_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 15, ISSUE 025 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 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 June 18, 2007 Zuni ik'ohbu yachunne/turning moon Mvskogee kvco-hvsee/blackberry moon Yuchi cpaconendzo/blackberry ripening moon Anishnaabe ode'imini-giizis/strawberry moon +-------------------------------------------------------+ | Much more happens in Indian Country than is reported | | in this weekly newsletter. For daily updates & events | | go to http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm | +-------------------------------------------------------+ Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin -- Blackfeet -- News for All the People Ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min -- Ojibwe -- We Are Talking About Ourselves Aunchemokauhettittea -- Naragansett -- Let Us Share News Kanoheda Aniyvwiya -- Cherokee -- Journal of the People O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse -- Creek -- People's New News O o O Acimowin -- Plains Cree -- Story or Account O o O Tlaixmatiliztli -- Nahuatl -- News O o o o o O Agnutmaqan -- Listuguj Mi'kmaq -- News O o O Sho-da-ku-ye -- Teehahnahmah -- Talking Birchbark O o O Un Chota -- Susquehannic Seneca -- The People Speak O Ha-Sah-Sliltha -- Ditidaht Nation -- News of the People Ximopanolti tehuatzin, inin Mexika tlahtolli -- Nahuatl -- For you we offer these words It-hah-pe-hah Ah-num pah-le -- Chickasaw -- Together We Are Talking Dineh jii' adah' ho'nil'e'gii ba' ha' neh -- Navajo Nation -- What's Happening among The People News Okla Humma Holisso Nowat Anya -- Choctaw -- People(s) Red Newspaper Hi'a chu ah gaa -- Pima -- The stories or the talk of the People s ch mA mL tL squee Lux -- Okanogan -- News from the People Native American News -- Language of the Occupation Forces ++>If you speak a Native American language not listed above, please send us your words for "News of the People." We'd rather take up this whole page saving these few words of our hundreds of nations than present a nice clean banner in the language of the occupation forces who came here determined to replace our words with their own. email gars@nanews.org with the equivalent of "News of the People" in your tribal language along with the english translation <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is produced in straight ASCII text for greatest portability across platforms. Read it with a fixed-pitch font, such as Courier, Monaco, FixedSys or CG Times. Proportional fonts will be difficult to read. <================<<<< >>>>================> This issue contains articles from: www.indianz.com; www.pechanga.net; www.indiancountrytoday.com; Mailing Lists: Mohawk Nation News, Native American Poetry, Remember The Cherokee/Tsalagi; 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + =================== "I want to hold you back because I am at the edge of my bank. My life is at its end. I hold you back because your life henceforth will be very different from what it has been. Buffalo makes your body strong. What you will eat from this money will have your people buried all over these hills. You will be tied down, you will not wander the plains; the whites will take your land and fill it. You won't have your own free will; the whites will lead you by the halter. That is why I say don't sign. But my life is old, so sign if you want to. Go ahead and sign the treaty." __ Pemmican, Blackfoot Madicine Keeper to Chief Crowfoot on the brink of the signing of the Blackfoot Treaty of 1877 +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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 Rah, Rah, Rah, Sisk, Boom, BAH! Y'all Hoohah for the Red Necks in Legislative Hall Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen signed into law a measure that bars state agencies from regulating American Indian school mascots. The bill, introduced by State Reprepresentative Mike Bell, R-Riceville, even had the gall to state the legislature recognized school mascots "acknowledge admirable characteristics of American Indians and ... reflect a positive outlook and recognition upon the contributions and the heritage of American Indians in Tennessee." Mighty white of them! Let's translate that from political whitewash into the real message: "We don't care that the people of this culture we claim to admire have almost universally stood for decades saying these mascots are derogatory and insulting. WE have the power and the money, and since this is what we want to do -- we're doing it." This is, of course, unvarnished bull crap and utter racism. It is a bunch of racists justifying their chil'uns using other human beings as their mascots. Indians are not goats, pigs or dogs and we are damn sure not honored by being included among them as objects of some non-Indian's fantasy and celebration. The terms 'reds**n' and 'brave' are, by their definition alone, racial slurs. 'Reds**n' came into use during the times when Indian men, women and children were hunted like animals and murdered. To collect the bounty for killin' an injun, the body or eveidence of the killing had to be presented. Scalps or a sufficient hunk of damaged hide (reds**ns) were a lot easier to tote to the agent and for the agent to dispose of. Beyond the offensive names, the mascots themselves are an affront because they continue the use of stereotypical, negative antics that further the notion we are lesser beings. Dehumanizing is not honoring. Indian children cannot possibly look at a stadium full of others mocking their beliefs and very being without feeling humiliation. Of course, this matters little as long as Bubba can pop a top and chant some imagined war chant. How assinine, how small, how racist. You go, Tennessee. , , 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: - Indian lender . Tennessee's racist vote of Shame getting Federal Funds - Tennessee votes - LETTER: Women bear brunt to protect Indian Mascots of Uranium contamination - Meth adds scourge - GIAGO: Indians still to troubled Native Lands the most misunderstood - Tribal Leaders unveil - YELLOW BIRD: Monarch of mystery, new 'Meth Toolkit' Beauty and Grace - Seneca Tribe seeks $2.1M - Spotlight on for Road use Environmental Catastrophe - Moving Freeway - Staff woes plague faces Tribal Opposition Kuujjuaq Child Care Centres - Indian Leaders fight - Sage tells Feds to save Holy Sites `Quit blowing Smoke up our butts' - UND Indian Groups worry - Ontario will cover about lack of Voice legal expenses for Land Claims - Judge rejects Bush count - Land Claims: of Columbia River Salmon It's about 'Our Jurisdiction' - Native American Foster Homes - Committee works - CHAD SMITH: to transfer MCFD Authority Cherokee Sovereignty at stake - Native Justice - Judge hears argument -- Court asked to quash Stonechild to stop Cherokee election inquiry findings - Feds won't stop Cherokee Election -- Prison time is urged for Griles - Kiowas lose Housing Administration -- Fort Frances Youth Justice - VOTING RIGHTS: Oral, Facility to be built written help at polls lacks -- Build jail for Labrador Women, - Shakopee Mdewakanton OK Ombudsman urges to put land in trust - Rustywire: What Were Their Names - Cowlitz through trying - Lee Goins Poem: to work with La Center The Mending and Pretending - Appropriations include - Upcoming Events Language Revival --------- "RE: Tennessee votes to protect Indian Mascots" --------- Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 07:20:07 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="IT'S THE LAW, YOU CAN'T MAKE THME GOOD OLE BOYS STOP WHOOPIN'" http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=18668 Tennessee votes to protect American Indian mascots By The Associated Press and Courtney Holliday, First Amendment Center Online June 14, 2007 NASHVILLE - Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen recently signed into law a measure that bars state agencies from regulating American Indian school mascots. State Rep. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, sponsored the bill that allows schools and colleges in the state to "continue to honor certain persons or cultures through the use of symbols, names and mascots." The original version of the bill stated that the Legislature recognized school mascots "acknowledge admirable characteristics of American Indians and ... reflect a positive outlook and recognition upon the contributions and the heritage of American Indians in Tennessee." The Legislature last month amended the bill to remove any specific references to American Indians before submitting the final version to the governor. Earlier this year, American Indian activists asked the state Human Rights Commission to ban Native American symbols and mascots in Tennessee's public schools, noting that more than 100 high, middle and elementary schools in the state have Indians as their mascots. The Tennessean reported May 9 that concern from Bell's district, which includes two schools that would have been affected, prompted Bell to introduce the legislation. Bell's District 23 covers McMinn and part of Monroe counties. McMinn County High School uses the Cherokees as a mascot, and Monroe County's Sequoyah High School uses the Chiefs. Bell said the bill would not apply if school symbols were portrayed in a demeaning or obscene way. California, Oklahoma and New Jersey have in recent years considered legislation to ban the use of Native American mascots, but the bills did not pass. The National Conference of State Legislatures lists Tennessee as the only state this year to propose a law preventing a ban. The law took effect immediately upon Bredesen's signature June 7. Copyright c. 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Meth adds scourge to troubled Native Lands" --------- Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 07:16:04 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="METH" http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070611/lf_nm/usa_native_meth_dc_3 Meth adds scourge to troubled Native American lands By James B. Kelleher June 11, 2007 HOGBACK, New Mexico (Reuters) - A brutal triple slaying in this remote corner of the vast Navajo reservation brought home what experts have seen coming for years: an explosion in crime on tribal lands linked to the cheap, potent and highly addictive stimulant methamphetamine. "Meth is the biggest scourge," says Francis Bradley, the chief of police for the Hualapai reservation in northern Arizona, located on the high desert flanking the south rim of the Grand Canyon. "Alcohol is a big issue, too. But when you look at meth, it has a far more devastating effect." In 2001, the Indian Health Service, the U.S. agency that treats Indians and Alaska natives, recorded 2,980 emergency room visits and paramedic calls on reservations related to the drug, which is also known as speed, crank, ice, crystal and glass. By 2006, that number had mushroomed to 8,873. "Alcohol continues to be a bigger destroyer of lives than meth," said James Stone, acting director in IHS's division of behavior. "But meth makes more of an impact because of the, frankly, wild behavior it triggers." TRIPLE SLAYING The savageness of the Hogback slayings in November 2005 provided an all- too-vivid illustration of that. The three victims, all tribal members, were each shot multiple times - one 14 times. The government alleges the four suspects, also tribal members, were meth dealers bent on revenge. All four await trial in Albuquerque on first degree murder charges. Last year, in the wake of the Hogback killings and other signs of the impact meth was having on reservations, the Bureau of Indian Affairs surveyed tribal law enforcement agencies across the country about drug threats on their lands. Three quarters identified meth as their No. 1 problem and linked it to a rise in domestic violence, assaults, burglaries and child abuse and child neglect. "So people are not only destroying their own lives by using this illegal substance, but they're perpetrating new crimes, primarily violent crimes," says Chris Chaney, the deputy director of the office of justice services at the bureau. "That's the even more tragic story. It's drawing in innocent victims." SPILLOVER FROM OUTSIDE WORLD The meth problem isn't confined to Indian lands. The drug has been identified by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency as the greatest threat to small-town America. One reason: Unlike heroin and marijuana, meth is easily manufactured using common chemicals found in household products or over-the-counter medicines. First-time users of the drug, which can be smoked, snorted or injected, experience a long-lasting high and feeling of euphoria and excitement. But long-term use often leads to a dramatic and devastating deterioration in the user's physical and mental health, characterized by anxiety, psychotic behavior, risky sexual behaviors and violence. TRIBES VULNERABLE But while its use in the general population is falling, it appears to be rising in the 500 Native American tribes from Alaska to New England. Experts say a number of factors - including the long use of hallucinogens like peyote for rituals and herbs for medicines by the tribes as well as a more recent problem of alcohol abuse - help account for the rise in meth use. In addition, many reservations are located in remote, rural areas. As a result, they are places of underemployment, grinding poverty and reliance on government assistance, where residents live in aged mobile homes or poorly constructed conventional houses. The bureau's Chaney said there was also evidence that meth dealers are now specifically targeting Indian communities. "They know that on many reservations there are high levels of substance abuse already," he says. "So some drug cartels figure they can move in and take advantage of that addictive behavior and replace whatever the substance being abused - alcohol, marijuana or something else - with meth addiction." To combat the problem, the bureau has asked for an additional $16 million in its 2008 budget to battle the rise of methamphetamine on reservations. But Dirk Kempthorne, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, which oversees bureau, earlier this year warned that the problem was approaching crisis. "It has the potential of wiping out an entire generation of Native American youth," he said. (additional reporting by Nick Carey and Tim Gaynor) Copyright c. 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2007 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Tribal Leaders unveil new 'Meth Toolkit'" --------- Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2007 07:39:58 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="METH TOOLKIT" http://www.adn.com/life/story/8969953p-8885637c.html Tribal leaders unveil new 'meth toolkit' THREAT: Natives have been wracked by abuse of the drug. The Associated Press June 12, 2007 The use of highly addictive methamphetamine is endangering tribal cultures across the nation, leaders with the National Congress of American Indians said Monday, unveiling a new "meth toolkit" to help communities battle what they called a looming crisis. "Meth is a lot different than marijuana and alcoholism, which is more long term," NCAI president Joe Garcia said during a news conference in Anchorage, where the organization is meeting this week. "With meth, the effects are almost immediate." American Indians have been especially wracked by the drug, with an abuse rate of 1.7 percent, almost three times the rate for whites, according to NCAI statistics. On some reservations, addiction rates are closer to 30 percent. "Meth threatens to eradicate an entire generation," said Carl Artman, the assistant secretary of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. "This is something we cannot waste a lot of time on." The multimedia toolkit - packaged in a large colorful box - is the product of a joint effort between tribal leaders, the BIA and NCAI, one of the nation's oldest organizations serving indigenous groups, including Alaska Natives. Inside the box are information sheets and CDs detailing the devastating effects of meth on health and families, and the damage to the environment from dumping toxic chemicals used to make the drug. There are stickers for children and a poster showing photos of a female addict's deteriorating face over a 10-year span. The kit, developed in consultation with Montana State University, contains a wealth of information invaluable to schools, courts, law enforcement and health communities, officials said. The CDs can be edited to customize to a community's needs, said Heather Dawn Thompson, the NCAI's director of governmental affairs. The kits will cost about $130 to cover the cost of production and can be purchased through the NCAI. Officials said they hope states will step in with funding. Copyright c. 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. 2007 The Anchorage Daily News (www.adn.com) --------- "RE: Seneca Tribe seeks $2.1M for Road use" --------- Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 07:07:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SENECA TOLL CHARGES" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp? storyID=597469&category=STATE&newsdate=6/13/2007 Tribe seeks $2.1M for road use Seneca Nation gives Thruway bill in fight against state tax effort By JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau June 13, 2007 ALBANY - The tribal council of the Seneca Nation of Indians billed the state more than $2.1 million Tuesday for vehicles using I-90 through tribal reservation territory since April. The bill went to Thruway Authority Chairman John Buono with a demand for payment in 10 days. Tribal president Maurice John announced the bill at a news conference by the highway in western New York where a roughly three-mile stretch passes through the Cattaraugus Reservation. As for whether the tribe expects to be paid, he said, "It's not up to us whether they pay it or not." The total is based on $1 per vehicle and calculated using the authority's official figures on its Web site, tribal officials said. The total number of cars is 28,000 per day, John said. The tribal council voted May 12 to rescind a right of way land agreement from 1954, and now says use of the Thruway without the tribe's permission is "an ongoing act of trespass by the state." It also voted charge the state for tolls; Tuesday's bill covers April 14 to June 30. The tribal leaders are upset with Gov. Eliot Spitzer's stated intention to collect taxes on cigarette and fuel sales by Native American businesses. Even though the state says it seeks taxes only from non-Indian customers, the tribe sees the effort as an infringement on its sovereignty. The first Thruway bill does not include historic penalties or costs for damages to native lands, Seneca officials noted. The tribe plans in the next two weeks to erect signs informing motorists of the fee and telling them it is to be paid by the state. A spokeswoman for Spitzer had no comment, but the administration has repeatedly said the Seneca leaders are off base because courts have already overruled the tribe's claim to Thruway property. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright c. 1996-2007 Albany Times-Union, Capital Newspapers Division of The Hearst Corporation. --------- "RE: Moving Freeway faces Tribal Opposition" --------- Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 07:07:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRIBE OPPOSES FREEWAY MOVE" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0612ar-huppenthal0613.html Moving S. Mtn. Freeway south of Pecos faces tribal opposition John Huppenthal June 12, 2007 In the 1980s and 1990s when the 101 and 202 were designed and built, I helped negotiate with the Arizona Department of Transportation, Maricopa Association of Governments, and citizens groups to assure there were adequate buffer zones, minimal disruption to communities, and environmental protections, and to assure that unsightly views of these freeways were not imposed on neighborhoods. While it was imperative these freeways were built, careful planning and negotiations allowed them to be constructed with minimal negative impact on the communities they traversed. Today we recognize how critical these arteries are to mobility in the East Valley, and how impossible life would be without them. Based on my experiences with the 101 and 202 it is extremely difficult for me to envision circumstances under which a freeway with the current Pecos Road alignment could be built. Far too much development of homes and businesses has been allowed to take place in the proposed path of the freeway. Despite this development, however, there have been two citizen votes and a planning process underway for a Pecos Road alignment. As a result of this, I've been working to minimize the adverse impacts to neighborhoods in the path of the proposed alignment. I've held neighborhood meetings to address the concerns of citizens, and have worked closely with ADOT, MAG, and Maricopa County to assess the potential impacts on affected neighborhoods. At the request of Ahwatukee Village planning committee members I had weather stations installed at 40th Street and 24th Street for several months to help assess environmental impacts by measuring local wind patterns and weather conditions. I've also brought freeway activists into meetings with all the planning entities to allow more extensive issue development. If we are at all interested in protecting our neighborhoods in the process of designing and constructing a freeway, it is incumbent upon us to make every effort to move the freeway alignment south where there is a vast amount of open land. This option would be far preferable to tearing through neighborhood after neighborhood and destroying hundreds of homes, churches and businesses. To that end I have attempted to work with leaders of the Gila River Indian Tribe, encouraging them to build the freeway on their land. I have made several trips to the GRIC headquarters in Sacaton to speak with tribal officials and their transportation planners. Tribal leaders have attended my neighborhood meetings to further our discussions. Meetings with the lawyer for the Gila River Indian Tribe has helped me to understand the internal challenges we face in order to gain tribal acceptance of the freeway. As a result of these efforts I've come to realize that tribal resistance to the freeway is cultural and deep-seated. There are, however, individual tribal leaders who recognize the extraordinary economic benefits of this freeway to their community and the employment opportunities it would offer their members. Although there are differences of opinion on this, I believe we can capitalize on the energy of these leaders and continue working toward moving the freeway south onto tribal land. Experience has shown me there are ways to build freeways without damaging neighborhoods, but it takes enormous cooperative efforts to do so. I am actively working with ADOT, MAG, Maricopa County, local cities, Transportation Board members, Gila River tribal leaders, and neighborhood citizen groups to assure we preserve the quality of life and continued economic success our communities currently enjoy, while simultaneously advancing the development of a freeway on Indian land. One thing is certain. The need for a freeway in the East Valley is overwhelmingly evident, and every effort must be made to accomplish this under conditions that favor the preservation of our communities. I thank The Arizona Republic for forwarding this question. State Sen. John Huppenthal, R-Chandler, represents District 20. Copyright c. 2007 The Arizona Republic. --------- "RE: Indian Leaders fight to save Holy Sites" --------- Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 17:48:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SACRED GROUND" http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=43808 Sacred ground: Indian leaders fight to save holy sites By Joanna Dodder, The Daily Courier June 16, 2007 PRESCOTT - American Indian officials spoke at the State Historic Preservation Conference here Thursday about their efforts to save their holy sites such as the San Francisco Peaks, Fossil Creek and Apache Leap. "We're here to let you know about some of the battles we're going through ... in order to continue to exist," said Vernelda Grant, tribal historic preservation officer and archaeologist for the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Destruction of one holy site affects all such sites, added Angela Garcia-Lewis, assistant cultural resource specialist for the Gila River Indian Community. Archaeologists, historians and cultural resource specialists from the Yavapai-Apache, Gila River and San Carlos Apache tribes in Arizona all called for better understanding and communication from government officials. For example, government officials rely heavily on the written word when American Indians might have trouble putting their cultural perspectives into writing, said Barnaby Lewis, cultural resource specialist for the Gila River Indian Community. "We want to get the message out that (documents) do not define us," Garcia-Lewis said. "A lot of tribes distrust the written word because it's not precise." Federal officials must consult with tribes about how projects on federal lands could affect their cultural resources on their ancestral lands. It would be better if they start that consultation in person instead of writing, she said. "We have to fight for our holy places because they're all off the reservation," Yavapai-Apache Historian Vincent Randall said. Randall referred to his 2005 testimony in Prescott's federal courthouse against the Snowbowl ski area's plans to use wastewater for snowmaking on the San Francisco Peaks on the Coconino National Forest. The ski area and federal attorneys kept referring to how the peaks are "sacred," he recalled. "I said, 'Stop. Sacred is your word, not our word,'" Randall related. He prefers the word "holy" because "It has to do with God, and what God has given to us." Water is holy to the Yavapai-Apache, Randall said. Especially holy is water that flows out of the ground as it does at Fossil Creek, tribal archaeologist Chris Coder added. "Water is life to us," Randall said. "One of these days when water runs out here, there's no more life." So it was a joy to see Fossil Creek in the Apache homelands flow again with the decommissioning of the hydroelectric plant this past year, he said. The tribe now is supporting efforts to make it a Wild and Scenic River. Unfortunately, the Yavapai-Apache Nation didn't hear about the Fossil Creek plans originally from the U.S. Forest Service that manages the area, said Coder, who also happened to receive a Governor's Archaeology Advisory Commission Award Thursday for his work. Instead, his wife saw a story about it. It's not unusual for the tribe to receive consulting letters just a few days before the deadline to comment on a project either, Coder added. The San Carlos Tribe still is waiting for formal consultation about a proposal to mine copper underneath the Oak Flat campground and Apache Leap near Superior, said Grant, who also received a Governor's Archaeology Advisory Commission Award Thursday. A mining group wants to acquire the land from the U.S. Forest Service through a land exchange. "Mining goes against our traditional Apache values," Grant said. "Miners took many of our traditional lands away from us." Arizona's senators have asked how the mining would hurt the tribe, Grant said. "It's very difficult to prove that on paper," she said. She wondered how much the Apache would have to reveal about their holy sites to provide enough proof. The Apache people call Apache Leap "Earth Woman," Grant said. "We are not to dig deep into her veins for money," she said. The mountain has springs and mining would pollute them, she added. The San Carlos Tribe is organizing a Holy Ground Blessing at Oak Flat Wednesday, Grant said. She also has helped draft a Declaration of Unified Tribal Nations that calls for protection of holy places. "Many of these scenarios are repeating themselves across Arizona and the nation," said session moderator Alida Montiel, a Pascua Yaqui who is the health and cultural project specialist for the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. Contact the reporter at jdodder@prescottaz.com Copyright c. 2007, Prescott Newspapers Inc. --------- "RE: UND Indian Groups worry about lack of Voice" --------- Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 07:13:04 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="UNIV. N.DAK. INDIAN STUDENTS" http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2007/06/14/news/local/134809.txt Indian groups worry about lack of voice By JONATHAN RIVOLI/Bismarck Tribune June 14, 2007 As the University of North Dakota begins its selection of a new president, some American Indian groups are concerned that their voices won't be heard in the process. David Gipp, president of United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, recently sent a letter to the State Board of Higher Education, requesting that an Indian member be appointed to the search committee. Current UND President Charles Kupchella plans to retire in January. The 16-member committee, selected in late May, is responsible for screening applications from those seeking the job as UND's next president. It is made up of faculty members, students, alumni, state officials and members of the Grand Forks community. But because it lacks an American Indian voice, Gipp said he's concerned that American Indian concerns will not receive enough consideration in the presidential-selection process. "If this new president at UND is going to be able to serve one and all, we need to have a president who is knowledgeable or can become knowledgeable about American Indians and the role they play in this state," Gipp said. UND currently has 420 American Indian students out of a total enrollment of about 13,000. American Indians are North Dakota's largest minority group, making up 4.9 percent of the state's population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. John Q. Paulsen, president of the State Board of Higher Education, said the current selection committee can adequately consider American Indian issues even though it lacks an American Indian member. He said the board has already completed the process of winnowing down hundreds of suggested names - including those from various minority groups - into a viable selection committee. "We weren't concerned as much about ethnic background as we were about people's ability to make good decisions in selecting a new president," Paulsen said. "And we feel we've selected a committee that can achieve that goal." The selection of a new president got under way this spring after Kupchella announced his intention to retire after eight years at the university's helm. Paulsen said the board would like to see the selection process completed by the beginning of 2008. American Indian concerns are especially important in this process because of UND's position as a leader of higher education for this group, said Leigh Jeanette, director of American Indian Student Services at the university. Jeanette said the university receives about $13 million in state and federal grants to run dozens of programs that benefit American Indians. Most of those programs aid American Indian students in pursuing a career path in fields such as medicine, psychology and education. They attract American Indian students from places as far away as Alaska and Arizona. Given this presence, Jeanette believes it would have been appropriate to have an American Indian on the selection committee. "It's just that there's such a large presence of American Indians on campus, it seems there should be a representative of that group on the committee," he said. Paulsen invited members of the American Indian community to participate in the process by sending their questions and concerns to the committee members, who could then address those concerns with the applicants. Copyright c. 2007 Bismarck Tribune, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Judge rejects Bush count of Columbia River Salmon" --------- Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 07:13:04 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ANOTHER 'BUSH-WHACK' DEFEATED" http://www.indianz.com/News http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003747129_fishsuit14m.html Judge: Bush policy errs on species protection By Alex Fryer Seattle Times education reporter June 14, 2007 A federal judge in Seattle has overturned a Bush administration policy under which federal agencies considered the numbers of hatchery-bred salmon and steelhead when weighing whether to extend species protections. District Judge John Coughenour ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service erred when it listed upper Columbia River steelhead as threatened instead of endangered. The "threatened" listing was based on a decision by the government to count millions of hatchery fish alongside wild salmon when determining what protections to place on several Washington state runs. Coughenour maintained there is a difference between hatchery and wild fish, and said government policy must be focused on preserving natural life cycles. "Though it scarcely seems open to debate, the Court concludes that in evaluating any policy or listing determination under the ESA [Endangered Species Act], its pole star must be the viability of naturally self- sustaining populations in their naturally-occurring habitat," Coughenour wrote. "To be sure, the inclusion of hatchery fish alongside natural fish ... strikes the Court as odd." Environmentalists heralded Wednesday's decision, while a property-rights group vowed to file an appeal. Against the advice of many scientists, the National Marine Fisheries Service published its proposed policy for considering hatchery-bred fish in endangered-species listings in 2004. The agency received more than 27,000 comments on the policy. A few environmental and recreational groups, including Trout Unlimited, the Sierra Club and Federation of Fly Fishers, filed a lawsuit to reverse the administration's decision. "We're naturally a little disappointed," said Brian Gorman, a National Marine Fisheries Service spokesman in Seattle. "I just don't know what the next steps will be until the analysis is complete." Jan Hasselman, an attorney with Earthjustice, said the ruling was important, but he did not foresee immediate land-use or regulatory changes. Efforts to save upper Columbia River steelhead could include increased fishing restrictions and dam management. "Hatcheries never were meant to be a replacement for self-sustaining populations of salmon in healthy streams," he said. Sonya Jones, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation, a property- rights group that repeatedly has sued to overturn Endangered Species Act listings, said the group was "quite surprised" by the judge's ruling. Her group was preparing to file an appeal, Jones said. "If this decision stands, it opens up a floodgate of listing decisions," she said. "One more time, the ESA is used to regulate the use of private property." Seattle Times reporter Hal Bernton contributed to this report. Alex Fryer: 206-464-8124 or afryer@seattletimes.com Copyright c. 2007 The Seattle Times Company. --------- "RE: Native American Foster Homes" --------- Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 07:20:07 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FOSTER HOMES NEEDED" http://www.kfyrtv.com/news_stories.asp?news=7862 Native American Foster Homes Brandi Powell June 13, 2007 Across the state kids need homes. This includes Native American children. Statewide, about 30% of foster children are Native American. The Native American Foster Care Recruitment Task Force is working to get more Native foster families in part by holding information sessions. It hopes a year-long study in Burleigh and Morton counties will provide information and models that can be used statewide. Every child deserves the chance to grow up in a good environment. That`s what the Native American Foster Care Recruitment Task Force, that`s working to find more Native American foster parents for Native children, is trying to achieve. "It`s a big step in someone`s life and it has to be the right time and place to make that happen because it`s a big commitment," says Task Force Project Coordinator Mike Mabin. A commitment Joshua Logg says he`s interested in making. The opportunity to open his home to a Native child in need is something he says would help keep the Native languages and cultures alive. "That tells us who we are and where we come from," says Joshua Logg, who lives on the United Tribes Technical College campus and would like to become a foster parent. "In our culture they always say the children come first." Across the state of North Dakota any given month, about 300 Native American children are in need of foster care while the task force project coordinator says it`s not just a numbers game. He says any additional families will help. "We`re not talking about big numbers," says Mabin. "We`re just talking about people that are interested in coming forward." The task force hopes the study, and information sessions like this one, will bump up the number of licensed Native American foster homes in Burleigh and Morton counties, and provide some tools to get more Native homes to open all across the state. If you missed today`s information session, another one will be held at the Bismarck Public Library on Wednesday, June 20th from noon to 1:00 p.m. In the meantime, if you want more information call the Native American Recruitment Task Force 250-0728 or go to nativefostercare.com. Copyright c. 2007 KFYR-TV Bismark, ND. --------- "RE: CHAD SMITH: Cherokee Sovereignty at stake" --------- Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2007 07:39:58 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CNO CONSTITUTION" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/opinion/local_story_160160219.html June 23 election lies at the very heart of Indian, Cherokee sovereignty Chad Smith Cherokee Nation Principal Chief June 9, 2007 Today, American Indians stand at a crossroad in history. We have endured generations of genocide, forced assimilation and other threats to our survival as distinct peoples. Only in the last 30 years could we trust that our right to self- government would not be overridden for the sake of self-interest by those who sought to control us and our lands because of the Indian Self- determination Act of 1975. One of the most central features of true self-government is the right to determine what is in our own Constitution. Today, some seek to compromise Indian self-government, and Cherokee voters should send a clear message on June 23 that the right of Indian self-government is not negotiable. Cherokees should vote yes again on June 23 to remove federal oversight and approval of our Cherokee Nation Constitution. The history that has led to this moment is well documented. For more than 40 years, the Cherokee Nation has worked to rejuvenate its heritage and reaffirm a cultural identity damaged by more than a century of federal policies - including BIA policies - aimed at assimilating Native Americans and stripping us of our identities. In the course of this effort, the Cherokee Nation thoughtfully considered the crucial question on what it means to be a nation. In 2003, our voters agreed that a sovereign Nation does not grant another nation the power of approval over its constitutional process. They amended our 1975 Constitution to revoke a provision that had been voluntarily included in the original document, giving the federal government a role in approving our constitutional amendments. Our tribal courts later ruled that because the provision had been self- imposed, it could be revoked at the people's will. And it was overwhelmingly. The BIA, therefore, has no inherent "right" to approve or reject our Constitutional amendments. It is worth noting further that nowhere in the historical paper trail articulating the Cherokee Nation's relationship with the United States is the United States granted authority to approve Cherokee Nation constitutional language. In particular, the 1866 treaty does not grant that authority. It was solely a voluntary provision by the people themselves in 1975, and they have now revoked it. It should be noted that no other government in the United States, including state, county or city governments, must submit their laws to a federal agency for approval. Meanwhile, the BIA does not treat every tribe's constitution as subject to federal approval. They do not, for example, have the right to approve the Constitution of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, our close neighbor in Muskogee. Cherokee Nation must not have its sovereign right to self-governance infringed upon because of a voluntary provision now removed from our Constitution, while the same right for other tribes is treated as absolute. Some would have you believe that this is a racial issue. It is not. What is fundamentally at stake in this matter is for Indians to be able to decide for ourselves the content of our Constitution. This right lies at the core of self-governance and tribal identity. So enough patronage and paternalism. Enough broken promises. Enough Trails of Tears. On June 23, the Cherokee Nation must stand strongly against efforts to turn back the clock on Indian self-government. For in the end, self- government is our only safeguard against our destruction as a people. --- Chad Smith is principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. Copyright c. 2007, The Muskogee Phoenix. --------- "RE: Judge hears argument to stop Cherokee election" --------- Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2007 07:39:58 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CNO CONSTITUTION" http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/local/local_story_163002400.html Judge hears argument to stop Cherokee election From staff and wire reports June 12, 2007 A federal judge made no immediate ruling Monday on a motion to stop the Cherokee Nation's June 23 general election. Last month, descendants of freed Cherokee slaves, commonly known as Freedmen, filed a motion for preliminary injunction to stop the tribe's election, in which current Chief Chad Smith is running for re-election. Cherokee officials say the Freedmen are asking the court "to order relief (they) have already obtained," because their full citizenship rights have been temporarily restored, making them eligible to vote in the upcoming election. U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. listened to nearly 90 minutes of testimony before taking the matter under advisement. It was unknown when he would issue a ruling. Meanwhile, the Cherokees continue to prepare for the election. In March, Cherokee voters decided in a special election to amend the nation's constitution to remove about 2,800 Freedmen descendants and other non-Indians from the tribal rolls. About two weeks after the Freedmen descendants filed their motion, the nation's attorney general agreed to a temporary injunction in tribal court allowing the Freedmen descendants to maintain their citizenship while they appeal the constitutionality of the election. Jon Velie, the attorney for the Freedmen in the federal case, called the temporary injunction an "11th-hour maneuver" to give the election an appearance of legitimacy. But Cherokee Nation spokesman Mike Miller said there was "no disputing the fact" Freedmen descendants can vote in the upcoming election. But many Freedmen will be allowed to vote for only the two at-large representatives, created under the 2003 Constitutional amendment to the 1975 Cherokee Constitution, Velie said. United States officials deemed the amendment illegal because the Freedmen were not permitted to vote in the election in which it was adopted. Therefore, many Freedmen's votes will count toward illegitimate electoral positions, effectively rendering these votes useless, Velie said. The Freedmen are denied the opportunity to participate fully in the electoral process, he said. Velie also said although voter registration for Freedmen was temporarily opened, applications for citizenship for Freedmen were not. Freedmen who have had citizenship applications pending since as far back as August 2006 were recently instructed Freedmen applications were not being processed. "This maneuver has reduced the number of Freedmen who could participate in the election," Velie said. "The Cherokee government estimates the number of Freedmen with Cherokee citizenship is between 2,700 and 2,800, while the number of Freedmen eligible for citizenship is believed to be about 25,000." Copyright c. 2007, The Muskogee Phoenix. --------- "RE: Feds won't stop Cherokee Election" --------- Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 07:20:07 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JUDGE DENIES FREEDMEN MOTION" http://www.indianz.com/News http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/local/local_story_165010203.html Feds won't stop Cherokee election By Donna Hales Phoenix Staff Writer June 14, 2007 A federal court in Washington, D.C., denied a motion Wednesday by six Cherokee Freedmen to halt the June 23 Cherokee election. The freedmen filed for the injunction five days after they were stripped of their Cherokee citizenship during a special election March 3. A Cherokee Nation District Court later reinstated their citizenship and ruled they could vote in the June 23 tribal election. U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy denied the injunction based on that tribal court reinstatement. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith said Wednesday that the freedmen group's effort to stop the election was a remedy in search of a wrong, because they were going to be allowed to vote in the tribal election. "We did not win the right to hold office, as promised under the Treaty of 1866, but we did get our right to vote," said Marilyn Vann, spokeswoman for the Freedmen Band of the Cherokee Nation. "We will exercise the rights we have but not stop fighting for full equality." Vann decried the fact the freedmen were given an 11-day registration period, which she called inadequate. Jon Velie, a freedmen attorney, said there are freedmen applications for tribal membership from August that haven't been considered. "The actions of the Cherokee have reduced the freedmen number of eligible voters," he said. "It's clear that freedmen are not allowed to participate adequately in this electoral process. Only 1,000 of the 25,000 freedmen who are eligible for citizenship will get to vote." Vann said the election will go forward, "but the fight for equality will also." David Cornsilk, a Cherokee lay advocate for the freedmen, who aided them earlier in tribal court, said: "It (tribal court temporarily reinstating freedmen) is just a ruse. It's more evidence of what kind of administration we have. "They are not concerned about the rights of people - they are only concerned about staying in power." Cornsilk has repeatedly said the move to disenfranchise the freedmen is a racial issue. Copyright c. 2007 The Muskogee Phoenix. --------- "RE: Kiowas lose Housing Administration" --------- Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2007 07:39:58 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="KIOWA HOUSING ADMINISTRATION" http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8799 Kiowas lose housing administration CARNEGIE OK June 11, 2007 (AP) Housing services for the Kiowa Tribe are now being administered by the Chickasaw Nation, according to an agreement reached last week with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). "Basically, the prior officers and prior committees left housing in such a condition that the present (Kiowa Business) Committee had no choice to save the housing project but to designate a TDHE (tribally designated housing entity) for the tribe," said Amos Black, an attorney for the Kiowa Tribe. Under the agreement, which went into effect Thursday, the Chickasaws will occupy the Kiowa's housing offices and administer the federal housing funds allotted to the Kiowa Tribe. "In three months from last Thursday, the operation will be reviewed by the KBC," Black said. "That resolution can be rescinded, but if (the review) is satisfactory, it will most likely be continued." HUD began investigating the Kiowas' tribal housing program last year, when the agency sent the tribe a letter saying it found evidence that the Kiowas had not properly accounted for more than $10 million in Indian Housing Block Grant monies. In March of this year, the Kiowas signed a voluntary agreement with HUD aimed at bringing the housing program back into compliance. As part of that agreement HUD recommended giving the Chickasaws temporary authority over the Kiowa housing programs. The appointment of the Chickasaws as overseer of Kiowa housing is open- -ended, Black said, subject to quarterly reviews. He said the goal is for the Chickasaws to eventually train Kiowa employees in administration of the federal housing monies, allowing the Kiowas to one day regain control over the program. "That's the ultimate goal," he said. "But they want to make sure they have trained personnel in place to ensure the success of the program." Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: VOTING RIGHTS: Oral, written help at polls lacks" --------- Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 07:07:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YUP'IK VOTING RIGHTS SUIT" http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/rural/story/8969951p-8885644c.html Yup'ik voters need more, lawsuit says VOTING RIGHTS: Oral, written help at polls lacks, ACLU claims. By MARY PEMBERTON The Associated Press June 12, 2007 A federal lawsuit was filed Monday on behalf of Native voters in the Bethel area whose primary language is Yup'ik. The lawsuit filed by the Native American Rights Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska seeks to have state and regional election officials provide oral and written voter assistance to Yup'ik-speaking voters in the region. The lawsuit wants election officials to come up with a plan to ensure that Yup'ik-speakers with limited English are able to understand and participate "in all phases of the electoral process." It would require that federal observers be on hand for elections held in the Bethel area. The lawsuit was filed against various state and local elections officials, including Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell and Whitney Brewster, director of the Division of Elections. The lieutenant governor's office said he had not yet seen a copy of the suit. The lawsuit says the problem extends beyond providing an official ballot for federal, state and local elections that voters can read. Officials also have failed to translate a host of other written voting materials including advertisements for voter registration, election dates, absentee voting opportunities, polling place locations and voting machine instructions. Under the federal Voting Rights Act, primarily Yup'ik speaking voters are entitled to written voting materials in Yup'ik as well as oral assistance so they can participate meaningfully in the electoral process, said Natalie Landreth, lawyer for the Native American Rights Fund. "These populations are subject to English-only ballots," she said at a news conference at Alaska's ACLU offices in Anchorage. However, "they have limited use and understanding of English." The lawsuit says election officials also have failed to provide an adequate pool of bilingual poll officials. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three registered voters: Anna Nick, 69, of Akiachak; Billy McCann, 78, of Bethel; and Nellie Moses, 72, of Akiachak. All the plaintiffs have limited English and are considered illiterate by the U.S. Census Bureau because they have a fifth-grade education or less, according to the lawsuit. Landreth said what is being provided now is woefully insufficient -- usually a single sentence of explanation on what are sometimes very complex ballot measures. What ends up happening is that either voters don't cast a ballot because they are confused or find out later they've voted the wrong way, she said. "It is a terrible choice for many people in these communities," she said. "It is completely beyond a doubt that they are not casting a meaningful ballot." The lawsuit is targeting the Bethel area because that is where the problem is worst, said Jason Brandeis, an attorney with the ACLU of Alaska. He hopes that if the lawsuit is successful it will extend to other areas of Alaska. "Our Constitution says everyone in our democracy has a right to vote," Brandeis said in a statement. "But that right is meaningless if certain groups are unable to cast their ballots accurately regardless of how well- informed they are about the issues of the day." Brandeis said the Voting Rights Act has been successful in providing other minority communities in the United States with what's needed to vote in a meaningful way. "In San Diego County, Calif., registration among Hispanics and Filipinos rose by 20 percent and Vietnamese registrations increased by 40 percent after a suit initiated by the Department of Justice. In New York City, language assistance has helped more than 100,000 Asian-Americans to vote," Brandeis said. Alaska is one of five states that is fully covered under the language assistance provisions of the federal voting law, Landreth said. About 19 percent of the population is Alaska Native or American Indian. The other states are Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Becka Baker, elections supervisor for the Nome Regional Elections Office who also is named as a defendant, said she couldn't comment until she'd seen a copy of the lawsuit. Copyright c. 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. 2007 The Anchorage Daily News, a subsidiary of The McClatchy Company. --------- "RE: Shakopee Mdewakanton OK to put land in trust" --------- Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 07:13:04 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON LAND IN TRUST APPROVED" http://www.in-forum.com/ap/index.cfm? page=view&id=D8PODQ801&forumcomm_check_return Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux win right to put land in trust The Associated Press SHAKOPEE, Minn. June 14, 2007 The Bureau of Indian Affairs has reversed itself and said the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community can transfer 752 acres it owns into a tax- exempt trust, a decision that could cost Scott County and other local governments millions of dollars in property taxes. The tribe, which owns the popular Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, has been seeking unfettered use of its land for years. It's now awaiting Scott County's decision on whether to appeal. The county has a month to file. The BIA's Midwest office had approved putting the land in trust, but the agency's central office withdrew that decision last year. The BIA last week decided that the local office was right after all. A tribe need not be poor, the BIA wrote last week, to gain full control of land that the agency says will let the tribe add housing and, in turn, support "the continuation of Dakota language, ceremonies, spiritual beliefs, traditions and tribal values." "It is a pretty important decision," Scott County Administrator David Unmacht said Wednesday. He said he hadn't decided what to recommend to the county board. The tribe plans to use the land near its small reservation for homes for its members, a new cultural center and powwow grounds, among other projects. When the county argued its case to the BIA two years ago, the land in question had generated about $65,000 a year in property taxes. But the county said local governments stood to lose an estimated $2.9 million a year in revenues if the tribe developed the land as proposed and if the land became tax-exempt. Tribal attorney William Hardacker said he had to consult with tribal leaders before commenting in detail. "Obviously," Hardacker said, "we're happy." Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com Copyright c. 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. 2007 Minneapolis Star Tribune. --------- "RE: Cowlitz through trying to work with La Center" --------- Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 07:13:04 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRIBE TERMINATES TALKS WITH CITY" http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/06142007news153647.cfm Tribe says it's through trying to work with La Center By JEFFREY MIZE, Columbian Staff Writer June 14, 2007 The Cowlitz Tribe is through trying to work with the city of La Center. One day after the La Center City Council voted 4-1 to terminate further discussions over sewer issues, an attorney for the Cowlitz casino's developers said "there is nothing left for the tribe to offer." Attorney Steve Horenstein said his clients presented their best offer, one that would have benefited the tribe and La Center. "We're disappointed that the city chose to view this through a political lens rather than what's good for the community," Horenstein said. Three city council members - Bob Smith, Linda Tracy and Troy Van Dinter - were adamant that they did not want to cut a sewer deal with the tribe. A fourth, Dale Smith, voted against any further sewer discussions, but said he was willing to consider a broader agreement with the tribe. But Horenstein said any assistance the Cowlitz will provide La Center will be a requirement imposed by the federal government, not a provision of an agreement negotiated with the city. "The tribe has offered a mitigation agreement and a sewer agreement," he said. "The city hasn't responded positively to either of those." In February 2006, Cowlitz Tribe Chairman John Barnett presented La Center with a draft agreement that included an offer to provide the city with up to $3 million annually for 10 years to compensate for lost gambling revenue from its four nontribal cardrooms. This year, La Center officials and tribal representatives crafted preliminary agreements calling for the tribe to pay the entire $6.5 million cost to extend sewer lines from La Center's treatment plant west to the 152-acre casino site along Interstate 5. The tribe also offered another $11.3 million to cover half the cost of expanding La Center's sewage plant. Among the city council's five members, only Bill Birdwell was willing to forge ahead with sewer agreements with the tribe. Birdwell, who opposes the Cowlitz casino, said he saw the sewer agreements as strictly a business deal that would allow the city to extend sewer service to the freeway interchange. Without the tribe's dollars for sewer improvements, La Center might not be able to afford to someday stretch its boundaries west to I-5, Birdwell said. City officials want to encourage commercial and industrial development near the freeway to diversify La Center's economy, which is almost entirely dependent on its cardrooms. The cardrooms have an uncertain future. A 2006 study paid for by the city indicated that La Center's cardrooms revenues would drop by 66 percent if the Cowlitz built a 134,150-square-foot casino west of the city. A preliminary version of the project's final environmental impact statement concluded that even with a 66 percent reduction, La Center would continue receiving enough revenue to pay for basic city services. "This impact is considered less than significant," the report says. "No mitigation is required." Horenstein said the Bureau of Indian Affairs may require the Cowlitz to provide some compensation to La Center. "We have received some indication that the Bureau of Indian Affairs is likely to require the tribe to replace cardroom revenue that is actually used for city operations on an annual basis," he said. Copyright c. 2007 Columbian.com. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Appropriations include Language Revival" --------- Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:11:23 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LANGUAGE REVIVAL" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415238 Appropriations include language revival by: Jerry Reynolds / Indian Country Today June 15, 2007 WASHINGTON - An appropriations subcommittee in the House of Representatives made June 7 a hopeful day for Native language revival, marking up an extra $3 million for the Administration on Native Americans to implement the language immersion learning and revival programs of last year's Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act. The current ANA budget of $44 million calls for expending $4 million on Native language program grants. The new funds will almost double ANA's spending on Native languages, to $7 million out of a $47 million budget. The National Alliance to Save Native Languages has taken a prominent role in persuading Congress of the importance, practical, academic and otherwise, of maintaining Native languages. Alliance president Ryan Wilson spread credit to many others for an appropriation he deemed significant beyond its dollar amount in a tight national budget. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M. , supported the Esther Martinez legislation in 2006, Wilson said in a release, "And when he became a member of the Appropriations Committee this year, made it a personal priority to secure funding for its programs." Other indispensable congressional members he identified as Reps. Dale Kildee, D-Mich.; Rick Renzi, R-Ariz.; Heather Wilson, R-N.M.; George Miller, D-Calif.; and Buck McKeon, R-Calif. Indian country has united behind its languages, Wilson said. Besides the National Alliance, the National Indian Education Association, National Congress of American Indians, Navajo Nation "and literally scores of other tribes and tribal organizations" have worked together to get funding for the new grant opportunities in Native language nests, immersion schools and restoration programs. The appropriation is both a beginning and a turning point, Wilson said, adding that continued success will depend on continued unity. Appropriations bills must pass both the House and Senate. Appropriations aren't final until the federal budget is enacted into law on the president's signature. But Appropriations Committee numbers carry great weight on Capitol Hill, and the full committee in each chamber generally takes the lead of its subcommittees. The full House Appropriations Committee provided further benchmarks for Indian funding in the federal budget for fiscal year 2008, commencing Oct. 1. Within the Interior Department, the BIA budget of $2.347 billion would weigh in at $39 million above current levels. The IHS would see an increase of $204 million to $3.384 billion. The Johnson O'Malley educational program would see its $16 million funding restored after President Bush zeroed it out in his proposed budget. Likewise for the urban Indian health clinics, zeroed out in the president's budget but made whole again with $32 million from Congress. Copyright c. 1998 - 2007 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Indian lender getting Federal Funds" --------- Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 07:07:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MICRO-LENDER DESIGNATION" http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=618966 Indian lender getting federal funds Group can tap $500,000 in capital from SBA By RICK ROMELL rromell@journalsentinel.com Posted: June 12, 2007 A not-for-profit organization that lends money to American Indian businesses is set to receive access to $500,000 in new capital from the U.S. Small Business Administration. First American Capital Corp., an offshoot of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, will officially become an SBA micro-lender on Friday. With the designation, First American will be able to tap the $500,000 at low interest rates, then turn around and lend it to start-ups and growing businesses. "Native Americans are in the first generation of being in business, being business owners, being entrepreneurs, and what we lack collectively is the capital to start and grow businesses," First American President Jeff Bowman said. Bowman, a Mohegan, is president of Mitchell Bank. "I'm the only Native American to be president of a bank in Milwaukee," he said. The pool of SBA money will substantially increase First American's resources, giving it about $1.3 million, said Craig Anderson, president and executive director of the American Indian Chamber in West Allis. First American started doing business in late 2003. Using grant money from such sources as the State Department of Commerce and the U.S. Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, it has made about 15 loans, Bowman said. Among First American's borrowers, he said, are an industrial supply firm in Waukesha that received working capital, a Yamaha dealer in Delafield that got start-up money and a Campbellsport construction company that used the funds for down payments on expensive equipment that does excavation with high-pressure water lines. "We're trying to make investments in Native-owned businesses so they can grow in the entrepreneur community," Bowman said. "These people grow and hire and create jobs." Anderson said one problem American Indian entrepreneurs face in borrowing money is that their assets may be held in trust on a reservation and cannot be used as collateral. A study by the chamber four years ago concluded that American Indian businesses in Wisconsin needed about $42 million in capital, Anderson said. First American's loan decisions are made by an all-American Indian committee that includes Bowman, a banker from Green Lake and a contractor in Butler with banking experience. Most loans have been $15,000 to $25,000, with the largest at $130,000, Bowman said. To date, First American has charged 8% interest. Rates for loans from the pool of SBA money haven't been set yet. Bowman said it looks like First American will borrow that money at 3.25% to 4.5%. The organization is allowed to charge an additional 7.75 to 8.5 percentage points, but may decide to work on a smaller spread of 4 to 5 points, he said. Non-Indians are also eligible for the loans. Copyright c. 2005 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: LETTER: Women bear brunt of Uranium contamination" --------- Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:11:23 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LETTER: URANIUM, POWER PLANT CONTAMINATION" http://navajotimes.com/opinions/letters.php#women Navajo Time Letters Women bear brunt of uranium, power plant contamination Helena Racheal Benally Sweetwater, Ariz. The lives of Navajo women are in the hands of our president, Mr. Joe Shirley. How? We live in a generation where there are more health problems associated with uranium dumpsites, uncovered mines and the ongoing problem of power plants that surround our Navajo Nation. Everyday there are more women who are diagnosed with some form of reproductive cancers in the areas where the problem of power plants are within a 30-mile radius. The age for many of these women are under the age of 30. They have not even begun to realize their role as Navajo women at this age when they are faced with fertility problems, hysterectomies and reproductive cancers. As we talk and discuss the biggest problem now is the building of the newest most efficient energy saving power plant, Desert Rock, which is an underground plan from the U.S. government to realize their dream of making the Navajo more dependent on them for economic stability. This power plant will release unclean air disguised by their fancy words as state of the art and clean and safe in the form of mercury (a toxin given off by power plants generated by coal). Another problem is uranium dumpsites and tailings seeping into the groundwater. Growing up in Shiprock for more than 15 years I lived within a 30-mile radius of two power plants and one uranium dumpsite within a short walking distance. This covered dumpsite is on the east side of the Fairchild building. I was 23 years old when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and was told that my body underwent a form of genetic mutation and created more estrogen which is harmful at a high level making my body more susceptible for cells to develop cancer. I underwent a 13-hour surgery to remove one ovary and several lymph nodes that were infected. I am now 34 years old and am in the early stages of menopause. Is this normal? Is this right? After researching this problem after being told that estrogen plays a huge part in reproductive cancers the risk becomes even greater in the area where there are high pollutants such as power plant toxins and uranium. I personally know a young mother at the age of 25 who was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer and the solution for her was removing her womanhood, an unborn child's sanctuary. She had a hysterectomy. There is the problem of infertility, another young woman whom I personally know was not able to conceive for more than six years, undergoing fertility treatments was unsuccessful but through her own faith she was blessed with a child. The above three women, including myself, all grew up in Shiprock. The added fear of having Desert Rock blowing up steam generated by what they say is safe is not. The women that are living in the surrounding areas of Desert Rock, BHP and APS are at risk now more than ever. Their daughters and their own daughters will be more at risk of developing a reproductive/breast cancer or being a carrier. The problem of mercury released into the air is not only affecting the women but the unborn children who have a greater chance of developing some sort of birth defect or mental incapacity hindering their lives with more difficulties. Where do the problems of respiratory problems stop? It doesn't, it will be an ongoing problem as more babies will suffer from respiratory conditions and have chronic asthma. The issue is not employment or money, it is about the quality of life, that is what being Dine' is all about. When the Navajo Nation leaders who we have elected into office are willing to subject our lives into fearing if our daughter or ourselves will suffer from the black skies you paid for it is a sad day. Where is the unity that our grandfathers and grandmothers fought so hard for? We are here because they stood up and died so we could live in a place where our decisions will be based on and decided on as a family. They did not endure the Long Walk to have it literally thrown back in their face as our leaders foolishly decide to perform genocide on their own people. There are many other safe environmentally sound economic venues that could provide employment, why not pursue those instead? Now there is a push to open the uranium sites. Does your promise to protect the Navajo people still remain true, Mr. President, even though uranium is selling at more than $80 a pound? Your strong effort to stop all uranium mining was applaudable but the practice of hypocrisy still holds water for you. The same letter should have been issued to power plants as well. It causes the same health risks. Are you willing to put more money into childcare and health care for those innocent children who have to suffer from mental retardation or other birth defects caused by your decisions just so you could provide jobs for more than 400-plus people? In conclusion, I ask you, Mr. Navajo Nation President, and the Desert Rock supporters, "How much are you willing to pay for your wives, daughters, granddaughters, sisters, nieces, and mothers uterus or breasts?" Because, as strong Dine' women who have been affected by the illnesses caused by uranium and power plants, our womanhood still remains priceless even though we are lacking some or all of what makes us a woman physically. Copyright c. 2007 The Navajo Times Publishing Co., Inc. --------- "RE: GIAGO: Indians still the most misunderstood" --------- Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2007 07:39:58 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GIAGO: INDIANS MOST MISUNDERSTOOD" http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/003354.asp Tim Giago: Indians still the most misunderstood June 11, 2007 John F. Kennedy said that the American Indian is the least understood and the most misunderstood of all Americans. I believe that with the disparities now so apparent in Indian country, that description by JFK takes on an entirely new meaning. Headlines in many newspapers last week announced that Indian casinos had brought in a record $25 billion dollars last year. What they did not say is that on reservations such as the Navajo, Rosebud, Pine Ridge, Crow Creek, Blackfeet and Crow, unemployment is as high as 50 to 80 percent. That the average income is less than $5,000 annually. That the average life span is about 55 years of age. That the infant mortality rate is 3 times the national average. That on some reservations the diabetes epidemic claims 50 percent of the total reservation population. That many homes are without electricity or indoor plumbing. That there is such a need for housing that some of the available homes house as many as three families. But nowadays the average American reads about the $25 billion raked in by the rich casino tribes last year and shrugs it off with distaste, probably with some envy and not without a little anger at all Indian tribes. In other words, the fantastic success of some gaming tribes is setting the agenda for all Indian tribes and it is making the very poor tribes the victims of the success of the rich tribes. Who would have ever thought they would see such a dichotomy in Indian country even 20 years ago? In the Lakota language there is a word one hears quite often these days and that word is "onsika" (pronounced oon-she-ka) and it means poor, destitute or miserable, but as with many words in the Lakota language it also can mean to humble oneself to another, to act in a humble way, or to have mercy on those who have nothing. All of these definitions could describe the present conditions of the Lakota people. We say that we are all in the same boat so although many have very little, it is still their duty to help those who have even less. That was true in all of Indian country prior to 1988 when gaming was legalized on Indian reservations, but that is not the case today. One rich tribe, the Mohegan, just purchased a golf course for $4. 5 million. Another tribe, the Seminole, just bought the Hard Rock Cafe and Resorts for a billion dollars. Prior to 1988 when all of the tribes were "onsika" they all pulled together. There was actually unity in their poverty. Back then one could attend the annual convention of the National Congress of American Indians and meet tribal leaders that knew only poverty. They came to the convention in tattered jeans that were partially covered by a threadbare jacket or sports coat. When they addressed the convention they spoke with humility, sometimes in English peppered by words in their Native tongue. Now they show up in three-piece tailored suits. I remember when we had our first Native American Journalists Convention in 1984 on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Oregon. Many of the editors of Indian newspapers raised the money to attend the convention by holding fry bread sales or local auctions. Some pooled their resources and caravanned to the convention. Students from the Oglala Lakota College on the Pine Ridge Reservation had bake sales and auctions and then, led by their instructor, Gemma Lockhart, piled into their cars and vans, some borrowed, to make it to the convention. Perhaps some would think of those days as the "bad old days," but on many Indian reservations, those days are still here. And on those very poor reservations it is heartwarming to see that the very poor still have dignity in their poverty. Last week I wrote about the poorest Indian tribes in America, with $863, 286,767.90 now held in trust for them for the illegal taking of their sacred Black Hills, refusing to accept one single penny of that award. That these people of the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota speaking tribes of North Dakota, Montana and South Dakota, though encumbered with extreme poverty and the many illnesses that accompany poverty, can still refuse to accept nearly one billion dollars that would go a long way into lifting them from their poverty, is a miraculous phenomenon that most of the casino rich tribes could never and would never understand. As a matter of fact, nearly all of the responses to my column about the monetary award to the Sioux people were from Indians all expressing great pride and respect for a people that refuse to sell their mother earth. Wrote one, "In today's world of greed and money grubbing by too many Indian tribes and their people, it makes me so proud to see the Sioux stand tall and proud against the temptations of the money givers." Perhaps one of the reasons I received no response from white people is that this may be one concept they find strange or maybe it is just something beyond their realm of comprehension. To be poor and not accept money, according to many, is not the American way. It is not the fault of the rich casino tribes that most Americans believe that all Indian tribes are rolling in wealth. They were lucky to be in a locale conducive to wealth and more power to them for their success. The words uttered by JFK more than 40 years ago still ring true. The American Indian is still the least understood and the most misunderstood of all Americans. --- Tim Giago is an Oglala Lakota. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard in the Class of 1991. His latest book "Children Left Behind, the Dark Legacy of the Indian Missions," is now available at: order@clearlightbooks.com. The book just won the Bronze Star from the Independent Publishers Awards. He can be reached at najournalists@rushmore.com. Copyright c. 2007 Indianz.com. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Monarch of mystery, Beauty and Grace" --------- Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 07:07:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: MONARCH BUTTERFLY" http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=40819 A Monarch of mystery, beauty and grace Dorreen Yellow Bird June 13, 2007 Some myths and stories are based on reality. Some real stories can sound like myths. And many times, it's hard to tell the difference. I say that because this year, there's an abundance of Monarch butterflies, so the stories and myths that accompany this beautiful creature are fluttering around in my head like butterflies around milkweed. I also should add that one of my inspirations today is staff photographer Eric Hylden's photograph in the June 1 Herald. It's of a Canada goose eye to eye with a Monarch butterfly. In fact, Eric said, he didn't even know there was a butterfly in the picture until he processed the photo. When that happens, you know there are a lot of Monarch butterflies around. As children, we chased butterflies while we were barefoot. We ran through thick grass and bramble bushes to watch the elegant creatures as they landed on swaying milkweed plants. Sometimes, we'd try to catch them by their wings so that we could have a closer look. I'm afraid we probably hurt some of them, although we always let them go. This year's good crop of Monarchs reminded me that last year, Richard Crawford - a retired biologist and botanist from UND - was worried about them. He asked me if I'd seen any at the Sundance ceremony, which takes place way down in South Dakota. They were there in good numbers, dancing in the wind, I told him. During the Sundance, I saw some amazing butterflies, too - but that's a story for another day. Crawford and his wife, Glinda, planted milkweed next to their front window when they lived in Grand Forks. Here's what we've seen from that window: The adult butterfly lays eggs on the underside of the milkweed leaves. Milkweed is the only food that the Monarch larva eats, and the plant is poisonous to everything but the larva. The larva turns into a caterpillar; the caterpillar turns into a chrysalis. But the amazing part is when the Monarch emerges as a butterfly. The Crawfords have moved to Missouri, where I'm sure they are finding Monarchs. But they'll be glad to hear about the number of butterflies in the valley this year. The Monarch isn't all biology, either. It's the subject of many American Indian stories. My son-in-law, who is Muskogee (Creek) from Oklahoma, told their story of how the Monarch came to be. A scaly monster, he said, who had hands shaped like daggers, came to one of their villages and began to kill. The spiritual men went to the Creator for help. They were told to put four women who are in their moon - in their time of the month - in front of the monster. He will kill three of them, the men were told, and the fourth will be able to find his vulnerable spot and kill him. Women, the Creator said, are powerful during that time of month. And so, the men returned to the village and set up their course of action. When the monster returned, they did as they were told. The three women were killed, but not before they loosened a scale on the monster's body. The fourth woman drove a dagger into the spot. The monster exploded, the legend goes. And as the pieces of the monster floated to Earth, they turned into butterflies - gentle and beautiful; the monster reborn. A common myth about butterflies is that they are the souls of the dead - children, some say, or lost souls. These legends extend across cultures from Indian people to other nations. One American Indian legend says that when the Creator made the butterflies, they not only were beautiful but also could sing. The birds were jealous and accused the Creator of favoritism, so he took the song from the butterfly and left it for the birds only. I used to wonder if the story about Monarchs flying from Canada to Mexico was a myth. I learned the truth: I once spent a week in Cancun, Mexico. I and a friend hired a Mexican driver, who drove us into the country's interior to some Mayan ruins called Chichen Itza. As we drove through the jungle-like area, we saw this big tree ahead. It bloomed with red foliage. And as I looked closer at the magnificent display, I was amazed to see the red "leaves" flutter and move. They were Monarch butterflies. These creatures have a special place in the lore of all people, but especially of American Indians. They are one of Mother Earth's most beautiful creatures; and yet, these days, they are as common as milkweed. --- 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: Spotlight on Environmental Catastrophe" --------- Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2007 07:39:58 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ECUADOR" http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8801 Spotlight on Environmental Catastrophe effecting indigenous people in Ecuador Illuminated by Celebrity Visit Shelley Bluejay Pierce, bluejay@3riversdbs.net June 11, 2007 QUITO, Ecuador - Far from the bright lights of Hollywood, Daryl Hannah and Q'orianka Kilcher are drawing international attention to the environmental damages and ongoing catastrophe effecting indigenous people living in Ecuador. The two actresses and human rights activists are touring remote rainforest communities ravaged by cancers and other diseases where environmental damage has wreaked havoc on human lives. Petroleum giant, Texaco, now owned by Chevron, had drilling operations in the region and is alleged to have left behind an environmental catastrophe. On June 6, 2007, both Daryl.Hannah and Q'Orianka Kilcher attended the opening for the art exhibit, "Crude Reflections," at Quito's prestigious Guayasamin Museum. The photos, by award-winning Bay Area photographers Lou Dematteis and Kayana Szymczak, have previously appeared in large venues across the USA, but this is the first time they have been on display in Ecuador. Dramatic photos and storylines combine in this exhibit to reveal the enormous toll that toxic waste has laid upon the communities in remote areas within the rainforest. ("Crude Reflections" may be viewed through the site: http://www. chevrontoxico.com/) This exhibit and the visitation by Hannah and Kilcher comes at a time when a historic $6 billion lawsuit against Chevron nears its final phase. Mounting evidence may reveal that the oil giant is liable for environmental contamination in the rainforest. Scientific reports reveal some water samples contain toxic chemical levels thousands of times higher than permitted by Ecuadorian and U.S. environmental laws. This lawsuit alleges that toxic waste dumped by Texaco into rainforest rivers, wetlands and unlined pits the company dug near their wells, polluted the water supplies of inhabitants. The list of plaintiffs, nearly 30,000 in number, includes five indigenous groups- the Quechua, Siona, Cofan, Secoya and Huaorani. Approximately 80 communities allege that Texaco dumped more than 18 billion gallons of toxic wastewater into Ecuador's rainforest during its operations. Waste by-products from petroleum operations often contain identified cancer causing agents that can lead to skin disease, reproductive abnormalities, nerve damage and many forms of cancer. The waste contains such known carcinogens such as benzene, toluene and xylene. Cancer rates are the highest in the region where Texaco operated its drilling operations and the toxic waste is being blamed for hundreds of lives lost and contributing to the extinction of one indigenous group and the endangerment of two others. "The results of the court case may provide environmental clean-up for the regions' inhabitants in the future. However, the $6 billion does not include costs for providing potable water to the residents nor does it cover necessary health care expenses that the people need immediately. The final decision rests with the courts and in the meantime, the Ecuadorian government is attempting to pull resources together for the people there," commented Simeon Tegel, with Amazon Watch. (http://www.amazonwatch.org/ ) Between 1971 and 1992, more than 1.5 billion barrels of oil was extracted from this area. The plaintiffs in this case blame Texaco for the disposal of highly toxic wastes in a manner that they contend is responsible for the area's high rate of cancer, birth defects, skin conditions and death. Texaco's waste dumping sites are spread across this remote area in Ecuador consuming an area equivalent in size to Rhode Island. "I was truly and deeply inspired by these indigenous communities. Even with the enormous obstacles before them, they put personal differences aside and came to the aid of their fellows. Though separated by great distances in some cases, they are a unified, proactive group battling to protect their homelands and care for each other," explained Amy O'Meara, spokesperson for Amnesty International, who visited the area in Ecuador in 2006. (http://www.amnesty.org/) Pressure on Chevron over this $6 billion lawsuit increased significantly this past month when trustees from the three largest public pension funds in the United States called on the company to take action to resolve the dispute. These claims prompted the Security Exchange Commission to open an investigation on whether Chevron management deliberately misled their stockholders by not disclosing its Ecuador liability to them. Chevron is also reported to owe between $25 and $50 million dollars in fines as part of a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department for its involvement with the "oil-for-food" scandal. During the time that the Ecuadorian people and their legal representatives were attempting to gain international attention to their desperate situation, the now Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, was on the Board of Directors for Chevron Oil. Secretary Rice headed Chevron's committee on public policy until she resigned to serve within the Bush administration in 2001. Chevron claims in a recently issued press statement, that the toxic contamination poses no risk to human health. (more information on Chevron available at www. chevron.com) The court trial is expected to reach a final conclusion in early 2008 but the appeals process could take an additional three years. "Amnesty International is monitoring Chevron's performance in both Ecuador and Nigeria. Our work is ongoing to keep these issues before the public. Our primary role is advocacy and as long as Chevron is attempting to draw out this lawsuit, we will continue drawing attention to the suffering of the residents living in Ecuador. That suffering is continuing daily and is being exacerbated by using distraction and delays in an attempt to lessen the responsibilities that Chevron has in this case," stated Amy O'Meara, Amnesty International. Both Daryl Hannah and Q'Orianka Kilcher are due back in the U.S. next week following this visit to the rainforest communities and the premier of the exhibit, "Crude Reflections" that documents the plight of the indigenous people suffering in Ecuador. Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Staff woes plague Kuujjuaq Child Care Centres" --------- Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 07:07:51 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="KUUJJUAQ CHILD CARE CENTRES" http://www.nunatsiaq.com/news/nunavik/70608_189.html Staff woes plague Kuujjuaq child care centres "We've got to invest in our kids." JANE GEORGE June 8, 2007 KUUJJUAQ - A little boy worked on a colouring book at a Kativik Regional Government office last Friday morning, as his mother struggled to sort through stack of papers on her desk. About once a week, she and another working mother at the desk opposite must bring their children with them to work. Between them they have six young children enrolled in child care in Kuujjuaq. It's a stressful situation all around, they say, when their kids come to work. But these women don't have a choice. At least one day every week, Kuujjuaq's Iquitavik and Tumiapiit child care centres close down partially or wholly because staff don't show up to work. The reason? There are too many jobs for good workers in Kuujjuaq - so child care workers don't worry about being fired when they skip work. They'll just find another job - and possibly one with better benefits. These frustrated mothers at the KRG and Sammy Duncan, head of the parent-run board of directors for Kuujjuaq's child care centres, say it's clear why child care workers aren't showing up: they don't receive the same benefits, such as housing and trips south, which other workers in Kuujjuaq receive. "Why should one part of a major organization in the community not have the same benefits? They deserve equal benefits and they don't feel like they're appreciated," Duncan said. "We've got to invest in our kids." The KRG provides licences, funding, support, and inspection for Nunavik's 16 child care centres, with a total budget of about $12 million a year. The majority of this money comes from Que'bec (about 84 per cent) and the balance from the federal government. Parents pay only $7 a day for child care. There are more than 800 full-time child care spaces in Nunavik and 230, mainly female, employees who earn salaries of about $18 per hour and have access to the Quebec child care employees' pension plan. Lisa Epoo, head of the KRG's child care section, said she's aware of the problems at Kuujjuaq's two child care centres. One option may be to close one centre to concentrate the pool of committed workers into one space. But that's a possibility unpopular with parents, who worry that if Kuujjuaq's 160 child care spaces are cut in half, they and their friends will be forced to fund other child care alternatives or stop working. This past week, as a way of drawing positive attention to child care in Nunavik, the child care centres held their first Nunavik Child Care Week. The week included prayers, decorations, a fair day, picnics and a cultural parade. Employees with more than five years of service received plaques, while parents received child care key chains and tote bags, designed to cut down on the amount of plastic bags in Nunavik. According to the child care sections' update at last week's KRG council meeting in Kanqiqsualujjuaq, child care centres in nearly every community are going well. In May, the centres received $704,526 as part of their subsidy for operations. The KRG council approved a $331,000 program, which will will see the continuation of nutrition course for Nunavik's child care centres. A chef and a nutritionist will spend two weeks in every community helping centre cooks with menu planning and meal preparation, with an emphasis on country foods. Copyright C. 1995-2007 Nunatsiaq News, Nortext Publishing Corporation (Iqaluit). --------- "RE: Sage tells Feds `Quit blowing Smoke up our butts'" --------- Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 16:45:42 -0700 From: "orakwa" Subj: MNN Indigenous Sage "Red-X" tells feds "Quit blowing smoke up our butts" RED-X 9 INFAMOUS INDIGENOUS SAGE "RED-X" TELLS THE FEDS: "QUIT BLOWING SMOKE UP OUR BUTTS" REGARDING JUNE 29TH DAY OF ACTION & LAND CLAIM SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL MNN. June 12, 2007. Ottawa is asking Phil Fontaine, the Walkie-Talkie Wizard of the AFN [Assembly of First Nations] to order us to stop expressing ourselves on June 29th and to go back into our hole. The Red-X asked, "Is [Prime Minister] Steve Harper responsible for wiping every Canadian's butt? Is George Bush at fault for every American's stupidity?" Phil's not our leader. He's theirs. We don't pay him. They do. This double talk is so annoying. The Red-X arrived on his silver eagle from the west where the sun never sleeps, to look over our vast great expanse of Indigenous territory, now scarred and polluted by centuries of cruel occupation. MNN was so lucky to catch him for this short interview. Here are a few of his words of wisdom. Red-X said, "What's this ota [crap] about appointing "neutral" mediators on land claims? If they're appointed by the feds, they ain't neutral". The feds don't want to negotiate fairly, that's the bottom line. When it comes right down to it, the Red-X said, "If it looks like ota, and it stinks like ota, then it sure as hell is ota!" Neutral needs three things: one. BOTH sides gotta do the pickin'! Two. It's gotta be someone who was never a colonizer! And three. It's gotta be someone who ain't tapped into Canada's stolen loot"! The Red-X knows all the international law that Canada is trying to forget. After thinking about the situation, The Red-X stood there stroking his chin covered by a black beaded hood. He looked at us through his dark sunglasses and offered some sage words. First, he said, "Know who's who! We have a lot of posers around. Smell `em out! Specially if they claim to be Injun and don't have mothers". "We all know who's Indian and who ain't! Watch for those with morals and stay away from those who ain't got none!" Red-X warned. "If there's a rat tail sticking out the back, it's a rat!" He also said, "Watch for someone wearing dirty overalls and shiny black shoes trying to sell you toxic waste disguised as biodegradable cleaners, synthetic snake oil and the like. They're here to muffle us and take the strength out of our movement. Grab him and lock him in the bathroom until the warriors get there. They are trying to break the code of our highly developed non- verbal communication strategies". "We should all be doing what we're supposed to do", Red-X pointed out, "in the best interests of our people and apply the "Ten commandments of the Red-X". [link] Watch for strangers showing up on our territories sayin', "We gonna save ya, you red niggas!" They're here to divide and conquer. They got colonial certification to do this. They're called band/tribal councilors, bureaucrats, lawyers, social workers, developers and negotiators. Why is it when one Indian steps out of line, the colonists say they're going to blame every single one of us. We don't mind being blamed for stressing non-violence and being truthful. It's the colonists who lie, steal and promote violence. Violence is threatening and setting conditions to resolve their claims to our land. Who do you think invented guns and brought them here, heh? The Chinese had fireworks. That wasn't good enough for the Europeans. They wanted to make sure someone died or got hurt. We don't want to harm anyone when we block a road or railroad. The business men might get mad, but the public doesn't mind. Many even join us. The real violence is police coming in, waving batons, hitting and arresting us for expressing our freedom of speech. They want us to do something that doesn't attract attention, like going to Indian Affairs and talking our heads off to one of their flunkies. As soon as we leave, the bureaucrats file our complaints in the garbage can. That's what they've always done. That's why we don't want to continue doing something that doesn't work. Look at Mohawk Shawn Brant of Tyendinaga! After a 30-hour rail blockade, the whole world knows about our plight. It affected the white mans dollars. The public supported us even though they were inconvenienced. Remember, it's not for the money. We want Canada to butt out. It's high time they respected our right to control our land. We're doing it for our children and the future generations. We asked Red-X about Ottawa's offer to put aside $250 million a year for their claim to our land. He blew his stack! `What a load of crap!", he said. "That's less than what those scumbags skimmed off the taxpayers in the `sponsorship scandal'". It barely covers needed repairs for bridges in Kahnawake and Akwesasne. They can print more cash any ol' time they want!" They gotta get off our land. Then they gotta clean up their mess. We want their toxins removed. We want our land to be strong, green and healthy". Red-X said, "Anyone who agrees to a cash settlement is getting hoodwinked. We want to show our ancestors that we will continue to honor them for what they went through so we could survive. We will stand strong to regain our freedom. We will assert our jurisdiction on all our land. Not just the reserves that foreigners "set aside" so they can rape and pillage the rest of our territory. It's our country, our territory. Not "Crown" land! They never brought any land with them when they crossed the ocean. They only brought the dirt on their bodies. We're always willing to discuss issues according to the Great Law. They came here with death, destruction, greed and an "Apocolypta" of their own invention. Our peaceful method is disrupting everything all over the world. Red-X directed some words of wisdom to Phil Fontaine, "Remember, Phil, when they're done with you, they'll throw you away like a used condom that nobody will dare to pick up". That's what the Red-X knows about those who work against our people. Before he left for the West, MNN asked, "Oh, wonderful Red-X, what do all us Indigenous people really want?" Red-X stroked his chin beneath his black beaded hood, "Hell"! he said, "We all want the white man to take his dirty fingers out of our butts". He continued, "We don't want our butts wiped by any phony arbitrator. If they want an arbitrator, the only way it could be fair and neutral is to let us do the pickin'". Finally, Red-X said, "There are much more serious things we have to look at now in the terrible times ahead. U.S. President George Bush, all of his neo-cons and the current massive build up of nuclear war ships in the Persian Gulf are the beginning of the prophecy of Dekanawida. He said that the red serpent and the white serpent would battle at sea. The oceans would boil, the trees would burn from the top down and the fish would float on their bellies". Stay tuned for more from the Red-X. Kahentinetha Horn, MNN Mohawk Nations News Link: Ten Infinite Commandments of the Incomparable "Red X" http://www.mohawknationnews.com/news/singlenews.php? lang=en&layout=mnn&category=13&newsnr=50&backurl=%2Fnews%2Fnews4.php% 3Flang%3Den%26layout%3Dmnn%26category%3D13%26sortorder%3D0%26start%3D0& srcscript=/news/news4.php New MNN Books Available Now! Mohawk Warriors Three - The Trial of Lasagna, Noriega, 20/20 $20.00 usd Where Eagles Dare to Soar - Indians, Politics & Aids $20.00 usd The Agonizing Death of "Colonialism" and "Federal Indian Law" Kaianere'ko:wa/Great Law Territory $20.00 usd Who's Sorry Now? The good, the bad and the unapologetic Mohawks of Kanehsatake $20.00 usd The books below, email us: Rebuilding the Iroquois Confederacy Karoniaktajeh $10 usd Warriors Hand Book Karoniaktajeh $10 usd Mail checks and money orders to... MNN P.O. Box 991 Kahnawake, QC J0L 1B0 Purchase t-shirts, mugs and more at our CafePress Store http://www.cafepress.com/mohawknews Subscribe to MNN for breaking news updates http://www.mohawknationnews.com/news/subscription.php Sign Women Title Holders petition! http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Iroquois Link to MNN Get the code and banners to link to Mohawk Nation News. http://www.mohawknationnews.com/pg.php?page=promote.html Your Support Make a contribution to our newsgroup. Secure your online transaction with PayPal. http://www.mohawknationnews.com/pg.php?page=donate.html Nia:wen, Kahentinetha Horn Kahentinetha2@yahoo.com Speaking & Contemorary Native Issues Workshops Katenies Katenies20@yahoo.com Manager Stay tuned! www.mohawknationnews.com Please forward this email to a friend. --------- "RE: Ontario will cover legal expenses for Land Claims" --------- Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:11:23 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LAND CLAIMS EXPENSES" http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/News/316262.html Ontario will cover legal expenses for land claims By Mike Aiken Miner and News June 15, 2007 Ontario's minister responsible for aboriginal affairs, David Ramsay, promised reforms to gaming funding and the financing of consultations with First Nations Thursday. Ramsay was addressing the Chiefs of Ontario meeting in Sioux Lookout, during his third trip to Northwestern Ontario in less than two months. "We both agree there is no time to waste," he said, referring to his ongoing dialogue with aboriginal leaders. The minister said loans to communities for the financing of land claims and treaty negotiations would be treated as grants in the future. Staff later said eight communities, including Couchiching and Wabigoon Lake, won't have to repay loans obtained through the Support for Community Negotiations fund. Others wishing to apply can follow the same process, but they will now receive grants, instead of loans. Previously, the loans were repaid, once a settlement was reached. Ramsay also outlined a new gaming deal for 133 aboriginal communities and specifically mentioned the Golden Eagle Casino near Kenora, as he offered proof of progress on a gaming agreement that could be worth $2.5 billion over 20 years. He said the deal was unique in Canada, since it would allow for revenue sharing for communities like Wauzhushk Onigum, also known as Rat Portage. This would allow for the creation of local economies on First Nations and help self-government. Following Ramsay's speech, Regional Chief Angus Toulouse, who leads the Chiefs of Ontario backed calls for peaceful demonstrations during the June 29 National Day of Action to back treaty rights and land claims. "We do need to work together," he said, emphasizing the need for quick work before the fall provincial election. Relatives of Dudley George, whose death sparked the Ipperwash Inquiry, were pleased with the minister's response. "Our family is very pleased, especially with action taken on treaty rights and land claims," said George's cousin, Cathryn Mandoka. They have already started reclaiming the buildings that were taken away from them during the Second World War, she noted. However, Chief Don Maracle from the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, was more skeptical. While band council didn't authorize or support the railway blockade that blocked traffic on the vital Montreal to Toronto corridor, he still demanded the province play a role in negotiating a solution. He described the situation with his youth as "volatile," since they have seen the deed to the land in question, and they understand that it was sold illegally. "We have a deed, and we've never given consent," he stated, during a brief interview after the minister's speech. The land is now being used as a quarry, and the chief was disappointed that Ramsay, who is also the Natural Resources minister who granted the licence, won't act to de-escalate the situation. For his part, Ramsay said there was a federal facilitator in place, and he would be following their lead. The chiefs also have frustrations of their own, as proceedings have been handicapped by a lack of quorum at the meeting. Copyright c. 2007 Kenora Daily Miner and News. --------- "RE: Land Claims: It's about 'Our Jurisdiction'" --------- Date: Saturday, June 16, 2007 02:07 am From: orakwa Subj: MNN it's not about "Land Claims. It's about "Our Jurisdiction" IT'S NOT ABOUT 'LAND CLAIMS'. IT 'S ABOUT 'OUR JURISDICTION'. IT'S ABOUT THE RAPID DECLINE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COLONIAL 'EMPIRE'. MNN. June 14, 2007. The colonizers just don't get it. The squatters can't give us what is ours. Even their Supreme Court acknowledged that we were already living in organized societies before Europeans arrived to kill us and pillage our land. Legally speaking the colonizers can't dictate anything to us, but they keep on trying. Now they want to put what they stole from us under their own made-up foreign scheme called ''unsettling' land claims'. They want to pay us with our money they made from stealing our land and resources. They're trying to make reparations for one crime by committing another. It's like playing poker with someone who doesn't have any money and keeps borrowing from us to raise their anti. Then they egg us on by telling us we can win big! We just want the colonizers to get their butts out of here. We don't care whether they call it 'specific' theft or 'comprehensive' theft, its theft! They should admit their ancestors were cheats, vagabonds, liars, murderers and pedophiles. In the U.S. a former Customs Agent was sentenced to 6,242 years for sexually exploiting a young girl over a two-year period. The colonizers have been raping us and our land for over 500 years. These criminals should be banished forever. We will not accept the murder of our future generations through another attempt to steal our land and resources. It's over! Canada is trying to weasel out of the agreements they've already made. We can't trust them. Sections 109 and 132 of the BNA Act 1867 lay out respect for our inherent rights and the process that was set up to relinquish it if we so chose. We did'nt do that because we can't. Canada keeps violating its own laws and the British constitution that set them up. Our jurisdiction can never change. It is the fact of our existence. We've been created as part of the natural world on Turtle Island. We can't be separated from who we are. When we look at our children, we see our past, present and future. We can't roam hither and yon as the colonists do, like a bunch of nomads looking for a home and a father. Colonists pride themselves in coming from 'Heinz 57' varieties of ancestry and being able to pick up and move anywhere they want. We hear them say, 'My mother is part English, part German and part Metis. My father is part Italian, part Greek and my grandmother may be a Cherokee Princess'. Mutts are mutts! Bow wow! Who are these strangers? They don't seem to have ties to any land, except to exploit and destroy it. They rape and pollute the environment on such a grand scale, without concerns for their future generations. To make a buck or two they're willing to release lethal poisons that will take 250,000 or 1 million years to clean up. The whole world is living on the last 10% of the fish stocks. Their wacky ideas about Turtle Island is conditioned by the colonial maps they color in kindergarten depicting their artificial colonial borders. It shows the divisions of the goods they stole from us. Their history is about colonization of Turtle Island by carrying out the bidding of their elite masters in Europe. Because of this miseducation, immigrants and their descendants think it's okay to come here and exploit us and our resources, to rape and pillage our land and then leave and start up a store somewhere else. Next, it's outer space. We hear there's water on Mars! Go! Go! Go! They were not taught that their ancestors came here as indentured servants, which is a cut above a slave. They still are. 'Citizen' is just another word for slave. They had to follow the command of some idiotic upper class generals who ran the colonies, or be shot for treason. Immigrants are told that this is an empty land, waiting to be 'developed' and our resources are here for the taking. They aren't taught about our natural territories, our names for the land, our system of government , how we conducted our societies, and how we dealt with the death and oppression that came rolling upon us. The immigrants become Canadians by swearing an oath of allegiance to their foreign queen. She is the formal head of this weed that has encroached on our land. They invited their people to come and live on our land on the condition that they ignore us and participate in oppressing us. Prince Harry, the Queen's grandson, is in Alberta for military training. He's believed to be specializing in cruising bars and groping barmaids. With a little luck, maybe on the June 29th day of action, they'll send him to us. They'll shine his armor and hoist him onto a hefty steed so he can defend the honor of the crown. Bring him on! We won't harm the messenger. When he sobers up, we hope he can take our message back: respect our treaties and honor your granny in right of Her Majesty. 'Granny, they're picking on me' She'll tell him, 'Oh, Come on home. Let the suckers go to Iraq!' Colonialism is an addiction to short term gain that doesn't think about tomorrow. It's like druggies who shoot up or smoke up without thinking about who and what is going to look after things while they're in their temporary 'nirvana'. Rehabilitation of colonists is futile. They're too far gone. We are watching the decline of the North American empire. The cities are falling apart. The colonial system is declining because it depends on top down hierarchical dis-organization. It needs a guy at the top to make decisions for them. When there isn't anyone smart enough to run the whole scam, it all falls apart. Look at the mess the RCMP is in. The management has been caught pilfering from their own pension fund. The colonial system only works when the people support it. When the people decide they don't want the system anymore, it will break down. It's all been seen before. Remember the Roman Empire! It was Britain's model. When it got corrupt it fell like a ton of bricks. Many people are disillusioned because it's becoming a tax collecting machine that uses fear to oppress, confuse and control. This system benefits a few lazy greedy gluttons who want to live in luxury while the rest starve. You can tell it's collapsing because the cities are decaying. Montreal is covered with cheap freeways that were built in a hurry. Chunks of concrete are falling on people's heads. Sometimes whole sections of overpasses collapse crushing whoever happens to be driving beneath. There is inflation. Look at the price of housing. You have to be a millionaire these days just to buy a little shack. The foreign bankers are invading and taking over businesses. There's almost no such thing as a local general store anymore. Colonial laws are organized to set up these foreign takeovers by corporations that are based somewhere offshore or in London, Paris, Cayman Islands or wherever. This makes them free to suck the lifeblood out of the land and the people without any thought for the future. Colonial states have always functioned in the interests of foreigners. The colonizing culture is like a cancer that's invaded our land and will kill the host unless the body becomes strong enough to resist it. We try not to be part of the cancer and its lifestyle. We have to find a way to survive until it eats itself up and dies, which we hope is soon. They have no claim to any of our land. There is nothing to negotiate. They just have to remove themselves from where they don't belong. They have to negotiate with their own people, like those in Caledonia. First they have to admit that the federal and provincial governments committed fraud by giving them false titles. Then they have to figure out how to get them off. Their offer to us! Like they think that we think they're giving us something! We aren't idiots! The colonizers can dictate anything they want, we're just not buying into their hoax! Kahentinetha Horn, MNN Mohawk Nation News To read more on Canada: http://www.mohawknationnews.com/news/news4.php' en=en&layout=mnn&category=27&srcurl=%2Fnews%2Fnews3.php% 3Flang%3Den%26layout%3Dmnn%26sortorder%3D0 New MNN Books Available Now! http://www.mohawknationnews.com/pg.php'page=store.html Mohawk Warriors Three - The Trial of Lasagna, Noriega, 20/20 $20.00 usd Where Eagles Dare to Soar - Indians, Politics & Aids $20.00 usd The Agonizing Death of "Colonialism" and "Federal Indian Law" Kaianere'ko:wa/Great Law Territory $20.00 usd Who's Sorry Now' The good, the bad and the unapologetic Mohawks of Kanehsatake $20.00 usd To order books below, email us: Rebuilding the Iroquois Confederacy Karoniaktajeh $10 usd Warriors Hand Book Karoniaktajeh $10 usd Mail checks and money orders to... MNN P.O. Box 991 Kahnawake, QC J0L 1B0 Purchase t-shirts, mugs and more at our CafePress Store http://www.cafepress.com/mohawknews Subscribe to MNN for breaking news updates http://www.mohawknationnews.com/news/subscription.php Sign Women Title Holders petition! http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Iroquois Link to MNN Get the code and banners to link to Mohawk Nation News. http://www.mohawknationnews.com/pg.php'page=promote.html Your Support Make a contribution to our newsgroup. Secure your online transaction with PayPal(R). http://www.mohawknationnews.com/pg.php'page=donate.html Nia:wen, Kahentinetha Horn Kahentinetha2@yahoo.com Speaking & Contemorary Native Issues Workshops Katenies Katenies20@yahoo.com Manager Stay tuned! www.mohawknationnews.com Please forward this email to a friend. --------- "RE: Committee works to transfer MCFD Authority" --------- Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 07:13:04 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MCFD AUTHORITY TRANSFER" http://www.agassizharrisonobserver.com/ Aboriginal committee works to transfer MCFD authority By Lorene Keitch The Observer June 13, 2007 Aboriginal elders are taking an innovative yet ancient approach to solving some very real issues within their communities. The Fraser Region Aboriginal Committee (FRAPC) is one of five regional groups across B.C. working to regionalize the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD). The end-goal is to create five new service delivery authorities throughout the province targeted for and run by Aboriginals to replace MCFD services. FRAPC, an 11-member group which includes local Seabird elder Ivan McIntyre, recently met with Tom Christensen, minister of children and family development, to discuss the regionalization process. FRAPC Chair Maureen Chapman says the lunch meeting with Christensen held May 31 was beneficial. At the meeting, elders stressed the importance of moving the process forward. "This is the first time a sitting MCFD minister has met with the Elders, " noted Chapman. "It was an excellent opportunity for him to learn about their deep commitment to children and family issues and for him to understand how important this is to the Aboriginal people of the Fraser Region." They also discussed the need for training more Aboriginal social workers. "We are very thankful to the Minister for taking the time to meet with us," McIntyre says. "I was very pleased that he recognized our efforts." McIntyre, who has been involved with FRAPC for several years, says this new authority will take children out of the political arena and bring them back to their roots. "They will get back what has been taken away from them - their spirituality, their culture and their language," he states. Government services for transfer to the new authority include family development, adoption, early childhood development, childcare, youth justice, child protection and child and youth mental health. Michael Suedfeld, FRAPC communications manager, says the statistics surrounding children and family development in Aboriginal communities are startling. The numbers prove that the way things have been done is just not working. "If you know anything about statistics involving Aboriginal children and families right now, they're not very good and they're getting worse," he says. For example, approximately 40 per cent of children in care in this region are Aboriginal even though they make up only about 5 per cent of the population. One third of youth in custody in B.C. are Aboriginal even though they only make up about seven or eight per cent of the youth population. And Aboriginal people live about a decade less on average than non-Aboriginals in Canada. Throughout the process, FRAPC has discussed how services can be best shaped to benefit Aboriginals. Ideas such as allowing grandparents, elders and extended family members to be involved and giving youth a greater voice brings the process back to more of a traditional Aboriginal model. The importance of having services under one roof and having service delivery made consistent throughout a child's life are also reflected in this new model. All the ideas should lead to the creation of an Aboriginal-driven service delivery that more accurately reflects traditional communities. "That's the goal, to absolutely make sure that in communities where certain things are done in certain ways, we can work within those traditional ways of doing things," explains Suedfeld. FRAPC, which covers the area from Burnaby to Boston Bar, exists to plan for the creation of what will be called the Fraser Region Aboriginal Authority. The long-term goal is for Aboriginal people to both operate the Authority and contract services to Aboriginal service providers whenever possible. The process began in 2002 when the provincial government decided to form authorities to deliver services for MCFD, similar to what was done with the regionalization of health authorities. At the time, Aboriginal leaders agreed that Aboriginals should have authority over MCFD services for Aboriginal people. Known as the Tsawwassen Accord, the government agreed to it and signed a memorandum of understanding with the province's Aboriginal leaders. "The Aboriginal leaders said we want a system that will have more tradition and cultural aspects built into it," Suedfeld explains. Elders were chosen to sit on advisory committees to discuss what is needed in this new authority. "They give advice on how to do things in a way that will be culturally appropriate," Suedfeld says. While the Fraser Region Aboriginal Authority is still a long way from reality, Suedfeld says positive steps such as the first meeting with Christensen are helping move the process forward. The goal is to have the regional authorities created by 2010, with the whole transformation complete by 2020. WANT MORE INFORMATION? - For more information, check out www.fraa.ca Copyright c. 2007 Agassiz Observer, A Division of Black Press. --------- "RE: Native Justice" --------- Date: Fri, 15 June 2007 14:06:22 -0700 From: Janet Smith [owlstar@bellsouth.net] Subj: NA News Item -- Court asked to quash Stonechild inquiry findings -- Prison time is urged for Griles -- Fort Frances Youth Justice