From gars@speakeasy.org Wed Apr 2 23:55:24 2003 Date: 2 Apr 2003 00:26:07 -0000 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews11.014 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 Tlaixmatiliztli -- Nahuatl -- News 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 014 | Country than is reported in | O o o o o O | this weekly newsletter. For | O o O April 5, 2003 | For daily updates & events | O o O | go http://www.owlstar.com/ | O | dailyheadlines.htm | Kiowa aiden p'a/leaf moon +-----------------------------+ Anishnaabe Iskigamizige-giizis(oog)/broken snowshoe moon <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is produced in straight ASCII text for greatest portability across platforms. Read it with a fixed-pitch font, such as Courier, Monaco, FixedSys or CG Times. Proportional fonts will be difficult to read. <================<<<< >>>>================> This issue contains articles from www.owlstar.com; www.indianz.com; www.pechanga.net; Iron Natives and Prison Activist Mailing Lists; Newsgroup: alt.native; 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + ======================== "When it comes time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home." __ Chief Aupumut, Mohican +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! Sincere thanks to Elena G. Radcliff for sharing the Nahuatl word for news, which is Tlaixmatiliztli. It has been added to the banner. If you want your nation represented email me the phrase in your tongue for "news of the people with the transliteration. I have said many times I would rather have a 1000 word banner in languages of our tribes than one little pristine line in the language of the invaders. -=-=-=- I received word this week of an incident at a festival in Florida. There are, on the pow wow circuit, influential families who are involved in, and often control every aspect of many events from dancing to judging to demonstrating crafts. One such family had a lodge set up at this event. A scout leader was touring the festival with girl scouts and stopped - outside the roped area - to admire and discuss the lodge. As she described the function of the flaps and the smoke hole to the girls, she was rudely accosted by a female member of the family. She was told, in no uncertain terms, viewers were supposed to learn from the family, not comment themselves. I ask what teaching was it this family wanted children to carry away from this demonstration? That Indians are a bunch of rude ego-maniacal asses? Worse, as the woman and group of children left the area, the "man of the family," who doubtless would like to be thought of as a warrior, threw rocks at them, apparently to enforce the "watch only" edict of this demo. I say he would like to be thought of as a warrior, but no warrior I know throws stones at women and little children for such a small threat as an unintentional nip at his ego. Finally, the family passed word among their sizable clique of dancers and vendors that this scout troop was to be shunned, and except for a few truly courageous and kind individuals, this was done. Well, I guess that taught these little girls what Indians (whom they'd previously admired) were all about. This family also tours Georgia. I invite any member of this family to explain such abject stupidity. I have nothing more to say for now, but if I hear of another such incident, I will name names, and do everything I can to make the powwow circuit an unwelcome place for jerks like these. 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 ---------- - Mattaponi Indian Chief passes on - Tribes hope to restore Tax on BNSF - Crossings - Native Trust Report: - Yellow Ribbons in Tuba City Both Sides leery of Data - Tohono O'odham Tribe Honors - Construction disrupts Burial Sites Tribal Servicemembers - Dissident Mohawk Chiefs - Indians Historical Representation extend Blockade of Road in Military - ACLU Suit forces changes in - Marines a Mohawk Tradition Wagner School Voting - ALEXIE: U.S. conveniently - Voting Rights Violations forgets its own Tyranny alleged by Lakotas - WMAT receives $5 Million in Loans - Suit to Force Norton to decide - Colville Language program Navajo Water Share begins at Skilskin - Tribes win Land-Use Case - Southern Utes want to revamp - Law and Order on the Health Care Services Swinomish Reservation - Southern Utes help Members - Native Prisoner pay for Medical Care -- Splitting the Sky Tour - Advocates seek boost for - Rustywire: Indian Country Roads He Just Walked On Down the Road - Lumbees hope for Resolution - History: Carlisle Indian School of Federal Status - Poem: Margins - Lumbee Advocate - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days remembers Struggles - The World of American Indian Dance --------- "RE: Mattaponi Indian Chief passes on" --------- Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003 08:22:13 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DANIEL WEBSTER LITTLE EAGLE" http://www.indiancountry.com/article/1049129207 Mattaponi Indian chief passes on Posted: March 31, 2003 - 11:45am EST by: Bobbie Whitehead / Correspondent / Indian Country Today MATTAPONI INDIAN RESERVATION, Va. - Described as "the strongest connection" between the remaining Powhatan Indian tribes, Daniel Webster Little Eagle Custalow, chief of the Mattaponi Indians, died March 21 in his home. Custalow, 90, a descendant of Pocahontas and known by both Indian and non-Indian people for his spirituality, served as the tribe's chief for the past 25 years. During this time, Custalow continued the "Mattaponi Treaty of Tribute to the Commonwealth of Virginia," an annual tribute since the treaty's 1646 signing and 1677 ratification. When the city of Newport News, Va., sought to build a reservoir that would withdraw water from the Mattaponi River and harm the reservation's shad fishery, Custalow spoke out against the plans. This action, some say, broke the tribe's centuries of silence against political actions affecting them. Other Virginia chiefs say that Custalow was a very loved man by everyone who met him. "Webster was one of those kinds of leaders that when he spoke, everyone listened," said Chief Ken Adams of the Upper Mattaponi Tribe. "I remember as a child, even though we were separated by distance, all of the Powhatan Indians were very connected. Webster was one of our strongest connections. When I would go to a place and I would hear Webster speak, I would automatically start to listen because he had a powerful voice, and the words that he spoke, you knew that they would have some significance. "He wasn't just speaking to be heard; he was speaking with authority. I remember the authority in his voice and his deep faith. I believe we have lost one of our finest." Custalow, who operated a trucking service to haul pulpwood, farmed and fished on the Mattaponi River. He also helped provide community service on the reservation and in King William County during the Great Depression, according to the people who knew him. "I thought very highly of him, and he will definitely be missed," said William Swift Water Miles, Pamunkey Indian Tribe chief and a Powhatan descendant. "People listened to what he had to say and thought very much of what he had to say." Born Nov. 14, 1912, on the Mattaponi Indian Reservation, Custalow was the youngest of 10 children and resided on the reservation until his death. He was preceded by his wife, Mary White Feather Custalow in 1993 and three grandchildren, Donald Kuhns, Michael Salmons and Darrell Custalow. Chief Custalow is survived by nine children: five daughters, Eleanor Pocahontas Cannada and husband, Alton; Edith White Feather Kuhns and husband, Raymond; Dolores Little White Dove Salmons and husband, Ralph; Shirley Little Dove McGowan and husband, Olsson; Debra White Dove Perreco and husband, Louis; and four sons, Dr. Linwood Little Bear Custalow and wife, Barbara; Assistant Chief Carl Lone Eagle Custalow; Ryland Little Beaver Custalow and Leon Two Feathers Custalow and wife, Helen. He had 24 grandchildren, and 32 great-grandchildren. Chief Little Eagle's body was laid to rest on the Mattaponi Indian Reservation March 24. Copyright c. 2003 Indian Country Today. --------- "RE: Crossings" --------- Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 08:10:52 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CROSSINGS" March 26, 2003 Melvin Don Shay PINE RIDGE - Melvin Don Shay, infant son of Tyson and Bernadette Shay of Pine Ridge, died Sunday, March 23, 2003, at Rapid City Regional Hospital. Survivors include his parents; one sister, Dereesa Shay, Pine Ridge; his maternal grandparents, Louis and Melvina Winters, Pine Ridge; his paternal grandfather, Tony Shay, Fort Hall, Idaho; and his paternal grandmother and stepfather, Leann and Tibbs Ridley, Fort Hall. A one-night wake will begin at 3 p.m. today at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pine Ridge. Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 27, at the church, with the Rev. Chris Primo officiating. Burial will be at Afraid of Horses Cemetery, No. Four Community, Pine Ridge. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. March 31, 2003 Thomasena Looks Twice RAPID CITY - Thomasena Looks Twice, 72, Rapid City, died Saturday, March 29, 2003, at her home. Survivors include one brother, George Looks Twice, Manderson. Arrangements are pending with Kirk Funeral Home in Rapid City. April 1, 2003 Thomasina Ann Looks Twice RAPID CITY - Thomasina Ann Looks Twice, 72, Rapid City, died Sunday, March 30, 2003, at her home. Survivors include one brother, George Looks Twice, Oglala. Visitation will be from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, at Kirk Funeral Home in Rapid City. A two-night wake will follow at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Manderson. Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, April 4, at the church. Burial will follow at St. Agnes Catholic Cemetery. Copyright c. 2003 the Rapid City Journal. -=-=-=- March 25, 2003 Betty Jo House Mrs. Betty Jo (Mabry) House, 74, of Bartlesville, died at 12:55 A.M. Sunday at the Silver Lake Care Center. Funeral services for Mrs. House will be held at 10:00 A.M. Wednesday at the Memorial Park Cemetery with Pastor Tim Kutz of the Victory Church officiating. Funeral services and interment will be under the direction of the Stumpff Funeral Home. Friends who wish may call for visitation at the Stumpff Funeral Home until 9 P. M. Tuesday. A memorial has been established and those who wish may send their contributions to the Alzheimer's Association-Bartlesville Branch, 6465 S. Yale, Suite 206, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 74136. Mrs. House was born on May 14, 1928 at Briartown, Oklahoma to John E. and Lola (Reynolds) Mabry. She grew up in Pryor and came to Bartlesville in 1947 where she graduated from high school. She was employed with Phillips Petroleum Company in 1949 and remained with them until her retirement as an Administrative Assistant in 1985 after 35 years of service. She was married to Jimmie Lee House in July of 1976 at Miami and they have made their home in Bartlesville since that time. She was a member of the Indian Women's Club, the Jane Phillips Society, and was a member of the alumni association of the Whitaker State Orphanage. Mrs. House is survived by her husband, Jimmie Lee House of the home, two daughters, Nancy Vaughn and her husband, Wayne of Niotaze, Kansas, Janice Harness and her husband, Jay of Bartlesville, one step-daughter, Brenda Lea Watts and her husband, Wayne of Bartlesville, one step-son, Tim House and his wife, Kim of Tulsa, two brothers, Otis O. Mabry of Lovington, New Mexico, and Thomas C. Mabry of Bartlesville, two sisters, Ellen Evenson of Odessa, Texas and Colleen Kosowsky of Asheville, North Carolina, and eleven grandchildren, David Wayne Beeman, Michele Larre Beeman, Whitney Renee Mauldin, Lindsey Michelle House, Andrew Timothy House, Emily Joy House, Katherine Lea Watts, Kendra Nicole Watts, Kara Elizabeth Watts, Casey Wayne Vaughn, and Christopher Kyle Vaughn. Copyright c. 2003 the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise. -=-=-=- March 26, 2003 Adolphus Warrior Adolphus Warrior, lifelong White Eagle resident, went home to live with Jesus on Monday evening, March 24, 2003, at his home. He was 72. An evening prayer service will be held Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 at the Warrior family home, 219 Blue Elk in White Eagle. The traditional funeral feast will be held Friday, March 28, at noon followed by the funeral at 2 p.m. at the Ponca Indian United Methodist Church with the Revs. Phil Byington, pastor of the Ponca Indian United Methodist Church and Louis V. Headman, pastor of the Ponca Indian Church of the Nazarene, officiating. Burial will follow in the Ponca Tribal Cemetery under direction of Grace Memorial Chapel. Adolphus Warrior entered this life on Sept. 26, 1930, on the Ponca Indian Reservation, the son of Lamont and Viola Crye Pappan Warrior. He attended Pawnee and Haskell Indian schools and grew up in the White Eagle community. On March 23, 1950, he married Lucille LittleVoice at the Ponca Indian Church of the Nazarene in White Eagle. He was employed as a truck driver for over 30 years, retiring in 1995. Adolphus was a member of the Ponca Indian Church of the Nazarene and a proud member of the Ponca tribe. He enjoyed playing bingo, spending time with his grandchildren and listening to country music. In earlier years, he enjoyed bowling and was an avid pool player. He is survived by four daughters, Sandra Lay and her husband Ken, Viola Collins and Georgianna Warrior, all of Ponca City, and Melissa Lopez of Chagrin Falls, Ohio; four sons, Allen Warrior of Anoka, Minn., and Eddie, Wayne and Bruce Warrior, all of Ponca City; six brothers, Larry Warrior, Gordon "Gordy" Warrior, Ponca "Colonel Mays" Warrior, Jerome "Jerry" Warrior, and Clement Warrior, all of Ponca City, and Roger Crye of Spokane, Wash.; one sister, Cheryl Arkeketa of White Eagle; 18 grandchildren, Anitra Mallory, Desiree Cries For Ribs, Tara Cries For Ribs, Rachael Warrior, Sophia Warrior, Alisa Eagle, Robert Collins, Bruce Collins, Carrie Warrior, John Warrior Jr., Viola Warrior, Lonnie Roy, Guyana Warrior, Lisa Graveson, Alissa Warrior, Allen Warrior Jr., Lacie Warrior and Quanah Warrior; 15 great-grandchildren, Kelli Warrior, Samantha Warrior, Keeya Collins, DaWayne James, Waylan Jim Boy, Aaron James, Casey Graveson, Cory Graveson, Justin Warrior, Kyle Basinger, Kane Basinger, Keaton Basinger, Trista Warrior, Trevor Warrior and Jordan Allen Warrior; his stepmother, Mildred Warrior; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife of 47 years, Lucille in 1997; his parents; seven brothers, Clyde Warrior, Kermit "T.J." Warrior, James Warrior, Eddie Warrior, LeRoy J. Warrior Sr. on July 21, 1999, and Anthony "Tony" Warrior Sr. on Sept. 4, 1999, and Prentice LeClair; and one granddaughter, Cara Webster on May 3, 1999. Casket bearers will be Dominick Warrior, Andy Warrior, LeRoy J. Warrior Jr., Harley Buffalohead, Bruce Johnson and Time LittleVoice. Honorary bearers will be "grandsons." Contributions may be made in his memory to Hospice of Ponca City, 1904 N. Union St., Suite 103, Ponca City, Okla. 74601. March 27, 2003 Franklin Lawrence Murie PAWNEE - Franklin Lawrence Murie, resident of Tulsa, died Wednesday, March 26, 2003, in Tulsa. He was 59. The funeral will be 2 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at Pawnee Indian Baptist Church in Pawnee with the Rev. Duane Pratt officiating. Burial will follow in North Indian Cemetery in Pawnee. Franklin Lawrence Murie was born July 5, 1943, in Pawnee, the son of Frank Leader Murie and Avis Rice Murie. Lawrence attended Pawnee schools and graduated with the class of 1961. He graduated from Okmulgee Tech in 1963 with an associate's degree in drafting. A longtime resident of Tulsa, he was employed as a draftsman by Matrix Service. He enjoyed fancy dancing in his younger years, and was an avid OU fan. He had lots of friends and loved his family. Survivors include one daughter, Francie Roughface of Pawnee; two sons, Frank Murie of Tulsa and Hawk Murie of Catoosa; three sisters, Lucy Kent of Ponca City, Nora Lou Marston of South Padre Island, Texas, and Virginia Primeaux of Ponca City; one brother, Leo Murie of Pawnee; nine grandchildren; and a host of other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Avis Murie; and three brothers, Johnny Murie, Tommy Murie and Kenneth Murie. Casket bearers will be Garland Kent Jr., Tim Murie, Tyler Kent, James Murie, Tom Kent and Kenneth Murie. Honorary bearers will be Jack Alexander, Gary Hughes, Leroy Downs and Austin Realrider. Memorial contributions may be made in his name to American Cancer Society, 4323 NW 63rd, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73116. Copyright c. 1998-2003 The Ponca City News. -=-=-=- March 26, 2003 Dr. Tommy J. Armstrong Dr. Tommy J. Armstrong of Grove died Saturday, March 22, 2003, at Integris Grove General Hospital. He was 70. Armstrong was born July 6, 1932, to Tom and Teressa (McClelland) Armstrong southeast of Seneca, Mo. He graduated from Wyandotte High School with the class of 1950, graduated from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami in 1952 and received his bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1959. He immediately began his master's degree and completed it in 1962 and completed his doctorate in 1964. He completed four additional master's degrees. He became principal of Westview Consolidated Schools in 1957 after completing a tour of duty with the Army. He went to Fairland as a sixth grade teacher in 1959 after developing heart problems. One year later he became elementary principal. In 1965, he was assigned to the Department of Interior, Department of Education, Bureau of Indian Affairs and was assigned to the field technical unit as an education specialist at Intermountain Indian School in Utah. He was instrumental in opening the Indian School on the Navajo Reservation. He retired as an education specialist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, vice president of Cope Memorial Chapels and Memory Gardens Inc. and president of Armstrong- Goodfellow Inc. of Gallup, N.M. He was a member of First Christian Church in Grove. Survivors include one brother, Kenneth Armstrong of Wyandotte; one foster brother, Mal C. Goodfellow; one foster daughter, Drenda L. Cox of Grove, and six foster sons, Douglas G. Cox, M.D., and Rick Bronson, both of Grove, Jerry Malach and Kelly Wilson, both of Collinsville, and David and Rusty Stumpff, both of Tulsa. Services will be 2 p.m. Tuesday at the First Baptist Church in Grove with the Rev. James Wilder officiating. Burial will be in Buzzard Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. today at Ellis Family Funeral Home in Grove. Memorials are suggested to the Gospel Gals Missionary Group or the sanctuary choir, both of First Baptist Church, or the Cherry Red Auxiliary of Grove General Hospital. March 27, 2003 Mary Alice Weaver Mary Alice Weaver of Miami died at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 25, 2003, at Integris Baptist Regional Health Center of Miami. She was 80. Weaver was born July 25, 1922, in Pineville, Mo., to William and Lena (Ross) Burks. She moved to Quapaw as a child. She graduated from Quapaw High School with the class of 1940. She worked as an inspector for B.F. Goodrich and General Power Co. She was a member of Elmview County Extension Group and the First Christian Church of Miami. She married Jay C. Weaver on Dec. 2, 1944, in Columbus, Kan. He survives, of the home. Additional survivors include one daughter and her husband, Robin and Lynn Bowen of Fairland; two grandchildren, Jackie Brown and her husband Jeff of Okmulgee and O. Jay Bowen of Fairland; one great- grandchild, Avery Brown of Okmulgee, and two stepgreat-grandchildren, Rodney Bowen and his wife Natalie of Fairland and Shawna Wright of Grove. Services will be 10 a.m. Friday at the First Christian Church with the Rev. Leon Weece officiating. Burial will be in Ottawa Indian Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Scott Glenn, Keith Glenn, Greg Rendel, Brent Rendel, Loren Hale and Harlin Brewer. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Cooper-Althouse Funeral Home in Miami. Memorials are suggested to the building fund of the First Christian Church of Miami. Copyright c. 2003 The Miami News-Record. -=-=-=- March 26, 2003 Maria Rosalie Martinez MARIA ROSALIE MARTINEZ , 86, of San Juan Pueblo, died Tuesday following a lengthy illness. Maria loved to help families in time of need in the pueblo. She was preceded in death by her husband, Juan I. Martinez; sisters, Felipita Chavez, Cecilia Martinez and Nestora Cata. She is survived by her son, Joseph Martinez; daughters, Bernadette Yazzie, Thelma Atencio and husband Phillip, Dora Martinez and Rose Martinez; six grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; sister, Pasqualita Phillips, all of San Juan; and many other relatives and friends. Visitation will begin at 3 p.m. today at the family home in San Juan with a rosary to be recited at 7 p.m. Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Thursday at the San Juan Catholic Church. Burial will follow at the San Juan Pueblo Cemetery. DeVargas Funeral Home of the Espanola Valley. March 27, 2003 Joseph D. Atsye Sr. Joseph D. Atsye Sr., a loving husband, father, son, grandfather and uncle, was born September 29, 1928 at Laguna Pueblo, NM. He was a resident of Albuquerque, NM. since 1973 and passed away on Monday, March 24, 2003 after a courageous three year battle with pulmonary complications. Mr. Atsye was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Joseph Atsye and Alice Marmon Atsye of Laguna Pueblo, NM.; brothers, Michael and Everett Atsye; sisters, Emerald Leija and Geraldine Rice. He is survived by his devoted and loving wife of 49 years, Agnes R. Atsye; daughter, Thelma Jean Atsye; sons, Gerald A. Atsye and wife, Ina, Everett M. Atsye and wife, Lee, and Joseph (Joe) Atsye Jr.; grandchildren, Leenlcun Baca, Charlie, Ashley, Heather, Kelly, Jessica, and Alexandra Atsye. Mr. Atsye was raised at Laguna Pueblo and attended the Laguna Day School. He was a graduate of Albuquerque Indian School, where he participated and lettered in football, basketball and track. Mr. Atsye was a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps and Honorably Discharged with the Rank of Sgt. He was an electrician by trade with an emphasis in Industrial Electricity and Electronics. In California he worked for Douglas Aircraft, Santa Fe Railroad and JPL/NASA. Upon his return to New Mexico he was employed by Kirtland AFB until his retirement with 20 years of service as an Electrical Supervisor in the Civil Engineering Department. He was very active in the Little League, Boy and Girl Scouts, High School Booster Clubs and the Albuquerque Laguna Colony. Before his illness, he was an active and participating Tribal Member who strongly believed in his culture, language, customs and traditions. Mr. Atsye was a charter member of Sandia Presbyterian Church (USA) and served on the Santa Fe Presbyterian Council, Native American Ministries and Sandia Presbyterian Church Men's Bible Study Group. Services will be held at Sandia Presbyterian Church, 10724 Paseo del Norte NE., on Friday, March 28, 2003 at 11:00 a.m. A Visitation will be held before and after the service. Burial will be at the Pueblo of Laguna Cemetery on Saturday, March 29, 2003 at 11:00 a.m. Pallbearers will be Mr. Atsyes' sons, grandsons, and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Lung Association, 216 Truman N. E. Albuq., NM. 87108. Arrangements by Direct Funeral Services, 2919 4th ST. NW. Albuq. 505-343-8008. Michael F. Padilla Sr. MICHAEL F. PADILLA SR. , 67, of San Juan Pueblo, died Tuesday following a short illness. He served as a staff sergeant for the Air Force. He was preceded in death by his son, Adrian Padilla. He is survived by his wife, MaryAnn Padilla of San Juan Pueblo; children, Phyllis Padilla of San Juan Pueblo, Janet Valdez of Tesuque, Carl Padilla of California, Michael Jr. of San Juan Pueblo, and Ira Padilla of Nambe; four stepdaughters, Myra Martinez, Paula Padilla, Dina and Donna Martinez, all of San Juan Pueblo; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and many other relatives and friends. Public visitation will be at 6 p.m. today in the Sangre de Cristo Chapel of DeVargas Funeral Home of the Espanola Valley with a rosary to be recited at 7 p.m. Mass will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m. Friday at the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church with burial to follow at 10:30 a.m. at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. DeVargas Funeral Home of the Espanola Valley. Copyright c. 1997 - 2003 Albuquerque Journal: Albuquerque, New Mexico. -=-=-=- March 28, 2003 Cecil White March 27, 1921 March 25, 2003 Cecil (K'Yisil) White, 82, of Otis, passed from this life Tuesday, March 25, 2003, in Shiprock. He was born March 27, 1921, in Otis. Survivors include his wife, Helen A. White of Otis; daughters, Annabelle Valdez and fianc, Leo Charley of Bloomfield, Annalene "Shon" Dempsy of Gallup, AnnaJean Charley and husband, Raymond of Bloomfield, AnnaMarie "Cleo" Simms and husband, Wendell of Fruitland, and AnnaGail Augustine and fianc, Donald Shorty of Farmington; sister, Minnie Burns of Carson; grandchildren, Melvina "Azd zn' Hana'Bah" Betoni, Nathan Valdez Sr., Renwick "K'Yisil" Charley, Edren Augustine, Kyle "Hsh Ke' Yetah Yil Wol" Simms, Elmer Ignacio Jr., Miranda Simms, Jarrold Simms and Anastasia Charley; great-grandchildren, Krynisha Betoni, Nathan Valdez Jr., Mitchell Valdez and Bryce Betoni; and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, White Cow Begay and Pearl A. Begay; brothers: Edward, Willie, Hugh and Joe White; sisters, Mary White Bitsillie, Dorothy W. Yazzie and Bessie Pine. A visitation will be held from 3 to 7 p.m., today, Friday, March 28, 2003, at Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral Home, 103 E. Ute St., Farmington. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 29, 2003, at Brethren-In-Christ Mission Chapel in Otis. Pastor Raymond John will officiate. Interment will follow at the Brethren-In-Christ Mission Cemetery. A reception will follow at the Brethren-In-Christ Mission Community Center. Pallbearers will be Nathan Valdez Sr., Renwick Charley, Edren Augustine, Kyle Simms, Elmer Ignacio Jr., and Jarrold Simms. Honorary pallbearers will be Raymond Charley, Wendell Simms, Byron Betoni, Donald Shorty, Leo Charley, Natasha Bitsillie, the Newton family, the Bitsillie family, the Willie family, the Armstrong family, the Blackie family, the Burns family, the Nez family, the Todacheene family and the Pine family. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral Home of Shiprock, (505) 368-4607. March 30, 2003 Margaret Peter June 6, 1952 March 25, 2003 Margaret Peter, 50, of Carson, passed from this life Tuesday, March 25, 2003 at home. She was born June 6, 1952 in Ignacio, Colo. Survivors include her daughters, Trina Redshirt, Sophenia Begay, Treva Yazzie and Seresa Bonnie; mother, Mary R. White; father, Sam White; sisters, Verna, Ferna, Matilda and Ann; brothers, Bruce, Terry, Jerry, Gilbert, Perry, Clifford, Arthur and Jimmie; grandchildren, Megan and Denise Begay; seven other grandkids and numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her biological father, Jose Bonnie; daughter, Tina Ayze; sister, Benice Bunny; niece, Marion Cambridge; and nephew, Carlos Cambridge. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, March 31, 2003, at Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral Home, 103 E. Ute St., Farmington. Interment will follow at Memory Gardens. A reception will follow at San Juan Mission. Copyright c. 1999-2003 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM. -=-=-=- March 25, 2003 Ruth Apache Yazzie HOUCK, Ariz. - Graveside services for Ruth Yazzie, 90, will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 26 at Houck Community Cemetery. The family will officiate. Yazzie was born Jan. 13, 1913 in Sanders, Ariz. into the Charcoal Streaked Division of the Red Running into the Water People Clan for the Coyote Pass People Clan. Yazzie was a rug weaver. Survivors include her sons, Frank Yazzie, Patrick Yazzie Sr., and Gilbert Yazzie all of Houck; daughters, Helen Keily of Gallup, Rose Matt, Minnie James, and Elsie James all of Houck; 40 grandchildren and 79 great- -grandchildren. Yazzie was preceded in death by her husband, Hosteen Yazzie; daughter, Judy Yazzie; parents, Bonnie Thomas and Frank Apache; brother, Joe Apache Sr. and sister, Mary Bowman. Pallbearers will be Eugene Six, Gary Yazzie, Jerry Yazzie, Shandiin Kiely, Patrick Yazzie Jr. and Jerry Spencer Sr. The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services at Houck Chapter House. Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Andrew Bia MANY FARMS, Ariz. - Services for Andrew Bia, 86, will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 26 at St. Anthony Catholic Church, Many Farms, Ariz. Father Blane Grein will officiate. Burial will follow on private family cemetery, Many Farms. Bia died March 21 in Gallup. He was born Dec. 20, 1916 in Tse Nas Clinni, Ariz. into the Red Bottom People Clan for the Towering House People Clan. Bia was employed with the Navajo Tribe and the BIA. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, as a Navajo Code Talker. Survivors include his sons, David Bia of Phoenix, Johnson Bia of Tucson, Ariz., Donald Bia, Emmett Bia, Harrison Bia, Thomas Bia and Tommy Bia all of Many Farms; daughters, Nina Beno of Gallup, Pauline Bia-Lynch of Los Angeles, Calif., Evelyn Begay, Selena Davis, Shirley Fields, Elouise Goldtooth, Lillie Whitewater and Joan Yazzie all of Many Farms; brothers, Andy Begay of Rock Point, Ariz., Ned Begay of Tuba City, Ariz., Robert Begay of Steamboat, Ariz., Junior Begay, Joe Bia and John Bia all of Many Farms; sisters, Concita Davis of Chinle and Jane Etsitty of Many Farms; 40 grandchildren and 41 great-grandchildren. Bia was preceded in death by his parents, Wallan Badani and Wallan Bitsi. Pallbearers will be David Bia, Donald Bia, Harrison Bia, Johnson Bia, Orlando Bai and Tommy Bia. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. March 26, 2003 Angel Renee Jones CHINLE, Ariz. - Services for Angel Jones, 5, will be held at 5 p.m., today at Chinle Catholic Church. Father Blaine will officiate. Burial will follow at Del Muerto Cemetery. Jones died March 20 in Chinle, Ariz. She was born Jan. 27, 1998 in Flagstaff, Ariz. into the Bitter Water People Clan for the Water Flowing Together People Clan. Jones was in Headstart in 2000 and Pre-Kindergarten 2001. Survivors include her parents, Laverdalene Guy and Dave Jones and brother, Jermaine Amonde Jones. Pallbearers were Reggie Guy, Reggienell Guy, Fendell Guy, Ambrose Samuel, Leon Begay and Marvin Tsosie. The family will receive relatives and friends at Chinle Catholic Hall, following the services. Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Ervin Hoskie JONES RANCH - Services for Ervin Hoskie, 50, will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, March 27 at the Christian Reformed Church, Toadlena. Rev. Bobby Boyd will officiate. Burial will follow at the family cemetery, Two Grey Hills. Hoskie died March 23 in Gallup. He was born Jan. 1, 1953 in Shiprock into the Mud People Clan for the Bear People Clan. Survivors include his sons, Ervin Hoskie Jr. and Blaine Hoskie both of Jones Ranch; daughters, Delphina Peters of Gallup, Yolanda Hoskie and Dawn Renae Hoskie both of Jones Ranch; mother, Dorothy Hoskie of Bloomfield; brothers, R. Mike Franklin of Toadlena, Wallace Begay and Kevin Hoskie both of Two Grey Hills. Hoskie was preceded in death by his father, Joe Hoskie and grandparents, Henry and Sarah Mike. March 27, 2003 Roger Lorenzo Interpreter NAHODISHGISH - Services for Roger Interpreter, 60, will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, March 28 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Brother Jimson Joe will officiate. Burial will follow on family land, Nahodishgish. Interpreter died March 22 in Crownpoint. He was born Nov. 15, 1943 in Big Mountain, Ariz. into the Red Running Into the Water People Clan for the Mexican People Clan. Interpreter graduated from Phoenix Indian School in 1962. He was employed with the Navajo Nation Facility Maintenance, Eastern Agency; Peabody Coal Company, and was an electrician from 1972-1985. His hobbies included tending to livestock, and riding horses. Survivors include his wife, Christine P. Interpreter; sons, Patrick Interpreter and Roger Lee Begay; daughters, Tina M. Peshlakai, Andrea F. Interpreter, Connie L. Interpreter and Alishia P. Interpreter; brothers, Tully Begay, Timothy Begay, Jack Parker, Johnny Parker, Roy Parker and Earl Interpreter; sisters, Alice Begay, Sarah Bedonie, Ruth Luczak, Helen Interpreter and Ann Interpreter and three grandchildren. Interpreter was preceded in death by his son, Roger L. Interpreter Jr.; daughter, Valerie R. Interpreter; parents, Helen H. and Asa B. Interpreter; and brother, Jackson Interpreter. Pallbearers will be Walter Peshlakai Jr., Patrick P. Interpreter, Alton Henderson, Hurb Holgate, Winston Martinez and Earl Interpreter. The family will receive friends and relatives at 6:30 p.m., tonight at 361 B. Cross Canyon Lp, Nahodishgish. Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. March 28, 2003 Pastor Henry T. Yazzie ROCKSPRINGS - Services for Henry Yazzie, 46, will be announced at a later date. Yazzie died March 26 in Rocks Springs. He was born May 20, 1956 in Tuba City, Ariz. into the Red Running into the Water People Clan for the Many Goats People Clan. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Jasper W. Thomas TOHATCHI - Services for Jasper Thomas, 73, will be announced at a later date. Thomas died March 25 in Albuquerque. He was born Nov. 3, 1929 in Coyote Canyon into the Towering House People Clan for the Folded Arms People Clan. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. March 31, 2003 Rose M. Yazzie COYOTE CANYON - Services for Rose Yazzie, 64, will be held at 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 1 at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Rev. Lawrence J. O'Keefe will officiate. Burial will follow at private family cemetery, Coyote Canyon. A rosary will be recited at 6 p.m., tonight at Rollie Mortuary. Yazzie attended school in Fort Wingate and graduated from Gallup High School in 1961. She worked various capacities for the Navajo Nation until retiring in 2001. Her hobbies included, crocheting, making quilts, cooking Navajo rugs and, dresses. Survivors included her son, Michael Chavez of Coyote Canyon; daughter, Jynell Jones of Albuquerque; father, William Yazzie of Coyote Canyon; sisters, Laura Ike of Albuquerque, June Shondee of Ganado, Ariz., Donna Williams of Farmington, Dianne Yazzie-Nez of Gallup, Lillian Avery, Beverly Yazzie and Lucille Yazzie-Deschiney all of Coyote Canyon; and four grandchildren. Yazzie was preceded in death by her mother, Florence Yazzie; sister, Bernice Ranger and brother, Herman Yazzie Sr. Pallbearers will be Glen Avery Jr., Lee Chavez, Budford Henry, John Livingston Jr., Benjamin Sam and Herman Yazzie Jr. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Lorenzo Tzinichini Sr. PINON, Ariz. - Services for Lorenzo Tzinichini Sr., 55, were held at 10 a.m., today at Pinon Presbyterian Church. Francis Shirley officiated. Burial followed in Pinon. Tzinichini Sr. died March 26 in Pinon. He was born Sept. 20, 1947 in Pinon into the Coyote Gap People Clan for the Tangle People Clan. Tzinichini Sr. attended Intermountain School. He was employed with the railroad. His hobbies included arts & crafts, yardwork and housekeeping. Survivors included his sons, Lorenzo Tzinichini Jr., Kenneth Yazzie and Lorensen Bitt; daughters, Lula Billy, Linda Peterson, Famelia Bitt, Juanita Yazzie and Nettie Bitt; father, Gordon Tzinichini; sister, Marjorie Bitt; 21 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Pallbearers were Lorenzo Tzinichini Jr., Kenneth Yazzie, Lorensen Bitt, Eddie Bitt, Thompson L. Yazzie and Ricky Peterson. Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2003 the Gallup Independent. -=-=-=- March 31, 2003 Raymond Tsipai Raymond Tsipai, 34, of Jeddito, died Monday, March 24, 2003, in Rochester, Minn. He was born Dec. 29, 1968, in Fort Defiance. Mr. Tsipai is survived by his parents, Bahe and Eleanor Tsipai; five children; brothers Norman Tsipai of Jeddito and Patrick Tispai of Mesa; sisters Mary Manygoats of Dilkon, Marietta Taylor of Flagstaff, Jeanette Begay and Margie James, both of Winslow, Peggy Tsipai and Julia Tsipai, both of Jeddito, and Rachel Tsipai of Pinon; and a number of aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by one brother, Elton Tsipai. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. today, March 31, at Keams Canyon Baptist Church, Keams Canyon, with Pastor Leonard B. Yazzie officiating. Burial will follow in Jeddito Community Cemetery. Arrangements are by Greer's Scott Mortuary, Winslow. Copyright c. 2000-2003 Arizona Daily Sun. -=-=-=- March 31, 2003 Hiram Frank Armajo Jr. ETHETE - Services for Frank Armajo Jr., 55, will be conducted at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 1, in Blue Sky Hall in Ethete by Fr. Gannon, S.J. Interment will be in Friday Cemetery in Ethete. Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. today, March 31, followed by a wake at No. 31 White Hawk Drive, Mill Creek Housing. He died March 28, 2003, at Lander Valley Medical Center, of a sudden illness. Born Nov. 25, 1947, in Fort Washakie, he was the son of Hiram F. Sr. and Mary Belle Armajo and was a lifelong resident of the Wind River Indian Reservation. He attended Mill Creek School; Lander Valley High School from 1962 to 1966; Billings, Mont., Business College in 1966 and 1967; and Missoula Tech Center in 1973 and 1974. Executive director for the Northern Arapaho Tribal Housing from 1995 to 2001 in Ethete, he established Northern Tribal Housing in 1997; was the executive director of the Wind River Housing Authority in Fort Washakie from 1986 to 1994; occupancy specialist for WRHA from 1984 to 1986; program coordinator/manager for the Shoshone and Arapaho tribes of Fort Washakie from 1980 to 1984; certified occupancy specialist in 1984; and certified housing manager in 1989, overseeing 600 housing units and 80 employees. He enjoyed traditional dancing, Arapaho ceremonies, powwows, traveling, softball, camping, and his family and grandchildren; and had coordinated and overseen the traditional dancing performances and powwow for the last seven years at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Survivors include six children, Martin Sr. and Leona Armajo of Riverton, Marie and Alicia Armajo, Felica Brown and Rainy Ridgley, all of Ethete, and Sonny Shoyo of Fort Washakie; 13 brothers, Arleigh Armajo, Brian Groesbeck, Pat Goggles, Lydell Whiteplume and Harvey Spoonhunter and their wives, Bruce Chavez, Felix Groesbeck Jr., George Leonard, Darrell Lonebear, Bruce Groesbeck III, Floyd Hand, Chris Eaglehawk and Lynn Burnette Sr.; 18 sisters, Eva Magnan and her husband, Cara Moon, Earlene Engavo, Eunice McAdams, Sharon Addison and her husband, Ramelda Panzatanga, Jenny SunRhodes, and Kenzie Lopez, Cheryl Rouillard, Faye Brown, Eleanor Brown, Janie Brown, Karen Brown, Trina Nations and their husbands, Ardena Spoonhunter, Reva Hill and her husband, Gladys Chingman and Denise Snell; several aunts and uncles; three grandchildren; and six godchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Julian and Chester Armajo; a sister, Rosalie Armajo; and grandparents, John and Constance Shotgun, Bruce and Martha Groesbeck and George Quiver. Wind Dancer Funeral Home of Fort Washakie is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2003 Casper Star-Tribune published by Lee Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of Lee Enterprises, Incorporated. -=-=-=- March 27, 2003 Wayne Medicine Elk RAPID CITY, S.D. - Wayne Medicine Elk, Ve'kesehenahkohe "Bird Bear," passed away on March 23, 2003, in Rapid City, after a short illness. Wayne was born May 1, 1932, in Lame Deer, Mont., the son of Andrew Medicine Elk and Maggie Bearquiver. Wayne was known for his love of horses. From his early childhood till his final years he was always keen to hear good horse stories. One of his early jobs was breaking and training horses. One story is of when he was breaking a young horse it got a bit wild. He then punched the horse knocking it out. His mother saw what went on and told him that she had better not see him treat another horse that way again. Wayne later worked for and retired from the sanitation department in Rapid City. He is survived by his four children, Rose (Travis) Holliday of Billings, Dewayne (Carla) Medicine Elk of Browning, Kermit Anderson of Portland, Ore., and Beverly Medicine Elk of Pine Ridge; 16 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles also survive him. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers and sisters, Peter, Claud, Margaret, Mary, Hubert, Sally and George. Wake services were at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, at Blessed Sacrament Church in Lame Deer. Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 27, at the church. Burial will follow in the Lame Deer Cemetery. Rausch Funeral Home of The Northern Cheyenne is in charge of the arrangements. March 28, 2003 Frances (Turner) Scalpcane Frances (Turner) Scalpcane was born a twin on Jan. 5, 1937, to Allen Paul and Gladys (Bassette) Turner at Elbowoods, N.D. Frances is a member of the Dripping Dirt Clan and a child of the Knife Clan. Her parents raised her in the old Independence district. Her family later moved to Fargo, N.D. Frances attended Independence Day School, Pierre Indian School and Wahpeton Indian School. Frances was known to everyone as Sissy. She moved to Lame Deer in 1968. She was employed with the St. Labre assembly line, making plastic native dolls, and baby-sat. She met Henry Rudolph Scalpcane and they were united in marriage on March 10, 1970. They were blessed with two children, a son, Henry Otto Scalpcane, Jr., and a daughter, Mary Gladys Scalpcane. Sissy loved her children dearly. Sissy's adopted son, Walter Black Wolf of Lame Deer, was a nephew of her late husband Henry. Sissy had one grandson, Allen Charles Scalpcane, of whom she was very proud and she spent as much time as she could with him. Sissy spent many hours sewing quilts and beading. She had a great love for cats; she felt sorry for homeless cats and she would take them into her home. Sissy loved to ride horseback. She had a great love for all animals. Her beadwork was very beautiful. Sissy enjoyed a variety of music; she liked listening to rock and roll, country and gospel music. She enjoyed the gospel music the most since she gave her heart to the Lord many years ago. She would talk about the Christian way of life with her loved ones. Sissy never left home without saying a prayer first, even when she went for short walks. Prayer was the foremost foundation of her everyday life. Frances is survived by her sons, Henry (Jessie) Scalpcane, Jr., and Walter Black Wolf; one daughter, Mary Gladys Scalpcane; and one grandson, Allen Charles Scalpcane, all of Lame Deer. She is survived by three dear sisters, Primrose Morgan, Central Point, Ore., Tillie Lone Fight, Mandaree, N.D., and Rebekah Canyon, New Town, N.D.; many nieces and nephews. Frances is preceded in death by her husband, father, mother, brothers and sisters. Funeral services were held Thursday, March 27, in Mandaree. Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. -=-=-=- March 26, 2003 Kimberley Anne Keewatin Fort Qu'Appelle, SK KEEWATIN--On Saturday, March 22, 2003, Kimberley Anne Keewatin, born December 13, 1971, passed away suddenly into the spirit world. She was predeceased by her daughter Onisihkwe (Pretty Girl); maternal grandparents, Marge and Peter Dubois; paternal grandparents Harriet and Norman Keewatin. Kimberley is survived by her two special angels, Arex Joseph Keewatin and Peter Eli Cote Jr.; mother, Ellen Keewatin; father, Eugene Keewatin; sister Cammy (Jason) Wasteste and their children Tyrell and Gordie; brothers, Michael Starr and Eugene Keepness. Kim is also survived by her special aunt and uncle, Karen and Mike McIntyre and their daughters, Janet and Jennifer. Uncles, Warren Dubois, Robert Ryers and Rob Donison. Other aunts and uncles that held a special place in her heart, Gilbert (Ruth) Keewatin, Susan Wick, Percy (Brenda) Keewatin, Alma Keewatin, Norma (Bill) Koochicum, Earl (Lorraine) Keewatin, Jackie (Daryl) Bellegarde, Germaine (Lyle) Desnomie and families and also many, special cousins and friends. Kimberley had two special companions in her life. Peter Cote and Alvin Bellegarde Jr., who are the fathers of her angels. Kimberley was a very kind and gentle soul, who had a very big heart. She shared whatever she had. Our Kim is finally at rest and has found peace that surpassed all our understanding. A wake will be held March 25, 2003 at Fort Qu'Appelle Legion Hall at 4:30. Traditional ceremony at 9:30 a.m., March 26, 2003 at Legion Hall, officiated by Elder Ray Lavallee. Church service at 10:00 a.m. at United Church, 194 Bay Avenue, Fort Qu'Appelle, officiated by the Reverend George Archer. Lunch after interment at Lebret gym. March 27, 2003 Kirsten Nicole Whitecap Carry The Kettle First Nation, SK WHITECAP (WAPAHSKA)--On Tuesday, March 25, 2003, Kirsten Nicole Whitecap, born May 3, 1981, passed away suddenly into the spirit world. She was 21 years of age. Kirsten was predeceased by her maternal grand parents Samuel and Olive Whitecap; an aunt Brenda Lee Whitecap; uncles Gabriel, Rainy and Gary Whitecap; and cousin Garrett Wolfe. She is survived by her mother Corrine Whitecap; brothers, Cory, Sean, Barrett, & Jason Whitecap; sisters, Tara & Whitney Whitecap & special nieces, Chenoa and Jasmine Whitecap. Kirsten is also survived by her special parents Marvin & Darlene Jack; special grandmother Margaret Cyr & special nephew Jonathan Jack, special brothers Jeremiah & Samuel Jack & one special sister Larilee Jack. Other aunts & uncles that held a special place in Kirsten's heart, Susan & Louis Eashappie and family. Kirsten is also survived by maternal aunts, Mary, Arlete, Pat, Darlene, & Noreen Whitecap, special aunts, Betty Barter, Donna Thompson & Cherilyn Jack; uncles, Floyd, Gary, Kevin & Dale Whitecap, numerous nieces, nephews & many special cousins & friends. Kirsten was a very kind hearted, gentle person. She was always happy, fun-loving, & outgoing. Kirsten is finally at rest and has found peace that surpasses all our understanding. A wake will be held Friday, March 28th, 2003 at the Carry The Kettle Band Hall at 4:00 p.m., officiating, Bernard Jack, Beverly Kenny and Elder Vincent Ryder. The funeral service will be held in the Carry The Kettle Band Hall,Carry The Kettle First Nation, on Saturday, March 29, 2003 at 2:00 p.m. Interment in the Middle Cemetery, Carry The Kettle First Nation. March 31, 2003 Grant Cecil Daniels Regina, SK DANIELS--Grant Cecil, late of Regina, Sk. on March 28, 2003 at the age of 31 years. A Wake will be held March 31, 2003 at Peepeekisis Pesakastew School beginning at 5:00 pm. Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday April 1, at 10:00 am with Rev. Wojciech Wojtkowiak O.M.I. and Sr. Bernadette Fiest O.S. U. officiating. Interment to follow at the Mary Immaculate Parish Cemetery, Peepeekisis First Nation. The family wishes to thank the staff of the Intensive Care Unit, Pasqua Hospital for their loving care and kindness during his stay there. Copyright c. 2000-2003 Regina Leader Post Group Inc. --------- "RE: Yellow Ribbons in Tuba City" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 08:43:12 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HOPI MIA" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=62499 Yellow ribbons in Tuba City By GARY GHIOTO Sun Staff Reporter 03/26/2003 Yellow ribbons and yellow balloons are popping up all over Tuba City and the Hopi village of Lower Moencopi today as reservation communities await word about one of their own -- Pfc. Lori Anne Piestewa, a 22-year-old mother of two, apparently missing in action in Iraq. The young Hopi woman's family released a statement Tuesday night expressing "gratitude for the outpouring of love and prayers" from Hopi and Navajo communities and asking the media to respect their privacy. "We would like to thank all those individuals who have opened their hearts and arms to our family in wishing Lori a speedy and safe return home," said the family. Piestewa's unit, the 507th Maintenance Co. out of Fort Bliss, Texas, was ambushed Sunday near An Nasiriyah in southwestern Iraq. Ten to 12 soldiers from the 507th, mostly mechanics, are reported as missing or captured by the Army. "We continue, along with the Tuba City/Moencopi communities, to believe that she and her fellow service men and women will be found safe and returned to their families," said the Piestewa family statement. Members of the missing soldier's family are expected to attend a "support the troops" rally today at the Tuba City Warrior Pavilion at 6 p.m., said Myra Draper, a longtime friend of the soldier's parents, "Percy" and Terry Piestewa of Tuba City. "They're holding up really well. Right now they're focusing on getting Lori home. Their spirits are good. They are very thankful for all of the community support. People are coming out, some are dropping off food. That's what is keeping them going at this point," said Draper, who is acting as spokeswoman for the Piestewa family. Piestewa's older brother, Wayland Piestewa of Tuba City, said two Army officers visited his parents Sunday night to tell them that his sister was listed as an MIA. Piestewa said his sister, a graduate of Tuba City High School, joined the military about two years ago and was deployed about four weeks ago. She has a 4-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter, he said. Hopi Tribe spokeswoman Vanessa Charles said Lori Piestewa is from Lower Moencopi and is related to several families on the Hopi Reservation. The young soldier comes from a military family. Her father is a Vietnam veteran and her grandfather fought in World War II, Charles said . Currently 45 Hopi men and women are serving in the U.S. military. In addition to this evening's rally, dozens are expected to begin walking from the Tuba City Chapter House to Navajo Nation headquarters in Window Rock today to "show support for Lori and U.S. troops," Draper said. "Right now, the community is coming together. They are very supportive of Lori and other people from the Navajo and Hopi reservations that are serving in Iraq. Everywhere I look it's yellow balloons, yellow ribbons and yellow banners. The Tuba City community is going to paint this town yellow in support of our troops," said Draper. Hopi Tribe Chairman Wayne Taylor and Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. both expressed concern Tuesday night about the young soldier's fate. "This situation was quite unexpected and it is deeply affecting us here at Hopi. At this time, we are keeping the Piestewa family in our prayers in hopes that she and the other missing soldiers will be safely returned home to their families," said Taylor. Navajo Nation spokeswoman Deana Jackson said Shirley sent a letter to Taylor Tuesday expressing "our regards and the Nation's prayers" for Piestewa's safe return. Arizona Second District Congressman Trent Franks also sent a letter of concern to the Hopi Tribe. "My heart joins with yours tonight, as we pause to honor gallant men and women of the Hopi nation, and all of America, who at this very moment face grave and profound danger for the cause of human freedom," said Franks. Last night on the Hopi Reservation, an "Evening of Prayer and Remembrance" to honor Hopi veterans was held. "We want to remember, support and pray for our Hopi men and women in the armed forces and let their families know that they are not alone during this tense and emotional time," said Taylor. On Monday night, about 200 people attended a prayer service in Lori Piestewa's honor at St. Jude's Catholic Church in Tuba City, a community on the Navajo Reservation in northeast Arizona. Several members of the Piestewa family spoke during the two-hour gathering, encouraging people to remain hopeful, said the Rev. Godden Menard. "They encouraged everyone to pray, feeling that there was still hope that she could be found," Menard said. "That's what we're still holding on to." Wayland Piestewa said he thinks that his sister will be resilient in the Iraqi desert because she grew up in Arizona and participated in ROTC in high school. "She's a tough kid, and she keeps her head about her and her wits about her," he said. "The terrain is semiarid desert, so our hope is that she's out there staying put, staying alive and staying smart." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Photos courtesy Rosanda Suetopka Thayer and Bryon Poocha Gary Ghioto can be reached at 556-2253 or gghioto@azdailysun.com. Copyright c. 2000-2003 Arizona Daily Sun --------- "RE: Tohono O'odham Tribe Honors Tribal Servicemembers" --------- Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 08:11:15 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TOHONO O'ODHAM WARRIORS" http://www.indianz.com/ http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=1203374 Tohono O'odham Tribe Honors Tribal Servicemembers March 27, 2003 Tohono O'odham Tribal members held a ceremony to honor tribal members in the military -- past and present -- on Thursday in Sells. It was a day when tears were shed in the company of those who understood. The Tohono O'odham tribal chairman is himself a Vietnam vet. "We're very much against war," said Edward Manuel. "But we know why they have war -- because of freedom." One by one, family members lit candles for their loved ones currently in the military. About half of the 29 families have loved ones deployed in the Middle East. Royetta Thomas hasn't talked to her Marine son Jonathan for three weeks. He's hauling fuel in Kuwait. "I don't know if he's still at base or if he's in a convoy or where he's at... I just pray for his safety." But Royetta says she feels he's safe -- and a special sign tells her so. "A hawk will be sitting on the telephone pole, on the tree, or it'll fly by and that's my connection with him and then I know everything's going to be all right." Copyright c. 2000-2003 WorldNow and KOLD, a Raycom Media station. --------- "RE: Indians Historical Representation in Military" --------- Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003 19:47:12 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRADITIONALLY WARRIORS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129%257E6574%257E1282503,00.html Indians historically high representation in military March 30, 2003 PHOENIX (AP) American Indians historically have had higher enlistment rates than their proportion of the overall U.S. population, but information on female Indian veterans remains thin, experts say. "The men bring their military home with them and the women don't," said Brenda Finnicum, a retired career Army nurse and member of the Lumbee tribe. "Indian women are what I call the invisible warrior. You don't see them." She said male veterans who return to tribal communities are well- regarded and maintain a strong military identity. Indian women are less likely to talk about their military experience when they return home and haven't historically joined veterans groups, said Finnicum, who has spent five years trying to gather data on female American Indian veterans. Lee Ann Ghajar, a curator for the Women in Military Service for the American Memorial at the entrance of Arlington National Cemetery, said hard data on American Indian women in the military have been difficult to find because for decades the only two recognized categories were "white" or "black." "A lot of work hasn't been done," said Ghajar, who is assembling an exhibit on Indian women veterans that should open at the memorial in May. "There's no universal experience." The Defense Department says that as of July, 12,800 members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines were American Indian. It had no immediate information on the number of Indian women, but 2000 Census figures put the number at 1,975. Among them is Pfc. Lori Piestewa, one of the members of the Army's 507th Maintenance Company attacked by the Iraqis on Sunday. The total number of American Indians enlisted amounts to less than 1 percent of all active personnel, roughly equal to the proportion of American Indians in the U.S. population. Dawn Riggs, a history professor at San Diego State University, said American Indians historically have had a higher rate of enlistment for several reasons, including the economic opportunity afforded by military service and for some Indian tribes, the U.S. military took the place of a "warrior culture." "It's a tradition of doing this sort of thing," she said. Particularly among some tribes, like the Navajo, military service holds a place of great honor in the community. In World War II, the Navajo Code Talkers used a system based on their language to come up with a code that the Japanese could not break for allied communications. Indian women face no real cultural obstacles to joining the military either, Riggs said. "Women as leaders, women as warriors. It's not an exceptional idea. She would be honored equally," said Riggs, who noted many tribes are traditionally matrilineal. Finnicum said that certainly over the last two decades, Indian women who join the military have not been forced to break with tribal customs. "Because being a warrior is a very honored thing among most native people, it seemed like that for a lot of people, it was not such a radical departure," she said. Copyright c. 1999-2003 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM. --------- "RE: Marines a Mohawk Tradition" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 1:31 PM From: frosty@frostys.qc.ca (www.frostys.qc.ca) Subj: Marines a Mohawk tradition Newsgroup: alt.native Marines a Mohawk tradition Followed a dream. Kahnawake residents serving in Mideast - while mothers wait at home for news EILS QUINN The Gazette Wednesday, March 26, 2003 When Sharon Beauvais's son Chris followed in his father's footsteps and became a U.S. marine, it was one of the proudest days of her life, she says. But the relentless images of war are making her day-to-day life, and that of other Kahnawake Mohawk mothers with sons serving in the Iraq war, a roller-coaster of emotions. "His father was a U.S. marine, it was always Chris's dream and he's following it," Beauvais said of her 27-year-old son, a marine private first-class who joined when he was 25. "But sometimes I get so scared and the tears come down like rain." There are 17 Kahnawake residents currently serving in the U.S. military - four of them women, out of the reserve's population of about 8,000, said Mark Goodleas, president of the Royal Canadian Legion on the South - Shore reserve.. The 17 continue a long tradition of military service in the Mohawk community that dates from the U.S. civil war to Vietnam through to the present day. "It just seems to be a tradition - my father joined, my brother joined, I joined. If you have a family member in the military the attitude seems to be 'Let's do it,' " Goodleas said. Two of Yvonne Harmon's three sons joined the marines. Joshua, 18, a private first-class in charge of helicopter maintenance, is stationed in Jacksonville, N. C. Hunter, 22, a lance corporal in charge of distributing ammunition, was in Kuwait the last time she spoke to him Feb. 3. He told his mother he couldn't tell her what camp he was in, Harmon said. He might have moved to Iraq, she said. Her days that were once filled with shopping, visiting and craft lessons are now spent in front of the TV, watching Fox or CNN. "Not knowing where they are is the hardest. I don't know if I should be watching all this TV. There's fear when I turn it on about what I might see. But there's also hope - that I might see Hunter," Harmon said. But mothers are trying to help each other cope. Harmon is one of five mothers who met on a Mohawk current events show about marine parents and have formed a support group to get them through the Iraq war - tentatively called MOMs (Mothers of Marines). They had their first meeting Monday night and plan to meet every Monday until the conflict is over. "We started out telling stories about our sons. We were laughing. It felt good," said Heather Bauersfeld, whose son Jay, 20, is part of a supply battalion that receives and distributes inventory to troops. The last time he called her was from a camp in Kuwait at the beginning of February. The group hopes it will grow to include anyone with a relative in the military. In the meantime, the mothers are doing what the can to get by. "I write him a letter every day and will do so the until the day he comes home," Harmon said. "It's the only time I don't feel guilty about being away from the TV. "And I think I'll take up quilting. That way I can do something for him while I'm watching TV and have something to give him when he comes back." equinn@thegazette.canwest.co Copyright c. 2003 Montreal Gazette. --------- "RE: ALEXIE: U.S. conveniently forgets its own Tyranny" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 08:43:12 -0600 ^@From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TYRANNY" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/opinion/5479624.htm U.S. conveniently forgets its own tyranny By Sherman Alexie KNIGHT RIDDER TRIBUNE Wed, Mar. 26, 2003 I addressed a peace rally last month in Seattle, and I tried to use humor, irony and satire to poke holes in President Bush's flimsy case for war. My remarks brought me insults: moronic, starry-eyed, absurd, banal, a contradictory boob - and those were all from one journalist. Other people took issue with the fact that I mentioned my being a Native American as a reason for opposing the war. But I am intimately familiar with the long history of American lies in times of war and peace. The executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government have broken almost every treaty signed with every Native-American tribe. So I find it ironic that the United States has gone to war with Iraq because it keeps breaking treaties. 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 endeavored 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." But since Jefferson's time, Native Americans have not only become loyal patriots, they've also served in the armed services in high numbers. According to the fall 1995 issue of the journal 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 bulletin stated. More than 12,000 Native Americans served in World War I, despite the fact that they weren't yet official citizens of the country. More than 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. But I'm sure many Native Americans are fighting this time around, too. I was hoping the United States would 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 probably last a few weeks, dozens of U.S. soldiers will be wounded or killed in action, thousands of Iraqis will die and Saddam Hussein will be dead, exiled or disappeared. And as a result, Islamic terrorist groups 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. The greatness of our country should not be 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. I wish I could say the same about our president. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sherman Alexie is an award-winning author, poet, stand-up comedian and screenwriter. He is a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian who lives in Seattle. Contact him at Progressive Media Project, 409 E. Main St., Madison, Wis. 53703; Web site: www.progressive.org. Copyright c. 2003 Tallahassee Democrat and wire service sources. --------- "RE: WMAT receives $5 Million in Loans" --------- Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 08:16:56 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.silverbelt.com/display/inn_moccasin/Moc1.txt WMAT receives $5 million in loans Apache Moccasin March 27, 2003 In a ceremony on March 21 in Whiteriver on the Fort Apache Reservation (White Mountain Apache Tribe), Governor Janet Napolitano and Water Infrastructure Finance Authority Board Chairman Steve Owens announced the historic approval of $5 million in infrastructure loans to the WMAT Housing Authority to support construction of 300 new housing units. The Ft. Apache Reservation is located in portions of Navajo, Gila and Apache counties and consists of approximately 1.6 million acres of land. Tribal membership is nearly 14,000 persons by the 2000 census. Principal industries in the area include the Hon Dah Resort Casino and Conference Center, Fort Apache Timber Company and the Sunrise Ski Resort. The loans, $3 million for drinking water improvements and $2 million for wastewater improvements, represent the first time a tribe has obtained a loan through the state's revolving funds. It is also the first tribal revolving fund loan in the United States. These loans will provide water and wastewater infrastructure for the $25 million WMAT Housing Authority's Apache Dawn housing project. The Apache Dawn project is financed by the first tribal bond issue in America for housing. The housing project responds to the housing shortage on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, which presently has the third highest overcrowding rate among 21 Arizona tribes. Once built, the water and wastewater treatment facilities will be operated by the White Mountain Apache Utility Authority in coordination with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Services. Copyright c. 2003 Arizona Silver Belt. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Colville Language program begins at Skilskin" --------- Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 08:16:56 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="COLVILLE LANGUAGE CLASSES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.zwire.com/site/news Language program begins at Skilskin By: Stephen Mercer March 26, 2003 Karen Condon, of the Colville Language Preservation Program, said that Ernie Brooks, who teaches the program, has been told that since he's not a fluent speaker of the language that he should not teach the program. Omak, Keller and Inchelium have accepted the programs, she said, so why is it having problems here? Brooks declined to tell the school board who told him that he should not teach. Besides discussing their concerns about criticism, Condon and Brooks were at the Grand Coulee Dam School Board meeting to talk about the program that allows Brooks to teach at the alternative high school. The First Peoples' Language and Culture Certification Pilot Program was approved on Jan. 24 by the Colville Tribal Business Council, who also approved Brooks' state-recognized certification. The CTBC must also submit a report to the state board of education about the project's impact on students. Brooks will earn a teacher's wage through federal funds that finance the program. Condon agrees with the process, which gives the Tribes the ability to decide who teaches the program. "We're the ones with the expertise," she said. There are six students taking the program at Skilskin right now, Brooks said, and the program is open to anyone, not just Native Americans. The program's designed to encourage Native American proficiency to the same degree as any other foreign language, he said. The program gives tribes more direct access to the state's education system. They deal directly with the state board of education, rather than the Educational Service District in Wenatchee, she said. That relationship was established in the state's 1989 Centennial Accord. The 1990 federal Native American Languages Act serves as a national precedent to allow for the teaching of the program. Brooks said he would eventually like to teach at Lake Roosevelt High School, which currently serves a student population that is 52 percent American Indian. He said he talked to school board Director Randy Friedlander, who was not at the meeting, about some possible grants for bi-lingual education that could help pay for the program. Brooks said he knows the district's budget makes it hard to hire him at the school, but the grants could make it possible. The credits could also be transferred to universities and colleges to satisfy the required two years of a foreign language in high school for entrance. The state's First Peoples' Language/Culture teacher certification pilot program began in Feb. 2003 and will continue through the 2005-06 school year. Then the program will be extended, modified or made permanent, as determined by the state Board of Education in consultation with the participating sovereign tribal governments. Copyright c. 2003 The Star of Grand Coulee. --------- "RE: Southern Utes want to revamp Health Care Services" --------- Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 08:49:03 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SOUTHERN UTE HEALTH CARE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article Southern Ute Indian Tribe wants to revamp health care services March 17, 2003 By Brian Newsome Herald Staff Writer IGNACIO - The Southern Ute Indian Tribe is pursuing a plan to take over its health services from the federal government, which could mean improved health care for tribal members. The tribe's intentions to revamp its health services come after years of planning and discussion, and a steady stream of complaints about health care from tribal members. Tribal lawyers are investigating the legal aspects of the proposal, but changing from federal administration to tribal administration could take a year or longer. "This is a very positive step forward," said Sage Remington, a self- appointed member of the Tribal Member Benefits Committee. The benefits committee helped devise the plan to pursue a tribal administration of health services. In 1975, President Nixon signed the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, which allows Indian tribes to contract with the federal government to operate their own services with federal money. The Southern Ute tribe has used the law to create what are called 638 contracts, to create its own police department, court system and social- service programs. When a tribe takes over a government service, it can tailor the service to fit its members' needs. The Southern Ute tribe has added its own money to its existing 638 programs to create higher levels of service. For example, the tribe was able to build a state-of-the-art justice center for its courts and police station. Tribal and federal officials agree that the Southern Utes have improved the services the tribe has taken over. The Tribal Council will decide whether it will add its own money to the health service if it takes it over. While the council has approved a draft contract to pursue a 638 agreement, it can back out if it determines the switch would be too costly or too problematic, said Sam W. Maynes, a tribal lawyer with Maynes, Bradford, Shipps & Sheftel. Taking control "This is probably the best move they've finally decided to make," said Ric Jefferson, a former tribal councilor and the executive director of the Southern Ute Community Action Program. SUCAP oversees Peaceful Spirit, an alcohol-treatment program, and Early Head Start, which both operate under 638 contracts. Jefferson said the tribe can more efficiently address those tribal members needs by operating the services on its own. Nina Desbien is the chief executive officer of the Southern Colorado Ute Service Unit, the regional office of the Indian Health Service that pays for Southern Ute health services. She said taking over medical services from the government "can be very effective." "It can certainly have benefits by offering tribes the ability to run programs exactly as they want them run," Desbien said. About 60 percent of the nation's Indian tribes have taken over their health services, she said. Some have been successful and others have not. If the tribe takes charge of the service, federal employees would either lose their jobs or be retained as tribal employees. The tribe could also offer agreements that would allow retained employees to keep their federal benefits. Money and medicine The Indian Health Service, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides the money for medical care on American Indian reservations. And that money is scarce. The IHS has a $2 billion national budget - less than half of what it says it needs. "The need is for a $7 billion budget to bring our health care up to the level of all other Americans," Desbien said. The Southern Ute tribe gets $550,000 a year to cover medical costs that go beyond the scope of the tribe's outpatient clinic in Ignacio. That money is set aside to cover referrals, specialized care and emergencies. IHS services are available for all American Indians, and even non-Indian women who may be pregnant with an Indian child. Of almost 2,700 patients seen by the Southern Ute Health Center in the last three years, only 1,289 were Southern Ute tribal members. Jefferson said he quit going to the Southern Ute Health Center for his medical care several years ago because he was dissatisfied with the service. The IHS uses a priority system to decide who gets access to the limited funding. "(You've got to) almost be on your death bed," Jefferson said about making it onto the center's priority list. Or, "You wait for an hour and a half to see the doctor, and he gives you Ibuprofen." Remington said tribal members complain of long delays to see doctors or receive treatment. Stanley Frost, a tribal elder, said he has been pleased with the services provided by the IHS. Even so, he said there might be room for improvement. The tribe, for example, should have more choices when hiring doctors, he said. Helping tribal members with medical costs and providing more responsive health care is important. But Frost, a former health-service coordinator for the tribe, warns that complex federal regulations inevitably lead to complications, and the tribe should proceed slowly before taking over administration of health care. "There's a lot more work that's got to be done," he said. Reach Staff Writer Brian Newsome at brian@durangoherald.com Copyright c. 2002 the Durango Herald. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Southern Utes help Members pay for Medical Care" --------- Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 08:49:03 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SO. UTE MED. CARE HELP" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article Southern Ute Indian Tribe helps members pay for medical care March 17, 2003 IGNACIO - The Southern Ute Indian Tribe is injecting money into its federally run health service to help tribal members pay for medical care when the federal government falls short. The tribe has established a pool of money - tribal officials are not disclosing how much - that will help tribal members pay for health expenses not covered by the Indian Health Service. Using tribal money on health care is a first step in a more ambitious plan to take over the health service from the federal government. The Southern Ute Health Center is managed and paid for by the Indian Health Service, a branch of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. IHS provides an outpatient clinic in Ignacio for tribal members and other American Indians. The federal agency also pays $550,000 a year for referrals, specialized treatment and emergencies. But costly medical treatment can quickly use up that money, said Nina Desbien, chief executive officer of the Southern Colorado Ute Service Unit, the local IHS agency. Because there is not enough money for everyone, IHS manages a priority list that determines which patients get assistance. The tribe's injection of funds is designed to pay for members who can't get assistance from the IHS. The pool also pays for tribal members who don't live in the Four Corners and don't have access to IHS clinics or services. The tribe investigated providing private health insurance for all tribal members. Tribal members employed with the tribe already receive insurance benefits. Adding non-employee tribal members, however, would cost $4 million a year, not including vision and dental coverage. The tribe established the Health Services Resource Pool in September. People are referred to the pool by the IHS, and an administrator evaluates their cases. People who opt not to use the federal service are not eligible to use the money to pay copays or deductibles on private insurance claims. Reach Staff Writer Brian Newsome at brian@durangoherald.com Copyright c. 2002 the Durango Herald. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Advocates seek boost for Indian Country Roads" --------- Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 08:11:15 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="REZ ROADS" http://www.indianz.com/News/show.asp?ID=2003/03/28/roads Advocates seek boost for Indian Country roads FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2003 With Congress set to rewrite a major federal transportation bill, Indian Country advocates are lobbying for more funds to repair some of of the worst roads and bridges in the United States. Of the 55,000 miles of highways that run through tribal lands, more than half are unpaved, according to federal statistics. And of the nearly 750 bridges, about a quarter are deficient. Improving this situation requires more dollars, according to tribal leaders. "Indian people," said Navajo Nation council delegate Andrew Simpson at a hearing last October, "need better roads to reach a better future." Tribes depend on the Indian Reservation Road (IRR) program, which is funded by a small portion of a federal highway trust fund. But the amount is low -- only $238 million, or less than 1 percent of the entire fund, is available for the current year. To combat the problem, members of Congress are pushing their initiatives. A bipartisan group of 31 lawmakers in the House, led by Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), the ranking member of the committee with jurisdiction over Indian issues, is calling for sweeping changes in the IRR program. "The fact of the matter is that today, the existing Indian Reservation Road Program is woefully inadequate," the lawmakers said on Wednesday in a letter to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. On the Senate side, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) is also calling for improvements. "Roads that cut through Indian reservations are in horrendous condition," he said yesterday. "The condition of these roads threatens the safety of anyone who uses them, but especially those who have to use them to get to work or school each day." The House members are asking for an initial $500 million investment to the IRR program, with annual increases. Bingaman, through his Tribal Transportation Program Improvement Act of 2003, S.725, seeks about the same amount of money -- $2.775 billion over the next five years. The creation of a new program for bridges is a common them in both proposals. Rahall's group seeks a $50 million annual investment while Bingaman's bill would authorize $15 million a year. Bingaman also wants to establish a Tribal Transportation Safety Program to improve safety on Indian roads. His bill would fund the six-year initiative with $120 million. Tribal public transit would be supported under a new Indian Reservation Rural Transit Program, funded at $20 million a year. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), considered in many circles to be an advocate for Indian Country, chairs the committee in charge of the rewriting the Transportation Equity Act (TEA). According to The Hill, a Washington, D.C., publication covering Congress, he is coming under fire for seeking $375 billion, 70 percent higher than the amount authorized by the 1998 rewrite. To help pay for it, he proposed an increase in gasoline taxes. The paper also reported that Young, whose wife is Alaska Native, has taken jabs for naming the bill TEA-LU after his wife, Lula. Lula and Don Young have supported Alaska Native causes. Copyright c. 2000-2003 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Lumbees hope for Resolution of Federal Status" --------- Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 08:55:24 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LUMBEE" http://www.indianz.com/News/show.asp?ID=2003/03/19/lumbee Lumbee Tribe hopes for resolution of federal status WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2003 In 1888, 45 Lumbee ancestors asked the United States government for federal recognition. The tribe has been waiting for an answer ever since. But with a key opponent out of the way and a prominent new advocate on their side, today's 50,000 Lumbees hope their long-delayed dream will finally become reality. Efforts to recognize the tribe through Congressional means have picked up steam in recent months and could culminate in the passage of a bill this year. "We want no less than any other tribe in this country," said first-time chairman Milton Hunt on Native America Calling yesterday. If recognized, the Lumbee Tribe will be one of the largest the nation. Millions of dollars in housing, education, health and other federal benefits would flow to the tribe's traditional territory in eastern North Carolina. For the first time in history, all members of the state's Congressional delegation are firmly behind the tribe. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R), a former Cabinet member, and Rep. Mike McIntyre (D) have introduced measures in the Senate and House, respectively, to recognize the tribe. "She's committed to making this happen," said Mary Brown Brewer, Dole's communications director. "You've got some commitment that maybe hasn't been there in the past." The legislation is necessary because the tribe is blocked from seeking recognition through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. A federal law passed during the height of the termination area of the 1950s leaves the tribe in limbo, said Arlinda Locklear, a prominent Indian law scholar and tribal member. "That termination language means the tribe is not eligible for the Bureau of Indian Affairs administrative process," she said on the radio program. Past administrations and ex-Sen. Jesse Helms (R) were obstacles to full recognition of the tribe. Helms retired from the Senate. The Bush Department of Interior doesn't have a comment about the legislation yet. There are lingering doubts about the tribe's eligibility. Critics say the Lumbee lack a language and discernible Indian culture. Tribal members acknowledge the first complaint but note that most Eastern tribes, due to early and sustained contact with European immigrants, are often in the same boat. And tribes in the West face the same problem too. But they dismiss talk that the Lumbee people are not Indian. Citing a tight-knit community, Milton said there is no doubt of the tribe's legitimacy. "How are you supposed to look to be an Indian?" he asked. "It's just an excuse people are using not to support us." Dole's first act as a member of the Senate was to introduce the Lumbee Acknowledgment Act of 2003. She has been lobbying Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) to hold a hearing. Campbell chairs the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. On the House side, the House Resources Committee would review the bill. So far, neither panel has scheduled hearings. Paul Moorehead, the Republican staff director on the Indian Affairs Committee, has told tribal leaders that any bill that stands a chance of becoming law in the next two years has to clear the floor by the summer. Otherwise, it will be lost in the upcoming 2004 election cycle, he said. Copyright C. 2000-2003 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Lumbee Advocate remembers Struggles" --------- Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003 19:47:12 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LUMBEE STRUGGLES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.news-record.com/news/local/gso/lonnie30.htm Lumbee advocate remembers struggles March 30, 2003 By STAN SWOFFORD, Staff Writer News & Record GREENSBORO -- It's been 45 years, but Ruth Revels still hears the whine of the bullets and remembers her fear and pride as she listened to her husband Lonnie help rout the Ku Klux Klan from Robeson County. Lonnie Revels also remembers the gunshots and screams, but mostly he remembers how good it felt to be one of about 1,000 Lumbee Indians who decided that night, Jan 18, 1958, to take a stand against the bigotry that had plagued the Lumbees for centuries. That was a turning point in the history of the Lumbee people, Lonnie Revels said. "It showed we're a proud people with a proud heritage who would fight when we were wronged." It was also a turning point in Lonnie Revels' life. Revels, 67, has been fighting for the state's 50,000 Lumbees ever since. He's pushed for economic development and educational opportunities for Lumbees as a member and former chairman of the N.C. Commission on Indian Affairs; helped ease the transition from farm to city for thousands of Lumbees while serving on the Guilford Native American Association, which he helped organize with his wife Ruth; and, through his contacts in the state Republican Party, fought to increase the number of Native Americans on boards and commissions throughout the state. Revels helped the Lumbees establish tribal government and a tribal constitution. And if all goes well this year he just might realize his major dream -- full federal recognition of the tribe. The thousands who know him hope so, not only for the Lumbee tribe but for Revels, who is fighting another formidable foe -- cancer. The Lumbee tribe is the largest east of the Mississippi River that is not fully recognized by the federal government. This prevents the Lumbees from qualifying for badly needed benefits such as tuition aid, economic incentives and health care. It also robs them of their self-esteem, Revels said, by questioning their identity and heritage. Congress threw the tribe a crumb in 1956 by acknowledging that the Lumbees are American Indians, but denied them the privileges enjoyed by federally recognized tribes, such as the Cherokee. The Lumbees have lived with an uncertain but intriguing identity for hundreds of years. Many believe their ancestors may include the 117 English inhabitants of the Lost Colony, Sir Walter Raleigh's settlement at Roanoke Island, who disappeared about 1590 after their leader, Capt. John White, sailed to England for supplies. In the 1730s, Scottish settlers found a large group of English-speaking Indians living in Robeson County. Some had blue eyes; some gray. Some had surnames similar to those listed on the roster of White's colony. In 1885, the General Assembly chose a name for the Indians of Robeson, "Croatan," the word White found carved on a tree when he returned to his deserted settlement. There was controversy over the name, however, and some called them Eastern Cherokee -- but that name didn't seem to fit, either. Finally, the Indians chose Lumbee, their name for the Lumber River that flows through their land. The state accepted the name in 1953. Revels, testifying before a congressional committee in 1994, noted that his grandfather in 1887 signed a petition calling for recognition of the Lumbees. "I hope my grandson doesn't have to wait almost a hundred years," he told the committee. Revels' grandson would not have to wait much longer if legislation favored by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole and U.S. Rep. Howard Coble of Greensboro is enacted. In past years, similar bills that would have recognized the Lumbees were stymied in the Senate by former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, who argued that recognition would be too costly. Helms said Lumbee recognition would cost as much as $100 million a year and require a huge bureaucracy. Leaders of the Cherokee, the only federally recognized tribe in North Carolina, echo Helms' argument. They fear that the Lumbees would siphon money now earmarked for the Cherokee and other recognized tribes. But Lumbee leaders, including Revels, minimize the importance of federal aid, even though Robeson is one of the poorest counties in the state. "The issue is not money, but dignity," he declared. Maintaining dignity has been difficult for Lumbees in Robeson County, home for most of the tribe. That was especially true during the 1940s and 1950s, Revels' boyhood years. Revels is an instinctively friendly and good-natured man with a smile he flashes often, even through the discomfort of his illness. But the pain in his brown eyes stemmed from memories, not sickness, as he talked about "growing up Lumbee" in Robeson County. Lumbees were not just second-class citizens, he said, they were third- class. "We had three-way segregation -- white, black and Indian. There were three entrances to the movie theater, and six bathrooms. There were three different water fountains and three waiting rooms at the bus station. " Eating in a restaurant with whites was out of the question. "They handed it to you out back and you took it with you. We had fast food before anybody else," Revels joked. The county and its five towns had 15 school systems, even though Robeson was one of the poorest counties in the state. "Three school buses went by the house every day. We called them the black bus, the white bus and the Indian bus. But they all looked yellow to me." Revels' father and mother, farmers like almost all Lumbees in Robeson County, encouraged him and his five sisters to go to college. Somehow, they scraped enough money together to send him to Mars Hill College, which he attended for two years before transferring to Wake Forest, where he earned a degree in political science in 1958. That was also the year he fought the Klan. Revels was 22 and a member of the Wake Forest wrestling team when folks back home sent word that the Klan was coming to Robeson. "It seems that they objected to an Indian woman marrying a white man," Revels said. "They said it was going to mongrelize the white race, and they were going to teach us a lesson." Indian leaders spread the word to defend their community. Revels, along with hundreds of other Lumbees, responded -- many of them armed with shotguns, rifles and pistols. They gathered on a hill overlooking a few dozen armed Klansmen and their families who stood around a cross and a flatbed truck with a generator. The generator powered lights and a record player and amplifier that blared "Onward Christian Soldiers." Radio and television news crews and photographers stood at the ready. They didn't have to wait long. The Indians moved in, whooping and firing their guns in the air, as Klan leader James "Catfish" Cole started to speak. A Life magazine photo shows young Revels watching as armed Lumbees wrest the microphone from Cole. It was over in minutes, although Ruth Revels, who was listening to the melee live over the radio, thought it was forever. No one was seriously injured, although one or two people were nicked by ricocheting shotgun pellets. "We cut their tires and took their guns," Revels said, still grinning happily at the 45-year-old memory. Sheriff's deputies arrived after the shooting stopped. They took one look at the armed Indians and arrested Cole, for inciting a riot. "I think we all learned something about power and respect that night," Revels said. "Sometimes you just have to take a stand." Revels joined the Army after graduating from Wake Forest and became a member of the 82nd Airborne's elite Special Forces, helping train units that served in Vietnam. After his discharge, he became a salesman for Ditto Inc., a business machine company, and became its national salesman of the year. He was promoted and transferred to Guilford County as the company's branch manager. In 1965, he started his own printing firm, now called Arrowhead Graphics, which his son Bill manages. His daughter, Jennifer, works as a consultant in American Indian cultural arts. Revels said he decided to act on the lesson he learned from fighting the Klan. He and Ruth Revels began fighting for the thousands of Lumbees in Guilford County through the organization they established, the Guilford County Native American Association. Revels didn't confine his efforts to Lumbees, though. He spent many hours organizing Little League baseball and football teams for hundreds of underprivileged children of all races, and raising money for uniforms and equipment. In 1983, after a series of razor-thin political losses, Revels won a seat on the Greensboro City Council, where he served for two terms. Last October, the council named the baseball field at Fairbanks Street and Glenwood Avenue in his honor. It's the field where he often worked with young players. The council also voted to name a section of Freeman Mill Road from Spring Garden Street to Florida Avenue the "Lonnie Revels Greenway." Revels was instrumental in securing improvements to the road, which is now a key gateway to the city. Council members lauded Revels that day as someone who believes "everybody should have a seat at the table." Former council member Earl Jones called him a "warrior, in the same sense as Geronimo and Sitting Bull." Ray Oxendine just calls him a friend. They were best buddies growing up. Oxendine visits Revels often and stays with him during the day when Ruth is unable to be there. Oxendine is a former high school principal, and like Revels, a former wrestler. As a Lumbee, Oxendine understands Revels' desire for federal recognition for Lumbees. But he says Revels doesn't need it. He established his identity long ago. "Everyone who knows Lonnie knows his whole life has been dedicated to helping other people," Oxendine said. "That's who he is. That's Lonnie Revels." Contact Stan Swofford at 373-7351 or sswofford@news-record.com Copyright c. 2003 News & Record/Greensboro, NC. --------- "RE: Tribes hope to restore Tax on BNSF" --------- Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 08:13:42 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RAIL IMPACT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2003/03/20/ Tribes hope to restore tax on BNSF By LORNA THACKERAY Of The Gazette Staff March 20, 2003 Montana's Fort Peck Tribes may be able to start taxing Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad again, if their attorneys can demonstrate that trains that cross 80 miles of the reservation threaten their health or welfare. It's a long shot, but a ruling this week by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals gives the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes a chance to show that they should have regulatory authority over the railroad, including the power to tax. The 4 percent tax, which the railroad stopped paying after 2000, resulted in a loss of $1.3 million in revenue for the tribe, said Mervyn Shields, director of the Fort Peck tax department. The entire tribal budget for that year was about $9 million. 2nd chance "This is good news for us," Shield said. "It gives us another chance." But BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas was skeptical. "The 9th Circuit has ruled in favor of BNSF on three of the four arguments made by the tribes and returned the remaining issue to the lower court for additional information to be developed," he said. "We believe our position concerning the tribe's taxing jurisdiction is correct and will be supported by the court's review of the additional information." In this week's ruling, the three-judge Circuit Court panel affirmed most of a 2001 District Court decision that rejected the tribes' argument that it had authority to impose the tax. But the judges determined that Senior U.S. District Judge Jack Shanstrom had issued a summary judgment in favor of the railroad prematurely. The tribes should have been given time for "discovery" -- to gather information from the railroad and other sources to back their assertion that the railroad presents a health and safety threat. No wholesale The judges vacated Shanstrom's summary judgment order and remanded the case to Billings for further proceedings. The ruling said that its intent isn't to require "wholesale" discovery and allows Shanstrom to tailor a limited discovery plan. Recent Supreme Court rulings have severely limited tribal authority to tax or regulate non-Indians on fee lands within reservation boundaries. Fee lands on reservations are those that non-Indians purchased decades ago from individual tribal members. In a string of decisions, the Supreme Court also determined that federally granted rights of way should be treated as fee lands. BNSF rights of way through the reservation were granted by Congress in 1887. Similar grants were made to BNSF predecessors on the Blackfeet and Crow reservations, where tribes have also made unsuccessful attempts at taxation. The 9th Circuit had previously ruled in favor of the Blackfeet tax, but reversed itself in 2000 to conform with the Supreme Court decisions. Basically, without specific authorization from Congress through statute or treaty, Indian tribes lack civil authority over the conduct of non- tribal members on fee lands. The only exceptions to that rule are if the tribe and nonmember have entered into a consensual agreement or if the non-member's activity affected the political integrity, the economic security or the health and welfare of the tribe. In his summary-judgment ruling, Shanstrom said the tribe could not establish that a consensual agreement existed between the tribes and the railroad or that the railroad presented any threat to the tribes. The 9th Circuit agreed for the most part. But said that the tribes should have been permitted more time to determine if the railroad's activities presented a threat. The judges noted that, in 2000, more than 1,695 freight cars crossed the reservation each day. "The tribes are aware that hazardous materials are carried on BNSF's cars because BNSF has asked the tribes to work with the company on emergency contingency plans," their ruling said. "The tribes know of derailment incidents and, in their own words, 'have gathered evidence of numerous fires and accidents with attendant property damage and sometimes fatalities.' " The tribes are entitled to discovery of the railroad's own files to make a complete record, the judges wrote. Once they've gathered the information, the tribes can then go before Shanstrom and try to convince him that the threat is serious enough to warrant tribal authority over the railroad. Lorna Thackeray can be reached 657-1314 or at lthackeray@billingsgazette.com. Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Native Trust Report: Both Sides leery of Data" --------- Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 08:16:56 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRUST REPORT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.journalstar.com/native.php?story_id=34594 Native trust report makes both sides leery of data BY TED MONOSON / Lee Newspapers March 27, 2003 WASHINGTON -- Legislators are leery about providing more money to uncover how much the Interior Department owes Native tribes after a report that cost $20 million found that five tribes are owed $60.94. The report, which the Interior Department paid accounting firm Ernst & Young to produce, aims to learn how much the department owes five lead plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit claiming the department lost billions in Native trust-fund money. Ernst & Young accountants reviewed 162,000 documents and 2,900 transactions that dated to 1915. "Congress and taxpayers are going to rapidly tire of throwing money at what appears to be an endless task," said Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont. "What needs to happen is the parties need to get together, sit down and settle this thing once and for all. I would also like to see as a part of the settlement an accounting system that prevents us from going down this road again." Elouise Cobell, a Blackfoot from Montana who is the lead plaintiff in the case, dismissed the report. She and other plaintiffs say the department cannot account for between $10 billion and $135 billion it collected from those who lease Native lands for grazing, farming, mining, logging, and oil and gas drilling. Cobell said the report is meaningless because accountants based it on documents that the Interior Department has testified are flawed. Interior officials have testified that 75 percent of the leases on Native lands were not recorded properly in department records. "They only looked at the records that the Interior Department gave them, "Cobell said. "If there is anyone who believes this report, then I have some beads that I want to trade them for some property." Bureau of Indian Affairs spokesman Dan DuBray said the report is not a reflection on the total amount owed to Natives. "We are not saying you can take the total for these five and multiply by the number of Indians who are owed money," Dubray said. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., questioned whether it was even an accurate accounting for the five plaintiffs. "Boiling down 162,000 documents spanning almost 90 years and coming up with $60 and some change is surreal," Rehberg said. "I am skeptical of the report and the amount." Cobell was glad to hear Burns, chairman of the panel that has jurisdiction over Interior Department spending, did not want to provide the agency with more money. The administration requested $554 million in the 2004 budget to resolve problems with thousands of accounts in the Native trust fund. That is an increase of $183.3 million more than the $370.2 million set aside in 2003 to fix the troubled accounts. The increase represents the lion's share of the $400 million, or 4 percent, increase the Interior Department has requested for 2004. Interior Department officials say the funding increase would represent a "down payment" needed to implement a five-year, $335 million plan to provide the full accounting of how much is owed to Native account-holders. Cobell and the other plaintiffs say the government plan would shortchange the Native trustees and have proposed another plan. Copyright c. 2003, Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Construction disrupts Burial Sites" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 08:43:12 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DESECRATION" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canada.com/search/story Construction disrupts burial sites James Clarke Special to the Times Colonist Tuesday, March 25, 2003 QUALICUM BEACH - Workers under contract to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have disturbed at least five aboriginal burial sites at a well- known archaeological site at Deep Bay, north of Bowser. No archaeological-impact assessment was done, and no archaeological permit was secured before work began to expand a parking lot on Highways Ministry right-of-way easement land leased by the Harbour Authority of Deep Bay from the DFO. "It's one of the more important and better known sites on Vancouver Island," said Terry Clark, head archaeologist for I.R. Wilson Consulting Ltd., who is overseeing the team called in after the first signs of the remains were unearthed March 11 behind Ship Shore Marine. The Qualicum band has filed a request to Oceanside RCMP calling for an investigation into a breach of the provincial Heritage Conservation Act. Kim Recalma-Clutesi, the band's chief councillor, pointed out while the DFO has been quick to respond to her concerns, "I am extremely upset and saddened with what's happening, but culturally, I'm not allowed to fight over ancestral bones." Steven Acheson, an archaeologist with the provincial Archaeological Planning and Assessment, said his office was first contacted March 12. An application for a permit was dated March 13 and issued four days later. It authorizes the recovery of the remains. Planning for the project began 18 months ago. John Lauder, the project engineer in charge of the Deep Bay construction for Fisheries and Oceans, refused comment Monday. Susan Steele, regional director for Small Craft Harbours in Vancouver, a division of DFO said "Because of the sensitivity of the issue we stopped work on the project completely and have not restarted work to date. We're reviewing the situation and we're in discussions with the Qualicum First Nation to (see) where we go next." Asked about the absence of an archaeological assessment permit, Steele said "Well, not being from the area, we were unaware that it was of such significant interest, and that's all I can say on that at this point." The remains have been identified as chieftains dating back at least 1,600 years. Clark said that all the remains found were of persons of high status. Copyright c. 2003 Times Colonist (Victoria). --------- "RE: Dissident Mohawk Chiefs extend Blockade of Road" --------- Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 08:19:24 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BLOCKADE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.Oka-Blockade.html Dissident Mohawk chiefs extend blockade of road near Oka., Que. March 31, 2003 KANESATAKE, Que. (CP) -- Dissident Mohawk chiefs upset over a policing deal blocked a major road on Monday near this settlement northwest of Montreal. The protesters had been blocking only one lane of Highway 344 since last Friday, but they extended the blockade later Monday, saying federal governments officials refused to speak with them. All traffic was turned back on Monday, other than school buses, emergency vehicles and local traffic. Federal officials later invited six band council members to a meeting with federal and Quebec bureaucrats, provided they first dismantle the barricades. The protesters are upset that Grand Chief James Gabriel negotiated a policing deal with Ottawa without consulting the band council. The deal ensures the current Kanesatake police force remains in place, staffed by Mohawk, Cree and Mi'kmaq officers. But the dissident chiefs -- Steven Bonspille, Pearl Bonspille and John Harding -- are demanding all police officers who patrol the reserve be Mohawks, and they want a say in the policing budget. They also want to renegotiate a number of other deals, including education and social- service agreements. The blockade was the latest manifestation of a power struggle within the six-member band council. The seventh seat, which could break the deadlock, has been vacant since the death of chief Crawford Gabriel last year. James Gabriel said he has tried to call a by election to fill the seat but has been blocked by opposition chiefs afraid of losing power. Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault called on both sides to organize a by election. "There needs to be an agreement that people have to work together," Nault said. "Setting up blockades is not going to change the dynamics of the council and/or the issues within the community." Gabriel warned that Kanesatake police officers were ready to break up the blockade, which he called an illegal act. The blockade is the latest incident in the continuing governance problems in the Mohawk community that was at the heart of the 1990 Oka standoff. In July 1990, a dispute over a golf course on the reserve triggered a 78-day standoff with armed Mohawk militants. One Quebec provincial police officer was killed during the dispute, which saw armed Mohawks square off against police and Canadian soldiers. (CP-Montreal Gazette) Copyright c. 2003, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc. --------- "RE: ACLU Suit forces changes in Wagner School Voting" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 08:43:12 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.yankton.net/stories/032603/new_20030326001.shtml ACLU Suit Forces Changes In Wagner School Voting By BERNARD McGHEE Associated Press Writer March 26, 2003 SIOUX FALLS - An American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit that claimed elections for the Wagner School Board alienated American Indian voters has been settled. The suit, filed just over a year ago, said the practice of electing board members from the district as a whole instead of from areas within the district diluted the Indian vote. Wagner is 100 miles southwest of Sioux Falls near the Missouri River. According to the ACLU, which filed the federal suit on behalf of three Indian members of the community, the voting system prevented Indians from holding even a single seat on the seven-member board even though they are 42 percent of the district's population of 3,900. Indians have been elected to the Wagner school board in the past. Under the settlement, the district will switch to a cumulative voting system, said Bryan Sells, a staff attorney for the ACLU's Voting Rights Project. It means patrons can cast as many votes as there are seats up for election, Sells said. And voters can use their votes however they want to. For example, if there were three seats up for election, a person could mark the ballot for three different candidates or give all three of their votes to one candidate. "We're extremely pleased," Sells said Tuesday in an interview. "We think that the school board did the right thing by settling this. We think it's a settlement that's good for the whole community, so we're very very happy." In addition to the new voting system, the settlement moves the polling place from the school to the local National Guard Armory, Sells said. "My clients expressed some concern that the existing polling place was somewhat hostile," Sells said. The new polling place also will be more accessible to Indians, Sells said. The lawsuit had claimed that having only one polling place, in Wagner, keeps some Indians from voting. Many Indians in the community live 12 miles away in Marty. Sells said they had pushed for having more than one polling place. "But we compromised and changed the location to a more accessible spot," he said. Kenneth Cotton, an attorney for the school district, said having more than one polling place would have been too expensive. Cotton said the previous voting system was within the law but that school officials were sensitive to concerns raised by Indians. Neither side in the dispute got exactly what they wanted but the settlement was a good compromise, he said. "I myself think it'll be good for the community and I think the board obviously felt comfortable with it," Cotton said. Superintendent Vernal Andersen said Tuesday that he had not yet seen a final version of the settlement but was glad the case has been resolved. The settlement calls for election notices to be posted in places other than the local newspaper, which many in the Indian community do not read, Sells said. Election notices also will be put in places such as post offices, grocery stores and the tribal newspaper, Sells said. Already, mailings have been sent out to a number of places, including a tribal newspaper, giving information about the changes, Cotton said. Cotton said he hopes increased awareness of school board elections will "spur a little more interest in school matters." Julie Weddell, a plaintiff in the suit, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. The settlement, which was filed and approved last week, will be in effect during a school board election in June, which Sells said the ACLU plans to monitor. School officials had no objections to the monitoring, Cotton said. "I think both sides will be watching to make sure it goes smoothly," Cotton said. Copyright c. 2003 Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan. --------- "RE: Voting Rights Violations alleged by Lakotas" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 08:43:12 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="VOTING RIGHTS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.okit.com/news/2003/mar/votingrights.html Voting rights violations alleged by Lakotas in suit By Ruth Steinberger Contributing Writer March 25, 2003 (Pierre, SD) Charging that voting districts in Buffalo County, South Dakota are designed to prevent Indians from holding office in the county, the Voting Rights Project of the ACLU filed a lawsuit in federal district court on March 18, 2003 on behalf of three members of the Crow Creek Tribe. The Crow Creek Tribe is encompassed by Buffalo County. According to figures from Census 2000, Buffalo County is the poorest county in the US. The lawsuit contends that the district lines were drawn in a way that placed almost all Indians into one overly large district, preventing Indians from effectively voting for candidates in two out of three districts in the county, thereby maintaining non-Indian control of the predominantly Indian county. In the Crow Creek case, the Indian population, which exceeds 80% of the county population, is able to influence elections in only one out of three districts in the county, while the white population of fewer than 20% controls the majority of the three jurisdictions. Plaintiffs include Crystal Kirkie, Secretary of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and a member of the Crow Creek Tribal Council, Darla Fallis, Treasurer of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and a member of the Crow Creek Tribal Council and Christine Obago, Finance Officer of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. Defendants include Donita Loudner, Lloyd Lutter and Ronald Petersen, members of the Buffalo County Commission and Elaine Wulff, Buffalo County Auditor. Bryan Sells, a staff attorney with the Voting Rights Project of the ACLU and lead counsel in the case said, "Native Americans are the overwhelming majority in Buffalo County, but the existing district lines ensure that the county's white minority controls the County Commission." Sells continued, "This is the most glaring example of political apartheid that I have seen anywhere in the United States." The lawsuit says, `the plaintiffs allege that the current districts are malapportioned in violation of the one-person-one-vote standard of the Fourteenth amendment to the United States Constitution. The Plaintiffs further allege that the districts were adopted and are being maintained for the purpose of ensuring that the county's non-Indian minority retains political control over the county's Indian majority in violation of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States constitution.' The ACLU lawsuit seeks a court order that dissolves the existing district lines, creates new, nondiscriminatory districts, and calls for a special election. Redistricting refers to the process of redrawing the lines that determine the area from which officials for a particular jurisdiction are elected. Often referred to as "gerrymandering", various mechanisms have been used historically to "dilute" the strength of the minority-voting bloc. When a population is divided up for redistricting purposes, the districts within a single jurisdiction are supposed to be as nearly identical as possible in terms of overall numbers. According to the US Supreme Court, a 10% deviation between one district and another within a single jurisdiction is acceptable. According to the suit, the total deviation of the existing districts in Buffalo County is greater than 218 percent, over 20 times what is allowed. Mechanisms referred to as "packing, stacking and cracking" are ways that voting populations have historically been arranged to prevent minority populations from voting effectively. "Cracking" refers to circumstances in which a large minority population is divided into several non-minority districts so that the minority population has limited or no ability to affect the outcome of an election despite having large numbers within a jurisdiction. "Stacking" refers to a situation in which a concentration of minority voters may be combined into one of a couple different districts, and is deliberately placed into a district with a high concentration of white voters so that the minority population becomes diluted to the point of loosing the ability to vote effectively. This term refers to the stacking of a white voting bloc onto a minority voting population. "Packing" refers to the situation in which a district is created in which the minority population is very high and will control that single district, but where that population is prevented from having any influence beyond that district. Buffalo County is governed by a three-member County Commission elected from within three single-member districts. The total population of the first district includes 101 persons, of whom none are Native American. The total population of the second district is 353 persons, of whom 199, or 56.37%, are Native American or Native American plus one other race. The total population of the third district is 1578 persons, of whom 1493, or 94.61%, are Native American or Native American plus one other race. The ideal size for a county Commission district in Buffalo County is 677 persons. According to an ACLU press release, `the existing districts put 78 percent of the county's 2,032 residents-virtually all of them Native American-into a single district. The other two districts contain 5 percent and 17 percent of the population, respectively. One of these is an all-white district and the other contains so few Native Americans that white voters effectively control the outcome of elections.' Jennifer Ring, Director of ACLU of the Dakotas explained, "The lawsuit is a redressing of a very obvious violation of the idea of "one person, one vote." According to the suit, `On or about February 5, 2002, the Buffalo County Commission decided that the existing districts, "were as regular and compact in form as practicable and required no change." The existing districts were adopted by the Buffalo County Commission prior to 1990. When asked if she thought the commissioners were aware of the problem, Ring responded, "I do not know if they were aware that 10% deviation is the maximum, but they cannot have easily failed to be aware of how disproportionate those districts are." Jennifer Ring concluded, "It is incomprehensible that the County Commission met just last year to review the existing district lines and determined that all was well and no changes were needed. The question then becomes, has this been an intentional effort to keep Native Americans off the County Commission?" Native American Times is Copyright c. 2000-2001 Oklahoma Indian Times, Inc. --------- "RE: Suit to Force Norton to decide Navajo Water Share" --------- Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 08:55:39 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WATER SUIT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.thenavajotimes.com/tribalnews.html Lawsuit's goal: Force Norton to decide Navajo water share By Bill Donovan Special to the Times WINDOW ROCK | March 20, 2003 For more than 15 years, the Navajo Nation has been demanding that the U.S. Interior Department decide how much water the tribe is entitled to from the Lower Colorado River Basin. And all during that time, say tribal officials, the demands have been ignored and tribal officials have watched while the Secretary of the Interior has allocated surplus water from the basin to others and ignored the Navajos. So this week, the Navajo Nation announced it wasn't standing around any longer and waiting for an answer - its attorneys filed a lawsuit in federal court in Phoenix to force the issue. "The states of Arizona, California and Nevada, along with the Secretary of the Interior, are presently deciding the future of the Colorado River," said Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. "Our lawsuit is meant to ensure that the secretary works with the Navajo Nation to recognize and protect Navajo interests in this all-important process," he added. The Lower Colorado River Basin covers the area from Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border to Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border. What's a little strange about all of this is that the Interior Secretary is already obligated under federal law as the Navajo's trustee to look out for the tribe's interest in this matter. But Louis Denetsosie, the Navajo Nation's attorney general, said that the secretary doesn't "really seem to care what the Navajo think in this area." The lawsuit is meant to make the secretary care by asking the court to put a halt to any further allocations from the basin until the interests of the Navajos have been determined. If the Navajo request is granted it will not make other states, communities or organizations who want that water happy. Denetsosie stressed this is not a normal water rights dispute which could conceivably take decades or generations to decide. "We're hoping to be in the appeal process in three or four years," he said. Usually what happens is that the courts decide how much water a certain government or organization has the right to and this takes decades because there are so many different entities fighting over a finite amount of water. In this case, however, the Interior Secretary has the authority to determine how much water is allocated from the Lower Colorado Basin and who gets what, said Denetsosie. What the lawsuit does then is put the current Interior Secretary, Gale Norton, on notice that the Navajos will no longer sit on the sidelines while she signs away water rights through compacts. What the Navajos want, Denetsosie said, is their own compact that will determine just how much water the Navajos need from the basin for domestic and commercial use for as long as the next 100 years. So exactly how much water is that? The Navajo Nation so far hasn't issued any figures but Denetsosie said if necessary Navajo officials will come up with a figure. The state of Arizona, under a contract signed in 1944, gets 2.8 million acre-feet of water annually with some 13,000 acre-feet currently uncommitted. The lawsuit said the Navajo Nation has repeatedly requested that the secretary "enter into a contract with it for all of the uncommitted water allocated to Arizona." But the Navajo Nation's request has been rejected. But with the lawsuit, tribal officials are hoping that they now have some leverage that will force Norton to take the tribe's demands seriously or face the possibility of having her hands tied by the court for any future allocations of water from the basin. Copyright c. 1999-2003 Navajo Times/Navajo Nation. --------- "RE: Tribes win Land-Use Case" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 08:43:12 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LAND USE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/03/3/26/16708508.cfm Tribes win land-use case By Todd C. Frankel Herald Writer March 26, 2003 Kim Gobin and Guy Madison, two Tulalip Tribes members, dreamed of building a 25-home development on 25 acres they owned on the Tulalip reservation. But their land, like half of the reservation's 22,000 acres, was not held in tribal trust. Anyone could buy and sell it. In fact, Gobin and Madison bought the Fire Trail Road parcel from a non-Indian in 1998. The housing project won Tulalip approval, but Snohomish County, asserting what it saw as its jurisdiction, said county planning rules allowed only 10 homes on the land. Hit by the county's objections, Gobin and Madison lost the project's financing and turned to the federal courts for an answer. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case, letting stand a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that the county lacked authority to regulate Indian land use activity on all reservation land. "I think our tribes view this case as a significant win for tribal sovereignty," said Reid Allison, an attorney for the Tulalips who intervened in the case on Gobin and Madison's behalf. The court's ruling also could alter how local governments apply land-use policies on Indian reservations throughout the 9th Circuit's nine-state region -- and possibly the nation. "This is a major decision. It is going to have implications all across the United States in Indian country," said Patricia Paul, Tulalip community development manager. The case focused on the land's status and whether it was fee simple -- private, unrestricted land -- or trust land. Tribal lands held in trust are generally agreed to be free from state or county oversight. But unrestricted, fee simple reservation land can be owned by Indians or non- Indians. Gobin and Madison said the crucial distinction is that they are tribal members and should be subject to only tribal government oversight. The county argued that it doesn't matter who owns the property: Land outside tribal trust is regulated by the county. In its September 2002 ruling, the appeals court noted that the county had an interest in seeing how the land was developed, but none was so exceptional as "for this Court to undermine Indian sovereignty in favor of County regulation." Stephen Holt, the county's executive director, who was a county planning director and is named in the lawsuit, said the county plans to abide by the ruling. But, Holt said, the ruling does not affect ongoing discussions about the Stillaguamish Tribe's plan to build a casino either outside Arlington or near Smokey Point. The Stillaguamish Tribe does have tribal trust land, but does not have a federally recognized reservation. So the county plans to assert its land- use authority in that case, Holt said. Marc Slonim, the attorney for Gobin and Madison, said his clients now plan to move ahead with their planned development. Reporter Todd C. Frankel: 425-339-3429 or frankel@heraldnet.com. Copyright c. 2003 The Daily Herald Co., Everett, Wash. --------- "RE: Law and Order on the Swinomish Reservation" --------- Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003 19:47:12 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SWINOMISH LAW" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.skagitvalleyherald.com/articles/2003/03/28/news/news09.txt Law and order on the Swinomish Reservation By KARI NEUMEYER March 28, 2003 Property owners want to know what authority the tribe has over them When Claire Painter Eberle moved to the Swinomish Reservation in 1989, she was unaware that there was any conflict between nontribal residents and the Swinomish government. Since then, she has become concerned because she doesn't have a voice in the government that has jurisdiction over her neighborhood. She and her husband, Bob Eberle, have asked their county commissioner, Don Munks, to meet with a group of landowners about the relationship between the county and tribal governments. The meeting is at 7 p.m. today at the Hope Island firehouse. "We just want to apprise the neighborhood," she said. "We don't want to get to the point where everyone's angry. We just want to find out what's happening legally." The Eberles are part of a group of about 30 nontribal residents of the Swinomish Reservation who feel that the tribal government should not have any authority over them, because they own their land rather than lease it from the tribe. The reservation is located across the Swinomish Channel from the town of La Conner. "We pay property taxes to the county, just like everyone else," she said. There are 453 individual owners of reservation land that is not held in a federal trust for the tribe, and 1,367 owners of taxable property on land leased from the tribe, according to the county Assessor's Office. Most of these owners are not members of the Swinomish Tribe, which numbers about 1,000. The Eberles are particularly worried about a bill approved by the state House of Representatives last week and currently being reviewed by the Senate. The bill would require state judiciary committees to study tribal law enforcement. It is the first step toward a state policy broadening the law enforcement powers of tribal police. "The reason for the bill is to begin discussions and negotiations between tribes and surrounding jurisdictions," said Rep. John McCoy, D- Tulalip, who sponsored the bill. "There is not a jurisdiction that we can think of that has enough officers on the street. This is a good way for jurisdictions to work together." Supporters of the bill say it will lead to more effective community- oriented policing and save tax dollars by using law enforcement resources more efficiently. Opponents argue that the decision should be left to local governments and that giving tribal police authority over nontribal drivers on state roads violates those drivers' civil rights. "I don't think that topic is worthy of study," Bob Eberle said. "We're willing to submit to the county government. If we're compelled to submit to the tribal government, we demand we be allowed to vote in it." Tonight's meeting with Munks is aimed at clarifying to the residents the terms of the county's relationship with the reservation. In addition to addressing the law enforcement dispute, Munks plans to explain a cooperative agreement dealing with land use and building permits. "We want someone who is in a position to express the official policy," Eberle said. "It hasn't been clear." Police have same training As fee-simple landowners, the Eberles have a choice of calling either the tribal police or the county Sheriff's Office if they are in need of assistance. Eberle said he always calls the county. But in fact, the tribal police are already cross-deputized with the sheriff's department. The Swinomish tribal police have a limited commission as sheriff's deputies, which allows them to enforce the same state laws as a deputy in a limited capacity on the reservation, and off the reservation if necessary, said Chief Deputy Will Reichardt of the Skagit County Sheriff's Office. Tribal police are the first responders for emergencies at nontribal residences on leased land on the reservation, such as the Shelter Bay community. But if a felony has occurred, the tribal police refer the crime to the county, Reichardt said. "Or if they find out the suspect is not Native American, then they're going to refer it to us unless we give them the authority to exercise their commission as a sheriff's deputy to investigate," he said. "Most of the time we do that." Shelter Bay has its own security staff to deal with minor problems within the community, but also relies on the tribal police, according to Ken Knopf, president of the private community's board of directors. "They have helped us try to control speeding in Shelter Bay," he said. "They help us when we call (about) animals that are loose." Knopf said that there has not been any problem with residents of Shelter Bay respecting the authority of the Swinomish police. The tribal police have the same training as sheriff's deputies, said Martin Loesch, the tribe's lawyer. "Our deputies go to the Washington State Patrol Academy," Loesch said. In fact, he said, the Swinomish police are so well-trained that several have been lured to jobs in other cities in the county, where they are paid more. "It's the source of ribbing among the police chiefs," he said. If a Swinomish police officer pulls over a car speeding down Reservation Road, and it turns out the driver is not a member of the tribe, the officer can issue a Skagit County ticket, Loesch said. "In my opinion, Swinomish is a very conservative community, very pro-law enforcement," he said. "Our folks work very hard to make sure they get crimes responded to in the most effective way possible." The bill under consideration in the Legislature is partially modeled on how well cross-deputization has worked in Skagit County, Loesch said. "People are looking to Skagit County as a leader in the state for cooperative law enforcement," he said. McCoy, who negotiated a similar agreement between the Tulalip Tribe and Snohomish County, said that the best thing that came out of the law enforcement partnership was the trust that developed between the tribal and nontribal communities. Letter of the law The location of a crime, as well as who the perpetrator and victim are, determine which court hears the case, Loesch said. A crime committed against a tribal member by a nontribal member on tribal land is likely to be prosecuted in the tribal court. Claire Painter Eberle went to tribal court when she got a speeding ticket on the part of Highway 20 that is inside the reservation, she said. She was surprised to learn that the fine for speeding went to the tribe. When she asked what would happen if she didn't pay, the judge told her it would be sent to a collection agency, she said. "They're not using any of the regular process," she said. "I just find the whole process sort of mind-boggling." She acknowledged that some people would rather go to the tribal court. "We aren't saying the Indians aren't nice," she said. "We just want our rights, as citizens of our county, and of the United States." Tribal Chairman Brian Cladoosby said that a nontribal resident is in the same situation as a visitor to another state or foreign country. "I got a speeding ticket in California. If I told them I wanted to be tried on the Swinomish Reservation, I'd be laughed out of California," he said. "You can't go to Canada and break the law and say, 'I can't vote here so you can't do anything to me.'" The tribal court is very professional, he said. The tribe hires judges, prosecutors and public defenders from outside the tribe. "The thought of a non-Indian going into a tribal court and saying they didn't have a fair trial, it's just a lack of education about the tribal system," Cladoosby said. "If anybody breaks the law on the Swinomish Reservation, I don't care what color they are, they deserve to be arrested," he said. "I see a lot of nontribal people in tribal court. I don't care what judge they go before, as long as laws are enforced and sentences handed out." Although residents who are not members of the tribe do not get to vote for the tribal government, Cladoosby said he is always open to a dialogue with them. Further, there are nontribal representatives on the planning and utilities commissions, he said. Still, that's not enough for some residents. "They say their meetings are always open to anyone that wants to come, but that doesn't make them democratic," said Larry Collinge, who has owned property on the reservation for 25 years. Copyright c. 2002 Skagit Valley Publishing. --------- "RE: Native Prisoner" --------- Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 06:42:57 -0500 From: Janet Smith Subj: May tour for Native revolutionary, former political prisoner... [ironnatives] [PRISONACT] ------- Forwarded ------- From: Break Chains Survivor of the Attica rebellion, former political prisoner, and longtime Native rights and anti-imperialist activist John "Splitting the Sky" Hill will be coming through California in mid-to-late May and is looking for people to arrange speaking engagements for him. Splitting the Sky is a very powerful public speaker who will be lecturing on timely issues such as the prospects for a Palestinian-First Nations alliance, halting the imperial conquest of the Middle East by the US and other capitalist regimes, the necessity of political prisoner solidarity, and developing new strategies for dismantling capitalism and fascism. If you're interested in arranging a speaking engagement for Splitting the Sky, or if you would like to know more, please contact the Break The Chains collective at breakthechains02@yahoo.com ASAP. Thanks! Below is a bio of Splitting the Sky. More on Splitting the Sky can be obtained at www.splittingthesky.com Splitting the Sky was born in Buffalo New York in 1952. Was illegally abducted by the Child Welfare department and placed in a number of Residential Schools and foster homes. Out of complete economic desperation he attempted to commit a robbery on a grocery store and ended up with a submarine sandwich that landed him in prison for an eight year term. While imprisoned Splitting the Sky became politicized as to his own historical roots as a Mohawk National of the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy. He was involved in the infamous Attica Prison revolt and the only man convicted for allegedly killing a prison guard which he later had his sentence of 20 to life commuted by Governor Hugh Carey and listed as the number one political prisoner of the United States by President Jimmy Carters Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young. The State of New York police massacred 43 people including 11 prison guards held as hostages in the retaking of Attica. While on parole from New York State penal system, Splitting the Sky became a national figure in the Native Rights Movement and founded the League of Indigenous Sovereign Nations (LISN). He participated in the reclamation of stolen Mohawk land at Ganyankieh near Eagle Bay New York as well as supported the 1990 standoff at Oka. He became the Eastern Regional coordinator for the American Indian Movement and organized tens of thousands of people to demonstrate in front of the United Nations demanding a seat in the UN General Assembly for the League of Sovereign Indian Nations. Splitting the Sky was the Sundance Chief at Gustafson Lake British Columbia and made the decision to make an armed defensive stance after being threatened and shot at by the local neo-nazi cowhands and regional RCMP. Splitting the Sky raised the whole question of so called Aboriginal Title according to international law or the 1763 Royal Proclamation which is validated as an enshrined aboriginal right in section (35) of the Canadian constitution. Splitting the Sky along with his wife Sandra Bruderer whose Cree Indian name translate She Keeps the Door authored a 653 page Autobiography of Splitting the Sky. The subtitle of this auto-bio is entitled From Attica to Gustafson Lake: Unmasking the Secret of the Psycho-Sexual Energies and the Struggle for Original Peoples' Title. The book is receiving great reviews and served as a legal document that inspired a District Court Judge in Oregon USA named Janice Stewart to condemn the Canadian government for illegally occupying Indian land in violation of the rule of law and writing a landmark decision for Native Sovereignty. As a result of his unyielding struggle to affirm indigenous autonomy in his life long struggle to de-colonize indigenous territories from the yoke of North Americanadian oppression some university students have supported a call for an honorary degree in Aboriginal Law for him. Splitting the Sky is a powerful articulate public lecturer and has never sold out the struggle for Indigenous self determination and sovereignty as many have. --------- "RE: Rustywire: He Just Walked On Down the Road" --------- Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 08:19:24 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RUSTYWIRE: WALKED DOWN ROAD" http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Nook/1574/Starmtn/downroad.html Navajo Spaceships, Star Mountain and Life An online journal- Star Mountain-Navajo Life [Editorial Comment: This is a repeat - one of the few I have repeated from the keyboard of this gifted Dine' storyteller. Considering what is now going down in the mid-east it was time to bring this one back to the fire. ... gary] He Just Walked On Down the Road by Johnny Rustywire They stood there all in a line, their long hair hanging loose. Some had the look of old Indians in their eyes, having seen the best and worst that life has to offer. Their faces were cast in stone, craggy, with lines from wear and tear making them look old. It was as if they had come out of the last century, some with big bones, somehow built square with large hands stuck in their pockets just waiting for something to happen. He stood on the end, his long hair hanging loose, and it was speckled with gray. "What is your name?" the Judge said from his bench. "Medicine Person", he said, his nose broken more than once and his eyes were a little red. He hung his head and waited for the man in the black robe to talk to him some more. Where are you from? "Lodge Grass...by Crow Agency," he said quietly looking down. "What brought you to this rez?" the Judge said looking at this large Indian man. "Came down with a drum group...to sing for the pow wow." A hundred and fifty years ago he would have been at home on the prairies of the West. He would have moved about them as he wished. A large man on a horse and people have seen him and knew he was a warrior, maybe thinking twice before challenging him. He would have been one of the elders of his family, taking charge and leading them across the plains, making sure they were protected and fed. I could see him on a painted horse, his hair done in the style of the Crows. The look of him would have been something to see...but he was here instead. "What happened, how did you end up here?", the tribal judge put to him. "We were singing and there was this '49 after the pow wow... some drum groups got together...over by someplace they call the Hanging Tree...and well there was some drinks and everybody was there. I should have gone back with the rest of them but I was singing too good and the drinks were free". "Where did they find him?" the man in the black robe asked adjusting his glasses. The tribal prosecutor sitting at the table picks up the police report.... "It says he was found behind the Outpost store about 4 AM, couldn't stand and didn't know where he was at.." I remember hearing somewhere that the drum group he belonged to....yes they were part of a warrior society....all veteran's....the Screaming Eagles. There was a tattoo on his arm...it said MIA...and there just below you could see them, they spoke of gallantry, survival and war...there it was.... 3/187..101st. He was a Screaming Eagle...those little letters spoke about the meaning of freedom, that it comes sometimes by young men called away from home, through suffering , hardship and lost lives. It was a home made job.. "What are the charges?" "Intoxication, Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Arrest" the words came from man sitting at the table. "How Do You Plead?, the tribal judge asked. He stood there and looked at the judge, his voice was like gravel and he squared his shoulders, "I am guilty...I am sorry...I didn't mean to get that way...I should have stayed home....no job back home and my old lady... well I guess ...guilty, your Honor". The Judge looked at him...standing there...all the hopes and dreams of a young warrior were gone...all that stood in front of him was a shadow of what once had been. "How are you getting home? Family here? Do you know anyone?" The questions came from the bench. "No Sir...they already left yesterday to go back...so I am stuck here". "Do you have money for bail?" the black robe said. "No Sir...I will serve my time...dead time...I have no place to go...". They are times when a man gets so down there is not much more you can do to him. "The charges are Dismissed...You are free to go....you will have to walk home back to Montana," the Judge ruled. He collected his belt and shoe strings from the jailer and left walking up to the intersection on the road leading off the rez. The road East went on to Wyoming and then to Montana. The road West headed to Nevada and onto California. He crossed the road and turned West and he walked on down the road. Copyright c. 1999, Johnny Rustywire, all rights reserved. --------- "RE: History: Carlisle Indian School" --------- Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 20:54:16 -0500 From: Barb Landis Subj: March 14, 1890 INDIAN HELPER, Carlisle Indian School. [Editorial Note: These reprints are being included in this newsletter so that you might know the mind of those who ran institutions like Carlisle.] THE INDIAN HELPER ------------------------- A WEEKLY LETTER FROM THE CARLISLE INDIAN SCHOOL TO BOYS AND GIRLS CARLISLE, PA. ============================ VOLUME V NUMBER 28 ============================= FRIDAY, March 14, 1890. ============================= SLIDING DOWN HILL. ------- O, it is a merry sight to see Young folks coasting on the frozen snow, Each in turn awaits the coming sled, While the sharp wind makes their faces glow. But I'll tell you boys and girls, how you may Slide down hill *without a sled* any day. Let the girls neglect their morning work, Take long stitches in the gowns they mend, Wash the dishes with a pout and jerk, Never lift the burden of a friend; These, and half-learned lessons, too, people say Take you down the hill without a sled any day. Let the boys watch out for chances now, How to play at "keeps" behind the fence, How to chew a "quid" that isn't gum. If nobody sees, what's the difference? Let them swear a little, too, that's the way Boys may slide down hill without a sled any day. E.G. ----------- A TALK WITH FRANK EVERETT. ----------- How it was at Home when he was a Little Boy. In talking with Frank Everett the other day we naturally fell to discussing old times at Wichita Agency, Indian Territory. It was fourteen or fifteen years ago that Frank was a pupil in the boarding school there, and did odd chores for the Doctor. Industrious, then, as now, he thought it a lucky day when he could get a "job," and we thought it a lucky day for us, too, for Frank could be depended upon. We lived close by the school house with only a fence between. The school lot was a large one, of several acres, and our pony whose name was "Delaware," used to browse on the grass. We called her Dell for short, and Frank taught her to come when called. He would stand by the gate and call "Dell, Dell,' and away she would fly, for she well knew the golden ears of corn as well as the bridle were waiting her. The school boys would run a race with her sometimes, and as Indians are generally good horsemen they found little difficulty in mounting her, "two or three doubles," provided they should run along side of her for a few yards, but the difficulty was in staying on. Dell would stand straight up, and, of course, as her back was unusually smooth and shiny the boys found themselves left behind, in no time. Dell was a very knowing horse in many ways. Once, when her master led her into the stable, she refused to touch her corn which had been put into her feed-box, but pulled back and snorted, and objected to all invitations to proceed with her repast. Her master put his hand in her corn box and said "Look here, Dell," when a loud rattle warned him that Dell was the more prudent of the two. There, under the corn, was a very large rattlesnake which was soon dispatched, and Dell ate her lunch in peace. Frank remembers, too, our water-melon patch, and how very big the melons were. They were three feet long, I am sure. And he remembers the chickens. I have mentioned the fence around the school-yard. Well, the boys used to play marbles in the shade of that fence, and I had noticed for some time that they frequented the corner nearest the chicken house. So I slyly watched, and what do you think those boys did? They reached through the cracks in the fence and pulled out the prettiest tail-feathers in the flock. They kept that little game up day after day, just where the fowls liked to preen themselves under the shrubbery close by the fence. They would skulk along and surprise the poor chickens, and after the roosters had been robbed, they did not disdain to treat the poor old hens in the same way. We soon put a stop to that. You see Indians of all ages liked feathers then, much better than they do now-a days. I should not be afraid to risk my hens right on the parade ground at Carlisle. --------------------------------- (Continued on Fourth Page.) =============================== (page 2) The Indian Helper. ----------------------------- PRINTED EVERY FRIDAY, AT THE INDIAN INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL, CARLISLE, PA. BY THE INDIAN PRINTER BOYS. --> THE INDIAN HELPER is PRINTED by Indian boys, but EDITED by The-Man-on-the-band-stand, who is NOT an Indian. ----------------------------- Price: - 10 cents a year. ============================== Address INDIAN HELPER, Carlisle, Pa. Miss M. Burgess, Manager. ============================== Entered in the P.O. at Carlisle as second class mail matter. ============================== The INDIAN HELPER is paid for in advance, so do not hesitate to take the paper from the Post Office, for fear a bill will be presented. ============================= We have pleasant words of greeting from Miss Semple, who is now at her home in Texas. She is not in good health at present, but her friends at Carlisle hope soon to hear of her gaining in this particular. ================= One of the teachers at Pawnee Agency, I.T. closes a letter in which she sends fifty cents for the *Red Man** "The coming of the HELPER is watched for like a ray of sunshine, by the pupils of this school." And furthermore she says, "Allow me to express my admiration for the nobleness of the Carlisle students, in giving so liberally to the suffering Indians of the North." ================= We have the pleasure of having Otto Zotom, a Kiowa boy from Carlisle, here visiting with us. He keeps company with Tyrrel, a little sick boy of the same tribe. Tyrrel is the only Kiowa here and can speak no English, so we hope that our Carlisle friend and he will have good times together in this hospital. Hampton will try and make his visit a pleasure to him. -[*Talks and Thoughts.*] ================= After a little difficulty with one of the pupils in a certain school, the teacher asked if any in the class had ever driven a pig. O, yes, the boys were full of experiences of how they had to coax it, and drive it, and poke it, and push it, and take it by the ears and drag it, and head it off, and use various other means, but one hopeful Indian youth remembered that sometimes rings were put in pigs' noses and they could thus be led quite easily. A flash went over the class in an instant. They had themselves made an application of the lesson, and the Man-on-the-band-stand thought with them that it would not be a bad idea to ring boys' noses when they get so stiff and stubborn over nothing that they will not go the way their wise and patient teachers show them is the best way. ------- When the weather is wet We must not fret; When the weather is dry We must not cry; When the weather is cold, We must not scold; When the weather is warm. We must not storm; But be thankful together, Whatever the weather. ======== Last Messages from Captain. SAN FRANCISCOO, 10. Miss NANA L. PRATT: Good-bye. China sails tomorrow 3. P.M., six your time. ------- A.J.STANDING: Sailing. Good-bye. Golden gate open wide. All bright beyond. ------- As the Man-on-the-band-stand peeped in the room over Mr. Standing's office last Tuesday night, what did he see? A dozen or more of as happy young ladies as one often finds, all seated around the table cutting out bright, pretty pictures and pasting them in cloth books to please more than one needy or suffering child. They were the King's Daughters thus spending a happy hour in missionary amusement. ------- One of our reporters went to the sociable, Saturday night, with a big note-book under his arm prepared to "write it up." There was nothing unusual to report, however. The students were polite, behaving like ladies and gentlemen. The *Youth's Companion* not long since, stated that the students at Hampton when gathered for a sociable did not know what to do with themselves. The boys stood up in one corner and the girls in another, and cast shy glances about them. While our boys and girls are not at all bold, they do not behave in the manner above described. In fact they are not different from any other people at a sociable. They are *sociable* and always have a good time. This monthly gathering of the school in our splendid large gymnasium is looked forward to with the happiest anticipations. ------- The Mission Indian who acted as guide to Gen. J.C. Fremont, has just died at San Diego, California, at the age of 110 years. ================================= At the Carlisle School is published monthly an eight-page quarto of standard size, called THE RED MAN, the mechanical part of which is done entirely by Indian boys. This paper is valuable as a summary of information on Indian matters, and contains writings by Indian pupils, and local incidents of the school. Terms: Fifty cents a year, in advance. For 1, 2, and 3 subscribers for THE RED MAN we give the same premium in Standing Offer for the HELPER. Address, THE RED MAN, Carlisle, PA. ========================================== (page 3) Exhibition tonight. ------- The office hall has a new floor. ------- Sunday was the loveliest day of the year. ------- It pays to study the polite way of doing things. ------- Please renew, and when you do please *say* "Renew." ------- Remember, at table, the knife should be used to cut with, not to shovel. ------- Wasu stands at the head for good thorough work in the line of house-cleaning. ------- Miss Paull's room and those over the dining hall are being re-painted and kalsomined. ------- The monthly meeting of the King's Daughters, over which Lydia Flint presides met on Sunday afternoon. ------- Bessie and Fordy wanted the same chair, when Bessie coolly remarked that she got it "befirst." ------- The highest number of words made from the word "reluctantly" thus far reached is 240. Beat it, some one! ------- A dispatch from Mr. Campbell, at Crow Agency, Montana, speaks favorably for quite a large party of pupils coming from that Agency. ------- Martin Archiquette received the prize offered in the HELPER two weeks ago for solving problems. The answer to the first is Ten Minutes: 2nd, Lost $18.33 1/3;34d, 630 acres. ------- One of our little white girls admires her father's long mustache, and after looking at it for some time the other day informed her mamma that "Papa has a roof over his mouth." ------- How bright, airy, convenient, and well-furnished our school-rooms appear to the ladies who visited the Philadelphia schools last week, where thousands of city children are crowded into small, close, stuffy apartments. ------- Miss Haskins, one of the very first helpers at Carlisle, but who has not been heard from for a long time, now sends greeting, from Chattagooga, Tenn., to old friends. Not many of the workers of those days are left, still we have a few yet with us who remember their friend as teeming with wit and humor. ------- Henry Kendall saw Capt. Pratt as he and party passed through Albuquerque last week. Henry is improving in health all the while, and is enjoying the freedom of home life. He handles a six-shooter and a Winchester rifle with comparative ease and has not yet met with a horse which could throw him. Spring examinations are going on in some of the school-rooms. ------- The teacher in No. 8 is proud of the desk that the carpenter boys fixed for her school room. ------- The cooking class girls occasionally help to mix and roll out the pie-dough on Saturday for Sunday dinner. ------- Miss Seabrook returned from her Ohio trip on Saturday evening, and claims to have had a very pleasant time. ------- The last one of the wardrobes, which the carpenter boys have had on hands for nearly two years, was finished this week. ------- It adds interest to the study of Geography for the beginners to trace Capt. Pratt on the globe as he progresses on his journey half way around the world. ------- When everything else is quiet, the M.O.T.B.S. turns his ear toward the sewing-room, and the hum of a dozen machines run by Indian girls makes his heart proud. ------- That corn-starch sprinkled with raisins, which we have frequently for supper, looks very tempting to the M.O.T.B.S., especially when he is a little hungry. ------- On Sunday, the Y.M.C.A's of Dickinson College and of town met with our Y.M.C.A. in the school chapel. The meeting was presided over by Levi Levering and was enthusiastic and helpful throughout. ------- There is one word in gilt letters pinned over the black-board in No. 2 2hich must be stamped upon our brains in burning letters of fire, before we can ever hope to succeed at anything. It is - "T H I N K." ------- The Man-on-the-band-stand is always glad to see a woman able to manage machinery. When anything in the laundry, which is full of machinery gets out of fix, Mrs. Jordan is not the one to sit down and cry and say, "What shall I do?" She searches out the trouble and nine times out of ten masters the difficulty, whether it be a broken cog, packing of engine, stopping of drain-pipes, or what-not. ------- Quick map-drawing is now the order in some of the school-rooms. One of the small boys in No. 5 drew a very creditable map taking in the southern part of the United States, Central America, the Isthmus of Panama, and Northern part of South America, in less than five minutes. Quick and correct work is the kind we must learn to do both in school and in the shop, indeed everywhere, if we wish to become really useful and able to earn money. ================================== 81 (Continued from First Page.) ------------------------------------ I should know their feathers would never adorn the scalp-lock of the pupils here. Those children at the Wichita school were only just learning the A,B.C of civilization, and their parents were not anxious then, as they are now, that they should learn the white man's best ways. Why, chickens were hardly safe from the depredations of the big Indians themselves, in those days, but they were thoughtful, and left thh bulk, only appropriating the "foliage," as the German Professor would say. By the way, wasn't it funny to speak of the "foliage" of a fowl and the "plumage" of a tree? It was pretty though, we thought. We always saved the feathers when we feasted on fowl of any kind, to please the fancy of the Indians. They would pick wild grapes and plums for us, and go away perfectly happy with a handful of feathers as a reward. An old Chief for whom we had the highest respect actually offered our cook ten dollars for the tail of a turkey she was dressing one day in the back yard. But white folks are guilty in this respect, too. Most of us wear ostrich feathers and pay a good deal of money to get them. And we have even gone farther than this: some of us have worn whole birds. If this reminiscence of Wichita suits the very particular Editor of the HELPER, we will talk with Frank again next week, and tell you how that school house burned down one night at twelve o'clock, and how brave the boys and girls were. REAL OLD TIMER. ------------- From a Washington Lady. "I want to compliment your little HELPER. I think it the brightest and cutest little thing I ever read. And you get so much information for such a small amount of money. Why only about one mill a week. It seems like riding all over Washington in a street car for five cents. I ordered the paper for two little girls at the North, for a new year's present, and they write they "like it *ever* so much," a common expression with girls now, and which means a great deal. I am going to try and interest some of the little misses in the neighborhood to help you to reach your 10,000 circulation." --------------- TEACHER - "Which New England State has two capitals?" BOY - "New Hampshire." TEACHER - "Indeed! Name them." BOY - "Capital N and capital H." A Wise Suggestion. School Girl: "Oh, I do like history so much." School Boy: "Indeed! What is your favorite?" She: "The discovery of North America by the Indians is so interesting, and they were so far ahead of Columbus that I think they ought to hold the world's fair in the Indian Territory." -[Exchange. ------------ ENIGMA? I am made of 15 letters. My 5, 10, 11, 12, 13 is to unclothe. My 1, 6, 7, 8 is what is found at the sea-shore. My 13, 3, 4, 14 is to peel. My 2, 14, 6, 4 is to rip. My 9, 12, 13, 15 is how a person drinks hot tea. My whole is a good thing under which the Carlisle school is trying to educate her pupils. SUBSCRIBE. ------------ In the teachers' quarters there is a "morning girl" who is said to be a perfect jewel. She fixes up nice little cornucopias where most needed to hold things, and when anything suggests itself to be done she does not wait for the "regular day" to come around, but goes ahead. See who can find her name in th4 following verse: All around the room she looks; Nook and corner feel her hand. Now she sees a spider's nest In the drawer beneath the stand. Ever active is this maid. --------- ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S ENIGMA: Our Flag. ======================================= STANDING OFFER: - For FIVE new subscribers to the INDIAN HELPER, we will give the person sending them a photographic group of the 13 Carlisle Indian Printer boys, on a card 4 1/2 X 6 1/2 inches, worth 20 cents when sold by itself. Name and tribe of each boy given. (Persons wishing the above premium will please enclose a 1-cent stamp to pay postage.) For TEN, Two PHOTOGRAPHS, one showing a group of Pueblos as they arrived in wild dress, and another of the same pupils three years after, or, for the same number of names we give two photographs showing still more marked contrast between a Navajoe as he arrived in native dress, and as he now looks, worth 20 cents a piece. Persons wishing the above premiums will please enclose a 2-cent stamp to pay postage. For FIFTEEN, we offer a GROUP of the whole school on 9x14 inch card. Faces show distinctly, worth sixty cents. Persons wishing the above premium will please send 6 cents to pay postage. ============================================= [Transcribed weekly by Barbara Landis. For more information about the Carlisle Indian School, go to http://www.epix.net/~landis] --------- "RE: Poem: Margins" --------- Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 10:16:46 -0800 From: "John D. Berry" Subj: New poem... Just for fun, and maybe thought... Best, John B ==================================================== Margins So, we stand here. Where we have always been, Since Manifest Destiny, Put us on the margins. Wondering if shouting out, Would lend itself, To improved hearing, At the center. Maybe, bone awls, Applied just so, Would improve, The listening. Perhaps it is distance itself, That causes our voices, To be lost, From the margins. It seems we are invisible too, Out here in the distance, As we flicker at the margins, Of time. John D. Berry, California, 2003 "Worried about our future? Do not fear. Look into the eyes of our children." John D. Berry, NAS Librarian, UC Berkeley American Indian Library Assocation - Listserv Manager American Library Association - Councilor at Large --------- "RE: Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days" --------- Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003 10:54:14 -1000 From: Debbie Sanders Subj: Hawaiian Book of Days A HAWAI'I BOOK OF DAYS, week of April 7-13 APELILA (April) (Welo) 7 Alone, we are restored; with others, we are fulfilled. 8 This land is the gathering place of the winds. 9 Time lays no claim upon the earth's spell of wonder. 10 Earth's seasons are like the tides of the sea, ke kai, -- timeless and everlasting. 11 When man has come and gone, the land will remain. 12 Pele makes the land which is shaped by the ocean. 13 If you want to hear the secret voice of the wind, ka makani, you must first learn to listen. (c) Copyright 1991 by D. F. Sanders Me ke aloha i ka nani, ... Moe'uhanekeanuenue (With love and beauty, ... Rainbow Dream) --------- "RE: The World of American Indian Dance" --------- Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 10:03 AM From: jreed@oneida-nation.org (Jerry Reed) Subj: The World of American Indian Dance Newsgroup: alt.native March 24, 2003 THE WORLD OF AMERICAN INDIAN DANCE PREMIERES ON NBC TELEVISION NETWORK SATURDAY, APRIL 19 AT 3 P.M. (EST)/NOON PT One Hour Documentary Is Produced By Four Directions Entertainment, An Enterprise Of Oneida Indian Nation Los Angeles, CA: March 21, 2003 -- The World of American Indian Dance, a one-hour documentary produced by Four Directions Entertainment, an enterprise of the Oneida Indian Nation, will premiere on the NBC Television Network on Saturday, April 19th at 3 P.M. (EST); Noon (PT). Check local listings for exact time in your area. The first-ever American Indian-produced documentary to air on a major television network, The World of American Indian Dance will introduce audiences to the beauty, athleticism, and competitive spirit of American Indian dance. Actor Peter Coyote provides a stirring narration. The Oneida Indian Nation in partnership with Sonny Skyhawk (Lakota) and Dan Jones (Ponca) formed Four Directions Entertainment, the first film and television production company ,,100 percent American Indian-owned and operated, in 2001. According to Ray Halbritter, who as Nation Representative and CEO of the Oneida Indian Nation gave the green light to this documentary, "We are grateful to NBC's Bob Wright for the support he has shown for this project. This program is a testament to our overall mission of recognizing and advancing the American Indian community in the field of entertainment." Executive producer Dan Jones says, "American Indian dance is this continent's oldest cultural tradition, with many of the country's 560 tribes and nations hosting gatherings commonly called `powwows,' which are growing in popularity as both cultural and sporting events. Some powwows boast attendance of more than 50,000, such as Crow Fair in Montana, where we shot over 40 hours of dance footage and interviews." Against this historic and spectacularly beautiful backdrop, the compelling story of America's first "performance artists" is told through dance. Throughout its history, dance has fortified and sustained American Indians. It has also been the prism through which age-old rivalries have been played out and where such modern conflicts as progress vs. tradition; spirituality vs. commerce, and independence vs. assimilation continue to be dramatically expressed. Traditional dance styles, developed thousands of years ago, distinguish tribes from one another and hold the key to tribal legacies. Whether inspired by revered animals, sacred places, or belief systems, American Indian dances span the gamut of human emotion and expression. These beautiful, energetic dances require the skill of an Olympic athlete, as powwow contestants must adhere to rigorous protocols to win championships. Sports fans can look at these dancers as the direct descendants of America's `original home team,' carrying on a competitive tradition that dates back many centuries. Also explored in the documentary is the clash of traditional vs. more modern styles of dancing and the lifestyles that reflect each distinct approach. As in any culture, young American Indians, to a certain degree, have abandoned the more traditional dance styles, preferring less restrictive, more interpretive dances including the Fancy Shawl Dance, the Jingle Dress Dance and the Men's Fancy Dance. Many tribal elders are wary over the more flashy and secular aspects of the newer dances. But others point to the increased attendance and participation of youth as a sign that the injection of the newer dance forms is re-invigorating the American Indian dance scene. Producers were determined to showcase the aesthetic beauty of the dances, the colorful regalia, and the breathtaking Crow lands to the American viewing public. For that reason, according to executive producer Sonny Skyhawk, "Four Directions selected the Panasonic Broadcast's AJ-HDC27 Varicam(TM), variable-frame high-definition camera for primary photography for the documentary. The uncompressed edit was done on the HDBOXX editing system from BOXX(R) Technologies, which supports Panasonic's AJ-HDC27 variable frame rate camera. This format provides an extraordinary introduction to the beauties of this cultural expression." The World of American Indian Dance is a Four Directions Entertainment production. The program is presented by The Oneida Indian Nation. Ray Halbritter, (Oneida), Dan Jones (Ponca) and Sonny Skyhawk (Lakota) are executive producers; Jones is producer. Four Directions Entertainment is committed to creating more opportunities for American Indians in the entertainment industry and to re-defining, through its productions, the perception of the "First Americans" on the continent. For more information about Four Directions Entertainment, visit www.4d-enter.com. The Oneida Indian Nation is a federally recognized Indian nation in Central New York. It is a member of the Haudenosaunee (hoe-dee-no-so-nee), known in English as the Six Nations or Iroquois Confederacy. The word Haudenosaunee means "people of the longhouse." --------- "RE: Upcoming Events" --------- Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003 15:39:14 -0 From: Gary Smith (gars@speakeasy.org) Subj: Upcoming Events =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= EVENTS ARE FEATURED IN ODD NUMBERED ISSUES ONLY =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Lists from Jim Anderson, OCB Tracker and Whispering Wind are listed here for 60 days. Each web site is listed if you need a more complete list. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//- Notice of Copyright Clearance by Contributors: The following have granted permission for their original articles to be reposted in order to help mend the Sacred Hoop: Gary Smith, Frosty Deere, Janet Smith, Break Chains, Brigitte Thimiakis, Debbie Sanders, Johnny Rustywire, Barbara Landis, John D. Berry, Jerry Reed --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//-