_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 15, ISSUE 014 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, WOTANGING IKCHE - Lakota - Common News Wotanging Ikche and Native American News Copyright c. 1996-2007 nanews.org Aboriginal/AmerIndian Perspective about the First Nations of Turtle Island April 2, 2007 Kiowa aiden p'a/leaf moon Yuchi Wadaa/big summer moon Anishnaabe Iskigamizige-giizis(oog)/broken snowshoe moon +-------------------------------------------------------+ | Much more happens in Indian Country than is reported | | in this weekly newsletter. For daily updates & events | | go to http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm | +-------------------------------------------------------+ Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin -- Blackfeet -- News for All the People Ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min -- Ojibwe -- We Are Talking About Ourselves Aunchemokauhettittea -- Naragansett -- Let Us Share News Kanoheda Aniyvwiya -- Cherokee -- Journal of the People O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse -- Creek -- People's New News O o O Acimowin -- Plains Cree -- Story or Account O o O Tlaixmatiliztli -- Nahuatl -- News O o o o o O Agnutmaqan -- Listuguj Mi'kmaq -- News O o O Sho-da-ku-ye -- Teehahnahmah -- Talking Birchbark O o O Un Chota -- Susquehannic Seneca -- The People Speak O Ha-Sah-Sliltha -- Ditidaht Nation -- News of the People Ximopanolti tehuatzin, inin Mexika tlahtolli -- Nahuatl -- For you we offer these words It-hah-pe-hah Ah-num pah-le -- Chickasaw -- Together We Are Talking Dineh jii' adah' ho'nil'e'gii ba' ha' neh -- Navajo Nation -- What's Happening among The People News Okla Humma Holisso Nowat Anya -- Choctaw -- People(s) Red Newspaper Hi'a chu ah gaa -- Pima -- The stories or the talk of the People s ch mA mL tL squee Lux -- Okanogan -- News from the People Native American News -- Language of the Occupation Forces ++>If you speak a Native American language not listed above, please send us your words for "News of the People." We'd rather take up this whole page saving these few words of our hundreds of nations than present a nice clean banner in the language of the occupation forces who came here determined to replace our words with their own. email gars@nanews.org with the equivalent of "News of the People" in your tribal language along with the english translation <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is produced in straight ASCII text for greatest portability across platforms. Read it with a fixed-pitch font, such as Courier, Monaco, FixedSys or CG Times. Proportional fonts will be difficult to read. <================<<<< >>>>================> This issue contains articles from www.owlstar.com; www.indianz.com; www.pechanga.net; www.indiancountrytoday.com; Mailing Lists: Chiapas95-En and Frostys AmerIndian; 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + =================== Along the U.S.-Mexico border, the body count continues to pile up daily. Meanwhile, the Minutemen patrol the U.S.-Mexico border and shameless politicians find it easy to denounce illegal immigration as the cause of all the nation's problems - including linking it with "the war on terror." Amidst all the clatter, the only views not being heard are the ones that matter most. Thus here, we bring you a truly historic column, featuring the views of those that have come before us to these lands: American Indians: "Americans can say, surely not with pride, that our country knows from centuries of personal experience how unchecked immigration devastates life and why it's an issue that deserves the best of our thinking and empathy. These are thoughts that cross some of our minds when we hear rhetoric about the so-called invasion of illegal immigrants (many of whom are -- gasp -- Indians) and calls to protect "our" land. If we smile in response, it's not so much out of agreement. We see a payback coming home to roost." __ David House - mixed Cherokee/Scots-Irish, Fort Worth Star-Telegram +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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 March 19, 2007 fourteen year old Alexander Darwin Joe, Navajo of Surprise, Arizona, never showed up at school and didn't return home, so worried family members reported him missing. March 29 he was found safe and returned home. The same cannot be said for four year old Tristan White and his two year old half-brother, Avery Stately. The two disappeared outside their family's home on the Red Lake Indian Reservation November 22, 2006, and had been missing since. Their bodies were recovered this past weekend. Air, ground and water searches turned up no trace of the boys. Two little boys missing for for over four months and an Amber Alert was not issued. Authorities, including the FBI who had posted a $20,000 reward for information leading to their whereabouts, say there was no clear evidence of an abduction so the two children didn't qualify for an Amber Alert. Mighty white of them... Vernon Bellecourt, a leader of the American Indian Movement in Minneapolis, said even the possibility of an abduction should be enough to trigger an Amber Alert. He said many Indian people see a troubling pattern. "We don't see as much energy when an Indian is dead or missing," Bellecourt said. Vernon Bellecourt is right. We may never know whether an Amber alert would have made a difference with these kids. Everything about this incident smells like a tragic accident, and I'm sure the investigators thought that at the time. But they cannot have been sure. What we do know is that the outcome would have been the same if these kids had been abducted. They'd have been found dead, probably after enduring horrific torment. The first 24 hours are critical to the safe return of kidnapped children. If Indian kids are routinely being dismissed as not worthy of an Amber alert, at BEST, it puts predators on notice that Indian children are safer prey. The two children are home with Creator. Pray for them. Pray for their families. Dohiyi Ani Oginalii , , Gary Smith (*,*) wotanging@bellsouth.net P. O. Box 672168 (`-') gars@nanews.org Marietta, GA 30007, U.S.A. ===w=w=== http://www.nanews.org ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ----------- Editorial Section: - YELLOW BIRD: . Missing Indian Children Powwow needs your support - Missing Red Lake Brothers - GIAGO: Dark Legacy found dead of the Indian Boarding Schools - American Indian Trust Suit - KRANZ: Thune works to get Rulings Stand Keeble Medal of Honor - Supreme Court won't hear - FLETCHER: U.S. Attorney mess two Cobell appeals and Indian Country - Gonzales won't testify - Alliances fight for Huichol Land about Trust fund settlement - EZLN rebels back on the road again - Cobell balks at Feds' offer - The Other Campaign Begins Anew - Leaders express concern - Canada's Military over BIA budget reductions plots "War Crimes"... - Investigators rap - Manual says radical Natives Interior official potential threat - Blackfeet Tribe asserts - Saskatchewan aims its senior Water Rights to increase Aboriginal jobs - Blackfeet hope to salvage - Program helps Native Students $3 to $4 Million make Transition - New data back removal - Gift meant to correct of Klamath Dams Dark Moment in History - Dennis Banks takes on - Ottawa rejects Grand Rapids School cause moving Kashechewan Reserve - Bristol Bay up for grabs - More Me'tis to be involved - Quechan suit filed in Health Care Sector - Easterns plan - 5th Continental Meeting renewed Recognition fight of Indigenous Women - Virginia Tribes' hearing - Bill to allow Courts set for April 18 to recognize Tribal rulings - Alert sounded for diabetes - Hundreds pray for Ramapough Lenape - Rocky Boy Health Clinic opens shot by Police - Law could tear Children - Police investigating from a `Tribe' they love harassment of Indian Children - Poarch Creeks call - Native Justice Advertising Campaign successful -- Navajo Nation Jail crunch - Poarch Creek woman, - Rustywire: oldest in tribe, turns 100 Way Down South in Navajoland - MLB Prospects hold key - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days between Past and Present - Del "Abe" Jones Poem: - JODI RAVE: Indian Trust Lands A sad Anniversary --------- "RE: Missing Red Lake Brothers found dead" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2007 07:54:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MISSING BROTHERS FOUND DEAD" http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=33106 RED LAKE, MINN.: FBI -- Brothers found dead By Stephen J. Lee and Tu-Uyen Tran, Herald Staff Writers April 2, 2007 RED LAKE, Minn. - The bodies of two young brothers missing since Nov. 22 were found Sunday morning encased in ice in a lake about half a mile from the boys' home on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, an FBI agent said. At a 9 p.m. news conference Sunday in the Minneapolis office of the FBI, a special agent said a team of six volunteers from the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office based in Duluth, using three search dogs, found the boys' bodies late in the morning. They were "partially floating" near a beaver dam in First Thunder's Lake, just south of the town of Red Lake, where the reservation is headquartered. Brothers Tristan White, 4, and Avery Stately, 2, went missing Nov. 22 and had been the subject of extensive searches by several local, state and federal agencies and hundreds of volunteers in the last days of November. Discovered before noon, the boys' bodies weren't recovered until about 8 p.m. because of the conditions and equipment needed, FBI agents said. Sunday night, the boys' parents and other family members gathered in the community center in Red Lake to mourn. About 9:30 p.m., Alecia and Jeff White went to the hospital to identify the boys' bodies. "Devastating, just devastating," said one woman at the family gathering. The site where their bodies were found is about half a mile north of the boys' home in the heavily wooded Walking Shield neighborhood of the Red Lake Indian Reservation, which is about 30 miles north of Bemidji. An FBI agent familiar with the investigation made a preliminary identification of the boys late Sunday "by sight," the FBI's Special Agent in Charge Ralph Boelter said at the news conference. "The clothes were consistent," Boelter said. "It was two boys, about 4 and 2, and the facial characteristics" matched the boys' appearance. "Today, our worst fears were confirmed," Boelter said. The area had been searched heavily in the days after the boys disappeared because there is a path through the woods from their home to the site, said FBI spokesman Paul McCabe. It's entirely plausible that the two bodies remained undiscovered until the spring thaw changed things, McCabe said. At the time the boys went missing, First Thunder's Lake had a thin coat of ice, with some open areas near shore, McCabe said. While foul play never has been ruled out, there's never been any indication of it, and the FBI has operated with both that possibility, as well as the theory that "they just wandered off," McCabe said. Because of spring thawing, the search Sunday had been scheduled as "a logical time to go back" and resume searching, Boelter said. A search dog "hit on a scent" near the lake that led to finding the boys' bodies, he said. Autopsies will be conducted this week on the boys' bodies. Earlier Sunday, family members told news reporters that the bodies of the two brothers had been found. A short item on the Red Lake Net News Web site, www.rlnn.com., first reported that the bodies of Tristan and Avery had been found in an area "where junk cars are stored." Ginger Stately, whose husband, Roman Stately is a grand-uncle to Avery, the younger of the two boys, told the Herald her husband was called about 5:30 p.m. and was told the boys' bodies had been found near a dump ground of some sort, near a body of water. All of the televisions in the casino in Red Lake were turned to the news of the FBI news conference. Family members and friends said they were shocked by news of the searchers' find because many still held out hope the boys would be found alive somewhere. "There were a lot of tears, that's for sure," said a woman working at the casino. "Quite a few of the employees here that kind of broke down and had to be sent home." Reach Lee at (701) 780-1237, (800) 477-6572, ext. 237; or slee@gfherald.com. Copyright c. 2007 Forum Communications Co. Fargo, ND 58102 - All rights reserved. --------- "RE: American Indian Trust Suit Rulings Stand" --------- Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 08:27:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BUSH-WHACK OF LAMBERTH STANDS" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/03/26/ap3551642.html American Indian Trust Suit Rulings Stand Associated Press March 26, 2007 The Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals by American Indians to step into a decade-old lawsuit accusing the government of mismanaging more than $100 billion in oil, gas, timber and other royalties from their lands. The justices declined to disturb an appeals court ruling that removed U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth from the case. The appeals court said Lamberth, who held successive Democratic and Republican Interior Department secretaries in contempt of court, had lost his objectivity in the case. The court also refused to review another appeals court ruling that reversed Lamberth's order that the Interior Department disconnect its computers from the Internet for failing to provide adequate security for the Indians' trust records. The class-action suit, filed in 1996 by Blackfeet Indian Elouise Cobell, deals with individual Indians' lands. Several tribes have also sued, claiming mismanagement of their lands. Earlier this month the government proposed paying $7 billion to settle the lawsuits, but only roughly half of that would go to the plaintiffs. Lawmakers have said they plan hearings on the proposal. The Indians have said they would accept $27.5 billion to end the litigation. The cases are Cobell v. Kempthorne, 06-867, 06-868. Copyright c. 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2007 Forbes.com LLC. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Supreme Court won't hear two Cobell appeals" --------- Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 08:31:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRUST CASE" http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/002080.asp Supreme Court won't hear two Cobell appeals March 27, 2007 The plaintiffs in the billion-dollar Indian trust fund lawsuit said they will continue to press the case after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected two of their appeals on Monday. Without comment, the justices declined to review two recent decisions in the long-running lawsuit. One of them involved the removal of Judge Royce Lamberth from the case at the request of the Bush administration. Elouise Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet Nation who is the lead plaintiff, said she was disappointed the high court didn't act on the appeal. "Until this point, no one on the federal bench had come to understand the more than a century of government wrongdoing in this case better than Judge Lamberth," she said of the Reagan nominee. But she said the plaintiffs welcomed the assignment of Judge James Robertson, a nominee of former President Bill Clinton, to the case. "Now that the Supreme Court has denied our petition for certiorari, we will turn our full attention to Judge Robertson's courtroom and to efforts to resolve this case expeditiously and fairly," she said. The second appeal affected information technology security of Indian trust systems. Before being removed, Lamberth ordered the government to disconnect those systems from the Internet in order to protect them from hackers. "The Interior Department had years of warnings about these security issues and has failed to resolve them," Cobell said. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the same court that removed Lamberth, didn't disagree with the assessment, citing documented risks to sensitive financial, personal and other data. But in lifting the disconnection order, the court said the plaintiffs failed to show how they would be directly harmed by computer attacks. The Lamberth and IT security decisions were issued in July 2006. The Cobell plaintiffs filed their appeals to the high court in December 2006. Final briefs were filed on March 5 before the petitions were considered on March 23. Chief Justice John G. Roberts didn't participate in either petitions, the Supreme Court noted yesterday. A nominee of President Bush, he used to sit on the D.C. Circuit. As the litigation continues in court, efforts to settle the case through legislation have failed. The Cobell plaintiffs, tribal leaders and tribal organizations supported a bill in the 109th Congress to end the lawsuit but the Bush administration failed to respond before the end of the session. On March 1, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne offered to spend up to $7 billion to settle Cobell and more than 250 tribal trust fund lawsuits. The money would also be used to pay for trust reform, IT security upgrades and other programs at Interior. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee has scheduled a hearing this Thursday to consider the offer. But the Cobell plaintiffs have openly rejected it and tribal leaders have raised alarms about a controversial proposal to terminate the federal trust responsibility over the next 10 years. The witness list for the hearing hasn't been made public but Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the committee chairman, has invited the Cobell plaintiffs and tribal leaders to testify. He also wants Gonzales and Kempthorne, neither of whom have appeared before the panel, to explain the offer and how it was developed. Copyright c. 2007 Indianz.com. --------- "RE: Gonzales won't testify about Trust fund settlement" --------- Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 08:31:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MORE BUSH TRICKS" http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/002105.asp Gonzales won't testify about trust fund settlement March 28, 2007 The Bush administration won't be sending embattled U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to the Senate hearing on Indian trust fund litigation tomorrow. Gonzales, who previously told Congress that the trust lawsuits were worth more than $200 billion, continues to face questions about his credibility as the federal prosecutor scandal simmers in Washington. His support on Capitol Hill has slowly eroded over the past month. But the Department of Justice official who will testify is also under fire for his role in the firings of several U.S. Attorneys. William M. Mercer, the acting associate attorney general, is slated to present the administration's $7 billion trust proposal to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee tomorrow. As a top political appointee, Mercer repeatedly comes up in over 3,000 pages of e-mails and documents that have been made public. His involvement has put his nomination as the number three at DOJ on hold pending as Congress looks into the prosecutor firings. It also highlights the dual roles Mercer plays. He has been serving as U.S. Attorney in Montana since April 2001 and has been holding his job in Washington for almost two years, shuffling to and from the state that is home to seven reservations. Despite his high-ranking position, Mercer hasn't been directly involved in the Cobell case or any of the tribal trust fund cases. However, he sits on DOJ's Native American Issues subcommittee and at one point was asked to consider running the panel by Kyle Sampson, a former Gonzales aide who resigned as the U.S. Attorney scandal unfolded. The absence of Gonzales stands in contrast to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, who will make his first appearance before the Senate committee since taking over the Interior Department last May. It was Gonzales and Kempthorne who made the $7 billion offer earlier this month. Also slated to testify is Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in the case who is a member of the Blackfeet Nation from Montana. John Echohawk, the executive director of the Native American Rights Fund, the non-profit that serves as co-counsel in the case, and Bill Martin, the vice chairman of the Inter-Tribal Monitoring Association, are on the witness list. Cobell and the plaintiffs have already rejected the $7 billion proposal as a bad faith offer. They have pointed to Gonzales' testimony in March 2005, in which he said the tribal lawsuits along were worth more than $200 billion. Martin, who serves as vice president of the Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska, has criticized the administration as well for tying tribal issues to the Cobell case, which only affects money held in trust for individual Indians. The committee will also hear from John Bickerman, who was appointed by Congress as a mediator between the plaintiffs and the Bush administration. He has suggested a settlement of the case of upwards of $10 billion. The hearing takes place at 9:15am tomorrow in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The committee is urging people to watch the proceeding online due to a high number of expected attendees. Copyright c. 2007 Indianz.com. --------- "RE: Cobell balks at Feds' offer" --------- Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:37:14 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PENNIES-ON-THE-DOLLAR" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/03/30/news/state/25-cobell.txt Cobell balks at feds' offer By NOELLE STRAUB Gazette Washington Bureau March 30, 2007. WASHINGTON - Elouise Cobell on Thursday called "unfair, unjust and insulting" a $7 billion federal proposal that would resolve the class- action Indian trust lawsuit bearing her name, as well as a host of other tribal lawsuits and contentious Indian Country issues. "This is not an offer," Cobell testified. "This is a slap in the face of every individual Indian trust beneficiary." But senators and mediators at the Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing said the government's tendering of a specific cash offer for the first time was a good step toward resolving the long, contentious issue. The Bush administration proposal would bring an end to the 11-year-old suit involving about 500,000 Indian trust fund beneficiaries over the government's mismanagement and failure to account for assets held for their benefit. The proposal also attempts a sweeping resolution of many other issues. It would prevent future lawsuits on cash or land mismanagement claims by individual Indians or tribes, settle more than 100 tribal lawsuits now pending, consolidate fractionated land in Indian Country and allow Indians more authority to manage their own lands. 'License to steal' Cobell said that while she should be happy that the government put a proposal on the table, it "is so absurd it cannot really be called a settlement offer." Cobell said $7 billion is insufficient to settle the Cobell case alone, especially since the money would be paid out over 10 years without interest. But the government wants to use the money to "buy much, much more" than settling her suit, she said. She especially objected to eliminating future government liability. "This is in no uncertain terms a license to steal," she said. Congress should proceed with a bill that has a reasonable settlement and would only address the Cobell lawsuit, she said. 'Step in the right direction' John Bickerman, one of the mediators brought in by Congress to help resolve the dispute, called the administration's willingness to put a number and a complete package of ideas on the table a "step in the right direction." A solution can be negotiated, possibly by this Congress, he said. Bickerman said a range of $7 billion to $9 billion would be reasonable to settle the Cobell lawsuit alone. Committee Chairman Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., asked Cobell about that amount. She said she would like a chance to talk with him about it. She said Indians would never get everything owed to them, but she added, "At least he's getting in the ballpark." Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said the proposal provided an opportunity not just to solve one component but also to look at all the issues and how they relate to one another. "We need to address the potential for years of litigation," he said. "We need to restore the economic value of individual Indian allotments through land consolidation. We need to move beyond a century of well-meaning paternalism to recognize an Indian Country capable of managing its own affairs." Dorgan called the government proposal a "very significant step." But he said if tribal lawsuits were included as well as the individuals from Cobell's suit, it would probably mean the matter couldn't be settled. The Justice Department at one point calculated that tribes were seeking a total of $200 billion in pending cases. "We don't even know the extent of the tribal claims, really," Dorgan said. Under questioning about whether it would be essential to include the tribal suits, Kempthorne said he hoped to find a solution to individual and tribal suits. Acting Associate Attorney General William Mercer testified that the Justice Department strongly supports a congressional solution to the issue, which he said has grown too complicated to be resolved in court. He emphasized that any solution must bring finality to the matter and resolve all claims, current or future. But Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said preventing future claims is a huge step that "could create some major problems." Dorgan said many lawmakers believe land-management claims should be dealt with as part of any settlement. Those are claims that the U.S. failed to negotiate fair compensation for oil, mineral, grazing, real estate or other assets held in trust. Cobell said that if the settlement were large enough, it might work to allow some to opt out of the Cobell suit, which deals with poor accounting methods, and instead take on land-management claims. Another issue raised in the proposal is what to do about the ownership of much individual Indian land that has become divided among numerous parties, or fractionated, after trust beneficiaries died. The mediators recommend encouraging the voluntary exchange of fractionated interests for cash or shares of ownership in the land. Cobell filed suit in 1996. The two sides began mediation in early 2004, but within six months the mediators realized the dispute was so acrimonious that a negotiated resolution was impossible. They turned to Congress for help. Cobell told the story of another Blackfeet Indian from her reservation, James Kennerly Jr., who came with her to the hearing but did not testify. Oil companies continue to pump on his land, but because the Interior Department lost lease records, he is destitute instead of a millionaire, she said. Cobell said her case was not solely about money but also about the health and daily existence of the people, calling it a "life-and-death situation." Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Leaders express concern over BIA budget reductions" --------- Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 08:37:31 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="INDIAN AFFAIRS NATIONAL BUDGET MEETING" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.gallupindependent.com/2007/march/032607nkj_biabdgtrdctns.html Leaders express concern over BIA budget reductions By Natasha Kaye Johnson Dine' Bureau March 26, 2007 GALLUP - With BIA budget funding dwindling each year, and proposed budgets and funding pleas being ignored, tribal leaders are expressing their frustration. At the end of last week's Indian Affairs National Budget Meeting in Washington, D.C, council speaker Lawrence T. Morgan (Iyanbito/Pinedale) spoke of how the decreasing budget for BIA programs is causing disparities for Indian programs. "This last decade we provided the federal government with budget requests, to no avail. We provided performance data, which saw no increase. We are now going through this process of providing priorities," said Morgan. "My question now is will this process see an increase in funding?" The BIA budget went from $2.295 billion in 2005, to $2.274 billion in 2006, and now its dropped to $2.221. The total loss to tribes has been $74 million in the last two years. "Bureau of Indian Affairs funding has not increased the same rate as National Park Service and Forestry," said Morgan. "The BIA budgets for the past few decades indicate that Navajo is not a priority, nor are the other 562 Nations." Of the $922.2 billion of the federal budget's discretionary funds, the source of the BIA's funding, $489 billion was appropriated for defense spending. At a recent forum, tribal leaders from around nation gave input about the 2009 budget formulation. Each year, leaders meet to prepare the budget two to three years in advance, which is submitted to Congress. At the meeting, Navajo leaders' funding priorities were education, public safety, petitions for detention facility construction and Navajo tribal courts. At the meeting, Morgan emphasized the federal government needs to invest in tribal communities by increasing funding. He also made it a point to remind leaders of the relationship between the two entities. "America's first people ceded insurmountable amounts of land containing vast riches of renewable and non-renewable natural resources," said Morgan, adding that ceding land was done to bring perpetual returns. While America has become a world leader in promoting democracy, Morgan said, as well as developing a strong military defense and building a stable economy, it has failed to institute long-standing governmental and diplomatic prominence to first Americans. Copyright c. 2007 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Investigators rap Interior official" --------- Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2007 14:33:11 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BUSH OFFICIAL ALTERED ENDANGERED SPECIES DATA" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/04/01/ news/wyoming/031a6e67cf51d20a872572ae0069124b.txt Investigators rap Interior official By JOHN HEILPRIN Associated Press writer with staff reports Aril 1, 2007 WASHINGTON - A Bush administration official who worked against federal protection for the sage grouse was criticized this week by the Interior Department's internal watchdog. Julie MacDonald, the deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, has repeatedly altered scientific field reports to minimize protection for imperiled species, Interior Inspector General Earl Devaney concluded. She also broke federal rules and could face administrative sanctions for leaking nonpublic federal information about endangered species to private industry groups. MacDonald acknowledged that on several occasions she released internal information from the Interior Department and Environmental Protection Agency into private hands, including the California Farm Bureau Federation and the Pacific Legal Foundation. Environmentalists and other critics have charged that MacDonald undermined federal endangered species protections. In the inspector general's report, other Interior officials describe MacDonald as a political appointee bent on manipulating science to fit her policy goals, which favor developers and other industry. The 2004 decision not to list the sage grouse as an endangered species in December was seen by some as an example of political pressure morphing the findings of scientists. In a scientific paper discussing the status of the grouse, MacDonald made significant notes in the margins. For example, scientists discussed sagebrush as the winter diet of the grouse, and MacDonald wrote, "they will eat other stuff if it is available." MacDonald also removed more than 80 percent of the nearly 300 miles of streams that had been under government protection to aid recovering bull trout in the Northwest's Klamath River basin, and she tried to pressure the Fish and Wildlife Service to alter its findings on the Kootenai River sturgeon so that dam operations wouldn't be harmed, the new report said. Rep. Nick Rahall, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said he would hold a hearing in May about the report on MacDonald and broader issues it raises. The hearing will provide "a sweeping review on whether politics is infiltrating decisions" and subverting science in the government's handling of endangered species, said Rahall, D-W.Va., who released Devaney's report. The findings were first reported by The New York Times in Thursday editions. Devaney said his office began investigating after an anonymous complaint in April 2006 that MacDonald acted unethically and illegally when she "bullied, insulted and harassed the professional staff" of the Fish and Wildlife Service to alter scientific evidence. "A lot of that is true," Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall is quoted as saying in the report, adding that he's been in a "running battle" with MacDonald since he took over the service in October 2005. Devaney said he uncovered no illegal activity by MacDonald, but that she broke federal rules that prohibit the disclosure of private agency information and require public officials to avoid appearing to give anyone preferential treatment. Twice she sent internal EPA documents to people whose e-mail addresses ended in chevrontexaco.com, the report said. Devaney referred the matter to other department officials for potential sanctions against her. An Interior Department spokeswoman said the report was being internally reviewed and that officials would have no comment on a personnel issue. MacDonald could not be reached for comment through the spokeswoman. MacDonald, a hydraulic engineer with a master degree's in management but no background in natural sciences, joined the Bush administration in July 2002 as a senior adviser for fish, wildlife and parks. She was promoted to deputy assistant secretary in 2004. Copyright c. 1995-2007 Lee Enterprises a subsidiary of Lee Enterprises Incorporated. --------- "RE: Blackfeet Tribe asserts its senior Water Rights" --------- Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:37:14 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BLACKFEET WATER NEGOTIATIONS" http://www.goldentrianglenews.com/articles/2007/03/29/ glacier_reporter/news/news1.txt Tribe asserts its senior water rights, negotiations continue By John McGill March 28, 2007 "This morning we have a lot of concerns about water," said Blackfeet Chairman Earl Old Person Thursday, March 22, in the Tribal Conference Room. The space was packed that day with a large number of observers who came to witness the Tribe's water rights negotiating team meet with teams from the State of Montana and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Some members of the Blackfeet water rights negotiating team at Thursday's meeting included Floyd "Bob" Gervais, Charles Connelly, Tom Thompson and attorney Jeannie Whiting. Photo by John McGill During the meeting, Tribal Attorney Jeannie Whiting outlined the Tribe's position with regard to the reservation's four major drainages in negotiations with Montana, and Jay Weiner of the Montana team commented on how close the two parties are to agreeing in each instance. Following the state's comments, John Chaffin, attorney-advisor to the U. S. Department of Interior's Office of the Solicitor, stated the Bureau's positions with regard to the negotiations with the state and how that squared with the federal government's concerns. Chairman Old Person began by saying he'd interpreted for the elders who were in charge of things in the 1950s, but he said, "Today we can no longer say this is our water. Things are so complicated today with so many laws about our rights, mainly our water. We all have thoughts of what to do to keep the water to where we are all satisfied so future generations can all enjoy it, so I hope for understanding. We found out things yesterday [at the water meeting at Discovery Lodge] that our people didn't know, so we need to do some research. Water is sacred, but it is also important for the economy on the land of the Blackfeet Nation, so I urge you to do the best you can. A lot of people here want to say something, but we must give time to everybody." Once Old Person had everyone on all the teams introduce themselves, Don Wilson of the Blackfeet team laid out the "ground rules" for making public comments. He required those who wanted to speak to list their names in advance, and he warned them not to exceed a five-minute-per-person limit for each comment. Tribal Attorney Whiting began by explaining that the negotiations with the state are only the opening gambit in a process that entails many steps before reaching approval. When and if the Tribe and the state agree on a package, it will be submitted to the Montana legislature to okay. If that body goes along with the deal, the Tribe must then negotiate with the U.S. Department of Interior to clear up anything they don't like in the agreement with the state. Once that gets ironed out, it goes to the U.S. Congress for their approval. Only when that agreement has been voted on positively will it be presented to the Blackfeet membership for their approval in a secretarial election. As a result, the tribal membership will have the complete package before them when they decide whether or not to accept the deal. From there, Whiting described the Tribe's position on the waters of Birch and Badger creeks, Cut Bank Creek, St. Mary-Milk River, and the Two Medicine River. Starting with Birch and Badger creeks, she said the Tribe wants to reserve 100 cubic feet per second (cfs) for irrigation in the upper reaches of Birch Creek while reserving 25 cfs for instream flow from April to October and 15 cfs for instream flow during the non-irrigating season, as well as reserving all the flow emanating at the Highway 358 bridge. The total, she said, would equal 110 to 125 cfs depending on the season, plus the flows below the bridge. Whiting noted the Tribe has a 1907 federally decreed right to 33.3 cfs on Birch Creek, with the option to apply for an increase, which this proposal does. She further specified that the Tribe would retain the ability to divert that flow to other places and for purposes other than irrigation. In addition, Whiting said the parties to the compact would enter into a management plan to improve the reservoir for the benefit of all parties, and part of the compact would require Pondera County Canal and Reservoir to develop annual allocation plans and to meet annually to develop plans adjusted to that year's conditions. The Pondera entity would manage their own diversion facilities and reservoir, as well as maintaining records available to all the parties. Pondera would be required to release water to meet the Tribe's reserved water rights. Jay Weiner of the state's negotiating team said Whiting had covered that topic thoroughly while the Fed's Chaffin said his group is "watching carefully the comprehensive rights and how that affects all the parties." On Cut Bank Creek, Whiting said Montana has proposed a "priority system" to deal with conflicting claims. For its part, the Tribe would agree not to make irrigation claims against the creek for a so-far-undecided number of years while agreeing to permanently not make any non-irrigation claims against the creek. The Tribe would retain the right to construct storage units and to use that water for whatever purpose it deemed appropriate, but no new permits would be issued on the drainage. "The state's goal is to protect users under state law," said Jay Weiner. "Federal and state water rights are different, so we will try to get it with the Tribe getting seniorwater rights." Weiner said his team is most interested in protecting the rights of small, domestic and stock water users, whose collective impact on the resource he said is minor. Under the proposed agreement, existing irrigators would be given time to amortize their investments before getting out of the business while small users would not be hurt. "There would be no new state uses," said Weiner. "Only the Tribe can increase their use." "Instream flow on Cut Bank Creek is one thing we're talking about," said Chaffin. "We will examine all state claims to see if they have been historically and beneficially used so that no one claims more water than what has historically been used." "The Tribe's position is that all the water is the Tribe's, but we've always said we would allow non-Indian use that is already here to continue, and that generally has been enough for everyone," said Whiting. "The question is about new use, and the Tribe must have the ability for that by means of storage facilities." Whiting said the issue of the St. Mary-Milk River situation is more difficult to address. "There's lots of emotional issues about the St. Mary River," she said, "so we're trying to be consistent with our views. It is a critical stream for the Blackfeet Tribe; it is of great significance." Since the early 1900s, said Whiting, water has been diverted from the St. Mary to downstream users on the Milk River, all without compensation to the Blackfeet Tribe. In addition, the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty with Canada was accomplished entirely without Blackfeet representation, so the claim is against the U.S. government and its negotiating team. For its part, Whiting said the Tribe seeks 50,000 acre-feet reserved from the St. Mary River for tribal use, with ways and means of putting it to work to be negotiated with the federal team. "The Tribe's proposition is very interesting," said Weiner. "It is the basis for further negotiations. We have some questions about administration, but we're intrigued and we'll work through it...We all agree the Tribe has senior water rights to the St. Mary water, senior to the Milk River people and Glacier National Park." "We looked at the 50,000 acre-feet," said Chaffin, "and we feel comfortable with the Tribe's figure...The U.S. is working closely with the Tribe and the state to see if 50,000 acre-feet would realistically be developed. Can we accomplish both? Do the numbers and the political reality make it possible?" Finally, the tribal attorney noted that most of the Two Medicine River's use comes from the Tribe's irrigation projects. She said under the proposed compact, the BIA would continue to manage the irrigation system until such time as the Tribe decides to take over, and that the small amount of non-irrigation use would be allowed to continue. In addition to making the 50,000 acre-feet at St. Mary usable, Whiting said she would seek help from the federal government in upgrading the irrigation system on the Two Medicine. Weiner said his team would look at cost sharing with the federal team in accomplishing the rehabilitation at Two Medicine, including mitigating environmental concerns such as siltation. While time was set aside for public comment, it wasn't until after the teams had lined out their positions, members of the Tribal Council made their comments, and speeches were heard from each of the attending members of the tribal negotiating team, that the public's comments were taken. Bunny After Buffalo stated a concern that was echoed by several people, that the individual allotted landowners weren't being considered. He said getting their approval for any deal would be difficult. Long Standing Bear Chief said he feared the tribal membership doesn't understand the negotiations nor what the technical terms mean, and he joined several people who complained the tribal meetings offered no documentation for people to take home and read. Lawrence Reed was one of many who spoke, demanding a referendum vote before a deal is struck, and Al Reevis said no one is speaking for the Blackfeet Allottees. Donald Little Dog was one of several people who complained about the Tribe holding water meetings off reservation. "The meetings should all be held here and be kept open," he said. And Edward North Piegan was one of many speakers who asserted, "The Blackfeet own all the water," and asked why the Tribe should be negotiating at all. Copyright c. 2007 Golden Triangle Newspapers. --------- "RE: Blackfeet hope to salvage $3 to $4 Million" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2007 07:54:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WINDFALL FROM FOREST FIRE RECOVERY" http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20070402/NEWS01/704020301 Blackfeet hope to make $3 to $4 million on salvage logs in wake of recent fires By ERIC NEWHOUSE Tribune Projects Editor April 2, 2007 Two big forest fires left the Blackfeet Tribe with a multi-million-dollar windfall - and a timber shortage that could take a century to replace. "With the short growing season that we have up here, I won't see those trees grow back in my lifetime," said Robert Mad Plume, the tribe's forestry director. Most recent was the Red Eagle fire, which started in Glacier National Park, ran south of St. Mary across U.S. Highway 89 and onto Blackfeet tribal land last summer. It burned roughly 50 square miles, including about 17,000 acres in the park and 15,000 acres of tribal land. Ironically, a previously burned area blocked part of the Red Eagle fire's advance. In 2002, the Fox Creek fire charred 6,400 acres just east of St. Mary. "Those two fires burned up roughly 30 percent of our forest reserve," said Mad Plume. Logging under way So now the Blackfeet Tribe has contracted with three major timber companies and six local loggers to salvage logs on 6,000 charred acres. The tribe hopes to harvest 20 million to 25 million board feet of timber, Mad Plume said, although the fire damage is expected to reduce its value. "But if the fire did not burn really hot and you harvested it right away, you could avoid most of the potential losses," said Chuck Keegan, director of forest industry research for the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana. Mad Plume said the tribe is hoping to make about $4 million off the salvage logging operation. "That may be a little over-optimistic," said tribal Treasurer Joe Gervais. "We're thinking it will be closer to $3 million." The windfall is welcome because the tribe has been struggling financially for the past seven years since a U.S. Supreme Court decision voided a type of tribal property tax that was generating about $1.4 million a year, Gervais said. "Other tribes cut the size of their government, but we never made any cuts," he said. "We just borrowed from our workers' comp fund to keep our nursing home open and provide other services to our members." In addition to the property tax hit, the tribe lost about $2 million when it sent crews to Louisiana in an attempt to tap into huge federal contracts for Hurricane Katrina cleanup. "We're still having problems, but we're working on it to see how we can get some of our money back," said Earl Old Person, chairman of the tribal Business Council. Save or spend? The Blackfeet Tribe has a $10.7 million annual budget with a number of holes in it, said Joe Gervais. "The council's dilemma is whether they fund some of the under-funded programs and hope that something turns around in the next five years or so, or do we cut back?" he said. One setback is the tribe's new $7 million casino, Glacier Peaks, which needed a $50,000 tribal loan last fall to cover an operating revenue shortfall. "I think they got started at the wrong time, in the fall, and you don't have much traffic in the wintertime," Old Person said. "We're hoping in the spring and the summer that we might do better." Although a final determination on what to do with the salvage logging funds hasn't been made yet, one of the council's first actions was to use about one-third of the windfall to provide a Christmas bonus for tribal members. "We gave $75 to each tribal member last Christmas," said Joe Gervais. Most of that "came out of our trust income," which includes timber sales. "With 16,044 members, it cost us about $1,203,300," he said. Old Person defended that council action. "Our people celebrate the holidays," he said. "If they receive something like a per-capita payment, that adds to what they can do for themselves and their children." Gervais said the tribe has been making about $90,000 a year on its logging operations, a figure that will drop to about $60,000 for the foreseeable future. Dennis Divoky, fire effects specialist for Glacier National Park, said it could take a century for lodgepole pines east of the Continental Divide to reach maturity. "We know it takes 60 to 80 years west of the Divide, and the east side is a little slower because the growing season is shorter and conditions are more brutal," said Divoky. Cause still unknown The official cause of the Red Eagle Fire is still undetermined. Montana's State Fire Marshal Allen Lorenz wrote in his conclusion that: "Human cause cannot be ruled out, although no signs of human activity were found." He also concluded that: "Lightning was not ruled out as a cause because of indications of previous lightning strikes in the area." Four special agents from the National Park Service and one park ranger investigator located and interviewed witnesses in 18 states, traveled more than 11,000 miles, and dedicated approximately 800 hours to the investigation. The Red Eagle fire, which was first reported on July 28 in Glacier National Park, cost nearly $7 million to extinguish. Reach Tribune Projects Editor Eric Newhouse at 791-1485, 800-438-6600 or enewhous@greatfal.gannett.com Copyright c. 2007 The Great Falls Tribune. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: New data back removal of Klamath Dams" --------- Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 08:37:31 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ANOTHER REPORT SUPPORTING SALMON" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-klamath27mar27,1,1184293.story? coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=1&cset=true New data back removal of Klamath dams Opponents criticized an earlier report, but the state again finds that the plan to aid salmon makes environmental and economic sense. By Eric Bailey, Times Staff Writer March 27, 2007 SACRAMENTO - Firing the latest salvo in a battle over the future of the Klamath River, the California Energy Commission on Monday reaffirmed its stand that removing four hydroelectric dams that block salmon migration would cost less than trying to keep them. In December, the commission issued a report asserting that removing the dams and purchasing replacement power would cost roughly $100 million less than installing extensive new fish ladders for imperiled salmon and steelhead. PacifiCorp, the Portland-based company that owns the dams, volleyed back with a 50-page study of its own suggesting that the commission study, performed by a private consulting firm, got it wrong. The power company argued that the commission failed to consider several important economic and environmental factors and that renovating the dams to accommodate the fish would actually save $46 million more than dismantling them. The firm submitted its study to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is considering whether the dams will win a new long-term operating license. In recent weeks, the state Energy Commission's consultant ran the numbers anew, taking in numbers PacifiCorp said it ignored. The results were far different from PacifiCorp's. The commission's latest report said that dam removal would be even more cost-effective than its consultant originally determined - about $114 million less than relicensing the dams and installing the fish ladders. California Energy Commissioner John Geesman said in a statement that the new analysis, which used PacifiCorp's numbers, "clearly indicates" that the utility's electrical customers would save money with dam removal. PacifiCorp's four dams produce enough power for thousands of homes in the Northwest but have blocked 300 miles of upriver habitat for salmon and steelhead. Federal wildlife agencies have ordered that the dams be retrofitted with fish ladders, but PacifiCorp argues that the dams are too tall for ladders to work. The company proposed using trucks to haul fish around the dams. Commission officials said their economic model provided all sides with a "good-faith analysis of the pros and cons" of the various options for the dams. The model is available online at http://www.energy.ca.gov/klamath . eric.bailey@latimes.com Copyright c. 2007 Los Angeles Times. --------- "RE: Dennis Banks takes on Grand Rapids School cause" --------- Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:37:14 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ATTEMPT TO CLOSE BIMAADIZIWIN DRAWS ACTIVIST" http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/ news-35/1175266167232490.xml&coll=6 American Indian activist takes on GR cause By Dave Murray The Grand Rapids Press March 30, 2007 GRAND RAPIDS - An American Indian civil rights leader plans to come to Grand Rapids to support locals in their fight to keep open the Bimaadiziwin alternative education program. Dennis Banks, who co-founded the American Indian Movement in 1968, said Thursday he's coming to Grand Rapids on April 23 to rally local leaders and speak about the need for young people to be taught their history and culture. "Dennis Banks is considered a true warrior in the eyes of Native Americans," said Levi Rickert, a longtime American Indian activist. "To have him come to Grand Rapids and lend his support raises the possibility of those issues going to the national level." Native American causes Banks, an Anishinabe born on Leech Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota, has organized events such as the 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties' caravan across the U.S. to Washington, D.C., calling attention to the plight of American Indians. He previously has visited Grand Rapids to participate in Native American Sobriety Walks. "He is our civil rights leader," said Debra Muller, a local American Indian community leader. "He has long strived for equality for the Native American people." Banks, who turns 80 next month, said he is a strong supporter of American Indian education programs and believes it is essential for young people to learn their history and culture. "For a school district to close a program like that sounds very racist," he said in a phone interview. "The native people must learn about themselves and expose the wrongs that have been inflicted upon them through the years." Grand Rapids Public Schools administrators said state and federal regulations, not racism, are the reasons the program is being closed. Finding a solution School leaders have said the state's new graduation requirements and federal teacher training rules will make it difficult to run small programs such as Bimaadiziwin, which has about 100 students -- a quarter of which are American Indian. "Our goal is to provide a quality education of all of our district's children," Chief of Operations Lisa Freiburger said. "We are working with Bimaadiziwin parents and students to find an appropriate program for them to be placed next year. We're also working with the Native American community to find a place for a variety of other programs in a district building." Freiburger said administrators are exploring the creation of an elective American Indian history course and after-school culture club at Union High School. Send e-mail to the author: dmurray@grpress.com Copyright c. 2007 Michigan Live LLC. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Bristol Bay up for grabs" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2007 07:54:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FISHING INTERESTS TAKE CASE AGAINST OIL TO CONGRESS" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.adn.com/money/industries/oil/story/8757637p-8659147c.html Bristol Bay up for grabs OIL LEASES: Worried fishing interests take their case to Congress. By KEVIN DIAZ Anchorage Daily News April 1, 2007 WASHINGTON - Longtime Alaska fisherman Tom Tilden, chief of the Curyung Tribal Council in Dillingham, spent the last week looking for ways to connect Capitol Hill lawmakers to his native Bristol Bay, which he fears may soon be opened to oil and gas exploration. He found the talking point he was looking for on the menu of a Union Station eatery: Alaska salmon salad. "We're connected," he said. Together with a half-dozen other commercial and subsistence fishermen, and a smattering of environmentalists, Tilden is trying to raise an early alarm about offshore oil and gas leasing proposals for Bristol Bay, home to an important salmon fishery. The lobbying trip - Tilden calls it an "educational" mission - comes two months after the Bush administration removed a ban on oil and gas drilling in Bristol Bay, north of the Aleutian Island chain. The area has been protected since 1990, when Congress imposed a moratorium following the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound. The U.S. Mineral Management Service has included the North Aleutian Basin, through which the Bristol Bay salmon migrate, in its proposed national plan for offshore oil and gas leasing from 2007 to 2012. A final decision is expected around May 1, according to Gary Strasburg, an agency spokesman. The impetus has come from oil companies as well as local groups backed by former Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski, who encouraged the federal government to open Bristol Bay to exploration. The local interests behind exploration include the Aleutians East Borough and the Bristol Bay Native Corp., which see the potential for jobs, cash and economic stability. "It's about economic diversity," said Native corporation spokesman Jason Metrokin, noting that his group supports fishing as well as exploration - at least to find out how much oil and gas might be at stake. "It's about finding out what's out there." In the meantime, a growing coalition of environmental and fishing groups are intent on making Bristol Bay the nation's next big conservation battle. "The fishery is tied to the concept of the wild Alaska salmon in its pure environment," said Terry Hoefferle of the Alaska Marine Conservation Council. "Why would you bring an industry like oil into the middle of that? It's like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa." Hoefferle is former chief executive of the Bristol Bay Native Association, a social service and advocacy group for the region's villages. He believes that once the word gets around outside Alaska, it's going to make the fight over opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil development "pale in comparison." That's just what drilling proponents like U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R- Alaska, fear. The push for a congressional moratorium - the quickest way to close off the region - is being backed by "extreme national environmental groups," he said. He believes their aim is to gain attention and raise money for the larger cause of restricting oil and gas exploration and combating global warming. "They use Alaska as the pinup for their theories," he said. Karen Gillis, executive director of the Bering Sea Fishermen's Association, one of the groups opposed to Bristol Bay oil exploration, disputed Stevens' characterization of their agenda. "We are not in any way an anti-development association," she said, noting that her group supports oil exploration in the North Slope's Arctic refuge. The reception from the rest of the Alaska's all-Republican congressional delegation has been more cordial, though a little more supportive of Tilden and his anti-drilling group. Rep. Don Young opposes the moratorium but argues for a public process free of interference from out-of-state interests. "The fishermen have made a good argument for additional input from them into the process," he said. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has tried to stay out of the fray, deferring to local decision-makers. "In most cases we're not going to be an advocate for development in an area where it's not certain there's a consensus in what people want to do, " said her spokesman, Kevin Sweeney. "In Bristol Bay, it really appears that it's sort of a 50-50 in terms of those who are pro and against." The administration of Gov. Sarah Palin, whose family fishes the bay, has taken a similarly measured response. Palin "has not objected to the lease sale process provided that there's strong local support, adequate environmental safeguards, and every effort is made to minimize conflicts between commercial fishing and a possible lease sale," said John Katz, her Washington spokesman. Katz noted that "there's a long way between the cup and the lip," as the first lease sales are not likely to happen until 2010 or 2011. Before then, he said, the leases would be subject to further environmental review. The Bush administration's decision to lift the long-standing ban on oil exploration in Bristol Bay has given new life to an old dispute. Leases granted in the 1980s were bought back by the federal government in the 1990s, after the Exxon Valdez disaster. Until 2003, Congress imposed its own moratorium on Bristol Bay oil exploration. Anti-drilling activists would like to see that ban renewed, possibly with Congress withholding money from the lease-sale process. Congress will have a formal 60-day review between May 1 and the July 1 "implementation date" for the government's next five-year offshore leasing plan, Strasburg said. But environmentalists and fishermen aren't waiting until then to raise the specter of the Exxon Valdez and a federal study suggesting the likelihood of future oil spills if development occurs in Bristol Bay. "We're concerned enough about it that we want to start applying pressure now," said David Harsila, president of the Alaska Independent Fishermen's Marketing Association, and a longtime Bristol Bay fisherman. "It's absolutely ridiculous. This is arguably the most productive area in the world." Reporter Kevin Diaz can be reached in Washington, D.C., at kdiaz@mcclatchydc.com or 1-202-383-0003. Copyright c. 2007 The Anchorage Daily News, a subsidiary of The McClatchy Company. --------- "RE: Quechan suit filed" --------- Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2007 14:33:11 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="QUECHAN MOVE TO STOP LAND GRAB" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.yumasun.com/onset?id=33004&template=article.html Quechan suit filed FROM STAFF REPORTS March 30, 2007 The Quechan Indian Tribe filed a lawsuit Friday to stop a federal land transfer in eastern Yuma County, confirmed Mike Jackson Sr., tribal president. The suit claims the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation inadequately addressed the potential impact of the land transfer to the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District. The Quechans had announced plans Thursday to file the suit in the U.S. District Court in Phoenix. On Monday, USBR transferred ownership of the lands and facilities for the irrigation system that the district operates to WMIDD. WMIDD also purchased additional land, which it then sold to Arizona Clean Fuels, which plans to build an oil refinery on the 1,460 acres. While land in the transfer isn't tribal land, the area is significant culturally and historically to the Quechans, said Jackson. Sun staff writer Joyce Lobeck contributed to this report. She can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853. Copyright c. 2007 The Yuma Sun, Freedom Newspapers of Southwestern Arizona, Inc. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Easterns plan renewed Recognition fight" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2007 07:54:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EASTERN PEQUOT RENEW RECOGNITION EFFORTS" http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=cc19ad88-a7bb-4164-a16d-7de6f1ec9a0b Easterns Plan Renewed Recognition Fight Other tribes will be asked to support bid that would reinstitute federal status By Scott Ritter April 2, 2007 The Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation has named two former chairmen to serve as tribal liaisons as it moves closer to contesting a 2005 decision that reversed its status as a federally recognized tribe. Tribal Chairman Lewis Randall said Marcia Flowers and Agnes Cunha will act as goodwill ambassadors, reintroducing the Eastern Pequots and their story to other tribes after months of silence. They'll also work with the tribal council as it considers ways to regain federal acknowledgement, which would have brought aid for housing, education and healthcare to the 1,131-member North Stonington tribe. Federal recognition also would have opened the door to casino gambling, which has made the neighboring Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes wealthy. "We are asking for help from our sister tribes in Connecticut, as well as seeking support from Indian Country," Flowers said. "We still need the support of Indian Country in this fight to regain what was taken from us." Flowers said the tribe hasn't decided how to proceed and is weighing a number of options, including appealing the decision in federal court or asking the Interior Department's inspector general to investigate. She declined to discuss other possibilities under consideration but said the tribe planned to act in the "near future." The Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs recognized the Eastern Pequots in 2002, but reversed the decision in 2005 after neighboring towns and the state appealed. The BIA said the Eastern Pequots and a second Connecticut tribe, the Schaghticokes of Kent, hadn't met all the criteria for recognition. Connecticut's congressional delegation and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal have said the BIA made the right decision and that they'll continue to oppose recognition efforts. But the tribes said their reversal of fortunes smacked of politics. "We stand behind our (recognition) petition," said Flowers. "If it were not for political influence, we would be a federally recognized tribe right now and we would not be in this horrible predicament of our members still without health care and decent homes." Randall said the Schaghticokes' appeal, which is pending before a federal judge in New Haven, has generated new evidence that could help his tribe. That included a recent deposition by former Interior Secretary Gail Norton, who recounted a March 2005 meeting with members of the state's congressional delegation who were unhappy with the decision to recognize the Schaghticokes. Also at the Capital Hill meeting was Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., an ardent gambling foe. Norton said Wolf threatened to tell President Bush that "I ought to be fired." "We've read her testimony and it is damning," said Flowers. "I mean, good grief, she's the head of the department and it sounded like there was a gun to her head." Norton, in her deposition, said she "didn't lose any sleep over the threat." And Connecticut lawmakers insist that the Schaghticoke and Eastern Pequot decisions, which were released the same day, were not improperly influenced by political pressure. Flowers and Cunha, former chairmen of two now-united factions, have worked closely on the tribe's recognition petition. They said they are acting as tribal liaisons without pay. The tribe doesn't have an administrative staff and no longer has a financial backer. Randall said the tribe began the acknowledgement process long before there was talk of Indian gaming in Connecticut. "You always hear, and I find it very insulting, to have federal recognition and casinos in the same sentence as if that was the only thing that was important," he said. Copyright c. 1998-2007 The Day Publishing Co. --------- "RE: Virginia Tribes' hearing set for April 18" --------- Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2007 14:33:11 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="VIRGINIA TRIBES' RECOGNITION HEARING" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite? pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c= MGArticle&cid=1173350515447&path=%21news&s=1045855934842 Va. tribes' hearing set for April 18 -- Peter Hardin Richmond Times-Dispatch April 1, 2007 In Virginia, six tribes that have sought federal recognition from Congress since 2000 soon will get their first hearing in the House now controlled by Democrats. The Natural Resources Committee plans to hold a hearing April 18 on a bill by Rep. James P. Moran, D-8th, to give the six tribes sovereign status with the federal government. Foes have stalled similar bills in the past by contending federal recognition could open the door to Indian-operated casino gambling in Virginia. The tribal leaders have said they do not want to engage in casino operations, and Moran says his bill would allow Virginia to bar casino gambling even if the tribes gained federal recognition. The tribes say they want the same status accorded to more than 560 other tribal governments nationwide. Moran's bill would grant federal recognition to these tribes: Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Upper Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Nansemond and Monacan Indian Nation. The tribes on Virginia's only reservations, the Mattaponi and Pamunkey, are not part of Moran's bill. Copyright c. 2007 Richmond Times-Dispatch. --------- "RE: Alert sounded for diabetes" --------- Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 08:37:31 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DIABETES RISK" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096414747 IHS Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention sounds the alert for diabetes by: Staff Reports / Indian Country Today March 27, 2007 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The IHS Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention is marking March 27 - American Diabetes Alert Day - by helping to spread the message that diabetes is a serious disease and American Indians and Alaska Natives need to find out if they are at risk. Approximately 60 million Americans, including thousands of American Indians and Alaska Natives, are not aware that they have diabetes or that they are at risk for the disease. "Fifty years ago, there were very few cases of diabetes among American Indians and Alaska Natives," said Dr. Kelly Action, director of the IHS Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention. "Today, one out of six Native Americans has been diagnosed with diabetes, and many more are unaware that they have diabetes or pre-diabetes, a condition that puts them at high risk for the disease. We need to spread the word that diabetes can be prevented and controlled." The IHS Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention administers the Special Diabetes Program for Indians. Created by Congress in 1997 to respond to the diabetes epidemic among American Indians and Alaska Natives, the SDPI is the largest, most far-reaching diabetes program for American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States. The program's 399 grantees have made a major difference in the quality of diabetes treatment and prevention for hundreds of thousands of American Indians and Alaska Natives. "SDPI grantees, we have changed our community's beliefs about diabetes. Now, many more people are aware of diabetes. They know they can prevent diabetes and live a long and healthy life and manage the disease successfully." The risk for diabetes increases as people get older, gain too much weight or do not stay active. Diabetes is also more common among American Indians and Alaska Natives as well as other ethnic minority groups. Other factors that increase a person's risk for diabetes include having high blood pressure, having a family history of diabetes, having diabetes during pregnancy or having a baby weighing more than nine pounds at birth. The IHS Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention recommends visiting the American Diabetes Association's Web site at www.diabetes.org and taking the diabetes risk test to find out about your risk for diabetes. For more information about the Special Diabetes Program for Indians, and its diabetes treatment and prevention activities, visit the IHS web site at www.ihs.gov/medicalprograms/diabetes. For more information about the American Diabetes Association's "Awakening the Spirit Program" in Native American communities, visit the web site at www.diabetes.org/ communityprograms-and-localevents/nativeamericans/awakening.jsp. Copyright c. 1998 - 2007 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Rocky Boy Health Clinic opens" --------- Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 08:27:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NA-TOOSE HEALING CENTER" http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20070327/NEWS01/703270309 Rocky Boy health clinic opens today By RICHARD PETERSON Tribune Staff Writer March 27, 2007 An elder and diabetic patient, Videl Stump, hopes the new medical center opening today on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation - the Na-Toose Healing Center - will bring improved services to the facility's thousands of patients. "It would be nice to bring things up to par with the rest of the medical world outside of the reservation," said Stump. "Some days, they can only take 18 patients. If you show up sick and you're number 19, you're out of luck." Stump's concerns will be met now that the 56,000 square-foot building - more than double the space of the old facility - has opened its doors, Na-Toose officials said. The new two-story clinic will have more exam rooms and optometry and dental facilities. Equipment is also updated, said Dr. James Eastlick, a 10-year veteran of the clinic. A triage unit also has been put in place. With only 20,000 square feet in the old facility, exam rooms were limited and patients were bottlenecked, officials said. "This is going to help immensely, not only help with quality but quantity as well," Eastlick said. "Patient flow will also improve." Before the new building was complete, some of the clinic's programs were scattered throughout the community in separate buildings. "We're all under one roof now. It's convenient for the patients to have everything right here," said Fawn Tadios, the clinic's director and CEO of the Rocky Boy Health Board, which manages the facility. The clinic will also switch to electronic health records by the end of the summer, a move that will speed up service, she said, The old clinic, about a quarter mile from the new building, was closed Thursday afternoon so health center and tribal workers could move equipment from the old facility into the new building. Construction workers were also scrambling to put the finishing touches on the $13 million clinic and wellness building. Money was the initial obstacle. After pushing the federal government for years to make good on promises to provide adequate health care, the tribal council struck out on its own. It jump-started the effort four years ago with a $2 million investment. Grant writers raised several million more. A USDA loan will cover the rest of the project, with some help from the Indian Health Service, said Tadios. There are about 6,500 federally recognized Native Americans in the Rocky Boy area who are eligible for services at the clinic. Construction on the new facility began about two years ago. It was built adjacent to the tribe's wellness center. Eastlick said the clinic and wellness center will work together to urge patients to take advantage of preventive measures to help battle the higher-than-normal rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and alcoholism experienced on most reservations. The health center, named after a late medicine man from the tribe, will hold a grand opening on April 10, in which the public will be invited to the dedication ceremony and dinner. Reach Tribune Staff Writer Richard Peterson at 791-6547, 800-438-6600 or rpetersongreatfallstribune.com. Copyright c. 2007 The Great Falls Tribune. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Law could tear Children from a `Tribe' they love" --------- Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 08:31:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EDITORIAL" ICWA" http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=32674 VIEWPOINT : Law could tear children from a `tribe' they love By Lisa Morris, March 29, 2007 RONAN, Mont. - At 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 9, Patrick and Virgina Swartz of Van Buren County, Ark., were getting their two girls ready for bed. The 10- year-old twins already were in pajamas when police suddenly arrived. Brandishing a court order, they took the frightened girls and drove them 60 miles to the home of an elderly relative. The girls couldn't even tell their friends good-bye. By all accounts, the Swartz's, owners of an Arkansas trucking company, took good care of the girls. In October 2002, the birth mother, Virginia's fourth cousin, had arranged for them to adopt the twins. However, another relative with four of the twins' siblings began custody action. With the support of the Tohono O'odham Indian Nation, she won. Neither the birth mother, the Swartzes NOR the relative are Indian. So why was this tribe from Arizona involved? Because the twins' natural father is Indian. And although he has "undisputedly abandoned the children," his status as an enrolled member of the tribe makes him "relevant to this case," the Arkansas Court of Appeals declared. This gave the tribe jurisdiction under the Indian Child Welfare Act. The tribe wanted the twins placed with the siblings, "irrespective of the fact that other full and half-siblings are scattered among several other states," according to the court. Again, why take children from the only safe, nuclear family they'd ever had? The appeals court found that the "best interest" of the twins wasn't the only issue. Citing the Indian Child Welfare Act, the court found that "maintaining the integrity of the Nation, its culture, its children, and its progression through time not to become extinct" also had to be considered. Neither the tribe nor the court adequately explained how moving the girls from the nontribal home they loved to a nontribal home they didn't know would preserve the tribe. The Indian Child Welfare Act's original goal was to combat abusive practices that took Indian children from tribal communities and put them in unfamiliar environments with strangers. The trauma that Indian children suffered from, among other things, being forced to enroll in far-off boarding schools is undeniable. But today, the reverse is happening. Children who never have been near a reservation are being removed from environments they love and forced to live with strangers chosen by tribes. Stories affecting black, hispanic, Norwegian-American and other families reflect this reality. Letters from birth parents, grandparents, pre- adoptive families and tribal members themselves can be read at www.caicw. org/familystories.html. Many children falling under the Indian Child Welfare Act are primarily nontribal. Tribal governments decide their own membership, and most have decided 1/2 blood quantum is all that's necessary. Some have decided less. Furthermore, parents can't avoid the act by not enrolling their children. The act defines an Indian child as any "enrollable" child. So today, children with 1/2 or less heritage and no connection to Indian Country fall under the act. Any emotionally healthy child, no matter their heritage, is devastated when taken from home and forced to live with strangers. Even children of 100 percent tribal heritage are devastated if they're taken from non- tribal homes they love and put into reservation homes they know nothing about. And remember, children with less than 100 percent blood quantum have other relatives and heritages as well. Why should Herald readers be concerned? Because Minnesota state officials are working to disallow courts even from considering a child's lack of involvement with a tribe. A February agreement signed by Minnesota and tribal governments mandates that the Indian Child Welfare Act apply to all children eligible for tribal membership. This agreement does away with the "Existing Family Doctrine," an exception used to determine if ICWA applies. Furthermore, House File 1169 and Senate File 1221 amend Minnesota law to read that the act is "applicable without exception." A court may not use questions about a child's lack of contact with a tribe or whether "a child is part of an existing Indian family" to determine the act's applicability, the change declares. Tribal authorities argue they are most qualified to decide the best interest of enrollable children. Are they? I am birth mother to five members of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. As well-intended as some in government are, they haven't the ability to know what's best for families who have left to live a different life. Please ask Gov. Tim Pawlenty and state legislators to ensure that the "Existing Family Doctrine" remains available to Minnesota families who choose not to live within the reservation system. Morris is administrator of the Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare. Copyright c. 2007 Forum Communications Co. Fargo, ND 58102 - All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Poarch Creeks call Advertising Campaign successful" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2007 07:54:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="THREE MONTH AWARENESS CAMPAIGN DUBBED A SUCCESS" http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/ base/news/1175505433320200.xml&coll=3 Poarch Creeks call three-month advertising campaign successful By CONNIE BAGGETT Staff Reporter April 2, 2007 ATMORE - For three months, Alabama's only federally recognized American Indian tribe has waged an advertising campaign to raise its profile by showcasing its tribal history, businesses and community relations. Tribal officials last week acknowledged that the ads also aim to win support for the one thing they don't mention, but that many people associate with Indian tribes: gambling. Tribal Chairman Buford Rolin said Friday that three commercials, called "Alabama Natives, Alabama Neighbors," appeared on network-affiliated stations across Alabama from mid-January through mid-March "We found out some time ago that people in Alabama thought of only one thing when they heard Poarch Creeks and that was one word: gaming. That was it," Rolin said. "We wanted to let them know that our tribe had all these other industries, a rich history and a tradition of being a good neighbor to our community." In the wake of the commercials, and print ads run in Mobile Bay Monthly and Alabama Business, Rolin said, polls commissioned by the tribe indicated some 73 percent of people surveyed across the state said the tribe should be allowed to "do whatever we want on our reservation lands" - including operate casinos. Federal law allows officially recognized Indian tribes to run casino gambling operations on reservation land provided the state has negotiated an agreement, or compact, to do so. If states don't negotiate, according to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the federal government can deal with tribes directly to allow gaming. Poarch Creeks have a reservation cultural center located some 57 miles northeast of Mobile. After years of petitioning the federal government, the tribe gained federal recognition in August 1984. The tribe includes about 2,340 members, with about 1,000 living near the Poarch community in Escambia County. Poarch Creeks are the descendants of Muscogees, called Creeks by white settlers, who provided stagecoach stops and entertainment houses along routes used by people in the frontier. When other groups of Indians were forced to leave during the Indian Removal in the early 1800s, the ancestors of Poarch Creeks remained on their land. Many maintained their community at Poarch. Most states with tribes allow casinos and profit from the compacts in place, but Alabama has been one of the few to refuse to negotiate on what could be a lucrative industry in the state. Currently, Poarch Creeks operate electronic bingo halls in Atmore, Wetumpka and Montgomery on tribal land, and have openly pursued state and federal legal action to allow casino games. During last year's election, several state officials made public pledges to oppose any casino gaming by the tribe. It was about then, tribal members said, they decided to take to the airways with ads about Poarch Creeks. "It was an awareness campaign," said Lori Sawyer, tribal spokeswoman. "We became aware, especially when we communicated with the press, that most people in Alabama did not know we even existed. We have a fully functioning government, several businesses, police and fire protection and we have been good corporate neighbors for the county and the city of Atmore for generations." "We wanted to make sure the people knew we were here, why we are here, and what we do," Sawyer said. "So far, we have received very positive feedback." The three television commercials show tribal members and local leaders telling about the history of the tribe from the early days of frontier settlement through the present. Atmore Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Emilie Mims appeared in one of the spots. "The chamber was proud to participate," Mims said. "Poarch Creeks have always been good neighbors and one of our best assets here. They were our first corporate sponsor, contributing $10,000 to the chamber. They have always supported us financially and with volunteer help when we needed it." Mims said having the reservation so nearby, Atmore benefits from tourists who attend the annual Pow Wow or come to the tribal center to learn about the culture. Hundreds play bingo each month at the entertainment center at Alabama 21 and Interstate 65. "We had an economic study done years ago that told us our area could well find future success tied to the tribe," Mims said. "More and more, that prediction is coming true." Mims said Poarch Creeks could well draw more tourists than the Cherokees in North Carolina in coming years. "Right now, the tribe has not yet reached its potential," Mims said, "but these ads show they are going in the right direction now. These ads show what they have done in their community and for the surrounding area and that they are really good stewards of their money." Rolin said last fall that Poarch Creek gaming provides more than 900 jobs in the state and 90 percent of those employed are not members of the tribe. In addition to the gaming operations that bring in millions annually to the tribe, Poarch Creeks operate a Best Western motel, Muscogee Metalworks metal fabricating plant, Perdido River Farms, and Magnolia Branch, a 4, 700-acre resort and game reserve along Big Escambia Creek. Casino gaming, tribal members say, could allow all of their businesses to expand and could provide revenue for other investments. "We are good neighbors," Rolin said. "Letting the people of Alabama know that certainly shouldn't hurt our chances of getting agreements in place, but the governor is very adamant he won't negotiate. Our polls show the people believe we deserve the opportunity." Copyright c. 2007 Mobile Press-Register. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2007 Alabama Live LLC [al.com and gulflive.com] All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Poarch Creek woman, oldest in tribe, turns 100" --------- Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2007 14:33:11 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WILLIE MARTIN TURNS 100" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=6300714 Oldest Living Poarch Creek Indian Celebrates A Century By Patrice Clark March 29, 2007 It was standing room only at the Glen Oaks Nursing Home in Lucedale Thursday as family and friends honored Mrs. Willie Martin on her 100th birthday. But Martin is no ordinary centenarian, she's also the oldest living Poarch Creek Indian in the world. "Outstanding! Because you do not see that very often, especially among Indians," says Martin's nephew Billy Madison. Born in the early 1900s, Mrs. Martin was raised in Alabama. The Poarch Creek Indians are the only federally recognized tribe in Alabama. The tribe has its own government, by-laws and reservation in Atmore. "There are 2,484 people that are on the rolls, and there is probably 1, 000 that live there," says nephew Joseph Madison. But after marrying, Martin moved to Lucedale where she raised three kids and 50 family members. Among them was her nephew, Joseph Madison. "I just worship this lady, she always disciplined us and she taught me some great values in life," says Madison. Martin's family says she's known for being feisty and outspoken. "I was kidding with her today. When I would prescribe a medicine that did not make her feel just right, she would come back and tell me she was not going to take it anymore," says Lucedale Mayor Daton Whites. Martin's great-granddaughter Kim Martin says she grateful to have her around. "I know, realistically, I will not have her all of my life, but we try to take the time out. We have to spend it to the best of our ability," Martin says. Mrs. Martin has outlived her husband and three children. She now has 11 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren. Copyright c. 2000 - 2007 WorldNow and WLOX, a Raycom Media Station. --------- "RE: MLB Prospects hold key between Past and Present" --------- Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2007 07:54:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="POTENTIAL NATIVE POWERS ENTER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL" http://www.elitestv.com/pub/2007/Mar/EEN460ef9f1c6f1e.html Native American Prospects Hold Key Between Past and Present By Diane M. Grassi The dawn of the 2007 Major League Baseball (MLB) season is perhaps the best time to reflect upon baseball's past and its hopes for the future. At no other time of the season will fans' aspirations be as high without need for qualification. As teams gear up for Opening Day on April 1st, major league camps in both the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues have had the enviable positions to not only evaluate the 2007 starting line-ups but to get a look at what the future holds for 2008 and 2009. And in that regard, Spring Training has routinely become important not only to evaluate present-day players but for the prognostication of what teams can expect down the road. Baseball is arguably the sport most intertwined with its history and legacy along with its impact on society. Its past demands that it be revisited, especially when speaking about its future, as we explore here two notable and historically unique minor league prospects. It was in 1887 when the first American Indian is believed to have competed in the major leagues. James Madison Toy, of partial Indian ancestry played in the American Association League in that year as well as in 1890. Toy preceded Louis Sockalexis, the first officially acknowledged American Indian who competed for the Cleveland Spiders of the National League in 1897 until 1899. Although Native Americans entered the world of professional baseball 50 years prior to African Americans, who competed in the Negro Leagues, until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier by signing his minor league contract with Dodgers in 1945, there have been less than 50 Native Americans of full Indian ancestry to compete in the Major Leagues since 1897. Charles Albert "Chief" Bender is the sole Native American elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, although Jim Thorpe was perhaps the best-known Native American player of the 20th century as he excelled in multiple sports. There are, however, many well-known Hall of Famers who are of part Native American ancestry such as Johnny Bench, Willie Stargell and Early Wynn. At long last, the drought of notable Native American future hopefuls in MLB may be over. One of them can be found in the New York Yankees organization and the other in the organization of its rival, the Boston Red Sox. Right handed starting pitcher, Joba Chamberlain, was landed by the Yankees in the 2006 draft, signed as a supplemental first-round pick and 41st overall. Chamberlain is a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. After competing for two years for the University of Nebraska, having only started to play baseball as a senior in high school in Lincoln, Nebraska, Chamberlain led his team to the 2005 College World Series going 10-2 for the season with a 2.81 ERA. Now 21, Chamberlain has been clocked with a 98-mph fastball and has been favorably compared by physique, delivery and his portfolio of pitches to Cleveland Indians pitcher, C.C. Sabathia. Most important for the Yankees, is not to rush Chamberlain to the Big Show too early, as he has a history of weight and triceps tendonitis problems. He spent the winter in the Hawaiian Winter League where his progress continued, followed by an invite to Spring Training. Yet, it is his strong mental makeup which is central to his battling any problems which may arise along the way, according to the Yankees. Slated to start in A-ball at the beginning of 2007, Chamberlain could end the season as high as AAA, with a possible shot at making the Yankees rotation in 2008. Another Native American star in the making spent Spring Training in Red Sox Nation. Jacoby Ellsbury, whose mother is of full Navajo descent and a member of the Colorado River Tribe, has taken his partial Native American heritage quite seriously. Ellsbury, signed by Boston in the first round of the draft in 2005 as the 23rd overall pick, is a left-handed outfielder who competed for Oregon State University where he was the 2005 Pac-10 Conference Co-Player of the year and an All Academic Honorable Mention. Ellsbury was ranked as the fastest base runner and 3rd best defensive outfielder of eligible college players in Baseball America's Best Tools Survey for 2005. Ellsbury's speed coupled with power to all fields, according to the Red Sox, most closely resembles Johnny Damon's playing style and the hope is that he will at least spend part of the 2008 season at the major league level while becoming a regular starter in 2009. And a recent former major leaguer, Bobby Madritsch, pitched for the Seattle Mariners in 2004 and 2005 and was traded to the Kansas City Royals for the 2006 season. Madritsch is of Lakota Sioux heritage. He recovered at age 28 from reconstructive shoulder surgery when the Mariners signed him. Unfortunately, he re-injured his shoulder and tore his labrum in 2005 and the Royals eventually released him. Now 31, Madritsch has not elected another surgery but is still attempting a comeback in some organization with a minor league contract for 2007. Thus far, only the Philadelphia Phillies have shown any interest. All three of these players have one commonality in addition to their Native American roots, however, and that is that they grew up off of the Indian reservation, regardless of their heritage. Ellsbury had limited time living at the Warms Springs reservation early in his childhood, where his mother is a special education teacher, but he grew up in Madras, Oregon. Chamberlain grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska and Madritsch, while born on an Indian reservation, was taken away when he was but 2 months old and raised amongst the rough neighborhoods of Chicago. Key to their success, however, is that all three men assimilated into American life, unlike other Native American boys living on Indian reservations and thereby increased their odds for success later in life. Still, unbeknownst to most Americans, the reservations remain rife with poverty with a lack of general services. There exists a high school dropout rate of over 40%, an unemployment rate of over 60% and the poverty rate exceeds 25%. Healthcare and education are under-funded while diabetes, obesity, alcohol and drug abuse are pervasive problems. And all of this remaining depravity is present in spite of the fact that the Indian Gaming Association touts that there are now Indian gaming casinos in 28 states which have proliferated over the past decade. And the lack of participation in sports on either the collegiate or professional levels by Native Americans prevails. The overriding concept ingrained in Native American culture is that standing out for individual accomplishment is in direct conflict with the importance of functioning as a group. Enjoying success apart from the tribe is not rewarded but rather scorned. As such, athletes who leave and go on to have a modicum of success only return to the reservation to face criticism and rejection by family and friends. This is often too much to reconcile in the mind of an adolescent. Many Native American athletes additionally suffer from a bad rap by college coaches or professional scouts as well. Few coaches avail themselves to the talent on the reservations. Most are told, by the scant few who have actually approached Native American communities, that they will be let down by the Native American's inability to successfully assimilate on the college or professional level. Moreover, coaches worry about academic eligibility of these prospective students. Making the transition from a sheltered life on a reservation to a college campus requires basic life skills which are lacking without the proper guidance. And feelings of guilt about achieving success have led Native American athletes to deliberately sabotage his or her chances to thrive. They would rather go back to a depraved life that is familiar to them and be around family rather than vying for a better stake in life. Not dissimilar to the lack of effort exhibited by MLB in its investment of players from the African American community, it as well as the universities routinely seek out players overseas rather than even approach potential which exists on Indian reservations. The idea is dismissed out of hand. But unlike the youth of the African American community, who generally long to escape a life of poverty and crime-ridden neighborhoods, the Native American needs to be exposed to options in a way which can work in concert with their culture and customs, yet improve their lot in life. Both Chamberlain and Ellsbury find themselves in unique positions, given the level of expectations for them on the big league level. And since they remain members of their respective tribes, they have the opportunity to foster a new dialog between MLB and the Native American community as well as to implore scouts and college coaches to not give up on their people. Therefore, it is ever more important that these two players by virtue of their climb to success at the major league level and beyond play a key role in introducing a whole new source of untapped talent of American boys, who just happen to live on a reservation. "I think coaches might find out that the reservations contain some extraordinary athletes.... It takes a special coach to bring them along, give them the security they need," according to South Dakota State Representative, Ron Volesky, a member of the Lakota Sioux and a Harvard graduate. He too grew up primarily away from the reservation. But let us hope that the Native American population can give to those of their own heritage, who have been successful, the necessary access to its most important asset, its children, in that they have a chance for a better life, whether it be in sports or some other discipline. Copyright c. 2007 Diane M. Grassi. Contact: dgrassi@cox.net Copyright c. 2004 Elites TV. --------- "RE: JODI RAVE: Indian Trust Lands" --------- Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:37:14 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JODI RAVE: TRUST LANDS OWNERSHIP" http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/03/30/jodirave/rave9.txt Indian trust lands / Experts to discuss ownership By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian March 30, 2007 It's typically not hard to figure who owns land and how to pass it on to the next generation - except when it comes to individual land ownership in Indian Country. Some of the country's leading experts on individual Indian trust lands are scheduled to meet at Montana State University in Bozeman on April 12- 13 to discuss how a recently enacted federal law, the American Indian Probate Reform Act, affects land inheritance, ownership and land consolidation. Native trust lands have been managed by the Interior Department and its Bureau of Indian Affairs for more than a century. "The process is slow and burdensome," said Doug Nash, director of The Institute for Indian Estate Planning and Probate at Seattle University School of Law. "It begins with the BIA compiling a file once they are notified of someone's death." In some cases, the process of determining ownership and inheritance matters is backlogged in federal courts by as much as a decade, said Nash. And now, the new probate reform act is changing the rules of inheritance since it went into affect last June. The act is supposed to help monitor Indian land holdings and to simplify land ownership issues. Ernestine Werelus, a co-manager of the Fort Hall Landowners Alliance in Fort Hall, Idaho, said the act remains misunderstood by those who should know it best, including federal judges, Bureau of Indian Affairs clerks and individual landowners. "If somebody passes away without a will, if they do, this act takes over," said Kristin Ruppel, an assistant professor at Montana State University. "It directs what happens to the inheritance of that person's trust lands and money. Anything held in trust by the federal government is affected by it." About 95 percent of Native landowners have been dying without wills, further complicating a historically disheveled government-run system. Mismanagement of individual trust land has led to "fractionated" land holdings and to the largest class-action suit ever filed against the federal government. The Elouise Cobell v. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne suit is approaching 11 years of litigation. The Indian Land Tenure Foundation in Little Canada, Minn., created The Institute for Indian Estate Planning and Probate to help Native landowners and tribes manage estate planning projects in the Northwest, Midwest and Great Plains region. "We're the only program that does this in the nation," said Cecelia Burke, deputy director of The Institute for Indian Estate Planning and Probate. The Bozeman symposium is being organized to assist tribal leaders, legal experts, landowners and others with probate reform issues, which are closely tied to fractionated land problems where, in some cases, thousands of Natives inherited a single acre of land. When Werelus' brother died, he left a will designating who would inherit his trust land in Idaho. But even then, a will didn't help because the federal judge overseeing the probate process didn't fully comprehend probate or land consolidation laws, Werelus said. "He doesn't understand allotment, so, it's been a mess," she said. It's estimated that not a single probate has been settled under the new probate reform law. Even so, the act has several positive provisions, said Burke. It attempts to keep land in federal trust status. It allows tribes to develop their own tribal probate codes and it promotes land consolidation. But, "it has some punitive provisions that can subject land owners to sales without their consent," she said. The Interior Department is still trying to recover from unconstitutional laws passed more than two decades ago regarding land consolidation efforts. "Indian people and tribes are pretty savvy about the laws that govern their existence," said Nash. "But here we have a federal statue that is 44, 45 pages long and is pretty complicated. We try to help tribal members and officials get a hand on what this law is and how it works." Copyright c. 2007 Missoulian, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Powwow needs your support" --------- Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 17:27:41 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: 38th ANNUAL POWWOW NEEDS SUPPORT" http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=32950 Powwow needs your support Dorreen Yellow Bird March 31, 2007 The purple crocus is the first flower to push its way through the snow and announce spring. The bell sounds of American Indian dancers also announce spring, as well as the beginning of the summer powwow season around the Plains region. One of the first Indian celebrations is the 38th Annual UND Indian Association Time-Out Week and Wacipi (powwow) in Grand Forks. Roads are clear of ice and snow, so it's no longer as risky to drive cross the region. That change begins the travels of dancers of every age and dance style, singers with whole books of drum music in their heads and participants from around the region to Grand Forks and the UND campus for this celebration. UND's Time-Out Week and powwow, April 2022 in Hyslop Sports Center and the Memorial Union, is a unique cultural event for the public. The powwow, however, is struggling because the UND Indian Association is short of money in spite of its fundraising efforts. This all-volunteer student group still was in the red as of Friday. There is a history of powwow celebrations that goes far beyond UND's Time-Out. Many years ago, powwows or tribal gatherings were common around the Plains and were eagerly awaited by area tribes. They were a time for networking with other tribes, enjoying the drumming and dancing and exchanging trade goods. The 2007 Time-Out Wacipi also is a time for exchanging goods, but these goods to be "traded" now include cultures and understanding among the people in this region. That's very important in this day of dissension and misunderstanding over UND's Fighting Sioux nickname and logo. The mascot and logo have a history at UND. Some time after the name was changed from the Flickertails to the Fighting Sioux, the few Indian students then on the UND campus objected to the offensive way the name was being used. As a result of their objections, these students became targets of name-calling. In an effort to resolve the situation, UND's then-President Tom Clifford asked Indian students to put together a powwow for both students and the community. The program also provided educational workshops featuring Indian speakers during the week before the powwow and at the powwow, too. As mentioned, there were only a handful of Indian students back then. Today, there are about 400 American Indian students at UND, said Leigh Jeanotte, director of American Indian Student Services. That number has stayed constant for about the past five years, he said. The powwow, which originally was called for by UND, isn't cheap. The most difficult part is raising money for the event. The students get a good amount from the university and its alumni; that sum is about $22,000. The city of Grand Forks adds $6,700; two tribes, so far, have together contributed about $2,000; and there has been some personal and business donations of about $300. The powwow will take in about $15,000 at the door. The fried bread concession will bring in about $1,500. The powwow will get about $6,000 from vendors; and if you add all of those numbers, you get $53,500. The figures all are estimates based on past years. The students also provide a buffalo stew feed as part of the celebration. The buffalo was donated by the Three Affiliated Tribes. As for expenses, they include the arena directors, $1,000; an announcer, $1,000; prize money, $54,000; the drummers, who'll split $10,000; and about $4,000 in miscellaneous costs. That totals about $70,000, which leaves the UND Indian Association needing to raise about $16,500. Some of the organizations that gaie last year were unable to give the same amount or more this year. As I listened to the students, I was disappointed at some the negative experiences they've had in their fundraising efforts. What they do is not easy. I have the greatest admiration for those young people, who are putting themselves on the line for what they believe. They are taking a risk for generations that will follow. Right now, however, many of the students are burned out; some have had to drop classes to keep up with the work of the powwow and celebration. Others just don't want to deal with the negativity. They need some help. They are looking for more contributions and sources of funding. They also could use volunteers to help at the event. If you would like to support the powwow with time or money, you can call the American Indian Student Services office at (701) 777-4291; B.J. Rainbow, president of UNDIA, at (701) 610-8418 or e-mail robert.rainbow@und.nodak.edu; Leigh Jeanotte at (701) 777-3296 or leigh.jeanotte@und.nodak.edu; or Amber Annis at (701) 739-6954, amber.annis@und.nodak.edu. They would be pleased to hear from you. --- 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: Dark Legacy of the Indian Boarding Schools" --------- Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2007 14:33:11 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GIAGO: BOARDING SCHOOLS" http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8667 The dark legacy of the Indian boarding schools By Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji) April 1, 2007 It is not in the least bit uncommon for the thousands of Native Americans pushed through the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Church operated boarding schools for more than 100 years, to have suppressed memories. A Cahuilla Indian man from California, Rupert Costo, a man who had been a product of an Indian mission boarding school, read the packet of poems I had written in the 1950s, poems I wrote whenever I had this deep feeling of depression related to my 10 years at a Catholic Indian mission boarding school on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. As editor of the Indian Historian Press, Inc., he said to me, "These poems must be published." A young reporter working for the Albuquerque Journal by the last name of Talley did a book review for that newspaper. When she called the mission school I had attended, Holy Rosary Mission, she was told by one priest that I had never gone to school there and by another that I had only gone to school there for six months. These priests could lie with a straight face because since I had been a student there the school had changed its name to Red Cloud Indian School. I had several of my former classmates write affidavits swearing that I had indeed attended Holy Rosary Mission. One former student, Gerald Clifford, now deceased, wrote, "I definitely remember Tim as a student at HRM during most of my school days there and although he may not have attended Red Cloud Indian School, he did attend Holy Rosary Mission." Thank goodness my family had saved many of the photographs taken of me while I was a student there because when I visited the mission school after the book came out, all of my photos had mysteriously vanished. I can understand why the Catholic Church and its servants at Holy Rosary Mission would deny my very existence. It was because I had opened a can of worms and they were trying to stuff them back into the can. They were afraid of the notoriety and of the possibility of losing the thousands of dollars they solicited every day for the school. They were also in denial that any abuses had ever taken place at the mission school. My book of poetry exposed all of that. Many former students wrote or called me to tell my how much they enjoyed the book and how much it had helped them to face their own demons. Now remember, this was 30 years ago, long before the national scandals about the abuse of children by Catholic priests ever hit the mainstream headlines. I recently wrote a book, Children Left Behind, and added the poems from The Aboriginal Sin into the book because I felt that they were a vital part of my life's experiences at the boarding school. I also included many of the photographs of me while I was a student at the school so that the Catholic Church would have a hard time denying my presence at the school. Two months ago, at a book signing, I spoke to about 250 people at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. I noticed some of the elderly Indian women dabbing at their eyes during my talk. When I was done I took questions from the audience. A very elderly Indian man, with the help of his niece, stood up and leaned on his cane The elderly man was from the Jicarilla Apache Reservation in Northwestern New Mexico. He began his question with, "I went to a mission boarding school," and then he stopped speaking. Tears began rolling down his face and he apologized to me for crying. But he could not ask the question he wanted to ask because he was too overcome with grief. I understand how this Jicarilla Apache man felt because when I speak about the time my eight year old sister, along with dozens of Lakota girls the same age, was raped at the mission school by a pedophile, I often get choked up, but I continue because I want people to know the horrible damage done to Indian children by the boarding schools over the more than 100 years they existed. I want people to know how we were beaten with leather straps, shorn of our hair, and used as child slave-laborers at these boarding schools. Thousands of former boarding school students, now in their old age, experienced and witnessed the many abuses. The terrible impact of those days still haunt them and that is why I am glad that I have been able get many of them to unbind their years of suppression. When they start to speak, hesitantly at first, they soon get into the emotions of it and it seems that the floodgates are opened for the first time in many years, and the words and tears flow easily. My younger sister told me about her abuse on her deathbed and I, along with her three children, finally understood why she had become a violent, alcoholic woman for so much of her life. She died angry at the world and all alone. If only she had spoken sooner maybe we could have helped her. My book and my lectures are now opening many of the Native minds that have forced out these terrible memories all of these years. Many of the problems of alcoholism and drug abuse now prevalent in Indian country can be traced back to the physical, emotional and sexual abuse suffered at the hands of our keepers in the BIA and mission boarding schools. As we, the Indian people, revive the memories of those dreadful days, perhaps the process of healing can now begin. --- Copyright c. 2007 Native American Journalists Foundation, Inc. McClatchy News Service in Washington, DC distributes Tim Giago's weekly column. He can be reached 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. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard in the class of 1990 - 1991. Clear Light Books of Santa Fe, NM (harmon@clearlightbooks.com) published his latest book, "Children Left Behind". Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: KRANZ: Thune works to get Keeble Medal of Honor" --------- Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 17:27:41 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="KRANZ: WHAT BECAME OF BILLY KEEBLE'S MEDAL?" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20070330/COLUMNISTS0102/703300310/1160/OPINION01 Thune works to get Keeble a Medal of Honor By David Kranz dkranz@argusleader.com March 30, 2007 It seems like a no-brainer, but then I remembered that this is a government thing. It's been a year since the Secretary of the Army recommended that the late Master Sgt. Woodrow Keeble receive a Medal of Honor. Then it hit a predictable snag. It was placed in the hands of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Now there is renewed hope that something will finally happen. Sen. John Thune is co-sponsoring legislation that would clear the way for Keeble to receive the long-overdue honor and recognition. That legislation would authorize President Bush to posthumously award the medal to Keeble, a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe. He would be the first Dakota Sioux to receive the Medal of Honor. "He went beyond the call of duty not for a medal but for the mission he believed in and the country he loved. Master Sgt. Keeble's legacy is a great source of pride for his family, his fellow Dakota Sioux and all Americans," Thune said. In recent years Sen. Tim Johnson and former Sen. Tom Daschle made the case, too. Knowledge of the history of Keeble's situation leaves no doubt about the merit. After serving in the Army in World War II, he re-enlisted for the Korean War. In 1951, Keeble was among those attacked by Chinese troops near Kumsong. He suffered wounds to the chest, arms, left thigh, right calf and knee as he led three platoons in an attack and relieved a platoon pinned down by machine gunfire. He took out three machine gun emplacements and drove Chinese soldiers from two trenches. He was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star First Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart with the Oak Leaf Cluster. Although temporary company leader Joe Sagami, a first sergeant, twice recommended that Keeble receive the Medal of Honor, he never received it. Case made. David Kranz's column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Call him at 331-2302 or write to him at the Argus Leader, Box 5034, Sioux Falls, SD 57117-5034. Copyright c. 2006 ArgusLeader.com. --------- "RE: FLETCHER: U.S. Attorney mess and Indian Country" --------- Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 17:27:41 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FLETCHER: IMPACT OF U.S.ATTORNEY FIRINGS" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096414764 Fletcher: The U.S. attorney mess and Indian country by: Matthew L.M. Fletcher March 30, 2007 Lost in the accounts of the eight U.S. attorneys recently dismissed or asked to resign by the Department of Justice is the potential impact on Indian country. Four of the fired U.S. attorneys represented federal districts with a significant tribal presence - Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Michigan - and they had dedicated significant federal resources to prosecuting crime in Indian country. One of the fired attorneys is Hon. Margaret Chiara, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan. During her tenure, which began in 2001, Chiara offered an incredible template for creating and maintaining a positive and powerful relationship between the DOJ and Indian tribes. Eleven Indian tribes are situated in the Western District, with five of them located almost in another country, the Upper Peninsula, accessible only by puddle-jumping turboprop planes landing in Marquette or by crossing the stunning Mackinac Bridge and driving on bumpy two-lane highways for upwards of 12 hours from Grand Rapids. Despite these incredible distances, Chiara's office demonstrated to all U.S. attorney offices with significant Indian country relationships that a genuinely productive relationship can exist between the government and the tribes. She personally visited virtually all Indian tribes in her district on a regular basis, creating a strong personal connection to Indian country. She brought along her staff and officials from other federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals. Michigan tribes have always had a strong relationship with the office prior to the arrival of Chiara through the hard work of tribal liaison Jeff Davis, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, but Chiara's commitment to Indian country far exceeded tribal expectations. Chiara's office's work in developing protocols for domestic violence investigation and prosecution (including work with Michigan State University College of Law students) and trainings in full faith and credit, tribal police procedures and Project Safe Neighborhoods, a gun violence reduction project, helped to develop a strong cooperative aspect to Indian country law enforcement. The office's tribal liaison Web site is one of the best in the nation - www.usdoj.gov/usao/miw/native.html - offering links to an annual Indian country report produced by Chiara's office and links to information about Michigan Indian country. Perhaps Chiara's greatest contribution was to dedicate her limited resources to prosecuting domestic violence and other crimes involving non- Indians in Indian country. Under federal Indian law principles, neither states nor Indian tribes have clear jurisdiction over these crimes. In most areas of Indian country, misdemeanors committed against Indian people by non-Indians often are not prosecuted. Federal prose