From gars@speakeasy.org Wed Dec 29 00:39:18 2004 Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 15:27:48 -0800 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews13.001 _ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 13, ISSUE 001 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 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 January 1, 2005 Hopi paamuya/joyful moon Cree gishepapiwatekimumpizun/moon when the old fellow spreads the bush +-------------------------------------------------------+ | 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 s ch mA mL tL squee Lux -- Okanogan -- News from the People Native American News -- Language of the Occupation Forces ++>If you speak a Native American language not listed above, please send us your words for "News of the People." We'd rather take up this whole page saving these few words of our hundreds of nations than present a nice clean banner in the language of the occupation forces who came here determined to replace our words with their own. email gars@nanews.org with the equivalent of "News of the People" in your tribal language along with the english translation <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is produced in straight ASCII text for greatest portability across platforms. Read it with a fixed-pitch font, such as Courier, Monaco, FixedSys or CG Times. Proportional fonts will be difficult to read. <================<<<< >>>>================> This issue contains articles from www.owlstar.com; www.indianz.com; www.pechanga.net; NDNAIM, NetRez-L and RezLife Mailing Lists; UUCP email IMPORTANT!! ----------- In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, all material appearing in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for educational purposes. <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our Spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the Red Road. ++ It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own internet addressable account to gars@speakeasy.org ++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org <================<<<< >>>>================> +-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + | As historian Patricia Nelson | | Once a language is lost, it is | | Limerick summarized in "The | | gone forever | | Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken | | * Of the 300 original Native | | Past of the American West... | | languages in North America, | | "Set the blood quantum at | | only 175 exist today. | | one-quarter, hold to it as a | | * 125 of these are no longer | | rigid definition of Indians, | | learned by children. | | let intermarriage proceed as | | * 55 are spoken by 1 to 6 elders;| | it had for centuries, and | | when they die, their language | | eventually Indians will be | | will disappear. | | defined out of existence." | | * Without action, only 20 | | "When that happens, the federal | | languages will survive the next| | government will be freed of | | 50 years. | | its persistent 'Indian problem.'"| | Source: Indigenous Language | +-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ | Institute | |http://www.indigenous-language.org| This issue's Elder Quote: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + ======================== "I began to uncover evidence that Interior was putting the interests of private energy companies ahead of the interests of individual Indian beneficiaries...[Blowing the whistle] could cost the very companies with which senior Interior officials maintain close ties millions of dollars." __ Alan Balaran, Special Master overseeing the Cobell v. Norton lawsuit +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! The "winter help" section will be run this week for the last time. Copy and save it for future reference and help those in need. PLEASE read the first article in this issue. Elders from Leech Lake lost their home to fire and need your help now. -=-=-=- This issue's editorial is written by my wife, a special lady with special insights. Last week, we promised this week's editorial would address the mushrooming "One Nation" phenomenon. The Oklahoma "One Nation" organization is merging with or affiliating with lookalike groups around the country. Their sole goal is ensuring that Indians have only one option - assimilation into the invader's culture. While denying bigotry, the institutions and individuals forming the One Nation membership routinely oppose each and every successful tribal initiative. In some cases they complain that the tribes are given breaks non-Indians do not get (conveniently forgetting that Indians have spent hundreds of years giving invading settlers breaks they were denied). These are well-funded, well-connected groups who cannot simply be written off as a bunch of ignorant rednecks. The bigotry might come across that way, but they're not unsophisticated. They are working toward tribal elimination with a singleminded push of money and public relations expertise. Never underestimate the Euro-culture's avarice or jealousy. As more of our nations grow self-sufficient or even prosperous by attracting business to their lands, there will be those who will, as I recall bigots in North Carolina doing when blacks started "forgetting their place", try to force Indian tribes to remain economically "at the back of the bus," preferably dependent upon charity and welfare for subsistence, so that they can continue to be despised and disdained for their refusal to blend into the "American way." Indians dismayed about the One Nation activity (and frankly, I don't believe tribal people can afford not to be dismayed), can't just look away. This phenomenon is not going to go away if it is ignored. We have to listen to their arguments and counter them. We have to make sure our people are aware of who they are. One thing Indians might want to do is vote with their dollars. One Nation receives financial support from several national businesses. One of their member businesses I had once patronized was Quik Trip gasoline stations. There was one on the way to my job where I often filled up (because it was genenerally one of the lowest priced stations), and another where my husband and I frequently stopped on trips for gas, coffee and doughnuts. No more. An Indian boycott may not seem to threatening because there are so few of us. But we have friends and we need to start communicating with them about these people. Businesses don't like to lose even a little money. And I wil not put my money in the hands of businesses who will use part of that money to bring harm to myself and my brothers and sisters. For more information about One Nation, check this web site: http://www. onenationoklies.com/, or their own web site at http://www.onenationok.com (check their links pages to see other similar organizations in Montana and New York). +/// Janet Smith owlstar@bellsouth.net /*/+ P. O. Box 672168 OwlStar Trading Post + / * Marietta, GA 30008, U.S.A. http://www.owlstar.com * + -=-=-=- 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. -- Update: Wednesday, December 08, 2004 8:50 AM From: Brigitte Thimiakis [thimiakischool@the.forthnet.gr] Greetings, Please visit our site : Honor Your Spirit, Protect The Children (HYS) and support the winter project in support of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in MT. We have just added a number of new items on our Christmas First Nations Arts & Crafts Catalogue and will be happy to send them to anyone who wishes to order one or several of these art and crafts items, whether you live in the USA or abroad. These items make very nice gifts for Christmas. The First Nations artwork and items like horsehair hatbands or belts can also be passed on 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. So this catalogue enables you to send support to the reservation, to help many children and elders, while at the same times offering very nice gifts for the upcoming holidays... which are only in a few days. 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 Please feel free to share this post and these links with your family, friends and contacts. Thank you for any assistance you might provide with this project. 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 =================================== Posted to Oyate Underground. http://www.oyateunderground.com oyateunderground@yahoogroups.com Many people on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation are living under very difficult conditions. Some are in dire need of our help to make the long and cold South Dakota winter more bearable. The Holidays are a time of warm feelings and warm clothes. Everyone deserves to share the same joy, feeling of friendship, security, and comfort! On the Pine Ridge Reservation, the average household income is under $10,000 a year. In most cases extended family members live together in homes that are poorly built and drafty. The winds that whip across the plains are something we may not have to worry about for our own children. Winter on Pine Ridge Coat Drive for American Indian children on the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota Those of us who have so much can so easily make a difference in a child's life. Please buy a winter coat for one or several children! Knowing you will keep a little one warm throughout the winter will make you feel warm inside! Would you like to help? To visit and/or join this group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/winterinpineridge/ For more information on how to help, please contact E-mail: winterinpineridge@yahoogroups.com Phone: 877-256-9720 Please spread the word! 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 ----------- - Anishinabe Elder Activists - Sioux stun No. 1 Cavs Lose Home to Fire in LNI boys Title Tilt - Poll: Majority in U.S. - YELLOW BIRD: oppose ANWR drilling A Woman of Courage and Grace - Ten Years a Heartbeat - Jodi Rave: Being Home for Indigenous Peoples gift for Native Soldiers - State ends Project - Bringing back a Lost Language on Ancient Tribal Site - Samson Cree Lawsuit wraps up - Hood Canal Bridge Decision - Lawsuit aims to force Feds - Las Vegas Paiute Tribe to improve Housing Lawsuit Ruling - No compensation - Long Walk to mark Anniversary for Baptist Mission Students of Restoration - 'See you in court' - Osage finally says Residential School Lawyer free from Federal Law - Attack on Leonard Peltier - Program blends Conventional - Native Prisoner with Tradition -- Inmates reach out - Lumbee Tribal Council bans Media to aid kids for holiday - Reservation Tax Bill dead for now - History: Carlisle Indian School - Tribe's health boon to county - Rustywire: - BIA schools left hanging My Son and the Sick Old Man - Reservation Tax Bill dead for now - Spiritdove Poem: - Leaders make sure A New Year is Upon Us Christmas Spirit reaches all - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days - Upcoming Events --------- "RE: Anishinabe Elder Activists Lose Home to Fire" --------- Date: Saturday, December 25, 2004 12:36 PM From: PPhillips [pepper010@sbcglobal.net] Subj: Anishinabe Elder Activists Lose Home to Fire Mailing List: Netrez-L [Editorial Comment: Those who do not know this couple, I can tell you Bernard and Feather have worked tirelessly for Native veterans everywhere, and worked hard to help restore honor to the way the tribal government operates on Leech Lake. You cannot enter their home without seeing someone, usually a child, who has found refuge in a time of need.] Bernard (a Korean War vet) & Feather Rock of Leech Lake rez, who ran the North Central Minnesota Native American Veterans Outreach & Resource Center Gamiskwawakakog and do so much more, just lost their home in a fire. I'll be talking to Feather, a long-time friend, later. In the meantime, a fire fund has been established at the Wells Fargo Bank in Bemidji: BEMIDJI MB 122 3RD ST NW, BEMIDJI, MN 56601 Tel: 218-759-4615 The fund is in the name of the North Central Minnesota Native American Veterans Outreach and Resource Center. That's all I know so far. They're physically OK. If you happen to live in the area, and know where they live, they need bales of hay for the dogs who are staying at their burned-out trailer and I'd also suggest some dog food and fresh water. They also need phone cards to keep in touch with people and make necessary calls. I know where one daughter works, but don't yet know the best way to get phone cards/gifts to them. And, of course, they'll need everything. More later after I talk to Feather. Patty --------- "RE: Poll: Majority in U.S. oppose ANWR drilling" --------- Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:25:29 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NO TO ANWR DRILLING" http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~2612693,00.html Poll: Majority in U.S. oppose ANWR drilling By SAM BISHOP News-Miner Washington Bureau December 22, 2004 WASHINGTON - Environmental groups warned Congress on Tuesday with poll numbers that claim a majority of Americans oppose oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Zogby International, a polling firm hired by the groups, said 55 percent of Americans said "no" when asked whether oil companies should be allowed to drill in ANWR. "Congress should take notice of these numbers," stated Jim Waltman, director of refuges and wildlife programs at The Wilderness Society, in a news release. "Members of Congress need to ask themselves, 'Whose side am I on? Am I on the side of the oil companies? Or do I side with the majority of Americans who want the Arctic refuge protected?'" Congress begins a new session Jan. 4. Alaska's members have said they hope to change the law next year to allow drilling in the 1.5 million-acre ANWR coastal plain. Kevin Hand, executive director of the pro-drilling group Arctic Power, said it's difficult to read much into polls such as that commissioned by the environmental groups. Arctic Power hasn't done any recent polling, but past efforts have found that 55 percent of Americans aren't even sure what ANWR is, he said. "They mostly know the bumper sticker items - 'six months of oil, we're going to rape and pillage the caribou' - that sort of thing," he said. "But when the average American is informed on the issue, they definitely support (drilling) and we have polls that reflect that." Hand wouldn't offer a detailed critique of the Zogby poll, but said some of the questions seemed leading. The ANWR questions were part of a more lengthy Zogby poll, on which the environmental groups piggybacked. The firm queried 1,200 people by telephone. The first ANWR-related question was the eighth in the poll, according to an analysis released by Zogby. Previous questions were not released and Pete Rafle, spokesman for The Wilderness Society, said he did not know what they were. The eighth question was multiple choice, asking participants to name "the best way to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil." Forty-one percent said expand wind, solar and ethanol while relying less on petroleum. Thirty-nine percent said conserve more and develop more fuel-efficient cars. Seventeen percent said drill for more oil and gas "including areas within wildlife refuges." The next question, again multiple choice, asked, "Do you think oil companies should be allowed to drill for oil in America's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?" Fifty-five percent said do not allow drilling, 38 percent said allow it and 7 percent were not sure. After that, Zogby pollsters read participants two statements summarizing ANWR arguments. The pro-drilling statement, with which 31 percent agreed, quoted no authority but stated foreign oil contributes to high prices and ANWR oil could reduce those. The anti-drilling statement, a third longer, quotes the U.S. Department of Energy saying not enough oil exists in ANWR to change prices and quotes oil companies saying it would take a decade to develop. Fifty-nine percent agreed. Ten percent were either not sure or disagreed with both statements. The next question asked participants to agree or disagree in varying degrees to the assertion that, "Congress is spending too much time trying to open (ANWR) to oil drilling as a payback to the oil companies for their campaign contributions, instead of focusing their attention on more important issues like keeping us safe, providing affordable health care and strengthening the economy." Overall, 65 percent agreed and 27 percent disagreed, with 9 percent unsure. Rafle defended the language. "We work pretty hard to make sure that we're doing this as even-handedly as we can and use the arguments that each side is using," he said. "There are lots of things that you ask in polls where you're looking to refine the way you talk about issues," he said. But the "bottom line" is that the "current poll finds a solid majority of Americans would like the refuge to stay the way it is." Lexi Keogh, spokeswoman for the Alaska Wilderness League in Washington, D.C., said the poll results match earlier, independent polls, including a November 2002 poll by CBS News. "The numbers are almost exactly the same," she said. ANWR was originally designated the Arctic National Wildlife Range in 1960. In 1980, Congress expanded its southern and western boundaries and set aside the coastal plain for study of its wilderness values and petroleum potential. The U.S. Geological Survey in 1998 said the federal land in the ANWR coastal plain would produce, as a mean estimate, about 5.2 billion barrels of oil at prices of $26.20. The Alaska Department of Revenue said this month that the oil could add $500 million a year to the state's income by 2024, assuming royalties are split 50-50 with the federal government. A Department of the Interior biological review in 2002 concluded the most likely development scenario, with disturbance limited to the oil-rich western part of the plain, would cut June caribou calf survival by an average of about 1 percent. Critics of that analysis said the negative effects on caribou could extend well beyond June if oil work displaces the cows and calves, which tend to avoid roads and pipelines, from the coastal areas of the western plains where they often go in mid-summer to escape biting insects. Reporter Sam Bishop can be reached at (202) 662-8721 or sbishop@newsminer.com Copyright c. 2004 MediaNews Group, Inc. & Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Inc. --------- "RE: Ten Years a Heartbeat for Indigenous Peoples" --------- Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 10:47:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="INDIGENOUS HUMAN RIGHTS" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.ipsnews.net/new_nota.asp?idnews=26794 CHALLENGES 2004-2005: Ten Years a Heartbeat for Indigenous Peoples Marty Logan December 23, 2004 MONTREAL, Dec 23 (IPS) - After a decade of negotiating, Andrea Carmen stopped eating. Actually the struggle to get the world's governments to recognise the human rights of indigenous peoples began long before the United Nations dedicated the decade 1995-2004 to their concerns. But finalising a human rights document was the main aim of those 10 years, which U.N officials labelled a "partnership" between states and the world's roughly 350 million human beings known as tribal, native, aboriginal and indigenous peoples. That decade ends next week - with just two of 45 articles of the U.N. 'Draft Declaration on the Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples' finalised. Which is why Carmen, executive director of the U.S.-based International Indian Treaty Council, and five of her peers launched a hunger strike while attending a final meeting in Geneva this month to negotiate the text of the declaration. It was not a "desperate" move, she explained in an interview. "We felt that we wanted to do more than the usual, which is making speeches ... we needed to find a way to open the door for the voices of the other indigenous peoples worldwide" who were not present. It worked, Carmen said, with the activists receiving hundreds of letters of support from indigenous people around the world, which they fixed to a bulletin board in the U.N. building. Another result: officials from the world body assured them that the draft declaration, approved in 1994 by the U.N. Human Rights Sub- Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and the Protection of Minorities, would be the starting point for any further negotiations at the 2005 session of the Commission on Human Rights, not a working text that "waters down" the original document, itself the product of a decade of discussions between indigenous peoples, U.N. experts and governments. On Monday the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, beginning Jan. 1. It urges the 191 U.N. member states to complete a final draft of the declaration "as soon as possible." "It's frustrating how long it takes, but it shouldn't be a shock that turning around this much legacy of colonisation is going to take some time and some doing, and a lot of political will on behalf of states," said Carmen. "Some of them, amazingly, seem very ready to do that, and some, maybe not so amazing, are adamantly refusing to do that." While the draft declaration recognises the collective rights of indigenous peoples to such things as land and natural resources," some governments, particularly the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, insist on recognising only the individual rights of indigenous people. At April's Human Rights Commission meeting, U.S. delegate Luis Zuniga said Washington is prepared to grant indigenous peoples "internal self- -determination", or the right to make decisions on a range of issues that include taxation, education, managing land resources and deciding membership. "In this sense, the draft declaration is not a human rights instrument," he added. "Instead, it is a blueprint for how states ought to conduct relations with indigenous peoples ... we will not support continued negotiations on a draft declaration that pretends to re-order internal relationships within a sovereign democratic state." But despite the impasse over the declaration, Carmen says the U.N. decade has had a positive impact. "It's had a huge effect in terms of a few different things. I could mention the recognition of other international bodies for indigenous rights - the right to natural resources and land and self-determination - so I think the discussions themselves had a huge impact on the international arena." "Even in terms of forcing countries, which would not otherwise have done it, to make indigenous rights a priority. Sometimes it seems that their priority is fighting indigenous rights, but at least it's not such a back- burner issue, or (a belief that) 'these people have died out long ago, we don't really need to think about them'." Carmen is echoed by Suhas Chakma, coordinator of the Asian Indigenous & Tribal Peoples Network, a continent-wide alliance of groups and activists. "I'm definitely optimistic because the issues are moving at the international level," he told IPS earlier this year. "The decade has forced some of the U.N. agencies to pay more attention to indigenous peoples," he added, predicting that the results of that increased focus will "percolate down to the local level." But there are about as many opinions on the decade's usefulness as there are days in those 10 years. Arthur Manuel, former chief of the Neskonlith First Nation in Canada's British Columbia province, says native people's efforts were thwarted by governments. "I think countries like Canada played a real role in trying to minimise what indigenous people wanted to achieve. That was pretty obvious in some of the things I've done over the course of the past four or five years," he told IPS. Manuel was an outspoken figure at U.N. meetings on a variety of topics, including sustainable development and the Convention on Biodiversity, and in 2003 he invited a U.N. official to his community to look into real estate development on land claimed by the Neskonlith. "Canada would send a lot of the people to these different meetings. We'd basically have to bum a ride somehow to get to them ... we never really had consistent ongoing (financial) support," added Manuel. In its 2004 report, the U.N. Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations noted it had received 547 requests for funding from groups and individuals that wanted to travel to meetings of the three bodies that focus on indigenous issues: the working group on the draft declaration, a working group on indigenous populations and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The fund had only enough money to support 110 travel grants. In a survey of indigenous organisations conducted by the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, 68 per cent of respondents indicated that, at the international level, the decade had brought positive changes, including better access to international activities, and exchange of experience and contacts with other indigenous organisations and representatives. But only 36 percent saw positive changes at the community level, such as better access to development projects, improved information on indigenous rights, the strengthening of local indigenous organisations, and an increase in indigenous participation in local authorities. Forty-four per cent of respondents said that there had been no improvements locally. One oft-repeated accomplishment of the decade was the creation of the post of U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people. In his first report to the General Assembly Aug. 12, 2004, special rapporteur Rodolfo Stavenhagen wrote that during the decade, "considerable progress has been made at the national and international levels with respect to the recognition and promotion of the human rights of indigenous people." But "although many countries have introduced legislation favourable to indigenous peoples, these advances at the national level are eclipsed by continuing human rights violations and problems faced by millions of indigenous peoples in many countries," he added. "Special attention should be paid at the national and international levels to violations of the rights of women, and especially of indigenous adolescents and girls; in many countries they are subjected to various forms of violence, exploitation and discrimination." Now out of office, Manuel travelled to the neighbouring United States last week to learn how to set up a low-power radio station, so he can educate people in his community about how the Canadian government influences their lives, and how to counter that impact. "You can't really find long-term solutions using the programmes and services of the federal government's Department of Indian Affairs (DIA) because they're really dependent-oriented type projects; they don't provide independence." "Basically the only way indigenous people are going to gain any level of independence is through building upon their rights as indigenous people, not on DIA handouts," he added. (END/2004) Copyright c. 2004 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: State ends Project on Ancient Tribal Site" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 08:55:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PORT ANGELES PROJECT CANCELED" http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002127127_leaving22m.html State ends transportation project on ancient tribal site By Lynda V. Mapes Seattle Times staff reporter December 22, 2004 The state is walking away from its dry-dock project at Port Angeles, after spending $58 million on the site. The decision announced yesterday by Gov. Gary Locke and Secretary of Transportation Doug MacDonald was in response to a request by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe that the state leave the construction site. The work has inadvertently disturbed more than 300 intact skeletons of the tribe's ancestors and an ancient Klallam village, Tse-whit-zen. Portions of the village date back 17 centuries, and many archaeologists consider it the most important archaeological find ever in the state. More than 10,000 artifacts have been recovered from the site, along with more than 700 bone fragments. Yet a pre-construction analysis of the site by a private contractor had found nothing. "There is no way we could proceed in good conscience knowing how significant this archaeological site is," Locke said. "I don't think future generations would forgive us for ignoring this, and just paving it over. It would be akin to paving parts of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, and that would just be absolutely unacceptable and unforgivable." The state began work at the site in August 2003 to build a dry dock for construction of pontoons and anchors that are to be used in replacing the eastern half of the Hood Canal Bridge. After the first human remains were found, work stopped until last March. It resumed under an agreement with the tribe that provided for recovery of artifacts and moving human remains from harm's way. The village was to be sacrificed. At the time, tribal officials said they thought about 25 graves would be found. It soon became clear there were hundreds. What to do with the site now and where to build the pontoons for the bridge are yet to be decided. Tribal members said they are relieved the ordeal is over. "We are more than gratified," said tribal Chairwoman Frances Charles. "It is important to the tribe to protect our ancestors and the cultural and spiritual resources at Tse-whit-zen." Some elected officials said they were taken aback by the decision. "I'm surprised at the apparent finality of the announcement," said Port Angeles City Manager Mike Quinn. "I am still going to hold out hope. If we can find a solution, we owe it to our constituents to look for one. It's such an important project, not only to Port Angeles, but to the state. It's a shame to abandon it." Some say they aren't willing to let the matter drop yet. "It's created an unconscionable crisis out here," said Larry Williams, a member of the Port Angeles City Council and one of the first to urge the state to use the site for the bridge project. "There is a lot more room to talk. We need to keep people at the table." Williams said of MacDonald: "If he has thrown up his hands and walked away, he is leaving us with a hell of a mess." State Rep. Jim Buck, R-Joyce, said that in Port Angeles the discussion is far from over. "Frankly, we have spent $58 million here already, and the Legislature might have something to say about just walking away. We will just have to see whether this community can come together and turn out and make a case for saving this," he said. MacDonald gave no indication of willingness to revisit the decision. "No one is going to be happy that money will have been spent on the site, which we will not get back," he said. "But on the other hand, what we will get at the site maybe cannot be valued in money. The sense of history and importance of what can be learned from the site, for one. And there are some important things to be said to the tribe, and Indian Country everywhere, that we in fact do listen, do care, and can relate to the concerns they have brought to this process. "We started to build one bridge. We may have wound up building another." Lynda V. Mapes: 206-464-2736 or lmapes@seattletimes.com Copyright c. 2004 The Seattle Times Company. --------- "RE: Hood Canal Bridge Decision" --------- Date: Tuesday, December 21, 2004 11:33 PM From: Art Durand [nanalq@redshift.com] Subj: Fw: WSDOT - Hood Canal Bridge Decision >To: Gary Smith ----- Original Message ----- Date: Tuesday, December 21, 2004 3:08 PM From: "Mullen, Linda A." Subj: FW: WSDOT - Hood Canal Bridge Decision Washington State Department of Transportation Olympia Headquarters - PO Box 47322 - Olympia, WA 98504-7322 (360) 705-7075 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 21, 2004 Contacts: Doug MacDonald, 360.705.7054 Secretary of Transportation Anna Kim-Williams, 360.902.4136 Governor's Communications Office WSDOT Announces Plan to Leave Port Angeles Project Site OLYMPIA - Washington State Secretary of Transportation Doug MacDonald today issued the attached statement regarding the Department's decision to stop pontoon and anchor construction at the Tse-whit-zen Village site in Port Angeles. "We do not come to this conclusion lightly," noted MacDonald. "Despite the mutual good faith efforts of both the Tribe and WSDOT to develop an acceptable place to allow construction work to continue at the Port Angeles site, we have jointly determined it is not possible. Therefore it is time for the State to turn its attention to finding another location that provides greater certainty for the important construction work necessary for the Hood Canal Bridge rehabilitation." In coming to the decision, WSDOT consulted closely with the Governor, Tribe and elected officials, and also considered the views of many citizens who have shared their opinions with the agency. "This is the right decision. We've worked closely with the Tribe in protecting cultural and archeological resources at the Tse-whit-zen site," Locke said. "I've said all along that this project never would have been undertaken if we all had known about the site." MEDIA ALERT: Transportation Secretary Doug MacDonald will be available by phone between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. today, Tuesday, December 21, to answer questions regarding the project. A "Q" and "A" with additional background information about the decision is attached. ==================================== Washington State Department of Transportation Statement about Termination of Work at the Port Angeles Graving Dock Site December 21, 2004 After reviewing the recent letter of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, consulting with Tribal, Local, State and Federal elected officials and hearing the views of many citizens, WSDOT today is announcing that it is stopping all work on the dock for fabrication of new pontoons for the Hood Canal Bridge at the Tze-whit-sen site in Port Angeles. We do not come to this conclusion lightly. Despite the mutual good faith efforts of both WSDOT and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe to develop an acceptable place to allow the fabrication work to continue at the Port Angeles site, we have jointly determined that it is not possible. Therefore, it is time for the State to turn its attention to finding another site where This essential Hood Canal Bridge work can be performed with greater certainty. Ultimately, WSDOT must move forward with the vital repairs needed for the Hood Canal Bridge. There are three reasons for the decision about the Port Angeles site. First is the site's importance as a resting place for ancestors of Lower Elwha Klallam people and its significance for learning and telling the history of Native American culture on the Pacific Northwest coast. No one imagined, even as recently as last March when we all signed the agreements to move the project ahead, what the site would reveal or the extent of the Tribal burials. Second, the still unknown features of the site, including the possibility of many more burials, means simply that we cannot know how much more money and time would be required to build the pontoons on the site, if it ever could (or should) be done at all. The time has come to end the risk to taxpayers that more money will be spent in what could be futile efforts toward everyone's goal of fixing and modernizing the Hood Canal Bridge. Third, we need to move away from the possibility that protracted controversy - even litigation - creates an unacceptable level of uncertainty and will cost precious time and scarce dollars in the work that must be done to fix and modernize the bridge. In moving ahead, we can again unite our efforts. Otherwise we risk the possibility that months if not years of delay and millions of dollars of additional cost will be incurred. Protecting taxpayers from these risks is very important. When we started the work a year ago with such high hopes in Port Angeles, no one knew how big of a problem we would unexpectedly encounter. Now, we must work quickly to find a new way to build the pontoons and anchors needed for the east half of the bridge. This will be the best and safest result for taxpayers. The bridge rehabilitation will, in the end, take more time and cost more dollars - perhaps substantially more dollars - than we originally expected. We have, however, no real choice. Meanwhile all the other work on the project that can be completed under the contract at the bridge itself will be completed. We expect to remove construction equipment from the graving dock site right away and provide for site security. We expect to begin discussions in January with the Tribe and other agencies and officials about the site and its future. We are pleased that our talks with the Tribe can soon start on identifying a reasonable path for going forward to the site's future. We are also pleased that local officials and many citizens in Port Angeles have supported the Tribe and WSDOT in our efforts on the project. Their interest in the important work that still remains to be done by us all together is also critical to future success. ==================================== Hood Canal Bridge Rehabilitation Project Q and A - Why will WSDOT now develop and pursue "Plan B" for pontoon and anchor construction? There are three principal reasons guiding WSDOT's decision to stop work at the Tse-whit-zen site. First, the site's importance as a resting place for ancestors of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and its significance for learning about Native American culture on the Northwest Coast. Second, there is still so much unknown about the site that we can not determine how much more money or time would be required to build the pontoons and anchors at this location. Third, the longer the controversy continues, the more the costs go up. It is time to leave and protect the taxpayers from additional risk associated with remaining at the site. - What will happen to the site? In the short term, WSDOT has asked the contractor to stop work and remove its equipment as soon as possible. Archaeology work will wind down - no new sections will be dug and only burials that have already been discovered will be properly excavated and handled, according to the protocols in place. A fence to secure the site will be built around the property. In January, WSDOT, the Tribe and others will meet to begin discussions regarding the long-term future of the Tse-whit-zen village site. As information becomes known, we will post it on this web site. - What about the bridge? What is Plan B? The perceived superiority of the Port Angeles site was what brought WSDOT to this location in the first place. Any new plan will certainly take more time and cost more money than the original project. WSDOT has begun exploring potential option to build the pontoons and anchors elsewhere. Our criteria include physical suitability, cost and risk analysis and the issue of obtaining new permits and are now under review for several scenarios. It is still too soon to know where the project would move, the costs associated with that move or how long a delay it would cause to complete the rehabilitation project. To ensure we are taking the best possible course forward, WSDOT is forming a panel of national experts to review and advise us on our course of action for contracting this work. The panel will include experts in construction, program management, contract administration and marine construction. We hope to announce panel members in January 2005. - Will work continue at the bridge site itself? Yes. This year, crews completed widening a portion of the bridge's west half, installing electrical mechanical systems and beginning construction of new approach spans. Next season we will see additional west-half widening and work on the bridge approaches. Work at the bridge will move ahead and motorists driving on the bridge today can see scaffolds on each end of the bridge which are being used to stage work for replacing the approach spans. How much has WSDOT spent at the Tse-whit-zen site? To date, WSDOT has spent about $ 58 million at this location. This includes nearly $5 million to purchase the property, $12 million for archaeological work and $41 million for construction related activities. - How does the decision to leave affect the schedule and cost of the overall bridge project? It is not possible to answer this question yet. There will be new costs associated with leaving Port Angeles, and until we know where we are going, we can't estimate future costs and schedule. Any new plan will certainly take more time and cost more money than our original estimate. To learn more about the project, visit: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr104hoodcanalbridgeeast/ and: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/commission/news/gravingdock121504.pdf --------- "RE: Las Vegas Paiute Tribe Lawsuit Ruling" --------- Date: Wednesday, December 22, 2004 9:23 PM From: northernrain2000 [northernrain2000@yahoo.com] Subj: Las Vegas Paiute Tribe Lawsuit Ruling Mailing List: NDNAIM http://www.klastv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2726231&nav=168YUUB8 Las Vegas Paiute Tribe Lawsuit Ruling George Knapp, Investigative Reporter December 22, 2004 A bruising five-year battle that ripped apart the Las Vegas Paiute tribe has led to a decision that's likely to set national precedent in Indian law. A tribal judge has ruled that 14 members of the Las Vegas Paiutes, who were kicked out of the tribe five years ago, must be reinstated. The channel 8 Eyewitness News I-Team has followed the story from the beginning and reports this fight is less about blood than it is about money. As a little girl, Gloria Wilson lived with her family on the downtown Paiute reservation in a tarpaper shack. There was no running water or electricity. Her mother was a founder of the tribal government. In those days, other Paiutes weren't exactly clamoring to join the Las Vegas tribe. But that changed in the 1970s when the tribal smoke shop opened and the money started rolling in. Newcomers claiming Pauite blood joined the tribe and essentially took over. In 1999, the new tribe decided to get rid of the old tribe altogether. One tactic that was used -- blood records were obliterated with white out, and then re-written. The tribal council voted to oust 14 members because they simply weren't "Paiute" enough. "We'd been there forever, and we're the ones booted out," said Gloria Wilson. Deborah Faria is also a Las Vegas Paiute. She said, "They basically took my Indian blood away from me. I'll fight for my heritage as long as it takes." The tribal council says the ouster was prompted by a desire to set the record straight, but those who were kicked out are sure it's about money. The profits from the smoke shop and other investments meant annual stipends of up to $100,000 per member. The disenrollment of one quarter of the tribe's adult members meant more money for those who remained. Gloria Wilson stated, "It's about money, absolutely about money." For five long years, the ousted members have fought through tribal courts. Some had to sell their homes to survive. Others went bankrupt. The battle has torn the tribe apart, with families set against families, amid threats and violence. The ousted members keep winning in court, and the tribe keeps appealing. Now comes this ruling, in which the judge declared the ousted members must be reinstated, and must be paid back some of the $354,000 that was denied each of them. The judge ruled the disenrollments were wrong and improper. Attorney Mike Stuhff has represented the disenrolled members from day one of the case and hopes this ruling is at least the beginning of the end. "It's been a long road for my clients. It's been a long road for their lawyers too. It's righteous this has come about," Stuhff said. Tribal gambling operations around the country have prompted similar disenrollment battles. Attorney Mike Stuhff says this is the first time a tribal appeals court has so directly reversed a Native American council, and thus will likely become an important precedent. The judge's decision was announced Tuesday afternoon. Already, the tribal council has voted to appeal the case again, which will be the third such appeal initiated by the tribe. Copyright c. 2000-2004 WorldNow and KLAS. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Long Walk to mark Anniversary of Restoration" --------- Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 10:47:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MENOMINEE RESTORATION" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.shawanoleader.com/articles/2004/12/23/news/news1.txt Tribal members take long, cold walk to mark anniversary of restoration By Nathan Falk, Leader Reporter December 23, 2004 KESHENA - In an effort to remember and reflect upon the goals of their elders, 70 students, staff and Menominee tribal members walked a 6.5 mile route in the frigid single-digit temperatures Wednesday to mark Restoration Day. The walk, the vision of students and teachers at Menominee Indian High School, was held to pay tribute to the Menominee who walked from Keshena to Madison in October 1971 to get the attention of government after the tribe had been terminated. Students, staff and community members walked in memory of the original walkers and their family members. Wednesday marked the anniversary the Menominee Restoration Act was signed into law by President Nixon - Dec. 22, 1973. "It was cold, but it was important because I was walking from my grandmother, she was one of the women who participated in 1971. She talked to me about how much it meant to the tribe then," said sophomore Dan Blackowl, who carried the eagle feather staff as the walk from Middle Village to Keshena ended at the high school. "It's an honor, usually just the elders get to carry it." Menominee language and culture teacher John Teller said that the students were the best to lead this effort. "They were at the front, carrying the flag and eagle staff, and the banner. We wanted them to lead the memorial walk. You traditionally pick the best to lead, and we wanted the younger ones to lead," he said. The land that now comprises the Menominee Indian Reservation, which is a portion of their original land holdings, was accepted in the Treaty of 1854 as a "permanent home." During the 1940s the Tribe won a court case against the government in the amount of $7,650 for mismanagement of the Menominee forest. Officials in Washington D.C. then singled out the Menominee tribe as a prime candidate for a new congressional experiment called Termination. On June 17, 1954 the Tribe was completely terminated. In 1970, a group of tribal members formed a grassroots organization called Determination of Rights and Unity of the Menominee Shareholders (D. R.U.M.S.) set out to seek restoration of the tribe's status. In 1971 DRUMS leaders Jim White and Lloyd Powless conceived a 220-mile march from Keshena to Madison to dramatize the tribe's problems to the people of Wisconsin and to seek the help of Gov. Pat Lucey. Copyright c. 2004 The Shawano, WI Leader. --------- "RE: Osage finally free from Federal Law" --------- Date: Saturday, December 25, 2004 9:29 PM From: MJLaBurt@aol.com Subj: Finally Free From Federal Law, Tribe Must Choose Its People Mailing List: Sovereign Nations Mailing list: NDNAIM http://www.kotv.com/main/home/stories.asp?whichpage=1&id=74923 Finally Free From Federal Law, Tribe Must Choose Its People PAWHUSKA, Okla. (AP) - Clark Batson's mother gave him his Osage blood, but it is President Bush who has made him feel more Osage than ever. "I'm a real Indian," the 28-year-old announced to friends Dec. 3, the day the president signed legislation lifting 98 years of federal limits on who can be an Osage citizen. The tribe may now welcome thousands of people who, like Batson, are of Osage descent but were denied Osage citizenship under a 1906 federal law. There's a major hurdle, though: After nearly a century under the old law, the Osages must first decide who the Osages are. "Before today," says Jodie Revard Satepauhoodle, one of eight tribal council members, "Congress decided." That Osages are just now receiving rights held by every other federally recognized American Indian tribe is a reflection of a unique history - and the tribe's legendary wealth. In allotting the tribe's land in northern Oklahoma, Congress granted 2, 229 Osages a share in a commonly held mineral estate. Only Osages who held these "headrights" could vote in tribal elections. When the waves of golden prairie yielded a vast oil field in the early 1900s, the headright owners became some of the richest Osages rode in chauffeur-driven limousines, lived in mansions and studied at exclusive schools. A string of murders in the 1920s was tied to attempts by non- Indians to claim headright shares. But the oil field has become marginal. Inheritance has fractured the headright shares. When Osages need scholarship money to attend college or seek employment through minority job programs, those without headrights can't meet the required proof of tribal membership. The tribe's government represents only about 4,300 of the estimated 20, 000 people of Osage descent, says Principal Chief Jim Gray. The old federal law created a class system that he likens to a time when only landowners could vote in U.S. elections. "Never underestimate the social impact of inclusion on a society," Gray says. "I think this process will give people a sense of self respect and self confidence." Tribal leaders in the past had little incentive to push for change with an electorate of headright owners. A court ruling that was eventually overturned opened up membership between 1993 and 1997, giving many Osages voting rights for the first time. In 2002, new tribal leadership swept to victory on promises to push Congress for a change. Mark Freeman Jr. said it was the reason he decided to run for tribal council at age 82. He didn't have a vote until age 73, when his mother died and he inherited a headright share. "The pride in that didn't make up for the loss of my mama," he says, echoing a sentiment shared by other Osages whose voting rights came only when a parent died. Some Osages believe membership should be based on the tribal rolls of 1906. Others have suggested only Osages who know the names of their original clan and band be included. Others have suggested membership based upon blood quantum, even DNA testing, Satepauhoodle says. No matter what, she says, "Osages will decide who's Osage. You don't need a constitution or a roll." The new law, sponsored by Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., and unopposed in Congress, leaves the issue of headrights untouched. For Batson, membership could mean the ability to legally use peyote in the Native American Church where he worships and to receive protected eagle feathers for use in traditional dances. He's eager to have a voice in a tribe whose economic development he believes could be helped by participation from younger Osages. "In other tribes, their youth are involved. They're helping build things up," he says. "We couldn't if we wanted to." A celebration is planned Feb. 4 on the tribe's campus in Pawhuska to start the process of reinventing the Osage. Gray would like to see a referendum on tribal membership by the end of next year and eventually a constitutional convention. He is hopeful the tribe will avoid the divisiveness that came with the court decision in the mid-1990s but acknowledges the process will be "slow, painful and complicated." "It is democracy in action," he says. Gray points to another precedent - the homecoming each June when Osages gather on the reservation for three weekends of dancing known as E-Lon-schka. There, no federal entity has ever decided who sits around the drum. "That's why I hold out hope," he says. "If we can do that, we can handle this." Copyright c. 2004 KOTV, A Griffin Communication, LLC Subsidiary. --------- "RE: Program blends Conventional with Tradition" --------- Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:25:29 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PINE RIDGE COUNSELING SUCCESS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/10474501.htm Reservation program blends conventional treatment with tradition THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 22, 2004 PORCUPINE - A mental health specialist on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is finding success blending conventional treatment with traditional Lakota ceremonies. Ethleen Iron Cloud Two Dogs said counseling and psychotropic medications are part of the mix, but her Children First Corp. also uses traditional American Indian interventions. "For the children in our substance abuse program, we incorporated our spiritual and cultural beliefs into our interventions, and it seemed to be very successful as far as our youth staying sober and getting help," said Two Dogs. "So we said, 'If this works for children and young people who have substance abuse needs, what about those children with severe depression, or some kind of psychosis or mental disorder?' The results have been good." For children with serious emotional disturbances caused by abuse, neglect or any other kind of trauma, that can mean the use of an inipi, or purification ceremony. "It is a sacred ceremony to the Lakota that purifies the mind, body and spirit," she said. "Whenever children go through the purification process, they are able to have a stronger foundation." Another way to connect children with their culture and family is through a Lakota naming ceremony. When a baby is born, they're given a Lakota name "that anchors them to the earth," Two Dogs said. "It's the name they are known by in their community, and when they pass into the spirit world, their relatives in the spirit world know them by this name." Counselors can also use a Calling Back the Spirit ceremony. Whenever a child goes through something traumatic, such as sexual abuse or witnessing violence, their spirit can be damaged or hurt, Two Dogs said. "It can actually leave the body, like a dissociative state," she said. "Once this happens, they are without direction; they have no conscience. So with this ceremony, we call back the spirit, and it becomes reintegrated with their mind and body." Making mental health programs culturally relevant is important on the reservations as well as all across South Dakota, said Kim Malsam-Rysdon, director of the state Division of Mental Health. It is one of seven priorities identified by a Children's Mental Health Task Force created by the 2002 Legislature to find ways to improve the state's mental health care system. Cultural competency training is important in places such as the Cheyenne River Reservation, but it's just as critical to have enough mental health providers, said Dr. Teton Ducheneaux, a clinical psychologist associate in Eagle Butte. "Right now, there is not a lot of time for the people we do have to go out into the communities," said Ducheneaux, who is seeking licensure as a psychologist. "Transportation is an issue. And there needs to be anger- management groups, but we don't have enough people. "You get overwhelmed very easily. It breeds high turnover." Ducheneaux in his two years at Eagle Butte has seen suicide gestures and attempts drop, and part of that is reflective of a growing emphasis on Lakota spirituality, he said. Ducheneaux, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, said there needs to be more culturally relevant programs for the nontribal mental health care professionals coming to work on his reservation. "I know this," he said. "You can bring all the people in you want. And if they are not trained in the culture, if they are not able to interact with the culture here, it doesn't work out." Two Dogs and her group have worked with officials at Oglala Lakota College to develop courses, such as Lakota Mental Health I and II, that teach people how to be care coordinators. They're not case managers or social workers. Their sole purpose is to look at the needs of mentally ill children and their families, and to ask, "What will make their lives better?" Two Dogs said. "It's connecting the family and child to resources, like if there is a housing issue, or a grief issue," she said. "And it's not an 8 to 5 job. You must respond at any time. You might start at 8:30 in the morning and go to midnight." Copyright c. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. 2004 Aberdeen American News. --------- "RE: Lumbee Tribal Council bans Media" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 08:55:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LUMBEE COUNCIL" http://www.robesonian.com/articles/2004/12/22/news/news/story01.txt Tribal Council bans media Mark Locklear-Staff writer December 22, 2004 PEMBROKE - The Lumbee Tribal Council voted Monday night to ban the media from future council meetings. Tribal officials say negative publicity prompted the decision, which came at a called meeting at Sheff's Seafood Restaurant. Tribal Administrator Leon Jacobs told reporters with The Robesonian and The Fayetteville Observer of the decision. The Robesonian reporter, Mark Locklear, who is Lumbee, was invited to stay because he is an enrolled member of the tribe, but he declined to do so. Councilman Kent Hunt didn't attend the meeting, but said he agreed with the Tribal Council's decision. "We are not sovereign, but by us being a council of our own people we are separate and we can set our own rules and policies," Hunt said. "Unless they are tribal members, they shouldn't be there. These meetings are for tribal members." Hunt said negative publicity damages the tribe's image. Extensive articles were written earlier this year about a federal investigation into the tribe's housing program. "I think they should report on the business of the tribe," Hunt said. "At times, not so much of the article displays our business. The headlines, a lot of the times, can bring some negativity. At times, some of the good things could be in the headlines." Tribal Chairman Jimmy Goins called the Tribal Council's action a legislative decision and declined to comment. Goins is a member of the executive branch of the tribal government, which doesn't vote on any issues. Councilman David Carter, speaker of the tribe, said all 13 council members in attendance voted in favor of the motion, although there was discussion on whether the tribe is violating North Carolina's Open Meetings Law. The law applies to public bodies and ensures that county commissioners, school boards, town boards and their appointed committees, commissions and task forces operate in full view of the people who elect them. "Mr. Leon informed the council that tribal government doesn't apply under that situation," Carter said. Amanda Martin, attorney for the North Carolina Press Association, said Indian tribes set aside on reservations or territories are not part of North Carolina's government. "They are independent units," Martin said. "They don't have to abide by the Open Meetings Law and let the public in. It is common for tribes to operate independently because they are not official bodies of North Carolina government." Carter said the tribe is establishing a newsletter to disseminate information. He also mentioned including the minutes from the meetings on the tribe's Web site. He said banning the media isn't a way to keep meetings secret, as tribal members are welcome to attend the meetings. "Our intent wasn't to withhold information. I don't think it is you all's fault as much as some of the council members' fault," Carter told a reporter this morning. "If we vote in closed session and someone is opposed, they shouldn't go out there and down everyone who voted in favor. We should still play ball with the team and not ridicule your fellow council members. Some of the council members are disgusted with people that won't hold their feelings. We are not always going to agree." Monday's meeting was held to discuss two district races that remain following the Nov. 2 tribal election. The Lumbee Elections Board said Friday that it plans to hold special elections on Jan. 18 for candidates in District 12 and District 13. Because The Robesonian reporter left the meeting, the newspaper is unable to report any action that might have been taken. Copyright c. 2004 The Robesonian. --------- "RE: Reservation Tax Bill dead for now" --------- Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:25:29 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PATAKI VETO STANDS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.pressconnects.com/today/news/stories/ne122304s137902.shtml Reservation tax bill dead for now Senate declines to override Pataki veto of measure BY YANCEY ROY Albany Bureau December 23, 2004 ALBANY - A controversial bill to force the collection of sales taxes on gasoline and cigarettes sold on Native American reservations is dead, for this year. The state Senate on Wednesday declined to override Gov. George E. Pataki's veto of the measure. The Senate leader said he didn't want the tax issue to impede talks between the governor and tribes over casinos and land-claim lawsuits. Tax-collection proponents, who came to the Capitol Wednesday hoping for different outcome, denounced the decision. "It's dead for this year, and we're extremely disappointed," said Jim Calvin of the Association of Convenience Stores. "We got to the one-yard- line, but we couldn't push it over the goal line." A Pataki spokesman called the Senate decision encouraging. The long-running tax issue is no small matter; hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake. On one side are convenience stores that compete with the reservations and state legislators who view the taxes as a way of helping to pay for the state budget. Joining them are anti-smoking groups that want to see cigarettes made more expensive; the state tax is $1.50 per pack. On the other side are customers who enjoy the cheaper prices and Native American tribes that insist the bill would intrude on their sovereignty. The Senate (56-1) and Assembly (139-8) in June approved a bill ordering the collection. Pataki vetoed it in November. The Legislature had until Jan. 1 to override. Earlier this month, Pataki announced he'd reached tentative agreements with tribes to build two additional casinos in the Catskill Mountains (three were previously authorized) and to settle land claims. All told, there are now four such compacts that have to be ratified by the tribes and the New York Legislature. The governor said the compacts include "parity" provisions in which the tribes agree to either collect the taxes or sell cigarettes and gasoline at prices on a par with local convenience stores. Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, Rensselaer County, said he didn't want to have a negative impact on casino-land talks. Calvin, noting that other such compacts have fallen apart in the past, called the casino announcement an "illusion of progress." Antismoking groups criticized the decision too and promised the issue would return in 2005 as lawmakers face a potential $6 billion budget gap. Copyright c. 2004 Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. --------- "RE: Tribe's health boon to county" --------- Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:25:29 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SOUTHERN UTE ECONOMY" http://www.durangoherald.com/index_news.asp Tribe's health boon to county By George Lurie Herald Staff Writer December 22, 2004 IGNACIO - La Plata County will receive more than $250,000 as part of an annual tax compact with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. More than three dozen county and tribal officials - including all three county commissioners and five members of the Southern Ute Tribal Council - met on Dec. 15 to approve and sign the latest version of the ongoing compact. Although reporters were barred from attending this year's meeting, which was held in a second-floor conference room at the Leonard C. Burch Tribal Administration complex, county officials did release a 21-page report summarizing the session's results. County Assessor Craig Larson said that the final numbers contained in this year's agreement demonstrate just how much the tribe "is contributing to La Plata County's overall economic health." "The tribe has become a huge economic engine for the county," Larson said. "This tax compact has been good for both the county and the tribe." County Finance Director Wayne Bedor, who attended this year's compact meeting, came away impressed with "the spirit of cooperation" between county and tribal officials. "The fact that we are not involved in litigation is very good," Bedor said. The taxation compact between the Southern Utes, La Plata County and the state of Colorado was created in 1996. It followed a four-year legal battle spurred by the tribe's 1992 purchase of an existing Conoco facility on reservation land and La Plata Countyattempts to collect property taxes on the ongoing operation of that facility. The tax compact - championed by Gov. Bill Owens - guaranteed that all tribal property interests located within reservation boundaries would be tax-exempt. It also established a pool of money - known as the Mitigation Fund - to help compensate numerous county entities for the loss of their potential tax base as the tribe continues to reacquire large tracts of its former lands on its "checkerboard" reservation. With a large number of non-tribal members owning property within the reservation's boundaries, the tax compact also provides for improved information exchange between the county and tribe. That allows the county to better identify taxable property held by non-Indians while establishing a collection mechanism when taxes on non-Indian property go unpaid. Under the terms of the compact, the tribe, county and state contribute to the Mitigation Fund, which is disbursed annually following meetings between the county and tribe. To date, the tribe has contributed $850,000 to the Mitigation Fund. The county has kicked in $360,000 and the state has paid $90,000. In addition to its contribution to the Mitigation Fund, the tribe also makes annual "payments in lieu of taxes" - so-called PILT contributions - on its wells and mineral interests not directly under tribal lands. Since the compact's inception, PILT contributions to the county from the tribe have averaged more than $250,000 per year. After last week's meeting, county and tribal officials authorized the release of $253,956.41 from the Mitigation Fund. County disbursement of those funds will be allocated to a number of county entities, including: * La Plata County General Fund - $110,114. * Durango School District 9-R - $93,221. * La Plata County Road and Bridge Department - $18,461. * La Plata County Social Services - $7,525. * Animas Fire Prevention District - $9,432. Reach Staff Writer George Lurie at georgel@durangoherald.com Copyright c. 2004 the Durango Herald. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: BIA schools left hanging" --------- Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:25:29 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NAVAJO NATION SCHOOLS IN LIMBO" http://www.gallupindependent.com/122204BIA.html BIA schools left hanging By Zsombor Peter Staff Writer December 22, 2004 GALLUP - When the quorum at a special session of the Navajo Nation Council last week suddenly dissolved, forcing Speaker Lawrence Morgan to cut the session short, it wasn't just a historic water deal the Council left in the lurch. Seven Bureau of Indian Affairs schools were also left wondering if their governing boards would have quorums of their own to run the schools once the current members step down in early January. With the Navajo Nation Education Committee's help, the tribe's Election Office managed to place legislation onto the Council's special session agenda that would have temporarily fixed the problem. But when the session abruptly ended, the schools were left without their fix. With another special session scheduled for Dec. 29 to take care of unfinished business, Election Office Director Edison Wauneka is confident the legislation will find its way back onto the Council's agenda. He won't know for sure, however, until the agenda is finalized by the tribe's Ethics and Rules Committee just one day before the session itself. The seven schools' troubles began Nov. 2, when not enough people ended up running for the vacancies on their boards to make up a quorum once the current members step down the first week of January. Tribal law's solution is to have the board members who are left elect people to fill the vacancies. Without a quorum, however, the board can't vote. That's something the tribe's elections laws did not anticipate. The Election Office and Education Committee's solution was to waive the existing rules to let the current board members stay on for an extra 45 days. In that time, they hope, the chapters each school serves will hold meetings at which they'll recommend their own candidates for the vacancies. The lame duck board members would then select their successors from those recommendations before stepping down. Even if the Council once again fails to approve the plan at the end of the month, the schools can legally stay open, Wauneka said. They'll just have to put their board decisions on hold. That's not much of a problem for five of the seven schools, which are directly managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and whose boards do little more than advise. For the other two schools, however, Little Springs Community School and Jeeh Deez's Ahi Academy, whose boards hold genuine authority over personnel and funding decisions, another missed opportunity next week could cause some critical delays. Even if the Council approves the plan, it's still just a one-time fix to a loophole in the tribe's election laws that won't go away. Because the Council can't change tribal law during a special session, however, this waiver is the only option the schools have right now. Wauneka hopes the Council will consider a permanent fix when it meets for its regular winter session in late January. According to the Election Office director, Ganado/Kinlichee Delegate Willie Tracey has agreed to sponsor such legislation. Copyright c. 2004 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Reservation Tax Bill dead for now" --------- Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:25:29 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PATAKI VETO STANDS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.pressconnects.com/today/news/stories/ne122304s137902.shtml Reservation tax bill dead for now Senate declines to override Pataki veto of measure BY YANCEY ROY Albany Bureau December 23, 2004 ALBANY - A controversial bill to force the collection of sales taxes on gasoline and cigarettes sold on Native American reservations is dead, for this year. The state Senate on Wednesday declined to override Gov. George E. Pataki's veto of the measure. The Senate leader said he didn't want the tax issue to impede talks between the governor and tribes over casinos and land-claim lawsuits. Tax-collection proponents, who came to the Capitol Wednesday hoping for different outcome, denounced the decision. "It's dead for this year, and we're extremely disappointed," said Jim Calvin of the Association of Convenience Stores. "We got to the one-yard- line, but we couldn't push it over the goal line." A Pataki spokesman called the Senate decision encouraging. The long-running tax issue is no small matter; hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake. On one side are convenience stores that compete with the reservations and state legislators who view the taxes as a way of helping to pay for the state budget. Joining them are anti-smoking groups that want to see cigarettes made more expensive; the state tax is $1.50 per pack. On the other side are customers who enjoy the cheaper prices and Native American tribes that insist the bill would intrude on their sovereignty. The Senate (56-1) and Assembly (139-8) in June approved a bill ordering the collection. Pataki vetoed it in November. The Legislature had until Jan. 1 to override. Earlier this month, Pataki announced he'd reached tentative agreements with tribes to build two additional casinos in the Catskill Mountains (three were previously authorized) and to settle land claims. All told, there are now four such compacts that have to be ratified by the tribes and the New York Legislature. The governor said the compacts include "parity" provisions in which the tribes agree to either collect the taxes or sell cigarettes and gasoline at prices on a par with local convenience stores. Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, Rensselaer County, said he didn't want to have a negative impact on casino-land talks. Calvin, noting that other such compacts have fallen apart in the past, called the casino announcement an "illusion of progress." Antismoking groups criticized the decision too and promised the issue would return in 2005 as lawmakers face a potential $6 billion budget gap. Copyright c. 2004 Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. --------- "RE: Leaders make sure Christmas Spirit reaches all" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 08:55:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EASTERN BAND CHEROKEE" http://www.citizen-times.com/cache/article/regional/72670.shtml Tribal leaders make sure Christmas spirit reaches all By Jill Ingram, Reporter December 21, 2004 CHEROKEE - A group of gift-givers tromped through chilly air and day-old snow Tuesday on the Qualla Boundary, arms loaded with packages for elder members of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. "It's like Halloween, only we're bringing the presents," said Marsha Hicks, 27, wife of Principal Chief Michell Hicks. There are 103 people on this particular Christmas list, many poor and homebound and all a part of the tribe's daily meal-delivery program. Tuesday's gift deliveries included residents of the Big Cove and Tow String communities and Tsali Manor. The Christmas deliveries - robes for the women and socks and hats for the men - will continue today. At each home, after introductions and a short visit, Michell Hicks asked the same question: "Is there anything you need?" Answers ranged from "nothing" to "bath towels and dollar bills." "Not another cat," said Dorothy Toineeta Holloway, 77, of Old Sherrill Cove Road. As a sport utility vehicle packed with gifts pulled into her driveway, about 15 of her 27 cats came pouring out the cat door. She offered cats to her visitors. The chief declined but noted her house could use some repairs. One woman, Annie Jessan, 95, of Tsali Manor, asked for orange juice and food but seemed much more interested in chatting with her visitors. The group also included Annette Saunooke, assistant to the chief; Charlotte Saunooke, executive secretary; and transit driver Jack Saunooke. The visitors named their grandparents and other relatives until Jessan struck on some she recognized. The visits are as much about checking in with the tribe's elders as they are about delivering the gifts, said Chief Hicks, 40. "Our intent is to touch base with each of them," he said. The elders are an important part of the Cherokee community, Annette Saunooke said. "The tribe really feels a dedication to the seniors," she said, noting that important issues go before the Elders Council. "I think our tribe really does a lot to honor the elders." Contact Ingram at 252-1467 at JIngram@CITIZEN-TIMES.com. Copyright c. 2004 Asheville Citizen-Times. --------- "RE: Sioux stun No. 1 Cavs in LNI boys Title Tilt" --------- Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:25:29 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LOWER BRULE CHAMPIONS" http://www.rapidcityjournal.com//sports/local/top/news01.txt Sioux stun No. 1 Cavs in LNI boys title tilt By Padraic Duffy, Journal Sports Writer December 23, 2004 RAPID CITY - Saturday night's Lakota Nation Invitational boys basketball championship had a movie set feel about it. Unfortunately for No. 1 ranked St. Thomas More it played out like Hoosiers. Class B Lower Brule, a school with an enrollment of 65, shocked the tournament's top seed, 44-40 to win their first-ever LNI title. "You know that movie Hoosiers?" Lower Brule head coach Doug White Bull said amongst a throng of rowdy fans. "We only have around 65 kids in our school and pretty much all of our boys are out for basketball. This is a great win for us." The Sioux rode some great 3-point shooting and a highly-charged partisan crowd of about 4,500 to what is quite possibly the biggest upset in South Dakota high school basketball so far this young season. "It was clear that they were a better team than we were tonight," St. Thomas More head coach Dave Hollenbeck said. "These types of things happen for a reason." The Sioux were down by one, 38-37, with 90 seconds remaining when senior guard Trinity Langdeau hit a 25-footer to put Lower Brule up by two and send the civic center crowd into a state of delirium. The outpouring of support for the tiny school had public announcer Tom Allen observe, "I didn't know that Lower Brule had this many people. Somebody better get back and watch the water tower - somebody might try to steal it," before adding, "I never thought I'd see Crow Creek fans cheering for Lower Brule. That's real reconciliation." Langdeau, who also iced the win for the Sioux with two free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining, didn't hesitate for a minute, when he let his game- changing triple go. "I just wanted to win," he said. "I wanted to win so bad. I just got open and I have my faith in my shot. I got a good look and I made it." Langdeau led his team on the night with 15 points. Tournament most valuable player T.J. McCauley chipped in with 10. The Sioux came out early and gave More fits with a 1-2-2 match-up zone that neutralized their huge size advantage down low. The Cavaliers struggled all night hitting outside shots, going 3-for-13 from beyond the arc. On the other hand Lower Brule had no problems hitting from deep as they converted 9-of-21 from downtown, while only hitting 6-of-29 when they ventured in closer to the basket and had to deal with More's size. "We figured they were going to make it to the championship game," White Bull said of the Cavaliers. "We just wanted to see how we matched up with a team that's so high-caliber and of such a good reputation. Our boys really wanted to test themselves to see what we could do." While the Lower Brule players were obviously looking forward to the challenge it seemed that many of the More players shrunk from it. Zach Finley, a 6-8 junior forward played a tough game down low for St. Thomas More, recording 15 points and 14 rebounds, but only one other player scored more than four points for the Cavs - Dylan Wince with 11, all coming in the first half. "We didn't defend and our post players are playing too soft," Hollenbeck said. "We knew how dangerous they were and how well they could shoot it, but we just didn't defend." More led 28-25 at the half, but their offense completely fell apart in the second half as they managed to score only 12 points. The Sioux collapsed regularly on Finley, who managed six of More's 12 second-half points, but he got absolutely no help from his perimeter players as More didn't get a single bucket from outside the paint in the second half. St. Thomas More, now 4-1, will play at Hot Springs in the Black Hills Conference tournament on Thursday, Jan. 6. ============ SIDE BAR ================== Boys All-Tournament team Isiah Veo, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte; Jasper Veaux, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte; David Wilcox, Crazy Horse; Johnny Crow, Red Cloud; Vincent Brewer, Red Cloud; T. C. McCauley, Lower Brule; Dorelle Estes, Lower Brule; Francis Eaglestaff, McLaughlin; Lanc Alkire, Standing Rock; Jared Burelson, Hill City; Matt St. John, Crow Creek; Nate Mahone, Custer; Ryan Pourier, Pine Ridge; Morgan Weston, Pine Ridge; Brice Hornbeck, Little Wound; Brad Folkers, Todd County; Quincey Oliver, Douglas; Zack Finley, St. Thomas More; Dylan Wince, St. Thomas More; Taun Bear Stops, Takini. Copyright c. 2004 The Rapid City Journal. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: A Woman of Courage and Grace" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 08:55:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: REMEMBERING WITH RESPECT" http://www.grandforks.com//dorreen_yellow_bird/10464400.htm DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: A woman of courage and grace December 21, 2004 My life changed significantly Dec. 13. Dorothy Yellow Bird, my mother, who was 88, passed away quietly in Garrison, N.D., with all her children and many of her grandchildren with her. She lived an amazing life that began on the Leech Lake Chippewa reservation in Minnesota, where my grandmother and grandfather worked at a local Indian school some 90 years ago. Before they moved home to Nishsu on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, she was enrolled as Santee Sioux, like my grandfather. When my mother, her sister and brother moved back to Fort Berthold, my grandfather, Louis, built a house on a hill facing west just above a small valley. In the valley, there are three fresh water springs that feed a winding creek. The creek runs through a valley and into the Missouri River. Their big, red, two-story house still stands empty above the valley, although the old house nearly is to its knees now. It's the place my mother grew up. In later years, it was a place my mother and her children visited often. We gathered chokecherries, plums and roots and filled jars and pails with spring water. My mother canned until her last few years. As we looked through pictures that we would place beside her casket, we were reminded what a "looker" she used to be. None of us inherited her 24- inch waist, nor do we have her natural curls. When we dressed my mother for her walk to the spirit world, we didn't have to do much to her hair - just comb and fluff it. I remembered mom as a young woman - strong, healthy; a leader who took on anything from driving a team of horses to dancing the Charleston. The young grandchildren couldn't image their grandmother dancing with bobbles in her hair and twisting in a short, swingy skirt. In that sad time last week, we laughed a lot because we remembered the crazy, funny things my mother said or did. We remembered some of her words of wisdom, too. The Yellow Bird clan lived in Minot after we moved from the reservation. My father found a permanent job in Minot. It seemed our big family had a child in every grade at Sunnyside Elementary School. My younger sister, sitting beside me at the wake, told me how profoundly she had been affected by something so simple that Mom told her. My sister had found a friend at school whom she often played with, she said. One day, the girl told her she couldn't play with her any more because her mother had said my sister was dirty and had lice. The child's mother was standing on the steps of their house when my sister's friend told her this and kept calling to the girl to come in. My sister went home confused. Mom was standing in front of the sink doing dishes, her apron damp from the dishwater and her hands red from water so hot that her hands steamed when she lifted them. My sister told Mom what her friend had said. Mom stared out the window for a minute, and then with her hands still wet from the dishes, turned toward my sister and asked: "Are you dirty?" My sister looked up at her and after a moment, said "No." "Do you have lice?" Mom asked my sister. My sister said "No" again. "Well," Mom said, and turned back to her dishes. "The truth is simple." It was the kind of earthy wisdom that she dispensed in big helpings. Mom was like a mother hen, clucking and herding us toward a better life. It was her strength of character and, perhaps, the switch we felt across our bare legs on occasion that helped us learn those lessons we later would use in life. She never smoked, drank alcohol or even said a cuss word. Most of all, she was a devout Catholic who rarely missed Mass. I didn't take the Catholic route she mapped out for me, but when she wanted me to go to church with her, I did. The Creator listens to prayers from anywhere, I thought. I realized, and perhaps she didn't, that she had taught me to be independent. I smile, because I realize I was the chick out of step with the flock. I find it difficult to believe she is not just at the other end of the telephone line or in the hospital, waiting for my visit. I'll find it difficult to walk into her house because I'll expect to find her sitting beside her big kitchen table poring over newspapers and mail. I'll find it difficult to throw away pop cans without thinking of her - she was one of the original recylers. For me, right now, it seems she is just away and will return. Soon it will settle in that my mother, SwaaRUxtiiheexaa or Holy Leader Woman, will walk with us in spirit now. 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/Grand Forks, ND. --------- "RE: Jodi Rave: Being Home gift for Native Soldiers" --------- Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 10:47:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JODI RAVE: BEING HOME" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/12/24/news/local/news05.txt Being home is a gift for Native soldiers By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian December 24, 2004 In this gift-laden time of year, Army Spc. Nick Tucker's mother cannot offer much in the way of wrapped gifts for Christmas. Instead, Tina Snell's son offered himself as a present. Tucker flew into Missoula this week from his home station in Baumholder, Germany. When he returns after the holiday, he will prepare for a second duty assignment in Iraq, where the all-wheel-vehicle mechanic has already survived mortar attacks and gunfire with the Army's 1st Armored Division, 2nd Brigade. With gunfire, at least you can usually see who's shooting at you, said Tucker. A mortar attack makes you feel more helpless. He remembers last New Year's Eve in Iraq, when he was playing cards with fellow soldiers. "You go from having fun, then everything starts going off, you shut off the lights, and you just sit there and hope. It's all you can do. For me, my motto has always been never run for cover because I've seen what a mortar can do." Tucker is one of nearly 4,500 Natives on active duty in the U.S. military. Of that number, two dozen have died in the war in Iraq. While some like Tucker will return for a second tour, Marine Lance Cpl. Gharret Tall Whiteman, a combat engineer operator, is preparing for his first deployment to Iraq in January. The Christmas holiday is giving Tucker and Tall Whiteman a chance to spend time with family. Tall Whiteman, 20, arrived in Missoula on Monday for a 10-day leave from the Marine Air Corps Station in Yuma, Ariz. The war doesn't frighten these two young Assiniboines from Montana's Fort Belknap and Fort Peck reservations, respectively. It's their mothers who are worried. As Tucker recounted stories of enemy fire, Snell sat at her kitchen table, both hands cupped under her chin, staring blankly and listening. "He tells me not to worry or I'll get sick," said the woman who suffers from fibromyalgia, a disease associated with intense muscle pain and chronic fatigue. Her nephew has been in Iraq and she knows he's suffering from post- traumatic stress syndrome. Tucker says he's fine. Tall Whiteman's mother remembers his words when he told her he would go to Iraq. "I'll make you proud. I'll make you proud," he said. "That's not what I'm worried about," replied Valerie Forrest. "I just want you to be safe." Vietnam veterans Al Yardley and Tom Camel - both former medics with the 173rd Airborne Brigade - know what it's like to be caught in a no-man's land when arriving and departing battle areas. They arrived at Missoula International Airport to greet the soldier and Marine, to let them know they have a support network with the Warrior Society. But being Native doesn't automatically qualify one as a warrior. Today, nearly every military member is called a warrior, raising the question, "What makes a warrior?" Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Mara Cohen, an advisory board member for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Minority Veterans Affairs Department, said it means more than wearing a uniform and following orders well; the warrior ethos is tied to an inward sense of responsibility. "Being a warrior is not an ethnic piece," she said. "It's a state of mind. It's who you are. It's what you do. And how you choose to do it." Tucker feels everyone should serve their country, or not complain about it. After five years in the Army, he plans to leave when his enlistment ends. "I don't want to be one of those people you read about in the news one night," he said. "It's not that I'm scared. It's just that I really don't care to go out in some way that, you know - I don't like to be that surprised in life. I don't like the next thing I see to be a big flash of light." Tucker has seen war. Tall Whiteman is preparing for it. He's fresh. When the self-assured man stepped into the airport lobby, he was greeted by more than a dozen friends and family. He shook hands, hugged aunties and ruffled the hair of little ones. "A lot of people look up to you as a positive person," he said. "I have little cousins who say, 'You're awesome. You're all this and that. You're in the Marine Corps.' It's real cool to be a positive role model." His fraternal twin brother, Clayton Tall Whiteman, plans to "kick it" with the Marine during the next week. They'll get some relatives together and play War Hammer, a war-style board game to which the twins have acquired more than 1,500 pieces since they were freshmen at Big Sky High School. The real war zone seems a faraway place. But to look at the Marine is to look at Iraq. "I'll miss him," said Clayton. "I don't want him going over there, but he chose to. It's his choice." He paused: "I know he'll come back." Reach reporter Jodi Rave at 523-5299 or jodi.rave@missoulian.com Copyright c. 2004 Missoulian, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Bringing back a Lost Language" --------- Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:25:29 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SAVING CHOCHENYO" http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/10466013.htm Bringing back a lost language By Lisa M. Krieger Mercury News December 21, 2004 When Jose Guzman died in 1930, the ancient Bay Area language called Chochenyo died with him. Or so it was thought. But the language can be heard again, in bits and pieces, in local homes. With the help of university linguists, Guzman's descendants are working to recreate Chochenyo and teach it to their children. "If we learn the language, it will bring us closer to our culture," said 16-year-old Alison Symonds of Fremont, a member of the Ohlone-Muwekma tribe. "We once had a big culture." Through songs, flash cards, puzzles and bingo games, a committee of the tribe's elder women lead lessons for about two dozen kids, ages 4 to 16. They meet for pizza parties and birthdays; this month the youngsters sang their first-ever translation of holiday songs. "It hasn't been spoken in 75 years," said Michele Sanchez of Hayward, a member of the tribe's language committee. "Our goal is to learn it again." She never heard it as a child; her grandmother, raised at the orphanage at the Mission San Jose convent, wasn't allowed to speak Chochenyo and so couldn't pass it on. Chochenyo was once spoken by thousands throughout much of the East and South Bay, until the region fell under the influence of the Spanish- speaking Franciscan missionaries with the founding of Mission San Jose in 1797. The name of the tribe, Muwekma, translates as "the people." The language was suppressed, part of a larger effort to assimilate American Indians at missions and boarding schools. Some members were punished for speaking the language; others died from disease or homicide. It was well on its way toward extinction when Guzman met Stanford- educated anthropologist John Peabody Harrington, field linguist for the Smithsonian's Bureau of American Ethnology. Guzman and his companion Maria de los Angeles Colos were members of a small group called the Verona Band, who worked on the Pleasanton estate built by George and Phoebe Apperson Hearst and lived in Sunol in the 1920s. They were the last fluent speakers of Chochenyo, according to San Jose State University archaeologist Alan Leventhal. Harrington recorded Guzman's voice on a wax cylinder. He also took extensive notes. Guzman sang stories that had been passed down through generations of his family. He recited verb tenses. He used specific vocabulary, such as words for "rabbit skin" or "sweetheart," according to Sanchez. And he described everyday customs that offer insights into the culture, such as "Stir the acorn mush," "The women are carrying tule on their backs," and "Go get your horse so we can go hunt for meat." Shortly after the visit, Guzman died. Guzman's voice has since been preserved on tape and a CD. The project was part of Harrington's near-obsessive mission to find and record the last speakers of American Indian tongues. He knew that many of the 250 languages once spoken in what is now the United States were disappearing. But Harrington's work proved impenetrable to subsequent linguists. For years it languished in massive, dirty and disorganized files. His notes on Chochenyo were found after his death by the Smithsonian's Catherine Callaghan in a folder identified only as "Chock." Callaghan took the hand-written field notes and turned them into preliminary teaching materials, including a dictionary. They have since been supplemented by a few other discoveries, such as a copy of the Lord's Prayer in Chochenyo. Guzman's voice was translated in 2001 by University of California- Berkeley grad student Jon Rodney, using the Callaghan materials. In 2003, UC-Berkeley professor Juliette Blevins was hired by the tribe to provide language lessons. The scant archival material means that the Chochenyo revitalization faces significant challenges, such as accurate pronunciation. There also are gaps in the lexicon. "There's not a lot," said Sanchez, who has learned the orthographic symbols used by linguists. "There were once 15,000 words; we know only 1, 500 to 2,000. There are holes in it." To complicate matters, there were huge regional differences in the language, with variants in San Jose, Niles and San Lorenzo. It was related to at least seven other American Indian languages of mid-coastal California. Linguists say the region's highly varied ecology encouraged great linguistic diversity. The Bay Area's Muwekma are not alone in their revitalization effort. Similar efforts are under way for the Mohawk language of Northern New York; Wampanoag, an Algonquin language of Massachusetts; and Choctaw, native to Mississippi. These tribes all look to native Hawaiian, re- established in 1984 and flourishing within small tribes today, for inspiration. The 425 members of the present-day Muwekma tribe, which comprises all of the known surviving American Indian lineages native to the region, are striving to win federal recognition. Among many other things, recognition would provide funding to expand their language lessons. They currently must pay for professors' time and materials out of their own pockets, a big constraint. As they learn, they cherish the fuzzy but fluent recording of Guzman's voice. He left a bridge between their past and future, they say. "The language speaks to who we are, where we come from and how we identify ourselves as a people," said Rosemary Cambra of Fremont, tribal chair. Contact Lisa M. Krieger at lkrieger@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5565. Copyright c. 2004 San Jose Mercury News. --------- "RE: Samson Cree Lawsuit wraps up" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 08:55:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LONGEST ABORIGINAL LAWSUIT EVER" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/12/21/samsoncree041221.html Samson Cree lawsuit wraps up December 21, 2004 CALGARY - Closing arguments have wrapped up in the Samson Cree First Nation case, considered one of the longest and most expensive aboriginal lawsuits in Canadian history. The Samson Cree First Nation is suing the federal government for $1.4 billion, claiming Ottawa has mismanaged its oil and gas revenues for more than 50 years. Federal lawyers have argued that the Samson Cree signed away those rights in 1946 and funds were not mismanaged. The case, which began in March 2000, could be precedent setting in the way First Nations oil and gas assets are handled in Canada. Earlier this month, the Samson Cree declared a partial victory after a judge - before the conclusion of court proceedings - ordered Ottawa to return $360 million in oil revenues. The case has produced 365 days of trial, 15,000 documents, 50,000 pages of transcript and dozens of witnesses. James O'Reilly, lead lawyer for the Samson Cree, said there are about 25 lawyers working on the case and that the parties have spent more than $100 million collectively. The federal government has a law firm working for it along with its own lawyers in the Justice Department. "It's too costly for everybody, quite frankly. Anytime a case goes on this long, it's unfortunate," said Clarke Hunter, speaking for the Crown. But costs will continue to mount as expected appeals from the losing side could keep the case in front of the courts for years. Written by CBC News Online staff Copyright c. 2004 CBC. --------- "RE: Lawsuit aims to force Feds to improve Housing" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 08:55:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RED SUCKER LAKE HOUSING SUIT" http://winnipeg.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=mb_red-sucker-lake-20041216 First Nation lawsuit aims to force feds to improve housing December 16, 2004 WINNIPEG - A Manitoba First Nation has filed a lawsuit that tries to force the federal government to improve housing for aboriginal people. If successful, the constitutional challenge by the Red Sucker Lake First Nation could cost the government tens of millions of dollars to upgrade sub-standard housing on reserves and in other poverty-stricken areas. Norman Boudreau, a lawyer for the native band, claims Canada's Constitution makes it clear that the federal government is responsible for maintaining an adequate level of housing for all Canadians. "Section 36.1 of the constitution basically states that 'essential public services of reasonable quality should be made available to all Canadians wherever they are located. Our argument is that the people of Red Sucker Lake are not getting essential public services." Boudreau filed the challenge as part of a larger lawsuit in which McDiarmid Lumber Ltd. is suing the Red Sucker Lake First Nation for payment for building materials the band used to build homes on the reserve. Boudreau contends the federal government has failed to provide sufficient money to the band to meet its fundamental housing needs. Boudreau says not only native groups would benefit if the lawsuit is successful; he says the same section of the Constitution could also be used to push for adequate housing for everyone living in sub-standard conditions. With files from Canadian Press Copyright c. CBC 2004. --------- "RE: No compensation for Baptist Mission Students" --------- Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 08:55:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="OTTAWA RULES AGAINST ABUSED STUDENTS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://north.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=residential-school-12202004 No compensation for Baptist Mission students, Ottawa rules December 20, 2004 WHITEHORSE - After months of negotiation, victims of abuse at an Indian residential school in the Yukon are being told their claims are invalid. Federal officials have determined students of the Baptist Mission School in Whitehorse are not eligible for government compensation. From 1949-1962, the Baptist Indian Mission School in Whitehorse educated hundreds of Yukon native children. But over the past 12 months, investigators looking into abuse claims by former students have concluded the federal government never supported the Baptist Mission school. "We made an assumption that it would prove to be a school or hostel that fit within the federal program and unfortunately the research has determined quite the opposite," says Shawn Tupper, Ottawa's director general for Indian Residential Schools Resolution in Canada. "It was never operated by the federal government and we have a responsibility and the difficulty in that we simply can't pay out claims for which we have no responsibility." It's disturbing news for Whitehorse lawyer Laura Cabott and her clients. "The government has it wrong. It's not the case that they are not liable for this school," she says. Cabott has spent the past 12 months negotiating abuse claims for about a dozen former Baptist students. She says the about face by the government is dishonourable. "Almost a year later to say we're going to pull this school and who knows what school we are going to pull next, how can you trust the government anymore, how can you trust the process anymore with the actions that they are taking?" she wonders. By delisting the Baptist school, former students no longer qualify for the governments alternative dispute resolution process. Cabott says she will continue to fight for those claims through the courts. Copyright c. 2004 CBC. --------- "RE: 'See you in court' says Residential School Lawyer" --------- Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2004 08:40:18 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SCHOOL ABUSE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://north.cbc.ca/regionalnews/caches/baptist-residential-12212004.html 'See you in court' says residential school lawyer to feds December 21, 2004 WHITEHORSE - Yukon lawyers say they will go to court to make Ottawa accept responsibility for abuses that occurred at a Whitehorse Indian residential school. They say government contracts with the Baptist Mission school make Ottawa liable for abuse suffered by former students at the school, that ran in the territorial capital in the 1950s. Federal officials have determined abuse claims from the Baptist Mission school in Whitehorse don't qualify for their dispute resolution process. "The federal government paid tuition," says Shawn Tupper, who speaks for the government on the issue. "But that didn't give the federal government any administrative control over how the school was run or the children were cared for," he says. Whitehorse lawyer Dan Shier, who represents dozens of those former students, says Ottawa is splitting hairs. "The federal government is doing a bit of a dance," he says. "On the one hand they're saying it's not an Indian residential school. They were paying for the upkeep of the children, the maintenance of the school and the salaries of the teachers." Federal government records show contracts signed with the Baptist school. While the same contract carries a disclaimer absolving the government of responsibility, it also provides up to $1.25 per day for every Indian student living at the school. "We can always say to the government 'see you in court'," says Shier. "And frankly that's what needs to be done because they need to be taken to task and ultimately have a case heard before a judge here in the Yukon." Shier says at least 34 Yukon claims are pending against the Baptist school. Since the government's dispute resolution process was announced a year ago, just one Yukon case has been resolved. Copyright c. 2004 CBC. --------- "RE: Attack on Leonard Peltier" --------- Date: Friday, December 24, 2004 8:51 AM From: mjlaburt2 [MJLaBurt@aol.com] Subj: Attack on Leonard Peltier Mailing List: NDNAIM Attack on Leonard Peltier An Editorial By Carter Camp June 30, 2003 Ah-ho My Relations, Over the years the case of the wrongful imprisonment of Leonard Peltier has been a unifying factor all across "Indian Country" and among our allies worldwide. All across our lands American Indian people have stood shoulder to shoulder in demanding freedom for Leonard Peltier for a reason..... he's innocent! Independent investigations by authors, defense attorney's working for Peltier and not, and hundreds of journalists has shown without doubt that he did not get a fair trial. Within the American Indian Movement there has never been any doubt that Leonard was framed and used as a scapegoat by an FBI desperate to pin the guilt of their failed attack on someone from AIM, anyone, as long as they got a conviction. After Dino and Bob were acquitted by a jury that was allowed to hear the truth, the FBI spent many hours in many meetings deciding how to convict Peltier. First they picked a "FBI friendly" judge who they could count on to help them bend the truth. He then refused to allow Peltier to use the only true defense he had, the one that had freed Dino and Bob, he ruled that Peltier could not use "self-defense" as a defense! In other words a federal judge ruled the truth of the shooting would not be allowed to be used for Leonard, so the trial was fixed from the start. Then, because they had moved the trial to a state where hating Indians is as common as loving John Wayne, they got a jury predisposed against all Indians, gave them fabricated ballistic and other "expert" information, fed them outright lies from the witness stand by FBI agents and withheld pertinent information that would have given the jury any doubt. Thus Leonard Peltier was wrongly convicted..... but only of "aiding and abetting" the killing of the two agents. Even the government has no idea who killed those attacking agents during the intense fight the Indian people were waging for their lives. And in the end I do not think it matters, no more than exactly who killed Custer matters. We know whose homes were being attacked and what people (Traditionals and AIM) were being killed by the FBI and their GOONs. We know it was an invited and welcomed AIM encampment, on a local Lakota family's homesite containing families from babies to grandparents, that was slated for attack by these same invaders. We may never know for sure but evidence points to these two agents "jumping the gun" on the attack and starting the fight before their backup was in place. Unfortunately for them, but lucky for the babies, they jumped on a hornets nest and died for their foolishness before the helicopters and other reinforcements arrived. The ensuing fight and it's aftermath of a quarter century of wrongful imprisonment of Leonard Peltier has been well documented and is known worldwide. Leonard Peltier is known as the prime example of an American political prisoner and millions of people around the world have asked for his freedom. The case has been investigated and litigated until even one of the appeals judges asked for his freedom, the facts of the governments case are known, at least what they have released, so we can say with confidence that if Peltier would have had a fair trail based on all the facts that have come to light, he would have been acquitted and be at home with his grandchildren right now. Instead his framing has been allowed to stand and Peltier remains a political prisoner of America's longest war. We know for certain that the fight at the Jumping Bull home was a part of an FBI attempt to wipe out the American Indian Movement and that all who were there fought in self-defense. We also know the agents were not scalped. We know that Peltier told us that he and the other warriors, men and women, fought hard and desperately with real guns using real bullets to repel the attack. We know that the FBI has a different version, a version that has been put to the lie by responsible journalists, authors and all of ndn country. We know they will go to any lengths to keep the truth hidden and Peltier in jail. In "Indian Country" we have a decided lack of newspapers or media to cover the many happenings around our nations and those we do have are only guided by their owners sense of what is good journalism and what is not. There are no repercussions for newspaper owners cum- reporters, editors and publishers all in one. They can, and do, report as news their own speculations and misunderstandings with impunity, you will never see one of them resign for ethical reasons as was done at the New York Times recently, so generally it's buyer beware journalism and we get used to it. After reading the various ndn newspapers we can tell where they're coming from and we pay attention to them accordingly. One of the newspapers ndns have rejected en mass is Paul DeMains "News of Indian Country" mainly because it's a "point of view" type yellow newspaper instead of an attempt at good journalism. But DeMain has learned that in America scandal sells so in order to drum up business this paper has made a habit of printing and reprinting every sort of story about the murder of Anna Mae Aquash. Mainly he has come down for the FBI version as put out in the first failed grand jury about her and rehashed by the FBI and their stooges ever since. Recently they have attempted to use our own culture against us, one cop named Ecoffey stupidly and falsely claimed he had had a "dream" or vision about her death which prompted him to seek her killer. Around the rez we all know the ex- Cop Ecoffey so we can laugh at his perversion of our ways, but people like DeMain think a cops dreams are evidence and print them verbatim. This past year DeMain got so outrageous in his anti-AIM diatribes that Peltier was forced to file a lawsuit against him in an attempt to stop his untrue scandal sheet from grossly distorting the tragic death of Anna Mae. An arrest has been made in Anna's death and except for pure speculation DeMain knows nothing about it so he is desperate to get in on the story no matter the cost to truth. Guess what? Now DeMain, like ole Bob Ecoffey, has had a new epiphany and has decided in his wisdom that our brother Leonard Peltier is guilty. And like ole Bob too he uses imaginary informants that whispered in his ear and convinced him, against all evidence new and old, that by golly, the FBI was right all along! Oh, he begins his "story" with many references to Pipes and "Pipecarriers", (a fictitious position btw) and other ndn sounding bs and he tells (brags) about how much he has read and studied Peltiers case. He even does some quoting from the case and various interviews, nonsensical stuff but things I assume he thinks bolsters his anti-Peltier conclusions, but in the end his whole story come down to this quote below..... DeMain says; "But in the end, while crossing back and forth over the issue of "without doubt," and crossing back again to wonder, it simply took a delegation of people who were tired of all the deceptions, lies and dangers to step forward and tell me the truth. "Peltier was responsible for the close range execution of the agents....." and that was the end of that. I have no reason to doubt the group of people, and others I have since conversed with, that they are now telling the truth. They are people who have agonized for years, grandfathers and grandmothers, AIM activists, Pipe carriers and others who have carried a heavy unhealthy burden within them that has taken its toll." Notice what he put in quotation marks as coming from a delegation of our people. In my opinion this is a lie, either a lie or the FBI scout DeMain left out some very important words, such as, " I heard" Peltier was responsible" ect. We know the FBI and other governmental departments were engaged in a massive disinformation campaign (COINTELPRO) against AIM and rumors were abundant all over ndn country, everybody was in the know. But how many people were there that could say for certain what DeMain claims they did? Maybe a dozen or less in the entire world? And out of this dozen DeMain would have you believe a whole "group" of them sought him out to unburden themselves to! By telling him apparently their "heavy unhealthy burden" was lifted... and Paul gets a scoop of course. Without this mysterious, guilt ridden "delegation" to back up his far out story DeMain is caught for what he is; a lowlife liar who will say and print anything to have his moment in the sun and a pat on the head from the FBI and other assorted ndn haters. Well my relations, I too know those old grandfathers, grandmothers, AIM activists and his vaunted Pipecarriers. They are friends of mine and although I do not get to visit with them very often the last I heard every single one of them continues to support Leonard Peltier and to work for his release. They all still continue to love and honor the warriors who fought that day to protect them and they still call for an investigation into the murders of their relations during the FBI reign of terror on Pine Ridge. There is no "heavy burden of guilt" at all in the community that I have ever detected, most of them are very proud of the victory that day and glad the invaders weren't able to carry out their plan. Why should any of us be ashamed of standing in defense of our people and fighting for our families? The "burden of guilt" DeMain bases his lie upon does not exist, unbeknownst to DeMain the warriors of that fight earned and were awarded eagle feathers of honor by a grateful community. Indian Country still honors them all in song, dance and prayer as is our way when warriors fight and most of all we honor Leonard Peltier who also gave his life that day. As a people we should not allow this DeMain character to get away with his smear campaign against our brother. I personally will never spend a dime for his unreliable rag and I hope all who read this will shun him too. There are some decent newspapers in ndn country that will carry our letters telling the truth and there are other ways to refute these lies such as the internet where we can explain to everyone that DeMains lies were prompted by Peltiers lawsuit against him for lying about Anna Mae not by anything this psudo-journalist has learned. He likes to use names like Richard LaCourse who was a real journalist, to make it seem like they agree with him. To my knowledge Richard was a Peltier supporter as so many journalists are in ndn country, DeMain