Bush Makes Power Grab - Tribal Governments Included

Opinion - posted May 24, 2007 – the Chattanoogan.com
by Matthew Hine

President Bush, without so much as issuing a press statement, on May 9 signed a directive that granted near dictatorial powers to the office of the president in the event of a national emergency declared by the president.

The "National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive," with the dual designation of NSPD-51, as a National Security Presidential Directive, and HSPD-20, as a Homeland Security Presidential Directive, establishes under the office of president a new National Continuity Coordinator.

That job, as the document describes, is to make plans for "National Essential Functions" of all federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments, as well as private sector organizations to continue functioning under the president's directives in the event of a national emergency.

The directive loosely defines "catastrophic emergency" as "any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions."

When the President determines a catastrophic emergency has occurred, the President can take over all government functions and direct all private sector activities to ensure we will emerge from the emergency with an "enduring constitutional government."

Translated into layman's terms, when the President determines a national emergency has occurred, the President can declare to the office of the presidency powers usually assumed by dictators to direct any and all government and business activities until the emergency is declared over.

Ironically, the directive sees no contradiction in the assumption of dictatorial powers by the President with the goal of maintaining constitutional continuity through an emergency.

The directive specifies that the assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism will be designated as the National Continuity Coordinator. Further established is a Continuity Policy Coordination Committee, chaired by a senior director from the Homeland Security Council staff, designated by the National Continuity Coordinator, to be "the main day-to-day forum for such policy coordination."

Currently, the assistant to the president for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism is Frances Fragos Townsend. Townsend spent 13 years at the Justice Department before moving to the U.S. Coast Guard where she served as assistant commandant for intelligence. She is a White House staff member in the executive office of the president who also chairs the Homeland Security Council, which as a counterpart to the National Security Council reports directly to the president.

The directive issued May 9 makes no attempt to reconcile the powers created there for the National Continuity Coordinator with the National Emergency Act. As specified by U.S. Code Title 50, Chapter 34, Subchapter II, Section 1621, the National Emergency Act allows that the president may declare a national emergency but requires that such proclamation "shall immediately be transmitted to the Congress and published in the Federal Register."

A Congressional Research Service study notes that under the National Emergency Act, the President "may seize property, organize and control the means of production, seize commodities, assign military forces abroad, institute martial law, seize and control all transportation and communication, regulate the operation of private enterprise, restrict travel, and, in a variety of ways, control the lives of United States citizens."

The CRS study notes that the National Emergency Act sets up congress as a balance empowered to "modify, rescind, or render dormant such delegated emergency authority," if Congress believes the president has acted inappropriately.

NSPD-51/ HSPD-20 appears to supersede the National Emergency Act by creating the new position of National Continuity Coordinator without any specific act of Congress authorizing the position.

NSPD-51/ HSPD-20 also makes no reference whatsoever to Congress. The language of the May 9 directive appears to negate any a requirement that the President submit to Congress a determination that a national emergency exists, suggesting instead that the powers of the executive order can be implemented without any congressional approval or oversight.

Homeland Security spokesperson Russ Knocke affirmed that the Homeland Security Department will be implementing the requirements of NSPD-51/HSPD-20 under Townsend's direction.

The White House had no comment.

Matthew Hine
Chattanooga
MattHine@excite.com

National Security And Homeland Security
Presidential directivePresidential Directive
White House News

NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/NSPD 51

HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/HSPD-20

Subject: National Continuity Policy
Purpose
(1) This directive establishes a comprehensive national policy on the continuity of Federal Government structures and operations and a single National Continuity Coordinator responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of Federal continuity policies. This policy establishes "National Essential Functions," prescribes continuity requirements for all executive departments and agencies, and provides guidance for State, local, territorial, and tribal governments, and private sector organizations in order to ensure a comprehensive and integrated national continuity program that will enhance the credibility of our national security posture and enable a more rapid and effective response to and recovery from a national emergency.

(a) "Category" refers to the categories of executive departments and agencies listed in Annex A to this directive;

(b) "Catastrophic Emergency" means any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions;

(c) "Continuity of Government," or "COG," means a coordinated effort within the Federal Government's executive branch to ensure that National Essential Functions continue to be performed during a Catastrophic Emergency;

(d) "Continuity of Operations," or "COOP," means an effort within individual executive departments and agencies to ensure that Primary Mission-Essential Functions continue to be performed during a wide range of emergencies, including localized acts of nature, accidents, and technological or attack-related emergencies;

White House Release..
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/2007050-12.html

Doesn’t this make you feel warm and fuzzy all over to know that George and company will be on hand to take over any national emergency just like they did when hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans?

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail 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.

AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org

FOR NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com

Visit Vietnam Vet. LARRY MITCHELL at http://www.potawatomivet.com and click on his blog at the site.

NATIVE BIZ LEARNING CENTER - www.learn.nativebiz.com was developed for tribal education specialists serving tribal communities. Any tribal community can register at NO COST.

NAJA ALERTS, POTPOURRI - Every Tuesday when available.

NAJA Alerts, Announcements, Potpourri - May 29th, 2007

NAJA Convention Pre-Registration Deadline - May 31st
The last day to pre-register for NAJA's 2007 convention, "We Talk You Listen: A Tribute to Vine Deloria Jr.," is May 31.

Register now to attend such sessions as:
_ Advancing Your Photography
_ Reporting on Native children and families
_ Editorial Political Cartooning: Crafting Your Message
_ Convergence for Print Journalists
_ The Native Voice: A Guide to Column Writing
_ Making Magic: Assembling Your Multimedia Tools
_ Broadcast critiques and much more!

Also, May 30 is the last day to sign up for a free session, Business Bootcamp: Covering Business on Native lands.

For more information on the 2007 convention, go to http://www.naja.com/programs/convention.
See you in Denver,
NAJA Staff

Las Vegas Fights Crystal Meth Use
As you may already know, Nevada leads the nation in Methamphetamine use.

On Wednesday, May 30, 2007, we plan on fighting back by broadcasting "Crystal Darkness - Meth's Deadly Assault on our Youth" in Las Vegas. It will be broadcast on EVERY Las Vegas television station from 730-800PM.

Please contact Pastor Troy Martinez @ lvcrystaldarkness@gmail.com for further information.

Wanted: Up And Coming Minority TV Producer For LATV Festival
The National Association of Minority Media Executives is looking for an up-and-coming television producer to the inaugural LATV Festival and television Boot Camp July 25-27 in Los Angeles.

One NAMME member will receive a scholarship for the 2007 Diversity Fellowship Program. The chosen recipient will participate in a customized program of workshops and meetings with Fox Networks Group executives on Wednesday, July 25.

On July 26 and 27, the recipient will participate in the 2007 NATPE TV Producers' Boot camp. The boot camp includes:
-Panel discussions
-Roundtable chats with development executives
-Interactive clinics where attendees will receive coaching on pitching, strategy, and project development
-Access to the NestGen TV Competition celebration reception
-Pitching opportunities with networks, production, and distribution companies
-Invaluable networking opportunities
-Paid accommodations at the Orlando Hotel in West Hollywood.

To apply through NAMME, submit the following by June 5, 2007:
-A complete application form
-A letter of recommendation from a source in the entertainment industry
-A one-page maximum resume outlining their background and recent production credits
-A one-page, double-spaced statement explaining what they hope to accomplish and learn by participating in the program.

Email information to Toni Laws, director, at tlaws@namme.org or fax to (703) 854-7181.

For more information about the program, go to:
www.natpe.org/calendar/bootcamp/.

INDN's List Campaign Camp - August 20th - 25th
Application deadline - June 15th
Dear Native Unity Editor:
Are you, someone you know, or maybe one of your readers interested in running for office or working for a political campaign? INDN's List is sponsoring its second Campaign Camp this August, and we would like to invite you and your readers to apply.

Campaign Camp is the country's only training seminar to train American Indians in the art of political campaigning - whether as a candidate or as campaign staff. This year, Campaign Camp will be held August 20 - 25 on the reservation of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, near Palm Springs,California.

The training will include sessions on fundraising, targeting, direct mail, message, field organizing, canvassing and phone banks, using a voter file, working with tribes, local and state parties, building a political resume and GOTV, to name just some of the topics covered. Participants will be trained by the best and brightest campaign professionals in the country,and will hear speeches from political leaders and personalities throughout the week.

Our first Campaign Camp was hosted in October 2005 by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Minnesota and was hugely successful in recruiting and training winning candidates.

The camp was attended by the nation's best and brightest campaign professionals to prepare 109 people from 21 states and 50 Indian Nations to work on campaigns and run for public office. Support for the conference was astounding, with presentations by DNC Chair Governor Howard Dean, radio personality Al Franken, and 3 members of Congress - Stephanie Herseth (D-SD), Mike Honda (D-CA), and Jim Oberstar (D-MN).

The application to attend Campaign Camp can be found on our website: (http://indnslist.org/campaign_camp_2007)

Application and registration are due by June 15. We have limited funds available to provide scholarships to some attendees, and space is limited, so we encourage you and your peers to apply early. I look forward to seeing you there!
Yakoke,* -Kalyn Free
"Thank You" in Choctaw.

Paid Television Internship In Idaho
KTVB News Channel 7 in Idaho has a paid internship available.

The internship is designed to provide students, who have a strong interest in broadcast journalism, an opportunity to gain an insight into the daily operation of professional news production.

Contact the following for more information:
Jenniffer Card, Senior Accountant
KTVB-Idaho's News Channel 7
208-321-5701 (direct)
208-375-7230 (fax)
jcard@ktvb.com

Indigenous Media Conference
The Association of Sami Journalists (Sami Journalisttaid Searvi or SJS) is hosting a conference for indigenous media, "Same Voice, But Different," October 4-6, 2007, in Sapmi, Norway.

The conference will offer discussion, workshops and various arrangements where indigenous journalists can contribute their media experiences.

SJS is made up of indigenous journalists from Finland, Norway, Russia and Sweden.

For more information, contact Anne Wuolab at 46-70-597-9119 or
wuolab@uranmedia.se.

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail 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.

AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org

FOR NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com

Visit Vietnam Vet. LARRY MITCHELL at http://www.potawatomivet.com and click on his blog at the site.

NATIVE BIZ LEARNING CENTER - www.learn.nativebiz.com was developed for tribal education specialists serving tribal communities. Any tribal community can register at NO COST.

NAJA ALERTS, POTPOURRI - Every Tuesday when available.

Memorial Day Weekend: Natives Celebrate Ancestor's Day

by Monica Davis
(UNIONTOWN, KY) It began with an atrocity. Thirty years ago, a group of white men paid a farmer ten thousand dollars to dig up an Indian burial mound on his property, at a site which the locals call the Slack Farm. Bones, body parts and artifacts flew trough the air like rain, as the grave robbers and culture pirates plowed through the burial mound and desecrated hallowed ground, in search of sacred objects to sell.

All in all, the thieves desecrated more than 800 graves and the atrocity ended only when the Kentucky State Police showed up and arrested the thieves.

The crime gave birth to media attention from all over the world, including a well-researched piece in the National Geographic magazine. Because of the worldwide outcry, Congress and several state legislatures acted—at the time the culture pirates committed their crimes, grave desecration laws for Native American burial sites were so loose, that most were mere misdemeanors.

Much to the outrage of Native American activists, the Slack Farm grave robbers wound up getting off Scot free, after charges initiated by a Grand Jury were dropped. The thieves did irreparable harm to the 40 acre site, which contained Mississippian Indian remains, many of which may have been over a thousand years old.

The very scope of the Slack Farm grave robbery was a national wake up call to Natives, state and federal agencies alike. The atrocity generated a number of Native and government responses, one of which includes the Salt Creek Sundance, which began over 16 years ago. If there is a bright side to this abomination it is this: the desecration inspired a return to the Red Road for many Native Americans who had been ambivalent about their heritage. The other positive result is the response came of state governments, including Kentucky and Indiana which put teeth in grave desecration laws.

Memorial Day weekend, Natives from all over the country returned to Uniontown, Kentucky, more than a generation after the atrocity happened. Once again, the tribes returned to the site to honor the dead, to pay homage to dishonored ancestors and to bring attention to the crime of grave robbing. Many sought to educate the public about the massive illegal black market which still exists for Indian artifacts and sacred objects.

Many of the Native Americans who participated at the Memorial Day weekend celebration of Ancestor's Day in Uniontown, Kentucky were very clear. They were gathered to honor their ancestors, whose graves had been desecrated a generation before. They were not going to allow themselves, their culture or their ancestors to be dishonored by any yahoo with a camera or tape recorder and a yen to ask questions, or share his or her expertise on who does, or does not “look like an Indian”.

On this Ohio River embankment, they celebrated the lives of ancestor's—theirs and and those of long dead Native Peoples whom they never met. Despite the barbarism and bigotry which gave Genesis to this gathering, members of this gathering walked in pride, celebrated with joy, and teased one another with eye-dancing laughter.

One grandmother teased her fine figure of a grandson to serve as auctioneer in a fund raiser. When Grandson's attempts to auction off a 20 year t-shirt memorializing the first gathering at this place, Grandmother took over and wound up getting over a hundred dollars for the t-shirt.

It was humorous incidents like this which kept the celebration headed toward a positive note, instead of falling victim to the anger and sadness which grave robbery and burial mound thievery often generate. The celebrants focused on empowerment, and refused to submit to the vulgar curiosity and ignorance of the gawkers, wannabes and assorted media types.

They came to this place to honor their ancestors. This gathering, these ceremonies were for their benefit, but 'the usual suspects' showed up to put their Two Cents in.

There were the outsiders who proclaimed their ignorance by wondering aloud “where are the tipis?” Some acted if they were on some kind of excursion to a “strange new planet” full of exotic wildlife and aliens. For the most part, though, cultures were honored, questions were asked and answered and the predicted rain stayed away.

Many of the participants were born and raised in Uniontown. They say that when they were young, they just couldn't wait to “see Uniontown in the rear view mirror”. They and their friends lit out of town after high school graduation as if their tails were on fire, leaving the village behind for the bright lights of the “city.” Years later, after enduring the crime, crowds and spiritual disconnection in some of the nation's big cities, many returned to Uniontown, to the very village they couldn't wait to leave as teens.

Over the years, many found work in nearby Evansville, Indiana, a city of some 130,000 just 30 miles away. Others found employment in nearby factories in Henderson, Kentucky and beyond.

Employment in the area varies: factories, a gambling boat, schools, retail, and, of course, farming. While there are jobs available in the area, and the standard of living is pretty good, this area, like much of the United States, is a majority white culture. Native ways are often part of the distant background, not in the forefront. Many people claim “Cherokee ancestry”--with many claiming a 'Cherokee Princess' or two in their ancestry. The infamous 'Cherokee Princess' (the Cherokee had no princesses) has spawned an entire tribe of fakirs and wannabes, now that it has become fashionable to have Native American ancestry.

This, day, however, that was not the case. Native Americans came from hundreds of miles to participate in the cleansing ceremonies, to share life stories and laughter, and to reaffirm the dignity of
Native American life and the value of Native lives, burial sites and hallowed ground.

In this fast-paced, materialistic world, this is a hard concept for many people to get through their heads. The fact that we should honor the dead, celebrate the lives of our ancestors and those, OF ANY CULTURE, who came before us, instead of turning the dead and Death into a commodity is a foreign concept for many in this country.

The desecration of grave sites and graveyard, the disrespect for ancestors remains a major problem in this country. As urban sprawl creeps its way across the nation, Indian mounds and burial grounds, old graveyards, even churches give way to parking lots, factories, subdivisions, big box retail stores and vandals.

Many people, including long time activist and Red Way practitioner Michael Vargas decry the concrete infection that has smothered much of Mother Earth and obliterated our view of Father Sky. Vargas says that many of the ailments, afflictions and illnesses which make our lives miserable often have spiritual roots. Modern Americans, including many Natives, are often so spiritually unaware, that we create the very same unhealthy situations which turn around and bite us in the behind. Blind to the spiritual disconnection which affects our bodies, we turn again and again to 'modern medicine' or even street drugs for a solution. The more drugs we consume, the sicker our souls become; the sicker our souls become, the farther into addiction and alcoholism we stumble.

At some point in our lives, we must 'connect.' In order to grow beyond infantile greed and crippling consumerism, we must become more than mere consumers of our current 'brand of spirituality' and truly connect with the Maker of All Things.

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail 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.

AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org

FOR NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com

Visit Vietnam Vet. LARRY MITCHELL at http://www.potawatomivet.com and click on his blog at the site.

NATIVE BIZ LEARNING CENTER - www.learn.nativebiz.com was developed for tribal education specialists serving tribal communities. Any tribal community can register at NO COST.

NAJA ALERTS, POTPOURRI - Every Tuesday when available.

Sand Creek Massacre Memorial Dedicated

Submitted by Ken Hughes
[Reprint from Sho-Ban News, Fort Hall Idaho]

SAND CREEK MASSACRE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, Colo. (AP) - More than 142 years after a band of state militia volunteers massacred 150 sleeping Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians in a misdirected act of vengeance, a memorial to the tragic event was officially dedicated Saturday.

The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic site, located 160 miles southeast of Denver on Big Sandy Creek in Kiowa County, pays tribute to those killed in the shameful Nov. 29, 1864, attack.

Seeking revenge for the killings of several settlers by Indians, 700 volunteers who had signed up to be soldiers for 100 days slaughtered nearly everyone in the village. Most were women or children.

Descendants of some of the victims were among several hundred people at Saturday's dedication on the rolling hills of the southeastern Colorado plains. A mock village of 17 tepees was set up in a grove of cottonwood trees along the creek that historians believe marks the site of the killings.

After a prayer and a blessing for the troops in Iraq, members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes chanted and played drums.

"It's a site of shame, but it's finally being memorialized properly,'' said David Halaas, a former state historian. He said even though the militia members weren't soldiers, they were paid and armed by the federal government.

Eyewitness accounts of the attack include a letter from Lt. Joseph Cranmer: ``A squaw ripped open and a child taken from her. Little children shot while begging for their lives.''

Tribe descendants claim they can still hear the children cry when they visit the site."If there were any savages that day, it was not the Indian people,'' said former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe.

Campbell, who sponsored the legislation making the spot a national historic site, said he slept beside the creek Friday night ``to get a picture'' of what the people saw before the attack. He said they felt safe, partly because some of them were married to whites.

"I think this is a pretty good time to own up to it. War crimes were committed here,'' said Eugene Little Coyote, president of the Northern Cheyenne tribe.

Although it has taken more than a century to build a memorial, the attack was recognized almost immediately as criminal. Congress condemned it and President Lincoln fired territorial Gov. John Evans.

Witnesses told a congressional hearing that the victims were not hostile. Indian trader John S. Smith testified that the militia's leader, Col. John Chivington, knew the band at Sand Creek was peaceful and was not involved in the attacks on settlers.

But Chivington, a Methodist minister known as "the fighting parson,'' was feted by Denver residents as a hero after the raid. They were terrified that the Confederacy would use Indians as their surrogates to wage war on them

Among the brilliant feats of arms in Indian warfare, the recent campaign of our Colorado volunteers will stand in history with few rivals, and none to exceed it in final results,'' read an editorial in the Rocky Mountain News at the time.

A Civil War memorial installed at the Colorado Capitol in 1909 listed Sand Creek as a great Union victory. But a plaque was added in 2002 giving details of the massacre to set the record straight.

The Indians that Chivington attacked were camped at a site on the sagebrush- and yucca-dotted plains assigned to them by the Army. When the attack started, Southern Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle hurriedly hoisted a U.S. flag above his lodge, but to no avail. Black Kettle survived but was killed in an attack at Washita, Okla., in 1868 by soldiers led by Col. George Armstrong Custer.

The attack on Sand Creek triggered many retaliatory attacks by Indians, including the Battle of the Little Bighorn, where Custer was killed. ``It did trigger more killing. There is never just one incident and closure after that,'' said Patricia Limerick, author of ``Legacy of Conquest'' and chairwoman of the University of Colorado's Center of the West.

"There may be stories of equal anguish in our history but this is right up at the top,'' she said.

'Pres On The Rez' Picks Up Palm Springs Endorsement
The editorial board of the Desert Sun of Palm Springs, California, endorsed Prez on the Rez in an editorial Saturday, calling on candidates to participate and acknowledging that "American Indians are a political force that is vital to the American political process." Click here.

The editors praised local tribes for branching out into national politics and encouraged more American Indians to run for public office. They get it. Prez on the Rez is an attempt not just to give tribal leaders a venue for engaging with presidential candidates, important as that is, but to give Indians a vehicle by which we will become engaged and influential in the national political process.

Over the course of a presidential campaign season, the whole nation enters into a dialogue about the direction of our country: our challenges and failures, our aspirations and opportunities, and the difficult sacrifices and priorities that must be made. As the nationally syndicated Gannett News Service wrote of Prez on the Rez, "the event will help start a dialogue about tribal sovereignty, rural poverty and other issues of importance to Indians." When any group is excluded from that process, the whole nation misses an opportunity to build a better future.

Indians have been excluded for too long, and that's what makes Prez on the Rez so important.

It is particularly important to succeed now because this opportunity is not just one afforded by a presidential election.

"The forum comes at a time when the Democrats are turning their attentions to the West," the Gannet article points out, and leaders are beginning to recognize "the impact native voters can have on statewide elections." We need every candidate to commit now - when the chance to determine the outcome of a national election is within reach.

You can download the Desert Sun editorial and the Gannett news article (which ran in the Great Falls Tribune of Montana) by going to our media page at www.prezontherez.org/media.htm.

kalyn@prezontherez.org
http://www.prezontherez.org

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail 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.

AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org

FOR NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com

Visit Vietnam Vet. LARRY MITCHELL at http://www.potawatomivet.com and click on his blog at the site.

NATIVE BIZ LEARNING CENTER - www.learn.nativebiz.com was developed for tribal education specialists serving tribal communities. Any tribal community can register at NO COST.

NAJA ALERTS, POTPOURRI - Every Tuesday when available.

Holy Disaster: Pope Alienates Indigenous Peoples

© Indian Country Today May 17, 2007. All Rights Reserved
Posted: May 17, 2007
by: Editors Report / Indian Country Today

''Arrogant.'' ''Disrespectful.'' ''Poorly advised.'' These harsh words were not aimed at an unpopular president; not this time. They are the criticisms by Indian leaders in Latin America of Pope Benedict XVI, who again made headlines for culturally insensitive and historically inaccurate remarks.

About this time last year the pope stirred international controversy when he characterizing the Prophet Mohammed as having spread Islam by the sword in an ''evil and inhuman'' manner. On May 15 he declared that the Roman Catholic Church had not imposed itself on the indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Pope Benedict continues to stir up controversy wherever in the world he lands. But this particular papal idiom cannot be attributed to or excused as simple ignorance. There is an element of intent in the pope's recent remarks that should anger, and mobilize, indigenous people throughout the world.

In a speech at the Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopate, the pope characterized pre-contact Indians as ''silently longing'' for Christianity and stated that ''the proclamation of Jesus and of his Gospel did not at any point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbus cultures, nor was it the imposition of a foreign culture.''

It may be the most blatantly erroneous statement about the Christian legacy on indigenous cultures ever uttered.

Not only did the pope's comments exhibit an ever-increasing general arrogance that aims to deny the rights of indigenous peoples around the world but, in this rare case, they came straight from the source. Millions of tribal people died as a result of the institution of the 15th century Inter Caetera papal bulls that provided legal justification for European colonization of the Native people of the Americas (including Brazil where Benedict spoke) and Africa.

Then, Indians were slaughtered, enslaved or exposed to deadly diseases. Now, Native survivors of Christian colonization efforts suffer its traumatic generational effects: a diminished ability to relate to and practice traditional life ways, social exclusion and learned sexual abuse. If this does not qualify as an ''imposition'' on the culture of indigenous peoples, what does?

Last year's controversy was sparked by the pope's suggestion at the University of Regensburg in Germany that Islam was spread through violence and that it was ''contrary to God's plan.'' It seemed fair at the time to give him the benefit of the doubt for misspeaking. ''He could clarify that the inherent rationality to which he referred ... is a property of all humanity, not solely of Europeans,'' we stated. ''We have no doubt that this was the true intent of his remarkable lecture.

But if he is through apologizing to Muslims, perhaps he could now explain himself to the indigenous peoples of the world.'' It is certain that our charitable view of that situation did not serve the legions of indigenous people who are now offended by suggestions that cultural decimation is considered ''purification'' by the Church and its most revered leader.

The Vatican has for years largely ignored the valid request by indigenous peoples and their representatives to rescind the papal bulls and the ''doctrine of discovery'' they inspired. And just days before his visit to Brazil, the country's Indians appealed to Pope Benedict to express solidarity with them and acknowledge their struggle against the government's encroachment upon their territories.

They referred to a ''process of genocide,'' which no doubt began with the arrival of European Christian crusaders. It is agreed then that the pope is fully aware of the indigenous position on the lasting legacy of Christianity as a colonizing force. Ignorance is no excuse.

The comments were more an indication that the Church's knowledge of indigenous cultures has not evolved much since the days when Natives were thought by Catholic monarchs to be heathens empty of a guiding spiritual force, in need of enlightenment.

It may be futile to demand an apology from the Church's highest leader, but it is imperative that the indigenous voices continue to rise in protest after the controversy dies down. The public display of outrage (and credible threats of violence) by the Muslim world last year garnered a mea culpa by the pope, who said he was ''deeply sorry.''

It is now time the Vatican, as a religious authority and political nation-state, acknowledges the cost of Christianity on the indigenous people of the world. Perhaps a statement from Pope Benedict recognizing the inherent sovereignty of Indian tribal peoples as reiteration of this theological tradition would be a good, first step toward making amends.

Is Direct Action The Correct Action? Labeling 'Terrorism'
Although Direct Action wakes up the conscious of the mass media and gives powerful attention to an activist point of view, it has its repercussions in the law and now the government. But to label this incident as an act of terrorism is simply ridiculous!, especially crimes by its own citizens!

I would not condone such acts as to put others in harms way for a cause, but some do not think! ...or recognize how this would affect others with important causes and all the work they do as part of freedom of speech, civil rights, and more importantly environmental, and animal rights. Please read the article below and send your opinion to the Oregon legislature and congressmen. Jeanne Bedell

By Brad Knickerbocker,
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
Fri May 18, 4:00 AM ET
Ashland, Ore. - When law-enforcement agencies arrested 10 animal rights activists and environmental radicals 18 months ago, it was a major breakthrough in the fight against what officials call "ecoterrorism"

Among the crimes solved were a string of arsons and other attacks across five Western states totaling more than $40 million in damage. Targets of the group calling itself The Family had been timber companies, meatpacking plants, an SUV dealership, a Colorado ski resort, and the University of Washington Horticultural Center.

Now, with all defendants having pleaded guilty because of the weight of the evidence against them, including an informant who wore a recording device, prosecutors are seeking "terrorism enhancements" to their sentences.

"This is the first time in the history of the US that the federal government is seeking this enhancement for property crimes that did not result in injury or death to humans," said Lauren Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center in Eugene, Ore.

In their 148-page sentencing memorandum filed last week in federal court in Eugene, prosecutors argued that "although the government was not a direct victim, it was nonetheless a federal crime of terrorism because of the offenders' motivation."

Intimidation, coercion, and retaliation aimed at the conduct of government, prosecutors said, deserves "enhanced" punishment under federal antiterrorism laws. The ecosaboteurs' goal, according to prosecutors, was to retaliate for certain federal policies related to natural resources and animals, and they were attempting to coerce government agencies into changing those policies. Federal sentencing guidelines in such cases can add up to 20 years to a sentence, and this can also mean being sent to a maximum security prison.

The defendants and their attorneys point out that those charged made special efforts to avoid harming people. Prosecutors say this makes no difference, especially when it comes to arson attacks.

"This was a classic case of terrorism, despite their protests of lofty humane goals," Assistant US Attorney Stephen Peifer told US District Judge Ann Aiken in court Tuesday. "It was pure luck no one was killed or injured by their actions."

In recent years, the USA Patriot Act and other legislation have broadened the application of antiterrorism laws and punishments to include radical environmental and animal-welfare activists.

After years of unsolved crimes acknowledged to be the work of the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front, the use of informants has broken up several cells, including The Family.Still, "direct actions" claimed by these shadowy groups with no apparent central leadership continue, experts say.

"Vandalism occurs on a regular basis," says Oren Segal, who tracks extremist groups for the Anti-Defamation League in New York. "The harassment of employees of companies that either animal test or work with companies that animal test also occurs on a daily basis. New groups have formed, and new leaders have emerged.

"Moreover, the movement's violent rhetoric increasingly justifies targeting humans to save the lives of animals," says Mr. Segal. "It was not surprising when ALF took credit for leaving an incendiary device at the home of a UCLA primate researcher in the summer of 2006. Although the device failed to ignite, arson investigators said it would have made escape difficult or impossible had it functioned properly."

Mainstream environmentalists and animal-welfare advocates decry such violence. But they're concerned that branding it as "terrorism" threatens legitimate activism as well.
"When everyone is a terrorist, no one is," says Ms. Regan. "The further we broaden the language of what a true terrorist is, the less security we really have. If a monkeywrencher is the same as Osama bin Laden, where is the distinction drawn?"

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail 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.

AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org

FOR NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com

Visit Vietnam Vet. LARRY MITCHELL at http://www.potawatomivet.com and click on his blog at the site.

NATIVE BIZ LEARNING CENTER - www.learn.nativebiz.com was developed for tribal education specialists serving tribal communities. Any tribal community can register at NO COST.

NAJA ALERTS, POTPOURRI - Every Tuesday when available.

Dems Would Revamp 'Hardrock Mining Law'

Submitted by Western Shoshone Defense Project
Debra Kahn, E&E – May 11th, 2007
Daily reporter

The chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee introduced legislation yesterday aimed at reforming the 1872 hardrock mining law that allows companies to avoid paying royalties on minerals taken from public lands.

Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) and Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee Chairman Jim Costa (D-Calif.) are sponsoring the "Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007," H.R. 2262, which would impose an 8 percent royalty on the net production of minerals on claims filed under the law.

It would also identify types of federal land to place off-limits to mining and require mine operators to submit reclamation plans before they receive mining permits. "It is far past the time for responsible reform of the Jurassic Park of all federal laws," Rahall said at a news briefing.

Tiffany & Co. Chairman and CEO Mike Kowalski, who appeared with Rahall and Costa, said his company's support for the bill was "motivated by self-interest.""We desperately need new mines in this country," Kowalski said. "This bill is a hugely important step in the right direction."

The government has missed more than $245 million in royalties on mineral reserves since the mining law was enacted 135 years ago, Rahall said. And taxpayers will eventually be burdened by an estimated $32 billion bill for cleaning up thousands of abandoned mines, he said. The law would affect up to 270 million acres of public lands, Rahall added.

Claimholders can acquire public land through the patenting process for as little as $2.50 per acre under the existing law. Congress has renewed a temporary moratorium on such land purchases every year since 1994.

Gold, uranium and other minerals are selling at record-high prices and production is at historic highs, particularly in Nevada, Arizona and California, Rahall said. The congressman said he has "reached out" to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) -- who has opposed mining reform in the past -- and held "lengthy discussions" on the bill's intent. Reid told the Associated Press he did not expect a hardrock-mining reform bill to surface in the Senate this year. "We have a lot of things to do," Reid said. "It won't be this year."

Reid opposed efforts in the the mid-1990s to reform the law. He told the AP that such efforts were spurred then by "people ... interested in destroying hardrock mining."

The bill marks the fourth time Rahall has tried to reform the law since 1985. "We are cognizant of factors that stymied the '80s bill," Rahall said, as well as "political problems that plagued" the 1994 Senate conference." He said Reid agreed with him "on the goal of fair returns to the American taxpayers."

Other past efforts to reform the law have included former Reps. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) and Jim Gibbons' (R-Nev.) attempt to insert language into the House-passed budget in 2005 that would have lifted the moratorium on mining patents and raised the land price to $1,000 per acre (E&E Daily, Dec. 12, 2005).

Costa said he planned to hold at least one field hearing later this year and move the bill to the full Natural Resources Committee by the end of this year or early next.

Along with legislative action, mining companies and retailers are taking voluntary action in the form of nonbinding standards for cyanide and mercury management, labor standards, public disclosure and emergency response. Tiffany & Co., Earthworks, Newmont Mining and BHP Billiton are among the supporters of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance, which is meeting this fall to draft initial standards.

Earthworks President Stephen D'Esposito speculated last week that mining companies were willing to subject themselves to voluntary standards in anticipation of the "regulatory noose" tightening over time (Greenwire, May 4).

The National Mining Association released a statement Wednesday saying it wanted any mining law to recognize existing authority over the closure of areas to mining, as well as ensure "security of title and tenure" throughout a mine's operations. "We look forward to working with Chairman Rahall and ranking member Don Young (R-Alaska) as the HouseNatural Resources Committee begins consideration of amendments to the law," the industry group said.

Rahall said he would not rule out any potential amendments, which could include "Good Samaritan" provisions for companies that conduct voluntary cleanup efforts. He also said he was not wedded to the royalty method of compensation as the only method of payment. He said he had no feedback from the Bush administration yet.

Miners Stunned! Environmentalists Cheer!
Submitted by Western Shoshone Defense Project
By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press, May 9th, ‘07
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/070509
/national/uranium_mine_rejected

(CP) - Miners are stunned and environmentalists cheering over a northern regulator's recommendation that a uranium exploration project be denied because it threatens the spiritual and cultural well-being of the area's Dene people.

The Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board says Ur-Energy's (TSX:URE) plan to drill up to 20 holes near the Thelon River should not proceed under any circumstances.
"Although the proposed development is physically small, the potential cultural impacts are not," says the board in a written decision. It is only the second time in the board's history that it has dismissed a project outright.

It's now up to federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice to decide whether to accept the recommendation, which throws doubt on the future of hundreds of mineral leases and claims in a vast area of the Northwest Territories.

"It's a major concern if you can't run a minimal-impact exploration program," Mike Vaydik of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Chamber of Mines said Wednesday." Mineral exploration in the southeast part of the N.W.T. is basically stopped." Monte Hummel of the World Wildlife Fund agreed."This stands to have a serious impact on not just this project," he said. "That's what the people who live there want." Ur-Energy described the decision as a delay.

In a release, company president Bob Boberg said Ur-Energy is disappointed with the review board's recommendation and "will continue to pursue any and all approaches that will allow us to advance exploration." Boberg said Ur-Energy would discuss the recommendation with Prentice. The Thelon Basin is considered one of the earth's last pristine wildernesses.

During hearings on the project, one ecotourism outfitter said he'd spotted six grizzlies, 12 moose, 20 wolves, 100 muskox and 100,000 caribou on a single trip. Residents from the community of Lutsel K'e described the area as "the place where God began" and "the heart and soul of the Dene."

"(The) Thelon River is Thaydene Nene. Thaydene Nene is our ancestors," elder Bernadette Lockheart said in her testimony. Even a single exploration camp is too much for such hallowed ground, testified 13-year-old Michael Lafferty. "If you do find uranium, you'll try to get it, right?" he asked. "It's better just not to check. Just leave it there."

The area drained by the Thelon River, which flows from the N.W.T. into Nunavut, has been the subject of an intense staking rush in recent years. At least 40 companies are prodding the tundra for uranium after prices for the silvery metal grew from $7 a pound a few years ago to over $100 now. They have registered hundreds of prospecting permits, claims and mineral leases - 1,000 such dispositions on the N.W.T. side alone.

Nunavut has identified 405 prospecting permits that may conflict with ecological values .Some permits overlap proposed conservation areas or territorial parks. The area is also subject to an agreement between Ottawa and the Akaitcho Dene not to make any decisions on the land for five years pending a land-claim settlement. That interim land withdrawal is currently awaiting cabinet approval. As well, part of the region has been singled out by Environment Minister John Baird for the creation of East Arm National Park near the east arm of Great Slave Lake.

Earlier this week, Lutsel K'e Chief Adeline Jonasson sent an open letter to all resource companies saying they shouldn't bother asking about development on the Thelon because the Dene aren't interested."We are in complete opposition to having a mine in the Thelon area, and therefore will not support even the initial stages of such a possibility," she wrote.

The board says Canada's mining regulations contribute to the problem by allowing prospectors to stake claims before consulting area aboriginals, and then giving those claims precedence in any subsequent land talks.

As the quickening pace of northern industrial development runs head-on into land claims and environmental concerns, it's time the federal government dealt with tough land-use questions, said Hummel.

"As you delay more and more, mineral permits of one kind or another are being issued," he said. "It's fragmenting and reducing the area the (Dene) said they wanted to protect.

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail 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.

AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org

FOR NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com

Visit Vietnam Vet. LARRY MITCHELL at http://www.potawatomivet.com and click on his blog at the site.

NATIVE BIZ LEARNING CENTER - www.learn.nativebiz.com was developed for tribal education specialists serving tribal communities. Any tribal community can register at NO COST.

NAJA ALERTS, POTPOURRI - Every Tuesday when available.

NAJA Alerts, Scholarships, Announcements - May 22nd, 2007

NAJA 2007 Conference In Denver
Native American Journalists Association will hold their annual convention in Denver, June 7-9.

Saturday, June 9 at 1:45 p.m., NAPT and P.O.V. presents Beyond the Broadcast. The impact of a documentary seen on PBS doesn't start and end with the broadcast. One thing that sets PBS apart from other networks is its commitment to community engagement, which expands the life and impact of PBS programs.

Within this framework lies the opportunity for strategic partnerships between public broadcasters, content producers, newspapers, online media services, and community organizations.

Representatives of Native American Public Telecommunications and POV / American Documentary will screen samples of upcoming public affairs programming on subjects affecting Native Americans, and discuss ways that tribal newspapers, Native communities and service organizations can collaborate to utilize their respective resources to impact social change in their communities.

For more information: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=564974bab.0.z5ju4sbab.8fvnpcbab.7046&ts=S0252&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.naja.com

Religion Scholarships Available - Deadlines - July 1st And October 1st.
The Religion Newswriters Association is offering scholarships up to $5,000 to full-time journalists who would like to take religion courses at accredited colleges or seminaries.

Interested journalists, including designers, editors, freelancers, photographers and reporters, do not have to cover the religion beat to participate in the Lilly Scholarships Religion Program.

The goal of the program is to better equip journalists with the knowledge they need to report on religion issues, as well as explore the opportunities to grow in their personal spiritual journey. Scholarships cover the cost of college tuition, books, registration fees, parking and other costs.

Deadline is July 1 and October 1. For more information, call Amy Schiska at 614-891-9001, ext. 3#. Or go to the association's Website: www.ma.org.

Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev) Hosts Town Meeting For 'No Child Left Behind'
On Wednesday, May 30 from 3:15-5:00pm, Senator Reid will be hosting a town hall meeting for teachers, parents, students, and administrators to discuss improving the No Child Left Behind Act.

Senator Reid will be at Howard Hollingsworth Elementary School in Las Vegas, but will also be hosting locations in Carson City and Elko for Nevadans to participate via videoconference.

If you need more information on this event, please contact Senator Reid’s Las Vegas office at 702-388-5020. If you are unable to attend, but would like to share your views on improving No Child Left Behind with Senator Reid, please visit the website at: http://reid.senate.gov/nclb_form.cfm

6th United Nations Forum On Indigenous Issues
Online updates from the Sixth United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues are provided by International Indian Treaty Council delegate

For the second year, IITC delegate, Alyssa Macy (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon), is providing updates on proceedings of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) being held in New York May 14-25, 2007.

Updates include summaries of daily proceedings and photographs of events through the duration of the Permanent Forum. "I believe it's important that information about proceedings at the Permanent Forum be shared with as wide of an audience as possible as the decisions that are made in this fora have an impact on the lives of Indigenous Peoples across the globe," stated Alyssa at the opening session of the UNPFII.

"Providing timely updates of the proceedings of the Permanent Forum provide the opportunity for Indigenous Peoples and allies to stay abreast of the proceedings as many people cannot afford to attend gatherings such as this," said Andrea Carmen, IITC Executive Director. "We especially hope that our younger generations pay attention to the work at the United Nations , we are looking at them to carry this important work forward."

The updates can be accessed at the Indigenius Media blog.

'Seasoned With Spirit' Wins New England Emmy Award
Seasoned with Spirit, the 5-part PBS series proudly accepts a New England Emmy Award in the Informational/Instructional category.

The series invites viewers to partake of this culinary celebration of America's bounty combining Native American history and culture with delicious, healthy recipes inspired by indigenous foods.

Each 30-minute episode of Seasoned with Spirit is a visually stunning, cultural adventure across the American landscape where viewers meet Native American peoples, see their breathtaking environs, learn their history and traditions, and, best of all, taste their cuisine.

Take a delectable journey with host Loretta Barrett Oden (Citizen Potawatomi Nation), renowned Native American chef, food historian and lecturer. With infectious humor and unstoppable enthusiasm, Loretta travels around the country and immerses herself in the lives and traditions of numerous Native American tribes, blending her passion for delectable food and engaging storytelling.

The series, co-produced by NAPT and Connecticut Public Television in association with Resolution Pictures, will be fed to public television stations each Tuesday between June 5 and July 3, at 9:30 ET.

Viewers should check local listings for specific air dates and times, or contact your local PBS station. Seasoned With Spirit is available on DVD from VisionMaker Video, http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=564974bab.0.xrt78jbab.8fvnpcbab.7046&ts=S0252&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.visionmaker.org.

Town Hall Meeting On Race And Free Speech
The Magazine Publishers of America will sponsor a town hall, "Race, Identity and Privilege in Media," in New York City on June 19.

Top media leaders will wrestle with stereotyping, intolerance and social justice, including debate some of the most important challenges facing American media today. Panelists include:
Angela Burt-Murray, Essence (confirmed).
Ellis Cose, author, columnist & contributing editor, Newsweek.
Carolina Miranda, writer (formerly of Time Inc.) (confirmed).
Dr. Joseph Gibbons, author, professor & consultant, FutureWork Institute.

Some of the topics that will be discussed include:
-Should political correctness trump free speech? Or are we just too sensitive?
-How does signifying race in reporting affect the society, i.e., what were the effects when the shooter at Virginia Tech's recent tragedy was identified as an immigrant from South Korea?
-What is the most effective response to sexism or racism in media, i.e., Barack Obama's reply to Rush Limbaugh versus Al Sharpton to Don Imus?

Register online at www.magazine.org/diversity.

A cocktail Reception will be held at 5:30 p.m., with the program following at 6:00 p.m. at the Harmonie Club, 4 E. 60th St. (near intersection of E. 60th St. and Doris C Freedman Pl.) in New York City.

Cost is $30.00 per person (MPA/ASME member) or $40.00 per person (non-MPA/ASME member).

For more information, contact Magazine Publishers of America at 212-872-3700 or http://www.magazine.org/.

What Does Biological Diversity Mean In Your Life?
Growing up in an Inuit community in northern Quebec, Shelia Watt-Cloutier never rode anything faster than a dog sled. As an adult, she is deeply dedicated to slowing global warming through education and policy change.

On May 22, Watt-Cloutier will lead a discussion on the connection between natural diversity and global climate change. And you're invited!

Join us for a free online chat and tell us what biological diversity means in your life. RSVP today
When: 7 p.m. Eastern (4 p.m. Pacific, 19:00 GMT-5), Tue., May 22
Where: Your home computer
How: Login details will be sent via email after you RSVP

Starting at 7 p.m. Eastern, Nobel Peace prize nominee and past Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), Sheila Watt-Cloutier will be sharing her wisdom on the importance of diversity in the natural world -- and how we can help preserve it as the Earth's temperature changes.

Shelia Watt-Cloutier has served as a spokesperson for a coalition of northern Indigenous Peoples, co-directed the youth awareness video Capturing Spirit: The Inuit Journey and is committed to persuading states to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

After the lecture, a panel of experts will answer questions from the audience - YOU! Panelists will include:
Royal C. Gardner (Moderator): Professor of Law and Director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson University College of Law.
Wil Burns: Former International Environmental Policy Program at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
Annie Petsonk, J.D.: Environmental Defense's advocate for international environmental law and adjunct professor at George Washington University and University of Maryland law schools.

This is the third in a four-part series of online events celebrating the United Nations International Days. The first two online discussions were a big success! We look forward to chatting with you on May 22.
Robyn E.Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team

P.S. Online broadcasts of the United Nations International Days event series are brought to us through the generous support of the Saint Petersburg Environmental Research Center

Memorial Day Specials:
This Memorial Day Weekend, Friday 5/25 - Monday 5/28, AIROS will honor veterans as well as those service men and women still in harms way and of course those that have already gone on to the next world

Tune in to hear special editions of Native Sounds - Native Voices as well as the special program Enduring Freedom: Honoring Native Women Veterans

Listen to the webcast of Enduring Freedom on the AIROS livestream
during the following times:
5/25/07: 2am, 8am, 2pm, 8pm ET
5/26/07: 4am, 10am, 4pm, 10pm ET
5/27/07: 4am, 10am, 4pm, 10pm ET
5/28/07: 5am, 11am, 5pm, 11pm ET

Rez Blues - Red Blues
It's an Indian Jam session. Voices from the Circle producer Jim DeNomie pulled together some of the most talented Native musicians around including Wade Fernandez, Mark Cleveland, Al Jewer and others to raise awareness and funds for the Loonsfoot Indian Center in Milwaukee.

Tune in as we bring you this hour-and-a-half concert recorded live at Chicago's Heartland Cafe.

Listen to the webcast of the concert on the AIROS livestream during the following times:
6/2/07: 4am, 10am, 4pm, 10pm ET
6/3/07: 4am, 10am, 4pm, 10pm ET
6/4/07: 5am, 11am, 5pm, 11pm ET

Subscribe to the Voices from the Circle podcast to download the performances

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail 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.

AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org

FOR NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com

Visit Vietnam Vet. LARRY MITCHELL at http://www.potawatomivet.com and click on his blog at the site.

NATIVE BIZ LEARNING CENTER - www.learn.nativebiz.com was developed for tribal education specialists serving tribal communities. Any tribal community can register at NO COST.

NAJA ALERTS, POTPOURRI - Every Tuesday when available.

The Banker's 'Master Plan' For Turtle Island

Submitted by the Western Shoshone Defense Project
By Kahentinatha Horn
(With President Bush set to nominate a new World Bank president, the time is right for this article – BHO.)

MNN. The bankers want Turtle Island lock, stock and barrel. They’ve been working at it for hundreds of years and failed. The Indigenous people keep fighting back. Is this why they are escalating their attacks on us?

The Rotinonhsoni:onwe/Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy designed a real democracy on Turtle Island. Five nations joined to form the Confederacy – Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca. Later the Tuscaroras joined. Our constitution known as the Kaianereh’ko:wa, the Great Law of Peace, is based on the natural world where all are equal. It is the most democratic form of government ever devised. There is no monarch and unlike the Greek democracy, there is no elite or ruling class . The power and the peace are in the people.

By the time the Europeans invaded Turtle Island, there were already 300 other Indigenous nations who were friends and allies of the Confederacy. Based on the Two Row Wampum, we all agreed to live in peace, respect each other’s culture, ways and territories. When we made treaties and agreements, all our best interests were taken into account.

The chairman of the Confederacy, an Onondaga, is known as the “Tododarho”. He is neutral and must always think about maintaining the peace and integrity of our people, land and possessions. As a spokesman, the people count on him to sanction decisions according to our law and in the best interests of our future generations.

In 1996, the Tododarho was on his deathbed. He called for specific Iroquois to visit him in the hospital, three men and one woman. The Tododarho wanted to pass on a mantle to the ordinary people who he felt represented the true desires of the people. He wanted to remind us that we can never surrender Turtle Island. The moment we do then all our land and resources would be transferred to the banks and the multinational corporations who’ve coveted our possessions since their arrival.

Treaties create international and domestic law. Our treaties with the U.S. and Canadian colonists are the law of the land. Under the Two Row the colonizers can live under their own laws, if that’s what they want to do. But their laws do not apply to us or to the land.

When the Europeans invaded Turtle Island, we did not become part of their capitalist system. Because Creation made us part of this continent, the banks are trying to find ways to remove the restrictions that stop them from seizing all of Turtle Island. Our democratic principles that are influencing people everywhere else are coming into conflict with their hierarchical systems that is bent on controlling the world.

Our fight has always been with the central banks that were set up by the monarchs, kings and queens of Europe. They want ownership and control. They’re trying to get it by setting up surrogate banking institutions here.

Over the centuries every time there was an attempt to exploit us, our land and resources, we did our best to block it. When the hydro electric power was to be developed in northern Quebec, it was the Crees who stood up for the land. We are the legitimate owners and the land owns us. The bankers want to remove us and our title.

They’ve tried. The monarchs sent their priests here first. The colonial governments of the U.S. and Canada forced us to hand over our children to the churches. Then the pedophiles molested and destroyed them. They hoped to pass the submissive spirit down from generation to generation, submissive to their authority, to the Vatican, to the hierarchies and to the royalty in Europe. We were not supposed to fight back when they took our land and our lives.

Then the monarchs sent over their military and government apparatus. They put up false chiefs and political organizations to run the Indigenous nations. That’s falling by the wayside too.

They are having a hard time with those of us who did not go to residential schools and with the new generation of young Indigenous people. They want to send in the army to destroy those of us who escaped this indoctrination. At Six Nations they found out that our real authority is our traditional Confederacy Chiefs who represent the will of the people.

President Thomas Jefferson once said “There is scarcely a king (or would-be king) in a hundred who would not, if he could, follow the example of Pharoah – get first all the people’s money, then all their lands and then make them and their children servants forever”.

For more than 200 years these international banking families dominated the European scene after they established the Bank of England and other central banks in Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland. The Rothschilds dominated the banking scene as they do today. They created a banking system which controls every other banking system in the world.

All the gold and silver that the U.S. claims that backs the American dollar has disappeared. Today’s dollar is really counterfeit, worth about 4 cents.

The European Bankers always won. They reaped fortunes by financing the various nations in their wars against each other. They engineered conditions of despair so they can turn people into puppets. These nations were plundered, pillaged and bled dry by war debts to the bankers.

Where do the monarchs get their power from? Through their blood line. In Europe they are the “masters” of the people. Their elite are the bankers, business people, governments and academics. We have blood lines too. Our spokespeople become the “servants” of the people.

The kings and queens of Europe are the richest people in the world today. For example, the Royal family in Holland owns Shell Oil Company, the biggest multi national company in the world and has controlling shares in many other multinational corporations.

The monarchs and their multinational corporations would not hesitate to break up the U.S. and Canada, which they consider to be their colonial “band councils”.

How are they doing this? Europe has gained control over the colonial monetary system on Turtle Island.

The Federal Reserve System came into being when the Federal Reserve Act was by passed by Congress in 1913. The bankers were granted the right to create money out of nothing and to lend it to the U.S. government at interest. This usury system is backed by the courts and the police.

The problem for them on Turtle Island is that the Indian lands are immune from seizure. The banks are presently in the process of illegally removing that protection. Actually, all of Turtle Island is not theirs to seize. We never gave anybody jurisdiction over us or our land as required by international law.

Simply put, the creation of money is called the “banking reserve system”. In the past when the bank loaned out money, it had to have money in its vaults to cover the loan in case the cash had to be produced. The central banking system was created so that the individual banks would not need to have any deposits. The banks could write checks and create money with no backup money. If they needed any “liquid cash”, the central banks covered for them or printed more money.

What is “debt financing”? In their system the lender is always the “master” over the borrower. For example, to borrow money for a house or car, you go to the bank and put your house or car up as “collateral”. The bank lends you $100,000 for your house. Over the next 25 years you have to pay back the loan plus interest, which could be more than double what you borrowed. The bank never gave you any money. They just wrote checks for the amount you borrowed. If you can’t pay, the bank seizes your house which they sell for money.

Ordinary U.S. and Canadian citizens own very little. It all belongs to the banks which control the money supply. Everyone is in hawk to them. This is how the banks are gaining control over the whole world.

The governments and corporations have been putting up our land as collateral to borrow money from the financiers for their developments. We never surrendered any of it. This is fraud. They pretend to own it and everybody pretends along with them. Using threats of military violence on us if we protest, it’s theft and extortion.

Should the clan mothers, chiefs and the people lose our authority over Turtle Island, then the European kings and queens and their corporations will grab it through their surrogate banks and puppet governments in Ottawa and Washington.

The European monarchies have been unable to gain control over Turtle Island because we have no monarch sitting at the top of a hierarchy they can buy off. Even the non-natives don’t want a monarch.

Is this what the warfare is all about? Is this why there is such a big interest in the position of the Tododarho? The bankers want to decide who shall be the Tododarho and what he shall do for them.

Kahentinetha Horn
MNN Mohawk Nation News
Kahentinetha2 @yahoo.com & katenies20@yahoo.com
For updates, speakers, workshops, the store, to sign up, go to
http://www.mohawknationnews.com/
Please sign the Women Title Holders petition.
Coming soon online books on Mohawk issues.

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail 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.

AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org

FOR NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com

Visit Vietnam Vet. LARRY MITCHELL at http://www.potawatomivet.com and click on his blog at the site.

NATIVE BIZ LEARNING CENTER - www.learn.nativebiz.com was developed for tribal education specialists serving tribal communities. Any tribal community can register at NO COST.

NAJA ALERTS, POTPOURRI - Every Tuesday when available.

Navajo Nation Looks At Colorado River Issues

By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau, Gallup Independent
WINDOW ROCK -- Members of the Navajo Nation's Resources Committee were in Las Vegas this week for a Law of the Colorado River Superconference to discuss issues from drought and climate change to endangered species and international water conflicts.

The conference was held at the Las Vegas Flamingo hotel, a 15-acre tropical paradise in the desert Southwest, amid cascading waterfalls, blue lagoons, and lush greenery.

The featured presentation, "21st Century Challenges for Managers and Users of the Colorado River," is of significance to Navajo as it seeks to solidify its claims to water in the Colorado River Basin.

According to an October 2006 North Central Arizona Water Supply Study from the Bureau of Reclamation, more than 30 percent of Navajo tribal members live without plumbing and about 28 percent are without kitchens.

BOR said total economic cost to those households that haul water has been estimated at nearly $37,000 per acre foot, or $113 per 1,000 gallons. In comparison, the Navajo Nation approved the leasing of water for the proposed Desert Rock Energy Facility in New Mexico at $1,000 per acre foot.

The price of hauled water for Navajo residents varies from zero for water obtained from local wells to $250 per 1,000 gallons for water from vender sources. In 2003, the average price was $32 per 1,000 gallons.

Many members of the Hopi Tribe also are without running water and use is estimated at only 10-35 gallons per capita per day (gpcd). For Navajo residents with running water, estimated usage rates are 75 to 100 gpcd, but for those without plumbing, the estimate is 10-15 gpcd.

The Hopi Tribe purchased 6,000 acre feet per year of water rights out of the Lower Basin from Cibola Irrigation District in 2004. However, there is no current means to deliver this water to the reservation.

According to 2006 data, water rates for the Upper Village of Moenkopi are $35 per month for a 3-inch meter. Moenkopi Day School rates are $500 per month for a 4-inch meter, while the rates of other business are $100 per month for a 2-inch meter. The Upper Village also pays $2,632 per month for wastewater disposal.

Many of the water haulers rely on nonpotable water sources for their supply and/or unsanitary tanks for the transport and storage of water.

Supply Uncertainty
Article III of the 1948 Upper Colorado River Basin Compact apportions to the state of Arizona the consumptive use of 50,000 acre feet per year of Colorado River water from the Upper Colorado River System. About 30,000 acre feet of Arizona's Upper Basin apportionment is used at the Navajo Generating Station near Page, with the majority of the remaining apportionment used on the Navajo Reservation.

Around 1.6 to 1.8 million acre feet of Arizona’s Lower Basin apportionment is diverted into the Central Arizona Project canal near Lake Havasu, with the rest of the allocation used by senior water right holders in southern and western Arizona.

The Hopi Western Navajo Water Supply Study of 2004 evaluated issues of diversion points, priority water rights and how shortages are apportioned. The study concluded that the acquisition of long-term imported mainstem Colorado River water contracts represents an uncertainty in the Colorado River supply analysis.

The study also found that system shortages and/or prolonged droughts could potentially have severe impacts on the amount of Colorado River water that is available and on the reliability of the delivery of that water.

The Navajo Nation filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of the Interior in March 2003 alleging that, in policy decisions concerning the Lower Colorado River, the department had breached its trust obligations.

The complaint, pending before Judge Paul G. Rosenblatt in Phoenix, alleges that quantification of the Navajo Nation's rights to the waters of the Lower Basin of the Colorado River could result in a determination that the Navajo Nation's rights are superior to those subject to contracts with the Secretary, and thereby threaten the ability to deliver Central Arizona Project water to the tribe and non-Indian contractors.

Stanley Pollack, Navajo water rights attorney, said the Nation has filed a status report advising the court that meetings are ongoing.

"We have a stay in the litigation there that expires in October," he said recently. "What we're trying to do in the settlement discussions is actually settle the underlying claim for water. It's not just Colorado River, it is Little Colorado River as well."

Finding water for Phoenix is a challenge for everyone, he said, "but the Navajo claims also threaten the supplies that Phoenix relies on. They want a settlement. The problem is that a lot of the parties have differing views as to the strength of the Navajo claims."

The Arizona Water Settlement Act, introduced by Sen. John Kyl on Feb. 25, 2003, provides assurance to the Central Arizona Water Conservation District of its water supply and repayment obligation.

The act provides for a final allocation of Central Arizona Project water, with 47 percent of the CAP supply permanently designated for Indian uses and 53 percent designated for non-Indian municipal and industrial or agricultural uses.

The bill was passed by Congress on Nov. 17, 2004, and signed by President Bush on Dec. 10, 2004. But most of the act will be repealed unless a number of conditions are satisfied by Dec. 31, 2007.

Future Flows
The National Research Council in a report issued in February determined that tree-ring based reconstructions of the Colorado River's flow over hundreds of years show that average annual flows vary more than previously assumed and that extended droughts are not uncommon.

The Research Council also determined that future droughts may be longer and more severe because of a regional warming trend that shows no signs of dissipating and that evidence suggests that rising temperatures will reduce the river's flow and water supplies.

Coping with water shortages is becoming more difficult because of rapid population growth, and technology and conservation will not provide a panacea for dealing with limited water supplies in the long run, the report warned.

The Colorado River basin covers 240,000 square miles and extends over seven states and a portion of northwestern Mexico. The river's annual average flow of roughly 15 million acre-feet of water is used by tens of millions of Americans for drinking and other household uses, agriculture, landscape irrigation, hydroelectric power, rafting and other recreational activities.

Exceptionally dry conditions in much of the Colorado River Basin in recent years, along with new streamflow reconstructions based on tree-ring data, prompted the Research Council to convene a committee to examine how hydroclimatic trends might affect the river's future flows.

Many different climate models point to a warmer future for the Colorado River region, the committee noted, although projections of future precipitation are more uncertain.

Significant warming in the region over the past few decades is shifting the peak spring snowmelt to earlier in the year and contributing to increases in water demands, especially during the summer. This year's snowmelt occurred one month earlier than usual.

A steadily rising population and related increases in water demand also will affect Colorado River water management. Arizona has experienced around a 40 percent rise in demand since 1990 and Colorado, 30 percent in the same period.

Water consumption in Clark County, Nev., which includes Las Vegas, doubled between 1985 and 2000.

Despite advances in understanding of the basin's hydrology and climate, knowledge is lacking on the environmental effects of water transfers and how best to forecast water demand.
The committee noted that urban water demands are far more prominent today than in earlier eras when the compact and other agreements, treaties, and laws governing the river were forged.

It called for a collaborative, comprehensive basinwide study of urban water practices and pressing issues in water supply and demand, which should be used as a basis for action-oriented water planning.

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail 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.

AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org

FOR NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com

Visit Vietnam Vet. LARRY MITCHELL at http://www.potawatomivet.com and click on his blog at the site.

NATIVE BIZ LEARNING CENTER - www.learn.nativebiz.com was developed for tribal education specialists serving tribal communities. Any tribal community can register at NO COST.

NAJA ALERTS, POTPOURRI - Every Tuesday when available.

'Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee'

Submitted by Debra Sillik
Kelli Hamilton, May 3rd

The Movie: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Premieres on HBO, Sunday, May 27 at 9pm
For more info,visit: http://www.hbo.com/films/burymyheart/index.html

If you watch this film please remember the "22 Medal of Honors," given to U.S. soldiers* and that the U.S. flags still carry the Presidential battle streamer for the Massacre at Wounded Knee.

HBO Films teams with executive producers Dick Wolf and Tom Thayer to present the epic film adaptation of Dee Brown's seminal nonfiction book BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE.

Scheduled to debut on HBO in May, the film powerfully explores the economic, political and social pressures that underpinned the opening of the American West and the tragic impact this expansion had on American Indian culture.

The Wolf Entertainment/Traveler's Rest Films production is directed by Yves Simoneau ("Napoleon"), produced by Clara George ("United 93"), from a screenplay by Daniel Giat (HBO Films' "Path to War"), based on the book by Dee Alexander Brown.

"We are very proud to be in business with Dick Wolf and Tom Thayer to bring to the screen this important story, which has never fully been told," says HBO Films president Colin Callender.

"Over the years, many have tried to bring BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE to the screen. Dan Giat's brilliant, multi-layered script and Yves Simoneau's sweeping and epic production brings to life this important period in American history and powerfully interweaves the human drama that plays out against a complex political backdrop."

Adds Wolf, "To say that this is a passion project would be a massive understatement. I'm incredibly grateful, excited and humbled that HBO is giving us the opportunity to bring one of the most important chapters in American history to life."

"We are all here because Dan Giat has interpreted an extraordinarily important period of our history in a profound and unique way - and the telling of that story is a responsibility that Dick and I have pursued for years," says Thayer. "HBO's support of this journey has enabled us to be where we are today, and we are enormously grateful for the opportunity."

"What happened at Wounded Knee seems like a long time ago," adds Simoneau. "But this story is more relevant today than ever. It's a story about humanity and the difficulty in understanding one another."

Beginning just after the bloody Sioux victory over General Custer at Little Big Horn, BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE intertwines the unique perspectives of three characters: Charles Eastman (Beach), Ohiyesa,(Chevez Ezaneh) a young, Dartmouth-educated, Sioux doctor held up as living proof of the alleged success of assimilation; and Sitting Bull (Schellenberg), the proud Lakota chief who refuses to submit to U.S. government policies designed to strip his people of their identity, their dignity and their sacred land - the gold - laden Black Hills of the Dakotas; and Senator Henry Dawes (Quinn), who was one of the architects of the government policy on Indian affairs.

While Eastman and patrician schoolteacher Elaine Goodale (Paquin) work to improve life for the Indians on the reservation, Senator Dawes lobbies President Grant (Thompson) for more humane treatment, opposing the bellicose stance of General William Tecumseh Sherman (Feore). Hope rises for the Indians in the form of the prophet Wovoka (Studi) and the Ghost Dance - a messianic movement that promises an end of their suffering under the white man.

This hope is obliterated after the assassination of Sitting Bull and the massacre of hundreds of Indian men, women and children by the 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee Creek on Dec. 29, 1890.

Published in 1971, Dee Brown's book is one of the foremost works documenting the systematic subjugation of the American Indian during the latter half of the 19th century. It has sold almost four million copies and has been translated into 17 languages.

CAST:
--Adam Beach – Charles Eastman (Saulteaux from Manitoba, Canada.Films: Windtalkers and Flags of Our Fathers (Ira Hayes)
--Wes Studi – (Cherokee from Nofire Hollow, Oklahoma, Vietnam Veteran (drafted 1967, 9th Division in the Delta area of South Vietnam).
--Nakotah Larance,Isapo-Muxika,Crowfoot
--August Schellenberg – Tatanka Iyotaka, Sitting Bull, (Metis Swiss-German and Mohawk). Films: Black Robe, Fee Willy, Iron Will, The New World, Eight Below and Crazy Horse.
--Sean Wei Mah - Bull Head Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
--Gerald Tokala Clifford - Little Wolf-Gordon Tootoosis - M’akhipiya-Luta, Red Cloud (Poundmaker Reserve, Saskatchewan, Canada.
--Chevez Ezaneh - Ohiyesa/Young Charles
--Aidan Quinn - Senator Henry Dawes
--Colm Feore - William Tecumseh Sherman
--Anna Paquin - Elaine Goodale Eastman

HBO
Dan Giat – HBO Films
Sam Martin - HBO Films vice president production
Dick Wolf – executive producer
Tom Thayer - executive producer
Yves Simoneau – Director

Gary Brouse
Program Director
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility*
475 Riverside Drive, Room 1842
New York, NY 10115dw

Casting Call For Young Native Girl!
Submitted by Christine Yazzie-Krystyn Media

Casting Director Rene Haynes is in the process of doing another BIG North American casting search - this time for an 11 - 14 year old Native girl to star in the Feature Film "NAYA NUKI" based on the Children's book "Naya Nuki: Shoshone Girl Who Ran" by Ken Thomasma. Shooting this Summer.

If you are interested...all you have to do is write to the email address that is on the Notice (nayanuki@rhcasting.com) and the Audition Material, Video Instructions and a link to our Video Tutorial(something new we're trying!) will be sent to them.

CASTING NOTICE !!! Audition Opportunity !!!Seeking 11 - 14 year old. Bright, Athletic, Outgoing Native Girl
For the LEAD role in the Feature Film"Naya Nuki"based on the Ken Thomasma novel.
Shooting- SUMMER 2007
Inquire ASAP to Rene Haynes CastingAt:
nayanuki@rhcasting.com

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail 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.

AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org

FOR NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com

Visit Vietnam Vet. LARRY MITCHELL at http://www.potawatomivet.com and click on his blog at the site.

NATIVE BIZ LEARNING CENTER - www.learn.nativebiz.com was developed for tribal education specialists serving tribal communities. Any tribal community can register at NO COST.

NAJA ALERTS, POTPOURRI - Every Tuesday when available.

NAJA Alerts, Announcements - May 15th, 2007

Free Convention Workshop For Business Journalism - RSVP Deadline, May 30th
NAJA and the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism will host a free workshop on strategies in covering enterprise on sovereign nations before NAJA's 23rd annual convention in Denver.

Panelists include Paul DeMain, CEO and managing editor of Indian Country Communications, Inc., and Curt Hazlett, a former managing editor of The Portland Press Herald in Maine and business editor of The Chicago Sun-Times and Washington Post.

Please RSVP at convention@naja.com and place "Business Seminar" in subject line. Deadline is May 30. The seminar runs 1 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 7 at the Marriott Tech Center.

Business workshop participants are also welcomed to join NAJA members for the 23rd annual convention, We Talk, You Listen: A Tribute to Vine Deloria, Jr., June 8-9. Pre-registration cost is $315 for members and $390 for non-members. Pre-registration ends May 31.

For more information about this and other activities scheduled during the convention, please visit the convention area at http://www.naja.com/; or call the national office at 605-677-5282 or send an e-mail to info@naja.com.

Casting Call For Young Native Girl!
Submitted by Christine Yazzie-Krystyn Media

Casting Director Rene Haynes is in the process of doing another BIG North American casting search - this time for an 11 - 14 year old Native girl to star in the Feature Film "NAYA NUKI" based on the Children's book "Naya Nuki: Shoshone Girl Who Ran" by Ken Thomasma. Shooting this Summer.

If you are interested...all you have to do is write to the email address that is on the Notice (nayanuki@rhcasting.com) and the Audition Material, Video Instructions and a link to our Video Tutorial(something new we're trying!) will be sent to them.

CASTING NOTICE !!! Audition Opportunity !!!Seeking 11 - 14 year old. Bright, Athletic, Outgoing Native GirlFor the LEAD role in the Feature Film"Naya Nuki"based on the Ken Thomasma novel.
Shooting- SUMMER 2007
Inquire ASAP to Rene Haynes Casting,
At: nayanuki@rhcasting.com

The Sand Creek Massacre - A Note From Don Vasicek
Dear Friends,
I produced a documentary film about the Sand Creek Massacre as told from the perspective of the Cheyenne and Arapaho people. It took me over six years to get it done.

During that time, many Cheyenne and Arapaho people expressed their wishes to me that they wanted to get it into the school curriculum in this country. Since then, I've been invited and gone to a lot of schools, all the way from elementary through college to screen the film and answer questions about it afterwards. With the help of a native teacher in Dallas, and my wife, an educator, we wrote four lesson plans, a curriculum and a study guide about it as well. I've managed to get some of those into a few schools.

One of things that keep me going with this can be summed up by what a fourth grade girl at Walnut Elementary School in Centennial, Colorado asked me. After seventy-two of her classmates and her, several parents, and many faculty watched the film, she asked me, "Why do people hate Indians?"

I simply think that if a nine year-old American girl has to ask that question in 2007, there's something terribly wrong with education in this country.

Now, I'm at a point where many schools throughout the country are inviting me to come and present the film and answer questions afterwards. Because school budgets are limited and it's a drain on my pocketbook, I am unable to go because they are unable to afford to pay for my travel expenses.

I am writing you to ask you to help me out in getting a sponsor, or sponsors, who will pay for my appearance in schools and for my travel expenses. If you can, and/or know of anyone else who can sponsor me, I'd really appreciate it if you could help me out.

If you want to see a clip of the film, go to http://www.fullduck.com/ node/53.

If you have any questions, comments, and/or suggestions, give me a call at 303-903-2103 or send me an email at jberling@earthlink.net

Thanks a lot.
Best Regards,
Donald L. Vasicek
303-903-2103

P. S. Amongst other things, this film is a powerful educational tool, particularly with respect to peaceful conflict resolution. The sage wisdom of Cheyenne and Arapaho people succinctly spells it out for all of us. Who else knows more about conflict than the America's native people particularly with the clash of cultures.

Graduate Horizons - A Pre-Graduate School Program
For Native American, Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native Students

Collaborating partners: AIGC (American Indian Graduate Center), Winds of Change magazine, the Princeton Review Foundation, University of Washington, and many of the nation's finest graduate and professional programs.

July 14-17, 2007 University of Washington, Seattle

The Graduate Horizons Program is a four-day "crash course" for Native college students, master's students or alumni to help prepare them for graduate school (master's, Ph.D. or professional school). http://www.collegehorizons.org/

Faculty, admission officers and deans representing hundreds of graduate disciplines and a host of graduate and professional schools will help you:
- Select programs and careers suitable for you
- Complete winning applications and write memorable personal statements
- Learn what turns an applicant into an admitted student
- Become a test-prep "whiz kid" on the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, & MCAT
- Find your way through the financial aid/scholarship jungle & nbsp
- Explore special issues for Native students
- Learn graduate school survival tips

Students will learn about a broad variety of programs and establish personal relationships with graduate school representatives that continue long after the program is over. Participants will be limited to 75 and will be Native American (enrolled members only), First Nations, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian college students, master's students or alumni.

Applications will be accepted on a space-available basis to June 1 (after May 1, please contact us to see if we still have spaces). CollegeHorizons@aol.com

Complete program cost is $150 (includes tuition, room, meals, and transportation to campus from SeaTac airport). Students are responsible for their own airfare, but substantial funds are available for airfare and tuition assistance (in 2006, 70% of our students received travel awards).

Programs and Universities attending:
American Indian Graduate Center; Texas A&M University; Arizona State University; The Admission Advisory Group; Cornell University; The Princeton Review Foundation; Dartmouth College; University of Arizona; Duke University; University of California – Berkeley; Georgetown University.

University of California - Los Angeles; Harvard University; University of Michigan - Ann Arbor; Institute for Recruitment of Teachers; University of Missouri-Columbia; Lewis & Clark Law School; University of Oklahoma; Michigan State University; University of Oregon; Oregon State University.

University of Puget Sound; Princeton University; University of Washington; Stanford University; Washington State University; Syracuse University; Washington University; Yale University; Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (representing 13 business schools).

College Horizons
P.O. Box 1262
Pena Blanca, New Mexico
87041

'Our Land, Our Life' - Western Shoshone Film Screening
“Our Land, Our Life”Produced by Beth Gage & George Gage.
Music by Joanne Shenandoah.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 pm
Dag Hammarskjold Library Theatre ( United Nations)
United Nations Plaza, New York City

New film on the Western Shoshone story - told from the lives of Mary and Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone sisters who have taken their struggle for indigenous rights in the United States to the U.S. Supreme Court and beyond.

Includes footage of events leading to the 2006 CERD Urgent Action Decision, interviews with CERD members, the 2006 Permanent Forum on Indigenous Populations and reflections on the impact of transnational corporations in the ongoing human rights violations.

Awarded Best Feature Documentary in San Luis Obispo International Film Festival
*Accepted at the following 2007 film festivals:
Native American Film Festival in Stuttgart; Atlanta Film Festival; Big Sky Documentary Film Festival; Mountain Film Festival.

Please ATTEND if possible. For more information, contact 775-397-1371.

Followed by panel discussion: Carrie Dann (Western Shoshone grandmother), George Gage (film maker), Western Shoshone delegates: Larson Bill, Sandy Dann, Joseph Moon, and Julie Ann Fishel (WSDP).

Western Shoshone Defense Project
www.wsdp.org
wsdp@igc.org

TO SUBMIT an ARTICLE, OPINION PIECE, COMMENTS to the Native Unity Digest, e-mail 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.

AIROS NATIVE NETWORK plays music, news and other great programs from Indian Country - www.airos.org

FOR NATIVE CELEBRITY NEWS - go to www.nativecelebs.com

Visit Vietnam Vet. LARRY MITCHELL at http://www.potawatomivet.com and click on his blog at the site.

NATIVE BIZ LEARNING CENTER - www.learn.nativebiz.com was developed for tribal education specialists serving tribal communities. Any tribal community can register at NO COST.

NAJA ALERTS, POTPOURRI - Every Tuesday when available.