From gars@speakeasy.org Tue May 20 23:40:23 2003 Date: 13 May 2003 23:00:56 -0000 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews11.020 _ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 11, ISSUE 020 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, WOTANGING IKCHE - Lakota - Common News Wotanging Ikche and Native American News Copyright c. 1996-2003 nanews.org Aboriginal/AmerIndian Perspective about the First Nations of Turtle Island May 17, 2003 Assiniboine indiwiga/idle moon Eastern Cherokee nvda gahlvsga/planting moon +-------------------------------------------------------+ | Much more happens in Indian Country than is reported | | in this weekly newsletter. For daily updates & events | | go to http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm | +-------------------------------------------------------+ Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin -- Blackfeet -- News for All the People Ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min -- Ojibwe -- We Are Talking About Ourselves Aunchemokauhettittea -- Naragansett -- Let Us Share News Kanoheda Aniyvwiya -- Cherokee -- Journal of the People O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse -- Creek -- People's New News O o O Acimowin -- Plains Cree -- Story or Account O o O Tlaixmatiliztli -- Nahuatl -- News O o o o o O Agnutmaqan -- Listuguj Mi'kmaq -- News O o O Sho-da-ku-ye -- Teehahnahmah -- Talking Birchbark O o O Un Chota -- Susquehannic Seneca -- The People Speak O Ha-Sah-Sliltha -- Ditidaht Nation -- News of the People 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 Dineh jii' adah' ho'nil'e'gii ba' ha' neh -- Navajo Nation -- What's Happening among The People News Okla Humma Holisso Nowat Anya -- Choctaw -- People(s) Red Newspaper Hi'a chu ah gaa -- Pima -- The stories or the talk of the People Native American News -- Language of the Occupation Forces ==>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 <================<<<< >>>>================> 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; Netrez-L, ndn-aim, Canadian Aboriginal News, chiapas95-english, Native American Advocate, Frostys AmerIndian, First Nations, The Red Road Newsletter and Native American Poetry Mailing Lists; UUCP email IMPORTANT!! ----------- In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, all material appearing in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for educational purposes. <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our Spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the Red Road. ++ It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own internet addressable account to gars@speakeasy.org ++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org <================<<<< >>>>================> +-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + | As historian Patricia Nelson | | Once a language is lost, it is | | Limerick summarized in "The | | gone forever | | Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken | | * Of the 300 original Native | | Past of the American West... | | languages in North America, | | "Set the blood quantum at | | only 175 exist today. | | one-quarter, hold to it as a | | * 125 of these are no longer | | rigid definition of Indians, | | learned by children. | | let intermarriage proceed as | | * 55 are spoken by 1 to 6 elders;| | it had for centuries, and | | when they die, their language | | eventually Indians will be | | will disappear. | | defined out of existence." | | * Without action, only 20 | | "When that happens, the federal | | languages will survive the next| | government will be freed of | | 50 years. | | its persistent 'Indian problem.'"| | Source: Indigenous Language | +-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ | Institute | |http://www.indigenous-language.org| This issue's Elder Quote: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + ======================== "This war did not spring up on our land, this war was brought upon us by the children of the Great Father who came to take our land without a price, and who, in our land, do a great many evil things... This war has come from robbery - from the stealing of our land." __ Spotted Tail (Sinte Gleska), Sicangu Lakota +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! If you have read this newsletter for any time you know how very important I believe preservation of our languages is to maintaining our identities and cultures. Our languages do define who we are. The way we think as a people is reflected in the words that describe our presence in this walk, and the same description in any other language cannot and does not carry with it the heart and feelings of the original language. Without our languages we are just another number to the census taker. The War Department knew this when children were ripped from their homes, sent to boarding schools, and forced to forget their native tongues. As I was contemplating what this issue's editorial focus was to be, this message from Choctaw librarian, teacher and friend John Berry came over the net. End of contemplation. I am asking every reader to contact their senators today and make them aware of how important the "Native American Languages Act" is to their constituency. Do it today! Continue to make it important to your senators to make this act law. ----------------- forwarded email --------------------- Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 08:08:15 -0700 From: "John D. Berry" Subj: Fwd: Native American Languages Act Mailing List: Netrez-L Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LAKOTA LANGUAGE CLASSES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~1385354,00.html A 'foreign' language Lakota Rare class seeks to reclaim culture, keep kids in school By Eric Hubler, Denver Post Education Writer Beverly Granger cries as she thinks of all that was lost because she couldn't speak to her grandmother in Lakota - and all that is being regained now that her son Robert is learning the language in a course at Denver East High School. "I feel very privileged," said Robert, a 17-year-old junior. "There're not many places to learn Lakota. Plus it's my language, which gives it more meaning. I'm hoping to teach it to my children." This is not an after-school club, but a bona fide language course sanctioned by the Denver Public Schools curriculum department. Students get foreign-language credit - an irony that Rose Marie McGuire, head of the district's Indian Education Program, couldn't help noting. "It's not a foreign language. It's an indigenous language," she said. Instructor Gracie RedShirt Tyon Foote is McGuire's counterpart in Jefferson County schools, and she comes to Denver four times a week to teach the class, which is in its first semester. She and her students are not only preserving history but making it, according to educators involved in American Indian culture. Nationwide, few K-12 schools offer Indian languages. "Usually it's French or German or Spanish or any of those popular European languages. But you never hear, especially in the inner city, anyone teaching a native language. I think it's amazing," said Suzette Brewer, spokeswoman for the American Indian College Fund, which is based in Denver and supports 34 tribal colleges across the country. "That's wonderful news," said Albert White Hat Sr., a Lakota language professor at Sinte Gleska University, a Lakota college in Rosebud, S.D, and the author of the textbook used at East. "Public schools don't generally teach that unless they're on the reservation." For a century, Brewer said, Indian children were sent to boarding schools that discouraged them from speaking their native languages - or worse. "They basically had their languages beaten out of them," said Brewer, a Cherokee. The boarding-school movement allowed two-thirds of Indian languages to slip into extinction and instilled a dislike of school that still harms Indian students, Brewer said. Indians nationwide have worse dropout rates than any other ethnic group, she said. That's true in Denver. In a district where two-thirds of its students graduate from high school - already low by state and national standards - only 46 percent of Indians do, according to DPS figures. RedShirt Tyon Foote's class is part of an Indian Focus Schools system meant to improve those numbers. A quarter of DPS's approximately 850 American Indian students go to three elementary schools and one middle school, in addition to East and the Career Education Center, that offer support services and activities. Some are recent arrivals from reservations and accustomed to tiny rural schools, McGuire said. "Many times our kids get lost. They're just not used to an urban high school," said McGuire, who is a Dakota. (Dakota, Lakota and Nakota are members of the Siouan language group. Speakers of each tongue can understand speakers of the others, McGuire said.) Students who are reserved in other classes come alive in Lakota class, McGuire said: "You'll see more participation. They're more sure of themselves, more connected." Like Robert Granger, Nathan TwoEagles-Downing, a sophomore, is a Lakota looking to reclaim his roots. "I always wanted to be able to communicate with my grandpa," he said. Other students belong to different tribes with unrelated languages, but they're glad to be learning any Indian language at all. Freshman Brandon Ruiz is an Apache, but his elder, or mentor, is a Lakota, and now he's beginning to understand some of his elder's language. A few students aren't Indians at all, just intellectually curious. "Spanish and French, they seem so common. I try to learn new things," sophomore Debby Romero said. Mastering Lakota means recognizing that language can change entire societies, professor White Hat said. Many Lakota words took on new meanings when Christianity came on the scene, and today's students are trying to rediscover their original meanings. The phrase "wakan tanka," for example, meant "every creation," but missionaries translated it as "great spirit." "That's a description of the Christian God," White Hat said. It didn't fit the Lakota philosophy, which held that all people, animals and natural phenomena were relatives, worthy of respect and cooperation but not worship, he said. "In our department here, we are doing what we call laundering the language," White Hat said. "We have to go back to the original meaning of the word and how that addresses the Lakota philosophy, the Lakota way of thinking. We found that the language is very challenging, very complimentary, very honoring, and really kind of a progressive type of thinking." Using White Hat's text, RedShirt Tyon Foote is teaching the students at East High that in Lakota, language and relationships are inseparable. An example: To show respect and preserve household peace, brothers and sisters traditionally did not speak to one another. "Living in tipis, avoidance was practiced to give people their privacy because it's a one- room home," she said. "The class is so much more than just language," RedShirt Tyon Foote added. "There are social rules, philosophy, the culture, history, misinterpretation of different words when it was written down by missionaries." A frequent stumbling block for students is that men and women use different word endings. Brewer said Lakota speakers find Kevin Costner funny in "Dances With Wolves" because he speaks female Lakota. While most Lakota today live in South Dakota, it is appropriate for Denver to play a role in the renaissance of the Lakota language, Beverly Granger said. Lakota routinely traveled through Colorado, where they formed alliances with Cheyennes and Utes, she said. And, in modern times, Denver has emerged as a center of American Indian culture. Granger said she fled the violence, alcoholism and poverty of the Rosebud reservation at 19, lived for many years in Nevada, and only felt her homesickness ebb when she came to Denver in 1989 and saw the annual Denver March Pow Wow. For the first time, she said, she saw Indians of different tribes doing something other than bickering. "Everyone was dancing together. It was an intercultural pow wow. I just sat there and cried," she said. "Denver's just a good place to be for American Indians." Copyright c. 2003 The Denver Post or other copyright holders. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Elders stand in front of Bulldozers" --------- Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 10:53:16 EDT From: LAKOTAWAN@aol.com Subj: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ELDERS STAND IN FRONT OF BULLDOZERS Mailing List: ndn-aim In a message dated 5/12/03 7:08:16 AM Pacific Daylight Time, sheilahamanaka@earthlink.net writes: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sunday, May 11, 2003 Contact: North Point Negotiating Team (605) 487-7769 SEWAGE DUMP BEING BUILT ON OUR ANCESTORS' GRAVES// PEOPLE OPPOSING THE DESECRATION WILL STAND IN FRONT OF BULLDOZERS Bulldozers and heavy earth-moving equipment contracted by the state of South Dakota are poised to continue desecrating Native American burial grounds and sacred sites along the Missouri River on Yankton Sioux (Ihanktonwan Dakota) ancestral homelands. The state of South Dakota, along with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, is hurrying to develop a sewage dump and parking lot for RVs, along with a fish cleaning station in time for tourist season, even though they must desecrate Native burials to do so. The Yankton and their supporters will not allow this desecration to continue. Some people, including Elders and a journalist from WBAI Pacifica Radio in New York City, will stand in front of the bulldozers to stop them if the state attempts to move their bulldozers into the burials again early this week. South Dakota has been busy promoting the 200th anniversary of the coming of Lewis and Clark to the Great Plains this summer, and is rushing to prepare its newly acquired lands up and down the Missouri River with recreation and picnic areas, parking lots, sewage facilities and bathrooms, welcome centers, and fish cleaning stations, even though hundreds of thousands of Native burial areas from many tribes lie along the River. On Tuesday and Wednesday last week, people from the Yankton tribe were forced to stand on their ancestors' burials, frantically digging with their hands in the soil searching for remains, bone shards, and funerary items while bulldozers dumped truckload after truckload of burial soil on top of what is now a huge mound of earth. Army Corps archaeologists stood watching across the road from the burial, talking and laughing. Bulldozing stopped Thursday, Friday, and Saturday due to heavy rains, but they have promised to be back and finish the job quickly as soon as they can get their equipment in, as early as Monday morning at 7:00am CST. The area in question involves lands the US Congress allowed to be taken away from the tribes, rather than be transferred back to South Dakota tribes by the US Army Corps of Engineers, who had a legal obligation to give the lands back when it no longer had use for them. The Corps took hundreds of thousands of acres of land along the Missouri River in the 1950s to build an extensive dam system. Senator Tom Daschle (D)-South Dakota and former South Dakota Governor (now US Representative) Bill Janklow (R)-South Dakota brokered the land deal through Congress for the state. The Yankton have begun a spiritual encampment near the burials at the "North Point Recreation Area," with several tipis and a sacred fire, to protect the ancestral remains and ceremonial items that have been recovered so far by tribal members. They have called for other tribes to join them. They are also calling for immediate witness and international observers to come to the camp and help document the desecration and destruction of their ancestors. A national boycott of the state of South Dakota has been launched by people in solidarity with the Yankton, who are saying they will not travel to a state that will sacrifice Indigenous Peoples' ancestors and sacred areas for sewage dumps, fish cleaning, and parking lots. Call the North Point Negotiating Team (605) 487-7769 --------- "RE: County and Southern Ute Road Access Agreement" --------- Date: Fri, May 9 2003 10:19:21 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ROAD AGREEMENT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation LaPlata County, tribe reach agreement on road access May 8, 2003 By Brian Newsome Herald Staff Writer La Plata County and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe have struck an agreement in which the tribe and its members will consult the county's engineer when building new driveways or accesses that feed onto county roads. It's the latest in a series of agreements the two groups have reached to address issues while considering the legal implications of tribal sovereignty. Residents in La Plata County are required to get driveway and access permits for construction projects, and they must comply with recommendations by the county engineer to get those permits. But the tribe, as a sovereign government, is not legally required to abide by the county's policies. "It's just been a gray area in the past," said Rick Routh, county engineer. "Our main concern is public safety of the road system." The Memorandum of Understanding between the two entities means that new construction projects by the tribe or tribal members will incorporate county standards and technical specifications that apply to public safety. It does not address secondary accesses, road-impact fees, or other issues associated with planning, said Routh. Recommendations will ensure accesses can support the weight of emergency vehicles, will drain properly, and have enough sight distance for safety. "It's really a safety issue, and as development occurs that accesses our roads, it needs to be done right, and we just need to make sure that there is a review of it by our engineer," said Josh Joswick, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners. In the last few years, the two groups have turned to such agreements to avoid legal battles over the issue of sovereignty. Intergovernmental agreements have addressed property-tax disputes and road projects within the reservation. The county argues that the tribe should be held accountable for actions that affect the county or tap its resources. The tribe, however, believes abiding by county rules essentially relinquishes its rights as a sovereign government. The tribe is subject only to the federal government's rules and regulations. "We look at this as a building block for future (agreements) that would help tribal and county relations," Routh said. Joswick agreed. "It's just important to us for people to understand we're working with the tribe," he said. Routh said the Memorandum of Understanding comes after a year of negotiations. Reach Staff Writer Brian Newsome at brian@durangoherald.com. Copyright C. 2002, the Durango Herald. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: U.S. delays Piestewa Peak Request" --------- Date: Fri, May 9 2003 10:19:21 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HONOR DENIED" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azstarnet.com/star/fri/30509PIESTEWA.html U.S. delays Squaw Peak request By Howard Fischer CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES May 9, 2003 The U.S. Board on Geographic Names is putting the request to rename Squaw Peak on ice until 2008. Roger Payne, the board's executive secretary, said his agency will honor a request by Gov. Janet Napolitano to defer action on the move to rename the Phoenix mountain as Piestewa Peak. Payne said that request came after he informed aides to Napolitano that board members would not consider acting now because it would violate their rules, which preclude naming a geographic feature after people within five years of their death. And that would leave outright rejection as the only other alternative. Payne said, though, that he cannot guarantee that the request will be honored at the five-year anniversary of the death of Army Pfc. Lori Piestewa, the first American Indian woman to die in overseas combat. Piestewa was killed in an ambush in Iraq March 23. The lack of action by the national board leaves unaffected what is happening in Arizona. By law, decisions of the state board are binding on all state and local agencies. It also requires that all future state maps be drawn designating the mountain as Piestewa Peak. Paul Allvin, a press aide to Napolitano, insisted Thursday that the governor has made no such request for delay. He said her position is that only if committee members refuse to waive their rules - something the governor persuaded the Arizona board to do - would she accede to putting the measure on the back burner. "For whatever reason, on what we're asking, they got it mixed up," said Allvin. "We weren't going back on saying, 'Please waive this rule.' We still don't think it's necessary to wait five years." Copyright c. 1999, 2000, 2001 AzStarNet, Arizona Daily Star. --------- "RE: Inaugural NA Games set in Piestewa's Name" --------- Date: Wed, May 7 2003 08:09:39 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NATIONAL NA GAMES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0507.html Inaugural games set in Piestewa's name May 7, 2003 The inaugural Lori Piestewa National Native American Games will be held July 18-20 throughout northern Arizona. The Grand Canyon State Games host the event, which was held for Native Americans in Arizona before going national. The games will honor Piestewa, the first Native American woman killed in combat. "We are grateful that the family of Lori Piestewa is allowing her name to be used," said Erik Widmark, the executive director of the Grand Canyon State Games. The event is open to the 511 tribes throughout the United States, and athletes must be one-quarter Native American to compete. The sports to be contested include basketball, softball, volleyball and track and field. Opening ceremonies will be held July 17. Information: www.gcsg. org/events/nativegames. Basketball Nicole Powell of Phoenix, Lindsay Taylor of Chandler and Shawntinice Polk of the University of Arizona are among 60 invitees to the U.S. Women's National Team Trials, May 22-25 in Colorado Springs. The trials will be used to select players for the World Championship for Young Women, July 25-Aug. 3 in Croatia; and for the Pan American Games, Aug. 2-9 in the Dominican Republic. Powell is going into her senior season at Stanford and was named to the Associated Press All-America second team as a junior; the 6-foot-8 Taylor was Big West Player of the Year as a junior at UC Santa Barbara; and Polk is coming off a Pac-10 Freshman of the Year season. Elsewhere Erin Tone of Arizona State golf, Dianne Hollands of Arizona tennis and Megan Van Anda of Northern Arizona volleyball are among 302 student- athletes chosen for the seventh NCAA Leadership Conference, May 25-29 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. They were selected from 1,172 nominations. Copyright c. 2003 The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com. --------- "RE: Northern Cheyenne sue over Methane" --------- Date: Fri, May 9 2003 10:19:21 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NORTHERN CHEYENNE SUIT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2003/05/09/ Cheyenne sue over methane By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press May 9, 2003 The Northern Cheyenne Tribe sued the U.S. Department of the Interior Thursday over its plan allowing for coalbed methane development in southern Montana, asking a federal judge to halt new drilling until impacts can be fully assessed. The tribe said the Bureau of Land Management failed to fully study how the activity could affect the environment and way of life on the reservation. "We feel like the tribe's concerns were ignored," said John Arum, an attorney for the Northern Cheyenne and Native Action, a nonprofit organization involved in conservation and other issues. Concerns detailed in the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Billings, stem from likely development off the reservation. The tribe has no immediate plans to tap coal seams for methane gas on the southeast Montana reservation, officials said. Among the concerns are the possible effects of regional coalbed methane development on the environment, tribal culture and the social climate. The Northern Cheyenne contend the BLM violated a federal environmental law by not adequately studying "direct, indirect and cumulative effects" of development in these areas and failed to consider "all reasonable measures available" to mitigate effects. The government also failed in its fiduciary obligations to the tribe, the lawsuit said. Greg Albright, a spokesman for the BLM in Billings, said he had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment. The BLM, according to court documents, is predicting that as many as 14,000 new coalbed methane wells could be tapped over the next 20 years in Montana's portion of the Powder River Basin, a mineral-rich region that spills into this state from northern Wyoming. Gas development in Wyoming's share of the basin has moved at breakneck speed in recent years. But it's been almost nonexistent in Montana, pending the outcome of a framework for future development, which the BLM and the state recently completed. Currently, there's only one commercial producer of coalbed methane in Montana. Several conservation groups, including the Northern Plains Resource Council, also are suing the BLM over the plan and have raised similar complaints, including that the environmental analysis was incomplete. The Northern Cheyenne had no choice but to sue, tribe president Geri Small said. "As a tribe, we will not allow anyone, including our federal trustee, to take our groundwater or methane gas, violate our Class I air quality and threaten our cultural and subsistence way of life," she said in a statement. Class I is the "highest and most protective air quality designation" under a federal Clean Air Act program. The tribe says there's the potential for violations of air quality levels when emissions from "full-field" coalbed methane development are combined with pollution from other sources in the area. Another concern is reduced visibility on the reservation. Drilling for coalbed methane requires releasing large volumes of groundwater to ease the pressure that holds the gas in coal seams. The tribe, as well as many farmers and conservationists, say the water is often salty and can damage crops, other vegetation and the soil itself. Development also may affect the culture on the reservation -- the hunting, fishing and gathering that many tribal members participate in, according to the lawsuit. And while coalbed methane has been touted by many state officials as a likely job creator in Montana, the Northern Cheyenne said they don't expect to benefit much from it. Economic ties between the reservation and neighboring towns off of it are "extremely weak" and a large number of new people moving to the region could tax services and increase social tensions, the lawsuit says. Copyright c. 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2003 The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Help for the Northern Cheyenne" --------- Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2003 6:31 PM From: Brigitte Thimiakis Subj: Please help with your newsletter >To: janet smith ; Gary NightOwl Greetings Janet and Gary, I hope this finds you well. Manuel Redwoman and Honor Your Spirit have a new site, and a new Project to help the People on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Our group would be very grateful if you could publish our request in your Newsletter/site, if this is ok with you. We are trying to help the people working on the shelter and need awareness. Please let me know if it is ok to exchange our links, thank you. respectfully, Brigitte (our request is below) === [This message may be forwarded under the condition that it is not altered in any way- thank you] Greetings, Please read Manuel Redwoman's message, and the request below it. As always, *all* donated items and help will go directly to those in need of support; but now will also include the homeless shelter. HYS Project - Statement Honor Your Spirit would like to take a moment to offer up a special prayer to all of our friends and supporters. Today, we look back over this year and we see that a lot has been accomplished, but only with thanks to your help. We thank and congratulate all of you that have made us this, the Sacred Circle of understanding and caring. Many of us have had to struggle in our journey in life, so we feel the pain of our brothers and sisters, elders and children who are now in need. In the seven months with you, we have been able to give warm blankets and clothing to elders. With you, we've helped the children's shelter with clothes, toys at Christmas and much needed hygiene items. With you, we have all helped with donated items to the head start and day care. In the seven months you, the Honor Your Spirit family, have done so much and yet there is still an urgent need for assistance in other areas. On the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, the Tongue River Homeless Shelter is now a reality. However, the doors cannot open until it is supplied with beds, furniture, sheets, towels, all the items any home needs. It has been a hard year but with your help, we know this journey will remain sacred. Thank you. Respectfully, Manuel Redwoman, Honor Your Spirit, Protect The Children ......................................................................... Items needed for the Tongue River Homeless Shelter: All the items any home needs, in particular : - beds & furniture, - sheets, - towels, - Toiletries, shampoos, razor blades, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc - Light clothing for all ages (in good condition) Contact Information: suemontana@mcn.net thimiakischool@the.forthnet.gr Donated Items can be sent to: Honor Your Spirit, Protect the Children % Sue Buck PO Box 901 Great Falls, MT 59403-0901 <>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o "Honor Your Spirit, Protect the Children" Manuel Redwoman, Northern Cheyenne/Lakota/Arapaho http://www.geocities.com/honoryourspirit/home.html <>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o [This message may be forwarded under the condition that it is not altered in any way- thank you] --------- "RE: Alaska: Tribes counter Spending Criticism" --------- Date: Wed, May 7 2003 08:09:39 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SPENDING CRITICISM" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/3077895p-3101214c.html Tribes counter spending criticism SUMMIT: Leaders say study of finances shows federal money is being used efficiently. By JOEL GAY Anchorage Daily News May 7, 2003 Last fall, Sen. Ted Stevens said he was looking for ways to trim the fat out of more than $750 million in federal funds that Alaska Native tribes spend every year on housing, health care and other social services. This week in Anchorage, tribal leaders respectfully disagreed that there is fat to cut. In fact, they said, tribes are providing more and better service now than when the government was doing the work years ago. That's not to say there isn't room for improvement, tribal leaders said at the summit held Monday and Tuesday at the Hotel Captain Cook. But the gradual transfer of services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service to Alaska's 229 federally recognized tribes has been a success, they said. A major overhaul that some fear Stevens might seek, such as consolidating the tribes or creating new agencies to oversee the funding, isn't warranted, they said. Stevens shocked the Native community last fall when he cited concerns about how tribal funds were being spent. Large tribes with lobbyists and consultants were getting too large a slice of the federal-funds pie, and small villages were losing out, he said. Too much money was going for "indirect" costs and not enough for services, he said. Stevens mentioned accountability problems and abandoned villages that were still getting tribal funding. "I need your help to change this system," he told the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in October. "I believe there must be a way to allocate this money fairly and get it to the people who are in the greatest need." In discussions with Native organizations this winter, Stevens said he wanted to "anchor" federal funding for Alaska Natives because he isn't going to be around forever. Alaska currently receives more federal money per capita than any other state, of which tribal funding is about 25 percent. In addition, the federal budget is expected to shrink as the budget deficit grows. Five Alaska Native organizations began gathering financial information in January on Stevens' five areas of concern. Working groups pored over financial statements submitted by tribes, examined federal budgets, and considered state and federal regulations that control how the money is spent. This week in Anchorage, the work groups presented their findings to 300 tribal delegates. They didn't find much to be embarrassed about, said Dan Duame, an attorney and work group member. The data show that three of Stevens' concerns -- high overhead costs, lack of accountability and phantom villages -- are "almost wholly myths," he said. The others are only partially true, he added. "The facts speak very clearly" that tribes are spending their money carefully in most respects, Duame said. Tribes' expansion into the social services has been a long process. Federal agencies, such as the BIA and Indian Health Service, once delivered social services directly to Alaska Natives. In the 1970s, the state's 12 new regional nonprofit agencies took over some of those functions. Gradually, tribal organizations replaced the federal health service and formed regional housing authorities. But most important, new federal laws allowed individual tribes to assume services previously offered by regional organizations. Several tribal services administrators offered examples of how they have wrung more services out of their federal grants because of that ability. Eileen Norbert said the Nome-based regional nonprofit Kawerak has all but stopped providing services for villages in its region. Now it trains village residents to provide the services instead, she said. "We look out five years" for upcoming projects, such as a new school in Golovin, then prepare village residents to get those jobs, Norbert said. The money that once went for project overhead now goes into village salaries, she said. Along the Yukon River, the Tanana Chiefs Conference is actively trying to work itself out of a job, said president Buddy Brown. Like Kawerak, TCC has tried to encourage villages to take on the services TCC once provided. In Nulato, Peter Demoski said his tribe has gone from zero employees to a dozen, creating jobs in rural Alaska as well as providing service locally. Many recommended that the tribes keep better track of their successes and share the information with congressional leaders. "We need to brag about ourselves," said Millie Stevens, representing Craig Community Association. Alaska tribes have much to lose if Congress drastically revises the funding process, said Heather Kendall-Miller, an attorney with the Native American Rights Fund. "We're here to talk about services and funding. But any time you tinker with funding legislation, it must not in any way work to the detriment of tribal sovereignty. Federal funding goes hand in hand with tribal existence," she said. As long as tribes are funded, they exist, she said. It's too early to know how Stevens will respond to the tribes' statement this week. But Julie Kitka, executive director of Alaska Federation of Natives, said the issue tackled this week is an opening to engage Stevens on some of the key challenges facing Native people, such as overcoming poverty and establishing economic development in rural Alaska. Daily News reporter Joel Gay can be reached at jgay@adn.com or at 257-4310 Copyright c. 2003 The Anchorage Daily News. --------- "RE: Stevens denies pressuring Smithsonian" --------- Date: Fri, May 9 2003 10:19:21 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ANWR" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.adn.com/alaska_ap/story/3095802p-3118699c.html Stevens denies pressuring Smithsonian The Associated Press WASHINGTON (May 10, 5:20 p.m. ADT) - Sen. Ted Stevens praised the Smithsonian Institution's decision to tone down a photo exhibit on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and move it to a less prominent gallery but said the decision had nothing to do with him. "Every article I've seen ... indicates that I'm the one that put pressure on the Smithsonian to move it, and it's not true," Stevens, R- Alaska, said on the Senate floor Friday morning. He said he would defend the museum officials who rethought the exhibit - "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land" - before it opened at the National Museum of Natural History. The show and book of the same name were an attempt to convince people that drilling in the refuge is wrong, he said. "This is a propaganda book!" Stevens boomed, pounding the publication with his fist. Photographer Subhankar Banerjee, who spent 14 months photographing the refuge, said he does not know where the pressure originated, but it certainly was applied. Banerjee, 35, said work on the exhibit was progressing normally until Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., held his book up in the Senate chamber in March to help make the case against opening the refuge to oil drilling. On April 3, Banerjee got a call from Robert Sullivan, the museum's associate director for public programs. Sullivan said the exhibit had been threatened with cancellation and would have to change. "What he exactly said was it was perceived that the show had been politicized," Banerjee told the Anchorage Daily News. "I don't know where the pressure came from. All I was told by the Smithsonian was there was pressure to cancel the show and make changes." The show was moved from a gallery off the museum's main rotunda to a lower-level area that serves as a hallway between a freight elevator and a loading dock. The captions for the photographs were truncated. Sullivan said that the changes were part of the normal review process and that Boxer's display of the book was just one factor considered. He said no one from outside the Smithsonian exerted any influence that he knows of. Copyright c. 2003 The Anchorage Daily News. --------- "RE: Native Activists for Sale" --------- Date: Fri, May 9 2003 10:19:21 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ACTIVISTS FOR SALE" http://hometown.aol.com/miketben1/activists.htm NATIVE ACTIVISTS FOR SALE BY: DOUG GEORGE-KANENTIIO INDIAN TIME - Vol. 21 #10 Forty-two years ago there was an historic event within Indian Country as a young generation of Aboriginal leaders elected to challenge the status quo by questioning the actions of those they deemed a threat to the survival of Native Nations as distinct cultural and political entities. In June of 1961 a conference was held in Chicago in which over 400 Native delegates convened to challenge the Kennedy administration's Indian policies. Out of that session was born the National Indian Youth Council which reversed decades of passivity and heralded a new, confrontational approach to Aboriginal Rights. There were no sacred cows to the activists at the NIYC. They were the first generation of Natives to wrangle some degree of higher education from the U.S. and Canada, knowledge which they used to demand greater self determination for their respective communities. It was the NIYC which came to the realization Native people could put aside their regional and historical differences to forge movements based on the concept that Indigenous Nations had much in common beginning with their occupancy of this continent and its subsequent theft by the Europeans. This shared experience was sufficient to launch a National movement in which the traditional democratic principles of Aboriginal society were brushed off and made to apply to contemporary Human Rights endeavors. These young people were unafraid to bring to task bumbling Federal bureaucrats, racist academics and corrupt Tribal Chairmen. They realized the need to break free of former geographical and political constraints, that the movement had to be ready to shine a glaring light on any organization or individual who was causing harm to Native people. They realized the danger of qualifying the struggle for justice by refraining from intervention because a Tribe or Nation elected to hide behind the cloak of sovereignty. This defense, once enacted by a Native leader, was a red flag certain to draw the attention of the political astute. Physical danger to their persons was quite real but the eagerness to press forward with the need for reform was greater than their fears. The fishing wars at Frank's Landing in 1964 would not have happened if those young people abided by the dictates of BIA sanctioned Native "leaders" nor would Wounded Knee have been liberated in 1973. Alcatraz would not have taken place in 1969 if Native people were apprehensive about getting involved nor would the BIA have been occupied three years later. Out of those events came a greater sense of control over Indian affairs by Indians. Native sovereignty actually became a working concept which could then become the basis for economic and social growth. But then the opportunists and Native Rights exploiters saw their chance to steer the movement in another direction, once which was defined by corruption, greed and a return to regionalism. An example in point is the bitter experiences of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an organization which was forefront in its advocacy of Native Independence. Recently, the Confederacy has witnessed its own people hack at the roots of the symbolic Great Tree of Peace as they have become involved in massive smuggling operations, shady deals with possible terrorist groups and gambling compacts which are stripping away the very essence of Confederate sovereignty. The external news agencies have carried stories which detail the disintegration of Haudenosaunee authority as the criminal elements within each Nation take control. From Akwesasne to Oneida and on to Cattaraugus the making of money, whether by selling dope or by slots, is the new reality, unchecked and completely out of control. Now the US is preparing to further compromise Aboriginal jurisdiction in the northeast by making further intrusions on Native territory in an effort to bring some semblance of law to the current crisis. Certainly, the troubles among the Haudenosaunee have National implications for if the US is successful in undermining the Confederacy it may do so to all other Native Nations. And as this tragedy unfolds where are the activists, the writers, the journalists? All too many of them have been seduced by moneyed, pro gambling elements within Iroquois territory and elsewhere; they have accepted fat checks in order to lend their names to fascist regimes. They have become afraid. Some of them actually believe they serve as 'moderating' influences on the extremists yet such efforts are nonexistent to the average Iroquois citizen watching in despair as thugs, non-Native cops and hazy "investors" overwhelm their communities. Is this what the freedom fighters of Wounded Knee died for? Was this why they occupied the BIA and stood strong at Frank's Landing or took part on the Longest Walk? Shame on anyone of us who has exploited such noble struggles for their own gain. Remember, our heroes in the spirit world are watching and they can hardly be pleased. Copyright c. 1999-2003 The INDIAN TIME Newspaper. Akwesasne - Mohawk Nation Territory --------- "RE: Riverside Indian School chosen by NASA" --------- Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 09:47:26 -0700 From: "Larry Kibby" Subj: Riverside Indian School U.S. Department of the Interior Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs For Immediate Release: May 1, 2003 Contact: Nedra Darling 202-219-4152 === Riverside Indian School Chosen for Pilot Education Program Sponsored by NASA Washington -- Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Aurene Martin announced today that Riverside Indian School, Anadarko, Okla., has been chosen for a pilot program, sponsored by NASA and presented by the Busey Group. The grant is for the purpose of promoting careers in the math, science, IT and healthcare area with special emphasis in the space industry. "The effort to prepare American Indian students for careers in science and technology is very important to the economic development efforts of tribal nations," the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs said. "My congratulations to the staff and students of Riverside Indian School." Riverside Indian School was chosen for this pilot project because its student population is 100% American Indian Students come from rural and urban areas of the country. A major project for the students will be the design a space station that combines American Indian culture with modern technology. The grant will be used to provide a field trip on May 6, 2003, for 120 students to travel to Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, to visit the distance learning lab and Safford Museum. The students will meet Bernard Harris, the first African-American astronaut and will participate with Mr. Harris in a direct link-up using telecommunications technology with John Harrington, a Chickasaw tribal member and first American Indian astronaut. A follow-up trip for 60 students to travel to Southwestern Oklahoma State University is planned for May 27, 2003. Also, a field trip for 30 students and 10 chaperones will travel on May 30, 2003, to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The school will hold an Indian Taco luncheon on May 15, 2003, for tribal leaders, who will judge the American Indian themed space stations made by the students. A special request from NASA has been made to have the students' Native American Space Station sent to the Johnson Space Center to be put on display. It will be displayed with artifacts donated by various tribes. Mrs. Luann Williams, high school science teacher, will serve as project director and will participate in the NASA's teacher training program during that time. Established in 1871, Riverside Indian School is a federally operated off-reservation boarding school located at Anadarko, Okla. It has an enrollment of 600 students in grades 4 through 12, and is accredited by the state of Oklahoma and the North Central Accreditation Association. For specific information on the project call Don Sims, Riverside Indian School at: 405-247-6670. --DOI-- --------- "RE: School Building another Cherokee Trail of Tears" --------- Date: Thu, May 8 2003 08:22:20 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SCHOOL BUILDINGS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=%5CNation%5Carchive Crusade for New School Building Another Cherokee Trail of Tears By National Center for Public Policy Research CNSNews.com Special May 08, 2003 (Editor's Note: The following is the 43rd of 100 stories regarding government regulation from the book Shattered Dreams, written by the National Center for Public Policy Research. CNSNews.com will publish an additional story each day.) The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is preventing the Cherokee Indians in Cherokee, N.C., from building a new school. A special interest group, NPCA's stated goal is to protect America's national parks. It lobbies Congress for public funding of national parks and litigates for ways to establish safeguards for America's national parks. The school buildings currently used by the Cherokees are in disrepair and overcrowded. The 40-year-old elementary school was designed to accommodate 480 students but now houses approximately 700. Cherokee leaders also have expressed concern about the current school's downtown location, which places the students close to traffic. Traffic on the reservation has steadily increased as the reservation has been attracting an increasing numbers of tourists. Because developable land is scarce on the Cherokee reservation, tribal officials proposed a land swap with the government to permit them to build a new school. The tribe has offered 218 acres of the reservation's mountain terrain in exchange for 168 acres of flat land adjacent to the reservation. This flat land, known as the Ravensford Tract, is part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The NPCA is opposed to the land swap because it believes the swap might set a precedent and because scientists have found 55 archaeological artifacts on the Ravensford Tract. The NCPA's associate director of the Southeast regional office, Greg Kidd, told Fox News: "Any kind of building on this piece of property, whether it's by the Park Service or the Cherokee, is going to have an impact on the resources that are currently protected." The Cherokees, however, have spent more than $1 million on impact studies that show that the new school complex can be built in a way that mitigates damage to the archaeological interests. Leon Jones, principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, argues that a safe school for the Cherokee children is as important as preserving artifacts, saying: "I just want to use that property to educate the children of my tribe and ensure the future of this tribe." The National Park Service is in the process of conducting public hearings and environmental impact studies. A final decision is expected by early 2003. Source: Fox News Copyright c. 2003 National Center for Public Policy Research. --------- "RE: Dine' Prez to cohost Summit" --------- Date: Fri, May 9 2003 10:19:21 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRIBAL SUMMIT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.gallupindependent.com/05-08-03summit.html Dine' Prez to cohost summit that takes on Feds Larry Di Giovanni Staff Writer May 9, 2003 WINDOW ROCK - Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. has succeeded in pulling top tribal leaders together for a June summit in Phoenix, his press officer Deana Jackson said Wednesday. Shirley visited Washington D.C. to testify on Navajo child care needs before the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's 2005 fiscal year budget consultation, and on his tribe's health care needs for FY 2005 before an Indian Health Service budget formulation panel. He has been asked to co-chair an Indian summit with National Congress of American Indians President Tex Hall during which the major topic will be Indian leaders' dissatisfaction with federal government consultation on key budget issues affecting all 560-plus federally recognized tribes. Shirley's well-received talking points on budget problems all tribes face as a result of unrealistic expectations revealed by their budgeted federal amounts for health care and child care are the reason he is being asked to co-chair an Indian leaders' summit in Phoenix on June 14-15, Jackson said. On the child care needs issue facing the Navajo Nation, Shirley said the federal government's budget set aside of 2 percent for child care is not realistic. Nearly 54 percent of all Indian children are being raised in single-parent homes where the parent works and/or goes to school to further their education and job training. The poverty rate in some Indian communities is well above 50 percent and the amount of tribes receiving child care grants increased from 226 in the mid 1990s to 262 last year, Shirley testified. In addition, a full third of all American Indians and Alaska Natives are under age 15. The percentage of the federal government's Indian budget set-aside for child care must increase to 5 percent, Shirley said. "The current funding is not commensurate with the necessary and anticipated increases in child-care services in tribal communities," he told the Health and Human Services panel. In the area of health care, Shirley testified the tribe's top needs are water and sanitation projects, diabetes programs, cancer programs, behavioral health, injury prevention and dental needs. However, he also pointed out the need for assistance with communicable-infectious diseases, heart disease, elder care, telemedicine and maternal child health. The federal government's Indian budget allowing for a 4 percent set aside for health care "is rejected as unacceptable because it does not even keep pace with medical inflation," said Shirley, who supports a previously discussed 15 percent health care increase. He also wants the IHS to follow through on a five-year health facilities construction plan allowing a new Pinon Health Center and planned Red Mesa, Ariz., Health Center to include new staff quarters. Copyright c. 2003 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Indians at odds over Sacred Rites" --------- Date: Mon, May 12 2003 08:10:04 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SACRED CEREMONIES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2003/05/12/news/local/top/news01 Indians at odds over sacred rites By Jodi Rave Lee, Lincoln Journal Star May 12, 2003 Lynn Case sought a path to spiritual enlightenment that led her, unpredictably, to the bed of a self-proclaimed Lakota medicine man. The man's wife pleaded with the New York woman to "transfer energy" to her husband for the sake of the couple's children. "I believed everything she told me, that one of her kids were going to get hurt," Case said. "She was crying and holding my hand. I was - all right, all right, all right. I met her kids. I know her kids." It was supposed to be a one-time, behind-closed-doors encounter. But two months later, the man's wife asked Case to repeat the act. She said no. Last April, Case - who asked to be identified by her maiden name - left the Wisconsin couple's group of non-Indian followers. Unsure of what to do with the pipe she had carved for prayer, she gave it to Arvol Looking Horse, a Lakota spiritual leader from South Dakota's Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. "As I learned of this woman's story last summer, it made me realize that something needed to be done," Looking Horse said. "It makes my heart heavy to know just how bad that these sacred boundaries were crossed." That crossing of boundaries has kindled a new sense of urgency among American Indian people who are seeking to regain control over their sacred rites. Spiritual leaders met over the weekend at the sacred site of Bear Butte in an attempt to stem what they see as the exploitation of Indian ceremonies. Reports abound of abuses that include molestations, New Age participation, money for prayers, drug use and even death during such ceremonies. Many feel Indian spiritual leaders and non-Indian practitioners have corrupted a spiritual way of life once central to tribal communities. Past attempts at exclusion - a proposal was brought before South Dakota's Pine Ridge Tribal Council in 1997 to ban non-Indians from ceremonies - have been futile. But in March, Looking Horse, who represents his family as the 19th- generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe, issued a directive attempting to keep non-Indians from Lakota prayer altars. "If the non-Natives truly understand this purpose, they will ... know that by their departure from this Ho-c'o-ka - our sacred altar - is their sincere contribution to the survival of our future generations." Lakota altars are found in such ceremonies as the sweat lodge, Sun Dance and Vision Quest. So, under Looking Horses' directive, non-Indian practitioners could not participate in a Sun Dance because dancers must "go to the tree," the altar and center of Sun Dance activity. Looking Horse's statement evoked spirited rounds of approval from those who believe the Creator gave Indian people a way of life - and that it belongs only to them. But it also brought harsh criticism from non-Indians - and from spiritual leaders who minister to them. A Lakota family from South Dakota's Rosebud Reservation equated the directive to "ceremonial warfare." 'We need to protect it' It wasn't always like this. But it was predicted. Frank Good Lance, a Lakota elder, predicted the day when medicine men and women would be as plentiful as grass, plants and trees. "He said they are going to pray with these ways and that they are going to sell these ways," Lakota Medicine Man Roger Byrd told the Native Voice newspaper. That day is here, Byrd said. And so are many problems. Spiritual practices once meant to strengthen people can also kill them. Last July, a 57-year-old Indian from Kansas died in a pasture during a Vision Quest - a solitary, two- to four-day fast - on Nebraska's Santee Reservation. But it's the Sun Dance, the most sacred ceremony of Great Plains tribes, that has garnered the most attention. Sun Dance participation has reached a "ridiculous proportion," Bernard Red Cherries, a Northern Cheyenne Sun Dance chief, said. "They're having Sun Dances in Nevada, California - places it doesn't belong." He estimates 300 Sun Dances occur each summer in the United States; Europe also has a growing number. About 240 Sun Dances are of Lakota origin, and nearly one-third of U.S. Sun Dances take place in South Dakota. At last count, 56 occurred on the Pine Ridge Reservation, 40 on the adjacent Rosebud. "It's at the point now where we need to protect it," Red Cherries said. Last October, he called for a meeting of Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho Sun Dance chiefs and medicine bundlekeepers. Another meeting led the group in March to Eagle Butte, in what was described as a contentious yet historic gathering. That meeting led to last weekend's meeting in Bear Butte. Non-Indians no longer welcome Looking Horse's position as keeper of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota nations' most sacred medicine bundle prompted others to let him take a lead role after the Eagle Butte meeting. That's when he released his statement proclaiming non-Indians are no longer welcome at the altar of traditional ceremonies. "Our purpose for the Sun Dance is for the survival of the future generations to come, first and foremost," Looking Horse said. He asked non-Indians "to understand and respect our decision. If there have been any unfinished commitments to the Sun Dance and non- Indians have concern for this decision, they must understand that we have been guided through prayer to reach this resolution." Martin Marty, a University of Chicago Divinity School emeritus religion professor, said it's a matter of respecting another's beliefs. "I'm all with the Native American who rises up and says, 'You're seizing what's sacred for us, and you're profaning it,'" he said. "When it's clearly offensive to the majority of people, it comes across more as a parody, a desacrilization, a profaning." But Marty also suggests people not close the door of prayer and ritual to others. "I think absolutism from both sides misses the opportunity for us to empathize, to educate, to imagine the life of the other. If we want to do better to each other, we have to know more about each other, we have to care more. "Keep secret what's sacred," he said. "The outsider can't always define exactly what that should be. But the more the keeper of the sacred - of any tribe, denomination or whatever - realizes the value of sharing hospitality, the better off we are." But many Indian people say the commercialization and parodies are here, set deep, and out of control. And as summer Sun Dance season gets under way, Looking Horse's words calling for the ban of non-Indians in significant ceremonial roles have created a stir of spiritual unrest far beyond the borders of Lakota territory. Paying for prayers Each year, hundreds of non-Indians from across the country and Europe arrive at Sun Dance camps. Many reportedly pay hundreds or thousands of dollars - much-needed money on reservations where unemployment rates can reach 80 percent - to participate. "It's really sad to see how much influence these New Agers have on our culture," Frank King III, Native Voice editor and a Sicangu Lakota who grew up on the Rosebud Reservation, said. "It's the money these white people provide to these medicine men." Even the Internet has become a point of sale. Gilbert Walking Eagle, a Lakota who lives in Hot Springs, and his non- Indian wife, Diane Marie, sell CDs of ceremonial songs on their Web site, targeting what appears to be a non-Indian audience. "We have a place where people can come to camp and relax, and they can choose to participate in the (sweat lodge)," Marie said. "What we do here is invite people who have been working with Gilbert to expand their teachings." Indian spiritual teachings are what drew Case - the New York woman - to follow a Lakota belief system. She described the ways as "beautiful." But some of her medicine man's nearly two dozen followers began to feel something wasn't right, Case said. He arrived in New York about every three months during the two years she knew him. He and his wife would stay for a week or two, performing several ceremonies a day. "Hundreds of dollars would cross hands," Case said. "They left there one time with a car. They had enough money to buy a car and bring it home." Case spent $400 to $500 on a typical ceremony, she said. "Basically, we supported the guy and his family. We gave them everything we had." In more traditional days, medicine men didn't have jobs. They worked for the community, and the community took care of them. But many say the tradition has been corrupted, that medicine men seem a dime a dozen. "After 'Dances With Wolves,' everybody was a medicine man," King, who attended the medicine bundlekeepers meeting in Eagle Butte, said. "All the Indians, every Indian out here, was some type of spiritual leader." And although some take their show on the road, many have followers who flock to Rosebud and Pine Ridge. King said he has watched hundreds of non-Indians arrive in South Dakota each summer to participate in Lakota ceremonies. Some ceremonies run like assembly lines, he said, with families starting a new Sun Dance as soon as they finish with a group of non-Indians. It's a mighty shift from the 1882 Bureau of Indian Affairs directive banning Indian people from participating in "heathenish dances." Tribes took their ceremonies underground. Non-Indian participation was unheard of. But now, many non-Indians run ceremonies themselves and even carry a sacred pipe, or chanupa - a gift given to the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota nations by the holy White Buffalo Calf Woman. They are welcomed by some spiritual leaders who say the colors of the four directions represent the four races of man - red, yellow, black and white. Others dismiss that argument. "When this pipe was brought to us, they never said the colors represented the four races of people," Byrd, the Lakota medicine man, said. "They didn't tell us anything about white people. In fact, later on, the spirits did tell us (non-Natives) couldn't touch the pipe because they have blood on their hands. "One, they killed their own god. And two, it was their ancestors that wiped out hundreds of Native people," Byrd said. A return to 'segregation' Looking Horse, meanwhile, spoke of the storm now swirling above spiritual teachers and believers. "The ones who are abusing our ways are pretty upset about it," he said. "That doesn't surprise me. But the traditional people who are using the protocols are very happy that we finally took a stand, because it's gone way too far." After his statement, Pine Ridge residents displayed support for his stance. Those who called KILI Radio said they felt the proclamation was overdue. But it's not over. "Now, it looks like this is going to be a ceremonial warfare among the world of the believers of the sacred divine fire," Leonard Alden Crow Dog - who hails from a family of powerful medicine men - told the Native Voice. "Relatives, think. We are going to go back to that segregation of our people in the '50s and '60s." And while Lakota struggle with policing their ceremonies, Red Cherries of the Northern Cheyenne is trying to catch the attention of lawmakers. "I'm not going to quit," he said. "This way belonged to my grandfathers. And I'm going to protect it with my life." He has traveled to Washington several times in search of legislative backing. He now is asking federal agencies to help enforce the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978. The act mandates that local, state and federal officials consult with tribes "and review policies to protect properties of our religious way of life," Red Cherries said. "That has not happened. That's why all these white guys can ask for a sweat lodge permit and get it." Suzan Harjo, executive director of the Morning Star Institute, an Indian advocacy organization in Washington, has helped Red Cherries in his legislative efforts. But legislation can only do so much, she said. "Now, we have to raise the awareness of the public that there's a problem out there," she said. As for Looking Horse, he asks for others to join in prayer and to respect the Lakota ways. "There's so much sickness going on in the world," he said. "We need all nations' prayer to bring healing back to Mother Earth. But we still have to maintain our ceremonies strong, to help bring healing back. If we don't do this, the spirits will leave our ceremonies. "We surely don't want that." The Most Sacred Ceremony The Sun Dance - a life-renewal ceremony - is a traditional ritual practiced by Great Plains tribes, including the Lakota, Ponca, Kiowa, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Crow, Shoshone and Arikara. The four days of prayer, fasting and dancing typically begin in June. Dancers are not supposed to eat or drink during that time. The dance is considered the most sacred of seven Lakota Nation ceremonies, but other tribes and non- Indians have made the Sun Dance their own, following Lakota protocols. Contact Jodi Rave Lee at (402) 473-7240 or jrave@journalstar.com Copyright c. 2003 the Rapid City Journal. --------- "RE: End of all Tribal Identities" --------- Date: Sun, May 4, 2003 21:06 From: Nativebadass@aol.com Subj: press release >To: gars@nanews.org Declaration signals the end of all tribal identities or the dominance of plains culture. For many years I have attempted to preserve and protect my Lakota ceremonies and Traditions, which include the Ceremonial Sundance, sweat lodge, and other healing ceremonies. Until recently except for the declaration of War against exploiters of Lakota spirituality that was passed June 10th, 1993 by the Lakota Summit V. The summit attendees and I seemed to be the only people willing to go on record and speak out against individuals that are holding, participating, selling, and giving away traditional Lakota ceremonies. In recent months others have joined in the struggle to protect and preserve the plains culture. Bernard Red Cherries gathered a few leaders together and organized four meetings to discuss what actions they are willing to take to support the protection of ceremonies. The last scheduled meeting will be held May 10 & 11th at Bear Butte S.D. The previous meetings did result in a couple of declarations I would like to address. 1. I would like to support the declaration that calls for all non-natives to no longer participate in sacred ceremonies. I am proud these natives are willing to take a stand and speak out against non-natives when it involves our ceremonies. 2. There was the reinforcement of a little known and mostly forgotten about declaration that was made after the occupation at Wounded knee in the 70's. Chief Fools Crow and Chief Stanley Looking Horse decided to allow all other nations to participate in Lakota Sacred Ceremonies. Citing that our ancestors also shared the sacred ceremonies with other natives. This is true but this was always a honored and select few never any and every native. Their reasoning was that some nations have lost their traditions through assimilation or lack of teachers. I cannot and will never support this decision I disagreed with it 30 years ago and I disagree with it today. For those nations that have lost their traditions I would support any native that is willing to research, help build or prepare any area, or take any steps to revive the nations lost traditions. This declaration tells all nations that you don't have to revive, or practice your traditions or ways, you can have ours. I would like to question any and all natives that are willing to ignore, give up, and not participate in their own traditions and ways. If accepted, this declaration signals the end of ALL Native American cultural identities and the dominance of the plains culture, since the plains culture will become the only practiced culture. For ALL natives that have/or adopted, stolen, or assimilated Lakota Sacred Ceremonies. I have in the past and always will speak out against natives that are holding, participating in Lakota Ceremonies. I sincerely hope these natives will once again choose to follow their own traditional ceremonies not mine. It is very disappointing how quickly some natives are to turn their back on their heritage. I would like to point out some overlooked facts also. 1. Our traditions and ceremonies are the only thing the Gov't was not able to take away from us, now some leaders want to give it away. 2. The Sundance and other ceremonies will lose their uniqueness and importance if any and every native is a Sundancer, ect... 3. No matter what, tribal membership is a birthright. As other natives take and practice Lakota ceremonies, they can never be Lakota, no more than I or any other native could become a member of their nation. I had to choose this outlet to express my views for two reasons. 1. To show that in your heart that you don't agree with the decisions that our leaders are making. That it is okay to disagree and question their decisions. Our ancestors did practice this tradition. In fact many leaders decisions were challenged when our people were forced to move and live on concentration camps (reservations). This is not well known since these natives that refused to move and live on "reservations" were considered "hostile" by the Gov't and the Army was sent out to kill or force them onto "reservations" which was the policy back then. 2. As stated in the invitation to the last meeting, it clearly asks that all leaders and traditionalists that disagree with the efforts being made by this group are asked not to attend. So since I do not agree with this group, this is the only way I can express my views and disappointment with the decisions they are making. Some of the group members made public information their names that they attended these meetings I would like to also list these natives, they are * Chief Fools Crow * Chief Stanley Looking Horse * Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe * Bernard Red Cherries Northern Cheyenne Nation Northern Cheyenne Arrow Priest and Elk Society Headsman * Tweety Little Bird Northern Cheyenne Nation Northern Cheyenne Elk Horn Scraper Society * Lee Pedro Southern Arapahoe Nation Southern Arapahoe Rabbit Man (Holy Man) * Dave Chief Oglala Nation Lakota Spiritual Leader * Dave Swallow OGLALA Nation Medicine Bundle Keeper * Kevin Horse Looking OGLALA Nation Medicine Bundle Keeper * Floyd Hand OGLALA Nation Medicine Bundle Keeper * Silo Black Crow OGLALA Nation Medicine Bundle Keeper * Sam Moves Camp OGLALA Nation Medicine Bundle Keeper * Chris Leith Prairie Island Dakota Community Medicine Bundle Keeper * Gaylen Drapeau Sr. I-hank-to-wa (Yankton Sioux) Nation Medicine Bundle Keeper * Gaylen Drapeau Jr. I-hank-to-wa (Yankton Sioux) Nation Medicine Bundle Keeper * Ambrose Little Ghost Spirit Lake Dakota Nation Dakota Spiritual Leader * Calvin Medicine Bear First Assinoboine Nakota Nation Nation Spiritual Leader * Leonard Crow Dog Si-c an-g u Rosebud Sioux Nation Medicine Bundle Keeper * Roy Stone Sr. Si-c an-g u Rosebud Sioux Nation - Medicine Bundle Keeper * Ned Medcalf Si-c an-g u Rosebud Sioux Nation Interpretor/advisor * Leon Red Dog Hoh -wo-ju Cheyenne River Sioux Nation - Medicine Bundle Keeper * Steve Vance Hoh -wo-ju Cheyenne River Sioux Nation Medicine Bundle Keeper * Francis Yellow Hoh -wo-ju Cheyenne River Sioux Nation Medicine Bundle Keeper * Jacob Sanderson Cree Nation Canada Medicine Bundle Keeper * Kevin Ta-c an Sioux Valley Manitoba Dakota Nation Dakota Spiritual Leader If other attendees come forward I will add their names also. I am listing these names for future generations so that when Lakota ceremonies and Traditions are no longer distinct and lose their importance, since every native will become Sundancers, ect... They will be able to look back in history and see exactly which natives were involved and responsible for this decision. I would like to call on all natives and non-natives that feel what these leaders are doing is wrong and are dedicated to preserving cultural identities to please become active and vocal in these history making times. If efforts are not made to show this is wrong and not supported in only a few short generations our sacred ceremonies and traditions could become as commercial and abused as our once sacred dances have now become. I would like to also ask that everyone that reads this PLEASE forward this to ALL your friends, newspapers, and leaders. It is surprising how many natives aren't aware of the decisions being made that will impact themselves and future generations. The only solution I offer is for each nation to practice their own ceremonies and traditions or risk them being lost forever except in stories and history books. Sal "White Horse" Serbin --------- "RE: Possible Site of Pocahontas' Village located" --------- Date: Wed, May 7 2003 08:09:39 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="POWHATAN" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0507Powhatan07.html Possible site of Pocahontas' village located Sonja Barisic Associated Press May. 7, 2003 12:00 AM GLOUCESTER, Va. - A woman's habit of finding pottery shards and arrowheads on her farm has led to the discovery of what archaeologists believe was the village of the powerful Indian chief Powhatan, the father of Pocahontas. Capt. John Smith, leader of the 17th-century English colony at Jamestown, would have met Powhatan on the 50-acre site. It is also where Pocahontas was said to have begged her father to spare Smith's life, though historians question the truth of Smith's tale. Preliminary studies of the site on Purton Bay, overlooking the York River, have turned up American Indian and European artifacts from a large early colonial settlement, researchers announced Tuesday at a news conference on the farm. Those artifacts, plus descriptions by Smith and other Jamestown colonists, led archaeologists to hypothesize that the farm was the site of Werowocomoco, the central village of Powhatan's chiefdom. Powhatan was ruler of about 15,000 people from most of the tribes in coastal Virginia. "We believe we have sufficient evidence to confirm that the property is indeed the village of Werowocomoco," said Randolph Turner, director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources' Portsmouth Regional Office. When Lynn and Bob Ripley bought the 300-acre farm in 1996, they knew there was speculation that the village had been there. But they did not take it seriously because several other spots also were said to have been the site of the village, Lynn said. She soon began finding pottery shards, arrowheads and other artifacts while taking walks. 'Ritual for me' "It was a ritual for me," she said. "Every day I had time, I would go walking and see what I could find. I have collected old bottles, crocks, dishes, buckles, thimbles. Just laying on the surface, believe it or not." She said she did not think they might be valuable. But because they were part of the farm's history, she saved them, first filling one shoe box, then a second. Today, she has thousands of artifacts, which she keeps locked in two gun safes in her garage. The Ripleys happened to meet two Gloucester-based archaeologists, David Brown and Thane Harpole, who were working on an unrelated project, and Bob mentioned his wife's collection. The men were excited by what they heard. The two archaeologists are now part of the Werowocomoco Research Group, a newly formed team that includes researchers from the College of William and Mary and the Department of Historic Resources, and a representative of the Virginia Indian community. In February, the group presented preliminary findings to representatives of Virginia's eight state-recognized Indian tribes and the Virginia Council of Indians, inviting the organizations to work with the group in efforts to interpret the site. Historical significance Virginia Indians were pleased to be consulted about a site that is of enormous historical significance to them, said Deanna Beacham, a member of the Nansemond Tribe. "Frankly, usually we hear about it after something has been done," Beacham said of archaeological finds. Werowocomoco was about 15 miles from Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America, founded in 1607. John Smith's claims Smith claimed that in December of that year Indians kidnapped him and that Powhatan was about to club him to death when Pocahontas threw her body over his to save him. Pocahontas was only 10 or 11 years old at the time, and some historians say Smith may have misunderstood what was an Indian adoption ritual. Others note that Smith did not even write about the event until 1624, which was after Pocahontas' death. This summer, the college and the Historic Resources Department will do more archaeological research on the farm to look for evidence of homes and to find out more about the history of the site. "To think that someone as important as Powhatan could have lived here is extremely exciting to me," Lynn Ripley said. Turner said the site is important because Powhatan's chiefdom was one of the most complex political entities in eastern America during the early 1600s. Copyright c. 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2003 The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com. --------- "RE: Mexicans Outraged by Immigration/Oil Move" --------- Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 07:07:08 -0500 (CDT) From: owner-chiapas95-english@eco.utexas.edu (Chiapas95-english) Subj: Mexicans Outraged by Immigration/Oil Move,May 10 Mailing List: chiapas95-english@eco.utexas.edu - This message is forwarded to you by the editors of the Chiapas95 newslists. To contact the editors or to submit material for posting send to: . From: "Dana" Posted on Sat, May. 10, 2003 Mexicans Outraged by Immigration/Oil Move JOHN RICE Associated Press MEXICO CITY - A move in the U.S. Congress to link immigration with opening up Mexico's state oil company to U.S. investment has outraged Mexicans, and newspapers Saturday accused American lawmakers of arrogance and blackmail. The House International Relations Committee narrowly approved the measure Thursday saying that any accord on immigration issues with Mexico should include an agreement to allow U.S. companies to invest in the state oil company Pemex. The measure is a nonbinding "sense of Congress" amendment in a broad State Department funding bill, and must still be approved by both houses of Congress. It went nearly unnoticed in the U.S. news media - but created a storm in Mexico. The 1938 nationalization of Pemex is celebrated as a symbol of national pride and was written into the constitution. "Blackmail in the US: Immigration Accord for Pemex," a leading newspaper, El Universal, said in a front-page headline Saturday. The resolution fed into some Mexicans' suspicions about U.S. motives for invading Iraq, which was deeply unpopular here and was seen by many as an attempt to get Iraqi oil. A rival daily, El Sol, called it "the Halliburton Amendment," referring to the U.S. energy company headed by Vice President Dick Cheney until August 2000. Halliburton has contracts to put out oil fires in Iraq and help restart its oil industry. President Vicente Fox was once bombarded with criticism for suggesting that Pemex be privatized. He has since promised dozens of times to keep the company in state hands, though his administration has tried to draw foreign private investment through a new service contract system drawn to skirt constitutional restrictions. The amendment, authored by North Carolina Republican Cass Ballenger, said Pemex "is inefficient, plagued by corruption and in need of substantial reform and private investment" so that it can "fuel future economic growth, which can help curb illegal migration to the United States." Mexican officials have vowed to crack down on corruption and inefficiency in Pemex since arresting the oil union chief in a military- style raid in 1989. Mexico's federal Justice Department is investigating several current oil union leaders accused of diverting millions of dollars to the losing 2000 presidential campaign of the then-ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party. Economy Secretary Fernando Canales Clariond said Pemex "definitely will not be opened to foreign capital." Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, widely seen as a possible presidential candidate, also rejected the proposal, saying "the oil belongs to all Mexicans. It's the nation's - not that of the state or the government." In its lead editorial, El Universal linked the resolution to post-Iraq- war hubris: "Swelled by their military victory in Iraq, some sectors in (the United States) are trying to carry out a policy of imposing might over right in all areas of their relationship with the rest of the world." The newspaper Excelsior referred to "the arrogance of Washington's imperial power, set on the crest of the military victory over Iraq." A spokesman for Republicans on the International Relations Committee, Sam Stratman, noted that immigration in the United States and Pemex in Mexico "are very emotional issues that are very difficult to discuss rationally." "We certainly understand that the final decision on issues concerning Pemex rests with the Mexican government and the Mexican people," he said. "This resolution is not aimed at promoting ownership of any piece of Pemex by American oil companies." -- To subscribe to this list send a message containing the words subscribe chiapas95 (or chiapas95-lite, or chiapas95-english, or chiapas95-espanol) to majordomo@eco.utexas.edu. --------- "RE: Chiefs end Nisga'a Treaty Court Action" --------- Date: Wed, May 7 2003 08:09:39 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NISGA'A" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canoe.ca/NationalTicker/CANOE-wire.Gitanyow-Nisgaa.html Gitanyow chiefs end suspension on Nisga'a final treaty court action May 6, 2003 GITANYOW, B.C. (CP) -- The Gitanyow First Nation of northeastern British Columbia, who once described the Nisga'a treaty as an act of aggression, resumed their battle with their neighbours Tuesday by canceling an agreement that had temporarily suspended court action against the Nisga'a. Gitanyow treaty manager Victoria Russell placed the blame on the federal and B.C. governments and on the Nisga'a for the decision that could mean a return to court for the Gitanyow. The Gitanyow and the Gitxsan First Nations have long complained that the historic Nisga'a treaty signed a few years ago overlapped with their own territorial claims in the Nass Valley. In the case of the Gitanyow, more than 84 per cent of what they claim as their traditional land is included in the 2,000-square-kilometre Nisga'a claim. They took their dispute to the B.C. Supreme Court. Russell said the "abeyance agreement" to try to avoid litigation was canceled because the two governments were unwilling to deal with the Nisga's treaty's impact on the Gitanyow's own attempts to secure a treaty through negotiations now underway. "The governments haven't done anything," said Russell. "It's been very frustrating." The Gitanyow went to the B.C. Supreme Court and were successful in part of their arguments. But the Crown appealed and the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled that two separate arguments regarding whether the governments negotiated in good faith should be heard together. The Gitanyow agreed to the "abeyance agreement," which put litigation on hold while all the parties tried to work out the differences outside court. But that has failed, said Russell, and the agreement will end June 6. The move, said Gitanyow chief negotiator Glen Williams, doesn't mean the Gitanyow will return to court for certain. "This is not to say we are walking away from treaty negotiations or shutting the door to any mediated resolution, only that the option will be there if B.C. and Canada continue to ignore this slap in the face and the infringement of our rights," Williams said in a prepared statement. The Nisga'a treaty, finalized in 1999, gives the 5,000-member First Nation about 2,000 square kilometres of land, which is a fraction of their claimed traditional territory. They will also get $253 million in cash, local self-government and a say in resource development. The Nisga'a approved the agreement in a referendum and British Columbia's NDP government of the day used closure to push it through the legislature earlier this year. Copyright c. 2003, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc. --------- "RE: Aboriginal Justice has Roots in Ancient Culture" --------- Date: Wed, May 7 2003 08:09:39 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ABORIGINAL JUSTICE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=df1d6bbd-5889-4556-a015-0537278b412d Aboriginal justice programs have roots in ancient culture Barry Warhaft Vancouver Sun Wednesday, May 7, 2003 I appreciated the April 30 article Young Natives and the Courts, but an inaccuracy needs to be addressed in order to provide much deserved credit to aboriginal communities who have led the way in understanding and implementing "justice." "Aboriginal restorative justice," as the the article reads, did not begin in the 1970s, but instead finds its roots in the ancient cultures of many aboriginal peoples. In fact, while the principles that underlie diverse traditional aboriginal justice approaches are often consistent with the ideas of restorative justice -- that is, healing rather than punishment, full participation and accountability, reintegration of victim and offender and the strengthening of community -- the use of the term would be inappropriate because these traditions have much broader cultural applications than simply criminal justice. Further, although aboriginal justice programs seek to address the dramatic over-representation of aboriginal people in the criminal justice system and are established to lend themselves to greater self- determination, unwarranted stereotypes can result by not mentioning that restorative justice programs exist for all people in British Columbia (the ratio of non-aboriginal to aboriginal programs in B.C. is approximately 4:1). In regard to the beginnings of restorative justice in Canada in the 1970s, this was a reference to its modern incarnation, in which the Mennonite Central Committee introduced a victim-offender mediation to the courts in Kitchener-Waterloo. Finally, the organization referred to as the "Restorative Justice Program" is, in fact, called the Vancouver Aboriginal Transformative Justice Services. While its youth component has only been in operation since March of this year, it has been successfully providing adult services since April 2000. Barry Warhaft Vancouver Aboriginal Transformative Justice Services Vancouver Crime and Consequence Copyright c. 2003 Vancouver Sun. --------- "RE: AFN Open Letter to Minister Nault" --------- Date: Wed, 7 May 2003 09:33:18 -0600 From: Canadian Aboriginal News Subj: Assembly of First Nations Open Letter to Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault Mailing List: Canadian Aboriginal News CNW E-Net Peterborough ON - Canadian Aboriginalcom Open Letter to Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault Wed, 7 May 2003 10:59:41 -0400 OTTAWA, May 7 /CNW/ - The Honourable Robert Nault, P.C. M.P. Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development House Commons Ottawa ONK1A 0A6 Dear Minister Nault: The front-runner in the Liberal leadership race, the Hon. Paul Martin, declared publicly on May 3, 2003, that if elected Prime Minister, he would not implement Bill C-7, the First Nations Governance Act. Mr. Martin also recommended that the Bill not be brought to a vote. It does not make sense to proceed with the Bill if it is unlikely to be implemented, either by the Government or by the First Nations. You have an obligation as Minister of Indian Affairs to fulfill Canada's fiduciary obligation toward the First Nations. It is a broad, legally enforceable obligation requiring you to always act in our best interests. C-7 will damage our rights and it is not in the First Nations' best interests. The First Nations are ready to work in partnership with Canada to help improve the lives of our citizens. Our recent history is rife with alternatives and blueprints for change. Help us ensure Canada does the right thing. The First Nations demand that you withdraw Bill C-7. The overwhelming majority of First Nations rejected Bill C-7 in testimony earlier this year before the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and through numerous resolutions at various Assembly of First Nations national meetings over the last two years. You have tried to mislead the Government and Parliamentarians into believing C-7 will improve accountability and transparency of First Nations leaders. It will not accomplish those goals because many First Nations will neither respect nor implement Bill C-7. This does not mean the First Nations do not support accountability and transparency. According to the Auditor General, most First Nations over account for funds. The few problems in these areas can be remedied through community or Nation-specific solutions rather than unnecessary and broadly applicable legislation. It is the height of irresponsibility to claim, as you have done repeatedly, that the First Nations leaders who object to the Bill C-7 are interested in maintaining the status quo. The First Nations have been making proposal after proposal for a new relationship and implementation of Treaties over the last thirty years. The facts show that it is Federal Government that has resisted change. C-7 tries to delegate Federal authority to the First Nations. First Nations have an inherent right to govern ourselves and we do not need Parliament or the Federal Government dictating to us what we can or cannot do. The approach should be one of negotiation, not litigation and demonstration. We are nations of peoples. Canada must negotiate our relations not impose them. We expected that the recognition of Aboriginal and Treaty rights in Canada's Constitution in 1982 would launch us into a new era of implementation of our rights and jurisdiction. Instead, C-7 is another pathetic example that starts from the false premise that First Nations can only administer limited Federal powers under an amended and colonial Indian Act. C-7 is so fundamentally flawed that it cannot be amended to respect our rights. Canada, and indeed you, have a major problem. Parliament cannot legitimately pass C-7 into law in the face of such overwhelming opposition by the very people it claims to help. Yet some Members of Parliament continue to press ahead with the Bill in Committee despite the 191 groups and individuals that testified in opposition to the bill. The 10 witnesses that supported C-7 are either your creations or agencies of the Federal Government. If Parliament proceeds with Bill C-7, it will create a mess that will take years to clean up. I am always ready to meet you to discuss this important matter. Please do not hesitate to contact my office at any time. Sincerely, Matthew Coon Come National Chief Assembly of First Nations For further information: Don Kelly, Director of Communications, (613) 292-2787 Copyright c. 2003 Canada NewsWire Ltd, all rights reserved Copyright c. 2003 Canada NewsWire Lte'e, tous droits reserves --------- "RE: Response to release by Minister of Indian Affairs" --------- Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 09:22:38 -0400 From: "Frosty" Subj: Fw: Statement by Assembly of First Nations National Chief Matthew Coon Come in Response to News Release by Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian ----- Original Message ----- From: Don Attention News Editors: Statement by Assembly of First Nations National Chief Matthew Coon Come in Response to News Release by Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development OTTAWA, May 7 /CNW/ First Nations across the country are shocked and dismayed by the extraordinary attack on our people and our leadership launched by the Minister of Indian Affairs in a press statement issued yesterday. Our opposition to the Governance Act (Bill C-7) is based on a genuine and principled concern for our rights and for the future of First Nations citizens in Canada. To us, this is not a personal matter between our people and the Minister, though he seems to feel it is a personal issue. Opposing and dismissing legitimate dissent by our people is not democratic. Let us be clear why we oppose Bill C-7. Bill C-7 does not replace the Indian Act but instead props it up with more rules and regulations unilaterally designed by federal bureaucrats, to be imposed on our communities. It infringes on our constitutionally-recognized and protected rights by imposing "one-size-fits-all" codes and criteria on our governments, rather than allowing us the freedom to work with our citizens to create systems that truly reflect our culture and values. The Indian Act has been the source of many legal and financial liabilities for the federal government. Bill C-7 is nothing less than an attempt to off-load these liabilities onto First Nations cloaked in the language of "accountability" and "governance". Rather than reduce the Minister's authority, it actually reinforces his authority and in fact gives the Minister new authorities, such as making the Minister registrar of our by-laws. This is not a path forward, which is all we are asking. This is a path back to colonialism, a repeat of the very process used to establish the original Indian Act. Not only is this morally and legally wrong, it simply has never worked. Why repeat the mistakes of the past when we work together and move into a new era? Our people support the leadership as witnessed by marches involving thousands of our grassroots citizens in Kenora, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Toronto, to name but a few. In all, tens of thousands of our people have protested and made statements against this Bill. If the Minister is maintaining that all these people were coerced by the leadership then he is seriously insulting the intelligence and credibility of our citizens. Equally important, it has become clear over the last few weeks and days that it is not only First Nations that oppose this legislation. The Canadian Bar Association, Canada's Auditor General, the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, Ecumenical Church leaders, the authors of the Harvard Study on Sovereignty and Nation Building and the front-runner in the Liberal leadership race have all spoken against the Bill. During the recent Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs roadshow, 201 presenters appeared. 191 spoke against the legislation. 10 spoke for it, some of whom were Department of Indian Affairs officials. Few people took part in the Minister's consultations and those who did spoke against the initiative or wanted to speak to the real priorities: housing, jobs, education, the Treaties and real governance. The AFN eventually withdrew from consultations - but allowed any of our people or organizations to take part - because we did not want to be consulted on a done deal. Let's go to the table with an open agenda and work in a spirit of partnership and cooperation. First Nations oppose Bill C-7. But we do not - as the Minister claims - oppose change. We want change more than anyone. We have to live in our communities and work under the onerous burdens of the Indian Act. We have proposed a number of ideas to deal with accountability, but we do not want to see millions of taxpayers dollars wasted on an accounting exercise that does not result in viable and thriving First Nations citizens and communities. We all agree that change is needed and that the Indian Act is the problem. So why is the Minister insisting it's in our best interests to entrench the status quo? The personal attacks on our people and leaders reveals a desperation brought on by the crumbling facade of "support" for the Minister's legislation that all Canadians have witnessed over the last few days. We extend our hand - as we have throughout this process - to work in real partnership and real cooperation on a process that addresses all our priorities and respects the Treaties, Aboriginal rights and, most important of all, respects First Nations peoples. Matthew Coon Come National Chief Assembly of First Nations For further information: Don Kelly, Director of Communications, (613) 292-2787; Ian McLeod, Communications Officer, (613) 241-6789 ext.336 --------- "RE: Starlight Tours Book gives Personal View" --------- Date: Tue, May 6 2003 08:11:22 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SASKATOON POLICE" http://www.indianz.com/ http://sask.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=night_book030505 New "Starlight Tours" book gives personal view May 5, 2003 MOOSE JAW - Saskatchewan author Joy Desjarlais started her career writing children's books, but changed direction when her nephew almost died after being held by Saskatoon police. Her book about Darrell Night and the so-called "Starlight Tours" is looking for answers to a continuing mystery. "Maybe in writing this book about the events that happened to my nephew, I will make sense of the animosity I feel. And maybe, just maybe a new healing will begin," says Desjarlais. In January 2000, two Saskatoon police officers drove her nephew out of town and left him in freezing weather in what some are calling a "Starlight Tour." The Right to Remain Silent, A Night to Remember is about Darrell Night and the events surrounding his case. "Darrell's last name is Night, and it's kind of like, in your face to the police officers, that they'll never forget Darrell Night, and for Darrell it's a night that he'll never forget," she says. Desjarlais's book Darrell Night survived his ordeal and former police officers Dan Hatchen and Ken Munson were eventually found guilty of unlawful confinement and sentenced to eight months in jail. Desjarlais followed the case through court, an emotional journey that is filled with tears and outrage. "There's still so many unanswered questions, and there's still a lot of hurt and a lot of anger. Nothing's really been resolved as far as I'm concerned," she says. Desjarlais wanted to provide a side of the story the news media couldn't. She wants to describe what it felt like to be an Aboriginal person in that courtroom as all the facts of the case were being recounted. She also wants people to know more about Lawrence Wegner and Rodney Naistus, two other aboriginal men who were found frozen to death in the same area Night was abandoned. "I'd like to be a writer that's recognized for writing for those people who can't speak for themselves anymore," she says, "and that's the people that have already passed on." Desjarlais plans to write about other Aboriginal people in Canada who have stories of discrimination in the justice system. She says telling these stories is a way to start healing and, hopefully, forgiving. The book was published in December, before the two Saskatoon police officers went to jail. Desjarlais plans to reprint the book to include their appeal and jail sentences later this year. Reporter: Michelle Hugli Copyright c. 2003 CBC. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Statement from Charlie "Wolf" Smoke" --------- Date: Wed, 7 May 2003 16:04:38 EDT From: Rosie Subj: Statement from Charlie "Wolf" Smoke Mailing List: FN STATEMENT FOR THE RACIALLY-MOTIVATED MEDIA The mainstream media in Canada has never been just in the reporting of my situation since it's inception. While I was living there, & had constant contact with reporters in Regina, I was at least able to apply enough pressure so as to prevent most of the type of garbage ordinarily presented regarding Indigenous people and issues. Immediately upon my temporary exile from the north however, the media sought retribution for my keeping them on their toes for so long! Misquotes, twisted facts, and outright lies are not out of the ordinary for today's media. And, in fact, many Native media and "alternative" media fit into the exact same category as well. I must present a few important facts here, as I know the ignorant masses (media) will not. When I pulled into North Portal on April 29, CIC agent, Al Johns phoned in to american customs saying: "This is Canada immigration, we have Mr. Smoke, we phoned ahead". When we arrived and walked inside, Johns said, "Here's Mr. Smoke, here's his file". And, this file consisted of one set of fingerprints, not two (ie, no match between two sets); a copy of a birth certificate for a Roger Leo Adams Jr; a typed letter which I could not read; my old Treaty Card; & photographs of me taken while in CIC custody just over a year ago. Then, I was whisked through customs as CHARLIE SMOKE quicker, and with more ease, than any of you could even dream of! Every Regina TV station saw the customs declaration with the name, CHARLIE SMOKE on it; the Regina Leader-Post shot several close-ups of it too. Yet, the fallacy of my being a whiteman from the Addams Family persists. I wonder why... I took the time to disprove Canada's original claim that a brother had identified me by tracking that individual down and convincing him to fax a statement to the media. Then, another supposed relative surfaced. Yet, the media failed to carry the fax clearly showing that Canada had lied! Why? For what purpose does covering-up the truth serve? Suddenly, I am cast into the same light as Leonard Peltier, another Indigenous person exiled from the north by the colony of Canada with falsified documents. (At least I'm in good company now!) And, does the media care that this is the third time their ruling over-seers have tried to tag a different name on me? Apparently not. Did any of the media mention the fabricated document that Canada tried to use to get me across their imaginary border last year? No. And, who is even aware of any of the other illegal and unjust acts of Canada in my case? Only those who heard it from me. Once again, Canadian media exhibits their utter lack of journalistic integrity, and their clearly racist motivation. I don't imagine Canadian media would be the least bit interested in CIC's death threat against me last year, or the fact that I was followed by Canadian agents all the way down here either. As pertinent as all that is though, it is not even close to the most important issue here. Through the callous, extremely childish and racist reporting over the past week, my innocent wife and children have suffered irreparable emotional harm! You bastards have caused undue suffering for my family. They have been made to feel embarrassed and ashamed as a direct result of your ignorance. I can only imagine that the cause for the media's behavior is due to either their inherent racism, their desire to get back at me because I so routinely chastised them for failing to do their job, or a combination of the two! Like most Saskatchewan Natives, my wife grew-up with no understanding of the reality of Canada's or America's treatment of Indigenous Freedom Fighters. And, our babies are just much too young to comprehend such vile acts of inhumanity. You have instilled a very strong realism in their young hearts now though. This is why Indians often feel prejudiced against whites. Your media and your government knows no bounds in it's hatred! The fact that one of my daughters jumped into my car in North Dakota served the media with fuel for their National Enquirer style reporting. True, my six year old daughter did insist on accompanying me even though I had no clothes for her. And, I am over-joyed that my children love me so much! My wife, once again, has been forced to bare the burden of my struggle. And, as is the case with all Familymen/resistance fighters, my family suffers along with me. This has been an Indian tradition for 511 years. This war with Canada has torn my marriage apart, and more recently, brought us back together again. The colony of Canada and its media now fit the term "Tiwicakte", or murderers, more literally translated as Family Destroyers. Yet, good conquers bad, and my family remains together in spirit, if not in the flesh. Lisa, I love you, my wife. And, I greatly admire you for the stress you have shown to endure. And, my babies, it breaks my heart to see how much disrespect others have for you, and though I hope you do not become racists over all this, I respect you all too, for you have proven yourselves to be stronger than our oppressors! You are all Freedom Fighters! Your very existence encourages us all! For all my supporters, thank you... and, I love and appreciate you all! Thank you on behalf of my innocent, loving family, as well as all others across the globe fighting against tyranny and oppression! For all my retractors, go to hell... we will win in the end! Sunkmanitu tanka Isnala Najin (a.k.a. Charlie Smoke) Turtle Island - Occupied Territories Tuesday, May 6, 2003 Sunkmanitu tanka Isnala Najin --------- "RE: Tribes, Sheriff agree on Law Enforcement" --------- Date: Thu, May 8 2003 08:22:20 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SHO-BAN" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.journalnet.com/articles/2003/05/07/news/local/news05.txt Tribes, sheriff agree on law enforcement May 8, 2003 FORT HALL (AP) - The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes announced on Tuesday that they have reached agreements with Power County on a number of law enforcement jurisdictional issues on the Fort Hall Reservation. The tribes and county have extended for another year the agreement reached in 2002 to handle traffic citations issued to tribal members in tribal court. Tribal Chairman Blaine Edmo called it "a positive effort toward recognizing the tribes' sovereignty. "Matters involving Indian individuals on the reservation are best handled in Tribal Court," Edmo said. The county also agreed to follow tribal laws for executing warrants on the reservation, restrict patrols to state- and county-maintained roads, notify and include tribal police in pursuits on tribal roads. The agreements were announced just days after the end of a state legislative session that saw what tribal leaders called repeated, but unsuccessful, attacks on their sovereignty. Last summer, the tribes met with officials throughout eastern Idaho in a summit to improve relations. Law enforcement cooperation similar to the agreements in place with Power County was high on the list of issues. The Shoshone-Bannocks have been trying for several years to reclaim some of the basic governmental authority on the reservation that the state claimed 40 years ago under federal law. An attempt three years ago to get the Legislature to restore that tribal jurisdiction failed. Leaders see the campaign as an extension of the new federal policy fostering tribal self-determination and economic self-sufficiency. Copyright c. 2003 Pocatello Idaho State Journal. --------- "RE: Flandreau Indian School didn't halt Hazing" --------- Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 11:11:20 -0500 From: "naa news staff" Subj: Flandreau Indian School: School didn't halt hazing, suit alleges Mailing List: NAA School didn't halt hazing, suit alleges The Associated Press http://www.argusleader.com/news/Thursdayarticle4.shtml published: 5/8/2003 Teenage girl seeks damages A teenage girl has sued the federal government, alleging that officials at the Flandreau Indian School were negligent in not stopping the hazing of students. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Toni Backlund, claims that the school, which is under federal jurisdiction, did not try to stop a tradition of beating and ritually hazing students on their birthdays. In the early hours of Sept. 29, 2001, Backlund's birthday, she was assaulted by a group of students who entered her dorm room, the lawsuit said. She was whipped with belts, covered with shampoo and baby powder and then dragged from her room and thrown into a shower. After that incident, a school supervisor told someone to stand by her door to protect her from further attacks. But the supervisor's orders were not followed, and Backlund was attacked by other students two more times that day, the lawsuit said. "Not only did the school not do enough on this particular day, but this is a pattern," said Scott Abdallah, a lawyer for Backlund. "The evidence that we have indicates that the school has done little to stop this practice." The incident went beyond a simple prank and even resulted in some students being prosecuted, Abdallah said. The attacks on Backlund were severe enough to have been investigated by the Moody County Sheriff's Office, the lawsuit said. At least one of the attackers had a history of other incidents at the school and was expelled as a result, the court document says. The suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Sioux Falls, seeks compensatory damages for physical injuries, pain and suffering, medical expenses and loss of enjoyment of life. Copyright c. 2003 Copyright Argus Leader. --------- "RE: Man suspected of removing Indian Artifacts" --------- Date: Thu, May 8 2003 08:22:20 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PROTECTING HERITAGE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story~section.Tribal_news Protecting heritage Feds press charges against man suspected of removing Indian artifacts Bill Morlin, Staff writer May 7, 2003 Every spring, the draw-down of Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam turns up gravesites and artifacts of Native Americans who roamed the region hundreds of years ago. And every spring, National Park Service rangers and tribal police watch for amateur archaeologists armed with metal detectors and shovels, probing the muddy riverbanks. Leaders of the Spokane Tribe of Indians were thankful Tuesday that the U. S. attorney's office finally decided to prosecute someone suspected of digging up artifacts. The case apparently is the first of its kind in this region. Richard C. Graham, 34, is charged with excavating, removing, damaging or altering an archaeological resource on the south side of the Spokane River, upstream from Porcupine Bay in Lincoln County. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday and was released on personal recognizance after a brief appearance in federal court. The culturally sensitive Spokane River banks extend from the river's confluence with the Columbia 35 miles upstream to Little Falls Dam. Other archaeological sites dot both sides of the Columbia River reservoir -- Lake Roosevelt -- from Grand Coulee Dam north to the Canadian border. Generations ago, the Spokane Tribe and bands from the Colville Confederated Tribes camped along the Spokane and Columbia riverbanks. "Our ancestors had seasonal camps up and down the Spokane River," said Bryan Flett, heritage coordinator for the Spokane Tribe. "They did not recognize boundaries." The Native Americans and their possessions were buried where they lived -- along the riverbanks that provided food and water, long before the white man's arrival. One spear point found not long ago -- probably used to catch migrating salmon -- is believed to be 10,000 years old, authorities say. "We have a close connection to the ancestors who've gone on before us," Flett said. "That's something that's not understood or appreciated by the non-tribal community." The areas are officially designated and posted as archaeological sites, protected by federal laws. Most violators just get a warning: Digging in culturally sensitive archaeological areas can bring a federal charge that carries a year in jail and a $100,000 fine. In Graham's case, a National Park Service ranger videotaped the construction worker in March 2000 unearthing an awl, a crudely made scraper and a piece of horse's jawbone, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Hopkins said. Graham knew the area was an archaeological site protected by federal laws, but deliberately tampered with it anyway, authorities said. The artifacts are believed to be more than 1,700 years old. Hopkins would not explain why his office waited three years to bring formal charges. Graham's attorney, Carl Oreskovich, said Graham had no intention of taking the artifacts. "He was walking along the riverbank at an archaeological site and saw something sticking up," Oreskovich said. "He kind of dug these items up with his hands and feet." Oreskovich said Graham's family owns property along the south bank of the Spokane River below Little Falls Dam. Graham's family previously has found human skeletal remains and called them to the attention of the Spokane Tribe. "They consider themselves stewards of the land," Oreskovich said. The archaeological sites are particularly vulnerable to vandalism when the pool behind Grand Coulee is drawn down each spring to accommodate the melting snowpack. Tribal anthropologist Kathryn Arneson said non-tribal people need to remember the region's history. "It should be obvious: There are going to be burials where there's habitat." Tribal elder Vi Frizzell is more blunt. "What would the white people think if we came to town and started digging up your graveyards and cemeteries?" she asked Tuesday. "We were a nomadic people," Frizzel said, remembering stories told by her 96-year-old grandmother, the late Mattie Silas. "We never had a permanent place. "We stayed where there were deer, where there was water, where there were berries -- moss and roots to survive," she said. Frizzell and the other members of the Spokane Tribe's Cultural Affairs Committee are outraged that the vandalism continues. "It really touches our hearts when this occurs," said Frizzell who frequently is called upon to say a tribal prayer when antiquities are unearthed. Flett said he or tribal historian Randy Abrahamson will gladly respond if anyone finds artifacts or bones. The tribe frequently is involved with "repatriation" onto tribal lands of skeletal remains, bones or skulls found on the riverbanks. "Our tribe does educational outreach to anybody who is willing to listen, including the schools on our reservation," Flett said. But the Indian leaders can't understand why federal authorities took three years to file charges against Graham. "I don't think it's risen to the level of a horrific crime yet with the criminal justice system," Flett said. National Park Service Ranger Chris Rugel pushed to have the case prosecuted. "This case is really our first big case dealing with theft, tampering and vandalism to an archaeological site," said Rugel. "We consider this a crime," he said. "Now the judges and the courts need to see this, too." Bill Morlin can be reached at (509) 459-5444 or billm@spokesman.com. -- Spokane, Wash., Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and the Inland Northwest Copyright c. 2003, The Spokesman-Review. --------- "RE: Two Ute Councilors accused of Ethics Violations" --------- Date: Thu, May 8 2003 08:22:20 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ETHICS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation/news/news030507_4.htm Two Ute councilors accused of ethics violations May 7, 2003 By Brian Newsome Herald Staff Writer Two Southern Ute tribal councilors have been accused of ethics violations after allegedly authorizing a grant application for $2 million without the consent of other tribal councilors or approval from the Southern Ute chairman, according to documents obtained by The Durango Herald. The tribe's executive officer, Lena M. Atencio, has filed an ethics complaint against councilors Joycelyn Dutchie and Melvin J. Baker. An ethics investigator - contracted by the tribe - will be assigned to look into the allegations. The complaint alleges that Dutchie and Baker authorized the submittal of a $2 million federal grant application for funding for the tribe's Vocational Rehabilitation Program without consulting the rest of the Tribal Council. The program benefits disabled tribal members "I feel that Tribal Council members were beyond their authority in providing guidance to staff without authorization," Atencio said in a memo addressed to Southern Ute Chairman Howard Richards Sr. Baker said numerous tribal members have contacted him about the allegations and believes it "goes to show that tribal members are very concerned about the way things are going." "For me, I am not worried about this situation at all," Baker said. "If trying to help tribal members or tribal staff is so wrong, then maybe