Gila River Natives Renew Farming - Part 2

Native Americans were adept farmers long before Columbus came to the New World. They grew corn, beans, squash and tobacco. They cultivated cotton in the Southwest and wild rice in the Great Lakes area. They were plant breeders and developed strains such as corn that matured in only 60 days for the short growing seasons near the present Canadian border.

The Hohokams harvested several varieties of corn, tepary beans similar to pintos, as well as pumpkin, squashes, and wild edible greens such as pigweed and amaranth. They grew Pima cotton, gourds for bowls and rattles. They hunted and fished the river.

Through archeological evidence of corncobs, corn pollen and fire pits, experts date cultivation as early as 200 A.D. in some areas. There are areas in Mexico that have been dated to 6,000 years ago according to Enrique Salmon, an expert in biodiversity with the Christensen Fund in California.

When artwork became more elaborate, there were drawings of corn on pottery in kiva paintings and petroglyphs.
In 1500 when the Spanish arrived they found Hohokam ruins and thriving villages of the Hohokam descendents, the Pimas.

Now in addition to the 4,600 acres growing cotton, Gila River Farms currently has 1,000 acres in citrus including navel, Valencia and Arizona sweet oranges, Rio and ruby red grapefruit, watermelon, lemons, tangerines and Orlando tangelos, a cross between a tangerine and grapefruit.

Past the barns filled with 500 tons of hay, harvested this summer, the alfalfa planted in September is growing and workers are putting in 2,200 acres of durum wheat while will be shipped to Italy for pasta. In addition the farm grows olives, onions and barley.

The tribes have been fighting to get back the water they lost when the dams were built and the recent water settlement guarantees 653,500 acre-feet of water each year and $400 million to help upgrade the farmer’s irrigation
systems.

“The Water settlement Act introduces a source of money into the community, keeps people making money in the community, provides an opportunity for personal growth for young people”, Salmon stressed. “They don’t have to move to Phoenix. They can work here. And there are all the support services that come with agriculture.

“And, it offers a sense of community. The community doesn’t get dispersed. There is a sense of pride. It’s all very important for a community that for a number of decades
had no community spirit.”

This story has been edited for length and content from an article in the January 19th edition of The Arizona Republic bylined Judy Nichols


Obesity Among Native Children

Obesity among US children has tripled in the past 25 years> nearly one out of three American children ages 6-19 is overweight.

These rates could be even higher in Arizona. Rene Cunnien, manager of the obesity prevention program at the Arizona Department of Health services says “We know a higher-than-average population of Native Americans have a higher rate of obesity” She does not mention the higher-than average population of Native Americans also have a higher rate of diabetes.

Because renewed agriculture productivity will bring an increase in the physical activity associated with farm labor within the Gila River communities and Tohono O’odham Nation, it may also bring about a decrease in obesity, diabetes and alcoholism. This is worth a study by the state health department.

The Pima-Maricopa tribes got back their “mojo”- bobbie

Another Plus for The Gila River Community

The Gila River Women Veterans Honor Guard are a part of the Tradition of Indian Women Warriors. These women are extremely dedicated in honoring and highlighting the role of Native Women in the military. The group is small but has become very visible. They have been Honor Guards for parades, powwows, and national conferences and have been recently asked to post the colors for an international being held in Phoenix.

Members of the group are Carol Buckles, USAFNG; Michelle Bowman, USN; Tanda Ellis, USA; and Rebecca Notah, USN.

This piece has been edited from an Internet site – Native American Women With Military Service created by Brenda Finnicum.




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.

For news and information on Native American and First Nations actors, go to Annie's site at www.NativeCelebs.com and follow the threads.

Healing Pathways for Native Americans with Breast Cancer.
Prevention Treatment and Recovery on March 25th and 26th at the Radisson City Center - Tucson, 181 W. Broadway, Tucson, AZ 85701.
For more info. or to attend, contact Russ Johnson, Native Solutions - (520)887-4343 for an application form.

Gila River Natives Renew Farming - Part 1

With the approval of the Arizona Water Settlement Act by President Bush, which is the mostfar-reaching Indian water settlement in U.S history, the 20,000 member Gila River Indian Community will have enough water to makes its river banks come alive again with lush crops and vegetation. It will mean more tribal members can carve out a living from tribal land.

Gila River Farms, the Community’s agricultural entity. Plans to nearly double the 16,000 acres it tills putting as many acres into production each year as it can.

The tribes of Arizona, including the Pima and Maricopa on the Gila River Reservations, are unusual in the United States as they oversee large reservations with tillable land with the Gila River group controlling more than 372,000 acres some 30 miles south of Phoenix.

In December, the last of the season’s 4,600 acres of cotton was harvested. This year four-row pickers rumbled down the rows yanking bolls of short staple Pima cotton from the stalks. “Next year, I’m going to get some six row pickers. The bigger harvesters will mean more acres of cotton rather than fewer workers,” said Robert Stone, the farm’s general manager and member of the Pima Tribe. “There’s a 146,000 acres of agricultural land out there that could be put to use.”

The cotton is taken to the tribe’s gin run by Reuel Villanueva ginning 20 bales per hour compacted into 500 pound bales. The tribe contracts with Cal-Cot Ltd. to sell its cotton with most of it going overseas to China for textile production.

The Hohokams, ancestors of the Pima and Maricopa tribes, learned to harness the Rivers. They built extensive irrigation canals that stretched for miles. Some were 20 feet deep and 80 feet wide dug out with stone tools. The earth was carried away by hand in baskets. This was the Pre-Columbian era so the Spaniards had not yet arrived to the New World with their horses which were also used as beasts of burden.

The longest recorded canal stretched 20 miles from Pueblo Grande in what is now east Glendale, Arizona. Many Valley of the Sun canals still follow the same paths.

The Hohokam fields stretched in all directions, covering thousands of acres across the barren desert and producing enough foods for tens of thousands. They used their bountiful harvests in trading circles across their world.

“They had an incredible trading network,” according to Enrique Salmon, a Tarahumara Indian, and national expert on biodiversity with the Christensen fund in California. “All the way to California, Baja California, the Sea of Cortes and into Chihuahua, Mexico.

“They traded for macaw feathers, pottery, seashells for jewelry, things they didn’t have in the desert. They developed a large community of several hundred people with ceremonial and political buildings, even ball courts and individual dwellings across the desert.

“If you could have done a flyover, you would have seen specks of light from fire pits all throughlout the gila Valley.

“It’s not a full circle.” Salmon added, referring to the revival in the agricultural mode of existence, “There is no way to go back to what was going on before the arrival of the white man. But it’s a three-quarter circle. At least there’s farming going on.”

Southwestern Natives are reconnecting to the earth in a way they haven’t been able to do for the past 100 years. When the white settlers came to the area, they took control of the water by building dams upstream drying up the rivers creating arid, sandy expanses in their place.

This story has been edited for length and content from an article in the January 19th issue of The Arizona Republic bylined Judy Nichols.

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.

For news and information on Native American and First Nations actors, go to Annie's site at www.NativeCelebs.com and follow the threads.

Healing Pathways for Native Americans with Breast Cancer.
Prevention Treatment and Recovery on March 25th and 26th at the Radisson City Center - Tucson, 181 W. Broadway, Tucson, AZ 85701.
For more info. or to attend, contact Russ Johnson, Native Solutions - (520)887-4343 for an application form.

Native American Incomes On The Rise!

Native Americans, the poorest minorities in the United states, made substantial economic and social gains in the last decade of the 20th century with per capita income rising about 30% for gaming and non-gaming tribes alike, according to a report recently released by Harvard’s American Indian Project on Economic Development.

Although tribes with gambling operations had generally higher incomes and lower unemployment, gaming did not enter as the significant factor in economic gains that researchers had expected it would.

The study comparing data from 1990 and 2000 showed income and education increased, housing improved and poverty and unemployment decreased. Arizona tribes shared in the gains which paved the path to independence, local Native leaders said.

“Once tribes establish control of their own destiny, they have a real say in their own future,” said Jacob Moore, special assistant on congressional and legislative affairs for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community

“Today we have young people who believe they can become doctors or engineers which 10 years ago, they might not have considered.”

“Gaming brought money to reservations, but gains were seen even in non-gaming tribes,” asserted Joseph Kalt, an economics professor at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and co-author of the report. “That was the most remarkable thing we found.” Kalt attributes the successes to tribal self-governance, which grew substantially in the 1990s. Also, there was game revenue sharing with non-gaming tribes in many states.

Gary Bohnee, head of PR for the Gila River Community, which has three casinos, stated that gaming money and self- governance are both important. The resources from gaming has allowed us to create departments and put professional people in place. The community now runs its own police department, health care system roads and other programs.

Between 1990 and 200: Per capita income adjusted for inflation on reservations grew more than 30 percent; Indian family poverty rates dropped 7 percentage in non-gaming areas and 10 percent in gaming areas; Unemployment rates dropped 2.5 percent in non-gaming areas and 5 percent in gaming areas; Housing overcrowding decreased and the percentage people living of homes with plumbing increased; Proportion of reservation adults with only a ninth grade education declined substantially and the proportion of those with a college degree rose substantially.

Jacqueline Johnson, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians said only a small number of tribes count gambling as a major source of revenue. She and Kalt believe the improvements are best explained by increased tribal self-government.

The report cautions in spite of the decrease in the poverty level for Indians, there are still substantial gaps in incomes between Native Americans and the rest of the U.S. population.

This story has been edited for content and length from articles by Judy Nichols, The Arizona Republic and Jay Lindsay, AP.

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.

For news and information on Native American and First Nations actors, go to Annie's site at www.NativeCelebs.com and follow the threads.

Healing Pathways for Native Americans with Breast Cancer.
Prevention Treatment and Recovery on March 25th and 26th at the Radisson City Center - Tucson, 181 W. Broadway, Tucson, AZ 85701.
For more info. or to attend, contact Russ Johnson, Native Solutions - (520)887-4343 for an application form.

Natives Needed In Politics

By Jodi Rave, columnist
Rapid City Journal.com

Missoula, Montana – On Monday, January 3rd, Brandon Woodenlegs stepped into an arena where he can potentially affect tens of thousands of Montana residents.

The University of Montana student is the first intern assigned to work with the Montana Legislature’s Native Caucus, a group of eight elected officials from across the state. Woodenlegs, a Northern Cheyenne from Lame Deer, said he’s honored by the selection which will allow him to assist legislators and witness the role state government plays in shaping the world of Native people.

His newly created position marks a beginning point for Native participation in state government. Montana is at the forefront. Its eight Native lawmakers arguably give Natives
there the highest per capita representation in state governments.

But other states could do better. The National Conference of State Legislatures counts only three Natives in the Arizona Legislature – and that state has a Native population of 255,000. Montana has a Native population of 56,000. Colorado, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wyoming and Washington have between zero and four Native legislators.

The lack of Native representation in state politics is owed, in part, to the youthful misconception that it’s not ”our world.” It’s a misplaced belief. Policymakers create the cause-and-effect in our lives, including the quality of schools, transportation, and health care systems. Their decisions extend into and beyond reservation boundaries. Politicians wield power, for better or worse.

Fortunately hundreds of opportunities exist for high school and college students to experience democracy in action. They can serve as interns and pages at the state and national levels. In Montana, for instance, 250 high school students will spend one week of the legislative session working for state leaders.

In many states, high school students can also participate in Boys State or Girls state in programs where they get familiar with the democratic process. They can continue to gain experience while in college. Typically, a student intern or page must have at least one government course, be a junior at a four-year university or sophomore at a two-year college. Students get the chance to analyze bills, prepare bill summaries and do research. The truly motivated student can also seek work in Washington.

Ben Kappelman of Missoula spent nearly six months in 2004 as a U.S. Senate page. Working in the Senate chambers gave him the chance to watch senators deliver moving speeches and present arguments on legislation. He retuned excited about government and politics, his mother said.

“As a mom, I hoped it wouldn’t turn Ben into a cynic,” said Brenda Desmond. Kappelman was among some 30 students selected nationally to serve as Senate pages.

Native college students can also participate in congressional internships through the Morris K. Udall Foundation. The deadline for the 10 week program is January 31. Twelve students will be chosen for the Washington internships. The selected youths are expected to take lessons home to their tribes.

As legislative sessions get started across the country, now is the time for students to become engaged with the system. We live in a complacent society, typically allowing others to make decisions for us. In Native communities, politically minded youths ought to be thinking about more than a seat on the tribal council.

Republican Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado – the nation’s only Native senator has left office. And recent state elections didn’t produce a single Native leader for the U.S. Senate. Let the training begin.

Jodi Rave reports on American Indian issues for Lee Enterprises and the Missoula, Mont. Missoulian. She can be reached at (800) 366-7186 or jodi.rave@missoulian.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.

For news and information on Native American and First Nations actors, go to Annie's site at www.NativeCelebs.com and follow the threads.

Healing Pathways for Native Americans with Breast Cancer.
Prevention Treatment and Recovery on March 25th and 26th at the Radisson City Center - Tucson, 181 W. Broadway, Tucson, AZ 85701.
For more info. or to attend, contact Russ Johnson, Native Solutions - (520)887-4343 for an application form.
There will be 39 groups at this seminar, i.e. - American Indian Medicine Healing the Pain by Miguel Cardenas; Drumming for Healing by John Oberly; Native Spirituality in Cancer by Miguel Flores; etc.

Native Tribes Herd 'The New Buffalo' Into 2005

“Land! Money! Water! A huge population base nearby! Arizona’s Valley of the Sun’s Native tribes are holding four aces.” Monday, January 3rd, - The Arizona Republic editorial pages.

After being stuck on the sidelines for decades, Arizona’s tribes have become major players. Native American communities are becoming formidable competitors for tourist dollars and development projects. Their growing clout comes from doing what any other sound investor with money would do: Take advantage of their location and diversify, putting casino gambling profits – THE NEW BUFFALO - into other enterprises, and they are balancing on the bison’s back.

The Gila Indian Community recently landed Rawhide, the Old West Restaurant and cow town attraction that’s leaving Scottsdale.

The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, which has been the high-profile sponsorship of the Fiesta Bowl Parade has a hotel, conference center and RV park under construction. They created a buzz around the community late last May when they evicted the “Out of Africa Wildlife Park” that had been on the reservation for 16 years to make way for the RV park.

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Community has some large undisclosed projects in the works for the coming year. The Ak-Chin Indian Community is considering how to capitalize on the explosive growth in the neighboring town of Maricopa. I remember Maricopa from the 1950’s as a dusty cotton town - a place you passed through on the back way to Phoenix from Tucson.

Tribal influence is also growing through charitable as well as political donations. Under the voter-approved terms of the tribes gaming compact, a share of casino profits must be contributed to local services that benefit the general public.

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa community has given $737,500 to Mesa for public school improvements and $250,000 to Tempe for archeological projects and Center for Habilitation programs.

Gila River contributions have included $1 million to the Heard Museum.

The Fort McDowell group recently added their names to the Maricopa Association of Governments joining long-time Association members the Gila River and Salt River Pima –Maricopa tribes.

Jacob Moore, spokesperson for Salt River Pima-Maricopa group was right on the mark when he explained “Previously. Tribes have been seeking a place at the table. From Salt River’s perspective, we’d like to help set the table.”

Recently acquired water rights will give the Gila River community and the Tohono O’odham Nation enormous muscle for the future under the Arizona Water Settlement Act which President Bush recently signed into law few weeks ago. Most of the water will be used for restoring farmland left fallow for generations with some of it being leased to the area’s cities.

It appears the Great Spirit and El Nino are combining their efforts, right now, to give Central Arizona and her Native tribes a fresh start for the New Year by filling the nine year drought stricken lakes and existing reservoirs.

All of the state’s residents are grateful for the abundant rain and snowfall. If the winter visitors are unhappy with the lack of warm weather and sunshine this season, let them come by next summer where they can fill up on both, very quickly.

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.

For news and information on Native American and First Nations actors, go to Annie's site at www.NativeCelebs.com and follow the threads.

Healing Pathways for Native Americans with Breast Cancer.
Prevention Treatment and Recovery on March 25th and 26th at the Radisson City Center - Tucson, 181 W. Broadway, Tucson, AZ 85701.
For more info. or to attend, contact Russ Johnson, Native Solutions - (520)887-4343 for an application form.
There will be 39 groups at this seminar, i.e. - American Indian Medicine Healing the Pain by Miguel Cardenas; Drumming for Healing by John Oberly; Native Spirituality in Cancer by Miguel Flores; etc.

The Call For Righteouness! Has It Been Answered?

Native Americans are essentially calling for righteousness. By this they mean a shared ideology
developed by all people using their purest most unselfish minds."
--Lorraine Canoe/Tom Porter, MOHAWK

"The Native way is to first focus on decisions that will be good for the people and then for yourself. Righteousness means "to think right." Our way is to consider the good of all first. This helps our minds to be unselfish and pure. This is the spiritual way.

"This can be very hard to do because the world we live in says to take care of yourself first. A man of God cannot be taken advantage of unless it is the will of the Creator. The Creator really controls everything. To have a good future, the people must gather in a circle and pray for highest good for the people. "
Authors

I had begun to fear I would never witness the concept of “Native Righteousness” in my lifetime, but I believe it has come to pass through the people who inhabit the Indian Ocean area with the horror of the recent tsunami which has made the peoples of the world open their hearts, minds and pocketbooks to the survivors of this terrible tragedy to help them rebuild their shattered lives.

I feel in my heart the Great Circle has been created as a result of this brutal devastation and prayers are being said in every religious faith on our earth for the highest good of the people.

I’m not certain how long this aura of good will toward man will last, but I know the reason for the Circle will never be forgotten. - 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.

For news and information on Native American and First Nations actors, go to Annie's site at www.NativeCelebs.com and follow the threads.

Healing Pathways for Native Americans with Breast Cancer.
Prevention Treatment and Recovery on March 25th and 26th at the Radisson City Center - Tucson, 181 W. Broadway, Tucson, AZ 85701.
For more info. or to attend, contact Russ Johnson, Native Solutions - (520)887-4343 for an application form.
There will be 39 groups at this seminar, i.e. - American Indian Medicine Healing the Pain by Miguel Cardenas; Drumming for Healing by John Oberly; Native Spirituality in Cancer by Miguel Flores; etc.

Anatomy Of A Rumor

This also can be titled CLOSURE for the “McDonalds – Bah Humbug” articles.

When you were a kid, did you ever play a game called ”Gossip”? The participants would sit in a circle on the floor and the first person to start the game would whisper in the ear of the person seated next to him/her a rumor or a piece of gossip like “Billy Daniels has a new girlfriend.” By the time the rumor passed some 12 or 15 people, it might come out “Billy Daniel’s father has a new girlfriend.” Close but no cigar – a false and potentially dangerous rumor.

Today, we have a new way to play “Gossip”. It’s called “Internet e-mail”. This rumor apparently began by a parent upset over a potential case of racial discrimination. The following story is edited from an article in the ABQJournal.com, “Chain Denies Racism Rumor” bylined Adam Rankin.

“The e-mail message, which called for a boycott of the Los Alamos McDonald’s for allegedly refusing to serve a middle school basketball team, has spurred separate three-week investigations by the school and the corporate offices of McDonald’s.” The e-mail began to circulate and spread like a wildfire in a parched Arizona pine forest.

“Luis Ruiz, an Albuquerque public relations specialist, spokesman for the owner-operated McDonald’s franchise in Los Alamos said Tuesday, ‘there was no racist incident’.”

Ruiz insisted he doesn’t know the original source of the rumor and no one should be to blame so basically we don’t know how it got started, but somehow its gotten blown out of proportion.

“The e-mail sender purports to be the mother of one of the players and says they were denied service because they are Indian. She alleges the players and coaches were told they could be given directions to the Pizza Hut or for pay double for they food they wanted at McDonald’s.

“There is a video of the incident on security tapes,” Ruiz maintained, “A picture does not lie.”

Here is the new “skinny”. McDonald’s is a sponsor of the New Mexico Activities Association, the governing body of high school sports. “Part of the sponsorship agreement,” Ruiz said, “is to provide meals to coaches but not players.”

A new system was recently instituted requiring coaches to present a “Be Our Guest” coupon for their meal. The new policy was put into place to help cut down on people taking advantage of the system to get free food. McDonald’s has donated 1,000 coupons which comes to about $5,000 worth of food.

According to Ruiz “In this case, the Indian School coach didn’t have a coupon and decided to take the team to a different restaurant after the new policy was explained. So, McDonald’s employees helped the coach find another restaurant in Los Alamos that could accommodate the team.”

Ruiz concluded, “Someone is spreading a rumor that just never happened.” Just like in the Gossip game.

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.

For news and information on Native American and First Nations actors, go to Annie's site at www.NativeCelebs.com and follow the threads.

Healing Pathways for Native Americans with Breast Cancer.
Prevention Treatment and Recovery on March 25th and 26th at the Radisson City Center - Tucson, 181 W. Broadway, Tucson, AZ 85701.
For more info. or to attend, contact Russ Johnson, Native Solutions - (520)887-4343 for an application form.
There will be 39 groups at this seminar, i.e. - American Indian Medicine Healing the Pain by Miguel Cardenas; Drumming for Healing by John Oberly; Native Spirituality in Cancer by Miguel Flores; etc.

Farewell To Two Who Shaped Native Culture

Claudeen Bates Arthur was a Navajo woman who became a pioneer in tribal justice and Ray Swanson, President of the Cowboy Artists of America, made Native people shine through his oils and colors

Thirty years ago Arizona State University professors told Arthur to “go home” because older Native American women couldn’t cope with the rigors of law school. Arthur who had children and a husband ignored that advice.

Not only did she earn a law degree, she shaped federal Indian law and became the Navajo Nation’s first woman attorney. Last year, she was appointed the chief justice of the Navajo Nation.

She was the first Navajo woman to graduate from ASU Law School in 1974. She earned her BA degree from New Mexico State University in 1965.

When she was appointed attorney general in 1983, she expanded her own staff within the tribe’s Justice Department rather than hiring high-priced outside layers as her predecessors had done.

She and her staff stood up to a giant uranium mining company over a tax dispute in 1985. At issue was whether the tribe had the power to tax businesses that operated on reservations. They won the case and Native governments were allowed to tax reservations businesses.

“Winning that case could have given her the ticket to a law firm anywhere in the country,” said John Echohawk, executive director of the Native Rights Fund in Boulder, Colorado,” but she chose to return to the Navajo nation. Her commitment to help the tribe was very strong.”

Arthur was 62 when she died on November 27th of pancreatic cancer at the Fort Defiance Indian Health Service Hospital.

In October, Swanson’s painting “Women of the Dineh” formed a huge banner that hung outside the Phoenix Art Museum, promoting the Cowboy Artists of American 39th annual exhibit.

“It was one of the last paintings he ever created”, said Steve Todd, chairman of the 2004 CAA exhibition. “He never got to see it but it was a fitting tribute. He painted and produced a magnificent show and every piece sold.”

Swanson, a Carefree resident, had contracted multiple myeloma – cancer of the blood plasma cells and died of pneumonia on December 17th. He was 67.

He was recognized and renowned for depictions of various cultures. But It was the Hopi, Zuni and Navajo cultures that he captured in his very special way.

“He respected his subjects, the Navajo people, and they trusted him,” Todd acknowledged. ‘He painted them honestly and proudly.”

Members of a Navajo family he had painted attended his memorial service in northeast Phoenix and followed the casket into the church covering it with a traditional chief’s blanket.

Arthur will long be remembered for shaping federal Indian law and Swanson for his dramatic light and jewel-like colors which conveyed a deep, spiritual interpretation of Native lives.

This article has been edited for length and content from two December 2004 stories in The Arizona Republic bylined Betty Reid and Dolores Tropiano.

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.

For news and information on Native American and First Nations actors, go to Annie's site at www.NativeCelebs.com and follow the threads.