Jim Govellis, Executive Editor of the Port Charlotte Sun Herald granted
permission to publish at 2:30 p.m. on 2 May 96. His phone # is (941)
629-2855. He just asked where it was to be published, I told him on the
NATIVE-L email list on the Internet, and he said OK.
"PRESERVATIONIST? Indian's Fund-raising to Protect burial grounds
questioned.
Michel B 'Lare is an Indian on a mission. He says his mission is to
preserve the grave sites of Indians in Florida and elsewhere in the
country through his Native American Historical Preservation Services,
Inc. "Basically what we're looking for is for all people to respect all
people," he said in a resonant voice that could have come off the Broadway
stage. "If it's a burial place or a sacred place, leave it alone. We
don't dig up your graveyards. Why do that to us?" Clad in blue jeans and
a western shirt, with silver and turquoise rings on every finger, a heavy
turquoise and silver watch band on his left wrist and a massive silver
bracelet on the other, he looks the part. Even his cowboy boots are
silver tipped. The Indian jewelry, black cowboy hat, jeans and western
shirt and boots enhance his Native American personna.
B 'Lare, sometimes known as Tonka Cloud Walker or C.W. for short, said he
and 100 or more of his preservation service members educate the public
through talks they give to grade schoolers on up to university students.
In addition, he said they keep a close eye on Indian burial sites an pass
the information on to police and deputies.
But local law enforcement officials say they never heard of him or his
organization. And a number of Native American groups cast doubt on B
'Lare's credentials.
Bob Hall and Jackie Gard, two Charlotte County residents who say they
helped sell $5 raffle tickets to raise money for his preservation
association were concerned about the legitimacy of the raffles so they
talked to sheriff's deputies. The couple told deptuties they raffled a
car and a motorcycle at the Charlotte County Speedway and gave away a
saddle set at the annual Charlotte County bluegrass festival. They want
the sheriff's office to investigate, but they say they got nowhere with
the authorities.
As many Indians and experts on native American culture will attest, over
the centuries Indian grave sites have been dug up all over Florida and
throughout the United States by people looking for gold and silver
treasure and precious stones.
B 'Lare said, "There are so few burial sites where someone would find
something made of gold it's not even worth talking about...As far as going
out and finding great stashes and chambers full of silver and gold and
precious stones, no."
He said his organization checks Indian mounds looking for grave robbers.
When they find someone breaking into a mound they don't confront him.
They videotape the incident and turn the tape over to the local sheriff's
department, or a state or federal agency for prosecution. However,
spokesmen for all three offices say they don't know him or anything about
his organization.
Charlotte County Sheriff's Major John Davenport, said, "We don't have any
records showing a complaint was lodged by him. I don't have a commander
who has heard of him or his organization." Lt. Bill Stookey, public
information officer for the Sarasota County Sheriff's Department, checked
his computer files and drew a blank, too.
"We have nothing under B 'Lare or the Native American Historical
Preservation Service, Inc.," he said. "We know nothing about any Indian
grave site desecrations in Sarasota County that have been brought to the
attention of the sheriff (sic) department. "If there is no information
about such an incident in my computer, then we took no official action."
Sheriff Vernon Keen of DeSoto County said, "I've never heard of the guy.
I don't know of any of these type things we've handled in this county in
10 years I've been associated with the department." Although the Native
American Historical Preservation Service Inc. is listed in the local
phone book, the Secretary of State's Office, Division of Corporations has
no current listing for the business as required by state law. A spokesman
for the state said the preservation association is currently not listed as
an operating business and hasn't been since last year.
William Hendrickson, an Indian artifacts collector associated with the
West Pasco Historical Society Museum in New Port Richey [see note in P.S.
at the end of this article] said B 'Lare became involved in an effort to
replace bones in a desecrated Indian Mound near Hudson near Hudson in
Pasco County last year. But he did little or nothing and left town when
the battle over the Indian remains headed for court, Hendrickson said.
Before he departed, Hendrickson said, B 'Lare showed him identification
that said he was an adopted Seminole Indian. He also flashed a gold badge
that indicated he was a Seminole marshall and police officer.
Jim Shore, attorney for the Seminole Tribe and an Indian himself said,
"There is no such thing as an adopted Seminole. We don't have any
procedure that anyone can be adopted into the tribe." Asked about the
Native American Historical Preservation Service Inc., Shore noted, "It's
not part of us. It's not anything we deal with.
Mark Madrid, in charge of media relations for the American Indian Movement
in St. Petersburg, said he has known B 'Lare for years. A Plains Indian
who first came to Florida in 1978 and lived on the Seminole reservation at
Hollywood, Madrid said he met him there in the late 80s. "He's a showman
with a B.S. accent." Madrid said. As for his Indian mound preservation
group Madrid added, "He's never done anything much except make a few
calls. That's about it."
Madrid also quentioned the Seminole Indian marshall's badge mentioned by
Hendrickson. "There is no such thing as a Seminole marshall." One of the
board members of the historical preservation service, according to B
'Lare, is Jerry Lang, who is part Indian and works for a state agency in
Tallahassee. Asked about being a leader in B 'Lare's movement, Lang said
it was news to him.
I'm not sure the association has done much of anything to tell you the
truth," he said. "I certainly don't consider myself a group leader. I
have never visited any (burial) sites with Michael or anything else."
Lang said, "Most of us take him with a grain of salt." B 'Lare has said
another mainstay in association is Joe Dan Osceola of Hollywood, Fla.
Asked about that, Osceola said that initially he thought B 'Lare idea of
protecting Indian grave sites had merit. As a consequence he allowed him
to use his name in connection with the association. However, more
recently, he added, he received complaints from people who have dealt with
B 'Lare and his historical preservation service. Consequently, Osceola
said, he wants nothing to do with the organization.
"I think he should shut it down." Osceola said. When told by a SUN
HERALD reporter that sherriff's department spokesmen in this area said
they don't know him, B 'Lare said he never told the paper he had contacted
local law enforcement agencies. He would not answer questions concerning
what other Indian experts thought about him.
B 'Lare will also say little about his background, age, birthplace, and if
he carried an Indian identification card. All he said is he is a Mandan
Indian and he does have a card. The Mandan Tribe's home base is the Fort
Berthold Indian Reservation in New Town, N.D. B 'Lare contends it's an
insult in the Indian culture for someone to ask a person's age, birthplace
or anything about an identification card. Consequently, he refused to
discuss these points.
Other Indians contacted by the SUN HERALD said they have no problem
providing such information if they were asked to do so. A spokesman with
the Mandan Tribe's enrollment headquarters in North Dakota said they had
no listing of him under the names Michel B 'Lare or Tonka Cloud Walker.
The above was provided in the form of a photocopy of the news article,
by Bill Hendrickson. Questions/comments will be forwarded to him.
Jeff Yorns
yorns@typhoon.coedu.usf.edu
ps. I'd like to add to the article that William Hendrickson, mentioned in
the article, was incorrectly identified as an artifacts collector. At the
time the article was being researched, and until shortly after its publica-
tion, Bill was Director, Indian Affairs, Preservator of Burial Mounds with
the West Pasco Historical Society Museum.