_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 15, ISSUE 020 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 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 May 14, 2007 Assiniboine indiwiga/idle moon Abenaki kikas/field maker moon Valley Maidu kon-moko/seeds, fish, geese moon Lakota Canwahpeto Wi/Moon When Leaves Are Green +-------------------------------------------------------+ | 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.indianz.com; www.pechanga.net; www.indiancountrytoday.com; 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + =================== "It is about time that our Navajo grandmothers and grandfathers receive information in their home language." "It is like a weaving; now that we have started, we are not going to stop until the rug is finished and the rug is intricately designed from all directions and in Navajo language." __ Leonard Tsosie, Navajo +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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 The last issue of this newsletter (Vol 15, Issue 19) included a story, "Tribe protests arrest of 11-year-old", that described the shackling of an 11-year-old and detention in jail for failure to appear in court as a witness. This week, the lead article, "Mille Lacs Band Community outraged", describes the outrage felt by the boy's tribe. A couple of quick background notes are in order here. The first thing you must understand is the 11-year-old "witness" was the victim who was assaulted by another youth and shoved to the ground. Got the picture?... a victim is further humiliated and degraded by the local police by being detained and hauled before the judge shackled and in a orange prisoner jump suit. (That'll be sure to teach a lesson in compassion!) The second thing you need to understand is this is absolutely about another hostile rez "border town". There have been ongoing attempts to encroach on tribal lands, a concerted attempt to disregard the Mille Lacs Band's federal tribal status and other adversarial relationships for a very long time. This treatment of a child is absolutely outrageous, but let's go to why it apparently happened and do a little "what if" journey into the future and other places. What if many neighboring towns who disdain Indians learn from this that they can simply refuse to acknowledge the sovereignty of an adjacent tribe's reservation or government, run roughshod over the tribal citizens, and find that nobody can or will make them stop? That appears to be going on here, and it's a foot in that door for other hostile neighbors (and that's just about any community next to a rez) to go and do likewise, or worse. Every tribal nation needs to support the Mille Lacs Band and denounce the mistreatment of this boy, and the disregard for the tribe. The sad truth is failure to stop this sort of behavior in this place at this time will very likely insure it will happen again, and the next incident may be about your reservation and your tribal neighbor. The band has asked the Minnesota Attorney General to intervene in the case. If you would ike to encourage the appropriate action please send your (clean, but heart felt) comments to the following: Office of Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson 1400 Bremer Tower 445 Minnesota Street St. Paul, MN 55101 (651) 296-3353 1-800-657-3787 TTY: (651) 297-7206 TTY: 1-800-366-4812 While you're at it, please include the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Governor Tim Pawlenty and Lt. Governor Carol Molnau Office of the Governor 130 State Capitol 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55155 Telephone: (651) 296-3391 Toll Free: (800) 657-3717 Facsimile: (651) 296-2089 E-mail: tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us , , 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: - Shadow Wolves Report . Abuse of Tribal Citizens record seizures of Drugs - Mille Lacs Band - Shadow Wolves seek more Recruits Community outraged to patrol Border - Racism Report underscores - YELLOW BIRD: need for Rights Panel How do you save a culture? - A long fall from grace - KILLSBACK: Protecting Noavose - Arizona Tribes threaten Suit - JODI RAVE: Native Legal advocates over Eagle delisting new Weapons - Lakota Graduate told - DEER: Demanding justice to remove Eagle Feather - GIAGO: - Virginia tribes' recognition Indian Prophecies and Medicine bill passes House - ICT EDITORIAL: - Judge affirms Delta Smelt Ruling The Emperors have no Clothes - Tribes need to admit - YELLOW BIRD: Sickness can be Fate Meth is a problem worse than Death - Columbus critics slam Dems, Ritter - A plea from the Marshall Islands - Spitzer, Senecas meet as friends - Victims detail devastating impact - Future of Navajo Rez of Sexual Abuse Technology looking good - School Boards - Tribal Government can both help accused of unethical tactics and hamper growth - Two face charges, - Residents chastise Council including shooting at Police over Tribal Land - Native Justice - Program reintroduces -- A 'revolving door' for Horses to Comanche criminals on Navajo Nation - A special day at Acoma - Rustywire: Dancing with Spurs - Explosions terrify two - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days Rocky Boy Women - Del "Abe" Jones Poems: - McCain swears off Tribal Money Mother's Day --------- "RE: Mille Lacs Band Community outraged" --------- Date: Sat, 5 May 2007 19:46:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RETRIBUTION SOUGHT FOR SHACKLING AN 11 YEAR OLD VICTIM" http://www.millelacsmessenger.com/main.asp? SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=16524 Mille Lacs Band community outraged Community members question authorities after arrest of young boy by Diane Gibas and Vivian Clark Messenger Staff Writers May 2, 2007 "The (Mille Lacs Band) community is absolutely up in arms. They are furious and mad as hell," special counsel to the Mille Lacs Band Tadd Johnson said last week. On Wednesday, April 25, nearly 40 members of the Mille Lacs Band community, in addition to roughly 20 officials from the Band, Mille Lacs County and others, gathered to express concerns after an 11-year-old boy was arrested on a warrant at the Nay Ah Shing School on April 10. The warrant for the boy's arrest came after he failed to appear in court as an apparent witness and victim of an alleged assault that occurred in Sept. 2006. The mother of the boy said, in the April 18 Messenger, Mille Lacs County Attorney Jan Kolb had told her she could charge her son with felony failure to appear. Kolb also said the boy was taken into custody in part because of state law. Failure to appear in court after a court ordered subpoena is punishable by criminal charges. The 11-year-old boy's mother choked back tears as she addressed the audience explaining the incident regarding her son. "If it takes me standing up here crying to make this a better community, I am going to do it," the boy's mother said. After the boy was processed at the Mille Lacs County jail he was taken directly to a safe house in St. Cloud for the night in accordance with county procedures, despite his mother's protests. When the boy appeared in court the following morning he was handcuffed, shackled and wearing an orange jail suit in accordance to county procedure. "Why do you take an 11-year-old boy and put him in shackles?" the mother asked. Mille Lacs County judges issued a standing order on Sept. 23, 2004, requiring hand and leg restraints and orange jail suits for all custodial defendants appearing in court except for during a jury trial, due to escalating security concerns, according to Mille Lacs County Sheriff Brent Lindgren in a phone call after the meeting. A custodial defendant, or prisoner, is defined as an adult or a child arrested for a criminal offense, according to Lindgren. The order does not make any stipulations or exceptions based on age, race or sex. Though the 11-year -old was not charged with a criminal offense he was in custody and the sheriff's office brought him into court as a custodial defendant, which is standard procedure for all persons arrested Lindgren said. According to the boy's mother, no charges were filed against the boy, and he was released following the proceedings. Court records indicate the failure to appear charge was dismissed with a warning from the judge to appear at all subsequent proceedings regarding the case, according to Kolb. A warrant for the arrest of the boy's mother was issued also for failure to appear regarding the same case at the same time as the warrant for her son. The boy's mother was also subsequently arrested and released with the same warning, according to Kolb. The mother said she is scheduled to appear in court in June. Up in arms "They are mad at us - the Mille Lacs Band government - they're mad at me and the police department and they are mad at the county," Johnson said of the community members. The current situation opens old wounds the elders remember of how Native Americans were treated in the past, Johnson said. "This is the most explosive issue I have seen in 20 years," Johnson said. Band member Irene Benjamin organized the community meeting for residents to express their concerns. Benjamin opened the proceedings with a list of concerns that included treatment of Band members as a whole by tribal police, reservation jurisdiction in accordance with Public Law 280 and specifically the most recent incident involving treatment of the 11-year- old boy. "When we elect public officials, what we hope for is that they will protect 11-year-olds. We look for common sense. It's missing here." Benjamin said. "The Band has to be aggressive in protecting our kids, and we will." Questions were raised regarding whether subpoenas sent to the family of the victim were delivered according to state statute. The boy's mother told the audience she never received a subpoena from the county. She and her son appeared before the court in late February under a subpoena regarding the assault case. "By showing up in court that day, they acknowledged receipt of the subpoena," Kolb said by phone. The family was advised by the court they were still under the power of that subpoena. Assistant county attorney Heather Griesert, primary juvenile attorney, spoke with the father and son in person and advised them another court hearing date would be scheduled and they would be advised by mail of the date, according to Kolb. The boy's mother confirmed the court had their current address, according to Kolb. The letter with the court hearing date and time was mailed to the family. The letter stated they were still under the power of the original subpoena and should they fail to appear, a warrant would be issued for their arrest, according to Kolb. The letter was not returned as undeliverable. The letter was not sent by certified mail. Kolb said the family was still under the subpoena they had previously been issued and as a result the letter didn't have to be sent certified. "That is not our preferable means of service," Kolb said. Kolb believes the mother did get the letter. "This is not the first time this kid has not shown up," Kolb said. "We're in a no-win situation here. If we drop the case we don't care if the boy gets beat up. ..." In order to promote public safety, Kolb went on to say the county has to bring these cases to court and they need witnesses to testify. "We don't willy nilly arrest little kids," she said. Assistant County Attorney Tom Lopez advised the audience there are a variety of methods for subpoena delivery that meet the standard for proper service. A subpoena can be delivered by hand by a representative of the court who can certify it has been given to the right person. In Mille Lacs County that is usually handled by the Sheriff's Office. It can be delivered by certified mail, with the recipient's signature for delivery being returned to the county, or a notice can be placed in a legal newspaper. Lopez said he couldn't comment on the case, but did say the county has a serious problem getting witnesses to court. Failure to appear is an ongoing problem in Mille Lacs County. Officials from the Band and county met in January to discuss options to move towards greater compliance. One result of the January meeting, according to Johnson, is the Band will provide transportation to court for those who request it. Johnson said he assumed if Kolb was going to arrest someone for failure to appear, she would charge an adult involved in a serious situation - not a child. One audience member questioned the wisdom of the county setting an example at the expense of an 11-year-old boy and why the boy needed to testify in the first place since the alleged assailant admitted guilt in a taped statement. Griesert explained by state statute they cannot get a conviction on admission alone. "I need a witness and I need a victim," Griesert said." If I can't get adjudication, how can I stop a child from reoffending?" Society has become more litigious, more violent, according to Lopez. "If a person's rights are compromised, that victim has a right to satisfaction," he said. Lopez added that a minor found guilty of a crime against a person, will likely be enrolled in classes that will help the child make better decisions in the future - classes such as anger management. "We try to get the child help so he will not commit a crime again," Lopez said. "But alternative methods to compel people to show up for court need to be explored." Tribal police "We want severe penalties and resignations of all personnel - county and tribal - who had anything to do with this despicable action," Benjamin said. Rumors of the incident spread quickly through the Band community. Mille Lacs Band Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin sent a letter to all Band members. In her letter she wrote the Band fully intends to explore legal action against the county in this matter. She explained to the best of her knowledge the tribal police officer who made the arrest was adhering to his legal obligation to follow a judges order of the warrant. The letter stated, "Although the boy was never mistreated while in tribal custody," she authorized the officer be placed on administrative leave pending a thorough investigation by an outside agency. "We are not penalizing him," Johnson said. "We are trying to preserve public peace and protect the best interest of everyone involved, including the officer whom everyone seems to like." In response to Band member's allegations regarding mistreatment by tribal police, Tribal Police Chief Dwight Reed told the audience there could be no investigation into the actions of an officer until a formal complaint had been filed, as he explained the grievance process. In a recent memo to all tribal police officers, the solicitor general's office has ordered "all cases forwarded to the county attorney's office will be reviewed by the office of solicitor general prior to submission to the county attorney." Johnson believes the solicitor general has a right to do so as supervisory agent to tribal police. He does not feel it violates any data practice laws or the mutual aid agreement between the county and the Band. "We will try to get to them as quickly as possible," Rjay Brunkow, deputy solicitor general, said in response to concerns over speed of review. In response to questions regarding the possibility of preferential prosecution, Brunkow said, "What I want to know is the where, what and why (of the cases). Who it is written for is none of my concern. We are concerned Band members be treated fairly and their rights are protected." As to how the process was going to work, Brunkow said, "We will continue to monitor the validity of warrants and arrests. We haven't decided on a process to ensure the basis in which the warrant was issued is valid." Resolution There could be a resolution to the problem. "I think it's going to take a long time," Johnson said. "There's been this disconnect between the Band and the county - a lack of communication, and this boy suffered for it. Eventually we have to have a day of reckoning." Irene Benjamin suggested the Band and county officials return to the community within one month to report progress. Outside view Commenting on the case of the 11-year-old boy after the forum, Teresa Nelson of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota said, "In order to use felony failure to appear, there has to be an intent to subvert the process. There are provisions in the law that allows them to do this, but common sense dictates that this is not what you would do. "The law requires parents to bring their children to court, but the ACLU has a term for what happened to the 11-year-old: 'schools to prison pipeline,'" Nelson said. There is a disparity of children of color who are in this situation, she added. "I do know there is a trend to treat juveniles much harsher in the legal system," Nelson said. "Does it belong in the court? I don't want to minimize crimes juveniles commit, but does a 13-year-old need this on him until he is 18? As a result, it may be a bigger part of the problem, and we're not serving our kids. "Our goal is to make sure another 11-year-old doesn't get shackled," Nelson said, and she expressed disappointment over the county's failure to assure the community that it wouldn't. "What we are striving for is a peaceful community," Johnson said. "I wish the county could see us as partners and not advisories." Copyright c. 2007 Mille Lacs Messenger. --------- "RE: Racism Report underscores need for Rights Panel" --------- Date: Sat, 12 May 2007 10:46:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="RACISM REPORT" http://navajotimes.com/news/050307-racism.php Racism report underscores need for rights panel By Annie Greenberg Navajo Times Window Rock, Ariz. May 3, 2007 Using the fatal shooting of Clint John in Farmington last summer as a catalyst, DNA-People's Legal Services Inc. investigated allegations of racism in more than a dozen border towns. In a report presented to the Navajo Nation Council last month, DNA shared its findings. "It wasn't really surprising," said Levon Henry, DNA executive director. "It was information we sort of expected, in terms of there are Navajos who go to border towns where the arrests statistics are higher for Navajos." For example, according to the city of Cortez, Colo., Native Americans made up 47 percent of arrests between 2001-2006. They comprise 10 percent of the general population. In Bloomfield, N.M., Native Americans made up 31 percent of the arrests in that same time period. They comprise 18.5 percent of the population. In the past five years, there have been two lawsuits, filed against the police departments of Farmington and Gallup, by Native Americans alleging use of excessive force upon arrest. And in Flagstaff there was one case of a jail death, where an inmate's medical condition was ignored. In that same time period, there were also eight formal complaints lodged against the Farmington Police Department citing excessive use of force. There were 11 similar complaints filed in Flagstaff as well. The U.S. Department of Justice sued the city of Gallup in 2004 for discriminatory hiring practices against Native Americans. According to the report, there are five Native police officers in Farmington, 15 in Aztec, N.M., two in Bloomfield, nine in Page, six in Winslow, Ariz., and 15 in Gallup. There are currently no Native police officers in Flagstaff, Cortez, and Monticello, Utah. From 2001-2006, no Natives even applied for a job with the city of Monticello, either. Though DNA requested information from Cuba, N.M., as well, the data was not provided in a timely enough manner to be used in the report. The cities of Grants, N.M., and Holbrook, Ariz., provided no information at all. While the numbers speak for themselves, in the report DNA stated that there are probably several more instances of discrimination than were formally reported. They cited the studies of Barbara Perry, Ph.D., a sociologist who spent eight years at Northern Arizona University researching the effects of hate crimes against the Dine'. According to her findings, hate crime against Native Americans is so common it is usually just accepted as a normal part of life - less than 5 percent of victims report incidents to the police. Perry's research showed that the victims usually did not report the incidents because they felt either that police would not take them seriously or they feared the responding officers would harass them. Henry said that such fear emphasized the importance of the Navajo Nation's Human Rights Commission, which was established by the council last fall. "They took the first step in establishing the commission - now they have to fund it," he said. "It's vital that the Navajo people have a forum to voice their concerns." Lawrence Morgan (Iyanbito/Pinedale), speaker of the council, sponsored the enabling legislation for the commission. The Intergovernmental Relations Committee approved its plan of operation in February. According to the plan of operation, the purpose of the commission would be to hold public hearings in or near border towns to gauge the racial climate between Navajos and non-Navajos and follow up on written complaints involving discrimination against enrolled tribal members. In addition, it would take the lead in educating the public about human rights and serve as the primary Navajo Nation entity to address race relation issues. The commission would be comprised of five members appointed to four-year terms, subject to the approval of the council. James Davis Jr., Morgan's chief of staff, said that any hiring would be put off until the commission is funded. A tentative budget has been drawn up and should be presented to the council for approval by the summer session, he said. Davis added that DNA's report highlighted the need for the commission. "I think it established the fact that there is a vacuum in Navajo country, that this issue needs to be addressed in some fashion," he said. "Hopefully the commission will be up and running by the fall." But in addition to enumerating grievances, Henry pointed out, the report also had some positive findings. "There was one bright spot - the town of Cuba, N.M.," he said. "The town was reaching out...asking specifically for assistance from the Navajo Nation in dealing with intoxicated people, to be able to help them in a culturally appropriate way." Henry added that Cuba was asking for assistance in cultural sensitivity training from the Navajo Nation - training that, ideally, the commission would be able to help with providing. Copyright c. 2006 The Navajo Times Publishing Co., Inc. --------- "RE: A long fall from grace" --------- Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 07:26:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="UNFULFILLED PROMISES OF HELP" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20070513/NEWS/705130319/1001 A long fall from grace Clinton vowed to help poorest in America pineBy Steve Young syoung@argusleader.com May 13, 2007 PINE RIDGE - Hope and promise were the echoes that reverberated from Geraldine Blue Bird's porch eight years ago this summer. Hope that an American president, Bill Clinton, could transform the poverty-stricken land of the Oglala with a program of government assistance and private investment that he called the "New Markets Initiative." Promise that through public-private partnerships, more jobs, better housing and a brighter tomorrow would be delivered to the Pine Ridge reservation. "Don't forget us," Blue Bird told the president that July day in 1999, as they sat outside the ramshackle house and trailer out back that she and 27 others shared. "These commitments we are making today," Clinton replied, "are just the beginning." In those days, Blue Bird became the face of that hope when she received a furnished, double-wide trailer from a Washington, D.C., psychiatrist. Today, her trailer is empty and shuttered, and Blue Bird sits in a Fort Worth, Texas, prison after her conviction last year as the leader of a cocaine distribution ring on the reservation. Meanwhile, Clinton's promise has gone largely unfulfilled, though tribal officials and leaders say that's more a result of their inability to grab the brass ring than the fault of the former president. "We've had generations of people here being dependent on the government, not by choice, but it's all part of the treaty rights when we were moved onto reservations," says Elsie Meeks, head of a Rapid City-based organization that helps tribal communities to access and manage their financial assets. "You're not going to change that reality overnight." Clinton tried. On his tour of America's poorest communities in 1999 - Pine Ridge, Kentucky's Appalachia, Los Angeles' Watts neighborhood, and the ghettos of Phoenix and East St. Louis, Ill. - he brought corporate leaders and Cabinet secretaries with him to talk about creating jobs in untapped markets. He sat on Blue Bird's porch and decried the grim reality of three or four families crammed into reservation houses. Mostly, he trumpeted the transforming potential of an economic boost called the Oglala Oyate Woitancan Empowerment Zone. Seed money to foster jobs, spur growth not fully tapped With a 10-year, $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, officials in empowerment zones were supposed to use those dollars as seed money to leverage other government and private money to create jobs, build safe and affordable housing, improve education standards, address drug and alcohol abuse, and meet the basic needs of families. There were successes, empowerment zone executive director David "Tally" Plume says. Money from the empowerment zone helped to pay for fire equipment on the reservation. It bought computers for youth programs, and software for schools. It helped to build a shelter for homeless veterans, a new jail, and the SuAnne Big Crow Boys and Girls Club. Still, unemployment is 75 percent, the same as during Clinton's visit. Seven out of 10 students drop out of high school, as they have for years. And the empowerment zone saw its struggles as well. For one thing, the $2 million a year promised under Clinton has been cut under the Bush administration. For Pine Ridge and the other four empowerment zones created in the New Markets Initiative tour, the annual allocation had dropped to $1.345 million by 2006. Plume says almost $6.5 million in empowerment zone money hasn't been spent, including $70,000 in a loan fund that has been frozen by USDA's Rural Development Office, which oversees the program, after a foreclosure and several defaults on loans made through that fund. "I know organizations that have been allocated dollars that have not received disbursements" from the empowerment zone, says Ivan Sorbel, head of the Pine Ridge Chamber of Commerce. "We've ended up with a pile of money that is unusable." But Plume says that $6.5 million still can be tapped for ventures that create jobs and show a return for the empowerment zone. He also says the USDA is watching closely to see how the Oglala tribal courts handle the defaults and foreclosure before releasing the money frozen in the loan fund. Therein lies a significant barrier to success on the reservation. Pine Ridge has no uniform commercial code. So businesses that want to locate on the reservation have no guarantee that their assets will be protected under tribal law. They can't be sure they'll get justice if bills aren't paid or loan payments aren't met. "With an inadequate court system, inadequate laws and an unstable government, not much could have happened no matter how much you wanted it to," Meeks says. The failure to create a uniform commercial code and a court system free of meddling from the tribal council also has created uneasiness in one of the successes borne of Clinton's visit - the Oglala Sioux Tribal Partnership for Housing. That partnership, involving Housing and Urban Development and the Oglala Sioux Housing Authority, has put 70 reservation families into homes with private mortgages through Wells Fargo, First Mortgage of Oklahoma and other lenders. "We're starting to see a housing market created on the reservation," partnership executive director Emma "Pinky" Plume says. On a reservation where more than 1,000 families are on a waiting list for low-income housing and there's a need for 3,800 housing units to be built during the next decade, the partnership offers the seeds of hope. Sustaining programs proves a vital but elusive goal The lack of sustainability has been the death knell for a number of significant programs that evolved during Clinton's watch. Among them: The Youth Opportunity Program, a five-year, $16 million project funded by the Department of Labor. Beginning in August 2000, it enrolled 3,000 youths ages 14 to 21 on the reservation. It helped them to earn their GED certificates. It saw that they got college classes they needed. It assisted them in filling out job applications and financial aid forms. It made sure they had a ride to school and a safe place to play basketball or softball afterward. It created youth centers across the reservation with activity rooms and computers. "Our intention was to keep it self-sustaining," former director Angie Eagle Bull says of the program. "But we knew there was no way to find that much money. The tribe didn't have the money we needed for matching funds. We couldn't keep it going." Welfare to Work received a grant of $2.3 million from the Department of Labor to put 150 reservation residents into unsubsidized jobs by June 30, 2001. It succeeded in training a lot of people, says Terry Albers, its former director. But with few businesses on the reservation, "there were no jobs for them to take anyway," he says. When the grant ended, the program died, too. When they are finally able to begin spending the remaining $6.5 million in empowerment zone funds, David Plume says he hopes his board will direct those dollars to sustaining the empowerment zone when the grants end. Suggestions to accomplish that include erecting buildings on the reservation, then leasing them for, say, a bank or a convenience store. At the very least, he says, they have to move away from simply dispensing grants to anyone who wants to start a business and go more with loans that create interest. Small businesses offer realistic hope so far unmet "I think our biggest success so far," Plume says, "is the movement of my board from a grant mentality to working to try to be more sustainable." Sustainability, he suggests, will fulfill Clinton's hope and promise. It probably won't result in corporations relocating to Pine Ridge, as Clinton once suggested. More realistically, it will be barbershops and clothing stores and auto repair shops - none of which exist now on the reservation. Of course, that enthusiasm is tempered by the reality of tribal life here, symbolized so dramatically by the $6.1 million SuAnne Big Crow Boys and Girls Club that rose from the landscape east of town in 2000 and 2001. With its restaurant, gym, indoor pool and computer rooms, it should be the shining light of Clinton's reservation visit - an emporium of fun and learning for reservation children. But the pool has been unusable for the past two months, shut down by an inoperable heater that costs $14,000 to fix, center director Chick Big Crow says. And there is no pile of money to fix it, she says. "We have an endowment," Big Crow says. "But it's not enough yet to cover everything we want to do." Maybe that time will come some day, she says. Maybe then the hope and promise will be fulfilled. Eight years after an American president came calling at Pine Ridge, this much remains obvious: They're not there yet. Reach reporter Steve Young at 331-2306. Copyright c. 2007 Argus Leader Media. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Arizona Tribes threaten Suit over Eagle delisting" --------- Date: Sat, 12 May 2007 10:46:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EAGLE DELISTING" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0511eagle0511.html Tribes set to battle feds on eagles' status Kate Nolan The Arizona Republic May 11, 2007 Federal wildlife authorities may face lawsuits from Indian tribal leaders in Arizona who are upset over the handling of their views on the proposed delisting of bald eagles as endangered species. Tribal leaders walked out of a Wednesday session at Cabela's in Glendale, threatened legal action and affirmed their unified opposition to taking the bald eagles off the list. Benjamin Tuggle, Southwest regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invited 13 Arizona tribes to the hearing after the tribes charged they hadn't been consulted on the issue. The San Carlos Apaches had passed a resolution against delisting. The bald eagle is sacred to many Native Americans, and 20 percent of the animals' 50 breeding areas in Arizona are on Indian land. Tuggle called the meeting so tribes could express concerns and he could clarify the eagle delisting process, which Fish and Wildlife first proposed in 1999. After Tuggle acknowledged that the delisting decision was beyond the scope of his regional office, tribal leaders increasingly questioned whether their comments would have any impact. Tuggle said the decision would be based entirely on scientific findings. Paul Schmidt, a Fish and Wildlife official from Washington, D.C., explained that the agency would protect bald eagles if they are delisted, but his comments stirred debate about why he wasn't specifically addressing Arizona's bald eagle population of 43 breeding pairs. The Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Audubon have sued the government, making a case that Arizona's eagles are an endangered population segment apart from the 20,000 eagles in the rest of the country that appear to have recovered after being decimated by pesticides in the 1950s. "That's what everyone in this room came to hear about," said Verbena Seiber of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Apache Environmental Department. Loretta Jackson, preservation officer for the Hualapai Tribe, said her tribe opposes delisting and saw little purpose in the meeting. "It seems the decision has already been made, and that doesn't encourage a two-way dialogue," Jackson said. Angela Garcia Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community raised questions about federal obligations to consult with tribal governments on decisions that affect them under the National Historic Preservation Act. Steve Spangle, Fish and Wildlife's manager for Arizona, said that the agency received no responses to letters sent to tribal authorities during the public comment periods over the lengthy delisting process. That raised the issue of whether tribes can be viewed as the public. Federal law maintains that government agencies must respect tribal sovereignty and communicate with tribes government to government. "We are not the community of Fountain Hills. We are a tribal community that's been around since before the U.S. Constitution. In respect to that, I would hope you could readjust," Seiber told the federal officials. "The feeling here is not good. And the reason is that you are talking about our religious belief," said Wendsler Nosie Sr., chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. "It's always been part of U.S. policy that it's bad to discuss religion. "The eagle experienced death like we did, genocide like we did. When people thirst for water, the bird will come show you. "But there's more to this. We're not dummies," Nosie said, protesting that mining and development forces had more access to government decision- makers than Indian tribes do. Tuggle said he was sympathetic but insisted that the delisting decision would be based on science. Dr. Robin Silver, a non-Indian audience member who is board chairman of the Center for Biological Diversity, said biological data support the tribes' view that the eagles should remain protected. "I'll be the first to admit the (biological evidence) is not unequivocal," Spangle said. Tribal leaders pressed for further talks with Tuggle before a decision is made. "Will you commit to a date to discuss these issues?" a San Carlos tribal representative asked. Tuggle answered no. Nosie and the San Carlos tribal delegation then walked out. "This last response - that's it. They're not going to listen because it's already been decided," Nosie said in the hallway. He said he would meet with other tribal governments to consider legal action. Raymond Aspa, the fish and game director for the Colorado River Indian Tribes, remained inside and told the federal authorities: "You gentlemen probably have good intentions, but this may be the end. There probably will be further legal action. That's why these gentlemen left. They're done with you." Where that leaves the process is subject to question. "We had this meeting because we had the courage to come and listen," Tuggle said. "I learned that the traditional way we communicate with the tribes doesn't work. I don't have a defense." Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, said he sees no reason to change the endangered status of Arizona eagles. The Hopis have made a pact with the Navajo Nation to manage the region's golden eagles, he said, suggesting a similar pact should be created for bald eagles. "It's a good reason to hold off and keep our birds protected until we see how it works out," he said. Copyright c. 2007, azcentral.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Lakota Graduate told to remove Eagle Feather" --------- Date: Sat, 12 May 2007 10:46:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GRAD DENIED RIGHT TO WEAR EAGLE FEATHER - IN OKLAHOMA?" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/features/local_story_131095307.html Feathers prohibited at graduation attire at NSU By EDDIE GLENN Tahlequah Daily Press May 11, 2007 NSU has a higher percentage of American Indian students than any other university in the nation, and since the school hosts an annual week-long symposium on Indian culture, some students who attended last week's graduation ceremonies were surprised when they were told they would have to leave their culture at the door. Warren Hawk graduated Saturday with a master's degree in education. But before the commencement ceremony began, organizers told him he would have to remove the eagle feather and medicine wheel he was wearing. According to Hawk, a member of the Lakota tribe, organizers threatened to have him removed from the ceremony by campus police if he didn't comply with the graduation dress code: gown, cap, and a rope of a specific color (depending on the degree obtained) around the neck, but no feathers. Hawk said he removed his feather until right before he walked across the stage to receive his diploma, when he put it back on. "There was one other [American Indian] student who came up to me and asked me about it," Hawk said. "I told her they want uniformity, so take it off for now, but put it back on later, which is what I did. A couple of students did comply, and it was really sad that they didn't really get to wear their feathers at all." Hawk said he understands the reasoning behind the graduation dress rules, but he's still disappointed that a school that is so intrinsically tied to native culture - like NSU, which actually began as the Cherokee Women's Seminary - would not allow feathers at graduation. "I know their intention wasn't to exclude people," he said. "Their intention was to keep people from doing outrageous things. But for us, an eagle feather is not something that's given out haphazardly. You have to earn it; you have to accomplish something. It was given to warriors when they did great accomplishments. With the push among Indian people for education, graduation is an accomplishment, not just for the graduate but for all their people." Hawk sent out a mass e-mail about his experience Saturday, and got responses from other American Indian students who said their graduations weren't quite as strict. "I got e-mails from Wyoming, South Dakota, all over," he said. "They said that where they graduated, [wearing eagle feathers during graduation] was actually encouraged." But according to NSU Dean of Enrollment Management Services Bill Nowlin, graduation is an academic ceremony with very specific guidelines for dress, and feathers just aren't part of those guidelines. "It's not just about feathers," Nowlin said. "There are guidelines on academic regalia, and what can be added to it. I've checked with other universities in Oklahoma, and they have the same guidelines. Everybody has a culture, everybody has a history, and everybody has sacrificed. We can't say, `These people can [vary from the graduation regalia requirements], but these people can't.'" Neal Weaver, NSU vice president for university relations, said he doesn't see the graduation restrictions as a ban on eagle feathers, but rather a preservation of another kind of culture: academia. "What we're concerned about is preserving the tradition of academic regalia," said Weaver. "Everything we wear has meaning - very much, I would imagine, like native traditions. The ropes, for example, are a different color for a bachelor's degree than for a master's degree, and a Ph.D. is another color." Weaver said American Indian students can wear traditional items like eagle feathers any place and any time they want on campus - except at graduation. "That's the case across the country," he said. "There's not a school in Oklahoma that allows non-academic regalia to be worn at graduation." Contact Eddie Glenn @ eglenn@tahlequahdailypress.com. Copyright c. 2007, Tahlequah Daily Press. --------- "RE: Virginia tribes' recognition bill passes House" --------- Date: Mon, 7 May 2007 07:13:11 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SIX VIRGINIA TRIBES HOPE FOR FEDERAL RECOGNITION CLEARS HOUSE" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096414965 Virginia tribes' recognition bill passes House by: Bobbie Whitehead / Indian Country Today May 7, 2007 WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives' Natural Resources Committee has given its approval to a bill that would grant six Virginia Indian tribes federal recognition. For the first time since the Virginia tribes have sought federal recognition through legislation, the Resources Committee took action on the bill April 25, sending it to the full House. The committee's action improves the bill's chances of consideration by the House, according to Rep. James P. Moran, D-Va., who introduced the bill in March. While opponents to the federal recognition bill have argued that the Virginia tribes would be allowed to utilize the federal Indian Gaming Act, the bill includes an amendment that prohibits the tribes from pursuing gaming. The six tribes seeking federal recognition under the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Recognition Act include the Chickahominy, Chickahominy - Eastern Division, Upper Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Monacan and Nansemond tribes. "I feel good that the bill has come out of committee and is moving to the House," said Chief Stephen Adkins of the Chickahominy Tribe. "I think we've come a long way, and I'm very optimistic that it will pass the full House. Governor Tim Kaine has been supportive. There's been a lot of grass-roots support, and I think it's a victory for the Virginia tribes, and it positions us for our rightful place in history." Chief Barry Bass of the Nansemond Tribe said Virginia Indians have been hoping for approval from the Resources Committee. "Of course, I think there were some changes in the bill regarding the gaming, but we're still pushing for the federal recognition," Bass said. "We're just hoping that the bill will keep going ahead. That's what we've been wanting for years; and hopefully, it will continue to move. I think we have some good support, but at the same time, I think there are some people with issues over gaming. We've tried to resolve that every way possible." Chief Kenneth Branham of the Monacan Nation said the tribes did agree to include an amendment addressing gaming issues, but he said he didn't believe the amendment would affect the tribes in the future. "We're happy the bill has gotten out of the committee," Branham said. "We're looking forward to working with the people to get this bill through and continue to work to make the federal recognition beneficial to our people in Virginia." Moran has worked to push approval of a federal recognition bill for Virginia tribes since the 1990s. "The Resources Committee, under Chairman Rahall's leadership, understands that the Virginia tribes greatly deserve federal recognition," Moran said in a press release. "The Native Americans who greeted the first English settlers at Jamestown have been ignored by the federal government for 400 years. Today, with the Committee's action, we are a step closer to righting this historical injustice." As the Jamestown 2007 Commemoration kicks off in May, the Virginia tribes had hoped to be federally recognized prior to the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement. "The eyes of the world turn to Jamestown ... for the 400th anniversary," Moran said. "Our goal is for the Virginia tribes to share that spotlight, proudly representing a living history of the Commonwealth as Virginia's fully recognized Native American tribes." Moran said about 562 tribes have received federal recognition. However, their treaties were signed with the United States, whereas Virginia's Indian tribes signed their treaties with the kings of England. Although eight of Virginia's tribes have received recognition by the state, none has received recognition by the federal government. While federal recognition requires substantial documentation showing continuity of existence, Virginia Indians faced the destruction of records of their Indian identity under the Virginia Racial Integrity Act of 1924. Through this act, the state's then-Vital Records Registrar Walter Plecker reclassified Virginia Indians as "colored," removing their Indian racial designation from birth, marriage and death certificates, and threatened to imprison anyone claiming the Indian racial designation. Copyright c. 1998 - 2007 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Judge affirms Delta Smelt Ruling" --------- Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 07:26:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WATER RESOURCES ORDERED TO SHUT DOWN EXPORT PUMPS" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/05/13/18415753.php Judge Affirms Delta Smelt Ruling, DWR Files Appeal! by Dan Bacher May 13th, 2007 The Department of Water Resources on May 7 appealed the April 18 court order giving it 60 days to shut down its export pumps unless it receives authorization from the DFG to "take" protected Delta smelt and Chinook salmon. The Governor and his staff have apparently committed themselves to destroying Delta smelt, chinook salmon and other species that depend upon the Bay-Delta estuary for their survival. Judge Affirms Delta Ruling, DWR Files Appeal by Dan Bacher An Oakland judge, after reviewing additional material submitted by the State Department of Water Resources (DWR), on April 18 refused to back down from his earlier order to stop water exports from the South Delta until an incidental take permit for endangered fish is obtained. Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ordered the agency to "cease and desist" from operation of the Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant Operation until the agency has obtained authorization under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) from the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) with regard to their "incidental take" of Delta smelt, winter-run chinook salmon and spring-run chinook salmon. Mike Lozeau, the lawyer for The Watershed Enforcers Alliance, a project of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, filed the lawsuit last December to stop the destruction of endangered fish in the pumps at a time when the Delta is in its worst-ever crisis. The Delta smelt population has plummeted from a population of 800,000 in 2001 to around 30,000 fish at present. Three other species, threadfin shad, juvenile striped bass, and longfin smelt, also crashed to historic low levels after the Department of Water Resources began increases of 1,000,000 acre feet of water per year starting in 2002. "It was obvious to the judge that DWR had failed to comply with CESA for over a decade," said Bill Jennings, executive director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. "We'll be perched over the shoulder of DFG watching them see if they require DWR to comply with the law. In the next 18 months, we'll either save the Delta or lose it forever." Lester Snow, Director of DWR, strongly disagreed with the judge's final decision and said the agency would file an appeal. "We are disappointed that the Alameda court has denied our request for a hearing to present additional information on the Department's actions to address methods of compliance with the state's endangered species act," said Snow. "Instead, the 60-day clock starts ticking on what would be a devastating blow to the state's water system if the State Water Project's Delta pumps are stopped." "We intend to appeal the decision, but at the same time have also applied for a consistency determination with the Department of Fish and Game that we hope will be granted in early May. A determination that the State Water Project's operations under the federal fish opinions is consistent with state law will address the court's finding and allow us to move forward with the important work of developing a long term conservation, protection and recovery plan for the delta and keep water moving throughout the state," said Snow. On April 20, DWR requested from the judge an automatic stay of the judgment on appeal or for an order staying the enforcement. The judge granted the stay. Carl Torgersen, the Chief of the Division of Operation and Maintenance for DWR, pointed out a dire scenario if the request for a stay wasn't granted. "The economic, agricultural and environmental consequences of shutting down the Banks Pumping Pumping Plant would be severe, far reaching and would adversely impact the State, its citizens and environment for a significant time into the future," he stated. However, Bill Jennings countered that "a reduction of exports to late 1990 levels would clearly not be an unreasonable burden to south-state water users, especially as the Metropolitan Water District is on record as having a two year water supply in reserve." The Department of Water Resources then on May 7 appealed the April 18 court order giving it 60 days to shut down its export pumps unless it receives authorization from the DFG to "take" protected Delta smelt and Chinook salmon. DWR also withdrew its request to DFG for a consistency determination that federal government authorization of the incidental take is consistent with state environmental law. DWR claimed it was "moving toward a comprehensive fisheries protection plan in conjunction with DFG and the federal government." The SWP provides some or all of the drinking water to 24 million people in California, including the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego. The water also irrigates 775,000 acres of cropland in the San Joaquin Valley. After issuing the preliminary ruling, Judge Roesch originally gave DWR 15 days to provide any additional information to the court that would impact the permit process - and the parties in the lawsuit agreed to extend the deadline from April 6 to April 11. In spite of all of the "additional information" the Department of Water Resources provided to the judge, it is significant that Roesch's mind wasn't changed in confirming his order to shut down the pumps. Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger and the Department of Water Resources are committed to fighting the judge's order, rather than doing the right thing and complying with the law. Meanwhile, Gary Mulcahy, the governmental liaison for the Winnemem Wintu (McCloud River) Tribe, informed me that Jerry Johns of the Department of Water Resources and other state officials agreed to give the tribe a seat on the Delta Vision Stakeholders Panel. The Winnemen Wintu held a war dance in September 2004 at Shasta Dam against the Bureau of Reclamation's plans to raise the dam. The tribe has been in the forefront of the battle to stop the enlargement of the dam and to halt the South Delta Improvement Project and other plans to export more Delta at a time when the estuary is in severe crisis. When Secretary of Resources Mike Chrisman announced the formation of a 41-member Delta Stakeholders Group to advise the "Blue Ribbon Task Force" in February, he completely excluded recreational anglers and Indian Tribes from the group, even they are impacted by the state and federal government plans for the Delta more than anybody else. Due to heavy political pressure by fishing groups, Chrisman appointed John Beuttler, conservation director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, in March. The appointment of Mulcahy and Beuttler is a positive step, although it is unfortunate that the Governor tried to exclude recreational anglers and Indian Tribes from the Delta Vision process in his original appointments to the stakeholders group. The stakeholders group is heavily stacked with the same water contractors and political hacks that are responsible for the decline for the decline of Delta fisheries. Political insiders believe that the Delta Vision process represents an effort to gain political support for the construction of a peripheral canal that would destroy the Delta ecosystem. Copyright c. 2000-2007 San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center. --------- "RE: Tribes need to admit Meth is a problem" --------- Date: Tue, 8 May 2007 07:48:25 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="METH CRISIS" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/ 2007/05/07/news/state/65-meth-tribe.txt Expert says tribes need to admit meth is a problem By The Associated Press May 7, 2007 LINCOLN, Neb. - Before problems stemming from methamphetamine use on American Indian reservations can be alleviated, tribes first must acknowledge that the drug is a problem, said a member of North Dakota's Chippewa tribe, Turtle Mountain Band. "Most people don't want to admit they have a problem as an individual, let alone a whole community," said Karrie Azure-Elliott, deputy director of the Tribal Judicial Institute. The National Congress of American Indians reported in November that American Indians have an abuse rate of 1.7 percent, compared with 0.7 percent for whites, and that some reservations have addiction rates of 30 percent. But many communities deny there's a meth problem, a mentality that hinders prevention and treatment, Azure-Elliott said Monday at the Midwest Methamphetamine Conference. Meth is an addictive stimulant that can be prepared or "cooked" in makeshift labs with over-the-counter cold tablets, common household chemicals and fertilizers. Also known as crank, ice or crystal, meth can be smoked, snorted, swallowed or injected. Meth produces a quick, strong high and can lead to paranoia and terrible fits of withdrawal. Experts say it is as harmful as heroin and cocaine. According to the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 11.7 million Americans ages 12 and older said they've tried meth and 1.4 million said they'd used it in the past month. Azure-Elliott said American Indians on reservations are susceptible to meth addictions because they often live in poverty and have limited employment opportunities - factors commonly attributed to drug use. Another issue, she said, is the infiltration of the Mexican drug cartels into reservations for the sole purpose of selling drugs. The American Indian congress estimates that 70 percent of all meth in the U.S. is smuggled from Mexico. Drug rings often set up shop on reservations because there are complex criminal jurisdiction issues and police forces are limited, according to the congress. Jim Snow, vice chairman of the Winnebago tribe, said meth first came to the reservation in northeast Nebraska about five years ago. He said efforts to curb meth use arose from community concern. A task force was set up, and prevention initiatives were implemented in the schools. Tribal police started stopping suspicious vehicles. The court system was adjusted to provide stricter punishment for meth-related crimes. "You just got to try to use all your resources to combat this thing," he said. Jerry Stubin, a meth researcher whose daughter is serving a six- to 10- year prison term for meth-related charges, said more American Indians are entering rehab programs for meth than alcoholism. And one stint often isn't enough, he said. Many people are coming back four or five times. "It's really tough to treat," said Stubin, a member of the Ponca tribe. Azure-Elliott said meth addicts have difficulty getting appropriate treatment on reservations because most programs last only for 30 to 45 days, and it takes 18 months to get the drug completely out of the body. "It's such an addictive drug," she said. Snow said the Winnebago utilize state treatment programs offered by Nebraska and South Dakota and have been requesting longer stays to help people kick the habit for good. Copyright c. 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Columbus critics slam Dems, Ritter" --------- Date: Wed, 9 May 2007 07:37:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FAILURE TO KILL COLUMBAS DAY PARADE CALLED ACT OF COWARDICE" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_5849913 Columbus critics slam Dems, Ritter SEEK STATE HOLIDAY'S END By Jeri Clausing Denver Post Staff Writer May 9, 2007 American Indian groups accused Gov. Bill Ritter and Democratic legislative leaders Tuesday of political cowardice for denying their request to eliminate the Columbus Day holiday in Colorado in the just-ended session. Representatives of the American Indian Movement of Colorado gathered on the state Capitol steps to express their disappointment with Democrats, who took control of the legislature and governor's office this year for the first time in nearly half a century. With that leadership change, they said, they hoped to finally get the controversial holiday knocked off Colorado's books. "We believed it was the perfect opportunity to break from the past," Kim Cameron said. The group has been trying for years to end the celebration of Christopher Columbus, who they say was responsible for genocide against American Indians. However, she said, the Democratic leadership "showed political cowardice in failing to address anti-Indian racism." Glenn Morris said the group had been working with Sen. Suzanne Williams, an Aurora Democrat of Cherokee ancestry, to draft legislation to do away with Columbus Day, but that legislative leaders scuttled it. Morris said Ritter and legislative leaders told them the time was not right to deal with such a divisive issue. "When is the time right to reverse racism?" he asked, noting that resolutions against genocide in places like Sudan and Armenia were passed by lawmakers this year. Ritter's spokesman, Evan Dreyer, said the governor disagrees "with any characterization that we are not taking seriously issues of importance to Colorado's American Indian communities." "The offices of the governor and lieutenant governor are actively working with our tribes and American Indian communities on ways to create jobs and economic opportunities," Dreyer said. "We're focusing on improving health care and education as well as protecting civil rights, improving public safety and fighting racial discrimination. The governor and lieutenant governor feel very strongly about doing all we can in these areas, and we are." According to the activists, 17 states have done away with holidays honoring Columbus. Capitol bureau chief Jeri Clausing can be reached at 303-954-1555 or jclausing@denverpost.com. Copyright c. 2007 The Denver Post or other copyright holders. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Spitzer, Senecas meet as friends" --------- Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 07:13:24 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SENECA MEET WITH GOVERNOR" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/ news-3/1178874653168800.xml&coll=1 Spitzer, Senecas meet as friends May 11, 2007 First session ends with no settlement on collecting sales taxes from Indian nation. Friday, May 11, 2007The Associated Press Buffalo - Seneca Indian Nation President Maurice John led more than 50 tribal members on a march from the United Nations to Gov. Eliot Spitzer's New York City offices Thursday for a meeting between the two elected leaders. It was the first time John and Spitzer have met amid tension over the state's plan to collect sales tax on reservation sales of cigarettes and gasoline to non-Indian customers, an issue that has led to violence in the past. The meeting was described as introductory and produced no agreement on the taxation issue. "He agreed to listen to us, we listened to him, we shook hands. We leave as friends," John said. "We were welcomed with diplomacy. We respect him very much." The Senecas maintain that federal treaties dating to the 1700s shield them from the state's tax laws. Avoiding state sales tax allows the tribe to sell large quantities of goods at reduced prices. "There are differences we have with the Seneca Nation. We have differences with a number of the Indian nations," Richard Rifkind, special counsel to the governor, told NY1 news. "We believe that these should be resolved through discussions, negotiations, and as long as there is good faith on both sides, we believe they can be resolved." Tribal councilor J.C. Seneca said the meeting accomplished its goal of opening communication between the state and tribe, which has 8,000 members, most living on two Western New York reservations. Both sides have said they want to avoid the violent clashes that shut down part of the Thruway when the issue was raised in 1997. Copyright c. 2007 Syracuse Online, LLC. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Future of Navajo Rez Technology looking good" --------- Date: Tue, 8 May 2007 07:48:25 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CLOSING DIGITAL DIVIDE ON NAVAJO NATION" http://www.gallupindependent.com/2007/may/050707jch_ftreofreztech.html Future of rez technology looking good By John Christian Hopkins Dine' Bureau May 7, 2007 WINDOW ROCK - Navajo Nation Delegate Leonard Tsosie has high hopes for the future of technology on the reservation and in rural areas across the state. "Just think if Navajo, Anglo and Hispanic children who live in rural areas of the state had wireless laptops, how much better they would do in school and in life," he says. His vision is nothing new. "When Leonard Tsosie first ran for a New Mexico State Senate seat in the early 1990s he had a plan, a vision and a determination to make a difference in New Mexico tribal communities," Jeanne Whitehorse, the New Mexico tribal librarian at Crownpoint, said. Technology efforts One of Tsosie's first technology efforts in the Senate was to support the tribal library programs, Whitehorse said. Today, New Mexico Tribal Libraries offer Internet and technology support in Native American communities across New Mexico, she added. "He is a leader when it comes to technology initiatives. We can do so much more now. I think he saw that coming a long time ago," Whitehorse said. After 15 years in the state senate, Tsosie now brings his interest in technology to the Nation. He envisions chapter houses, schools, homes and hogans (traditional Navajo dwellings) connected to the Internet with high speed capability through an effort known as the Internet to the Hogan Initiative. Navajo Technical College and the Navajo Nation Department of Information Technology are building a robust wireless system to bridge one of the largest digital divides in the country. The ITTH initiative also includes the development of digital television services, which are being planned and engineered by the Ramah Navajo School Board, KNME-TV and Navajo Nation Broadcast Services. Tsosie accelerated these efforts by convening a series of community meetings throughout 2005 and 2006 with scientists, engineers, educators, phone company owners, television producers and Navajo language speakers who came together to share plans, resources and technical knowledge. "We would not be where we are in the development of a Navajo Nation wireless grid without (his) ability to bring technology experts together. I give him credit for moving the effort forward," said Dr. Elmer Guy, the President of Navajo Technical College. Guy sees Tsosie as "a leader who took the challenge" to move tribal technology forward. "This is one of the last digital divides in New Mexico," Guy said. It will require a cooperative effort to make sure no families are left behind, Guy added. The families Guy thinks of are mostly Navajo, living in the mountainous terrain of Northwestern New Mexico. The rugged terrain has made it difficult for even phone connectivity, internet access and electrical lines. Connections Connecting hogans and other homes in Northwestern New Mexico with wireless technology has not been an easy task; phone companies can not make a return on their investment to the limited customer base. The job also presents additional challenges of state and tribal right of ways. But, with technology advances, things that were not possible a few years ago are more than possible now, says Harold Skow, director of the Navajo Nation's Department of Information Technology. "We are building out the broadband infrastructure with fiber optic, communication towers, wireless Motorola canopy, microwave and wireless access points. The network will create a redundant path that will provide a fail-safe communication network," Skow said. Navajo Technical College and the DIT recently secured national recognition for its technology planning at the Government Information Technology Executive Council conference in Orlando in March. Skow credits the initiative's recognition to Tsosie's vision. End of the divide The initiative creates the capability of delivering real time information to Navajo communities and ranching families living in remote areas of the Southwest, Skow says. The internet will provide seniors with health information and access to doctors, while school children will be able to access homework assignments so they do not fall behind in school, he added. "It is the beginning of the end of the digital divide," Skow said. The initiative has even more of an impact, according to Tsosie. "The process of what we have done here is a model for other tribes and rural communities," Tsosie said. Continuity To ensure continuity of the effort, as he transitioned to the tribal council, Tsosie met with his New Mexico Senate replacement, Lynda Lovejoy, and found that she supported the effort wholeheartedly by sponsoring both appropriation and capital outlay bills. During the recent state legislative session, Lovejoy won $550,000 in funding for the initiative. "I am very grateful. She is quite knowledgeable about higher education, and I have no doubt that she will continue to support the effort," Guy noted. The second phase of the initiative will focus on content in the Navajo language. "It is about time that our Navajo grandmothers and grandfathers receive information in their home language," Tsosie says. "It is like a weaving; now that we have started, we are not going to stop until the rug is finished and the rug is intricately designed from all directions and in Navajo language." Tsosie said he had always envisioned a Navajo-like Big Bird a 'Sesame Street' character that could teach Navajo children their language, as well as English. The next meeting of the initiative project is from 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m., May 18, at the Ramah Navajo School in Pinehill, N.M. John Christian Hopkins can be reached at hopkins1960@hotmail.com or by calling 505-371-5443. Copyright c. 2007 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Tribal Government can both help and hamper growth" --------- Date: Thu, 10 May 2007 07:19:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRIBAL GOVERNMENT AS A BUSINESS MANAGER" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096414957 Tribal governments can both help and hamper economic growth by: David Melmer / Indian Country Today May 8, 2007 RAPID CITY, S.D. - Tribal government will have to separate itself from its businesses and support the growth of the private economy before any real economic benefits can be realized, experts said at the April 17 9th Great Plains Regional/Tribal Economic Summit. Socialistic economies, present on many reservations, are no longer advisable; but a market-based economy, which drives most of the world's economic success, is now preferred. A tribal government that taxes and imposes fees on private businesses in the attempt to create a revenue stream for itself is also not in the best interest of a reservation's successful business community, attendees heard. "We are slowly getting into corporate structures and getting the tribe away from running the businesses," said Sam Allen, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe. The Flandreau Santee imposes a tax on sales by businesses on the reservation, but only the same amount imposed by the state in order to keep the state out of the tribe's business by leveling the playing field. Panelists agreed that charging large, imposing license and business fees or high tax rates on private businesses is a deterrent to future business development. A major issue on every tribal government's agenda is the task of building a solid and sustainable economy on reservations, but it seems that each year the same agenda appears with little progress to report. A stronger voice is rising from the people who work at the grass-roots level, who see the private ownership of businesses as the answer to creating a successful market-based economy. "Fortune 500 companies reported they made $780 billion in profit; there are 512 federally recognized tribes, what's the difference?" said Lance Morgan, CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc. and a keynote speaker at the economic summit. "They have a legal support system, 200 years of government. We have a government imposed on us," he said. Morgan pointed out that on the national level, the federal government is involved in 25 percent of businesses, but tribal governments are involved in 75 - 80 percent of businesses within their jurisdiction. "They have a free exchange of land; they get the best. We get poor, unstable governments and trust land that holds us back, and the side effects impair the free flow of capital," Morgan said. As a reminder, Morgan pointed out that after World War II, the United States flourished economically while other countries recovered and then switched to market-based economies. The United States moved to a market- based economy in the '80s and then again flourished, but the reservations were locked out of the economic change. "Money was flowing in the country that was attached to land and equity. We were not getting anything," he said. The economic success of Ho-Chunk Inc. on the Winnebago Reservation is the result of creating a "fake economy," Morgan said. That company is under the auspices of the tribal government, but is not operated by the government and it was driven by forces outside the government. "Tribally led economies are models for failure," Morgan said, comparing the tribal-led economic models with that of Russia. Experts in tribal economic development agreed that tribal government involvement is necessary, but that the government should not be in the business of operating businesses. On the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, tribally owned entities such as a grocery store and the oldest phone company on any reservation in the country are both successful and essential to the reservation. It may have been necessary for the tribe to own those businesses in order to provide the needed services to the communities involved, because a private owner may not have been able to acquire the capital needed to achieve the necessary size of business. Larger tribally owned businesses may also act as the anchor for many smaller, privately owned businesses on a reservation, experts said. But the businesses owned by the tribe must be left to operate on their own and separate from the tribal politics, business executives said. Elsie Meeks, executive director of First Nations Oweesta Corporation, told the group that what she mostly heard from the panelists was about tribal governments, not entrepreneurial ventures. "Many tribes have not been good at business; private business is more successful," Meeks said. Copyright c. 1998 - 2007 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Residents chastise Council over Tribal Land" --------- Date: Thu, 10 May 2007 07:19:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NISQUALLY LAND ACQUISITION" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.theolympian.com/112/story/101210.html DuPont residents chastise council over tribal land issue Heather Frye For The Olympian May 9, 2007 DUPONT - The city should stay out of the Nisqually tribe's efforts to acquire more than 500 acres owned by Fort Lewis, several residents told the City Council during a heated meeting Tuesday night. "The DuPont City Council has no business being in this one way or another," said Charles Aly, a DuPont resident. Tribal leaders say the property is part of their ancestral home. "Our main gathering area was right here at Sequalitchew," said Cynthia Iyall, Nisqually Tribal Chairwoman. The Fort Lewis golf course is on the property in question. It is adjacent to DuPont. Nisqually tribal officials approached Fort Lewis officials in October about transferring the land. Army officials have agreed to discuss the plan, but neither party has set an official date for doing so, said Capt. Walter Botwinski, an Army liaison for DuPont. In early April, Iyall asked DuPont Mayor Steve Young if the city would support the tribe in its efforts to open talks with Fort Lewis. During a work session, council members agreed to review a draft of a resolution to that end, Young said. "Based on the direction council has taken previously, it seemed reasonable," Young said. DuPont previously had teamed with the tribe on other projects, most recently on the city's new civic center. Divided residents The resolution and transfer have deeply divided residents, as evidenced by Tuesday's packed meeting and stormy commentary from people on both sides of the issue. "The opinion of the city should be that we don't want this," said DuPont resident John Campbell. "We don't want a casino in our front yard." Law prohibits gaming on tribal land that is not part of it's original reservation, said Nisqually Tribal Attorney Thor Hoyte. "The tribe has wanted to regain some of its traditional lands since it was kicked off," Hoyte said. "It is not a land grab; it is attempt to make the community whole again." Hoyte said the tribe would compensate Fort Lewis for the land. The tribe "does have plans" for the land, he said, adding that he could not comment on them. Aly said the golf course is a major source of recreation for soldiers, and it would send the wrong message to the troops to take something they enjoy at a time when many are away at war. "I would just like (council) to note how much opposition there is to this," said Rachel Nelson, who owns a business near the property. "And how little we know about who owns that land and how important that it is to us." "I'm not a golfer, and I'm not a military retiree," said resident Mike Brown. "And I am sympathetic to concerns of Native American sovereignty. But this is not a sovereignty issue. I can't understand why my city government is taking an advocacy position on this." The draft resolution has been withdrawn and the matter put to rest, Young said. The resolution was never brought before council for a vote, let alone passed, he said. Acquiring the land likely will take many years, Hoyte said. "This effort will continue. It will continue with or without DuPont," he said. Copyright c. 2007 The Olympian. --------- "RE: Program reintroduces Horses to Comanche" --------- Date: Tue, 8 May 2007 07:48:25 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="COMANCHE REINTRODUCING HORSE TO CULTURE" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/ articles/2007/05/07/news/state/news511.txt Program reintroduces horses to tribe By Scott Rains The Lawton Constitution May 7, 2007 LAWTON (AP) - The introduction of the horse into the Comanche tribe's culture ages ago led to their rise through history as "Lords of the Plains." Lynn Schonchin is hoping to reintroduce the horse into everyday life and knot the ties these animals have with Comanche culture. "All Comanches, young and old, are invited to take this class," Schonchin said. "I want people to be comfortable around the horses," he said while noting that the animals are "highly perceptive, they pick up a person's fear or anxiety." Schonchin said the classes are a way for Comanche people to become familiar with these equestrian counterparts. The idea is to begin with basic skills such as approaching the horses and getting used to taking care of the animals. Feeding, brushing and hoof picking soon will transition to advanced interaction, such as haltering, hitching and saddling the horses. When the time is right and everyone is comfortable, then the riding lessons will begin, he said. Horses run through the pasture at the foothills of the Wichita Mountains adjoining the 60 acres of pasture land. A strong stock of horses running free and feeding off the lush, green grass present a flashback to a time not too distant. Historian T.R. Fehrenbach has traced the Comanche's split from their ancestral Shoshone kin to the introduction of the horse into the culture. Within 300 years, the Comanche people became known for their horsemanship and ability to breed a durable and unique stock of ponies which helped maintain their nomadic lives and their abilities to sustain through hunting and warfare. Comanches are believed to have been the first native people on the plains to utilize the horse extensively, and as such, they were the source for other plains tribes of the horses that made the buffalo culture possible, according to Fehrenbach. Schonchin is the perfect candidate to lead this present day undertaking. Presently, there are 17 horses ranging from two 9-month old colts to a 7-year-old Appaloosa named "Red Man." Originally, Comanche Housing had 27 wild mustangs they needed to be rid of. The Environmental Program took the horses over five years ago and since then have upgraded the stock to include thoroughbreds. Standing out among the herd is a painted pony - an icon historically affixed to the image of the Comanche warrior on horseback, firing arrows while shielding himself by riding clinging to the side of the animal. Students in the classes will have the opportunity to work with the animals and help name the two colts, Schonchin said. Also, they will have the opportunity to see Schonchin and Wombley Smith break two 2-year-old fillies and get them ready for riding. Schonchin said Smith is a good hand and comes from a similar background as his. "We both grew up where it was like, find one (a horse), catch one and hang on if you want to go to town," he said. While Schonchin's not expecting that kind of adeptness of the pupils, the response he's received from tribal members lets him know there is a desire by the Comanche people to rediscover that personal link with the horse. A riding arena is a dream Schonchin would like to see become reality and one day, the establishment of a Comanche Nation riding club. With the Comanche Nation Fair looming in September, this year's theme is "Comanche Moon: Legacy of the Horse." Along with Schonchin and Smith, it is hoped two or three students will be ready to ride in this year's fair parade. Copyright c. 2007 Bartlesville Examiner Enterprise, Stephens Media, LLC, All rights reserved. --------- "RE: A special day at Acoma" --------- Date: Tue, 8 May 2007 07:48:25 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SKY CITY RECEIVES HISTORICAL PLACES STATUS" http://www.gallupindependent.com/2007/may/050707jt_spcldayacoma.html A special day at Acoma Acoma and National Trust cement partnership By Jim Tiffin Cibola County Bureau May 7, 2007 SKY CITY, PUEBLO OF ACOMA - An exchange of gifts was the highlight of a special ceremony Sunday afternoon at the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum, as 175 tribal officials, staff and representatives of the National Trust for Historical Preservation cemented a partnership expected to last for decades to come On a cold, blustery day, under a 40 feet by 70 feet white tent, Richard Moe, president of the National Trust, presented Pueblo of Acoma Gov. Jason Johnson with a memorial plaque indicating Sky City is now an historical preservation site, which will allow additional funding for preservation of historical artifacts and cultural items. Johnson then presented Moe with a traditional Acoma blanket and an Acoma pot, representing the tribe's pledge to honor its membership in the National Trust. Moe promptly shouldered the blanket saying he was cold, to the excited approval and much applause from those attending the ceremony. Special for Acoma "This is a special day for Acoma,"Johnson said. "This has been in the works for many years, under three leaderships since the late Reginald Pasqual (former Governor) first talked about being in a partnership with the National Trust," he said. "The village on top of the mesa is special to us and holds a special place for our people,"he said. Sky City, the oldest continuously inhabited community on the North American continent, is the first Native American historic site and only the 28th nationwide. The San Esteban del Rey Mission, completed in 1640 AD, is undergoing renovation and with the partnership with the National Trust, funding will be available to continue renovation and preservation for it as well. Attending the ceremony from the Pueblo of Acoma with Johnson, were: First Lt. Gov. Gregory Histia; Second Lt. Gov. Ray Vicente; and Tribal Interpreter, Curtis Torivio; members of the administration staff; Historical Preservation Office staff; Tribal Council members; and Brian Vallo, former executive director of the preservation office and the cultural center, who was thanked by several speakers for his efforts in getting the partnership with the trust. Tribal Secretary Donavan Howeya was not able to attend. Honor for the National Trust "This (to be here) is an enormous honor for those affiliated with the National Trust," Moe said. "This is the dream of many people since 1999 when we heard of it (Sky City), and you can't appreciate the wonder, the splendor and the history unless you see it," he said. "The San Esteban del Rey Mission is part of this experience and it is wonderfully interpreted. We at the National Trust try to preserve the best of the American experience and we are impressed with the commitment of this Pueblo to preservation. It is unlike anything I've seen, it is truly profound," Moe said. Prudy Correa, Haak'u Museum planner, told the Independent prior to the ceremony that the partnership with the National Trust is important to Acoma, which has been here hundreds of years. "It is an honor to finally be recognized as an historical site for our people,"she said. "We will be able to reap the benefits of funding and expertise of the National Trust for the preservation of our culture,"she said. Due recognition "I feel this is due recognition for us for being indigenous to America," Duane Mousseau, an assistant in the Acoma Business Enterprise office, told the Independent prior to the ceremony. "A lot of people come here from all over the world and when they come down from the village they tell, us how much they like it,"Germaine Reed, a banquet assistant at Sky City Hotel Casino, said prior to the ceremony. "I am happy knowing that we are the first Native American site to be named to the National Trust," she said. "This is a positive moment. Our people are not fully educated on what exactly this means. Once they are fully aware, it will make a good impact on our people,"Janet Riley, cultural center administrative assistant, told the Independent prior to the ceremony. "This will help preserve our ancestral homes and our mission on top of the mesa for future generations, "she said. Significant partnership "The partnership is extremely significant. We have so much to learn about this culture," Mary Thompson of Olympia, Wash., a member of the National Trust's board of directors, said before the ceremony started. Accompanying her to the ceremony was Maxine Moul of Lincoln, Neb., a member of the National Trust's board of advisors, who said: "This is a very good illustration of diversity within the Trust and to help preserve the cultural landscape as well as individual structures." The story of Acoma started before the discovery of Coronado, said Theresa Pasqual, director of the tribe's Historical Preservation Office, the final speaker during the ceremony. "Acomas have always welcomed visitors, and tribal elders and our administration are continuing that tradition and helping us look to the future,"she said. "Today the story continues, for our people, for the future,"she said. To contact reporter Jim Tiffin, call (505) 287-2197 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com. Copyright c. 2007 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Explosions terrify two Rocky Boy Women" --------- Date: Tue, 8 May 2007 07:48:25 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EXPLOSIONS DESTROY HOUSE" http://www.havredailynews.com/ articles/2007/05/07/local_headlines/local.txt Explosions terrify two Rocky Boy women Elizabeth Doney Havre Daily News edoney@havredailynews.com May 7, 2007 ROCKY BOY - A miracle. That's what Rocky Boy resident Glenn Eagleman said saved his two girls' lives after a propane line explosion tore through their house on April 26. The explosion left only the living room portion of the home partly intact - the part of the home where they were sitting on separate couches. Theresa Small, 28, and Celecia Eagleman, 16, were watching television, doing laundry and talking on the phone when their house went deadly silent. "A moment before the explosion, the air got really quiet - like everything went on mute," Small said. "Then I noticed that the air was heavy and I looked over at Celecia to ask her if she felt it, too, but I didn't even get a chance. Then there was a big boom and I woke up with a coffee table on me and heard my dad calling my name." Small said she began crawling towards where she knew the front door should be, but the floor was all crooked and "tilted in crazy ways" with debris all over. She said she remembers thinking, "We have to get out of here." The glass in the front window had shattered out, the entire house had lifted off the foundation and turned about 8 inches clockwise with insulation spreading far out on the "Haystack" hills. The entire metal front door blew completely off it's hinges. If either of them had decided to go to their rooms, they would have been ripped to shreds just like the walls and insides of those rooms. Luckily, they were both in the only part of the house that could have kept them alive. Glenn Eagleman was working about a thousand feet away from the house on a pick-up, when he heard the sound barrier break and looked up, expecting to see a jet. Instead he saw his house in shambles, with the sick realization that his girls were inside that house. He ran to the house to see his niece Celecia Eagleman standing dazed at the doorway with blood trinkling down her lip. He helped her away from the house, while calling for his daughter, Theresa Small. Small, who was also bleeding from the mouth, started crawling to his voice and Eagleman helped her out through the window which the glass had shattered out of seconds before. Both women suffered mild concussions with numerous bruises and minor back injuries but were denied urgent care access at the Rocky Boy Health Center, which was closed by the time they arrived there at 4:30 p. m. "They just opened a month ago and it's supposed to be urgent care, which is what their big sign says outside their new building," Glenn Eagleman said. "What's urgent about it? They turned us away in a life or death situation." He said after receiving no help at the Indian Health Service, he raced the girls to the meat market where he called 911 and the on-call EMT's Larry Bernard, Melissa Swan, Bonnie Dixen and Henry Sutherland, Jr. Arrived about 20 minutes later to escort them via ambulance to the Northern Montana Hospital in Havre. "I was really scared and jumpy, there was pain in the back of my head and a lot of pain in my back," Small said of her injuries. "It was a very scary feeling, even for me," Glenn Eagleman said. "I didn't expect to find them alive when I looked up and saw my house shredded apart. They were both bleeding and Celecia kept saying she couldn't breathe." The Red Cross of Havre put the family up for the weekend at the Town House Inn, while they tried to work out living arrangments with the Chippewa Cree Housing Department and relatives. The family went to stay with Glenn Eagleman's mother a few miles away from his own home. The incident is being investigated by the Rocky Boy criminal investigator Grace Her Many Horses, who expects to give a report out by Tuesday and the state fire marshall, who is also still investigating the scene. Glenn Eagleman was invited to an emergency housing meeting called by Chipppewa Cree Tribal Council to attend to the matter of the explosion, the faulty propane line and sewage ground seepage. The seepage is believed to have caused a second explosion when the hot water heater ignited - a normal procedure to light the propane tank, which heats the water . Instead, the ignitor light the propane gas that was a heavy, thick and invisible cloud inside the home, seeping out of a broken line underneath the modular home. The home was purchased with 22 other homes out of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada through HUD funding. The family moved into the modular in May of 1999 on a scattered homesite location just outside the agency. They experienced problems with groundwater, which Glenn Eagleman believes led to the explosion. "What happened was every spring, my crawl space would get filled with water every time it rained," he said. "Housing hired a private contractor to complete a foundation drain with perforated pipe along the back wall of the house and pumped it through a pipe in the coulee. That design was supposed to take the water from the crawl space, but it never worked because the contractor Ken Blatt of Arrow Construction stated that when they dug the pipe they also dug up two natural springs and water just started gushing up from the ground. The water had a hard time seeping into the ground because it was a high groundwater area. My backyard was constantly water logged because there was already so much water under the ground. After the first time, we could smell a sewer smell, which was really methane gas." Glenn Eagleman said he believes that doing laundry shook the pipe until it broke, which spilled raw sewage into the crawl space. That in turn had eventually converted to methane gas with invisible vapors. "I knew one of the explosions was from that methane gas. When you first walked into the house, that day especially, you could really smell it. That smell was so strong it was just burning my nose. I kept thinking, why were there two explosions?" he said. "My daughter had every window open in the house the day of the explosion to air out the smell. In the back of my mind I kept thinking about that methane gas that was there. "The methane gas outside and below the house exploded seconds after the propane line seepage lit up when the propane water heater thermostat kicked in to reheat the water," Eagleman explained. An insurance adjuster for the Housing Department was out at the scene Thursday and will determine the amount of insurance money the home will be entitled to for replacement, as the house was insured. The family will get money to rebuild through housing, hopefully within the next few months, but the new house will not be complete for at least a year, according to the housing director Susie Hay. "It's a miracle these girls are alive and here today," Glenn Eagleman stated. "I'm thankful for that. I just feel so sorry for these girls - they are just tramautized." All the family's possessions were destroyed, including precious photos of Small's late brother who was killed in a tragic car accident just before they moved into the house. The community along with the housing department had a fund raiser dinner to help the family with expenses. Glenn Eagleman is a tribal game warden and his supervisor gave him paid leave while he and his girls took time to get housing, clothing, medical attention and counseling situated. "I don't feel safe anywhere," Celecia Eagleman said of her post- tramautic stress indicators. Both the women experience nightmares and are still shook up over the incident, Glenn Eagleman said. "I don't like leaving them for too long because I know that they need my security," he said. "I do my best to reassure them that what happened was a rare thing and try to make them feel at ease. They are wary now. They are constantly on guard - even a door slamming makes them jump." Copyright c. 2007 Havre Daily News, Inc. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: McCain swears off Tribal Money" --------- Date: Tue, 8 May 2007 07:48:25 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MCCAIN REFUSES TRIBAL MONEY" http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/mccain-swears-off-tribal-money- but-accepts-contributions-from-lobbyists-2007-05-07.html McCain swears off tribal money, but accepts contributions from lobbyists By Susan Crabtree May 8, 2007 Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who led the Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigation into the Jack Abramoff scandal, has sworn off taking tribal money in his presidential campaign but continues to accept donations from lobbyists whose firms represent tribal clients. McCain spokesman Danny Diaz said the senator believes that tribes can spend their money in other ways. He added that McCain implemented the ban on tribal money when he became chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in the midst of the Abramoff scandal, before the panel began probing the tens of millions of dollars the tribes paid the former lobbyist. Diaz, however, would not explain why McCain would not extend that policy to lobbyists representing tribes. Other members, such as Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee and is the only registered member of an Indian tribe in Congress, say they believe that tribes should not be punished for the Abramoff scandal and should be free to be as active in the political process as possible - including in the political fundraising arena. Cole said he respects McCain's decision not to accept money from tribes, stressing that any member is free to establish his or her own policy about fundraising. But Cole argues that the Abramoff scandal is a lobbying scandal, not an Indian scandal. "I don't know one tribe that was found to have done anything wrong - in fact, they were the victims," Cole said last month in an interview. "But what Abramoff and others were doing was clearly criminal. Tribes have the right to participate in the system because if they are not looking out for their interests, nobody else will." With his lackluster first-quarter presidential fundraising numbers, however, McCain cannot afford to alienate potential donors on K Street, many of whom either represent tribes or tribal interests directly or are employed at firms with lucrative tribal clients. But in accepting these contributions, McCain could be making himself vulnerable to some of the very same tribal ties he wants to avoid. Scott Reed, who competed with Abramoff for tribal clients prior to the probe, inherited at least one of Abramoff's clients while McCain was investigating the scandal. Reed's firm, Chesapeake Enterprises, represented the Saginaw Chippewa tribe of Michigan during the committee investigation. Reed and the three other members of his firm consistently have contributed to McCain's presidential campaign, political action committee and reelection committee in the past three election cycles, doling out a total of $24,100. Reed has said he has not chosen sides in the GOP?presidential nomination contest. He did not return a call seeking comment. Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld, with its affiliate, Ietan Consulting, is another powerful player in the tribal lobbying community. Combined the two firms represent at least 21 tribal clients, and employees of the firm have cut $41,000 in checks to McCain committees in the past three election cycles. Akin Gump also has a direct link to the Indian Affairs Committee probe. Michael Rossetti, an Akin Gump lobbyist who previously served as counsel to former Interior Secretary Gale Norton, testified before the panel against former Interior Deputy Secretary J. Stephen Griles. Griles, who was convicted of obstruction of justice in the Abramoff probe two months ago, was accused of helping two Abramoff clients - the Louisiana Coushatta tribe and the Saginaw Chippewa - fend off casino proposals from rival tribes. Griles denied the allegations and Rossetti disputed his accounts. Rossetti is now a registered lobbyist for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, another former Abramoff client, and four other tribes. In the wake of the Abramoff scandal, in addition to Chesapeake Enterprises, the Saginaw Chippewa also hired Ietan Consulting as well as Holland & Knight Philip Baker-Shenker, a top tribal lobbyist for Holland & Knight, also has donated consistently to McCain's committees, giving him $4,300 in the last three election cycles. Copyright c. 2007 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc. --------- "RE: Shadow Wolves Report record seizures of Drugs" --------- Date: Sat, 5 May 2007 19:46:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SHADOW WOLVES" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0504wolves0504.html Shadow Wolves hunt border drug 'mules' Sean Holstege The Arizona Republic May 4, 2007 In an age when securing the border increasingly means big-budget, high- tech measures, an elite unit of Native American trackers employs ancient methods to track pot smugglers through the desert. Called the Shadow Wolves, these Immigration and Customs Enforcement patrol officers painstakingly probe the dust and vegetation for the slightest sign that a "mule" has passed. Inch by inch, they cover the Tohono-O'odham Reservation, a desolate stretch of land the size of Connecticut that straddles the international border. Miles from the remote night-vision cameras and buried sensors, the Shadow Wolves find traces of smugglers in bent blades of grass or filaments of fiber. They can look at a footprint, barely visible to the untrained eye, and say from the size and condition who left it and when. They call the technique "cutting sign." Everyone on the 14-member team must be at least one-quarter Native American, according the federal law that created the Shadow Wolves in 1972. Members are as diverse as Sioux and Blackfeet and come from as close as the Navajo, Pima and Tohono O'odham reservations. The current roster has nine people from Arizona. The Shadow Wolves typically seize about 30 tons of marijuana a year. Since October, they've arrested 40 mules and impounded 16 abandoned smuggling trucks. During a patrol on a recent weekday, the trackers scoured the expanse of dust and greasewood. What appeared to be aimless meandering was, to Shadow Wolves, a hunting expedition. The slightest scuff on a rock or sheen in the dirt may well be a map created by criminals smuggling marijuana in 50- pound bundles. This time, the tip-off to one trail came on a dirt road on the way to Cowlic. Six people had crossed, stepping tiptoe in each other's prints. It was unnatural. In nearby brush, the trail fanned out into six sets of prints, all heading north, all left by men. A few hundred yards on, Shadow Wolves supervisor and Tohono tribal member Kevin Carlos noticed the same shoeprint patterns heading south. The men came and went. Immigrants go north. Carlos says the evidence is a "nine" on the scale of 10, indicating likely smugglers. Tracking smugglers Two hours later, the trail goes cold under the desert sun. The hard- packed clay makes finding footprints difficult. In softer soil nearby, hundreds of trails crisscross the pancake-flat valley, littered by backpacks, jackets and empty plastic water jugs. All signal that numerous immigrant expeditions had reached their pickup point near an asphalt road. There's not a building in sight. Smugglers innovate tricks for avoiding detection. One involves gluing carpet squares on their shoes to obscure telltale prints. Shadow Wolves can spot the unique sheen the carpet leaves in the soil. Some smugglers walk on severed cow hooves, but the gait is unnatural. Shadow Wolves can spot the passage of a smuggler by the way grass is bent. As the daytime temperature rises, the angle of grass changes. Trackers can approximate the age of the tracks. Other signs, including the moisture in the disturbed vegetation or small animal tracks within a print, reveal how close a smuggler might be. Many of the original Shadow Wolves learned the skills as children, when they were taught to hunt on their reservations. Veteran agents have trained many newer members. In recent years, Shadow Wolves members have been deployed to Eastern Europe to help Soviet bloc countries to combat nuclear proliferation. They train border agents to track weapons smugglers. In 2004, three Shadow Wolves went to Turkmenistan on a similar mission. That led to a myth, reported in the London Times and numerous places since, that the Arizona unit was enlisted in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, who is believed to be hiding in the remote border of northern Pakistan. Drug seizures Back in Arizona, the Shadow Wolves typically find contraband three times a week, Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Rodney Irby said. Members patrol seven days a week. This day, the odds favor his teams. The night before was a full moon, known on the border as a smuggler's moon because of higher numbers of smugglers who take advantage of the increased light in the remote desert. Border agents have already discovered one truck full of marijuana, and the Shadow Wolves are tracking tire marks left by two others. Five days earlier, the group made its largest seizure of the year: over 5,100 pounds of marijuana in two truckloads. Early this week, Shadow Wolves tracked a smuggling suspect to a house on the reservation, a growing trend. The average household income on the nation of 11,000 people is about $20,000, and a quarter of the families get by on less than half of that. A quarter of the workforce is unemployed. Officials don't like to talk openly about it, but they concede that a substantial number of tribal members are enlisted in smuggling. Since Jan. 1, the Shadow Wolves have seized over 25,000 pounds of marijuana, enough for one joint for every adult in Maricopa County. It is taken to Tucson and destroyed. That's $30 million in wholesale U.S. street prices that drug kingpins south of the border have lost. The drug cartels have put a $500,000 bounty on the head of each Shadow Wolves member and offered a $50,000 reward to kill a team member's relative. "We are encountering more and more armed traffickers. They seem to have more propensity to engage rather than just drop their loads and flee. It's a very dangerous job," said ICE Special Agent-in-Charge Alonzo Pena, who is based in Phoenix. Trackers carry 9mm handguns and M-4 automatic rifles. They monitor each other's progress on radios and can call in help from the Border Patrol or Customs and Border Protection. But backup is not around the corner in a place with just two people per square mile. 'What it's all about' Back in Sells, Resident Agent-in-Charge Derrick Williams is eating when the radio crackles to life. One member of his team has found an abandoned vehicle, and it's full. Within minutes, Williams is speeding northwest on the two-lane tribal highway in a convoy of three government SUVs, lights ablaze, no sirens. "This is what it's all about," Williams says. "When the guys have got something, you drop everything and go." Even at 90 mph, it takes 45 minutes to reach the discovery site, a mile off a dirt road in the lee of a volcanic hillsouth of Cucklebur. The gray Chevrolet Z11 is obscured by a saguaro and a large paloverde tree. A camouflage tarp covers the front end. Nothing conceals the back window or its secret. The SUV is loaded roof to floor, front seat to rear window with bundles of shrink-wrapped marijuana. It's a big load. The Shadow Wolves member who tracked it is Sioux. He has been doing this for 12 years, after a career in the narcotics division of a police department. He asks not to be identified because of the threats. "That's more dope off the streets," he says with a mix of grim determination and satisfaction. He is not discouraged by the endless flow of drugs. He says "the thrill of the hunt" keeps his motivation going. He followed tire tracks north from Vaya Chin, about 30 miles away. Near the drop site, "I located a brush-out. They use brush to cover over the tracks." The SUV coughs up other secrets. Next to the steering column, smugglers have installed a switch to kill the taillights. The paint is scratched and dented, and cans of Fix-a-Flat and two tire irons litter the cab. These were experienced smugglers, used to taking long off-road trips through the desert. The dashboard of the stolen vehicle holds a digital disc for an OnStar navigation system but no console. There is a power supply for a two-way radio but no radio. The other half of the set is in the hands of the spotters, who by now likely know this load won't make it to the distributor. As agents pick through the truck, taking pictures for evidence, more teams of Shadow Wolves drive up. They've been listening on their radio. Elsewhere they've been tracking other signs of the same operation in the Santa Rosa Valley, which has been the site of most of the bigger loads recently. One team will pick up a trail, another will drive ahead and try to intercept the smugglers. They hunt in packs, which is how they got the name Shadow Wolves. The convoy heads the back to Sells to ICE headquarters at the end of an unmarked driveway concealed by bushes. They unload the 58 bundles of contraband, weighing 1,246 pounds. It's the second-largest marijuana seizure of the year. "This has been a good day," Wolves' chief Williams says. SIDEBAR: Shadow Wolves Who: An elite unit of trackers, all of whom are at least one-quarter Native American, within Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. What: Formed by an act of Congress in 1972, the group's sole mission is to interdict drugs in the vast Tohono-O'odham Reservation between Tucson and Ajo. If trackers encounter illegal immigrants, they bring in the Border Patrol and then keep moving. When: They began their mission with ICE in October, following another an act of Congress. Why: The trackers were shifted to ICE after their ranks dwindled under the supervision of the Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection. Veteran members said they weren't comfortable working for Border Patrol, which restricted their methods. How many: There are 14 Shadow Wolves, with three about to complete training. Congress has authorized 25 positions, and there is talk of forming a second unit along the Canadian border. Experience: Members undergo full training in Glencoe, Ga., as federal law enforcement agents, including firearms training. Accomplishments: Since being transferred to ICE, the team has seized 31, 000 pounds of marijuana and typically seizes 30 tons a year. U.S. Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., has described them as the most effective counter- drug team on the border. --- Republic reporter Daniel Gonzalez contributed to this article. Reach the reporter at (602) 444-8334. Copyright c. 2007 Arizona Republic, azcentral.com. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Shadow Wolves seek more Recruits to patrol Border" --------- Date: Tue, 8 May 2007 07:48:25 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SHADOW WOLVES INCREASING FROM 14 TO 25 MEMBERS" http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/002783.asp Shadow Wolves seek more recruits to patrol border May 7, 2007 Are you interested in a law enforcement job on the Tohono O'odham Nation. Then the Shadow Wolves might want you. The all-Native unit is seeking new recruits to patrol the reservation, which shares 75 miles with the Mexico border. By law, the Shadow Wolves can have 25 members, who must be at least one-fourth Indian. "I'm working in a job that's unique in the world. There's no other office that does what we do and how we do it," Sloan Satepauhoodle, a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, tells The Washington Post. The Shadow Wolves are part of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security. For career info go to: http://www.ice.gov/careers/index.htm --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: How do you save a culture?" --------- Date: Sat, 5 May 2007 19:46:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: SAVING NATIVE WAYS" http://www.grandforksherald.com/account/index.cfm? id%3D36794%26section%3Dcolumnists%26columnist%3DDorreen%2520Yellow%2520Bird How do you save a culture? Dorreen Yellow Bird May 5, 2007 The cultures of American Indians can be puzzling. Questions arise about Indian spirituality, too. Who are we? Why are some ceremonies hidden from outsiders? Who can participate? When I say I am Sahnish (Arikara)/Dakota/Lakota, I'm asked, "What does that mean?" These are not easy questions, but it was these and other such questions that a group at Minot State University set out to grapple with last week. The conference for social workers, caregivers and students raised difficult issues, and the night after the meeting, I tossed and turned as items of discussions tumbled around in my head. It must have been after 2 a.m. when I finally fell into a restless sleep. Here are some of the questions we discussed. First of all, my age I am 10 to 15 years older than the other panelists with whom I shared a stage made my story a little different than theirs. (We each told about our life and the spiritual aspects of it.) I didn't have to search out Indian culture, as much of it still was our way of life when I grew up. Yet, as I moved through the cycles in my life, I pushed it aside. I became a wife and mother and had a career. But words of my grandmother never left me; they were like embers waiting for me to nurture them into flame. I remembered the things I was taught. But it wasn't until I returned home 30 years ago that I begin in earnest to participate in our ceremonies. As the conference progressed, the issue of Indian women in spiritual roles became a topic. In Indian country, women many times serve as the helpers but not the spiritual leaders. For some, that is the role they choose. My grandmother was one of a few female spiritual leaders. She used curatives and healed; this gentle woman had spiritual power and skills. But she didn't teach the things she knew about ceremonies and medicines thoroughly enough so that someone could take her place. Perhaps, she thought we were too assimilated at that point, too far into mainstream society. Or maybe she thought that one day she would find her replacement. She died, however, before she could pass on all of her knowledge about medicines. And that question of how culture and spirituality is handed down is on my mind today. How do those of us whose lives are almost over, leave our children with knowledge and understanding of the gifts that the Creator gave us? That, I told the audience, is something that is troubling to me. The dilemma is that we can't recruit or point to someone to teach. They must come on their own accord and ask and ask in the right way. Usually, men are the ones who are given the knowledge about and responsibility for Indian ceremonies and ordinarily have no difficulty finding mentors. When a young man shows interest in Indian culture, mothers, aunts, grandmothers, fathers, uncles and brothers come forward to help him. What does he need Sacred Pipe, eagle feathers, eagle whistle, outfits and so on? They proudly will tend to him. But generally, that's not true for women. They may be dressed to dance or for various ceremonies, but rarely are they prepared for spiritual leadership roles. I say this about my own tribe and group. I've heard from many tribes that there are similar problems for women but don't know this to be true of all tribes. I understand why our children don't ask. My uncle was one of my teachers, but he, too, died before he could complete his teaching. When his wife inherited his ceremonies, I hesitated about asking her for them. I mulled the question over in my mind. Then, after talking it over with people I trusted, I approached her holding my breath that I wasn't insulting her. She cried. "I thought no one could ask for the ceremonies," she said. How do non-Indians fit into this question of preserving Indian ceremonies, especially if the non-Indians are interested and want to participate? I recently had someone e-mail me asking for a place to attend Sundance because so many Sundance ceremonies don't allow non-Indians to take part and with good reason, in many cases. Some tribal groups have had very bad experiences in which their ceremonies have been copied or stolen. Photographs and books about ceremonies have been published for profit with little input from the affected tribe. Some of those books are inaccurate, too. So, you can see why some Indian people say no to non-Indian participation. That said, most participants including me agree that no one who wants to participate in a ceremony (and will respect that ceremony and other participants) should be turned away. But again, that's a decision best left to the individual groups. I left Minot State feeling that our discussions had only scratched the surface. More needs to be said, especially among Indian people. We need to work toward preserving the gifts that the Creator has given for our children. --- 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: KILLSBACK: Protecting Noavose" --------- Date: Sat, 5 May 2007 19:46:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="KILLSBACK: PROTECTING BEAR BUTTE" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096414980 Killsback: Protecting Noavose by: Leo Killsback May 4, 2007 Leaders from the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana and the Southern Cheyenne Tribe of Oklahoma met in March to discuss and plan for the protection of Bear Butte, or Noavose. Noavose, the most sacred mountain to the Cheyenne, is facing encroaching development. "Noavose is the birthplace of our nation, the fundamental foundation of cultural identity," said Northern Cheyenne President Eugene Little Coyote. "The problem is that the biker rally business is expanding on the footsteps of our sacred mountain and this is disrupting the most sacred time, when our people make annual pilgrimages to participate in fasting, piercing and other ceremonies." Little Coyote said that protesting the entire Sturgis Bike Rally is not a reasonable solution. Northern Cheyenne tribal councilman Alberta Fisher, along with councilman Jace Killsback, the tribe's Land Authority chairman, purchased a 160-acre campground at the base of Noavose in 2004. The Land Authority constructed camping structures, shades and outhouses for use by tribal members during ceremonies. There are plans to install plumbing and fire pits on the land. Last year, Fisher and Killsback led in the purchase of a 36-acre tract and a house directly south of Noavose. These purchases added nearly 700 acres to the Northern and Southern Cheyenne tribes' holdings at Noavose, maintained together in trust for nearly 40 years. "Protecting our sacred sites shows the Cheyenne peoples' inherent cultural sovereignty," Killsback said. "Noavose is the Mount Sinai of the Cheyenne, and any act at protecting the mountain is an act of our inherent rights and duties as Cheyenne people." Northern Cheyenne Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Conrad Fisher provided recommendations. "The spiritual and cultural significance of the mountain to the Cheyenne is the most documented in both written and oral forms," he said. "Through archaeological surveys we can identify certain sites and medicinal plants without disrupting or destroying these areas, which will be beneficial in protecting Noavose." Dion Killsback, Northern Cheyenne tribal attorney, filed a motion to appear in South Dakota Supreme Court that would allow the tribe to submit an amicus brief challenging the Meade County Board of Commissioner's approval of a liquor license for a biker bar ne