[NN-Dialogue] Wotanging Ikche--nanews11.018
Gary Night Owl
gars@speakeasy.org
30 Apr 2003 00:01:18 -0000
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(_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ '
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/ ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 11, ISSUE 018
/ /-< / /--/ /--
__/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, WOTANGING IKCHE - Lakota - Common News
Wotanging Ikche and Native American News Copyright c. 1996-2003 nanews.org
Aboriginal/AmerIndian Perspective about the First Nations of Turtle Island
May 3, 2003
Cree aligipizun/frog moon
Algonquin moonesquanimock kesos/moon when women weed corn
+-------------------------------------------------------+
| Much more happens in Indian Country than is reported |
| in this weekly newsletter. For daily updates & events |
| go to http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm |
+-------------------------------------------------------+
Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin -- Blackfeet -- News for All the People
Ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min -- Ojibwe -- We Are Talking About Ourselves
Aunchemokauhettittea -- Naragansett -- Let Us Share News
Kanoheda Aniyvwiya -- Cherokee -- Journal of the People O
Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse -- Creek -- People's New News O o O
Acimowin -- Plains Cree -- Story or Account O o O
Tlaixmatiliztli -- Nahuatl -- News O o o o o O
Agnutmaqan -- Listuguj Mi'kmaq -- News O o O
Sho-da-ku-ye -- Teehahnahmah -- Talking Birchbark O o O
Un Chota -- Susquehannic Seneca -- The People Speak O
Ha-Sah-Sliltha -- Ditidaht Nation -- News of the People
Ximopanolti tehuatzin, inin Mexika tlahtolli -- Nahuatl --
For you we offer these words
It-hah-pe-hah Ah-num pah-le -- Chickasaw -- Together We Are Talking
Dineh jii' adah' ho'nil'e'gii ba' ha' neh -- Navajo Nation --
What's Happening among The People News
Okla Humma Holisso Nowat Anya -- Choctaw -- People(s) Red Newspaper
Hi'a chu ah gaa -- Pima -- The stories or the talk of the People
Native American News -- Language of the Occupation Forces
==>If you want your Nation represented in the banner of this newsletter<==
email gars@nanews.org with the equivalent of "News of the People"
in your tribal language along with the english translation
<================<<<< >>>>================>
This newsletter is produced in straight ASCII text for greatest portability
across platforms. Read it with a fixed-pitch font, such as Courier, Monaco,
FixedSys or CG Times. Proportional fonts will be difficult to read.
<================<<<< >>>>================>
This issue contains articles from www.owlstar.com; www.indianz.com;
Indian Trust ListServ, Chiapas95-English, Frostys AmerIndian, Rez Life,
Indian Heritage and Native American Prisoner Network Mailing Lists;
UUCP email
IMPORTANT!!
-----------
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@speakeasy.org
++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org
<================<<<< >>>>================>
+-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +
| As historian Patricia Nelson | | Once a language is lost, it is |
| Limerick summarized in "The | | gone forever |
| Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken | | * Of the 300 original Native |
| Past of the American West... | | languages in North America, |
| "Set the blood quantum at | | only 175 exist today. |
| one-quarter, hold to it as a | | * 125 of these are no longer |
| rigid definition of Indians, | | learned by children. |
| let intermarriage proceed as | | * 55 are spoken by 1 to 6 elders;|
| it had for centuries, and | | when they die, their language |
| eventually Indians will be | | will disappear. |
| defined out of existence." | | * Without action, only 20 |
| "When that happens, the federal | | languages will survive the next|
| government will be freed of | | 50 years. |
| its persistent 'Indian problem.'"| | Source: Indigenous Language |
+-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ | Institute |
|http://www.indigenous-language.org|
This issue's Elder Quote: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +
========================
"Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great
Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ
so much about it? Why not all agreed, as you can all read the Book?
__ Sogoyewapha, "Red Jacket", Senaca
+- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+
| Indian Pledge of Allegiance | The Indian Pledge of Alleg-
| | iance was first presented
| I pledge allegiance to my Tribe,| on 2 December '93 during the
| to the democratic principles | opening address of the Nat-
| of the Republic | ional Congress of American
| and to the individual freedoms | Indian Tribal-States Relat-
| borrowed from the Iroquois and | ions Panel in Reno, NV. NCAI
| Choctaw Confederacies, | plans distribution of the
| as incorporated in the United | Indian Pledge to all Indian
| States Constitution, | Nations.
| so that my forefathers |
| shall not have died in vain | Walk in Beauty! Night Owl
+- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+
+- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+
| Journey | In the summer and early fall
| The Bloodline | of 1998 the Treaty Unity Riders
| | rode a thousand miles on horse-
| For all that live and live by law | back, carrying a staff and
| We Stand, we Call, We Ride | praying each step of the way.
| For All that fear and fear by sight |
| We Hear, we Listen, we Ride | These prayers were offered for
| For all that pray and pray by strength| each of us, and that the Unity
| We Feel, we Move, we Ride | of all Peoples might happen.
| For all that die and die by greed |
| We Hurt, we Cry, we Ride | Tatanka Cante forwarded this
| For all that birth and birth by right | poem on behalf of all the Unity
| We Smile, we Hold, we Ride | Riders that we might stop and
| For all that need and need by heart | ask if the next words we say, the
| We Came, we Went, we Rode. | next act we make is for the good
| | of the People or is it from ego
| Treaty Unity Riders | for self.
+- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+
O'siyo Brothers and Sisters!
One of the quotes most often attributed to Henry Ford (though it has
never been proven he actually said it) regarding the Model T was,
"You can paint it any color, so long as it's black!".
Reports are emerging regarding some of the "justice" being meted out by
the rebuilding/occupation forces in Iraq. One I have often seen is about
the naked men with "thief" marked on their bodies forced to parade through
the streets. A Norwegian journalist said one of the men said he was not
stealing; and he was so insulted that he will go find a grenade and gun,
and blow up as many Americans as he can.
I have no evidence to support any of the above, but if Indian Country is
any example, not much will surprise me.
Maybe of more importance is the fact the U. S. has stated they have
"freed" Iraq to chose their own government. Now, that it appears Iraq
may choose a Shiite theocracy ala Iran the "coalition" is balking.
Having seen BIA instituted governments at work I can only conclude Iraq
will be allowed to "have any guv'mint they want, so long as it's made
in Amerikka."
Dohiyi Ani Oginalii
, , Gary Night Owl gars@nanews.org
(*,*) P. O. Box 672168 gars@speakeasy.org
(`-') Marietta, GA 30008, U.S.A.
===w=w===
----------- News of the people featured in this issue ----------
- Charles Deegan Junior - More charges in
- Gerald F. (Butch) Brun B.C. Residential Abuse Case
- Crossings - Indian Act:
- Paiutes Rediscovering Chiefs warn of potential Violence
their Heritage - Fundraiser for Alex White Plume
- Meskwakis invite - Trial in Aquash Murder Case
Federal Intervention scheduled for June
- Judge Rules Work can start - Innocent Eyes Are Watching
at Indian Burial Site - Tribe wants Control
- MARILYN HAGERTY: over non-Indians within Rez
Uproar over Sitting Bull's Bones - Oglala National Healing
- JODI RAVE LEE: and Peltier's Release
Soldier's death helped... Natives - Native Prisoner
- Reorganization of BIA Criticized -- Request for Assistance
- Lawyers get lesson in Tribal Law - Rustywire:
- Elouise Cobell What would it be Like to be Free
assesses Lawsuit at UM - Poem: Today my Home is on the Road
- Cobell v. Norton Update - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days
- Update on Montes Azules - Preserving a Culture
--------- "RE: Charles Deegan Junior" ---------
Date: Tue, Apr 23 2003 08:10:06 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="CHARLES DEEGAN JUNIOR"
http://www.kare11.com/news/news-article.asp?NEWS_ID=45575
AIM Founder Deegan Dies at 67
Charles Deegan Junior, one of the founding members of the American Indian
Movement and a national health care leader for urban Indians, has died.
Deegan died Saturday during heart surgery at Abbott Northwestern
Hospital in Minneapolis. He was 67.
Deegan grew on the White Earth Reservation and moved to Minneapolis as a
teenager.
In 1968, he helped form AIM and served as its first vice chairman.
Deegan worked with hospitals to create an Indian advocate at what is now
Hennepin County Medical Center. He also helped initiate the Indian Health
Board of Minneapolis.
In the early 1970s, he created the American Indian Health Care
Association and worked with former Congressman Don Fraser to create an
additional 32 urban health care centers across the nation.
He was recruited in 1976 for a job in Chicago in the first American
Indian liaison office with the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
Deegan lived the last ten years in Sacramento, California, with his wife
Barbara.
A wake is planned today at the Upper Midwest Indian Center in
Minneapolis. Services are tomorrow.
Copyright c. 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright c. 1998-2003 KARE 11. All rights reserved.
--------- "RE: Gerald F. (Butch) Brun" ---------
Date: Mon, Apr 28 2003 08:28:11 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="BUTCH BRUN"
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3850534.html
Gerald (Butch) Brun, Red Lake tribal chairman
Associated Press
April 28, 2003
Gerald F. (Butch) Brun, 64, tribal chairman of the Red Lake Band of
Chippewa, died Saturday after being hospitalized for a week in Grand Forks,
N.D.
"His death is a grievous loss to the entire Red Lake Nation," Tribal
Secretary Judy Roy said in a statement. "He was the center of a large
circle of loyal and loving friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with his
family and friends."
A reviewal will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Red Lake Community
Center. The funeral will be 2 p.m. at the Red Lake Middle School, with
burial at the Red Lake Catholic Cemetery.
Brun suffered a stroke days after winning election in July as tribal
chairman, defeating incumbent Bobby Whitefeather with 57 percent of the
vote. Brun later recovered and was sworn into office.
In 1990, Brun narrowly defeated Tribal Chairman Roger Jourdain, who had
served as the tribe's first and only chairman since 1959. Brun chose not
to seek reelection in 1994, setting up Whitefeather for his first win.
Brun also served 16 years on the Tribal Council before his first
election as chairman.
Red Lake Nation flags were ordered to half-staff.
There is no provision for succession of office in the event of the
chairman's death, Roy said, although the Tribal Council has authority to
appoint a successor.
"We'll be all right," Roy said. "He had faith in us, and we'll carry on.
This is a time for mourning and a time to observe our leader's passing
with all the honor and dignity that he richly deserves."
A public meeting will be held the day after Brun's funeral so members of
the Red Lake Band can express their views on an appointed successor.
The Red Lake Reservation is in northwestern Minnesota, just north of
Bemidji.
Staff writer Nolan Zavoral contributed to this report.
Copyright c. 2003 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
--------- "RE: Crossings" ---------
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 08:10:52 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="CROSSINGS"
April 25, 2003
Beverly A. One Bear
Beverly A. One Bear, 43, of Tokio, ND, died early Wednesday morning,
April 23, 2003 at the Good Samaritan Center, Devils Lake.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Tokio Recreation
Center, Tokio. Rev. David Lewis will officiate and burial will be in the
Dakotah Oyate Lutheran Cemetery, rural Tokio.
A Wake service will be held Friday beginning at 5 p.m. at the Tokio
Recreation Center with a Prayer Service at 7 p.m.
Pallbearers will be Daniel Redroad, Lincoln Redroad, Casey Redroad,
Virgil Feather, Blaince Left Bear and Michael One Bear. Honorary
pallbearers will be all of Beverly's family and friends.
Beverly Ann One Bear was born on May 11, 1959 at Fargo, ND. She was
reared at Tokio. She graduated from high school in Fargo, ND. She attended
the Haskell Indian College in Lawrence, KS, where she received her degree.
She later attended a Lutheran School in Seattle, WA, where she lived and
worked for several years. For the past two years, Beverly has been living
at Tokio with her mother, Florence. She held various jobs throughout her
life.
Beverly is survived by her mother, Florence One Bear of Tokio, and
several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake, is in charge of the arrangements.
Copyright c. 2003 Devils Lake Daily Journal.
-=-=-=-
April 28, 2003
Charles Running Bear
FORT YATES -- Charles L. Running Bear, 49, Fort Yates, died, April 23,
2003, at a Bismarck hospital. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at
the Old School Gym, Fort Yates. Burial will be in Reed Cemetery, Fort
Yates.
He is survived by two daughters, Delta Rose and Chantaille Running Bear,
both of Devils Lake; five sons, Reuben Dale, Fort Yates, Phillip, Bismarck,
Tyson and Chance Lane, both of Devils Lake, and Bryce Lee, Rapid City, S.D.
; three sisters, Arverdell See Walker, LaDene Chapman and LaVonne Running
Bear, all of Fort Yates; one brother, Virgil Running Bear, Mandan; and two
grandchildren.
(Perry Funeral Home, Mandan)
Copyright c. 2003 Bismarck Tribune.
-=-=-=-
April 23, 2003
M. Rose White Magpie
OGLALA - M. Rose White Magpie, 93, Oglala, died Friday, April 18, 2003,
at Pine Ridge Hospital.
Survivors include three daughters, Dorothy White Magpie, Rosalind
Blindman and Yvonne Standing Crow, all of Oglala; one brother, Pete
Blacksmith, Oglala; one sister, Louise Long Soldier, Oglala; and numerous
grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A two-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. today at Oglala Recreation Center.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday, April 25, at the recreation center,
with the Rev. Abraham Tobacco and the Rev. Pedro Sharp Fish officiating.
Burial will be at White Magpie Family Cemetery in Oglala.
Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge is in charge of arrangements.
April 25, 2003
Robert W. Belt-Tirado
WINDSOR, Calif. - Robert W. Belt-Tirado, 32, Windsor, died Sunday, March
30, 2003, in San Francisco.
Survivors include his father, Ronald Tirado, Windsor; his mother and
stepfather, Caroline and Don Slow Bear, Rapid City; two brothers, Alden
Tirado, Windsor, and Tyler Slow Bear, Rapid City; one sister, Mure
Browning, Anaheim; and one son, Robert Tirado Jr., Anaheim.
A one-night wake will begin at 1 p.m. today at the Red Shirt School
gymnasium in Red Shirt Village, S.D. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday,
April 26, in the gymnasium, with the Rev. Robert Two Bulls and Darlene Red
Elk-Myers officiating. Burial will be at Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery
in Red Shirt Village.
Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge, S.D., is in charge of arrangements.
April 26, 2003
Albert Kills Right Sr.
PORCUPINE - Albert Kills Right Sr., 59, Porcupine, died Friday, April 25,
2003, at Hot Springs Veterans Affairs Medical Care Center.
Arrangements are pending with Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge.
April 27, 2003
Antoinette "Toni" Mesteth
RAPID CITY - Antoinette "Toni" Mesteth, 24, Rapid City, died Saturday,
April 26, 2003, at a local nursing home.
Survivors include her father, Orlin Mesteth, Pine Ridge; and one brother,
Arnold Mesteth, Minneapolis.
Visitation will be one hour before services, which will be at 4 p.m.
Tuesday, April 29, at Osheim-Catron Funeral Home in Rapid City, with
Chaplain Dan Island officiating.
Wake services will begin at 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, at Billy Mills
Hall in Pine Ridge. A second service will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 1,
at the hall. Burial will be at Slim Buttes.
Copyright c. 2003 the Rapid City Journal.
-=-=-=-
April 22, 2003
Lucinda Rael
Lucinda Rael, of Ignacio, died Saturday, April 19, 2003, in Ignacio. She
was 38.
The cause of death was cancer.
Ms. Rael was born April 7, 1965, in Durango. She lived in Ignacio most
of her life, and was a member of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. She worked
for several tribal departments and organizations.
Ms. Rael enjoyed cooking, canning, fishing, camping, gardening, spending
time with her family and riding her motorcycle.
She is survived by her children, Jontique Velasco, Jacob Velasco, Roger
Brassard and Hunter Brassard, all of Ignacio; her mother, Phyllis
Escalanti of Bayfield; her grandmother, Mary B. Chavez of Bayfield; her
brothers, David Rael of Phoenix, Alfred Rael of Phoenix and Irvin Casias
of Bayfield; her sisters, Yvonne Phillips of Ignacio, Becky Rael-Thompson
of Ignacio, Corleen Rael of Ignacio and Toni Rael of Albuquerque; her
former husband, Roger Brassard Sr., of Ignacio; and numerous nieces and
nephews.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Ignacio Baptist Church
Maranatha in Ignacio. Burial will be at the Bayfield Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O.
Box 931, Durango, CO 81302.
Copyright c. 2003 Durango Herald.
-=-=-=-
April 25, 2003
Aldon Lee Marlow Sr.
Aldon Lee Marlow Sr., former Red Rock resident, died Wednesday morning,
April 23, 2003, at the Integris Health Baptist Medical Center of Oklahoma
City. He was 60.
An evening prayer service will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Otoe-
Missouria Tribal Complex. The traditional funeral feast will be at noon on
Saturday, April 26, at the Otoe-Missouria Tribal Complex. Burial will
follow in the Otoe-Missouria Tribal Cemetery with the Rev. Toby A.
Blackstar, co-pastor of Otoe Baptist Church of Red Rock, officiating.
Services are under direction of Grace Memorial Chapel.
Aldon Lee Marlow Sr. was born in Wichita, Kan., on April 21, 1943, the
son of Henry John and Lucy White Cloud Marlow. He was reared in Red Rock
and attended Pawnee Indian Schools. He was employed as a muffler repairman
and lived in Oklahoma City. He was a member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe
and enjoyed being with his family, baby sitting for his family and
attending powwows.
Survivors include one daughter, Angela Maynard of Oklahoma City; one son,
Aldon Lee Marlow Jr. of Oklahoma City; three sisters, Alma Warrior,
Annabelle Pratt and Mary Hayes, all of Red Rock; four brothers, Lelus
Marlow, LeRoy Marlow and Freeman Dean Marlow, all of Oklahoma City and
Henry Marlow of Red Rock; six grandchildren; one great-grandson; and a
number of other relatives.
He was preceded in death by his is parents.
Edward Luke Smith
Edward Luke Smith, former Ponca City resident, left this world to enter
into his heavenly world on April 24, 2003. He was 44.
The evening prayer service will be held tonight and Saturday at 7:30 at
Ponca Indian United Methodist Church. The traditional funeral feast will
be held at noon on Sunday, April 27, followed by the funeral service at 2
p.m. at the Ponca Indian United Methodist Church. The Rev. Toby A.
Blackstar, co-pastor of Otoe Baptist Church, will officiate assisted by
the Rev. Francine Biggoose. Burial will be in the Ponca Tribal Cemetery
under the direction of Grace Memorial Chapel.
Luke was born on Nov. 18, 1958, in Pawnee, the son of Adeline Smith and
Tennyson Overland. He attended Fort Sill Indian Schools. Luke worked for
Indian Health Service in Lawton and Oklahoma City before moving to Ponca
City, where he worked for Nickles Machine. On May 2, 1992, he married
Cheryl Baker in Ponca City. They made their home in Tahlequah. Luke had
been plagued with ill health the last several years. Luke made many
friends during his lifetime and never met a stranger.
He is survived by his wife, Cheryl of the home; one stepson, Tyler Baker
of the home; one sister, Crystal Lee Warrior of Oklahoma City; one brother,
Leon Warrior of Dallas, Texas; two aunts, Amelia Warrior of Oklahoma City
and Brenda Smith of Ponca City; two grandmothers, Thelma Smith-Perez of
Oklahoma City and Elsie Green of Marland; two nieces, Breanna and Lexi of
Oklahoma City; and several cousins and many friends.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Adeline Smith; a grandmother,
Lenora Buffalohead; and an aunt, Darlene Blevins.
Casket bearers will be Lamont "NDN" Brown, Lamont "Sonny Boy" Brown III,
B.J. Roughface, Nelson Roughface, Freddie "Big Dawg" Others, and Galvis
White Eagle. Honorary bearers will be Jessie LeClair Jr. and Dale
Buffalohead.
Copyright c. 1998-2003 The Ponca City News.
-=-=-=-
April 24, 2003
Randolph S. Halfbreed
Randolph S. Halfbreed of Miami died at 4:14 a.m. Tuesday, April 22, 2003,
at Integris Baptist Regional Health Center in Miami. He was 84.
Halfbreed was born Jan. 19, 1919, in Salina to Webster and Minta (Hanna)
Halfbreed. He lived in Miami for 15 years, moving from Tulsa. He graduated
from Pond Creek High School, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami,
Connors College in Muskogee and Greg Business College in Phoenix, Ariz.
He was a World War II veteran of the Army during which he was a prisoner
of war and held by the Japanese for more than three years.
He was the Golden Glove featherweight champion of Oklahoma in 1940. He
was a member of the Blind Veterans Association and the Disabled American
Veterans.
He married Joan Barnes on Feb. 12, 1946, in Columbus, Kan. She survives,
of the home.
Additional survivors include one brother, Walter McGhee of Sacramento,
Calif.; one daughter-in-law, Paula Lopez of Broken Arrow; five
grandchildren, Shauna Elrod, Quillina Halfbreed, Shane Cantrell, Sarah
Smith and Alysha Lopez, and one great-granddaughter, Abigail Kleo Elrod.
He was preceded in death by one son, Quilaky Halfbreed.
Services will be 10 a.m. Thursday at Mount Hope Cemetery in Afton.
Military rites will be conducted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 147
Funeral Detail.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. today at the Paul
Thomas Funeral Home in Miami.
April 28, 2003
David Lee Jones
David Lee Jones of Fairland died at 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 25, 2003,
at Integris Baptist Regional Health Center in Miami. He was 57.
Jones was born Oct. 15, 1945, in Fairland to David Wilbert Jones and
Nathalia (Brumback) Jones. He married Ruby Ann Jones Burnside on April 10,
1964. He was a self employed landscaper and lived in Fairland most of his
life. He was a member of Baptist Church of Gladewater, Texas and was an
Ottawa Indian.
Survivors include wife, Ruby Ann Jones of the home; four sons, Rick
Jones of Afton, Dusty Jones of Fairland, Randy Jones of Miami, and Jerry
Jones of Fairland; one daughter, Angela Schulte of Afton; two brothers,
Billy Jones of Bigsby, and Dale Jones of Claremore; three sisters, Daneta
Cox of Fairland, Ginger Roberts of Grove and Claudette Sala of Miami and
10 grandchildren.
Graveside services will be 2 p.m. Monday at Hickory Grove Cemetery,
northwest of Grove, with the Rev. Carol Holden officiating. Burial will
follow.
Pallbearers will be Ralph Morris, Justin Mahurin, Lloyd Cox, Chuck
Bradford, John Maxson and Charlie Jones.
The family will receive friends from 3 to 4 p.m. today at the Paul
Thomas Funeral Home of Miami.
Copyright c. 2003 The Miami News-Record.
-=-=-=-
April 22, 2003
Rose Mary Benally
Aug. 18, 1940 - April 19, 2003
Rose Mary Benally, 62, of Red Valley, Ariz., went home to be with her
Heavenly Father Saturday, April 19, 2003, in Shiprock. She was born Aug.
18, 1940, in Red Valley.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, April 23, 2003, at
Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral Home Chapel, 103 E. Ute, Farmington.
Interment will follow at Greenlawn Cemetery in Farmington.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral
Home of Shiprock, (505) 368-4607.
April 25, 2003
James Natatchez
Feb. 2, 1940 - April 23, 2003
James Natatchez, 63, of Rock Point, Ariz., passed away Wednesday, April
23, 2003, at Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock. James was born
Feb. 2, 1940, in Rock Point to Eugene and Martha Begay.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m., Saturday, April, 26, 2003, at the
House of Prayer Lutheran Mission in Rock Point with Wesley Begay
officiating. Burial will be at the family cemtery in Rock Point.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Chapel of Memories Funeral Home of
Kirtland, (505) 598-9636.
Leroy Dennison, Jr.
June 30, 1929 - April 22, 2003
Leroy Dennison, Jr., 73, passed away Tuesday, April 22, 2003, in
Albuquerque. He was born June 30, 1929, in Burnham, into the Ute clan, for
the Folded-Arm clan.
Leroy attended school at Navajo mission in Farmington. He was a veteran
of the Korean Conflict. He was a life-long resident of Upper Fruitland,
where he loved to work on the family farm. His hobbies were artwork,
welding, working with horses, and "tinkering" with things (as he called
it.)
He is survived by his wife, Lucy; his sons, Ira and family of
Albuquerque, and Ernest and family of Arizona; his daughters, Lucille and
family and Sandy, all of Fruitland; his brothers, Jim of California and
Robert of Aztec; and his sisters, Helen of Aztec, Berniece of Bloomfield
and Harriet of Farmington. He is also survived by 15 grandchildren, four
great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, April 26, 2003, at
the First Church of the Nazarene in Farmington, 2600 N. Sullivan.
Graveside military honors will be conducted by VFW Post No. 2182 at
Greenlawn Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be family members.
Perry Allen
Feb. 22, 1927 - April 21, 2003
Perry Allen, 76, a resident of Fort Defiance, Ariz., and formerly of
Shiprock, passed away Monday, April 21, 2003, at PHS Hospital in Fort
Defiance. Mr. Allen was born Feb. 22, 1927, in Rattlesnake near Shiprock.
He was the son of Joseph Allen and Katherine (Benally) Allen.
Perry attended Rehoboth and Wingate schools, Loyola University in Las
Angeles, Calif. He was the first chief prosecutor for the Navajo Nation
and was active many years with the National District Attorney Association.
He retired in 1977, but remained active working for veterans health
benefits and education for Native American Youth. He served his country in
the U.S. Marines during World War II and received an honorable discharge.
Perry was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather,
brother, uncle and most of all a good friend. He was loved by young and
old, stranger or friend. He will truly be missed by all his family and
friends.
Perry is survived by his wife, Marie (Tso) Allen of Fort Defiance; twin
sons, Carlos Allen and girlfriend, Paula Yoe, also of Fort Defiance, and
Ramon Allen of Window Rock, Ariz; two daughters, Charlene Lizer and
husband, Darrell, and Ramona Allen, all of Fort Defiance; eight
grandchildren, one great-grandson; sister Sylvia A. Manus of Shiprock; and
uncle, John C. Sells and wife, Alice also of Shiprock.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Woodrow Allen and
Eugene F. Allen; sister, Irene Johnson; uncles, John Cato Sells, Cato
Sells, and Luther Sells; and aunts, Angela T. Sells and Ida Benally.
Rosary services will be held at 2 p.m., today, April 25, 2003, at St.
Michael's Catholic Church, St. Michael's, Ariz., with Father Meldon Hickey
reciting.
Friends and family invite those who loved Perry to celebrate his life
with Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 26, 2003, at St.
Mary's Catholic Church, 2100 E. 20th St., in Farmington with Monsignor Leo
Gomez, V.G., as celebrant. Burial will follow at Greenlawn Cemetery with
full military honors being provided by VFW Post No. 2182.
Pallbearers will be Robert W. Manus, Richard Allen, Chris Sells, Robert
Allen, Lawrence Sells and Gary Sells. Honorary pallbearers will be Ramon
Allen, John C. Sells, Carlos Allen, Sylvia Manus, Mike Enfield, Dr.
Timothy Domer and Tony Nunes.
Funeral arrangements are with Cope Memorial Chapel of Farmington, 404 W.
Arrington St., (505) 327-5142.
Copyright c. 1999-2003 MediaNews Group, Inc./Farmington, NM.
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April 22, 2003
Caroline Bahe
GANADO, Ariz. - Services for Caroline Bahe, 40, will be held at 10 a.m.,
Friday, April 25 at Ganado Presbyterian Church. Pastor Paul Stone will
officiate. Burial will follow at Ganado Community Cemetery.
Bahe died April 17 in Phoenix. She was born Jan. 20, 1963 in Ganado,
Ariz. into the Coyote People Clan for the Edgewater People Clan.
Bahe attended Toyei Boarding School and Wingate High School. She was
employed with warehouse production. Her hobbies included playing
basketball, poker, drawing, arts & crafts, singing, reading and joking.
Survivors include her sons, Jeremiah Bitsui and Tharon Lee John both of
Phoenix; daughter, Julander Ann Bitsui of Phoenix; parents, Lillie B.
Miller and Frank Bahe; brothers, Lester Bahe, Eddie Bahe and Fredrick
Wilson all of Ganado, Ariz.; sisters, Lucy Nez of Ganado, Annette Martinez
of Grants, Donna Hunch and Kathy Anderson both of Gallup; and one
grandchild.
Bahe was preceded in death by her brothers, Taylor Bahe and George Bahe;
and grandparents, Chischilly Bitai and Allen Shorty.
Pallbearers will be Lester Bahe, Jeremiah Bitsui, Julius Bitsui, Marty R.
James, Tharon Lee John and Fredrick Wilson.
The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services
at Lillie's Miller's residence, one mile south of Burnside junction.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Emmerson L. Shirley
FORT DEFIANCE, Ariz. - Services for Emmerson Shirley, 56, will be held
at 10 a.m., Wednesday, April 23 at the Hilltop Mission Church. Rev.
Lawrence Harper will officiate. Burial will follow at the private family
cemetery, Goat Springs, Ariz.
Shirley died April 19 in Albuquerque. He was born July 29, 1948 in
Ganado, Ariz. into the Coyote Pass People Clan for the Red Running into
the Water People Clan.
Shirley graduated from Window Rock High School in 1966 and attended
Greer Tech., Chicago. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving during
the Vietnam War. He was employed with P & M Coal Mining company until his
retirement after 24 years. His hobbies included the outdoors, hunting and
fishing.
Survivors include his wife, Effie Shirley of Goat Springs; sons, Warren
Shirley of Goat Springs, Murvyn Hoskie and Jim Shirley both of Fort
Defiance; daughters, Cheryl Lowery of Goat Springs, Michelle Mikszta of
Phoenix and Melissa Neil of Reno, Nev.; sister, Letha Thompson of Goat
Springs; and 12 grandchildren.
Shirley was preceded in death by his parents, Agnes Damon and Lorenzo
Shirley.
Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Rose Mary Benally
RED VALLEY, Ariz. - Services for Rose Mary Benally, 62, will be held at
11 a.m., Wednesday, April 23 at Brewer, Lee and Larkin Funeral Home Chapel,
Farmington. Rev. Sherman Manuelito will officiate. Burial will follow at
Greenlawn Cemetery, Farmington.
Benally died April 19 in Shiprock. She was born Aug. 18, 1940 in Red
Valley.
Survivors include her daughter, Gaylene Benally of Crownpoint; parents,
Woodrow and Helen Benally of Red Valley; brothers, Chavez and Nelson
Benally; sisters, Helen Yazzie, Nancy Benally and Helena Benally all of
Red Valley and two grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be Craig A. Benally, Colby J. DeVore, Jeremy Yazzie,
Bryan W. Kinsel and Shadrack Dee.
Rena Mae Vandever
GRANTS - Services for Rena Vandever, 49, will be held at 10 a.m.,
Wednesday, April 23 at New Life Pentecostal Church, Thoreau. Jimson Lee
will officiate. Burial will follow at Grants Memorial Park.
Visitation will be held at 2 p.m. at Cope Memorial.
Vandever died Saturday April 19 in Grants. She was born Feb. 15, 1954 in
Canoncito into the Salt People Clan for the Water Edge People Clan.
Vandever attended school in Utah and at Thoreau High School. She was a
homemaker.
Survivors include her husband, Jerry Vandever of Haystack; sons, Jerald
Vandever of Church Rock and Fitzgerald Vandever of Albuquerque; daughters,
Priscilla Antonio of Milan and Crystal Lee of Grants; father, James Chaco
of Smith Lake; sisters, Pauline Delgarito of Whitehorse and Darlene Chaco
of Smith Lake; six great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.
Vandever was preceded in death by her mother, Mae Chaco; daughter,
Patricia Mae Vandever and grandparents, Kenneth and Mary Antonio.
Pallbearers will be Jerald Vandever, Cody Pablo, Anderson Delgarito,
John Wood, Darrell Juanico and Emmanuel Haswood II.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Daniel K. Yazzie
LUKACHUKAI, Ariz. - Services for Daniel Yazzie, 49, will be held at
10 a.m., Thursday, April 24 at St. Isabel Mission, Lukachukai, Ariz. Father
Caron will officiate. Burial will follow at Lukachukai Community Cemetery.
Yazzie was born Feb. 1, 1954 in Shiprock into the Water Flows Together
People Clan for the Near Water People Clan.
Survivors include his parents, Sam and Katherine Yazzie; brothers,
Raymond K. Yazzie Sr. and Alvin J. Yazzie and Christopher Yazzie; sisters,
Virginia Yazzie, Rose K. Yazzie, Kathleer Frazier, Kim M. Clark and Bertha
Jishie.
Pallbearers will be Dewayne Yazzie, Freeland Jishie, Melvin Kellywood,
Harlen Yazzie, Lawrence Kellywood and George Kellywood Jr.
The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services
one-fourth of a mile of Lukachukai Chapter House.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Lawrence L. Benavidez
GRANTS - Graveside services for Lawrence Benavidez, 66, were held at
1 p.m., today at La Morada Cemetery.
Benavidez died April 15 in Grants. He was born Aug. 10, 1936 in Estancia.
Benavidez was a miner.
Survivors include his wife, Dionella Benavidez; sons, Sikey, Jason,
Lawrence Jr. and Manuel; daughter, Debi Murillo; stepson, Ronnie
Jaramillo; stepdaughter Geraldine Jaramillo; sisters, Louisa Candlaria and
Leo Benavidez; and seven grandchildren.
Pallbearers were Nathan Gonzales, Larry Candelaria, Ralph Gonzales, Rick
Polaco, Gilbert Chavez and Brian Murrietta.
Mt. Taylor Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Guy James
KLAGETOH, Ariz. - Services for Guy James, 88, will be held at 11 a.m.,
Wednesday, April 23 at Ganado Glory Temple. Sammie K. Begay will officiate.
Burial will follow at Klagetoh Community Cemetery.
James died April 19 in Flagstaff, Ariz. He was born July 16, 1915 in
Klagetoh into the Towering House People Clan.
James was a rancher all his life.
Survivors include his wife, Lillie James; sons, Donald, Dave and
Leonard; daughters, Colleen Roanhorse, Blanche Raymond, Julia Lamacuho and
Fernada James.
Pallbearers will be Don James, Ernest Kee, Travis Francisco, Mathew
James, Wes James and Reggie James.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
William Yazzie
COYOTE CANYON - Services for William Yazzie, 92, will be held at 10 a.m.,
Wednesday, April 23 at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Tohatchi. Rev. John
Mittelstadt will officiate. Burial will follow at private family cemetery,
Coyote Canyon.
A rosary will be recited at 6 p.m., tonight at Rollie Mortuary.
Yazzie died April 19 in Gallup. He was born March 22, 1911 in St.
Michaels, Ariz. into the Many Goats People Clan for the Charcoal Streaked
Division of the Red Running into the Water People Clan.
Yazzie was employed with the Union Pacific, Santa Fe Railroad, Fort
Wingate Ordnance and the Inter-Tribal Ceremonial Association and retired
from GSA-Public Health Services in 1962. Yazzie was a jockey, a ranchhand,
raised and herd sheep in Coyote Canyon. His hobbies included breaking,
grooming horses, doing leather braiding for harnesses and bridles.
Survivors include his daughters, Laura M. Ike of Albuquerque, Irene
Jones of Page, Ariz., Margaret Sekaquamtewa of Peoria, Ariz., June R.
Shondee of Ganado, Ariz., Donna M. Williams of Farmington, Lucille Yazzie-
Deschiney and Dianna M. Yazzie-Nez both of Galup, Lilian A. Avery and
Beverly V. Yazzie both of Coyote Canyon; 53 grandchildren; 123 great-
grandchildren and 18 great-great grandchildren.
Yazzie was preceded in death by his wife, Florence Martha Yazzie;
parents, Altsadezba and Dilawushin Bitsuie Yazzie; sons, Reginald A. Begay,
Herman Wm. Yazzie Sr., Michael Yazzie, Richard Yazzie and Stanley Yazzie;
daughters, Berenice V. Ranger, Lucy M. Yazzie, and Rosie M. Yazzie and
sister, Danaba Yazzie.
Pallbearers will be Glen A. Avery Jr., Budford B. Henry, Herman William
Livingston, John Livingston Jr., Tom M. Ranger Jr., Duane H. Williams,
Herman Wm. Yazzie and Tyrone Wm. Yazzie.
Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
April 24, 2003
Julian Morgan
PINEDALE - Services for Julian Morgan, 53, will be held at 10 a.m.,
Friday, April 25 at Cope Memorial Chapel. Kee Keyanne will officiate.
Burial will follow at Gallup City Cemetery.
Morgan died April 21 in Gallup. He was born July 14, 1949 in Crownpoint
into the Meadow People Clan for the Near the Mountain People Clan.
Morgan attended Church Rock Elementary School and JFK Middle School. He
was employed with the Santa Fe Burlington Railroad and was a silversmith.
His hobbies included playing cards, working outdoors and watching T.V.
Survivors include his wife, Corena Morgan of Pinedale, Juliuseta Morgan
and Joleen Morgan; parents, Mary and Grant Tom both of Pinedale; brothers,
Timothy Tom of Mariano Lake; sisters, Lorraine Martinez of Pinedale; and
six grandchildren.
Morgan was preceded in death by his sister, Katherine Tom.
The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services
at Pinedale Chapter House.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Grace Muskett Thomas
MEXICAN SPRINGS - Services for Grace Thomas, 74, were held at 10 a.m.,
Wednesday, April 23 at the Christian Reform Church, Tohatchi. Pastor
Stanley Jim officiated. Burial followed on family cemetery, Mexican
Springs.
Thomas died April 19 in Farmington. She was born April 20, 1928 in
Mexican Springs into the Tlogeii People Clan for the Red Running into the
Water People Clan.
Thomas was a rug weaver.
Survivors include her sons, Arthur Thomas Jr., Ernest Thomas, Vincent
Thomas, Leo Thomas, Anthony Thomas and Arnold Thomas; daughters, Rosalita
Thomas, Sarah Pete and Virginia Begay; brothers, Wilson Muskett and Kee
Muskett; sisters, Rose M. Begay; 24 grandchildren and nine great-
grandchildren.
Thomas was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur Thomas Sr.; son,
Melvin Thomas; parents, Hosteen Muskett and Dan As Bah; and four brothers,
and sister.
Pallbearers will be Manuel T. Begay Jr., Edison Muskett, Vincent Muskett,
Johnson Muskett, Roland Begay and Wilfred Becenti.
The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services
at Thomas's residence, Mexican Springs.
Cope Memorial Chapel of Farmington is in charge of arrangements.
April 25, 2003
Clifford Etsitty
MEXICAN SPRINGS - Services for Clifford Etsitty, 84, will be held at 10
a.m., Saturday, April 26 at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Father John
Mittelstadt will officiate. Burial will follow at Lone Pine Cemetery,
Mexican Springs.
Visitation will be held at 6:30 p.m., tonight at Cope Memorial Chapel.
Etsitty died April 20 in Gallup. He was born May 5, 1918 in Mexican
Springs into the Red Running People Clan for the Hairy People Clan.
Etsitty was employed with the BIA Maintiance, Navajo Nation, Tohatchi
and Mexican Springs Trading Posts. He received numerous awards, European,
African, Middle Eastern Service Medal, Asiatic Pacific Service Medal,
purple heart medal and silver star medal. His hobbies included playing
cards, bingo and walking.
Survivors include his sons, Michael Etsitty of Mexican Springs and
Lawrence Etsitty of Naschitti; daughters, Beverly Etsitty of Navajo, N.M.,
Carmen Nez, Pauline Thompson and Dianna Norton all of Tohatchi; brother,
Roy Tom Etsitty of Mexican Springs; 30 grandchildren; 73 great-
grandchildren and ten great-great grandchildren.
Etsitty was preceded in death by his wife, Desbah Delores Etsitty; son,
Clifford Etsitty Jr.; daughters, Roseline Etsitty and Lou Ella Thompson;
parents, Ahanibah and Jim Etsitty; brother, Luke Etsitty; and sisters,
Ellen Johnson.
Pallbearers will be Marcus Etsitty, Gerald Jim, Leslie Upshaw, Carnell
Begay, Marc Etsitty, Gales Thompson, Donald Norton and Donavan Norton.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Perry Allen
FARMINGTON - Services for Perry Allen, 75, will be held at 10 a.m.,
Saturday, April 26 at St. Mary's Catholic Church, E. 20th Farmington.
Mosig. Leo Gomez will officiate. Burial will follow at Greenlawn Cemetery.
A rosary will be recited at 2 p.m., today at St. Michaels Catholic
Church, St. Michaels, Ariz.
Allen died April 22 in Fort Defiance, Ariz. He was born April 22, 1927
in Rattlesnake into the Bitter Water People Clan for the Red Cheek Hand
Left People Clan.
Allen attended Rehoboth, Wingate Schools, and Loyola University, Los
Angeles. He was the first Chief Prosecutor for the Navajo Nation and a
member of the National District Attorney Association. He worked for the
Veterans Health Benefits and Education.
Survivors include his wife, Marie Tso Allen of Fort Defiance; sons,
Carlos and Ramon Allen both of Fort Defiance; daughter, Charlene Lizer of
Fort Defiance; parents, Katherine and Joseph Allen; sisters, Sylvia Manus
of Shiprock; eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Pallbearers will be Robert W. Manus, Richard Allen, Chris Sells, Robert
Allen, Lawrence Sells and Gary Sells.
The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services
at St. Mary's Parish Center, 2100 E. 20th St., Farmington.
Cope Memorial Chapel of Farmington is in charge of arrangements.
April 27, 2003
Will Sherman
FORT DEFIANCE, Ariz. - Graveside services for Will Sherman, 64, will be
held at 10 a.m., Monday, April 28 at Veteran's Cemetery, Fort Defiance.
Sherman died April 16 in Fort Defiance. He was born May 6 in Newcomb
into the Bitterwater People Clan for the Mud People Clan.
Sheman graduated from Wingate High School in 1957. He served in the U.S.
Army 1961-1963. He was employed with ACME Technical Inst., Cleveland, Ohio,
Navajo Land Department, Window Rock, U.S. Public Health Service, BIA
Realty Office, Window Rock and Tuba City, Ariz. His hobbies included
movies, playing games on the computers, and outdoors.
Survivors include his wife, Alice James of Fort Defiance; daughter,
Lucinda James of Fort Defiance; stepson Clarence James of Rock
Springs;brother, Tony Sherman of Newcomb; and four grandchildren.
Sherman was preceded in death by his parents, Louise and Thomas Sherman;
brothers, John Wilson Sherman and Wade Sherman.
Pallbearers will be Honor Guards.
The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services
at Mutual Help Housing, Old Red Lake Rd. Hse. #7, Fort Defiance.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Harry Watchman
SANDERS, Ariz. - Services for Harry Watchman, 60, will be held at 10 a.m.
Monday, April 28 in Tse Bonito. Burial will follow at family plot, Sanders.
Watchman died April 21 in Sanders. He was born Aug. 1, 1942 in Sanders
into the One Who Walks Around People Clan for the Bitter Water People Clan.
Watchman attended Sanders Elementary and an Indian School in Oregon.
Survivors include his brothers, Henry Watchman of Sanders; sisters,
Betty Nez and Marie Watchman both of Sanders.
Watchman was preceded in death by his parents, Marie Goldtooth and John
Watchman; brothers, George Watchman, Paul Silversmith and Tom Silversmith;
and sister, Mary Begay and Eleanor Footracer.
Pallbearers will be Mervyn Silversmith, Melvin Silversmith, Melvina
Silversmith, Benny Smith, Alfred Footracer and Jimmy Lee.
The family will receive friends and relatives after the burial services
at Betty Nez's residence.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Elizabeth "Auntie" Benally
WINDOW ROCK - Services for Elizabeth Benally, 84, will be announced at a
later date.
Benally died April 25 in Fort Defiance, Ariz. She was born June 17, 1918
in Lake Springs into the Folded Arms People Clan for the Towering House
People Clan.
Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
April 28, 2003
Elizabeth "Auntie" Benally
WINDOW ROCK - Services for Elizabeth Benally, 84, will be held at 10 a.m.
Tuesday, April 29 at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Father Jim Walker will
officiate. Burial will follow on private family cemetery, Lake Springs.
A rosary will be recited at 7 p.m., tonight at Rollie Mortuary.
Benally died April 25 in Fort Defiance, Ariz. She was born June 17, 1918
in Lake Springs into the Folded Arms People Clan for the Towering House
People Clan.
Survivors include her brothers, John Benally and Joe Francis both of
Lake Springs; sisters, Lucy Curley of Thoreau, Anita Benally and Marian
Skeet both of Lake Springs; 31 grandchildren; 45 great-grandchildren and
six great-great grandchildren.
Benally was preceded in death by her parents, Ashi Bitsi and
Belidaalbai-N Benalli (Black Mustache); brothers, Bah Begay, Timothy
Benally, Kee Chee, Moncisco Frank, Ben Joe, Btaani Nez, Tquill Tso and
Tolichee Yazzie; and sisters, Pauline Begay, Beatrice Bitselly, Mary
Thomas, Zonnie Tully, Elsie Yazzie and Mary Yazzie.
Pallbearers will be Calvin Analla Jr., Patrick Annalla, Clint Begay,
Notah Begay III, Malcolm Begaye, Michael Callan, Roger Damon, Seth D.
Damon and Derrick Watchman.
Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Copyright c. 2003 the Gallup Independent.
-=-=-=-
April 25, 2003
Annie Moreno Millard
Annie Moreno Millard, 73, passed away April 16, 2003, at Good Samaritan
Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
Born January 11, 1930 in Somerton, Arizona. She was a homemaker who has
love for animals and gardening, as well as caring for her family.
She is survived by her daughter, Willa Scott, son Eldred Millard and
granddaughter, Valveri Scott all of Ft. Yuma Quechan Indian Reservation.
Mother Rosen Wilson of Yuma, brother Paul Wilson of Sun Valley, California
and niece, Neva Escalanti of Lamedeer, Montana. She was preceded in death
by her father, Harvey Moreno and sons Garvin Scott and Ernie Millard.
Private family viewing will be Thursday, April 24 from 3-4 p.m. at
Kammann Mortuary. Tribal rites will begin at 4:30 p.m. at the Quechan
Indian Reservation Big House. Cremation will be at 6:00 a.m. Friday, April
25 at the Quechan Cemetery Grounds. Kammann Mortuary is in charge of
arrangements. Pall bearers and honorary bearers will be relatives and
friends.
She will be greatly missed by those who loved and cared for her.
Especially by our cat, Wookie.
Copyright c. 2003 The Yuma Sun,
Sun Freedom Newspapers of Southwestern Arizona.
-=-=-=-
April 25, 2003
Thomas Leland White Jr.
ETHETE - Funeral services for Ethete resident Thomas Leland White Jr.,
47, will be conducted at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 26, in Blue Sky Hall in
Ethete. Interment will follow in St. Michael's Mission Cemetery.
Litany services will be at 7 p.m. today, April 25, in the hall; followed
by a wake at 413 Blue Sky Hiway.
He died April 22, 2003, at his home.
Born April 16, 1956, in Lander, he was the son of Thomas Leland Sr. and
Martha (Yellowbear) White; graduated from Wyoming Indian High School; and
participated in football and basketball. He attended Morgan Community
College for two years and received certification for appliance repair.
He was a repairman for the Northern Arapahoe Tribe for seven years and a
Sho-Rap firefighter for many years.
His interests included hunting, fishing, horn-hunting, being with family,
and watching movies and television.
Survivors include two children, Keith Smith of Kinnear and Thomas White
III; former wife, Charlotte Armour; six siblings, Roland Yellowbear of
Fort Washakie and Kenneth White, Joan White, Debbie Antelope and Sandra
and Pat Ironcloud, all of Ethete; eight nephews and nieces; five uncles;
six aunts; foster parents, Norman and Zona Moss, Felix and Irma Groesbeck
and Burton and Joyce Hutchinson; grandmothers, Margaret Spoonhunter and
Mary Bear; and 11 grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his mother, grandfathers, and numerous other
family members.
Duane Cady Sr.
FORT WASHAKIE - Memorial services for Duane Cady Sr., 73, will be
conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 26, in Wind Dancer Funeral Home Chapel
in Fort Washakie. Burial will follow in Wind Dancer Cemetery.
He died April 21, 2003, at Riverton Memorial Hospital.
Born Dec. 18, 1929, in Caryhurst, he was the son of Pearl and Curtis
Cady.
A hunting guide and horseshoer, he worked at Elshires in Fort Washakie
as a meat cutter and bartender. He later moved the family to western
Montana, where he worked as a meat cutter for Stevensville Cold Storage.
Also, he worked for John R. Daley Meat Co. of Missoula, Mont., and
Hamilton, Mont., Packing Co.
The family returned to Wyoming and he continued to cut meat at Dubois
Cold Storage and was a bartender at the Rustic Pine Tavern in Dubois,
until his retirement.
He enjoyed ice-fishing, raising horses, and visiting with family and
friends.
Survivors include his mother of Casper; two sons, Duane Jr. and his wife
of Lander and Moe Cady and his companion of Owyhee, Nev.; daughter, Marlys
Andrews, and her husband of Riverton; six grandchildren; a great-
grandchild; four sisters, Elta Mae LeClair of Fort Washakie, Irene Brooks
and Loletta Edwards of Casper and Pat Stohn of Stigler, Okla.; four
brothers, Frank Cady of Riverton, Burdette Cady of Casper and Harry and
Jan Cady, both of Bakersfield, Calif.; and numerous nieces, nephews and
cousins.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Orbana Cady; father; adopted son,
Cody D. Cady; and other relatives.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Lander-Riverton Home Health
Care, in care of Wind Dancer Funeral Home, Box 303, Lander 82520.
Services also were provided by Davis Funeral Home in Riverton and
Bustard's Funeral Home in Casper.
Copyright c. 2003 Casper Star-Tribune published by Lee Publications, Inc.,
a subsidiary of Lee Enterprises, Incorporated.
-=-=-=-
Golden Triangle On-Line Obituaries
The following obituaries appeared in the Cut Bank Pioneer Press,
Shelby Promoter or Glacier Reporter this week.
Clarence Joseph Hirst, Sr.
Clarence "Boze" Hirst, of Heart Butte, 82, a World War II Army Veteran,
died April 16 at the Browning Hospital from complications of diabetes.
Rosary was Friday, April 18 at 7 p.m. at the Heart Butte Community
Center. Funeral services were 11 a.m. Saturday, April 19 at St. Ann's
Parish in Heart Butte, with burial with military honors at Lakeview
Cemetery in Valier.
Whitted Funeral Chapel of Shelby is in charge of funeral arrangements.
Clarence was born at the family home in Blackfoot, Mont. October 2, 1920.
He attended elementary schools in Blackfoot and Browning and high school
at Pierre Indian School in South Dakota. Clarence served in the Army from
1941 to 1945, participating in the North African Campaign, where he was
wounded in action, and in Europe. As a young man, Clarence worked on a
construction crew building the Logan Pass road. He also worked on the
Civilian Conservation Corp. Prior to joining the Army in 1941.
After the war, Clarence returned home and began ranching. In March 1946,
he married Minnie Rutherford. They had eight children. Clarence worked at
many jobs and occupations during his lifetime; he worked at the Heart
Butte School, the Community Action Program in Browning and Sanitation
Department of Indian Health Service.
Clarence is survived by his wife, Minnie, of Heart Butte; four daughters,
Margie Fisher of Meriweather, Linda Hirst of Browning, Karen Woldstad of
Birch Creek and Cathy Bird of Bemidji, Minn.; four sons; Clarence "Bimbo"
Hirst, Jr. of Badger Creek, Mike Hirst of Dickinson, N.D., Ron Hirst of
Ashland, and William "Charlie" Hirst of Valier; twenty-one grandchildren
and two great-grandsons.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Al and Maggie Hirst, his sister,
Frances Thompson, and brother, Jack Hirst.
Curtis Wayne Smith
Curtis Wayne Smith, 58, of Browning, a radiology administrator, died of
a heart attack Friday, April 18, 2003 at his home.
His funeral was 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at the Methodist Church in
Browning, with cremation to follow. Day Family Funeral Home is handling
arrangements.
Survivors include his wife, Beth A. Smith; daughters Ashley Samora of
Pocatello, Idaho, Lindsey Smith of Cleveland, Minn., and Christine Ramirez
of Dallas; a son Micah Smith of Pocatello; sisters Diana Fields of Kevin,
Alma Faye Chippewa of Great Falls, Pauline Sure Chief, Carol Douglas,
Rosemary Huston and Bonnie Sue Wagner, all of Browning, and Freda Stone of
Cut Bank; brothers Kenneth Still Smoking and Lyle MacDonald, of Browning,
Ivan MacDonald of Parker, Ariz., James McDonald of Missoula and Jeffrey
McDonald of Great Falls; and six grandchildren.
Betty Jean Augare
Betty Jean (Bremner) Augare, 68, of Browning, a former florist, died of
complications due to cancer Thursday at a local hospital.
Rosary begins 7 p.m. Wednesday at Little Flower Parish. Her wake is
being held at Glacier Homes prior to the rosary. Cremation will follow the
rosary. Funeral Mass is 2 p.m. Thursday at the church, with burial in
Willow Creek Cemetery. Schnider Funeral Home of Great Falls is handling
arrangements.
She was born Jan. 5, 1935, in Browning and raised in Greasewood, Mont.
She was educated at Cut Bank boarding school, Flandreau, South Dakota and
Blackfeet Community College. She married Edmund Wishie Augare in 1951 in
Sedro-Wooley, Wash.; they later divorced.
She worked as a nurses' aide, a homemaker, a teachers' aide, a
bookkeeper, a florist, a cook and a food service supervisor.
Her doors were always open to other children coming to stay.
She enjoyed angel collecting, crocheting, knitting, watching the Denver
Broncos, sewing, making chaps, making flowers, bingo, shopping and
spending time with her children and grandchildren.
Survivors include a daughter, Joni Augare of Browning; sons Mark Augare
of Independence, Mo., Ronnie Augare, Terry Augare, Paul Augare, Mike
Augare and Little Ron Augare, all of Browning, Dan Augare of Seville, Mont.
George Augare of Kansas City, Mo., and Tim Augare of Elko, Nev.; sisters
Carol Faye Ollinger and Alfreda Racine, both of Browning; a brother,
Clarence Bremner of Browning; 41 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Sandra "Sissy" Augare; her
parents, George and Ida Bremner; grandchildren Adam and Levi Augare;
great-grandchildren Tessa Hand, Wyatt Augare; a sister, Ramona Gordon; and
brothers Cecil and Sonny Bremner.
Anthony Curtis Cut Finger
Anthony Curtis Cut Finger, 29, passed away Monday, March 14, 2003 from
injuries sustained in an auto accident.
Anthony was born to Ernest Cut Finger Sr. and Leeann (Sheridan) Nicolai
October 11, 1973, in Missoula. He was raised in Arlee, a member of the
Blackfeet Nation and a descendant of the Salish Pend Orielle Nation. He
graduated from high school in Arlee in 1993. He was an outstanding athlete
during this years as an Arlee Warrior. He was a wrestler from kindergarten
up to his senior year. He played football and basketball and was a member
of the track team, and he also was a member of the drama club in which he
played a lead role in his senior year. Among his numerous trophies and
medals, he was awarded a plaque in his senior year for being the fourth
student in Montana to have a wrestling move named after him, the "Cut
Finger Single." He played Down Under Ball his senior year in Australia to
represent a nationwide group of American Indian athletes. Anthony, or
"Tone," attended fishing tournaments always being self supporting for his
extra activities. He worked on ranches and farms, bucking bails, changing
pipes and farming trees. Also he did work as a sawyer, auto mechanic,
carpenter, post and pole man, broke horses and hunted around the
reservation.
Tone's loves were his truck, the wonderful women in his life, his nieces
and nephews, the mountains, lakes and streams, and Mom's fry bread and
cheesecake.
He was preceded in death by his great-grandparents John Vanderburg,
Adeline Fyant, Eli and Dora Sheridan, George and Ida Every Body Talks
About and Sam Cut Finger; grandparents Mickey Sheridan, Rose Vanderburg,
Jess Labuff Sr. and Virginia Cut Finger; aunts Barbara Young Running Crane,
Pewee Mason and Peggy Big Sam; uncles Eddy Vanderburg, Everett, Jimmy and
Butch Fyant, Randy Christopher and John Sheridan; his unborn sister Angel
Lozeau; nephew Jesse Lee Cut Finger; cousin Sheila Marie Fyant; and many
others too numerous to mention.
He is survived by his parents Ernest and Dawn Cut Finger, Lee Ann and
Wendal Nicolai, Harry Lozeau and Rusty Whitworth; brothers Ernest Jr. and
Cheryl, Jesse and Leandrea, Harley Cut Finger, Isaac Lozeau, Chris
Standing Rock, Jonathan Whitworth and Jeremiah James; sisters Adeline
(Elijah), Caroline Lozeau, Misty and Carrie Whitworth, Tamara and Kimberly
Standing Rock and Nicole and Sarah James; grandparents Yaya Frances
Vanderburg, Katie Nick, Joe and Theola Old Chief, Edna Rose, Florentino
and Dorothy Flores, and Ursula Thomas; great uncles Ben (Betty), Art (Jan),
Gordon (Gale), Bobby Fyant, Jesse (Cleo), Thomas Cut Finger, Dusty
(Marcelene), Windy and Fredrick Old Chief, Gabby, Tony, Reuben and Junior
Cut Finger; great-aunts Marie Fyant, Virgina (Kenny) Phillips, Loretta,
Joyce, Darlene, Marlene, Geraldine, Lulu, Joanne, Debra, Joanne Old Chief,
Patsy (Nelson) Big Sam, Jeannei Cut Finger, Rosemary (Richard) Calf Robe
and Becky (Cecil) Crawford; uncles Tom (Linda) Sheridan, Frank Sheridan,
Jesse Sheridan, Sam Sheridan, Sam Matt, David Vallee, Terry Lozeau, Ed
(Mooney) Stasso, Gordon (Gloria) Shay, Toni, Darrell, Bodge (Glenda)
Whitworth, John Butler, Jay and Louis Fyant, Vernon Christopher, Wayne
Vanderburg, Gabe Phillips, Steve and Brian, Buzzy, Butch and Willie Fyant
and John Miller; aunts, Cheryl (Les) Clairmont, Nicole (Bob) Doty, Lori
Ann Weaselhead, Linda (Keon) Weaselhead, Weezee Cote, Sany Christpher,
Karen and Myrna Whitworth, Naida Lefthand, Roberta (Jim) Steele, Shelly
Fyant, Claudette (Rodney) Bird, Malissa (Dane) Morigeau, Jennifer (Rowdy)
Snyder, Veita and Claudia, Tina Lozeau, Josie Stasso, Valdena (Dave)
Anderson, Marilyn, (Jim) McDonald, and Suzie and Lisa Vallee, and others
too numerous to mention; nephews Ryan, Julian, Stanley, Arlen, Sinjiin,
Xavier and Brandon; nieces Briana, Rozaline, Vayda, Ali, Jaylyn, Adrianna,
Haley, Alexandrianna and Emily Lynn; cousins Lisa Luis, Bridget, Lakota,
Marietta Tellier, Rosalie, Shannon (Carlos), Eli (Susette) Sheridan, Su-
sep Morigeau, Zachary and Alisha Sheridan, Josh, Kisha, Rosie Sheridan-
Gurule, Devlin Marcus, Jaydean, and Ashley Sheridan, the Fish family, Many
Hides family, Radosa family, Young Running Crane family, and so many
others just too numerous to mention.
A traditional Salish wake was held at the Arlee Indian Elderly Center,
as well as services and rosary. Internment was held at the Sheridan Family
Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Dave and TJ Haynes, Robert and Brian Rogers, Kevin
Pierre, Tommy, Cody and Basil Tanner, Shane Fiddler, Kevin Howard and
Leonard Two Teeth.
The honorary pallbearers were John Butler, Bob Woodcock, Bill Tanner,
Frank Wright, Jason Pierre, Arlen Auld, Brian Brian Auld, Steven Peone,
Jeremy Belcourte, Elijah Alexander, Coach Earl Beck, his fire crew in
Texas, all his uncles, nephews, cousins, brothers and all the women that
he loved. The Honor Drum was Sunrise Drum.
Betty Lou Red Fox
Betty Lou (Griffin) Red Fox, 58, of Missoula died at her home on Monday,
April 14, 2003 of natural causes.
Services were held Monday, April 21 at Little Flower Parish with burial
following at Willow Creek Cemetery.
She is survived by her husband Larry Red Fox, daughters Michelle York
and Andrea York, sons Scooner Red Fox, Timothy York and Tony York Jr.,
sisters Margie Putts, Pat Moenin and Dawn Bloomquist, brothers Starr
Griffin, Bill Racine, Ted Racine and Boss Racine, 15 grandchildren and one
great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by a son Tracy York, a sister Dale Ann Griffin,
parents Ed Griffin and Josphine Griffin and grandfather Mike Bad Old Man.
Terrie Ellen Rundle
Terrie Ellen (Lillevig) Rundle, 48, died on Monday, April 14, 2003 at
her home near Bigfork of Ovarian Cancer.
A celebration service will be held at The Bigfork Playhouse, 526
Electric Avenue in Bigfork. The service will be non-traditional and a non-
somber occasion, as Terrie wanted. The time of the service will be at 3:30
p.m. on Tuesday, May 6 (immediately after school so that her students may
easily attend.) Anyone and everyone is invited to come.
Terrie was born on Feb. 5, 1955 in Detroit, Mich., but grew up in
Cincinnati, Ohio. At the time of her graduation from high school she
entered the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music with her primary instrument
being the organ, with piano as secondary. After her first year at the
Conservatory she decided to take a hiatus from music study and to travel
around the country by herself for two years. After this she returned to
Ohio where she finished up with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from
the University of Miami. For a time after graduation from college she
taught at private schools in Ohio. She was then recruited by a friend to
come out to San Francisco and work as a secretary for an up and coming
retail computer company called Businessland (the pay was much better.)
Within a short period of time Terrie was promoted to the position senior
accounts manager for a store in Seattle.
Dale was working as a Registered Nurse at the University of Washington
Medical Center at this time. Dale and Terrie, both avid folk and contra
dancers soon met at a dance at the Mountaineers Hall in Seattle. During a
round dance, where everyone changes partners after every 32 measures, each
man and woman makes a half turn to begin dancing with their new partner.
This is how Terrie met Dale; just a half turn is what started the whole
thing!
Terrie and Dale courted for 16 months and then were married on July 16,
1988. Terrie and Dale went to Glacier National Park for their honeymoon,
traveling through Bigfork on the way and even spending one night there at
the O'Duchain Country Inn. They then made there home in Seattle where all
of their children were born: Abby was born on Dec. 4, 1989, Josie was born
Aug. 5, 1993, and Avery was born Dec. 28, 1995.
In 1999 the wanderlust got a hold of Terrie again and the family was
fortunate enough to be able to move to Bigfork. Dale took a job with the
Blackfeet Service Unit of the Indian Health Service while Terrie began
teaching part-time for the Bigfork schools as soon as her youngest child,
Avery, entered kindergarten.
Though Terrie's time in the community and at the school has been short,
her impact has been substantial. While there she raised the money herself
to purchase instruments necessary to create a Creative Drumming Program.
The public performances for her choirs were highly regarded and showed the
flair, compassion, and commitment that Terrie was known for. It was these
qualities, which so endeared her to the community.
To her many students she was known affectionately as Mrs. "T." She often
amused her students coming to class in various characters, such as Charlie
Chaplin, Pierre, the famous film director from Beegfork, and even once she
appeared hilariously as Mr. "T", complete with mohawk and bulging biceps.
Terrie loved life, she loved her children, she loved her husband, and
she loved the children and adults of this community. Her life was much too
short. Terrie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in November 2002. The
cancer quickly consumed her body but will never extinguish the bright
light of her spirit. Someday we will be together again, but until then we
will love you, remember you, and we miss you with great sorrow.
Survivors include Dale E. Rundle, husband; Abigail Rundle, daughter;
Josephine Rundle, daughter; and Avery Rundle, son; all of Bigfork. Also
surviving: Dr. Joel Lillevig, brother of Paducah, Ky.; Beth Lewis, sister
of Jacksonville, Fla.; James Lillevig, father, and Mary Ann Lillevig,
mother of Lexington, Ky.
Donations to benefit Terrie's children can be made to the Terrie Rundle
Fund at the Bigfork branch of Flathead Bank, 800 Grand Avenue, Bigfork, MT
59911 or 406-837-1600.
Copyright c. 2003 Golden Triangle Newspapers.
-=-=-=-
April 23, 2003
William James Blankenship
SAN JUAN PUEBLO, N.M. - William James Blankenship, formerly of Billings,
died April 16, 2003, at Veterans Hospital in San Juan Pueblo. "Bill" was
born to Leonard and Rose Kennedy Blankenship on July 22, 1924. He attended
Billings schools and served in the U.S. Army during WWII, where he
received a Purple Heart. After his discharge, he married Geraldine F.
"Jerry" Bolton on Jan. 1, 1946. He moved to San Francisco, where he worked
for Olso Cadillac until he retired and moved to San Juan Pueblo.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Lawrence and
Albert; and sister, Mary Jane Roe.
Bill is survived by his wife Ann of San Juan Pueblo; sons and daughter,
Tom, Don and Donna Blankenship of Billings; sisters, Verda Blankenship of
Billings, Katherine Jansma and Charlotte "Penny" Luper of Laurel, Connie
Jerke of Del Rapids, S.D.; and brother Donald Blankenship of Salem, Ore.
Services and interment have taken place in San Juan Pueblo.
Bill will be remembered for his contagious smile, warm heart and great
sense of humor. He had a special musical gift and will be remembered for
playing his guitar in the band he formed called "The Rocky Mountain
Playboys." Bill loved playing music and singing with his brothers Albert
and Donald, who were also musicians.
April 24, 2003
Kyle Franklin Martell
POPLAR - Kyle F. Martell, age 19, died April 22, 2003, as a result of a
motor vehicle accident near Ft. Kipp. He was born April 10, 1984, in
Poplar, to Rudolph Martell and Kayleen Headdress.
Kyle went to school in Crow Agency, Hardin and then Poplar, where he has
lived since 1995. He loved the computer and spending time visiting chat
rooms with friends. He also enjoyed spending time with friends and family,
from Frazer to Ft. Kipp.
Kyle is survived by his father Rudolph Martell of Ft. Kipp; his mother
and stepfather, Kayleen and Dale M. Headdress of Poplar; two brothers,
Tony (Melissa) Headdress of Wolf Point and Lane Headdress of Poplar; two
sisters, Luane Pearl (Bill) Four Bear and Norma P. Headdress, both of
Poplar; two adopted sisters, Winona Ross and Amber Hopkins, both of Poplar.
Also surviving are grandparents, Henry and Violet Buck Elk of Ft. Kipp and
Raymond and Marietta Four Bear of Brockton, and great-grandmother Kathleen
Blount; seven uncles and 10 aunts. Also surviving is his special friend,
Pvt. Mabel Clark of Poplar who is stationed in Ft. Jackson, S.C.
Visitation will be held on Friday, April 25, at the Poplar Cultural
Center from 3 to 8 p.m., with a prayer service at 7 p.m. and no wake
service. Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. at
the Poplar Cultural Center, with Pastor Ken Azure officiating. Interment
will be in the Ft. Kipp Cemetery. Clayton Memorial Chapel is in charge of
arrangements.
April 25, 2003
Etna Feather
WORLAND, Wyo. - Etna J. Feather, 79, of Worland, died Thursday, April 24,
2003, at Washakie Medical Center.
Funeral services will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 26, at Grace Lutheran
Church. Burial will follow in Riverview Cemetery. Veile Mortuary of
Worland is in charge.
Copyright c. The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
-=-=-=-
April 22, 2003
Quentin Roy Fox Sr.
HAYS - World War II veteran Quentin Roy Fox, Sr., 79, of Hays, whose
Native American name is ANee ah Ha Tsits Etha Athan, meaning Takes His
Mother-In-Law Meat, a heavy equipment operator, died after a long illness
Sunday at the Phillips County Good Samaritan Home in Malta.
Rosary is 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Quentin Fox Sr. residence followed by
his wake at 7 p.m. Tuesday at St. Paul's Recreation Center in Hays. His
Funeral Mass is 1 p.m. Wednesday at the center, with burial in Lodge Pole
Cemetery. Edwards Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
Quentin is survived by his wife Lillian Fox of Hays; daughters, Mary
Agnes (Joe "Fiddles") Blackcrow, Elizabeth Ann Fox, Katherine Irene Fox
and Rebecca Frances (Raymond "Ted") Standing Bear, all of Hays; son Robert
Lee (Margaret "Peggy") Fox, of Hays; adopted daughters Margaret (John R.)
Strike of Fort Belknap and Brenda (Charles) Farnell of England, Ill.; an
adopted son, Paul (Lisa) Never Misses A Shot of Great Falls; special
nephews Sherman Talks Different of Hays and James Firemoon of Fort
Belknap; sisters, Margaret Fox Big Leggins and Louella Fox Stiffarm both
of Hays; 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and
nephews.
Quentin was born on Jan. 13, 1924, to George J. Sr., and Mary Agnes
(Umstot) Fox in Hays. He was raised in Hays until the death of his mother
and was then raised by his grandparents Belknap and Rebecca Fox.
Quentin enlisted in the U.S. Army on Jan. 15, 1942, and was honorably
discharged Oct. 5, 1945. He re-enlisted Dec. 14, 1945, and was honorably
discharged Feb. 2, 1946. His military duty was heavy machine gunner 605.
He was in Co. A 21st Engineer Regiment. He served in Algeria-French
Morroco-Tunisia, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, and Rome-Arno battles and
campaigns. During his tour of duty, he had the opportunity to see the
Roman Catholic Pope in Rome, Italy. After his military career, he returned
home and married Lillian Talks Different on April 22, 1946, in Hays.
Quentin has worked as a ranch hand, miner, logger, heavy equipment
operator, wildland firefighter and carpenter. All of his occupations
allowed him to work where he loved it most, the outdoors and also staying
close to his beloved family. He enjoyed driving around the countryside and
being in the mountains.
Quentin was a very generous man who would offer whatever he had to
anyone in need. He was always concerned about the well-being of others. He
inspired and encouraged his children and grandchildren to finish school,
after earning his own high school diploma after returning from the service.
He was proud of his children and grandchildren in whatever endeavors they
pursed.
He was preceded in death by his parents, son Quentin R. "Sacker" Fox, Jr.
and first grandson Quentin Joseph Blackcrow, brothers Preston Rufus Fox,
Robert Fox, Stephen Fox Sr., George Fox Jr., and Ed Nicholson Sr. and a
sister Katherine Fox. "Ant-Na-Ha-Ban, I will see you again! "
Curtis Wayne Smith
BROWNING - Curtis Wayne Smith, 58, of Browning, a radiology administrator
died of a heart attack Friday at his home.
His funeral is 2 p.m. today at the Methodist Church in Browning, with
cremation to follow. Day Family Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
Survivors include his wife, Beth A. Smith; daughters Ashley Samora of
Pocatello, Idaho, Lindsey Smith of Cleveland, Minn., and Christine Ramirez
of Dallas; a son Micah Smith of Pocatello; sisters Diana Fields of Kevin,
Alma Faye Chippewa of Great Falls, Pauline Sure Chief, Carol Douglas,
Rosemary Huston and Bonnie Sue Wagner, all of Browning, and Freda Stone of
Cut Bank; brothers Kenneth Still Smoking and Lyle MacDonald, of Browning,
Ivan MacDonald of Parker, Ariz., James McDonald of Missoula and Jeffrey
McDonald of Great Falls; and six grandchildren.
April 25, 2003
Dominick Stump
ROCKY BOY - Dominick Stump, infant son of Vanity and Edward Stump of
Rocky Boy, died of spinal meningitis Wednesday at a hospital in Salt Lake
City.
Wake services begin at 7 this evening at Rocky Boy Catholic Church. His
funeral is 10 a.m. Saturday at the church, with burial in Rocky Boy
Cemetery. Holland and Bonine Funeral Home of Havre is in charge of
arrangements.
In addition to his parents, Dominick is survived by his maternal
grandmother, Mary St. Pierre, paternal grandparents Sam and Rhonda
Caplette, and maternal great-grandmother Linda Luna, all of Rocky Boy;
several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
Dominick was born April 15, 2003, to Edward and Vanity (LaRocque) Stump,
in Havre, Mont. Shortly after his birth, he was transferred to a Great
Falls hospital and then to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City,
where he passed away at the age of eight days. Dominick was a strong boy
and endured much during his short life.
Copyright c. 2003 Great Falls Tribune, a division of Lee Enterprises.
-=-=-=-
April 24, 2003
Raymond Fernie Thomas
Sakimay First Nation
December 10, 1925 - April 20, 2003
It is with great sadness we announce the sudden passing of our Dad,
Uncle, Mushum and Godfather Fernie Thomas on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2003.
He was predeceased by his wife Janet Thomas, two sons Morley, and
Lawrence in infancy, his parents Donald Thomas and Edith Ochapowace,
stepfather Dan Ochapowace, two sisters Agnes Redwood and Leita Henry, his
special niece Myrna (Redwood) Moise, numerous relatives, nieces, nephews,
cousins and in laws.
Fernie is survived by his adopted daughters: Geraldine, Julie, Ginger
Sangwais, Darlene Bunnie, stepsister Edith Redwood, adopted son Calvin
Sangwais and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and in laws.
The wake will commence on Thursday, April 24, 2003 at the Sakimay
Complex, Sakimay First Nation. The funeral service will be held in the
Complex on Friday, April 25, 2003 at 2:00 p.m. with Rev. Hector Bunnie
officiating. Interment in the Sakimay Cemetery.
April 28, 2003
Emerance Stevenson
Cowessess First Nation, SK
STEVENSON - Mrs. Emerance Stevenson of the Cowessess Reserve passed away
in Edmonton on April 24, 2003 at the age of 99 years. She was a beloved
mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother who
will be missed.
Emerance was predeceased by her husband, John in 1986 and sons, Jack in
2002 and Nurie in 1928.
She is survived by her children, Robert (Theresa) of Broadview, SK;
Hazel, Charles (Bridget), Lill Gault (Larken Ronan) and Georgina (Don)
Hemmerling all of Edmonton and Wilfred (Rita) Gordon of Toronto. She also
leaves her special niece, Alma Hammerstom of Richmond, BC; 18
grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and 17 great-great-grandchildren and
nieces and nephews.
A prayer service will be held Tuesday, April 29, 2003 at 8:00 p.m. at
Matthews Funeral Home, Whitewood, SK. The funeral service will be held
Wednesday, April 30, 2003 at 11:00 at Jacob Bear United Church, with
interment at the Kahkewistahaw Cemetery, Broadview, SK. Reverend Hector
Bunnie will officiate at both services.
Memorial donations may be made to the charity of one's choice.
Arrangements are entrusted to Matthews Funeral Home, Whitewood.
Copyright c. 2000-2003 Regina Leader Post Group Inc.
--------- "RE: Paiutes Rediscovering their Heritage" ---------
Date: Mon, Apr 21 2003 08:12:44 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="PAIUTE"
http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Apr/04212003/utah/utah.asp
Paiutes are Developing Their Land and Rediscovering Their Heritage
By Tim Sullivan
The Salt Lake Tribune
At the Indian Peaks Paiute Reservation, a square of rippled, juniper-
covered slope in western Beaver County, it is Restoration Day.
On April 3, 1980, the U.S. government reinstated the Utah Paiutes as an
official tribe after having dropped them 26 years earlier. Among the
restored was the tribe's Indian Peaks Band, whose ancestors lived in cedar
houses scattered over this remote range where they farmed potatoes,
turnips and wheat.
But there is no one here today.
"We used to celebrate, but the weather was always bad," says Travis
Parashonts, the Paiutes' economic development director. Wearing a yellow
fleece embroidered with "Paiute Tribe," his ponytail tucked under a
Cleveland Indians baseball cap rimmed with red, blue, white and black
beadwork, Parashonts sits in a burger joint 70 miles away in Cedar City,
home of the tribe's headquarters. In lieu of a powwow or dinner, the tribe
has simply given its employees the day off. True to Parashonts' word, the
skies outside have whitened, producing a momentary blizzard. "Now," he
says, "we wait until June."
The displacement of one of the Paiutes' most important holidays is
strangely appropriate -- there is not much among them that hasn't been
removed, put back and removed again.
While history has taken its toll -- shifting federal policies have left
the tribe's bands, families and scraps of undeveloped land scattered all
over southwestern Utah -- the state's Paiutes remain resilient. The tribe
has asserted itself in the past five years as a cohesive force, with young
leaders (most elders have died), housing, health and youth projects and an
effort to hold on to its identity.
In the 1860s, the U.S. government tried to lure the tribe -- whose
ancestral homeland stretches from the Grand Canyon to Nephi and from
Blanding to Ely, Nev. -- to the Ute Reservation in eastern Utah. When few
Paiutes moved there, the government tried the same thing on a new
reservation in southern Nevada with a similar result. The government then
created separate reservations for Utah's Paiutes, but in 1954 "terminated"
the tribe -- withdrawing financial assistance and reservation status of
the land -- in an attempt to meld several American Indian tribes into
mainstream society.
Finally, in 1980, after decades of increasing poverty and nine hard
years of lobbying, a core group of Paiutes won back recognition from
Congress, allowing the tribe access to housing funds and social services
while re-creating its reservations.
In the meantime, the U.S. government had taken many of the children of
the termination era from their families and placed them in Anglo foster
homes, helping erase the Paiutes' language and culture.
"We had to depend on our grandmas, but we don't have any more grandmas,"
says Cyndi Charles, chairwoman of the tribe's Koosharem Band, who was
removed from her family and placed with a white family in Morgan. "I don't
have anyone else to send my son to."
Now, Charles and others placed in foster families have returned home to
take tribal leadership, contributing to a broader Paiute revitalization.
The tribe also has grown. In 1980, its membership was around 490 and it
was losing three members for every new one, Parashonts says. Now, the
rolls show 816. At this month's tribal council meeting, the council
approved four new members.
And the culture of past generations is coming back like memory after
amnesia. For four years, the tribe ran a language school for kids and
adults who spoke only English. Elders also conducted workshops on Paiute
crafts, such as baskets and cradle boards.
"I've even made a cradle," says tribal chairwoman Lora Tom with a hearty
laugh. Originally from Brigham City, Tom worked in the tribe's health
department for 10 years before she was elected chairwoman 2 1/2 years ago.
She succeeded Parashonts, Alex O. Shepherd and the late Geneal Anderson, a
key figure in restoring the tribe who served as chairwoman for the
majority of the new tribe's first two decades.
Paiutes today face perhaps more identity challenges than other tribes.
They are organized in five bands -- Shivwits, Cedar, Kanosh, Koosharem and
Indian Peaks. Each band has its own council and has autonomy over its
reservations, but most Paiute services are administered through the tribe.
Often the lines between tribe, band and family are unclear. Many members
have a parent from another tribe or a spouse from another band and have to
decide where to register their children. Indeed, for many who have joined
the rolls since 1980, being Paiute is a choice.
Reclaiming an identity: Like footprints in the red Dixie sand, the
Paiutes' recent history of displacement and assertion is visible in the
lives of their leaders. For Glenn Rogers, the Shivwits Band's chairman, it
has been a rough path.
A full-blooded Shivwits Paiute, Rogers grew up in Enterprise and spent
much of his summers at the Shivwits reservation in the lava fields east of
St. George. Back then, the only structures on the land were shacks without
electricity or plumbing.
As a kid, Rogers partied, drank and did drugs, bouncing from Enterprise
to the Kaibab Paiute Reservation in Fredonia, Ariz., to Cedar City. But
after he went to rehab and cleaned up, he became curious about tribal
affairs. He became a regular in the back benches during band meetings. He
won a council seat and four years later, in 1997, was elected band
chairman.
When he took that post, Rogers says, he "stepped into a lot of trouble."
The Shivwits were in the middle of a difficult bargaining process with the
city of St. George to procure water rights for the reservation so the band
could continue replacing the shacks on its land with sturdy brick homes.
Sometimes, the pressure became too much for Rogers, and he considered
resigning. But he found help in unlikely places. As a baptized Mormon,
Rogers' church activity was sporadic. But he found that getting to know
Anglos through church gave him patience and observation skills. He became
confident as a Paiute liaison, and the band got its water.
Though he says the Shivwits still feel condescension from St. George
Anglos, Rogers is comfortable moving through both worlds. The tribe
recently helped the Bureau of Land Management put on a show at the
Shivwits headquarters called "Paiute Origins of Life," and dozens of white
St. George residents came to see it. Rogers is proud of his ancestry.
"Our identity is in our beliefs," he says. "In the animals, the plants
and the old people -- how did they exist? They existed the way we do today,
with the water. I stand for them."
Standing for ancestors often means holding on to their land, as small,
uninhabited and undeveloped as the reservations are.
"It becomes something personal to you," Parashonts says. "It gives you a
sense of pride and a sense of belonging."
This is perhaps most true for the Indian Peaks Band, the tribe's
smallest, which has no building or significant revenue source among its 38
members. But the band -- "One big family," as Indian Peaks Chairwoman
Anthonia Tom says -- holds its land close.
"It's our heritage, it's our past. It's a place for us," Tom says of her
band's remote reservation. The band journeys there once or twice a year,
in spring or late fall, in part as an homage to its ancestors. There is a
cemetery in the scrub forest, and a rock that is supposed to cure
headaches.
And in the northern reaches of Paiute country, seven miles off
Interstate 15 just south of Fillmore, the Kanosh Band is trying to buy 734
acres of aboriginal land. It was part of the original Kanosh reservation,
but the tribe lost it when it was terminated. Phil Pikyavit, the Kanosh
chairman, points to a faded photograph titled "Kanosh Indian Camp, circa
1860" that shows a line of Paiutes backed by tepees, huts and the same
mountain visible out the band building's back window.
"I've had my eye on it," says Pikyavit, a retired Utah Department of
Transportation road worker, "ever since we lost it."
Community economics: As with other Utah tribes, the Paiutes have high
unemployment and low median household income, at 17 percent and $10,800,
respectively. Most tribal members eke out jobs in construction and the
motel industry, Parashonts says. And as he points out, the Paiutes are
further disadvantaged by their lack of a large land base with coal, oil or
timber reserves.
But development is happening slowly. It began with the construction of a
large headquarters building in Cedar City six years ago and radiated
outward to housing and water systems.
The Cedar Band is one of the most aggressive in pursuing economic
development. Recently, it created its own tech company, Suh'dutsing
Technologies, which could create up to 55 jobs. The band is studying the
feasibility of a golf course and trying to attract a developer for a
convenience store or a truck stop.
The band has built six houses on its land south of Cedar City. Delice
Tom, a convenience store worker originally from Nevada, recently moved
into one of them. "I wanted to be closer to my grandkids. Now they can
walk over," says Tom, adding that she knows more Cedar Band people who
want to move to the neighborhood.
"Our band, we are so close," Tom says. "We're somewhat scattered, but
the communication is real good."
That affinity is reinforced on a tribal level each April, a week after
Restoration Day, when the Paiute Classic Basketball Tournament pulls in
Paiutes from all over southern Utah, Nevada, Salt Lake City and beyond.
Pitting 11 all-Paiute teams against one another in the tribal gym -- whose
Paiute logo at center court hints at the import of basketball -- the two-
day event is a sort of powwow with hard fouls.
It is a time to cheer relatives and heckle their opponents. Outside the
gym, groups of teenagers huddle around pickup trucks and lone elders are
welcomed into bleacher picnics inside. The tournament is an annual reunion
for Loujeanne Charles and her four sisters, who live in Cedar City,
Richfield and Salt Lake. Charles' son and nephew play for the Cedar Band's
team and she knows everyone on the team as well as most of their opponents.
"I don't see them all that often," she says before screaming, "Go Blue!
Go Blue! Come on, get the rebound!"
For the kids on the teams, who are often a small minority at their
public schools, it's a chance to nourish tribal friendships. "It's fun to
play against people you know," says Benny Wero Jr., a sharp-shooting 15-
year-old Paiute-Ute with a waist-length ponytail that he grew for powwows.
Glenn Rogers is here, too. He is a senior member of the Shivwits team
called "Sham City," the Shivwits Reservation's nickname, and takes the
court with teenagers. He hustles up and down and shanks a few free throws.
When the game is over, he stays in the bleachers to cheer on other teams.
For Rogers, the basketball tournament is good times, but the real
challenge starts when it comes time to venture outside the gym.
"I want people to understand who we are," he says, sitting in his band
building as dusk descends on Sham City. "I want people to know we're just
doing our best to survive."
Copyright c. 2003 The Salt Lake Tribune.
--------- "RE: Meskwakis invite Federal Intervention" ---------
Date: Thu, Apr 24 2003 08:12:27 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="COUP ATTEMPT"
http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm
http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?story_id=1011263&l=1&t=Opinion
Meskwakis invite federal intervention
By QUAD-CITY TIMES STAFF
April 23, 2003
Meskwakis invite federal intervention
A coup attempt within the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa
typically would be off-limits to the United States government, which
steers clear of internal tribal disputes.
But there are 100 million reasons the federal government needs to get
involved here on the behalf of the rest of us, a reason for each dollar
taken in by the Meskwaki Bingo, Hotel and Casino, Iowa's biggest gambling
operations.
The money changes everything.
A group of tribal members upset with the ways of elected tribal leader
Albert Walker Jr., asked him to hold recall elections. The incumbent
declined, so the dissident group simply assumed control, moved into the
offices and took over management of the casino.
Homer Bear Jr. now leads the 1,000-member tribe, based mainly on his
claim of popular support and backing by tribal hereditary chief Charles
Old Bear.
It always has been awkward, but absolutely imperative that American
Indian tribes retain the sovereignty guaranteed by federal law and owed a
people routinely screwed over by our federal government.
After routing French attempts for conquest in the upper Mississippi
Valley, the Sac and Fox themselves were routed from the Quad-Cities in the
Black Hawk War of 1832 and ultimately evicted to a Kansas reservation.
Stragglers remaining in Iowa bought property near Tama, which was
expanded into a sovereign reservation.
That sovereignty permitted the tribe to open the state's largest casino.
By building a successful casino business largely on the gambling of
Iowans, the tribe has given up a measure of their independence by
encouraging an even more powerful force: A trade relationship with their
Iowa gambling customers.
The self-appointed leadership is asking the National Indian Gaming
Commission to butt out, but it's too late.
The tribe's inability to resolve internal dispute makes the commission's
involvement necessary, even helpful, to Iowa, Tama and the tribe.
A half a world away from Iraq, and about two hours from the Quad-Cities,
another regime change is challenging the notion of a sovereign nation's
relationship with the U.S. federal government.
Copyright c. 2003 Quad-City Times, Davenport, IA.
--------- "RE: Judge Rules Work can start at Indian Burial Site" ---------
Date: Tue, Apr 23 2003 08:10:06 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="BURIAL SITE DESECRATION"
http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm
http://www.yankton.net/stories/042303/new_20030423013.shtml
Judge Rules Work Can Start At Indian Burial Site
SIOUX FALLS (AP) - State workers can start building a waste dump and
fish-cleaning area for campers on land along the Missouri River that
includes an American Indian burial site, a federal judge has ruled.
Federal District Judge Lawrence Piersol also said in a ruling on Friday
that the state can resume construction at a second campground location if
workers first return fill dirt taken from the original burial site. State
officials must notify the Yankton Sioux Tribe when the dirt is be moved to
allow time for burial ceremonies before resuming construction resumes,
Piersol said.
Tribal officials criticized Piersol's ruling and will meet as early as
Thursday to discuss a possible appeal, according to Mary Wynne, tribal
lawyer.
"To build a sewer on top of the remains of ancestors is beyond what the
Lakota culture can comprehend," Wynne said. "It creates a large gap
between the plaintiffs and the defendants."
The dispute involves the North Point Recreation Area, a state-run
campground located along the Missouri River near Pickstown.
On May 14, 2002, workers were moving dirt from the area to use as fill
for campground construction projects when the remains of two children, a
woman and other funerary objects were unearthed.
The Yankton Sioux Tribe sued the state and the Army Corps of Engineers
to stop work in the area and to order that remains be returned to the
original burial site.
Piersol issued a preliminary injunction last June, which halted
construction at North Point. The judge also set conditions under which the
injunction might be lifted, including an assurance from the state that
proposed future construction would not further damage the area.
Piersol also said the state must examine fill dirt taken from the
original burial site to ensure that it did not contain Indian cultural
items.
Later the state returned to court asking for permission to resume work
on a dump station planned on land in the disputed area. A state
archaeologist said the dirt at that site had "almost no chance" of
containing human remains or funerary objects.
A state lawyer argued the new sanitation station was necessary so
campers could empty recreational vehicles holding tanks before leaving the
park. The old dumping station had been removed and the next nearest
station for North Point visitors would be four to six miles away, a state
parks official said.
North Point attracted 231,000 visitors in 2001, making it the fifth most
visited park in South Dakota.
During a hearing on the issue last week, state lawyers presented an
archaeologist's report stating that while dirt taken to the site of a
planned campground registration building contained human remains, there
was "almost no chance" of remains or artifacts being located in the sewage
dump station site.
John Guhin, a lawyer for the state, also told the judge that a group
made up of Yankton Sioux tribal members once had planned to build a resort
on the site now in question.
"How can it be sacred land and be developed?" he asked.
Wynne argued the tribe's general council never approved that plan and
without that approval, it was incorrect to say the tribe pursued the
resort construction plan.
In his order, Piersol said the state must provide written notice to
tribal officials of the date when the fill dirt from the original burial
site would be returned. After the tribe receives the state's notice, they
will have seven days to conduct ceremonies at both sites.
The dispute isn't over, Wynne said. "I believe strongly in the position
of the tribe and the powers at work of the ancestors who have come before,
" she said.
Much of the area along the Missouri River was flooded when the federal
government built reservoirs in the 1950s. The drought has caused water
levels to fall in recent years, exposing the old burial sites.
Copyright c. 2003 Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan.
--------- "RE: MARILYN HAGERTY: Uproar over Sitting Bull's Bones" ---------
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 22:54:14 -0700
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="SITTING BULL"
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/news/opinion/5686401.htm
THAT REMINDS ME: Uproar over Sitting Bull's bones continues smoldering to
this day
By Marilyn Hagerty
COLUMNIST MARILYN HAGERTY
Sitting Bull stirred up a lot of trouble for the settlers when he was
alive. And even in death, he was causing problems. Fifty years ago, a
battle between North and South Dakota over his bones stopped just short of
civil war.
There were many news accounts. It all started when Gov. Sigurd Anderson
of South Dakota called on Gov. Norman Brunsdale of North Dakota to give up
the bones of the medicine man. The North Dakotans were not willing to have
the bones removed from the place where he had been buried at Ft. Yates,
N.D., 67 years earlier.
In a level-headed editorial in the Grand Forks Herald, M.M. Oppegard
wrote, in part: "His original burial did not bring any protest from South
Dakota. He was killed there. The medicine man had, however, left the
reservation at Fort Yates and the body was returned there by a detachment
of regular soldiers who had pursued him into the Black Hills. If Sitting
Bull's relatives and the people of South Dakota had wanted his remains,
that would have been the time to claim them."
Oppegard commented that the attitude toward the medicine man had changed
with the years. "For some reason, he became sort of a hero. In life he was
a ruthless enemy probably mainly responsible for the massacre of Custer's
troops on the Little Big Horn."
Oppegard speculated, "There must be some reason for the request that
Sitting Bull's grave be moved. The argument that it might be flooded by
water from the dams seems to have been refuted by the engineers. The
relatives who have been contacted certainly didn't originate the demand.
They have been drawn into the struggle.
"It is not a nice thing to suggest the remains of a human being might be
used for commercial purposes, but the suspicion exists that all the sudden
interest in the bones of Sitting Bull may have a commercial angle. South
Dakota is making a big effort to attract tourists and with some success.
Should that be the motive behind the demand for the bones of the medicine
man, they are better left where they are."
An Associated Press story at the time said North Dakota and South Dakota
should quit fighting over the bones of the Indian buried at Fort Yates.
The story said he was buried in quicklime, which is not a preservative, so
there was a question of whether there were any remains. Another story said
there were two Sitting Bulls and that the second Sitting Bull was peaceful
- unlike the warrior who helped wipe out Custer's troops in Montana in
1876. The other Sitting Bull was killed and buried at Miles City, Mont.
On April 8, 1953, a group from South Dakota took Sitting Bull's remains
in a surprise raid. Clarence Grey Eagle of Bullhead, S.D., who led the
raid, said he had made a plea to the North Dakota governor. It was not
granted because Gov. Brunsdale insisted on a court order.
"I was tired of the white man's red tape," Grey Eagle declared. "North
Dakota has done nothing to honor our great leader. So we went and got
him."
At the time, a mortician said the bones of Sitting Bull were in an
advanced stage of decomposition. Nevertheless, they were encased in 20
tons of steel and concrete five miles east of Mobridge on the Standing
Rock Indian Reservation.
"It will take an A-Bomb to move them now," said Walter Tuntland of the
South Dakota Memorial Association. And the governor of South Dakota said
he hoped it would not be necessary to call out the National Guard. Later,
the North Dakota attorney general ruled the law was broken and that the
South Dakotans had not been given authority to remove the bones by the
health officials.
Mark Halvorson of the North Dakota State Historical Society says even in
these times, there are two schools of thoughts about Sitting Bull's bones.
The people at Mobridge believe they have his bones, and the people at Ft.
Yates are not sure they have the bones. They believe Sitting Bull is there
with them in spirit.
Reach Marilyn Hagerty at mhagerty@gfherald.com or
telephone 772-1055 or 780-1124.
Copyright c. 2003 Grand Forks Herald.
--------- "RE: JODI RAVE LEE: Soldier's death helped... Natives" ---------
Date: Tue, Apr 23 2003 08:10:06 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="JODI RAVE LEE: SOLDIER'S DEATH"
http://www.journalstar.com/native.php?story_id=41378
JODI RAVE LEE: Soldier's death helped better America for Natives
Like others, I penned my signature in the bright green condolence booklet
with Lori Piestewa's photo on it.
Staff at the Lincoln Indian Center assembled it, pages filled with
signature blocks, poems and photos of the 23-year-old Army private killed
in Iraq. The booklet - and a monetary collection - will be sent next
week to the Piestewa family on behalf of the center.
It's yet another gesture in a tremendous outpouring of support from
communities around the country, a display of honor for the soldier woman
from Arizona.
Call her a hero.
Call her a warrior.
Call her a mother.
But, please, don't call this young Hopi woman a "squaw."
Some would recognize the plea. I make it on behalf of my little Hidatsa
nieces, my Lakota sisters, my Omaha friends ... a call for respect towards
Native women.
Others have made similar requests, seeking the removal of the word squaw
from landmarks, such as those used to name rivers and mountains. States
such as Wisconsin, Nebraska, Montana, Oklahoma, Maine and Oregon have all
passed legislation, or public policy, to eliminate the squaw word from
places within their borders.
Arizona entered those ranks Thursday when the State Board on Geographic
and Historic Names agreed to rename Squaw Peak, a Phoenix landmark, in
honor of Lori Piestewa.
Thank you, Gov. Janet Napolitano.
Gratitude is in order because Napolitano helped push the renaming
through hell's fury. Some questioned if Piestewa was worthy. Several
insisted on a five-year waiting period before assigning a deceased
person's name to a place. Others questioned if the word squaw was
derogatory at all.
As for Algonquin linguists: Some say squaw means vagina; some say it
means woman.
By dictionary accounts: It's an offensive and disparaging term used to
describe a Native woman.
In my experience: I've yet to meet a Native woman who would let anyone
call her a squaw.
Changing the peak's name will help set a new course for the treatment of
Native women in the United States. It's hard to believe we are still
arguing about whether the use of the squaw word is acceptable.
It's not.
The word's origins lead some, like Robert Nelson of the Phoenix New
Times, down a lurid path to discussing women's anatomy. An area he has
given much thought.
He came up with suggestions for a new name for Squaw Peak in a Thursday
column. "Although 'Oft Penetrated Native American Vagina Peak' has a nice
ring to it, it would not be an appropriate new name for Squaw Peak," he
wrote.
The name should be left as is, said Nelson.
He blames the American Indian Movement for likening squaw to mean
"Indian whore."
And he assures the reader that squaw is not a "gringo term for a Native
American woman's honeypot."
Nelson insists squaw means "young woman."
He says others know full well what it means when someone says they
"hiked up Squaw Peak during lunch." The white columnist digresses further
but he makes a good point. He's reason alone to eliminate the word from
public places.
Nelson's thought of an "oft penetrated" Native vagina peak is no joke.
White men commit 82 percent of all rapes or sexual assaults against Native
women, according to a recent Department of Justice report.
With continued efforts, the word squaw will be squeezed from the common
vernacular of landmarks in America. Despite opposition to the Squaw Peak
name change, a state and country will march forward.
Piestewa's death moved a nation. It also moved a mountain.
And soon it will bear a fitting name - Piestewa in the Hopi language
is said to mean "the rainwater that collects on the desert floor after a
heavy downpour."
A downpour of political ugliness surrounded the name change, but from
those desert pools of water, something good will grow.
Thank you, Lori Piestewa.
Reach Jodi Rave at 402-473-7240 or jrave@journalstar.com.
Copyright c. Lincoln Journal Star.
--------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Loved One nears Completion of Circle" ---------
Date: Tue, Apr 23 2003 08:10:06 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="DORREEN YELLOW BIRD: COMPLETION of CIRCLE"
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/columnists/dorreen_yellow_bird/
COLUMNIST DORREEN YELLOW BIRD:
A loved one nears the completion of the circle
There are times in our lives when we actually can see the pages of our
lives turn. When I saw my mother in the hospital Sunday, I could almost
feel the slight breeze created as those pages turned.
My mother, Dorothy, was healthy most of her life. She has outlived all
but two of her sisters and she is the oldest of her family. But this last
year hasn't been good for her. She has had bouts of an illness that seems
mysterious and has put her in the hospital. During those episodes, she
seems to go into her own world. This weekend, we were told she probably
needs special equipment that we can't deal with at home, which means a
nursing home may be the only option. So the family set the next steps in
motion.
Before I left the hospital and after the rest of the family had gone, I
went to her room to give her a hug and kiss. She looked so small lying in
that white hospital bed with two quilts tucked tightly around her, even
though it was warm on that Easter day. She knew me, I know, and closed her
eyes as I leaned toward her.
I left quickly because I was blinking back tears. While driving those
five hours back to Grand Forks, memories of her flashed in my mind as if I
was sorting through dozens of digital photographs of her. I saw her
wrinkle up her nose and smile a silly smile. She did that when she knew I
had to do something I didn't want to do. You couldn't be too angry with
her when she looked at you like that.
My father was the iron hand in the house. He was strict and had a temper
sometimes. When he "raised the roof" she would just say in a firm and low
voice, "Grover!" And he would calm down. We always knew that when we were
in trouble with Dad, it was best to have Mom there, too.
Mom spent most of her early married years struggling to make ends meet.
There were 13 children and only the small income from my father's work at
the local veterans' hospital. So she always saves things - plastic grocery
bags, tin foil, brown paper bags and even left-over food from restaurants.
She doesn't waste anything.
When she went into the hospital a few weeks ago, she was in one of those
unresponsive stages, but they soon had her almost back to normal. We were
thinking, "Now she will be better, come home and be the same as she was
before." We all believed that.
We believed it even more when she told the nurse to bring her the
sausage sandwich she had saved from breakfast that day - and the nurse did.
In the past we might find a piece of fried chicken she saved from lunch in
her big, over-stuffed purse while we were looking for some important paper.
Opening her refrigerator could be scary, too. We never were sure what we'd
find in there. We enjoy teasing her about her habit of saving or recycling
things. I guess that's something children like to do when they are adults
and their parents are at their mercy, so to speak.
The life pictures of her continued to appear in my mind. I saw Mom in an
apron bending over, punching down yeasty bread dough; standing on the
porch of our Minot home with hands on her hips yelling at the dogs to stop
barking; sitting in a brown wooden pew at the White Shield Catholic church,
praying with a sweet gentleness on her face. In pictures from later years,
I saw her holding a bingo dauber and squinting while trying to find all
the numbers on her card.
I realized on my trip home that day that she had moved into my
grandmother's space. She is now the woman closest to the edge. Crossing
over is coming; I saw that on her face Sunday. I realized, too, that I am
getting to the place where she was 20 years ago and my daughters have
moved into my current chapter.
Her grandchildren are women now with her own children. The little ones
see Great-Grandma as a stranger. They have a hard time relating to her.
They are at the beginning of the book and she is in the final chapter.
When she reaches "the end" the generations will move unto a fresh page of
a new book.
Yellow Bird writes columns Tuesday and Saturday.
Reach her at 780-1228, (800) 477-6572 ext. 228 or dyellowbird@gfherald.com.
Copyright c. 2003 Grand Forks Herald, Knight Ridder, Inc.
--------- "RE: Reorganization of BIA Criticized" ---------
Date: Tue, Apr 22:09:25 2003 08:12:44 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="BIA REORGANIZATION"
http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm
http://www.okit.com/news/2003/april/reorgcriticized.html
REORGANIZATION OF BIA CRITICIZED
CONGRESSMAN SAYS INTERIOR ACTING IMPROPERLY
SAM LEWIN - 04/21/2003
A New Jersey congressman is asking Interior Secretary Gail Norton to stop
a massive reorganization of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
"Once again I find myself strongly objecting to your agency's handling
of the trust reform issue. It has been brought to my attention by various
tribal leaders that you are proceeding to reorganize the Bureau of Indian
Affairs in the name of trust reform even though Indian Country is
overwhelmingly opposed to your efforts." said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.
J., in a letter dated April 19.
"As a justification for your agency's actions, Interior has asserted
that Judge Lamberth in the Cobell v Norton case has ordered you to
reorganize. This could not be further from the truth...It seems quite
apparent that your agency was only instructed by Judge Lamberth to file a
proposal for reorganization. In no way can any of the Judge's latest
orders be interpreted as requiring your agency's current reorganization
strategy."
The congressman's criticism highlights a deep division in the Native
community over how to proceed with the case. Earl Old Person, a member of
the original class action lawsuit, recently asked to have himself
dismissed as a plaintiff. In doing so, Old Person joined a chorus of
Native leaders in decrying a decision to put individual Indian Trust Fund
monies into receivership. Five tribal chairmen also signed a letter
blasting the receivership move.
Interior Spokesman Dan DuBray doesn't agree with Pallone's comments. "I
don't think that's correct. Mr. Pallone was not at any of the task force
meetings last year. Consensus was not reached on every aspect, but there
was thorough and broad consultation. It's disingenuous to say this
appeared in a vacuum and that Native leaders were not a party to this
case."
Still, the congressman's letter has raised some eyebrows. Joseph Kleffer,
the "Special Master" appointed by the court to monitor the Trust reform,
has written to Interior attorneys. "I request copies of any and all
directives or other materials that relate to or incorporate the
Department's direction to it's employees to carry out the reorganization
of the Bureau of Indian Affairs addressed by Representative Frank Pallone
Jr., in his April 17, 2002 letter to secretary of the Interior Gail
Norton."
Native American Times Copyright c. 2000-2001 Oklahoma Indian Times, Inc.
--------- "RE: Lawyers get lesson in Tribal Law" ---------
Date: Tue, Apr 22:09:25 2003 08:12:44 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="TRIBAL LAW"
http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm
http://www.okit.com/news/2003/april/lawyertraining.html
LAWYERS GET LESSON IN TRIBAL LAW
OFT-MISUNDERSTOOD SYSTEM EXPLAINED
SAM LEWIN - 04/18/2003
Deep in Creek Nation, nestled behind the intersections of Highways 56 and
73, sits the Mounds building, the heart and soul of Indian tribal law. It
is here that a handful of Tulsa area attorneys took a crash course in what
is often misunderstood by both Natives and non-Natives alike: Justice in
Indian Country.
The American Inns of Court, a legal organization, sponsored the trip.
Lawyers used to dealing with the intricacies of Oklahoma courts traveled
half an hour away to a place where no state in the union has a law that
applies.
"We are a bona fide government, we are a sovereign nation", says Wilbur
Gouge, Speaker of the Muscogee Creek Nation.
"We like to say that the United States Government is patterned after the
Muscogee Creek Nation."
The Creek Nation formally codified a constitution in 1979, but the
principles behind that constitution have been in place for decades. Creek
Law is under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Any law passed by
municipal, county or state officials, with one small exception, simply has
no bearing on what takes place in the tribal court. That exception is
probate and land lease cases. Everything else is all Indian-from divorce
to murder.
Federal courts hesitate to interfere in tribal court cases, pointing out
the tribe's status as sovereign nations. That means Indian courts have
been able to take non-Indians to court. In 1996, the Crow tribal court in
Montana slapped a railroad company with damages in excess of 200 million
dollars for a train accident. In 1997, attorneys for several of the
nations largest tobacco companies, facing a lawsuit from the Creek Nation,
tried to shift the case from tribal court to federal court. The high-
powered attorneys learned a lesson: tribal courts matter; the case was
tried in the Creek courtroom.
Although mysterious to outsiders, tribal law mirrors the functions of
the US government. The Creeks have one courtroom, one District Judge and
six Supreme Court Justices.
Patrick Moore, District Judge of the Muscogee Creek Nation, describes
the make-up of the Supreme Court as
"Four lawyers, one educator and one traditionalist."
What is a traditionalist?
"Real Indians. They go to ceremonial grounds, they know the old ways."
Moore isn't a traditionalist, but he is busy. He handles all criminal,
civil and juvenile cases. One recent morning his docket featured five
divorce cases. The tribal court has held up to 7 million dollars in escrow.
Nine law students help out with the workload.
Those who sit on the Supreme Court are appointed, but come up for
reconfirmation every six years. The current Chief Justice is Amos McNac.
There are more then 150 tribal courts in the United States today.
Perhaps the chief difference is that tribal courts use both written and
un-written codes of laws. For example, a tribal judge would consider
testimony about customs and traditions from an elder without demanding
documentary evidence, as Anglo courts tend to do.
NOT JUST FOR INDIANS
Perhaps the main question about the courts is jurisdiction. Who can be
prosecuted? As the tobacco companies found out to their chagrin in the
90's, you don't have to be Native.
The Creek Nation has authored legislation stating non-Indian companies
doing business on reservation and trust fund lands must agree to iron out
any differences in tribal court.
Tribal police officers have the same power as cops in other cities. The
Creek Nation, mirroring a national trend, has started cross-deputizing its
officers, meaning they can assist law enforcement in other jurisdictions.
The Creek Nation has an agreement with most of the surrounding
municipalities. The City of Tulsa is not one of them.
Gouge says most of the Creek Nations 42,000 members in Oklahoma
understand and appreciate the rule of tribal law.
He enjoys telling the story of Timothy Jack, a 1920's-era member of the
tribe. Jack murdered someone and was tried and sentenced to death in a
tribal court. Citing tradition, the judge allowed Jack several months to
take care of his affairs. No bond was issued; no money was put up as
collateral. Jack simply gave his word to return.
When the execution date rolled around, Jack showed up on time and was
promptly put to death for the murder.
"Now that," says Gouge, "is respect for the court."
Native American Times Copyright c. 2000-2001 Oklahoma Indian Times, Inc.
--------- "RE: Elouise Cobell assesses Lawsuit at UM" ---------
Date: Tue, Apr 23 2003 08:10:06 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
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filename="ELOUISE COBELL SPEAKS"
http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm
http://www.kaimin.org/test2.php?ardate=20030422&id=1480
Speaker assesses lawsuit
Lead plantiff in Cobell v. Norton speaks at UM
Katherine Sather
Montana Kaimin
April 23, 2003
Next week Elouise Cobell will witness the results of seven years of her
efforts for justice in Indian country.
In the second phase of Cobell v. Norton, judges will force the federal
government to account for billions of dollars that the lawsuit alleges
belong to 500,000 American Indians and their heirs.
The trial begins May 1.
Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet tribe in Browning, is the lead
plaintiff in the class action lawsuit being brought against Secretary of
the Interior Gale Norton.
Cobell spoke about the case to about 45 law school students and faculty
in the basement of the Law School library Tuesday. The lecture was part of
Indian Law Week.
"We're gonna win this one," she said. "And I'll be there."
The grounds for the lawsuit date back to the 19th century, when Congress
passed the Dawes Act. The Dawes Act allotted American Indians 80 to 160
acre plots of land on reservations but denied them ownership. Instead, the
federal government established an individual Indian trust, assuming the
responsibility of managing the 11 million acres and the distribution of
revenues generated by natural resources on the land, including mining, gas
extractions and timber operations.
The lawsuit alleges that because of careless record keeping, the
government lost or misplaced more than $100 billion in land royalties that
should have gone to Indians.
"This trust has been horribly mismanaged," said Denise Juneau, a member
of the Native American Law Students Association, who gave an introduction
to Cobell's lecture. "In her capacity as the Blackfeet Nation's treasurer,
Elouise began noticing that Indians were not receiving the money the
government owed them for the trust. So she began to ask questions."
Cobell filed suit on June 1, 1996, in U.S. District Court in Washington,
D.C.
"The stars were aligned for it," she said. "I happened to be the person
leading it, but Indian people for years were asking the right questions."
Cobell won the first phase of the lawsuit in 1999, when U.S. District
Judge Royce Lamberth ordered reform of the government's accounting system.
Former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, as well as his assistant
secretary and treasury secretary, were held in contempt of court for their
department's destruction of documents and misrepresentations to the court
in sworn testimony.
"They could make Enron look like a little tiny pimple," Cobell said.
"They started destroying documents because they saw we were coming with a
lawsuit."
Lamberth also ruled that the Indian plaintiffs should have input on how
much restitution is made.
The federal government wants to account for only current account holders,
while the plaintiffs want restitution for their ancestors, to an amount of
$137 billion.
"This is the trial that determines what plan is going to go forward,"
Cobell said. "For the first time, Indians will have a piece of paper that
says what kind of land they have, what's on the land, and the revenue it's
generated."
She said she never knew the extent of the problem until she began
investigating in the 1990s.
"The government was running a bank that was totally out of control,"
said Cobell, who was president of a bank on the Blackfeet Reservation.
"Nobody was regulating the way it managed the trusts."
She said she's been inspired to educate American Indians about the
lawsuit and its origins so they know about their past. She's coordinated a
program with law students from Gonzaga University who will earn college
credits by teaching people on Indian reservations about Cobell v. Norton.
She hopes to involve University of Montana law students as well.
"A lot of nonIndians know more about the case than a lot of Indians at
home," she said. "The real challenge will be to educate our people on what
has happened. Since 1887, when the trusts were taken over by the
government, our people were kept in the dark."
She compared the situation to an abusive spousal relationship.
"If people don't know any better, they will keep going back," she said.
Copyright c. 2003 The Montana Kaimin.
The University of Montana, Missoula School of Journalism.
--------- "RE: Cobell v. Norton Update" ---------
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 10:48:27 -0400 (EDT)
From: Indian Trust ListServ <listadmin@list.indiantrust.com>
Subj: Cobell v. Norton Update
Mailing List: Indian Trust ListServ <list@list.indiantrust.com>
WASHINGTON, April 24 -- Dennis M. Gingold, lead attorney for Indians
seeking a full accounting of individual trust funds held by the government,
said today that the appeals court decision to remove a court-appointed
special master from the case will have little impact on the litigation.
His complete statement:
On April 24, 2003, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
heard oral argument on Secretary Norton's appeal of the September 17, 2002,
decision of Judge Lamberth. The judge had held her in civil contempt and
found that she engaged in litigation misconduct and perpetrated fraud on
the court.
The Court of Appeals expressed concern about the dual role of Joseph
Kieffer as Court Monitor and Special Master and suspended him until
further notice. The Court of Appeals raised no question about his
findings. In fact, Mr. Keiffer has performed an important function as
court monitor in this litigation. His investigations revealed serious
misconduct by both Secretary Norton and former Secretary Babbitt and their
aides.
Indeed, the Court of Appeals raised no concerns about the findings of Mr.
Kieffer in his role as Court Monitor, a role that was explicitly consented
to by Secretary Norton and the Department of Justice from April 16, 2001,
through September 16, 2002. Therefore, it is unlikely that the findings
made by Mr. Kieffer and adopted by the Court will be disturbed because
they have been confirmed by substantial evidence.
The actions and findings of Special Master Alan Balaran have not been
questioned. He was appointed by the Court on February 24, 1999, following
the decision of Judge Lamberth to hold former Interior Secretary Bruce
Babbitt, former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, and former Assistant
Interior Secretary Kevin Gover in civil contempt for failing to produce
documents required to be produced under a court order and for covering-up
that failure. Mr. Balaran's findings are supported by overwhelming
evidence.
Issues were raised by the Court of Appeals concerning Secretary Norton's
responsibility for the misconduct of her predecessor. However, only two
of the five counts of civil contempt relate to actions soley taken by Mr.
Babbitt. For example, 4 of the 7 quarterly reports that were found by
Judge Lamberth to be materially false and misleading were filed by
Secretary Norton, not former secretary Babbitt.
Moreover, the Court of Appeals suggested that a criminal - not a civil -
contempt proceeding might have been more appropriate.
None of the matters on appeal - which are limited to the contempt
conviction of Secretary Norton and contempt investigations of other
officials - is expected to change the course of the Cobell litigation
which seeks an accounting and rehabilitation of the failed Individual
Indian Trust management systems.
For additional information: Bill McAllister 703-385-6996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To view the latest information concerning this case,
go to www.indiantrust.com
--------- "RE: Update on Montes Azules" ---------
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 07:33:28 -0500 (CDT)
From: owner-chiapas95-english@eco.utexas.edu
Subj: Update on Montes Azules:More threats,Apr 16
Mailing List: Chiapas95-English <chiapas95-english@eco.utexas.edu>
This message is forwarded to you by the editors of the Chiapas95
newslists. To contact the editors or to submit material for posting send
to: <chiapas-i@eco.utexas.edu>.
Sender: "Mexico News email List" <mexiconews@globalexchange.org>
From: Mexico Program <mexico@globalexchange.org>
Dear friends,
Recent events in the Montes Azules Biosphere mark a rise in hostilities
with a new attempt to forcibly relocate independent indigenous
communities located within the Biosphere.
The latest move, led by a joint group of Mexican government agencies,
including the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources
(SEMARNAT), the Federal Attorney for Protection of the Environment
(Profepa) and the National Coordinator for Natural Protected Areas
(CONANP), transporting over 40 armed Lacandon and Chol Indigenous
people to the community Nuevo San Rafael on April 12th, a Zapatista
community, threatening to violently displace them if they do not
relocate by Saturday, April 19th.
Nuevo San Rafael, also known as Ignacio Allende, is composed of 20
Zapatista families, displaced from both the Chiapas highlands and
northern zone by paramilitary groups. Despite the openly violent
threats by the Lacandones and Choles, Mexican government officials did
not intervene, nor do they propose a peaceful solution via dialogue or
negotiation.
Below please find the Urgent Action update prepared by the Social
Justice Committee in Montreal, Canada, and take the time to send the
letters to the addresses of Mexican President Vincente Fox and other
Mexican officials. Alternatively you can send a fax to President Fox at:
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/mexico/biodiversity/foxfax.html
Also included at the end of this message is a press release from the
Global Exchange sponsored delegation to Montes Azules in March this
year. Fore more background to the situation in Montes Azules please see:
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/mexico/biodiversity/
20021002_371.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Mexico Urgent Action: Montes Azules
The Canada Central America/Mexico Urgent Action Network
A letter from you can make a difference for social justice and the
defense of human rights in Central America and Mexico.
Our ability to respond to human rights violations depends on the
commitment of hundreds of people across Canada who belong to the Urgent
Action Network. These people contribute by writing and sending letters
and faxes, urging national and international authorities to respond
immediately to the most recent incidents of human rights abuse. Contact
the Social Justice Committee if you want to become a member, or to get
more information.
This report comes from the Network of Community Defenders of Human
Rights, in San Cristobal de Las Casas, and refers to the imminent
expulsion of the community of Nuevo San Rafael, located within the
perimeter of the biosphere reserve.
For more background information, see the urgent actions # 1009 (April
4th) and #987 (March 25th, 2002) on the SJC's website: www.s-j-c.net
On the morning of the 10th of April, 2003, three Lacandon men,
accompanied by 18 members of the Mexican Navy, arrived at the community
of Nuevo San Rafael to notify the community members that they should
leave Montes Azules immediately, or face a forced eviction on the 12th
of April. The community members notified the offices of the Network of
Community Defenders, who in turn quickly organized a delegation of
human rights observers.
The delegation of observers, which included several Chiapas-based
nongovernmental organizations as well as a representative of Amnesty
International, arrived in Nuevo San Rafael on Saturday.
At two o'clock on Saturday afternoon, April 12th, 40 indigenous Chol
and Lacandon men, carrying machetes and in some cases firearms, arrived
in Nuevo San Rafael and met up with two agents of the PROFEPA (Hector
Trujillo Gomez and Jorge Gomez Roman) at the entrance to the community.
Four other unidentified government agents, presumably from the
Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and the
National Coordinator of Natural Protected Areas (CNANP), arrived by
boat.
The Lacandones approached the entrance of the community in a clearly
threatening manner, and confiscated the video equipment of one of the
human rights organizations. After a heated discussion between the
Lacandones and the community leaders of Nuevo San Rafael, one of the
human rights observers stepped in and solicited a negotiated solution
from the PROFEPA agents. Mr. Trujillo Gomez responded that the PROFEPA
was present only at the invitation of the Lacandones, and had no
proposal for resolving the conflict.
After an hour of discussion, the Lacandones decided to leave, giving
the warning that they would be back next week to remove the community
if they were not already gone. They also gave warning to the human
rights observers that if they did not receive prior permission from the
Lacandon authorities, they would not be permitted to enter the reserve
again. The Lacandon authorities present were David Gonzalez Chanvor
(Presidente de Bienes Comunales), Hugo Chanvor (Consejo de Vililancia)
and Rodolfo Chanvor (Secretary), and Pedro Diaz Solis (Comisariado
Ejidal de Frontera Corozal).
The human rights observers have made it known to the government
authorities that a peaceful, negotiated resolution to this situation is
required. The Network of Community Defenders is requesting
international solidarity in the form of written letters to the federal
and state authorities in support of a peaceful and negotiated
settlement to this land dispute. Had the human rights observers not
been present at this most recent confrontation, the outcome may have
been much worse.
Investigations conducted by Global Exchange and other organizations has
revealed the work of international interests behind the move to
evacuate the Zapatista and other communities from Montes Azules. A
recent article appearing in El Universal illustrated the role of
Conservation International (CI), an American-based "environmental"
organization, in promoting the expulsion of the communities in Montes
Azules. In the article, CI explicitly blamed the Zapatistas and the
timidity of the Mexican and Chiapas governments (and their reluctance
to act in removing the communities) for the destruction of the
rainforest. A recent delegation led by Global Exchange concluded that
the small Indigenous settlements established within the limits of the
reserve were not responsible destroying the forest.
Conservation International has also collaborated closely with the
Lacandones, providing them with satellite and photographic
intelligence, in the quest to remove the communities in question. The
organization is also closely linked to Grupo Pulsar, a Mexican-based
biotechnology giant with several bioprospecting stations in the region.
It is the opinion of the Social Justice Committee that the stage is
being set by the Mexican authorities to portray this situation as an
"intertribal" conflict, much as it has in the past with regards to
violations of human rights in Indigenous communities. Although the
authorities have been urged by several quarters to resolve the
situation peacefully, and a negotiation table has been established, no
serious attempt to do so has yet occurred. Observers fear that another
massacre may be imminent.
Recommended Actions
Please take the time to write to the Mexican federal and state
authorities to urge them to solve this situation in a peaceful manner.
You can also send a fax to President Fox through the Global Exchange
website at www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/mexico. Expediency is of
the utmost importance at this time.
Sample Letter
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/mexico/biodiversity/foxfax.html
Addresses
Lic. Vicente Fox Quesada
Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Residencia Oficial de Los Pinos
Col. San Miguel Chapultepec, Mexico D.F.,
C.P. 11850, MEXICO
FAX: 011 52 55 522 4117 or 516 9537 or 515 1794
vicente@fox2000.org.mx or radio@presidencia.gob.mx or go to www.gob.mex
and from there to interactivo@ to send a message.
If you have access to a fax machine and are able to get through, the
fax method, being less impersonal, is probably more effective. If you
live in Ottawa or in a city where there is a Mexican consulate, they
will almost certainly be willing to forward a fax to President Fox's
office on your behalf.
Lic. Pablo Salazar Mendiguchi'a
Gobernador del Estado de Chiapas
Palacio de Gobierno,
Tuxtla Gutie'rrez Chiapas, MEXICO
FAX: 011 52 961 20917
salazarp@prodigy.net.mx
Please send copies of your letters to President Fox to the following
government officials:
Lic. Victor Lichtinger (Minister of the Environment)
Secretario de SEMARNAT
Lateral de Anillo Perife'rico No. 4209
Jardines de la Monta~a,
delegacio'n Tlalpan
C.P. 14210, Mexico D.F., MEXICO
vlichtinger@semarnat.gob.mx
Lic. Jose' Ignacio Campillo Garci'a
Procurador Federal de Proteccio'n al Ambiente
Perife'rico Sur No. 5000
Col. Insurgentes, Cuicuilco Delegacio'n Coyoaca'n
C.P. 04530, Mexico D.F., MEXICO
jcampillo@correo.profepa.gob.mx
Lic. Mariclaire Acosta,
Subsecretaria de Derechos Humanos y Democracia
FAX: 011 52 55 117 4334 or 327 3195
afranco@sre.gob.mx or macosta@sre.gob.mx
Her Exellency Maria Teresa Garcia Segovia
Ambassador for Mexico
45 O'Connor St, suite 1500,
Ottawa, Ont. K1P 1A4
FAX 613 235 9123 info@embamexcan.com
FOR CANADA:
Hon. Bill Graham Minister of Foreign Affairs
FAX: 613 996 9607 ,Graham.b@parl.gc.ca
The Social Justice Committee
1857 de Maisonneuve ouest Suite 320
Montreal Quebec H3H 1J9
Tel: 1-514-933-6797 Fax: 1-514-933-9517
Email: sjc@web.ca
---------------------------------------------------------------------
March 14, 2003 San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
Stop the Forced Displacement of Indigenous Communities in Chiapas,
Mexico
An emergency delegation sponsored by Global Exchange has returned from
the Montes Azules Integral Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico, and
has prepared the following statement:
We denounce the imminent forced relocation of indigenous communities
settled in Montes Azules. Further, we concur with most nongovernmental
organizations that the dislocations are being carried out as a pretext
for further commercial exploitation of the region, such as oil
exploration, bioprospecting, and the construction of hydroelectric dams.
Under threat in Montes Azules are communities allied with the Rural
Association of Collective Interests (ARIC-Independiente) and EZLN
support base communities. The EZLN (Zapatista National Liberation Army)
has been involved in ongoing resistance since January 1, 1994, the
first day NAFTA took effect.
On March 12-13, we met with representatives of the communities of Nuevo
San Gregorio, Nueva Israel, and Rancheria Corozal, part of a
six-village region that is allied with ARIC-Independiente and listened
to their testimony. We also visited with representatives of various
nongovernmental organizations in Chiapas during our week-long visit.
We denounce the Mexican government's plans to displace indigenous
peoples from this area and the charges that the indigenous peoples are
destroyers of the land. Many of them have been subjected to severe
harassment by various government authorities, including the federal
environmental prosecutor (PROFEPA) and the Federal Preventative Police
(PFP). These authorities claim that indigenous settlers are threatening
the integrity of the UN-recognized Biosphere Reserve.
In flights over the region, we were able to verify that any ecological
damage done by these communities is minimal, especially in comparison
to the extensive damage resulting from roads, cattle ranches, logging,
military bases and other commercial uses of the land.
Indigenous people have the right to remain on their land and to farm
their land in the ways that they see fit. They have an ethical claim to
live on their land and work it in ways that support the earth. In
addition, their presence on the land is legitimate under the provisions
of the indigenous rights convention (Convention 169) of the UN
International Labor Organization. We reject the view of some
international environmental NGOs (e.g., Conservation International)
that have supported the Mexican government's charge that indigenous
communities are destroying the rainforest.
The current crisis in Chiapas is an outcome of the long history of
unresolved land conflicts in southern Mexico and Chiapas. Many of the
current settlers' parents and grandparents moved to Montes Azules, at
the behest of previous governments, to escape the oppressive and
degrading working conditions that are present on southern Mexico's
large landed estates. They are of Tzotzil, Tseltal, Tojolobal and Chol
ancestry, representing the cultural diversity of the traditional Mayan
peoples of Chiapas.
The communities we visited are cooperating in an important experiment
to demonstrate a more sustainable way of living on the land. For eight
or more years they have ceased using slash and burn agriculture and
have ended the use of harmful chemicals. They seek international
support to continue developing new organic methods of cultivation based
on some of the most traditional means of caring for the land.
We visited refugees from one community, Arroyo San Pablo, who were
forced out of the rainforest last December and relocated to a
government-run shelter in the city of Comitan. For three months they
have been languishing in dismal conditions, dispirited by the
government's apparent inability - or unwillingness -- to resolve their
situation.
We reject the idea that the forced relocation of indigenous peoples has
anything to do with protecting the ecosystem in question, and believe
that it is paving the way for Plan Puebla Panama and the Free Trade
Area of the Americas. We believe in the self-determination of the
indigenous peoples, as outlined in the San Andres Accords of 1996 and
that the protection of the biodiversity of Montes Azules will best be
implemented by the indigenous peoples themselves.
The Global Exchange emergency delegation included 12 representatives
from the United States, Canada, Italy, and Mexico. Organizations
represented were ACERCA (Action for Community and Ecology in the
Regions of Central America), Social Justice Committee, Social Action
Committee, Institute for Social Ecology, and the Chiapas Independent
Media Project. The delegation was accompanied by independent
journalists from the United States.
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--------- "RE: More charges in B.C. Residential Abuse Case" ---------
Date: Tue, Apr 23 2003 08:10:06 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="RESIDENTIAL ABUSE"
http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm
http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=0c19ecdb-34d4-47a9
Police lay more charges in B.C. residential abuse investigation
TERRI THEODORE
Canadian Press
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
VANCOUVER (CP) - More charges have been laid in a broad, long-running
investigation into abuse at aboriginal residential schools in British
Columbia.
A 77-year-old former Vancouver Island man faces 21 sex and assault-
related charges. Edward Gerald Fitzgerald now is living in Ireland and
investigators are working to try to bring him back to Canada to stand
trial. He is charged with 10 counts of indecent assault, three of gross
indecency, two of buggery, and six counts of common assault.
The offenses were said to have taken place while Fitzgerald was a
dormitory supervisor at the Lejac Indian Residential School near Fraser
Lake, in northern British Columbia, and the Cariboo-St. Joseph's Indian
Residential School near Williams Lake in the central part of the province,
between 1965 and 1973.
Police said Wednesday the alleged incidents involved 10 male students.
The RCMP said the Native Indian Residential School Task Force now has
completed its investigation of allegations of physical and sexual abuse at
15 residential schools in British Columbia.
The schools were set up under a federal policy aimed at assimilating
aboriginals and run for decades by various Christian churches. The last
one closed in the 1970s.
"We've had literally thousands of complaints come in on this, so it's
taken a quite a while to process all of them," said task force spokesman
Cpl. Mike Pacholuk.
Three more files are being reviewed by Crown counsel and may result in
charges against other individuals, police said.
Eleven people have been charged since the task force began its work in
1995.
"I think we've been very successful," said Pacholuk. "A lot of it's
going to depend on what your definition of success is, I suppose."
Pacholuk said the investigative team was able to identify potential
suspects dating back 60 years, but one out of every three of them is dead.
"Some of the allegations go back as far as the early 1940s," he said.
"That's 62 years ago and trying to trace somebody back, sometimes there
was very little information."
Pacholuk said many of the allegations have not resulted in charges
because the information about long-ago offenses is vague, there is no
corroboration and witnesses have died.
Copyright c. 2003 The Canadian Press.
--------- "RE: Indian Act: Chiefs warn of potential Violence" ---------
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 09:42:46 -0400
From: "Frosty" <frosty@frostys.qc.ca>
Subj: Fw: Chiefs warn of potential violence,
economic disruption over Indian Act changes
Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian <frostysamerindian@yahoogroups.com>
----- Original Message -----
From: Russell Diabo
April 28, 2003
Chiefs warn of potential violence, economic disruption over
Indian Act changes
OTTAWA (CP) -- Native chiefs warned Monday that planned Indian Act
changes are "a recipe for confrontation" that could spark violence and
economic disruption.
They talked tough as about 1,500 people waved flags and placards on
Parliament Hill during an emotional protest that swelled beyond original
attendance forecasts.
But fiery speeches aren't enough to sway dismissive lawmakers, several
leaders said. Road and bridge blockades may be the only way to make their
point, they suggested.
"We have to remain peaceful, as much as we can," said Grand Chief Dennis
White Bird of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
"But when we say we will mobilize our people, we will do that. And if we
have to make every effort to cripple the economy of this country, then we
will."
Such tactics will be used sooner rather than later, warned White Bird,
clad in buckskin and a traditional headdress.
"A recipe for confrontation" is how another chief described Indian
Affairs Minister Robert Nault's single-minded drive to push the
contentious legislation through.
"I'm very concerned about the potential for violence," said Leon
Jourdain, grand chief of Treaty 3. The collection of 28 communities
includes 20,000 Anishinaabe people in Nault's northwestern Ontario riding
of Kenora-Rainy River.
Native leaders must launch a systematic takeover of Indian Affairs
offices across Canada, Jourdain said.
More than a year of marches and protest has fallen on deaf ears in
Ottawa, he added.
"We have tried everything. And we will mobilize our young to take it to
the next level."
Nault's proposed First Nations Governance Act was widely assailed during
cross-country hearings by native leaders, the Canadian Bar Association,
church groups and even a former Liberal Indian Affairs minister.
Now being studied by an all-party Commons committee, the legislation
would require about 600 native communities to draft election and hiring
codes, conform to the Canadian Human Rights Code and broaden fiscal
reporting.
Nault insists the bill is a step toward self-government that would not
infringe aboriginal rights to govern themselves.
His many critics say the government offered too brief a consultation
period to allow real native input. They also say the legislation wouldn't
survive a promised constitutional challenge in court.
--------- "RE: Fundraiser for Alex White Plume" ---------
Date: Tue, Apr 23 2003 08:10:06 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="HEMP HOEDOWN"
http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2003/04/23/news/local/
Hemp Hoedown May 2
April 23, 2003
PIEDMONT - Hemp food, goods and ale, along with live music, are all on
tap at the third annual Hemp Hoedown, set for Friday, May 2, at the Elk
View Campground near Piedmont.
The event starts at 4 p.m. Friday and goes until 1 a.m., rain or shine.
Elk View Campground is off Interstate 90 at Exit 37. Cost is $5, plus an
additional $5.25 for anyone who wants to camp.
Jeremy Briggs, a spokesman for the failed South Dakota Industrial Hemp
Act, is organizing the event. It is sponsored by The Hempire, Briggs'
business that sells hemp goods, which is currently in Sharry's Craft Mall
at 628 St. Joseph St. in Rapid City.
Hemp foods, including burritos, pasta, pizza and burgers, will be served,
and hemp ale from a Sioux Falls brewery will also be available. There will
also be booths selling hemp goods, hemp demonstrations, and hemp videos.
Scheduled bands include Funnbaggz; Sequoia the Warrior, a blend of hip
hop and rock `n' roll; bluegrass band 6 Mile Road; and Random Ax, a jam
band with punk influences. Juda Diaz will also be spinning records,
according to an event flier.
The event is a fund-raiser to benefit Alex White Plume, who has planted
hemp on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation for the past three years. The
Oglala Sioux Tribe has ruled that industrial hemp is legal, but federal
law does not differentiate between hemp and marijuana. The plants are
related but hemp does not contain the chemical in marijuana that provides
a "high" to smokers.
The Hemp Hoedown is also meant to educate people about industrial hemp,
which is currently legal to import into the United States but illegal to
grow here.
Briggs says hemp provides numerous benefits: it is a complete food
source; it provides long, strong, durable, elastic natural fibers; it
makes strong, long-lasting paper without chemicals; it can be used to make
efficient fuel; it makes durable building material; and it's good for body
care.
Briggs is also bringing hemp information to Black Hills State
University's Festival on the Green in Spearfish this Friday, April 25,
starting at 3 p.m., and to Western Dakota Technical Institute's Earth Day
event from noon to 7 p.m. Friday.
For more information, call Briggs at 716-1356.
Copyright c. 2003 the Rapid City Journal.
--------- "RE: Trial in Aquash Murder Case scheduled for June" ---------
Date: Thu, Apr 24 2003 08:12:27 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="AQUASH TRIAL"
http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2003/04/24/news/local/news10.txt
Trial in Aquash murder case scheduled for June
April 24, 2003
SIOUX FALLS (AP) - A June trial date has been set for one of the men
accused of killing a member of the American Indian Movement in 1975.
Arlo Looking Cloud is scheduled to stand trial June 24 in federal court
in Rapid City, though that date could be pushed back.
His next hearing will be next month.
He and John Graham are charged with first-degree murder in the slaying
of Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash, who vanished from a Denver home in late 1975.
Her frozen body was found on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation in
February 1976. The 30-year-old woman had been shot in the head.
Looking Cloud was transferred from Denver, where he was arrested last
month, and pleaded not guilty to the charge Monday. He would face a
mandatory life sentence if convicted.
Graham, who is also known as John Boy Patton, has not been arrested and
is thought to be in Canada.
Looking Cloud will be held at Pennington County Jail in Rapid City until
his trial.
Looking Cloud is a Lakota Sioux who grew up on the Pine Ridge
reservation. He was arrested March 27.
Copyright c. 2003 the Rapid City Journal.
--------- "RE: Innocent Eyes Are Watching" ---------
Date: Thu, Apr 24 2003 08:12:27 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS"
http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm
http://www.navajohopiobserver.com/NAVAJOHOPIOBSERVER/sites/NAVAJOHOPIOBSERVER/0155edition/
`Innocent Eyes Are Watching' in Leupp
By S.J. Wilson
The Observer
April 24, 2003
LEUPP - An impressive number of people and organizations from the Western
and Southern agencies of the Navajo Nation came together April 11 in Leupp
to make a strong message against child abuse and neglect.
The theme of this year's parade was "Innocent Eyes are Watching," which
was organized by the Navajo Nation Division of Social Services and
supported by different chapter officials and organizations. A large
number of entries included Navajo Nation Speaker of the House Lawrence
Morgan, Leupp Public Health Nursing, the JWLA Singer, Clara Wilson of the
District 5 Song and Dance Organization, the Class of 2003-Leupp Schools
Inc., Tolani Lake Elementary and Head Start schools, Navajo Area on Aging,
the STAR School, Marlene Granger of Taking Back Our Community and many
more. The Leupp Senior Center sent a message to the Navajo Nation to teach
love and show the love in each and every home. The Dine' Family Learning
Center and the Dilcon Division of Behavioral Health promoted education
about the problem of child abuse and neglect. Cora Phillips, Navajo Nation
Division of Health executive director, has been coming to the event for
many years. This year, she was honored to join Carl Bighorse as grand
marshals for the parade.
"This is a community gathering that happens every year, and I'm very,
very proud of the Leupp community for coming together to help spread the
message of child abuse and neglect prevention. It's a function that
brings together surrounding communities including Leupp, Dilkon, Tolani
Lake and Birdsprings," Phillips said. Child abuse is a tragedy that takes
place in every segment of society. "It is something that requires us to
stand in unity, to hold hands and join forces in order to combat this
unnecessary societal ill. It's through the combination of forces that will
help us to continue to build upon the powerful message of prevention for
many generations to come." Isabel Walker with the Division of Social
Service said that April is Child Abuse Prevention Month for her
organization. "Even though it's our job as parents all year-round to care
for our children, this is a special month that social services has
selected to campaign strongly against child abuse and neglect," she said.
"We try to spread the word among all our parents-mothers and fathers, and
grandparents to not abuse their children, and to encourage them to love
and take care of their children." Two Leupp School Inc. fifth-grade
students were winners of an essay and a poster contest. Natasha Chance
read her essay during the live broadcast of KTNN, The Voice of the Navajo
Nation. "I wrote about child abuse and how people will feel about child
abuse," she said, admitting that she was a little nervous about reading
aloud to the whole Navajo Nation. Elissa Williams created a colorful
poster, depicting a child's life before her family became aware of how
alcohol abuse can constitute child abuse. The father is drinking and
arguing with his wife, while a little girl looks on, looking fearful. The
second panel of the poster shows a happy family, the result of counseling
and education within the family. The mother and father are standing
together, looking happy with the little girl cradled in her father's arms.
After the parade, other events included a ceremony honoring area
veterans and free hot dogs and chips for all. The flea market did a brisk
business, and old friends and family members mingled. Many in attendance
said that this was one of the biggest events ever.
Copyright c. 2003 Northern Arizona Newspapers, Inc./Navajo-Hopi Observer.
--------- "RE: Tribe wants Control over non-Indians within Rez" ---------
Date: Tue, Apr 23 2003 08:10:06 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="JURISDICTIONAL SOVEREIGNTY"
http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm
http://www.gallupindependent.com/04-22-03tribe.html
Tribe wants control over non-Indians within rez
Jim Maniaci
Dine' Bureau
April 22, 2003
WINDOW ROCK - If Indian tribal governments, including the Navajo, get
their way, non-Indians who commit crimes within reservation boundaries
will be prosecuted in tribal, instead of state or federal, courts.
Unhappy with a string of U.S. Supreme Court decisions about tribal power,
Indian tribes will soon ask Congress to give them complete control within
their exterior boundaries.
Navajo Nation Chief Justice Robert Yazzie told the tribal council on
Monday in his quarterly "State of the Navajo Nation" talk that Sen. Daniel
Inouye, D-Hawaii, and Sen. Ben Nighthorse-Campbell, R-Colo., will
introduce a bill to reverse the decisions viewed by First American nations
as totally favoring states over tribes.
The "Tribal Sovereignty and Economic Enhancement Act of 2003" will be
introduced in Congress once tribes across the country agree on its
contents.
"The goal of the (act) is to restore full tribal authority over Indian
Country by: (1) declaring 'Indian Country' as tribal jurisdiction; (2)
declaring complete civil and criminal jurisdiction over all persons and
activities occurring in Indian Country; and (3) declaring regulatory
jurisdiction over taxation, environment, land use, water resources,
hunting and fishing, business activities, state schools, and all fee land
in Indian Country."
Yazzie, who confirmed his announcement to retire as soon as the council
confirms his successor, related the string of U.S. Supreme Court decisions
since 1968, including the Navajo government's own Atkinson Trading Co. vs.
Shirley in 2001.
The court ruled unanimously in favor of private property rights over
tribal imposition of its hotel tax at the Cameron Trading Post, owned by
the Atkinson Trading Co. of Gallup. The property is fee land.
"The U.S. Supreme Court has a definite position," Yazzie said. "There is
no such thing as tribal sovereignty, and if there is it should be severely
limited."
In other words, he indicated, "State interest prevails over any tribal
authority and Indian Country boundary lines cannot stop states from coming
into Indian Country. In order for tribal jurisdiction to be asserted over
non-Indians, non-Indians must consent or Congress must expressly delegate
such power to Indian nations."
Basically, the top court in America doesn't trust Indian courts, because
they "are often subordinate to the political branches of tribal
governments." And, "Indian courts apply customary law which non-Indians do
not understand."
He also said, "Federal courts cannot review cases involving abuses of
power by tribes."
The current patchwork system leads to "jurisdictional confusion when
crime is committed on fee land within Indian Country, with the result that
there is neither justice nor protection to Indian victims," he said.
Yazzie warned, "There is already an organized non-Indian faction
lobbying against this initiative. All our leaders need to talk to all
members of Congress to solicit the support necessary to ensure passage."
The act's national steering committee will meet Thursday in Albuquerque,
which will include the latest case from Bishop, Calif., in which the state
took tribal records in a case in which tribal members allege the tribal
government employees engaged in state welfare fraud.
Yazzie added that several states, including Arizona, have sent in legal
briefs supporting the tribe, saying the state didn't need to use force.
Delegates also will receive a briefing on the act on May 7, with May 5
and 6 being devoted to a tribal justice division briefing on all current
litigation.
Copyright c. 2003 the Gallup Independent.
--------- "RE: Oglala National Healing and Peltier's Release" ---------
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 17:44:38 +1000
From: Neshoba <ozi@OZRAMP.NET.AU>
Subj: Call for Oglala National Healing and Peltier's Release
Mailing List: Indian Heritage <INDIAN-HERITAGE-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Camp_Justice
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APR. 16, 2003
(Please Distribute Far and Wide)
Information Contact: Oglala Commemoration Committee
email: oglala_commemoration@yahoo.com
web: www.geocities.com/oglala_commemoration
Phone: 605.441.9453
BURNING SKY AND TETON SIOUX NATION TREATY COUNCIL JOIN IN CALL FOR
OGLALA NATIONAL HEALING AND PELTIER'S RELEASE
Oglala SD - Performing for the first time at the 2003 Concert Portion
of the Oglala Commemorative Event is the award winning "Burning Sky".
This band hails from Dine territory in Arizona. They have performed
at Benefit concerts for Peltier in the past. The Oglala commemoration
Committee and the Lakota Student Alliance wishes to welcome them to
this year's event.
Also appearing on the Roster is a very respected Lakota leader and
spokesman for the Teton Sioux Nation Treaty Council (TSNTC). Mr. Tony
Black Feather is a delegate for the United Nations Working Group. The
TSNTC is an official UNPO organization based on the Pine Ridge
Reservation and has existed since 1894. Black Feather will bring us
updates on the recent UN meetings.
# # #
More information about the event From a Press Release:
http://www.geocities.com/lakotastudentalliance/lsapr_013103.html
4TH ANNUAL AWARENESS EVENT FOR POLITICAL PRISONER LEONARD PELTIER
SCHEDULED FOR JUNE ON PINE RIDGE RESERVATION.
OGLALA SD - The 4th Commemorative Event is scheduled for June 26,
2003 (Thurs) in Oglala SD on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
(Known as the Oglala Lakota Nation.)
The Lakota Student Alliance and Kansas City AIM Support Group jointly
sponsor the annual event to honor and remember the lives lost during
the 1970s Civil War on the Reservation and to also raise awareness
toward the unjust imprisonment of AIM member Leonard Peltier whose
incarceration resulted from a Shootout incident between AIM members
and Federal police agents at Oglala 28 years ago. It is also an event
which promotes reconciliation and healing for the 1970s events with
emphasis on alternatives or restorative justice.
Activities begin at the Gravesites of Joe Stuntz, Anna Mae Aquash,
and Jun Little; A memorial walk ends at the Jumping Bull Property; a
Community Dinner and a Concert commences at the Loneman School in
Oglala. This years event celebrates the wonderful accomplishments of
Lakota Youth and also honors the past heroes of contemporary such as
Buddy Lamont, Pedro Bisonnette, Anna Mae Aquash, Joe Stuntz, Jun
Little, Nilak Butler and Standing Deer.
Musical Guests include Anishnabe Artist Wayquay; Lakota Rockers Steel
River Band; Folk Singer Jim Page; Oglala Hiphopper Storm; Southern
Cheyenne Singer JD Nash, Spyderzback of Pine Ridge and the powerful
Dine instrumental band "Burning Sky" has just arrived on the roster
and possibly more to come soon.
http://www.geocities.com/oglala_commemoration/2003concert.html
Speakers at this event will include distinguished characters who
played a vital role in the justice movement for Leonard Peltier:
Bruce Ellison, Peltier Attorney for 26 years from Rapid City will
discuss Globalization as well as and update us about Leonards case;
Vernon Bellecourt , AIM (American Indian Movement) Spokesman from
Minneapolis MN will discuss Racism in Sports and Media; Tom Cook,
Mohawk Founding Editor of former Akwesasne Notes and Founding member
of Slim Buttes Land Association will speak about many uses of Hemp As
An Alternative Energy; and members of the Lacreek Civil Rights
Association will discuss the many wonderful accomplishments they made
this past year. Tony Black Feather, Spokesman for the Teton Sioux
Nation Treaty Council, recently released a statement from the TSNTC
regarding the War Against Iraq.
Other speakers include Russell Blacksmith of the Lakota Student
Alliance who was recently inducted into the
National Congress of American Indians Youth Board; And Tom Poor Bear
updating us on the Progress of Camp Justice. More Speakers will be
added to the roster as we near the fourth Annual event. We invite all
concerned people to come join us this very historic day to celebrate
and share.
--------- "RE: Native Prisoner" ---------
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 06:42:57 -0500
From: Janet Smith <owlstar@speakeasy.org
Subj: Native Prisoner
=====
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2003 2:02 AM
From: "Native American Prisoner Network (NAPN)" <naprisoners@netscape.net>
Subj: REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE FOR NATIVE CIRCLE AT USP LEE COUNTY,
JONESVILLE, VA
====================================
REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE FOR NATIVE CIRCLE AT USP LEE COUNTY, JONESVILLE, VA
USP Lee County is a new age prison deep in the mountains of Virginia.
It's location makes it hard for the Native brothers here to thrive.
Right now there are (4) of us. We now have a sweat lodge. We're all
far from our homeland. There is no spiritual advisor for us so we must
deal with these Christian Chaplains for our right to worship and be
spiritual people. They're attempting to tell us how to be Indians.
They even try to tell us how much wood they think we should burn at our
ceremony. But we make due with what the Creator gives us.
Please feel free to contact the Chaplains here if need be. They're
available. In fact we encourage it. A Medicine Man would be a
blessing. The Chaplain would permit us to call him or if someone is
close, permit him to come into USP Lee County.
If anyone can help this Circle, knows of someone who would be willing
to, or someone for them to contact, please contact the prisoner
directly, information below.
Thomas Rooks #00941-061
USP Lee County
P O Box 305
Jonesville, VA
Chaplain Waters
Chaplain Milligan
Assistant Warden: J. Jones, A.W. over Programs
--
Native American Prisoner Network (NAPN)
http://members.tripod.com/~foltz.k/napnhome.html
--------- "RE: Rustywire: What would it be Like to be Free" ---------
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 03:51:31 -0000
From: "rustywire" <rustywire@hotmail.com>
Subj: what would it be like to be free?
Mailing List: Rez Life <rezlife@yahoogroups.com>
There was at time once.
It was summer once, where all those that lived in the valleys, hills
and mountains enjoyed the long days of summer. The flowers grew, the
nuts, plants and grasses tasted sweet, and the warmth of the sun
brought life to everything. There is nothing like the quiet of a
valley meadow with a cool breeze and the rush of mountain stream
nearby. One can sit and enjoy the slow movement of cloud across the
blue sky, and watch the flight of the eagle dancing on the wind way up
so high it is a mere speck in the sky. It is the time of youth, of
hopes, dreams and feeling that somewhere in the world everything is
alright for those moments where time stands still.
In the lull of sunshine, dreams and rest, there came a stiff wind,
blowing from the south and east. A slight coolness in the air came
upon the land and the creatures stirred feeling the chill of a brisk
wind. It is nothing but air, nothing more some said, let it be and the
sun will bear down on us and all will be well. Some of the animals
looked to the wind as a sign of change, not quite knowing what the
next day would bring, but kept a watchful eye and ear for the subtle
things that mark the beginning of the end of summer.
Summer comes and goes, the sun always shines, a few days of stormy
weather that blows itself out always appear on the horizon, the sound
of thunder brings heavy rains, dark skies and the sound of crashing
thunder. Bolts of lightning can be seen flashing in the distance and
some creatures played, while others looked to the sky to see what was
different about this new storm. Some ran around and quietly gathered
seeds, blades of grass, bark and plant food eating some and putting
the rest away in a safe place for a future time.
As all things do, the long days of summer ended and the leaves of
color came to the valley, bright orange, yellow, pale pink and
lavender filled the mountainside. Cool winds brought a harvest of
every kind of plant and the bounty was collected, the celebration of
the fruits of the valley were taken, some ate all that there was, the
winter will be not so hard, it will be easy, slight winds and little
snow and soon it will be summer again some said and so they played and
went about their life expecting the sun to shine again.
Some creatures gathered plant food, eating some of what they had found
and put just a little away after all there might be a winter snow that
will cover everything for a little while, but it would not last long
and they would be able to find some comfort in the stores of their
neighbors who worked to put away the fruits of their work, gathering
seeds, nuts, berries, and fruits of all kinds storing away these
things in their homes, and in secret places set aside in the forests,
canyons and valleys they knew looking to survive the harshest of
winter. In all of this there were many creatures who looked to each
new dawn and thought not too much about the coming season but said I
will manage to get by and survive today, let tomorrow take care of
itself.
So it was in the long days of summer when the heat beat down and life
was good, the creatures all found the long days of summer were the
best they had ever known. In the way things would go it was a time
that was like no other and they did not know that it would never be
like that again. Can you remember such days where the grass was soft,
and cool water was nearby and there was slight cool breeze and clouds
slipped on by way up high and all that mattered was to etch into your
soul that in all the world there was no place quite like that and at
the time you did not really notice it, but after a lifetime has gone
by you remember the warmth of the sun on your skin, the coolness of
drink on your lips and the time when you really did not; now it but
you could go anywhere or do anything just because you wanted to and
nothing more. A sense of freedom to run, to walk or sit and watch, to
go to the highest point, or to wade through the water and to sleep in
a mountain meadow. It is to know freedom, to have a balance where the
earth and all the creatures around and the everything was in harmony.
That is how it was that summer for all these creatures.
Then one day the winds began to blow and chilling frost came up the
land, where the wind blew so stiff and cold it froze everything on the
ground, there was no place not touched. It found the highest mountain,
the lowest valley and every plain, there was not a blade of grass that
did not feel the sting of cold wind. It was at this time that some of
the creatures who had enjoyed summer were overcome by the changes to
their places, where the cold crept in and took the very warmth from
their breath. They struggled against the cold and left their land and
them barren. They suffered hunger, frostbite and fell frozen in their
own homelands.
Some others moved on leaving their homelands, remembering the familiar
valleys, mountains and streams of their youth, the songs of life and
the sweet taste of mountain streams and found that their stores were
not enough, they lost the memories of a good life and with it the
heart to go on, taking refuge where they could and moved about the
land as strangers in it. Many of these creatures suffered from the
change in seasons and vanished from the land never to be seen again,
and yet some were like mirages, who scattered to the four winds to
find a place to call home.
There were some creatures who had spent their time saving their
stores, their harvest, who endured the hardships dealt them that were
as harsh as any could be. They had known the long days of summer and
remembered the cool breezes and found shelter in the places they
roamed. The winds blew, the hard snows fell and the land was barren.
The snow fell hard, and the ice covered everything. All that was
familiar was changed by the long winter. In their shelters they spoke
of earlier times, when the sky was blue, of a time when they could
travel to their homelands, a spot where the red fern hangs above the
water, just touching it.
This is the story of our Indian people from all across this land, They
talked of mountain meadows and waist high grass, and of dances they
did to welcome the spring, to celebrate the end of the bears sleep, a
time to dance to shake out the old bones and welcome the spring
showers, the he-rains and soft-she rains that would bring back the
warmth of summer.
The wind continued to blow and the land was harsh, the trees died and
were no more. The canyons and rivers were dried up so that even the
fish could not live there anymore. The skies were no longer blue, but
gray and dark, the smell of fresh pine was the taste of acrid smoke.
In the fires of home, in the quiet of night where those that remained
gathered they talk about a time when all creatures enjoyed a good day
but those days are no more. The long winter has gone on and on and the
world has forever changed.
It does not matter that canyon echoes are silenced, and the taste of
spring water has a brackish taste, or that the sunlight is filtered
through a haze, all these have come to all the creatures of the world
and we continue on in it. The one thing that is gone forever is the
sweet taste of going about to any mountaintop, to any valley or plain,
not so much in being able to do it because we can get up and go, but
that in the long days of winter and killing frost the fact that some
survived are not free. We are dependant sovereigns, and the sweet
taste of respect as a common man that we knew long ago is not ours but
rests not in the thoughts and minds of men like us, but in the dollars
and lack of common sense of an alphabet soup that can’t spell
it’s own name. Who am I that I have survived.
I am a Native American who is searching for the true meaning of
freedom in his own land, and in the books it is written that I do not
know how to take care of myself, a dependant a ward to a body who has
no face, no heart and does not treat any of us by the tenants afforded
the lowest person who is by birth not Native. All the talk from past
Presidents, bureacrats, army generals, tribal treaties, executive
orders do not give me the most basic rights afforded an everage
American.
The US Bill of Rights does not apply to Indians and that is the rub,
if in all this litigation on Cobell, the one that has come to light is
that all our rights, hopes anf faith lie in the hands of one
bureaucrat in a government office who doesn't care about any of the
basic rights of over 500 tribes.
We are nothing but a voice in the wind that carries no weight in
Washindoan, as we say in Navajo. Discussion on mascots is too trivial
an issue when basic human rights are not affored to us. In the days of
the holocaust the people were tattooed with a number, in this country
natives have a ten digit number and it follows us until we die. It
also means I am incompetent and that is a just one truth about being
an enrolled Indian. We have fought wars on foreign soils to deliver a
taste of freedom, but yet in our own country we are branded until the
day we die. I long for the taste of it; to know what it is to be truly
free in my own homeland.
--------- "RE: Poem: Today my Home is on the Road" ---------
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003 23:49:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: yael <yael@dojo.tao.ca>
Subj: travel poems
<To: Gary Night Owl <gars@speakeasy.org>
today my home is on the road
as i wander the streets of flagstaff
and hike the red rocks in sedona
i remember the story i was told by
a native american womyn when i was younger
about why the dirt is red
she said it was Coyote who wanted
to be with the Star
and she told him he could be with her
if he danced all night
and then
SPLAT
today i am thinking
of the violence
inherent in this system
where i can't
get a job
because i don't have an address
and i can't
get an address
because i don't have a job
where i have to choose between
going to a peace vigil
and getting a free meal
between eating dead animals
or not eating
where i can't
visit my friends
in jail
because i don't want to
hitchhike
across the country
alone
yet the kindness shown to me
and the beauty of this landscape
is enough
to last
a thousand lifetimes
as i eat food from strangers
and watch the arizona sunset
i can say i taste true joy
--------- "RE: Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days" ---------
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 18:39:02 -1000
From: Debbie Sanders <kepola@hgea.org>
Subj: Hawaiian Book of Days
A HAWAI`I BOOK OF DAYS, week of May 5-11
MEI
(May)
5
Find the perfect music of the spirit, and know fulfillment.
6
Dance the joy your heart feels.
7
Feel the winds blowing through you, cleansing your spirit of all sorrow.
8
The joyous heart has as many blessings as the stars in the sky, na hoku.
9
Give me the wings of a bird, and I will possess all the world!
10
My heart leaps with the dolphins in the incredible blue of the ocean.
11
Sing to me a song of beginnings in this land of many rainbows!
(c) Copyright 1991 by D. F. Sanders
Me ke aloha i ka nani, ... Moe'uhanekeanuenue
(With love and beauty, ... Rainbow Dream)
--------- "RE: Preserving a Culture" ---------
Date: Tue, Apr 23 2003 08:10:06 -0600
From: Gary Smith <gars@Speakeasy.org>
Subj: NA News Item
- - - - - - -<Forwarded news>- - - - - - -
filename="SAVING WAYS"
http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm
http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/Stories/0,1413,209~22484~1340662,00.html
Preserving a culture
Museum celebrates the history and contributions of local Indian tribes
with opening of new exhibit
By DAVID JAMES HEISS
Staff Writer
April 21, 2003
REDLANDS - Never forget your language, and never forget who you are.
This was told to Morongo Indian Ernest Siva by his elders over and over
while he was growing up.
Now his language the Serrano language has been preserved on a CD-ROM
after countless hours of compilation; Siva's is the sample voice one will
hear when learning the sounds and words within the exercises on the CD.
"The Serrano language I'm sure many didn't know it was still spoken,"
Siva said at the CD's debut during a program at the San Bernardino County
Museum Saturday. "We owe this to our ancestors," he said. "For the longest
time our elders have always said to never forget your language, or who you
are. Since some of us know what the language sounds like, we're able to
share what we know."
The CD features 30 lessons, each with 10 different exercises that teach
aspects of the Serrano language, which is still spoken by several tribes.
"The San Manuel culture on our reservation is growing stronger with the
youth of our community," said San Manuel Tribal Unity and Cultural
Awareness Program director James Ramos. "The importance of this
organization is its culture which is the basis of this reservation."
Trevor Mathew, 9, of San Manuel, has been learning Serrano.
"It's hard," he admitted. "It's pronounced very differently from English."
Siva gave a demonstration of a few ceremonial songs in Serrano that he
said are no longer used.
From information compiled by the late Dorothy Ramon, of the Morongo
Indian Tribe, examples of the Serrano language were used in a program
brochure.
In the Serrano word "ngaan", which means "searching," the "ng" sound is
not pronounced like the sound of "ng" in the word "finger"; rather it is
pronounced with the soft "g" found in the word "sing."
"If you repeat things over and over, it's because it's important to
you," Siva said. "We have an obligation to try and preserve our heritage."
He explained that songs are sung as individual statements; after one
song is over, the next one begins not too far behind; altogether, these
"statements" create a story.
"If one doesn't understand a particular statement, and wonders Why did
it end with that?', then they ask their elders to explain it to them."
The presentation in the museum's Fisk Gallery complemented the opening
of the museum's exhibit, "Native American Traditions: Baskets from San
Bernardino County," running through Aug. 4.
Baskets from several tribes, along with descriptions about their details
and explanations of how baskets are made, as well as a work station
allowing visitors to try their own attempts at basket weaving, are all on
display.
A basket weaving demonstration was also woven into the program.
According to Vanessa Ramos, of the San Manuel tribe, "For every tribe
there are different designs and materials used in their basket making: for
us, we use deer grass, and designs usually are lightning, or arrowheads."
Designs of the various baskets look similar to designs found on many
snake skins, and represent various elements in tribal environments. One
design, the glyph that resembles a swastika, means "good luck."
According to the exhibit, tribes traditionally use yucca and Joshua tree
roots, sumac and juncus for their basketry materials.
"We hope to show the community that the culture is still alive. If we
get this CD out, it will only be the beginning of what everyone thought
was over about our culture," said San Manuel tribe member Laurena Tamayo.
Theresa Wilson, of Crestline, visited the exhibit with her husband,
Bruce.
"We're members of the museum, and we knew about the basket weaving
demonstration," she said. "We've taken basket weaving courses before. We
like the designs and the history of the local Indians, and wanted to see
what their baskets looked like."
Jim McPherson, of Yucaipa, a graduate student at the University of
California, Riverside, works with the Pechanga Reservation in Temecula.
"I find this subject fascinating and interesting," he said. "It's neat
to find Native Americans sharing their culture."
For more information about the museum's Native American cultural exhibit,
or their "Cats! Wild to Mild" traveling exhibit on display from the
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County until May 4, visit their
website at www.sbcountymuseum.org
Copyright c. 2003 Redlands Daily Facts, Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
--------- "RE: Upcoming Events" ---------
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 15:39:14 -0
From: Gary Smith (gars@speakeasy.org)
Subj: Upcoming Events
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EVENTS ARE FEATURED IN ODD NUMBERED ISSUES ONLY
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Notice of Copyright Clearance by Contributors:
The following have granted permission for their original articles to
be reposted in order to help mend the Sacred Hoop:
Gary Smith, Indian Trust ListServ, Mexico Program, Frosty Deere,
Russell Diabo, Neshoba/Camp_Justice, Janet Smith, Johnny Rustywire,
Debbie Sanders, Yael, Native American Prisoner Network
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