From gars@speakeasy.org Wed Jun 8 07:06:56 2005 Date: Tue, 07 Jun 2005 19:34:09 -0700 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews13.024 _ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 13, ISSUE 024 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 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 June 11, 2005 Kiowa pai ganhina p'a/summer moon Hopi wukouyis/major planting moon Eastern Cherokee nvda seluitseiyusdi/green corn moon Algonquin twowa kesos/moon when they hill Indian corn +-------------------------------------------------------+ | Much more happens in Indian Country than is reported | | in this weekly newsletter. For daily updates & events | | go to http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm | +-------------------------------------------------------+ Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin -- Blackfeet -- News for All the People Ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min -- Ojibwe -- We Are Talking About Ourselves Aunchemokauhettittea -- Naragansett -- Let Us Share News Kanoheda Aniyvwiya -- Cherokee -- Journal of the People O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse -- Creek -- People's New News O o O Acimowin -- Plains Cree -- Story or Account O o O Tlaixmatiliztli -- Nahuatl -- News O o o o o O Agnutmaqan -- Listuguj Mi'kmaq -- News O o O Sho-da-ku-ye -- Teehahnahmah -- Talking Birchbark O o O Un Chota -- Susquehannic Seneca -- The People Speak O Ha-Sah-Sliltha -- Ditidaht Nation -- News of the People Ximopanolti tehuatzin, inin Mexika tlahtolli -- Nahuatl -- For you we offer these words It-hah-pe-hah Ah-num pah-le -- Chickasaw -- Together We Are Talking Dineh jii' adah' ho'nil'e'gii ba' ha' neh -- Navajo Nation -- What's Happening among The People News Okla Humma Holisso Nowat Anya -- Choctaw -- People(s) Red Newspaper Hi'a chu ah gaa -- Pima -- The stories or the talk of the People 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; Indian Trust ListServ, Big Mountain, Chiapas95-English, News and Information and Women of Character 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + ======================== "Give wisdom and understanding to my leaders. Protect my warriors and bring them back safe. Give to the young, love and contentment. Give health and long life to my old people so that they may remain with us for a long time. Make my enemy brave and strong, so that if defeated, I will not be ashamed. And give me wisdom so that I may have kindness for all. And let me live each day, so when day is done, my prayer will not have been in vain." __ Chief Big Lodge Pole, Blackfeet +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! This editorial is addressed to any non-Indian who elects to read it. Ever since Pratt at Carlisle and the subsequent Indian boarding schools, the European invaders have done everything humanly, and many things totally inhumanely, to make Natives darker (servant status) versions of themselves. There has been evidence after evidence brought forward that we, physically and spiritually, are anything but interchangible with those of European ancestry. Throughout the years, over and over, when we tried to assimilate, it killed us. Not just at the point of gun or knife wielded by European invaders, but at their tables, or in warfare on behalf of the country that came to supplant our nations. Our systems are crafted to process food more completely. We had to subsist on native plants, grains and four-leggeds, winged ones and fish. When processed grains were introduced, literally forced on us, at the many internment camps, we developed incredibly high rates of diabetes, hyperchlorestemia and alcoholism. Now, a study comes forth that male Native American veterans are more likely to die within a month of surgery than their white counterparts. Understand this, if you are not familiar with life on the rez: Many reservations are isolated and poverty stricken. Forget what you think you "know" about rez life and the rich Indian casinos. You are not only wrong but damned wrong. Those conditions exist in only a very few nations. You hear about them because their white neighbors envy them and make sure their media focus on the "evils" emanating from their wealth. Poverty stalks most rez kids from birth and there are few viable routes for them to escape it for themselves and later for their kids. Couple this with the warrior culture and it is small wonder so many young Natives go into the military. It is one of the few routes available to them out of rez and urban ghettos. Here's a little sidebar: Federally enrolled Indians, US and Canadian, are citizens of two nations. Rather than more sermonette from me, go look up the definition of "mercinary". Have the decency to dwell on it and think about it. There is much for the occuppying nations of Turtle Island to be ashamed of in there treatment of the first people, but right at the top is the self-serving lie that we are just reddder versions of you, knowing that this results in misery, crippling, and premature death. U.S. citizens who know this and ignore it should be ashamed, but either those who know somehow can ignore it and sleep at night, and the rest seem completely capable of avoiding the knowledge, the least you can do is INSIST that this country treats the Indian veterans that helped save your butts with care tailored to the needs of Natives. 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 ----------- - Study finds surgery risk - Rekindling Hopi Arts for Native Veterans - GIAGO: Man who lead America's - Study finds high rates of Trauma first Revolution among two Tribes - Modern Day Medicine Man: - Growth cramps Tribal Learning Living Environments - TROTTIER: - Nuuchahnulth Language Indian Ed needs an overhaul gets first Dictionary - Bill calls for Tribal consultation - Tribal Speakers dwindle, on BIA Budget rush to teach their Words - UTTC hosts meeting - Tiller's Guide on Trust Reform Legislation contains wealth of Tribal Data - Tribal Leaders pursue Trust Reform - JODI RAVE: - Elouise Cobell of Montana Honored Reporting on the Reservation - Judge rebuffs attempt - Makah Nation: to impose Taxes on Tribe Our Right to Whaling being denied - Klamath Fisheries facing closure - Land trade divides Tribes - ICT: Being conscious - Hospitals' role of Origins in Indian Affairs in Aboriginal abuse raised - Rosebud Tribe considers Wind Farm - Five Years in the Trenches - Decision on 12,000-year-old Site - Chicano Mexicano Prison Project - Northern Cheyenne Tribe - Peltier hearing wins drilling injunction to address Lakota Sovereignty - Energy Exploitation - Native Prisoner in Navajo Country -- Save the System from itself - U.S., Tribal Leaders - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days to attend Memorial - Rustywire: A Piece of Pottery - Pueblo Leader is honored for work - "Abe" Jones Poem: - Navajo Nation Chamber People of the Stony Shore receives 2nd Designation - Early June Events --------- "RE: Study finds surgery risk for Native Veterans" --------- Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2005 08:52:06 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SURGERY RISK" http://www.indianz.com/News/008557.asp Study finds surgery risk for Native veterans June 3, 2005 Male Native American veterans are more likely to die within a month of surgery than their white counterparts, according to a study published this month. A team led by the first Navajo woman surgeon examined surgery records for over 2,000 American Indian and Alaska Native male veterans. When the researchers compared the data to those for white veterans, they found a striking difference. "The results of this study add surgical outcomes to the list of health disparities experienced by Native Americans and offer further opportunities for investigation, intervention, and improvement in this understudied population," said lead author Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord, a member of the Navajo Nation who is the assistant professor of surgery and psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire. Based on 11 years of data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, 3.1 percent of Native veterans died within 30 days of surgery, the study found. In contrast, only 2.1 percent of white patients died. The study, published in the June 2005 issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, doesn't explain the reason for the disparity. Alvord said further research is necessary to determine, for example, whether Native veterans are receiving the same amount of health care as others. But Native veterans and their advocates say Native veterans face special challenges when seeking medical care. They must often travel hundreds of miles just to obtain basic services promised to them for enlisting in the military. They also say conditions on reservations that influence their health are poor. "My grandfather told me, 'The better we do, the more the government will help,'" Army Sgt. Gerald Dupris, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe who saw combat in Iraq, said earlier this year. "But Native Americans have not gotten such help." Alvord's research confirmed that Native veterans exhibited health conditions that can increase the risk of death after surgery. Native veterans were more likely to suffer from a disability or diabetes, have a wound infection and have low platelet counts, according to the study. Platelets are necessary to deal with blood loss. The study is the first of its kind for Native veterans but the authors noted that prior research has shown that Native American patients are at higher risk of death than non-Natives. One study showed that Native Americans received fewer kidney transplants and were delayed treatment for end-stage renal failure despite high rates of kidney disease. Another study found that Native patient underwent fewer heart related surgeries even though heart disease is the number one killer in Indian Country. In Canada, Natives were more likely to be readmitted to hospitals after gall bladder surgery than non-Natives, according to yet another study. A fourth study among a small group of Native Americans found that those who underwent coronary artery bypass were four times as likely to die in-hospital than whites. "Future studies should examine in greater detail demographic, clinical, cultural, and health care factors that might account for the variation in postsurgical outcomes," the authors wrote. Co-authors of the study include the Native Elder Health Care Resource Center at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, the University of Washington and Harvard Medical School. Data was obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Copyright c. 2000-2005 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Study finds high rates of Trauma among two Tribes" --------- Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2005 08:55:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRAUMA HIGH" http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/008500.asp Study finds high rates of trauma among two tribes June 1, 2005 Native Americans suffer from higher rates of trauma than the general U.S. population, according to a comprehensive study of more than 3,000 tribal members. Statistics have shown that American Indians and Alaska Natives are more likely to be victims of violence, including sexual assaults, than other racial and ethnic groups. But in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health, researchers say they have provided the first "systematic" assessment of the health and well-being of members of two tribes -- one in the Southwest and another in the Northern Plains. "Unlike the US general population, female and male American Indians exhibited equivalent levels of overall trauma exposure," the authors from the University of Colorado wrote. "Members of both tribes more often witnessed traumatic events, experienced traumas to loved ones, and were victims of physical attacks than their counterparts in the overall US population. than among other groups." The conclusion is based on a long-term survey of 3,084 tribal members who live within 20 miles of their reservations. The identities of the tribes involved were not disclosed to protect their privacy. Despite differences in history and culture, members of the two tribes reported equally high rates of trauma. According to the study, lifetime exposure to trauma among male tribal members ranged from 62.4 percent to 67.2 percent and from 66.2 percent to 69.8 percent among female tribal members. These rates were higher than the national averages of 60.7 percent for men and 51.2 percent for women, the researchers noted. They suggested that one cause for the disparity could be alcohol abuse among tribal members but that they haven't drawn a concrete conclusion. In addition to the high rates of trauma, the researchers reported an "unexpected" discovery with respect to education, employment and poverty. Studies of the general population have linked violence to poverty, unemployment and a lower levels of education. But the researchers said the opposite was the case among tribal members. For example, female tribal members who attended college were more likely to report being victimized than those who didn't. The authors said they "anticipated that, in this study, impoverishment and lower levels of education and employment would be linked to greater trauma exposure. That they were not is puzzling and deserves further consideration." Among female tribal members, the study confirmed high rates of rapes and domestic violence. According to the data, 12.8 percent of female members of the Southwest tribe and 14.4 percent of female members of the Northern Plains tribe had been raped in their lifetimes. Additionally, 28.9 percent of Southwest female tribal members and 31.0 percent of Northern Plains tribal members had been physically abused or hurt by their intimate partner. Other traumas were common among male and female tribal members. Nearly half of Southwest tribal members and slightly over half of Northern Plains tribal members said they witnessed violence, rapes, injuries murders, accidents and disasters. "American Indians live in adverse environments that place them at high risk for exposure to trauma and harmful health" conditions, wrote Dr. Spero Manson, the lead author. Other studies have drawn similar conclusions. Native Americans who attended boarding schools or who were abused as children were more likely to have problems with alcohol later in life, according to a September 2003 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. In November 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Bureau of Indian Affairs students who engaged in high-risk behaviors like tobacco, alcohol and drug use are at "at risk for premature death and disability" in their lifetimes. Copyright c. 2000-2005 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Growth cramps Tribal Learning" --------- Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2005 08:52:06 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="OVERCROWDED, AGING SCHOOL" http://www.argusleader.com/article?AID=/20050606/NEWS/50606001/1001 Growth cramps tribal learning Students sit in hall of aging school to eat lunch TERRY WOSTER twoster@midco.net June 6, 2005 In an era of declining enrollments in South Dakota, Porcupine Grant School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation has a growth problem. The number of students has grown by two-thirds in the past decade at this K-8 school, funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and located at Porcupine, a community 10 miles from Wounded Knee on the reservation that is home to the Oglala Sioux Tribe. The old school, built in 1969, is bursting at the seams and wearing out. Growing enrollment - from 134 in 1994 to 219 last fall - has been rough on building and budget. The school principal says the boiler needs work, the roof leaks, classes are crowded and lunch is served in the hall. That last condition prompted a state Fire Marshal's Office caution about obstructing emergency exits. If that weren't enough, on the day the state inspector examined the building, the fire-alarm system wasn't working at all, the report noted. "You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff they've tried to do to keep this building going," says Tom Raymond, elementary principal. Stretching budgets to cover repair and maintenance while meeting the demands of expanding enrollment is part of the problem, he said. Most students are bused to the school from the reservation. Transportation costs rise as student numbers grow. So do costs of supplies, materials, even teaching staff when the numbers force more than one class per grade. Routine maintenance, important to an older building, is sometimes put off for more pressing needs, Raymond said. "It needs major work in the boiler room," he said. "The roof leaked. Our lunchroom, well, they used to eat in the gymnasium. We quit that, and they eat in the hall here. ... Our kids won't know how to act when they get in a school with a real dining hall." Korrinna Phelps, the librarian, said most classes have at least 20 and some as many as 26 students. "We have to cram students into the rooms, and it's really congested in the library, which also has computers," Phelps said. "When the students are in there, it's hard to keep them focused on any kind of learning." A new school would have a larger space for nothing but library services, she said. "It would be nice to have a school with an actual library where students could read," Phelps said. No. 2 on list A new building looks to be in Porcupine's future. The BIA has promised two temporary modular buildings to ease the strain next year. Longer term, the school is No. 2 on the BIA priority list for school- replacement funding. The Department of Interior's presentation of its 2006 budget to Congress said school construction funding was being reduced so that schools already funded for construction could be completed. But the agency said the budget President Bush proposed included $173.9 million for school construction. That's supposed to include, Interior officials told Congress earlier this year, $35 million for "the second school on the priority list, the Porcupine Day School in South Dakota, and phase one of the third school on the list, Crown Point Community School" in New Mexico. Crow Creek Tribal School is the other South Dakota school on the 14- facility priority list. The Crow Creek school is ranked No. 9, a listing that came before an April 24 fire destroyed the school's dormitory and called into question whether the school will even operate next fall. The replacement list itself is evidence of the often inadequate facilities that exist for education in Indian Country, said an Oglala who is president-elect of the National Indian Education Association. "When the young people come to school, you would think that would be the oasis of hope and of excellent quality," said Ryan Wilson, who'll assume presidency of the national group next year. "This is symptomatic of a deeper malady, the inability of the country to uphold its trust obligation and fulfill the educational needs of Native Americans," Wilson said. "Even more frustrating is the nation-building that goes on overseas, as we're witnessing right now, that is usurping vast resources, and the need is so high in Indian Country." Sending a message Academic success is linked to many factors outside the actual classroom work, he said. Facilities can be a factor, and a building can send a message to youths that they're inferior; not worthy of first-class facilities, Wilson said. "Lakota children are so resilient. So many of them overcome that," he said. "It's a tribute to their fortitude that they carry on every day and to the number of dedicated educators who make the most out of the adverse circumstances they're dealing with." Although Crow Creek has been in a nonstop search for funding since the dorm fire, Superintendent Scott Raue said he doesn't begrudge Porcupine's position on the priority list and likely funding in the coming year. "I wouldn't want to replace a South Dakota school on the list," Raue said. "If they can get the funding they need, we're pleased and happy that it came through for them. It doesn't serve anyone to compare needs. We all have incredible needs." Raue echoed Wilson's comment about resiliency in the face of dilapidated facilities. "It's amazing we're able to put out learning," he said. "Our test scores are generally good, and Porcupine does a good job in test scores. It's amazing how these kids can overcome obstacles like buildings falling down around them and still meet (yearly progress) standards. I don't know what these kids would do if they went to school in an air-conditioned building, or took a test when the roof wasn't leaking." At Porcupine, Principal Raymond also brushes off the notion of comparing need with other schools. "I guess I couldn't say we're worse off structure-wise than some other place, but this school finally bubbled to the top of the heap and made the list," he said. Teachers sometimes meet in hallways because there aren't enough offices or classrooms not being used. The library was divided to make office space. The plan for the new building includes classrooms, office space, a dining hall and gymnasium north of the existing school in Porcupine, Raymond said. The district has received federal planning money to begin the process expected to take several years. Porcupine is part of an area with what Raymond called "excellent demographics for a school." The Pine Ridge population is younger than the state average. The Lakota, Dakota and Nakota populations in South Dakota are young and growing. The number of children is increasing in much of Indian Country. Porcupine draws students from Kyle, Manderson, Pine Ridge and Martin. Of the more than 200 students attending during the past year, all but a handful were bused. "We have 30, maybe 40 who would be in walking distance," Raymond said. State critique Porcupine's crowded conditions were partly responsible for criticism in the most recent state Fire Marshal's Office inspection. The state inspects all schools every two years. Although it inspects reservation schools, it has no authority to order changes, Paul Merriman, fire code specialist for the state, said in an interview after the Crow Creek fire. Merriman said school inspections always cover a range of issues, but a couple of concerns are paramount. One is the alarm system - the ability to warn students and staff of a fire. The other is the evacuation plan - the ability to get people out of the building quickly. At Porcupine, the 2003 inspection found the fire alarm system not working. Several problems with exits also were found. Those kinds of exceptions and criticisms were relatively common among BIA schools, a review of reports on file in Merriman's office showed. The Department of Interior, in a statement on the 2006 budget, said the Bush administration has made a commitment to whittle away at the backlog of needed school construction projects in Indian Country. About 35 percent of BIA schools were rated in good or fair condition in 2001, the department said. The goal, with funding through the 2006 budget, is to have more than 65 percent of such schools in good or fair condition. A General Accounting Office study four years ago included a visit to 14 schools, six public and eight BIA-funded. The study found that the BIA schools spent more per pupil on facilities than the public schools did, but none of the BIA schools reported the condition of their buildings as good. Five of the six public schools graded facilities good or excellent. Seven of eight BIA schools rated facilities as fair to poor and complained, the GAO said, "about a long-standing lack of investment in operation and repair." The report also said: "Unlike their public school counterparts, many of the local BIA school officials said that routine preventive maintenance and repairs are frequently deferred in favor of other, more critical needs. This has resulted in higher costs for repairs and a negative impact in the functionality of the facilities, according to these officials. They said some of these problems affected the safety of children and the educational climate of their schools, citing a nonfunctional fire hydrant and fire alarm system, inoperable emergency generator, an eroded bathroom floor, problems with heating/air-conditioning systems, a fuel tank spill and problems with sewer lines and water pipes." Reach Terry Woster at 605-224-2760. Copyright c. 2005 Argus Leader. All rights reserved --------- "RE: TROTTIER: Indian Ed needs an overhaul" --------- Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2005 08:52:06 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TROTTIER: INDIAN EDU FAILING" http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/opinion/11818511.htm VIEWPOINT: Indian ed needs an overhaul By Wayne Trottier June 5, 2005 PLUMMER, Idaho - After 27 years of doing my job, I have decided it is time to air my feelings on what is happening to the education of our American Indian children in this country. It has become apparent that nationally, Indian education - as it has existed since the inception of the Merriam Report of 1928 (which highlighted the inadequate services and spending in Indian education and many other areas of Indian life) - quite frankly is not working. Having worked in Bureau of Indian Affairs, tribal and public schools, I can say things are not happening to turn the corner for our Indian students, who continue to show one of the highest dropout rates and lowest test scores of any group in this country. It is appalling to work with states that seem to have absolutely no idea what to do with their Indian education issues other than to ask the federal government to lower their standards. It is even more apparent that our Indian students seem to have less of a concern about their education - due, in part, to various attitudes and perceptions that continue to prevail and plague this country with respect to Indian people. I have determined that the failing school systems our children attend are more to blame for this great divide between our Indian children and the larger majority in this country. Don't get me wrong: there are schools and (especially) teachers who are doing wonderful jobs of effectively teaching Indian children. However, the vast majority are failing our children, failing Indian country, ultimately failing our futures as indigenous people. One might term it a modern form of genocide. The time has come for Indian country to reassess its commitment to its children by re-evaluating the educational institutions our children attend and getting right down to the essence of what and where the problems are. This will come about only when we have a nationally recognized definition of what Indian education means today. The time is now to develop a national strategic plan with specific goals that we believe Indian education must follow. Sadly, the largest majority of our Indian children attend public schools with little or no representation on the school boards governing them, coupled with a serious lack of Indian teachers and administrators who have been effectively trained to meet the many challenges created by poor local and federal control. It is time to shake up the status quo and risk improving the education of our children. Can it get any worse? It can and will unless this shift in paradigm occurs. Until there is a national agenda developed, we will get more of the same with even more depressing results. With the advent of new federal laws governing educational standards, I believe that until some collective strategies are developed and acted upon, the greatest disservice in the history of Indian people will take place - and again, the annals of history will be written in our disfavor. Almost always, people only get one chance to change history. Our time has come and it has to be now. Don't let substandard educators, governing bodies and educational entities rewrite our history. Too many times, I have witnessed cooperation lasting only as long as the status quo remained unchanged. Change is ripe for the taking. It is time to bring the best educational and critical minds in Indian country together and produce this new definition and strategy that will change the course of education for our children. In other words, it's time to do more than just my job. Trottier is an Indian educator and member of the Standing Rock Lakota Sioux tribe. Copyright c. 2005 Grand Forks Herald/Grand Forks, ND. --------- "RE: Bill calls for Tribal consultation on BIA Budget" --------- Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2005 08:42:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BIA BUDGET" http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/008466.asp Bill calls for tribal consultation on BIA budget May 31, 2005 The Interior Department's budget process for Indian programs is due for a major overhaul under an appropriations bill making its way through Congress. Department officials have already changed how they handle the Bureau of Indian Affairs budget. House lawmakers welcomed the "badly needed" improvements but they also inserted language in Interior's 2006 appropriations bill that criticized the Bush administration for its "inadequate consultation" of tribes. To correct the oversight, the bill directs the BIA to work closely with tribes to develop an alternative budget structure. The goal is to provide "full transparency" for tribal priority allocation (TPA) funds that tribes use for their daily operations and to "clearly" show how funds for the central and regional offices of the BIA are being used. To make the process more open, the BIA is also being directed to create a comprehensive website that contains all the relevant budget information. The Office of Special Trustee, whose budget has exploded since the start of the Bush administration, would be included in the site as well. Although the bill has yet to be taken up by the Senate, the House is calling for speedy action on its recommendations. A progress report would be due by October and a final report "for consulting tribes and tribal leaders on administrative, funding, and operational changes to programs and projects" would be due by the end of the year. The new budget structure should be implemented in time for the 2007 budget, the bill said. The language reflects concern among tribal leaders that their views are being ignored when it comes to the preparation and development of the BIA and OST budget. "The government-to-government relationship between the United States and Indian tribes has become very meaningless," said Ed Thomas, a prominent Alaska Native leader who has served on the BIA's tribal budget committee, at a Congressional hearing last week. "They bring us in and we talk about the budget and really nothing happens," added Thomas, who is president of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Tribes. "No consultation happens in my part of the country at all on these issues." Tribes have slammed the 2006 budget, which was released in February, as highly inadequate. The Bush administration slashed Indian housing, education and social service funds at the BIA and other agencies while giving yet another boost to the OST. House appropriators reacted by restoring money to programs like welfare assistance, Johnson O'Malley education grants and fire protection -- all of which had been cut by the White House. "The committee feels that the justification for the reductions -- that there are other programs in the government that could provide these funds -- is completely unfounded," the report accompany the bill stated. "The budget request provided no information to support claims that other funding sources are readily available to offset the reductions in this budget." Other language in the bill, which passed the House by a vote of 329-89 on May 19, directs the BIA not to use law enforcement money for administrative expenses at the regional or central office level. A report on this spending would be due by the end of the year. Separately, the bill requested a General Accountability Office (GAO) study on the land-into-trust process. A report would be due by May 2006. The budget-related language of the report reads: The Committee agrees with the Bureau that an alternative budget structure for the operation of Indian programs is badly needed. The current budget structure is confusing and complex and offers little opportunity to review funding levels and assess performance on a programmatic level. However, the Committee is concerned that there was inadequate consultation with Tribes when preparing this new budget structure. The Committee is also concerned that the process of making budgetary data available to Tribes is inadequate. The Committee directs the Bureau to do the following: 1. Consult with Tribal leaders on an alternative budget structure that is: (1) aligned programmatically, (2) provides full transparency for Tribal priority allocations funding, (3) increases accountability for Bureau programs and program managers, and (4) clearly delineates funding levels of the central and regional offices. The Committee expects a progress report by October 31, 2005. The Committee directs the Bureau to submit a revised budget structure as a part of the fiscal year 2007 budget justification. 2. Develop an internet website,hosted by the Office of the Secretary,that: (1) allows Tribes to access Bureau of Indian Affairs and Office of Special Trustee budget information, (2) displays the distribution of funding that affects Indian country, and (3) contains information and links to all Federal grant programs that provide funding for Indian country. 3. Submit a report, by December 31, 2005, outlining the Bureau of Indian Affairs current process for consulting Tribes and Tribal leaders on administrative, funding, and operational changes to programs and projects. 2006 Interior Appropriations Bill: H.R.2361 | House Report 109-080 Copyright c. 2000-2005 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: UTTC hosts meeting on Trust Reform Legislation" --------- Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2005 08:42:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRUST REFORM" http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/008477.asp UTTC hosts meeting on trust reform legislation June 1, 2005 A meeting to accept public comment and discuss Indian trust reform is being held today at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota. The meeting will focus on efforts to fix the trust system and settle the Cobell lawsuit. A workgroup of the National Congress of American Indians and the Intertribal Trust Fund Monitoring Association has been drafting legislation to address these two major issues. The legislation is expected to be introduced this month by Sens. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the chair and the vice-chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Dorgan is expected to address the meeting via distance technology. NCAI President Tex Hall will lead the meeting, which begins at 9am today in the Jack Barden Center lower level. Other participants include John Echohawk, the executive director of the Native American Rights Fund, and key Congressional staff. Tribal leaders and individual Indian landowners are expected to provide comments about trust reform litigation and legislation. Copyright c. 2000-2005 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Tribal Leaders pursue Trust Reform" --------- Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2005 08:34:55 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRUST REFORM" http://www.billingsgazette.com//build/state/55-trust-reform.inc Tribal leaders pursue trust reform Associated Press June 2, 2005 BISMARCK, N.D. - Tribal leaders are seeking to overhaul a trust system they say has cost American Indians billions of dollars through government mismanagement. Congressional committee staff members have been holding public forums across the country to get comments about ways to settle a lawsuit filed over the trust system in 1996. Tribal leaders hope Sens. John McCain, R- Ariz., and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., can draft legislation by the end of the month. The litigation, known as the Cobell lawsuit, was filed in 1996 on behalf of more than 300,000 American Indians alleging the federal Interior Department failed to properly manage royalties from oil, gas, mining and timber on land assigned through trust accounts more than a century ago. The lawsuit alleges that since 1887, money has been stolen, squandered or never collected, costing the Indians more than $10 billion. The government acknowledged mismanaging the trust system but disputed the amount of money lost. Tribal members want the legislation to address the issues of land consolidation, trust reform, a monetary settlement and other claims. "We know what we want," said Chris Stearns, an attorney for Tex Hall, the chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes and president of the National Congress of American Indians. "We want accountability from the government to do the job right." David Mullon, an attorney for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, said one of the roadblocks to a settlement is the fact that tens of thousands of plaintiffs are involved, and it will be impossible to satisfy all of them. "This needs to be settled," said Avis Little Eagle, a council member from the Standing Rock reservation. "Look how long this has been going on. The tribes will benefit from a settlement. We are just looking for justice." Hall suggested an independent oversight commission. "We don't think the government can reform itself," he said. "They keep saying they're doing a good job, and we know different." John Echo Hawk, executive director of the Native American Rights Fund, said he is optimistic the lawsuit will be settled. "The courts have held the government in breach of trust," he said. "The government does owe this accounting. The Congress knows this as well, and, I think, is troubled by the fact that this case goes on and on, even though these court rulings exist. It's time for it to end." Copyright c. 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Elouise Cobell of Montana Honored" --------- Date: Thursday, June 02, 2005 5:41 PM From: Indian Trust ListServ [listadmin@list.indiantrust.com] Subj: Elouise Cobell of Montana Honored for Indian Trust Fight Mailing List: Indian Trust ListServ SANTA FE, NM - Elousie Cobell, who has led a nine-year court fight that is forcing the federal government to give an estimated 500,000 American Indians a full accounting of what has happened to their government- controlled individual Indian Trust accounts, is one of five winners of Cultural Freedom Fellowships awarded by the Lannan Foundation of Santa Fe. The foundation has announced that it is giving a total of $675,000 to support the work of anti-globalization activist Maude Barlow of Canada; book publishers Bobby Byrd and Lee Merrill Byrd of the United States; journalist Amira Hass of Israel and Montana banker Elouise Cobell of the Blackfeet Nation. The cultural freedom fellowship program is designed to recognize individuals whose work inspires their communities, domestic and international, that are struggling to uphold and defend their right to cultural freedom and diversity. This support is intended to encourage and enhance the recipients' efforts to advance the cause of cultural freedom, a basic human right dependent on political, economic, and environmental justice. The money provided with the fellowship may be used for travel, study, research, or other similar purposes. According to foundation president J. Patrick Lannan, Jr., "These fellowship recipients are inspiring examples of the kinds of people who keep hope alive, who again and again remind us of the necessity to struggle always for freedom and cultural diversity." A banker from Browning, Montana, Cobell is the lead plaintiff in one of the largest class action lawsuits against the United States government, for breach of its trust duties to thousands of individual Native Americans. Her Cobell vs. Norton lawsuit is an on-going legal attempt to force the U.S. Department of the Interior to fix its accounting system and properly account for billions of dollars it manages on behalf of individual Indians. "Ms. Cobell's persistence in bringing the charges to trial has shone a bright light on more than a century of government malfeasance and dishonesty. Indeed, the District Court Judge presiding over the case called the government's mismanagement of the funds "fiscal and governmental irresponsibility in its purest form," the Lannan Foundation said in announcing the award. Ms. Cobell is the Executive Director of the Native American Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit affiliate of Native American Bank. She also served as Chairperson for the Blackfeet National Bank, the first national bank located on an Indian reservation and owned by a Native American tribe. Ms. Cobell was one of the lead organizers of the bank and was instrumental in the formation of the Blackfeet Reservation Development Fund. A member of the Blackfeet Indian Nation, Ms. Cobell served for thirteen years as the tribe's treasurer. In addition to operating a working ranch with her husband, she is active in local agriculture and environmental issues. Previous recipients of the Lannan Cultural Freedom Fellowship are Subhankar Banerjee, a photographer and cultural rights activist from Seattle who works to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Julian Cardona, a photojournalist from Mexico who documents the life of Mexican migrants and residents of Juarez; and John Fogarty and Lucy Boulanger, physicians from New Mexico who work for the protection of Native American land and water rights. #### For further information please visit these websites www.lannan.org and www.indiantrust.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To view the latest information concerning this case, go to www.indiantrust.com --------- "RE: Judge rebuffs attempt to impose Taxes on Tribe" --------- Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2005 08:34:55 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TREATY DOES NOT GRANT TAXATION" http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/008530.asp Judge rebuffs state's attempt to impose taxes on tribe June 2, 2005 A state of Michigan cannot impose property taxes on the land owned by members of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday. In an 18-page opinion, U.S. District Judge David W. McKeague said the state has no right to tax tribal lands because Congress has not authorized it. "Indian reservation land is generally exempt from state and local taxation absent cession of jurisdiction or other federal statute permitting it," he wrote in the decision dated May 27 and filed yesterday. The ruling comes in a a long-running dispute between the tribe and the state. Citing U.S. Supreme Court precedent, the state tax commission authorized local assessors to place tribal property on the tax rolls. Calling state taxation "an insult to tribal sovereignty" the KBIC council fought the decision and won a ruling in the state Court of Appeals in 2002. But the state Supreme Court reversed a year later, leading to tax bills sent to the tribe and tribal members for land within the 59,840-acre reservation. The dispute centered on the interpretation of Cass County v. Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, a Supreme Court ruling from 1998. In the unanimous decision, the justices said that an act of Congress opening up the reservation to allotment as an "unmistakably clear" sign that state and local taxation is allowed. The state sought to extend this logic to an 1854 treaty between the Keweenaw Bay ancestors and the United States. Language in the treaty did in fact refer to allotment of tribal lands. But McKeague said a "liberal" interpretation of the treaty doesn't support the state's argument. "It defies logic to believe that the Indians would have signed a treaty ceding over seven million acres to the United States, knowing that they could lose the land they kept as a reservation the following year, due to non-payment of taxes," he wrote. He also said that the Cass County decision is limited to acts of Congress -- not treaties. Agreeing with the state's expansive interpretation would be judicial activism, McKeague warned. "Anticipating the direction in which the Supreme Court will direct the law may indeed be an exciting proposition, but it is not the proper role for this court," he stated in granting summary judgment to the tribe. Taxation has been a major issue for Keweenaw Bay members in recent years. In 2002, the tribe refused to sign an agreement with the state covering tax issues. Former chairman Fred Dakota, who currently serves on the council, has been leading protests against potential settlement with the state. The tribe and business owners on the reservation have long resisted efforts by the state to tax tobacco products. The state has occasionally seized cigarettes that do not bear state tax stamps. In addition to property and sales taxes, there is a dispute over car use taxes imposed on the reservation. The Michigan Tax Tribunal in April ordered the state to pay more than $990 back to a tribal member for an illegal tax. Copyright c. 2000-2005 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Klamath Fisheries facing closure" --------- Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2005 08:52:06 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FISHERIES" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096411027 Klamath fisheries facing closure by: James May / Today staff June 6, 2005 SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Hoopa and Yurok tribes on the far northern California coast are facing drastic cuts to their annual take of the salmon fishing harvest due to ongoing problems on the Klamath River. The two tribes are allowed to take about half the catch of the river's stock. Over the past several years that total stock has ranged between 30,000 and 50,000 fish, and up to 70,000 fish have been allocated in certain peak years. This year, however, the total harvest has been reduced to about 16,800 fish allowable for harvest, which means that the total for Yurok and Hoopa will be around 8,400. Yurok will get about 80 percent of that number, while Hoopa gets the rest. Mike Orcutt, Hoopa Valley Tribe's director of tribal fisheries, said the tribe will likely only harvest enough fish for subsistence and ceremonial purposes and all but shut down any commercial fishing at Yurok. Troy Fletcher, who has worked with the Yurok tribal fisheries, said that shutting down commercial fishing for the year at Yurok is not a done deal because the tribal council has to make an official decision in July. He also hinted that decision would likely be a mere formality. "Let's just say with about 99 percent accuracy that [Yurok] commercial fishing will be shut down for this year," said Fletcher. Though there are many apparent culprits for the sharp decline in salmon on the Klamath, one of the biggest problems has been a five-year drought that has contributed to severely reduced water flows on the river. Orcutt also blames the federal management of the river, which he said has contributed to the decrease in water. Much of the water in the upper Klamath basin was allocated to farmers over the past century. When those flows were shut down in 2001 as the drought's effects were first felt, the farmers demonstrated and heightened tensions resulted in ugly racial incidents. The Bush administration has been roundly criticized by tribes as well as fishing and environmental interests for keeping the water flowing to the farmers at the expense of the salmon and other fish species. Currently, the Bureau of Reclamation has allocated some 70 percent of water to farmers this year based on April projections. Many of the fish on the river are diseased. Orcutt estimated that something on the order of 80 percent of the salmon are affected. He based his estimate on fish caught for study in federal and tribal traps. While Orcutt conceded that no scientific link has been established between the water management and the fish disease, he said what is abundantly clear is that the low water levels, which warm the temperature of the water, are adding stress to the fish population. Another problem, claimed Orcutt, appears to be the damaging result of a 2002 fish kill that claimed an estimated 68,000 fish, mainly Chinook salmon. Because of salmon migratory patterns and life cycles, the effects of that die-off are now manifesting as a lack of third-year returns that would have originated in that doomed 2002 fish school. "A lot of juvenile fish are not making it to the ocean," said Orcutt. Tribal fisheries and environmental groups have said the fish kill resulted from low water flows. Interestingly, the inverted nature of this year's weather pattern has brought areas south of the Klamath, which hugs the Oregon border, average to well above-average rain falls. As a result, the Sacramento River system in California, filled with melting mountain snow, is expected to see an abundance of salmon this year. However, those Sacramento River fish are not available to commercial fishermen because their stock mixes with the Klamath stock when they are out at sea. The restrictions on Klamath fish mean that Sacramento River fish cannot be caught in hopes of reviving the Klamath stocks in what will hopefully be wetter years. Thus the restrictions will affect a wide area - from San Francisco north to Coos Bay, Ore. Speaking of wetter years, Orcutt pointed out there are reasons to be hopeful. After facing an absolute disaster in early March, the rains have since picked up. In fact, enough rain has fallen in the Klamath basin over the last two months to upgrade this year to what Orcutt refers to as "a wetter dry year," and the federal government is upgrading the river condition. Orcutt said he takes these signs as a reason for cautious optimism. "Maybe this is the low of the downward trend, and maybe we're looking toward improvement in the future." Over at Yurok, Fletcher said the current crisis should serve as a wakeup call. "It's important to highlight that the tribes work with the other interests in the [Klamath] basin to finally work on an acceptable long term solution." Copyright c. 1998 - 2005 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved --------- "RE: ICT: Being conscious of Origins in Indian Affairs" --------- Date: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 3:37 PM From: Executive Manager [rcook@indiancountryactionnetwork.info] Subj: Being conscious of origins in Indian affairs Being conscious of origins in Indian affairs by: Editors Report / Indian Country Today May 26, 2005 In Indian affairs, consciousness of identity origins and tribal histories is essential. Without clear tribal definitions or their memberships, lands, histories and cultures, the concreteness of American Indian rights dissipates easily. It is easiest to define Native status in the United States when the tribe is recognized, historically and legally, within the federal system. This is a complicated and historically paternalistic system, steeped in colonialist doctrine. Yet, for tribal nations to survive as distinct political entities as the American union enveloped them, sovereign definition over membership has always been a crucial issue. The principal goal of a sovereignty model is tribal control over membership, tribal title (ownership) to lands, both in aboriginal title and as "trust land." For each Native nation, large or small, the preferred nation-to-nation relationship with the United States is governmental. For the tribes, this is the relationship that is most reflective of their reality as the first self-governing societies and peoples of this land. The defense and sustenance of the Indian tribal membership in this context has substantial history. Most always, the documented record of any tribe is rich with cases of real property dispossession and outright battles against extermination, characterized by the always strong (if not always successful) struggle to hold on to lands and territories rightfully owned by the tribe. Beyond the status within recognized tribes fall various ranges of indigenous and tribal identities. Some of these concern disenfranchised folks from recognized tribes who are actual relations but whose circumstances fall outside legal definitions of membership. Many genuine stories of relations in this context give evidence of cultural exchanges of the most varied and interesting connections. Families long urbanized often have the most intimate, as well as distant, relations in reservation origins. There are also the many tribes that are not federally recognized but maintain membership records that have been sustained and substantiated over time. Some of these are recognized by states and by local and regional tradition, but were separated from the historical record or from a federal-Indian relationship. Some were completely relocated; others completely Christianized, their distinct spiritual cultures dissipated. Others were splintered by a large percentage of intense inter-marriage into non-Native cultures from which emerge people of great talent who occasionally become important Indian leaders. Then there are Indian people in the United States, quite a few, who originate from Central and South America and the Caribbean. The Mayan nations of Central America estimate about one million of their people now reside in the United States. There are now large permanent Maya communities in Florida (Indiantown, Immokalee), as well as in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California. Add to that the many Zapotecas and Mixtecas from southern Mexico, and the large range of still-related and close-knit groups from Ecuador and other Andean regions. In New York, Florida and Puerto Rico, people of Caribbean indigenous ancestry have re-organized related families of the Taino Nation of the Antilles, giving way to a growing cultural revitalization movement that counts many prominent representatives. Whereas in times past, immigrants to the United States were only too happy to leave behind the "old country," to Americanize themselves into the new "melting pot," the new immigrants from Latin America are not only sustaining their ties to their country of origin, but the indigenous among them are keen to maintain and consciously revitalize their ancestral identities. Terrific kinship recognitions, friendships and alliances are possible in the healthy interaction of the three above-listed circles. This was in evidence this week at the United Nations, as Indian peoples from north and south met and discussed the many issues facing their communities throughout the hemisphere and the world. The problem of holding on to tribal lands and resources, and the retention of intellectual properties, are important ongoing testimonies. As always, Native nations and their delegates found resistance from nation states and great sympathy from peoples and organizations at large, nationally and internationally. In the hallways and over coffee, friendships and alliances connected and developed that will last generations. Many of these small meetings were facilitated by urban Indian groups that networked Native delegations with foundations and human rights organizations. The Indian context is complex and while alliances depend on shared identities, the respect of specificity within the context of peoples and place is equally crucial. In the United States, the recognition of American Indian nations has its own legal strictures that follow significant, if not always welcome, definitions. Of singular importance are the tribal rolls and tribal membership offices, as well as the ancient clan counts of longhouses and kivas. All have tried-and-true ways of determining their own membership and recognizing the identity of community participants. These principles of time immemorial have their rationale, even when placed into federal stricture. This is most important because these days those most intent on destroying tribal rights claim to be Indian. For example: One Nation, Inc., a national alliance wholly dedicated to the eradication of Indian tribal rights, issued this statement a year ago at the National Press Club: "Do we wish to destroy our cherished American dream - a harmonious melting pot of all cultures, colors, and creeds? The current drive to revere tribalism among American Natives suggests the answer to be 'yes' to resurrecting the divisive apartheid we once deplored. With 562 federally recognized tribes, 291 tribal recognition applications pending, and 400 monopolistic Indian casinos supplying outrageous funding to political parties, elected officials, and lobbyists, a new domestic crisis is exploding across America." One Nation Inc., United Property Owners and Citizens Equal Rights Alliance - three national coalitions of community groups, trade associations and local governments - are a growing advocacy base that is politically targeted to destroy the original peoples of America. But here is how One Nation defines its base: "[Our] ... concerns lie not with American Indians, as many of our members claim this proud heritage." Their enemy is not Indian "heritage" per se; in fact, they already claim the identity, as they pretend to like "Indians" (i.e. themselves) while detesting "federal Indian policy and out-of-control government bureaucracies assigned to serve the tribes - and some tribal leaders who don't serve the interests of their own people." Considering that these days even those who avow to destroy tribal sovereignty pretend to speak for American Indian identities, a clear scrutiny of brazen claims is crucial. It is a good thing that the tribes know who they are and who their actual members are. It is equally important that Indian nations establish and formally publish their policies on all such matters so that the manipulative and deceptive practices of anti-Indian hate groups can be laid bare. Definition is crucial in this day and age. People who support a free- for-all with respect to Indian identity might consider how they usher in the Trojan horse that seeks the destruction of all American Indian freedoms. Copyright c. Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved --------- "RE: Rosebud Tribe considers Wind Farm" --------- Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2005 21:56:20 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WIND FARM" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2005/06/01/news/state/top/state01.txt Rosebud tribe considers wind farm By Joe Kafka, Associated Press Writer May 31, 2005 PIERRE - The Rosebud Sioux Tribe is seeking financing for a wind farm on its reservation in south central South Dakota, a tribal official says. Tony Rogers, tribal utility director, said the $42 million, 30-megawatt project would be built near St. Francis in Todd County. Nebraska Public Power District has a large power line in the area and has agreed to buy the electricity, he said. Two other 10-megawatt wind farms also may be built on tribal lands, Rogers said. Wind-measuring devices have collected data that indicate enough wind on the reservation to power electrical turbines, he said. The tribe has a 750-kilowatt wind turbine at its casino south of Mission. Rogers said much of the electricity, enough to serve 220 average homes, is sold to Ellsworth Air Force Base. South Dakota has only one large wind farm, a 40-megawatt facility in Hyde County. A twin wind farm is near Edgeley, N.D. Because South Dakota is one of the windiest places in the country, several firms are interested in building even larger wind farms. There is little demand for more power in South Dakota, but populated areas in other states are clamoring for more electricity. However, getting wind- generated power to those states would not be easy because the transmission system in South Dakota is nearing capacity. High- voltage power lines are expensive, and it remains to be settled who would pay for them. Ed Weber, the Western Area Power Administration's regional transmission system planning manager, said his agency has connection requests from several wind-farm developers. WAPA delivers electricity from hydroelectric power plants on the Missouri River. "There's probably going to be several hundred megawatts integrated into our system in the next few years," Weber said of the wind farm industry. But it is not easy to tie wind-produced electricity into the power system because fluctuating winds make it difficult to predict how much electricity will be produced, he said. It also is complex and costly to tie into high-voltage power lines, he said. "When folks come to me and say, `I want to tie my wind farm onto the federal transmission system and have you market my energy,' I say, `Great, bring your checkbook, because it's expensive,'" Weber said. It can cost from $2.5 million to $5 million simply for electrical substations that are needed to hook into WAPA lines, he said. Wind farms are a good mix with power plants that operate on natural gas, according to Ron Rebenitsch of Basin Electric Power Cooperative, based in Bismarck, N.D. Natural gas is expensive and fluctuates in price, and plants that burn the fuel can serve as backup sources of electricity when winds are calm, he said. "Wind is a hedge against volatility in the gas market," Rebenitsch said. But Rebenitsch also said that lack of additional transmission capacity in the region makes it hard to foster development of large wind farms. "Our transmission system is stretched, and stretched very thin," he said. "If transmission existed, I would predict that you'd see wind turbines popping up like weeds everywhere around the region," Rebenitsch said. "The system can't take additional generation without additional upgrades. The problem is, the wind is where the transmission isn't." Copyright c. 2005 The Rapid City Journal. --------- "RE: Decision on 12,000-year-old Site" --------- Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 08:54:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HIGHWAY OVER ANCIENT CAMP SITE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.argusleader.com//article?AID=/20050530/NEWS/505300311/1001 Highway to cover ancient camp Archaeologist disappointed with decision on 12,000-year-old site STEVE MILLER Rapid City Journal May 30, 2005 BUFFALO GAP - An ancient camp site in the path of the new Heartland Expressway will be covered rather than excavated, and work will continue next year on the four-lane highway south of Buffalo Gap. The camp site, used by hunters as early as 12,000 years ago, lies along a creek bed between Buffalo Gap and Maverick Junction along S.D. Highway 79. The site was discovered in 2001, a small excavation was done last year, and work on the new highway was halted this year south of Buffalo Gap. The Federal Highway Administration, in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office and American Indian tribes in South Dakota, decided recently to "plate" or cover the site rather than allow further excavation. Jim Donohue, senior archaeologist with the state Archaeological Research Center in Rapid City, is disappointed that his proposal to excavate part of the site for further study was not approved. "As a professional archaeologist, I think it's important that more work would be done because we do not know what effects burial would have on that site," Donohue said in an interview. "Some of the components are near the surface." He said he proposed excavating about 150 square meters and covering the remainder of the site. Donohue said it is important to excavate the site because there is evidence that it was occupied by at least three different groups of paleo- Indians over thousands of years. "It is from a time period that we know very little about," Donohue said. "It is important that we know what we would be burying." Last year, Donohue and his crews found at various levels stone artifacts buried with campfire charcoal and burned animal bones that can be carbon dated. They also found one projectile point with a design similar to 12, 000-year-old Goshen-type points, which have been found elsewhere in this region. The point was found with charcoal that was carbon-dated at 10,000 to 12, 000 years old. Donohue also said that if his proposal had been approved, excavation would have started in April and likely been completed in July or August, allowing time for more work on the highway yet this year. The State Historical Preservation Office recommended covering the site rather than excavating it to better preserve the site, according to Paige Hoskinson, review and compliance coordinator for the office. "There's been a backlash against overexcavation of archaeological sites," Hoskinson said in an interview. "If excavation can be avoided, it probably should be." Ginger Massie, an environmental engineer for the Federal Highway Administration in Pierre, agreed. "The way regulations are set up, excavation is considered an adverse impact," Massie said. "It's not considered mitigation. If we preserve it in place, then it would not be an adverse impact." The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe also favors covering the site, according to Albert LeBeau, tribal historic preservation officer. He said Donohue's small excavation last year provided enough evidence to nominate the site for the National Register of Historic Places and to provide a good chronology of the area. "Any more excavation would be detrimental to the site," LeBeau said. Donohue said burying the site under the highway will not guarantee its preservation for future study. "I tend to take the view that trying to preserve an archaeological site without doing archaeology can't be accomplished," he said. "The sites will degrade." Copyright c. 2005 Argus Leader. All rights reserved --------- "RE: Northern Cheyenne Tribe wins drilling injunction" --------- Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2005 08:42:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="COALBED PROJECTS" http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/008480.asp Northern Cheyenne Tribe wins injunction on drilling June 1, 2005 The Northern Cheyenne Tribe won a ruling on Tuesday that blocks the Bureau of Land Management from allowing new coalbed methane drilling in the Montana portion of the Powder River Basin. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the injunction will remain in place until the full case is heard. The tribe and environmentalists say coalbed methane development will harm the environment and harm the tribe's hunting and gathering rights. Arguments will be heard in September, the court said in an order. A copy of the order was not available but here is the pertinent text of the court's entry yesterday: Pending disposition of this appeal, or further order of the court: (1) the Bureau of Land Management is enjoined from approving any coal bed methane (CBM) production projects in the Powder River Basin of Montana; and (2) intervenor Fidelity Exploration and Production Company is enjoined from drilling any additional Coal Creek Project wells, and from constructing any infrastructure necessary to produce and transport CBM from Coal Creek Projects's existing wells. Intervenor-Appellees' request that appellants be required to post a supersedeas bond pursuant to Rule 62(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure is granted. This matter is remanded to the district court to determine the appropriate bond. Appellants' request for expedited briefing and argument is granted. The opening briefs in these consolidated cases are due June 24, 2005; the consolidated answering brief is due July 15, 2005; the consolidated intervenor briefs are due July 29, 2005; and the optional reply briefs are due wi thin 14 days after service of the last served intervenor brief. Aligned parties are encouraged to join in a single brief to the greatest extent practicable. See 9th Cir. R. 28-4. These cases shall be placed on the September 12-16, 2005, argument calendar in Seattle. Copyright c. 2000-2005 Indianz.Com. ---- http://www.billingsgazette.com//build/state/65-coalbed-projects.inc Coalbed projects frozen By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press June 1, 2005 An appeals court panel on Tuesday granted a request by the Northern Cheyenne Indian Tribe and a conservation group to halt coalbed methane development in Montana's portion of the Powder River Basin, pending an appeal of their case. The decision, by a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, prevents the U.S. Bureau of Land Management from approving coalbed methane projects in the basin in Montana and keeps Fidelity Exploration & Production Co. from drilling additional wells in one of its projects and building-related infrastructure. John Arum, an attorney for the tribe, said he was pleased and viewed the ruling as a positive sign. A message left after hours for a BLM spokesman in Billings was not immediately returned. In April, a federal magistrate in Billings decided the BLM could allow limited coalbed methane drilling on federal leases in a portion of southern Montana while it worked on an environmental study looking at phased development. That decision was a blow to the tribe and the Northern Plains Resource Council, which wanted new drilling on such leases stopped until the supplemental study was completed. Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Energy Exploitation in Navajo Country" --------- Date: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 12:34 PM From: Robert Dorman [redorman@medscape.com] Subj: Energy Exploitation and the Ban on Uranium Mining in Navajo Country Mailing List: Big Mountain Please visit my website, http://www.twincougars.com for health and wellness information and products. Fair use applies; postings not to be copied for commercial purposes. __________________________________________________ http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/05/31/1349229 Tuesday, May 31st, 2005 Energy Exploitation and the Ban on Uranium Mining in Navajo Country The president of the Navajo Nation approved legislation last month banning uranium mining and processing on Navajo territory. We host a debate on energy exploitation with Navajo President Joe Shirley and Earl Tully of Dine Care, a Navajo environmental organization. [includes rush transcript] President Joe Shirley approved legislation last month banning uranium mining and processing on Navajo territory. There is currently no mining on the Navajo reservation but Hydro Resources Inc. has been working with the Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission for years to try to get approval for mining near the Navajo communities of Crownpoint and Church Rock, New Mexico. The company estimates nearly one-hundred million pounds of uranium exists on those sites. Companies mined land in Navajo country for forty years and the impact is still felt. Navajos have suffered from high cancer rates and respiratory problems. Their land has been dotted with contaminated tailings and abandoned mines. * Joe Shirley, President of the Navajo Nation. * Earl Tully, Vice President of Dine Care. RUSH TRANSCRIPT This transcript is available free of charge, however donations help us provide closed captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing on our TV broadcast. Thank you for your generous contribution. Donate - $25, $50, $100, more... AMY GOODMAN: We continue our conversation with Navajo President, Joe Shirley. Also on the line with us is Earl Tully, Vice President of Dine Care. We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Let's begin with the Navajo President, Joe Shirley. Can you talk about the uranium mining ban? JOE SHIRLEY: This -- ever since I started campaigning for the presidency of the Navajo Nation, I took a position to say that if I were to be elected president, I'm not going to allow -- I would give it everything that I had to stand against the further mining of uranium. And then, of course, I was elected president a little bit over two years ago, and true to what I had said, I -- we worked on the introducing legislation, getting legislation on the books to ban the further mining of uranium. And I'm really appreciative about the nation's council for acquiescing in the position to ban the further mining of uranium. You know, there are no answers to the cancer, to the plagues that is caused by exposure to uranium. And if you don't have the answers to the cancer that it causes, why have it? That's basically my position and my belief. I take that from medicine people. You know, it's just -- if there are no answers for it. And it has killed many of my medicine people, and because of that, there are some of the ceremonies that they used to know that we don't know anymore. It has killed a lot of elderly. It has killed a lot of young. Today, there are many people living in the areas where uranium was mined, you know, sick with cancer. Some of them are bed-ridden, and then like I said, there are just no answers for it. If there are no answers for the cancer that the uranium causes, why have it? Like I said, I'm glad that our nation's council stood with me to ban the further mining of uranium. AMY GOODMAN: Earl Tully, how did you get involved in this issue as Vice President of Dine Care? EARL TULLY: In response to that, I would imagine that my particular advocacy started years ago during the RECA, Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, in the community where I reside. There were a number of exploratory mines across the Navajo Nation. Roughly about 3,000 mines are there, but let me say this, though. For decades, the coal miners used canaries in the coal mines to alert them of dangerous gases. The dead canary signaled a clear warning that gases were high, and therefore, it would soon kill people. To the contrary, the industries and the powers that be that opened up these uranium mines utilized our people as canaries, and today, those particular individuals are still being impacted. You know, our particular families are highly devastated because of the exposure to uranium. And I guess one of the things that I would like to share here is is that in people, where people are living in communities where there is high unemployment, you know, the table of penalties assessed to various communities are very, very different. I remember in my advocacy during the RECA, the reauthorization of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, we understood that the people of color communities, they were not receiving the same compensation and the same care from E.P.A. or other regulatory officials as in regards to white communities. And I think this is evidently true here in the four corners of the United States. I think that the number of the people that are living out here basically have to go out and take care of their own, take care of their own meaning that when you do not have facilities enough to accommodate the number of sicknesses that are here -- and one of the atrocities here in the Navajo Nation is that we do not have adequate facilities to take care of those that have been exposed to uranium. And it's important for us to really realize that, that the cancer rate here on the Navajo Nation is very, very high. You know, the cancer rates among Native American communities with uranium minings are 17 times higher than the general population, and we could toss these numbers out there, you know, again and again and again, but they're all published in the context that this particular extraction of natural resources is something that we should not be doing. AMY GOODMAN: Let me ask Joe Shirley, President of the Dine Nation, if there has been compensation for the high levels of sickness, and what companies specifically are involved? JOE SHIRLEY: I didn't catch the last part of it. AMY GOODMAN: And what companies are specifically involved? First has there been compensation? JOE SHIRLEY: The only compensation that know about is coming from the U.S. government. Of course, like I said, I have been here a couple of years, and I'm still being enlightened as to what is out there. But as to any particular issue that faces the Navajo Nation, in this case, the only compensation that I know that it comes down to some of the people who were exposed to uranium is from the U.S. government. And that is very inadequate and, of course, right now, working with organizations like Dine Care, and some of the other ones, you know, were trying to up the amount of monies that are given as compensation to some of the families. You had to go through a very rigorous process to even get a compensation. Even there, we're trying to lighten up on the legislation, recommending some changes, you know, to the laws that actually is used to give compensation to some of the people affected by uranium -- exposure to uranium. I don't, like I said, believe that it is adequate. It's too slow. And we need to change the law to make it a little bit easier. AMY GOODMAN: How does this -- let me put this question to Earl Tully. How does this issue of uranium mining and the ban fit into the politics of overall, well, energy politics in the Navajo Nation? EARL TULLY: I think one of the major problems in this -- if I could, I'd like to go back and answer a question previously asked. As far as the RECA is concerned, you know, before the amendment was made, $100,000 was considered the adequate, I guess, compensation for a particular person who had filed. And $100,000, you take the average cost of 30% for a lawyer. So the family would only get $70,000. And when you spread that around it's not going to go too far. And I think one of the areas of RECA is to boost that up to $150,000. So I guess one of the main things that I would like to say is that uranium, as a natural raw material being extracted from the heart of the Navajo Nation, soon to follow thereafter are going to be more extractions in regards to the Bush policy and the energy policy that is being currently introduced on the Hill. You know, our brothers and sisters up into the Arctic where they're harvesting and they're able to gather herbs and wildlife for their particular existence is going to be impacted by the drilling of gas and then the exploration wells as well. But I would imagine that, you know, soon to follow is is that the Indian Nations again are going to be asked to give - you know, just as they did in World War II, to make a sacrifice for this country again. The sacrifice at that time was they beckoned the Navajo Nation and other Indian communities to be co-talkers during the World War II, and I think at this time what's going to happen is that they're going to ask us of our resources again. So, I would assume that the continuing quest of energy companies to come on to Navajo, either it be with more exploratory mines, as President Shirley had indicated, that this is not a dead issue. H.R.I. is still going full force, advocating on those that are [unintelligible] holders. AMY GOODMAN: H.R.I. being Hydro Resources Inc.? EARL TULLY: Yes. And then also again, there is the idea of Desert Rock, of, you know, bringing a power plant onto the Nation again. Now, our particular community, you know, there's a vast number of our people that do not have adequate water, fresh water supply. They have to bring their containers in 55 gallon drums. This is the year 2005, and we are still hauling water. We still use outhouses. And the mentality of companies coming out here, it's basically not in my backyard, but in your backyard, that is perfectly fine. So, I would assume that the push for natural resources and also power plant developments, that's going to be their carrot at the end of the stick, so that we could be gainfully employed here on the Nation. AMY GOODMAN: Joe Shirley, what is being done about energy companies' attempt to extract oil, whether it's coal, or other companies? JOE SHIRLEY: In the case of the uranium, we don't want any more companies coming in, so that's where this ban has been put on the books, and we're going to stand our grounds, as a sovereign nation to try to preserve our ability to not let it happen. But as far as coal and natural gas, we're continuing to mine those, albeit, you know, there are some things that are not good about it, but at least, you know, there we are still having to deal with some of these energy companies, you know, the coal companies, to continue to mine our coal, to -- so that we can continue to have jobs and revenues. But we are wanting to have them go into this clean coal technology to where, you know, when they do mine the coal, you know, it is -- they don't pollute the air. To the best of our abilities, we're trying to stand our grounds on that, you know, with some of these coal companies. AMY GOODMAN: Earl Tully, we just have 15 seconds. Last comment. EARL TULLY: Okay. One of the things here is is that I think in many cases race is not the issue, but income. It is -- you know, again I will go back to the average E.P.A. penalties and clean-up by race is very, very different. The people of colors are highly impacted in a sense that they do not receive adequate just compensation as in white communities. AMY GOODMAN: Five seconds. EARL TULLY: One of the things that I'd like to say is the empire of Japan was amply compensated, and the Navajo Nation is still waiting for compensation. AMY GOODMAN: On that note, Earl Tully, Vice President of Dine Care and Joe Shirley, President of the Navajo Nation, I want to thank you very much both for joining us. To purchase an audio or video copy of this entire program, call 1 (800) 881-2359. ========================================= To subscribe, send an email to: BIGMTLIST-subscribe@topica.com. --------- "RE: U.S., Tribal Leaders to attend Memorial" --------- Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2005 08:42:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BOSQUE REDONDO/LONG WALK MEMORIAL" http://www.gallupindependent.com/2005/may/052805memorial.html U.S., tribal leaders to attend memorial By Kathy Helms Dine' Bureau May 31, 2005 FORT DEFIANCE - Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr., and Council Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan are among the host of dignitaries expected to be on hand for the opening ceremonies of the Bosque Redondo Memorial. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Mescalero Apache President Mark Chino and U.S. Sens. Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman will be on hand for the long-awaited opening set for 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4. Bosque Redondo Memorial commemorates the Navajo Long Walk and incarceration of the Mescalero Apache people at Bosque Redondo in the 1860s. Domenici and Bingaman both played an important role in obtaining federal funding for construction of the monument. Richardson will speak following welcoming remarks by Scott Smith, site manager, and will be introduced by Department of Cultural Affairs Secretary Stuart A. Ashman. "It didn't get the attention it deserved when it happened, nor has its significance been much noted since outside of the Southwest," said Jose Cisneros, State Monuments director. "Now we have a memorial that is a fitting tribute to the enduring suffering of the Navajo from 1863 to 1868, and to the Mescalero Apache, who shared their plight." "Hundreds of the Navajo people died when they were rounded up by the U.S. Army and forced to march from their Four Corners homeland, across most of New Mexico, to Fort Sumner," Cisneros said. The 6,345 foot memorial, designed by Navajo architect David N. Sloan of Albuquerque, was conceived in 1967 by planners of the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of June 1, 1868, that freed the Navajo and established the Navajo Nation of today. The Village of Fort Sumner purchased a section of the Bosque Redondo Indian Reservation and deeded it to the State of New Mexico. In 1969, the site was proclaimed a New Mexico State Monument, and in 1970, a modest visitor center was constructed to relate the events of the Long Walk period. The actual memorial languished until state House and Senate Memorials in 1992 and 1993 respectively spurred the effort along. The Senate Memorial initiated by Sen. John Pinto and Rep. Watchman, both Navajos, called for a site at Fort Sumner to "commemorate the Long Walk that the Navajo people took back to their homeland and to commemorate the healing that has taken place since that event." Along with the federal and state government, the Navajo Nation, the Mescalero Apache Tribe, and the townspeople of Fort Sumner were important contributors to its development. The grand opening ceremony begins at 11 a.m., followed by a reception and barbecue lunch at 1 p.m. Copyright c. 2005 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Pueblo Leader is honored for work" --------- Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 08:54:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HERMAN AGOYO HONORED" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0530agoyo30.html Pueblo leader is honored for work Museum confers 'Spirit of Heard' Judy Nichols The Arizona Republic May 30, 2005 It is fitting that Herman Agoyo comes from New Mexico's San Juan Pueblo, which in the Tewa language is called Ohkay Owingeh, or the "place of strong people." In his 70 years, Agoyo has been a star athlete, fought to go to college rather than vocational school and been a spiritual leader who brought his pueblo toward self-determination. He was recently chosen by the Heard Museum in Phoenix to be the second recipient of the Spirit of the Heard Award. The award will be presented in November. advertisement Agoyo also spearheaded placement in Washington, D.C., of a statue commemorating Pope', who led the "First American Revolution," when the Pueblo Indians pushed the Spanish out of New Mexico in 1680. "One of the main factors in his selection, is that he lives his traditions," said Wayne Mitchell, of Phoenix, who is Mandan and Lakota and serves on the Heard's Board of Trustees and as chairman of the Native American Advisory Committee. "It's easy to talk about traditions but harder to live them," Mitchell said. "Herman is a lead singer, a dancer, a storyteller, an individual who passes on the traditions." The first recipient of the award was Danny Lopez, a Tohono O'odham who worked for decades to preserve his tribe's culture and language. Agoyo was nominated by George Blue Spruce Jr., of Surprise, a member of the Heard Board of Trustees and also a San Juan Pueblo Indian, who grew up with Agoyo. Blue Spruce said Agoyo worked throughout his life to improve the plight of his tribe, promoting economic and social self-sufficiency. "He was always the person in a leadership role for all the pueblos and became nationally known for his involvement dealing with Congress. He put San Juan Pueblo on the map and was recognized internationally," Blue Spruce said. Agoyo was born Oct. 30, 1934, in Santa Fe. He remembers the freedom of growing up in the pueblo. "We would go to the river, go swimming, fishing, horseback riding," Agoyo said. He played a game with a ball made of deer hide and sticks of black willow bent like hockey sticks and painted in the colors of either the Summer People or Winter People. "It was intended to bless the homes, the people, the fields," Agoyo said. "The object was to break the ball on your field, so it would bless your family." Agoyo and his friends would catch hummingbirds and sell them for a nickel apiece to elders who would use their feathers for traditional ceremonies. He attended the Santa Fe Indian School and dreamed of being a baseball player. "He was always a fantastic athlete," Blue Spruce said. And he continues in his 70s, winning medals in the senior Olympics, and continuing to lead traditional dances. Agoyo earned an athletic scholarship and then a bachelor's degree from Manhattan College in 1958, served in the U.S. Army for two years, and earned a master's from the University of New Mexico in 1969. He served on the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council, the All Indian Pueblo Council, as governor of the San Juan Pueblo, and in various tribal, state and national positions. He helped start a Head Start program, a crafts cooperative, and the Indian Cultural Center in Albuquerque. "I don't like to downplay any tribal leader or member who hasn't had a post-secondary education," Blue Spruce said. "But because Herman had a college degree, it was the key to open doors and assume meaningful leadership roles." Agoyo's latest passion has been the placement of a statue of Pope' in National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. While attending the first inauguration of President Bush, Agoyo found that New Mexico had only one statue in the hall, while all other states had two. He began a fight to have a statue of Pope', carved by Jemez Pueblo artist Clifford Fragua, installed as the state's second contribution. "It took six years to sell the idea," Agoyo said. "I guess it's the inability to hear the word 'no.' " Pope' was a member of the San Juan Pueblo and led a revolt against the Spanish in 1680. The Spanish were dominating the Pueblo, using forced labor and confiscation of crops. They also suppressed Pueblo religious practices, charging Pope' and 47 other men in 1675 with sorcery. Four were hanged and Pope' was imprisoned and publicly whipped. Supporters say the revolt saved the spiritual life of the Pueblos. Blue Spruce said Agoyo has done the same. "He's true to his commitment," Blue Spruce said. "He lives in the Pueblo. He is a role model, speaks the language, participates in the traditional ceremonies. He is one of the more respected Indians to come out of the Pueblo." Copyright c. 2005, azcentral.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Navajo Nation Chamber receives 2nd Designation" --------- Date: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 7:02 PM From: Karen Francis [karenfrancis@navajo.org] Subj: Council Chamber receives second designation Contact: Karen Francis, Public Information Officer Navajo Nation Council Office of the Speaker (928) 871-7160 karenfrancis@navajo.org www.navajonationcouncil.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 Arizona State Governor Janet Napolitano presented Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council Lawrence T. Morgan (Iyanbito/Pinedale) with a plaque at the historic Council Chamber designating the building as a State Treasure on May 31, 2005. Governor Napolitano visited the Navajo Nation Memorial Veterans Park and the Council Chamber as part of her State Treasures 2005 Tour today. The intent of the tour is to promote tourism in the state. The Council Chamber was also designated as a National Historic Landmark by the United States Secretary of the Department of the Interior on August 18, 2004. Speaker Morgan recently put out a call for Navajo artisans to propose a design for the plaque that will be given by the DOI to signify the Chamber's designation as a National Historic Landmark. An honorarium award of $1,000, plus $500 for assignment of rights, is being offered for the winning entry. The winning entry will be built into a bronze plaque that will grace the historic building for generations to come. The deadline for submission has been extended to June 10, 2005. The Navajo Nation Council was built from 1934 to 1935 using native Dakota sandstone and timbers from the Chuska Mountains. Craftsmen employed by the Navajo Civilian Conservation Corp under the Public Works Act of the United States constructed the building. What makes the building unique to many visitors is the display of murals that adorn the Council walls. Navajo artisan Gerald Nailor, Sr., designed and painted the murals on the walls in 1942. The murals depict the continuous history of the Dine' people from European contact. Since 1935, Council delegates from all Chapters of the Navajo Nation continue to assemble in the Chamber for legislative and government functions. "Our place for planning and conducting our work as a sovereign government can be compared to other historic landmarks, such as the White House. It is significant that our history is now being recognized at the state and national level," Speaker Morgan said. "On behalf of the Navajo Nation Council, I offer our appreciation to the Honorable Governor Napolitano for bringing attention to our historic building and helping to promote tourism on Navajoland." For more information on the request for designs, please contact Leonard Gorman at (928) 871-7160. COUNCIL CHAMBER RECEIVES SECOND DESIGNATION Governor Napolitano commemorates historic building --------- "RE: Rekindling Hopi Arts" --------- Date: Thursday, June 02, 2005 5:08 AM From: "Chris Milda (_Akimel O`odham_)" AkimelOodham@EarthLink.net Subj: Program helps students learn about tribe's culture (Fwd) Mailing List: News and Information Rekindling Hopi arts Program helps students learn about tribe's culture Sara Kincaid Arizona Daily Sun May 23, 2005 FLAGSTAFF - From the earth an oven is built, layer by layer. Traditional breadmaking is an art being lost as fast as the mud eroding from the wood-fired ovens in Hopi land each passing year. Students from Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy spent weekends this school year repairing bread ovens on the Hopi Reservation, learning about food traditions and taking back their knowledge to share with the community. "Going up to the reservation is like going to a foreign land" for some students, social studies teacher Ben Anderson said. A new bread oven was built this month near the entrance of the Museum of Northern Arizona. The oven will be used for special events at the museum, including public demonstrations during the museum's annual Hopi Marketplace, Anderson said. Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy is one of five schools in Arizona selected through the Arizona Heritage Project to study a local aspect of history and culture. The school chose to expand on its Hopi service learning project. Students are required to complete 30 hours of community service each year, Principal Kirk Quitter said. The study of Hopi culture helps Flagstaff students view a part of the community differently. "Their culture is incredibly vibrant and dynamic. It is rooted in tradition and changing with the times," Anderson said. It's something students like sophomore Isabelle Brosnahan would rather experience than read in a textbook. "I think I'm a lot more aware of the Hopi culture and how it's becoming more rare and how important it is to save it," Brosnahan said. Brosnahan was part of the first group to build the base of the oven, and she helped remud a piki house, which is used to bake piki bread. While there, her group experienced a traditional Hopi meal. "Pikimaking usually is a tradition passed down generation to generation, an ongoing thing, but it's becoming a lost art," Brosnahan said. "I felt honored to make it because a lot of Hopi girls aren't." She had traveled through the reservation before but had never spent time there, like she did with this project. Already this year, the school has sent groups of 10 to 12 students to visit the Hopi. In all, about 45 students from Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy have participated, Anderson said. The experience gave freshman Mariah Alexander more respect for Hopi culture "and how hard it is to go for tradition." Some people buy their bread instead of make it, she said, and this gives her greater respect for people who choose to make it the traditional way. Alexander was involved with the second group to visit the Hopi Reservation and work on the oven. The project is being completed in conjunction with the U.S. Library of Congress. It is being documented and archived at the library in Washington, D.C. The bread oven project is grant-funded through the Arizona Heritage Project. Salt River Project, Wells Fargo and /The Arizona Republic/ are major grant sponsors. The school is continuing with the heritage project next year. Copyright c. 2005 Arizona Daily Sun. --------- "RE: GIAGO: Man who lead America's first Revolution" --------- Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 08:54:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GIAGO: PO PAY (POPE')" http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=6522 Honoring the man who led America's first revolution Notes from Indian Country Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji) May 30, 2005 Copyright c. 2005, Native American Journalists Foundation, Inc. In the year 1680 the immigrant Pilgrims and other settlers (called invaders by the indigenous people) were getting a toehold on the eastern seaboard of this continent. The Spaniards and Portuguese already had a head start. The Spaniards had been roaming and exploring South, Central and Southwest America for nearly two hundred years. They had already constructed one of the oldest permanent settlements (white settlements) in America at St. Augustine in what is now Florida. The Pilgrims had come to this continent seeking freedom of religion, but they wanted their brand of religious freedom only and would set about denying the same freedom of religion to the indigenous people. In the Southwest, the Spaniards had set about bringing Catholicism to the Pueblo Indians with force. The Indians either joined the faith or were punished, oftentimes by death. A holy man of the Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo) watched in silence as the atrocities against his people mounted with each passing year. Finally, this farmer and warrior had enough. His name was Po Pay, which translates to mean "Ripe Pumpkin" in the Tewa language. According to accounts by the people of the Pueblo, Po Pay and 46 holy men were arrested by the Spaniards and beaten for practicing what they labeled as "sorcery." According to the San Juan historian Alfonso Ortiz, now deceased, the men were whipped and three were hanged. This happened in 1675. After they were released it is said that Po Pay developed a deep hatred for the Spaniards. Ortiz wrote, "On the one hand the Spanish friars preached to the Pueblos about equality, brotherhood and Christian love, while on the other Spanish soldiers brutally attempted to stamp out the Pueblo religious practices." Ortiz was actually an anthropologist and a longtime friend of mine. He was only one of a few Indian anthropologists in America. One evening in San Francisco Ortiz told me about Po Pay and how he tied knots in a rope that was sent secretly, by runners, to the war chiefs of all the Pueblos. They were told to untie a knot every day and when the last knot was untied, they were to attack, simultaneously, the Spanish soldiers, settlers and priests. The year was 1680 and it was the first revolution against the invaders by an indigenous population. Cliff Fraqua, a member of the Jemez Pueblo, was commissioned to carve a statue of Po Pay. At the unveiling ceremony held at the San Juan Pueblo plaza on May 21, 2005, Fraqua spoke of the challenge he faced. About 1,000 people were in the audience on that scalding, hot day. He said that it took him nearly one year to start the actual work on the statue. The seven-ton block of Tennessee marble sat in his cornfield while he watched it thought about it and listened to it. He said that one day he started to draw on the stone and then everything fell into place for him. The figure of Po Pay emerged from the rock where it had been held captive for centuries. The finished statue will be moved to Washington, DC where it will go into the National Hall of Statuary, the first statue of an American Indian to hold such a place of distinction. Po Pay was reviled by descendants of the Spanish settlers as a shaman and murderer, but he was revered by the People of the 19 Pueblos as a hero. His leadership in the revolution drove the Spaniards out of New Mexico. The revolt took the lives of 21 priests and 400 settlers and soldiers. When the Spaniards returned 12 years later, they had learned their lesson and their brutality to the Pueblo Indians diminished considerably. Many Pueblo Indians believe that it was the revolt led by Po Pay that saved their world. Governor Joe Garcia of San Juan Pueblo was the Master of Ceremonies at the unveiling. He said that one day his daughter listened to a teacher talk about Santa Fe as the first permanent settlement in New Mexico. His daughter boldly corrected the teacher by telling her that she was wrong. She said that Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo) was much older than Santa Fe. The teacher thought for a minute and said, "You know, you are right. Thank you for the history lesson." Many people of the 19 Pueblos and Indians across America were not taught about the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 in their classrooms. Many had to do the research themselves in order to find out about this remarkable man and his efforts to save the religion and the culture of his people. The sculptor Fraqua learned his craft at the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe. Many great Indian artists and artisans have passed through the halls of IAIA including such noted artists as Fritz Scholder. The contributions they have made to Indian art more than justifies the existence of the Institute. The statue of Po Pay is beautifully crafted and I still find it amazing that it will be the first statue of and by an American Indian in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, DC. Oftentimes the First Americans are also the last. ---- (Tim Giago is the founder and former editor and publisher of the Lakota Times, Indian Country Today and the Lakota, Dakota and Pueblo Journals. He can be reached at giagobooks@iw.net) Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Modern Day Medicine Man: Living Environments" --------- Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 08:54:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ENVIRONMENTS" http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=6520 Modern Day Medicine Man, new series: Living Environments PART FOUR: CHANGING THE SOUL NORMAN OK Randy Veitenheimer May 30, 2005 How you relate to Great Spirit, the Creator and all that exists-this is the home of soul's existence. It is not a place in the physical sense; the physical is insufficient to hold the soul's presence in the Universe. The soul's presence can only take place in an unlimited existence at the center of the Universe. Be the living center of the Universe, yourself. This is the heart from which springs our family and culture and nation. You were born with a purpose on Mother Earth. To be yourself. Your soul is a gift of the Creator. It is a gift not just to you, but also for you to share with the rest of the world. All of it. The Love of God exists as you. The loving appreciation of all that exists, this is the work of the Great Sprit. If it exists it is our relative. We see it everywhere or not at all. I can only know this as I know myself. How do you see life? Do you imagine that anger and bitterness are capable of producing a proper home for the spirit? Or, a proper home for the gift of life you have been given? Most of the people that I meet know when they have hurt themselves. Some of the People that I have met may not know when they hurt others. Very few recognize and choose to not be a source of pain or despair, for themselves, others, or Mother Earth. There is a basic division of consciousness and existence in all of the People, including you. That difference is those who are capable of hurting themselves and others (the Black Road) and those who refrain from hurting themselves and others (the Red Road). THE QUESTION IS: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE GIFT OF LIFE? Which road do you travel? Which way do you live your life? We have only to look at ourselves to know the answer. The first takes much of our spirit, and sees only darkness. The second gives much more to our spirit, and wisdom comes from our seeing. The dividing line is courage. It is time for all of us to walk the Earth in power. What do you love? What do you not love? Which one do you experience most in your life, the life that love brings, or? Take a look at what surrounds you, love, or ? Easy questions, simple answers. What you like or love and what you do not, should not separate you from yourself. All that exists is for you. The appreciation and joy of life and living is the opportunity for the growth of the soul we experience as life. How are we to look at our soul? Our ancestors and culture give one to all of us. We seek a vision. We travel the Moonlit Path to the center of the Universe, us. Its purpose is to provide a unifying focus in our lives. The effect is to give us power in life. One we share with our family, our tribe, and all the people. In this way we find meaning in our lives and give meaning to the world In the same way we pray for ourselves, we pray for our leaders, who are the center of our tribes and nations. We pray for them to receive a vision to know that which gives life, power and growth to each other, our tribes, and nations. You are here to walk upon the Earth. Walk in a sacred manner. Do not fear life. At one time in our history, we all walked together and there were no other ways of living, other than in abundance and joy. Life changed for us all when we walked in the way of small herds and were moved to small places. Now we find ourselves without the companionship of our relatives and elders. The next path is one of despair where we avoid the presence of spirit in ourselves. I have seen this, many are taking this road. Where is our strength? Just as strength was given in the past, it is there for us now and in the future. Where is our future? Will we be able to walk together in a sacred way? The answer is inside you. If you have questions for Randy, please send them to: Randy, c/o Native Times, P.O. Box 692050, Tulsa, Ok 74169. Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Nuuchahnulth Language gets first Dictionary" --------- Date: Mon, 30 May 2005 10:22:04 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SAVING ANOTHER NATIVE TONGUE" http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10127646 Native American Nuuchahnulth language gets first dictionary by Ian Herbert May 26, 2005 The language known to the dwindling band of Native Americans who speak it as 'Nuuchahnulth' (pronounced Noo-cha-noolth) is like few others in its spectacular range of dialects and its capacity to convey complex ideas through simple words. 'Nuuchahnulth' itself means 'along the mountains', a reference to the inaccessible Vancouver Island mountain range on Canada's Western coast where it is spoken. The language has been in steady decline ever since English speakers colonised North Western America in the 19th Century, reducing those able to speak it from 3500 in 1881 to around 300 today - and most of them aged over 60. Salvation may now have arrived, however, with the first dictionary of the language to be created in its 5000-year existence, which has been completed by a Canadian-born linguist based at Newcastle University. The 537-page book is being despatched to Vancouver Island to support the efforts of elders to revive Nuuchahnulth among younger members of the community's 10,000 population, who have drifted into the predominant use of English. Vital to the preservation of Nuuchahnulth (which is better known as 'Nootka') has been the work of the anthropologist and linguist Edward Sapir who from 1910 to 1924 travelled through North America researching native languages. He chronicled Nuuchahnulth at a time when it was spoken by young and old alike but after his death, in 1939, his work was waylaid. It reappeared only in the 1970s, since when it has remained in the archives of the American Philosophical Society. It has proved as vital to Newcastle's Dr John Stonham, whose team of researchers used a computer programme to analyse Sapir's extraordinarily detailed notes, creating a database of approximately 150,000 words of the language. Dr Stonham has been working at Nuuchahnulth for 20 years. Learning the language - which has three basic vowels, 40 consonants and a very complex sound structure when spoken - will not be easy for the young Vancouver Islanders. Nuuchahnulth encompasses around 15 languages, each with distinct variations in vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation, which are acknowledged in the dictionary. Some differ to the same extent as Geordie and Cockney, though one of the southerly forms is entirely incomprehensible to the others. The language is even more complex in its oral, story-telling forms. Speakers are known to employ a set of hisses or extra consonants depending on whether they are talking to or about children, fat or short people, lame people, hunchbacked men or anyone who has an eye defect. The dictionary provides hope to those who have expressed concern about the death of many of the world's minority languages. Scientists warn that up to 95per cent of the world's 6000 languages are heading for extinction, causing irreparable damage to human civilisation, because of encroachment on the territories of indigenous peoples, mass migration and the desire to learn the dominant languages of the world, notably English. Of the 176 living languages spoken by the tribes of North America, 52 have become extinct since AD1600. Approximately 30 of the 235 languages spoken by the Aboriginal Australians have disappeared altogether. The dictionary provides a fascinating insight into the essential vocabulary needs of those making a life on a remote coastline. Entries include the words for 'mosquitos', 'high rubber boots' and 'to be secluded in the house observing taboos, so as not to spoil a hunter's luck.' (The communities' superstitions are reflected in a tradition of wearing head- dresses and masks to represent supernatural wolves and serpents.) Despite the islanders' evolution from communal houses to more modern, prefabricated homes built with the timber on which their small economy is largely based, communities remain tight-knit. There is a "very strong desire by many of the younger people to speak their native tongue," said Dr Stonham. He believes the dictionary, part of a project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, can preserve both the language and culture of the island's societies. "Language is intricately bound up with tradition," he said. "Noam Chomsky said you can learn about all languages by studying just one. This work will contribute to a better understanding of the structure of English and many of the world's languages, not just those of the Native Americans." Nicholas Ostler, president of the Foundation for Endangered Languages, which is based in Britain but has international members, said: "A dictionary often provides the greatest single step in the progress of a language to fully literate status, a status that has been achieved by only a third of the world's languages to date." Almost extinct: - Speakers of Mati Ke - an Aboriginal language, have decreased from 1000 to a handful. One claims his sister speaks it too, but not to him, since tribal taboos forbid them to communicate after puberty. - The Native American tongue of Yuchi - an isolated language that bears no relation to any other living tongue - is spoken by a handful of elders, usually while eating - The Leco - language of the Bolivian Andes is spoken by about 20 people - The Cambap - language of Cameroon in Central Africa is used by just 30 native speakers. Copyright c. 2005 The New Zealand Herald. --------- "RE: Tribal Speakers dwindle,rush to teach their Words" --------- Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2005 08:34:55 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SAGINAW LANGUAGE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.boston.com/news/~rush_to_teach_their_words/?rss_id=Boston+Globe As tribal speakers dwindle, a rush to teach their words Native American languages at risk By Tom Nugent, Globe Correspondent May 31, 2005 MT. PLEASANT, Mich. - After 10 years of teaching Ojibwe 101 to students at Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College, language instructor George Roy says he's more determined than ever to prevent the language of his Native American ancestors from vanishing into history. "The first thing I tell my students at the beginning of each semester is that we're fighting a battle to hold onto our own cultural identity," said the 58-year-old Roy, a member of Michigan's Ottawa tribe. "Language is the glue that holds our culture together. . . . The stakes are very high, and I think most of us who teach Native American languages and culture in the Great Lakes realize that we're fighting an uphill battle to preserve our own heritage." Roy, who often introduces himself to new students as both George Roy and Signaak -- his tribal family name, pronounced "SIG-ah-Nawk," which means blackbird -- is among Native American speakers and cultural researchers across the Midwest battling to save dozens of increasingly threatened Indian languages from extinction. Most of the approximately 40 Native American languages and dialects still being used on reservations and in Native American families in the Midwest are expected to vanish within the next few decades, say linguists, as their last remaining tribal speakers die. "Unfortunately, I think it's going to be very difficult for native Midwestern languages such as Ojibwe and Potawatomi to survive beyond the next 20 or 30 years," said Anthony Aristar, a Wayne State University linguistics researcher who directs a $2 million archival project aimed in part at preserving dying Indian languages in a large database. The growing threat to Indian languages of the Midwest is part of a worldwide phenomenon. Linguists say that, on average, a language becomes extinct every two weeks. Many language specialists blame English language television programming and the prevalence of English language software for the decline. In an effort to rescue some threatened languages, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation earlier this month announced a $4.4 million program of grants and fellowships designed to preserve both written and spoken elements of more than 70 threatened languages, including more than a dozen Native American languages, before they become extinct. The project, called Documenting Endangered Languages, awarded 13 fellowships and 26 institutional grants for projects ranging from digitizing Cherokee writings in North Carolina to documenting the Kaw language in Oklahoma. "These languages are the DNA of our human culture, and if we lose them, we will be losing a unique and irreplaceable part of our experience," said Bruce Cole, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. "The scholars tell us there are almost 7,000 languages in the world, and that half of them will probably be lost in the next century." Cole said that about 400 of the world's languages now have fewer than 100 fluent speakers each, and that 74 of them are Native American languages in the United States. "I'm not happy about this, because when we lose a language, we also lose a culture," said Aristar. "But the research shows that there probably won't be any Native American languages left around the Great Lakes by the middle of this century. There are now only 10 or 12 fluent speakers of Potawatomi left in the entire Midwest, for example, and most are elderly. When they die in a few years, they'll probably take the language with them. Losing a language like Potawatomi is a major setback for all of us because in most cases, you also lose the poetry and the songs and the entire oral tradition." Many Midwestern Native American languages are disappearing, said Aristar, because Native American parents often insist that their children "learn the language of the mainstream culture, so they can [find] good jobs and gain economic power." Although the 40 Midwestern languages are threatened, according to Aristar, the outlook is brighter for some Indian languages in the American West, where, he said, "some tribes were not as injured and fragmented as those around the Great Lakes in the 19th century." He noted that these larger communities, such as the Navajo in the Southwest, operate their own large colleges and radio stations where the native language is routinely spoken. Roland Marmon, a member of the North Dakota Turtle Mountain Ojibwa Tribe who teaches the Ojibwe language and culture to about 30 students each semester at White Earth Tribal and Community College in Mahnomen, Minn., said that non-Native Americans often take his course. "I'd say that about 40 percent of my students are whites in the local community," he said, "and the payoff for them is that they learn a great deal about the world they grew up in and continue to live in." Copyright c. 2005 The New York Times Company. --------- "RE: Tiller's Guide contains wealth of Tribal Data" --------- Date: Mon, 30 May 2005 10:22:04 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NEW TILLER'S" http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2005/05/30/story8.html Tiller's Guide contains wealth of tribal data Harlan McKosato Special to NMBW May 27, 2005 A new edition of a coveted source of information about American Indian tribes is being released this month. Imagine a 900-page book filled with information about every single tribe in the "lower 48" and Alaska. What if it had sections on culture and history, government, insurance, communications, agriculture, real estate (including community property on and off the reservation), number of tribal members, total labor force, economic indicators, community facilities, and a Web site and telephone number for every single tribe, listed by state? What if it this book contained data about the total acreage of the reservation (including percentages for Indian and non-Indian lands within the boundaries) as well as the location of the tribe (including an individual map for each tribe within their respective state) and the tribes' mailing and e-mail addresses? Well, there is such a book. It's called "Tiller's Guide to Indian Country 2005: Economic Profiles of American Indian Reservations." It's been nine years since Veronica Tiller, owner of Tiller Research Inc., in Albuquerque, published the first edition. The guide has been a coveted source of one-stop-shop information over the years for those needing reliable material on a specific U.S. tribe. "Since January of 2004, we've traveled to about 230 tribes across the United States. And we visited many others during compilation of the first book. And the better cooperation we got from the tribe, the better their (individual) tribal profile," said Tiller, a member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, during a recent interview at her offices in the Academy Office Park. She is the managing editor of the project and oversees the 18 people who have worked on the project, such as writers, editors, word processors, administrators and graphic designers. Her company is celebrating its silver anniversary this year. Per capita incomes rise Recent studies have shown that American Indians and Alaska Natives have both inched their way up the U.S. economic ladder. When asked what she found, Tiller responded, "We've noticed per capita income went up. But we've also added a new category, if the tribe is a gaming tribe, about what the gaming funds were used for - infrastructure, education, health, housing, community development. And these tribes donate and give charity to their surrounding community, so we've added a section on that. "Many tribes had input into their culture and history. And a lot of them wanted to correct or just enhance what had been written in the first one. As a consequence, t