Registry To Protect Tribal Logos

Washington – Federal officials want to help the 562 federally recognized Indian tribes across the nation protect their tribal insignias from being used for commercial purposes.

The Patent and Trademark Office is asking for wider tribal participation in a comprehensive federal database of tribal insignias and logos, a system that will help detect trademark applications that could create “false associations“ between various commercial products and services and Native American tribes.

The database of tribal insignias is designed to be an informational tool for agency examiners who must determine whether any trademark application would be confusingly similar to that of any existing U.S. tribe. This legislation , sponsored by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M. was prompted by the indiscriminate use of the Zia sun symbol. Considered to be sacred to the New Mexico based Zia Pueblo Tribe on such things as the New Mexico state flag, state roads signs, license plates and other commercial ventures.

“A comprehensive database of official insignias of federally and state recognized tribes will help the Patent and Trademark agency avoid registering these official insignias,” says Jon Dudas, deputy undersecretary for the office. Dudas likened the misappropriations of tribal insignia to someone registering a logo similar to that of a prestigious university when that party has no connection to the school.

It’s also a matter of pride and respect according to Zia Pueblo Gov. Gilberto Lucero. “We’re proud and we want to share but for gosh sakes, acknowledge who it belongs to and get permission to use it. And if you use the symbol, tell the story of where you got it and teach people what it means.” The state of New Mexico has agreed to do that.

The PTO agency database is limited to official tribal insignias and logos and must be a flag or coat of arms of other emblem or device but not words or letters.

In addition to the Zia Pueblo, other tribes that already have entered their insignias are the California-based Redding Rancheria Wintu Yama Pit River; the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Indians of New Jersey; the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; the Quinault Indian Nation of Washington; the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians in Oregon; the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma; and the Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee.

This story was edited from the pages of The Arizona Republic bylined Billy House, Washington Bureau.

Harvest Feast = Thanksgiving

In the centuries before the arrival of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, Native Americans celebrated their own brand of Thanksgiving but then it was called the “Harvest Feast”.

In the past when the days grew shorter, according to Mary Thomas, lieutenant governor of Arizona’s Gila River Indian community, her grandfather would climb Table Top Mountain east of Casa Grande to see which way his shadow feel at sunrise. When it fell to the northwest it signaled harvest time, a time to give thanks for the earth’s bounty.

For most of the country the holiday has become an Anglocized version presented as a symbol that good will between the White man and the Native American is continuing. Although Indian history details that “good will” did not prevail in relationships between these two peoples, and “before Thanksgiving came to this country, we had a tradition of being thankful for the abundance, for the water, the rains, the good weather and the sun itself”*

Can we set aside the differences for today and enjoy the Harvest Feast as a day of good will for all of us in America in the true spirit of Thanksgiving.

*Mary Thomas

The Mexican 'Trail Of tears'

The time has come for Native Americans from the United States to get involved with Illegal Immigration Reform.
It is ironic that at the time of this Thanksgiving Holiday, 2003, the latest wave of “Pilgrims” coming to America are indigenous people from the Mexican state Of Oaxaca.

A group of 16 illegal immigrants – including four mothers and seven children from a Oaxacan village were rescued, after a 40 mile walk across the desert, on Friday (November 21st) by the U.S. Border Patrol. One of them was Rosalva Ramirez, the only one of the entire group who spoke a significant amount of Spanish to be understood by the agents. Yes, I said Spanish not English.

The group had no idea that getting to the U.S. would entail days of traveling to the border of Mexico, then days of walking though a desert that no one told them was there. These people come from a forested mountain area and have never seen a desert. They, also, had no idea of where in the United States they were going or what they would do when they got there.

Among the group were four men, two of which are believed to be the husbands of two of the mothers and a single 25 year old female. No one in the group would say they were being guided by a “coyote” or smuggler but some of the men seemed to know their destination.

They had arrived from their village by bus to the small Sonoran town of Sonoyta across the border from Lukeville, Arizona. They crossed the border and began walking on Wednesday across the desert, walked all day until Thursday night and decided to get some sleep. When they awoke on Friday morning they found a ten-year old boy had gotten up and wandered away from the campsite.

He was spotted at 12 noon by a Border patrol pilot who landed his helicopter to ask why he was all by himself out in the middle of nowhere. He was able to tell the pilot the approximate whereabouts of his parents and others in the group. Seven hours later, agents from Yuma and Tucson, located the group and found them unharmed.

Ramirez, the one who spoke enough Spanish to be understood, told the agents she left her village because a drought had devastated the crops and there were no jobs. Even though she lived in abject poverty in an adobe hut with 10 other people owned by her in-laws, one of the agents surmised that had she been able to live in this country it is doubtful she would have been able to fare any better.

“What kind of a future would these folks have as illegal aliens who could not speak Spanish let alone English?” he questioned. “These are the kind of folks who will work in this country for a dollar an hour.”

And yes, there are people in this country who are taking advantage of these Indians from Southern Mexico, paying them a dollar an hour or possibly less, forcing them to live under even worse conditions than they had endured in their own country.

Isn’t it time Native Americans from our country united as a front to force U.S. politicians to put a stop to this exploitation of the native peoples of Mexico.

This article was edited from the pages of “The Yuma Daily Sun” bylined Louie Villalobos.

National Wildlife Foundation Seeks Students/Writers

NWF Fellowship Opportunities

National Wildlife Federation, Campus Ecology Fellowship Program
Leadership development and seed grant opportunity for undergraduate and
graduate students.

REQUEST FOR FELLOWSHIP PROPOSALS: Due by DECEMBER 19, 2003*

National Wildlife Federation's Campus Ecology Fellowship Program offers a nationally recognized opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to green their campuses and communities, gaining practical experience in the conservation field and first-hand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities inherent in conservation efforts.

Fellows also receive project support, modest financial compensation and
recognition of their accomplishments. Students, faculty, staff and members of the broader community stand to gain as Campus Ecology fellows assist with the research, design and implementation of projects that help strike a better balance between people and nature on the campus and beyond.

New this year: All NWF fellows are required to attend a national training and leadership development opportunity to be held in conjunction with NWF's 64th Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri on March 11- March 14, 2004. (Travel and hotel expenses covered by NWF.)

Application Information:
Visit http://www.nwf.org/campusEcology/dspFellowships.cfm to access the
grant guidelines, selection criteria, project requirements, perks and
privileges, sample projects, online application information and more.

Contact:
Kathy Cacciola
Senior Coordinator, Campus Ecology Program
National Wildlife Federation
11100 Wildlife Center Drive
Reston, VA 20190-5362
Tel: 703.438.6318
Fax: 703.438.6468
cacciola@nwf.org

TRIBAL LANDS RESEARCH & WRITING ASSISTANT
(Boulder, Colorado)
Rocky Mountain Natural Resource Center

National Wildlife Federation - NWF is seeking a Research and Writing Assistant for its Tribal Lands Program. The Research and Writing Assistant will research, compile and
draft tribal conservation case studies. Other duties include assisting staff with fundraising; working with contractors on designing and publishing tribal case studies; distributing case studies to inter-tribal groups, tribal conservation staff, state and federal wildlife agencies, tribal colleges and regional state universities.

Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Communications, English and
or Environmental Science or related field; two years experience in
researching and writing documents on conservation related activities;
excellent communication, writing and research skills; and willingness to
travel (local and out of state).

This is a one-year benefits eligible
appointment. Preference is given to those with experience in working with
tribes & tribal personnel. Salary is $28,080. NWF offers an excellent
benefits package and is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace
diversity. Please apply online at www.nwf.org/careergateway .

From Honor The Earth - 'Within The Sacred Circle'

The Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center has
released a new book, “Indigenous Women's Health Book -Within the
Sacred Circle”, in a landmark effort to assist Native American women
in developing self-advocacy skills to become active participants in
managing their own health.

The Indigenous Women's Health Book - Within the Sacred Circle
provides guidance in both Western and Indigenous health approaches to
specifically address Native American women's health needs.

Topics covered range from traditional midwifery, pregnancy, the politics of
reproductive health, contraception, domestic violence, barriers to Indigenous women's healthcare, health effects of environmental contamination, traditional herbs and remedies, Native American nutrition and weight loss, smoking, alcohol, drug abuse, and much more. Written by a group of compassionate Indigenous women, activists, health experts, and healthcare providers, this pioneering book discusses both physical and mental health issues from a variety of perspectives.

This book is a compelling resource for the health of our women, our families, and our collective future. We hope that you will join us in our effort to assist Native American women to take control of our physical and mental well being.

For more information on this one-of-a-kind book or to order it at $32.95 (+ $10.00 S&H), please visit www.nativeshop.org or contact Charon Asetoyer at 605.487.7072.

Founding Of Tohono O'odham Community Action

Today in Arizona, you can’t walk into a grocery store and buy bawi, the O’odham name for tepary beans or ha:l, the O’odham squash. They are grown only in a few small home plots. These days young people don’t know how or when to pick cholla buds or saguaro fruit in the desert.

In 2003 you’d probably get to eat tepary beans only if you had a grandmother on the reservation who cooked when you visited, using produce from her garden. How times have changed! In 1930 the tribe produced 1,6 million pounds of tepary beans according to Tristan Reader, a white community activist and co-founder of TOCA – Tohono O’odham Community Action.

The original Papago Farms was started in the 1950’s, but
1,200 acres gave laid fallow in recent years except for small crops of cotton. With funding from the U.S. department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services, TOCA leased 18 acres of irrigated land last year that Reader believes the harvest will yield more than 25,000 pounds of produce.

Although it is a long way from food-self sufficiency it’s a start. Reader hopes to double next year’s production and sell the fruit and vegetables to the Indian Health Services school food program and perhaps even at Basha’s, the local supermarket in Sells, capitol of the Tohono O’odham Nation.
In addition, TOCA has helped about 100 families start small vegetable and fruit gardens, but it is currently not known if the families kept up the plots. The Papago Farms project is the biggest to date.

The O’odham initiative is part of a wider movement advocating a return to native foods. In Wisconsin, the Oneida nation is trying to revive bison herds. In Illinois, a Seneca leader is attempting to reintroduce Iroquois white corn, once a diet staple. Last November, the First Nations Development Institute, a 20 year old Native American non-profit based in Fredericksburg, VA, held its first Native Food Summit in Albuquerque to discuss ways to boost local food production.

This is an approach that’s traditionally bound to cultural pride and identity. Besides chronic health problems, many Native communities suffer high levels of poverty, unemployment and violent crime. Food is one way of reviving community activities such as almost-extinct rain-making ceremonies, harvest festivals and family meals.

Traditional food advocates take the native foods hypothesis further. The draw from the work of Gary Paul Nabhan, a Lebanese-American botanist and director of the Northern Arizona University Center for Sustainable Environments in Flagstaff.

In the mid 1990’s, Nabhan collaborated with nutritionists in Australia to publish several scientific papers stating that traditional desert foods such as tepary beans, acorns and mesquite pods contain dietary fiber that reduces blood sugar levels or slows sugar absorption into the blood. Nabhan asserted the mucilage or gummy substance that evolved to retain water in desert plants such as cholla cactus buds and prickly per fruits and pads (nopales), also serves to slow digestion and absorption of sugary foods.

This story was edited from an article in The Arizona Republic bylined Chen May Yee. Part 3 – Tohono O’odham Foods.

Native Communities

Public Policy Leadership Conference On Underserved Communities

Applications Due November 20th, 2003

The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard will host its annual
Public Policy Leadership Conference for freshman and sophomore
students interested in pursuing professional careers in public
service (careers include federal, state, or local government). The
conference prepares future leaders to study public policy,
particularly issues affecting underserved communities, such as African American, Native Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders, and
Latino.

Participants will receive paid travel, accommodations and meals.
During the conference students learn about careers in public service,
fellowships programs, and graduate schools.

The conference will be held February 26-29, 2004. Applications are
due Nov 20, 2003.

For more info see http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/pplc Please spread the
word!

Thank you for your time,

Aurora Torres
PPLC Coordinator

O'odhams Use traditional Diet To Fight Diabetes

Papago Farms, Tohono O’odhan Reservation – Some 60 people sang harvest songs and ate traditional dishes of roast corn gruel, sautéed cholla buds and beef stewed on tepary beans washed down with mesquite juice and lemonade flavored with prickly pear fruit.

This group, part of the 28,000-strong Tohono O’odham community of Southern Arizona, represents a small but growing movement that believes traditional crops and desert plants contain substances that help regulate blood sugar and once protected them from diabetes.

When the O’odham, formerly known as the Papago stopped eating these foods, members conclude, protection was lost. The theory is far from accepted by the scientific and medical community but it does reflect the local frustration in the fighting the disease. In their opinion, diabetes is a modern scourge.

“If we are ever going to beat this diabetes, this sickness upon us, it’s got to come from the heart, the faith that our ancestors have had,” maintained Christine Johnson, a gray-haired woman as she stood by a trailer filled with home grown watermelon, cantaloupe and squash. ”And the only way we can do that,” continued the rotund 63-year-old,”is by uniting with each other and going back to the foods that were helping us before the supermarket opened up here.”

Johnson’s complaint is not with the supermarket chain but more with the federal government food and work policies follwing WWII that moved the tribe out of the farms and onto cotton fields ultimately fostering a dependence on government-supplied commodities such as flour, sugar, lard and canned goods.

Today, more than 50 percent of Tohono O’odham adults have Type 2 diabetes, among the highest incidence in the world.
The chronic disease is linked to obesity, and scientists attribute the Native American diabetes epidemic to a modern diet high in fat and calories and a sedentary lifestyle plus genetic factors.

This story was edited from the pages of The Arizona Republic bylined Chen May Yee. Part 2 – Founding of Tohono O’odham Community Action.

Two Wolves

An elder Cherokee Native American was teaching his
grandchildren about life. He said to them,
"A fight is going on inside me...
it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
One wolf represents fear, anger, envy,
sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance,
self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority,
lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other stands for joy, peace, love,
hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness,
benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity,
truth, compassion, and faith.
This same fight is going on inside you,
and inside every other person, too."
They thought about it for a minute
and then one child asked his grandfather,
"Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied...
"The one you feed."
Submitted by my good friend, Melody Little Wolf

Texas School Offers Librarianship Masters

The University of Texas at Austin School of Information will provide six Native American students an opportunity to pursue master's degrees in librarianship in their residence program.

Partnering with the American Indian Library Association in an effort to bring new
master degreed librarians back to tribal communities, the school will provide financial support as well as opportunities for community based experiences, advising from an on-site Native American professor, and professional development through networking.

For more information, please contact: Dr. Loriene Roy (White Earth
Anishinabe), Professor, School of Information, The University of
Texas at Austin, 1 University Station D7000, Austin, Texas 78712-0390

Phone: 512.471.3959
Fax: 512.471.3971
Email: loriene@ischool.utexas.edu
Project Director: "If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything": A national
reading club for Native children
(http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~ifican

American Indian Library Association - Working for improvement in
Library and Information access for and to American Indian people

Art Exhibit: Indian-Euro Interaction

by BIPASHA RAY
Associated Press Writer

SALEM, Mass. (AP) - A coat, modeled after a Russian officer's
overcoat but made from sea lion intestines and esophagus - materials
traditionally used by the Aleuts for waterproof clothes - hangs in
one corner of the Peabody Essex Museum

In another corner, a Tlingit dancing blanket, emblazoned with the
abstract image of a killer whale, is draped on a wall. It was made
before 1832 - long before abstract art was popular or even considered
art by Europeans.

The "Uncommon Legacies" exhibition at Museum
presents early American Indian art that often was dismissed by
westerners as artifacts or everyday objects. It also displays how
tribal artists seamlessly incorporated outside cultural influences
into their work.

"This showcases the interaction between Native American art and the
artists, their cultures and the West," said museum director Dan
Monroe, who has long studied American Indian cultures. "We hope this
will help people see how esthetically rich and complex Native
American art is and how their work is embodied in their culture and
everyday life."

The Peabody Essex, which reopened in June after a $125 million
renovation, boasts many of the country's oldest American Indian works
dating to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Monroe said.

"Legacies" which has returned to Salem after being displayed at
Stanford University, the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Virginia
Museum of Fine Arts, will run through Dec. 14. After that, the
exhibits will be incorporated into the museum's Native American Art
gallery.

The exhibition includes works made as early as 1750 and brought back
to Salem by mariners, the military and missionaries from around the
world. The colors are still vibrant centuries after they were created - like
the bright red beaded collar from Maine's Penobscot tribe and the
feathered headdresses from Brazil with hues of yellow, orange and
blue. The red collar with white bead embroidery made in the mid-19th
century shows how traded goods from white America - beads, wool and
silk - made its way into tribal culture and life, said Karen Kramer,
an assistant curator for the exhibit.

Other objects, including the Aleut coat designed like a Russian
officer's jacket, a Haida ship panel pipe adorned with small carvings
of colonial houses, and trays decorated with woven porcupine quills
but suited to Victorian tastes, demonstrate how tribal artists
incorporated Euro-American motifs and catered to tourists and
traders.

Two ceremonial sashes with intricate bead designs are remnants of an
infamous passage in American Indian history. These emblems of Choctaw
identity were used at a time when thousands of Choctaws, Seminoles,
Cherokees and others were forced to walk the "Trail of Tears" to
Oklahoma in the early 19th century.

Even everyday objects display intricate carvings and craftsmanship,
showing the importance that American Indians placed on them.
A halibut hook, probably from the Tlingit tribe of the Pacific
Northwest, has a carving of a sea creature. Hunters and fishermen
would often use tools with carvings of the creature they were
hunting, to tap into the strength of their prey, Kramer said.

"It's a pretty intricate carving for something that a fish is just
going to chomp," Kramer said. "You might never get it back, yet they
took such care to embody the animal's spirit into their hunting
tools."

Betty Dyer, 75, of Marblehead, was amazed at the bead and quill
weavings and handiwork as she walked through the exhibit.
"Some of these are really exquisite. Many people don't even realize
such things exist," Dyer added "But it is our country. Our heritage."

'Crime Of Two Centuries'

The following has been edited from the November 7th issue of “The Arizona Republic”. It is a “tell-it-like-it-is” editorial with no holds barred, something I thought I would never see coming from the bastion of Arizona’s conservative politics.

“They call it ‘the crime of two centuries’ – a trust fund for tribal landowners so mismanaged by the federal government that a true accounting of what is owed has become nearly impossible.

“As of last week, it has become the crime of two centuries and one year. In a stealth move, instigated by the White House, a federal judge’s ruling that work must begin toward a full accounting of the trust has been delayed until the end of 2004. The action effectively stalls ongoing efforts between tribal negotiators and Congress to reach a long-sought settlement.

“Even by Washington standards, the move was underhanded and slimy.

“The delay was inserted into the proposed budget for the U.S. Department of the Interior at the eleventh hour. Even the chairman of the House Resources Committee hearing the legislation, Rep Richard Pombo, R – Calif., did not learn of the insertion until just prior to the vote.

“On the House floor, after the vote, J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz blasted the skullduggery arguing it would cause ’the first Americans to remain the forgotten Americans’.

“In September. Federal judge Royce Lamberth ruled that the Interior Department must begin a full accounting of what is owed to Indian landowners, dating back to 1887. It was a sensational ruling with estimates that such a forensic accounting ranges from the hundreds of millions to as much as $10 billion.

“The White House engineered delay of Lamberth’s order appears legally dubious, a direct intrusion of one branch of the federal government on another. But legality aside, it still could manage the mischievous goal of stalling a settlement. And that is just contemptible.”

Brown University Openings in N/A Studies

The Brown University Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America
(CSREA) announces an open rank, tenure-track or tenured faculty position in Native American/American Indian studies. The anticipated starting date is July 1, 2004.

We are seeking an interdisciplinary scholar with grounding in the humanities or social
sciences who will contribute to ethnic studies at Brown University. The tenure home will be in the department appropriate to the educational background and primary field of the scholar, with the appointment shared between CSREA/Ethnic Studies and the department.

We welcome all applicants whose fields include: Native American, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Native Alaskan. A Ph.D. and a record of excellence in teaching and research are required of all candidates.

Assistant professor applicants should have a doctorate in a relevant field and some university-level teaching experience. Associate professor applicants are expected to have a substantial publication record and evidence of emerging leadership in their field.

Full professor applicants are expected, in addition, to have an established national and international reputation as an acknowledged leader in their area of scholarship. Applicants at advanced ranks will be treated with confidence, and candidates at
these ranks should provide with their application letter and curriculum vita, the names of five references, who will be contacted by the search committee as appropriate. Beginning assistant professors should submit a letter of application, a curriculum vita,
and, under separate cover, three letters of reference.

All applications should be sent to Professor Matt Garcia, CSREA Box 1886, 150 Power Street, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912.

Review of complete applications will begin on November 30, 2003 and continue until the position is filled. We encourage further inquiries with search committee co-chairs: Prof. Matt Garcia (Tel: 401/863-3080;
Matthew_Garcia@brown.edu) or Prof. Karl Jacoby (401/863-3009;
Karl_Jacoby@brown.edu). Brown University is an EEO/AA Employer. Scholars of color and women are encouraged to apply.

Arizona Tribes Expand Resort Options

The Ft. McDowell Yavapai Nation is planning to build a 250 room hotel at its Fountain Hills casino which is giving resort association members concern that Indian hotels could be subsidized by casino revenues and thereby undercut non-tribal competitors’ rates or charge lower room taxes which would attract convention-size groups.

The concern seems to be groundless, so far, as the areas Indian hotels operate on the same basis as other hotels and resorts in the region and charge comparable room taxes.

The tribe hopes to open its hotel my mid-2005 and is considering a Radisson brand and no cost estimates are available as yet. The tribe also plans to expand its We-Ko-Pa Golf Club by 18 holes to build a more complete resort atmosphere to attract visitors and revenue to the reservation.

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino Resort in Maricopa fills almost all of its 146 rooms with complimentary stays which acts as a extra amenity to pursue the casino business objective. Brian Bork, Ak-Chin’s marketing director states that only about 20% of the hotel guests are paying customers.

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian, Community which operates Casino Arizona, anticipates the construction of a hotel in the future, but because it is located near Scottsdale the area is already covered with resorts.

At most reservations room taxes go into the Tribal Government coffers with the taxes varying from tribe to tribe with five percent at Harrah’s Ak-Chin to 13.1 percent at the Apache Gold Casino Resort on the San Carlos Apache Reservation.

To show the impact Indian gaming has Arizona’s economy, it was reported on October 31st by the State Department of Gaming that Arizona tribes sent almost $12 million in gaming proceeds to the state treasury in the latest round of contributions with education due to receive nearly half the money.

This brings to $16 million the amount the tribes have contributed under the 2002 voter approved Proposition 202. They pay 1 to 8 percent of their winnings to the state based on a sliding scale.

In addition to paying the state $12 million, the tribes are required to give money to cities, towns, counties and economic-development causes of their choice with state tourism expecting to receive about $3 million over the fiscal year.

This story has been edited from the pages of The Arizona Republic.