Native News, Views And Cues

Navajo Nation's 1st Casino Will Be In E. Arizona
Tribal President Joe Shirley Jr. made the announcement on January 23rd in his state of the Nation address at Window Rock that the Nation’s first casino will be off Interstate 40 in eastern Arizona.

“This is an excellent location,’ he said citing studies that indicate it has potential for generating revenues for the Navajo Nation which spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah and is scheduled to open before the end of 2006.

Shirley added his office and the Navajo Gaming Regulatory Office are working with a southern Arizona tribe to lease gaming machines for the planned casino. His office is also working on a revenue sharing plan that would benefit each of the 110 Navajo chapters, the central government and Nahata Dziil.

New Bolivian President Vows Justice For Indigenous People
La Paz – Aymara Indian Evo Morales has been sworn in as Bolivia’s new president vowing to end what he describes as centuries of humiliation and abuse towards the country’s racial minority

Morales, a radical leftist and long time protest leader, focused his nearly two-hour inauguration speech on describing how he would bring justice to the country’s indigenous majority.

Stressing how Bolivian Indians made up 62 percent of the nation’s population. He said, “We have been condemned, humiliated. . . and never recognized as human beings.”

He added,“500 years of campaigning and popular resistance by indigenous people has not been in vain. We are here and we say we have achieved power to end the injustice, the inequality and oppression that we have lived under.”

Tribe Wants Abramoff Contributions Back
Washington - The Tigua tribe of El Paso wants campaign contributions while employing disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff returned to the tribe and not given to charity.

Arturo Senclair, governor of the tribe officially known as the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, has said the tribe isn’t demanding its donations back but that anyone returning the money should check with the Tiguas first.

“It’s up to them and their conscience. They’ve got to live with it, “ Senclair said. “But if they are going to donate it back to charity. I’m sure the tribe would rather have it back because we could use the money now.”

The tribe operated the Speaking Rock casino for nearly nine years before it was shut down in 2002 by a ruling in a lawsuit filed three years earlier by then–Texas Attorney General John Cornyn, now a U.S. Senator.

At the time. lobbyist Jack Abramoff was a party to the closure of the casino and later approached the Tiguas with his partner, Michael Scanlon, with a deal for $4.2 million to lobby lawmakers and allow them to reopen their casino.

Abramoff pleaded guilty to federal charges in a bribery investigation that is now focusing on members of Congress and their aides. Since his plea deal, lawmakers have been ridding themselves of donations from Abramoff, his clients, former employers and associates.

Tribal Leaders Reject Senator's Donation Of Abramoff Money
Washington – Senator Conrad Burns (R-Mont) is redirecting an $111,000 donation he had given to the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leader Council after members said the money was tainted because it originally came from lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his clients.

James Steele, Jr., the council’s vice-chairman, said the organization voted not to accept the donation. Julia Doney, president of the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council and a member of the tribal leaders council, said that some of the tribes are ”tired of being used” and do not want to appear as if they are helping Sen. Burns with his political problems.

Arturo Senclair of the Tigua tribe said Burn should have donated $20,000 of the money to a charity that benefits the Tiguas, who hired Abramoff to help to reopen a casino that he had helped to close down in the first place.

Senclair argued if they (politicians) feel they have to give the money back, they should give it back to the Tiguas where the money originally came from.

Who Wants To Hear Stories Of Native Nations?
Dates: March 2-3, 2006
Location: Washington, D.C.
Contact: Patricia Powers
Email: pat@fcnl.org
Website: www.fcnl.org

Seeking to expand the emergence of Indian voices and Indian self-representation, a number of important Indian and non-Indian organizations have enthusiastically joined a symposium called for by the Friends Service on National Legislation (FCNL), a group with a long historyof involvement with Indian causes.

The event is intended as an educational symposium aimed at engaging a wide circle of Indian opinion-makers to dialogue with journalists, legislators, scholars, religious organizations and others with issues affecting American Indian peoples.

Wiciwen Niw Kenewak (Accompanied by the Four Eagles)
English: Nicky Bowman (Mohican)
Owner, Bowman Performance Consulting LLC
Certified 8A, Native American, & No Child Left Behind Firm
www.nbowmanconsulting.com
715-526-9240 phone
715-526-6028 fax

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.

American Indian Airways regularly broadcasts every Wednesday from 3-4 p.m.(Pacific Time) on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles; FM 98.7 Santa Barbara; and by Internet with Real Media Player, Winamp and Itunes.

The Abramoff Saga - A Tale of Greed And Betrayal

Who Is Jack Abramoff?
According to NNDB tracking the entire world – Jack A. Abramoff was born February 28th, 1958 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. When he was ten years of age the family moved to Beverly Hills. California

He is a White male and a member of the Jewish faith. His sexual orientation is “straight” and his occupation is listed as Government. He is a U.S citizen and lists his executive summary as a lobbyist.

His father Franklin Abramoff (aka Frank) is chairman of Arnold Palmer Enterprises and a Diners Club executive. His brother Robert is an entertainment attorney. His wife, Pamela C. Abramoff, is listed as the co director of the Capitol Athletic Foundation, formerly known as the National Institute of Torah Foundation. The couple has 5 children including a set of twins.

Abramoff attended Beverly Hills High School and Brandeis University where he received a BA degree in 1981. He attended law school at Georgetown University and got a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 1986.

Abramoff's Dealings With Indian Tribes
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) Chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee presided over most of the four scheduled hearings held by the Committee on Abramoff’s questionable dealings with Indian tribes involved with gambling and turned the spotlight on Abramoff’s client, the Mississippi Band of Choctaws which he represented from 1995 to 2004.

McCain traced the trail of money from the Choctaws to a private company controlled by Abramoff, a private Jewish school founded by Abramoff and even paramilitary groups in Israel.

According to information released at the hearing, Abramoff and his partner, Michael Scanlon, charged the Choctaws $7.7 million in 2001 for public affairs and grassroots lobbying. After Scanlon spend $1.2 million on the activities, the two split the rest and records indicate the money spent was not spent on lobbying or public affairs for the Choctaw Nation.

For example, the Choctaws paid $1 million in 2002 to the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank of which Abramoff was a board member.

Although the tribe was led to believe it was paying for “professional services” performed as part of Scanlon’s public-relations duties, half of the million went to a company controlled by Scanlon, Capitol Campaign Strategies; $50,000 to repay a personal loan Abramoff incurred during his days as a filmmaker; and the remaining $450,000 was a donation to a charity controlled by Abramoff, the Capitol Athletic Foundation.

The great majority of the contribution to the Athletic Foundation was later passed on to the Eshkol Academy, an all-boys Orthodox Jewish school in Columbia, Maryland that Abramoff founded. The foundation also paid a monthly stipend and Jeep payments to a high-school friend of Abramoff who conducted sniper workshops for members of the Israeli Defense Force in Israel’s West Bank.

Can you imagine the sense of humiliation and betrayal the Philadelphia, Mississippi Band must have felt when they discovered their funds were being funneled to support Jewish not Native American projects??

To add insult to injury, the following statements come from former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Northern Cheyenne, (R-CO) who was chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee on September 29th, 2004.

E-mails obtained by the Committee show that Abramoff and Scanlon regularly referred to their Native clients using contemptuous, even racist, language.

Nighthorse reported,” Allow me to give you an example of what I am talking about. In an e-mail discussing a dinner meeting with a client, Mr. Abram off asked Mr. Scanlon to meet with the client. The reason Mr. Abram off couldn’t attend.

‘I have to meet with the monkeys from the Choctaw tribal council, you need to close the deal. . . with the client.’

“Mind you these ‘monkeys’ as Mr. Abramoff refers to the Tribal Council of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, had enriched him over a five-year period with over $7 million in lobbying fees.

“But I must say, the allegation that most concerns me is that Mr. Abramoff and Mr. Scanlon may have tried to manipulate the outcomes of tribal elections for their personal profit.

“Our investigation has found that, in at least two instances, Mr. Abramoff and Mr. Scanlon sought to profit by becoming involved in and attempting to manipulate tribal elections. They helped to elect council members, at no charge, but apparently with the understanding they would be compensated later.”

The tribes mentioned at the hearing are the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of California and the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan.

Outcome of the hearings - the above and others
Abramoff pled guilty to Conspiracy, Mail Fraud and Tax Evasion in Washington D.C. on January 3rd, 2006. He pled guilty to Conspiracy and Fraud in Miami, Florida on January 4th 2006.

On November 21st, 2005, Scanlon pled guilty to a federal conspiracy charge, conspiring to bribe a member of Congress and other public officials, and agreed to pay restitution totaling more than $19 million to the tribes he scammed.

This column has been edited for content and length from Internet Reports and articles – September 29th, 2004 Committee on Indian Affairs and the June 23rd, 2005 edition of THE HILL, The Newspaper for and about the U.S. Congress.

NDNs UNITE and get out the Native Vote. You can make a difference! You can win! Don’t let the actions of greedy men like Abramoff and Scanlon deprive you of your fundamental right to go to the polls.

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.

American Indian Airways regularly broadcasts every Wednesday from 3-4 p.m.(Pacific Time) on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles; FM 98.7 Santa Barbara; and by Internet with Real Media Player, Winamp and Itunes.

INDN'S LIST - A Dream Come True!

by
Kalyn Free, President, INDN’s List

For more than a dozen years, I have dreamed of starting an organization that supports Indian candidates when they run for public office. Having run successfully for District Attorney and unsuccessfully for Congress, I know how much our Indian candidates need an organization that is there for them when they seek election.

On February 28th, 2005, we launched INDN’s List, an organization that will change the faces and color of power and politics in Indian Country! The Indigenous Democratic Network INDN’s List – is the only organization dedicated to recruiting, training, and funding American Indian candidates a the local and state levels.

We launched INDN’s List in Washington, D.C. in conjunction with the national Congress of American Indians Winter session with an overflow crowd of tribal leaders and friends
of Indian Country including the Honorable Elizabeth Furse, former Congresswoman from Oregon and Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA).

Our INDN candidates represent America: We’re schoolteachers, single moms and single dads, environmentalists and ranchers, union members and lawyers. We represent the values of the Democratic party: Taking care of children, taking care of the elderly, those less fortunate – that’s what it is to be a Native American and that’s what it is to be a Democrat.

When Indians are elected, we’ll focus on the issues that matter to Americans like the economy, jobs, better health care, prescription drugs, protecting Social Security and protecting the rights of workers.

INDN’s List is a national organization headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Our dedicated staff has vast political experience and is supported by a cadre of 30 State Directors, Interns, and a host of volunteers.

In less than a year we hosted a National INDN Campaign Camp where we trained more than 100 Native American candidates and staff, hosted a historic Tribal Leaders Meeting with Governor Howard Dean, and secured the endorsements and financial support of 23 Indian Nations, 8 Unions and 45 Warriors from all over America.

Our website, www.indnslist.org features a short 7 minute video from INDN Campaign Camp. In the video you will hear three members of Congress, Al Franken, Chairman Howard Dean, elected tribal leaders and candidates talking about the importance of INDN’s List. I hope you will visit the website, watch the video and let me know what you think. You can reach me a kalyn@indnslist.org.

We have a long way to go and much work to do over the next 11 months to change the faces and color of power across America. I hope you will consider supporting INDN’s List because the first Americans should not be the last Americans to be represented.

Kalyn Free is a member of the Choctaw Nation. Her grandmother, Nan, who is Kalyn’s hero and constant inspiration, was born before Oklahoma attained statehood and is one of the few Original Enrollees remaining in the Choctaw Nation. She will be celebrating her 100th birthday in March, 2006.

INDN'S LIST is proud to announce the creation of a new program to honor a very special friend, the Maggie Gover Fellowship.

Maggie dedicated her life and her career to social activism and was a champion of many causes which benefited from her strong will, passion, and determined advocacy.

The Maggie Gover Fellowship will honor the memory of one of our country’s greatest servants, Maggie Gover, by sponsoring stipends for interns at INDN’s List. Maggie, who passed away on November 1, 2005, served as a social activist supporting Native American, civil rights and social justice causes. During her career, Maggie worked with the Americans for Indian Opportunity, the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, and the National Tribal Environmental Council.

Her idealism and humanitarianism led to many accomplishments. She participated in the elimination of de jure racial segregation in Lawton, Oklahoma; in the elimination of the University of Oklahoma’s Indian mascot; and in the creation of the Indian Self-Determination policy during the administration of President Nixon.

The Maggie Gover Fellowship gives us an opportunity to carry on her profound influence. We are honored to offer the opportunity to honor Maggie’s memory by instilling in future generations the commitment to public service and civil rights that filled her soul. It is our hope that Maggie Gover Fellows will share Maggie’s commitment to peace, freedom, social justice, personal self-determination, and to changing the faces and color of power in American politics.

Maggie was a dear friend and staunch supporter of Kalyn’s. Her faithful and generous spirit is unparalleled and “Maggie stories” are often used in fundraising trainings with our INDN candidates. In Maggie’s honor, and with love and respect for the Gover family, Kalyn has personally given $1000 to the Maggie Gover Fellowship. Maggie’s friends can join us in continuing her legacy by contributing to the Maggie Gover Fellowship at http://www.indnslist.org/.

INDN’s List will accept applications for the Maggie Gover Fellowship immediately. The applications and selection criteria are available at http://www.indnslist.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.

American Indian Airways regularly broadcasts every Wednesday from 3-4 p.m.(Pacific Time) on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles; FM 98.7 Santa Barbara; and by Internet with Real Media Player, Winamp and Itunes.

'Not in My Backyard' - Najavos Stem Uranium Mining In Area

Uranium ore is abundant in Northern Arizona and the price and demand are steadily rising but Navajo President Joe Shirley, Jr. rose to action in memory of just how dangerous uranium mining can be to his people. He issued an executive order in November banning negotiations with uranium companies or uranium exploration on the three-state Navajo Nation.

What is uranium ore? A radioactive, naturally occurring heavy metal and is the basic material used for nuclear technology. Uranium exposure increases the risk of cancer and kidney damage.

The Navajo Nation was swept into a public health tragedy after the first wave of uranium mining began on the reservation in the 1950s. Dozens of premature deaths of Navajo miners and inherited genetic defects have been attributed to uranium exposure.

“You look around the reservation and see so many elderly people who are crippled and can barely breathe,” said Robert Stewart Sr. of Tuba City. He worked for five years in a uranium mine in the late 1950’s. Now he has a history of lung disease.

The pressure is on as geologists rate the high desert country of Northern Arizona as having the highest-quality uranium deposits in the nation. In the late 1980’s with a round of bankruptcies and after the price of uranium fell to less than $10 a pound. The price has remained there until now. It is currently $36.95 and rising.

This gives the members of the Navajo Nation a bad case of nerves as the pressures increase to resume uranium mining.

George Hardeen, a spokesman for Shirley, spent two days in a Washington meeting with members of Congress to emphasize tribal sovereignty and to try to keep uranium companies from “going in the back door” with the Interior Department and negotiating their own mining contracts.

Remembering how deadly uranium mining can be to his people Hardeen said, “the tribe is giving up millions of dollars in royalties to keep history from repeating itself.”

Stewart Sr. tells of years of lung disease caused by 16-hour days of breaking uranium ore rocks with a sledgehammer. He is one of the hundreds of former uranium miners who have filed claims with the U.S. Department of Justice to receive up to $150,000 in compensation from health problems under a special fund set up for miners and their families.

Phil Harrison, a community activist from Shiprock, New Mexico has been aiding the miners in their claims and said that less than 10 percent have received any compensation from the federal government.

On April 29th, 2005 in Crownpoint, New Mexico, Joe Shirley Jr. signed the Dine Natural Resources Protection Act. The act states, “No person shall engage in uranium mining and processing on any sites within Navajo Indian Country.

“The law is based on the Fundamental Laws of the Dine, which are already codified in Navajo statutes. The act finds that on those fundamental laws, certain substances in the Earth (doo nal yee dah) that are harmful to the people should not be disturbed, and that the people know that uranium is one such substance, and there fore, that its extraction should be avoided as traditional practice and prohibited by Navajo law.”

Shirley said, “The Navajo Nation Council, working with the president and working with the people, the grass roots, have put into place a law that bans the further mining of uranium, and it is my responsibility to use my authority to enforce that law. And putting forth an executive order is exactly what I’ve done, that’s exactly what I did is enforce the law.”

This column has been edited for length and content from a
January 02, 2005 story in The Arizona Republic bylined Mark Shaffer and an Internet article “The Dine Natural Resources Protection Act”.

Three-Day Youth Retreat

The Indigenous Nations Alliance- Millions More Movement & Redwind Nation is sponsoring a 3-day youth retreat- April 21-23 in Los Padres, California. (Hwy. 58 between Interstate 5 and Coast 101). Our hosts are Chief Ernie Longwalker and Warrior Woman.

Please bring the following: sleeping bags, toiletries, food, flashlights, utensils, tents, oil lamps. Keep in mind we are living on the land free from pollutants and electricity. All water will be retrieved from natural pumping wells.

All survival tactics will be utilized. We must learn to live without common lifestyles we have become used to.

Please contact me for more information via e-mail – yonasdamuhammad@yahoo.com . So let's get packing, we are going on excluded land, that is not owned by the government.

National Director
Indigenous Nations Alliance-Millions More Movement
Yo'NasDa LoneWolf Muhammad
Mitake Oyasin (All my relations)

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.

American Indian Airways regularly broadcasts every Wednesday from 3-4 p.m.(Pacific Time) on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles; FM 98.7 Santa Barbara; and by Internet with Real Media Player, Winamp and Itunes.

'The Abramoff Affair' - Money Is Power And Power Corrupts!

Indian gaming is at the center of a political power struggle that is the most corrupt since the Boss Tweed era of the 1860’s. When the “Abramoff Affair” exposed that some $82 million has been scammed from Indian tribes with lucrative casinos, the tribes were thrust under a spotlight that not only threatens their casino interests but their sovereignty as well.

New York’s governor George Pataki’s administration is preparing to impose tax regulations on reservation sales that it unsuccessfully tried to enforce in the mid-90’s. New York State Indians might have thought that they defeated this measure in the spring of 1997 during the successful grass-roots Indian rebellion when Pataki said the state would no longer attempt tax reservation sales.

But, his administration is back at it again and it will take great effort for the New York tribes to regain the spirit of ’97. The tribes are divided and poorly prepared for the new onslaught. They are at a disadvantage if they are to protect the gains of the last decade with the one policy, Indian gaming, that has helped bring hope and prosperity to what were once the most oppressed and impoverished people in the Western World. There is strong evidence that shows that if tribes compromise their sovereignty to get casinos, they usually wind out with a loss of both – the casino and their sovereignty.

Are The Tribes To Blame For This Injustice?

Whatever corruption exists surrounding Indian gaming seldom originates from the tribes themselves. It comes from the power/money hungry horde of lobbyists and greedy politicians who pander to their lobbyist friends. The tribes, like everyone else in the country, are looking for a chance at the American dream.

Abramoff and his ilk deliberately and shamefully scammed his Indian clients and then openly referred to them as “idiots, monkeys and troglodytes” in a published memo. Are the tribes to blame for being the pigeons in this elaborate cross and double-cross con game? They really should have known better and thoroughly investigated the background of the man who was scamming them, but Ind1ans are newcomers to the world of money, power and the fine art of lobbying. I’ll make a bet that those who were scammed have learned a valuable lesson in political power and what can happen when their trust is placed in the wrong hands.

The Providence Journal targeted the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act as a highway for corruption. It wrote, “the inevitable influence peddling that goes with the disastrous Indian Gaming Regulatory Act has led to an explosion of Indian casinos and hence more corruption.” According to Tom Wannamaker in his article “Turning a Blind Eye to Reality” posted on January 3rd in Indian Country Today, a blatantly inflammatory and misguided statement such as this does nothing to inform and educate the public.

“As far as tribal governments are concerned, IGRA has been anything but “disastrous”. Not all tribes are getting rich from gaming but it has become the best means of economic development in Indian country. Tribes with successful gaming operations have used their proceeds to fund educational and health care programs, revive languages and other aspects of cultures on the verge of extinction, to support government operations and reinvest in other business ventures.”

Tribal owned casinos have created hundreds of thousands of tribes nationwide, a majority of which are held by non-Indians. These workers spend their salaries to boost their local economies while their tax dollars support governments at the local, state and federal levels. Tribal casinos and other business pour millions of dollars annually into the hands of vendors, suppliers, contractor and subcontractors who would not have this business if it were not for the existence of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Abramoff and his scam on gaming tribes has touched off a Pandora’s Box of scandal that is shattering the lives of politicians all over the nation and bringing to the forefront just how corrupt this current administration is with its lobbying interests.

Now, is the time for tribal leaders to wake up and understand their economic welfare and sovereignty are in serious jeopardy. This scandal is bound to bring reprisals against them in spite of all the benefits casino money is bringing to the tribe and the community at large. People, in general, are suspicious of those, particularly minorities, who gain sudden power and money AND people are vindictive.

Native Americans must put aside politics, forget tribal differences, petty grievances and join together as one unit to protect the goose that lays the golden “casino slots” and tribal sovereignty or they’re gonna lose it all,

“Mitake Oyasin!”
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.

American Indian Airways regularly broadcasts every Wednesday from 3-4 p.m.(Pacific Time) on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles; FM 98.7 Santa Barbara; and by Internet with Real Media Player, Winamp and Itunes.

Withholding Casino Payouts Creates Native 'Disunity'

American Indians in several states tried to launch a national movement as they protested the growing trend of Native Americans being denied profits from tribal casinos following political, personal disputes and petty grievances.

They denounced what they say is “tribal corruption” in demonstrations outside the Western Gaming Conference that was held in Palm Springs, California. The meeting was already overshadowed by the scandal over Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who pleaded guilty this month to a conspiracy to defraud Indians with casino interests of more than $20 million. (I understand that figures exceeds $60 million – b).

Thousands of Indians, nationwide, have been stripped or denied rightful membership in their tribes because of controversies over casino money. About 1500 of the disenrollments occurred after an official challenge by another tribal member or leader who questioned a fellow member’s blood percentage or alleged that an ancestor left the reservation tribal rolls decades ago, voiding the descendant’s standing according to the protestors.

One of the protestors at the Conference was Donald Wanatee Sr. who lived for nearly all of his 73 years on an Iowa reservation but in one day last spring went from tribal elder to tribal outcast.

His exile followed a struggle over a tribal casino that pitted Indian against Indian within the Sac and Fox Tribe of Mississippi in the state of Iowa. Wanatee, his brother and 16 other members of the tribe ultimately lost to a rival faction. Last May they stopped receiving their share of gaming amounting to $2,000 a month each in the 1,300-member nation in central Iowa.

Disenrollments are often appealed to U.S. Courts, but tribal leaders have defeated or deferred the challenges by asserting that Indian Nations have sovereignty in determining tribal memberships. Tribal councils have defended the removals as legitimate and allowable under their constitutions with due process given all.

In other cases, Indians were often denied recognition after tribes imposed a moratorium on enrollments, despite the individual’s longstanding ties with the tribe.

The official explanations, protestors argue, are a pretext for purging tribal members as seen as a threat by a ruling faction, frequently after an argument over a tribal casino.

At stake is the wealth created by lucrative casinos. Granted by government to long-subjugated and impoverished Indian nations since the 1980’s in order to promote economic development and self sufficiency.

In one tribe, the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians in southern California, annual payments to each member exceed $100,000 according to one disenrolled family.

A spokeswoman for Sen. John McCain,(R-AZ) chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee declined comment this week.

- 30 -

TRIBAL LEADERS – GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER AND COOL THIS CONTROVERSY!!!!

It should send up a red flag to tribes with casino interests which have been “granted by the government” THAT - what the government gives, it can also take away.

This column was edited for length and content from a January 14th news story in The Arizona Republic bylined Michael Martinez, Chicago Tribune.

Cell Numbers Going Public
Submitted by Ken Hughes

Just a reminder! In a few days cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sale calls.

YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS! To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone - 888-382-1222.

It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You can register on line at: http://www.donotcall.gov

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.

American Indian Airways regularly broadcasts every Wednesday from 3-4 p.m.(Pacific Time) on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles; FM 98.7 Santa Barbara; and by Internet with Real Media Player, Winamp and Itunes.

Abramoff Weaves A Very Tangled Web

And I do hope I have the players and dollars together in this column as it is truly - a “very tangled web”.

The AP headline: 'Letter: DeLay wanted casino shut down'

Washington—Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay tried to pressure the Bush Administration into shutting down an Indian-owned casino that lobbyist Jack Abramoff wanted closed – shortly after a tribal client of Abramoff’s (the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians) donated to a DeLay political action committee.

The Texas Republican demanded closure of the casino, owned by the Alabama-Coushatta tribe of Texas, in a December 11th 2001, letter to then - Attorney General John Ashcroft. The AP obtained the letter from a source that did not want to be identified because of an ongoing federal investigation of Abramoff and members of Congress.

The letter was sent at least two weeks after the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, a tribal client of Abramoff’s, contributed $1,000 to “Texans For a Republican Majority” or TRMPAC. That political action committee is at the center of the campaign finance investigation that yielded money laundering charges against DeLay and forced him temporarily out of the majority leader’s job.

The letter was also sent to Interior Secretary, Gale Norton; the U.S. attorney for Texas eastern district; the chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission; and Texas Governor Rick Perry, who took over as governor when Bush was elected president.

AP states, the author of the letter appears to have been unfamiliar with the Alabama-Coushatta group. It said the tribe was based in “Livingstone (Ala) and that the tribe had opened a casino “against the wishes of the citizens of Alabama.” The tribe’s reservation is in Livingston, Texas.

At the time of the letter, Abramoff was working for the Louisiana Coushatta and had portrayed the Alabama-Coushatta’s Houston-area casino as a threat to his client’s casino.

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians made the TRMPAC contribution on November 28, 2001, according to court documents. An attorney for the Choctaw declined comment on how the tribe decided on contributing to TRMPAC in the first place.

The Alabama-Coushatta were never clients of Abramoff or his partner, Michael Scanlon, but Abramoff targeted the tribe in his work for the Louisiana Coushatta, first trying to shut down their casino then trying to become a lobbyist for the Alabama-Coushatta.

Alabama-Coushatta Chairman Ronnie Thomas and McClamrach Battise, a tribal council member, said the tribe wrote a $50,000 check to Abramoff’s Capital Athletic Foundation. But the tribe was not told the charity belonged to Abramoff. The foundation cashed the tribe’s check on July 24th, 2002, the same day the Alabama-Coushatta closed its casino.

“We never knew Abramoff was in the picture,” Battise said.

Documents show Abramoff hoped to eventually be on the tribe’s payroll, making millions for helping them to reopen the casino Delay wanted to shut down.
-30 -

I have omitted the role of the Tigua Tribe of El Paso in this story as it is confusing enough without their involvement but it makes me wonder JUST how CULPABLE all of these Indian tribes really are with their associations in the Abramoff affair. Guess they never heard of the old chestnut – “Never try to ‘con a con’.”

It appears to be another case of “Native Disunity” – one tribe trying to outdo the other for the sake of the monetary gains of the “New Buffalo” – casino gambling.

How sad!!! They all got caught in the Arbramoff Web, but without their involvement with Jack Abramoff, who is now facing federal prison time, it is doubtful this scandal would have been exposed to the public.

Wouldn’t it be “karmic justice” if the man is sent to Leavenworth, the current home of Leonard Peltier?

This column has been edited for length and content from an Internet and an Arizona Republic article bylined Suzanne Gamboa, Associated Press.

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.

American Indian Airways regularly broadcasts every Wednesday from 3-4 p.m.(Pacific Time) on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles; FM 98.7 Santa Barbara; and by Internet with Real Media Player, Winamp and Itunes.

Congressman Hayworth Continues To Profit From Abramoff Scams

Submitted by Seth Scott
sscot@azdem.org

PHOENIX – Acknowledging that GOP super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff “ripped off” Native Americans, a top aide to Rep. J.D. Hayworth today continued to defend the Congressman’s refusal to return more than $100,000 in tainted Abramoff-related campaign contributions. (Total reported to be $150,000)

Hayworth continues his refusal despite Abramoff’s guilty plea, entered this morning, to charges of fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion, in connection with his Native American related lobbying scheme.

“Congressman Hayworth claims he’s spent a lot of time working with Native American tribes, which is why I find it so puzzling that he is willing to lose their trust by keeping Jack Abramoff-related money,” said Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Harry Mitchell. “Apparently, building a campaign war chest is more important that earning the trust of the people he serves.”

Upon entering his plea, Abramoff and his associates were ordered to pay at least $25 million in restitution to defrauded clients, mainly Native American tribes. Abramoff was under federal investigation for alleged bribery of politicians and their staffs as well as alleged misuse of his Native American clients’ funds. Abramoff is expected to testify against members of Congress and Congressional staff with whom he did business.

Hayworth is the largest single Congressional recipient of Abramoff-related contributions, according to the Center for Public Integrity. Hayworth’s refusal to return his Abramoff-related funds stands in stark contrast to the decision of two prominent U.S. Senators, Conrad Burns, R-Mont. and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who recently elected to do so. A top aide to Hayworth has said the Congressman he has no intention to return the money.
See New York Times, Dec. 18, 2005:

“We talk about the culture of corruption that’s gripped the Republican Party, and I think J.D. Hayworth’s refusal to return Abramoff-related campaign funds is perfect illustration,” said Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Harry Mitchell. “There used to be a time when public officials were embarrassed to be associated with felons.”

Hayworth’s relationship with Abramoff is longstanding. From 1999 to 2001, he failed to report the value of accommodations he received from Abramoff as required by federal law. Through Abramoff, the Congressman held five fundraisers at sports skyboxes in the Washington, D.C. area free of charge. Hayworth failed to report the donation to the Federal Elections Commission, and only did so after records surfaced during investigations into the Abramoff corruption scandal.
See The Arizona Republic, Dec. 23, 2005:and May 10th, 2005

Abramoff's Dealings With Indian Tribes

Abramoff admitted he conspired to defraud Indian tribes in Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. They paid him and companies he controlled roughly $55 million, from which he secretly took more than $21 million for himself.

At one point, he took money from a Texas Tribe to lobby for Indian gambling in that state while also taking money from a Louisiana tribe to oppose such gambling in Texas.

Building A National Network For Action
Submitted by Alyssa Macy

The Center for Rural Affairs is in the beginning phases of creating a vehicle for change: the National Rural Action Network.

This network for action will allow thousands of people throughout the country to speak out on the need to create public policies that support a better rural future.

Over the next few months we will invite and create an Advisory Committee. The National Rural Action Network is an aggressive idea whose time has come. We are very excited about this concept and expect it to have a major impact for Rural America.
Stay tuned!

Contact: Kathie Starkweather - kathies@cfra.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.

American Indian Airways regularly broadcasts every Wednesday from 3-4 p.m.(Pacific Time) on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles; FM 98.7 Santa Barbara; and by Internet with Real Media Player, Winamp and Itunes.

Tribal Economic Vision Developed With Help of NADC

Submitted by Ken Hughes

By Lori Edmo-Suppah
Sho-Ban News

FORT HALL Idaho- A group of Shoshone-Bannock tribal members developed a tribal economic vision for the future in a two-day strategic planning workshop facilitated with the help of Kim Aline Epley, facilitator and Bob Moore, operations manager from the Native American Development Corporation.

The NADC is the non-profit portion of the Native American Bank, which the Tribes recently made a $1 million investment.

The workshop was conducted November 30 and December 1 when tribal department staff and community members came together to offer ideas for the vision. The first day focused on assessing the existing resources in regard to small business, economic development and banking. The second day focused on barriers that may prohibit progress in the areas then strategic actions were developed to make progress on the economic vision.

The result is an eight-point vision that the group envisions the Tribes to be in the year 2015. It's titled, "Tammese Nava'a" or On Our Own that tribal elder Zelphia Towersap suggested. It revolves around preservation of the land base and education for a sustained community development.

Elements branching off from it include: Stability, ownership and determining our own destiny; full service community banking; diversified housing opportunities; separation of government from business with clearly defined roles. On the opposite side of the vision is working toward a firm economic foundation; thriving tourism industry; prosperous Native businesses and a fun filled family activity center.

The action strategy portion of the workshop developed ideas for launching the vision. Five key strategies include empowering visions of success; support and facilitate successful Native entrepreneurship; reconstruct tribal heritage; recover self-sufficiency through financial stability; and implement strategic sovereignty actions. All of these actions revolve around utilizing planning to build consensus.

Tribal Executive Director Dr. LaNada War Jack said it was a positive experience for everyone that participated. "There wasn't a lot of community representation but the few that were present were able to join in the discussions." She said it's a snapshot of looking at future development for the Tribes. "It was to strategize - put on our thinking caps for what needs to be put in place." Despite some negativity, the facilitator kept the participants on track being positive for the visions of the future.

Current tribal facts are: There is 476 businesses registered with approximately 150 to 200 tribal members that have obtained business licenses. The reservation population is 5,700 and the average age is 21 to 23. The majority of the landowners lease their land out and non-Indians lease two-thirds of the land. There is 546,000 acres of reservation land of which 97 percent is tribal trust and three percent is fee land. There are 16 square miles of ceded land south of the reservation.

The total tribal budget is $51.5 million with revenues that consists of two percent from lease income; ten percent from gaming; nine percent from other; and 76 percent from federal and state contracts and grants. Self-employment generates about $500 annually. Concerning transportation, there is $15.1 million in approved and funded projects. There is $2 million annually for housing of which 60 percent is construction. It costs $100,000 to $120,000 to build a house and $60,000 is materials cost. Agriculture generates $300 million on the reservation and about 1 percent is to the Tribes.

In the environmental scan, the participants focused on trends that impact small business, economic development and banking. They determined more people are using plastic such as debit and credit cards, along with electronic banking. They're also utilizing the Internet. There is growth in gaming with expectation and exploitation. Older people are not retiring and are continuing to work - they become a valuable resource to younger workers.

There's an increase in multi-family dwelling units. There's growing self-employment and entrepreneurship. There's an increased use of cell phones and more people are attending college. Regarding population, more people are moving to Pocatello because of lack of housing.

There are an increased number of single parent families with more women as head of household. Tribal people are identifying with a larger regional economy stopping in at gaming and the stores. There is a continued negative image of the Tribes, however and states are looking to get more taxes from the Tribes.

Advantages: Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are noted for unique and traditional beadwork and buckskin work. There are no state taxes. There's a need to minimize travel going to an off-reservation bank; tribal members have the opportunity to lease tribal land if they're not landowners.

There's an opportunity to bring products to the rez as it saves fuel cost. A federal relationship exists and the location is good because of two interstate freeways, railroad tracks and the airport. There's a local university and the government has targeted the region as a "HUB Zone." Indian preference exists; there is technical professional staff and the potential to own our airspace.

Aline Epley said her reaction is that there is a tremendous readiness in the community for what the Native American Bank and the NADC can offer, "They'll be surprised at how fast things can happen," but the commitment is there, she said.

Moore said they would go back and put together a work plan and then follow up with the Tribes. He said the objective is to work with the community.

3rd Annual American Indian LA Film & TV Awards

Nominations for 2005:

Best Picture Nominees -
Christmas In The Clouds
The New World
Johnny Tootall
Sleepdancer

Best TV – Miniseries -
Into The West
Little House On The Prairie

Voting ends February 10th and Awards will be given out February 17th at the Holiday Inn Burbank, CA - Saloman’s Room from 2 to 4 p.m.

http://www.freewebs.com/nativeroscoe

Roscoe sez “Vote early and often!”

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.

American Indian Airways regularly broadcasts every Wednesday from 3-4 p.m.(Pacific Time) on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles; FM 98.7 Santa Barbara; and by Internet with Real Media Player, Winamp and Itunes.

Boycott Activision's 'GUN' - Video Game That Slaughters Apaches

Submitted by Sunshine Archambault
sunshine@ccp.org

“The Association For American Indian Development asks you to join us in letting the publishers of this offensive game know that this will not be tolerated."

It has come to our attention that video game publisher, Activision, has released for Xbox 360, Xbox, Playstation , PS2 and PC, a new game set in the American West with some very disturbing racist and genocidal elements toward Native Americans.

The game is called "Gun" and features a frontiersman hero named Colton White. One of his earliest tasks that the game player must complete before advancing to the next level is to slaughter, not once, but on an ongoing basis, Apache Indians. Not only slaughter (and this is the terminology used in the game) but to scalp (terminology also used in the game) them as well with a "scalping knife" that can be purchased as part of the many weapons offered to the hero of the game, Colton White.

Yes, we understand that this game is rated "M" for mature audiences, and yes, we understand that historically, this kind of violence occurred all too often. No one knows this better than this organization and Indigenous people from all tribes throughout the continents of North, Central and South America.

In fact, the repercussions of such acts of genocide are why there is a desperate need for the Association for American Indian Development today. What is of the greatest concern and outrage is the outright, unabashed and implied righteousness of its genocidal nature toward Native Americans.

To create a game where one must slaughter members of a racial group in order to move forward promotes and condones the near genocide of Native Americans in this country. If a game were created that had its hero slaughter, say African Americans, Irish, Mexicans, or Jews, would there not be an outcry of extreme proportions?

We're not talking about generic bandits or outlaws who could be any race - this is a game that specifies the slaughter of a living, breathing existing racial group of human beings. There is no indication of the complexities of the period, even as interviews with it's author, talk about how he was able to delve into the history of the period. Native people during this time were protecting their homeland, their way of life. Something that is instilled in good old American values.

What's next, the Civil War era game where "The Hero" must capture and lynch runaway slaves? Of course not. That would be wrong. But apparently, killing Indians is still fair game. And, even further, "The Hero" at one point, bemoans the fact that although he's killed so many Apaches, he's let so many get away?

We wonder if the authors of this script and game even took the time to think about the fact that real, existing Apache people can be adversely affected by this element of their "game?" This most definitely is not a "game" to those still suffering from the repercussions of this shameful chapter in American history.

How many kids will (and although rated for mature players, young kids will still manage to get a copy of it) play this game and then carry what they've experienced into their interactions with real, live Apaches and other Native Americans?

Yes, Native people still live here in America. They are not a lost or extinct people and they don't all live secluded on reservations. And, believe it or not, Indian kids play Xbox, too. And Activision (and scriptwriter Randall Jahnson) have just written a game that says killing all Apaches is the right thing to do and in the game you not only have to slaughter the Apache to advance in the game, but you can purchase a "scalping knife" to "scalp them all!" This is completely unacceptable and cannot be tolerated in a "civilized" society.

Let's be clear...contrary to popular belief and myth, the near genocide of Native Americans is a shameful chapter in American history and should not be condoned or trivialized in a game as if it were okay. Yes, the brutal slaying of America's indigenous people is historically accurate...it happened. But so did slavery, lynching and the Holocaust and we don't see games glamorizing it as if it were the right thing to do.

As if to make amends, "The Hero" switches sides later in the game and discovers a secret about his own indigenous heritage, but that does NOT make the preceding chapters any easier to accept. In fact, in the official guide to the game, it actually says that because "The Hero" rescues some Apaches held captive on a train, perhaps it cancels a karmic debt for his earlier actions. Are they serious? Obviously not. This is typical of a flippant comment about a very real, damaging and tragic aspect of American history, the aftermath of which is still very much in evidence today all across North America.

Why is it that still today, Americans think it's okay to talk, let alone spend millions of dollars to create video games about killing a bunch of Indians so casually? This is grossly insensitive and does not in any way acknowledge the brutality camouflaged as Manifest Destiny.

This is why the Association for American Indian Development asks you to join us in letting the publishers of this offensive game know that this will not be tolerated –

BOYCOTT "Gun" the video game, as well as other games published by Activision. We also encourage you to use your American right to voice you concern to Activision by writing them at:

Activision Incorporated
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 255-2000

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.

American Indian Airways regularly broadcasts every Wednesday from 3-4 p.m.(Pacific Time) on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles; FM 98.7 Santa Barbara; and by Internet with Real Media Player, Winamp and Itunes.

Babbitt's Fall From 'Native Grace'

Bruce Babbitt former Arizona Governor, U.S. Secretary of the Interior and one time “darling” of environmentalists and Native Americans was taunted by a group of protesters a few weeks ago who opposed his involvement with Flagstaff’s Snowbowl and it s efforts to pipe treated wastewater up the mountain to turn it into artificial snow.

The protestors are wondering is this is same Babbitt who years earlier stood with Native Americans protesting a pumice mine and who made a concerted effort to leave a legacy of conservation, especially in Arizona during his last year in the Clinton administration.

This year Babbitt is advising the Arizona Snowbowl and federal government how to defend itself in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court by state tribes and conservation groups after the U.S. Forest Service approved a plan to let the Snowbowl make snow out of wastewater.

Snowbowl employs some 400 people during the season and pumps some $20 million into Flagstaff’s economy The tribes maintain the plan would desecrate their sacred peaks and interfere with religious activities.

Judge Paul Rosenblatt has not indicated when he will issue his ruling on the case.

Native American protestors view Babbitt’s involvement with Snowbowl as an act of disloyalty by a man who stood with them in the spring of 2000 near the rim of the White Vulcan Mine in the foothills of the San Francisco peaks and later kept his promise to shut down the “sacrilege that had been perpetrated on this landscape.”

”We feel betrayed,“ said Klee Benally, son of the Navajo medicine man and the leader of the “Save the Peaks” group whose members have followed Babbitt to several book promotion appearances and disrupted one in Tempe in October.
Babbitt is on a national tour promoting his book “Cities in the Wilderness.”

Benally adds, “You wonder how someone who could be so green for the forest could turn around and be so green for money.” Babbit admits he has suffered financial setbacks. But Don Moon, a long-time friend and business partner states, Babbitt doesn’t demonize and exclude folks, and with that attitude he runs into folks on both extremes and he’s been able to get phenomenal things done.”

Among his accomplishments, Moon points out, that Babbitt as Interior secretary created an agreement to restore Florida’s Everglades, reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone National Park and restored salmon to the rivers of the Pacific Northwest.

Fred Duval, a Phoenix political consultant and former gubernatorial aide to Babbitt said the former governor would not want to harm the San Francisco Peaks where the Snowbowl is located as Babbitt grew up on those mountains.

Joe Shirley Jr., Navajo president, said he never considered Babbitt to be a friend to Native Americans.

The tribes face a problem in getting the Forest Service decision overturned, even with the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act on the books. The federal government has permitted skiing in the peaks for 68 years. Arizona Snowbowl is situated on only one percent of the total Kachina Peaks Wilderness area.

This article has been edited for length and content from a story in the December 10th edition of The Arizona Republic bylined Mark Shaffer.

As of Jan 2nd, 2006 the Snowbowl is snowless! bobbie

Students Harassed After Peaks Vigil
Submitted by Sunshine Archambault

Posted: December 16, 2005by:
Brenda Norrell / Indian Country Today

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - American Indian members of ''Youths of the Peaks'' were taken from their high school classrooms and questioned by Flagstaff police, after holding vigils calling for the protection of the sacred San Francisco Peaks.

The action of the anti-gang unit of Flagstaff police came as area tribes awaited the decision of a federal judge in U.S. District Court in Prescott regarding a plan to use recycled wastewater for snowmaking on the peaks. The sacred mountain is revered by 14 area tribes, who gather medicine plants and hold healing ceremonies there.

The police raid on Coconino High School students came Dec. 7, the morning after Navajo, Hopi and other Indian youths held a candlelight vigil in downtown Flagstaff for prayer and the protection of the Peaks.

Coconino High freshman Janel Lomatewama was among those questioned by police. She said police asked the youths who their leader was.

''They made me feel like I'm doing something wrong, but all I'm doing is standing up for what I believe in.''

After Indian youths said they were harassed by police at their high school, Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. responded. Shirley told Indian Country Today that he would intervene on the students' behalf if needed. Flagstaff police, however, said their anti-gang unit was holding a routine meeting at the high school when they noticed fliers announcing the showing of Klee Benally's film, ''The Snowbowl Effect.''

Lt. Randy Weems admitted that police removed the fliers. ''It was done for intelligence reasons, because they were promoting anarchy,'' Weems told the Arizona Daily Sun.

School administrators canceled a scheduled showing of the film. About 40 people, including Youths of the Peaks members, protested the film's cancellation outside the high school on Dec. 8.

When police removed the fliers, Principal David Roth told the media that the fliers were promoting propaganda. However, Roth later confirmed that the students had received permission to show the film and place fliers in the halls. Roth said parents would be contacted with an apology.

Flagstaff police called the youths ''anarchists,'' but the youths said this was not their intention. Navajo, Hopi and others Youths of the Peaks members said they are focused on serving in their home communities by chopping wood for the elderly in winter, providing free tutoring and other services. Before the police raid, group co-founder Kelley Nez, Navajo, said, ''The Youths of the Peaks was formed to mobilize youth to take a stand for community, culture and the environment.

''We are empowering and strengthening young people to become leaders for our future and for our present.''

Youths of the Peaks said the group held a mobilization week, Dec. 5 - 11, to bring attention to the plan approved by the Coconino National Forest Service use recycled sewage water for snowmaking at the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort.

Indian youths said they wore camouflage during the vigils as a symbol, to demonstrate their invisibility to the community at large making the decision to desecrate San Francisco Peaks.

''This week is about inspiring youth to take a stand,'' said Alberta Nells of Youths of the Peaks. ''We are coming together in hopes of building a movement that provides healing and respect for our people, culture, heritage and land.''

Flagstaff police denied they were attempting to intimidate the youths.

Sunshine Woman Archambault
Center for Civic Participation
1313 Fifth Street SE #113
Minneapolis, MN 55414
sunshine@ccp.org

View and Sign the "Geronimo's Remains" petition
www.petitiononline.com/Geronimo/petition.html

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.

American Indian Airways regularly broadcasts every Wednesday from 3-4 p.m.(Pacific Time) on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles; FM 98.7 Santa Barbara; and by Internet with Real Media Player, Winamp and Itunes.