Ahenakew be removed from the order. New Democrat MP Svend Robinson submitted a similar motion to the House of Commons. Now the advisory council members must decide whether to consider Mr. Ahenakew's termination. If they do, they will give him a chance to resign or fight the motion. Among the council's members is Georges Erasmus, who succeeded Mr. Ahenakew as national chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 1985. In a letter yesterday to The Globe and Mail, Mr. Erasmus said he deplored Mr. Ahenakew's comments, saying that he hoped "people respond to the spirit of hate, wherever it appears, by renewing their commitment to the long and difficult task of healing and reconciliation." The only person who has ever been forced to give back the prized Order of Canada insignia was former hockey czar Alan Eagleson, after he was convicted of fraud in 1998. Copyright c. 2002 Globe and Mail. --------- "RE: Grand Chief supports Protestors' Efforts" --------- Date: Thu, 12 Dec 2002 01:53:20 -0500 From: "Frosty" Subj: Grand chief supports protestors' efforts to gain respect for lands Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian Grand Chief supports protestors' efforts to gain respect for lands By Wes Godin Miner and News Staff Grand Chief Leon Jourdain hopes last week's action by Grassy Narrows First Nations to protect the land around their community from clear-cutting operations will get the message out, to respect Treaty 3 Anishanaabe land. In full support of the action taken by Grassy Narrows residents, Jourdain said he hopes the companies involved will look at how they are exploiting the land and take a look at what foundations the First Nations people have for standing up for their rights. "This should be a message to Abitibi and other forest companies that operate on Treaty 3 lands," said Jourdain. The land and rights that should be protected by the Canadian Constitution have not been protected by the provincial and federal governments, he said. "We've been after the government for 130 years since the signing of the treaty with no success - this is a reflection of how the government denies their legal obligation," said Jourdain. Jourdain blames both the provincial and federal governments for failing to ensure protection of the land and for the people. "The minister of Indian Affairs and MP of our riding says he has no jurisdiction when children are laying down their lives and freezing out there, to protect what they believe to be their aboriginal right and title to their land," said Jourdain. "There is something very, very wrong." He said it's unfortunate that the young people have to stand up to the governments. Jourdain, who plans to meet with the chief and council from Grassy Narrows this week, said more than likely there will be some legal action. Jourdain said he is confident that a lawsuit could be won if it goes to that point. A number of Supreme Court of Canada decisions including the Sparrow Decision, Marshall and Delagamuukw have ruled in favour of First Nations communities' aboriginal and treaty rights in the past, said Jourdain. They do not want to stop all forestry operations and hurt the economy, said Jourdain, all they want is to be consulted and have a say in the process. The Manito Aki Inakonigaawin resource law created by grand council in 1997 in self-governance negotiation with the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development would have given the necessary steps to confirm a good working relationship between the Abitibi and Treaty 3, said Jourdain. The people at Grassy Narrows continue to maintain 24-hour presence at the demonstration site just north of the community, according to Joe Fobister, who is actively involved in the action. Over the weekend and into this week, Fobister said they have added more buildings and are receiving continuous support. The action that is planned to continue for a while may enact a second blockade south of the community where trucks have been supposedly by-passing the current blockade. --------- "RE: B.C. Natives declare war on Fish Farms" --------- Date: Fri 20 Dec, 2002 08:11:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="B.C. FISH FARMS" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.canada.com/vancouver/news/story B.C. natives declare war on fish farms canada.com Thursday, December 19, 2002 VICTORIA (CP) -- Aboriginals living along British Columbia's fjord- split central coast are prepared to risk arrest in what they are calling a war against fish farms. The aboriginals, joined by environmental groups and commercial fishermen, said fish farms will threaten their way of life and they vow to fight any expansion into their traditional lands. "We've declared war on the fish farming industry," said Ed Newman, a Heiltsuk Nation aboriginal elder from Bella Bella, about 800 kilometres northwest of Vancouver. "They might have to throw a lot of us in jail, but we don't care. We have to protect our way of life." Aboriginals, environmentalists and some scientists say farmed salmon promote disease among wild fish stocks and their holding pens pollute nearby waters. One man was arrested Wednesday at Ocean Falls -- the site of an abandoned pulp mill town -- after 14 boats carrying 60 protesters arrived at the site of a proposed $15 million Atlantic salmon hatchery. The wood footings holding freshly poured concrete at the hatchery were dismantled, allowing the concrete to flow freely. Omega Salmon Group Ltd., which operates fish farms and a processing plant on northern Vancouver Island, is constructing the hatchery at Ocean Falls, about 20 kilometres east of Bella Bella. Aboriginals and environmental groups believe the hatchery will end up supplying future fish farms on the central coast, which stretches for hundreds of kilometres and includes the historic communities of Bella Bella and Bella Coola. But Kjell Aasen, Omega's Ocean Falls hatchery manager, said the company has no expansion plans after the hatchery project. "We have written to the Heiltsuk that we have no plans for fish farms in the area," he said. Aasen said the Heiltsuk have rejected company attempts to reach an agreement on the Ocean Falls hatchery. "We think we could work with the Heiltsuk in a beneficial way," he said. "It could be great for the area in an economic way." Aasen said Omega has reached agreements to operate fish farms with aboriginals on Vancouver Island and the north coast. Last September, B.C.'s Liberal government lifted a moratorium on fish farm expansions that had been in place since 1995. "We don't want the central coast to become the garbage dump for the Atlantic salmon farming industry," Newman said. "This territory is our food basket. We live off the sea and we are trying to protect our way of life." Lawrence Pootlass, the head chief of Bella Coola's Nuxalk Nation, said more protests can be expected at the Ocean Falls hatchery. "I can't open myself up and tell everybody what we are going to do, but we are not going to quit until they are out of our territory" said Pootlass, who is also known by his aboriginal name, Nuximlayc. Pootlass said he was jailed for one month in the late 1990s when Bella Coola aboriginals protested logging activities in an area that became known to environmentalists as the Great Bear Rainforest. Copyright c. 2002 Canadian Press. --------- "RE: Native Prisoner" --------- Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2002 08:19:12 -0600 From: Janet Smith Subj: Native Prisoner ===== Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 14:20:49 -0600 From: "Lindgren, Sr., Craig W. DOC" Subj: Prison Volunteers I am the Chaplain at Stanley Correctional Institute located in Stanley, WI. We are close to Wausau and Eau Claire WI. We are looking for Native American Elders or leaders to help our institution meet the needs of our Native American inmates. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Chaplain Craig W. Lindgren Sr. Stanley Correctional Institution 100 Corrections Drive Stanley, WI 54768 715-644-2960 ext. 3463 715-644-2966 fax ======================== Date: Saturday, December 21, 2002 5:13 PM From: Brigitte Thimiakis Subj: Upcoming Book on Incarcerated Indian artists/writers [From Valerie Scott, NAPS] ===================================================== To all Native American Indian Inmates in any/all correctional facilities throughout the United States From: James Locklear-Brooks (Screaming Eagle) CX 9954, AA-24, 10745, Route 18, Albion, PA 16475-0002 Recently I was notified that a member of my tribe (Lumbee/Cheraw Nation of North Carolina) was authoring a book on incarcerated Indian artists/writers. Wendy Moore-Cummings, a columnist for the Carolina Indian Voice newspaper, and author of several books is seeking entries in the form of paintings, sketches, photography, basketry, crafts, jewelry, traditional wares, poetry and short stories, etc., for her upcoming book entitled "Caged Red Bird Singing". Photos of your artwork will also be accepted (35mm or digital). You may also send the artwork itself, if you wish. Literary works should be typewritten, if not should be readable/manuscript legible. Any artist selected for the book will receive a free copy of the book and also a certificate. All entries must be work of American Indians (male or female), who are currently in prison in the U.S. You must send a copy of ethnicity (tribal card, birth certificate indicating race as Indian, or a letter from tribal authority). I quote Ms. Cummings: "I know this may sound strict, but my people have been exploited for more than 500 years, and I refuse for this project to become just another version of exploitation - so if you are not an American Indian, please do not waste my time or yours". All items should be sent directly to: Attn: Indian Artist, The Carolina Indian Voice, P.O. Box 1075, Pembroke, NC 28372. Wendy also states: "I offer you all the opportunity to be seen and heard through your creativity. If you feel you have something to contribute, please do so". I highly recommend the Carolina Indian Voice (First American Publications) and Ms. Moore-Cummings to all of you. Please do not let her offer go unanswered.as it is rare that someone with such credentials and generosity comes along to help those of us in the Ironhouse. The next time I hear from Wendy, I hope it is to say that she has more than enough artwork for the book. In the spirit James Locklear Brooks (Screaming Eagle) Attention all Native Prisoner Support groups: please copy and distribute to your Indian inmates!!! ===== Anyone with further questions can contact Ms. Cummings at: phone: 910-521-2826 or fax: 910-521-1975. NAPS (Native American Prisoner Support) http://www.hri.ca/partners/naps/ URGENT!!! Sign petition for Alex Montana: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/ajm40/petition.html ======================== Date: Monday, December 23, 2002 12:04 PM From: Subj: (unknown) Mailing List: Iron Natives Hello all, Just heard from my son Trevor and they told him they would not give him his medications which he is disabled and suffering from PTSD and is supposed to be taking Trazadone for it, and has been disabled and on this medication for the past six years. I had found some email addresses from their web site however, they came back to me so the only way to contact them is by phone, fax or mail.which I've put below. If you could take the time to call or fax or write a letter, I would appreciate it as my son is getting angrier by the minute without his medicines and is going off on them and of course they are trying to get him to so they can give him more time for each time he shouts at them trying to get his meds..the information is below. This is an alert that I hope some of you will call or email to the Superintendent of the jail in Keene NH for my youngest son, Trevor Dicks who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and has been refused medication since being incarcerated a week ago. Trevor was eleven years old when Jeff was sentenced to die and over the years all that went on, and the fact that he became dependent on drugs and alcohol he became disabled with PTSD. He has been able to get off the drugs however he is still an alcoholic although he is working on it and can go a long time without drinking. Last year he was sentenced to house arrest in NH because he refused a Breathalyzer while driving. He had had two drinks while eating dinner after doing a car show and was stopped. Because he is the caretaker of his two children while his ex wife worked, he was given house arrest for a year and two years probation after which I thought was kind of steep for drinking. Some people don't' that for shoplifting. Two days before being taken off the bracelet, he was arrested and put in the county jail because they said his breathalyzer which he had to blow into eight times a day from his home phone tested for alcohol. He'd had bronchitis and took cough syrup, however it tested positive so they put him in the jail for twenty days, which would have been up January 2. While in the jail the past week they would not give him his medication for PTSD which is Trazadone and also he needed antibiotics for Sinus infection. While in there they put a prisoner next door to him who has mental problems and screams day and night and this morning, the prisoner named Gunterman said he would rape and slap Trevor's son Riley who is six years old and finally Trevor went off and said, "you shut up about my son or I'll kill you." The guards then wrote Trevor up for threatening another prisoner. Everyone else heard the other prisoner threatening Trevor's son, however, the guard only wrote up Trevor instead of moving the other prisoner to another cell..and without his medication, Trevor can not calm down. I would appreciate if anyone would call, or email the superintendent on Trevor's behalf. He's not had an easy life and has done a lot of good when speaking out against the death penalty and talking to the kids in schools. However, he has an anger problem but with medication he is pretty good and can hold his temper. If anyone would care to send a card to Trevor I know he would appreciate it and also might help him through the holidays.I called and also wrote using the JDMC so if you would just say who you are, or a different org that would help..addresses below..thanks Shirley Dicks The superintendents name and phone number is (603) 399-7794 fax - 603-399-8334 Cheshire County Department of Corrections 160 River Road Westmoreland NH 03467 (603) 399-7794 Richard N. Van Wickler Trevor Dicks Cheshire County Department of Corrections 160 River Road Westmoreland, NH 03467 thanks Shirley --------- "RE: History: Carlisle Indian School" --------- Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 23:16:25 -0500 From: Barbara Landis Subj: INDIAN HELPER, NOVEMBER 8, 1889, CARLISLE INDIAN SCHOOL NEWSPAPER [Editorial Note: These reprints are being included in this newsletter so that you might know the mind of those who ran institutions like Carlisle.] THE INDIAN HELPER ------------------------- A WEEKLY LETTER FROM THE CARLISLE INDIAN SCHOOL TO BOYS AND