_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 15, ISSUE 033 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, 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 August 13, 2007 Abenaki temezowas/cutter moon Klamath t-hopo/berries dried moon Algonquin micheenee kesos/moon when Indian corn is edible Western Cherokee galohni/end of the fruit or drying up 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 List: 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: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + "A member of congress didn't like a decision that a tribe made and then decided that the tribes' actions warranted congressional intervention and basically tried to serve a death sentence to the tribe. Congress is taking a step toward telling the tribes how to run their nations and going so far as to tell a tribe who is "Indian" and who is not." __ Mike Miller, Communications Officer, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | 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 California Representative Diane Watson is a member of the Congerssional Black Caucus, so it is understandable that she wants to protect black constituents. She has, however, crossed a line when she floats a bill to remove funding from the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma for voting to require members of their Nation to have Cherokee blood. The fact that this disenfranchises a large number of Freedmen, who have enjoyed tribal benefits without having Cherokee blood, is what has set Mrs. Watson on her personal vendetta. Apparently she has focused entirely on the fact that the Freedmen who have been disenfranched are of black ancestry, not on the key factor, that they have no Cherokee ancestry by blood. Given their history, the Freedmens' dismay is understandable, but given the general citizenship standards imposed by most tribes, the exclusion can be seen as understandable as well. It is critical that the reader understand not all Freedmen are now on the outside looking in... only those who have zero Cherokee blood. Those that have Cherokee descendancy are being continued on the rolls like all other Cherokee Nation of Oklahome enrollees who are entitled to tribal membership and benefits because of their blood ancestry. This requirement is not one bit different from other federal tribes. In fact, the blood quantum requirement for many tribes is far more strict than that being imposed by the CNO. Until this issue arose, the US government, through its BIA agents, has encouraged tribes to retain, or even tighten "blood quantum" standards for tribal citizenship. The government has never called the exclusion even of of children of enrolled tribal members due to lack of a certain percentage of tribal ancestry racist - until now. To be a member of the Navajo Nation you must be Dine', to be a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe you must not just be Lakota, but Oglala. So what is so unique about the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma requiring members to be Cherokee? Only one thing... blacks who have no Cherokee claim are being disenfranchised. Mrs. Watson needs to study BIA regulations before she determines who should should be a tribal member of any tribal nation. I have to wonder if she pulls this little trick off, will she then float a bill to require all tribal nations to accept any black resident of the United States who wants to play Indian? And if Congress goes along with her, then there will be no point in even pretending the US is or was anything other than a "benevolent dictator" to Indian tribes, indulgently allowing them the trappings of national identity as long as their pretenses did not stray from US mandated standards. ' ' 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: - Isleta Native to head . Tribal Enrollment by decree American Indian Law Center - Red Like Me? - Tribal Wake Center Assailing Cherokee Sovereignty focuses on Family and Culture - American Indians - GIAGO: Hollywood plan smaller Sturgis Presence dashes hopes of 'Wounded Knee' - BIA 'mismanaged' Radio Equipment, - JODI RAVE: audit finds Walking program enlightens - No Child Left Behind - MILLER: Doctrine of Discovery leaves no room for culture alive in Modern Time - Ponca proceed with Lawsuits - MITTELL: Corruption over Carbon Black of the Native American - Learning Indian Culture - GRAHAM: Watson's resolution helps broaden horizons insults Native People - Arizona Case - KIRST: Oren Lyons may redefine Sacred Land keeps Onondaga Nation's Faith - Steering Mescalero kids on course - JODI RAVE: - Navajo Lore Democrats partner with Native Bank during `Remembrance Days' - YELLOW BIRD: Indian Youth - Standing Rock Sioux Tribe can learn from History compensates Members - Speculation over fate - Native American Dancers swindled of Indian Affairs Minister - Duck Valley fire crisis over - Police investigating death - Warm Springs Fires burn, of Elder on Reserve Costs rise - Court denies Indian appeal - Ho-Chunk suspensions on Water regulation anger Tribal Members - Village may be on its own in fight - Tribe's offer of Citizenship - Native Justice spurs warning -- Unequal Justice in - Tribal Firedancers face dangerous, Reservation Crimes demanding work - Rustywire: Wingate Valley Boys - Maryland Indians Seek Recognition - Lee Goins Poem: A Poem Of Poetry - Upcoming Events --------- "RE: Red Like Me? Assailing Cherokee Sovereignty" --------- Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 07:16:57 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ANTI-SOVEREIGNTY BILL H.R. 2824 INTRODUCED BY WATSON" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.pacificfreepress.com/content/view/1526/81/ Red Like Me? Assailing Cherokee Sovereignty Rep. Diane Watson of California Attacks the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma With Introduction of H.R. 2824 Legislation by Shelley Bluejay Pierce August 13, 2007 Questions about tribal sovereignty and who can be a registered citizen of an Indian tribe in the USA became the focus for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma this past month. California Congresswoman, Diane E. Watson, introduced legislation that calls for a severing of U.S. relations with the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, ( full text of H.R. 2824 located here ). Included within the bill are recommendations that cut all federal funding to the tribe until such time that the Cherokee Nation restores full tribal citizenship to a group of African Americans known as Freedmen. WASHINGTON D.C. - Congresswoman Watson's H.R.2824 essentially punishes the Cherokee Nation for requiring its citizens to have Indian ancestry. Approximately 500 other Indian tribes across the USA mandate that citizens be of verifiable Indian bloodline in order to be a citizen of that tribe. The Cherokee Nation is the second largest tribe in the United States, with about 280,000 members including more than 1,500 citizens who are descendants of Freedmen who have proven Indian ancestry. Freedmen approached members of the Congressional Black Caucus requesting their assistance in restoring their citizenship in the Cherokee Nation. Rep. Diane Watson, joined by 11 other lawmakers, introduced the bill that threatens to cut millions of dollars in federal funding to the Cherokees. "A member of congress didn't like a decision that a tribe made and then decided that the tribes' actions warranted congressional intervention and basically tried to serve a death sentence to the tribe. Congress is taking a step toward telling the tribes how to run their nations and going so far as to tell a tribe who is "Indian" and who is not," stated Mike Miller, Communications Officer for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. The Cherokee Nation voted on March 3, 2007 to amend their Constitution to clarify eligibility for Cherokee citizenship. 77% of the voting citizens approved this amendment with more than 8,700 citizens voting which the Cherokee website states, "was a higher turnout than the vote for the Cherokee Nation's constitution, four years ago." The vote followed a petition drive for a ballot measure to determine who is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Cherokee Nation spokesman, Mike Miller, further explained, "We have more than 1500 Cherokee citizens who are Cherokee by blood but who also have Freedmen ancestors. We have thousands of other Cherokee citizens who are also African American. The point is if you have an Indian ancestor on our Dawes rolls, then you can be a Cherokee citizen. If you do not have the bloodline connection then you are not a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. This is a question of being INDIAN without discussing any other race involvement. Every other Indian tribe bases their membership this way so why are the Cherokee being treated differently?" H.R 2824 has drawn strong reaction from the general public. In what seems a backward process, the Cherokee Nation has been given possible penalties by lawmakers prior to official investigations or discussions with proper agencies that deal with tribal affairs. H.R. 2824 details what the lawmakers are requesting in a final phase of judgment, even going so far as to suggest enormous penalties for non-compliance, before formal discussions or investigations have taken place between the leaderships. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) voiced strong opposition to the bill in a press statement released on June 26, 2007. In the statement, Joe Garcia, the President of NCAI stated, "It is outrageous to propose to terminate the existence of an Indian Nation. This is an uncalled for response to a legal question of treaty interpretation. When Alabama or California takes an action inconsistent with Congressional views, there is no discussion of revoking their statehood. The attempt to revoke tribal nationhood is equally inappropriate. Not since the Termination Era of the 1950's, when the official policy of the federal government was complete destruction of indigenous peoples, have we seen such a piece of legislation. NCAI was founded to oppose termination of Indian tribes." Additionally, the bill addresses actions directed at other tribes who have Freedmen connections stating, "Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue a public report to Congress on the status of freedmen in the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole Nations of Oklahoma." Chief Chad Smith has stated in previous press coverage, "My roll as Principal Chief was to bring the issue of citizenship to a vote. Determination of citizenship is the decision of the people, not the Principal Chief, not the tribal council and not the court." H.R 2824 suggests punishing tribes for decisions made within their own nations if this bill is approved in its current form. Tribal sovereignty refers to the inherent authority of indigenous tribes to govern themselves. Native tribes have fought a long battle to secure tribal sovereignty in regards to fair and equitable relationships between Washington leadership and the tribes. A 1981 legal case, Montana v U.S., clarified that, `tribal nations possess inherent power over their internal affairs, and civil authority over non-members within tribal lands to the extent necessary to protect health, welfare, economic interests or political integrity of the tribal nation.' Elected tribal governments have the legal ability to determine actions that impact their citizens as well as setting their own criteria for membership. The Indian Education and Self-Determination Act in the mid- 1970s sought to re-establish sovereignty amongst the Indian nations. H.R. 2824, in its current form, is suggested to undermine all the progress that has been made in regards to the tribes maintaining self-determination. "To say that the Freedmen have always been members of the Cherokee Nation regardless of blood quantum is not accurate. From 1975 to 2006, each citizen of the Cherokee Nation had to have provided a blood relation link to an Indian citizen on the rolls. Blood line had to be established or you were not accepted into the Cherokee Nation," stated Mike Miller. The Cherokee official website explains that Freedmen and other non- Indians were granted tribal citizenship under a tribal court ruling just one year ago. Prior to that and following this vote, to be part of the Cherokee Nation at least one Indian ancestor listed on the base roll was required for Cherokee citizenship status to be granted. Some vocal critics of the Cherokee Amendment suggest that they have been denied membership based on greed. In earlier mainstream press reports, references to the large sums of money earned by various casinos are targeted as a possible reason for the Cherokee Nation limiting its membership. In discussing this with Native American Times, spokesman, Mike Miller, explained the many inaccuracies in this suggestion. Cherokee casino earnings are invested back into the nation and are not paid out to individual citizens. The casino earnings are used to help fund and expand important government services including health care and education. Though many other tribes across the USA pay out a per-capita check that each citizen of the tribe receives from casino earnings, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma does not follow this method. The Bureau of Indian Affairs acknowledged in a letter dated August 9, 2007, that the federal government no longer has the authority to approve amendments to the Cherokee Nation Constitution. Carl Artman, BIA's top official, cited a June 23, 2007 vote of the Cherokee people and agreed that federal approval of amendments to the Cherokee Nation Constitution would no longer be necessary. The letter ends an eight-year struggle by the Cherokee Nation to remove the BIA from its Constitutional process. When U.S. lawmakers return from their Summer break, committee meetings and investigations will continue into the issue of Cherokee citizen requirements and take aim at the very foundations of tribal sovereignty. While the process moves forward to resolution, the business operations of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma are expected to move forward unhindered. In a letter to Chief Chad Smith, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs Deputy Director, Jerry Gidner, stated that the Department intended to continue providing Federal funding to the Cherokee Nation, unless otherwise directed by a Federal court or Federal legislation. Article is copyleft Pacific Free Press. --------- "RE: American Indians plan smaller Sturgis Presence" --------- Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2007 07:12:59 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BEAR BUTTE ENCROACHMENT STILL A SERIOUS ISSUE" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/08/06/ news/regional/90bb84a513bbeb238725732d007a1abb.txt American Indians plan smaller Sturgis presence August 6, 2007 SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - American Indians again plan to have a presence at the upcoming Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to protest motorcycle noise, loud music and alcohol consumption around Bear Butte, but the gathering will likely be smaller. Last year, Indians from around the United States and at least one other country confronted bikers in Sturgis, then walked to the natural land mass outside of town that they consider sacred. For centuries, Indians from various tribes have come to the butte to pray, fast and hold religious ceremonies. They say noise from the bars and campgrounds disrupts the peace, and they want bikers to avoid those places. Alex White Plume, former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, is again organizing this year's protest with his wife, but without issuing an invitation to other tribes. The rally runs Monday through Sunday. "Last year we invited many nations. But this year we want people to come on their own," he said. There's a gathering planned for Sunday in Rapid City and an encampment at the base of Bear Butte on land owned by the Northern Cheyenne Tribe along Highway 79, he said. "Within 4 miles we want to stop all alcohol sales and loud noise and desecration," White Plume said. Efforts to pass such a buffer zone have failed at the county commission and Legislature. Tamra Brennan of Sturgis, a member of the committee organizing the encampment, said it should not be considered a protest action. "We're not going to do any marches or things like that," she said. "This is not a protest at all. It's strictly a peaceful prayer camp." Since last year's rally, alcohol licenses for several businesses that operate between Sturgis and Bear Butte during the motorcycle rally were renewed by the Meade County Commission. A license for one place that was at the center of last year's protest was not. Commissioners said they didn't renew the offsite beer license for Sturgis County Line because of unpaid and late payments to construction contractors. The owner, Jay Allen, can't apply for another year. He will be able to serve alcohol that's consumed at the bar, but can't sell it for offsite consumption. Allen also owns the Broken Spoke Saloon in Sturgis. At the June commission hearing, Allen said by telephone that the Sturgis County Line project has been a financial headache, and that some contractors overcharged or didn't finish their jobs. His representative told commissioners that Allen is selling his Broken Spoke Saloons in New Hampshire and Florida and taken on partners at his Broken Spoke in downtown Sturgis. Copyright c. 1995-2007 Casper Star-Tribune, Lee Enterprises Inc. --------- "RE: BIA 'mismanaged' Radio Equipment, audit finds" --------- Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 07:27:01 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WHY FUND HEALTH CARE WHEN YOU CAN BLOW MONEY THIS WAY?" http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/004306.asp BIA 'mismanaged' radio equipment, audit finds August 7, 2007 The Bureau of Indian Affairs wasted $3.9 million on new radios and could not properly account for $20 million it spent on the technology, according to recent audit. The BIA "mismanaged" its law enforcement radio communications program, the report from the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General said. The agency bought and stored $3.6 million in equipment it could not use, lacked controls over $6.2 million in inventory, maintained inadequate documentation for $20 million in spending and improperly awarded at least $5.5 million to a sole-source contractor, according to the audit. "This environment exposes BIA to an unacceptable risk of fraud," Jack Rouch, a regional audit manager, wrote. But the BIA wasn't alone in its mismanagement. A separate report said the entire department wasted over $25 million on radio technology and still ended up with an inadequate system. Interior "has an unsafe and unreliable radio communications environment that jeopardizes the health and safety of DOI employees and the public," the report said. According to the second report, 86 percent of the BIA's radio sites are in "poor" or "extremely poor" condition with risk of injury or death. Only three percent were rated as "excellent," the OIG said. Similarly, 56 percent of Bureau of Land Management sites were in poor or extremely poor condition, the report said. None of the BLM sites were found to be excellent. The lack of an adequate system poses severe risks particularly in rural areas of Indian Country where law enforcement personnel often patrol large areas alone. The report cites a 2004 case where a BIA officer was attacked by a dog but was unable to secure assistance due to faulty radio transmission equipment. "As a last resort, the officer shot and killed the dog to protect his life," the OIG wrote. "A passerby found the officer and was able to provide assistance." The BIA is also furthest behind on a department-wide project to upgrade the radio system. As of October 31, 2006, nearly two years after the deadline, the agency was only 16 percent complete, according to the report. In 1996, all Interior bureaus were required to convert from an analog radio system to a digital one. The goal was to have the new system in place by January 1, 2005. "Our department-wide radio communications program audit disclosed that unsafe and deteriorating infrastructure hampered BIA's implementation of this mandate," the OIG said in the BIA-specific audit. BIA started purchasing equipment to meet the goal but didn't have a plan to put it in use, the report said. As a result, over $3.6 million in equipment sits in storage at a cost of more than $250,000, and will continue to waste even more money. "We estimate that BIA has spent, and will continue to spend, approximately $540,000 a year to store and maintain the equipment," the audit said. Some of the equipment ended up being stored beneath a highway underpass in Albuquerque, New Mexico. That means some of the equipment will have to refurbished - incurring yet another cost. In response to the report, associate deputy secretary Jim Cason said the BIA was taking greater steps to improve its management. But the OIG said the BIA needs to be monitored to ensure it implements all of the recommendations. Copyright c. 2007 Indianz.com. --------- "RE: No Child Left Behind leaves no room for culture" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 10:37:07 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRIBES MAKE PLEA FOR CHANGE TO SENATOR BINGAMAN" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/66427.html Tribes say No Child Left Behind leaves no room for culture By JOHN SENA | The New Mexican August 10, 2007 Native American officials make plea for change to Sen. Jeff Bingaman at hearing Native American officials and educators told U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D- N.M., that the federal No Child Left Behind Act does not recognize native cultures and languages, and limits the ways schools can use them in their curriculums. Bingaman was in Santa Fe on Friday to conduct a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which has jurisdiction over federal education law. The hearing was part of an effort to seek public input on the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind and specifically on how it affects Native American students. "I've come across nothing that would enable me to be a proponent of the act," said James Mountain, governor of San Ildefonso Pueblo. Mountain said he's heard from teachers in the Pojoaque school district, where many San Ildefonso pupils attend classes, that the act does not take into account cultural differences and has forced schools to focus strictly on English, leaving no room for native languages. "Once we lose our language, we lose our culture," Mountain said. Maggie Benally, principal of the Navajo Immersion School in Fort Defiance, Ariz., said her school is an example of what can happen when schools use native language as a tool. Pupils in grades K-2 there learn only in the Dine' language and switch gradually to an English-language curriculum after that. The school has made adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind for the past three years, Benally said. "Language and culture have a positive effect on student achievement," she said. If lawmakers reauthorize the act, Benally said, they need to leave room for schools to incorporate language and culture. The government also should encourage and fund ways to make sure Indian schools have enough high-quality teachers, she said. State Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia said schools in isolated rural areas, where many tribal and pueblo schools are located, often have difficulty recruiting teachers. The government needs to support ways to encourage Native Americans to become teachers so they can return to teach in their tribes and pueblos, Garcia said. The law also disregards tribal sovereignty by forcing schools to adhere to state academic standards, said Samantha Pasena, a recent graduate of the Santa Fe Indian School. In addition to issues facing Native Americans, the panel also brought up the concern that under No Child Left Behind, special-education students are forced to take the same tests as regular students. "A lot of specifics were brought up that I had never heard before," Bingaman said after the hearing. He said would take concerns about maintaining culture in the face of the federal law back to Washington. No Child Left Behind requires testing of students in grades three to eight and at least one grade of high school. Proponents of changes to the law argue there should be different methods of assessment, including a growth model that follows the progress of individual students. Gov. Bill Richardson, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, has said he will work to get rid of the law if he is elected. Supporters of the law say changes might weaken it and undermine the accountability it was intended to establish. Contact John Sena at 995-3812 or jsena@sfnewmexican.com. Copyright c. 2007 Santa Fe New Mexican, all rights reserved. --------- "RE: Ponca proceed with Lawsuits over Carbon Black" --------- Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 07:45:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CARBON BLACK POLLUTION" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415550 Ponca Tribe proceeds with lawsuits over carbon black pollution by: Brian Daffron / Today correspondent August 10, 2007 Part one OKLAHOMA CITY - When E.W. Marland drilled for oil in close proximity to a Ponca tribal graveyard near Ponca City in 1911, it was the beginning of many things for Marland - the rise and fall of an oil empire that would eventually become Conoco, as well as terms as Oklahoma congressman and governor. But for Oklahoma's Ponca Tribe, it was the beginning of a long line of industrial pollutants that would affect the tribal community for decades to come. One of the latest in a long line of corporations to have a factory near the Ponca Tribe is the Houston, Texas-based Continental Carbon Company, owned by the Koo family of Taiwan. The Ponca Tribe filed a lawsuit in April 2005 on the basis of carbon black pollution emitted from the CCC plant located near the Ponca community of White Eagle. Carbon black is used to reinforce tires and hoses, and is an ingredient in printing ink. Attorneys representing the Ponca Tribe and individual tribal members as well as attorneys for CCC were scheduled to meet Aug. 2 in federal court to set a trial date for early spring 2008. However, plaintiffs for the Ponca Tribe received a notice Aug. 1 from the federal judge hearing the case that the scheduling meeting was "stricken until further notice from the court," said Kalyn Free, attorney for the Ponca Tribe. Free was disappointed that the scheduling meeting did not happen on the appointed date and that they would work quickly for a new scheduling meeting. Free added that the people of the Ponca Tribe "have waited a long time for justice," she said. According to the lawsuit filed by the Ponca Tribe, the carbon black pollution has affected not only residential property and overall quality of life, but has specifically affected the health of White Eagle residents. "The reality that the Ponca tribal members live with is completely different than anyone else's reality," said Free, a member of the Choctaw Nation. "The fact that you have children that, when they're outside playing, because they have breathing problems and asthma because of the pollution, you've got 3- or 4-year-olds coming in and asking their parents for a breathing treatment. Little kids who know how to set up a nebulizer. This is a natural way of life - they know nothing different. They think that it's normal that they're covered with carbon, this black powder. They can't have an Easter egg hunt. They can't play outside. Their entire way of life is different. The parents have made adjustments. Most of them have ripped out their carpet. One family in particular put black tile down in their house because they can't keep their homes clean. They can't keep their clothes clean. They can't keep their children clean." In addition to the health problems caused by carbon black pollution, other potential sources of pollution such as a ConocoPhillips refinery and a landfill within sight of the Ponca tribal cemetery can have other effects beyond those that are physical, including depression and a higher rate of domestic violence. "It is so subtle," said current Ponca tribal chair and former Ponca environmental director Dan Jones about the effects of pollution on his tribe. "It manifests itself in very violent tendencies. In all of our background, it is a culture based on the purity of the earth and the sanctity of the earth - the air, all the elements. Regardless today of a Ponca tribal member's religious affiliation, somewhere in the back of their mind, they've heard from either grandparents or relatives that these things are sacred. They are the source of all life." In concurrence with Jones on the decades-long effects of industrial pollution is Jonathan Hook, the Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 director of Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs, whose office is in Dallas. Hook, a Cherokee Nation member who has been director of these offices for more than three years, said that the Ponca Tribe has long been subject to a series of "environmental stressors" and that it is the role of the EPA to not only study water and air samples, but also to determine how these stressors can affect a tribe's "traditional lifeways." "I have to believe Chairman Jones is looking at [environmental damage] in terms of multiple stressors and cumulative risk," Hook said. "When you combine the number of different stressors along with the length of time that the community's been subjected to these stressors, then there's a significant impact." (Continued in part two) Copyright c. 1998 - 2007 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Learning Indian Culture helps broaden horizons" --------- Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 19:43:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NORTH CAROLINA MOVEMENT OPENS POSSIBILITIES" http://www.newsobserver.com/1565/story/667015.html Learning N.C. American Indian culture helps broaden horizons By KRISTIN COLLINS The News & Observer of Raleigh August 11, 2007 ST. JAMES, N.C. The flat coastal plain, punctuated by trailers and cornfields, offers few clues that this is the home of the Waccamaw-Siouans, a little-known American Indian tribe that has lived in southeastern North Carolina since the mid-1700s. But this small tribe has become the center of a movement that is quietly trying to change the future of an invisible, and often neglected, population. More than two dozen aspiring doctors from around the world recently wrapped up five weeks of volunteer work with tribes in North Carolina. They helped run day camps and leadership courses, planned wellness centers and worked in tribe hospice programs - all efforts to address health problems that afflict American Indians more than any other population. American Indians in North Carolina, like those around the country, are more likely than any other group to get, and have serious complications from, diabetes, studies show. Compared with white people, they are at higher risk for high blood pressure, asthma, obesity and mental illness. They are less likely to visit doctors, have health insurance, exercise or eat balanced diets. "American Indians live sicker and they die younger," said Anthony Fleg, a medical student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who started the volunteer project. "It's unjust. But in the eyes of many folks, American Indians are not even on the radar." While North Carolina may seem an unlikely place for what Fleg calls the Native Health Initiative, he points out that North Carolina is home to the largest American Indian population east of the Mississippi, an estimated 108,000 people. And unlike those in the American West, most of the state's tribes are not federally recognized, meaning they receive few public resources. The ancestral homes of many of North Carolina's eight state-recognized tribes sit in the state's most impoverished counties. And in some cases, many tribe members go unnoticed even by their neighbors. When the project began in 2005, Fleg said, two volunteers went to Columbus County leaders to discuss involving Waccamaw-Siouan students in school sports. "They were told very politely, 'We don't have any Indian students here,' " Fleg said. "If they're not noticed, how are they going to be well served?" Fleg's volunteers say the program, which operates without paid staff and little funding, is the only one in the country that engages medical students in American Indian communities rather than simply cycling students through clinics. They say they see themselves not as saviors but as seekers who want to forge a connection that could change the troubled relationship between American Indians and conventional doctors. The program expanded from about 10 volunteers each of the first two years to 26 this year. Because of the program's rising profile, UNC's medical school will soon offer a course in American Indian health. Some see it as the start of a new awareness of the struggles of American Indians. "We've always been used in unethical ways for the outside world to get what they needed," said Missy Brayboy, a Lumbee and the community services director at the N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs. "Here we have a group of young people that want to give to us." Inside the St. James Community Center, at a Columbus County crossroads about 125 miles south of Raleigh, the Waccamaw-Siouan tribe is very much alive. A dozen brown-skinned girls are tangled in a heap on the tile floor, giggling and groaning as Colleen Keough tells them to put their right foot on green. Keough, 21, recently graduated from the University of Texas and plans to enroll in medical school. This is her third week of helping supervise a group of rambunctious elementary and middle schoolers as they do tribal dances, learn about health and culture, prepare nutritious lunches and, sometimes, play Twister. She admits this isn't what she expected. "I thought we would be on a reservation," said Keough, who had never been to North Carolina. Instead, she found a place where American Indians are virtually indistinguishable from the other residents of a desolate rural area. Keough, like most volunteers, spent the summer living with an American Indian family, learning about the insular culture that makes them more vulnerable to the diseases of poverty. Some still frequent herbal healers and do not have conventional doctors or health insurance. Many American Indians see "white hospitals" as "places to go and die," said Emily Van Dyke, a fourth-year medical school student from California, herself a Blackfoot, who spent the summer working in a Tuscarora youth camp. Nakoma Simmons, who helps her daughter, Brittany Simmons, run the Waccamaw-Siouan camp, said the approximately 2,500 members of her tribe have lived for generations in two tiny communities. She said they are leery of strangers and stay within a small orbit. The campers went to Lake Waccamaw State Park, a mere dozen miles from their homes, and several of the children had never seen it before, Simmons said. So in addition to teaching the children to exercise and prepare nutritious foods - on this day, they lunched on spinach salads with feta cheese and fresh blackberries - they are using the volunteers to introduce campers to the wider world. The children listened to presentations about Ireland, Canada and Chapel Hill, all as foreign to them as the moon. Keough showed them a Power Point presentation with pictures of Texas: rodeo riders, the skyscrapers of Dallas, the University of Texas' gigantic football stadium. When she finished, girls who had never left North Carolina were singing "The Eyes of Texas," pinkies and index fingers extended in the sign of the longhorn. In this, the project's third year, five tribes welcomed volunteers. But the offer of outside help wasn't always an easy sell. In the program's first year, 2005, only the Waccamaw-Siouan agreed to host volunteers, who helped them create healthy menus for a day care center. Other tribes were wary of the kinds of projects in which well-funded researchers used American Indians as subjects or ran programs that gave the tribes no power. "What we've seen in the past is, when outsiders come in, they want to force changes," said Mark Deese, a member of the Tuscarora Indian Nation of North Carolina, who uses volunteers at his youth camp. "They don't know that our traditional government needs to monitor what's going on." Fleg and his wife, Shannon, a Navajo from Arizona, have built trust by offering the tribes complete control. The tribes create the projects, while volunteers provide the manpower. Volunteers don't bring their own project ideas, and they never collect data on tribe members unless the tribe asks them to. Leah Genge said she will return to medical school in Canada with no illusions that, in a few short weeks, she changed the lifestyles that may mean early death for the children she worked with this summer. But she said she leaves with a passion for serving marginalized people that will change her medical career. "The barriers are not as obvious as you think they are," Genge said. "Services can be available, but if we're not culturally sensitive, then they might as well not be there." Copyright c. 2007 The News & Observer Publishing Company A subsidiary of The McClatchy Company. --------- "RE: Arizona Case may redefine Sacred Land" --------- Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 19:43:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="QUECHAN CHALLENGE" http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/08/12/ arizona_case_may_redefine_sacred_land/9016/ Arizona case may redefine sacred land YUMA, Ariz. August 12, 2007 (UPI) - A legal fight begun by a small Native American tribe over a construction project in Yuma, Ariz., could potentially redefine the concept of sacred land. While current federal law protects tribes' religious or burial sites, a lawsuit introduced by a Quechan Indian leader is seeking to include potential tribal sites to that protected list as well, The New York Times said Sunday. Mike Jackson, whose tribe has about 3,300 members, is attempting to stop the creation of a $4 billion oil refinery by alleging tribal artifacts may exist on its construction site. In his suit, Jackson demands a lengthy and costly archaeological investigation be launched at the site to determine if his claim has merit. The demand comes despite claims by officials at Arizona Clean Fuels, the company behind the refinery, that no tribal artifacts have been found near the site. The Times said if Jackson is successful in his efforts, his case could redefine what is considered sacred tribal land and open the door for additional lawsuits from other U.S. tribes. Copyright c. 2007 United Press International. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Steering Mescalero kids on course" --------- Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 07:45:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FOUR DAY CLINIC HELPS KIDS TO RIGHT PATH" http://www.ruidosonews.com/sports/ci_6587741 Steering Mescalero kids on course Mike Curran mcurran@ruidosonews.com August 9, 2007 The 4th Annual Horse-manship Clinic held this week at the Samson Miller Memorial Rodeo Arena on the Mescalero Apache reservation has to be considered successful because of the large number of children who attended this worthwhile project. All of the participants were summer program members of the Mescalero Apache Boys and Girls Club and were placed in four categories: 6 years of age and under, 7-9, 10 through 12 and 13 and up. Because the area is spread-out and covers such a wide exoanse, the clubs are comprised of two groups - the Central chapter, which includes about 250 members, and the Carrizo branch, involving approximately 100 participants. This particular event is not just for the Mescalero Boys and Girls clubs, however; it is open to anyone who chooses to register. The events included in the clinic were barrel and flag racing, goat tying, dummy roping, sheep, steer, calf and junior bull riding, as well as bull riding itself. The rodeo seminar began Monday evening and continued for the next three days from 5-8p.m. each night with different skills being taught each day. On the opening day horsemanship experience was addressed, while the next two evenings the participants were allowed to choose their events. The four-day clinic culminated Thursday with a family fun night which included a free dinner and games such as the three-legged race and the frying pan toss. In addition, the boys and girls who attended the event for the previous three days, competed the last day in two contests of their choosing. Robyn Simmons, who has been the director of the clubs for the past six years, helped coordinate the rodeo camp with Cloyce Salazar, who also arranges the yearly, well-known Ceremonial Rodeo on July 4, and the August Pro Show. "We originated this clinic to give the reservation kids something to do and to try to give them the necessary skills to be able to fit into a dominant society," Simmons explained. "We're trying to teach them the basics of rodeoing and give them an understanding of another sport, while at the same time showing them how our ancestors handled horses and other stock." All of the instructors were volunteers and the stock was donated by the Inn of the Mountain Gods and the instructors themselves. "Normally, this fine rodeo arena is only used twice a year for the big rodeos we have annually," Salazar said. "This week's children's clinic affords kids the opportunity to learn something new, gets them out of the house and helps to keep them off the streets. "And you never know, we might get a future rodeo champion out of the bunch. "That being said, I find there's no better feeling than seeing a kid you once helped who is now a productive member of the community, and to that end, we have plans to hopefully have an annual junior rodeo held here in the near future." The next big rodeo to be held at the Samson Miller Arena will be the widely acclaimed PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) Pro Show, which will take place on the evenings of Aug. 17-18. Copyright c. 2006 Ruidoso News, a MediaNews Group Newspaper. --------- "RE: Navajo Lore during `Remembrance Days'" --------- Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 19:43:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="STORIES OF THE NAVAJO NATION" http://www.gallupindependent.com/2007/august/081107nkj_stryofhweeldi.html The story of Hweeldi 93-year-old revels in Navajo lore during `remembrance days' By Natasha Kaye Johnson Dine' Bureau August 11, 2007 NAVAJO MOUNTAIN, Utah - John Holiday, 93, sat underneath the shade below the announcer's booth in a lawn chair. He watched as people dashed toward the finished lines, grabbing prizes and treats. The sight made him laugh a bit, and it was apparent he was enjoying himself. Throughout the day, community members shared their fondest memories of past annual "remembrance days." Some shared memories of riding horses for three straight days to get to the festivities because there were no horse trailers, while others shared memories of hoarding candy as a child, while dressed in their best traditional attire. But when asked what he remembered about the festivities as a young child, Holiday, from Oljato, Utah, said Naatsis'aan (Navajo Mountain). For Holiday, being at the celebration reminded him of stories that he was told as a young child about the mountain. As he began to share a story, he gestured toward the mountain that could be seen just beyond the arena of events that were crowed by families enjoying themselves. It was in Navajo Mountain, he explained in Navajo through translator Willie Grayeyes, where a prayer was made through Tse'nani'ahi (Rainbow Bridge). The prayer, Holiday continued, was made by six medicine men, who came together in one last plea to the Holy People for the Navajo people be released from the Hweeldi. He went on to share the names of the medicine men, that translated into names, like "Light Hair on the Forehead," or "Meanness Spreader," and "The One who Wears only a Loin Cloth," "Tall Man," and "Slim Man." During the time of the Long Walk, Holiday explained, many Navajo people hid on the mountain so that they would not be taken to the prison. For the Navajo people, Tse'nani'ahi is two petrified rainbows, one male and one female, in perfect union. The arch is located by the San Juan and the Colorado Rivers where the Cloud and Rain People were born. Before Lake Powell was filled and tourists invaded the area, Navajo chanters would make pilgrimages to Rainbow Bridge to perform ceremonies to bring rain and leave offerings to the Holy People. After making the first prayer at Tse'nani'ahi, the medicine men climbed to the top of Naatsis'aan, Holiday explained, and made another plea that the Navajo people be released. From there, they traveled to Monument Valley and another prayer was offered at the top of a formation that looks like a snake. Holiday said the prayer was made on the rock that represented the head of the snake. The medicine men then traveled to Beautiful Mountain, where a fourth prayer was offered. Four other prayers would then be offered, he said. The medicine men traveled to Sandia Mountain, and then Bluebird Mountain, just east of the Sandia Mountains. From there, they went to Corn Pollen Mountain, and to a mountain that translates to "Small Insect Mountain." It was not long after these prayers were conducted, Holiday went on to explain, that the Navajo people were told that they could return home. Copyright c. 2007 the Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Standing Rock Sioux Tribe compensates Members" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 10:37:07 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="STANDING ROCK, NOT GOVERNMENT, MAKES GOOD TO DISPLACED MEMBERS" http://www.indianz.com/News http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2007/08/10/news/topnews/137563.txt Standing Rock money 'a long time coming' By TONY SPILDE Bismarck Tribune August 10, 2007 FORT YATES - In a halting, measured Lakota prayer, tribal elder Vernon Iron Cloud proclaimed Thursday a "Red Day" down here on the reservation. That's a very good thing. Good to the tune of about $2.5 million. The quiet old man's prayer was followed by a boisterous round of hugs and handshakes among a satisfied crowd that overflowed the large meeting room at Standing Rock's tribal headquarters. Many of those in attendance received checks on Thursday that they said were a long time coming. The money - provided by the tribe, not the government - went to enrolled members whose land was flooded by the creation of the Oahe reservoir. It comes from revenue generated at Prairie Knights Casino. "This is the first time we're ever getting justification for the land we lost," said Doug White Bull, 63. "This is still just a pittance, but at least it's something." More than 100 tribal members picked up their checks - written for up to $40,000 - on Thursday morning. White Bull, who was paid $5,000, said the money can't possibly make up for the loss of land. "That was home. Igrew up on river-bottom land, in a forest of giant cottonwood trees,"White Bull said. "I vividly remember it. Everything was there in the land for us." It's been nearly 50 years since many American Indians on this reservation were displaced from their homes along the Missouri River, during the construction of Oahe Dam. In the mid-1980s, a joint federal- tribal advisory committee determined the Indians had been woefully underpaid for their land. In 1992, Congress set up federal trusts for Standing Rock and the Fort Berthold Reservation - near Garrison Dam - to compensate the tribes. The perpetual trusts, which came to be known by the committee's acronym of JTAC, get used for education, economic development, social welfare and other tribal needs. However, tribal officials say, none of that JTACmoney is earmarked for individuals. So the tribal payments that were announced Thursday accomplish what the government intended but never got around to doing:Paying back the specific people whose land was gobbled up by the Pick-Sloan Act. "Before this, the people that actually lost the land were never compensated," said Avis Little Eagle, tribal vice chairwoman. "That's what this is all about. A lot of our elders are dying, and that's deeply saddening. This needed to happen now, so they could see something for what they lost." The one-time payments go to enrolled members who owned 40 acres or more of land that was flooded by the reservoir. Pending certification by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, those "first-generation" owners can get $40,000 from the tribe. If the original owners have died, their children are eligible for payment. If the children are 60 or older, they can get up to $20,000. If there is more than one child over 60, the families evenly split the $20,000. Though it has been in the works for years, the tribal council only ratified the Elderly Payment Plan at last month's meeting. The goal had been to allocate some of the JTAC funds, but the BIA determined that it would be unlawful to do so. Instead, the tribe came up with the money to help its own. "This never would have happened if our chairman (Ron His Horse Is Thunder) wasn't so supportive," Little Eagle said. The strong backs behind the plan were Mary Louise Defender Wilson and Patti Kelly, who helped shape the resolution and pushed it at council meetings. "This is a long time coming," Wilson said. "We can't ever properly repay everyone who lost land and lost money, but this is a step in the right direction." So far, Wilson and Kelly have found 125 individuals who will be paid. There are 11 first-generation owners still living on Standing Rock. One of them, Beverly Howard, remembers when her home was inundated with water. "I couldn't bear to watch it,"Howard said Thursday. "That was a terrible time." Howard said promises of payments have been made many times, but none bore fruit until this week. "For a long time, the money was always coming 'tomorrow,'" she said. "We were 'Monday Elders' or "First of the Month Elders.' Now it's finally done." Tribal members have until Jan. 1 to apply for payment. Reach reporter Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tony.spilde@;bismarcktribune.com. Copyright c. 2007 Bismarck Tribune, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: Native American Dancers swindled" --------- Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 07:45:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GERMAN PROMOTER 'SERENA' FRAUDS INDIANS" http://www.indianz.com/News http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=6912215 Native American dancers swindled August 10, 2007 Oklahoma - Some Oklahoma Native Americans say they were caught in the middle of an International scam. They're dancers who were hired to perform their native dances in Germany this summer. Seventy natives made the trip and signed a paid contract to perform for 25 days. But, they never got what the money they were promised. The group made it back late last night, tired from the ordeal and the journey. And now, they're jobless and empty handed. Some of the group wanted to earn money for college, and some even had to give up their jobs to make the trip. Those who dance for a living had no advance, but they did have a round trip ticket. The dancers were able to get back to the U.S., but only as far as Dallas. Luckily, the Comanche Nation came to their aid. The tribe sent a charter bus to pick up the weary dancers and a part of the group made it back to Lawton late Wednesday night. The Connywerdy family - Kevin, his wife Cricket and their three children were part of the group. He and his family have gone on these dance trips before and this time out they thought they'd earn around $8000, part of the contract they'd agreed to with the German organization "Serena". They were relying on the payment from the show to get them through the next few months. This group turned out to be two men. The contract the native dancers signed required each dancer to work 10 hours per day, rain or shine and be paid $150 per day. On the fifteenth day, after having not been paid, the dance group called off the shows. They were told by the Germans who had booked the troupe that they could go to the airport and wait 10 days until the return date on the ticket; or they could pay their own way home. Reluctantly, the Native Americans decided to fulfill their part of the contract. There has been a criminal report filed and some of the artists that were contracted to sell their jewelry haven't had their goods returned. According to the contract, the German group was to send anything that was not sold back to the dancers; a value of at least $50,000 worth of art. This has not happened and the valuables are considered stolen. The U.S. Consulate was contacted and a police report has been filed. The consulate has informed the group that they must now hire a German attorney to handle its case - in Germany. And then they can proceed. An investigation into the German organization, "Serena", is underway. Copyright c. 2000 - 2007 WorldNow and KSWO. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Duck Valley fire crisis over" --------- Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 07:45:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="VERY CLOSE CALL FOR DUCK VALLEY SHOSHONE-PAIUTE" http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8925 Duck Valley crisis over OWYHEE, NV By JoKay Dowell August 9, 2007 After forest fires spread close enough to burn power lines, sever electrical power, and create a week-long emergency situation on the Duck Valley Shoshone-Paiute Indian reservation, Tribal Chairman Kyle Prior said the crisis is over. "As of today, we are no longer in a crisis," Prior said. "On Monday, July 30, it was officially declared over." Duck Valley, which straddles the Idaho-Nevada border, lost power July 16 after a fire, started by lightning, torched more than 250 power poles, Prior said. He then declared a state of emergency due to the summer heat and lack of water in the community. The tribe's administration provided water, ice, propane, flashlights, battery-operated fans and generators for the elderly and those with medical needs. Assistance from neighboring tribal nations came pouring in after word got out that Duck Valley was in trouble. "Many tribes in the state of Nevada and Idaho gave generously to our tribes. The San Manuel people gave generously with their $50,000. The Coure D' Alene Tribes and Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, Yerington Paiute, Duckwater Shoshones, Temoak Band of Western Shoshones also gave generously," Prior said. "Many phone calls were received from tribes asking what they could do to help. At this time we are no longer taking any donations of any type." Prior also said churches and other organizations came to Duck Valley's aid. "Many people donated and were helpful. The Presbyterian, LDS, and Baptist churches were very helpful. The food banks from Idaho and Nevada played a large role," he said. The DVSP Food Distribution program coordinated the food collection and distribution efforts. Many members lost frozen meat and groceries, including deer meat they had been saving for later in the year as the community is somewhat isolated and members supplement their diets by hunting. Some members fled their homes for motels due to the heat and smell of the fire, claiming that the DVSP administration was not doing enough to help members, according to reports in the Elko (NV) Daily Free Press. But Prior said the tribe's budget was adversely impacted by the crisis, due to costs for emergency supplies and generators to help the elderly and those with medical needs, who were assisted first. He said the tribe is working with state and federal officials to address those issues and the tribe will take the necessary steps to recover. "First is to make sure our Tribal government can function properly. We have not put out an official amount of dollars spent during the immediate crisis, but we are around the $300,000 mark, which for a small tribal government like ours is a huge amount," Prior said. "That figure includes the cost of ice, generators, supplies purchased before donations. Once damages are assessed, like those sustained by our computer servers, electrical infrastructure at the hospital and overtime for our fire department, we will have a much better picture of the price." Prior said the community is thankful for the support they received and that no lives were lost. He said tribe members will unite and overcome this crisis as they have others in the past. Prior said his administration is working with members to organize events, such as barbecues to bring the people together. They also have traditional ceremonies to carry on. "Allowing for some community gatherings is important. Our traditional people are holding a sun dance this week," Prior said. "We had no lives lost. There were some incidents related to the stressful situation, but nothing major." Although the Duck Valley people are no longer accepting monetary or nutritional donations, Prior said there are spiritual needs, and obligations to return the gifts received, reciprocity, as is the Indian way. "Good thoughts and prayers going out to the people is what we need in this time of recovery," Prior said. "We have already started talking about what we can do to give back, to keep this cycle of good will and doing good for others going." Native American Times. Copyright c. 2005 All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Warm Springs Fires burn, Costs rise" --------- Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 10:37:07 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WARM SPRINGS FIRES CONTINUE TO BURN" http://www.madraspioneer.com/MAPNews0.shtml W.S. fires burn, costs rise By Holly M. Gill Firefighters are slowly making progress on the Warm Springs Agency Complex fires, which started nearly a month ago, when a lightning storm passed through the Central Oregon area, putting down at least 500 strikes. Since July 12, the fires have consumed about 6,280 acres. Monday evening, the fires were about 75 percent contained, with timber, brush and grasses blackened on the western side of the Warm Springs Reservation, according to Bill Maron, public information officer for the Central Oregon Incident Management Team. The complex includes the large Biddle Pass fire - which grew by about 60 acres on Monday to 4,769 acres - burning on the southwest side of Bald Peter - and the north aspect of the Whitewater River drainage, he said. "We had a spot that came across the line, that grew to about 5 acres, but they cooled it down with a bucket drop," noted Pam Sichting, also a public information officer. Using large helicopters, firefighters are able to drop 1,200 to 1,800 gallons of water on hot spots. "They're very effective - one of our most effective aerial tools," she said. Two other fires - the 1,336-acre Trail 3 fire, and the 175-acre Lionshead - are contained, and in the patrol/mop-up stage. On Monday, there were about 536 personnel on the fires, including 15 crews - each with 20 firefighters, and three more on the way. Six helicopters, 23 engines and 20 water tenders were involved in the suppression efforts. The Incident Base Camp is located at the Warm Springs rodeo grounds, while helicopters are based near the Bureau of Indian Affairs forestry and fire offices. As of Monday, cost of fighting the fire was estimated at $10,246,000. Cooperating in the firefighting effort are the BIA, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the U.S. Forest Service, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, and the Oregon Department of Forestry. Although the fire complex is expected to be contained by Aug. 16, "It could be smoking and having little fires until we have a season ending event," Sichting said, referring to cooler, wet weather. Copyright c. Madras Pioneer Eagle Newspapers Inc., 2001 - 2007. --------- "RE: Ho-Chunk suspensions anger Tribal Members" --------- Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 07:45:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LANCE MORGAN SUSPENDED" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/08/10/ news/local/42e4a1608ed3642a8625733300034097.txt Ho-Chunk suspensions anger tribal members By Travis Coleman and Alicia Ebaugh, Journal staff writers August 10, 2007 WINNEBAGO, Neb. - About 50 tribal members and Ho-Chunk Inc. employees converged on the Winnebago Tribal Council on Thursday, angered by the suspensions of two top executives of the $100 million tribal business in Winnebago. In addition to CEO Lance Morgan, Annette Hamilton, Ho-Chunk's chief operating officer, has been placed on paid administrative leave, a spokeswoman said Thursday. The suspensions were handed down Wednesday by the company's board of directors. The board acts independently of the tribal council, which keeps short-term political ups and downs from stopping Ho-Chunk's progress, according to John Blackhawk, who serves on the tribal council. The five- member Ho-Chunk board is elected directly by the tribal council. At Thursday's tribal treasurer's weekly report forum, a number of Ho- Chunk employees and tribal members supported the suspended workers. They claimed the absence of company leaders could ultimately affect government contracts and loans awarded to Ho-Chunk if the company's bonding insurance were to be eliminated. Morgan's brother, Maunka Morgan, said Lance told him that could happen in two weeks if the company does not have solid leadership. "Our future is at stake - Ho-Chunk's future, the tribe's future, our families' futures," Maunka Morgan told the council. During the meeting, the council decided to create guidelines for the Ho- Chunk board, which wants to hire an independent accountant to do a financial review of the company. A reason for the review wasn't stated. Morgan's mother attended the meeting with other family members and said her son "was tired of kissing everyone's (behind)." On Wednesday, Morgan told the Journal that the board asked for something that he was unwilling to provide and that he was suspended with pay. Morgan did not specify how long the suspension will be in effect and didn't say what the board was asking for, citing his concern over the long-term interest of the company. "They said I should basically do what I was told, and that's not my specialty," Morgan told The Associated Press on Thursday. Messages left for various board members weren't immediately returned. Spokeswoman Janice Jessen said board chairman Matthew Pilcher, who is also chairman of the Winnebago Tribe, was serving as acting CEO of Ho-Chunk, but he said at Thursday's meeting that he had resigned that position. Pilcher said in a phone interview Thursday that the position is vacant. Ho-Chunk is the economic development arm of the Winnebago Tribe, remarkable in the world of American Indian business because its success has had little to do with gambling, other than providing seed money from casino revenue. The business employs 584 people in eight states, Mexico, Iraq and Afghanistan. Morgan, a member of the tribe, returned to the reservation more than 10 years ago to help build the corporation with $8 million in casino money. Ho-Chunk posted revenues of $113 million in 2006, up from $22.9 million in 2000, and assets have grown to $42 million from $8 million. It recorded nearly $660,000 in net profits in 2006. "I really think that my track record at the company speaks for itself," said Morgan, who said he hoped to be reinstated. "I suspect that if all parties sat down, this could be worked out." Morgan graduated from Harvard Law School in 1993 and travels around the country to speak about Indian law and tribal economic development. Morgan said he wasn't sure why Hamilton also was suspended. She handles much of Ho-Chunk's day-to-day business. Hamilton is a member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas. Pilcher did not say when Morgan or Hamilton would return to work. "We're in the process of working that out," Pilcher said. "There hasn't been a decision made." Ho-Chunk, a Winnebago term that translates to "The People," is trying to end the cycle of poverty that has plagued many reservations. In Winnebago, median household income is around $20,000, and more than 40 percent of people don't make enough to live above the federal poverty line. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Copyright c. 2007 Sioux City Journal. --------- "RE: Tribe's offer of Citizenship spurs warning" --------- Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 07:45:53 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ILLEGAL CARDS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10104086 Tribe's offer of citizenship spurs warning BY CINDY GONZALEZ WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER August 10, 2007 Angel Freytez thought the offer was too good to be true but admitted that it did have an intriguing twist. It went like this: An agent of a group calling itself the Kaweah Indian Nation was contacting churches in Nebraska towns, selling tribal membership rights to illegal immigrants. For an enrollment fee of several hundred dollars, the agent said, the new members would be able to travel freely in the United States as part of the tribe. They would purportedly be protected against deportation and eventually could attain U.S. citizenship. Soon, Freytez, a spokesman for the Nebraska Mexican-American Commission, learned enough to issue a fraud alert warning the state's Spanish-speaking community not to fall prey. He is spreading the message on Spanish-language radio stations. The Nebraska Attorney General's Office also is investigating. Leaders of the Kaweah defended the offer to The World-Herald, saying that the tribe's descendants extend into parts of Latin America and that American Indians predate the border that separates the United States from Mexico. Thus, by birthright, the leaders say, many immigrants can enroll as Indians. Malcolm Webber, also known as Grand Chief Thunderbird IV, said, however, that tribal leaders were investigating reports that an agent might have been charging more than the standard enrollment fee of $100 per family. Webber, who was reached in Wichita, Kan., said: "There's always a bad egg in the basket." A spokeswoman with the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service said the tribe's offer could not result in citizenship for illegal immigrants, whatever the cost. The Kaweah is not a federally recognized tribe. Local immigration advocates said the offer reflects a broader problem: a vulnerable population so desperate for legal status that it becomes susceptible to questionable offers. "People are desperate for legal status and a decent job," said Luis Lucar, a leader of Schuyler's Latino community. "It makes them believe in the unbelievable." He and other advocates expect opportunists to surface since Congress rejected legislation that would have provided many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States - up to 65,000 of them in Nebraska - with a path to citizenship. Since June, the Texas Attorney General's Office has fielded five consumer complaints against the Kaweah, said Paco Felici of the Texas Attorney General's Office. Corinna Scheurich, an attorney with the South Texas Civil Rights Project, has been investigating the Kaweah Tribe's offer and has distributed warnings. Some people, Scheurich said, reportedly have lost up to $2,500. In Nebraska, Kaweah enrollment forms have circulated in cities including Grand Island, Fremont, Schuyler and Lincoln. Freytez said the tribe's enrollment fee offered to Nebraskans ranged upward of $330. "We are 100 percent sure this is a scam," Freytez said. "It is an especially sad story because they are going through the churches and making believers think it is a blessing from God." Sylvia Flores, whose husband is pastor of an evangelical church in Fremont, said her Latino congregation was seeking to verify the offer. "If it's good, we want people to benefit," she said. The Rev. Anthony Espinosa of St. Augustine Catholic Church in Schuyler said members of his congregation were approached outdoors - uninvited - after a service. Espinoza later cautioned his parish members not to participate. "There is logic behind it," he said, "but it's wrong because somebody is making money off it and it's a fraud, a false promise. It's not real." The federal government does not recognize the Kaweah Indian Nation or its right to sovereignty, Scheurich said. Its application to be recognized as a federal tribe was denied in the 1980s, she said. She said she is aware of only one federally recognized tribe, the Kickapoo, that has the right to dual citizenship in the United States and Mexico. That tribe has proved that its tribal lands cross the border, Scheurich said. Even if the Kaweah tribe were federally recognized, adoption of adult immigrants without tribal blood ties would not be a route to citizenship, said Marilu Cabrera, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. She said Canadian-born American Indians have gained legal status in the United States, but they had to be of the tribal lineage. Kaweah High Chief Manuel Urbina, reached at the tribe's base in Wichita, said Mexicans and Central Americans who are accepted as tribe members are protected as American Indians against deportation. He said the tribe is seeking federal recognition, which he asserts would then allow for citizenship. Asked why more undocumented immigrants weren't clamoring for membership if it was a route to citizenship, Urbina said: "There's a lot of things that are impossible. But they still come true." Copyright c. 2007 Omaha World-Herald(R). All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Tribal Firedancers face dangerous, demanding work" --------- Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 07:27:01 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="FIRE JUMPERS" http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/ Tribal firedancers face dangerous, demanding work By Keith Purtell Phoenix Staff Writer August 8, 2007 TAHLEQUAH - A dedicated group of Native American firefighters are ready to be called out into America's national forests. They're called "Firedancers." Squad Boss Terry Thompson, a member of the United Keetoowah Band of the Cherokees, became a Firedancer in 1994. He says it's hard work in spectacular terrain. "A lot of times we get out north and west and you're on hillsides that are 60, 70 percent grade," he said. "And you're either walking up them or walking down them. They're real steep. You're fighting fire in that kind of country, and you've got trees so big that two of you can't reach around them. It's a lot of beautiful country." Thompson, 57, said he gets satisfaction from being part of the Firedancers' tight-knit group. "It's a feeling of accomplishment," he said. "You get out there and work with a bunch of guys that you're confident in. They're a bunch of good guys." Eleven tribes in Oklahoma have this type of program. Thompson said he enjoys meeting members of other tribes, including Pawnees, Cheyenne and Arapaho. Although the job can be dangerous, and Firedancers may be away from home for two weeks to 21 days, Thompson said his family accepts his work. "I'm married and have three children," he said. "My wife doesn't really mind it. She knows I enjoy it." Thompson said he is such a believer in the Firedancer program that he carries around a stack of applications and has pictures to show potential recruits. "Most of them have never been out of the state," he said. "And the money is enticing; more than $13 an hour for a good firefighter, all expenses paid." Mike Weaver, administrative assistant and dispatcher with the Firedancers, said they are on call during the fire season, which lasts from May to October. "A normal fire season we'll go out five times," he said. "This year we've been out nine times." Weaver, 31, said the Cherokee Nation Firedancers program began in 1988 and was the first tribally-affiliated firefighting crew in Oklahoma. "The Firedancers have built an outstanding reputation throughout the United States for their skill and dedication to not only fighting large fires but also for search and rescue," he said. "In the past, the Firedancers have been dispatched to several fires in Oregon, Colorado, Virginia, South Dakota, Utah, North Carolina, Florida and Georgia." The Firedancers also have been commended for their help in the 2003 search and recovery of the space shuttle crash in Texas, and for providing aid during the relief efforts of Hurricane Katrina in 2004. "You have to be a good hard worker in peak physical condition," Weaver said. "The days are 10-12 hours. And you need the right mental attitude, since you're gone from home." The Firedancers are hired by the U.S. Forestry Service on a contract basis. Weaver said there are 20 in a crew. When they are sent out, a Cherokee Nation bus takes them to an area airport. Depending upon the location and facilities, the Firedancers will either camp outside or be placed in living quarters. "Some of them like the physical demands, and some enjoy seeing different parts of the country," Weaver said. "Some like meeting different tribal members, and some just like to help out anyone in need. They have a lot of big hearts." Become a Firedancer Applications are available at the Tribal Employment Rights Office in Tahlequah and any Career Services office in the 14-county Cherokee Nation tribal service area. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, be a member of a federally-recognized tribe, able to pass a physical exam and must complete an application. On completion of the application process, a Pack Test will be scheduled, which consists of a 3-mile hike that must be completed in 45 minutes while wearing a 45-pound vest. Applications will be taken until Sept. 14. Information: Call Mike Weaver at 453-5334 or Leroy Wolf at 453-5335. Copyright c. 2007 The Muskogee Phoenix. --------- "RE: Maryland Indians Seek Recognition" --------- Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2007 07:12:59 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MARYLAND INDIANS ALSO NON-RECOGNIZED" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ article/2007/08/05/AR2007080501380.html Indians Seek Recognition Tribes Use Shallop Landing to Decry Lack of Official Status in Maryland By Matt Zapotosky Washington Post Staff Writer August 6, 2007 The 28-foot wooden boat that has been sailing the Chesapeake Bay for the past 86 days trying to re-create Capt. John Smith's 1608 voyage received a warm greeting from Maryland's Indian tribes when it pulled into Calvert County yesterday. A traditionally dressed Indian warrior greeted the shallop's 12 crew members and led them to the Eastern Woodland Indian Village at Jefferson Patterson Park in St. Leonard, which featured Native American demonstration booths, music and dancing. At a welcoming ceremony later, various tribes presented the crew with gifts of tobacco. But representatives from the same tribes had a less-than-welcoming message for government officials who attended the ceremony: They said they were sick of not being officially recognized by the state even though they were "exploited" for state-endorsed events. "As you can see, we're not very invisible when you need us to be an attraction for an event through the state," said Mervin Savoy, tribal chairwoman for the Piscataway Conoy, speaking to a crowd of about 100 people. Several other Indian leaders echoed Savoy's sentiments as politicians, including state Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) and retired U.S. senator Paul S. Sarbanes (D-Md.), looked on from the stage they shared with tribal representatives. "I ask you, Maryland, why do you ask us to speak when you have already determined that your ears will hear, but they will not listen?" said Piscataway tribal chairwoman Natalie Proctor, also known as Standing on the Rock, fighting back tears onstage. "We are visible here right now, but through the legislative body, we do not exist," she said in a later interview. Miller said later that he has not taken a definitive stance on whether Maryland's tribes should receive government recognition but that he believes that the state has had a good relationship with them. He noted that Maryland was one of the first states to create and fund a commission on Indian affairs. "We've come a long way," he said. "We love them. We respect them." Although the Indians took center stage yesterday, the shallop crew has drawn so much media attention along its journey that it had to stop letting reporters come on board the vessel. The sailors have been treated like "rock stars and celebrities" on many of their 23 planned stops, said crew member John Mann. Mann said the crew didn't mind being a bit of "a sideshow" yesterday to the Indians. "It's well past time that they get their recognition," he said. The John Smith Four Hundred Project, sponsored by the Chestertown, Md.- based educational group Sultana Projects Inc., is attempting to drum up interest in the captain's historic voyage by retracing his route. The crew consists of educators and those familiar with boating who will spend 121 days on the water with very few modern conveniences. Among those on hand to greet the boat's arrival in Calvert was Alexis Shaw, 9, of Huntingtown, who sat on the shoulders of her father, Scott Shaw, so she could get a better view. Her mother, Michelle Shaw, said she had never seen so many people at Jefferson Patterson Park. "They advertised a lot," she said. "It's very interesting. It's a good little history lesson." Some Indian leaders said they were leery about appearing at an event where John Smith would be glorified because the captain could be blamed in part for the subsequent treatment of American Indians by colonists. But all said they were happy to use the opportunity to plead their case for state recognition and show people that Maryland Indians are still alive. "It doesn't take away from Native American contributions, and it's certainly a historical event," said Auriel Fenwick, chairwoman of the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs, of the event's connection to Smith. Copyright c. 1996-2007 The Washington Post Company. --------- "RE: Isleta Native to head American Indian Law Center" --------- Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2007 07:31:17 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HELEN PADILLA TO HEAD LAW CENTER" http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2007/07/30/daily33.html Isleta native to head American Indian law center New Mexico Business Weekly August 3, 2007 Helen B. Padilla, a native of Isleta Pueblo, has been named the new director of the American Indian Law Center Inc. Albuquerque's American Indian Law Center is the oldest existing legal and public policy organization in the country controlled and operated by American Indians. Its Pre-Law Summer Institute prepares American Indian students to succeed in law school and become lawyers. A graduate of the institute, Padilla received her bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration and a juris doctorate with a certificate in American Indian law from the University of New Mexico. She is a member of the New Mexico bar and is also admitted to practice law in Colorado and Connecticut. Padilla pledged to help strengthen tribal government institutions by providing training and programs for tribal governments, facilitating intergovernmental relations and preparing institute graduates for changes in American Indian policy and law. Prior to her current position, Padilla served as tax administrator and general counsel for the Pueblo of Tesuque. In 2004, Governor Richardson appointed her to the general counsel position for the State of New Mexico Indian Affairs Department. Outside New Mexico, she was the senior staff attorney for the Mohegan Tribe of Indians in Connecticut, assistant regional counsel for the Social Security Administration in Denver, Colo., and a legal intern with the National Indian Gaming Commission in Washington, D.C. Copyright c. 2007 American City Business Journals, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Tribal Wake Center focuses on Family and Culture" --------- Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 07:27:01 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="INDIAN OWNED FUNERAL HOME" http://www.goldentrianglenews.com/ articles/2007/08/08/glacier_reporter/news/news5.txt Foster and Spotted Eagle Tribal Wake Center focuses on family and culture By John McGill August 8, 2007 "Many people ask who the Foster is in our name Foster & Spotted Eagle Tribal Wake Center," said Ken Spotted Eagle of the Browning funeral home. "Ralph Foster is the husband of Michele's cousin, Phyllis Haynes, and they are the majority stockholders of Foster & Durgeloh Inc. of St. Ignatius, the funeral home that helped establish this facility." Michele and Ken Spotted Eagle run one of the few Indian owned and operated funeral homes in Montana and the United States, the Foster and Spotted Eagle Tribal Wake Center in Browning. Photo by John McGill Foster and Spotted Eagle opened their doors for business last January, basing their packages on what the Blackfeet Tribe gives its members for funeral services "so families aren't left with a huge bill," said Michele Spotted Eagle, Thursday, Aug. 2. Foster and Spotted Eagle is located on NE Boundary Street in Browning and now sports a fully functional wake center, including a kitchen and two showrooms. Ken said Lawrence Reed helped out tremendously in getting the place up and ready for business. "We plan to get buildings in Seville and Heart Butte," Ken said, "for wake centers and community uses as well, like weddings and dances, but wakes would always be a priority." The wake center in Browning also plays host to a chapter of the Vietnam Veterans, High Desert Chapter 820. "Ralph Foster was born in Missouri to Shirley (Cherokee/ShawneeDelaware/Scot) and Ralph Foster (Passamoquoddy/MicMac/Scot) and was raised in the High Plains region," said Ken. "He's worked in the mortuary field for over 25 years in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado and Montana. He has also worked outside the funeral business as an oilfield roughneck, laying track with the railroad, as a laborer on a farm and a cook, to mention some of his past. "Currently," Ken said, "we are proud to be one of the few Native owned and operated funeral homes in America." Ken is an enrolled Blackfeet member, and Michele is an enrolled Salish from the Arlee area. After graduating from Browning High School in 1995, Ken enlisted in the Marine Corps. When his stint with the Marines was done, he met and married Michele in 1999 and resided in the Flathead area, always wanting to come back to his reservation. That became possible when Foster gave him the opportunity to move home and provide a service to his community. "We take a lot of time with the arrangements with each family because each one is different, and it has to be done to suit the family," Michele said. "It makes a person feel very humbled and blessed when you can provide a service to a family when they're suffering the loss of a loved one." Foster and Spotted Eagle Tribal Wake Center is located at 246 N.E. Boundary in Browning. They can be reached at 338-3055. Copyright c. 2007 Golden Triangle Newspapers. --------- "RE: GIAGO: Hollywood dashes hopes of 'Wounded Knee'" --------- Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2007 07:31:17 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GIAGO: TRUTH CLOUDED WITH HOLLYWOOD BS" http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/004262.asp Tim Giago: Hollywood dashes hopes of 'Wounded Knee' August 6, 2007 The HBO Special, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," based on the Dee Brown book, has been nominated for 16 Emmy Awards. I wanted to wait a short time before writing about the television special because I needed time to think about it. Although the many award nominations may sound impressive, included in the nominations are such things as music, hairstyling, makeup, sound editing, sound mixing, special visual effects, costumes, casting and cinematography. The nominations the television special received that are usually considered strategic are for Directing, Yves Simoneau, Supporting Actor, August Schellenburg for his portrayal of Sitting Bull, and Supporting Actress, Anna Paquin, the non-Indian woman who played the role of Elaine Goodale Eastman, the wife of Dr. Charles Eastman. Neither Dr. Eastman nor Ms. Goodale was in the Dee Brown book, but they were added later to bring a love affair to the movie. And therein lies the tragedy that is known as Hollywood. It is pre- determined that in order for a movie to be successful it must have a love affair no matter how contrived. In the case of "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" the love affair was a waste of valuable time and a distraction from the tragedy that prompted Dee Brown to write the book in the first place. By creating the affair out of whole cloth for this movie, the producers severely damaged its relevance in the eyes of so many Native Americans. When I read last year that HBO was about to tackle the project of making a movie out of Dee Brown's book, I was ecstatic. Wow, the book that so many of us (Indians) took to heart in the early seventies as a promise or even as a guarantee that its publication would lead to a revision of American history books to include the true story of the American Indian was about to happen. Needless to say, it did not. It led to a temporary case of American hand wringing and then American educators moved on. The true and oftentimes tragic story of the American Indian was dumped into the dustbins of inequity. I believe that many Native Americans had high hopes that this HBO production would finally set the record straight, delete all of the starry eyed glamour of the Noble Red Man, and deal with the epic struggle between the Indian and the white man that American history books and so many Hollywood movies have ignored. The massacre at Wounded Knee should have been depicted in all of its ugliness. It should have been the culmination of the physical confrontations between the Indians and the whites. Executive Producers Dick Wolf and Tom Thayer along with the writer of the screenplay, Daniel Giat, all non-Indians, totally missed the significant meaning not only of this historic tragedy, but they also totally misinterpreted the book by Dee Brown. Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee was published in 1971 and eventually sold 5 million copies and was translated into 17 languages. The HBO producers could not grasp why this book became such a phenomenal success. It succeeded because it did what American history books since the founding of America failed to do: it told the true story of the annihilation through hook and crook of the indigenous population of this continent. It did it without building it around a "love affair." As tragedy after tragedy unfolded in Dee Brown's book, each tragic event pointed toward the final chapter, the slaughter of nearly 300 innocent men, women and children on the frozen banks of the Creek at Wounded Knee. I cannot blame Adam Beach who played the role of Dr. Charles Eastman or August Schellenburg, who portrayed Chief Sitting Bull, for the failure of the producers to capture the true essence of the book because they could only follow the script they were given and despite the films shortcomings, as individuals, they turned in magnificent performances. The problems with the movie lies with the non-Indian executives who failed to see the events in the book through the eyes of the Indian people. A film director who is learning his craft one movie at a time and is improving with each movie, a member of the Cheyenne/Arapaho Tribe of Oklahoma, Chris Eyre, should have been brought in to assist in directing the film or even as a consultant. Many members of his tribe were victims at the Washita and Sand Creek massacres and who would have a better understanding of the true meaning of Dee Brown's book than this man. The opportunities afforded the Indian people to have their true history shown on television or on the big screen are far and few and the one really great chance we have seen in many years just slipped through the fingers of the HBO producers who never saw a good thing when they had it within their grasp. --- Tim Giago is an Oglala Lakota born and raised on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard in the Class of 1991. He was the founder and publisher of Indian Country Today newspaper and the founder and first president of the Native American Journalists Association. 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 najournalist@msn.com. Copyright c. 2007 Indianz.com. --------- "RE: JODI RAVE: Walking program enlightens" --------- Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2007 18:23:04 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JODI RAVE: NEW WALKING PATH OPENS EYES" http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/08/05/jodirave/rave48.txt Native News Opinion: Walking program enlightens Jodi Rave August 4, 2007 On a recent walk up Mount Sentinel, I chose a path I hadn't traveled. It led over a mountain ridge, where the morning light glinted across an open stretch of golden, high grasses. The trail seemed to move forever along the mountainside, stretching into the rising sun. The path beckoned. I felt I could disappear into the light. I stared ahead in awe. But I needed to go home and get ready for work. These past few months, I've had several such moments to inhale the sun around me, and to appreciate nature's heaven here on earth. In May, a group of friends and I enrolled in a national exercise program called the WOMAN Challenge, where we were encouraged to walk 10,000 steps a day for eight weeks. Actually, any amount of steps would do. The trick was to do it daily. Our team, the Native Griz, chose a virtual walking course leading from Alaska to Hawaii. Progress was logged on a virtual map. The rules wouldn't allow a team to advance on the map unless all members met daily and minimum goals. It proved to be a tough mandate with an 18-member team. At our halfway point in the challenge, our team never got off the starting point. As team captain, I asked walkers to "please remove yourself from the team" if you can't meet the minimum standards. Finally, we inched off the starting point but never out of Alaska. But another map also charted individual progress. And several team members did make it to Hawaii, including me. Our Montana team joined the challenge after learning of the Manuelito sisters, a Navajo family mostly living in Arizona and New Mexico. They created the Sister Girls team and completed a virtual walk from Montana to New Mexico three days ahead of schedule last year. I checked in with Brenda Manuelito this week to see how her team fared this year. "I wasn't as happy this year as last year," said Manuelito, who moved from Tucson, Ariz., to Seattle over the summer. "It got to be too much recording and rules." The challenge rules and Web site had changed significantly since 2006, and Web site managers were slow to respond to questions this year. "Maybe next year they'll get some feedback and make it more user friendly," Manuelito said. On the up side, the challenge ultimately motivated all of our team members to increase their activity level. As it goes in life, there are always a few standouts, such as Amy Sings In the Timber. She worked full time, traveled frequently and still logged 875,000 steps, or 437 miles. "I plan to stick with the increased activity and healthier eating habits, " she said. "I have more energy during the day and feel better all around. All in all, this was a fun experience." For others, the eight-week walk proved enlightening. "The challenge for me was to begin thinking less in terms of losing weight and more about walking longer at a steady pace, breathing better, improving my posture and taking care of my health," Linda Osler said. "Somewhere between 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day felt very good. All in all, the WOMAN Challenge taught me that I could expect much more from my body than I thought possible." And, once again, Carol Manuelito, the 75-year-old mother of the Sister Girls, pulled out all the stops. The 75-year-old Navajo elder from Naschitti, N.M., logged a million steps n a repeat performance. "My mom and brother kept it up," said her daughter, Brenda. "They were our first-place finishers." It was Carol's story that inspired me and other Native Griz members to participate in the challenge. I've no reason not to be active. As a member of Army and Air National Guard units for some 20 years, I regularly met military standards for a two-mile run, push-ups and sit-ups. But a recent break in service left me with an excuse. I didn't have a reason to see how fast I could run two miles. The lack of activity is my sure path to join members of a diabetes-prone family. The challenge led me to log 497,638 steps, or the equivalent of 248 miles, in eight weeks. Thanks to Carol, I've picked up the steps. And even though the challenge ended in July, I'm joining other Native Griz walkers in continuing the journey. --- Jodi Rave covers Native issues for the Missoulian and other Lee Enterprises newspapers. She can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or at jodi.rave@lee.net Copyright c. 2007 Missoulian, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: MILLER: Doctrine of Discovery alive in Modern Time" --------- Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2007 07:31:17 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MILLER: FINDERS KEEPERS IN ARTIC" http://www.indianz.com/News http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/ la-oe-miller6aug06,1,4098058.story?ctrack=1&cset=true Finders keepers in the Arctic? The Doctrine of Discovery is still alive in the modern world. By Robert J. Miller August 6, 2007 A Russian expedition reached the North Pole on Wednesday and sent two men in submarines 2.65 miles below the Arctic Ocean to explore the seabed -- and, not incidentally, to plant a titanium capsule containing the red, white and blue Russian flag. The explorers want bragging rights for a journey they compare to "taking the first step on the moon," but they are also pressing Russia's claim to a vast swath of the Arctic Ocean. The flag-planting ritual and the thinking behind the Russians' audacious territorial claims have their roots in the development and use of the Doctrine of Discovery by European and American explorers from the 15th through the 20th centuries. Starting with Pope Nicholas V in 1455, the Europeans conveniently declared their divine right to empty land or to land occupied by "pagans and enemies of Christ." The main requirement was just first-come, first-served discovery. When it comes to applying the discovery doctrine in the 21st century, Russia is hardly alone. Climate change is shrinking the Arctic icecap and opening new sea lanes, fisheries, oil fields and mineral caches for exploitation. Barren islands are suddenly valuable. A new race to explore, conquer and acquire another "new world" is on. For example, the United States and Canada are in a dispute about Canadian claims that an emerging Northwest Passage sea route is in its territory. The U.S. insists that the waters are neutral and open to all, but Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper states that he will place military icebreakers in the area "to assert our sovereignty and take action to protect our territorial integrity." Canada is also facing off against Denmark over tiny Hans Island near northwestern Greenland. In 1984, Denmark's minister for Greenland affairs landed on the island in a helicopter and raised the Danish flag, buried a bottle of brandy and left a note that said "Welcome to the Danish Island." Canada was not amused. In 2005, the Canadian defense minister and troops landed on the island and hoisted the Canadian flag. Denmark lodged an official protest. Planting a flag or burying brandy isn't enough these days to guarantee possession -- international treaties such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea are invoked. But historically, staking a physical claim is the first rule of the discovery doctrine. Spanish, Portuguese and, later, English and French explorers engaged in all sorts of rituals on encountering new lands: hoisting the flag, displaying the Christian cross and leaving evidence to prove who was there first. In 1776-78, for example, Capt. James Cook established English claims to British Columbia by burying bottles of English coins in several locations. In 1774, he erased Spanish marks of possession in Tahiti and replaced them with English ones. On learning of this, Spain dispatched explorers to restore its claim. Nearly 40 years earlier, in 1742-49, French military expeditions buried lead plates along the Ohio River. The plates stated that they were "a renewal of possession" that dated from 1643. Americans also staked their claims. The Lewis and Clark expedition marked and branded trees and rocks in the Pacific Northwest to prove the American presence and claim to the region. It also left a document at Ft. Clatsop, at the mouth of the Columbia River, in March 1806, and gave copies to Indians to deliver to whites who might arrive later to prove the U.S. claim to the Northwest. As the document stated, it was posted and circulated so that "through the medium of some civilized person . . . it may be made known to the informed world" that Lewis and Clark had secured land rights all the way to the Pacific Ocean on behalf of the U.S. government. A decade later, as the U.S. and England argued about dueling discovery claims to the Pacific Northwest, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams and President James Monroe ordered American officials back to the Columbia "to reassert the title of the United States." In August 1818, Capt. James Biddle performed a textbook discovery ritual: In the presence of Chinook Indians on the north side of the Columbia River, he raised the U.S. flag, turned the soil with a shovel and nailed up a lead plate inscribed: "Taken possession of, in the name and on the behalf of the United States by Captain James Biddle." He repeated the performance on the south shore of the Columbia, with a wooden sign declaring American ownership of the region. As early as 1790, federal law reflected the discovery doctrine, but it wasn't until 1823 that the doctrine was formally recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court -- and its full meaning spelled out. In the Supreme Court case Johnson vs. McIntosh, about whether private citizens could purchase Indian lands, Chief Justice John Marshall, in a long, detailed opinion for a unanimous court, established that discovery had been the law on the North American continent since the beginning of European exploration. Indian rights "to complete sovereignty, as independent nations, were necessarily diminished, and their power to dispose of the soil at their own will, to whomsoever they pleased, was denied by the original fundamental principle, that discovery gave exclusive title to those who made it." In short, Indians couldn't sell their tribal lands to private citizens because their conquerors -- the U.S. government by then -- essentially owned them. Today, that aspect of the 600-year-old Doctrine of Discovery still prevails in U.S. and international law. It remains the principle by which the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia continue to control the lands of their indigenous peoples. As to the larger principle of "finders (or claimers) keepers," it also lives -- notwithstanding international treaties. The proof is in that symbolic Russian flag planted 2.65 miles below the North Pole, at the potentially lucrative, already contested bottom of the deep blue Arctic sea. --- Robert J. Miller is a professor at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Ore., and a citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. He is the author of "Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and Manifest Destiny." Copyright c. 2007 Los Angeles Times. --------- "RE: MITTELL: Corruption of the Native American" --------- Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 07:27:01 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MITTELL: INDIAN CORRUPTION 101 BY NON-INDIAN COLUMNIST" http://www.indianz.com/News http://www.milforddailynews.com/opinion/x1338144229 Mittell: Corruption of the Native American By David A. Mittell, Syndicated columnist August 8, 2007 The American attitude toward the Indian has always been ridiculous. Indians have gone from being "savages" - Jefferson said as much in the Declaration of Independence; to "noble savages" - gentle proto- environmentalists who lived in harmony with the land until they were killed or removed by rapacious European invaders. Common sense in dealing with natives has seldom prevailed in the 400 years since Jamestown given that Indians, like Europeans, vary considerably from tribe to tribe, from age to age and from person to person. The history began with treaties between advancing white settlers and involuntarily retreating tribes or "sovereign nations" of Indians. What typically happened in the 19th century was that an Indian massacre of isolated settlers, magnified in the white imagination by fear and propaganda, led to what we would now call ethnic cleansing of whole regions of the United States. When the Indian Wars ended in the 1890s, most Indians were isolated on reservations, far from their ancestral lands, often in places not conducive to their way of life. Today, Indians' case for betterment has a greater claim on American justice than that of any other sometimes discriminated-against minority group. But history is richer and more complex than the simple parables by which it is taught. A pertinent fact to know is that the Cherokee, Creek and Seminole owned black slaves, and the Cherokee fought with the Confederacy in the Civil War. The Reconstruction Treaty of 1866 required these tribes to grant citizenship to their former slaves. But in 2007 - flush with power and money from gaming rights - the Cherokee voted to expel 2,800 black members. The Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 attempted to give Indians the constitutional protections and economic opportunities enjoyed by their white conquerors. Sen. Henry J. Dawes of Massachusetts sincerely, if condescendingly, extolled the civilizing power of private property: "(To be civilized is) to walk in civilized clothes, cultivate the ground, live in houses, ride in Studebaker wagons, walk children to school, drink whiskey (and) own property." Individual Indians were allotted property up to 100 acres. After 25 years they could claim full title and U.S. citizenship, provided they agreed to be subject to the jurisdiction of their state or territory. In 1934, the Wheeler-Howard Indian Reorganization Act repealed the eminently wise Dawes Act, eliminated the private ownership of land, and instituted pure communism. (This, not empathy for Indians, is why 73 years later leftists still idealize the poverty on reservations.) The next "virus" was the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. Here Congress gave up all pretense of equality under the law, and propped up tribal sovereignty for purposes of casino gambling. This has been law for less than 20 years and has already corrupted both national political parties: The Cheyenne and Arapaho of Oklahoma have been trying to regain 7,500 acres taken for Fort Reno in 1867 since 1908. During the Clinton administration the tribes were advised to make donations totaling $107,000 to the Democratic National Committee. This led to lunch in the White House on June 16, 1996, but no action on the petition. The tribes were then advised to hire former Clinton-Gore campaign manager Peter Knight to represent them for $10,000 a month and a $100,000 retainer. Despite these shakedowns the tribes never got their lands back. Republicans did not settle for six-figure swindles. The congressional scandal, for which Jack Abramoff is now doing time for scamming various Indian tribes out of an estimated $85 million, cost Tom Delay his majority leadership and seat in Congress, and rightly, I think, cost the Republicans the House of Representatives in 2006. What are we to conclude? The Cherokees' recent vote to exclude their black members isn't unique: Tribes can, and do, delimit their membership. It has jokingly been said that as gambling profits have skyrocketed, tribes' "membership drives" have been efforts to "drive members out." Indian-only gaming really amounts to a perfect Mafia for government and casino companies to manipulate and be manipulated by. Each corrupts the other and all are corrupted by the enormous amounts of cash gambling brings in. Indian Mafias can "rub out" their own, thereby increasing their profits, their control and their reliability to corruptible politicians. It is Havana or Las Vegas, 1955, with a new dress. David A. Mittell writes for The Patriot Ledger Copyright c. 2007 Milford, MA Daily News. --------- "RE: GRAHAM: Watson's resolution insults Native People" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 07:28:31 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GRAHAM: WATSON PROPOSAL INSULTS" http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/opinion/local_story_220175204.html The people speak: Watson's resolution insults native people August 8, 2007 U.S. California Rep. Diane E. Watson introduced legislation (H.R. 2824) to sever U.S. relations with the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. The legislation calls for cutting all federal funding to the nation, until such time that the nation (as she sees it) restores full tribal citizenship to a group of African Americans known as freedmen. Watson is not calling for the full restoration of the 1866 Treaty. That action would mean all land now called the state of Oklahoma would have to be turned back to Indian nations forced to sign onto the treaty. Nowhere in the treaty is the word citizenship stated covering any freedmen. The American Indian community is further outraged that every time a U.S. House member or caucus has a problem with an Indian nation government, they call for severing reconnection of the Indian nation's government. It's the same old 1800s hang-em high vigilante law, don't let the facts or truth get in the way, stop the Indians anyway you can. The American Indian community is demanding that our U.S. representatives open their eyes and see Watson's resolution for what it truly is, a throwback to the days of "Custer policy" against all American Indian men, women and children. Our sons and daughters today are giving their lives for America on battlefields around the world against terrorism. It's a sick national joke that an elected member of the U.S. House would disgrace them with a resolution like H.R.2824. Support stopping H.R.2824 Mike Graham Muldrow Copyright c. 2007 The Muskogee Phoenix. --------- "RE: KIRST: Oren Lyons keeps Onondaga Nation's Faith" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 07:28:31 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="KRIST: OREN LYONS" http://www.indianz.com/News http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/ index.ssf?/base/news-0/118656355146830.xml Faithkeeper stresses his nation's history SEAN KIRST POST-STANDARD COLUMNIST August 8, 2007 Oren Lyons remembers it well. He was on one of his international trips, talking about the environment to a group that included corporate executives. Once Lyons gets rolling, he gets rolling, and the stories fall easily into one another, and finally a baffled listener asked a question. "Look," he said to Lyons, "what's your bottom line?" Lyons laughed quietly as he told that tale, hands on a cup of coffee - decaffeinated now - that he sipped at the Coffee Pavilion in Hanover Square. Lyons is a faithkeeper for the Onondaga Nation, whose people go to sleep at night on a piece of land that never left their hands, a piece of land that was never deeded to the United States or the British or to anyone else. What is Lyons' bottom line? "I told him, 'You think in lines," Lyons said. "We think in circles." Answers like that are either profoundly wise or maddening, depending on whether you agree with Lyons. They help explain why he has become one of the most famous people in Central New York. Lyons considered John Lennon a friend. When anthropologist Jane Goodall came to Syracuse, she greeted him with a big hug. He speaks casually of conversations with actor Jon Voight or guitarist Carlos Santana or author Peter Matthiessen. Thursday, Lyons flew to Los Angeles for a screening of Leonardo DiCaprio's "The 11th Hour," an environmental documentary in which Lyons offers prominent narrative. Even the message on Lyons' phone conveys that image of traveler-as- -philosopher. "Gone again," Lyons says on the machine. "Who knows where, or for how long." Yet that image might need some delicate retooling. For decades, when you thought about the elders of Onondaga, you thought of men like the late Leon Shenandoah, the former Tadodaho - or spiritual leader - of the Six Nations. Lyons, for his part, seemed to have a perpetual role as a younger, bemused diplomat to the world beyond the nation. But Shenandoah died in 1996. He is gone, as is Louis Farmer, as is Paul Waterman, as are many of the gray-haired men who for so long formed the collective face of the Council of Chiefs. Now Lyons is 77, an elder himself. He is recovering - quickly - from hip replacement surgery. And he finds a need, at this point in life, to set a few priorities. "I can see the end of the road clearly right now," he said. "Years are important, and you want to see what you can do." One major goal, he said, is elevating the relationship between his people and the immediate world around his nation. Yes, he still travels the world to attend United Nations gatherings on indigenous peoples. He still worries out loud about the environment and the ever-growing human population, and he is especially passionate about the question of global warming. But he will speak of issues closer to home when he offers a public address at 4:30 p.m. Sunday in Hanover Square, as part of the "Honoring the Haudenosaunee" celebration. There are certain things Lyons would love to see in Syracuse. They begin, he said, with a simple revelation. What he wants is a deeper community appreciation of the Onondagas for their "history, instead of fighting about taxes." That focus is shared by Irving Lyons, Oren's nephew, who is putting together Sunday's festival. To Oren and Irving, it makes no sense that Onondaga County tourism officials do very little with what is probably the best-known historical event in the region: The birth of the Iroquois Confederacy on the shoreline of Onondaga Lake, where the people of the longhouse believe a tree of peace grew from a hole filled with discarded weapons. Oren Lyons dreams of an environmental center alongside a lake recovering from centuries of pollution and abuse. He dreams of a lakefront Haudenosaunee museum. He dreams of Syracuse as a place that would attract indigenous people from many countries for conferences and forums, which in itself would become an opportunity. "People around the world love Indians," said Lyons, recalling a European fascination with visits by the Iroquois Nationals, a lacrosse team from the Six Nations. He sees the extraordinary kinship between the Onondagas and greater Syracuse as a bond that we could market. He speaks of a time when the city might fully remember why its lake is considered a sacred place. In that revelation alone, Lyons said, there would be a transformation. Above his coffee, message sent, Lyons dropped into what he does best, which is weaving together many stories. His extended family has been wounded by alcoholism, and he remembers his own youthful days as a hard drinker. "Nothing good really happens until you sober up," said Lyons, who has stayed away from alcohol for many years. That led into lessons learned during his days as a young artist in New York City. He bought a house in New Jersey, he said, and for a while he took a shot at leading a typical homeowner's life. Then he grew to know a neighbor, a nice enough man who worked long hours to try to get ahead. The neighbor spent the little bit of free time that he had "always taking care of his house and always cutting his lawn and always taking care of his flowers." "One day I went by there," Lyons said, "and there was a wreath on the door." The guy was dead from the stress. Lyons sold his house and went back to Onondaga. The clan mothers asked him to be a faithkeeper, to serve on the council of chiefs. Lyons hesitated. He did not know the Onondaga language in the easy way of many elders. He told one clan mother, Rita Peters, that he did not feel qualified enough to do the job. "Do the best you can," she replied. Decades later, that is both his circle and his bottom line. --- Sean Kirst is a columnist with The Post-Standard. His columns appear Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Call him at 470-6015, e-mail him at skirst@syracuse.com, visit his blog and forum at www.syracuse.com/kirst. Copyright c. 2007 Syracuse Post-Standard. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: JODI RAVE: Democrats partner with Native Bank" --------- Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 07:28:31 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JODI RAVE: DNCC MAKES LARGE DEPOSIT WITH NATIVE BANK " http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/08/09/jodirave/rave47.txt Native News Democrats partner with Native bank By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian Thursday, August 9, 2007 The top leader of the Democratic National Convention Committee announced on Wednesday that the organization has made a $2 million deposit with the nation's only multi-tribal-owned bank, which is based in Denver. "When the 2008 Democratic National Convention comes to Denver, we want to ensure that it offers economic benefits to the community as a whole," said Leah D. Daughtry, CEO of the DNCC. "Our goal is to bring groundbreaking opportunities to the broad variety of businesses that make the city of Denver stand tall. Native American Bank is the perfect partner for us in this venture because of its proven commitment to supporting economic growth and development in diverse communities." Native American Bank and Democratic convention officials held a press and phone conference on Wednesday morning from the bank's headquarters in downtown Denver. J.D. Colbert, president and CEO of the Native American Bank, described the multimillion-dollar deposit as an "historic partnership." "The DNCC's deposit with Native American Bank underscores its commitment to the greater Denver metropolitan area and to the vibrancy of the Denver business community," said Colbert. "For Native American Bank, this is a significant deposit that will allow us to continue to expand our lending and economic development activities across Indian Country, as well as to native and other businesses here in the Denver metropolitan area." Frank LaMere, chairman of the Native American Democratic Caucus, said 35,000 people are expected in Denver for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. He hopes upward of 8,000 Native people attend the event. "When Leah called, I took that phone call and it pretty much made my week," said LaMere. "She didn't hear me put my hand over the phone and say, `Aho!' " The Native American Bank was created in 2001. The bank's total assets topped $86 million as of June 30, up from $24 million in 2002. The bank is now owned by 26 federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations across the United States. The bank's mission is to promote economic development in Native communities, which have been historically under- served by mainstream banks. More than 85 percent of the bank's loans are made to Native people, including commercial, home mortgages, real estate and consumer loans. "The Native American Bank represents perhaps the most courageous, grand and ambitious banking experiment in the history of the United States," said Colbert. "For generations, mainstream banks have ignored and avoided Indian Country and reservation areas. "They said they couldn't make money in Indian Country," he said. "They said Indian people would default on any loans they made. They said reservation areas were too economically distressed. They said that the trust land status of reservations was a complete obstacle to transacting any business. ? In effect, they said that Native people were not bank- -worthy." But the national Indian bank has proved otherwise. "Now in our sixth year of operation, Native American Bank is no longer an experiment," said Colbert. The bank expects profit margins to double in 2007, compared to the previous year's figure of $551,000. The bank could improve its lending service in Indian Country if amendments were made to the National Bank Act, which would allow tribes to control interstate branches of nationally chartered banks in reservation areas. Colbert said the NAB would like to establish 100 new bank branches on 100 reservations across the country. The DNCC chose the Native American Bank in large part because of the bank's work through the Native American Community Development Corp., a nonprofit arm directed by Elouise Cobell of Browning. The organization helps strengthen the financial insight of Native people and tribal communities throughout the country. Here are some of NACDC's current initiatives: * Work with the Indian Land Tenure Foundation to help the Rocky Boy, Fort Belknap and Fort Peck tribal communities in Montana to buy land. * Provide start-up assistance and ongoing guidance to youth-oriented financial education "mini-bank" initiatives on the Blackfeet