_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 12, ISSUE 040 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 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 October 2, 2004 Mohawk Kentenha/moon of poverty Assiniboine Tasnaheja-hagikta/striped gopher looks back moon +-------------------------------------------------------+ | Much more happens in Indian Country than is reported | | in this weekly newsletter. For daily updates & events | | go to http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm | +-------------------------------------------------------+ Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin -- Blackfeet -- News for All the People Ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min -- Ojibwe -- We Are Talking About Ourselves Aunchemokauhettittea -- Naragansett -- Let Us Share News Kanoheda Aniyvwiya -- Cherokee -- Journal of the People O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse -- Creek -- People's New News O o O Acimowin -- Plains Cree -- Story or Account O o O Tlaixmatiliztli -- Nahuatl -- News O o o o o O Agnutmaqan -- Listuguj Mi'kmaq -- News O o O Sho-da-ku-ye -- Teehahnahmah -- Talking Birchbark O o O Un Chota -- Susquehannic Seneca -- The People Speak O Ha-Sah-Sliltha -- Ditidaht Nation -- News of the People Ximopanolti tehuatzin, inin Mexika tlahtolli -- Nahuatl -- For you we offer these words It-hah-pe-hah Ah-num pah-le -- Chickasaw -- Together We Are Talking Dineh jii' adah' ho'nil'e'gii ba' ha' neh -- Navajo Nation -- What's Happening among The People News Okla Humma Holisso Nowat Anya -- Choctaw -- People(s) Red Newspaper Hi'a chu ah gaa -- Pima -- The stories or the talk of the People Native American News -- Language of the Occupation Forces ++>If you 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, RezLife, Frostys AmerIndian and Rez_LIfe 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + ======================== "I can still see the butchered women and children lying heaped and scattered all along the crooked gulch as plain as when I saw them with eyes still young. And I can see that something else died there in the bloody mud, and was buried in the blizzard. A people's dream died there. It was a beautiful dream." __ Black Elk, Lakota ... speaking on what he witnessed at Wounded Knee. +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! My lovely wife, Janet, comments on the President's "Sovereignty Memo". "This memorandum is intended only to improve the internal management of the executive branch and is not intended to, and does not, create any right, benefit, or trust responsibility, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, by a party against the United States, its agencies, entities, or instrumentalities, its officers or employees, or any other person." GEORGE W. BUSH, http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040923-4.html# Please read the above paragraph very carefully. It is the final paragraph of George Bush's memorandum affirming the sovereignty of Native Nations in this country delivered this past week. What this means that all the verbiage that went before seems to affirm a principle tribes have been struggling to see this country acknowledge for centuries, and many tribal leaders have greeted it with enthusiasm. BUT - it is all window dressing. That last paragraph is one gigantic "I said it, but nobody in the government has been given the authority to support it." It says none of what went before can be enforced in any way. Without the teeth of enforcement, this "sovereignty notice" is even less meaningful than promises U.S. government officials have made to our nations throughout its history. It is only election-eve posturing, lacking any responsibility or assurance to our people. If the U.S. can blithely break treaties backed by law, and it has - how easily can this piece of fluff be shrugged off? Speaking of election follies - note the experience of President Shirley of the Navajo Nation at the opening of the Museum of the American Indian. Dignitaries from Native Nations were given seats and functions at the opening ceremonies. But where were the Navajo, the largest tribe remaining in this country? And where was President Shirley's position in the ceremonies? Invisible. No seat with the dignitaries. Why? Mr. Shirley has an opinion. He believes the wealthy tribes with casinos that generate funds to grease politicians' palms, and who contributed to the museum, were rewarded with precedence. He's probably right. I have a sneaking suspicion that there is an additional factor. Is it a coincidence that many of those casino tribes, who received starring roles at the opening, happen to be supporting Bush in the coming election, and Mr. Shirley, who was snubbed, supports his opponent? To our Dine brothers and sisters - we note that the GOP has set up an election office in Window Rock to court tribal votes. Read the above and consider what the people in that office are saying, and how it fits with what their leaders do. And if any other tribe thinks this can't happen to them or their leaders, they need to go back and read the history of the United States and how it has dealt with Indian nations in the past. What succeeds with one (and success means elimination or marginalization in U.S. terms), will be tried with others. +/// Janet Smith owlstar@speakeasy.org /*/+ P. O. Box 672168 OwlStar Trading Post + / * Marietta, GA 30008, U.S.A. http://www.owlstar.com * + ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- - Some things Never Change - Yellow Bird: - Senators, Tribal Leaders Improving UND Race Relations discuss Key Issues - Chuculate: - Lewis and Clark re-enactors Escape worst of Hurricanes stir Indian debate - Storytellers go Traditional - Stop Lewis and Clark Re-enactments - Native Leadres skeptical - Future of Rez Coal Mine about 'Better Times' still in doubt - Council of Elders - Poor Homes meet with Grand Chief lead to Health Problems - Editorial: - Bush, Kerry Attempts to Abolish Reserve Syetem courting Indian Votes this Year - B.C. close to signing - Navajos, Hopis close Five Modern-Day Treaties to settling longtime dispute - Racism rears head - Totem Poles honor Pentagon at Ipperwash Inquiry terror attack Victims - Courage, Valor, Honor, Spirit - Choctaw Chief seeks recognition - Indian Prisons' condition for Code Talkers called Disgrace - Native American EPA Employees - Indian Jail Report needs Teeth endure Harassment - Indian Affairs out $28 Million - Ye'ii Bicheii Season begins - Feds blamed for - Celebrating the Healing Power Chemawa Student's Death - Jodi Rave: Indian Museum - Native Prisoner evokes varied reaction -- Cree Activist's Imprisonment - Trahant: Indian Museum is alive is Rights Violation - New Focus - History: Carlisle Indian School on Native American Cooking - Rustywire: Running for Dawn - Milloy: - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days Team Name belongs in a Museum - Spiritdove Poem: My Big Brother --------- "RE: Some things Never Change" --------- Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 21:58:10 -0700 (PDT) From: Richie Plass Subj: Some things Never Change Mailing List: RezLife Elections are held every year somewhere in America for some office or new law. This happens to be 2004 and the citizens of the United States get to vote on the President. A time honored tradition not looked at too keenly by all Americans. I won't go into the election of 2000. That is now part of America's history. What I do want to address is the item that never seems to get addressed or acknowledged during these four year elections...Indian people of the United States. Sure, all the candidates talk about this nation's first citizens, but that's about it. But, during 2000 when Bill Bradley mentioned during his campaign that the United States should give the Black Hills back to the Lakota people, he was dropped faster that hot commodity cheese at at Grandma's house! How dare he have the nerve to actually take a stand FOR Indian people and what is rightly theirs. His party showed him the door and he was gone. I've read a few of John Kerry's positions on Indians and their rights. Kind of the same ole same ole. President Bush is the one we really need to watch out for. Remember, he's from Texas and Texas has made it known that there are no Indians in Texas! Did you know that? Well, George W. is not the man we want back. But here's my main reason why. The United States is spending $200 BILLION dollars on rebuilding in the far east where our young men and women have given their lives. The Clinton administration sent billions of dollars to Columbia to fight the war on drugs. I can take you to the resting place of my cousin who was murdered there with two of her companions as they tried to assist native people in Columbia with education. Somehow this equation does not equal. Why must many Indian people here in America go without while two men in suits are on TV each night telling me if I vote for them things will be better? Forget all the, "free money" you've heard Indian people get from the government. Plus, not every tribe in the United States has gaming, and even if they do they are not always guaranteed success let alone a profit. And by no means am I saying that all tribes need help, although they all do in some part of their daily existence. What I am saying is, why in this, the 21st century must we as Indian people still feel the wrath of the United States when our leaders choose to help people they have bombed? Why were our people the last to get recognition from our government after the genocide we've endured since 1492? Why won't any candidate step up and say, "Enough is enough...I will take care of and ensure the existence of our first Nations."? I think I know why... because many Americans don't care. Shame on America. --------- "RE: Senators, Tribal Leaders discuss Key Issues" --------- Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 08:58:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SOUTH DAKOTA MEETING" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/9771295.htm Senators, tribal leaders discuss key issues THE ASSOCIATED PRESS September 27, 2004 CRAZY HORSE - Sens. Tim Johnson and Tom Daschle listened to tribal leaders from across South Dakota in a closed-door meeting Saturday at the Crazy Horse mountain carving near Custer. In interviews, organizers and the senators praised the summit meeting. "I'm very pleased. We're getting a dialogue going," said John Steele, chairman of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Charlie Colombe, president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, said the discussion centered on tough issues in Indian Country. Tribal leaders quizzed the two Democratic senators about underfunded programs, crumbling school buildings, health care, tribal court systems, lack of job development, housing, reservation infrastructure and law enforcement. "We live on a reservation 140 miles across and 70 miles deep and it is patrolled by 20 policemen," Colombe said. "That's one policeman per 1,000 people. Why do we have 20 policemen? Where's the funding?" As for holding the session behind closed doors, he said, "We wanted an open dialogue without the worry of being misquoted by the media." American Indian newspaper publisher Tim Giago of Rapid City said the candid discussion was "heartwarming." Giago had had announced a U.S. Senate bid against Daschle but withdrew in April and threw his support to the Senate Democratic leader. Johnson said the meeting was a listening session. "It's not a matter of deal making, but listening, getting their perspective," he said. "We wanted to make this an open, friendly discussion with everything out on the table," he said. "We wanted to talk about issues in a constructive manner." The session was needed, said Harold Frazier, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. "It's a new beginning, and I'm hoping it will lead to more meetings. "We in South Dakota have a relationship with our senators, Johnson and Daschle, and Rep. (Stephanie) Herseth. I feel that we know them not only as representatives but as friends." Herseth was in the Middle East during the weekend and could not attend. Frazier, who works with the National American Indian Congress, said other tribes have little or no relationship with their congressional delegations. "Don't take it for granted," he said. Copyright c. 2004 The Associated Press. Copyright c. 2004 Aberdeen American News. --------- "RE: Lewis and Clark re-enactors stir Indian debate" --------- Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 08:26:18 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LEWIS AND CLARK REMINDERS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%7E53%7E2427476,00.html Lewis and Clark re-enactors stir Indian debate By Jim Hughes Denver Post Staff Writer September 26, 2004 Fort Pierre, S.D. - It was 200 years ago that the Corps of Discovery led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark first met the Sioux, the native people of the High Plains. One of the most significant encounters happened here, where the Bad River, known then as the Teton, meets the Missouri River, which the corps had followed upstream from St. Louis. It was tense, according to expedition journals, but fighting was averted. The party that eventually opened up the West for the expansion of a young United States of America continued on. On Saturday, a group of Lewis and Clark re-enactors heading back up the Missouri to commemorate the bicentennial and descendants of the Teton Sioux who today call themselves Lakota returned to the scene of the historic meeting. Some Lakota came in buckskins and feathers to participate in the festivities, appearing in period dress to re-enact the events of 200 years ago before an audience at the local fairgrounds. As a narrator told the story, the Native Americans and the Lewis and Clark re-enactors, dressed as soldiers and trappers, acted out the scene before a row of tepees. But others came to protest what they call the ugly legacy of Lewis and Clark's lauded expedition that also led to the eventual near-decimation of Western tribes. Today, many Lakota struggle on poverty-stricken reservations such as South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation, whose Shannon County is a perennial contender for poorest in the nation. "We want people to know the true American history," said Victorio Camp, 29, an organizer of the protest from Pine Ridge. "Not only the white history, but the history of all people in this country. "Native people have been persecuted and oppressed. Our lands were taken away, the buffalo were slaughtered, and our whole way of life was destroyed. We feel that Lewis and Clark was the beginning of all of this." Walking through the fairground parking lot, the first thing spectators saw Saturday was about 20 Lakota, most younger than 30, holding staffs adorned with eagle feathers and signs, one of which read: "L + C = DAWN OF GENOCIDE." One man raised an upside- down American flag bearing the words: "This piece of (expletive) stole my country." Drumming and chanting and the smell of burning sage filled the parking lot. Some tourists stopped to take pictures. Some were sympathetic, but others said they were not going to change their minds about Lewis and Clark. "I guess they have the right to do whatever they see fit, but I don't like to see the flag upside-down and that written on it," said Jan Busse of Highmore, S.D. "I think it's perfectly good to celebrate the Lewis and Clark expedition and follow it all the way up the river. It was the future of this country." The Lewis and Clark re- enactors are nearly finished with this year's installment of their bicentennial repeat of the original 1804-06 survey. Last week, after meeting with Camp and others downstream in a southern South Dakota town, re-enactment organizers refused demands that they turn around, citing the support of many tribal governments in the area. "There's a spotlight on us going up the river," said Jon Ruybalid, a member of the expedition whose members wear period clothing but also carry cellphones. "For us, it's a great experience, to allow Native Americans to step into that spotlight to voice their grievances. Unless we continue going up the river, that's going to stop." But that argument does not placate those Lakota who today see Lewis and Clark not as explorers but as military scouts who allowed for the subsequent massacres and depredations of native peoples across the West. "We want it to come out that when Lewis and Clark explored the Missouri, they were actually mapping out the destruction of Indian Country," said Floyd Looks for Buffalo Hand, a Lakota spiritual leader from Pine Ridge who did not make the three-hour journey to Fort Pierre on Saturday. "There never was an apology from the United States government." Although they were assailed as sellouts Saturday by protesters, some Lakota who performed in costume before the mostly white crowd said they agreed with the protesters. "I don't disagree with their viewpoint, but history is important," said Sandy Little, who also lives on Pine Ridge. "We're not here because we condone what happened, but it's important that people remember history." Other Lakota re-enactors said they were being paid, and that they needed the work. "I'm just here because it's a job," said John Black Bear Jr., who said he had blood relatives in the parking lot crowd Saturday. "It pays money. But it's also part of myself, though. I'm just trying to represent myself. And they don't put food on my table. I get paid to do this." The protesters say they will continue their public opposition of Lewis and Clark as the re-enactors continue upriver. Staff writer Jim Hughes can be reached at 303-820-1244 or jhughes@denverpost.com . Copyright 2004 The Denver Post or other copyright holders. --------- "RE: Stop Lewis and Clark Re-enactments" --------- Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 08:26:18 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="STOP LEWIS AND CLARK" http://www.stoplewisandclark.org Stop Lewis and Clark Re-enactments Ponca warrior Carter Camp, along with Vic Camp, Floyd Hand, Alex White Plume, Alfred Bone Shirt and others, has asked for support to stop these genocidal reminders. You are encouraged to become involved. Start by visiting the following website: http://www.stoplewisandclark.org Prelude to Conquest: They Came Among Our Nations.... Two hundred years ago an imperial power sent a group of spies into our lands as a prelude to conquest and the dispossession of the rightful owners. They came among our Nations spouting the same lies they have used since Columbus. They spoke of peace and said they harbored no ill will towards our People but they were eye witnesses to the deaths and devastation of every Tribal Nation east of the Mississippi. As they surveyed our world and lusted after our wealth they used our traditional hospitality to infiltrate into our homelands and went home with a blueprint for our demise. Two hundred years ago our Nations leaders did not know that Lewis and Clark had been sent by an imperial power bent on conquest. They could not know that America claimed to have "purchased" our homelands from Spain. Lewis and Clark hid that truth as they traversed our land on their deadly mission. As a result over the next century our Nations who lived in the heart of the continent suffered the same unimaginable horrors that had previously been visited upon the Nations of the eastern door. Death came to our lands in uncountable numbers, Buffalo, Wolf and Eagle.... Ponca, Lakota and Blackfoot, all our relations were consumed by the lie brought to our doors by Lewis and Clark. Now, two hundred years after the holocaust of the plains, our conqueror has come among us once again seeking our help in hiding the truth from posterity. Once again they come with a lie and tell our leaders they seek the truth and desire to "commemorate" not "celebrate". Once again they want us to throw open the doors of our Nations, to eat, to smoke and once more listen to the lie that their victories and our deaths were inevitable, long past and not worth remembering. But this time there are some Indian people who remember their ancestors suffering. Some of us still pray on sacred lands and hear the cries of the spirits of our passed-aways as they cry for justice and truth. We will never swallow the lies that killed our fathers, we say NO! to all entreaties to "celebrate" or "commemorate" the genocide of five hundred Nations and the theft of our history. We have met with the re-enactors of genocide to ask them to cease and desist, we asked them to turn around and quit playacting their lie. They spit upon our words and continue to sail into our Nations. We say no. Welcome to our Stop Lewis and Clark web site. Here you will find the words of the Traditional People who are demanding justice and here you will find our invitation for all to help us bring real truth and reconciliation to our people. September 24, 2004 --------- "RE: Future of Rez Coal Mine still in doubt" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 08:14:20 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BLACK MESA & MOJAVE" http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=94648 Future of Rez coal mine still in doubt By MICHELLE ROBERTS Associated Press Writer September 21, 2004 PHOENIX - Quick agreements must be reached between utility companies and tribal leaders if a major coal mine on the Navajo and Hopi reservations is to have a future, says a top Interior Department official. Deputy Interior Secretary Steven Griles said recent meetings with the parties have failed to yield crucial agreements that would allow test drilling of an aquifer that officials hope can be used for coal mining at Black Mesa in far northern Arizona. "We need to move on and get this done in a quick manner," Griles said late Friday in an interview with The Associated Press. The mine, which accounts for a significant amount of revenue and jobs on the remote Navajo and Hopi reservations, produces coal that is crushed into powder, mixed with water and then piped 270 miles to the Mohave Generating Station in Laughlin, Nev. The tribes have demanded that mining company Peabody Energy quit using the current aquifer because they fear the pumping is damaging springs that have ceremonial significance. They have said the pumping of the current aquifer should end by 2006, the same time that the exclusive coal agreement between Mohave Generating Station and Black Mesa mine must be renewed. The mine and the generating station cannot operate without each other. A host of other agreements and needed pollution upgrades are at least partially contingent on a new water source being developed. Unless the issues are resolved, Mohave Generating Station, which provides power to millions of people in the West, will be shut down by the end of next year. Preliminary tests of a larger aquifer have been done, but test drilling is needed to move ahead with possible development. Griles said test drilling was supposed to start last week, but the utility companies have signaled they no longer are willing to put up the $2 million needed for the studies. The holdup, he said, "has to do with lawyers who are lawyering." Officials at Southern California Edison, the utility that manages Mohave Generating Station, said the company was willing to pay for the drilling, but the promise was contingent on terms for potential water use being reached. The company said in a statement Monday that even though it indicated last week it was no longer willing to fund the aquifer study, it will reconsider. Griles planned to meet with tribal leaders early this week and asked the companies to be available for an "all hands on deck meeting." Peabody officials are pushing for mediation to resolve all the issues, including the water issue. But an agreement on the water use and testing must be reached by the Mohave Generating Station owners and the tribes, said Peabody spokeswoman Beth Sutton. Peabody is not a party to the water negotiations. Peabody officials remain hopeful that Black Mesa and Mohave will continue operating, but Sutton said, "We have looked at a range of options related to potential closure." Closing Black Mesa would hurt the tribal economies, said Griles, whose department houses the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Office of Surface Mining - all of which are involved in the Black Mesa quandary. "Once closure occurs, I'm not sure there will be any life left in the mine and Mohave," he said. Copyright c. 2000-2004 Arizona Daily Sun. --------- "RE: Poor Homes lead to Health Problems" --------- Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 22:57:04 EDT From: MJLaBurt@aol.com Subj: Indian Housing Deficits Described Report Says Poor Homes Lead to Health Problems Mailing List: NDNAIM http://www.washingtonpost.com//A36766-2004Sep20.html?nav=3Dr=ss_politics Indian Housing Deficits Described Report Says Poor Homes Lead to Health Problems By Mary Fitzgerald Washington Post Staff Writer September 21, 2004 Rachel Joseph has seen entire Native American families living in just one room, children huddled in housing so poorly insulated that shafts of light could be seen through the flimsy wooden walls. Now a report by the National American Indian Housing Council highlights what Joseph, chairwoman of the Lone Pine Paiute Tribe in California, has known all along, that substandard and overcrowded housing contributes to a plethora of health, social and family problems within her community. Joseph, co-chairwoman of the national steering committee for reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, says the federal government has, over decades, failed to address the needs of Native Americans. "What do we have to do for our voices to be heard?" she said yesterday at a news conference to release the housing report. Launching the report on the eve of the official opening of the National Museum of the American Indian in the District, Chester Carl, chairman of the NAIHC, said the timing was fitting. "The opening of the museum is a cause to celebrate -- but it is also a reminder that there are issues such as health and housing that continue to plague Indian people," Carl said. While proposing a multifaceted approach toward solving the housing crisis, the NAIHC said the federal government has a trust responsibility to support tribal development. The organization called for federal legislation to create a block grant for infrastructure funding. "Very few places in our nation have children hurting as much as on our Indian reservations," Carl said. "It is up to the federal government to uphold the trust responsibility -- an obligation it has made to tribes through treaties and laws -- and make good on promises ratified centuries ago. We, as Native people, will also continue to work together to make a better life for our children." The survey of 246 NAIHC housing authority members found that 59 percent of respondents reported overcrowded housing on their reservation, and 83 percent described housing as substandard, with problems such as inadequate insulation, lack of proper sewage treatment, mold and lack of clean water. A total of 94 percent indicated that such poor conditions affected tribal members' health and the well-being of their children, linking an increase in cases of colds, flu and skin disorders to overcrowding and substandard housing. Almost 90 percent of the respondents said that poor housing contributed to social problems such as alcoholism and abuse. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights last year published a study that estimated that 200,000 new housing units are needed to ease the housing crisis in Indian Country. The civil rights commission study had found that 14.7 percent of the dwellings in tribal areas are overcrowded. It also reported that about 90,000 Native American families are homeless or lack adequate housing. "Native Americans living on reservations have some of the worst housing conditions in the United States," Carl said. "Native Americans are three times more likely to live in overcrowded housing. Native Americans are more likely than other Americans to have a lack of sewage and water systems, telephone lines and electricity." The NAIHC report compared the amount spent by the federal government on health care for prisoners to the funds allocated to Indian communities. "The government spends $3,803 per inmate per year compared with $1,914 per Native American. That's a crime," Carl said. "The federal government has not done its share." Of particular concern was the effect of overcrowding on Indian children, said Deborah Cutler-Ortiz of the Children's Defense Fund, who participated in the news conference. More than 80 percent of those surveyed for the NAIHC report raised concerns that physical and psychological difficulties arising from poor housing were hampering Native American children's educational progress. "Failure to address these interwoven issues will only assure the continued cycle of hardship faced by American Indian children," Cutler-Ortiz said. Copyright c. 2004 The Washington Post Company. --------- "RE: Bush, Kerry courting Indian Votes this Year" --------- Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 08:25:46 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.timesrecordnews.com//article/0,1891,TRN_5707_3204620,00.html Bush, Kerry courting Indian votes this year By JAMES W. BROSNAN September 23, 2004 From a White House visit for tribal chiefs Thursday to personal visits with John Kerry, Peter Pino, governor of the Zia Pueblo in New Mexico, has never seen presidential candidates woo the American Indian vote like they are doing this year. "It feels good because people are starting to fight over our vote and we feel like we can make a difference," Pino said. For decades many states tried to block Indians from voting, especially those who lived on reservations. Utah was the last state to abolish its anti-Indian voting provisions in 1957. Now, although American Indians make up only 1.5 percent of the population, they are a large enough vote in some western and Midwest states to draw attention from national politicians. "Our numbers are small but we tend to vote as a bloc," and usually for Democrats, said LaDonna Harris, a Comanche whose former husband, Fred Harris, ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 1972 and who herself ran as the vice presidential nominee of the short-lived Citizens Party in 1980. A Scripps Howard analysis of 17 counties where American Indians make up more than 50 percent of the population showed that former Vice President Al Gore carried 12 counties in 2000 and President Bush carried five. Michael Thomas, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe in Connecticut, said Bush could do "fairly well" this year, but that it's difficult to forecast with more than 500 federally recognized tribes. Thomas and Pino were among more than 100 tribal leaders invited to the East Room of the White House Thursday for a ceremony honoring the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian - and to receive a soft sell for Bush's re-election. After 600 broken treaties, Indians are "really wary" but Bush is one leader who doesn't make "hollow promises," said Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., dressed in the regalia of a Northern Cheyenne chief. He said Bush promised to triple funding for Indian school construction and followed through. Bush also signed an executive order reaffirming tribal sovereignty. He told the tribal leaders, "Native American cultures thrive and flourish when tribes retain control over their own affairs and their own future." "Too little, too late," sniffed Democrat Anna Whiting Sorrel, director of Native American outreach at the Democratic National Committee. She pointed out that Vice President Dick Cheney would be campaigning Friday in Oklahoma for a Senate candidate, Rep. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who recently said Indian treaties were "primitive agreements" holding up the state's progress. Mike Miller, a spokesman for the Cherokee Nation, the largest tribe in Oklahoma and the nation, said the tribe does not make endorsements but "one thing is clear: President Bush says when America gives its word it has to keep it. Tom Coburn seems to disagree." Miller also noted that Oklahoma is a heavily pro-Bush state. Sorrel said Democrats are targeting Indian get-out-the-vote efforts in nine states, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. The top battleground state may be New Mexico, which Bush lost by only 365 votes in 2000. According to the Web site of New Mexico's Native American Election Information Program, 70 percent of voters in overwhelmingly Native American precincts are registered Democrats compared to 15 percent who register as Republicans. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who has enjoyed strong Indian support nonetheless, said he plans to arrange a meeting of tribal leaders with Bush during a future campaign swing, but he acknowledged it is an uphill battle. Joe Shirley, president of the Navajo nation, endorsed Kerry after he promised a White House meeting with tribal leaders in the first 100 days of his administration to reform the Interior Department's management of individual Indian Trust accounts from the sale of Indian lands. "The administration had its opportunity to change the atmosphere of how it deals with Native-American communities," said Stuart Paisano, governor of the Sandia Pueblo in New Mexico, noting tribal complaints about cuts in Bureau of Indian Affairs funding for health services, law enforcement, housing and roads. Reporter Thomas Hargrove contributed to this story. E-mail James W. Brosnan at BrosnanJ@shns.com. Copyright c. 2004 The E.W. Scripps Co. --------- "RE: Navajos, Hopis close to settling longtime dispute" --------- Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 08:25:46 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BENNETT FREEZE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0924navland.html Sharing the land Navajos, Hopis close to settling longtime dispute Judy Nichols and Betty Reid The Arizona Republic September 24, 2004 More than 700,000 acres of the western Navajo Reservation have been in limbo for nearly 40 years, caught up in a land dispute with the Hopi Tribe over access to religious sites. Construction, including extension of water and electrical lines, has been banned in the area, leaving thousands of families, mostly Navajo, without running water, lights or modern appliances. But now, through the efforts of tribal leaders, lawyers and negotiating teams on both sides, there is hope of a settlement. The dispute involves land designated by the government for the Navajos and has resulted in a federal lawsuit that may be one of the longest in U.S. history. The Navajos say that the land is theirs and that they have used it for generations. The Hopis say that the land is part of the tribe's aboriginal homeland, that they used it for thousands of years before the Navajos arrived in the mid-1800s, and that it contains sacred springs, eagle nesting sites and shrines vital to the Hopi religion. The dispute has lasted decades, involving depositions, trials, appeals and an effort to take it to the U.S. Supreme Court, which failed. All the while, the area has been under what is called the Bennett Freeze, named for Robert Bennett, former U.S. commissioner of Indian Affairs, who in 1966 imposed the ban on construction, including extension of water and electrical lines, unless approved by both tribes. "The freeze is intended to prevent one tribe from gaining an unfair advantage in the litigation by pursuing a strategy of developing the land with housing and infrastructure improvements and thereby entrenching itself," Hopi Chairman Wayne Taylor wrote in a letter explaining the situation. After decades of wrangling, negotiations have been held for the past two years, facilitated by 9th U.S. Circuit Judge William Canby Jr. None of those involved will discuss details, citing confidentiality of the proceedings. They express hope that a settlement may be reached in the next few months but caution that nothing is final and there are still issues to be resolved. Through a representative, Navajo President Joe Shirley said he has great confidence in a possible settlement and the work that has been done to reach one. Taylor agreed. "We want to resolve all these cases that have been a drain on both tribes in terms of time, energy and resources," Taylor said. "We want to resolve all of these matters to the best interests and welfare of the two tribes so we have the ability to focus our time and energy on nation building issues." Before going into effect, any settlement must be approved by legislative bodies for each tribe, federal officials and the courts. Once approved by the courts, the Bennett Freeze would be lifted, eliminating the construction ban for people like the Hardys. Mervin Hardy, 74, and his wife, Alma, 73, who have raised 10 children on their land at Where the Red Mesas Cluster, near Gap, have two houses, both wired, waiting for electricity. "When I looked at the wiring, I almost believed electricity would come," Mervin said. "I was ready to turn the lights on." The newer house has a tub that Alma looks at, dreaming of a warm bath. Instead, the couple use a Coleman lamp for light at night, cook with butane and take sponge baths. Alma weaves during the day when light comes through the windows. Mervin has had heart surgery three times, replacing three valves over the past 16 years. He is supposed to watch his diet but says the lack of refrigeration makes it difficult. "My doctor recommends fruits and vegetables, but it spoils," he said. "What's left is bread and apricots from the trees out front." The Hardys, who still herd sheep, pay $50 a month for a 1,000-gallon truck of water to be brought to their pen. "It will be wonderful when it is over, people will live in harmony with no bitter words, no cloud," Alma said. Many parts of the vast, rural Navajo and Hopi lands lack utilities even outside the freeze area, but some of those living in the freeze can see lights in nearby houses or have power lines running overhead but are not allowed to tap into them. The freeze originally encompassed 1.5 million acres.It was reduced in 1997, when the Hopi Tribe agreed to eliminate about 800,000 acres, saying they contained no religious sites. The freeze was lifted in 1992, when courts issued one judgment in the lawsuit, but was reinstated in 1995 when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the issue of Hopi religious sites still needed to be resolved. The Hopis say they have approved construction requests wherever possible. One project that has been approved involves 15 miles of electrical line that will connect as many as 81 customers in the communities of Old Airport and farther west to Moenave. In late July, Ruth Tohannie, 66, and several others gathered at a spot called Dust Covered Cottonwood Trees for the groundbreaking of the project, scheduled for completion in December. "It took so long for talk about electricity to come through here," Tohannie said. "Sometimes people told us, 'It will happen tomorrow,' but the project gets delayed again." Tohannie said she will know the freeze has been lifted when she can drink a cup of ice water in her own home. Roman Bitsuie, executive director of the Navajo-Hopi Land Commission, believes a settlement may be reached by the end of the year. "It is a major accomplishment by both the chairman and President Shirley," said Bitsuie, who said the leaders favor a negotiated settlement to a court ruling they can't control. The Hopis and Navajos have been trying to resolve land disputes since federal officials arbitrarily drew reservation borders in the 1800s. The most famous was the 1974 court decision that divided more than 1.8 million acres between the two tribes and forced the relocation of about 100 Hopis and thousands of Navajos, the largest forced relocation since the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Terry Fenzl, attorney for the Navajos, said the biggest crime is the culture of the freeze, that for 40 years people have been born and died with a sense of hopelessness. "A culture of dispute has been forced on them," Fenzl said. "It has disrupted families, forced people to leave and give up their ties to the land. There is no excuse for that." Fenzl said that, before the lawsuits, the two tribes shared the land for centuries and were intertwined by marriage. Tony Robbins, a natural-resources manager for the Navajo Nation, said lifting the freeze won't solve all the tribe's problems. In fact, Robbins has mixed feelings, saying the freeze has helped preserve the Navajo way of life. With electricity will come television, computers and other inventions. "It's a double-edged sword," Robbins said. "Because of the freeze, people have kept traditional. When it's lifted, modern technology will come in." Copyright c. 2004, azcentral.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Totem Poles honor Pentagon terror attack Victims" --------- Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 08:17:11 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LUMMI TOTEM POLES" http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-363570.php Totem poles honor Pentagon terror attack victims By Ellyn Ferguson Gannett News Service September 20, 2004 ARLINGTON, Va. - With the delivery of two elaborately carved totem poles, the Lummi tribe of Washington state completed its mission Sunday to honor those killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon. Under a blue, cloudless sky, the No. 2 man at the Pentagon, Paul Wolfowitz, accepted the poles, called Liberty and Freedom, and a crosspiece, named Sovereignty, that links them. "Thank you once again for this gift to our nation. Thank you for honoring our country's men and women who lost their lives on 9/11. Thank you for remembering our veterans and the brave service men and women who wear the uniform of the United States today," Wolfowitz said. Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Army Corps of Engineers commander Lt. Gen. Carl Strock also gave official acceptances during a 90-minute outdoor ceremony that blended Native American prayers and traditional tribal regalia with Pentagon protocol. Lisa Dolan, wife of the Navy Capt. Robert Dolan, accepted the totem poles on behalf of the Pentagon families. "Your gesture brings us one step further in the healing process just as support of healing and remembering ensure that our loved ones will never be forgotten," Dolan said. The totem poles are the third set of intricately carved poles the tribe has created in memory of the 9/11 victims. The Lummis gave a pole to New York City in September 2002 to honor those who died in the World Trade Center attack, and one to Shanksville, Pa., to honor the passengers and flight crew who crashed in a Pennsylvania field trying to regain control of the hijacked United Flight 93. Carved totem poles are part of the Lummi nation's religious traditions. The tribe, which has about 4,000 enrolled members, lives on a 12,000-acre reservation in northwestern Washington, seven miles from the city of Bellingham. "Today, we're all one people. What we have in our hearts and in our minds for these families is one thought," Lummi tribal chairman Darrell Hillaire said. He urged people to reach out to the families of the dead to ease their burden and aid their grieving. The Pentagon, whose west side was left smoldering on Sept. 11 when terrorists flew American Airlines Flight 77 into it, was the backdrop for Sunday's event. Several hundred people gathered in the building's south parking lot. Tex Hall, president of the National Congress of American Indians, also sat on the podium to witness the event. The totem poles, each 13 feet tall and nearly 6 feet wide, stood tall in the open area. Liberty is topped by a female bear and Freedom by a male bear. The nearly 35-foot long crosspiece that connects them bears the profile of an eagle at each end. All three pieces were painted red, black, white and yellow. Altogether, the poles and the crosspiece weigh about 14, 000 pounds, or nearly seven tons. Jewell James, a Lummi councilman and master carver, led the effort that transformed the massive old-growth western red cedar trees into the totem poles. He said the set symbolized many things. The colors, he said, reflected the world's four races while the eagles, especially an open-mouthed one from which a bloodied man emerges, reflected the high price of protecting liberty and freedom. Each eagle, he said, had seven feathers to represent Flight 77. The poles are designed to be healing poles - symbols of hope and caring for surviving families. "This is a gift for all those families that are in grieving," said James, president of the Lummis' House of Tears carvers. The poles, he said, are not just the work of the 80 Lummi volunteers who helped create them. A trucking company gave the tribe a break on the rate for the flatbed truck used to haul the poles from the West Coast. Other American Indian tribes along the more than 4,900-mile trip aided with hospitality and with blessing ceremonies, he said. Reba Cleveland, who lost her friend Janice Marie Scott in the Pentagon crash, said had made the trip from Annandale, Va., to honor her friend and support Scott's husband. "It's the process of healing, that's what they (the totem poles) symbolize to me. I miss her dearly," Cleveland said. Liberty and Freedom will remain at the Pentagon until Sept. 23 when they will be taken to the Congressional Cemetery where they will stay until the fall of 2005. They will then be moved to a permanent 9/11 memorial site on Kingman Island in the Anacostia River. Copyright c. 2004 Army Times. --------- "RE: Choctaw Chief seeks recognition for Code Talkers" --------- Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 08:50:31 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CHOCTAW CODE TALKERS" http://www.arkansasnews.com//WashingtonDCBureau/291727.html Choctaw chief seeks recognition for code talkers September 23, 2004 By Alison Vekshin Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- During World War I, 18 soldiers from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma stumped the Germans by using their native language as a code for relaying U.S. combat information. The Choctaws made history by being the first American Indian "code talkers," a group later expanded to include members of about 20 tribes who served in World War I and World War II. But since their work was an official military secret, the now-deceased Choctaw code talkers were never properly recognized for their efforts, an oversight that American Indian leaders are looking to correct. Choctaw Chief Gregory Pyle and representatives of other tribes sought federal recognition for the code talkers at a hearing Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. "During the darkest hours of our nation's history, they had tricked the country's enemies through the use of their most basic tool, the language of their forefathers," Pyle said. "Their actions were an official military secret and their service went unacknowledged," Pyle told the panel. The 18 Choctaw men volunteered for the U.S. Army years before American Indians were recognized as U.S. citizens in 1924. They belonged to 36th Division and served in France. When one of their officers overheard them speaking in their native language, he got the idea to set them up as a separate unit in the front lines to convey messages over telephone lines in Choctaw. The Germans, who often tapped the phone lines, had cracked all the codes used by the Allied forces. But the Choctaw language confounded the Germans, who failed to recognize and translate it. "The experiment worked so well that a regimental commander attributed the success of a delicate, nighttime tactical withdrawal -- and again a major assault on the following day -- to the complete surprise achieved by using the Choctaw language to coordinate operations," said retired Brig. Gen. John Brown, U.S. Army chief of military history. "The idea caught on," Brown said. "By the end of World War I, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Comanche, Osage and Yankton soldiers were also serving as code talkers." After the war ended, the U.S. military asked the code talkers to keep their work a secret so the technique could be used in future military operations. The Defense Department declassified the use of American Indian code talkers in 1968. Congressional medals have been awarded to the Navajo code talkers and their families, Pyle pointed out. Hundreds of Navajos serving in the Marine Corps worked as code talkers in World War II and were spotlighted in the movie called "Windtalkers." Pyle said he would like to see the Choctaw recognition come in the form of a medal to the code talkers' descendants and a permanent plaque in a prominent location in Washington, D.C. "We're going to proceed on all fronts," said Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., the committee's chairman. He said the panel would work to gain approval for plaques and medals before Congress adjourns in a couple of weeks. "We've been concerned about this for a long time," said Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. "This gathering is long overdue." Inhofe has introduced a bill that authorizes the presentation of a congressional gold medal to code talkers from the Choctaw, Comanche, Sioux and other tribes. The bill has 24 co-sponsors, but needs 67 to be considered by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Rev. Bertram Bobb of the Christian Indian Ministries in Antlers, Okla., a relative of three Choctaw code talkers, also attended the hearing. "They were there and did their service and came back and never advertised" (their work), Bobb said. "A lot of people don't know they had a great part in World War I." While some family members knew, Bobb said he was never told directly about his family's contribution to World War I. The French government recognized the Choctaw code talkers in 1989 with the Knight of the National Order of Merit, the country's second highest honor. In addition, the Choctaw Nation has placed a memorial bearing the code talkers' names at the entrance to its tribal complex in Durant, Okla. Copyright c. 2003-2004 Arkansas News Bureau. --------- "RE: Native American EPA Employees endure Harassment" --------- Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 08:50:31 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RACIST PAINTINGS" http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=//~native_americans164_xml Native American EPA Employees Still Endure Harassment During National Festival Celebrating Native Americans September 21, 2004 To: National Desk Contact: Kim Alton of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, 202-662-8317; Web: http://www.lawyerscommittee.org WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Native American EPA employees endure a workplace that displays racially and ethnically demeaning, offensive, and historically inaccurate paintings. While a few blocks away, the National Museum of the American Indian opens as part of a long overdue celebration of the culture and traditions of the First Americans. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in conjunction with the firm of Latham & Watkins, LLP represent Native American EPA employees who object to the paintings on display in the Ariel Rios North Building in Washington, DC. The EPA paintings perpetuate stereotypes of Native Americans as savages, murderers and sexual predators. The General Services Administration (GSA), the landlord of the building, has relied on the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) in order to avoid removing the murals. "The NHPA does not require the display of paintings replete with negative stereotypical images of Native Americans," said Audrey Wiggins, Staff Attorney for the Employment Discrimination Project of the Lawyers' Committee. "It is hard to believe that the writers of the NHPA imagined the Act would protect work that is historically inaccurate and creates a racially demeaning and hostile work environment. For our clients, those paintings serve as a harsh reminder that they work for an employer that refuses to address the concerns of Native American employees." "I'm sickened by the violent images in these paintings," said Bob Smith, one of the EPA employees represented by the Lawyers' Committee and Latham & Watkins. "The paintings are historically inaccurate, promote racial stereotyping, and their interpretations reek of prejudice and racism. I, along with other Indians, feel ashamed and embarrassed that EPA would allow this kind of hostile environment to exist under the protest of the EPA American Indian Advisory Council. This lack of respect for Indian People at EPA cannot be off set by the opening of the new Indian museum only a few blocks up the street." -- A complete description of these paintings can be found at http://www. lawyerscommittee.org. -- The Lawyers' Committee is a forty year old nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights legal organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to provide legal services to address racial discrimination. For more information on the Lawyers Committee, visit us at http://www.lawyerscommittee.org -- http://www.usnewswire.com/ Copyright c. 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770. --------- "RE: Ye'ii Bicheii Season begins" --------- Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 08:26:18 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YE'II BICHEII" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.gallupindependent.com/092704yeiibicheii.html Ye'ii bicheii season begins By Kathy Helms Dine' Bureau September 27, 2004 CHINLE - Friday night was the kickoff of Ye'ii bicheii season, a time of healing which traditionally begins with the Shiprock Fair. Ninety-eight years ago, a "bilagaana," or Anglo agent called "The Tall Leader" by the Navajo people, combined American and Navajo tradition. He probably observed Ye'ii bicheii dances in the fall and possibly even attended some. According to Johnson Dennison, a traditional medicine man and coordinator of the Office of Native Medicine at Chinle Hospital, The Tall Leader introduced the celebration of crops, usually in the autumn, and fairs at which to exhibit produce such as melons and squash. "Navajos were into sport horse racing," he said. At the time that The Tall Leader introduced the fair, the rodeo started. It was also the beginning of the Ye'ii bicheii season, so he combined that concept American and Navajo tradition. He sponsored a Ye'ii bicheii dance for a patient, any patient. Since then, the Ye'ii bicheii and the Shiprock Fair have become a tradition, he said. "As early as I know, when I was a little boy, people always talked about the Shiprock Ye'ii bicheii dance. Since then, we always attend the dance and then turn around and look at the fair and the rodeo. There are some contemporary Navajos who object to it. They say it shouldn't be with the fair, which I agree with that, but it has become the Shiprock tradition," Dennison said. The fair begins Oct. 1. The Ye'ii bicheii started Sept. 24. "There is no Ye'ii bicheii dance prior to that," he said. The Ye'ii bicheii ceremony means "Night Way" in Navajo and is translated as "Night Chant" in English. It takes nine nights and involves a lot of commitment, cooperation, and support from family, relatives and community members who sponsor it. The Night Chant is a healing ceremony for a person who has a vision problem, or a hearing problem, "or their mind's all screwed up, or sometimes prolonged illness," Dennison said, "but basically it's for the vision problem blindness." A Navajo diagnostician, or "hand trembler," is usually sought to diagnose the illness. After consultation with the hand trembler, the patient is prescribed to have the Night Chant. "If the family is inexperienced with the Night Chant ceremony, a medicine man specialized in the ceremony is consulted for advisement and clarification," Dennison said. Preparation for the ceremony begins usually three months to a year in advance. The ceremony can be done only in autumn to mid winter months. There are few medicine men specialized in the Night Chant, and finding someone to do the ceremony can be difficult. Once located, the medicine man is paid in advance, a fee called "ookaah," for the Ye'ii bicheii. To prepare for the Night Chant the family builds a ceremonial hogan and a shelter under which to feed visitors, Dennison said. When the ceremony is finished, the hogan can be taken down or used for future Night Chant ceremonies. The shelter for food preparation and cooking is built within walking distance of the ceremonial hogan. Visitors are welcome to come eat. "Getting together all the needed materials takes a lot of time," Dennison said. "Four to five ceremonial baskets are needed. The patient has to get these baskets. Other needed materials could be fabric, shawls, robes, blankets and buckskin." In Navajo, the concept of bringing people together to help each other do ceremonies is "ahilka'e'elyeed," meaning "to help each other." It is an important concept that holds Navajo society together." Based on this concept and teaching, people come together to contribute and donate materials needed," he said. The Night Chant begins with the arrival of the medicine man and his helpers to get everything ready for opening night. "This section of the ceremony is done with three to four beautifully dressed ye'iis doing the purification rites while the medicine man sings," Dennison said. The rites are done in the hogan with visiting singers and helpers. Once completed, everyone goes home. The sponsor of the ceremony pays the performing ye'iis as well as serving food to everyone. "Ye'iis dress in costumes and wear masks. They are sacred. Only initiated and trained persons can perform as ye'iis, and they have to know how to perform and do the purification rites," Dennison said. The daytime ceremony begins at sunrise, with the patient treated with sweats. A hole is dug into the ground early in the morning," the hole is heated and cleared but the hot coals are left in it. These then are covered with various evergreen leaves and herbs to make a bedding," he said. The patient lies on the bedding and is covered with blankets and buckskin. The medicine man sings songs and an offering ceremony is done after the sweat ceremony. The medicine man then conducts a prayer service. The daytime ceremony is repeated for four days and is followed by the Blessing Way ceremony on day four. "The purpose of the Blessing Way is to bless the masks to be used for dancing. It attracts many visitors. During the night of the Blessing Way ceremony, the masks are all laid out on the finest materials and the medicine man and his helpers will sing blessing songs all night. A number of Blessing Way chanters also participate," according to Dennison. Following the Blessing Way is the sand painting ceremony, which is done daily for the next four days. "The sacred sand painting is constructed by the skilled sand painters every day in the morning. When the sand painting is done in the afternoon, the patient is treated while sitting on the sand painting. These sand paintings are a particular design learned by the medicine man. The evening activities of the sand paintings are the four main dancers, called 'atsaleeh,' who dance every night until it's over," Dennison said. The seventh day is popular for an event called "ye'ii yi'aash," which literally means "two ye'iis are coming." The largest sand painting is done in the hogan that day. "Many sand painters, under the supervision of the medicine man, do the huge and detailed sand painting. It is started in the morning and completed by late afternoon," Dennison said. "When the sand painting is completed, two male ye'iis and one female ye'ii perform their ritual rites outside the hogan. People watch the event. The patient is in front of the hogan with a basket of corn meal. The ye'iis perform sacred rites while the patient stands in front of the hogan facing east. Next the patient and the ye'iis go inside the hogan where the patient sits on the sand painting and the ye'iis bless the patient." That evening, dance teams arrive to sing and dance four times in front of the hogan. Each team is given a sheep on the morning of the final day for their participation. The final day, the ye'ii masks are decorated with fir branches and taken to the cedar shelter east of the ceremonial hogan. The shelter, the home of the ye'iis, is the site of the final afternoon of dancing. That night, all dancers are painted with white clay, and while the dance is going on outside, inside the hogan the medicine man and his helpers sing sacred songs throughout the night. "The beauty of the singing is the rhythm and togetherness," Dennison said. Dawn is the time for the sacred Blue Bird chant and dance, which closes the ceremony. The dancers perform the final dance with everyone participating with offerings and prayers. The dancers then remove their masks and place them back in the medicine bundle. The Night Chant ceremony is complete and the dancers and spectators will return home. The patient, however, will stay another four days before returning to normal life. Copyright c. 2004 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Celebrating the Healing Power" --------- Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 08:58:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ALASKA NATIVES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://juneauempire.com/stories/092604/sta_healing.shtml Celebrating the healing power 150 Alaska Natives attend pageant opening National Museum of the American Indian By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER JUNEAU EMPIRE September 26, 2004 By Alaska Native leader David Katzeek's count there were millions of American Indians in Washington this week when the National Museum of the American Indian opened - not just the 30,000-40,000 reported. "We believe that we represent our ancestors," Katzeek, a traditional leader of the Shangukeid Thunderbird Clan, said Friday after returning from the Smithsonian Institution's newest museum. "There were hundreds of thousands if not millions there in D.C. because of our ancestry that goes down from generation to generation." Katzeek, 62, of Juneau, was one of about 150 Alaska Natives who attended the pageant. He said the event was a powerful opportunity for healing among Native American people who have suffered centuries of injustice. The 250,000-square-foot museum displays the traditional artifacts of American Indians from across the country, with the goal of recognizing "not only a cultural legacy tens of thousands of years old, but also today's diversity of Native peoples, their thoughts and wisdom, arts and knowledge." It is the first national museum in the United States dedicated solely to Native Americans. "The nation needs to heal right now," Katzeek said. "Those are the traditional values of the Tlingit people. That doesn't mean that the inequities are OK, that injustice is all right." Donald Gregory, 38, a Web site designer at the Sealaska Heritage Institute in Juneau, attended the ceremony and procession along the National Mall on Tuesday. He called it a once-in-a-lifetime event. Gregory said the gathering reminded him of Celebration, a Native festival that occurs in Juneau once every two years. "It was like tenfold of that," he said. "To see them all on the mall there they must have felt like the people of Juneau do during Celebration - like they're being invaded by Natives." Gregory, from the Deisheetaan Raven Bear Clan of Angoon, acted as caretaker of the Chilkat Robes and regalia worn by the Alaska Natives during the event. He said some of the robes were more than 100 years old. Katzeek said the regalia included four Chilkat blankets, a Chilkat tunic and a tribal leader hat and headdress. It also was the first display of a Thunderbird feather staff carved by his brothers Jim Katzeek and Ross Sheakley. "It received a lot of attention because it is a fairly unique staff," he said. Gregory said the Alaska Natives marched at the end of the Tuesday procession, noting that they were one of the few groups performing a traditional dance. "We were getting mobbed (by photographers)," he said. "Every time we would take a little turn people would just come flooding at us. The park police had to move them so we could continue marching." Copyright c. 2004 Juneau Empire. --------- "RE: Jodi Rave: Indian Museum evokes varied reaction" --------- Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 08:58:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JODI RAVE: NMAI" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.billingsgazette.com//40-mixed-emotions.inc Mixed emotions: Indian museum evokes varied reaction BY JODI RAVE Missoulian September 26, 2004 WASHINGTON - It's already been consecrated a cathedral, a spiritual marker of the ages, a beautiful Native place, a monument of magnificence. And the National Museum of the American Indian has been open for only a few days. Its breathtaking nature - an architectural sensation housing the world's most extensive collection of Native objects - is not disputed. But as museums go, it is a paradox. It evokes life. And some say it hides death. The life is in the corn gardens outside, the stories of the people, the building's structure. As the sun rose Wednesday, marking the fall solstice, the morning light bathed its exterior walls. It poured through eastern windows and caressed the same sand-colored limestone inside. The rock absorbed the sun's energy and released it with a golden hue. After the museum's grand opening Tuesday, 17,700 people walked through it doors during the first 24 hours - it remained open through the midnight-to-dawn hours to accommodate an additional 3,200 visitors without passes. The opening brought with it a weeklong schedule of festivities. "To open up the museum, we needed a celebration," said Eloise Cobell of the Blackfeet Nation. "We needed to feel good about ourselves and who we are. That's what we did. We all came away so empowered ... and ready to get back to our communities." Early reaction to the museum invoke its splendor. "This is what our tribal members said: it's beautiful. It's all naturally beautiful," said Tom Jones, a Yavapai from the Fort McDowell Reservation in Arizona. "The museum made me feel proud of who I am," said Sara Young, a Crow. "It made me know other people were going to see the beauty ... also the wisdom of Native American cultures." But for some, that is not enough when telling the story of Native people. Some have noted the museum's 8,000 works of art on display and its major exhibits evoke more joy than pain. A CNN report asked: Are Indians hiding their history? Where is Sitting Bull? What happened to the tragedy of the Americas? "American society is much more comfortable in dealing with us in the past, then they don't have to deal with us as contemporary beings," said Henrietta Mann, a semi-retired Indian Studies professor at Montana State University-Bozeman. "There is a very tragic history that one has to deal with, but that is certainly not the focal point of the National Museum of the American Indian." Mann, vice-chair of the museum's board of trustees, said the museum aims "to provide bridges of understanding for contemporary Americans so they know that we are still here." The museum's contemporary take - its lack of Sitting Bull images, for instance - doesn't include the familiar reference points some need to understand Native peoples. But for Natives, the pain of the past and present is there. "As an Indian, just looking at the pictures of the modern day Indian - as an Indian - you know where people come from. There's a lot of tragedy. Just look at the faces of them people," said William Walks Along, a Northern Cheyenne Tribal Councilman. Leaders of the American Indian Movement in Minneapolis are among those who describe the museum as a "magnificent institution" that will "stand forever in displaying the beautiful culture of the indigenous people." But in a statement signed by AIM leaders - Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Dennis Banks and Clyde and Vernon Bellecourt - that display is not enough: "The museum falls short in that it does not characterize or does not display the sordid and tragic history of America's holocaust against the Native Nations and peoples of the Americas." If visitors are looking for in-your-face tragedy, it's there. They can meet death on the fourth floor in the "Our Peoples: Giving Voice to Our Histories" exhibit. As if anticipating controversy, a video narrator tells of how makers of history have a point of view, an agenda. Museum makers are no different, he implies: "View what's offered with respect but with a skepticism ... Explore this gallery. Reflect on it. Argue it." Inside are the stories of indigenous struggle. It's a pain and tragedy that spans centuries, an historical grief that lives today. It starts with the biological catastrophe brought on by European swords, disease and divide-and-conquer tactics used on Native peoples. The text on the wall here reads: Mexico 1520 "It was a dreadful illness, and many people died of it. No one could move, not even to turn their heads. If they did move, their bodies, they screamed in pain. They could not get up to search for food, so they starved to death in their beds." - Fr. Bernadino de Sahagun. Caribbean 1493 "There occurred an epidemic of small pox so virulent that it left Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Cuba desolated of Indians..." - Gonzalo Fernandez De Ovido y Valdes. New England 1616 "The Indians died in heapes as they lay in their houses ... And the bones and skulls upon the severall places of their habitations made such a spectacle ... That, as I travailed in the forrest near the Massachusetts, it seemed to me a new found Golgotha." - Thomas Morton, New English Canaan Indigenous people nearly ceased to exist between 1492 and 1650, the writing on the wall said, a decimation of life unseen in the course of history. Although less exhibit space is devoted to tragedy, people are getting the message. "Whoa," Anne Marie Abrigo, a visitor from San Jose, Calif., said to herself as she began to read the text on a wall. When she finished the short paragraph, she was stunned. "It's incredible, nine out of 10 people died of disease because the Europeans came over. I knew that happened, but not as severe as that. I'm glad this is here; more people ought to know this," she said. The story of decimation is not hidden in the museum. The fact that indigenous people survived it led to the creation of the museum. "Our cultures are still vibrant and alive and we bring them with us today ... This museum stands as that symbol, that our spirit is indomitable," said Mann, the Indian Studies professor from Montana. "I consider the museum our ultimate blessing as people." Details Congress passed a bill in 1989 to create the museum, which celebrated its grand opening Tuesday on the National Mall. The museum houses the world's most extensive collection on Native works of art. Indigenous people arrived from across the Americas to celebrate the opening. * Opening procession: 25,000 people * Along the parade route: 55,000 people * Audience at festival performances: 300,000 people * Projected attendance: 16,000 per day * Cost: $219 million * Building size: 250,000 square feet * On the Web: www.nmai.si.edu Source: National Museum of the American Indian Jodi Rave covers Native issues. She can be reached at (406) 523-5299 or jodi.rave@missoulian.com. Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Trahant: Indian Museum is alive" --------- Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 08:58:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRAHANT: NMAI" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/192328_trahant26.html Indian museum is alive - and working toward a brighter future MARK TRAHANT SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST September 26, 2004 WASHINGTON - I saw the sun come up over the Capitol the other day. It was the last day of summer, ideal weather, the kind of day some used to call "Indian summer." A friend of mine even spotted a pair of eagles flying over the Washington Mall. This is a season finale, of sorts. But it's a different kind of equinox, marked by the grand opening of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian on the mall. Thousands of Native Americans, representing some 400 tribes from North and South America, traveled to Washington for this festive beginning. "Today, Native American tribes take their rightful place on the national mall in the shadow of the Capitol building itself," said Richard West, the museum's director and a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma. "History seems to stand still, silent in honor," West said, calling the hope for the museum "four centuries in the making." Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., a sponsor of the original legislation, said the museum is symbolic of an American Indian re- emergence. "The sacred hoop has been restored, the circle is complete," said Nighthorse, a Northern Cheyenne. The president of Peru, Alejandro Toledo, said the understanding of indigenous people and issues is critical to the understanding of the Americas. Toledo is Andean, the first elected native leader in the hemisphere. He said cultural respect is an essential element for national stability, democracy and freedom. At their best, museums tell stories. They show an artifact, a piece of jewelry or photograph. Those images, items and people are frozen in time. They represent a past, perhaps something forgotten. But the challenge of an American Indian museum is to do more. It must change the story, not just reflect the past. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, said he first understood the importance of the native story when he read about the Smithsonian's collection of some 18,000 Native American skulls and other human remains. "I went to see it for myself," he recalled. "There in neatly arranged green boxes were the remains." These remains were collected on battlefields or from desecrated graves. "How would Irish Americans or Japanese Americans react if their ancestors were in green boxes?" Inouye asked. "Long after the Indian wars, Indian people were still arranged in green boxes." But the warehouse of human remains fit America's national mythology in one way because the story so often told identified the American Indian as an "obstacle" to progress. Some tribal people were removed to distant lands. Others were killed in such great numbers that their very presence in a particular place was erased. The news media told this story often. One 19th-century Northwest newspaper editorial called for a treaty council, followed by a grand feast. "Then just before the big feast, put strychnine in their meat and poison to the death the last mother's son of them," the newspaper said. A less lethal version of this story was the directive from many government or mission-run boarding schools to "save the child," by killing the Indian. The story of conquest - or the American Indian as an obstacle - was told alongside the story of the noble savage. This story has its roots in popular fiction of the 19th century. But versions of this story have been amplified by Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show, television and movies. The Wild West show retold Cody's fanciful accounts of a pristine native world destroyed. The significance of the National Museum of the American Indian is that it challenges these worn-out narratives. American Indians are not forgotten, displaced or dead. The people are here. There is a future for Indian Country - and it's a path that's woven into the stories about the future of the United States. The name "National Museum of the American Indian" is almost a misnomer in that sense. The stories are from the Americas, not just the United States. The stories are plural, reflecting a diversity of cultures from the Arctic shores to the tip of South America. The stories will be specific, told by the very people that most museums purport to represent. In that sense, Washington is the ideal spot for such a museum. Since its first days as a capital city, American Indian leaders have been going back and forth to conduct business. I remember my grandmother showing me a picture when I was a child. It was a photograph of father, wearing a stylish suit. The U.S. Capitol was in the background. The year was 1908. My grandmother showed the picture - and told the story of how her father, an Assiniboine tribal leader, viewed Washington and how tribes needed to succeed there for their people back home. The museum story of American Indians should be told in a future tense, not just a frozen past. NMAI director West put it this way at the grand opening when he said we must insist that Native American culture "is alive" and the museum will "use the voices of Native people themselves in telling that story." That insistence, he said, goes beyond Native America, because the first Americans are a part of the "cultural future of America." The future narrative of Native America is the most important role for the new museum. But the museum's opening already missed one part of that story. The entire grand opening platform presentation was about the role of men in starting the new museum (with the exception of a woman who chaired a board that donated a huge collection). Indian Country's past, present and future needs to include the extraordinary contributions of American Indian women. The first staged story of NMAI did not do this: It was a story told by and about senators, big donors and other powerful players. But the efforts of many - especially women working in staff jobs or with intertribal organizations - made this museum happen, too. Even the design of the museum, including the habitat and crops, invokes images of a home. Suzan Shown Harjo, a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe of Oklahoma, along with George Horse Capture, a member of the Gros Ventre Tribe of Montana, opened the public doors to the museum for the first time after the ceremony. "This is the way it should be," Harjo said, a balance between male and female. Earlier in the day, she said, she saw a pair of eagles flying over the mall, male and female. "That was the right way." That is the right way to open a museum - and more important, it's the right way to shift the narrative going forward. This is a new story for the country, a story of hope, of complexity, and of the future. It's also a story of less conflict, success and a shared journey. This is an Americas story - and an Indian summer story. Mark Trahant is editor of the editorial page. E-mail: marktrahant@seattlepi.com Copyright c. 1996-2004 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. --------- "RE: New Focus on Native American Cooking" --------- Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 08:25:46 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRADITIONAL FOODS" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38390-2004Sep21.html The New Focus On Native American Cooking By Karen Lincoln Michel Special to The Washington Post September 22, 2004 Cedar-planked, fire-roasted juniper salmon and the ash-roasted sweet corn with hazelnut butter are not typical cafeteria fare in the museums that line the Mall, where hot dogs, hamburgers and pizza are in abundance. But as these dishes and other regional foods make their appearance on the menu of the Mitsitam Cafe in the new National Museum of the American Indian, it will be one more step in a growing movement to highlight and preserve Native American cuisine. The movement was the focus of the Native Food Summit held in Milwaukee earlier this monthto coincide with the city's annual Indian Summer Festival, one of the midwest's largest Native American cultural festivals. The summit, which was sponsored by First Nations Development Institute, based in Fredericksburg, drew 160 attendees from food-related nonprofit organizations focused not just on Native cuisine but on building sustainable food systems on tribal land It also emphasized the need to combat diabetes and childhood obesity among Native Americans. According to a recent study, an estimated 40 percent of Native American youth are overweight. And the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse reports that American Indians and Alaska Natives are 2.6 times more likely to develop diabetes than non-Hispanic whites and have a greater chance of contracting kidney and cardiovascular diseases. Like many population groups in the United States today, many Native Americans have abandoned the diet of their ancestors. Bea Medicine, a Native American anthropologist, says that traditional food staples of Indian tribes -- wild game, berries, roots, teas and indigenous vegetables -- were high in protein and low in fat. That's a switch from the modern Native American diet, which is high in fat and refined starches and sugars. Kibbe Conti, a registered dietician and nutritionist who helps tribes nationwide develop nutritional models based on their traditional food supplies, explains how the native people's diet has changed dramatically over the past 200 years. "It started when Indian people were no longer free to live off the land," said Conti, an Oglala Sioux. After the tribes were placed on reservations, they were fed government rations of processed food. Much of reservation lands could not be farmed. The shift from hunting, gathering and farming to a cash economy in the early 1900s forced family members to leave home in search of work. Native people kept some traditional foods in their diet, such as Indian corn, squash, wild game and waterfowl, but relied heavily on buying processed foods. Today, many tribal members exist on a steady diet of government commodities, featuring cheese, canned meat and packaged food, lard and powdered milk, according to Conti. Those in isolated areas have few choices and pay more for groceries. Some shop in remote convenience stores lacking a selection of fresh and nutritional food. Conti's work and the native food movement fall in line with a global food movement by the International Indian Treaty Council, which works with the United Nations on issues of indigenous rights, traditions and sacred lands. The council promotes peoples' efforts to regain control of natural resources on ancestral lands and to practice their right to control food sources on their land. "There's no better way to know a people than through their food," said Loretta Barrett Oden, a Potawatomi chef from Oklahoma who worked with the food staff at the conference to serve Native American-inspired creations such as bison, wild rice and black bean salad, sage grits, and maize crepes with sauteed fruit. To achieve this end, Conti is working with tribes to help them develop specific, historically based nutrition models to replace the existing U.S. Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines for Americans (the "food pyramid") . And the summit offered information on applying for grants to fund the food system projects. Conti considers the food movement the final piece in native peoples' return to wholeness. She said Native Americans have persevered in issues of treaty rights, and have relied on their traditions and spirituality to combat many social issues. Food is their final frontier. ---- Karen Lincoln Michel is a Wisconsin-based freelance writer, a past president of the Native American Journalists Association and a member of Wisconsin's Ho-Chunk Nation. Copyright c. 2004 The Washington Post Company. --------- "RE: Milloy: Team Name belongs in a Museum" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 08:14:20 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MILLOY: REDSKINS" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39839-2004Sep21.html Team Name Belongs in A Museum By Courtland Milloy September 22, 2004 Watching and reading media reports about the recent football game between Washington and New York, along with stories and photographs about the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian, I was struck by the clash of images: of real Indians and of gung-ho Redskins fans impersonating Indians. "Redskins Lose to Giants," read one headline, while another, about the museum, quoted an Indian as saying, "We're Finally Being Recognized." Mind-boggling. During a tour of the museum, which opened yesterday, I felt that many exhibits had been set up simply to introduce American Indians as human beings. In a region that is host to one of the most potent stereotypes in professional sports, that was no small order. An electronic sign at the museum's entrance shows a sequence of 150 Indians greeting visitors in their native languages. They appear as ordinary people who are proud of their heritage and deserving of respect. "I want people to understand the complexity of being Native rather than holding onto a very limited and one-dimensional view of the 'noble savage,' standing at the edge of the forest," W. Richard West Jr., director of the museum, told me. By many accounts, "redskin" was a term used by bounty hunters to describe the scalps taken from Indians they had killed. "I think in the view of most Native people, the name is simply pejorative," said West, who is a Southern Cheyenne from Oklahoma. "If you asked a majority of Natives if they would like to have life with or without that name, you'd find that they would all be better off without it." Team owner Dan Snyder has ignored such sentiments. During a talk at the National Press Club in 2001, he said: "Number one, we're never going to change the name of the Washington Redskins. And I think, from a bottom- line perspective, what it means is tradition, what it means is competitiveness, what it means is honor. It is not meant to be derogatory." On the other hand, never say never to a Native. "Native people, who sat at the beginning of the cultural heritage of this hemisphere, have a saying that is a bit of counsel from the Mohawk," West said. "The saying is, 'You cannot see the future with tears in your eyes.' And I take that to mean this: We have experienced genuine tragedy from a human and cultural standpoint through the millennia. But the most important fact is that we are still here. By our patience and constant focus on the future, we have learned how to turn negatives into positives." Truman Lowe, a Ho-Chuck from Wisconsin and curator of contemporary art at the museum, didn't really want to discuss the team's name - at least not inside the museum, which is regarded by many as sacred space. "This place is not about the term; the term is really about a team," he said. "There is a difference. When you come into this space, that is something one leaves outside." That said, however, Lowe noted: "I think their season was really terrible last year and even denigrated the term, 'redskins.' Even from that point of view, it's the wrong name." Lowe continued: "The most important thing for us is that when we identify another person, we want to do it in a manner that is respectful. The question is: Is the name really respectful?" Suzette Brewer, a publicist for the museum and a Cherokee from Oklahoma, said an international "groundswell of goodwill" has marked the opening of the museum. "It's a global phenomenon," she said. "I've never seen anything like it." And yet she added: "It's a bitter irony. Indians are the only group in this country subject to having a pejorative word used as the name of a sports team." As the museum grows and matures, perhaps the team's outdated name and logo will be made part of an exhibit on cultural destruction. Meanwhile, the struggle for respect continues. "There are 40 million Native people in this hemisphere, but there is still a cultural and physical invisibility," West said. "It's hard to honor that which you don't see. That's one of the reasons we have our First Americans Festival. It is more difficult to deny their existence if they are standing in front of you." Assuming you don't mistake them for football fanatics. E-mail: milloyc@washpost.com Copyright c. 2004 The Washington Post Company. --------- "RE: Yellow Bird: Improving UND Race Relations" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 08:14:20 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: FIGHTING SIOUX" http://www.grandforks.com//dorreen_yellow_bird/9695463.htm DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Improving UND race relations should be goal September 18, 2004 Students at UND have returned for another year - the increased traffic and sounds of music coming from vibrating cars is an indication. It's good that student numbers are up on campus. It's good that the count of American Indian students has increased, too - to 411, to be exact. It's fall on campus and the beginning of a new year - a new page for these students. Unfortunately, an old issue - the Fighting Sioux mascot and logo - is haunting incoming students. Thursday afternoon, I attended the "welcome-back" picnic for American Indian students. It was well attended, with President Charles Kupchella, his wife, Adele; Robert Boyd, vice president for student affairs; UND professors and staff; and friends and even candidates running for political offices. The majority of the attendees at the picnic, however, were the new and returning Indian students. People roamed University Park's picnic area, visiting as if it were a "wing- ding" at some posh Washington, D.C., establishment. But instead of having a glass of wine in hand, we wandered with plastic foam cups of lemonade. Students were calling to each other across picnic tables. It was, perhaps, the first time they'd seen this or that friend since May. It was good to see. But I was disappointed to hear that some of the students were feeling more uncomfortable with each passing day. Why? Students have been approached about the issue of the Fighting Sioux name. The Indian students were asked, why isn't the name honoring? Some of the new students weren't aware of the issue and couldn't respond, but they felt intimidated, I was told. Mikki Kozel, a staff person for Indian programs, said students who are visibly Indian seemed to be targeted - not only on the campus, but in classes. If they are the only Indian student in the class, they are asked to explain or talk about the Fighting Sioux issue, she said. They are uncomfortable. I understand what it's like to be sought out to answer questions about Indians. I am visible, so people ask me questions - any and all questions - about Indians. I try to answer them. I always feel that if they are asking, they really want to know and are looking for understanding and connection. I am a columnist, however, and I see that as one of my roles in the community. Indian students are in Grand Forks to attend the university for an education. Questions about the "Fighting Sioux issue" probably should be addressed to veterans of that "mascot war" and in the appropriate setting. If the atmosphere is tainted and uncomfortable, why is there a growth in the number of students? Why don't Indian students attend, say, North Dakota State University in Fargo, for example, where they could rally behind the Bison? I asked Mikki. NDSU has only about 133 Indian students sprinkled amid almost the same total enrollment as UND. In spite of the nickname issue, she said, UND is a good school. The university has more than 26 programs for Indians - programs in which students are eligible for cultural diversity waivers, stipends and other aids. "We have an Indian center full of people who are dedicated to helping students" - something not available at many other universities, she said. Also, students at UND don't get lost in the shuffle. When they come from a reservation and are, perhaps, lacking in some academic area, they can get tutorial help and certainly staff support. "We make all efforts to retain students they have recruited," Kozel said. Also, UND has a history of providing education for Indian students, she said. There are a lot of students here who came to UND because their parents graduated from here. They want to follow in their parents' footsteps. My sister - she is a new doctorate student at UND - told me that the campus atmosphere has changed since she attended classes and worked at UND. It was during her time that the "Sammy Sioux" logo was changed to a geometric style. So, there was progress toward less racism at that time, but that movement now seems to have stalled, she said. When Ned Hill, a consultant hired by the Knight Foundation to study Grand Forks' strengths and weaknesses, was here in 2002, one of the issues he identified was the logo of the university. As we all know, the issue has received national attention, too. At this time, however, we are bound by things we cannot change - at least not now. We can't change the name at this time, nor can we erase the number of Indian heads in Ralph Engelstad Arena. Yet, it is possible for our community, including the university, to deal with the issue in other ways. Here are some ways: encourage respect for Indian people and our culture, provide education about Indians, instigate discussions, find ways to connect the community and talk about racism and prejudice openly. The university is a good place to start. After all, isn't it the role of a university to grapple with thorny issues and, perhaps, find answers? ---- Yellow Bird writes columns Tuesdays and Saturdays. Reach her by phone at 780-1228 or (800) 477-6572, extension 228, or by e-mail at dyellowbird@gfherald.com. Copyright c. 2004 Grand Forks Herald. --------- "RE: Chuculate: Escape worst of Hurricanes" --------- Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 08:25:46 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CHUCULATE: FLORIDA REZ's & HURRICANES" http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/opinions04/092204_opinions_eddie.shtml Outside the wrath: The Seminoles, Miccosukees escape worst of hurricanes Eddie Chuculate September 22, 2004 Considering that Florida was smacked with three hurricanes and a tropical storm in recent weeks and that others might lurk, the Seminole Nation, with six noncontiguous reservations spread over the entire state, escaped relatively unscathed. Also escaping were the Miccosukee, whose tribal headquarters are located about 40 miles northwest of Miami. No deaths or injuries were reported among any tribal members, who number around 3,000. "We lucked out," said Michael Kelly, editor of The Seminole Tribune, which publishes every third week. "Hurricane Charley was headed toward Tampa but made a right turn and veered off" and crashed 70 miles south. Covering almost 190,000 acres, the Seminole Nation has reservations near Tampa and Immokalee by Florida's western coast, at Hollywood near Miami on the southern tip, at Big Cypress along I-75 in the midsouth, at Fort Pierce on the eastern coast and at Brighton near Lake Okeechobee. Brighton was evacuated for Frances, with the elderly moved to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa. Considering such a widespread presence, it's amazing any of the nation's property or industries weren't damaged or its people harmed. Kelly said Fort Pierce sustained downed power lines and limbs and some power outages, but the other reservations were untouched. Hurricane Charley pummelled Punta Gorda, leaving hardly any buildings untouched. The Miccosukee are located only about 70 miles from there. "We were very fortunate," Miccosukee administration assistant Evelyn Cypress said. "We were prepared, though. We boarded up buildings, had generators, water, everything." There were power outages at tribal headquarters and lots of rain, she said, and the tribe's airboat-ride operation ($10 a ride) on the Everglades was suspended for three days because of rain. Both the Seminoles and the Miccosukee contributed to the relief effort. The Seminoles took in worried residents or those fleeing storms at their Hard Rocks in Tampa and Hollywood. Hollywood tribal members and Seminole police traveled to Fort Pierce to help victims and clean up debris. Meanwhile, the Miccosukees gave money to Punta Gorda victims. Kelly said Frances was aiming at the Hollywood reservation but veered right, leaving that area with nothing more than 40-50 mph winds. Kelly, who said he lives about a mile from the ocean, had boarded up his residence in precaution. He said his newspaper plans hurricane coverage in its Friday issue, featuring tribal citizens in their relief efforts and donations of baby supplies, generators and water. Statewide, hurricanes caused at least $20 billion in damage and killed at least 44 people. The entire state has been declared a federal disaster area. Tribal members are grateful they were spared and are obviously concerned about the welfare of others. But they can't relax just yet. "I'm afraid it's (the hurricane season) not over," Kelly said. ---- Eddie Chuculate (Creek/Cherokee) is a Tribune copy editor who writes about American Indian issues. His column appears on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. Reach him at 823-3677 or echuculate@abqtrib.com. Copyright c. 2004 The Albuquerque Tribune. --------- "RE: Storytellers go Traditional" --------- Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 08:17:11 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TEACHING THROUGH STORIES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.fayettevillenc.com/Template=region&Story=6564155 Storytellers go traditional, teach more than folklore By Venita Jenkins Staff writer September 20, 2004 PEMBROKE - The auditorium lights dimmed as a tribal drum played over the loudspeakers. About 1,600 children clapped along with the beat. A group of dancers dressed in traditional Indian garb stepped from behind a curtain onto the stage. The women wore dresses and had shawls draped across their arms. The men wore bright feathers attached to colorful fabric and Indian headdresses. The dancers stomped their feet and twisted their bodies as they performed an Indian "fancy dance." When the dancers left the stage at the Givens Performing Arts Center at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, students cheered for more. On Tuesday, the students were treated to Indian dancing and storytelling as part of Indian Heritage Week at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The program is designed to expose students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade to Indian culture. It is a joint program between the university's Native American Resource Center and Indian student organizations and the school system's Indian Education and Arts Education programs. The program is successful because it combines entertainment with education, said Stan Knick, director of the Native American Resource Center. "The combination of storytelling and dancing work very well together," Knick said. "The program shows the students that the Indian culture is not something of the past, but something in the present. It is something that is ongoing. "Whether the students are Native American or not, they leave here with an appreciation of something that is living and breathing in North Carolina." Alternate lessons Students also learn about other avenues to explore their interest in American Indian culture, he said. The university began celebrating Indian Heritage Week more than 20 years ago. Storytelling was added to the program about 15 years ago, Knick said. Barbara Locklear of Charlotte was one of the storytellers who spoke with students Tuesday. Locklear wove life lessons into her stories. Locklear, who is Lumbee, told the students that the stories have been passed down orally for generations. She shared a tale about how the owl and the rabbit were created. The story tried to convey that no one is more important than another person, that patience is a virtue, and that sometimes what a person wants is not necessarily what he needs. She also told a story about a turtle that wanted to migrate South with the birds. The story showed students that although they may be different, they are still special. It also taught them to listen and think before they act. Anthony McCoy, a third-grader at West Lumberton Elementary School, said the best part of the program was the storytelling. "I learned that you can't be the same, but you can be special," he said. Sighlest Flores, a fourth-grader at West Lumberton, said the program is a positive experience for all races. "I think it is great to learn about my past," he said. "Today, I heard stories I never heard before and saw two new dances." John Hokins, who also attends West Lumberton, said he enjoyed learning how people used to do things in the past, especially the dances. "They had to do a lot of practicing to do that," he said. Staff writer Venita Jenkins can be reached at jenkinsv@fayettevillenc.com or (910) 738-9158. Copyright c. 2004 The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. --------- "RE: Native Leadres skeptical about 'Better Times'" --------- Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2004 09:47:22 -0000 From: "frostyca2000" Subj: Indian Affairs minister tells skeptical native leaders better times are ahead Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/09/22/639567-cp.html Indian Affairs minister tells skeptical native leaders better times are ahead By GREG JOYCE September 22, 2004 NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. (CP) - Canada's latest Indian Affairs minister - the seventh in the past 15 years - got a rough reception Wednesday at a meeting of B.C. aboriginal leaders, despite his assertion that aboriginal people are high on the Liberal government's agenda. Andy Scott told delegates to the First Nations Summit convention the government was committed to improving the lives of aboriginals across the country and reaching treaties in British Columbia, where few formal treaties were signed after the province entered Confederation. "This government has raised the aboriginal agenda to an unprecedented level of importance," Scott said in a speech on the Squamish reserve. The minister reminded the delegates that Prime Minister Paul Martin said he wants his term to be remembered for progress on four issues: health care, children, cities and aboriginals. After the speech, however, the minister took questions and faced a barrage of discontent. Some chiefs told Scott they were tired of hearing platitudes from the ministers that have addressed them over the years. "We are sick to death of hearing from a long procession of ministers about committment and goodwill," said Stewart Philip, the president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. The union is not involved in the treaty process and Philip was at the meeting as an observer. "The situation is so desperate in our communities. We can't afford to sit here and listen to philosophical discussions by ministers." Grand Chief Ed John, a member of the summit's task force, told Scott a major stumbling block to treaties in B.C. is the continued refusal of the provincial and federal governments to address aboriginal rights and title and First Nations' desire for self government measures. "When our people come to the negotiating tables or courts, the government lawyers say, 'Prove you have title and rights.' " John said bands involved in the treaty process in B.C. have borrowed about $250 million to pay legal fees. He said he hopes the current administration will be better for natives than the previous one. "The last prime minister (Jean Chretien), despite requests from our chiefs, never met once with us in nine years and that doesn't say much for priorities." As Scott feverishly took notes at the head table, another member of the summit's executive took the minister to task for saying that a handful of agreements-in-principle in 12 years of treaty talks was "progress." Dave Porter said there had not been any treaties finalized. "There are no treaties and there will be none because of (the federal government's) position at the negotiating table," said Porter. "You say to us that federal and provincial laws must apply and we have no jurisdiction. That is wrong." Scott replied again that he recognizes current methods must change. He said he would remember a comment from one delegate in particular. "You said that 100 hundred years of listening is enough and that is a quote I'll take home." After the speech, Scott refused to address whether Canada would change its negotiating stance. "As I said, we are committed to inherent self-government, committed to the process and committed to moving the process along." He said he wanted to listen and determine where the major problems lie "so this isn't, as they suggested, a constant exercise in hearing from different ministers on various platitudes." Scott is back in cabinet following a well-publicized debacle in 1998 that forced him to the backbenches. The Fredericton MP was made solicitor general in 1997 but lasted just 17 months in the job. He resigned in 1998 after being overheard on an airplane indiscreetly discussing an inquiry into the RCMP's handling of student protesters at the 1997 Asia-Pacific summit in Vancouver. He re-entered cabinet as a junior minister for infrastructure last December, and was named minister for Indian affairs and northern development on July 20. Copyright c. 2004 Canoe. --------- "RE: Council of Elders meet with Grand Chief" --------- Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2004 09:48:18 -0000 From: "frostyca2000" Subj: Council of Elders Meet With Grand Chief Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian Council of Elders Meet With Grand Chief By: Ross Montour Many people waiting to have their membership applications reviewed under the new Kahnawake Membership Law have no doubt been wondering when the Council of Elders would begin. While members of the Council were installed in the spring, much of their efforts have been spent on reviewing the law, even though optimistic projections forecasted they would be entertaining applications by July. Because of this, Grand Chief Michael Delisle Jr. requested a meeting with the Council of Elders. That meeting took place Monday afternoon. "I felt it was important to demonstrate progress - that the Council of Elders could begin to deal with the more easily dealt-with applications. The 'gimmes', if you will," Delisle explained Tuesday. Delisle characterized the meeting as positive. Delisle dais he felt it was important to let the Council of Elders members know that the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake would be there to support them in their efforts and to assure them that the MCK would not overstep their authority. Delisle made the point to circumvent any comparisons to the Peacekeeper Accountability Board, which was scrapped over two years ago. The Council of Elders is wholly different in that it is integral to the application of the new membership law and is recognized by community appointment as the empowered body that would oversee the laws application. In addition, Delisle said that both Chiefs appointed as ex-officio members of the Council of Elders attended their first meeting with the body two weeks ago. Delisle confided that the Council of Elders also discussed a list of 12 proposed amendments to the law dated August 11. The Grand Chief said he was not at liberty to disclose the substance of the amendment proposals put forward by the Council of Elders. "They decided they didn't want the proposals made public at the time. They didn't want to do this while those proposals were still under discussion. The (MCK) council didn't even receive the proposals for the same reason," he noted. Delisle said he only just received the amendment proposal at the Monday meeting. Delisle expected to receive formal notification from the Council of Elders indicating their readiness to have copies of the amendment proposals distributed to the Mohawk Council table as early as Tuesday. While discussions were held on the timing and procedures of the amending process, as well as the impending arrival of an impact assessment of the new law being prepared by CESO (Canadian Executive Services Organization), the party agreed to move ahead on considering membership applications. Delisle pointed out that the Council of Elders had already called for the passage of an empowering Mohawk Council Resolution two weeks ago indicating their readiness to begin the task of considering applications for membership. "That MCR will likely be passed within the next two weeks," Delisle confided. "I also asked them if they would want to wait until the CESO report was submitted before moving ahead with the application process. After some discussion the general consensus of yesterday's meeting was to move forward on the application of the law. I said, 'Let's move forward together and meet the challenges together. It's the right thing to do'," the Grand Chief concluded. --------- "RE: Editorial: Attempts to Abolish Reserve Syetem" --------- Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2004 09:48:58 -0000 From: "frostyca2000" Subj: EDITORIAL MailingList: Frostys AmerIndian EDITORIAL A Theory on Attempts to Abolish the Reserve System By: Kenneth L. Williams, The Eastern Door A public declaration by Minister of Indian Affairs Andy Scott advocating private ownership of property on Reserves generated some response last week, which was both favourable and not so favourable to the idea... Of those in favour, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation's Centre for Aboriginal Policy Change seems to be leading the parade. In an on-line news release put out by the Federation on September 7, it was stated that this idea was something it has supported since 1997. Said release also expressed the Federation's disappointment with martin's Liberals for having "KILLED the First Nations Governance Act" (FNGA) - the now-defunct piece of Federal legislation ultimately intended to wipe out any special status for Native Peoples. What catches my eye at this point is that the notion of private property on Reserves sounds a lot like the First Nations Land Management Act (FNLMA). If you'll recall, the FNLMA was companion legislation to the FNGA, which would have effectively reduced Reserve Lands to the status of fee simple title. In other words, the ultimate goal of this particular legislation was to wipe out any special status for Native Lands. Now I don't know about you, but I'm seeing a theme here. More importantly, it's a theme that apparently recurs from government to successive government, regardless of their particular ilk. The theme is: "Hey guys, let's solve that pesky little Indian problem once and for all, and while we're at it, let's get them to sell off their land to the highest bideer, shall we..." And like most recurring themes, there's a pattern involved. As far as I can tell, the pattern goes something like this: Step One - They run for office with the supposed intention of doing right by Native Peoples (a step most likely undertaken in the hopes of pulling in the pro-Native libertarian vote). Naturally, this involves the shooting down of any of the previous government's diabolical plans to wipe us all out. Step Two - Once elected, they wait for all the political campaign smoke to clear. This is also when they see that in the short-term, they need to pull money out of one hat or another, and in the long-term, they also need to get their hands on some real assets (i.e. lands). They also find that despite their best intentions (ha ha ha), they hae no choice but to get rid of any "competition" for the aforementioned monies and assets (and by the way, said "competition" would be us). Step Three - Slowly and subtly, they begin to incorporate comments into their rhetoric, which would accentuate the "positives" of the very same diabolical plans they were criticizing their predecessors for attempting. In this case, for example, they would say things along the lines of "Private ownership of property on Reserves may be a way to combat Native poverty." Of course, such statements are made in tongue-in-cheek fashion because THEY DON'T REALLY CARE ABOUT NATIVE POVERTY - they're simply fabricating some preparatory spin for their own version of the same diabolical little master plan. Step Four - They eventually draft their own version of the very same legislation they initially brought down...surprise, surprise! Anyway, I think we can all see how this works. Meanwhile, there's just one little clarification that needs to be made here. If the aforementioned pattern happened between opposing political PARTIES, the scenario would have played itself out within the scope of the federal election itself. In this specific case, however, it was really teh Martin Liberals vs. the Chretien Liberals, and the scenario played itself out more in the context of that two-headed (serpentine partiy's own leadership struggles. In the end, the proverbial "wolf in sheep's clothing" was really just the same old wolf in another wolf's clothes. Furthermore, the original wolf has had a long history with the aforementioned diabolical master plan. As Indian Affairs Minister under Trudeau, Chretien was the author of the infamous '69 White Paper (a document whooly steeped in the merits of Native cleansing). Later, former Indian Affairs Minister Robert nault, under Chretien, was all too likely "just following orders" (as per the Nuremberg defence) when he fathered the FNGA, FNLMA and other related doctrines. And now, Chretien's one-time buddy and former Finance Minister Paul Martin may quite possible be coaching present Indian Affairs Minister Scott in yet another run at their collective direty work... Hmmm... All of the previous is just my own humble little theory, but make no mistake about it: The more old foes change, the more they stay the same. Never mind the dark hearts of any ultra-right-wing Conservatives out there; the devil we know is a devious master of disguise. And rest assured - he still longs for the day when we're no longer his pesky little problem --------- "RE: B.C. close to signing Five Modern-Day Treaties" --------- Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2004 09:46:22 -0000 From: "frostyca2000" Subj: B.C. close to signing five modern-day treaties, says former NDP premier Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian B.C. close to signing five modern-day treaties, says former NDP premier DIRK MEISSNER September 21, 2004 VICTORIA (CP) - Two British Columbia treaty pioneers are confident the province is on the verge of signing its first modern-day land-claim treaties with up to five First Nations. Former NDP premier Mike Harcourt and Jack Weisgerber, a former Social Credit aboriginal affairs cabinet minister, said Tuesday it's taken years of talks, but the lengthy process will soon yield deals. But how soon still appears to be a matter of debate, said the two former political foes at a news conference highlighting the release of the 11th annual report of the B.C. Treaty Commission. Harcourt and Weisgerber serve on the commission, the organization that oversees B.C. treaty talks. All sides in negotiations are pushing for a breakthrough signing in time for the coming May 17 provincial election, but it could also take years, said Harcourt, who was premier when the current treaty negotiation process was introduced in 1993. "We've got the base in place and I think there's momentum building towards a significant number of treaties in the next three to five years, which would be tremendously beneficial to not just First Nations, but to British Columbians," he said. Weisgerber, who questioned negotiating land deals with aboriginals when he was a member of the former B.C. Reform Party, said huge strides toward reaching treaties have been made in the last two years. "I'm optimistic," he said. "The process is maturing. You have a group of five tables moving quite determinedly toward final agreements." Up to a dozen other treaties are close to reaching their final stage of negotiations, Weisgerber said. But aboriginals opposed to the treaty process said British Columbia is nowhere close to signing land-claims deals. "This is not the first time we've heard this time-worn and weary rhetoric coming from the provincial government," said Stewart Phillip, Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs president. "There really isn't any forward movement being made at any of the (treaty) tables," he said. The failure or unwillingness of the federal and provincial governments to recognize that aboriginals have title rights to Crown lands involved in the treaty talks is stalling treaty settlements, Phillip said. The commission's report said recent court decisions ruled the government must consult with First Nations before starting developments on traditional aboriginal lands. "No longer acceptable is the view that aboriginal rights are of minimal importance and have no impact on provincial jurisdiction over lands and resources," said the report. Harcourt said treaty negotiators are currently awaiting a Supreme Court of Canada ruling involving the Haida aboriginals of northwest British Columbia and forest company Weyerhaeuser over the company's plans to log parts of the Queen Charlotte Islands. The five aboriginal nations that have reached the final treaty negotiation stage are: Lheidli T'enneh band near Prince George; Maa-nulth First Nations near Port Alberni; Sechelt band of Sechelt; Sliammon band near Powell River and Tsawwassen First Nation near Vancouver. --------- "RE: Racism rears head at Ipperwash Inquiry" --------- Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 08:58:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SWASTIKA SYMBOL" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.theglobeandmail.com//20040924/GEORGE24/TPNational/?query=aboriginal Racism rears head at Ipperwash inquiry Canadian Press September 24, 2004 FOREST, ONT. - The Ipperwash judicial inquiry took an unsettling turn yesterday after members of Dudley George's family found a metre-long swastika spray-painted at their usual parking spots. Under the Nazi symbol, "4 ever" was painted on the asphalt parking lot at the Forest Community Centre. Several lawyers at the inquiry into Mr. George's death are Jewish, as is Mr. Justice Sidney Linden, the inquiry commissioner. Provincial police are investigating. Sam George, a brother of the dead man, found the swastika after he parked. "It is too bad people can't get rid of this kind of stuff and move forward," he said. "It is the type of symbol you see when there is hatred toward other people, and to see it here this morning is just not good." Mr. George said he hoped the inquiry would promote healing in the community after the events at Ipperwash Provincial Park nine years ago, when his brother was shot and killed by a provincial police officer. The swastika showed there is still a long way to go, he said. The incident comes just days after a member of a road-paving crew working on the street in front of the community centre yelled "get a job" at a native woman crossing the street. The incident was witnessed by reporters and several natives. The road worker has reportedly been suspended from her job. Andrew Orkin, a lawyer for the George family, said it appeared the swastika was the work of someone local, but doesn't reflect feelings in the community. "Our sense is this is certainly not representative of dominant local thinking, either in Forest or Bosanquet, or in Southwestern Ontario," he said. But Mr. Orkin said it would be an opportune time for local religious and community leaders to condemn the action. "Let's do so promptly and in very strong terms." Mr. Orkin said there was a terri