_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 14, ISSUE 021 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 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 May 27, 2006 Potawatomi te'minkeses/strawberry moon Western Cherokee ansgvti/planting moon Yuchi deconendzo/mulberry ripening moon Kiowa pai tegpan p'a/geese go north moon Anishnaabe waabigwani-giizis/blossom moon +-------------------------------------------------------+ | 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-En, Rez_Life 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 Quote: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + =================== "It's become a crime for our people to do what they've done for thousands and thousands of years." "It's a damn shame that we have to come to this courthouse time after time to prove our right, to prove our title, to prove our history, and to earn the respect of the government." __ Doug Kelly, Grand Chief of the Sto:lo Nation +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! As this issue was going through the final review, news from Canada, Caledonia to be more precise, came to my attention. As the Mohawk and their supporters took down barricades in support of a called for moratorium and cooling period, the oppressors erected their own barricade and attacked the First Nations people gathered to protect their land. Make no mistake - the land in question is Indian Land. Make no mistake about it - the land was surreptitiously taken from the Six Nations one bite at a time, just as land was taken from many other nations in what is now Canada and the US. A good case in point is the Western Shoshone land the BLM now claims, in spite of an unrevoked treaty, and upon which the Bush Administration intends to set off an enormous test bomb. Of course, we know how much faith to put in treaties negotiated and signed by the US or Canada. Make no mistake about it - the provincial police are already involved and army intervention is threatened, making another Oka or Ipperwash almost inevitable. You can absolutely be sure the First Nations Peoples will be the ones attacked, jailed and injured... or killed. Then, make no mistake about it - some trumped up eminent domain crap will be trotted out to support Euro-Invader development, totally ignoring Indian eminent domain and the Great Law. Hitler often expressed his admiration for the expediency with which the American Christians removed the Native Americans and gave them mass graves like the one in Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Hitler would truly enjoy the new chapters being inked in North America. 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 ----------- - OPP Riot Police mass - GIAGO: Escaping the net at site of confrontation of the 'Dropout Nation' - Indian Country not - YELLOW BIRD: a Bush Administration priority The world beyond Death's Door - Supreme Court under fire - JODI RAVE: from Tribal Leaders UM Indian Journalists' Group - Kempthorne should settle - Secret advice to minister: Trust Fund Lawsuit resurrecting the FNGA - Connecticut's Campaign - Natives back Caledonia protests to end Schaghticokes - Aboriginal Elders - Moves made to dismiss join Eagleridge Protest all New York Land Claims - Construction banned - The Enchanted Mesa: at site of Land dispute Myth or True Tale? - Protesters served with Injunction - Coal-fired Plant - Council no threat cuts emissions on Tribal Land to First Nation Government - Not on this River - Fisheries Trial begins - Cherokee proposal for the Nuu-chah-nulth could ban Freedman - Letter from Women Prisoners - Yuroks oppose Cell Tower in Santiaguito on Sacred Peak - JOHN ROSS: - Tribe's strife brings Dirty War Returns to Mexico distrust of Leaders - Traditions, Culture - Conference looks at drive Indigenous Law Program Federal Indian removal in Ohio - Native Prisoner - Alcohol decision wrong, -- Crack down on Indian Gangs now is time for protest - Rustywire: - KILI-FM Radio off the air Go inside & get Something to Eat - Court rules against Hemp growing - Del "Abe" Jones Poem: - Smallpox claims recent Armed Forces Day - Native Hawaiian recognition - Cherokee Flutist candidate for Award up for Senate debate - Upcoming Events --------- "RE: OPP Riot Police mass at site of confrontation" --------- Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2006 03:40 am From: Don Subj: OPP riot police mass at site of confrontation Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian http://www.ctv.ca/20060522/blockade_dispute_060522/20060522 OPP riot police mass at site of confrontation CTV.ca News Staff May 22, 2006 Ontario Provincial Police officers in riot gear have massed at the scene of a confrontation between natives and non-natives in Caledonia, Ont. "There's hundreds of people still here at the barricades," CTV's Scott Laurie reported from Caledonia late Monday night, adding the situation was generally calm. "One of the things going around town right now is that people suspect the natives are making some sort of a a deal, that they would let hydro crews in to repair the damage. "The only way to do that (get hydro crews in) is to get people to move back, thus riot squads," he said. Many people have been told don't show up at work on Tuesday because of the power situation, he said. "If that's the case, the people of Caledonia ... could show up en masse again tomorrow." Caledonia is about 14 kilometres southwest of Hamilton and is very close to the Six Nations reserve. Vandalism and fire early Monday afternoon at a transformer station in the town caused a blackout in Caledonia and Norfolk. Hydro One spokesperson Laura Cooke told CTV News that crews found significant damage to the transformer station and determined that it was caused by vandalism and fire. Power is slowly being restored in pockets of Norfolk, but due to the extent of the damage in Caledonia, restoration is not expected for about three days, she said. Good start, bad finish On Monday morning, aboriginal protesters dismantled a blockade along Caledonia's main road then put it back up again after a confrontation with local non-natives. The native protesters had removed the blockade on Argyle Street as a Victoria Day gesture of goodwill to help with talks to end the dispute. But, non-natives then blocked the road themselves, arguing that the natives' gesture was not genuine. Laurie said that as tensions rose, there was pushing and shoving. Rocks were thrown. Laurie said it appeared that the native protesters were using parts of a hydro tower in their new barricade. However, Cooke said that tower wasn't related to the power outages. Ontario Provincial Police officers had trouble keeping the two sides apart. While police were on the road between the two blockades, members of the opposing groups ventured off into a nearby field where violence broke out. "Two melees which involved people coming to blows, fights, pepper spray. Police had to get involved to intervene and separate both sides," Laurie said. "Some people were bloodied; ambulances showed up to take a couple of people away, some officers were hurt as well." Police eventually cut off both sides from access to the field. Due to the situation, Hydro One was initially unable to access the station because of the blockade. In total, 1,500 Caledonia customers have been affected by the outage and another 6,300 in Norfolk are without electricity. Police officers eventually escorted the crews through blockades so they could restore power. A state of emergency and a possible curfew are being considered, Tom Patterson, deputy mayor of Haldimand County, told CTV Newsnet on Monday. "That's possible," Patterson said. "We have an emergency plan in place for things like this so we're going to be looking at that." However, no such announcement was made by Monday evening. Non-native locals are upset because they believe that the natives are dictating how the dispute will be resolved, Laurie reported. The natives are angry over the development of land they claim was taken from them around the 1840s. The group has occupied the construction site since Feb. 28. The blockade went up on Apr.20. David Peterson Former Ontario premier David Peterson, who is involved in negotiating an end to the dispute, said he hoped the situation could be resolved peacefully. "I think we have to appeal to the calmer heads to try to think carefully about the consequences of their actions," Peterson said. "It's the future of the community and the reputation of the community that's at stake here." Despite the fighting, Peterson said officials were still trying to prevent it from escalating further. "All of us were praying and working hard to try to make sure something ugly didn't develop out of this, like an Oka or a Wounded Knee," Peterson said, referencing previous aboriginal standoffs that ended in violence. "Hopefully we can get through this in a peaceful way and start a peaceful, meaningful engagement in some of these issues. That is the only solution to this problem." With reports from CTV's Scott Laurie and Lia Rosekat Copyright c. CTV 2006. --------- "RE: Indian Country not a Bush Administration priority" --------- Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 08:34:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SEN. JOHNSON: INDIANS NOT ON BUSH RADAR" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?feature=yes&id=1096413006 Indian country not a priority for Bush administration, Johnson says by: David Melmer / Indian Country Today May 15, 2006 WASHINGTON - Economic development in Indian country is not a priority for the Bush administration, according to Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a hearing on economic development on May 10. After the hearing Johnson, a member of the committee, spoke with reporters by teleconference. On April 21 Johnson held a listening hearing in South Dakota with tribal leaders and American Indian business leaders. At that hearing Johnson said there is no political will to fix the problems Indian country faces with infrastructure, financing and other issues that hold back economic development. At the news conference, Indian Country Today asked the senator what it would take to create that political will. Said Johnson: "I wish there was an easy answer for that. I have to say I'm profoundly disappointed in the administration's unwillingness to deal in an effective way with the resources that are needed to create a viable economy in Indian country; we need a much stronger private sector. And the tools that are so essential - including the Small Business Administration, the Community Development Block Grant programs and Community Development Financial Institutions - are being drained of money by the Bush administration's recommendations; these are all modest programs - this is no 'Marshall plan.' "These are modest programs that are critical to developing entrepreneurial skills, teaching people about business plans and creating small amounts of capitalization for Indian entrepreneurs to make progress; we also need [the] BIA to be a help instead of a hindrance in terms of leasing policies in Indian country, we also need better funding in education from early Head Start all the way throughout tribal colleges, and at each and every turn the Bush administration has worked against us," he said. "I hope that they will come around; they haven't as yet in terms of budget priorities, As I say, we attempted a $1 billion increase in funding that would have gone a long ways toward improving economic opportunities in Indian country, which in turn, then, is beneficial to non-Indians as well. There are few things that would be of greater help to non-Indian families than a much higher level of prosperity on reservations - that rise in tide does lift all the boats, that's more money for everybody and fewer social and economic problems. "I'm just terribly frustrated that we don't see a more ambitious effort out of the White House in support of developing a strong private sector economy in Indian country. I'm going to continue to speak out on this. We are going to continue to hold hearings. "I'm not going to give up on this White House, but I do have to share with you that they have plenty of money for every other imaginable purpose other than living up to their treaty and trust responsibilities and ending this cycle of poverty and dependency we have too much of in Indian country. If they can spend [a] billion dollars a week, they ought to be able to spend $1 billion a year in Indian country, to help end poverty and help our people. If they can spend $21 billion rebuilding Iraq as foreign aid, why can't they find $1 billion to rebuild Indian country and help our schools and hospitals and housing, and to create jobs? To me this is an outrageous set of upside down priorities." Copyright c. 1998 - 2006 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Supreme Court under fire from Tribal Leaders" --------- Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 08:42:05 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="STEPPING BACK TO MORE 'JUST US'" http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=7852 Supreme Court under fire from tribal leaders Justices blasted for not taking case with Oklahoma co-plaintiff Sam Lewin May 17, 2006 The current makeup of the United States Supreme Court is being called the "most anti-Indian court in the history" of the country as justices refuse to hear a case featuring an Oklahoma tribe as a co-plaintiff. The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma and the Cayuga Indian Nation of New York had hoped justices would review a June of 2005 ruling against their land claims that was issued by the New York-based U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals court ruling turned what had been victory for the tribes into a defeat: It overturned a 1994 decision that awarded the tribes $248 million in damages, with a judge agreeing that the state illegally took their land. But justices on the Supreme Court without comment refused to review the appeals court case, delighting the tribes' opponents. "For more than 25 years, I have fought this land claim by the Cayuga Indian Tribe, and it is extremely satisfying to see the highest court in the land, the U.S. Supreme Court, reject all claims by the Cayuga Nation," said New York State Senator Michael Nozzolio. Native American leaders saw it differently, blasting the high court for what they see as an emerging pattern of anti-Indian rulings. "The Supreme Court, in refusing to accept the Cayuga appeal, has established itself as the most anti-Indian court in the history of the United States," said James W. Ransom, a member of the St., Regis Mohawk's tribal council. A Cayuga spokesman said the deck was stacked all along against the tribe. "The Cayuga people are disappointed but not surprised," said Clint Halftown. "Our history has taught us to expect little, and today's decision confirms what we always expected - that we can't and should never have trusted this process." The Miami-based Seneca- Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma joined with the Cayuga Nation in the lawsuit as part of their claim to over 70 thousand acres in New York's Cayuga County as ancestral homeland. Their opponents in the area-mainly local politicians and anti-Indian gaming groups-say the tribe is only recognized in Oklahoma and ceded their New York claim in an 1838 treaty. Seneca-Cayuga historians counter that they left New York years before that, and were not involved in the 1838 signing. Even though they have suffered a series of recent court defeats, the Seneca-Cayugas, who operate gaming in northeastern Oklahoma, indicated they are not yet giving up their designs on New York as they filed an appeal to construct a casino in the Cayuga County town of Aurelius without local interference. That appeal, if successful, would reverse an earlier ruling. The tribe has already bought several hundred acres of land in the community. Officials in the area dismissed the move. "The blunt response would be that they're delusional," Aurelius Supervisor Ed Ide Jr. told the Syracuse Post-Standard. The legal wrangling comes amid a contentious background. Some East Coast tribes-and others across the country- are still fuming over a Supreme Court decision handed down in March of 2005 against the New York-based Oneida Indian Nation that stated the Oneidas did not have the authority to assert jurisdiction outside of its current reservation. In a lopsided 8-1 ruling, justices essentially said that Oneidas waited too long to make a land claim to the 250,000-acres they lost two centuries ago. "It continues to amaze me at how biased courts have become towards Natives," said Lorraine M. White, another member of the St. Regis Mohawk tribal council. You can reach Sam Lewin at sam@okit.com Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Kempthorne should settle Trust Fund Lawsuit" --------- Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 09:02:01 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EDITORIAL: SETTLE THE TRUST FUND SUIT" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/286104101388292 New interior secretary should settle with Indians May 16, 2006 Once Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne's nomination as the next secretary of the interior survives a couple of showboat attempts to block it, he'll inherit one of the federal government's longest-running headaches. That would be a lawsuit filed in 1996 by the Native American Rights Fund, demanding an accounting for more than a century's worth of federal mismanagement of tribal trust funds. The Indians claim they were cheated out of $100 billion, but have offered to settle for $27.5 billion. That may be a bargain. The Indians may be owed a century's worth of grazing rents, oil and gas royalties and timber sales from the land, plus interest. Various attempts at the accounting have stumbled through lost or destroyed records and delay after delay by the Department of Interior that Kempthorne will soon head. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved Kempthorne's nomination on a voice vote last week. But Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said they intend to place a hold on it - a privilege any senator can invoke to block a floor vote. Landrieu is protesting the Bush administration's refusal to share a portion of offshore oil and gas royalties with Gulf Coast states. Nelson is opposed to an Interior Department proposal allowing oil and gas drilling off the Gulf of Mexico. Still, Kempthorne is rated a shoo-in for nomination and the temporary glitch of the Landrieu/Nelson grandstanding will be a cakewalk compared to settling the Indians' suit against the government. For openers, he is surely aware that his two predecessors - Bruce Babbitt in the Clinton Administration and Bush nominee Gayle Norton - were held in contempt of court by U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, who has presided over the trial since its beginning. Lamberth was repeatedly angered by the agency's stonewalling and handling of records requests. The dispute dates to 1887, when Congress made the Interior Department the trustee for 145 million acres of Indian lands. Indians were supposed to benefit, but the government gave most of the land to white settlers. The department now manages 10 million acres of trust land for individual Indians and 46 million acres for tribes. As reported earlier, the suit seeks to reconcile the historical trust- fund accounts. The Indians, and Congress, demanded an audit. The major problem throughout this fiasco is that a full accounting is virtually impossible because of incomplete records after all these years. It's quite a headache for any interior secretary to inherit. Maybe Kempthorne can provide some new insight and direction when he takes over. From what we've read and heard he's a pretty reasonable, qualified individual. Even Sen. Landrieu called Kempthorne an "outstanding" nominee. He'll need an outstanding tenure as interior secretary to help close the book on this case. Settlement continues to be an option that should be explored to end a trial that has dragged on for a decade while the interior department tried to reconcile a century of mismanagement. The whole thing continues to be a national embarrassment. -- Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Sarah Jenkins and Bill Lee. --------- "RE: Connecticut's Campaign to end Schaghticokes" --------- Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 08:34:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MCDONNELL: TRIBAL GENOCIDE" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412962 McDonnell: Connecticut's campaign to exterminate the Schaghticokes by: Edward McDonnell III May 12, 2006 A genteel genocide continues apace in Connecticut; not of a people, but of a long, proud heritage. The Schaghticoke Tribal Nation gained federal recognition in 2004 after 25 years of struggle. Strident opponents exacted a heavy price: less-than-ideal financial backing from an investor seeking to build a third casino in Connecticut. Federal recognition and plans to construct an entertainment facility in Bridgeport only redoubled the state's century-old campaign to exterminate the Schaghticokes. Connecticut's public leaders placed private agendas ahead of public fairness by browbeating the U.S. Department of the Interior into revoking that recognition last October. Natives had better stand together with the Schaghticokes - emulating the recent show of solidarity by the gracious tribal council chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag - lest other hard-won sovereignties suffer similar overthrows. In this case, appealing news copy of old-line Yankees defeating "ragtag" minions of casino thugs hid the real wrongdoing. The only green in the grass-roots organization behind this apparent popular outcry - the Town Action to Save Kent group - was the money it spent to scuttle Schaghticoke sovereignty by surreptitiously insinuating its way into Interior, the White House and a standing committee of the U.S. Senate. TASK even finagled a front-of-the-bus seat on presidential aspirant John McCain's "Straight-Talk Express." Public figures - in and out of government, from both political parties, inside and outside the Beltway - harmonized the hackneyed hype of "good government" into a symphony of subversion. Democratic Sens. Joseph Lieberman and Christopher Dodd, supporters until the Schaghticokes attained recognition, complained that the federal recognition process was "broken." An inspector general reviewed the recognition for six months in mid-2004, at Dodd's behest, clearing Interior, the BIA and the STN of any wrongdoing. Instead, this independent investigation concluded that the process had been transparent. Dissatisfied with this outcome, the senators let their Connecticut cronies crush the Schaghticokes. Richard Blumenthal placed political ambition ahead of his duty as Connecticut attorney general by illegally circumventing a federal court order against covert lobbying of federal officials by interested parties. Blumenthal subsequently lied on statewide television, claiming that he would "no more" contact such officials during a proceeding "than call the president." He basically did both. If anyone broke the BIA machinery, he did. Republican Reps. Nancy Johnson and Christopher Shays were equally shameless in tampering with the recognition process by co-signing a letter to Interior, inappropriately demanding an unwarranted reversal. Representing the town of Kent and surrounding areas, including the tribal reservation, Johnson derided the Schaghticokes as impostors. She proposed a bill in Congress to terminate their existence. This Midwest native knows as much about Connecticut's history as the nonresidents bankrolling TASK. Please give Johnson credit, however, for her principled refusal to return contributions emanating from the kingmaker of Indian casino sleaze, Jack Abramoff. Only when she could no longer use disgraced Rep. Tom DeLay to get the coveted chairmanship of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee did Johnson surrender the booty. Caving in to Johnson, Shays turned his back on 10,000 new jobs in his district even though 87 percent of the people in Bridgeport favored the urban reclamation envisioned by the Schaghticokes. TASK stoked popular passions by warning that the Schaghticokes would build a casino in quaint little Kent, marring its beauty and overwhelming its infrastructure. This "Town Auction to Sell Kent" (a bill of goods) had the deep pockets and decibels to drown out assurances by the Schaghticokes that construction would occur 50 miles away in Bridgeport - Connecticut's largest and poorest city. Testifying before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Republican Gov. Jodi Rell manifestly overstated the housing congestion of Connecticut's northwest corner as a reason to overturn recognition. Only one non- Schaghticoke residence lies on the 2,200 acres currently under dispute; none of the soil in question has been tilled for anything in 200 years. The Kent School, prideful of its religious tradition, dredged up tribal lands to elevate the headmaster's new mansion to spare it from seasonal flash floods. This school blithely ignored state laws to preserve artifacts that might have lain there. Tribal leaders looked on helplessly as the headmaster, an ordained Episcopal priest, allowed dump trucks to fill that crater with solid, often toxic, wastes. The Rev. Richardson Schell scorned more than the tribe's history; he brushed aside environmental concerns by placing that thinly covered garbage dump near a tributary of the Housatonic River. Publicly available information proves that TASK, Johnson and Blumenthal, et al., committed the very transgressions they themselves accuse of the Schaghticokes. Nevertheless, a lie said for the thousandth time is no closer to the truth than when it was first uttered. This invective against American Indians is not about spillover costs of casinos. The catalyzing issue remains land; the STN lost 95 percent of theirs through illegal sales by state-appointed officials. Federal recognition remains a prerequisite for the STN to enjoy the fair hearing to which they are entitled. With sovereign status, the tribe can enforce valid claims through the 1790 Non-Intercourse Act. State, local and community leaders should end their shameful shenanigans against the Schaghticokes. The tribe deserves a better reservation than a rocky rump in the middle of nowhere. The Schaghticokes have always been good neighbors, as most longtime Kent residents remember, serving Connecticut in war and observing the peace. The extinction of a tiny people may not add up to a whole lot for everyday American citizens. Yet, in a democracy that not so long ago viewed a Great Society in terms of decency rather than dollars, "might making right" poisons the fairness vital to its longevity. --- Edward J. McDonnell III, CFA, serves as an unpaid financial adviser to the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation. Copyright c. 1998 - 2006 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Moves made to dismiss all New York Land Claims" --------- Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 09:02:01 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LAND CLAIMS DISMISSAL SOUGHT" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.syracuse.com/base/news-3/114785677265050.xml Moves made to dismiss all land claims By Glenn Coin Staff writer May 17, 2006 A state assemblyman wants Gov. George Pataki to ask the courts to dismiss Indian land claims now that the U.S. Supreme Court has acted on two important Indian law cases. "I urge you to seek immediate dismissal of any and all Indian land claims brought against New York state in light of the landmark decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court," Assemblyman David Townsend, R-Kirkland, wrote Monday. Townsend's district includes the Oneida Indian Nation's Turning Stone Resort and Casino. The Supreme Court on Monday, upheld a decision by an appeals court tossing out the 64,000-acre Cayuga Indian land claim, which ends that claim and throws out a $247.9 million judgment for the Cayugas. Last year, the high court ruled that the Oneidas had waited too long to claim sovereignty over land it had purchased within their 250,000-acre land claim. Pataki's office did not comment directly on Townsend's letter. A statement issued by Pataki spokesman Saleem Cheeks said: "(W)e'll be reviewing with the Attorney General's office what our next steps will be with respect to the other remaining land claims and land-to-trust applications." The Oneidas and Cayugas have applied to the federal government to take into trust their tribal lands. Trust land is owned by the federal government and set aside for the exclusive use of tribes. State and local municipalities have no authority over trust land. The land claims filed by the Oneida nation and the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians have been on hold for months pending the Supreme Court's action in the Cayuga case. Copyright c. 2006 The Post-Standard. Used with permission. --------- "RE: The Enchanted Mesa: Myth or True Tale?" --------- Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 09:08:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ACOMA PUEBLO" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/43920.html Trail dust, 05/20/2006 - The Enchanted Mesa: myth or true tale? By MARC SIMMONS | The New Mexican May 20, 2006 One of the most spectacular landmarks in the Southwest is the Indian pueblo of Acoma. Situated on a high mesa in west central New Mexico, it is nicknamed "Sky City." The Indians were already living there when Coronado passed by in 1540. Then, the only way to the top was by means of a steep stairway hacked out of the mesa's rocky wall. Up this difficult passage, women bore water jars on their heads and men carried earth, stones and timbers to build their pueblo. The Acomas have not always resided on this mesa. Their own legends say that hundreds of years ago the original village was located on Katzimo about three miles north of the present village. Katzimo, or the Enchanted Mesa, as it is now called, soars more than 450 feet above the surrounding valley. The fate of that first pueblo was told to writer Charles F. Lummis in 1892 by Martin Valle, one of the Acoma elders, 98 years old. According to the account, his ancestors had settled upon this commanding site because of the natural protection it offered from their enemies. There was only one place where the straight, soaring walls of Katzimo could be scaled. Near the southern end, a section of the mesa rock had split off, forming a sloping cleft about halfway down from the summit. Below this the ancient Indian builders had pecked toe and finger holes to allow for climbing. Up their perilous stone ladder, they somehow managed to carry huge pine logs needed for roof beams of the pueblo. The people of Katzimo prospered. Summers, all of them came down to the valley floor to till their fields of corn, beans and squash. At night, they slept secure in their skyscraping village. One spring day, the people descended with their hoes to prepare the land for planting. Only three old women remained above in the pueblo. In midafternoon, a furious storm dumped a torrent of rain. Water ran deep on the ground and washed against the base of Katzimo. It tore at the sand and rock so a section of mesa containing the stone ladder broke away and fell to the plain. When the people returned, they found only a sheer face of rock. Their access to the village was gone. Hundreds of feet above on the edge of Katzimo, they could see the three old women waving at them. Abandoning their homes and the luckless women, the Indians walked south to Acoma mesa, and from scratch, they began building again. There Coronado found their descendants. Charles Lummis in one of his books publicized the story of Katzimo as he had heard it from Valle. He speculated that if the formidable walls could be somehow climbed, then surely evidence would be discovered confirming the old tale about a lost pueblo. Professor William Libbey of Princeton University was an avowed skeptic. In 1897, he announced to the press that he would go to New Mexico, climb the mesa and explode once and for all the myth of Katzimo. Followed by a half-dozen reporters, all eager to see the "Indian fairy story" disproved, the professor arrived at the foot of Katzimo. For the ascent, he had brought great lengths of rope, pulleys, a small cannon and a special chair. Libbey and his helpers managed to shoot a coil of rope from the cannon over the prow of the cliff. The professor, strapped in his chair and carrying a camera, was lifted to the crest. One of the daring newspaper men was sent up next. The pair explored for several hours. Upon returning to the plain below, Libbey announced with smug conviction that he had seen no ruins or artifacts. "Romantic Indian legend can never stand the acid test of scientific investigation," he proclaimed pompously. Archaeologist Frederick Webb Hodge read about the Katzimo affair in the newspapers. He felt sure Libbey was all wet, so he organized his own expedition to the mesa top. Once there, he found evidence aplenty that the Acoma story was true. Over the centuries, wind and water had brought down the ancient pueblo and carried the remains over the edge. But tucked in crevices were arrow points, stone tools, beads and pottery fragments. Libbey, it seems, had been so eager to establish his own pet theory that he was blind to the relics that lay at his feet. Of that silly error, Hodge wrote later: "The Indian lore of a thousand years cannot be undone by a few hours of careless investigation." Lummis tells us the Acomas were pleased over the complete vindication of their ancient tradition. And he adds, "Libbey's nonsense had been exposed, and Katzimo truly deserved its modern name - The Enchanted Mesa!" -- Historian Marc Simmons is author of numerous books on New Mexico and the Southwest. His column appears Saturdays. Copyright c. 2006 Santa Fe New Mexican --------- "RE: Coal-fired Plant cuts emissions on Tribal Land" --------- Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 09:08:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LOW EMISSIONS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.rockymountainnews.com/0,1299,DRMN_15_4712942,00.html Coal-fired plant cuts emissions on tribal land Rocky Mountain News May 20, 2006 ALBUQUERQUE - Navajo Nation regulators say that air quality in the Four Corners region is improving because a large coal-fired power plant on tribal land has trimmed its sulfur dioxide emissions by nearly two- thirds during the past two years. Reports from the Four Corners Power Plant, run by Arizona Public Service Co., show that the plant's stacks emitted 12,554 tons of sulfur dioxide in 2005, according to the Navajo Environmental Protection Agency. That's a reduction of more than 22,500 tons from 2003. Navajo EPA Executive Director Stephen Etsitty said he believes the improvement can be traced to better cooperation between the tribe and Arizona Public Service - the result of a voluntary compliance agreement signed a year ago. As part of the agreement, Navajo EPA assumed regulatory authority over air quality issues for the plant. The agency gained more authority this spring when the U.S. EPA allowed the tribe to administer the plant's operating permit. Copyright c. 2006 Rocky Mountain News. --------- "RE: Not on this River" --------- Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 09:08:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRIBES OPPOSE FENCE ON RIO GRANDE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/ts_more.php?id=70863_0_10_0_M36 Not on this River The Brownsville Herald May 20, 2006 In Navajo and Hopi tribal lore, a sacred, boundless force would carry common things to faraway places, making the ordinary exotic.Diane Joe, a Brownsville native who is Yoeme but married into the Navajo tribe, spoke of the tale as she talked of her protest against government efforts to secure the border. Looking over the Rio Grande, two men stripped and swam across to the U.S. side and back before the Border Patrol could catch up with them. To Joe, proposals to fence the sacred Rio Grande would be an insult.The powerful river born in the mountains of Colorado is central to the stories generations of grandmothers in the women's tribe have passed down."I grew up with stories of the river," Joe said.Joe, 46, and her niece, Barbara Ratliff, 44, are praying and fasting for four days at Hope Park against the militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border and for peace and dignity. Copyright c. 2006 The Brownsville Herald. --------- "RE: Cherokee proposal could ban Freedman" --------- Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 08:34:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DAWES PLUS CHEROKEE BLOOD..." http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/20060516/NEWS01/60515017/1002 Cherokee proposal could ban Freedman By Donna Hales Phoenix Staff Writer May 16, 2006 TAHLEQUAH - A Cherokee Council committee voted Monday to send a proposal that could ban Freedmen as citizens to the full council in its June meeting. The proposal had been tabled for 60 days in late April so more research could be done with Cherokee citizens. But Councilor Jackie Bob Martin had enough votes to get his proposal voted on in a reconvened Rules Committee meeting Monday. Martin proposed only Cherokees listed on the Dawes Rolls or their descendants with a degree of Cherokee blood or adopted Delaware or Shawnees could be tribal members. Cherokee Freedmen are descendants of freed slaves who joined the Cherokees in the 1800s, some of whom were Cherokees by blood. The entire council will vote in its June 12 meeting whether to send the constitutional amendment to a vote of the Cherokee people. It would have taken a two-thirds vote of the council, or 10 councilors, to amend the agenda for the last night's monthly Council meeting. Martin couldn't muster that many votes. Councilors voting to take the proposal off the table and pass it to a full vote of the council: Don Garvin, Cara Cowan Watts, Martin, Bill Johnson, Buel Anglin, Meredith Frailey and Audra Connor. Those voting to keep the proposal tabled until further research could be accomplished: Bill John Baker, David Thornton, Chuck Hoskin, Johnny Keener and Joe Crittenden. Martin also proposed a special election in November for a vote on the proposed constitutional amendment rather than wait until the tribe's general election in June 2007. It will take a two-thirds vote of the council to call a special election. Reach Donna Hales at 684-2923 or dhales@muskogeephoenix.com. Copyright c. 2006 Muskogee Daily Phoenix. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Yuroks oppose Cell Tower on Sacred Peak" --------- Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 08:54:49 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NO TOWER ON TRINIDAD HEAD" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=11256 Yuroks oppose cell tower project for Trinidad Head by Mike Morrow May 18, 2006 The Yurok Tribal Council chairman has made it clear that Trinidad Head and surrounding areas should be left alone. Howard McConnell reiterated Wednesday that plans to construct a communications facility and tower at Trinidad Head violate the sacred tradition of the area. "Trinidad Head," McConnell said, "is not the place for cell towers. This has been a sacred site for the Yurok people since the beginning of time. "As the original stewards of the headland, we have made a continuing responsibility to speak out for it. The Creator made a pact with the Yurok to manage this land with the proper respect." For more than six months now, representatives of U.S. Cellular and the city of Trinidad have had ongoing discussions about the possible construction of a communications tower at Trinidad Head. Citizens, including the Friends of Trinidad Head, have spoken against the proposal. "The vistas of Trinidad Head should not be obstructed by private communications towers operated by U.S. Cellular or anything else," McConnell said. "Currently, this land is zoned as open space. (What) are cell towers doing on it?" Protests have been spirited and even humorous, as resident Victoria Sackville wrote and sang a song - "There's No Place Like Trinidad Head" - to express her displeasure. U.S. Cellular has plans to install a 25-foot by 50-foot communications facility to be located north of an existing communications tower. Trinidad Head was transferred from the Bureau of Land Management to the city in 1983. The existing communications site was developed as a cable television site prior to the annexation of Trinidad Head. A weather station also was developed, while a North Cellular telephone service pole was approved in 1997. Subsequently, additional towers were approved in 2000, 2002 and 2003. Cal North subleases for the site with Sprint and Edge Wireless and claims current facilities are inadequate. McConnell said he recently wrote a letter to the BLM, asking it to examine the actions of the city of Trinidad in permitting towers on Trinidad Head. He said he expected an administrative hearing on the matter. "We also are working with the Tsurai Ancestral Society, the city of Trinidad, and the California Coastal Conservancy in finalizing a management plan for the 12.5-acre Tsurai Study Area. This, we anticipate, will begin the process of transferring the area to the Yurok Tribe. Together, we will do the right thing." The Yurok Tribe is the largest in California, with more than 4,900 enrolled members, according to McConnell. Copyright c. 2005, The Eureka Reporter. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Tribe's strife brings distrust of Leaders" --------- Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 09:08:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SAN PASQUAL STRIFE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.signonsandiego.com/20060520-9999-1mi20pasqual.html Tribe's strife brings distrust of leaders, fear of dissidents By Chet Barfield UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER May 20, 2006 SAN PASQUAL INDIAN RESERVATION - Business appears to be bustling at Valley View Casino, even in the midst of a $100 million expansion. But beyond the public view, the San Pasqual Indian band is struggling as a tribe. Internal disputes are common on many reservations, but the one embroiling this 300-member tribe is unusually intense, with critics calling for federal actions and investigations. The strife at San Pasqual is deep and deep-layered. Much of it is over tribal enrollment, an issue of contention here for decades - long before Indian gaming revenue was at stake. More than money, this conflict is about identity and credibility. It's also about family feuding, group integrity and how a tribe functions - or not - as a government. Dissidents by the dozens distrust the elected leaders who, they contend, are backed by off-reservation families of questionable Indian lineage. The leaders and their supporters, in turn, are fearful of opponents they describe as intimidating and potentially violent. Meetings moved A year ago, protesters shut down the tribal headquarters for two days, pounding drums and burning bonfires. Since then, Chairman Allen Lawson and his executive committee have not convened a tribal meeting on the Valley Center-area reservation. They tried to hold one at a nearby school in July; it immediately disintegrated into a brawl. The five officers meet at an Escondido law office, not on the reservation. Issues requiring tribal votes have been conducted by mail balloting, in what critics call a violation of San Pasqual's governing constitution. Sixty-one members signed a petition to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs in March seeking to nullify eight mail-ballot resolutions adopted from July to January. Other federal intervention is being sought. Credit card receipts and other financial documents have been given to the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General. An agency spokesman confirmed last week that a review is under way to determine whether a formal investigation is warranted. Meanwhile, the National Indian Gaming Commission is assessing allegations that two of San Pasqual's five tribal casino regulators - both signers of the mail-balloting petition - were removed from their posts this month for political reasons. Other department heads also have been replaced, evoking outcry. "Something has to change," said Josie Villalpando, lead signatory on the petition to the Indian bureau. "If you talk to anyone else, they feel the same way I do - very frustrated, very saddened about what's happened here." Frictions boil over Others see it differently. "A minority is trying to run the majority of the tribe, and that doesn't work in a democracy," said Al Orosco, a former tribal councilman. Frictions that had brewed for years boiled over last spring, when leaders thwarted an attempt to add 212 lineal descendants - children and grandchildren of members - to the tribal rolls. Many of the applicants were young adults in their 20s and 30s who had grown up on the reservation. Four of the five tribal officers boycotted an April 2005 meeting at which the "lineals" were voted in. Leaders called the meeting invalid; the Indian bureau agreed, saying it lacked a quorum of three presiding officers. Demonstrators ringed the tribal headquarters. They held a recall to oust Chairman Lawson and two other officers, but again, the Indian bureau ruled it procedurally invalid. In the year since then, the protests have subsided, but not the bitterness. Lawson declined to comment on the situation, as did several leaders on both sides. Some didn't answer calls; others said speaking openly would only make things worse. "It's ridiculous to live like this. Everybody's afraid to say anything," said Dorothy Tavui, former tribal chairwoman. "It really is sad to see adults behaving like this." She said she signed the petition to the Indian bureau because San Pasqual's constitution requires in-person voting at meetings to ensure accountability. Police presence ribal Councilman Dave Toler said the tribe hasn't been meeting regularly, as required in the constitution, due to threats of violence. "We have a responsibility to protect the integrity of the tribe," he said. The only tribal meeting since last summer was in January at a hall in Escondido. It evoked tensions but no fights, with dozens of police officers there. Another meeting at the hall is scheduled for tomorrow, with police security. At the Jan. 22 meeting, the eight resolutions adopted by mail - involving land-use contracts, tribal ordinances and tribal spending, among other things - were approved in one vote. Opponents complained that some members weren't notified of the meeting and that the resolutions should have been discussed individually. Those grievances were cited in the petition to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The agency's Southern California superintendent, James Fletcher, sent a letter April 24 warning that San Pasqual didn't appear to be following its constitution. "The bureau has a trust responsibility to advise the tribe when its actions are not in compliance with its own governing document," Fletcher wrote. "It is of utmost importance that the voting process be clarified." Fletcher told The San Diego Union-Tribune that San Pasqual is risking its federal funding of about $200,000 a year for things such as housing, education and tribal government operations. "I'm hoping that they can settle their differences, but it appears to be worsening," he said. "If it starts affecting their ability to deliver their programs, then we would have problems giving them money to fund their programs." Fletcher said he has recommended mediation, but the tribe has declined. Toler, the tribal councilman, said that when opponents express open hatred, it's hard to mediate. "The best thing we can do is show them the honesty, show them the intent. There's good intent," he said. "This council is making every effort within its powers and its understanding to correct any discontent amongst the tribe." Orosco, the former tribal officer, is chairman of the San Pasqual elders' group. He says many fear the dissidents. "Who wants to go to a meeting and get beat up?" he asked. As a city councilman in Orange County in the 1960s, Orosco, 76, said he learned "you can disagree with somebody and still be friends." "If we could instill that here, it would be wonderful," he said. "But here you have family against family. It just goes back so far." Vice Chairman Rudy Contreras, the only officer supported by the opposition, said San Pasqual's conflicts can only be healed by confronting them openly and honestly. "You continue to function as a government. You don't change everything because you're fearful of a few individuals. You carry on," he said. "If we don't stand together and stand strong and iron out our problems, we're not making them go away." Copyright c. 2006 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. --------- "RE: Conference looks at Federal Indian removal in Ohio" --------- Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 09:08:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="OHIO CONFERENCE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga/1148027478227450.xml&coll=2 Conference looks at federal Indian removal in Ohio Robert L. Smith Plain Dealer Columnist May 19, 2006 It's a puzzling paradox that a state so vivid with American Indian names - Cuyahoga, Erie, Tuscarawas, Wapakoneta - is home to so few American Indians. Native people are believed to number fewer than 30,000 among Ohio's 11 million people. They were once here in greater numbers, of course. Native cultures thrived for centuries in O-hi-o ("Beautiful river"), then seemingly vanished. Such was the effectiveness of a federal effort to remove the state's last surviving native communities beginning in 1830. This week, authors, historians and Ameri can Indian leaders are gathering in North west Ohio to discuss the little-publicized dark chapter of Ohio history. The Conference on Indian Removal from Ohio runs through Saturday at Defiance College, Northwest State Community College and Sauder Village. Speakers include Debbi Snook, a Plain Dealer writer who chronicled the removal of the Wyandot from western Ohio in an award-winning series of stories in 2003. Learn more at www.defiance .edu/NAC.html. Copyright c. 2006 Cleveland Plain Dealer. --------- "RE: Alcohol decision wrong, now is time for protest" --------- Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 08:54:49 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PROTECT SACRED BEAR BUTTE" http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=7858 Alcohol decision wrong, now is the time for protest Guest commentary BEAR BUTTE SD Debra White Plume May 18, 2006 This column is regarding a decision by commissioners in South Dakota's Meade County to approve the alcohol application of Jay Allen, who proposes to build a large bar, asphalt parking lot and amphitheater near Bear Butte. Bear Butte is a sacred mountain to our Lakota people, as well as many other Native nations. We pray there, learn there, and receive healing there. Bear Butte is our church, school, and hospital. While some people may believe that since there is no development actually on the mountain, it is fine to build nearby. However, elected officials such as the commissioners have a responsibility not only to the people who vote candidates into office, but to people everywhere who depend on the judgment of officials to take care of social responsibility. There are laws in place all over the United States protecting the integrity of churches, schools and hospitals. The commissioners have the power to demand by example that all people, businesses, organizations and governments show their respect for a sacred mountain by voting "No" to Allen's application. This is a great responsibility that the commissioners have. Lakota People, like everyone else, have the inalienable human right to pray at sacred places. This right is denied when the decision-makers approve of action, which in essence, sanctions the desecration of sacred places. Opponents of the bar hoped that the commissioners would consider the future when making decisions, thinking of the coming generations of not only Lakota people, but also all Meade County residents, including their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Bear Butte is a sacred place, it is a national historic site, it is a state park, and the nearby Bear Butte Lake is a National Wildlife Refuge. With such designations, the commissioners had all these good reasons to vote in such a manner as to protect and preserve Bear Butte for the people of today and generations to come. Many of us attending the April hearing urged the commissioners to take courage and vote for the environment, creation, and the coming generations. We urged them to stand against the powerful raging money machine that often drives small towns into making disastrous, regrettable decisions. As elected officials, the commissioners must be aware that the decision to allow Allen the one tool he needs to make a profit from his endeavor will result in great suffering for the people who need and cherish Bear Butte, as well as environmentalists who respect Bear Butte for the special place that it is. Aren't the 60 bars already in the area enough? Lakota people could have celebrated a decision to protect and preserve the sacred mountain. That was not to be, and the commissioners approved Allen's alcohol-license application. The power was there for the commission to enact an honorable decision, yet without any discussion, the vote was unanimous to approve Our work is not done; we will continue to resist the desecration of Bear Butte. We will continue to make a stand for our right to pray for our sacred mountain when we camp there with other tribes and our supporters beginning on the Fourth of July. Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: KILI-FM Radio off the air" --------- Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 09:08:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="KILI" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413023 KILI-FM radio off the air by: David Melmer / Indian Country Today May 22, 2006 PORCUPINE, S.D. - The main source of communications to an entire reservation has been silenced and out of business for more than a month. Award-winning community radio station KILI-FM on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota fell victim to a major prairie spring storm on April 15 and has been off the air since. The tower and transmission line were struck by lightning. Low-level transmission was possible until April 23, when engineers determined the tower would not support any transmission. The radio station's board of directors and many other organizations and individuals are now putting out the call for donations to match a grant for a new antenna and transmission line. The estimated cost of a new antenna and transmission line has climbed from $70,000 early on to $200, 000 most recently. The radio station needs matching funds for a grant that could help them get up and running. The station broadcasts programs related to health, education, youth, agriculture and economic development. It also broadcasts personal messages, keeps people informed about meetings, gatherings and social events and all of the Oglala Tribal Council's meetings. All is not completely lost. The station has an online streaming service whose listenership has grown from 1,000 in the past 30 days to more than 13,000, according to the Web site. KILI radio is the go-to source for information around the reservation. While keeping the entire reservation and surrounding areas informed, entertainment was also part of the mix. Parents of students relied on the radio station, which provided youths an opportunity to host their own programs, to inform them of school events. The station serves nearly 30,000 people, including residents of Pine Ridge and American Indian residents of Rapid City, which has the largest American Indian urban population in the state, and who come from many of the state's reservations. KILI has a transmitter in Rapid City, which is also off the air because the mother station is silent. "Since KILI has been off we don't know anything anymore. We don't know what's going on anywhere," said Carrie Romero at the Community Action Program office in Kyle. Organizations like the CAP office relied on the station to announce upcoming events, meetings and other gatherings. Romero said that an event at Kyle on June 2 may not be well attended since it can't be announced on KILI. "If there are district meetings, or a land committee meeting or any meetings, we don't know what is going on anymore. The council representatives would get on there, but now we don't know about the issues, " Romero said. A large community of listeners tuned in to KILI in the morning to listen to the elders speaks, mostly in Lakota. "Everyone listens," Romero said. She added that most of the news that passes around the reservation is a week old and mostly hearsay at that point. Dave Pourier, fifth member of the executive committee, said he had not heard too many complaints in his office. The major problem is keeping everyone informed, he said. The council meetings are not broadcast, and Pourier had not heard many complaints about that, he said. Pourier said some people were listening online. At different times of the day a listener could listen to pow wow music, contemporary American Indian music, country, rap, rock and other styles of music. Oglala tribal leaders and elected officials were given time on the station, as were those who opposed the administration during and after elections to discuss both sides of issues. At times, administration officials fell to criticism from tribal members, but were always able to defend themselves on the air. The radio station had been broadcasting at a lower power for some time as a safety precaution for the station personnel after it was determined the tower built in 1983 was transmitting possibly dangerous levels of radio frequency. KILI-FM is a not-for-profit broadcast facility, and tax-deductible donations are welcomed. For more information or to make a contribution, contact Melanie Janis or Tom Casey at Box 150, Porcupine, SD 57772; or visit www.kiliradio.org. Copyright c. 1998 - 2006 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Court rules against Hemp growing" --------- Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 08:54:49 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TREATY RIGHTS LOSE TO DEA" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.casperstartribune.net/f487623333de0b1487257172000493d0.txt Court rules against hemp growing By CARSON WALKER Associated Press writer May 18, 2006 SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - An American Indian treaty and United States law do not allow for the cultivation of industrial hemp on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. Alex White Plume, vice president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and members of his family planted hemp on their property but it was cut down and confiscated by federal agents. Industrial hemp is related to marijuana and is used to make rope and other products. It has only a trace of the drug in marijuana, but it is illegal to grow hemp in the United States. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it empathized with the White Plumes but concluded their enterprise was illegal. "We are not unmindful of the challenges faced by members of the Tribe to engage in sustainable farming on federal trust lands ... And we do not doubt that there are a countless number of beneficial products which utilize hemp in some fashion. Nor do we ignore the burdens imposed by a DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) registration necessary to grow hemp legally," justices wrote. "But these are policy arguments better suited for the congressional hearing room than the courtroom." During oral arguments in December in St. Louis, the White Plumes' lawyer asked the appeals court to return the matter to a lower court to consider the legality of their crop. The family tried three times to grow industrial hemp on Pine Ridge reservation land from 2000 to 2002, only to have the federal government seize and destroy the plants. A judge ordered the White Plumes to stop the plantings but they were never charged in criminal court. The family could have applied to the DEA for permission to grow the crop, but without that authorization the crop could not be allowed, argued Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Salter. "The court should be commended for fulfilling its constitutional role by interpreting an ambiguous law of Congress," he said Wednesday. The White Plumes' lawyer, Bruce Ellison of Rapid City, argued the family was not growing a drug so it didn't need to apply to the federal government for permission. Ellison said he knew of no instance when the DEA granted a commercial hemp farming permit. And he said by treaty and tribal law, the White Plumes had the right to grow hemp without a DEA permit. The appeals court disagreed, saying the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 set a number of provisions to encourage Indian farming but does not address hemp farming. White Plume and Ellison could not be reached for comment. Copyright c. 2006 Casper Star-Tribune - Lee Enterprises, Inc. --------- "RE: Smallpox claims recent" --------- Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 08:54:49 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MUSEUM HEAD SAYS ORAL HISTORY DOES NOT SUPPORT CLAIMS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.denverpost.com/ci_3835021?source=rss The head of a tribal museum says claims that the Army purposely spread smallpox are recent. By Howard Pankratz Denver Post Staff Writer May 18, 2006 For Marilyn Hudson, the administrator of the Three Affiliated Tribes Museum in New Town, N.D., the oral traditions of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation are sacrosanct. Following the traditions, tribal members still recount how the three tribes were nearly wiped out in a raging smallpox epidemic in 1837. It is considered the most traumatic event in the history of the Three Affiliated Tribes, said Hudson, who is a member. In its critical appraisal of University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill released Tuesday, a CU investigative panel looked at Churchill's claim that the U.S. Army deliberately spread the smallpox among the Indians. Churchill claims the Army did this by purposely distributing smallpox-infected blankets, didn't administer a vaccine and sent the infected Indians back to their families. The committee said Churchill didn't commit academic misconduct in making the allegation because early accounts of what was said by Indians and certain native traditions provided "some basis" for that interpretation. But the committee concluded that the embattled professor had embellished the smallpox tragedy, creating "myths under the banner of scholarship." Moreover, the committee said, Churchill didn't respect the Indian oral traditions because he did not mention Native American oral sources - and had no evidence that he had done any research in the traditions of the tribes - in his writings about the smallpox epidemic before the investigation began. According to oral history passed down by Jefferson B. Smith, an esteemed leader of the tribes, Smith never blamed the Army for deliberately spreading smallpox, Hudson said. "Those claims we have not heard until recently - that there were pox- infested blankets and things like that," Hudson said. "They were not part of the oral history," she said. "He (Smith) said a boat came up the river and he said there was a sick white man on board. This person was ill and then it just spread." "The oral history is heavily relied upon for many of the customs, many of the legends because they are really the cornerstone of the social makeup of the tribes," she said. Calvin Grinnell, a resource specialist at the Three Tribes cultural preservation center, said he understood that smallpox reached the tribe when infected white settlers on a steamship traveled up the Missouri River. But some oral versions claim the smallpox was spread "through fault or through negligence," he said. "Two men were assigned to travel upriver to bring the vaccine to the Indian tribes, and they only got as far as South Dakota, and then they decided to turn back," Grinnell said. "It could have been prevented." Professor Michael Yellow Bird of the University of Kansas, who grew up on the Three Tribes reservation, told the CU committee that older people generally agree that the smallpox was deliberately introduced by whites, but they don't specify which whites were involved - whether military or traders. Copyright c. 2006 The Denver Post. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Native Hawaiian recognition up for Senate debate" --------- Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 09:02:01 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NATIVE HAWAIIAN RECOGNITION" http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/014007.asp Native Hawaiian recognition up for Senate debate May 17, 2006 A new report from the U.S. Civil Rights Commission is galvanizing supporters and opponents of Native Hawaiian recognition as a bill to extend the self-governance policy to the island's indigenous people heads for a vote. Earlier this month, the panel issued a briefing that called for the rejection of S.174, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act. The Republican-dominated commission said the measure discriminates on the basis of race and divides Americans into different classes with "varying degrees of privilege." "This runs counter to the basic American value that the government should not prefer one race over another," said Gerald A. Reynolds, the chairman of the commission and a Republican who was appointed by President Bush. But not all members of the panel agreed with the assessment. Arlan Melendez, the chairman of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony in Nevada who was appointed by Congress and identifies himself as a Democrat, voted against the report. So did Michael Yaki, another Democrat and Congressional appointee to the commission. Melendez and Yaki, an attorney, are expected to file dissents to the report that are due by tomorrow. Yet another member, Peter Kirsanow, a Republican lawyer who was appointed by President Bush, abstained from voting. Kirsanow currently serves on the National Labor Relations Board, a federal entity that is engaged in battles with tribes over sovereignty. The disagreement highlights the controversial nature of the Native Hawaiian recognition bill. Conservative Republicans have launched a campaign to ensure its defeat, arguing that a Native Hawaiian government is illegal because they say it would be based on race. "Ours is a nation based not upon race, not upon ethnicity, not upon national origin, but upon our shared values, enshrined in our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, upon our history as a nation, and upon our shared language, English," said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) in a speech on the Senate floor the day the report was released. With the bill headed for debate next month, Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), the sponsor of S.174, has embarked on his own campaign to dispel what he says are myths and misconceptions about Native Hawaiian recognition. He called the commission's report biased and inadequate because it was based on inaccurate information. "The commission never contacted its Hawaii Advisory Committee, which includes members who are experts in Hawaii's history and Indian law," Akaka said on the Senate floor. "Not once was the advisory committee informed of the briefing or allowed to contribute to the commission's report." The commission held a session on January 20, 2006, on Native Hawaiian recognition. People on both sides of the issue were equally represented although the majority of comments received from the public were in opposition to the bill. Despite the diverse views, the commission's report fails to explain a key legal and political question: whether Native Hawaiian recognition differs from recognition of American Indians and Alaska Natives. The report discusses the arguments on both sides of this particular question but doesn't provide a justification for excluding Native Hawaiians from self-determination and self-governance. The disconnect posed problems for Melendez, whose questions during the January meeting underscored the possibility that opponents of Native Hawaiians would turn their sights on tribes and Alaska Natives and argue that their governments are illegal as well. "I think that [Native Hawaiians aren't] asking for anything different than what Native American tribes in the United States have been granted," Melendez said, according to the minutes of the meeting. "And I don't see a lot of differences in the way that they've been treated." H. Christopher Bartolomucci, a law professor at Georgetown University who testified at the meeting, pointed out that the federal government in the past terminated its relationship with tribes and Alaska Natives. But he said the tribes and Alaska Natives never lost their sovereignty and argued that Native Hawaiians haven't either. "I find this somewhat ironic that it's okay to treat as Indian tribes, those tribes that we pushed off their lands and put into reservations," he said. "But if we went even further and we took away their sovereignty, if we overthrew a monarchy, if we did even more then we can't treat them as a tribe, we can't give fairness to that kind of group?" Those kinds of issues are likely to arise on the Senate floor. This past Friday, Akaka said the bill will be debated during the first week of June. "This is about establishing parity for Hawaii's indigenous peoples in federal policies," he said. "This is about clarifying the existing political and legal relationship between Native Hawaiians and the United States." Copyright c. 2000-2006 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: GIAGO: Escaping the net of the 'Dropout Nation'" --------- Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 08:34:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GIAGO: STAYING IN SCHOOL" http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=7843 Notes from Indian Country Escaping the net of the "Dropout Nation" Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji) Copyright c. 2006 Native American Journalists Foundation, Inc. May 15, 2006 "Reading, riting and rithmatic, taught to the tune of a hickory stick," probably says more about early America than most of us dare to remember. It was not uncommon for teachers to have a hickory stick or a ping-pong paddle within easy reach and to use these tools to punish unruly children. As a matter of fact, parents expected that their children be paddled or spanked if they acted up in school. In fact, spanking at home by both parents was perfectly acceptable in the society when I was young. Although I don't recall either of my parents using this form of discipline on me I observed it in other families, especially when I moved from the Indian reservation to the city. The traditional Lakota families seldom used physical force to discipline their children. A sharp look and a "hiya," (no) usually did the trick. I can still hear my father's "hiya" that brought me to a halt if I was doing something mischievous. I am sure that is why it was such a cultural shock for so many Indian children when they were shipped off to the boarding schools operated by the US Government and the Christian churches in the 1800s and into the middle 1900s. When I first saw a Catholic priest beat a classmate of mine with a leather strap for an infraction it was a very traumatic experience But just as the children of the early settlers survived the hickory stick, many of the Indian children survived the boarding schools. And if I were a statistician, I would probably say that 50 percent of them did not. We are now in a new time and a new place. The world has grown much smaller thanks to the Internet. Even on remote schools far out on Indian reservations the children now have access to computers. Instead of just learning from books and newspapers, the children of today have all of the vast resources of Google and Microsoft at their command. And this is the time of the year when they don their caps and gowns and march to the podiums to receive their high school diplomas or their college degrees. If I spoke at a graduation ceremony this year of 2006, I would have this to say to those Native American high school graduates: To those of you seated before me wearing your colors of graduation, I am very proud of you. You have stuck with something to its conclusion. Although many of you have lived in poverty, oftentimes never knowing if there would be breakfast on the table or clean clothes to wear, and although many of you have tried to help your parents overcome their addictions and have had to conquer your own fears in the process, the fact that you are about to receive a diploma after 12 years of discipline, commitment, and oftentimes uncertainty, it tells me more about you as a person than about the award you are about to receive. During these 12 years of trials and tribulations, you have seen many of your closest friends walk through those doors never to return. You have learned that 50 percent of the children that started out with you 12 years ago never stuck around to finish school. You have seen these friends working at menial jobs, driving their own cars, and even snickering at you for your commitment to getting that diploma. As John Reynor wrote this week in the Indian Education Today Magazine, many Indian schools have joined the ranks of the "Dropout Nation." The fact that you stood your ground against all odds and are seated here today to receive that diploma speaks volumes about your courage and determination. Some of you will go on to colleges off of the reservation and other will take advantage of the fantastic opportunities afforded them through the 36 Indian owned and operated colleges on the many Indian reservations in this country. Colleges like Oglala Lakota College, Dine' College, Sinte Gleska University, and Sitting Bull College are now at your very doorstep and these great colleges are probably America's best kept secret. Right here in Indian country you will find great educators and college presidents like Tom Short Bull of Oglala Lakota College and one of my idols of all time, Lionel Bordeaux of Sinte Gleska University. These are Lakota leaders that have paved the way for you to be able to get a college degree on your own reservation. The "Dropout Nation" can no longer tempt you or claim you. You have reached that first rung of the ladder that will lead you to a better life. There are still several rungs left to climb, but you have survived the hardest of times, the worst of times, and the most difficult of times to earn that diploma you soon will hold in your hands. But as you reach for the next rung on the ladder, never ever forget who you are and where you came from. You are Lakota and you will always be Lakota and you will always live in the light of Crazy Horse, Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, Spotted Tail and all of the other great chiefs and warriors who made it possible for you to be seated here today. They gave their lives so that you could live. --- Tim Giago is the president of the Native American Journalists Foundation, Inc., and the publisher of Indian Education Today Magazine. He can be reached at najournalists@rushmore.com or by writing him at 2050 W. Main St., Suite 5, Rapid City, SD. He was also the founder and former publisher of the Lakota Times and Indian Country Today newspapers. Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: The world beyond Death's Door" --------- Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 08:34:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: DEATH" http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/columnists/14588197.htm The world beyond death's door Column by Dorreen Yellow Bird May 16, 2006 Tragic and untimely accidents, such as the head-on crash on Saturday that took the lives of three young people from Minnesota communities, can leave a wound in the heart that will reopen again and again. It's a chronic pain that never really goes away. When I was a junior in high school many years ago, four young people from my class were in an accident not far from where I lived in Minot. Three were injured and one was killed. It was the young man who was killed who became that wound that never healed. Before you think this refers to a romantic notion or crush, I'll correct that. It wasn't. Strangely, I didn't even know the boy well. I knew his sister and that he was a popular athlete. I also knew him enough to say "Hi," and I thought him to be a good person. While I don't remember the names of some of my classmates that many years ago, and I don't remember the other students in the accident, I never forgot his name. As I read about the weekend accident near Fosston, Minn., and remembered the other crash so many years ago, I wondered why the memory of that accident and the young man's name stayed with me after all this time. For years, each time I passed that sharp curve in the road in Minot and saw the deep gouge in the telephone pole, I remembered the accident. Then, I'd wonder what had been going through his mind as his time drew upon him. He was only 15 or 16 years old, so he was at the doorway of his life. After the accident, his sister graduated from high school and probably got married and moved away; I didn't keep track. For you see, it wasn't really the person that affected me so; it was my realization as a 15- or 16-year-old that I could die, too, like this young man. It made me understand how tentative and fragile life can be. Through my years, I've gone through those times when I think I can feel what must go through a person's mine when they're on the brink, just before they walk to the other side. Death is the worst unknown we can grapple with. In my lifetime, I have seen it come - sometimes quietly, sometimes unjustly, sometimes too soon, but always with great power. There's no saying, "Just wait a minute" or "Give me five more minutes." The recent deaths of my mother and aunt seemed different. My mother seemed to know it was her time. With her children around her and her life being in order, her illness and difficulty with her body made the transition seem easy for her. My aunt, for her part, struggled and smiled and held us around her. When she finally left us, I could feel her around me as if she was just out of sight. On the walk of the Red Road, the image of death is put there as something you must face. A spiritual leader I knew once told me he wasn't afraid to die, because he'd been to the other world and it was quiet pleasant. He predicted his death, and he recorded that prediction to be heard sometime later. When that day came to listen to the recording, he was surprised. He had forgotten about the vision he had years ago. When he played it for me, there was a look on his face - the past had came forward and was about to consume him ... and he knew it. So, I'm sure and so sad that the sorrow of the young people - and the bereaved families, too, of course - will stay with them for a long time. Prom night, graduation and young love are supposed to be things that happen at the start of a life, not at an ending. ---- 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: JODI RAVE: UM Indian Journalists' Group" --------- Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 09:08:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="UM JOURNALISTS GAIN NATIONAL CHARTER" http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/05/21/jodirave/rave22.txt UM Indian journalists' group gains national charter By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian May 21, 2006 If an editor asked Adam Sings In The Timber to take photographs of a powwow, the Crow called "Boone" would likely not deliver pictures of anyone dancing. "I refuse to shoot dancers," he said. That's because he knows there's more to the powwow scene than shooting the grand entry of men, women and youths dancing in the arena. Sings In The Timber, a journalism major at the University of Montana, trusts he can offer newspaper readers a different perspective. And he plans to encourage others to do the same by choosing a career in the news business. He will take that message beyond the campus this fall as president of UM's Native Journalism Chapter, the first college group to be chartered by the Native American Journalists Association. "There aren't enough journalists of color and there aren't enough in the professional journalism community," said Sings In The Timber, a junior majoring in photojournalism. "The students at the University of Montana will be recognized as leaders and trendsetters," NAJA President Mike Kellogg said. "They have taken the initiative to start their journalism career on a very strong foundation." Although South Dakota State University has had Native journalism groups, Montana is the first to seek charter status with the Native American Journalists Association. Denny McAuliffe, a UM journalism professor, said he urged Montana students to beat University of Oklahoma students who were also planning to seek chapter status. Overall, the number of Native journalists working in newsrooms across the country remains consistently low. In April, the American Society of Newspaper Editors annual report on newsroom diversity numbers showed 309 Natives working in newsrooms, an increase of 14 over the prior year. McAuliffe said the ASNE numbers likely over-inflate the true number of Native journalists in newsrooms where journalists self-identify for the industry report. The University of Montana arguably has one the largest groups of Native journalists at any college or university in the country with about 15 students declaring journalism as a major. The average university boasts one or two Native journalism students, McAuliffe said. "We work hard at it. That's the difference." McAuliffe casts a net around fledgling Native journalists throughout the country by hiring them to write for Reznet News, an online newspaper for university and tribal college students. The number of tribal college students who write for the Native student college Web site, however, has always been low, he said. About half the Reznet writers have attended the American Indian Journalism Institute in Vermillion, S.D. McAuliffe attributes the low success rate of tribal college students to a lack of writing skills. "I wish it would be so easy as having more journalism classes at tribal colleges," he said. "It really is a challenge. It's frustrating." Sings In The Timber said he and other members of UM's NAJA chapter plan to go to reservations around the state to encourage high school students to consider becoming reporters and photographers. "I don't think many kids on the reservation understand what journalism is and what it can do for them, and in turn, what they can do for their communities," he said. Copyright c. 2006 Missoulian, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Secret advice to minister: resurrecting the FNGA" --------- Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 08:42:05 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="THE FN GOVERNANCE ACT - IS IT BACK?" http://www.firstperspective.ca/fp_template.php?path=20060516secret Secret advice to minister: resurrecting the First Nations Governance Act? by FP/Drum Staff May 15, 2006 Are government bureaucrats whipping a dead horse by trying to resurrect the First Nations Governance Act - or are they trying to sneak a Trojan horse into government decision-making chambers? The Assembly of First Nations leadership believes the discovery of a bureaucratic document marked "Secret - advice to minister", shouldn't be taken too seriously and National Chief Phil Fontaine is placing his faith in ministerial assurances that an FNG-like approach won't be resurrected. The document sent to Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice promotes the goals of the FNGA and recommends there be a renewed effort to deal with issues of governance and accountability. The FNGA - which was reviled by many First Nations leaders but supported by some Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal advocates of accountability - died in 2003 when Jean Chretien was prime minister. His successor Paul Martin never revived the approach but instead provided money for development of voluntary processes. The 25-page document pointed to the value of FNGA proposals and reminded Prentice of Conservative Party policy statements and leader Stephen Harper's promises on accountability and funding, which were given to the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) during January's federal election campaign. One of AFN's communications officials said Fontaine spoke with Prentice on Friday after being question by a Globe and Mail reporter, who had obtained a copy of the document. The communication's official said that Prentice assured Fontaine that there were no plans to resurrect the FNGA. "We hope that this is a last gasp (by the bureaucracy)," said communications officer Don Kelly, who had discussed the issue with Fontaine, who was unavailable for comment Tuesday (May 16). The document was written by a bureaucrat - perhaps not even an upper level bureacrat - somebody who didn't represent power within government, he added. CAP, which represents off-reserve Aboriginals, endorsed the Conservatives during the election campaign and in turn was promised a shift in spending toward urban Aboriginal people. CAP had also been a supporter of the FNGA. The FNGA process had been criticized as high-handed, too rapid and lacking in flexibility. It had been brought in by Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault, who in some respects tried to bypass bands and chief's organizations by going directly to people through hearing and review. The FNGA would have set guidelines - or minimum standards - that would have had to be met relating public band meetings, publication of band proceedings, access to information, and issues related to elections and governance. Bands could set their own rules, but these regulations would have to fall within the standards set by the act and bands that never established their own codes within a specified period of time would have government-developed codes imposed. Copyright c. 2006 First Perspective. --------- "RE: Natives back Caledonia protests" --------- Date: Monday, May 15, 2006 03:07 pm From: frostyca2000 Subj: Natives back protests Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian Natives back protests poll: Civil disobedience to increase, majority of respondents say Kelly Patrick National Post May 15, 2006 Canada's Aboriginals overwhelmingly back the long-running Six Nations demonstration in Caledonia and predict the number of similar land- claims protests is about to rise, a new survey has found. According to a poll conducted for the National Post, 62% of natives believe protesters in the Hamilton bedroom community and in eastern Ontario -- where natives briefly blocked a rail line in sympathy last month -- were right to demonstrate. That compares with just 12% who said the demonstrators were wrong. "We're talking about a margin of 5-1 and civil disobedience is involved," said Conrad Winn, president of polling firm Compas Inc., which conducted the survey this month. "A 5-1 ratio of support tells us there is a real strong sense of land grievance that continues among Aboriginal communities that won't go away that readily." The nationwide poll of 295 First Nations, Metis and Inuit respondents also found 61% predicted more land-claims protests ahead. Only 18% foresaw fewer protests. When viewed against a third poll question that found natives give the provincial and federal governments marks nearly as high as their own national leaders, Mr. Winn said the native agenda that emerges is one of "moderate rebellion." "Their agendas are very practical," he said. "They want their land rights, but they don't want to overturn the government of Canada. They're not revolutionaries." The survey's respondents were asked to grade four different levels of native and non-native government on a scale of zero to 100, with 100 being a perfect score. National native leaders won top marks with an average score of 60 points, but provincial and territorial governments were close behind with an average grade of 57. The federal government and local native leaders tied with an average score of 54. "[Aboriginals] certainly have agendas of concern, because they think the demonstrators were right to demonstrate," Mr. Winn said. "And they foresee a lot more such demonstrations. But their reactions in general are quite moderate, as evidenced by essentially as much confidence in the federal and provincial governments as they have in their own leaders." The standoff at Caledonia began on Feb. 28, when Six Nations activists began blocking construction of a subdivision on a 40- hectare parcel of land they insisted was improperly taken from their ancestors more than 200 years ago. Henco Industries Inc., the local developer behind the disputed Douglas Creek Estates project, obtained a court injunction in March demanding the natives abandon their protest. They refused. On April 20, Ontario Provincial Police stormed the barricade in a failed bid to disperse the demonstrators. The early-morning raid inflamed tensions and prompted the Six Nations protesters to begin blocking the town's major thoroughfare, Highway 6. That, in turn, raised the ire of locals, whose anger spilled over at community meetings and at counter-demonstrations at the road block. The native demonstrators have since established a second, smaller blockade, while the townspeople and local business groups have set up a Caledonia Citizens' Alliance to publicize their side of the dispute. Ottawa and Queen's Park have also enlisted high-profile negotiators to help end the conflict, including former Ontario premier David Peterson. Talks to end the standoff are said to be progressing well, with some published reports over the weekend saying the barricades could come down as early as this week. Constable Doug Graham, a spokesman for the OPP, said yesterday nothing had changed at the site. "There are no signs of the blockade coming down," he said. A spokesman for Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Phil Fontaine said he was not available to comment on the results of the Compas Inc. poll. ABORIGINAL MEDIA POLL The survey was conducted from May 4 to May 11. The results are considered accurate to within 5.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. On the question of whether the Caledonia protesters and their eastern Ontario sympathizers were right or wrong, 19% said they were completely right; 43% said they were somewhat right; 15% said they were partly right and partly wrong; 7% said they were somewhat wrong; and 5% said they were completely wrong. Approximately 4% refused to answer and 8% said they did not know or had no opinion. Asked to predict the number of future land-claims protests, 22% foresaw a lot more; 39% foresaw somewhat more; 13% predicted no change; 10% predicted somewhat fewer; and 8% predicted a lot fewer. On that question, 6% refused to answer and 2% said they did not know or had no opinion. kpatrick@nationalpost.com Copyright c. National Post 2006 --------- "RE: Aboriginal Elders join Eagleridge Protest" --------- Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 08:54:49 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EAGLERIDGE PROTEST" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://ca.news.yahoo.com/elders-join-eagleridge-protest.html Aboriginal elders join Eagleridge protest May 16, 2006 Two First Nations elders have thrown their support behind the protesters who are trying to stop the expansion of the Sea to Sky Highway through Eagleridge Bluffs in West Vancouver. The two members of the Squamish First Nation spelled out their opposition to the project at the site of the tent city above Horseshoe Bay on Tuesday. "The government has no jurisdiction in our territory," said Harriet Nahanee, as she waved a copy of a royal proclamation from many years ago that detailed the First Nations' right to the land. Nahanee was joined by hereditary Chief Capilano, who said many members of his band are opposed to the highway expansion - which is part of the preparations for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler. The Squamish First Nation has signed agreements with the B.C. government on a number of Olympic-related projects, and stands to benefit financially from the Games. But Capilano said he's opposed to the elected chiefs who made those deals, declaring the land belongs to his ancestors and grandchildren - not the B.C. government. Capilano said many Squamish people have been too afraid to speak out until now. "Their livelihood comes from the elected chiefs, so they're put in line as soon as they stand up. "A lot of them talked to me and I know what's in their hearts. So all I can say is that there will be, if necessary, there will be a great bundle of us here if it carries on." On Monday, a B.C. Supreme Court judge ordered the protesters to move out, to allow the construction to begin - or to face being arrested. The Coalition to Save Eagleridge Bluffs is appealing that ruling. The protest camp went up a month ago, in an effort to stop the provincial government from building a new section of highway through the area . Instead the coalition wants the government to build a tunnel. Copyright c. 2006 Yahoo! Canada Co. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Construction banned at site of Land dispute" --------- Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 09:08:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MORITORIUM ANGERS DEVELOPER" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://ca.news.yahoo.com/ont-bans-construction-site.html Ont. bans construction at site of aboriginal land dispute, angering developer By Jennifer Graham May 19, 2006 TORONTO (CP) - The provincial government has indefinitely banned construction at the site of a tense aboriginal land dispute in southwestern Ontario despite angry objections from the developer. The province has sent a letter to the Haudenosaunee Six Nations Confederacy Council confirming that all work on a subdivision at the site in Caledonia, Ont., near Hamilton, will be halted for a period of time to be agreed upon by aboriginal representatives and federal and provincial officials. The Six Nations protesters have been camped out on the land since Feb. 28, claiming it was wrongly taken from them in the 1840s. "We're trying to find some ways to cool the situation down," David Ramsay, Ontario's minister responsible for aboriginal affairs, said Friday. The moratorium will "give us some breathing room" to work out a longer- term solution, Ramsay said. But a lawyer for developer Henco Industries said the company's owners are furious that they were not consulted about the construction ban. "We're outraged," said Michael Bruder. He said Henco only learned about the moratorium through an aboriginal website called Six Nations Solidarity, which posted the May 17 letter from Ramsay. Bruder said the province apparently proposed the moratorium and further archeological assessment of the site during discussions between aboriginal and government representatives to end the dispute, but Henco made it clear it did not back either move. "I sent a letter to the government last Friday saying we would not agree to either of those two conditions," he said. But Ramsay said it was his understanding that government officials have been keeping Henco officials informed on the progress of the talks. He said the moratorium is aimed at convincing the protesters to remove barricades they have set up on the main highway through Caledonia. The blockade went up April 20 after provincial police unsuccessfully raided the site of the occupation. Six Nations spokeswoman Janie Jamieson said Friday the protesters are reviewing their options, and in the meantime, the blockade and occupation will continue. "That is something that we did want, that was requested," Jamieson said of the moratorium. "But they're saying, 'If you clear all of those transportation ways, this is what we'll give you,' and we haven't said, 'Yes, we agree to that.'" Bruder said Henco is "fed up" with the situation, adding that the government has put the company in an untenable position. He said the only way out is for the province to buy the property from the company at fair market value. "We've said all the way along that we didn't want to sell, but they've backed us into a corner," Bruder said. "What other options do they have? Sit by idly and watch their entire life savings go down the drain? They can't do that." Copyright c. 2006 Yahoo! Canada Co. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Protesters served with Injunction" --------- Date: Friday, May 19, 2006 05:14 pm From: frostyca2000 Subj: Protesters served with injunction Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian Protesters served with injunction By David Burke Reporter dburke@whistlerquestion.com A B.C. Supreme Court injunction seeking the removal of those blockading a planned N'Quatqua Logging Co. harvest was served on the protesters late last week, causing at least one member to wonder whether legal avenues available to the protest group were running out. The N'Quatqua chief and council, meanwhile, on Wednesday (May 17) issued a statement aimed at clarifying its position and countering claims made by the protesters. A woman who identified herself as a network support person for the group, which calls itself the Voices of the Old Growth Alliance, on Monday (May 15) said her only hope for a positive outcome was that the judge who issued the injunction would side with the group after hearing their arguments in a Vancouver courtroom today (May 18). She said members of the group still firmly believe that their cause is just, but the fact that the protesters still had found no legal counsel did not bode well for a positive outcome. "If we do not have legal representation, we will probably need to reach out to a lot of supporters to appear in court on our behalf. We will represent ourselves and do our best to have the judge hear our case," the woman said. Members of the group have been camped out at the entrance to the Highline Road in D'Arcy since April 24. The group is concerned about the environmental impacts of logging the 85-hectare site upslope from the Ponderosa strata community, particularly on watersheds and habitat for mule deer. Members have said they think Chief Harry O'Donaghy and the band council should heed the results of a recent vote in which most voted no to the logging operation. The statement issued by Chief O'Donaghy and council included the dates of community consultations on the logging operation. The protesters have cited a lack of consultation as one of their key issues. "Interest and attendance (at consultation meetings) was minimal until recently," the statement from the chief and council said. It said N'Quatqua Logging Co. has been in existence for 34 years, "in which time consultation was not required nor requested." It said the company's planned cut near Anderson Lake "has successfully passed all regulations regarding watershed studies, mule deer winter range, visual and stability. Final reports were presented and available since February 2006." During recent talks aimed at mediating the dispute, it said, "Mediation and forestry issues seemed to be a front for questions involving governance and personal grievances." A Forest and Range Agreement with the provincial government will be brought to a referendum this July, it stated. However, "the current cutting permit is not nor has it ever been part of the Forest and Range Agreement." The statement said, "Support for the N'Quatqua Chief and Council has been privately delivered to council but there remains a fear of repercussions so many will not come forward." The injunction was served on Friday (May 12). The courts gave the group until Tuesday (May 16) to prepare a written statement. The court was then set to convene today to make a final determination on the injunction, representatives of both sides said. --------- "RE: Council no threat to First Nation Government" --------- Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 09:08:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LAC NO THREAT TO CARCROSS-TAGISH" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.whitehorsestar.com/auth.php?r=42760 Council no threat to first nation government By Matthew Grant May 19, 2006 CARCROSS - A local advisory council (LAC) in Carcross would not undermine the authority of first nation self-government or affect land claim agreements, say government officials. At a public meeting of the Carcross LAC steering committee Wednesday evening, members of both the Carcross-Tagish First Nation and the public at large heard from Lesley McCullough, the Land Claims Secretariat director of policy and mandate, that an LAC would not impact recently- signed first nation agreements. "The land claims agreement on community planning will give rise to zoning and planning control," McCullough said. "It's a land use planning and zoning body; but it wouldn't create the voice you're talking about (in LACs). "It's a different type of scope. An LAC wouldn't be doing land use planning; that would be done by the land use planning committee," she said. The LAC committee was formed recently. It's looking to create a community advisory committee following the dissolution of the Carcross Area Advisory and Planning Committee (CAAPC) last week. On May 8, members of the now-defunct CAAPC stated they favoured changing the grassroots advisory committee to an LAC, recognized through a cabinet order, because the original advisory committee has been unable to function in its current form. CAAPC was an ad-hoc committee funded by the Yukon government. It consisted of three members appointed by the Carcross-Tagish First Nation and three members elected from the community. The reason CAAPC was unable to function, former elected members stated in their resignation letter, was because appointed members rarely showed up for meetings, meaning the organization did not have the authority to conduct its business. In an April 19 letter, Mark Wedge, the chief of the Carcross-Tagish First Nation, said his government could not support the formation of an LAC at this time. "On behalf of the (first nation), I am providing you with official notice that under the Carcross-Tagish First Nation Final and Self- government Agreements with Canada and Yukon, a process for community planning must be implemented," Wedge's letter states. "If the LAC proceeds, the Carcross-Tagish First Nation will have to consider removing our first nation land selections from the community planning zones. "The land use team is currently reviewing the timelines for the Carcross community plans and look forward to working with the community." According to the Carcross-Tagish First Nation Self-government Agreement, zoning and land planning in the Carcross area, including community boundaries, will be agreed upon by a land use committee consisting of members from the first nation and the Yukon government. "Two planning committees, one for Carcross and one for Tagish, shall be established within 14 months of (last fall's signing date) to direct the preparation of local area plans." The objectives of the land planning committee, the self-government agreement states, include: * achieving safe, healthy and orderly development and patterns of human activity within the plan area; * considering the use and development of land and other resources in adjacent areas; and * determining a process for subsequent review or amendment of the local area plans. "In preparing the plans, the planning committees shall establish public consultation processes which provide the opportunity for members of the public to express their ideas, concerns and views related to the local area plans." According to information published by the Yukon Department of Community Services, an LAC acts as an advisory committee providing community input to the minister. Duties of the LAC include (advising) the minister on: * what works or services are required within the local advisory area and how these should be supplied; * the regulations deemed desirable for the benefit of the residents; and * any other matters of community concern. On Wednesday, department spokesperson Michael Hale said an LAC is just an advisory committee and that the formation of an advisory council would not affect self-government and land claim agreements. "LACs don't do land use planning or zoning; the authority for zoning and planning rests with the Carcross-Tagish First Nation and the Yukon government. "It's very important to know that an LAC will in no way affect land claims," he said. Copyright c. Whitehorse Daily Star 2006. --------- "RE: Fisheries Trial begins for the Nuu-chah-nulth" --------- Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 09:02:01 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="REAFFIRMING RIGHTS OF NUU-CHAH-NULTH" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412975 Fisheries trial begins for the Nuu-chah-nulth. by: David Wiwchar / Today correspondent May 12, 2006 VANCOUVER, British Columbia - After years of research and legal legwork, one of the largest aboriginal fishing cases to hit Canadian courtrooms has begun. Hundreds of Nuu-chah-nulth traveled from their remote villages on the west coast of Vancouver Island to witness the opening statements, along with First Nations leaders from throughout British Columbia and Washington state. Chiefs draped in cedar capes lined with sea otter fur stood atop the courthouse steps, adding their voices to the singing of the Nuu-chah-nulth anthem before filing into British Columbia Supreme Court on April 24. "As you can see, the Nuu-chah-nulth system of government, Ha'wilth Pa'tuk, is still very strong," said Ahousaht ha'wiih (Chief) and Assembly of First Nations' British Columbia Regional Chief Shawn Atleo. "We have been struggling for our rightful place on the west coast of Vancouver Island after being dispossessed of our land and resources," Atleo said to the large crowd gathered on the steps of the Vancouver Law Courts. "This case is about so much more than fish. This case is our attempt to pursue reconciliation, and doing everything we can through peaceful means to reconcile with the federal and provincial governments. We know who we are and where we come from, and as my late grandfather always used to say to us, 'We cannot let it go."' The Nuu-chah-nulth first welcomed Europeans to what is now the coast of British Columbia in the 1770s. Early explorers such as Juan Perez and Capt. James Cook depended on fish purchased from Nuu-chah-nulth to re-supply their vessels, and they noted the well-established system of government, ownership and trading economies in place. A century later, Indian agents employed to map out Indian reservations along the coast noted the Nuu-chah-nulth's heavy reliance on ocean resources, giving them some of the smallest land bases on the coast. Over the next century, aboriginal access to sea resources were systematically eroded to the point where very few people are allowed to fish for salmon, halibut or any other fish, shellfish or sea mammal species today. "This is not about establishing our rights; this is about forcing the government to properly recognize and respect our Ha'wiih, their hahoulthee [chief's territory] and the ownership of resources that have been in place since time began," said Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council President Francis Frank, who thanked the Coast Salish nations for allowing Nuu-chah-nulth into their territory to "fight this war." "It's become a crime for our people to do what they've done for thousands and thousands of years," said Grand Chief Doug Kelly, of the Sto:lo Nation, and member of the British Columbia First Nations Summit executive. "It's a damn shame that we have to come to this courthouse time after time to prove our right, to prove our title, to prove our history, and to earn the respect of the government," he said. "The honor of the Nuu-chah-nulth people, their government, and their rights are not what is in question here," said Grand Chief Ed John, from the Tl'atz'en Nation, and British Columbia First Nations Summit executive. "It is the honor of the [British] Crown that is in question here, and the struggle that you are fighting is one that we all share, and we are with you in your fight for justice and recognition," he said. The first phase of the trial will focus on opening statements from lawyers representing Nuu-chah-nulth, the government of Canada and the government of British Columbia. Numerous Nuu-chah-nulth elders, chiefs and leaders, and anthropologist and expert witness Barbara Lane, will take the stand. Lane's testimony proved critical in the 1973 Boldt decision in Washington state, which resulted in the American tribes receiving half of all commercially allocated fisheries. In his opening statements to Supreme Court Justice Madame Nicole Garson, lawyer for the Nuu-chah-nulth, John Rich, laid out the 107 points of the Nuu-chah-nulth arguments and said: "This case is about fishing and reconciliation. Fishing resources on the west coast of Vancouver Island, once owned by the Nuu-chah-nulth and fundamental to their culture, are now almost entirely allocated to others. This case is about the plaintiffs' right to fish, the right to sell fish and be fishing people as they've always been. "One hundred years of regulations have diminished Nuu-chah-nulth access to their traditional livelihoods of fishing, and government indifference to the rights of the Nuu-chah-nulth people cannot continue. The Crown has a duty to provide substantive access to fisheries resources. This is not just a plea for social justice; reconciliation is not just a political objective, it is a necessary reality," Rich said. Similar to a traditional potlatch, the Ha'wiih sat along the front row of the courtroom gallery. Some wore traditional woven hats, which was allowed by the judge after she was informed about the traditional importance and meaning of the hats. "We don't want our resources shipped to China anymore. We want our resources left right where they are," said elder Barney Williams Sr. "No one can tell us what to do with our resources and territories except for our Ha'wiih. We will be successful," he said. The case is expected to take years to wind through the courts and will likely end up at the Supreme Court of Canada. Diane Lake, a spokesman for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, wouldn't comment on the specifics of the Nuu-chah-nulth case, but was quoted in the Vancouver Sun as saying: "the court will be considering questions of law, which to date have not been considered in Canada, such as aboriginal title to seabed." John Hunter, legal representative for British Columbia, agreed that aboriginal title over water raises significant legal questions. "The plaintiffs will present evidence that the various participants in this case had at least some sort of control over these waters prior to contact. The plaintiffs will have to prove that fishing various species was integral to their distinct culture," he said. "This case is about our inherent right to fish, and our right to catch, sell and participate in a fishing economy," said NTC Vice President Michelle Corfield. "It is based on 10,000 years of traditional knowledge and our use and occupation. This is where our origin stories originate from. This is our livelihood. Fishing is about who Nuu-chah-nulth are in all contexts - cultural, spiritual, economic and social." Copyright c. 1998 - 2006 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "Letter from Women Prisoners in Santiaguito" --------- Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 12:30 am From: Chiapas95-english Subj: En;letter from women prisoners (complete),May 12 Mailing List: Chiapas95-En This message is forwarded to you by the editors of the Chiapas95 newslists. To contact the editors or to submit material for posting send to: . ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 14 May 2006 12:33:20 -0500 (CDT) From: El Kilombo To: chiapas@eco.utexas.edu Subj: translated letter from women political prisoners in Santiaguito Letter from the women taken political prisoner May 3 and 4 in San Salvador Atenco, Mexico, sent from the prison in Santiaguito, Almoloya. Translated by El Kilombo Intergalactico Santiaguito, Almoloya, May 12, 2006 To the population in general: We women, workers of the country and city, housewives, students, etc.; political prisoners since the 3rd and 4th of May of the current year, are enraged by the formal indictment handed down on May 10th. Not only were we insulted, humiliated, beaten, tortured, sexually abused, and raped, but now we are also prisoners and delinquents. We have lived with repression, not only in social struggle, but also in a particular way as women, because if it's true that the men were beaten the hardest, we were attacked sexually and raped. We were submitted to every type of repression during our detention, first with insults like "you are a bitch," "goddamn fucking bitch," "we're going to rape you like the bitch that you are," etc.; and then, not content to beat us, for some, unconscious, they threatened to kill or disappear us, even to torture us into giving names and information of our families with the threat to kill them, too. Nothing can heal us of the sexual abuse and rape we suffered; we were touched, pinched, kicked, hit with fists, batons, and shields on our breasts, buttocks, and genitals. While they continued threatening us we were bitten on the breasts, nipples, ears, lips, tongue, etc.; some of us were penetrated with fingers and objects, some were forced to perform oral sex, all of this while they made fun of us as women. In addition to being subjected to this abuse, we continue to be victims of medical negligence. Some of us should have been bandaged and cured since the day we arrived, some of us have vaginal infections, others infections in our wounds, others of us can't even sit down because of the blows we received, and despite all this we continue in hunger strike, because we will not take one step back in this struggle, because we want justice for all, for everyone, because if we must fight from this prison that is what we will do. We continue to stand in struggle! We demand our liberation! We demand justice for the physical and sexual abuse and rape! May no one be indifferent to the pain that we have lived! Free political prisoners! Sincerely, The women political prisoners, below and to the left, standing in struggle -- 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: JOHN ROSS: Dirty War Returns to Mexico" --------- From: Chiapas95-english Date: Saturday, May 20, 2006 08:00 pm Subj: En;NN,John Ross,The Dirty War Returns to Mexico,May 18 Mailing List: Chiapas95-En This message is forwarded to you by the editors of the Chiapas95 newslists. To contact the editors or to submit material for posting send to: . From: "Dana" To: Subject: NN, John Ross, The Dirty War Returns to Mexico,May 18 Date: Sat, 20 May 2006 19:36:09 +0200 The "Dirty War" Returns to Mexico San Salvador Atenco Attacks Follow Blueprint of Terror from the 70s and 80s By John Ross Blindman's Buff May 18, 2006 MEXICO CITY (May 20th): Between 1970 and 1982, three Mexican presidents waged a "dirty war" against dissidents from one end of the country to the next. Recently compiled documentation lists 15,000 illegal detentions during that terrible period, thousands of instances of torture, and the forced disappearance of more than 700 Mexican citizens (see "Disappearing the Disappeared" upcoming next week). Nowhere was the dirty war more cruelly fought then along the Pacific coast of Guerrero state where farmers had risen in rebellion behind the rural school teacher-turned guerrillero Lucio Cabanas and his Party of the Poor. Carlos Montemayor, author of "War In Paradise," perhaps the most vehement expose of that repression, is an assiduous scholar of how the dirty war in Guerrero was organized and carried out. Writing in the left daily La Jornada, Montemayor recently described the characteristics of that counter-insurgency campaign against farming villages along the Guerrero coast, and the striking similarities to the May 4th assault on San Salvador Atenco just outside of Mexico City by thousands of highly militarized police to quell a campesino rebellion. According to Montemayor's description, first an overwhelming force is assembled with the primary mission of totally subjugating a rec