_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 14, ISSUE 011 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, WOTANGING IKCHE - Lakota - Common News Wotanging Ikche and Native American News Copyright c. 1996-2006 nanews.org Aboriginal/AmerIndian Perspective about the First Nations of Turtle Island March 18, 2006 Blackfeet sa'aiki'somm/duck moon Yuchi wadasine/little summer moon Abenaki mozokas/moose hunter moon Lakota Siyoistohcapi Wi/moon of Snow blindness +-------------------------------------------------------+ | Much more happens in Indian Country than is reported | | in this weekly newsletter. For daily updates & events | | go to http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm | +-------------------------------------------------------+ Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin -- Blackfeet -- News for All the People Ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min -- Ojibwe -- We Are Talking About Ourselves Aunchemokauhettittea -- Naragansett -- Let Us Share News Kanoheda Aniyvwiya -- Cherokee -- Journal of the People O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse -- Creek -- People's New News O o O Acimowin -- Plains Cree -- Story or Account O o O Tlaixmatiliztli -- Nahuatl -- News O o o o o O Agnutmaqan -- Listuguj Mi'kmaq -- News O o O Sho-da-ku-ye -- Teehahnahmah -- Talking Birchbark O o O Un Chota -- Susquehannic Seneca -- The People Speak O Ha-Sah-Sliltha -- Ditidaht Nation -- News of the People Ximopanolti tehuatzin, inin Mexika tlahtolli -- Nahuatl -- For you we offer these words It-hah-pe-hah Ah-num pah-le -- Chickasaw -- Together We Are Talking Dineh jii' adah' ho'nil'e'gii ba' ha' neh -- Navajo Nation -- What's Happening among The People News Okla Humma Holisso Nowat Anya -- Choctaw -- People(s) Red Newspaper Hi'a chu ah gaa -- Pima -- The stories or the talk of the People s ch mA mL tL squee Lux -- Okanogan -- News from the People Native American News -- Language of the Occupation Forces ++>If you speak a Native American language not listed above, please send us your words for "News of the People." We'd rather take up this whole page saving these few words of our hundreds of nations than present a nice clean banner in the language of the occupation forces who came here determined to replace our words with their own. email gars@nanews.org with the equivalent of "News of the People" in your tribal language along with the english translation <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is produced in straight ASCII text for greatest portability across platforms. Read it with a fixed-pitch font, such as Courier, Monaco, FixedSys or CG Times. Proportional fonts will be difficult to read. <================<<<< >>>>================> This issue contains articles from www.owlstar.com; www.indianz.com; www.pechanga.net; Frostys AmerIndian, Chiapas95, Chiapas95-En and NetRez-L 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + ==================== "Tribes feel that once again they have been betrayed by the same kind of Washington sleight-of-hand that has already separated them from most of their resources, their lands, their customs and even their religious practices and families." __ Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Northern Cheyenne, retired US Senator +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! I found out this past Thursday someone else I knew had chosen suicide rather than try to continue in a life she felt had no purpose and frustrated with her attempts to find that purpose. Suicide is more than just a word when it happens to someone you know and care about personally. Suicide is a step of desperation for a person who has lost hope. In each case I have had this misfortune to witness the individual begins to isolate his or herself from the very people who could provide hope and purpose. The focus is so tightly bound to self and self-despair there is no room for help, no ear for truth and no vision of the beauty of Creator's many gifts that surround each of us. Nothing is a place created for a mind and heart that have given up and no longer wish to open to a child's murmur, a bird's song, a scent of clover on a soft breeze. It is an ever swirling vortex the drowning victim deliberately sinks into, rather than step on the bank of tomorrow inches away. It is a very long term, irrevocable solution to a short term problem. If you see yourself in the words I have just typed seek help now. If you have no pity and love for yourself, grant it to your friends and family. 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 ----------- - Trust Case headed for settlement - Barrow Seamstresses in Joint Bill sew 'Thread of Life' - No Right Number in settlement - YELLOW BIRD: of Cobell v. Norton Spirits soar on Eagles' Wings - Gale Norton stepping down - Aboriginal Apprenticeship - Dam removal could help Tribes skyrocketing in Alberta - Saving Sacred Sites - Tories must live up - Public helps shape Future to Liberal commitments of Moccasin Bend Park - Youth reach out - Tribes defend rights to Youth through Campaign over Energy access - $3 Billion Shortfall - U.N. panel backs Shoshone claim in Health Care Funding - Residents tell of - Manitoba Chiefs: Mining's tragic impact Native women lagging - Waste raises questions - Grassy Narrows steps up fight of Tribes' Sovereignty - In the Wake of the Otra - No decision on Whiteclay - Oaxaca under State of Repression Alcohol Licenses - Large Caseloads the norm - Colorado Gas at core for Arapaho CPS Office of Pipeline dispute - Additional Public Safety - Cherokee Nation distribited to Navajo accepts Freedmen ruling - Prison Officials urged - Navajo Elders celebrate to ban non-Indians new Nursing Home - Native Prisoner - IAIA welcomes new President -- Restorative Justice Circles - School Program assists extend into Schools American Indian Students - History: Carlisle Indian School - Elders share Ice Knowledge - Rustywire: Looking for Indians with Barrow Response - John Berry Poem: Work-a-day - Seward Peninsula Elder - Upcoming Events shares Caribou Culture --------- "RE: Trust Case headed for settlement in Joint Bill" --------- Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 08:46:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LEGISLATIVE SETTLEMENT POSSIBLE" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?feature=yes&id=1096412600 Trust case headed for settlement in joint bill by: Jerry Reynolds / Indian Country Today March 3, 2006 WASHINGTON - The trust funds lawsuit is headed for legislative settlement if a bipartisan cohort of congressional members can get its way. The message couldn't have been more clear at a rare joint hearing of Senate and House of Representatives members March 1. Rep. Richard Pombo and Sen. John McCain, both Republicans, flanked by up to a dozen lawmakers from both parties, said they will introduce identical bills: House Bill 4322 and Senate Bill 1439. Stuart Eizenstat, a former U.S. ambassador best known for helping to settle the property claims of Holocaust survivors in Europe, surveyed the gathering and said, "This speaks volumes." He urged the lawmakers to settle every possible item of the tangled lawsuit through legislation, leaving as little as possible to the courts. Otherwise, he added, "legal peace" will never be possible because "creative lawsuits" and other claims will continue to crop up. "Avoid at all costs sending this back to the federal courts ... You cannot have courts settle historical wrongs. They're not set up to do that." John Bickerman of Bickerman Dispute Resolutions, one of the mediators appointed by Congress in hopes of encouraging the plaintiff class of Indian trust beneficiaries and the defendant Interior Department to settle their differences, said the animosity between the litigants is unprecedented in his experience. Asked directly whether a court settlement can be reached, he simply said, "Never." The trust relationship between tribes and the government isn't really at issue in the case, according to Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., because the government's delegate in managing the Individual Indian Money trust - Interior - violated its trust obligations long ago and repeatedly. Neither is liability an issue, said Bickerman, adding for clarity that the government is flat-out liable for mismanaging the IIM accounts. The only issue now is money; that is, how much does the government owe Indian beneficiaries in the class action lawsuit? Many historical documents are missing in the matter, and a slew of issues around restoration of the records through forensic accounting has been debated again, and again, and yet again in the courts. Bickerman said a precise, accurate answer can never be found. Assumptions regarding error rates in the government's accounting and in historical interest rates lead to wild fluctuations in the figures. He and Eizenstat concurred that no improvement of accounting methodology, however expensive or prolonged, will ever result in a reliable figure. "With just small changes, these numbers bounce all over the place," Bickerman said. He said the plaintiff's claim to $176 billion as a starting point for negotiations had raised "unrealistic expectations," and termed Interior's attachment to much lower figures, based on extrapolation from limited statistical samplings, "somewhat suspect." According to Eizenstat, "There is a range [of compensation sums] the committee ought to be looking at." Any figure settled on by Congress is bound to show a degree of unfairness in the absence of perfect accuracy, he said. But it will also show a degree of fairness because living Indian beneficiaries will receive compensation. Otherwise, he warned, a court process will simply play out the scenario of the novel "Bleak House," the Dickens masterpiece in which the law firm of Jarndyce & Jarndyce consumes the entirety of an inheritance in lawsuits without ever settling the case. Eizenstat told McCain no one will like the settlement number, whatever it may be, and McCain emphasized at the hearing's end that Indians will not like the final bill. In the nation's constrained budgetary circumstances - with $150 million drained off daily to war costs in Iraq and $27 million a day to similar costs in Afghanistan, and with federal deficit reduction a rising congressional priority - the words took on an acute tone of warning, of lowering expectations in advance of bad news. For the record, Interior has been all but demonized in Congress, the courts and public opinion for its historical incompetence and present obfuscation in managing the IIM accounts. But the tables have turned somewhat recently as the IIM attorney team has endured a monumental beating in a series of appellate court decisions that have vacated and remanded lower court decisions favoring the plaintiff class. Bickerman said that after more than 10 years of litigation, the litigants do not agree on the meaning of even the most recent court decision. On a second panel of witnesses, representatives of United South and Eastern Tribes, the National Congress of American Indians, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association all agreed, with minor reservations on only a few points, that Congress should proceed with a legislated settlement of Cobell v. Norton. Copyright c. 1998-2006 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: No Right Number in settlement of Cobell v. Norton" --------- Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 08:43:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRUST SETTLEMENT NUMBERS GAMES" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/2006/03/07/AR2006030701398.html Indian Claims: Pull a Number From a Hat? March 8, 2006 Just pick a number, lawmakers were told by both sides looking to Congress to resolve a lawsuit over billions of dollars in federal royalties that American Indians say they are owed. Estimates of the money owed for unpaid royalties on oil, gas, timber and other resources from Indian lands range from half a billion dollars to $27. 5 billion, a panel of negotiators and tribal leaders told Senate and House members last week, the Associated Press reported. Many people with a stake in the bitter class-action lawsuit against the Interior Department are now convinced that only Congress can settle it equitably, even if that means picking an arbitrary number. "One number's as good as another?" asked Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs. "Ultimately, this is an arbitrary solution. There is no right number," mediator John Bickerman said at a joint hearing of McCain's committee and the House Resources Committee. No one disputes that the government has done a poor job handling the Indian trust funds, he said. Congress created the federal trust to handle Indian royalties in 1887. It demanded an accounting in 1994, and two years later Elouise Cobell of the Blackfeet tribe and others filed suit when the accounting was not done. Rep. Richard W. Pombo (R-Calif.), the House committee's chairman, said it would take a miracle for either side to propose an acceptable number. "If we don't do this, the case will drag through the courts as it has dragged on for the last 10 years," he said. -- Christopher Lee Copyright c. 1996-2006 The Washington Post Company. --------- "RE: Gale Norton stepping down" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 08:53:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NORTON RESIGNING" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.rockymountainnews.com/DRMN_23906_4531005,00.html Gale Norton stepping down By M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News March 10, 2006 Interior Secretary Gale Norton, the former Colorado attorney general and one of President Bush's original cabinet members, announced her resignation today, ending a five-year run that included frequent clashes with environmentalists and Native American tribes. Norton, the first woman to serve in the job, said in her resignation letter to President Bush that she had achieved the goals she set out to accomplish. "Now I feel it is time for me to leave this mountain you gave me to climb, catch my breath, then set my sights on new goals to achieve in the private sector," she said. "Hopefully, my husband and I will end up closer to the mountains we love in the West." Norton said she plans to leave the president's Cabinet in March. From the start, Norton was considered one of Bush's most loyal foot- soldiers, using the position overseeing vast tracts of federal land and tribal areas to streamline and increase energy exploration. For that, she faced fierce opposition from environmentalists, and in the early days of the Bush Administration it looked as if she would be one of the most divisive figures in the cabinet. During her confirmation fight in early 2001, critics tried to label her as "James Watt in a skirt" - referring to the controversial Reagan Administration Interior Secretary who once worked with Norton at the Mountain States Legal Foundation. Norton dismissed the critics and used a well-worn mantra about her "Four C's" for lands stewardship: "consultation, cooperation, communication - all in the service of conservation." That never convinced environmentalists, but over time her non-combative, soft-spoken speaking style caused her to slip into the background. As Pete Kolbenschlag, West Slope field director for the Colorado Environmental Coalition put it in late 2004: "Our general feeling is it's administration policy that's pushing this. They can shuffle the players around. Until they change the attitude towards these types of issues in the administration, it's not likely to change." Norton was drawn into a pair of national controversies involving the Native American tribes her agency oversees. When she took the Interior Department post, she inherited the massive lawsuit over the department's alleged mismanagement of Native American trust account funds, which are supposed to compensate individual Indians for the use of their lands. The class action lawsuit seeks potentially billions of dollars in compensation over botched record-keeping and missing records for the trust accounts. The plaintiffs often tried to sanction Norton during the court case, accusing her of intentionally thwarting the judge's orders over the massive accounting, or of cutting funds from other Indian programs to pay for fighting the lawsuit. Meanwhile, in 2005, Norton's name was raised during an investigation into lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was accused of bilking Indian tribes out of millions of dollars while they sought favorable Interior Department decisions on tribal lands and casinos. During an ongoing federal investigation, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee uncovered e-mails suggesting that a one-time Norton associate, Italia Federici, tried to act as a conduit for Abramoff, helping arrange meetings with Norton or her former top deputy, Steve Griles, and passing information back and forth. Indian Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain repeatedly told reporters that he had found no evidence that Norton had done anything wrong, but Norton still faced uncomfortable scrutiny as Federici and Griles were dragged before the committee. Norton also had to face challenges none of her predecessors could have imagined. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when an Interior Department employee was among those killed, Norton had to shift some of her focus - and budget resources - to repairing a damaged national landmark in New York City, and to beefing up security at landmarks she oversees, including the Statue of Liberty. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina ravaged offshore oil platforms and other facilities the Interior Department manages along the Gulf Coast. Norton spent several weeks working with Energy Department officials to get the oil and gas flowing again. But it's oil drilling where Norton's role will long be remembered. She was among the most outspoken cheerleaders for controversial drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and she repeatedly raised the ire of environmentalists by making it easier - and faster - for companies to win permits to explore for resources in public lands, particularly throughout the west. Environmentalists accused her of being in a rush to help industry, regardless of the long-term consequences for pristine places. She once complained that among critics, "There seems to be an undercurrent of 'Why don't you get oil and gas from the same places you've always gotten oil and gas?'" But with traditional exploration sites being depleted, "You do need to keep looking at new areas to produce the same amount of energy." Copyright c. 2006 The E.W. Scripps Co. --------- "RE: Dam removal could help Tribes" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 08:53:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="KLAMATH" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.heraldandnews.com/articles/2006/03/09/news/local_news/local2.txt Dam removal could help Tribes By STEVE KADEL H&N Staff Writer March 9, 2006 A key piece of Klamath Tribes' history could live again if removing the Chiloquin dam helps sucker fish thrive. "These fish have had a subsistence and cultural importance to the Tribes," said Doug Tedrick of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. "They are a natural resource that is important to the Tribes. They have a treaty right to harvest these fish that they are not able to enjoy because they are endangered." A big step toward removing the dam, built in 1914, comes this summer when a pumping plant will be built next to the Sprague River. It will supply water to irrigators after the dam is gone. However, removal won't happen for at least another year because the pumping plant must undergo a 60-day test in April 2007. Tedrick, chief range conservationist for the BIA, was in Klamath Falls this week to talk with Modoc Point Irrigation District representatives and other collaborators about the dam's removal. But that is just part of efforts to bolster the sucker population. Upstream habitat restoration also is needed to get suckers off the endangered list, Tedrick said. Dave Northrup of Chiloquin worked on the crew that replaced a fish ladder on the north side of the dam in the 1960s. He visited the dam this month and watched a crew from the U.S. Geologic Survey working in the ladder - tagging and counting fish. "They told me the suckers are not running yet, but they expect them in a week or two in the ladder," Northrup said. "They did see three large trout in the ladder. "They also told me they have tracked suckers they have tagged in the ladder as far upstream as the Sycan Marsh." Northrup would hate to see the dam removed because it creates a popular fishing hole. Tedrick acknowledges that some fish get past the dam, but not enough to improve sucker numbers. "Some fish can zip right up, but others have more trouble," he said. "It doesn't block passage, but it impairs passage. It's been identified as one of the causes of their reduced population." The National Academy of Sciences' research council has given removal of Chiloquin dam high priority as a recovery effort. Tedrick said environmentalists, the Tribes, and federal, state and local officials all support removal. The BIA and Modoc Point Irrigation District are working together on the project. "We're not pushing ahead of the district," Tedrick said. "It's their private dam. We've worked hand in hand with the district to make sure they remain whole." That includes the BIA paying to build the pumping plant as well as for its maintenance. The agency also will pay electricity costs to pump water to Modoc Point, where 5,000 acres are cultivated. Copyright c. 2006 Herald and News. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Saving Sacred Sites" --------- Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 08:40:29 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SAVING SACRED SITES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.thesunchronicle.com/2006/03/05/city/city1.txt Saving sacred sites By Rick Foster/Sun Chronicle Staff March 5, 2006 In a wooded area off Cumberland Road in North Attleboro, the Massachusetts Historical Commission has called for a study to determine whether an American Indian burial ground may be located on the site of a proposed 102-home subdivision. In Attleboro, a member of the Attleboro Land Trust recently pointed to the existence of ancient Indian sites near a proposed residential development off South Main Street. As a contemporary housing boom gives rise to more single-family homes and condos for growing 21st century communities, some say construction is an increasing threat to traces of homes, hunting camps and burial sites of vanquished tribes - resources that archeologists say could provide valuable information on New England's original residents. "It's happening somewhere on a daily basis," said Kevin McBride, director of the Pequot Museum in Ledyard, Conn., billed as the nation's largest museum devoted to American Indians. McBride said native home sites, artifacts and graveyards are being bulldozed at an accelerating rate, many times by accident and without the knowledge of authorities or native tribes. While Massachusetts often requires archaeological surveys when the presence of historical artifacts is known or suspected, few states or municipalities have strong safeguards. Historical authorities and local tribes point out that because of a high degree of native activity in Massachusetts dating back thousands of years, it's almost inevitable that construction will conflict with ancient sites. "You could dig almost anywhere and possibly disturb a location that was once occupied by Native Americans," said Michael Tougias of Norfolk, a lifelong New Englander and author who has written extensively on regional tribes. Nevertheless, Tougias says he feels reverence for the artifacts and heritage of natives who figure prominently in American history. Evidence of Indian habitation is particularly common along the coast, where thousands of natives lived, so as to be close to sources of food and trade. "There are literally hundreds of sites," said John Peters Jr., director of the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs. The precise locations of archaeological finds are kept secret to ward off vandalism or looting. Many significant finds related to tribes that once thrived in the Attleboro area - such as arrow and spearheads, stone tools and bowls - are in the collection of the Robbins Museum in Middleboro. The contents of the museum, which include a large diorama of a native village, are the results of decades of excavation and work by both professional and amateur anthropologists. At the North Attleboro site, the Massachusetts Historical Society has asked the state's Executive Office of Environmental Affairs to seek an archeological survey on a 104-acre parcel off Cumberland Avenue that has been proposed for the construction of 120 homes. The request followed historical research presented to local officials by a resident indicating that American Indians had been once been present. The survey is regarded mostly as a "precaution," said Vanessa Gulati with the environmental affairs office. No major artifacts are thought to exist there, she said, although more significant sites are located nearby. In Attleboro, Ted Leach, a member of a nonprofit open space preservation group, said construction of a 36-home subdivision off South Main Street might destroy paths used by tribal hunters thousands of years ago. Regulations offer some protection, but state laws do not prohibit building on parcels merely because they contain native artifacts or other cultural assets, Peters said. State and federal laws often require archaeological or historic surveys on government construction jobs. In the private sector, the Massachusetts Environmental Planning Act allows the state to make archaeological surveys a condition of approval for certain large projects. But the discovery of ancient relics needn't pose a problem for builders, Cox said. If a significant find is excavated, scientific observations can be recorded and relics can be removed, leaving the site ready for construction. Often, members of the public who oppose development are disappointed when construction isn't stopped. "People have trouble understanding that," she said. Sometimes development can be a boon to archaeologists. A builder who accidentally stumbles on a stone ax while preparing a house lot might bring to light new information anthropologists or archeologists wouldn't otherwise have had access to, Cox said. McBride said construction workers in Connecticut uncovered a previously unknown burial ground last year while preparing for a construction project. State law does require builders and excavators who discover human remains - including ancient Indian burials - to notify authorities, however. On occasions where burial grounds are uncovered, Peters said, the commission becomes involved in negotiations to preserve the remains. That might include modifying development plans to skirt sensitive areas. In a state struggling to throw off an image of being a complicated, high-cost location in which to do business, even mention of development's encroachment on historical sites can be sensitive. The office of Secretary of State William Galvin refused to permit a Sun Chronicle reporter to speak with the historical commission or its representatives concerning native sites. "They're very busy," said Brian McNiff, a spokesman for Galvin. When asked if that meant the commission's staff would not be available to a reporter, McNiff said, "Not on this subject." No one is more concerned about preserving American Indian artifacts and culture than members of local tribes whose members have inhabited the Attleboro area for thousands of years. But a spokesman for the Seaconke Wampanoags said native tribes aren't trying to throw roadblocks in front of construction. "We're not opposed to development," said Michael Tender Heart Markley, chairman of the Seaconkes. " What we do want is for our ancestors, our heritage and our history to be respected." Indian as well as Colonial burial sites are sacred places which should be left undisturbed, Markley said. And in areas where development encroaches on suspected tribal sites, Markley said an effort should be made to find and preserve cultural artifacts before construction obliterates them. The Seaconkes, who were featured in a National Geographic article this month concerning a study of native tribes, once ranged from East Providence to what are now the Boston suburbs. One of several tribes that originally made up the Wampanoag confederation, the Seaconkes' civilization encompassed both hunter- gatherer groups and more sedentary farming lifestyles. The Seaconkes met the Italian explorer Verrazano when he appeared in Narragansett Bay in 1524, Markley said, and established trade with Europeans long before the Pilgrims bumped into Squanto in 1620. But the Wampanoags got more than they bargained for from Europeans: A deadly plague that wiped out a vast majority of their numbers and rapid subjugation by colonists, capped off by the disastrous King Philip's War of 1675. At the height of tribal civilization in New England, Markley said, there were thousands of Indians in Southeastern Massachusetts. Through pestilence, warfare and genocide, those numbers shrank to a pathetic few. "After the war, there probably were 500 to 1,000 left," Markley said. "Actually, probably closer to 500." Many of those not killed by warfare were pushed off their land, and still others were sold into slavery, he said. Markley said the tribe has three goals related to sites occupied by American Indian ancestors: survey and recover any artifacts found from parcels subject to development, leave burial grounds of Indians or Europeans undisturbed and return any artifacts found to their rightful owners. Today, the number of tribal descendants in the Attleboro area remains small in comparison with historical highs, but the Seaconkes continue to study and preserve their culture. According to the tribe's Web site, www.seaconkewampanoagtribe.com, the tribe conducts classes in native history and culture and is continuing to work toward the goal of establishing tribal-owned land. Copyright c. 2006 Sun Chronicle. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Public helps shape Future of Moccasin Bend Park" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 08:53:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MOCCASIN BEND" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_81760.asp Public Helps Shape Future Of Moccasin Bend Park by Suzanne Walker March 10, 2006 Approximately 60 members of the community met at the Sheraton Read House Hotel on Thursday evening to brainstorm and share ideas about the future of Moccasin Bend, since the land is now designated as part of the National Parks system. For about an hour attendees participated in workshop facilitated breakout groups, in which they discussed three questions: 1) "Why is Moccasin Bend important to the American public?"; 2) "What should visitors to Moccasin Bend experience?"; 3) "What types of interpretation and facilities are needed to provide such experiences?" Representatives from each group presented the most favorable answers. One group commented that the site should "read like a history book" since over 1,000 years of various communities and cultures have dwelled there. Many people emphasized the importance of recognizing and celebrating the Native American ties to the land. Since the land serves as burial grounds for many Native Americans, several groups said they believed it was important to observe the area as "sacred grounds." Some groups suggested that the park should also provide educational opportunities through reenactments, story telling, displays and replicated Indian villages. Planner of the Denver Service Center Carla McConnell said she has been a part of National Park projects all over the country. She said the ideas and visions that the public has put forth will be sorted into a list of "feasible alternatives" that fit with National Park policies and guidelines. She noted that the Denver Service Center works hard with the regional park's office to stay true to what the public deems to be the desired purpose for the park. While the public will have additional opportunities to participate in the planning process, Ms. McConnell said representatives from federally recognized Indian tribes are also participating. She said earlier in the week 12 representatives of various tribes met with planners to provide insight on how Moccasin Bend should be used. She said the tribe representatives were given a tour of the area. "They had a lot of insight and emotional responses." Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Russell Townsend shared his thoughts about Moccasin Bend during the meeting. Mr. Townsend noted that Cherokee tribes, as well as other tribes, are deeply connected to Moccasin Bend. "Moccasin Bend was historically a site for many communities, where people were born, played their games, grew their crops, prayed their prayers, lost their lives and where they were buried.... You are a part of that community now." Mr. Townsend charged listeners to "step up and shoulder that responsibility. "It is no coincidence that Moccasin Bend is situated next to Chattanooga. People are thoughtful, progressive and respectful of other cultures." In 2003 Moccasin Bend National Archeological District was added to Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Park to be protected and developed for "interpretive" and educative purposes. Since September the National Park Service has began assessing and planning for development of the site. The next public planning meeting will likely be held at the end of the summer. Copyright c. 2004 Chattanoogan. --------- "RE: Tribes defend rights over Energy access" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 08:53:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="INDIANS BETRAYED BY DECEITFUL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.denverpost.com/ci_3578978?source=rss Tribes defend rights over energy access Ex-U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell tells how Indians again feel "betrayed" by a deceitful federal government. By Steve Raabe Denver Post Staff Writer March 8, 2006 Ben Nighthorse Campbell spoke at a meeting on energy companies' access to tribal lands. As a U.S. senator, Ben Nighthorse Campbell was a strong advocate of energy development and American Indian rights. Indian rights won out Tuesday. Campbell offered some of the day's most impassioned remarks at a federal meeting in Denver to study problems of access to tribal lands by energy and power companies. Campbell said Indian sovereignty must never be compromised to satisfy concerns over rights of way for petroleum pipelines and power lines. "Tribes feel that once again they have been betrayed by the same kind of Washington sleight-of-hand that has already separated them from most of their resources, their lands, their customs and even their religious practices and families," said Campbell, a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe. Campbell was invited to speak at the conference by two of his Washington, D.C., law-firm clients, the Jicarilla Apache of New Mexico and the Southern Utes of Colorado. At issue is a series of disputes between tribes and energy companies over escalating easement fees. A provision in the recently passed federal energy bill calls for a government study of the issue. The act requires the U.S Energy and Interior departments to report to Congress by Aug. 7, but Indian advocates say the study is simply a prelude to federal intervention in an issue that they see as purely a tribal matter. Federal action on establishing rights-of-way fees "would be to revert to 19th-century tactics instead of the proven successful course of tribal self-determination," said David Lester of the Denver-based Council of Energy Resource Tribes. Energy companies seek a mechanism that offers "fair and equitable" valuations for access to tribal lands, said Nancy Ives of the Fair Access to Energy Coalition, which includes energy companies, other businesses and consumer groups. "Currently, negotiations with tribes have resulted in some tribes demanding inflated compensation ... up to several hundred times fair market value," Ives said. One of the highest-profile disputes concerns payments for 900 miles of natural-gas pipeline owned by El Paso Corp. on Navajo lands in New Mexico and Arizona. El Paso previously paid $2.2 million a year for the Navajo easement until the lease expired last year. The Navajos now want $22 million a year, while El Paso has offered about $10 million a year in cash and noncash investments. Copyright c. 2006 The Denver Post or other copyright holders. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: U.N. panel backs Shoshone claim" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 08:53:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="UN ANTI-RACISM PANEL BACKS SHOSHONE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.elkodaily.com/articles/2006/03/10/news/local_news/news3.txt U.N. panel backs Shoshone claim March 10, 2006 GENEVA (AP) - A United Nations' anti-racism panel today said it had evidence the U.S. government was working with industry to ride roughshod over the rights of an American Indian tribe by exploiting its ancestral land in the western United States. The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination ruled that the United States was failing to respect an international anti- discrimination treaty, to which it became a party in 1994. Organizations defending the rights of the Western Shoshone hailed the decision as a victory, but the U.S. mission to the U.N. and other international organizations in Geneva had no immediate response, an official said. "Maybe this will make the United States start looking at itself and at the problem of discrimination, and make it start to look at us as people instead of subhumans," said Western Shoshone delegate Bernice Lalo of Battle Mountain. "We feel the decision will be helpful by opening the door. We will continue this struggle to give our children a better chance." The panel of independent experts said it had received "credible information alleging that the Western Shoshone indigenous people are being denied their traditional rights to land." The committee of 18 independent experts said it was concerned that the U. S. government's position is based on processes "which did not comply with contemporary human rights norms, principles and standards that govern determination of indigenous property rights." The committee said it was particularly concerned about reported legislative efforts to privatize Western Shoshone ancestral lands for transfer to multinational mining industries and energy developers, federal efforts to open a nuclear waste dump and the reported resumption of underground nuclear testing on Western Shoshone ancestral lands. The panel said it also was worried about reported intimidation of the Western Shoshone people by U.S. authorities, through the imposition of grazing fees, trespassing and collection notices, the impounding horses and livestock, restrictions on fishing and hunting as well as arrests. The committee was also unhappy that the conduct or planning of all these activities was done without consulting and despite the protests of the Western Shoshone people. Western Shoshone rights to the land - some 60 million acres stretching across Nevada, Idaho, Utah and California - were recognized by the United States in 1863 by the Treaty of Ruby Valley. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1979 that the treaty gave the U.S. government trusteeship over tribal lands and it now claims them as "public" or federal lands. But some Shoshone have kept up the fight, even after a majority of their fellow tribe members voted to accept a government settlement that has grown to $145 million. Jim Manley, a spokesman for bill proponent Democratic Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, said last month that the tribe had twice had voted decisively in favor of the settlement. The U.N. committee said in August that the U.S. government should respond to the tribe's argument that the U.S. policy of "gradual encroachment" amounted to racism against an indigenous people. The committee says it "regretted" the United States had failed to meet the Dec. 31, 2005, deadline to answer a list of questions and had not considered it necessary to appear before the panel to discuss the matter. The U.S. government initially failed to submit the information because it believed the case of the Western Shoshone is "an old one" and that the U.N. panel was not competent to hear it. However, the committee said the United States had since agreed to respond to the list of issues, though it did not say when. The committee oversees global compliance with the 1969 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. All countries that have signed the treaty are meant to submit regular reports showing how they respect it. There are an estimated 10,000 Western Shoshone people. Supporting the claims in Geneva were the Western Shoshone Defense Project, the Western Shoshone National Council and the rights organization Oxfam America. Copyright c. 2006 Elko Daily Free Press. --------- "RE: Residents tell of Mining's tragic impact" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 08:53:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LEGACY OF LIES AND ILLNESS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.gallupindependent.com/2006/mar/030706trgcimpct.html Residents tell of mining's tragic impact By Kathy Helms Dine' Bureau March 8, 2006 CHURCH ROCK, N.M. - Ed Carlisle of Church Rock Chapter used to sit in the back of the wagon and go with his grandfather to haul water. "He'd park in the lake and he would give me water to put in the barrel, and I had this barrel covered with a piece of cloth," he said. "He used to pour the water in the barrel to get the tadpoles out. Now, we're pretty much doing the same thing. Water is really precious and scarce," Carlisle told U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New Mexico Environment Department, and Navajo Nation EPA officials, who were at the chapter Friday to listen to community concerns regarding cleanup of the Northeast Church Rock Mine. But this time, it's not tadpoles in the water they're worried about. It's radionuclides and heavy metals. And it's been there for years. So many years, in fact, Navajo residents were not necessarily impressed with EPA's accelerated cleanup plan, which ideally would wipe clean nearly 40 years of uranium mining in the area in one year. Community member Robert Dodson told EPA, "The reason I wanted to come here today is to tell the people that are not from around here that there is a big issue about this uranium" that those "from 'civilization,' where you people are from," don't see. "In these remote areas, people are still in need of electricity and water. And when people come in to develop something to make money on, on Indian land, and they go home and get rich on that, like Mr. George Bush, it hurts me. Because they leave here people sick. "And you come here and tell us you're going to do this in one year it's not going to happen in one year," Dodson said. "The sickness people are getting is going to continue because of the vegetation, the ground. The uranium that soaked into the ground is going to take years. How are you going to clean that? It's not going to happen." Dodson worked for the Kerr-McGee uranium mine in the 1960s and 1970s. "I used to be an underground electrician. We used to run blasting wire and I used to work down there and eat down there. We even drank water down there because the water was cool. We weren't aware of all this contamination that had gone on with uranium and underground water. "When they do blasting, you know, you go in there and pull your blasting wire back out of there not knowing that you're being contaminated from all the dust particles that goes on. And today, you go to the hospital and you get an exam. The guy before me was talking about asthma. Yes, I have that, and the doctor says, 'There's nothing wrong with you.' "Our medicine man in return tries to help us. Our medicine man tells us those are the herbs that will help us for maybe two months, two years, to be well again. I went to the hospital for a physical examination. I told my doctor, 'I don't know why I come over here. My medicine man tells me it's from this. I get herbs and I feel better again. When I go to the hospital, they give me medicine. I don't feel better. "It costs money to pay for these medicine men. And do you know what the doctor told me: 'Just keep on doing what you're doing. Go see your medicine man.' And he's getting paid by the government to tell me that. So if you're here today to say that you guys are going to help us, I feel sorry for you," Dodson said. Oh, that smell Raphael Martin of Pinedale Chapter told state and federal officials, "At times, in continuation today, we smell what we smelled about 25 years ago. We smell the odor of the ponds. The odor of the dried-up ponds continues to blow over the mountain of where we live. "In driving through that location today, it's going to make me wonder," he said. It's going to make me wonder excuse my language when in the hell is this place going to ever get cleaned? "How long are we going to talk about what we're talking about today? When is someone going to really mean business to clean up that area? When? Nobody seems to have the answer." Martin said he was serving as a council delegate when the first meeting was held after the July 1979 tailings spill released about 93 million gallons of tailings and pond water into the Rio Puerco. "They had a timeline (for cleanup), and for some reason, those timelines have maybe got covered by the wind or something, the dust. "There seems to be no end. We just talk, talk, talk. Bring the people together, bring a sandwich and all that, saying we're going to do this, we're going to do that again there's no end to this. "So many investigations have taken place. So many studies are continuing today. All that's doing is giving employment to those that are involved, because the investigations, the studies there's no end." Martin said the Pinedale community wants to know when they are going to complete the cleanup. "We're depending on Navajo Nation EPA alot, but what are the productivities from there? What are the productivities of the Nation? None, as far as I know, other than the studies that we have currently going on. So far, there is nothing going on, but the wind is continuing to blow." He told EPA's Andrew Bain that in order to complete the accelerated cleanup, they would have to collect data. How long is that going to take? Another 25 years? And then we're going to have to show disposal options. Where are they going to dump what they're going to collect? "And then we're going to have a heck of a time meeting the local requirements, the county requirements, the state and the federal requirements. Which way are they (wastes) going to go? It's for darned sure they aren't going to fly, because we don't have an airport out there, " he said. "Our recommendation is we need to come together a little bit more, not to just talk and have sandwiches. We need to get to where we want to get. There's a mess back there and we just talk about it. Let's do something. I'd like to see some results." Out of harmony John Benally told EPA he lives where all the drainage comes together from the Church Rock mine. "I'm concerned about the people, the livestock, the land. Whoever signed the agreement for the mining of uranium, they compromised the health and safety of the people," he said. "The uranium was used in a negative way. They used it as an atomic weapon. Unless we can fix that problem we will still have these problems. . .. We should respect Mother Earth. This desecration of Mother Earth ... you fall out of harmony with Nature. "I know. I worked down in the mine. There was a rock that came down. Maybe that was sort of a punishment. So I had to get the services of a medicine man," he said. Benally worked in the mine 11 years, doing various jobs. "Before the mine was put up, they had exploration. They drilled holes here and there. They drilled wells every thousand feet so they could locate the uranium. And during that process they desecrated gravesites," he said. The spill Lorraine Livingston told EPA that back in the 40s and 50s, the mine area was a beautiful place to live. "Every home had sheep. My neighbor had a lot of sheep, and across the arroyo, that family had sheep. Now, you don't see anything over there." The vegetation used to be good before the mine came. When they left, according to Livingston, they left the land where she lives pock-marked from drilling. The sheep used to go drink from the ponds near the mine, she said. "We lost a lot of sheep. Once they get in, they don't come back out. Whatever it is gets stuck on their wool, even after they were all covered with dirt. They would go around to where the water used to run. It would get between their hoof and they can't walk good." She said they were finally told not to go across the arroyo because of the tailings. "They put signs there, but I guess that was no good. Animals don't read." When the dam on the south cell breached, Livingston said, "They didn't notify us right away that the tailings broke. Early in the morning when I got up, I heard water running down in the arroyo. I said it must be (raining) at Pinedale, because usually it rains in Pinedale and all our soil will be going by our homes." But then she smelled something. "That water smells funny," she told her husband. "As usual, my husband didn't say nothing. ... He went to work. I guess the next day on his way to work, he came upon water still down at the arroyo. "There was rock where the sheep used to drink. He said, 'That's vanished. That water that's down there is red, or it looks like coffee,' he said. And then I said, 'Well, I told you it smells funny.' " Copyright c. the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Waste raises questions of Tribes' Sovereignty" --------- Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 08:46:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GOSHUTES NUCLEAR WASTE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/168694/ Waste raises questions of tribes' sovereignty ANNA CHANG-YEN - Daily Herald March 7, 2006 Who in their right mind would want to store highly radioactive waste in their back yard? The answer seems simple enough: no one. But what simmers beneath the surface of that question is a debate about the sovereignty of American Indian tribes in the United States, said David Rich Lewis, a Utah State University American history professor who spoke at Utah Valley State College on Monday night. He was speaking as part of the "Turning Points in History" lecture series. Just two weeks after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted permission for storage of spent nuclear fuel rods at the Goshute reservation at Skull Valley, the issue of who gets the final say about what goes on on tribal property still remains, Lewis said. And to answer that question he turns to history. From the time Mormon settlers arrived in Utah in 1847, American Indians were pushed aside, Lewis said. "Mormons drove the Goshutes into the desert hills, appropriated their land, even poisoned their water holes, all in the name of protecting white settlers, livestock and the overland trial." Today, with the 18,000-acre valley already surrounded by federal bombing ranges, nerve agent storage facilities and other dumps, the remaining members of the Goshute band who live on the reservation are left with very few options for economic development, Lewis said. The tribe's leader, Leon Bear, sees the deal with Private Fuel Storage as a way to breathe new life into his nation, Lewis said. "This agreement with PFS would bring millions of dollars annually and provide jobs." For critics of the deal, it is an issue of "environmental racism," Lewis said. "Economic or racist self-interest becomes evident. When it suited the state's interest, we have invited with open arms these kinds of operations into our state, but we refuse to discuss even the possibility with the Goshutes." What is needed, Lewis said, is a focused dialogue, grounded in mutual respect, commitment to the legal factors at play, compromise and vision. Complicating matters is a rift within the tribe, between members who support Bear and those who back his opponent, Sammy Black Bear, who doesn't want the waste on tribal lands. Rio Downs, who grew up on tribal land in Deep Creek near Wendover, Nev., said she didn't hear anything new during Lewis's talk, but the average person probably isn't familiar with the real issues facing the Goshutes. She said she keeps in touch with friends in Deep Creek and says they sympathize with their counterparts in Skull Valley. "They don't want it out there. It's just the council that wants it," Downs said. Anne Sward Hansen, of the Environmental Justice Foundation in Provo, said she's been working to help Goshutes write down their traditional form of government to meet legal requirements. Many Goshutes oppose the plan and don't believe Bear is their leader. And although the tribe's sovereignty might be in jeopardy, it is not only the government they battle, Hansen said. "When you talk about tribal sovereignty, it's being exploited by PFS keeping Leon Bear in office. It's not tribal way," he said. Lewis said he fears that if Utah politicians continue to refuse to compromise, history will be repeated. Copyright c. 2006 Daily Herald and Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: No decision on Whiteclay Alcohol Licenses" --------- Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 08:46:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WHITECLAY, NB" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/7aebb01f34d0f6f68625712a001567d3.txt No decision on Whiteclay alcohol licenses March 6, 2005 RUSHVILLE, Neb. (AP) - Alcohol sales at Whiteclay devastate South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and should be stopped, Sheridan County commissioners were told Monday. American Indian activists and others rallied in Rushville on Monday to oppose automatic renewal of licenses for three stores in Whiteclay. But after hearing comments from 22 people, commissioners said they would review the testimony and announce a decision in about a week. "We haven't had the time to look at this," Commissioner Dan Kling said. Alcohol is banned on the reservation. An attorney for two of the stores defended their operation, saying the firms followed state regulations. "These are quality people running quality businesses in quality locations," Scottsbluff lawyer Andy Snyder said. And, Snyder said, the three stores are receiving more scrutiny than any other alcohol-selling businesses in Nebraska. However, most of those who spoke urged commissioners to reject the renewal. "People in Sheridan County should be ashamed ... because of the devastation that alcohol is causing," Gordon resident Phil Compton said. "I want to ask you as commissioners to consider what we are doing as a county." The commissioners can either approve the automatic renewal or recommend to the state's Liquor Commission the stores reapply for licenses. The public hearing was prompted by Nebraskans for Peace in the group's latest attempt to stop the stores from selling alcohol to American Indians. The three stores are Mike's Pioneer Service, Jumping Eagle Inn and State Line Liquor. They sell an average of more than 12,000 cans of beer a day but never should have been licensed, said Mark Vasina, president of Nebraskans for Peace. "It's quite clear that these licenses are operating in a community where there's clearly inadequate law enforcement," he said prior to the hearing. Because of that, the stores sell to minors and intoxicated people, and patrons are allowed to drink in public, Vasina said. The state of Nebraska and Oglala Sioux Tribe have signed an agreement to allow tribal officers to patrol Whiteclay but that hasn't started, he said. Besides law enforcement, commissioners are required to consider the public health and safety of people near places that sell alcohol, such as the residents of the Pine Ridge reservation, Vasina said. Others who spoke told commissioners that closing the stores would cause people to drive further to obtain alcohol, hurt tax revenues and still not resolve alcohol abuse. "Closing Whiteclay is not the problem," said Terry Hinn, a member of the Rushville City Council said. "Where do we stop?" Hinn proposed building a treatment center in Rushville. Russell Means, an Indian actor who was part of the American Indian Movement of the 1970s, led a rally outside the courthouse before the hearing. He called it "ludicrous" that the sales to Indians continue. Means said he is talking to two tribes to help fund a lawsuit similar to the one filed against the tobacco industry in the 1990s. "As you know that set an excellent precedent," Means said of the tobacco case. "(American Indians are) sick and tired of the disease your people brought over. Specifically alcohol." An unnamed New York law firm has done more than $600,000 in research on the effects of alcohol sales to American Indians, Means said. The protesters also said Whiteclay is located on the reservation according to treaty terms. "That land in Whiteclay still belongs to the Lakota," said Oliver Red Cloud, chief of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Copyright c. 2006 Sioux City Journal. --------- "RE: Colorado Gas at core of Pipeline dispute" --------- Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 08:46:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EL PASO GAS PIPELINE ACROSS NAVAJO LANDS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.denverpost.com/ci_3576086?source=rss Colo. gas at core of pipeline dispute Energy firms vs. tribal interests. The Navajo Nation wants to sharply raise the cost El Paso Corp. must pay for rights of way on its land. By Steve Raabe Denver Post Staff Writer March 6, 2005 The flow of energy from the Rocky Mountains to the West Coast is endangered by a series of disputes between energy companies and American Indian tribes. In one of the most notable examples, natural gas from southwestern Colorado is at the core of a high-stakes pipeline controversy between the Navajo Nation and energy transporter El Paso Corp. Several of the cases have resulted in energy companies paying huge increases for pipeline and power-line easements over tribal lands. Other negotiations are deadlocked with wide gaps in perceived valuations. The issue is viewed with sufficient concern in Washington that public meetings will be held today and Wednesday at the Adam's Mark Hotel in downtown Denver to discuss the problem and seek solutions. Energy companies say the prices being sought by tribes for rights of way are far higher than for similar nontribal lands. The tribes maintain that they deserve an increasing share of the record profits being earned on oil and gas production. Caught in the middle are energy consumers who will pick up the tab for sharp increases in energy-transportation costs. "This process is crucial to our national energy security," said Nancy Ives, executive director of the FAIR Coalition, an advocacy group for energy companies. "We're looking for a fair solution that recognizes tribal interests as well as the nation's interests." Tribal governments have held the upper hand in many of the disputes because there are no laws that limit the amount they can charge for rights of way on their lands. "'Reasonable' is in the eye of the beholder," said David Lester, executive director of the Denver-based Council of Energy Resource Tribes, which represents tribal interests in energy issues. "Our position is that Indian lands are vital to the prosperity of America," he said. "The value of the (energy) product keeps rising, and the tribes should enjoy some of that increasing value. El Paso has 900 miles of natural-gas pipeline running through the Navajo reservation in northern New Mexico and Arizona. The company previously paid $2.2 million a year for the Navajo easement until the lease expired last year. The Navajos now are asking $22 million a year, while El Paso has offered about $10 million a year in cash and noncash investments. The two sides have agreed to use the former lease terms as negotiations continue. Staff writer Steve Raabe can be reached at 303-820-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com. Copyright c. 2006 The Denver Post or other copyright holders. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Cherokee Nation accepts Freedmen ruling" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 08:53:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FREEDMEN CITIZENSHIP REAFFIRMED" http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/012894.asp Cherokee Nation accepts Freedmen citizenship ruling March 9, 2006 The Cherokee Nation will abide by a court ruling that reaffirmed the citizenship rights of the Freedmen, the tribe's top legal official said on Wednesday. In court, the tribe argued that the Freedmen, the descendants of African-American slaves who were made members of the tribe after the Civil War, weren't entitled to citizenship unless they could demonstrate Indian blood. But the Judicial Appeals Tribunal, the Cherokee Nation's highest court, rejected that view. In a 2-1 decision issued Tuesday, the court said the tribe's constitution that was adopted in 1975 didn't include an Indian blood requirement. "There is no ambiguity to resolve," Justice Stacy L. Leeds wrote. "The words 'by blood' or 'Cherokee by blood' do not appear." Therefore, any Freedmen descendant who can show that an ancestor appeared on the late-1800s Dawes Commission roll is entitled to citizenship, the court said. Diane Hammons, the tribe's general counsel, said the tribe will begin accepting such enrollments. "We are a strong tripartite government that respects the rule of law," Hammons said. "Our court has announced its decision, and we accept that as the law of the land." The decision is the first major victory for the Freedmen, whose numbers are made up of African-American citizens of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Creek nations. The Freedmen have suffered a series of setbacks in recent years, with the federal government and the federal courts refusing to get involved out of deference to tribal sovereignty. "It is a great day for the Cherokee Nation to take the lead regarding the rights of the Freedmen descendants," said Marilyn Vann, a Cherokee who traces her ancestry to the Dawes Rolls and serves as the president of the Descendants Of Freedmen Of The Five Civilized Tribes. It is unclear how many Cherokee Freedmen are eligible for enrollment in the tribe. In the late 1800s, approximately 3,500 Cherokee Freedmen were placed on the Dawes Roll. Vann's organization estimates that 45,000 descendants are alive today. The Cherokee Nation currently has more than 200,000 members. Vann is a plaintiff in a separate case in federal court that challenges the Bureau of Indian Affairs for allowing Cherokee Freedmen to be excluded from a 2003 constitutional election. Freedmen who could not demonstrate Indian blood weren't allowed to vote, according to the lawsuit. The constitution didn't make any changes to the status of the Freedmen - - it was the tribal council that restricted their rights through legislation, the court noted in its decision this week. "The council is empowered to enact enrollment procedures, but those laws must be consistent with the 1975 constitution," the JAT wrote. "The current legislation is contrary to the plain language of the 1975 constitution. The 2003 constitution remains in legal limbo, however, because it includes a provision that strips the BIA of its review and approval authority. The agency has withheld approval of the document for more than two years out of concern that Freedmen may have been disenfranchised. The BIA's stance has drawn considerable opposition from Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith, who had registered strong objections and planned to bring a delegation of tribal dignitaries, including former chief Wilma Mankiller, to Washington to lobby the Bush administration back in the summer of 2003. The meeting never happened but Smith as recently as last month sought approval to file a lawsuit against the BIA for the delay. The request was rejected by the tribal council. Separately, the tribe is seeking to intervene in Vann's lawsuit, citing the need to protect its sovereignty. Vann's attorneys in Washington and in Oklahoma filed a brief last month opposing the request. Despite the Cherokee Nation's official response to the JAT decision, an attorney who represented the tribe said he disagreed with it. In a story published in the Oklahoman today, Todd Hembree said it was "undoubtedly one of the biggest decisions ever handed down" by the court because it will affect the tribe's budget and the services it provides. "We only have a finite amount of money, and you can only divide the pie so many time," Hembree was quoted in the story as saying. Copyright c. 2000-2006 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Navajo Elders celebrate new Nursing Home" --------- Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 08:46:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ASSISTED LIVING" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nativetimes.com/article&article_id=7624 Elders celebrate new nursing home "We need to take care of them" CHINLE AZ Rick Abasta March 6, 2006 Community members, elders and tribal officials braved windy and cold conditions to celebrate the new facility for the Navajoland Nursing Home. The new assisted living center will house 16 elders and bring the residential capacity of the nursing home to a total of 83 clients. William Clay, vice president for the NNH Board of Directors, said the new home was created for the purpose of providing Navajo elders comfort and a space for visitations from family and friends. Speaking in Navajo, Clay said, "For a long time now, our Navajo elders, men and women, have struggled with the realities of old age. We need to take care of them. "With this new home, we will be able to provide care for 16 elders. Too many of our elders today are living at home alone. We are here to provide services for them," he added. One person who works closely with the Navajo elders of NNH has formed a bond with many of the residents. Crystal Chee is a medical records technician for the nursing home and has been working at the center for the past two years. "I like working with the elders, it's a learning experience for me," Chee said. "I like to be around my elders because it's keeping the Navajo traditions, culture and language alive. While many of the elders prefer to keep to themselves, she said once they begin socializing and opening up, there isn't a subject matter that most of these elders wouldn't discuss. Therein lies the opportunity to learn, she said. Ella Dalton, an administrator for NNH, said the home was funded through the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act block grant funds in 2002. "Because of the NAHASDA funding, we will now be able to house 16 clients in this home. We're all very appreciative of this funding for the planning and construction of this home," Dalton said. The assisted living center was designed by a Navajo architect, Loren Miller, principal architect for the LAM Corporation. Designing the home was a cinch for Miller, who said the primary concerns for the project was staying within budget. "The design was primarily based on providing housing for 16 residents, whether they are male or female," Miller said. "(NNH) wanted the central facility to be a hogan shape for the dining and living room area. "The bedrooms were put off into the two wings and we had residential- style kitchen facility," he added. Miller said the design for the facility began in the fall of 2002 and construction was initiated in the summer of 2003. Originally, NNH wanted the whole facility to be in a hogan shape, but he said it was cost prohibitive. Besides the Chinle Assisted Living Center, Miller has worked on NAHASDA- funded projects previously, constructing single family hogan-style units in 2000 on the Navajo Nation. "That project was for elders too," Miller said. "The community, elders, adults and children need to respect these new developments. This funding is not free. "Each year, we have to deal with less and less funding. You read about it in the papers every week about funding cuts. We have to appreciate what we're given," he added. Louis Shepherd, grants manager for Navajo Housing Authority Grants Management, said the initial funding from the assisted living center came in 2001, when the NNH received $172,453 from NAHASDA for planning purposes. Once everything was planned out for the center, Shepherd said NNH received an additional $1,495,583 for construction of the center. "This is a significant achievement and we commend the Navajoland Nursing Home for bringing this project to completion," Shepherd said. "There's a tremendous need for these services and facilities to address the aging Navajo population. "This is one of our success stories for providing group housing for elderly Navajos on the reservation," he added. The new assisted living center has opened doors for the construction of more group homes for the future, Shepherd said. Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: IAIA welcomes new President" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 08:53:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MANUELITO-KERVLIET NEW IAIA PRESIDENT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.thenewmexicochannel.com/news/7822581/detail.html IAIA Welcomes New President Cassandra Manuelito-Kervliet Was First Woman President Of Dine March 8, 2006 SANTA FE, N.M. - The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe has a new president. The IAIA trustees selected 51-year-old Cassandra Manuelito-Kervliet for the job on Wednesday. She succeeds Della Warrior, who retired at the end of last year after about seven years on the job. Manuelito-Kervliet, who is Navajo, had been president of Dine College in Tsaile, Arizona, since July 2000. She was the college's first woman president. Copyright c. 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2006 KOAT, The New Mexico Channel. --------- "RE: School Program assists American Indian Students" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 08:53:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="STUDENT FINANCIAL SUPPORT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.cheboygannews.com/articles/2006/03/10/news/news3.txt School program assists American Indian students By ERICA KOLASKI Tribune Staff Writer March 10, 2006 CHEBOYGAN - Local American Indian students can now take advantage of financial and educational support at school through the Title VII Native American Education fund. Rose Neuman, chairwoman of the parent committee under Title VII, said that the group is hoping that more American Indian students and their parents will participate in the program. The program is currently in its first year in Cheboygan, and has received more than $34,000. "With this money, we have been able to hire three part-time aides," she said. The aides serve approximately 98 students in three area schools and provide in school tutoring and academic support. The program itself promotes American Indian culture and history resources, helps arrange for American Indian speakers and cultural activities and helps to promote interaction among American Indian students, Neuman said. She added that in order for students to qualify for the program, their parents have to fill out a 506 form which can be obtained from any school office. "The more students who are identified as Native Americans through the 506 form, the Title VII program will grow and be more able to serve the Native American students in our community," Neuman said. She said that the general purpose of the parent committee is to serve and represent the local American Indian community by offering children the most effective American Indian education program while instilling a sense of pride into American Indian children. The parent committee also works with the school administrators, recommending programs in accordance with the Indian Education Act. The Title VII program is a federal program "to support the local school district in its effort to provide Native American students the opportunity to achieve to high standards and meet the special educational and culturally related academic needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students." For additional information, contact Rose Neuman at 627-6331 or Cheboygan Area Schools Superintendent Paul Ellinger at 627-4436. Copyright c. 2006 The Cheboygan Daily Tribune. --------- "RE: Elders share Ice Knowledge with Barrow Response" --------- Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 08:40:29 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ELDERS SHARE ICE KNOWLEDGE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://ap.juneauempire.com/pstories/state/ak/20060304/3689099.shtml Elders share ice knowledge with Barrow response team Randall Howell The Arctic Sounder March 4, 2006 BARROW, Alaska - The ice never stops moving. The Inupiat have always known that. That's because knowledge about the behavior of ice has been shared by the elders from generation to generation. And this generation, too, is learning about ice from its elders - elders like Charles Hopson and Lloyd Leavitt, both of Barrow. Both were an integral part of the North Slope Borough's emergency response to the ice surges that came ashore in Barrow in January. "Very early on, one of the elders said it's over ... that the ivus had done all the damage they would do," said Rob Elkins, the borough's disaster coordinator and five-year resident of Alaska's northernmost city. Elkins said that information and much more came from Hopson and Leavitt during the first of two emergency-response meetings convened that day to deal with the ice surges. By 9 a.m. that morning, Jan. 24, the ice surge stopped its onshore advance just shy of a pumping station and a playground in Barrow, Elkins said. Members of the borough's joint-agency response team "gained valuable information" from Hopson, a whaling captain, and Leavitt, a whaling co- captain, said Elkins. "Everybody listened to the elders," said Elkins, who directed the clean- up crews moving ice chunks as big as automobiles to unblock a section of Stevenson Street along the Arctic Ocean shoreline. He said U.S. Weather Service satellite photos were not clear because of cloud cover. "There was no way we could be positive the old ice had grounded," said Elkins. So the joint-agency response team was "preparing for every possibility and contingency plans, including moving people who lived close" to the ice surges. "They (the elders) said the big (multiyear) ice had pushed the young ice to the east and onshore until it hit the bottom, the shelf, where it grounded," said Elkins. "It was amazing what they knew. They knew the danger had passed. "I was very impressed," Elkins said. "The problem was identified early. We put the information together and made decisions based on what the elders said." The emergency coordinator said it was "good training time for everyone and for the youngsters to learn about how the ice moves." Elkins said team members also learned that the new ice, which can be as much as 12 feet thick, actually "acted as a cushion" between the multiyear ice and Barrow. "They explained that the old ice crushed the new ice, broke it up," Elkins said. "Then, it pushed onshore and blocked the road." Elkins said both Hopson, who serves in the borough Assembly, and Leavitt, who is a special assistant to the Barrow city mayor, shared information about winds, ocean currents, types of ice and its behavior as well as ice movements and migration patterns. "It was a marriage of art and science," said Elkins. "What they told us appeared to be dead-on and we haven't had any reason to question it." Elkins said that the borough has been working hard "to ramp up" its ability to respond to emergency situations. "It ended up being a minimal event, but the guidance from those two guys was just beautiful to see," said Elkins. "Both come from families of whalers for generations," he said. "And it was the traditional knowledge they shared that was really neat." Copyright c. 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2006 Juneau Empire. --------- "RE: Seward Peninsula Elder shares Caribou Culture" --------- Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 08:40:29 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ELDER SHARES CARIBOU CULTURE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://ap.juneauempire.com/pstories/state/ak/20060304/3689098.shtml Seward Peninsula elder shares caribou culture RANDALL HOWELL The Arctic Sounder March 4, 2006 NOME, Alaska - Elder Jacob Ahwinona's grandparents predicted that the caribou would come back to the Seward Peninsula, probably within their grandson's lifetime. And Ahwinona is grateful that he has been able to see their prediction come true. "I got to see the day," said Ahwinona. "They knew what they were talking about." Ahwinona, who remembers caribou hunting in western Alaska as a younger man, was "guest elder" at the recent two-day meeting of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group in Anchorage. Originally from White Mountain, east of Nome, Ahwinona reminded his listeners that he first hunted caribou by sled-dog team and with the guidance of an elder. "There were no snowmachines," he said. "I had a good dog team - a basket sled and 11 dogs. He recalled camping in the snow, stalking caribou by snowshoe and learning to "shoot downhill." He said the elder, a guide for the group, told them where to hunt, which caribou to shoot and when to shoot it. Ahwinona and his hunting group came upon 13 caribou near the mouth of a Seward Peninsula river and bagged 11 of them under the "strict" guidance of the elder. "Two got away," said Ahwinona, who indicated it was his first and last caribou hunt. "After that hunt, I went to work." Despite that, he remembers stories his parents and grandparents told of the early days, following the caribou herds. And how they summered on the Seward Peninsula. "My grandparents said they would see gold in the creeks along the way," he said. "They walked with packs on their dogs. My grandparents had 13 dogs." Ahwinona said his parents - and grandparents - would follow the herds for many years from the Seward Peninsula to Point Hope and then come back. He recalled his parents describing the Point Hope area as a calving ground for the caribou. "But over the years, the caribou disappeared," he said. "After that, my grandparents said they (the caribou) would come back down to the peninsula." Ahwinona said his grandparents and parents "utilized everything" from the caribou. "We were brought up to respect the land and subsistence living," he said. "You don't kill unless you are going to eat." He said it was a time when "we listened" to the elders and you "didn't waste" caribou. "When you see some caribou left, it hurts you," said Ahwinona, who had heard presentations at the meeting of sport hunters trophy hunting and leaving or dumping caribou meat. He also recalled stories his grandparents told of hunting caribou in the days before guns. Ahwinona said the stories detailed times when his mother's father - a fast runner - would drive the caribou into a lagoon. "Hunters in kayaks on the beach would be waiting with spears and knives," he said. "When the caribou started swimming, they would kill them." When guns arrived on the peninsula, the caribou hunting got easier, according to Ahwinona. "They no longer had to drive them into the lagoon," he said, noting that before guns arrived the "hunt" often involved the entire village. Copyright c. 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2006 Juneau Empire. --------- "RE: Barrow Seamstresses sew 'Thread of Life'" --------- Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 08:40:29 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="'THREAD OF LIFE' FOR WHALING CREWS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://ap.juneauempire.com/pstories/state/ak/20060304/3689096.shtml Barrow seamstresses sew 'thread of life' for whaling crews RANDALL HOWELL The Arctic Sounder March 4, 2006 BARROW, Alaska - Elder Priscilla Sage's skilled hands do sacred work. Hers are among the many skilled seamstress hands that sew the "thread of life" into the waterproof seams of skin boats used by North Slope whaling crews. Those many hands - often sore from the twisting and braiding of the sinew - keep the whaling crews safe from the cold and treacherous waters of the Arctic Ocean. "My sister's fingers are awesome," said Barrow's Roy Nageak, captain of the Akootchook Whaling Crew. "Those hands sew the thread of life to keep us away from the water," he said. "My sister's fingers are worn out, but they keep us safe while we hunt the whale." That hunt for the whale begins about mid-April. But as February fades into March, the skin boats are readied one by one with new sealskin covers that replace older worn or torn ones. Akootchook Whaling Crew's boat, and those of anywhere from 10 to 15 other crews, now are getting the careful attention of the sealskin seamstresses, who have been working at the Inupiat Culture Center since Feb. 13. That's when the season's sewing began with the sealskins for the PK13 Whaling Crew's boat. The PK13 crew is co-captained by James Ahgeak and Nate Elavgak. The cover was finished that day, and the boat has been outside drying while the seamstresses turn to the boat-cover needs of other crews, according to Ahgeak's wife, Mae, who also is a working member of the PK13 Whaling Crew. To Mae Ahgeak, who is busy now gathering food, protective clothing and other items needed for the spring hunt, the work done by Sage and her seamstresses is arduous and a vital part of the annual preparation for spring whaling season. "They inspect their work, and if they see even one stitch that's not right, they will tear out all the stitches and redo them so they are right, " said Ahgeak. In addition to Sage, the seamstress crew includes Emma Neakok, Josie Kaleak, Mary Ahkiviana, Isabel Kanayurak, Flora Brower, Doreen Ahgeak and Margaret Leavitt. The women work nonstop from eight to 20 hours to sew one skin boat cover, according to Sage's daughter-in-law, Mary. Depending on their size, five to nine bearded sealskins are use to make a boat cover. Making the crucial waterproof stitches with seal oil, the skilled seamstresses partner and begin sewing from the middle to the outer edge. As partners, the women check the quality of each other's seams. The sinew used in stitching the sealskins together is from the tendons of caribou, according to Nageak. He explained that the tendons run from the animal's Achilles heel up the rear leg to the thigh, where they fan out. Cut from the meat and bone of the caribou's rear quarters, the tendons are dried and braided together to become the sinew used in the waterproof stitches so vital to keeping the skin boats afloat, he said. Sage, a leader of the annual sewing crew, also teaches workshops in Barrow. In those workshops, she shares the Inupiat technique of extracting the tendons during the butchering of the caribou. She shares and shows in detail her traditional knowledge about drying the meat, pulling the tendon strands from the muscle and braiding the sinew. The sinew - the thread of life - and the bearded sealskins are the components of the traditional whaling boat cover used for the spring season only. Copyright c. 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2006 Juneau Empire. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Spirits soar on Eagles' Wings" --------- Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 08:40:29 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: EAGLES" http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/columnists/14015034.htm DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Spirits soar on eagles' wings On my way to White Shield, N.D., last weekend on the flat, open area near U.S. Highway 2, not far from the bridge crossing the Mouse River I spotted a large, dark bird soaring low against the gray misty sky. I slowed and pointed it out to my sister, and she watched. I glanced back and forth from road to sky, fascinated as the big bird circled then dropped and rose again. As it turned and flew away from the road, the bird dipped its white tail, and I knew it was mature bald eagle. When I reached Garrison, N.D., I stopped at the hospital to see my elder aunt, who is reaching the ending time in life. I told her about the eagle. She beamed and smiled and said that was a good sign for us. As I sat and talked with her, my mind kept going back to that dark bird we saw flying high earlier that day. I remember what my aunt had told us about the eagle, how we captured their feathers and what they meant to us spiritually. My aunt is a keeper of the "Sacred Bundle," and the eagle has special meaning to her. Both the golden and bald eagles have a significant place in our culture. They are important because their spirit is believed to take our prayers to the Creator (Neesaanu nachitakUs). The people valued the feathers of these great birds because they were a part of the spirit of the bird. It is like the mythical firebird, I was told; and when you capture features from the bird, these feathers are like an everglowing ember of the eagle's spirit that you can use for healing, honoring and ceremonies. Here's what we were told about how the Sahnish captured the eagle for its feathers. The people built eagle traps; these traps are to collect only the feathers without harming the bird. The eagle trap is built on a lonely hill frequented by eagles. Men dig a deep hole, cover it with sturdy poles made from ash or mature red willow, then cover the pit with sod. On the sod, they lay a carcass of some small animal such as a jackrabbit, one of eagles' favorite foods. When the eagle dropped down to pick up the carcass, the man reaches up and grabs the eagle's legs and talons. While holding him down, he plucks some of the tail or wing feathers. The eagle, in the grip of the hunter, would leave some feathers while flailing about, too. The eagle was not harmed, and as a reward for letting the hunter take some feathers, he or she would have the jackrabbit. Many times, the eagle also will leave a mark on the man with his sharp talons or beak. Those scars are marks of courage, and the men wear them with pride. The traditional stories of the people indicate that most Natives have a great respect the eagle. So, it was troubling to read about a recent slaughter of these birds. Recently in North Vancouver, B.C., an investigator with the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service found the remains of about 50 eagles in and around the Tsleil-Waututh Nation in Canada. There are other incidents in which Fish and Game and other officers have found the remains of eagles that have been stripped of their feathers, head, talons and anything else that can be sold. Some of these magnificent birds have a wing span of about 7 feet and can weight up to 8 to 14 pounds, Game and Fish information indicates. There is a black market for eagle parts. Some investigators refer to eagles as "Flying $1,000 bills," investigators told The Seattle Times. Killing an eagle also carries a $10,000 fine. Eagles are an endangered species, but soon may be reclassified because the eagle has made such a strong comeback from near extinction. I am grateful that those who care for wildlife and the eagle in this area are good at their jobs. I also am grateful to all the bird watchers who would sound the alarm if eagles were killed. I feel fortunate that I live here because the Red River is a good feeding ground for these birds, and their numbers are growing. It's not unusual to see one flying overhead while walking down the street near the Herald or to see them nesting in this area. Nahwah, arihtA, neetAHkas. ---- Dorreen Yellow Bird's column appears Tuesday and Saturday. Reach her at (701) 780-1228 or dyellowbird@gfherald.com Copyright c. 2006 Grand Forks Herald/Grand Forks, ND. --------- "RE: Aboriginal Apprenticeship skyrocketing in Alberta" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 08:53:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRADE SKILLS APPRENTICESHIPS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.cochranetimes.com/story.php?id=217370 Aboriginal apprenticeship skyrocketing in Alberta Angela Anderson March 8, 2006 Cochrane Times - The severe shortage of skilled trades workers is being eased as the number of Alberta aboriginal young adults apprenticing has increased by over 400 per cent in the past four years. There are 1,126 aboriginal apprentices in the province right now, compared to just 238 in March of 2002. This is great news for leaders in the industry. "It's really a win-win situation for everyone," says Jackie Wassing, from Alberta Advanced Education. "The more aboriginals who can get involved in the trades, the more beneficial it is to them and the businesses." Wassing says the sharp increase is being partly attributed to current programs promoting skilled trades in the province. One of these programs, which is still in the pilot stage, but was introduced in 2001 in Edmonton, High Level and Fort McMurray, and then expanded to Calgary and Lethbridge in 2004, is the Alberta Aboriginal Apprenticeship Project (AAAP). It's a partnership between Aboriginal organizations, industry, the federal government and provincial government. AAAP is designed to increase participation of Aboriginal people in apprenticeship programs, which leads to successful completion as a certified journeyperson. The AAAP links employers with potential Aboriginal apprentices and provides support to help build successful working and learning relationships. "It provides them with support they need before and through training," Wassing says. The other reason skilled trades are attracting not only aboriginals, but also the general public, is because of a campaign that the government is carrying out in schools across the province. "Last year we started introducing promotional material to all the schools about trades," Wassing said. The program, called the Aboriginal Communication Strategy, increases awareness of career opportunities in trades. These include a colouring and activity book for children in Kindergarten to Grade 4, playing cards for grade 2 to 4, a comic book for grades 7 to 9, and a guide for junior and senior high school students. Interesting to know, Wassing said, is that students who are still in school can begin apprenticing, which just gets them one step ahead of the game. "They can start earning their hours while still in school," she said, and that, combined with the competitive pay and high need, is attractive to new people entering the workforce. With the high numbers of aboriginals in the province, and the fact that they are making this contribution to the local economy is just good news for everyone involved. "Reaching this milestone demonstrates that Aboriginal people are ready, willing and able to work with industry to build Alberta's economy," said Aboriginal Affairs Minister Pearl Calahasen. "Within a decade, aboriginal workers will represent one of every five new entrants into the labour market, so apprenticeships are critical to ensuring that skilled Aboriginal workers are ready to meet industry's needs." Copyright c. 2006 Cochrane Times. --------- "RE: Tories must live up to Liberal commitments" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 08:53:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FONTAINE SAYS TORIES MUST FULFIL COMMITMENTS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20060307/ca_pr_on_na/fontaine_b_c_2 Top aboriginal leader says Tories must live up to Liberal commitments STEVE MERTL Tue March 7, 2006 NORTH VANCOUVER (CP) - Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice has made a good first impression on Phil Fontaine but the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is waiting for the new government's first throne speech to find out what impression aboriginal issues will make on the Tory agenda. Fontaine said Tuesday aboriginal leaders expect the Conservatives to live up to commitments made by their Liberal predecessors, including the multibillion-dollar Kelowna Accord and a compensation package for native residential school abuse victims. These commitments - especially the Kelowna Accord intended to eradicate aboriginal poverty - were made with Canada, not any one political party, Fontaine told a meeting of the B.C. First Nations Summit. "That wasn't done with the Liberal party," he said. "It was an agreement with the country. This government has to honour these very important commitments." Polls suggest Canadian public opinion increasingly wants aboriginal problems tackled, Fontaine said, but the Conservatives' election campaign didn't highlight them. "This government has five priorities," he said. "We are not one of the five." But Fontaine said his meetings with Prentice - three since the cabinet was formed a month ago - have gone a long way to easing anxiety over the future of the Kelowna Accord. During the election campaign, finance critic Monte Solberg - now the immigration minister - said while the Tories accept the principles of Kelowna, they wouldn't honour a deal crafted "on the back of a napkin" on the eve of an election. The Liberals earmarked $5.1 billion for the first half of a 10-year agreement that among other things promises to close the education gap between aboriginal and non-native students, improve housing and water quality on reserves and tackle health problems such as high infant mortality, youth suicide, obesity and diabetes. "Mr. Prentice has said to me on more than one occasion he wants to put wheels on Kelowna," Fontaine told the meeting. "It's my understanding that Mr. Prentice will do all he can to ensure that the speech from the throne and the budget actually reflects Kelowna in a significant way," he told reporters later. The Conservatives' throne speech is scheduled for April 3. First Nations are looking for a Tory commitment on other issues as well, Fontaine said, including implementation of a $2-billion package to compensate residential school abuse victims. An agreement-in-principle was signed last November. Fontaine said he's been in daily contact with federal bureaucrats and final agreement is just "days away." "We have just about reached the mountain top," he said. Fontaine said he hopes the new government also will uphold a Liberal promise last May to get rid of the requirement that First Nations extinguish their aboriginal rights when new treaties are signed. The assembly is also concerned about the Conservatives' promised accountability legislation. Fontaine said his organization is developing its own accountability rules for First Nations. But the proposed legislation giving the Auditor General the power to look into any organization receiving federal tax dollars would impinge on their sovereignty. "We have a government-to-government relationship with Canada," he said. "There's an exclusion there (in the legislation) with municipal governments, for example." Prentice, who is scheduled to speak to the summit Thursday, has already committed not to reintroduce the hated First Nations Governance Act, said Fontaine. The Liberals scrapped it after an aboriginal backlash against its proposed reforms aimed at improving democracy in the band council system. Besides the meetings with Prentice, Fontaine said the new minister has been calling him. "I haven't been disappointed," he said, noting Prentice sits on the powerful cabinet planning and priorities committee and chairs the key operations committee. "We see him as an important ally. We think he's well positioned to do good things Copyright c. 2006 Canadian Press. --------- "RE: Youth reach out to Youth through Campaign" --------- Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 08:46:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FIRST NATION YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION" http://www.ammsa.com/birchbark/birchbark-Mar1-2006.html Youth reach out to youth through campaign By Cheryl Petten, Birchbark Writer, Thunder Bay March - 2006 The Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Decade for Youth Council has launched a suicide prevention campaign urging troubled youth to ask for help in dealing with the problems they encounter in their lives. Through the We Care Yellow Balloon campaign, the council will be working with NAN's Decade for Youth and Development department to get the message out. The Decade for Youth Council and Decade for Youth and Development program were created in 2002 as a way to try to deal with the suicide crisis within NAN communities. Yellow is the international color for suicide prevention, so the color figures prominently in the campaign, which uses yellow balloons and posters with an Ask 4 Help message to raise awareness. Organizers hope to eventually add other items like yellow T-shirts or bracelets to the list of tools at their disposal. The council members came up with the idea for the campaign as a way to do something following a tragic weekend during which two people in the same community committed suicide, said Catherine Cheechoo, a member of the council. "We knew we wanted to do something where we could tell the youth it's OK to ask for help, that there are people out there that care about them. Because a lot of the time when somebody does attempt suicide it's because they feel like they have nobody to talk to or they just feel overwhelmed by that problem at that time. So this is just a way to hopefully tell the youth that there's other things that you can do besides hurting yourself," she said. "We'd dealt with this crisis for so long and a lot of the members on the youth council have experienced suicide in their lives, either through loss of a family member or a friend or even in their community. We just feel like it's time that we need to start showing initiative in terms of dealing with the suicide crisis in our area. Helping out our own friends and our own youth." Over the past three years there has been an average of 16 suicides per year within NAN territory. In 2005, 24 people within the territory took their own lives. Organizers of the campaign are hoping communities will take an active role in helping to get the message out by organizing suicide awareness events at a local level. "We really want to counteract this culture of suicide, they call it. This idea that young people think suicide is OK, like it is a choice. But we don't want it to ever be on the radar as a choice. That's what we're really trying to do is get this message out there that they should ask for help," said Melanie Goodchild Southwind, co-ordinator of Decade for Youth and Development. The We Care Yellow Balloon campaign was launched during the Seven Sacred Teachings Youth Suicide Awareness Conference held in Thunder Bay from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3. --- For more information on the We Care Yellow Balloon campaign, visit the Decade for Youth Web site at www.nandecade.ca or call the NAN offices at (807) 623-8228 and ask for the Decade for Youth program. Copyright c. 2006 Ontario Birchbark, AMMSA-Aboriginal Multi-Media Society. --------- "RE: $3 Billion Shortfall in Health Care Funding" --------- Date: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 05:08 pm From: frostyca2000 Subj: Attention News/Health Editors: Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian Attention News/Health Editors: $3 Billion Shortfall in Health Care Funding is Next Big Crisis for First Nations OTTAWA, March 6 /CNW Telbec/ - Most Canadians are aware that First Nations people and communities are already dealing with critical health problems related to housing and clean drinking water. An analysis by the Assembly of First Nations identifies another potential crisis that could make this critical situation even worse if not addressed immediately. The AFN Health Secretariat estimates a funding shortfall of approximately $2.85 billion over the next five years in the national budget of the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) of Health Canada, beginning April 1. "The $870 million announced during the First Ministers Meeting in Kelowna would have made an important contribution to addressing these shortfalls. This commitment needs to be immediately secured," said National Chief Fontaine. "With a growing population - approximately 130,000 children under the age of nine years - along with increasing dental and pharmacy needs, First Nations children, adults, and elders would face an uphill battle for accessing basic health care needs." "We are grateful for the $700 million in new funding, committed in September 2004, that is expected to make inroads in addressing critical health needs in First Nations communities, such as diabetes and suicide prevention," added the National Chief. Funding shortfalls include a total of about $269 million in FNIHB funding claw-backs announced in the February 2005 Budget. To avoid more claw-backs, Health Canada should also benefit from the proposed rate of inflation and population growth exemption that has been granted to INAC. "The new Conservative government will be recalling Parliament one month from now, with a Federal Budget to follow," noted the National Chief. "Health care is number one on the list of priorities for this government. We look forward to working closely with the government and with Minister Clement to ensure that this priority includes the people who need health services the most. The AFN presented detailed and strategic plans at the First Ministers Meeting and we need to see the resources required to implement those plans included in the upcoming budget. As well, we need to act now to ensure this potential shortfall is eradicated by working together cooperatively and constructively. Access to health care is a basic right for all people and a central value for all Canadians." For more information on the FNIHB funding estimates, please see the link to a Communique sent to First Nations communities: http://www.afn.ca/cmslib/general/Communique-FNIHB.pdf --- For further information: Bryan Hendry, AFN Health and Social Communications Officer, (613) 241-6789, ext. 229 or cell (613) 293-6106; Don Kelly, AFN Communications Director, (613) 241-6789, ext. 320 or cell (613) 292-2787; Ian McLeod, AFN Bilingual Communications Officer, (613) 241-6789, ext. 336 or cell (613) 859-4335 Copyright c. CNW Telbec 2006. --------- "RE: Manitoba Chiefs: Native women lagging" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 08:53:22 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ABORIGINAL WOMEN" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/03/08/1478566-cp.html Manitoba chiefs: Native women lagging By STEVE LAMBERT March 8, 2006 WINNIPEG (CP) - While International Women's Day is celebrated around the world, Manitoba native leaders say it should also serve as a reminder that aboriginal women across Canada are struggling to live free from violence. "Aboriginal women live in more vulnerable environments," Keely Ten Fingers, a policy analyst with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said Wednesday. "(They're) more often to be homeless, more often to not have opportunities for employment ... so these particular conditions do make them vulnerable and do place them in ... environments where they experience these acts of violence." While people of all backgrounds can go missing after living on the streets of Canada's major cities, many of those who have disappeared are aboriginal. The Native Women's Association of Canada campaigned in 2004 for $10 million in federal funds to research what it estimates are at least 500 cases of murdered or missing aboriginal women over the last 20 years. Ottawa agreed to devote $5 million over five years to the Sisters in Spirit program, which includes research, a national registry and a hotline. Amnesty International Canada has called on governments and native groups to publicly condemn the high rates of violence against indigenous women and take action. Statistics Canada reported last year that native people were three times more likely to be victims of domestic violence. Overall, 21 per cent of aboriginal respondents said they had been attacked by a current or previous spouse in the five-year period up to 2004. Seven per cent of non-native respondents reported similar abuse. Some of the problems stem from the lack of rights held by women who live on reserves, Ten Fingers told a news conference. Because provincial property rights do not apply on reserves, women and children can find themselves homeless after the breakup of a marriage or common-law relationship. "The woman does not have the right to occupy that home," Ten Fingers said. "If housing accommodations are not available on-reserve, she's often forced to leave the reserve." The assembly has called on the federal government to improve aboriginal property rights. It has also called for government funding to help improve education and economic opportunities for aboriginals. In Ottawa, Prime Minister Stephen Harper called International Women's Day a chance to reflect on the contributions women have made to the building of Canada. "It is also a chance to reiterate my government's determination to provide Canadian women with the security and sense of opportunity to which they aspire, and to reiterate our commitment to working with them to ensure the economic security, timely health care and safe streets that are so vital for raising strong families," Harper said in a prepared statement. Copyright c. 2006, Canoe Inc. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Grassy Narrows steps up fight" --------- Date: Monday, March 06, 2006 08:04 pm From: frostyca2000 Subj: Grassy Narrows steps up fight against Abitibi, Weyerhaeuser Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian Grassy Narrows steps up fight against Abitibi, Weyerhaeuser Grassy Narrows band members are planning to take their fight against clearcutting to American boardrooms. By Mike Aiken Miner and News March 1, 2006 Grassy Narrows band members are planning to take their fight against clearcutting to American boardrooms. After three years of blocking logging roads near their community, members of the First Nation are enlisting the support of California environmentalists, who will lobby bankers and investors in an effort to save the boreal forest. "It's a warning," said band member Joe Bill Fobister Tuesday. "If they don't start listening, we're going to do what we say we're going to do," he added. In a press release issued by the Rainforest Action Network of San Francisco, the chief executives of both Weyerhaeuser and Abitibi- Consolidated are told protests will go ahead focusing on their investors, consumers, bankers and business partners, if clearcutting continues. Network spokesman David Sone said Tuesday they have convinced American giants such as Burger King and Home Depot to change their business practices after public pressure on environmental issues. "What's happening here is typical of the way Weyerhaeuser approaches its ecological responsibility to the communities they operate in," he said, adding he has visited the First Nation several times. Aside from standards set by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Weyerhaeuser spokesman Bonny Skene noted the company is meeting international criteria set by the Canadian Standards Association and the International Organization for Standardization. Abitibi spokesman Denis Leclerc added their efforts at negotiating a solution with the First Nation stalled in the fall of 2004 when the leadership asked for items beyond the company's jurisdiction. These included recognition of their traditional land use area, financial compensation for past extraction, as well as a new deal for any new resource development. Leclerc noted past offers from band council have included requests for jobs and involvement in the forestry operations in the area. Since the community's last request, Leclerc said Abitibi has not had any invitations to negotiate with the federal or provincial government, including the province's Northern Table discussions. Last year, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, a non-profit group dedicated to the protection of wilderness areas, concluded current harvesting level cannot be sustained for even 20 years, and harvest levels are too high to protect existing wildlife habitat. On its website, the Rainforest Action Network has a section dedicated to Grassy Narrows, where it encourages readers not to buy products from old growth forests. In his comments, Sone added he wasn't satisfied with regulations established by the Ministry of Natural Resources because they don't do enough to protect endangered species and the rights of First Nations. Government officials disagree. MNR spokesman Shawn Stevenson noted the Crown Lands Sustainability Act, which regulates forestry in the Whiskey Jack, includes a detailed and separate process for consultations with aboriginal communities. Stevenson added the only endangered species within the forest are eagles and caribou, and he said logging has been deferred in critical areas. Grassy Narrows band members aren't content to simply wait for action. They're planning to take their cause directly to Weyerhaeuser's annual general meeting near Seattle, which is set for April. If all goes well, one of the community members will be elected to the multi-national's board of directors, so the band will have a voice, Sone said. Weyerhaeuser says it has sales of $22.6 billion in 19 countries, where it employs 54,000. By contrast, Grassy Narrows lists 1,237 members, about 800 living on-reserve, which is about an hour's drive north of Kenora. Copyright c. 2006 Kenora Daily Miner and News. --------- "RE: In the Wake of the Otra" --------- Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 13:50:50 -0600 (CST) From: owner-chiapas95@eco.utexas.edu (Chiapas95) Subj: In the Wake of the Otra,Mar 07 Mailing List: Chiapas95 -- 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: . Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 13:43:02 -0600 (CST) From: Chiapas 95 Moderators Subj: NN,In the Wake of the Otra,Mar 07 In The Wake of the Otra: Because We are all Prisoners By Nancy Davies, March 7, 2006 In the aftermath of the transit of Delegado Zero and the Zapatistas through Oaxaca in the week of February 7, 2006, dozens of small organizations were obliged to analyze their faults, their strengths, and what their rivalries mean for Oaxaca. This may be the most important outcome of the Otra Campa~a: a heightened sense of the necessity for collaboration, to achieve a united voice. Self-criticism, as well as harsh criticism of other groups, were put forth by several organizations, analyzing what happened during the campaign's visit. The adherents to the La Otra Campa~a as participating organizations include OIDHO (Organizaciones Indias por Los Derechos Humanos en Oaxaca), AMZ (Alianza Magonista Zapatista), CIPO-RFM (Consejo Indigena Popular de Oaxaca-Ricardo Flores Magon), CODEDI (Comisio'n Defensa Derechos Indigenas), Section XXII of the teachers union, UCIZONI (Unio'n de Comunidades Indigenas de Zona Istme~o); COMPA (Coordinador Oaxaca Magonista Popular Antineoliberal), plus a fluid additional alphabet soup of about sixty organizations large and small, reflecting the enormous diversity of up-til-now isolated struggles in this impoverished state. Some groups, such as OIDHO, forthrightly recognize the danger that La Otra will fail in Oaxaca as other Zapatista initiatives have, due to sectarian squabbling. As Marcos advised, "In La Otra we are not friends, we are companions, and each group must speak to its own members, about its own things, and recognize its own errors and virtues" - then join forces to present a united front. Coming together is a process of overcoming sectarian rivalries and dissent. The first ray of hope is the rally around the autonomy struggle in San Blas Atempa, and the second is the campaign to free the prisoners. When La Otra Campa~a rolled into the state, rivalries resulted in efforts by smaller groups to torpedo a proposed meeting with prisoners in Ixcotel; to hold a massive rally in the Oaxaca City's Guelaguetza auditorium - a favorite site for all the political parties - ; and to send partial and selected information to Delegate Zero regarding agreements supposedly achieved in the state coordination meetings. The result was a mishmash of changed schedules, lack of accurate information which prevented participation, problems with security people, and disappointed attendees. Harsh feelings resulted from the allegiance of groups and organizations such as UCIZONI to the PRD (Partido de la Revolucion Democratico) and the political campaign of Lopez Obrador. Criticisms were made of the sloppy security for Delegate Zero's caravan, which at one point on the highway was stalled in the middle of a herd of moving animals. Coordination for who got to speak and who did not at the interminable meetings was not satisfactory. Even one of the sites for an appearance by Marcos came in for harsh criticism: the University of La Tierra, which is run by Gustavo Esteva. Universidad de La Tierra brings USA students, local people, and many visitors to meetings to discuss Zapatista philosophy, among other subjects. Esteva, who presents himself as a long-time ally of the Zapatistas, was denounced by OIDHO for his collaboration with former governor Dio'doro Carrasco Altamirano in formulating the Indigenous Law of Oaxaca. That law served Carrasco as an excuse to gut the San Andres Accords, an unforgivable betrayal of the indigenous communities. Nevertheless, hundreds of organizations, communities, collectives, and individuals from various parts of the state attended La Otra Campa~a meetings, including an infamous meeting which resulted in media-publicized variations about what did or didn't happen in the Teachers hall, and elicited a conciliatory explanation from Marcos. It was a very sizable mess: Oaxaca is at a boil, separate bubbles pop to the surface in town after town. The Other Campaign's passage resulted in some hard lessons among those who are already screwed by government repression: come together on what can be agreed upon, and cede on hard points for the benefit of all. All the Oaxaca groups share a common history as fighters against poverty, repression, and bad government. Among the issues Oaxaca's poor and indigenous face are loss of autonomy of various towns, interference by the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) and PRD, imposed caciques, police threats, repression by the state government, and disappearances of campesinos in opposition. Not to mention theft of government funds after events like Hurricane Stan (five months later, the Isthmus has received nothing), or normal theft such as education resources which vanish into thin air between the senders and the supposed recipients. The unending violence in February and March of this year alone involved such different Oaxaca towns as Juchitan (February14-16, twenty wounded, just one week after La Otra Camap~a passed through. The dominant issue in the Isthmus is privatization of natural resources.), and San Blas Atempa (March 1, see Narconews). Similar battles to oust PRI-appointed mayors are common. On January 26 the Oaxaca municipal police shoved around a group from the city's colonia Pueblo Nuevo when residents arrived at the municipal palace seeking an interview with the mayor because of longstanding failure to get street paving- i.e., it was a civic, not even a political protest. The brutal treatment on the doorstep of city government indicates that government violence is not limited to remote towns. Repression of dissent of any kind is a fact of life in Oaxaca. The good news is that in a hands-on city follow-up to La Otra Campa~a's visit, the indigenous teachers sector CMPIO (Coalicio'n de Maestros y Promotores Indigenes de Oaxaca) met on February 18 to formulate its plans to launch its part of the state-wide, national, and international campaign to free political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. Each state in Mexico will have to defend their prisoners according to their own ideas and resources, and unite in response to Delegado Zero's call for a common effort to pressure national and international forces. A second follow-up meeting took place on March 4, with analysis of each groups' strengths and weaknesses during the Zapatista visit, a discussion of how to approach the prisoner campaign, and an assignment of tasks. Each meeting was attended by about fifty people. The call to action, full of irony and grief, is entitled Porque Todos Somos Presos: Because We Are All Prisoners. When it comes to unity, when it comes to confronting the government corruption and repression as a unified force, Oaxaca's a bitch. It remains to be seen if the Zapatista Otra Campa~a sheds its grace on this rancorous, beleaguered state. -- 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: Oaxaca under State of Repression" --------- Date: Sunday, March 12, 2006 05:23 pm From: Chiapas95-english Subj: Oaxaca Under State of Repression,Mar 10 Mailing List: Chiapas95-En < chiapas95-english@eco.utexas.edu> 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: . Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2006 08:22:34 +0100 From: "Dana" Subj: NN,Oaxaca Under State of Repression,Mar 10 Oaxaca Under State of Repression After the Subcomandante Marcos' Visit, PRI and State Government Attack Communities that Support the "Other Campaign" By James Daria and Dul Santamaria The Ricardo Flores Mago'n Brigade, Reporting for Narco News March 10, 2006 When Zapatista Subcomandante Marcos ("Delegate Zero") and the Zapatista Sixth Commission visited the state of Oaxaca in February as part of the Other Campaign, the purpose was to listen to the "simple and humble people who fight." What Marcos heard was a panorama of repression that the state has lived in for many years. Shortly after the visit, the people of Oaxaca again came under a wave of violent political repression against those that say "ya basta!" ("enough!") to the injustices of the bad governments. However, now the adherents to the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle are organizing to fight back. A press conference was held on Monday, March 6, 2006 by individuals and organizations that make up the Other Campaign in Oaxaca. The purpose of the conference was to shed light on the recent wave of human rights abuses and political violence in their state and promote their continued activities against political repression and the building of a campaign to free political prisoners. What follows is an outline of three of the injustices that have been committed against people or communities that participated in some way in the Other Campaign. Unmentioned here are the events in San Blas Atempa. Thi