_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 12, ISSUE 045 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 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 November 6, 2004 Klamath Kapchelam/Snow Moon Blackfeet iitaohkanaikokotoyi niitahtaistsi/Moon when all the rivers freeze +-------------------------------------------------------+ | 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; News and Information Distribution and Frostys AmerIndian Mailing Lists; UUCP email IMPORTANT!! ----------- In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, all material appearing in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for educational purposes. <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our Spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the Red Road. ++ It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own internet addressable account to gars@speakeasy.org ++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org <================<<<< >>>>================> +-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + | As historian Patricia Nelson | | Once a language is lost, it is | | Limerick summarized in "The | | gone forever | | Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken | | * Of the 300 original Native | | Past of the American West... | | languages in North America, | | "Set the blood quantum at | | only 175 exist today. | | one-quarter, hold to it as a | | * 125 of these are no longer | | rigid definition of Indians, | | learned by children. | | let intermarriage proceed as | | * 55 are spoken by 1 to 6 elders;| | it had for centuries, and | | when they die, their language | | eventually Indians will be | | will disappear. | | defined out of existence." | | * Without action, only 20 | | "When that happens, the federal | | languages will survive the next| | government will be freed of | | 50 years. | | its persistent 'Indian problem.'"| | Source: Indigenous Language | +-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ | Institute | |http://www.indigenous-language.org| This issue's Elder Quote: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + ======================== "The lack of respect seems to be a growing problem with some people." "Often times, sacred areas like these attract people who mock the rituals of Native Americans by dancing naked or making fools of themselves for a laugh." __ Donna Akers, Choctaw Assistant Professor of History and Ethnic Studies at UNL +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! Please note: My primary email address is changing... from gars@speakeasy.org to wotanging@bellsouth.net. ------- Gale Norton, Secretary of the Department of Interior, continues to prove that her department and this administration regard Indian interests, which as trustees, they are obligated to protect, as a nuisance to be shoved aside, along with inconvenient environmental interests. Her latest attack, featured in the first article in this issue, is an effort to remove tribal interests from hydro electric dam renewals/appeals, while giving industry representives an exclusive pipeline to federal agency decision-makers. It seems she is in a tiff because the bad old Indians kept creating problems for "friends" in the hydro-electric industry. Whether gutting forests, wrecking the fragile Artic National Wilderness or renewing dam leases, the goal is the same. Kill efforts to protect the environment and protect the people, and grease the path for unimpeded industrial exploitation. Forget treaties. Forget communities and traditions that have for generations depended upon food and water provided by natural resources. For a woman who is charged with defending natural resources and tribal rights, her interests are more appropriate to the Department of Commerce. Fat stealers are fat stealers are fat stealers. =================================== ANNUAL WINTER APPEALS Thursday, September 30, I sent out a notice to several individuals and groups that have supported winter needs. I am sharing that notice with all readers and asking you to please let this space help you help our Peoples. ---- Greetings This brief email is being sent as winter nears. I distribute a newsletter, Wotanging Ikche; and each year before winter sets in through the first of January I run names, addresses and needs of our elders and children throughout Indian Country. I don't draw any lines such as rez/urban. If there is a need, it's included. Send the contact name, address, phone, email, website (or as much as you can) Include the need (clothing, toys for kids, food, fuel money...) If there is a limited run (like now to two weeks before Christmas) include that. Send your information to: gars@speakeasy.net Please make the subject: WINTER HELP (all caps) Get this information to me as soon as you can. Spread the word. I will also copy whatever I run in Wotanging Ikche to some of the Mailing Lists I'm on, like RezLife, NDNAIM, Rez_LIfe, FrostysAmerIndian... Thanks, gary ---- =================================== The first response came from our Mohawk brother, Frosty Deere. It is an important need to those Mohawk who call Kahnawake home. Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2004 19:52:51 -0400 From: "Frosty" Subj: Re: Winter Needs Rez & Urban http://www.tewateiahsatakaritat.com/pool/ Maybe you could include the above address, it explains everything. The Kahnawake Pool Project What happened to the Current pool? Its old, out dated, broken and cant be used in the middle of winter. How can people help? Well you can either buy a raffle ticket, donate money, or help find people to donate money for the pool. How can I help ? Well their are number of ways, one is just send a dollar to Indoor Pool Project, Box 821, Kahnawake Quebec J0L-1B0. Take a collection where you work. Get the company where you work to donate. Spread the word to as many people you know that can afford a dollar or more. Contacts: MacKenzie Whyte E-mail Address: Ronald Deere aka Frosty mackenziew@mck.ca E-mail Address(es): frosty@frostys.qc.ca Lou Ann Stacey frosty@kahonwes.com E-mail Address: louanns@mck.ca =================================== Date: Sunday, October 10, 2004 04:16 pm From: Lisa Mailing List: NDNAIM Greetings everyone, Happy Fall ! The cooler weather is setting in. Elections are next month, get out an vote. We still need to believe that our votes count. Two important votes next month, not only for the U.S. President but for all you Pine Ridge tribal members your presidential election. "VOTE" TOY DRIVE : Leonard wanted us to kick off the x-mas toy drive for Oglala. Grandmother Roselyn will be hosting this event again this year. "NEW" toys will be accepted for children of all ages. Clothing items that are always needed such as socks, stocking caps, gloves, shoes and underware (new) will be given to the Loneman School Nurse to be given on a "needed" basis. Roselyn says there are many children who come to school in the middle of a South Dakota winter wearing sandels. So the school nurse will be able to handle these items better as needed. Roselyn will also accept Wal-Mart and K-mart gift cards. These will help with specific items that she can purchase. Everything should be mailed directly to Roselyn's house. Roselyn Jumping Bull PO Box 207 Oglala, SD 57764 (605) 867-2231 (Note: FYI: Grandmother Roselyn's will be celebrating a birthday in Nov. I could be off on this a day but I think it is Nov 15, and she will be 74.) =================================== Date: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 01:25 pm From: Brigitte Thimiakis Subj: Winter Needs Greetings Gary, Honor Your Spirit, Protect The Children (HYS) is working on a new winter project for the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in MT. I will send you the request as soon as it is ready. I pray that once again many people will send help to all the places with children, elders and families in need of support. We do have a Christmas catalogue which is ready for people who wish to order First Nations art and crafts items. These items make very nice gifts for Christmas. They are authentic First Nations artwork and items like horsehair hatbands or belts can also be handed down from generation to generation. ALL the proceeds from the sales are used to help the elders and children in need. The founder of HYS is Northern Cheyenne and our contacts on the reservation are Northern Cheyenne also. It would be very much appreciated if you could regularly enclose the url to the HYS catalogue in your newsletter. HYS Arts and crafts catalogue http://www.geocities.com/honoryourspirit/fncrafts.html "Honor Your Spirit, Protect the Children" Manuel Redwoman, Northern Cheyenne/Lakota/Arapaho http://www.geocities.com/honoryourspirit/home.html Thank you for your message and continued support. With kindest regards to you and Janet, Respectfully, Brigitte <>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o "Honor Your Spirit, Protect the Children" Manuel Redwoman, Northern Cheyenne/Lakota/Arapaho http://www.geocities.com/honoryourspirit/home.html STOP CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT http://www.geocities.com/honoryourspirit/stopabuse.html Adult Children of Child Abuse http://groups.yahoo.com/group/adult_children_of_child_abuse/ HYS Arts and crafts catalogue http://www.geocities.com/honoryourspirit/fncrafts.html <>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o Dohiyi Ani Oginalii , , Gary Smith (*,*) wotanging@bellsouth.net P. O. Box 672168 (`-') gars@nanews.org Marietta, GA 30008, U.S.A. ===w=w=== http://www.nanews.org ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- - Norton proposal - San Pasqual families to cut Tribes out of Dam Appeals grateful for new Homes - Fragile Arctic - YELLOW BIRD: endangered by Greenhouse Gases Even Rez can't escape Cell Madness - Editorial: Let Tribes - CHUCULATE: control their own Destinies Kerry Promises; Bush Cutbacks - 80 Years ago, - Provincial Police Tribes won Right to Vote deny spying on Kanesatake - Editorial: Si Tanka needs change - Inquiry links - We need to get educated Native Teen's death to Police - Possible New England Tribal College - Bush signs Indian Probate Law - Native American - Former Miss Navajo Incentive Funds exhausted talks about Domestic Violence - Native concerns discussed - Sheriff backs off Tulalip uproar - Indians struggle - Carpitcher imprisonment Protested to protect Sacred Land - AIM Murder Case extradition - American Indian Heritage Month due in December - Jim Crowbead: - Native Prisoner State sued over Tribal IDs -- Wrapped in Poverty - Tribe is angry Underfunded Jails about Blaine County appeal - History: Carlisle Indian School - Opinion: Prop. 200 - Rustywire: targets American Indians Day in the Life of an Indian Woman - Appeal gives Nipmuc - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days bid a new review - Rustywire Poem: Sweet Gentle Earth - Navajos want - Tribes and Tobacco crumbling Schools fixed - Upcoming Events - Yaqui 'Visioning' for Old Pascua Area --------- "RE: Norton proposal to cut Tribes out of Dam Appeals" --------- Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 08:29:33 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ANOTHER NORTON BUSH-WHACK" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3721-2004Oct27.html?sub=AR Proposal Restricts Appeals on Dams Administration Plan Could Help Hydropower Firms Avoid Costs By Blaine Harden Washington Post Staff Writer October 28, 2004 SEATTLE, Oct. 27 - The Bush administration has proposed giving dam owners the exclusive right to appeal Interior Department rulings about how dams should be licensed and operated on American rivers, through a little- noticed regulatory tweak that could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the hydropower industry. The proposal would prevent states, Indian tribes and environmental groups from making their own appeals, while granting dam owners the opportunity to take their complaints - and suggested solutions - directly to senior political appointees in the Interior Department. The proposal, which is subject to public comment but can be approved by the administration without congressional involvement, would use the president's rule-making power to circumvent opposition to the idea among Senate Democrats. They killed an administration-backed energy bill that included similar language, for which the hydropower industry had lobbied. The proposed rule comes at a pivotal time in the history of the hydropower industry. Most privately owned dams were built - and granted 30-to-50-year federal licenses - in an era before federal environmental laws required protection for fish and other riverine life. In the next 15 years, licenses for more than half of the country's privately owned dams will come up for renewal. The hydropower industry has complained that to comply with the law and renew their licenses with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, dam owners are being forced to pay large settlements to mitigate the environmental harm that dams cause fish and communities that depend on fish. The typical settlement cost is about $10 million, the industry has said, but some settlements have been as much as $200 million. By allowing the industry the exclusive right to present alternative settlement ideas, the proposed appeal rule could substantially reduce the cost of renewing a dam license. Dam owners "would be facing an extremely high cost and very uncertain benefits," said Lynn Scarlett, the assistant secretary at Interior for policy, management and budget who approved the proposed rule. "Giving them some ability to voice their concern and present alternatives seemed appropriate." Scarlett said other interest groups, during earlier stages in the licensing process, would retain their right to be heard. The proposal has generated widespread criticism from Democrats in Congress and attorneys general in several states, from Indian tribes and environmental groups and from some high-level officials and scientists in the Interior Department. "As was true of the failed Republican energy bill, the administration's hydro proposal would protect utility profits at the expense of fish, wildlife and conservation values," said Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. "The proposal disregards fundamental rules of procedural fairness, granting business unprecedented preferential status. States, Indian tribes, conservationists and the rest of the public are relegated to a much lesser role." Indian leaders said the proposal would betray the federal government's legal responsibility to tribes. "This undermines the very trust responsibility that Interior is supposed to be the lead department in protecting," said Tex G. Hall, president of the National Congress of American Indians, the nation's largest tribal advocacy group. "You would think they don't get it, or they are doing it on purpose." Inside the Interior Department, some lawyers have argued that the appeals proposal - three years in the making before being published last month in the Federal Register - is unconstitutional because it violates due process and equal protection guarantees. "It is not legal because one party is being treated very differently than another, and that is very much the opposite of what we have been trying to do for years," said one senior Interior Department official who is involved in the dispute and who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. "Suddenly, a licensee can walk away from everybody else and have a private meeting with the assistant secretary and bring in new conditions that haven't been reviewed by anybody before." The department acknowledged on Wednesday that there have been "discussions" among its lawyers on the legality of the proposal, which will be open to public comment until Nov. 8. The department can then, with the approval of the Office of Management and Budget, issue a final rule that has the power of law. Scientists in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is part of the Interior Department, have also said the proposal would limit the ability of states, tribes and private groups to influence resource management decisions in their own back yards while putting the decisions about dam operations into the hands of political appointees who may not understand the harm dams cause. "It allows industry to go in and speak their piece without having to deal with the concerns of all the other stakeholders along a river," said an Interior Department official who has worked for many years on the dam relicensing process and who asked not to be identified by name, also for fear of retaliation. The hydropower licensing law was written in 1920, and the industry had few problems with it for nearly six decades - until tribes and environmental groups figured out how to use the law in a way that cost the industry a lot of money. In most nearly every recent relicensing, the industry has been on the defensive. "The process is broken," Julie Kiel, director of dam licensing for Portland General Electric in Oregon, said before a House subcommittee last year. "Almost every hydropower stakeholder wants to see it repaired." Copyright c. 2004 The Washington Post Company. --------- "RE: Fragile Arctic endangered by Greenhouse Gases" --------- Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 08:23:10 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ARCTIC ENDANGERED" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://uk.news.yahoo.com/041031/323/f5o0j.html Fragile Arctic region endangered by greenhouse gases: report October 31, 2004 WASHINGTON (AFP) - Greenhouse gases have contributed to a gradual warming of the ecologically-fragile Arctic region, causing massive climate changes, including melting glaciers and sea ice, according to a soon-to-be-released environmental study. The New York Times reported Saturday that the study, to be released November 9, is the first thorough assessment of the causes and consequences of global warming in the region. The Times wrote that the document endorsed the view supported by many scientists around the world that global warming is caused mainly by rising concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, and that the Arctic region is the first to feel its impact. "The strength of the trends and the patterns of change that have emerged in recent decades indicate that human influences, resulting primarily from increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, have now become the dominant factor," the newspaper quotes the study as saying. The study was commissioned by eight nations with Arctic territory, including the United States. The Times said it acquired a copy of the document from European participants in the project. Research for the study was conducted by nearly 300 scientists, as well as elders from the Native American communities in the region, after representatives of the eight nations met in October 2000 in Barrow, Alaska, amid a growing sense of urgency about the effects of global warming on the Arctic. The report carries no legal weight, but is seen as likely to increase pressure on the Bush administration, which has acknowledged a possible human role in global warming but says the science is still too insubstantial to warrant imposing mandatory reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Copyright c. 2004 AFP. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2004 Yahoo! UK Limited. All rights reserved --------- "RE: Editorial: Let Tribes control their own Destinies" --------- Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 08:24:35 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="REAL AUTONOMY" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.valleystar.com/editorial_more.php?id=55342_0_28_0_M Editorial: Indians can't shake feds' paternalism October 25, 2004 A lot of people in Washington like to hold up Native Americans as paragons of environmental virtue, and to talk up a storm about helping tribes finally step out from under Uncle Sam's long shadow and stand on their own. But when tribes actually reach out for some of that autonomy, this talk often turns out to be lip service. Float a proposal that would truly give tribes a bit more control over their own destinies and the special interests and bureaucrats that rule in Washington suddenly turn paternalistic, and begin treating tribes pretty much like they treat the rest of us - as if we can't be trusted to manage our own affairs. An excellent, if ironic, case in point is presented by the special- interest groups rising to oppose a plan that would allow the Salish and Kootenai tribes to jointly manage Montana's National Bison Range with the federal government. During the past year, an agreement has been negotiated between the tribes and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for shared responsibility for the 18,500-acre reserve, beginning next year. The pact, which would permit tribes to manage wildlife, fire protection, maintenance and visitor services on the range, stems from 1994's Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, which encourages tribes to partner with the Department of Interior on projects of "special geographic, historical and cultural significance." But now that a draft plan has been released, federal bureaucrats and environmental groups are throwing up obstacles for patently self-serving and condescending reasons. National wildlife refuge managers apparently oppose the arrangement for fear that it could cost them staff and diminish their budgets and bureaucratic domains. They also worry that teaming with tribes could highlight the benefits of privatization. Some environmentalists apparently just don't trust Indians to do the job: perhaps they fear the Salish and Kootenai will butcher the herd and revert to swapping hides for glass beads and saddle blankets. None say this explicitly, of course; that would be politically incorrect. But a distrust of Native Americans is implicit in their strained rationalizations. We saw something similar occur last year when the same sorts of groups raised doubts about a piece of legislation offered by Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell that would have empowered tribes to more aggressively develop energy resources on reservations and trust lands. Such paternalism is ironic, given that liberals often are most emphatic about portraying native peoples as having a special, even mystical, connection with the environment. Yet, these same Indians suddenly can't be trusted to manage a herd of bison in partnership with federal agencies? That's an odd incongruity. In all, 19 wildlife refuges and 34 national parks are eligible for participation in similar programs. And that seems to worry some federal land management bureaucrats. "Some critics fear the move could lead to federal employees being displaced by tribal workers," The Washington Post reported this week. "Others have voiced concern that the agreement could set a precedent for wider privatization of federal parks and reserves." But we see neither development as something to fear; both, in fact, should be encouraged for the sake of taxpayers and the tribes. We believe Native Americans can responsibly manage not just bison herds - something they were doing long before European settlers arrived - but more of their own affairs across the board. That could occur only when certain special interests stop paying lip service to Indian autonomy and seize opportunities such as this to support it. Copyright c. 2004 Valley Morning Star/Harlingen, TX. --------- "RE: 80 Years ago, Tribes won Right to Vote" --------- Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 08:23:10 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NATIVE VOTING RIGHTS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.skagitvalleyherald.com/articles/2004/10/31/news/news02.txt 80 years ago, tribes won right to vote By LEVI PULKKINEN October 31, 2004 When Paul Martin got the vote, he didn't want to miss his chance. It was 1924, and Martin - like most other American Indians - had just been made a citizen. On Election Day, he headed for the polls. Poll workers at the Rockport polling place were not pleased to see him, said Imogene Bowen, Martin's granddaughter. They said he couldn't vote because he was an American Indian. "He didn't leave," Bowen said. "He stayed right there until finally they had to let him vote to get him out of there." Bowen is proud of her grandfather's stand, but said its equally impressive that he understood so quickly the importance of this new right. "This wasn't anything that was part of our culture, but he was smart enough to understand that it's important to vote," the Upper Skagit tribal member said. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act, which allowed most American Indians to become American citizens and recognized their right to vote. It's a right that, until recently, many American Indians in Washington state have been reluctant to exercise, said Craig Bill, the director of the state Democratic Party's Native American Vote campaign and member of the Swinomish Tribe. Historically, less than half of the 100,000 American Indians living in Washington state have voted in presidential elections, Bill said. On average, about 64 percent of all voting age Washingtonians have voted in presidential elections held since 1952. "We're looking to improve that, to at least bridge the gap between the historically low numbers to the average," Bill said. During the 2000 election, more than 55,000 Indian voters came to the polls to oust former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton. This election, Bill said American Indian voting advocates are hopeful that more than 65,000 of them will exercise the right they won 80 years ago. Veterans and the vote The American Indians who served during World War I returned home to a country that did not recognize them as citizens. They had fought for the country, but could not vote for the president, said Lona Wilbur, a Swinomish tribal member and one of 103 American Indian delegates to attend the 2004 Democratic National Convention. "They still signed up and went away to the military," she said, "and they were not even citizens." It's an affront not forgotten by American Indian leaders, one that is often called to mind in election season, Swinomish Tribal Chairman Brian Cladoosby said. "Native Americans have basically fought in just about any war that the United States has fought in, and they've sent a higher percentage than any other group to fight for the greatest nation in the world," he said. "We always remind people what our veterans and our elders have done." Voting rights didn't translate neatly into political power, and even as citizens, American Indians continued to suffer abuse from the government. Among other indignities, American Indian children were forced to attend boarding schools where, Bowen said, they were to be "civilized." Between the 1880s and the 1940s, hundreds of American Indian children were taken to government boarding schools to be taught English and Western customs. In an effort to Westernize the students, they weren't allowed to speak their native languages or practice traditional religion. In 1944, Bowen was 10 years old and housed at one of the government schools when she had her first brush with political power. During a whistle-stop tour of the country, Bowen said then-Vice President Harry Truman passed through the school. "He stopped his train and waved at us," said Bowen, the former chairman of the Skagit County Democratic Party. Over the years, American Indians were able to garner more productive attention from politicians. Growing up on the Swinomish reservation near La Conner, Wilbur said her parents and others always impressed upon her the importance of political involvement beyond the tribe. "My father's father, I remember hearing him say that we're part of the community we live in, and we have to give back to the community we live in, but we're also citizens of the town and the state," she said. Wilbur said as a girl she helped her mother at the polls each year. During events on and off the reservation, she also met some of Washington's most prominent politicians, including former U.S. senators Warren Magnuson and Henry "Scoop" Jackson. In Boston this July, Wilbur said she again got to rub elbows with the nation's political elite. There, Wilbur said she met "a whole host of important elected officials," including most of the Washington Democrats elected to federal office. "They said they knew the reason they were in office was because the Native American people got out the vote," Wilbur said. Growing tribal clout Wooing the American Indian vote can throw some politicians, in part because members of tribal communities often vote for the same candidates. At Swinomish, the tribe will deliver an election guide to 160 households near the tribal center highlighting candidates the tribal government supports, Swinomish Chairman Brian Cladoosby said. "We pretty much vote as a block," he said. On Election Day, tribal poll watchers will track down members who haven't voted to remind them to do so, he said. In part because of that and other efforts, Cladoosby said between 80 and 90 percent of the tribes' registered voters often turn out on Election Day. "A lot of people take voting for granted because they've been able to do it since the United States was a nation," he said. "Three generations ago, that right wasn't given to us." In addition to voting as a block, American Indians predominantly vote Democrat, said Bill, the director of the state Democrats Indian voting campaign. Rod Van Mechelen of Conservative American Indian Republicans agreed with Bill's assessment - "Indian Country is by and large owned by the Democrats, " he said. But it might not stay that way. Van Mechelen, a member of the Cowlitz Tribal Council and Olympia resident, said he believes most American Indians "are socially conservative people" who are ready to "reclaim our conservative roots" and vote Republican. Bowen, who planted signs in her Mount Vernon yard for almost every Democratic candidate for office in the state, warned against either party counting on the American Indian vote unless they are prepared to deliver on American Indian issues. "Neither party should take the tribes as being theirs," she said. "It wouldn't be in their best interest to put the tribes permanently on one side." Indian poll watchers Like many other polling places in Skagit County, the polling places on or near Skagit County's reservations will be watched this election. Poll watchers organized by the National Indian Bar Association will be stationed at polling places for all of Washington tribes, except for those located in vote-by-mail counties, said Gabe Galanda, a Seattle American Indian lawyer directing the election protection effort. "They'll be standing adorned in an election protection shirt, on hand to answer questions or, in the worst-case scenario, intervene," Galanda said. "Otherwise volunteers will be there as a sign of solidarity with native voters, particularly those voting for the first time." The poll watchers will be available to assist American Indians and non-Indians, he added. Like others voting for the first time, Bill said voting can be disconcerting to American Indian voters new to the system. "Many of the misconceptions are second-generation misconceptions," Bill said. "You're talking about a group of people relatively new to voting." While registering new voters recently, Bowen said she's found most are very enthusiastic about going to the polls. Often, she said they'd take extra voter registration forms for unregistered friends and relatives. "When we were going around, people were saying, `We want a couple more,'" she said. "They're saying, `We're going to vote.'" Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 360-416-2138 or by e-mail at levip@skagitvalleyherald.com Copyright c. 2004 Skagit Valley Publishing. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Editorial: Si Tanka needs change" --------- Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 18:24:35 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SI TANKA" http://www.argusleader.com/editorial/Fridayfeature.shtml Si Tanka needs change Editorial Board Argus Leader October 29, 2004 University in Huron has been in financial trouble for too long David Nadolski, the lawyer handling foreclosure issues for Si Tanka University, says problems were created when the previous administration paid too much and borrowed too much to buy Huron College. "It doesn't mean the university is not viable," said Nadolski. "It is simply burdened with too much debt." Nadolski says the school will emerge from its troubles - loan defaults and a $2 million federal tax lien - through debt restructuring. That would please students and the Huron community. But there's more to this than just debt restructuring. And Nadolski is wrong about the troubles. They predate - by decades - the 2001 purchase that gave Si Tanka two campuses, the old Huron College campus in Huron and the original Si Tanka campus in Eagle Butte. For three decades, now, Huron College has faced financial troubles. It almost closed in 1976. It's changed hands over and over, changing its mission and moving from nonprofit to for-profit to nonprofit. Troubles are not new. It's time for a tough, realistic assessment of Nadolski's contention: Is the school viable or not? If it's viable, let's continue, because the dream is wonderful. Si Tanka and the Cheyenne River Tribe got involved with the idea of turning this into a northern plains version of the Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan. It would attract students from Canada and the northwest. Cheyenne River, at first, guaranteed a loan and then backed out because of financial questions. Si Tanka went ahead with the purchase and only a short time later found itself in financial trouble. Now, Huron lawyer and former state legislator Ron Volesky wants to buy the school, if Si Tanka's ownership is at risk. He says he has investors. But there's trouble there, too. Si Tanka - in Eagle Butte - says it maintains accreditation. If the school is sold, all the buyer would get is real estate and furnishings. So what's next? The first priority is resolving the foreclosure, loan defaults and tax lien. Then, it's time to take that hard look. The Huron community has every reason to keep the school open, even though there have been cool relations between the two. It's an attraction for economic development, and it provides good-paying jobs. Si Tanka and South Dakota's Native American community have every reason to keep the school open, because the dream of turning this into an international Native American school is wonderful. But what are the realistic chances of keeping this school open and successful? None, if it continues as it has. This school has a terribly troubled history, and while Si Tanka only inherited the problems, something's got to change if the university is to be successful. Clearly, what's been done in the past hasn't worked. Look at management. Look at finances. Look at enrollment. Look at the need. Look at viability. It would be unfortunate if the school were to close. That has to be an option, though. If supporters don't seriously consider viability, we're certain to see problems continue. Copyright c. 2004 Argus Leader. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: We need to get educated" --------- Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 08:23:10 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EDUCATION" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/103104/opi_20041031017.shtml We need to get educated, seize the day before it's too late Southeast Tides Ted Wright October 31, 2004 I used to think that one or another of our Native corporate or tribal executives and elected officials would take a vacation or retire and experience some sort of revelation about the illegitimacy of the way most of our entities are organized and managed. In recent years it even seemed that a few of those who have been in power for more than 25 years had begun to wake up. But as of this fall, I haven't heard anything but variations on tired themes. Among the messages I am waiting to hear are: * As a financial fiduciary, the corporation doesn't make sense as a foundation upon which to build our future as Native people. * The tribal government invariably ceases to be legitimate, as getting and spending soft money becomes the primary end of most of its activity and planning. * Education is the key to survival and success in both modern and traditional society; so we should have our own schools, curricula and teachers. * The community and family are critical in maintaining our way of life and our values, so we should concentrate most of our attention and resources on programs that strengthen them. * The lands and waters of our homeland belong to our children and must be nurtured as we would the heritage of our ancestors, not squandered according to the vagaries of foreign markets. * We were strong once and we still are. Whatever we decide to do we can do, with or without the corporation, the tribe, or the federal government. We depend on no one, but rely on each other and draw courage from the memory of those who came before us. In rereading Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," I was reminded of the importance of such praxis. Early on in his seminal work, Freire states that, "... almost always, during the initial stage of the struggle, the oppressed, instead of striving for liberation, tend themselves to become oppressors." This is the overriding thesis of his book, that oppressed people rarely view themselves as such, and that the kind of reflection necessary for them to see this clearly and to respond does not come naturally but must be learned. Thus the importance of education and control over schools and curriculum. ... In the midst of my own reflection, I realized that much of what is wrong with tribal governments and Native corporations is that they have provided too many opportunities for us to become dependent. This isn't so much a financial dependence as it is a misplaced trust in the knowledge and wisdom of those in positions of power and authority. Why is it that the majority of us are so blind to the truth of what could be if we imagined our world more personally and profoundly? Largely, because the tribe and the corporation are fictions, artificial means to an ambiguous and poorly conceived end. They do not do what Native people most need done. Their leadership meets regularly at great cost to examine the bottom line and measure their progress against ill-considered goals and comforting, measurable objectives. But missing from these analyses and subsequent plans is any serious thought about the lives of the people. The best evidence I can cite that our leaders don't get it is by the way they have "managed" education issues for 25 years. For example, they have spent millions of dollars to provide scholarships to shareholders and citizens without considering either the nature of K-12 education, or the purposes to which college degrees would be put. This is the equivalent of our ancestors sending our young men and women down the coast to be instructed by neighboring tribes without any concern for what they will know, how they learn, or whether, in fact, they actually return and take their rightful places within our communities. For all that they have learned in college and through their service on boards and councils, why is it our Native leaders do not stand up and say we should change the way we elect board members; re-examine our policies with regard to distant investments versus local jobs; stop exporting raw logs in weak markets and create value-added industry within a conservation economy; put in place a program so that every shareholder family claims a piece of their land; leave behind the constitutional hypocrisy of tribal governments, electoral politics, and parliamentary procedure and return to choosing leaders according to earned respect and wisdom; govern to meet the long-term needs of the whole community; and not rest until tribes and corporations reinvent themselves and find ways to work together for the good of all our people. There are a few saying what needs to be said, like my fellow Empire columnist Ernestine Hayes; but neither she nor I occupy positions of power. Could it be that seeing and saying the truth is antithetical to being selected for such positions within the system? Consider that it is the people who elect those in power, and those in power who hire those in authority over the people. Why is it that Natives disregard the truth when they see it, hear it, know it? It is because they trust the trained experts to do what is in their self-interest, to put in place more programs, distribute a larger dividend, give them what they think they need. Only through education can we break this cycle, through schools that Native people control and with curricula that invest fully in the connections between our traditional clans, communities, and the modern world. Ted Wright is an assistant professor of education at Antioch University in Seattle and a former Juneau teacher. Copyright c. 1997-2004 Juneau Empire, Morris Communications Corporation. --------- "RE: Possible New England Tribal College" --------- Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 08:23:10 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.boston.com/news/education//call_it_the_grand_slam_of_assignments/ NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES: New England is a hotbed of higher education, but there's one kind of campus it doesn't have: A college to serve American Indian tribes. Of the nation's 32 federally designated tribal colleges -- most of which are located on tribal lands -- none is located east of the Mississippi River. That could change, pending the outcome of a one-year, $200,000 study, to be paid for by the federal government, that will examine the feasibility of a tribal college in the Northeast. Amanda Lapham, a diversity programs director at the New England Board of Higher Education, said the board will collaborate with tribal leaders and American Indian specialists on the study, which will look at tribal needs in the region. New England tribes include the Narragansett of Rhode Island, the Connecticut Mohegan, and in Maine, the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Micmac, and Maliseet. Copyright c. 2004 Globe Newspaper Company. --------- "RE: Native American Incentive Funds exhausted" --------- Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 08:34:17 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="INCENTIVE FUNDS GONE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=5390 Native American Incentive funds exhausted Support needed to increase program OKLAHOMA CITY OK October 28, 2004 Money is running dry. Native American government contracting businesses have been booming in recent years across Oklahoma and the Nation as a result of the Native American Incentives Act and Department of Defense Indian Incentives Program. Now the demand for funds from the program to aid the growth of contracting has become greater than what is available. The Act, enacted in 1974, authorizes the payment of a five percent incentive as additional compensation to a prime contractor for a government contract. The incentive amount is based upon the amount of the subcontract awarded to a Native American subcontractor or supplier. Even though any government agency can participate, none funded programs under the Act until 1997. At that time, the Defense Department established the $8 million a year budget for the Indian Incentive Program. The program has been growing in use and the full allocation was used for the first time this year. The program used $7.2 million in 2003 and as a result of the latest boom in Native American economic development the demand for the allocated $8 million a year has already been met for 2004. There is hope to have funds increased for 2005. "The Native American Incentives Act is vital to Native American business and U.S. small business growth, especially in Oklahoma," said Oklahoma City Attorney Phil G. Busey. Busey, a Delaware and Cherokee who represents a number of tribes across Oklahoma for legal matters, said there is a strong demand to increase funds for the program. "Even though the $8 million is nominal compared to other program funds, the Act has stimulated growth and jobs among Native American businesses and in rural areas," he said. Busey is currently taking the lead to gain support for the program. He said the incentive triggers large prime contractors to seek small Native American owned companies with quality services for subcontract dollars. "Though the incentive is paid to the prime contractor the subcontract amount can be significant for the minority company," he said. "With the growing participation of Native American businesses and the Department of Defense funds having already been exhausted for this year creates a growing concern of whether enough funds will be available for next year," Busey said. "This program is very important to all of Oklahoma," he said. "The use of the capital funds in Oklahoma creates jobs in Oklahoma. "The program has a strong impact on rural areas and is an important economic development tool," he said. Recently, Busey has taken time to discuss issues with both the U.S. Senate Committee for Indian Affairs and Senator Daniel Inouye's staff. Senator Inouye of Hawaii was instrumental in obtaining the Defense Department appropriations for the $8 million a year in 1997. According to Busey, Inouye has worked every year to increase the appropriation but slowed down due to the funds never being fully exhausted. "The picture has now changed," Busey said. "A big reason the funds have never been fully used until now is because of the shortage of Native American government contractors and little information given about the program." Busey is working to secure support with the American Indian Chamber of Commerce and companies such as Clark Construction, Inc. to request Senator Inouye to obtain addition appropriations to increase the annual allocation under the Defense Department Indian Incentives Program. Busey is also encouraging companies engaged in business as prime Defense Department contractors, and others to support the additional appropriations. These prime contractors actively use and benefit from the program funds. The program has been successful in helping to solidify alliances between Department of Defense prime contractors and Native American subcontractors. "For such a small appropriation, the Indian Incentives Program has been very helpful in promoting viable alliances in Indian Country, bringing additional contract revenue and creating jobs among tribes and rural areas," Busey said. "People need to realize too, this program benefits everyone economically. Every dollar brought to Oklahoma helps all Oklahomans." In 2002, a Native American Company formed by Busey, Delaware Resource Group was awarded a $33 million subcontract by Boeing at Tinker Air Force Base. The subcontract allowed over 90 jobs to stay in Oklahoma. Few of the employees are Native American but the company remains Native American owned. "That is just an example of the strength of the incentive," Busey said. Joe Temple, president of the Delaware Resource Group, said one of the reasons the contract was awarded to the Oklahoma company was a result of the Indian Incentive under the Defense Department. "The incentive contributed to Boeing considering Delaware Resource Group," Temple said. To help support the efforts to have more funds allocated to the program please call (405) 721-7776. Native American Times is Copyright c. 2004 Oklahoma Indian Times, Inc. --------- "RE: Native concerns discussed" --------- Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 18:24:35 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="INDIAN STUDENTS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.cortezjournal.com/~news&article_path=/news/news041028_3.htm Native concerns discussed BY JOHN R. CRANE Journal Staff Writer October 28, 2004 More needs to be done to address local American Indian students' lack of achievement, to offer Navajo classes in Cortez schools and to speed transmission of student absentee data between the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Re-1 Montezuma Cortez School District, said representatives from area tribes at a special school district board meeting Tuesday night. The meeting between the Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 School District and area tribes is held annually as part of the district's Indian policy and procedures and to discuss how to address American Indian students' needs. School board members mostly listened during the meeting. "Overall, figures show that Ute Mountain Ute students are not experiencing adequate success in the Re-1 School District," said Selwyn Whiteskunk, chairman-elect of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council in Towaoc. Whiteskunk added that the tribe's students are the lowest proficiency group on CSAP tests and that areas of development need to be identified to ease student transition between grades. "It's alarming," Whiteskunk said of the CSAP achievement gap between native and non-native students. Whiteskunk said more American Indian staff in district schools is needed and that expulsion is not always the solution to students' problems. He added that sending truant students to boarding schools is an easy way out. "I don't want to send children to boarding schools away from family," he said. "I went to a boarding school. I know how it is to be away for nine months." Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Councilman Manuel Heart reminded the board of the United States' "unique legal relationship" with its American Indian tribes. He mentioned the Bush administration's efforts to assist American Indians in meeting the challenges and standards of the No Child Left Behind Act, in accordance with tribal conditions, languages and cultures. "This is an opportunity for tribal members and tribal leaders and educators, such as yourselves, to work together with the Department of Education to find strategies to implement No Child Left Behind in Indian country," Heart said. Heart added that the tribe and the district should work together in research and data collection, strengthening early childhood education, high school graduation rates and postsecondary education. The Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe is working toward a grant that would enable the tribe to put the Ute language in written form for future generations, Heart said. Heart said non-Indian Coloradans know little about American Indian culture and that tribes suffered greatly throughout U.S. history. "We, as Indian nations, have gone through a Holocaust," he said. "We also, the Ute tribe as a whole, have been exiled in the state of Colorado. What do (non-native) students in the state of Colorado know about the first people who were here?" Students need to be safer, as well, in light of methamphetamine labs being discovered near area schools, Heart said. Today's students are tomorrow's administrators and service providers, and tackling these issues and taking action are paramount, Heart said. Michael Mills, with Towaoc's truancy program, said he hopes to work in conjunction with the school district in gathering tribal students' absentee data, in accordance with the tribal ordinance. Absentee data is important in monitoring students' attendance and in prosecution of truant students, Mills said. Since the truancy program requires data separated by jurisdictional boundaries, the district and the tribe must reach an agreement, he said. Cindy Higgins, a Navajo, stressed the importance of adding Navajo language, history and culture courses to the district's schools, which lack those classes. Navajo students cannot get certain tribal scholarships without credits in Navajo language and culture, she said. Joseph Chee, a Navajo culture and language scholar, expressed concern over diagnostic procedures after his daughter was placed in the special education program. He said he asked her the same questions in Navajo that she was asked during the diagnosis, and that she did fine. She later exited the special education program and re-entered the mainstream system. He said some American Indian children may be labeled "special ed" because of language and cultural barriers, instead of behavioral problems. "I'm wondering how many children have been set back because of these issues," he said. Copyright c. 2004 Cortez Journal. --------- "RE: Indians struggle to protect Sacred Land" --------- Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 08:34:17 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SACRED LAND" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.dailynebraskan.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/10/29/4181bcc7a5bac Americans Indians struggle to protect sacred land By Joey Lomicky / Daily Nebraskan October 29, 2004 To many American Indians, religious freedom in America has its limits. According to a recent article appearing in Great Plains Quarterly, a journal published by the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, sacred land disputes between federal agencies and American Indians are not a thing of the past, but an ongoing conflict. Authors of the article, Thomas A. Foor and Gregory R. Campbell, professors of anthropology at the University of Montana, said American Indians have spiritual and cultural ties to the Big Horn Medicine Wheel, an ancient site in Wyoming that has been the subject of controversy. The rocky area, which resembles a giant wheel from above, is a spiritual hub for regional tribes. But, it also gathers the attention of tourists and land developers. "Basically, this site and others like it throughout the plains are constantly being sought out by different entities, Foor said. "There are those that want the area for resources, those that want it for recreation and the Native Americans who want it because they feel it is theirs to be used for spiritual purposes." American Indians see the wheel as a navigational aid, a source of sacred power and a place to receive spiritual healing that deserves more respect. Lumbering, mining, recreation and developmental interests threaten the sacred grounds and attract a mindset of disrespect, Foor and Campbell said in their report. Donna L. Akers, assistant professor of history and ethnic studies at UNL and a member of the Choctaw Nation, said she understands the disrespect and mockery that modern American Indians endure. "The lack of respect seems to be a growing problem with some people," she said. "Often times, sacred areas like these attract people who mock the rituals of Native Americans by dancing naked or making fools of themselves for a laugh." Many tribes that live in Nebraska also face the struggles of oppression and are not always noticed, she said. "UNL students have an obligation to make sure that people of color have the same rights to enjoy the same things as others do. You never know when your religion might be affected." In the article, Foor and Campbell raised questions concerning the legality and ethics of denying Native Americans their place of worship. To native people, these sacred areas are like churches or synagogues and they have deep meaning, Akers said. In 1978, former President Jimmy Carter signed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act into law to protect the religious rights of American Indians. But 26 years later, oppression is still an issue, Foor said. "The essential difference between the situation now versus 30 years ago is that people are now more interested in talking about these issues, trying to see both sides," he said. "The awareness level is much higher now and that's important so that federal agencies take into account the effects of what they do." Many American Indians associated with the Big Horn Medicine Wheel predicament have lost faith in the federal agencies and feel that the continual disregard for their customs is business as usual, Foor said. "This is a chance for the government to step up to the issue," Akers said, "and make good its ancient promises that have too often been broken in the past." Copyright c. 2004 Daily Nebraskan. --------- "RE: American Indian Heritage Month" --------- Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 08:23:10 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CULTURE AWARENESS" http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/110104/loc_20041031017.shtml American Indian Heritage Month spurs cultural studies, activities Local students write histories, build traditional sand paintings ERIC FRY JUNEAU EMPIRE November 1, 2004 Jacob Sanders, a fifth-grader in Monika Haygood's classroom at Gastineau Elementary, bent over his paper and penciled in the story of his fictional tribe. "General Custer splendidly accepted," he wrote Wednesday. "From then on they were partners." Beside him were his painting on brown paper, which mimicked symbols painted on a buffalo hide, and sheets of paper in which he had planned his story through a sequence of images and words. It's the "winter count" project in Haygood's class, just part of a multi-week study of Natives that largely coincides with National American Indian Heritage Month in November. The Alaska Native Sisterhood also is planning activities for the month, which will be announced soon. Some Plains Indians recorded their history, based on the most important annual event, with pictographs painted on tanned animal hides. A keeper of the winter count knew the stories behind the symbols. "They write their history on a buffalo skin," fifth-grader Zebadiah Bodine said by way of explanation to a visitor. "That's the short version." Haygood gave students samples of the pictographs, such as two hands approaching each other to indicate peace, and asked them to create a multi-year story. Planning sheets force them to organize their story and write lead sentences. Then she expects the children to flesh it out in a story of several pages. "It would be a bad paper if it was one page," Jacob said. "It would be, like, 'then this happened, then this happened,' 11 times." "Look for bumps in the road," Haygood told the students at the beginning of Wednesday's session. "You want it nice and smooth." Haygood sat with one girl who seemed stumped. Haygood showed her that she already had the gist of a story in her pictographs. "So you have your ideas. Now all you have to do is write them," she told the girl, who protested that it was hard. "Can I help you do it?" Haygood asked and stayed with the girl. The students also will make a shoebox diorama at home representing one tribe's way of life, with a poster to explain it. And they'll write a seven-paragraph research paper, using topics prompted by Haygood. There will be other activities next month. "I learned that Native American history is way important," fifth-grader Amanda Nielsen said, "because if no one knew about it, no one would be able to study it and know how important they are." Haygood uses the projects to teach reading, writing, the arts and social studies. The research paper, for example, will help them learn how to take notes from a book, discern the main ideas, and put the information into their own words. In the fifth-grade classrooms of Haygood and Cinda Stanek on Friday, students made sand paintings after learning how and why Navajos made them. Stanek knelt behind a low wooden box on the floor as children sat, knelt and stood in a semi-circle facing her. Speaking softly and slowly, she showed them how to carefully apply their glue and take pinches of colored sand and dribble it over the glue. But she also reminded them of the original meaning of sand paintings. Students knew that medicine men or women made them to heal sick people. "Who is the hataalii in a tribe?" Stanek asked. "It's kind of like a medicine man or shaman," Jacob said. "The hataaliis are kind of a mix between what we would call a doctor and a religious person, perhaps a minister," Stanek said. "They would sit the (ill) person inside the sand. When the person was in there, they would chant and stuff," fifth-grader David Roa said. "... For every sickness there was a symbol." Fifth-grader Asia Goodwin said her design displayed the four directions. "I've learned a lot," she said of the Native studies unit. "I thought the hogans (Navajo dwellings) were like half a circle or a sphere. They also have a doorway. It's very interesting because I'm learning a lot of new things." Eric Fry can be reached at eric.fry@juneauempire.com. Copyright c. 1997-2004 Juneau Empire, Morris Communications Corporation. --------- "RE: Jim Crowbead: State sued over Tribal IDs" --------- Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 08:34:17 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MINNESOTA/JIM CROWBEAD" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=5389 State sued over tribal IDs NCAI, ACLU say law means thousands will not be able to vote Sam Lewin October 28, 2004 Indian interest group have filed a lawsuit against the state of Minnesota over a law that only allows tribal members to use tribal identification to vote if they actually live on a reservation. Officials say the law could disenfranchise thousands of voters. The National Congress of American Indians and the American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit, saying Minnesota Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer has not only limited the acceptance of tribal ID cards, but also mandated that the IDs must have an address and signature. Kiffmeyer will, however, accept student and military IDs along with a utility bill. That will not apply to tribal IDs. Officials say that as many as 32,000 American Indians in the state live away from reservations, a population mainly concentrated in the St. Paul /Minneapolis area, and many only use a tribal ID card for identification. Under Kiffmeyer's orders they will be unable to vote. "The state has essentially said that if you live the reservation you lose your right to vote," said NCAI President Tex Hall. "Requiring more stringent rules for one group of people, and limiting their ability to vote if they decide to move, violates federal law and the United States Constitution. We are saddened that the Minnesota Secretary of State refuses to use her discretion to comply with federal law and ensure that American Indian get the opportunity to vote. Many states, nationwide, are accepting tribal IDs as the legitimate governmental identification that they are. This is a setback to the fundamental right to vote that all Americans enjoy, accept Native American in the state of Minnesota." Oklahoma allows voters to use tribal IDs. The lawsuit filed by the NCAI and the ACLU asks a federal court to allow tribal IDs to be used a polling places. The ACLU has also asked Kiffmeyer to allow election judges to permit voters who have registered by mail to use a variety of government documents to prove their residency if their registration is questioned at the polls. In response to a letter from the ACLU, Kiffmeyer said that the legislature, and not her office, sets election policy. Hall said the move is the latest in a state with a history of discrimination. "Until it was repealed in 1960, the Minnesota Constitution denied Native Americans the right to vote unless they moved away from their reservations, denied their heritage and were declared `civilized'. In an ironic turn of events, today the state of Minnesota is reversing tactics and trapping Natives on their reservations if they want to exercise the right to vote. The tribes of Minnesota have been diligent in their efforts to organize and motivate voters at the grassroots level, and this is clearly a battle we must engage in to ensure our rights are protected and our voices heard," said Hall. This is not the first time the ACLU has stepped into an issue involving Indians in Minnesota. Last month the civil rights group opened an office to investigate claims of racial profiling. "This is a situation that stinks in Minnesota," said Charles Samuelson, executive director of the Minnesota ACLU. "[Native Americans] get stopped at a little higher percentage than whites, searched at a higher percentage, arrested at a little higher percentage. At every opportunity where discretion can enter into it, the people of color lose." Native American Times is Copyright c. 2004 Oklahoma Indian Times, Inc. --------- "RE: Tribe is angry about Blaine County appeal" --------- Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 08:24:35 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PROOF OF RACISM" http://www.havredailynews.com/articles/2004/10/26/local_headlines/tribe.txt Tribe is angry about Blaine County appeal By Tim Leeds/Havre Daily News/tleeds@havredailynews.com October 26, 2004 The Fort Belknap Indian Community has issued a statement denouncing the Blaine County Commission's decision to appeal a court ruling that said the county's former commissioner election system violated American Indian voting rights. "It looks like it's turning into a racial issue when it shouldn't be," Darrell Martin, president of the Fort Belknap Indian Community, said today. "When 45 percent of the population is Native American, they should have a say in there." The commission Friday approved appealing a 2002 decision by U.S. District Judge Philip Pro to the U.S. Supreme Court. Commissioners Art Kleinjan and Don Swenson voted to appeal the decision, and Commissioner Dolores Plumage voted against the appeal. Plumage is the county's first Native American commissioner, and was elected after Pro's decision forced the county to create three new commission districts, one with a Native American majority, and end at-large voting for commissioners. The county commissioners could not be reached for comment this morning. The U.S. Department of Justice sued the county in 1999, saying its at- large commissioner election system violated Indian voting rights. In that system, all voters in the county can vote in every commissioner election. The county, represented by Colorado-based Mountain States Legal Foundation, lost an appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Mountain States is representing the county in the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Kleinjan and Swenson have said in past interviews that federal interference in the county election process is wrong. Swenson said state law requires at-large election of county commissioners. Swenson said he represents every person in the county, not just people from his district. Allowing everyone in the county to vote in each county commission race is appropriate, he said. Martin said people on the reservation don't always benefit from the commission's actions. Many county functions, such as road repair, generally stop at the reservation boundary. "Not all of it is shared across the board," Martin said. Martin said state law doesn't apply well to every county. Some counties might operate well with at-large elections, but Blaine County needs a different system. "I think every county should be looked at individually," Martin said. "It's like cookie cutting, rubber stamping, and you can't do that. It's not a perfect world." The press release said the commission's decision to appeal confirms Pro's conclusion that Indians were discriminated against, and wastes Blaine County money on a slim chance the Supreme Court will hear the case. Swenson said filing the appeal will cost the county about $3,000 to $5, 000, and will cost an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 more if the court hears the case. "The Blaine County Commission ignored pleas from members of the Indian community in Blaine County to put the issue to rest," the statement said. "... this decision to continue on with an appeal is but the latest in a series of divisive, short-sighted decisions which only affirm the merit of the federal judge's conclusions that racism has kept Indian people in Blaine County from holding office." Copyright c. 2004 Havre Daily News. --------- "RE: Opinion: Prop. 200 targets American Indians" --------- Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 08:29:33 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PROPOSITION 200 RACIST" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/allheadlines/45476.php Opinion: Prop. 200 targets American Indians By Robert Valencia SPECIAL TO THE ARIZONA DAILY STAR October 28, 2004 Proposition 200 has raised issues about the intent of this bad piece of legislation, and much has been written about the negative impact outweighing the positive. As such, the implications toward American Indians in Arizona bring to mind contemporary histories relating to immigration and the notion of citizenship. For example, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886. We are familiar with the message, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. ..." America was the place to be, a giant melting pot of immigrants forging a new frontier. Yet Native Americans were not to become citizens of the United States for another 38 years (1924) when the Indian Citizenship Act was passed. Until then, the only way an Indian could be a citizen was to have served in World War I or, if a woman, by marrying a white man. During World War II, the majority of eligible men from tribes across the nation proudly served in the armed forces. They often were born at home, and no records were kept to prove citizenship. Yet there are many instances in which these veterans were denied benefits because they were not "citizens" of the United States. Many such cases occurred with the Tohono O'odham whose reservation extends to Mexico and had many veterans who were born in Sonora and served in the U.S. forces but were otherwise denied veterans' benefits meant only for citizens. This was deplorable because they were never asked to prove their U.S. citizenship to enlist. Also, imagine being deported from one side of your ancestral homeland to another because of an artificial boundary! It wasn't until 1948 that American Indians in Arizona were allowed to vote. Sadly, Arizona was one of the last states to concede this right to its tribes. It took 24 years to approve what every other citizen of this great country already enjoyed (28 years after women were given the right to vote). In 1954, the Federal Termination Act hit tribes across the nation hard, and there were many tribes that were terminated from being federally recognized. This sordid act was aimed at assimilating Indians into mainstream society, pulling them off reservations and into five major cities to become "productive citizens." Many tribes are still trying to recover from this insidious act. When that failed to catch on, the Indian Health Service was used to sterilize Indian women without their consent. This practice continued until the 1970s, when the forced sterilizations were revealed. This appalling policy was designed to diminish the numbers of American Indians. In short, Proposition 200 seems to be a manifestation of the continued attempts at marginalization of the American Indian and other groups. Should Prop. 200 prevail, many of our elders may be affected by the requirements for citizenship because they were either born at home or did not have records of their birth. I am glad our congressional delegation and other elected officials have the sense to recognize a bad piece of legislation. Let's pray the good citizens of Arizona join the ranks of our lawmakers, elected leaders and communities to defeat this terrible misdeed. By the way, the other day, I ran across a T-shirt displaying a picture of four Apaches that read, "Homeland Security - Fighting Terrorism since 1492." Well, you get the message. Definitely vote no on Prop. 200. ---- Robert Valencia is a tribal councilman and former chairman of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. Reach him by email at vlncrbrt@yahoo.com or by phone at 883-5110. Copyright c. 1999-2004 Arizona Daily Star. --------- "RE: Appeal gives Nipmuc bid a new review" --------- Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 08:24:35 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NIPMUC APPEAL" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.milforddailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=58615 Appeal gives Nipmuc bid a new review By Laura Crimaldi / News Staff Writer October 27, 2004 A recent appellate panel decision has given Nipmuc Nation members a glimmer of hope this week in their 25-year quest for federal tribal recognition. Last Thursday, the Interior Board of Indian Appeals, or IBIA, accepted a request from the Grafton-based Nipmuc Nation to reconsider its application for federal tribal recognition. The IBIA based its decision on an 140-page appeal submitted by the tribe, which included 108 pieces of new evidence and 15 affidavits. The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, or BIA, which is a part of the Department of the Interior, has until Jan. 31 to give the IBIA documents from the Nipmuc Nation's application. "I think they have got to correct their own mistakes. I don't think they ever looked at the whole petition. I am more satisfied that we get a chance to show them where we think they're wrong," said Nipmuc Nation Chief Walter Vickers of Northborough. In June, the BIA rejected the Nipmuc Nation's application for tribal recognition on the grounds the tribe did not meet four of the seven criteria: genealogy, political influence, community influence and history. The BIA's position on the tribe's genealogy drew the most ire from members, leading the tribe to accuse the agency of "bait and switch" tactics. In assessing the tribe's genealogy, the BIA went against prior decisions and divided the tribe into two separate entities, tribal leaders have said. A 12-page BIA summary finding shows that in reviewing genealogy for federal recognition, the agency narrowly judged the Nipmuc Nation as the Hassanamisco band, the tribe's attorneys have said. The Hassanamisco band, which is rooted in Grafton and has offices in Sutton, is one of 17 bands that make up the Nipmuc Nation. Eleven of the 527 members on the official tribal roles can trace their lineage to that band. The Webster-Dudley Chaubunagungamaug band, which applied for federal recognition as a separate entity, was also denied. The BIA rejected that petition on the grounds it did not meet three criteria. Webster-Dudley band Chief Bert Heath of Putnam, Conn., could not be reached yesterday for comment. The IBIA's appellate decision states there is enough evidence to support reconsideration for Nipmuc Nation on all four grounds for review. The IBIA reviews whether there is any new evidence and whether a substantial portion of the evidence used in making the decision was unreliable or of "little probative value," according to federal guidelines. The panel decides whether research completed by the tribe or BIA was "inadequate or incomplete." The IBIA also considers whether "there are reasonable alternative interpretations, not previously considered, of the evidence used for the final determination," according to federal guidelines. Calls placed to the IBIA and BIA were not returned yesterday afternoon. According to Tony Froio, an attorney for the Nipmuc Nation, the IBIA may either affirm the BIA's decision or order the agency to throw out the rejection issued in June and reconsider the Nipmuc request. Once the materials are turned over to the appellate board, the IBIA will issue a schedule for going through the application. The process can take anywhere from six months to two years to complete, said Guy Conrad, a Nipmuc Nation adviser. No refusal for tribal recognition from the BIA has ever been overturned on appeal. "It's going to be a long time because the IBIA doesn't make the decision. It goes back to the BIA. So it goes back to the same people who denied us, " said Vickers. "There's nothing more we can do to show them new evidence. They just have to settle down and see what we've been up to for the last 30 years." Laura Crimaldi can be reached at 508-626-4416 or lcrimald@cnc.com. Copyright c. 2004 Milford Daily News. --------- "RE: Navajos want crumbling Schools fixed" --------- Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2004 23:57:49 -0700 From: "Chris Milda (_Akimel O`odham_)" AkimelOodham@EarthLink.net Subj: Navajos look to Kerry: Tribe wants crumbling schools fixed (Fwd) Mailing List: News and Information http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic//1025eect-ruraleducation25.html Navajos look to Kerry Tribe wants crumbling schools fixed Mark Shaffer Republic Flagstaff Bureau October 25, 2004 GREASEWOOD - They call it the first among the worst, a marvel among even the many other shoddily constructed federal schools on the Navajo Reservation. The walls of the K-8 Greasewood Springs Community School in this isolated, brush-covered community have chasms a foot wide covered by metal plates. Styrofoam fills other gaps - to keep out the rats - where the metal runs out. The 40-year-old electrical lines can't accommodate both air-conditioning and computers for the 250 students. Ronald Gishey Sr., the School Board's president, often shows visitors how sad the state of affairs is by placing a marble at center court of the school's crumbling gymnasium and watching it speed roll to the base line. So, in the context of presidential politics, the locals say they pretty much have voted for the party out of power and hoped that the new face would build a new school. The large majority of community residents say there are many other reasons to vote for Democrat John Kerry over Republican President Bush on Nov. 2. Those reasons start with the belief that Kerry will adequately fund a program like the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind, something they say the president has not done. And that Kerry will implement tougher educational standards for teachers to improve the quality of instruction. They also wonder what happened to all the millions of dollars for Native American schools that Bush promised four years ago, Gishey said. That money could have gone a long way locally toward funding bus rides home in the late afternoon for students who participate in extracurricular activities. According to Kerry's position papers on education, he has promised to catch up with an estimated $2 billion in repairs needed for federal Bureau of Indian Affairs schools and to concentrate on improving the reading ability of Native American and other rural students. The Kerry-Edwards campaign has vowed to fully fund No Child Left Behind by adding $27 billion to the program and to create a National Education Trust Fund for students with disabilities. It also has announced a $30 billion program to recruit and retain 500,000 teachers over four years with pay initiatives, to help 1 million additional students graduate in the next five years and to fund after-school programs for 3.5 million students. The Bush administration says it has spent more than $1.1 billion on BIA school construction and repairs, more than double what was spent during President Clinton's second term, and that federal spending on K-12 education has increased 49 percent since 2001. Bush vows that if he is re-elected, he will give priority in funding to states that improve their preschool preparedness programs and he will promote a variety of literacy programs among children. He also points to his rigorous academic state scholars program and says he has increased college financial-aid assistance to $73 billion, a 55 percent increase from 2001. But all of those initiatives are pretty much in the abstract for parents of Greasewood students like Carol Begay. She lives in a traditional hogan that has no electricity or running water, and is seven miles from the nearest paved highway. "I'm going to be voting for Kerry just because a new person needs a chance," Begay said. "There needs to be a lot more discipline in these schools and the kids need to be challenged a whole lot more academically. We also need money for an activity bus because my daughter wants to play sports after school but there's no way for her to get home." Thomas Yazzie, a member of the Greasewood Springs School Board, also said he supports Kerry. "Bush only feels comfortable when he's with his rich friends and all their kids go to the rich, private schools together," Yazzie said. "I think Kerry will do a better job of delivering dollars, and his heart is in the right place because he came here by train in August and told us exactly how he would help." Yazzie, who said he sent his own children 70 miles away to Holbrook because of the lack of music and art education at Greasewood, also said that funding needs to be dramatically increased for computers and upgraded technology along with Navajo language programs, "which really have suffered for funding under Bush." Catherine Begay, principal of Greasewood Springs, said the school has qualified for about $8 million in BIA money that can be used only to renovate the school. "But it's hard to renovate something that's been built on shifting soil, is falling apart at the seams and has 40-year-old wiring in it," Begay said. "We are in desperate need of a new school, and that's going to cost $25 million to $30 million." Gishey, a former Navajo Nation Council delegate, realizes the difficulty of receiving that kind of funding. But Gishey says he'll vote for Kerry because he believes that's the only way that could conceivably happen. Gishey said he remembers in the old days, when the Greasewood Springs school was relatively new, that buckets had to be placed on the gym floor during games to catch falling rain. "It's been all downhill from there, and here we are again hoping that a new president will solve our problems," Gishey said. Reach the reporter at mark.shaffer@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8057. Copyright c. 2004 Arizona Republic. --------- "RE: Yaqui 'Visioning' for Old Pascua Area" --------- Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 00:21:46 -0700 From: "Chris Milda (_Akimel O`odham_)" AkimelOodham@EarthLink.net Subj: 'Visioning' for Old Pascua area: Yaquis to talk about improving their community (Fwd) Mailing List: News and Information http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/news/45070.php 'Visioning' for Old Pascua area Tucson, Arizona October 26, 2004 If you go * What: The next Old Pascua community meeting. * When: Nov. 7, after the 9:30 a.m. Mass. * Where: The Santa Rosa de Lima Mission, 2015 N. Calle Central. * Details: Community residents are invited to enjoy an ice cream social at the church hall. Yaquis to talk about improving their community By Mary Vandeveire ARIZONA DAILY STAR Members of the Old Pascua community on Tucson's North Side are "visioning." As basic as the activity sounds, people in the community, east of Interstate 10 and south of Grant Road, know it isn't that simple. Brainstorming about improvements - adding projects that preserve the history and culture of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and physical upgrades such as trees - has happened in the past without results, said Theresa Alvarez, an Old Pascua resident. Key to the visioning is getting residents on board - talking to individuals about special skills they have to offer to the effort and improvements and activities they would like to see. "Now we're identifying residents who are willing to take on little, small projects to make it happen," Alvarez said. For example, to carry out tribal plans to add more trees in the community, residents will say where they would like trees and if they are willing to assume personal responsibility for watering and caring for some of them. "We're seeing it as a way to demonstrate they can be actively involved," said Marcelino Flores, a tribal planner whose family lives in the community. Flores is helping to coordinate visioning activities launched by Pro Neighborhoods. The organization was awarded a $6,400 grant by the tribe to get the ball rolling on enhancements for the community - a historic and culturally significant place. Established by Yaquis in 1903 as Old Pascua Village, the 40-acre community continues to be the site of tribal ceremonies and is home to about 400 people. Old Pascua is between West Grant Road and Calle Sur, and North Fairview and 15th avenues. Visioning activities will be just the start of possible improvement projects for the community, said Levonne Gaddy, Pro Neighborhoods director. "The overall goal is to help bring people together, to help get them in a position to vision together, to talk about what they want together," Gaddy said. "Really, our job is to get people involved - get people out of their houses, talking to each other, thinking about what they want." Alvarez said community members working with Pro Neighborhoods have identified some goals, including preserving the Pascua Yaqui language, Yoeme. Alvarez was excited that they are now closer to meeting that goal. At one of their first community meetings, a resident - a retired preschool teacher - said she could help develop curriculum. A poetry event will promote interaction between young residents and elders, she added. Kids in some of the youth programs and elders are being asked to write poems. They will recite the poems at a Thanksgiving party. Efforts so far have been promising, said Loretta Ishida, PRO Neighborhoods program manager. For example, some youths met to identify the features and characteristics of Old Pascua that are important to them. "They got to tell us what the main landmarks of their community are," Ishida said. The project centered on the concept of asset-based community development, using the resources you have to get what you want, she added. "The kids were very interested in this whole idea of 'We have things ourselves that can help us get what we want.' It was a very good experience," Ishida said. Yaqui families have lived in the Gila and Santa Cruz river valleys since "time immemorial," with many moving from Sonora, Mexico, to Yaqui villages in Arizona beginning in the late 1800s, according to the tribe's Web site. These communities, including Old Pascua and Guadalupe, in Maricopa County, eventually were surrounded by urbanization. In 1960, Yaquis in Old Pascua initiated a request for land, resulting in the 1964 award by the U. S. government of 202.76 acres to the "Pascua Yaqui Association." On Sept. 18, 1978, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona became federally recognized. Contact reporter Mary Vandeveire at 573-4195 or mvandeveire@azstarnet.com. Copyright c. 1999-2004 AzStarNet, Arizona Daily Star. --------- "RE: San Pasqual families grateful for new Homes" --------- Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 08:24:35 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="AFTER FIRE" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/10/27/news/community/13_05_4210_26_04.txt Eight tribal families moving home after firestorm By: ADRIENNE A. AGUIRRE - Staff Writer October 27, 2004 SAN PASQUAL INDIAN RESERVATION - The anniversary of the Paradise fire was a bittersweet day for eight San Pasqual fire survivors who got keys to their new homes Tuesday, marking the tribes' first milestone in its recovery process. "Last year you'd see frowns on people's faces," said Cheryl Calac, a tribal council member coordinating the rebuilding efforts. "Now, you're seeing the smiles in the people's faces a year later ... and the sparkle in their eyes." Of all the San Diego and Riverside county reservations damaged by the October fires, the San Pasqual reservation was hit the hardest. The 269- member Valley Center tribe had 70 homes destroyed and nearly all 1,300 acres of its land scorched. On Tuesday, eight families gained access to their new homes, which were built about three months ago through AMERIND, a Native American housing consortium that serves more than 450 American Indian tribes in the United States. According to program officials, there are less than five insurance companies in the nation that will underwrite loans on American Indian reservations because of the high-fire risk that is a fact of life in many rural areas. On Tuesday, Kim Peralta started moving in. "We got our furniture delivered today," she said. "And I just cried. We're really blessed." At the end of the week, Peralta, 35, and her son Miguel Hernandez, 4, will move from a single-wide trailer to a 1,400-square-foot house with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a den. "Just feeling like we're at home, like we're not in a temporary situation, I can't wait," she said, with tears in her eyes. "I love our new house, but I wouldn't have traded the old one for it." In the Paradise blaze, Peralta lost the home her father left her when he died in 1994; Miguel lost the only home he ever knew. Peralta said her son's new room is going to have firefighter decor and she's hoping Miguel will feel safe sleeping in it. "He's been sleeping with me ever since that fire came in the night," she said. "It was a scary night ... It's been a hard year." Another 11 homes are being rebuilt by Habitat for Humanity with a combined $2 million donation from Morongo and San Manuel bands of Mission Indians, two neighboring tribes. The nonprofit organization is helping families who were uninsured or underinsured and left homeless by the Paradise and Cedar fires. The first eight of the Habitat homes are expected to be completed by Christmas, Calac said. One of the those homes is Calac's home. Her home was expected to be finished last month but the agency has to rely on volunteers to build the homes. "We had a lot of help in the beginning but now it's faded away," she said. "There's more than enough work to be done ... There's still a need. Not just for us, but I'm sure there's a lot of people that still need help." Calac said it felt like someone had died when the firestorm ripped through the reservation land, but now things are starting to look up. "We're just looking forward to a brighter future," she said. "It's going to take a long time to heal, but we're on our way." -- To volunteer to help rebuild homes on the San Pasqual reservation or in other parts of the county, call Habitat for Humanity at (619) 283-HOME. Contact staff writer Adrienne A. Aguirre at (760) 740-3526 or aaguirre@nctimes.com. Copyright c. 1997-2004 North County Times - Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Even Rez can't escape Cell Madness" --------- Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 08:24:35 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: CELL PHONES" http://www.grandforks.com//news/columnists/dorreen_yellow_bird/9994136.htm DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Even Rez can't escape cell madness October 23, 2004 Life on the reservation can have its little twists and turns. We are growing in the ways of the nonIndian community - and some are growing faster than others. This year, our fall has been delicious - full of warm days with only occasional light rain now and then, and no ice - yet. The redtailed hawks still are here, and I've seen flocks of geese eating in fields. The American coot still is paddling and dipping its head in local ponds. I try to go home as often as possible when the weather is good like it is. A couple of weekends ago, the weather was good and I journeyed to Bismarck; Fort Yates, N.D; Kenel, S.D.; Knife River and Washburn, N.D. Then, as the sky began to turn pink and purple over the Hidatsa villages in Knife River, I turned the old Toyota toward my Aunt Pearl's in White Shield, N.D. When I drove up, I stood and looked at the big lake below her house. The evening sky was wonderful with stars splashed in all directions. The wind was blowing cool, a gust tossed my hair in my face. I knew my aunt had heard my car pull up and would be looking out the door, waiting to see who had come to visit. So, I pulled my suitcase up the handicapped ramp to the screen door. I look forward to that first time I open the door; she's always glad to see me. It doesn't matter where I've been or how long I've been away. She always has that big smile and hug. When I opened the door, she was sitting in her big green rocker calling instructions to my sister, her caretaker. Gloria was making fried bread dough, stew and squash for a ceremony the following day. My aunt says she still likes to "snoopervise" the "goings-on" such as this. She laughs when she says "snoopervise" because it's mostly curiousity. She doesn't cook or really give orders. Her son, my cousin-brother Sidney, lives there now. In fact, it is his house. He retired after years with one of those big energy companies. We sat at the kitchen table talking. When conversation turned to yawning, my brother got up to go to bed. I noticed he had a phone clipped to his belt. Wow, I said to him, you are getting as "big city" as everyone else who can't leave the house without a cell phone hooked to their belt. "This?", he said looking down and gripping the contraption on his belt. "It isn't a cell phone. It's my garage door opener. I don't want people in town to think I don't have a cell phone," he said with a sheepish grin. We laughed. Yet, I know that when we visit on the reservation, we sometimes bring all our new toys - laptop computers (I know they don't call them that anymore), digital cameras (my favorite) and, of course, cell phones. Computers and cameras work fine on the reservation. Cell phones are another story. If you look at a cell phone map, there always are "holes" over the areas of the reservations. We have few cell phone towers on the reservation, so our connections aren't good. If you're driving along - whistling or humming, I suspect, because you're glad you're now on the reservation - you might see a relative or neighbor on some high hill, standing beside his car, yelling. You'll smile and wave. He's making a cell phone call; you know that. You drive by, he waves and continues yelling. When I was at the Sundance ceremony last summer, people would disappear occasionally and drive out of the valley to an overlook to make a phone call. There are some areas such as the valley of the Sundance where connections are nonexistent. We have accepted that. If we want to use our cell phones - and most of us have them - we just find a good hill. One of these days, when I retire back home, I will have to remember to bring along my old garage door opener. I won't want people to think I left the big city without my cell phone, either. Dorreen Yellow Bird's column appears Tuesday and Saturday. Reach her at (701) 780-1228 or dyellowbird@gfherald.com Copyright c. 2004 Grand Forks Herald. --------- "RE: CHUCULATE: Kerry Promises; Bush Cutbacks" --------- Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 08:29:33 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CHUCULATE: PROMISES OR CUTBACKS" http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/opinions04/102704_opinions_eddie.shtml The better choice: Indians at least have promises from Kerry; from Bush, cutbacks Eddie Chuculate October 27, 2004 One big reason we're hearing so much campaign rhetoric concerning American Indians this year is because swing-state New Mexico has a large number of eligible American Indian voters. If neighboring Oklahoma were the swing state instead, Democratic presidential contender Sen. John Kerry wouldn't have been standing around getting blessed with an eagle-feather fan in Gallup. He'd be standing around getting blessed with an eagle-feather fan in Tulsa. But regardless of who's showed up here more often, blowing smoke about health care, sovereignty or self-determination, Kerry is the better choice for Indians. Detrimental effects of the Bush administration can be seen right here in Albuquerque, at 801 Vassar Drive. N.E. That's the address of the local Indian Health Service clinic and probably the future site of a parking lot, if someone doesn't chase the Republicans out of the White House. The U.S. government is obligated under treaty to fully fund health and education services to Indians. Yet, because of IHS funding that continues to shrink under Bush, services are being lost. A $5 million deficit in Albuquerque alone has forced the proposed cutting of most of the Albuquerque clinic's 13 doctors and half of the 143 workers. In South Dakota, an economic program started by President Clinton to help an Oglala Sioux reservation in Pine Ridge had its grant cut by the Bush administration. Kerry has pledged to raise funding for IHS, open an office for Indian small businesses and appoint Indians to high-level positions in the White House. This could be typical election year hot air, but Kerry should be given a shot. Bush has done little for Indians in the four years he's been given the chance. I emphasize the word "given," if anyone remembers Florida in 2000. "We (Indians) were not even a consideration for him (Bush) four years ago," Darrell Flyingman, a representative for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, told the The Miami Herald at the National Congress of the American Indian's annual convention earlier this month. "Under Bush, more programs to help our communities have been cut. Kerry is the first candidate I recall ever to make clear promises on what he will do." Yes, history is replete with the U.S. government's lies and broken promises to Indians. I hope Kerry will reverse that trend and right some wrongs. Bush won't. NOTE: Remember to vote no on the "City Street Bond Question," as it will appear on the next-to-last item on your ballot Nov. 2. It approves building a road through an area which is sacred to Indians, treasured by residents and already being vandalized. ---- 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: Provincial Police deny spying on Kanesatake" --------- From: "frostyca2000" Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2004 18:57:41 -0000 Subj: KANESATAKE, Que. (CP) - Quebec provincial police denied Friday they were spying Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian KANESATAKE, Que. (CP) - Quebec provincial police denied Friday they were spying on the Mohawk territory of Kanesatake by hiding a surveillance camera on top of a school opposite the police station. Provincial police said they installed the camera, using technicians disguised as Bell Canada employees, as part of their investigation of crime committed on the native territory northwest of Montreal. Spokeswoman Isabelle Gendron said it's a surveillance tool frequently used in investigations. "It's not at all spying," she said. "We're talking here about a police investigation." She added the camera was legally installed, following an order issued by the Quebec court. But community critics accused the police force of illegal spying. "It's just an excuse to watch all the people of the community, all the people who want peace," Chief Steven Bonspille, a vocal critic of exiled Grand Chief James Gabriel, told French-language channel LCN. "For me, it's not acceptable." But Gabriel said law-abiding citizens don't care about this. "If you commit illegal acts and your are under surveillance, it will upset people. But ordinary people don't care about this." The camera was located by Mohawks, who became suspicious at seeing a new metal chimney, that housed the camera and a microwave device to transmit images. Officials in Public Security Minister Jacques Chagnon's office refused to comment. Two fires have been set this year at the native police station. No arrests have been made. --------- "RE: Inquiry links Native Teen's death to Police" --------- Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 08:29:33 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NEIL STONECHILD" http://www.indianz.com/News/2004/005013.asp Inquiry links Native Teen's death to Police Officers October 27, 2004 An inquiry into the death of a Native teen blasted police on Tuesday for a "superficial and totally inadequate" investigation but officials said not enough evidence existed to bring charges against officers suspected of involvement. In an explosive and lengthy report with graphic photos, Justice David Wright of Saskatchewan excoriated the Saskatoon police for "inexcusable" actions in the case of Neil Stonechild, a 17-year-old Native boy who was found frozen to death on the outskirts of town in 1990. He said police conducted a shoddy investigation that failed to explain why Stonechild died in such an odd location on a cold night. Wright said police superiors dismissed "important information" about Stonechild's whereabouts on November 25, 1990, the last night he was seen alive. Evidence showed that two police officers were looking for Stonechild, who was the subject of public disturbance complaints, and there is "no question" they took him into custody, the report said. Stonechild "died of cold exposure" in the early morning hours of November 25, the inquiry noted, and his body was found four days later. But evidence showed that bruises on his body were "likely" caused by police handcuffs, Wright said. A witness, another Native teen who was a friend of Stonechild, had come forward and suggested officers were involved. Despite this information, police officials ignored questions about Stonechild's death that were raised by his family, the Native community in Saskatchewan and the media. Wright singled out Sgt. Keith Jarvis, the officer in charge of the initial investigation, for not even looking at the autopsy photos showing Stonechild's bruises or following up on leads that could have explained what happened that night. "As I have already observed, the deficiencies in the investigation go beyond incompetence or neglect," Wright wrote. "They were inexcusable." Even after the deaths of four other Native men, the police failed to take allegations of police harassment and brutality seriously, the inquiry noted. Only until another Native man came forward and said he was dropped off by police outside of town did another investigation, this time by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, take place. Yet Saskatoon police remained recalcitrant, Wright said. "The self-protective and defensive attitudes exhibited by the senior levels of the police service continued, notwithstanding the establishment of an RCMP Task Force to investigate the suspicious deaths of a number of Aboriginal persons and the abduction of an Aboriginal man," he wrote in the report. "These same attitudes were manifested by certain members of the Saskatoon Police Service during the Inquiry." Saskatoon's police chief responded to the report by apologizing to Stella Bignell, Stonechild's mother. "I am publicly apologizing to Mrs. Stella Bignell and her family for 14 years of frustration and denial," Chief Russell Sabo said. At a press conference to release the report, Frank Quennell, Saskatchewan's justice minister, said it was unacceptable that the government failed to investigate fully Stonechild's death. But he said prosecutors found "insufficient evidence" to lay charges against Larry Hartwig and Brad Senger, the two officers who took the boy into custody the night he went missing. "They took my son away from me," Bignell said at a news conference. "They didn't investigate even though I asked them to." Sabo said he suspended Hartwig and Senger pending another review. "Are we held accountable? Yes we are," he promised. A deputy police chief was suspended in March after admitting he misled the media about police involvement in the death. Wright's inquiry heard from 43 witnesses over 64 days. Hearings were held in Saskatoon, which has a large Native population but which has been beset by strained race relations in recent years. The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, an inter-tribal organization that had standing in the case, received racist and threatening phone calls after setting up a telephone line to take information about alleged police brutality. The two Saskatoon police officers who admitted abandoning a Native in the freezing cold lost their jobs served eight months in jail for unlawful imprisonment. Copyright c. 2000-2004 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Bush signs Indian Probate Law" --------- Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 08:34:17 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PROBATE LAW" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=5397 Bush signs Indian probate law Indian leaders support measure Native American Times October 28, 2004 Bush administration officials are applauding the President's signature of legislation that will change the way Indian probate laws are handled. The American Indian Probate Reform Act of 2004, sponsored by Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, seeks to streamline probate rules that are currently under the authority of state governments. "The swift consideration and enactment of this important legislation reflects this administration's commitment to Indian trust issues," said Interior Secretary Gale Norton. "This measure is one of the pieces necessary for true trust reform." The legislation officially defines fractionated lands, allows land to be transferred directly to single heirs when there is no will present, and gives "greater flexibility for individuals and tribes to consolidate and acquire interests during the probate process," according to a news release from DOI. Indian leaders have praised the move. "The ownership of many disparate, uneconomic, small interests has limited benefit in Indian Country. It has been feeding an administrative burden that continues to drain resources and attention away from other beneficial Indian programs. This new law is a meaningful step in our effort to improve the quality of trust management services through Indian Country," said Ross Swimmer, Special Trustee for American Indians and a member of the Cherokee Nation. "This legislation provides us with tools to help improve probate and to help tackle the complicated issue of fractionation," said Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Dave Anderson. "The federal government and Indian leaders have a mutual interest in promoting economic viability on lands that are rapidly becoming converted into a unmanageable mosaic of tiny interests due to fractionated ownership. This is one more step in the right direction." Both the House of Representatives and the Senate under "unanimous consent rules" passed the legislation introduced by Sen. Campbell, chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, meaning no member of Congress expressed opposition to the measure. Bush's signature came less than a week after a federal district judge for the first time set conditions in a massive class-action lawsuit for how the DOI must communicate with American Indians on land sales and accounts. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered that Interior officials keep tribal members informed of the status of the Indian trust lawsuit anytime they do business with the federal government regarding Indian land. Lawyers filed the lawsuit in 1996 on behalf of more than 300, 000 Indians. Blackfeet elder Eloise Cobell led the charge, claiming that billions of dollars were mismanaged or stolen from a trust fund Congress set up to manage oil, gas, timber and grazing royalties on American Indian lands since 1887. Native American Times is Copyright c. 2004 Oklahoma Indian Times, Inc. --------- "RE: Former Miss Navajo talks about Domestic Violence" --------- Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 08:29:33 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RADMILLA CODY" http://www.gallupindependent.com/102704tears.html Former Miss Navajo talks about domestic violence By Pamela G. Dempsey Dine' Bureau October 27, 2004 WINDOW ROCK - It started with a push during a verbal argument, then, months later, she found herself in a park with a gun in her mouth. "I asked him what he was doing," Radmilla Cody recalled of the night her ex-boyfriend first begin to abuse her. Cody, a former Miss Navajo Nation, gave a first-person account of domestic violence at the Navajo Nation Museum as part of the Domestic Violence Community Response Coalition's domestic violence awareness conference on Tuesday. The conference was held as part of October's National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and included workshops on teen dating violence, victim compensation, and elder abuse. Domestic violence, Cody said, is a pattern of behavior used to establish control through fear. Arizona ranks second nationally in women killed through abuse. During a night out with her ex-boyfriend, Cody said, she was approached by another guy "just for conversation." Then, on the way home, her then- boyfriend grabbed her by the hair and banged her head against the dashboard. He drove to her a park and ordered her out of the car and into a grassy area as he reached into the glove box. A friend sat in the back and watched. "He threw me on the ground and stuck the barrel of a gun into my mouth," she said. "I remember fighting and asked him 'what are you doing?' He snapped out of it and said 'I'm sorry, I didn't realize what I was doing. I let my anger get the better of me.' "He broke me down and made me believe I was nothing without him. The signs were there jealousy, possessiveness, critical but I continued to go back, every single time. It only escalated each time." A beating behind a dumpster, a broken nose, and "punishments" such as taking away her clothes and truck for a weekend, became a regular part of Cody's life. "Many times weapons were utilized in the above incidents," she said, "but every time I went back." Even though her friends would often ask her why she just didn't leave, Cody didn't. "It's easier said then done," she said. "It's when we're ready, when we've finally had enough. It took my incarceration for me to finally look into myself as a women and relearn (my) value and knowing I'm a worthwhile human being. "But I truly believe that's what saved my life." Cody was sentenced to a 21-month federal prison term in November 2002 for her role in a drug trafficking incident. She said she stayed with her ex-boyfriend because she knew what he was capable of doing. "If this man was willing to hit me in front of my own grandmother, I'm going to take him serious when he tells me 'I'm going to come after you and your family if you ever cross me'," Cody said. Her story, she said, isn't for sympathy. "I hope by sharing my story, it will help others recognize and acknowledge and start their healing as well," Cody said. "I have hope for other victims." And the victims are numerous. Jesse Delmar, a member of the Dilcon Taking Back Our Community Response Team, said Dilcon is seeing an increase in aggravated assault crimes, up to 282 cases in 2003 from 228 in 2000. The Navajo Nation has seen an increase in its Arizona violent crimes as well, from 359 cases in 2001 to 486 cases in 2003. And, he said, the many resources available to help abusers and victims of domestic violence would be more effective if agencies and organization pooled their efforts together. "We need to think how do we make this better," Delmar said. Increasing community awareness is the first step toward combating domestic violence. "It's an illness taking over our people," Cody said. Copyright c. 2004 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Sheriff backs off Tulalip uproar" --------- Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 08:24:35 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TULALIP/SHERIFF DISPUTE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/04/10/27/loc_bart001.cfm Sheriff backs off Tulalip uproar Bart is still fuming over "dirty politics," but says he'll still work with tribal police. By Scott North, Katherine Schiffner and Diana Hefley Herald Writers October 27, 2004 Snohomish County Sheriff Rick Bart on Tuesday backed away from a threat to stop working with Tulalip tribal officers. But Bart's still steaming over a tribal leader's role in what he claims was an eruption of "dirty politics" surrounding his department's budget. The charge has left some scratching their heads, particularly County Executive Aaron Reardon, whose proposed 2005 budget contains a 2 percent budget cut for the sheriff's office. Reardon said Bart seems intent on trying to convince people that sheriff's deputies are about to be laid off, though that's not true. "We'll find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before we lay off one sheriff's deputy," Reardon said. "Rick Bart needs to start telling the truth." Bart and Reardon have been at odds for weeks over the proposed budget. The conflict spread last week to the Tulalip Indian Reservation, where Reardon on Oct. 20 convened a town meeting to explain his plans for plugging a $13 million deficit by reducing spending and eliminating 80 county jobs - none of them sheriff's deputies. Bart maintains that the cuts Reardon has proposed for his department's overtime and other spending would require him to reduce the number of deputies, regardless of Reardon's promises. Last week's trouble came after several dozen deputies and their wives showed up to picket about not having a contract for the last 19 months. Reardon's meeting was held at a conference facility inside the tribes' Quil Ceda Village shopping center. A tribal law on public assemblies requires groups of more than 25 people to get a permit. Bart was livid after learning that tribal Police Chief Jay Goss told picketing deputies to move away from the meeting onto public property along a nearby street. The sheriff threatened to revoke the commission that gives Goss and others in his department authority to make arrests on behalf of the sheriff's office. Bart on Tuesday met with tribal leaders to discuss the dispute. He later acknowledged that Goss was simply trying to enforce the reservation's laws, and that revoking his commission would be wrong. "I've gone too far with the tribe on cross-commissioning to pull his commission over some political reason," Bart said. "Jay did what he had to do. ... Tribal police officers had an ordinance and went to enforce that." Deputies had picketed previous Reardon budget meetings in Edmonds and Mill Creek. They did not know about the tribes' permit requirement, said Ty Trenary, president of the Deputy Sheriff's Association. "We made a poor assumption and we should have double-checked," he said. Goss said he would have warned deputies had he known they were coming. "I had no idea and was caught totally off guard," he said. Bart said the confrontation could have been avoided with a phone call from Goss or Rep. John McCoy, D-Tulalip. Instead, McCoy called tribal police. Bart responded by pulling his endorsement of McCoy's re-election bid. "I don't care (that there's an ordinance)," Bart said. "The issue is that they knew they were coming because they were waiting" with nine tribal patrol cars. That's not true, Goss said. Three Tulalip officers and one supervisor were on duty that night, and no additional officers were summoned. Bart said he reacted appropriately last week and insisted the confrontation was triggered by "dirty politics." McCoy denied sending tribal police to "lay in wait" for the deputies, or of acting on behalf of Reardon or any county staff. As for Bart pulling his endorsement, McCoy said "all campaigns have bumps in the road. We'll move on." Law and justice costs have ballooned over the years to where they now eat up more than 70 percent of the county's general fund. That fund, which pays for the county's day-to-day operations, would be $173.7 million next year under Reardon's budget. The budget still puts the sheriff's office at the front of the line. Right now, it gets 21 cents out of every dollar spent on the county's day- to-day operations. The jail gets the next largest cut, at 19 cents of every dollar. Copyright c. 2003 The Daily Herald Co., Everett, Wash. --------- "RE: Carpitcher imprisonment Protested" --------- Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 08:24:35 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RECANT IGNORED BY COURT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/12856.html American Indian mounts courthouse protest over conviction David Hill says his childhood friend Aleck Carpitcher is being unjustly imprisoned. By Laurence Hammack 981-3239 The Roanoke Times October 27, 2004 Chanting a sacred Indian song and holding two medicine feathers aloft, David Hill rode a horse around the Roanoke County Courthouse in Salem Tuesday to draw attention to the plight of a fellow Native American. Hill's message was painted on the side of his horse: Free Aleck Carpitcher. Carpitcher is serving a 38-year prison sentence based on a single piece of evidence - the testimony of an 11-year-old girl who now says she lied when she told a jury that Carpitcher molested her. Virginia's 21-day rule, which was the nation's most restrictive time limit on new evidence until it was loosened this year, has barred Carpitcher from raising the girl's recantation in court because it came more than three weeks after his sentencing. Hill, who is active in the American Indian Movement and knows Carpitcher from growing up in the same small Oklahoma town, decided this week to stage a one-horse protest ride of his friend's conviction while passing through the Roanoke Valley. With long black hair crested in white, Hill and his horse struck a dramatic pose in downtown Salem, where lunch-hour traffic slowed and people gawked at the sight in a city not known for its protests. Hill guided his horse, Paint, on a counterclockwise route around the courthouse where Carpitcher was convicted five years ago. In American Indian culture, a clockwise circle enhances the future; counterclockwise undoes the past. "We want to undo the unjust judicial system that has imprisoned Aleck Carpitcher," said Hill, who was joined by about a half-dozen protesters. While part of the ride was to denounce the 21-day rule - "There should be no expiration date on truth and justice," Hill said - it also sought to draw attention to the fate of American Indians victimized by the judicial system. Unable to afford his own lawyer, Carpitcher was forced to rely on a court-appointed attorney who put on a lackluster defense, Hill said. And while Carpitcher's race may not have played a direct role in his conviction, supporters believe it was a factor nonetheless. "When he was on trial, the jury was looking at this long-haired guy sitting there and thinking 'he's not from here,'" Hill said. "And they're listening to a cute little girl saying that she was molested. That's a recipe for conviction." Before his conviction, Carpitcher was involved in the American Indian Movement, riding with Hill and others to protest unfair treatment of his race that included criminal prosecutions and commercial development on Indian grave sites. In a roundabout way, it was that involvement that led Carpitcher to the cell he now occupies at Augusta Correctional Center. While at one event, he met a woman from Roanoke County. They began to date, and Carpitcher eventually moved in with her. That upset the woman's daughter, who would later accuse Carpitcher of molesting her repeatedly over a six-month period in 1998. The girl has since said she made up the story because she wanted Carpitcher out of the house. Even though the jury heard no other evidence to support the allegation, and even though a polygraph test has indicated the girl is now telling the truth, Carpitcher'