Wotanging Ikche--nanews07.032

Gary Night Owl (gars@netcom.com)
Tue, 3 Aug 1999 20:05:53 -0700 (PDT)

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_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ O
' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) O o O
/ / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ O o O
(_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' O o o o o O
____ _ , ___ _ , ___ VOLUME 07, ISSUE 032 O o O
/ ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' August 7, 1999 O o O
/ /-< / /--/ /-- Osage yellow flower moon O
__/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, Lakota moon when cherries turn black
KANOHEDA ANIYVWIYA Ha-Sah-Sliltha Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin Un Chota
Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min Aunchemokauhettittea
Ximopanolti tehuatzin, inin Mexika tlahtolli
( N A T I V E A M E R I C A N N E W S )
This issue contains articles from Minn-Ind, Paths-L, Big Mountain,
Triballaw, Nez Perce Treaties & Nat-Film Lists; KOLA Newslist;
Newsgroups: alt.native, soc.culture.native; UUCP email;
http://members.xoom.com/freepeltier/index.html
http://www.azcentral.com/news/0726navajo.shtml
http://members.aol.com/ANNAinc/Foundation.html

Articles appearing have been previously posted for public dissemination
and/or permission for inclusion has been secured.
Letters of authorization are on file. A list of those granting permission
to repost their words in this issue are listed at the end of part A.
I thank each of you for allowing your words to be shared with the people.

IMPORTANT!!
-----------
To all who send copywrite protected articles, make very sure you have
permission from the copywrite holder (a newspaper, the AP, a magazine, an
author) because a new law is now in effect that says you can be prosecuted
even if there is no monetary gain. Just because a newspaper has a website
where it posts some or all of its editions does not grant permission for
their redistribution. Be careful and be sure you pass on the items you do
with full permission.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, all material appearing in
this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a
prior interest in receiving this information for educational purposes.
<----<<<< >>>>---->
This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our
Spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the
Red Road.
++ It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own
internet addressable account to gars@netcom.com
++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org
++ There is also a hyperlinked version of the Current Issue at
http://bearvisions.com/NativeNews/NEWS.html

Borries Demeler advises AISESnet doesn't exist anymore, instead there is now
NativeNet where people can search for archives of Wotanging Ikche issues:
_ All past AISESnet archives (1992-1998) can now be found in:
http://aises.uthscsa.edu/discussion/
_ All new messages will be archived in:
http://nativenet.uthscsa.edu/archive/nn-dialogue/archive.html
The mailing address for AISESnet/NativeNet the lists have changed.
Please make a note of the new address.
The old address aisesnet_discussion@listserv.umt.edu should *NOT*
be used any longer. Instead please use:
nn-dialogue@nativenet.uthscsa.edu

Downloading Wotanging Ikche on AOL From: MAANG1419@aol.com <Valentina>
Just thought I would share some info. I could not download on to a .txt
because I kept getting the message (when I tried to retrieve it) that the
text editor could not handle the volume. This time I downloaded it on to
a .doc and when I retrieved it out of file manager, IT WORKED.

"I have heard talk and talk, but nothing is done. Good words do not
last long until they amount to something. Words do not pay for my
dead people. They do not pay for my country, now over-run by white
men. They do not protect my father's grave. They do not pay for my
horses and cattle. Good words will not give me back my children. Good
words will not make good the promise of your War Chief, General Miles.
Good words will not give my people good health and stop the from dying.
Good words will not get my people a home where they can live in peace
and take care of themselves."
__ Chief Joseph, Nez Perce

O'siyo Brothers and Sisters!

Some sad news arrived this week:
Date: Tue, 3 Aug 1999 16:53:49 -0500
From: Bernard & Feather Rock <eaglerok@NORTHERNNET.COM>
Subj: Passing of Elder
Mailing List: Minnesota Indian Affairs <MINN-IND@tc.umn.edu>

Phoebe Elizabeth (Rock) Saxon, age 62, Chairwoman of the American Indian
Center of St. Cloud, Minnesota passed over to a better place on Tuesday,
July 27, 1999. Phoebe was born October 20, 1936 on the White Earth Indian
Reservation to Samuel and Martha (Brown) Rock. She married David E, Saxon,
Sr. on October 31, 1954 at Breck Memorial Church in Pine Point. She lived
in Foley, Minnesota prior to moving to St. Cloud. She worked at Burlington
Northern Railroad in Minneapolis for 19 1/2 years.
=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=
Some good news arrived this week, I have been granted permission to share.
For those who may not know, Clay Watson works tirelessly delivering needed
items to reservation throughout the Dakotas, Wyoming and Montana - asking
nothing for himself. His heart remains strong, but the mechanical one in
his truck gave up. After many months, donations from those who wish to see
Clay's work continue, amounted to enough to put the old truck back on the
road.

Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 13:07:37 EDT
From: Pioquark@aol.com
Subj: Behemoth has risen

Gary,
The 30 year old truck got a new heart last week and made it's first round
trip without major incident.
This is in thanks to all the donors of cash for the truck, donations of
stuff and those who could not afford but sent their support for getting it
back on the road. It took 18 months to generate the funds but with the help
of others did it. To save costs, an elder Member of the Pioneer Board helped
me remove the old engine and install the new one. Most of the load went to a
family at the Wind River reservation here in Wyoming who lost their home to
a fire. I had been going to the rez with my old 72 International and a
trailer.
Again I thank all those in the circle who had faith in me.
Clay Watson, Pioneer Industries, 1100 E. 24th St. Cheyenne, Wy. 82001 (307)
778-7860 pioquark@aol.com
=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=
From time-to-time I remind readers I will include any language of the
First Nations in the banner of this newsletter. Simply send me the phrase
in your tribe's tongue that means "news of the People" and the translation,
as literally as possible.
The current translations are as follows:
Wotanging Ikche.................Lakota - Common News
Kanoheda Aniyvwiya..............Cherokee - Journal of the People
Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin...Blackfoot - News for All the People
Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse............Creek - People's New News
Aunchemokauhettittea............Naragansett - Let Us Share News
ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min...........Ojibwe - We Are Talking About Ourselves
Ha-Sah-Sliltha..................Ditidaht Nation - News of the People
Un Chota........................Susquehannic Seneca - the People Speak
Ximopanolti tehuatzin,
inin Mexika tlahtolli.......Nahuatl - for you we offer these words
Native American News............Occupation Forces

Peace! Night Owl
, , Gary Night Owl gars@netcom.com
(*,*) P. O. Box 672168 gars@nanews.org
(`-') Marietta, GA 30327, U.S.A. gars@igc.apc.org
===w=w== Fax: 770-528-9643

----------- News of the people featured in this issue ----------
- Partial Accord with Chumash - Blackrobes and Hurons
- CNO Voter Turnout - Neskonlith Band
- Runoff in Sac and Fox Vote Shuswap Nation Tribal Council
- Paiute Tribe Trying to - Searching for Ancestors
Regain Lost Language - Creek Ancestry Research
- Miami Researcher Helps - The Dine of Black Mesa
Resurrect Tribal Language - Navajos Overhaul Crime Code
- Ola Cassador's Statement - Live Recording: Anna Mae Aquash
on Mount Graham - Mendota Update
- Sovereign Dine' Nation - Peltier Book
and Paul Nakoda Nation - November Leonard
- Zia Pueblo Deplores Peltier Freedom Month
Exploitation of Sacred Symbol - Native Prisoner
- Delaware Culture Presentation - She Came as a Whisper
at NIBA Convention - A Hundred Years Ago
- Mille Lacs Lake - Deskaheh:
After Treaty Ruling Iroquois Statesman and Patriot
- 9th Circuit Court - Poem: Draw a Line for None
and Big Mountain News - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days
- Lewis County Decides to - Upcoming Events
Tax Indians' Fee Land - Native America Calling

--------- "RE: Partial Accord with Chumash" ---------

Date: 7/31/99 4:03:11 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From: tlclaw@fix.net (Tarren Collins)
Subj: Rossi, Chumash in partial accord

(http://vh1428.infi.net/stories/0799/7414030.h
The press release regarding the San Luis Obispo County Chumash Council's
partial settlement of its lawsuit against owners of the 13,800 acre Santa
Margarita Ranch is copied below. We are unable to comment further about the
agreement due to a court order that the mediation remain confidential. The
actual order is available to the public, and I will respond to any requests
for copies which I receive.
Tarren Collins
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO THE PRESS
JOINT PRESS RELEASE: SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY CHUMASH COUNCIL AND SANTA
MARGARITA RANCH, LLC

PARTIAL SETTLEMENT OF SANTA MARGARITA RANCH LITIGATION ANNOUNCED
July 28, 1999

SAN LUIS OBISPO ------- The San Luis Obispo County Chumash Council and Rob
Rossi today announced a partial settlement of the lawsuit brought over the
vineyard proposed on the Santa Margarita Ranch. The partial settlement
provides for a Phase I archaeological survey to be conducted on those
portions of the Ranch intended for vineyards. The immediate area surrounding
any archaeological sites identified during the Phase I will be avoided and
subject to further review. Preparation for the vineyards may proceed
immediately on those sites not identified as archaeologically sensitive.
Due to shared concerns, the parties were also able to achieve agreement
in a collaborative effort on appropriate setbacks from creeks and avoidance
of wetlands and riparian areas in the planting of future vineyards.
"The San Luis Obispo County Chumash Council is pleased with the honor and
respect shown to the sacred heritage and cultural resources of the Chumash
People by Rob Rossi, today" said Fred Collins.
Rossi added, "We appreciate the uniqueness and the historical importance
that the Santa Margarita Ranch has played in San Luis Obispo County history.
We welcome the opportunity to have a constructive dialogue with the San Luis
Obispo County Chumash Council, as well as with others, regarding viable
solutions for the agricultural, cultural, conservation, and other issues
concerning this most unique property."

--------- "RE: CNO Voter Turnout" ---------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 08:17:47 -0500
From: berryj@okstate.edu
Subj: (FWD)Indian News 07-27-99
Roger Iron Cloud
FirstNations Listserv
202.358.3252
rironcloud@acf.dhhs.gov

Voter turnout up
By MICHAEL OVERALL
c. Tulsa World
7/26/99
CHEROKEE ELECTIONS - Saturday's chief election drew more than 12,000 votes.
There was a lot of talk this weekend about a low voter turnout for the
Cherokee tribal elections, which seemed strange because the campaign came
after such a well-publicized string of scandals. It seemed even stranger
because election officials reported an all-time record number of ballots.
So what's this about a low turnout?
"People keep talking to me about that, and I just have to laugh," Margaret
Riney, administrator of the Cherokee Nation Election Commission, said
Sunday.
"I don't know how that talk got started, but I find it fascinating. It
just doesn't fit the facts."
Officials counted 12,747 votes for principal chief, up 7 percent from the
last election in 1995.
Chad Smith, a 48-year-old attorney from Sapulpa, won the race with 56.5
percent of the vote. Incumbent Chief Joe Byrd, whose administration has been
awash in controversy for more than two years, lost by more than 1,600
ballots.
The next-highest turnout came in 1979, when 12,584 votes were cast.
Perhaps the impression of a low voter turnout was created by the
relatively short lines at the polling stations Saturday.
During the May 22 primary, many voters had to line up for more than an
hour before reaching the ballot box.
But this time the lines moved briskly.
"We essentially doubled the number of workers" at the polling stations,
Riney said, "which effectively cut the lines in half."
Even so, the lines really were shorter for the runoff election Saturday.
In the hotly contested primary, 13,111 Cherokees voted -- a 3-percent
better turnout than this weekend's general election.
Officials chalked up the difference to a much smaller field of candidates.
The primary ballot had nine candidates, pared down to two for Saturday's
balloting.
"When a candidate drops off the ballot," Riney said, "his supporters don't
necessarily change their votes to someone else. Some people just stay home."
Or maybe the low turnout myth sprang from the fact that only a tiny
fraction of eligible Cherokee voters actually do bother to vote.
With more than 200,000 members in the tribe, only 26,000 are even
registered to vote in Cherokee elections. And fewer than 50 percent of those
registered did vote.
In all, a mere 6.5 percent of the Cherokee population chose a chief for
the whole group.
"That lack of participation is the most serious problem the Cherokees
face in their democratic system," said Gordon Streeb, associate executive
director of the Carter Center.
Founded by former President Jimmy Carter and based in Atlanta, the
nonpartisan Carter Center has monitored voting in more than a dozen
countries worldwide to ensure fair elections. But this was the first time
the center observed an American Indian election.
"There needs to be a greater effort to educate eligible voters about how
to register, to get them involved in the political process," Streeb said.
"I think Cherokee officials have an appreciation for this problem, and I
think we'll see them working on it before the next elections."
Despite that one criticism, the Carter Center will vouch for the fairness
and accuracy of Saturday's results, Streeb said.
The No. 1 concern among Cherokee voters, he said, was that the ballots
would not be truly secret. And his team from the Carter Center worked hard
to alleviate those fears.
"I can assure you that no ballot can be traced to the person who cast it,"
Streeb said.
Chief-elect Smith will be sworn in next month.
The election came after 2 1/2 years of turmoil in the tribe -- and pitted
two of the leading figures in that turmoil.
A constitutional crisis erupted in February 1997 after tribal marshals
raided Byrd's headquarters in search of evidence of allegations of misuse of
funds.
The marshals had a search warrant signed by a tribal supreme court justice.
But Byrd fired the marshals, and his supporters on the Tribal Council moved
to impeach the supreme court.
Smith was arrested in June 1997 after he led a brief skirmish to prevent
Byrd's administration from closing the tribal courthouse, where the supreme
court meets.

--------- "RE: Runoff in Sac and Fox Vote" ---------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 08:17:47 -0500
From: berryj@okstate.edu
Subj: (FWD)Indian News 07-27-99
Roger Iron Cloud
FirstNations Listserv
202.358.3252
rironcloud@acf.dhhs.gov

Runoff in Sac and Fox vote
c AP
7/26/99
The current chief will meet a two-time chief in that contest
STROUD (AP) -- Chief Don Abney will meet two-time chief Dora Young in a
runoff election Aug. 28 that will decide which of the candidates will lead
the 2,500-member Sac and Fox Nation into the 21st century.
Abney was the top vote getter in Saturday's seven-candidate primary
election for chief, according to results released Sunday by tribal
officials. Abney received 128 votes. Young was second with 103.
Vote totals for the other five candidates were not released. A runoff
election is needed because none of the candidates received a majority of
the votes cast.
In the race for second chief, Merle Boyd received 153 votes and will be
in a runoff with Darrell L. Gray, who received 142 votes. The votes received
by two other candidates for second chief were not released.
C. Wilson Sr. received a majority of the votes cast for a seat on the
business committee and won outright over two other candidates, according to
tribal election results. Wilson won with 254 votes.
The runoff election for chief will be at least the second time that Abney
and Young have faced each other for the tribe's top position.
Young defeated Abney four years ago by a vote of 113-112. Election
protests delayed Young taking office until Nov. 29, 1995.
But in March 1997, the tribe's general council ousted Young after she was
accused of denying tribe members freedom of speech. Abney was elected to
fill Young's unexpired term.
Meanwhile, Young appealed her ouster and appeared to have won a reversal
in August when the tribal Supreme Court ruled she was removed without due
process. The court also ruled Abney's 1997 election null and void.
The tribe's governing council voted not to accept the court's ruling. Four
of the five judges who voted for Young were removed from office.

--------- "RE: Paiute Tribe Trying to Regain Lost Language" ---------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 08:17:47 -0500
From: berryj@okstate.edu
Subj: (FWD)Indian News 07-27-99
Roger Iron Cloud
FirstNations Listserv
202.358.3252
rironcloud@acf.dhhs.gov

Paiute Tribe Trying to Regain Lost Language With Preschool Program
c. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
7/25/99
CEDAR CITY -- Of the Paiutes' 744 members in Utah, fewer than 40 are able
to speak the tribal language fluently, and many of those are elderly, said
Paiute Chairwoman Geneal Anderson.
Gloria Benson and three Paiute teachers are attempting to save the
language. Benson directs the Paiute Preschool Language Immersion Program,
which is attempting to preserve the language common to all Paiutes in the
Southwest.
The two-year program, funded by a federal grant, is in its seventh month.
Tribal officials say the language began to wane significantly during the
past 40 years partly because the tribe was "terminated" in 1954 and not
restored until 1980.
The tribe was terminated at the request of Sen. Arthur Watkins, R-Utah,
in the belief that its members were ready for total assimilation into
mainstream culture, Anderson said. This included using English instead of
Paiute.
Anderson said she and many other Paiutes do not speak the language
fluently but can understand it when it is spoken. Her mother spoke the
language at home, but Paiute was not spoken in public schools.
Pleased with the interest shown by the children's parents, Anderson said
she wants to keep the preschool going although the program must compete with
more than 500 tribes for federal grants.
Parents working with their preschoolers frequently call the tribal office
to ask how to pronounce tribal words, Benson said.
Eight children are enrolled in the summer program and 13 for the fall and
spring programs. Students range in age from 3 to 5 years old. The school runs
four days a week from 9 a.m. to noon and is taught by three Paiute women:
Barbara Chavez, Marilyn Jake and Vala Parashonts.
Benson calls the preschool a small step in the tribe's attempt to
preserve its language. The tribe also is working on a Paiute language
dictionary.

--------- "RE: Miami Researcher Helps Resurrect Tribal Language" ---------

Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 11:27:38 -0500
From: berryj@okstate.edu
Subj: (FWD)Indian News 07-30-99
Roger Iron Cloud
FirstNations Listserv
202.358.3252
rironcloud@acf.dhhs.gov

Miami researcher helps resurrect tribal language
c. AP
7/29/99
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) _ A doctoral thesis written in California is
helping the Miami Indians resurrect the tribal language they thought had
died out more than 30 years ago.
David Costa's thesis from the University of California at Berkeley was the
catalyst that reunited Miamis with their ancestral tongue.
The tribe has produced Miami language lessons on CD-ROM and holds
classes in Miami in Fort Wayne, Peru and Oklahoma.
The tribes' Web site www.geocities.com/RainForest/7156 contains a language
section listing words, phrases and a brief pronunciation guide.
Visitors can hear Miamis speaking their native language this weekend at
the Kekionga Native American Alliance Gathering of the People at the Camp
McMillen Girl Scout Camp here.
Daryl Baldwin remembers how his spirits soared when he saw Costa's
thesis six years ago.
Baldwin, a Miami and a property manager for the Museums at Prophetstown,
part of a new state park near Lafayette, contacted Costa and received a copy
of the thesis. What he saw amazed him.
"A lot of stuff he dug up, we never even knew existed," Baldwin said.
Costa had discovered Miami dictionaries compiled by French missionaries,
more than 30 tribal narratives and other documents written by tribal
ancestors.
Using those writings and the Miami language's similarity to other
Algonquian Indian languages, Costa and Baldwin together have reconstructed a
vocabulary of about 10,000 words and phrases and their pronunciations.
The Miamis once controlled much of what is now Indiana.
Alliances with other tribes extended Miami influence throughout the Great
Lakes area.
But in 1795, the Miamis signed the first in a series of treaties
relinquishing land to the U.S. government. In 1846, the government forced
most tribe members to make the difficult journey to a western reservation,
first in Kansas and then in northeast Oklahoma.
Federal officials allowed a limited number of Miami leaders and their
families to stay here. Many of the more than 4,000 members of the Miami
Nation of Indiana descend from those who stayed.
Like most area Miami descendants, Baldwin didn't have much exposure to
the tribal language while growing up in Maumee, Ohio, near Toledo. As in
many households, use of the Miami tongue survived only through a few songs
and prayers and the tradition of giving each child a Miami name.
Baldwin became interested in the language after leaving the construction
industry to study for a degree in wildlife biology.
Since then, Baldwin has worked with tribal leaders to restore use of the
language, a process he said lays the foundation for tribe members to
reclaim their culture.
"A lot of our values and culture are reflected in the language," Baldwin
says.
Being able to converse in Miami would help make traditional stories more
meaningful, said Baldwin, who recently received a linguistics degree. Some
characters are not easily described outside the Miami language, he said.
"We do have small children now who are able to have small conversations
in the language," Baldwin said.
Also, Baldwin is one of a small but growing number of Miamis who now
speak their ancestral language at home. Baldwin and his wife, Karen, see it
as another way of instilling in their four young children the proud heritage
that they have inherited.
"They have come to think of their language as part of who they are," he
said.

--------- "RE: Ola Cassador's Statement on Mount Graham" ---------

Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 18:26:59 EDT
From: Condor952@aol.com
Subj: Please Post Ola Cassador's statement/intervention on Mount Graham

Apache Survival Coalition
San Carlos Apache Reservation
P.O. Box 1237
San Carlos, AZ 85550 USA
Tel. 001 520 475 2543

COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Sub-Commission on Prevention
of Discrimination and Protection
of Minorities
Working Group on Indigenous Peoples'
Seventeenth Session July 26-30, 1999
July 28, 1999

Item 5: Principle Theme: Indigenous Peoples' and their Relationship to Land
Madam Daes, Chairperson:
I am Ola Cassadore Davis, an enrolled member of the San Carlos Apache
Tribe, located in western Arizona. We Apache people most earnestly seek the
protection of this august body of the United Nations from the destruction
of our culture and human rights by U.S., German, Italian and Vatican
astronomers and their sponsoring governmental agencies focused upon a most
sacred Apache mountain Dzil Nchaa Si An (Mount Graham) in Arizona. They are
now building three telescopes on this most holy and ancient Apache place.
We Apache wish to preserve in perpetuity our rights as secured under Indian
treaties and agreements with the United States, including the Constitution
of the United States, including the First Amendment, the American Indian
Religious Freedom Act, the Civil Rights Acts, the National Historic
Preservation Act, U.S. Executive Order 13007, and any other laws, including
but not limited to the federal trust responsibilities of the U.S.
government to Indian people. We Apache wish to bring to the people of this
world a better understanding of Indian people, in order that we are able to
preserve and freely live by our traditional culture and religious beliefs.
The landform Dzil Nchaa Si An (Mount Graham) in Arizona is a central
source and means of sacred spiritual guidance and a traditional cultural
property of the Apache people, and a unique place on Earth through which
Apache people's prayers travel to the Creator, and Dzil Nchaa Si An is
presently being desecrated and harmed by the cutting of ancient forest,
digging, and road building, and the installation of telescopes sponsored by
the University of Arizona of Tucson, Arizona, various Max Planck Institutes
of Germany, the Arcetri Observatory of Florence, Italy, the Vatican
Observatory of Rome, Italy and Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
Apache spiritual leaders and medicine men and women have previously signed
a petition opposing that desecration and such harms; and the San Carlos
Apache Tribal Council has voted four times to oppose the installation of
the observatory, most recently on June 13, 1995; and documents and
testimony in the archives of the University of Arizona and U.S. government
confirm the cultural and religious importance of this land. We Apache were
greatly encouraged by the information gathering here in Arizona, and the
findings and report of United Nations Special Rapporteur Mr. Abdelfattah
Amor in 1998 and 1999. Dzil Nchaa Si An (Mount Graham) should be considered
as a World Heritage Site.
On May 24, 1996, the President of the United States issued Executive Order
13007 requiring that all U.S. land management agencies shall "protect the
physical integrity of Indian Sacred Sites" and all unrestricted access by
Indians thereto. So far, that Presidential Order has not been enforced on
our Sacred Mountain.
On June 16, 1999 the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service sent a
letter to officials of the San Carlos Apache Tribe acknowledging that Mount
Graham "is very important to the Apaches," and that "The Forest Service
has, already, enough information to consider the mountain sacred under the
American Indian Religious Freedom Act, the Religious Freedom Restoration
Act, and the First Amendment." But the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Forest Service has taken no positive action on those words. To this day,
they have worked hard against us traditional Apaches.
Section 16 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service's Special
Use Permit for the observatory on the mountain, which was signed by the
University of Arizona and the Forest Service, states that "If...the
Secretary of Agriculture...shall determine that the public interest
requires termination of this permit, this permit shall terminate upon
thirty days' written notice..."
That permit provides for a payment of up to U.S. $10,000 to the University
of Arizona by the U.S. to help defray the costs of removing the observatory
from the mountain.
In conclusion, we Apache would respectfully urge this body of the United
Nations to recognize and acknowledge that the disrespect and suffering
caused by the nations and governments mentioned above be terminated
forthwith. We Apache petition you for a resolution consistent with the
National Congress of American Indians of 1993, 1995 and July 1999. They
stated that the public interest in protecting Apache culture is compelling,
and that the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture should accordingly require the
prompt removal of the telescopes from Mount Graham.
Thank you for your continued attention to this matter.
Respectfully yours,
Statement and Petition to the United Nations To Protect the Indian Sacred
Site, Dzil Nchaa Si An (Mount Graham) by Ola Cassadore Davis.
Statement/intervention read out on July 29, 1999 by Daniel Zapata, Peabody
Watch Arizona.
Ola Cassadore Davis, Chairperson
Apache Survival Coalition
San Carlos Apache Reservation
P.O. Box 1237
San Carlos, AZ 85550 USA
Tel. 001 520 475 2543

--------- "RE: Sovereign Dine' Nation and Paul Nakoda Nation" ---------

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 00:29:11 -1000
From: k@aloha.net
Subj: WGIP`99 - SOVEREIGN DINE' NATION & PAUL NAKODA NATION

NETWARRIORS FRONTLINE REPORTS
17th WGIP 7/29/99
____________________________
Indigenous Relatives and Supporters:
Working Group on Indigenous Populations
17th Session, 26 - 30 July 1999
Agenda Item 7
Joint Intervention by Sovereign Dine' Nation and Paul Nakoda Nation

Dear Madam Chairperson and delegates:
I am representing a joint statement for the Sovereign Dine' Nation of Black
Mesa Arizona from the United States and the Paul Nakoda Nation of Alberta,
Canada. As Indigenous Peoples of America, we still value our land and its
surroundings with respect. Coal mining companies are moving into our
territories to meet the needs of other cities. At the growing rate of
modern technology today, the need for electricity is increasing rapidly.
While many people of the world are living comfortably, the living condition
of the Indigenous Peoples are suffering. They are being removed of their
ancestral lands to make way for mining industries. To remove people off
their ancestral lands breaks their connection with their roots.
In the Canada region, the Paul Nakoda community is suffering from mercury
poisoning from the strip mining, contaminating the water and fish. Fishing
is part of the traditional practices in the southern part of Canada. The
Provincial Government of Alberta has given mining companies permission to
begin a multi-strip mining project, near the town of Hinton, Alberta. The
project will also have serious affects on the traditional hunting areas of
Nakoda, Cree and Saulteau communities of that area. This project will also
completely destroy their sacred sites and vision quest area.
Among the Dine' people of Arizona, Peabody Coal Company is forcing its way
through many ancestral burial sites, sacred sites and irreplaceable
vegetation, some of which are medicinal herbs. Only leaving bare, tree-less
hills behind, a wasted land with polluted air and ponds. Without
hesitation, Peabody Coal Company continues its way towards more destruction
of the land and its people. Approximately 2 million gallons of natural
drinking water per day is flushing coal through a slurry pipeline some 273
miles away, causing the rivers and ponds to run dry, leaving animals with
nothing to drink and people having to haul water up to 40 miles away.
Residents adjacent to the open pit mines are in need of medical assistance
from breathing polluted air, from the blastings and dust from heavy traffic
on unimproved roads.
Coal companies' invasions are forcing people and animals to relocate and
reduce in numbers. The Creator placed us on the land to be caretakers.
Unfortunately, we are limited to continue this mission and it is beyond our
control. Our sacred sites (including homes) will be destroyed to meet the
needs of the cities to live comfortably.
Both Nations are experiencing serious problems and are suffering from local
strip minings in each region. Madam Chair, we ask that these coal companies
and industries get the local resident's consent first. We also ask these
Indigenous peoples be informed of these issues before companies make their
way through our backyards. On behalf of our nations, we thank you for your
undivided attention.

Websites for more information on the Dine' issues:
http://www.solcommuinications.com
http://www.theofficenet.com/~redorman/welcome.html

--------- "RE: Zia Pueblo Deplores Exploitation of Sacred Symbol" ---------

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 13:27:30 -0500
From: berryj@okstate.edu
Subj: (FWD)Indian News 07-29-99
Roger Iron Cloud
FirstNations Listserv
202.358.3252
rironcloud@acf.dhhs.gov

Indian tribe deplores commercial exploitation of its sacred symbol
The Zia sun symbol is everywhere in New Mexico. A change in federal
trademark law could limit its use.
By Julie Cart
c. LOS ANGELES TIMES
7/26/99
DENVER - Open a phone book anywhere in New Mexico. Turn to the business
listings, look under Zia, the name given the sun symbol found on the state
flag and a staggering variety of snacks, T-shirts, buildings and businesses.
Across the state, the Zia name and symbol are affixed to companies offering
pest control, plumbing, window cleaning and security services.
The people of tiny Zia Pueblo in north-central New Mexico, all 850 of
them, are deeply offended. To them, the red circle with lines radiating in
four directions is a religious symbol not to be used frivolously, certainly
not something that should appear on the side of portable toilets, as it does
in one case.
Until now, the Zia could only mount costly and uncertain legal battles to
try to stop companies from appropriating their tribal symbol, but there may
be legal relief for the 500 American Indian tribes in the United States.
Representatives of the U.S. Patent and Trade Office have been meeting with
American Indians across the country, preparing a report for Congress on a
proposed change to federal trademark law that would allow tribes to register
their insignias just as state, national and foreign entities do their
official symbols.
The change would not outlaw the use of tribal symbols, but it would
prohibit businesses from trademarking them and thus discourage their use.
"The status quo is not adequate," said Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D., N.M.),
whose efforts on behalf of the Zia brought about the hearings. "Since we do
provide legal protection for symbols of other government entities, it's not
a difficult argument to say we should do the same with tribes and pueblos.
The reality is that there are some meanings that tribes and pueblos attach
to their symbols that are more heartfelt and have more significance to them
than a normal city seal."
At the hearings, held in Albuquerque and San Francisco, tribal leaders
have been bringing forth their sacred symbols, hoping they may find legal
protection. In some cases, publicly discussing religious beliefs goes
against tribal law.
The use of the sun symbol is so limited among the Zia that for it to be
reproduced even within their pueblo requires the permission of religious
elders.
"It's a symbol that holds religious significance for us," said Peter Pino,
tribal administrator for the Zia, who do not seek to change the New Mexico
flag. "What's offensive is all the people using it for commercial purposes
and gain."
Even as some tribes say that their sacred symbols have been exploited
commercially, others argue that a marketplace flooded with American Indian
brand names confuses consumers and inhibits tribes from developing their own
commercial interests.
"In New Mexico, all of the pueblos and tribes are seeking to become
economically viable, and their culture and history is essential to much of
that development," Bingaman said.
Acting Patent Office Commissioner Q. Todd Dickinson said the complex issue
had drawn a larger-than-usual amount of public comment. At the first two of
three scheduled hearings, Dickinson said, the consensus from the tribes was
that "some mechanism for allowing the official insignia to be registered
with us is appropriate."
The agency must submit a report to Congress by Sept. 30. The House and
Senate Judiciary Committees will consider the patent office's
recommendations and, Dickinson said, could craft legislation.
He said the central question is how a symbol is to be defined: Is it a
word, a name, a commercially designed seal or, like the Zia, a depiction
that dates back 800 years?
Roberta Price, an attorney for the Zia tribe specializing in intellectual
property, said the appropriation of tribal names and symbols was a
continuation of the legacy from a century ago. "Where are we going to draw
the line in our taking from the Indian?" she asked.

--------- "RE: Delaware Culture Presentation at NIBA Convention" ---------

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 13:27:30 -0500
From: berryj@okstate.edu
Subj: (FWD)Indian News 07-29-99
Roger Iron Cloud
FirstNations Listserv
202.358.3252
rironcloud@acf.dhhs.gov

Delaware Culture Presentation at NIBA Convention.
c. Delaware Indian News
7/1/99
On May 2, the Delaware Tribe of Indians Cultural Preservation Committee
and tribal members presented a Delaware Event Program for the reception
guests and attendees of the 7th Annual National Indian Business Association
(NIBA) Conference & Trade Show held in Tulsa Oklahoma at the Adams Mark
Hotel. The evening was joint sponsored by the Delaware Tribe of Indians and
the Bartlesville Development Corporation (BDC). Following a buffet dinner
and the welcome from BDC chairman, Jim Fram, a number of Delaware songs and
social dances were presented.
Chief Dee Ketchum emceed the program, explaining the dances and
encouraging reception attendees to participate. The response to the
presentation was extremely positive and guests were heard to remark about
the "wonderful time" they had with their Delaware hosts. Ketchum was
also invited to give the invocation at the opening session of the
Conference on the following Monday morning.
NIBA is headquartered in Washington, D.C. It represents some 24,000
American Indian owned businesses and promotes American Indian business
development through education, advocacy and communication regarding
national issues. The NIBA President and CEO is Mohave/Shasta Indian and
native Arizonian Pete Homer.
The purpose of the NIBA Convention was to bring the latest information on
the federal agencies and their programs to the many American Indian tribes
represented so that vital information needed to help rural and small
disadvantaged businesses would be available. The conference was also
designed to show the value of partnering with others and leveraging your
resources. By partnering, you extend your dollars beyond your own investment
and improve the quality of life in both communities. "Partnering will be
the key to every tribe's financial success," said Delaware Tribe of Indians
Economic Development Director Alan Chissoe. "Our tribe is in the spirit of
growth and I believe with strong leaders, hard work, good friends, and the
courage of conviction, the new millennium will bring a prosperity to not
only us but Native Americans everywhere. This conference will give us more
tools and contacts to accomplish our goals."
[Note: The Delaware Indian News is a quarterly publication and the official
voice of the Delaware Tribe with their tribal headquarters in Bartlesville,
Oklahoma. The newspaper is free to enrolled tribal members. For anyone
else interested in subscribing the cost is $6.00 per year. Send check or
money order, (no cash please), made payable Delaware Indian News,
Attn: D. I. N. Subscription, 220 NW Virginia Ave., Bartlesville, OK, 74003]

--------- "RE: Mille Lacs Lake After Treaty Ruling" ---------

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 13:27:30 -0500
From: berryj@okstate.edu
Subj: (FWD)Indian News 07-29-99
Roger Iron Cloud
FirstNations Listserv
202.358.3252
rironcloud@acf.dhhs.gov

Troubled waters: Mille Lacs Lake after treaty ruling
Susan Hogan/Albach
c. Star Tribune
July 25, 1999
GARRISON, MINN. -- The sun was still steamy at 8 p.m. as a group of
anglers waited at a boat launch for a guide to lead them into the waters of
Lake Mille Lacs.
One of the passengers was Phil Knutson, a retired high school principal who
lives in Andover. A frequent visitor to the lake, he sized up the summer's
fishing this way:
"Outstanding!" he said, punctuating each syllable. "The walleye don't jump
out of the lake and into the boat, but they're really biting."
It's the best year for walleye fishing on Mille Lacs since 1992, according
to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. On opening weekend in May,
anglers caught an estimated five fish per boat, about twice the usual haul.
"And it seemed to get better and better and better," said Larry Adams, a
guide on Mille Lacs whose tongue-in-cheek business cards say he's a "doctor
of fishology."
Even so, these are troubled waters. In the towns along the lake's
picturesque shores, few non-Indians are happy about the U.S. Supreme Court's
decision in March affirming Chippewa hunting and fishing privileges
guaranteed in an 1837 treaty.
The ruling brought an end to a rancorous legal battle that had been begun
nine years earlier by the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa and was joined later
by seven other bands. But it hasn't brought an end to the hard feelings.
"We've got to live with it, but we don't have to like it," said Harold
Hanson, a retired welder who lives near Garrison, on the lake's west shore.
Aboard the guide boat, Hanson told other anglers about a recent outing on
the lake that conveyed his sentiments about new fish allotments resulting
from the court's decision.
"I [kept] five fish," he said, "and I had to throw back 11 to the
Indians."

Tourism
On the northeast shore near Malmo, the phone rang steadily one day last
week in the one-room headquarters of the Mille Lacs Area Tourism Council.
"Is there a speed limit for ATVs?"
"How long is the bike trail?"
"Got any golf courses?"
Judy Cain, who runs the office, was delighted. Tourists who once stayed
away because of the bad publicity from the treaty dispute now seem willing
to give the area a try.
"The great fishing we're having this year is the best thing that could
have happened to the area," she said. "Of course, if it had been a bad year,
you know a lot of people would have blamed the treaty."
Cain has been so busy this summer that she's hired a part-time helper to
answer calls -- as many as 165 a day -- and to mail out the hundreds of
brochures requested every week.
The fishing sells itself, so Cain promotes attractions that the public may
not know about: the area's four golf courses, two state parks, wildlife
refuge, swimming, hiking and biking trails and much more.
At least six resorts won't work with the council because of its
association with the the Mille Lacs band and its Grand Casino on the nearby
reservation, Cain said. But resorts that do work with the council have been
full nearly every weekend this summer.
"By this time last year, so many of the resorts had openings," she said.
"Now, everybody's full."
Business is up at restaurants and gift shops, too, though some owners
can't keep up with the demand because of a shortage of summer help.
"It's not always humanly possible to keep up," said Curt Johnson, owner
of
the Isle Bakery, who's had to forgo some wholesale business because he
didn't have enough employees to fill orders.
Cain's group promotes the lake area on radio, TV and print media outside the
state.
"We go after the people who live far enough away that they can't go home if
they don't like it," she said. "Like Ohio."

Underlying tensions
The good fishing hasn't dispelled the grousing of treaty naysayers. The most
vocal complain about Chippewa having "special" privileges and rights not
accorded other Americans.
"It's not just a fishing issue, it's an equal-rights issue," said Linda Eno
of Twin Pines Restaurant and Resort in Garrison. "You have people living
side by side with two different sets of rules."
Because the tribe's harvest increases from 55,000 to 100,000 pounds of
walleye over the next three years, fear abounds that the Chippewa will
deplete the lake, which happened at Red Lake. The tribe and DNR say they are
working cooperatively to ensure that doesn't happen.
So far this year, Chippewa have harvested about 42,284 pounds of walleye.
Non-Chippewa anglers harvested more than that -- about 50,000 pounds -- on
the first two days of the walleye season in May, according to DNR estimates.
The non-Indian harvest had reached 470,000 pounds by July 21 -- 25,000 short
of the total amount allotted -- with another 200,000 pounds released because
the fish were outside allowable length limits.
Some anglers fear that the lake will be closed as soon as the pound limits
are reached, but the DNR said that isn't likely.
"Much of the harvest has already occurred," said Rick Bruesewitz, a DNR
fisheries biologist. "I don't know of any plan to close the fishery if we're
over a small amount. We're still in a trial period."
The DNR said one of the biggest complaints from anglers and resort owners
is over size limits, which change every year under the new system.
Non-Chippewa anglers must release walleye of less than 14 inches and those
between 20 and 26 inches. They can keep one walleye of more than 26 inches.
"The biggest problem is that many of the people who harvest illegal fish
is that they didn't know the rules," said Tom Jones, a DNR large lake
specialist. "Some people are saying they're not coming back because they
caught five fish over 20 inches and had to throw them back.
"But under the old rules, they would have had to throw four of those back
anyway."

Reservations
At Cassady's Country Store in Wahkon, owner Judy Cassady said it's been
the best summer for business since she moved back to her hometown five years
ago. Cassady is sympathetic to the Chippewa's treaty rights. But rumors
about the Mille Lacs Band buying up land around the lake worry her.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to sell my business when I'm ready," she said.
Some fear the Chippewa will claim property purchased in ceded territory as
reservation land, freeing them of obligations to pay property taxes.
"I pay $800 in property taxes every year to live in a mobile home,"
Cassady said. "A lot of people couldn't live here any more if their taxes
skyrocketed."
The Mille Lacs Band said it has no intention of driving people off of
their land. The band acknowledges owning two resorts on nonreservation
land and making offers on other property.
"The tribe knows real well what it's like to have land taken away by all
sorts of methods," said Don Wedll, the band's commissioner of natural
resources. "It isn't going to do that to anyone else. It knows how
devastating that can be."
Wedll said people who assume that the Chippewa are going to ruin resort
living seem to forget that the casino pours millions of dollars into the
county's economy and that the majority of its employees aren't Chippewa.
"I wish they'd stop and consider where they'd be without the casino," he
said.
Taking a break outside the Mille Lacs Trading Post, where she works, Carol
Sam said she's hopeful that the racial tensions will temper with time.
"I think it will take a while for the feelings to settle down," said Sam,
49, a Chippewa who lives in the town of Fort Ripley. "There will probably
always be some people who are hostile to us. But there are also people who
aren't like that."

The future
The big catches of May, June and early July are beginning to slow. The
water is warm, and the fish are staying deeper to be cooler.
That doesn't deter Knutson, the retired principal, who enjoys the
camaraderie of his fishing buddies almost as much as the haul.
Out in the fishing boat, the anglers return to shore under a moonlit sky
and divide their catch: 12 fish. Knutson is happy, though several fish
caught have to be released.
"We accept it as part of the way of fish management of 1999," he said.

--------- "RE: 9th Circuit Court and Big Mountain News" ---------

Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 20:16:00 -0800
From: BIGMTLIST <redorman@theofficenet.com>
Subj: 9th Circuit Court and news

Mailing List: Big Mountain List <BIGMTLIST@onelist.com>

From: DINETAH29@aol.com
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 01:09:41 EDT

Dear Big Mountain Supporters,
1. 9th Circuit Court hearing:
We have now heard two possible dates for an upcoming 9th Circuit Court
hearing, on August 12 and August 13. I am currently checking whether the
hearing will be an open session or a closed session. If it is an open
session then I am certain that some people will want to travel to San
Francisco. If this is the case we will need to raise funds quickly to help
with gas and food expenses? Perhaps support people in San Francisco can
help with lodging.
I am currently inquiring whether there is anything on the docket at the
9th Circuit Court of Appeals for July 12 or 13. We also need to see if the
session will be an open or closed. Please feel free to call the Court
House in San Francisco to find out. I will let you know as soon as I find
out.
If it is an open session we will need to quickly raise some funds for
Dineh that will want to attend this session in San Francisco. If you can
help us raise some money for this please contact our fiscal agent and make
your check payable to SDN, earmarked for the 9th Circuit Court hearing.
---------------------------------
2. Update on the meetings with the feds:
It has just been confirmed that the 1st in a series of 3 two-day meetings,
addressing BIA grazing issues and livestock confiscation has been
rescheduled. We believe it is because the feds found out the people were
planning on attending the meetings. We have heard these meetings will
instead be held on August 19 and 20.
Having people attend these meetings would hurt the propaganda line of the
government which states that everyone is happy and only a few people are
being troublemakers. But first the feds informed us, after they heard that
the word was out about the meetings that there was only a 50/50 chance they
would come at all. At the same time we were told that the locations for the
meetings were switched, and the Hardrock Chapter meeting would be on Friday,
July 30 rather than on Thursday, July 29 and the Teesto Chapter meeting
would be on Thursday, July 29th rather than on Friday, July 29. I guess
this is the power of outreach.
We were also just told that the 2nd in the series of 3 meetings, we
believe the meeting to address Hopi governance issues will be held on
September 23 and 24. The dates for the 3rd in the series of 3 meetings,
addressing religious issues has not be given yet. I wonder if these dates
will also change.
-----------------------------------------
3. Update on the Winslow Tract:
We have been working with a Vet. that has been visiting the Winslow Tract.
He is documenting the lack of adequate water and forage for cattle. The
water is salty and the cattle are not drinking it. The land has been
devastated by drought and is devoid of vegetation. There is not enough food
and water to keep the cattle alive. It is critical that the Navajo Nation
provide supplementary hay, feed and water for the cattle. Last Spring this
area was declared a state of drought emergency by the State of Arizona and
the US Department of Agriculture. There are greener pastures like Big Bow
Ranch which the Navajo Nation owns. Please pressure the Navajo tribe to
ensure the safety and well being of these cattle. These animals deserve
shade, fresh water and good vegetation. And if the Navajo cannot ensure
the well-being of these animals then provide hay and feed to make sure they
do not die. If this is not possible then let them return home to Black Mesa
where they were healthy and well cared for granted sovereign immunity from
the BIA. Not left there as many have said, to die.

Please contact Roman Bitsuie, Executive Director of the Navajo Hopi Land
Commission, The Navajo Nation, P.O. Box 2549, Window Rock, AZ 86515,
Phone: (520) 871-6277
and
Jonathan Hale, Assistant to Kelsey Begaye, President, The Navajo Nation.
P.O. Box 9000, The Navajo Nation, Window Rock, AZ 86515, Phone: (520)
871-6000
You should also put pressure on the US Department of Agriculture as this
land has not been turned over to trust lands and they have jurisdiction.
Tell them to apply in Washington, DC with the US Department of Agriculture
for supplementary hay, feed and water funds. It is their responsibility to
do this since they have declared this area a state of emergency.

Please contact: Donna Carstens, Badge 75, US Department of Agriculture,
Animals Services Division, Livestock Department, 1688 W. Adams, Phoenix,
AZ 85007. Phone: (1-800-294-0305).
and
Please contact: Wilbert Goy, he has oversight of the Winslow Tract, Navajo
Hopi Land Commission, Box 2549, Window Rock, AZ 86515. Phone: (520)
871-6441 and (520) 853-1147.

Appeal for Help:
If the Navajo Nation refuses to purchase hay for the cattle on the Winslow
tract and the corralled animals on HPL then please help by donating money
that we urgently need to raise. We have been informed that the Navajo
Nation can purchase alfalfa hay at a reduced price due to the drought
emergency for $65-$80/ton rather than the usual price of about $165/ton.
If the Navajo Nation won't help the Dineh people on a humanitarian level
then we appeal to you to help them.
Please send your donations to our fiscal agent with a note that the funds
be earmarked for the hay and feed program.
-----------------------------------------------------
4. How to send money to help:
Please send your tax-deductible contributions to:
Steve Sugarman, Executive Director
Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE)
20110 Rockport Way, Malibu, CA 90265-5340
phone: (310) 456-3534, Tax ID number 95-4116679
Please make your check out to Sovereign Dineh Nation (SDN)
and specify whether your funds are for general use or for a specific project
Thanks for your support and help.
Yours sincerely,
Marsha Monestersky
E-mail: dinetah29@aol.com
Web sites: http://www.solcommunications.com and
http://www.theofficenet.com/~redorman/pagea~1.htm
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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--------- "RE: Lewis County Decides to Tax Indians' Fee Land" ---------

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 08:11:54 -0700
From: Charles Petras <cpetras@stratos.net>
Subj: Nez Perce Treaties : Lewis County decides to tax Indians' fee land

Mailing List: Nez Perce Treaties <Nez_Perce_treaties@listbot.com>

With Perfect Justice... Nez Perce Treaties -
http://members.stratos.net/cpetras
Lewiston Morning Tribune (Lewiston, Idaho)
Thursday, July 29, 1999. p. 6A.

Lewis County decides to tax Indians' fee land
Tribal member plans to appeal
BY JODI WALKER
OF THE TRIBUNE
NEZ PERCE -- The Lewis County commissioners have denied property tax
exemptions on seven properties owned by the Nez Perce Tribe and one owned
by a tribal member within the county.
The decision was made in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that
said fee land owned by tribal members could be taxed.
Fee land is land that is within reservation boundaries but has been sold
into private ownership.
"We are following the code," said Commissioner Laurine Nightingale. A
letter from the Idaho attorney general earlier this year gave counties the
go-ahead to tax the properties. The letter gave little indication of state
support to do it, however.
"The state doesn't have enough confidence to bring it themselves," said
Tom Keefe, who with his wife, JoAnn Kauffman, applied for tax exemption on
their property in Kamiah and were turned down. Kauffman is an enrolled
member of the Nez Perce Tribe.
"I am puzzled at the poor judgment of local officials," Kauffman said.
She and Keefe will appeal the decision and she expects the tribe will do
the same in the other cases.
"I fully expect the support of my tribe," she said. "The Nez Perce Tribe
has taken the position that fee land within the reservation is not subject
to local or state taxation."
Tribal officials did not return phone calls from the Tribune.
Kauffman and Keefe have owned the property in Kamiah for a year and a
half. They were given the tax exemption last year.
Several tribal members were given exemptions last year, Nightingale said,
but were told it would only be for one year, pending the outcome of the
Supreme Court case.
______________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, write to Nez_Perce_Treaties-unsubscribe@listbot.com

--------- "RE: Blackrobes and Hurons" ---------

Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 11:27:38 -0500
From: berryj@okstate.edu
Subj: (FWD)Indian News 07-30-99
Roger Iron Cloud
FirstNations Listserv
202.358.3252
rironcloud@acf.dhhs.gov

Blackrobes and Hurons
JIM WITHERS
The Montreal Gazette
24 July 1999
Three hundred and fifty years ago, Iroquois warriors drove Jesuit
missionaries from their stronghold on Georgian Bay and dispersed the Wendat
nation.
The Hurons are finally coming home to Huronia. Three and a half centuries
after the Wendat (Huron) Confederacy was dispersed, its descendants are
returning here from as far away as Kansas and Loretteville, Que.
The Aug 27-29 homecoming will bring them to Sainte-Marie-Among-the-Hurons,
the reconstructed 17th-century Jesuit mission where some of their ancestors
lived.
Built in 1639, three years before Montreal was founded, ill-fated
Sainte-Marie was Ontario's first European community. It lasted 10 years,
housing as many as 66 Frenchmen or one-fifth of the population of New France.
It was also home to Wendat converts, who lived in a separate section of the
palisaded stronghold.
But 350 years ago, the end came for both Sainte-Marie and the Wendat
Confederacy.
The Iroquois were attacking and on March 16 and 17, 1649, Jesuit fathers
Jean de Brebeuf and Gabriel Lalemant were tortured to death just 11
kilometres east of here at Saint-Ignace II. Two months later, the Blackrobes
decided it was time to abandon Sainte-Marie, which they torched before
fleeing. They and some of their Wendat followers eventually made it to
Quebec the next spring, after enduring a brutal winter of starvation and
sickness on nearby Christian Island.
The remaining Wendats joined other tribes or settled in the Ohio Valley,
only to be displaced by white settlers. The Wendat diaspora now has two
distinct branches - one in Loretteville, and the other in Kansas and
Oklahoma.
Sainte-Marie was meticulously reconstructed on much of its original mortar
foundation along the banks of the Wye River, complete with an internal
locked waterway, a longhouse for Christian Indians, blacksmith shop,
cookhouse, a hospital and the church of St. Joseph, where Brebeuf and
Lalemant were briefly buried in a single grave.
Opened in 1967 and run by the provincial government, Sainte-Marie attracts
close to 100,000 visitors a year.
Students don the roles of specific Jesuit fathers and donnes, the
dedicated laymen who toiled as carpenters, doctors, hunters and cobblers.
The real donnes were men, but as a concession to the late 20th century
many are played by young women.
The Jesuits kept meticulous accounts of their harsh and dreary lives. We
learn, for example, that the Europeans lived on the Wendat diet of cornmeal,
beans and squash, occasionally sweetened with berries. Gruel was the rule,
and there's no record of the homesick Frenchmen screaming: "Cornmeal,
again!"
The Blackrobes had to be hardy, canoeing and portaging for a month along
the Ottawa and Mattawa Rivers to get here from Trois-Rivieres. Blackflies,
mosquitoes and extreme temperatures were often the least of their hardships.
Caught in the middle of the inter-tribal warfare over the fur trade between
their Wendat allies and the Iroquois, eight Jesuits were slain between 1642
and 1649 - five of them in Huronia. The eight were canonized in 1930 and are
honoured at the hilltop Martyrs' Shrine, adjacent to Sainte-Marie.
The Martyrs' Shrine is a place of pilgrimage on weekends. Its sprawling
grounds contain several ethnic groups' own shrines, plus the outdoor altar
where Pope John Paul II celebrated mass before 90,000 people in 1984.
Strangely, though, given its historical ties with what is now Quebec,
both the Martyrs' Shrine and Sainte-Marie attract a disproportionately small
number of visitors from la Belle Province.
Equally surprisingly, perhaps, is the large percentage of German visitors
to Sainte-Marie. One explanation for their interest could be the enduring
works of Karl May (1842-1912), one of Germany's best loved and most widely
read authors. The fact that he never set foot on this side of the Atlantic
didn't prevent him from writing colourfully detailed tales about life here.
Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
In the age of Star Wars, Sainte-Marie's costumed guides have their work
cut out for them trying to breathe life into the low-tech world of the 17th
century.
But whether it's a bus-load of middle-aged German tourists or a visiting
high-school class from Australia, Indians are usually the stars.
"People are very excited to see the Indians," said Josh Lattimore, who
wears a Jesuit robe, but doesn't seem to mind playing second fiddle.
It doesn't seem to matter that the Indians here aren't Wendat (Huron) but
Ojibwa, the tribe that took over the area about 300 years ago.
"My job is to represent the Wendats because they don't seem to be coming
in droves to work here," said Del Taylor, an Ojibwa who has worked 15 of his
34 years at the fort. "I'm living my lifestyle today off the tragedies of
the past."
One of those tragedies was the decimation of the Wendats by smallpox and
other diseases inadvertently brought by the Europeans. The death by sickness
of more than half the population, plus the resentment of local chieftains at
having their authority undermined, didn't make the Blackrobes universally
welcomed. Converts were few and far between.
"The original objective was to Frenchify the natives," Taylor said. "When
they realized they couldn't do that, they said: 'Let's at least get them
into heaven.'"
It's hard not to notice the burly, deer-skin-clad Taylor, with his
ponytail, moccasins and purposeful stride. He estimated that he has his
picture taken 600 or 700 times a day. A visitor's question can often lead
to an hour-long conversation, and maybe a new pen pal.
And, given the low profile Canada's original peoples have on school
curriculums, there's much to learn here.
For example, we learn that Wendat (or Ouendat or Wyandot) means "islanders
and peninsula-dwellers." It's certainly more flattering than Huron, from the
French word hure, meaning wild-bore head and referring to the bristled and
straight-up way the men wore their hair.
"The people who come through are grateful to see something different,"
Taylor said. "What we have here is not science-fiction, it's real, things
these kids are so far removed from. They've never seen an Indian starting a
fire or cutting wood. No matter how many computer-generated images they've
seen, a genuine experience far outweighs anything in science fiction. A
person like myself can be fascinating to them.
"Some people are really afraid to come up to me. There's a hesitancy, but
I can tell by their gestures that they want to take my picture, so I have to
entice them."
Taylor is active in a campaign to have aboriginal relics removed from
museums and given respectful burials.
In fact, one of the highlights of next month's Wendat reunion in Huronia
will be the reburial of skeletal remains from the Royal Ontario Museum. The
bones were originally buried in 1636, but dug up by archaeologists in 1948.
Despite these efforts, Taylor has taken heat from fellow Ojibwa for
working at Sainte-Marie.
"In my formative years," Taylor said he felt uncomfortable in this
museum-piece role. "There was a time when I was angry, but I've matured. I
couldn't walk through this life with a chip on my shoulder.
"The injustices of the past are just that, injustices of the past. We have
to get over it. And that goes for everybody, whether it's Northern Ireland
or Kosovo or wherever. "
Taylor said he came to his bury-the-hatchet philosophy when he realized
the value of Sainte-Marie, not just to aboriginal history but to Canada's.
"Sainte-Marie tries to show all aspects and the complexities of the
relationship between people. My job is to interpret the two cultures and
help visitors see it more clearly, to get beyond the stereotypes and
misunderstandings."
As he said this, a donne alerted him that a group of Colombian visitors
had arrived.

Show time.
Back to the 17th century.
- For more information on Sainte-mare-Among-the-Hurons, write to Huronia
Historical Parks, Box 160, Midland, Ont. L4R 4K8, phone (705) 526-7838,
fax
(705) 526-9193 or E-mail hhp@hhp.on.ca. You can also check the Web at
www.saintemarieamongthehurons.on.ca To find out about the Wendat (Huron)
reunion in and around Midland, Aug. 27 to 29, check the Web at
http://pages.infinit.net/wendat

The Martyrs
Jean de Brebeuf (1593-1649) and Gabriel Lalemant (1610-1649) are the most
famous of the eight Jesuit martyrs, who were canonized in 1930. The others
are:

Antoine Daniel (1610-1648), Charles Garnier (1606-1649) and Noel Chabanel
(1613-1649) also met violent ends in the Huronia area

Isaac Jogues (1607-1646), Rene Goupil (1608-1642) and Jean de la Lande
(?-1646) were taken to an Iroquois village near what is now Albany, N.Y.,
before they were killed. Jogues had been in charge of construction of
Sainte-Marie and later served as a kind of ambassador to the Iroquois.
Goupil and de la Lande were donnes, devoted laymen who worked for the
Jesuits as hunters, fishermen, carpenters, shoe-repairmen and doctors.

--------- "RE: Neskonlith Band Shuswap Nation Tribal Council" ---------

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 00:31:27 -1000
From: k@aloha.net
Subj: WGIP`99 - NESKONLITH BAND SHUSWAP NATION TRIBAL COUNCIL

NETWARRIORS FRONTLINE REPORTS
17th WGIP 7/29/99
____________________________
Indigenous Relatives and Supporters:
STATEMENT ON THE
REPORT OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR

PRESENTED TO THE UNITED NATIONS
WORKING GROUP ON INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS
17TH SESSION

July 29, 1999
By Chief Arthur Manuel, Neskonlith Band
Chairman Shuswap Nation Tribal Council
Spokesperson for the Interior Alliance
Geneva, Switzerland
Thank you again, Madame Chair and Working Group Members;
First of all let me explain that within our hearts Aboriginal title is a
reality. My father - the late Grand Chief George Manuel - believed in
Aboriginal title all his life. He taught me that indigenous Peoples have a
historical, legal, constitutional and most importantly a life giving
relationship with our traditional territories.
This trip to Geneva is significant to my family and I because it is the
first time we have come to Europe. It is the first time in our life that
we are standing on lands that the white man has a right over and we as
indigenous people are merely guests. I am therefore very grateful to the
people of Switzerland for allowing us to be here.
The United Nations must understand that the indigenous Peoples of the
Interior Alliance have given the world the basis for all nations and all
people to come together. Our traditional territories as indigenous Peoples
are the grounds upon which Canada and the United States now exist. We only
ask that our Aboriginal title be recognized and reconciled with the human
rights of our settlers so we can equally and fairly share in our lands
forever.
I do not believe this is happening in Canada today. The existing 1986
Comprehensive Claims Policy in Canada falls short of this goal. It is
merely a policy of "surrender and grant back". It simply means we are
expected to surrender our Aboriginal title. For example in the Nisga'a
Agreement, the Nisga'a have surrendered their Aboriginal title for
provincial fee simple property rights. Consequently, we do not accept the
Nisga'a Agreement as a template agreement.
Nevertheless, the federal and provincial governments continue push the
surrender and grant back concepts contained in the Nisga'a Agreement
through the British Columbia Treaty Process (BCTC). I recently met with
the Chief and Council of the Westbank Indian Band in order to find ways
the Interior Alliance can support them. They will begin logging soon
without federal or provincial government approval. The Westbank Indian
Band, like other Indian Bands in the BCTC process, are frustrated with the
fact that Canada is using the Nisga'a Agreement as the high water mark.
I believe that if Canada does not replace their existing 1986
Comprehensive Claims Policy with a mutually agreed to policy more
frustration will build in British Columbia. I have told the Canadian
government that if we cannot find a way to make peaceful negotiations
possible then we will open the door to confrontation. I believe that
indigenous Nations in British Columbia and the Canadian government is at a
crossroads. The opportunities we face are very important.
Aboriginal title can be treated as a colonial commodity to be
surrendered and extinguished or it can be recognized and reconciled with
Crown title. We can either neo-colonize or de-colonize First Nations
Peoples. It is my opinion that Gathering Strength is an effort to neo-
-colonize my people. I believe in what my late father told me that talking
about self-government is a useless exercise if your Aboriginal title is
not first recognized. Furthermore, I believe that the Royal Commission on
Aboriginal Peoples Report is correct when it states that Gathering
Strength is possible only if Aboriginal title is fairly and equally dealt
with.
In conclusion I would like to say that Canadians are facing a
fundamental decision of whether or not to recognize Aboriginal title. The
Supreme Court of Canada has taken a small step in that direction in the
Delgamuukw case. It is now up to the Executive Branch on whether or not
they will accept this judicial direction and substantially change the 1986
Comprehensive Claims Policy.
Our Interior Alliance Nations are currently preparing two separate draft
Bilateral Framework Agreements, which set out a research and negotiation
process. One for negotiating with Canada and the other one to negotiate
with the province of British Columbia. We are relying on the Delgamuukw
decision as a basis for the proposed negotiations to recognize,
accommodate and reconcile our Aboriginal title with Canada's assertion of
sovereignty.
I shall keep you informed on developments in this area as well as submit
a response to the Second Progress Report. I would also like to leave some
material with you regarding our position.
In closing, we would like to take this opportunity to extend an
invitation to the Special Rapporteur to visit our area to discuss our
concept of Aboriginal title and rights if your schedule permits and you
are so inclined.
Kukstemc - Thank you

--------- "RE: Searching for Ancestors" ---------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 10:35:43 -0700
From: John Wm Sloniker <johnwms@SERV.NET>
Subj: Searching for Ancestors

Good day to all,

Today, many are so accustomed to filling out forms for school or work
that they tend to think it was always like that.
I'm sorry to say, it just isn't so. In years past, except for some of
the courts and other legal papers, all that was wanted was your name.
Also, by now you know that once every ten years, the census taker did
ask a few more personal questions such as how much is your land worth
and where were you born and how old are you, etc.
It's those census records you should start with. They won't tell you
everything, but they will be a guide to help you know where to search
for other records. Knowing where people lived lets you know where it
is likely you will find marriage or tax records. While tax records do
not help with family information, they do let you know if they had at
least enough money to own a couple hogs or horses as well as prove he
did live in that county. That's part of family history.
Also, while searching those census records, join a local genealogical
group or society to get more information about searching methods. You
will likely find that there is a lot you can do near your home town.
However if you live in an area that has few libraries you may want to
travel to the nearest federal archives, for an all day research trip,
just to get a big start on those census records. That is the easiest
part of your searching, and will guide you in what to do next.
Since you now have e-mail, learn how to use that. I see so many make
requests for "where can I find Mary Davidson?" That's a poor method.
Instead you should tell a short story, and then ask for suggestions.
If you are lucky someone may know who Mary Davidson is, but it's more
likely that if you mention she lived in NW Arkansas in 1878, and that
you think she was connected with the Choctaw that someone will have a
suggestion about what records to check for more information.
Try to always give a date and place for reference even if it's only a
guess. There just may be another person working on Choctaw living in
NW Arkansas in 1880 that knows what records are available for that.
As for web browsing, there is more and more information showing up on
web pages, but, it probably will be several years before you can find
information about a specific Mary Davidson there. You are more likely
to find information about where Choctaw congregated or who the people
were that settled NW Arkansas in 1875, but not a specific person.
It takes time to prepare that information, and money to pay for those
workers that prepare the information. The Soundex for the 1880 census
wasn't created till 1936 or so, and it wasn't for us researchers. It
was for the Social Security people. The public didn't get to see any
of that work till about 1980. Also, the 1910 Soundex isn't finished.
If the rules about census privacy hadn't been changed we couldn't see
the 1900 census till next year when it will be 100 years old. In 2005
we'll get to see the 1930 census. That's part of the history of what
has happened with records. Conditions are changing.
As for a book about where everything is, I haven't heard of any. You
will have to ask questions about what you want in places where others
are also searching for things that you are interested in. There will
be people that started two, or twenty, years ago that can help you.
I have some lists about where the federal archives are located. That
information can be found on the internet, though not in the form that
I've made them. I've compacted the information for posting.
If you have some money to spend, some of the census microfilms can be
purchased instead of going 250 miles to one of the branches to do all
of your searching. Then, when you finish with it, donate it. That's
how a lot of the microfilm got into the local libraries near you.
Since not many want to buy a film viewer to view the microfilm you've
bought, you can take it to your local library to view it. Or you can
just donate it to begin with, and still go to the library to see it.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Here are some archive URL listings to get you started.
National Archives and Records Administration
http://www.nara.gov/
Regional Records Services Facilities Menu
http://www.nara.gov/regional/nrmenu.html
Genealogical Research at the National Archives
http://www.nara.gov/genealogy/genindex.html
National Archives Book Store
http://www.nara.gov/nara/bookstore/books.html
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Happy to help anytime,
John

--------- "RE: Creek Ancestry Research" ---------

Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997 17:04:37 -0600
From: Jacqueline Hines <SENA@worldnet.att.net>
Subj: Creek research

I am often contacted for information on how to begin researching Creek
Indian ancestry. It is impossible to answer each and every one. I will
attempt to copy here information on where to start. The very first thing
to do is become familiar with who they were and where they were. Without
this knowledge success will be limited. Besides, you may find information
on your white ancestors as well. A bibliography will follow however many
parts are necessary to finish it.

RESEARCHING CREEK INDIANS PRIOR TO REMOVAL - Part I by Jacqueline Hines

Georgia and Alabama researchers have at times reached a standstill in
their research. Much of this has been attributed to burned county records.
For some, it might mean an unknown Indian ancestor or an ancestor that had
contacts of some nature with the Indians. Many have ignored one of the
major industries and sources of information concerning early settlers,
namely, Indian trade and skirmishes and wars with the Indians. Another
source of information that has not been used to a great extent are the
records of the Southern District Courts which are located in the Federal
Records Center, East Point, Georgia.
It is sometimes hard for present generations to comprehend that our
settler forefathers were not so settled as we are apt to believe. Every
researcher whose ancestors were thought to be in Georgia or Alabama from
colonization to Indian Removal should make themselves familiar with "The
Letters of Benjamin Hawkins," Merritt B. Pound's "Benjamin Hawkins, Indian
Agent," and Corkran's "The Creek Frontier, 1540-1783." These are not new.
They are old standbys.
It would not be an over-statement to say that every able-bodied man
among the early settlements was involved in some way with the Indians. It
may have been as a trader, a militiaman, a soldier, or even a plantation
owner seeking runaway slaves To ignore the involvement with the Indians is
to ignore the major necessity in genealogical research which is familiarity
with the historical background. It will be noted that White's "Historical
Collections of Georgia" and Pickett's "History of Alabama" do include some
of this background. A word of caution should be said in those using Thomas
S. Woodward's "Reminiscences of the creek or Muscogee Indians." As it
states in the introduction and the letters of Woodward himself, he does
lack the refinement of writing. Although Woodward does report his
knowledge accurately in most cases, the lack of punctuation in several
instances has caused misinterpretation. If the facts have been researched
prior to using Woodward, it is easy to read the passages the way he
intended and recognize the lack of punctuation and use it as a valuable
tool. After all, he personally knew all of these people and fought along
side of the Creeks, though he was part Cherokee.
There is a mythical supposition that if one had an Creek(or Indian)
ancestor that no marriage records, wills or other court records exist. The
truth depends entirely on the individual case. Some records are available
in both Georgia and Alabama. The difficulty comes in pinpointing the
location at the appropriate time slot.
Begin first by using the Creek census of 1832 and the John J. Abert
maps (both available from GSA) to pinpoint the Indian town and check the
original Alabama county covering that location for this period. (Note
county line changes over years.) Checking backward into Georgia check the
original counties along the main trade routes, especially the ones where
the forts and Indian agencies were located. Keep in mind that prior to
1820 all well established Georgia counties were located EAST of the
Okmulgee River. The National Archives maintains among its Records of
the Bureau of Indian Affairs a letter file containing correspondence
from individuals, both white and Indian.
This file contains letters to governmental agencies and/or officials.
If one is lucky enough to have had an ancestor whose letters are in this
file, they often times provide excellent clues. Georgia and the Indian
agent issued passports to anyone that intended to travel in or through
Indian territory. The state of Mississippi also issued passports to those
traveling to or through Indian territory or returning to Georgia. These are
an excellent source of information on travelers as well as traders.

--------- "RE: The Dine of Black Mesa" ---------

Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 23:41:56 -0700
From: Robert Dorman <redorman@theofficenet.com>
Subj: The Dine (Navajo) of Black Mesa

Mailing List: Big Mountain List <BIGMTLIST@onelist.com>

From: Michael Gerell <mgp@madre.com>

Greetings, My name is Michael Gerell. I live and work in Davis,
California USA. For a few years now i have been making pilgrimages to the
Big Mountain/Black Mesa area of what is now called Hopi Partitioned Land
but is rightly the Joint Use Area of the Navajo/Hopi reservation. I have
become friends with a lot of the people resisting the forced relocation
mandated by congress in PL93-531. I have witnessed the hardships and
harassment they endure to remain on their ancestral lands. I have seen
with my own eyes the truth of their words. They are modest people and do
not exaggerate their situation.
I write you today to urge your staff and the U.N. in general to rally
behind the traditional people of the Mesas of the four corners before the
ethnic cleansing policies of the U.S. government succeed in wiping out a
people distinct in their fierce connection to the land that has sustained
their families for more than a hundred generations. This situation goes
beyond even the resisters holding on to their homesteads on Black Mesa.
Both Hopi and Dine traditionals are under the iron thumb of "Tribal
Councils" that have had the culture beaten out of them in the schools of
the Mormon church. The whole area is in a virtual police state. For proof
you need look no further than the reaction to the Sundance on grounds that
have held that sacred ceremony for sixteen years. The government
surrounded the grounds with forces from fifteen separate agencies including
the FBI, ATF, BIA, and all the local state, county,and tribal police.
The situation is urgent. The harassment grows more threatening and the
potential for violence increases with each step towards the deadline, when
anyone left resisting or helping them resist could be swarmed by an armed
paramilitary force much like what has happened in Chiapas, Wounded Knee,
Ogoniland, Philadelphia and other places where people have dared to stand
in the way of the juggernaut of "progress".
The assault on indigenous peoples around the world must be stopped in the
name of Human Rights and the right of a people to live as they have for
thousands of years, because those ways of life have sustained them for
generation after generation. These people hold the key to how human kind
can live sustainably on this fragile planet that we have come so close to
destroying. What better place to begin than right in the heart of America,
the land of the Free and the world's biggest advocate for Human Rights.
The Dine people must receive the full protection of international law as
did the people of Bosnia and Kosovo. These genocidal policies must be
ended much as the policies of Apartheid were dismantled in South Africa.
And just as in South Africa, changing things on Big Mountain will take
massive amounts of international pressure.
I urge you all to exert as much energy as you can spare to speak out for
the Dine people of Black Mesa/Big Mountain and for the land based cultures
through out the world hanging on for dear life to the ways and knowledge
that may well be our only hope for the next seven generations to come.
In our childrens names and their childrens children. Stop the genocide
in the name of profit now.
Respectfully,
Michael Gerell
pob 72841
Davis, Ca.
email: mgp@madre.com
Walk in Beauty
m.g.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You are on the BIGMTLIST, a moderated mailing list of Big Mountain
relocation resistance information (not discussion or debate). .
For non-list members receiving this post as a forwarded message, you
may subscribe by following this link:
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe/BIGMTLIST.
For Big Mountain and other activist internet resources, visit "The
Activist Page" at
http://www.theofficenet.com/~redorman/welcome.html
Also, for great internet tools please visit:
http://www.msw.com.au/cgi-bin/msw/entry?id=1271
------------------------------------------
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--------- "RE: Navajos Overhaul Crime Code" ---------

Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 06:58:40 -0700 (MST)
From: chris@U.ARIZONA.edu
Subj: Navajos overhaul crime code: New statutes target repeat bootleggers
------- FORWARD, Original message follows -------
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 19:01:58 -0700
http://www.azcentral.com/news/0726navajo.shtml

Navajos overhaul crime code
New statutes target repeat bootleggers
Associated Press
July 26, 1999
WINDOW ROCK - The cost of doing business just went up for bootleggers on
the Navajo reservation.
The Navajo Nation Council has done the first major revision of the
Navajo Criminal Code since 1970, and several changes are aimed at
bootleggers.
The revised code calls for fines up to $5,000 and jail time up to one
year - already maximum penalties under the Native American Civil Rights
Act. However, bootleggers charged with more than one offense could now get
multiple fines and jail sentences.
The revised code also allows seizure of any goods purchased with profits
derived from bootlegging.
The council voted down an amendment that would have taken away judges'
sentencing discretion.
Steve Boos, council legal adviser, recommended keeping judicial
discretion and broadening use of traditional Navajo remedies and
restitution.
"Sending someone to jail is not a Navajo tradition," Boos said. "It's a
European one."
The revisions also affect Indian lawbreakers who are non-Navajo.
"We have people from other tribes living here," Ervin Keeswood said,
"and if they don't want to abide by our laws, they can go abide by the
laws in the dominant culture."
Keeswood referred to Sioux activist Russell Means, who refused to
recognize Navajo courts' authority.
The council also rejected an amendment that would have made it mandatory
to be a registered member of the Native American Church to take part in
peyote rituals.
Copyright 1999, Arizona Central

--------- "RE: Live Recording: Anna Mae Aquash" ---------

Date: 31 Jul 1999 22:37:39 GMT
From: annainc@aol.com (A.N.N.A. Foundation)
Subj: Anna Mae Aquash (LIVE Recording)

http://members.aol.com/ANNAinc/The-Foundation.html
Click on the link "LIVE SOUND CLIPS" on the site.

The recently established A.N.N.A. Foundation, Inc. (Assembly for Northern
Native Americans) is providing a special live voice presentation of the
late Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash recorded in 1975. She is talking about the raid
on the Rosebud Reservation, surrounded by FBI.
Also, listen to Anna Mae's daughter's Denise and Deborah, and cousin
Robert A. Pictou-Branscombe who speaks of the on-going murder investigation
of Anna Mae.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The A.N.N.A. Foundation wishes to express our sincere
appreciation to LISN for sponsor-supporting the creation of this sound clip
page to present to you. Thank you LISN for doing a fantastic job on this
webpage and for helping to bring this to the public. (Everyone...please
expect some minimal download time. We believe you will feel it is worth it)

In the spirit of the people...and the future. The A.N.N.A. Foundation, Inc.
http://members.aol.com/ANNAinc/Foundation.html

--------- "RE: Mendota Update" ---------

Date: Sun, 1 Aug 1999 16:02:12 EDT
From: MaDark@aol.com
Subj: More Mendota news
------- FORWARD, Original message follows -------
Date: 99-07-31 19:56:56 EDT
From: leo@usfamily.net (Leo, Linda and Justin)

Dear Friends, it is Saturday afternoon and all is quiet for the time
being. Everyone is out of jail now, including the young supporter that was
jailed for a second time for simply being in a public place, he wasn't even
in the park he was in front of a ice cream shop a 1/2 block away from the
park. He refused to eat or drink while he was jailed the second time and
was again taken before a judge Friday morning, but was not released until
10:00 pm Friday night. Emily the young girl who we were told had her head
slammed against a squad car, it was actually a wooden railroad tie, spent 8
hrs at the hospital being xrayed and having an MRI done, while her sister
and lawyer tried desperately to find out where she was and how she was,
were given no information on her condition by the authorities. The Doctors
at the hospital suggested strongly to her that she bail out of jail. All
work stopped on the area for now, and MNDOT says that no more trees are
scheduled to be destroyed for a few weeks, right now there are supporters
living in the trees that are next slated to be destroyed. We had heard
that McCrossan was to start their work on the land tunnel, which will cost
the tax payers 9 million dollars, on Wednesday or Thursday of last week,
but we haven't seen hide nor hair of them yet. I talked with many area
residents last week and many are shocked, saddened and outraged at the
destruction of their beloved park. We held a press conference and rally
Thursday evening and we had hundreds of people show up including the two
young women that have been seriously injured by the police's brutal
assaults. Hundreds of people driving by honked their horns in support The
police presence at the park has been scaled back, but we will expect them
back in full force when the construction on the tunnel starts, probably
next week. Your support and prayers, have been so important to us, we are
hearing of thousands of letters being sent and phone calls being made. We
are building new allies everyday, because of all of you out there that
care so much. Yesterday we had visitors from Hawaii at the camp and more
people from all over the states are stopping to pray with us. I can't tell
you how overwhelming the outpouring of support has been. We keep all of
you in our prayers. Pidamiya, Love Linda

--------- "RE: Peltier Book" ---------

Date: 01 Aug 1999 05:05:56 GMT
From: jtroad@aol.com (JT Road)
Subj: PELTIER BOOK--message from LPDC website

Newsgroup: alt.native

The book PRISON WRITINGS - MY LIFE IS MY SUNDANCE
Leonard Peltier's first book, Prison Writings, My Life is My Sundance,
edited by Harvey Arden, has now been released and can be purchased through
the LPDC. We are selling the hard cover for $25.00 including shipping and
handling, half of which goes directly to Leonard's defense if purchased
through the LPDC, so we encourage you to get it through our office. At the
same time, it is helpful if you check your local bookstores and see if it
is available, and if it is not, encourage them to stock it.
The book is bound to create waves of inspiration and dedication for those
who read its humanly honest, emotional, and profound words. For the first
time Leonard's story is being told from the personal perspective that only
he can give. If the book is a success it will have an outstanding affect on
the movement to free him. Please HELP GET THE WORD OUT! Encourage people to
order the book and call the LPDC to set up book readings
in your areas to help promote it. email LPDC at lpdc@idir.net or call
785-842-5774 or send $25 check to LPDC PO Box 583, Lawrence, KS 66044
The rights to the book have been purchased by two major publishers in
France and Germany. It will be released in France on February 6, 2000. We
are hoping that many other countries will do the same in order to spread
the word around the world in many different languages.

Also check your local bookstores and ask them to carry LOTS of the book. And
call your local newspaper and ask them to review the book soon.

--------- "RE: November Leonard Peltier Freedom Month" ---------

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 18:21:19 -0500
From: "LPDC" <lpdc@idir.net>
Subj: November Leonard Peltier Freedom Month

LPDC web site: http://members.xoom.com/freepeltier/index.html

Dear Leonard Peltier supporters,
Below is a letter from Leonard Peltier accompanied by a proposal for
November Leonard Peltier Freedom Month. We will soon be sending out details
as to what we would like to see happen and how you can help. For now,
please let us know if you have any feed back regarding our plans. We
encourage you to copy and distribute this information to other supporters
and organizations who may want to be involved.
Also, don't forget to organize something for Leonard's birthday on
September 12, (and the week that follows on campuses) International Day of
Outreach and Fund Drive for the November campaign. Remember, if you are
planning something, let us know asap so we can begin to publicize your
events.
Thank you.
In solidarity,
The LPDC staff collective

My Brothers and Sisters,
It is hard for me to believe that the year 2000 is so quickly approaching
us. As I sit in this cell and think about my grandchildren who are growing
up so fast, my friends who have passed on, and the many years of my life
that have been stolen from me, I remind myself of the attention my own
suffering has brought to the realities of Indigenous Peoples everywhere. I
know that my own persecution has become a symbol of the persecution all of
our people face everyday.
But, I have not given up hope for freedom. Today I am asking you to
stand up and represent me and everything I am so proud of, the dignity,
spirituality, and pride of the First Nations Peoples of the world.
My dream is to continue what the Trail of Broken Treaties started; an
event that will have a historical and lasting effect in the minds and
consciousness of the public. We are hoping to carry out such an event this
November in Washington DC. November will be a critical time for my freedom
campaign.
This December will be Clinton's last likely chance to grant me Executive
Clemency. My defense team will have been steadily lobbying Congress to
support clemency for two months prior to the event. Therefore, November
will be an important time for a strong show of public support. The irony is
that at the same time, "Native American Heritage Month" and the Thanksgiving
holiday will be occurring and will be bringing additional attention of
Native Americans into the public, making November an important month to
bring real issues of Indigenous Peoples of the U.S. into the limelight of
the media.
I believe that we can accomplish a successful campaign to do this if we
all pull our resources together. I can visualize all the colors of our
Native Nations' flags flying high around a culturally brilliant and
attention attracting event in front of the White House this Fall. The
thought of different Indigenous Nations coming together in unity to support
sovereignty, human rights, dignity, cultural preservation, and my freedom,
warms my heart. Please read the proposal attached to find out more about
our plans and how you can help. Thank you.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier

LEONARD PELTIER FREEDOM MONTH PROPOSAL
November 1999 - Washington D.C.
We, the members of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, are writing to ask
for your support, endorsement and collaboration regarding our plans for a
November 1999 - Leonard Peltier Freedom Month in Washington D.C. As you
know, Mr. Peltier is a Native American leader who has been unjustly
incarcerated for 23 years in the United States. FBI documents released years
after his trial, together with other sources, have proved that critical
ballistic evidence establishing his innocence was withheld from the defense,
and that witnesses were terrorized into giving false testimonies against
him. Though long overdue for parole, and in deteriorating health, Mr.
Peltier remains in prison. Amnesty International and numerous other human
rights organizations have recognized him as a political prisoner and
demanded his immediate and unconditional release. In 1991, over 300
representatives of First Nations, Black and Popular Movements from Alaska to
the Tierra del Fuego, gathered in Xelaju (Guatemala) for the 500 Year
Continental campaign. They recognized Leonard Peltier as the symbol of
Indigenous Resistance and his call for freedom is supported by numerous
Indigenous organizations worldwide and has repeatedly been a major concern
in the frame work of the United Nations - International Decade for the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
It is clear that the judicial system in the United States has utterly
failed Mr. Peltier, and thus, indirectly, all of the American people. We
recognize that we must now demand justice from the other two branches of our
government, specifically, the executive and legislative branches. President
Clinton has the power to grant clemency to Leonard Peltier at any time, and
the United States Congress is charged with overseeing the correct conduct of
affairs by such agencies as the United States Parole Board, and the FBI.
Even misconduct by the courts is subject to comment and review by the
Congressional judiciary committee.
In order to obtain action and justice from these offices, all sectors of
society, both domestic and international, must make themselves heard, all
with the same message, and all at the same time. This will require an
enormous amount of public education as well as coordination. For this
reason, we are seeking your assistance for our November 1999 - Leonard
Peltier Freedom Month in Washington D.C..
As we all know, November is the month of Thanksgiving in the United
States. According to historical legend, the first Thanksgiving was held by
the pilgrims to give thanks to God for their very survival in North America.
They had been saved from starvation by kindly Native Americans who taught
them about local crops and wildlife. The pilgrims, in turn, thanked the Lord
and exterminated the tribes. Leonard Peltier is but one more of the most
recent victims. As people this year sit down to their feasts, surrounded by
friends and family, we plan for them to think carefully about the treatment
of all Native Americans, and in particular about Leonard Peltier, alone in
his prison cell.
November has also been declared Native American Heritage month by
President Clinton, and we plan to hold him to his word. Traditionally,
Clemency Petitions are granted by the President at the end of each year.
November will thus be a critical month. Moreover, the Parole Board could
reconsider Leonard's parole situation in the early spring, making a November
action extremely timely.
Our actions on behalf of Leonard Peltier will be very strong, but
non-violent in all ways, as requested by Mr. Peltier himself. We will ask
all sectors of society to join us in Washington D.C. for as long as they are
able to arrange. The event will begin on November 1, 1999, with Native
American ceremonial runners at the historical Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.
After a speech and prayer session there, they will run all the way to the
White House in Washington D.C., where they will be met by all local
supporters, and a religious leaders of high standing, such as Bishop Desmond
Tutu, together with a Native American religious leader of equal standing.
Together they will welcome the runners, and officially open Leonard Peltier
Freedom Month. We plan to erect ceremonial teepees behind the White House
for the month, and conduct a Native American ceremony in front of the White
House each and every morning, inviting public attendance. Meanwhile, ten
young Native Americans will carry out a Freedom Fast for Peltier in front of
the White House from November 1 through Thanksgiving day itself,
underscoring the urgent need to grant him justice at last.
Additionally we are asking for cultural activities including dancing,
drumming, and singing from different Indigenous nations to represent the
pride for Native tradition and culture that Mr. Peltier has always
advocated. We will also invite all peoples of all races to carry out support
activities, both in Washington and at home. Such activities could include
such educational efforts as a reenactment of the massacre of Wounded Knee in
key public parks and other symbolic places.
Throughout the month, Mr. Peltier's family and friends will work carefully
with Congressional offices, and there will also be carefully coordinated
with the domestic press corps. For those who cannot travel to Washington
D.C., a coordinated and massive telephone campaign to the White House will
be organized.
Our goals are both educational and political. The true facts of the
Leonard Peltier case are well known and notorious abroad, but have been
heavily censored within the United States. We must teach the American people
what had truly taken place, and urge them to speak out. Most importantly we
must bring these facts to members of the United States Congress. They alone
can bring the appropriate and effective pressure to bear, both upon
President Clinton as well as the Board of Parole and the FBI itself.
Please give us your full support. Leonard Peltier is a gifted native
American leader who still has much to give his people. 23 years of his life
have been taken away and his health is beginning to fail. Please help him to
obtain justice and freedom for him so that he can continue to give his gifts
to us all.
We are asking you to help Leonard Peltier by endorsing this event, sending
letters or resolutions to U.S. officials urging immediate and unconditional
release of Leonard Peltier, sending representatives of your nation to carry
out traditional, cultural, and spiritual activities in honor of Leonard
Peltier, sending delegations to Washington DC next November. If you are
able to contribute in any of the above ways, please contact the as soon as
possible. Thank you.
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
PO Box 583
Lawrence, KS 66044
785-842-5774
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--------- "RE: Native Prisoner" ---------

Date: Sun, 1 August 99 0817:10 GMT
From: Janet Smith (evestar@juno.com)
Subj: Contacting those in the Ironhouse

UUCP email

Tell a Native American Prisoner someone cares!
The following is a portion of the list of Native American Prisoners
incarcerated in prisons throughout the United States. The full list
is found at the Native Prisoners Pen Pal list the following web site:
http://www.brooks.simplenet.com/penpal.html. The list is compiled from
contributions by Wotanging Ikche readers, other friends and from
Laura Brooks' research on Native American Spiritual Freedom in Prison. If
you know of a Native prisoner who would like to be included here, please
e-mail Janet Smith at jans@atlcom.net. My thanks to Laura Brooks for
giving this list a home on the web.

Eriksen, James Harold East, Jackie Wayne
#860-138 2294 Slagle Rd
PO Box 41 Leesville, LA 71446
Michigan City, IN 46361-0041
Date of Birth: 12/20/58 Ellis, Allen Ray
#254-342
Edmonds, Harold PO Box 511
#209-651 Columbus, OH 43216
PO Box 511 Date of Birth: 11/5/53
Columbus, OH 43216 Ancestry: Cherokee
Date of Birth: 5/5/37
Ancestry: Cherokee Emrick, Randall Frank
#306-307
Evans, George PO Box 59
#192919 Nelsonville, OH 45764
18701 Old Hwy 66 Date of Birth: 8/4/56
Pacific, MO 63069 Ancestry: Cherokee
Date of Birth: 4/27/60
Ancestry: Cherokee

Laura Brook's website is being updated and old pages moved to a mirror site
temporarily. The current address for Laura Brooke's Native American
Prisoner pen pal archive list is:
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/9118/penpal.html. I'll try to keep an
eye on the page to see where it finally ends up and let readers know
immediately.
Reminder and Caution: It is common for prisoners to be moved abruptly.
If your correspondent suddenly quits writing, don't assume it's by choice.
Inquire about his location and situation -- often the prison chaplain can
help you with this. If you know a prisoner on our list has been moved,
please let me know.
If your correspondent requests that you send him anything, particularly
ceremonial items, check the prison to ensure the requested items are not
contraband. Sometimes items of religious significance that are ordinarily
banned may be given to the prisoner by the chaplain.
---------------------------------
Please especially remember - this is the "Year of Leonard".
Leonard Peltier #89637-132, Box 1000, Leavenworth, KS 66048

--------- "RE: She Came as a Whisper" ---------

Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 00:20:37 GMT
From: "rustywire" <rustywire@yahoomail.com>
Subj: She came as a whisper

Newsgroup: alt.native

She came as whisper and in the rustle of the trees she came to me to
stir my soul. Her heart and mind are more than I thought one could
offer and she provided it to me as a gift taking nothing. We talk from
time to time.
I imagine she has seen many things and been many places I will never
go. She is from the east and I from the west. When we talk it is
without fanfare, straight from the where we live, that part that is
inside each of us. There is nothing more to say, there is no talk of
color, pretense or class to stand in the way. It is all laid out, our
souls bare and in this our hearts speak a language without words. Who
is this woman, where can she be - I have known her all my life and yet
she is just now coming to me.
In the night we share the same sky, the raiment of the forest is ours
and yet we walk different roads far and away. Yet there is a longing, a
place where we meet. I have never stepped into her world nor has she
seen mine.
I see her, and learned to know her as a little girl and as a young
woman and now was a woman with the height, depth and breadth to know
life and all it's travails. We have not really spent any time together,
but has been more than enough.. We can see the boundaries from afar,
that line that separates men from women, taking small steps to the edge
and yet knowing that with each inch the line diminishes. She is from
another world but she has always been in mine. We know we can never
meet and let it lie there as a young bird falling from a nest not ready
to fly. I have never seen her, I do not know the sound of her voice,
nor looked into her eyes. I wish her well and at some point, in some
distant place we can laugh and talk, meeting on a far dawn of day that
will not end. So I bid her hello from time to time she knows my voice
though she has never heard it's sound.. I see her go her way and wish
her well and turn away from here and go back on my own road to my own
life..

--------- "RE: A Hundred Years Ago" ---------

Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 22:24:54 -0400
From: Landis <landis@epix.net>
Subj: [NAT-FILM] History: A Hundred Years Ago - Carlisle - Week 117

Mailing List: NAT-FILM <NAT-FILM@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>
[Editorial Note: These reprints are being included in this
newsletter so that you might know the mind of those who
ran institutions like Carlisle.]

THE INDIAN HELPER
~%^%~
A WEEKLY LETTER
-FROM THE-
Indian Industrial School, Carlisle, Pa.
================================================
VOL. XIV. FRIDAY, July 21, 1899 NUMBER 39
================================================
WHAT TO DO.
--------
Talk Happiness; the world is sad enough
Without your woes. No path is wholly rough;
Look for the places that are smooth and clear,
And speak of those to rest the weary ear
Of earth so hurt by one continuous strain
Of human discontent and grief and pain.

Talk Faith: the world is better off without
Your uttered ignorance and morbid doubt.
If you have faith in God or man or self,
Say so: if not, push back upon the shelf
Of silence all your thoughts till faith shall come.
No one will grieve because your lips are dumb.

Talk Health: the dreary never-changing tale
Of fatal maladies is worn and stale.
You cannot charm nor interest nor please
By harping on that minor chord-disease.
Say you are well, or, all is well with you.
And God will hear your words and make them true.
=============================
FROM LOS ANGELES - THE LAND OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS.
------
The representatives of the Carlisle School at the Indian Teachers'
Institute which convened at the same time that the National Educational
Association was in session at Los Angeles this month, were Major and
Mrs. Pratt, and Miss Richenda, and Mrs. Cook, the first and last named
being the official representatives. A letter from Mrs. Cook has just
been received and is so full of interest that we are sure she will
pardon the making of some of it public.
She says in part:
"The boxes containing the educational exhibit of our school arrived at
the last moment. I have the exhibit in position, and it compares
favorably with the other exhibits. We have more specimens of industrial
work than the others. Phoenix and Perris have quantities of embroidery
and drawn work.
I pinned a large part of the drawing to strips of cheese-cloth and
hung them across the corner of two adjoining walls. The work is greatly
admired.
I was asked while I was putting it up if it were the New York State
exhibit.
Lost Angeles is alive and well with teachers, and a
person who wears not a badge of some sort is the exception.
Every train was boarded by some members of the Welcoming Committee
before it reached Los Angeles, and the teachers presented with the
N.E.A. button, which is a very dainty one - a green palm leaf on cream
white, with gold lettering a-top of all.
Programs, fruit and flowers were distributed to the teachers, and when
we went to register, every one came away with two or three stems of
beautiful carnations.
There is much enthusiasm among the visitors in spite of the fact that
it is 'unusually' hot, and there has been little rain for two winters;
really, things are not what I have seen them here.
We have not suffered from that, however, for there has been a fine
breeze most of the time, and every night I have slept under a blanket.
Last night I needed two.
The opening meeting of the institute occurred yesterday morning, Major
Pratt, Assistant-Commissioner of Indian Affairs Mr. Tonner, Ex-President
Gates of Amherst College, now of the Board of Indian Commissioners, and
others, spoke.
The Major went to the meeting without his breakfast, almost directly
from the train.
Mrs. Pratt and Miss Richenda are looking well and expect to get a good
deal of pleasure out of the side trips which they intend to take.
I am in Pasadena and find it not quite so convenient during the
meetings, but we get ever so much 'climate' going back and forth on the
electric cars.
Hobart has grown to be quite a big boy and we are making the most of
our time getting acquainted over again.
I have seen nearly all the Indian service people whom I have known in
various places, and met a number that I had heard of.
The Superintendent of Indian Schools, Miss Estelle Reel, is making a
favorable impression. She has not yet make a public address, but she
has talked a great deal in her line to individuals.
Dr. and Mrs. Grinnell inquired after all their old Carlisle friends."
================================================
(page 2)
THE INDIAN HELPER
------------------------------------------------
PRINTED EVERY FRIDAY
--AT THE--
Indian Industrial School, Carlisle, Pa.,
BY INDIAN BOYS.
---> THE INDIAN HELPER is PRINTED by Indian
boys, but EDITED by The man-on-the-band-stand
who is NOT an Indian.
------------------------------------------------
P R I C E: --10 C E N T S A Y E A R
================================================
Entered in the PO at Carlisle as second
class mail matter.
================================================
Address INDIAN HELPER, Carlisle, Pa.
Miss Marianna Burgess, Manager.
================================================
Do not hesitate to take the HELPER from the
Post Office for if you have