From gars@speakeasy.org Tue Mar 11 22:06:18 2003 Date: 12 Mar 2003 00:43:21 -0000 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews11.011 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 011 | Country than is reported in | O o o o o O | this weekly newsletter. For | O o O March 8, 2003 | For daily updates & events | O o O | go http://www.owlstar.com/ | O | dailyheadlines.htm | Cherokee nvda kola/windy moon +-----------------------------+ Lakota i`sta< wi`ca niyan wi/moon of snow blindness <================<<<< >>>>================> 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; Indian Trust ListServ, Native American Chat and ndn-aim Mailing Lists; Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian, alt.native, alt.fan.jai-maharaj, alt.impeach.bush, soc.culture.usa,; 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + ======================== "Although the actual government-sanctioned, bounty hunting of indigenous people has ceased, the dying of our languages and cultures has been steady and relentless." "These language and culture losses are a different sort of killing." __ Richard Littlebear, Northern Cheyenne +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! In this issue we have an article, "High Court lets Apaches sue U.S. to fix Fort" in which the court decided 5-4 in favor of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, despite warnings from government lawyers that the United States would be opened up to "enormous potential liability" from similar lawsuits that could spring from 56 million acres held in trust for tribes nationwide, including 20 million acres in Arizona. In that same article and another, "Court rules against Navajos" we learn in a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that a lower court erred in finding the Navajo Nation could pursue a $600 million lawsuit claiming a former Interior secretary was wrongly influenced by the Peabody Coal Co. in 1985 to deny the tribe millions of dollars in higher royalties for coal mined on Navajo land. The justices said the suit cannot be allowed under the federal Indian Mineral Leasing Act because that law does not impose any managerial duties "fiduciary or otherwise on the government," even though there was a strong showing that the secretary's actions hurt the tribe's profits. Apparently it is acceptable for officials the United States placed in authority over Native Nations to collude with giant corporations and use their position as "trustees" to help screw a Native Nation out of honest payment for its mineral rights, and incidentally, poison the land and its People. However, it isn't alright to allow buildings used in the occupation of Native People to deteriorate. Amerikka does need to maintain "monuments to its invasion", it just doesn't want the People to have recourse against government officials who conspire with big business to coerce them into accepting rape of their land and destruction of their lifeways, and then, bully them into accepting flea-market payment in return. Dohiyi Ani Oginalii , , Gary Night Owl gars@nanews.org (*,*) P. O. Box 672168 gars@speakeasy.org (`-') Marietta, GA 30008, U.S.A. ===w=w=== ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- - Charles Asa Brown - Chasco Article - Sun Peak Defenders' Family Tragedy - Tribal sovereignty on line - Crossings in U.S. Supreme Court - High Court lets Apaches sue U.S. - JODI RAVE LEE: to fix Fort Crazy Horse's Name misused - Court rules against Navajos - Vandals strike - Land donated to Canyons of the Ancients Navajo Code Talkers Association - Elvira Charley says - Kiva Panels could go on Display she did not Shoot Children - The Third Quinnipiac Treaty - Leonard Peltier's latest Statement - SHERMAN: NA Perspective on the - Victim's Family wants the Truth coming War on Iraq - Native Prisoner - GIAGO: Indians have Lived with -- Native Prisoner Links Terrorism for 500 Years -- Indian Prisoner needs Letters - Tribes and States - Rustywire: Yeah it was Good stress Cooperation not Conflict - Poem: A Simple Laugh - YELLOW BIRD: Programs for Elderly - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days need Enhancing - Wakpa Sica gets $2.67 Million - Cobell v. Norton - Specials This Week on APTN Court Memorandum and Order - Upcoming Events --------- "RE: Charles Asa Brown" --------- Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 18:43:44 EST From: ccooperstrongbow@AOL.com Subj: Passing of my Grandfather and Elder/Obituary Charles Asa Brown 90, of Portsmouth, Ohio, well known native American attorney, died Wednesday, March 5,2003 at Hill View Health Care. He was born October 17,1912, in Woodsfield, Ohio, the son of Charles Alonzo Brown and Anna Miriam Hayes Brown. A graduate of Cadiz, Ohio high School in 1931,he received the A>B> degree and was commissioned a second lieutenant from Calvary Reserve from Virginia Military Institute in 1935. He attended the University of Michigan Law School and received the degree of Juris Doctor at Western Reserve University where he was a member of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity. He was an assistant Attorney General of Ohio and as assistant Portsmouth Prosecutor. He had been active in Boy Scouting and had been awarded the Vigil Honor, Order of the Arrow and Silver Beaver. He had been the adviser of the Indian Dance team for 14 years. He belonged to 30 Masonic Bodies. He was a Knight York Cross of Honour, Knight Templer Priest, Past Sovereign Master Allied Masonic Degrees, Red Branch of Eri,Royal Order of Scotland, Past patron of Eastern Stars, White Shrine, 32nd Degree Scottish Rite, Shriner and Tall Cedars of Lebanon. He was a member of Cedar River Tulsa Band of Muskogee Indians, Councilman Black Elk western Keetowah and past honorary member of the Supreme council of the Creek Nation. He was a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Army of the United States and served in World War II from May 1941 to January 1946. He received the Purple Heart and was a member of American Legion, Veterans of Foreign wars and all Saints Episcopal church. He is survived by two sons, Charles Asa Brown Jr. and Ridgely Brown and three grandchildren Nathaniel, Kelsey and Sarah Brown and several adoptive grandchildren. Friends may call from 6:00pm to *:00pm Saturday at the E.C. Daehler Mortuary in Portsmouth,where there will be Masonic services at *:00pm Saturday. --------- "RE: Sun Peak Defenders' Family Tragedy" --------- Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2003 16:19:59 -0800 From: From: SIMN Subj: FW: Sun Peak defenders' family tragedy Mailing List: ndn-aim -----Original Message----- From: MJ [mailto:m-j@shaw.ca] To all friends and family: Message from Mayuk Pellkey (Niki Manuel) With a sad heart I let you all know that my nephew that was born on New Years Day passed on to the spirit world on February 22nd. He was the son of Nallukat Nana (aka Snut) and Meekasewsis. Both are 16 years old. He lived what seems in this world such a short time, but he touched many hearts and taught us so much. Kanahus, Kiko and their son Tuwiwt te Tsquq'om were living in Bella Coola with a lady named Collette Schooner and her sister Keisha (you will meet them at sundance this summer). Just recently, last week in fact, I drove Snut and her son to stay with Kanahus for a few months. Just days after I had returned home from dropping her off we got news that my nephew was very ill and in the hospital and that he had stopped breathing, but they were able to revive him. The doctors said that he went into cardiac arrest. My mom, my two sons, Aaron and Mahekan, and I took off as soon as we heard the news. Snut, Kanahus, and Collette stayed by the baby all night singing prayer songs. Bella Coola is around a 12 hour drive away from here. We left at 9pm Friday and got to Bella Coola at 11 am Saturday morning. When we arrived the doctors told us that the my nephew had died just an hour before we got there. It was such a shock to us even though they had told us earlier that he had a 50/50 chance of surviving. The doctors went on to tell us that they told Snut, Kanahus, Kiko, and Collette that "in these sort of circumstances that they need to send the body for an autopsy in Vancouver." Being true believers in our ways, they wouldn't willingly hand over the baby's body just to be mutilated. They wrapped the baby's body up, put him in his cradle board, and ran out of the hospital. After hearing that news we we rushed over to Collette's house. There was three RCMP suburbans and Collette was in the back of one of them. They arrested her without telling her what she was being arrested for. We knew we had to find the savages. There wasn't much pigs at that time, but not very long after there were pigs everywhere. Later I found out that they flew in pigs from the major crimes unit from other districts in and they said they were treating this like a homicide. My mom, along with my sons, drove around in her vehicle looking for any sign of them, while Keisha and I searched by foot in the mountains. I seemed to get dark and cold quick and I knew that they didn't have supplies with them only what they had at the hospital. I knew Tuwiwt te Tsquq'om would be getting cold. By this time the pigs were everywhere and they "attempted" to follow us everywhere we went. My mom was the one that end up finding them. They got in the van and made it two hours away to Anaham Lake. (There is only one road from Bella Coola to Anaham Lake) They cops stopped them and arrested my mom, Snut, Kanahus, and Kiko, and they handed my boys and Kanahus and Kiko's baby boy over to social services (put them all in a foster home). They shipped Snut and Kiko back to Bella Coola and kept Kanahus and my mom in Aniham Lake. They picked Kanhus and Kiko up on outstanding warrants, my mom up for obstruction, and Snut up without charging her. It took the efforts of the whole family to work on getting them out. We were mostly concerned for Snut. They kept her in jail for four days. When she should have been mourning her son they had her locked up in a cramped holding cell with no window, just concrete. We knew we had to get her out. Later we found out from her the mistreatment she faced while in there and the hours of interrogation she was forced to deal with. Later I found out that after they left the hospital they ran up to the mountain and held a ceremony to help him with his passing and they buried him in a very sacred place to the Nuxalk people. The pigs told Snut that they would not let any of the other family out until she would tell them where her son's body was. All Snut could think of was Kanahus and Kiko's son Tuwiwt because she knew that he needed to be nursed and Kanahus would have a harder time to get out than her. She would not disclose the location of the body until she got word from the medicine woman that named her son. This woman sent a message with my aunt that it was best to tell them where the body was in order to get out of their jail and get the others out too. My aunt accepted the responsibility of being the caretaker of the baby's body after they took him out of his burial. They let Snut out of jail to lead them to where they buried the body. It was difficult for everyone to have to do that. My dad carried the body down the mountain and cried the whole way down. They flew the baby's little body to Vancouver to cut up and mutilated by the coroners. They put Snut back in jail despite the assurance they made with the family that she would get out immediately after they got down the mountain. The family had to push our weight around to finally get her out. By that time my mom was released and Kanahus was transfered to Williams Lake and on her way to Kamloops. As of now, we found the final resting place for Nupika Amak (snut's baby) in an area we call Xelawt. Kanahus and Kiko are still in jail and I got the children back, including Tuwiwt te Tsqoqom. We are raising funds for their bail, but especially Kanhus because because she nurses her son and they really need to be with each other. Her baby misses her so much and he needs the only comfort he has known his whole life, his mother. Their bail hearings are both on Wednesday. Kanahus needs two people to sign for her. My aunt and my father are going to sign her out, but we are still attempting to raise the $2,500 for her bail. If you can please help us return Kanahus to her young baby by helping with her bail we would deeply appreciate it. Any contributions can be sent through Western Union to Beverly Manuel or you can call Beverly Manuel at (250)679-3413 to make alternative arrangements. We need to know as soon as possible. Thanks to all the many people who sent out there prayers to our family at the time of this great family tragedy. In the spirit of resistance, Mayuk Pellkey --------- "RE: Crossings" --------- Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 08:10:52 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CROSSINGS" March 5, 2003 Leslie Ironroad Leslie Ironroad, 20 of St. Michael, ND and Ft. Yates, ND died Thursday, Feb. 27, 2003 in the St. Alexius Hospital, Bismarck, ND. Funeral services will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. at the St. Michael Recreation Center. Officiating will be Gerard Thompson and burial will be in the Native American Cemetery, rural St. Michael. Music will be provided by the Lake Region Drum Group and Frank Hapa. Visitation will begin Wednesday at 5 p.m. with a Rosary at 8 p.m. at the St. Michael's Recreation Center. Pallbearers will be Anthony Ironroad, Timothy Ironroad, Michael Ironroad, Fred Longie, Jr., Troy RedFox and Kenny Chaske. Honorary pallbearers will be Erica Philbrick, Monica BirdHorse, Kami BirdHorse, Kelli BirdHorse, Amy Longie, Delphine Thompson, Karen Littleghost, Melody Brown, Selina Horse, Jennifer Four, Rhea Archambault, Amaris Makesgood, Matalie American Horse, Kevin Has Horns, Merle Four and Eugene Four III. Leslie Ironroad was born on Dec. 31, 1982 in Devils Lake, ND, the daughter of Perry Ironroad and Sandra DuMarce. She was reared and educated in the Ft. Totten area. She also attended school in Selfridge and Warwick, ND and Pierre, SD. She lived in St. Michael and also spent much of her time in Fort Yates. Leslie enjoyed visiting with friends and family and especially loved spending time with her children. She also enjoyed going to sweats, other spiritual ceremonies, listening to music and taking walks. Leslie is survived by her daughter, Keisha Brown and son, Princeton Ironroad, both of St. Michael; mother, Sandra DuMarce, Fort Totten; father, Perry Ironroad, Fort Yates; sisters, Becky Ironroad, Cavalier, ND, Lisa Ironroad, Fort Yates, ND, and Geraldine DuMarce, St. Michael, ND; brothers, Tony (Kayla) Ironroad, McLaughlin, SD and Nathaniel Ironroad, Canada; and adopted mother, Gloria Littleghost, St. Michael. She was preceded in death by her sister, Jennifer DuMarce; grandparents, Veronica and Levi DuMarce, Serina and Albert Ironroad, Ambrose Thompson, Sr. and Lena Denny. Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake, is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2003 Devils Lake Daily Journal. -=-=-=- March 5 Conroy Hugh James Surrounded DENVER - Conroy Hugh James Surrounded, 40, Denver, died Monday, Feb. 24, 2003 in Denver. Survivors include his father, Virgil Surrounded Sr., Rapid City; one daughter, Stacey Surrounded, Sioux Falls, S.D.; two brothers, Casey Surrounded and Kelly Surrounded, both of Denver; one sister, Kathy Chapman, Denver; three stepsisters, Madeline Surrounded and Misty Rodriquez, both of Rapid City, and Virginia Martinez, Sioux Falls; one stepbrother, Virgil Surrounded Jr., Sioux Falls; and one grandson. Arrangements are pending with Kirk Funeral Home of Rapid City. March 6, 2003 Leo American Horse CALICO - Leo American Horse, 82, Calico, died Tuesday, March 4, 2003, at Pine Ridge Hospital. Survivors include one daughter, Angie American Horse, Pine Ridge; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A two-night wake will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 8, at Billy Mills Hall in Pine Ridge. Services will be at 1 p.m. Monday, March 10, at Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Pine Ridge, with the Rev. Creighton Robertson, the Rev. Ben Tyon, the Rev. Agnes Tyon and the Rev. Robert Two Bulls officiating. Burial will be at Advent Chapel Cemetery in Calico. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. March 7 Velma R. Janis KYLE - Velma R. Janis, 65, Kyle, died Wednesday, March 5, 2003, in Kyle. Survivors include her husband, Everett Janis, Kyle; two sons, Gailen Janis and George W. Janis, both of Kyle; four daughters, Melanie Janis, Alice Janis, Carlyn Janis and Sharon Running Hawk, all of Kyle; one brother, Woodrow Respects Nothing, Manderson; one sister, Florine Taylor, Rapid City; 10 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. A one-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 9, at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Hall in Kyle. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 9 a.m. Monday, March 10, at the church hall, with the Rev. Bill Pauly, the Rev. Cordelia Red Owl, the Rev. Lyle Noisy Hawk and Sister Patricia Cruz officiating. Burial will be at 1:30 p.m. Monday at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. March 8, 2003 Velma Rose (Respects Nothing) Janis KYLE - Velma Rose (Respects Nothing) Janis, 65, Kyle, died Wednesday, March 5, 2003. She was born on July 24, 1937, at Grass Creek, South Dakota, to George and Rose (Holy Rock) Respects Nothing. Velma attended 12 years at OCHS in Pine Ridge and was in the graduating class of 1955. She married Everett E. Janis on November 27, 1962. To this union were born 2 sons and 4 daughters, who were cherished dearly: Gailen A. Janis, George W. Janis, Melanie R. Janis, Alice F. Janis, Sharon R. Running Hawk and Karlyn R. Janis. Also the family was extended by 13 grandchildren, 1 great-grandson, an adopted daughter, Lorena Brave Hawk, and 9 adopted grandchildren. She and Everett relocated to Los Angeles, CA, in 1964 and lived there for three years. They then returned to Kyle, SD. Velma started working for the OST Parent Child Center Program in 1968. Mrs. Janis was very involved with the program from the beginning and a great advocate for the Indian children of the Pine Ridge Reservation. Velma dedicated her life to this job, as she has worked for the OST Headstart Program as a Family Service Worker until the time of her illness in August of 2002. She and her husband were foster parents to many children. Velma also enjoyed attending Traditional Pow-Wows and dancing, as well as family gatherings anytime there was something to celebrate, whether it be a graduation, the 4th of July, Father's Day, Mother's Day ... etc. She always had a compassionate heart and thought about others before herself. She was a great mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and very proud of her family's accomplishments. Her husband and 3 of her 6 children served in the Military. She loved honoring her husband and children as they returned home from the service. Velma was also an active member of the St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, with the Women's Auxiliary. She is preceded in death by her parents and two sons. She is survived by her husband, Everett Janis, Kyle, SD; two sons, Gailen Janis and George W. Janis, both of Kyle, SD; four daughters, Melanie Janis, Alice Janis, Karlyn Janis and Sharon Running Hawk, all of Kyle, SD; one brother, Woodrow Respects Nothing, Manderson, SD; one sister, Florine Taylor, Rapid City, SD; 10 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. A one-night wake begins 1 p.m. Sunday, March 9, at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Hall, Kyle, SD. Mass of Christian Burial will be Monday, March 10, at 9 a.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Hall, with Rev. Bill Pauly, S.J., Rev. Cordelia Red Owl, Rev. Lyle Noisy Hawk and Sr. Patricia Cruz officiating. Interment will be 1:30 p.m. Monday, March 10, at Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis, SD. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2003 the Rapid City Journal. -=-=-=- March 7, 2003 Mary Grass Clark Stroud resident Mary Grass Clark, 82, died Tuesday near Stroud. Surviving relatives include three daughters, Deena Whiteshirt and Yvonne Heminokeky of Shawnee and Carla Honeyestewa of Albuquerque, N.M.; nine grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren and many other relatives and friends. Services will be 10 a.m. today at the Sac and Fox Community Center in Stroud with members of the Sac and Fox Nation officiating. Burial will follow in the Sac and Fox Cemetery in Stroud. Arrangements are under the direction of Parks Brothers Funeral Service of Stroud. Copyright c. 1997-2003 The Shawnee News-Star. -=-=-=- March 6, 2003 Andy L. Keener Andy L. Keener of rural Seneca, Mo., died at 6:36 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24, 2003, at Freeman West Hospital in Joplin, Mo., after a sudden illness. He was 64. Keener was born April 10, 1938, in Claremore to Robert and Mianna Keener. He worked for Seneca Telephone Co., retiring in 2001. He was a member of Ballou Baptist Church of Locust Grove and the Cherokee Nation. He married Joyce Sparlin on Sept. 26, 1964. She survives. Additional survivors include one son, Randy Keener of Seneca; one daughter, Patricia Chandler of DeRidder, La., and two sisters, Martha Ashford of Inola and Janna Addison of Spavinal. He was preceded in death by five brothers and two sisters. Services will be 2 p.m. Thursday at Racine, Mo., Christian Church with Sampson Leach officiating. Burial will be in Seneca Cemetery in West Seneca, Mo. Pallbearers will be James Sparlin, Gary Keener, Junior Keener, Cleo Deerinwater and William Deerinwater. Honorary pallbearers will be Jim Newell, Edie Thompson, Jim Shaver and Hal Standeford. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. today at the Campbell- Biddlecome Funeral Home of Seneca. Copyright c. 2003 The Miami News-Record. -=-=-=- March 10, 2003 Joe L."Buster" Lente Joe L."Buster" Lente, a native of Isleta Pueblo, was called home to be with the Lord on Saturday, March 8, 2003, at the age of 81, after a courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Lillian Lente of Albuquerque; Son, Leonard Lente and wife Nancy of Isleta; Daughter, Joanne Lente of Los Lunas, New Mexico; Grandson, Kevin Lente and wife Susie of Rio Rancho, New Mexico; Granddaughter, Kim Artman and husband Rick of Moriarity, New Mexico; Four Great-Grandchildren, Alex, Courtney and Brannan Artman of Moriarity, New Mexico and Daisy Lente of Rio Rancho; Brother, Alfred Lente and wife Wanda of Isleta; a Special and dedicated niece, Verna Fender and husband Jim of Albuquerque; and many other nieces, nephews and cousins. Buster was preceded in death by his mother, Theresa Lente of Isleta Pueblo; sisters, Julia Culver, Eleanor Jojola, Carlota Jaramillo, Margaret Tabet, Erma Lujan and brother, John C. Lucero. Buster proudly served his country during World War II in the United States Army. He enlisted on August 1, 1942 in Santa Fe, New Mexico with Co. E, the 180th Infantry and was a Tech 4. He was discharged honorably on July 3, 1946 from Fort Sam in Houston, Texas. Buster received the good conduct medal, victory ribbon, 1 service stripe campaign ribbon with 4 bronze stars, 1 bronze arrowhead, campaign ribbon, Army of Occupation ribbon and 6 overseas service bars. He served in Naples, Sicily and Rome. Buster was faithful and honest to his country. After his discharge he attended and completed accounting courses and Business Administration at Albuquerque Business College. He retired from Kirtland Air Force Base on December 1979. Buster traveled frequently to Italy with his wife. He enjoyed bowling, gardening, hunting, working with his computer and visiting with family and friends. Buster was a member of St. Bernadette Catholic Church, and in his earlier years, as a young man was, an alter boy at St. Augustine Church, Isleta Pueblo. He was a past member of the V. F.W. Post 401 and a member of the Italian Club and the Coronado Club, Kirtland Air Force Base. He will be greatly missed by his loving family and the many friends who loved him. Rosary will be recited Tuesday, March 11, 2003, 7:00 p.m. at French Mortuary, Lomas Blvd. Chapel, 10500 Lomas NE. Mass will be celebrated Wednesday, March 12, 2003, 9:00 a.m. at St. Bernadette Catholic Church, 11401 Indian School Road NE, 87112. Interment will follow at Santa Fe National Cemetery, Santa Fe, New Mexico. with military honors by American Legion Post 22. Presentation of the American Flag will be to Lillian Lente. Pallbearers will be Kevin Lente, Robert Mitchell, Mike Baca, Randy Austin, Rick Artman and Pete Bachechi. Honorary pallbearers will be Vernon Fender, Jim Fender, Alfred Lente, Greg Culver and Michael Baca. Friends may visit French Mortuary, 10500 Lomas Blvd. NE, Tuesday, March 11, 2003 from 6:00 p.m. to time of rosary. In lieu of flowers, donations in Buster's memory may be made to the World War II Memorial, P.O. Box 96074, Washington D.C. 20090-6074. Buster's entire family would like to give a very special thanks to Quality Continum Hospice and Denise, Daisy, Sam, Tim and Envencio for their very special help and care given to him. French Mortuary, Lomas Blvd. Chapel, 10500 Lomas Blvd. NE Copyright c. 1997 - 2003 Albuquerque Journal: Albuquerque, New Mexico. -=-=-=- March 5, 2003 Jane Mary Begay March 2, 1937 - March 2, 2003 Jane Mary Begay, 66, of Tes-Nez-Iah, Ariz., passed away Sunday, March 2, 2003, in Farmington. She was born March 2, 1937, to Robert and Fannie Mason. Funeral arrangements are pending with Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral Home, 103 E. Ute Street, Farmington, (505) 325-8688. March 7, 2003 Martha L. Nez - March 6, 2003 Mrs. Martha L. Nez, 57, of Table Mesa, passed away Thursday, March 6, 2003, in Farmington of natural causes. Funeral services are pending with Chapel of Memories Funeral Home of Kirtland, (505) 598-9636. March 9, 2003 Martha L. Nez Sept. 19, 1945 - March 6, 2003 Mrs. Martha L. Nez, 57, of Table Mesa and formerly of Beclabito, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on March 6, 2003, in Farmington. She was born Sept. 19, 1945 in Shiprock. Martha is survived by sons Nathaniel G. Nez, Michael R. Nez and Howard L. Nez; two daughters: Marla March and Myra A. Nez; mother Betty M. Lowe; sisters: Fannie L. Atcitty, Linda Johnson, Daisy Mike, Juanita Lowe and Betsy Tree; one surviving brother Thomas Lowe; uncles Thomas Billy and Wilfred E. Billy. There are also 13 cherished grandchildren and numerous nephews and nieces. She was preceded in death by her husband Howard Leo Nez Sr., father John Lowe, sister Mary Lou Begay, and brothers Jackson Lowe, Jonas Lowe and Leland Martin. Our mother married our father, the late Howard Leo Nez Sr. of Beclabito in 1968. She raised her children in Beclabito until after his death in 1991. She had many friends and family members who she kept track of closely. Many of her friends and family will miss the time she spent visiting and cooking. As all the relatives know, she was considered "the Best Cook in the World" to her grandchildren and children. Our mother was known to lend an ear to many who needed someone to talk with and someone that would easily hug and kiss you after work or school. Martha was actively attending the First United Methodist Church in Shiprock. She was a skilled weaver and also loved to sew. Our mother was a perfectionist at maintaining the family photos and keeping track of bother her husband's and her family's genealogy records. Final viewing and family visitation is set for Monday, March 10, 2003, from 3 to 60 p.m., at the Chapel of Memories Funeral Home in Kirtland. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 11, 2003, at the First United Methodist Church in Shiprock. Interment will be near her husband at the Shiprock Cemetery. Copyright c. 1999-2003 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM. -=-=-=- March 4, 2003 Marie H. Yazzie TSE BONITO - Services for Marie Yazzie, 97, will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 5 at St. Michaels Catholic Church. Burial will follow on family land, Tse Bonito. Yazzie was born July 15, 1906 in Window Rock into the Many Goats People Clan for the One Who Walks Around One People Clan. Yazzie did rug weaving and beadwork. Her hobbies included stick games and puzzles. Survivors include her son, Richard T. Charlie of Tse Bonito; five grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Yazzie was preceded in death by sister, Mary H. Yazzie. Pallbearers will be Reuben Charlie, Leroy Billy, Shannon Benally and Arnold Yazzie The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services at St. Michaels Chapter House. Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Tony Livingston GALLUP - Services for Tony Livingston, 47, will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 5. Jake Yazzie Sr. will officiate. Burial will follow at family land, Blue Medicine. Livingston died March 1 in Gallup. He was born Jan. 4, 1956 in Breadsprings. Livingston attended Breadsprings Day School, Shiprock Elementary School, Wingate High School and Gallup High School. He was with the 101st Airborne Assault Division, pilot, crew chief and helicopter mechanic at Fort Campbell, Ken., where he was awarded numerous badges and ribbons. His hobbies included hunting, reading, drawing and horseback riding. Survivors include his mother, Alice Livingston; brothers, Melton Livingston of Taylor, Ariz. and Chavez Livingston of Breadsprings; sisters, Betty Livingston and Susie L. Yazzie both of Breadsprings. Livingston was preceded in death by his father, Frank Livingston and grandparents, Fred and Francess Livingston. Pallbearers will be Chavez Livingston, Melton Livingston, Harolsen R. Yazzie, Harold R. Yazzie, Peter John and Joe B. Cody. The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services at Breadsprings Chapter House. Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Bennie L. Kee GALLUP - Services for Bennie Kee, 67, will be held at 1 p.m., Wednesday, March 5 at Cope Memorial Chapel. Burial will follow at Gallup City Cemetery. Kee died March 1 in Gallup. He was born Feb. 27, 1936 in Gallup into the Edgewater People Clan for the Apache Towering House. Kee graduated from Sacred Heart Cathedral School. He served in the U.S. Army, was employed with the Navajo Police, State of New Mexico Human Services, and planted corn in the cornfields of Gallup. Survivors include his father, Louis Kee; sister, Joan Kee Man and stepsister Ester Jarvison. Kee was preceded in death by his sisters, Marie Pettigrew, Bessie Davis, Mary Tsosie, Ella Becenti, Sadie Lee, LouAnn Benally and Edith Yazzie. Pallbearers will be J.D. Casuse, Brett Torgler, Sean Lewis, Nolan Lewis, Robert White and Robert White Jr. The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services at Red Rock Chapter House. Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. March 7, 2003 Delbert "DJ" John TWIN LAKES - Services for Delbert John, 47, will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 8 at Rollie Mortuary Palm Chapel. Rev. Lewis B. Yazzie will officiate. Burial will follow at Gallup City Cemetery. John died March 2 in Gallup. He was born July 20, 1955 in Fort Defiance, Ariz. into the Mexican People Clan for the Meadow People Clan. John attended Chuska Boarding School, graduated from Tohatchi High School and Denver School of Technology. He received diesel mechanic and transmission tech training. He was employed with Union 76 Truckstops. His hobbies included making jewelry, bead work, working on transmissions and vehicle mechanical areas. Survivors include his parents, Mary John of Twin Lakes and Joe John of Tohatchi; daughter, Dereka Hardy of Rock Springs; brothers, Everett John of Albuquerque, Delvin John, Gilbert John, and Hilbert John all of Twin Lakes; sisters, Alberta John, Marlinda John and Matilda John all of Twin Lakes. John was preceded in death by his son, Derek Hardy; and brothers, Lawrence John and Terry John. Pallbearers will be Herbert Harvey, Delvin John, Everett John, Hilbert John, Joe John and Delbert Nez. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Emma B. Dayea MANUELITO - Services for Emma Dayea, 95, will be announced at a later date. Dayea died March 4 in Gallup. She was born Nov. 15, 1907 in Tse' De Tha Canyon for the Black Sheep People Clan for the Bitter Water People Clan. A family meeting will be held at 5 p.m., today at Manuelito Chapter House. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2003 the Gallup Independent. -=-=-=- March 5, 2003 Sankey L. George Sr. Sankey Lomayesva George Sr., 90, died Tuesday, March 4, 2003, at the Hopi Health Care Center in Polacca, after a lengthy battle with diabetes. Mr. George was born on August 13, 1913, to Myra and George Lomayesva on the Five Houses Ranch in Polacca. He was born to the Hopi Sun Clan people and the Roadrunner Hopi Clan people. He attended the Albuquerque Indian School and graduated from the Phoenix Indian School, where he was a 26-mile marathon runner and boxer. It was in Phoenix where he met his wife, Idella Saknumptewa of Old Oraibi Village, Ariz. They were married at the Old Mennonite Church of Kykotsmovi, in 1936. Mr. George enjoyed singing gospel songs. He was also a cowboy at heart. He cared for thousands of cattle, many horses and sheep on the Five Houses Ranch with his brothers, and slept for weeks on the range using his saddle as a pillow. After his marriage, he was a saddle bronc rider and a calf roper at local rodeos. He was also a jockey on three of his racing horses and won in Flagstaff, Prescott, Gallup and Window Rock. For many years he worked as a stone mason, blocklayer and did a lot of farming. He was elected as a representative to the Hopi Tribal Council from Kykotsmovi Village and also served on the school board at Winslow High School. He is survived by his wife, Idella L. George; sons Melvin A. George Sr. of Kykotsmovi, Stanley L. Lomayesva of Phoenix and Sankey L. George Jr. of Kykotsmovi; daughters Sandra Steele of Gallup, N.M., Antoinette Qumawunu and Myra Dee of Kykotsmovi, Alice Ringelero and Sunbeam Cuch of Scottsdale; brothers Moody Lomayesva and Joe Lomayesva of Parker; 29 grandchildren; 38 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren. Mr. George was preceded in death by his parents; sisters Imogene Robertson, Elsie Polacca, Georgiana Sanderson, and Silvia Talas; brother Fred Lomayesva; sons Lewis N. George, Claybourne George and Milton George; daughter Margaret George; and six grandchildren. Funeral services will be Saturday, March 8, 2003, at 10 a.m. at Polacca Baptist Church, Polacca. Viewing will be from 8 to 10 a.m. at the church. Burial will follow at Five Houses Ranch. Arrangements are under the direction of Greer's Scott Mortuary, Winslow. Copyright c. 2000-2003 Arizona Daily Sun. -=-=-=- March 4, 2003 Eugene Little Fox Baxter Eugene Little Fox Baxter, 32, passed away February 26, 2003 in Phoenix, Arizona. He was born July 28, 1970 in Westwood, California. Eugene was a Craftsman by trade, a Native American,and was affiliated with the Southern Cheyenne and Quechan tribes. Eugene is survived by his mother, Peggy Baxter; sister, Rosemary Jackovich; brother, James Jackovich; aunts, Rosemary Morris and Sally Bradford; and numerous cousins, other relatives, and friends. He was preceded in death by his uncles, Dempsey Baxter and Glenn Baxter Sr.; aunt, Angelina Menta; uncle Steven Baxter; grandmother Elsie Baxter Sr.; and grandfather Remegius F. Baxter II. Wake will be Wednesday, March 5, 2003 at 4:00 p.m., at the Big House on the Quechan Reservation in Winterhaven, California, with cremation taking place at 6:00 a.m. Thursday morning. Eugene's final resting place will be the Quechan Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Fred Alvarez Jr., Mike Alvarez Sr., Glenn Baxter Jr., Hamilton Menta, Roddy Hart, and Blase Smith. Honorary bearers will be Fred Golding, Tiki Smith, and James Jackovich. Copyright c. 2003 The Yuma Sun, Sun Freedom Newspapers of Southwestern Arizona. -=-=-=- March 6, 2003 Shirley Dale Smoker WOLF POINT - Shirley Dale Smoker, 60, a laborer who enjoyed powwows, old movies and handgames, died Tuesday at a Wolf Point nursing home after a long illness. Visitation is at Frazer Community Hall, with a wake beginning at 3 p.m. today. His funeral is 2 p.m. Friday at Frazer High School, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery. A four-day feast will take place at noon Saturday at Frazer Community Hall. Clayton Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Survivors include his wife, Clara Smoker of Wolf Point; his adoptive mother, Rosella Gregg of Wolf Point; sisters Bernice Turn Toes of Frazer and Vera Iron Man of Poplar; and a brother, Ken Smoker Sr. Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. -=-=-=- March 5, 2003 Jaden Joseph Red Head CUT BANK - Jaden Joseph Red Head, son of Monica Lynn Red Head of Cut Bank, was stillborn Saturday at a Cut Bank hospital. A wake will begin today at Glacier Homes Community Center in Browning, with his funeral at 2 p.m. Friday at the center. Burial will be in Willow Creek Cemetery. Day Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. In addition to his mother, Jaden is survived by a sister, Taniell Trombley, and a brother, Jeremiah Red Head, of Cut Bank; and grandmother Shirley Marisha Racine Red Head. He was preceded in death by a grandfather, David Red Head. March 7, 2003 Felix Running Crane HEART BUTTE - Felix Running Crane, 76, a Heart Butte rancher, died of natural causes Wednesday at a Browning hospital. A wake is in progress at his home until Sunday evening, then will continue at Heart Butte Community Center. His funeral is 2 p.m. Tuesday at St. Anne's Catholic Church, with burial in St. Anne's Cemetery. Day Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Survivors include his wife, Phyllis Aimsback of Heart Butte; daughters Patty Still Smoking and Janice Running Crane of Heart Butte, Marlene Plympton of Kalispell, and Paulette Running Crane, Rhonda Running Crane, Felicia Running Crane and Cheryl Running Crane, all of Browning; sons Ronny Running Crane of Browning and Merlin Running Crane, James Running Crane, Little Felix Running Crane, Terrance Aimsback and Joey Aimsback, all of Heart Butte; sisters Pauline Running Crane and Esther Spotted Bear of Heart Butte and Ursula Makes Cold Weather of Shelby; brothers Aloysius Potts of Browning and Eddie Running Crane and Gene Guardipee of Heart Butte; 39 grandchildren, numerous step-grandchildren, 41 great- grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by a son, Varian "Jo-Jo" Running Crane. Copyright c. 2003 Great Falls Tribune, a division of Lee Enterprises. -=-=-=- March 5, 2003 Prouden Cree Crow It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our great grandson; grandson; son; nephew, and cousin Prouden Cree Crow. Prouden was born February 28, 2003 and passed into the arms of God March 1, 2003. Many family members surrounded our little boy, Prouden, in the time he was with us. His grandparents, Helen and Leslie Copenace; Bernice and Melvin Henry, were there playing with him. He was with us two more hours from the time the life support systems were taken off. We all played with him, taking our turn to hold him; with our tears streaming, he made us laugh with his little smile. His parents, Wayne Crow-Moose clan, and Denise Johnson-Muskrat clan, cried, but they were brave as their baby left to be with the Creator, Wayne sang a traditional song to his son as he held him. Prouden Cree is predeceased by great grandparents-on the mother's side, Robert Geyshick and Mary (nee) Labott and Francis Johnson; on the father's side, Albert Crow and Sam Wesley. his uncles and aunties on the father's side; David Crow, Joe Crow, Bobby Namaypoke, Alberta Elders, mary Elders; Stanley Wesley, Dorothy Towegishig; and on the mother's side; Ron Geyshick and Evangeline Johnson. Along with his parents Wayne and Denise; brothers Jarrod, Desmond, and Shayton, and sisters Brianna, Shayneen, Julie and Aleah, Prouden Cree will be missed by his great grandmothers Catherine Crow and Emilda Wesley; great grandfather Robert Kabatay; grandparents Bernice and Ken Johnson Sr., and Helen Wesley and Roy Crow. His great uncles and aunties on the father's side; Johnny Namaypoke, Pete Crow, George Crow, Allan Crow, Judge Joe Morrison, ada Morrison, Josephine Prince, Lulubelle Kabestra, Teresa Crow, and Betty Ann Crow; Bob Wesley, David Wesley, Steve Wesley, Joe Wesley, Mary Onabigon, Ann Wesley, Louisa Sanderson, Helen Wesley, Theresa Towedo, Francis Saggashie, Lucia Taylor, Alice Longboat, Yvonne Pangowish and Stella Wesley. The uncles, aunts, and cousins on the father's side: Roberta Crow (John), Maxine Ranville (Dean), Ian Crow (Marietta), Scot; the cousins; Beau, Sarah, Sunshine, and Colt; Andrew, Eli, Garret, Xavier, Paige, Royce, and Skylene; Evan and Draco. On the mother's side, great uncle Art Geyshick , and auntie Alice Geyshick (Ron), Dwayne Johnson, Myron Johnson, and Ricky Johnson. Aunts Theresa Perreault and ladean Johnson; direct uncles and aunts from the mother's side, Terry Boshkaykin (Jennifer Friday), Faron Johnson, Ken Johnson Jr., Jennifer Johnson, and Mary Johnson; cousin Jennessa Friday. There are many family members that we did not mention, but we know their love is with us, and we love them too. Wayne and Denise would like to give a special thanks to Verna (Mona) White and Rodney Crow for their help and kindness in their time of need. They provided the transportation to bring family to be near them. As well they would like to give acknowledgement and appreciation to the staff at the Health Sciences Center, particularly to the doctors and nurses at the Children's Hospital and Women's Hospital, they were always truthful and caring to us. The wake will be held at the Whitefish Bay Youth and Elders center, and the internment will be in the Whitefish Bay cemetery. Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Centre entrusted with arrangements. Copyright c. 2003 Kenora Daily Miner and News. -=-=-=- March 7, 2003 Michael James Belanger Calgary, AB BELANGER - Michael James Belanger of Ochapowace First Nation, born May 15, 1980 died on Tuesday, March 4, 2003 in Calgary, Alberta. Mike was predeceased by his Mushum, David Redwood Sr.; Mushum and Kochum, Mary and Ernest Belanger; uncles and aunts: Jerry and Donalda Delorme; Noella, Linda, Lloyd, Harry and Everrett Belanger and is survived by his parents: Dean (Sheree) Delorme, Leota (Everrett) Powerderface; his sister, Deanna (Rick) Belanger; two brothers: Ernest (Amanda) Belanger and Barry Cranebear; five nephews and two nieces and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Mike was raised and cared for by a special Kokum, Rena Delorme of Cowessess First Nation. A wake will be held in his honor on Friday, March 7 at 5:00 p.m. at the Cowessess Band Hall. The funeral service will be held in the Cowessess Band Hall, Cowessess First Nation on Saturday, March 8, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. with Rev. Hector Bunnie officiating. Interment in Cowessess Cemetery. March 10, 2003 George Stanley Howard Golar Kisbey, SK GOLAR - On Saturday, March 8, 2003, we are sad to announce the passing of our father, husband and friend, Stan (Akicita Wicasta - Soldier Man) George Stanley Howard Golar at the age of 70 years. He was born on December 12, 1932 in Avonport, Nova Scotia. He served his Country, also travelled the seas and all across North America. He is predeceased by his mother, Mary Elizabeth Golar and daughter, Annette Colleen McArthur. He is survived by his wife, Olive Marion McArthur, sons and daughters - Warren McArthur (Lavina), Charles McArthur, Kathleen Bourne (Danny), Adrian McArthur (Lisa), Terry McArthur (Lydia), Patricia McArthur (Dave), Calvin McArthur, Judy Anne Nuualiitia (David), George Golar. Sister - Lavine Kelly - Hansport, Nova Scotia, Brother - Eugene Welch - Sarnia, Ontario, and numerous grandchildren. For more information call 1 - (306) - 462-4589. Wake to be held on Tuesday, at the Kisbey Rec Centre, March 11, 2003 and the Traditional Services to be held in Kisbey, Saskatchewan at the Kisbey Rec Centre on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 at 2pm. He will be laid to rest on the Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation. He will be deeply missed. Funeral arrangements in care of the Orsted Funeral Home (Carlyle) Darren Grimes/Cindy Smyth Copyright c. 2000-2003 Regina Leader Post Group Inc. -=-=-=- March 8, 2003 Carrie Faye Bad Eagle Auger In loving member of CARRIE FAYE BAD EAGLE AUGER, born June 17, 1969, passed away March 4, 2003. Wake services will be held at the home of Ruth Bad Eagle, Brocket, Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9 at 12:00 noon. Funeral Services Monday, March 10, 2003 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul's Catholic Church, Brocket. Mary (Red Crow) Devine MARY RED CROW DEVINE passed away in Cardston on March 5th, 2003 at the age of 72 years. Beloved wife of the late Mike Devine Sr.. The Wake Service will be held on Monday, March 10th at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Blood Reserve from 7 to 11:00 p.m. and continue all night at Mary Devine's residence. The Funeral Mass will be held at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Blood Reserve on Tuesday, March 11th, 2003 at 11:00 a.m. with Father Lezek Kwiatkowski Celebrant. Copyright c. 2000 Alberta Newspaper Group, Inc./Lethbridge Herald. --------- "RE: High Court lets Apaches sue U.S. to fix Fort" --------- Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 08:53:16 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0305fortapache.html High court lets Apaches sue U.S. to fix fort Billy House Republic Washington Bureau Mar. 5, 2003 12:00 AM WASHINGTON - The federal government can be sued for millions of dollars for failing to fix deteriorating buildings at Old Fort Apache, the historic Arizona military outpost on Indian land, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The court decided 5-4 in favor of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, despite warnings from government lawyers that the United States would be opened up to "enormous potential liability" from similar lawsuits that could spring from 56 million acres held in trust for tribes nationwide, including 20 million acres in Arizona. The tribe, which views a preserved Fort Apache as important to tourism at its reservation, now can pursue a lawsuit over an estimated $8 million to $14 million worth of improvements to buildings it says the Interior Department failed to perform since Congress made it a trustee over the Indian land in 1960. "We're very pleased and happy," said Johnny Endfield Jr., vice chairman of the White Mountain Apache Tribe. "And hopefully this will be a big opening for other Indian tribes in similar situations." However, doubts were immediately cast on the impact of the decision on other trusts because of a separate Supreme Court ruling Tuesday barring a suit against the government by the Navajo Nation. That case involved the Peabody Coal Co., which operates mines on reservation land in northern Arizona. In the Fort Apache decision, written by Justice David Souter, the court rejected the government's urgings to not allow a breach-of-trust lawsuit by the White Mountain Apaches. Such a move would, in effect, "shield the government against the remedy whose very availability would deter it from wasting trust property," Souter wrote. O'Connor's swing vote Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, an Arizonan, provided a key swing vote for the majority, which included Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Stephen Breyer and John Paul Stevens. Writing for the minority, Justice Clarence Thomas said that Congress did not mean for governments to be sued for breach of trust. He was joined by Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Anthony Kennedy and Antonin Scalia. Enfield said the tribal council could meet as early as next week to decide whether to file a claim in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Fort Apache, perhaps most widely known for its association with Army efforts with the help of White Mountain Apache scouts to pursue renegade Apache bands, was established at its current site in 1870. It is within the Fort Apache Reservation, just south of Whiteriver. The Army continued to operate the fort until 1922. The next year, Congress authorized establishment of an Indian school there. Fort held 'in trust' In 1960, Congress passed a law declaring the fort and its buildings to be held "in trust" by the government for the White Mountain Apache Tribe, subject to the right of the Interior secretary to use part of the land for administrative and school purposes. A trust is a relationship in which a person or entity holds title to property under an obligation to keep or use it for the benefit of another. At issue in the White Mountain case was how far the government's fiduciary duty extended to manage the fort's historic structures in the tribe's best interest. Today, there are more than 30 buildings and other structures at Fort Apache, including school facilities and the officer's quarters, barracks, parade grounds and stables used by the cavalry that first occupied the fort. "This is probably one of the most famous forts in the whole world, the setting of TV programs, John Wayne movies and a lot of significant history," Tucson lawyer Robert Brauchli, who argued the case on behalf of the tribe, said Tuesday. A 1998 survey of the property estimated the cost of re-landscaping the fort and refurbishing its buildings "as a cultural and economic resource for the tribe" would cost as much as $14 million. And although the government has offered to transfer control of some buildings, the tribe instead has demanded that it first rehabilitate the buildings in disrepair. "We're not talking about failing to polish all the doorknobs," Brauchli said of damage that has occurred under the Interior Department's control of the other structures. "We're talking about basic things, like, if there is a hole in the ceiling, not repairing it." Gregory Garre, assistant to the U.S. solicitor general who argued the government's case and who warned a ruling in favor of the tribe could open up numerous similar lawsuits nationwide, could not be reached Tuesday for comment. Effect on other tribes Tracy Labin, a lawyer with the Native American Rights Funds in Washington, which supported the White Mountain Apache lawsuit, said it is uncertain how many other similar trust relationships exist between the government and other tribes. She and Brauchli emphasized that the White Mountain case involved narrow instances where the government has exclusive, managerial control of tribal buildings, circumstances that might not be replicated in many other places. "We're not talking about a failure to rake the forest or polish the stumps," Brauchli said. Interior Department spokesman John Wright said the department was "looking at" how many similar arrangements, if any, exist among the 20 million acres of tribal land held in trust in Arizona or trust land elsewhere. However, Brauchli said a second case decided Tuesday by the Supreme Court underscores that narrowness of the court's decision. 6-3 ruling In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that a lower court erred in finding the Navajo Nation could pursue a $600 million lawsuit claiming a former Interior secretary was wrongly influenced by the Peabody Coal Co. in 1985 to deny the tribe millions of dollars in higher royalties for coal mined on Navajo land. The justices said the suit cannot be allowed under the federal Indian Mineral Leasing Act because that law does not impose any managerial duties "fiduciary or otherwise on the government," even though there was a strong showing that the secretary's actions hurt the tribe's profits. Reach the reporter at billy.house@arizonarepublic.com or 1-(202)-906-8136. Copyright c. 2003 azcentral.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Court rules against Navajos" --------- Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 08:53:16 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NAVAJO" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129%257E6572%257E1221813,00.html Court rules against Navajos By Bill McAllister/Special to The Daily Times March 5, 2003 WASHINGTON A divided Supreme Court Tuesday blocked the Navajo Nation from pursuing a $600 million lawsuit over lost coal royalties, but sided with an Arizona tribe which has accused the government of failing to maintain an historic Army post. The rulings represented both a victory and a defeat for the Bush administration which had urged the high court to use the cases to narrowly define the government's trust responsibility to Indians. The administration won a 6-to-3 ruling that rejected the Navajo Nation's effort to seek damages for former Interior Secretary Donald Hodel's actions over a coal lease agreement in 1985. He then rejected an plan that would have boosted payments to the Indians for coal taken from its New Mexico reservation. Hodel, now a Colorado resident, met with a lobbyist for Peabody Coal Co. before he told the tribe to continue negotiations over the lease. Navajo lawyers argued that Hodel's action effectively denied the tribe then of millions of dollars in royalties, cutting their royalty payments from a proposed 20 percent of the coal's value to 12 1/2 per cent. The tribe also charged the secretary's actions were inconsistent with his legal responsibility to act in the best interests of the nation's Indians. The justices ruled, however, that the Indian Mineral Leasing Act of 1938 "does not establish standards governing the secretary's approval of mineral leases negotiated by a tribe and a third party." Besides, the court majority noted that Hodel had broad authority as Interior Secretary to approve or disapprove the royalty agreement. While rejecting that case, the justices by a 5-to-4 vote allowed the White Mountain Apache Tribe to press a $14 million lawsuit against the Interior Department over buildings that have fallen into disrepair at the historic Fort Apache site in Arizona. Congress gave the old Army post to the tribe in 1960, but directed the department to keep the property "in trust" for the tribe. In 1999, the tribe sued the government, alleging that it had failed to keep the post and its 30 buildings in tact. It claimed it would take $14 million to rehabilitate the property and that the federal government was liable for the poor state of the old fort. Justice Department lawyers argued that the government didn't have such a responsibility for the normal wear and tear of the property. The high court majority disagreed. "Elementary trust law, after all, confirms the common sense assumption that a fiduciary actually administering trust property may not allow it to fall into ruin on his watch," said the majority opinion, written by Justice David Souter. The two rulings had been closely followed in Indian Country for signs that the high court might redraw the government's responsibility to Indian tribes. But two decisions failed to draw a bright-line distinction. Interior Secretary Gale Norton attended arguments on the cases. She is fighting a lawsuit over her department's handling of individual trust accounts held for more than 300,000 Native Americans, a case that has highlighted the government's trust responsibilities to Indians. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who wrote the White Mountain case, to write a separate concurring opinion to describe how she could support one tribe and not the other. Bill McAllister: bmcallister@denverpost.com Bill McAllister heads up the MediaNews Group Washington Bureau. Copyright c. 1999-2003 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM. --------- "RE: Land donated to Navajo Code Talkers Association" --------- Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 08:28:09 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CODE TALKERS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=60845 Land donated to Navajo Code Talkers Association 03/03/2003 GALLUP, N.M. (AP) - A Vietnam War veteran has donated land to the Navajo Code Talkers Association to make sure the aging Marines have a monument to their achievements and a cemetery of their own. George Chavez, who lives in Rio Rancho, said he carved out a 50-acre chunk of his 320-acre parcel off historic Route 66 west of Gallup to give the Code Talkers what they are due. The Navajo Code Talkers used a military code based on their native language to communicate troop movements and other orders during the World War II island-hopping campaign. "I have come to appreciate the code talkers' contribution to the American way of life. If they hadn't been there, we wouldn't be here with this form of government and way of life," Chavez said. Sam Billison, president of the code talkers association, said the land donation is a blessing. "This is what the Navajo Code Talkers Association has been looking for - - land that could be developed into a monument," Billison said. A new cemetery is also needed because cemeteries on the Navajo Reservation are filling up, he said. "The code talkers are getting fewer and fewer. There is really a need for a cemetery somewhere close to the Navajo Nation for a place for Navajo veterans," Billison said. Chavez, who lived on the reservation for five years, appeared with Billison before the Navajo Tribal Council's Human Services Committee last week to ask for a small donation from the tribe to launch fund-raising for the project. Copyright c. 2000-2003 Arizona Daily Sun. --------- "RE: Kiva Panels could go on Display" --------- Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 08:53:16 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SACRED KIVA ART" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.kobtv.com/archive/2003/march/04/kiva_panels.htm Kiva panels could go on display despite pueblo objections Last Update: 03/04/2003 13:54:00 (Albuquerque-AP) - A New Jersey art dealer wants to go online with paintings of kiva art that the University of New Mexico agreed not to display at the request of Acoma Pueblo. Artist Tom Baker of Tijeras designed the images to decorate the atrium of UNM's new Frank C. Hibben Center - an anthropology laboratory and classroom building that opened last October. But Acoma objected to the murals, which pueblo leaders say contain images sacred to the pueblo. UNM officials then decided to display other designs instead. But the chairman of the non-profit Art Renewal Center, Fred Ross, says Baker's murals should be somewhere where people can view them. The director of the Acoma Pueblo Historic Preservation Office, Damian Garcia, says he'll oppose any plan to display the images publicly. Copyright c. 2003 The Associated Press. Copyright c. 2003 KOB-TV Interactive Media, a division of Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. --------- "RE: The Third Quinnipiac Treaty" --------- Date: Thu 27 Feb 2003 08:10:18 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="QUINNIPIAC" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7199643&BRD=1632&PAG=461&dept The Third Quinnipiac Treaty By: Iron Thunderhorse, Columnist February 27, 2003 Oiocommock is, of course, Stony Creek. This tract of land is what Shaumpishuh relinquished - from Madison to Stony Creek. On the 29th day of September in the year 1639, the Third Quinnipiac Treaty was signed in the new colony of Connecticut. The six people - all English Puritans representing an English Corporation - who negotiated the new Treaty were all different than those who transacted the first two Treaties. The Reverend Henry Whitfield led this new contingent, and the chief witness for the group was a local farmer named Robert Newman. A young man from Fort Saybrook named John Higginson served as interpreter. On behalf of the Quinnipiac Band known as Menunkatuck (Guilford) the female Sachem or Sunksquaw named Shaumpishuh was present. She was accompanied by her uncle, Quosoquanch, who was elder Sachem of the Quinnipiac's Totoket Band (Branford). Thirty-three survivors of her band attended the signing ceremony. Whitfield had sailed directly to Quinnipiac Plantation harbor at soon- to-be New Haven from England in the spring of 1639. These newcomers did not want to join the settlers already established in New Haven. They sought to establish their own settlement "in the wilderness to the east of Quinnipiac" (as stated by the Reverend William C.H. Moe in "Founding the Plantation of Menunkatuck," a sermon delivered on September 18, 1938 at the First Congregational Church of Guilford, Connecticut). Their dream was to open up sea trade between New Haven and Old Saybrook along the coast. Whitfield had spent a few months exploring this flat, fertile region that was part of the Menunkatuck Band's summer fishing camps. As the late John Menta explained in his article on Shaumpishuh in 1988, "This region had been extensively used and settled by native peoples for thousands of years. Certainly the immediate ancestors of the Quinnipiac were intimately familiar with it, having camped along its rivers, estuaries and ponds for more than five centuries before the colonists arrived...obvious evidence of an Indian presence - abandoned corn fields and wigwams, formerly used burial places and villages, as well as still occupied settlements - and of the agricultural richness of the lands suggested it would be an ideal site for a new English community." (Menta, 1988:33). My ancestors moved the summer plantations frequently to prevent exhausting the nutrients in the ground. They would clear fields by girding the trees and spreading the ash along the fields. Just prior to the signing of this Third Treaty, Whitfield met with Shaumpishuh and her uncle Quosoquanch on the 23rd day of August. Under the direction of elder Sachem Quosoquanch (a senior member of standing in his nephew's Grand Council) they made a rough sketch of the coastline between the Quinnipiac River (Quinnipyooghq) and over to Hammonasset in the east. This "map" shows a horizontal line (representing the coast) and below it are eight lines running down or inland toward what would be north. There are 11 place-names which show the Sub-Sachemships and the major rivers. Above the horizontal line (coastline) are four other place-names and forms representing the key island groups off the coast, which also were an integral part of the Grand Sachemdom. The indigenous names were supplied by Quosoquanch and recorded by John Higginson. A note below this map states, "From Tuckshis to Oiocommock River, the land wholly and only belongs to the Squaw Sachem and is at her disposal, the description of it being given to Quosoquanch, her uncle, and assented to by herself, August 23, 1639, in the presence of me, Henry Whitfield and John Higginson..." Tuckshis is Indian Neck in Madison to the west of Hammonasset and just below Guilford. Oiocommock is, of course, Stony Creek. This tract of land is what Shaumpishuh relinquished - from Madison to Stony Creek. The original map is in the collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society. I was granted permission to reprint it in our ACQTC Special 2000 Millennium Celebration Commemorative Booklet. Judge Joel Helander, Municipal Historian for the town of Guilford, also provided me with a copy of a separate portion of the Treaty Agreement itself with the written elements. Shaumpishuh signed this Third Treaty with the traditional bow and arrow similar to the one used by Mantowese but different than the sign she had signed the First treaty with. She did this for cultural reasons that the Anglo scholars never understood, including John Menta. I have scheduled a separate column for that subject. It was a month later - on September 29 - that Shaumpishuh and her people traveled to her brother Momauguin's maweomi in order to sign and formalize this Treaty. There, she was given many traditional gifts, including 12 fathoms of wampum - a sure sign that she was held in great esteem. Charles Hervey Townshend and others have written about the original Quinnipiac reservation of 1200 acres at East Haven. Yet, no one has written about the other reserved land set-aside for exclusive use by Quinnipiac bands. In the postscript to this Third Quinnipiac Treaty, as John Menta verifies in his 1988 paper, "the treaty included a list of the thirty-three Indians who were to sit down at Kuttawo." This name was actually "Ruttawo," as J.H. Trumbull substantiated in his 1881 work on Connecticut Indian place-names. Menta also confirmed that, "The Menunkatuck Band departed the reserved lands east of Guilford before 1641. " A group of our ancestors moved to the West Pond Region of Guilford. Descendants of the Menunkatuck Band continued to live in this area of West Pond/Sachem's Head and West Woods today. Judge Helander has told me about his grandfather, who verifies a member of the Menunkatuck Band living in Guilford as late as 1850. Others continued to live there - the region where North Branford and Guilford meet - into the 19th and 20th centuries. They did not live as our people did 350 years ago, but they kept our traditions alive and blended into the landscape as fisherman, farmers, whalers, laborers, guides etc. There were times in the past century that being Native American was not well received and so many families kept their secrets locked away in family memoirs, passing along traditions quietly. Indian languages and religions were outlawed and men actually went to Alcatraz in the 1930s for practicing Native religions. The Quinnipiac people never completely vanished and I have many more columns scheduled so that I can give readers a glimpse of the many paths walked by the Quinnipiac after the English Treaties had been signed and our lands were all gone. Namitch neetompaog. Copyright c. 2003 Branford Review/Branford, CT. --------- "RE: NA Perspective on the coming War on Iraq" --------- Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 23:43:12 -0700 From: usenet@mantra.com (Dr. Jai Maharaj) Subj: A Native American perspective on the coming war on Iraq Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian, alt.fan.jai-maharaj, alt.impeach.bush, soc.culture.usa, alt.native RELEVANT CONTRADICTIONS In defense of humor, irony, satire, and a Native American perspective on the coming war on Iraq By Sherman Alexie TheStranger.com I have little doubt that the United States will soon go to war against Iraq. I hope I'm wrong. I hope we find alternative and nonviolent methods of kicking the crap out of Saddam Hussein and his sociopathic regime, but I don't think the current president and his administration are philosophically capable of nonviolent action. Instead, the latest war with Iraq will last a week or so, a few dozen U.S. soldiers will be wounded or killed in action, tens of thousands of Iraqis will die, and Saddam Hussein will be dead, exiled, or disappeared. The United States will then occupy Iraq for an indefinite period of time as we install a new government and leaders who we hope will become democratic and progressive. However, I have serious doubts about our ability to choose moral leaders, considering the fact that the United States funded and helped create the political and military careers of Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, and a few dozen other dictatorial Frankensteins. No matter our choice of Iraqi leaders, the Islamic terrorist groups, inflamed by the Iraqi war and occupation, will grow in size and power and continue to attack the United States and its interests all over the globe. I fear it's only a matter of time before a suicide bomber races into a Chicago football stadium or a New York restaurant or a Los Angeles museum and kills dozens, or hundreds. Enraged and revenge-minded after another attack on home soil, the United States will increase its efforts to hunt down and punish those terrorists we can find. And we will certainly be successful in stopping most terror attacks and will likely destroy most terror groups, but we will find it impossible to find and kill the very last terrorist, because, well, he's only a metaphor. And it's impossible to kill a metaphor; we can only turn it into a cliche. We will only win the metaphorical and cliched war on terror when George W. Bush proclaims a metaphorical and cliched victory over terror, and that proclamation will only be uttered if the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee creeps within three percentage points. But I doubt George W. will have to worry about the Democrats. If the math works out -- if more terrorists than Americans are killed in the next few years -- then George W. Bush will enjoy high approval ratings. And those approval ratings will grow if the United States, as a global police force, threatens and possibly attacks all those other countries that may or may not support terrorists and that may or may not pose a real threat to the United States. That's one serious and simple way to describe George W. Bush's preferred method of international diplomacy. But we can also talk about his warmongering with humor, irony, and satire. After I attempted to do that during the peace rally in Seattle on February 15, I have been regarded with equal amounts of appreciation and scorn. In his damning review of my speech published in last week's issue of The Stranger, Josh Feit called me a moronic, starry-eyed, absurd, banal, and contradictory boob -- though not in the same sentence, of course. I included all of his insults in one sentence because it's funnier that way. Because of Feit's review, The Stranger has been bombarded with letters that are currently running 50 percent pro-Alexie and 50 percent anti-Alexie. It doesn't seem that anybody is undecided about Sherman Alexie, though the negative numbers will certainly grow if I continue to talk about myself in the third person. Now I'm sure a good number of the letter-writers are idiots who think Feit is a racist for slamming on a Native American, and I'm equally sure a good number of the letter-writers are racists who think I'm an idiot who only enjoys fame and power because I'm Native American. But most of the letter- writers are smart and concerned folks who have valid opinions. Fair enough. I'm happy to live in a country where hundreds of people enjoy the freedom to criticize Josh Feit and me for valid and invalid reasons. I can be just as full of shit as the next person, so I celebrate all of the shit- sniffers in the world! I think Feit's review is just as funny and biting as it is shortsighted. By focusing his review on my admittedly general speech, he ignored important details offered by other speakers. In one important example, Representative Jim McDermott spoke of Gulf War syndrome and cited the horrible and mysterious number of injuries, diseases, and deaths suffered by the U.S. soldiers who fought in Iraq in 1991. Our troops will not face much resistance from Iraqi soldiers in 2003, but they will be exposed to unknown quantities of toxic pollutants. As McDermott cited the health statistics, I realized how few anti- or pro-war folks have discussed Gulf War syndrome in a pro-or antiwar context. I think we ignore Gulf War syndrome because we're not quite sure it exists, and if it does exist, Gulf War syndrome might be the result of biological and chemical friendly fire, and that is a possibility too dangerous and disturbing for many folks to consider. In the same way we all want to believe in the honesty and goodness of our mother and father, we also want to believe in the honesty and goodness of our president and his military. I want to believe George W. Bush and Colin Powell when they tell me stories about this latest Gulf War. I want to feel safe in their care. But I know other U.S. presidents and their military leaders dropped Agent Orange on our troops in Vietnam and lied about its effects. And there's ample evidence to prove that Clinton, Bush the First, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, and all of the other U.S. presidents, conservative and liberal alike, told small and large lies when it came to war and its aftermath. As a Native American, I am intimately familiar with the long history of American lies in times of war and peace. Simply stated, the United States' executive and legislative branches have broken every treaty signed with every Native American tribe, and only the occasional and unpredictable intervention of the judicial branch has resurrected, redeemed, and protected Native American tribal sovereignty. Thus, as a Native American, I find it ironic that the United States wants to go to war with Iraq because it keeps breaking treaties, and I mentioned as much during my speech. Contrary to Josh Feit's implication to the contrary, I am outraged that Iraq has flouted UN resolutions for 10 years, but I'm also outraged that the U.S. dares to take a position of moral superiority when it comes to treaty-making and treaty-breaking. Josh Feit may not think that Native American history is important when discussing this Iraq war, but plenty of world citizens think that it is vitally important in any discussion of the United States and its international politics. Saddam Hussein is certainly a genocidal maniac, but how can the United States honestly continue to pass judgment on him and those like him without admitting to its own genocidal roots? This American genocide began when Christopher Columbus landed on these shores, and was made official when Thomas Jefferson, genius and slave- owner, proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence that the King of England had "excited domestic Insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Destruction, of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions." Thus, the United States was founded, in part, on the demonization of Native Americans, and it's damn easy to justify the mass extermination of demons, isn't it? Of course, time has turned Jefferson into a moronic boob when it comes to the subject of Indians and their allegiance to this country. According to the fall 1995 Army History: The Professional Bulletin of Army History: "The annual enlistment for Native Americans jumped from 7,500 in the summer of 1942 to 22,000 at the beginning of 1945. According to the Selective Service in 1942, at least 99 percent of all eligible Indians, healthy males aged 21 to 44, had registered for the draft. War Department officials maintained that if the entire population had enlisted in the same proportion as Indians, the response would have rendered Selective Service unnecessary. The overwhelming majority of Indians welcomed the opportunity to serve. On Pearl Harbor Day, there were 5,000 Indians in the military. By the end of the war, 24,521 reservation Indians, exclusive of officers, and another 20,000 off-reservation Indians had served. The combined figure of 44,521 was more than 10 percent of the Native American population during the war years. This represented one-third of all able- bodied Indian men from 18 to 50 years of age. In some tribes, the percentage of men in the military reached as high as 70 percent. Also, several hundred Indian women served in the WAC, WAVES, and Army Nurse Corps." More than 12,000 Native Americans served in World War I, despite the fact that they weren't yet official citizens of the country. Over 50,000 Natives served in the Vietnam War, and 90 percent of them were volunteers. Forty-three members of my tribe, the Spokane Indians, served in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. That's an entire generation of people for a small tribe like the Spokane. How can so many Native Americans fight for a country that has so often lied to them? I don't know. It's a profound and serious contradiction that makes me laugh out loud. The presidency of George W. Bush is also filled with profound and serious contradictions that make me laugh out loud. George W. lost the 2002 election by over 500,000 votes and was still elected president! Ha, ha, ha, ha! At 2:16 a.m. on election night, Fox News announced that George W. had won the Florida vote, thus securing the 271 electoral votes needed to win the presidential election. The other television networks followed suit in a matter of minutes. The individual responsible for recommending that Fox call Florida for Bush was John Ellis, who led the network's decision desk. Ellis is the first cousin of George W. and his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Ha, ha, ha, ha! George W. graduated from Yale with a 77 average and was admitted to Harvard Business School based on that stellar academic achievement, but doesn't believe quotas should be used in college admissions. Ha, ha, ha, ha! George W. is the leader of the free world, but he doesn't hold press conferences unless the questions are limited in number and delivered to him in advance. Ha, ha, ha, ha! The White House emphatically states that George W. personally writes many of his speeches. Ha, ha, ha, ha! The United States and the so-called "axis of evil," Iran, Iraq, and North Korea, are four of the leading practitioners of capital punishment in the world, while France and Germany, our greatest obstacles in the war against Iraq, abolished capital punishment in 1981 and 1949, respectively. Ha, ha, ha, ha! The United States is the only country that has used the ultimate weapon of mass destruction and wants to build more of the same! Ha, ha, ha, ha! The United States is the freedom- loving country where Americans fought each other over the right to own slaves! Ha, ha, ha, ha! The United States is the democratic country that didn't allow women to vote until 1920! Ha, ha, ha, ha! The United States is the moral country that accepted Jim Crow laws until 1964. Ha, ha, ha, ha! Of course, Josh Feit and others may not believe any of these contradictions are relevant when it comes to the Iraq war. But I think they're relevant and goofy and hilarious and painful and tragic. I believe we have to judge every American decision in the context of every other American decision. The United States is a country that has progressed greatly since land-holding, slave-owning white males created it and excluded everybody else from enjoying their freedoms. Of course, almost every American citizen enjoys those original freedoms now, but only because of two centuries of social and legal activism. The United States should receive the Most Improved Country award! But I believe we have improved despite our limited, immoral, and inept politicians. I believe the greatness of our country is not measured by its willingness to go to war or by its ability to win wars, but by its painters, construction workers, poets, factory engineers, novelists, chefs, filmmakers, architects, musicians, social workers, actors, teachers, and other nonviolent dreamers. I believe our country is great not because we've often been fundamentalist and isolationist in our thinking, but because we've gradually and often reluctantly learned to celebrate the complex chemistry of immigration and assimilation. The average American citizen in 2003 is more educated, kinder, and more progressive than the average citizen of any other time in our country's history. It's because I am a cautious optimist who believes in this country's continual and hesitant progress that I also believe George W. Bush's presidency is a decided regression. I truly believe we have elected an illiterate and indecent man, and that drives me batty. His obvious lack of intelligence and contradictory amount of power have turned me into a moronic, starry-eyed, absurd, banal, and contradictory boob. Josh Feit is right! I was an incompetent idiot on February 15! But he doesn't realize that I was purposefully trying to be a foolish clown, rude trickster, and goofy contrarian. I wanted to be a world-class coyote, but I failed. At the last moment, in the presence of so many earnest and righteous antiwar folks, I lost my nerve and gave a speech that was a timid and unsuccessful mixture of humor and seriousness. I wasn't as moronic, starry-eyed, absurd, banal, contradictory, and boobish as I wanted to be. I wanted to be the bastard love child of Voltaire, Emily Dickinson, Lenny Bruce, Edith Wharton, and Richard Pryor, but I ended up being Miss Congeniality in the 2003 Peace Rally Open-Mic Comedy Laugh-Off. You see, I believe there is honor and grace in treating an illegitimate president and his immoral administration with riotous and ridiculous contempt, and I have done it successfully in many venues, but I didn't do it at the Seattle Center on that rainy Saturday. For that failure, I apologize, and I promise to never lose my nerve again. I don't believe that we can stop the coming war with Iraq, but I absolutely believe that we can separately and collectively employ intelligence, passion, humor, satire, irony, and boobish, starry-eyed, idiotic hope to end the reign of George W. Bush in 2004. And I want to depose W. because I want our leaders to be perfect men and women. And by perfect, I am thinking of Hugo of St. Victor, a 12th-century monk from Saxony, who wrote: "The man who finds his homeland sweet is still a tender beginner; he to whom every soil is as his native one is already strong; but he is perfect to whom the entire world is as a foreign land. The tender soul has fixed his love on one spot in the world; the strong man has extended his love to all places; the perfect man has extinguished his." As difficult and romantic as it may sound, and as much as Josh Feit and others might mock me for my brittle idealism, I want to help elect a perfect man or woman in 2004. I want all of us to pledge that we'll elect such a person -- and though we will certainly fail in the next election and in many after that, let us keep making that pledge until we make it come true. Source - http://www.thestranger.com/2003-02-27/feature2.html Posted on Friday, March 7, 2003 in part by arikara Jai Maharaj http://www.mantra.com/jai Om Shanti --------- "RE: Indians have Lived with Terrorism for 500 Years" --------- Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 08:14:43 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TERRORISM" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/opinion/5278814.htm Indians have lived with terrorism for 500 years By Tim Giago LAKOTA JOURNAL March 2, 2003 America is now experiencing the fear American Indians have felt for more than 500 years. Our ancestors never knew what act of violence or terror would befall them from the American invaders. But death did come. It came in the form of biological warfare when small pox tainted blankets were distributed to the unsuspecting victims. It came to them from the muzzles of guns that did not distinguish between warriors, women, elders or children. It came to them in the ruthless name of Manifest Destiny, the American edict that proclaimed God as the purveyor of expansion westward. At Wounded Knee in 1890, a slaughter took place that the white man often called the last great battle between Indians and the United States Army. It was not a battle. It was the last heinous action against innocent men, women and children. Their bodies were strewn across the valley known as Wounded Knee under the barrage set down by the Seventh Cavalry. They died not knowing why. They died in fear. They died in the frozen snow of that bitterly cold December day while fleeing to find safe harbor among the Oglala Lakota. These Lakota experienced terrorism heaped upon them by a government that did not consider them to be human beings. When human beings can be publicly acknowledged as less than human, their deaths become meaningless. By portraying all Indians as murdering savages, rapists, kidnappers and worse, the national media of the day laid the groundwork for Wounded Knee. The media laid the groundwork for the expansion west that would claim thousands of lives. Horace Greeley wrote, "Go West, Young Man, Go West." And they did. By the thousands they came seeking land, gold and all of the natural resources that were out there for the taking. The only thing standing in their way was the Indian people. It was their land and it was their natural resources. Just as the Christian Crusaders believed it was their manifest destiny to conquer and kill those Arabs they considered as sub-humans and heathens, so did the American Army duplicate their horrible actions. The difference is the Arabs defeated the crusading invaders. Oftentimes missionaries were sent out to soften up the resistance of the Indians by converting them to Christianity. Many of the Indians slaughtered in the massacres that followed were converted Christians. And right behind the missionaries followed the treaty makers. They used the treaties as temporary documents of appeasement. A treaty would gain them a firm foothold on Indian land and more control over the people. The treaties were quickly broken and the United States then took total control over the land and the people. The people were herded on to small reservations and treated like caged animals. The Indian people fought back as best they could, but having been portrayed as savages without human thought or feelings, they were slaughtered by the thousands. Mercenaries such as the infamous African- American Buffalo Soldiers were even used to kill, rape and pillage. The fear and anxiety felt by the Indian people did not end at Wounded Knee. In many ways that was just the beginning. For the Lakota, Arapaho and Cheyenne, it started in 1876. With each passing day, there is still fear and anxiety in Indian country. We never know when or if the United States will take away what little we have remaining. Our language, our culture, our traditions and our spirituality have all been under constant attack for 500 years. The American Indian knows what it is to live in the shadow of terrorism. And now the rest of America is learning. Tim Giago, an Oglala Lakota, is editor and publisher of the weekly Lakota Journal. Contact him at editor@lakotajournal.com or at P.O. Box 3080, Rapid City, S.D. 57709. Copyright c. 2003 Tallahassee Democrat and wire service sources. --------- "RE: Tribes and States stress Cooperation not Conflict" --------- Date: Fri 28 Feb 2003 08:54:51 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="POLICE POWERS" http://www.indianz.com/News/show.asp?ID=2003/02/28/paiute Tribes and states stress cooperation not conflict FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2003 Three states with significant Indian populations joined the battle over state police powers on Thursday by filing a brief in support of tribal rights in a closely watched Supreme Court case. The attorney generals of New Mexico, Montana, Arizona and Washington sided with the Bishop Paiute Tribe of California, whose casino was raided by county law enforcement as part of a probe into alleged welfare fraud by tribal employees. New Mexico doesn't treat its tribes that way, Gov. Bill Richardson (D) said, pointing to cooperative law enforcement agreements it has made. "In New Mexico, we do not use bolt cutters and search warrants against Indian tribes to conduct our criminal investigations," he said, referring to the actions of the Inyo County sheriff's department in the case. Yesterday's brief was accompanied by another one filed by the largest inter-tribal organization. National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) submitted to the Supreme Court dozens of law enforcement agreements in hopes of contradicting claims by that Indian Country would become "enclaves" of lawlessness unless state police are allowed full authority to investigate alleged crimes whether they occur on or off the reservation. NCAI President Tex Hall noted the historic nature of the states' amicus brief -- it was the first time in recent history that state governments have supported tribal sovereignty at the Supreme Court. "We used to call Montana the 'Deep North,'" he said yesterday in Washington, D.C., where he concluded NCAI's annual winter meeting. Monty Bengochia, chairman of the Bishop Paiute Tribe, was also at NCAI. He welcomed the addition of the supporting briefs and said the tribe sought to cooperate with the county but was forced to go to court. "When they came in with their guns and their bolt cutters, they not only took those three peoples' employees records, they took about 80-plus other employees' records," he said. John D. Kirby, an attorney representing Inyo County, sounded a conciliatory tone in an interview about the case. "We're hoping that the result of this will help improve the relationship with the tribe and we can all move forward," he said. The county is backed by ten state attorney generals, the National Sheriffs' Association, the California State Sheriffs' Association and the Los Angeles Country district attorney. The language contained in these amicus briefs has alarmed tribal leaders. The Bush administration has also weighed in, supporting the tribe's freedom from state police powers. Government attorneys, however, said the tribe shouldn't be able to sue the county for violating the tribe's rights. Oral arguments in Inyo County v. Bishop Paiute Tribe are set for March 31. Copyright c. 2000-2003 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Programs for Elderly need Enhancing" --------- Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2003 18:47:12 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PROGRAMS for ELDERLY" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/ DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Unique programs for elderly need enhancing, not cutting March 8, 2003 Elders are a near majority in North Dakota, so health care is important. Gov. John Hoeven's proposed budget of $7 million for health care sends a message that the health and well-being of this population is important. The Senate cuts in some of the health-care programs, however, are a different message. Senators cut $4.6 million from the Service Payments for the Elderly and Disabled and $300,000 from the expanded SPED program. These are programs that are less costly and more effective for many elders and the disabled. SPED isn't a new program. It's been around since 1983. It then was called Option Services, and it made North Dakota a leader in providing programs such as in-home and community services. The Senate increased the budget for nursing homes. This is a good idea because some elders and disabled people cannot live without the aid of nursing homes. But the cost cutting shouldn't be at the expense of SPED programs. SPED and expanded SPED are programs for individuals who live in their own homes with the help of paid caretakers. The criteria are complicated, based on the individual client's ability to pay and to function in a home living situation. There also is an asset criterion. This has changed in proposed legislation. The Department of Human Services proposed reducing liquid assets (such as savings accounts) from $50,000 to $25,000. The Senate made all assets (including cars) part of the criteria and reduced the amount of assets to $20,000. The dwindling amount of assets that an elder can have will reduce the number of people eligible for SPED, said Linda Wright, director of the aging programs. I am familiar with the SPED program, because my aunt, who is 79 and has medical problems, is a client. She began her long run with diabetes at the age of 48. Diabetes is an insidious disease. It slowly debilitates the body until the patient succumbs to it. In Native communities diabetes is so common that we all think we will get it eventually, and we sometimes are careless about prevention. My aunt is a gentle and happy soul, and it probably is her optimistic attitude about life that keeps her alive. Even though she no longer can weed her garden, cook for a harvest crew, chase children and has to use a walker, she is not ready for a nursing home. She wants to live in her own home. Her family moved her to a nursing home because she was having so many health problems. She was there only few months. Even though she didn't complain, the family realized she was out on an iceberg floating toward the other world. She needed to be home in her own bedroom with her family and friends. The interaction with the family brought her back. It was the SPED program that paid for one of her nieces to help her live at home. Her niece gives her medications, helps her bathe and dress and cooks meals for her. She also takes her to her doctors appointments, monitors her sugar and food intake. My aunt sees this care as nurturing from family rather than hospital-like care from strangers. This is not to say that this lifestyle is good for all elders. Many elders do well in nursing homes. In-home programs are good for the state's pocket book. It costs about $416 for SPED and $324 for expanded SPED programs. For a nursing home, the cost is $129.71 per day, which is about $47,214 a year, Shelly Peterson of the nursing home association told me. This cost, of course, is for professional care especially for people who might have Alzheimer's or other debilitating diseases and those who need constant care. Are there people in the program, and is there a waiting lists? Yes, says Carol Olson, executive director of the Department of Human Services. There currently are 79 elders and disabled people in the program, with 16 on a waiting list. And they have had several inquires about the service. It is active and innovative. These unique programs need support. They should be expanded until the elastic stretches to the breaking point rather than reduced. Yellow Bird writes Tuesday and Saturday. Reach her by phone at at 780-1228 or (800) 477-6572, extension 228, or by e-mail at dyellowbird@gfherald.com. Copyright c. 2003 Grand Forks Herald. --------- "RE: Cobell v. Norton - Court Memorandum and Order" --------- Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 09:43:43 -0500 (EST) From: Indian Trust ListServ Subj: Cobell v. Norton - Court Memorandum and Order. Mailing List: Indian Trust ListServ Court has denied defendants' motion to curtail the authority of the Special Master-Monitor in Cobell v. Norton. "Apparently not content with impugning the authority of the Monitor, defense counsel inserts a footnote tacitly accusing the Court of unethical behavior: This development is even more troubling in light of the Court's statement, in its January 17, 2003 Memorandum and Order, that it meets regularly with the Special Master-Monitor to, inter alia, instruct "the Monitor which task he should perform next . . . .'" Id. at 13 n.9. Given the recent conduct of defense counsel in this litigation, it is certainly ironic that defense counsel would presume to lecture the Court on the subject of legal ethics." Id. at 10 n 5. "The fact that defense counsel would misrepresent a legitimate inquiry by the Monitor, in response to an invitation for followup questions, as the issuance of "discovery demands" on a deputy assistant attorney general only confirms the Court's fear that the Justice Department attorneys in charge of the instant litigation have lost any sense of perspective about the manner in which this litigation should be conducted." Id. at 17 n 6. "[T]he Court concludes that it is manifestly within the scope of the Monitor's powers to recommend to the Court that a show cause order be issued, if the Monitor has reason to believe that counsel has violated any law, including the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the District of Columbia Rules of Professional Conduct.9 Taking into account the recent conduct of defense counsel, the Court considers the authority of the Monitor to file such a report and recommendation to constitute a necessary corrective to any unethical or obstructive behavior engaged in by counsel during discovery proceedings." Id. at 23. "The correspondence between the Monitor and defense counsel demonstrates that in response to the Monitor's repeated requests for documents to assist him in his monitoring duties, defense counsel repeatedly stonewalled in response to the Monitor's requests and challenged the Monitor's legitimate authority, prior to filing the motion for a protective order. Additionally, during the course of a deposition ordered by this Court, defense counsel repeatedly made baseless assertions of attorneyclient privilege, ignoring the finding of the Special Master- Monitor that plaintiffs' questions were appropriate, in an attempt to obstruct plaintiffs' legitimate inquiry into whether her co-counsel had lied to the Court during a recent hearing. It was this unethical conduct that led the Monitor to propose the rule that defendants have challenged in the motion presently before the Court. In short, the filing of defendants' motion represents the culmination of a series of displays of obstinacy, recalcitrance, and unprincipled behavior on the part of defense counsel. The Court fails to discern any circumstances in relation to the present matter that would make an award of sanctions against defendants and their counsel unjust. In fact, the Court concludes that it would be unjust not to sanction defendants and their counsel for wasting plaintiffs' time and resources by requiring them to respond to a completely frivolous motion. Accordingly, the Court will order sanctions to be imposed." Id at 27. Court orders Sandra P. Spooner, Assistant Attorney General Robert D. McCallum, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart E. Schiffer, and Justice Department attorneys J. Christopher Kohn and John T. Stemplewicz to pay plaintiffs reasonable expenses, including attorneys' fees. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To view the latest information concerning this case, go to www.indiantrust.com --------- "RE: Chasco Article" --------- Date: Sunday, March 09, 2003 10:00 PM From: OBRIOTPRINCESS Subj: chasco article I understand that there are many wrongful treatments and many wrongful doings toward our people that must be addressed and cleansed. Our goal is to simply have the freedoms we bestowed upon the foreign settlers that came to our country long ago returned to us with equal practice. But like all coins there are two faces. In our fight for fair justice and freedom we tend to overextend our arguments to attack even the most remedial issues. I for one am no more concerned about the name of The Atlanta Braves, than Mother Nature is concerned about the name of the Tampa Bay Lightning. This (using the modern phrase of words) is called `BITCHING'. Here in Pasco County just north of Tampa Florida, we have one of those borderline situations. Every March we have the `Chasco festival' penned the `Chasco Indian Festival'. It was by-and-large started, organized and hosted by white people, so you can see where this is leading--it was bound to have issues. The first two years after moving here I had gone to the festival, but never witnessed the opening pageant event, the Chasco play. I did discover the Chasco Parade being led by a round-bellied white man playing Chief Chasco. He donned a headdress made of colorful feathers, felt and construction paper. His bare belly was painted with finger paints, which I am sure, the grandkids had a blast helping him with. It looked quite comical, and had this festival been purely a kids event, I would not have found it any more offensive than I find an Easter egg hunt to be offensive to the Christian faith. But then some Christians do. So one must stop to ponder this. Is this such a heinous display of racism that I must allow my day to become plagued with hate and anger at this parade scene? Do those who disagree with the Easter egg hunt feel just as strongly? The answer was no. Even at our traditional powwows we alter the words to one of our own traditional songs, replacing them with words of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck for the sake of child's play, for our children, and after all, the parade is focused for the kids. So I never batted a lash at the comic scene again. In March of 2001 the Chasco Festival was a hot topic in the news both locally and in many Tribal papers. After hearing the arguments over what some of the dialogue supposedly contained, I decided to go see the pageant for myself to see what was so bad that AIM had come here to protest it. The pageant started, and children dressed in Indian costumes came out dancing a poorly choreographed form of ballet. Now mind you these kids had been rehearsing for the past 6 months. That was plenty of time to learn a step or two of traditional Aborigine (Native American) dancing. I stood several rows behind the AIM members, who shook their offensive posters at the kids (I assure you this did not swoon support from the watching crowd of families, the key word here being parents). To continue, the settlers of the play referred to the Chasco Indians as heathens and savages. At some part of the play, those savages captured a settler and toted him off on a spit to be roasted over a fire. Now we have found our problem. Children were taught immoral images of American Aborigines and then displayed it as a historical truth to the public. I don't condone threatening children with my disagreements even if is only with a poster, but I do agree that the pageant was offensive and I no longer supported the festival after that. As the arguments continued into the next year, I often wondered if the pageant could be rewritten to make it (using another modern phrase), politically correct. But this is entertainment and no amount of change toward truth can avoid hitting a sore subject of brutal history. Then it was finally decided that starting in March 2003 there would be no pageant. The slot of time which once had been the pageant would be replaced with a country band concert. The parade would go on. The fair will go on, selling tickets for rides on machines made of cotter pins. The powwow part of the festival, which has always been hosted by the Seminole tribe will also continue to take place, only now they will perform for the two weeks instead of just the usual one weekend. Problem solved, chalk one up for the people, it's a small victory but small success lead to greater ones. Right? Well apparently not... for some, that is -- and this is where we come to define the other side of our coin. AIM members have announced they will be arriving yet again this year to protest the Chasco festival. To protest what? Well I am not sure at this point. You see I am a Blackfoot Siksika woman and one of few Aborigines in the Pasco area. The nearest tribal community is the Seminole tribe further south and a few Muskogee in central Florida. The Seminole; have not allowed this issue to disrupt their lives, not now nor before, they are the passive side of this story. They are very selective of the fights they take on. I often found this troubling at first, yet as I see them now, they are a proud people and I have to admire them for their strength to not be so easily daunted. As one of very few local Peoples, I had one problem and now that problem has been solved. So I now say lets go play. The AIM members do not live here. Those of us who do no longer hold concerns about the festival, so why should they? Thus is the conclusion of our coin, that some bitch just to hear themselves bitch. AIM members DO NOT SPEAK for all Aborigines, nor is their opinion always shared or agreed upon. To my People, I trill to honor your victory. To the board official of the Chasco festival, THANK YOU for the changes. To the folks of Pasco, HAVE A GREAT DAY AT THE POWWOW AND CHASCO FESTIVAL. Warm winds, Princess Obriot --------- "RE: Tribal sovereignty on line in U.S. Supreme Court" --------- Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 08:53:16 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SOVEREIGNTY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/wed/news/news_1n5supreme.html Tribal sovereignty on line in U.S. Supreme Court By Chet Barfield STAFF WRITER March 5, 2003 The U.S. Supreme Court soon will take up a California case that could affect every American Indian tribe in the United States. At issue is how far the reach of county and state law enforcement can extend onto reservations. Tribes and tribal groups across the country are either filing amicus briefs or watching nervously, saying the court under Chief Justice William Rehnquist has been putting states' rights above tribal sovereignty. "This is a big one," said Nikki Symington, a publicist for San Diego County's Viejas band. "The feeling is they wouldn't have taken it up if they didn't want to reverse" a lower ruling that favored the Indians. The opposing side also has attracted nationwide interest and support from state and and county prosecutors and law-enforcement officials. "We're trying to find out where the jurisdictional lines are drawn, or where they should be drawn," said Phillip McDowell, former Inyo County district attorney. The question is how far local law-enforcement officials can go on a reservation to investigate an off-reservation crime. The case, which will be argued March 31, stems from an impasse between the Bishop Paiute-Shoshone Tribe and officials of Inyo County, east of the Sierra Nevada in Central California. County officials began a welfare-fraud investigation in 1999 against three tribal members suspected of collecting benefits while working at the tribe's Paiute Palace Casino in Bishop. The county wanted the employees' pay records, but the casino wouldn't hand them over. In March 2000, the district attorney got a county Superior Court search warrant for the documents. When casino officials balked at the warrant, sheriff's deputies cut the padlock off a storage building and seized the records. Three months later, when the county sought records on six more employees, the tribe filed suit in federal court, contending its sovereignty was being violated. The judge sided with the county and dismissed the suit. The tribe appealed, winning a decision in January 2002. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a 1953 act of Congress giving California and other states criminal jurisdiction on Indian lands applies to tribal members but not tribal governments. The casino, as a tribal enterprise, is immune from local warrants, searches and seizures, the ruling said. Inyo County wants that ruling reversed, and is counting on a San Diego lawyer who has been handling its civil cases since 1994. Attorney John Kirby, who will argue Inyo's case before the high court this month, says reservations could become "sanctuaries" for criminals and evidence. "What would have happened if the D.C. snipers had gone into a tribal casino parking garage, or if they were housed in a casino hotel room?" he asked. "The tribe would have a right to say, 'Your search warrant is no good.'" That doesn't happen, says another San Diego lawyer whose Washington, D.C. ., firm is arguing the case for the Bishop Paiute tribe. "To assert that there's some kind of refuge is ridiculous," said the attorney, Colin Cloud Hampson. "Tribes also have an interest in providing for the public welfare, including preventing crime and investigating criminal activity." Hampson says the key point is that "the tribe is a government, and governments do not serve search warrants on other governments." The Justice Department agrees. "The tribes' sovereignty . . . is not subordinate to that of the state," Solicitor General Ted Olson wrote in an amicus brief filed in January. "State officers do not have authority to seize property of the tribe." Kirby says tribes are not governments in the sense of the county or the state. "The question is, how far does the limited, retained sovereignty of the tribe extend?" he said. That argument rankles tribes, whose governments predate those of counties, states and even the United States, said Sacramento attorney Howard Dickstein, who represents several California tribes. "What tribes get their backs up on is when their status is ignored and they're disrespected and told, 'You're just like everyone else.' They're not like everyone else," he said. "Other governments need to recognize that they're equals, and they need to be treated with comity. "Sheriffs don't run into cities in incorporated areas and search city records without consent, which is what they wanted to do here." The National Indian Gaming Association, one of several groups filing briefs in support of Bishop Paiute, contends the dispute should have been resolved through government-to-government negotiations. Using a search warrant and bolt cutters is "not the way the state would work with the federal government, and it's not the way it should work with a tribal government," said Mark Van Norman, the association's executive director. In a surprising move, four states filed a brief last week that sides with the tribe. Arizona, Montana, New Mexico and Washington said they have cooperative agreements with tribes in their states to allow local law- enforcement access. Symington, the Viejas publicist, said the band has donated $10,000 to Bishop Paiute's legal fund, and other tribes are doing the same. With a ruling expected in May or June, Symington said, tribes see this as a bad time for any sovereignty test case. "What we're finding with the Rehnquist court is, over and over and over, an attempt to enlarge the states' rights over what tribes consider their jurisdiction," she said. "The tribes are calling it judicial termination." McDowell, who was Inyo County's top prosecutor from 1997 to 2002, says tribes and local agencies need a clearer distinction on who has jurisdiction where, and for what purpose. "If the Supreme Court rules in our favor, then we'll know we have a right to search, or we may draw a line that says, 'You can search here but you can't search there,' " he said. "When it comes into the overlay of our criminal jurisdiction versus them governing themselves, there's not an abundance of guidance." Chet Barfield: (619) 542-4572; chet.barfield@uniontrib.com Copyright c. 2003 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. --------- "RE: JODI RAVE LEE: Crazy Horse's Name misused" --------- Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 08:28:09 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CRAZY HORSE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.journalstar.com/native.php?story_id=27549 JODI RAVE LEE: Crazy horse's name misused, abused in Las Vegas March 4, 2003 LAS VEGAS - Tribal casinos just can't compare with the concentrated mega glitz of Las Vegas. I've yet to see a pair of $1,978 gold-leafed Judith Leiber crocodile pumps at any Native casino gift shop. Sure, Indian Country can claim some grand-scale gambling establishments, but Vegas has The Strip - a canyon of casino behemoths, all waiting for someone to double down at places with names such as the Mirage, Bellagio, Caesar's Palace, Bally's, Flamingo. Vegas offers other attractions, too. Feather-and-boa shows. Concert venues. Wedding chapels. Nightclubs. Topless clubs. These places sport names such as "Jubilee," House of Blues, MGM Chapel, Studio 54 and Crazy Horse Too. Wait. Crazy Horse Too? A bit of Indian Country persona has found its way into the swarm of Vegas chutzpa - by hook or by crook. So there was the Crazy Horse name on a marquee above a topless club's flag-draped entrance. Crazy Horse - Tasunke Witco - is not a figment of someone's imagination. He is one of the most revered Lakota warriors and spiritual leaders in Native history. He led the charge against Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. More than a century later, Crazy Horse has not gone quietly into the night. He remains a beloved man among Lakota people. Unfortunately, throughout the years he also is appealed to those trying to make a buck. Last week, his name was slapped across the front page of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. And woe unto thee, he was not in good company. The tag-along entourage? Thugs. Thieves. Drug pushers. Corrupt ex-cops. The newspaper's big headline: "Raid looks for mobster link." The photo: FBI agents, under the Crazy Horse marquee, stood near short- skirted women and police cars. The Review-Journal quoted an attorney: "For years, the management and security' staff of the Crazy Horse has been infested by a rogues' gallery of thugs. ... All of this has nurtured a culture of violence marked by robberies, beatings and even death." The club's use of Crazy Horse's name was yet another reminder of mainstream society's romanticized image of Native people. And it is yet another example of how Native images continue to be abused and misappropriated by sports teams, auto and RV makers and carpet companies. Cleveland Indians, Jeep Cherokee. Winnebago. Mohawk. It's one matter to usurp tribes' identity. But it cuts a little deeper when names of respected individuals such as Crazy Horse are used to sell everything from boobs to beer to Liz Claiborne blouses. Anyone for a glass of Pope John Paul Pale Ale? Some claim the use of Native images is an honor. But in most cases, it's disrespectful, an affront. Worse, it leads to the continual desensitivity of Native people, undermining culture and tradition. Seth Big Crow, a Crazy Horse Estate administrator, has long fought to protect Crazy Horse's name and image. The estate prefers others ask its permission to use the name. Some responsible corporate citizens, such as British Petroleum America, have returned its use of the Crazy Horse name to the family. Stroh's Brewing Company apologized and did the same. The estate probably wouldn't agree to exploitation by a topless nightclub. After all, who wants to be associated with the likes of mafia ruffians? The Las Vegas Review-Journal's account of what happened Feb. 20 at the Crazy Horse certainly wasn't indicative of Crazy Horse's lifestyle: Around 5 a.m., between 80 to 100 FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency and Internal Revenue Service officials showed up with rifles. They spent 11 hours searching for records, proof of "tribute payments" made to La Cosa Nostra crime families. Some patrons said they were searched at gunpoint. No arrests were made. Crazy Horse attorney Tony Sgro described it as "nothing short of a publicity stunt." It seems the mystique of Crazy Horse at the club has permeated the neighborhood. Next door, a guy named Buffalo - Jim "Buffalo" Barrier - owns a mechanic shop. Buffalo, also a trainer of professional wrestlers, would like nothing more than to see Crazy Horse go down. He covets his neighbor's property and is waiting for the chance to expand his business. "We're going to take the horse and put it in a glue factory," he said. "And the buffalo will keep on roaming." Reach Jodi Rave Lee at 402-473-7240 or jrave@journalstar.com. Copyright c. 2003, Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Vandals strike Canyons of the Ancients" --------- Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 08:53:16 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CANYONS of ANCIENTS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129%257E6574%257E1221792,00.html Vandals strike archaeological site in canyons of the Ancients The Daily Times March 5, 2003 DOLORES, Colo. - Vandals have struck again at an archaeological site in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. Last month, three signs were discovered damaged at the Painted Hand site, where volunteers had worked to upgrade parking and install signs to help manage visitor impacts. The signs were installed in 2001 as part of a National Public Lands Day event. Some 20 San Juan Mountains Association volunteers worked on the project, said Ann Bond, public affairs specialist with the San Juan Public Lands Center in a news release Tuesday. "This destruction is an insult to all the local people who work so hard to preserve and protect these resources," said Ruth Lambert, San Juan Mountains Association Cultural Program director. "I am dismayed when I think of all the energy wasted by some people on destruction and negativity," said Esther Greenfield of Durango, Colo., who worked on the Painted Hand site and also serves as an San Juan Mountains Association cultural site steward. "When I see this kind of vandalism, I wonder why the people doing it don't have more pride and respect for the rich cultural heritage of our home area," said Nan Carman of Pleasantview, another San Juan Mountains Association volunteer and cultural site steward who also worked at the Painted Hand site. Two trail signs reading, "Fragile Area, Please Stay On Trail," and a parking area sign were damaged. One of the trail signs was found and reinstalled; the other signs were not repairable and will have to be replaced. The vandalism occurred sometime in January or February. Painted Hand is a unique Ancestral Puebloan site that features a standing tower perched on a boulder.It gets its name from hands that were painted on a boulder by its ancient inhabitants. It is one of 45 cultural sites in the National Monument monitored by the Southwest Colorado Cultural Site Stewardship Program coordinated by SJMA. Over the past two years, 85 volunteers have been trained as archaeological site stewards to monitor prehistoric and historic sites on public lands in southwestern Colorado. The stewards help watch for damage caused by vandals or by overzealous visitors. "We hope that, as people become aware of the site stewards program, it will be a deterrent," said LouAnn Jacobson, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument manager. "The site stewards help inform us of problems so that we can document and repair damage quickly and prevent further site deterioration." BLM Law enforcement is investigating the incident. The perpetrators face federal charges of vandalism to government property, which can carry up to a one-year prison sentence and $100,000 fine. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Anasazi Heritage Center, (970) 882-4811. Copyright c. 1999-2003 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM. --------- "RE: Elvira Charley says she did not Shoot Children" --------- Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 08:11:09 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ELVIRA CHARLEY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.thenavajotimes.com/tribalnws.html Elvira's story Public defenders, Elvira Charley say she did not shoot, but only found, children By Sararesa Begay The Navajo Times PHOENIX | March 6, 2003 Deborah Euler-Ajayi gingerly held up a pastel-colored baby quilt last Thursday that Elvira Charley had knitted while waiting for a mental competency exam in Carswell, Texas. Euler-Ajayi, Charley's attorney, admired Charley's craftsmanship and ability to produce the quilt. Then Euler-Ajayi produced two hand-knitted children's hats ideal for girls. Charley, 32, had knitted the pieces while she waited for her psychiatric evaluation at the Carswell Bureau of Prisons medical facility. Making arts and crafts, chopping wood and selling food were some of the things that Charley did to support her children before Jan. 1, 2002. On that terrible morning, Charley allegedly fatally shot three of her children near Klagetoh, Ariz. Charley was charged on Jan. 8 with three counts of first-degree murder at the U.S. Federal Court building in Prescott in the shooting deaths of her three oldest children, ages 9 to 11. She was also charged with three counts of using a firearm in a violent crime, according to Euler-Ajayi, an assistant federal public defender. The homicide trial began Jan. 7 and ended on Jan. 17. Charley was indicted on three counts of of fire-degree murder and three counts of possession or use of a firearm in a crime of violence by a federal grand jury Jan. 29, 2002. Currently, Charley is in prison awaiting sentencing. An involved mom "As strange as it may sound to people, she loved her kids," Euler-Ajayi said. "She was very tightly bonded with her kids." Euler-Ajayi said during the January trial, Wide Ruins School teachers and staff personnel testified that Charley was "a very involved mom." "She was always there night and day," said Charley's second attorney, Michael Gordon, also an assistant federal public