From gars@speakeasy.org Tue Jan 21 23:13:22 2003 Date: 22 Jan 2003 01:44:07 -0000 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews11.004 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. 1996-2003 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 11, ISSUE 004 | Country than is reported in | O o o o o O | this weekly newsletter. For | O o O January 25, 2003 | For daily updates & events | O o O | go http://www.owlstar.com/ | O | dailyheadlines.htm | Cheyenne hohtseese'he/hoop moon +-----------------------------+ Passamaquoddy opolahsomuwehs/whirling wind 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; RezLife, Chiapas95, Frostys AmerIndian, ndn-aim 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + ======================== "....the voice of the Great Spirit is heard in the twittering of birds, the rippling of mighty waters and the sweet breathing of flowers. If this is Paganism, then at present, at least, I am a Pagan." __ Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, Dakota +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! The young Lakota girl reported missing in last week's issue has been found. Alfred Bone Shirt has sent thanks to all for their prayers. http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.okit.com/news/2003/january/girlfound.html Danielle Spotted War Bonnet Found, Rosebud Police say she is in good health By Louis Gray General Manager UPDATE On January 15, 2003 the Rosebud Police Department reportedly found Spotted War Bonnet at the home of a friend on the Rosebud reservation. Captain Charles Red Crow said he has not seen the report on her situation, but that he was told she was in good shape and back with her family. Red Crow said he didn't know why she left or the name of the family she was staying with. Copyright c. 2000-2001 Oklahoma Indian Times, Inc. All Rights Reserved. -=-=-=- War with Iraq is very nearly a foregone conclusion, in spite of growing world opposition. Eric Haney, a founding member of Delta Force who retired a command sergeant major, spoke on a local radio show this week and noted "...the cost of sending 250,000 troops to the mideast and supporting them makes combat almost inevitable. That is the equivalent of cocking the trigger and pointing a gun." There is another war at hand, dealt by the same administration. The Bush team has turned back 20-30 years of effort to preserve natural resources and native sacred lands. ----- From the Environment News Service http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2003/2003-01-17-06.aspwe learn Some of the most glaring examples of the Bush adminstration's assault include: - Changes to the Clean Air Act by the Environmental Protection Agency that provide the nation's oldest and dirtiest power plants and refineries with loopholes exempting them from installing modern pollution controls when they upgrade or expand their facilities in ways that increase emissions. - The Bush administration's so-called Healthy Forests initiative promotes forest thinning to reduce the risk of wildfire. This thinning project in northern Arizona left scattered trees surrounded by barren ground. - New EPA and Army Corps of Engineers policies relax and, in some cases, end Clean Water Act protection for millions of acres of wetlands and other waterways, eliminate corporate liability for "factory farm" pollution, and exempt mining waste from regulation as a pollutant under federal law. - A series of proposals by the Forest Service and other federal agencies eliminate requirements for environmental review and public participation when considering logging, mining, drilling, development and other projects in all 155 national forests and on millions of acres of public lands. "It's no accident some of the Bush administration's biggest handouts to corporate interests happened after Election Day," said (Gregory) Wetstone. "Americans voted for many things in November, but they didn't vote for a sweeping attack on the environment." The report also notes how the Bush administration routinely tries to minimize public scrutiny of its anti-environmental policies by withholding information from the media until late on Friday evenings or around major holidays. For example, the EPA announced its major changes to the Clean Air Act a few days after Thanksgiving and on New Year's Eve. After the snowmobile industry appealed to the Bush administration, the Interior Department overturned a ban on the noisy machines in Yellowstone National Park. The administration also uses environmentally friendly euphemisms to mask the true intent and impact of its policy proposals, the NRDC argues. The White House dubbed its plan to allow timber companies increased access to old-growth forests - under the guise of fire prevention - the "Healthy Forests" initiative, and refers to logging as "thinning." ----- The Pope Scope has been joined by another array of observatory telescopes on nearby peaks in Arizona. Executive orders and Forest Service policy changes, made without consulting Congress, enable logging companies to expand even a dog trot in our national forests into logging roads without preparing environmental impact studies or holding public hearings. There is no safe place--even forests containing historic and cultural treasures like Native American petroglyphs and rare medicinal plants are subject to such assault, including the Bankhead and Talladega forests in Alabama (Alabama is already one of the largest producers of pulp in the world!). If you think existing treaties and eminent domain will be a deterrent, consider the recent loss of Arkansas River bottom in Oklahoma over the protests of traditional Cherokee medicine keepers. The assault is not restricted to the executive branch--Republicans in Congress are gearing up for another vote to drill the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, and they now control both the House and Senate. The point here is that it is late, but not too late to save these sacred and precious lands. The war in the mideast is going to be difficult enough for lawmakers to justify. It is very difficult to maintain a decisive battle plan on two fronts. If there are clear letters to congressional representatives that their future jobs depend on their voting against destruction of our HOMElands, they will have to consider which is more important - kissing up to the big businesses eager to rape the earth or keep their seat in the future. Important note: It is widely accepted that representatives ignore faxes, e-mails and form letters -- anything that is quick and convenient is regarded as insignificant. A mailed original letter from constituents in their voting district is the most meaningful correspondence. 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 ---------- - Florence `Aunt Mote' Kinley - Force Ottawa - Peter Seymour to recognize Treaties - Crossings - Metis Leader - Republicans make new push suspended by National Council for Arctic Drilling - Nault weighing Kaska, - Judge Refuses to step down YTG Proposal from Indian Trust Case - Canada Sample Letter: - Schools fail our Indian Students Aboriginal Rights - American Indians in APS - Aboriginals may be paid behind Peers to Investigate Police - Bear Butte - Former Policemen ask - Zuni Tribe to take part Appeal Court to Acquit Them in Forest Thinning - Inmate Medical Care - Proposed Tribal Rules - Native Crime Rate Level fail at Polls despite Population Growth - Alabama-Coushatta Members - Native Prisoner walk for Rights -- Medical neglect - Cherokee Braves Flag of Native Americans - S.D. Governor Promises -- Looking for Pen Pal to revive Reconciliation - Rustywire: Shaa AlChin e' - Issue of Alcohol Sales - Poem: Bear Thoughts in Whiteclay - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days - Stillaguamish Tribe - Keeping Native Tongues Alive wants Chance to Prosper - This Week on First Peoples TV - Dann Sisters move Horses - Specials This Week on APTN - Support a threatened - Shenandoah not invited Human Rights Defender to Oneida Grammy Party - News from Vieques - Native America Calling --------- "RE: Florence `Aunt Mote' Kinley" --------- Date: Wed 15 Jan 2003 08:05:11 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FLORENCE KINLEY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://news.bellinghamherald.com/stories/20030114/TopStories/124964.shtml Lummi elder Kinley, 86, dies PEOPLE: Florence "Aunt Mote" Kinley spent years defending tribal rights. Kari Shaw, The Bellingham Herald January 15, 2003 LUMMI RESERVATION - Consider, for a moment, the aggressive federal Indian policies of the last century, policies with names like "reorganization" and "termination." Then consider the life of Florence "Aunt Mote" Kinley, a local woman determined to protect what her government wanted to destroy. Kinley, 86, died Thursday at her Lummi Reservation home after a two- month battle with widespread cancer. She left behind her careful notes of every battle she fought, a legacy spanning the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act to the fish wars of the 1970s to the recent fight for fair education. For much of her life she served as a secretary, the behind-the-scenes worker who, along with her husband, Forrest "Dutch" Kinley, worked with other tribes to defend treaty rights. Although her job was not on the front lines, the tribe recognized it as a critical one: About 400 people crowded into the reservation's Wex Li Em community center Monday for her memorial service. "She was always in the background," said tribal council member Jewell James. "She was the backbone." Husband-wife team Kinley was born Nov. 23, 1916, to farmers at Fish Point on the Lummi Reservation. She was nicknamed "Mote" by siblings who couldn't pronounce her middle name, "Hermosa." She worked as a secretary for the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs before marrying Dutch Kinley. She spoke the Lummi language, wove baskets of cedar bark and fished five months out of the year with her husband. The rest of the year, the pair advocated for the tribe. They were celebrated together on Monday as one of the tribe's heroic husband-wife teams now reunited: Dutch Kinley died in 1983. "In our history, there are a lot of husband and wife teams that gave more than they received," said Chairman Darrell Hillaire. "They really made the community rich with the things they've done and left us." The Kinleys did not have children, but treated their many nieces and nephews and cousins as their own. "Her heart burst out for the children around her," said Father Tim Sauer of St. Joachim's Catholic Church. Kinley faithfully attended services there until just before Christmas. Taking notes When Kinley was 18, the U.S. government presented the Indian Reorganization Act to American Indian tribes. It required tribal members to vote on whether or not to reorganize under the act, which would have meant giving up traditional forms of government for a council system. It was in resistance to this law that Kinley got her first taste of activism. She started immediately taking notes, said Billy Frank Jr. Frank leads the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, a consortium of Indian tribes organized in the 1970s to protect tribal fishing rights. Kinley served as its first secretary. "She already had known how important it was to write things down in longhand and shorthand and make our history on paper," he said. In the next decades, American Indians saw the introduction of termination laws, a federal effort to strip federal recognition from tribes. In 20 years, 109 tribes were unilaterally dissolved. "They reorganized us or terminated us or tried to," Frank said. "Florence Kinley, Dutch Kinley, the Lummi Tribe were right to fight against it. ... "We had a lot of these misunderstandings with the U.S. government and the state of Washington and Florence was right there telling her story." Proper behavior Kinley's relations and friends described her as knowledgeable, kind, stern and giving. Tribal council member Willie Jones credits Kinley and her husband with his start in politics. He remembers Dutch Kinley telling him, "Jones boy, come with me. We are going to Olympia." From that day, they would work together often on many treaty-related issues. Jones and Florence Kinley worked together closely on the Lummi education commission. "She wanted us to know what our treaty was, what our history was," he said. "We have to know it to continue to fight for treaty rights." But she was firm, particularly on what she considered proper behavior. She never missed church and many people remembered seeing the snowy-haired little woman with her coat on tapping her silver watch. "If you were late, she'd let you know," said tribal council member and first cousin G.I. James. "She was insistent ... by not being on time, you were disrespecting other people's time." Once, after a particularly ugly battle between feuding factions of the Lummi tribal council, Father Sauer remembered Kinley intervening. "She said, 'If you were all going to church more, you wouldn't be arguing,' " Sauer said. Offering thanks The day before she died, tribal members gathered in the Silver Reef Casino to offer thanks for her years of work. The morning she died, about 80 family members and friends gathered in her house to pray for her. "The house was absolutely packed," Sauer said. Despite being on oxygen and a morphine drip, Kinley insisted on personally thanking everyone who came. Reach Kari Shaw at kari.shaw@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2290. Copyright c. 2002, The Bellingham Herald. --------- "RE: Peter Seymour" --------- Date: Mon 20 Jan 2003 08:11:23 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PETER SEYMOUR" http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/HTML%20files/jan13obitseymour.html Peter Seymour December 26, 1909 - January 11, 2003 Pete passed away peacefully at the age of 93 on January 11, 2003 at Pinecrest Home. Pete was born on December 26, 1909 in Red Lake, Minnesota and then traveled to the Morson area with his family and settled in Wauzhushk Onigum. Pete was the last surviving member of the Saganaquat clan. He was the eldest son of Elizabeth (Chatelaine) and Joseph Seymour. He and his brothers and sisters, Angelique, Louie, Marie, Rosa, Dave and Agnes moved throughout Treaty #3 territory and the States. Pete talked of this time with great memories: it was a hard life but it taught him great lessons. Pete married Maria Wesley on July 14, 1951 and they raised eight children. The family moved from Sioux Lookout, Morson and then settled on Wauzhushk Onigum. He worked until his retirement in 1974 from the provincial government. Pete believed in hard work and worked all his life - in logging camps, in a Saskatchewan school as boy's supervisor, a firefighter and scaler for Lands and Forest and then a community Developer for Native Community Branch from where he retired. Along with working he earned extra money through trapping and guiding. He regularly took his family to the trapline on Dryberry Lake and he made many a tourist happy guiding at McKenzie Portage Lodge and Smith Camps. Pete is survived by his wife, Maria and children, Alice (Wayne Zimmer), Gene, Randy, Louie, Bernice (Einar Berle), Marie (Rick Gratton), Glen (Sylvie Jamieson); by his grandchildren Shelley (Len Boucha), Dennise and Travis, Rene (Dale Savoyard), Samuel and Maximos, his great-grandchildren, Ethan and Dustin, Kyra, Kendra, Kayla and Klayton. He was predeceased by his son, Tony. Pete was a veteran of WWII and served in the Lake Superior Motor Pool. He enlisted on July 2, 1940 and trained in Halifax and was stationed in England and saw battle in Holland and Belgium. Pete was proud that he was able to defend his country, so much so, that he gave up his treaty rights to volunteer for the army. Pete contributed to the communities in which he lived. he was a Chief of Big Grassy first Nation, the Grand Chief of Treaty #3, a band councilor of Rat Portage and once he settled there, his contributions to Kenora were many. He was a founding member of the Notre Dame Credit Union and a member of the Kenora School Board. Pete believed in education; he bought a piece of land off-reserve so he could send his children to the separate school system and not be forced to attend the residential school system. Pete had many interest but his greatest love was singing at PowWow's. He was a great songwriter and brought the PowWows back to Treaty #3 in the 1960's since Indian and Northern Affairs forbid any gatherings to take place prior to this time. Pete has participated in them ever since and was able to sing one last time at the July PowWow at Wauzhushk Onigum with the Whitefish Bay Singers. He has traveled extensively in the area attending PowWows and helped Andy White and his family form the Whitefish Bay Singers. He gave them many songs and provided them with advice along their travels. In his later years he continued to compose PowWow songs, carve pipes, make toys and cradle boards for his grandchildren, and when he was 90 years built the cabin he lived in until his move to a nursing home. Pete was a determined man and his life reflected this. His family and friends will miss him but he lived his life the way he wanted and it was a good life. Funeral Services were held on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 at the Golden Eagle Casino on Wauzhushk Onigum First Nation followed by a reception at the Casino. Viewing was held on Tuesday, January 14 at Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Centre from 7:00 -9:00 p.m. In accordance with Pete's wishes, cremation will take place with his ashes being buried at a place selected by himself. The family would like to thank Dr. Beveridge for his care, the 3rd floor nursing staff at Lake of the Woods Hospital and in particular the staff at the Pinecrest Home for the care given to Pete during his last days with us. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the CT Scanner Fund c/o Lake of the Woods District Hospital. Meegwetch! We will miss you Dad but we know you are paddling the lake of "Bepeeqaowonga Sagahigan" Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Centre entrusted with arrangements. Copyright c. 2003 Kenora Daily Miner and News. --------- "RE: Crossings" --------- Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 08:10:52 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CROSSINGS" January 16, 2003 Melvin Eagle Jr. Melvin Duane Eagle Jr., 45, of Onamia, died Sunday, Jan. 5, 2003, on the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Reservation. Funeral Services were Jan. 10 at the Mille Lacs Band Community Center on the Mille Lacs Reservation with Lee Staples officiating. Burial was in Vineland Cemetery on the Mille Lacs Reservation. Arrangements were with the Shelley Funeral Chapel of Onamia. Melvin is survived by his parents, Melvin and Delores (Weyaus) Eagle; daughter, Vala Marie Eagle of Onamia; sisters, Rosella Eagle, Pamela Eagle, Shelia Benjamin all of Onamia, Robina Eagle and Angie Eagle both of Minneapolis; brothers, Brian (Ann) Eagle of Aitkin and Roy Eagle of Onamia. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Melvina, Victoria and Annabelle Eagle; maternal grandparents, John and Violet Weyaus; paternal grandparents, Joe Eagle and Katherine Benjamin; aunts, Donna Brown, Gloria Weyaus, Rosalie Kegg; great-aunt, Jenny Bugg; great-uncles, Simon Day, Fred Day Jr., Howard Day and Jim Day. Melvin Duane Eagle was born on Jan. 29, 1957, in Onamia, Mille Lacs County, to Melvin and Delores (Weyaus) Eagle. Upon graduation from high school, he attended St. Cloud State University where he earned his Associate in Arts degree. He then was employed as a carpenter and built several homes around the state. Melvin had a gift of making people laugh with his sense of humor. He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. Melvin truly enjoyed life. Copyright c. 2003 Mille Lacs Messenger/Isle, MN. -=-=-=- January 18, 2003 Christy White Eagle Christy White Eagle, 63, Aberdeen, S.D., formerly of Solen/Cannon Ball, died Jan. 16, 2003, in Aberdeen. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Youth Activity Center, Cannon Ball. Burial will be in St. James Episcopal Cemetery, Cannon Ball. He is survived by one daughter, Johnnelle White Eagle, Cannon Ball; six grandchildren; one sister, Victoria Culbertson, Mandan; and three brothers, Wesley White Eagle Sr., Fort Yates, Soloman White Eagle, McLaughlin, S.D., and Frank White Eagle, South Dakota. (Perry Funeral Home, Mandan) Copyright c. 2003 Bismarck Tribune. -=-=-=- January 16, 2003 Angela M. Gutierrez MARTIN - Angela M. Gutierrez, infant daughter of Antonio and Pamela Gutierrez of Martin, was stillborn Friday, Jan. 10, 2003, at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls. Survivors include her parents; her maternal grandmother, Sophie Packed, Martin; her maternal grandfather, Duane Richards, Wounded Knee; and her maternal great-grandmother, Linda Lone Wolf, Martin. A one-night wake began Wednesday, Jan. 15, at the Martin CAP Office. Services will be at 10 a.m. today at the Martin CAP Office, with the Rev. Jeff Cisco officiating. Michael Cross and Ray Briggs will officiate over traditional Lakota services. Burial will be at Black Eyes Community Cemetery in Bear Creek. L. Patrick Rowland Sr. WOUNDED KNEE - L. Patrick Rowland Sr., 46, Wounded Knee, died Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2003, at Pine Ridge Hospital. Survivors include his wife, Bernadine Rowland, Wounded Knee; three sons, Gregory Rowland, Patrick Rowland Jr. and Alexander Rowland, all of Wounded Knee; one daughter, Jennifer Rowland, Wounded Knee; his parents, Clarence Rowland Sr. and Cleone Ice, both of Wounded Knee; two brothers, Dave Rowland Sr. and Gary Rowland, both of Wounded knee; three sisters, Dorothy Sun Bear, Rapid City, and Anita Rowland and Vicki Rowland, both of Wounded Knee; and four grandchildren. A two-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. today at Wounded Knee District School in Manderson. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at the school, with Wendell Ghost Bear, Ted Crow, Abraham Tobacco and Ernest White Eagle officiating. Gerald Ice will officiate over traditional Lakota prayers. Burial will be at Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery in Wounded Knee. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. January 21, 2003 Margaret K. Ten Fingers OGLALA - Margaret K. Ten Fingers, 63, Oglala, died Friday, Jan. 17, 2003, at Rapid City Regional Hospital. Survivors include two sons, Gilson Ten Fingers, Oglala, and Neal Kindle, Allen; five daughters, Velma Brings Him Back, Irma Ten Fingers, Pamela Ten Fingers, Theda Ten Fingers, and Cheryl Crow, all of Oglala; one brother, Major Poor Elk Jr., Oglala; one sister, Marlene Blacksmith, Oglala; 21 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Two-night wake services begin at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Brother Rene Catholic Church Hall in Oglala. Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, at the hall, with the Rev. Ben Tyon officiating. Traditional Lakota services will be provided by Wakinyan Sna Mani. Burial will be at St. John's Episcopal Cemetery. Copyright c. 2003 the Rapid City Journal. -=-=-=- January 14, 2003 Maria Elicia (Alice) Lucero Ruiz Maria Elicia (Alice) Lucero Ruiz, our precious mother, went to the Lord January 10, 2003. She will celebrate her 73rd birthday on February 10, 2003 with God our Father; her husband, Jesus E. Ruiz; son, Margarito; daughter, Andrea; her parents; and brother, Louie Lucero all of whom preceded her in death. Mom was born in Isleta Pueblo, daughter of Margarito and Margarita Lucero. She grew up in Martinez town. She worked at the old St. Joseph's Hospital where she met her husband, Jesus. They made their home in Polvadera, NM for almost 30 years. Their last years together were spent in Socorro, NM where they were active members of San Miguel Church. Jesus died one month before their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Alice remained in Albuquerque after Jesus died at the V.A. Hospital. She was a parishioner of Holy Ghost Parish. She is survived by her sister, Gloria Jaramillo and husband, Larry; daughter, Margaret; granddaughters, April and Nichole; grandson, Mariano Avila; many cousins, nieces and nephews; children, Geraldine (Jeri) Labreche and husband, Duane and their children, Mary, Francis, Juan Antonio and Toni Labreche; Jesus Jr. and wife, Tina and children, Stephanie Rogge and husband, Matt, Marie, Jesus III (Jay), Marie and Kyle Ruiz; Laura and husband, Louie and children, Daman Hewitt and Michael Bruning; Juan and children, Johnny and April Ruiz (Juan and April live in Korea); Peter and children, Angelica and April Ruiz; Jackie Eiland and boyfriend, Auturo Benavidez Sr. and her children, Allan, Ramon, Maria and Jose Quezada. The Rosary for mom will be recited on Tuesday, January 14, 2003 at 7:00 p.m. at San Miguel Church in Socorro. Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 at 11:00 a.m. at San Miguel with Father John Daniel as Celebrant. Burial will be at the Polvadera Cemetery where her husband, son and daughter are buried. Lunch will be at San Miguel Parish Hall after the burial. Pallbearers are grandsons, Louie Bruning, Johnny Ruiz, Francis and Juan Labreche, Allan and Ramon Quezada and Kyle Ruiz. Readings by Laura Bruning, Mary Labreche and Stephanie Rogge. Gifts will be carried by Toni Labreche, Angelica and April Ruiz and Maria Quezada. Flowers will be carried by Jose Quezada and Daman Hewitt. Arrangements are under the care of Steadman-Hall Funeral Home, 309 Garfield, Socorro, NM. Copyright c. 1997 - 2003 Albuquerque Journal: Albuquerque, New Mexico. -=-=-=- January 14, 2003 Mark Choneska A funeral Mass for Mark Choneska, 47, of Mescalero, will be at St. Joseph's Mission at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, with burial to follow at the Mescalero Cemetery. Officiating will be the Rev. Tim Ottman. Mr. Choneska died Friday, Jan. 10, 2003, in Mescalero. He was born June 19, 1955, in Mescalero and had lived there all of his life. He was a ski lift operator at Ski Apache. Survivors include a daughter, Shannon Choneska, of Tacoma, Wash.; a son, Damon Choneska, of Albuquerque; and brothers Rockland, Philbert and Simon Choneska, all of Mescalero. Arrangements are under the direction of LaGrone Funeral Chapel of Ruidoso, 257-7303. January 16, 2003 Roderick Kazhe The funeral for Roderick Kazhe, 52, of Mescalero, will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 17. Burial will follow at the White Tail Cemetery, with the Rev. Bob Schut officiating. Mr. Kazhe died Monday, Jan. 13, 2003, in Alamogordo. He was born July 15, 1950, in Mescalero and had lived there all of his life. He worked at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. Survivors include his wife, Mary Shanta, of Mescalero; stepdaughters Marline Shanta, Sandra Shanta and Bertha Shanta, all of Mescalero; a stepson, Jerry Shanta, of Mescalero; brothers Norman Kazhe, Baldwin Lester, Waldo Lester and Sheridan Lester, all of Mescalero; sisters Bertie Bell, Bernadette Jolsanny, Rae Joyce Niko and Lala Chino, all of Mescalero; and eleven grandchildren. Arrangements are under the direction of LaGrone Funeral Chapel of Ruidoso, 257-7303. Copyright c. 1999-2003 MediaNews Group, Inc./Ruidoso NM. -=-=-=- January 15, 2003 Ray Russell Eaglefeather July 6, 1981 - Jan. 10, 2003 Ray Russell Eaglefeather, 21, of Fruitland, went home to our Heavenly Father Friday, Jan. 10, 2003. He was born July 6, 1981, in Shiprock, the son of James and Bernice Beyale of Nenahnezad. He attended Kirtland Central High School and was employed by Star Masonry in Kirtland. Ray is survived by his daughter, Princess Eaglefeather and her mother, Vanessa Nelson both of Shiprock; his parents, James Beyale Jr., and Bernice Russell-Beyale of Nenahnezad; five sisters, Redawnn Kassanavoid, Misty Rose Beyale, Kristal Eve Beyale, Natalie Jamelea Beyale, all of Nenahnezad and Joni Eaglefeather of Farmington; one brother, Young Jonas Eaglefeather and companion, Latoya Padilla of Kirtland; one niece, Sheskahannah Kassanavoid; two nephews, Eagles Kassanavoid and Keishawn J. Eaglefeather; and numerous grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Ray and Rose Russell; great-grandparents, John and Mary B. Russell; an aunt, Edith Russell; and special friend, Kimberly Hardey. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, Jan. 17, 2003, at Cope Memorial Chapel, 404 W. Arrington St. in Farmington. Interment will follow at Greenlawn Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Romero Slim, Christopher Slim, Kyle J. Brown, Larsen Smith, Reynaldo Sandoval and Lionel L. Joe. Honorary pallbearers are his parents, brother, sisters, niece, nephews, daughter, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. He loved and cherished his daughter, Princess and his niece and nephews. He will always be remembered as lovable and kind. He enjoyed being among his relatives and friends. Arrangements have been entrusted to Cope Memorial Chapel, 404 W. Arrington St., Farmington, (505) 327-5142. Copyright c. 1999-2003 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM. -=-=-=- January 17, 2003 Harvey Jim Jr. Shawnee resident Harvey Jim Jr., 63, died Wednesday in an Oklahoma City hospital. He was born July 3, 1939, in Holdenville to Harvey Sr. and Mary Jane (Cornell) Jim. He attended Scholco Indian Boarding School of Arkansas City, Kan. Jim married Viola Stick. He worked as a mechanic and was a member Middle Creek Indian Church No. 2 of Holdenville. Jim was reared in the Holdenville and Oklahoma City areas and had lived in Shawnee since 1978. Survivors include his wife, Viola Jim, of the home; four sons, Harvey Jim III, Thomas Jim, Joseph Jim, all of Shawnee, and Christopher Jim of the home; four daughters, Mary Trotaddle, Celia Jim, Dianah Jim and Debra Leflore, all of Shawnee; 32 grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. A local wake service was held Thursday. A tribal wake service will be 7:30 p.m. today at Middle Creek Church No. 2 of Holdenville. A funeral will be held 2 p.m. Saturday at the same church with arrangements under the direction of Gaskill-Owens Funeral Chapel. Copyright c. 1997-2003 The Shawnee News-Star. -=-=-=- January 18, 2003 Phena Jo Wise Talamasey Funeral services for Seminole resident Phena Jo Wise Talamasey are scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Swearingen Funeral Chapel. Rev. Houston Tiger is set to officiate. Burial is to follow at Narcomey family cemetery under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home. The body will be taken to Sand Creek Baptist Church at 3 p.m. Sunday where it will lie in state until Monday. A wake service is planned for 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Swearingen Funeral Home Chapel. Talamasey died Friday, Jan. 17, 2003 following an auto accident south of Bowlegs. She was 36. She was born July 23, 1966 in Shawnee to Andrew and Carolyn (Tanyan) Talamasey. She was a homemaker. Talamasey was preceded in death by one son, Jackie Gorsuch Jr.; one daughter, Jessie Golden; and one brother, Jessie Wise Talamasey. She is survived by her parents; one son, Andrew Talamasey of Shawnee; two daughters, Tjuana Grace Talamasey of Seminole and Louanna Fields of Shawnee; and two sisters, Madelyn Febworth of Seminole and Andi Duan Wise Talamasey of Oklahoma City. The Seminole Producer/Copyright c. 1999-2000 Arizona Newspapers Assn. -=-=-=- January 16, 2003 Gloria June Lasley Gloria June Lasley, Grayhorse resident, was called from labor to reward on Tuesday evening, Jan. 14, 2003, from the Fairfax Memorial Hospital. She was 47 years, 9 months and 15 days of age. An evening prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, in the chapel of Hunsaker-Wooten Funeral Home. A celebration of her home going will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 17, in the chapel of Hunsaker- Wooten Funeral Home. The Rev. John Red Eagle, Victory Bible Institute of Tulsa, will officiate, and burial will follow in the Grayhorse Tribal Cemetery. Gloria June Blanchard entered this life on March 30, 1955, in Norman, the daughter of Clifton Blanchard and Freida Wise. She was reared in Norman and graduated from Noble High School. She attended Northern Oklahoma College of Tonkawa, Rogers State College of Bartlesville and Haskell Indian Junior College of Lawrence, Kan. On Jan. 23, 1974, Gloria was united in marriage to Raymond Lasley in Lawrence and the couple moved to Tulsa in 1975. The couple then moved to Norman and Pawhuska before settling in Grayhorse in 1998. Gloria was employed by Indian Health Service as a contract health facilitator and worked for Pawhuska Indian Health Center of Pawhuska and, most recently, the Kaw Tribal Health Center of Newkirk. Gloria accepted Christ as her Savior at the Crossroads Cathedral in Oklahoma City and united with the Abundant Life Christian Fellowship, where she taught Sunday school and worked with the children. While living in Grayhorse, she attended New Hope Fellowship. She loved the Lord with all her heart, mind and soul and she was so full of joy. She enjoyed doing arts-n-crafts, displaying her artwork at exhibits, attending powwows, traveling, laughing and sewing. She was master of beadwork, buckskin dressmaking, moccasin making as well as other American Indian regalia and dance outfits. Gloria took great joy, most of all, in being surrounded by her loving family. She leaves behind to cherish her memories, whether precious or not, her husband of 28 years, Raymond Lasley of the home in Grayhorse; two daughters, Melinda Coburn and Janese Marie Lasley, both of Norman; one son, Isaiah Lasley of Norman; one sister, Carol Byers of Bethel Acres; five brothers, Alden Blanchard of Little Axe, and Clifford Blanchard, Eddie Blanchard, Larry Blanchard and Rick Blanchard, all of Shawnee; two grandchildren, Madeline and Loren Coburn, both of Norman; as well as numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives and friends. Her grandparents, Henry and Marianna Blanchard and Fred and Amelia Grant, preceded Gloria in death. Casket bearers will be Marvin Lasley, Brandon Lasley, Clifford Blanchard, Kevin Blanchard, Thurman Blanchard and John Williams Sr. Copyright c. 1998-2003 Ponca City News. -=-=-=- January 18, 2003 Tom Toney Funeral services for Tom Toney, a lifelong and well-known resident of the Red Mesa and Montezuma Creek, Utah areas, will be held at 10 a.m. at the Montezuma Creek LDS Church in Montezuma Creek, Monday, Jan. 20. Tom passed away suddenly Jan. 15, 2003, at the age of 72. Burial will be at the family's Red Mesa Cemetery in Red Mesa. Tom was born west of White Mesa approximately five miles north of the Red Mesa Chapter House July 25, 1930, to Jess Toney and Alice Tapaha Yazzie. Tom was of the Naakaiidine'e clan and his father clan was Tlaaschi'i. His maternal grandfather clan is Tabaaha and his paternal grandfather clan is Bit'ahnii. Tom retired as an oil field lease operator after 40 years of working in the Greater Aneth Field for various companies like Shell, Continental, Southland Royalty, Superior and Mobil. In retirement, he continued helping people as a Navajo traditional healer, tending to his livestock, and enjoying being with his grandchildren. Survivors include fiancee, Alberta Yabeny of Beclabito, N.M.; his father, Jess Toney of Red Mesa; daughters: Lucille Bitsuie and husband, Howard; Margie Dee and husband, Samuel, Bernice Norton and husband, Calvin, and Verissa Toney, all of Montezuma Creek; sons: Clyde Toney and wife, Alice of Montezuma Creek, and Clarence Toney and wife Adrianna, of Rapid City, S.D.; sister, Sadie Toledo (Phillip Hot); brothers: Lloyd Toney, Wallace Toney, Justin Toney (Jessie Malone), Sam Toney and wife, Carol, and Howard Toney and wife, Julia; 15 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. His late wife, Alice Lee Toney; daughter, Bernita Toney; son, Leonard Toney; brother, Kee Toney; and his mother, Alice J. Toney, preceded Tom in death. Services will be under the direction of the Ertel Funeral Home. Copyright c. 2003, the Cortez Journal. -=-=-=- Golden Triangle On-Line Obituaries The following obituaries appeared in the Cut Bank Pioneer Press, Shelby Promoter or Glacier Reporter this week. January 17, 2003 Beatrice Bear Medicine Beatrice (Double Runner-Burdeau) Bear Medicine, 69, a homemaker, died of natural causes Monday at her home. Services were Friday, Jan. 10 at Old Eagle Shields in Browning, with burial in Willow Creek Cemetery. Day Family Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Survivors include children Leroy Bear Medicine Sr. and Elizabeth M. Reevis-Old Chief of Seattle, Susan A. Webber, David J. Reevis, Larry M. Reevis, Paul C. Reevis, Molina L. Burdeau-Kipp, Henrietta Bear Medicine, Colin D. Webber, Caleb Bear Medicine-Iyou, Sarita Iyou and Josleyn Iyou, all of Browning, Allen T. Burdeau of Spokane and Debbie Bear Medicine- Williams of Marysville, Wash.; brothers Joe Burdeau of Yakima, Wash., and William "Bobby" Burdeau of Tacoma, Wash.; sisters Elizabeth Burdeau-Lahr, June Edwards-Pepion, Phyllis Bull Calf and Anna M. Burdeau, all of Browning; 30 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her first husband, William G. Reevis Sr.; a daughter, Ramona L. Reevis-Burdeau; and a son, William G. Reevis Jr. Copyright c. 2003 Golden Triangle Newspapers. -=-=-=- January 15, 2003 Mary L. Atwood LAME DEER - Mary L. Atwood, 90, of Lame Deer, passed away Sunday evening, Jan. 12, 2003, in the Heritage Acres Nursing Home, surrounded by her family and friends. Sacrifice Woman was among the oldest of the Northern Cheyenne people. She was born May 21, 1912, in Muddy Creek, a daughter of James Twenty Stands Atwood and Cecelia Yellowfox. She grew up in the Lame Deer area and received her education in Lame Deer and Birney. During her younger years, Mary worked in factories on the West Coast during the "war effort." She later began work for the St. Labre Indian Mission, retiring after 27 years of service. She was a devoted and faithful member of the Lame Deer Petter Memorial Mennonite Church. She enjoyed powwows, cross-stitching, reading her Cheyenne bible and, most of all, singing Cheyenne hymn songs. Her parents; adopted daughter, Cindy Lincoln; sister, Rosemary Castro; and brother Herbert W. Atwood, as well as several infant brothers and sisters, preceded Mary in death. Survivors include her brother, David Atwood of Lame Deer; brother-in-law, Juan Castro of Lame Deer; her nieces, whom she adopted and raised as her daughters, Laveta Killsnight, Cecelia Lincoln, DeeDee Kingfisher of Muddy, Mary (Lee) Old Bear, Lajuana Castro and Rosita (Cliff) Russell, Jr. of Lame Deer; her nephew, Emery Castro of Deer Lodge; 26 grandchildren; 34 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. She is also survived by two special friends and Cheyenne singing partners, Darlene (Manford) Soldier Wolf and Verda (Ray) King. Wake services will be held 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, in the Lame Deer Petter Memorial Mennonite Church. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, in the Church. Interment will follow in the Atwood Family Cemetery on the Birney Divide. Bullis Mortuary of Hardin has been entrusted with the arrangements. Copyright c. 2003 The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. -=-=-=- January 21, 2003 Bemijiwa Antonia 'Toni' Wheeler Sheehy BROWNING - Bemijiwa Antonia "Toni" Wheeler Sheehy, 46, of Browning, executive director of the Helena Indian Alliance and Leo Pocha Clinic in Helena, died Friday in a one-vehicle accident near Birch Creek on the Blackfeet Reservation. Rosary and a traditional memorial service are 7 p.m. today at Old Eagle Shield Center in Browning. Graveside services are 2 p.m. Wednesday at Little Flower Church in Browning, with burial in the Guardipee Family Cemetery on Two Medicine. Day Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Survivors include her husband, Thomas Sheehy and grandson Kevin Red Bird of Helena; a daughter, Sheila Flying of Busby; her parents, Richard and Joy Wagner of East Glacier Park and Kenneth and Peggy Wheeler of Del Bonita Road on Cut Bank Creek; brothers William D. "Bill" Powell of Cut Bank, Kenton L. Wheeler of Arlington, Texas, Steven M. Wheeler of Chicago, Ill., and Robbie Racine and Richard Beaudry, both of Browning; and sisters Sheryl Bittner and Kathy Maggi, both of Cut Bank. Copyright c. 2003 Great Falls Tribune. -=-=-=- January 20. 2003 Russell Mallett Russell Mallett of Northwest Angle passed on peacefully January 14, 2003, lovingly held and surrounded by his family. Russell was predeceased by his parents Ethel and Solomon Mallett, sister Vera, brother Frank, grandson Darryl Blackhawk and his youngest son Dwayne Blackhawk. Our dearly beloved Paba was a beautiful person. He had many friends. he had a great sense of humour and enjoyed teasing people. He joined the Army and fought for our country in WWII. he learned to appreciate life and enjoyed it. As a grandfather, he was loving and playful with his grandchildren. We take comfort in knowing he accepted the Lord as his saviour and that he is in God's care in a much more beautiful place. Russell will be lovingly missed by his wife Elsie Blackhawk, daughters Margaret (Charles) Kakegamic, Elaine Blackhawk (Otto), Joyce Blackhawk (John), Annette (Roberto) Sermeno, Grace (Adam) Gladu, Raven Hart and Cree Hart, sons Melvin Blackhawk, Alex (Laura) Mallett, Albert (Linda) Mallett. He also will be missed by his grandchildren and great grandchildren, his sisters Mabel, Elaine, Violet and brothers melvin and Irving and many cousins and nephews and nieces. To our Beloved Pa God's love toward my dad is kind God's love toward my dad is patient God's love toward my dad is not provoked, God's love toward my dad does not take into account wrongs suffered, God's love toward my dad would bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things, God's love toward my dad would never fail. A wake will be held Thursday, January 16, 2003 at 5:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church. The service will be held Friday, January 17, 2003 at 1:00 p.m at First Baptist Church. The Blackhawk-Mallett family would like to thank the staff at the Palliative Care Unit at the Lake of the Woods Hospital. The Victorian Order of Nurses, Jaqueline Beaudeutte, Community Care Access Centre. We also thank Dr. Bowerman. We would also like to thank Pastor Rob Wittmeier for being with us, comforting us in our time of need. Thank you Pastor Wittmeier for comforting our beloved Dad. Pallbearers are John rodych, David Budd, Gordon Kakegamic, Conrad Lazar, Alexander James Mallett Jr., Charlie Kakegamic. Honorary Pallbearers are Melvin Blackhawk Sr., Alex Mallett, Albert Mallet. Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Centre entrusted with arrangements. Service 1:00 p.m., Friday, January 17, 2003 First Baptist Church. Copyright c. 2003 Kenora Daily Miner and News. -=-=-=- January 14, 2003 Glen Loran Friday Cote First Nation, SK FRIDAY, Glen Loran--In loving memory of Glen who passed away January 11, 2003. Glen leaves to mourn his mother; Geraldine, his children; Shawn, Nolan, Riley, Keenan and Keedan, his sisters; Marilyn, Carolyn, Alma, brothers; Hilliard, Daniel (Sherry) and Kevin. Numerous relatives and friends too numerous to mention. He was predeceased by his father; Johnny and a brother; Leslie. He will be greatly missed and always remembered. A wake will be held on the Cote First Nation on January 14, 2003 at 5:00 p.m. Funeral Services will also be held at the Cote First Nation Band Hall on January 15, 2003 at 2:00 p.m. Interment to follow at the Cote First Nation Cemetery. January 17, 2003 Leita Henry Ochapowace First Nation, SK HENRY--On Wednesday, January 15, 2003, Leita Henry, Ochapowace First Nation, Sask., passed away at the age of 70 years. The funeral service will be held in the Jacob Bear United Church, Ochapowace First Nation on Saturday, January 18, 2003 at 2:00 p.m. Officiant Rev. Hector Bunnie. Cremation with interment in the Kahkewistahaw Cemetery. Prior to cremation, a time of visitation for family and friends will be held in the Tubman Funeral Home, Wolseley, Sask., on Friday, January 17,2003 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Predeceased by her husband Louis, daughters Janice, Denise, Judy, Bonnie and Pamela, sister Agnes Redwood and grandson Louis Henry. She is survived by her children: Sharon (Sidney) Peepeetch, Betty (Brian) Lukenbill, Terry Henry, Hannah (John) Pelletier, Maureen Henry (Jack) Barry (Lana) Henry, Keith (Christine) Henry, Leita (Randy) Henry, Anna (Lanny) Henry and Judy Henry. Leita is also survived by 29 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, her brother Fernie Thomas, numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. January 20, 2003 Earl Ernest Cappo Muscowpetung First Nation, SK CAPPO--Earl Ernest Cappo, late of Muscowpetung First Nation,passed away on Thursday, January 16, 2003 at the age of 66 years. He was predeceased by his parents Philomene and Joe Cappo; biological father Julius Takawish; first wife Bernice; sons Francis and Douglas Cappo; daughter Loretta Cappo; sisters Florence Cappo and Violet Huber; and brothers Edward Cappo and Sam Cappo. Earl is survived by his wife Pauline Moise Cappo; children Bonnie (Nick) Moise, Kim (Jay) Moise, James Cappo, Brenda Kaiswatum, Bernelda Cappo, Cynthia Cappo, and Allan Cappo; step-children Rose (Richard) Moise, Phyllis (Claude) Moise, Tracey (Eugene) Moise, Daryl, Julius and Michael Fox; brothers George (Eva) Cappo, Steven Cappo, Robert Cappo, Tom (Mildred) Cappo, and Billy Cappo; sisters Adaline Kaiswatum, Dee Toto, and Norma Cappo; as well as numerous grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends. The Wake will be held on Sunday, January 19, 2003 at 2:00 P.M. in the Kaniswapit Central School Gymnasium, Muscowpetung First Nation, SK. The Funeral Service will be held on Monday, January 20, 2003 at 2:00 P.M. , also in the Kaniswapit Central School Gymnasium. Burial will follow at the Muscowpetung Cemetery. Arrangements are in the care of LEE FUNERAL HOME 757-8645 Copyright c. 2000-2003 Regina Leader Post Group Inc. -=-=-=- January 21, 2003 Andrea Morning Bird MRS. ANDREA MORNING BIRD beloved companion of Mr. Albert Day Rider of the Blood Reserve, passed away at the Lethbridge Regional Hospital on Sunday, January 19, 2003 at the age of 40 years. Funeral Arrangements to be announced when completed. Copyright c. 2000 Alberta Newspaper Group, Inc./Lethbridge Herald. --------- "RE: Republicans make new push for Arctic Drilling" --------- Date: Fri 17 Jan 2003 08:21:32 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ANWR DRILLING" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129%257E6572%257E1115302,00.html Senate Republicans make new push for Arctic drilling By H. JOSEF HEBERT/Associated Press Writer January 16, 2003 WASHINGTON (AP) Senate Republicans intend to push anew to open an Arctic wildlife refuge to oil drilling, this time using a legislative procedure that would prevent Democrats from blocking their move with fewer than 50 votes. The plan has been discussed in detail by two key Senate committee chairmen Sens. Pete Domenici of New Mexico and Don Nickles of Oklahoma both of whom would play a central role in the maneuver, Senate sources said. Attempts to lift the ban on oil development in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge were thwarted last year when Democrats vowed a filibuster against the measure, meaning 60 votes would be needed to get the legislation through. Domenici, who is taking over as chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said in an interview Wednesday that "there will be an effort" to include the refuge provision in the annual budget reconciliation process, which is not subject to filibuster. That process could lead to a showdown vote on refuge drilling by late February or early March, according to sources familiar with the process. Nickles spokeswoman Gayle Osterberg acknowledged discussions between Domenici and Nickles over the use of the reconciliation process for the refuge provision. But Osterberg said it's "only an option the senator is looking at." Depending on which side one is on, the Arctic refuge is either a pristine landscape that demands to be protected or the home of the largest remaining pools of domestic oil that need to be developed for energy independence. Its 1.5 million-acre coastal plain is believed to hold between 3.2 billion and 10.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil. Drilling for that oil is a cornerstone of President Bush's energy plan; he says new technologies will preserve the land and its wildlife. Environmentalists, who have made protection of the refuge their top priority, say oil drilling there will hurt polar bears, musk oxen, caribou and migratory birds. Leading Senate Democrats including presidential aspirants Sens. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and John Kerry of Massachusetts, as well as Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle have vowed to use every means available to keep a drilling provision from passing the Senate. Drilling supporters have repeatedly argued that they have a majority in the Senate to open the refuge to drilling if there is a clear up-or-down vote without the threat of a filibuster. In 1995 Congress gave the green light to drilling as part of a budget reconciliation package, but President Clinton vetoed it. Dan Gerstein, a spokesman for Lieberman, called use of the budget reconciliation process "a backdoor ploy" and said the Republicans are "making a big leap" in thinking they have even the minimum 51 votes needed. Last April, when refuge development was rejected 45-54 as part of an energy bill, eight Republicans and Sen. James Jeffords, the independent from Vermont, joined all but five Democrats in opposing the measure. But some GOP strategists believe some of those anti-drilling votes might have gone the other way if the threat of a filibuster had not doomed the effort from the start. By some counts there may be as many as 49 senators who now support drilling in the refuge. That number could go higher as the growing prospects of war in Iraq and the vulnerabilities of oil imports gain increased visibility. Republicans are expected to use the same budget reconciliation process to try pushing a tax cut package through Congress this spring based on Bush's $674 billion, 10-year economic growth proposal. "I don't know any way that would get it done any quicker," White House budget chief Mitchell Daniels told reporters Wednesday. Copyright c. 1999-2003 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM. --------- "RE: Judge Refuses to step down from Indian Trust Case" --------- Date: Sun 19 Jan 2003 10:41:16 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LAMBERTH" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/ Judge refuses to step down from Indian trust case By Bill McAllister/Daily Times Washington Bureau chief January 19, 2003 WASHINGTON - The federal judge who has held three cabinet officers in contempt of court for their handling of Interior Department trust accounts of American Indians has refused to step down from the controversial case. Lawyers for former Interior secretary Bruce Babbitt and a number of current and former government officials had petitioned U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth to step down from the case, accusing him and two lawyers he has named to help him of being bias. The judge declared in an order Friday that he would like nothing more than to be rid of the complex case demanding that the government make a full accounting of the funds that more than 300,000 Indians are owed. "In many ways it would be a welcome relief for the court to slough off the burdens of this seven-year litigation onto some other judge, unmindful of the headaches it has provoked," he wrote. "But the court would be abdicating its judicial responsibilities, were it to do so." Lamberth also rejected motions by a number of officials who are facing possible contempt citations in the case to disqualify the two lawyers who he has named special masters in the case. The judge acknowledged that he had met frequently with the lawyers but said he was only monitoring their work. The judge said he was not discussing "facts that the masters had learned in their investigative capacities," as Babbitt and others had alleged. They contended that the discussions were improper and had biased the judge from continuing to preside over the case. The lawsuit, filed by the Colorado-based Native American Rights Fund and former Denver lawyer Dennis Gingold, charges that the government may have cheated Indians out of as much as $137 billion because of missing records and sloppy bookkeeping. Government lawyers have denied that the losses are anywhere that large, but they have admitted that the record keeping was abysmal. In an appeal of her contempt conviction, lawyers for Interior Secretary Gale Norton have made some of the same arguments about the judge's conduct that Lamberth rejected Friday. The practical effect of the judge's order means that one of the court masters is free to begin considering whether Lamberth should hold contempt of court hearings against some 39 current and former government officials. Lawyers for the Indians have petitioned Lamberth to hold them in contempt over the case. In 1999, the judge held Babbitt, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and Assistant Interior Secretary Kevin Gover in civil contempt in the case. On Sept. 17, he followed that with civil contempt findings against Norton and Neal McCaleb, who succeeded Gover as head of Indian Affairs at Interior. Norton, a former Colorado attorney general, has said that no single issue has consumed her time in the Bush administration as much as the trust case. Efforts to settle the dispute out of court have failed and her deputies have begun the slow process of attempting the determine the balances in each of the accounts. The accounts, which date from 1887, hold the proceeds from oil, gas, mineral and grazing leases of Indian lands in the West. Bill McAllister: bmcallister@denverpost.com Copyright c. 1999-2002 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farminton, NM. --------- "RE: Schools fail our Indian Students" --------- Date: Mon 20 Jan 2003 08:11:23 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SCHOOLS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/ Schools fail our Indian students Gazette Editorial January 20, 2003 Montana's American Indian students have a dropout rate of 10.4 percent -- more than double the rate of 4.2 percent for all Montana public school students. That's one of the shocking facts cited by state Rep. Carol Juneau, D- Browning, in her proposed resolution for an in-depth review of educational outcomes and risks for Montana's American Indian students. Juneau proposes that a strategic plan be developed for reducing dropouts and improving academic performance. We strongly endorse this resolution. It should be one step toward correcting the abysmal failure of the public school system to serve American Indian children as well as it serves non-Indian children. Juneau's House Joint Resolution 8 notes that: - American Indian students have a school completion rate of 56.1 percent, far below the 81.8 percent for all Montana students. - Montana's Indian students are three times as likely to drop out of high school as non-Indian students and Indian students are 12 times more likely to drop out of grades seven and eight than non-Indian students. - Three of the four Montana counties with the highest unemployment rates include portions of Indian reservations. "Keeping these children in school is benefiting this state in a very real economic sense," says Lori Falcon, American Indian education specialist in the Office of Public Instruction. "There are several practices that are effective in keeping Native American students in school, but they require funding," said Falcon, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe. For example, bilingual programs in which students learn both English and their tribal language have been shown to improve student achievement overall, Falcon said. Juneau also has introduced a bill that would require at least one American Indian member on the state Board of Pardons and Parole. American Indians are 6.21 percent of Montana's population, but 18.4 percent of men and 31 percent of women in Montana prisons are American Indians. There is a connection between the high incarceration rates and the high dropout rates. Young people need a good education to be successful throughout their lives. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, while the nation focuses on the importance of guaranteeing equal rights to all people, we recognize that the right to equality of education isn't yet a reality for all our children. "Indian children in Montana public schools are in a crisis situation, as evidenced by disparities in education, including dropout rates that are double those of non-Indian students, low achievement levels and test scores, and few high school graduates with little advancement to higher education," the Montana Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights reported in 2001. If this nation is committed to "leave no child behind," public policy makers and educators must respond to the needs of American Indian children with a sense of urgency. As Falcon said, "It's America's problem. We're Americans, too." Sidebar: Dropout statistics Last year in Billings School District 2, 13 American Indian boys and 20 American Indian girls dropped out of high school. Dropouts included: 11.7 percent of American Indian students 8.4 percent of Hispanic students 3.2 percent of white studentsHearing set The Montana House Federal Relations, Energy and Telecommunications Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on House Joint Resolution 8 at 3 p.m. Wednesday in Room 455 in the Capitol. Copyright c. 2003 The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: American Indians in APS behind Peers" --------- Date: Wed 15 Jan 2003 08:05:11 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ALBUQUERQUE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news03/011403_news_native.shtml American Indians in APS behind peers, study shows By Jennifer W. Sanchez Tribune Reporter January 15, 2003 America Indian students, one of the smallest minorities in the Albuquerque Public Schools system, consistently score 25 to 30 percent below the district average on the Terra Nova standardized tests, a new report shows. The APS superintendent in charge of overseeing American Indian students, Joseph Vigil, called the low test scores "horrendous." The report was released Monday. "We have to do a better job," Vigil said in a phone interview. The report, compiled by the district, is entitled, "Minority Student Performance: Native American Students." The Albuquerque Board of Education District Relations Committee is scheduled to discuss the report with district leaders at noon today in the John Milne Board Room, 725 University Blvd. S.E. About two years ago, Vigil said, the district really started working on improving American Indian student achievement. "We've intensified our efforts to better address these students in our schools," he said. Vigil said district and school leaders have been meeting with American Indian community groups, parents and government agencies to develop school programs to assist students. The programs include tutoring, specialized classes and social services. The students often come from low-income families, according to report data: About 60 percent meet federal poverty guidelines. School officials can't help American Indian students without the support of their families, Vigil said. He noted that the attendance rate for the students, 92 percent, is 2 percent below the district average and said the district will make efforts to improve that number. "We have to help them catch up," he said. The district's programs that assist families to help their kids improve will continue, he said. "Without families being engaged with us," he said, "we won't be able to make much of a difference." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS IN APS Number of American Indian students in APS: 4,081 Total number of students in APS: 84,263 Enrollment makeup in APS: White: 38 percent Hispanic: 51 percent American Indian: 5 percent Black: 4 percent Asian: 2 percent *** COMPARING NUMBERS American Indian All students 2002 TerraNova score averages Grade: 3 Reading: 34 50 Language: 37 54 Math: 41 52 Grade: 6 Reading: 39 56 Language: 42 58 Math: 34 50 Grade: 9 Reading: 43 58 Language: 43 58 Math: 42 56 Attendance rate (K-12): 92 percent 94 percent Eligible for free or reduced lunch: 57 percent 43 percent Percentage of 10th-graders passing all six subjects on the New Mexico High School Competency Exam: 64 percent 72 percent Note: Only 15% of American Indian students are identified as English-language learners. Source: Albuquerque Public Schools records Copyright c. 2003 The Albuquerque Tribune. --------- "RE: Bear Butte" --------- Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 21:01:50 -0800 (PST) From: James Starkey Subj: Bear Butte Mailing List: Rez Life Received the following in a forward. FYI Will keep you updated. CWF ---------- Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2003 19:14:47 -0600 Following is the meeting notice concerning Bear Butte, and an attached article scheduled to go to print on Monday, Jan 20 by Bill Cissell, Rapid City Journal Staff Writer ________________________________ Please spread the word. The following information was received from Jamie R. Ducheneaux I with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Preservation Program: A meeting is being called for Wednesday, January 22, 2003 at Sturgis, SD at the Best Western Inn (8:00 AM Ever Green Meeting Room) to discuss the proposed Sportsman Complex being build just 4 miles north of Bear Butte, the Sacred Mountain of the Cheyenne and the Sioux. The Black Hills Council has put together an economic development plan to build this Sportsman Complex (shooting range, convenience store, motels and new roads) and many native people are very troubled about this infringement on a place considered the most sacred of places. Bear Butte is a place where native people practice their ceremonies and make an spiritual connection with the Creator. The preservation of Bear Butte against adverse effects if a very important role for those of us who wish Bear Butte to remain a spiritual place. Please share this information with an many people as possible and if anyone can attend this meeting to show their support to protect the surrounding area of Bear Butte that would be greatly appreciate. The Black Hills Council and representatives from the Governor's Office have been invited and have confirmed their attendance. Local media have been invited but dissemination has been limited; currently the Lakota Journal will be there. That is why you are receiving this e-mail. The Northern Cheyenne Chiefs and Headsmans will be attending and I hope you feel strongly about support my husband as a Northern Cheyenne Chief and his efforts to have a spiritual place remain spiritual. Please share this information because Mr. Ducheneaux does not have the internet capability to send this out. He can be reached at 605-964-7554 and his address is Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Preservation Program P. O. Box 590 Eagle Butte, SD 57625. Thank you ____________________________________ Also received the following: Date: Sat, 18 Jan 2003 11:47:46 -0700 From: "Bill Cissell" bcissell@rushmore.com This is my story that's running Monday. Indians upset with shooting range By Bill Cissell, Journal Staff Writer Sturgis A Cheyenne tribe official believes Indian tribes were deliberately excluded from discussions on plans for a shooting range north of Sturgis, a charge disputed by the quasi-governmental agency handling much of the process. A meeting at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 22 in the Evergreen Room of the Best Western (Phil Town) in Sturgis provides a chance to air native concerns about the Black Hills Sportsman's Complex, according to Cheyenne Sioux Preservation Officer Jamie Ducheneaux. That meeting will also determine whether any legal action might be pursued, he said. The range, on Highway 79, 13 miles north of Sturgis is 4 1/2 miles north of Bear Butte State Park. Organizers plan to build a multi-use complex with ranges for shotguns, rifles, pistols and archery. The Black Hills are home to almost a dozen manufacturers of guns and ammunition and supporters say many of those will use the complex to demonstrate products to potential customers. "That's our place of (spiritual) ceremony," Ducheneaux said. "We're already dealing with noise from the (Sturgis Motorcycle) rally, the nearby highway and planes flying over." "This area needs to be preserved, not only from an Indian perspective but from a state historic preservation point of view as well," he said. Range planners are required to perform an archeological study of the area and Ducheneaux said only the person contacted was Webster Two Hawk, Office of Tribal Government Relations commissioner. "They got what they wanted (an approval) but they didn't consult the tribes," Ducheneaux said. Because most of the money ($825,000) came from a federally funded block grant, project supporters had a number of studies they were required to complete. One of those was the archeological importance of the area. Black Hills Council of Local Government, an organization that provides technical support to small communities and counties, was in charge of most of the project's paperwork. BHCLG executive director Van Lindquist said they followed advise from the state's Historic Preservation Office on how to handle the archeological study. "We met with Webster Two Hawks at a meeting in Pierre. I don't know if (not meeting with the tribes) was an oversight. The state law on that is open to interpretation," Lindquist said. He said a completed noise study indicated that 10,000 rounds fired from a distance of 3 miles from Bear Butte (the range is 4 * miles away), over the course of 48 hours, has the same noise level at a normal conversation. Lindquist said the study based its findings on flat ground and any changes in elevation dampens the effect more. Ducheneaux said tribal members didn't want to create a battlefield but, "This is a decision that affects future generations." Ducheneaux said that, as a hunter himself, he wasn't opposed to the need for a shooting range. "But, I have to draw the line - my spirituality is leaning toward (saying), 'this is not a good thing.' "When it comes to our most sacred site, we need to have true consultation. They need to hear the other side," he said. He said that hundreds of Indians from various tribes use the site for sacred ceremonies and that several tribes own land around the butte. Reach reporter Bill Cissell at 394-8412 or e-mail bill.cissell@rapidcityjournal.com ---- James H. Starkey www.oyateunderground.com --------- "RE: Zuni Tribe to take part in Forest Thinning" --------- Date: Thu 16 Jan 2003 08:10:48 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FOREST THINNING" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.arizonarepublic.com/news/articles/0116norton-wildfires16.html Interior to test forest-thinning on 14,000 acres near Yarnell Prescribed burns in 'mosaic pattern' may stop wildfires By Billy House Republic Washington Bureau Jan. 16, 2003 WASHINGTON - On the heels of one of the most catastrophic fire seasons in history, the Bush administration has chosen sites in central Arizona and four other states to test strategies to reduce materials that fuel wildfires. Interior Secretary Gale Norton said in an interview Wednesday that more than 14,000 acres of federal, state and private land at Weaver Mountain in Yavapai County, three miles southeast of Yarnell and just north of the Hassayampa Wilderness Area, have been selected to test the effectiveness of closely managed fires to reduce chaparral. The objective will be to create a "mosaic pattern" of burned and unburned areas to interrupt the potential spread of a wildfire and, at the same time, try to gauge the environmental impacts to the watershed and habitats. "Really, what we are talking about here is vegetation that in many cases has zero or little commercial value," Norton said in a reference to claims by some environmentalists that the Bush administration is overeager to allow private logging companies to thin forests for profit. Norton added, "None of the air quality standards is being considered for change as part of this process." Other planned forest-thinning test projects will be at the Horse Thief subdivision near Roundup, Mont.; the Zuni Indian Reservation near Gallup, N.M.; the White River Power Line project in Colorado; and Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. All but the Arizona site are to include some "mechanical thinning." Michael Anderson, a senior research analyst with the Wilderness Society, said his organization does not have a problem with the Bush administration's plans to test various ways to reduce wildfire risks and evaluate how those affect the environment. But he said the administration's efforts to eliminate or abbreviate the environmental and judicial review processes for forest-thinning projects are what concern and anger environmentalists. Norton pointed out that more than 7.1 million acres burned last year. The fires left 21 firefighters dead and drove tens of thousands of people from their homes. The exact dates were not available for the first of the prescribed burns for various sections of the Weaver Mountain site, Norton said, because they must be conducted when conditions are right. They are planned for some time this year. Overall, the Weaver Mountain test will involve about 8,950 acres of Bureau of Land Management property, 4,000 acres of state land and 1,100 privately owned acres. Reach the reporter at billy.house@arizonarepublic.com or 1-(202)-906-8136. Copyright c. 2003 The Arizona Republic. All rights reserved --------- "RE: Proposed Tribal Rules fail at Polls" --------- Date: Mon 20 Jan 2003 08:11:23 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="QUANTUM VOTE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.missoulian.com/display/inn_news/news05.txt Proposed tribal rules fail at polls By JOHN STROMNES of the Missoulian January 19, 2003 Salish, Kootenai referendum decides issue of descendancy PABLO - Voters resoundingly defeated a referendum to change the tribal constitution to broaden membership in the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes on Saturday. Preliminary vote totals released late Saturday show 1,562 no votes to 368 yes votes across the Flathead Indian Reservation, said Ernest "Bud" Moran, Flathead Reservation Bureau of Indian Affairs agent. At stake were rules governing what percentage of Salish or Kootenai blood one must have to claim membership in the tribes. A no vote was for the current rules: Only those with one-fourth or more Salish or Kootenai blood can become enrolled members. A yesvote was for a change that would have allowed anybody with any amount of Salish or Kootenai descendancy to be eligible for enrollment. Turnout was heavy Saturday, with 80 percent of eligible voters going to the polls, Moran said. "We opened at 9 a.m. and we've been busy ever since," said Dean Wall, an election judge at the Polson District polling place in the Indian Senior Citizen Center. He said about 150 Polson-area voters had come to the polls by 2 p.m. There are about 400 eligible voters in the district. In Pablo, the line was 10 deep to vote at about 2 p.m. Saturday. Pablo has one of the largest district populations, with more than 500 eligible voters. Jami Hamel of Arlee, vice chairwoman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council and one of three members of the special Bureau of Indian Affairs election supervisory committee, said the interest in the election was high and predicted a record turnout. "We've had a large number of absentee-ballot voting, too," Hamel said. Polls closed at 8 p.m., and counting at each district polling place began shortly afterward by election judges. On Sunday, the election committee will meet at 9 a.m. to count the 251 absentee ballots and 370 "contested" ballots (ballots from voters who voted elsewhere than their home district) and to certify the complete election results. However, the absentee and contested votes would not change the election's outcome. In Elmo, a stronghold of cultural traditionalists affiliated with the Kootenai Tribe, no lines formed at the polling place in the community center. But voters came in steadily all day long, said Lawrence Kenmille, an election judge for the district, which encompasses the Elmo, Dayton and Big Arm areas. He said more than 100 had voted by about 1 p.m. Saturday. A total of 127 eligible voters live in the district. "This is the most voters we've ever had," said Sophie Matt of Big Arm, another election judge whose hamburger chili sustained the judges through much of the day and evening. Lavina Big Beaver of Elmo supplied the fry bread to go with the chili. The referendum came years after refusal by the Tribal Council to consider changing the blood-quantum rules that have been in effect for 50 years. Blood quantum was never a requirement of tribal membership among the Salish, Kootenai and Pend Oreille tribes prior to contact with whites, the Split Family Support Group, main supporters of the change, had pointed out. At Tribal Council meetings in Pablo and district meetings in various communities across the reservation, opponents turned out in force to blast the Split Family Support Group and its proposal. Reporter John Stromnes can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or jstromnes@missoulian.com. Copyright c. 2002 Missoulian, Missoula, MT/A Lee Enterprises subsidiary. --------- "RE: Alabama-Coushatta Members walk for Rights" --------- Date: Wed 15 Jan 2003 08:05:11 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ALABAMA-COUSHATTA" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.dailytexanonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/01/15/3e251b6e619a6 Tribe's walk voices support for rights Alabama-Coushatta members trek 250 miles from reservation By Anjali Athavaley (Daily Texan Staff) January 15, 2003 Approximately 300 members and supporters of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas arrived on the steps of the Capitol Tuesday after walking 250 miles from their reservation in Livingston to advocate a bill that would support the tribe's right to autonomy. "What we are trying to do is achieve and make aware to the media, the Legislature and the general public the concept of sovereignty guaranteed to us in Article I, Section VIII of the Constitution," Alabama-Cou-shatta Tribe of Texas Chairman Kevin Batisse said. The bill, which will be introduced by Rep. Terry Keel, R-Austin, would legalize the establishment of gambling casinos on tribal lands in Texas. If passed, it would limit gambling to Texas's three Native American reservations. A similar bill granting tribes involved in gambling a defense against prosecution failed to pass during the last congressional session in 2001. "It would be wrong to continue to fail to recognize their sovereignty on this subject [gaming] given our state's venture into this type of enterprise over the past decade," Keel said. The Alabama-Coushattas believe that revenue from a gambling casino would improve deteriorating living conditions and unemployment rates on the reservation. The tribe previously opened a casino in November 2001. It was shut down by former Texas attorney general U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Opponents of the bill argue that the establishment of a casino on Native American land will produce more economic disadvantages than benefits. Weston Ware, representative of Texans Against Gambling, believes that establishment of a casino is not a plausible solution to this question. "In the case of the Alabama- Coushattas, they agreed in [the 1987 Restoration Act] not to have gambling on their reservation, and we think they ought to stand by that position," Ware said. However, according to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, established by the Clinton Administration, the only economic venture that appears to work on Native American land is gaming. The study also shows that Native Americans have the highest poverty and unemployment rates of any minority group in the country. "Given our current health-care system and educational levels, no one is going to establish a business on Native American land," said Tom Rodgers, adviser and strategist for the Alabama- Coushatta. "So we ask ourselves, what can we do that does not cost a lot of capital and is government sanctioned?" Still, at a time when additional revenue from a casino could ease the state budget crisis, Rodgers is "guardedly optimistic" about the bill being passed during the course of this congressional session. "We have been told by the state of Texas that we are not a tribe. We have been told to cut our hair to go to school. We have been told that we are like a sorority or fraternity," Rodgers said. "We wait for a day that we will be brought into the sunlight, and people will say, 'We applaud you. You control your own economic future.'' Copyright c. 2003 The Daily Texan. --------- "RE: Cherokee Braves Flag" --------- Date: Fri 17 Jan 2003 08:21:32 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CWY BRAVES FLAG" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.unitednativeamerica.com/press.html Press release from United Native America On January 25, 2003, at 10:00 am United Native America will be at the Oklahoma State Capitol to raise the Cherokee Braves flag. This act will be done to show honor and respect to our true heritage. This act will also honor our ancestors who stood up for our civil rights against the US Government before, during and after the US Civil War against the Native Americans. If during the act of raising the Cherokee Braves flag we are stopped or arrested, we are prepared to take the case all the way to the US. Supreme Court. No elected representative of the people has the right to call our true history racist for standing up for our freedoms against the federal government trying to annihilate the Indian race regardless of what flag we defended our civil rights under! Representative Cox of Oklahoma stated, any flag associated with the Confederate flag family was a symbol of racism, he states the Cherokee Braves flag is part of that family of flags. Representative Cox also compares anyone fighting against the US government during the Civil war should be looked upon as the terrorist attacking America today. I have met with Rep. Cox in his office, I asked him to apologize for his remarks comparing our ancestors to the terrorist of today, he tried to say he did not mean it that way. Well, he did, our ancestors did fight against the US. Government in the civil war under the Cherokee Braves flag! He is on record not allowing the Cherokee Braves flag to fly on the Oklahoma Capitol grounds because he states it's part of the Confederate flag family. So, he is stating Indians are to be compared to terrorist attacking America today for their part in the civil war! Our demand for Rep. Cox to resign from his elected office still stands! His degrading remarks toward the Native America community is a national sick joke! Rep. Cox needs to get a true American history education! I informed Rep. Cox that it was the US. Government that used small pox and anthrax against the Native American community, the federal government shipped disease infected blankets and meat into the Indian tribes to kill as many men, women and children as they could, all this was done under the American flag we have today. Rep. Cox stated to me, he did not know that the federal government did this to the Indians. I told Rep. Cox the state of Georgia had a state law stating that Indians could not live in the state legally on record up to 1980, he responded, he did not believe me, believe it Rep. Cox it's true American history! The Cherokee Braves flag is a big part of the Cherokee people and their nation. The earliest fully documented Cherokee flag is that of the Cherokee Braves. This flag was presented to principal chief John Ross on October 7, 1861, by the Confederate Indian Commissioner, Albert Pike. A similar flag has been attributed to the First Cherokee Mounted Rifles, possibly pointing to the base design as a de facto national flag for the Cherokee Nation (Devereaux D. Cannon, Jr., The Flags of the Confederacy, An Illustrated History, [Memphis, TN: St. Luke's Press & Broadfoot Publishing, 1988], 64). This flag was the standard design of the first Confederate national flag, three horizontal stripes of red over white over red bearing a blue canton upon which a ring of eleven white stars appeared. The standard flag was modified for use by the Cherokees by the addition of a large red star in the center of the ring and that was surrounded by four smaller red stars. The five additional stars stood for the five "Civilized Tribes," while the large one specifically referred to the Cherokees. In red letters on the white stripe appeared the words "Cherokee Braves." This flag, employing black lettering is used today by the unrecognized "Southern Cherokee Nation" based in Georgia (note: this is not the same as the state recognized Cherokee of Georgia which employ a distinctive flag of their own). In United Native Americas quest to bring about a federal national holiday for Native Americans, Cherokee Chief Chad Smith is unwilling to call upon the federal government to stop using our tax dollars to pay for Columbus Day and not having it as a national holiday, he has stated to me, that would be pitting the Indian community against the Italians. The Cherokee Nation does not recognize Columbus Day as all Indian nations do not. Seventeen states do not recognize Columbus Day as a state paid holiday, Oklahoma is one of those states. Cherokee Chief Chad Smith's view on not wanting to change Columbus Day to Native American day is not in line with the vast majority of Native Americans to include most Americans. Columbus is the equal of Hitler to the Native American community, there would never be a tax paid holiday for Hitler in America for the German American community, nor should there be a national holiday for Columbus in America! United Native America has several holiday resolutions in support of bringing about a national holiday for Native Americans from Indian nations around the country, they all call for changing Columbus Day to Native American Day except the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation. The state of South Dakota has changed Columbus Day to Native American Day. Oklahoma State representative Wayne Pettigrew has informed United Native America he will take action to bring about a state bill making the second Monday in October Native American Day, this is the date Columbus Day is recognized by the federal government. United Native America will work with Rep. Pettigrew to bring about this bill as soon as possible! It's about time we had an elected Oklahoma representative to have the back bone to stand up and tell it like it is as to Columbus. Representative Cox, United Native America recommends the two web sites listed below to start your education about the Native American community and their true history. www.UnitedNativeAmerica.com Mike L. Graham Founder United Native America Email: MIKECHEROKEE@AOL.COM 1008 SE 10th St Muldrow Okla. 74948 918-427-9894 Till the first of February 2003 Call 479-646-5561 Room 57 --------- "RE: S.D. Governor Promises to revive Reconciliation" --------- Date: Mon 20 Jan 2003 08:11:23 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RECONCILIATION" http://www.lakotajournal.com/notes.htm NOTES FROM INDIAN COUNTRY New South Dakota Governor Promises to Revive "Reconciliation" By: Tim Giago (c) 2002 Lakota Media Inc. Unless one has lived in South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota or Iowa, it would be hard to understand the antagonistic relationships between Indians and whites. I've excluded New Mexico and Arizona because there have been major efforts in those states to alleviate the overt racism of this century. The elevated status now enjoyed by the tribes of these two states is directly attributable to the spoils of their gaming casinos. Money talks, poverty walks. The tribes of the six states mentioned above are among the poorest in America. Most have unemployment rates approaching or above 50 percent. Many third world nations are more prosperous than the Indian nations in these states. Aside from the poverty is the racism the Indians of these states must endure. It is right out there in front for all to see. There is nothing covert about it. Indians have a hard time securing decent housing. They must pay exorbitant deposits in order to get the most basic services such as telephones, natural gas and electricity. They are often beaten out of their rental deposits when they move because they do not have the legal means to retrieve the deposits. When Indians enters a retail store they are often shadowed by sales clerks until they make a purchase and leave. When they enter a restaurant they are usually the last to be served and when they are served it is usually with a sense of resentment. Racial profiling by city, county and state police is widespread throughout South Dakota. The judicial system is broken. Indians make up 10 percent of the population and yet the state prisons are filled with 35 percent Indians. Shady car dealers often sell the Indians from the reservations pieces of junk that barely make it back home. Complaints fall on deaf ears. If there was a Consumer's Report for the way that these slimy car salesmen deal with Indians it would bring tears to the eyes of the bravest. The Indian people once knew South Dakota as the Mississippi of the North. I believe calling it that now would be an insult to the people of Mississippi. While Mississippi has moved forward, South Dakota has moved backward. Thirteen years ago I asked then Governor of South Dakota, George Mickelson, a Republican, what it was that caused him the most headaches as governor. He replied, "I am going to answer that by telling you how my father who was then governor of South Dakota, answered that question to me when I was eleven-years-old. That was 40 years ago." He said, "Son, the hardest part of my job is the race relations between Indians and whites." Mickelson said sadly, "And that is the hardest part of my job today." Mickelson died in a plane crash in the midst of his second term as governor. After speaking with him I wrote a column for my newspaper addressing the 100th anniversary of the Massacre at Wounded Knee which was about to happen in 1990. I appealed to Governor Mickelson to use this anniversary as a time to heal the wounds between Indians and Whites. I suggested that he name 1990 a Year of Reconciliation. The governor accepted the challenge in a written editorial in my newspaper and persuaded the state legislators to make 1990 "The Year of Reconciliation." Our new governor was sworn into office this month. His name is Mike Rounds, a Republican. My newspaper endorsed him for governor, the only Republican we endorsed. I endorsed him because of an answer he gave to a question I asked him at last year's South Dakota Newspaper Association Convention. At the cracker-barrel discussion held at the convention featuring the six gubernatorial candidates I repeated the question I had asked Gov. George Mickelson in 1989. I then posed this question to all six candidates for governor. "What would you do to improve racial relations in South Dakota?" Five of the candidates went into to a lot of meaningless rhetoric based on the near impossible. Mike Rounds said, "I will invite all of the tribal leaders in the state to my house and over a meal we will talk about our differences and commonalties." Now that made sense to me. That is why our newspaper endorsed him. In his inaugural address last week Governor Rounds said he would re- start Gov. Mickelson's efforts at reconciliation. I would remind the Governor that George Mickelson did not sit in his office and then one day have a light bulb flash over his head that suggested, "Why don't we have a year of reconciliation?" No! It took a challenge from an Oglala Lakota editor of an Indian newspaper to start the juices flowing. He took up the challenge of this Lakota man and then set about trying to make it happen. Give the Lakota People credit for stepping forward first. We first offered the olive branch because we wanted to wipe away the tears of sorrow and hate from the Wounded Knee debacle. It has been more than 10 years since the death of Governor Mickelson. Reconciliation efforts came to an end with his untimely death. Racism is still rampant in this state and got worse under the antagonistic regime of Governor Bill Janklow, also a Republican and now the U. S. Congressman from South Dakota. Governor Rounds can be the man who helped bring parity, peace and justice to the Indian people of South Dakota. He can be the man who brings to an end 200 years of racial disharmony. He has to bury a lot of prejudices, misconceptions and myths about the Indian people. He has to turn a deaf ear to the dissenters amongst the whites and the Indians. And above all, he has to have a plan. It will not be easy, but now that he has made reconciliation one of the projects for his administration, he must follow through. Governor Mickelson had a plan. Perhaps Gov. Rounds should seek out the late governor's advisors to find out what it was. Most of us have been waiting for more than 10 years. Copyright c. 2002 Lakota Journal. --------- "RE: Issue of Alcohol Sales in Whiteclay" --------- Date: Wed 15 Jan 2003 08:05:11 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WHITECLAY" http://www.indianz.com/ http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=36&u_sid=622463 New bill again tackles issue of alcohol sales in Whiteclay January 15, 2003 LINCOLN (AP) - They've tried talking to the governor. They've protested by drinking beer at a Liquor Control Commission hearing, outside the governor's mansion and in the State Capitol. They've marched and rallied. Now activists who want to prevent the sale of alcohol in the border village of Whiteclay are again turning to the Legislature for help. Last year a bill to ban the issuance of new liquor licenses in Whiteclay did not make it out of committee. Omaha State Sen. Don Preister reintroduced a similar version of the proposal Tuesday. "The issue hasn't gone away," Preister said. "We continue to have problems in the area with drunkenness, with law violations, people drinking in public places." While it does not mention Whiteclay by name, Preister's bill (Legislative Bill 325) would prohibit the issuance of a new license to sell alcohol in any unincorporated village within five miles of American Indian land where alcohol is banned. Whiteclay is about 200 feet from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol is banned. The 5,000-square-mile reservation just over the border in South Dakota is home to 15,000 Oglala Sioux and has one of the nation's highest alcoholism-related mortality rates. Nebraskans for Peace has argued that residents of the reservation walk into Whiteclay, purchase alcohol, then illegally consume it on the street. They say police do not enforce open container and public drunkenness laws. Nebraska state officials counter that the sale of alcohol is legal and whenever a violation is cited, a ticket is issued. Preister's bill would not take away the licenses of the four stores now selling beer in Whiteclay. The only way those licenses would be revoked is if stores receive enough violations that the State Liquor Control Commission is forced to act, said Tim Rinne, director of Nebraskans for Peace. The commission is asking for more police to look for violations. In its recommendations sent to Gov. Mike Johanns and Sen. Ray Janssen, chairman of the General Affairs Committee, the commission said more money needs to be spent to ensure law enforcement in Whiteclay during the hours that alcohol is sold. Copyright c. 2003 Omaha World-Herald. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Stillaguamish Tribe wants Chance to Prosper" --------- Date: Thu 16 Jan 2003 08:10:48 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="STILLAGUAMISH" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/104378_cstillaguamish16.shtml Stillaguamish Tribe wants chance to prosper By PAUL SHUKOVSKY SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER January 16, 2003 ARLINGTON - For centuries, Shirley Munger's Stillaguamish ancestors made their living along the river that bears their tribal name by fishing for salmon, hunting for deer and gathering berries and roots. But in 21st century America, being Indian doesn't necessarily mean living off the land. The 190-member Stillaguamish Tribe is proving that point by razing its little village of federally subsidized houses north of Arlington to build a casino. Tribe members hope it will bring a measure of affluence not enjoyed since before the white man came and the river ran thick with salmon. When Munger's family lived upriver in Oso, "we never had to lock our doors. And anyone was welcome to come to our house. Whatever you had for food, you'd offer it to the people that came to you. You'd never dare do that anymore," the 56-year-old elder said. Times have changed and the old ways have been distorted by unemployment, a high dropout rate, teen pregnancy, alcoholism and drug abuse. In 1999, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 46 percent of the tribal work force had no job. Of those who were employed, 41 percent earned an income under the federal poverty guidelines. About 42 percent of tribal members older than 17 did not have a high school diploma or GED, according to 1997 statistics. And the high school dropout rate at that time was more than 40 percent. "It's all the standard stuff that goes with poverty," tribal Executive Director Eddie Goodridge Jr. said. Thus the idea to cash in on their status as a sovereign Indian nation and build a casino. Some Stillaguamish, including Munger, have chosen to change their tribal affiliation to the nearby Tulalip Tribes, whose fabulously successful casino has meant a plethora of government services and job opportunities. Casino dollars will not be a panacea for the Stillaguamish, Goodridge said. But it will help. "Remove poverty from the equation and you don't have as much of that stuff," he said. If the revenue starts flowing in from their casino as hoped, the tribe will begin developing the 77-acre property for tribal housing, Goodridge said. Site preparation alone, construction of roads and installation of utilities, will cost $2 million to $3 million that the tribe could never hope to obtain without gambling revenue, he said. And if the casino is lucrative enough, there'll be money to start new business that will mean more jobs for tribal members. And basic services, such as health care and education, will get a badly needed infusion of cash, Goodridge said. "It (the casino) is not the end-all for the Stillaguamish," Goodridge said. "It's a catalyst. The goal is to buy more land, build houses, create some other businesses and give better services to tribal members." Using about $5 million of the $36 million the Stillaguamish were loaned by the backers of its casino project, the tribe has moved the roughly 150 people who live in 30 houses now being demolished to make way for the casino. People had their choice of taking a buyout of between $70,000 and $90,000 and finding their own housing or moving into new $215,000 homes purchased by the tribe for their use. People chose the new tribal home option by a 2-1 margin, Goodridge said. They moved to nearby Snohomish County towns of Arlington, Marysville, Stanwood and Warm Beach. Some tribal members have been concerned about dispersing the tribe, said Goodridge. But he believes that enhanced tribal programs for youth and elders will be the glue that holds people together. As much as the casino represents hope for a better future for the tribe, it represents an abomination to some non-Indian neighbors who live in nearby homes on 5-acre estates. About 465 neighbors who live in the area have formed the "No Dice" committee to "slow down, stop or relocate" a casino in their midst, said neighbor Ken Childress. "The casino threatens our property values, general safety and our rural way of life," he said. The neighbors have been working to move the casino to the Smoky Point commercial area, which fronts Interstate 5 in Arlington. That move could benefit the tribe as well -- many more gamblers would be expected there than if the casino is constructed at the village site about three miles from the highway. But legal impediments could take too long to overcome while the tribe is paying monthly interest on its $36 million loan, Goodridge said. He said the tribe is willing to listen to proposals to move the casino site. But he said the Stillaguamish would need ironclad guarantees on the feasibility of the I-5 site before it would seriously consider abandoning the village site. P-I reporter Paul Shukovsky can be reached at 206-448-8072 or paulshukovsky@seattlepi.com Copyright c. 1996-2003 Seattle Post-Intelligencer --------- "RE: Dann Sisters move Horses" --------- Date: Fri 17 Jan 2003 08:21:32 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BLM" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2003/01/17/ To avoid losing them, Dann sisters move horses Tom Gardner ASSOCIATED PRESS 1/17/2003 12:55 am Two Western Shoshone sisters locked in a battle with the government over land and tribal rights were rounding up their horses Thursday before state and federal agencies could impound the animals. "We hope to get about 200-300 out today," spokeswoman Julie Fishel said. "It's very complex, but the sooner we move them the less traumatic it is for the horses. They don't like being on trucks." She said sisters Mary and Carrie Dann would keep about 100 horses and pregnant mares at their ranch in Crescent Valley. She said the rest would be relocated to an undisclosed "safe haven" outside Nevada. The government contends the Danns are overgrazing the sparse forage around their remote spread in central northern Nevada and have failed to obtain grazing permits. The Danns have been at odds with the government for decades. They and other members of the Western Shoshone Nation say that much of Nevada belongs to the Indians under the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley. The government says the land issue was settled by the courts years ago and that the Danns' livestock are trespassing on land to which other ranchers are entitled. "Our objective is to improve the condition of the land out there and any action they are taking to remove the excessive animals from the range will be helpful toward that goal," said Jo Simpson, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Land Management. In September, the BLM confiscated 227 cattle from the land surrounding the Dann ranch and sold them at auction. Late last month, the agency notified the Danns to remove any remaining cattle and horses or the livestock would be impounded. An aerial survey by the BLM earlier this month counted about 800 horses and 80 cattle, Simpson said. On Wednesday, the Western Shoshone National Council announced the creation of the Western Shoshone International Goodwill Horse Program to promote economic development opportunities through horse management and gentling programs, starting with the Danns' horses. "It's a source of economic development," Fishel said. "But right now, our focus is getting the horses moved to safety." She said the horses were getting health checks before their brands were being inspected by state officials. Since many of the horses aren't branded, she said the Dann sisters would have to identify which animals belong to them. State Brand Inspector Jim Connally said in Elko that without passing the Agriculture Department's scrutiny, moving the horses out of state would be a misdemeanor. Fishel, an attorney for the Western Shoshone Defense Project, said the Danns still held out hope for a favorable outcome in their dispute so the horses could be returned to what they believe is tribal land. The preserve where the horses are being taken is not Indian-owned. "Most Indian people don't have enough land to run horses like this," she said. Copyright c. 2003 Reno Gazette-Journal, a Gannett Co. Inc. Newspaper. --------- "RE: Support a threatened Human Rights Defender" --------- Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 08:04:50 -0600 (CST) From: owner-chiapas95-english@eco.utexas.edu (Chiapas95-english) Subj: Take action to support a threatened human rights defender Mailing List: chiapas95-english This message is forwarded to you by the editors of the Chiapas95 newslists. To contact the editors or to submit material for posting send to: . From: Mexico Program Dear Readers, The following [translated] message regarding death threats toward Ernesto Ledesma is alarming. We are deeply concerned that a human rights defender and someone who has taken a clear and consistent stand for justice in Mexico has come under threat. In addition, I am personally concerned because Ernesto Ledesma is a close friend and someone who played a key role in Global Exchange's Mexico program. I urge you to send messages to the state and federal authorities listed at the end of this alert. Thanks you for your action. Sincerely, Ted Lewis URGENT MESSAGE Threats and forceful entry of the Center for Political Analysis and Social and Economic Investigations CAPISE, in San Cristo'bal de Las Casas, Chiapas. FACTS FIRST; On the 18th of November 2002, between 10:15 And 10:30, Ernesto Ledesma, director and associate founder of the Center for Political Analysis and Social and Economic Investigations AC, returned to his home. On opening the door, he became aware of the strong odor of gas, and discovered that two of the big burners of his stove were wide open, and that the kitchen window was firmly shut. Ernesto Ledesma had left his home that day at 9:30 after eating (dry) cereal and milk (which is why he didn't use his stove). He had opened the window as was his habit, and had not returned until that moment. TWO: On the 1st of January 2003, Ernesto Ledesma was in his home with his family celebrating the arrival of the new year. At 3:01am on the 1st of January 2003, there was a phone call which was answered by his brother. On picking up the receiver a male voice was heard leaving the following message: "We're going to kill you, you son of a bitch", and the line was cut off. The caller ID registered the call at the exact time it was made, and indicated that it was made from a public phone. THREE: On the 3rd of January 2003, at approximately 10:30am, on arriving to the offices of CAPISE, the main entrance was discovered half-open. No member of the organization had yet arrived. On inspecting the interior of the office there was no damage, and no documents were missing, although it couldn't be ascertained if this was also true of the information contained in the computer. It should be pointed out that on the previous day, the 2nd of January, at approximately 11.45pm when he left the office, Ernesto Ledesma personally locked the door to the office, and it has been confirmed that none of the members of CAPISE had gone to the office after that time, nor before his arrival on the following day. The Center for Political Analysis and Social and Economic Investigations (CAPISE) is a civil association, recently founded, dedicated to the investigation and denunciation of violations of human rights, and among those, the ones which are related to the function and operations of the armed forces and para-military groups armed or not, inside indigenous communities in the state of Chiapas. The founding members have participated in the past in different civil organizations, and are known among NGOs as defenders of human rights for many years. We consider these threats to be the same as the innumerable cases of harassment suffered in recent years by civil organizations in Mexico, but particularly in Chiapas. As a result of the foregoing, we have made a criminal accusation (AL40/026/03-01) in the public ministry of Altos zone of the Procuraduri'a General de Justicia of the state of Chiapas. We respectfully ask that you send urgent messages asking: 1: A serious and speedy investigation to find, process, punish those responsible for these acts. 2: a policy of protection of the defenders of human rights in Chiapas. 3: Protection for Ernesto Ledesma and CAPISE. To the following authorities: Lic. Pablo Salazar Mendiguchi'a Gobernador del Estado de Chiapas Palacio de Gobierno del Estado de Chiapas Av. Central y Primera Oriente Colonia Centro, C.P. 29009 Tuxtla Gutie'rrez, Chiapas, Mexico Fax: (+52)(961)612-0917 Lic Mariano Herra'n Salvatti Procurador General de Justicia del Estado de Chiapas Libramiento Norte s/n Colonia Infonavit el Rosario Tuxtla Gutie'rrez, Chiapas, Mexico Fax: (+52)(961)616-5373 With a copy to the Centro de Ana'lisis Poli'tico e Investigaciones Sociales y Econo'micas Av. Hidalgo #1 int.16 Col. Centro San Cristo'bal de Las Casas, Chiapas CP 29200, Mexico Tel (+52)(967) 678-9738 Email: info@capise.org Sincerely, Centro de Ana'lisis Poli'tico e Investigaciones Sociales y Economicas AC (CAPISE) Ernesto Ledesma Michael Chamberlin Jose' Antonio Montero Jorge Luis Sierra Julio Ce'sar Ortega Translated by Errol Comma on January 15, 2003 --------- "RE: News from Vieques" --------- Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 16:29:45 EST From: Raulmax@aol.com Subj: News from Vieques Mailing List: ndn-aim U.S. Navy Begins Vieques Exercises, Possibly Last VIEQUES, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - U.S. Navy jets roared over the east end of this Puerto Rican island on Monday at the start of what could be the last military exercises here following a long fight by residents to oust the American military. Navy spokeswoman Lt. Comdr. Kim Dixon said the first day of training, which began at about 10:30 a.m. EST, involved aerial bombing from fighter jets using nonexplosive dummy munitions. The exercises, involving the USS Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group, will last 29 days. With Friday's announcement by the U.S. Navy that it would transfer the training it holds on Vieques to bases in the southeastern United States, these could be the last exercises on the island, the primary training ground for the Atlantic Fleet for 60 years. Five protesters who sneaked on to Navy land early in the day were arrested before the start of exercises, Dixon said. Protest groups identified them as members of the Puerto Rican Independence Party. "If the Navy is leaving, it is precisely because of people going in to disrupt maneuvers," said Puerto Rican Independence Party Sen. Fernando Martin, who joined protesters at the front gate of Camp Garcia. "It is the essence of sound judgment to continue to apply pressure." Dixon said another group of protesters was spotted over the weekend trespassing on the range but were not arrested. Navy security personnel reported a rock-throwing incident late on Sunday. Only inert ordnance, or "dummy" bombs have been used on the range, a condition first imposed by the April 1999 death of a civilian security guard in a botched bombing run by a U.S. Marine Corps plane. The death unleashed local resentment against the Navy and sparked a drive across the territory of Puerto Rico for the military to leave the small island town. Hundreds of protesters have been arrested in the on-going civil disobedience campaign. Protesters argue the war games damaged the environment and harmed the health of the island's 9,300 residents. The Navy denies the claims and for years called Vieques its "crown jewel" of ranges, insisting the geography was perfect for simultaneous air, sea and land maneuvers. Protest groups say they will continue to hold demonstrations until the Navy leaves, despite plans to end training by May 1. =================================== Thousands March for Vieques in San Juan, Puerto Rico http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=3Dstory&u=3D/030112/168/30wmd.html San Juan, Puerto Rico - More than three thousand people marched, on Sunday, January 12, 2003, led by a contingent from Vieques that started to march on the previous day from Fajardo. The car caravans, the people marching on San Juan Island waving flags and chanting "Peace for Vieques" served to reaffirm the commitment from members of civil society and figures of the main political parties with the Vieques cause for the new year 2003. While the recent news seem to confirm the rumors that the Navy has decided to depart from Vieques by May 2003, this is not seen as a complete victory for Vieques residents and activists. For instance, Vieques' Mayor D'maso Serrano stated that while there is great reason to celebrate the Navy's departure, there is no reason to rest idle since activism must continue to assure the devolution and decontamination of the land to the People of Vieques. --------- "RE: Force Ottawa to recognize Treaties" --------- Date: Fri 17 Jan 2003 08:21:32 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TREATIES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canada.com/search/story.asp Native leaders told to force Ottawa to recognize treaties BN January 17, 2003 LONG PLAINS FIRST NATION, Manitoba - Aboriginal leaders in Manitoba have been urged to ignore the Indian Act. The advice comes from University of Toronto professor Fred Lazar who says the move would force Ottawa to recognize treaties. Lazar told a meeting of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs that the act wouldn't survive a challenge in international court. He urged aboriginal people to take other action to fight for better recognition of their treaty rights. Lazar says aboriginal bands should send bills for their share of profits from resources extracted by corporations from land included in treaties. Matthew Coon Come, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, says Lazar's challenge is "a good suggestion." But he adds aboriginal people have more to do before going to the international courts. Copyright c. 2003 BN. --------- "RE: Metis Leader suspended by National Council" --------- Date: Mon 13 Jan 2003 08:05:11 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="METIS LEADER" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.Native-Leader-Suspended.html Metis leader suspended by national council over allegations of assault January 12, 2003 VANCOUVER (CP) -- The board of governors of the Metis National Council suspended president Gerald Morin on Saturday over allegations he assaulted a woman, the council announced Sunday. By unanimous decision, the board also appointed Audrey Poitras, president of the Metis Nation of Alberta, as the council's interim president and national spokeswoman. The decision will likely lead to an early election for a new president, said council vice-president Clem Chartier. "I doubt the board would want to keep in place an interim presidency for any length of time," said Chartier. "I assume the suspension will be upheld and the assembly will set an election date." Chartier said he wasn't certain if Morin would be allowed to run again. Morin could not be reached for comment Sunday. According to a news release, the decisions were made after the council asked Morin on Jan. 7 to resign and he refused. Morin, 42, was charged last month with assault following an incident at an Ottawa hotel and is scheduled to appear in an Ottawa court on Feb. 28. He later admitted in a statement that alcohol had become "a destructive factor" in his life and the incident was the "final warning sign" for him to deal with his problem. The council announced last week that Morin would be entering a treatment program for his drinking problem. "It was very hard decision, but there was many factors that played into our decision. And yes, we hope the best for Mr. Morin and we definitely want to see him continue his treatment," Poitras, 52, said from Vancouver. A special general assembly of the council has been called within the next 90 days to fully review Morin's suspension. A date has not yet been decided, she said. "We do not condone violence of any kind, and more specifically, we have zero tolerance for violence against women," Poitras said. In an earlier statement, she said the Metis leadership "must be held to the highest standards and values that reflect our people" as role models to their youth and communities. Poitras added that Morin's actions were "unacceptable" and make it impossible for him to continue to lead. The board called for Morin's resignation after receiving details of the Dec. 11 incident that it says Morin failed to disclose at a previous meeting. Details of the Dec. 11 incident were not released by police. Two days before he was asked to resign, the board named a temporary president who was to take over Morin's duties while he sought treatment. Any future involvement with the council by Morin will be decided by the council's members during the annual general assembly, Poitras said. The Metis National Council represents 300,000 Metis and lobbies for those of mixed native and European descent. Chartier said the Morin matter has been a distraction to the council, which hopes it can now deal with other issues. "Once that decision was made, our board of governors did attend to quite a bit of our regular business. And there is a resolve to continue with the work Gerald Morin had begun. He had a good agenda in place and we will continue with it." (CP-Saskatoon StarPhoenix) Copyright c. 2003, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc. --------- "RE: Nault weighing Kaska, YTG Proposal" --------- Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 08:58:04 -0500 From: "Frosty" Subj: Nault weighing Kaska, YTG proposal Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian -------- Original Message -------- Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 13:09:52 -0500 From: "Russell Diabo" PUBLICATION The Whitehorse Star DATE Tuesday January 14, 2003 SECTION/CATEGORY Yukon BYLINE Tobin, Chuck HEADLINE: Nault weighing Kaska, YTG proposal Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault has been invited to discuss restarting the Kaska land claim negotiations. Premier Dennis Fentie and Kaska Tribal Council Chief Hammond Dick sent the letter recently making the invitation. Alastair Mullin, Nault's communication's advisor, said today the minister has received the invitation and is expected to respond this week or next. Kaska negotiator Dave Porter said representatives of the first nation met with Fentie before Christmas to discuss the re-engagement of land claim negotiations. It was agreed a meeting among Fentie, Nault and the Kaska leadership would be the most appropriate place to start discussions, Porter explained. He noted that when the Kaska were unable to conclude negotiations last spring, many of the substantial issues were between the Kaska and the Yukon government. Kaska and Yukon government representatives met Monday and again today to discuss issues, said Porter, who also serves as the chair of the Kaska Dena Council of northern B.C. Porter said he believes the Yukon government and the Kaska can reach an agreement outside land claim discussions that would avert a Kaska challenge in Federal Court to the devolution transfer agreement. The transfer of federal authority of Yukon land and resources to the territorial government is scheduled to occur April 1. The Kaska insist that shifting authority to the Yukon government before reaching land claim agreements with the Kaska is contrary to the federal government's obligation under the Constitution of Canada. Four days have been set aside in May for Federal Court to hear the Kaska challenge to the devolution agreement. Porter said he expects the Yukon government and the Kaska first nations can reach some form of agreement that would see the court challenge put on hold, even without a land claim settlement. Ottawa, however, will have to complete the land claim process in southeast Yukon at some point, Porter insisted. Right now, everything we are hearing from the Yukon indicates their willingness to roll up their sleeves and try to tackle the issues that are on the table, he said. Porter said one of the issues on the table is the transboundary land claim of the Kaska Dena Council of Lower Post and other northern communities. The Kaska are simply looking for transboundary claim packages that are substantially the same as those deals worked out by the Tetlit Gwitchin First Nation of Fort McPherson, N.W.T. and the Inuvialuit of the Mackenzie River delta. It was the Tetlit Gwitchin claim that involved ownership and control of 1,554 square kilometres in the Peel River drainage area of northern Yukon that set the territorial government astir in 1992. Political parties of all stripes objected to what was seen as a unilateral decision by the federal government to give the Gwitchin the land. In the months leading up to the land claim negotiations approaching the federally-imposed deadline of last March 31, then-Yukon Party leader Peter Jenkins issued a statement about the importance of not allowing any more land for the Kaska in the southeast through the transboundary claims. Fentie was unavailable this morning to discuss whether the party's position is the same, or if it is now open to a further land quantum for the Kaska of northwest B.C. Under the existing Umbrella Final Agreement, the Ross River Dena Council would receive 4,721 square kilometres of settlement land under a land claim package, while the Liard First Nation would be awarded 4,745 square kilometres. If Mr. Fentie is going to be putting together an agenda to unlock the Yukon economy, that requires our participation, Porter said. He also stressed, however, how important the Kaska people are to the economy of the southeast, from their involvement with resource development planning to buying their groceries in Watson Lake. I think there are real compelling reasons that our role in the southeast Yukon be recognized by way of an agreement, Porter said. Ross River and the Liard First Nation are the only two of 14 Yukon first nations whose negotiators have not signed off on land claim negotiations. Eight have final agreements, and four others are in the middle of preparing for their members to vote on the packages. --------- "RE: Canada Sample Letter: Aboriginal Rights" --------- Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 09:10:01 -0500 From: "Frosty" Subj: Canada Sample Letter: Aboriginal Rights Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian Canada Sample Letter: Aboriginal Rights ----- Original Message ----- From: Don http://www.kairoscanada.org/english/actions/021206(canada-abrights).htm Canada Sample Letter: Aboriginal Rights International Human Rights Day 10 December 2002 The Hon. Robert D. Nault Minister, Indian and Northern Affairs 10 Wellington Street, North Tower Hull, Quebec K1A 0H4 Fax: (819) 953-4941 E-mail: minister@inac.gc.ca Dear Minister Nault: I am writing to express my concern about the standard of living of Aboriginal peoples in this country. For most of the last decade Canada has been ranked at the top of the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). In contrast, Aboriginal peoples, when measured using the same criteria, rank only 63rd, or 62 places behind their non-Aboriginal neighbours. The shortage of adequate housing for Aboriginal peoples, the lack of safe drinking water, the high rates of unemployment, incarceration and suicide, especially among Aboriginal youth, are unacceptable in a country as wealthy as Canada. The ongoing social and economic deprivation of Aboriginal peoples is a violation of their basic human rights. According to Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care." The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) emphasized the direct connection between Aboriginal social and economic marginalization and the ongoing dispossession of Aboriginal peoples from their lands. RCAP concluded that a rebalancing of political and economic power between Aboriginal nations and other Canadian governments was essential to avoid perpetuating the status quo, and recommended providing Aboriginal peoples with lands "sufficient in size and quantity to foster Aboriginal economic self-reliance." Two recently tabled pieces of federal legislation - Bills C-6 & Bill C-7 - act to perpetuate the inherently discriminatory and paternalistic federal policy that has impeded the efforts of Aboriginal peoples to improve their standard of living, and to promote and protect their rights to health, education and development. Minister Nault, I call on you to withdraw Bills C-6 & C-7 and to work with Aboriginal peoples to develop legislation that respects and implements Aboriginal peoples' rights. Sincerely, ---------- --------- "RE: Aboriginals may be paid to Investigate Police" --------- Date: Sat 18 Jan 2003 11:12:51 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NATIVE JUSTICE" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://cbc.ca/stories/2003/01/17/justice_030117 Aboriginals may be paid to investigate police Fri, 17 Jan 2003 22:44:35 SASKATOON - The commission looking into native justice in Saskatchewan wants the province to pay aboriginals to investigate complaints against the police. The commission recommended Friday that the government fund the investigation unit of the Saskatchewan Federation of Indian Nations (SFIN). The unit is currently investigating 227 complaints. Many Saskatchewan First Nations believe the police target them. Aboriginals are hugely over-represented in the jail population, and young people are a particular concern. "The stories from the youth are not very encouraging, whether it's rough treatment or whether it's over-charging," commission chair Willie Littlechild told CBC's Newsworld. But the commission, which has a three-year mandate, has yet to hear the police side of the story, he said. And there's no question youth gangs are a serious problem. Among the seven recommendations in the interim report, the commission said the justice system should adopt guidelines to keep young native offenders out of jail and divert them "into culturally appropriate programs or services." The Commission on First Nations and Metis Peoples and Justice Reform was set up late in 2001 in response to the deaths of two aboriginal men in Saskatoon in 2000. Written by CBC News Online staff Copyright c. 2003 CBC. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Former Policemen ask Appeal Court to Acquit Them" --------- Date: Tue 21 Jan 2003 08:11:23 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ACQUITAL REQUEST" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.CRIME Former Sask. policemen ask Appeal Court to acquit them of dumping native man January 20, 2003 REGINA (CP) - Two former Saskatoon police officers acted lawfully when they confined an aboriginal man, then abandoned him on the outskirts of the city in freezing temperatures, their lawyers argued Monday. The men's lawyers asked the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal to set aside Dan Hatchen's and Ken Munson's convictions or reduce their eight-month jail sentence. Defence lawyers Morris Bodnar and Bill Roe argued the former police officers were legally exercising their power of arrest and the trial judge erred by refusing to instruct the jury on the defence of "honest but mistaken belief." The lawyers also argued the trial judge made a mistake by holding the trial in Saskatoon, where they claim it was impossible for the men to get a fair trial. Munson and Hatchen were found guilty of unlawful confinement and sentenced to eight months in jail for abandoning Darrell Night near a power station on the early morning of Jan. 28, 2000, when temperatures had dipped to -22 C. Hatchen and Munson claimed during the trial that they left Night near the power station because he asked them to drop him off anywhere and he would walk home, a story Night denied. "It's just a big disappointment to me that they just walked," Night said outside after the court reserved decision. "It feels like I shouldn't have even brought this whole thing up." Hatchen and Munson have been free on bail while awaiting the appeal. The former policemen have suffered since their conviction on Sept. 20, 2000, said their lawyers. They've lost their jobs and their reputation in the community, they argued. Munson will likely lose his home through foreclosure if he has to serve the eight-month jail sentence, which was originally imposed in December 2001, said Bodnar. "It's very difficult for them to deal with it emotionally because it's the ups and downs, not knowing what's happening. The uncertainty is very difficult," Bodnar said outside court. What happened to Night put a spotlight on tensions between Saskatoon police and the aboriginal community. An RCMP task force was called to look into the deaths of two other aboriginal men who were found frozen to death on the outskirts of the city, and concluded no charges should be laid in either case. Two separate fatality inquiries concluded neither man's cause of death could be determined. However, the cases did prompt establishment of a provincial commission on native justice issues. (Regina Leader-Post) Copyright c. 2003, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc. --------- "RE: Inmate Medical Care" --------- Date: Wed 15 Jan 2003 08:05:11 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="INMATE CARE" http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20030113/ Watchdog group says prison fails to give proper treatment Inmate medical care By ERIC NEWHOUSE Tribune Projects Editor January 13, 2003 Officials argue state's prisoners get sufficient care regardless of cost For two years, Montana denied medical treatment to Patrick Buckman Jr., a prisoner with a potentially fatal brain disorder, a national prison watchdog group claims. "The state knew he had a life-threatening injury and did nothing to treat it," said Eric Balaban, staff attorney for the National Prison Project in Washington, D.C. "They stalled and delayed until they could simply slow-roll him out the door and evade their responsibility," said Balaban. Balaban says the case illustrates problems with medical care in Montana prisons. Prison officials, however, say the state must prioritize the medical needs of inmates and determine care on a case-by-case basis. "I concluded that this was not in the range of serious and imminent medical problems that we could pay for," said Dr. Liz Rantz, the Department of Corrections chief medical officer of the Buckman case. The issue may become even more contentious as Montana deals with budget deficits. Medical spending for prison inmates already is declining. Despite medical inflation of about 10 percent a year, Montana spends 20 percent less per prisoner than it did seven years ago. "Montana has a lot to do in providing health care that is reliable, timely, self-monitoring and self-correcting," Balaban said, adding: "I only get involved in the systems that are broken." Balaban monitors Montana's prison system and eight others for the National Prison Project, a group which was founded in 1972 by the American Civil Liberties Union and uses class action litigation and public education to defend prisoners' rights -- especially in the areas of medical care and overcrowding. Now Buckman, a member of the Gros Ventre Tribe who has a history of mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse, is back on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation with few prospects. "The chances are good I'll be dead before I get help," he told his sister recently. Short circuit Doctors diagnosed Buckman as having an arteriovenous fistula, or malformation, in his brain. Called an AVM, it's a short circuit, in which blood pumps out of an artery and directly back into a vein without irrigating surrounding brain tissues with oxygen and nutrients. "Fistulas can cause seizures and, in depriving the surrounding brain from blood flow, all forms of neurological deficit," said Dr. Richard M. Hirshberg, who has reviewed Buckman's case for the National Prison Project. "They can bleed and cause death," added Hirshberg, a consulting neurosurgeon recently retired from Baylor University in Houston. There's a 3 to 5 percent chance that a fistula will begin to bleed or that it will worsen, he said. Doctors in Billings discovered the fistula a few months before District Judge Susan Watters sent Buckman to the state mental hospital in Warm Springs for treatment of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Buckman was examined by Missoula neurologist Dr. Howard Chandler Jr., who recommended surgery on Sept. 26, 2000. Three days later, however, Buckman was transferred from Warm Springs to the Montana State Prison to serve a sentence for assault. To treat or not Lawyers for the National Prison Project say those delays may have been unconstitutional. They cite a 1976 Supreme Court decision which says: "Deliberate indifference to serious medical needs of prisoners constitutes the 'unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain' proscribed by the Eighth Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution. In 1992 the court ordered that financial constraints cannot be used to justify a lack of medical treatment. But prison officials say Montana's inmates are treated regardless of expense. Buckman's medical record didn't justify complicated surgery, said Diana Leibinger-Koch, chief of legal services for the Department of Corrections. "It's debatable whether he was having any seizures, and there was no correlation medically that they were caused by the AVM," she said. Furthermore, she added, the risk of paralysis resulting from surgery was unacceptably high. Pressing emergencies "When the state receives prisoners with medical needs," Balaban countered, "it is obligated to provide treatment." But Leibinger-Koch said the state is only obligated to treat pressing medical emergencies. "The Eighth Amendment says we cannot be indifferent to medical problems," she said. "But you can't equate what is in a prisoner's long-term best interest with pressing medical needs." The prison makes such judgment calls all the time, she said. "If something is causing a problem right now, we have to take care of it," she said. "And we do." She noted the case of one inmate with a sudden and severe medical problem who was flown to Seattle on a medical helicopter for surgery that cost more than $100,000. She said cost was not a factor in Buckman's diagnosis. The original surgery was estimated to cost $50,000, but newer techniques could reduce that estimate. Medical spending State records show medical care for inmates fairly steady at about $7 million a year, although the state did save several million dollars in fiscal 2000 when it returned prisoners from Tennessee and Texas. However, the number of inmates increased 34 percent in the past seven years. In fiscal 1996, the state spent an average $1,016 per prisoner on medical care. In 2002, by contrast, that figure dropped to $799. Corrections also uses any other funding source it can find, said Julianne Reardon, director of managed care for the department. "Last year, we were able to use about $760,000 in Medicaid funds for our prisoners," Reardon said. "We do fix the serious things that are causing serious problems," Leibinger-Koch said. However, the state is not required to provide state-of-the-art treatment to inmates, she said. "If a heart transplant would save an inmate's life, we would say we can't do that," Leibinger-Koch said. "But we would authorize heart surgery, and we do it all the time." The prison has no AIDS cases, Deputy Warden Cathy Redfern said, but there are about 10 prisoners diagnosed with HIV. "We provide drugs needed by inmates with HIV, but we don't give them the deluxe medical care or the latest drug cocktails provided to people on the outside," Leibinger-Koch said. Determining treatment All prisoners receive a checkup when they enter the prison, Redfern said. Thereafter, they receive care when they complain of problems, she said. A prison doctor determines treatment. Afterward, a medical team consisting of the doctor, the medical chief of staff and an outside physician reviews the diagnoses. "We very carefully review high-dollar things like CAT scans," Reardon said. Rantz said 10 or 15 inmates might have cancer at any given time. "Generally speaking, we treat it," she said. "We agonize over it a bit, but if they really need it, we'll treat it." About 350 of the prison's 1,325 inmates are on a chronic care list for problems such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension or seizures. They're checked every three months, Redfern said. About 30 percent of the prisoners suffer from hepatitis, said Rantz, adding that the department practices preventive medicine by providing inoculations and education about the virus. Inmate complaints "They say they do all these things, but I'm corresponding with 500 inmates scattered all over the state, and I know they don't," said Casey Rudd, a former inmate and founder of the Montana Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. Her husband, Eddie Rudd, entered the prison system in 1996 for a felony DUI conviction with symptoms of hepatitis C, but never was told he had it until he was released a year ago. "I think they knew it, because they took my blood when I entered prison," he said. Eddie Rudd said a growth was cut off his hand after more than a year of constant requests. He added that prisoners face a long wait for dental work. "They hold you off as long as they can until the pain is so bad you can't bear it no more and they finally have to do something about it," he said. Casey Rudd said many inmates need treatment for mental illness, but few receive it. Debbie Watson of Billings, mother of an inmate diagnosed with an alcohol-related neurodevelopment disorder, said her son has received little help for his brain damage. "With no treatment, isolation and no meds, it is exacerbating his mental condition and he is getting a lot worse," she said. "If he doesn't get help soon, he is going to wind up dead or with a total mental breakdown." Problems with system Balaban said Montana's correctional health care system underwent "seismic changes" over the past year. "It lost its medical director, who had not been providing care for the previous several months, and there has been an entire turnover in the nursing staff over the past 18 months," he said. At the same time, prison officials are under pressure to save money. Two years ago, a legislative audit concluded the state spends an inordinate amount on medical care for prison inmates. "The department spent an average of $3,813 per inmate for adult inmates housed in state-operated facilities during fiscal year 1998," the audit said. "This compares with other states which report an annual average of $2,544 per adult inmate. Corrections officials say medical costs are high because the state has to maintain duplicative infirmaries in all its regional prisons. Home without help With only a 3 to 5 percent chance of bleeding, Buckman's AVM was not considered a pressing medical need. The prison discharged him Aug. 15, ending its responsibility for his welfare. "He was given $100 and some extra anti-seizure medication," said Amy Fettig, another attorney for the National Prison Project. Now Buckman lives in a small duplex on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation with his sister's family. He is indigent and was rejected for Social Security Disability benefits. He's not eligible for full Indian Health Service benefits, he said, because he hasn't lived on a reservation recently. Buckman was hospitalized twice recently with seizures. "This fistula can be potentially quite difficult to treat," concluded Dr. Hirshberg, who organized a team at Baylor University to examine the brain scans. The neurosurgeons determined the best treatment would be injecting the fistula with cyanoacrylic "glue." But that technology isn't available on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, Balaban noted. If Buckman's fistula begins bleeding or he suffers a stroke, he could be treated -- although at considerable expense. "If he survives, taxpayers will be forced to face the consequences of not affording him preventive surgery beforehand," Balaban said. "Or he may not survive." Enlarge Patrick Buckman can't be left alone because of a seizure disorder so he frequently accompanies his brother-in-law, David Kelley, on jobs around the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. Buckman was discharged from prison last year with an untreated brain disorder. Copyright c. 2003 Great Falls Tribune. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Native Crime Rate Level despite Population Growth" --------- Date: Thu 16 Jan 2003 08:10:48 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CRIME RATE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canada.com/search/story.asp Native crime rate level despite population growth CP Wednesday, January 15, 2003 SASKATOON (CP) - Saskatchewan's aboriginal crime rate hasn't increased in the past decade despite a big population increase, justice officials say. "You would have expected, given the population growth, for (the aboriginal crime proportion) to have gone up quite a bit," said Neil Yeates, deputy minister of Corrections and Public Safety Wednesday. "We think we're generally on the right track." Yeates' comments came a day after a coalition against racism questioned the fairness of the justice system during a hearing by the Commission on First Nations and Metis Peoples and Justice Reform. Saskatchewan's overall crime rate continues to rise among Natives and non-Natives alike. More than three quarters of offenders admitted to provincial custody in 1997 were aboriginal. Murray Keewatin, an aboriginal mediator from Regina, said the system is more effective than it was a decade ago. "I was in court facilities 25 years ago. Break the law and go to jail," he said. "Justice is doing more to help. Incarceration is big dollars." But Dalton Cameron, an aboriginal man who has closely followed high- profile court cases and inquests, is skeptical of purported improvements. "It's really, really bad,' ' he said. "This person gets a curfew and comes home late. Police are there and the guy has breached (probation) and is back in court. It's a continual thing and doesn't do any good." Some aboriginal people feel like second-class citizens within the justice system, he said. Justice Minister Chris Axworthy told the commission he's pleased with modest successes of the past decade and committed to expanded use of alternative justice measures. He also plans to increase high-crime communities' involvement in delivering rehabilitation and prevention programs. The province will also recruit more aboriginal police and resource officers as well. "We want to establish a justice system that's better," he said. Paying for a stronger aboriginal justice plan is another matter. Saskatchewan's justice system already costs taxpayers $230 million annually. "It is going to take more money and we're committed as a government to responding to the recommendations of the commission,' ' Axworthy said. The commission is to release its second interim report on Friday. Copyright c. 2003 CP. --------- "RE: Native Prisoner" --------- Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 08:19:12 -0600 From: Janet Smith Subj: Native Prisoner ===== Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 10:40 AM From: "Brigitte Thimiakis" Subj: Medical neglect of Native Americans Please read this recent article! Its seems the problems at Montana State Prison never end. Sadly, the prisoner and victim of medical neglect mentioned here is again.... Native American/First Nations. As an additional note, Manuel Redwoman has informed us of another tragic case of a prisoner there whose health is very bad: another case of severe medical neglect. Here is some information about this other prisoner... he is Native American *too* : From our contact in MT : "Manuel has recently told us of, and has been trying to help, an inmate who is in a wheelchair and was recently transferred to a block that does not provide wheelchair accessibility. This Native American inmate has severe diabetes, has only one leg and the leg he does have is frequently swollen due to fluid retention. He has glaucoma and can not see well. He has been placed in circumstances where he has to go up and down stairs on crutches, with only one swollen leg and poor eye sight. The stairs are such that he can not easily maneuver the steps due to the non-slip protection on the step, his crutches get stuck on the material. Since he can not always have his meals, in particular his breakfast on schedule, his blood sugar level becomes very erratic and he must have large doses of insulin to correct. We were recently told that the ACLU will be investigating so hopefully they will be able to assist this inmate before he is seriously or even critically inj ured in a fall." respectfully, Brigitte ===== Date: Sunday, January 12, 2003 11:05 PM From: Subj: Looking for pen pal Mailing List: Iron Natives I will be adding Christopher to our pen pal list. He is looking for some one to write to his own age. He's lonely and I hope some one will write and cheer him up. Toksa, ~Carol~ Christopher Bear #1040327 WMCC 609 East Pence Road Cameron, MO 64429 Age 23 Height 6'2" Athletic Build Honest good sense of humor full blood Lakota and very proud of his heritage ~Thundering Drums~ http://www.angelfire.com/wy/nainmatessupportgrp/index.html --------- "RE: Rustywire: Shaa AlChin e'" --------- Date: Mon 13 Jan 2003 08:05:11 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: Rustywire: Shaa AlChin e' http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Nook/1574/grow/chine.html Navajo Spaceships, Star Mountain and Life An online journal- Star Mountain-Navajo Life Shaa AlChin e' by Johnny Rustywire Shaa alchin e- means my children. It was a night unlike this one when I sat up after feeling the movement of something tiny and small moving against the wall of my wife's stomach it seemed like. We were young, and had no money, just two rez kids starting out in life, but the fleet soft flicker of life made me sit up in bed. My young wife, this Indian girl who took my hand sat against the headboard with her long hair streaming down. Her eyes twinkled at the feel of this child, my child moving around inside her. I reached out and touched her, she is a shy person and felt awkward that I was trying to feel the movement and we laughed a little at one another. It was a cold winter night, and we were alone together, no one but us. I felt like I had never been before, to know that this small tiny person growing was reaching out and letting us know he was there and making his presence known. I remember it well, this was not like any other night, this was our life growing. What will the future hold, where will we be, how will things be as he gets older. How can such a thing be, a miracle, this young life growing. I find myself this evening waiting to hear the sound of a baby's cry, a small voice sounding out that a new century, a new life has taken root. My children have grown, the eldest has a new daughter in the past few days and my only daughter is just now waiting to hear the sound of her own child making his way into the world. Where will they go and what will they be, I am not sure, but looking back I stand with my father, and his father and his father all the way to the time we began just like a small voice, a new born held by a woman, our mothers who took great pains to care for us from then to now. It begins again and though I have not seen him yet, I know a little about him. I live a little through him, though he has no name yet, but then he is one of my children, a part of myself. My daughter spoke with me a little while yesterday and said she needed some leather, some buckskin to make the cradleboard fit him. When he is placed in it, he will be surrounded by zig zag lightning from his feet to his head, which will be protected by a rainbow and shaded from the sun. The long boards come from a tree, not too far from where we have always lived. This young woman, my daughter now grown sat at the feet of her grandfather, I remember them talking and he told her the story of how the cradle board is made and how the child is wrapped, that from pain comes life, that in this a red sash belt is needed to hold on to, and that when all was done, that the child would be protected and blessed by the Twin Heros, that such is the way it has been and will always be. I can see him, my father as he took her small hands and showed her how it was done when she was just a child. Now she came to me and said tell me again how it is with such things. We talked a little bit and it was r epreated word for word just like she knew, but these are the things you do in times like this. My daughter is no longer a child, but will be mother on the morrow, and she will sing, and dance in the places of her mother, and know the places of her father. He does not have a name yet, but he carries the stories of his people, my wife's people and those of my own. The song of his cry will carry to the valley and to mountain top, it will not be loud but it will be voice of ages and lives lived in these places, we call it Dinetah, and her people say Nooravoop, it is about life, land, air, and all that goes with it, the past and future tied together. Tonight I can find no rest, I feel the earth and see the stars haven't changed their place, but yet I know I will go on from this day and so will continue on. How strange it is to know that for all the struggles, cares and woes that have come to us, we continue to survive, to go on and to hope for long summer days, cool water and to hear the laughter of children playing not too far off. So it goes with such things.... Copyright c. 1999, Johnny Rustywire, all rights reserved. --------- "RE: Poem: Bear Thoughts" --------- Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 08:59:54 -0800 From: John Berry Subj: Bear Thoughts Bear Thoughts Bear rises up, Claws flex, The young sleep unaware. Awakening in a white time, Fire rises from the mountains, Smoke stings the eyes. Rabbit still tries to spread fire, Eagle has been tricked, To carry that enemy close. Now, runners go forth, Carrying the red pipe, To all the towns. Rabbit forgot, Bear heart and, Bear dreams. Now, it is a red time. John D. Berry, California, 2002 --------- "RE: Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days" --------- Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 06:18:07 -1000 From: Debbie Sanders Subj: Hawaiian Book of Days A HAWAI'I BOOK OF DAYS, week of January 27-February 2 IANUALI (January) (Kaelo) 27 I see the thread of mana which passes from me to all those I hold dear -- we are family -- we are ohana. 28 If I feel hunger or thirst, the land will provide; if my spirit is troubled, the wind and the sea will comfort me; if I am afraid, Pele will protect me. 29 Each morning is a celebration of beginnings. 30 The stars, na hoku, guide me at night -- they show me the way to my destiny. 31 The will of my ancestral spirit, my 'aumakua, speaks in all that I say or do. PEPELUALI (February) (Kau-lua) February was the time when the anae, the mullet, spawned. 1 If you want to see the stars, you have to look up! 2 In the first golden light of dawn, nothing is impossible! (c) Copyright 1991 by D. F. Sanders Me ke aloha i ka nani, ... Moe'uhanekeanuenue (With love and beauty, ... Rainbow Dream) --------- "RE: Keeping Native Tongues Alive" --------- Date: Wed 15 Jan 2003 08:05:11 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NATIVE TONGUES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134615746_teach15m.html Keeping native tongues alive By Lynda V. Mapes Seattle Times staff reporter January 15, 2003 Washington tribes will decide who is qualified to teach their language and culture in state public schools under a pilot program expected to be approved soon by the state Board of Education. The policy would be a first for the state, where public-school teachers usually must gain certification through universities. A hearing on the program is scheduled for today in Olympia. Tribes hope the policy will help keep their language and cultures alive. For some, it will also help heal a cultural wound caused by schools that once beat Indian children for speaking their own language. "We know it is not changing things overnight. But I believe something historic is happening," said state board member Linda W. Lamb. "We worked very hard as a nation to eliminate the languages of the tribes. We can't undo the damage that has been done. But this hopefully will move foreword. " Larry Davis, executive director of the state board, also sees broader benefits. "If it is a way for tribal kids to do better in school, who is against that?" Davis said. "And if it exposes non-native kids to different perspectives and culture, that is a good thing, too." Instructors without certification are permitted to teach in public schools under the supervision of a state-certified teacher. But they are usually paid less, don't have the same benefits, and can't run the classroom themselves. With certification may come increased respect for the teachers and for the importance of keeping tribal language alive, some tribal members say. Tulalip tribal member and language teacher Rebecca Posey, 29, has been teaching Lushootseed, her native language, in public and tribal schools since 1998. "Right now, it's hard for them to fit in Lushootseed. But if we are certified, maybe they would see we really mean business," she said. "We want to keep our language alive." Learning tribal languages is more than learning a subject: It conveys the world view and culture of the people who speak it, tribal members say. "I didn't experience what it was to be Muckleshoot until I began to learn the language," said Valerie Bellack, coordinator of the tribe's language program. "I connected with those people who are my ancestors, and there was a real breakthrough in my spirit. No longer do I just consider myself a community member. But I am a tribal ancestor, and there is a rich heritage here that I am so proud of and that I am part of. "Our language is so picturesque, it is our mind and our spirit, our heart, and it brings back our sense of pride and identity." Instruction would be offered under a three-year pilot program beginning next month and would run through the 2005-06 school year, when the program would be extended, modified or made permanent. Participating tribes would train and appoint the teachers they deem qualified to teach their language and culture. Those appointed to teach would also be required to undergo a standard background check and a class on abuse prevention. Next, the Board of Education would review the tribe's proposed program, and issue a certificate qualifying the teacher to accept a job teaching in a public school. Tribes and local school districts would work out the details of the program for their local schools, including the number of hours of instruction, and whether the program will be paid for by the tribe, the district, grants, or a mix of all three. The teachers would teach only tribal language and culture unless they have other certification. Preservation of tribal languages is a race against time. Most Washington tribes have only a handful of fluent native-language speakers left. That provided some of the urgency behind the launch of the pilot program. "We are not going to require a 70-year old basket weaver to go back to college and jump through all those hoops," Lamb said. The pilot was born of three years of work by the First Peoples' Language Committee, a grass-roots group of tribes from around the state. "It gives us a lot of hope," said Martina Whelshula, a former language instructor on the Colville Reservation in Eastern Washington, who helped launch the effort. "We were told we are primitive, and substandard and backward, and you can't take care of yourselves, and we need to act in your best interests because you don't know what those are. This is an opportunity to reclaim a part of our self that was taken away, and part of that is dignity and the respect and the acknowledgement of our status as tribal nations." Marsha Wynecoop, language-program manager for the Spokane tribe, says the program is the right thing to do. "Why can't the school system that had taken away the language be the ones to help return it?" Lynda V. Mapes: 206-464-2736 or lmapes@seattletimes.com. Copyright c. 2003 The Seattle Times Company. --------- "RE: This Week on First Peoples TV" --------- Date: Mon, Jan 20 08:03:22 2003 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WORLD LINK TV" Available on DirecTV (800-531-5000), Channel 375, and on EchoStar/Dish Network (800-333-3474), channel 9410 = = = = = = = = = This program's length is: 01:00 hour You can see this program at the following times: Thu, Jan 23, 9:00 PM ET (Thu, Jan 23, 6:00 PM PT) Fri, Jan 24, 3:00 AM ET (Fri, Jan 24, 12:00 AM PT) Fri, Jan 24, 9:00 AM ET (Fri, Jan 24, 6:00 AM PT) Fri, Jan 24, 3:00 PM ET (Fri, Jan 24, 12:00 PM PT) First Peoples' TV: Drumbeat for Mother Earth Many scientists and tribal people consider persistent toxic chemicals to be the greatest threat to the long-term survival of Indigenous Peoples. "Drumbeat for Mother Earth" explores how these chemicals contaminate the traditional food web, violate treaty rights, travel long distances, and are passed from one generation to the next during pregnancy, causing cancer, learning disabilities, and other serious health problems. "Drumbeat for Mother Earth" is part of the "First Peoples' TV"series made possible by DreamCatchers, a non-profit organization working to bring Native films to a wider audience. This film is available for purchase from: Bullfrog Films P.O. Box 149 Oley, PA 19547 Tel: 610/779-8226 Fax: 610/370-1978 --------- "RE: Specials This Week on APTN" --------- Date: Mon, Jan 20 08:03:22 2003 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="APTN" Available on Star Choice (1-888-554-STAR), channel 350 and on Bell ExpressVU (1-888-SKY-DISH), channel 441 = = = = = = = = = Aboriginal Peoples Television Network is a full featured network available to Canadian DBS viewers on Star Choice and Bell ExpressVU. The weekly program grid is available at http://www.aptn.ca/Schedule/schedule_html APTN Specials This Week ----------------------- APTN INDIE'S Independent Aboriginal short films on the edge APTN National News: Contact Live weekly call-in discussions with Rick Harp APTN Sur scene Aboriginal music & performance from across Canada Adventures in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World Animated adventures in a lost, prehistoric jungle Adventures of the Aftermath Crew Explore the weird and wonderful surprises of Math Bingo & A Movie Watch great Aboriginal movies & win cash & prizes Buffalo Tracks II Host Lorne Cardinal w/Grandma Susie+Special Guests CG Kids I Wacky & talented young hosts explore Canada CG Kids II A new season exploring Canada's amazing geography Cool Jobs Travel with our fun hosts looking at Cool Jobs Cool Jobs III Travel with wacky young hosts looking at Cool Jobs Eastern Tide Stories from Atlantic Canada's Mi'kmaq People Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science I Host Graham Greene examines investigative secrets Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science II Host Graham Greene examines investigative secrets First Music & Arts 2002/03 Up & coming artists & musicians with Waneek Horn Great Canadian Rivers The complex beauty & power of rivers across Canada JumpStart Sharing the fun, teamwork and inspiration of sport Longhouse Tales Hector Longhouse's Aboriginal legends come to life Mataku Unique, mystical world of Maori supernatural tales North of Sixty Complex issues, difficult passions & hard-won joy Pow Wow Trail Indian nations gather to honour & celebrate Reel Insight Independent Aboriginal documentary films Rhythms of the Metis Meet the foremost Metis artist families & Elders The Creative Native Innovative demonstrations from unique artists The Last Reservation The Atchoum tribe is trapped in the wrong time The Raccoons Sneers, a raccoon family & their hilarious friends The Seekers Youth-driven, bold, satiric; seeking the future World's Indigenous People International Indigenous peoples cultures & issues --------- "RE: Shenandoah not invited to Oneida Grammy Party" --------- Date: Wed 15 Jan 2003 08:05:11 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ONEIDA" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.uticaod.com/archive/2003/01/15/news/14314.html Oneida Nation plans Grammy party; 2002 nominee Shenandoah not invited Wed, Jan 15, 2003 By SHANE HOOVER Observer-Dispatch The Oneida Indian Nation will be honoring this year's Native American Grammy nominees with an official celebration sanctioned by the Recording Academy. The Nation and its entertainment company, Four Directions Entertainment, will host "A Celebration of American Music" at Times Square Studios Feb. 22. The party is the first Grammy Fest hosted by a 100 percent Native-owned and operated business. Nation spokesman Jerry Reed said the chance to host the event grew out of contacts made during the Nation's involvement with the Native American Music Awards. "When you rub shoulders with people, you find opportunities," Reed said. "This was an offshoot of that." The celebration will feature Native American performers Martha Redbone and Jimmy Wolf. The nominees for Best Native American Music Album will also be there. They include Burning Sky, Redheart, Vince Redhouse, Randy Wood and Mary Youngblood. The Nation and Four Directions Entertainment will also use the event to present a donation to the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund. Not invited to the party is Joanne Shenandoah, an Oneida singer who was nominated for the first Grammy in the Native American Album category for "Peacemaker's Journey," which featured songs in the Oneida language. Reed said Shenandoah was not invited to the party because "there's just not a good relationship there." Shenandoah, her mother and her sister are among a group of Oneidas who have filed a civil rights suit against the Nation and are critical of Nation Representative Ray Halbritter. So despite her Grammy nomination, and Native American Music Awards in 1998, 1999 and 2000, the woman the Associated Press called "the most critically acclaimed Native American singer of her time," won't be at the Times Square bash. A message was left with Shenandoah, but she could not be reached Tuesday night. Copyright c. 2002 uticaOD.com/Observer-Dispatch. --------- "RE: Native America Calling" --------- Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 11:18:04 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NAC Topics for 1/20 - 1/27 + Different Drums with Music and Stories for Winter + more... 1) Native America Calling 2) Voices from the Circle 3) Different Drums 4) AlterNative Voices 5) Earthsongs 6) Oyate Ta Olowan 7) Native Sounds, Native Voices 8) New Letters on Air 1) NATIVE AMERICA CALLING Native America Calling, the AIROS flagship program, is a live one-hour call-in show, now distributed to over 40 Native and non-Native radio stations across Indian Country, Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET. Monday, January 20: Indian in the Spotlight: Gary Farmer Tuesday, January 21: Tribal Enrollment Requirements Wednesday, January 22: The Anatomy of Possibility: Integrating Brain, Body and Heart Intelligence Thursday, January 23: Saving Our Wildlife Friday, January 24: Music Maker Edition: Coalition 2) VOICES FROM THE CIRCLE Voices from the Circle highlights Native news, music, issues, entertainment and storytelling from reservations and urban communities. The weekly program is produced and hosted by Barbara Jersey (Menominee/Potawatomi) and Jim DeNomie (Bad River Chippewa) at WLUW on Loyola University. 1/20 - 1/27: Music from 2003 Grammy Nominees: VOICES FROM THE CIRCLE Producers Jim DeNomie and Barb Jersey highlight Native America's GRAMMY Nominees! VOICES begins with a little "Native Funk" from GRAMMY Nominee Burning Sky. Fellow nominee Randy Wood wants to hear just a "Little Northern Cree." VOICES responds with a Northern Cree "Traditional Women's Contest Song." Flutist Jeff Ball contributes two great pieces: "Picture of Home" and "Concrete Canyon." A special highlight of this week's program is an interview with Indian ventriloquist Buddy Big Mountain and his live performance taped at the 5th Annual Native American Music Awards. This is followed by GRAMMY Nominee Mary Youngblood and the title song from her "Beneath The Raven Moon" CD. R. Carlos Nakai, is once again, nominated for a GRAMMY in the New Age category. He shows us how it all seems like "Child's Play." VOICES steps back to listen to one of those classic NDN groups which provided musical inspiration to a generation of Indian performers; XIT and "Cement Prairie." Jim Boyd relates to all performers with "Story Man." VOICES closes with GRAMMY Nominee, Vince Redhouse along with his famous Dine' Redhouse family and "Round Dance for the Future." May All Your GRAMMY Dreams Come True! Find out more about Native American Grammy Nominees 3) DIFFERENT DRUMS Different Drums is a weekly hour of music and words from today's Native Americans, frequently profiling individual artists or featuring current issues in Indian Country. Hosted by Alaskan producer Tricia King, Different Drums has been honored with eleven state and national awards since its beginning in 1996. 1/21 - 1/27: Different Drums Features Music and Stories for Winter: In many Native cultures, stories are traditionally told in the wintertime, so since the cold season is upon us it is time for storytellers to come forward and share their words and knowledge. This week, Different Drums features music and stories for winter. Storytellers include Bill Miller (Mohican Nation, Stockbridge-Munsee Band), Jim Billie (Seminole) and Anne Dunne (Ojibwa) among others. 4) ALTERNATIVE VOICES AlterNative Voices features Native music, interviews, and news reports relevant to Indian Country. AlterNative Voices is produced and hosted by Z. Susanne Aikman (Eastern Band Cherokee) and originates from KUVO-FM in Denver. 1/22 - 1/27: AlterNative Voices interviews Keevin Lewis of NMAI + more: This week news guy, Vernon Cawker, reports on the growing political clout of Indian Country and Native Americans who were recently elected in South Dakota. He also has a follow-up story about the white supremacists and Wyoming as well as a story about Senator Campbell's `solution' for the trust accounts. Our guest this week is Keevin Lewis, Community Services Coordinator for the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC. Keevin reports on the progress of the building on the Mall and many new opportunities for Native artists in 2003. Music is our usual mix of traditional and contemporary Native recording artists. 2003 events are lining up on our calendar at www.alterNativeVoices.org 5) EARTHSONGS Earthsongs is a weekly, hour-long music program on contemporary music by Native artists such as Robbie Robertson, Indigenous, Bill Miller, Murray Porter, Joanne Shenandoah, and Robert Mirabal. 1/23 - 1/27: Earthsongs features Grammy Nominees R. Carlos Nakai: This week on Earthsongs -- host Gregg McVicar visits with the prolific Native American flautist R. Carlos Nakai (who was just nominated for a Grammy). We'll also hear music from the Grammy - nominated group Burning Sky, a new song from Brent Michael Davids with Annie Humphrey and new music from Tony Redhouse. All this and plus the Native Word of the Day. Details at www.earthsongs.net 6) OYATE TA OLOWAN Oyate Ta Olowan, Songs of the People, is a rare and authentic collection of Native American music. This landmark series steps off the beaten trail, traveling to far places in order to introduce you to talented native musicians in their homelands. 7) NATIVE SOUNDS-NATIVE VOICES Native Sounds-Native Voices is a music service featuring traditional and contemporary Native American music. NS-NV is produced in two formats, the National Edition with host/producer John Gregg, Sr. (Hopi/Inupiat) and regional producers from across North America. 8) NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR New Letters on Air, the radio companion to the literary quarterly New Letters, is a half-hour literature program produced in the studios of KCUR-FM on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus. Every week, the program presents a distinguished writer of fiction, nonfiction and poetry reading from his or her work and talking with our host about the craft of writing and personal inspirations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//- Notice of Copyright Clearance by Contributors: The following have granted permission for their original articles to be reposted in order to help mend the Sacred Hoop: Gary Smith, James Starkey, Bill Cissell, Errol Comma/Mexico Program, Janet Smith, Brigitte Thimiakis, Frosty Deere, Don, Russell Diabo, Johnny Rustywire, Debbie Sanders, Carol/Thundering Drums --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-