# # # # # #### ##### ## # # #### # # # #### # # # # # # # # ## # # # # ## # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ###### # # # # ### # # # # # ### # # # # # # # # # ## # # # # ## # # ## ## #### # # # # # #### # # # #### ### # # # #### # # ###### # # # # # # # # # #### # ###### ##### VOLUME 16, ISSUE 046 # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # WOTANGING IKCHE - Lakota - Common News ### # # #### # # ###### Wotanging Ikche and Native American News Copyright c. 1996-2008 nanews.org Aboriginal/AmerIndian Perspective about the First Nations of Turtle Island November 10, 2008 Assiniboine Cuhotgawi/Frost Moon Potawatomi Pne'kesis/Moon of the Turkey and Feast Cree Kaskatinopizun/Moon when rivers begin to freeze Mountain Maidu Tetem-Tsampauta/Moon when Large Trees Freeze Saginaw Chippewa Baashkadodinb-Giziis/moon of the freezing ground +-------------------------------------------------------+ 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 + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + | Once a language is lost, it is gone forever | | * Of the 300 original Native languages in North America, | | only 175 exist today. | | * 125 of these are no longer learned by children. | | * 55 are spoken by 1 to 6 elders; when they die, | | their language will disappear. | | * Without action, only 20 languages will survive the next | | 50 years. | | Source: Indigenous Language Institute | | http://www.indigenous-language.org | + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + This issue's Quote: "The Cherokee Nation, like the state of Oklahoma, has to protect the water quality interests within our jurisdiction. It may be a fallacy for corporations to think that an environmental regulatory structure put in place by the Cherokee Nation would be any less rigorous than the state of Oklahoma's." __ Chad Smith, Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma <================<<<< >>>>================> O'siyo Brothers and Sisters An interesting play of the "Tribal Sovereignty" card is occurring in Oklahoma. Read the details in this issue's lead article, "Cherokees own Illinois River, industry claims". In a nutshell here's how it is being played: - The poultry companies in the state polluted the Illinois River. - Oklahoma Attorney General, W.A. Drew Edmondson, filed suit against the poultry companies over water pollution and costs of subsequent clean-up of the Illinois River. - The State Poultry Community requested dismissal of the lawsuit, claiming the waterway is owned by the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, thus the State of Oklahoma lacks legal jurisdiction to prosecute for the pollution. Of course, if the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma had sued the poultry industry to clean up the river, the immediate response by the polluters would have been that the Tribe lacked jurisdiction over non-tribal entities. Looking at past rulings by the United States Supreme Court we know the following: - Johnson v. McIntosh held that the federal government alone has the right to negotiate for American Indian land. - Worcester v. Georgia maintained that only Congress has plenary (overriding) power over Indian affairs and that state laws do not apply in Indian Country. - Tribes remain sovereign nations and possess self-government. - Tribes have a nation-to-nation relationship with the U.S. federal government. - Only Congress has plenary (overriding) power over Indian affairs. - State governance is generally not permitted within reservations. These decisions do seem to support the poultry industry argument, "To decide the claims without the Cherokee Nation's involvement would impose state control over tribal lands, waters and biota in clear violation of the political integrity, economic security and welfare of the Cherokee Nation," Attorney General Edmondsons stated, "Today's legal gimmick comes straight from the 'polluter's guide to PR' textbook. Step one, divert attention. Step two, pass the buck. Step three, throw lots of junk around to see what sticks. Step four, confuse the issue. They got it all in." While the poultry industry may have come up with a cute "Catch-22", the simple truth is they cannot win this game - they can only delay the inevitable, and the cost of the clean-up will only increase. For the record CNO Chief Chad Smith made the Cherokee Nation's position very clear. He said, "...I have to point out that the Cherokee Nation has not filed this motion to dismiss, and it would be a mistake to assume that we support the unconditional dismissal of this lawsuit." "The Cherokee Nation, like the state of Oklahoma, has to protect the water quality interests within our jurisdiction. It may be a fallacy for corporations like Tyson to think that an environmental regulatory structure put in place by the Cherokee Nation would be any less rigorous than the state of Oklahoma's." It is interesting to see the dominant society try to use an Indian Nation to "divide and conquer" their own. , , Gary Smith (*,*) wotanging@bellsouth.net 5186 CR-5 (`-') gars@nanews.org Ashland, AL 36251, U.S.A. ===w=w=== http://www.nanews.org ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ----------- Editorial Section: - SIMMONS: . Industry plays Sovereignty Card Spotlight on Brunot Agreement - Cherokees own Illinois River, - YELLOW BIRD: Rituals differ, Industry claims grief is the same - Wanblee bouncing back - EDITORIAL: Kudos for from blizzard Navajo Language School Book - Strengthening Accountability - JODI RAVE: Work starts of Indian Programs on Native Campus Center - Study looks at Native Suicides - HODGSON-MCCAULEY: - Steps toward restoring Out with Old, in with New Delaware Recognition - MOUNTAIN: - The Long Road West Margaret Nazon's Fish-Scale Art - Rosella Hightower - CUTHAND: Canadians - Master Canoe Carver not ready to elect Aboriginal shapes Students' Lives - Iacobucci to mediate - IAIA hosts Open House, Native Reconciliation Issue Groundbreaking - When Cops Become Thugs - Choctaw Code Talkers - Alert: finally recognized Tyendinaga Mohawks facing arrest - Lumbee offers heating cost help - Aboriginal Children's Survey - Elder spreads Native knowledge - First Nations reach in Holland Land Deal with B.C. - Western Caro. joins - Province censured Cherokee Language Partnership for not consulting First Nation - Last known fluent - Group calls for inquiry Mandan Speaker honored into Police Shootings - Sacred Soil on the Navajo Nation - Letter from - Carter Camp: Leonard November 5, 2008 Update on Ahmbaska's Condition - Prosecutors defend charges - JODI RAVE: Blackfeet in Aquash Murder Case Sculptor's work on display - Native Justice - YELLOW BIRD: -- Supreme Court ponders Ban reflects poorly on Council meaning of a Word - GIAGO: - Native Crossings Ignorance and Racism in Mascots -- Nakima Joseph Frye - ABOUREZK: Time for Natives -- Rosella Hightower (2 entries) to Flex Political Muscles -- Jimmy Carl Black - ST. CLAIR: Indian Wars - Nativepreps.com launches Website have never really ended - Chinle's Jumbo lets her running - JODI RAVE: First Native do the talking to win Statewide Office - Rustywire: A trembling touch - BARKMAN: A list of questions - Lee Goins Poem: for next President A Journey of Time --------- "RE: Cherokees own Illinois River, Industry claims" --------- Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2008 06:28:44 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="POULTRY POLLUTERS USE TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY TO TRY TO DUCK LAWSUIT" http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx? articleID=20081101_11_A13_hPoult543530 Cherokees own Illinois River, industry claims by: CURTIS KILLMAN World Staff Writer November 1, 2008 Poultry companies use that argument in trying to get a lawsuit over water pollution dismissed. The state of Oklahoma's lawsuit against the poultry industry should be dismissed in part because the Illinois River is owned not by the state but by the Cherokee Nation, which is not a party to the case, Tyson Foods Inc. and others claim in legal papers filed Friday. The poultry industry requested that the case be dismissed, claiming that the court cannot adjudicate the state's claims without first determining who owns the Illinois River and its resources. Jackie Cunningham, director of community relations for the Poultry Community Council, said, "The attorney general is using natural resources that legally belong to the Cherokee Nation as a pawn in his politically motivated lawsuit. "We believe this is wrong, especially since he's trying to use these resources to win a damage award to help pay private lawyers working for him under an unlawful contingency fee agreement." The poultry industry claims that the lawsuit places it in the middle of a "two-century-old conflict" over who controls the Illinois River watershed and who is entitled to sue based on its alleged injuries. "To decide the claims without the Cherokee Nation's involvement would impose state control over tribal lands, waters and biota in clear violation of the political integrity, economic security and welfare of the Cherokee Nation," a motion filed on behalf of the poultry industry states. Further, even if the Cherokees do decide to join in the lawsuit, the state of Oklahoma cannot be a part of the case because it lacks standing, the poultry industry argues. "The state has no basis to apply its nuisance, trespass, environmental or agricultural laws to the lands and natural resources belonging to Indian tribes without congressional approval," the filing claims. Attorney General Drew Edmondson fired back, calling the filing a legal gimmick designed to distract and delay the "real issue - poultry pollution." "Native American law is complicated and complex, and we will diligently defend Oklahoma's standing to protect the natural resources inside our borders from pollution," Edmondson said, in a written statement. "If the defendants truly believed their standing argument, they would have filed it three years ago.'' In a statement, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith did not address the poultry industry's specific claims but did maintain that the tribe's water rights have remained intact. "However, I have to point out that the Cherokee Nation has not filed this motion to dismiss, and it would be a mistake to assume that we support the unconditional dismissal of this lawsuit," Smith said. "The Cherokee Nation, like the state of Oklahoma, has to protect the water quality interests within our jurisdiction. It may be a fallacy for corporations like Tyson to think that an environmental regulatory structure put in place by the Cherokee Nation would be any less rigorous than the state of Oklahoma's." The tribe will analyze the filing and "act according," Smith said. "In the meantime, the Cherokee Nation hopes to continue working with the state on water-rights discussions so that tribal and state regulatory structures can cooperate in advancing our common interests," Smith said. The state, led by Edmondson, sued 13 poultry companies in 2005, claiming that they are legally responsible for handling and disposal of poultry waste that has damaged portions of the Illinois River watershed in Oklahoma. "No one can deny that the Illinois River watershed is in trouble," Edmondson said. "The corporate polluters first said it was the state's problem, next they blamed it on the farmers, now they want to dump it at the feet of the Cherokee Nation.'' Edmondson's statement continues: "Today's legal gimmick comes straight from the 'polluter's guide to PR' textbook. Step one, divert attention. Step two, pass the buck. Step three, throw lots of junk around to see what sticks. Step four, confuse the issue. They got it all in." A trial in the case, filed in the Tulsa-based U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, is scheduled to begin in September. Copyright c. 2008 Tulsa World, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Wanblee bouncing back from blizzard" --------- Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:54:03 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="PINE RIDGE HAMMERED IN FIRST WINTER STORM" http://indianz.com/News/ http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2008/11/10/ news/top/doc4917b2c6639e8189175523.txt Wanblee bouncing back from blizzard By Kayla Gahagan, Journal staff November 10, 2008 WANBLEE - Stephanie Richards stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and began the first of many long brush strokes through her wet black hair. She used the same sink to wash her hair and brush her teeth and flopped a pale purple towel over the bathroom stall door behind her. "I'm just real used to it, but some people are annoyed by it," she said in a nearly inaudible soft voice. The 15-year-old is talking about the last five days - living alongside more than 200 people in the Crazy Horse School building in Wanblee, about 20 miles southwest of Kadoka on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. A blizzard last week left a wide swath of destruction through South Dakota, downing powerlines, dumping more than two feet of snow in some areas and leaving hundreds of people stranded. But many of the communities have started to move on, plowing paths to reopen businesses and returning to work and life as soon as Friday. But the people in Wanblee, a small rural town of about 550 on the reservation, are still struggling for basic needs like food, water, shelter and clothing. And many are living or picking up food and supplies from the school, which has a generator for a few dim lights and enough warm bodies inside to counter the outside chill. "It's been a real nightmare," said Phyllis Wilcox, a community member who has been organizing the effort to assist people. Inside the school she carries a list of how many families need Pampers diapers, how many are without propane, and how many are in the country and have not even been heard from. t's been five days, and many of the people don't have power at their house for heat, gas for their cars, batteries for their cell phones, or electricity for their refrigerators. As of Sunday afternoon, the local store was still closed, the tribal dispatch center was inundated with calls and food was running low at the school. "We haven't taken baths; we have no shampoo. We're getting cabin fever," Betty Red Bird said in the cafeteria of the school, which has doubled as a jungle gym, living room and bedroom for the more than 150 kids and dozens of adults staying there. We have nothing to go back to," said Susan Thunder Shield, who said people are looting homes. "We have no water, not food, no heat. We're lost; we don't know what to do." For some of the people, who rely on assistance regularly, or are under special circumstances, the storm has pushed them too close to the edge. Foster Conroy and Stefanie Cordier brought their four kids, including a 17-day-old baby girl, to the school after handmade fires outside for cooking and boiling water grew too difficult. Conroy said he remembers when he started to worry. "When we started running low on diapers and formula," he said. Home base When the community lost power Wednesday night, the school board agreed to open the Crazy Horse school, a large building built at the top of a slight hill that many have hitchhiked to in desperation. Roland Morrison became somewhat of a celebrity Sunday when he showed up at the school after having walked and hitchhiked 18 miles. Community members seated him with a bowl of hot soup and dry socks. he supplies have trickled in from community organizations and private donors, like Ruby Clifford and her daughter Belva, who came the first night with food and blankets and stayed until Sunday. But paper plates, generators, diesel fuel, milk, formula, cots and bread are still needed, Wilcox said. On Sunday, the front office was converted into a command center by local community members, who, frustrated by a lack of leadership from the tribal, state or federal entities, have taken it upon themselves to help the community. "I hope I don't step on toes here, but we've got to get organized," said Jon Siedschlaw, former Todd County emergency response director. The Wanblee resident used a front-end loader after the storm let up to help residents because there is not a single plow in the community and the one grader overheated. "You just jump in and do what you've got to do," Wilcox said, which for her has meant giving KILI Radio daily updates, helping organize National Guard assistance and pushing for a Black Hawk helicopter to land next to the school to take patients for dialysis. "When it happened Wednesday, it was 'what do you do? Who do you call?'" she said. Many people in school said they called tribal leaders and got no help. "Our hands are tied; we have no political power," Siedschlaw said. Lack of help Pastor Gus Craven has also helped organized relief efforts and was frustrated by the lack of help - mainly that no organization - tribal, FEMA, Red Cross - had yet set up an emergency command station to help people. Red Bird said they should have been able to rely on John Steele, the tribe's current president. "Somebody should be at the houses, asking people what they need," she said. Steele said he wasn't able to get out of his house east of Manderson until Saturday. He said the USDA commodity program has provided food, the Red Cross has been dispatched, a truck of food and water was sent to the area Saturday and the Oglala Sioux Tribe transportation program has included the area as a top priority for assistance. He said he's received many calls from residents asking him to officially declare it a disaster area, but he's not ready to do that. The power outage is the biggest problem, he said, and that could stretch on for another week. "We're taking care of matter and trying to think of people in the countryside," he said. "I think we were on top of it from the beginning by providing help with shelter, by getting food and water out there." But many say it's not enough. "We have no water, not food, no heat," Thunder Shield said. "We're lost, we don't know what to do." Red Cross trucks from Rapid City arrived at the school a little after noon with much needed supplies, and most importantly, a plan. Supplies would be dropped off at the school and then four-wheel drive vehicles would take water, medicine and other supplies to rural residents. Trips would be made to Allen and Potato Creek, small communities also suffering. "We're trying to resolve immediate needs," said Red Cross executive director Richard Smith. "We're limited on the amount of resources, so we're going to have to identify immediate needs of people who need it the most." While Red Cross volunteers and families carried armfuls of oatmeal and sugar, corn and green beans into the school Sunday, kids tossed snowballs back and forth, undaunted by the crisis their parents shoulder. Only a few miles down the road, a downed electrical line moved in the wind like a plucked guitar string, the wooden pole that was once its anchor snapped in half like a twig. Eleanor Charging Crow was feeling a little like they were all remnants of the storm, too. "It was a shock to our community," she said. "We haven't had one of these for ages." Siedschlaw is hoping that as people return home within the next week, and the damage is rebuilt, something good is going to come of this. "I'm not into politics, but hopefully this will be a learning experience for everybody," he said. Contact Kayla Gahagan at394-8410 or kayla.gahagan@rapidcityjournal.com Power outages * Butte Electric Cooperative: restored power to 50 people Sunday; more than 200 people without electricity * West River Electric: 45 residential meters without service; 150 wells without service * Four other area electric cooperatives have 1,700 customers without power; 1,740 poles down * Black Hills Power: 100 residential meters without service West River Electric and Black Hills Power expect to return service to all customers by today. Copyright c. 2008 Rapid City Journal, Rapid City, SD. --------- "RE: Strengthening Accountability of Indian Programs" --------- Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2008 07:05:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GAO REPORTS TO OBAMA ADMINISTRATION" http://www.indiantrust.com/index.cfm?FuseAction= OtherMedia.ViewDetail&Other_id=18&Month=11&Year=2008 Strengthening the Accountability of Indian Programs: The GAO Tells the Obama Administration What Needs to Be Done at the Interior Department November 6, 2008 The Government Accountability Office has released the following recommendations about what Indian issues the Obama administration will need to address at the Interior Department: GAO has identified a number of long-standing financial and programmatic deficiencies in Interior's Indian programs. * While Interior has taken significant steps in the last 10 years to address weaknesses in certain Indian programs, it is still in the process of implementing key trust fund reforms, including preparation of a timetable for completing remaining activities, to effectively manage more than 300,000 trust fund accounts with assets of more than $3 billion. Further, in the department's consolidated financial statements, the management of Indian trust funds continues to be reported as a material internal control weakness. What Needs to Be Done To improve the timeliness and transparency and ensure better management of BIA's land in trust process, the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should move forward with adopting revisions to the land in trust regulations that include * specific time frames for BIA to make a decision once an application is complete, and * guidelines for providing state and local governments with more information on the applications and a longer period of time to provide meaningful comments on the applications. * GAO has also reported on serious delays in the Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) program for determining whether the department will accept land in trust - as of the end of fiscal year 2005, more than 1,000 land in trust applications from tribes and individual Indians were pending. While BIA generally followed its regulations for processing land in trust applications, it had no deadlines for making decisions on them. Copyright c. 2008 Blackfeet Reservation Development Fund, Inc. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Study looks at Native Suicides" --------- Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2008 08:36:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SUICIDE" http://www.gallupindependent.com/2008/11november/110708suicide.html Study looks at Native suicides Copyright c. 2008 Gallup Independent By Bill Donovan Staff writer GALLUP - Why do Native American students commit suicide at rates three time the national average? That's the question that a wide rage of health professionals who make up the Project Trust Partnership have been looking at for the past two years. Representatives of the group presented their findings this week to members of the Gallup-McKinley County School District. The group is composed of many members from the McKinley County area who got involved because in 2005, the county school district saw the district suicide rate soar with 13 suicides reported among district students. That resulted in the district starting programs to tackle the problem and although the suicide rate has since dropped to the normal levels, area health officials have been looking at ways to deal with mental health problems of Native American students. Kimberly Ross-Toledo, who is Navajo-Sioux and director of the Coalition for Healthy and Resilient Youth, said that one of the things that the group did was hold meetings in four area communities - Crownpoint, Gallup, Shiprock and To'Hajilee - to talk to people in those areas about the trauma that young Native Americans feel. They also talked to a number of Navajo medicine men and got their thoughts. What they found is that the healing system in this area is backward. Instead of having Western medicine be the primary way of healing, they said the area should give that responsibility back to the medicine men. "Native American traditional practices and ceremonies have been effective since time immemorial, but federal policies at different times have prohibited them, disregarded them, perpetuated questions about their credibility and validity and resulted in their loss across generations in some communities," the report said. Ross-Toldedo said that as a result, community leaders are saying that the current reliance on Western medicine is not actually meeting the health needs of Native American youth and may in fact be harmful. To understand Native American youth and their mental health needs requires someone with a knowledge of tradition and culture, according to the report, which also said their interviews revealed a feeling that sending the Native American kids with mental health problems to institutions that promote Western values and Western ideas of treatment may only re-traumatize them. The group has come up with a lot of recommendations to reduce the trauma that many native American students feel. They include: * Acknowledgment of past mistreatment is a very important component of healing "so the United States should issue a formal apology" as the Canadians and the government of Australia have done to their natives. * The United States needs to make funding level adequate to address the level of need for health care. This will help restore the trust that is now lacking among young Natives. * A system must be set up so that federal, state and local behavioral health systems will have a mechanism for paying traditional practitioners for their services. * If policymakers and providers truly want to be culturally appropriate, it is essential that they become culturally humble and more conscious of what people are doing in communities that works. The group has come up with some 42 recommendations that they say area health providers need to look at if they want to improve the mental health of Native American students. Johnny R. Thompson, who has been the strongest support of providing traditional culture course in the school system, said that while the report brings up a number of issues, he didn't think that it would change the approach that the district is now using to address these mental health issues. "I don't think the report will have any effect," he said. A copy of the 120-page report can be found on http//hsc.unm.edu/chpdp/Assets/Projects /Assets/TRUST-Report.May08.pdf Copyright c. 2008 Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: Steps toward restoring Delaware Recognition" --------- Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2008 06:28:44 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DELAWARE RECOGNITION" http://nativetimes.bizweb5.tulsaconnect.com/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=466&Itemid=55 Cherokees take steps toward restoring Delaware's federal recognition TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council has taken another step toward supporting the recognition of a separate nation for the Delaware Tribe of Indians. The measure ratifying the memorandum of agreement between the Cherokees and the Delawares was passed unanimously during a special CN Tribal Council meeting Oct. 23. "We are pleased with the constructive method that the Delaware administration has taken on an issue that has divided us for a number of years," said CN Principal Chief Chad Smith. "This collaborative agreement protects our concerns about Cherokee Nation sovereignty and allows the Delaware their separate recognition." The MOA recognizes the consultative, inter-governmental relationship between the two nations and preserves and protects CN interests by not allowing the Delawares to put land into trust, have gaming operations, or issue vehicle tags within CN boundaries. "I know it's not a perfect agreement for them, I understand some of the issues they have, but as an elected representative of the Cherokee Nation, my duty is to support and defend the sovereignty of the Cherokee Nation and if we can do that and come to an agreement and not encroach on our sovereignty then I am in support of it," said Bradley Cobb, the CN councilor who sponsored the resolution. The Delaware Tribe is based in Bartlesville, Okla., in the area Cobb represents on the CN Tribal Council. The resolution compliments House Resolution 6786, a piece of federal legislation introduced by Congressman John Sullivan (R-Okla.) that would restore the federal recognition of the Delaware Tribe of Indians. In 1979, the Department of the Interior terminated the separate tribal status of the Delawares living in eastern Oklahoma. The DOI rescinded that decision in 1996 but the action was contested in federal court by the CN. In 2004, a 10th Circuit Court decision ended the Delaware Tribe's federal recognition. Ernest Tiger, spokesman for the Delaware Tribe, said that once recognized the tribe will be able to resume their 8(a) program status, which is a government small business assistance program. Within it, companies can form beneficial teaming partnerships and allow federal agencies to streamline the contracting process. This enables those businesses to compete in the federal contracting arena and take advantage of greater subcontracting opportunities available from large firms. "With federal recognition, we will be able to operate at a level to develop businesses and industries to supply jobs and services to our citizens. We'll be able to take advantage of federal loan programs and assistance that is only available to federally recognized tribes," Tiger said. "Without recognition, we are really limited in what we are able to do." CN representatives worked closely with Delaware officials to negotiate the proposed agreement defining the inter-governmental relationship between the two nations. "Today is a very significant day for the Delaware Tribe," said Delaware Chief Jerry Douglas. "After years of hard work by Cherokees and Delawares alike, this agreement paves the way for the restoration of the tribe's separate federal recognition and resolves decades of uncertainty for both tribes. The tribe looks forward to continuing to work with the Cherokee Nation cooperatively and as allies under the framework embodied in the MOA." The MOA defines the inter-governmental relationship between the two nations, including agreements on jurisdictional boundaries, administration of governmental programs and provisions for 8(a) minority contracting. "I thank both Cherokee and Delaware administrations and their legal staffs for their hard work on this MOA," said Cobb. "We are inherently aware and respect the difference in cultures of our two tribes and I am extremely pleased that we are able to come together and hammer out an agreement that will benefit both our tribes and our citizens in the long run," Cobb said. Copyright c. 2008 Native American Times. --------- "RE: The Long Road West" --------- Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2008 07:57:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW?" http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2008/11/long-road-west.html The long road west By Brenda Norrell November 5, 2008 When the news was announced that Barrack Obama had won, that the United States had elected a black President, my mind sped back to Natchitoches, Louisiana. The year was 1970 and my friend Mary, with her flaming red hair, had just fallen in love with a lean, tall and good looking black college student named Greg. On campus at Northwestern State University, popular with farmers and cow milkers, Mary and Greg had tomatoes and eggs thrown at them when they walked hand in hand on campus. More violence was threatened. As for me, the Ku Klux Klan, I was told by a person attending their meetings, had placed me on their hit list to be killed. I laughed when my friend told me, because my small efforts were only to gather food for poor families. In fact, usually just one friend, my friend Effie who lived alone with her children in the country. She struggled with empty cupboards in the kitchen, walking and limping long distances to work, while her children had rocks thrown at them walking home from the school bus. I had also helped organize race unity picnics, a cerebral splitting event for racists in the south. Still, I couldn't imagine I had done anything significant enough to be placed on a hit list. As college students, we were all young, and never believed that any harm could touch us. Still the three of us, Mary, Greg and I fled to Phoenix, Arizona, where tolerance awaited us. Mary and I drove out in her old blue convertible and rented an apartment downtown. I painted houses for the summer and returned to graduate in the fall. I knew somehow I would make it back to the west. What I could have never imagined is that I would be living here in the west and witness the election of an African American as President of the United States. Wherever you are, Mary and Greg, and my dear friend Effie and her children, and all those others at those race unity picnics in Natchitoches, Louisiana, let's celebrate a road well traveled. Still, it is with caution that I write these words. Neither partisan politics or US politicians have proved to be America's healing salve or strong point. This is new territory. There remains the question of whether Bush and Cheney will be charged with war crimes, including torture and other violations of the Geneva Conventions. There is no act that can bring back the dead - the women, children, soldiers and innocents - killed in Iraq. There is no one that can erase the torture of detainees at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and secret cells around the world. There is no one that can give children in Iraq, or soldiers, the arms and legs blown off in Bush's fraudulent war. There remains to be seen what role global corporations will play, especially war contractors, in the future. And, there's also another question: What happened to that $700 billion? The big question is, what will happen now. Posted by brendanorrell@gmail.com CENSORED NEWS brendanorrell@gmail.com --------- "RE: Rosella Hightower" --------- Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 07:41:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ROSELLA HIGHTOWER" http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx? articleID=20081106_11_A12_Presid801717 Tribal leaders are hopeful after Obama's victory by: CLIFTON ADCOCK World Staff Writer November 6, 2008 President-elect Barack Obama, who mentioned American Indians in his victory speech Tuesday night, likely will bring positive changes to the U.S. Department of Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, tribal leaders said Wednesday. The election of the nation's first African American president, the mantra of change he brings to office and a fresh set of eyes looking at problems facing Indian Country have excited many tribal leaders, said Osage Nation Principal Chief Jim Gray. "There's every issue under the sun that I think is open for discussion at this point," Gray said. "It's rare to be able to see such a sea change like what we saw last night happen." Obama's election will affect the understanding of what the federal government can and should do to address problems in Indian Country and beyond, such as energy, the environment, health care, education, trust reform and economic development, Gray said. "I think this is an exciting time for tribal leaders around the country, " he said. "They may have gotten cynical or lost interest in the hope that the United States government could be a force for change in a way that can really help people in a more healthy way. Obama represents the possibilities." Muscogee (Creek) Nation spokesman Thompson Gouge said his tribe is hoping that American Indians will have a voice in the Obama administration. While Obama had not named members of his Cabinet and aides Wednesday, some names have been floated about as the possible head of the Department of Interior, which encompasses the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Politico, a political news outlet, reported that Rep. Jay Inslee, D- Wash., and environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might be considered for secretary of the interior, while former Democratic South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle, physician and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, and former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber could be tapped to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which includes Indian Health Services. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith said appointments to the posts are extremely important for Indian Country and that he hopes to see Obama issue a policy statement that would reflect his campaign statements to guide the people he appoints. "Regardless of which party won, it was historic," Smith said. "It gives us a chance to grow as a nation and focus on issues that are in common rather than issues that divide." In May, Obama broke with members of the Congression- al Black Caucus when he stated that courts should decide the Cherokee Nation's freedmen issue, rather than have Congress write legislation that would penalize the tribe for not accepting the descendents of freedmen - former slaves of the Cherokees - into the tribe. His position was almost identical to arguments the tribe was making on the issue. "For us, the principle we believe that Sen. Obama adheres to is to respect tribal sovereignty and let us exercise self-governance," Smith said. "If his appointments adhere to the same principles, we should be in pretty good shape." Clifton Adcock 581-8462 clifton.adcock@tulsaworld.com Copyright c. 2008 Tulsa World, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: Master Canoe Carver shapes Students' Lives" --------- Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 07:41:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TEACHING" http://indiancountrynews.net/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=4979&Itemid=1 Master canoe carver shapes students' lives By Mike Lewis Seattle, Washington (AP) November 2008 Maybe canoe building is the inevitable conclusion for a man floating along epic streams of consciousness, for a man who steers with the current rather than against it, for a man who cares about quality of passage rather than speed of arrival. Maybe, but it's a little hard to say. Conversations with Saaduuts, the self-taught Haida carver and artist-in- residence at Seattle's Center for Wooden Boats, don't follow a linear, ask-to-answer path. Replies turn and loop back, stop and drift away. Answers do arrive - sometimes before a question is launched, sometimes after a question is forgotten. "This is all about cultural connections," Saaduuts (pronounced: Sa- doots) said, when asked how a dugout canoe is carved. "This is about honoring the Earth Mother. We first talk about the blessing of the log. We show honor to the log." And so on. Specifics about the years it takes to chip out, shape and steam open a 600-year-old red cedar into a 37-foot canoe come eventually. But Saaduuts, whose cadence, message and gravelly rasp sound like a blend of Deepak Chopra, a late-night R&B disc jockey and Tommy Chong, does not see conversation as a simple trading of information any more than he sees a Haida canoe as just another boat. We are here, he said, to learn about everything else. "To do that," he continued, "we'll make a canoe." It was another shaper, Michelangelo, who said, "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." And it was Saaduuts who pointed to a cedar log in front of the wooden boat center and said, "It's been waiting to become a canoe a long time now." Dick Wagoner, founder of the center and the man who hired Saaduuts 13 years ago, chuckled when asked about the center's artist. In 1995, Wagoner got a call from a King County-funded arts agency. The caller told Wagoner he knew of a talented Haida carver who wanted to craft canoes on a site off the reservation. "I said, `Send him down,' " Wagoner remembered, and Saaduuts arrived less than 30 minutes later. "We talked for about five hours," Wagoner said. "About what he wanted to do on our site. It seemed like a perfect fit." Indeed, as dugouts were the first wooden boats in the area, the center needed him. But there was a hitch: Saaduuts, whose was born Robert Peele but has gone by his tribal name for 20 years, had never carved a full-size canoe by hand. Not once. Although he had seen it done as a child in Alaska and already had serious carving skills - his halibut hooks fetch hundreds of dollars - canoes were new. "But I really believe it's genetic," said the man who has now completed six elaborate canoe projects. What also appears innate is his ability to teach, to relate to hundreds of students - regardless of background - who stop by each week for a lesson on how to use an adz and walk away with much more. Saaduuts never lets them work angry, and he never criticizes. He says he tries to get them to reveal their own true shape in the same way they draw the canoe from the cedar. "The beauty of having him here is the way he makes connections," Wagoner said. "He's a great connecting link." Indeed as Wagoner spoke, Saaduuts was busy connecting Wagoner's visiting students from the Northwestern School of Wooden Boat Building with a box of hand tools. Wagoner made the mistake of meeting the group within earshot of Saaduuts' outside carving house. The Haida carver didn't hesitate. He sang for the students. Then, one by one, he put the adz in each hand and they chopped away the shavings to free the canoe from its former shape. It's the trick Saaduuts did for himself during a childhood on the reservation in Massett, on the Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C. It's the trick he's helped hundreds of students mimic when he asks them to spend months chipping away at enough wood to uncover themselves. Copyright c. 2008 News From Indian Country. --------- "RE: IAIA hosts Open House, Groundbreaking" --------- Date: Mon Nov 3 5:13 From: Karen Shadowdancer Subj: IAIA hosts open house, groundbreaking Mailing List: Blackfoot Nation http://nativetimes.bizweb5.tulsaconnect.com/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=285&Itemid=34 IAIA hosts open house, groundbreaking Written by S. Golar Santa Fe, N.M. - The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is a hidden gem in Santa Fe's back yard. Many may not know UNESCO called IAIA one of the world's most significant art education institutions, or that it is the only school in New Mexico with accreditation by the National Association of Schools for Art and Design. Located on 140 acres with incredible 360 degree views, the college educates over 200 full time students (most of whom are American Indian) in creative writing, studio arts, Indigenous liberal studies, new media arts and museum studies. The public is invited to learn about all of these programs, and more, at an open house and groundbreaking ceremony September 26, 2008 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. The IAIA campus is located at 83 Avan Nu Po Road near the Rancho Viejo housing community. Campus tours will start at the dance plaza at 9am, while visitors can see the latest student exhibit, Art in the Raw at the Primitive Edge Student Gallery beginning at 10 a.m. At 11 a.m. a special blessing and groundbreaking ceremony will take place for the Center for Lifelong Education, a state of the art building that will house conference facilities, a new college cafeteria, the Achein Center for Lifelong Education offices, distance education offices, and a new IAIA bookstore. The facility is scheduled for Gold LEED certification because of its many energy saving, environmentally friendly and sustainable features. Patrick Trujillo, a traditional practitioner from Cochiti Pueblo will conduct the blessing while special guests New Mexico Speaker of the House, Ben Lujan, Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, New Mexico Senator Michael Sanchez and more will speak. Hayes Lewis, director of the Achein Center for Lifelong Education will moderate the ceremony. Immediately following the ground breaking will be a complimentary community lunch for all visitors. At 1 p. m. attendees can view the touching, humorous and dramatic short films from IAIA's 2008 Summer Television and Film Workshop. Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee), President of IAIA, hopes that the community will take this opportunity to visit the IAIA campus. "IAIA is moving forward with strong vision and ambition and we want Santa Fe to visit and see what we have to offer. The groundbreaking of IAIA's Center for Lifelong Education is the most recent example of the incredible growth the school has undergone in the past ten years. We are able, now more than ever, to empower leadership and creativity in Native arts and cultures, and the community of Santa Fe has been an integral part of this." For more details email sgolar@iaia.edu. Online visit www.iaia.edu. Copyright c. 2008 Native American Times. --------- "RE: Choctaw Code Talkers finally recognized" --------- Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2008 07:36:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CHOCTAW CODE TALKERS" http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/politics/33595349.html Choctaw code talkers finally recognized By Ron Jenkins, Associated Press October 31, 2008 OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Tewanna Edwards remembers her late great-uncle as a gentle old man who fed her raisins and laughed as she grimaced while eating them. She had no idea as a child that the 6-foot-3-inch Choctaw Indian was one of the first American Indian code talkers. He was among 18 original Choctaw code talkers who never lived to see public recognition of their war deeds. Legislation signed by President Bush in mid-October authorizes congressional medals to be issued to the Choctaw Nation and family members. The law also recognizes members of Oklahoma's Comanche Tribe and other code talkers of the world wars from tribes across the country. Code talkers is a term given to Indians who used words from their Native languages to transmit strategic messages from the American military in the two world wars. Their work is credited with saving hundreds of thousands of lives and shortening both wars. The Choctaws used words like tali, the word for "stone," to describe a grenade; ittibbi, for "fight," when they needed to warn of an attack; and iti tanamp, the word for "bow," to describe a "company." The enemy never deciphered the code and the Choctaws laid the groundwork for the U.S. military using Indians for communications in other conflicts. They include the Navajos of the southwestern part of the country, whose actions during World War II were portrayed in the 2002 movie, "Windtalkers," starring Nicolas Cage. They were authorized to be recognized through congressional medals in 2001. For descendants of the original Choctaw code talkers, also being honored by congressional medals is recognition long overdue. They point out that the young Choctaws enlisted in the military to fight for their country in 1918, even though they had yet to be given the right to become U.S. citizens. After the war, they were told to keep their communication techniques secret, so they could be used again. Edwards, who lives in Shawnee, Okla., about 35 miles west of Oklahoma City, did not find out her uncle was a code talker until she was in her 20s. "I was shocked. He never talked about it. They were sworn to secrecy. He wrote a diary when he was in the trenches in World War I and never mentioned being a code talker using the Choctaw language." At the time, she said, she could not mentally link the cruel war with her jovial uncle, the large man in his 70s who liked to sit in his rocking chair, watch Tarzan movies with her when she was 8 years old and laugh when she choked down raisins. "To me, he was kind of like Santa Claus. He just radiated warmth." Nuchi Nashoba, who lives in Blanchard, about 40 miles south of Oklahoma City, never met her great-grandfather, Choctaw code talker Ben Carterby, who died two weeks before she was born. "But granny always kept a picture of grandpa in the house. He was in military uniform." She said she researched history of the code talkers as a young adult and came to realize the significance of their war effort. "I have a lot of pride, knowing my grandfather was in the war and helped fight for this country." Under the Code Talkers Recognition Act, a congressional gold medal will be designed in honor of the 18 original Choctaws and their families will get duplicate silver medals. Also, bronze duplicates will be sold by the U. S. Mint. Besides Leader and Carterby, other Choctaw original code talkers were Albert Billy, Mitchell Bobb, Victor Brown, George Davenport, Joseph Davenport, James Edwards, Tobias Frazier, Benjamin Hampton, Noel Johnson, Solomon Louis, Pete Maytubby, Jeff Nelson, Joseph Oklahombi, Robert Taylor, Walter Veach and Calvin Wilson. The legislation honoring them was introduced in the House in 2007 by Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., who gathered up 300 co-sponsors. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R- Okla., sponsored a Senate companion measure. Both passed the Senate with ease. The Choctaws, members of the Army's 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Division, have been deceased a long time, but their war acts have become a part of the consciousness of their descendants and tribal members. "Our people, they are very quiet, but the honor is so important, to have their heroes finally recognized," said Gregory Pyle, chief of the Choctaw Nation. Allen, who has done extensive research on code talkers, said the Choctaw code talkers came into existence during World War I in 1918 at a time U.S. forces were in France and suffering a string of defeats at the hands of enemy forces. "The Germans were tapping into our phone lines and were experts at decoding our messages. They knew where our ammunition dumps were; they knew where our troops were. We couldn't make a move without the German Army knowing about it. "A commanding officer happened to walk by two Choctaw men speaking in our Native language. It was as if a light bulb went off in his head," Allen said. What was unique about the Choctaw code talkers, Pyle said, is that "they died with secrets that were never really revealed" in their lifetime so that Indian code talkers could be used in future wars, such as WWII. Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 1998 - 2008 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Lumbee offers heating cost help" --------- Date: Sun Nov 2 10:59 From: 'anahuy59' Subj: Lumbee offers heating cost help - - - - - - -- - - - - - - www.robesonian.com/articles/2008/11/02/robesonian/news//4heating%20nov2.txt Mailing List: First Peoples News Lumbee Tribe offers heating cost help November 2, 2008 PEMBROKE - To help with heating costs, the Energy Office of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina will make a one-time payment in February to American Indian households that meet eligibility requirements. Most households that received food stamp assistance in October this year will be eligible for assistance. This application period will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning Monday through Nov. 14. at the Tribal Office. Applications will also be taken at the following locations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the designated days: Cumberland County Association for Indian People, Fayetteville, Thursday and Nov. 13; Hoke County DSS, Raeford, Monday and Nov. 10; and Scotland County at the Indian Museum of the Carolina in Laurinburg, Wednesday and Nov. 12. Anyone who is elderly or disabled may send someone to apply for them. To qualify for assistance, an applicant must be directly responsible for heating bills. A household income must be at or below 110 percent of the poverty level, and meet the reserve requirements. This means that a one- person household can have an income of no more than $954 a month, and a family of four can have an income of no more than $1,944 a month. For information, call the Energy Office of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina at (910) 522-2206 or CARE-LINE Information and Referral Services at (800) 662-7030 (TTY/Voice), Mondays through Fridays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Copyright c. 2008 The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. --- Teresa Anahuy http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FirstPeoplesNews --------- "RE: Elder spreads Native knowledge in Holland" --------- Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2008 07:46:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NATIVE KNOWLEDGE" http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/33581244.html Elder spreads Native knowledge in Holland By Rob Capriccioso November 1, 2008 WASHINGTON - Scott Frazier, a Crow/Santee elder, spent the latter part of October visiting educational institutions and companies in and around Holland to offer perspectives on Native life and environmental issues. As part of his educational outreach, Frazier presented a program, titled "Native Perspectives on Environmental Issues," for the faculty of environmental science at Utrecht University. The university is one of the oldest in the Netherlands and among the largest in Europe. He later presented a cultural diversity program, called "A Native Perspective on Communication and Dialogue," for employees of the Stipo company, an outlet focused on city renewal that supports the introduction of arts and culture into residential areas. A rare opportunity was also given to Frazier for a lunchtime program scheduled at The Hague. During another public event, "Kiva Day," he spoke and provided a workshop in Zutphen. "Some of the people in Holland have a better understanding of the Native culture than non-Native people in the United States," he reflected during his voyage. "Perhaps this is due to their not living near the culture and carrying some of the many stereotypes held in the U.S. "I see a greater curiosity and willingness to learn truths about the Native people. Europe generally, in my opinion, has a strong cultural respect for American Indian people." Locals asked many questions about his tribal and family history, cultural background, biodiversity, cultural diversity, communication and the indigenous vision for the future as it applies to climate change, global warming and care for the Earth. The queries were very much welcomed by Frazier, who has decades of experience in the environmental arena. He said he now looks forward to sharing what he learned from his visit with Natives at home, especially in terms of energy development. "[W]hat stands out right now is the greater understanding [in Holland] of utilizing green energy such as windmills. "I will also share their experiences with protecting/utilizing water resources and plans to construct huge dyke projects. "Also, with any journey abroad, I always gain an insight into the culture and people of that area which, in turn, may be shared with those I meet and address at functions held in the U.S. or across the Earth, for that matter." Frazier's trip from Bozeman, Mont., was hosted by the Red Thunderbird Agency, a Dutch firm that promotes Native art and culture. The firm regularly organizes events in Europe featuring Indian representatives from across the U.S. On the U.S. side, the voyage was facilitated by a Montana-based firm called Project Indigenous, which provides educational programs that teach from an indigenous perspective. It focuses specifically on fields relating to the preservation and respect of Native lands, natural resources and Native cultures. The firm recently launched into a formal business structure. Previously, its work and projects have been independently and privately organized. The aim of Project Indigenous' cultural diversity programs is to highlight facts about Native cultures and aid audiences in understanding truths versus stereotypes and myths. The programs are meant to bring greater respect and understanding about different ethnic backgrounds. Shelley Bluejay Pierce, a coordinator for Project Indigenous, said more teaching trips overseas are currently in the planning stages. "We are no longer isolated individual countries... we are truly an interconnected species with many of the same struggles," Bluejay Pierce said. "Our trips abroad allow us to learn, expand our knowledge base and return that back to the variety of outlets in the U.S. Our sharing with a vast audience allows an expanded appreciation and understanding for the indigenous point of view on a wide variety of topics." Copyright c. 1998 - 2008 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Western Caro. joins Cherokee Language Partnership" --------- Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2008 07:36:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="WESTERN CAROLINA TO HELP REVITALIZE CHEROKEE LANGUAGE" http://indiancountrynews.net/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=4940&Itemid=1 Western Carolina University joins Cherokee Language partnership Cherokee, North Carolina (WCUPR) October 2008 Chancellor John Bardo earlier this year committed Western Carolina University to joining a community-university partnership focused on revitalizing the Cherokee language. "Language does more than allow us to communicate with each other. Language is how we conceptualize the world," said Bardo, a sociologist by training. "I'm very excited that Western is a part of keeping alive what it means to be Cherokee." The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Cherokee Nation and Northeastern State University, in Tahlequah, Okla. (capital of the Cherokee Nation) are Western's partners in the effort. Bardo formally committed Western to the partnership by adding his signature to a memorandum of agreement between all parties. Eastern Band Principal Chief Michell Hicks accompanied Bardo during the signing, which took place during the fourth annual Language Revitalization Symposium in Cherokee, an event that Western helped plan and sponsor. "The Eastern Band has enjoyed great relations with Western Carolina University," Hicks said. "We're starting to see universities really reach out and find ways for us all to help each other." The agreement acknowledges the Cherokee language as "a living, viable language" deserving of academic attention, and supports seeking "opportunities for faculty, staff, students and communities to advance the study of the Cherokee language, history and culture." "We are able to come together because we all have the same needs and goals," said Hartwell Francis, director of Western's Cherokee Language Program. Among the primary goals of the agreement are sharing resources and combining efforts in seeking outside funding for language projects. The partnership should help attract funding because funding agencies appreciate joint efforts between universities, and between universities and communities, Francis said. A Cherokee dictionary, shared teacher training and a "study abroad" experience between the EBCI and Cherokee Nation are among the first goals of the partnership. As is the situation with Indigenous groups worldwide, Cherokee people are in danger of losing their language as tribal members who are able to read, write and speak Cherokee grow older. By one estimate, only 309 of the Eastern Band's 13,400 members are fluent in the language. The decline of Cherokee literacy beginning in the early 20th century is tied to - among other factors - federal boarding school education, which discouraged Native languages; increased mobility; intermarriage; and the rise of electronic communications. Through annual funding from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, which supports economic, cultural and environmental initiatives related to the Eastern Band, Western already is actively countering the language's decline. Working with the Eastern Band's preservation and education program, Western is developing curriculum content and training students to teach in the tribe's Cherokee language immersion classrooms. Other projects include an online first-year Cherokee language course, offered for the first time in fall 2008; a Cherokee literature course for spring 2009; and Cherokee language children's books used in the immersion classrooms. Western Carolina University is one of the 16 senior institutions of the University of North Carolina system. Western enrolls 9,056 students in undergraduate and graduate programs of study, and is located about 50 miles west of Asheville, N.C., near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. --- For more information about Western's Cherokee Language Program, contact Hartwell Francis at (828) 227-2303 or mail: hfrancis@email.wcu.edu Copyright c. 2008 News From Indian Country. --------- "RE: Last known fluent Mandan Speaker honored" --------- Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2008 07:36:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LAST FLUENT MANDAN SPEAKER" http://indiancountrynews.net/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=4940&Itemid=1 Last known fluent Mandan speaker honored Twin Buttes, North Dakota Associated Press October 2008 Students at the Twin Buttes school have honored their longtime teacher with the words he taught them. Students, parents and community members celebrated Edwin Benson's 77th birthday in a ceremony of gifts and food. The man known as "Grandpa Benson" plans to cut back is work at the school from full time to a few hours a day. One by one, the elementary students came to the microphone to say a word or a phrase in the Mandan language. Benson, believed to be last person to speak the language fluently, is sought out by linguists from around the world. But his most important work has been on the Fort Berthold Reservation at the Twin Buttes school, where he has taught words and stories for 16 years. "He's a pretty cool guy," said 5-year-old Roy Morsette. "He plays bingo with us." Benson used the game to show the same word in English and Mandan. Tiffany Weigum, the kindergarten teacher, said the children love to see him in their classroom. Cory Spotted Bear, a language apprentice, is working for the Twin Buttes community council on a Mandan language initiative. He works with Benson to preserve the language, getting as much taped, digitized and memorized as he can. "It's like the reservation - it's not what we've been given, but what hasn't yet been taken away. It's the same with language," he said. Benson said most people at the community center could, at best, speak a word or two of Mandan. "The language really got lost when we couldn't speak it at school, until we got on the playground and we could use it on the sneak," Benson said. He knows the history of the Mandan. He remembers when the Missouri River was flooded in the 1950s to make way for the Garrison Dam and the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara people were forced off the river and the nearby towns to the reservation. "When I was young, sadness never bothered me so much, until the dam came," Benson said. "We were forced out and I lost my language. I can't use it. That's my sadness in my life and I'll never get over that loss." Copyright c. 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. 2008 News From Indian Country. --------- "RE: Sacred Soil on the Navajo Nation" --------- Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2008 07:36:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="UNDERSTANDING NAVAJO BEGINS AT CANYON de CHELLEY" http://indianz.com/News/ http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/ story/0%2C25197%2C24565970-5002031%2C00.html Sacred soil To understand the history of the Navajo, spend time at Arizona's Canyon de Chelly, advises Stanley Stewart November 1, 2008 By the time soldiers arrived, the Navajo knew their fate. They came on a cold morning, in the first week of January 1864. Silhouetted against the low winter sun, lines of cavalrymen split in two groups, fanning out along the rim of Canyon de Chelly in Arizona, one heading to close the eastern end, the other the western. They had been dispatched by general James Henry Carleton, who was seeking a final solution to the "Navajo problem". The Navajo knew Carleton as a man with "a hairy face, fierce eyes and a mouth that never smiled". For his part, Carleton described the Navajo as "wolves who run through the mountains and must be subdued". His orders were to present the tribe with two options: to abandon its lands and surrender to life on a reservation, or to suffer the full wrath of the US Army in a scorched earth campaign. In the end the Navajo people would suffer both fates. "The people had got wind of the army's approach," Dave tells me. He and I are standing in the canyon leaning on the front of his pick-up truck. Over his shoulder, I see the shadows of kite hawks gliding across the canyon walls. "Many of our warriors had retreated north towards the Little Colorado River. Others climbed Fortress Rock here (he points to a tall free- standing butte behind us) and pulled their ropes and their ladders up behind them. In the canyon the soldiers found mostly women, children and old people." Dave is a burly Navajo with a copper-coloured face and narrow piercing eyes. All morning he has been guiding me through the Canyon de Chelly. In the Navajo phrase for this remarkable place, we had been "walking in beauty" or, at any rate, driving in Dave's battered Chevy. We lumber through flooded stream beds. We skirt cottonwood groves and fields of planted corn. In the still morning we stop to admire the clouds disappearing over the canyon rim. Dave is not a man of many words. His commentary on the canyon has been on the succinct side. But beneath the Fortress Rock, as he begins to tell the story of the Long Walk and the great tragedy of Navajo history, the words begin to flow more freely. "It had been a hard winter," Dave says. "The snow was deep, food was scarce. In the end everyone here surrendered. The soldiers just waited. Hunger drove the warriors down off Fortress Rock." Dave looks away up the canyon to where the cottonwoods are feathering in the morning breeze. Two young men pass on piebald horses, riding bareback up the stream bed. "Once the soldiers had rounded the people up, they set to destroying everything in the canyon, killing our livestock, burning our villages and cutting down the peach orchards." The destruction in the canyon was only the beginning. During the next four years the soldiers nearly destroyed the entire tribe. In today's world we might have called it genocide. TO the indigenous people of the American southwest - the Navajo, the Apache, the Hopi and numerous others - the great ellipsis of red rock country between the Rio Grande and the Colorado River is the sacred heart of the earth, the innocent land of their own beginnings. It was here that the first of the Old People climbed through the sipapu, the hole in the earth, to emerge in this world. Among the spectacular buttes and dry mesas of the area is their Garden of Eden. At the heart of the region is an area known today as the Four Corners, for the four states that meet here: Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. It is one of the emptiest parts of the continent and one of the most physically dramatic. To the west it abuts the Grand Canyon. To the north it fades towards the surreal rock formations of Monument Valley, which have played a starring role in countless movies, from John Ford's Stagecoach to Back to the Future III. And at the heart of the Four Corners (indeed occupying the largest part of it) is the Navajo Reservation, a patch of country almost the size of Scotland. Though the Navajo is one of the most numerous of America's tribes, the population of the reservation is only 300,000. I have come down from the Kaibab Plateau on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon into the lands of the Navajo Nation. The road drops to the Painted Desert, named for the strange colours of its rock faces. Distant mountains stand against flat horizons, like islands. Treeless hills rise from dry stream beds. This is a skeletal land, a country stripped of all but the most minimal vegetation. Thin yellow grasses cover gravel plains. Tumbleweed tumble across the highway. Herds of ponies appear occasionally, wandering aimlessly. I pass a sign for dinosaur tracks; the landscape has that look about it: the hard earth before man turned up. In this bleak expanse the Navajo houses seem to have been caught by the wind and scattered arbitrarily. Many are temporary structures, such as mobile homes set on cement blocks, prefab houses surrounded by junk yards of old cars. It is as if the tribe has never really reconciled itself to a settled existence in a settled world. The dwellings seem a kind of making-do, a short-term solution, until life gets back to what it once was. To find what it once was I travel on to the Canyon de Chelly, the geographic soul of the Navajo Nation. When the Holy Ones migrated across the earth, the canyon was one of the places they alighted, marking it as a sacred site. It holds a special place, according to Dave, in every Navajo heart. Between sheer sandstone walls rising to more than 300m, Canyon de Chelly is an oasis: sylvan, pristine, magical. Spring-fed streams meander through cottonwoods and tamarisks. Scrub jays dance through the apple and peach orchards. Sheep graze in the pastures. Fields of corn dip their feathery heads. There are no modern facilities here: no roads, only tracks, no buildings other than traditional Navajo hogans with lines of rising smoke. At night the only lights are lanterns and moonlight. These days outsiders require a Navajo guide to enter the Canyon de Chelly as it is a national park and sacred ground for the tribespeople. For the Navajo people, the canyon is full of ghosts, their own and others. Perched on ledges in the canyon walls are the substantial stone and adobe ruins of villages of the Anasazi, the Ancient Ones, a people once widespread throughout this region. They disappeared from the canyon late in the 13th century; historians are unsure why. Dave is my guide and he points out the petroglyphs on the rock walls. The earliest are Anasazi: a dotted figure of eight to represent the phases of the moon, flute players, antelopes, hand prints, concentric circles. Other cliff drawings, including mounted figures and Spaniards with lances, belong to the later Navajo period. At Fortress Rock the mood changes. "It took the soldiers almost a month to destroy the canyon. They cut down over 4000 peach trees. The orchards had been here for generations. The destruction of the canyon seemed to signal the end of Navajo resistance." During the following months, thousands of Navajo were transported nearly 500km south to Fort Sumner in New Mexico. It was a nightmarish journey. Many had little covering but rags; there was no shelter along the way and very little food. It is an experience etched on the tribe's collective memory. They know it as the Long Walk. The route was littered with corpses. Those who survived were settled at Bosque Redondo. Planned as a Navajo reservation, it is now more clearly identified as an internment camp. Barely 100sqkm, it was meant to hold 5000 people. Almost twice that number were interned there. Water and firewood were scarce. Supplies were badly distributed and often stolen by Comanche raids. The soil was alkaline and crops failed. Famine set in. By the time the government had recognised the failure of the experiment, it is estimated 3000 Navajo had died, one-third of the internees. In 1868 a new treaty was brokered. The Navajo asked only one thing. "I hope to God you will not ask me to go to any other country except my own," pleaded Navajo chieftain Barboncito. A new larger reservation was created in their traditional homelands and the people returned to Canyon de Chelly. With time the farms were restored and the orchards replanted. Today the canyon is a timeless portrait of Navajo life. "This is one place all Navajo must visit," Dave says. "To understand who they are." --- Stanley Stewart was a guest of the Arizona Office of Tourism. Checklist Thunderbird Lodge, close to the mouth of the canyon, is the only accommodation in the national park; www.tbirdlodge.com. All visitors must have a guide to enter the Canyon de Chelly. The one exception is at White House Trail, a lovely walk from the rim down to an Anasazi site in the canyon. Guides and tours can be arranged through the park visitor centre. There are two scenic drives overlooking the canyon along the North and the South Rims that can be done in your own car without a guide; www.nps.gov/cach. Navajo weaving and jewellery are much sought after. A good place to start is Hubbell's Trading Post, a general store founded in the 19th century when the Navajo returned from internment at Bosque Redondo. It still sells everything from horse tack to soap, and has one of the best collections of native crafts, including rugs and jewellery, in Arizona; www.nps.gov/hutr. www.arizonaguide.com The Australian - Copyright c. 2008 News Limited. --------- "RE: Carter Camp: Update on Ahmbaska's Condition" --------- Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2008 07:05:09 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="AHMBASKA CAMP" http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2008/11/carter-camp-update-on-ahmbaskas.html Carter Camp: Update on Ahmbaska's condition >From Carter Camp Wichita, Kansas November 6, 2008 Ah-ho My Relations, I wanted to write this update about Ahmbaska just before what we hope is his final operation. Since the last update I wrote Linda and I have stayed here in the hospital with Ahmby. It has been a long five weeks but the reward has been watching my son overcome in his fight for life and grow stronger every day. For the first couple of weeks it was touch and go, he could have died from his injuries then and I didn't want to leave his side for a moment. His head and brain were swollen and he was kept under sedation in a drug induced coma until the swelling could go down and he could heal somewhat. It worked and after two weeks they began to bring him up to consciousness every day to test his reactions and progress. Slowly but surly he improved until one by one they could take him off the various machines they were using to keep him alive. Tubes were removed and the biggie, his "ventilator" was finally taken off and he began to breath on his own. After that he was moved from the surgical ICU up to the intermediate care unit. That was a big step for him (and us) and then we finally knew he was going to recover from his wounds. Then we had a setback, the surgery to replace his skull-piece failed because his brain re swelled when he was under sedation and it couldn't be done. Now it was back to the S-ICU and we began our journey all over again. This time wasn't as life threatening and after a few days he was moved up to the IMU again and began his recovery and healing. His head healed just fine again and he began therapy once again. Here's the good news... Ahmbaska has regained all his mental faculties and has regained the full use of his arms and legs even though they are weak from being in bed for so long! I'm very happy to report that to all of you because I know everyone has been worried about how he would be post-surgery. Except for the accident itself, which remains fuzzy to him, his memory seems fine and he talks and thinks just fine also. You guys know me and that I'm a believer in prayer so I truly believe that all of you, your prayers, thoughts and best wishes had a big effect on Ahmby's recovery. So many of you called and wrote about the ceremonies and prayers you were having on our behalf, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for each and every one. Some of the local skins here in Wichita fixed up a sweat lodge for me and allowed me to have some Inipi for him. This was a big thing to Linda and I as it gave us a place to pray too. I'm eternally grateful to everyone for all these efforts on our behalf, I hope one day I'll be able to shake each and every one of your hands and tell you personally how much you helped us get through this hard time. On the more mundane side some of you have seen fit to help us out with money so we could stay here in a town where we have no support system or place to stay. You know, even though we had a cot in Ahmby's room we still had to eat a big mac every once in awhile:) and we had to buy the necessities of living for this past five or six weeks. Like everyone I hate to ask anyone for money or make a big deal of my needs, with good friends and family like you all I didn't have to, you took it upon yourselves to help and I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness. Without that and the support from our families Linda and I would have had a very hard time of it. We still have those needs and I'll put our address at the bottom of this update in case you care to help once more. Today, this evening, Ahmbaska is going into surgery for another try at replacing his skull part which should finish his surgery and clear the way for him to be released from the hospital soon. He may have to go to a rehab place for awhile but we look forward to that part of the recovery. So I'm asking you all once more for your prayers and kind thoughts for my son. Shortly after sundown we'll be praying together as he is taken in for the operation and I know if you'll join me it will all come out ok and he'll begin his final road to good health. Weebla-ha means thank you in my Ponca language, Wopila in Lakota. So I say WEEBLA-HA to all of you who have helped us through our trying time. Wopila for your powerful prayers and kind feelings for my son. On behalf of Linda and our whole family... I remain your friend and relative, Carter Camp. The address here is... Ahmbaska Camp c/o Carter Camp Room 1018 Wesley Medical Center 550 N. Hillside Wichita, Kansas 67214-4976. --- On Fri, 10/3/08, Carter Camp wrote: Ah-ho my Friends and Relations, This is to update you all on my son Ahmbaska's condition etc. There has been an out pouring of love and concern since his accident, so many that I haven't had time to answer folks. First for those who haven't heard; my son Ahmbaska was involved in a very bad auto accident down in Oklahoma. He was thrown from the car and suffered severe injuries the worst of which is a head injury which required an operation to relieve pressure from his brain, he also suffered broken ribs, ankle, and a cracked shoulder blade. The head injury is the worst of course. He was life-flighted from Ponca to Wichita, Kansas to the Wesley Medical Center where the brain surgery was done. Since the accident last weekend he has been kept in a drug induced coma while his swelling goes down. The good news is that the operation went well and Ahmbaska is doing better. He is now able to recognize us and move his arms and legs on command. The surgeon tells us he is a remarkably strong young man and is doing better than expected. I attribute that to so many prayers and good wishes that have been sent to us from around the country and world. His Mom and I have been pleasantly surprised at how fast word of his injury spread throughout Indian Country and by how many people have taken it upon themselves to pray for us and help us out in our time of dire need. Kind people also from Canada, Mexico and even France have joined us in praying for our boy and I truley believe it has made all the difference. As some of you know, old activists don't have any retirement plan so coming when it did this accident put quite a strain on my wife and I but good people like my brother Gene McCowan help provide us enough gas money to get from Rosebud to Wichita and my nephews kindly drove from Oklahoma to pick me up and take us down to the hospital. Others have had ceremonies for us on their own and did things for his healing that I'll probably never be able to thank them for, but I want to tell you all that every prayer and good thought has been recieved by Ahmbaska, I know they have because he has defied the odds and come out of that critical time with hope for recovery. He's still in the Surgical ICU but each day brings some improvement and he's battling for his life like a Sundancer should. I thank each and every one of you from the very bottom of my heart. The next few weeks Linda and I will have to remain in Kansas and take care of him during a long convalesence before he'll be released to go home. So far we haven't left the hospital but many family and friends have made their way here to help out and we're glad Chief Crowdog is on his way to help too. As I said there has been so many messages I can't answer them all right now(I'm using a hospital computer when I step away from his bed) so I hope this update can take the place of my personal thank you (Weebla- -ha) and that of my wife Linda. Again Ahmbaska is getting better every day and we hope thaat Wakonda will see fit to return him to us whole and strong once more... and that it will be soon. I love you my people, my friends, my loved ones. One day maybe I can return some of the kindness you have shown me during this hard time in my life. Right now I humbly ask that you continue your prayers on his behalf. They are working. I say this, For All My Relations, Carter Camp Posted by brendanorrell@gmail.com CENSORED NEWS brendanorrell@gmail.com --------- "RE: JODI RAVE: Blackfeet Sculptor's work on display" --------- Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2008 07:36:28 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JODI RAVE: JAY LABER, BLACKFEET SCULPTOR" http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/11/02/jodirave/rave14.txt from junked cars to expressive art - Blackfeet sculptor's work on display at MAM By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian November 2, 2008 Once he gets started, Jay Laber can twist, turn, carve, cut and weld abandoned cars into spectacular images with so much detail it's possible to see the nose hair on a buffalo. Now any visitor to the Missoula Art Museum can look closely at Laber's work outside on the north side of the building - and see the texture of the buffalo's tongue. He wasn't always that committed to detail. Laber, a Blackfeet artist who lives on the Flathead Reservation, used to look at a junked, rusted car and imagine the infinite possibilities - wild hair swirling above the head of a dancing warrior, a horse running on an open plain, an eagle soaring above the antlers of a bugling elk. He has succeeded in capturing time and sealing the moment in steel. The MAM is displaying Laber's work as part of its "Elk Dogs" exhibit, which continues through Feb. 21. It's being displayed in the Lynda M. Frost Contemporary American Indian Gallery. A gallery talk and artist reception is scheduled on Dec. 5. The "Elk Dogs" installation features four invited artists, including Laber, Damian Charette, David Dragonfly and Jeneese Hilton. Additional "elk dog" art was chosen from the museum's contemporary Indian art collection. In many indigenous languages, the name elk dog is the historical translation for the horse, an animal brought to the North American continent by the Spaniards. The Natives described the horse as an animal as big as an elk and saw an animal that could be used to pack goods like a dog. The MAM exhibit is a tribute to horses, seen through the eyes of Natives. Some of the first metal horses Laber created were designed to be seen from a distance, like a mile away. "I purposely didn't want people to know it was made from junk," he said. So, he didn't care much if his warrior had eyebrows. But now that his sculptures are being purchased for upward of $10,000, he finds his art being displayed up close and in easily accessible places, like on the front lawn of a museum in downtown Missoula. So, he's careful to take his time and shape tubes of metal into a finely detailed necklace. What hasn't changed is his penchant for automobile parts, barbed wire and farm machinery. He credits Corky Clairmont, an art instructor at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, for inspiring him to use what was in his immediate environment. "I'm from Browning," said Laber. "I think he thought I was going to use rocks or dirt. On my reservation, it was junked cars." Clairmont remembers when Laber first started taking art classes at the college on the Flathead Reservation. As a pupil, the Blackfeet student tended to think of his art projects on a larger-than-life scale. "He had some real ambition, a lot of creative energy," said Clairmont. "He asked if he could do a larger sculpture than the one assigned in class. He eventually got it all put together. It was a large buffalo made of recycled car parts, and parts of a combine." That piece was later sold and shipped to Germany. Stephen Glueckert, MAM curator, said Laber brings a sense of humor to his work, as well as a celebration of tribal history in which his ancestors once used every part of the buffalo. "He has art in his blood," said Glueckert. In Montana, Laber's work can be seen at entrances to the Blackfeet Reservation, in Glacier National Park and on the Salish Kootenai College campus. The permanent art display on the campus was commissioned for a political event. With that in mind, Laber said he was inspired to do a piece on "what a buffalo thinks of politicians." The artist molded and shaped a giant rusted buffalo - and welded a mirror under its tail. --- Jodi Rave covers Native issues for Lee Enterprises. Reach her at (800) 366-7186 or at jodi.rave@lee.net. Copyright c. 2008 Missoulian, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Ban reflects poorly on Council" --------- Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2008 10:59:07 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: TURTLE MOUNTAIN CHIPPEWA ABORTION BAN" http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=91516 DORREEN YELLOW BIRD: Ban reflects poorly on council Dorreen Yellow Bird Herald staff report October 31, 2008 The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa's tribal council wobbled out on a limb to pass a resolution that bans abortions on their reservation. "Under no circumstances," their resolution reads, "will abortions be performed and allowed." But the council's on a branch that could easily snap. When tribal governments pass resolutions such as this one - resolutions that run counter to the U.S. Constitution - those government leaders tend to be depicted as neophytes who are less than knowledgeable of federal laws that all citizens, including tribal members, must abide by. In other words, the resolutions make the tribal councils look bad and give the appearance of poor government. The Turtle Mountain Band is a North Dakota tribe with a small land base and an enrollment of more than 30,000 members. The reservation borders Canada. Here is the ruling that the tribe is up against: The 1973 Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade overturned all state and federal laws outlawing or restricting abortions. Further, it declares that a woman can have an abortion up until a fetus becomes viable, meaning the point where it could live outside the mother's womb. That ruling is constitutional law unless and until it's changed. Regarding the tribe, I wondered: Why now? Roe v. Wade has been on the books since the 1970s. To find out, I made some calls and reached Ernie Azure, council member from Turtle Mountain. Azure said their chairman, David "Doc" Brien, told them in a council meeting that he'd heard Indian Health Service was going to allow abortions. "It might or might not be true," Azure told me, but the council passed the resolution just to be safe. The superintendent of the Bureau of Indian Affairs met with them, but they are sticking with the resolution. "This is the way the tribe is going to go," he said. Turtle Mountain isn't the first tribe to step out on such a limb. The Oglala Sioux of Pine Ridge S.D., dealt with abortion in 2006, although in that case, the limb was on the other side of the ideological tree. Then-tribal Chairwoman Cecilia Fire Thunder took on the state of South Dakota, which had, earlier in 2006, tried to challenge the Supreme Court by banning almost all abortions. Fire Thunder objected to the move. "To me, it is now a question of sovereignty," she said. "I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land, which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction." It didn't work. Pro-choice Fire Thunder was impeached by the anti-abortion tribal council. "Life is sacred - the winged, two-legged, four-legged," said Patrick Lee, than the chief judge. "You hear constant references to respect for life. It is tribal law. Respect for the unborn is specifically stated in the juvenile code of tribal law." He added the law applies when "a child is conceived." The BIA requires copies of tribal resolutions from most tribes, and most of those resolutions require no federal action. There are, however, resolutions that run counter to federal law or the U. S. Constitution. The Secretary of the Interior can disapprove those resolutions. The resolution to ban abortion is likely to meet that fate. Unfortunately for tribes, "many resolutions don't mean anything because there are no penalties for breaking the law nor anyone to enforce them," Thomas Disselhorst, attorney for United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, told me. Enforcement is a big problem on reservation. Furthermore, the federal government does not provide funding for abortions. The Indian Health Service clinic and hospital in Belcourt is a federal program. That's one reason why no abortions have been performed there, Indian Health Service sources say. I suspect the same is true on the Pine Ridge and other reservations that have Indian Health Service facilities. I realize that tribal councils try to do their best for their people. But tribal governments sometimes are saddled by laws that they don't like, as the Turtle Mountain council is by Roe v. Wade. In those cases, the councils have few good ways to show their displeasure. As you can see by the situation at Turtle Mountain, their resolution is just paper. They're running counter to constitutional law, and when you couple that with the fact that federal health programs don't pay for abortions, the issue is moot. In order for tribal governments to be stronger, they must prove that they can run their governments with insight, thoughtfulness and certainly an awareness of the laws that they operate under. If they take a stand against abortion, how are they going to enforce it on the reservation? Besides, if abortions are not funded at Turtle Mountain, they probably won't be performed in the first place, at least not in the local hospital or clinic. If tribal leaders feel that strongly about the issue, they should get involved with anti-abortion advocates and work to overturn Roe v. Wade. --- Dorreen Yellow Bird is a reporter and columnist. Her columns appear Wednesdays and Saturdays on the opinion pages of the Herald. Reach her at (701) 780-1228 or dyellowbird@gfherald.com Copyright c. 2007 Grand Forks Herald, Forum Communications Co., Fargo ND. --------- "RE: GIAGO: Ignorance and Racism in Mascots" --------- Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2008 07:46:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GIAGO: MASCOTS" http://indianz.com/News/2008/011757.asp Tim Giago: Ignorance and racism in mascots November 3, 2008 Sixteen years ago I was on the Oprah Winfrey Show with Michael Haney and Suzanne Harjo to talk about the use of Native Americans as mascots for America's fun and games. It was the first time in television history that a major talk show allowed Native Americans to openly discuss why we do not appreciate our use as mascots for sports teams. I believe that tape is still available through Harpo Productions if anyone wants to see what happened on that show. In the ensuing years no other major network has found the topic interesting enough to pursue. After all, the mascot issue affects only a very small and politically weak segment of the U.S. population and there are those dissenters even among the Indian people who defend this nefarious practice. Sixteen years is a very long time and memories fade. Michael Haney, Seminole, has since made that long journey to the Spirit World. Michael was larger than life. Everyone took notice when he entered a room and his booming laughter made everyone stop, listen and smile. He was large in stature, but even larger in his undying battle against the use of Indians as mascots. He could never grasp the concept that the American people could not see this blatant conduct as racism. Harjo and several others challenged the legality of the logo of the Washington professional football team, but after several years a judge ruled against them and the one case that might have hit a professional team ownership in the pocketbook, a target that would cause irreparable harm, is gone and probably gone forever. Twenty five years ago when Native Americans like Haney, Harjo, Charlene Teters, Vernon Bellecourt, Bill Means, Floyd Westerman and I wrote about and spoke out against using Indians as mascots, we were thoroughly and soundly vilified. I was told by a caller on a radio show I did for a Los Angeles station, "What in the hell are you complaining about? We kicked your Indian butts from the east coast to the west coast so why don't you whiners go back to where ever it is you came from." How does one argue against such redneck stupidity? And speaking of "red" what exactly is a "redskin." When I talked about the Washington professional football team that uses this name as its motto and logo, I stopped at using the "R" word, because I find it disturbingly racist. What is a "redskin?" It is the pigmentation of the skin of an ethnic minority. Americans might use "brownskin" for example when talking about Mexicans or Pakistanis. For years they used "black" to describe people of African descent. Even the Spanish word "Negro" literally meant "black." When the white Americans were running roughshod over Indian country they chose many colorful names for the indigenous inhabitants. They called the indigenous people redskins, red niggers, prairie niggers, savages, and worse. The name redskin was never intended to be a word to honor Native Americans. It was a word intended to insult and to put the Indian people in their place. The word made a clear distinction between the master race, the white people, and the inferior people, the redskins. Florida State University has taken this perverse practice to another level in this modern day. The student body and faculty there have taken the honored name of the Seminole people and cut it in half. On their sweat shirts and banners they have renamed the Seminoles, "The Noles." Should that new name be taken as an honor, as some Seminole people claim, or as an insult, which most Native Americans would claim? It was only after Americans decided that the indigenous people were the "Vanishing Americans," that colleges and high schools began to use names like warriors, braves, Indians and redskins as mascots. Since Native Americans would soon disappear from the face of this earth, the names given to sporting teams were meant to honor a vanishing people. We fooled them and survived. One high school in Illinois used "Chinks" as their mascot, but when it was pointed out by Asian Americans that the name was racist, they dropped it. Michael Haney, Floyd Westerman and Vernon Bellecourt, all great Native Americans, went to their graves with no victory in sight for their years of fighting the use of Indians as mascots. Charlene Teters, Suzanne Harjo and I often grow weary carrying on their fight because we have found that it is much more difficult to fight ignorance than racism. In a way, ignorance and racism are one in the same, but until white and black Americans walk one mile in our moccasins, they will never see the difference. --- Tim Giago, an Oglala Lakota, was born, raised and educated on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. He was the founder and first president of the Native American Journalists Association and the founder and publisher of Indian Country Today, the Lakota Times, and the Dakota/Lakota Journal. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard in the Class of 1991. He can be reached at najournalist@msn.com. Copyright c. 2008 indianz.com. --------- "RE: ABOUREZK: Time for Natives to Flex Political Muscles" --------- Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2008 07:57:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ABOUREZK: NATIVE VOTE MUST NOT BE ONE SHOT EVENT" http://www.reznetnews.org/blogs/red-clout/time-natives-flex-political-muscles Red Clout Time for Natives to Flex Political Muscles By Kevin Abourezk November 3, 2008 Never in my lifetime. It's a phrase we've all heard often by people describing this year's presidential election. "Never in my lifetime did I think I would see this country elect its first black president." "Never in my lifetime did I think I would see a woman elected vice president." Let me add yet another "never in my lifetime": "Never in my lifetime did I think I would see so much focus on the Native American vote." Maybe it's too soon to pronounce this election's Native voter registration efforts a success. But as I await this country's verdict on the next four years, I can't help but feel proud to have watched so many work so hard to get Indians out to vote and enlist Native candidates. And I feel obligated to encourage more Natives to get out and vote. Let's not waste the efforts of leaders such as Jacqueline Johnson Pata of the National Congress of American Indians and Kayln Free of INDN's List to get Natives registered to vote and Native politicians on the ballots. Johnson Pata said in a news release Monday that Native voters in Alaska, Arizona and Wisconsin - states with significant Native populations - have the opportunity to swing important state elections. They also could swing the presidential election in swing states such as Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and North Dakota - states the NCAI has targeted as part of its Native Vote Campaign. "Over the last year, the presidential candidates have paid particular attention to Native American voters and tribal needs in hopes to gain support, and now the day has come for Native voters to engage in democracy and do their civic duty," Johnson Pata said. "We're anticipating a strong Native turnout." Native Vote staff are working with the campaign's state leaders and community organizers to ensure young and old Native voters make it to the polls Tuesday, Johnson Pata said. And in anticipation of minor voting problems, NCAI has created a toll- free election protection number. In recent elections, Native voters have encountered efforts to deny them access to the polls and Native language assistance, interference from partisan poll monitors and unwillingness to accept tribal government identification cards as a form of ID. Voters can also call the hotline if their polling location opens late or closes early, if there are not enough ballots or if a vote was challenged for any reason. The number, 1-866-OUR-VOTE, is a volunteer-based, non-partisan voting rights helpline designed to assist Native voters if they experience difficulties with voting. For more information, visit www.866ourvote.org. Let's not waste these precious efforts and fail to flex our political muscle across the country Tuesday, showing our nation's leaders that neglecting Native voters could cost them their own political survival. Let's not allow either party take us for granted or forget their promises. The price for failing to vote is too high and the reward too promising. For me, the reward will be having the chance to say on Wednesday: "Never in my lifetime did I think I would see Native voters decide a presidential election." --- Kevin Abourezk, Oglala Lakota, is a reporter and editor at the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star. He writes reznet's "Red Clout" political blog and teaches reporting at the Freedom Forum's American Indian Journalism Institute. Abourezk was awarded a Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism in 2006. Copyright c. 2008 Reznet. Reznet is a project of The University of Montana School of Journalism. --------- "RE: ST. CLAIR: Indian Wars have never really ended" --------- Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2008 07:57:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ST. CLAIR: INDIAN WARS" http://www.gallupindependent.com/2008/11november/110408NA.PDF Gallup Independent Native American Section November 4, 2008 The Indian Wars have never really ended By Jeffrey St. Clair October 31, 2008 The Navajo environmentalist Leroy Jackson had been missing for eight days when an anonymous tip led New Mexico state police to a white van, its windows concealed by towels and blankets, parked at a rest stop atop the Brazos Cliffs south of Chama, New Mexico. The doors were locked; a putrid odor emanated from inside. Patrolman Ted Ulibari broke the driver's door window and looked inside. In the back seat, under a thick wool blanket, he found the sprawled body of Leroy Jackson. He had been dead for days. Jackson was the charismatic leader of Dine CARE, an environmental group of traditionalists on the big Navajo reservation. He was also my friend. Jackson was on his way from Taos to Washington, DC, where he planned to confront the Clinton administration over logging in the old-growth ponderosa pine forests in the Chuska Mountains, a mysterious and beautiful blue range that rises out of the high desert in northern Arizona and New Mexico. The Chuskas are a sacred place for the Navajo and Hopi, an earthly anchor of their complex cosmology. Only days before Jackson disappeared, he had spoken out against the logging plans at a public hearing in Window Rock, Arizona. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) had just requested an exemption from the Endangered Species Act, which would allow the Navajo Forest Products Industries to clearcut the old-growth forest habitat of the Mexican spotted owl, a threatened species, in the Chuska Mountains near Jackson's home. In the exemption request to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the BIA had arrogantly claimed that because owls are "symbols of death" to some Navajo, the extirpation of the bird from reservation lands could be legally justified on religious and cultural grounds. During the hearing, Jackson eviscerated the Bureau for promoting a racist ruse to sanction the destruction of sacred forestlands. More critically, Jackson hinted publicly at possible corrupt practices by the tribal logging company and officials at the BIA. He urged the Navajo Nation to return to its traditional respect for the land and to support practices that preserved local jobs and forests. Jackson's remarks were greeted with angry gestures and threats of violence from loggers and millworkers. He received threats from Navajo Forest Products Industries (NFPI) executives and from employees at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Leroy and his wife Adella, a nurse, were rudely awakened by late-night phone calls threatening to burn down their home. Jackson dismissed them at the time, but these and other threats led many of Jackson's closest friends to conclude that he was assassinated because of his environmental activism. Although initial reports indicated that blood, possibly in large quantities, was found at the scene, state police later said that there were no obvious signs of foul play. A cursory autopsy ruled out most natural causes of death, including stroke, heart attack, and carbon monoxide poisoning. The results of a toxicology report showed trace quantities of marijuana and methadone in Jackson's blood and tissue. Even though Jackson was not a known drug user, the police swiftly dismissed his mysterious death as a drug overdose. Jackson's friends claimed that the investigation into his death was cursory at best and pointed to irregularities and possible cover-ups. For example, the police refused to look into several credible reports that Jackson's van had not been parked at the Brazos overlook during the preceding week. The police also failed to photograph the crime scene or dust the van for fingerprints. For nearly a week, police left the van outside in a Chama parking lot before towing it to the crime lab in Santa Fe. Although the New Mexico state police told Jackson's wife, Adella Begay, that only a small amount of blood was found on a pillow near Jackson's body, a source who was at the scene shortly after the van was discovered said the interior "looked staged. His body was posed and there was blood on the carpets and the seats." Responding to a request from Jackson's friends, Bill Richardson, then the congressman representing northern New Mexico, sent a letter to the director of the FBI asking the agency to investigate the circumstances surrounding Jackson's death. In his letter, Richardson noted the recent threats Jackson had received for his environmental activism and suggested that, "a major crime may have been committed." Ultimately, the FBI declined to launch an inquiry, citing that the state police had concluded that Jackson had overdosed on methadone. At Jackson's burial, his friends vowed to continue the search for his killer and to intensify the fight to protect the old forests on the Navajo reservation. "Those who killed Leroy thought they could silence him," said Earl Tulley, a traditionalist Navajo who co-founded Dine CARE with Jackson. "But they only made his cause stronger than when he was alive." I met Leroy Jackson three times and talked to him often on the phone. We were friends. Kindred spirits. His voice radiated a rare combination of power, eloquence, and humility. Leroy Jackson cared about his culture and the Navajo people as much as those forests on the slopes of the Chuskas. Indeed, for Jackson, the future of the Navajo forests was inseparably tied to the future of the Navajo people and their religion. That's what motivated his struggle. The last time I spoke to Jackson was about two months before his death. He described in sharp detail plans by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Navajo Forest Products Industries to clearcut much of the last remaining old-growth ponderosa pine forest on the Big Reservation. Jackson was angry, but not discouraged. He explained that his new alliance of traditionalist Navajo leaders and energetic young activists was growing in strength and power on the reservation. He believed that Dine CARE was on the verge of dramatically reshaping logging practices on Navajo lands. "They are going after the heart of the old forest in the sacred mountains," Jackson told me. "But they will not get it. There is a new respect for the old ways." Ultimately, Jackson was aiming to change something much broader and more fundamental than simply the layout of a timber sale. Like other traditionalists, Jackson understood that outside forces, including the BIA, uranium and coal companies, oil and gas corporations, and the timber firms, had assiduously corrupted the Navajo tribal council. Under the banner of jobs, sovereignty, and future prosperity, these forces had begun stripping the reservation of its natural resources and cultural and spiritual heritage. This path had put millions in the pockets of the corporations, a few tribal leaders and some officials at the BIA, but had left the reservation itself impoverished: economically, ecologically, and culturally. In response, Jackson and his companions were seeking a return to traditional Navajo values of the land and its use. This was dangerous ground and Jackson knew it. He told me about weekly death threats and about how loggers had hung him in effigy from their trucks the previous summer. I remember telling him to be cautious. Yes, most hardcore environmentalists get threatened and we treat the threats almost as badges of honor - something to laugh and brag about, but not lose much sleep over. But I warned him that in the Southwest it's different. There, the threats have a history of being backed up by violence. I wasn't telling Jackson anything that he didn't already know intimately. One of the last times we spoke he told me that he believed he would probably die in the fight to save the Chuskas. * * * Leroy Jackson was buried under ancient ponderosa pines high in the Chuska Mountains, the way to the burial site marked by pink ribbons. Some were tied to trees and shrubs, others to root-wads and slash left by the extensive clearcutting, testimonial to the Chuska's ignoble claim as the most intensely logged range in the Southwest. Under a soft wind, looking out over the blue mountains, etched in the autumnal hue of aspens turning gold, the Navajo traditionalist John Redhouse spoke about Leroy's life: "Leroy was no different from the other Dine warriors and patriots who gave their lives. He took a vow to protect the male deity represented by the Chuskas and to preserve balance and harmony for the Navajo people. He saw that the Navajo tribe has not shared this vision, that they have pursued the white man's values. We will continue his struggle. It is a struggle for our destiny and our future." --- This article is adapted from Born Under a Bad Sky: Notes From the Dark Side of the Earth. Jeffrey St. Clair is the author of Been Brown So Long It Looked Like Green to Me: the Politics of Nature and Grand Theft Pentagon. His newest book, Born Under a Bad Sky, is just out from AK Press / CounterPunch books. He can be reached at: sitka@comcast.net. Copyright c. 2008 CounterPunch, Edited by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair. Copyright c. 2008 Gallup Independent. --------- "RE: JODI RAVE: First Native to win Statewide Office" --------- Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2008 07:57:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename=" JODI RAVE: DENISE JUNEAU" http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/11/05/jodirave/rave13.txt Native News Juneau will be first Native to win statewide office By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian November 5, 2008 Denise Juneau - the unofficial winner in the race for Montana's top K-12 educator - was on her way to making history Tuesday night as the first Native elected to a statewide office, and arguably the first Native woman in the nation to do so. "Montanans should be proud we're on the brink of her being the first Native woman to hold a statewide office in the nation," said Olivia Riutta, a Democratic campaign field organizer. "I'm thankful we're moving in this direction. It's telling. It gives me hope. This is the United States we're taught about in school. It's the great American dream." As of press time, early voting results placed Juneau with 53 percent of the total votes cast in a three-way race for the state's superintendent of public instruction; Republican Elaine Herman had 41 percent of the vote; Libertarian Donald Eisenmenger, 5 percent. The winner of the race will replace Linda McCulloch, who was prevented from seeking re-election based on term limits. "We're excited and hope the numbers hold," said Juneau, director of the state's Indian education office. "If the trend keeps going - with Obama winning Montana - it really looks good for all the Democrats in the state right now." Juneau, an enrolled citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, watched election returns with supporters and family Tuesday night at the Great Northern Hotel in Helena. A count of early absentee votes showed her with a solid lead in some of the state's most populated counties, including Big Horn, Lewis and Clark and Missoula. Juneau's campaign to lead the Office of Public Instruction marks her first political race, although she is no stranger to political strategizing. Her mother, state Sen. Carol Juneau, D-Browning, has served in both the state House and Senate for nearly a decade. "She will make history here in Montana," said Carol Juneau. "It's a wonderful night. A mother couldn't be more proud. We'll keep our fingers crossed and wait until the final vote. What's really amazing is the amount of people who stepped forward to help Denise. The outpouring of support from the people of Montana has been wonderful." Juneau has been actively campaigning around the state since announcing her candidacy. Riutta, who helped organize Juneau's campaign in Missoula, credited the educator with working hard and connecting to grass-roots voters. "Denise is an exceptional candidate. She's running for a statewide race at a time when voters are looking for change. She's in line with what voters are feeling in the state and in the country." --- Jodi Rave covers Native issues for Lee Enterprises. Reach her at (800) 366-7186 or at jodi.rave@lee.net. Copyright c. 2008 Missoulian, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: BARKMAN: A list of questions for next President" --------- Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2008 07:57:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BARKMAN: WILL YOU RESTORE AND RESPECT TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY?" http://indianz.com/News/ http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/opinion/ local_story_308090600.html?keyword=secondarystory Patrick Barkman: A list of questions for the next president "If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." - Romans 12:6-8 Some questions for the next President of the United States: The manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy has been declining rapidly since the 1950s and is now on the verge of collapse. Do you believe the U. S. can continue to be an economic superpower if we don't make anything anymore? "Free" trade agreements put America in unfair competition with countries that subsidize their businesses, ignore environmental and workplace safety laws, and pay slave wages. What will you do to make sure other countries play by the rules? Organizations such as the World Trade Organization are gaining increasing control over the American economy, despite being unelected, undemocratic, unaccountable corporate bureaucracies. Will you continue to surrender American sovereignty to these agencies? U.S. agriculture is in crisis because of the virtual disappearance of small farms, taxpayer-subsidized agribusiness corporations paid to grow unhealthy foods, and such insanities as shipping American poultry and fish to China to be prepared and then shipped back to America for sale. What will you do to end subsidies for junk food and restore the country to a sustainable farm system? Sooner or later, our current economy, based on cheap petroleum, will come to an end. What steps will you take to help transition the country to a post-petroleum economy? Will you honestly tell Americans what it will take in terms of lifestyle changes to combat the global climate crisis? Will you end subsidies to big corporations that exploit public lands and resources and require them to pay fair market value? Will you stop corporate welfare to giant corporations who ship American jobs overseas? Will you pledge never to add signing statements to bills but rather show the intestinal fortitude to either sign or veto them? Will you abide by the War Powers Act, which has been systematically ignored by every president, Democrat or Republican, since it was enacted? What will you do about illegal immigration? Pro-immigration advocates are right that it would be impossible to deport 15 million to 20 million people without seriously curtailing everyone's liberties and that a "guest worker" program would only drive down wages and lead to a permanent and possibly radicalized underclass. On the other hand, the anti-immigration forces are right that we can't just go on declaring a general amnesty every 20 years and that it is a threat to national security to have a border that leaks like a colander. Will you pledge to fully restore and respect tribal sovereignty? Will you offer a fair settlement of the Cobell v. Kempthorne trust lawsuit? If hundreds of billions of dollars are available for Wall Street welfare, surely there's enough money to compensate thousands of Indians who were ripped off by the government that was supposed to protect them. Will you restore to tribes the power to prosecute crimes committed by non- Indians in Indian country? Do you support some form of mandatory national service to address urgent problems at home and hopefully re-create a national sense of duty as opposed to entitlement? This has been the most expensive presidential campaign in history. National politics are corrupted by torrents of special-interest money. Will you support either the overturn of the Buckley v. Valeo decision where the Supreme Court decided that money equals free speech or public financing of campaigns? Will you amend the loathsomely misnamed USA Patriot Act to conform it to the Bill of Rights? Will you pledge not to allow the use of torture? Will you agree to stop wire-tapping Americans without a warrant? Do you agree with George W. Bush that the president, on his sole discretion and without review by Congress or the courts, can arrest American citizens on American soil and lock them up for the rest of their lives without a trial, formal charges, or access to the courts? Thank you, Mr. President. Please remember that you must answer in complete sentences, show your work, and neatness counts. And yes, this will all be on the test. --- Patrick G. Barkman is a Cleburne attorney who writes on religion, politics, culture and Native American issues. He invites you to comment on this column at his blog, localcrank.wordpress.com. Copyright c. 2006 Cleburne Times Review, Cleburne, TX. Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. --------- "RE: SIMMONS: Spotlight on Brunot Agreement" --------- Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2008 07:57:08 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SIMMONS: UTE TRIBES' AGREEMENTS WITH COLORADO" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.alamosanews.com/V2_news_articles.php? heading=0&story_id=10115&page=74 Rabbitbrush Rambler BY: Virginia Simmons Spotlight on Brunot Agreement November 3, 2008 Capturing attention in Colorado's media at present is an agreement concerning the right of Southern Ute Indians to hunt and fish year around in a large portion of southwestern Colorado. Exercising this right would be in accord with terms of the Brunot Agreement that President Ulysses Grant signed into law in 1874. The Southern Ute Tribe and Colorado's Division of Wildlife, Wildlife Commission, and Governor Bill Ritter have signed a memorandum of understanding about rights and management. The area of land involves Mineral, Hinsdale, Archuleta, La Plata, San Juan, Ouray, San Miguel, Dolores, and Montezuma Counties, excluding private lands. Explanation of this privilege goes back to the 1870s, when mining activity accelerated, illegally and rapidly, in the San Juan Mountains on land belonging to the Colorado Consolidated Ute Reservation, which was set apart for Ute Indians in 1868. As a first step in settling the trouble, in 1872 the U.S. Commissioner of Indians Affairs, Felix R. Brunot, and two others met in Denver with eleven Ute Indians, including Chief Ouray, to discuss selling the area where mining was occurring. Two councils followed at the Los Pinos Indian Agency, northwest of the town of Saguache. The first council, attended in August 1872 by about 1, 500 Ute Indians, heard this proposal to sell but produced only strong opposition, including that of Ouray. During subsequent months, the usual invitation to Washington, DC, drew a delegation of Ute Indians and white dignitaries from Colorado to observe the formidable Eastern power structure firsthand. (Remember that this was a period when the crafters of the Mining Law of 1872 were playing a strong hand in the power structure, behind the scenes.) Next, in Spring 1873, Brunot met with Ouray at Cheyenne and proffered a carrot - namely, that if Ouray would support an agreement, a concerted effort would be made to locate Ouray's son Pahlone who had been stolen several years earlier by Plains Indians. (Although the correct individual seemed to have been found, this episode ended sadly for all.) Meanwhile, summer brought thousands more miners into the San Juans. While the Secretary of Interior threatened to evict the trespassers with military force, a Miners Cooperative and Protective Association promised armed resistance. In this tense atmosphere, the second council was held in August 1873. About 2,000 Ute Indians gathered at the Los Pinos Agency, erecting their tipis in the fields a little east of the agency, and then waited for about six weeks, until finally, the council was ready to start after numerous officials, soldiers, minor functionaries, merchants, and spectators had jounced across Old Cochetopa Pass Road to the agency. By then, many Indians had left and others were disgruntled. When chances of success of an agreement appeared slim, the omnipresent Otto Mears of Saguache suggested that an annual stipend of $1,000 for Ouray might help things along, and the deal was made. Essentially, the Ute Indians of Colorado agreed to sell a parcel of land, called the San Juan Cession, for half a million dollars. The land measured approximately 60 by 90 miles, with the narrow strip along the southern border was excluded for the Southern Ute Reservation, which at that time included what later became the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation also. The Ute Indians retained the right to hunt on the ceded lands "so long as the game lasts and the Indians are at peace with the white people." These words are key to the present proposal about hunting and fishing rights. Steve Whiteman, division head of the Southern Ute Indian Wildlife Department at Ignacio, tells me that the new agreement would replace a previous agreement, negotiated with state agencies in 1972 but not exercised. On the other hand, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe at Towaoc arranged an agreement in 1978 that has been exercised, but they are now considering renegotiating another, similar to the new Southern Ute agreement. Conforming with past Colorado court decisions, other Ute Indian bands that were removed from Colorado to Utah in the 1880s are not involved in similar negotiations and rights in our state, Whiteman says. A few additional words will explain why the Brunot Agreement should not be called a treaty, as some do, incorrectly. Congress decided in 1871 that Indian tribes were not sovereign nations and, thus, treaties should not be negotiated with them - a mere technicality, one might argue, since the government often broke its treaties with Indians anyway. Copyright c. 2008 Valley Courier, Alamosa, CO. News Media Corporation. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Rituals differ, grief is the same" --------- Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 07:41:16 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: DEALING WITH LOSS OF LOVED ONE" Rituals differ, but grief is the same Dorreen Yellow Bird Grand Forks Herald November 5, 2008 When I learned that Barack Obama's 80-year-old grandmother passed away, I thought how awful it must have been for Obama to be so far away from her in her last moments. I'm sure the momentum of the campaign carried him forward, but his thoughts must have been full of memories of her. I was reminded of Obama's grandmother Tuesday when a friend from Oregon called. Her father was very ill and not expected to live, she told me. He's been talking about his family, many of whom (including his wife) have passed on. He misses them, he told his daughter. He also talked about friends and relatives who are alive. Then he asked about me. This man is now 94, and I met him some 40 years ago when he and his wife came to Salem, Ore. He worked with my ex-husband, and his wife adopted me as her daughter. Before I left Oregon, his wife went to sleep one night and didn't wake up. It was a peaceful death, they said. She was well-remembered as a kind, gentle and caring woman. They are and were American Indians. Thoughts of these elders - Obama's grandmother and my elder friend - reminded me that there are cultural contrasts in the rituals of death, but those contrasts are slowly dissolving as Indian people become more involved in today's society. In my early years, deaths in the family were rare, and because we were children, we weren't as involved in the process. Still, these deaths left imprints on us. When one of my grandfathers died, his German Shepherd dog (which lived in a doghouse next to the kitchen window) suddenly began to very loudly cry. It was as if someone told him his master was gone. It wasn't a howl; it was a cry, like something I've heard only twice since that time. My sister and I jumped out of our chairs and ran into the living room, where our mother was standing. No sooner had we returned to the kitchen and settled down when a woman came to the door. She was wailing. Wailing is a sound like crying but louder and at a higher pitch. It was something that older women did when they came to the house where someone had passed away. The sound made chills run up and down my spine. I moved to Grand Forks about 18 years ago. There was a death in the community of someone I knew. That was when I learned there are differences between American Indian and non-Indian rituals of death