_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 14, ISSUE 046 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 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 November 18, 2006 Kiowa Tepgan P'a/Geese going Moon Hopi Kelmuya/Fledgling Raptor Moon Lakota waniyeto wi/Moon when Winter Begins +-------------------------------------------------------+ | 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; 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + =================== "There's an old Indian saying, 'If you dig up one white person, you go to prison; if you dig up 100 Indians, you get a Ph.D.'" __ Chief H. L. West, Waccamaw +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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! Meth use is a chronic problem in Indian Country. Readers of this newsletter know I have a personal connection to this problem, having lost a friend who committed suicide as a direct result of meth use. In a very short period I saw her go from a outgoing, caring human to a bi-polar wreck with a very quick temper and deep paranoia. Meth had become such a master the only escape she could find in what was left of her mind was a 32 calibre pistol to the temple. Those of us who she would even talk to in those final days tried to help her, tried to steer her to a path to salvage her now twisted universe. The whisper of the devil in the pipe was stronger than our concern. Do not take that first hit or first puff. The effects on the cortex of the brain are beyond comprehension. Chances are very good the first will lead to a second, and it is now a known truth ... the second hit is all it takes for meth to become the master. The following is from the "Stop Meth Addiction" website, http://www.stopmethaddiction.com/effects-of-meth.htm: Effects of Meth What are the immediate (short-term) effects of methamphetamine use? As a powerful stimulant, methamphetamine, even in small doses, can increase wakefulness and physical activity and decrease appetite. A brief, intense sensation, or rush, is reported by those who smoke or inject methamphetamine. Oral ingestion or snorting produces a long-lasting high instead of a rush, which reportedly can continue for as long as half a day. Both the rush and the high are believed to result from the release of very high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine into areas of the brain that regulate feelings of pleasure. What are the long-term effects of methamphetamine use? Long-term methamphetamine abuse results in many damaging effects, including addiction. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and drug use which is accompanied by functional and molecular changes in the brain. In addition to being addicted to methamphetamine, chronic methamphetamine abusers exhibit symptoms that can include violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. They also can display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions (for example, the sensation of insects creeping on the skin, called "formication"). The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts. If you are already a meth user, get help now. Your family and friends don't deserve the horrors you are putting them through or the hell to soon come. =========================================== - Warrior Moccasins Project seeks out your help Date: Sunday, September 24, 2006 02:10 pm From: Sherry Subj: Warrior Moccasins Project seeks out your help! Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian Warrior Moccasin Project seeks out experienced beaders, moccasin makers and names for a pair of moccasins for their service in the military. Those interested in donationg Deer Hides, please email me so i can give you the name and address of where to ship it to. Deer hides CAN be donated to this project. To do so, you must first salt the hides with medium grade salt which can be purchased at any farm supply store. After salting the hide(s) ship them to the address i will give you following the laws as specified BY YOUR STATE. A copy of the possession tag which was issued by the game warden must be included for each hide being shipped. Any monetary donation to this project is also greatly appreciated. Each cost of the pair of moccasins is $32.00 (includes shipping/handling charge). Those serving in harms way and those who have returned state side are encouraged to get in touch with my via email. If you know of a native military troop member who you want to honor, please get a hold of me through my email. Thank you :) =========================================== Again, this winter this editorial section will feature groups or individuals who are helping those in need, primarily on reservations and especially those who aid children and elders. Urban help will not be excluded. I have lived in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis and been a guest in Lakota Housing in Rapid City and in Shiprock. The need to eat and be warm does not end because a person has left the rez. PLEASE forward contact information for all you know who help those less able to do so make it through the harsh winter months. ----- UPDATED REQUEST!!! Date: Sunday, November 05, 2006 10:58 am From: Brigitte Thimiakis Subj: Update: HYS 2006 Toys & Clothing Request [Please forward to anyone who can help!] UPDATE: Winter & Christmas 2006 "Honor Your Spirit, Protect The Children" Toys & Clothing Request Winter has started and the weather is already very cold in Montana. Please think of the children there who need warm clothes in Lame Deer, on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. We would like to thank each and everyone who has already sent boxes! Thank you so much for making a difference in their lives, and also helping the parents or relatives who do their best to take care of them. We are happy to say that there is no more need for shoes, as a lot of shoes have been received :) But there is still a need for new and good quality warm clothes, for babies and children of all ages up to about 12 years old, as well as Christmas toys. During Montana winters, the temperature can drop to 30 or 40 degrees below zero so warm winter clothing and blankets can be lifesaving. These items will be distributed right away. The toys will be distributed during the Christmas give away. The boxes can be sent to them directly on the reservation, where all items are distributed by trusted Northern Cheyenne contacts who make sure that the children with the greatest needs are taken care of first. Here is a list of things that can be sent in support of these children: - WARM CLOTHES for children of all ages from babies to pre- teens (for example knitted clothes, pants, jeans, coats, warm T-shirts, socks, gloves, hats, scarves) - warm blankets - TOYS for Christmas Other items that would also be appreciated: grooming supplies (toothpaste, tooth brushes, soaps and shampoos, combs, hair brushes, hair barrettes, rubber bands, etc), pampers diapers or pull-ups. Please make sure that the items sent are safe, new or as good as new, and sensitive to the culture of the children and their People. When sending a box, it would be appreciated if you could send us a short email with your name or location, type of items sent, approximate weight and shipping date, so that we can help our contacts by keeping a list of what is sent to them. Our aim and priority is to always make sure that everything reaches the reservation, for the children of families unable to make ends meet due to the high unemployment rate, the difficult conditions and the extreme poverty on the reservation. These children need all the help and encouragement they can get, so if you can help, please contact us for more information. Contact Info: Dodie Finstead, USA dodie_finstead@yahoo.com Dominique Larrede, France d.larrede@wanadoo.fr Brigitte Thimiakis, Europe thimiakischool@the.forthnet.gr Thank you for reading our request. Respectfully, "Honor Your Spirit, Protect The Children" "Your help makes a huge difference for those who have never received help. Your donations provide hope and encouragement to those who have never known these qualities. Your concern and solidarity can improve the lives of many children, elders, families, on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. There is still a lot to do but all together you can help us make these dreams come true. Thank you for being a part of this project and supporting it." Respectfully, Manuel Redwoman, Northern Cheyenne/Lakota/Arapaho To learn more about the HYS projects, please visit: http://www.geocities.com/honoryourspirit/home Our heartfelt thanks to everyone for your support ! <>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o<>o ==[This message may be forwarded under the condition that it is not altered in any way] == ---- http://www.devilslakejournal.com/articles/2006/10/20/news/news01.txt "Stuff a Truck" help for the holidays begins By Crystal Martodam Journal Staff Writer October 20, 2006 Load 'em up and move up, it's that time of year again for the "Stuff A Truck" food drive to fill the local food pantry at the Dakota Prairie Community Action Agency in Devils Lake. Dakota Prairie disperses food according to need and not income. For example the loss of a house in a fire or some other tragic accident that leaves a family or individuals in need of emergency food supplies. This year the food drive will begin on Oct. 23 and run until Nov. 12. This will be the fourth annual "Stuff A Truck" event. Dave Burstad, assistant manager at Leevers County Market said that there will be very large bins set up at the front of the store with the "Stuff A Truck" logo on them. Any non-perishable food items can be placed in these bins for donation. Cash donations are welcome also. There will be paper trucks that can be purchased, your name can be placed on the truck or it can be left blank. The trucks will then be hung on the walls in the store. Brustad also commented that items will be tagged in the store. "Many times people are unsure of what the pantry is lacking," he said. "This will help make it easier for those who wish to contribute." There will also be pre-bagged groceries than can be purchased for $10 and then placed in the bins. These bags are non-perishable food items that have been pre-bagged by Dakota Prairie with needed items. For every bag bought Leevers will also be donating between $1.75 and $2 per bag. "The bag has a value of $12 rather than $10," Brustad said. Last year there was approximately $1,500 worth of groceries collected. "We try to make it bigger and better every year, so we are hoping for more this year," Brustad said. This is the seventh year that the Stuff a Truck Program has been running. It began at that time in the Country Markets in Minnesota donating to the local food pantries. "This is not designed as an advertising entity, it is designed to help the community," Brustad said. People can also make direct cash donations to the Dakota Prairie Agency. "It is such a fun program we look foreword to every year." Brustad said. The local food pantry run through the Dakota Prairie Community Action Agency is an emergency pantry. It is there to help people in need. There are other services available at the DPCAA that can provide aid to an individuals situation such as providing money management services and services that can help an individual receive services from government programs that may be available to them because of income. For more information contact them at (701) 662-6500. Street Address: Dakota Prairie Community Action Agency 1219 College Drive Devils Lake, ND 58301 USA Mailing Address: Dakota Prairie Community Action Agency P. O. Box 698 Devils Lake, Nd 58301 Contact Name Phone 701-662-6500 FAX 701-662-6511 Copyright c. 2006 Devils Lake Journal, a GateHouse Media paper. ---- Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2006 11:24:06 -0600 From: "NDN@NDNnews.com" Subj: Children's Village needs your HELP! Please forward to your groups and lists! Thank you, Tamra Children's Village a foster care home located on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota is in need of disposable diapers. They currently have four little ones in diapers, ages 11/2, 2, 3, and 4. Also, toiletries are needed. If you can, and would like to help, you can mail diapers directly to: Children's Village c/o Louis and Melvina Winters 100 Main Street P. O. Box 1034 Pine Ridge, SD 57770 For the past few years, we have decided that in lieu of a giveaway at our pow wow, we would put the money toward purchasing propane for Children's Village. We also hold a blanket dance to help in this need. If anyone is interested in helping too, you can send a check to Midwest SOARRING and mark it as propane fund to designate your donation. Both Midwest SOARRING Foundation and Children's Village are nonprofit, 501c3 and donations are tax deductible. If you have any further questions, please contact Janet at 773-585-1744. Thanks so much for any help you can give. Janet Sevilla www.midwestsoarring.org Tamra www.NDNnews.com www.protectsacredsites.org "Providing news and information about Native American Issues & Causes" "Helping to make a difference for our people in Indian Country, one day at a time. What will you do today to help make a difference?" "Life is a learning place. Existence is forever. Challenges are only challenges because life has given you an opportunity to grow in an area of your fear or weakness." Leonard Peltier, Sept. 2006 ---- Date: Friday, October 27, 2006 03:27 pm From: Del \Abe\ Jones Subj: A couple notes for/about our Military and Vets please pass along to people who may be interested -----Original Message----- From: jesuandirenel@frontiernet.net To: almclwest@aol.com Sent: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 9:47 AM We are getting ready to pack Thanksgiving and Christmas "We care packages" for the troops and we need addresses. Would you please help us get the word out to other detachments that we need addresses. Maybe we can share list and exchange whatever names are available. All we want is names of troops all services and we are looking for names of women serving and the aux. makes up special packages for the women serving based on feedback from women serving in theatre... Marine J. Marrero jesuandirenel@frontiernet.net FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE American Legion offers way to thank veterans, troops on Veterans Day INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 11, 2006) - With thousands of troops deployed overseas, The American Legion has launched a free, easy way to thank them for their service on the eve of Veterans Day, Nov. 11. The electronic greeting cards are also ideal to thank all veterans, of all generations, who have served in the U.S. armed forces. "In today's computer age, what better way to say 'thank you' to a veteran or a servicemember either here at home or serving thousands of miles away than a musical greeting card with your personalized message that will reach them almost instantaneously," said Paul A. Morin, national commander of The American Legion. Anyone who has an e-mail address can receive the special cards. Creating the card is quick and easy at The American Legion's website, www. legion.org (click on Veterans Day E-greeting cards). "As our troops continue to serve in harms way, as countless thousands before them did in other wars, a message of support and thanks means more to a veteran than you realize," Morin said. "Please take a few moments to use this free service and brighten the day of one or more of America's veterans." The American Legion site offers e-mail cards representing each military service along with the service song that plays when the card is opened. Each card provides plenty of space to compose a personal message. Cards may be sent now through Nov. 12, 2006. Greeting cards may be sent direct to active duty service men and women if their military e-mail addresses are known. The 2.7 million-member American Legion is the nation's largest wartime veterans organization....# ---- 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 ----------- Editorial Section: - YELLOW BIRD: . Meth use in Indian Country Colorful history surrounds Forts . Warrior Mocassins - GIAGO: Few roles for Indians . Winter Help in Hollywood - Devil in the Pipe - YELLOW BIRD: Red hat, yes; - Statement from Elousie Cobell blue thong ...maybe - Cobell says lawsuit will proceed - JODI RAVE: - Legal decision Timeline Election Day for Indian Country for US American Indians - YELLOW BIRD: - Tribes reach accord Too few Native Women Candidates over Religious Sites - JODI RAVE: - Stolen Artifacts Native Soldiers, unsung Heros shatter Ancient Culture - Quebec Aboriginal group - Remains remain stored in Archives targets Anti-Native Racism - St. Regis Tribe to partake - Me'tis harvesting rights on trial of cheap Heating Oil - Feds asked to stop development - Code Talkers subject on contested Land of Middle School Project - First Nations join - Navajo Council pays tribute in signing Unity Protocol to Vets, Armed Forces - Indian Farmers' Federal - Centennial not a time discrimination Lawsuit of joy for all - Pechanga man describes - Town, Tribe form alliance Meth-fueled Police chase to search for Water - Two Life Sentences - Operation Indian Country for beating deaths - Calif. Tribes block development - Native Prisoner near Sacred Site -- Eagle Killing Case - Boeing to mentor - Rustywire: Native Company in Alabama 4 Indian Boys and Thanksgiving - Navajo Code Talkers lobby - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days for Native Language Bill - Del "Abe" Jones Poem: - Dictionary seeks to preserve The Price they Pay Han Language - Producer looking for - Eastern Band goes green Indian Performers, Investors with Bio Diesel - Navajo Events to address - Tribe readies Meals for Needy Sacred Sites Protection - EDITORIAL: Another good shot - Gallup Memorial Walk emerges for Cobell --------- "RE: Devil in the Pipe" --------- Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 20:40:31 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="METH" http://navajotimes.com/?p=74#more-74 Devil in the pipe Recovering users know diabolical power of meth By Annie Greenberg Navajo Times November 3rd, 2006 PINETOP, Ariz. - Meth is the father who abused you, the mother you never knew. It is the hand that strikes you then draws you close to hold. It is the wolf as Grandma, the stranger with candy, the boogey man done up real nice, his face painted with the word "Escape." Meth is the devil in disguise, according to three former addicts who shared their stories at Fighting Against Meth, a Navajo Housing Authority conference held Oct. 25-27 at the Hon-Dah Resort and Casino. Methamphetamines, as the drug is formally called, also goes by G, glass, crystal, ice, speed, crank, and chalk. Physically, it resembles shards of glass and rock salt, and it can be smoked, inhaled, eaten or injected. It is an ephedrine-based stimulant, and elevates dopamine levels in the brain that regulate movement, emotion, and feelings of pleasure. But in the end it will corrode the brain, turning the user into what Char James, the so-called "meth czar" at the Navajo Nations Department of Behavioral Health Services, said is the closest thing to a living zombie. Good and evil Rhiana Cuvas, 30, was raised in Fort Defiance by her grandmother. Her mother was a drug addict and had left her there when she was very young. Rhiana's grandmother instilled strong Christian values, but when she was a teenager her mother came back in her life, bringing drugs with her. "She would tell me take two lines of meth, do the dishes, vacuum, take two more then clean your room," Rhiana said. "She'd say `the house better be spic-and-span when I get home'... I hate that word now, spic-and-span." For her, using meth went from a reward to a way to deal with her problems to a method of weight loss after she had her first three children in Phoenix. She continued to abuse the drug even with children to take care of, so her grandmother moved her up to the reservation for rehab. But it didn't work. Rhiana said she went right back out to the streets, only stopping meth long enough to have her fourth child, her first with husband Jorge Cuvas. She stopped again when she became pregnant with her fifth child, but at seven months she found out Jorge was using behind her back, and she started again, too. Her baby would feel like he was about to burst out of her stomach when she used, she said, and she was terrified to give birth to him. The morning she went into labor she had been getting high, and as the hours passed doctors monitoring the two of them said they couldn't understand why she hadn't given birth yet. Then the baby's heart rate suddenly began to drop, and the doctors told her she needed a C-section immediately. When the baby was delivered and tested positive for drugs, child welfare authorities were called. Rhiana was put under strict supervision to make sure she was not endangering her children by further drug use, so she decided to leave Phoenix. "The only reason I went back to the reservation was because no one would do anything to me there," she said. "I felt protected." Soon after the move, she said, she had a change of heart. She really wanted to get clean. But IHS told her it offered no treatment for meth addiction, and she slowly started to lose everything. Rhiana was kicked out of school, her children were taken away and she was charged with neglect, and she became homeless. What hurts her now the most is recognizing the pain she caused her children while she was living on the streets. "My daughter was in Sunday School praying for me," she moaned, "my little girl that I abandoned, she was praying for me." Rhiana eventually reunited with her husband, who was living with his uncle in Los Angeles, but the uncle soon evicted them saying he was tired of them fighting. It ended up being a blessing in disguise, she said. The couple boarded a bus back to the reservation on Jan. 1, 2004, and have been sober ever since. Children suffer According to James, children on the reservation are often the victims of their parents' bad habits. She said social workers remove an average of 10 children a month from homes with meth-addicted parents - parents who often say they love their children and can't understand why they are being taken away. But James doesn't underestimate the clouding potency of the drug. "No one thinks they'll try to tear off their own skin. Then meth happens," she said. "Parents, your children really watch you, everything you do, everything you say. You're part of the problem - so you are going to have to change." Jorge Cuvas, 29, first came into contact with drugs when he was 10 years old. His dad was sitting around the kitchen table with a group of friends at his Los Angeles home, a mountain of white powder resting on the spot where supper would normally be set. "He grabbed a beer, had me drink it," Jorge said. "I guess I was their entertainment that night." From that point on, he recalls, his father grew more and more abusive. A mechanic, he would have spark plugs, cables and fan belts lying around the house, with which he would hit Jorge and his siblings. At 12, Jorge left home. His uncle was the leader of a gang, so he joined. "The only thing that accomplished was me making a lot of enemies," he said. "My grandma's house, where I lived, got shot up so many times we ended up having to sleep on the floor." His grandmother tired of the violence, and Jorge had to move back in with his parents, who had relocated to Phoenix. There, he started selling drugs and inadvertently became addicted to meth after he started spending time at a friend's house that doubled as a meth lab. As the drug was cooking, the fumes sank into his pores, building a craving within his body he could not shake off. It led to a stint in prison and years of dependence on the drug. During this time he met his wife Rhiana. Though they eventually broke their habit and reached sobriety together, he stressed the difficulty of the journey. "What I'm trying to say is we all have to try to come together to fight this battle, this war against meth," Jorge said. "I think this drug is the devil, some evil spirit trying to get a hold of our kids and make them into little demons." Signs to watch for There are several signs to look for to see if your child is doing meth, James said, such as burn marks or calluses on fingertips that would result from smoking a meth pipe. Missing light bulbs are suspicious, too, as they can be used as a meth pipe. Other missing odds and ends to watch for are small plastic bags, razors, and scales that could be used to measure out the drug. Signs of an overdose include twitching, tremors, itching, involuntary body movement, hypothermia, and convulsions. If you see these signs, call for help immediately. A meth overdose can lead to death. But even innocent appearances should be scrutinized. James said she's had high school students tell her that they will mix powdered meth with Kool-Aid and carry it around school in a small plastic sandwich bag, licking their fingers and then dipping out a gob of the concoction to eat as they walk through the hallways during the day. A call to war Lyle Claw was part of a very respectable, very religious family in Window Rock. But somewhere between middle school and high school he began to question the belief system under which he was raised, and he thought he found the answers in meth. "Doing meth, it basically numbs you to reality," said Claw, now 28. "This problem with meth goes into a deeper realm of spirituality than most people can even fathom." His epiphany, however, came in 1994 in the form of an overdose in Phoenix, during which he said he saw his soul begging for mercy from the Creator. He said he repeated "I'm sorry," "I'm sorry" over and over again and promised that if he lived, he would live for Him. Two hours later he woke up, looked at everyone passed out around him, walked out of the party and never touched a drug again. Claw repaired his relationship with his family and got his life back on track, eventually joining the Marine Corps. He is now the father of three and dedicated to fighting the war against meth. "I can't describe how much I hate meth... it's a million times worse than bin Laden and all those guys," he said. "It's time to war against meth. It's time to war against this stuff that is coming onto the reservation." As Claw concluded his story he brought out a wooden flute and a shofar, a biblical instrument made from the horn of a ram that was used to rally troops in time of war. He played the flute first, the effort heard in his quivering breath. Some notes of his song were sharp, some were flat, but the beauty that captivated the room was in the sum of these imperfect parts. Claw then blew into the shofar three times, releasing an explosion of sound like a foghorn into the night. "So let that be the call for war," he said. Copyright c. 2006 Navajo Times. --------- "RE: Statement from Elousie Cobell" --------- Date: Thursday, November 09, 2006 01:26 pm From: Bill McAllister Subj: Statement from Elousie Cobell, lead plaintiff For Immediate Release: STATEMENT BY THE LEAD PLAINTIFF IN COBELL VS. KEMPTHORNE "The opportunity for a legislative settlement in the 109th Congress has been killed by the Administration. Because the Administration stonewalled and vigorously opposed a fair settlement, Congress decided not to move a settlement bill. We will work closely with the new Congress to resolve the litigation fairly and expeditiously." Elousie Cobell Browning, Montana For additional information: Bill McAllister 703-385-6996 202-257-5385 (cell) --------- "RE: Cobell says lawsuit will proceed" --------- Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 20:40:31 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="COBELL SUIT WILL CONTINUE" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?feature=yes&id=1096413943 Cobell says lawsuit will proceed by: Jerry Reynolds / Indian Country Today November 3, 2006 WASHINGTON - Plaintiffs in the long-running lawsuit over the Individual Indian Money trust have rejected proposals from the presidential administration to consolidate the fractionated IIM lands, turn management functions and land title over to individuals and tribes while curtailing federal liabilities, and settle outstanding claims in return for monetary payments. "We are back at square one," contends Elouise Cobell, of the case that bears her name, adding that the administration's proposals, coming late in the legislative session, have made a hash of settlement efforts by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. "We have said from the beginning that we want a settlement, but have emphasized that it must be fair. ... It is not fair to pay claims pennies on the dollar. So we will continue our litigation efforts since the government's proposal has effectively killed any possibility of a sound resolution." Following Cobell's statements in an Oct. 31 release, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians issued one that claimed wholesale rejection of the measures by tribes in the Northwest, the Plains and the Southeast. The ATNI release quoted Fawn Sharp, chairman of the Quinault Nation, as being "appalled" at last-minute proposals that would "alter the nature of federal - Indian relationships." In addition, Chairman Harold Frazier of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe is quoted as equating the proposals with "termination" at an Oct. 25 SCIA meeting in Rapid City, S.D. Copyright c. 1998 - 2006 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Legal decision Timeline for US American Indians" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 08:40:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MAJOR DECISIONS AFFECTING NATIVE PEOPLE" Timeline of key legal developments affecting US American Indians http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html? p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=November&x=20061106163901bpuh0.5341455 Laws Reflect Changing Status of American Indians in U.S. History American Indians are citizens of their tribes and of the United States November 6, 2006 The history of U.S. legislation regarding American Indians reveals changing societal attitudes on their status -- from members of fully sovereign nations, to dependents of the U.S. government, to holders of a quasi dual-citizenship. Following are some of the more significant laws affecting American Indians: 1830 - The Indian Removal Act authorized the president to negotiate with Indian tribes an exchange of their lands located east of the Mississippi River for lands west of the Mississippi River. 1862 - The Homestead Act allowed adult citizens and aliens who had filed for citizenship to submit a claim for 65 hectares in return for a $10 fee. After living on the land or farming it for five years, the homesteader could pay additional fees and receive the title to the land. This act spurred settlement of land formerly designated as "Indian territory" at a time when American Indians were not considered citizens. 1887 - The Dawes Act, or General Allotment Act, established a census of American Indians known as the Dawes Rolls and allotted tribal lands to individual Indians. 1898 - The Curtis Act reaffirmed allotment of tribal lands on Indian reservations and ended tribal sovereignty in the territories. 1906 - The Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities made excavation, theft or destruction of historic or prehistoric ruins or objects of antiquity on federal lands a criminal offense. However, Indian corpses and Indian artifacts were defined as "archeological resources" and thus considered federal property. 1924 - The Indian Citizenship Act gave U.S. citizenship to American Indians, including the right to vote in national elections. However, it did not provide full protection under the Bill of Rights to Indians living under tribal governments. Several nations, including the Hopi and the Iroquois, declined U.S. citizenship in favor of retaining sovereign nationhood. 1934 - The Indian Reorganization Act, or Wheeler-Howard Act, reinstituted the role of sovereign tribes as governments for Indian people and their lands. The law ended Indian land allotment and provided for the strengthening of tribal governments and the restoration of tribal lands and powers. 1968 - The Indian Civil Rights Act prohibited Indian tribal governments from enacting or enforcing laws that violate certain individual rights. It contained language similar to the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution but did not prohibit an Indian nation from establishing an official religion. 1970 - President Nixon's Special Message on Indian Affairs set a new direction for national policy: self-determination for Indian tribes. In his statement, Nixon condemned the "forced termination" of tribes and described them as separate political entities with special standing under U.S. law. 1975 - The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act gave American Indians more control in administering federal programs and services to their people. 1976 - The Indian Health Care Improvement Act declared elevating the health status of the American and Alaska Native people to a level at parity with the general U.S. population to be national policy. 1978 - The Indian Child Welfare Act set up mandatory procedures for state agencies and courts in Indian child custody matters and established that American Indians are allowed to act as foster parents and qualify for adoption. The act also provided Indian communities with child welfare and family services. 1978 - The American Indian Religious Freedom Act protected and preserved the right of American Indians to believe, express and exercise the traditional religions of the American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut and Native Hawaiians, including but not limited to access to sites, use and possession of sacred objects and the freedom to worship through traditional ceremonies and rites. 1988 - The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act allowed tribes to conduct gambling on their land after negotiating agreements with their state governments. 1989 - The National Museum of the American Indian Act ordered the Smithsonian Institution to return American Indian remains to American Indian tribes. 1990 - The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act addressed the rights of lineal descendants, Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to American Indian human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects and cultural items. The statute required federal agencies and museums to provide information about American Indian cultural items to parties with standing and, upon presentation of a valid claim, ensure that the items undergo disposition or repatriation. 1990 - The Indian Arts and Crafts Act established protections for the work of Indian artists. 1994 - The Indian Trust Reform Act outlined the responsibilities of the U.S. secretary of the interior with respect to the individual trust accounts established in the General Allotment Act, or Dawes Act, of 1887. 2000 - The Indian Tribal Justice Technical and Legal Assistance Act increased American Indians' access to legal assistance and sought to enhance the capabilities of tribal courts. 2004 - The American Indian Probate Reform Act established uniform procedures for inheritance of land allotments authorized in the General Allotment Act, or Dawes Act, of 1887. (Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov) USINFO delivers information about current U.S. foreign policy and about American life and culture. This site is produced and maintained by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs. --------- "RE: Tribes reach accord over Religious Sites" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 08:40:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NAVAJO-HOPI AGREEMENT" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/11/08/news/ regional/a04a5636222bddd58725721d0026989a.txt Tribes reach accord over religious sites By CHRIS KAHN Associated Press writer November 8, 2006 PHOENIX - After a bitter 40-year dispute, leaders of the Navajo and Hopi tribes sat together Friday and signed an agreement that allowed development on 700,000 acres of land that both claim as their own. "The Hopis and Navajos have not always seen eye to eye," Hopi Vice Chairman Todd Honyaoma said at the signing ceremony. "But we are neighbors, and neighbors need to be friends." The two tribes, which about each other in Arizona's northeastern corner, have fought over land most of the last century. In 1966, the federal government imposed a ban on any development on the so-called Bennett Freeze Area as the tribes worked out their differences. As a result, thousands of Navajos were without running water, electricity or modern appliances for decades. "Every day we wait, our people suffer," said Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. "I'd like to see hospitals, schools, paved roads. It's about time." A crowd of more than 100 Hopis and Navajos crowded the Heard Museum as tribal leaders and Interior Secretary Dick Kempthorne signed the land agreement. In a corner of the room, 93-year-old Lena Goldtooth-Canyon sat in a wheelchair, dressed in red print dress and turquoise, and clapped with her family. She'd driven down from Tuba City to see the historic ceremony. "For too long we've lived in poverty," Goldtooth-Canyon said in her native Navajo. Goldtooth-Canyon, who spoke through an interpreter, said she'd like to see more economic development in the area "so we can have electricity." Like many in the disputed area, Goldtooth-Canyon wasn't able to fix her hogan. She was once cited for throwing dirt on the roof after a monsoon storm. U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., and Clayton Honyumptewa, director of the Hopis' land office, said the settlement calls for an arbitration board to be set up to resolve disputes, a $50 million escrow account to be divided by the two tribes, creation of designated buffers where no Navajo development would be permitted and a five-year study of eagles in the area. Eagles are an especially sensitive matter for Hopi religious leaders and their highly secretive ceremonial societies. They gather the birds for ceremonies over a wide swathe, primarily between Flagstaff and the tribe's three mesas. Honyumptewa said the arbitration board will deal with problems that arise if Hopis are denied access to their religious sites. It will be made up of equal numbers of members from the two tribes and will be overseen by an arbitrator with no affiliation with either tribe. The Navajos reside on the nation's largest reservation, the majority of which is in northeastern Arizona. It surrounds Hopi land. "This land is just as spiritual to us as the mesa tops where we live," said former Hopi Chairman Ferrell Secakuku. "It's a milestone to negotiate this to an end in a peaceful manner. We both have to co-exist here, and this shows that one tribe can't dominate anymore." The Hopi Tribal Council had approved the settlement measure in September 2004, but it took the Navajo Nation Council two years to finally sign off on it because of intense opposition in the western part of the Navajo Reservation over questions about development. The Navajo Nation Council voted 75-3 to approve the agreement in September. Copyright c. 1995-2006 Casper Star-Tribune, Lee Enterprises Inc. --------- "RE: Stolen Artifacts shatter Ancient Culture" --------- Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 08:38:41 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LOOTERS/GRAVE ROBBERS" http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1112looters-mainbar1112.html Stolen artifacts shatter ancient culture Looters ravage Indian ruins to sell pottery, heirlooms on black market Dennis Wagner The Arizona Republic November 12, 2006 SAN CARLOS - In the dead of night, looters are destroying the history of America, desecrating sacred Indian ruins. An estimated 80 percent of the nation's ancient archaeological sites have been plundered or robbed by shovel-toting looters. Though some of the pillaging is done by amateurs who don't know any better, more serious damage is wrought by professionals who dig deep, sometimes even using backhoes. The motive is money. Indian artifacts are coveted worldwide by collectors willing to pay for trophy pieces of the past. Fine antiquities are displayed in glass cases at mansions and museums. Lesser objects wind up on fireplace mantels or stored in garages. Looters are just the first link in a chain that includes collectors, galleries, trade shows and Internet sites such as eBay. But stopping the black-market business is virtually impossible because of a lack of manpower for enforcement and loopholes in the law that make it hard to convict the few who get caught. The result is a scientific and spiritual loss. "They're changing history," Vernelda Grant, a tribal archaeologist for the San Carlos Apaches, says as she stands amid 800-year-old ruins that have been transformed into a crater field. "They're killing us. They're killing the existence of who we are." A few feet away, a Gila monster crawls dinosaur-like through remnants of the ancient Pueblo village, its scales dazzling like native beads amid broken pottery tossed aside by diggers. Grant spots several bone fragments, white against red earth, and reverently buries them with a stick, not allowing photographs. "Everything we make and everything we do, we always do with prayer," she says. "All that's around me in the four directions and above my head and beneath my feet, all of it has life." Garry Cantley, an archaeologist with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, listens quietly. He does not share the mysticism; he lives for empirical discoveries, the piece-by-piece puzzle of history, the cultural window. But, like Grant, he is sickened by the damage. "The problem is, they don't make these anymore," Cantley says, surveying the field of foxholes. "The archaeological records are finite. And, once they're gone, history is gone." 'Robbing the nation' The San Carlos Reservation covers 1.8 million acres of high desert, pine forest, canyon lands and archaeological sites - a wilderness patrolled by 10 rangers who spend most of their time protecting game and fish. The enforcement story is equally grim elsewhere in the West: too much country, too many diggers, not enough officers. In May, a report by the National Trust for Historic Preservation concluded that artifact hunters, off-roaders, urban sprawl and vandals are "robbing the nation" of cultural resources. Warren Youngman, assistant BIA special agent in charge for Arizona, shrugs when asked how many looters are working tribal lands: "There's a lot of wide-open spaces, and we don't have the manpower to cover it. We'll never know." Enforcement is complicated by a plethora of overlapping agencies. Depending on where a ruin is, it could be the jurisdiction of U.S. Forest Service rangers, National Parks officers, Bureau of Land Management investigators, tribal police, BIA agents or state investigators. Until this year, the BIA, with policing oversight for 561 recognized tribes nationwide, had just one investigator assigned exclusively to looting. The agent, John Fryar, retired this year and was not replaced. "I just barely scratched the surface, frankly," says Fryar, now living in New Mexico. "One person was definitely not enough." The lack of enforcement is true across a nation peppered with ancient settlements in national forests, federal parks, BLM lands, military bases and state turf. Just two investigators work Arizona trust lands covering 9 million acres. BLM officers cover more than a million acres each. Manpower shortages are compounded by a lack of information. Many government agencies have only begun to inventory archaeological ruins. Arizona's statewide catalog lists more than 100,000 known sites, most of which have not been inventoried. The BLM is responsible for 261 million acres nationwide (86 million in Arizona), but most of the land is not surveyed. Meanwhile, it is sheer guesswork as to what percentage of ruins have been looted. A 2002 report on federal lands in the remote Four Corners area put the figure at 32 percent. Archaeologists and enforcement officers generally estimate that eight of ten Southwest sites have been robbed or damaged. Fryar is more pessimistic. "At least 95 percent-plus have been looted at one time or another," he says. How looters work Typically, the digger arrives in early evening, hiding his truck in bushes a distance from ruins. After retrieving tools from a nearby stash, he hikes to the site using a GPS device. A pro can read the landscape and quickly map out a 1,000-year-old village that has eroded into the earth. He recognizes the burial mounds and debris exposed by rain. He follows rock lines that mark foundations. Wearing a headlamp in the darkness, he probes the earth with a long metal pole. A ball-bearing welded to the point enables him to feel the soft soil where a body was buried or a building eroded over time. He works methodically, like a child playing Battleship, knowing that he will hit pay dirt eventually. When he senses an air pocket or feels the crunch of pottery, he turns to a narrow-bladed shovel to dig straight down, periscoping into the earth to see what's there. If the site is promising, a larger shovel cuts into the soil, sometimes many feet deep. Screens filter the dirt for smaller artifacts. When one dig is tapped out, the looter moves on. Some ruins resemble minefields, full of holes and dirt piles. The objects are packed, hauled away and cleaned for sale. Cantley, the BIA archaeologist, says hard-core looters school themselves in archaeology and zealously defend their right to dig. "These guys know archaeological sites as well as the experts," he says. "For many of them, it's a generational thing. They did it with their fathers and grandfathers, and they think it's a god-given right." Buyers and sellers The commercial value is based on uniqueness, artistry and preservation. A plain Navajo bowl may bring $100. A good polychrome pot from the Salado people fetches $5,000. Ancient Hopi yellow-ware pottery may be worth $80,000. Besides the diggers, there are so-called "doorknockers" who roam the Indian reservations like old-fashioned buffalo traders. Going door to door, they buy artifacts and heirlooms from Native Americans. But it is illegal to traffic in objects that are considered religious or patrimonial. Looters and doorknockers get to know buyers by visiting shows, sharing contacts and researching artifacts. They offer their finest merchandise to wealthy collectors who pay top dollar for one-of-a-kind items in pristine condition. More modest objects are sold to galleries. Mediocre antiquities go to bulk dealers or are offered on eBay. If prosecuting looters is difficult, bringing charges against black- market buyers is nearly impossible, because authorities must prove that the collector knew artifacts had been looted. Some artifacts are sold with provenance papers, listing where and when they were recovered. But there is no way for consumers or government agents to know whether objects were legally excavated from private property, looted from public lands or handed down by family members. Once a stolen relic is on the market, enforcement is next to impossible. Ed Vaught of Atlanta, who operates at IndianArtifacts.com, says legitimate traders do their best to avoid illicit products. "You try to get as much history on the artifact as you can," he says. "It's also nice to know the person you're dealing with so there's some provenance." Vaught, who has been a collector for six decades, says artifacts didn't even have any value until the 1960s, when Americans began to romanticize Indians and their history. Suddenly, old pots became expensive kitsch. "It's enormous now. Huge," says Vaught, echoing comments from other dealers. "Not just in the United States. The Japanese, the Chinese, Europeans are all infatuated with Native American things." As the interest grew, so did the incentive for plundering ruins. Looting emerged as an occupation, along with the contemporary manufacture of phony antiquities known as "ghosts." Today at Arrow-heads.com, a Web site for Native American artifact collectors, you can find a list of 143 auctions, shows and other events. Search for "Indian artifacts" on Google and you'll get nearly 380,000 hits - many of them buyers and sellers. Legal loopholes Over the past decade, authorities have charged only a handful of people with violating the key federal laws designed to preserve historical sites and items: the Archaeological Resources Protection Act and the National American Graves Repatriation Act. The state Attorney General's Office has been even less busy prosecuting violators of the Arizona Antiquities Act and the Burial Protection Law of 1990. Near urban areas, ruins are often damaged by amateurs. But the systematic destruction is caused by pros who rarely get caught in the act. The lack of enforcement is a key factor. But wiggle room in the law may be even more significant. Simply put, it is legal to unearth archaeological relics on private property, except burial sites. It is also legal to purchase items from others who have obtained them lawfully or by inheritance. And it is legal to buy contemporary art - bowls, baskets, kachinas - that resemble antiquities. "So we have to prove this pot came from federal or Indian land," says Cantley. "And what happens when we approach these guys? They're going to say two things: 'These articles came from private property, and I want my lawyer.' " Even when thieves are caught at a dig, court rulings may insulate them. In 2003, two men used a winch to haul rare petroglyph boulders from Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada. They were found guilty of theft but acquitted on a looting charge. Then the convictions were overturned in June because, judges ruled, federal agents could not prove the defendants knew they were stealing something of archaeological worth. Sherry Hutt, a former Maricopa County judge who now oversees a National Park Service program to protect Indian burial relics, said the ruling means that only archaeologists who violate the law face prosecution, because they are the only ones who know the scientific value of artifacts. Science and spirit As the monetary value of antiquities grows, the spiritual and scientific values remain incalculable. Grant, the Apache archaeologist, holds up a handful of pottery bits discarded by looters, letting the pieces slip through her fingers. With a master's degree in cultural anthropology, she understands DNA and carbon dating. But she also is an Apache woman who believes in native ceremonies, dream-reading and sacred rites. Grant was baptized Christian but completed the Apache coming-of-age ritual known as na'ii'ees, or Sunrise Ceremony, at age 13. She bitterly recalls the Lutheran minister confronting her - telling her to repent her pagan ways. Instead, Grant immersed herself in tribal culture, joining a native dance troupe that toured the nation, then studying at Northern Arizona University. She served an internship at the Smithsonian Institution, working amid a collection of 1,500 Apache artifacts. She returned to Arizona and went to work protecting Native American relics for tribal governments, first the Salt River Pima, then the Apache. She wants her remains buried beneath a traditional rock mound in the high country so their spirit will not be stranded. She says the pillaging of sacred objects is a gut-wrenching assault on the forefathers, on sacred land. "But how can you prove that in a court or in our archaeological surveys or lab forms?" Grant asks. "It's very difficult. . . . Even some of our tribal members don't believe it. But I believe, because I've seen it and I feel it." Four laws to stop looters Federal Archaeological Resource Protection Act: Bans the knowing excavation, removal or damage of archaeological resources on public or Indian land without a special permit. Prohibits the purchase or sale of those resources. (Surface arrowheads are exempt, as are artifacts collected prior to the law's adoption in 1979.) Violators face misdemeanor or felony penalties and possible civil sanctions. Native American Graves Protection Act: Outlaws the excavation, removal, sale or purchase of human remains and Native American religious, historical or cultural items from federal and Indian land without permit. Violations are subject to criminal and civil penalties. (Contemporary Indian art and non-sacred artifacts may be bought and sold if obtained legally.) The law also requires the return of sacred items from federal agencies to tribes. State Arizona Antiquities Act of 1927: Bans unauthorized digging, defacing or plundering of historic, archaeological or paleontological sites on state land. Burial Protection Law of 1990: Prohibits the vandalism of human remains or funerary objects in Arizona, requiring a land owner to give notification upon discovery of a historic grave. (It is legal for a property owner to excavate ruins and remove artifacts from private land, except burial sites.) Violators face criminal penalties. Copyright c. 2006, azcentral.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Remains remain stored in Archives" --------- Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 08:38:41 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SOUTH CAROLINA GRAVES" http://www.heraldonline.com/109/story/9052.html Remains of ancient people remain stored in archives Catawba authorities trying to assist other groups By James T. Hammond - The (Columbia) State November 13, 2006 COLUMBIA -- The remains of hundreds of ancient people once buried in South Carolina continue to be stored in archives across the state five years after their existence was made public -- despite efforts by tribal groups to recover and rebury them. One set of remains stored by federal officials at the Savannah River Site might be as many as 6,000 years old, said Barbara Morningstar Paul, the state program coordinator for Native American Affairs. Leaders of tribes with people still living in South Carolina want the human remains returned to tribal groups for reburial. Most native American Indians believe the spirits of the dead cannot rest as long as their remains are removed from the earth. But the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act has created a bureaucratic maze for tribal groups seeking to recover and rebury the long-dead ancestors. H.L. West, the recently elected recently elected chief of the 466-member Waccamaw tribe, said every tribal group in the state is cooperating to obtain the release of their ancestors' bones. "That's unusual, to have all the tribes working toward a common cause," he said. "They are our people, our kin. Our people buried their dead sitting upright, with their knees under their chins. Some of these remains were found in that condition." State Archaeologist Jonathan Leader has custody of remains of more than 300 individuals unearthed at different times and under varying circumstances. Tribal leaders say Leader has worked diligently to cut through federal regulations to allow repatriation of the ancient bones. But his hands are tied by federal law. Bodies uncovered in 1967 More than a dozen of the individuals were disinterred in 1967 when Duke Power Co. cleared the site for the Keowee-Toxaway lake complex, according to state records. Those remains are estimated to have originated between A. D. 800 and A.D. 1500. Leader said the scope of the state's holdings of native people's remains has changed little since their existence was made public five years ago. He said publicity about the issue has made some entities, such as governments and private contractors, more sensitive about avoiding unearthing more burial sites. But many of the remains that are in bureaucratic limbo have been held by the state for decades. "A great deal has changed," Leader said. "We are all working together to find a solution. But we go down some paths that are dead ends. It does not help that we do not have a full set of regulations." Under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, anyone possessing the remains of ancient people can only repatriate them to a federally recognized tribe. In South Carolina, there is just one federally recognized group, the Catawba tribe, based in Rock Hill. But there are 25 groups or tribes claiming status as native people in South Carolina. Six tribal groups were removed from S.C. territory more than a century ago, and might have claims on the remains as well. Paul said the Catawba authorities "are willing to help re-inter the remains" of members of all the groups. "For the first time in many years, unity among the tribes in South Carolina, and with the Catawba, is allowing us to move forward," said Paul, who works within the state Commission on Minority Affairs. "I hope we may have repatriation and reinterment within a couple of years." Meanwhile, the ancient people's bones remain stored in boxes at state and federal office buildings and in a museum. Native Americans continue to be cautious about dealings with white-led governments. "There's an old Indian saying, 'If you dig up one white person, you go to prison; if you dig up 100 Indians, you get a Ph.D.,'" West said. But he said he believes progress is being made. Copyright c. 2006 The Herald, Rock Hill, South Carolina. --------- "RE: St. Regis Tribe to partake of cheap Heating Oil" --------- Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 08:34:20 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MOHAWK ACCEPT CITGO OFFER" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.newswatch50.com/news/local/story.aspx? content_id=A44B2DBF-7476-4581-876A-EE72660894DC St. Regis tribe to partake of cheap heating oil from Citgo November 13, 2006 Indians on the Saint Regis Mohawk Reservation will be getting some cheap heat for their homes this winter thanks to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Approximately 1500 homes on the reservation are set to receive 500 thousand gallons of discounted heating oil from Citgo, which is owned by Venezuela. That country's President Hugo Chavez created turmoil earlier this year by calling President George Bush "the Devil" in a speech, which prompted some Indian communities to drop out of the program that offers low cost home heating oil. Tribal leaders say deliveries will start this week, with low-income and elderly getting priority in applying for the assistance. More than 200 Indian tribes in 12 states are participating in the company's heating oil program. Some information from Watertown Daily Times Copyright c. 2006 WWTI - ABC Newswatch 50, Clear Channel Broadcasting, Inc. --------- "RE: Code Talkers subject of Middle School Project" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2006 06:31:50 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CODE TALKER: LIVING HISTORY" http://www.gallupindependent.com/2006/nov/111006ehb_livinghistory.html Living History Code Talkers subject of middle school project November 10, 2006 By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola Staff Writer REHOBOTH - A group of local middle school students came a little closer to understanding the sacrifice Americans make when they became U.S. soldiers in wartime. On Thursday, students at Rehoboth Middle School met with several Navajo Code Talkers to interview them for the school's Code Talker Living History Project. The students learned how to research and prepare for an interview, and they operated video cameras as they taped the interviews. Over the school year, they will spend time learning how to edit and produce short documentary films based on their interviews. According to school officials, the project, which is being funded by a grant from the First Nations Development Institute, will help Rehoboth students understand and appreciate the legacy of the Navajo Code Talkers and help them learn and pass on the Navajo words that made up the now famous military code. The project also dovetails with the school's Navajo Code Talkers Communication Center and its historic exhibit housed in the Rehoboth Middle School. School officials say that at least 31 Navajo Code Talkers have some connection with the school, either as former students or graduates or as grandparents or great-grandparents of current students. Each year sees the passing of more aging World War II veterans, said Middle School Principal Carol Bremer-Bennett, including the men who served as Code Talkers. As a result, she said, it's important for the Code Talkers' stories to be documented and important for students today to learn the history. "They're going to be the tellers of the Code Talkers' stories for future generations," she said. The kick-off event for the Code Talker Living History Project actually happened in September, Bremer-Bennett explained, when the school's seventh and eighth graders decorated a flatbed trailer for use by the Code Talkers in the Navajo Nation Fair Parade. That project was sparked, she said, by a question the students posed to themselves about honoring the Code Talkers: "What can we do as service for them?" The Code Talker Living History Project has a number of educational goals. A team of teachers will develop a K-8 curriculum to teach students the Navajo words used in the code, and students will be rewarded with medals upon successful mastery of the code. In addition, students will develop student-designed educational materials, including materials for younger children, that explain the story of the Navajo Code Talkers, and they will also produce short documentary films based on their interviews on Thursday. These educational materials and films will be available at the school's Navajo Code Talkers Communication Center. These student-created projects will also be presented to the public in an event the school is planning for next year. In addition to the interviews they conducted on Thursday, the middle school students hosted the Code Talkers to a luncheon and read to them letters and poems they had written about American veterans. According to Bremer-Bennett, that experience hit closer to home for some of the students because they have family members serving in the Middle East. Those students, she said, have come to "understand the sacrifice an entire family makes" when a family member is serving in a war. For more information about the Navajo Code Talkers Living History Project, contact Carol Bremer-Bennett at (505) 726-9696. Copyright c. 2006 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Navajo Council pays tribute to Vets, Armed Forces" --------- Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 17:27:42 -0700 From: Karen Francis Subj: Council delegates pay tribute to veterans and Armed Forces Contact: Karen Francis, Public Information Officer - Navajo Nation Council Office of the Speaker (928) 871-7160 karenfrancis@navajo.org www.navajonationcouncil.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: Monday, November 13, 2006 COUNCIL DELEGATES PAY TRIBUTE TO VETERANS AND ARMED FORCES Navajo Nation Council Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan (Iyanbito/Pinedale) and other Council delegates participated in Veterans' Day activities in and around the Navajo Nation in appreciation of Navajo veterans and Armed Forces. On Thursday, November 9, 2006, the Eastern Navajo Agency paid tribute to veterans with its annual parade and dinner at Crownpoint, N.M. Council delegate Alice Benally (Crownpoint/Nahodishgish) was on hand, along with nearly 300 others at the dinner, to thank veterans for a job well done. "I'm very proud of you and honored that you have served your country," Benally said. "I'm proud to say you're Native Americans; you're Navajo veterans." At the dinner, Eastern Agency veterans were given plaques and leather jackets in appreciation for their service. The following day, Benally also participated in a Veterans' Day appreciation ceremony sponsored by Miss Eastern Navajo Nation Laureen Etcitty at the Navajo Technical College in Crownpoint, N.M. The ceremony, which was the first of its kind, was completely sponsored by Etcitty, Benally said. On Friday, November 10, 2006, Speaker Morgan and delegate Raymond Berchman (Oak Springs/St. Michaels) joined 60 motorcycle riders to escort the 1116th Transportation Company back to Gallup, N.M., where the company was met with a parade and rally downtown. Speaker Morgan presented the 1116th with a plaque that included the Navajo Nation medal of valor and a certificate of appreciation in honor of the Navajo people who have served with the company. The medal of valor was created when the Navajo Nation Council declared 2004 and 2005 as Years of the Navajo Veteran. Among the approximately 136 men and women returning home with the 1116th were 35 Navajos. The company had been away for nearly 14 months, Julius Tulley said. On Sunday, November 12, 2006, Speaker Morgan was the guest speaker at the Iyanbito Chapter's annual Veterans' Day celebration. The celebration began with a parade leading to the Chapter house where a dinner and ceremony were held. Veterans received flags to support the troops and a turkey dinner. Entertainment was provided in honor of the veterans' service. --------- "RE: Centennial not a time of joy for all" --------- Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 08:38:41 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="OKLAHOMA CENTENNIAL IS PAINFUL REMINDER" http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=061113_Ne_A1_Cente11277_0 Centennial not a time of joy for all By S.E. RUCKMAN World Staff Writer November 13, 2006 For Indian tribes, it can be a painful reminder of past ill treatment. As reminders of Oklahoma's upcoming centennial celebration pop up around the state, Osage Principal Chief Jim Gray will grimace. And he will do it for a good reason, he said. "The cost of statehood had a huge price for Indians," he said. Gray is bracing for the inevitability of the state's 100-year birthday, but refraining from celebrating the event, he said. The leader of the 16,000-member tribe said he has been approached by various organizations asking for his tribe to support the centennial. Events to commemorate Oklahoma's 1907 statehood are slated through the next year. He has been kind in response, but direct. "One hundred years have passed, and people think the Indians need to move on," he said. "And in a way we have. But it's hard to think about celebrating or commemorating a centennial." Wallace Coffey, chairman of the Comanche Nation in Lawton, takes a similar stance. He said the state's centennial is not something that his Lawton-based tribe will celebrate. "Look at what we got out of it," he said. "You can't spoon-feed people your culture when your true history is omitted from the history books." Gray and Coffey are separated by 200 miles between their respective jurisdictions, yet their sentiment about the upcoming Oklahoma centennial has a similar chord. Their reasoning could be viewed as anti-Oklahoma, but it is not anti- -Indian, said anthropologist Bill Meadows. Meadows is an assistant professor at Southwest Missouri State and a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. His work includes the scholarly examination of Oklahoma tribes. Meadows said that Oklahoma statehood coincides with another painful segment of Indian memory -- the time of the land runs. "You have to remember that land runs occurred right before the time of allotment, the federal policy to carve up their tribal lands. Both were policies meant to change the tribes," he said. "Allotment meant the tribes were being separated from their traditional relationship to the land." Meadows said tribal members had little grasp on the Anglo concept of individual land ownership versus their traditional communal view. The misunderstanding cost some Indians their allotment parcels, Meadows said. Meanwhile, historians are starting to question the ethical and legal bases for land runs, he said. "A centennial basically applauds boomers and 'sooners,' " Meadows said. "Both of those names mean people who cheated in the land runs. That's also not a good memory for Indian tribes. The lands given in the runs had once been theirs." Other experts, particularly Indian historians, said they believe history has been glossed over in the light of many tribes' newfound economic prosperity. The true story is much more painful, said George Horse Capture of the National Museum of the American Indian. A Gros Ventre tribal member, Horse Capture said the process of assimilation for Indians also included boarding schools and language denial. In essence, the tribal nations were wrenched from an identity they had carried for centuries. "Our destiny always seems to be changing, and we've had to adapt to incredible conditions," he said. "The children of warriors were forced to plow fields and milk cows; it was very degrading for us." With 37 federally recognized tribes within its borders, Oklahoma is inextricably linked to Indian culture. George Tiger, chairman of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma and a Muscogee (Creek) Nation tribal member, said a more tolerant viewpoint is needed by both sides. "It's an educational process we've had to go through. At the same time, people in the public are still not educated about Indian culture, ways and beliefs," Tiger said. Tribal leaders said they cannot do much about the impending celebration, but they can recall the stories from their elders. "It brings back memories of the Land Run and the loss of many acres of our land. We won't celebrate the centennial, because we can't," Coffey said. Gray said because there are different cultures involved in this issue, there will be disagreement. He hopes that during the centennial year, all sides can discuss the gap that a glorified state observance creates. "An honest acknowledgement to Indian people for statehood and what it cost us would be a good start," he said. "Parents of Indian children don't want their kids to participate in land run re-enactments, either. It seems like a small thing, but the memories are still that painful for us." S.E. Ruckman 581-8462 se.ruckman@tulsaworld.com Copyright c. 2006 , World Publishing Co. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Town, Tribe form alliance to search for Water" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 08:40:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TONTO APACHE, PAYSON WATER ALLIANCE" http://www.paysonroundup.com/section/breaking_news/story/26066 Town, tribe form alliance to search for water By Felicia Megdal, Roundup staff reporter November 8, 2006 The Tonto Apache Tribe and the Town of Payson announced today, Wednesday, that they have formed an alliance to secure a long-term water source. Although the agreement is still in the early planning stages, the joint effort between Tribal Chairman Ivan Smith and Mayor Bob Edwards will provide a significant impact on the region's resource management. "We have to do it," Smith said. "Each of us can bring something to the table." Payson Town Councilor John Wilson showed up in support of the effort. "The relationships with the tribe are very important," Wilson said. "We've got a lot of things in common." This accord marks a new era of cooperation for the neighboring communities. "You're dealing with a little bit of residual feelings from years ago," Edwards said. "A lot of people thought the town was against the tribe. These things were in the middle and nobody bothered to move the chairs. So, we did." Town and tribal attorneys are currently working together to develop a schedule that delineates the goals and responsibilities of each entity. Although Mayor Chuck Heron said the Town of Star Valley hasn't been formally included in the process, representatives from the alliance said they will continue working with nearby communities. Copyright c. 2006 The Payson Roundup. --------- "RE: Operation Indian Country" --------- Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 20:40:31 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RECOVERING INDIAN LANDS TAKEN FOR MILITARY USE" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413948 Operation Indian Country by: Philip Burnham / Indian Country Today November 3, 2006 Government time Part Five Editors' note: During the World War II era, the federal government condemned and leased hundreds of thousands of Indian acres for military use, much of it never returned to Indian hands. In this series, Indian Country Today spoke with Native people affected by the takings, many of whom served their country in wartime, lost their land to the government, and still harbor strong feelings on the matter. WASHINGTON - Indian time is slow. But in Washington they have a well- kept secret: the father of Indian time is "government time." Today, much of the Indian estate taken when World War II veterans were still in their teens remains unsafe, unusable, unreturned or simply unremembered. Some of these lands have been retained for emergency reasons - World War II drifted into the Cold War and Korea, which became Vietnam, which later morphed into the war against terrorism. At places like Camp Gruber in Oklahoma, the emergency that began in the early 1940s has never ended. The costs to Indian country have been high. Landowners were paid late, in increments, or unfairly; had a hard time repurchasing property in an inflated market; and, if given back an original tract, have struggled to make the best with "dirty land." Still worse, tribal lands leased to Washington have represented a huge opportunity cost in areas that were already economically depressed. Even when military land has gone into surplus, Indian interests have been quashed in the federal bureaucracy. The Cherokee were trumped by the state of Oklahoma when part of Gruber reverted to civilian use. The Oglala were outmuscled by the National Park Service in the backyard of their own badlands. In neither case was the BIA a useful ally. The Navajo have fared better with lands at Fort Wingate depot, albeit 70 years down the road. Soon to be divided between the Navajo and Zuni, some 20,000 acres are at stake. "We're not going backwards, so there's no need for opening these areas for range land use," said Charlie Davis, a Navajo rancher in the Wingate area. He'd like to see a veterans' hospital and nursing home on depot land. "It shouldn't be something we fight on," he urged. "It's something we should all have access to," including veterans of all colors and creeds. "It's about more than who owns what." Annie Yazzie, who herded sheep on Wingate land long ago, agreed. "Who am I to say I want that land returned to me where we're a growing community here, and we're crowded? How is that going to help the larger population by stating, 'This is where I was born. This is where I lived?"' Uranium mining north of Church Rock has contaminated land with high radon levels, including a flat where the Navajo wanted to build a large housing project. As a result, the Church Rock chapter covets former depot land for housing, provided it can be fully decontaminated. Yazzie is worried by relatives who want portions of her family's old land once the depot is handed over, a sentiment echoed by other families concerned that the rush for land may sabotage larger tribal efforts. The Wingate property must be decontaminated before the BIA can administer it, a process projected, under current funding, to finish in 2012. Eventually, the Navajo hope to put their Wingate lands into trust. In Oklahoma, no return of land is even imminent. "[Gruber] was the land they could consolidate easiest because Indians were there and it had some logistics value," said Cherokee Principal Chief Chad Smith. "The surprise with the Camp Gruber episode is that we didn't have much land left to be taken." Repatriation of Gruber land, he admitted, would be messy. "You're talking two or three generations now. When you start dividing 110-acre parcels among 10 or 15 heirs, it really becomes a practical nightmare. So maybe one of the ways to resolve the moral dilemma is to have the tribe become title holder and put it to some community purpose, Cherokee national purpose." Any return of Gruber land to the Cherokee is hypothetical at present. The Tohono O'odham feel the presence of military neighbors more sharply. By 1943, more than 2 million acres - an area twice the size of Delaware - had been taken for a tactical aviation range, part of it adjacent to their Arizona reservation. The Barry M. Goldwater Range, as it's known today, trains pilots from around the world in live fire training and simulated battlefield scenarios. "The nation has expressed an interest in that property," said Tohono O'odham Chairman Vivien Juan-Saunders. "That property lies within the aboriginal lands of the T.O. Nation. And we've not been considered a priority at this point." Juan-Saunders did note the military "does make an effort to consult with the nation, there are still outstanding issues with their operations" from several nearby bases, including unexploded ordnance on tribal land, crash landings, sonic booms from over-flights that damage windows and adobe walls, and flight paths that may limit tribal development. Henry Ramon has been hearing those flights for 60 years. When tribal members demanded compensation for over-flight damage in the 1970s, Ramon, former O'odham vice chairman, said, they settled out of court because "the people just got scared they'd have to pay millions of dollars if they lost the case." The flights continue over his own village, he said, contrary to negotiated agreement. But no one has lost more than the Oglala of Pine Ridge. While the tribe negotiates with the park service for return of gunnery range lands out of its control for 60 years, a debate persists about the future. Some would like to see the land developed for cultural tourism. Others want to manage it with a strong conservation ethic. Once the land is in tribal hands, it may be "like investing in a white elephant," cautioned Johnson Holy Rock, Oglala elder and former tribal president who has seen many commercial ventures go belly up on Pine Ridge. Pat Cuny, a rancher whose family was moved off the range in 1942 - and was able to buy the land back later - doesn't trust the tribal government any more than Washington. "They don't want to ruin Mother Earth," he said with a scowl. "Everything's Mother Earth to them. They'll ruin it with beer cans, but they don't want nothing else on it." Philip Burnham is the recipient of a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism. Copyright c. 1998 - 2006 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Calif. Tribes block development near Sacred Site" --------- Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2006 08:39:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MEDICINE LAKE" http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/016791.asp California tribes block development near sacred site November 7, 2006 A coalition of northern California tribes secured a court victory on Monday in their campaign to protect one of their most important sites. The Pit River Tribe and the Native Coalition for Medicine Lake Highlands sued to stop the development of a geothermal plant on federal forest land. The highlands are home to the sacred Medicine Lake, which the Pit River, Modoc, Shasta, Karuk and Wintun tribes use for healing powers and to seek spiritual guidance. After an administrative appeal, the tribes lost at the federal court level in February 2004. A judge said Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service complied with environmental and historic preservation laws and did not violate their trust responsibility. But in a unanimous decision issued yesterday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed. A three-judge panel rejected the extension of leases that would have allowed Calpine Corporation to develop the geothermal plant. "The agencies never took the requisite 'hard look' at whether the Medicine Lake Highlands should be developed for energy at all," Judge Clifford Wallace wrote for the majority. Wallace also said the agencies, at a minimum, shirked their fiduciary duties to the tribe by violating environmental and historic preservation laws. But the court stopped short of endorsing broader obligations to tribal nations under the trust relationship. And in deciding the case on the lease extensions, which were made in 1998, the 9th Circuit largely avoided a politically sensitive issue for the Bush administration and the Republican Party. At the time the tribes were pressing their case, the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney developed an energy policy that called for more development in the West and expedited review of such projects. Citing the policy, the BLM "unilaterally" lifted an existing moratorium on development in the Medicine Lake Highlands, the court noted. The agency didn't offer any public comment on its decision, made in June 2001 after Calpine filed a lawsuit and engaged in significant lobbying effort of new Republican officials in Washington, D.C. Almost a year later, the BLM again extended Calpine's leases in May 2002 for another 40 years. "No additional environmental analysis was undertaken in connection with this extension," the court said. With the support of the Republican-controlled Congress, the White House eventually won passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The law - in addition to forcing a controversial study of rights-of-way on Indian lands - made it harder for BLM to reject geothermal leases. The 9th Circuit ruled that the 2005 act did not affect the Pit River Nation's rights to pursue the case. But the court said its ruling didn't apply to the 2001 or 2002 actions of the Bush administration. At a June 2003 hearing before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Gene Preston, a Pit River council member, testified against the geothermal. He said the project will yield very little power at the expense of his tribe's cultural survival. "Where is the equation that says trading our culture is worth the gain?" he told the committee. "The profit is privatized while the impacts become the burden of Native Americans, society, animals and future generations." Calpine has since declared bankruptcy. Last fall, the company began work on the geothermal plant but was blocked by BLM and the Forest Service after the Telephone Flat Geothermal Project Oversight Committee, made up of tribes and local groups, raised concerns. Copyright c. 2000-2006 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: Boeing to mentor Native Company in Alabama" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 08:40:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MUSKOGEE METALWORKS" http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061109/cgth035.html?.v=75 Boeing Signs Agreement to Mentor Native American Company in Alabama November 9, 2006 ST. LOUIS, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA - News) has signed an agreement with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to mentor Muskogee Metalworks, an economic enterprise of the tribe. Under the agreement, Boeing will provide quality assurance, lean training, and marketing and business development assistance. The agreement between Boeing and Muskogee will help Muskogee Metalworks become a more cost effective and viable subcontractor to Boeing and other customers. "We are proud to be associated with Muskogee Metalworks and with this Mentor-Protege agreement, the latest in a series that Boeing has established with small companies to benefit from the diverse capabilities of companies located throughout Alabama," said Chuck Allen, vice president, Boeing Huntsville Business Operations. "Mentor-Protege agreements are a priority for Boeing because they promote the growth of suppliers and ultimately strengthen the business base." The U.S. Department of Defense Mentor-Protege Program pairs large companies with eligible small businesses to enhance their capabilities and enable them to successfully compete for larger, more complex prime contract and subcontract awards. Muskogee Metalworks is a tribally-owned enterprise. Its 90,000-square foot facility provides machine parts to military and private enterprise and participates in the U.S. Air Force Manufacturing Technical Assistance Production Program. In operation since 1989, Muskogee Metalworks' primary business is the design and manufacture of metal fabricated hardware. In 2001, the product line was expanded to include electronic assemblies and electro- mechanical production. In 2005, Muskogee Metalworks received the Nunn-Perry Award, the highest honor awarded to a contractor by the Department of Defense. Boeing is the largest aerospace company in Alabama. Today, the workforce of more than 3,000 employees work on the leading edge of key space and defense programs, including the International Space Station, Ground-based Midcourse Defense, Avenger and the PAC-3 missile. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $30.8 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer; a foremost developer of advanced concepts and technologies; a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in sustainment solutions and launch services. Copyright c. 2006 PR Newswire. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2006 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Navajo Code Talkers lobby for Native Language Bill" --------- Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 08:34:20 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CODE TALKERS LOBBY FOR ESTHER MARTINEZ ACT" http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/016894.asp Navajo Code Talkers lobby for Native language bill November 14, 2006 Three Navajo Code Talker are in Washington, D.C., to push for passage of the Esther Martinez Native American Language Act. Keith Little, Merril Sandoval and Samuel Tso used the Navajo language to create an unbreakable code during World War II. They are visiting the White House and Congress to lobby for the importance of preserving all Native languages. "The Navajo Code Talkers have been called into action one more time; they are taking to Capitol Hill this week in an unprecedented effort to save one of America's greatest legacies -- its Native languages," said Ryan Wilson, the president of the National Alliance to Save Native Languages and president of the National Indian Education Association. H.R.4766 would authorize the Department of Heath and Human Services to award grants for language immersion programs. It passed the House before Congress went on recess but was held up in the Senate. The bill is named after Esther Martinez, a Tewa language instructor who was killed in an auto accident shortly after receiving a National Heritage Fellowship. Copyright c. 2000-2006 Indianz.Com --------- "RE: Dictionary seeks to preserve Han Language" --------- Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2006 08:55:01 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ENDANGERED HAN ATHABASKAN LANGUAGE" http://newsminer.com/2006/11/06/3129/ New dictionary seeks to preserve endangered Han language By Louise Freeman November 6, 2006 EAGLE - The language of the Han people of the upper Yukon basin will be preserved in dictionary form thanks to the efforts of Belgian linguist Willem De Reuse and the Alaska Native Language Center. Han Athabaskan is one of the most endangered native languages in Alaska, with only seven or eight fluent speakers remaining in Eagle Village, with two more in Dawson, Canada. Larry Kaplan, director of the Alaska Native Language Center, said the language has been long ignored and is only now getting the attention it deserves. "For us it is a very high priority project to get it documented for future generations of Han people, as well as for linguists who might be interested in the language," he said. De Reuse spent much of the summer and fall in Eagle Village working with elders to document the vanishing language. Conan Goebel, First Chief of Eagle Village, said they have been trying for several years to obtain funding for such a project. "So we got lucky with the university contacting us and asking if Willem could come here and do this," he said. Ruth Ridley welcomed the opportunity to help De Reuse document the language. She previously worked with the ANLC in the 1980s to produce a book of stories in Han. "They call me the youngest fluent speaker of our language. And I'm 56, so you can see it needs help," she said. Ridley, with her older sisters Ethel Beck and Bertha Ulvi, grew up speaking Han as their first language. According to Beck, the children of the Paul family had to learn Han so they could communicate with their grandmother, who didn't speak English. Michael Krauss, former director of the ANLC who initiated the project now being funded by the statewide University of Alaska system, attributes much of the success of the project to the three sisters. "The Paul family especially understands the stakes and are actively contributing everything they can," he said. De Reuse is also working on a dictionary of Apache, one of the languages of the Southwest that is related to Northern Athabaskan languages such as Han and Gwich'in. Han, long considered a dialect of Gwich'in, has more recently been recognized as a separate language. The languages are enough alike, however, that De Reuse has been using words from a Gwich'in dictionary to help Eagle elders recall similar-sounding words in their own language. A list of Han nouns was compiled by linguist John Ritter of the Yukon Native Language Center in Whitehorse, Canada, in 1980, so De Reuse is concentrating on words for actions such as throwing, hitting and walking. De Reuse explained that many of the verbs are "pretty precise terms" that describe a very specific action. For example, there is a particular word meaning to "throw a solid roundish object like a rock or chunk of bone." For terms describing traditional male activities such as hunting and fishing, De Reuse turned to Tim Malcolm, who at age 69 is the oldest fluent speaker of Han in Eagle Village. Like other Alaska Natives over the past century, the children of the Paul and Malcolm families were discouraged from speaking their language once they entered school. De Reuse attributes much of the loss of the Han's language to formal education, but, he said, Eagle Village's relative isolation protected their culture from outside influence to some extent. The Han language fared less well in the Canadian village of Moosehide because of its proximity to Dawson, just two miles upriver. De Reuse plans to spend time in Dawson next summer working with the two remaining speakers of Han, who are both more than 70 years old. He will also return to Eagle to continue his work there, which includes recording not only words and phrases, but also stories told in Han. Although the dictionary won't be completed for several years, Eagle Village is already reaping the benefits of the project. Joanne Beck, tribal administrator, said that since working with De Reuse, "The elders have started speaking our language more and remembering stories that were passed on to them. It's exciting." The next step in preserving the language is to develop a curriculum so that the language can be taught in the school and the community. Ethel Beck said, "I'd love to teach the language to anyone who wants to learn it, adults or children." First Chief Goebel, 25, would like to learn Han himself, but he recognizes it will be of limited value. "You can't go down to the Lower 48 and use it, like Spanish. You've got to do it for yourself, to keep it alive." Louise Freeman is a freelance writer. Contact the News-Miner at 459-7575. All rights reserved, c. 2006 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. --------- "RE: Eastern Band goes green with Bio Diesel" --------- Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 20:40:31 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EBC BIO DIESEL PROGRAM" http://www.cherokee.org/home.aspx?section=phoenix&ID=36UD+lkph0Y= Eastern Band goes green with bio diesel Available In Cherokee Cherokee Phoenix November 2006 CHEROKEE, N.C - Cherokee now has a bio diesel gas pump at its filling station to fuel up tribal transit and maintenance vehicles as well as buses from the Cherokee Boys Club. The fuel contains 20 percent bio diesel, a cleaner-burning gas that releases less sulfur dioxide into the air, reducing pollution. Any regular diesel bus, van or truck can use the bio diesel without needing to be retrofitted. Cherokee officials recently announced the opening of the bio diesel filling station and the launch of a bio diesel shuttle between Cherokee and Gatlinburg. The van was painted with a mural of Cherokees walking through a forest path. Also painted on the vehicle are masks symbolizing the seven Cherokee clans. "We wanted to make a unique type of vehicle," Kathy Littlejohn, transit manager for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, said. The new van was paid for with $170,000 from a federal air quality initiative, which also covers the cost of the driver's salary, a ticket office, fuel, advertising brochures promoting the new shuttle service and operating expenses. The new bio diesel pump in Cherokee costs approximately $85,000, which included nearly equal contributions from an Environmental Protection Agency grant, the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, the N.C. State Energy office and the Cherokee Boys Club. The bio diesel pump will be used by tribal employees and is not a public pump, but Littlejohn said she hopes to see area private gas stations adding on bio diesel in the future. Distributors in Asheville, N.C., and Spartanburg, S.C., as well as the Smoky Mountain Bio fuels refinery opening soon in Dillsboro will supply the bio diesel. The average vehicle entering the national park has 2.9 passengers, according to Littlejohn, so a shuttle service run on bio diesel could reduce the number of vehicles in the nation's most heavily visited park while also reducing the hazy pollution that shrouds the nearby mountain vistas. - Smokey Mountain News Copyright c. 1998-2006. Cherokee Nation. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Tribe readies Meals for Needy" --------- Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 08:34:20 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MORONGO BAND FEEDING THE HUNGRY" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/ PE_News_Local_D_gobble14.39ae0e5.html Tribe readies meals for needy THANKSGIVING: This year, the Morongo Band is giving 7,000 turkeys and dinners for 700 families. By GAIL WESSON The Press-Enterprise November 13, 2006 The refrigerated trucks showed up Monday morning to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians' community center, met by a crew of volunteers ready to box up ingredients for the tribe's annual turkey-donation program. Over a five-day period, volunteers, dressed in bright lime-green T- shirts, will package some 7,000 turkeys and complete dinners, from side dishes to dessert, for more than 700 families in the region. The sharing grows every year. This year, the tribe is contributing about 1,000 more turkeys than last year. "The more prosperous we've become, we want to share with the community," said Adeline Bosworth, tribal council member and chairwoman of the Morongo Outreach Committee. "It wouldn't be possible without all the volunteers from the reservation and the community." More than 40 charities from the Inland area to Los Angeles will help distribute the Thanksgiving meals to people in need, a tribal news release said. At the community center, signs designate the deliveries for Monday: a combination of turkeys and meals to the Riverside City Mission, Alternatives to Domestic Violence in Sun City and Central Elementary School in Banning. Outside, more refrigerated trucks await loads. Small gift tags and big labels that will be affixed to boxes carry the message: "From our family to yours." Anthony Velasquez, 59, recently retired from a 30-year career at Mt. San Jacinto College and made this his first year helping with the project. "I just wanted to come and help with the boxes for the needy families," he said. Velasquez also helps with the outings program for tribal elders. "I can't stand around and do nothing," he said. It's Mike Santa Cruz's fifth year of helping and an extension of his Banning Senior Center volunteering. "I'll be here all week," said Santa Cruz, 72. About 30 to 50 volunteers, from the tribe and nearby communities, help each day. Volunteers will deliver turkeys and meal boxes to Cabazon Elementary School today and Mecca School on Wednesday. There also is a delivery to the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, a tribe near the Salton Sea that has no gaming. Bosworth said Morongo has a "sister tribe" relationship with Torres-Martinez. Charity representatives will pick up turkeys and meals Friday for distribution. Bosworth said Morongo volunteers will serve a turkey meal Monday at Carol's Kitchen, a Pass-area program. The program also donates turkeys to the Red Barn, a food-assistance program run by Morongo Faith Chapel on the reservation. "Sharing food is a tradition in our culture that can be traced back to the beginning," Bosworth said in a statement. "Morongo values its sustained commitment to the community and enjoys sharing our prosperity with others." The success of enterprises, including the casino, has allowed the tribe to donate more than $1 million a year to more than 200 nonprofit and community organizations, a tribal news release said. Reach Gail Wesson at 951-846-2304 or gwesson@PE.com Copyright c. 2006, The Press-Enterprise Company. --------- "RE: EDITORIAL: Another good shot emerges for Cobell" --------- Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 08:38:41 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EDITORIAL: INDIAN TRUST SUIT IN NEW CONGRESS" http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/016862.asp Editorial: Another good shot emerges for Cobell November 10, 2006 With Congress headed back to Washington next week under a new Democratic majority, Indian Country can get to work on a real settlement to the Cobell trust fund lawsuit. The case came close to resolution this summer when the Senate Indian Affairs Committee advanced an $8 billion settlement that the plaintiffs and Indian stakeholders were willing to accept. But Sen. John McCain, who spent more time investigating than legislating during his past two years as chairman of the panel, unwisely let the Bush administration delay the bill not just once, but twice. Then he let the White House kill the settlement altogether by unleashing the October Surprise -- a plan to terminate the trust without paying for past mistakes. Former National Congress of American Indians president Tex Hall rightly called it the "weakest proposal I've ever seen in my 10 years as being a tribal leader." No one knows for sure why McCain relented, especially after he boasted that he and Congress have never bowed to the wishes of the executive branch, or anyone else for that matter. "Excuse me," he said at a hearing, his code words for "You are wrong, I am right." As a leader on Indian issues, McCain can definitely play an important role in the 110th Congress as the plaintiffs push for a fair settlement. "We will work closely with the new Congress to resolve the litigation fairly and expeditiously," Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff, said yesterday. But he gave it his "one good shot" -- those were his words remember? -- and he failed. The Democratic takeover, though, gives everyone a new start that few could have envisioned a couple of weeks ago. With that in mind, a settlement should do the following: * Settle the Cobell historical accounting -- and only the Cobell historical accounting -- for billions. Tribal claims should not be touched. * Establish a commission, panel, board or other entity that will develop fiduciary standards to manage trust funds and assets. The trustee should be held accountable to the standards. * Eliminate the Office of Special Trustee, a move that will put the Indian back in Bureau of Indian Affairs. Ross Swimmer will be looking for a new job soon anyway. Resolving fractionated heirships is a lofty goal but not one for inclusion in the bill. After all, didn't Congress just pass yet another round of amendments to the Indian Land Consolidation Act? "It's not the root cause of the mismanagement we're talking about," Cobell said of fractionation on Native America Calling on Monday. It's obvious that it will take serious study, and resources, before more legislation on this issue. Finally, Congress must adequately fund the BIA so that it can fix the problems and carry out future solutions. The money to do this can't come from the settlement. Once the suit is settled, Indian Country can work on other equally pressing issues that the Bush administration cast aside in order to blame inaction on Cobell. The 110th Congress gives everyone another good shot. Copyright C. 2000-2006 Indianz.Com. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Colorful history surrounds Forts" --------- Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 20:40:31 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: GREAT PLAINS FORTS" http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm? id=15636§ion=columnists&columnist=Dorreen%20Yellow%20Bird Colorful history surrounds Great Plains forts Dorreen Yellow Bird Grand Forks Herald November 4, 2006 As I reviewed North Dakota forts for a Canadian conference I attended last weekend, I found myself thinking again about the history of the tribes in the Dakota Territory, including my tribe, the Sahnish. I say the Sahnish because I was raised that way, but I have a great- grandfather, Little Sioux, who was Lakota. I also have a grandfather who was Dakota Sioux from the Mdewakanton in Minnesota, both on my mother's side. My father was full-blood Sahnish. Forts in the Dakota Territory were built on rivers or streams. They were there for the protection of settlers who were passing through the Dakotas for Montana gold or land on the West Coast. There were many forts. Some of those in our area were Park River Post, a North West Co. trading post on the Red River near Grand Forks; Fort Pembina (1870- 1895), built to watch the Sioux and the growing disturbances of the Red River settlements; Grand Forks Post, a North West Co. trading post founded by members of the Pembina settlement. Fort Totten (1867-1890), now a historical site, first was a military post and then a school for children from Spirit Lake Dakota Sioux and Turtle Mountain Chippewa of Belcourt, N.D. The old fort still is intact, probably because it was boarding school not too long ago. There are people who still live at Fort Totten who went to school there. I have toured the fort a couple of times. I always feel a deep sadness when I walk the grounds. Several years ago, I stayed at a bed and breakfast in the military officers' quarters. A prisonlike fence surrounds the parking lot of the bed and breakfast. To me, it's a symbol of the distance between the Dakota and the people who maintain the fort. Another fort on the eastern side of the state is Fort Abercrombie (1857- 1878). This fort protected settlers from attacks by the Dakotas of Minnesota. It was twice attacked unsuccessfully by the Sioux in 1862. With the signing of a treaty with the Ojibwa and the Sioux in 1870, the threat from Indian tribes declined, and the fort was abandoned in 1877. Fort Abercrombie played a significant role in opening the Dakota Territory to settlement. My grandfather was Dakota Mdewakanton and involved in the battles and skirmishes that took place during that time. The result of this uprising was the largest mass execution in American history. Thirty-eight Dakota men were hanged at Camp Lincoln near Mankato, Minn., after a trial that would have the hair of judges today stand straight up. The men who went to their hanging were brave and sang their death songs as they walked. The Sioux wars continued, ending in the massacre at Wounded Knee, S.D., in 1890. Fort Yates (1874-1903), one of the westernmost forts, sits as the headquarters for the Lakota, who took out Gen. George Custer in the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Fort Yates was built to take the place of Fort Rice (1864-1879). Fort Abraham Lincoln , near Mandan (1872-1891) then was built to replace Fort Yates. The agency at Fort Yates still is there, but Fort Lincoln is a replica of the old fort and Custer's house. As the Sahnish moved north and west, they occupied Fort Clark (1831- 1869), which is north of Bismarck. After several years of skirmishes with the Sioux, they moved to Like-A-Fishhook village with the Mandan and Hidatsa. I remember my grandmother telling us about the last old woman to leave Like-A-Fishhook village. She refused a frame house and stayed in her earth lodge. When she died, the village never was rebuilt. Fort Berthold (1858-1874) sprung up around Like-A-Fishhook village. The fort protected the three tribes against warring Sioux in the area. It burned once and was rebuilt three times. Today, there is little left of what was the fort. The town that grew up around it was Elbowoods. When Lake Sakakawea formed and covered the area, the three tribes were scattered to the upper benchlands around the slow-rising lake. The changes the tribes experienced during some 150 years is dramatic but probably inevitable. That was true also of the forts: None were rebuilt; a few are tourist sites. As life on the Plains settled into calm, the role of military as protectors of the settlers was over. Indian people stayed in the areas where they were placed and on the land reserved for them. I doubt if young people today realize that the place where they live was a fort at one time, and a stronghold for the military who protected the white settlers against our people. ---- Dorreen Yellow Bird is a reporter and columnist. Her columns appear Wednesdays and Saturdays on the opinion pages of the Herald. Reach her at (701) 780-1228 or dyellowbird@gfherald.com Copyright c. 2006 Grand Forks Herald, Forum Communications Co., Fargo ND. --------- "RE: GIAGO: Few roles for Indians in Hollywood" --------- Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2006 08:39:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GIAGO: INDIANS AND HOLLYWOOD" http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/016767.asp Tim Giago: Few roles for Indians in Hollywood November 6, 2006 Posted by request of Tim Giago, Nanwica Kciji. Copyright c. 2006 Native American Journalists Foundation, Inc. Oh, Hollywood, that beautiful place where dreams are made and dreams are dashed. I need not go into the horrific, erroneous, hideous, nonsensical and racist movies about Native Americans that have sprouted in this magic kingdom and left such an onerous stench across Indian country because they have been enumerated countless times amongst the Indian people themselves. We are all products of our times. Jay Silver Heels, the infamous Tonto of the Lone Ranger films, fought to make changes in the movie industry at a time when Indians were considered no more important than ornaments that decorate the movie set. He went along to get along and his "pidgin English" pronunciations to the "Masked Crusader" soon became synonymous with all Indians. "Me makeum smoke signals to Great White Father, Ugh" was the kind of language any aspiring Indian actor had to master before he could be cast in the early Grade "B" Westerns. White kids playing Indians in the perennial game of Cowboys and Indians were soon spouting this "Tontonese" with expert clarity. In the 1930s and 1940s, Indian children attending classes at the Indian boarding schools went so far as to emulate the linguistics of Mr. Silver Heels. Even in the movie Key Largo, a movie in which Silver Heels plays the part of a Seminole Indian, he continues to speak in his "pidgin English" voice. I spoke with Silver Heels many years ago at an awards banquet in Los Angeles and I was not surprised to hear him say that he was always very, very uncomfortable speaking as he did and he wished he had been more assertive to the many white directors who expected him to speak like an unaccomplished idiot. "But this is the way it was back then and I think I allowed myself to be manipulated because I was one of the few Indians actually playing the part of an Indian and I really hoped that by going along I would be able to open the door for other Indian actors," he said. The Indian people are truly the invisible people in the movies and in the many television sit-coms. You tell me when you last saw an Indian in an everyday situation in a sit-com? I know that the television series Northern Exposure featured Elaine Miles, Umatilla, as Marilyn Whirlwind in a recurring role, but that series was an exception to the rule. Movie opportunities are rare indeed for Indian actors and actresses. It is probably more so for Indian women because in the early days of motion pictures whites portrayed most Indian women. Of course, Victor Mature as Crazy Horse opposite Earl Flynn as George Armstrong Custer in "They Died with Their Boots on" is also an example of non-Indians taking on the roles of strong Indian males. Graham Greene is probably one of the best-known Indian actors and yet even he chose to take on a role that was demeaning. A movie based on the book "The Education of Little Tree" written by Forrest Carter, a white man claiming to be an Indian, and worse yet, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, placed Greene in the uncomfortable position of playing a role that should have been left in the hands of a white man playing an Indian. As a matter of fact, based on the lies that created the book, it was a movie that should not have been made at all. Carter, the author, was a segregationist writer for the racist Governor of Alabama, George Wallace, and the leader of a Ku Klux Klan branch that preached hate against blacks and Jews. Amy Kallio Bollman said of his book, "It is not autobiographical - at least not as we conventionally utilize that term. While the aesthetic value of the book is arguable, it contains messages which are thinly veiled pro-white supremacist and which are perhaps unintentionally anti-Native American." American Indian film director Chris Eyre has made a supreme effort to bring movies with Indians as main characters into the mainstream, but the lack of good scripts and a high wall to climb within the movie industry have shackled him. He is young and he will, in my estimation; knock down the wall standing in his path. As Indians we have to move past stereotypical movies like "Black Cloud" with Eddie Spears and Russell Means. As a matter of record, for an activist Means played the only role worth mentioning in the movie. It's like when you see any really bad movie, but even in the badness, you find one actor of worth. Means filled that role in Black Cloud. If there is an Indian star on the horizon it has to be Adam Beach. I am sure that he is at times uncomfortable about the roles he has to take on as an Indian actor. Even in his dramatic role as Ira Hayes in Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers," Beach had to further dramatize the image of a stereotypical drunken Indian. I am hopeful that those past Indian actors like Jay Silver Heels and Eddie Little Sky will someday be honored for the pain they had to endure while trying to make their mark in Hollywood. They did open the doors for real Indians with their sacrifice. --- 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 or at najournalists@rushmore.com. 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 (harmon@clearlightbooks.com) published his latest book, "Children Left Behind". Copyright c. 2000-2006 Indianz.Com --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Red hat, yes; blue thong ...maybe" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 08:40:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: WHY OLDER CHICKS RULE" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm? id=16102&freebie_check&CFID=5319026& CFTOKEN=44131022&jsessionid=88302f3572913065296a Red hat, yes; blue thong ...maybe Dorreen Yellow Bird Grand Forks Herald November 8, 2006 My sister, Lizzy, reminds me too often that she is the younger of the two of us. I think that's why she sent me what she thought was a column by Andy Rooney, "60 Minutes" star. It's called "Why Older Chicks Rule," and I believe she sent it as a way of saying "Hooray for older women" and giving me a good laugh for the day. After a little checking, I couldn't confirm that Rooney wrote the clever and complimentary column about older woman. Note: We need to be wary of the Internet and some of the things it produces. It can be like an ocean of good information and other times just a handful of wetland slime. Not nice, but true. Back to the lives and deeds of older women. There's a group of women who spit in the eye of old age and laugh until they add another wrinkle to their face. They are "The Red Hat Society." My favorite new group of the Red Hat Society in North Dakota is the Blue Thong Society (and not the shoe kind of thong, either). They are even more rebellious than the graying and white-haired Red Hatters. They were feeling a little uncomfortable that the Red Hatters weren't as rebellious as they needed to be, the Blue Thong members say on their Web page. Down with frump, they yell. They know how to age with class, verve, humor and elan. The group started one day when Sue Ellen Cooper, who is known as the Queen Mother, sent a red hat she bought from a secondhand store to a friend, along with a 1961 poem, "Warnings" by Jenny Joseph. The poem is what the Red Hat Society is; it includes the lines, "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple "With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me." From there, the red hats and the poem spread from woman to woman until there are many chapters through the country. Since the day I ran across the Red Hat Society at the Shooting Star Casino one weekend several months ago, I have been intrigued with the idea. I recognized them at the casino buffet right away by their red hats and pointed them out to my sister. I told her the information I knew of them. Those at the casino restaurant were quieter than I would have expected; the red hats were a standout, though, and the contrast between their red hats, purple dresses or tops and white hair was vibrant. We should start a Red Hat or a Blue Thong group on the reservation, I whispered to my sister across the table. What riot that would cause! After a good laugh, we decided we'd have to fine-tune it so that it would be more culturally appropriate. . . . But then again, these Red-Hatters-over- 50 are pretty "out there," I said, and I think we'd fit right in. I thought about my grandmother as a Red Hatter. She was a strong woman and also tied closely to American Indian culture. But I think she would have understood the philosophy of the Red Hat Society. She lived into her 80s. They believe it's time to let go of some of the responsibilities of earlier lives. It's time to have fun without timelines, rules or goals. This time in life should be the gift for those who survived into their 50s. The ties that bind us to families and responsibilities are loosened somewhat; it's now a struggle against the diseases that come with aging. Yet we should remember that there is more. We don't have to just stand here and say, "Now what do I do? Is this all there is to life?" There is a sadness about not being responsible for anyone any more - the "empty nest syndrome." The women of Red Hat Society answer those questions. They say that the world is our oyster, and it is time to pluck it. ---- Dorreen Yellow Bird is a reporter and columnist. Her columns appear Wednesdays and Saturdays on the opinion pages of the Herald. Reach her at (701) 780-1228 or dyellowbird@gfherald.com Copyright c. 2006 Grand Forks Herald, Forum Communications Co., Fargo ND. --------- "RE: JODI RAVE: Election Day for Indian Country" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2006 06:31:50 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JODI RAVE: INDIAN VOTE" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/11/09/jodirave/rave50.txt Tribal citizens across U.S. elect new leaders By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian November 9, 2006 While U.S. voters cast their ballots in federal, state and county elections, tribal citizens across the country also elected new leaders Three of the most-watched tribal races around the country were in Arizona, North Dakota and South Dakota. President Joe Shirley Jr. of the Navajo Nation won his re-election against Lynda Lovejoy, the first woman to ever make it into the Navajo's general election. Shirley - who leads the country's largest land-based tribe - won with 34,813 votes, compared to Lovejoy's 30,214 votes. Tex Hall, former tribal chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in North Dakota, lost his re-election bid to MHA Councilman Marcus Wells Jr. Hall is the former two-term president of the National Congress of American Indians. And in South Dakota, John Yellow Bird-Steele coasted past former Oglala Sioux Tribe President Cecila Fire Thunder, the first woman elected by the Oglala. Yellow Bir