Native American Press/Ojibwe News
Volume 8 Issue 37; June 28, 1996
Enough is enough: Grassroots reform movement takes root on Leech Lake
by Jeff Armstrong
While a broad coalition of Anishinaabe activists and former tribal
candidates gathered at the Leech Lake Pow-wow grounds to challenge the
status quo, the RBC continued to carry out business as usual in secret Twin
Cities meetings.
"This is not a candidates' coalition, this is a people's
coalition," said former candidate Lenore Barsness. Addressing an audience
of about 60 Leech Lake residents at the June 27th community council
meeting. Barsness said, "We need to word together in a united way to
empower the people and tell our leaders 'enough is enough.'
Chairman-elect Eli Hunt, who founded his campaign on open
government, had planned to attend the Leech lake meeting, but was forced
instead to take his oath of office in the Twin Cities. Hunt has received
little cooperation from the entrenched administration, which appears to be
dominated by administrator Roger Aitken, attorney Steve Thorne, and
convicted RBC member Myron Ellis.
Aitken is a former BIA superintendent whose hands-off policy toward
RBC?TEC corruption and rigged elections was rewarded with his appointment
to the lucrative post of Leech Lake executive director. Thorne is a
partner in the controversial Minneapolis law firm of Schoessler, Buffalo
et. al, which did much to shape the current tribal government system.
Aitken and Thorne have pressured reservation appeals judge Joseph Plummer
to dismiss a challenge by Dee Fairbanks of Ellis' eligibility to run for or
serve in tribal government.
(Election appeals judge, John Herrera, who was first appointed by acting
Leech Lake chairman Myron Ellis to hear the Fairbanks appeal, removed
himself from the case on the grounds that he is related to Myron Ellis. )
At the people's council meeting, Warren Tibbetts said that while
the election of the new chairman should give cause for hope, it would be
premature to celebrate.
"This is only one step in the right direction--one first step,"
Tibbetts said. "Now's the time to take action and make sure we can
continue to take more steps. Let's get rid of this corruption for our
people--let's take the power back."
Tibbetts said he was encouraged by the presence of a large number
of elders, who he called "the real leaders," "An election doesn't make you
a leader--it makes you an official."
Elder and (grandson of Bug-o-nay-ge-shig) Leonard Tanner said the
root of the problem is clear. "The TEC/RBC is nothing more than an arm of
the federal government," said Tanner. "We are Anishinaabe. We are a
sovereign independent people."
Roxanne LaRose said the new chairman should make a priority of
defending the civil rights and sovereignty of the people caught in the
state legal system. "The Indian people get the biggest fines, the highest
bails, and we're the poorest people," she said.
LaRose said that the state illegally imposes its regulatory laws on
reservation youth. Without prompt change, she said, "They're going to be
treated as just another state citizen and they're not going to be treated
equally because they can't change their skin color."
feather eaglerock, leech lake rez
english is a foreign language. reclaim the language of your people and
send it to the future as your gift to your grandchildren's grandchildren.
di-ka-ne'-tsv a'-qua-tse'-li ha-htv-gi, wa-do' do-da-da-go'-hv