The Last WW2 Comanche Code Talker Is Gone

Charles Chibitty, the last survivor of the Comanche code talkers, died On July 22nd at a Tulsa Okla. nursing home according to Cathy Flynn, administrative assistant in the Comanche Nation tribal chairman’s office. He was 83.

The Comanche code talkers used their native language to transmit messages for the Allies in Europe during World War II. The group of Comanches from the Lawton area were selected for special duty to provide the Allies with a language that the Germans could not decipher. Like the larger group of Navajos who performed a similar service in the Pacific theater, the Comanches were dubbed “code talkers”.

It’s strange growing up as a child,” Chibitty said in 2002. “I was forbidden to speak my native language at school. Later my country asked me to use my language which helped to win the war and that makes me proud. Very proud.”

Quoted in a story for The Oklahoman of Oklahoma City, Chibitty recalled being at Normandy on D-Day and said someone once asked him what he was afraid of most and if he feared dying. “No, that was something he had already accepted.

“But we landed in deeper water that we had anticipated. A lot of boys drowned. That’s what I was afraid of – drowning. I wonder what the hell Hitler thought of when he heard those strange voices.”

Chibitty was born November 21st, 1921 near Medicine Park and attended high school at Haskell Indian School in Lawrence, Kansas. He enlisted in the Army in 1941. In 1999, he received the Knowlton award, which recognizes individuals for outstanding intelligence work during a ceremony at the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.

“We could never do this again.” Chibitty told Oklahoma Today magazine.” It’s all electronic and video in war now.”

This story was edited for length and content from an Associated Press article from the post-gazette.com, a service of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

IT SEZ – AMERICAN PORTRAITS
Submitted by Ken Hughes

"I spoke Comanche...to beat Hitler."His unit went from Nomandy to Victory..and never lost a brave.The last of the WWII Code Talkers dies.You can't get any more American than Charles Chibitty. Charles was Comanche Indian, raised in Oklahoma (the old Indian Territories) when he enlisted in the Army in 1941.

The war broke out, and the army asked young Comanches to help with battlefield communications, because the Germans could not translate their language. Their unit is one of the most famous in WWII...and did not lose a single brave. The Navajos were the Code Talkers in the Pacific Theatre, by the way.

Mr. Chibitty noted the irony in his mission: As a kid, he was FORBIDDEN to speak Comanche! Then, in wartime, he was highly valuable to our war effort BECAUSE he spoke the native language.

If you don't know it, Comanches were the great pony soldiers of the Western Plains...skilled in combat and totally fearless, they roamed all over what became Texas...going clear down to Mexico in search of horses. There are some fabulous tales of derring-do between the Texas Rangers and the Comanches...culminating in a famous Truce that brought peace to that state.

Charles Chibbitty. A REAL American Hero. The last of the Comanche Code Talkers.

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.

The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
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Arizona's Tribal Gaming Rules

The following is a “Letter to the Editor” from Shelia Morago, executive director of the Arizona Gaming Association which appeared in the July 9th edition of The Arizona Republic

Tribal Gaming Rules Leave Little to Chance!

I read with interest your June 30th editorial “Growing pains” about the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearings headed by Arizona Sen. John McCain.

When Arizona voters passed Proposition 202 in 2002. they ensured hat tribal governmental gaming in Arizona would remain limited and regulated, These two decisions define the present and future of gaming in our state.

Most often, public discussion enters on our strong and vigilant system of regulation. In Arizona gaming is regulated by the tribes, the state and the federal government through the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Our state compact is recognized as a model for the country because the state and tribes are partners in ensuring the integrity of the industry.

Just as tribes are committed to protecting the industry, so is the state of Arizona. The state is firmly committed to a strong regulatory presence with the tribes, a mode; other states should learn from.

However our unique decision to limit gaming is equally deserving of praise. Our tribal-state compact limits gaming in three key ways. Tribes are limited as to the types of games that can be played, the numbers of games allowed, and the total number of gaming facilities that can be operated within the state.

As for transparency, out compact requires that tribes fully disclose their financials to the Arizona Department of Gaming and the federal Indian Gaming Commission. These are reported quarterly, and the size of the industry is posted on the state gaming department’s Website and reported in the newspaper four times a year.

Under our compact, both gaming and non-gaming tribes are using revenues from gaming to provide public education, health care, housing, and other essential services to their members. At the same time, tribes are sharing millions of dollars with state and local governments to support education, emergency trauma care, wildlife conservation and tourism statewide.

Tribes also fund regulatory expenses incurred by the state gaming department and provide support for problem gambling. Additionally, 12 percent of the revenues shared are directed to city, town and country governments, either through direct grants by tribes or through the Local Communities Fund of the state’s Commerce and Economic Development Commission.

Our system is working for all of us. Gaming in our state is so well regulated and limited that we like to say that, in Arizona, nothing is left to chance.

Shelia Morago, Phoenix

‘Our System Is Working For All Of us!’

Ms. Morago seems to be on target as confirmed in a bylined story by Matt Hanson in the July 29th Business section of the Arizona Republic which reads ‘state’s quarterly share of casino pot up 20%,’

“A healthier economy and more casino amenities helped the state collect a record $21.8 million in Indian gaming revenue during the second quarter.”

While the figure varies depending on the time of year – of course, it increases from October to April when winter visitors flock to southern Arizona to escape the northern snow and cold – the share has increased consistently since Arizona’s tribes signed new contracts with the state in 2003.

Under the compacts, Arizona’s 15 tribes with gaming operations donate part of their casino revenue every three months to he state. The money is disbursed to six groups: Casino regulation; schools; health care; wildlife conservation; state tourism; and efforts to prevent gambling problems.

By state law, schools get the largest share. $10.9 million, followed by $5.4 million to the trauma and emergency fund. The tribes also gave $3 million directly to Arizona to Arizona’s cities, towns and counties. Another $1.6 million went to the Arizona Office of Tourism.

A rosier economy might be the biggest reason for the revenue increases according to Shelia Morago, executive director of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association.

“Arizona casinos have added some gambling devices this year,” Morago said, “but better business is mostly attributed to other added amenities such as restaurants and concerts.”

Last fiscal year, the tribe’s total donation to the state was about $74 million which included direct contributions to cities, towns and counties.


‘NATIVES IN HOLLYWOOD: HOW FAR HAVE WE COME?’

It’s Roscoe Pond’s Poster Exhibit to be featured at the 37th Annual Indian Center PowWow to be held at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, July 29th, 30th and 31st.

Roscoe invites you to drop by and say “Hello”!

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.

The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
http://hughes-report.blogspot.com

Security Issues Dominated Arizona Indian Town Hall

Homeland Security, Emergency Management and Border Security were the major topics of discussion at the 25th Annual Arizona Indian Town Hall held June 6-8 in Sedona.

One of the primary issues in the Town Hall report released last week is that state tribes say they are not getting their fair share of homeland security funding and want their money send to them directly from the federal government rather than funneled through state officials.

“Going through the state is just another step, another requirement for tribes,” said Jack C. Jackson executive director of the Arizona Commission of Indian Affairs which hosted the Town Hall.

Some of the funds are funneled through country governments which create another level of negotiations for tribes. Some tribes have good working relationships with their counties while others do not.

“Tribes have a trust relationship with the federal government and would like direct funding for any federal programs, ”according to Jackson, one of the 100 Town Hall participants. “They should be able to decide how to spend the money”

Of the $158.7 million given to Arizona since 2000, $2.5 million has gone to the tribes. The 2005 allocation has not yet been sent.

Frank Navarette, Arizona’s director of Homeland Security, said tribes are better represented through a regional advisory council his office has created with a full-time tribal liaison.

The Tohono O’odham Nation controls 75 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border and spends $7 million from its tribal budget, annually, to deal with security and the destruction caused by illegal border crossers and drug smugglers. That outlay creates a budget crunch as the money is not spent on the tribe’s pressing social needs such as healthcare, housing and education.

The report stresses the federal government should not rely on tribes to fund national security needs. Tribes complain they are not well informed about security issues, federal requirements for funding or even threat levels. Jackson added that tribes were not aware of services, programs, or where to turn or who to turn too in case of a terror threat.

The report concludes that tribes need to be better prepared for wildfires, floods and winter storms. They need emergency plans that address special needs such as communications systems within “dead zone” areas where radios and cell phones do not work, assisting people with limited English skills and a mechanism in judicial matters for detaining and prosecuting non-Indians for identity theft on tribal lands.

This column has been edited for length and content from an Internet report and a July 21st story from 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.

The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
http://hughes-report.blogspot.com

Native 'Education Camp' Focused On Business Skills

Submitted by Marinell deGraffenreid

This past week fourteen American Indian high school students gathered for an education in business ownership at the Native American Youth Entrepreneur Camp hosted by the Native Nations Institute for Leadership Policy at the University of Arizona.

One of the techniques stressed was making “eye contact” while speaking to a client or customer. That “culture clash” aspect immediately caught my attention as it brings out a major difference between Native American and White culture traits. The White man says, “I don’t trust this person, he/she can’t look me in the eye.” In many Native American, Pacific Islander and Asian societies, children are taught to lower their eyes when talking with elders as a sign of respect.

I remember the words of a close friend telling me when he was in elementary school he was severely punished for disobeying a teacher’s request to “Look me in the eye when I am talking to you.” Amos is of Filipino/Navajo extraction.

The annual camp gave the 15-17 year old students an opportunity to meet successful Indian business owners and a chance to make a profit at a Youth Marketplace which was held on Thursday. They also learned to plan and write proposals for businesses they would like to open.

In addition, the students were taught how to write a full-scale plan for their business venture. Sixteen year-old Eugenia Taschquinth, a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation and Pima Indian Tribe from Sells, Arizona, is working on an unusual plan to start a barrel-racing clinic. A place where people could go to learn the techniques and train for barrel racing in rodeos – an important sports-entertainment event for the White, Black and Native cultures in the American West.

Taschquinth said that without the incentive of the camp, the 16 year old would never have thought of starting her own business. “I needed something to push me, to help me”

The students visited business at the San Xavier Mission south of Tucson. Ophelia Campillo was working at Wiwpui Du’ag, a jewelry-collectibles store. She told the kids, “Nowadays children have more opportunities than we did in the past. I know we didn’t have this kind of camp to learn how to create and conduct a business.

“They have to realize it’s a bigger world out there. This makes them think about what they want to with their lives instead of ending their educations at the high school level.”

Jessica Garcia, A Pascua Yaqui Tribe member from Tucson said she is learning more about he contributions Indians make to the state. “We’re small, but I guess we do a lot.”

Garcia shared a room and learned some things about another Native culture from her roommate at the U of A dorm, Crystal Lee, 17, who drove six hours from Kayenta in the Navajo Nation to attend the camp.

Lee is not certain she will ever own her own business but she wanted to come to the camp to gain more insight into the business world. Lee plans to go to college in California and eventually become a lawyer.

Garcia has definite business plans. She would like to start a newspaper for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe that would concentrate on community events and provide a forum for her people. I sincerely hope she is taking advantage of the opportunities offered in her high school in the field of journalism and publications by working on the student newspaper and yearbook.

Math is also a major key to success in the business world. One of the subjects taught was bargaining.

Besides learning how to present myself confidently and professionally, we had to play a game, talking down the price,” Garcia added. “You have to know your math before you buy.”

Now, I know why I chose journalism as a profession, I don’t add or subtract well and “talking down the price” has never entered my mind. Bobbie

This column has been edited for length and content from an article appearing in the July 19th Internet edition of the Arizona Daily Star, bylined Andrea Kelly. The Business Camp was sponsored in part by the Star.


40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT

March for Voting Rights, Jobs, Justice, & Peace
Submitted by Alyssa Macy

On August 6, 2005, the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition will hold a march and rally Atlanta, Georgia to commemorate the signing of the Act and to call attention to the threats facing minorities and the poor as key provisions of the Act come up for renewal in 2007.

Most Americans are not aware that the right to vote is not explicitly stated in the Constitution. The right to vote is a state right, and thus subject to differing laws and regulations as established by each individual state. This accounts for the various abuses that have been practiced at different times over the years including poll taxes, literacy tests, property ownership requirements, and the many abuses of the system we face today.

The Voting Rights Act was passed by Congress and signed by Lyndon Johnson in 1965. It provides protection for voters against actions taken by states to limit participation in the electoral process, actions most often targeted toward black, Hispanic, and low income citizens.

Several key provisions of the Act expire in 2007, and Rev. Jackson and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition are taking the lead in campaigning for their renewal. The campaign begins in Atlanta on August 6. Join us for this important event.

In-depth information about the Voting Rights Act is available at: www.votingrightsact.org and www.renewthevra.org.

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.

The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
http://hughes-report.blogspot.com

Umatillas Commemerate 150 Year-Old Treaties

Submitted by Ken Hughes
Source – Sho-Ban News

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) - Antone Minthorn was just a 20-year-old college student when American Indian tribes in the Columbia River basin paused to recognize the 100th anniversary of their 1855 treaties with the U.S. government. At the time, he knew little about the treaties or their significance.

Not so, today. Minthorn, now pushing 70 and chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, sees how times have changed. As tribes prepare to commemorate the treaties 150 years after the historic signing, the Indians have a voice like never before.

"We always need a voice in the politics of America. Otherwise, we will just be passed over like we have been in the past,'' Minthorn said. "We needed to let the American public know that we are still here, we have survived this hammer of manifest destiny.

''Between 1854 and 1856, territorial Gov. Isaac Stevens traveled across land that makes up present-day Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana with the goal of signing treaties with Indian tribes and thereby opening the Pacific Northwest to settlement. The effort came to be known as The Treaty Trail.

Ten treaties were signed in just 13 months, relegating roughly 70 tribes to reservations. More than 20 of those tribes and bands will recognize the 150th anniversary of their treaties this summer in what is both a poignant reminder of what they lost and a celebration of their survival.

"We still need to educate people about who we are and how far we've come 150 years later,'' said Arlen Washines, wildlife manager for the Yakama Nation and chairman of the committee planning 150th anniversary events.

The treaties were the culmination of years of fighting, sorrow and hurt for Pacific Northwest tribes, he said, and they represent tremendous sacrifice. All told, the tribes ceded millions of acres of land to the U.S. government, while retaining the right to hunt, fish and gather roots and berries.

For that very reason, many say that recognizing the treaties can be a delicate - and sometimes contentious - issue for tribal members.

Too often, the agreement is viewed as a surrender, Washines said.

"Even some of our tribal members look at the treaty as a piece of paper that identifies defeat,'' Washines said. "But conquering nations do not sign treaties with those they overpower. This was no defeat.''

Carl Sampson, a Walla Walla ceremonial chief and descendant of Walla Walla Chief Peo-peo-mox-mox, who signed the treaty, echoed that point.

Despite flying a white flag as a symbol of truce, Peo-peo-mox-mox was killed by U.S. soldiers months after the 1855 treaty signing. The chief was scalped and his hands, feet and other body parts were cut off and put on display.

His descendants will never forget how Peo-peo-mox-mox died, Sampson said, adding, "Once something like this happens to an elder, his spirit groans forever.

''Just as important, though, tribal members celebrate the courage and foresight of their leaders 150 years ago as they look to the future, Sampson said. The tribes survived, thanks in large part to the difficult decisions of the past.

"Much of what we're doing today is to preserve this information and knowledge for the future, so that as we train the next generation of leaders, we're confident they have this knowledge.

''The very treaties that forced Indians onto reservations promise them rights that help to secure their futures, Minthorn said. Across the Northwest, tribes are using their treaties to prevent degradation of natural resources and protect the environment.

"Tribes are restoring and strengthening their tribes, at the same time they are contributing to the welfare of their communities,'' he said. ``We're not taking. We're reclaiming our status as people, as a culture, as a nation.''

Not until 1934 did the federal government stop the allotment of tribal lands and give tribes the opportunity to form corporations to conduct business. In 1975, a self-determination act allowed tribes to govern themselves and contract for services by the federal government. The move broke much of the hold the government had on tribes.

In just the 30 years since then, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla have established their own farming and retail programs, resorts and casinos. They have taken control of their own economic development, Minthorn said.

The effort has only just begun. Tribes will continue to strengthen educational opportunities, improve their skilled labor forces, foster economic development and restore land and natural resources, he said.

"We're just breaking out of that oppression that was set in by signing the treaty of 1855,'' Minthorn said. `We have to be proactive. We have sovereignty, and sovereignty doesn't do you any good unless you're utilizing it.''

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.

The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
http://hughes-report.blogspot.com

'Here Comes The Bus!'

The Oglala Sioux Tribe has secured funding to start a public transportation system that will serve villages in an area that encompasses some 4,400 square mile in two of the nation’s poorest counties.

The area is twice the size of the state of Delaware where the unemployment rate is near 80 percent and the average annual income for the roughly 16,000 residents is $3,700.

Hopefully by next year, there should be no more walking along the road from point A to point B, hitchhiking or trying to catch a ride with family or friends.

Emma Featherman-Sam, the tribes transit coordinator, says the system will provide access to jobs, and access to their medical appointments. Emma lives in Kyle but works in Pine Ridge - a 57 one-way drive from home to the workplace. “Maybe three times a week I pick up someone hitching to work.”

According to Featherman-Sam, three daily routes will initially run from Wanblee though Pine Ridge and other villages along the way and the to the tribe’s casino on the reservation’s western border. Smaller feeder routes will eventually connect with the main lines.

The project will start with 10 buses, two vans and a bus terminal in Pine Ridge. The tribe is also looking for sponsors to help cover the cost of shelters for bus stops which are $700 dollars each.

The tribe’s transit liaison, Delores Bear Killer has been getting feedback from rez residents on the proposed routes and pick-up point locations. One woman in Pine Ridge toting six bags of groceries and a pre-school grandson said she had to hitchhike to Oglala and back here to get and carry groceries.

Bear Killer emphasizes “The need for public transportation is great here!”

One of the tribal elderly ladies said this would make her more independent and she wouldn’t have to depend on “people to haul her here and there.”

But still unresolved are fare amounts that will cover operating costs. The Federal Transportation Administration awarded $2.27 million for busses and building.

The tribe is filing the paper work needed to secure about $500,000 in matching funds from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Featherman-Sam said and added “This is the piece that is taking the longest”

“Construction on the bus terminal could start this fall and the busses, which have to be ordered, could begin running early next spring. We’re hoping we can find a company that has some so we can get going soon.”

The system being set up along the main route will run Morning, midday and evening to allow people to get to appointments and return home to avoid all day waiting periods.

Eventually Featherman-Sam sees a system that will include regular trips to Rapid City to accomodate ‘rez’ residents’ for shopping trips and medical appointments.

Once the system is established, Featherman-Sam’s biggest concern will be to keep it up and running on time. “We want to be certain the people can go to a bus stop and know the bus will be here at 7:15.”

This column has been edited for length and content from the July 11th Arizona Republic’s Associated Press story, bylined Carson Walker.


INDIAN EDUCATION BENEFITS ALL MONTANANS!
Submitted by Sunshine Archambault
Billings Gazette Guest Opinion
Thursday, July 14, 2005

"Tragically, Americans know next to nothing about our country's native people. Even here in 'Indian Country,' the Rocky Mountain West, our schools neglect Indian history. Montanans, finally, are accepting the opportunity, encouraged by Title X of our 1972 state constitution to study, through our schools, the vitally important history of Native Americans.

The key words in what has become known as 'Indian Education for All' are the last two: 'for all.' Those who are not Indians need to understand the significant contributions of Indian government, art, medicine, agriculture, languages and customs to our lives.

Indian influences surround us, and, yet, we seem sightless in our recognition of them. Do we know, for example, that almost half the states in America have names derived from Indian words or that many of our most commonly used words are from Indian languages including: pecan, hickory, chipmunk, moose, raccoon and hundreds of others.

The names of the tribes whose people occupied these Western lands are also virtually unknown to most Americans: Hidatsa, Sans Arch, Atsina, Sihasapa and Siksika. They and others introduced many of our favorite foods: corn, squash, potatoes, peanuts, vanilla, pumpkins and avocados. Implements that are important here in the West, such as canoes, snowshoes and fishhooks, came from Indians. Many historians agree that lacrosse, baseball and the rubber ball were adopted from Indian games.

"Get the Story: Pat Williams:
All Montanans will benefit from Indian education
(The Billings Gazette 7/14)

Sunshine Woman Archambault
sunshine@centerforcivicparticipation.org

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.

The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
http://hughes-report.blogspot.com

Minority Students Caught In 'School-To-Prison' Pipeline

Submitted by Alyssa Macy – NativeVoter@voicelists.org

WASHINGTON – (June 23rd) In a complaint filed today with the U.S. Department of Education on behalf of 14 Native American families, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Attorney General of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe charge that the public school district in Winner, South Dakota discriminates against Native American children in its disciplinary practices and denies these students their right to equal educational opportunities.

"Through its discriminatory practices, the Winner School District systematically pushes Native American children out of its schools, often into the juvenile justice system," said Robin Dahlberg, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Legal Department. "To permit Winner schools to remain above the law will encourage other school districts to engage in the same illegal activities with the same impunity."

ACLU staff attorney Catherine Kim said the problems in Winner are part of a nationwide trend of "get tough" policies on school misconduct, which lead to increases in suspensions for trivial conduct and the use of law enforcement to handle minor school discipline. According to Kim, research consistently shows that students of color are far more likely than Caucasian students to feel the brunt of this trend, which advocates refer to as the "school-to-prison pipeline."

At the request of Native American parents, the Office of Civil Rights of the Education Department initiated an investigation into the school district’s disciplinary practices in 1997. Three years later in 2000, it entered into an agreement with the district requiring the schools to amend those practices and take steps to eradicate racial harassment. In 2004, the department announced that the school district had complied with the terms of the agreement and closed the case.

The ACLU charges, however, that the Winner School District manipulated its records to present the Office of Civil Rights with a grossly distorted picture of its disciplinary practices and racial relations in its schools. In a report submitted to the department in May 2003, for example, the district claimed that there were no racial disparities in the way in which it disciplined its high school students.

Yet, according to school records, during the 2002-2003 school year, Native American high school students accounted for 85 percent of all in-school suspensions and 59 percent of all out-of-school suspensions, but made up only 14 percent of the student body. In fact, three-quarters of all Native American high school students had been suspended at some point during that year.

The ACLU further charges that this type of discrimination continues. According to the complaint, Caucasian students frequently engage in racially motivated name-calling, taunting, teasing and bullying that school officials do little if anything to stop. When Native American students respond, however, they are punished.

In one instance, during a science class in January 2005, a Caucasian middle school student harassed a 12-year-old Native American special education student and hit him with a ruler. When the Native American student hit back, the principal had him arrested and suspended him from school for two days. The Caucasian student received no punishment until the Native American student’s mother complained. The principal then gave the Caucasian student a one-day in-school suspension.

Not surprisingly, Native American students are leaving the district in droves, said the ACLU. They transfer to other districts many miles from their homes, drop out of school altogether or end up in juvenile correctional facilities because of alleged school misconduct.

While Native Americans represent about one-third of the Winner Elementary School student body, they account for less than one-fifth of the high school student body. According to school records, only five of the 12 Native American students who were enrolled in the 11th grade during the 2002-2003 year continued on to the 12th grade.

"No parent should be forced to choose between giving his child a better education or maintaining his self respect," said Rodney Bordeaux, Chairman of the Rosebud Tribal Council Education Committee. "We want our children to have the best educational opportunities possible, but if public schools maintain a hostile environment, our children will only suffer."

The ACLU said that the problems in Winner are not isolated, and that Native Americans around the country face educational disadvantages and discrimination. According to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, less than two-thirds of Native Americans aged 18 to 24 have graduated from high school, and less than one in ten Native Americans over the age of 25 have completed four years of college.

Native American school children score lower than any other group in basic levels of reading, math and history. Furthermore, Native Americans account for three percent of all dropouts nationwide despite accounting for only one percent of students."

The ACLU has received so many complaints over the years about mistreatment of Native American students in school districts across South Dakota, and we see this as a problem that cannot be ignored," said Jennifer Ring, Executive Director of the ACLU of the Dakotas. "The government can no longer allow Native Americans to be treated as second-class citizens."

Today’s complaint was filed by Kim, Dahlberg, and Stephen Pevar of the national ACLU; Ring of the ACLU of the Dakotas; and Dana Hanna, Attorney General of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.A copy of the complaint is online at:
http://www.aclu.org/RacialEquality/RacialEquality.cfm?ID=18563&c=138.

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.

The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
http://hughes-report.blogspot.com

'Native Vision Sports Camp' Helps Youth

Submitted by Ken Hughes
Source: Sho-Ban News, Ft. Hall Idaho

BERNALILLO, N.M. (AP) - Drugs, alcohol, peer pressure - Danetta Cate doesn't give in.The 12-year-old has seen how bad influences affect children on Santo Domingo Pueblo, where she lives. So she points her peers in the direction of Native Vision, an annual sports and life skills camp for American Indian students grades four through 12.

"It helps me to learn bad stuff is not going to help you with your life,'' she said.

The annual camp, held this week at a high school just north of Albuquerque, has attracted 750 American Indian students from 30 tribes across the country. Camp organizers say it's among the largest camps in the United States for American Indian students.

While most students hope to brush up on their sports skills, they also participate in health fairs, community service projects and parenting workshops, among other things."We learn how to appreciate ourselves and succeed in our lives and not be ashamed of who we are,'' said Victoria Atencio, who is attending the camp for the second time.

An added incentive: the 45 professional, retired and collegiate athletes who donate time to teach clinics in football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and running.

Martin Coriz, a senior at Santa Fe Indian School, said the basketball clinic is more physically challenging this year. He gained some shooting and ball-handling skills last year - mostly the basics - but he said he's back for more.

“I want to be the same as the other athletes who volunteer their time here ,” Coriz said. “Help younger kids…give them advice to help them in the future.” He’s just not taking away skills he can use on the court. He said he also gets a chance to express himself, meet other people and learn about other cultures, religions and languages. “It helps me be more aware of other tribes.”

A lot of talent is showcased during this camp according to Steve Jordan, who played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1982-95. "We got kids out here on the rez that have a lot of game,'' he said.

Breakout sessions during the sports clinics give the athletes a chance to promote teamwork, discipline and higher education. Jordan added he's had some candid, fruitful conversations with the students and gives them credit to those who have turned their lives around.

Jordan, an Arizona native, heard about the camp when it started in Chinle, Ariz. He said the positive environment attracted him to the camp, where he has volunteered for the past eight years.

"To see the goal of the program is really refreshing. A lot of times people see American Indians as being completely different because many of them live on reservations, but they struggle with the same problems as any other culture, including gangs, single-parent homes and health. Given the right opportunity, you can create some really good kids.''

Mathuram Santosham, director of the Center for American Indian Health at John Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health, maintains he's seen a big difference in the returning campers' lifestyles. The rates of obesity, respiratory disease, substance abuse and suicide are typically higher among the American Indian population. The idea is "to get to the kids early on and try to affect their lifestyle.''

EDUCATE - ADVOCATE - MOBILIZE!
Submitted by Alyssa Macy

Make Your Voice Heard
Learn how atProject Democracy Summer Student Activist TrainingAugust 15- 19th, 2005

Co-Sponsored by: Rock The Vote & Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund

The Summer Activist training will provide a unique opportunity for students from around the country to come together and learn how to run on-campus grassroots campaigns and voter participation campaigns. Students will be taught by some of the foremost activists and trainers in the country, and will learn everything from the basics of tabling to how to run a sophisticated media campaign through hand's on sessions. Become a campus leader. Apply now!

EDUCATE - Our trainers will educate students on the best methods of campus engagement, including the most effective ways to teach your fellow students about important issues.
ADVOCATE - Learn how to make the student voice heard on campus and by elected officials from the local level to national.
MOBILIZE - Go back to campus with all the tools you need to run a successful campaign and get others involved.

LCVEF's Project Democracy Summer Activist Training
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
August 15-19, 2005*
Apply online at www.projectdemocracy04.org or email Seth Fiur at seth_fuir@sethfiur@lcv.org.

Cost: $75 includes housing, training, and some meals. Apply by July 15th to receive early discount rate of $60.
Travel scholarships are available. Apply online.
Application Deadline: August 1, 2005

*Stay in the Detroit area for an extra day to attend the Road to Detroit Convergence on Saturday. For more information visit www.energyaction.org

Project Democracy is a program of the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, a non-partisan nationwide effort to train and mobilize young Americans to make their voices heard in elections and with elected officials. www.projectdemocracy04.org

----Lora Wondolowski,Youth Programs Director
League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
League of Conservation Voters
PO Box 385
Northampton, MA 01061
ph/f: 413.587.4226
cell: 413.885-3318
lora_wondolowski@lcvef.org

Alyssa Macy Political Director
Center for Civic Participation
2105 First Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Email: alyssa@centerforcivicparticipation.org

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.

The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
http://hughes-report.blogspot.com

From The Mall To The 'Rez'

Following her graduation from Vancouver High School in Washington state, 17 year old Allyssa Kristen Keetso-Pitts left her urban lifestyle, shopping malls, movies and cell phones to go back to her roots on the Navajo Reservation. She was also known as “Baby K” when she was the center of Arizona’s highest profile adoption case 17 years ago.

Ricardo Pitts and Cheryl, his wife at the time of the adoption, waged a very public fight over Baby K in going up against the Navajos, the state’s largest tribe.

Allyssa’s biological mother put her up for adoption in 1987 but the adoption hit a snag when a California judge said it violated the 1978 federal Indian Child Welfare Act which says any adoption of Native American children must be approved by tribal courts. Eventually, the Navajo courts approved the adoption for the Pitts.

Before the Indian Child Welfare Act was passed, hundreds of Indian babies were allowed off the reservation and taken for adoption by state courts, welfare agencies and religious organizations without the proper paper work. The tribes believed their future generations were being stolen and fought for the act and its enforcement.

Manuel Watchman, the Navajo judge who handled Baby Keetso’s guardianship case in 1988 said he was relieved to know Allysssa made her way back to her home in northern Arizona. After he ruled in favor of open guardianship, Watchman gave her a tribal enrollment number and ordered that she remain in contact with her biological family.

Now 62, Watchman said he wanted Keetso–Pitt to retain her identity. The mission of the act is to keep Native American
families intact.

According to Nona Etsitty, a tribal court advocate for the Navajo Nation Department of Justice in Window Rock, Allyssa’s return home surprised her. “Most Navajo children don’t want to come back because they take the identity of who they are with and Navajo culture becomes foreign to them.” Not Allyssa!

Her biological mother, Patricia Keetso-Polacca attended her daughter’s graduation and Allyssa returned to Tuba City, AZ the next day, but did not stay there very long. She quickly moved to Red Lake with her grandmother, Susie Keetso, who just happened to be arranging a simple version of a “Kinaalda”, a Navajo girl’s rite of passage.

Allyssa had visited her mother and other family members several times over the past four years. “I feel like I live two separate lives,” she said. “By moving to the reservation, I can combine them. I never got to experience living with my mother or my Navajo family, I can go to school in Tuba City and work. This is my decision.”
She worries about leaving her adopted father, Ricardo Pitts, who has mixed feelings about his daughter’s liberation.

“I’m sad she is going so far away”, he said. “I’m happy for her because she has made a landmark decision from here. She has been saying for a while that she needs to know who she is. I’m happy she will get to know her real family.”

This column has been edited for content and length from a story appearing in the July 6th edition of The Arizona Republic bylined Betty Reid.

THIS WEDNESDAY - 7-13-05 - ON AMERICAN INDIAN AIRWAYS - 3-4 P.M.

Part 1: David Wilkins (Lumbee Nation) Indigenous Scholar and Professor at the University of Minnesota ( http://www.law.umn.edu/FacultyProfiles/WilkinsD.htm) on “Changing of the Guard: Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s resignation and legacy to Judicial Imperialism and the Masking of Justice.”

Part 2: Stan Rodriguez (Kumeyaay Nation) on traditional storytelling from the California Indian Storytellers Association (http://www.cistory.org/) 6th Annual Southern California Indian Storytelling Festival “Bridging the Pacific with Story and Song”.

**American Indian Airwaves regularly broadcast every Wednesday from 3pm to 4pm (PCT) on KPFK (http://www.kpfk.org/) FM 90.7 in Los Angles, FM 98.7 in Santa Barbara and by Internet with Real Media Player, Winamp, & Itunes.

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.

The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
http://hughes-report.blogspot.com

Native Americans Losers In AIDS Funding - Part 2

Federal policies that focus on treatment rather than prevention infuriate Native Americans who fear an onslaught of AIDS could wipe out whole communities. With most money directed toward big cities with lots of documented cases such as New York and Oakland, there is little left or reservations.

“In some ways, the Navajo AIDS Network needs the money more than Oakland,” said Marsha Martin, executive director of AIDS Action in Washington, D.C. which lobbies for HIV/AIDS program and policy.

“We might be able to prevent some things from happening on the reservations. We can only intervene in Oakland.”

The federal government spends about $16 billion on HIV/AIDS in the United States including $11 billion through Medicaid. Medicare and Social Security.

About $2 billion is allocated to the Ryan White CARE Act, designed to help people with AIDS who do not have adequate health insurance or other resources.

No one can say how much is spent directly on Native Americans but the money is focused on urban areas, not reservations.

“There hasn’t been enough money since the beginning,” Martin added. “Minorities are always on the short end of the budgeting” Indians are the smallest of minorities in the United States.

They are also the sickest from other diseases such as diabetes. And their health care, promised through treaties, is funded at less that half as much per person as that for federal prisoners.

Historically, health care for Indians came after the smallpox epidemics ravaging their populations in the 1800’s threatened to boomerang back into the Anglo population.

“Indians have been ignored since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic,” said Ron Powell, a Choctaw with a master’s degree in public health from UC-Berkeley.

Rowell was living in San Francisco in the early days of the AIDS epidemic. In Mid-1987, he and a small group of Native American doctors and nurses proposed an HIV/AIDS program in a letter they hand-delivered to the Indian Health Service in Rockville, MD.

Six months later they got a reply. ”Essentially it said, ‘We have received your unsolicited proposal. Thank you. IHS does not yet have an AIDS policy. When we do, we’ll evaluate your unsolicited proposal in light of that policy’.”

Rowell sees the lack of care for Native Americans with HIV as governmental negligence. “There is no commitment by the federal government whose responsibility it is. I think it is neglect.

“We remind them over and over about the treaties, the Constitution, U.S. history. It does not good. We don’t have the numbers. We don’t have the power.”

This column has been edited for content and length from a two part series on AIDS in the July 3rd and 4th editions of The Arizona Republic, bylined Judy Nichols.

SECTION: IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND AROUND TOWN

GOP Moves To Stunt Democratic Warnings On Voting Rights Acts
Submitted by Alyssa Macy

Administration and Republican congressional leaders are planning to push for anearly reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act this summer to quiet Democraticactivists who are suggesting to black voters that the GOP is threatening thehistoric 1965 legislation.

GOP officials this week cited statements from activists like Rep. Jesse Jackson and Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean warning about support for the reauthorization.

House leadership officials today pointed to a very late floor speech given by Speaker Dennis Hastert about the summer and fall agenda that included a mention of the act.

"Our work is far from done. Next month, we should complete work on conference reports on job creation bills like the Highway Bill and the Energy Bill as well as legislation dealing with CAFTA. We also plan to take up the Patriot Act, reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act and the taking of people's private property by the government. And soon, we will begin the steps of reforming Social Security for coming generations," said Hastert.

Officials said that the mention of the Voting Rights Act and the hoped-for passage two years before it is required was meant to stifle Democratic suggestions that the GOP is pushing an anti-black agenda. –

Bulletin exclusive from U.S. News – July 7th, 2005
Alyssa Macy Political DirectorCenter for Civic Participation 2105 First Avenue SouthMinneapolis, MN 55404Direct: 612-879-7510Fax: 612-870-48
Alyssa@centerforcivicparticipation.org

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.

The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
http://hughes-report.blogspot.com

Native Americans Are Losers In AIDS Funding!

“Indians are losers in the battle for federal funds for AIDS. Their numbers are too small.” This is the lead from a front-page story in the July 4th, 2005 edition of The Arizona Republic, bylined Judy Nichols.

“Through 2003, the latest figures available, there have been 3,026 documented Native American cases compared to more that 350,000 cases each for Anglos and Blacks, about 173,000 Hispanic and just over 7,000 for Asian.

“But Native American leaders say their numbers are artificially low as many cases are not counted because of racial misidentification, lack of testing in rural areas with few clinics, concerns about privacy in the Indian Health Service and denial in communities where religious stigma has replaced traditional acceptance.”

In conjunction with the G-8 Conference in Scotland, the July 2nd Live 8 Africa-AID concerts and Native Tribes wondering what to do with their $18 billion dollar casino windfall, AIDS funding just might be a good place to start. As an added incentive, I’m going to rerun an AIDS related article that appeared on “Native Unity” a little more than a year ago. It was a powerful story then and it still is - bobbie

Sunday, June 20, 2004

FRANK'S LEGACY - A TALE OF INTEGRITY AND COURAGE

During the winter of 2001-02 Frank Iglugug Gooden, an Alaskan Inupiat, had been ill in his native village of Kiana near Kotzebue. He traveled to Anchorage in May to see doctors. He was diagnosed with an advanced case of AIDS.

Frank and family members debated, from his room at the Alaska Native Medical Center, whether and how to tell the village about his disease.

The parents, Harold and Cora Gooden, had always taught their children to be honest and do the right thing. Frank made the final decision that he and his family would be open with the people and tell the truth about the virus.

After Frank’s decision, his sister, Selina Moose said, “I think most of us were relieved when Frank said ‘yes, we didn’t have to hide it'.”

One month later, Selina Moose traveled to Kiana, a village of 385 people, to talk with extended family members, then announced a town meeting over citizen’s band radio.

“When we decided to hold this meeting,” Moose said, “it took all of us stripping our pride with the possibility of being stigmatized and thrown out of the village. Regardless of what stood in the way, the importance of doing this was far more significant because we were talking about people’s lives.”

Moose began the meeting by talking about the honesty and humility of her parents. Prior to the meeting, she had coordinated with the Maniilaq Association, NANA (Northwest Alaska Native Association) Regional Corp. Inc.’s nonprofit health care provider, to offer voluntary HIV testing following the meeting. Forty-five people were tested that day and another 40 in a subsequent visit by Maniilaq. Some people from the village tested positive.

One participant, Ella Jones, Kiana spiritual leader, said, “When the people came together, it was so powerful that we had to accept it and say OK- this is OK. We came together when we realized they stepped out in faith.” Moose later said that a Kiana mother thanked me for saving her son’s life.

“We brought Frank home in October of ’02, and the people welcomed him.” Moose said. “People brought Native foods; they came to visit. He was so happy, it was beautiful.” Moose described him as shy, quiet person a real homeboy from the village, who had loved to hunt and trap.

Gooden died December 1st, 2002 on World AIDS Day. In telling the village about his disease, Moose launched an unprecedented approach to HIV-AIDS education in rural Alaska and spurred the 2003 documentary video, “Breaking the Silence, Strengthening the Spirit” with the logline “Because HIV can wipe out a village, Inupiat woman shares brother’s story”. The film was funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and produced by the Alaska Native Health Board.

Moose’s experience has led her to become an AIDS activist. In addition to speaking at local World AIDS Day events and at the Native Wellness Conference in Albuquerque, N.M., she addressed the National Minority AIDS Council at the 2003 U.S. Conference on AIDS in New Orleans.

She is described by health officials as a real hero in trying to stem the spread of AIDS among Alaska Natives as she traveled from village to village telling the story of her brother who died from the virus. The hope is that Selina Moose has cracked the code of silence about sex and AIDS in rural Alaska.

“Without Moose’s courage, Frank Gooden might have become just another statistic. Someone from the village who died of AIDS,” said Charles Curtis, Kiana tribal administrator. “Selina put the village’s well-being ahead of the family. She did the right thing and as a result, a lot of people are more knowledgeable (about AIDS). I think it also has provided hope that no others will get it.”

Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of “Breaking the Silence, Strengthening the Spirit” can contact Michael Covone, HIV Prevention Program of the Alaska Native Health Board. His e-mail address is mcovone@anhb.org. or write the Alaska Native Health Board, 3700 Woodland Drive, Ste. 500, Anchorage, Alaska, 99517. Phone: (907) 562-6006. Fax: (907) 563-2001.

This article was originally submitted by Cookie Rose and edited from a May 23rd, 2004 story ‘Frank’s Legacy’, byline Rose Cox, Anchorage Daily News.

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.

The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
http://hughes-report.blogspot.com

Wide Disclosure Of Gaming Revenue Sought

Since the release of information that Indian gaming collectively generated an estimated 19 billion dollars last year, many in Congress are demanding reasons from tribal gaming officials as to why they can’t or won’t disclose the amount of their casino revenues.

Leaders of two Arizona Indian tribes plus two tribes from other states were relentlessly questioned this week by Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla) whether the 17-year old federal regulations governing tribal gaming should be updated but none of their answers seemed to satisfy Coburn, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

Vivian Juan-Saunders chairwoman of the Tohono O’odham Nation, Dallas Massey Sr., chairman of White Mountain Apache Tribe, Joseph Pakootas, chairman of the Colville Confederacy Tribe in north central Washington State and Deron Marquez, chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians of California responded to the Committee.

Juan-Saunders testified that Arizona’s regulation of reservation gambling could serve as a model for the nation.

Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain ((R-AZ) said one of the reasons for a current series of hearings on Indian gaming is to ensure that patrons of the casinos, nearly all non-Indians, are protected by ”honest, straightforward an transparent” operations.

The hearing come as tribes, especially those on reservations far from urban centers, increasingly seek to open casinos on trust land or properties they buy close to cities.

Also, tribes with lucrative gambling interests have become prey to what McCain describes as unscrupulous consultants and lobbyists. A reference to his senate hearings on the Abramoff/Scanlon multi-million dollar lobbying scandal.

During the casino income hearing, Coburn asked at least eight times for an explanation of tribe non–disclosure policies. He said all U.S. businesses and governmental entities are required to report at least privately to the Internal revenue Service and tries would not jeopardize their sovereignty if they voluntarily opened their books.

Pakootas said, “We’re not public companies, we’re actually like different countries.”

Massey noted that in Arizona, a single figure representing all tribes gambling revenue is reported to the state. But Coburn responded, “I want it on record” why tribes don’t report individually.

Coburn took issue with a response from Marquez, whose tribe has a casino some 30 miles east of Los Angeles.

“The main reason for (non-disclosure) is trust,” Marquez said. “Every time we have shared information with the ‘outside world’... it’s always something that has come back to hurt us.”

Coburn retorted that tribes are not harmed by accounting for their number of Indian Health Service patients and the figures allow Congress to attend tribal health care needs. He added that “revealing gambling revenues “in the long run would build support for Native Americans.”

I would like to comment on Senator Coburn’s final remarks – “Sir, in light of the seriousness of the situation, comparing Indian Health Service patients to tribal gambling revenues is very much like comparing apples to oranges.”

This column has been edited for content and length from an article in The Arizona Republic bylined Jon Kamman.


PROTECTING GRAY WOLVES
Submitted by Melody “Little Wolf” Sheline

I just sent a petition to Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior, about the
new Federal rule weakening federal protections for gray wolves.
The new rule classifies wolves in most of the Lower 48 states as merely
threatened rather than endangered.

This would make it easier to kill
wolves throughout most of their historic range in the Lower 48 states.
Once all but wiped out by extermination campaigns, wolves are just now
struggling for survival again in the wild.

Please help keep the wolves safe and free! Go to http://www.savewolves.org ,
send your petition, and pass it on!!!

Melody Sheline



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.

The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
http://hughes-report.blogspot.com