Another Code Talker Is Gone!

Navajo Code Talker, Samuel Billison, who served on the Navajo Nation Council and was a long-time president of the Code Talker Association died last week in Window Rock, AZ from heart disease complications.

Born on the floor of a hogan on the Navajo Reservation sometime in the mid-1920s, Billison never had a birth certificate and was estimated to be about 78 years of age. He joined the U.S. Marines in 1943 and became a member of the famed Navajo Code Talkers who combined their Navajo language with a code to overwhelm the Japanese code breakers during World War ll.

The originator of the Code was Tech Sgt. Philip Johnston. Son of a missionary father, Johnston had grown up on the Navajo reservation and was fluent in the Navajo language. In February, 1942 he began the creation of a secret vocabulary, a code within the Navajo language, that renamed military armaments, equipment and troop movements using rough equivalents in Navajo – terms for communications, military officers, airplanes, ships, months and general vocabulary. Many words were taken from nature, for instance: Observation plane – owl; bomber - buzzard; fighter plane - hummingbird. January was crested snow; amphibious craft - frog; battleship - whale; and route - rabbit trail.

Billison told an Associated Press interviewer in 2001 he joined the U.S. Marines right out of high school and was sent to test as a code talker after he finished boot camp when the Marines discovered he was fluent in English and Navajo.

He said, “The code was very difficult to learn and a lot of the young Navajos didn’t pass the tests. ”Learning the alphabet equivalents, learning to spell out the terms and names of places, plus memorizing the entire vocabulary of 411 terms with a response that had to be lightning fast in a combat situation was not an easy task.

“When we were discharged the Marines told us, ‘If anyone asks you what you did with the Marines, just say you fought. Don’t say anything about radio, about code or communication’.” It was the Marine’s secret weapon in the Pacific Theatre of Operations.

The code, a system of communications never cracked by the Japanese, completely confused the enemy concerning U.S. troop movements to the point where it brought about the end of the war in August, 1945 when the Japanese surrendered.

I’ve been told the code was so effective that other Navajos who were non-Marines in the Pacific Theatre could not understand what the Navajo Marines were doing or what they were talking about.

The contribution of the code talkers had been so invaluable that the Marine Corps wanted to keep the code as a permanent adjunct. The Department of Defense did not release information on the code talkers until 1968 when the Code was declassified. By then, WWll was a distant memory and America was engulfed in another war in South East Asia.

Lawrence Morgan, speaker of the Navajo Nation Council said Billison traveled throughout the world to carry the story of the Code Talkers who “offered their language to allow citizens of the United States the freedom we are able to enjoy today.”

Billison, who earned a doctorate degree from the University of New Mexico - Albuquerque, served on the Navajo Nation Council and the Navajo Area School Board Association, helped to reorganize the education system under the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was a member of the former Kinlichee School Board and had been Kinlichee chapter president.

The creation of the Code and the Code Talkers are the basis of one of the most riveting stories to come out of World War ll. Is it any wonder I grouse at the thought of John Woo’s cinematic bomb – “The Windtalkers” where the plot centers on the angst of a white Marine, bodyguard for a Code Talker? What a waste of Native talent and Hollywood money.

This article was edited from an Associated Press Obit and the book, “The Navajo Code Talkers” by Doris Paul.

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.

Casino Funds Build Dialysis Centers

Members of the Gila River Indian Community recently gathered for the dedication of a new medical complex to fight their number one enemy, diabetes, an illness unheard of one hundred years ago.

During the past century the Natives went from farmers who ate sparsely from the earth to people with modern conveniences and high calorie diets taking its toll on the Pimas who have the highest rate of Type 11 diabetes in the world with more than half of its adult tribal members contracting the disease.

With the new medical facilities, in Sacaton and Komatke, two state-of-the-art dialysis centers can treat the current 230 patients with capacity for 130 more. The Tribe can now fight back on two fronts: Treating the ill and educating the healthy.

There are 40 dialysis stations, with heat massage chairs to warm patients as their blood leaves their bodies and returns cooled down. “The whole facility is designed around the patient,” says Richard Kendrex, dialysis administer for the Centers. “You probably won’t see another facility like this.”

The approach is holistic with an on-site podiatrist, social worker and 25 staff members ready to help refer patients to dentists and other health professionals.

The Tribe spent $10 million for the two buildings, furnishings and medical equipment. At a ribbon cutting ceremony in Sacaton, three women sang in their traditional language. Their voices began quietly and grew stronger. A gourd rattle marked time.

In this harsh desert land it is easy to envision a time when there was no diabetes and with the Tribe’s commitment, perhaps there will be such a time again.

This article has been rewritten for length and content from the editorial pages of the November 9th edition of The Arizona Republic.

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Arts, Crafts, Music Keep Native Cultures Alive!

PEE POSH POTTER SHAPES LIFE

Dorothea Sunn-Avery, 40, is one of the last Pee-Posh or Maricopa potters of the Gila River Indian Community. A decade ago, she worked her way off welfare by making and selling pots. Today she teaches others so the tradition that is characteristic of the Pee Posh tribe can survive.

The key to her wonderful talent lies in the clay. She pops a chunk of dirt in her mouth. She says, “I’m trying to make it wet to see how pasty it gets. If it rolls into a ball it’s good. If it doesn’t stick and falls apart, it’s not good. The perfect dirt for making clay tastes like the smell of rain.”

Sunn-Avery learned how to make pottery by helping her grandmother, Mabel C Sunn. She was 6 or 7 years old when she’d sift the rocks out of the dirt for her clay.

Looking for a ribbon of caliche on a canal bank, digging 3 to 5 feet pounding the dirt with a large stone. Then, there is kneading the dirt into clay, shaping it into ropelike coils, molding them into a pot, gathering mesquite wood for the makeshift kiln to fire the pot, not once but twice, and boiling mesquite bark and sap as paint for the design. This is extremely hard work and the craft will disappear without dedicated potters like Sunn-Avery. Because of the back-breaking labor she lost interest in pottery making until she had a child of her own.

“Everything came from a pot. That is how we made our living. I saw what my grandmother did, I saw my mother do it and I knew I could do it.” She started out small with tiny pots the size of a fingernail and then on to holiday ornaments.

Sunn-Avery never intended to be part of a Pee Posh revival, she just wanted to make pottery, the only way she knew how to get off welfare.

She will show her work at the Gila River Artists Market in Late December; she’ll shape Pee Posh Pottery at the Heard Museum in January; and is currently teaching students at Laveen’s Cesar Chavez High School how to make a Pee Posh pot from start to finish.

Edited from The Arizona Republic, November 19th, byline Angel Cara Pancrazio


YAQUI CEREMONIAL DANCER RAISES MOTHS

Merced Maldonado is trying to keep a centuries-old Yaqui tradition alive by breeding moths in his Guadalupe back yard. He is a Pascola, Yaqui ceremonial dancer, storyteller and keeper of his culture. Since pre-Christian times the Pascolas have danced with ankle rattles made from the cocoons of Calleta Silkmoths.

“The ankle rattles are very important,” Maldonado emphasized. “The rattle symbolizes our connection with the insect world. It has a very distinct sound that’s important when we dance to the music of the harps and violins.”

At one time the silkmoth cocoons were quite plentiful in the area but have largely disappeared during the past decade. Maldonado, 48, determined not to lose the tradition went to Texas and learned from San Antonio entomologist Richard Peigler how to find the cocoons. With Peigler’s encouragement, he collected some eggs too.

When he came home to Arizona, he signed up for science classes at a community college to learn how to mature the eggs to insect life and with knowledge he learned from the courses, he created an insect friendly environment in his back yard across the street from the town’s church.

“I’ve made some mistakes, lost some eggs, but I’m learning. I’ve got a bunch of cocoons now, so it’s working. Our dances connect us with nature, our culture, with our myths and legends, with who we are.

“I’m going to teach the youth about the rattles, their place in the dance and how and why they are made. I’m going to keep this tradition alive. If I’m to be remembered for something, I want it to be this, my contribution to our culture.”

Edited from The Arizona Republic, November 14th, byline William Hermann.


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.

First Nations Win In Land Ruling

Files From Canadian Press
Submitted by Aleah Sato – Senior Writer – Ricksticks Inc.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously that governments must consult with First Nations before developing land that aboriginal groups claim to own – even if the titles have not been proven though courts or treaties.

But, this ruling does not extend to private industry developers and although governments are under duty to consult, they are not obliged to receive consent before using the land. “Rather, the commitment is to a meaningful process of consultation,” Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin wrote for the court.

The landmark ruling is significant because more than 1,000 unsettled land claims affect most of British Columbia and much of the country. It is Canada’s highest court’s first endeavor to establish ground rules and define unresolved questions.

“We’re not interested in dispossessing anyone or taking away what people have,” said Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. ”We’re interested in fair and just compensation.”

This ruling could mean lengthy litigation for aboriginal groups. “These court decisions invite more negotiations and more litigation,” Edward John, grand chief of the First Nations Summit told Canadian Press. The group represents about 140 B.C. bands in treaty negotiations.

“The ball is in the hands of the government now. They need to sit down, as the court says, and deal with us. They can’t run roughshod over the interests of our people,” John added.

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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.

Native Vote - Post Election Meeting

Native Vote – Reflecting on Our Accomplishments,
Planning for the Future

POST-ELECTION WORKING MEETING December 11-12, 2004
Chevy Chase, Maryland

What did the 2004 elections mean for the IndianCountry? Where do we go from here? The National Congress of American Indians and NationalVoice would like to invite Native Vote Project Coordinators, organizers, and partner organizations across the nation to a national working group meeting in Washington, D.C.

The purpose of this gathering is to give individuals the opportunity to share information on Native Vote efforts across the country, to assess our successes and identify challenges, and to collectively decide how Native Vote should move forward in the future.

This will be the first meeting of this kind for the Native American community. It is open to all non-partisan organizations that worked with registering, educating, researching, poll monitoring, and outreaching to the Native American community.

Post-election evaluation and strategic planning is one of the most important aspects of Native Vote. This process will help us to move closer to our goal of creating and sustaining a national infrastructure during and in between election cycles and to build capacity within local communities. This debrief will be a perfect opportunity to highlight what is being done around the country as well as coordinate and share best practices.

Date - Saturday and Sunday, December 11-12, 2004.
Location - National 4-H Youth Conference Center, Chevy Chase, Maryland

Estimated Cost* - Food and materials will be provided by National Voice and NCAI.
*Participants are responsible for own lodging and travel accommodations (NCAI will forward information on a room block for participants).

To ensure that we can accommodate all those who would like to attend, we ask that you RSVP as soon as possible. To RSVP or request additional information, please contact Alyssa Burhans, National Voice/NCAINative Vote at Alyssa@nationalvoice.org or 612-879-7510.

Alyssa Burhans
Outreach Director: Native American 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.

A Tribute To Native Warriors!

I’m certain the spirit of Kent Ware Sr., who died August 13th at the age of 82, stood proudly with other Native American veterans on November 11th at the Pueblo Grande Museum auditorium in Phoenix during their memorial tribute to Native warriors.

It was Ware’s dream to establish a Native veterans war memorial. On September 4, 1996, Ware and veteran friends were seated in a restaurant discussing a blueprint for such a memorial. On that day, the American Indian Veteran’s Memorial Organization was born with Ware as the founding father. Now, that dream is coming true in the form of soaring golden eagle wings to be created by Hopi artist, architect, and designer Dennis Numkena which will be placed on top of a rise in Steele Indian School Park.

Jeff Begay, of Mesa, a Navajo-Laguna who was a radio operator in Vietnam is now president of the Organization which is raising $2.5 million for the memorial.

”You won’t find a more patriotic group of people,” Begay said, referring to American Indians. “I think it is because this country was ours before anybody else.”

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community recently donated $100,000 for the memorial and the Organization is selling engraved bricks to honor veterans and their families. For more information on the memorial go to http://www.aivmo.org/.

The Veterans Day service began with the beating of drums, rattling of gourds and singing which resonated throughout the Auditorium. Men, members of the Gourd Society, began the dance which originated with the Kiowa Tribe in the Black Hills of South Dakota. They danced to celebrate their service, to honor their dead and remember their brothers and sisters now serving in Iraq.

At one point the gourds were silenced as Ware’s widow, Britamarte Jane Ware, 81 received a shawl in honor of her husband’s service to his country, a Kiowa who was a gunner for the 407th Bomb Squadron during WWll.

Native Americans are said to enlist in the military at a higher rate than other ethnic groups and have served in every conflict since the Revolutionary War when the Choctaw assisted the colonists in fighting the British.

Erick Blackwolf, Lakota-Cherokee, an adviser in Vietnam for 11 years said the memorial and dancers bring him a measure of peace. ”It’s a chance to honor past veterans and be with my brothers who’ve gone through the same things I have. I understand.”

The story, “A Tribute To Warriors” bylined Judy Nichols, was edited for content and length from the November 12th edition of The Arizona Republic.

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.

Casino Profits Fund Arizona Museum

The Gila River Indian Community is donating $1 million to the Heard Museum in Phoenix, officials have announced. Frank H. Goodyear Jr. Museum director said, “It is a magnificent and incredibly generous gift.”

The money will be used to help pay for the Museum’s new permanent exhibit, “Home: Native Peoples in the Southwest,” a $7.6 million project scheduled to open in May.

“This gift enables the Heard to realize its dreams of putting forward the best of the permanent collections,” Goodyear added. “Our goal has always been a national standard for the presentation of Native arts and cultures. This donation will help us reach that goal.”

Gary Bohnee, spokesman for the Indian community said the grant is the largest the tribe has made which will be paid in four installment over four years. “Obviously, we felt it was a worthy cause,“ he added. “The community is continuing to build a relationship with Heard that will include Pima and Maricopa objects from the Tribe’s Huhugam Heritage Center and marketing the two together.”

The grant comes from tribal gambling money as part of the
agreements approved by voters in 2002 which call for giving a portion of revenues to the state and a portion to municipalities. The Heard grant was made to the city of Phoenix. The Salt River Indian Community has previously given a $100,000 donation to the Museum.

In addition, the Indian Community has contributed to the reconstruction of the Zane Grey cabin in Payson. Grey was the author of numerous classic western novels. Projects were also funded to the Arizona towns of Coolidge, Buckeye, Peoria, Avondale and Pinal County.

This article was taken from the pages of the November 5th edition of The Arizona Republic bylined Judy Nichols and edited for content and length.

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.

California Propositions 68 and 70!

Did the Golden State’s Native tribes win or lose with the defeat of both propositions?

Proposition 68:

A YES vote meant - Slot machines would be authorized at 16 specific race tracks and card rooms, unless all Indian tribes with existing tribal state gambling compacts agree to certain terms within 90 days. Under either scenario, local governments within the state would receive new gambling revenues, to be used primarily for additional child protective, police and firefighting services.

A NO vote meant - Slot machines would not be authorized at racetracks and card rooms. Indian tribes would continue to be subject to current tribal-state gambling compacts. Local governments would not receive new gambling revenues.

Proposition 70:

A YES vote meant – Tribes entering new or amended tribal-state gambling compact would make payments to the state based on their gambling income. These compacts would last 99 years and place no limits on the types or number of casino games.

A NO vote meant – Tribes would continue to be subject to existing tribal-state gambling compacts which require various types of payments to the state. Existing compacts will last up to 26 more years and place some limits on the types and number of casino games.


Well, there are two sides to every story. James P. Sweeney, reporter, Copley News Service – San Diego’s “Union Tribune” headlines his November 2nd 9:33 pm new story – ‘About face for California tribes’ political fortunes’.

“Sacramento – Nearly five years ago, the ballot measure (Proposition 1A) that legalized California’s Indian casinos sailed to victory with almost 65 percent of the vote.

“On Tuesday, the state’s gambling tribes experienced a 180-degree turn in their political fortunes. Proposition 70, a tribal backed measure that would have given unlimited slot machines to Indian casinos, was being drubbed by an even larger margin that the tribes had enjoyed not so long ago in victory.”

But wait a minute, Mr.Sweeney. Not all California Indians look upon the defeat of both of those Props, 68 and 70, as a defeat. Melody (Little Wolf) Sheline e-mailed me on November 3rd. “Thank you to all who voted against these stupid props (68 and 70) of our so-called Governor’s plans.”

Prop 68 - If compacted tribes don’t unanimously accept required amendments within 90 days, or if determined, authorizes sixteen (16) specified non-tribal racetracks and gambling establishments to operate 30,000 slot machines/gaming devices, paying 33% of net revenues to fund government public safety, regulatory, social programs.

Prop 70 - “Bankrolled largely by the Agua Caliente band of Palm Springs, Proposition 70 would have given tribes unlimited gaming IF they agreed to pay the state’s corporate income tax, currently 8.84 percent.”

From what I can figure out: The Governor got his way; the people stopped the spread of unlimited casino gambling in the state but lost revenue; the Indians saved some money. If I’m wrong here, please, explain this whole thing to me.

Sweeney continues, “After the tribes weighed in against him in last fall’s recall campaign, Schwarzenegger portrayed them as an overreaching special interest and won. He made the defeat of the two gambling initiatives a top priority this year and has won, even more decisively.

“The voters spoke loud and clear and said the laws governing casino gaming in California should not be written by people who own casinos,” said Todd Harris, a spokesman for the governor.

“But Agua Caliente Chairman Richard Milanovich said the tribes had been cast as ‘scapegoats’ by the popular new governor. ’I think the public has latched onto this concept – it must be those nasty Indians who are making all this money and they’re not doing anything to help us out,’ Milanovich added.”

“Voters saw those two initiatives as expanding gaming beyond where most Californians are comfortable going,” said Dan Schnur, a strategist for a group of tribes that renegotiated their gambling agreements with Schwarzenegger.

After legalizing Nevada-style casinos on Indian reservations Schnur apparently reasoned “Californians no longer feel obligated to atone for past injustices against Native Americans”.

The bottom line for California tribes with casinos – Guard your collective assets!

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.

Bin Laden Vows To Bleed U.S. Dry - Economically

By Donna Bryson, Associated Press

Cairo – Osama bin Laden vowed to bleed America to bankruptcy, according to a full transcript of unaired portions of a videotape released Monday by an Arab television station. The al-Qaida leader’s remarks appeared targeted to the final days of the U.S. presidential campaign in which the struggling economy is a major issue.

Bin laden boasted, in his first appearance in more than a year, that for every $1 al-Qaida has spent on terrorist attacks, it has cost the United States $1 Million in economic fallout and military spending, including emergency funding for Iraq and Afghanistan.

“As for the size of the economic deficit, it has reached record astronomical numbers,” bin Laden said, estimating the deficit now at more than $1 trillion.

In reality, spending in the war against terror and other factors have resulted in an expected $377 billion shortfall for 2003 deficit, the highest deficit since WWll accounting for inflation.

The total U.S. National debt is near the $7.4 trillion statutory limit.

Bin Laden dwelled on al-Qaida’s economic strategy against the United States, according to the complete transcript of the 18-minute video aired on Al-Jazeera and was obtained by U.S. intelligence.

The terror mastermind whose al-Qaida network carried out the Sept. 11th 2001, attacks credited the religiously inspired Arab volunteers that he fought with against the Soviets in Afghanistan with having “bled Russia for 10 years until it went bankrupt and was forced to withdraw in defeat.” He suggested the same strategy would work against the United States.

”So we are continuing this policy bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy”, a calm and forceful bin Laden said in the tape that appeared near the end of a U.S. presidential campaign that has focused on the war on terror as well as the floundering economy.

My question to you Natives and the others who check out this site, “Who do think bin Laden was rooting for to win in our presidential election and why?”
bobbieo@digitaldune.net.

This story which appeared in the November 2nd edition of The Arizona Republic was edited for length and content.




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.

The Election Is Over!

Time Out For A Break With Will Roger’s Wonderful, Wacky, Cherokee Wisdom!

1. Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.

2. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.

3. There are 2 theories to arguing with a woman...neither works.

4. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

5. Always drink upstream from the herd.

6. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

7. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back in your pocket.

8. There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.

9. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

10. If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

11. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back.

12. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

ABOUT GROWING OLDER...

First ~ Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your
age and start bragging about it.

Second ~ The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

Third ~ Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know "why" I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved.

Fourth ~ When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.

Fifth ~ You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.

Sixth ~ I don't know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.

Seventh ~ One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young.

Eighth ~ One must wait until evening to see how splendid the day has been.

Ninth ~ Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.

Tenth ~ Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today it's called golf.

And finally ~ If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you are old.

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.

'HELPFUL HINTS' For Election Day

Submitted by Heather Thompson - Native Voter

- Ckeck Out A Sample Ballot Before Going To The Polls -

* VOTE EARLY
* CONFIRM WHERE YOU VOTE
* THE LAW REQUIRES YOUR JOB LET YOU VOTE
* BRING A PHOTO ID
* AVOID USING A "PROVISIONAL" BALLOT
* DOUBLE CHECK YOUR VOTE SELECTIONS
* DON'T WORRY ABOUT VOTE CHALLENGERS

*** VOTE EARLY *** If your state allows you to go into the County Clerk's office on Monday to vote early, you should go early and vote before Tuesday. You will avoid long waits and any confusion that might come up on Tuesday. Call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) to see if your state allows early voting.

*** CONFIRM WHERE YOU VOTE *** Many states have new voting districts and new voting precincts. Call your County Clerk or 866-OUR-VOTE(866-687-8683) on Monday to find where you vote onTuesday November 2.

*** THE LAW REQUIRES YOUR JOB LET YOU VOTE *** The law requires that your job give you sufficient time to vote. If you are having trouble getting time off to vote, call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) for assistance.

*** BRING A PHOTO ID *** Many states that have never required ID before are nowrequiring ID for the first time this election. Bring a photo ID to vote just to be safe. If you areuncertain, call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) to findout exactly what forms of ID or utility bills will be accepted in your state.

*** AVOID USING A "PROVISIONAL" BALLOT *** If there is any confusion about your eligibility to vote on election day try and resolve the issue right there (get your ID, go to the right precinct, etc.).

Try to avoid voting with a "provisional" ballot, where they take your vote and put it an envelope to be set aside and addressed the day after the election. In some states, as many as 90% of the provisional ballots never get counted. It is best to take the extra timeto get your ID or clarify and issue right away if you are able to. Call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) if youneed help resolving any questions.

*** DOUBLE CHECK YOUR VOTE SELECTIONS *** There have been a number of reports about electronic voting machines indicating a vote different than the one chosen by the voter, or skipping votes for some offices. Please double check before you leave to make sure each of your votes is registered correctly. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask the election official for help.

*** DON'T WORRY ABOUT VOTE CHALLENGERS *** Many states will have representatives from each political party inside of the polling precincts who might "challenge" your eligibility to vote.

Any "challenge" must be based on a SPECIFIC reason they think you are not eligible to vote, for example: (1) you are not 18; (2) you moved or don't live in that voting district; (3) you are not a U.S. citizen; or (4) you already voted that day.

You have the right to dispute any false challenges, give your correct information, and show that any of these assertions are wrong. Most challengers do this just to try and upset you and discourage you from voting.

Don't be deterred! Call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) and we will help you figure things out if you get challenged.

***NATIVE VOTE 2004 ELECTION PROTECTION PROJECT ANY VOTING QUESTIONS: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) 866-OUR-VOTE 866-OUR-VOTE 866-OUR-VOTE

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.