_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 14, ISSUE 001 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 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 January 7, 2006 Hopi paamuya/joyful moon Assiniboine wicogandu/center moon Cree gishepapiwatekimumpizun/moon when the old fellow spreads the bush +-------------------------------------------------------+ | Much more happens in Indian Country than is reported | | in this weekly newsletter. For daily updates & events | | go to http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm | +-------------------------------------------------------+ Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin -- Blackfeet -- News for All the People Ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min -- Ojibwe -- We Are Talking About Ourselves Aunchemokauhettittea -- Naragansett -- Let Us Share News Kanoheda Aniyvwiya -- Cherokee -- Journal of the People O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse -- Creek -- People's New News O o O Acimowin -- Plains Cree -- Story or Account O o O Tlaixmatiliztli -- Nahuatl -- News O o o o o O Agnutmaqan -- Listuguj Mi'kmaq -- News O o O Sho-da-ku-ye -- Teehahnahmah -- Talking Birchbark O o O Un Chota -- Susquehannic Seneca -- The People Speak O Ha-Sah-Sliltha -- Ditidaht Nation -- News of the People Ximopanolti tehuatzin, inin Mexika tlahtolli -- Nahuatl -- For you we offer these words It-hah-pe-hah Ah-num pah-le -- Chickasaw -- Together We Are Talking Dineh jii' adah' ho'nil'e'gii ba' ha' neh -- Navajo Nation -- What's Happening among The People News Okla Humma Holisso Nowat Anya -- Choctaw -- People(s) Red Newspaper Hi'a chu ah gaa -- Pima -- The stories or the talk of the People s ch mA mL tL squee Lux -- Okanogan -- News from the People Native American News -- Language of the Occupation Forces ++>If you speak a Native American language not listed above, please send us your words for "News of the People." We'd rather take up this whole page saving these few words of our hundreds of nations than present a nice clean banner in the language of the occupation forces who came here determined to replace our words with their own. email gars@nanews.org with the equivalent of "News of the People" in your tribal language along with the english translation <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is produced in straight ASCII text for greatest portability across platforms. Read it with a fixed-pitch font, such as Courier, Monaco, FixedSys or CG Times. Proportional fonts will be difficult to read. <================<<<< >>>>================> This issue contains articles from www.owlstar.com; www.indianz.com; www.pechanga.net; Big Mountain, Black Mesa Indigenous Support, NetRez-L and Chiapas95-en Mailing Lists; UUCP Mail 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 Quotes: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + =================== "We're not asking for something that is not ours." "We're trying to reclaim that sovereignty that we believe God gave us. And why should man be allowed to take that away from us?" __ Chief Stephen Adkins, Chickahominy +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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 Sister! Billy Mills is the Oglala Lakota who won the 10,000 meter race at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. He earned a gold medal in what has been called one of the greatest upsets in Olympic History. Mills grew up on an Oglala Sioux Indian reservation and was orphaned at the age of 12. He first became involved with distance running while attending the Haskell Institute, an Indian school in the city of Lawrence, Kansas. The first two short paragraphs above give you a clear picture of a man who had to go beyond his beginnings and his own ability to reach a pinnacle in his chosen sport. That takes enormous dedication and an even greater heart. As this issue's lead story, "Reservations to receive Heating Aid", shows Mills heart has not wilted in the ensuing twenty years. If anything, it has only gotten stronger. The group he heads is giving back to his people to help them survive this cold, bitter winter. When you read about disunity and strife on the reservations... when you read about an epidemic of suicides, glue sniffing and crystal meth destroying our youth... when you despair that the dominant society has finally whipped Indian People into a corner... remember Billy Mills and others who give of themselves so their people might live. 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 ----------- - Reservations to - YELLOW BIRD: receive Heating Aid Year of new Haunts, big tragedy - Virginia Indians - Leader says balk at Jamestown 2007 he never sought Political Role - LAVEIST: Tribes seek - FIRERIDER: Indians helping Indians Recognition for Respect - Yaquis celebrate past in Dance - Oklahoma Tribes - Hope blossoms in Garden of Health getting an unfair shake - Eight Years after - Alabama-Coushatta the Acteal Massacre still waiting for its due - Chevron fights - Cayugas acquire Large Land Parcel Rights Abuse Allegations - Sac and Fox - Bolivia elects still seeking Depot Development Aymara Indian Evo as President - State, Klallam - Gas Plan prompts Pipeline Scramble agree to Talks about Site - Graham new Negotiator - Guard, Tribes on Native Rights show interest in BNAS Land - Inuit Leaders - Town-Tribe Pact moves quietly blame U.S. for Global Warming - Schaghticoke Chief - School Survivor threatens Land development wrestles with Mixed Feelings - Coal production - Tribal Court will halts on Black Mesa start hearing Cases in January - Struggle continues - Washington works on Apology on Black Mesa for 1884 Lynching - American Indian - Publication enrollment increases is Landmark in Indian Law - IHS cited as contributing - Tribal Police to rise in Sexual Abuse shore up Public Safety - Bones may put stop to Project - Native Prisoner - Salish and Kootenai -- Female Inmate's Death to open Local Bank - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days - Native Americans - Rustywire: try to reap the Wind for Power Winter Boarding School Nite - Indian Woman finds Cancer support - John Berry Poem: Route 66 - Group key in fight for repatriation - Upcoming Events --------- "RE: Reservations to receive Heating Aid" --------- Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2005 14:34:30 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BILLY MILLS GROUP TO PROVIDE HELP" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/~f1dac9862570e500118d40.txt Reservations to receive heating aid December 28, 2005 PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A national group headed by Olympic champion Billy Mills will provide $75,000 to help pay heating costs on two South Dakota Indian reservations. Running Strong for American Indian Youth, based in Virginia, has targeted the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where Mills grew up, and the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation for the funds, which are to be matched by tribal districts. The November ice storm and blizzard, followed by cold early December weather, will make it difficult for some people to keep propane tanks full or woodpiles replenished, the organization said. The harsh early weather "is a disaster for the heating budgets families had planned," Mills, national spokesman for Running Strong, said in a statement. The organization is offering $5,000 each to the nine districts on the Pine Ridge Reservation, to be matched by the local districts. Nearly $30,000 is being directed toward matching programs on the Cheyenne River Reservation. The money should be available soon after the holidays, said Molly Farrell, media and program coordinator for Running Strong. "These coordinated efforts will help families in need stretch their heating dollars," said Mills, who won a gold medal in the 1964 Olympic 10,000-meter run. It's the ninth year the organization has offered heating help at Pine Ridge, the fourth year at Cheyenne River. "I'm always looking for money in this program. We have a lot of area to cover, an incredibly large area, and it creates a hardship on people when there's a couple of weeks of tremendously cold weather and blowing snow," said Robert Running Bear, energy and heating coordinator for the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Last year, 152 families received some help through the program on the Cheyenne River Reservation. That number is expected to be higher this year, officials say. "For many families, daily life and meeting their basic needs can be challenging enough. But when you add a bitter cold winter, the situation becomes critical, in some cases life-threatening," said Julie Garreau, executive director of the Cheyenne River Youth Project. Copyright c. 2005 Sioux City Journal. --------- "RE: Virginia Indians balk at Jamestown 2007" --------- Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 14:57:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RECOGNIZE US FIRST!" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.dailypress.com/indians1224dec24,1,2349183.story Virginia Indians balk at Jamestown 2007 before recognition By ALLEN G. BREED Associated Press Writer December 24, 2005 JAMESTOWN, Va. - Jamestown leader Capt. John Smith once wrote that Pocahontas, daughter of the great chief Powhatan, was "the instrument to pursurve this colonie from death, famine, and utter confusion." But as Virginia prepares to commemorate the 400th anniversary of North America's first permanent English settlement, Pocahontas' cultural heirs are still waiting for the descendants of the people she helped to reciprocate. Tribal leaders are threatening to turn their participation in the upcoming Jamestown anniversary events into a protest if they don't get federal recognition by 2007. But the main sticking point to that recognition is casino gambling--something those tribes insist they don't even want. "We're not asking for something that is not ours," says Stephen Adkins, chief of the Chickahominy tribe. "We're trying to reclaim that sovereignty that we believe God gave us. And why should man be allowed to take that away from us?" The latest push for recognition coincides with the Christmas release of the movie "The New World," a retelling of the oft-told story of Smith and Pocahontas. Adkins recently attended the Los Angeles premiere, and although the film starring Colin Farrell takes many historical liberties, the chief was happy to use the red carpet as a platform to show the world that Virginia's Indians are not extinct. They seem nearly so at the Jamestown Settlement today. Two blond-haired, buckskin-clad men acted as interpreters at a recreated 17th century Powhatan village on a recent frigid morning, showing visitors how to tan deer skins and build a traditional "yehakin" dwelling. Nearby, dressed in jeans and a baseball cap, one of the few actual tribal members employed there used a cordless drill to assemble the hut's frame. Between 3,000 and 5,000 people belong to the eight state-recognized tribes that have applied for federal recognition through the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs. But that is a tortuous 20-plus-year process that requires tribes to submit voluminous historical and genealogical evidence to back claims of legitimacy. Arguing those records have been obscured and confused by systematic discrimination in Virginia, the Chickahominy, Upper Mattaponi, Eastern Chickahominy, Monacan, Nansemond and Rappahannock are seeking an expedited route to recognition _ through an act of Congress. (The Mattaponi and Pamunkey tribes, the only Virginia Indians with their own reservations, are not part of the congressional efforts.) The tribes cite Virginia's 1924 Racial Integrity Act, which made it illegal for whites and nonwhites to marry. After pushing for passage of the law, Dr. Walter Plecker, registrar of the state's Bureau of Vital Statistics, launched an aggressive campaign to prevent the "mongrelization" of the white "master race" by what he called "pseudo- Indians." "Like rats when you are not watching, they have been 'sneaking' in their birth certificates through their own midwives, giving either Indian or white racial classification," Plecker once wrote. Their goal, he argued, was "escaping Negro status" in order to attend white schools and marry whites. Plecker ordered that the Indians be classified as "colored" on birth and marriage certificates, and threatened doctors and midwives with jail for noncompliance. The result, say the tribes, was a "paper genocide." Kenneth Branham, chief of the Monacan tribe of the western Virginia mountains, says his parents were wed in Maryland because they couldn't be married as Indians at home. The 52-year-old Branham was one of the first Monacan to graduate from public schools in rural Amherst County because Indians weren't allowed to attend schools with whites until 1963. "Nineteen-sixty-three," he says in disgust. "That's not ancient history, is it?" A few miles outside Richmond, Kenneth Adams sits in the two-room, red brick Indian school he attended until his senior year of high school. The chief of the Upper Mattaponi tribe says federal recognition means so much more to him than slot machines, roulette wheels or blackjack. It would mean scholarship money for the tribe's young, housing assistance for its elderly and the right to possess eagle feathers for use in sacred ceremonies--benefits enjoyed by the 562 tribes acknowledged by the Department of the Interior. "Right now, we're on a separate rung of the ladder," says Adams, a striking 58-year-old with bronze skin, hazel eyes and a silver ponytail. "It puts us in a different class of Indian." Virginia's two U.S. senators have been pushing recognition bills since 2000. The state's General Assembly has recognized the tribes on the state level since the 1980s and has overwhelmingly passed a resolution backing federal recognition. But the effort has stalled, due largely to the efforts of one man. Republican U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, a member of the powerful appropriations committee, says the tribes could have achieved recognition three years ago had they been willing to agree to legislation containing an "ironclad" promise never to seek gaming. Without such a compact, Wolf sees nightmare visions of "prostitutes and corruption and local boards of supervisors going to jail." Supporters of the Virginia Indians' bill say it would safeguard against gaming in the state. But that's only "technically correct," says Bob Anderson, a former associate solicitor for Indian affairs at Interior. The 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act gave existing tribes the right to gamble on their reservations. The law included exceptions for the newly created reservations of tribes recognized after 1988 and for tribes that subsequently had lands restored to them. Under the proposed bill, the Virginia tribes would renounce their automatic right to gambling on future reservations. But Anderson says the bill would allow the tribes to have lands they have purchased put into trust with Interior, then petition the secretary for permission to establish gaming. If the secretary determines that gaming is in the tribe's best interests and would not be detrimental to the local community, Anderson says, it would then be up to the governor--not state lawmakers--to say "yea" or "nay." Derril Jordan, a Washington attorney and Mattaponi Indian, agrees that gambling would be possible under the bill but says "it's certainly not like the door is wide open." In the 17 years since the gaming act was passed, only three tribes have received permission to set up gambling through that politically charged process. Adkins says the gambling issue is really just a "smoke screen" and that the bill's language "should satisfy the most stringent opponents of gambling" that the predominantly Southern Baptist-affiliated tribes don't want casinos. But Wolf is not satisfied. "They say they do not want gambling," Wolf says, pounding his finger on a table for emphasis. "Put it in the language. `Never, never."' Wolf says he not only wants to safeguard the integrity of the commonwealth, but protect the tribes from exploitation by unscrupulous reservation-shopping gambling concerns. Adams says that's the same kind of paternalistic attitude his people have been dealing with for 400 years. "That's another insult, to say that we can't stand up to the money," he says. "Look at what we've already stood up to and survived." When English dignitaries travel to Jamestown for the festivities in 2007, Adams hopes to greet them as his forebears did 400 years earlier--as the leader of a sovereign people. He can't help thinking how different things might be if Powhatan had decided not to help the English settlers. "Sometimes I look at Powhatan and wonder, `Why didn't you kill them off?"' he says. "He had a lot more faith in the future than Frank Wolf does." Copyright c. 2005 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. 2005 Daily Press, Hampton Roads, VA. --------- "RE: LAVEIST: Tribes seek Recognition for Respect" --------- Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2005 14:34:30 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LAVEIST: VIRGINIA TRIBES" http://www.dailypress.com/.column?coll=dp-news-columnists Tribes seek recognition for respect Column: Wil LaVeist December 28, 2005 It's not every day that I hear from a head of state. Kenneth Adams, chief of the Upper Mattaponi, called after reading my Dec. 14 column about a local Native American support group. The group raised several concerns, including internal bigotry towards some mixed-blood Indians. Adams met me in James City County so I wouldn't have to drive from Newport News to King William where he lives. Joining us was Wayne Adkins, second assistant chief of the Chickahominy. Mainly we talked about their tribes' quest, along with the Eastern Chickahominy, Monacan, Nansemond and Rappahannock, for federal recognition before Jamestown 2007 kicks off. Adams took issue with some claims made by the Native American House at Kicotan. Adams said there "is no attempt that I know of" where tribes deliberately exclude mixed-race people from membership. Adkins agreed. Adams said tribes determine membership differently. For example, by "blood quantum," one-eighth Indian blood or less may not be enough for membership in one tribe, but OK for another. But mainly, you are either born a member like Adams, or you must be able to trace your great-grandparents on both sides to tribal rolls established in the 1930s or prior. "I understand and feel their concerns," said Adams, adding that people who embrace their Indian heritage are allowed to participate in ceremonies, but can't receive a membership card and conduct official tribal business. "There are people I have met who I have said to myself, 'Wouldn't it be nice if they were a member of the Upper Mattaponi tribe.' But I can't change that." The support group, many of whom have relatives with ties to multiple tribes, want change to be considered. Adams acknowledged that internal bigotry might exist, but certainly no more than within any other racial or ethnic group in America. State and federal laws require clear tribal membership rules, he said. There's no connection between those rules and seeking federal recognition. Adams said the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 hurt Virginia Indians, but not the Dawes Act of 1887. He acknowledged that the act, which aimed to assimilate Indians into white culture by breaking up tribal lands, didn't exclude Virginia tribes but didn't "include us either." "The Virginia Indians at that time had hunkered down. We were in isolated communities. They never considered us because we didn't let them know we were here." That ties into the current federal recognition struggle of the six tribes. There are 562 federally recognized tribes representing about 1 million people. None are Virginians. The eight state-recognized tribes number about 5,000 people. The Mattaponi and Pamunkey are state recognized, but aren't seeking federal recognition. "It's not a large group of people, which is why we have to fight tooth and nail for any of that (federal recognition) at all," Adams said. "We're kind of the Indian face of Jamestown 2007," Adkins said. "Representing tribes from all across the country, yet we don't have the same status. When the colonists came, we helped them to survive. Yet we haven't been recognized as the other tribes have." Federal recognition would mean benefits, such as education and health care, but it's more about dignity and respect. "Because we don't have that recognition, it sort of places us on the lower rung of the ladder," Adams said. It's also about the moral issue of our federal government, which has broken several Indian treaties, simply doing the right thing for a change. Virginia's U.S. senators, John Warner and George Allen, have introduced recognition bills, as have U.S. Reps. Jo Ann Davis and James P. Moran. U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf, who sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, is holding up progress. Wolf is against gambling. He wants to either close loopholes that could allow the tribes to create a mini-Las Vegas here or to get an anti-gaming promise from Indians that can't be broken. Adams said the tribes, most of which are Christian, are against all gambling. They could legally host bingo games, but haven't. Seems Wolf is fixated on the wrong moral issue. Is Wolf playing the race card? "I think he thinks he's doing the right thing," said Adams. "But it's still a type of colonial attitude. What he's saying is, 'We don't want to give these people the choice in their lives to make their own decisions.' It's a paternalistic type attitude that has been around a long time." The chiefs held a press conference in November saying they would not follow through on threats to pull out of Jamestown 2007. Adams initially didn't want any part of the commemoration, but said he was persuaded by the wisdom of fellow chiefs. "Fifty years ago we wouldn't have been asked to be involved, or to tell our story in the way that we believe it is," Adams said. "I feel like we owe our ancestors to be involved as much as we can because they didn't have that opportunity," Adkins said. "We ought to take advantage of it." Wil LaVeist can be reached at 247-7840 or by e-mail at wlaveist@dailypress.com. Copyright c. 2005 Daily Press, Hampton Roads, VA. --------- "RE: Oklahoma Tribes getting an unfair shake" --------- Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 14:57:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRIBES' STORY NOT BEING TOLD" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=7378 Oklahoma tribes getting an unfair shake from media, politicians Guest editorial Louis Gray December 26, 2005 To read the Tulsa World and other papers around the state, one might think the Indians are ripping off the rest of Oklahoma by illegally avoiding tobacco taxes. It is true and it is a lie. I believe the writers know they have twisted the truth to serve powerful interests with questionable motives. Clearly, those in the smoke shop business are selling cigarettes to other wholesalers at a good rate. They are not breaking the law. The compact, authored by state Treasurer Scott Meacham for Governor Brad Henry, is poorly written. It is an invitation to make money and to opt not to purchase tax heavy products. That isn't perception. That is the truth. Meacham put together a weak and ineffective pact with the tribes and now Henry is proposing a racially inspired law, one that would punish legitimate businessmen from conducting commerce with people of color. Meacham's contempt for tribes is obvious and he is spreading his brand of truth with little opposition. But, enough is enough. His race-based agreements are nothing more than Jim Crow laws for commerce. A clumsy attempt to separate the Indian from his money. It is a time-honored tradition in Oklahoma. I wonder if Henry would have received a standing ovation from NCAI delegates if tribes really knew what was in his heart? The Tulsa World and their crack crew of investigative reporters have been posing as innocent smokers and purchasing cigarettes from Indian smoke shops. Their simple aim is to expose those slimy businesses that sell cigarettes at a shockingly low tax rate. Missing in their coverage is the truth. This may seem like more of the same from Oklahoma power brokers, but the disturbing part is the general public is actually starting to believe it. One letter to the editor calls Indians "thieves," and asserts that those selling for less than a white-owned business should be jailed. Public perception of Indian people has never been lower. Even the most learned of Oklahomans believe Indians don't pay any taxes. In fact, we pay more than anyone. The masses also believe we are a drain on the economy. They are ignorant of the fact that we make up eight percent of the population yet create 14 percent of the gross state product. There is a downside to irresponsible reporting conducted simply to satisfy some racially insensitive convenience stores. Lost of integrity is the first casualty. Would the World admit they have some financial stake in the cigarette wars? Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Alabama-Coushatta still waiting for its due" --------- Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 14:57:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="STILL WAITING FOR COURT ORDERED $270 MILLION" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/26tribe.html East Texas tribe still waiting for its due Federal court recommended three years ago that Congress pay $270.6 million to Alabama-Coushattas for use of its lands. By Ralph K.M. Haurwitz AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF December 26, 2005 In October 2002, a federal court recommended that Congress cut a check for $270.6 million to an American Indian tribe in East Texas. The Alabama-Coushatta tribe is still waiting for its money. The payment is intended to compensate for oil and gas production, timber harvesting and trespassing on the tribe's ancestral lands by non-Indian settlers. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims concluded, after nearly 20 years of review, that the federal government had breached its legal duty to protect the tribe's land rights when it stood by as the State of Texas gave land grants to the settlers. The claims court took the case in 1983 at the direction of the U.S. House of Representatives. In such cases, known as congressional references, Congress almost always follows the court's recommendations, according to legal scholars. However, Congress is under no obligation to do so, and so far, no legislation authorizing compensation has been introduced. "I had hoped that it would have been introduced by now," said John Echohawk, executive director of the Native American Rights Fund, based in Boulder, Colo. "I know things take time in Washington, and apparently this is one of those things that's going to take some time." One complication is that the claims court also found that the tribe's land rights have never been terminated. In other words, the tribe still holds aboriginal title - the right to occupy and possess homelands - to 5.5 million acres of East Texas, a vast area that includes small towns such as Livingston, posh suburban enclaves such as The Woodlands and open space such as Huntsville State Park. The tribe has not said what it would expect to receive, in land or money, for relinquishing aboriginal title, which could be worth billions of dollars. Unlike some tribes in other parts of the country, it has not threatened to sue property owners, a tactic that could prompt settlement discussions by clouding titles in the region and thereby freezing real estate transactions. "All we know is, it's 5 million acres, and that's worth a lot," said Ronnie Thomas, chairman of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribal Council. "We're not willing to give that up for nothing." The tribe prefers to resolve the compensation case and aboriginal title in one agreement, Thomas said. Congress might be unwilling to pay the compensation recommended by the claims court without also resolving the title matter. Thomas said he hopes to meet next year with state officials, perhaps Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson. Patterson's office did not respond to a call seeking comment. He said in 2004 that he didn't think Texas owed any money. "I have no interest in getting involved in a fight with the Indians," he said then. "I just know we're not writing a check." Any resolution of the compensation case or title issue probably would require support from one or more members of the Texas congressional delegation. Thomas said the tribe has "a good working relationship" with U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, whose district includes the tribe's reservation near Livingston in Polk County and much of the ancestral lands. Brady has supported the court's recommendation, Thomas said. Brady's office did not respond to calls seeking comment. Tribal representatives also have met with staffers for the state's two U. S. senators, Republicans John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison. Cornyn, a former Texas attorney general and state Supreme Court justice, said two years ago that Congress should not ignore the court's recommendation. Discussions are still under way on how best to approach the issue, and no consensus has been reached, said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Cornyn. A spokesman for Hutchison said she does not favor reparations for the tribe, echoing comments she made earlier this year and using a term for compensation that tribal leaders say does not accurately convey the nature of the case. "We have met with the tribe and will work to assist them to better the quality of life on the reservation," said the spokesman, Chris Paulitz, "but she does not believe that reparations are feasible." Copyright c. 2001-2005 Cox Texas Newspapers, L.P. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Cayugas acquire Large Land Parcel" --------- Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2005 14:48:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CAYUGA LAND PURCHASE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=4290567&nav=4QcS Tribe acquires first large parcel in more than 200 years December 27, 2005 SPRINGPORT, N.Y. The Cayuga Indian Nation of New York has purchased a farm in the Finger Lakes region - the tribe's first large acquisition since being driven from its homeland during the Revolutionary War. Tribal leaders say they've bought a 70-acre organic farm in the Cayuga County town of Springport, on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake. The tribe bought the land from a local nonprofit group that works to strengthen relations between the Iroquois Confederacy and local residents. Cayuga Nation officials say there are no immediate plans for the 600- member tribe to relocate to the farm, which has apple orchards, a farmhouse, barns and a silo. But tribal leaders say they would some day like to erect a traditional Iroquois longhouse on the property. The Cayugas and other tribes were driven from their homeland when the Continental Army launched a campaign against the Iroquois in 1779. While other tribes were able to hang onto tiny slices of their territory, most of the Cayugas eventually resettled in Oklahoma. Copyright c. 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright 2001-2005 WorldNow and WCAX-TV, Burlington VT. --------- "RE: Sac and Fox still seeking Depot Development" --------- Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 14:57:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN THEIRS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.journalstandard.com//12/26/local_news/news03.txt Chief: Tribe still seeking depot development By Abbie Reese For The Journal-Standard December 26, 2005 SAVANNA - If she had been chief, the land would be theirs and the benefit, she says, would be ours. But Kay Rhoads, chief of the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma and the great-great-great-granddaughter of Chief Black Hawk, had not been elected yet. She did not know about the U.S. Army Depot's closure, or that the Jo-Carroll Depot Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) had been formed to create jobs. "I've told the LRA in the first place, had I been chief, I would've taken the entire base back because we had that right," Rhoads said. "I think if they had given that to us, the city of Savanna and Jo-Carroll would not be struggling right now." Carroll County Board Chairperson Sharon Hook was asked to be on the LRA board, but declined. "I thought the best use would've been to give it to the Indians," Hook said in a recent interview. "I'm beginning to think that would have been the best use." Then, Hook said, the 13,062 acres would have transferred from one federal agency to another and the road to redevelopment would not have been plagued by "nearly the hold-ups." Instead, 9,857 acres were designated to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 270 were tagged for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the LRA oversees 2,932 acres. Rhoads is still in the process of obtaining five buildings to create a $3 million bingo venture and a $60 million destination resort. She did not go searching for this opportunity. Floyd England visited Rhoads and asked the tribe to return, reclaim their land and create jobs in what he described as one of the state's most economically depressed regions. "We are the first group to invite them back," said Todd England of Savanna, son of Floyd England and executive vice president of First North American Corporation, a company formed to partner with and consult the Sac and Fox Nation. "No white man - no man - had asked them, `Would you like to cross the Mississippi back into your homeland?'" Rhoads agreed. She is working with the Englands to construct a lodge in Savanna, and has more plans for the former depot, including a call center, a business incubator, apartments and a restaurant. Rhoads would like to eventually take up permanent residence in the area, possibly Savanna. "There's a spiritual connection here," Rhoads said. "It's hard to describe. There's some reason I had to be here. I don't know that reason. I have not figured that out yet." "She sees that depot as her ancestral land," said Todd England. On her mother's side, Rhoads is a direct descendent of Chief Black Hawk; on her father's side, she's Scotch Irish. Rhoads, who has 13 brothers and sisters, was told as a little girl about her heritage, but it "didn't mean much" to her. With age, her appreciation grew. "There is a tremendous pride in being a descendent of Black Hawk because of his leadership, because of his vision, because of his dedication to the people and the area," Rhoads said. "He knew the value of this area - not monetarily, the ancestral ties." Still, crossing the river and returning home has not been easy or smooth. Her main frustration, Rhoads has said, is a lack of vision and lack of planning at the LRA. Rhoads studied for a year and a half toward a master of business administration degree, was dean of students at several colleges, and was president of Medicine Creek Tribal College in Tacoma, Wash., an American Indian college she created. "In order to create jobs, you have to have an overall vision and plan," Rhoads said. "It's been pretty scary for me to come in, as much as I want to." The LRA should separate its land into clusters, Rhoads said, and consider broad uses - tourism-related development, companies that could build off the railroad and businesses that could partner with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Arlie Dahlman, sole proprietor of Freedom Engineering, a consultant to the LRA, worked at the U.S. Army Depot as an engineer and then at the Pentagon as a base transition coordinator from 1995 to 2002. The Army has divvied up the land into parcels for cleanup. "It's a patch quilt of parcels and so it's difficult to establish a master plan," Dahlman said. The LRA's other main obstacle, he added, is that most of the land already has tenants, and the LRA can't create a master plan for someone else's property. Also, the board's turnover has meant "a lot of learning curves." Through the challenges, Rhoads has searched for signs that she is supposed to stay involved. She's seen them. The day the LRA agreed to give the Sac and Fox Nation five buildings and parade grounds for powwows, an eagle - a symbolic animal to American Indians - swooped off the Mississippi River, flew over the perimeter of the property the LRA had designated for the tribe, and then hovered over Rhoads. "I reached up," Rhoads said, "and saluted my grandfather because I know that's who it was." In the fall, Rhoads returned for an LRA meeting, thinking she needed to know whether or not she was supposed to be there. Two eagles flew in. "These are spiritual connections," Rhoads said, "and every time I've been there, the eagles have been there. They come to greet me." And building at the former depot continues to make business sense to Rhoads. "I think this is an untouched market," she said. Rhoads recently bid on two additional buildings at Eagles Landing, and has said she will try to get more land. Copyright c. 2005 The Journal-Standard All rights reserved. --------- "RE: State, Klallam agree to Talks about Site" --------- Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 14:57:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="OLD TRIBAL VILLAGE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/hoodcanal24m.html?syndication=rss State, tribe agree to talks about old tribal-village site The Associated Press December 25, 2005 PORT ANGELES - Gov. Christine Gregoire and the head of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe have agreed to formal negotiations early next year on all the issues raised by discovery of remains and relics at the waterfront site planned for development of the Hood Canal Bridge graving yard. For centuries, the site was occupied by the tribal village Tze-whit-zen. Tom Fitzsimmons, Gregoire's chief of staff, said the tribe has agreed to publicly support the state plan to build huge concrete anchors on the shoreward edge of the former graving-yard site, which allows the project to move through the permitting process. In return, the state has agreed to reimburse the tribe for more than $600,000 in wages paid to 108 of its members for archaeological work at the site, which was occupied by the village until the 1920s, when a sawmill was built there. The bargain struck Thursday by Gregoire and Chairwoman Frances Charles came one year and one day after construction was halted at the site, where bridge pontoons and anchors were to be built for replacement of the deteriorating east end of the floating Hood Canal Bridge. The halt, requested by the tribe and approved by state officials, was prompted by the discovery of human remains at the ancient village site. During the negotiations, all lawsuits the state and the tribe have filed against each other will be on hold, at least until mid-March, Fitzsimmons said. Unresolved issues - such as preservation of Indian artifacts recovered at the site - will be at the top of the agenda when the tribe and the state begin negotiations, Fitzsimmons said. Another key issue is disposal of 20,000 cubic yards of earth removed from the site and trucked to the Shotwell Recycling Facility west of Port Angeles. The tribe wants the earth returned to the village site and sifted for ancestral remains and funerary artifacts. The negotiations also will focus on what the state will do with the steel pilings driven into the ground to contain the graving yard. The state and the tribe also will talk about future development of the Port Angeles waterfront, which has been thrown into question by the discovery of tribal remains and artifacts. Charles said she got the call from Gregoire while she was Christmas shopping Thursday morning, and she joked that it kept her from buying everything on her list. On a more serious note, she said she was pleased that Gregoire approached the tribe on a government-to-government basis, honoring the Centennial Accord the state struck with tribes in 1989. Charles thanked Gregoire for "the respect that she has for the culture and the tribe's concerns. She really came through with some commitment. I was really happy to have this happen before Christmas." Copyright c. 2005 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. 2005 The Seattle Times Company --------- "RE: Guard, Tribes show interest in BNAS Land" --------- Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005 14:22:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BRUNSWICK NAVAL AIR STATION" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.timesrecord.com/~02DCA558052570E5005AC88D?Opendocument Guard, tribes show interest in BNAS land Christopher_Cousins@TimesRecord.Com December 28, 2005 BRUNSWICK - Three major organizations have laid claim to portions of Brunswick Naval Air Station, though the process of dividing and redeveloping the base's 3,200 acres is in its infancy. Brig. Gen. John W. Libby, adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, and representatives of the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribes have shown interest in using parts of the base for projects ranging from a biomass energy plant to a multi-service reserve center. Discussion of these early proposals is part of the Brunswick Local Redevelopment Authority's strategy of being wide open to whoever shows interest in the base. The projects may or may not come to fruition, said Mathew Eddy, interim director of the authority's business office. If they do, redevelopment of the base and reversal of the vast economic impacts of its closure will have taken major steps toward completion. Libby has been touting his plan to consolidate the state's reserve centers in Brunswick for the past couple of years. He will present the latest version of his federal enclave proposal this afternoon during a meeting of the Brunswick Local Redevelopment Authority. The meeting begins at 3:30 p.m. in Town Council chambers in the old high school on McKeen Street. Though the specifics have varied as the plan has been developed, Libby has said he seeks to merge reserve operations in Maine on about 16 acres of the base, which would bring Army, Air National Guard, Marine Corps and Navy reserve units together. The facility would cost about $42 million in federal money to construct. Libby's plan has a foothold in the process of transferring the base out of Navy hands. Federal agencies get the first chance to claim land at bases in the closure process. Libby's office did not respond by press time to a question about whether a branch of the military intends to claim any land at BNAS. There is private-sector interest in the property, as well. The redevelopment authority will hear a report today on a proposal by the Penobscot Nation to claim one aircraft hangar and 10 acres of land to create three businesses: a composite shipbuilder, a biomass energy plant and an aircraft repair facility. A less detailed letter of interest in land at the base has also been received from the Passamaquoddy Tribe, said Eddy. "The goal for everybody is to create jobs for Maine people," said Eddy. "At this point, we'd bring anybody in to talk." Meanwhile, other uses for parts of the base are also being envisioned. The outcome of an airport feasibility study being conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration will be a defining moment in the redevelopment effort, and will be addressed at today's meeting. The FAA is conducting the study to determine if the aviation transportation market could support an airport in Brunswick, and how such a development would affect other airports. "We're going through the appropriate due diligence to establish whether an airport can succeed," said Eddy. The authority also will examine a preliminary timeline for its 18-month task of preparing to bring in developments and developers and divide up BNAS. The authority also will hear a presentation from the Restoration Advisory Board, a citizen committee that oversees the clean-up of polluted sites on the base. The board will play an important role in identifying where known and unknown pollution exists, said Eddy. The meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and will begin with a public comment session. Copyright c. 2005 Brunswick Times Record. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Town-Tribe Pact moves quietly" --------- Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005 14:22:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WAMPANOAG LAND-USE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/12/30/town_tribe_pact.php Town-Tribe Pact Moves Quietly Memorandum of Understanding Circulating, But Still Unsigned Outlines Inter-Government Land Use Review Process By IAN FEIN December 30, 2005 A draft agreement that proposes an untested joint intergovernmental venture between the town of Aquinnah and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) is now quietly circulating among town and tribal officials. Obtained by the Gazette this week, the memorandum of understanding outlines a collaborative land use review process that would recognize the tribe as a separate government and resolve some of the issues raised in the still-pending lawsuit over tribal sovereignty. The authors of the proposed agreement are unknown, though it is understood to be the result of ongoing talks behind the scenes between town and tribal leaders. It has not yet been signed by either the town or the tribe, nor has it been discussed in any public meetings. The proposed agreement will likely be of great interest in Aquinnah, where town-tribal relations, particularly relating to land use issues, has long been a hot-button topic. In a landmark decision that attracted widespread attention, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court one year ago this month ruled that the Wampanoag tribe must abide by state and town zoning rules, reversing a lower court decision that found the tribe could not be sued because of sovereign immunity. The state's highest court found that the Wampanoags waived their right to sovereign immunity over land use issues when they signed the historic 1983 Indian land claims settlement agreement, which led to federal recognition for the tribe in 1987. The Wampanoags are the only federally recognized tribe in commonwealth. The tribe this summer decided not to appeal the case to the United States Supreme Court. It has been remanded back to the superior court for a remedy. The memorandum of understanding obtained this week does not mention the pending lawsuit. But if the agreement is adopted, it could bear directly on the outcome of the case, which began in 2001 when the tribe built a small shed near its shellfish hatchery on the Cook Lands without obtaining a building permit. If the superior court requires that the tribe obtain a building permit for the shed, as is now expected, the ensuing regulatory review would likely fall under the joint process set out in the agreement. The 11-page memorandum of understanding is broadly drawn with open-ended terminology and appears to leave some questions unanswered. But the purpose of the proposed agreement is clear: to create a collaborative review and mediation process for land use issues, and to improve communication and cooperation between the town and the tribe, which each have separate governments. Under the memorandum of understanding, the town board with jurisdiction over a project on tribal lands would hold a joint public hearing with the tribal land use commission. The joint hearings would be subject to the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law. Both the town and tribal boards would render decisions on the project application. If the two governments disagree, a lengthy mediation process would follow. The mediation process, as spelled out in the proposed agreement, would include a special joint advisory board to oversee the collaborative review. The so-called Aquinnah planning advisory board would have five members - two appointed by the tribe, two by the town, and one appointed jointly. According to the agreement, the advisory board would also be subject to the state open meeting law. The advisory board would facilitate the resolution of disputes stemming from any land use or permitting issues, monitor the progress of the cooperative planning process, and make recommendations for improvement to each government. If after a joint hearing the tribal land use commission approves a project on tribal lands, but the town does not, the application would then go to the advisory board. If the board cannot reach a mutually acceptable resolution, then the tribal council and the board of selectmen can call a special joint meeting to discuss the issues. If a consensus still cannot be reached, the case would then go to a mediator selected by the advisory board. If mediation fails to settle the dispute, then the permitting board would issue its final decision, and any aggrieved party would retain the right to appeal the decision in court. The tribe, under the proposed agreement, however, would waive the defense of sovereign immunity in any judicial review of a land use issue. The memorandum of understanding would also protect the rights of town boards to refer appropriate projects to the Martha's Vineyard Commission for review as developments of regional impact (DRIs). The proposed agreement does not describe any collaborative review process with the commission, nor does it discuss land use review involving tribal lands outside the town of Aquinnah. The final page of the memorandum of understanding indicates that the agreement is to be voted upon and signed by both the selectmen and the tribal council. There is no language in the draft agreement that specifies the need for a town meeting or ballot vote. It is unclear how the proposed agreement will play out in the public arena in the weeks ahead as it surfaces for discussion. The draft agreement comes at a time of change in both town and tribal leadership. Some town residents and taxpayers may see the proposed agreement as a dilution of the hard-won state supreme court decision. At a divisive and controversial meeting two years ago this month, town selectmen decided not to appeal the lower court decision, leaving a group of taxpayers and abutters to carry the ball in court - and also foot the bill. Tribal members, some of whom also opposed the 1983 settlement agreement, may be reluctant to unequivocally relinquish their sovereignty on land use issues. But the proposed agreement may also be seen as a good faith effort to create a new atmosphere of cooperation that acknowledges the mutual interests of the community - both Indian and non-Indian - in the small town at the western edge of the Island. Copyright c. 2005 Vineyard Gazette, Inc. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Schaghticoke Chief threatens Land development" --------- Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005 14:22:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BIA DECISION" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=746 Schaghticoke chief threatens to 'aggressively' develop land BY GEORGE KRIMSKY December 29, 2005 KENT - The Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, which was denied the status of sovereign nation in October, is renewing its campaign. Although the Bureau of Indian Affairs issued what it called a "final decision" on the nation's 20-year bid for federal recognition, the tribe is preparing to appeal the ruling. It has also asked a federal court to force the BIA to reveal the decision-making process it used to reverse an earlier ruling in the tribe's favor. The BIA has refused, saying the appeal should be filed first. The appeal deadline is Jan. 12, but the tribe has asked the court for more time on grounds that BIA's internal documents will bolster the tribe's case. Meanwhile, Chief Richard Velky has fired a new salvo in Kent's direction by threatening to "aggressively" develop the tribe's officially sanctioned reservation in the town, after a 30-year moratorium against any new building. In an open letter to The Washington Post, published Dec. 24, Velky complained about a coalition of forces in Washington, D.C., Hartford and Kent "arrayed against us," and concluded: "Fortunately, the tribe still has 400 acres, and we plan to develop this land aggressively to generate income and use that to fund housing for our people." Contacted this week, Velky said he would not elaborate, but added that such a decision rested with the tribal membership, which laid down the no- -more-building rule in 1975 as a prelude to its recognition campaign. "We plan to ask the tribe to lift the moratorium," he said. That could take place at the next scheduled tribal council meeting in May 2006, or at a special meeting called specifically for that purpose, he said. The chief, speaking from his office in Derby, said that whatever development occurs would not violate any law and would not include "any gaming facilities or a smoke shop." He was referring to a gambling casino and tax-free cigarette selling operation, both of which are controversial locally. Kent's new first selectman, Ruth Epstein, said she had been told nothing about any new plans for the reservation, but would welcome an opportunity to discuss it with the tribe. "Hopefully, Chief Velky would sit down with us and tell us what he has in mind," she said. This is a departure from the previous town policy to avoid direct contact with the tribe. The former administration of Dolores Schiesel had joined with the state government and a local citizen's group to oppose tribal recognition. Like Schiesel, Epstein is on record against sovereign status for the tribe, largely because it could open the door to a possible casino and would grant the tribe immunity from many town regulations. But she also campaigned on a promise of "open door" communication. Claims Galore The nation claims jurisdiction over both the tribe and its land that borders the Housatonic River on Kent Mountain, but the state has administrative authority over the reservation dating back to Colonial times. A small rival faction that calls itself the Schaghticoke Indian Tribe actually occupies the property. The Schaghticoke Nation has laid claim to another 2,100 acres that includes the Kent School, but that case remains pending in court, and only the 400-acre parcel is regarded by the state and town as legitimate Indian property. Only a half-dozen houses have been built on it, and half of them are unoccupied. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, a leader of the opposition against tribal recognition, said Wednesday that, while the tribe enjoys specific rights, "it certainly doesn't have unfettered freedom to develop that land." He noted that any building would be subject to "strict environmental and land-use regulations" in an area where the topography would make significant development unfeasible. Tribal leaders claim the tribe has some 300 members left after centuries of attrition, and the Schaghticoke Indian Tribe assumes another 70. All but a few families live outside Kent In other developments, the nation asked a federal judge in New Haven this month to order the BIA to reveal all documents relating to its Oct. 12 decision to reverse a ruling in January 2004 to grant the tribe the federal recognition it has been seeking since 1981. The tribe claimed in its motion to U.S. District Court Judge Peter Dorsey that the BIA violated the court's scheduling order by not opening its files for all parties to see within 30 days after its October decision. Velky told the Republican-American this week that the tribe "needs this information in order to prepare its appeal," which is due in two weeks unless an extension is granted. On yet another front, the tribe has formally requested the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee to investigate the BIA's reversal of its earlier decision and the reasons for it. The tribe claims that Blumenthal and the administration of Gov. M. Jodi Rell conspired with town leaders, with Rep. Nancy L. Johnson, R-5th Dist., and with the local group Town Action to Save Kent (TASK) to unduly influence the BIA and key national politicians, using a prominent Republican-connected lobbying firm in Washington. All named parties have denied it. The committee chaired by Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, has been investigating a former GOP lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, on charges of influence peddling in other tribal recognition cases. The tribe has indicated that malfeasance uncovered in those cases could have an impact on the Schaghticoke case. Copyright c. 1997-2005 American-Republican Inc. --------- "RE: Coal production halts on Black Mesa" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 11:21:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PEABODY SHUTS IT DOWN" http://www.gallupindependent.com/2005/dec/123105coalprod.html Coal production halts on Black Mesa By Jim Maniaci Staff Writer December 31, 2005 BLACK MESA MINE - Peabody Energy is calling the end of coal production as of today at its Black Mesa Mine on the Navajo and Hopi Reservations a temporary suspension. And Southern California Edison has said it won't lay off any of its Mohave Generating Station workers until the end of January, may keep many of the employees into June even perhaps until the end of 2006 and will retain some of them to maintain the electric generating station in Laughlin, Nev., according to the Bullhead City Bee newspaper. Peabody press officer Beth Sutton said her company's "primary objective is to continue to work with the Mohave stakeholders to minimize the shutdown." In her Dec. 22 statement, Sutton said about 165 jobs are affected, with approximately 85 percent or roughly 140 employees being eligible to take their retirement. "A handful of employees will remain in 2006 to assist with mine suspension and reclamation activities," she added. "Peabody has worked hard to minimize the impacts to jobs and has allowed natural attrition to reduce the number of jobs impacted. We're also giving priority consideration to qualified employees who wish to apply for jobs at the Kayenta Mine, and about 15 percent of affected workers are now working there," Sutton said. This would indicate about 25 people being hired at the Kayenta Mine. The larger Kayenta Mine is north of the other mine and sends its coal via an electric railroad about 80 miles to the Salt River Project-operated Navajo Generating Station, located on the south shore of Lake Powell in the Le Chee Chapter east of Page, Ariz. Black Mesa's coal has gone to Mohave exclusively since the plant began operation in 1970 for its two-unit, 1,500 mega-watt operation which provides power to 1.5 million families in California, Nevada and Arizona but not on either reservation. The plant provides the highest-paying jobs in the twin communities separated by the Colorado River, just as on the reservation the coal mine provides the highest-paying jobs in a socialistic economy with federal, tribal and local governments the only employers in many Navajo Nation chapters. Both tribal governments wanted the mine and plant to stay open since royalties and taxes provided a large portion of the money for Kykotsmovi and Window Rock-based governments. - To contact reporter Jim Maniaci, telephone 285-6184 in Grants or (505) 870-7775 (cellular). Copyright c. 2005 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Struggle continues on Black Mesa" --------- Date: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 08:42 am From: Moderator Subj: Struggle Continues On Black Mesa Mailing List: Big Mountain Fair use applies; postings not to be copied for commercial purposes. __________________________________________________ Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 00:17:40 -0800 (PST) From: Black Mesa Indigenous Support" Greetings friends of Big Mountain and surrounding Dineh communities of Black Mesa, As the New Year begins there are new and rather startling developments taking place on Black Mesa. That said, let us honor all the hard work that grass roots organizations have done in contributing to the Mojave Generating Station shutting down, the protection of the N-Aquifer and the closure of the Black Mesa mine. # Black Mesa Mine closes & the relocation office disbands. Victory? Not according to many families of the Big Mountain communities. THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES. RIGHT NOW there is an amendment on the congressional floor that sets a new timetable for the forced relocation of a number of Navajo families on Black Mesa. This bill, S1003, comes at a time when the world's largest coal company, Peabody Coal, prepares not only to continue, but in fact to expand its strip mining of American Indian lands. The company plans on drawing down yet another high-quality residential aquifer in the process. However, something stands in Peabody's way: Indigenous people live on the land above where the water and billions of tons of low-sulfur coal lie. As with their ancestors many generations back, these people live on the land that is the base for their tradition, their spirituality, their water and their livelihood. http://blackmesais.org/struggle_continues05.htm # Struggles Continue Despite Black Mesa Mine Shut Down By Bahe Y. Katenay Yes! Finally, we can all breathe a little easier the cleaner air, but it's only temporary. The environmentalist and local Indigenous activists' point of view may not see the whole picture. No, not in terms of keeping the Black Mesa Mine operating and letting it suck-out all the ancient pristine aquifer. But in terms of the human and economic cost that the local indigenous mine workers and their families are going to face. http://blackmesais.org/struggles_continue1105.htm # Stay with a family on Black Mesa. Come as an organized work crew over a few days or weekend, or stay for a few weeks to longer. Honor these traditional elders by volunteering to give them comfort and peace by herding sheep, by organizing work crews to go to home sites, and/or by providing other essential but appropriate skills such as holistic therapy and renewable energy technologies. There's a Cultural Sensitivity Packet at http://www.blackmesais.org for new to Dineh culture and for tips on what to bring. # This spring a caravan will be traveling to Black Mesa from Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. Carpenters, gardeners, permaculture practioners, mechanics, body-workers, sheepherders, anyone willing to put in a hand, join the caravan! Contact BMIS for details. blackmesais@riseup.net http://www.blackmesais.org "You shall have one world government, whether or not you like it, by consent or by conquest." -Former FDR aide, James Warburg CFR/TC, in testimony before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 17 Feb 1950. ========================================= Please visit http://www.theofficenet.com/~redorman/pagea~1.htm for more background on the Big Mountain relocation issue. To post to the list, email your message to redorman@theofficenet.com. To subscribe, send an email to: BIGMTLIST-subscribe@topica.com. --------- "RE: American Indian enrollment increases" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 11:21:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PROGRAM FOR DROPOUTS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://kvoa.com/global/story.asp?s=4306139&ClientType=Printable American Indian enrollment increases in program for dropouts December 31, 2005 PHOENIX A National Guard-sponsored program for high school dropouts has seen a sharp increase in enrollment from American Indians in Arizona over the past five years. The increase is due, in part, to a recruiting effort on the state's reservations. A class that began in July with 152 enrollees and concluded in December with 91 graduates had the highest Indian enrollment the program has ever seen. There are few options, if any, for troubled young people on reservations. When hearing about Project Challenge - a residential school in Queen Creek where kids learn about respect and many gain their general equivalency diploma - more parents and young people are giving it a try. The parents know that when they check their kids in and watch them take stern orders. Boys surrender personal style for an immediate buzz cut, and girls twirl their hair into buns. Copyright c. 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2003-2005 WorldNow and KVOA. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: IHS cited as contributing to rise in Sexual Abuse" --------- Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005 14:22:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="IHS CITED" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?feature=yes&id=1096412170 IHS cited as contributing to rise in sexual abuse by: Brenda Norrell / Indian Country Today Lack of forensic evidence and untrained staff pointed out by report December 30, 2005 LAKE ANDES, S.D. - IHS's failure to properly train staff and provide enough forensic evidence to halt rapists from striking again is indirectly responsible for the high number of rapes in Indian country, according to a roundtable report released by the Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center. Charon Asetoyer, Comanche and executive director of the resource center, said IHS could dramatically reduce the number of sexual assaults that occur within Indian communities if its facilities had a set of standardized policies and protocols in place with trained staff. "Without trained staff to provide sexual assault services to women, including the collection of forensic evidence, perpetrators are free to strike again," Asetoyer said. The Department of Justice said the incidences of rape of American Indians/Alaska Natives are 3.5 times higher than among all other racial groups. The center released the "Roundtable Report on Sexual Assault Policies and Protocols within IHS Emergency Rooms." The roundtable was convened after the center released a report titled "A Survey of Sexual Assault Policies and Protocols within IHS Emergency Rooms." Mia Luluquisen, an Ilokano/Heiltsuk who serves on the board of the resource center in Oakland, said the goal is to ensure sweeping changes within IHS that result in every sexual assault victim being treated with dignity and comprehensive care from now on. "This is a pressing issue and we need to change the behaviors and thoughts of individuals," said Jocelyn Salt, Navajo Nation community representative in Shonto, Ariz. American Indian victims told their stories during the roundtable session in Austin. Tammy Young, Tlingit at the Alaska Native Women's Coalition, listed the female members of her immediate family as among the victims in Alaska, where abuse of women and children has increased dramatically in recent years. Young described one young rape victim who returned home after treatment to be supported by her family. But then she had to leave again because the rapist got out of jail and moved in across the street. Pat Caverly, Sicangu Lakota Oyate therapist serving at the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Health Programs in Tucson, said too little has been understood about the youngest victims. "I am working with the victims, very young; it's heartbreaking that they are violated like that. There is not an understanding of what happened to them; as they grow older, it wounds the soul." Indian women suffer from a lack of adequate care after rapes and are often not offered proper treatment and options. Asetoyer pointed out that only 25 abortions were performed from 1981 to 2002 in the more than 350 IHS units. Those who do seek help at HIS often become victims again, said Yvonne Bates, Wichita and Affiliated Tribes Caddo Nation in Lawton, Okla., who serves at the Hope House Family Violence Prevention Program. "Emergency policies and procedures are put away in big books and they [doctors and nurses] don't know where to find them. This is a dilemma for the women who need help." Further, the roundtable report shows that sexual assault victims may fear the lack of confidentiality at a health center. Too often there is a lack of protocols and traumatized women often victimized by untrained staff. Bonnie Clairmont described a common scenario at IHS clinics: A nurse or doctor comes into the waiting room with a tray that says "rape kit" and calls out the person's name, after she has already been waiting for hours and probed with administrative questions. In Indian country, the barriers to adequate care include distances to medical facilities and lack of transportation, especially in Alaska, the Dakotas and the Southwest. Anne Batisse, Ojibwe/Algonquin at the Indigenous Women's Network in Austin, called for more safe places for women in the world. "I feel a great amount of love for these women, but people put them down. There aren't enough safe places in the world." Gloria Pourier Cournoyer, Oglala, serves at Cangleska Inc. in Kyle on Pine Ridge in South Dakota: "There is a cost being paid by women for what we have to go through because of what we are living in and what we have to survive in. There is connection between our health and our culture." Roundtable participants included Arlene Hache, Ojibwe/Algonquin at the Indigenous Women's Network in Austin, who has been working with women for 30 years. She began after being treated badly at a treatment shelter and was spurred on to recovery by her sister. Optimistic about the roundtable, Lea Gilmore, outreach director of the National Abortion Federation in Washington, D.C., said there is a sisterhood movement forming. "It is more than just domestic violence and sexual violence because there is an overwhelming sense of sisterhood, a shared problem; it is personal and it is important." Caroline Antone, Tohono O'odham and rehabilitation counselor at the O'odham Justice Center in southern Arizona, said recovery from abuse involves help for both men and women. "We need to find out how to help the men, so they learn not to hurt women and children." Copyright c. 1998-2005 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Bones may put stop to Project" --------- Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 14:57:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TULALIP OPPOSE SENIOR CENTER PLAN" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/253431_burialground26.html?source=rss Bones may put stop to project Tribe objects to senior center plan THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 26, 2005 SNOHOMISH - The Tulalip Indian tribe is objecting to the planned construction of a new senior center here, after archeologists discovered what are believed to be human remains at a pioneer cemetery site. Snohomish City Councilman Larry Countryman said the state should have relocated all the graves when it built a highway through the area in the 1940s. "We all assumed it was all transferred," Countryman told The (Everett) Herald. Hank Gobin, the Tulalip's cultural resources director, said the tribe may challenge the senior center plan in court. Most of the bones were found beneath the parking lot of the Snohomish Senior Center, which recently moved its operations out of a small house on the property and into a church temporarily. The center, which has about 280 members, wants to build a 6,000-square- foot building on the site where the remains were found. An archaeologist will have to identify the remains, which may cost more than $160,000 earmarked for the $1.2 million project. Brad Nelson, Snohomish's support services director, said the city would transfer any Indian remains to the Tulalip Tribes. Families would receive the remains of any identified individuals. Unclaimed remains would go to the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery just west of the city, Nelson said. Countryman said the parcel is ideal for a new senior center; it's close to a bus stop, library, drugstore and park, and senior housing complexes could be built nearby. Countryman said the only other proposed site for the center is city- owned property along the Snohomish River. But the city wants economic development there, he said, and the land is difficult for seniors to access. The senior center has raised about $900,000 from grants, donations and fund-raising events, and secured service and construction materials worth $100,000 for its new building, Executive Director Karen Charnell said. Seniors hope to move into the new building in late December 2006. Copyright c. 2005 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. 1996-2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. --------- "RE: Salish and Kootenai to open Local Bank" --------- Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 10:09:12 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SALISH AND KOOTENAI BANK" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://leaderadvertiser.com/articles/2005/12/28/news/news01.txt Tribe to open local bank By Nate Traylor Leader Staff December 28, 2005 The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe is responsible for running a number of operational areas, from health care to social services to law enforcement, and will now add banking services to the list. Eagle Bank is expected to open in the early part of next year after they are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. It will only be the 10th bank owned by a tribe in the U.S. and while it is owned by the Tribe, Eagle Bank president Martin Olsson said that it is not a "tribal bank." "There has been a bit of a misunderstanding because when you say 'tribal bank' a lot of people think that it is like other tribal programs and only eligible to tribal members," he said. "It is a community bank that happens to be owned by the Tribe." Eagle Bank has identified the entire Flathead Reservation as a target market with an emphasis on the Polson area. "There is more economic activity centered around the greater Polson area," he said. Once the bank becomes profitable, he explained, it will branch out to other communities. "What we hoping to be able to do is develop relationships and continue relationships that we have already developed and provide good service at competitive prices," Olsson said. "The issue has been for a long time that Indian people had not had access to credit in the past at the same level as non-Indians," explained Bob Gauthier, volunteer chairman of the Salish and Kootenai Bancorporation. Eagle Bank, he explained, is hoping to change that while offering the "financial literacy" that is so important for tribal members. "We want it to be an educational tool," he said. In 1988 the Tribe had the opportunity to purchase a bank on the reservation and hired a consulting firm to see if the Tribe would be a logical owner. The firm recommended against the project, but said the Tribe would be a great contender, Gauthier said. In 1990, the Tribe had another opportunity to get into banking by partnering up with a bank that was expanding. That bank rebuffed the Tribe's efforts and said they weren't interested. The Tribe then looked to start a credit union, but they were turned down for a grant to start one up. So finally, in 2005, the Tribe acquired the building that used to be First Interstate on the south side of Polson, and plans to be competitive with every bank in the area. The Tribe has one of the most successful lending portfolios in the nation, Gauthier explained. "Owning a bank and the potential long term growth and earning opportunity is the primary reason for pursuing a bank," he said. "We make a presence in this community and we don't think it is very well represented in the banking business. We want banking and the career opportunities that go with it." In short, banks make money, and when the Tribe makes money, it benefits the entire community, he said. Copyright c. 2005, The Leader Advertiser. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Native Americans try to reap the Wind for Power" --------- Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005 14:22:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WIND HARVESTING" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.redorbit.com/reap_the_wind_for_power/index.html Native Americans Try to Reap the Wind for Power By Bernie Woodall December 30, 2005 LOS ANGELES - Twenty-five windmills in San Diego County that stand 20 stories tall began generating electricity this week, offering powerful evidence that Native American tribes are turning to the wind to rebuild their economies. The Kumeyaay Wind project, with the ability to generate 50 megawatts, is 70 times larger than the next-largest wind project on tribal land. It sits on land leased by the 300-member Campo Band of Kumeyaay Indians off Interstate 8, about an hour east of San Diego and 18 miles north of the Mexican border. The economies of many tribes depend on energy sales and leases of land to coal, oil, and natural gas companies. This takes a toll on tribal land and is often seen as necessary to keep money and jobs on reservations and to protect a fast disappearing way of life. Lawrence Flowers, team leader of Wind Powering America, a U.S. Energy Department-sponsored group assisting tribes to develop wind farms, says it is natural for tribes to turn to the wind for help. "Wind sits very nicely with the tribal spiritual and cultural values because it's a resource that develops tribal economies," Flowers said. "And it's renewable so it's not extracting from the land like coal or oil. You're not taking something away." The Kumeyaay tribe will reap royalties of the sale of electricity from the wind farm to San Diego Gas & Electric, but the amount was not disclosed by the utility. The farm is expected to power between 12,000 and 15,000 homes. The tribe's wind farm stands only a few hundred yards from the Golden Acorn Casino, which represents another revenue-producer for many Native American tribes. The Hopi and Navajo tribes will each lose a large chunk of their annual revenue - a third of it for the Hopis who have voted down casino gambling - when one of the dirtiest power plants in America shuts down this weekend. Both tribes are looking to wind power projects as a way to replace revenue lost from the extraction of coal from tribal land in Arizona, which fuels the 1,580-megawatt Mohave Power plant in Nevada. While there are a handful of single-turbine windmills generating electricity on tribal land in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana, the new California wind farm is the first with multiple turbines. And in Alaska, five wind-diesel projects are working and dozens more are planned. "This is a big deal," Flowers said. "We work with more than 30 tribes in the continental United States to help them develop wind resources and help them understand ownership," he added. Among the projects in the pipeline are one for 80 megawatts on eight different reservations on Lakota Nation land in North Dakota and South Dakota, and the expansion of a 750-kilowatt project to 30 megawatts on South Dakota's Rosebud Sioux Reservation. The Rosebud plant, which opened in 2003, had been the largest project on Native American land before the Kumeyaay Wind project opened over the holiday weekend. Wind power is not consistent. Wind must blow at least five miles per hour to make electricity. Even though the San Diego County plant is in one of the windiest parts of Southern California, it will not produce at capacity like natural gas, nuclear and coal-fired plants can. U.S. wind power generation capacity is about 9,200 megawatts, up from 6, 700 megawatts a year ago, 2,500 megawatts five years ago and 1,500 megawatts in 1990, according to industry advocate American Wind Energy Association. The Kumeyaay venture cost more than $80 million. Of that, $51 million came from global investment firm Babcock & Brown, which will own the project along with GE Energy Financial Services, a division of General Electric. The Kumeyaay project will help SDG&E, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, meet a California requirement that power companies generate 20 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2010. Copyright c. 2002-2005 redOrbit.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Indian Woman finds Cancer support" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 11:21:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="VISION" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2005/12/31/news/nation/nat06.txt Indian woman finds cancer support in response to silence By JACKIE JADRNAK Albuquerque Journal December 31, 2005 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Mary Lovato had a vision while she lingered between life and death after a bone marrow transplant. While unconscious, she saw her dead parents and longed to reach out and hug them. No, they said. Stay back. Look down at your three children. "They told me, `Once you turn in the four directions, you can wake up and see your kids,"' Lovato said. "They said, `You have a big responsibility you need to conquer at home."' That was 1987. Lovato had been diagnosed with leukemia and had children ages 7, 4, and 3 at home. She had no idea, though, why she was still alive or what mission awaited her. Three years later, a dream gave her the answer. She saw herself sitting with others, all talking about their illnesses and realized that's what she had to do: start a support group. At her native Santo Domingo Pueblo, Lovato said, people didn't talk about cancer. Even among her sisters, she said, they didn't talk about her illness; they just cried. Members of her community didn't understand cancer or how people got it, she said. To them, it was a death sentence. "People rejected me from giving hugs. People didn't want me to touch their child," she said. "People said harsh words to me because I was a cancer victim." "I promised myself, I didn't care how long it takes me, I didn't want another cancer patient so alone like I was," she said. After her dream, another three years passed before she got tribal permission to start a support group. She said one governor told her she would be giving false hope because everyone who got cancer died from it. Once she launched the group, supported by her sisters brewing coffee and baking cookies, it took another eight months for the first cancer patient to show up, Lovato said. Then participants would test her, telling her something that happened at home, waiting to see if it made its way around the village as gossip. "Once they found I could keep things confidential, then they started showing up," she said. Her persistence paid off, with national honors and funding for her and her program and, more importantly, a stronger voice for Indians with cancer. "It took a lot of time and patience, but I never gave up," Lovato said. "All I do is for my people." In 1997, the governor of New Mexico declared Dec. 22 to be Mary Lovato Day. "I have tremendous respect for her as a pueblo woman," said Magdalena Avila, a health educator and faculty member at the University of New Mexico. "She single-handedly brought forward the pueblo with personal education and advocacy in an area not talked about: cancer." And she did it in a way that honored tribal traditions and culture, Avila said. "She's a visionary. She's thinking seven generations ahead," she said. Lovato has spoken at conferences throughout the country, met President Clinton and led workshops with other Indians on how to start their own support groups. Back in New Mexico, she hosts house parties, telling women how to screen for breast and cervical cancer. And she doesn't limit her efforts to women. Lovato will also stand in front of a roomful of men, often elders, telling them how to watch out for testicular and prostate cancer. Mixing her message with humor helps, she said. "She's an amazing woman. She's so inspiring to the people who come into her life," said Elizabeth Madden, executive director of St. Joseph Community Health Foundation. That is the fundraising arm of St. Joseph Community Health, where Lovato currently works with the program, "A Gathering of Cancer Support." She visits Indians diagnosed with cancer, talking with them and their families about the disease, translating information, telling them what changes to expect. She helps with transportation, often taking people to Santa Fe for chemotherapy and sitting with them for hours. That grassroots work has spread around the nation. Lovato estimates she has visited all but five of the 50 states. This July, she spent nine days in Hawaii advising native people how to establish cancer support programs. She once doubted she would see her own children graduate from high school or college, let alone have the pleasure of meeting her grandchildren. When she was struck with leukemia, doctors told her chances of surviving were 50-50. Just last year, Lovato suffered a stroke and a recurrence of her cancer. "Maybe this is it," she said she thought. "I accepted my cancer back. I accepted that I was going to die." But it didn't happen. Chemotherapy put her back into remission, and she's hard at work again. "I'm still here," Lovato said. "Maybe my mission is not accomplished." Copyright c. 2005 - Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Group key in fight for repatriation" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 11:21:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HAWAII" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Dec/30/In/FP512300357.html Group key in fight for repatriation By Lee Cataluna Advertiser Columnist December 30, 2005 Who is Hui Malama to make decisions for all Hawaiians? That question has been flipped around quite a bit lately. The question is asked as if to insinuate that this group showed up unannounced one day. As if it was just a bunch of guys who got together and made up club rules. Hui Malama I Na Kupuna 'O Hawai'i Nei is the go-to organization for the repatriation of Native Hawaiian remains and burial objects. The federal government said so. Hui Malama I Na Kupuna 'O Hawai'i Nei is recognized by the U.S. government as an organization with legal standing for repatriation and reburial, as well as consultation on such matters. Moreover, Hui Malama played an integral part in getting Native Hawaiian burials and artifacts included in the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990. If not for Hui Malama, hundreds of Native Hawaiian remains would still be in cold drawers in museums across the country instead of resting in the sands of their home. Hui Malama brought the bones back to Hawai'i and worked with community burial councils to ensure proper reinterment. Hui Malama members did the wrangling with the museums. They flew to far corners and secured the bones and escorted them back on airplanes. Group members, volunteers, took on this emotional, somber responsibility. It began with the Ritz Carlton on Maui. In 1988, the remains of more than a thousand Native Hawaiians were dug up to build the hotel. Native Hawaiians and supporters lodged a successful fight to have the bones returned to their original resting place in perpetuity and have the hotel site moved inland, away from the burials. Hui Malama grew out of the resolve to not let that kind of desecration happen again. There are other questions that should be asked instead, such as who are these other groups who claim rights to the burial objects taken from Forbes Cave and what was Bishop Museum doing issuing a "loan" for these pieces? There must have been some complicity on that end. On Tuesday, supporters of Hui Malama gathered outside the federal courthouse. Several Hawaiian scholars were there, as well as students of Hawaiian language and culture. Among them was a young woman holding her baby. She wasn't there to argue for the retrieval of the objects so her keiki could see them on some future school excursion. She wanted the objects left with the bones of the ancestors. She held her baby and she chanted her support for Hui Malama. Respect the kupuna. Take care of the keiki. Some believe that those two things are one and the same, that they are accomplished with a single act, and that the future is best served by righting the wrong done when the burial cave was first violated by Forbes. Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com. Copyright c. 2005 Honolulu Advertiser. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Year of new Haunts, big tragedy" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 11:21:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: 2005" http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/columnists/13521582.htm DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Year of new haunts, big tragedy December 31, 2005 It was only a few weeks into 2005 when I received a call from Standing Rock. The call made my hair stand on end. The caller was hesitant about alerting the media coverage on reservations tends to be less than accurate, he said. Five young people committed suicide during December and January, he reported. As I looked into the story, I found there were many more attempted suicides. It was hard for me to understand why young people would be so miserable they choose death over life. And why our Indian children, I wondered? National statistics show suicide is the third-leading cause of death for our young people. The columns and stories that followed led to congressional hearings. Spring came with steady rain and turned the rolling prairie near Fort Yates, N.D., and the buffalo pasture into emerald green. The change in weather seemed to bring calm to a community in mourning. Then, the gnarled hands of death twisted and turned north toward the Red Lake Band of Chippewa. Shots rang out across the reservation and echoed way beyond Minnesota and even the United States. Jeffery Wiese ended the lives of 10 people, including himself, in a movielike stand guns blazing and a long black coat whipping in the backfire of the gun reports. It was a long month. The communities that surround the then frozen Red Lake blinked in the camera lights of throngs of national reporters. It was as if a giant magnifying glass were held over the reservation. The Ojibwa people squirmed under the exposure. The band pulled in and closed down, causing some overzealous reporters to do stories molded out of stereotypes. It isn't over. An accomplice was identified, and some of the issues hang in limbo, but the community is healing. Healing came to me last year at the Sitting Bull camp and Sundance in South Dakota. It was a week of ceremony under the full moon. My son, Tony, came home in August. We usually visit relatives or stay at home during his visits, but this year, I planned something different. Jenny Moorman of Baudette, Minn. invited us to howl with the wolves in northern Minnesota. It's one of those adventures of 2005 etched in my brain. We went deep into the pitch-black forest. When we arrived, it was so dark, the darkness seemed heavy enough to touch. I whispered to my son: Remember the wolves ate Little Red Ridding Hood's grandmother, and I dug my nails into his arm. Then, I looked up. The night sky just seemed to drop around us, and we stood looking up into the face of night awestruck. From there, I took "Son" to Canada, up near the Ojibwa reserves, and then we dropped down to Ely, Minnesota. Ely is a beautiful little village with log buildings and a homemade ice cream shop to die for. On a whim, I called Lynn Rogers, "the man who talks to bears." He just returned from Alaska but was kind enough to let us visit. He was looking through recent photographs and tapes he made on his visit to Alaska and grizzlies bears. Did you know, I asked him, that a photographer who lived in the grizzlies' homeland was killed by them? Yah, he said, he was one of the first ones on site of the grizzly attack. Grizzlies are much bigger than the black bear that Rogers befriends and much more aggressive. I didn't have time to question him further because three cubs and their mother came to the window. Big teddy bearlike cubs came in through the window and took nuts from my hand. I actually ran my hand over them like petting a dog. One, as I told in my column, bit my finger, but it didn't break the skin. Rogers is adamant that bears are wild animals, but that's easy to forget when they act like cute puppies. Last fall, I also picked juneberries and blueberries then canned till I nearly was blue. I photographed the beautiful showy lady-slipper that grows wild along the roadside near Baudette. I am impressed with the area that seems to have new beauty at each turn of the season. Finally, as the days grew shorter and the autumn rain began to fall, I attended the ribbon cutting of Four Bears bridge in New Town, N.D. The narrow, horse and buggy bridge was dangerously outdated. What I remember most about the opening was Gov. John Hoeven, Rep. Earl Pomroy and Chairman Tex Hall riding horseback across the bridge with a whole bridge full of the community following. I am thankful to the Creator for the gift of adventure and keeping all of us safe for another year. This year, I see even more clearly "we are all related"plants, animals, birds and people all. Mitakuye Oyasin. ---- Dorreen Yellow Bird's column appears Tuesday and Saturday. Reach her at (701) 780-1228 or dyellowbird@gfherald.com Copyright c. 2005 Grand Forks Herald/Grand Forks, ND. --------- "RE: Leader says he never sought Political Role" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 11:21:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JODI RAVE: JOE GARCIA" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.billingsgazette.com/2005/12/31/build/state/55-garcia.inc National Indian leader says he never sought political role By JODI RAVE Missoulian December 31, 2005 MISSOULA - Joe Garcia strums guitar chords with the same ease that roots him in tribal tradition and the same conviction that inspires him to speak his mind on any issue. They are qualities that have propelled Garcia to leadership within the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo in New Mexico, and most recently to a top leadership role as president of the National Congress of American Indians. Garcia never sought a role in politics. "Basically, I'm not a political person," he said. "I've never really been involved in tribal government up until '91. I had no intentions at all of serving on the tribal government because our system is (by) appointment. There is no election." His first elected leadership position arrived only four years ago, when he became first vice president of the National Congress of American Indians. Garcia's down-to-earth leadership style help set the stage for his transition from governor of the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, formerly known as San Juan Pueblo, to the top seat at the NCAI. "I've known him since he was a young boy," said Herman Agoyo, a former Ohkay Owingeh governor. "He can get his points across and he's much committed to the Indian Country causes. He's going to do a grand job of advocating for Indian America." Agoyo, a lifetime member of the Ohkay Owingeh Tribal Council, was one of the elders responsible for appointing Garcia to the council as lieutenant governor in 1991 and again in 1993. The council consists of religious leaders, former pueblo governors and four appointed positions. The council chose Garcia as the pueblo's governor in 1995. That year, he also attended his first NCAI meeting and walked away from the San Diego conference as the NCAI area vice president for the Southwest. In 2001, he was elected to NCAI's top ranks as first vice president. He ran unopposed for the same seat in 2003. Others soon sought him to run for president. He won that seat easily in November during the NCAI's annual convention in Tulsa, Okla. Garcia comes to NCAI from a career spanning more than two decades at Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the world's largest multidisciplinary science institutions. After earning an electrical engineering degree from the University of New Mexico, Garcia's Los Alamos career path ran the gamut from senior engineer in weapons research, to quality improvement, to a team leader for the Department of Energy, the laboratory and the pueblos, to management. He'll use that experience as he works to represent the organization's 250 member tribes, nearly half of all federally recognized tribes in the United States. The NCAI ought to devote 80 percent of its resources to addressing the top 20 percent of tribal concerns, he said, requiring greater unification, integration and collaboration among the tribes. "Man, have we got some powerful minds out there in Indian Country," Garcia said. "But we don't use that as such. We kind of run over each other, bump into each other, step on each other's foot, this, that and the other." He plans to continue the State of the Indian Nations Address adopted by former president Tex Hall, chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. The next address is scheduled for February. Garcia also proposes to make some changes, including early involvement in the federal budget process. And he sees the need to strengthen communication between the organization and its 12 regions. The tribes should have a chance to do more than listen to reports at the annual conference, Garcia said. He'd like the NCAI to start organizing meetings in each region, a day or two in length. He'd like the NCAI leadership to meet with tribes on their own ground to spend meaningful time talking about "their issues, their solutions, their suggestions, their ideas." It's familiar territory for a man whose career and everyday life have centered on being a conciliator. "He looks out for the best interest of the community members," said Peter Garcia Jr., the pueblo's gaming commissioner and Garcia's oldest brother. "He's flexible. I think you need to be flexible if you're going to become a leader. You can't have your way all the time. You have to listen to people." Jodi Rave covers American Indian issues. Contact her at jodi.rave@lee.net or 523-5299. Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: FIRERIDER: Indians helping Indians" --------- Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005 14:22:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FIRERIDER: NEW AIM" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412178 Firerider: Indians helping Indians by: Marty Firerider / Guest columnist The 'new' American Indian Movement moves forward December 30, 2005 The American Indian Movement in Southern California can't help but keep a strong and visible profile because of our "American Indian Movement Today" talk-radio show on WorldTalkRadio.com, including numerous community projects and activities in the name of AIM. We are the "new" AIM, a proactive advocacy organizations registered as nonprofit corporations. Check out our southern California chapters at www.aimriverside.org or www. sandiego.org. However, we still subscribe to the principles and philosophy of the AIM Grand Governing Council at www.aimovement.org. We want people to know that AIM is not the boogeyman they think it is. We are not militants; that is a label the government uses to classify people so they can legally circumvent citizens' civil rights. We are warriors and have been for thousands of years. Hate and violence is not our way and never has been, but we will defend our people with our last breath. AIM is a spiritual movement of dedicated warriors. We mean no harm to anyone and desire to practice our traditional and spiritual culture in peace. As one who performs all the pre-production news stories for our successful radio show, it affords me the opportunity to understand the daily struggle in Indian country. The caseloads are overwhelming and at times seem endless. The U.S. government can apologize to Japanese-Americans, blacks and others, but they cannot even apologize to indigenous Americans. They humiliate and insult Indian people with the federal holiday called Columbus Day. Asking Indian people to celebrate Columbus Day is like asking Jews to honor Hitler. History books may have been written by the victors, but that does not necessarily mean that the words are true. AIM is about bringing the truth into the light that others may not have to stumble in the darkness. We replace lies and deception with truths for our people. We place our people and culture above our own self-interests. Understand that the American Indian Movement has been around since 1492. However, we did not give it a name until 1968. For 400 years, the dominant culture has been on the offense, taking everything from Indian people. In the 1960s and '70s, AIM came into being and was able to maneuver the federal government to a stalemate position. Some of the Indian achievements were accomplished by legislating the Indian Civil Rights Act, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, etc. Today, Indian people and tribal governments are on the offensive; it is now our time. The dominant culture is on the defensive trying to hold on to their ill-gotten gains taken from American Indians. The difference is that we are not stealing it; we are legislating it back, or winning legal court decisions and even buying it back. Sadly, it scares the dominant culture and results in what appears to be a rise in discrimination against Indians. Today, I read countless active legal cases preparing for our weekly radio show. For example, a tribe in Ohio is suing for more than 145 square miles that was taken from them in violation of their treaty rights. Numerous non-Indian communities are trying to stop Indian governments from buying back original lands and placing them in trust, thus taking the land out of the non-Indian community tax base. In Roseburg, Ore., two non- Indian city council members are accusing Indians of "stealing their land" due to a planned convention center to be constructed by the Cow Creek Tribe. This land will be placed in federal trust as reservation land. Therefore, the city will lose the tax revenue from the land. Indians stealing land? Now that is one nobody would have seen coming. Our new strategy here in AIM is to play by the rules and beat them - government and political institutions - at their own professional game. We are encouraging Indian youth to enter law and politics, but never forget their traditional or spiritual ways so as to not succumb to the dominate culture's greed and ego, better known as the "me, myself and I" or "instant gratification" culture. Understand we are neither Republicans nor Democrats, liberals or conservatives. We are Native American Indians with a unique spiritual culture. Our new goal is to not tie our future survival to any one political party, but to play both sides to our own political advantage as they have played the divide and conquer strategy against Indian people for hundreds of years. The new energy in Indian country is unity. Recently returned from a conference in Minneapolis as guest speakers, we spoke to representatives from more than 500 tribes. Unity was the theme and my phone has not stopped ringing from Indian people all across America looking to unite. It was made clear that if we (American Indians) could speak as one voice, America would have to listen and sit down to the table of peaceful dialogue. This month we launched AIM Riverside Chapter (www.aimriverside.org) as a nonprofit corporation similar to the San Diego Chapter, with others coming soon. How can America claim to be this great moral power in the world when it has its own backyard to clean up - namely, Indian issues? We don't mean to take away from other minorities' issues, but Indian issues are very complex and comprehensive. America will truly achieve its greatness when it can come to terms with all the treaty, legal and civil rights issues that need to be resolved. Let the negotiations begin that we may all live in a truly equal America for all. --- Marty Firerider, Anishnaabe, is a co-host of the talk radio program "American Indian Movement Today," which can be heard at WorldTalkRadio.com. A Vietnam veteran national activist, he has worked as a political lobbyist and economic development specialist for veterans rights in Washington, D.C. He is former CEO of the American Veterans Chamber of Commerce and is currently CEO of the American Indian Movement Inc. for AIM San Diego, a California nonprofit corporation. Copyright c. 1998-2005 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Yaquis celebrate past in Dance" --------- Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 14:57:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YAQUI CULTURAL CONTINUANCE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/articles/1226folklorico26.html Yaquis celebrate past in dance Carol Sowers The Arizona Republic December 26, 2005 SCOTTSDALE - More than 20 years ago, Aurora Dempsey danced with the original folklorico troupe from the Vista del Camino community in south Scottsdale. Now her 6-year-old daughter, Katy, and 3-year-old son, Joshua, are learning the swirling steps of regional dances that celebrate 1,000 years of Mexican history. "No matter how many times I see them dance," she said, "watching my own kids do it makes my heart full of joy." Vista Folklorico was born in 1982, made up of mostly Yaqui youths who are members of an indigenous Mexican tribe. Many of the dancers are among the 100 or so Yaquis who live near the Vista del Community Center at 77th and Roosevelt streets on two cul-de- sacs known as Penjemo. There have been many dedicated folklorico dancers from those two streets. But the group has had a bumpy history: too little money and too little will to keep it going. It disbanded for a while but was revived in 1992 by some of the original dancers, such as Dempsey. She appealed to the Vista del Camino Community Center for help. The center offered the troupe a place to practice and provided names of civic groups that taught troupe organizers how to write grants, relieving parents of shouldering the whole burden for costumes, transportation and other costs. Now the group of 28 dancers is in demand, performing three times a month at a variety of local events, including Holiday Harmony, Scottsdale's downtown tree-lighting ceremony, and the Mariachi Festival at America West Arena, both held earlier this month. And for the third year in a row, they have been invited to dance at Disneyland during spring break in March. They have the energy to practice every night a week if necessary to prepare for the performance. But they don't have the $6,000 to make the trip. The group does not charge for performances but asks for a $50 to $100 donation to help cover expenses, not enough to get the dancers to Anaheim. The Scottsdale Cultural Council and Scottsdale Endowment for the Arts have helped. Parents have written letters to merchants asking for donations and pitched in with the kids to wash cars, sell fry bread and hold yard sales. "Unfortunately, we are still far away from the $6,000 goal," said Aurora Favela, , whose two daughters are among the dancers. As of last week, the dancers had raised $3,500. The two Auroras are devoted to the group, they say, because it is an enduring symbol of their colorful culture. The dancers offer the same reasons. Leticia Rangel, 12, has been with the group for about a year, lured by the costumes and the music. More than that, she says, "It's my heritage." At 13, Dominic Gonzales is the senior member of the group. He has a simple answer for why he is still dancing. "Because it's awesome," he said. Copyright c. 2005, azcentral.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Hope blossoms in Garden of Health" --------- Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 14:57:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="KEEP TRADITIONS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3342750?source=rss Hope blossoms in garden of health Balance: Immigrants belonging to Mexico's native tribes try to keep traditions while building ties to U.S. health workers By Juliana Barbassa The Associated Press December 25, 2005 MADERA, Calif. - A thick tangle of marigolds reaches chest-high around 19-year-old Caritina Cruz, who plucks one of the deep orange flowers and explains to her little sister how to prepare it in a tea that soothes indigestion. The teenager was born to one of Mexico's native Indian tribes, and grew up steeped in healing traditions that predate the Spanish conquest. To her and other immigrants of Mexico's dozens of indigenous groups, a garden tucked behind a whitewashed church in rural Madera County is a pharmacy. With Cruz's care, the plot eventually will sprout plants that other Mexican Indians in the area may use to treat insomnia, kidney problems, stomach cramps and other ailments. The garden is part of a larger effort to preserve pre-Columbian health care customs even as community leaders work to forge ties with the local medical establishment. It was planted with the help of a nonprofit group that speaks up for the Mixtecs, Zapotecs, Triquis and other native Mexicans who labor as migrant farmworkers in California's Central Valley. The arrival of immigrants with radically different beliefs about health and the patient-healer relationship is pushing doctors to broaden their understanding of what it takes to care for their new patients. For example, doctors working with Hmong refugees who arrived from Southeast Asia in the 1980s have had to bridge a language barrier and a gap between Eastern and Western medicine in situations where miscommunication could be the difference between life and death. Members of Mexico's 60 Indian groups are even more likely than other recent immigrants to fall outside the reach of the American health care system, said Nayamin Martininez Cossioio, of the indigenous organization Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indigigena Oaxaque-o. Isolated in remote farmworker settlements and usually uninsured, they often speak languages most Spanish-speaking Mexicans don't recognize. It's an added barrier when a baby gets sick or when a pregnant woman wants a prenatal checkup. Often discriminated against in Mexico, they also are "at the bottom of the ladder" in the United States, said Jonathan Fox, a researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "No one represents their interests, here or in Mexico," Fox said. "They have to speak up and do it themselves." The 2000 Census showed there were about 154,362 such immigrants in the state, according to an analysis by researchers at UC Santa Cruz. But Mexico's Indians are making up a growing share of migrants entering the country, according to estimates from the National Agricultural Workers Survey. Between 1993 and 1994, Mexicans from states such as Oaxaca, Chiapas and Guerrero accounted for 9 percent of immigrant farmworkers coming to the country, a figure that rose to 19 percent between 2001 and 2002. As the population grows, the need to ensure its health also increases - and not just for the immigrants' well-being. The itinerant group may carry infectious diseases from state to state while following the harvest, health officials said. "They're difficult to reach and they're difficult to treat because they travel so much," said Norma Penalosa, a communicable diseases specialist with Fresno County's Department of Community Health. "One case can become many cases spread around the country." In 2003, Fresno County health workers identified a tuberculosis outbreak that would eventually spread to dozens of Mixtecs. Centro Binacional raised money, held education meetings in the community, and tested more than 1,000 people - playing a key part in containing the outbreak, said Penalosa. There have been other successful public health campaigns, but permanently closing the cultural and physical distance between the rural, migrant population and English-speaking health providers who tend to be city-bound takes years of work. Martinez and others with Centro Binacional are taking on the task. They have sent 15 immigrants who speak a variety of Indian languages to train as interpreters at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. They've visited hospitals and clinics around the Central Valley to offer translation - something hospitals are legally required to provide. They've delivered workshops in far-flung rural towns on AIDS prevention, diabetes, nutrition, and other health problems farmworkers might encounter in the United States. In November, they brought three healers from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca to California for a conference. Hundreds of American nurses, doctors and social service providers heard about some of the health customs and beliefs held by Indians from the region. Traditional healers told their American counterparts they rely heavily on herbal remedies and rituals to treat diseases, many of which are believed to be caused by problems outside the body, such as offending the spirits or doing an injustice to others. Since health problems are thought to have a "hot" or "cold" quality to them, the patient's diet and surroundings are very important, they said. Enriqueta Contreras, a Zapotec midwife, said that being in a foreign land where nothing is familiar can itself be a source of physical and mental illness. "People who come here start feeling disconnected," Contreras said in Spanish. "They stop eating their food. They are away from their family, their language. They can't get the herbs they're used to. They don't know who they are anymore. That makes them sick." Several doctors attending the conference said having access to traditional medicine can comfort patients by giving them a connection to home. But they also warned against relying only on traditional healers and herbs, which can interfere with prescribed medication or offer a false sense of security. "They'll go to a healer for as long as they can and by the time they come in, they might have advanced diabetes and be at risk for losing a limb," said Jesus Rodriguez, a family practitioner at Fresno's Sequoia Community Health. Rodriguez encourages his patients to bring in any herbal remedies they might be taking so he can evaluate them and work them into a regimen that might include conventional medicine. Cruz and other immigrants hope to find the best of both. "I know where I came from, but this is where I am," Cruz said. "I want to keep what we know and be able to use what's here, too." Copyright c. 2005 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. 2005, The Salt Lake Tribune. --------- "RE: Eight Years After the Acteal Massacre" --------- Date: Saturday, December 24, 2005 02:10 pm From: Chiapas95-english Subj: 8 Yrs After Acteal,a Time to Create an Other Journalism,Dec Mailing List: Chiapas95-en This message is forwarded to you by the editors of the Chiapas95 newslists. To contact the editors or to submit material for posting send to: . From: "Dana" Eight Years After the Acteal Massacre, a Time to Create an Other Journalism A Letter from Quetzal Belmont in Mexico By Quetzal Belmont Radio-Audio Coordinator, The Amado Avenda~o Figueroa Brigade NarcoNews December 22, 2005 Dear Readers, I believe that the history underway in Latin America is of great importance in the context of global social-political events. And specifically here in Mexico, where on January 1 "The Other Campaign" of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation will begin, of which reporting - not just by the Mexican "duopoly" of Commercial Media - will be vital. Quetzal Belmont interviews a farmer in Bolivia's Chapare region. Photo: D.R. 2005 Noah Friedsky That's why we invite you to colaborate with us by making a donation of any size to make possible another kind of coverage of this "Other Campaign." The donations made to The Fund for Authentic Journalism are what permit we who form part of the Narco News team to do our work; in order to pay the costs of transportation and other expenses allowing us to donate our labor in the places where the news occurs. A year and a half ago, I had the opportunity to collaborate this way with the Narco News School of Authentic Journalism, by producing radio reports from Bolivia; specifically with the coca leaf growers and about the persecution against them. The situation was a "well known secret" made silent by the interests that ran that country. Other colleagues demonstrated the problems through video documentaries, written reports and also via radio. I think that the Narco News school is a necessary tool for the construction of other forms and possibilities of communication. That's why it must exist. Beyond the space of information that each day grows wider and brings knowledge and vision to more and more people around the world there is also the pleasure of publishing the news and connecting the different languages in which one can have access to this information. Today, December 22, marks eight years since the Acteal massacre in Chiapas, about which many questions still go unanswered, but above all much pain. Seeing the tint of coverage by some news organizations, for me it is necessary to stop and think and to rethink those forms of "communication" that give censored and mediatized news to the people. For those reasons, once again, this invitation comes to you to collaborate with we who are trying to create new forms of journalism, to generate other possibilities, routes and tools of communication. Please make your donation, of any size, today, online, at The Fund for Authentic Journalism website: http://www.authenticjournalism.org/ Or, send a check to "The Fund for Authentic Journalism" at: The Fund for Authentic Journalism P.O. Box 241 Natick, MA 01760 USA An affectionate salute, Quetzal Belmont Graduate, Narco News School of Authentic Journalism (Bolivia 2004) Audio-Radio Coordinator, The Amado Avenda~o Figueroa Brigade -- To subscribe to this list send a message containing the words subscribe chiapas95 (or chiapas95-lite, or chiapas95-english, or chiapas95-espanol) to majordomo@eco.utexas.edu. Previous messages are available from http://www.eco.utexas.edu/faculty/Cleaver/chiapas95.html or gopher to Texas, University of Texas at Austin, Department of Economics, Mailing Lists. --------- "RE: Chevron fights Rights Abuse Allegations" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 11:21:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RIGHTS ABUSES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.greenwichtime.com/coll=sns-ap-investing-headlines Chevron Fights Rights Abuse Allegations By TERENCE CHEA Associated Press Writer January 1, 2006 SAN FRANCISCO - A young boy holds out a deformed hand. A woman is missing a lower leg that was amputated to remove a tumor. A gaunt middle-aged man lays in a hammock dying of stomach cancer. The haunting images displayed in a photo exhibit at San Francisco City Hall claim to document the devastating effects of more than three decades of oil extraction in Ecuador's Amazon rainforest. Humberto Piaguaje came to help launch the exhibit and seek justice from the powerful petroleum company he blames for sickening his people and poisoning his homeland. He's one of 30,000 plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit that alleges San Ramon-based Chevron Corp. failed to clean up billions of gallons of toxic waste dumped in pristine rainforest in Ecuador, where a lengthy trial is under way. "We've lived there for thousands of years, and we've never had diseases like this before," Piaguaje, a leader of Ecuador's Secoya tribe, said in Spanish. "We want Chevron to do a true cleanup of the areas they contaminated." Chevron, one of the world's largest oil companies, has denied human rights and environmental violations in the 180 countries where it operates, but allegations of abuse threaten its public image around the world. Critics claim such abuses are increasing as the global scarcity of petroleum drives oil companies into countries with rich reserves but poor protections for human rights and the environment. "It's the resource curse," said Steve Kretzmann, executive director of Oil Change International. "Unfortunately, the rule around the world is that where you have oil extraction, you see increasing rates of poverty, human