_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' 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 Bird-Steele received 2,341 votes, compared to Fire Thunder's 1,398 votes. She gained national attention this year after proposing that an abortion clinic be built on the Pine Ridge Reservation. She announced her decision after the South Dakota Legislature passed a controversial law that criminalizes all abortions in the state. South Dakota voters rejected the measure at the polls Tuesday. Meanwhile, in Arizona, the Navajo presidential candidates moved toward quick resolution on Wednesday. A Navajo Nation press release provides the following account: Lovejoy joined Shirley on stage in Window Rock, Ariz., shortly after he made his victory speech. "When a candidate concedes, just as I am making my concession, people come back together," Lovejoy said. "Words that are not kind were said in the newspaper, but tomorrow will be a beautiful day." Shirley's election marks the first time a Navajo president has been re- elected. "I'm just so elated, I'm just so happy," he said. "I don't know what to do with myself." On the Fort Berthold Reservation, the transition between outgoing chairman Hall and the newly elected Wells was abrupt. Hall immediately began moving items from his office Tuesday night after the election in which Wells received 1,356 of all ballots cast, compared to 1,123 votes for Hall. "It's a time to look forward and not back," Wells told supporters after he was sworn in to office Tuesday night, after an election board certified the results. "It's a time for healing and forgiveness. It's time for us to move on. We shall do this in a united way as members of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribe." All newly elected MHA council members will celebrate in a family-and- friend inaugural event at 1 p.m. Friday in the Four Bears Casino event center in New Town, N.D. For now, acting OST President Alex White Plume will continue to oversee the Oglala's presidential duties. He took over Fire Thunder's position after the tribe impeached her in June for using her presidential position to advance abortion. She claimed she had a right to do so as a private citizen. The Oglala election results won't be official until Nov. 28, said David Mills, OST election board manager. The final stamp of approval is being held up as the tribe determines whether OST law enforcement officials overstepped their boundaries during Tuesday's tribal elections. Mills said police officers presented an invalid court order from OST's election appeals board, which allowed them to take possession of ballot boxes in certain voter precincts on the reservation. "The court of election board will have to determine if they violated the process of people to vote," said Mills. Reporter Jodi Rave can be reached at 800-366-7186 or at jodi.rave@lee.net Copyright c. 2006 Missoulian, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Too few Native Women Candidates" --------- Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 08:38:41 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: WOMEN IN TRIBAL POLITICS" http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm? id=16486§ion=columnists&columnist=Dorreen%20Yellow%20Bird Too few Native women toss their beaded headgear into ring Dorreen Yellow Bird Grand Forks Herald November 11, 2006 There's shuffling feet and creaking chairs as politicians take new positions, now that the Democrats have made big gains in the federal and state governments. Changes took place on reservations, too, but not along party lines. It may be surprising to some, but political parties such as Democratic and Republican are not part of Plains tribes' way. I say Plains tribes because many tribes involved in megacasinos are aware that political parties can help or hinder the success of their most important "cash cow." On reservations, deep pockets and big campaign budgets are not as useful. Instead, the winners usually are the candidates who know how to campaign - who know and understand their community and keep family lines, relatives and clanships intact. And it usually doesn't cost them their beaded belt or jingle dress, either. There is, however, one change in Plains tribal government that is telling. Women are stepping forward with an eye on the tribe's top position; some women made it to the primaries. In some cases, this represents the first time a woman has attempted to invade this male-dominated world. And it's not only in Indian country: When Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., takes her place as the Speaker of the U.S. House, she will be the first woman ever to hold that powerful position. The Navajo Nation, a sovereign Native American tribe traditionally known as Dine' or The People, never have elected a woman as chairman. This year, current President Joe Shirley Jr. won re-election; but he had run against a woman, Lynda Lovejoy, the first woman to ever make it into the Navajo's general election. The Navajo Nation is the largest reservation in the country, with a land base that is about the size of West Virginia. Its population is 180,462 and the government consists of 88 council delegates. Lovejoy's run for a governmental position may be a harbinger of what the Dine' could see in the future One of the challengers on Nov. 7 for the Oglala Nation in Pine Ridge, S. D., was Cecelia Fire Thunder. I watched Fire Thunder during the past four years. She was elected, impeached and then picked herself up and ran again. She was third on the ballot and didn't make the primaries. Then, one of the top two candidates, Alex White Plume, was taken off the ballot because he had an old felony conviction on his record, making him ineligible to run. Fire Thunder was back on the ballot - but alas, after all of the ballots were counted, John Yellow Bird (no relation) Steele was voted in. The Pine Ridge reservation is the second-largest reservation in the nation. It has a land base about half the size of Connecticut and a population of 14,068. It was significant that Fire Thunder made it as far as she did. Fire Thunder is a strong woman, something that is needed in tribal governments - and the Oglala tribal government should make room for her to work with them in some capacity. Farther north in New Town, N.D., home of the Three Affiliated Tribes, Ramona Two Shields came close to making the runoff but was outdone by Tex Hall and Marcus Wells Jr., the current chairman and vice-chairman. Wells won. Again, Wells would do well to find a place for Two Shields in his administration. She has financial and administrative experience after 30 years as a contracting officer for the Navy. On my trip into Canada a few weeks ago, I met the chief of the Canupawakpa Dakota (Ojibway) Nation people - Viola Eastman. This reserve is a small aboriginal community not far from Winnipeg and Brandon, Man. Eastman is in her second term and makes the job look easy. She has the charisma to hold an audience - and more important, on the top of her list of concerns is a balanced budget. When I looked over the center of our country, I wondered: Why have so few Indian women tried to move into leadership roles? Is it tradition? In the past, men were leaders and warriors while the women cared for the home and children. This is not a new concept, even among the non-Native early settlers. Women had their place and role back then, and it wasn't in government. Do Indian women fear the backlash and backtalk from tribal people if they pursue a leadership role? Perhaps the problem lies within our own gender. There are women who object to women candidates; have the years they've spent in supportive roles trained women to believe that leadership is for men only? Whatever the reason, Fire Thunder, Two Shields and Lovejoy should take courage. They can bring heart to tribal government and our communities - and we need them. They are also an indication of what is to come. ---- 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: Native Soldiers, unsung Heros" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2006 06:31:50 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JODI RAVE: NATIVE SOLDIERS" http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/11/12/jodirave/rave49.txt Native soldiers have long been unsung heroes By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian November 11, 2006 Who's your hero? Most of us know someone we admire and respect, someone we put on a pedestal. These days, as a nation, we have tens of thousands of new heroes to celebrate. These are the men and women who have volunteered to wear a U.S. military uniform. The war in Iraq has taken these airmen, soldiers, Marines and sailors far from the safety of their homes and sent them to foreign lands. As of Friday, at least 2,845 U.S. troops had died in the war with Iraq. More than 21,600 troops had been wounded. By now, we all know stories of the dead, the wounded, the heroes. But we're also a nation with unsung heroes. How many of us know about Native veterans? Thankfully, Hollywood - because few mediums beat the power of film - has taken note of Native contributions to U.S. war efforts, past and present. The most recent homage recognizes one particular Marine. He moved Johnny Cash to record one of his hits. His image inspired a nation after it was captured in a Pulitzer Prize- winning photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal in 1945. Now he's a central character in director Clint Eastwood's October release of "Flags of Our Fathers." The World War II photo captured Ira Hayes - a Pima from Arizona's Gila River Reservation - and five other Marines raising the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi at the Battle of Iwo Jima. When I watched "Flags of Our Fathers" Wednesday, it reminded me of my interview with Sara Bernal several years ago. We talked about her uncle, Ira Hayes. She said she didn't like Johnny Cash's "The Ballad of Ira Hayes." Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian Nor the Marine that went to war... And now comes the film version. Although we can't escape the drinking- Indian image, Ojibwe actor Adam Beach offers a moving portrayal of Hayes in "Flags of Our Fathers." The film allows an honorable veteran to emerge - one troubled by the ravages of war washed clean with whiskey. Still, we see a complex character unfold. We see a man with principles, a man with passion. We see a man who shuns glory, which finds him nonetheless. The odds seem slim that a single Native vet would be memorialized by Johnny Cash, a timeless photo, and now an Eastwood film. But the truth is about 20 percent of all Natives are serving or have served in the U.S. military, even though they make up only 1 percent of the U.S. population. Perhaps it's not coincidence Beach also portrays another Native Marine in John Woo's 2002 film, "Windtalkers." That movie took us into the world of the Navajo Code Talkers, an elite force of men who used their tribal language to relay complex, coded messages to and from military frontlines to outwit the Japanese during World War II. "These were services that only indigenous people of the United States could have provided in crucial times of war and it is time they are recognized appropriately by the government," said Joe Garcia, president of the National Congress of American Indians. The Navajo Code Talkers have received Congressional Gold Medals for their work. But other Native veterans have yet to be recognized for doing the same thing in World War I and World War II. We have Choctaw Code Talkers. Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Code Talkers. Comanche Code Talkers and others. Men like Eddie Eagle Boy, Elgin Red Elk, Larry Saupitty and Baptiste Pumpkinseed have never been recognized for helping develop one of the most sophisticated and successful military codes ever used by U.S. forces. Many of these men weren't even recognized as U.S. citizens when they enlisted in the military, nor did they have a right to vote. Yet Native code talkers saved the lives of countless Americans. They are our unsung heroes. The NCAI is behind legislation introduced last December that would finally award Congressional Gold Medals to all Native code talkers. The Code Talkers Recognition Act, H.R. 4597, is long overdue. We can't drop our salute until all indigenous code talkers receive their honors. Jodi Rave covers Native issues for the Missoulian. Reach her at 1-800-366-7186 or jodi.rave@lee.net Copyright c. 2006 Missoulian, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Quebec Aboriginal group targets Anti-Native Racism" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2006 06:31:50 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RACISM" http://www.firstperspective.ca/fp_combo_template.php?path=20061109quebec Quebec Aboriginal group targets Anti-Native racism by Joseph Quesnel November 9, 2006 A Quebec-based Aboriginal organization is taking the lead in an initative to combat what it sees as anti-Native racism in the province. The First Nations Education Council (FNEC), an informal association of Aboriginal communities within Quebec with the aim of improving education for First Nations, launched the initiative last month after they decided that they had had enough of public expressions of anti-Native sentiment. "For many years, we have heard racism on radio and the television about Native people," said Lise Bastien, director of FNEC, pointing to examples in "shock radio" where Aboriginals are often targeted in jokes and political statements. The radio format is immensely popular in Quebec, but has come under attack on several occasions by those offended by its outspokenness. One station in Quebec City even had its licence revoked in the past by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for allegedly allowing offensive statements. "I am in the field of education and I am always concerned about what kids are hearing about Aboriginal people." For Bastien, she became very concerned about the level of dialogue about Aboriginal peoples one night when she was watching television. A comedian, she recounted, was telling a joke where he said he has Native blood, but is all contained on "his car's dashboard. " "I have a grand daughter and I felt very sad for her. I am concerned about the self-esteem of our children when these things happen," she said. It was at that moment, she said, that she felt that enough was enough and she encouraged her organization to take action. The first step, said Bastien, was a call to all of their Aboriginal communities to bring to FNEC's attention anything they see or hear through the media that may be considered discriminatory or racist against Aboriginal people. Once they have the information, she said, the organization hopes to build a case against those who are expressing anti-Native sentiments. Her organization, she added, will then work with the regional chiefs in dealing with the issues. "We are often the image people like to see about First Nations people, that they take drugs, don't work and steal guns and cigarettes." Bastien said the ultimate purpose of the initative is to "leave a new heritage for their children" and a different image to be compared with. "There are ideas that Aboriginals are receiving two cheques a month from the government and they make more money than other Quebecois. It's not discriminatory, it's just the ideas expressed and it's affecting our kids, " she said. Even within the regional media in Quebec, Bastien said, there are disturbing trends. On many gravel roads, Aboriginals are involved in many accidents and get injured or even die. "They don't even mention anything about it in the newspapers. It doesn't matter, it's just an Indian. They don't talk about it and it allows the government to do nothing about it." "They do what they want with no fear because we are silent," she said. "It was accordingly decided, with the support of Regional Chief Ghislain Picard, that now is the time for the First Nations to take action by confronting head-on the incorrect information and inexact knowledge concerning Aboriginal people, and the racism and intolerance they are being subjected to," read a written statement, authorizing FNEC to taken action on the issue. "My point with all this is to sensitize people and to show zero tolerance for this," she said. "We are trying to send a message to the First Nations people that we are sick of this and that enough is enough," she said, adding that they want to develop a "layer of defense" for First Nations who feel they are subject to discrimination. "Other groups, such as the Black community and the Jewish community, if they hear these words, they do something," she said, adding that Aboriginals want to adopt the same kind of approach in the future. Copyright c. 2006 Manitoba Drum/First Perspective. --------- "RE: Me'tis harvesting rights on trial" --------- Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2006 08:39:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="POWLEY DECISION CHALLENGED" http://www.firstperspective.ca/fp_combo_template.php?path=20061106metis Me'tis harvesting rights on trial by Joseph Quesnel November 6, 2006 A landmark court case in Manitoba involving a Me'tis hunter may very well determine the future of Me'tis rights across Canada, argues a lawyer who is defending the man. "It's a very significant case. It's one of the first cases that applies the Powley decision which defined Me'tis rights," says Jason Madden, a lawyer representing Will Goodon, a Manitoba Me'tis man who was charged back in 2004 for possessing an illegal migratory bird as a result of not owning a provincial hunting licence. He had killed the bird in the Turtle Mountain area the day before. Goodon is the chair of the Cherry Creek local of the Manitoba Me'tis Federation located in southern Manitoba. This past October, his trial finally continued in a court a provincial court in Brandon, with the introduction of expert witnesses and members of the Me'tis community testifying. The trial will resume in the middle of November. Ironically, Goodon says he has charged in a provincial conservation office after seeking clarity from officers over the validity of a Me'tis harvesting card which was issued by the Manitoba Me'tis Federation shortly after the Powley decision. The Powley ruling is significant in that the Supreme Court ruled that Me'tis who could demonstrate connection to a viable Me'tis community could hunt without a provincial licence in their traditional territories. It also directed provincial governments to work with Me'tis in ensuring the right is respected. "I never intended to shake that duck in front of them," says Goodon, stressing that he was upset over the lack of clarity regarding Me'tis harvesting rights. After Powley, Goodon says Premier Gary Doer had assured the Me'tis community that Me'tis harvesting cards would be honoured by Manitoba Conservation and that Me'tis hunters would not be charged. When he spoke to conservation officials in Boissevain, however, he was told that hunters may be fined for not possessing a licence. "I just so tired of the lies and the false promises," says Goodon, adding that he asked one of the officers if he would be charged for shooting a duck without a licence, to which he was responded that he would be charged. He then went to his truck and produced the bird and was charged. The result of the trial, however, could determine the future of all Me'tis rights-holders across Canada, not just those in Manitoba, stresses Madden. "The main issue that will be tested is the definition of the Me'tis community," he says. The Powley decision only provided a framework definition, he says. The Goodon case, he adds, will provide a much broader and larger community for the court to consider. The provincial governments, he argues, have taken advantage of the impreciseness of the definition and have tended to limit Me'tis to small villages and towns, and not take into consideration the larger regional communities that Me'tis formed. "The provinces have tended to define the Me'tis community as small dots on the maps," he says. At trial, Madden says Goodon's legal team brought forward a local academic Bret Nickels, who presented studies on traditional Me'tis land use. "What Dr. Nickels demonstrated was that Me'tis were very different than the First Nations. Whereas, First Nations developed land use in concentric circles around their reserves, the Me'tis were much more mobile and harvested in a wider area outside their immediate areas," says Madden. Drawing on a similar case in Saskatchewan, Madden states that the courts have come to a wider understanding of the Me'tis community and have accepted historical research showing that Me'tis traditional territories embrace a much wider area geographically than provinces want to admit. In that particular case, Ron Laviolette, a Me'tis man, was acquitted after being initially charged for fishing out of season. The Crown argued that he was not in his local area, so did not possess the right. The judge disagreed and said he was part of a larger Me'tis community in Saskatchewan that even extended into parts of Alberta. "It shows that the Me'tis thought nothing of travelling up to 400 kilometres away from their family to visit friends and harvested in that area all at the same time," he says. In a historic sense, Madden hopes the case will establish the continuity of Me'tis rights. The Crown, he says, will be taking the position that the original Manitoba Act, in providing land grants to individual Metis, extinguished Me'tis rights to harvesting. Madden, however, has said that he wants to bring down that argument by showing that the Manitoba Act does not even mention harvesting rights, so it cannot extinguish that which it not clearly enumerate. Closer to home, Madden also says the case will also look at the steps the Manitoba Me'tis Federation, and perhaps other provincial Me'tis groups, have adopted in creating systems for "objectively" deciding who is Me'tis and providing harvesting rights on that basis. In Powley, he said, the decision established that provinces must move towards a system to recognize Me'tis harvesting rights, which Manitoba has not. "It will interesting to hear what the court says about the system already set up in Manitoba," he says. "Our policy is pretty straight forward. All residents need a provincial hunting licence," says Blair McTavish, a spokesperson with Manitoba Conservation. McTavish stressed that at the moment the province only recognizes First Nation status cards as valid replacements for a hunting licence. "We do not, at this point, recognize the Me'tis harvesting card." McTavish even concedes that the Manitoba is as interested in the outcome of the Goodon case as the Me'tis community. "These cases will help clarify that position, such as what is a community right," he says. "Hopefully, the Goodon case will help define these issues." For Goodon, the issue of clarity is paramount. Just recently, some of his friends, who are Metis, who were accompanying him on a goose hunt were not charged by conservation officers even though they only have Me'tis harvesting cards. Yet recently, he said, some Me'tis hunters who were hunting chickens for Thanksgiving were charged. This type of inconsistency in the application of the law, he says, is what angers him. "Either the premier doesn't know what he's doing or he has no control over those who are under him," he says. The court decision, he adds, will likely force the Doer government to sit down and negotiate with the Me'tis to hammer out a harvesting agreement, as exists in other provinces. Lack of clarity over jurisdiction is also something Goodon hopes his trial will help clarify. When he was initially charged, he says, the provincial government attempted to get the federal government involved because a migratory bird was involved. "The federal government refused to become involved because the federal cabinet has a policy to recognize Me'tis hunting rights," he says. In the meantime, those defending Goodon will be presenting another expert witness, as well as members of the Me'tis community, to testify in November. The Crown is expected to bring forward its own arguments come January 2007. Copyright c. 2006 First Perspective/Manitoba Drum. --------- "RE: Feds asked to stop development on contested Land" --------- Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2006 08:39:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ANOTHER DEVELOPER, MORE MOHAWK LAND" http://www.firstperspective.ca/fp_combo_template.php?path=20061107feds Feds asked to stop development on contested land - again! by Joseph Quesnel November 7, 2006 A Mohawk chief has asked the federal government to stop development plans for a planned housing subdivision in southern Ontario. No, it isn't in Caledonia. But, in events similar to the standoff that has lasted in that community since February, another Mohawk community west of Kingston has declared that they never surrendered the nearly 8.5 hectares of privately owned land in Deseronto, Ontario where a developer plans to start building a new subdivision. Much of the land has waterfront access to Lake Ontario's Bay of Quinte. Don Maracle is chief of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and in a media report he called on the federak government to prevent development slated to begin November 15. Maracle contends that the federal government has not adequately negotiated with the Tyendinaga Mohawks over the future of the property. Maracle has said that he does not wish to see any disruption in the community, but would like to see a deal negotiated before development proceeds. The developer said in a media report that he believes the federal government has a responsibility to negotiate with the Aboriginal community, not his company. He also declined to confirm whether he would stop development plans if no agreement is reached. Copyright c. 2006 First Perspective/Manitoba Drum. --------- "RE: First Nations join in signing Unity Protocol" --------- Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2006 08:39:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BC FIRST NATIONS UNITY PROTOCOL" http://www.firstperspective.ca/fp_combo_template.php?path=20061107unity First Nations from across BC join together in signing unity protocol by Joseph Quesnel November 7, 2006 Snuneymuxw Territory/Nanaimo, BC Chiefs, Elders, and representatives from over 40 First Nations gathered at the Snuneymuxw Thi-Lelum (Longhouse) to sign a unity protocol in an effort to break the impasse and remove the barriers that have stalled negotiations at many treaty tables across the province. The intent of the Protocol is to jointly engage Canada and British Columbia in the negotiation of principles or options that all parties can rely upon when negotiating individual treaties. These involve negotiations on six key issues, including: Certainty; Constitutional Status of Treaty Lands; Governance; Co-Management throughout traditional territories; Fiscal Relations and Taxation; and Fisheries. "We recognize that negotiations are about reconciliation" states Robert Morales, Chair of the First Nations Summit Chief Negotiators. "However, for the past 14 years the governments have come to the table with a longer and longer list of items they say are non-negotiable. We are prepared to work with the governments to find ways to reinvigorate their policies and mandates, but we need solutions that work for everyone." The Unity Protocol stems from the frustration that many Chiefs and negotiators face in the failure of the federal and provincial governments to engage in real negotiations that honour the recommendations of the 1991 tri-partite Claims Task Force Report which is the foundation for treaty negotiations in BC. "When we agreed to enter negotiations in 1992, it was understood that all matters were negotiable", said Morales. "What actually evolved is a process of hard-line, positional negotiations, where we have been continuously stonewalled by the Crown. What has resulted is not only a sense of distrust amongst our people, but the danger of complete breakdown of the treaty process. We believe that if we can collectively come to a table in a spirit of collaboration we will be able to put the decade of futility behind us and move ahead quickly with workable, honourable and lasting treaties." The negotiations, which have been ongoing since 1992 are estimated to have cost over one billion dollars without a single treaty signed. "The Chief Negotiators Protocol Agreement signed today represents a concrete, proactive attempt by First Nations to overcome the obstacles to negotiating fair, just and timely treaty agreements in BC. We encourage the provincial and federal governments to bring wider and more flexible mandates to all treaty negotiation tables in BC," said Dave Porter, a member of the First Nations Summit political executive. Chief Viola Wyse of the Snuneymuxw First Nation emphasized the importance of the initiative. "We offered to host this event because negotiating a fair treaty is one of the most important things we will ever do in our life time. We are all dealing with a lot of poverty and tragedy and we are committed to making a better future for our grandchildren." Chief Wyse also commented on the critics who have blamed First Nations for the slow pace of negotiations. "It's not as if we are trying to waste time and slow down the negotiations, but we are looking at over a decade of frustration and millions of dollars in debt. Our people are not prepared to allow this to continue. We all want to turn that around with treaties that work for our communities and will stand the test of time." "Canada and, for the most part, British Columbia , have imposed positions that make it impossible for most First Nations to negotiate fair agreements. We want Treaties that will provide certainty to all parties, that can actually be workable into the future, and that do not place First Nations in British Columbia in a worse position than First Nations elsewhere", added Morales. "The New Relationship initiative in British Columbia may lead to more provincial flexibility on some of the issues, but we see no indication of change up to this point from Canada." Copyright c. 2006 First Perspective/Manitoba Drum. --------- "RE: Indian Farmers' Federal discrimination Lawsuit" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 08:40:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FARM SUIT GATHERING WITNESSES" http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=166478 Attorneys begin gathering witnesses in American Indian farmers' federal discrimination lawsuit By Associated Press November 9, 2006 BISMARCK, N.D. - Attorneys for American Indian farmers and ranchers are gathering information and witnesses for a discrimination case against the federal government. Attorneys planned to meet Thursday near Fort Yates near the South Dakota state line to collect data for the lawsuit, which was filed in 1999. The lawsuit alleges the U.S. Department of Agriculture discriminated against native Americans in the granting of loans beginning in 1981. "This is an information-gathering trip - we want to reach out to people in South Dakota about the case," said Joe Sellers, lead attorney for the American Indians. Sellers, said his Washington, D.C.-based firm will gather up to 100 Indian ranchers and farmers to serve as witnesses at trial. He said about 50 have been found so far, mostly in North Dakota, Montana and Oklahoma. The meeting near Fort Yates targets Indian producers from South Dakota who believe they have been discriminated against by the USDA, Sellers said. The lawsuit was granted class-action status in 2001. It alleges the USDA denied or delayed loans, or did not approve enough money to keep farms afloat financially. The case, Keepseagle vs. Johanns, formerly Veneman, refers to Fort Yates rancher George Keepseagle and Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. Ann Veneman was agriculture secretary when the lawsuit was filed. Attorneys estimate the number of Indian plaintiffs could be in the tens of thousands. A settlement figure has not been calculated, but would likely be in the "hundreds of millions," Sellers said. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said at a hearing in September that he believes Indian farmers and ranchers are entitled to a trial. The case mirrors a separate civil rights case brought by black farmers in 1997, and settled two years later. Sellers said he and USDA lawyers have been meeting with a magistrate to resolve some of their differences and decide on a trial date, but no decision has been made. USDA officials have not responded to questions about the allegations. Copyright c. 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. by the Boston Herald and Herald Media. --------- "RE: Pechanga man describes Meth-fueled Police chase" --------- Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2006 08:55:01 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="METH HIGH LEADS TO HIGH SPEED DEATH" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/ PE_News_Local_S_sbarrientos07.3d6a3f1.html Driver: 'I know I was wrong' TRIAL: The Murrieta man says he was suicidal and had taken drugs during a high-speed police chase. By SEAN NEALON The Press-Enterprise November 6, 2006 Joseph Anthony Barrientos remembers driving a Ford F-150 truck into a Toyota RAV4 just north of Temecula. After that, "I blacked out," Barrientos said Monday during 3 1/2 hours of testimony in a French Valley courtroom. Killed in the crash about 4:30 p.m. on July 23, 2005, were Brawley residents Pedro Romero, 11, and his grandmother, Martha Romero, 56. They had come to Murrieta with family members to celebrate relatives' new home. Barrientos, a 27-year-old Murrieta resident and Pechanga tribe member, was arrested after a high-speed car chase with police. He said Monday that he was suicidal during the chase. Barrientos is charged with crimes including second-degree murder, driving while intoxicated by methamphetamine and evading police. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to 46 years to life in prison. Closing arguments are set for Wednesday. Barrientos said he stopped going to school in fourth or fifth grade and is illiterate. He also said he has used methamphetamine regularly since he was 12 or 13 years old. Questioned by defense attorney Ken Byrd, Barrientos expressed remorse to the Romero family. "I know I was wrong," he said. Prosecutor Carlos Monagas played audiotapes of Barrientos' profanity- laced phone conversations with family and friends after he crashed the truck. He talked of buying and taking drugs and concerns about taking a blood test. Barrientos also said Monday that he had swallowed methamphetamine during the chase. Monagas said Barrientos never told officers the day of the crash that he used methamphetamine that day. Barrientos said he didn't take any methamphetamine the morning of July 23, 2005. After the collision, Barrientos said he went to see his mother but "didn't tell her the whole story." He wouldn't say what he kept from her. He said she has been to prison and cried after he told her what happened. "Your mother cried because you told her you killed somebody," Monagas said. "No, I didn't," Barrientos said. Copyright c. 2006 The Press-Enterprise Company. --------- "RE: Two Life Sentences for beating deaths" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2006 06:31:50 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="VICTIMS BEATEN BEYOND RECOGNITION" http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ article?AID=/20061109/NEWS03/61109012 Crow Agency man gets two life sentences for beating deaths The Associated Press November 9, 2006 A Crow Agency man received two consecutive life sentences Thursday for beating two Hardin women to death in November 2003. Eugene R. Rising Sun, 25, pleaded guilty in August to two counts of second degree murder in the deaths of LaFonda Big Leggins, 23, and Koran Diebert, 26. He was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, who also ordered him to pay $5,173 in restitution. Big Leggins and Diebert were last seen with Eugene Rising Sun and his brothers, Moses and Randy Rising Sun, on Nov. 18, 2003, according to court documents. Law enforcement officers found the women's frozen bodies nine days later in a ditch along Eagle Springs Road, a remote area outside Hardin on the Crow Reservation. Both had been beaten so badly their faces were unrecognizable. The Rising Sun brothers were suspects for 18 months before charges were filed. The break in the case came when Moses Rising Sun agreed to cooperate and testify against his brother. He said in court records that Eugene Rising Sun killed the women because he believed that one of them was a drug informant. Moses Rising Sun pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and was sentenced in August to 15 months in prison. The victims' families and the chairman of the Crow Tribe criticized the U.S. attorney's office over the pace of the investigation. In a statement released Thursday, U.S. Attorney Bill Mercer said federal investigators and prosecutors are vigilant in their attempts to solve violent crimes on Montana's Indian reservations. Copyright c. 2006 The Great Falls Tribune. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Native Prisoner" --------- Date: Friday, November 13, 2006 13:18:35 From: Janet Smith [owlstar@bellsouth.net] Subj: NA News Item -- Eagle Killing Case http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/11/13/ news/wyoming/7091409a4639109e872572230000afcf.txt Not exactly a "prison" issue -- more like "Native Justice," -- Janet Eagle-killing case stays alive By BEN NEARY Associated Press writer November 13, 2006 CHEYENNE -- Federal prosecutors have filed notice that they intend to appeal a federal judge's ruling that dismissed charges against a Northern Arapaho man who shot a bald eagle last year for use in his tribe's Sun Dance. Meanwhile, since U.S. District Judge William Downes dismissed the charges against Winslow Friday, the Northern Arapaho Tribe has written repeatedly to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, asking about getting permits allowing the tribe to take eagles for use in its ceremonies. Downes on Oct. 13 dismissed the charge against Friday, 22, of Ethete on the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming, home to both the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes. He had been charged with killing a bald eagle with a rifle in March 2005 on the reservation. Downes dismissed the charge after lawyers for Friday and the Northern Arapaho argued that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service generally refuses to grant permits allowing tribal members to kill eagles, even though federal regulations say such permits should be available. Lawyers for American Indian groups say Downes' ruling should prompt the federal government to streamline its program of parceling out dead eagles and eagle feathers to American Indians. And they say it should prompt federal officials to begin a serious dialogue with tribes about allowing tribal members to kill some birds for religious purposes. Federal officials, however, filed notice this week that they intend to appeal the judge's order. Dominic Domenici, Fish and Wildlife Service resident agent in charge for Wyoming and Montana, said in a telephone interview last month that he would urge the Justice Department to appeal Downes' ruling. He said he knows few eagle kill permits have been issued in the Southwest, and he knows of none in Wyoming -- but he also said he doesn't know of any Wyoming Indians applying. While Domenici said he doesn't believe Downes' ruling declares an open season on eagles, he said, "I think some people will draw that conclusion from it." Matt Mead, the U.S. attorney for Wyoming, said last month that his office was working with the officials in Washington to determine how to respond to Downes' ruling. "We respectfully are concerned about it," he said. Mead's office filed notice Wednesday that it will ask a federal appeals court in Denver to review Downes' ruling. Attempts to reach Mead on Thursday and Friday were unsuccessful. Friday said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that he had no regrets about killing the bird. "I'm going to say no, because of what I did with the bird," said Friday, who could have been sentenced to up to a year in jail and a $100,000 fine if convicted. "I participated in our Sun Dance. No, because that made me feel good in my heart." Friday said he considered accepting a plea bargain for a $5,000 fine and two years of probation, but rejected the offer on the advice of his tribe's spiritual leaders. "So I listened to them," he said. "To me, they already knew that it was going to be good for me." Friday said he's heard complaints from other American Indians about the slow process of applying to receive dead eagles from the federal repository in Colorado, which allocates the remains of eagles often killed by cars or power lines. He said a friend received a bird from the repository that was in such poor condition it couldn't be used in ceremonies. "The way it was told to me, the eagle takes the prayers that we have here, takes them up to the creator, God, however you want to put that," Friday said. "That's one main reason that we believe in it so much, it does that. It's an offering -- you want it to be nice." Lander attorney Chris Schneider represents the tribe. He said Friday that federal officials have said they will meet with tribal officials after Thanksgiving to talk about tribe's desire for permits to take eagles. Schneider said that while charges were pending against Friday, he called U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offices in Wyoming and Colorado to ask how American Indians could get permits to kill eagles, but was told that such permits didn't exist. In the tribe's court brief, Schneider wrote that to charge Friday with taking an eagle without a permit when such permits don't exist defies logic and effectively prohibits Friday's free exercise of religion. Schneider's filing included evidence that more than 5,000 American Indians are on the waiting list to get an eagle from the federal repository and that the waiting period is about 3.5 years. Steve Moore, senior staff attorney with the Native American Rights Fund, in Boulder, Colo., said his office has known for some time that tribal members are frustrated with the procedure for getting birds and feathers. "The system is broken and it needs to be fixed," Moore said. "It's been broken for quite a while." Copyright c. 2006 Casper Star-Tribune, Lee Enterprises, Inc. --------- "RE: Rustywire: 4 Indian Boys and Thanksgiving" --------- Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2006 08:10:07 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RUSTYWIRE: 4 INDIAN BOYS" http://www.rustywire.com/starship/food.html 4 Indian Boys and Thanksgiving by Johnny Rustywire One time my college roommate ran into the room and said our neighbors next door, Harley a Zuni and Bob, a Southern Cheyenne had gotten big bucks and wanted to treat us out to eat. We were ready in flash, we were always hungry so we went out and ate. My roommate, Mike was a Sioux, and I the Navajo; many times the four of us would get together with a big bass drum and we would go into the main living room of the dorm and sing Indian songs. We would sing songs we knew and invite other skins to sing with us and we would do this every once in a while. We had a good time. The room would fill up with the other students and pretty soon we had a crowd standing around us. We would teach each other our own tribal songs and would really wail. These three were my brothers and we did a lot of things together, and one of them was to eat. We were in college and always looking for free meal. There were these girls from Onandagawa, New York, Seneca girls and we would see them all the time and follow them back to the their apartment and munch on what was around the place. It was a thing with us, we had a reputation as munchers, always asking for food. There were some other girls who were from Zuni and the Pueblos, we used to go see them, they were in the next complex and we would munch down whatever they had. They were good cooks, those Pueblo girls can really cook, so can those Senecas. There was some other girls we knew who were not Indian but were from places like Chicago, San Antonio, Seattle, who sure could cook, too. We used to go see them and after a while they all would bring us treats like cookies, cake and stuff like that, dropping it off at our dorm. Thanksgiving was coming up and since all four of us room mates were going home we made a big deal of eating something for Thanksgiving. You have to understand we were always broke, but managed to go out somehow once in a while. Well we all sort of said to each of these girls that we didn't want to eat turkey in the student union, so we could get a free Thanksgiving meal from somebody. The day after class let out for the holiday we each got an invitation to eat with the Pueblo girls, and then one from the Senecas and one from our friends who were pale faces. We talked about it and figured we would just go to one dinner and beg off that we forgot about the other dinners later. At 11 AM, Becky Lasiloo and her Pueblo and a couple of Lumbee girls from North Carolina laid out a spread you would not believe and they watched us four eat. We were young, and helped ourselves to everything they had. They offered more they couldn't take no for an answer and so we ate good. We joked and laughed and had a good time. Afterward we were on our way back to the dorm, when Sue Jimerson and other Seneca girls picked us up and took us to their apartment. There in their living room they had borrowed a big dining table, tablecloth, and real silverware, just like in a fine restaurant. They had turkey with all the trimmings. Now Mike was a big eater, so we sat down and started to eat. The taste of turkey gets kind of old the second time around when your are already full. What could we do, we didn't tell them about the first dinner, so we ate again, but couldn't eat desert. We had a good meal; good conversation and they made us eat. We then walked back to our dorm, when Sally and girls in the next complex came over and said, we fixed a meal for you guys. Mike looked at me and we smiled faintly, then he went next door and told Harley and Bob the girls had fixed us Thanksgiving dinner. We looked at each other; we didn't have to say anything it was all in the look. We made our way over there and they had quite a spread. We stood there and looked at all the food, those girls standing there so proud of their meal. We sat down and started to play with the food, but they wouldn't let us alone. Harley started to say we had already eaten, and the girl's reaction was not good. They told us they were going to throw the food out if we did not eat and they had spent a good part of the day fixing it for us. All four of us sat there and ate; trying to smile and talk, but it was a tough meal to get through. We sort finished part of the meal and they made us stay for desert. We went into their living room, they wanted to know how the meal turned out, we told them it was good, and the best meal we had ever. After that we got out of there as quick as we could. Halfway back, it all started to come up, too much of good thing. We were miserable, the long and short of it was the girls all found out what we had done and none of them were happy with us, we did not get a Christmas meal and I can't say we were sorry about it either.... Copyright c. 1999, Johnny Rustywire, all rights reserved. --------- "RE: Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days" --------- Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 11:52:51 -1000 From: Debbie Sanders Subj: Hawaiian Book of Days A HAWAI`I BOOK OF DAYS, week of November 13-19 November was the first month of the Ho`oilo season, which ran from November through April. This month marked the season when people, for sport, darted arrows made of the flower stalk of the sugar-cane. NOWEMAPA November Welehu 13 In the sunlit ocean, you can barely see the translucent beauty of the Portuguese man of war. 14 Children can see a world which we have forgotten. 15 In this land, it is always spring. 16 The path of self-knowledge is different for every person. 17 If I can hear the ocean's song and feel the wind's caress, then I am at peace. 18 All things return to the ocean at last. 19 Wishes made by starlight are wishes born of the heart. (c) Copyright 1991 by D. F. Sander Me ke aloha i ka nani, ... Moe'uhanekeanuenue (With love and beauty, ... Rainbow Dream) --------- "RE: Del "Abe" Jones Poem: The Price they Pay" --------- Date: Monday, November 06, 2006 06:08 pm From: Del "Abe" Jones Subj: For children of servicemembers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan THE PRICE THEY PAY The only ones who give more For the high cost of Liberty Than those we send to fight our Wars Is the Military Family. For a few years and sometimes more They lend us their loved one They put up with special hardships Until the Service time is done. It's what most of us won't know Living that fear of every day Praying their loved one stays safe In some strange country, far away. The Holidays are spent apart Anniversaries will come and go Some birth days are while they're gone For children, some will never know. Some lucky Troops will go unharmed (At least, nothing you can see) Some will be hurt and injured And there's some, will cease to be. The lone spouses tell their children They've gone away, somewhere above But though they won't ever come home They will always, send down their love. We owe all of those Families Much more than we can ever pay And especially all those children Who'll miss their parent every day. We should do all that we can For all those who pay that price And a Disney trip would be great Just something we could all do, nice. So jump aboard the Snowball Express And give some kid a special treat Let them know we care about them Though we can't make their lives complete. Del "Abe" Jones 11.05.06 Goto http://www.snowballexpress.org Please help and pass along so all those kids have a chance to participate. Paypal accepted. Veterans Day is Saturday. Thanks, Abe Why the Snowball Express by Michael Kerr, Founder I had one of those days last week. You all know what I am talking about. It started off early with my cup of Starbucks spilling all over my desk. My future wife had called and the kids had her fit to be tied. I was behind in my work, papers strewn all about my desk, a $20,000.00 charge on my Visa I knew nothing about and my voicemail light rapidly blinking red from the control center of the desk. I had to be in Carlsbad that morning and then back to Newport and then to Lake Forest for meetings that I felt I was nowhere near prepared for. The phone rang and I answered it with my usual harried and gruff response of, "yes." The voice on the other end was that of a friend who said "I need you to meet me today in Santa Ana." I protested explaining that I was driving all over Hell's half acre today and it would be impossible for me to adjust my schedule to allow for such a meeting. His response was clear "I don't care what you are doing or how important you think you are, just meet me at this address and don't be late." Then there was dial tone. All morning the call angered me. After all, I was busy, I have a family to feed, a wedding to plan and clients to attend to. I tried repeatedly to reach this person and beg off. No answer. Being someone who hates to leave things up in the air, I hurried through my day in order to make the appointment with my friend. As I pulled up to the address, I was certain I was lost. It was a simple home, perhaps one or two bedrooms located in a rather run down area of Orange County. There was an older model car much in need of attention parked in the drive way and children's toys scattered about the nearly dead front lawn leading to the porch. A dog stood guard behind the dirty tattered screen door leading to the entry of the home with its lips up and canines showing. This was certainly not the home of one of my clients nor the home of one of my potential clients so what, pray tell, was I doing here and why was it so important. The answer would appear in Technicolor before the meeting came to conclusion. A young woman came to the door, very plain and simple looking. By her appearance I would guess her to be twenty something. I introduced myself and she acknowledged that she knew who I was and had been expecting me. I asked about my friend and was told he would not be there, a fact that angered me further since I had been pulling my hair out trying to get to this meeting of unknown purpose. She locked "Fido" in a room and invited me in. The house contained a few small rooms one of which was an office of sorts with old computer equipment and files stacked high upon the floor. The kitchen was a mess with pots and pans everywhere and dishes piled atop the counter from last nights diner and this mornings breakfast. She apologized for the mess and led me to the back porch. The backyard was simple and was home to a swing set, trampoline and a small lemon tree located in the corner. There were various childrens' toys everywhere, a football, basketball, discarded clothing and Fido's wooden dog house finished off the landscape. She offered me a cup of coffee and told me that my friend had explained to her that I was the founder of the Snowball Express and she had heard I was a bit discouraged with the progress I was making with the organization of this year's event. I was surprised because I had no idea of who this little Jane Doe was and how she fit into the Snowball Express. But I would soon find out. The phone rang and "Jane" excused herself to attend to the caller. As I sipped my coffee I noticed a little girl about six years of age sitting at a small plastic table underneath the tarp of the trampoline carefully preparing for a tea party complete with plastic cups embossed with the image of Barbie on their surface. This struck me since the little angel was blond and slight and one day would surely look just like the image she so adored. I could hear "Jane" attending to her caller and it seemed as though it would be a while before she returned. I put down my coffee and knelt beneath the trampoline introducing myself to "Jane Jr." She said "hello" and returned to her preparation. I asked her "do you mind if I join you for your tea party?" She looked up at me with piercing blue eyes and a face that carried the weight of the world with it and responded "I don't think there is room for you." Surprised since there was no one else in the backyard I pushed the matter with "Well sweetheart, there is no one else here. Who are you planning to have for your party"? Again a cold and emotionless look as she said "this is for my daddy." Obviously I was touched and felt like a complete idiot, but unfortunately I had to press on. "Is your daddy going to be home soon?" I asked her. This time she didn't even look at me when she responded. "No" Nothing else, just "No. I couldn't leave well enough alone. "Will he be coming home from work soon? I asked her. Again "No" was the reply. "Well, when will he be here" I asked. I was not at all prepared for her response "He's not, he's dead." I sat there in complete shock. How do you respond to a child who just uttered those words? I wouldn't have to. She took the lead and with those piercing blue eyes looked up at me and said "I'm going to see him again when I go to Heaven and he gets back from the war." She looked back down at the table and silently went on to prepare her imaginary tea party. I could do nothing but turn and walk away. I returned to the porch and sat down with Jane. I told her of my conversation with Jane Jr. and she was not at all surprised. She explained to me that every day Jane Jr. goes through the same motions. Setting tea for her father who will never come home. It seems that he was killed while on patrol in Iraq. Something called an Improvised Explosive Device. An eloquent name for a bomb that kills people. She had heard about the Snowball Express and wanted to know if it was really going to happen. I told her yes, if it was the last thing I ever did. After gaining Jane's permission I went to Jane Jr. and asked her if she would like to go to Disneyland. For the first time she smiled and seemed to be pleased. I told her she and her mom could come to a huge party complete with a winter wonderland, presents and a chance to meet some of her favorite stars. She sat up at attention, looked across the table and said "Daddy, we get to go to a party and then to Disneyland." Jane and I finished up and she escorted me to the door. On the way out I spotted pictures of her husband in uniform standing proud. Then in the corner I saw a picture of a coffin covered in the American flag. I turned to Jane and she was crying. I asked her why she was crying and what I could do to help. She told me that Jane Jr. had not smiled that way in a very long time and that she had wanted to take her somewhere like Disneyland but lacked the funds. I told her not to worry that there were a group of people in Orange County who would make sure that Jane and Jane Jr. got their day at Disneyland. I like to think of myself as a strong man and one who has seen it all but I must admit that I cried like a baby as I left that house because after all I m responsible for what happened to them and Jane Jr's father died so I could go on living the life of plenty here in the United States. Please help me keep my promise to Jane and Jane Jr. There are over 1,200 Jane's and Jane Jr's spread out across the United States. They deal with the loss of a loved one to the war in Iraq each and every day. I want to bring all of them, no matter what part of the country they live in, out to Orange County for the event of a lifetime. I can't do it alone but with your help there is no reason we can't pull it off. I think we owe it to them, don't you? C 2006 Snowball Express www.snowballexpress.org Paypal accepted Dear Abe, For years I have been receiving your beautiful poetry. Can you please inform your readers about this upcoming event in Orange County, California THE OC SNOWBALL EXPRESS www.snowballexpress.org We are looking for families to attend..we have about 150 so far. Warmly, Jeanette Daughter of SGT Eddie Chervony, KIA Vietnam www.walldads.org/chervony P.S. I am personally involved, if you have any questions feel free to contact me. Warmly, Jeanette Chervony Flags 2 U www.FLAGS2U.COM 714-614-7700 FLAGS 2 U was founded on the principle to encourage and support you on displaying a "properly-maintained" U.S. FLAG --------- "RE: Producer looking for Indian Performers, Investors" --------- Date: Tue 11/14/2006 7:37 AM From: Janet Smith [owlstar9181@yahoo.com] Subj: F Troop Article F-Troop Movie Producer Looking for Indian Performers and Investors US tribes have been offered the opportunity to invest in a major movie remake of "F-Troop," a popular 60s TV comedy. Instead of the Italians and Hispanics who played the local tribe in the TV series, the producer intends to cast Native Americans in major and minor Indian roles. Bobby Logan, the writer and developer of a movie release of F-Troop, has approached tribal leaders, asking them to back the production financially, banking on the movie's potential profitability, and his promise to hire Native Americans for five major acting roles, and many "extra" and behind-the-scenes positions. He bases his projections for success on the recent renewed popularity of the original "F-Troop" series, spurred by releases of the old series on DVD, and publicity generated by the unique involvement of Native Americans not only in the cast, but as financial backers. Logan, who is not Native American, has good credentials for producing comedic remakes. He is perhaps best known for producing the Exorcist spoof, "Repossessed," featuring the original Exorcist actress, Linda Blair, and for "Meatballs 4." He says he decided to do an updated movie-version "F-Troop," because it was his favorite TV show as a kid. Looking for Native American backing and insisting on Native American actors is partly savvy marketing, and partly his way of moving beyond Hollywood's past spurning of Indian performers. He's not promising a flattering portrayal of Indians. "F-Troop" is, after all, a slapstick comedy, and every character in the movie is goofy in one way or another. But in a turnabout from the usual portrayal of Indians as victims or villains, in this movie, it will be the local tribe that saves the fort from disaster. Logan has consulted with a number of tribal leaders and with Indian media for guidance and for prospective financing, and is continuing to look for additional input and investment in the "F-Troop" movie project. He believes "F-Troop" can become a must-see for American families as well as Native American viewers--and if he listens to the people he hopes to include, he may be successful in not only making people laugh, but exploding some of the massive misconceptions "we all know" about Indians from the Hollywood of yesteryear. For those interested in contacting Bobby regarding the F-Troop movie, please email him at: bobbylogan@gmail.com --------- "RE: Navajo Events to address Sacred Sites Protection" --------- Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 17:30:16 -0700 From: Karen Francis Subj: Horse Back Ride, Harvest Run & Forum Scheduled to Address Sacred Sites Protection --------- Forwarded Message --------- From: Indigenous Action [mailto:klee@blackfire.net] Sent: Mon 11/13/2006 4:19 PM To: Save the Peaks Coalition Subj: Attn Newsroom: Horse Back Ride, Harvest Run & Forum Scheduled to Address Sacred Sites Protection Attn Newsroom: For Immediate Release Date: 11/13/06 Contact: Klee Benally Save the Peaks Coalition Email: coalition@savethepeaks.org Phone: (928) 380-2629 Sammie Ardito Coordinator for Indigenous Student Action Alliance Email: sa339@nau.edu Phone: (510) 295-7937 Horse Back Ride, Harvest Run & Forum Scheduled to Address Sacred Sites Protection Flagstaff, AZ - Events have been scheduled in Northern Arizona to raise awareness for the efforts to protect the Sacred San Francisco Peaks from proposed ski area expansion and snowmaking with treated sewage effluent. The Save the Peaks Coalition, Horse Back riders from the Navajo Nation, runners from Prescott, and newly formed Northern Arizona University student group Indigenous Action Student Alliance are working together to address environmental, cultural, and public health concerns about the controversial ski expansion plan. For more information please visit: www.savethepeaks.org --- What: Save the Peaks Horseback Ride When: Saturday, November 18th at 8:00 a.m. Where: Trail ride from Grey Mountain, AZ to the San Francisco Peaks - Meet South of Grey Mountain store. Who: More than 15 Horseback riders from the Navajo Nation. A traditional dry sweat lodge service will be held at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 19. - Location TBA at end of the Horse Ride. For more information on the Horseback Ride contact: Jim Black (928) 608-7469. Email: Sacred4s@hotmail.com --- What: Save the Peaks Harvest Run When: Sat. & Sun, November 18th-19th Where: from Prescott, AZ to the San Francisco Peaks. Who: A Prescott local named Thomas Arnold has organized the event and is running from Prescott to the top of the San Francisco Peaks and finishing in Flagstaff, AZ. He plans to begin his journey from Prescott at 3:00 a.m. on the 18th. He estimates the 115-mile run will take just under 36 hours without stopping to sleep. --- What: Sacred Landscapes Forum: Environmental Justice & Cultural Survival When: Sunday, November 19th Where: NAU's Cline Auditorium in Flagstaff at 6:30 p.m. Free & Open to the Public Who: Representatives from the Save the Peaks Coalition, Black Mesa Water Coalition, Black Mesa Indigenous Support, Native Movement Collective and other social and environmental justice groups. Learn more about the campaign to Save the Peaks, the work to protect the N-Aquifer and stop Peabody Coal, the resistance to forced relocation on Black Mesa and more. --------- "RE: Gallup Memorial Walk" --------- Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 17:31:14 -0700 From: Karen Francis Subj: Gallup Memorial Walk Flyer Karen Francis Public Information Officer Office of the Speaker (928) 871-7160 karenfrancis@navajo.org MEMORIAL WALK 2006/2007 Gallup/McKinley Area WALK FOR UNITY & JUSTICE Saturday, November 18, 2006 9:00 AM-12pm Noon Gather at *Multi-Cultural Center (*Amtrak Station on Highway 66) A Walk to Remember... A time to reflect of those who have lost their lives, who have experienced hate crimes and discrimination. Let us become united in one voice for justice. This walk is in conjunction with the Navajo Nation-wide effort to oppose racism in border towns. Public Forum "FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE COMMUNITY" The second public forum is being held at UNM Gallup Branch in the Calvin Hall Auditorium. Scheduled on: November 13, 2006 at 6:30pm to 9:00pm For more information, call 505-726-9397 or 505-409-3320 email: annarondon@msn.com --------- "RE: Upcoming Events" --------- Date: Mon November 13, 2006 14:29:44 -0700 From: Gary Smith (gars@speakeasy.org) Subj: Upcoming Events =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= EVENTS ARE FEATURED IN ODD NUMBERED ISSUES ONLY =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= ------------------------------------------------------------------------- --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//- Notice of Copyright Clearance by Contributors: The following have granted permission for their original articles to be reposted in order to help mend the Sacred Hoop: Sherry/Warrior Moccasins Project, Brigitte Thimiakis, Janet Sevilla, Gary Smith, Bill McAllister, Karen Francis, Public Information Officer - Navajo Nation Council Office of the Speaker, Del "Abe" Jones Janet Smith, Debbie Sanders --//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--//- _ __ __ _ / | / /___ _/ /_(_) __ __ / |/ / __ \ __/ / | / / _ \ / /| / /_/ / /_/ /| |/ / __/ /_/ |_/\__,_/\__/_/ |___/\___/ ______ _ / ____/____ ___ __________(_)___ ____ _____ / / / ___/ __ \/ ___/ ___/ / __ \/ __ \/ ___/ / /___/ / / /_/ /__ /__ / / / / / /_/ /__ / \____/_/ \____/____/____/_/_/ /_/\__, /____/ Volume 14,Issue 046 /____/ November 13, 2006 Native Crossings (c) is a separately emailed suppliment to Wotanging Ikche (c) Native American News (c) dedicated to the memory of those in Indian Country who have begun their spirit journeys It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own internet addressable account to gars@speakeasy.org <================<<<< >>>>================> 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. <================<<<< >>>>================> 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. <================<<<< >>>>================> --------- "RE: Sgt. Lucas T White" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2006 06:31:50 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LUCAS WHITE" http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/287458086251578 White Swan sergeant dies in Iraq By PHIL FEROLITO YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC November 9, 2006 An Army sergeant and Umatilla tribal member from White Swan was killed Monday in Iraq, according to his family. Sgt. Lucas T White, 28, died of wounds he suffered when his unit was ambushed during a routine patrol in Baghdad, his mother, Julia James Brooks, said Wednesday. White, the first American Indian from the Yakima Valley killed in the conflict, was riding in an armored vehicle that was struck by small-arms fire and an explosive device, Brooks said military officials told her. She said she was notified of the tragedy about midnight Monday. The Yakama Warriors Association, a group of veterans on the Yakama reservation, said they were notified of the death Tuesday morning by military officials, who had difficulty locating next of kin. Jake Mann, a Warrior official, said the association was asked to contact the family. It wasn't clear whether White, who previously served in Afghanistan, was the only American killed in Monday's incident, which is still under investigation, Brooks said. Born in Pendleton, Ore., White moved to White Swan at age 12, where he lived until joining the Army in 2001. He graduated from White Swan High School in 1996, and always wanted to serve in the armed forces, his mother said. Salmon fishing, hunting and snowboarding were his favorite pastimes, she said. "He loved being in the military," she said. "He was really a very strong and independent person. Whatever he said he was going to do, he'd do it." He left for Iraq about five months ago and was scheduled to come home on leave in December, said Brooks, who now lives in Polson, Mont. White was stationed at Fort Liberty, Baghdad, at the time of his death. White leaves behind his wife, Jennifer White of Moses Lake, five brothers and a sister. He has family in Spokane, Pendleton and Polson. His heroism is greatly noted as he will be missed by all who knew him, his mother said. "His entire family is so proud of him," she said in a grieving voice. "We just love him and we're so proud of him. It's always been that way." A memorial will be held Nov. 16 at Fort Lewis, before White's body will be taken to Toppenish Creek Longhouse in White Swan for services. Later, White will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. "He's requested to be buried at Arlington, next to all of his brothers who died in combat," Brooks said. White was the eighth service member with Yakima Valley ties to die in Iraq. Copyright c. 2006 Yakima Herald. --------- "RE: Crossings" --------- Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 08:33:31 -0600 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CROSSINGS" November 8, 2006 Martha Lee Oxendine Johnson Rowland Martha Lee Oxendine Johnson, 87, of 197 Harleyville Road, died Nov. 4, 2006, at home after an extended illness. The funeral will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at Sandy Plains United Methodist Church, the Revs. Matthue Locklear, Robert Magnum and Bro. Dell Harris officiating. Burial will follow in the Oxendine family cemetery. Johnson was born July 20, 1919. She was a faithful member of Sandy Plains United Methodist Church. The family said: "She loved her church, community and was a humble servant of her precious Father above. During her journey on this Earth, she provided a foundation of courage, strength, compassion, sacrifice, and enduring love for her family. Her love was measured, not by wealth, but in the power of her legacy, and her kindness, her gentle touch, her words, and most of all, her smile. Even though death would have ended her suffering sooner, her profound love of family led her back to us so that we could prepare to let her go. We were so blessed by such a wonderful mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother. Her work is done." She was preceded in death by her husband, Leroy Johnson; an infant daughter of 9 months, Vicky Johnson; a grandson, Jeffery Lynn Johnson; her parents, John Henry and Effie Jane Brooks Oxendine; and 10 brothers and sisters. Surviving are four sons, Ralph Johnson, Kenneth Johnson, William Henry "Bill" Johnson and his wife, Julia, and Ben Johnson, all of Pembroke; four daughters, Brenda Jane Johnson and her husband, William Jeffery Moore, of the Prospect community, Linda Faye Johnson of Scottsdale, Ariz., Carolyn Johnson Locklear and Shelia Johnson and her husband, Stephan Alan Prevatte, both of Lumberton; 18 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 tonight at Locklear and Son Funeral Home. Condolences can be made on-line at www.locklearandsonfuneralhome.com. November 9, 2006 Luther E. Dimery Rowland Luther E. Dimery, 91, of 104 N. Chicken Road, died Nov. 6, 2006, at home. The funeral will be 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Deep Branch Baptist Church, the Revs. Roger Adkins and Thomas Oxendine officiating. Burial will follow in the Lumbee Memorial Gardens. Dimery was born Dec. 4, 1914, to the late Frank and James Anna Sanderson Dimery. He was also preceded in death by his wife, Mary Margaret Brayboy Dimery; a daughter, Peggy L. Dimery; and a son, Luther E. Dimery, Jr. Surviving are three sons, Samuel Dimery, Terry Dimery and Ricky Dimery, all of Pembroke; two daughters, Esther Maynor and Faye Strickland, both of Pembroke; a brother, Aubrey Dimery of Shannon; two sisters, Faye Hunt and Lillian Roma both of Pembroke; 13 grandchildren; and 14 great- grandchildren. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 tonight at Locklear and Son Funeral Home. Condolences can be made on-line at www. locklearandsonfuneralhome.com. Arthella O. McGirt Lumberton Arthella O. McGirt, 67, of 4698 W. Carthage Road, died Nov. 6, 2006, at Southeastern Regional Medical Center. The funeral will be 2 p.m. Thursday at Redeemed Assembly, N.C. 211 West, the Revs. Dr. Jim Butler, Tracey Scott, Bro. Henry Locklear and the Rev. Paul Kaminer officiating. Burial will follow in Oxendine Cemetery on Oak Grove Church Road. She was a member of Redeemed Assembly. McGirt was preceded in death by her parents, James T. Oxendine and Katie Ann Locklear Oxendine; and a brother, Shird Oxendine. Surviving are her special friend, Eddie "Ed" Jones of the home; three sisters, Lena Locklear and Katherine Locklear, both of Lumberton, and Nancy Locklear of Charlotte; a son, James Ray McGirt of Lumberton; three daughters, Katie M. Chavis, Carol Jane Sampson and Lisa Thomas, all of Lumberton; 10 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 tonight at Revels Funeral Home in Lumberton. Lee Ellen Jacobs Pembroke Lee Ellen Jacobs, 78, of Pembroke, died Nov. 6, 2006, after an extended illness. The funeral will be private. Jacobs was born Feb. 12, 1928, in Lumberton. A proud U.S. Air Force wife, she followed her husband, Welton, to many duty stations. Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, S.D., was her favorite destination. She followed her husband back home to Robeson County after his retirement. The family said: "Family was the most important aspect of Lee Ellen's life. She was always involved in all of their school and athletic events. Lee Ellen will always be remembered as a loving, dependable, compassionate wife and mother." She was preceded in death by her father, Thomas Norman Oxendine; her mother, Charity Sampson Oxendine; a brother, Thomas N. Oxendine Jr.; and her grandparents, the Rev. Oscar Ronald and Susie Sampson and the Rev. Jim and Florence Mitchell. Surviving are her husband of 60 years; two sons, Welton Jacobs Jr. of Laurel Hill and Billy Jacobs and his wife, Cherrie, of Richmond, Va.; a daughter, Tamara Jacobs and her companion, Stephen C. Batchelor, of Red Springs; a special grandson, Patrick "Peanut" Jacobs of the home; four grandchildren, Jennifer Lake and her husband, Tom, of Mechanicsville, Va, Todd Jacobs of Fayetteville, and April and Mark Jacobs, both of Laurel Hill; and three great-grandchildren, Jacob and Paige Lake and Emma Jacobs. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Locklear and Son Funeral Home. Condolences can be made on-line at www.locklearandsonfuneralhome.com. November 13, 2006 Lendora Lowery Maxton Lendora Lowery, 73, of 2755 Preston Road, died Nov. 9, 2006, at Southeastern Regional Medical Center. The funeral will be 3 p.m. Sunday at Preston Gospel Chapel, the Rev. Charles Oxendine and Mr. Steve Locklear and Mr. Paul Jolicoeur officiating. Burial will follow in Preston Cemetery. Surviving are her husband, Praford Lowery of Maxton; two daughters, Sybil J. Collins and her husband, Dr. Jeff Collins, of Pembroke and Peggy Sweat and her husband, Mike, of Wilmington; a son, Dr. Ronnie A. Lowery and his wife, Endora, of Maxton; three brothers, Lacy E. Locklear and his wife, Annie L., Laney Locklear and his wife, Bernetha, and Mack C. Locklear and his wife, Lorraine, all of Pembroke; five sisters, Genese Paul and Angela "Gina" Fields and her husband, Billy, both of Lumberton, Gearlene Oxendine of Maxton, Cynthia Ballard and her husband, Bradford, of Kannapolis and Doris Locklear and her husband, Johnson Locklear Jr., of Pembroke; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 tonight at Thompson's Funeral Home. Alex Locklear Maxton Alex Locklear, 82, of 1442 McMillian Road, died Nov. 9, 2006, at home. The funeral will be 3 p.m. Sunday at Bakers Chapel Baptist Church, the Revs. Lindbergh Chavis, Dell Harris and Norma Scott officiating. Burial will follow in Locklear Cemetery. Surviving are his wife, Brida Bell Locklear of the home; two daughters, Bonnie Sue Locklear and Lucille Bullard, both of Maxton; a brother, Curtis Locklear of Red Springs; a sister, Savannah Barton of Lumberton; and a grandchild. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 tonight at Locklear and Son Funeral Home. Condolences may be made on-line at www.locklearandsonfuneralhome.com. Marybell Locklear Lumberton Marybell Locklear, 87, of 408 Piney Grove Road, died Nov. 9, 2006, at Southeastern Regional Medical Center. The funeral will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Pembroke Church of God, the Rev. Harvey Louis Locklear officiating. Burial will follow in the Jones family cemetery. She was preceded in death by her parents, Amos Jones and Fronnie Brooks Jones; three brothers, French, Leroy and Albert Jones; a son, Archie Hunt; and a great-grandchild, Jonathan A. Hunt. Surviving are her children, Sanford Jones and his wife, Mable, of Maxton, Dorothy H. Lowery and her husband, Crawford Lowery, of Lumberton, Grace Locklear and her husband, Steve Locklear, of Pembroke, Johnson Hunt of Rockingham, Raymond Hunt of Lumberton, Parnell Hunt of Pembroke, and James Hunt and his wife, Janice, of High Point; three sisters, Clara Mae Jones of Lumberton, Georgeanna Locklear of Maxton and Leanna Morton of Jacksonville; a brother, Ander Jones of Lumberton; 24 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and a great-great-grandchild. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 tonight at Revels Funeral Home in Lumberton. Lummie Jane Oxendine Wynn Lumberton Lummie Jane Oxendine Wynn, 96, of 480 Lummie Drive, died Nov. 8, 2006, at home. The funeral will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Revels Funeral Home Chapel in Lumberton, the Rev. Terry Oxendine officiating. Burial will follow at Oxendine Cemetery on Oak Grove Church Road. She was born in Robeson County on Sept. 10, 1910, and was the daughter of the late Laurce and Mattie Maynor Oxendine. Mrs. Wynn was the proud mother of 13 children - nine boys and four girls. She was preceded in death by her husband, Chief Wynn; three sons, Junior, Theodore and Harold Wynn; and two daughters, Ruth Anelli and Lola Haskins. Surviving are eight children, Willie Wynn and his wife, Florence, Annie Oxendine, Eunice and her husband, James Maynor, Author Wynn and his wife, Shirley, Marshall Wynn, Donald Wynn and his wife, Marilyn, all of Lumberton, Thomas Wynn and his wife, Betty, of Elizabethtown, and Robert Wynn of the home; 32 grandchildren; 64 great-grandchildren; 37 great- great-grandchildren; a special friend, Bonnie Locklear; and a host of relatives and friends. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 tonight at Revels Funeral Home in Lumberton. Jerry Ray Sampson Lumberton Jerry Ray Sampson, 59, of 199 Bracey Sampson Road, died Nov. 6, 2006, at Southeastern Regional Medical Center. The funeral will be 3 p.m. Friday at Revels Funeral Home Chapel in Lumberton, the Revs. Willie Scott Jr. and Marshall Locklear officiating. Burial will follow at Deep Branch Baptist Church Cemetery. Sampson was born in Robeson County on Nov. 11, 1946. He was preceded in death by three sisters, Edith Sampson and Fadonia Sampson, both of the home, and Delois S. Jacobs of Lumberton; and two brothers, Terry Sampson and Jimmy Sampson, both of the home. Surviving are his parents, Dora Mae and Bracey Sampson of Lumberton; four sisters, Joyce Locklear of Shannon, Carolyn Locklear of Pembroke, Marilyn Oxendine and Peggy Hunt, both of Lumberton; two daughters, Serena Blanks and Dora Hinds, both of Lumberton; a son, Jerry Rossie Sampson of Bladenboro; five grandchildren, Jessica Strickland, Candace Strickland, Latoya Hinds and David Hinds, all of Lumberton, and Halona Sampson of Bladenboro; and several nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 tonight at Revels Funeral Home in Lumberton. Alfred Hunt Fayetteville Alfred "Bud" Hunt, 81, of 113 Indian Drive, formerly of Fairmont, died Nov. 7, 2006, at Cape Fear Medical Center. The funeral will be 3 p.m. Friday at Deep Branch Baptist Church, the Revs. James A. Hunt, Bobby Locklear and Thomas Earl Oxendine officiating. Burial will follow in Whitehill Church Cemetery on U.S. 74. Hunt was born Aug. 24, 1925, in Fairmont. He retired from the U.S. Army on Nov. 30, 1977, after 26 years in the service. He also retired from St. Frances De Sales Catholic Church in September 2004. He was a member of Deep Branch Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon. Surviving are his wife, Margareate Hunt of the home; six daughters, Wanda Davis and her husband, David, of Perry, Ga., Jeannette Maiden, Annette Brewer and her husband, Larry, Sharee Strickland and her husband, Louis, and Larae Russ, all of Fayetteville, and Glinda Brewington of Charlotte; two sisters, Shirley Warriax of Fairmont and Peggy Oxendine of Fayetteville; 11 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 tonight at Floyd Funeral Services in Fairmont. Copyright c. 2006 The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. -=-=-=- November 8, 2006 Ashley N. Locklear Miss Ashley Nicole Locklear, 20, of 2915 Calcium Road, Fayetteville, died Saturday, Nov. 4, 2006. Miss Locklear attended Cape Fear High School and was assistant manager at Burger King on Cedar Creek Road. She was well liked and had a host of family and friends. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, 2006, in Fayetteville Assembly of God Church, 2754 Gillespie St., Fayetteville, with the Revs. Tommy Hall, Carlen Locklear and Roy Clark officiating. Burial will be in Cumberland Memorial Gardens. A visitation will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006, at Butler Funeral Home in Stedman. Miss Locklear is survived by her mother and stepfather, Lola Wynn and Charles E. McEachern of Fayetteville; father and stepmother, Ronnie Clayton and Brenda Locklear of Fayetteville; sisters, Monica Mitchell of Burlington and Yalonda Gail Miller of Meridian, Miss.; brothers, Ronnie Clayton Locklear II and Marcus Anthony Locklear, both of Fayetteville; maternal grandfather, Richard Madison Wynn Sr. of Orlando, Fla.; and paternal grandparents, Reola and Emmon Locklear of Fayetteville. Online condolences may be made at butlerfh.com. Services entrusted to Butler Funeral Home of Stedman. November 11, 2006 Alex Locklear MAXTON - Alex Locklear, 82, of 1442 McMillian Road, died Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006, in his home. Services: Funeral, 3 p.m. Sunday in Bakers Chapel Baptist Church. Burial in Locklear family cemetery. Visitation: 7 to 9 tonight at Locklear & Son Funeral Home in Pembroke. Survived by: Wife, Brida; daughters, Lucille Bullard and Bonnie; brother, Curtis; sister, Savannah Barton; and a grandchild. Lendora Lowery MAXTON - Mrs. Lendora Lowery, 73, of 2755 Preston Road, died Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006, in Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Lumberton. Services: Funeral, 3 p.m. Sunday in Preston Chapel Gospel Church. Burial in church cemetery. Visitation: 7 to 9 tonight at Thompson's Funeral Home in Pembroke. Survived by: Husband, Praford; daughters, Sybil Collins and Peggy Sweat; son, Ronnie; brothers, Lacy Locklear, Laney Locklear and Mack Locklear; sisters, Genese Paul, Angela Fields, Gearlene Oxendine, Cynthia Ballard and Doris Locklear; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. Copyright c. 2006 The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. -=-=-=- November 8, 2006 John Henry Barrett John Henry Barrett, age 20, of Redby, MN, died Saturday, November 4, 2006 at Cloquet Hospital in Cloquet, MN. Honorary bearers will be Winfield White, Renae May, Ramona King, Kari Washington, Kristy King, Ethel Pemberton, Paula Rossback, Jerald Downwind, Jacob Johns and Theodora Defoe. Casket bearers will be Chris Rossback, Orville White Jr., Brandon Rossback, Francis D. Downwind, Douglas D. White, Clarence Barrett and Adrian Brown. John Henry Barrett was born October 30, 1986 in Red Lake to Carter Barrett and Stacy Downwind. He attended the mission school and high school in Red Lake. John enjoyed listening to music, spending time with his friends, and being with his sisters and other members of his family. John is survived by his daughter Kaydance Barrett of Cloquet; mother Stacey Downwind of Cloquet; grandparents Herman (Georgia) Downwind, Redby, MN and Marilyn (Nathan) Mountain, Red Lake; great grandfathers John Henry Barrett, Little Rock, MN and Herbert Mountain Sr., Blackduck, MN; sisters: Gina and Katlyn Misquadace of Cloquet, and Desirae Downwind and Cateria Barrett, both of Red Lake; brothers Waylon Downwind, Hinckley, MN, Justin Downwind Smallwood, Millacs, MN, and Jerald Downwind, Redby. He was preceded in death by his father, his brother Brett, and his grandparents Clarence and Claudette Barrett. John Strong John Strong, 98, of Red Lake, died on Monday, Nov. 6, 2006, at the Red Lake Hospital in Red Lake. Arrangements are pending with the Cease Family Funeral Home of Bemidji. Ayden Strong Ayden Strong, 1, of Red Lake, died on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2006, in Red Lake. Arrangements are pending with the Cease Family Funeral Home of Bemidji. Jacqueline Dawn Fairbanks Jacqueline Dawn Fairbanks, 39, of Walker, died on Monday, Nov. 6, 2006, at her home. A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at the Onigum Community Center in Onigum with the Rev. George Ross officiating. A visitation will begin at 5 p.m. today at the Onigum Community Center in Onigum and will continue until time of service on Thursday at the center. Burial will be in Old Agency Cemetery in Onigum. The Thomas-Dennis Funeral Home of Walker assisted the family with arrangements. November 10, 2006 Memorial Dinner for Ardelle (Tikanye) Auginash at the Redby Community Center in Redby on November 12, 2006 at 2:00 - 6:00 P.M. All Family and Friends are all Welcome November 13, 2006 John `Jackie Goose' Waybenais John "Jackie Goose" Waybenais, Sr. whose Ojibwe name was "Gway Kee Gah Bow" which means "Turn around", 76, of Red Lake journeyed to the spirit world on Friday, November 10, 2006 at AlTru Hospital in Grand Forks , ND . Funeral Services will be 1:00 pm, Tuesday, November 14, 2006 at the Little Rock Community Center in Red Lake , MN with Rev. Patrick Sullivan officiating. A wake will begin on Monday at the Little Rock Community Center in Red Lake and will continue until the time of services on Tuesday. Interment will be at the St. Mary's Mission Catholic Cemetery in Red Lake , MN under the direction of the Cease Family Funeral Home of Bemidji. He was born October 18, 1930 in Red Lake , MN , the son of Katie Waybenais and Sam Goose, Sr. He married Alice West in 1950 and had 6 children. He worked for Red Lake Saw Mill and Housing for many years. He enjoyed going out to eat and spending time with his grandchildren, children and family. He is survived by his wife:Alice Waybenais; 3 daughters: Rose Waybenais, Sarah Waybenais and Debbie Waybenais; 1 son: Darryl Waybenais; Many grandchildren and great grandchildren; Special aunt who raised him: Marie "Munnee" Waybenais; Sister:; Benita Bruce of Walker , MN He was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, 3 children and 2 grandchildren Honorary Casketbearers will be "Slug Sayers", Aaron Sayers, Richard Barrett, Sr., Dan Hart, Vernon Clark, William Hill, Tom Barrett, Sr., Tony Infante with alternates Maynard Johns, Dale Johns and Myron Smith. Active Casketbearers will be David Tyndall, Sr., Arnie Wood, Charlie Norris, Michael Graves, Sr., Robert Michaud, Albert Stately III, Douglas "Oscar" Spears, Duane Dow, Sr. with alternates Orlando Weise, Frank Weise and Cheyenne Waybenais. Copyright c. 2006 Red Lake Net News. -=-=-=- November 7, 2006 John Henry Barrett, 20 John Henry Barrett, 20, of Redby, died on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2006, at Cloquet Hospital in Cloquet, Minn. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Red Lake with Rev. Pat Sullivan officiating. A visitation began Monday at the Red Lake Community Center and will continue until the time of Mass on Wednesday at the church. Burial will be in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Red Lake. The Olson-Schwartz Funeral Home of Bemidji assisted the family with arrangements. Jacqueline Dawn Fairbanks, 39 Jacqueline Dawn Fairbanks, 39, of Walker, died on Monday, Nov. 6, 2006, at her home. A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at the Onigum Community Center in Onigum with the Rev. George Ross officiating. A visitation will begin at 5 p.m. today at the Onigum Community Center in Onigum and will continue until time of service on Thursday at the center. Burial will be in Old Agency Cemetery in Onigum. The Thomas-Dennis Funeral Home of Walker assisted the family with arrangements. November 8, 2006 Ayden Harvey Strong, 1 Ayden Harvey Strong, 1, of Red Lake, died on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2006, in Red Lake. A funeral will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday at St. Mary's Mission Catholic Church in Red Lake with Rev. Patrick Sullivan officiating. A wake will begin today at the Red Lake Center and will continue until the time of the service on Friday at the church. Burial will be in St. Mary's Mission Catholic Cemetery in Red Lake. The Cease Family Funeral Home of Bemidji assisted the family with arrangements. November 10, 2006 John Strong, 98 John Strong, Way-Way-Nub (Sitting Peacefully), 98, of Red Lake, died on Monday, Nov. 6, 2006, at Red Lake Hospital in Red Lake. A funeral will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the St. Mary's Catholic Church in Red Lake with Rev. Pat Sullivan officiating. A wake began Thursday at the Redby Community Center in Redby and continues until the time of service on Saturday at the church. Burial will be in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Red Lake. The Cease Family Funeral Home of Bemidji assisted the family with arrangements. November 12, 2006 Anna Jane Cockman, 54 Anna Jane Cockman, 54, of Laporte, died Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006, at the Cass Lake Indian PHS Hospital in Cass Lake. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, at the family's home at 47848 309th Ave. in Laporte. Cease Family Funeral Home in Bemidji assisted the family. John Waybenais Sr., John Waybenais Sr., of Red Lake, died Friday, Nov. 10, 2006, at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, N.D. Funeral arrangements are pending at Cease Family Funeral Home in Bemidji. Copyright c. 2006 The Pioneer/Bemidji, MN. -=-=-=- November 8, 2006 Dean Doggskin GRAFTON - Dean Orville Doggskin, 47, Grafton, formerly of Fort Yates, was called home to be with Jesus on Nov. 5, 2006, in Altru Hospital, Grand Forks. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at Word of God Ministry Church, Fort Yates, with the Rev. Marlon Hunte officiating. Burial will be in Word of God Church Cemetery, Fort Yates. Visitation will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, with a family service beginning at 7 p.m. at Perry Funeral Home, Mandan. Visitation continues one hour prior to the service at the church. Dean was born Nov. 14, 1958, at Fort Yates, to Thomas and Seraphine (Hunte) Doggskin Sr. Dean was a happy person who always had a smile for everyone that came in contact with him. He is survived by his mother, Seraphine Doggskin, Fort Yates; four sisters and three brothers-in-law, Debbie Dubois, Ardis (Justin LaRock) Doggskin, Robyn and Steve Miller and Marcella and John Buckley, all of Fort Yates; four brothers, Butch and Michele Wolf Necklace, Jarvis Doggskin Sr., Jackson and Karen Doggskin and Ted Doggskin, all of Fort Yates; and one uncle, Delno Doggskin. He was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Doggskin Sr.; two brothers, Terry Doggskin and Thomas Doggskin Jr.; his grandparents, Louis and Rose Doggskin and William and Carrie Hunte; and several nieces and nephews. Edwoard Scares The Hawk Edward Scares The Hawk, 66, Erie, Pa., formerly of Eagle Butte, S.D., died Nov. 2, 2006, in Erie. Services will be held at 10 a.m. MST Thursday, Nov. 9, at St. John's Episcopal Church, Eagle Butte. Further arrangements are pending with Oster Funeral Home, Mobridge, S.D. November 9, 2006 Leslie Bobtail Bear The Rev. Leslie Bobtail Bear, Little Eagle, S.D., died Nov. 3, 2006, at St. Alexius Hospital, Bismarck. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at Elk Horn Congregational Church, Little Eagle. Further arrangements are pending with Oster Funeral Home, Mobridge, S.D. November 13, 2006 Kimberly Doggskin FORT YATES - Kimberly Doggskin, 18, Fort Yates, died Nov. 11, 2006, in St. Alexius Medical Center. Arrangements are pending with Perry Funeral Home, Mandan. Copyright c. 2006 Bismark Tribune. -=-=-=- Teton Times, The LEGAL Newspaper of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Spirit World October 18-25, 2006 Krystal Leigh Zorin White Mountain EAGLE BUTTE - Funeral services for Krystal Leigh Zorin White Mountain age 22, was on the Thurs., Oct. 12 at 11:00 AM, MDT at St. John Episcopal Church in Eagle Butte. Mother Marion Rectenwald officiated. Burial was in Eagle Butte Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. A Prayer service was held Weds. at the church in Eagle Butte. Visitation was Weds. from 7:00 PM until 11:00 PM at the Church. Krystal passed away on Oct 5 in Eagle Butte. Krystal Leigh Zorin White Mountain was born on May 14, 1984 in Rapid City, SD to Leroy Clark and Geri Zorin. Krystal grew up in Eagle Butte and graduated from Eagle Butte High School in 2002. While in school she participated in choir. On May 2, 2003 she married Hoksila White Mountain. She worked at Eagle Stop, US Census Bureau and for the Native Vote. Krystal liked to listen to music and spend time with her children and friends. She is survived by her husband; Hoksila White Mountain of Eagle Butte; her four children; Shanity Rose, Hoksila Jr., Angel Leigh Marie and Matthew Scott Pierce White Mountain all of Eagle Butte; her parents: Geri Zorin of Eagle Butte; Special Friend Sam Clifford of Piedmont, and Leroy (Keely) Clark of Rapid City; maternal grandmother, Doraine LaPlante of Eagle Butte, paternal great grandmother; Dorothy Clark Gilloth of Eagle Butte; one brother Trevor Clark of Rapid City, grandmothers; Aldina (Kenneth) Provost, Linnell Moran, Mary Moran. Joanne Cabillo. Dixie Clark, Carol Robinson, grandfathers; John Moran, Rodney Clark, Buck Scouts Enemy, Aunts; Dawn LaPlante, Tiffany LaPlante, April (Howard) Sharrott, Uncles; Jesse (Sheri) Clark, Tony (Cindy) Clark, mother & father-in-law; Charlotte & Greg LeBeau and father-in-law. Tony White Mountain; special nieces and nephews; Trevor White Eyes, Tre' Pearman, Justina LaPLante, Shyne Addison and Jordyn Gunville. She was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents; Rose and Donovan Moran, Paternal grandparents;. Ray & Kathleen Clark and a special friend Quenton LeCompte. Casketbearers are Leon Red Dog Sr. John Moran, Kenny James, Tony Clark,, Bob Walters and Richard Walters. Honorary Bearers are Mark & Tina Aungie. Harold Tiger, CEB Primary Staff, Class of 2002, Peggy Knife, Pita Kym Louis, Betty Lou Kost, Roger & Brenda Butler Family, Smiley Sierra, Erika Neumann, Erin Taken Alive, Alissa Knight, Nancy Volk & Girls, Tashina & Jared Dupris, Steve & Susie Payne, Chip & Jordyn Gunville; Darla & Mark Shupick, Georgia Gunville, Harlan Gunville, Glenn & Tammy Gunville, Delbert Arpan, Hope & Shawn Fiddler, LyiWette Hubert & Lyle Lesmeister, Paddy Aungie, Tanya Ward, Tahnee Thompson, Verna LeCompte & Family, Sandy James & Family, Evelynn & Ronnie Neigel, Billy & Patty Picotte & Family, Jim & Sylvia Picotte & Family, Edie Knight & Family, Connie & Mark Knight, LuVern Cumrnings & Family, Goldyn Gunville, Kenny &Lou Ann Bruguier, Leanne Gage; Lori Zacher Loukota, Daniel Martin, Sonny Jewett, Dominic LeCompte, Hallee & Memoree Traversie, and All Krystal's Friends & Relatives. Lay Readers: Ina Traversie & Dons White Favorite Hymns: "Amazing Grace" "Sweet Hour of Prayer" "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "The Rose". John Red Hawk PINE RIDGE - John Red Hawk, 15, Pine Ridge, died Friday, Oct. 6, 2006, at Pine Ridge Hospital. Sioux Funeral Home in Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2006 Teton Times, McLaughlin, SD. -=-=-=- November 8, 2006 Fenton Little Dog spent four years in Navy By Jo Hall Fenton Milan Little Dog Sr., who had attended Freeman-Davis School in Mobridge as a boy, enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1978. He attended basic training in Great Lakes, Mich., and Little Creek, Va. He was honorably discharged in 1982. He has lived in Timber Lake during recent years. Fenton died Monday, Oct. 30, 2006, at the Mobridge Regional Hospital at the age of 47. He was born Dec. 26, 1958, to Melvin Eagle and Marcella Little Dog. He spent his childhood years growing up in Bullhead and in Mobridge, and also attended the Pierre Learning Center as a boy. During his grade school years he lived with Mike and Irene Village Center in Little Eagle. He then attended junior high in McLaughlin, the ninth grade in Fort Yates High School, and grades 10, 11 and 12 in McLaughlin where he graduated in 1977. Following graduation, he attended Black Hills State College briefly before enlisting in service. After his military service, he lived in Aberdeen and began working for Midwest Paint Service doing sandblasting and painting water towers. He moved back to Standing Rock where he met Dawn Crazy Hawk and they were married. Three children were born to their union, Fenton Jr., Ashley and Alexandria. He worked as an EMT and a CHR, living in Little Eagle and then in Timber Lake where he was making his home at the time of his death. He leaves his wife, Dawn S. Little Dog; their children, Fenton Milan Little Dog Jr., Ashley Dawn Little Dog and Alexandria Nicole Little Dog; one brother, Mervin Little Dog of Fort Yates; four sisters, Janice of Minneapolis, Minn., Alta of Milwaukee, Wis., June (Eagle) Hoisington of McLaughlin, Marilyn of Mandan, N.D., and Jennifer of Belcourt, N.D.; one nephew, Dayne Labelle; foster brothers and sisters, Marge Archambault, Phyliss Archambault, Barbara Porras, Donna Archambault, Allan Archambault, Joe Archambault and Roland "Cheebee" Archambault; half sisters, June Hoisington, Jennifer Eagle and Maryland Byzewski/One Feather; stepsisters, Zeta Red Bear, Wilma Red Bear, Toni Grass Rope, Johnelle Jacobson, Cathy Morrison, Linda Iron Thunder and Lorraine Iron Thunder; daughter-in-law, Tasheena Eagle Bear; and son-in-law, Shawn Traversie. Fenton was preceded in death by his father, Melvin Eagle; mother, Marcella Little Dog; foster parents, Sophie and Oscar Archambault; grandparents, Art and Rachel Little Dog; and one brother, Cletus Eagle. The funeral for Fenton was Friday, Nov. 3, at the Elk Horn Church in Little Eagle. The Rev. Leslie Bobtail Bear, Diana Covey, Rocky White Mountain and the Standing Rock lay readers officiated. Traditional services were by Allen Flying By and J.B. Kills Pretty Enemy. Casketbearers were Joe Archambault, Roland Archambault, David Red Bear, Hank Taken Alive, Lyle White, Allen Archambault-Z-Boltz and Shawn Traversie. Honorary bearers were the crew from Midwest Paint Service and the McLaughlin High School Class of 1977. Burial was at St. John's Episcopal Cemetery in Bullhead under the direction of Oster Funeral Home of Mobridge. Family and friends met at the funeral home late in the afternoon of Thursday to follow in procession to the Little Eagle gym. A wake service was held at the church Thursday evening until midnight. 'Charlie' Brown like to relive ranch life By Jo Hall Charles "Charlie" Brown worked for ranchers in the Bullhead area in his younger days and it was a life he loved. He enjoyed horses in particular, was a bronc rider and in later years he delighted in telling stories of his bronc riding days. Charlie was a favorite of his nieces and nephews; Uncle Charlie could tell such interesting stories. To Charlie, those nieces and nephews were as his own children that he never had. Charlie spent his entire life as a resident of Bullhead, but he traveled extensively in Montana and Wood Mountain, Canada, visiting relatives in both places. Wood Mountain was a special place for Charlie. Charlie died Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Beverly Healthcare Center in Mobridge due to natural causes. He was 70 years old. He was the eighth child of the 15 children born to Lawrence and Essie (Wears Horn) Brown and was born in Bullhead on June 25, 1936. He was the grandson of Mary Chasing Alone Brown and Fred Brown on his paternal side and on his maternal side Pankeskalutawin (Nellie Wears Horns) and Jack Wears Horns. Survivors are four sisters, Lucy Archambault of Beverly Healthcare Center in Mobridge, Theresa Williams of Mandan, N.D., Gloria Brown Johnson of Seattle, Wash. and Margaret Meseyaveia of Albuquerque, N.M.; six nieces, Sybil Archambault, Cheryl (Oscar) Dominques, Rita Pudwell, Loretta (Larry) Silbernagel, June Penny, Linda (Ken West Jr.) Kingery; nine nephews, Wyman (Charlotte) Archambault, Jeff Williams, Butch Williams, William (Leatrice) Penny, Gary (Rachel) Montana, Ron (Tara) Volesky, Manuel (Cheryl) Penny, Leland Brown and Jerry Brown; a special grandson who cared for Charlie in Bullhead, Paul (Harriet) Archambault; and many grandchildren and great- -grandchildren. His sisters, Sophie Penny, Mary Ann Dobler, Bernice DeRockbraine, Beatrice Welsch; brothers, David Brown, Charlie Brown, Alonzo Brown and Vincent Brown, and his parents preceded him in death. Funeral services for Charlie were held Friday, Nov. 3, at the Rock Creek School gym in Bullhead. Father Tony Grossenberg officiated. Burial was in the St. Aloysius Catholic Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. Rashawn Archambault sang the Honor Song and Lakota Thunder Drum Group provided special music. A special Honor Song was sung by Ole Little Eagle. Casketbearers were Billy Penny, Cyril Archambault, Butch Williams, Coleman Hairy Chin, Joey Montana, Casey Silbernagel, Gary Montana, Eric Archambault, Lawrence Archambault and Melissa Archambault. All the staff of Beverly Healthcare Center and family and friends of Charlie were honorary bearers. Wake services began Thursday evening at the gym. Jimmy Little was traditional dancer By Jo Hall Franklin "Jimmy" James Little Sr. was a traditional dancer and that is how he met Suzanne Jackson and later married her. To their marriage were born J.J. Little, now of Longmont, Col., Justin Little, now of Denver, Colo., Kylie Iron Horse/Little of Nebraska and Aurilia Shippentower/Little of Little Eagle. After spending many years in South Dakota, Jimmy moved back to Denver on Oct. 1 and lived there until he died on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2006 at the age of 39. He was born in Fort Yates, N.D., on March 11, 1967, to Pearl Iron Shield. He attended school in McLaughlin, Fort Totten, N.D., and Denver. In 1984 he signed up for Anaconda Job Corps in Salt Lake City, Utah, attended for one year and received a certificate in carpentry and also his GED. He resided in Denver until the summer of 1988 when he moved to McLaughlin, living there until moving back to Denver last month. Survivors are his mother, Pearl Iron Shield of Denver; brothers, Bobby Iron Shield of McLaughlin and Kevin (Tony) Iron Shield of Mitchell; sisters, Andrea Red Stone of McLaughlin, Melissa Iron Shield of Denver, Amanda Varela of Denver and Davida Trujillo of Denver; his wife, Suzanne Little; his four children, J.J., Justin, Kylie and Aurilia; three grandchildren, Andrew Little, Nevaeh Little and Dakota Little, all of Denver; three aunts, Louella and Chuck Harrison, Georgilene Little and children, and Juanita and George Iron Shield; and one uncle, Kenneth G. Little Sr. and family. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, George and Emma Little; uncles, Paul Little, Martin Little, Conrad Little and Frank Longbull; brother, Richard Montoya Trujillo Jr.; and one aunt, Alma Nichols. Funeral services for Jimmy were held Friday, Nov. 3, at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Fort Yates, N.D. Brother George Maufort and Fr. Bill Cosgrove officiated. Burial was in St. Peter's Catholic Church Cemetery in Fort Yates under the direction of Oster Funeral Home of Mobridge. Casketbearers were Ken Little, Robert Iron Shield Jr., Kevin (Tony) Iron Shield, Bob Wayne His Chase, Matthew Sean Little, Matthew Little, Robert "Bobo" Iron Shield and Christopher Iron Shield. Honorary bearers were Pearl Iron Shield, Andrea Red Stone and children, Melissa Iron Shield and son, Amanda Varela and family, Davida Trujillo, Richard Trujillo Sr., Robert J. Iron Shield Sr., and all of the Iron Shield family. Family and friends met at the funeral home in Mobridge to follow in procession to Fort Yates on Thursday afternoon for an all night wake service at the A.J. Agard Multi-Purpose Building in Fort Yates. Copyright c. 2006 Mobridge Tribune. -=-=-=- November 7, 2006 Levi Keener Fort Yates, N.D. - The funeral for Levi Keener, 71, of Fort Yates will be at 10 a.m. MST Friday at the Episcopal church in Eagle Butte. There will be a prayer service Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Fort Yates Episcopal church. A second prayer service will be held at the Episcopal church in Eagle Butte on Thursday at 7 p.m. MST. Burial will be Friday at noon at Mossman Cemetery under direction of Oster Funeral Home. November 9, 2006 Rev. Leslie Bobtail Bear Little Eagle - Funeral for Rev. Leslie Bobtail Bear, minister for the Elk Horn Congregational Church in Little Eagle, will be at 2 p.m. CST Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006, at the Elk Horn Congregational Church in Little Eagle. Burial in the Elk Horn Congregational Cemetery in Little Eagle under the direction of the Oster Funeral Home of Mobridge. Rev. Leslie Bobtail Bear passed away on Nov. 3, 2006, in Bismarck, N.D. Copyright c. 2006 Aberdeen American News. -=-=-=- Welcome to the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe/Dakota Nation Sota Iya Ye Yapi On-Line, News from the Lake Traverse Reservation Volume 37, Issue 45 Wednesday, November 8, 2006 Funeral services for Michelle LaFontaine-Crawford Funeral services for Michelle Joy LaFontaine-Crawford, 48, of Sisseton, SD were held on Wednesday morning, November 1, 2006 at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Agency Village, SD, with the Rev. Charles Chan, Rev. Les Campbell, Senior Catechist John Cloud III, Lay Reader Darrell Mireau, Lay Reader Clyde Kampeska, and Gerald Heminger, Jr. Active pallbearers were Todd Marks, Kevin, Coke, Melvin, and Mike LaFontaine, Sr., Bruce German, Jr., and Tex Hall. Honorary pallbearers were all of Michelle's fellow softball players, dearest friends, and relatives. Pianist was Billy Kohl. Interment is in the St. Mary's Episcopal Cemetery, Agency Village. There was a wake service on Monday evening and all-night Tuesday, at the Tribal community center, Agency Village. The Cahill Funeral Chapel was in charge of arrangements. Michelle Joy LaFontaine-Crawford was born in Sisseton, SD to Doris and Clifford LaFontaine, Sr. on January 31, 1958. Michelle was a lifetime resident of Agency Village and a church member of the St. Mary's Episcopal Church. She raised her five children; along with caring for her mother, grandmother, uncles and various nieces and nephews. She attended the Old Agency Day School in Agency Village, and later attended Sisseton High School. She was employed by the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe as the Tribal Receptionist and left to work for the Wahpeton Indian School. She returned to Sisseton and worked for the Agency Bingo and Casino which was later named Dakota Connection Bingo and Casino; from there she worked for the Dakota Sioux Propane and SWST Fuel, Inc. At the time of her passing she was a devoted housewife to her husband and children. She enjoyed numerous sports, she loved to play and watch softball, and bowl. She was a very proud mother and enjoyed watching her children dance at Pow-Wows, and playing various sports. She admired her children, and like a proud mother she said she had "the most beautiful daughters, and a handsome son." She has a very special place in her heart for each of her children and grandchildren; she loved them dearly. Some of her favorite hobbies were playing softball, volleyball, fishing, camping, walking, riding horses and just watching the lifetime and hallmark channel. She will be missed deeply by all; but we know how much she was missing her mother, Doris and now we know she is at her side. She married J.C. Crawford on May 1, 2000 in Sisseton, SD. She passed away suddenly on October 28, 2006. Michelle is survived by her husband J.C. Crawford of Sisseton; her father Clifford LaFontaine, Sr. of Circle Pines, MN; five children - Donna German, Bruce German, Jr., Heidi German, Lindsey Abraham, and Katlyn Canku, all of Sisseton; three stepchildren - Heidi Crawford, James Crawford III, and Rachael Crawford, all of Sisseton; seven sisters - Charlene LaFontaine, Jody LaFontaine, Terri Torgerson, and Marsha LaFontaine, all of Sisseton, Linda Crooks of Shakopee, MN, Tamara Woods, and Patty Jo Theole of Lino Lakes, MN; five brothers - Coke LaFontaine, Mike LaFontaine, and Kevin LaFontaine, all of Sisseton, Greg LaFontaine of Minneapolis, MN and Ronald LaFontaine of St. Paul, MN; and ten grandchildren and five step grandchildren. Michelle was preceded in death by her mother, Doris; one sister Louise; and her maternal and paternal grandparents. Memorial services for Marie Shepherd Memorial services for Marie Florence Shepherd, Nape Waste Win, Good Handed Woman, 55 of Wilmot, SD, were held on Friday morning, November 3, 2006 at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Agency Village, SD, with the Rev. Charles Chan, Rev. June Lockwood, and Senior Catechist John Cloud III officiating. Pianist was Billy Kohl. Active pallbearer was Anthony Rodriquez and honorary pallbearers were all of Marie's friends and relatives. There was a wake service held on Thursday evening at St. Marys Episcopal Church. Internment is at St. Marys Episcopal Cemetery, Agency Village. The Cahill Funeral Chapel of Sisseton, SD was in charge of arrangements. Marie was born on December 30, 1950 in Sisseton, SD to Smiley and Helen (Badger) Shepherd, Sr. She grew up and attended school in Rosemead, CA. She then attended UCLA and California State. She also worked at UCLA as an administrative assistant for ten years in the Indian Studies Department, and she worked in Washington, D.C. In 1989 she returned to Los Angeles and lived there until she returned to Sisseton to care for her mother, Helen. She was a member of St. Marys Episcopal Church, where she was involved in church activities. She enjoyed gardening, crafts, she liked to play bingo, and care for children. She also liked to attend Pow-Wows. Marie passed away on October 31, 2006 at MeritCare Hospital, Fargo, ND after a year-long battle with cancer with her family and loved ones at her side. Marie is survived by one brother, Smiley Shepherd, Jr. of Shakopee, MN; and five sisters - Ferol Hall of New Town, ND, Arlene Bearstail of Wilmot, Ila Garcia of Los Angeles, CA, Leslie Rodriquez of Fontana, CA, and Annette Sanchez of Rosemead, CA; many nieces and nephews, and six godchildren - Rae Ann Shepherd, April Thompson, Raven Rose Shepherd, Janeen Shepherd-Garcia, Mauri Shepherd, and Alexis Shepherd. Marie was preceded in death by her parents, one sister Geraldine Williams, and her maternal and paternal grandparents. Funeral Thursday for Uriah Redday Funeral service for Uriah David Redday, PeJi Gota Hoksina "Sage Boy," 24, of Sioux Falls, SD will be held on Thursday, November 9, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. at the community center, Agency Village, with the Rev. Morgan Redday, Fillmore Simon CLP, and President Alvin Birkholz officiating. Pianist will be Billy Kohl. Drum Group will be the Red Storm Singers, and Traveling Song by Darren Redday. Active pallbearer will be Louis Hart, Jr., Mitch Keoke, Paul Begay, Donald Red Owl, Jared Redday, Francis Crawford, Terry "Chub" Spider, and Mike Archambault. Honorary pallbearers will be all of Uriahs cousins and friends. There was an all-night wake service Tuesday, and an all-night wake will be held tonight, Wednesday, at the community center. Interment will be at Lake Traverse Presbyterian Cemetery, Browns Valley, SD. The Cahill Funeral Chapel of Sisseton is in charge of arrangements. Uriah was born on March 26, 1982 in Minneapolis, MN to Roger and Denise (Nelson) Redday. He grew up and attended school in Sisseton; he continued his education in Colorado for fire fighting. He worked in Montana and Rapid City fighting fires. He worked as a carpenter and also worked in chemical clean up in Sioux Falls. He liked to play and watch basketball on TV. He liked to make model cars; he loved to be with friends and family. He also liked restoring houses. Uriah passed away on November 6, 2006 at McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls. Uriah is survived by his parents, Denise and Ricardo Fuentes of Sioux Falls; one daughter, Taylor Redday of Sisseton; one brother, Roger Redday, Jr. of Sioux Falls; and two sisters, Miranda Redday and Carissa Redday of Sioux Falls; his maternal grandmother, Arlene Spider of Browns Valley, MN; numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. Uriah was preceded in death by his father, paternal grandparents Howard L. Redday, Sr. and Helen L. Eagle, and maternal grandfather, Alvin E. Nelson. Francis Hopkins services Friday Francis S. Hopkins, 59, Vermillion, formerly of Sisseton, died Sunday, November 5, 2006, in a medical center at Sioux City, Iowa. Funeral services will be held Friday, November 10, 2006, at 2:00 p.m. at the community center, Agency Village. There will be an all-night wake service at the community center beginning at 7:00 p.m. Thursday. Cahill Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Volume 37, Issue 46 Wednesday, November 15, 2006 Funeral held for Francis Hopkins Funeral service for Francis Richard Hopkins, Jr., 59, of Vermillion, SD, formerly of Sisseton, were held last Friday afternoon, November 10, 2006, at the Tribal community center, Agency Village, with the Senior Catechist John Cloud III officiating. Active pallbearers were Waylon DuMarce, Sampson DuMarce, Jr., Delbert "Roly" Hopkins, Jr., Lucas Free, Jason Biddell, Joel Biddell, Jordan Biddell, and Varden Hopkins, Sr. Honorary pallbearers were Varden Hopkins, Sr., Delbert Hopkins, Sr., Norbette "Sonny" Bellonger, J.J. Frank, Narcisse Lufkins, Paul "Chippy" Smith, Sherman Hopkins, Nathan Hill, Richard Tincup, and friends and staff from SESDAC Inc. Pianist was Billy Kohl. Interment is at Ascension Presbyterian Cemetery, Peever. There was an all-night wake service at the community center on Thursday. The Cahill Funeral Chapel was in charge of arrangements. Francis was born on November 29, 1946 in Sisseton, SD to Francis R. and Virginia (Nobel) Hopkins. When Francis was three years old his mother died of Tuberculosis. Francis lived in a foster home in Aberdeen, SD until 1955. He then moved to Redfield State Hospital and School until 1987. In September 1987 he moved to Huron and was at HAATC until 1997, then he entered the Lake Preston Nursing Home until June 1999, from Lake Preston he went to SESDAC Inc. at Vermillion, where he made his home until the time of his death. Francis participated in activities at the nursing home, especially bowling, coloring, writing and church. Francis very much enjoyed animals, warm weather, feeling for people's hair, ice cream, drum practice with the Native American Center, playing Connect Four, making fleece blankets, music, blankets, his bed, making bead bracelets, haircuts, and parks. Francis passed away on November 5, 2006 at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, Sioux City, Iowa, after a battle with cancer. Francis is survived by nieces, nephews, and cousins. Francis was preceded in death by his parents, and maternal and paternal grandparents. OST tribal attorney dies at 53 By Steve Miller Rapid City Journal Robert Grey Eagle, a longtime tribal attorney, judge and advocate for tribal sovereignty, has died. Grey Eagle, 53, died Saturday at Gordon Memorial Hospital, in Gordon, Neb., after suffering a heart attack, according to his wife, Janeen Lone Hill-Grey Eagle. Grey Eagle, of Rushville, Neb., was currently serving as attorney for the Oglala Sioux Tribe Public Safety Department. He was also serving as a judge for the Rosebud Sioux Tribal courts and the Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Minnesota and was attorney for Standing Rock Indian Gaming Commission. He also had served as executive director of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, chief judge of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Court, judge for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, attorney for the OST Housing Department, attorney for the OST elections board in 2002, judge at the Lower Sioux Community in Morton, Minn., and attorney for the Prairie Island Indian Community in Welch, Minn. He taught at Oglala Lakota College for a number of years. As a young attorney, Grey Eagle advocated on behalf of the tribe on the Black Hills land claim. OST vice president Eileen Janis called Grey Eagle's death a major loss for the Oglala Sioux Tribe. "He always wanted to test our sovereignty," Janis said. "He wanted to fight issues that we could win, that could put us back in the leadership role, that the Oglalas were before," she said Monday. Janis noted that Grey Eagle was her uncle. Robert Fast Horse-Grey Eagle was born in Pine Ridge and spent much of his childhood in Oklahoma and California before returning to Pine Ridge where he graduated from high school. He graduated from the University of Idaho with a bachelor's degree in political science and received his law degree in 1982 from the University of New Mexico, where he was president of the Native American Law Student Association. His most recent legal effort was trying to protect tribal rights regarding their gambling operations while making sure they were in compliance with gaming laws, according to his wife. Grey Eagle had worked with court systems throughout the country on court reform, she said. Although he had a law degree, he was traditionally oriented, and tried to blend the traditional Lakota ways with the modern legal system, she said. "He tried to establish a more equitable traditional way of administering justice." Mario Gonzalez of Rapid City, an Oglala Sioux Tribal attorney, said he had known Grey Eagle since he was a student. Grey Eagle had worked with Gonzalez on the tribe's Black Hills land claim in the early 1980s. "I have always been impressed with his command of the English language and his loyalty and dedication to the Indian people," Gonzalez said. "He was a very dignified person who will be greatly missed by the Lakota people." Copyright c. 1999-2003 by C. D. Floro/Earth and Sky Enterprises. -=-=-=- November 7, 2006 Robert Fast Horse-Grey Eagle RUSHVILLE, Neb. - Robert Fast Horse-Grey Eagle, 53, Rushville, died Saturday, Nov. 4, 2006, at Gordon Memorial Hospital. Survivors include his wife, Janeen Lone Hill-Grey Eagle, Rushville; three sons, Jesse Grey Eagle, St. Paul, Minn., Jaron Grey Eagle, Rushville, and Travis Lone Elk, Minneapolis; eight daughters, Latisha Mesteth, Manderson, S.D., TaShina Fast Horse, Pine Ridge, S.D., Zannita Fast Horse, Jenna Grey Eagle, Jonna Grey Eagle and Dana Lone Hill, all of Rushville, Jaida Grey Eagle, Minneapolis, and Flute Song Woman Fast Horse-Elk, Pocatello, Idaho; two brothers, Leslie Bush, Porcupine, S.D., and Thomas Tyon, Wyoming; one sister, Amelia Torres, Lead, S.D.; and 25 grandchildren. A first-night wake will begin at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, at Billy Mills Hall in Pine Ridge. A second-night wake will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at Porcupine School. Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 10, at the school. Burial will be at Gospel Mission Cemetery in Porcupine. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Levi Keener FORT YATES, N.D. - Levi Keener, 71, Fort Yates, died Sunday, Nov. 5, 2006, at his home. Prayer services will be from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. CST today at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Fort Yates, and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. MST Thursday, Nov. 9, at St. John's Episcopal Church in Eagle Butte, S.D. Services will be at 10 a.m. MDT Friday, Nov. 10, at St. John's Episcopal Church, with Canon John Flaberg, Mother Marion Rectenwald and Deacon Dora Brugier officiating. Burial will be at noon MST Friday at Mossman Cemetery in Ridgeview, S.D. Oster Funeral Home of Mobridge, S.D., is in charge of arrangements. Frederick A. Moeller MARTIN - Frederick A. Moeller, 48, Martin, died Friday, Nov. 3, 2006, at Bennett County Hospital in Martin. Survivors include one daughter, Melanie Dubray, Chicago; one brother, Leslie Moeller, Martin; and one sister, Wanda Cottier, Martin. A one-night wake will begin at 11 a.m. today at the Frederick Moeller home. Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Frederick Moeller home, with the Rev. Jeff Siscoe officiating. Burial will be at Lakota Chapel Cemetery in Martin. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. November 9, 2006 Rev. Leslie Bobtail Bear LITTLE EAGLE - The Rev. Leslie Bobtail Bear, 70, Little Eagle, died Friday, Nov. 3, 2006, at St. Alexius Hospital in Bismarck, N.D. A prayer service will be from 7 p.m. to midnight CST today at Blue Gym in Little Eagle. An all-night wake service will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, at the gym. Family and friends will gather at 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Oster Funeral Home in Mobridge to follow in procession to the gym. Public viewing will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at Elk Horn Congregational Church in Little Eagle, with the Rev. Norman Blue Coat, Marc Stewart, Simon Looking Elk, the Rev. Leslie Campbell, Lyle Noisy Hawk, the Rev. Webster Two Hawk, Rocky White Mountain and the Episcopal lay pastors and ministers officiating. Burial will be at Elk Horn Congregational Cemetery in Little Eagle. Amy K. Plenty Bull PORCUPINE - Amy K. Plenty Bull, 65, Porcupine, died Monday, Nov. 6, 2006, at Pine Ridge Hospital. Survivors include her husband, Virgil Plenty Bull, Porcupine; one son, Orval Poor Bear, Lincoln, Neb.; four brothers, Howard White Face, David White Face, Timothy White Face and James White Face, all of Porcupine; and six sisters, Trevian Scout, Vina Steele, Myrna Young Bear, Lillian Good Shield, Clara Whipple and Mary Young Bear, all of Porcupine. A two-night wake will begin at noon Sunday, Nov. 12, at Porcupine CAP Office. Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, at Porcupine CAP Office, with the Rev. Howard White Face officiating. Burial will be at Lakota Gospel Church Cemetery in Porcupine. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. November 10, 2006 Baby Bear Robe PINE RIDGE - Baby Bear Robe, infant, Pine Ridge, was stillborn Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006, in Sioux Falls. Survivors include mother, Tessie Bear Robe, Sioux Falls; four brothers, Adam Bear Robe, Andrew Bear Robe, Derek Red Cloud and Philip Standing Soldier Jr., all of Pine Ridge; and three sisters, Patricia Red Cloud, Lashawnda Red Cloud and Kimberlin Red Cloud, all of Pine Ridge. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 13, at Body of Christ Presbyterian Cemetery in Pine Ridge. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. November 11, 2006 Nancy G. Black Horse PINE RIDGE - Nancy G. Black Horse, 71, Pine Ridge, died Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006, at Rapid City Regional Hospital. Survivors include one son, Sid Black Horse, Pine Ridge; one daughter, Theresa Black Horse, Pine Ridge; two sisters, Pauline Big Crow and Ramona Tallman, both of Allen; and four grandchildren. A one-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 13, at Joyner Episcopal Hall in Pine Ridge. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, at Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Pine Ridge, with the Rev. Rhoda Mesteth and the Rev. Patrick Barker officiating. Burial will be at Holy Cross Episcopal Cemetery in Pine Ridge. Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements. Rhonda Miller-Black Crow RUSHVILLE, Neb. - Rhonda Miller-Black Crow, 49, Rushville, died Sunday, Nov. 5, 2006, at her home. Survivors include her husband, Eugene Black Crow, Batesland, S.D. Arrangements are pending with Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge, S.D. November 13, 2006 Jerry Lee Jakeway KADOKA - Jerry Lee Jakeway, 58, Kadoka, died Sunday, Nov. 12, 2006, at his home. Survivors include special friend, Diane Wilson, Kadoka; one son, Eliel Poor Bear, Kadoka; three daughters, Jenee Jakeway, Rapid City, Laurie Jakeway, Kadoka, and Jo Poor Bear, Vermillion; three brothers, William Jakeway, Wanblee, Bud Jakeway, Spearfish, and Ronny Jakeway, Rock Springs, Wyo.; and nine grandchildren. Arrangements are pending with Rush Funeral Home in Kadoka. Copyright c. 2006 The Rapid City Journal. -=-=-=- November 7, 2006 Elizabeth Coffee TAHLEQUAH - Services for Elizabeth Coffee, 83, of Tahlequah, will be 10 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 7, in the Green Country Funeral Home Chapel. Officiating will be Brother Dennis Sixkiller. Serving as pallbearers are Leonard Coffee, David Coffee, Steven Coffee, Vincent Sarren, Robert Veales, and Sam Scott. Honorary pallbearers will be Jim Coffee and Robin Coffee. Interment will follow in the Greenleaf Cemetery under the care of Green Country Funeral Home. Elizabeth Coffee attended First Indian Baptist Church in Tahlequah. Elizabeth was shown the power, the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior and our Father, giving her understanding and faith in God our Father and in Jesus our Lord and Savior, through Hebrews 4:12-16. Elizabeth Naoma Johnson Coffee was born Oct. 27, 1923, in Albuquerque, N. M., to Harpley and Amy Johnson. Her parents and brother, Fred, preceded her in death. Her father, Harpley, was a Creek Indian from Okmulgee, and her mother, Amy, was a Yankton Sioux from Wagner, S.D. Also preceding her in death was a granddaughter, Leigh Michelle Coffee Solomon; her daughter Darlene of Bellingham, Wash.; and a grandson, Sean Ray Birdtail Sarren. Elizabeth passed from this life at her residence in Tahlequah on Nov. 4, 2006. Elizabeth lived around the Okmulgee area for 17 years, graduating from a country school at Nuyaka before graduating from Haskell Institute, now known as Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan. She went on to work for two years as a secretary/receptionist on the Hualapai-Havasupai Indian Reservation near Kingman, Ariz. She was also employed for two years as secretary/receptionist in the Military Service Department at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. She and her family moved to an area near Lawrence, Kan., and after 15 years, returned to Oklahoma, settling in Tahlequah in 1963. She was employed at Sequoyah High School in November of 1967; with the Bureau of Indian Affairs for 18 years; and with the Cherokee Nation for nine years, holding positions as secretary/receptionist and registrar, and retiring in August 1994 as records management specialist. Elizabeth's enjoyment in life were her children and their families, and spending all the time she could with them. They all enjoyed going on picnics and cookouts at the lake and home. To her, Tahlequah was a beautiful place. She enjoyed living here and working at SHS, where she met many wonderful students and staff. Elizabeth is survived by seven children: Leonard Coffee; David Coffee and wife Nora; Robin Coffee; Linda Sarren; Deena Johnson and husband Sam of Tahlequah; James Coffee and wife Mary of Dodge City, Kan.; and son Steven Coffee and wife Janelle of West Siloam Springs. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren: Lindsey Coffee of San Jose, Calif.; Elizabeth Houser and husband Stephen of Carl Junction, Mo.; Christopher Coffee and wife Amy of Lenexa, Kan.; Elaine Veales and husband Robert; Crystal Drywater and husband Matt; Kelly and Eric Vann; Vincent Sarren and wife Nova of Tahlequah; Jody Sarren of Miami; Jamie Settlemyer; and Donald Coffee of West Siloam Springs. She is survived by 15 great- grandchildren: Tracy Luella, Peter Andrew, Dale Solomon Jr.; Asheley, Stephen James, and Jonathan Wesley Houser; Brandi Sioux and Shalia Shay Sarren; Nahni Jahlize; Skylar, Briona, and Aaron Settlemyer; Cameron Dewayne and Naomi Danae Veales; and Keeper James. She is also survived by a special granddaughter, Amy Weaver Romo and husband Keegan, and her daughters Emily Rene Romo and Kaytlynn Romo. She also had eight step grandchildren. She is also survived by two sisters, Ginger Johnson Gaither and husband Tom, and his sons Neal and Dylan; and Dee Crawford and husband Paul, and son Christopher and daughter Michelle, with her son Kyle, of Fort Worth, Texas; and a host of other relatives, friends, and loved ones. Green Country Funeral Home, 203 S. Commercial Road, 458-5055. Marie Gourd TAHLEQUAH - Marie Gourd passed from this life Saturday, Nov. 4, in Tahlequah, at 79 years of age. She was born May 16, 1927 to John and Mary (Igret) Rattlingourd. Marie enjoyed going to yard sales, camping, fishing, cooking out at the creek, sightseeing, and many other things. Her passions were going to church, her family, and her pet, Rusty. Marie is preceded in death by her parents, John and Marie Rattlingourd; daughter, Patricia Potts; and brothers, Leroy, Jay Dee and Bobby J. Gourd. She is survived by her husband, Sam Christie; daughters, Shirley Sams and husband Jimmy, Phyllis Wilson and husband Sam, and Virginia Gourd; sons, Johnny Washington and wife Nina, Bill Hendricks and wife Jenny; sister, Pauline Scott; 19 grandchildren; 39 great-grandchildren; and two great-great grandchildren. Services will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 8, at Reed Culver Chapel with the Rev. Gil Hooper officiating. Interment will follow at Greenleaf Cemetery. Pallbearers include Jonathan Washington, Randy Johnson, Presley Hendricks, Bobby Shade, Shannon Gourd and James Potts. Honorary pallbearers include Brandon Washington, Randolph Gourd, Brad Shade, Charles Shade, Ray Dean Welch, Daniel Gourd and Michael Gourd. Funeral arrangements directed by Reed-Culver Funeral Home. Reed-Culver Funeral Home, 117 W. Delaware, 456-2551. Copyright c. 2006 Tahlequah Daily Press. -=-=-=- November 7, 2006 Winona M. Willits TONKAWA - Winona M. Willits, Tonkawa tribal member, died Sunday night Nov. 5, 2006, in Tulsa. A prayer service will be held in the chapel of Anderson Funeral Home Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. The Rev. Kirk Larkin will officiate. Winona will be in the Tonkawa Tribal gymnasium at 10 a.m. Wednesday for visitation and the traditional feast. Burial will be on Friday, Nov. 10, at 11 a.m. in the Tonkawa Tribal Cemetery. Arrangements are with the Anderson Funeral Home. Winona was born in Pawnee to the late Harvey Tah and Agness Rhodd Allen on June 24, 1934. She was married to Sonny Powell and is survived by one daughter, Cochana Green. She is also survived by her sisters, Rose Marie and Wilma Allen; nephews Michael Allen and Richmond Grass; granddaughter, Britini Green; and grandson, Chandice Green. She is preceded in death by her parents and husband. November 12, 2006 Delores Virginia DeRoin Wood Delores Virginia DeRoin Wood, resident of Red Rock and member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, went to be home with the Lord on Nov. 10, 2006, at her home. She was 60. A prayer service will be held this evening at 7 p.m. at the Otoe- Missouria Tribal Cultural Center. The traditional funeral feast will be held Monday, Nov. 13, at noon at the Otoe-Missouria Tribal Cultural Center. Arrangements are under the direction of Grace Memorial Chapel. Delores was born July 3, 1946, in Enid, the daughter of Cleve and Julia White DeRoin. She grew up and attended schools in Enid. She married Eugene E. Wood and they made their home in Enid. He preceded her in death in 1995, and Delores moved to Red Rock two years ago after the loss of her home in Enid. Delores was a devoted wife and mother and served her family as a homemaker. She loved her family and enjoyed taking care of them as they grew up. She also loved to cook and was the last to fill her plate as she made sure everyone else ate. She also enjoyed watching her sister dance at the powwow. She is survived by seven children, Paul Tyndall of Enid, Shawn Wood of Red Rock, Heather Webber of Enid, Jon DeRoin of Enid, Logan DeRoin of Red Rock, Misty Davis of Ponca City and Blake DeRoin of Ponca City; one sister, Rosella DeRoin of Red Rock; seven grandchildren, Jacob Davis, Travis Webber, Chelsea Webber, Dylan Davis, Kelli Tyndall, William Paul Tyndall Jr. and Shandell Stephens; six great-grandchildren, Chloe Schacher, Zachary DeRoin, Brooklyn DeRoin, Brendon DeRoin, Alec Ullrich and Braedyn Ullrich; and a host of extended relatives and friends. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents'; one brother, Sonny DeRoin; and three sisters, Eva DeRoin, Lena DeRoin and Mildred DeRoin Watson. Casket bearers will be Shawn Wood, Jon DeRoin, Paul Tyndall, Brian Harragarra, Quinn Harragarra and Chris Davis. Copyright c. 1998-2006 The Ponca City News. -=-=-=- November 7, 2006 Willie Bond Underwood Longtime Seminole resident Willie Bond Underwood, 60, died Saturday, Nov. 4, in Midwest City. A wake service was held 6 p.m. Monday at the Hitchitee Methodist Church. Service will be 2 p.m. today at the Hitchitee Methodist Church with Mike Harjo, Houston Tiger, Abraham Jackson and Paul Donnie Wolf officiating. Burial will follow at Harjo Family Cemetery, Seminole County, under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home. Copyright c. 1997-2006 The Shawnee News-Star. -=-=-=- November 12, 2006 Susan Kay Helms Memorial service for Susan Helms, 49, Lawton, will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Huntinghorse United Methodist Church, 611 SW 25th, Lawton. Ms. Helms died Sunday, Nov. 20, 2005, at her home. Burial was in Sunset Memorial Gardens under direction of Becker Funeral Home. She was born July 14, 1956, in Lawton to E.J. and Wanda Pipkin Helms. She grew up in Lawton and graduated from Lawton High School in 1974. She attended Oklahoma State University and later Cameron University, graduating in 1994. She was a medical technologist at USPHS Indian Hospital for 11 years. Survivors include her parents, Lawton; and a son, Heath Severtson. The service will be hosted by the hospital laboratory employees and everyone is invited. Copyright c. 2006 The Lawton Constitution. -=-=-=- November 7, 2006 Willie Underwood Funeral services for longtime Seminole resident Willie Bond Underwood were set for 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006, at the Hitchitee Methodist Church. Mike Harjo, Houston Tiger, Abraham Jackson and Paul Donnie Wolf were set to officiate. Burial was set to follow at the Harjo Family Cemetery in Seminole County. A wake service for Underwood was held Monday night at 6 p.m., and Underwood's body was moved to the church at 4 p.m. Underwood died Saturday, Nov. 4, 2006, in Midwest City, at the age of 60. He was born on June 18, 1946, in Seminole, Oklahoma to Tecumseh Underwood and Nagie (Harjo) Underwood. Underwood was a retired Vietnam veteran, where he was in the 101st Airborne and he received the Purple Heart. Underwood was a member of the Hitchitee Methodist Church and was a Seminole Nation Tribal Member. He was a member of the Mikasuki Band and of the "Sweet Potato" clan. He was also on the Pow Wow trail for a number of years. Underwood was preceded in death by his parents, one brother and one sister. He is survived by five daughters: Jean Wood of Oklahoma City, Katherine Harjo of Bethany, Rosie Tiger of Wewoka, Bonita Underwood of Tahlequah, and Bonnie Underwood of Bethany; a son, William Underwood of Bethany; three brothers: Tecumseh Underwood of Maud, Victor Underwood of Seminole, and Ted Underwood of Seminole; four sisters: Jo Kay Berryman of Shawnee, Donna Gayton of Ceiling, Pam Underwood of Shawnee, and Rhonda Underwood of Ada; 14 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Casket bearers were set to be Honece Pipestem, Chris Pipestem, Will Pipestem, Sam Spencer, Nathan Harjo, and Michael Haney. Honorary bearers were Teddy Harjo, Donald Fixico, Larry Wolf, Kendall Tiger, Dylan Spencer, Sugar Bear Martin and Scott Martin. Condolences may be sent to the family online at swearingenfuneralhome.com. Copyright c. 1999-2006 The Seminole Producer. -=-=-=- November 7, 2006 Terry D. Benally Bloomfield Oct. 20, 1965 - Nov. 2, 2006 Terry D. Benally, 41, of Bloomfield, died Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006, in Chaco Plant. He was born on Oct. 20, 1965, in Otis. Services are pending with Desert View Funeral Home of Shiprock, U.S. Hwy. 491, (505) 368-4607. Copyright c. 2006 Farmington Daily Times, a MediaNews Group Newspaper. -=-=-=- November 7, 2006 Michael Leonard TUCSON - Services for Michael James Leonard, 27, will be 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 at Tsaile Community Church in Tsaile. Burial will follow at St. Isabel Cemetery in Lukachukai. Leonard died Nov. 5 in Tucson. He was born April 7, 1979 in Gallup into the Water Flows Together People Clan for the Coyote Pass People Clan. Leonard attended grade school and junior high school in Farmington, was a 1997 Many Farms High School graduate and attended Pima Community College and Din College. Survivors include parents, Freddie Teller and Nellie Leonard, both of Lukachukai; brothers, Randy Mike of Crownpoint and Dennison Raye Leonard of Nazlini; sisters, Marcella Leonard of Lukachukai; grandmothers, Mary R. Leonard and Mary D. Teller. Leonard was preceded in death by grandfather, Leo Leonard, Sr. Pallbearers will be Brandon Leonard, Tee Jay James, Darrell Hosteen and Ranson Leonard. The family will receive relatives and friends at the Leonard residence; 3 miles N. of Lukachukai School. Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Marylou Roanhorse GALLUP - Services for Marylou Roanhorse, 58, will be announced at a later date. Roanhorse died in Gallup. She was born in Naschitti into the Towering House People Clan for the Black Streak People Clan. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Larry Walley CHICHITAH - Services for Larry Walley, 43, will be announced at a later date. Walley died Nov. 4 in Gallup. The family will have a meeting at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 8 at Chichitah Chapter House. Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. November 8, 2006 Nora Thomas MARIANO LAKE - Services for Nora C. Thomas, 87, will be 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 9 at the Church of God in Thoreau. Jones Dehiya will officiate. Burial will follow at Thoreau Community Cemetery. Thomas died Nov. 3 in Gallup. She was born July 10, 1919 in Mariano Lake into the Towering House People Clan for the Tangle People Clan. Thomas attended missionary school in Smith Lake and was an active member of Mariano Lake Chapter. She was ahomemaker and caregiver. Her hobbies include ranching, rug weaving and making jewelry. Survivors include sons, Wilson Roger Thomas of Mariano Lake, Nelson Roger Thomas of Gallup, Johnny Roger Thomas of Mariano Lake, Willie Thomas, Jr. of Thoreau and Emerson Thomas of Thoreau; daughters, Louis T. Antone of Mariano Lake, Arlene T. Martinez of Smith Lake and Pauline Thomas of Mariano Lake; brothers, Ben Charley of Barstow, Calif. and Dan Charley of Mariano Lake; sisters, Annabelle King of Mariano Lake, Emma Muskel of Thoreau, Annie Muskeet of Thoreau, Cindy Charles of Crownpoint and Elsie Begay of Thoreau; 46 grandchildren, 55 great- grandchildren and one great- great grandchild. Thomas was preceded in death by husband, Willie Sky Thomas, Sr.; daughter, Mae Thomas; brothers, Dixon Charley, Johnny Charley, Tommy Charley and Jerry Charley. Pallbearers will be Olson Roger Thomas, Sampson Mariano, Monty Melvin Joe, Eric C. Thomas, Tom Curley, Jr. and Darren Martinez. The family will receive relatives and friends at the Church of God reception Hall in Thoreau. Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. November 9, 2006 Marylou Roanhorse GALLUP - Services for Marylou Roanhorse, 63, will be 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 10 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Tohatchi. Burial will follow at Naschitti Cemetery in Naschitti. Roanhorse died Nov. 4 in Gallup. She was born Aug. 1, 1943 in Naschitti into the Towering House People Clan for the Black Streak People Clan. Roanhorse attended Gallup High School. Her hobbies include sewing, reading and shopping. Survivors include brothers, Lee Verne Roanhorse of Naschitti and Andrew Roanhorse of Crystal, N.M.; sisters, Sadie Morris of Navajo, Rena Norcross of Fort Defiance, Norena Mullahon of Crystal, Loretta Sam of Oak Springs, Ariz., Lorraine Tsosie of Crystal and Nora Roanhorse of Tohatchi. Roanhorse was preceded in death by father, Gabriel Roanhorse, mother, Tanabah Julian, brother, Raymond Roanhorse.Pallbearers will be Jared Roanhorse, Andy Bitsoi, Johnny Perkins, Jr. and Nate Clyde. The family will receive relatives and friends at Naschitti Chapter House following burial. Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. November 10, 2006 Lita Pino PINE HILL - Services for Lita Natan Pino, 97, will be 10 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 11 at Nazarene Church in Pine Hill. Reverend Freddy Lee will officiate. Burial will be at the family land. Pino died Nov. 6 in Zuni. She was born Feb. 19, 1908 in Ramah into the Sleeping Rock People Clan for the One Who Walks Around People Clan. Pino was a sheepherder, rug weaver and her hobbies included horseback riding, rock collecting, traditional cooking and practicing herbal medicines. Survivors include sons, Thompson Pino of Pine Hill, Tommy Mark Pino of Pine Hill, David Lee Pino of Ganado and Larrison Pino of Pine Hill; daughters, Mary Pino, Ellen Mae Pino and Rita Charlie, all of Pine Hill; brothers, Sheppy Natan of Red Lake, N.M.; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Pino was preceded in death by her parents, Jose Natan and Juanita Natan; sisters, Nora Coho, Rosita Coho and Nita Coho. Pallbearers will be David Lee Pino, Ricky Pino, Jones Pino and Jimmy Charlie, Jr. The family will receive relatives and friends at Pine Hill Nazarene Church following the burial. Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Harry Cayaditto BLUEWATER - Services for Harry Cayaditto, 57, will be 10 a.m. Nov. 11 at the Church of God in Thoreau. Ray Barker will officiate. Burial will follow in Thoreau. Cayaditto died Nov. 4 in Haystack. He was born Jan. 12, 1949 in Bluewater Lake into the Towering House People Clan for the Salt People Clan. Survivors include daughters, Yvonne Begay and Pearl Cayaditto both, of Red Rock, Melinda Cayaditto of Littlewater; brothers, Sam Cayaditto and Woody Cayaditto, both of Bluewater; sister, Ruby Steel of San Carlos, Ariz. , and 15 grandchildren. Cayaditto was preceded in death by his mother, Emma Cayaditto and father, Wilson Sandoval and two grandchildren. Pallbearers will be Mike Willie, Pete Begay, Travis Begay, Tommy Morgan, Jimmy Willie and Julius Desiderio. The family will receive relatives and friends at Ethel Yazzie's residence in Bluewater Lake after services. Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. November 11, 2006 Blanche Tolth LITTLEWATER - Services for Blanche Jean Tolth, 37, will be 11 a.m., Monday, Nov. 13 at Navajo Christian Church in Borrego Pass, N.M. Pastor Kee Tabaha and Caroline Tolth will officiate. Private disposition will be at the family plot in Littlewater. Tolth died Nov. 8 in Littlewater. She was born Aug. 27, 1969 in Crownpoint into the Two Came To The Water People Clan for the Zia People Clan. Tolth graduated from Crownpoint High School, CIT in Crownpoint, receiving accounting certificate and nursing assistant license. She was employed at the Crownpoint Wellness Center. Survivors include husband, Ray Enrico of Littlewater; son, Jonathan Enrico of Littlewater; daughter, Raytisha Enrico of Littlewater; mother, Irene P. Tolth; brothers, Amos Tolth of Casamero Lake, Watson Tolth of Gallup, Dejuan Tolth of Aneth, UT., Sampson Tolth of Albuquerque and Anderson Tolth of Albuquerque; sisters, Grace Nez of Rio Rancho, Angeline Etsitty of Gallup and Caroline Tolth of Littlewater. Tolth was preceded in death by father, Woody Tolth and sister, Jennie Tolth. Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Gloria Tolth LITTLEWATER - Services for Gloria Jean Tolth, 41, will be 11 a.m. Nov. 13 at Navajo Christian Church in Borrego Pass, N.M. Pastor Kee Tabaha and Caroline Tolth will officiate. Burial will follow at the family plot in Littlewater. Tolth died Nov. 8 in Littlewater. She was born Jan. 2, 1965 in Crownpoint into the Two Came To Water People Clan for the Zia People Clan. Tolth attended Crownpoint High School and she was employed as a McKinley County bus driver. Her hobbies were going to the casino. Survivors include her husband, Ray Enrico of Littlewater; son, Braxton Enrico of Littlewater; daughter, Justina Enrico of Littlewater; mother, Irene P. Tolth; brothers, Amos Tolth of Casamero Lake, Watson Tolth of Gallup, Dejuan Tolth of Aneth, UT., Sampson Tolth of Albuquerque and Anderson Tolth of Albuquerque; sisters, Grace Nez of Rio Rancho, Angeline Etsitty of Gallup and Caroline Tolth of Littlewater. Tolth was preceded in death by father, Woody Tolth and sister, Jennie Tolth. Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. November 13, 2006 Larry Walley GALLUP - Funeral services for Larry Walley, 43, will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, at Cope Memorial Chapel. Herbert Francisco will officiate. Burial will follow at City Cemetery in Gallup. Walley died Nov. 4 in Gallup. He was born April 26, 1963 in Zuni. He was born into the Red Running into Water People Clan and for the Sleep Rock People Clan. Walley attended Wingate High School and UNM-Gallup. He was self-employed as a carver. He enjoyed watching movies, traveling, family outings and playing basketball. Walley is survived by his wife, Esther W. Walley; sons, Vivian Walley and Lyle Walley of Pinedale, Jameson of Gallup, Gary and Eric, both of Williams Acres; daughters, Genevieve and Pamelisa of Williams Acres; father, Robert Walley Sr.; brothers, Nelson Walley and Robert Walley Jr. of Cousins; sisters, Joann Moore of Gallup, Marie Walley of Cousins, and Gloria Walley and Jorena Walley of Phoenix; one grandchild. Walley was preceded in death by his mother, Lorraine Walley; brother, Louis Walley; sisters, Marlene Walley and Darlene Walley. Pallbearers will be Gary Begay, Dennis Whitegoat, Jameson Begay, Dennis Walley, Andy Chee Bee and Phillip Yazzie Jr. The family will receive relatives and friends at the Chichiltah Chapter house. Sarah Valdo ACOMITA, N.M. - Funeral Mass for Sarah P. Valdo, 93, will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Acomita. Fathers Larry Bernard and Berard Doerger will be the Celebrants. A rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14 at St. Anne's Catholic Church. Deacon Larry Valdo will preside. A traditional wake will follow at the family home in Acoma. Burial will be at the Mount of Peace Cemetery in McCarty's, N.M. Valdo died on Nov. 11 in Acoma. She was born on July 25, 1913 in Acoma. Valdo was retired from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Department of Education, where she worked for thirty years. She was a member of the Santa Maria Catholic Church in McCartys. Valdo is survived by her sons, Mike Valdo of Albuquerque and Larry Valdo; daughters, Dale Sanchez of Acomita and Lisa Lujan of Santa Fe. Valdo was preceded in death by her husband, Julio Valdo; parents, Lorenzo and Lucita Watchempino; brothers, John, Harry, William and Wallace Pino; sisters, Santana Wanya, Juanita Vallo and Rose Antonio. Pallbearers will be Aaron Pino, David Valdo, Jeffery Valdo, Demetrius Vallo, Richard Gonzales and Jon Simms. Compassion Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Timothy Henry NASCHITTI, N.M. - Funeral services for Timothy Henry, 65, of Naschitti are pending. Henry died on Nov. 10 in Albuquerque. He was born on March 31, 1941 in Naschitti. Cope Memeorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2006 the Gallup Independent. -=-=-=- November 10, 2006 Jean R. Henry Jean R. Henry of Whiteriver went into eternal rest Nov. 4, 2006 in Tucson. She was born Nov. 11, 1933 in Whiteriver. Jean is survived by her husband of 54 years, Levi Henry; children, Velda and Ronald Walker, Joseph and Lita Henry, Melvis and Kara Henry, Elva and Wesley Walker, Troy Henry and Karen Quay, Darryl and Delphine Henry, Darylen and Jeffery Burnette, Miranda Henry; 26 grandchildren, 12 great- grandchildren; brothers, Frank Larzelere Jr., Victor Larzelere, Ulyssess Larzelere, Elmer Larzelere; sisters, Lela Mae Larzelere Cosen, Audrey Larzelere Cosen; traditional daughters, Kenia Oliver, Johanna Ethelbah (who is currently in Iraq); Christian god-children: Eddison Walker, Jolyn Gordon; many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. A two night wake will started Thursday, Nov. 9 starting at 2 p.m. at her residence in Cedar Creek. Rosary will be held Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. Viewing and Eulogy will be held at 9 a.m. prior to the Home Funeral Mass at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 mass conducted by Father Bill Day. Interment will be at the Mourning Dove Cemetery in Cedar Creek. Silver Creek Chapel Mortuary of Whiteriver handled the arrangements. Copyright c. 2006 White Mountain Independent. -=-=-=- November 13, 2006 Vincent Bryan Harvier Vincent Bryan Harvier was born June 30, 1935 at Ft. Yuma, California. He was a member of the Quechan Tribe. Vincent was educated at Winterhaven schools and at Immaculate Conception, Yuma Union High School, and graduated from Phoenix Indian High School in 1954. On September 4, 1954 Vince married Ruth S. Roy of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Tribe. On September 4, 2006 he celebrated 52 years of marriage. Vincent was a member of Black Wolf Gourd Society of Northern California. Vincent was a northern traditional dancer for over 40 years. Vincent was active in the Native American Civil Rights movement. Beginning in Colorado and continuing in California. Vincent's belief and continued work in the Civil Rights Movement is indicated in his job history. He was a miner for New Jersey Zinc Co. at Gilman, Colorado for 12 years; Commissioner for Aurora, Colorado Police Department while he was employed at Beth Ha Medrosh Hagadol Jewish Community; Director of the Denver Chapter of the American Indian Movement until he relocated to Ft. Yuma, California and became manager of Ft. Yuma Trailer Village; Tribal Chairman for the Quechan Nation for 5 years; served on the Committee for California Indian Manpower Consortium; Director of Inter-Tribal Council of California at Sacramento for 3 years; served as a Commissioner for Inter- -Racial Violence of California for 2 years; and Director of Turtle Lodge in Fresno, California, a substance abuse treatment facility for Native American people until his retirement in 1993. Vincent moved back to Ft. Yuma and became Commissioner for Paradise Casino and was employed by Cocopah Adapt Program. Vincent served as a committee member and as Chairman for the National International Native American Indian Alcoholics Anonymous Convention for a total of 15 years. He has been a Friend of Bill W. for many years. Vincent is survived by his wife, Ruth and his children, Calvin (Sherry) of Fresno, California and Audrey Harvier and Carroll Harvier of Winterhaven, California. Brothers include, Martin, Daniel and Alan of Salt River, and Gilman Jr. of Sacaton, Arizona, Wayne Harvier of Ontario, California, and Robert Johnson, of Chandler, Arizona. Sisters are Donna Harvier Duckey of Lone Pine, California, Linda Harvier, Gina Harvier Jones, and Sharon Harvier, all of Sacaton, Arizona, Erna Johnson of Parker, Arizona, and Sharlot Johnson, of Phoenix, Arizona. He is survived by grandchildren, Lisa and Anna Gonzalez of Blackwater, Arizona, Kevin Harvier of Blackwater, Arizona, Robert Harvier of La Mesa, California, Wenona Harvier of La Mesa, California, Sera Harvier of Casa Grande, Arizona, Ivan and Chato Harvier of Ft. Yuma, California; and two great- grandchildren, Senoya Harvier of Ft. Yuma, California and Xavien Harvier of Blackwater, Arizona. Preceding Vincent in death was his father, French Gilman Harvier, Sr. and mother, Virginia Chapios Johnson. Pallbearers will be Steve Harvier, Dean Carpenter, Jr., Uuhik Carpenter, Jason Johnson, Michael Burton, Eric Johnson, Marvin Catha, and Ed Smart. Honorary pallbearers are Kevin Harvier, Robert Harvier, Martine Prieta, Winfield Chapios, Neil Hill, Renee Samoyoa, and Narcisso Toledo. Visitation is at Kammann Mortuary, Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at 1 p.m. Wake and rosary is at Kammann Mortuary, Wednesday, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Funeral services are at Quechan Cry House, beginning Wednesday at 4 p.m. and ending at 5 a.m. Thursday. Final resting place is Quechan Nation Cemetery. Copyright c. 2006 The Yuma Sun, Sun Freedom Newspapers of Southwestern Arizona. -=-=-=- November 7, 2006 Maxine Hamana Walker Maxine Hamana Walker, age 53 of Springville, passed away Saturday, November 4, 2006. She was born June 15, 1953 in Belmont, Arizona to Trester Hamana and Winifred Humetewe. She was a member of the Hopi tribe in Arizona. Maxine met Curtis Daniel Walker Sr. while attending BYU. They were married July 1, 1972 and sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on July 1, 1981. He was her best friend and she loved him dearly. Maxine enjoyed dancing at powwow's and singing with the family drum group. She found joy in spending time with her husband, children and grandchildren. She was a very loving wife, mother and friend and a tremendous strength to all. She taught her family how to love and value each other. She always sacrificed her time and talents to help others. All children were sacred to Maxine and she always showed her love to them. Maxine valued the knowledge that her family could be together forever. Maxine is survived by her husband, Curtis Daniel Walker Sr., her five children: Marie, Curtis Jr., Nathan, Marcus, and Krystne; and her eight grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Thursday, November 9, 2006 at 11 a.m. in the LDS Chapel at 55 North Main in Springville, Utah. There will be a viewing held Wednesday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. at Wheeler Mortuary, 211 East 200 South in Springville and Thursday at the church one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in the Evergreen Cemetery. Condolences may be sent at www.wheelermortuary.com Copyright c. 2006 Provo Daily Herald, A Lee Newspaper. -=-=-=- November 8, 2006 Tully Redhouse Nez YAKIMA - Tully Redhouse Nez, 75, of Wapato, peacefully joined the Creator on Monday, Nov. 6, 2006 at Yakima Regional Medical & Cardiac Center, after suffering from Pneumonia. Tully was born in Rock Point, Arizona and worked several jobs during his lifetime including, Union Pacific Rail Road and J. H. Baxter of The Dalles, Oregon. After his retirement from Baxter in 1988 he moved to Wapato, WA. He loved cooking for family and friends, hunting for deer and elk, minor car repairs, and gardening. Following his retirement, he enjoyed volunteering at church, attending services, crafting leather tooled items, watching movies, tending his garden and pets, and an occasional trip to Arizona to visit family. He is survived by his wife, Lucille Nez; daughters, Anita Nez, Barbara Charley and Patsy Whitesell all of Wapato; brothers-in-law, Sanders George of Wapato and Leroy George of Celilo, OR; a brother Ray Roadhouse; two sisters, Della Lee and Juanita Bainbridge; stepfather Lee Benally; nine grandchildren; twenty great-grandchildren; one great, great granddaughter; aunts, Zonnie Tsosie and Lucy Jones; nieces, Kim Brooks, Suzie Hernandez and Louise Shortman; also, numerous other family members here and in Arizona. He is preceded in death by mother Anita Benally, father Blueyes Bedoni, one granddaughter, younger brothers Willard Redhouse, Lee Tsosie and Timothy Benally, and aunt Helen Jim. Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8th at All Tribes Christian Life Center in Wapato. The funeral will be at 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 9th at the center, followed by burial in the Union Gap Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in care of Merritt Funeral Home. Copyright c. 2006 Yakima Herald-Republic/Yakima, WA. -=-=-=- November 9, 2006 Antonio 'Tony' Shakespeare ETHETE - Funeral services for Antonio "Tony" Shakespeare, 60, will be conducted at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 10, 2006, at Blue Sky Hall with the Catholic Clergy officiating. Interment with military rites accorded will be in the Yellow Calf Cemetery. A rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Thursday at Blue Sky Hall with a wake to follow at the family residence, #737 Ethete Rd. He died Monday, Nov. 6, 2006, at his residence after a short battle with cancer. He was born June 14, 1946, in Ft. Washakie, the son of Harry Shakespeare and Annie Armajo Shakespeare. He was a lifelong resident of the Wind River Indian Reservation. He attended Mill Creek School, Lander Valley High School, Haskell in Lawrence, Kan., and Central Wyoming College in Riverton. In 1967 he was drafted into the U.S. Army and upon completing his training was sent to the Vietnam War. He was wounded in battle and sent to Ft. Carson, Colo. for medical attention. In 1969 he received an honorable discharge and returned home with a purple heart, defense medals, and survival badges. On Sept. 12, 1970, he married Roberta Behan at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Ethete. He was a rancher, oil field hand, carpenter, and range technician, and was employed by Amoco Oil Company, Shoshone and Arapahoe Tribes and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He enjoyed team roping, attending rodeos, and being around his family and friends. Survivors include his wife, Roberta; daughter, Merissa Shakespeare; son, Chandler Shakespeare Sr., all of Ethete; sister Amilia M. Nopah of Scottsdale, Ariz.; adopted Crow brother, Ken Plenty and family of Crow Agency, Mont.; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Annie Shakespeare; brothers, Crawford, Nelson, Avon, and Dana Shakespeare; and sisters, Mary Bitner, Bernice C. Bapst, and Sarah Walker. Wind Dancer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Copyright c. 2006 Casper Star-Tribune published by Lee Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of Lee Enterprises, Incorporated. -=-=-=- November 8, 2006 Joseph Robert Low Dog Sr. WOLF POINT - Joseph "Job" Robert Low Dog Sr. (Stripe on Each Wing), 81, died Sunday, Nov. 5, 2006, at Trinity Hospital in Wolf Point. Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Wolf Point Community Hall. Everyone is invited to a four-day feast celebration of his life beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Wolf Point Community Hall, with a traditional wake following and a prayer service at 7 p.m. Interment will be held at the Oswego Presbyterian cemetery. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel is in charge. November 12, 2006 Gail Rochelle Driftwood Stops WYOLA - Gail Rochelle Driftwood Stops, 57, of Wyola passed away Friday, Nov. 10, 2006, in the St. Vincent Hospital. Issoope Ah'uush "Has lots of Tobacco" was born June 10, 1949, in Hardin, a daughter of Stephen and Hazel Little Owl Driftwood Jr. She grew up and attended schools in St. Xavier and Wyola and later received training at the Billings Business College. Gail married Gerald Red Wolf Sr., on Aug. 8, 1966, in Hardin and the couple made their home in Wyola. Gerald died in 1995. She married William Stops on Sept. 12, 1998, in Crow Agency and the couple lived in Wyola. She was a member of the Wyola Baptist Church, Ties the Bundle Clan and was a child of the Ties the Bundle Clan. She enjoyed sewing, listening to gospel music and watching her family members participate in basketball games. However, she most enjoyed the time she could spend with her family. During her younger years, she liked traditional Crow dancing and hand games. Her father; adopted son, Brian Yellowtail; brothers, Dennis Driftwood and Joe Phares; grandparents, William and Agnes Little Owl, Stephen Driftwood Sr., and Lucy Old Bull; her aunts, Lucy Little Owl, Adelia Stewart, Fern Bellrock, Edna Good Luck and Genevieve Morrison and her uncles, Harvey Driftwood and Xavier Little Owl preceded Gail in death. Survivors include her husband, William Stops; her mother, Hazel (Starr) Not Afraid; her sons, Stephen (Teri), Gordon and Gerald Red Wolf Jr.; adopted daughters, Elisa Plenty Hawk and Carrie Ann Yellowtail; adopted son, Jamie Yellowtail; a step daughter, Princess (Walter) Aaris; two step sons, Conrad (Maggie) and Garrett (Amy) Stops; her sisters, Darlena (Pat) Amyotte, Harriett (Clayton) Bad Bear, Barbara (Cleo) Medicine Horse Jr., Rhoda (Larry) Bright Wings, Patricia (Kenneth) Toineeta and Valerie (Tim) Dust; her brothers, Vydale Not Afraid, Myron (Vivian) and William Driftwood; adopted sisters, Miriam Plenty Hawk, Cheryl Yellowtail, Geraldine Schenderline, Linda Whiteman, Melinda Dawes, Iva Shane, Susette Nanto-Spang, Betty Jane LaForge, Jennifer Turns Plenty, Angela Red Wolf, Elsie and Carla Falls Down; step sisters, Geneva Other Medicine, Elizabeth (Bruce) White, Barbara Bacon, Arvilla Steffan, Diane (Andy) Russell, Francine, Paulette and Marilyn Not Afraid; adopted brothers, Raymond Falls Down Jr., Wade and Clayton Driftwood; step brothers, Marlin (Reva), Garlan (Verlyene) and Les (Cammie) Not Afraid; her grandchildren, Gerald III, Emaryl, Trevor, Mitchell, Tyra, Hyrum, Jazmyn, Crystal; her grandfather, Phillip Beaumont; her aunts, Darlene (Oliver) Hugs, Philamine Old Coyote, and Virginia He Does It and Nora (Dennis) Big Hair; her uncles, David Stewart Sr., Ettings (Harriett) and Tommy (Linda) Little Owl; 10 nieces; 15 nephews; as well as her extended family including the Bellrock, He Does It, LaForge, Big Hair, Half, Bear Below, Knows His Gun, Bird Hat, Plain Feather, Jefferson, Carpenter, Not Afraid, Backbone, Good Luck, Horn, Little Light, Bull over the Hill and the Bebee families. Our family is very large; if we have missed you, please accept our apology. Rosary will be recited 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 13, in the Bullis Funeral Chapel. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, in the Crow Agency Multi-Purpose Building. Interment will follow in the Hardin Fairview Cemetery. Bullis Mortuary of Hardin has been entrusted with the arrangements. November 13, 2006 Theresa Ruth Gun Shows CROW AGENCY - Theresa Ruth Gun Shows, 75, of Crow Agency, passed away Nov. 10, 2006, at the Billings Clinic of complications from pneumonia. Ba'axatxiassee "Well Known Buffalo Calf" was born July 20, 1931, in Crow Agency, a daughter of Louis Walks Over Ice, Sr. and Elizabeth Fitzpatrick. She was raised in the Lodge Grass and Black Lodge areas and received her education in Lodge Grass, Busby, Crow Agency, St. Xavier and Hardin. Theresa married Shobe Little Light, II and he passed away in 1971. She married Gaylord Gardner in 1973 and he died in 1983. She married Elmer Gun Shows in 1992 in Crow Agency, and the couple made their home in Crow Agency. She was a member of the Catholic Church, Whistling Water Clan and was a child of the Big Lodge Clan. She was employed as a teacher aide for several years and later worked as a cook for the Crow Agency Senior Citizens. Her parents, brothers, Art Fitzpatrick, Joe Tobacco, McKinley Sees the Ground, Cedric, Davisson and Louis Walks Over Ice, Jr.; sisters, Connie Brown, Michealeen Sees the Ground, Sonja Stewart; granddaughters, Matilda Big Hair, Natalia and Ta'Shon Little Light; grandson, Damen Oleyte; adopted sons, Norris and Cloyce Little Light preceded Theresa in death. Our hearts are hurting and we are missing you. But we will never forget you. You were the best friend, mother, sister, wife and grandmother ever. Thanks for your never ending love and all the precious memories. They will all be cherished in our hearts forever. Survivors include her husband, Elmer of Crow Agency; her children, Myron (Kaylene), Vanessa, Shobe (Janet), Orland (Mavis) and TR (Stephanie) Little Light, Latonna (Lloyd) Long Soldier, Margret (Clinton) Stops, Pauline (Robert) Doyle, Lisa (Donavon) Ramirez-Oleyte, Lori (Galen) Ramirez-Gondara, Sherri (Lee) Lauver, Pam (Oscar) Spencer, Patricia (Fred) Clark, Dee, Robin (Margaret), John (Shawnee) and Frank Gun Shows; adopted children, Teddy (Juliette) Little Light, Ava Bell Rock, Linda Little Owl, Karen Old Elk, Roberta Steinmetz, Mary Giles, Lisa Bently, Juni (Bruce) Corrigan, Donald Door and Donald Gardner, Jr.; her grandchildren, Dominic, Tamara, Juanita, Myranda, Marshea, Myron Jr., Shylei, Austin, Chauncey, Peter, Flora, Lara, Shobe III, Francesca, Elizabeth, Evalina, Tari, Aaron, Tyrell, Ammina, Tarina, Marina, Vaughn, Julian, Christian, Skye, Colby, Thea, Tia, Shawna, Richie, Dana, Darin, Devin, Davin, Jacelyn, Aaron, Alee, Tanya and Traci; 60 great-grandchildren; her brothers, Billy (Shirley) Stewart, Greeley (Stella) Not Afraid, Victor (Janice) Singer, Grant Bull Tail, Mike, John and Sidney Fitzpatrick; brothers whom she raised, Larry and Dana Tobacco; sisters, Delma Yarlott, Mary (Sonny) Black Eagle, Regina Goes Ahead, Velma Fitzpatrick, Linda (Manuel) Covers Up, Barbara Stewart and Zelda Sees the Ground; adopted siblings, Larry Yellowtail, Sylvia (Hartford) Stops, Clevia Jones, Johnanna (George) Reed, Sr., Marla Fritzler, Julia Wolf and Deanna LaForge; her aunts, Agnes Parish and Katherine Little Light; as well as members of her extended family including the Stewart, Iron, Pretty Paint, Other Medicine, Blaine, Horn, Sees the Ground, Brown, Leider and Iron Horse families. Our family is large; if we have forgotten you, please accept our apology. Rosary will be recited at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the Bullis Funeral Chapel. Funeral mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, in the Crow Agency Multi- Purpose Building. Interment will follow in the Crow Agency Cemetery. Bullis Mortuary of Hardin has been entrusted with the arrangements. Copyright c. 2006 The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. -=-=-=- Golden Triangle On-Line Obituaries The following obituaries appeared in the Cut Bank Pioneer Press, Shelby Promoter, Valierian or Glacier Reporter this week. November 8, 2006 Helen AfterBuffalo Helen AfterBuffalo, 71, a homemaker and former firefighter, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006 at the Browning Community Hospital of natural causes. Survivors include her husband, Patrick "Bunny" After Buffalo; sons, Gerald (Robin) Wells and family, Cami, Becky, and Brad all from Bowling Green, Ohio, Gene (Cheryl) Wells and family, Keith, Lil, Gene, Wesley, Terry, Skyler, Saraya, and Tahj all from Browning, Howard Wayne (Luigi) Wells and family, Wyle, Larissa, Kylie, Jazelyn, Wyle Wynn, and Cash Colt all from Browning, Dewey David "Tom" Wells from Browning, and Darrell (Roberta) After Buffalo and daughter, Dyrell all from Browning; daughters, Taleah (Gale) Old Chief and family, Cordell and Patti Ann from Browning, Julie (Robert) Lake and family, Josh, Jordan, and Parocai all from Browning, and Eva Mae (Alvin) Fallis and family, Judy, Billie Jean, Angel, Traelene, Azrul Old Chief all from Fort Thompson, S.D.; sisters, Shirley (Art) DeRoche and family, Joleen and David Vielle, Hazel Anderson, and Loretta Old Chief and family, Dale, Chris, Mae, and Renee; brothers, Howard (Faye) Old Chief and family, Rawhide, Earl, John, and Maynard from Browning, Forrest Little Dog, Donald Little Dog, Howard Little Dog, Wheeler Little Dog, and Floyd Middle Rider. She is preceded in death by a daughter, Patty Ann After Buffalo, a sister, Dorothy Vielle, and parents, George Vielle, John Old Chief, Richard Little Dog, and Josephine Old Chief Vielle. Funeral services were held Monday at On The Rock Church in Browning. Burial followed in Old Chief Cemetery. Casketbearers were Charles "Chinks" Wolf Tail, Joseph "Dusty" Old Chief Jr., Lyle After Buffalo, Howard "Rawhide" Old Chief Jr., Tony Little Dog, David Kennedy, William "Bill" Old Chief, and David Home Gun. Honorary casketbearers were Michael Bull Calf, Dick Rattler, Ursula Running Crane, Pauline Running Crane, Joe Rattler, Wilbur Calf Robe, Robert Lake, Joe Bear, Gale W. Spotted Bear, Gail Fitzgerald, Laurie and William Vielle, her friends and family. Pondera Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Leslie Q. Whitford Leslie Q. Whitford, age 54, a resident of Browning, died of respiratory failure Sunday, Nov. 5, 2006 at Benefis East Hospital in Great Falls. A wake is being held at Glacier Homes Community Center in Browning. Rosary will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the center. Funeral services will be held at the United Methodist Church in Browning at 11 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 9 with burial to follow in Babb Cemetery. Les was born Jan. 18, 1952 in Browning to parents Henry and Mary Ann Whitford. He was raised in Babb, attended schools in Babb and Browning and was currently enrolled at the Blackfeet Community College. Les and Nellie Reed were married on April 25, 1987. They lived in Rocky Boy from 1985 to 1994 where he worked as a contractor for the Chippewa Cree Housing program. After returning to Browning he continued to work as a self-employed contractor, working for Blackfeet Housing and HIP. Survivors include his wife Nelly; daughter Laura Hall (Virgil); and son Tyrell Whitford (Jauna) of Browning; daughter Tina Stevenson (Dave) of Fort Benton; a grandson Quentin who he was raising; and mother Mary Ann Flammond Whitford of Havre; sisters Linda Gonzales (Ray) and Twila Herrera of Rocky Boy, DA Harwood (Ray) and Kim Henderson of Havre, Tracy Galbreath (Jerry) of Cut Bank, Hootie Miller (Stewart) and Sheri Blackweasel (Roger) of Browning, Marion Whitford of North Dakota; brothers, James (Patsy) Whitford and Sam (Shirley) Whitford of Babb, Peter (Sherina) Whitford of Cut Bank, Larry Whitford of Harlem, Ken Flammand of Browning, and grandchildren Christina, Allicia, Kailynn, and Kendall; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Les was preceded in death by his father Henry Whitford, brother Blue Whitford, grandparents Pete and Eliza Flammond, George Whitford, Carl and Maggie Lawrance. Copyright c. 2006 Golden Triangle Newspapers. -=-=-=- November 7, 2006 Leslie Q. Whitford BROWNING - Leslie Q. Whitford, 54, a Browning contractor, died of complications from pneumonia Sunday at a Great Falls hospital. A wake is in progress at Glacier College Homes Community Center in Browning. His funeral is 11 a.m. Thursday at United Methodist Church, with burial in Babb Cemetery. Hi-Line Funeral Home of Cut Bank is in charge of arrangements. Survivors include his wife, Nellie Whitford of Browning; daughters Laura Whitford of Browning and Bettina Stevenson of Fort Benton; a son, Tyrel Whitford of Browning; his mother, MaryAnn Whitford of Havre; sisters Linda Gonzales and Twila "Shorty" Whitford of Rocky Boy, D.A. Harwood and Stephanie "Kim" Henderson of Havre, Rum Whitford Turcotte of Alexander, N. D., Tracy Galbreath of Cut Bank, Sherrie Blackweasel of Durham and Hootie Miller of Browning; brothers James Whitford and Sam Whitford of Babb, Pete Whitford of Seville, Larry Whitford of Harlem, Kenneth Flammond of Browning and Scott Paisley of West Yellowstone; a grandson whom he raised, Quentin Whitford of Browning; and five other grandchildren. November 8, 2006 Joseph "Joab" Low Dog Sr. WOLF POINT - Army veteran Joseph "Joab" Low Dog Sr., 81, who worked in irrigation and for Wolf Point Saddlery for more than 40 years, died of natural causes Sunday at a Wolf Point hospital. A four-day feast celebration starts at 1 p.m. today at Wolf Point Community Hall, followed by a traditional wake and a prayer service at 7 p. m. His funeral is 10 a.m. Thursday at the hall, with burial in Oswego Presbyterian Cemetery. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Survivors include children Carol Low Dog, Joseph Low Dog, Patti Low Dog and Jeffrey Low Dog, all of Wolf Point, Kristen Low Dog of Colorado and Julie Low Dog of Wyoming; 24 grandchildren and 39 great-grandchildren. Joe Whitehorse Sr. ROCKY BOY - Joe Whitehorse Sr, 66, an Army veteran and retired transportation supervisor for the Rocky Boy School District, died of cancer Monday at a Havre hospital. Wake services are today at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Rocky Boy. Traditional funeral services are 11 a.m. Thursday at the church, with burial in Rocky Boy Cemetery. Holland and Bonine Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Survivors include his wife of 19 years, Rhoda Whitehorse of Rocky Boy; sons Joe Whitehorse Jr. of Browning, Leonard "Oscar" Whitehorse of Great Falls and Donald "Ducky" Whitehorse, Orton Rock and Matthew Denny, all of Rocky Boy; daughters Carla Many Hides of Browning, Valerie Two Teeth of Helena and Julia Whitehorse of Wolf Point; brothers Robert and Rusty Gopher of Rocky Boy; sisters Ruby Gopher, Kathleen and Linda Gopher, all of Rocky Boy; 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. November 10, 2006 Ann Hess-Maciel Ann (Stanley) Hess-Maciel, 70, of 1000 8th Ave. N.W., a homemaker whose Indian name, Wapan acahkos, means "Morning Star," died after a short illness Wednesday at a local hospital. A traditional Native service is 2 p.m. today at the Northwest Center. Burial will take place Saturday in Mount Olivet Cemetery. Croxford Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements. Survivors include her husband, Sam Maciel of Great Falls; children Yvonone (Bruce) Houle, Mahlon Don Hess and Frank Maciel, all of Great Falls, and Maria (Clinton) Valandra of Billings; a brother, David Stanley of Maple Creek, Saskatchewan; and grandchildren, including Jawn Torres- Hess, Don Houle, Travis Hess, Bruce Lee Houle, Cicero Running Crane, Cody Hess, Angela and Lisa Bonney, Jaeger and Daunte Valandra and Jordan Houle; nine great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and other grandchildren in Canada. Ann passed on to be with Manitow (the creator) on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006. Ann was born in Cypress Hills, Saskatchewan, Canada, on July 3, 1936, to George and Mary Stanley. She attended school in Maple Creek, and moved to the States as a young woman. She met Mahlon Hess while working as a certified nursing assistant in Havre, Mont. They married in 1956 in Havre, and had four children. Ann enjoyed being with her family and enjoyed going to pow-wows, round dances and sundances and playing keno. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Mahlon Hess; a daughter, Gertrude Hess; sisters Flora Stanley, Mary Four Souls, Helen Oakes and Mary Francis; a brother, Archie Stanley; and a grandson, Mahlon Hess. If any names were left out, please accept our apologies. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Sam and Frank Maciel, 1000 8th Ave. N.W., Great Falls, MT 59404. Condolences may be sent online to greatfallstribune.com/obituaries. Copyright c. 2006 Great Falls Tribune, a division of Lee Enterprises. -=-=-=- November 8, 2006 Joe Whitehorse Sr. ROCKY BOY - "Joe" Whitehorse Sr., 66, a retired transportation supervisor for Rocky Boy School District died at Northern Montana Hospital on Monday, Nov. 6, 2006, of cancer. A wake service will be today at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Rocky Boy. A traditional funeral service will be held at 11 a. m. Thursday with burial following in the Rocky Boy Cemetery. Joe was born Sept. 23, 1940, in Rocky Boy to John P. and Julia (Roasting Stick) Whitehorse. He attended schools in Rocky Boy. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged. Joe worked as a police officer for the Rocky Boy Police Department for a number of years and worked for the Box Elder Schools transportation for a number of years. Up until his retirement in June of 2006, Joe served as transportation supervisor for Rocky Boy Schools. Joe enjoyed traveling to visit his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed hand games, powwows and cultural ceremonies. Joe played catcher for one of the first successful Rocky Boy softball teams in the early 1970s. He took first place in the Bus Rodeo in Lewistown, an annual summer statewide competition of bus drivers. Joe married Janice Belgarde. The couple later divorced. He later married Rhoda Couture at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Joe was preceded in death by his parents; and sisters, Emma Lou Rock and Viola Running Fisher. Survivors include his wife of 19 years, Rhoda Whitehorse of Rocky Boy; sons Joe (Sandy) Whitehorse Jr. Of Browning, Leonard "Oscar" (Cary) Whitehorse of Great Falls, Donald "Ducky" (Susan) Whitehorse of Rocky Boy, Matthew (Joyce) Denny of Rocky Boy, Orton (Juanita) Rock of Rocky Boy; daughters, Carla (Dwayne) Many Hides of Browning, Valerie "Buggy" (Inar) Two Teeth of Helena and Julia Whitehorse of Wolf Point; brothers, Robert and Rusty Gopher of Rocky Boy; sisters, Ruby (Charles) Gopher, Kathleen and Linda Gopher of Rocky Boy; 11 grandchildren; and one great-grandson. Copyright c. 2006 Havre Daily News. -=-=-=- November 8, 2006 John Stein Jr., 60 Anchorage Anchorage resident John Stein Jr., 60, died Nov. 3, 2006, at Alaska Native Medical Center. A visitation will be 2 to 5 p.m. today at Evergreen Memorial Chapel, 737 E St. Additional services will be in Kotzebue at the Friends Church, with burial at Cemetery Hill in Kotzebue. Mr. Stein was born May 16, 1946, in Kotzebue to John Sr. and Velma Stein. He served in the U.S. Navy in the Western Pacific and had been stationed in the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam and Korea between October 1967 and October 1971. Mr. Stein had also been a resident of Kotzebue and Point Hope before living in Anchorage. He was a member of Friends Church, and his hobbies included carving, hunting and fishing. He was also a counselor at Maniilaq Recovery Center in Kotzebue. "He was recognized as a tribal doctor," his family wrote. Survivors include his daughters, Christina Nash, Ruth Stein, Roxanne Stein, Louisa Stein and Dorothy Stein; grandsons, Cameron Stein, Bernard Nash and Gabriel Stein; granddaughters, Helen Stein, Anita Stein, Alexandra Stein and Sonya Stein; brothers, Frank Stein, Calvin Stein, Christian Stein Sr., Stephen Stein; and sisters, Emily Rodland, Effie Nelson, Ida Sherbahn, Louise Brown, Rachel Nelson, Kathy Elam, Mary Lie, Lucy Ann Henry, Rose Shield and Lisa Stein. He was preceded in death by his brothers, David Stein and Billy Stein; and sisters, Murriam and Helen Stein Lucas Hartz. Arrangements are with Evergreen Memorial Chapel. November 9, 2006 Edward Topkok Sr., 84 Wasilla Wasilla resident Edward Sigvanna Topkok Sr., 84, died Nov. 6, 2006, at Alaska Native Medical Center. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Central Lutheran Church, with services at 11 a.m. The Revs. Karen Sonray and Ken Gabel will officiate. Burial will be at Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery. Mr. Topkok was born Aug. 15, 1922, in Marys Igloo, to Fred and Gussie "Auka" Topkok. He was a cook and ivory carver. A Wasilla resident, he had also lived in Anchorage, Teller, Seward and Homer. Mr. Topkok was a member of the Lutheran church and enjoyed hunting, cooking, carving ivory, building boats and building dog sleds for his nephew, Joe Garnie. His family wrote that he always made people feel welcome and fed. He also had a good sense of humor, they said. "He always gave all his kids and nephews and nieces nicknames," his family said. "He had a special quality to make you feel loved." Survivors include his sons and daughters-in-law, Andrew and Reta and Eddie and Morty, all of Anchorage; son, Willy "Tom," and his friend Larry, both of Anchorage; daughters and sons-in-law, Emma and Warren Olanna of Brevig Mission and Phyllis Marie and Rob Lemm of Wasilla; first wife, Louise Todd of Wasilla; grandchildren, Walter Ailook Savetilik, Caroline Oquilluk, Anthony Oliveri, Ryan Oliveri, Martin Topkok, Justina Tuckfield, Shannon Miller, Carl Topkok, Colette Topkok, Luke Topkok, Elizabeth Kimbal and Zachary Lemm; six great-grandchildren; sister, Sadie Nook Kakaruk; brothers and sister-in-law, Alfred Topkok Sr. and Chester and Emma Topkok; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his sister, Maggie "Pup"; foster brothers, Carl, Wayne, Reuben and "Uncle Bape" Topkok; daughters, Martha Trigg and Alice Topkok; son, Martin Topkok; and special friend and companion, Gretchen Flanigan. Arrangements were with Evergreen Memorial Chapel downtown. Elaine Stanley, 56 Nikiski Lifelong Alaskan and Nikiski resident Clara "Elaine" Stanley, 56, died Nov. 6, 2006, her 30th wedding anniversary, at home after a long illness. Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the Nikiski New Hope Christian Fellowship. The Rev. Henry Haney will officiate. A memorial potluck will follow. Mrs. Stanley was born July 22, 1950, in Anchorage, to Fred and Vera Roehl. She received her GED in 1977. Mrs. Stanley had worked as a commercial drift fisherman in Bristol Bay and was a teacher's aide in Newhalen for 10 years until she moved to Anchorage, where she worked as a long-distance operator. In 1981, she moved to Nikiski, where she has resided for the last 25 years. She also worked as a driver-secretary for the Cook Inlet Native Association Youth Group in Kenai. Her family said: "Elaine believed that she was going to meet Jesus and see all her dear loved ones that went before her. She was a loving and caring mother and wife. Her love reached further than just her family but to everyone around her. She will be missed by all." She was preceded in death by her parents; stepmother, Anna Roehl; brothers, Allen, Bobby, Henry and Willis Roehl; and sister, Esther Sheratine. She is survived by her husband of 30 years, Kris Stanley of Nikiski; sons, Gareth and Gordon Stanley, both of Nikiski; "daughter in spirit," C. C. Vanderpool; sister, Betty Alsworth of Anchorage; brother, Hans Roehl Sr. of Bethel; brothers and sisters-in-law, Arthur and Linda Roehl of Anchorage and Floyd and Pauline Roehl of Eek; and granddaughter, Macy Erin Stanley of Nikiski. Arrangements were by Peninsula Memorial Chapel. Copyright c. 2006 The Anchorage Daily News. -=-=-=- November 12, 2006 Arlene M. Demit Arlene Mary Demit, 58, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006, at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. Her loved ones were by her side. Arlene was born in the village of Tetlin to Fred and Bella (Joseph) Demit on Oct. 18, 1948. Arlene's career included working for Tetlin Village Council, Tanacross Village Council, United Crow Band, Delta Social Services, Alternate Health Aide (Tetlin) for Kathleen Mark, and as an alcohol counselor. She attended Chemawa Indian School, graduating in 1968. She was the wife of Jerry Isaac, president of Tanana Chiefs Conference. She took university courses in Tok. Her hobbies were taking care of her grandchildren, supporting baseball and basketball, traveling, beadwork, subsistence fishing and hunting, fixing dry meat and fish, and worrying about everyone she loved. Arlene was a beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt and grandmother who will be deeply missed. Arlene was preceded in death by her son, Damien Isaac; parents, Fred and Bella (Joseph) Demit; brothers, Howard and Ray; niece, Janet; uncles, Thomas and Herbert Demit; and aunts, Jesse Ervin, Polly Hyslop and Lucille (Demit) Deason. Arlene is survived by her husband, Jerry Isaac; children, Herbie (Dawn), Jerry Jr., Galen and Angeline; grandkids, Shoshonna, Kaliann, Dayton "Baby D," Keenan, and Charmaine; sister, Barbie (Orville) Williams, children, Elisha (Rebecca) Shannon, Leo (Little Big-Man), Levi, Orvanna, Melissa; brothers, Everett Demit and Robert Demit; uncle, Robert Lee (Angel) Demit; and aunt, Doris David. A funeral was held at noon, Saturday at Chena River Convention Center with the Revs. Scott Fisher and Steve Matthews officiating. A second service will be held at 1 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 14, at Tok High School with Paul Milanowski and John Betters officiating. Honorary pallbearers include Charlie David Sr., Diane Jordan and Terri Smoke. Pallbearers include Roy Sam, Don Pitka, Cora Demit, Mildred Jonathan, Roselyn Isaac, Elsie Sanford and Sandy Koyukuk. She will be laid to rest in Tanacross. Arrangements were by Fairbanks Funeral Home and Crematory. Copyright c. 1999-2006 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Inc. -=-=-=- November 9, 2006 Vicenta Maciel Vicenta "Vinci" M. Maciel died Nov. 3, 2006, in Juneau. She was 84. Born in 1921 in Oklahoma, she was of Spanish and Kickapoo heritage. She moved to Juneau in 1995 but had visited Alaska many times. She was a homemaker. Family members said would be laid to rest with her husband, Joe, at Fort Bliss, Texas. She is survived by her daughters, Lilli Walsh, of Juneau, and Stella Aragon, of Las Cruces, N.M.; son, Michael Maciel, of Austin, Texas; six grandchildren; and eight great grandchildren. Copyright c. 1997-2006 Juneau Empire/Morris Communications Corporation. -=-=-=- November 9, 2006 Clara 'Elaine' Stanley Lifelong Alaskan and Nikiski resident Clara "Elaine" Stanley died Monday, Nov. 6, 2006, at her home on her 30th wedding anniversary, after a long illness. She was 56. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, at the Nikiski New Hope Christian Fellowship in Nikiski. Pastor Henry Haney will officiate. A memorial potluck will follow the services at the church. Mrs. Stanley was born July 22, 1950, to Fred and Vera Roehl in Anchorage. She studied and received her GED in 1977. Mrs. Stanley worked as a commercial drift fisherman in Bristol Bay and was a teacher's aide in Newhalen for 10 years until she moved to Anchorage, where she worked as a long distance operator. In 1981 she moved to Nikiski, where she has lived for the last 25 years. She also worked as a driver-secretary for the Cook Inlet Native Association Youth Group in Kenai. "Elaine believed that she was going to meet Jesus, and see all her dear loved ones that went before her. She was a loving and caring mother and wife. Her love reached further than just her family, but to everyone around her, she will be missed by all," her family said. Mrs. Stanley was preceded in death by her parents; stepmother, Anna Roehl; brothers, Allen, Bobby, Henry and Willis Roehl; and sister, Esther Sheratine. She is survived by her husband of 30 years, Kris Stanley of Nikiski; sons, Gareth and Gordon Stanley of Nikiski; daughter, C.C. Vanderpool; sister, Betty Alsworth of Anchorage; brother, Hans Roehl Sr. of Bethel; brothers and sisters-in-law, Arthur and Linda Roehl of Anchorage and Floyd and Pauline Roehl of Eek; and granddaughter, Macy Erin Stanley of Nikiski. Arrangements were made by Peninsula Memorial Chapel in Kenai. Copyright c. 2006 Peninsula Clarion Division of Morris Communications, Kenai, AK. -=-=-=- November 8, 2006 Joseph Wagamese, of Dalles First Nation Mr. Joseph Wagamese, a resident of Dalles First Nations, passed away at Lake of the Woods District Hospital on November 8, 2006. Wake Service to be held on Saturday, November 11, 2006 at 11:00 a.m. at the Dalles First Nations Community Hall. Traditional Funeral Service will be held on Sunday, November 12, 2006 at Noon at the Community Hall with interment to follow at Dalles First Nations. A full and complete obituary to follow. Brown Funeral Home and Cremation Centre entrusted with arrangements. Copyright c. 2006 Kenora Daily Miner and News. -=-=-=- November 9, 2006 Joseph Thorn THORN - On Tuesday, November 7, 2006 Joseph H. Thorn passed away at the age of 68 years. He was predeceased by his parents John D. and Mary Anne Thorn, his wife Mary, children, Alvin, Daniel, and Patricia. He is survived by his children, Gerald, Marlene (Howard), Yvonne (Thomas), Kenneth (Wendy) and Steve, as well as numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews, three brothers, Wilfred, John, Mike and one sister Margaret. The wake will be held on Thursday, November 9, 2006 in the Ben Pasqua Memorial Hall, Pasqua First Nation commencing at 5:00 P.M. The Funeral Service will be held on Friday, November 10, 2006 at 2:00 P.M. in the band hall with Rev. Ron Hooper, officiating. Burial will follow in the Asham Beach Cemetery. Arrangements are in the care of Lee Funeral Home 757-8645. Copyright c. 2000-2006 Regina Leader Post Group Inc. -=-=-=- November 11, 2006 Gino Devon Blood Gino Devon Blood passed away in Lethbridge on November 6th, 2006 at the age of t is with great sadness that we announce the sudden death of our dear brother, dad, uncle, cousin, nephew, and good friend, GINO DEVON BLOOD. At the age of 30 years, Devon passed away at Lethbridge, AB, November 6th, 2006. Beloved by his kids Tia and Jared. Devon attended the Cardston Elementary School, Fort Macleod Jr. High, Kainai High School, Red Crow Community College, with numerous awards in basket ball, and boxing. Devon was a very friendly person, always there when you needed to talk or help. He loved his kids very much and his family. Survived by aunts and uncles Andrew (Holly) Bull Calf, Sally (Marlin) Eagle Speaker, Johnny (Bonita) Blood, Shirley (Wilfred) Calling Last, Leroy (Regina) Hunt, Delores Bull Calf, and Sandy Blood; sisters and brothers Cameron (Lavern) Blood, Roxanne (Tim) Eagle Speaker;grandmother Florence Brave Rock; aunt Wanda Brave Rock; uncles Dennis Wells, Faran Brave Rock, John Heavy Runner, Mark Brave Rock, Gary Brave Rock; numerous cousins. Predeceased by his mother Sharon Blood; grandparents Charlie and Catherine Blood; aunts Emily Blood, Lorna Blood, Catherine Calling Last; great aunt Maude (George) Calling Last; maternal great grandparents Herbert and Martha Bull Calf, Charles Sr., and Mary Blood. Devon is also predeceased by his father Elmer Gino Wells; sister Marshelle Vielle; auntie Galena Brave Rock; uncle Ernest James Brave Rock; grandfather Wilfrid Brave Rock; paternal great grand parents Jim Wells Sr. and Molly Wells; cousin Galena Brave Rock, Dale Brave Rock, and Stanley Brave Rock. The Wake Service will be held at St. Paul's Anglican Church, Blood Reserve on Sunday, November12th from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. The Funeral Service will be held at St. Paul's Anglican Church, Blood Reserve on Monday, November 13th at 11:00 a.m.with Reverend Michael Tipper Officiating. Interment to follow in St. Catherine's Cemetery, Blood Reserve. Funeral arrangements entrusted to Cal Salmon & Berry Gorham of Legacy. November 10, 2006 Joseph David Bear A'SAOKKOYOHKITOPI March 21, 1931- November 6, 2006 Joe Bear went to the creator (istsipatapiyop) on Monday, November 6, 2006 at the age of 75 years and formerly of the Old Agency, Blood Reserve. Joe was born to the late Joe Bear Sr. and Edith Day Chief. He was the oldest of 7 Siblings. He is survived by Wilfred Soop and children, Julia (Fred) Spotted Bull and children, and Jacinta Bear. Adopted children, Tracy (Beth) Day Chief, Lucille (Eugene) White Quills and Debbie Day Chief. Grandchildren: Brad (Melissa) Darryl (Alana), Courtney (Charles), Kes (Kirsten), Patricia (Tyson), Cody, Cora White Quills Kasey (Aldwin), Bryce. Also, by his adopted brothers and sisters; Winston (Martha), Rosaline, June, Alfreda, Rita (Keith) Red Crow, Wilton (Trina), Harriet, Chester (Bonnie), Lavern (Rod) First Rider, Bruce (Carla), Judy, Perry, Patsy and Delia (John) E. Moon, Larry (Diane) Marsh and Roger ( Katherine) Hunt, and all his nieces and nephews were special to him. He is also survived by special friends, Julie-anna Day Chief, aunt Annie Day Chief, Hunts, Beebe's, Heavy Head's, and the Knifes. Joe was born and raised on the Blood Reserve. He received his education at the St. Paul's Anglican Indian Residential School. After his school years he went to the Unite States were he worked in Spokane, Washington doing various jobs. He also worked as a rancher where he perfected his skills at horsemanship. Upon his return to the Blood Reserve in 1955, he resided at his Uncle's home, the late Victor Day Chief, where he became a brother to his siblings, and grandpa and uncle to all. He worked for various Native Ranchers/Farmers from the Reserve. He was a true cowboy who loved to rodeo. He had participated in a Cardston Rodeo doing an exhibition ride in the Saddle Bronco division. He rode "Treasure Island", who was never defeated until he met up with Joe. Joe rode him for the full 8 seconds, while none of the others where able to ride him. He was also very active in his Native Culture. He was a member of the Beaver Bundle- Ninamska- he held the Thunder Pipe called Top Knot, Magpie Society, and was the last person to ever do the Ghost Dance. Later in his life he went into the Sundance and Sweat lodge. Joe is predeceased by his parents Joe and Edith Bear, Brothers Christmas, Emil, and Gilbert. Uncles, Victor ( Lucy) Day Chief, Ronald (Jane) Day Chief, Dick Day Chief; aunts, Suzie(Alec) Hunt, Agnes (Alec) Little Shields; adopted brother Jarvie; sister, Doris; cousins Bradley, Brent, Robby, Jody, Wilbert, John, Rosella, John, Paul, Giles, Lori, Jared, Sonya, Dennis, Margaret, Daniel, Noella, Shaquille, Cassandra and sister-in law Geraldine Soop. A Wake Service will be held at OLD AGENCY, on Sunday, November 12, 2006 from 7:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. A Funeral Service will be held at OLD AGENCY, on Monday, November 13, 2006 at 11:00 A.M. with Reverend Mr. Clayton Twigg. Interment to follow at Old Agency Cemetery. Copyright c. 2006 Alberta Newspaper Group, Inc./Lethbridge Herald.