NATIVE_NEWS: WHITECLAY: Anti-Beer Marches to Accelerate
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Anti-Beer Marches to Accelerate in Whiteclay BY DAVID HENDEE WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER Whiteclay, Neb. - Today is the beginning of the end of Whiteclay's wait - and anxiety is high. Nearly a month ago, activist Indians posted notices on the doors of four businesses that sell beer in this village adjoining South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation that they had 30 days to shut down. Although Monday marks the 30-day deadline, the activists - with their ranks swelled this week by thousands of others on the reservation for the Oglala Sioux's annual powwow - plan to increase the frequency of their heretofore weekly two-mile walks to Whiteclay from Pine Ridge, S.D., in protest against beer sales. They plan four consecutive days of marches beginning today. Dennis Banks and Clyde Bellecourt, two leaders of the activist American Indian Movement, plan to be part of marches Saturday and Sunday, said Tom Poor Bear of Pine Ridge, an organizer of the marches. "Whiteclay is not paying attention to the issue," said Poor Bear. "Their greed is more important to them than the problem we have with their alcohol sales. They're just showing no respect at all." Although the noon marches could have turnouts 10 to 20 times larger than the 75 to 100 people who have been participating on most recent Saturdays, Poor Bear said the events will be peaceful. "I don't expect violence," he said. Whiteclay's business owners who remember the vandalism to buildings and confrontations with law enforcement officers that marked the first two marches in June and July, are uneasy. Earlier this week they wrote Gov. Mike Johanns seeking assurances that the State Patrol would be in Whiteclay in force this weekend. "We feel it only fair that you see that we get as much protection as we had the first and second weeks of the unlawful demonstrations that were held here," the business owners said in the letter written by Tim Hotz, who owns the village's Jack Jill grocery. Greg Beam, a member of the governor's western Nebraska office in Scottsbluff, met Wednesday in Whiteclay with merchants to hear their concerns. Chris Peterson, a spokesman for the governor, said the state would not reveal its plans for placing troopers in Whiteclay this weekend. State Patrol Major A.K. Anderson said Whiteclay's security needs are evaluated daily. "We don't anticipate any problems," Anderson said. "We'll have an adequate presence there." Hotz said he has told State Patrol leaders that there isn't a business in Whiteclay that doesn't have gun in the store for protection. "There could be a lot of renegade people running around creating problems," Hotz said. "There are people here who have vowed to have bloodshed if they (intruders) come through their doors." Hotz, 51, has owned and operated the grocery for 18 years. Three of his seven employees are Indians and another is the wife of the Sheridan County sheriff. Hotz is a member of Rushville, Neb., school board. His store is open daily, he doesn't sell beer, and he is widely seen a friend to reservation residents. But that didn't prevent his store from coming under attack during the first demonstration when another grocery was looted. Some marchers tried to break through Jack Jill's glass doors, but luck and Indian employees at the door prevented anyone from breaking in. "I'm pretty worried," Hotz said, "but maybe I have nothing to worry about." The protests started June 26 after two Oglala Sioux men were found bludgeoned to death just north of Whiteclay on the reservation. The unsolved deaths fueled resentment toward this Nebraska border town, which serves as a beer depot for the reservation. The reservation forbids both alcohol consumption and possession. Hotz said he and a few other village business owners met privately with Oglala Tribal President Harold Salway after President Clinton's visit to the reservation a month ago. They offered to sell their businesses to the tribe. "If they want to control it, we gave them the chance to buy it - 10 to 15 businesses ready to go," Hotz said. "It'd be cheap, and they'd have their land back, too." Salway replied that the tribe didn't have enough money, said Hotz. Across the street at the Fireside Inn, a restaurant that sells no beer, owner Pat Bourne said that she isn't fearful but that waiting for the marches is stressful. "I'm going to try to be open (during the marches)," she said. "I don't know if they'll try to burn it down." Most of Bourne's customers are reservation Indians, and she was an honorary pallbearer at one of the beating victim's funeral. "I like it here a lot," she said. "I love the people. I've never been afraid, but it's very emotionally draining." Down the street at the HM convenience store, which sells beer, owner Mildred Reeves, 78, said she'll close her shop during the marches if law enforcement officers deem it necessary. "I'll hang in
NATIVE_NEWS: Asheville NC News Conference Set For August 9
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: From: "Monroe Gilmour" [EMAIL PROTECTED] August 5, 1999 Friends The Buncombe Co. Intertribal Association and allies will hold a news conference in front of the Buncombe Co. School Board offices (175 Bingham Rd.) in Asheville, NC at 10:30 am Monday August 9, 1999, the first day of school locally. The news conf. will express relief that the "S-word" was removed last week from Erwin High School's gym and from the booster sign out on the highway. The news conf. will go on to say that more needs to be done and that the Warrior mascot American Indian imagery needs to be elimiated from the school. The news release will be on our web page Monday. We hope any of you who are nearby can join us for the news conference. Let us know if you need directions. Best wishes, Monroe Gilmour, WNCCEIB Coord. [EMAIL PROTECTED] 828-669-6677 Or contact the B.Co. Intertribal Association: Bruce Two Eagles 828-683-1889 or Don Pat Merzlak 828-254-0010 Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/
NATIVE_NEWS: Tribal sovereignty gets legislative look
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: From: "Victor Rocha" Tribal sovereignty gets legislative look Variety of issues, from gambling to license plates, is on the table as lawmakers begin interim study. By Scott Rothschild http://www.wichitaeagle.com/news/regional/docs/tribal0804_txt.htm Eagle Topeka bureau TOPEKA -- As Indian tribes assert their sovereignty, a legislative committee Tuesday was briefed on a wide range of conflicts between the state and tribal governments. ' 'Sovereignty is at the core,'' said Sen. Lana Oleen, R-Manhattan, and chair of the Joint Committee on Tribal Relations. ''We need to know where each side is coming from.'' Kansas has compacts with four tribes that allow the tribes to operate casinos on their reservations. They are the Prairie Band Potawatomi, the Sac and Fox, the Iowa and the Kickapoo. Oleen said she hoped to bring in legal experts to brief the committee on how local, state and federal governments work with tribal sovereignty. She also hopes the committee, composed of legislators and state officials, will visit the tribes to get better acquainted with their governments. Recently, the tribes have battled the state and local governments in court on a variety of issues. The Potawatomi have sold their own vehicle license tags, issued speeding tickets on a stretch of highway through their reservation and tried to enforce leash and fencing laws on non-Indians who live on the reservation. The Kickapoo have received a temporary court order barring Brown County officials from entering their reservation to serve civil court papers or repossess vehicles. And last year, the Sac and Fox, Kickapoo and Iowa got a court order to prevent the state from collecting certain motor fuels taxes. The state also is locked in a dispute with the U.S. Interior Department, which has decided that the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma can operate a casino in Kansas. The tribe has proposed establishing a casino near La Cygne Lake. Gov. Bill Graves' chief legal counsel Natalie Haag said the state will likely seek a court order to try and prevent the tribe from operating a casino. Graves opposes allowing the Oklahoma tribe to open a casino, saying it would be unfair to the four tribes in Kansas and that the federal government should respect the wishes of the state. Amid these legal fights, several state legislators want Kansas to re-negotiate the compacts that were approved in 1995. They want the state to get some revenue from the casinos and, in exchange, they would grant the tribes the exclusive right to run the gambling operations. So far, tribal spokesmen said they are not interested in such a proposal. Oleen said the legal skirmishes between the tribes and local governments are going on across the country. She said in Kansas she would rather see the sides talk it out. ' 'We need to discuss the issue and make progress, not through the courtrooms. We have an opportunity to do something different,'' she said. Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/
NATIVE_NEWS: Honeymoon Has Ended for Indian Affairs Chief
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: From: "Victor Rocha" Honeymoon Has Ended for Indian Affairs Chief http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/daily/aug99/gover05.htm William Clairborne Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, August 5, 1999; Page A3 CHICAGO, Aug. 4 Nearly two years have passed since Kevin Gover, an Oklahoma Pawnee Indian with a keen political sense and a strong record of defending Native American interests, became the Clinton administration's top Indian official with the universal approval of tribal leaders. During that time, the tribal heads largely have adhered to an unwritten code of silence that has forbidden public criticism of Gover's leadership of the long-beleaguered Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Although they would speak out against federal Indian policy--and occasionally would take Gover to task on narrow issues in private--the tribal leaders have generally refrained from attacking him in public. But that stance has changed. For the first time in his tenure, Native American leaders across the country have begun to openly express a loss of confidence in Gover. They are criticizing him on issues ranging from the distribution to Indian reservations of money appropriated by Congress to what they say are Gover's attempts to thwart the adoption of new tribal constitutions and tribes' efforts to increase self-governance on Indian lands. The native leaders also are unhappy with what they say are BIA obstacles to the tribes' attempts to purchase land off their reservations and put it under federal trust. In addition, they are complaining about Gover's strident defense of the BIA, which is part of the Interior Department, in the face of evidence that over the years the agency has mishandled billions of dollars in natural resource royalties that have accumulated in trust accounts created to compensate Indians for the exploitation of their land. "We are at the point where the honeymoon is over and the gloves are off," said Ron Allen, president of the National Congress of American Indians, the nation's largest Native American organization. "It's no more 'Brother, we are with you, no matter what.' " Allen has steadfastly refused to criticize Gover publicly in the 20 months since the Senate confirmed him. But in a recent interview, he said Gover had become "insensitive in terms of working with the tribes" and was using his involvement as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging mismanagement of the $2.5 billion Indian trust fund as a "shield" for not being as accessible to tribal leaders as he once was. "We have great appreciation for his intellect. The problem is, his actions don't match his rhetoric," said Allen, a member of the Jamestown S'klallam tribe in Washington state. Gover, a former lobbyist and lawyer representing Indian interests, said he was aware of the rising chorus of criticism but insisted the tribal leaders do not have the same national perspective that he has acquired since coming to Washington. "Given the long, sad history of federal Indian policy, there's no reason in the world that they should sit back and say, 'Trust me,' " Gover said. "I accept the criticism as a price of making decisions, and I intend to keep making decisions. I work for the United States government; I don't work for the tribes now." Gover added, somewhat wryly, "There's not a terribly long shelf life to this job anyway." A recurring complaint among tribal leaders is the BIA's failure to meet an April 1 deadline for drafting a compromise plan that would revise federal funding formulas to take into account the economic self-sufficiency of tribes that are better off because of casinos. A compromise agreement between Gover and Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.), the Senate's staunchest opponent of tribal sovereignty, called for the BIA and the tribes to work out a fair redistribution formula by April 1. The tribal leaders met the deadline for their proposals, but the BIA has yet to submit its recommendations, prompting fears among many Indians that Congress may simply authorize Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, Gover's boss, to arbitrarily disburse Indian appropriations. "The BIA is great at setting deadlines but not so great at following deadlines," said Ben Hinmon, tribal council leader of the Saginaw-Chippewas of Michigan, one of the most politically and economically influential tribes in the country. "There is a great lack of confidence in the administrative ability of Kevin Gover here and among tribes everywhere." The tribal council leader also criticized Gover for hindering the Saginaw-Chippewa tribe in its effort to draft a new tribal constitution allowing it to better address economic development and land management issues. Other Saginaw-Chippewa officials complained that under Gover, the BIA had placed obstacles in the way of the tribe's efforts to place newly purchased land into federal trust status, thereby making it
NATIVE_NEWS: FCC Phone Plan Targets Reservations
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] forwarded for informational purposes only...contents have not been verified From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 02:49:50 EDT Subject: FCC Phone Plan Targets Reservations FCC Phone Plan Targets Reservations .c The Associated Press By KALPANA SRINIVASAN WASHINGTON (AP) - In the agency's first focused study of the problem, the Federal Communications Commission is looking at ways to encourage phone and wireless carriers to expand their services to underserved areas, particularly American Indian reservations. The commission's proposal could result in additional federal funds being set aside as incentives for carriers to extend their services to reservations. It also could help low-income consumers pay for those services, officials said. ``It's shameful that we enter the 21st century when the basic telecommunications services of the 20th century are not enjoyed by the nation's oldest people,'' FCC Chairman Bill Kennard said in an interview. While nearly 95 percent of American homes have telephones, only about one half of American Indian homes do, Kennard said. A report issued in April by the Benton Foundation, a nonprofit public policy group, revealed the problem was much worse on some reservations where 80 percent of homes do not have telephones. The FCC held hearings on the matter earlier this year on Indian reservations. ``If you think for a moment what it's like not to have a telephone in 1999, you can understand why we need to have a sense of urgency,'' Kennard said. Because some reservations lack basic infrastructures, such as phone lines, wireless and satellite services offer other ways to get telecommunication services to reservations, Kennard said. The commission is looking at incentives, such as discounted licenses, to encourage wireless carriers to expand their services. Officials may also relax certain limits on the height and power of wireless transmission towers - specifications that were designed for an urban environment, but may not provide effective service on a reservation or rural land. Members of the public, industry and others would be able to comment on the proposals, which are subject to revision, before any final order is made. The FCC also wants to look at the factors impeding efforts to improve phone service on reservations. Lack of financial incentives for carriers to serve sparsely populated or remote areas and even cultural issues may account for limited service and low numbers of subscribers, officials say. In May, Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, urged the FCC to expedite action to bring services to American Indian communities. ``Unless your agency acts quickly, I am concerned that our country's national policy of guaranteeing every citizen - no matter where they live - affordable basic phone service will be threatened,'' wrote Campbell, R-Colo. AP-NY-08-05-99 0248EDT Copyright 1999 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without prior written authority of The Associated Press. Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/
NATIVE_NEWS: Edmonton: Native AIDS numbers, scary
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Date: Thu, 05 Aug 1999 08:33:00 -0400 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Lynne Moss-Sharman [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Edmonton: Native AIDS numbers, "scary" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Thursday, August 5, 1999 Native AIDS numbers scary By MINDELLE JACOBS, EDMONTON SUN Health professionals are reluctant to call it a looming epidemic, but perhaps they're just being polite and don't want to frighten people. On the other hand, a bit of a scare may be in order - a clarion call to help curb yet another evil that's decimating the aboriginal community. As well as poverty, unemployment, and drug and alcohol abuse, natives face the scourge of HIV infection, and they're contracting the virus at a much greater rate than the rest of the population. Although natives comprise only 6% of Albertans, 25% of new cases of HIV reported last year, where ethnic background was given, were aboriginal. And that only represents those who bothered to get tested, says Dr. Bryce Larke, Alberta Health's medical consultant on HIV/AIDS. The bottom line? We simply don't know how bad the situation is. The figures we do have, however, are frightening enough. While the number of Alberta AIDS cases has dropped dramatically (from 132 in 1994 to only 10 in the first six months of 1999), the HIV figures are grim. There were 75 cases reported by the end of June and Larke expects 150 by year's end. "The potential for it to spread rapidly (among natives) can lead to significant health problems if they're not aware of how to protect themselves," says Larke. That's where the Feather of Hope Aboriginal AIDS Prevention Society comes in. On a shoestring budget ($121,000 from the province and the feds for 1999-2000) and with a skeleton staff of five, the nine-year-old organization is trying to educate natives across the province about the dangers of AIDS and provide support services. The two community development workers (one for northern Alberta and one for the south) basically live out of a suitcase, driving from community to community with their safe-sex message. Last year, a third worker handled Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary - travelling by bus - but that position has been cut. The burnout rate in the job is about a year, says Charity Laboucan, 25, who covers the northern part of the province. "I constantly wish I had more time. I need to be out there all the time," says Laboucan, originally from Little Buffalo. To put things in perspective, it costs more than $150,000 in medical expenses to treat every AIDS patient. But Feather of Hope is so squeezed for cash Laboucan is leasing a truck out of her own salary to bring her AIDS-prevention strategies to far-flung reserves and Metis settlements. (The group asks native communities to help cover expenses such as mileage.) "It makes doing the job that needs to be done difficult," says group frontline co-ordinator Jessica Daniels. "The expectation is really high on what we're supposed to address in the community and we can't do it (effectively)." The challenge is huge. There's still the misconception in remote aboriginal communities that AIDS only happens in urban areas or to non-natives, says Laboucan. And natives in cities trying to survive day to day don't tend to think about a disease that might kill them in 10 years, notes Phil Rauch, chairman of the Alberta Community Council on HIV, an advocacy group. "Sometimes people just sleep with each other for shelter," he says bluntly. Then there are those aboriginals who just don't care. So many young natives die already from from other causes - suicide, car accidents, homicides - that "HIV is just one more thing in the mix," says Rauch. Feather of Hope is doing its best to banish that malaise. "Let Us Consider The Human Brain As A Very Complex Photographic Plate" 1957 G.H. Estabrooks www.angelfire.com/mn/mcap/bc.html FOR K A R E N #01182 who died fighting 4/23/99 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.aches-mc.org 807-622-5407 Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/
NATIVE_NEWS: Gerald Robt Wilson: murdered wife The Pas
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: From: Lynne Moss-Sharman [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Gerald Robt Wilson: murdered wife The Pas Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Thursday, August 5, 1999 Race-tinged trial to go to high court By Winnipeg Sun The Supreme Court of Canada will be asked to stop a new trial for a white man from The Pas convicted of killing his aboriginal wife. Gerald Robert Wilson Jr., was found guilty of manslaughter last year of the 1996 shooting death of his common-law wife, Dorothy Martin. He was sentenced to seven years. But the Manitoba Court of Appeal granted Wilson a new trial in June after deciding the trial judge erred in his instructions to the jury. Wilson was first charged with second-degree murder, but a jury found him guilty of manslaughter. The verdict sparked outrage among aboriginals who wanted Wilson found guilty of murder. "Let Us Consider The Human Brain As A Very Complex Photographic Plate" 1957 G.H. Estabrooks www.angelfire.com/mn/mcap/bc.html FOR K A R E N #01182 who died fighting 4/23/99 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.aches-mc.org 807-622-5407
NATIVE_NEWS: Earthsongs -- Inuit to Inca
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: From: Eric Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Earthsongs -- Inuit to Inca More modern music from Native America on Earthsongs: this week tracks from Knife in Water, Litefoot, Primeaux Mike, Jerry Alfred and Jimi Hendrix and we'll be speaking with Dan Storper -- Executive Producer of the compilation CD "A Native American Odyssey -- Inuit to Inca." Dan Storper, the founder of the record label Putumayo World Music, speaks with Earthsongs co-producer Gabriela Castelán about the cultural and musical bridge between northern and southern indigenous music. Dan talks about his focus with the Native American Odyssey compilation and draws connections between native contemporary music from Alaska, the Americas and Mexico. Listen to Earthsongs on the Net at the following times (All Times ET) Thursdays at 10am, 4pm, 10pm Fridays at 4am Saturdays at 4pm Sundays at 5am and 4pm Mondays at 5am Complete program information is at www.earthsongs.net --- Eric Martin American Indian Radio On Satellite Director of Distribution [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Rock n' Roll is based on revolutions going way past 33 1/3." -- John Trudell, Baby Boom Che Find out the what, when and who about great Native American programming on AIROS from daily programs like Native America Calling to specials like the KBOO American Indian Word and Music Festival by signing up for our on-line program guide...simply e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject heading "Please Add" Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/
NATIVE_NEWS: Elder Passing: Browning Pipestem
From: Ronald Johnny [EMAIL PROTECTED] A truely great warrior has passed away. Received a call from a dear friend this morning, advising that Browning Pipestem, elder Indian attorney and tribal judge, died August 2. He had been in a coma from diabetes complications. Browning was a great mentor to those of us younger Indian lawyers and tribal judges. The burial, in Oklahoma, is today--don't have all the details. Family asks in lieu of other signs of support that donations be made to the F. Browning Pipestem Memorial, First Fidelity Bank, 131 E. Main, Norman, OK 73069--don't have an account number. ~~ My heart is moved by all I cannot save, so much has been lost so much has been destroyed. I must cast my lot with those who, age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power... reconstitute the world.
NATIVE_NEWS: paves way for California to cut use of Colorado River
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: the following provided by Marsha Begin Forwarded Message Date:8/5/99 8:16 AM From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (George Kourous) Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --start forwarded text--- Deal paves way for California to cut use of Colorado River By Michelle Williams Associated Press Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) -- After years of bickering, California's three biggest users of the Colorado River have agreed on a new distribution plan aimed at ending a decades-old practice of the state taking more than its share. The Colorado is the lifeblood of booming cities and suburbs across the West, and California's overuse has angered other states sharing the water. In a break with western law and tradition, the deal reached Wednesday allows rural water districts to transfer their surplus to rapidly-growing urban areas. "As water becomes scarcer and scarcer, and growth happens, it's important to remove barriers to enable water to go where it need to goes," said David Hayes, an aide to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt who helped broker the deal. The agreement involves the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a powerful agency that indirectly provides water to 16 million people; the Imperial Irrigation District, which serves farms in the state's southeast corner; and the smaller Coachella Valley Water District serving farmers farther north. Details of the verbal pact were not disclosed pending approval by governing boards of the water districts. But the long-feuding agencies generally agreed to accept less water, to pay more for the infrastructure transporting the water and to stop filing lawsuits over conservation squabbles. "This gives us a framework," Imperial spokeswoman Susan Giller said. "We've taken a very big step in helping California set a long-term water use strategy." Under a multistate agreement dating to 1922, California is allowed to draw 4.4 million acre-feet of water per year from the Colorado to supplement other sources, principally snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada. An acre-foot is about enough to supply two families of four for a year. The federal government has regularly allowed the nation's most populous state to take more than its share, sometimes up to 5.2 million acre-feet per year. That was possible partly because the other users of the river -- Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico -- didn't need their full shares. Mexico and some western Indian tribes also use the river as a water source. But a population boom in the West turned up the pressure from the other states on California. Babbitt instructed the state to start living within its allotment or face forced annual reductions. "Because of this agreement, the goal of bringing California's take of Colorado River water under control is now more clearly in sight," said Babbitt, whose aides estimated it could take several years before California reached compliance. San Diego County Water Authority spokesman Dennis Cushman called the deal a positive step, but added many steps remain. "In our experience, it's not done until it's done," he said. ### 30 ### ~~~ g e o r g e k o u r o u s Editor, borderlines U.S.-Mexico Borderlands Program Interhemispheric Resource Center (IRC) Tel: 505.388.0208 Fax: 505.388.0619 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.irc-online.org/bordline/ Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] for more information Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/
NATIVE_NEWS: Article on Makah Whale Hunt (corrected)
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: From: "Craven, Jim" [EMAIL PROTECTED] PILGRIM'S PROGRESS Paul Watson allies with a far-right Republican in his fight against aboriginal whaling by: M-J Milloy HOUR Magazine Montreal, Quebec 10.9.98/page 12 www.afterhour.com It took the early white missionaries and explorers weeks to navigate the rugged coastline of northern Washington State to reach the Makah nation, perched on the very northwestern tip of the U.S. It won't take that long for Paul Watson. Sometime next month the veteran anti-whaling activist will make that trip with a three-ship flotilla from his Sea Shepherd Society. Their goal is to disrupt, by almost any means necessary, the first traditional whale hunt by the Makah in over a half-century. Watson--who promises to "talk to the whales" with Orca-like sonar signals and may try to physically block the Makah vessels--is no stranger to uncompromising, and very media-savvy, direct action. Like a modern-day Hemingway hero, this not-so-old man wears his adventures on the sea like a badge of pride. Jailed in Holland. Rammed by the Norwegian navy. Co-founder of Greenpeace. World-wide defender of the international ban on commercial whaling. It's an image that sells--and his exploits and opinions are rabidly eaten up by many in the media and trendy liberals in Hollywood including Daniel Baldwin and "Dr. Quinn" Seymour. But when Watson's three-ship flotilla and the Makah whaling boats weigh anchor in early October, their conflict in the Juan de Fuca Strait will be about more than just the fate of some unlucky grey whales. Their clash will recall earlier battles over culture and sovereignty between the Makah and white outsiders like missionaries and government agents. And there will be more than just the spirits of the past along on Watson's armada: supporting Watson's actions are Jack Metcalf, the local Republican congressman, who has links to the American far right. With missionary zeal, Paul Watson has made an unholy alliance--and chosen a no-longer endangered species over an endangered nation. For the Makah that support the hunt--most of the tribal elders and about 85 percent in a 1995 referendum, according to the tribal administration--the hunt means a chance to revive Makah traditions lost through forced assimilation and the end of the commercial hunt in the 1920s. "Many of us believe that the problems besetting our young people stem from a lack of discipline and pride. We believe the restoration of whaling will help us to restore that", wrote the Makah Whaling Commission in a public release. No one at the Commission would speak to Hour. The Commission also notes that they are guaranteed the right to whale in their 1885 treaty with the U.S. government, and that the Makah would take at most 20 whales by the year 2000--out of a total population of over 20,000. Watson is dismissive of the Maka's claim of cultural revival. All they're reviving is "pulling the trigger on a 50-calibre gun", according to Watson. In addition, the Sea Shepherd Society has condemned the hunt as an "archaic and inhuman ritual" and claimed that traditional Makah hunting culture would include disinterring and mutilating the corpse of a Makah child. "Progress affects everyone living in this new era of the Global Village. No legitimate argument can be made that the Makah, or any other ethnic group, can move their culture forward through ritual killing", according to a public release from the society. Although these words echo early Christian missionaries--who condemned aboriginal culture as savage and obsolete during colonization--Watson isn't comfortable acting as the arbiter of Makah culture or progress. "If you want to revive culture and traditions, how do you do that by killing something", he said. Watson's arrogance is almost more than one local observer, a professor in Vancouver, Washington, and a Blackfoot, can take. "I'm watching daily, the destruction of Indian people--and culture is a central aspect of that. I see our culture ridiculed, mocked, defiled...and all this emotion about whales and nothing said about people far closer to extinction", said Jim Craven of Clark College. For Watson, the Makah motivations are neither social good nor cultural revival--but strictly economic gain. "This is a community that is very well off. I've not seen any poverty in their community. They've wiped out their fishery and now they want to take the whales", he said. The hunt will only enrich part of their community, and is being supported by whaling nations--like Japan and Norway--who want to use "cultural exemptions" to restart their own whaling fleets, according to Watson. But while Watson uses the alleged Makah connection to the Japanese whaling industry to oppose the hunt, he has entered into his own marriage of unholy convenience. Congressman Jack Metcalf represents the extreme northwestern chunk of Washington State
NATIVE_NEWS: No Negative Impact in Tourism Seen After Makah Whale Hunt
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Date: Thu, 05 Aug 1999 13:36:23 -0700 From: Storm Reyes Mime-Version: 1.0 Associated Press article: Printed August 4, 1999, The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA), page B2: No Negative Impact in Tourism Seen After Makah Whale Hunt: When the Makah Indians killed their first whale in more than 70 years in May, opponents of tribal whaling predicted the historic harpoon throw also would kill tourism on the North Olympic Peninsula. But it didn't turn out that way. If anything, tourist business seems to have perked up a bit, hotel and marina owners say. "I've noticed no drop," said Gordy Bentler, owner of the Cape Motel in Neah Bay, home to the Makah. "In fact, I think we're probably up this year over last." Bentler said most visitors are curious, not furious, about the Makah's return to whaling. Rick Hert, executive director of the North Olympic Peninsula Visitor and Convention Bureau, said room-tax figures from Clallam County hotels and motels appear relatively flat this summer. However, he added, "Talking about tourism as a whole and talking about revenue, we have not seen a negative impact at this point." Undetered, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, one of the most dedicated anti-whaling activist groups, sent a release to news organizations this week saying the hunt "triggered a long, disastrous summer for local tourism-dependent towns." Specifically, the group said, the typical 200 boats at the Makah mariana in Neah Bay for the salmon fishing season have dwindled to only 75. That's news to mariana manager Bob Buckingham, who says business is great. "We haven't seen any sign of that affecting us out here," he said. "Our actual marina revenue is up from last year so far. We're getting quite a bit of tourism up here." Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/
NATIVE_NEWS: Last Call on Pine Ridge
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 16:35:44 EDT Subject: Last Call on Pine Ridge Last Call on Pine Ridge In White Clay, Nebraska, death is on the house. The Lakotas have had their fill. White Clay, Nebraska A dusty little rural slum with 10 crumbling buildings, population 22. Bleached signs creaking on rusty hooks in the scant breeze. Walls sagging under the weight of a merciless sun, paint blistering. An empty pop can rolls down the main drag, clinking along past paper sacks flattened in the gutter. Overhead, a buzzard silhouettes the thermals of a cloudess sky. Crickets chirp in the weed-lined street as George Strait moans a top-10 croaker through the gills of a single-speaker AM radio. Flies buzzing. Wind exhaling another empty morning. And the sun beats down Around noon, a brace of spit-shined Nebraska state police cruisers file in, staging themselves throughout White Clay, A/C warding off the scalding sun behind dark glass. Looking towards Pine Ridge, two miles away, heat risers swirl in eddies on the baking asphalt. First the chants are heard, a funeral dirge wailed to the steady pounding of a drum. Then like a mirage, a thong of Lakotas appear on the vaporous horizon led by two tribal police units. Stop for prayers. Onward. Stop for prayers. Onward. Children. Elders. Fighters. The people. Hokahey! The troopers in White Clay check their weapons. Theyve gone over the tactical formation a dozen times. The word is out to hold back on force until the last possible moment. We dont want an outbreak like last week, Jim. Federal orders. Lets keep our cool on this one. Eyes on the road. Waiting. The protesters, a wall of flesh, cross the Pine Ridge reservation border and the Nebraska state line in the same step. 200 yards to go. Prayer stick held high. The war cry goes up, Yooooppp Wp Wp! The coup stick is thrown skyward. They head for the primary target, a local watering hole called Arrowhead Inn, and the first eviction notice is taped to the wall: NOTICE THE OGLALA LAKOTA OYATE, BEING THE LANDLORDS AND CAREGIVERS OF THIS LAND YOU CALL WHITE CLAY, DO HEREBY GIVE YOU NOTICE TO CEASE AND DESIST THE SALE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. FURTHERMORE, AS THE LAWFUL OWNERS OF THIS LAND UNDER THE 1803, 1851, AND 1868 TREATIES WITH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, WE DO HEREBY TERMINATE YOUR LEASE, AS WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY LEASE PAYMENTS SINCE THE LAND WAS ILLEGALLY TRANSFERRED IN 1904. YOU HAVE 30 DAYS TO VACATE THE PREMISES. LEGAL ACTION WILL OCCUR IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY WITH THIS NOTICE. The coup stick strikes the air. 200 fists are raised. The war cry goes up again. VJs Market is next. The eviction posting is repeated a half dozen times as the cops sit dumbstruck; white knuckles grip fast the steering wheels. They dont realize theyve just been shamed in the Lakota manner of counting coup. They dont realize theyve been defeated. That the joke is on them. This is a victory for the Oglala Lakotas. Another battle won in the long war of endurance against white lies, violence, hatred, racism, oppression, murder. Bodies by the road "It has to stop," says Tom Poor Bear, cooling off his sweat-beaded brow with a soft drink after the sweltering march. "Indian people are found dead all over here and nobody does anything about it. If these were two white people found murdered here, this place would be swarming with law enforcement." Poor Bear is a brother of Wilson Black Elk, 40, one of the latest victims found murdered just yards inside the Pine Ridge Reservation line. On June 8, the mangled bodies of Black Elk and Ronald Hard Heart, 39, were found side by side in the waist-deep grass of a roadside ravine, brutally beaten to death. After seeing little or no investigation of the murders, Poor Bear put in a call to the American Indian Movement (AIM), asking for assistance in getting action on the uninvestigated murders. "Indian people in his country are still hunted," says Russell Means, co-founder of AIM and a resident of Pine Ridge. "In the last five years, there has been over a dozen uninvestigated murders of Indian people who has been beaten to death on Pine Ridge. The coroner always says cause of death was, not trauma to the head, but exposure. And theyre buried without fanfare." The coroner in question is a forensic pathologist from Scottsbluff, Nebraska, whose jurisdiction covers Sheridan County and White Clay. "This guy has a bad track record of doing a thorough autopsy," says Poor Bear. "Take Anna Mae Aquash for instance, a very strong Indian woman. She was found murdered on the reservation (1976), and her body was sent to Scottsbluff for autopsy. The pathologist ruled she died of exposure. So we exhumed her body, sent it to Rapid City for a second opinion,
NATIVE_NEWS: Deaths in Rapid city: Aura of Racism
information provided to the net by John...thanks..Ish (MOBRIDGE) CHARGES AGAINST FOUR MOBRIDGE TEENS ORIGINALLY ACCUSED OF MURDER HAVE BEEN REDUCED. WALWORTH COUNTY STATES ATTORNEY DAN TODD SAID 19 YEAR OLD LAYNE GISI OF MOBRIDGE NOW FACES A REDUCED CHARGE OF FIRST DEGREE MANSLAUGHTER WITH THE ALTERNATIVE OF SECOND DEGREE MANSLAUGHTER. GISI HAD BEEN CHARGED WITH SECOND DEGREE MURDER IN THE DEATH OF ROBERT MANY HORSES LAST MONTH. THREE OTHERS CHARGED WITH GISI ALSO HAVE HAD CHARGES AGAINST THEM REDUCED. AMENDED CHARGES OF AIDING AND ABETTING MANSLAUGHTER, REDUCED FROM SECOND DEGREE MURDER, HAVE BEEN FILED. THE THREE STILL FACE THE ORIGINAL CHARGE OF MISPRISON OF A FELONY AND ACCESSORY TO A CRIME CHARGES. ALL FOUR ACCUSED STILL FACE LIFE IN PRISON IF FOUND GUILTY. THEY WILL MAKE THEIR NEXT COURT APPEARANCE IN SELBY TOMORROW. THANKS TO SHARON MARTIN, KOLY MOBRIDGE ~~ Additionally, the man found murdered in Mobridge was beaten to death and his body stuffed into a trash can. The charges should NOT be reduced! This is a hate crime pure and simple. Where is the press on this? Media by and large doe snot cover the death of Natives. If this had been Byrd in TX it would be national news, IMO. Not that any death of this nature can ever truly be compared. Where are the cries of outrage? this is ONE of an ongoing series of attacks that have resulted in deaths in this area, yet the sherriff claims they have no problems.. Ishgooda ~~~ OTHER SLAYINGS IN SD [excerpted from ICT] Aura of racism in Rapid Creek deaths By Jennifer Peterka Today staff RAPID CITY, S.D. - Eight bodies have been found in Rapid Creek within the last 14 months, three of them in the last month and a half. All of them were males between 33 and 56 and all but two were American Indian. The county's chief deputy sheriff concedes, There is something wrong, something dreadfully wrong. July 8, 1999: The body of Timothy Bull Bear Sr., 47, of Allen, was pulled from the creek July 8, by the Rapid City/Pennington County Dive Rescue Team. His body was found near Orchard Lane in Rapid Valley. Investigators said that there is no apparent cause of death and they are unsure of how his body got in the creek. In 1997 there was a single death along the creek. In just the past 14 months there were five in 1998 and so far this year three more. June 7, 1999: The bodies of Arthur Chamberlain, 45, from Lake Andes, and Dirk Bartling, 44, of Gregory, were found less than two weeks apart, in close proximity near downtown Rapid City. Chamberlain's body was found June 7 near Steele Street off of East Omaha by a passerby on the city's bike path. Glassgow said this death was ruled as a drowning and Chamberlain's blood-alcohol level was .26 percent. May 29, the body of Bartling, a white male, was found in the creek at Roosevelt Park. Investigators said they are still uncertain how his body got in the creek. His death was ruled as a drowning as a result of severe intoxication. His blood alcohol level was .288 percent, almost three times the limit for drunk driving charges. Officials are increasingly concerned about the deaths and are now thinking it is more than coincidence that this many people have died in the creek. Unlike the first five deaths, foul play has not been so easily ruled out. in the deaths of Bull Bear, Chamberlain and Bartling We think maybe somebody is doing it, although we don't have any conclusive evidence. It's now a little more than coincidental, said Doug Austin director of the City/County Alcohol and Drug Program. May 21, 1998 The first death in the more recent series in Rapid Creek was that of Benjamin Paul Long Wolf, 36, of Martin. His body was found May 21, 1998, under the Sixth Street bridge. Even though - according to his death certificate - Long Wolf was found with moderate swelling in his head, his death was ruled an accident. May 31,1998 : Ten days later, on May 31, the body of George Hatten Jr., 56, a transient was found in the creek near a drainage ditch on the north side of the West Boulevard bridge. His death also was ruled an accident even though marks were found around his neck, according to the death certificate Both death certificates attributed the deaths to being extremely intoxicated and fell or passed out in Rapid Creek. Cause of death - drowning due to severe intoxication. Members of Long Wolf's family question the manner of his death. I don't think he drowned. I think someone killed him and threw him in the water. He was a pretty good swimmer and the creek isn't that deep,Ó said Ruth Janis-Salway, Long Wolf's mother. W July 4, 1998: Allen Hough, a 42 year old, white male from Rapid City, was found dead in Rapid Creek on July 4, 1998. Rapid City Police Department Captain Craig Tieszen said there was no evidence of foul play in Hough's death and his cause of death also was listed as drowning. Dec. 8, 1998: Randelle Two Crow, 48, from White Horse was the third American
NATIVE_NEWS: Update on UN Activity
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 21:01:42 EDT Subject: Update on UN Activity To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" X-Mailer: AOL 3.0.1 for Mac sub 82 Update on Dineh UN Activity prepared by Marsha Monestersky, Consultant to Sovereign Dineh Nation The Dineh families residing on what is now called "Hopi Partitioned Lands" in the State of Arizona, have been participating in various United Nations fora. The purpose, to obtain their intervention to stop the United Sates Government from continuing its program under which their human dignity and very survival are at peril. The Dineh have been told that the actions of the government are mandated by US law so that they have no recourse within US law to stop these attacks. With each day, more confiscations and threats take place, and each such incident causes irreparable harm to the human rights of its victims and to their communities. Helena Begay from Cactus Valley Community in Black Mesa has just returned from Geneva Switzerland where she participated in the UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples from July 26-30. Some of the text of an intervention she presented to the Working Group was posted recently to the Big Mountain list. As you may know, a Dineh Land Rights Communication was submitted last February to the Working Group at the invitation of Madam Erica Irene Daes, Chair of the Working Group and is a part of a UN Land Rights Study. Funding for this trip was provided by the World Council of Churches Program to Combat Racism. Upon Helena's return she was asked to travel again to the United Nations, this time to New York to participate in the International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples. This is an official UN International Day. Her airplane ticket to New York was provided by the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church. While there she will participate in the activities of the Day and will report on the activities of the Working Group on August 9-10, 1999. Helena's presence in Geneva followed the participation of a delegation of 7, including Norris Nez, a Medicine Man from Sand Springs Community that participated in the 55th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Two interventions made by Leonard Benally from Big Mountain Community and Peggy Scott from Star Mountain Community dealt with the activities of the US Bureau of Indian Affairs and issues of Religious Intolerance. Both interventions and a United Methodist Church News Release were translated into French, German, Russian and Spanish and are available on our web sites and on the United Methodist Church web site. From there a delegation of 3 traveled throughout Germany meeting with members of the German Parliament, NGOs and support people. The Dineh people hope that by participating in processes within the United Nations and the international arena they can change the dynamics of negotiation at a national level. They believe that this involves the initiation of a mobilization of shame as the strongest sanction for the enforcement of their human rights. The fora they are involved in includes the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and the Working Group on Indigenous Populations where the Dineh hope to achieve the glare of international scrutiny on their issue in order to generate international solidarity around their human rights in the United Nations and in the Non Governmental Organization (NGO) community. As a result of organizing and lobbying efforts by the Dineh and other NGOs, Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance made a site visit in February 1998 to Black Mesa. He presented his report to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva last April. A key finding of his Report "On the subject of Black Mesa, the Special Rapporteur calls for the observance of international law on freedom of religion and its manifestations." In UN-speak, this statement is fairly critical of the U.S., since he would not call for the observance of international law it is wasnt already being honored. This was the first time a U.N. Human Rights organ officially and publicly took on investigation of a specific case against the United States. To help empower UN activity the Dineh have obtained the support of over 250 NGOs that have signed petitions and issued proclamations supporting their right to their ancestral land above any consideration of settlement of a national interest. This includes such NGOs as the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, the World
NATIVE_NEWS: Indians' Lawyers Seek Funds Watchdog
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Published Thursday August 05, 04:28PM CDT Indians' Lawyers Seek Funds Watchdog http://www.omaha.com/Omaha/OWH/APStoryViewer/1%2C3293%2C84379%2C00.html By MATT KELLEY Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government cannot be trusted to fix decades-old mismanagement of about $500 million of American Indians' money without court oversight, lawyers for the Indians argued to a federal judge. In court papers filed shortly before midnight Wednesday, the Indians' lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth to appoint an independent watchdog to make sure the government fixes problems with some 300,000 trust accounts. The Interior Department oversees the accounts, which mainly hold proceeds from oil drilling, mining, logging or grazing on reservation land owned by individual Indians. ''Without judicial intervention, reform efforts will fail, since the (Interior) Department will ultimately lose focus and interest,'' the Indians' lawyers wrote. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and other federal officials have strongly opposed appointing a court watchdog, known as a special master, to oversee efforts to fix the problems with the trust accounts. The department's Bureau of Indian Affairs is working on a computerized system to track the accounts, but Babbitt admitted this summer that the plans wouldn't fix all of the problems. Babbitt and other officials acknowledge that for decades, many records regarding the trust accounts were never kept, collected haphazardly or eventually destroyed. Millions of dollars were invested improperly or not at all, and record-keeping is so lax that officials cannot say whether billions of dollars' worth of transactions were legitimate or not. Lamberth held Babbitt, BIA head Kevin Gover and then-Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin in contempt of court earlier this year for repeatedly failing to hand over documents. That contempt citation helped speed federal efforts to clean up the problems, said Keith Harper, one of the Indians' lawyers. Without continued court pressure, reform efforts would likely flounder, he said. ''You turn off the lights and all the roaches start coming out again,'' Harper said Thursday. ''It's difficult to get the Department of Interior to focus on this issue for an extended period of time.'' Tom Clark, the Justice Department lawyer heading the government's defense team, did not return repeated telephone calls seeking comment Thursday. Five Indians sued the federal government in 1996 on behalf of all Indian account holders, seeking to force the government to clean up the problems and repay account holders for lost revenue. Lamberth split the trial into two parts: One dealing with solving the trust management systems and the other with determining how much the Indian account holders should be paid. Final written arguments in the first phase were filed this week. The Indians plan to seek billions of dollars in the second phase. Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/
NATIVE_NEWS: NEWS BRIEFS
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Barfield, Chet. "Cal Living: Farming Family Shows Indian Reservation Children How Things Were," The Associated Press State Local Wire, August 4, 1999, Wednesday, BC cycle. LAKESIDE, Calif. -- On three acres of rich, brown soil, Leonard Banegas is nurturing corn, tomatoes, strawberries and a precious connection to his tribe's Kumeyaay ancestors. The community garden Banegas has supervised since its planting six years ago is unnoticed by most of those streaming past to the nearby Barona Casino. But under its open-air canopy there are always plenty of cucumbers, squash or other picks of the day to be given away to anyone who stops by. And at certain times, when the pumpkins are ripe, when the watermelons are plump or, as this week, when the strawberries are red and sweet, the rows are teeming with children. This is when Banegas and his wife, Frances, share what they consider the garden's most important yield: lessons to the children about how things grow, how things are and how things used to be. "This was our culture many years ago," says Leonard Banegas, whose John Deere cap is adorned with a hawk feather. "I think (by seeing this) the younger generations that are growing up will understand something about their own history." Today the casino provides plenty of money for everyone here to live comfortably and eat well. But life here used to be different, as 59-year-old Banegas knows. http://www.ap.org/ "BIA Approves Landfill on Nambe Pueblo Land," The Associated Press State Local Wire, August 4, 1999, Wednesday, BC cycle. NAMBE PUEBLO, N.M. -- A U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs' environmental study recommends approval of Nambe Pueblo's plan to open a 42-acre landfill on its land despite the objections of federal and state regulators... The pueblo intends to contract with a private Albuquerque company to manage the landfill... State officials say there is no way to enforce environmental regulations against the landfill since the pueblo is considered a sovereign nation. "Obviously, there is no consensus on exactly how a solid-waste facility on Nambe Pueblo land could be or would be regulated," said Peter Maggiore, secretary of the New Mexico Environment Department. State regulators and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also are worried about water pollution and traffic safety problems that could be caused by the landfill. http://www.ap.org/ ~~~ "Big Piney Residents Try to Protect Indian Fort," The Associated Press State Local Wire, August 4, 1999, Wednesday, BC cycle. BIG PINEY, Wyo. -- A western Wyoming gravel pit that area residents fear threatens a nearby prehistoric Indian site should be shut down this fall or next year, U.S. Forest Service officials say. "The extent of our work up there is pretty much done," Big Piney District Ranger Greg Clark said. He said operations would be shut down more quickly if archaeological studies warrant... The pit, about 35 miles west of Big Piney and just east of the Sacajawea campgrounds, is next to a site known locally as the Indian Fort. It contains an old mountain trail used by early tribes, several fire and hunting rings and many wall-encircled pits that the Shoshone used much as modern day soldiers use foxholes on the battlefield, resident Stu Doty said. Doty said the Indian Fort is "a very significant site, with a lot of history certainly worth protecting. We need to stop this gravel operation and reclaim this site before further damage is done. http://www.ap.org/ ~ Cart. Julie. "Newton's Apple; A Guide to How, What and Where; Chaco Phenomenon Puzzles Archaeologists," Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), August 4, 1999, A12. Chaco Culture National Historic Park, snuggled into rugged, undulating terrain, contains 4,000 archaeological sites. The society of the canyon was unremarkable until the mid-ninth century, when a stunning transformation that archaeologists refer to as the Chaco Phenomenon occurred: The small pueblos were enlarged and became dozens of Great Houses, several with as many as hundreds of rooms, multiple stories and scores of sunken circular kivas, used for religious observances. The largest and oldest is Pueblo Bonito, which contains more than 600 rooms and 40 kivas About 200,000 wooden beams for building the Great Houses were carried _ not dragged or pulled by animals _ from forests two days' march away. The masonry work is all the more remarkable considering that no metal tools were used to construct the thick, soaring walls. The settlement was, until the mid-18th century, the site of the largest structures in North America...To some, the Great Houses are symbols of cultural advancement; others sees fortresses, built during the culture's most violent times. To archaeologists sifting through the clues left behind centuries ago, the Great Houses are a mystery that they eventually hope to solve. http://www.startribune.com/
NATIVE_NEWS: Please sign-on to Shut down the Mohave Generating Station
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 23:38:55 EDT Subject: Please sign-on to Shut down the Mohave Generating Station To the Big Mountain list, This is a Sign-on letter for organizations that Action Resource Center (ARC) has been circulating to shut down the Mohave Generating Station. Please indicate if your organization wishes to sign-on and send your endorsement to Kim at ARC, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This sign-on will be presented at a meeting with DWP on Friday, August 13, 1996. Thank you for your support, Marsha Monestersky Consultant to Sovereign Dineh Nation Sign On Letter to Shut Down the Mohave Generating Station We, the undersigned, demand that the coal-fired Mohave Generating Station (MGS) in Laughlin, NV be immediately shut down for the following reasons: 1 - MGS is one of the largest emitters of global warming gases in North America; 2 - MGS is also the largest unregulated source of Sulfur Dioxide emissions in the United States. It has no scrubbers and is currently being sued by the Grand Canyon Trust and the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club for violations of the Clean Air Act. MGS is also under investigation for violations of the public health and clean air standards by the EPA. 3 - MGS is solely fueled by Peabody Western Coal Company's Black Mesa coal mine, via a 273-mile long slurry line. The pipeline uses 3 million gallons of pristine water everyday, depleting the N-aquifer. The pipeline is draining the wells of the Dineh (Navajo) and Hopi tribes on Black Mesa and endangers the water supply of all people. The slurry line is the only one of its kind in the world. It transports a 50/50 mix of water and crushed coal. The coal-water mix increases the air pollution impact of the plant; 4 - MGS is impacting not only the local communities where the coal is extracted, processed and burned, but also a much larger community that is impacted by the air pollution, as well as our precious national treasure, the Grand Canyon. The EPA recently released a report, citing MGS as one of the single largest contributors to the decreased visibility over the Grand Canyon; 5 - Peabody's coal, part of which feeds the MGS, is one of the underlying reasons for the forced relocation of the Western Dineh, living on the Hopi Partition Land. For all of the reasons outlined above, we, the undersigned, have determined that the MGS is a threat to public health, the environment and the human rights of the Dineh. Groups so far signed on National Lawyers guild - LA Chapter Project Underground Sovereign Dineh Nation Action Resource Center Sol Communications Ballona Valley Preservation League Office of the Americas - Theresa and Blasé Bonpane Project Mahe American Lands Alliance Rainforest Action Network David Brower - Earth Island Action Group - Earth Island Institute Ed Begley Jr. __ A C T I O N R E S O U R C E C E N T E R Box 2104, Venice, CA 90294 310.396.3254 (voice) * 310.392.9965 (fax) [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://www.arcweb.org Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/
NATIVE_NEWS: [tusweca@twlakes.net ] Landmark Case
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: * From: Tusweca [EMAIL PROTECTED] Today, 8/5, Judge Heldman upheld his ruling that Native Americans are interested parties in the termination of burials at the Kelly site in Williamson/Davidson counties. He ruled that all DEFENDANTS were INTERESTED PARTIES! TNAIM SEAL See: http://www.mtsu.edu/~kesmith/TNARCHNET/kelly.html http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/porton/73/seals/brentwood/release.htm Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/
NATIVE_NEWS: Congress designates Jim Thorpe as Athlete of the Century (http://www.alphacdc.c
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: [NOTE: the original message contained coding for links the list software does not reproduce] From: "Dr. Ben Irvin" [EMAIL PROTECTED] INDIAN EDUCATION FORUM August 5, 1999/ORP/Pablo, Montana Jim Thorpe was recently designated the "Athlete of the Century" by both houses of Congress (May, 1999). These resolutions and the information should be shared with students. It would be appropriate to do a ceremony honoring this during American Indian Day in September. Deawga'wik, Ben 1. Resolution submitted to Senate2. Senate Resolution 91 3. Bill Introduced To Name Jim Thorpe Athlete of the Century 4. House Resolution 198 Separate Printable Versions: 1234. from Congressional Record - Senate S4607 Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I rise today to submit a resolution recognizing Jim Thorpe as the Athlete of the Century. Born to an impoverished family on Sac-and-Fox Indian land, Jim Thorpe overcame adverse circumstances to excel as an amateur and as a professional in three sports; track and field, football and baseball. Thorpe, who was voted `Athlete of the First Half of the Century' by the Associated Press almost fifty years ago, is the only American athlete ever to excel at this level in three major sports. As a student at Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, Thorpe proved his athletic ability early on. One anecdote recalls how the 5-foot-9 1/2 inch, 144-pound Thorpe almost single-handedly overcame the entire Lafayette track team at a meeting in Easton, Pennsylvania, winning six events. Also while attending the Carlisle Indian School, Jim Thorpe established his amateur football record playing halfback, defender, punter, and place-kicker. In 1911, he was named an All American. In 1912, he represented the United States and the Sac-and-Fox Nation in the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. To this day, Thorpe is the only athlete to win gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon. After his Olympic feats in Sweden, Thorpe retured to Carlisle's football team and was named an All-American again. In 1913, Thorpe left amateur athletics and signed a $5,000 contract to play baseball with the New York Giants. As an outfielder with the Giants, and later with the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Braves, his best season was his last one, when he batted .327 in 60 games for Boston. In 1915, Thorpe agreed to play professional football for the Canton Bulldogs. Thorpe went on to become a key part of this team as it was recognized as the `world champion' in 1916, 1917, and 1919. Thorpe's professional football career later included stints with Cleveland, Rock Island, the New York Giants, and the Chicago Cardinals. In 1920, Thorpe became the first president of the American Football Association, which was later to become the National Football League. Today, he is recognized as a founding father of professional football. Recently, I had the privilege of attending a luncheon honoring Jim Thorpe's daughter, Grace, at the Jim Thorpe Memorial Hall in the Carbon County, Pennsylvania, a town named for the great athlete. Grace Thorpe has traveled around the country asking people to sign petitions declaring her father athlete of the century. She plans to send the petition to cable sports networks and national sportswriters. As Jim Thorpe Area Sports Hall of Fame president, Jack Kmetz has noted, Thorpe unfortunately missed out on the modern-day media blitz that surrounds popular athletes today. Nonetheless, I promised Ms. Thorpe and the people of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania that I would introduce this resolution which I hope will raise awareness of this true legend's achievements and give him the recongnition he deserves. 106th Congress -1st Session SENATE RESOLUTION 91 EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT JIM THORPE SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED AS THE `ATHLETE OF THE CENTURY' (Senate - May 03, 1999) Mr. SANTORUM submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: S. Res. 91 SECTION 1. SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT JIM THORPE SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED AS THE `ATHLETE OF THE CENTURY'. ) Findings: The Senate finds the following: ) Jim Thorpe is the only athlete ever to excel as an amateur and a professional in 3 major sports--track and field, football, and baseball. ) Prior to the 1912 Olympic Games, Jim Thorpe won the pentathlon and the decathlon at the Amateur Athletic Union National Championship Trials in Boston, Massachusetts. ) Jim Thorpe represented the United States and the Sac and Fox Nation in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden, where he won a gold medal in the pentathlon, became the first American athlete to win a gold medal in the decathlon, in which he set a world record, and became the only athlete in Olympic history to win both the pentathlon and the decathlon during the same year. ) The athletic feats of Jim
NATIVE_NEWS: SD: RECAP Re: Land Occupations??? What's up?
Due to the historic nature of this venture to the UN by this group of delegates I am sending this request through again. As time is getting very short in order for funding to arrive to enable their participation, for those planning to send funding an alternate and faster route is available. The deadline is within the next couple of days. Time is of the essence. Funding may be wired by Western Union to Midway Oil in Valentine, NE (phone number 1-402-376-1302 ) Alfred's number again is 605-747-2591. (include this number with the wire so that any funding that arrives he will be notified immediately).. What does La Framboise Island occupation, White Clay evictions have in common? It is a grassroots movement among the people in support of the traditional leaders of the people. It is a movement which bypasses the sanction of the BIA led government... IF we as supporters can do what is within our own power to support, this movement will continue to grow and spread to other nations. We stand at a crossroads. Please take a stance for sovereignty and support these delegates. Respectfully and prayerfully submitted, Ishgooda Editor, Native News PREVIOUS MESSAGES A team of people extremely interested in the indigenous peoples' day at the UN are in need of funding to attend. they are already booked for the private closed meetings and are in need of funding for gas, food and motel bills while in NY. ~~latest messages follow: TO: The Human Rights Commission of the Lakota Traditional Government FROM: Alfred Boneshirt; Coordinating Commission (605)747-2591 DATE: July 30, 1999 RE: Rescheduling of meeting to Rosebud S.D. To all Human Right's Activist's and concerned Lakota Nation members. The Human Rights commission meeting scheduled for August 3, 1999, which was to be held at 11:00 a.m. at the Oyate Center in Rapid City S.D. has been rescheduled to Crow Dog's paradise4 west of Rosebud in Crazy Horse Canyon located on the Sicangu Lakota Nation. The meeting will be held Tuesday August 3, 1999, at 7:00 p.m. The SGU Treay Law Society will co-host this event and also sponsor nightly meeting's to discuss: Human Rights Violations by the IRA Entities and the Federal kGovernment to the Grassroots Oyate who inherently and legally own vast resource's currently being exploted without authorization, along with decision's being made without consent, and the re-establishment and recognition of Inherent Consensus Government to oversee IRA and Federal policy. Everyone is respectfully invited and encouraged to attend this important meeting concerning Human Rights violations across Lakota Nation Territory. Wopila ~~~ #2 On behalf of: Alfred Boneshirt; Coordinating Commission Phone: (605)747-2591 Fax: 605-747-5536 Funding assistance is requested for gas, food and motel expense to enable 6 to 8 delegates to attend the 5th Annual Commemoration of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples sponsored by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in cooperation with the International Labour Organization, the NGO Committee on the International Decade of the Worlds Indigenous People and the UN Department of Public Information. Funds may be sent to: Alfred Boneshirt BOX 283 Mission, SD 57555 For further information call Alfred Boneshirt at 605-747-2591 Thank you. At 12:17 PM 08/04/1999 -1000, you wrote: Any reports this week on the land occupations taking place on the North American continent? k
NATIVE_NEWS: Cobell v. Babbitt - trial transcripts
And now:Sonja Keohane [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: For any with an interest, this site has transcripts of the Civil Action 96-1285, Elouise Cobell, et al., v. Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior, et al. The page has a list of daily transcripts starting on 7 June 1999 with the Pretrial Conference, to July 23, 1999, the final day. http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Parliament/9278/ For additonal information, please see http://www.narf.org/
NATIVE_NEWS: Vote: Jim Thorpe Greatest Athlete of the Century
And now:Ish [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: - Forwarded by Edna Paisano/DC/USEPA/US on 07/23/99 06:50 AM --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] on 07/01/99 04:52:28 PM To: Edna Paisano/DC/USEPA/US@EPA cc: Subject: Re: Minority Scholarship Info - Please Share Help is needed in the campaign proclaiming "Jim Thorpe America's Greatest All-around Male Athlete of the Century" as he was proclaimed in an AP poll in 1950 as the greatest of the half-century. Resolutions and petitions are available by E-mailing, or mailing or phoning Grace Thorpe-Campaign Director. " Jim Thorpe-America's Greatest Athlete of the Century" Campaign office-2213 W. 8th St.Prague,OK 74864 ANS/FAX 405-567-4297. Many thanks. Call or write if you need further information. Grace Thorpe Grace F. Thorpe 2213 W. 8th Prague, OK 74864 405.567.4297 Jim Thorpe Athlete of the Century http://www.alphacdc.com/necona/jimthorp.html email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] National Environmental Coalition of Native Americans (NECONA) email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/
