From gars@speakeasy.org Thu Sep 9 16:12:23 2004 Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2004 16:55:17 -0700 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews12.036 _ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 12, ISSUE 036 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, WOTANGING IKCHE - Lakota - Common News Wotanging Ikche and Native American News Copyright c. 1996-2004 nanews.org Aboriginal/AmerIndian Perspective about the First Nations of Turtle Island September 4, 2004 Klamath Speluish/dancing moon Algonquin Pohquitaqunk/middle moon between harvest and eating Indian corn +-------------------------------------------------------+ | 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 speak a Native American language not listed above, please send us your words for "News of the People." We'd rather take up this whole page saving these few words of our hundreds of nations than present a nice clean banner in the language of the occupation forces who came here determined to replace our words with their own. 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; NDNAIM, Indigenous Peoples Literature, TN Indian Affairs and Frostys AmerIndian 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + ======================== "It is the general belief of the Indians that after a man dies his spirit is somewhere on the earth or in the sky, we do not know exactly where, but we are sure that his spirit still lives. ..." "So it is with WakanTanka. We believe that he is everywhere, yet he is to us as the spirits of our friends, whose voices we can not hear." __ Chased-by-Bears, Santee-Yanktonai Sioux +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! NATIVE SOVEREIGNTY 101 - A SIMPLE PRIMER Native sovereignty is in the news, in large measure because the President of the United States has, at best, a limited understanding of the concept. Read the article "Bush's Words On Sovereignty". The simple, dictionary definition of sovereignty is the ability of a people who share a common culture, religion, language, value system and land base, to exercise control over their lands and lives, independent of other nations. We know we are sovereign due to one simple test. Nations do not form treaties with subjects - they form them with other sovereignties. That's all well-and-good, but the reality in the US and Canada is a limited sovereignty. The following information was extracted from the following website: http://www.hunterbear.org/Unions%2C%20Workers%2C%20Tribal%20Sovereignty.htm (Thanks to Hunter Bear for granting permission to share his work) TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY: A Native tribal nation, like all nations, has inherent sovereignty. Full sovereignty is the full and ultimate control by the tribal nation of its land, its people, and its affairs. Much sovereignty has been lost - however temporarily - by the tribal nations in both the U.S. and Canada but some functional sovereignty does remain. Native sovereignty has been badly eroded. In the United States, the current situation is referred to as "residual" or "limited sovereignty" - a tribal nation has control over some dimensions but not over others. The fight is always to preserve and to expand sovereignty. Sovereignty, obviously, is power - and protection and security - and critical to individual and societal well-being. A Federally recognized tribe today in the U.S. has these powers in the context of "limited" or "residual" sovereignty: 1] Tribes can govern themselves administratively and judicially - under the regulations of the Indian Reorganization Act [1934] and subject to the Major Crimes Act [1885], Public Law 280 [1953] and the Indian Civil Rights Act [1968.] 2] Tribes can tax their members and tax outside business enterprises functioning on the reservation. 3] Tribes can handle domestic relations. 4] Tribes can apportion tribal property [e.g., homesites.] 5] Tribes can regulate inheritance. 6] Tribes can determine tribal membership. Obviously this excludes much from "the full and ultimate control by the tribal nation of its land, its people, and its affairs." As just an example, let's look at the criminal justice situation on a Federal Indian reservation today: A tribe CAN arrest and prosecute an Indian who commits misdemeanor crimes within the boundaries of the reservation. A tribe CANNOT arrest and prosecute anyone who commits felony crimes on its reservation. In the greatest majority of cases, this power is held by the Federal government under the Major Crimes Act of 1885 - although a non-Indian to non-Indian felony on a reservation is turned over to state officials. In a small minority of cases, however, Public Law 280 [1953] gives all felony jurisdiction to the state. [PL-280, BTW, was part of the infamous "Termination Package" of the reactionary 1950s and beyond which included, in addition to 280, formal efforts to terminate treaty rights - and although this was kept at arm's length by most tribes and eventually ended and reversed as policy, played hell with the Menominee and Klamath and a number of other affected nations. Termination efforts included, too, the urban relocation scheme which maneuvered tens of thousands of Native people into the cities with both "the stick" and "pie in the sky" promises and dumped them there sans Federal Indian benefits.] In 1978, the US Supreme Court issued the Oliphant decision which prevents tribes from prosecuting non-Indian offenders on its reservation. Immediately following this, I had the interesting experience of spending a day discussing Oliphant and its implications at a special workshop for Navajo tribal police at Window Rock. [I handled the Criminal Justice curriculum at Navajo Community College.] It was clear that massive confusion was fast developing and that the only immediate solution was cross-deputization of tribal police by state authorities. [The Navajo Nation is bigger than the state of West Virginia and, in this case, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah are involved.] Cross-deputization in Indian country generally came to pass quickly, enabling a cross-deputized tribal police officer to arrest a non-Indian on the reservation - but the non-Indian would have to be turned over to state or Federal officers. Further, only rarely was a state cross-deputized tribal officer able to arrest someone on state jurisdiction. If this was not confusing enough, the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1990 Duro decision sought to prevent a tribe from arresting and prosecuting Indians of other tribes on its reservation! This fast-developing and completely bizarre twist led Congress to forthwith pass special "blocking" legislation which was made permanent in 1992. Thus Duro has been effectively nullified. This has led a great many of us to call for restoration of full Native civil and criminal jurisdiction [ jurisdiction over everyone!] on the reservations. The completely tangled criminal justice jurisdictional situation on Federal Indian reservations epitomizes the very complex mess in which most Native people are caught up today. In Alaska the above are further complicated by historical manifest. The first significant non-indigenous presence in Alaska came from Russian fur traders in the 18th century. Under Russian influence, parts of Alaska became dominated by Czarist economic influences and by Russian Orthodox religion, but most Native villages were little affected by European influences. The above and following from the law offices of Douglas Kemp Mertz http://www.alaska.net/~dkmertz/natlaw.htm Alaska was purchased by the United States from Russia in 1867. The Treaty of Cession provided that "[t]he uncivilized [Native] tribes will be subject to such laws and regulations as the United States may, from time to time, adopt in regard to aboriginal tribes of that country," but did not address the property rights of the native inhabitants. The early United States presence was limited to a few military posts. Military government was not displaced by civilian government until 1884, and then many local governments were informal and sporadic creations of area miners. Even then non-Native governmental structures were not imposed on Natives except to the extent that the Natives lived in or interacted with the non- Native communities. Since the first non-Native immigrants into Alaska were chiefly small miners, merchants, and fishing interests, there was not the same interest as in the contiguous United States in displacing the Native peoples from their lands and confining them to reservations. As a result many Native villages had no significant pressures or influences from other cultures until well into the Twentieth Century. There is essentially no native sovereignty in Hawaii, though bills are being introduced to reinstate what was taken away with the territorial and subsequent statehood abolishment of these rights. That is the intro to Native Sovereignty that anyone in federal office should understand. Forward a copy to your Senator and Representative. Dohiyi Ani Oginalii , , Gary Smith (*,*) gars@speakeasy.org P. O. Box 672168 (`-') gars@nanews.org Marietta, GA 30008, U.S.A. ===w=w=== http://www.nanews.org ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- - Anti-Sovereignty Editorial: - History Project Usual Misinformation wraps up in Taloyoak - Bush's Words On Sovereignty - Dalles Wigwam Creator - Editorial: goes for Guiness Record Indians remain poorest under Bush - Canadian Firm counters - Importance of Involvement Tribes' Pollution Suit and Information - Edmonton a dangerous City - Indian Health Care Funds short for Native Women - Promises to HPL families - Got mildew? Get out! unfulfilled First Nation advises - Utes priority claim - Father reaches out for help on Dine' Water to find Daughter - Pechanga to receive 991 Acres - Defining what is Me'tis if bill OK'd creates tensions - Tribe discusses - Justice Workshop possible Land Claim Deal focuses on Peacemaking - Munsees sue Oneidas - Feds may weigh in on Peyote Case over Land Claim - Tribal Judge - Moccasin Bend Land orders Businessman jailed signed over to NPS - Browning Youth Detention - KeyBank commits Center reviewed to working with Tribes - Native Prisoner - American Indian Genocide Museum -- Prison facts and the - 9/11 Memorial Totem Poles importance of Community heading to DC - History: Carlisle Indian School - Tribes convene - Rustywire: to talk about Federal Funding Coming Home from Boarding School - Eskimo Traditions - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days melt away with every Generation - Rustywire Poem: A High Silent Place --------- "RE: Anti-Sovereignty Editorial: Usual Misinformation" --------- Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 02:05:23 -0000 From: "frostyca2000" Subj: Don't believe everything you read Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian Don't believe everything you read Official says anti-sovereignty piece contains "usual misinformation" Sam Lewin August 23, 2004 An anti-Indian sovereignty editorial is full of the "usual misinformation and extrapolation of numbers", according to the head of the Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission. In a piece called "The Festering Problem of Indian 'Sovereignty' ", California-based author Jan Golab criticizes the concept of tribes as sovereign governments. "The notion that American Indian tribes should be treated like Canada or France, as some tribal leaders assert, offends common sense. "A nation within the nation" is what they claim to be, but it is not even close to a reality," Golab writes, later asserting that the "true meaning of sovereignty is tax evasion." The lengthy piece alludes to Indian gaming all over the country, but it is the portion regarding Oklahoma that has OIAC Executive Director Barbara Warner crying foul. For example, Golab states: "The state with the most tribal casinos - 82 - is Oklahoma, where tribes rake in as much as $1.2 billion a year - and the state doesn't get a cent. Oklahoma Indians, who comprise 7 percent of the state population, have become the most powerful political force there. Meanwhile, officials estimate that Oklahoma's 39 tribes cost the state $500 million a year - in lost property taxes, lost revenues on tax-free cigarettes, and lost excise taxes and tag fees from cars sold by reservation dealerships. That's nearly the equivalent of the state's 2003 budgetary shortfall, enough to pay for 17,000 teachers. Meanwhile, the state's billion-dollar racetrack industry, which does pay taxes, is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, and communities are mired in litigation with cash-flush tribes over land and water rights." Warner found so many things wrong with that passage that she nearly filled up an entire page in a response. 1. Golab says that there are 82 casinos in Oklahoma, which generate $1.2 billion a year. Warner responds: "We have documented only 73 gaming facilities based on NIGC records, so I am unsure as to where the 82 comes from. I am also unsure as to where the $1.2 billion figure comes from. Simple math indicates that the revenue from 82 casinos would average $14, 634,146 per facility. The July 2002 Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development's "Social & Economic Analysis of Tribal Government Gaming in Oklahoma" documented 55 facilities operated by 24 tribes with revenues at $208 million, of which $83 million was gained from out-of- state gaming patrons Further they estimated the Gross Regional Product impact to be $329 million and a net State Tax impact at $8.9 to $14 million." 2. Golab claims that Native Americans make up seven percent of the state's population. Warner reports that the 2004 Oklahoma Indian population is 387,229 or 11% of the entire state. 3. Golab writes there are 39 tribes in the state. In reality, there are only 38 that are federally recognized. 4. Warner also takes issue with Golab's number crunching, saying it is seriously off the mark. "In a 9/03/02 document issued by the OTC Tax Policy Division on the `Revenue impact of Native American Exemptions' the following estimates by category were presented: Income tax approximately $475,000; motor fuel taxes - the contracted tribes received $18,652,733 in FY02; cigarette and tobacco taxes - estimated impact of $21,008,000 in cigarette taxes and $8, 880,000 in tobacco taxes; gross production taxes - total tax exempted in FY02 was $1,024,000. Under other taxes, such as property, estate, alcohol, pari-mutual, motor vehicle, and sales, the OTC indicated that there was a lack of data to estimate any losses to the state. So, the writer of this article obtained revenue figures that were not accessible to the OTC and, unless obtained tribe-by-tribe, used some other method of estimation to come up with a whopping $500 million in state losses. Just based on the above figures, the impact presented by the OTC totals $50,039,733," Warner states. The editorial appears in the September issue of "The American Enterprise", a right-tilting newspaper that describes itself as "unlike any publication you've ever read." It seems as though there are some in Indian Country who hope that description remains the case. The Indian- interest website Pechanga.net linked to Golab's editorial under the heading "Moron Alert". Native American Times is Copyright c. 2004 Oklahoma Indian Times. --------- "RE: Bush's Words On Sovereignty" --------- Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 08:28:43 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BUSH RESPONSE" http://www.indianz.com/News http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/~01fb7df3-2fd1-497d-9492-46f8bc96c656 Bush's Words On Sovereignty A Hot Topic Among Native Americans By BETHE DUFRESNE General Assignment Reporter/Columnist August 23, 2004 Gay Story Hamilton, chairman of the Mohegan tribal nation's council of elders, was both appalled and delighted when she heard that President George W. Bush displayed a limited grasp of tribal sovereignty before a recent conference of minority journalists. "I love it when he answers questions and does so badly," said Hamilton, who was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and welcomes anything that could help U.S. Sen. John Kerry oust Bush from the White House. Both presidential candidates spoke at the Unity 2004 national conference for minority journalists in Washington, D.C. earlier this month. Only Bush, however, got the sticky sovereignty question. The conference can be viewed on the Democracy Now! Web site, which archives the radio broadcasts of the independent, contribution-supported news program of the same name. The president was asked, "What do you think tribal sovereignty means in the 21st century, and how do we resolve conflicts between tribes and federal and state governments?" Bush responded, "Tribal sovereignty means that. It's sovereign. You're a... you're a ... you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity." At that point many in the audience laughed outright, drawing criticism later from journalists opposed to any overt display of partisanship. The president then moved into more familiar territory, speaking generically about education and business. "People here are talking about it," said Hamilton last week, adding that she hadn't yet seen the full text of Bush's response. "Our sovereignty is not given to us by anybody, and it was very offensive to have him say that." Not surprisingly, Democrats and some talk show hosts have had a field day with this. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, another Unity 2004 conference guest, doubled over with laughter while mimicking Bush's response before the minority journalists. "If you are on a reservation, you've been soverized," said Jackson. "Your Ph.D. is in soverbication," according to a transcript on the Democracy Now! Web site. But not everyone was laughing. Kristin Eleazer, a Mashantucket Pequot tribal member who attended the conference, said "No" when asked if she enjoyed Jackson's satire of Bush. "No matter what you believe," she said, "you should be respectful of the president." Eleazer, 24, is a staff writer for the Pequot Times, the Mashantuckets' in-house newspaper. It was her first foray into this kind of national spotlight. "It was awesome," she said, to see the likes of Bush, Jackson and Secretary of State Colin Powell. "I felt lucky," she said, to hear whatever they had to say. When Kerry spoke, said Eleazer, the emphasis was on health care on reservations. The senator has a "Native Americans for Kerry" organization and has campaigned before Native audiences. Journalists at the conference told Kerry, said Eleazer, that wasn't enough, that he needed to spend time on reservations. People were already speculating amongst themselves before Bush spoke about what kind of reception he might receive, said Eleazer, which she as a newcomer found odd. When Bush took on the subject of sovereignty, "They all picked up on the fact that it was strange answer," she said. But she gave him slack. "I don't think he had ever been asked that question before," she said, adding that she hasn't seen many minority reporters in the White House press corps. "Everyone was there to learn about each other, not just journalism," said Eleazer. Maybe next time Bush gets that question, she said, he'll do better. Mark Trahant, who asked the question, is editorial page editor for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and a former president of the Native American Journalists Association. He allowed that presidents have never distinguished themselves on this topic. When Ronald Reagan went to Moscow, Trahant said, he remarked that "It was too bad Indians were put on preservations." Times have changed, however, and what bounced off Reagan could prove costly to Bush. Eleazer, Hamilton and Marcia Flowers, chairman of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, said last week that candidates on every level are paying attention to the Native vote, especially because people expect a close election. Hamilton said Native Americans were courted ardently during the Democratic National Convention in Boston, more so than ever before. "Eleven, two and one" were the numbers touted, she said, to give Democrats control of the House, Senate and White House. At the American Indian caucus, said Hamilton, "The big heavy hitters were coming to us and they were saying, `We need your votes.' In South Dakota the Indian vote affected two candidates who recently won." Connecticut, unlike South Dakota, doesn't have a big Indian vote, but it does have big Indian casino money. After being ignored for so long, "We are being wooed," said Hamilton, "because in very tight elections, we can tip the balance." "I sat there and smiled," she said, "and I thought, `This is neat, them coming to us and saying we need your help.' It really feels good." There were 72 delegates from Indian Country at the Democratic convention in Boston, said Hamilton, who was the only Native American in the Connecticut delegation. She theorized there would be far fewer at the upcoming GOP fete in New York City. "Even though we have friends in the GOP party," she said, "we have more friends in the Democratic party." But Hamilton said the Mohegans contribute to both parties, as do the Mashantuckets, "because we are two things, a tribe and a business." Flowers didn't state a political preference, but said Bush's sovereignty gaffe has been a big topic amongst her tribe's members. "I don't find the humor in it," she said, adding that any American leader, Native or otherwise, ought to fully understand tribal sovereignty. Because she feels so passionately about it, Flowers said, Bush's response was offensive. But like the much younger Eleazer, she at least is willing to put it in perspective. Sovereignty is "a word that is hard to define for most non- Natives," said Flowers. What matters to her, she said, is what comes next. "I don't think it's something he (Bush) should just walk away and forget," she said. Both the president and Kerry owe it to Native Americans, said Flowers, to visit their reservations and hear what sovereignty means from those "who live it, and feel it in their hearts." Copyright c. 1998-2004 The Day Publishing Co. --------- "RE: Editorial: Indians remain poorest under Bush" --------- Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 14:44:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="POVERTY TRUTH" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=5008 Editorial: Indians remain poorest under Bush, report says Urban Indians suffer in great numbers report claims TULSA OK Louis Gray August 27, 2004 The recent report "Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2003" paints a grim picture of the life and times in Native American communities. The Census generated report shows little improvement and when inflation is factored in, actually shows decreases across the board. Of course there are those who would tell you that all Indians are busy cashing large amounts of checks from lucrative casino profits. In truth there are few Indians who benefit richly. Mainly, Indian tribes are pouring that money back into their communities and improving conditions for all people. There are tribes with successful casinos but the poverty which exists in their communities is so pervasive it will take time and education in money management to break the cycle. Today 23 percent of single-race Native families live in poverty. This is a full double the National rate. Native mean incomes dropped 1.6 percent to $33,024. If you took out casino rich tribal incomes and that figure would drop even more. In urban areas like Los Angeles, CA. 1 in 4 Indian families live below poverty and 45 percent of all Native American families in Los Angeles are headed by a single parent. That kind of poverty and family conditions negatively hits every socio- economic indicator. According to the University of California study of urban Indians in Los Angeles, Native youth are less likely to enter college, childcare is non-existent, 2 out of 5 Indian males failed to finish high school, and Indian men earn 45 percent less than non-white Indian men and women. Indian people are underserved and for the most part ignored. The small number of Indian voters is getting the blame for much of the problem of being ignored. Others are the notion that the BIA will take care of the Indian population. The reasons are as numerous as the problems. Of course the more the problem is ignored the longer it is going to take to dig out of the hole of poverty. As some wise men say, the first thing you do when you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging. Native Americans occupy the bottom of rung of every socio-economic indicator in this country. The first Americans should not be the first in every misery index. Native American Times is Copyright c. 2004 Oklahoma Indian Times, Inc. --------- "RE: Importance of Involvement and Information" --------- Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2004 08:28:43 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="INTERVIEW WITH A. GAY KINGMAN" http://www.native-voice.com/fullstory.cfm?ID=770 A. Gay Kingman on the Importance of Involvement and Information Kingman (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe) has served in many leadership positions, including President of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA), and Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) By Lise Balk King The Native Voice Lise Balk King: How did you get involved in politics? Were you always involved in politics or is it something you got involved in later in life? A. Gay Kingman: My background, my work was always in education... but everything is political, everything. Even when I was a teacher or president of a college it was political because you had to fight for, vote and lobby for funds for tribal colleges. It was political. So you learn that game and then you learn who the players are so you can feed them information, so that they can support what you are doing. I was elected President of the National Indian Education Association. I was elected to the National Board of NABE, which is the National Association of Bilingual Education. I was involved and that's what it is. I think politics is involvement. Then in 1989, while I was serving on the Board as Vice President to the National Congress of the American Indians, they asked me to go in and be temporary Executive Director of National Congress. Well it led to a permanent position and that thrust me full force into the political scene. There were bills in Congress that we had to deal with immediately, including the Native American Grave Repatriation (NAGPRA) and at that time transportation was a big issue. I testified several times to get the bills passed that would change the name of the "Custer Battlefield" National Monument to the "Battle of Little Bighorn," and to erect a memorial to the Indians who died there. Also at that time the lawsuit had come down that ruled that tribes didn't have ju risdiction over non-Indians or other non-tribal member Indians so we had to work to fix that. And you don't get any honeymoon - you have to hit the ground running and when you are in Indian affairs you can never stop the work efforts. It's also constant education efforts because Congress changes all the time. So it's constant education. One third of the Senate changes every year and 100 percent of the Congress changes every two years so it's a constant education process. We are working all the time to educate the members of Congress on Indian issues. LBK: It's a tough job. The most striking issue is that you have to educate and lobby all of the members of Congress, not just those people who have tribes in their districts. What about all of those political leaders who don't represent Native constituents, but who all vote on legislation that affects Indian country? Kingman: When Tim (her husband, Tim Wapato) and I were at NIGA we set up training for the Congressional staffers to educate them about the issues. This is very important. For example, last October we were fighting to stop an effort where members of Congress were trying to put a tax on all Indian businesses on all the reservations (including all casinos). That would have been disastrous so we started doing training seminars for the staffers on tax. They don't have a lot of time. People in DC like to deal with sound bites. It's easy to pick up a sound bite and get the message that way. Lengthy oration, lengthy papers don't do it. And Tim is really good at that. So, we've got 15 minutes of the staffers time but we use that to train them on Indians and then they have been left with a comprehensive document so that when they need to do research later they had the information. And that's what needs to continue. National Congress (NCAI) has the perfect opportunity to do this because they are right there in the nation's Capital. LBK: How does this apply to your work here for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe? Kingman: Here at home, Chairman Frazier has continued to push for region- specific plans for the Department of the Interior because the Interior did a national BIA reorganization and it was blanket reorganization treating all tribes exactly the same. Well, here we are in the Dakotas: a huge land based treaty tribe with a large population. Cheyenne River has over 14,000 members and the land base is almost 3 million acres. Contrast that with some of the other tribes who have maybe like eight acres in their reservation. You can't treat us all the same. We have been working hard to educate the members of Congress about this issue and others. LBK: It's obvious even in terms of road building like you were talking about the other day. How can you create a blanket law that covers tribal funding - yes, all tribes with land have to build roads. But it's a 4 acre road vs. a 4 million acre road. Kingman: Or some tribes are too small to have the blanket legislation apply; for example, they don't have tribal courts. That's an issue of sovereignty to have jurisdiction and justice on the reservation as we do in Cheyenne River. Other tribes make agreements with the state. These are all different. It goes back down to the grass roots, to what we need. Instead of people complaining all the time we need to see what the solutions are and what can we do. One person can make a difference. LBK: Given all of your years of experience and what you're doing for the tribe now, what would like people to know? Kingman: As we were saying - we need to educate staffers and Congressman and Senators we also need to keep ourselves educated and involved. When Tim had his stroke I stopped work to take care of my father, to stay home with my father who was at that time 100, then he lived to be 104. Tim and I decided that I would stay home and take care of him. My whole life changed because I'd always been out working in an office, supervising people and wheeling and dealing and everything. But then I stayed home. Before, I had always had people that did the computer thing for me. I'd always say. "I need this done," and it would be there. But I had to learn, and so I learned the computer and I learned it at the age of 58. I think if I can, everybody can. Women in particular should learn the computer so you can network. Women today can network all over. We need to be able to network with those women who are out there. It doesn't mean you have to leave the house - you can network on the computer. It's s o helpful to me. I'm really fortunate because Chairman Frazier of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe has allowed me to do work like this from my home, but in return one of my responsibilities is to keep them all updated on the issues. I do my searches on the internet in the morning, every morning for information important to the tribe. Not only legislative information, but also grant opportunities and news items. LBK: Your information networking has become famous! It's great that the work you are doing for the tribe is being used to benefit everybody. Kingman: Well, Chairman Frazier is Chairman of the Great Plains Tribal Chairman Association. So in that capacity there are some things that are pertinent to the whole Great Plains - North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. Others are just pertinent to South Dakota, so I am selecting who gets each communication. We are also so fortunate to have our Indian newspapers because people read them. In our home town they also read the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's paper which is put out by Avis Little Eagle. We need more of that because people will read. Not everyone has a computer. One of Chairman Frazier's visions is to have computers in all the districts. It is so important because you can learn the computer and the internet is so valuable. LBK: It's created a freedom of the flow of information. Do you think this fairly new internet flow of information has affected people's ability or willingness to get involved in the process? Because it seems more people are willing to get out and vote. Kingman: It's part of the awareness. People are more aware now. You can get on C-Span. I set it up at Cheyenne River so they could get on C-Span and watch the news. They got to watch Chairman Frazier testify, so they become part of it. They know now why they are making all those copies of his testimony and they see how important it is for our people to be there in DC and to testify to what our needs are. It shows that everybody, the secretaries, everybody, are part of that package, of what we are trying to accomplish. So email is part of it, C-Span is part of it, but it's all part of this awareness that you can be more involved. If you are paying attention to what is going on, something is going to spark you. Not everybody's going to be interested in health issues, for example. But if you're interested and your talent lies in say, law enforcement, then that's what you should learn more about it and try to get more for our people in the way of law enforcement. Or Veteran's issues - they are so important to us because we've got so many of our Veterans that are like the walking wounded - they're walking around with Agent Orange problems, they have emotional and handicap problems. We've got a whole new group that's going to be coming back from Baghdad. They are so important; and if that's important to you, get involved for them. LBK: So it's like that old saying: information is power. With technology being more available and accessible to the average person, both Indian and non-Indian but especially in isolated areas, like in rural areas like the reservation communities - it's really sparking people. It's empowerment - information empowers people. Kingman: It does. What is that saying... "When you're in the business of dispelling ignorance you'll never be out of a job!" People come in to Congress new and they know nothing about Indians, so this goes back to the importance of the flow of information, from the grass-roots to Capitol Hill. Copyright c. 2003 Native Voice Media, all rights reserved. --------- "RE: Indian Health Care Funds short" --------- Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 21:07:24 EDT From: MJLaBurt@aol.com Subj: Indian health care funds short Mailing List: NDNAIM http://www.montanaforum.com/modload&name=News&file=article&sid=719 Indian health care funds short By MIKE STARK Of The Billings Gazette August 25, 2004 Frustration continues to mount over a lack of funding for American Indian health care services - a shortfall estimated at $2 billion a year - and little ground has been gained recently in closing the gap between health services for Indians and for other Americans. A top federal health official gave no indication Tuesday that the Indian Health Service will get a substantial boost in funding anytime soon. Instead, he emphasized finding better ways to squeeze more out of existing programs. "We need to get more bang for our buck," said Michael O'Grady, assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. O'Grady didn't dispute that IHS is underfunded. But given the fiscal realities, O'Grady said, his agency is working to make health services to Indians more efficient, find ways that tribal and federal officials can better cooperate and promote preventive steps that have long-term benefits both for people and for health-care budgets. Those kinds of steps, O'Grady said, are meant to improve services in the face of funding disparities. "If you can't get Congress to fully fund, what's your fallback?" he said. O'Grady was a keynote speaker at the annual tribal health conference in Billings hosted by the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council. The conference, which runs through Thursday at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center, examines a range of Indian health topics including diabetes, depression, traditional healing and preventive programs. After his presentation, several people questioned O'Grady about funding issues. One man said draining money from health services for Indians constituted government genocide. For each of the 1.4 million tribal members who use Indian Health Service programs, there is a $1,500 annual shortfall compared with "mainstream" health plans, according to Cliff Wiggins, an IHS research analyst. That estimate amounts to a budget gap of more than $2 billion a year in the IHS budget of $3.5 billion, Wiggins said. Tribal members feel that gap when treating and preventing disease, coping with addiction or getting some basic services, tribal officials said Tuesday. "The thing that in Indian Country we lack the most is resource dollars," said Richard King, a health specialist for the tribal leaders council. O'Grady said there may be ways to make IHS dollars stretch farther. In some cases, IHS may be footing the bill for services that should be covered by Medicaid or Medicare, he said. Preventive health programs could cut costs of emergency room visits. Those kinds of measures could free up money that could be spent elsewhere in IHS, according to O'Grady. Recent changes in Medicare, including covering 75 percent of prescription drug costs and free physical exams for new recipients, will also help, he said. Heart and diabetes screening "is a chance to catch something before it's a problem," O'Grady said. "Type II diabetes is close to epidemic proportions and in tribal populations is probably already there." But other, more fundamental problems remain. Government officials are going to have to take a hard look at dealing with long-term care as the Baby Boomers retire and require more medical care. "To me, that's a sleeping giant," O'Grady said. "But not much attention is being drawn to it." Federal officials, including those in Health and Human Services, also need to be a better job opening the lines of communication with Indian Country and coordinating efforts between service providers, O'Grady said. There continue to be grants available for local governments to tackle health issues, but several people in the audience raised concerns about a reliance on temporary grants instead of providing adequate funding in the long term. O'Grady said the government needs to do a better job of finding long- term support for programs that demonstrate success through grants. Gail Gray, director of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, also spoke during Tuesday's opening session. Montanans should brace for cuts in federal payments for health care in the coming years, Gray said. It will likely mean the state will have to pay an additional 3 percent of those costs over the next three years. "That's a huge, huge problem coming up," Gray said. Those issues may compound the stress on those trying to provide health care for tribal members. Gray said state officials are working with tribes to find the best ways to deliver health care but significant challenges remain. "We all know that access needs to be improved and quality needs to be improved," Gray said. "And cost is a huge, huge issue." ---- Mike Stark can be reached at 657-1232 or at mstark@billingsgazette.com. Copyright c. 2004 The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Promises to HPL families unfulfilled" --------- Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 08:58:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MORE BROKEN PROMISES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.thenavajotimes.com/20042608/News/promises_hpl.html Promises to HPL families unfulfilled August 26, 2004 By Levi J. Long The Navajo Times HARDROCK, Ariz. - When residents of Hopi Partition Land accepted a deal a few years ago that promised new houses for their families, hopes soared for elders living in substandard housing. But after years of construction delays, lost paper work and mismanaged funds, hopes waned for those families caught in a decades old land dispute that seems to have no end. A report released last week sheds light on some of the problems found in the construction of 48 homes that were supposed to be built on the HPL and finds that another $650,000 is still needed to complete the project. Last Friday, the Navajo/Hopi Land Commission, the Navajo Housing Services Department and Voices of the People, a grassroots organization, presented the report to more than 40 people at a special meeting at Hardrock Chapter. Ray Denny, a construction inspector hired by the Housing Services Department to do the assessment, explained the report, "Assessment of 48 Homes: Hopi Partition Land." Denny said in 1998, the Navajo/Hopi Land Commission received $1.5 million from the Navajo Rehabilitation Trust Fund to build 48 replacement homes on the HPL. Most of the homes were for elders who didn't have homes or whose homes were in complete disrepair. That year the Housing Services Department began construction on the homes for elders that live in the chapters of Coalmine, Forest Lake, Hardrock, Jeddito, Teesto, Tolani Lake and Whipporwill. To date only 41 homes have been completed but the project is plagued with problems. "Deficient construction and damage to the homes were numerous," Denny said. "There were many complaints of construction crews showing up and only partially completing their homes." For those homes that were finished, shoddy construction work left some homes with sinking foundations, cracked beams and ceilings and shifting walls. The kitchens and bathrooms have warped floor tiles coming out of the floor. Windows and doors haven't been installed in some homes. And fire hazards are a concern, with wood stoves installed too closely to combustible walls. Shut-off valves, from propane or gas lines to the homes, were never installed either. In the report, Denny said the residents need these problems fixed and additional touches like weather stripping, seamless gutters, down spouts and splash blocks, need to be installed. Interior finishes also include cabinets and range hoods in the kitchens and tubs and sinks in the bathrooms. Wheelchair ramps are needed as well, he said. "(The families) were puzzled on when the building materials were hauled and nobody started construction on their home," Denny wrote in the report. "Nobody really informed them about what happened, they said, up to this day, no answer. "They are still looking and hoping, but building materials are still damaged...just piled up outside in an open area," Denny writes. "They said, 'What can we do, we're old and unable to work.' This is a sad situation." Denny said a lot of elders are in similar situations and asked him when their homes would be finished. "It was difficult to tell them there wasn't an immediate end," Denny said. Denny said during the last six years, a lack of funds, communication problems between the Navajo/Hopi Land Office, the Hope Tribe and the chapters plagued the housing project. Internal problems at the Housing Services Department and turnover of personnel and council delegates also led to complications of not finishing the project. Denny said the remote location of the homes, rough roads, getting false information from different agencies, uncooperative clients, lack of communication within the housing department and a lack of guidelines to finish the work also contributed to the problem. After the report last Friday, some residents said they were not surprised by the findings. A few elders said they're still having problems today. One elderly woman cried and said there didn't seem to be an end to these ongoing problems with her home. The land commission is expected to vote to accept the report at their next meeting on Sept. 8. Denny said he wants the commission to push this report to tribal, state and federal leaders to get more funding to complete the project. Lorenzo Badonie, chair of the land commission, said the major obstacle will be finding funds to finish the project. Badonie said he couldn't estimate how long it could take to get funding. Tim Johnson, chairperson of Voices of the People, said getting these homes constructed is just one task on a long list. The group said that while finding housing for all the HPL families is the No. 1 priority, getting water and roads to those families are important too. "This report addressed the first major concern," Johnson said. "It's very productive. The assessment will help address those needs. We just need to create a momentum and make sure everyone follows through." Copies of the report are available at Coalmine, Forest Lake, Hardrock, Jeddito, Teesto, Tolani Lake and Whipporwill chapters. Copyright c. 2004 Navajo Times Publishing Co., Inc. --------- "RE: Utes priority claim on Dine' Water" --------- Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 08:28:43 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NAVAJO PIPELINE" http://www.gallupindependent.com/082404council.html Council will take up Utes priority claim on Dine' water By Kathy Helms Dine' Bureau August 24, 2004 WINDOW ROCK - This week promises to be a busy one for Navajo Nation Council when it meets in a three-day special session to consider several reports and action items, including the proposed San Juan water rights settlement, the Capital Improvement Projects plan, and an external audit report. At the request of Council Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan, the Ethics and Rules Committee on Friday set two special council sessions: Aug. 25-27 and Aug. 30-Sept. 3, at which time council will conduct a budget session to adopt the Fiscal Year 2005 comprehensive operating budget. In a memorandum to the Ethics and Rules Committee requesting the special sessions, Speaker Morgan said that during the recent Summer Session, council directed that it consider the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) plan at a special session within 30 days. During a work session held in May, council also issued several recommendations regarding the proposed San Juan River Basin settlement agreement. The Navajo Nation Water Rights Commission and Resources Committee, with assistance from the Speaker's office, worked on responses to the recommendations. In addition to the water issue, during this week's special session council also is expected to hear a report from Din Power Authority on its energy development projects. The report most likely will include its plans for development of a new power plant. Also, according to Speaker Morgan, in accordance with the Appropriations Act, the Navajo Nation's external auditors must present the latest combined financial statement of the Navajo Nation before the council takes up the 2005 comprehensive operating budget on Aug. 30. Recent actions on the proposed San Juan water rights settlement include a July 14 filing by the Ute Mountain Ute tribe claiming 7,300 to 9,300 acre feet of water in the San Juan River Basin. The Ute Mountain Utes claimed priority over the Navajo Nation, citing a March 2, 1868, priority date, vs. the Navajo Nation's June 1, 1868, priority date. In a recent interview, Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. said of the Ute claim, "Certainly it's going to take away from whatever Navajo is going to be awarded. I just know there's this pot of water and everybody's wanting to dip into it: the City of Farmington, Navajo, Utes ... But anytime you take away from that pot, which the Navajo Nation also has to do with, you take away from Navajo, you take away from Farmington, you take away from the people who are wanting to get into water." On Friday, a district judge in Aztec, N.M., refused to halt the proposed San Juan water settlement. Farmington attorney Gary Horner and attorney Felix Briones of the San Juan Agricultural Water Users Association challenged the proposed settlement, based on the lack of a hydrographic study which would determine whether sufficient water exists to satisfy the settlement. Horner contends the Navajo Nation is planning to sell 4,500 acre feet of water per year to Din Power Authority to use for a new power plant which would be built near Kirtland. Also last week, the Interstate Stream Commission tabled a motion to pass the proposed San Juan settlement and called on the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer to do yet another draft settlement. During the 12th Annual New Mexico Water Law Conference held Aug. 16-17 in Santa Fe, New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici called for faster adjudication of water rights cases. Domenici said that while he supports a resolution of water rights claims by Native American tribes, the costs keep increasing. He said the cost of the proposed San Juan settlement now has grown from $800 million to $1.2 billion. That price tag does not include the cost of getting water from the proposed Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project to individual Navajo homes. President Shirley said he believes that portion of the proposal is still in the planning stages. "I don't think anything is final as far as how or what that pipeline is going to look like. We're still working on the funding end of it. We want to have the federal government do full funding for that pipeline and then depending on their position, what monies they're wanting to put toward it, I don't know what the pipeline is going to look like. "But what I do want to see is people get services, water from that pipeline. How many communities we're talking about, how many people, how many homes we're talking about, I'm not sure. I think that all remains to be talked about and decided upon," he said. The Navajo-Gallup pipeline would be completed by December 2020, according to the July 9 draft of the proposed settlement. Copyright c. 2004 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Pechanga to receive 991 Acres if bill OK'd" --------- Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 14:44:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ISOLATED BLM LAND" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.pe.com//vt_stories/PE_News_Local_tribe27.faca.html Tribe to receive 991 acres for expansion if bill OK'd PECHANGA BAND: The land adjacent to the reservation is now owned by the BLM. August 27, 2004 By CLAIRE VITUCCI / Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians' reservation near Temecula could grow by nearly 1,000 acres under legislation introduced by Inland Rep. Darrell Issa. The land, 991 acres owned by the federal Bureau of Land Management, is adjacent to the reservation. It's rocky, hilly and unsuitable for commercial development, said Dale Neugebauer, chief of staff for Issa, R-Vista. But the land has historical and cultural value to the tribe, said tribal chairman Mark Macarro. Macarro said the tribe wants the land because it contains sacred rock carvings and because it's a key part of the tribe's watershed. "If somebody else controls the water that flows into your reservation or onto your piece of land you have no control over what they do or what they allow on the land," Macarro said. Issa's office found out about the property through an annual meeting members of Congress each have with the BLM about surplus federal lands in their districts, Neugebauer said. Issa's office contacted the tribe, which expressed interest in the property. The bill, introduced in late July, has been referred to the House Resources Committee. The land transfer, if passed by Congress and signed by President Bush, would cost the tribe nothing, Neugebauer said. The transfer would save the federal government the money it costs to maintain the land, he added. The BLM is looking to dispose of the land because it's an isolated tract not adjacent to other federal lands, said Jan Bedrosian, a BLM spokeswoman. But because the land contains habitat, the tribe is talking to the BLM, U. S. Fish and Wildlife and the county to ensure that the land is used for conservation purposes. "It's entirely consistent with our interest," Macarro said. "We're not looking to acquire the land for anything other than open space, aesthetics and preservation." Issa called the proposed land transfer a "win-win." "These are historic Indian lands," he said. "The Indians get the direct benefit and it comes at a savings to the U.S. government." Issa's office sent a letter to the committee Thursday requesting a hearing on the legislation when Congress reconvenes after Labor Day. He is hopeful Congress will be able to pass the bill before it adjourns for the year. If not, Issa will have to reintroduce the legislation sometime after January, Neugebauer said. "It's a noncontroversial bill, it should move smoothly," Neugebauer said, but added that there are only 21 days left in the legislative session with many bills left to be considered by Congress. "The outlook for its ultimate passage is good whether this year or in the next session." -- Press-Enterprise, San Bernadino/Riverside, CA. Copyright c. 2004 Belo Interactive, Inc. --------- "RE: Tribe discusses possible Land Claim Deal" --------- Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 08:28:43 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SENECA-CAYUGA" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard//news-7/1093079801309121.xml Seneca-Cayuga Tribe proposes building casino in Catskills Citing Empire Resorts deal, Seneca Cayugas offer plan to settle its share of land claim. August 21, 2004 By Dave Tobin Staff writer In a reversal of scenarios and possible fortune, the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma has submitted to the state a Catskills casino proposal that would settle its share of a land claim in New York. Under the proposal, the tribe would abandon its casino pursuit in Upstate New York, and relinquish its interest in a $247.9 million judgment it obtained jointly with the Cayuga Indian Nation in 2001. Meanwhile, the Seneca-Cayugas say they have struck an exclusive deal with Empire Resorts, the Monticello-based company that had been working with the Cayuga Nation of New York to open a Catskills casino. Less than a month ago, the New York Cayugas had agreed to a memorandum of understanding with the state for settlement of the land claim that involved a Catskills casino. But the Cayugas abandoned negotiations when the state insisted, among other things, that the Seneca-Cayugas be part of the settlement. The memorandum of understanding had called for letting the Seneca-Cayugas build a Class III casino in Sennett, north of Auburn. Herb Marshall, chairman of the Cayuga County Legislature, was cautiously optimistic about the latest proposal. "My chief concern has always been getting this land claim issue behind us," Marshall said. "This could be a big step in that direction." Todd Alhart, a spokesman for Gov. George Pataki, said state officials were "reviewing" the Seneca-Cayuga's recent proposal. Regarding the Cayuga nation's involvement with the land claim, Alhart said the state would "see that case through to its conclusion in the courts." Scott Wood, a Seneca-Cayuga lawyer and a tribal member, said that under the current proposal, the Seneca-Cayugas would, ultimately, only hold in trust (own) property in the Catskills. The tribe already owns 229 acres in Aurelius, where tribal officials had planned to develop a high stakes bingo hall in partnership with Rochester developer Thomas Wilmot. Wood said the tribe would consider some other use for the Aurelius property other than gaming, or sell it. The tribe would not pursue any casino deal in the Rochester area, and would settle its obligations with Wilmot. "Mr. Wilmot will be handsomely taken care of," Wood said. Wilmot, on vacation, could not be reached for comment. Martin Gold, lawyer for the Cayuga Nation, said any Seneca-Cayuga deal with Empire Resorts would be a breach of an agreement that the Cayuga Nation has with Empire Resorts until Dec. 31. "Until that time, Empire Resorts is not even permitted to talk to another Indian nation about such a thing," Gold said. The Cayuga nation will also continue to vigorously oppose giving any sovereign land to the Seneca-Cayugas, "because the Cayugas regard them as a foreign nation," he said. Robert Berman, CEO and director of Empire Resorts, did not return phone calls Friday. In 2001, U.S. District Judge Neal P. McCurn jointly awarded $247.9 million to the Seneca-Cayugas and the Cayuga Indian Nation after ruling the state had illegally acquired from their ancestors 64,000 acres around the north end of Cayuga Lake. He also ruled that the Seneca-Cayugas are a federally recognized tribe that has a legitimate claim to the land. The ruling and award are being appealed. If state officials look favorably on the proposal, the Seneca-Cayugas will work exclusively with Empire Resorts to find property for a casino in Ulster or Sullivan counties, Wood said. Once the tribe secures property, the tribe would petition the Bureau of Indian Affairs to put the property in trust for a casino. "We're trying to give everybody what they want," said Wood. "(Auburn Mayor) Tim Lattimore and Herb Marshall saw the economic benefits, (of a casino in Cayuga County) but not too many people shared their vision. The UCE (Upstate Citizens for Equality) doesn't want any of the tribes or nations to acquire land. They want to continue to litigate. The Cayuga apparently want to continue to litigate. We don't. We want to put this behind us and start some economic development that will help the people of this tribe." He said that when the Cayuga nation abandoned its negotiations with the state, the Seneca-Cayugas and Empire Resorts met each other like the last two partners at a junior high school dance. "I can't say who approached who," Wood said. "But after a short period of time, it became obvious what was the only viable options were for the tribe." Copyright c. 2004 The Post-Standard. Used with permission. --------- "RE: Munsees sue Oneidas over Land Claim" --------- Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 08:28:43 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="STOCKBRIDGE-MUNSEE" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard//news-6/1093079833309120.xml Munsees sue Oneidas over land claim The Stockbridge-Munsees seek return of 3,500 acres from Oneidas under treaty. August 21, 2004 By Glenn Coin Staff writer The Oneida Indian Nation has found itself on the other side of a land claim. On Aug. 5, the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians officially sued the Oneidas for the return of about 3,500 acres. The Oneida nation owns the land, but the Stockbridge-Munsees claim it as theirs under a 1788 treaty. The Stockbridge-Munsee land claim was originally filed in 1986; this month's filing is the first time that lawsuit has been amended. The Oneidas were not part of the original suit, although they were added as defendants in 1987 at their own request. The Stockbridge-Munsee tribe seeks the return of about 23,000 acres granted to them under the 1788 Treaty of Fort Schuyler, according to the lawsuit. The land includes most of the town of Stockbridge and parts of four adjoining towns. The Oneidas have bought about 3,500 acres in that area in the past decade. The lawyer for the Stockbridge-Munsee says the tribe sued the Oneidas this month for two reasons: The Oneidas had asked to be part of the case, and the Oneidas own land in the Stockbridge-Munsee claim. "At its core, it's a claim for the possession of land," lawyer Don Miller said. "If you're going to bring an ejectment suit, you bring an ejectment suit against the people who are in possession of land." Miller said the tribe is not asking to eject private landowners, as the Oneidas tried to do in 1998 in their 250,000-acre claim area. The Stockbridge-Munsee tribe is asking for the immediate return of any land owned by the other defendants: the state, the village of Munnsville, Madison and Oneida counties, and the five towns in the claim. Oneida nation spokesman Jerry Reed said the Stockbridge-Munsee's claim has no merit. "The Stockbridge-Munsee don't have any claim to the land and they have no business suing the Oneidas," Reed said. "The Oneidas are going to ask the court to dismiss this case." The Stockbridge-Munsee suit claims that the state in 1788 granted the tribe a 23,000-acre reservation centered on Munnsville. But from 1818 to 1847, the suit claims, the state illegally bought and resold that land. Two years ago, the tribe bought 122 acres on Route 46. The suit has been on hold for most of the past decade at the Stockbridge-Munsee's request. The tribe wanted to see how the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on similar cases, and then waited for several years to see if the federal government would intervene on the tribe's behalf. The federal government has not joined the case, as it did with the Oneidas six years ago. But a Department of the Interior lawyer wrote two years ago that "Stockbridge is the only proper tribal claimant" and that the tribe's case was "meritorious." The Oneidas joined the case in 1987 at their own request. They say the land claimed by the Stockbridge-Munsee tribe is theirs. The Oneidas in 1974 filed their own claim to about 250,000 acres in Madison and Oneida counties. The two tribes are also competing to build a casino in the Catskills. Last year, the Stockbridge-Munsee tribe said the state has refused to negotiate with the tribe because of pressure from the Oneidas. Copyright c. 2004 The Post-Standard. Used with permission. --------- "RE: Moccasin Bend Land signed over to NPS" --------- Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2004 06:32:11 -0500 From: RDNall@webtv.net (David Nall) Subj: Fwd: Chattanooga: Moccasin Bend Land Signed Over to NPS Mailing List: TN Indian Affairs list From: Chattanooga InterTribal Association City, County, State Land on Moccasin Bend Signed Over to National Park Service August 27, 2004 Chattanooga TN - NPS Director Fran Mainella accepted 660 acres for the National Park Service in a ceremony today marking the transfer of land from the city, county and state for creation of the Moccasin Bend National Archaeological District. The ceremony took place at 2:30 pm at Point Park on top of Lookout Mountain, 1600 feet above the Tennessee River as it wound around Moccasin Bend, with Representative Zach Wamp, sponsor of the legislation that created the park, as master of ceremonies. Signing over the deeds were Mayor Bob Corker, County Mayor Claude Ramsey, and Governor Phil Bredesen represented by state Mental Health Commissioner Virginia Betts who also represented the largest single land owner on the Bend, the Mental Health Hospital which contributed 220 acres of land to the park. The district is now a unit of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, and federal law, including the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act and the National Historic Preservation Act apply in both preserving the Native American sites and guaranteeing Native American tribal participation in the management of the park and protection of the site. Prior attempts to develop Moccasin Bend as a lake-park, college campus, and industrial manufacturing site would have destroyed the 10,000 years of Native American history on "the Bend". Tribal Historic Preservation Officers agreed that co-management of the site with the National Park Service afforded the site the most legal protection with the greatest Native American representation. The Chattanooga InterTribal Association began its community organizing efforts to protect Moccasin Bend in 1993. CITA stopped the county's efforts to build a Civil War drama amphitheater on the Bend, and later worked with the county Sheriff's Department to create the Native American Reserve Force -- Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputies who continue to patrol Moccasin Bend to protect it against looters. _______________________________________________ TN Indian Affairs (tn-ind) mailing list News, information & discussion re. Native Americans in Tennessee. --------- "RE: KeyBank commits to working with Tribes" --------- Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2004 08:56:07 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRIBAL INITIATIVE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.tribnet.com/business/story/5487640p-5425621c.html KeyBank commits to working with tribes C.R. ROBERTS; The News Tribune August 30, 2004 KeyBank is launching an initiative to work with Indian tribes on economic development and investment management. Tribes are growing in financial strength. The bank believes it can help in such areas as financing, investing and providing financial services. The bank provides capital and financial services - including a total credit commitment of $414 million - to 45 American Indian tribes, corporations and villages. Mike Lettig, a 27-year veteran of KeyBank, has been named the company's Native American Financial Services national executive Of 562 tribes and other Indian Country entities recognized by the federal government, 305 are located in KeyBank's retail markets across the United States. Lettig, 52, is based in Bellevue. He visited Tacoma last week and spoke with The News Tribune. Q: You're based in Bellevue. Will you be concentrating on Northwest and Alaskan tribes and villages? A: We will be dealing with Native American opportunities on the East Coast and West Coast. We're actively recruiting for positions. Q: Will you be targeting particular tribes or markets? A: We'll address the needs of tribal governments - debt, financing and investment management. We'll serve enterprises - gaming and natural resources management. We'll meet the needs of Native American consumers. Q: This isn't a new focus for Key, correct? A: If you take a look at our history, we've served the native community for over 30 years. We've been fortunate enough to develop relationships. Now, the Native American community has really developed economically. This requires the attention of an organization that is willing to learn the social, cultural and economic aspirations that they have. Q: Are there any challenges specific to serving this community? A: First, we need to develop credibility, earn trust. The second is the patience it takes to develop a brand identity. When you've done business with one tribe, that's what you've accomplished - you've done business with one tribe. You do not have a template so you can duplicate the experience. It takes time. Once the trust is earned, you will find there is no client more loyal. Q: A large number of tribes have benefitted from gaming. How does that affect their financial planning? A: What's missing is a comprehensive financial solutions strategy. The next step is to provide for the needs of tribal governments, entrepreneurs and consumers. There's a need for financial education for investment management, trust services and the opportunity to build personal wealth. Q: Of the nearly 30 tribes in Washington, how many do you serve? A: Eight or 10. Q: How big is the market nationwide? A: It's billions of dollars in revenue, billions of dollars needed in debt instruments, billions of dollars at stake for investments and trusts. Q: Are there any significant differences between dealing with the native community and other clients? A: Corporate strategy is embedded in the interest of owners and shareholders, while the interests of Native Americans are for the benefit of tribal members. Q: Key is making a commitment. What other banks are in the mix? A: Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Bank One, National City in the Midwest. Q: What's the biggest lesson you've learned about banking from your work with tribes? A: I think the biggest lesson is not to provide a solution without first understanding what the client is looking for. Also, understanding the aspirations of a tribe really entails getting a feel for what the social, economic and cultural aspirations are. Q: What lessons do you think others might take from what you've learned? A: You can prosper economically and preserve your culture. You don't have to choose one over the other. C.R. Roberts: 253-597-8535 c.r.roberts@mail.tribnet.com The Mike Lettig file Age: 52 Ancestry: Navajo descendant Family: Married 30 years; two children; one grandchild New position: KeyBank's Native American Financial Services national executive Headquarters: Cleveland for Key, Bellevue for Lettig Mandate: Increase Key's outreach to American Indian clients Client base: Key serves 45 American Indian tribes and other entities; 305 tribes are located within the bank's market area. Copyright c. 2004 Tacoma News, Inc., a subsidiary of The McClatchy Company. --------- "RE: American Indian Genocide Museum" --------- Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 11:50:35 -0000 From: "ghwelker" Subj: American Indian Genocide Museum Mailing List: indigenous_peoples_literature@yahoogroups.com http://www.indiancountry.com/index.php?1093358611 Genocide in Texas by: Brenda Norrell / Southwest Staff Reporter / Indian Country Today August 24, 2004 REDLAND, Texas - It is a history that the United States buried, along with the Indian women and children. But there is an invoice for the smallpox blankets given to Indians to eradicate them and a printed record of the scalp laws with payments of 10 pounds of silver for the scalp of an Indian child. Steve Melendez, Pyramid Lake Paiute and president of the American Indian Genocide Museum in Houston, said the genocide of American Indians is a fact of history that must be recorded accurately in history so Indian nations can heal and racism in America can be countered. Melendez said the invaders of this continent carried out systematic genocide to eradicate Indians and it continues today, with the recent theft of Western Shoshone land in Nevada by the United States government. Melendez spoke on genocide at the commemoration of the massacre at Neches, near Tyler in northeast Texas, where the Texas militia murdered 800 Indian men, women, children and elderly on July 16, 1839. On display was the invoice documenting the smallpox that was distributed to Delaware Indians by way of blankets and handkerchiefs in 1763. "I think it is ironic that we stand here today at the site of a destroyed Delaware village. For it was the Delaware Indians in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who were given the smallpox blankets back in 1763. Many people don't believe that the Indians were given smallpox blankets but we have found the invoice from Fort Pitt." The invoice states: "To sundries got to replace in kind those which were taken from the people in the hospital to convey the smallpox to the indians. Viz: 2 Blankets; 1 silk hankerchef and 1 linnen." Speaking to several hundred people, including Cherokee and other tribes, Melendez said, "Was there genocide in America? "The killing here continued in the surrounding area until July 24. A militia force was stationed to the north to cut the Indians off if they fled north but they never saw battle. They were not needed." The people were slaughtered. Texas Cherokee and 13 associated bands led by Chief Bowles and Chief Big Mush were among 800 men, women, children and elderly killed on July 16, 1839. The bands included Shawnee, Alabama, Delaware, Kickapoo, Quapaw, Choctaw, Biloxi, Ioni, Coushatta, Mataquo and Caddo of the Neches. "At some point in history, America has to acknowledge the wrongs that were done and call them what they were - Genocide," Melendez said. "At some point in history, America has to acknowledge that the way they confiscated Native lands was not right. At some point in history, America has to call things like what happened here - they have to call it extermination, which it was." "On July the 7th, our President George W. Bush signed into law bill H.R. 884 which arbitrarily confiscated 24 million acres of Western Shoshone Land." Melendez pointed out that in its final report to Congress, the Indian Claims Commission, which was the vehicle used to value the Western Shoshone land, describes itself as a commission and not a judicial court. This commission arbitrarily set the price of Western Shoshone lands at 15 cents an acre. "Fifteen cents an acre! We had the All Star Game in Houston last Tuesday and hot dogs were selling for five dollars apiece. At this kind of an exchange rate, the Western Shoshone would have to sell 33 acres of land just to buy a hot dog. History seems to keep repeating itself over and over again," Melendez said. "Any memorial that is erected here should not be called the Battle of the Neches. We should honor the dead with the truth, and call it what it was - genocide in the Americas." During the 11th annual Neches memorial ceremony, tribes gathered to pray at a monument erected in memory of Cherokee Chief Bowles. Danny Hair, chairman of the North American Indian Cultural Association of Texas, told those gathered that the spirits of the ancestors remain strong here. The American Indian Cultural Society hosted the ceremony, which included Cherokee Nation Chief Chad Smith and Cherokee National Youth Choir from Tahlequah, Okla. Copyright c. 2004 Indian Country Today. --------- "RE: 9/11 Memorial Totem Poles heading to DC" --------- Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 14:44:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LIBERTY & FREEDOM TOTEM POLES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=5004 9/11 memorial totem poles heading to DC Created by Lummi Tribe to honor victims August 27, 2004 A ceremony in September marks the official send-off of the Liberty and Freedom Totem Poles to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The totem poles, carved by Lummi master carver Jewell "Praying Wolf" James, will honor victims of the 9-11 terrorist attack, as well as past and present members of the United States armed forces. Eleven Native Americans will accompany the Liberty and Freedom Totem Poles from Pacific Northwest Tribes on a 4,700-mile trip across the United States. During the course of the trip, Native American communities in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and at Gettysburg Battlefield National Park will bless the totem poles in a traditional manner. Upon their arrival in Washington DC, the Liberty and Freedom Poles will be dedicated at a ceremony at the Pentagon on September 19. They will then be displayed at the Chapel in the Historic Congressional Cemetery until the fall of 2005, at which time they will become part of a permanent 9-11 Memorial Grove on Kingman Island in Washington, DC. The Liberty and Freedom Poles consists of two, 13-foot high totem poles each carved in the figure of bears, connected by a 34-foot cross beam carved with eagles, the moon, and sun designs. Jewell James described these massive totem poles as "a contribution from Native America to the healing of the American Nation and to those who lost loved ones in the attack on the Pentagon, and to all our Nation's veterans." The Lummi Indian Nation has been engaged in this 9-11 commemoration effort since 2002, when it carved and placed the first Healing Pole at Arrow Park in the Sterling Forest in New York State, one-hour north of Manhattan. The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest partnered with the Lummi Indian Nation in 2003 to provide the carving wood for the Honoring Pole, which was placed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at the site of the 9- 11 crash of United Flight 93. In April 2004, the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest provided two large Western red cedar poles for the Liberty and Freedom Poles. According to Jon Vanderheyden, Mt. Baker District Ranger, "It is an honor and privilege for the U.S. Forest Service to partner with the Lummi. They have transformed these cedar trees into memorials of peace, strength, and honor." The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the nation's largest and oldest American Indian and Alaska Native organization, said it strongly supports the endeavors of the Lummi. NCAI President Tex Hall said, "The NCAI is very proud to stand with the Lummi Nation during this historic dedication. These poles and the dedication ceremony at the Pentagon will be a lasting tribute to the victims of the 9-11 attacks and veterans of the armed forces who answered their country's call by serving with pride and honor." For thousands of years, the Lummi Tribe has lived in northwest Washington State. Many of their sacred lands are located in the ancient forests within and around Mt. Baker in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. (The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is located in Washington State and extends more than 140 miles along the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains from the Canadian border to the northern boundary of Mt. Rainier National Park.) The Native people are the original woodworkers of the Pacific Northwest. Their most-used material was Western red cedar - prized because the wood is light, easily carved or split, and chemically resistant to decay. Canoes, longhouses, and totems were made from the wood. Even the inner bark of the cedar was utilized to produce clothing and baskets. The cedar was considered the "tree of life." Its importance is reflected in the custom of reciting a prayer to the spirit of the tree before it or some part of it is taken. According to Jewell "Praying Wolf" James, Head Carver of the House of Tears, "The Lummi People are Coast Salish, and are related to tribes throughout the Pacific Northwest. As Coast Salish, our traditions and spiritual knowledge teaches that the cedar tree is a part of our sacred understanding of creation. It gave all parts of itself, as a cedar tree, for the use and benefit of our people. However, we have to remember to honor its sacrifice and remember to share with others, in appreciation of this gift from creation." The totem poles will be moved to Kingman Island in 2005 to be a centerpiece of the Washington D.C. Memorial Grove. This site is now being prepared and landscaped with a plan developed by Lee & Associates. Seed money for the September 11 Memorial Grove on Kingman Island was provided by the U.S. Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program, a part of State & Private Forestry. Because of the overwhelming desire by communities to honor and memorialize the tragic losses that occurred on September 11, 2001, the U.S. Forest Service was asked by the United States Congress to create the "Living Memorials Project." This initiative invokes the resonating power of trees to bring people together and create lasting, living memorials to the victims of terrorism, their families, communities, and the nation. Cost-share grants from the U. S. Forest Service help to support the design and development of community projects in the New York metropolitan area, SW Pennsylvania, and the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. For more information, go to www.livingmemorialsproject.net. Native American Times is Copyright c. 2004 Oklahoma Indian Times, Inc. --------- "RE: Tribes convene to talk about Federal Funding" --------- Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2004 08:56:07 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ALASKA TRIBES FUNDING" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/083004/sta_nwdigest.shtml Northwest Digest Wire reports Tribes convene to talk about federal funding August 30, 2004 ANCHORAGE - Alaska's Native tribes are meeting in Anchorage this week to discuss Sen. Ted Stevens' call for consolidating tribal funding and routing it through a smaller number of regional entities. Stevens says consolidation is necessary to protect services for Alaska Natives after he leaves office. But many Native leaders fear it would undermine the individual tribes' sovereignty. Last week tribal leaders in two parts of the state, the Interior and Western Alaska, met and stated their opposition to consolidation. Stevens recently told delegates of the regional nonprofit Tanana Chiefs Conference in Fairbanks that he is willing to entertain ideas other than consolidation if they could achieve the same economic efficiency goals, said TCC president Buddy Brown. Stevens has long believed that 231 Alaska tribes is too many to fund individually. He worries that funding for Alaska's federally recognized tribes will dry up when he leaves the Senate, and that consolidating services and reducing administrative costs now will help the tribes in the future. Last fall, Stevens took unilateral action, inserting language in an appropriations bill that stripped funding for tribal courts and law enforcement and transferred it to the state of Alaska. He later rescinded the rider but created a commission to propose a new form of village government that could replace tribes. Copyright c. 1997-2004 Juneau Empire/Morris Communications Corporation. --------- "RE: Eskimo Traditions melt away with every Generation" --------- Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 14:44:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NATIVE ALASKAN WAYS" http://www.sfgate.com//chronicle/a/2004/08/29/MNG108F47E1.DTL Eskimo traditions melt away with every generation Marriages were far more complex than just saying, 'I do' Sarah Kershaw, New York Times August 29, 2004 When it became clear that the elders in this isolated Eskimo village on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea approved of the marriage, Clifford Apatiki's relatives did what was required of them: They bought him his bride. That meant, according to a fast-fading custom among the Siberian Yupiks, a small but sturdy native Alaskan tribe that has inhabited this treeless and brutally windy island since about A.D. 500, that Apatiki's family would spend at least a year coming up with the payment. They called on their relatives, here in Gambell, over in Savoonga, the other Yupik village on this island 38 miles from the Chukchi peninsula in Russia, and across Alaska, to send them things - sealskins, rifles, bread, a toaster - a house full of gifts. When the bride's family accepted the offerings, Apatiki, a skilled ivory carver and polar bear hunter, did what was required of him: He went to work for her family as a kind of indentured servant for a year, hunting seal, whale and polar bear, and doing chores around the house. The marriage between Apatiki, 30, and Jennifer Campbell, 29, a former bookkeeper for the village tribal council, was formalized five years ago, when traditional marriages such as theirs were still the norm here. But now the couple worry whether their children will follow suit because even in five years this and other centuries-old traditions in this village of 700 have been slipping away, as one of the most remote villages on Earth finally contends with the modern world. "I'm sure people will continue to do it for a while," Jennifer Apatiki said one evening in the living room of her one-story home in the village. "If the tradition isn't in effect with some families, they are whispered about. They will say about a girl, 'She was not bought.' " Still, it is of great concern to the elders of Gambell that this marriage tradition is disappearing in the face of whirlwind change here over the last decade. Life has shifted so much in Gambell, where satellite television, rising rates of alcoholism and a growing rejection by the younger generation of the Yupik language and customs have begun to chip away at tradition and at a hunting-and-gathering subsistence lifestyle, that it is as if the world here is playing on videotape stuck on fast- forward. And fewer couples are getting married in the traditional way, despite pleas from their parents and grandparents in this hard-working whaling community. The rising tension between the old ways and the new ones, between older generations and younger ones, is playing out in native villages across this state, where 16 percent of the population is indigenous Alaskan, comprising 11 distinct cultures and speaking 20 different languages. The Internet, much more regular airline travel and other modern advances are connecting even the most remote Alaskan villages to mainstream society. "Gambell, it has changed quite a bit now," said Winfred James, 82, one of the village's most knowledgeable elders, one recent evening in his living room, where he was watching a CNN interview of Sen. John Kerry and his wife. "Westernization is coming in." James said he and other elders were deeply concerned about losing the marriage customs, "but it probably will change with the next generation." "We try to teach them to do that, you know," he added. "So they can know each other, so they can stick together." Village residents say that more and more young couples are simply living together and not pursuing the traditional marriage customs or that men are working for the families of their fiancees for much shorter periods, if at all. "They work for maybe a month, and then I guess they forget," said Christopher Koonooka, 26, who teaches at the village school in a bilingual program. Koonooka said he saw many of his peers rejecting the old traditions. The Siberian Yupiks inhabit Gambell and Savoonga, a village of 700 people about 50 miles from here, and parts of the Siberian Chukchi Peninsula, where about 900 Siberian Yupiks live. Gambell was named after a Presbyterian missionary, Vene Gambell, who came to St. Lawrence Island in the late 1800s. He was followed by other missionaries, whose Western-sounding surnames made their way into the lineage of the Yupiks. The first working telephones were installed here in the 1970s, and television was not readily available until about a decade ago; running water became available to about half of the homes here about five years ago. Before satellite television, Gambell residents watched the news at least two weeks late on videotapes flown in with other supplies from Nome, the closest city on the Alaska mainland, 200 miles away and reachable only by small plane. Almost every house has a satellite dish. The first cellular telephone tower was built a few years ago, near the one-room trailer that serves as the police station. The people here generally welcome much of the technology even as the village elders and others say television is a particularly disturbing force. For example, global positioning systems now provide great assistance to hunters who might otherwise get terribly lost in the rough Bering Sea, especially because some of the old knowledge about how to find the whales, seals and walrus has been lost. And the Internet has not only allowed greater access to information, but ivory carvers, who would otherwise have to wait for the occasional tourist or birder, use it to advertise and sell their wares. (Only the hardiest birders make the trek out here from Nome, and tourists arrive only once in a while, on cruise ships that sometimes stop on the shores of Gambell.) "Technology has had a big impact, in good ways and bad ways," said Mattox Metcalf, high school program art coordinator for the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage and a Siberian Yupik who was born in Gambell. "Some of my relatives have said they are competing hard with what's on TV. "The younger people are seeing stuff on TV, and they are slowly realizing that what they do is different from what other people do in the U.S.," said Metcalf, 24, who travels here frequently to visit relatives. "And they want to be like them. The older people are trying to fight for their minds and fight for their attention. It is kind of at a stalemate right now." Carol Zane Jolles, an anthropologist at the University of Washington in Seattle who has studied the people of St. Lawrence Island and recently published a book about her research, said she had seen radical changes here, even since she first visited in the late 1980s. Returning in the last few years, Jolles was struck, she said, by how children were speaking English first with each other, rather than Siberian Yupik, the main language of their parents, and that she saw major shifts in the marriage customs and in family structure. In a society still structured around clans, the recent construction of modern houses has shifted the emphasis from the extended family to the nuclear family, she said. The newer homes, prefabricated and shipped here, replaced the small driftwood and walrus hide houses that still stand in the older part of the village, where dozens of people live and there is no running water. "Everyone now has access to the way the rest of the world lives," Jolles said. "They are American citizens and they have the same interests and values." She added, "They are watching how other people live on television, the modern movies, and there is a great impact on young people." As much as things have changed in Gambell, there are some constants, and on a recent summer afternoon, life, on the surface anyway, was unfolding much as it has for hundreds of years. Split walrus skins, used to cover and waterproof the sea hunting boats, were stretched across wooden planks, drying under the sun. Some of the women were picking greens up on the mountain, preparing to soak them in tall buckets of mountain spring water and store them for the winter. In the winter, the rocky mountain is bare, except for gravestones and above- ground coffins in the village cemetery and piles of snow. There are greens and berries to be harvested here in the summer, and sea fruits wash up on the beach in the fall, but no fruits or vegetables can be found in the winter. Other women were picking through the cache of meat carved from a 40-foot bowhead whale caught last April, contemplating dinner. The meat is kept in hand-made freezers dug out in the still frosty tundra, on a foggy landscape scattered with giant whalebones, prized trophies laid across the black gravel. Later that night, the women sliced up the whale blubber and served it on a large tray, along with bits of smoked seal and walrus flippers, a delicacy, at a party for a couple celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary. The men, meanwhile, including Kenneth James, 24, the grandson of Winfred James and an up-and-coming hunter of whales, walrus and reindeer, were checking their nets for salmon and trout, zooming back and forth between their one-story wooden houses and the beach on all-terrain vehicles that, in the summer, replace snowmobiles as the only mode of transportation in this roadless village. Others were buffing and polishing their intricate walrus ivory carvings. Kenneth James, perhaps one of the last to abide by the marriage tradition, will soon begin working for his girlfriend's family, once his grandfather gathers an acceptable amount of goods for them. He was stoic about his duty. "I will be going to work soon," James said late one evening, as the sun, which does not set here in the summer until 2 a.m., was still lighting up the village. He was eager to hop on his all-terrain vehicle and check his salmon nets. "It's what I will do," he said. This evidence that some young people are still keeping the marriage tradition makes many elders happy. Perhaps the Gambell resident most concerned about what the village is facing these days is Edmond Apassingok, 41, president of the Indian Reorganization Act Council, which, along with the Gambell City Council, governs the village. Apassingok, a whale hunter who caught a 50-foot whale last January (the meat is shared among all the residents and catching a whale is cause for a huge, emotional celebration) is deeply concerned about the rising temperatures in Alaska, he said. The annual mean temperature has risen in Alaska 5.4 degrees over the last 30 years, and the climate change has shortened the season for whale hunting because the ice that provides the right conditions for whales has begun to melt earlier in the spring. But Apassingok has other worries, as well. "Every generation is losing something," he said. Copyright c. 2004 San Francisco Chronicle. --------- "RE: History Project wraps up in Taloyoak" --------- Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 14:44:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HISTORY PROJECT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://north.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=aug27oralhistory27082004 History project wraps up in Taloyoak August 27, 2004 TALOYOAK, Nunavut - The Inuit Heritage Trust has wrapped up its archeology and oral history project near Taloyoak. For eight days, archeologist Ken Swayze surveyed the land aound Netsilik River. He found tent rings, meat caches and inukshuks. People in Taloyoak say the area is known for a slaughter where Tunnit killed Inuit men and made off with the women. Tunnit are the people who lived in the North before the Inuit. Swayze says there are human bones in the area - but he can't tie the bones to the legend of the slaughter. "People lived on the land and they were buried on the land," he says. "I would be surprised if you didn't see human bone. You see human bone frequently on the tundra - wherever people lived you will see human bone." Swayze is asking people to not disturb the remains and archeological sites near the Netsilik River. Once they're gone, he says, they're gone forever. An oral historian also collected stories about the area from Taloyoak residents. Inuit Heritage Trust says reports from the project will be given to the community. Copyright c. 2004 CBC. / --------- "RE: Dalles Wigwam Creator goes for Guiness Record" --------- Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 08:58:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RECORD SIZED WIGWAM" http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/HTML%20files/aug26news3.html Dalles wigwam creator goes for Guiness Record By Mike Aiken Miner and News August 27, 2004 A couple of years ago, Albert Jamieson of Dalles First Nation had an idea. As he sat down with his wife, he described his dream of building a giant wigwam so that community members could come together under the same roof. "You don't have phones going off or faxes. People just relax and sit by the fire," he said Wednesday, as he showed off his creation. The structure itself was finally completed two months ago. At the centre, it's at least 20 ft. high and has a radius of 50 ft., which makes it big enough to hold gatherings with youth, elders or sharing circles. "It's become sort of a drop-in," he said, settling in on a log by the fire pit. Jamieson also acts as the reserve's counselor for residential school survivors, and he sees the facility as one way of helping his clients reclaim their traditional heritage. When elders visit, he says they enjoy the feeling they experienced as children, when families in the community would each have one of their own. "I never understood their meaning before," Jamieson said, referring to the stories elders share with him, which relate to the land. "I've had to re-learn my right to hunt and to fish, as well as my respect for the land and the animals," he added. "Now, I'm able to share this with others." Members of the First Nations will be holding a 10 km canoe race Saturday morning along the Winnipeg River, with funds raised going towards building supplies. Initially, Jamieson has used a series of tarps over a skeleton made from sapling branches, but he is hoping to buy more for better protection from the elements following last week's windstorms. Copyright c. 2004 Kenora Daily Miner and News. --------- "RE: Canadian Firm counters Tribes' Pollution Suit" --------- Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 08:58:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MINING COMPANY WIGGLE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002017124_cominco27m.html Canadian firm counters tribes' suit over pollution By Christopher Schwarzen Times Snohomish County bureau August 27, 2004 In an attempt to avoid U.S. Superfund laws, a Canadian mining conglomerate yesterday sought to dismiss a federal lawsuit against one of its smelters accused of dumping tons of pollution into the Columbia River for nearly a century. Mining conglomerate Teck Cominco, which operates a smelter in Trail, B.C., filed the motion against the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation's lawsuit, which asks the courts to force Teck Cominco's compliance with an Environmental Protection Agency order. The EPA wants Teck Cominco to clean up pollution in the Columbia River and Lake Roosevelt under Superfund laws. The company is accused of dumping lead, arsenic and other carcinogens into the Columbia. The amounts violated U.S. limits but were legal under Canadian laws. The EPA also is investigating mercury deposits it says are linked to the smelter. But a successful defense of the lawsuit by Teck Cominco also ends the EPA's attempts to require cleanup of the Columbia River, according to company officials. "It's the same issue because the basis for the Colville suit is the [EPA] order," said Doug Horswill, the company's senior vice president of environment and corporate affairs. And the smelter can't be held to U.S. Superfund regulations because of its Canadian location, Horswill said. EPA officials said yesterday their enforcement order is separate from the lawsuit and is not being challenged in court. The EPA contends U.S. Superfund rules do apply to Teck Cominco because of its land holdings in the United States and the pollution's location. Mineral deposits from an Alaskan mine are processed in Trail, and deposits from a soon-to-be-opened mine in Pend Oreille County also will be sent to Trail. Pollution from those processes have and will end up in the Columbia River, said EPA regional spokesman Bill Dunbar. "Last we checked, the Columbia River does run south of the Canadian border," Dunbar said. "We've only told Teck Cominco to address pollution on American soil and waters." The arguments over the EPA's powers have ratcheted into an international debate. In February, U.S. State Department officials traveled to Ottawa to discuss a potential settlement of the ongoing dispute. Canada later sent the United States a cleanup proposal outside Superfund law, Teck Cominco said. U.S. officials have ignored it. "It's a very big issue for us to try and encourage the parties that matter - the Canadian and U.S. government - so that we can get on with what we want to do," Horswill said. The company has pledged $13 million to study health impacts of the pollution and pay for cleanup independently of EPA oversight. But the EPA has moved forward with the studies on its own instead of waiting for the dispute to be settled. Tribal members said yesterday they were not surprised by Teck Cominco's filings and are ready to challenge them in court. "It doesn't change anything," said D.R. Michel, one of the plaintiffs in the case. Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com Copyright c. 2004 The Seattle Times Company. --------- "RE: Edmonton a dangerous City for Native Women" --------- Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 08:18:12 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="UNSAFE FOR NATIVE WOMEN" http://www.ammsa.com/windspeaker/topnews-Aug-2004.html#anchor571267 Edmonton a dangerous city for Native women Carl Carter, Windspeaker Staff Writer, Edmonton The president of the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) warned Aboriginal women living in Edmonton they are in danger. Police inaction on a series of murdered women's cases puts Aboriginal women here at risk, said Kukdookaa Terri Brown. Brown's statement came July 7, less than a month after the body of another murdered Aboriginal woman, 19-year-old Rachel Liz Quinney, was found outside the city limits June 11. Since her statement, another body was found east of Wetaskiwin (south of Edmonton) on June 21. The body has been identified as Lynn Minia Jackson, a member of the Saddle Lake Band. Since 1983, the bodies of 23 women have been found murdered in and around Edmonton. Fourteen of them are Aboriginal, and all are described by police as prostitutes or involved in high-risk lifestyles. Jackson was not reported missing and investigators are unsure of where she was living or how. Police are not classifying Jackson's death as a murder yet, but investigators from Calgary are helping with the investigation. While some of the Edmonton murders have been solved, the majority remain under investigation, and for the first time police are saying there may be a serial killer at work in the city. Brown, along with members of the Alberta Aboriginal Women's Society, held a press conference to talk about the Sisters in Spirit campaign (a project that brings attention to the estimated 500 missing or murdered Aboriginal women nation-wide) and, in particular, the missing and murdered Aboriginal women of Edmonton. "There has been very little action undertaken by police, the medical profession or the judiciary when an Aboriginal woman has been assaulted, is missing or murdered," said Brown, adding police have to take some blame for the recent murders because they do not provide a safe environment for all. "People are dying as a result of their inaction. We're focusing here because we believe that women's lives are at risk here in this city," she said. There are 30 investigators assigned to the Quinney murder as part of the task force set up to investigate all the murdered women's cases. Police have received more than 500 tips and are asking for more. "We're hoping that additional calls will continue to come in," said RCMP Corporal Wayne Oakes. "It's very important. Without that information we could be left at this point in time with simply having an identity," he said of the Quinney murder. "Without the input from various police agencies, including the neighboring RCMP detachments and the Edmonton Police Service, as well as the information that's come from the public, we could be left sitting there going nowhere. Rather, instead of that, because of the information that has been received, the investigation is continuing to progress." That progress to date has resulted in 350 witnesses or persons of interest, 64 locations of interest and a consultation with a criminal profiler. Brown wants federal help. "We are in an urgent state of affairs in regards to the safety of Aboriginal women in this country," she said. "We have requested that the federal government provide funds of $10 million to implement the Sisters in Spirit campaign," she said. "This plan will include research, the creation of a hotline, a national registry, education and community-based programs to assist marginalized Aboriginal women vulnerable to this extreme form of violence," which she described as racial violence. "As we await funding for the Sisters in Spirit campaign, Aboriginal women are dying every day." Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine spoke about the murders and supports the Sisters in Spirit campaign. "It's a very serious issue. We must pull out all stops to find out the perpetrator or perpetrators of these horrible crimes and bring them to justice. We need to do something about all of the reasons why people end up on the street," he said. "The common element in all these people, I believe, is poverty. So we're going to have to do something about poverty. We're going to have to eradicate poverty." Kate Quinn, executive director for the Prostitute Awareness and Action Foundation of Edmonton, said that prostitution is a big problem for Aboriginal women. She estimates that more than half of the women who have sought help from the organization have been Aboriginal. In fact, Quinney sought help to change her lifestyle before she was murdered. "Many people have asked for help, but some of their big barriers in working on a plan is addictions and not having a place to stay and waiting times to get into addictions treatment," said Quinn. She said the women have been hurt in the past in some way and this psychological trauma makes them an easier target for predators. "Because they're very vulnerable and have been seen by society to be throw-away people, it's easier for a predator to pick off a woman who's standing on a street corner at two in the morning. I'm home in my bed, but she's out there and she's vulnerable," said Quinn. "Also some perpetrators really hate women, so who's the most vulnerable? It's a woman standing on the street corner." Joanne Ahenakew, vice-president of the Edmonton chapter of the Aboriginal Women's Society, has lost two aunts to racial violence. Her aunt Bernadette Ahenakew's case remains unsolved. Bernadette was a 22- year-old mother of three when she was found dead in a ditch along a rural road outside of Edmonton in 1989. "This is an issue that is very close to my heart and my family. One thing I want to stress is that not all these women on this list are prostitutes and the media needs to stop labeling them as such. These women were beautiful and kind women. This Sisters in Spirit campaign is a form of recognition. And recognition will eventually lead to justice. This is a crisis situation," she said. Brown said racial violence everywhere must stop if Aboriginal women can hope to be completely safe. She said until Aboriginal women stop dying and they can walk safely in the streets, the ongoing police investigation is not enough. "I'm not saying that the police are racist. General racism against Aboriginal people exists in this country in every institution that I've ever come into contact with, including policing. For us it's a crisis, but for the non-Native community they're saying it's just another Indian. In our community it's just another person; it's a person that we loved." Copyright c. 2004 Windspeaker - AMMSA, Aboriginal Multi-Media Society. --------- "RE: Got mildew? Get out! First Nation advises" --------- Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 08:58:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MORE MOULDY HOUSING" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://north.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=aug25mould25082004 Got mildew? Get out! First Nation advises August 25, 2004 PANGNIRTUNG - The chief of a First Nation in Northwestern Ontario is offering some advice to people living in mildewy homes in Pangnirtung. The Long Lake 58 First Nation declared a state of emergency three years ago when residents discovered toxic black mould in their homes. Nearly 300 people from the community of 400 had to move after suffering from headaches, nosebleeds, dizziness, and other ailments. Recently, five families had to be moved out of their homes in Pangnirtung because of health concerns. And 17 other families are complaining about a mildew smell. Chief Veronica Waboose of the Long Lake 58 First Nation says that her community did what it had to to protect residents - including going into debt. She says residents of Pangnirtung should leave their homes, no matter the cost. People in Long Lake 58 First Nation moved into motels and apartments in nearby towns during the crisis. Most of them are now living in new, mould- free homes. The homes in Pangnirtung have never been tested for mould contamination. However, some residents are complaining of similar ailments. Copyright c. 2004 CBC. --------- "RE: Father reaches out for help to find Daughter" --------- Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 08:18:12 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LOST DAUGHTER" http://www.ammsa.com/windspeaker/topnews-Aug-2004.html#anchor571267 Father reaches out for help to find daughter Debora Steel, Windspeaker Staff Writer, Saskatoon When people talk about Daleen Kay Bosse (Muskego) they use words like surprised, confused, perplexed and shocked to describe their reaction to her disappearance. When Herb Muskego speaks about Daleen, you know he's experienced all those things, but now he's just very sad and very tired. He reported his daughter missing more than two months ago, and in all that time there has been no word from her or from anyone who can tell him where she is. He's left no stone unturned in his effort to find her, working with the Saskatoon Police Service, hiring a private investigator, organizing a missing person's poster campaign, talking to media, all in an attempt to bring Daleen home to her family, and in particular to her three-year-old daughter who misses her desperately. Todd Hrabok is the owner of Saskatoon Private Investigations. He was hired by Daleen's family about a week after the 25-year-old university student went missing. "They want to do as much, and anything, as possible to find her," Hrabok said. "If there was another angle, aside from a private investigator, I'm sure they would have taken that as well." Hrabok told Windspeaker that Daleen left home between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18. She was seen by friends or family acquaintances at two city nightclubs-JAX on Pacific Ave. and Champs on 22nd St. in Saskatoon's west end. There have been other sightings, but none confirmed. The last of the last was on May 21 when she was seen at the Scotiabank in the Centre on Circle and 8th St. Mall. Police are fairly confident about that sighting as it was an employee of the bank who knew Daleen personally who made the report. Herb has put money in Daleen's account in case she needs it. Daleen was driving a newer white Chevy Cavalier, which was located on June 4 at 117th St. off Central Ave. Police say it had been there for awhile. Hrabok said a witness puts the car there since May 19. A number of items from the car are missing, including the steering wheel cover, the front floor mats and a baby car seat. "Which in my eyes has trying to clean up a crime scene all over it," said Hrabok. There are also several hundred kilometers on the car that can't be accounted for, he explained, with the little running around Daleen did from the time she had the car's oil changed on May 17 to the time the vehicle is said to have been abandoned. Inspector Al Stickney, public affairs executive officer with the Saskatoon Police Service, said police aren't yet assuming foul play. "You know, the fact that she hasn't contacted anyone certainly gives us concerns, but we have nothing like a crime scene or any indication of foul play to lead us in that direction. "There are occurrences, and I'm not categorizing this as one of them, when people leave for unknown reasons. And when they are adults, they are capable of doing something like that," he said. Donna Heimbecker is the general manager of the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company. She has known Daleen since she took a 10-week program with Heimbecker's group in 1999. "Healing journeys through the arts, it's one of the components of that project for Aboriginal youth, utilizing the arts as a means to motivate and inspire young people, to support them on their journey through life. It's an empowerment type of program, working with what society calls youth at risk, but we call them youth with potential. Daleen fit into that at that time." Heimbecker said Daleen was in search of some cultural understanding and, like many young people, in search of identity and some community belonging. Since she completed that program, Daleen had stayed connected to the group, volunteering when they needed her, attending their productions. It was at a matinee less than a week before Daleen went missing that Heimbecker last saw her. "So I was pretty surprised to hear she was missing," said Donna Heimbecker. "I walked out of a coffee shop one day right into a poster board thing that had this missing person's poster on it, and it was Daleen's face, and I was shocked by that. Of course, it was just days since I had seen her at the theatre and I thought 'This must be a mistake, ' and I phoned her mother right away and asked her mom 'Is this true?' and her mom said 'Yes, it is.'" Heimbecker's group jumped into action, sending out posters and sending word across what the Native community calls the moccasin telegraph, a network of contacts across Indian country. Then came the rumors that people had seen Daleen around town and recently. Heimbecker wondered though if the reports could be true. "We'd all like to think that Daleen is OK and she's coming back, and maybe she's just going through some personal issues with family or marriage or whatever. I mean, we all go through those things in our life. So we'd like to think that that's what it is and that she will come back safely to her daughter, her family..." But Heimbecker thinks that Daleen wandering away without word to anyone would be out of character for the young woman she has come to know as a committed student, a caring and loving mother, a woman who was socially connected and interested in the issues of First Nations people. Hrabok said the night before she went missing, Daleen had discussed her plans to attend the Assembly of First Nations confederacy being held in the city the next day. Daleen's father wonders if anyone in town that week might remember seeing her. He's taken space in Windspeaker (page 15) to provide her picture and description. The chief of the Onion Lake band in Saskatchewan has approved a $5,000 reward for information leading to Daleen's location. A Crime Stoppers segment about Daleen's disappearance has run on local television. Her name and description are on a national police database in case she comes in contact with the law in any other part of the country. Todd Hrabok and his right-hand man in investigations have racked up about 150 hours working on the case. And the community is looking to a higher power for a little help. "I think, just from our cultural perspective, that we are saying prayers for her and her family," said Heimbecker. "And we hope that she has a safe return to her daughter, her husband and her family and that she's OK." If readers have any information about Daleen Kay Bosse (Muskego) that they think might help the investigation, the Saskatoon Police Service encourages people to call Crime Stoppers no matter where they are in the country. Hrabok will also take calls at (306) 975-0999 and there are other numbers listed on the reward poster you will see in this publication. Daleen is a member of the Onion Lake First Nation. She has black shoulder-length hair, is 5 ft. 5 in. in height and weighs about 170 lb. She wears glasses. Copyright c. 2004 Windspeaker - AMMSA, Aboriginal Multi-Media Society. --------- "RE: Defining what is Me'tis creates tensions" --------- Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 08:18:12 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ME'TIS" http://www.ammsa.com/windspeaker/topnews-Aug-2004.html#anchor571267 Defining what is Me'tis creates tensions Paul Barnsley, Windspeaker Staff Writer, Ottawa The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Me'tis people have Aboriginal rights that are protected by Section 35 of Canada's Constitution in its Sept. 19, 2003 Powley decision. The big question now is: "Who is Me'tis?" That question is causing a lot of friction across the country. Paul Chartrand, a University of Saskatchewan law professor with a strong connection to the Me'tis National Council (MNC) establishment, concedes there's been "an increased level of political activity since Powley." That "political activity" has taken many forms. There are groups of people who identify themselves as Me'tis in just about every region of the Me'tis homeland that stretches from Northern Ontario across the Prairies and into British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. But those groups are not recognized by the MNC, the Ottawa-based national political organization that claims to be the legitimate voice of the true Me'tis people. And the fight about who belongs and who doesn't is often a bitter one. Chartrand believes the recognition of Me'tis rights in Powley has attracted people who just don't belong. "I suspect that a lot of the people who are concerned about Me'tis identity are a little bit at sea," he said. "When people have been marginalized for a long time and then they begin to see opportunities, they don't necessarily know what those opportunities are." Nations of people are allowed to define themselves, the United Nations says, but that wasn't the case during the colonial era and that's the root of the problems that exist today, the law professor said. "The question of identity is complicated by many facts flowing from the government of Canada's Aboriginal policy," Chartrand said. "The Indian Act was unilaterally enacted without any regard to the Indigenous peoples' sense of self-identity. Similarly, the government of Canada took it upon itself to define Me'tis. That can be seen as a problem or a challenge." The MNC has developed its definition of who is Me'tis and the definition was expanded upon in Powley. The MNC's critics say its definition is exclusionary. Chartrand said that's the way it has to be. "The Indian Act brings in folks and hives off folks as any membership code must do. Any definition of a human group is exclusionary. There's no way in God's green earth you can include everybody and still have a category," he said. Many of the non-MNC groups have one simple criteria for determining membership. If you're of mixed blood, you're in. Chartrand attacked that approach. "Only the racist would say that identity is biologically determined, like salmon or greyhounds," he said. He called the idea that all mixed blood people are Me'tis "a senseless and irrational proposition." Living a distinct Me'tis culture and having the acceptance of an historic Me'tis community are the main things that define Me'tis identity, he added. In several regions, grassroots groups have become more bold in attempting to unseat or displace the MNC recognized authorities since Powley, saying the leaders and their appointees are consuming the vast majority of the financial resources and leaving the regular Me'tis people with next to nothing. A development in Ontario seemed to be a good news story for Me'tis people. Me'tis Nation of Ontario (MNO) President Tony Belcourt announced that his organization had worked out a deal with the provincial government to protect Me'tis hunting and fishing rights. But in a press release, Michael McGuire, president of the non-MNC Ontario Me'tis Aboriginal Association, (OMAA) claimed he represents 97 per cent of Ontario's Me'tis. He accused the MNO of becoming "an arm of the (provincial) Ministry of Natural Resources." During a phone interview, he was asked to back