_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 14, ISSUE 031 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 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 August 5, 2006 Hopi paamuya/joyful moon Yuchi tseneaga/dog days moon Eastern Cherokee nvda udatanvagisdi ulisdv/end of the fruit moon Blackfeet pakkii'pistsi otsiai'tssp/moon when choke berries ripen +-------------------------------------------------------+ | 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; CherokeeLink Newsletter, Frostys AmerIndian, NetRez-L and Native American Poetry 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + =================== "This industrialized world depends on a system that doesn't really protect our health or the environment. There are still many environmental justice issues in Indian country that are not getting resolved. Native grass-roots groups and some of our tribal leaders are frustrated and angry." "I foresee an increase of Native activism doing more direct actions on environmental and economic justice issues." __ Tom Goldtooth, Dine' and Mdewakanton Dakota, Executive Director Indigenous Environmental Network +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! First, a VERY brief look back in history just to set the tone. In 1855 the United States negotiated a treaty with the Blackfeet that included the following guarantees: - Peace to exist with the United States. - Certain territory to belong to the Blackfoot Nation. - No settlements to be made thereon. - Vested rights not affected. For the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota the Black Hills, Paha Sapa, are the center of the world, the place of the gods, where the warriors would go to wait for visions and to speak to the Great Spirit. In 1868, a treaty was signed which granted Paha Sapa to the Sioux forever. Anyone with even a slight knowledge of history knows that neither of the above treaties was honored by the United States, and wholesale theft of Indian lands (often for gold and other resources) became a well established and often repeated pattern. If you think theft of Indian Lands is a trick confined only to the United States and only to the 18th and 19th centuries, think again. As the article in this issue, "Military returns land to Aboriginal Band", points out land appropriated for military use from the Tsuu T'ina Nation was just returned after a fifteen year clean-up to remove shrapnel. Former chief of the Tsuu T'ina , Clifford Big Plume, when asked what the band wanted for the land responded, "I want it back, the way it used to be." The invaders - the occupation forces - can't get it through their collective head that Indians simply want their lands. That is true of the Mohawk in Caledonia, the Cree in Grassy Narrows, the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota in the Black Hills of what is now South Dakota... Another article in this issue notes "Six Nations issues will be negotiated in small Chunks". The presumption by the Canadian Government is that the problem is just way to big to swallow in one bite, and it really is a collection of smaller problems. I have a tip for the government negotiators I offer freely: Wherever Indians have been dispossessed by your greed, they don't want your money or your empty promises. They want their lands. 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 ----------- - Cobell Settlement Bill - JODI RAVE: Kennewick Man delayed a week in Senate stirring controversy - Cobell worried about - Opinion: Outsource settlement Legislation to Indian Country, not India - Settlement appears close - YELLOW BIRD: A little bit on Indian Trust of Prairie in every Jar - Breach revealed - Inuit Sign Language in Indian trust Ethics Rules may get Legal Status - Difference in getting - Panel on FNs' water quality Voting Act renewed starts Hearings - Fighting to save - Premiers renew Kelowna Commitment Indigenous Languages - Military returns land - Navajo/Hopi: to Calgary Aboriginal Band Freeze amendment opposed - Issues will be negotiated - Chief Smith, Chief Douglas in small Chunks present Joint Bill - Grassy Narrows blockaders - Vote on the Lumbee 'reclaim' Logging Road recognition bill postponed - 9 More Arrested for - Editorial: Poverty and murder defending Grassy Narrows in Lumbee Country - Ottawa Police to investigate OPP - Browning's bittersweet ruling - Debt suffocating Tribe - Keweenaw Bay victory - Report cites BIA could help Landowners in Death of Teenager - Conference: Toxic legacy - Navajo President endangers Land, People wants independent investigation - Oklahoma Diabetes Center - Native Prisoner signed into Law -- Pen-Pal Request - Quapaws open Drug Treatment Center -- New Abuse & Discrimination - Sequoyah's Cabin to against NAs at Shelby, MT become Oklahoma Literary Landmark - Rustywire: I Know - WHITE PLUME: Ask others You Will Be Ashamed of Me to respect our way of Life - Lee Goins Poem: - YELLOW BIRD: Heat from Sundance Sweet Dreams, My Son lights up the Soul - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days - GIAGO: Debunking - Upcoming Events the myth of Christianity --------- "RE: Cobell Settlement Bill delayed a week in Senate" --------- Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 08:53:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MCCAIN SETTLEMENT BILL" http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/015080.asp Cobell settlement bill delayed a week in Senate July 24, 2006 Indian Country is waiting anxiously as legislation to settle the Cobell trust fund case for $8 billion is close to being finalized. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee was due to release the latest version of the Indian Trust Reform Act last Friday. But a briefing that had been scheduled on that day was abruptly canceled and a markup that was to be held this Wednesday was pushed back a week. The official word from Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), the chairman of the committee, was that the markup will be held August 2. A top aide from the Republican side of the panel told tribal leaders and Indian advocates there was a scheduling issue. But given the controversial nature of the billion-dollar settlement figure some are wondering whether the bill has a chance anymore. They are eagerly hoping for final resolution of a case that has dragged on for a decade, following more than century of mismanagement of Indian trust funds. "They told everyone the number was going to be $8 billion but it's not going to happen," said a Washington lobbyist and former Congressional staffer. "It's just dumbfounding." Earlier this month, McCain and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the vice chairman of the committee, sat down with new Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. Joining them was Rep. Richard Pombo (R-California), the chairman of the House Resources Committee, and a representative of Rep. Nick Rahall (D-West Virginia), the top Democrat on Resources. At the time, McCain told Kempthorne the settlement figure was going to be $8 billion. Although Kempthorne didn't support or oppose the amount, according to people familiar with the meeting, he has openly told tribal leaders he wants to resolve the case. A week after the Interior meeting, top Senate staffers met with the Cobell plaintiffs. They were also told the figure was going to be $8 billion. "Take it or leave it," was the message from McCain, one person familiar with the meeting said. "The senator was going to go ahead with it, with or without the parties' agreement." Keith Harper, an attorney for the plaintiffs, would not discuss the negotiations because Senate staff asked the parties not to disclose any specific information. But he said that McCain, Dorgan and the other leader had arrived at a settlement figure. "I cannot confirm the actual number but I can confirm that a specific number was told to us," he said in an interview. "And it's our understanding that a specific number was told to the government." With the markup pushed back a week, it's not clear whether the amount will remain the same once the bill is unveiled. The legislation is expected to include provisions that would allow individual Indians to opt out of the settlement and continue to negotiate their claims on a case-by- case basis. To discuss the latest developments, the Cobell plaintiffs, the National Congress of American Indians and other interested parties are meeting this afternoon at the offices of Kilpatrick Stockton. The firm recently hired Harper to head up its Indian law team, and several other attorneys who are working on the Cobell case are also part of the team. Copyright c. 2000-2006 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Cobell worried about settlement Legislation" --------- Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 08:53:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JODI RAVE: SETTLEMENT LEGISLATION" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/07/24/jodirave/rave5.txt Bill may settle Cobell lawsuit By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian July 24, 2006 A number of key tribal leaders plan to attend an impromptu meeting in Washington, D.C., on Monday to bolster congressional support for a bill that could put billions of dollars into the hands of Native landowners, long denied payment for mineral royalties and land leases. "This is the closest we've ever been," said Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Chairman Tex Hall. "We'll meet to solidify our position. Then we're going to hit the Hill on Monday." Hall, former president of the National Congress of American Indians, will join representatives of national Native organizations - including NCAI, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, the InterTribal Monitoring Association and United South and Eastern Tribes - given a new sense of urgency regarding proposed Senate committee changes to the Indian Trust Reform Act of 2005. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced the Trust Reform Act last July. The bill was intended to provide a resolution in the decade-old, class- action lawsuit filed in June 1996 by Elouise Cobell of Montana's Blackfeet Nation. The suit, now known as Cobell vs. Kempthorne, sought a historical accounting and trust fund reform for money accounts belonging to 500,000 landowners. Tribal leaders are meeting because of a new twist in the long-awaited settlement, which had the full support of McCain, chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, the committee's vice chairman Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., chairman of the House Resources Committee. "McCain's bill has been around for a long time," said Cobell. "All of a sudden it has surfaced and it was scheduled for markup on the 26th. That's what we were told. And then we heard it wasn't going to markup, that McCain might pull it. We were just flabbergasted." The 2005 Indian Trust Reform Act - similar to the 1994 trust reform act - calls for a sweeping reorganization of how the Interior Department manages land and money resources for tribes and individual Native landowners. But what makes McCain's bill different is that for the first time, Congress appeared close to dictating a settlement figure. The numbers have varied with Cobell lawyers at one time arguing the Interior Department owed landowners as much as $137 billion. The number has dropped to about $25 billion in recent consultations between the government and tribes. Tribal leaders had been told in recent weeks that a final markup of McCain's bill was scheduled for Wednesday. Hall confirmed that the parties involved had tentatively agreed to an $8 billion settlement. But some worry that McCain's apparent withdrawal in supporting the bill is an indication the proposed bill could further be weakened and the settlement further reduced. "There's no more room to back up," said Hall "We have to remember the spirit of our ancestors and those that never got their fair market value for land. Some people never even got their paycheck." The Indian Trust Reform Act, as currently written, calls for 80 percent of the final settlement to be paid directly to owners of Individual Indian Money accounts in full settlement for losses, errors and unpaid interest in their accounts. Congress has "the opportunity to settle it," said Cobell. "The settlement bill was a chance to give people their due, to pay the elderly and dying. It was an opportunity to work on a solution. If Congress is not in good faith, where does that put Indian people? "We've already proved in court that they're in breach of trust. And the government is doing everything to get out of an accounting through the court. Now we thought Congress would do the right thing. It's kind of baffling they're not coming through for Indian people." Reporter Jodi Rave can be reached at 406-523-5299 or at jodi.rave@lee.net. Copyright c. 2006 Missoulian, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Settlement appears close on Indian Trust" --------- Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 08:54:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="INDIAN TRUST SETTLEMENT" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/ 2006/07/24/AR2006072400944.html Settlement Appears Close on Indian Trust By JENNIFER TALHELM The Associated Press July 24, 2006 WASHINGTON - American Indians suing the government over billions of dollars in lost royalties say they are contemplating an offer by members of Congress to resolve their lawsuit for $8 billion. The offer is considerably lower than the $27.5 billion plaintiffs offered to settle for a year ago. But plaintiffs say they are considering it seriously, bringing them closer than ever to ending the lawsuit, which has bogged down the Interior and Justice departments for 10 years. "Eight billion dollars is something I wish was higher, but I'm glad they were able to bring something forward that was equitable," the lead plaintiff, Blackfeet Indian Elouise Cobell, said in an interview. "Can we ever get near the total fair amount that should be given to individual Indians? I don't think so. I think individual Indian account holders would support $8 billion." Cobell filed the class-action lawsuit in 1996, accusing the government of mishandling more than $100 billion in oil, gas, timber, grazing and other royalties from Indians' lands dating back to 1887. In what has become a messy, protracted court battle, the plaintiffs have won a series of district court victories. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth held interior secretaries Bruce Babbitt and Gale Norton in contempt and ordered the Interior Department to disconnect its computers from the Internet to secure Indian trust data. But the plaintiffs were dealt a blow earlier this month when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered Lamberth removed from the case, saying he had lost his objectivity. Plaintiffs offered a settlement package last year, and Senate Indian Affairs Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., and House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., have introduced bills that would resolve the case. But the settlement amount has been a sticking point. Cobell and one of her attorneys, Keith Harper, said Monday that officials for the two committees suggested the $8 billion figure almost three weeks ago. Spokespeople for McCain and Pombo said they could not comment on the settlement and that committee meetings to work out the details would be held in the next two months. Interior Department spokesman Shane Wolfe said department officials are continuing to work with the plaintiffs, but he also declined to talk about specifics. Cobell said the Indian plaintiffs want to settle and move on. "A settlement is a way of moving forward to get justice to the many Indian account holders who are elderly and in need of justice," Cobell said Monday. Copyright c. 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. 1996-2006 The Washington Post Company --------- "RE: Breach revealed in Indian trust Ethics Rules" --------- Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 08:52:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DoI ETHICS BREACH" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/15131694.htm Investigation reveals breach in Indian trust ethics rules Associated Press July 28, 2006 WASHINGTON - Officials in the federal agency that oversees American Indian trust assets had an improper social relationship with an accounting firm and pressured subordinates to give the firm preferential treatment, a government investigation found. Senior managers in the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians based in Albuquerque, N.M., golfed, drank and partied with the executives of the New Mexico accounting firm Chavarria, Dunne & Lamey, which won $6.6 million in contract work over eight years, according to the report by the Interior Department's inspector general. The investigation, first reported this week by U.S. News & World Report, found that employees in the trustee's office "felt pressured by these senior OST officials to continue to award work" to the firm and that they feared retaliation for speaking out. The officials' relationship with the firm "created an appearance of preferential treatment," violating ethics standards and an internal memo directing employees to avoid close contact with contractors, Inspector General Earl Devaney wrote to department officials in the letter accompanying the report. The office was created in 1994 to improve accountability and management of Indian funds held in trust by the government. Copyright c. 2006 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. 2006 Grand Forks Herald. --------- "RE: Difference in getting Voting Act renewed" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 08:41:39 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="VOTING ACT" http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8033 Native leaders: We made a difference in getting voting act renewed Tribe gathers thousands of signatures, NCAI praises Senate for unanimous vote Sam Lewin July 25, 2006 A rare scene in the nation's capital as Indian leaders, the president and just about everyone in Congress agrees on the same thing: The Voting Rights Act is an important piece of legislation that has not outlived its usefulness. The Senate recently voted unanimously to extend the legislation for another 25-years. President Bush has vowed to sign the extension into law. In Navajo Country, tribal officials said the act's success is a victory for grass roots lobbying. "I would like to thank our Congressional representatives who voted to renew the Voting Rights Act with no amendments. Most of all, I would like to thank and commend our students and elderly who, through their advocacy, ensured that our rights as voters are protected for another 25 years," said Lawrence T Morgan, the speaker of the tribal council. Morgan said that the Navajos launched a letter-writing campaign to convince lawmakers of the act's importance. Over four thousand tribal members wrote to Congress, lobbying for the bill's passage. "What was interesting is that some of our elderly were unable to sign their name, but they wanted to make sure that their voice was heard and they left their thumbprint," said Leila Help-Tulley, an assistant in Morgan's office. The Senate vote is "historic for Native Americans, who for decades, have been disenfranchised in the voting process," said Joe Garcia, head of the National Congress of American Indians. "Now, the rights of Native people who seek to have their votes counted and voices heard, will continue to be protected through the bill's temporary provisions that benefit American Indians and Alaskan Natives." Officials praised provisions of the bill-controversial in some quarters- designed to assist non-English speakers when they go to the polls. "Language provisions in the bill, which require that elections are accessible to individuals who speak their Native languages, continue to be critical for many Native communities," Garcia said. "All Native people, particularly our elders - many of whom speak English poorly or not at all, must have access to the ballot box to exercise their rights in the voting process. They will now have that access." The act was first passed in 1965 and considered a major victory for the civil-rights movement. "The Voting Rights Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation in our nation's history," Bush said after the Senate vote. "It has been vital to guaranteeing the right to vote for generations of Americans and has helped millions of our citizens enjoy the full promise of freedom." You can reach Sam Lewin at sam@okit.com Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Fighting to save Indigenous Languages" --------- Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 08:52:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ACTING TO ESTABLISH EARLY FOUNDATION" http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8041 Fighting to save indigenous languages Indian educators spearhead effort to amend landmark law Native American Times July 27, 2006 As gaming helps Indian tribes flex their economic muscles, many Native leaders are looking to the past, placing renewed emphasis on saving traditional languages. They are driven by grim statistics showing an estimated 500 distinct Native languages were spoken in North America prior to European contact. Fewer than 100 have survived and only about 20 different languages are spoken among Native children today. One official leading the charge to preserve this integral aspect of Indian culture is Ryan Wilson, the Oglala Lakota head of the National Indian Education Association. Wilson and two other prominent Native leaders, former president of the National Congress of American Indians Tex Hall and United Tribes Technical College David Gipp, have been encouraging Congress to pass amendments to the Native American Languages Act. "The goal is to provide a strong early foundation in the languages," said Wilson. "We know from the few immersion programs in existence now that youngsters acquire the language rapidly and retain it later on." "If we don't act now, these languages will go away," said Hall, who is also the chairman of the North Dakota-based Mandan-Hidatsa-Arikara Nation, a tribe that requires native language training in the early grades. Originally passed in 1990 at the behest of Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye, the languages act states in part: "The status of the cultures and languages of Native Americans is unique and the United States has the responsibility to act together with Native Americans to ensure the survival of these unique cultures and languages." Two bills that would amend the act call for the creation of a competitive grant program in the Department of Education to support Native American language immersion programs in Native communities. The grants would create pilot programs for "language nests" and "language survival schools." The trio of Wilson, Hall and Gipp also assert that Indian compliance with the No Left Behind Act would benefit by passing the two bills. A 2004 executive order signed by President Bush promised assistance for American Indian students in meeting the academic standards of the No Child Left Behind Act "in a manner consistent with tribal traditions, languages and cultures." "Saving the language and saving Indian people is what's at the heart of this," said Gipp. "The research is beginning to show that effectively taught language programs enhance the overall academic strength of students. And that plays directly into the goals of No Child Left Behind." Another Senator from Hawaii, Daniel K. Akaka, has sponsored the amendments. Akaka recently addressed the National Indian Education Association's Native Languages Legislative Summit, taking the time to recognize two graduates of Nawahiokalaniopuu Hawaiian immersion school in Keaau, Hawaii. "Two fine examples are here - Ku`uwehi Hiraishi who recently graduated from Seattle University and Holo Ho`opai who is a senior at Standford University," he said. "These students are steeped in not only the language, traditions, and knowledge of their ancestors, but are also empowered and equipped with the tools to combat contemporary challenges that confront our communities." Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Navajo/Hopi: Freeze amendment opposed" --------- Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 08:42:00 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MCCAIN AMENDMENT ON BENNETT FREEZE" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.gallupindependent.com/2006/july/072606frzamnd.html Freeze amendment opposed McCain's legislation to on Navajo, Hopi Land Settlement resisted By Kathy Helms Dine' Bureau July 26, 2006 WINDOW ROCK - The Intergovernmental Relations Committee of the Navajo Nation Council backed legislation Monday sponsored by Delegate Hope MacDonald-LoneTree opposing the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Amendments of 2005 sponsored by U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. The Navajo Nation is urging Congress to establish a blue ribbon panel to study and review the negative effects of relocation and the Bennett Freeze upon the Navajo people, the long-term costs of the relocation policy, and to provide the resources necessary to properly resettle the Navajo people and address the negative impacts of the Bennett Freeze. The Nation also is asking Congress to allow relocatees and other affected Navajos to testify regarding "failure of the relocation law" and specific problems which would be encountered by the Navajo Nation and its people as a result of passage of McCain's legislation, Senate Bill 1003. MacDonald-LoneTree (Coalmine Canyon/Toh Nanees Dizi chapters) told IGR members that Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. and the Navajo-Hopi Land Commission have already taken a position of opposition against Sen. McCain's bill. "That has already gone through the Senate, it has been heard before the House, and this document will be the official position of Navajo that we oppose that bill," she said. "Sen. McCain's trying to close the office of Navajo-Hopi Indian Relocation (in Flagstaff) and seize the funding that would be allowed to benefit those people who were affected by the relocation act," MacDonald- LoneTree said. Chilchinbeto/Kayenta Delegate Roy Laughter responded, "I know this is a very controversial issue. I wish there was some specifics on Senate Bill 1003. I know for people this has been long, drawn-out, and the government, Sen. McCain and other senators say they have spent millions of dollars and it's not going forth. "What areas of that Senate bill are we totally in opposition to? Is there something we can work with? Are there areas that we can mediate on and say, 'this is what is in our best interest to our people'?" Laughter said he was concerned about saying the Navajo Nation is in opposition to the entire bill. "I know from working with the Navajo-Hopi Land Commission Office some years back, a lot of our people are saying, 'No, we're not going to settle. ' But every time we have proposals before us, nobody wants to settle. It seems they just want to draw it out,"he said. "I think in 1975 or 1980, the settlement agreement only had 15 families. Now those families have multiplied, and now one of the things is they want all of the offspring to be compensated and get new housing. "So, I just want to know why and how we settle this and maybe one day end this land dispute," Laughter said. MacDonald-Lonetree told him, "Sen. McCain's bill, S. 1003, is proposing to close the office of relocation and shut down the benefits. That includes all of the funding that was available to that office. "Sen. McCain is complaining that millions of dollars have been spent on this. Yet the families and the residents of those areas know that that money was not spent on them, but it was spent on the bureaucracy of much of the office and the law. "That's why the Navajo Nation, through the land commission and the president, are opposing Senate Bill 1003, because all of those benefits have not yet been afforded to the people who are remaining or need those benefits out in the communities. "That's why the president testified before the House Resource Committee opposing it, as well as the land commission," MacDonald-LoneTree told him. Laughter said the topic could lead to further discussion. "I guess Navajo, we've been dragging this out long enough. I don't think our families, no one will be satisfied with closing the office. So specifically, what areas are we totally in opposition to and what areas can we live with? "That was my question, but other than that, I can probably study more on it," he said. IGR approved the policy statement opposing McCain's bill, 7-0. Hopi Tribal Chairman Ivan Sidney has said the Hopi Tribe would like to see an end to the land dispute and that the tribe is in favor of McCain's legislation. Copyright c. 2006 Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Chief Smith, Chief Douglas present Joint Bill" --------- Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 17:28:46 -0500 From: cherokeelink@cherokee.org Subj: Chief Smith in DC >To: gars@speakeasy.org Mailing List: CherokeeLink Newsletter CherokeeLink Newsletter Osiyo, Chief Smith, along with Delaware Chief Jerry Douglas are in Washington, DC proposing a bill that would have the Delaware Nation recognized as a Federal Tribe. http://www.cherokee.org/news.aspx?ID=2038 Tribes Present Joint Bill to Congress TAHLEQUAH/BARTLESVILLE, Okla. - The Chiefs of the Cherokee Nation and the Delaware Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma will jointly propose a bill to the United States Congress on Thursday, July 27 to confer federal recognition to the Delaware Tribe. The Chiefs have made a commitment to jointly propose the legislation which could end years of court claims and court interpretations and move forward the Delaware's federal recognition status. Delaware Chief Jerry Douglas and Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith will meet in Washington, D.C. to personally deliver the bill. The bill specifically requests that the Delaware Tribe of Indians, Oklahoma, be considered recognized in the Federal Register. "I am very hopeful that this bill and the successful negotiations we have had with Chief Douglas and the Delaware Tribe will be fully accepted by Congress," said Chief Smith. "The Delaware are also Cherokee citizens and what is good for them is good for us. We have negotiated fair terms and look forward to creating new partnerships with the Delaware tribe on future programs and services. I believe that this will bring new opportunities to all of our citizens." "I am appreciative of the working relationship that has been established with Chief Smith," said Chief Douglas. "I am looking forward to providing a better quality of life for Delaware Tribal members that can only be achieved through tribal sovereignty and federal recognition." The draft legislation is the product of many hours of detailed negotiations. The legislation could bring resolution to the much interpreted 1867 Agreement the tribes entered into according to the treaties with the United States. The 1867 Agreement has been the focus of a great deal of legal disputes over the last 139 years. The two tribes hold that it is in the best interest of their citizens to reach a mutual resolution and achieve separate federal recognition for the Delaware Tribe. The Delaware's Tribal Council met on Monday, July 24 to discuss the bill and voted 6 - 0 in favor of presenting the bill to Congress. One council member was absent. As a federally recognized tribe the Delaware Tribe will be eligible for special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians. With Department of the Interior federal recognition status, the Delaware Tribe will become a sovereign tribal entity with the rights of self government. If accepted, the bill will also recognize the Delaware Tribe's 1982 Constitution. In the proposed bill, the Cherokee Nation fully protects its existing sovereignty and preserves the integrity of the Cherokee Nation's territory and jurisdiction. It is a historic achievement for the tribes to strike this amenable balance in their negotiations and to make this joint presentation to Congress. Copyright c. 1998-2006. Cherokee Nation. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Vote on the Lumbee recognition bill postponed" --------- Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 08:54:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LUMBEE RECOGNITION POSTPONED" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.fayettevillenc.com/article?id=238234 Vote on the Lumbee recognition bill postponed A staff report July 25, 2006 The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has postponed its meeting to vote on the Lumbee recognition bill. The committee was scheduled to vote Wednesday on whether to send the Lumbee Recognition Act to the full Senate. However, a joint session of Congress scheduled for that day has pushed the meeting to Aug. 2, according to a spokesman in Sen. Elizabeth Dole's Office. The committee will review the bill and determine how much it would cost to provide federal benefits to the tribe. Federal officials have previously estimated the tribe could receive $77 million a year for health, education, housing and economic development. The committee has the option of sending the bill forward as written or making amendments before sending the bill to the Senate. The Lumbee Recognition Bill has been sitting in committee since 2005. Dole, a Republican from Salisbury, submitted the bill in March of that year. Rep. Mike McIntyre, a Democrat from Lumberton, submitted a similar bill in January 2005. That bill is still in the House Resources Committee. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs heard testimony July 12 from tribal leaders and legislators who support the bill. The Lumbees are the largest tribe east of the Mississippi, with about 55, 000 members, mostly in Robeson, Hoke, Scotland and Cumberland counties. In 1956, Congress passed the Lumbee Act, which recognized the tribe as American Indian but terminated any services it would have received. Copyright c. 2006 The Fayetteville (NC) Observer. --------- "RE: Editorial: Poverty and murder in Lumbee Country" --------- Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 08:42:00 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ROBESON COUNTY" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.newsobserver.com/579/story/464571.html Editorial: Robeson's pain A state grant to study death rates in Robeson County should be a downpayment on making the county safer and more livable July 27, 2006 Robeson is the largest of North Carolina's 100 counties. It is a mostly rural expanse in the state's southeast, astride I-95, with Lumberton at its center. It has long suffered desperate poverty. In 2000, nine percent of North Carolinians were considered poor. Robeson's poverty rate was 19.6 percent. Another distinction is that the county's population has been split roughly equally among whites, African- Americans and native Americans. It is the home territory of the Lumbees, a tribe officially recognized by North Carolina in 1885 but never accorded full tribal privileges by the United States. In recent years, Robeson has been plagued with an alarming murder rate. North Carolina's overall rate in 2005 was 6.9 murders per 100,000 people. Robeson's was 23.8. A high proportion of the killings involve Lumbees who attacked other Lumbees, authorities say. Members of the Lumbee tribe are murdered seven times more often than whites in North Carolina, The N&O's Kristin Collins reported in a Tuesday article. The rate at which they become murder victims also is higher than for black residents, according to the state health department. Against that grim backdrop, it is worth noting that the state has made a modest $30,000 grant to the Lumbees to study the tribe's death rate from murders and car accidents. Researchers will gather statistics, convene a task force of local leaders on the issue and come up with a presentation on the problem. The state's Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities made the money available. It's not the first money invested in improving conditions in Robeson in recent years. The county was among the original plaintiffs in the landmark Leandro case, which has prompted North Carolina to spend more money on children in rural school districts. (It's too early to tell if there's a link, but Robeson's Fairmont High School so improved its passing rate on state tests that principals from other low-performing schools are being trained in Fairmont's ways this summer.) A state rural development group recently granted the town of Red Springs a third of a million dollars to ready an old building for a relocating company that promised more than 100 jobs. Such attention is just a start. A rough drug trade, delivered on the interstate that comes up from Florida through Robeson, fuels the killings, as does poverty, joblessness and a high dropout rate. Jobs and education will help what ails Robeson, and federal and state aid need to be steered to the county. The University of North Carolina system - through UNC- Pembroke, which is located in Robeson - should make sure that its expertise is brought to bear in tackling problems and enlarging opportunities. It's encouraging that the General Assembly has amended the state's industry incentives program - the Bill Lee Act - to encourage more companies to relocate to Robeson, Hoke and other challenged counties. Meanwhile, the Health Disparities grant likely will need to be followed by funds for Robeson's county and local governments to hire more police officers and sheriff's deputies. The murder rate signals that law enforcement in the county is overwhelmed, in the face of an array of social ills, and that unacceptably leaves Robeson residents in danger. Copyright c. 2006 The News & Observer Publishing Company. --------- "RE: Browning's bittersweet ruling" --------- Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 08:42:00 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HOUSING MOLD" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.missoulanews.com/News/News.asp?no=5862 Browning's bittersweet ruling by Jessie McQuillan July 28, 2006 After living for decades in poorly built homes believed to be the root of myriad health problems, Browning's Glacier Homes residents are no strangers to disappointment. And while the ruling that the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals handed down Friday, July 21, on their class-action suit seeking new homes was largely disappointing, the residents' attorney says an open door remains. Ninth Circuit judges reversed Montana District Court Judge Sam Haddon's decision to dismiss claims against the Blackfeet Housing Authority (BHA) because of sovereign immunity, and affirmed Haddon's dismissal of claims against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In the late '70s, HUD funded and regulated construction of the 153 Glacier Homes on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, and BHA, which is funded by the federal government, subsequently contracted out the building and sold the homes. Lead plaintiffs Martin Marceau and Mary Jane and Gary Grant say their homes, shoddily built with treated wooden foundations, have resulted in mold colonies and other problems that have caused headaches, nosebleeds and other illnesses for decades. Plaintiffs' attorney Jeff Simkovic says he plans to meet with residents to plan their next step, while BHA Attorney Stephen Doherty declined to comment before reviewing the ruling. While Simkovic says he's disappointed that Glacier Homes' residents can't sue HUD directly, he added that "[the Ninth Circuit] left the door open" by remanding the claims against the tribe. Judge Harry Pregerson, in a concurring opinion, wrote that despite the legal minutiae that supported releasing HUD from responsibility, he recognized "manifest injustice" in doing so. "Under the theories presented here, we cannot offer Plaintiffs any relief against HUD," Pregerson writes. "But our nation's responsibility to the Blackfeet Tribe and its members is deeper than a legal responsibility; it is also a moral responsibility... We as a nation should live up to the promises that we have made. We should come to the assistance of the men, women, and children who will continue to live in absolute squalor until we step in." Copyright c. 2006 Missoula Independent. --------- "RE: Keweenaw Bay victory could help Landowners" --------- Date: Sat, 29 Jul 2006 14:50:39 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="KEWEENAW BAY DECISION" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?feature=yes&id=1096413407 Keweenaw Bay victory could help landowners by: Jim Adams / Indian Country Today July 28, 2006 KEWEENAW BAY, Mich. - Homeowners throughout Indian country could benefit if the recent U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision in favor of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community remains unchallenged. A three-judge circuit court panel held on June 26 that neighboring governments could not automatically levy a property tax on reservation land owned by Indians, even though the land historically had been allotted to individuals and was no longer held in trust. It upheld a lower court order prohibiting the towns from putting the reservation parcels on their tax rolls, as the Michigan State Tax Commission had ordered them to. The state attorney general missed the deadline for appealing to the full Sixth Circuit court. (The full array of the circuit court's judges sitting en banc has the power to overturn decisions of a three-judge panel.) Nate Bailey, spokesman for the attorney general's office, said it was still consulting with the Michigan State Tax Commission, its client in the case, over whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the ruling stands, it would contradict holdings in other circuits that when Indian land loses its trust status, the real estate by that fact becomes subject to state and local property tax. Many localities historically have used unpaid tax bills as a means of seizing Indian lands. Although statistics are lacking, this danger is possibly one of several features of the tortured history of Indian land tenure that has discouraged Native families from owning their own homes. According to the National American Indian Housing Council, the Native homeownership rate has been estimated at 33 percent, "lowest among all ethnic groups and less than half the rate for the general U.S. population." The direct consequence of the Keweenaw Bay decision is in some dispute. Lawyers for the tribe say it applies uniquely to the 1854 treaty which established their reservation. "I believe this would have a very limited impact," said tribal attorney John Baker. But at the least, the appellate ruling, styled Keweenaw Bay Indian Community v. Robert Naftaly et al., puts limits on an earlier U.S. Supreme Court decision which has been invoked against tribal tax sovereignty. In the 1998 ruling in Cass County, Minnesota v. Leech Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, a unanimous court appeared to say that land that had been allotted to Indians "in fee simple," giving them the right to sell it without restriction, also became taxable by state and local governments even though it was located within reservation boundaries. The Michigan State Tax Commission cited this decision in February 1999, when it sent out a bulletin ordering the neighbors of the Keweenaw Bay Community to put the privately owned reservation parcels on their tax roles. (Naftaly, the lead defendant in the case, is the current chair of the tax commission.) The tribe began a protracted legal fight. In June 2005, Federal District Judge David McKeague sided with the tribe. The Cass County case, he ruled, only applied where Congress expressed its clear intent to allow taxation. That intent came in the General Allotment Act of 1887, the infamous Dawes Act designed to break up reservations and turn most of their land over to white settlers. Although most Native allotments were authorized by the Dawes Act or its successors, the Keweenaw Bay Reservation was different. The allotments came through the 1854 treaty which established the reservation, and the treaty made no mention of property taxes. The Court of Appeals upheld McKeague's decision, adding a long argument that treaties did not show "Congressional intent." Although, after so many reversals of federal policy, the Dawes Act continued to work its harm through the Cass County decision, it did not automatically extend to all cases in which Indians owned land out of federal trust. The three-judge panel went out of its way to criticize opinions in other circuits based "on the notion that alienability equals taxability." In fact, there are a number of reasons why Congress could want Indian families to hold land "in fee simple" within a reservation, without the encumbrance of a federal trust, but remain free of state and local taxation. We recently reported the findings of the economist Terry Anderson that Native owners managed "fee simple" land more productively than land held in federal trust, either for the tribe or the individual. But keeping this land off of neighboring tax rolls preserves the economic integrity of the reservation and removes the all-too-frequent threat of further dispossession through foreclosure actions. After all, it was a 1992 foreclosure action by the Michigan state treasurer that started the Keweenaw Bay suit in the first place. The Keweenaw Bay tribe's victory has produced a final irony. As a result of earlier rulings in the '90s, the tribe put the properties in question on a special "tribal assessment roll" and sent contributions to the neighboring governments as a sort of "payment in lieu of taxes" program. But after McKeague's decision last year, the tribe suspended these payments, costing neighboring governments a pretty penny. This is a main reason why the local towns actually went to court supporting the tribe and opposing the misguided directive of the State Tax Commission. Copyright c. 1998 - 2006 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Conference: Toxic legacy endangers Land, People" --------- Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 08:42:00 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FIGHTING FOR OUR WELL BEING" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?feature=yes&id=1096413375 Conference: Toxic legacy endangers land and people by: Brenda Norrell / Indian Country Today July 21, 2006 CASS LAKE, Minn. - American Indian environmental warriors, armed with new methods and solutions, gathered to combat the effects of mining, toxins and border racism in Indian country, during the 14th annual Indigenous Environmental Network Protecting Mother Earth Conference. Al Hunter, Ojibwe from Manitou Rapids, Ontario, Canada, honored an Ojibwe with great vision during the four-day gathering at the Veterans Memorial Pow Wow Grounds on Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe tribal land, July 5-9. "We have our own celebrations for victories," Hunter said. 'We honored one of our warriors, Red Cliff Ojibwe environmental and treaty rights activist Walter Bresette, that passed on in 1999 for leaving us a teaching to always do everything we can to stand up for protecting our mother earth." With indigenous participants from throughout the United States and Canada, the conference focused on disease-causing toxins in humans from mining and other industries, climate change, border justice and the protection of sacred sites. Gathering wild edible plants, straw bale construction, Native youth training, a talent show and youth mural painting were all highlights. Shawna Larson of Chickaloon Village, Alaska, served as moderator on a panel exposing toxins in Indian country. For six years, Larson has served as the environmental justice program director for Alaska Community Action on Toxins and the IEN. Larson's mother is Aleut from the village of Port Graham and his father is Athabascan from Chickaloon village. Larson said conference speakers revealed the effects of decades of colonization and how it has affected indigenous peoples caring for the Earth. "I attended the session about colonization and it was particularly interesting to learn that environmentalism is just a symptom of colonization. Before the Europeans came to this land, indigenous peoples understood their relationship with the Earth and that we had a responsibility to the land not a right to own it. We had a basic understanding that the Earth does not need us - instead we need the Earth," Larson told Indian Country Today. The workshop on toxins focused on how toxic exposure threatens the well-being of future generations of Indian people and undermines cultural survival. Since Native peoples use water, plants, birds, fish and animals in traditional and spiritual practices and ceremonies, they are especially susceptible. Infants and children are bearing a disproportionate burden of this toxic legacy, according to IEN. During the workshop, Larson spoke of the impacts of toxic contamination on the food systems and provided an update on ratification of the United Nations POPS Stockholm Convention. Larson has worked on this convention, a global treaty whose goal is to protect human health and the environment persistent organic pollutants. While tribes throughout the continent share common denominators in health effects and the struggle to defend their lands, Larson said each area faces unique challenges. "We learned about the different toxic contaminant issues that different tribes are faced with in the U.S. and Canada. It was fascinating to see that although all the problems were individually unique, all these communities shared a common thread: they were all excited to share with one another their problems and different solutions to each issue." Praising the Ojibwe and inter-tribal hospitality at Cass Lake, Larson said, "The hosts were very welcoming and the food was great." Pointing out the extraordinary beauty of Cass Lake, Larson said the experience was bittersweet because of the high level of dioxin in the area and the effects on health. Leech Lake leaders also expressed concerns of the Superfund site on the banks of Cass Lake. Shirley Nordrum, director of the Leech Lake environmental program, and Elaine Fleming, Leech Lake tribal member and mayor of Cass Lake, each spoke to the health concerns. Within the exterior boundaries of the Leech Lake tribal lands is the St. Regis Paper Co. Superfund site. The former wood-preserving facility operated from 1957 to 1985. Currently, groundwater, sediment and soil are contaminated as a result of the wood preserving process and waste disposal activities. The site consists of 125 acres on Leech Lake tribal land within the Chippewa National Forest in Cass Lake. Tom Goldtooth, executive director of IEN, said workers and some nearby residents were exposed to toxic levels of pentachlorophenol when the plant was operating. Now the primary concern is environmental contamination from dioxins and furans, which were impurities in the pesticide pentachlorophenol. Most of the site contamination is the result of pressure-treating wood with pentachlorophenol. "Dioxins cause cancers in soft tissues, neurological effects, immune system toxicity and developmental disorders," Goldtooth said. Deb Abrahamson, who lives on Spokane tribal land in Washington state, described her efforts to expose toxins. Abrahamson is taking part in a toxic body burden survey. She is one of 10 people in Washington state who volunteered to be tested for eight classes of chemicals. "I'm full of toxic chemicals," Abrahamson said during her presentation. The results of the tests are included in the report, "Pollution in People Report," published by a project of the Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition of Washington state. Native food sources on Spokane lands have already been revealed as possible sources of toxins. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified 28 heavy metals polluting Spokane tribal land, including agricultural pesticides which contaminate traditional food plants and deer, elk and moose. Among those traveling long distances to attend the IEN conference were Ron and Wilson Plains, members of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation community near Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. The Plainses traveled 14 hours to talk about their involvement with community-based research. They are examining the decrease in the sex ratio of men to women in their community and whether it is caused by toxic chemicals from nearby petrochemical, polymer and chemical industrial plants. Wilson Plains, an elder from the reserve, spoke on the findings of a toxic body burden study in which he and other tribal members took part. He said the results were alarming, showing that tribal members were full of toxics. Studies have found that numerous factors have been associated with a decrease in the proportion of male births in other populations, including a number of environmental and occupational chemical exposures, such as dioxin, mercury, pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), according to IEN. Armed with new studies and more anger from tribal members to the devastation in Indian country, Goldtooth said change is coming. "This industrialized world depends on a system that doesn't really protect our health or the environment. There are still many environmental justice issues in Indian country that are not getting resolved. Native grass-roots groups and some of our tribal leaders are frustrated and angry. "I foresee an increase of Native activism doing more direct actions on environmental and economic justice issues." Copyright c. 1998 - 2006 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Oklahoma Diabetes Center signed into Law" --------- Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 08:54:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="STATE OF THE ART DIABETES CENTER" http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8030 Henry signs diabetes center in law Chickasaws, Choctaws teaming with state and school to fight scourge OKLAHOMA CITY OK Native American Times July 24, 2006 Gov. Henry has signed a bill that formally begins the next step in the creation of what is being described as a state-of-the art diabetes center. The move is of particular importance to Oklahoma's Native population, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that one of every two Indian children will develop diabetes by the age of 50. The Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes are partnering in the center, as well as committing tribal money for the creation of endowed faculty positions in the University of Oklahoma's diabetes research and clinical care programs. The announcement was made Monday following the participation of OU President David Boren, Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby and Choctaw Nation Chief Greg Pyle with Henry in the ceremonial signing of the bill creating the Oklahoma Diabetes Center at the State Capitol. The Chickasaw Nation will fund a $1 million chair at the Oklahoma Diabetes Center this year and the university will apply for a matching amount from the state regents for higher education to create a $2 million faculty endowment. That faculty position will be designated for the Clinical Director of the Oklahoma Diabetes Center's Adult Diabetes Program. The second Chickasaw Nation $1 million endowed position in diabetes will be funded in 2007. The Choctaw Nation will pay for two $500,000 endowed faculty positions, one of which will be designated for pediatrics. The university also will apply for a matching amount from the state regents for higher education. "OU already has an extremely strong nucleus of diabetes researchers and physicians as part of the Oklahoma Diabetes Center, led by Dr. Timothy J. Lyons and Dr. Kenneth Copeland," said Boren. "To become one of the leading diabetes centers in the country, we have to continue recruiting additional outstanding scientists and clinicians. We are extremely grateful to the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations for this generous commitment to new faculty endowments in diabetes." Boren said the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes - the former of which includes more than 7,500 square miles in south central Oklahoma, that latter that includes 10 1/2 counties in southeastern Oklahoma - have a special interest in diabetes treatment and research because of the disproportionately high incidence of diabetes in the Native American community. A complex disease for which there is no cure, diabetes is a leading cause of heart attacks, strokes, amputations, blindness, kidney failure, and fetal mortality. The serious complications of diabetes are increasing in frequency among American Indians, including rising rates of kidney failures, amputations and blindness. These new Chickasaw Nation positions in diabetes will complement the Chickasaw Nation CMRI Chair in Pediatric Diabetes, which was funded in 2005 by the Chickasaw Nation and Children's Medical Research Institute. The diabetes center will have locations in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. "The rate of diabetes exceeds the national average, with one in 10 Oklahomans diagnosed as diabetic and thousands of other cases being undiagnosed," Henry said. "I am proud that we are taking action to develop the very best treatment for this life-threatening disease. As a result of this world-class diabetes center, we will significantly boost Oklahomans' access to cutting-edge medical treatment and research." Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Quapaws open Drug Treatment Center" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 08:41:39 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DRUG REHAB ON NATIVE LANDS" http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8035 Quapaws open drug treatment center Offer a service previously unavailable on Native land in Oklahoma MIAMI OK Sam Lewin July 25, 2006 The Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma and a Pacific Northwest-based health care organization have opened a unique drug treatment center in Miami. The Quapaw Counseling Services facility is designed to curb addiction by offering treatment for two drugs currently enjoying a frightening degree of popularity: Methamphetamine and prescription narcotic painkillers. According to Indian Health Services, three out of every ten Native American young people have tried meth, a powerful stimulant that many law enforcement officers say ahs emerged as the main drug of choice in their communities. Officials with Native Health Systems, the Washington State health care management company teaming with the Quapaws, say they tackle meth addiction through a two-pronged approach. The first aspect involves helping the addict learn coping skills. Next is a supportive atmosphere rife with group and one-on-one counseling. Treating painkiller addiction can be a little trickier and the Quapaw facility is perhaps the first Native service in the state to offer a methadone maintenance program. According to the National Institute of Health, "Methadone maintenance treatment is effective in reducing illicit opiate drug use, in reducing crime, in enhancing social productivity, and in reducing the spread of viral diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis." The Quapaw methadone "program uses a long-acting synthetic opiate medication, methadone, administered orally for a sustained period at a dosage sufficient to prevent opiate withdrawal, block the effects of illicit opiate use, and decreases opiate craving. Patients stabilized on adequate, sustained dosages of methadone can function normally," wrote Ken Cloutier, project development manager for Native Health Systems, in an e- mail to the Native American Times. "They can hold jobs, avoid the crime and violence of the street culture, and reduce their exposure to HIV by stopping or decreasing injection drug use and drug-related high-risk sexual behavior." Oklahoma currently has six methadone centers-three each in Oklahoma City and Tulsa- but the Quapaw facility is the only one on Indian land. Quapaw Counseling Services also offers treatment for alcoholism and other forms of drug addiction. For more information, call 918-542-4232. Meanwhile, the war against drugs in Indian Country continues. In Arizona, a man has just been sentenced to ten years in prison after being caught trying to enter an Indian reservation with 400 pounds of cocaine. Arthur David Pablo, 55, was busted in April of last year with the coke found hidden in a pickup truck parked in his driveway. Investigation later revealed that Pablo and two other people entered from Mexico to the Tohono O'odham reservation with the drugs, which they planned on selling. Tohono O'odham officials have said for years that they need federal help in preventing drug traffickers from crossing the border onto tribal land. You can reach Sam Lewin at sam@okit.com Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Sequoyah's Cabin to Become Ok. Literary Landmark" --------- Date: Saturday, July 29, 2006 05:28 am From: Dale M. Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WHIE PLUME: DESECRATION OF MATO PAHA" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413398 White Plume: 'We are here to ask that othes respect our way of life' by: Alex White Plume / Guest Columnist July 28, 2006 Regarding the desecration of Mato Paha, Bear Butte Hau my relatives, friends and allies. Thank you for joining us today in the fight to protect Mato Paha and to support our right to continue conducting our cultural ceremonies here as we have since our ancestors emerged from Wind Cave in the Black Hills. Mato Paha is a spiritual location, a place of reverence to more than 60 Indian nations who come here to offer prayers, to fast and to leave tobacco ties. We offer tobacco and ourselves because our bodies are all that we really have to give. We cleanse our minds and make our humble offerings. Some of our ceremonies may take up to four days and they require solitude and intense concentration. For our people, He Sapa is "the heart of everything that is." We are here to ask that others respect our way of life and our basic human rights, to be able to pray undisturbed in our holy places like Bear Butte. Increased alcohol sales and the construction of a massive amphitheater blasting rock concerts while our people are praying is not only disrespectful, it is a violation of our right to conduct our spiritual practices with dignity. This country, the United States of America, is legally bound to protect this human right - our right to carry out our spiritual practices with dignity and in peace. This is already international law that reflects the obligation of the United States to respect and promote the right of religious freedom as a human right of Indian peoples. The United Nations Human Rights Council just approved a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It states that we have the right to carry out our spiritual practices - and to maintain, protect and continue to use our spiritual and cultural sites to pray, in privacy, like other people in this country are free to do. This basic human right is being violated by the alcohol and concert hall developments taking place near the base of Bear Butte. Enough is enough! Bear Butte, and the sacred teachings that the Creator gave to us, must be protected. We are here today to call on the United States of America, the Department of the Interior, the State Department and the U.S. Congress to help us and to use their influence to stop this violation of our human rights. We want the United States to fulfill its obligation to promote and protect these rights - particularly our rights as Indian people to continue our spiritual practices here at Bear Butte and to strengthen our ties to this land for our children. We are calling on other Indian nations and peoples to speak out about the ongoing desecration of their sacred sites and to join us at Bear Butte for the Summit of Nations Aug. 1 - 4. It is not happening just here. Desecration and destruction of our sacred sites are happening all over Indian county and our human rights as Native peoples are continually being violated. The Keeper of the Pipe, Arvol Looking Horse, said we must protect Bear Butte in order to stop the cultural genocide that is still taking place after all these many years. It is not right to sacrifice the spiritual beliefs and way of life of indigenous people so that a handful of businesses can make money. There are some things more important than money. We are asking for your support; to boycott the bars and the amphitheater's loud music at a time we are fasting. We are asking you to write letters to Congress and the president demanding that our human rights be respected and that the United States vote in favor of the declaration. Most of all, we are asking for your prayers and support to help us in the struggle for our rights, the protection of our cultures and our ancient way of life. Alex White Plume is president of the Oglala Lakota Nation. Copyright c. 1998 - 2006 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Heat from Sundance lights up the Soul" --------- Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 08:54:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: SUNDANCE REFLECTIONS" http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/columnists/15114667.htm DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Heat from Sundance lights up the soul July 25, 2006 July's full moon marked my third four-year Sundance ceremony - a ceremony important to Native people. I've been asked before to write about this ceremony, but have seldom done so because it's to be held confidential - probably because of the "destroy" edict that the federal government once pronounced on Indian ceremonies. Yet I feel it is important that young Native people have the chance to know a little about this gift of the Creator. Perhaps they will wish to learn more about the ceremony, too. The Sundance is a united plea to the creator to help the people. It involves fasting from both water and food for four days, and spending much of that time praying and moving to the rhythm of the drum song. This twelfth year was exceptional. It was marked by extreme temperatures that scorched the brown prairie grasses and even withered the strongest weeds. (A handheld thermometer in the valley where the ceremony was held read 114 degrees one day.) Field corn plants near McLaughlin, S.D., huddled close to the ground, curling their long leaves into rolls as they hung on to yellowing stalks. Small dust spirits danced in empty spaces; some lifted off the ground and twirled into the wind and disappeared. I could see heat waves over the rolling hills like the waves over water on a windy day. I was jittery - more than usual - this year. As I cut and sewed my dress and shawl, I would stop and remember the hardship that was to come. There was a nervousness I couldn't shake. This year, because it was the end of my third fourth year or my 12th year, I needed to give thanks to the Creator for allowing me to reach this point. I have prepared for four years, gathering gifts that I would donate to the people at the completion of my four days. I wondered when I went into the arena if this would be the year I would drop out. When you stand before the arena in the cool of the evening, people are encouraging you and you feel strong. You have drunk as much water as you can stand, eaten what the people made and served you. It looks easy. But it wasn't. However, my spirit stood strong in spite of the fact that my body clung to each and every ounce of strength I had. And what I realized in the hours that tumbled forward from the heat of the day to the breeze of the night is that ebbing strength causes insight. The cool, star-filled night of the "blue day" held a full moon so bright you could almost read by its glow. I am at an important point in my journey through life. This year, I looked into the past and saw my life as I got tangled in millions of spirits that touched my path. And as the heat of the days sucked out my strength, insight and visions came through as though turned on by the Sun's sweltering heat. The heat created both angry and good spirits. When my four days were done, I knew it was only with the blessing of the Creator. This ceremony isn't a show of strength of body or power of prayer. It's humility - the awe of seeing beyond. It is that you can put aside life's interaction - hurt, overindulgence, pride, anger, life - and empty yourself for the Creator. Those insights were the rewards. Yet insights weren't just for the dancers. The women who helped on the outside had courage, and as they stood quietly outside the arena praying, I knew it was their Sundance, too. I also look for two elders, Imogene and Delores Taken Alive, who attend the ceremony each year. They helped start the first ceremony some 30 years ago, and they have been there since. I don't see them because I never take my eyes off the center, but I know they're there because I can feel their prayers. When the Sundance was over, I returned to my aunt's in White Shield, N.D. , as I have for many years. When she was alive, I would come and rest there for a few days, tell her about what I saw and talk with her about the gifts given to Indian people. I would collect plants and roots and then return home. She died this year so I didn't go "home," but I knew she prayed for me. She gave me a sign. It's those things and more that belong to all Native children who long to understand who they are. I am grateful to the Creator when I see more and more young people coming to the Sundance. Maybe some come tainted with ideas of posturing and show, and some don't keep the commitment for a year-long life free of alcohol and drugs. But there are many who are growing into leaders who will take their place one day in the ceremonies. WetAXkoossteeRIt - (I thank you) Jesse and Virgil Taken Alive, Terry Yellow Fat, Isaac, Melda and Mark Dog Eagle, John Eagle Shield, Everett Chasing Hawk, Wyman Archambault and all the men and women who give of themselves for the people at this ceremony. WetASkoossteeRTi Neesaanu nachitakUs. ---- 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: GIAGO: Debunking the myth of Christianity" --------- Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 08:53:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GIAGO: MYTH OF CHRISTIANITY" http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8028 Notes from Indian Country Debunking the myth of Christianity Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji) Copyright c. 2006 Native American Journalists Foundation, Inc. July 24, 2006 A letter from an angry reader from Oklahoma chastised me for attempting to explain why the Iraqi people hate America. She wrote, "Tim Giago should realize that America is a Christian nation. Jesus Christ appeared to Black Elk, not to the Muslims." I wonder how many Indian nations consider themselves to be "Christian nations." The two most potent weapons brought to the Western Hemisphere by the European invaders were disease and the Church. While the diseases unknown to the indigenous population destroyed millions of lives, the Church destroyed cultures, religions, traditions, languages and customs. The early demise of the Indian people can be equally attributed to both. The letter writer, an Indian woman, continued, "We as Americans are crusaders. We bring democracy to a dark and ignorant country." Is that what the "crusaders" brought to the Indian people? Native Americans did not become included in America's form of "democracy" until 1924, nearly 150 years after America's settlers signed the Declaration of Independence. The "independence" and "democracy" was for white Americans only. It was not until 1946 when Arizona and New Mexico finally ratified the Constitutional Amendment that made Native Americans United States citizens. For the first 30 years of his life, my father, born and raised on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, a fluent Lakota speaker, was not a citizen of the United States. The settlers who came to America in pursuit of religious freedom outlawed most religious rites of the Indian people. The Sacred Sun Dance of the Great Plains Indians was banned and its practitioners subject to arrest and incarceration. The Church created the myth that Jesus appeared to Black Elk in order to convince other Lakota that Black Elk had seen the light and had become a Christian in the end. His own family members dispute this outlandish claim. As a matter of fact, Black Elk faced prosecution for practicing the traditional spirituality of his ancestors. He had to perform some of the sacred rites of the Lakota in secret. The revival of the traditional religious practices of the American Indians has grown stronger over the years and came out in the open after passage of the American Indian Freedom of Religion Act was passed in 1978. Can you imagine that "Freedom of Religion" was finally granted to the Indian people 202 years after the Declaration of Independence? There are those Native Americans who have attempted to integrate their Christian roots and beliefs with Native spirituality. Can this happen? Would the practitioners of the ancient Indian religions allow this? I think not. First off, Christianity is foreign to the Native people of this Hemisphere. It was brought from across the sea by the invaders. For the most part Christianity is based on the teachings of a Jewish rabbi named Jesus. Whereas, the traditional spirituality of the Native people has existed long before the settlers landed on these shores. One Wicasa Wakan (Holy Man) named Rick Two Dog, an Oglala Lakota, can trace his spiritual family and advisers back more than 500 years. That even pre-dates the coming of the Pilgrims with their overly righteous views of Christianity. Let's face it. The early settlers found the religious practices of the Native people difficult to understand and distasteful and they dismissed them, with a wave of the hand and a prayer, as heretical. Since the Native people did not, according to the settlers, have a religion, they were therefore pagans that had to be converted. For an Indian man or woman to say that Jesus Christ is their Savior and Lord is to deny thousands of years of the inherent spirituality and religious customs of their own people. And to believe that they can incorporate this foreign religious concept into their traditional beliefs is now being discarded by many Indians that have returned to their own traditional customs and beliefs. They see with eyes wide open what Christianity has done to their ancestors and to themselves and they reject it. I would like to hear from the Indian nations and have them tell me how many of them consider themselves to be "Christian nations." I have no bone to pick with Christians or their beliefs as long as they practice those beliefs without interfering with my own beliefs and with the beliefs of those who are not Christians. I attended an Indian mission boarding school where Christianity was crammed down my throat from the minute I awoke to the minute I went to sleep. It's not that this was bad enough, but to debunk and criticize the traditional beliefs of my ancestors in order to implant this new religion into my young mind was outrageous. If the Church cannot apologize for the atrocities committed against the Native people how can I be expected to forgive them and least of all participate in their religious hypocrisy. The Founding Fathers of the Indian nations will not be found carved on Mount Rushmore. Instead their bones will be found in the dust of the land walked upon by they and their ancestors for thousands of years, long before the settlers came. And in the space of a short 500 years the newcomers have brought this continent to the brink of self-destruction. America may well consider itself a Christian nation, but please do not willfully discard those of us who are not. We are also Americans and we are also citizens of our own nations. --- 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 publisher of the Lakota Times and Indian Country Today newspapers. Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: JODI RAVE: Kennewick Man stirring controversy" --------- Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 08:52:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DANGEROUS POLICY ESTABLISHED" http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/07/28/jodirave/rave4.txt Kennewick Man still stirring controversy By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian July 26, 2006 The discovery 10 years ago of Kennewick Man, a 9,000-year-old skeleton, ignited a national debate between Natives, archeologists and the federal government about how to handle human remains and burial objects. The dissension remains fresh. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's Archeology Task Force announced last fall plans to change a 1988 policy regarding the treatment of burial sites, human remains and funerary objects. Although the ACHP proposed draft includes all human remains and burial items, regardless of ethnicity, Native people are most affected given their millennia-old connection to North America. Michael Jandreau, chairman of the Lower Brule Tribe in South Dakota, described the ACHP task force's proposed changes as likely to have "dangerous consequences" if adopted into policy because it "could allow scientists to study ancestral Native remains encountered during inadvertent discoveries." The Federal Register deadline for public comment on the draft policy statement is Friday, the 10-year anniversary of the discovery date of Kennewick Man - called the Ancient One by Natives - who was found along the shores of Washington's Columbia River. Hundreds of thousands of indigenous human remains currently rest on shelves in museums, universities and private collections. The 1990 Native American Graves and Repatriation Act provided some redress for Native people who sought to protect their ancestral remains. But it's not unusual for human remains and funeral objects to be unearthed daily. Kennewick Man's skull and bones have sparked international discussions about world human migration theories. And it also sparked intense arguments about the value of scientific human remain study versus tribal respect for the dead. Scientists demanded an opportunity to study the rare skeletal bones against the wishes of indigenous peoples. In 2004, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected tribes' claims to rebury Kennewick Man. The ACHP task force aims to revise its 18-year-old human remains policy as a way to revamp the National Historic Preservation Act's Section 106 process, which requires federal agencies to take into account how their work affects historic properties. So far, there have been 72 comments posted regarding the council's draft policy. About 15 have been posted by tribes or Native organizations. "This policy issue is a particularly sensitive one for the tribe, as it pertains to an ongoing concern with ancestral remains displaced or scattered by the intentional flooding of an area in our aboriginal territory," wrote Lorie James, tribal chairperson of the Greenville Rancheria in California. "Proposals are even now being considered by certain federal and state agencies which would have a negative impact on the important historical assets in this area." Reporter Jodi Rave can be reached at (406) 721-0164 or at jodi.rave@lee.net Copyright c. 2006 Missoulian, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Opinion: Outsource to Indian Country, not India" --------- Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 08:53:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WIENER: OFFSHORE=INDIAN COUNTRY" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh072406-story04.html Mad Dog 21/21: Big Indians, Little Indians IT Jungle by Hesh Wiener July 24, 2006 IBM is pumping something like $6 billion (or nearly 20 percent of its net worth) into its operations in India. This bold move is a big step that could, if the services business follows the trajectory of the PC business, first make India the primary source of IBM's services personnel and later allow an Indian company to acquire the whole division. But in its rush to capitalize on the Indians of South Asia, IBM and the many other computer companies facing east are overlooking the possibilities offered by some other Indians: Native Americans. It's easy to understand how this could happen. American Indians are little. Asian Indians are big. The Census Bureau says that in the year 2000 there were about 2.5 million Native Americans and another 1.8 million who report partial Native American ancestry. That makes their population miniscule in comparison to that of India, which the CIA says is more than 1 billion. There might be more PhDs in India than there are Native Americans. But that's not the whole story. Multinationals like IBM are hiring in India for a number of reasons. One big benefit is access to talent that would otherwise only be available to indigenous firms. These firms are potential competitors, and include some biggies with worldwide reach like Tata and Infosys plus countless other companies with less prominent profiles. But that's not the only reason, not by a long shot. Americans and Europeans are also hiring Indians because they are smart and come cheap. Indian salaries are miniscule compared to what hotshots are paid in the wealthiest economies. Chinese scientists, engineers, and software geeks also work for low wages, but it's a lot harder to find Chinese technologists who can converse in English. In India, most educated people are fluent. They learn English alongside their official national language, Hindi or its cousin, Urdu. Many Indians also speak a regional language, which might be Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, or any or 22 major languages and more than a thousand less popular tongues that, depending on who you ask (and in which language), are either dialects or real languages in their own right (and possibly in their own writing, too). With English as India's lingua franca, there is no way the Chinese can compete in business segments where verbal communication with English-speaking clients is at least a major advantage and sometimes an absolute requirement. If the South Asian Indians have the edge on the Chinese, American Indians have an even greater advantage when it comes to speaking English. Western slang and nuance reach Native Americans instantly, while Indians in India only pick up the latest way to speak from the media, which isn't quite the same thing. But that ear for the current American culture is only one of the benefits Native Americans can offer the computer industry. Native Americans, or, more accurately, their tribes, uniquely provide a chance for computer industry firms to get into some superb tax dodges. This is because Indian tribes, or a least the ones that are legally registered, are, in the law, not clubs or associations or societies; they are subsidiary nations. The United States government can reach through the wrapper of nationality provided by the laws governing Native American tribes and make individual Indians pay tax, but when it comes to the tribe itself, its land, plus a number of other tribal assets, rights, and investments, the federal tax collectors' hands are tied. A related set of rules allows Indian tribes to set up legal gambling operations that operate with a framework of federal and state laws that prohibit similar activities by non-Indians. Some tribes have been particularly adept at building legal havens for games of chance. There's a big gambling resort complex in Connecticut called Mohegan Sun that is owned or mainly owned by an Indian tribe. We don't know for sure just who owns all of Mohegan Sun or other Indian tribe gambling enterprises, because the law permits Indian tribes to cut outsiders in for up to 30 percent of a gambling operation. The tribes can also hire non-Indian companies to perform services or work as subcontractors. The way this all plays out, as you might guess, can raise questions about whether every aspect of the lucrative gambling operations is one hundred percent kosher. Now and then, the Indians and the taxmen go on the warpath. In California, there always seem to be spats about Indian tribes and their gambling operations, but it's hard to say what if anything all the sound and fury signifies. All Californians, including Indians, just love to fight with the state government about money. Nobody can say which side is right in any particular case. It all depends on whose Sitting Bull is gored. There are also plenty of wampum wars in other states, often over tobacco sales schemes based on Indian tribes' tobacco tax exemptions. And of course there's all that funny stuff that made it into the news when Jack Abramoff caught his pemmican in the tent flap. It's doubtful that a computer company would want to get in on the most exotic schemes that seek to exploit the legal status of Native Americans. We don't think Bill Gates, even in semi-retirement, feels a strong need to open an offshore numbered bank account. But it seems somebody does, and a bank owned by an Indian tribe is, legally speaking, an offshore bank that just might want to provide such a service. In this particular case, there's no question that American Indians have a big advantage of Asian ones: American Indians can offer bank accounts in the name of integers; the closest Asian Indians can manage might be an irrational and even transcendental account for a party named Pi. But the financial adventurism that most often occurs in the computer industry isn't the sort of stuff that brings out the lurid headlines. The kind of wild bean-counting that has figured in the history of Computer Associates is a rarity. Still, large, prestigious financial institutions do participate in legitimate deals that involve American Indian tax breaks, and some of these deals involve capital assets, which could include computer systems. In the past, computer leasing companies have tried to reduce leasing costs using arrangements that included Indian tribes. It's unfortunate that the deals the public hears about are the ones that get into trouble, but the tax shelter business is by nature quite secretive. If everything goes right, the shelter succeeds and the sheltered party takes the money and tiptoes away. Even computer companies that aren't interested in tax shelters might still want to think about yet another kind of advantage offered by Native American tribes: their wonderful names. Just think how successful the Apache Web server has been. Whatever its technical merits, we don't believe it would have caught on if it had been named after another group of people, even an important group, such as the Salvation Army, the Teamster's Union or the AARP. We would like to suggest, without reservation, that computer companies take a fresh look at the all the possibilities. For starters, here's a candidate for a top level Internet domain name that could attract vast sums of money because. It's a natural for a wealthy profession. It's something that could easily be set up by Internet establishment for the benefit of one and all. We are confident it would quickly gain worldwide recognition. We speak, of course, of the name Sioux. What litigator would not benefit by abandoning that boring .com URL and moving to the superior .sioux? There might even be some computer companies that would want a .Sioux address. Blackberry comes to mind. That's not the only top level domain we think the world needs to bring a bit more clarity to the Internet. For advertising and public relation firms, and particularly for the computer industry companies that thrive on publicity, there ought to be URLs in the form .crow. When .crow goes live there will be a big rush for name registration, and it would most likely be led by that star of Super Bowl advertising, GoDaddy. Real estate agents and stockbrokers should examine every opportunity to calm their edgy customers in these uncertain times. They, too, might want a unique top level domain. We propose .hopi. But top level domains are only one way to hitch a wagon or travois to a Native American name. It would be hard to find a corporate name more boring than IBM Global Financing. With a little imagination and a little more negotiation, IBM's private bank could adopt a brand name that points to its clientele, the way one of the company's annual reports during the Gerstner era demonstrated Big Blue's renewed concern for shareholders, employees, customers by using the word "You" all over the place. IBM's moneylenders should show they are always thinking about lessees, resellers, and other consumers of corporate capital by adopting the trade name Pawnee. The innumerable outfits that derive revenue from ads or searches run through Google and its ilk are long overdue to form a user's group or, if they really think big, an industry association. Could they find a better name than Navajo? Also on the customer side of the equation is the army of youngsters who have impoverished themselves and their families by downloading more music than anyone could reasonably afford yet show no sign of cutting back just because the bills are stunning. Apple is getting rich off these people. It should, at the very least, set up a club they can join. It might be called Arapahoe. Japanese semiconductor companies have lost a lot of ground to rivals elsewhere in Asia during the past several years. They probably cannot regain a cost advantage, but they could offset higher charges for their excellent products by proper branding. This isn't a job for just one manufacturer; it's a talk for the Japanese semiconductor industry's trade association. It ought to greet the world under the brand name Chippewa. There are lots of other tribal names suitable for exploitation. Once the world catches on, there's going to be a rush for rights to all this intellectual property. In their haste, there will undoubtedly be mistakes, like the one made by the people who named a very large body of fresh water, from which millions might want to drink, Lake Huron. Still, the risks appear to be worth it, not just for people who might want to powwow with American Indians about their tribal names, but also for companies like IBM, which expects to prosper as it submerges its services business in the increasingly nationalistic culture of India. What today is only a branch of its services business will inevitably grow. Like a plant cutting placed in nutritious soil, IBM's Indian subsidiary could well grow into a complete company, which is where the gamble lies. If IBM's Indian managers don't rise to the pinnacle of the company's management structure, the more enterprising ones will leave to start their own firms. IBM undoubtedly believes that it can stay on top of things by controlling the sales process. Well, maybe it can, but the British once thought they had a permanent grip on the American colonies and India, too, and IBM once thought it could maintain its hegemony over the entire computer business. It all looks quite promising now, but that's the way it always is on a honeymoon. The South Asian business culture, like its political culture, knows how to bide its time. For the moment, the Indians of India will do what their namesakes in North America might suggest: Yuma them. IT Jungle: Copyright c. 1996-2006 Guild Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: A little bit of Prairie in every Jar" --------- Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 17:04:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: HARVETS TIME MEMORIES" http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/columnists/15153288.htm DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: A little bit of prairie in every jar July 29, 2006 It's harvest time and for me, and that means picking wild berries to can for the winter. It means slathering the wild taste of a North Dakota summer on a thick slice of bread, followed by a hot cup of green tea and letting the memories of that warm day settle around me as the wind howls outside. This year, chokecherries were sparse in our area. One local expert said it was because of the drought. Another said it might have been the frost we had when the trees were in bloom. Either explanation sounds right. I only know the berries were scarce when my sister and I looked for them so that I could make jelly for a memorial service for a Herald colleague and friend of mine, Carol Graham. One of the fun things Carol and I did together was pick chokecherries. So, it was important for me to share a jar of chokecherry jelly at the service Wednesday evening. When my sister and I couldn't find the berries in the usual haunts around Grand Forks, we decided on the spur of the moment to drive to Bismarck, where we knew there were berries on the southwestern side of the Missouri River. We had seen red chokecherries on the way home from South Dakota a few weeks ago. Sunday morning was a warm day - well, that might be an understatement; it was hot. After filling a pail half full and putting many handfuls in my mouth, I stopped to take stock of my surrounding. We weren't far from the Missouri. I could see hundreds of people camping, boating or swimming happily on the sandbars of the river. As the hot sun beat down, I thought about the first snow last year - giant, lacy-looking flakes, gently floating down, touching the ground and disappearing. Mmm, for that cool day right now, I thought. My sister's squeal brought me back to the 90-degree-plus day. She accidentally had spilled her pail of berries. So, I went back to filling my buckets. When I returned to the car to empty the pail, I started to open the truck and I saw something slithering rapidly away. It passed right by my feet and moved toward to embankment. It was not in a striking position, so it wasn't rattling, either. I guess the rattlesnake found the shade of the car cool and decided to sleep there. One of the problems you encounter picking berries in those isolated areas near the river is poisonous rattlesnakes. I'm grateful to the little creature because he didn't punish me for not being careful. That visit from this reptile put a bit of a damper on our picking. We were nervous and more careful now. Lizzy and I grew up on the Plains and not too far from the Badlands, where rattlesnakes are common. I told her that when I first walked on the prairie near Grand Forks, I watched the grass and stepped carefully. I actually was surprised that rattlesnakes didn't live in the eastern part of the state. The temperature started to climb into the triple digits, so we started back to Bismarck and the other side of the river. My sister's daughter and family live there, and that's where we stayed for the night. As is a habit of grandmothers, we took the grandkids on a ride toward the eastern side of the river. We thought, perhaps, there would be the same abundance of berries, but there were few places to pick. The area is some 15 miles east of Bismarck along the river. That area shows the city pushing out into the prairie. There were some big and beautiful homes with back yards that would rival those of the richest homes in America. Most overlooked the river and the hills beyond. I thought, "What a beautiful way to wake up in the morning." Beyond the cities' spread, open prairie and rolling hills shimmered in the heat of the day. I didn't hear the chatter and questions of the grandkids; I was awed by sparse, untouched land that unfolded as we moved away from the houses. I knew the Mandan people lived on the river in this area hundreds of years ago, and I tried to imagine what this land looked liked before the city turn the prairie into cement and pavement. Before the malls and before people planted crabapple and other trees that crowded out the wild berries. Gathering berries isn't always about chokecherries and brown teeth. It is about visiting the land, seeing a doe and fawns gracefully leap over a fallen tree and understanding that I am in their territory; I am in the rattler's territory, too. I am the visitor. I did get the chokecherries turned into jelly, so I will remember this weekend when the wind blows drifted snow across the road and drops the temperature to minus 20 degrees. -- 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: Inuit Sign Language may get Legal Status" --------- Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 14:44:54 -0000 From: frostyca2000 Subj: CBC News: Inuit sign language may get legal status in Nunavut Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/07/23/inuit-sign060723.html Inuit sign language may get legal status in Nunavut CBC News 23 July 2006 Nunavut already recognizes four languages: English, French, Inuktitut and Innuinaqtun. Now it is considering legal status for two sign languages, one of them apparently unique to deaf Inuit. If that happens, the territory would be the first jurisdiction in Canada to recognize an indigenous sign language. It would also have to develop more services for deaf people. There are about 155 deaf people in Nunavut. While many of them learned American Sign Language in southern schools, deaf Inuit who don't know ASL tend to communicate with a combination of hand signals, body language and facial expressions that is being called Inuit Sign Language. A 1999 court case involving a deaf man drew attention to the possibility that an indigenous sign language existed in the territory. Jamie MacDougall, a specialist in language and perception, was brought in from Montreal to determine if the man could communicate in any known sign language. After spending time with him in his home community of Baker Lake and viewing videos of deaf people in other communities, MacDougall realized they had many signs in common. "Watching people communicate, I found that, well, there did seem to be a very powerful language there," said MacDougall, who is a professor at McGill University in Montreal. "So that set us on a trend to recognize what I've termed Inuit Sign Language." At a recent workshop for deaf people and their families, Inuit from opposite ends of the territory found they could communicate with in a common language. Mary Rose Angushadlak came from Rankin Inlet to interpret for a deaf relative. "I'm really hoping that it will be recognized ... because it's in our language," she said. New legislation to protect languages is expected to be introduced in Nunavut's legislature early next year. The department responsible for official languages is putting together a proposal to include both Inuit Sign Language and American Sign Language in that bill. If it passes, it would give the government a mandate to develop more services for deaf people. Copyright c. CBC 2006. --------- "RE: Panel on FNs' water quality starts Hearings" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 08:41:39 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FIRST NATIONS WATER QUALITY" http://www.firstperspective.ca/fp_template.php?path=20060725water Panel on First Nations' water quality starts hearings 25 July, 2006 Media Release by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada OTTAWA, July 24 - As part of an action plan to improve the quality of water in First Nations communities, the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, in collaboration with Phil Fontaine, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, has named an independent expert panel to advise on options for water quality regulation. This summer, the panel, headed by Harry Swain, Director of the Canadian Institute for Climate Studies, will hold informal public hearings across Canada to gather information from First Nations and other interested parties. Panel members also include Stan Louttit, Grand Chief of the Mushkegowuk Council and Dr. Steve Hrudey, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences of the University of Alberta. The panel will start public hearings on July 26 at 9:00 a.m. in the Radisson Hotel Michaelangelo, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Copyright c. First Perspective 2006. --------- "RE: Premiers renew Kelowna Commitment" --------- Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 08:42:00 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="KELOWNA COMMITMENT RENEWED" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2006/07/26/kelowna-support.html Premiers renew Kelowna commitment CBC News July 26, 2006 National aboriginal leaders are leaving western Newfoundland with a renewed commitment from provincial and territorial premiers to provide support for the Kelowna accord. The Kelowna accord was a five-year, $5-billion plan intended to improve the education, housing and health of aboriginal peoples. It was reached by the first ministers last fall, but Ottawa has refused to honour it so far. The heads of five national native groups met with the premiers in Corner Brook Tuesday to renew support for the accord. Chief Phil Fontaine of the Assembly of First Nations said that although he received the support he was looking for from premiers, he is still frustrated. "There has been movement," said Fontaine. "Has it been fast enough? No. We need to deal with these issues urgently." Beverly Jacobs, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, said some of the promised money needs to be targeted at reducing violence. "In order to have the strength in our communities, our women need to be strong and need to address those issues of violence and healing," said Jacobs. Jacobs will be able to pursue those concerns more fully in yet another meeting in the province - Premier Danny Williams announced Tuesday that a summit on aboriginal women's issues will be held in Newfoundland and Labrador in the fall of 2007. Tuesday's meeting was the first of many this week for the Council of the Federation, which stopped in Corner Brook before proceeding to a three-day conference in St. John's. On Wednesday, the premiers will discuss equalization. Copyright c. CBC 2006. --------- "RE: Military returns land to Calgary Aboriginal Band" --------- Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 17:04:36 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TSUU T'INA" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html ?id=bfdf009b-0f74-4c48-b621-038abfb302f9&k=81763 Military returns land to Calgary aboriginal band Falice Chin, CanWest News Service July 30, 2006 CALGARY - After 15 years of removing century-old shrapnel, the government has finally returned a former military training ground back to Calgary's Tsuu T'ina First Nation. Chief Sandford Big Plume, 47, prayed with officials and elders inside a teepee Saturday morning, concluding the tribe's four-day spiritual land- reunion ceremony. "Today is a historic day for the Tsuu T'ina Nation," Big Plume announced to a crowd of approximately 50 people after the ceremony. "We hope this land will be well protected." Formerly known as the Harvey Barracks, the 380 hectares of land at the northeast tip of the Sarcee reserve in southwest Calgary was first sold to the department of national defence in 1952. It became a part of the Canadian Forces Base, which was established on a neighbouring piece of land. That area was first leased out by the Tsuu T'ina nation in 1901. Alberta agreed to give back the Harvey Barracks in 1991. What followed the out-of-court settlement was a long and pricey cleanup operation. "It took 15 years, and the last few years we even worked through all of the winter to ensure we could return the land to the Tsuu T'ina nation," said Daniel Godbout, Director of environmental engineering management from the department of national defence. Digging up thousands of rounds of old bullets and explosives, he said, has cost more than $130 million in total. When Saturday's ceremony finally put an end to the cleanup and land disputes, local aboriginals celebrated with tears of joy. Former chief Clifford Big Plume said he can't help but feel emotional about the return of his homeland. "The government once asked me what I want for this land," he said. "I said `I want it back to the way it used to be.' "Finally, after 24 years, it's come true." Sandford Big Plume said a casino and retail outlet will be built in the area in the near future. "Our community is growing," he said. "Economic development is the only way we see a future betterment for the community as a whole." fchintheherald.canwest.com Copyright c. Calgary Herald 2006. --------- "RE: Issues will be negotiated in small Chunks" --------- Date: Saturday, July 29, 2006 08:32 pm From: frostyca2000 Subj: Six Nations issues will be negotiated in small chunks Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian Six Nations issues will be negotiated in small chunks CALEDONIA July 29, 2006 Negotiators trying to find a resolution to the native occupation of land in the south of town believe they have made progress with the creation of "side tables" to deal with specific issues. The negotiations were set up in May shortly after a failed OPP raid on the Douglas Creek Estates and involve federal representative Barbara McDougall, provincial representative Jane Stewart and chiefs from the Six Nations Confederacy. They announced yesterday they have split four issues away from the main negotiations. They hope this will allow them to better manage these issues and move forward to a consensus. "The main negotiation table has been working diligently towards a resolution of the issues and the development of the side tables is a milestone in the negotiation process," Stewart said in a statement. The side tables will deal with: archeology and appearance of the Argyle Street South property, including whether native graves exist on the land; resolution of the land claim, including but not limited to possession, use and development of the property; education of communities around Six Nations Confederacy traditions; and consultation, which may include but not limited to accommodation, compensation and benefits related to development of Six Nations land. The natives occupied Douglas Creek Estates Feb. 28. The Ontario government has since bought the onetime housing site from developers for more than $12 million. The Six Nations Confederacy claims lands 10 kilometres on each side of the Grand River, based on the 1784 Haldimand Proclamation, which gave them the land for service to Britain in the U.S. War of Independence. --------- "RE: Grassy Narrows blockaders 'reclaim' Logging Road" --------- Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 08:41:39 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="STOPPING TIMBER INDUSTRY" http://www.firstperspective.ca/fp_template.php?path=20060725grassy Grassy Narrows blockaders 'reclaim' logging road from timber companies by Rainbow Forest Network 25 July, 2006 Grassy Narrows, Ontario - Asserting rights to their traditionall territory, members of the Grassy Narrows First Nation and dozens of supporters today began blocking access to trucks hauling logs from clear- cut logging operations north of Kenora, Ontario, to Weyerhaeuser's Trus Joist mill. Research conducted by Rainforest Action Network indicates approximately 2,500 trees are hauled out of clear cuts via English River Road every day despite strenuous objections from the native community. The English River Road blockade is expected to continue for the next few days, signaling the beginning of a reinvigorated era of roving blockades around Grassy Narrows to stop logging companies Weyerhaeuser and Abitibi from further logging without community consent. The English River blockade is the second protest by the Grassy Narrows community in as many weeks and the latest development in a decade long campaign to end logging without the native community's consent. Supporters from Rainforest Action Network are challenging the "environmentally friendly" reputation of Timberstrand products manufactured at Weyerhaeuser's Kenora mill, most of which supply the booming US housing market. Last Thursday, July 13th, over 80 supporters blocked traffic on the Transcanada Highway. The following day, Ontario Provicial Police officers established checkpoints on Highway 671, arresting 9 allegedly involved in the protest. Supporters criticized the OPP for jailing and interrogating people of color including several First Nations individuals, while Caucasians among the arrestees were released with a citation. Hearings in the case will take place Sept 18th in Kenora. "I grew up hunting, fishing and gathering in the Boreal Forest," said Chrissy Swain, one of the blockaders from Grassy Narrows and a young mother. "If the logging continues my young children will never be able to live their traditional culture and way of life. Weyerhaeuser and Abitibi are annihilating our existence as indigenous people and the McGuinty government refuses to take action. I cannot accept this and I will do what it takes to stop it." "The forest should be protected," said Steve Fobister, Councilor in charge of Forests Portfolio for the Grassy Narrows Council. "Whatever trees we have left should remain for our purposes and our survival as a people. For over a century we have shared the land, but Abitibi and Weyerhaeuser have abused our generosity for too long. The Provincial government must stop abusing our human rights by destroying the Boreal Forest that we depend on." Grassy Narrows community members have filed official complaints, environmental assessment requests, lawsuits, and engaged in public protest and a blockade of a logging road on their territory - now in its fourth year. Logging companies Weyerhaeuser and Abitibi continue to use wood clearcut logged on Grassy Narrows' traditional territory while the McGuinty Provincial government fails to address longstanding Native land rights issues and a growing crisis of mismanagement in the Boreal forest - one of the earth's last intact origiinal forest ecosystems. "Weyerhaeuser is destroying Grassy Narrows' ancient way of life along with the Boreal Forest ecosystem that is vital to our plant's health, while the McGuinty government fails to act to resolve this crisis," said David Sone, Organizer for the Rainforest Action Network's Old Growth campaign. "We stand proudly with the people of Grassy Narrows and will continue to help protect the Boreal Forest and defend their Traditional Territory." Last month, the Superior Court of Ontario ordered the province to pay legal costs associated with a lawsuit challenging clear-cut logging on Grassy Narrows' traditional lands. However, proceedings for the three- year old legal action will not be heard until late 2008. Meanwhile, clearcutting continues unabated. In a recent submission to the United Nations, Amnesty International argued that current logging on Grassy Narrows' traditional land violates the community's indigenous rights to self-determination and culture and fails to meet international standards of "free prior and informed consent" for development on traditional Indigenous lands. Copyright c. First Perspective 2006. --------- "RE: 9 More Arrested for Defending Grassy Narrows" --------- Date: Friday, July 28, 2006 02:19 pm From: frostyca2000 Subj: Boreal Crisis Grows - 9 More Arrested for Defending Grassy Narrows Traditional Territory Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian Boreal Crisis Grows - 9 More Arrested for Defending Grassy Narrows Traditional Territory from Clear-cut Logging KENORA, ON, July 27 /CNW/ - Last night, Ontario Provincial Police officers arrested Chrissy Swain, member of the Grassy Narrows First Nation, and 8 supporters on English River Road. The group had been blocking trucks hauling logs to Weyerhaeuser's TrusJoist mill in Kenora since Tuesday afternoon to demand a moratorium on clear cut logging within the community's Traditional Territory. The nine were charged with mischief and released early this morning on the condition that they leave Kenora within 24 hours. The arrests marked the first time ever that a member of the First Nation community has been arrested for defending its Traditional Territory from logging. "Weyerhaeuser and Abitibi are destroying our people by logging our Boreal Forest," said Chrissy Swain, a young Grassy Narrows mother from the blockade site. "We've been passive for too long while we've suffered from the impacts of industrial logging. Our people are sick and we can't afford to allow this anymore. We are standing up to protect our land and our children's future." The English River blockade is the second protest by the Grassy Narrows community in as many weeks and the lat