Lead Tainted Candy From Mexico

It is doubtful that many Native Americans will be or have been affected by the following story but I’m going to run it as a public service.

My local newspaper, The Yuma Daily Sun, is publishing an investigative report in conjunction with its sister paper, The Orange County (Calif) Register on lead-tainted Mexican candy that comes across the border to the U.S, and is sold in Mexican grocery stores along the border as well as in Mexican food sections of grocery chains all over the country.

Part 2 of the report states the source of the lead comes from the ground chili peppers that coat the sweet treat. The poison is mixed into the product during the grinding process not only from dirt, debris at the mill but mostly from the middle man who sells the bulk peppers by the pound to the mill and adds dirt, debris and metals (rocks, nails, ball bearings, car battery parts) to his bags to increase his profit margin.

Some of the tainted candy is so laced with lead that it can cause memory loss, behavioral problems and kidney damage if the sweet treat is eaten regularly.

Chaca Chaca is a brownish red colored apple pulp bar that is coated with salt and chili powder and sold in Mexican border communities. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found excessive levels of lead that could lead to learning disabilities in young children possibly lowering their IQ and adversely affecting their nervous system.

Another toxic treat is Pelon Pelo Rico. Diana Lopez, a 2 year old Anaheim, CA girl began eating the candy in 2000. She ate it for a year before she was diagnosed as a poisoning victim. When lead paint and tainted soil were ruled out as a cause of her illness, Pelon Pelo Rico was taken from her home in 2001 which tested two times higher than the California state guideline for lead.

One candy, Lucas Limon tested high for lead content seven times out of seven tests in federal labs. Other brand names
testing high are Montes Tomy, Limon 7, Pico Diana, Dulces Veros, Serpentina de Tejocote Soft Fruit, Rellerindo Tamarind Candy and chili-based lollipops in different flavors.

“We have a lot more responsibilities than looking for lead in candy.”Jim Waddell, chief of California health department’s Food and Drug Branch was quoted as saying in the Sun’s subhead. Guess it all depends on who is eating the candy, huh Mr. Waddell?

This article has already made one person aware of the dangers of Mexican treats. While I was adding to this story, a friend came to visit. When he asked what I was writing, I showed him a copy of "Lead Tainted Candy From Mexico".

He was stunned by the article as he regularly buys one of the worst offenders, "Lucas Limon" on his frequent trips across the border. "My kids love the stuff. Something has been making them sick to their stomachs. Now I know what it is."

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Arizona Land to Tribes Supported By Feds

The Colorado River Indian Tribes got a boost when the Bush administration supported Arizona Representative Raul Grijalva’s(D-Tucson)controversial bill to return 16,000 acres in Arizona that cross over Interstate 10 from Quartzite to tribal land on the Colorado River.

The 25 square mile parcel, about 175 miles west of Phoenix, was taken from the reservation 86 years ago by President Woodrow Wilson amid tribal disputes between miners and cattlemen.

Indian Affairs counselor to the assistant secretary, Michael Olsen told the House Resources Committee that several issues will need to be resolved as part of the process including the future status of leases and rights of ways but Olsen states the administration supports the objective of the bill.

Daniel Eddy, Jr. Tribal Chairman appeared before the Committee and said the land, known historically as the La Paz Lands, continues to hold historical significance for the tribe as well as the economic development potential. He emphasized the tribe will agree not to engage in gaming on the land.

La Paz County officials have complained that Grijalva’s bill to require the Bureau of Land Management to return the land to the tribes would undercut any hopes of developing the area as the “gateway to and from California” and damage efforts to expand its limited tax base.

La Paz Country Supervisor Cliff Edey, who couldn’t afford to attend the Washington hearing, is frustrated. Edey fears that moving the reservations borders will hem in the potential growth of non-tribal communities.

The late Sen. Barry Goldwater (R–AZ) tried to introduce similar legislation in 1980 and 1981 but the bill did not pass. Grijalva’s bill lists five Arizona House members as co-sponsors and hope his bill may make it this year.

Over the years, Olsen said, the Bureau of Land Management has passed a significant number of rights of way within the La Paz Lands including a power line that transports electricity from the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station to Southern California, five fiber-optic lines and two 30 inch oil and gas pipelines.

Supervisor Edey maintained,“We just don’t seem to have the political clout to fight this issue because we don’t have the votes. Tribal chairman Eddy said, “We have waited 90 years for the restoration of the lands. We believe we have waited long enough.”

This story was edited from the April 22nd edition of the Arizona Republic, bylined Billy House, Republic Washington Bureau.

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UC- Riverside 'Red Rhythms' Conference - May 5th, 6th, 7th

University of California Riverside presents:
Red Rhythms: Contemporary Methodologies in American Indian Dance
http://IdeasAndSociety.ucr.edu/redrhythms/

Announcing a conference exploring contemporary American
Indian dance as a vibrant, active, socio-cultural historical
practice.

This event will showcase some of the exciting new work that
contemporary Native American and Aboriginal dancers and
choreographers are doing now, and facilitate a way for these
artists to meet and network with one another. It will include
dance performances by local California Indian dance groups,
and an evening of Aboriginal and American Indian stage dance
featuring works by both established and emerging Native
dancers and choreographers.

The conference will also bring prominent scholars of Dance
Studies and Native American Studies to see this dance and to
participate in roundtable discussions about the complex
historical and theoretical issues it engages.

Sponsored by the Ford Foundation, The University of
California Humanities Research Institute, the Center for Ideas
and Society, the Gluck Fellows Program of the Arts at UCR, and
the UCR Department of Dance.

May 5, 6 & 7, 2004
Locations: UC Riverside Campus
and Sherman Indian High School: 9010 Magnolia
Avenue, Riverside, CA 92503

Admission: All events Free and Open to the Public.
Registration is not required.

Parking at UCR: Permits are available at Kiosks
Parking at Sherman Indian High School: The parking lot is
located at 9010 Magnolia Avenue, corner of Jackson. permits
are available for a small fee.

May 5th - Wednesday
4:00 pm - Conference Opening
Location: Performance Lab, UCR Arts Building, room 166
(seating is limited - arrive early to ensure entry)

Includes opening prayer by Earl Sisto, welcome by Cliff
Trafzer,
Short film "A Nation is Coming" introduced by Michael
Greyeyes.
Dancing by Wichozani Dance Theater, Terry Goedel, Kalani Queypo, and California Bear Dancers.
Reception, catered by the UCR Native American Students
Association.

May 6 - Thursday
8:00 - 8:30 am Coffee, welcome by Emory Elliott
Location: International Lounge, UCR Commons

8:30 - 10:15 am - Roundtable #1:
Inventing/Improvising Traditions
Location: International Lounge, UCR Commons

This panel will address the topic of "tradition" and the
issues of authenticity, purity and continuity that so often arise when "American Indian dance" is presented or discussed.
Monte Kugel, Chair: Susan Leigh Foster, Zoila Mendoza, Douglas Miles, Michelle Olson, Robert Perez, Priya Srinivasan, Tharon Weighill, Vince Whipple.

10:30 - 12:15 pm Roundtable #2:
First Person/First People: Dance as Autobiography
Location: International Lounge, UCR Commons
This panel will focus on the use of story (family story,
personal story, tribal story) in contemporary Native American
dance, and its relation to other forms of storytelling and
self-narration.
Michelle Raheja, Chair: Victoria Bomberry, Stephanie Fitzgerald, Daystar/Rosalie Jones, Susan Manning, Muriel Miguel, Craig Womack, Hertha Sweet Wong

12:15 - 2:30 pm Lunch Break
Book Sale; Exhibit and poster signing by Apache artist
Douglas Miles and the San Carlos skateboard team

1:00 pm - Outdoor performance by Coastanoan Humaya
Dancers
Location: Grass by P.E. Building

1:45 pm - Performance by Michelle Olson(choreographed with Muriel Miguel),
Location: Dance Studio Theatre, P.E. 102

2:30 - 4:15 pm Roundtable #3:
Prayer/Dance as Document
Location: International Lounge, UCR Commons
This panel will address the continuing, empowering practice
of Native American dancing despite centuries of religious,
military, and legal suppression, and explore this continuing
dance practice itself as "document" of this history and this
creative, vibrant resiliency.

Jacqueline Shea Murphy, Chair: Andrew Brother Elk, Tara Browner, Anita Gonzalez, Tanya Lukin-Linklater, Joel Martin, Marrie Mumford, Karen Pheasant, Anna Scott.

7:30 p.m. STAGE DANCE SHOWCASE
Location: Sherman Indian High School Theatre, 9010 Magnolia Ave, in Riverside
Performances by: The Sherman Apache Dancers, Rulan Tangen, Gerardo Tristan Alvarado, Geraldine Manossa.

DAYSTAR/Rosalie Jones
Earth Dance Theater (with Lyle Kochamp, Anthony Ch-Wl-Tas Collins, Quetzal Guerrero, and Alejandro Meraz)

American Indian Dance Theatre - Marla Bingham, Alejandro Ronceria, Dartanion Reed and Tobin Eason, choreographed by Belinda James, Santee Smith, John Jaramillo and Sandra Hughes, Raoul Trujillo.


May 7 Friday
9:00 - 1100 a.m. Roundtable #4: Process and Production
Location: International Lounge, UCR Commons

This panel will provide a chance to discuss the stage dance
showcase from Thursday night, and to address questions raised
by production and performance of American Indian/Aboriginal
dance, particularly in academic settings, more generally.
Wendy Rogers, Chair: Thomas DeFrantz, Hanay Geigomah, Michael Greyeyes, Alejandro Ronceria, Santee Smith, Rulan Tangen, Raoul Trujillo

11:00 - 11:30 - Closing

For more information please see:
http://IdeasAndSociety.ucr.edu/redrhythms/
Fwd: Red Rhythms: Contemporary Methodologies in America
(310) 206-7511
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/indi

Native Unity - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.

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Buffalo Field Campaign
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Indian Leaders Seek 1 Million New Voters

Because chance and geography make the neglected Indian minority a key to Senate control, Native leaders are working to get 1 million new Indian voters to the polls this coming November. In Senate races in Alaska, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Colorado, American Indian voters though small in numbers could determine the winners.

Republicans have recognized the risk in not counting the Indian vote and are making unprecedented inroads in what has historically been an overwhelming Democratic constituency.

There are 4.3 million American Indians nationwide with nearly 3 million of them older than the age of 18 which may be only 1.4 percent of the overall voting age population, BUT this year the highest concentrations of Indian voters are in states with tight races.

“It has to do NOT with their total (Indian) population," said David Magleby, dean of social sciences at Brigham Young University. ”It has to do with where they are distributed.
If the Democrats think they can get to 50 in the Senate, then the Native American vote in Alaska and South Dakota could determine who controls the Senate.”

The National Congress of American Indians, the nation’s largest Indian organization, is orchestrating the nonpartisan voter registration efforts coordinating with Indian organizations on reservations and minority advocates in areas with high Native concentrations.

Tex Hall, president of NCAI and chairman of the Mandan Hidatsa and Arikara nation in North Dakota, said, I million new voters is a “very attainable number.”

This story has been edited from an Associated Press report, dateline Washington appearing in the Sunday, April 18th issue of the Yuma Daily Sun.

Editorial Note: Here is a tip for new and seasoned voters from an old hand at politics. When you pick a Senate (or any) candidate who is up for re-election, check his/her voting record on Indian Affairs concerning things that affect Native Peoples like the environment, Indian gaming, water issues, the economy, education, legislation, etc. Their past record will probably be an indicator of how they will vote in the future. bobbie

Native Unity - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.

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Group Mobilizes Young Voters For 2004 Election

Submitted by Annie – Native Celebs

Greetings from National Voice! My name is Alyssa Burhans and I
am the Organizing Director for Native American and Young Voters at National Voice. I am originally from the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in central Oregon.

I'm excited to help coordinate and mobilize Native Voters and activists for the 2004 elections and look forward to working with Native people throughout the Nation.

National Voice is a coalition of non-profit and community groups
that are working to maximize the impact of 501(c)(3) groups on
voter engagement, registration and turnout. National Voice has
set up a Native Voter list serve to keep people up to informed
about Native voting projects, training opportunities, funding
opportunities, and breaking news concerning Native Voting
throughout the country.

This list serve is open to individuals and organizations that are
working to mobilize and educate Native voters. I hope that you
will join and contribute to contribute to the list serve when you can.

To join, please visit: http://www.nationalvoice.org/lists2.html
To learn more about our efforts visit:
http://www.nationalvoice.org

**Please note, if you join the AZ, NM, or MN list serve, you
will also receive Native Voter news**

If you want to decline this invitation, please simply disregard
this message. If you have any questions, please send them to
NativeVoter-owner@voicelists.org.

Next: Native Leaders Seek 1 Million New Voters.


Native Unity - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.

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Buffalo Field Campaign
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Warming Climate Disrupts Alaska Natives

Submitted by Jean bedell-mashkikinabinais

Reuters
By Yereth Rosen
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Anyone who doubts the gravity of global warming should ask Alaska's Eskimo, Indian and Aleut elders about the dramatic changes to their land and the animals on which they depend.

Native leaders say that salmon are increasingly susceptible to warm-water parasites and suffer from lesions and strange behavior. Salmon and moose meat have developed odd tastes and the marrow in moose bones is weirdly runny, they say. the Arctic pack ice is disappearing, making food scarce for sea animals and causing difficulties for the Natives who hunt them. It is feared that polar bears, to name one species, may disappear from the Northern hemisphere by mid-century.

As trees and bushes march north over what was once tundra, so do beavers, and they are damming new rivers and lakes to the detriment of water quality and possibly salmon eggs.

Still, to the frustration of Alaska Natives, many politicians in the lower 48 U.S. states deny that global warming is occurring or that a warmer climate could cause problems.
"They obviously don't live in the Arctic," said Patricia Cochran, executive director of the Alaska Native Science Commission.

The Anchorage-based commission, funded by the National Science Foundation (news - web sites), has been gathering information for years on Alaska's thawing conditions. The climate changes are disrupting traditional food gathering and cultures, said Larry Merculieff, an Aleut leader from the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea.

Indigenous residents of the far north are finding it increasingly difficult to explain the natural world to younger generations. "As species go down, the levels of connection between older and younger go down along with that," Merculieff said at a recent Anchorage conference.

SAFETY AFFECTED
Climate and weather changes even affect human safety, said Orville Huntington, vice chairman of the Alaska Native Science Commission.

"It looks like winter out there, but if you've really been around a long time like me, it's not winter," said Huntington, an Athabascan Indian from the interior Alaska village of Huslia. "If you travel that ice, it's not the ice that we traveled 40 years ago."

River ice, long used for travel in enterior Alaska, is thinner and less dependable than it used to be. Global warming (news - web sites) is believed to result from pollutants emitted into the atmosphere, which trap the Earth's radiant heat and create a greenhouse effect. The warming is more dramatic in polar latitudes because cold air is dry, allowing greenhouse gases to trap more solar radiation. Even a modest rise in temperature can thaw the glaciers and permafrost that cover much of Alaska.

"There is no question that global warming is having pronounced effects in Alaska," said Gunter Weller, director of the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research.

"Average temperatures in Alaska are up about 5 degrees Fahrenheit from three decades ago, and about twice that during winter," said Weller, who also heads the Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the university.

"That causes serious problems not only for rural Natives who live off the land but for major industries and for public structures," he added. Most of Alaska's highways run over permafrost that is now rapidly thawing, meaning maintenance headaches for state officials. The thaw has already caused increased maintenance costs for the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, which uses special vertical supports for suspension over the tundra.

"If the plight of Alaska Natives does not get politicians' attention, then the economic toll should," Weller said.
He cited the cost -- estimated at over $100 million -- of moving Shishmaref, an Inupiat Eskimo village on Alaska's northwestern coastline, to more stable ground. The village of 600 is on the verge of tumbling into the Bering Sea because of severe erosion resulting from thawed permafrost and the absence of sea ice to protect the coastline from high storm waves. Along with Shishmaref, there are about 20 Alaska villages that are candidates for relocation because of severe erosion, with similar costs, Weller said.

"Alaska's economy has already suffered from the permafrost thaw," said Robert Corell, chairman of the international Arctic Climate Impact Assessment committee. "The hard-frozen conditions needed to support ice roads around the North Slope oil fields now exist for only about 100 days a year," he pointed out. "Thirty years ago, oil companies could use ice roads for about 200 days of the year."

Native Unity - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.

STOP SLAUGHTER OF YELLOWSTONE BUFFALO
Bufflao Field Campaign
www.wildrockies.org/buffalo

FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE, INC.
Fort Collins, Colorado
"Bridging Cultures Through Community Service"
"Honoring Native American Heros"
www.flightofthe eagle.us/

May 14th Deadline for AAIP Initiative

Submitted by AA!P

The Association of American Indian Physician's (AAIP) annual National Native American Youth Initiative will be held in Washington, DC, June 19-27, 2004. Participants wishing to attend must apply by May 14th.

Please forward this announcement to Counselors/Teachers working with Native American high school students.

PROGRAM
The National Native American Youth Initiative (NNAYI) program is an intense academic enrichment and reinforcement program consisting of mini-block courses teaching leadership, communication, study and
testing skills plus assertiveness, networking and professional behavior, interactive learning and time management.

Courses are designed to increase the student's background and skills so he/she is better prepared to remain in the academic pipeline and pursue a career in the health professions and/or biomedical research.

It is the goal of AAIP to prepare these students for admission to college and professional school, and empower them to utilize these skills.

Topics will be presented in a series of lectures, field trips, and tutorials. The summer program will inform students of the variety of health careers available to Native American youth. AAIP members, health professionals, and traditional healers will provide special lectures regarding personal experiences toward a health career and the collaboration between western and traditional medicine.

ELIGIBILITY
Native American high school students planning to enter the health professions between the ages of 16 through 18 years old are eligible to apply. Students must have a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA (A = 4.0).

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS
One Page Essay expressing plans to enter the health
professions (doublespaced),
Current Academic Transcript
Letter of Recommendation from school counselor/teacher
Primary Data Sheet
Photograph

FINANCES
Selected scholars will receive all expenses paid. Each participant will be provided with room, board and travel during the week long program. It will be necessary for individuals to bring extra monies for items (i.e. souvenirs) they may wish to purchase during their stay.

Applications are also available for download on the AAIP web site at
http://www.aaip.com/student/nnayi.html Only a limited number of students will be accepted, therefore early application is encouraged. Deadline is May 14, 2004. For more information, please
e-mail Carla Guy at
cguy@aaip.com or call (405)946-7072.

Carla Guy (Caddo)
Student Programs Coordinator
Association of American Indian Physicians
1225 Sovereign Row, Suite 103
Oklahoma City, OK 73108
Tel: 405-946-7072
Fax: 405-946-7651
http://www.aaip.com

Native Unity - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.

STOP SLAUGHTER OF YELLOWSTONE BUFFALO
Bufflao Field Campaign
www.wildrockies.org/buffalo

FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE, INC.
Fort Collins, Colorado
"Bridging Cultures Through Community Service"
"Honoring Native American Heros"
www.flightofthe eagle.us/

WHAT ARE REZ ROBICS? THEY'RE FREE TO NATIVES!

Submitted by Little Wolf Melody

DreamCatchers has joined forces with Navajo Health Promotions, a division of the Indian Health Service on the Navajo Nation, to produce a health and fitness 2 video set; REZ ROBICS and REZ ROBICS FOR COUCH POTATO SKINS.

The project is inspired by the fact that Diabetes has become one of the most serious threats to the health of Indian people both on the reservations and in urban settings.A major contributing factor to the scourge of Diabetes in Indian communities is the legacy of U.S. Government commodities.

At the turn of the last century, when Indian people were forced onto reservations and forbidden to hunt or fish, the government promised to provide whatever food would be needed. They did so with commodities; primarily white flour, white sugar and lard. A high sugar, high carbohydrate, high fat diet for the last 100 years has caused rampant type two diabetes.

HOW TO GET REZ ROBICS:

REZ-ROBICS WAS PRODUCED BY DREAMCATCHERS AND NAVAJO HEALTH PROMOTION.

COPIES OF THE VIDEOS ARE DISTRIBUTED FREE OF CHARGE TO INDIAN COMMUNITIES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA. THERE ARE NO FBI WARNINGS ON THE PROGRAMS. INSTEAD, THE OPENING MESSAGE ENCOURAGES MAKING COPIES AND GIVING THEM TO FRIENDS AND RELATIVES.FOR INDIANS LIVING ON OR NEAR THE NAVAJO NATION: CONTACT NAVAJO HEALTH PROMOTIONS AT (505) 368-6499.

FOR INDIANS OUTSIDE THE NAVAJO NATION:
SEND A SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED ENVELOPE OR BOX, LARGE ENOUGH TO FIT 2 VIDEOTAPE CASSETTES. ENVELOPES SHOULD BE PADDED TO AVOID DAMAGING THE VIDEOTAPES DURING SHIPPING. THE ENVELOPE MUST HAVE $5 IN U.S. POSTAGE STAMPS. (DO NOT USE METERED LABELS AS THE POST OFFICE WILL NOT ACCEPT THEM).

CANADIAN ABORIGINALS:
BE SURE TO USE U.S. POSTAGE STAMPS AS THE U.S. POST OFFICE WILL NOT ACCEPT CANADIAN STAMPS.

SEND SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED BOX OR ENVELOPE TO: DREAMCATCHERS
23852 Pacific Coast Hwy #766
MALIBU, CA 90265,
Native Unity - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.

STOP SLAUGHTER OF YELLOWSTONE BUFFALO
Bufflao Field Campaign
www.wildrockies.org/buffalo

FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE, INC.
Fort Collins, Colorado
"Bridging Cultures Through Community Service"
"Honoring Native American Heros"
www.flightofthe eagle.us/

One Arrested In 'Outkast' Protest At WCCO-TV

Submitted by Lori Anderson-Finwall

by Terry Collins, Minneapolis Star Tribune
April 2, 2004

One person was arrested and a security guard was slightly injured during a
demonstration at WCCO-TV, Channel 4, studios Thursday afternoon.
A handful of protesters clashed with security guards after they tried to
force their way into the station's atrium on S. 11th St. and Nicollet Mall
in Minneapolis, said Police Inspector Rob Allen.

A guard suffered a minor neck injury during the scuffle, Allen said.
The incident occurred after 50 protesters gathered outside the station to
complain about the performance by the hip-hop group OutKast during the
Grammy Awards telecast in February.

The protesters, many from Honor Nation, an American Indian activist group,
said OutKast stereotyped and disrespected Indian culture while wearing
traditional Indian clothing during its performance of the hit song, "Hey Ya!

Jake Al Reum, a member of Honor Nation, said his group is looking for an apology from the CBS affiliate and its parent network for airing the performance.
He said members of his group wants to meet with station representatives and
present them with a signed petition, but only if they are allowed to bless
it in a traditional ceremony beforehand.

"We want to educate them on why this was so disrespectful to us," Al Reum
said. "I think they had an opportunity not to show it. They knew this was
going to anger Indian people. They had to have known it. They can't be that
dense."

Kiki Rosatti, a WCCO spokeswoman, said Thursday was the second time the
protesters have demonstrated outside the station. She said she wanted to
meet with them and take their petition two weeks ago, but they questioned
her sincerity.

Rosatti said similar demonstrations have occurred at other CBS affiliates.
She said she would have to talk with WCCO General Manager Ed Piette to find
out what course of action the station would take after Thursday's incident.
"There's no reason NOT to sit down and talk with them as long as it's safe
and peaceful," Rosatti said. "But today they obviously did not demonstrate
that."

Staff writer Howie Padilla contributed to this report.
Terry Collins is at tcollins@startribune.com.


Native Unity - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.

STOP SLAUGHTER OF YELLOWSTONE BUFFALO
Bufflao Field Campaign
www.wildrockies.org/buffalo

FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE, INC.
Fort Collins, Colorado
"Bridging Cultures Through Community Service"
"Honoring Native American Heros"
www.flightofthe eagle.us/

Bush Administration - 'Secret Interntational Ruling on Western Shoshone'

by Brenda Norrell, Indian Country Today, Oneida, N.Y. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Submitted by Jean bedell-mashkikinabinais

Mar. 24 - PHOENIX, Ariz. – The United States is attempting to keep secret an international ruling that affects American Indians and property rights. The ruling, in the case of the Western Shoshone, calls for a review of all U.S. law and policy regarding indigenous peoples and in particular the right to property. On Indigenous Peoples Day, Western Shoshone Carrie Dann said, "The U.S. was found to be in violation of international law – found to be violating our rights to property, to due process and to equality under the law.

"They have been told to remedy this situation and to review all law and policy relating to indigenous peoples in the United States."

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Organization of American States issued its final report in the case of Dann v. U.S. It is the first judicial review of the United States law and policy regarding indigenous peoples within its borders. Julie Fishel, attorney for the Western Shoshone Defense Project, said the United States does not want American Indians to learn about the ruling."They are nervous about this," Fishel said.

The OAS ruling focuses on the Dann's right to their ancestral land and the violation of their human rights. In her statement on March 11, Dann said the U.S. is violating the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley. "They tell us our lands are federal lands," Dann said, speaking of the ranch where her family has lived for generations in Crescent Valley.

Western Shoshone have lived on the land, now called Nevada, for more than 4,000 years. However, Western Shoshone land is being seized for open pit cyanide leach gold mining and the Nuclear Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain, a mountain that Shoshone hold sacred.
Dann said, "At the Nevada Test Site, the current administration wants to reopen nuclear testing and are conducting biological and chemical testing and development at the new Federal Counterterrorism Facility.

"As we see it, these activities are done only for the benefit of the multinational corporations, not for the benefit of the people. On our lands alone, companies such as Placer Dome, Newmont, Barrick, Halliburton, Bechtel and Lockheed Martin are poisoning our air and water and ripping apart our Mother Earth. Hundreds of the family's livestock have been seized by the Department of Interior under military-style attacks. We are placed under constant surveillance by armed federal rangers and helicopter flyovers. We remain on the land of our ancestors.

"The U.S. Congress and the corporations are waving money and other deals under the noses of our people." Dann said it is the responsibility of the people to preserve life for the future generations."

Carrie and her sister Mary have fought the United States all the way to the Supreme Court. After 10 years of legal proceedings, the Organization of American States ruled in favor of the Western Shoshone. The OAS report came on Jan. 9, 2003, 10 years after sisters Mary and Carrie Dann filed a petition for redress. During the proceedings, several other Western Shoshone communities joined the petition in amicus curiae briefings. The Western Shoshone Nation Council, the traditional governing body, filed a supporting brief.

The case states that the U.S. argued to the Indian Claims Commission that Western Shoshone had lost their land due to "gradual encroachment" of whites, settlers and others. The Western Shoshone argued that the U.S. claim was in violation of its own laws and international human rights laws to which the U.S. is bound as a member of the OAS.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights agreed with the Western Shoshone. The final report found the United States in violation of the right to property, right to due process and right to equality under the law.

The final report issued two recommendations to the United States. The first was to remedy the situation of the Western Shoshone, either legislatively or by providing a hearing on the issue of title. The OAS also recommended that all U.S. law and policy regarding indigenous peoples, in particular the right to property, be reviewed.

Dann said, "We will never give up our resistance. We cannot. It is not for us but for those yet to come."
Seated on the grass at the Nahuacalli, the Indigenous Embassy and community center of Tonatierra, Carrie Dann was asked what she wanted most.

"Liberation," Dann said."I've been waiting all my life to be liberated from the federal government."

Recalling President Bush's words, she said, "Bush said, 'We are not the conquerors, we are the liberators.'

"I'm still waiting for the day when the indigenous will be liberated from the control of the United States government."
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P.S. - "We as Native Americans need to stand together and we need your help to stop the influx of organizations pressuring congressional leaders to get rid of Indian soveriegnty and our way of life." - Jean bedell-mashkikinabinais.

Native Unity - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.

STOP SLAUGHTER OF YELLOWSTONE BUFFALO
Bufflao Field Campaign
www.wildrockies.org/buffalo

FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE, INC.
Fort Collins, Colorado
"Bridging Cultures Through Community Service"
"Honoring Native American Heros"
www.flightofthe eagle.us/

Native Teens - Register For Archeology Scholarship By April 15th

Submitted by the Native American Producers Alliance

Denver, Colo. - The Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists is offering a scholarship for a Native American teen to attend the 2004 High School Excavation Program at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez,
Colorado, July 18-24, 2004.

Any Native American student, who is at least 14 years of age by September 1, 2004, and attending high school is encouraged to apply. No prior experience is needed to participate in the High School Excavation Program. The 2004 program will include opportunities to excavate at an ancient Pueblo site, analyze artifacts, and learn skills such as spear-throwing and fire-starting. There will also be a field trip to see the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park, a World Heritage site.

The scholarship covers the full cost of tuition, as well as room and board for the program. The scholarship recipient will be responsible for his or her own travel costs.

The 2003 scholarship was awarded to Brian Houle, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, from Mandan, North Dakota. After completing the 2003 program, Brian wrote "The program at Crow Canyon is excellent and I would
highly recommend it to anyone thinking about going into archaeology. I would also recommend it to those interested in history or anything for that matter."

Applications for the scholarship may be obtained by contacting Theresa Titone at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, 970-565-8975, or 800-422-8975 extension 130, or ttitone@crowcanyon.org. The deadline for submitting applications is April 15, 2004. For more information about the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, visit the Center's website at www.crowcanyon.org. For more information about the Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists, visit www.coloradoarchaeologists.org.

The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, whose mission is to initiate and conduct archaeological research and public education programs in partnership with Native Americans and institutions with common interests.

Crow Canyon's programs and admissions practices are open to applicants of any race, color, nationality, or ethnic origin.

The Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists is a non-profit, voluntary association that exists for the purpose of maintaining and promoting the goals of professional archaeology in the State of Colorado.

Native Unity - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.

STOP SLAUGHTER OF YELLOWSTONE BUFFALO
Bufflao Field Campaign
www.wildrockies.org/buffalo

FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE, INC.
Fort Collins, Colorado
"Bridging Cultures Through Community Service"
"Honoring Native American Heros"
www.flightofthe eagle.us/