_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 13, ISSUE 013 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, WOTANGING IKCHE - Lakota - Common News Wotanging Ikche and Native American News Copyright c. 1996-2005 nanews.org Aboriginal/AmerIndian Perspective about the First Nations of Turtle Island March 26, 2005 Abenaki mozokas/moose hunter moon Mohawk ennisko:wa/much lateness moon Mvskokee tasahcucee/little spring moon Lakota Istawicanyazan Wi/moon of Snow blindness +-------------------------------------------------------+ | 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; News and Information, First Nations Skyvillage and Indigenous Peoples Literature 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + ======================== "Just take a look at what has been done to this land here. Has anyone from the Arapahoe ever been consulted?" __ Alonzo Moss Sr., Arapahoe +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! From the time the first European set foot on this continent, through the settlement of invading Europeans, and the formation and expansion of the US, the answer to the "Indian Question" has always been "No Indians." The BIA's tribal recognition process is by any measure unrealistic, and is deliberately loaded against a legitimate petitioning tribe. Of course, there are tribes that prevail: tribes located in commercially viable areas who can attract investors to fund high-powered attorneys, experts and lobbyists, or bribe officials. But those who are simply real tribes, who have managed to survive without treaties in the kinds of land nobody wants that Indians would have been allowed to keep? Tough luck for them. Inappropriate empowerment of lower-echelon staff over both investigations and decisions works to the detriment of applicant tribes. They can and do cause undue delays in the process (we are talking decades for what should be a simple decision as to whether or not a legitimate indigenous community exists). Consider the absolute absurdity of the Chinook, the tribe that is on record as having welcomed Lewis and Clark to the Pacific Northwest, being denied recognition after twenty-three years of expensive effort by the nation. Already-recognized tribes can hold back recognition through the review process, as the Eastern Band of Cherokee did to the Lumbee and the Quinalt did to the Cowless and Chinook. After recent budget cutbacks in Indian Housing and other necessities, you can hardly blame existing federal tribes for not wanting to see the pies cut into even smaller pieces. In the case of the Quinalt, the concern was even more personal and direct. Treaties executed in the 1850's but never ratified might give petitioning tribes claims on their reservation. The age old dominant society trick of pitting one nation against another could not be more devious and divisive than to threaten the existence of existing homeland by allowing sovereignty and recognition of another nation. The whole process is insidious and intended to reduce the number of Indian Nations, and by proxy, the numbers of Indians. The BIA is not our friend. It is the fox guarding the henhouse and their real task is to oversee the final assimilation and dissolution of Indian Peoples. The real threat is not sharing land or resources with other tribes, it is a plan to gradually make sure there is no homeland at all for Indians. Once Indians, their languages and traditions are reduced to displays in museums, the manipulators can show their own clean hands, saying the Indians did it to themselves. Divisiveness and disunity have been their most successful tools. Learn from the Huron. Make friends with your traditional enemy, or the new enemy will devour both of you. Dohiyi Ani Oginalii , , Gary Smith (*,*) wotanging@bellsouth.net P. O. Box 672168 (`-') gars@nanews.org Marietta, GA 30006, U.S.A. ===w=w=== http://www.nanews.org ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ----------- - Delawares will soon - Stranger presents Gift lose Federal Recognition to Tribes-leaves as Friend - Dole introduces - Lakota Woman looks Lumbee Recognition Bill to promote Breast-Feeding - Indian Trust Plaintiffs - YELLOW BIRD: hail "Victory" Tribe copes with, combats Suicide - Bush Administration - Editorial: Indian Disunity won't give up fight on Cobell is Indian Dysfunction - Group tied to Norton - Alaskans wary of Vote says it is Tax Exempt on Oil Drilling - Indian Murals at EPA Building - Native Americans decry to undergo review Alaska Exploration Ruling - Suit: Church exploited Cheyenne - Akaka Bill - CRST Residents violates International Law could be without Water - Ecuador Tribes vow - Tribe, College Officials to fight Oil Threat keep Fingers crossed - Tribe negotiating with County - Tribe may appeal Snowbowl OK to Cross-Deputize - Arapahoe Elders want City - Native Lawyers file lawsuit to protect Sacred Site against Illiniwek - Mascots: Non-Natives - Noted Peltier foe expected don't recognize Discrimation to announce Retirement - Mascot display takes aim - Native Prisoner at Stereotypes -- Federal sentencing Guidelines - 'Lost Kickapoos' - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days could become Az's 23rd Tribe - Rustywire: The Spring - Governorr reaching out - Spiritdove Poem: to 'the first Montanans' City Streets/Country Roads - Charette welcomes Indians - Willamina to offer to Montana Capitol Chinook Language Immersion - Shendo to head New Mexico's - UKB Chief launches Indian Affairs Dept. Language offensive - School' Portraits of Blackfeet - 12th Annual Tribal Secretaries were Gift Conference in April - Base sending Homes - Upcoming Events --------- "RE: Delawares will soon lose Federal Recognition" --------- Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 08:50:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DELAWARES TO BE DE-RECOGNIZED" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.kotv.com/main/home/stories.asp?whichpage=1&id=80046 Delawares Will Soon Be Taken Off The List Of Federally Recognized Tribes March 22, 2005 An Oklahoma Indian tribe is just days away from losing millions of dollars in federal funding. The US Bureau of Indian Affairs took Bartlesville's Delaware tribe off its list of federally-recognized tribes. News on 6 anchor Tami Marler explains how the loss will have an effect on almost everyone in Washington County. Even after being moved to nine different states. The Delaware Tribe fought to hold on to its identity. When they settled in Oklahoma Indian territory. Chief Joe Brooks says they worked out an agreement with the Cherokees. "According to the treaties of 1866, we were entitled to a distinct area within the jurisdiction of the Cherokee Nation, which gave us the right to retain our own tribal organization." The Delaware won back its sovereignty in 1996; seventeen years after the Bureau of Indian Affairs folded the Delaware into the Cherokee Nation. The federal recognition opened up a whole new world for the nearly 11,000 member tribe. Delaware Ceremonial Chief Leonard Thompson: "I'm glad we're Delaware's again and not Cherokees, we've been hindered with Cherokees, we've been hindered with that. We can carry on our own dances and own religion, we've got different languages, different culture. Chief Brooks: "immediately in 1996 when we were restored to the list of federally recognized tribes, the Cherokee Nation filed suit. They contested the provision of federal grants and services from the US Department of Interior. They've continually challenged our funding since 1996." Chief Brooks and his tribal council have fought a relentless battle to keep the Delaware tribe a sovereign nation. Recently, a federal court sided with the Cherokees. "It's been a battle, up and down between the Delaware's and the Cherokees. There's room in Northeast Oklahoma for all Indians. Not just one tribe. We're Delaware's, not Cherokees. We've always been Delaware's; from this point forward we'll remain Delaware's." In just a matter of days, the federal government will no longer recognize the Delaware tribe as a tribe. It all stems from a struggle that started before Oklahoma became a state and it just recently came to a head. Delaware Tribe member Pat Johnson: "That they're closing the 31st, that we're no longer a tribe. It's sad. All my life." The health center is just one of the benefits Pat Johnson enjoys as a Delaware. "You get glasses, dental, doctors. And then, since I'm an elder, I go up to the big building and have lunch, real often." The tribe will lose nearly $6-million a year in federal funding. More than 50 employees will lose their jobs; medical services for 500 patients will terminate, along with meal programs for seniors like Evelyn Thomas, a full-blood Delaware. "Made me feel down. I mean I didn't think this was ever going to happen." Chief Brooks says the Delaware tribe is preparing to file for a stay with the US Supreme Court; although they realize, chances are slim the court will even hear their case. Brooks says, what hurts the most, is the millions of dollars that have gone toward legal fees, could have been spent on services for both tribes. Copyright c. 2005 KOTV 6, Tulsa, OK. --------- "RE: Dole introduces Lumbee Recognition Bill" --------- Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 12:22:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LUMBEE RECOGNITION BILL" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.the-dispatch.com//20050318/APN/503180932&cachetime=5 Dole introduces Lumbee recognition bill The Associated Press March 18, 2005 U.S. Sen. Elizabeth, R-N.C., has introduced a measure that would grant full federal recognition to the Lumbee Indian Tribe. A similar bill stalled in the Senate and remained in the House Resources Committee during the past Congress. North Carolina has recognized the tribe since 1885, but in 1956 it was only partially recognized by the federal government. Recognition could bring an estimated $77 million a year to Indians in Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland and Scotland counties for education, health care and economic development. "Full federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe is the fair and right thing to do," said Dole, who filed the bill late Thursday night. "The Lumbees have been unfairly denied this recognition for more than 100 years, and as a result, the tribe has been denied the education, health care and economic development opportunities that would significantly benefit not just the tribe but also the regional economy." The Eastern Band of Cherokee is the only federally recognized Indian tribe in North Carolina and has opposed federal recognition of the Lumbees for decades. The United South and Eastern Tribes, an organization of 24 federally recognized tribes, also opposes Lumbee recognition because it would allow Lumbees to circumvent the normal recognition process. Copyright c. 2005 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. Lexington, NC Dispatch. --------- "RE: Indian Trust Plaintiffs hail "Victory"" --------- Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 08:16:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="COURT REFUSE BUSH ADMIN STAY REQUEST" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=6139 Indian trust plaintiffs hail "victory" in trust fund case Appeals court upholds judge's order WASHINGTON DC Native American Times March 14, 2005 Lawyers fighting the federal government over the long-running Indian Trust lawsuit say they have scored an "enormous victory" when U.S. Court of Appeals today refused the government's request for an emergency stay of a Feb. 23 court order requiring the Department of the Interior render a complete and accurate accounting of the Individual Indian Money Trust. In a statement Eloise Cobell, the Blackfeet elder widely credited with bring the case to light, said that the government must now begin its long- awaited accounting, even as an expedited review of the district court's injunction is pending. Judge Royce C. Lamberth, in his February 23rd ruling, wrote: "I request that the Court of Appeals expedite this case while there is still a chance to provide meaningful relief to these Indians who have been so grievously wronged by the government's misconduct." Eloise Cobell, lead plaintiff in the case, said: "It appears the Court of Appeals is getting the message: justice delayed is justice denied. We welcome the opportunity to make our case before the appeals court, and believe that the accounting ordered by the district court will proceed." In 2003, the appeals court had granted a similar motion for emergency stay filed by the government. In the most recent ruling, the justices instead requested that the plaintiffs file their own response to the government's motion for a stay by March 17th, with a government reply by March 24th. The appeals court will then rule on whether to grant a stay pending expedited appeal of the order. The court decision comes around the same time that U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) encouraged Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton to find a speedy solution to the trust reform issue through continued communication with Indian Country leaders "I was encouraged to hear that Secretary Norton was reaching out to members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee to address trust reform. I assured her that all sides need to be brought to the table to meet the needs of tribes at the local level. Our tribes need flexibility and funding assurances," Johnson said. He sits on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Johnson said that the Great Plains Region is uniquely affected by trust reform, as vast amounts of trust land are located in the region. Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Bush Administration won't give up fight on Cobell" --------- Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 12:22:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BUSH WHACK TAKES WAY OF SNAKE" http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/007113.asp Bush administration won't give up fight on Cobell March 18, 2005 The Bush administration continued its lobbying effort against the Indian trust fund lawsuit on Thursday with the testimony of a senior official who said the Interior Department would approach Congress if the court case doesn't go its way. Jim Cason, the associate deputy secretary at Interior, told a House subcommittee that the administration is seeking an emergency stay of a court decision requiring a broad historical accounting. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued the injunction last month, blasting the federal government's failure to live up to its promises. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has so far declined to grant the stay, instead setting an expedited briefing schedule for a hearing on the matter. The plaintiffs, led by Elouise Cobell of the Blackfeet Nation, welcomed the move last week as a step towards swift justice. But Cason said the department wasn't looking at the issue as positively. He said Lamberth's order imposes a substantial "risk" on the government because Interior hasn't planned for, or asked for the resources, to conduct the broad accounting. "The risk that we have is if we do not get a stay and we do not get a successful appeal that we may be back [before Congress] to discuss the resources needed to comply with the order or other alternatives," Cason told the House Interior Appropriations panel. The leaders of the subcommittee were receptive to Cason's call for action. Last year, Rep. Charles Taylor (R-North Carolina), the chairman, and Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Washington), the ranking Democrat, inserted a rider into Interior's appropriations bill that delayed Lamberth's first order on the accounting. "This can't happen," Taylor said of $6-12 billion estimate made by Interior, but unverified by outside parties, of the larger accounting. "We don't have those kinds of funds." Taylor did indicate some restraint because other lawmakers -- most notably Rep. Richard Pombo (R-California), chairman of the House Resources Committee -- objected to the intervention. But Dicks said Pombo and others who criticized the rider need to act. "This is just not right," Dicks said. "If they do not do something, we may have to step in and do something again." Cason's lobbying followed the testimony of Interior Secretary Gale Norton last week to a Senate subcommittee and to a House subcommittee earlier in the month. She also sounded the alarm on Lamberth's accounting injunction. The plaintiffs in the Cobell v. Norton case consider such efforts an affront to the trust responsibility owed to hundreds of thousands of individual Indians. They fought last year's rider and are challenging the administration's appeal to the D.C. Circuit. "There is no stronger or more disgusting record in history," attorney Dennis Gingold said at a court hearing earlier this month. He said Norton's complaints about the injunction were essentially a repudiation of the trust. "They believe Indians in this country should be treated differently than anyone else," he said of the government's attitude. Indian trust management took up the majority of the hearing yesterday although Taylor and Dicks said they had serious concerns about the nearly $110 million in cuts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs budget. Yet "funding or the trust related programs continues to increase," Taylor observed. "This budget," said Dicks, "moves us in the wrong direction." Copyright c. 2000-2005 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Group tied to Norton says it is Tax Exempt" --------- Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 08:16:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="IRS HAS NO RECORD" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0314crea14.html Group tied to Norton says it is tax exempt IRS status, lobbying at issue in probes Jon Kamman and Billy House The Arizona Republic March 14, 2005 A Republican environmental group with links to Interior Secretary Gale Norton and former powerhouse lobbyist Jack Abramoff claims it is a tax- exempt corporation and does not have to account publicly for at least $250,000 that Indian tribes report contributing to it at his urging. But the IRS says it has no record that the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy has been granted tax-free status as a corporation. The absence of IRS approval raises questions about the extent of the council's political activities. advertisement A news report Sunday drew connections between the group and the casino gaming interests of an Abramoff client. Also, another tribe disclosed late last week that it had been steered by the lobbyist to make $75,000 in contributions to the conservative-leaning council. The council, known as CREA, is organized two ways under the same name. As a political advocacy group, it is required to publicly disclose its contributors and expenditures. As a corporation, it can obtain tax-exempt status and keep its donors confidential, but is limited in the extent of its lobbying activities. CREA would not provide documentation of any application to become what the Internal Revenue Service designates a "social welfare organization." In other developments, Norton acknowledged to The Arizona Republic last week that she has had "brief discussions" with the group since becoming Interior secretary in 2001, and the Washington Post reported that CREA's leader had communicated with Norton's aides in 2001 and 2002 about issues related to Abramoff's Indian gaming interests. The Interior Department holds final administrative authority over Indian gaming. "I've had very few contacts" with the group, Norton said Thursday when approached after a news conference in Washington, D.C., on another topic. What those conversations entailed and whether they might represent improper lobbying by CREA could not be determined. In general, a tax-exempt organization of the type CREA claims to be is allowed to lobby only on the issues for which it was formed. Another unanswered question is why CREA's political advocacy arm has filed many of its IRS documents under an entirely different name, Renew Our Urban Centers Fund. The fund was a D.C. corporation for three years until its charter was revoked in 2002 for failure to renew its standing and pay fees. No role in group Norton founded CREA's predecessor in 1998 but said Thursday that she has had no role in the organization since being named to the Cabinet. CREA President Italia Federici is a former campaign worker for Norton in Colorado. Federici's contacts with top Interior officials are under federal investigation. Norton acknowledged that one probe of several is being conducted by her department's Inspector General's Office, an independent unit. According to the Post, Federici was sufficiently connected with Norton's top deputy, J. Steven Griles, for Abramoff to ask her in an e-mail to "let Steve know" about what the lobbyist called a looming "PR (public relations) disaster." The issue involved attempts to keep a small Louisiana tribe, the Jena Band of Choctaws, from opening a casino that would compete with one operated by Abramoff's client, the Coushatta tribe. CREA was issued $250,000 in contributions by three tribes represented by Abramoff, part of more than $1.5 million in political contributions the tribes say he instructed them to make. Federici has refused to say whether CREA received the money or how it was spent. Steven Schlein, a Washington, D.C., communications consultant who said he is advising CREA, said that as a corporation operating under section 501(c)(4) of the federal tax code, the group can keep its financial affairs private. CREA's twin organization, a political advocacy group called a 527, also named for a section of the tax code, has reported zero contributions and expenditures since September 2000An investigation by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, chaired by Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain, has found that Abramoff and a once-secret partner, Michael Scanlon, were paid about $30 million by the Coushatta Tribe for services over three years. One of the services was to fight for the closure of a casino operated by the Tigua Indians of El Paso. When that effort was successful, Abramoff and Scanlon reversed course and won a $4.2 million contract from the Tiguas to try, unsuccessfully, to have Congress pass a bill authorizing its reopening. Abramoff and Scanlon collected a total of $82 million from six tribes. What they did and where the money went is the topic not only of Senate hearings, but also of a criminal investigation in which a grand jury is hearing testimony. Abramoff's use of funds from charities with which he was involved also is being examined. Funds were used to take members of Congress, notably House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, on golfing trips to Scotland. Schlein acknowledged last week that CREA has been subpoenaed in the criminal investigation. Interviews declined Federici repeatedly has declined to be interviewed on the record by The Republic. The Post reported that she said all of her group's activities involved environmental issues. Norton sidestepped a question Thursday about whether her own contacts with CREA would be part of the investigation in her department. "You'd have to talk to the Inspector General's Office about what they're looking at," she said. Roy Kime, a spokesman for the office, said he did not know whether Norton's contacts are under review, "but we certainly are looking at CREA." He said there is no time frame for findings to be made public, but it won't be for at least a couple of months. Unanswered questions about CREA's operations leave the public with little insight into the sources of the organization's support, where its money is spent and whether it is complying with restrictions on lobbying and politicking. Depending on a group's legal structure, requirements vary on whether such information must be made public. According to documents reviewed by The Republic, the Coushattas reported sending CREA $150,000, the Tiguas reported sending $25,000 and, in the most recent disclosure, the Saginaw Chippewa tribe of Michigan reported sending $25,000 in 2002 and $50,000 the next year. Bernard Sprague, tribal subchief of the Chippewas, provided a list of nearly $1 million in political contributions made by the tribe, including those to CREA. "These donations were all made. And all the checks were cashed," he said. CREA adviser Schlein cited the group's incorporation papers in the District of Columbia as evidence of its tax exemption, but the IRS is the only agency that confers federal tax exemptions. IRS spokesman Bill Brunson said, "We have no record of an approved (tax)-exemption status" for CREA. Status is in doubt The incorporation papers say CREA "shall be a non-profit organization." The papers make no reference to whether the group ever applied. Schlein would not provide a date for such an application or show whether it was approved. A tax-exempt organization is required to allow public inspection of its application and informational tax returns it files annually. Schlein provided copies of 2000 and 2002 informational returns he said were filed by CREA. The forms are the public portions of otherwise private returns filed by tax-exempt organizations. But tax experts and IRS publications say those filings are not confirmation of government approval of a tax exemption. Approval can be granted retroactively, but only if an organization can show it has complied with all regulations on uses of its funds and limitations on political activities. Tiguas Lt. Gov. Carols Hisa said his tribe sent its checks to Abramoff for distributions to political committees of members of Congress. Although the tribe says the checks were cashed, more than $70,000, including $25,000 to CREA, is unaccounted for in public records, The Republic has found. Many intended recipients said they never received the money. Different rules If CREA operates as a 527 organization, it can engage in almost unlimited politicking but must disclose details of its contributors and expenditures. As a 501(c)(4), it could keep contributions and expenditures private, but is much more limited in its political activity. CREA has issued statements strongly backing President Bush and denouncing opposition to his environmental policies. It has criticized Sen. John Kerry, Bush's presidential opponent, since 2002. In nearly identical news releases in 2002 and 2004, CREA slammed Kerry and other officials for arriving at an energy-conservation rally in SUVs and chauffeured limousines. The news releases did not disclose that the rally had occurred in 2000, a fact CREA acknowledged in a third release. If CREA applies for retroactive tax-exempt status, or has done so, the IRS would review its political activities dating to 2000 to see whether they conform to restrictions against supporting candidates or lobbying government officials. CREA made its national debut in 1998 with Norton and conservative activist Grover Norquist as co-chairs and immediately drew accusations from other environmental organizations that it is a front for anti- conservation interests. It casts itself as trying to find solutions to environmental problems through a balanced, non-confrontational approach accommodating both industry and conservation. Copyright c. 2005, azcentral.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Indian Murals at EPA Building to undergo review" --------- Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 08:41:43 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DEMEANING MURALS STILL AT EPA" http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/007089.asp Indian murals at EPA building to undergo review March 17, 2005 A handful of government murals that depict Indian people in an unfavorable light will undergo a review to determine whether they are appropriate to display, a federal agency announced on Wednesday. After years of complaints by Indian employees and their advocates, the General Services Administration initiated the review of six murals at the Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington, D.C. The GSA plans to take input from the public under the National Historic Preservation Act because the artwork is more than 70 years old. "By utilizing this historic preservation review process, we will provide all interested parties an opportunity to inform GSA how they view this issue," Donald C. Williams, the GSA administrator for the Washington area. Indian employees at EPA have already made their views known about the public display of the murals at the Ariol Rios Building. They say that depiction of Indian men scalping nude white women and murdering white men are offensive. The paintings also show nude Indian men and women in submissive positions. "The subliminal message of these is discouraging," Bob Smith, a member of the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin who works at the building, said in an interview. "What they reinforce is stereotypes and I think that's wrong in a government building. It creates a hostile work environment for American Indians." Elizabeth Kronk, a member of the Ste. Sainte Marie Tribe of Michigan, is a Washington attorney who has been advocating for the removal of the murals. She said they are an affront to Indian employees and to tribal leaders who visit the EPA building to meet with federal officials. "These murals perpetuate stereotypes of Native Americans as murderers, rapists and in positions of inferiority," she said. "To have to be faced with these depictions every day," she added, "is horrible." The murals, located on two different floors, were installed in the 1930s when the building was the headquarters for the U.S. Postal Service. One in particular, "Dangers of the Mail," by Frank A. Mechau, has been controversial from the start because it displays nude women being attacked by Indians. The issue attracted the attention of former EPA administrator Carol Browner, who served during the Clinton administration. In 2000, she ordered the murals to be covered, saying they were offensive to American Indians and women. But the covering was removed at the start of the Bush administration and some of the murals were sent out for restoration by the GSA. "By restoring the paintings, it made the brighter and more vivid to portray their negative stereotypes," asserted Smith. Bush officials later put up an Indian-related display in front of two of the murals, including the "Dangers of the Mail" one. However, it is still possible to view the murals by walking behind the display. To help gain more attention, Kronk submitted a resolution to the National Congress of American Indians to call for action on the murals. The resolution was passed at the NCAI annual session last October. Kronk acknowledged there is some difficulty in resolving the matter because two of the murals are attached to the wall. The other four, however, are canvas paintings that have been easily removed in the past. "We would encourage [GSA] to do that again," said Kronk. Physical removal of the two attached murals is an option, Kronk said, but covering them up completely could also be considered. "In essence they need to be removed from public display," she said. "Whether that's physical removal, we leave that to the agencies." Whatever the solution, Smith wants it resolved quickly. "This has been really dragging on," he said yesterday. "Nobody's really taking a firm stand." Smith pointed out that former U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft covered up a semi-nude statue at the Department of Justice headquarters. The government spent $8,000 on curtains to hide the statue from public display. "He was high level," Smith said of Ashcroft. "If the little man complained, they would have been ignored." Smith has worked at the EPA for 15 years and has to pass the murals every day. He said it affects more than just himself and the 30 to 40 Indian employees at the headquarters. "I wouldn't even bring my daughter here for Bring Your Daughter to Work Day," he said. "How would I explain to my own kids the depiction of their own people as savages and sexual predators and murderers?" The EPA did not return a request for comment yesterday. Nationwide, the agency has about 700 Indian employees. Copyright c. 2000-2005 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Suit: Church exploited Cheyenne" --------- Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 08:16:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ST. LABRE USED CHEYENNE TO SOLICIT DONATIONS" http://www.billingsgazette.com//2005/03/15//45-church-suit.inc Suit: Church exploited Cheyenne By MIKE STARK Of The Gazette Staff March 15, 2005 Catholic Church and St. Labre Indian School officials on Monday said they were dismayed by a lawsuit claiming that the Northern Cheyenne tribe had been exploited to raise money. The lawsuit, filed Friday by the Northern Cheyenne tribe in Yellowstone County District Court, said the church and the school marketed the "plight" and "financial need" of the tribe in "one of the most successful fund-raising enterprises in American history." Curtis Yarlott, executive director of St. Labre Indian School, read the 12-page suit on Monday. "My immediate reaction is a great deal of disappointment," Yarlott said. "It's unfortunate and it doesn't serve the people well. It diverts resources and time from the students and the needs of the school." The lawsuit, filed by Billings attorney Cliff Edwards on behalf of the tribe, names as defendants the Roman Catholic Church, the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings and St. Labre. A church official on Monday questioned the merits of the lawsuit. "I don't think the bishop felt that he or his predecessors have exploited anybody," said Max Davis, attorney for the diocese. "It's disappointing that someone would make these kinds of allegations." Davis said a similar suit was filed in 2002, but tribal officials asked a judge to dismiss it. The suit filed Friday said the church and the school have refused to redistribute "even small portions of the tens and hundreds of millions of dollars gathered" based on a marketing campaign focusing on poverty of the Northern Cheyenne people. For more than 50 years, the church and the school have promised to share some of that money with the tribe, the lawsuit said. "These repeated promises have been broken," the lawsuit said. Among the claims in the lawsuit are breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation, fraud and "cultural genocide and violation of constitutional rights." The tribe wants a judge to force St. Labre to open its financial books from the last 50 years and pay the tribe compensatory and punitive damages. "We're trying to make sure there is a more equitable distribution of the funds raised on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation," Northern Cheyenne President Eugene Little Coyote said Friday. Yarlott and Davis said they knew of no agreement requiring that a portion of the money raised for St. Labre be passed along to the tribe. St. Labre and Northern Cheyenne officials had been in negotiations about the dispute but never reached a resolution. The lawsuit also claimed that some members of the tribe have experienced physical and sexual abuse at St. Labre and had their culture and heritage derided. Yarlott said he didn't know of any "substantiated allegations of abuse taking place at St. Labre" and dismissed claims about devaluing Indian culture at the school. "I just don't believe that's happening today," he said. Yarlott also countered a claim in the suit that only a "small percentage" of students at St. Labre Mission are Northern Cheyenne. The latest figures, he said, showed that 62 percent of the students are Northern Cheyenne and 92 percent are American Indian. Yarlott said St. Labre is taking the lawsuit seriously but also is continuing to do its work to educate local students. "We're committed to serving the Northern Cheyenne people and we will continue to serve the students that come here and the elders," he said. Copyright c. 2005 The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: CRST Residents could be without Water" --------- Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 08:41:11 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CHEYENNE RIVER FACES CATASTROPHE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/11162882.htm Some 14,000 residents of the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation could... DORIS HAUGEN Associated Press March 17, 2005 SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Some 14,000 residents of the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation could run out of water this summer because of a continued drought along the Missouri River basin, according to tribal and other officials. Based on water level predictions for the Missouri River, Wayne Ducheneaux and other tribal officials think the reservation could be out of water by August. And they fear the worst. "It will be more than just running out of water for a couple of days. There will be 14,000 people that have no water whatsoever," Ducheneaux, member of a task force working to come up with a water plan, said Thursday. Storage in the river's six reservoirs has reached a record low of 35 million acre-feet of water, Gov. Mike Rounds said this week. As levels continue to fall, concerns are starting to shift from fishing and boating to communities that depend on the Missouri for drinking water, the governor said. "It's so far down it's not even a matter of business and recreational opportunities," Rounds said during a South Dakota Public Radio program Wednesday. "This has now become a matter of do we have enough water for the intakes for domestic water supplies." The intake for the system that provides water to the reservation is within a few feet of being out of the water, said Rounds. With continued low levels along the river, drinking water supplies could be threatened for at least 14,000 people and maybe as many as 22,000, the governor said. Heavy mountain snow is the only sure way to recharge the upper river basin, and that's not likely to happen, Ducheneaux said. The tribe's list of potential problems stretches from health concerns to fire fighting: _ The reservation's only hospital and clinic in Eagle Butte would have to close. _ People might get sick by tapping into unsafe water sources such as old wells and artesian springs. _ Schools would be forced to close. _ No water would be available to fight fires. "There are immediate concerns for all the residents," said Rebecca Kidder, a lawyer for the tribe. But complicating the concerns is poverty on the reservation, she said. Dewey and Ziebach counties, both served by the Tri-County Water Association, are among the poorest in the state. Ziebach is one of the poorest in the nation. "Any time you're dealing with that kind of poverty, there aren't as many options for moving, or even buying bottled water," said Kidder. "People don't have the funds, they don't have the resources to travel to (water) distribution points." Tribal, state and other officials hope they can keep drinking water flowing to the reservation at least temporarily by extending the intake farther into the river. One plan requires four miles of pipe to lengthen the system's intake into a deeper part of the river and another 18 miles of new power lines to pump the water, said Kidder. That project could cost $6 million. But extending the pipe is not a permanent fix, Kidder and Ducheneaux said. A long-term solution could cost as much as $76 million and take at least five years to build, Kidder said. "The biggest fear right now? We're looking at ways to prevent us from running out of water, and the solution is not simple," she said. The tribe has asked the Army Corps of Engineers for help, and officials are expected to come to the reservation soon for an evaluation, Kidder said. If the corps determines a threat exists, it can provide funding and other kinds of help, she said. Copyright c. 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2005 Aberdeen American News. --------- "RE: Tribe, College Officials keep Fingers crossed" --------- Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 08:41:11 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HOPE REMAINS FOR SI TANKA" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=6167 Tribe, college officials keep fingers crossed Hope funding will keep doors open EAGLE BUTTE SD March 17, 2005 The Bureau of Indian Affairs has yet to make a decision on the future of a troubled tribal college in South Dakota. Si Tanka University officials are hoping that they will receive $850,000 in Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act funds, a federally-administered program. Si Tanka missed a payroll earlier this month after the BIA did not release the money. In a statement e-mailed to the Native American Times shortly after that happened, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Chairman Harold Frazier said that a "series of false promises and reneged agreements" by BIA Office of Indian Education Programs director Ed Parisian is the reason that Si Tanka's Eagle Butte and Huron campuses are in jeopardy. Parisian has not commented on the charges. Closure would mean 191 lost jobs and educational opportunities for 775 students, the statement by the school and the tribe said. A lawyer working with the tribe and the school, David Nadolski of Sioux Falls, said that the tribal council is committed to helping Si Tanka stay open through this spring. The council has agreed to either guarantee a loan or lend money to Si Tanka for continued operations, he said. The tribe chartered what is now Si Tanka University 32 years ago. In 2001, the school bought Huron University - which led to the university's current financial problems. The school took on too much debt when it took out a $3.3 million U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development loan and another $3.3 million bank loan to buy Huron University, Nadolski said. That led to loan defaults and the foreclosure litigation, he said. When Huron University was bought, that made the percentage of American Indian students at Si Tanka fall below 50 percent. So last summer, the BIA said the school no longer qualified for federal tribal college funding, which equals $4,390 per Indian student at tribal colleges. Si Tanka was expecting $1.4 million for all of the Indian students at Eagle Butte and Huron - a big part of the university's operating revenue. School leaders believed that they had a deal for $850,000 of the money after a January meeting with Parisian. But Nadolski said that the Parisian abruptly changed his position. Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Tribe may appeal Snowbowl OK" --------- Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 08:16:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DINE' COW TO FIGHT 'CRAP'BOWL" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic//0315snowbowl15.html Tribe may appeal Snowbowl OK Navajo leader vows fight on snowmaking decision John Stearns The Arizona Republic March 15, 2005 The U.S. Forest Service's recent decision to allow the use of treated wastewater to make snow at Arizona Snowbowl amounts to a form of "genocide," the president of the Navajo Nation says, vowing to fight the decision. Joe Shirley Jr. will consult other tribal leaders about the decision before they issue a formal tribal response to the March 8 ruling. As of Friday, the tribe had 45 days to appeal. Shirley said he is willing to study how Snowbowl could be stopped from operating. "That's our cathedral, that's our church, that's who we are," Shirley said of the San Francisco Peaks, which the tribe considers sacred. The U.S. government stepped on native people's dignity with the ruling, he said, suggesting it was another form of government efforts in the 1800s to exterminate tribes and cultures. advertisement "(When someone) puts (poop) on you, how can you talk to your children about pride?" an angry Shirley said of the tribe's struggles to maintain its identity, culture and language. "That takes away from pride. When pride is taken away, why talk Navajo?" Environmental groups also are expected to appeal. Snowbowl wants to be able to make snow to ensure reliable ski and snowboard seasons and consistent business. The March 8 ruling also granted approval for new lifts and new runs within Snowbowl's existing boundary. The small Flagstaff ski area has ridden a financial roller coaster: up with snow, down without it. Because of the prolonged drought, the ski area has lost money five of the past 12 seasons, adding up to cumulative red ink of at least $1.8 million. Ski area proponents say Flagstaff's wintertime economy depends heavily on the 68-year-old resort. Responding to Shirley's comments, Snowbowl General Manager J.R. Murray said the Forest Service Environmental Impact Statement on Snowbowl's proposal "did a very comprehensive job documenting the issues and it acknowledges the tribal concerns. "But we also have a state of Arizona that, as a state, is putting a lot of energy and effort into promoting the use of reclaimed water as a means of conserving potable water," Murray said. "Our project assists the state in putting that policy into practice." Murray called skiing a part of Flagstaff's fabric and a community asset enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people. He hopes to have snowmaking by the 2006-07 season. "We're just trying to make it the best ski area it can be and make sure that we continue to provide quality recreation on public land," he said, noting the resort would now be allowed to reach the buildout approved by courts in 1981. "We need to make improvements to get our ski area up to par with the rest of the ski industry," he said. "The owners are not interested in continuing the operation without snowmaking. The future of the ski area is very much at stake." Snowbowl occupies 1 percent of the peaks and snowmaking would occur on less than one-third of that 1 percent, he said. But Shirley said the resort area is still part of the tribe's essence and likened it to his eyes being a small percentage of his body. "It's like gouging my eyes out." It's still causing irreparable harm, he said. The Hopi Tribe also considers the peaks central to its culture, religion and survival, Hopi Cultural Preservation Office Director Leigh Kuwanwisiwma wrote in a statement. "The peaks are the home of the Katsinam (spirit messengers) and the focus of our prayers for rain and snow," he said. "The use of reclaimed water on such a sacred site can only be described as sacrilegious." Copyright c. 2005, azcentral.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Arapahoe Elders want City to protect Sacred Site" --------- Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 08:16:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BOULDER FD WANTS TO EXPLOIT SACRED BUTTE" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.rockymountainnews.com/~15_3622319_ARTICLE%2C00.html Indians urge planners to respect Boulder butte By Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News March 15, 2005 BOULDER - Elders of the Northern Arapahoe tribe pleaded Monday with city officials to respect a majestic butte east of town that is sacred to plains tribes. Valmont Butte towers 200 feet above the surrounding area. It has been the site of Indian religious ceremonies for centuries. The butte itself is being preserved as part of the city's open space. But the fire department wants to locate a training facility on adjoining land, and the public works department is eyeing the neighboring parcel for a plant to turn sewage sludge into compost. Those uses have raised concerns about the tranquility of the area among Indians and the descendents of white settlers, who maintain a cemetery at the foot of the butte. "As you plan further, think about these things," said Eugene Ridgely, a member of the coordinating council of elders. "Think about respecting us. Think about the pioneers' descendents who are around that area." Ridgely was among about a dozen Arapahoes who came from the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming to attend the final session of a community group that has been discussing plans for the area around the butte for a year. City planning director Peter Pollock told the group that the latest version of the plan is scaled back from previous versions. For example, a concrete slab to practice driving fire trucks will be reduced in size by one-third. The buildings where practice fires will be set will be on the part of the parcel that is farthest from the butte. The sewage sludge project includes fewer buildings. The Arapahoe elders stopped short of rejecting the proposal. Discussions are scheduled with representatives of about a dozen tribes next month. But they made clear that urban growth in general is defiling land they deem sacred. "Just take a look at what has been done to this land here. Has anyone from the Arapahoe ever been consulted?" asked Alonzo Moss Sr. Moss said the whole Earth is sacred to Indians, while Europeans profit from land. "And that's what's going to destroy the white man," Moss said. Pollock listened intently as the elders spoke. He said later the session was "sort of a preview of what we'll get into in April" when city officials meet with all the tribes. "We'll work out what's significant, what's not, is this location appropriate or not," Pollock said. He's not ruling out the possibility the city will heed the Indians' wishes and move the fire and sewage projects elsewhere. The scaled down version did not go over any better with the descendents of the pioneers than with the Indians. Carol Affleck, who works with a historic preservation group, noted that the training center is scheduled to operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. That would be disruptive for relatives who maintain gravesites, she said. The City Council is scheduled to consider the plan after comment by five review boards. morsonb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303 442-8729 Copyright c. 2005 Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Mascots: Non-Natives don't recognize Discrimation" --------- Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 08:16:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WISCONSIN LEADER SPEAKS OUT" http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/education/4268625/detail.html Tribes: Non-Native Americans Don't Recognize Discrimation In Mascots Tribal Leaders Ask Legislators To Take Stand Against Names, Such As 'Warriors,' 'Indians' March 9, 2005 MADISON, Wis. - Native American leaders used the first-ever State of the Tribes address Tuesday to call on the state Legislature for action to ban school nicknames, such as the Waunakee Warriors, the Osseo-Fairchild Chieftains, the Poynette Indians, the Belmont Braves and the Potosi Chieftains. Eleven nations walked into the state Assembly chambers on what will be a historic day. Ray Deperry, chairman of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewas, spoke almost the entire 30 minutes about cooperation from nation to nation, and in the last few minutes he asked state legislators to end discrimination. "To enact legislation from our public school systems that will eliminate once and for all the use of Indian logos, mascots and any other stereotypical images of American Indians," Deperry said. His speech was met with cheers from Native Americans filling the spectator area of the chamber. Two people from the Osseo-Fairchild District went to the capital to listen to the tribal leaders' address, saying they have been waiting for the issue to resurface. "We were so happy to hear him address that," said Carol Gunderson, a member of the Oneida Nation and of the Osseo-Fairchild School District. "They don't seem to have a clue that they're making fun and using our religious symbols for frivolous athletic games." Gunderson and her husband, Harvey, are about to file a federal civil rights lawsuit to force a change, reported WISC-TV in Madison. "The Legislature needs to step up to the plate and say this discrimination has to end," Harvey said. Assembly Speaker John Gard, R-Peshtigo, said, "We need to have a greater level of sensitivity to it," and if a majority of legislators supports it he won't stand in the way. However, that could be a big cut into local control. "What all of us must never lose sight of ... whether we are black, white, brown or yellow is that we all belong to the state of humanity, and that is what this day is truly about," Deperry said. Deperry said the discrimination goes beyond school nicknames. He also pointed out the Monona debate over changing the name of Squaw Bay. The Monona City Council put off a decision on that Monday night. Deperry said he applauds the effort to change the name. Copyright c. 2005 WISN-12, Milwaukee, WI. Copyright c. 2005 Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. --------- "RE: Mascot display takes aim at Stereotypes" --------- Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 08:16:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NORTH CAROLINA DISPLAY" http://www.main.nc.us/wncceib/esqEXHIBITsmnews.htm Mascot display takes aim at stereotypes By Michael Beadle At first, it seems like a petty argument. Why should a sports team's mascot or logo have to change because some people think it's offensive? Teams with nicknames like the "chiefs" or "warriors" have been around for years. And besides, using these names is a sign of respect toward Native Americans. A school or professional team with a name like the "warriors" takes pride in the fighting spirit of Native Americans. If people think Native American terms are offensive and have to change team mascots and logos - a very expensive ordeal, considering all the uniforms, murals and other sports memorabilia associated with a logo - then where will it end? Will the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame have to change its name because it's offensive to Irish people? Likewise for Nordic people finding the Minnesota Vikings football team offensive. The case for keeping sports mascots and logos the way they are seems to have its entrenched supporters, but the opponents of using Native American images and names with sports teams is growing behind a huge grassroots effort of civil rights organizations and multicultural groups. As a way of examining this issue a little closer, an exhibit titled "It's Only a Game?" is now on display in the lobby of Hunter Library at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. The display, which will be up until March 1, is sponsored by the Western Carolina University Cherokee Center and the Native American Student Association at WCU. It offers a mix of facts, photos, documents and probing questions about the ongoing controversy concerning the use of Native American symbols as sports mascots. The issue is put into a historical context so the viewer can see how Indian sports mascots and certain words can present demeaning stereotypes of Native Americans. To many Native Americans, a sports team with an Indian logo or mascot mocks their culture, their history, their religion and their self-worth, and exacerbates a tragic American legacy of government-sanctioned genocide, bigotry, racism, and economic and political deprivation against Native American tribes. For Roseanna Belt, director of the Western Carolina University Cherokee Center, using Indian mascots is primarily offensive to Native Americans because it gives the general public a limited perspective and a generally false portrayal of who Native Americans are. "It perpetuates the image that Native Americans aren't around anymore," Belt said. The way Belt sees it, if people only see stereotyped Indian images of a warrior with war paint and feathers who go around beating a drum and scalping people with tomahawks, that may be the only knowledge people have of who Native Americans are. "And that's where the danger is," she said. In some tribes, eagle feathers and war paint were used only in religious ceremonies, and to mock these symbols is considered by many Native Americans an irreverant act comparible to tossing rosary beads around like Mardi Gras necklaces or watching a bishop or rabbi run around a football field in full ceremonial dress. Nicknames like "redskins" or "squaws" are linguistically considered derogatory terms equated with racial epithets like "nigger" or "slant-eye" or "cracker." Nevertheless, college and professional sports teams continue to use names like "Braves" and "Indians" with some mascots acting out sports rituals in full ceremonial dress. In some instances, the Indian male is reduced to a silly caricature as is the case with Chief Wahoo, the grinning, one-feathered mascot of the Cleveland Indians baseball team. While some may see this as a harmless diversion, a closer look at sports pages and fan posters reveals subtle and sometimes glaring cases of racism. In the exhibit at Hunter Library, a photo of a sports poster depicting high school rivals reads, "Massacre those Warriors," which includes a blue pitchfork with blood on it. Another photo of a high school poster reads, "Devils Relocate Warriors." One high school in eastern Tennessee went so far as to hang mock scalps in its gym to symbolize each team it had defeated. The exhibit goes on to explain that scalping Native Americans was actually supported by the governments of the American colonies and territories. Bounties were issued for the scalps of children. Among the most provocative pieces in the exhibit are historical photos and journal entries of U.S. soldiers who witnessed atrocities committed against Native American tribes. In 1864, for example, 200 Cheyenne Indians were massacred near Sand Creek, Colo., by approximately 700 U.S. troops. Those who died included men, women and children. One statement reads, "Fact: Most modern scholars estimate the population of the indigenous people of North America to have been between 10-20 million. In 1840, the population was estimated to be around two million. By 1880, native numbers had dropped to 250,000." In an article condemning the use of Indian mascots, award-winning Native American musician and education professor Cornel Pewewardy eloquently argues that stereotypes of Native Americans have a profound, harmful effect on the public psyche. "Making fun of Indigenous Peoples in athletic events has become `as American as apple pie and baseball,'" Pewewardy writes. "So-called Indian mascots reduce hundreds of indigenous tribes to generic cartoons." The classic images of Indians screaming war cries in old Western movies are often perpetuated on sports fields and gyms when Indian mascots are portrayed as relics of a heroic age, Pewewardy contends. "Schools should be places where students come to unlearn the stereotypes that such mascots represent," he explains. "Teachers have a responsibility to take this issue seriously." Some schools and universities have changed their nicknames after pressure from Native American groups. Among the bigger name colleges have been the Stanford University Indians changing to their nickname to the Cardinal, Dartmouth College's Indians switching to The Big Green and St. John's University's Redmen to the Red Storm. Opponents of the use of Indian mascots are still pushing to change some of the professional nicknames including the Atlanta Braves, Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Indians and Chicago Blackhawks. In recent years, more than 75 local, state and national organizations have joined the fight by issuing resolutions denouncing or calling for an end to the use of Native American mascots used in association with sports teams. These organizations have included dozens of Native American groups but also a diverse number of multi-ethnic groups with various social, political and religious affiliations such as the American Jewish Committee, the Asian American Journalists Association, the United Methodist Church, the Southern Christian Leadership Council, the NAACP, the National Education Association, the United States Commission on Civil Rights, and the American Counseling Association. For those who would like to explore this issue further, there will be a meeting Thurs., Feb. 21, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Hunter Library Conference Room (245) on the campus of Western Carolina University. A panel led by the Mascot Education and Action Group, the Native American Student Association of Western Carolina University and others will share thoughts and opinions, show a video and welcome discussion on the subject. "The issue of using Native American caricatures as mascots for sports teams is coming to the fore in many regions of the country and is certainly relevant to Western North Carolina," said Bill Stahl, librarian at Hunter Library, in an email statement. "It is the hope of the library in mounting such an exhibit that it will promote reasoned consideration and discussion of this important issue." Copyright c. 2005 Smoky Mountain News (Waynesville, NC). --------- "RE: 'Lost Kickapoos' could become Az's 23rd Tribe" --------- Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 1:24 AM From: "Chris Milda (_Akimel O`odham_)" AkimelOodham@EarthLink.net Subj: 'Lost Kickapoos' could become Az's 23rd tribe (Fwd) Mailing List: News and Information http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=local&story_id=030805_kickapoo 'Lost Kickapoos' could become Az's 23rd tribe The Arizona Republic March 8, 2005 They were wanderers who crossed state and national borders looking for a safe homeland. Along the way, they disappeared. The "Lost Kickapoos," a small band of 150 Indians that has lived on Arizona's border with Mexico for more than 100 years, are finally reconnecting with their roots and could become Arizona's 23rd tribe. Until recently, the group had almost no contact with its parent tribe in Oklahoma, and its presence went largely unnoticed by other tribal leaders in Arizona. But last year, with help from the Oklahoma tribe, the Arizona group purchased a building in Douglas, just north of the border, to serve as a tribal field office. The tribe plans to seek trust status for the building, a process that could take several years. If successful, the tribal land holding would make the Kickapoos an official tribe in Arizona. That in turn could make them eligible to participate in state gambling compacts, although officials said they have no plans for a casino. The Kickapoos originated near the Great Lakes and retreated south and west to avoid encroaching white settlers. Eventually, they were forced to relocate to Oklahoma. A splinter group left and settled on lands in Texas and Mexico. Another group moved to the Arizona-Sonora border. About half of them in Arizona live in Douglas and Willcox on the U.S. side. Many of the rest live in a tiny Mexican village, Tamichopa. Liliana Barbachan, 18, lives on the Mexican side of the border. She can point to her great-great-great-grandfather Pehkotah in a book about Mexican Kickapoos, but that's about all she knows of her heritage. Jack Jackson Jr., a Navajo who heads the Arizona Commission of Indian Affairs, said he had never heard of Kickapoos in Arizona. "The interesting thing in this is the (statewide) gaming compact," Jackson said. "It's already signed, sealed and delivered. I don't know how it would play out if we have a 23rd tribe." John Lewis, executive director of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, said he first heard of the Kickapoos a few years ago but didn't know what their state or national status was. "I know they've been around for quite some time in Texas and Mexico," Lewis said. "One of the interesting things about them is they go back and forth across the border." Licelda Mahtapene, 30, head of the Douglas field office, said the Arizona group descended from three men. "There were two brothers named Mahtapene and a man named Okema, which was later changed to Oscar," she said. Licelda is married to Jose Mahtapene, who is half-Kickapoo. "He can remember some of the things his dad used to believe in and speak about," she said. In 1983, Congress passed a special law granting citizenship to Kickapoos on both sides of the border near Eagle Pass, Texas. The law did not cover members in Arizona, and for many years, they had trouble crossing the border. Now, many of the group on the Arizona-Sonora border have U.S. citizenship. Border officials honor Kickapoo identification cards as proof of U.S. descent, allowing them to cross back and forth freely. Those who come over from Mexico to work have proper documentation. "They're passing hard times over in Mexico," Licelda said. For that reason, many look for jobs, working at nurseries and other businesses on the Arizona side. "A lot of them live in Willcox across from each other," Licelda said. "It's not like a reservation, but there's about 10 families or so." One of them, Manuela Peralta Oscar, lives in a mobile home on a dusty lot in Willcox. The family moved there eight years ago from Tamichopa so Manuela's husband, a member of the Mahtapene family, could work at Bonita Nurseries, growing tomatoes. Inside her mobile home, Manuela keeps an album with pictures of Tamichopa. Jesus Oscar Chanez, 63, proudly pulls out his Kickapoo identification card. He remembers his father's Kickapoo name, Apekaan, and said there's an "h" in it somewhere, but he can't remember where. He said he was never given a Kickapoo name, and although his parents spoke Kickapoo, he remembers one word, Ho, a friendly greeting. Two months ago, Jesus and his daughter traveled back to Oklahoma with a group of Arizona Kickapoos. It was the first time any of them had seen the reservation. They saw traditional bark houses and met cousins. "I thought it was beautiful," Jesus said in Spanish. "I would like to live there someday." Copyright c. 2005 Tuscon Citizen. --------- "RE: Governorr reaching out to 'the first Montanans'" --------- Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 08:16:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PROMISE TO REACH OUT BEING KEPT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.havredailynews.com/articles/2005/03/14//4schweitzerreaching.txt Schweitzer reaching out to 'the first Montanans' By SARAH R. CRAIG Associated Press Writer March 14, 2005 HELENA - The smell of burning sweetgrass often wafts through the second floor of the Capitol, from the governor's office to his family policy adviser's office down the hall. Gov. Brian Schweitzer burns the grass in an American Indian ceremonial cleansing act called smudging, creating a smoky symbol of the space the Whitefish Democrat says he's opened to Indians in state government. "I don't know that I am more enlightened than the previous 22 governors, but I think it's the time," Schweitzer said. "I think the time has come, that Montanans finally will accept that we are one, both Indian and non- Indian." Schweitzer's campaign for governor included promises to reach out to Indian country. He often states that the concerns of "the first Montanans" are close to his heart and he's trying to open more doors to Indians in the state. "I hold things of the earth in reverence, and maybe I share that with native people," Schweitzer said. Schweitzer has appointed Reno Charette, an enrolled Crow tribal member, as coordinator of Indian Affairs. He has also appointed Rhonda Whiting as a Montana representative on the Northwest Power Planning Council and hired her sister, Anna Whiting Sorrell as his family policy adviser. Six enrolled tribal members - Sioux, Crow, Northern Cheyenne, and Salish Kootenai - serve in Schweitzer's administration, and he's made six Indian appointments to different state boards and councils. Whiting Sorrell said she knows that while she and her sister are members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, that's not the sole reason they were hired. "They made it clear that they wanted to have the Schweitzer team look like Montana, old, young, male, female, cowboys and Indians, but we were all there because of our belief in a common vision and the ability to do that," she said. William "Allen" Talks About, chairman of the Blackfeet Tribal Council, recently questioned whether Schweitzer's campaign promises would come to fruition in the form of financial and other support for tribes. In response, Schweitzer met with the council and other Blackfeet representatives. The leaders gathered to smudge and pray before the meeting. "To me, that's to bring us together and to call on the Creator to take all the bad from us so that we can come together," Talks About said. After the meeting, Talks About said he was encouraged, and that perhaps Schweitzer's leadership could help guide the Legislature. "We're hoping that something happens, a change in our thinking, our understanding, that the first Montanans are in need too," Talks About said. Talks About fears the Legislature may not follow through with support for programs like Indian education, as the House has rejected one piece of legislation critical to his tribe: a proposal to restore millions of dollars to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a welfare program that provides cash assistance to the poor. Helping the administration implement TANF and other welfare programs is part of Whiting Sorrell's job as family policy adviser. Whiting Sorrell worked as National Native American Outreach Coordinator for the John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign. She said now it's refreshing to have other Indian people to work with, as she was the lone representative on Kerry's campaign. After Kerry lost, she looked forward to going home to Ronan, but felt she couldn't turn down the chance to work for Schweitzer. "I know that I'm not here for my own person but I'm here for what I can do for other people," she said. "I know that I'm here because of the generations that came before me and really opened the doors for me to be here, and it's my responsibility to now protect that so that future generations can come forward." For Rhonda Whiting, it's a chance to include Indian voices in power planning, which involves resources that tribes have a major interest in like water and fish. "With many of the tribes the salmon were very much a part of the culture of those tribes, and each one looks at, culturally, some of the wildlife or all living things the Creator brought to us, we all have a different perspective on how we look at those," Whiting said. Major Robinson, an enrolled Northern Cheyenne, works as a senior economic development adviser for Schweitzer, focusing on Indian country. He said Schweitzer has extended a welcome that can be heard even on his remote reservation. "People knew while he was running that he wanted to create better relationships with the Montana tribes," Robinson said. "Many times the tribes are very skeptical about that, but then once he got into office almost immediately he started putting the word out to all the tribes that he was looking for qualified Native Americans to work in his administration. Once we started seeing him hire a number of tribal members it began to show all of us in Indian country that he was serious about it." Copyright c. 2005 Havre Daily News. --------- "RE: Charette welcomes Indians to Montana Capitol" --------- Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 08:16:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MONTANA INDIAN AFFAIRS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.havredailynews.com/articles/2005/03/14//3welcomesindians.txt Charette welcomes American Indians to Capitol By SARAH R. CRAIG Associated Press Writer March 14, 2005 HELENA - Any conversation with Reno Charette can quickly turn into a history lesson, and she's not talking about Christopher Columbus. Though Gov. Brian Schweitzer's newly appointed coordinator of American Indian Affairs holds a master's degree in history, she wants to tell history the way she sees it - as a woman and a Crow Indian. "The retelling, whether it's oral or written, is important and particularly important for native people because so much of our perspective is not in the mainstream," Charette said. "If you're looking at key historical events, it's actually without a lot of voices, the female voice and any minority voice, the disabled voice, and I think I always wanted to have a skill to tell those stories that aren't dominant." Drums, blankets and headdresses decorate Charette's office, where she's creating a second home for Indians who visit the Capitol. It wasn't too long ago that the office was vacant, left open by former Republican Gov. Judy Martz. Charette is still finding her way in the Cabinet-level post, defining her role, and seeking places to find Indian beadwork in Helena. Among her first projects is preparing reports on each of Montana's tribes to familiarize Schweitzer and his employees with each culture. "If you had never been to France before, and you were going to go there, how would you prepare yourself to function in that community as a tourist, let alone going there to negotiate business, nation-to-nation business?" Charette said. Eventually those profiles will be posted on the state Web site, she said, along with a master calendar of events like powwows and rodeos across the state. Before Schweitzer appointed her, Charette worked on the Big Horn Teacher Projects at Montana State University-Billings since 1999. There she worked in a system called the "making relatives approach." She created an office space that felt like a home-away-from-home for Indian students, and provided academic advising that took into account elders and children that students might be caring for. The program has placed 24 new Indian teachers in eight communities where there is a large enrollment of Indian children, and 35 teachers from the project are expected to graduate in 2005 - 30 of them Crow tribal members. Charette said that kind of program could have helped her when she was struggling through graduate school as a single mother, though she feels that process was character building. "I think it challenged me to do what I had to do with very little resources," Charette said. Charette's mother is Crow, her father Turtle-Mountain Chippewa, and she grew up on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. She lived with her grandparents during high school, when her parents moved away to work on an adult job training program led by former Rep. Pat Williams, D-Mont. In her grandparents' home, she learned the art of storytelling. Her grandparents' friendships involved many gatherings to tell stories and have coffee, and she said that's probably what led her to seek a history degree. From those stories, Charette learned the importance of helping others, "that there was honor in being of service to your community." She graduated from St. Labre Indian School in Ashland and earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts from UM, where she also received a master's degree in history. Friend Constance James said Charette is held in high regard by many people. "She's called upon from lots of different people to participate in ceremonies because she represents goodness," James said. "She's a very kind and loving person. She's very thoughtful." "She has always and consistently been a person that I took counsel from, that I trust personally and professionally her opinions about things: life, the weather, men," James added. "She epitomizes class from a Native American perspective." Charette said most Indian people who visit the Capitol eventually find their way to her office, saying they're glad to see the position filled. Schweitzer said his brother, Walt, interviewed Charette, and gave her a rave review. "After he met her he said, 'Brian, you've got to meet this woman, she rises to the top.' When somebody I know and trust tells me that ... I was watching for her. I knew that this was someone that was uniquely qualified to be an adviser to all of Montana on our relationships in Indian country." Indian perspectives have not been communicated effectively over the years, Charette said. For example, in the 1970s when the state was looking to develop mining in Colstrip, about 20 miles north of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, most people didn't understand the tribe's fears, Charette said. "The common Montanan across the state probably didn't understand the hits the culture was going to take in terms of a large number of non- Indians moving into that area," she said. "That increases the likelihood that you're going to have more mixed marriages, so rather than have enrollable children you're now going to have children who have native heritage but they're not enrollable, which can mean a loss of language, a loss of the culture." Copyright c. 2005 Havre Daily News. --------- "RE: Shendo to head New Mexico's Indian Affairs Dept." --------- Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 08:16:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NEW MEXICO INDIAN AFFAIRS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=6137 Shendo confirmed to head state's Indian Affairs Dept. Jemez Pueblo man has long history in public, private sectors SANTA FE NM Native American Times March 14, 2005 The New Mexico legislature has confirmed the appointment of Benny Shendo, Jr. as secretary of the state's newly-formed Indian Affairs Department. The vote count of 31-0 in the State Senate upholds New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's choice of Shendo, a Native of the Pueblo of Jemez, for the post. Richardson originally tapped Shendo back in on May 3, 2004. "Secretary Shendo is uniquely qualified to lead the Indian Affairs Department," said Richardson in a statement. "He has an intimate knowledge of New Mexico's twenty-two tribes and a true commitment to bettering the lives of the Native American citizens of our state. His background in higher education, tribal leadership and business management, and his vision for the Indian Affairs Department signals a new chapter for State- Tribal relations." Shendo is New Mexico's first Secretary of Indian Affairs confirmed by the New Mexico Legislature since Richardson elevated the department to cabinet level status in 2004. New Mexico is the only state in the country that has a cabinet secretary and a department of Indian Affairs. Shendo has served in various capacities of management and leadership, including Senior Manager of Native American Programs for the University of New Mexico and the Assistant Dean of Students and Director of the American Indian and Alaskan Native program at Stanford University. Secretary Shendo, 40, is the father of two children, Eileen and Benjamin. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder with a B. S. in Organizational Management. In 1998 and 2002, Shendo served as the 2nd and 1st Lieutenant Governor, respectively, for the Pueblo of Jemez. He is a Fellow of the W. K. Kellogg National Leadership Program, Group XVI, and 1997-2000. Shendo also was co-founder of the San Diego Riverside School, Inc. in Jemez Pueblo, which became the first Charter School on an Indian Reservation in the State of New Mexico. In September of 2004, Shendo received the Mary G. Ross award from Council of Energy Resources Tribes (CERT) for his professional achievements. Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: School' Portraits of Blackfeet were Gift" --------- Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 08:52:21 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="REISS PORTRAITS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/03/15/montana/a11031505_03.txt School' portraits of Blackfeet were gift from former student By The Associated Press March 15, 2005 WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) - Fifth-grader Alfred Real never noticed the four framed paintings of Blackfeet Indians in the hallways at Lowell Elementary School. "No. They were, like, invisible to me," he said, shaking his head. That was the case with most students at Lowell until January, when teacher Nancy Grimes began leading a group of 10 fifth-graders in researching the artwork. The 18-by-14-inch portraits of Angry Bull, Chief Lazy Boy, Wades-in-the- Water and Bird-Sings-Different, with intricate detail of their clothing and ornate headdresses, were painted by Winold Reiss, a German native who came to the United States in 1913. Reiss established himself in New York as a muralist and designer, but eventually was hired by the Great Northern Railway to paint members of the Blackfeet Confederacy. "He wanted to do his life's dream of painting Indians," said Lowell fifth-grader Joshua Billings, who learned about the artist with the help of Waterloo Center for the Arts curator Kent Shankle. The railroad used Reiss' paintings as posters, on calendars and in ads to promote the West. Reiss died in 1953, his ashes scattered on the Blackfeet reservation near Browning, Mont. Grimes latched on to the idea of using the portraits to teach a more diverse history to students. In December, she was awarded $620 McElroy Excellence in Education grant to make connections between the fifth-grade curriculum and the paintings through an art project, book purchases and field trips. The grant also will pay for restoring the paintings, which first appeared in a Great Northern Railway calendar. But Grimes also wanted students to unravel the mystery of the paintings' donor. Name plates say each portrait was donated by Kay Marilyn Kruser. The students found a reference to Kruser on a 1950 orchestra program in a crumbling PTA scrapbook. "She played violin," said fifth-grader Kayla Dues. She graduated from West High School in 1958. "The mystery was why did the family decide to present pictures? Why these? Did they have a connection with the Great Northern Railroad? We just don't know," Grimes said. Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier archives reveal that Kruser married Donald C. Hunt in 1961 and was a secretary at Rath Packing Co., where her father also worked. She eventually moved to Tulsa, Okla., and was still living there three years ago when her mother died. Attempts to track her down in Tulsa were unsuccessful. The students' research prompted interest in the American Indian tribes that lived in the Waterloo area. It also inspired Shankle, who discovered a Reiss exhibit planned this summer in Montana. He contacted the museum to see if it is available for travel. "We're exploring the idea because of this," he said. Copyright c. 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. Helena Independent Record; a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Base sending Homes" --------- Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 08:28:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NEW HOMES VIA OPERATION WALKING SHIELD" http://www.greatfallstribune.com//20050321/NEWS01/503210302/1002 Base sending homes By PETER JOHNSON Tribune Staff Writer March 21, 2005 ROCKY BOY - Ursula Russette and her husband, Maynard, have been waiting several years to get a larger home of their own on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation. They live in a small, one-bedroom house where several days a week their three grandchildren spend the night. "The girls stay on an air mattress in the living room, and we have to pump up the mattress every night and let the air out and roll it up every morning," said Russette, a counselor with the Chippewa Cree Housing Authority. So the Russettes are thrilled to be getting a large, fairly new three- bedroom home from the latest batch of 20 surplus Malmstrom Air Force Base houses. They will be trucked to the reservation just south of Havre today through the end of April. Susie Hay, longtime executive director of the Chippewa Cree Housing Authority, said the tribes really appreciate the homes, which come courtesy of the nonprofit program, Operation Walking Shield. When all of this batch arrives, Rocky Boy will have received about 185 Malmstrom houses over the last seven years. "The program has been a godsend, especially for families waiting to buy homes," Hay said. "They're inexpensive, affordable and good homes." Each house costs the tribes $1; tribal members then purchase the homes for about $35,000 apiece. That covers the expense of moving the house, building a foundation, installing utilities and fixing the small cracks that develop as the homes are moved. "Even with all those great base houses, plus the 42 the tribe has built in recent years, we still have a real need for more housing," said John "Chance" Houle, chairman of the Chippewa Cree Tribal Business Council. "The number of families on a waiting list hoping to buy or rent houses has grown to 580, with many living in crowded conditions with their families and some even living out of vehicles." Malmstrom and other defense installations have hundreds of houses that are in pretty good shape but no longer considered large enough or modern enough to meet new standards the military has set to help retain its all- volunteer force. Indian reservations in several Western states, including the Rocky Boy's Reservation, have a dire need for more housing. So it seemed a natural fit when, in 1996, the military began transferring its excess housing to reservations, with the help of Operation Walking Shield, a California-based nonprofit group. "We've helped transfer nearly 1,000 surplus military houses to 14 reservations in four states: Montana, North and South Dakota and Minnesota," Walking Shield Executive Director Dennis Wynott said during a tour Wednesday at Rocky Boy. "It's very rewarding to see houses the military no longer can use go to the reservations where there is such a need for good housing." Counting this latest delivery, Malmstrom will have provided 234 houses - 185 to Rocky Boy, 22 to the Fort Belknap Reservation and 27 to the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. There could be hundreds more Malmstrom houses freed up for transfer in 2007 and beyond, base officials said. Col. Everett Thomas, Malmstrom space wing commander, clearly was tickled as he visited a couple of houses that already have been moved. He admired the way one family had decorated the house, and including their large family room, where they obviously spent a lot of time. "This program really makes me feel good," Thomas said. "It's just wonderful for us to be able to help out our Montana community at large, and our fellow Americans." Several years ago, the military began phasing out its older homes improve living conditions for service members and their families. Newer Malmstrom housing has modern kitchen fixtures, air conditioning and oak trim. New rules even require that Air Force bases in northern climates such as Great Falls have a large recreation room to prevent families from getting cabin fever in the winter. "With the all-volunteer Air Force, providing larger, more modern houses became a quality-of-life issue," said Maj. Laurie Arellano, a base spokesman. "Good housing helps with both morale and troop retention." But there's nothing wrong with the old base homes. "These are good, relatively new houses, with Air Force families living in them until the last few weeks. We wouldn't transfer them to the reservations if they weren't in good shape," she stressed. All the homes were built after 1960, when asbestos and lead-based paint restrictions were in place. And the tribe has contractors encapsulate asbestos when it's found in floor tiles, and put new flooring on top, Hay said. If the Air Force could not transfer them, it would have to demolish the surplus housing, wasting a lot of landfill space, Arellano said. "This program makes a lot of sense for both humanitarian and environmental reasons." Tribal Vice Chairman Bruce Sun Child praised Montana's congressional delegation, particularly U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, for helping get money for new Malmstrom housing. Burns also helped get the transfer of surplus houses approved, he said. "Moving the houses and building foundations has helped provide work for people living on or near the reservation," Sun Child said. Sam Boushie, a Chippewa Cree member from Rocky Boy, was working with the construction company, PLK Moving of Harlem, to prepare the houses for the trip. "There's quite a need for housing at Rocky Boy, so it feels great to help move them," he said. Tribal Chairman Houle said many of the new homeowners have made a special effort to fix up their yards and improve the houses. "They've really made them into homes," he said. Reach Tribune Staff Writer Peter Johnson at (406) 791-1476, (800) 438-6600 or pejohnso@greatfal.gannett.com. Copyright c. 2004 Great Falls Tribune. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Stranger presents Gift to Tribes-leaves as Friend" --------- Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 08:52:21 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GIFT CANOE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/canoe15m.html?syndication=rss Stranger presents gift to tribes, leaves as friend By The Associated Press March 15, 2005 PORT ANGELES - When Gerald "Woody" Woodside brought a handmade canoe to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Center, he might have expected a word of thanks. But tribal members who had assembled for a meeting there celebrated his surprise gift in traditional ways: singing and dancing for an hour and presenting him with gifts in return. Woodside was a stranger from Port Gamble, Kitsap County, when he showed up at the center Saturday with a 21-foot cedar-and-fiberglass canoe atop his truck. The interior is built of cedar strips, and the outside is shiny black fiberglass with bright orange trim. He wanted to donate the canoe to youth of the Lower Elwha Klallam, calling the gift simply "a good thing to do." "I kind of surprised them with it," he told the Peninsula Daily News. On hand were 80 people who were planning this summer's Tribal Journey, in which people from coastal tribes will travel by canoe from parts of Canada and Washington to a gathering in Port Angeles. Fourteen men lifted the canoe from the truck and took it into the center's gym, where they circled the basketball court, then set the craft down on tumbling mats at midcourt. There it was blessed by elder Johnson Charles, the Lower Elwha Klallam's spiritual adviser. Singers from several tribes took turns chanting songs of celebration and thanks. When they finished, the whole group joined in the "Journey Song." "This is a vessel that takes us to different places," said Ray Fryberg, a member of the Tulalip Tribes, "different places in the land, different places in our lives." "How many people can the canoe hold?" asked Michael Evans, skipper of the Snohomish Tribe's canoe, the Blue Heron. "An infinite number, but only four or five at a time. So fill it full of people again and again. Fill it full of young people." Woodside, who said he has built kayaks and canoes since 1970, said he spent 50 hours making the craft. His day job is with the Navy submarine base in Bangor, Kitsap County. Woodside said he'd been dismayed by Port Angeles leaders' criticism of the Lower Elwha, blaming them for a state decision to halt construction on a graving yard where Hood Canal Bridge replacement pontoons and anchors were to be built. The state halted work in December after human remains and artifacts were found at the site, where a 1,700-year-old tribal village once stood. "There's been some really ugly stuff around here," he said, frowning. "It's really surprised me." Tribal members gave him a 16-inch hand-carved canoe and an artist's drawing. He seemed a bit embarrassed by the length of the ceremony. "If we'd had 50 more tribes here, we'd be here a lot longer," Frances Charles, Lower Elwha tribal chairwoman, told him. "These songs are their traditions - traditions they uphold so they endure." Coastal tribes recognize a gift "by song or beads or crafts or money for what has been provided ... it can be an array of different appreciations," Charles told The Associated Press yesterday. "It's in the old traditions of gift exchanges; it's something that we teach our youth today." Four hours after his arrival, Woodside departed as an honored friend. "You're going to be in our hearts for the rest of your life and our lives," Charles told him, "for what you have done here today." She said the canoe will be used for training young people. Copyright c. Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. 2005 The Seattle Times Company. --------- "RE: Lakota Woman looks to promote Breast-Feeding" --------- Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 08:16:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HEALTHIER BABIES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2005/03/14/news/local/news05.txt Woman looks to promote breast-feeding By Jomay Steen, Journal Staff Writer March 14, 2005 RAPID CITY - For Candice Brings Plenty, affirmation that she had made the right choice for her daughter Breana's feeding care came from a sign. Driving to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, she saw one of Healthy Start Program's road signs that read "Breastfeeding Saves Lives." "I love that sign," she said. Brings Plenty, 24, and B.J. Brave Heart, 25, both of Rapid City, are the parents of two daughters, Helina, 17 months, and Breana, three months. While pregnant with Breana, Brings Plenty wanted to learn more about breast-feeding, a traditional method of child-rearing that she grew up with in her family. In her first pregnancy, Brings Plenty had wanted to breast-feed. But an epidural for pain after more than 24 hours of labor forced Brings Plenty to reconsider her options. The pain medication had coursed through her body, her daughter and her milk. Three lactation consultants were available at Rapid City Regional Hospital, but after she left the hospital, Brings Plenty was on her own. "I ended up switching Helina to the bottle," Brings Plenty said. In her second pregnancy, she joined her friends Amy Loud Hawk, Jolene Buckman and Jessie Chretien once a month for dinner to talk about their children and to share information about breast-feeding. Rapid City's Le Leche League disbanded in 2003. The Lakota mother looked for another support group to help her start breast-feeding her next baby. Brings Plenty said she didn't know how to properly attach her baby to her breast. But by watching her friends feed their babies, she soon discovered what she hadn't been able to understand described in brochures or pamphlets. "It's not automatic. If I had never seen it done, I would have never known how to do it," she said. This lack of information prompted Jacqueline Left Hand Bull, Northern Plains Healthy Start Program project director, to bring in her staff for training and support. "We want to promote healthy breast-feeding," Left Hand Bull said. Staff from Indian Health Services and Women, Infants and Children programs attended the workshop to advocate for breast-feeding, sponsored by Healthy Start. "They all will have the same kind of training to help mothers initiating or starting to initiate breast-feeding," Left Hand Bull said. Only 15 percent of American Indian women breast-feed their children, but about 50 percent of the general population breast-feeds. Some reasons why young Indian mothers don't breast-feed include fear of not producing enough milk, lack of information, lack of support and bottle-feeding promotion by formula companies, she said. Left Hand Bull hopes to combat those misunderstadings. She said that a newborn baby's stomach is about the size of a marble and at one week, the baby's stomach grows to the size of a ping-pong ball. Also, most women produce more milk than the baby will need, she said. Plus, there are many advantages to breast-feeding, she said. "A clinical study shows babies who were breast-fed scored an average of nine to 11 points higher on IQ tests than formula-fed babies," she said. But other benefits for the baby include fewer incidences of earaches, ear infections, stomach upset, diarrhea and indigestion. The mothers also benefit by not relying on expensive formulas. The benefits also include fewer incidences of tightening of the uterus, reduced risk of urinary tract infections, breast cancer and cervical cancers. Like her baby, Brings Plenty, an intern at Northern Plains Healthy Start Program and an Oglala Lakota College student, was a breast-fed baby. When her mother worked away from home, a relative breast-fed Brings Plenty during the day. Brings Plenty said that sharing breast-feeding duties was also practiced by her stepmother and aunt when raising their children. "It was how it was done traditionally," Brings Plenty said. Gerry Goes In Center was a strong advocate for Brings Plenty to breast- feed, giving her books and pamphlets to read. But it was her friends doing what came naturally that made the biggest impact. "I thought I had one advocate. I didn't open my eyes wide enough to see that I had an entire support group," she said. For information on breast-feeding, call Jacqueline Left Hand Bull at 721-1922. Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com Copyright c. 2005 The Rapid City Journal. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Tribe copes with, combats Suicide" --------- Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 08:52:21 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: SUICIDE PART II" http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/opinion/11146233.htm COLUMNIST DORREEN YELLOW BIRD : Tribe copes with, combats suicide March 16, 2005 This is second in a series of three columns about a recent series of suicides and suicide attempts among young people on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Five of the reservation's young people took their own lives from December through January. Any publicity about suicide can be risky because copycat incidents could result. Yet, as a mother of one victim says, it also is important to understand suicide so that other people can be helped. The Standing Rock community is working hard at finding solutions. Today's column focuses how the Lakota people, including tribal and health-care leaders and suicide-prevention officials, have rallied to address the problem. The Feast of the Rocks restaurant in the Prairie Knights casino on the Standing Rock reservation, Fort Yates, N.D., is a little hazy with smoke and has a rustic, country atmosphere. The sound of chiming slot machines was background music for a meeting with three Lakota health-care providers, one of whom was John Eagle Shield, director of Community Health Programs. We finished breakfast and sipped big cups of hot coffee as we talked about the awful tragedy of suicide. Many people believe that Native culture and understanding who they are is a strength and a force against problems such as suicide, alcohol and drug abuse. There is a commitment on the part of many Lakota people to provide stronger culture teaching. And while that is good, Eagle Shield said, there's also a disconnect between spiritual leaders and young people. For example, when elders speak Lakota when teaching, some young people don't understand, he told me. Cultural abuse among Indian tribes and especially the Lakota people isn't new, Eagle Shield noted. The defeat of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer at the hands of the Lakota at the Little Big Horn River resulted in more restrictions for their reservation. Medicine man Sitting Bull was killed when soldiers made an effort to jail him. Many Lakota young people don't remember these incidents, but elders of the tribe remember. The trauma of those years affects them today. A woman whom I'll call Jane, the mother of a suicide victim, may remember Lakota history. But she doesn't attribute the death of her 18- year-old daughter to that history. In an hourlong, heartfelt conversation, I heard a sad and devastating story from this strong Lakota mother who is reeling from the suicide of her daughter. Jane told me that without her faith in Jesus Christ and prayer, she wouldn't have made it. "It's the only way, and I can tell you it's hard," she said. It took a while to stop calling her daughter from work, she told me with her soft, halting voice. Her daughter's death left a big void: "There is an empty space there," she said, "and I cry a lot." Were there signs that her daughter was considering suicide? She didn't see them at the time, Jane said. But like other family members of suicide victims, she looks back now and sees that the signs were there. Things changed for her daughter in the course of only a year and a half. Before that, the young woman had prayed, listened to Christian music and tried to stay away from kids who were in trouble. But in the few months before her death, she had started using drugs, particularly methamphetamine. She craved it and it changed her life. Then, things went from bad to catastrophically worse in the space of about 48 hours. First, a number of the young woman's friends left the area. Then, two of her close relatives committed suicide. And then, the young woman started both pushing friends and relatives away, while at the same time rekindling some old friendships. Today, with the benefit of hindsight, Jane now feels her daughter was making peace with those old friends in anticipation of her death. It has been hard for the girl's brother and sister, but they have a large family of relatives and friends who are helping and supporting them. The tribal council has implemented several programs to help young people. They have a suicide prevention program, regional suicide services and the Community Health Program, among others. They are making an tremendous effort to turn the tide. One project is the Youth Peer Mentoring Program, which calls for trained young people to help, counsel and listen to their peers. Fifteen-year-old Alayna Eagle Shield, John's daughter, finds herself involved in this program that may become bigger than she expected. She wrote an essay this winter about peer mentoring, in which she said that young people her age are afraid and uncomfortable talking with adults. Eighty percent of teens who commit suicide give out signals, she learned in the training she received as a peer mentor. Alayna says she wants to be there to listen to her young friends and relatives. "As a tribe - together - we are strong," she said. She wants to share her traditional knowledge and culture with her peers. Alayna participates in the cultural ceremonies such as inipi (sweats) and Sundances. While I was there, Alayna got a call from a high school student who said she was going to commit suicide. Alayna set out through slushy snow to intervene and to listen. She brought the young teen home with her and began the process of intervention. Young people, Alayna said, need to know how important they are and that they are loved. There have been no new suicide deaths in several weeks on the reservation, and the number of attempts is dwindling. Dorreen Yellow Bird's column appears Tuesday and Saturday. Reach her at (701) 780-1228 or dyellowbird@gfherald.com Copyright c. 2005 Grand Forks Herald/Grand Forks, ND. --------- "RE: Editorial: Indian Disunity is Indian Dysfunction" --------- Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 08:41:43 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EDITORIAL: INDIAN DISUNITY" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096410523 Indian disunity is Indian dysfunction March 10, 2005 by: Editors Report / Indian Country Today States seize on the lowest common denominator Just what is the New York state Indian leadership waiting for to come together in the common front that is the only way not to lose the present opportunity, as well as the only way to successfully defend inherent rights? Is it waiting for the state to slowly boil it to death or to finally kill it, as per the grand old plan, with "a thousand small cuts?" Is the disunity among the leadership of the various nations so completely dysfunctional that substantial danger is irresponsibly allowed to threaten future generations? And, especially this round, where, oh where are the Mohawk? Usually the most stalwart among those of the fabled Iroquois Confederacy, the Mohawk this round are dancing second-fiddle to the governor's jig. While not alone, they are the most surprising because they are an established "in-state" tribe not protesting the knife to the throat on taxation issues. Answers to these questions remain to be settled, but the Pied Piper of internecine competition when it comes to the egos of too many Indian leaders certainly makes it nearly impossible to achieve the point of common self-interest. Unity becomes a myth as elusive as the wind. This is a principle that applies to tribes within every state where there resides more than one tribe. Within New York, as within South Dakota, California and many other jurisdictions, the governor's office, municipalities and various non-Indian associations are moving fast to bring together a movement that could end up so resoundingly slamming the political doors shut that tribes won't know what hit them. The anti-Indian argument works to ju-jitsu the positions of tribes as true historical victims relative to the mammoth powers of the state and of federal impositions; this is presented in a new image that pictures the tribes as unruly behemoths and paints as victims the townships and municipalities adjacent to the tribes. Talk about rewriting history. With those smaller jurisdictions doing the out-front challenging, the state and national politicians can simply follow the trend, which is gaining momentum, to besmirch Indian communities and to make Indians look like "super-citizens." The negative image of the tribes as "super-citizens" always emerges the moment the tribes begin to win their just historical and legal causes and achieve a fuller measure of justice in their own self-determined hands and most often within their own lands. Other sovereignties and cultures surrounding Indian reservation communities often produce substantial hateful overtones in their dealings with Indians. As we have seen, from Bishop, Calif. to central New York, white supremacist thinking blends into and is prone to capitalize on such conflicts. It could not be more plain to the eye that as Native nation leadership concentrates on scrambling each other's national missions, the big bullies of the block - the states that want to tear up the Indian economies and tribal powers - cut and paste together all manner of scurrilous agreements meant to primarily pillage and overturn the sovereign rights of their in- state tribes. It used to be that Indian leadership worked hard to maintain its focus on principles, but increasingly, the focus has simply turned to casino profits. Within New York, the governor's office dangles carrots in front of Indian eyes, and the sovereign-mindedness required to confidently and competently negotiate with the state begins to erode: the Indian leadership sways and wavers. Every Indian leader operates always with some sense of dread that another tribe will get out in front by accepting degrading terms from the state negotiators without care for the impact of their decision on the collective welfare of their related people. The state plays this game to the hilt, although in New York Gov. George Pataki seems to have overstepped his strategy. When negotiations with savvy Native leaders turned sluggish, the impatient New York governor rammed through very objectionable deals over the heads of the tribes within his own state. While some tribes scrambled to settle land claims and waver on taxation issues in less than advantageous terms, the U.S. Congress is moving ahead to monkey-wrench the whole basis of most of the state's offerings, with legislation coming to prohibit the kind of reservation-shopping required in the Pataki formula. The point of this missive, for New York and elsewhere, is that there must always be a way for the main offices of tribal leaders to sustain an open conversation and dialogue. Even in those cases where leadership does not like each other - even where they are bitter enemies - they must recognize their many important common objectives relative to the powers of their respective states, and they must develop intertribal protocols for building and sustaining intertribal relations. In New York, even very conservative politicians such as Alfonse D'Amato have admonished the Indian leadership for its disunity. If Indians would only come together first, the message goes, the tribes could dictate their own formula to the state. Instead, as Indian leadership markedly avoids common strategies on many important issues, the state cuts and pounces, with a scary ability to refine its age-old techniques of divide and conquer. And is it not a sign of colonized immaturity that American Indians would rather trust and cut deals with non-Indian governments rather than themselves? Believe it that these currents are lining up. Believe it that the Indian position in support of a separate and sovereign tax base for Indian governments is hardly ever represented in the regular media. Within New York, for example, the Buffalo News and other papers routinely directly advocate the position of New York state in its conflicts with any and all Indian tribal governments. Yet the tribal governments, all of them, from the Seneca Nation of Indians (a republic) to the Onondaga Longhouse (a clan-based government) to the Oneida traditionalist council, to the elected St. Regis Mohawk Tribal government - a wide array of governmental structures, to be sure - all are charged with meeting the needs and demands of their member-citizens, and all are charged with sustaining their communities' self-governments and expected to support these through successful economic strategies. New York, as with all states that host Native tribal enterprises within their borders if not within their own jurisdictions, must be taught proper conduct and procedure with Native governments. This could be done respectfully but firmly, but only after a fluid and consistent conversation among Indian governmental offices is established throughout the state. Intellectual debate must be encouraged that will draw out ideas and discussions from the broadest range of advocates in our communities, from the best research to the most practical analyses. The leadership can sit in, listen in, participate at will or simply incorporate the range of the discussion, but it would agree to consider the currents and to consider common draw-the-line points in negotiations with the state. No doubt, there are honorable people in the offices of the state of New York, and many among them who oppose tribal gaming development areas are sincere in their beliefs; however, they have objectives that challenge and intend to diminish or even destroy tribal sovereignty as the inherent right of American Indian people in sustaining their nations. The state would rather not destroy gooses that lay golden eggs, but it clearly would pretend to own them. It is the nature of the state sovereignty to increasingly control Indian jurisdictions. Tribal leaders cannot and must not lose sight of this important line of demarcation. All the tribal entities within any state stand to win substantially from squaring off with the state in as much unity of purpose and position as possible. No one would suggest this can happen easily anywhere, but let us not abdicate the responsibility for facilitating all such dialogue anywhere and any time it can happen. This point has already been confirmed within New York, where concessions on taxes by out-of-state tribes and the once powerful Mohawk have sparked a full frontal assault by the governor on the sovereignty of all Native nations within the state. Copyright c. 1998-2005 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Alaskans wary of Vote on Oil Drilling" --------- Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 08:41:11 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ANWR BUSH WHACK" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.winktv.com/x466.xml?URL=http://localhost/APWIREFEED/d88t1m800.xml Alaskans Wary of Vote on Oil Drilling By MATT VOLZ Associated Press Writer The Associated Press March 18, 2005 JUNEAU, Alaska The tiny north coast town of Kaktovik officially supports responsible development of oil and gas. But many reacted warily to the Senate vote to allow drilling in their back yard. Even with just 284 residents, Kaktovik is the largest town on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain. Mayor Lon Sonsalla said just about everyone has concerns about changes that could accompany any work in the 1.5 million-acre stretch, where billions of barrels of crude oil are believed to rest beneath the tundra. "We are now given notice that we have to be on our toes," said the mayor said. A scant majority of the Senate agreed Wednesday to allow oil and gas development on the state's northern coast. Sonsalla said his town, 850 miles from Juneau and more than 3,000 from Washington, must have a say in developing the rules for oil and gas work in the refuge, and residents' access to traditional hunting and fishing areas must be preserved. Fenton Rexford, tribal administrator of the Native village of Kaktovik, agreed. The Inupiat village's traditional lands are governed separately from the city of Kaktovik. Rexford said the tribal government's responsibility is to protect traditional hunting and camping areas and cemeteries. "There's monetary value and then there is value as far as subsistence sites, camping sites, fishing sites," he said. Reaction to the Senate vote by the state's political leaders was enthusiastic. For decades, Alaskan politicians have urged Congress to open the refuge to drilling. Those calls grew louder with the decline of oil moving through the trans-Alaska pipeline in recent years. Democratic state Sen. Donald Olson, whose district and includes Kaktovik, is a longtime supporter of opening the refuge. "I'm glad that it passed," he said. "I just want to make sure that the concerns and issues of the local people and Mayor Lon Sonsalla are on the front of our radar screen so they are not overrun by industry." Gov. Frank Murkowski said he has no doubts that oil drilling will take place and he expects the state will benefit from the revenues it will share with the federal government. Opening the refuge to drilling would give oil companies access to an estimated 10.4 billion barrels of crude oil, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Senate still must pass the budget package in which the proposal was included. The House must take up the issue in an energy package. "It's like winning one skirmish in a bigger battle," said Republican state House Majority Leader John Coghill. Copyright c. 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2005 WINK-TV Ft. Meyers, FL. --------- "RE: Native Americans decry Alaska Exploration Ruling" --------- Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 12:22:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ANWR DRILLING WILL END WILDERNESS" http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1327010.htm Native Americans decry Alaska exploration ruling March 18, 2005 There has been an angry reaction from native Americans in Alaska to the decision by the United States Senate to open up a remote wildlife refuge to oil drilling. The Senators voted narrowly to allow exploration in the Alaska Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This has long been a key part of President Bush's energy plan as a means to reduce US reliance on imports. Luci Beach, of the local American Indian tribe, says the area is home to caribou, migratory birds and other wildlife. "Sixty to 70 per cent of our diet comes from the land and caribou is one of the primary animals that we depend on for sustenance," he said. "For us this is a human rights issue and it's a basic Aboriginal human rights issue." Copyright c. 2005 ABC. --------- "RE: Akaka Bill violates International Law" --------- Date: Saturday, March 19, 2005 11:25 PM From: karaka@medscape.com [jankaraka@yahoo.co.nz] Subj: FW: Akaka bill violates international law Mailing List: First_Nations_Skyvillage@smartgroups.com Hawaii Reporter Freedom to Report Real News http://www.hawaiireporter.com/687283f5-2884-465c-a1c6-ffadc6bdd90d Honolulu Star-Bulletin Poll Shows Opposite Results of 2003 OHA Poll on Public Support for Akaka Bill Hawaii's Top Government Officials Should Not Be Citing 2003 Poll, Which is Inherently Biased By Earl Arakaki March 18, 2005 A poll just comleted by the Honolulu Star Bulletin asked readers to vote on whether they support the Akaka Bill, or Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill, which is now being pushed forward in the U.S. Senate. See the poll at http://starbulletin.com/poll/index.html The Honolulu Star-Bulletin specifically asks: "The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has approved the Akaka bill for a vote by the full Senate. Would you like to see the Akaka bill become law?" The final vote tally reflects the only real opinion of Hawaii's people and, so far, stands as the only true vote ever taken on this controversial subject. Of the 1,751 votes received, 436 or 24.9 percent, said "Yes" they support the Akaka Bill, while 1,301 people or 74.30 percent said "No" they don't support it (14 votes were not counted). These results are completely the opposite of the survey taken by OHA in 2003 on the same subject -- a poll inherently flawed because it was funded by the state through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), an agency lobbying Congress for the bill. The 2003 survey conducted by a local firm, Ward Research, often is cited as the prevailing vote of the people. The Ward/OHA poll also is used by Hawaii's Gov. Linda Lingle and other Akaka bill supporters in testimony before the U.S. Congress -- tesimony given as recently as two weeks ago. The poll also is cited by Lt. Gov. Aiona in recent opinion pieces published in Hawaii Reporter and other local publications in support of the bill. Besides being potentially biased because of its funding source, the OHA poll was flawed and should not have been used officially to report Hawaii's citizens concerning the Akaka bill. For instance, the survey asks "Have you heard of the Hawaiian Federal Recognition Bill, also known as the "Akaka-Stevens bill". Among Hawaiians, 72 percent had, while 27 percent had not. Among non- Hawaiians 58 percent knew of the Akaka Bill, while 41 percent had not. And yet the survey continued to ask questions about the Akaka