_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 14, ISSUE 036 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 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 September 9, 2006 Hopi Nasanmuyaw/full harvest moon Abenaki Skamonkas/corn maker moon Western Cherokee Dulisdi/nut or black butterfly moon Zuni Li'dekwakkwya ts'ana/moon when everything ripens +-------------------------------------------------------+ | 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; Anumpa Achukma, Frostys AmerIndian, Chiapas95-En 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + =================== "Our languages connect us to our ancestors, our traditional ways of life and our histories. For us, the survival of our cultures and identities is inextricably linked to the survival of our languages." "If our languages die, then it is inevitable that our cultures will die next." __ Ryan Wilson, Oglala Lakota President of the National Indian Education Association +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Indian Pledge of Allegiance | The Indian Pledge of Alleg- | | iance was first presented | I pledge allegiance to my Tribe,| on 2 December '93 during the | to the democratic principles | opening address of the Nat- | of the Republic | ional Congress of American | and to the individual freedoms | Indian Tribal-States Relat- | borrowed from the Iroquois and | ions Panel in Reno, NV. NCAI | Choctaw Confederacies, | plans distribution of the | as incorporated in the United | Indian Pledge to all Indian | States Constitution, | Nations. | so that my forefathers | | shall not have died in vain | Walk in Beauty! Night Owl +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Journey | In the summer and early fall | The Bloodline | of 1998 the Treaty Unity Riders | | rode a thousand miles on horse- | For all that live and live by law | back, carrying a staff and | We Stand, we Call, We Ride | praying each step of the way. | For All that fear and fear by sight | | We Hear, we Listen, we Ride | These prayers were offered for | For all that pray and pray by strength| each of us, and that the Unity | We Feel, we Move, we Ride | of all Peoples might happen. | For all that die and die by greed | | We Hurt, we Cry, we Ride | Tatanka Cante forwarded this | For all that birth and birth by right | poem on behalf of all the Unity | We Smile, we Hold, we Ride | Riders that we might stop and | For all that need and need by heart | ask if the next words we say, the | We Came, we Went, we Rode. | next act we make is for the good | | of the People or is it from ego | Treaty Unity Riders | for self. +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ O'siyo Brothers and Sisters! As more and more funds are diverted for this administrations war efforts in the mid-east the impact is being felt where it hurts worst on the reservations. Less funding is available for support for our elders and youth programs. The average Joe Blow has never been to Red Lake, Pine Ridge or Window Rock. In his mind's eye there is a town center where youth can get jobs or find recreational opportunities to occupy idle time. Some reservations like Qualla (Cherokee) do have a strip where the tourists buy souvenirs, but there are few job opportunities and fewer venues for escapism. As the lead article in this issue points out on Pine Ridge the loss of the youth program signaled the closure of any meaningful forms of recreation for young people on Pine Ridge. Winter nears and those same funding shortfalls are going to create huge burdens for the elders. While I admit I don't have great answers I can tell you keeping funds home where it is needed is one place to start repairing the damage. I remember when the U.S. government had a surplus. That was one president ago. If you think this sort of governmental neglect is restricted to Native Peoples in the United States read another article in this issue, "Recognition sought for new Native Society". 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 ----------- - Youth Program's demise - YELLOW BIRD: leaves 'nothing to do' Tribe must get house in order - Cobell shifts strategy - GIAGO: to keep Judge on Case Where have all the Leaders gone? - Open Letter from Elouise Cobell - Recognition sought - Trust deal 'a joke,' Indians for new Native Society tell U.S. Senators - Me'tis Group - N. M. Tribes fight BIA's still solicits Donations education reorganization - New relationship meeting held - Tribes want rights protected in Old Massett - Rights of way draft report - Don't arm Border Guards draws ire on Reserves: Natives - PLUME: - McGuinty says no to Protesters Live up to your obligations settling in - Editorial: BIA to blame - Ottawa cuts funds for O'odham Road woes for special needs Students - Native Americans - From One Warrior to Another... still Poorest in United States - 'Trail of Tears' Campaign - Makah Nation faces emergency across Canada as Water nearly out - Using Native Culture - Wisconsin Oneida aim to keep Kids in Class to put 3,256 Acres in Trust - Caledonia Ruling: - Program helps bring Call for Premier to Clarify financial independence - Million Dollar Drug Bust - Superintendent wants in Border Region to empower Indian communities - EZLN at 6th Comission - Winnebago's IT Company for Yucatan Indig. Gathering sees success Worldwide - Veterans exposed to Radiation - Acoma Pueblo welcomes visitors lose Court ruling to Sky City - Update on September 12 - Congressional hearing focuses LPDC activities on Native Languages - Native Prisoner - Language Loss Can Be Reversed -- Tulalip Drug Court - Tribal Languages, in line for Award at your Fingertips - Rustywire: Clara Peeling Potatoes - Lee Goins Poem: Carolina Awake - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days --------- "RE: Youth Program's demise leaves 'nothing to do'" --------- Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 09:06:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PINE RIDGE LOSS OF YOUTH PROGRAM MEANS LOSS OF DIRECTION" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://journalstar.com/articles/2006/09/02/special/doc44f9c60811762488428164.txt Program's demise leaves 'nothing to do' BY CRAIG HENRY / Lincoln Journal Star September 2, 2006 PINE RIDGE, S.D. - Sweat soaked through the 15-year-old's grease-stained T-shirt as he guided a 1,500-pound panel into place. "Too low, Robert Janis said, his Florida State cap turned backward in the glaring sun. To make extra cash - and to pass the time - Janis was putting together carnival rides like the Tilt-A-Whirl at the annual Oglala Nation powwow. Normally, he and hundreds of other Pine Ridge teens and young adults would be working at the Youth Opportunity Movement center - running 3-on-3 basketball or mowing lawns or picking up trash. But the center closed in May. And they have little to do, no place to go. --- During its six years, the Oglala Sioux Tribe Youth Opportunity Movement employed more than 600 reservation youth each summer, painting houses, picking up trash, making a difference in the community. The program, YO for short, was financed by a $15.9 million federal grant through the U.S. Department of Labor. Each of the reservation's nine districts had its own program. It was designed to serve young people 14 to 21, and to teach them necessary life skills and help them break cycles that lead to poverty and despondency in a place where the unemployment rate can reach double digits. Since the grant ran out and the program closed in May, the young people it served have too much time to kill, said former Youth Opportunity Director Doni DeCory. "I see a lot of kids getting into trouble now," she said. "One was just sentenced to three years for accessory to assault." Her staff tried to keep the program going. They even tried to volunteer their time, she said, but the tribe wouldn't allow it. Former Tribal President Cecelia Fire Thunder said some people on Pine Ridge have tried to blame the tribe for the program closing, but it's not at fault. "They ran out of money, that's it," she said. "The tribe is not in a financial situation to support the program." Youth Opportunity took a big financial burden off the tribe, DeCory said. It helped kids with school expenses and gave out more than $20,000 in scholarships every year. The program even loaned the tribe money for its payroll. "We helped them out," DeCory said. "Why can't they help us out?" That's not the tribe's responsibility, said Fire Thunder. "The staff at YO were paid good money to look for additional resources," she said. "It was their responsibility to sustain it." Crystal Eagle Elk, treasurer for the tribe, said there was no way the tribe could have helped. "It was a really good program," she said. "But we don't have extra money lying around. There's no way we could pick it up." DeCory's staff applied for additional grants but was turned down because of the tribe's high-risk financial status. That status could be attributed to multiple loans, including a $38 million loan from the Shakopee tribe of Minnesota, said Paul Cedar Face, an economics instructor at Oglala Lakota College. Eileen Janis, tribal vice president, said $20 million of the loan was used in part to build a new casino. The other $18 million was used, in part, to pay other debts, she said. Bottom line: no new grant money. "They don't look at what YO did," DeCory said. "They just look at the dollar." And now, said Pine Ridge High School Lakota art and culture instructor Bryan Brewer, there's nothing for the kids to do. "It's always quiet during the day because (the youth) are sleeping - they don't have jobs," Brewer said. "You go downtown at 2 or 3 in the morning, and there's our kids. It's depressing." --- Reylin Rowland is trying to stay sober. The 22-year-old went through treatment five months ago for alcohol and marijuana. He credits his success in large part to Youth Opportunity. Working for YO made him feel important, and it gave him something to do. "They never gave up on me," he said. "They helped me go through the process of checking into treatment." Since it closed, he's had some bumps in the road to sobriety. He uses once in a while, but he has a new job at the Sue Ann Big Crow Boys and Girls Club. "I passed the drug test, which was like the coolest thing in the world to me," Reylin said. Other kids on Pine Ridge aren't as lucky. Many are still unemployed, and Reylin said they spend their time cruising the streets, hanging out at Big Bat's convenience store, drinking and doing drugs. "There's nothing for us to do here other than drink and drug," he said. "When I say there's nothing, I mean there's nothing." When Youth Opportunity was open, there were baseball games, basketball games, cleaning up the park. "Some of them were doing straight because that was their routine," Reylin said. "They would go down there and do their job." Before the program closed, Stacie Pleasant's friends were clean. Now some spend their time getting high - and getting into trouble. "Whenever it closed, everyone didn't really care to do anything anymore," Stacie said. "It kind of went downhill I guess." --- Eileen Janis worries about her son. She doesn't know where Robert goes now, and she doesn't know what he does. "There's just so many people who want to give him things," she said. "Corrupters - within your own family - there's corrupters." Robert's grandmother used to watch after him, always asking him where he was going and what he was doing. But she died in December. Still, his mom said, Robert is a good kid. He's a sophomore at Pine Ridge High, where he's a guard on the football team. He spends most of his spare time drumming and singing at sun dances and powwows. "If you don't give into peer pressure, it's easy (to stay sober)," Robert said. "You just don't go around it." But now the carnival is over and Robert is jobless again - nothing to do, no place to go. --- Craig Henry was an intern at the Journal Star through the American Indian Journalism Institute this summer. He is a student at the University of Oklahoma. Reach him at william.c.henry@gmail.com Copyright c. 2002-2006, Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Cobell shifts strategy to keep Judge on Case" --------- Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 08:51:20 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="COBELL PLAINTIFFS APPEL TO REINSTATE LAMBERTH" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/08/29/ news/state/55-plaintiffs.txt Plaintiffs in Indian case shift strategy By The Associated Press August 29, 2006 WASHINGTON - Days after announcing a plan to appeal a recent court decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, American Indian plaintiffs in a 10- year-old lawsuit against the government over management of Indian trust funds have switched their strategy. They instead will ask the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review a decision to remove a federal judge from their case. In July, a three-judge panel of the appeals court ruled that U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth had lost his objectivity in the class-action lawsuit. The panel took the unusual step of ordering the case reassigned to a different judge. The Indian plaintiffs think Lamberth should be allowed to stay with the case. Bill McAllister, a spokesman for the Indian plaintiffs, said that after they announced last Thursday their decision to appeal to the Supreme Court, the plaintiffs reconsidered their options and chose a more traditional route. Lead plaintiff Elouise Cobell said the Indians wanted "to give the Court of Appeals an opportunity to correct its own error and rectify the serious harm that the decision would cause 500,000 individual Indian trust beneficiaries." "If the decision was made because Court of Appeals judges believe that the administration would resolve this case expeditiously and fairly, the judges are terribly mistaken," Cobell said. "It is the conduct of government officials that must be publicly condemned and severely sanctioned until it stops, not the esteemed judge who has the intellectual integrity to describe such repugnant behavior." The Indians accuse the government of mismanaging more than $100 billion in oil, gas, timber and other royalties from their lands, dating back to 1887. Lamberth, a conservative Reagan appointee, has decided in favor of the Indians several times. He held former Interior secretaries Bruce Babbitt and Gale Norton in contempt and more than once ordered the department to disconnect its computers from the Internet to protect Indians' records. Several of his rulings have been overturned on appeal, including Norton's contempt charge. The three-judge panel said many of Lamberth's holdings went too far, including one last year that accused the department of racism. The Indians' decision to appeal comes as lawmakers in Congress try to broker a settlement. Plaintiffs say aides for the Senate Indian Affairs Committee approached them this summer offering to settle for $8 billion. Talks between the government, the plaintiffs and Congress are ongoing. An agreement could be reached this fall. Copyright c. 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Open Letter from Elouise Cobell" --------- Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 07:04:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="OPEN LETTER FROM ELOUISE COBELL" http://www.indiantrust.com/ Open Letter from Elouise Cobell The summer of 2006 has been an extremely volatile one for our cause. On July 11 the U.S. Court of Appeals removed U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth from our case. In so doing, we lost the services of a dedicated and fair jurist who had presided over our case since its inception in 1996. All individual Indian trust account holders should consider Judge Lamberth's removal a travesty of justice. It is, as columnist Suzan Shown Harjo said, yet another rebuke to one of the "good people" who is trying to change the way the U.S. Government deals with Native People. Because the appeals court removed the judge at the same time that it was finding the government's conduct in our case deplorable, we plan to appeal his removal. We will argue that the removal of a judge from a case he has faithfully presided over for 10 years is itself without precedent. We will also tell the Supreme Court that the very conduct that made Judge Lamberth so troubled with the government was, in fact, well documented by the appeals court. The decision of the three-judge appeals court panel was as strong a denouncement of the trustee-delegates' conduct as we have ever seen: "To be sure, Interior's deplorable record deserves condemnation in the strongest terms," the court said. "Words like 'ignominious" and "incompeten[t]'...and 'malfeasance' and 'recalcitrance' are fair and well-supported by the record." It reinforced earlier rulings by the appeals court that the government has abused its trust obligation and has failed to fulfill its most basic responsibilities to the individual Indian trust beneficiaries. It should be stressed that, according to the court of appeals, the removal of our judge in no way exonerates the Departments of Interior and Justice. Most importantly, the decision reaffirms the merits of our case (a "worthy cause") and it underscores the core theme of Judge Lamberth's most recent decisions. His removal was unusual because the appeals court noted approvingly that Judge Lamberth's strong language was based properly on irrefutable evidence of government misconduct. Indeed, Judge Lamberth's order of July 12, 2005, was "nothing more than the views of an experienced judge who, having presided over this exceptionally contentious case for almost a decade has become exceeding ill disposed toward [a] defendant that has flagrantly and repeated breached its fiduciary obligations." As we have learned from the past decade, the United States government resists change fiercely. That's even when the need for that change is well documented and punctuated by a century of malfeasance and continuing abuse. We expect they will fight our effort to get the Supreme Court to review both the judge's removal and the vacation of the injunction he had issued on the Interior Department's computer system. Those systems were shown to be wide open to computer hackers, placing all our trust records at risk of being altered. Even the appeals court acknowledged that fact. "To be sure," it said, "we have no doubt Interior's trust account information has serious reliability problems." That makes the need for an injunction even more pressing. Finally, the appeals court ruling urged the parties "to work with the new judge to resolve this case expeditiously and fairly." Of course, this is precisely what we have engaged in for the last 10 years only to be thwarted time and again by the Department of the Interior and its Department of Justice attorneys who would rather delay a resolution of this matter and leave it to the next administration. Even now, less than a month after the July 11 decisions, we are aware that mid-level bureaucrats in Interior and Justice are urging members of Congress to reject legislation that would resolve the case. As usual, the government has no interest in a resolution that is "expeditious and fair". This is not to say that my attorneys and I believe these decisions will further delay a resolution of this case. Indeed, there are reasons to be hopeful that a new judge will not wait another 10 years (or more), as the government now proposes, to render an historical accounting. Especially since the material facts are not even disputed by the government. Moreover, various media outlets are now reporting that Senator McCain is pressing legislation that would settle the case for $8 billion. This is a far cry from the over $27 billion we proposed last summer, but after bearing personal witness to the hardship and abuse that continues to be heaped upon the individual Indian beneficiaries after 10 years of hard-fought, acrimonious litigation I have directed my attorneys to seriously consider this offer. This nation's first citizens are also its poorest and any resolution that is "expeditious and fair" should be seriously and thoughtfully considered. We will be examining this legislation t o make sure it is just that. If you are an account holder or a trust beneficiary, now is the time to express your concerns and hopes about a possible settlement to your member of Congress. It's time for Indian Country to speak. The bureaucrats have had their say. /s/ Elouise Cobell Copyright c. 2006 Blackfeet Reservation Development Fund, Inc. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Trust deal 'a joke,' Indians tell U.S. Senators" --------- Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 09:06:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="OKLAHOMA INDIANS SPEAK OUT AGAINST TRUST DEAL" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.newsok.com/article/2841100/ Trust deal 'a joke,' state Indians tell U.S. senators By Judy Gibbs Robinson, Staff Writer September 2, 2006 TULSA - Staff members for a U.S. Senate committee got an earful Friday when they came to Oklahoma to find out what Indians think of a proposed trust case settlement. "I think it's a joke," said Talee Redcorn, a member of the Osage Nation's minerals council. "I think this government does not want to live up to what they've done," said Marcianna R. Jacobs, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. The hearing was to give Oklahoma Indians a chance to weigh in on proposed legislation to settle a decade-old class-action lawsuit called the Cobell case, which accuses the government of mismanaging Indian trust accounts. Lawyers for the plaintiffs have said Indians may be owed as much as $27. 5 billion. The Senate bill proposes settling for $8 billion. "The $27.5 billion should really be revisited because that's ridiculous to go from $27.5 to $8 billion," said E. Bernadette Huber, chairman of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma. "If we Indians owed the U.S. government $27 billion they would want every penny of it," said Emily Saupitty, an Apache from Apache. But David Mullon, the committee's general counsel, said $8 billion is the figure his boss, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., thinks he can get through Congress. "Every account holder, of course, would like it to be more," Mullon said. "We're not going to get $27.5 billion through the 109th Congress. It ain't going to happen." About 60 people attended the meeting, the last of four held around Indian Country during Congress' August recess. Previous meetings were in Auburn, Wash.; Phoenix; and Bismarck, N.D. Oklahoma speakers were uniformly critical of the settlement's price tag and the lack of an "opt-out clause" that would let individual Indians pursue separate lawsuits. "A lot of people feel they are owed more," Quapaw Chief John Berrey said. "We'd appreciate it if you could ponder a little harder about some further due process," he said. Keith Harper, a lawyer representing lead plaintiff Eloise Cobell, a Blackfeet Indian from Montana, said his client considers the lack of an opt-out clause a "poison pill" that could kill the deal. "In this day and age, this ought to be a consensual thing. It shouldn't be a forced-down thing," Harper said. Mullon said an opt-out clause is not an option because one of the government's goals in settling is to be finished with the trust issue once and for all. "If you want a settlement in the billions, then ending all claims is a part of it. They want total peace. They want an end to the litigation," he said. Osage Nation Principal Chief Jim Gray, chairman of the Intertribal Monitoring Association on Indian Trust Funds, said the legislation probably has a 50-50 chance of passing. "There's a genuine desire on both sides to settle, but there's a lot of debate on whose terms," Gray said. Copyright c. 2006 The Oklahoman/News 9 - Produced by NewsOK.com. --------- "RE: N. M. Tribes fight BIA's education reorganization" --------- Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 08:51:20 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MORE TRIBES OPPOSE EDU REORGANIZATION" http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/015665.asp New Mexico tribes fight BIA's education reorganization August 29, 2006 More tribes are joining the fight against the reorganization of education programs at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. A federal judge has already stopped the Bush administration from making changes at BIA schools in South Dakota and North Dakota. Four tribes and seven schools filed a lawsuit after learning that some of the education offices on their reservations would be closed and that some reservation- based employees would be fired or relocated. Now, the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico are hoping to replicate the case. They filed a lawsuit two weeks ago, citing a lack of meaningful consultation about the effect of the reorganization on 15 educational institutions, including the Santa Fe Indian School, an urban boarding school. "Under federal law, consultation is not a one-way presentation of unilateral decisions," the August 17 filing states. Funding is at the heart of the tribal lawsuits. The BIA budget has largely stayed the same since the start of the Bush administration despite heavier demands placed on schools under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. So when the reorganization initiative was first announced back in 2003, there were immediate questions about resources. "Tribal officials and representatives were told that the funds for any reorganization would be sought from Congress," the Pueblos stated in their lawsuit. But tribes now know that the administration is taking $1.5 million from the Indian School Equalization Program to pay for the bureaucratic reshuffle. ISEP is used to help at-risk Indian students, the types who might be underperforming under No Child Left Behind standards. Additionally, the administration wants to take $2.5 million from the Early Childhood Development Program to pay for the reorganization. Former Interior Secretary Gale Norton had praised the program in a visit to New Mexico back in May 2002. In both instances, the Pueblos say they learned of the shift in funds only after the Plains tribes filed their lawsuit in May. As a result, some Pueblo school programs have already been cut, according to the court filing. The BIA budget does call for $2.5 million in new funds, but the 19 Pueblos say the money will be used for administrative positions and not to improve the education of Indian students. Along with the funding cuts, the BIA already started the reorganization in early August, just a few weeks before the start of the school year. The tribes say Tom Dowd, a member of the Hopi Tribe from Arizona, had promised not to make any changes until August 16, the day before the lawsuit was filed. Nedra Darling, a spokesperson for the BIA, didn't have specific information about the implementation of the reorganization in New Mexico. But she said the agency is complying with the preliminary injunction in South Dakota and North Dakota. "They are closely following the judge's orders," she said of BIA officials in the Plains. The reorganization has been questioned by several key members of Congress "I'm a little bit perplexed when I hear that what we need to fix this system is more senior executive management staffing," said Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, at a hearing in May. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council, which represents the eight Pueblos north of Santa Fe, and the All Indian Pueblos Council, which represents all 19 Pueblos in the state. Joe Garcia, the president of the National Congress of American Indians, serves as chairman of ENIPC. Copyright c. 2000-2006 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Tribes want rights protected" --------- Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 08:51:20 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="UTILITY RIGHT-OF-WAY EASEMENTS" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ article?AID=/20060829/NEWS06/608290304/1003/business Tribes want rights protected Debra Gruszecki The Desert Sun August 29, 2006 CABAZON - Tribal leaders on Monday urged the U.S. departments of Energy and Interior not to tamper with tribal sovereign rights to negotiate right-of-way easements with utilities. Monday's hearings were held under guidelines of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which required the federal agencies to look at issues related to energy rights-of-way on tribal lands. Tribes have expressed concern that there might be an effort to remove tribal consent from the rights-of-way equation. That concern prompted tribal nations from across the West to attend the meeting at Morongo Casino Resort. "Rights of way are a critical issue for the Morongo Band" of Mission Indians, said John Muncy, a tribal council member. Former U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, who attended the hearing, agreed, saying "Indian reservations are no longer the places where wires go through." Today, he said, reservations are the places where the wires come from, and tribal governments are taking a significant and growing role as energy producers. Marlene Skunkcap, of the Shoshone Bannock Tribe in Fort Hall, Idaho, agreed, noting that any infringement on a tribes' ability to negotiate over rights-of-way on utilities and energy would be a "step backwards." "No change needs to be made," she said. Besides tribal leaders, Nancy Ives of the Fair Access to Energy Coalition suggested in written testimony against looking narrowly at the issue. "To the extent that tribes are permitted to increase their cost exponentially, they risk violating their obligation to Americans as a whole," she said. "FAIR appreciates that, for the first time, the government official explored energy rights-of-way on tribal lands" and provided Congress with a list of legislative options to address difficulties that arise in negotiations. On Monday, however, tribal leaders applauded the draft report on the study. It appears to have sided with the tribes, according to the Denver-based Council of Energy Resources Tribes (CERT), a consortium of 57 American and Canadian Indian tribes. It noted that America's Indian tribes are working with public and private utilities to deliver energy to millions of families throughout the country, and appear to support tribal consent over Indian lands concerning energy rights-of-way. it also found no evidence to support claims that the tribes' exercise of consent might drive up the cost of energy for consumers. Copyright c. 2006 The Desert Sun. --------- "RE: Rights of way draft report draws ire" --------- Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 08:32:58 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RIGHTS OF WAY SHOULD HONOR RIGHTS OF NATIONS" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?feature=yes&id=1096413592 Rights of way draft report draws ire by: Jerry Reynolds / Indian Country Today September 1, 2006 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Federal law requires that tribes must consent to a grant of rights of way across their lands, whether the rights of way are for roads, aqueducts, pipelines, power wires or flight paths. Energy rights of way are increasingly lucrative. The ability of tribes to negotiate them fairly has increased in recent years, and many tribal energy rights of way agreements are coming up for renewal over the next decade. Against this background, the energy industry has brought tribal energy rights of way before Congress in the form of a report that will be finalized and submitted by the end of September. The report, prepared by the departments of Energy and the Interior, may be seized upon in Congress as an occasion to modify or even cancel the tribal consent requirement, according to numerous tribal leaders and their representatives. At a meeting in Albuquerque Aug. 30, tribes had a last chance to provide public feedback on the report directly to the departments before the Sept. 4 official deadline for comments. Approximately 20 speakers told the departments their draft report is misguided, incomplete and misleading - misguided in that it offers Congress a list of "options" on tribal rights when the report's own data supports only one option, namely to take no action; misleading for what it does not include about existing willful trespass by power companies on tribal lands, as well as for including unsubstantiated arguments under cover of language about what "could" be the case on various assertions by energy companies, about what they "indicate" and "contend" without evidential justification; and incomplete because it does not dwell on "historical malfeasance" at the expense of tribes in rights of way negotiations, or on the religious and cultural considerations around tribal rights of way. Brian Collins, a senior tribal attorney representing the Skokomish in Washington, detailed some of the damage done to the tribe by power companies that have trespassed on its lands by seizing rights of way. "Without inclusion of such worst-case examples of energy development on right-of-way disputes involving treaty rights, tribal resources and tribal lands, the report to Congress lacks the necessary balance to accurately describe the effects of proposed energy right-of-way legislation." Other speakers noted that tribes have been swindled in energy rights of way negotiations, by both energy companies and Interior or by BIA officials who collaborate with them in drafting meager agreements without tribal participation, then impose the agreements over tribal doubts and objections. One speaker after another emphasized that the report's own findings demonstrate no reason at all to change the status quo. "There's no fix to be fixed," said Zia Pueblo Gov. Peter M. Pino, adding that the report is an instrument of division in a field where cooperation and partnership between tribes and the private sector should thrive. Pueblo of Isleta Gov. J. Robert Benavides said Isleta supports one conclusion of the report - "that there is no national level problem concerning energy rights of way on tribal lands. The departments [of Energy and the Interior] found no evidence that negotiations with the tribes have ever disrupted energy supplies or significantly increased energy costs." Richard Hughes, a Santa Fe attorney representing two other pueblos, said the findings expose the report for what it is - a way to give the wealthy energy sector a negotiating advantage over less-affluent and poor tribes. The energy industry may not have gotten the results it wanted from the draft report, he added. "They did get Congress to commandeer the efforts of two Cabinet departments on this study." Hughes remarked that Energy and Interior are aggressively meeting statutory deadlines that are routinely ignored in agency and departmental reports to Congress. "Here they are doing it; they are rushing things along, right on the deadline." His clear implication was that the report may have a higher priority on Capitol Hill than is publicly known. Other speakers touched on the various issues raised by the draft report, as follows: * The free-market economy - competition keeping prices reasonable - should preclude price-fixing for tribal energy rights of way. The prices should be negotiated case by case. * Fair-market valuation for tribal energy rights of way, a key concept pushed by energy companies in negotiating rights of way, relies on comparing the value of one property to another. But the value of tribal properties can't be compared in a blanket way with private properties, as the energy industry has urged, due to Indian religious beliefs. As a matter of economic efficiencies, private-sector companies hope for rights of way running in the straightest line possible, from A to B. If a graveyard or other important site lies in the path of that straight line, they move it. "We don't do that in Indian country," said Ben Nighthorse Campbell, the former U.S. senator. "Our ancestors, our people that have been returned to mother earth, that's where they're supposed to stay. And I think that the report did not reflect - you can't put a dollar value on that, and should not put a value, a dollar value on that. It has nothing to do with market value. It has to do with inherent and historic religious beliefs of our people." * The small sampling on which the report relies - case studies of four tribes and one energy company - is "inherently unreliable," said Carol Harvey, a Navajo attorney with Nordhaus Law Firm in Albuquerque, because a sampling that small can't yield findings that are valid for tribes or energy companies overall. Copyright c. 1998 - 2006 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: PLUME: Live up to your obligations" --------- Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 07:04:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WHITE PLUME: US SHOULD FULFILL OBLIGATIONS" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413572 Plume: Live up to your obligations by: Alex White Plume / Guest Columnist August 31, 2006 An open letter to President George W. Bush Dear President Bush, The Oglala Sioux Tribe is writing this letter to demand that the United States fulfill its obligation to respect and protect the human rights of Indian peoples in this country. Indian peoples' ability to survive into the future depends largely on our ability to maintain, protect and promote our traditional and cultural beliefs, which includes our ability to practice our spiritual beliefs in privacy and without disruption. This is not merely a cultural and spiritual concern; it is a matter of human rights that exist in international law. These human rights have been recognized in two international covenants and conventions - the U.N. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Labour Organization's Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (ILO Convention No. 169). The United States signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1977. Article 27 of the covenant provides that "ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities ... shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to use their own language." The U.N. Human Rights Committee, charged with monitoring countries' compliance with the covenant, has determined that with respect to indigenous peoples, the right to enjoy their own culture includes particular ways of life associated with the use of certain territories. Further, the committee determined that the enjoyment of these rights may require positive legal measures of protection to ensure the effective participation in decisions which affect them. Clearly, under the covenant, the United States has a legal and moral obligation to take necessary measures to protect Indian peoples' right to practice their spiritual beliefs and enjoy their culture, including the use of sacred sites. Article 7 of the convention provides that indigenous peoples "have the right to decide their own priorities for the process of development as it affects their lives, beliefs, institutions and spiritual well-being and the lands they occupy or otherwise use." Article 13 of the convention provides that "governments shall respect the special importance for the cultures and spiritual values of the peoples concerned of their relationship with the lands or territories, or both as applicable, which they occupy or otherwise use, and in particular the collective aspects of this relationship." Although these rights have been recognized in international law, sadly, the United States has not ratified ILO Convention No. 169. The rights identified in the covenant and the convention go to the heart of the ongoing struggle at Bear Butte, near Sturgis, S.D., a site that is held sacred by numerous tribes. Indian spiritual practices at Bear Butte are facing certain disruption by the granting of hard liquor licenses and the development of huge outdoor amphitheaters nearby. With these developments will come noise, crowds and interruption of the quiet and respect needed for traditional ceremonies - all of this within two miles of the base of Bear Butte. Bear Butte is but one example of the numerous attacks across the country on our traditional ways of life and on our human rights to continue practicing our spiritual beliefs with dignity and in peace and to decide our own priorities for development that affect the lands we use and our spiritual well-being. In addition to the previous recognition of these human rights in the covenant and convention, these rights have been recognized in the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, recently adopted by the Human Rights Council of the United Nations. Article 7 of the declaration provides that "indigenous peoples have the right ... to maintain, protect, and have access in privacy to their religious and cultural sites." Article 25 also provides that "indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinctive spiritual relationship with their traditionally ... occupied and used lands ... and to uphold their responsibilities to future generations in this regard." Clearly, the declaration recognizes our human right to "maintain, protect, and have access in privacy" to Bear Butte and our right to uphold our spiritual responsibility to this sacred site for our children. But the exercise of these fundamental human rights is sure to be grossly disturbed by the newest alcohol and concert hall developments taking place at Bear Butte. We are calling on the United States to fulfill its legal obligation to Indian peoples throughout this country under international human rights law, as outlined in the covenant and the recently adopted declaration, to take all possible measures to preserve and protect the sanctity of Bear Butte. We are also calling on the United States to fulfill its legal and moral obligations to Indian peoples by voting to approve the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at the upcoming September session of the U.N. General Assembly. The United States cannot meet its existing legal and moral obligations under international law, nor its fiduciary obligations under federal Indian law, by voting against (or abstaining from voting on) the declaration. To take any action other than voting to approve the declaration would do immeasurable damage to the "government-to-government" working relationship that we have all worked so hard to achieve. A vote against the declaration would be a vote against the first peoples of this country. It is time the United States lived up to its obligation to respect and promote our human rights as Indian peoples - particularly our right to continue practicing our spiritual beliefs at Bear Butte in privacy and undisturbed. The United States holds itself up to the world as a champion of human rights. It is time that the United States be a champion of human rights to the Indian peoples of this country by voting for the declaration. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your response. --- Alex White Plume is president of the Oglala Lakota Nation. Copyright c. 1998 - 2006 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Editorial: BIA to blame for O'odham Road woes" --------- Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 08:30:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BIA AND DEVELOPER LEAVE RESIDENTS STRANDED" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/144259 Opinion: O'odham should let Coleman Road stay open awhile Our view: Tribe can extend Friday deadline so Pima County has time to provide alternative Tucson, Arizona August 30, 2006 One of the most enduring complaints of American Indian officials has been that getting anything done on a reservation takes forever because of the red tape involved in dealing with the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs or the tribal council. There's even an old joke that Navajos sometimes tell: How long does it take to start a business on the reservation? Answer: Twenty years to life. Indians are no strangers to projects being delayed by the need to comply with the alphabet-soup regulations of four or five agencies, but in the case of Coleman Road the tribe is evidently out of patience. It has refused to change its decision requiring that Coleman Road, which crosses reservation land and leads to a wildcat subdivision, be closed by Friday. Coleman Road is the only access to a small group of homes that are not on the reservation. In all, 72 homeowners will lose access to their homes, west of Three Points and south of Arizona 86, if the Tohono O'odham stick to a decision to close the road. In a way, you can't blame the O'odham. Most of the affected residents have been good neighbors, but some have been a major nuisance. Tribal officials say cattle have been shot and fences in the area have been cut. It didn't help that one of the residents in 2001 hosted a "rave," a loud and boisterous party that drew several thousand participants to the normally tranquil desert. So, the Indians said, "enough," and set a deadline for closing the road. Since the residents had nowhere else to turn, they asked the county for help. The neighbors formed an improvement district, which means they'll end up paying for the road collectively, but Pima County is making the arrangements, which is a complicated process. The county has been working on the permitting process for roughly three years. The new route, called Hayhook Road, will hug the reservation boundary, but it required easements to cross state trust lands and private property. Those easements are now in place. It also required other state and federal permits. In an Aug. 7 letter to Vivian Juan-Saunders, chairwoman of the Tohono O'odham Nation, Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry asked that Coleman Road be kept open beyond Sept. 1. "Please allow the County to continue with a logical and reasonable alternate timeline for providing a roadway alternative to Coleman Road as requested in my previous letters," he wrote. There was an indication late Tuesday that the Tribal Council was considering extending the deadline for 30 days. We hope it takes that step. The residents at Hayhook got themselves into this mess by purchasing property and building homes in an area where there was no legal access. Even so, those residents require police and emergency vehicle access, at least until the county can blade a temporary road. The saga of Coleman Road is a sad but typical Arizona story. The road leads to a ranch that was subdivided into 40-acre home sites in the 1960s. Southwest Properties, the owner, applied to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for a right of way, but it was never granted. Huckelberry said the county is prohibited from denying a building permit solely on grounds that there is no access to a property. So, houses went up in an area where the owners were dependent on the kindness of others. Now they're stuck. Huckelberry said the contract for the new road is out to bid and with luck a temporary road will be in place by the end of September. But everything depends on the Tribal Council. We believe the documents provided to the tribe show that the county is acting in good faith to get the road built promptly. It will hurt nothing, and be seen as a gesture of good will, if the nation extends the deadline beyond Friday. Copyright c. 2006 Arizona Daily Star. --------- "RE: Native Americans still Poorest in United States" --------- Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 08:45:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="POVERTY STALKS INDIAN COUNTRY" http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/015687.asp Native Americans still poorest in United States August 30, 2006 Income levels have risen and poverty rates have stabilized but Native Americans remain the poorest in the nation, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday. From 2004 to 2005, the average American household earned $46,326, an increase of 1.1 percent. It was the first time since 1999 that the median household income rose, the Census said. But incomes for American Indian and Alaska Native homes remained well below the rest of the nation. Based on a three-year average from 2003 to 2005, the median income was $33,627, lower than incomes for white, Asian and Hispanic households. Only African-American households, with a median income of $31,140, ranked below Native households. Turning to poverty, 2005 marked the first time that poverty rates have not risen. For four consecutive years, the Census has reported an increase in the number of Americans living below the poverty line. Despite the stabilization, there are still 37 million people, or 12.6 percent of the population, and 7.7 million families in poverty. Among American Indians and Alaska Natives, the picture was much worse. According to a three-year average of data, 25.3 percent of Native Americans are living in poverty. This was actually a slight increase from the 24.3 percent that the Census reported in its last report on income and poverty. The figure translated to 537,00 American Indians and Alaska Natives who were below the poverty line. As defined by the Office of Management and Budget, the poverty threshold for a family of four in 2005 was $19,971; for a family of three, $15,577; for a family of two, $12,755; and for unrelated individuals, $9,973. The report, "Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2005," also contained figures on health insurance coverage. The Census said the number of people with and without insurance rose from 2004 to 2005. Nearly 30 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives, or about 661,000 people, were uninsured, according to the data. This was statistically unchanged from figures released last year. Only Hispanics had a higher uninsured rate of 32.7 percent, again the same as the year prior. The Census used to count people whose only source of care was the Indian Health Service as insured. But since 1988, IHS-only patients are considered uninsured. "The effect of this change on the overall estimates of health insurance coverage was negligible," the report stated. The figures released yesterday were open to interpretation by Democrats and Republicans. Democratic leaders said it was proof that President Bush's administration hasn't done anything to improve the lives of Americans. Republicans said immigrants are to blame for the lack of significant improvement. But people who weren't born in the United States still had higher income levels and higher rates of insurance coverage than Native Americans. Copyright c. 2000-2006 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Makah Nation faces emergency as Water nearly out" --------- Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 08:45:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MAKAH FACE WATER SHORTAGE CRISIS" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/sited/story/html/263533 Makah consider shipping in water if Waatch River runs dry by VANESSA RENEE CASAVANT August 31, 2006 NEAH BAY - If the Makah tribe runs out of water, state agencies will help it ship in drinking water and ensure enough water is available to put out fires. The Makah tribe on Wednesday had only about a day-and-a-half worth of water - 625,000 gallons - left in the storage bin of its water treatment plant. Tuesday, the tribe announced it had only a day's supply left for the 1,800 residents of Neah Bay. Wednesday, Makah Public Works Manager David Lucas said that enough water has been delivered through the Waatch River, which has slowed to a trickle due to lack of rain, to keep the supply to its present level, But if the river dries up, so does the summer water source. And Lucas said the river is the lowest he's seen in his 14 years with Makah Public Works. Contingency plan Wednesday afternoon, the Makah Tribal Council met with representatives of several state agencies to devise a "worst case scenario" contingency plan in case it doesn't rain, Tribal Chairman Ben Johnson said. Part of the plan includes having tankers of water standing by in the event of a fire, he said. Without the tankers, one fire could wipe out the tribe's entire water supply, said Charles White, the tribe's general manager. The state is also working with the tribe to line up tankers to ship drinking water to Neah Bay if the supply dips too low, White said. In the meantime, engineers from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs are on their way to Neah Bay to check on the situation, Johnson said. Water restrictions With the tribe's back-up source, the Educkett Reservoir, almost completely dry, the Tribal Council alerted state and federal officials and put water restrictions into effect on Tuesday. The restrictions have helped maintain the tribe's amount of treated water, but it's still scarce, Johnson said. "It's hard to say how long the water in the river will last without rain," Johnson said. "Be cautious on how you use your water. Every drop counts." Long term plans Although Neah Bay gets between 80 to 140 inches of rain a year, according to an Oregon State University weather chart, the majority of it comes in winter months. In the summer the river can slow or even run dry. The tribe is developing a $6.4 million plan to address summer water shortages. The plan includes building a new water treatment plant, and tapping into alternative water sources such as the Sooes Well and Cape Creek. Most of the infrastructure is in place for taking water from the Sooes Well, but the tribe was denied a $595,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to complete the project. The tribe is seeking other grant funding to complete the project, as they don't have a tax base to draw from like other governments do, said Julie Johnson, the tribe's director of intergovernmental relations, during a Tribal Council planning session in March. The only part of the plan for which funding is fully secured is a $1.5 million water treatment plant. The plant would replace the tribe's 30-year-old plant. It can no longer keep up with new water treatment filtration technologies, Lucas told the Peninsula Daily News in July. No date for beginning construction has been set. Copyright c. 2006 Peninsula Daily News, Horvitz Newspapers, Inc. --------- "RE: Wisconsin Oneida aim to put 3,256 Acres in Trust" --------- Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 08:45:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ONEIDA PUSH FOR LAND INTO TRUST" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ article?AID=/20060830/GPG0101/608300614/1206/GPGnews Oneidas aim to put 3,256 acres in trust Hobart, Brown Co. concerned over loss of property-tax base By Paul Brinkmann pbrinkma@greenbaypressgazette.com August 31, 2006 Wisconsin's Oneida Tribe of Indians is making its biggest push yet to roll original tribal lands into federal trust, with an eye toward reclaiming sovereignty over it. The tribe has notified county and village officials it will pursue trust status on an additional 3,256 acres in Brown County - more than the tribe's current 1,900 trust acres there. The new territory would claim 15 percent of the village of Hobart. Tribal officials expressed hope and optimism about enlarging their sovereign territory. But officials with the county and village said they are concerned about the impact on the tax base. Once approved for trust, the properties are no longer taxable. The new acreage being proposed for trust generated $877, 377 in property taxes throughout the county last year. "Frankly I feel as though the village has been taken advantage of," said Rich Heidel, Hobart president. "We will contest this to the degree we can, and there are some parcels we can contest." Sweep of history The Oneidas were originally from New York, but purchased land from Wisconsin tribes in the 1820s to avoid growing disharmony with the young United States. In 1838, the U.S. government guaranteed a 65,000-acre reservation west of the Green Bay area. But that land was divided up and forfeited over the next 100 years. In 1937, the federal government purchased 1,270 acres for the tribe and put them into federal trust. Since then, the Oneidas have been working toward rebuilding the original reservation. With gaming money starting in the 1980s, the tribe began repurchasing territory much faster. Paul Ninham, a tribal council member, said the Oneidas are rebuilding their community and reconnecting with the land. "It's important that we maintain the land base we have and continue to acquire land," Ninham said. "We're close to 16,000 tribal members, and many of them want to come home. They want affordable housing and jobs here. We want to help them find that." Tribal Vice Chairwoman Kathy Hughes said getting federal approval for new trust properties has been difficult. According to her, the tribe holds title to 17,000 acres of the original Wisconsin reservation in Outagamie and Brown counties. County records show the tribe owns almost 6,000 acres in Brown County. The tribal counselor who previously oversaw trust properties for the Oneidas, Carl Artman, has been nominated to head up the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. President Bush is supporting him. The Senate has yet to approve the nomination. Fee agreements The Oneidas paid over $1 million in property taxes to Brown County in 2005. Even if all the new trust properties were approved, they would still pay over $500,000 on additional properties they own. Besides taxes, the tribe has signed service agreements with many local governments to pay a fee instead of taxes on trust properties. Hobart received $138,775 last year under the agreement. But the village also agreed not to protest any new trust applications on properties already owned by the tribe when the agreement was signed. That's why Heidel is upset over the notification on such a large amount of property. "What concerns me is not just the magnitude of this land grab, and I do call it a land grab, but also what that would represent as a developed property-tax base 10 and 20 years out," Heidel said. Hughes said such visions of property are a major crux of disagreement between the tribe and local officials. "Land doesn't have the same kind of value to us as it does to him," Hughes said. She pointed out the tribe has agreed to continue making payments on new trust properties for two years. Hobart Trustee Debbie Schumacher said the Oneidas contribute to the community in many ways. "The Oneidas are doing what is legally set up for them to do. And it's happening all over the country. We're not the only community being affected," Schumacher said. "If it's something we find distressing as a village, we need to find a way legally to change it. We're not unique in the U.S., and it's a problem financially for any municipality affected. County perspective Brown County officials, however, failed to reach an agreement with the tribe for the last three years. County Executive Carol Kelso also acknowledged a difference of perspectives when talking to the tribe. A new committee of the County Board is set to negotiate with the tribe this fall. "From a county perspective, it's a grave concern for us," Kelso said. "It's a tax shift. You're taking those properties off the tax roll and putting the burden on everybody else. It's getting to the proportions that the state should get involved. I believe the state should make us whole." The tribe paid the state $20 million in 2004 as part of its gaming compact. Kelso criticizes Gov. Jim Doyle for extending a longer-term compact. She said the extension reduced negotiating leverage with the tribe. She said the county would be consulting with Hobart about legal options, but she didn't hold much hope for stopping the federal process. Hughes said the tribe is willing to continue negotiating for fee payments instead of taxes, but the tribe is also seeking more cooperative relationships on all levels. Back to the land One of the recently proposed trust properties is the Oneida's new organic farm, called Tsyunhehkwa, where traditional corn and beans are grown without pesticides. Ninham said that's appropriate because the tribe is trying to return to its roots in many ways. He said that includes eating better food and supporting local farming. "There's a definite connection to the land in Wisconsin," Ninham said. "We're indigenous to New York state, but there is a connection to this land also, which we acquired through a treaty process." - Patti Zarling, Press-Gazette Copyright c. 2006 Green Bay Press Gazette, a Gannett Company. --------- "RE: Program helps bring financial independence" --------- Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 09:06:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CREDIT UNION" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20060903/NEWS01/609030303/1002 Program helps bring financial independence to remote reservation By ALEX STRICKLAND Tribune Staff Writer September 3, 2006 FORT BELKNAP - Desiree Bell enters the Fort Belknap College Small Business Development Center to an immediate chorus of voices welcoming her. She's here to make a simple deposit into her checking account, something she's done for years. The difference is that now she doesn't have to squander a lunch hour driving to Chinook and back to do it. Two years ago, the Havre-based Bear Paw Credit Union began an outreach program to the Fort Belknap Reservation. It's a relatively small step, but one of the growing efforts nationally to bring financial literacy and independence to economically depressed Indian reservations. Until Bear Paw came to Fort Belknap, any sort of financial education was "nonexistent," said SBDC Director Mildred Kinsey. Now, every Wednesday Rhonda Bremmer leaves the Chinook branch of the credit union and drives to Fort Belknap to set up a mobile credit union. Every other week, program director April Baiamonte from the Havre branch joins her to help with the rush of payday. "It's a big advantage," Baiamonte said. "Rhonda grew up in Harlem, she lived here and knows people." In fact, no one walks into the Small Business Development Center on the reservation that Bremmer does not seem to know. Laptops are hooked up to the Internet and the two women have all the capabilities they would have sitting at their desks in Chinook or Havre. Banking at home Bear Paw Credit Union President Al Vukasin said tribal members approached the credit union about the possibility of opening a permanent branch on the reservation so members wouldn't have to drive so far to get basic financial services. "We started with what we could afford," he said. "We feel we're providing a valuable service." What they could afford with a grant from the National Credit Union Foundation was a mobile branch that operates once a week. After everything is up and running it's only a matter of waiting for any of the 1,300 or so primary account holders on the reservation to amble in looking for help or services. Bell appreciates being able to bank with Bear Paw on the reservation instead of having to make a trip to do it. Now all she wants is for withdrawals to be more convenient than an ATM. "If my money would just pop out of my computer," she said laughing. While it carries no cash for withdrawals, the branch processes deposits, starts loan applications, opens new accounts and manages existing ones, Baiamonte said. One of its most important functions is providing financial education. From more complex processes like applying for loans, to setting financial goals or balancing a checkbook, many residents are in the dark, Kinsey said. She added that a lot of tribal members felt uncomfortable going to a bank in nearby Harlem, because they often didn't understand how things worked. Teaching accountability Bear Paw's outreach starts with education. Kinsey said a class was held in Hays, on the isolated southern end of the reservation, where people were given notebooks to record every expenditure over the course of a week, down to the cent. "That's an eye-opener for a lot of people," she said. They had to realize that "if you're in the negative, get another job or quit spending money on something like gas," she said. Baiamonte travels to reservation schools educating kids on fiscal responsibility and basic financial services. Seminars for adults hit the same topics. "A big part of financial education is accountability," Baiamonte said. "So if someone comes in and say they're overdrawn but, 'well I had to pay bills,' well you're accountable." Kinsey echoed the need for accountability. "Just because you have checks, doesn't mean you have money in your account," she said. The credit union received a grant from the NCUF last year to install two ATM's on the reservation, the first ones that could serve Bear Paw's members without a fee being assessed. Vukasin said having ATMs to service the high number of account holders was clearly successful, based on the $350,000 that went through the two machines since January. "The fact that they're withdrawing that kind of money says it is a needed service," he said. Model programs Vukasin traveled to Oklahoma recently to a national credit union conference on providing services to nearby Native American communities. He said he went there hoping to find ideas and discovered that the program at Bear Paw was one of the most progressive. "I hope our program will entice someone to do something similar," he said. Maria Valandra, a community development officer with First Interstate Bank in Billings, said huge strides have been made in financial education in Indian reservations in recent years, but more work is needed. "There is truly a lot of partnering going on in the state," she said. "I think that in Montana, from what I hear, we have a lot of model programs that a lot of states are not doing." She said community development corporations, housing authorities, tribal colleges, nonprofits, banks and credit unions have all begun a range of programs to advance financial education. First Interstate has service outreach programs on the Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Salish-Kootenai and the Wind River reservations in Wyoming. Financial education efforts are becoming more common for banks and credit unions - and not just in Indian Country, Baiamonte said. "When you have a nation that has $800 billion in credit card debt, you'd think you would find a way to educate people," she said. "It's a buzz in the industry." Web-based learning The Native American Community Development Corporation, based in Browning on the Blackfeet Reservation, created an extensive financial education Web site and is working with other groups to provide education, said executive director Eloise Cobell. "We did focus groups in native communities and that's how we developed the Web site," Cobell said. The site provides information and worksheets on such topics as setting goals, financial planning, investing, home ownership and credit. Besides creating a reference tool, NACDC and the First Interstate Foundation created a "mini bank" education program in schools on the Blackfeet, Crow, Northern Cheyenne and Flathead Reservations with plans to expand to Rocky Boy's Reservation this fall. The program brings miniature branches of the Native American Bank into middle and high schools and allows students to conduct actual banking transactions. "It's a very, very successful program," Cobell said. In 2005, 205 students participating in the Blackfeet Mini Bank had over $24,000 saved in those accounts. "They elect officers within the bank, they elect a chairman of the board and conduct meetings," Cobell said. "It develops a career path for our young people in the financial world." 'Social responsibility' Since Bear Paw's expansion here, some 40 new accounts on the reservation were opened, and hundreds of people use the services. That's a big change, Vukasin said, because that means fewer people are doing things like cashing checks at grocery stores or check-cashing locations, where fees are assessed. Because credit unions are by definition not-for-profit, they are able to engage in outreach programs, Vukasin said. Credit unions are financial cooperatives where members are also owners. The board of directors are made up of volunteers, unlike at banks where board members are compensated. Credit union "profits" are distributed back to members in the form of higher interest rates on accounts, lower rates on loans and free features like online banking and bill pay. Profits are also spent on outreach programs. "Part of the dividend is funding the reservation project," Vukasin said. Vukasin said the Fort Belknap program isn't a moneymaking venture. Even though most of the mobile equipment was funded by grants, transportation and staff costs still outweigh the amount of business brought it. "This is a social responsibility contribution," Baiamonte said. "We also just love to be out here." Copyright c. 2006 The Great Falls Tribune. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Superintendent wants to empower Indian communities" --------- Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 07:04:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT WORKS TO ENCOURAGE FAMILIES" http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2006/08/31/update/thursday/news03.txt Fort Thomas superintendent wants to 'empower' Indian communities By Diane Saunders, Staff Writer August 31, 2006 If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then the photographs and posters in Leon Ben's office speak volumes. Ben, the new superintendent of the Fort Thomas School District, proudly pointed out enlarged photographs of his sons competing in rodeos, a picture of his mother and numerous other family photos and American Indian items as he settled behind his desk to talk about education and the school district. A Navajo and a Morenci High School graduate, Ben has spent his entire career working in Arizona. Prior to accepting the superintendent's job at Fort Thomas he was the school district superintendent in Chinle. He said when he began working at Chinle, five of the district's seven schools were failing or underperforming. When he left, all seven schools were making adequate yearly progress - a designation that requires a school to have high attendance and show continued improvement in academics. He would like to lead Fort Thomas in making similar improvements. "I want to do what I can to empower Native American communities," Ben said. He would like to see the Fort Thomas School District, of which more than 90 percent of the students are Apaches, continue the progress it began last year when it was recognized by the state for significant improvement. The most recent AIMS test results from the Arizona Department of Education, however, show many students at Fort Thomas are struggling with reading and math, although writing scores are improving at Fort Thomas High School. To help students continue learning and improving their test scores, teachers will participate in professional development. Ben said studies show professional development coupled with parental support are important components in helping kids learn. "We'll begin to focus on what needs to happen (to improve the schools)," Ben said, adding that the main focus will be on helping kids with reading and math. Ben will be learning as well. "This year is going to be fact-finding for me," he said. He already learned something surprising when he delved into testing data from Fort Thomas. "We have no kids identified for ELL (English language learners), and 95 percent of our kids come from Bylas," Ben said. Many of those kids speak Apache as their first language, and although many speak English when they start school, they lack sufficient English skills to do well on standardized tests. "One of the problems that we have is vocabulary," Ben said. Another is making sure children come to school every day. He wants the atmosphere at Fort Thomas schools to be positive. "When they (students) come here, I want them to feel safe," he said. Ben and his wife, Nellie, who is Apache, are the parents of four adult children - a daughter, Valerie, and three sons, Leon Jr., Rawley and A.J. Copyright c. 2006 Eastern Arizona Courier. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Winnebago's IT Company sees success Worldwide" --------- Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 08:51:20 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WINNEBAGO SUCCESS STORY" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.omaha.com/toolbox/story_printer.php?u_id=2230972&u_rnd=4096173 IT company's success buoys a Winnebago community BY CONNING CHU WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER August 27, 2006 WINNEBAGO, Neb. - Tucked in the cornfields of rural Nebraska, on an Indian reservation where buffalo graze and deer run free, a grass-roots telecommunications and computer company is flourishing. All Native Systems, which is owned by the Winnebago Indian Tribe of Nebraska and backed by parent company Ho Chunk Inc., is a small business expanding into a major player in the area of managed information technology services. Among All Native Systems' clients are the U.S. Census Bureau, International Broadcasting Bureau and U.S. State Department, with which it has a $38 million contract related to Iraqi reconstruction efforts. It has another deal to install the first national criminal database for the Mexican government. All Native Systems' performance has won recognition. The State Department nominated it for the department's annual Small Business of the Year Award. The U.S. Navy, another client, presented the company with a certificate of appreciation in May for its services after Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina. Kathleen Piper, deputy district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration of Nebraska, said she has been amazed by the success and global efforts of the company. Piper, who has assisted All Native Systems on federal contracts since 2001, said the company has experienced tremendous growth over the seven years it has been in business. In 2005, the company reported more than $13 million in revenues, compared with an estimated $5.6 million the previous year. With large-scale projects, including one that sought to identify more than 400 murders that took place in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, the company is a great example of a small business making its presence known in Nebraska and around the world, Piper said. "It's kind of fascinating that this little firm in the middle of nowhere is doing all this major stuff," she said of All Native Systems, which started in January 1999 with only three employees. "I'm not sure if this is some kind of cultural, spiritual quest or if it's how we all operate in the Midwest, but they are hardworking and understated with the attitude of, 'If we don't do it, who will?'" The company's "quiet" success has resulted in economic progress for Winnebago, Piper said. "Any time a community thrives, it helps us all." Terry Mogensen, the company's chief executive, said boosting the community's prosperity is among All Native Systems' business goals. The larger purpose has contributed to the company's success, he said. Working for the greater good of Winnebago has motivated the company's 146 employees to work even harder, he said. Business development manager Jake Moore said that of 15 employees at All Native Systems' two Nebraska offices, seven are Winnebago Indians. The company strives to hire qualified Winnebagos and other American Indians, he said. "When you look at the difference between us and a lot of major businesses out there, you realize that our shareholders aren't the most influential, rich people in the world. They are the everyday man walking on the street here (in Winnebago)," he said. The unemployment rate in Winnebago was approximately 66 percent in 1994, the same year Ho Chunk Inc. was formed. The town now has an unemployment rate of about 10 percent, Moore said, which, while still much higher than the rest of the state, is a substantial decrease from the mid-'90s. With a population of 1,400 people, 80 percent of whom are members of the Winnebago Tribe, the town struggled with poverty for years. "We are trying to provide and improve quality of life locally," said Annette Hamilton, vice president of operations for Ho Chunk Inc. "We're saying that in order to have culture, you don't have to be poor." About 22 percent of the corporation's 524 employees are American Indian, while 15 percent of that 22 percent are Winnebago Indian, she said. Lance Morgan, a Winnebago Tribe member and lawyer who graduated from Harvard Law School, created Ho Chunk Inc., which is owned by the Winnebago Tribe. The $100 million corporation oversees 13 businesses categorized under four divisions: retail and distribution; construction and housing; marketing; and media and government contracting. All Native Systems is the sole company under the corporation's government contracting division. It was started in order to provide information technology assistance to other Ho Chunk companies, which include AllNative.com, a marketing and merchandising subsidiary. Eventually, the company expanded to provide services for federal agencies and private companies. The company now has as many as 15 active federal contracts with seven clients, Mogensen said. All Native Systems has come a long way since it started, and its officers believe it will continue to grow. "We are working to make All Native Systems the largest Nebraska-based defense contractor by the year 2010," he said. Piper said she wants to see other companies go from small to big, as All Native Systems did, and she encourages firms to copy the company as it becomes more successful. "Success breeds success," she said. "Their record speaks for itself, and the sky's the limit for them." Copyright c. 2006 Omaha World-Herald(R). All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Acoma Pueblo welcomes visitors to Sky City" --------- Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 08:32:58 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ACOMA" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/living/travel/15442430.htm New Mexico tribe opens a new gateway to its storied pueblo By Mary Ellen Botter The Dallas Morning News (MCT) September 3, 2006 ACOMA PUEBLO, N.M. - A new landmark lies at the junction of an ancient culture and modern tourism. Beneath the mesa that Acoma Indians have called home for an estimated 1,000 years, the just-opened Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum provides a fresh gateway to Acoma Pueblo. The ridge-top redoubt has astonished visitors since Spanish explorers in 1540 looked up and declared it "the strongest position in the land." At the same time, the $15 million, 40,000-square-foot facility is where Acomas can come to recapture ancestral traditions and skills before they're lost to disuse. "This is an institution for learning," says Brian Vallo, director. It's intended to serve tribal members and also to "provide opportunities for visitors so they do understand" Acomas and their culture, he says. At the center, which opened May 27 and replaces a building that burned in 2000, visitors can watch an orientation film, see art of Acoma and other pueblos, view rare artifacts, explore a well-stocked shop, meet and buy from potters, and eat Acoma foods, including fry bread, corn, beans and squash. "I want them to feel like they're at home, being served food like their mama would serve," says Yaak'a Cafe chef Lawrence "Jay" Riley. The cultural center also is where tours of the pueblo nicknamed "Sky City" begin. Both the center and pueblo above wear the colors of the northwestern New Mexico desert that surrounds them. In the square profile and uncluttered design, the center "represents and traces the evolution of pueblo architecture," Vallo says. Every detail, intensively weighed by tribal members before approval, has meaning. So personal is the center that handprints were pressed into the exterior walls before they dried, the signatures of the project's guides and builders. Inside, a lobby sitting area is bathed in honey-colored light filtering through sheets of mica, the translucent mineral used in pueblo windows before glass was introduced. Additional reflections of Acoma homes and motifs are found in stacked-stone walls, rough-log "viga" ceilings, lime- whitened corridors, T-shaped portals, hand-carved doors and a long window etched with the lightning bolts depicted on some Acoma pottery. Chimney pots atop the building are replicas of earthenware on the mesa. In two classrooms, elders teach young Acomas traditional dressmaking, leatherworking, the Keresan language and cooking. "We're losing almost everything," says Thomas Lucero, a retired civil servant teaching boys to make moccasins and pouches. "We're losing traditional stuff, and they're trying to bring it back." Behind the center is a portico where Acoma (say AH-koo-mah) potters display and sell their work. Here, as on the mesa, it's an opportunity to buy from the artists and learn about the craft. Traditional Acoma pottery, completely handmade and known for its thin walls and dramatic decoration, is prized by collectors. "Pottery is what Acoma is, what Acoma is made for," says award-winning potter Rebecca Lucario, whose workshop is across a narrow road from the center. As she mixes clay pigments on a flat stone, she recalls, "This was the job of our grandparents from sunup to sundown." Pottery by four venerated Acoma artists is displayed in "The Matriarchs" exhibit at the center. The dozens of works will begin a world tour next year. A second gallery showcases fragile old textiles in "Cotton Girls." Acomas say theirs is a city 10 centuries old, the longest continuously occupied community in North America. Archaeologists place Acoma's settlement sometime before 1200 A.D. What's certain is that the Acomas occupy the original land of their ancestors, unlike many Indian groups that were removed to reservations distant from their homelands. Like a chameleon, the earth-tone pueblo hides in plain sight. Unless you know where to look, the village dawns slowly on searching eyes. There! Almost 400 feet higher than the dusty ground at your feet. A five-minute ride in an air-conditioned bus links the timeworn community with the Web-connected cultural center 30 stories below. Acoma guide Geri Tsethlikai leads a small tour group between two- and three-story terraced houses flanking unpaved, uneven streets where centuries of pedestrians have buffed the boulders underfoot. Year-round, about 40 people live in the 70-acre village, spiritual leaders among them, Geri says. (Most of the 4,000 Acomas on the 400,000- acre reservation live nearby in the communities of McCartys, Acomita and Anzac and return to Sky City for celebrations and ceremonials.) By choice and tradition, the mesa dwellers have no electricity or running water. Three natural cisterns collect rainwater and snowmelt for their use, as the stone bowls have done since before the Spaniards arrived. Geri points to portable potties and says the people call them "ATMs - for deposit only." The youngest daughter inherits a family's house, and upkeep of the adobe and stone dwellings is ongoing. "Home Depot is our favorite store," Geri says. Her disciples follow her to San Esteban del Rey Mission. The twin- towered church was begun in 1629 and completed 12 years later. Indians commanded by their Spanish overlords hauled tons of soil and a forest of logs from the valley and distant mountains for the project. In the cool, quiet sanctuary, art illustrates the welding of Acoma beliefs to the Catholicism decreed by Spain and still practiced by puebloans. A painting of St. Stephen near the altar is considered a miraculous bringer of rain. Cornstalks over-arched by rainbows decorate the walls of the dirt-floored, pewless room. "We pray for rain every day," Geri says. "Everything we do here is to hope for rain." She adds, "We have the best of two religions: two baptisms, two names (Catholic and Acoma), two weddings and two funerals." Outside the church is a cemetery in layers. Uncounted Acomas are buried atop one another in the 200-foot-square, 40-foot-deep box filled with sand and formed by walls of stones carried onto the butte. It remains an active graveyard, and photos aren't allowed. Artisans set up tables in front of their houses and sell pottery to touring visitors. Prices range widely, with traditional works costing more than painted greenware pieces, which start at a few dollars. A vein of creativity and color is common in all, with birds, shafts of rain, desert animals and sunbeams dancing across the ceramics. The hourlong tour in the sandstone aerie is calming. The vast solitude and panorama of the plains below seem to lift the pueblo toward heaven. "It's so peaceful here," homeowner and potter Prudy Correa says later. "It's a slower pace. People talk to each other." It hasn't always been so tranquil. Acoma twice was conquered by the Spanish and has been buffeted by a harsh history and environment. Still, "we have survived," says Marvis Aragon, CEO of Acoma Business Enterprises, whose branches include the cultural center, cattle and hunting operations, and the top breadwinner, a busy casino beside Interstate 40. "In some thought, they defeated us, but in here," he says, gesturing to his heart, "we were not defeated. We still practice what is Acoma." --- IF YOU GO: GETTING THERE: Acoma Pueblo is about 65 miles west of Albuquerque, N.M., via Interstate 40. Take Exit 102 and follow signs on Highways 30 and 32 to the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum and the pueblo just above it. Contact: 1-800-747-0181; www.skycity.com. AT THE CULTURAL CENTER: The cultural center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. April through October and until 4:30 p.m. November through March. A ticket to the cultural center costs $4 and includes its two museum galleries, video theater, gift shop, restaurant and outdoor vendor area. Hourlong pueblo tours cost $10 more. Still-camera permits are $10; videos aren't allowed. Free bread-baking demonstrations begin in September; loaves will cost $4. Demonstrations by potters can be arranged for a fee. The village is closed a few days for community-only events; call before going. ETIQUETTE: Ask for an OK before photographing a person or art. Ask questions, but be aware that some tribal beliefs are considered too private to discuss. WHERE TO EAT: Yaak'a Cafe at the cultural center serves a number of traditional Acoma dishes at modest prices. Breakfast blue corn porridge with chili sauce, for example, is $5. Midday favorites include the tamale- filling plate ($7) with meat, beans and corn, and the pueblo taco ($7) consisting of Indian fry bread topped with beans, beef, cheese and chili. Fresh pastries include Danish at $2. In the pueblo, some potters also sell baked goods and snacks. WHERE TO STAY: Sky City Casino Hotel at Exit 102 offers 133 rooms. Rates: $89 to $119. On site are the 24-hour Huwak'a Restaurant (buffet or menu) and snack and coffee bars. A small gift shop offers quality local pottery. The casino generally is open 24 hours. Contact: 1-888-759-2489; www.skycity.com. An hour farther west is Grants, N.M., which has additional lodging. Contact: 1-800-748-2142. MORE TO DO: Public events at Acoma Pueblo include Harvest Dance, Sept. 2; arts and crafts fair, Thanksgiving weekend; luminaria tours, Dec. 24-28; and Governor's Feast at Old Acoma, early February. El Malpais National Monument. El Morro National Monument, with inscriptions on stone dating to 1605. It's 56 miles southeast of Gallup, N.M., via I-40. Contact: 505-783-4226; www.nps.gov/elmo. FURTHER READING: "The Pueblo Revolt" by David Roberts (Simon & Schuster, $14) "Acoma: Pueblo in the Sky" by Ward Alan Minge (University of New Mexico Press, $17 online). "Acoma: People of the White Rock" by H.L. James (Schiffer, $14.95). RESOURCE: New Mexico Tourism Department: 1-800-733-6396, ext. 0643; www.newmexico.org Copyright c. 2006 San Jose Mercury News. --------- "RE: Congressional hearing focuses on Native Languages" --------- Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 09:06:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LANGUAGE LOSS IS CULTURE LOSS" http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/48631.html News: Native America, Keep Talking Congressional hearing focuses on native languages By ASSOCIATED PRESS September 1, 2006 ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The chairman of the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee has warned educators and members of the American Indian community that only 20 indigenous languages are expected to remain viable over the next four decades. To lose these languages is to lose a significant piece of American history, Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., said Thursday during a hearing that highlighted the decline of Indian languages and efforts to reverse the trend. "As a result of this rapid decline, some communities across the country have made language recovery and preservation one of their highest priorities," he said. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., hosted Thursday's hearing. She is sponsoring legislation the Native American Languages Preservation Act - that would establish grants for Indian language educational organizations, colleges, governments and groups that work to preserve native cultures and languages through immersion programs. Wilson said native languages, once lost, can never be recovered. "Native languages are part of our rich heritage as New Mexicans," she said. Amadeo Shije, chairman of the All Indian Pueblos Council in Albuquerque, said access to education through immersion programs can help preserve Indian culture. "For the 19 pueblos (of New Mexico), the link between education, language and culture is fundamental and cannot be stressed enough as we preserve to maintain our identities," Shije said. Ryan Wilson, president of the National Indian Education Association, told committee members that Indians continue to use their native languages for ceremonies, prayers, stories and sons. "Our languages connect us to our ancestors, our traditional ways of life and our histories. For us, the survival of our cultures and identities is inextricably linked to the survival of our languages," he said. "If our languages die, then it is inevitable that our cultures will die next." Christine Sims, professor of language literacy at the University of New Mexico, told the committee there is a growing number of community-based education systems that are helping recover native languages. She pointed to New Mexico, where statutory laws support the establishment of heritage language programs as a new category of state- funded bilingual programs. She added that tribes also are developing their own processes for certifying tribal members as language instructors in the public schools. Copyright c. 2006 Santa Fe New Mexican, all rights reserved. --------- "RE: Language Loss Can Be Reversed" --------- Date: Monday, September 04, 2006 01:54 am From: George Ann Gregory Subj: Language Newsletter Anumpa Achukma/Good News Language Loss Can Be Reversed 2006.06 This is a newsletter dedicated to reporting the successes in revitalizing endangered languages worldwide. Share your good news with us by sending us an article about your program or current activity in revitalizing an endangered language. Please forward this newsletter to anyone who might be interested. Postulates and Proposals A postulate is something assumed to be true that serves as the basis for reasoning or belief [or actions]. In real life, people do this all the time - make decisions based upon their own experiences, the decisions affecting the future. Another way to think of this is that people shape their own futures based upon their own experiences and the decisions/assumptions they make about life. We see this play out in both survival and anti-survival ways in children as they grow up. I once had a conversation with a young Lakota man who explained how this works. He had stopped drinking, But, as a child, everyone he knew drank and drank to excess. The hardest thing for him was to change that postulate - change that assumption - to one of a life without drinking. This change, of course, has to be made knowingly and with some awareness. When I was in New Zealand, I interviewed 72 people about their experiences with the Maori language. All of those who were actively involved in learning the language or in teaching the language to others said they believed the Maori language would survive. Only one interviewee, a teenage Maori girl who had opted not to take Maori in high school or participate in the immersion portion of her school felt that it would not survive. Well, in her experience, it wasn't surviving. Because she was not part of the revitalization, the language had no future. Few of the interviewees looked at the numbers of speakers. They looked only at their own experiences. A person's beliefs are shaped by what they themselves experience. The implications are clear. A child who experiences his/her own language and culture will postulate that into the future unless he/she consciously changes that decision, and historically, adults have done this, e.g. deciding not to teach their children their own language and culture. We know now that this postulate was contra-survival for individuals and groups. Proposals to consciously change the future are needed. Once made, they need to be acted on: There needs to be some "doing" as well. Te Wenanga-o-Raukawa , a tribal university in New Zealand, is the result of such a process. www.twor.ac.nz Groups in the United States are also postulating a different future for themselves. I have previously reported on the Cherokee efforts and AILDI (American Indian Languages Development Institute), for example. http://www.cherokee.org www.u.arizona.edu/~aildi A new example is taking shape in New Mexico. Native faculty at the University of New Mexico have formed the Institute for American Indian Education. Part of the purpose of this institute is to create "a local and region-wide center of collaborative research that examines major policy issues affecting the survival and maintenance of American Indian languages" as well as "develop and provide Native language teacher training programs, internships for Native language speakers, and technical assistance service to American Indian tribes for tribal language maintenance and preservation initiatives." New Mexico is home to 19 Pueblos, 2 Apaches groups, part of the Navajo Nation, and the Alamo and To'hajiilee Navajo communities. Native Americans now represent 11% of the population. This increase along with the revenue from casinos has helped gain the attention of the New Mexico's senators and representatives. As a result, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center hosted a field hearing on increasing funding for immersion programs and community programs to promote the use of Native languages. Those testifying included the president of the All Indian Pueblo Council (Zia Pueblo), President of the National Indian Education Association (Oglala Lakota), Dr. Christine Sims (Acoma Pueblo), Dr. Carol Cornelius (Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin), the governor of Sandia Pueblo, and a high school student from Window Rock (Navajo Nation). Each one had powerful statements to make The following are excerpts from the testimony of Dr. Sims. Language is at the heart of our sociocultural systems of kinship and identity. Language is at the heart of our systems of jurisprudence and governance....It is the means by which our children are socialized into the life of our community and unique...ways of life. It is the link by which values and beliefs are handed down between and through successive generations. In referring to results (in reference to the Cochiti Pueblo program), she has this to say. These children are now at the sate where they are able to speak in the language and are able to use it as a means for communicating with peers, family members and their teachers. Furthermore, they exhibit a confidence in learning that extends beyond the immersion classes and into other areas of their schooling where many of them excel in various academic subjects. http://www.nmabe.net/file/lina.html Dr. Cornelius reported the efforts of the Oneida to breath life into their language. We have only five fluent speakers left who learned Oneida as their first language. Two of those are over 95 years old and unable to assist us anymore. Three of those Elders who are over 86 years old, work with our 8 language trainees [from the 15,591 enrolled members] for 2-7 hours per week. The Oneida Language Revitalization Program began in the spring of 1996 when a survey found that only 25-30 Elders were left who learned to speak Oneida as their first language. A ten year plan was developed to connect Elders with Oneida Language/Culture Trainees in a semi-immersion process which would produce speakers and teachers of the Oneida language....Our trainees are in language class from 8:30 am to noon, and from 1 pm to 3 pm daily, and they they have 1 1/2 hours study time.... We have six people who are still at the beginner speaker stage who are already teaching basic vocabulary for our Child Care (100 children), Head Start (108), and our school systems (350 elementary and 125 high school students). She notes that the demand is greater than the number of teachers. Here is the Oneida proposal (1) Official recognition of our elders ad National Treasures (completed in 2003) (2) Developing and implementing Oneida Nation Language Teacher Certification based on competencies in speaking, teaching, curriculum, linguistics, and teaching materials development (3) Developing a career path for our youth to become fluent speakers and teachers (4) Planning for summer immersion family language experience (5) A radio station in the language (6) Hearing Oneida language spoken throughout our Nation. http://language.oneidanation.org/about/language-staff/ She further suggested these changes to the wording in the legislation so that groups like the Oneida will be eligible for funds. A big thanks to all of you who sent testimony on behalf of this hearing. You can still send letters of support for increased funding for native language programs to this email address. Cameron Hays Cameron.Hays@mail.house.gov Cherokee Classes begin September 11. http://www.cherokee.org Catch the latest news on the Comanche language at this website - www.comanchelanguage.org. Nahuatl Language and Culture Workshops Mapitzmitl offers these workshops. You can contact him at pazehecatl@hotmail.com. You can view video footage and photographs of Kalpulli Ehecatl (Community of the Wind) at http://kalpulliehecatl2.blogspot.com. --- Send your stories to holabitubbe@gmail.com. Tell us about your language programs, plans, proposals, etc. If you received a forwarded copy and would like to receive this newsletter, please send us your email address. I will add it to our mailing list. Ho Anumpoli! is a New Mexico non-profit organization. For more information about us, go to http://www.geocities.com/hoanumpoli For previous issues of Anumpa Achukma, go to http://www.geocities.com/hoanumpoli/anumpa.html George Ann Gregory, Ph.D. Choctaw/Cherokee Fulbright Scholar --------- "RE: Tribal Languages, at your Fingertips" --------- Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 09:06:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SALISH, KOOTENAI KEYBOARDS, PROGRAMS" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://leaderadvertiser.com/articles/2006/08/31/news/news02.txt Tribal languages, at your fingertips By Nate Traylor Leader Staff August 31, 2006 Salish, Kootenai keyboards coming to a school near you Students across the reservation will have the languages of the Salish and Kootenai tribes right at their finger tips. Modified keyboards featuring unique characters will soon be available in area schools and will enable students to type in traditional Salish and Kootenai languages - the result of hard work by a former SKC technology director. Something that was once blamed for taking a toll on tribal languages and customs could actually help preserve the native tongue. "When modern technology first arrived here, it started taking our language and culture away from us," said Tony Incashola, director of the Salish Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee, in a prepared statement. "But now we're learning how to take that same technology and turn it around, using it to teach our children our language and culture." Using the newest creation of software, former Salish Kootenai College technology director Jim Ereaux has created two new fonts that will work on both PC and Mac platforms. To have fonts that work on both Mac and PC was critical, he explained. While most of the world uses PCs, Macintosh computers are still used in many educational settings, and Ereaux said the program had to work with both operating systems to be effective. "We needed to bring standardization to it," he said. The keyboards are like any other, he explained, only the English letters have been replaced with either Salish characters or Kootenai characters. The Salish language has more characters than the English language so it doesn't quite fit on the standard English keyboard. The solution? Use the numerical buttons on top and replace them with Salish characters, Ereaux said. Also, with the simple tap of the caps lock button, people can switch between writing in a native language or English. Plus, the keys are removable, allowing you to place more commonly used characters within comfortable reach of your fingers, allowing for more efficient typing. But what really allows for quicker typing speed is the OpenType technology. Many languages use require several glyphs to compose one character. Rather than type two or three glyphs per character, one key stroke is all it will take for the glyphs to be assembled automatically, he explained. (However, if you're accustomed to punching each glyph, you will still have that option.) Because the project largely aims to educate students in Salish and Kootenai Languages, the new fonts also allow for use of teaching programs like crossword puzzles and software that creates teacher user plans. Native language fonts are nothing new, he explained, but what makes this program unique is that it can spellcheck documents written in both tribal languages. It also has a find /replace feature, which is also a new option for programs of this kind. The new fonts were created using two new technologies called Unicode and OpenType. Unicode is the global standard for multi-language word processing and houses thousands of languages and is capable of supporting over one million possible characters. The Salish and Kootenai Tribes have had access to a variety of computer fonts and applications in the past to produce publications and historical documents, but these programs are antiquated and becoming more and more obsolete as computer technology advances, Ereaux explained. The Salish and Kootenai Culture Committees tapped Ereaux to help develop the new software last year. Since then, he estimates he has put in about 400 hours on the project. With the coordination of Culture Committees, several linguists and the typographic community on the Internet, the project was underway. Tony Incashola, Shirley Trahan and Thompson Smith provided guidance from the Salish Culture Committee while Vernon Finley and Dorothy Berney provided guidance from the Kootenai Culture Committee. In April 2006, a grant was written through Salish Kootenai College, from both Blackfoot Telephone Cooperative and the Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation to support the creation of customized keyboards for both languages. Both organizations donated nearly $6,000 to the project. The idea behind this new word processor is that it will be compatible with more advanced systems. The minimum operating requirements are Windows XP and higher on the PC and OS 10.4 on the Macintosh. "We knew there was this globalization with other processors and that is the direction we wanted to head," he said. Copyright c. 2006, The Leader Advertiser. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD : Tribe must get house in order" --------- Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 08:51:20 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD : TRIBAL FINANCES" http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/columnists/15385523.htm COLUMNIST DORREEN YELLOW BIRD : Tribe must get house in order August 29, 2006 Those rumors I've been hearing about the instability of the finances of the Three Affiliated Tribes at New Town, N.D., appear to be true. According an Aug. 23 New Town News story, the tribe is in a state of financial crisis. It's always hard to write about trouble and problems on reservations because I know from experience the stories will become the basis for stereotypes - not only about the Three Affiliated Tribes, but also about Indian people in general. And the story smoldering is about my home reservation at Fort Berthold, N.D. A friend who is a pillar of Grand Forks admitted he didn't know much about Indian people or stories such as this. His views came in part from what he sees and reads about Indians, he said. When he see a Native person walking down a street high from alcohol, he assumes most Indian people abuse alcohol. When he reads a story about mismanagement and financial problems, he assumes that is par for tribal governments. Unfortunately, it appears the Three Affiliated Tribes are so far in debt (the projection is $21 million based on a three-year audit reports) that layoffs and wage reductions could result, as tribal organizations fear they won't have enough money to operate. An audit of the tribe's finances indicated that capital outlay costs increased every year for a three-year period, jumping from $1 million in 2002 to more than $13 million in 2004. The auditors spoke to all of the members of the tribal council except Tex Hall, the tribal chairman, who was absent. Another meeting was scheduled with the tribal council Aug. 23, but tribal treasurer Frank White Calf and council members Malcolm Wolf and Daylon Spotted Bear were absent, and the meeting had to be postponed. I sensed "trouble in River City." So what is the tribe going to do? I asked Hall in a telephone interview. First, the auditing firm who made those recommendations don't know much about tribes and shouldn't be working for them, he answered. Among other things, the CPAs had said that cutting salaries is a given because the magnitude of the debt requires great spending cuts. "Dorreen," Hall said, "Don't believe all you hear." He knew about the meeting and requested a meeting of employees and to calm their fears. They are not going to lay off people, he said. Some of the employees provide essential services, while others are under federal contracts and probably wouldn't be affected by the tribe's budget problems. Aside from contracts with the federal government (which probably won't be affected), how will the tribe handle the rest of the deficit? You can't run an organization without money, I told Hall. "We'll tighten our belts," he said. Hall will ask for a 2007 recovery of indirect costs. They've been lax with indirect costs, meaning agency overhead costs. There is money they haven't collected and they will go after that so. "We haven't done our jobs," he said. "We need to negotiate a new rate and increase our indirect cost pool." He has recommended a Washington D.C. firm to help the tribe recover those funds. He wants to copy the government's Anti-Deficiency Act. Hall wants to copy that program to fit the tribe. So, in 2007, he said, "if there isn't funds in the budget, the spending will not be approved." OK, that seems a step in the right direction, I thought. Isn't that the way governments should work? While Hall was talking, I thought about the vehicles that the tribal council and administrators use. They are a symbol of the administration's financial mismanagement. What about them? I asked Hall. We'll take $50 a month out of the salary of all employees who have phones, including the tribal council, he answered. All the vehicles will be parked. Anyone who needs one will have to check it out. Personal use no longer will be allowed, and if you damage a car through your own fault, you'll pay for it. Again, that sounded reasonable. Some of the segments or districts pay their employees $65 an hour and this is tribal funds. I hadn't known this and swallowed twice. Wow, those are expensive paper pushers for small communities, I said. Yes, Hall agreed. I appreciated Hall's straightforward answers, but I wondered why it took two terms to pull the reins on all the overspending and waste. Elections for tribal chairman and three segments are scheduled for this fall. With all the financial problems hanging over the heads of the councilmembers and chairman, I wondered if their popularity in this election might be as low as that of President George Bush. ---- 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: Where have all the Leaders gone?" --------- Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 08:51:20 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GIAGO: TRIBAL LEADERSHIP IN DISARRAY" http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8122 Notes from Indian Country Where have all the leaders gone? Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji) August 28, 2006 October 3, 2006 is an important date on the calendar of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, but Tuesday, November 7 looms even larger. After two years of strife, turmoil, finger pointing, unethical behavior, vicious politicking from one of the most "do nothing" tribal councils in the history of the tribe, petitions are now taken out by the candidates hoping to win the Primary Election on Oct. 3 and move on to the General Election of Nov. 7. Hopefully some candidates fed up with the hypocrisy and lethargy of the present tribal council will prevail and bring some semblance of order back to a once proud tribal council. At a time when the Lakota people of the Oglala Sioux Tribe needed, nay demanded, strong, honest and decent leadership, this council became so enamored of its own power that it threw out all of the rules of good conduct and sank into a mud puddle of indecision and a viciousness unseen since the 1970s. By first suspending and then impeaching the first woman ever elected to serve as President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Cecilia Fire Thunder, and doing these dirty deeds while she was not even present or was never given the opportunity to face her accusers, this tribal council has brought great shame upon itself and tarnished those members of this same council that did not go along with its shameful acts of self-indulgence. The list of presidential candidates includes a few members of this disgraced council apparently hoping to win the presidency in order to carry on their chicanery on a higher level. As of last week those vying for the presidency of the tribe included current acting president Alex White Plume, current acting vice president Eileen Janis, and current tribal council representative Will Peters. Dennis King, George Patton, Denver American Horse, Larry Swalley, Gary Lays Bad and Joyce Sun Bear rounded out the rest of the president hopefuls until ousted president Cecelia Fire Thunder tossed her hat into the political cauldron late last week. Former Principle Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller, told Fire Thunder two weeks ago to forget trying to get a fair hearing from the present tribal council and judiciary, but instead to concentrate on her efforts to get re-elected. I agree. There is an old saying that is senseless to kick a dead horse and that is where Fire Thunder's efforts to get re-instated now rest. With only two months left to campaign it will take all of her will power and persuasion to re-enforce minds and to clear her good name. Every member of the tribe who cast ballots for the current members of the tribal council should re-examine the reasons they supported those candidates. They should be asking themselves the following question: What did those people now serving on the tribal council accomplish for them and their districts in the past two years? And more important, what did they accomplish for the good of the Oglala Sioux Tribe? If this sounds like I am supporting any single candidate it is not intended that way. I am a strong believer in justice and the way this council used its power to defraud the legal president of the OST, Ms. Fire Thunder, draws my ire. She did nothing that was deserving of this harsh and unfair treatment. As I said in a previous column, she was punished for her thoughts instead of her deeds. But if every member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe would take an open-minded look at the things she did accomplish while under siege, I think they would be sufficiently impressed to re-consider her position as president. Emotions play a large role in tribal politics often to the detriment of facts. But the essence of Democracy is the ability to separate personal prejudices from the grim realities of facts. There has been a shocking lack of leadership in Indian politics and tribal government over the past 20 years. I have often asked, "Where has our leadership gone?" Could it be as the song goes, "Gone to graveyards everyone?" At a recent meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma I heard one influential Indian woman say that she places the priorities of tribal governments in this order; the casino, jobs, housing, health and finally, education. Has the new tribal leadership turned the priorities of the people totally upside down? When a tribal government places its casino at the top of its priorities it skewers the traditional and cultural precepts of the Indian nations. It indicates that wealth takes precedence over culture. The reach for money and then more money then subverts the cultural, spiritual and traditional needs of the very people it was elected to serve. The Oyate (People) of the Oglala Sioux Tribe need to go back to their roots when they choose their next president and tribal council. They need to look for courage, honesty, integrity, generosity and wisdom in the next line of leaders they choose. Where have all the leaders gone? They are out there somewhere and it is up to the Indian people to find them. The future of their nations depends upon it. --- McClatchy News Service in Washington, DC distributes Tim Giago's weekly column. He can be reached at P.O. Box 9244, Rapid City, SD 57709. Giago was also the founder and former editor and publisher of the Lakota Times and Indian Country Today newspapers and the founder and first president of the Native American Journalists Association. Clear Light Books of Santa Fe, NM published his latest book, "Children Left Behind". Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Recognition sought for new Native Society" --------- Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 07:04:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ME'TIS FIGHT FOR THEIR YOUTH" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.abbynews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=38&cat=23&id=71902 Recognition sought for new Native Society JENNA HAUCK / Black Press August 31, 2006 As far as protests go, the one held yesterday in front of Chilliwack- Fraser Canyon MP Chuck Strahl's office was only the beginning, organizers warned. A crowd of placard-waving Sto:lo and Me'tis leaders joined elders and families in Chilliwack, to call for formal recognition of their newly established and independent agency, called the Fraser Salish Children and Family Services Society. "We're a people on a mission. Our mission is to save our kids, and to keep our families together, and to do that we're going to have to fight. So this is just the beginning," promised Crey. As an advisor to the Sto:lo Child Protection Action Committee, he said the committee was formed to draw attention to "the ongoing crisis" for aboriginal families and children in the Fraser Valley. The next protest could involve setting up a teepee on the lawn of the B. C. minister responsible for child and family services, Tom Christensen, or at the offices of Jim Prentice, Indian and Northern Affairs Minister, he warned. "Next time we'll have to be a little more strident," Crey promised, adding that if any other cultural community had eight per cent of its children taken into care, people would be "in the streets." "But somehow when it comes to aboriginal people, people just shrug their shoulders, and ask where the nearest golf course, shopping mall or best restaurant is," Crey said. Grand Chief Ron John of Chawathil First Nation said many families "have issues" with Xyolhemeylh Child & Family Services (XCFS), which is run by the Sto:lo Nation Society. "I think we got better treatment under the Department of Indian Affairs," Chief John commented. "Our people have been neglected and we've got to make a change. "We have to put back the power into the hands of people who care about our kids and our culture." An interim community-run society to take over from Xyolhemeylh was proposed last March, and endorsed by three quarters of the aboriginal and Me'tis leadership in the Fraser Valley. But the interim society idea was rejected by the Sto:lo Nation Society. In April, independent trustees took over control of XCFS, and in May, financial and transitional appointments were made. Despite overwhelming opposition from the majority of organizations, the federal and provincial governments continue to support XCFS, even though it has lost the support of the clientele it serves, according to the organizers of the action committee. More core funding is needed, along with real support for culture and heritage, from any agency that ultimately is made responsible for their children, said Kevin Patterson, president of the Fraser Valley Me'tis Nation. He said 40 per cent of Xyolhemeylh's clientele are Me'tis families. "We've had no say," he underlined. "Only recently has the Sto:lo Tribal Council included us, and we really appreciate it. They're effectively stealing our children's culture by not allowing us to help with that aspect." Asked what families are not getting in terms of service from XCFS, Crey said there's a list of key deficiencies. "We don't get respect, that should be coming to each and every one of you," he told the crowd of protesters. "We don't get the kind of resources we need to look after kids when we take them into care in our homes. The children need to be fed and clothed." Kids in the care of XCFS "are left to roam the streets of Chilliwack" without a home, or foster home, Crey said, adding they're often stuck in "jails for children," or group homes. "It's not right that our kids are getting introduced to life on the streets; to crystal meth," Crey said. "These are the things our kids are facing." Chief John said the real point of the demonstration against Xyolhemeylh was accountability. "They're collecting millions of dollars of our money but we're not getting any of it," he said. "I'm angry at what's been happening. We'd like to see a forensic audit and the money put back into the hands of the people." Kwa-Kwaw-Apilt Chief Betty Henry called the existing agency "a top heavy bureaucracy," adding that she was a foster child years ago, and that she has a foster child in her home today. What's really needed are services that can be provided in people's home communities, she said. As the one who holds the cultural portfolio in Sto:lo Tribal Council, she