Creating A Better Future Takes Cooperation And Unity!

by Alyssa Macy
Center for Civic Participation
Alyssa@ccp.org

Approximately 39% of the total Native American population (estimated to be 4.3 million1) live in rural areas. These populations are concentrated in the Midwest and Western states including Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, and Utah.

The poverty rates are high — over 1/3 of the rural Native American population lives in poverty. Access to housing, jobs, health care, educational systems, and other basic service remains a challenge. These are similar challenges that other people of color and white community members grapple with in rural America.

How do communities, both Native and non-Native, find solutions to these challenges? It is clear that rural America has not realized its full potential – but what are the barriers for preventing it from doing so?

I believe that one the most challenging issues that rural America must address is the issue of race and the linkage between race and poverty. Growing up on a reservation in rural Central Oregon, I can recall many instances of blatant racism. Native people were treated differently in businesses, expectations of our youth were low, and racial tensions resulted in violence and other crimes in our communities. Our ignorance of one another prevented growth in so many ways, person to person and throughout the community.

Today, the same community is very different. Through concerted efforts to address issues of race through dialogue and education, relationships between these communities have gotten better. Yet, there are still significant steps that must be taken to address issues surrounding race and its’ impact on the overall health and growth of the community. This process is a journey that many are taking together because they understand that this must occur for things to truly change for the betterment of the entire community.

To transform rural America, a transformation must also occur at the personal level around issues of race. For people to work together towards common goals, there must be recognition of the fact that these groups often do not start at the same place and steps must be taken to address the barriers that prevent these communities from standing shoulder to shoulder.

Long-standing divisions must be addressed head-on and this requires each of us to step outside our comfort zone. Healing these divisions will allow us to truly create a better future for all of us. We have much to gain by working together!

Alyssa Macy is of Wasco, Hopi and Navajo descent and is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon. In 2004 she coordinated the Native Vote 2004 effort including co-authoring the post-election report. She currently works as the Political Director at the Center for Civic Participation in Minneapolis. In addition, Alyssa is a photographer and spends most of her free time looking for the “perfect shot”.

2006 NAVA Convention

The first ever Native American Voters Alliance statewide convention will be held March 16-17 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The keynote address will highlight the Convention’s theme – Building Native Power Through Voting and Action.

Bineshi Albert, NAVA Convention Coordinator said, “Over the course of the Convention, the attendees will develop a deeper understanding of the theme in a series of skills building workshops and plenary discussions featuring local and regional experts.

“The 2006 NAVA Voters Convention comes at a crucial time. A look ahead reveals significant municipal, state and federal elections in the next three years. To make an impact, we have to organize our communities, now.

“NAVA’s primary goals are to amplify the voice of the Native population directly at those elected to represent us, and to provide avenues for cultivating emerging Native leaders into positions of power. To achieve these goals, NAVA organizes within our communities to build a base of engaged and informed voters, one family at a time.

Join us at this important event for New Mexico’s Native Community. Registration is fast and easy and scholarships are available. Contact us: NativeVoter@sagecouncil.org;. Phone: (505) 260-4696; Fax: (505) 260-1689 for information about accommodations and other details.- In Peace and Action.”

There is a $50 registration fee which includes a banquet lunch on March 16th and breakfast and lunch on March 17th. The regular registration deadline is March 3rd..

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.

Calico's Well-Chosen Path At INL

Submitted by Ken Hughes

Sho-Ban News Online
On January 30, Cheryl Calico, Shoshone-Bannock Tribal member retired from the Idaho National Laboratory site.

She was employed at the site for 34 and a half years. Her mother Lillie also retired from the site that makes Cheryl a second-generation retiree in the family. Her mother, Lillie and father, Lee Broncho raised Cheryl and siblings on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. Cheryl graduated from Blackfoot High School in 1967

In 1971 she was hired with the company, Aerojet Nuclear Corporation. This corporation had the contract for research and development of nuclear energy at the DOE National Reactor Testing Station (Atomic Energy Commission-AEC) located on the desert west of Blackfoot and Idaho Falls.

The DOE primary contractor company's that Cheryl worked for during her career; Aerojet Nuclear Corporation (ANC), Allied Chemical Corporation, Exxon Nuclear Idaho Company (ENICO) Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Corporation (WINCO), Lockheed Martin, Bechtel BBWXT, and Ch2MHill Washington Group. During her tenure Cheryl worked in the purchasing field as a purchasing analyst and a buyer. As a buyer Cheryl was responsible for the acquisition of chemicals, vehicles, and lab supplies.

She also interfaced daily with the Department of Energy and other contractors and businesses as duties entailed. The site itself went through some mission and name changes, it started initially as the Naval Proving Grounds, then to the National Reactor Testing Station, Energy and Research Development Area, the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory and later adding another "E" to address environmental issues and now currently the Idaho National Laboratory. The current mission is too clean up past missions with the reactor research and research into the New Generation IV Reactor Energy program.

Cheryl also was very vital and instrumental in developing, assisting and implementing various programs with the community and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. She belonged to a community awareness program needy family program, ambassador program, NativeAmerican Heritage Club, Junior Achievement Company, Community Ambassadors, United Way, the Provide a Trusting Hand (PATH) Program and other worthwhile programs that benefited either the communities, Tribes, or ethnic populations. Cheryl also provided assistance as well as being involved with the annual cultural heritage days that the contractor held annually.

In her position with Westinghouse she was an honored recipient during the first annual Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Women's Recognition Week. Lew Town her supervisor gave her the award and stated that in the capacity of Cheryl's position "She had direct responsibility to interface several million dollars worth of procurement activities between EG&G and Allied Chemical." He also had stated that Cheryl had the signature authority to commit WINCO in the amount of $1 million to procurement actions. Cheryl has also taken college courses and job related classes that have enhanced her job knowledge.

During her years of service to the "site" which is now the Idaho National Laboratory, she traveled the road from Fort Hall to the site during all types of adverse conditions. During the winter there was always the threat of the possibility of having to stay at the site due to closure of roads to and from Blackfoot or Idaho Falls. Who knows how many miles were logged while she was employed at the site?

Cheryl is now enjoying the fact that she will never have to ride a "site" bus or drive between Idaho Falls and Blackfoot. Cheryl will now be able to spend more time with her family, friends and her grandchildren whom she enjoys spending time with. As for her retirement she stated, "I will not miss the rat race but I will miss the rats." She has met a lot of wonderful people during her tenure at the site and will miss them.

American Indian Journalism Institute Accepting Nominations

VERMILLION, S.D. — The Freedom Forum is accepting nominations for the sixth annual American Indian Journalism Institute (AIJI) — the nation’s premier training program for Native American journalism students. The application deadline is March 31. In its first five years, AIJI graduated 127 Native American students.

AIJI will take place at the Freedom Forum’s Al Neuharth Media Center and the University of South Dakota in Vermillion June 4-23. Any Native American college student with an interest in becoming a newspaper journalist may apply.

Once accepted into the program, AIJI participants will be placed in one of four courses according to their interests and experience. Courses offered in 2006 will include “Basic News Reporting,” “Advanced News Reporting,” “News Editing” and “Photojournalism.” Each course path will feature its own instructor.

“We’re expanding and improving the curriculum this year to help prepare more Native Americans for journalism careers,” said Jack Marsh, AIJI director and executive director of the Al Neuharth Media Center. “Students will be able to return to AIJI a second or third year and take different courses.”

The Freedom Forum will facilitate and fund the program. Tuition, fees, books, room and board are provided free to enrollees. To be eligible, Native students must have completed at least one year of college. Applications for the program will be accepted from new participants and from returning AIJI students seeking specialized instruction.

Program graduates will earn four hours of college credit from the University of South Dakota that students may transfer to their current school. In addition, graduates will receive a $500 stipend/scholarship from the Freedom Forum, paid when the student resumes full-time classes in the fall.

Top AIJI graduates will receive paid internships as reporters, copy editors and photographers at daily newspapers and with The Associated Press for up to six weeks this summer. Last summer, more than two dozen AIJI graduates worked in paid news internships.

Graduates also will have the opportunity to join the staff of reznetnews.org — the online Native American college newspaper — as paid journalists when they return to school. With only a few exceptions, reznetnews.org staff members are AIJI graduates.

AIJI administrators prefer that students be nominated by educators, mentors, elders or other interested parties. Students may nominate themselves. However, it is recommended that at least one letter from a teacher, counselor or elder accompany each completed application.

Nominations should explain why the student should be accepted into the program and how the student can be contacted. Nominations should be sent to Jack Marsh, executive director, Al Neuharth Media Center, 555 Dakota St., Vermillion, SD 57069.

Nominations also may be sent via e-mail to jharris@freedomforum.org. (For further information about the nomination process, call Janine Harris, assistant to the executive director, at 605/677-5424.)

Each nominee will be sent additional application forms and materials about the program. The application also is online at freedomforum.org/diversity.

Students must be able to provide their own transportation to and from Vermillion, S.D., and must attend the full program beginning Sunday, June 4 and ending Friday, June 23. Each student will have a single room in a dormitory. Meals will be provided on campus.

AIJI forbids the use of alcohol, other intoxicants and illegal drugs at any time during the program. Violators will be dismissed from the institute.

The American Indian Journalism Institute is part of the Freedom Forum’s commitment to increase employment diversity at daily newspapers.

“Having even one Native American working in a newsroom makes that newspaper more aware of Indians in its community, and more sensitive and intelligent in reporting stories about them,” Marsh said. “American Indians are by far the most underrepresented people of color in the news media, and this often results in stereotypical and erroneous newspaper coverage of Indian issues and Indian people.”

An annual census of newspaper newsrooms shows that of some 54,000 journalists nationwide, only about 300 are of Native American descent.

In addition to journalism diversity programs at the University of South Dakota, the Freedom Forum funds and co-directs the Native American Journalism Career Conference at Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota’s Black Hills. The workshop, April 18-20, 2006, introduces Native high school and tribal-college students to the possibilities of a journalism career. For more information about this program, contact Janine Harris at 605/677-5424 or by e-mail at jharris@freedomforum.org.

The Freedom Forum, based in Arlington, Va., is a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people. The foundation focuses on three main priorities: newsroom diversity, the Newseum in Washington, D.C., and First Amendment issues.

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.

New Federal Election Committee Member After Tribes

Indianz.Com. In Print.URL
http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/012553.asp

Thursday, February 16, 2006
A Republican lawyer who played a key role in approving a redistricting plan engineered by Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), under scrutiny for his ties to Jack Abramoff, is going after tribes in his new position at the Federal Election Commission.

Hans von Spakovsky, the newest member of the FEC, posted a statement on the agency's web site this week that called on Congress to rein in tribal political donations. He said tribes are exploiting a "loophole" in the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) that allows them to contribute an unlimited aggregate amount to politicians and political action committees.

"The main excuse given for not applying the FECA restrictions to Indian tribes is that they are 'sovereign' governments," von Spakovsky wrote in his two-page statement.

"That status gives them the right to impose tribal laws on their members and on their reservations," he continued. "But when they leave tribal lands, they have to abide by the same laws and regulations that apply to everyone else – and that should be particularly true when they participate in political campaigns that affect how all citizens are governed."

In taking a stand on what has become a hot issue in Washington, von Spakovsky broke with his fellow commissioners, who voiced support for tribal sovereignty principles at a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing last week. FEC chairman Michael Toner and vice chairman Robert Lenhard declined to endorse legislative proposals that would limit tribal donations, although they said more disclosure of tribal activity is probably needed.

On the other hand, von Spakovsky says it's time for Congress to act now that Indian gaming has grown to a $20 billion industry, enabling tribes to contribute generously to politicians. "Although Congress probably did not contemplate this [gaming] issue in 1971, will it now regulate Indian tribes?" he wrote. "If not, why not? Is the political speech of Indian tribes involved in the gambling business not as 'corrupting' as that of corporations or labor unions?"

The strong words come only a month after von Spakovsky arrived at the FEC on January 9. He was not confirmed by the Senate, as is normal practice, however. Instead, he was installed by what is known as a recess appointment, which allowed President Bush to bypass the Senate's advise and consent process.

This is not the first time von Spakovsky has waded into controversy, either. Prior to joining the FEC, he was a Bush political appointee at the civil rights division at the Department of Justice. There, he approved the Texas redistricting -- drawn up by DeLay to ensure more Republicans were voted into office -- over the objection of staff attorneys who said the plan would dilute minority voting power.

DeLay himself is the subject of scrutiny for allegedly injecting corporate contributions into Texas elections in violation of state law. He also is said to be of interest to federal prosecutors handling the Jack Abramoff case, due to his close ties to the disgraced lobbyist.
Abramoff's clients included three wealthy tribes who were among the top tribal political donors in 2004, the year the scandal broke, according to figures from the Center for Responsive Politics. DeLay accepted contributions from one of the tribes, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, for the Republican National Convention in 2000, and for his own political action committee.

The Choctaws also donated $250,000 to a questionable organization with ties to Abramoff and DeLay, The Washington Post reported last month. The U.S. Family Network, billed as a grassroots Christian group, was started by a former DeLay aide.

The Choctaws have since been hit with a subpoena as part of the Texas case against DeLay. Federal prosecutors, as part of the Abramoff probe, have subpoenaed records related to the U.S. Family Network, The National Journal reported this week.
The large sums of money involved in the scandal -- at least $84 million, according to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee -- and the equally large amounts tribes have contributed to politicians -- $25 million in the last five years, according to PoliticalMoneyLine -- have prompted some Republicans to turn their sights on tribes. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Michigan), who is seeking a two-year moratorium on new tribal casinos, has introduced a bill to close the tribal "loophole" cited by von Spakovsky.

In his statement, von Spakovsky identifies two possible avenues to "regulate" tribes. He said tribes could be subject to limits on the total amount of contributions they make, as proposed by the Rogers bill.

If that doesn't happen he said tribes should be required to form political action committees and register and report their contributions. "Similarly, all restrictions imposed on corporations that are involved in the gambling industry should apply to tribal organizations that are involved in the gambling industry," he wrote. "This is a matter of fundamental fairness and equity."

In the wake of Abramoff, tribal leaders are hoping to convince Congress that they are not the problem. "The tribes should not be singled out," Joe Garcia, the new president of the National Congress of American Indians, said in his State of Indian Nations speech earlier this month.

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.

Bush To Eliminate Entire Indian Health Program

Submitted by Alyssa Macy

PLEASE OPPOSE THE PRESIDENT’S FY 2007 BUDGET REQUEST
TO ELIMINATE THE URBAN INDIAN HEALTH PROGRAM

President Bush has proposed the elimination of the Urban Indian Health Program within the Indian Health Service. Urban Indian health programs report that such a cut would result in bankruptcies, lease defaults, elimination of services to tens of thousands of Indians who may not seek care elsewhere, an increase in the health care disparity for American Indians and Alaska Natives and the near annihilation of a body of medical and cultural knowledge addressing the unique cultural and medical needs of the urban Indian population held almost exclusively by these programs.

According to the 2000 Census, nearly 70% of Americans identifying themselves as of American Indian or Alaska Native heritage live in urban areas. Notably, the Urban Indian Health Program receives only 1% of IHS funding, stretching those dollars to achieve extraordinary results.

Urban Indian Health Clinics provide unique and non-duplicable assistance to Urban Indians who face extraordinary barriers to accessing mainstream health care. What Urban Indian health programs offer cannot be effectively replaced by the HRSA’s Health Centers program.

· Urban Indian Health Programs Overcome Cultural Barriers. Many Native Americans are reluctant to go to health care providers who are unfamiliar with and insensitive to Native cultures. Urban Indian programs not only enjoy the confidence of their clients, but also play a vital role in educating other health care providers in the community to the unique needs and cultural conditions of the urban Indian population.

· Urban Indian Health Programs Save Costs and Improve Medical Care by Getting Urban Indians to Seek Medical Attention Earlier. A delay in seeking treatment can easily result in a disease or condition reaching an advanced stage where treatment is more costly and the probability of survival or correction is lower.

· Urban Indian Health Programs Are Better Positioned to Identify Health Issues Particular to the Native Community. The Urban Indian programs are often able to diagnose more quickly and more accurately the needs of the Indian patient, as well as more readily point a patient to the appropriate medical resource to address his or her condition.

· Urban Indian Programs Are Better Able To Address The Fact That Movement Back And Forth From Reservations Has An Impact On Health Care. Urban Indian programs understand this issue and account for it in their work with patients.

· Urban Indian Programs Are a Key Provider of Care to the Large Population of Uninsured Urban Indians Who Might Not Go Elsewhere. Coming to an Urban Indian health clinic provides an open door for urban Indians in this situation who otherwise would be very reluctant to seek care in a non-Indian health facility.

· Urban Indian Programs Reduce Costs to Other Parts of the Indian Health Service System by Reducing Their Patient Load. Many urban Indians, if they cannot seek medical advice at an Urban Indian program, return to their reservation to access far costlier services.

Congress enshrined its commitment to urban Indians in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act where it provided: “That it is the policy of this Nation, in fulfillment of its special responsibility and legal obligation to the American Indian people, to meet the national goal of providing the highest possible health status to Indians and urban Indians and to provide all resources necessary to effect that policy.”25 U.S.C. Section 1602(a)(emphasis added).

Rather than the President’s proposal, please urge Congress to support a $12 million increase for Urban Indian programs in the FY 2007 budget.
x x x

Written Testimony of Georgiana Ignace, President, National Council of Urban Indian Health. Before theSenate Committee on Indian Affairs. On the FY 2007 Budget for Urban Indian Health Programs

February 14, 2006
Honorable Chairman and Committee Members, my name is Georgiana Ignace, President of the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH). I am a member of the Menominee Tribe and serve on the board of the Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center, Inc., which provides health care services to the Milwaukee urban Indian community. On behalf of NCUIH, and its 34 member programs, I would like to express our appreciation for this opportunity to submit testimony to your Committee on the President’s FY 2007 budget for the Indian Health Service.

In the strongest possible terms, NCUIH opposes the President’s proposal to zero-out funding for the Urban Indian Health Program. If adopted, this proposal would lead to the complete collapse of many urban Indian health centers and greatly limit the work of those that could survive such a cut. Contrary to the assertions made in the President’s FY 2007 Budget, Urban Indian health centers do not duplicate the functions of other programs but rather serve a unique and non-duplicable purpose within the large urban Indian community.

The fact that there are other health services available in urban areas is already reflected in how IHS funding is distributed, with urban Indian programs receiving only about 1% of the IHS budget although according to the 2000 Census nearly 70% of Americans identifying themselves as of American Indian or Alaska Native heritage live in urban areas.[1] NCUIH
urges the Committee to support a $12 million increase, rather than a complete elimination of this vital program.

NAJA Scholarship Deadline April 1st

The deadline for students interested in applying for a Native American Journalists Association scholarship for the 2006-07 academic year is April 1.

Students must be current NAJA members, complete the application form and submit supporting documentation in order to be considered. Scholarship awards range from $500 to $5,000.

For more information and to download an application, go to http://www.naja.com/programs/students/scholarships, or email us at info@naja.com or call (605) 677-5282.

April 1 Deadline For Newspaper Career Conference Applications

Organizers of the Native American Journalism Career Conference are accepting applications from Native American high school groups, college groups or individual college students for the 7th annual workshop at the Crazy Horse Memorial April 18-20 in South Dakota.

Teachers and advisers interested in organizing student groups to attend the conference must register by April 1. Students will be introduced to the basics of journalism by more than 20 experienced NAJA members and other Native and non-Native journalists from around the country. Lodging, meals and conference participation are free to students and their teachers and advisers.

For more information, contact Janine Harris at the Freedom Forum at (605) 677-5424 or email her at jharris@freedomforum.org. A description also can be seen at http://www.crazyhorse.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.

Native American Radio-Audio Workshop Set For June

Submitted by NAJA (Native American Journalists Association)

Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT), Native Voices at the Autry, and the National Audio Theatre Festivals (NATF) will produce plays for radio theater, featuring original scripts by Native writers, June 18-24, 2006, in West Plains, MO. Native radio theater artists are encouraged to apply. Deadline is March 1st.

What do you get? - Learn from national leaders in the growing field of audio theater at the annual NATF Audio Theatre Workshop in West Plains, Missouri from Sunday, June 18 through 24th, 2006. Beginners to experts are welcome. The workshop includes Foundation Classes in all aspects of audio theater production including writing, performance, recording, mixing, sound design, directing and much more. Guest directors will produce new plays from the NRT Script Competition held earlier this year. Participants end the week with a live performance on Friday, June 23rd and return home the morning of the 24th.

Scholarships for native artists are available to assist with registration, travel and accommodations.The scholarships are part of the Native Radio Theater (NRT) project whose goal is to bring audio theater to the AIROS Radio Network using works by Native authors, theater and recording artists.

Who should apply?Native American radio and audio producers, actors, directors and writers as well as traditional and stage native theater artists interested in exploring the audio arts.

We welcome artists who work in theater and the audio/radio arts at all levels.Including college, community or professional artists in all capacities - writers, performers, directors, producers, and sound designers should apply to attend this performance workshop.

Whether you work in Public, Community or Grassroots Radio, or have ever worked as an audio engineer for live events, concerts, state fairs, etc ... this workshop is for you.

Applicants with strong artistic ties to their community and who have a willingness to share what they learn at the workshop with other native artists are preferred.

The goal of the workshop is to empower Native Americans to produce, write and record the important stories of their communities. Some experience in writing theater and/or radio is preferred but not required. Up to 20 participants will be selected to attend the Workshop, and participants will be required to complete all necessary documentation prior to attending the Workshop.

Application materials are available online at www.nativetelecom.org.

To apply, please provide the following to our office via E-mail to jgregg1@unl.edu
* Cover letter & Resume
* Completed scholarship application form.
* One-page personal statement, which should include why you should be selected for this workshop.
* Please explain your need for support if you are applying for a scholarship.
* Two letters of recommendation.

Deadline - Deadline for application is March 1, 2006 by 5 p.m. Central Time, selected participants will be contacted by April 3, 2006.
-30-

Bowen Foundation Applications Available
Submitted by NAJA (Native American Journalists Association)

Emma L. Bowen Foundation for Minority Interests in Media 2006 Program Application Now Available. Deadline is March 1st.

Program Overview - The Foundation was established in 1989 by the media industry to help increase access to permanent job opportunities for minority students. Our program is unlike other internship programs in that selected students work for a partner company during summers and school breaks or year-round from the time they become Emma L. Bowen Scholars until they graduate from college.

During that multi-year period, students have an opportunity to learn many aspects of corporate operations and develop company-specific skills. Corporations have an opportunity to guide and develop minority students with the option of permanent placement upon completion of their college degree. Students in the program receive an hourly wage, as well as matching compensation to help pay for college-related expenses. Mentoring from selected staff in the sponsoring company is also a key element of the program.

Selection Process -The partner company and the Foundation staff work together to recruit students through local high schools and colleges, pre-college enhancement programs, and other community organizations. Applications are provided to qualified candidates. The application is also available on our Web site http://www.emmabowen/ foundation.com.

Minority high school juniors and seniors and college freshmen with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and an interest in varying aspects of the media industry (business, technical, creative) are eligible to apply.

Candidates must be US citizens or have permanent residency status in the US. Completed applications are received and reviewed (only typewritten applications will be considered) by Foundation staff, and preliminary interviews are conducted with qualified applicants. Several candidates are then recommended to the partner company who conducts a second interview and makes the final decision.

Partner Companies are: ABC, Inc; Advance/Newhouse; Arbitron; BMI; Bresnan Communications; CableLabs;Cablevision Systems Corporation; CBS Corporation; Charter Communication; Clear Channel Radio; Comcast Corporation; Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Cox Communications; C-SPAN; Discovery Networks; Fox Television Stations; Inc.Gannett Television; Granite Broadcasting Corporation; Hallmark Channel; Hearst-Argyle Corporation; Inner City Broadcasting Corporation.

Insight Communications; INTEREP Radio; Katz Media Group; Lifetime Television; Luna Productions; Mediacom Communications Corporation; NBC Universal; NAB Education Foundation; NCTA; Nielsen Media Research; Oh! Oxygen Media; Paxson Communications; Post-Newsweek Stations; Procter & Gamble Productions; Scientific-Atlanta; Scripps Networks; Starcom Mediavest.

Television Bureau of Advertising; Time Warner Cable; Tribune Broadcasting; Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.; UCC- Office of Communications; The Weather Channel; and YES Network.

The Application Package Requirements:
1. A Work/Study Application completed with current photograph and signature. Remember to list all your extra-curricular and community activities, awards, language proficiency, and any work done for your school newspaper, radio and/or television station. Take the time to carefully read the Integrity Pledge. Your signature on the application indicates that you have read and understand the importance of pursuing excellence in your academic and professional life.
2. A transcript in a sealed envelope with official seal or signature across the flap. If you have attended more than one school, a transcript is required from each institution unless grades from the previous school appear on the present transcript.
3. An essay on a separate sheet of paper. Answer Item #10 on the application in 500 to 1,000 words. Your essay will count heavily in the selection process. Your writing style and attention to detail (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.) will help us better evaluate your strengths and potential.
4. Two recommendations using the form included in this application in separate sealed envelopes with appropriate signature across the flap from someone who knows your academic and/or community work (i.e. professors, advisors, employers, etc.) Letters by relatives will not be accepted.
5. A resume detailing your academic record, work experience, extra curricular activities and honors.

Application Deadline:The deadline for applications is March 1, 2006; however, we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible. Please include the materials noted above in one envelope with this application. You may attach separate pages for any answers that cannot be completed on the form. ONLY TYPEWRITTEN APPLICATIONS AND ENCLOSURES WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Submit Application To:
Attention: New Applications
Emma L. Bowen Foundation
CBS Studio Center Administration Building, Suite 300
4024 Radford Avenue
Studio City, CA 91604

For Additional Information:
Telephone: 818.655.5708
Facsimile: 818.655.8358
www.emmabowenfoundation.com

The statistic page is down and I have no idea as to how to fix it. So please send any comments to bobbieo@digitaldune.net

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.

'Rural Report Card' Bad For Native Americans

Submitted by Seth Scott

PHOENIX – A new "Rural Report Card" unveiled last week by the U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee details President Bush’s proposal for steep cuts to programs important to rural Americans, including thousands who live on America’s Indian Nations.

The “Rural Report Card” highlights five areas in which President Bush has proposed steep cuts disproportionately weighted toward rural America including health care, education, economic development, agriculture, and law enforcement.

The “Rural Report Card” found the following:

Rural Health Care -
The President’s budget proposal slashes programs designed to help rural communities address their unique health care challenges. It proposes only $27 million for rural health programs in Fiscal Year 2007, a cut of 83 percent from Fiscal Year 2006. The President proposes terminating rural hospital flexibility grants, the rural and community access to emergency devices program, and area health education centers. His budget would slash $17 billion from Medicaid, on which more than 50 million low-income people depend for their health care. The President’s budget would also eliminate Area Health Education Centers, which provide vital health and health education services to rural areas.

Rural Education -
President Bush has proposed cutting education funding by $2.1 billion, the largest amount in the history of the Education Department. In addition, the President’s budget proposes eliminating 42 programs, including all the vocational and technical education programs, education technology state grants, GEAR UP, Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities State Grants, TRIO Talent Search and Upward Bound. The cuts will devastate School Improvement Programs for Rural Education, After-School Programs, and the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act

Economic Development -
Rural businesses face a changing global economy and increasing costs, and economic development programs provide them with skills and tools to help them compete. The President’s budget would drastically cut economic initiatives relied on by rural communities. The economic development initiatives specifically benefit communities with 3,000 or fewer residents. These cuts will be detrimental to rural America. The cuts will devastate Community Development Block Grants, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Rural Housing, Water and Sewer Assistance, grants for rural businesses, grants and loans to rural utilities, grants and loans for renewable energy systems, funding for county payments through the Forest Service, and funding for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) for the third year in a row.

Agriculture -
The President’s budget includes cuts in farm and nutrition programs that are vital to farmers and rural Americans. Cuts will reduce commodity payments across the board by five percent, devastate funding for food and nutrition programs, eliminate millions for specialty crop block grants to states, and under fund conservation programs.

Rural Law Enforcement -
The President has proposed a total of $1.2 billion in cuts to state and local law enforcement programs, including programs specifically designed to assist rural communities, and help combat the growing methamphetamine problem.

These cuts will devastate programs such as Firefighter Assistance Grants, the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, and juvenile justice programs.

For a full copy of the “Rural Report Card” visit the Democratic Policy Committee website at: http://democrats.senate.gov/dpc/dpc-new.cfm?doc_name=fs-109-2-22

###

INDN's List To Celebrate First Birthday

You are invited to the INDN’s List First Birthday Celebration on Tuesday, February 28th from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Wyndham Hotel, Monticello Room, 1400 M Street NW. Washington D.C.

Our first birthday has much to celebrate:

We have recruited and trained Native Americans across the country to join their American democracy by running for office.

We have hosted an INDN Campaign Camp that gave Indians the tools they need to win.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean, Al Franken, and three members of Congress, Representatives Honda, Herseth and Oberstar all spoke at INDN Campaign Camp.

We have candidates running for office in Alaska, Arizona, California, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin.

INDN’s List enjoys the support from 23 tribes, 8 unions and 57 Warriors nationwide.

Kalyn Free, INDN’s List President
kalyn@indnslist.org


INDN's List Responds To 'State Of The Indian Nations'
February 6, 2006

Joe Garcia, President of the National Congress of American Indians delivered his annual State of the Indian Nations last week in Washington, D.C. America’s failure to meet the challenges of Native America, Garcia said, has resulted in tragic consequences for reservations.

The problems facing reservations are manifold, and include inadequate healthcare, failing schools, joblessness, and crime. All of these problems could be changed with just a will to implement solutions.

“So long as the halls of power in America lack the faces of our First Americans, though, our government will continue to ignore both the tragedy and the opportunity of Indians in the 21st century,” said INDN's List President Kalyn Free. “That’s what INDN’s List is all about, increasing the number of Indians elected to public office.”

INDN’s List was formed to change the color and face of power in the United States, and we are proud to report that we have made great progress in that direction. Electing Native Americans to offices across the country is the only way to ensure that the challenges of our First Americans are overcome and replaced by new opportunity.

DNC Chair Gov. Howard Dean, who has been supportive of our cause, issued a statement demanding that Republicans fulfill our commitment to American Indians:

“Today's report shows the tragic human cost of the failure of President Bush and the Republicans in Congress to honor our nation's solemn commitment to American Indians. These findings are a poignant demonstration of why it is so important for Native Americans to participate fully in our political process. Native Americans can never be fully integrated in our society, and the interests and concerns of their families can never receive the attention they deserve, unless Native Americans and American Indians organize and run for office.

“Together, America can do better than leadership in Washington that neglects the interests of Native Americans. Democrats are committed to providing affordable health care and quality education to every American, and to empowering Native Americans to stand up and participate fully in the political process."

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.

Political Agendas Do Not Really Include Us!!

By Jean bedell-mashkikinabinais

They are made for the interests of government regulation that best serves how they will handle the enormous national deficit. The war in Iraq and the huge military budget just being proposed will affect us first. Living on a reservation is hard especially for those tribes who are located in remote and rural areas.

These budget cuts affect those tribes who still are trying to fight survival and lack financial resources for economic development because of their rural ness. They depend largely on government assistance so that the people can survive.

The picture I see are families who huddle in their HUD rooms in their deteriorated, black mold houses because they don’t have the money to pay for fuel, or rely on government food programs that actually increase the likelihood of diabetes and heart disease.

What I would like to see, is that tribes form a coalition and make a change in government management in congressional amendments that affect Native tribes across this nation. This would include reform for Native education, health, and especially the regulatory federal bodies in government who handle Indian Affairs.

Please pass this on; bills passing the branches in government are going to further erode the already shameful living situations still affecting Native tribes today. Chimeegwetch, mashkikinabinais

# # #

Indian Country Hit Twice With Budget Cuts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kristen Bossi
February 7, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Just days after
announcing that current-year funds would be shifted
away from Indian programs to pay the fees of Cobell
attorneys, the Administration added insult to injury
by announcing new cuts for Indian programs in its
Fiscal Year 2007 budget proposal, charged U.S. Rep.
Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), the Ranking Democrat on the
House Resources Committee.

"Just when I think the animosity between
the parties in the lawsuit cannot possibly get any
worse, the Federal government callously determines
that the solution to its own negligence is to cut
vital programs, further punishing Indians. Sadly,
this nightmare continues for Indian Country," declared
Rahall.

For more than a century, the Federal
government has been the trustee of funds for Indian
tribes and individual Indians. Dozens of reports over
the years have documented the Department of the
Interior's (DOI) inability to accurately account for
trust fund money and manage the accounts on behalf of
Indian Country.

Filed in 1996, the Cobell lawsuit is an
earnest effort to make DOI account for the payment of
monies to several hundred thousand individual Indian
beneficiaries. The judge in the case recently ruled
that the Federal government must pay the plaintiff's
legal fees, deeming that the government and its
attorneys have "demonstrated an unprecedented level of
defiance".

"It is an outrage that Indian Country is
being made to bear the brunt of the Department of the
Interior's own failings. This violates our trust
responsibility with our first citizens," declared
Rahall.

He continued, "Despite our best efforts
to encourage the Republican leadership to update and
expand the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, we are
now entering the seventh year without reauthorization
of this life-saving act. And again, the
Administration proposes to cut funding for the
construction of health care facilities.

In addition,all funding for urban Indian health care has been
totally eliminated, leaving some one million Native
Americans with no access to local health care.
Congress must live up to our promise and provide
better health care for our first Americans."

Released yesterday, the Fiscal Year 2007
budget proposal invests heavily in securing America's
borders, but does not provide any funding for Indian
Country to protect its homelands, many of which are
situated along the United States' borders.

And despite horrendous statistics and
reports to the contrary, the Administration's budget
proposal neglects the glaring needs in Indian
Country's justice systems. Without regard to the
Inspector General's 2004 report "'Neither Safe Nor
Secure': An Assessment of Indian Detention
Facilities," the Administration chose to ignore
atrocious conditions and eliminate all funding for
tribal courts, prison construction, and substance
abuse programs. Additionally, despite alarmingly high
suicide and crime rates among tribal youth, the
Administration has proposed to eliminate all $10
million of funding for Juvenile Justice programs.

"While the Administration touts its
accomplishments in making America more secure, once
again, Indian Country is left disrespected and
unprotected," charged Rahall.

Further, the Administration is proposing
to severely cut funds for the Morris K. Udall
Foundation's Native Nations Institute, which, since
authorized, has seen over 1,700 tribal leaders
representing 360 tribes attend its executive education
courses.
- 30 -

Kristen Bossi
Press Secretary
House Committee on Resources
Democratic Staff
(202) 226-1736
www.house.gov/resources/democrats/

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

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Arizona Tribes Build 'Posh' Resorts

Casinos are not the sole draw anymore in Arizona. The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation opened a 247 room Radisson Resort on November 29th, 05 next to its casino.

It is the latest example of Arizona tribes expanding their lucrative casino properties with resorts, amusement parks and golf courses. Prop 202 passed in ‘02 prevents tribes near the metro Phoenix area from building more casinos so the tribes are finding ways to expand on the resources they already have.

The Radisson is expected to lure large groups that want a taste of the Wild West and something fun to do in between conference meetings. The budget resort will charge $175 to $200 for rooms during the high season January through April and in the low $100s during the area’s hot months.

Suites include flat screen TVs and Sleep Number Beds, conference rooms offer Internet-based video conferencing and forward calls to guest’s cell phones. Instead of towels there are extra large bath sheets and crisp white duvet covers stand in for comforters.

The Nation’s president, Raphael Bear, said the resort will help turn the reservation into a true destination for business and leisure travelers not to mention area residents who want to get away without going out of town.

The hotel is expected to bring in money for the 938 member Yavapai community through bookings and the business it will feed to the casino. It also created some 300 jobs with about 30 percent of those jobs going to tribal members.

Bear added that the resort means two things for the community, “ Self-determination and self- sufficiency. There’s a lot in those two words.”

Native American culture is a drawing card for national and world-wide tourism so the Radisson incorporates the Yavapai tradition of basket weaving into the operation. An outdoor fire pit shaped like a basket marks the entryway. The building’s windows are arranged in a way that makes them appear to be woven, and that pattern is repeated inside. Drawings by tribal children were turned into glass mosaics to decorate the restaurant.

The Gila River Indian Community took a similar approach with its Wild Horse Pass casino south of Phoenix. It built the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa three years ago and Rawhide Wild West reopened at the end of ‘05 after moving from Scottsdale.

The Pimas of the Gila Reservation have incorporated another cultural trait at their Sheraton Resort and Spa. During the winter season, Tim Terry tells traditional Pima stories like his ancestors have done for hundreds of years around a fire pit. These stories give guests a glimpse into how the tribe explained nature and demonstrated moral lessons.

Terry explains that some stores are hundreds of years old while others are only decades old. They change with the times. He adapts them to young people from learning stories from his Grandfather when he was six years of age. As a result of hearing his stories, resort guests may never look at a rattlesnake, dog or cloud in the same way again.

Before Terry tells a story, he asks someone in the audience, usually a child, to select an illustrated disk from his medicine basket. Whatever is selected determines the story.

He always ends his tales with a moral lesson. A baby cloud that wandered from is parents and got snagged on the Estrella Mountains learned to tell his parents where he was going. A rabbit that pestered a snake learned to stop calling other creatures names.

After telling the Pima version of creation. Terry adds, “The creator never makes a mistake. You are not a mistake, You should never feel that way.“

Resort concierge, Ginger Sunbird Martin, came up with the idea of featuring storytellers after the resort renovated its fire pit. “Oral history is a big part of who we are. That’s how stories were told,” she said. “All stories depict the basic human elements such as love, jealousy, vanity, heroism and faith. They all have meanings. They are meant to be a teaching tool.”

Shelia Morago, executive director of the Arizona Gaming Association agrees with the improvements made by the Yavapais and Pimas. “The casinos are doing well. They are stable but there are huge advantages and opportunities with things like resort hotels, entertainment centers and golf courses.”

This column has been edited for content and length from feature stories in The Arizona Republic bylined Stephanie Paterik, November 25th and Betty Beard, December 8th.

Native American High Schoolers Wanted For Newspaper Career Workshop
Submitted by NAJA

VERMILLION, S.D.--Organizers of the Native American Journalism Career Conference are accepting applications from Native American high school groups for the 7th annual workshop at the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota.

Teachers and advisers interested in organizing student groups to attend the conference April 18-20, 2006, must register by April 1.

Native students will be introduced to the basics of journalism by more than 20 experienced NAJA members and other Native and non-Native journalists from around the country. Lodging, meals and conference participation are free to students and their teachers and advisers.

More than 600 high school and college students have attended the conference, sponsored by NAJA, the Freedom Forum, the South Dakota Newspaper Association, Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, and the journalism departments of South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota.

Al Neuharth, South Dakota native and founder of USA Today and the Freedom Forum, will speak on April 18.

"Native Americans are the most underrepresented group in newspaper newsrooms. We are working to change that by inviting Native students to consider journalism careers," said Jack Marsh, executive director of the Freedom Forum's Al Neuharth Media Center, one of the conference sponsors. "Improving employment diversity is a priority of the Freedom Forum. News coverage will be fairer and richer with the addition of these new voices."

For more information, contact Janine Harris at the Freedom Forum at 605-677-5424 or jharris@freedomforum.org.
More information can also be seen at http://www.crazyhorse.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.

Words From Two NCAI Presidents.

Highlights Of The State Of The Indian Nation's Address - 'The Four Great Steps'

Joe Garcia, governor of Ohkay Owingeh, formerly known as San Juan Pueblo (N.M.) who was elected the new president of the National Congress of American Indians in November, 05 delivered the State of Indian Nation address at a luncheon held at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. on Thursday, February 2nd.

In spite of the devastation many tribes faced from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Garcia stressed the state of Indian Nations today is strong. “Many of our native brothers and sisters are wearing the uniform of the U.S. Armed Forces fighting the War on Terror and our prayers are with them and so is our undying gratitude.

“The spiritual outlook of the Indian Nations is found in The Four Directions, each represented by a different color, a different animal and a different meaning. Everything in the world comes from the four directions and they must be in balance.

”The meaning of each direction varies among the tribes, but consider the tradition of the Pueblos. North is blue or green – conflict and tension. West is yellow - and the condition of man- in darkness and in danger - standing before the unknown. South is red – peace, resolution and rest. East is white - victory, sunrise, clarity. Man must turn to each of these four directions to solve a problem.

“Today I borrow from that tradition to describe the task before the Indian Nations. We face four areas of great challenge:
Number 1 – Public Safety.
Number 2 – Healthcare.
Number 3 – Education and the Economy.
Number 4 - The Trust Settlement.”

Under public safety, Garcia states the inability of border tribes to stem the flow of illegal aliens is a serious problem which results in an increased murder rate, higher rates of thefts, more rapes and beatings on reservations resulting with the fear of many of going outside their homes.

“This is unacceptable and a long-term solution must be implemented.” He stressed the tribes want to do more but lack the means. The government’s responsibility to us in this way is mandated and we are prepared to do the work but they must give us to the tools to do so.

Methamphetamine use is taking Indian lives, destroying families and devastating entire communities. The remedy to the problem not only begins with more resources but tailoring the system used to get these resources. “The answer is numbers. We need more officers to fight back. Overall, we must have increased manpower, realistic funding and improved communication.”

Number 2 is Healthcare. A typical Indian is 650% more likely to die from tuberculosis, 420% to die from diabetes, 280% to die from accidents and 52% more likely to die from pneumonia or the flu than the rest of the U.S. population’

“Healthcare expenditures for Indians are less than half of what American spends for federal prisoners. Because of this I call upon Congress and the President to uphold their historic and contractual obligation by reauthorizing the tribally proposed Indian Health Care Improvement Act during this session of Congress.”

Housing conditions for many Indians have reached the crisis point. Four in ten families are under-housed. “I’ve seen up to eighteen people stuffed into a three-bedroom house.”

More than one in eight Indians lack access to safe drinking water and more than one in twelve lack access to basic sanitation. “This is humiliating, degrading, and medically unconscionable. It is wrong and has to be brought to an end.”

Number 3, Education and the Economy – The skills and abilities our children learn in school is the foundation of the economy. Only half of Indian students graduate from high school. Only 13% of American Indians hold bachelors or graduate degrees which is less than half of the national average.

“The remedy, of course, is to fully fund this part of the No Child Left Behind Act, I am confident this culture-centered approach will work because I have seen it work.

“I call on Congress to appropriate the funds to complete, what is for Indian Country, a part of the No Child Left Behind Act that we cannot afford to miss.

“Though federal spending for Indians has lost ground compared with spending for the U.S. population at large, tribal self governance has proved that federal investment in these tribes pays off. Between 1990 and 2000, income rose by a third and the poverty rate declined by 7 percent.

“And a Harvard study shows that these gains occur with or without gaming. Tribal governments have worked hard to put laws in place that promote economic activity and Indian reservations are the next great opportunity for the American economy.”

“But this is only the beginning. Real per-capita income of Indians living on reservations is still less than half of the national average. Unemployment is still double what it is for the rest of the country. And the poorest counties in the United States are on tribal lands. So we still have yet to join the success of the rest of the nation.”

Number 4, The Trust Settlement – The litigation has dragged on for ten years and recent decisions indicate it will be delayed for many more years. The litigation is diverting money from other needs and creating an environment in the Administration that make it hard to move to other issues.

“The solution is straightforward: Let’s settle Cobell fairly and quickly. Then lets move on ahead. We want Congress to deal with this in good faith and then allow us all to put it behind us. Let’s move on.”

Garcia concluded, “As Indians, our lives are defined by our history and our rich cultures. . . Our fates are bound together. This is where we belong. Just as the Four Directions show a way to live, these Four Great steps show a way to grow. I look forward to seeing this progress for the benefit of us all.”

THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Opinion: American Indians and the Abramoff Scandal
Submitted by Chris Stearns

You Don't Know Jack
Tex G. Hall
Friday, January 27, 2006

I decided to write this column because, before this whole Abramoff affair goes any further, America needs to hear from American Indians themselves.

There are three points that I want to the country to hear: First, we condemn the corruption associated with Abramoff; second, we support wholeheartedly the need for lobbying reform; and third, and most important, America needs to understand that this scandal is deflecting attention from an even more important scandal -- the poverty on Indian reservations.

If the American people could get Congress to focus on the third-world health care, crumbling schools, washed-out roads, diabetes, suicide and domestic violence rates that plague Indian reservations -- with the same intensity that they are bringing to lobbying reform -- then maybe millions of American Indians who live far away from Washington, D.C., could go to bed thinking that the federal government actually works.

Now that I think about it, as long as the Justice Department is investigating what happened to all of Abramoff's money, maybe they could investigate what happened to all the treaty promises that have been broken. Why is it, for instance, that despite the promise of doctors and hospitals in exchange for our land, the government, according to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, spends more than twice as much on average for prisoner health care than for Indian health care?

Let me get back to my first point. Everyone knows that bribing public officials is wrong. Unfortunately, it seems to be ingrained in political culture that, to gain access to elected officials, you have to agree to play by Washington's rules. Maybe Ralph Reed said it best: "In public policy," he wrote, "it matters less who has the best arguments and more who gets heard -- and by whom."

Enter Jack Abramoff. Along with his friends and associates, he targeted a handful -- six, to be exact -- of Indian tribes to finance his empire on the Potomac. What, exactly, happened? As far as I can tell, the Abramoff crew took advantage of the Indian tribes' goodwill and bankrolls to the tune of $82 million in order to pay for their own mansions, exotic trips and think tanks -- you get the picture. Which is: A few Indian tribes get scammed, a bunch of lobbyists and congressmen and staff get greedy (and later nailed), some promises get made and a casino gets shut down, and then Congress starts falling over itself to enact lobbying reform. Meanwhile, nearly all federal Indian health care, education, housing, water, energy, heating and roads programs are getting cut.

Let me be the first to say: We were cheated. Maybe if Indian tribes were remotely benefiting from Abramoff's schemes, then those beating their chests about the taint of tribal casino money might have a leg to stand on. The fundamental mistake they are making, however, is that Indian tribes are somehow running around waving fistfuls of cash in the air. Sure, there are some wealthy tribes out there. But only 20 percent of Indian casinos are doing really well, according to Indian Country Today; the rest are only marginally profitable. The reality, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, is that Native Americans still live in poverty at a rate more than twice the national average. We have the same economic disparity problems that we had before Abramoff, and I bet we are going to have the same problems after Abramoff.

Meanwhile, what exactly is happening to the message of tribal leaders and advocates fighting day-to-day to improve our living conditions on the reservations? That message is getting lost. Which brings me to my second point -- Congress really does need to reform. Indian Country supports lobbying reform as much as anyone. Think about it -- Indians are the ones who were cheated in this deal and are now being blamed. It doesn't take a degree in rocket science (or anthropology) to see that the system is not working in our favor.

Fortunately, this can change. I am glad that such public officials as Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., believe that government can do better and are willing to fight the system to make it so. Let's end lavish junkets, football skybox seats and five-star dinners. Most important, let's make this a fair game. Why shouldn't Ryan Wilson -- who, as president of the National Indian Education Association, is fighting for decent Indian school meals and the same basic textbooks that other American children get -- have the same access to congressional leadership as the head of a Fortune 500 corporation?

But let's also be clear on one thing: Neither Indian tribes nor casinos are the problem. If you listened to our critics, you'd think that corruption in Washington was a phenomenon that began in 1988, after Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Indian tribes are governments, just like states, counties and cities. Therefore, any lobbying reform must deal with tribes in the same manner as it treats other governments.

Remember, we didn't make up these rules. Of course, we are more than happy to join in and help improve the system. In return, all we ask is that we be treated fairly, and that the United States live up to the promises it made to us.

At the end of the day, reform to us really means safe schools, access to doctors, living to age 80, roads, heating and electricity, as well as opportunity for our children. If by now you don't know that, then you don't know Jack.

Tex G. Hall, a.k.a. Red Tipped Arrow, is chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Nation in North Dakota and past president of the National Congress of American Indians, which he led from 2001-2005.

Chris Stearns (Navajo)
Political Counsel to Tex G. Hall
Chairman, The Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Nation
Of Counsel, Hobbs Straus Dean & Walker LLP
Seattle, WA
202.257.6428 cell
cstearns@hsdwdc.com

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

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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.

Sacre Bleu! That Mohawk Anti-Voting Zone

Submitted by Alyssa Macy

Ottawa – Tuesday, January 24th – Canadian voters saying they were fed up with financial scandals and ready for a change, ended the 12 year run of the ruling Liberal Party on Monday, ousting Prime Minister Paul Martin in favor of a Conservative Party likely to steer a path closer to the United States. The First Nation Mohawks of the Kahnawake reserve just south of Montreal cast no votes in that election and here are their reasons why.

JEFF HEINRICH, The (Montreal) Gazette
Published: Sunday, January 15, 2006

Mike Delisle Jr. had some advice last month for the man who coaches his son's junior football team. It had nothing to do with sports. It had to do with the federal election.

Delisle is grand chief of Kahnawake, the Mohawk reserve just south of Montreal. The coach, Charlie Ghorayeb, is running as the Liberal candidate in Chateauguay-St. Constant.

Officially, the riding includes Kahnawake. But the Mohawks see things differently, as Delisle pointed out to his friend.

"He asked me whether it was worth his while to place advertisements for his campaign in our local newspaper and also in our post boxes, and he even invited me to one of his fundraisers," Delisle recalled.

The aspiring candidate needn't have bothered asking. The vast majority of Mohawks - who make up Canada's most populous native bands - don't vote in Canadian elections, on principle.

"I told him the ads would be a waste of his time and resources, and I politely declined the invitation," said Delisle, whose story was confirmed by Ghorayeb.

"He understood."

Welcome to Mohawk country, an election-free zone. Unlike most other Canadian native communities, the 9,300 Mohawks of Kahnawake, along with their 10,000 brethren of Akwesasne, which straddles the Canada-U.S. border near Cornwall, Ont., boycott federal and provincial elections.

The Mohawks believe in governing themselves first, not helping non-natives govern, whether that means Canada, Quebec or anyplace else.

Voting in "alien nation" elections "places us in submission to foreign governments and as a result alienates us from our own," according to the lead editorial this week in The Eastern Door, Kahnawake's community paper. "You can't stand with one foot in two canoes."

It's an old position, dating back at least to 1960, when Ottawa first gave natives the right to vote. But these days, the Mohawk way runs contrary to a trend in Canadian aboriginal politics, whereby Assembly of First Nations and Metis National Council leaders, as well as the Grand Council of the Crees in Quebec, are working with mainstream political parties to push aboriginal issues.

Fresh from negotiating a $5-billion aid deal in Kelowna, B.C. in November with Prime Minister Paul Martin and the premiers, national aboriginal leaders want natives to vote the Liberals back in on Jan. 23, or at least support New Democrats. The Metis believe their ballots could affect as many as 33 close ridings in the western provinces and up north, where natives are as much as one-quarter of some ridings' population.

The Conservatives? Forget it - they don't have any real official support.The Bloc Quebecois? In Quebec, they may be backed by the Crees, but the Mohawks? Never.

The Tories aren't getting the native vote for two reasons. First, the aboriginals fear they're not committed to the Kelowna deal. Last week Tory finance critic Monte Solberg said it had been "crafted at the last moment on the back of a napkin on the eve of an election (and) we're not going to honour that," a position the party quickly denied.

Second, a trusted advisor of Conservative leader Stephen Harper is Tom Flanagan, a Calgary political science professor whose publications (one of which is titled First Nations? Second Thoughts) the aboriginals view as anti-native.

The only hint of aboriginal support for the Tories came in a news report Friday that the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, which speaks for Canada's off-reserve natives, will endorse the party before election day. So far it hasn't happened.

In Quebec, Mohawks shun the the Bloc for the simple reason that it's a separatist party. Not that the Bloc hasn't tried to win them over.

On the highways leading to and from Kahnawake, for example, there are only two signs on native land advertising the election, and both are Bloc. The reserve has banned campaign ads, but the Bloc found a way around that by buying space on big commercial billboards already standing on real estate owned by the Mohawks.

Six weeks ago, at the start of the campaign, zealous Bloc volunteers started strapping campaign posters to utility poles, but after residents complained, Kahnawake Peacekeepers ordered Bloc campaigners off the territory, along with their signs.

Getting out the native vote isn't just something the Bloc and other parties would like. It's also a priority of Elections Canada. Since the early 1990s, the federal agency has aimed campaigns at the country's 735,000 registered natives, trying to convince them - in publications in English, French and 11 aboriginal languages - that voting is key to ensuring their self-determination.

In this and the last four elections, the agency has hired aboriginal community relations officers, elders and youth guides to get voters to polling stations in an increasing number of ridings - 48 in the 2004 election, 132 in this one. The goal is to increase aboriginal turnout substantially. It's usually minimal, about one-sixth the number of non-native votes, the agency estimates.

But Kahnawake is tough to crack. Turnout there is, simply, nil.

Any local resident who wants to vote - and of the 9,300 population there are perhaps half a dozen who do so each election, all of them non-natives married to natives, according to band council spokesperson Joe Delaronde - have to go into Chateauguay to do it. There are no polling stations in Kahnawake.

The Mohawks do follow the election on TV and in the newspapers. After all, they say, they're part of the story, however indirectly.

"It's not a matter of not being interested in the issues - we are interested, because we ourselves are one of the issues in Canadian politics," said Delisle, the grand chief. "We just don't consider ourselves part of the Canadian electorate, because we don't consider ourselves Canadian citizens."

jheinrich@thegazette.canwest.com

Alyssa Macy
Political DirectorCenter for Civic Participation
1313 Fifth Street SE #113
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Direct: 612-331-7444
Cell: 612-331-6227
Email: alyssa@ccp.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.