108 Year-Old Nellie Rose, A Living Treasure - Navajo Casino Director Resigns - Falmouth Institute News

Nellie Rose Celebrates Birthday
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
BLACK MESA — Lifelong Black Mesa resident Nellie Rose celebrated her 108th birthday Nov. 15 at Black Mesa Community School surrounded by six generations of family members and a host of friends.

“I’m privileged and honored to have celebrated our grandmother,” said Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amos Johnson, who represents Black Mesa. “We’ve learned a lot from her and have learned some of the secrets of longevity.”

Johnson took the moment to remind the audience to take care of their parents and grandparents. “Give them a lot of love,” he said.

“I just want to thank all the grandchildren who were kind enough to share their grandmother with us, where some people become real protective of their grandparents,” he said.

Johnson presented Nellie Rose with a coral necklace with a small heart pendant. A white Pendleton shawl was presented to Nellie Rose on behalf of Council Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan.

“Nellie Rose is a living treasure,” Morgan said. “It is an amazing thing that she is still with us today. She has led a good life and has worked hard for her family.”

Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. also attended and presented Nellie Rose with a Pendleton shawl. He said he was thankful to be invited and that clanwise, she was his grandmother as well.

Nellie Rose can still walk and can carry on conversations with her family. Her eyesight has dwindled over the years, but she can still recognize the voices of her family.

“We just really appreciate her,” said Rosie Bitsui, 50, who is a paternal granddaughter to Nellie Rose. The day was emotional for family and friends who cried tears of joy and thankfulness for Nellie Rose.

Rose was born in Kitsili and attended boarding school as a child. She has had livestock and sheep throughout her life and was a foster grandparent at the Black Mesa Community School, where she taught students about weaving, traditional recipes and Navajo philosophy.

Many of the children she taught are now adults with their own children, and they still remember the stories she told when she was working at the school.

Her family said she is very active in her old age, and walked several miles every day when she was 98 years old. Being active and living by teachings of the Navajo philosophy are what the family credit to her longevity.

“It’s a blessing to have her at this age,” said Larry Whitehair, 38, grandson to Nellie Rose. Many said her birthday served as an informal family reunion and allowed them to reflect on “k’e,” which fosters within a Navajo person a respect for all living things and promotes peace in the home and between family and clan members.

“This is really special to have our Navajo Nation leaders here to celebrate her birthday,” said Frank White, 58, grandson to Nellie Rose.

Radmilla Cody, award-winning recording artist, also attended the event. She, too, is a granddaughter to Nellie Rose.

“Come bless yourselves with grandma,” Cody advised the young children in both Navajo and English. Cody also sang “Happy Birthday” in the Navajo language before the cake was presented. Nellie Rose blew out her own candles.

“Ahe’hee,” she said. “Thank you everybody for being here.”

“It was really an honor to have Radmilla Cody sing,” Johnson said. “The whole community was just happy to see her there singing the 'Happy Birthday' song to her.”

Nellie Rose was presented gifts from family and friends, and then she hit a piñata with a bat. Her great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren followed their grandma in hitting the piñata.

“Everybody looks happy for her because she’s 108 years old,” said Melanie Yellowhair, 16, great-great granddaughter.

Speaker Morgan said he hopes the young grandchildren of Nellie Rose will seek the traditional knowledge their grandmother has — the knowledge once passed on to her by her own grandparents.

“I pray they will see what a special blessing their grandmother is and I pray they will actively seek out the knowledge that has helped their grandmother lead a long and honorable life,” he said.

Navajo Nation Gaming Oversight Director Resigns
Gallup Independent
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
WINDOW ROCK - Edward Lockett Jr., the first executive director of the Navajo Nation Gaming Regulatory Office, has resigned, and no one in an official capacity is saying why.

“It”s a personnel issue,” George Hardeen, communications director for the Office of the President/Vice President, said Tuesday. Lockett did not respond to phone calls from the Independent last week or again on Tuesday.

“Lisa Tom is the licensing manager at the Gaming Regulatory Office and she is on special assignment, filling in for Eddie, until Eddie�s replacement can be found, and that may be a bit of a process,” Hardeen said.

Steve Hart, an attorney with Lewis and Roca law firm in Phoenix, who has worked for many years on Navajo Nation Gaming issues along with Lockett, also is helping out. Hart is the former director of the Arizona Department of Gaming.

“He was asked to come in and make sure everything was going good so that the casino could open, which it did,” Hardeen said.

Lockett reportedly resigned Monday after the Sunday, Nov. 16, VIP tour of the Navajo Nation’s Fire Rock Casino - just two days before its Nov. 19 grand opening.

The Economic Development Committee, expressing concerned that they were without a regulatory director, met in executive session the same day as the casino opening and passed a resolution to have Lockett reinstated.

Hardeen said the committee met again Tuesday in executive session - and I think it’s all resolved. The committee reportedly accepted Lockett’s resignation per his request.

“Eddie’s departure in no way will have a negative influence on the operation of the casino or the regulatory office. He trained his staff and they are in place now and they’re doing what they’re supposed to do. It’s just unfortunate that he’s not here to see what a fine job that they are doing,” Hardeen said.

Lockett was selected by Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. and confirmed, 69-4, by the Navajo Nation Council as director of Gaming Regulatory on Sept. 20, 2005.

“He has my 100 percent support and, with that, I hope he has yours, too,” Shirley told Council. “He was ranked as the top person to get to the position.”

Lockett, who worked tirelessly to ensure Navajo met all regulatory requirements to begin its foray into gaming, previously worked as executive director of the Ak-Chin Tribal Gaming Agency in Maricopa, Ariz., and also at the Hon Dah Casino for the White Mountain Apache Tribe.
“I am committed to truth, honesty, strong moral character and integrity,” he told the Council. “When one speaks of the Navajo Nation, it will be spoken with integrity.”

FALMOUTH INSTITUTE NEWS -
Friday, November 28th. 2008
First Native American Heritage Day Marked
Though few events were organized, because there was so little time to plan, today — and from here on every Friday after Thanksgiving — is Native American Heritage Day, a day to honor the contributions that Native American people have made to the country.

The bill designating this day of recognition was signed into law by President Bush in mid-October. "The Indians kept the pilgrims alive with turkeys and wild game. That's the reason it was attached to the Thanksgiving weekend," The Associated Press quoted Frank Suniga as saying.

Suniga, of Mescalero Apache descent, helped spearhead the movement to establish this commemorative day.

Six Native Americans On Obama Transition Team
With less than two months to go before his inauguration and a heap of issues to tackle once he takes his place in the Oval Office, President-elect Barack Obama has wasted no time putting together his transition team. As reported last week by the Missoulian, the team currently includes six Native Americans. John Echohawk, Keith Harper and Robert Anderson were appointed to the Interior Department Review Team.

Echohawk is executive director of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), a non-profit organization that provides legal representation to tribes and Native American organizations and individuals. Harper is a former NARF attorney, as is Anderson.The other three are Mary Smith, Mary McNeil and Yvette Robideaux, who were appointed to work on justice, agriculture and health issues.To learn more about the Obama transition team, go to http://change.gov/.

NCAI Statement on Daschle Nomination to HHS
National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) President Joe A. Garcia released the following statement in response to news reports that President-Elect Barack Obama intends to select former Senator Tom Daschle as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

"Given the severity of the health care crisis in Indian Country we are very encouraged to hear that President-Elect Barack Obama is likely to nominate someone like Sen. Tom Daschle as Secretary of Health and Human Services, who has a strong background on tribal issues and understands the realities of the Indian health care system.

His past experience and profound expertise on Indian issues will be a tremendous benefit to Indian Country. Sen. Daschle was a strong advocate for Native Americans as the Senate Majority Leader and has always advocated strongly for Native people as a representative from South Dakota. We look forward to working with him to bring the Indian Health Service into the 21st century and address the profound health disparities in tribal communities."

Daschle Tapped for HHS
President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota as Secretary of Health and Human Services, which includes the Indian Health Service.
Daschle, who served on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs for 18 years, has long been an advocate for Indian tribes and supported increased spending on health care for Native Americans when he was in the Senate. He advised Obama on Indian issues during the campaign and appeared on his behalf at rallies in Indian Country.

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'First American Native Heritage Day'

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Shoshone Grandmothers Resistance Day At Proposed Mine Site - NAPT Opportunitites

Restraining Order Requested –
Submitted by Western Shoshone Defense Project

November 25, 2008, Crescent Valley, Newe Sogobi ( Nevada) - As the holidays approach and the world watches President-elect Obama and the bailouts; back in Nevada, home state of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, it’s business as usual.

Attorneys for several Western Shoshone tribes and non-profit indigenous and environmental organizations filed a request in the federal District Court in Reno, NV seeking a restraining order against the construction of one of the country’s largest open pit gold mines on the flank of spiritual Mt. Tenabo.

The mine company has already begun demolition of the pinyon forest with heavy machinery on the site ripping out trees at a reported rate of 30 acres per day. As they await a Court hearing and feeling compelled to take immediate action, on Wednesday, Nov 26th, a group of Shoshone grandmothers traveled to the proposed mine site to conduct a day of Resistance to the destruction of the area and the approval of the mine by the United States.

Mt. Tenabo is a well-known home to local Shoshone creation stories, spirit life, medicinal, food and ceremonial plants and rocks and continues to be used to this day by Shoshone for spiritual ceremonies and cultural practices.

Over the years, tens of thousands of individuals and organizations from across the United States and around the world have joined with the Shoshone and voiced their opposition to this mine –in fact, the mine is being referred to as the “most opposed mine in the world”.

“We want them off this mountain, this is a spiritual genocide what’s going on; destroying our mountain is destroying our beliefs. Removing water is death to the mountains. No way. We will take whatever action we need to – we’re going through the U.S. courts and we will stand on this Mountain in support of her and call on those people around the world to stand with us in solidarity.” Stated Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone Grandmother, Executive Director of the Western Shoshone Defense Project and recipient of the Right Livelihood Award (the alternate to the Nobel Peace Prize).

Barrick Gold Corporation, the world’s largest gold mining company, headquartered in Canada, plans to construct and operate the mine, known as the Cortez Hills Expansion Project. The area is located entirely within the territory of the Western Shoshone Nation, recognized in the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley.

The Mine would blast and excavate a new massive open pit on Mount Tenabo over 900 acres in size, with a depth of over 2,000 feet. It would include several new waste disposal and processing facilities (including a cyanide heap-leaching facility), consisting of approximately 1,577 million tons of waste rock, 53 million tons of tailings material, and 112 million tons of spent heap leach material.

The Mine would include an extensive groundwater pumping system to dewater Mount Tenabo and associated water pipelines that will transport the pumped water away from Mount Tenabo. In total, the mine would permanently destroy approximately 6,800 acres land on and around Mount Tenabo, over 90% of which is classified as federal “public” land.

In 2002 and 2003 the BLM conducted a series of armed seizures in the same area, of the Dann family’s cattle and horses, claiming the Danns were “trespassing” on public lands. The Danns, along with other Western Shoshone, have challenged the U.S. claims to their ancestral and treaty lands as recognized by the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley, which recognized Western Shoshone rights in much of Nevada.

These legal battles went all the way to the Supreme Court, and on to International Fora. In March 2006 the Western Shoshone received a ruling from the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, CERD, a treaty body set up by the United Nations and ratified by the United States in 1993.

The Decision issued by CERD, and reconfirmed this year, urges the United States to immediately freeze, desist and stop any further actions against the Western Shoshone peoples, including legislative efforts to privatize their land. CERD ordered the United States to stop immediately and initiate dialogue with the Western Shoshone. The Decision specifically mentioned Mt. Tenabo and the destruction of Western Shoshone lands by mining corporations.

“In the 1800’s, the U.S. sent in the Calvary to remove the Indians and to kill off our sources of food, such as the Buffalo. Now here they are, just days before Thanksgiving in 2008, destroying our Mountain of life and the pinyon trees which are our food. This is happening today and it’s outrageous.” Says Joyce McDade, Western Shoshone grandmother.

Barbara Ridley, another Western Shoshone grandmother participating in the resistance states: Who’s Thanksgiving is this anyway? What have we got to celebrate? There’s no Thanksgiving for our people – they tell us we don’t have our land but we still use it for our foods, plants and ceremonies. This mountain is very important to us and people should respect our request to leave it alone.”

The plaintiffs are being represented in court by Roger Flynn of the non-profit legal firm, the Western Mining Action Project, which specializes in mining law. The Grandmothers’ Resistance Day will take place of the South Flank of Mt. Tenabo at the proposed mine site beginning at approximately 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 26th.

For more information on the Western Shoshone land rights issues, Cortez Hills Project, Mount Tenabo, and the legal challenge go to http://www.gbrw.org/ and http://www.wsdp.org/. A copy of the Temporary Restraining Order filed yesterday is attached.

Santa Fe Film Festival
Viewing Dec. 3
The Santa Fe Film Festival is having its 9th annual five-day festival to take place
December 3rd - December 7th.
National Geographic returns as a program partner with its 'All Roads Film project', sponsoring fifteen films from indigenous cultures representing various countries across the world. They will also present their annual photographic exhibit.

For more information go to the website:
http://santafefilmfestival.com/intro

L.A. Comedy Scripts and Screenplays Competition
Deadline Dec. 3
Call for Entries! Now accepting submissions in the following categories: Comedy Short Films, Animated Comedy Shorts, Feature Comedy Scripts and Short Comedy Scripts. Over $35,000 in cash and prizes.

More information: website
Late Deadline: December 3
Extended Final Deadline: December 19

Tribeca All Access
Deadline Dec. 8
Tribeca All Access (TAA) is a year round networking and career development forum that advances directors and screenwriters from under-represented communities within the industry.

Applicants are required to apply with a completed feature-length screenplay, documentary proposal, or documentary work-in-progress and must have at least one screenwriter or director attached who qualifies.

For more information, please visit the website at
http://www.tribecainstitute.org/

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Opening Night At Fire Rock Casino - Six Natives On Obama's Transition Team

'A Dream Come True' For The Navajos

Gallup Independent
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
WINDOW ROCK - Navajo Nation Vice President Ben Shelly stood in the middle of the floor near the fireplace, looking around in amazement. He smacked himself on the cheeks a couple times just to make sure it was real.

“This is Navajo-owned. I haven’t woke up yet,” he said during Wednesday’s grand opening of Fire Rock Casino. “It’s a dream come true.”

Hearing President Joe Shirley Jr.’s voice filled with excitement when he told the Navajo people, “We did it!” and then watching him cut the ribbon to open the doors to the casino was reminiscent of watching a young boy who had just been handed the biggest present under the Christmas tree.

“The feeling is very exhilarating! This is one of the steps to getting back our independence. I’m glad we did it with our own money. That feels good.”

Fire Rock Casino is projected to bring in $32 million to $35 million a year. “We have 272 people working here and 92 percent of the staff is Navajo. It really makes my heart glad to see more of our people working and bringing food to the table and putting shoes on little feet,” he said.

Quincy Natay, vice chairman of the Navajo Gaming Enterprise Board of Directors, said, “People were here at 8 this morning waiting to get in, and the line really started forming at 11 o’clock.”

Shortly before the 4 p.m. grand opening, a crowd of thousands was lined up, three and four deep, all the way around one side of the 65,000-square-foot building.

Vehicles were backed up all the way to the New Mexico State Police post on Route 66, and the nearly 900-space casino parking lot was full to overflowing. It was a turnout beyond everyone’s expectations.

Martha Chavez of Gallup said she knew there would be a crowd for the opening, “but I didn’t realize there would be that many people! For a Wednesday afternoon, I’m surprised.”

While standing in line she met Alice Collins of the Fort Wingate area and they became fast friends. “I’m glad we don’t have to travel way far away for a casino to play,”

Collins said. “We get our stress out sometimes playing. We have fun, we don’t overdo it. Now you can go out to eat in there, and then play a little bit, and just enjoy yourself and enjoy meeting people.”

She said Navajo has been enjoying the casinos owned by Acoma and Laguna pueblos. “We’ve been out there with them helping raise money in their area, so now they can come over and bring some of that money back over here.”

Ned Yazzie of Churchrock wanted to see the building and how the facility would be run. “It’s nice for the people doing the gamble, instead of going a long way, like Sky City, Dancing Eagle, Route 66. Now we have it here on our land and we like it. We don’t have to go far to go to casino.”

Surveying the crowd, Navajo Nation Council Delegate Johnny Naize said, “We have been waiting for this for so long. I think everybody is looking forward to coming to this casino. I think we need to bring those slot machines that we’ve been renting out and return them to be used here. The turnout is magnificent.”

Omer Bradley, director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Regional Office in Gallup, handed out a few quarters to some of his employees Wednesday morning, telling them, “Here’s a lucky quarter on me.”

Bradley said Fire Rock’s opening is “an exciting event in the history of the Nation. I think it’s going to be a tremendous success and bring a lot of well-founded good for the Navajo people.”

Marilyn of Laguna, who didn’t want to give her last name, said she and her aunt and uncle had been standing in line since around 2:30 p.m. “We came to congratulate the Navajo people, and we also invite them down to our casino. I’m excited to see a new business for the people here.”

Adrianna Yazzie of Gallup and fellow employees at Cheii Pub and Grill, all sporting new uniforms, were lined up outside the restaurant to welcome customers. “I’m so excited to serve the Navajo people here, and so far as I’ve heard, there are so many people that are so happy to have this casino here - our own. I’m just happy to work here and work with my fellow employees,” she said.

Navajo Gaming Enterprise CEO Bob Winter said he had been expecting a lot of people for the opening, “but not this many. I think the people are proud of it. We’ve had very good reaction the last two trial nights. We have some special effects that will be put into this facility just before Christmas that I think is going to make it even more special for everyone to enjoy.”

Navajo Nation Controller Mark Grant stood watching the endless line of customers pouring in the doors. “I want every one of them to play, play, play!” he said.

Tony Benally Sr. of Rough Rock was ecstatic as he headed toward the slots. “I’m ready to spend my money and then I’ll be here all time instead of traveling different places. This is Vegas right here for us!”

By dusk, Edna Nunes of Gallup was almost to the casino door. “ It’s about time the tribe made a move to get some money to help with the scholarships and help the needy people. This will bring the income, which is the greatest move the Navajo Tribe has ever made. I’m very excited,” she said.

Chief of Staff Patrick Sandoval was walking around with a video camera, filming the historic moment. “It is an absolutely phenomenal sight. When you’ve actually had the opportunity to work on it, you see the vision, you see the blueprint, and you see the doors open - it’s finally come.

“I think my biggest pride is all the employed Navajos. It’s so unique to see Navajo police out in front of a casino helping to control the traffic - and it’s not just somebody we lend the police to. It’s ours!”

SIX NATIVE AMERICANS ON OBAMA TRANSITION TEAM
With less than two months to go before his inauguration and a heap of issues to tackle once he takes his place in the Oval Office, President-elect Barack Obama has wasted no time putting together his transition team. As reported last week by the Missoulian, the team currently includes six Native Americans.

John Echohawk, Keith Harper and Robert Anderson were appointed to the Interior Department Review Team.

Echohawk is executive director of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), a non-profit organization that provides legal representation to tribes and Native American organizations and individuals.

Harper is a former NARF attorney, as is Anderson.The other three are Mary Smith, Mary McNeil and Yvette Robideaux, who were appointed to work on justice, agriculture and health issues.

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Thanksgiving The 'Cortez ' Way - US Ignores Shoshone Objections

Barrick Gold Readies Itself To Carve Up Mount Tenabo Spiritual Area - Where are You Congressman Raul Grijalva?
Submitted by Western Shoshone Defense Project
November 20, 2008 Reno and Crescent Valley, NV-Last week, after years of determined opposition from Western Shoshone, the U.S. Department of Interior, through its Bureau of Land Management (BLM), approved one of the largest open pit cyanide heap leach gold mines in the United States on the flank of Mount Tenabo – an area well-known for its spiritual and cultural importance to the Western Shoshone.

The area is home to local Shoshone creation stories, spirit life, medicinal, food and ceremonial plants and items and continues to be used to this day by Shoshone for spiritual and cultural practices. Over the years, tens of thousands of individuals and organizations from across the United States and around the world have joined with the Shoshone and voiced their opposition to this mine.

The mine has been referred to as one of the most opposed mines in the world and indeed the level of public opposition is unprecedented for the BLM. With the threat of mine construction beginning as early as this week, the South Fork Band Council of Western Shoshone, the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, the Western Shoshone Defense Project, and Great Basin Resource Watch, today filed a complaint in the Reno Federal District Court seeking declaratory and injunctive relief to stop the mine.

Barrick Gold Corporation, the world’s largest gold mining company, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, plans to construct and operate the mine, known as the Cortez Hills Expansion Project. The Project area is located entirely within the territory of the Western Shoshone Nation, recognized in the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley.

The Mine would blast and excavate a new massive open pit on Mount Tenabo over 900 acres in size, with a depth of over 2,000 feet. It would include several new waste disposal and processing facilities (including a cyanide heap-leaching facility), consisting of approximately 1,577 million tons of waste rock, 53 million tons of tailings material, and 112 million tons of spent heap leach material.

The Mine would include an extensive groundwater pumping system to dewater Mount Tenabo (in order to keep the open pit and mine workings dry during mining) and associated water pipelines that will transport the pumped water away from Mount Tenabo. In total, the mine would permanently destroy approximately 6,800 acres land on and around Mount Tenabo, over 90% of which is classified as federal “public” land.

“How are we, as a nation, showing our values, if we allow a transnational corporation to destroy this ‘church’ for all time, just to get 10 years worth of gold.” Says Larson Bill, Vice-Chairman of the South Fork Band Council. “There are dozens of active gold mines on Western Shoshone lands already, there is no need for this one, which is clearly immoral and irresponsible. The public should be aware that Nevada is not a waste land, but is the home of ranchers, sportsmen, fishermen and homesteaders that have enjoyed the lands alongside the Shoshone people for generations. We have been clear in our opposition to this mine and while Barrick tries to cloud the real issues with gifts and money, we continue to oppose this project – they have not bought our people, the traditions nor the lands of the Shoshone.” he adds.

The proposed mine area has been found by the BLM, in repeated ethnographic studies, as being of extreme spiritual and cultural importance to the Western Shoshone. One report says: “Mt. Tenabo is … considered a traditional locus of power and source of life, and figures in creation stories and world renewal. As the tallest mountain in the area – the most likely to capture snow and generate water to grow piñon and nourish life – it is literally a life-giver. Water is to earth what blood is to the body, and these subterranean waterways are likened to the earth’s arteries and veins.”

Carrie Dann, a world renowned Western Shoshone elder, and recipient of the Right Livelihood Award (known as the “alternative Nobel Peace Prize”) has been among those to lead the fight to protect Mount Tenabo from mining for over 15 years. “Mount Tenabo should be left alone – no further disturbance. This mine will drain the water from Mount Tenabo. They will be sucking the water out of the mountain forever. The destruction of the water is like the destruction of the blood of the earth; you are destroying life of the earth and the people and wildlife that depend on it. Dewatering is taking the life of future generations. Water is sacred, all life depends on it,” says Carrie Dann.

“This week we celebrate Thanksgiving - The question that the courts and the people of this country need to ask themselves is will we continue to tolerate these violations against the First Peoples of this land or will we finally turn the tide of injustice and protect these sacred areas?” Says Julie Cavanaugh-Bill, Consultant to the Western Shoshone Defense Project.“None of us are opposed to mining, if it is done responsibly, however this project is as irresponsible as it gets. The BLM has a legal responsibility to protect the air, water, and ecological values of the area as well as the religious freedom of Western Shoshone, and to fully analyze the impacts of a proposed project. In each case, this mine would clearly violate the law.” Says Dan Randolph, Executive Director of Great Basin Resource Watch. “This is an example of how the Bush Administration is rushing to protect their corporate friends in their last few months in power.

The BLM denied requests to extend the comment period on the Environmental Impact Statement not only from us, but also from several Western Shoshone tribal governments. Therefore, we are forced to now turn to the courts to stop this project. We know that Barrick will begin work on the mine as soon as they can, to cause enough harm in an attempt to make the religious rights arguments moot, and the BLM and Bush Administration appear to be more than willing to help them in every way possible.”

The plaintiffs are being represented in court by Roger Flynn of the non-profit legal firm, the Western Mining Action Project, which specializes in mining, public land, and environmental law.

For more information on the Cortez Hills Project, Mount Tenabo, and the legal challenge go to www.gbrw.org and www.wsdp.org

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'S.D. Board Decision Endangers Bald Eagles And Archaeologic Sites' - Tribe Emphasizes Recycling

Defenders of the Black Hills
P. O. Box 2003
Rapid City, SD 57709
Phone: (605) 399 -1868

Submitted by Kathy Helms
Nov. 20, 2008 - Pierre, SD - A decision made by the South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment ignored recommendations by the SD Game, Fish, and Parks Department [GF&P] to protect a bald eagle nest, and the SD Archaeologist to study five possible cultural resource sites in an area slated to become a uranium processing plant.

Even though the recommendations were given to the Board in an information packet from the SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR] at a hearing on Nov. 19, 2008, and Defenders of the Black Hills used the recommendations as a part of the grounds for denial of a permit to drill 30 more uranium exploratory wells, the Board granted the permit. Powertech (USA) Inc., a Canadian uranium mining company, wants to build a uranium processing plant on the site in question.

The GF&P letter dated Oct. 17, 2008, stated that the no exploration activity should be conducted on the land in question for 7 months per year, between Feb. 1 and Aug. 31, “to avoid disruption of bald eagle activity at the nest” and also a nearby redtail hawk nest. Defenders of the Black Hills further asked about compliance with other federal laws, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Bald and Gold Eagle Act which would protect the bald eagles. The Board did not respond.

Mike Fosha, the Assistant State Archaeologist for the SD State Historical Society who gave testimony at the hearing, also talked about several sites that still needed to be studied. In a letter dated Oct. 15, 2008, to the DENR, Fosha said “Before any recommendation on these sites can be made, a report outlining their avoidance or their archaeological potential from a cultural resources perspective must be reviewed by this office…Five sites have not been evaluated and require additional archaeological investigation before any recommendation can be made concerning their eligibility for nomination to the NRHP.” [National Register of Historic Places]

Defenders again stated that the Board of Minerals must deny the permit as the State Archaeologist did not have time to conduct a review or make a recommendation. Without such a review and recommendation, irreplaceable archaeological and historic sites could be destroyed. Defenders also questioned Powertech’s comments that a Cultural Resources evaluation was conducted as it did not state the date or who conducted the evaluation.

Gary Heckenliable, from ACTion for the Environment, had a statement presented which further questioned the financial viability of the Canadian company to reclaim the land after the mining operation ceases. Heckenliable asked the Board to consider the financial capabilities for a reclamation bond when Powertech’s shares are currently at 22 cents per share. His statement reminded the Board of their previous permit to Brohm Mining Company, another Canadian company, who mined gold and left an abandoned mine whose cleanup is now being paid by South Dakota taxpayers.

Garvard Good Plume Jr., in his individual testimony, quoted a study from the South Dakota School of Mines regarding the old abandoned uranium mines in the area contaminating ground water. He stated: “No more uranium exploratory wells should be drilled until all the aquifers are cleaned up, safe, and protected.”

According to state law, SDCL 45-6D-29., the Board may deny a permit for any of the following reasons:
(1) The application is incomplete or the surety has not been posted;
(2) The applicant has not paid the required fee;
(3) The adverse effects of the proposed uranium exploration operation on the historic, archaeologic, geologic, scientific, or recreational aspects of affected or surrounding land outweigh the benefits of the proposed uranium exploration operation;
(4) The proposed uranium exploration operation will result in the loss or reduction of long-range productivity of watershed lands, public and domestic water wells, aquifer recharge areas, or significant agricultural areas; or
(5) The proposed uranium exploration operation will adversely affect threatened or endangered wildlife indigenous to the area.

The next step in the process is an appeal of the Board of Minerals decision in state court.

For more information call Charmaine White Face, Coordinator at 605-399-1868.

TRIBE EMPHASIZES RECYCLING
Submitted by Native Workplace
BY PATRICIA ECKER
Sun Staff Writer
In an effort to minimize their impact on landfills, members of the Planning Department of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe have asked the Tribal Operations departments to stop using plastic foam cups.

During a community health fair in October, Craig Graveratte, environmental response program specialist for the Tribe, asked employees to sign a pledge that they would no longer use the disposable cups.

"Right now, we're educating the departments that we missed when we started the recycling effort three years ago," Graveratte said. "We handed out the old style mugs, that were ceramic, and the departments we missed have been given glass mugs.

"It originally began when we did it for Mother Earth week."

Graveratte said Tribal Operations and the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort have had a recycling program for about four years.

"The casino and resort were using more that a million cups a year," Graveratte said. "Some departments, like table games, take four or five breaks a day."

(The casino and resort) were using 20,000 styrofoam cups a week. They now provide reusable plastic cups and coffee mugs for employees.

"In 2005, the Tribe started recycling at the annual powwow.

"The Tribal community has curbside pick up by Isabella County Recycling Center," Graveratte said. "We are trying to encourage recycling, and we would like to create a compost somewhere."

In 2007, the Tribe was selected by the Michigan Recycling Coalition, as an outstanding recycling program.

"The Tribe implemented a phased approach to recycling at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Aug. 2004," Environmental Specialist Sally Kniffen said. "Under the watchful eyes of Craig Graveratte, over 259 tons of cardboard and paper was diverted from local landfills in 2005.

"In June of 2005, phase two of the recycling plan was implemented to include glass, plastic and aluminum," she said.

This saved 18 additional tons of trash from going into landfills.

"In phase three, the food and beverage department declared a ban on foam cups in the employee dining room," Kniffen said.

Graveratte said he recently received an e-mail from Hunter Genia, administrator for the Tribe's Behavioral Health Department.

"He said that they have stopped ordering bottled water, and they are confident in using the municipal water the Tribe provides," Graveratte said.

"We encourage people to use the municipal water.”

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Taxpayers Revolt Against Bailout Of The Few

By Robert Bracamontes
Nothing is being said about where some of this Wall Street bailout money should be going. This is an issue of criminal proportions and I say that because subpoenas and investigations by the FBI have already begun.

We can never call this a rescue plan. Rescue is a word used to help someone in need of basic necessities—not someone that is full of greed. I believe we should all demand that the president, congress and the senate give their undivided attention and support to the people that are paying for all this mess.

Our representatives need to put one dollar into social security funds for every dollar given to these financial entities. They need to do the same for Veterans’ benefits, college education loans, medical coverage for children, the victims of hurricane Katrina, Medicare, Medicaid and secure funds to make unemployment benefits available for the duration of the collapsed economy.

But how can we pressure these so-called representatives of the taxpayer? You know, the representatives that swore to never tax us without representing us. In the past, taxation without representation was the common phrase used to describe this kind of criminal behavior, as they did during the Boston Tea Party. People back then just blatantly refused to pay the tax. Is this what we feel like doing now?

I would never tell you to stop paying taxes because it is against the law for me to say it and for you to do it. But, what if we all asked for extensions come April 14th 2009 and the flow of money was delayed for a unspecified time? Then, I think they would see that we mean, pardon the pun, business.

Maybe then, congress would consider a real “rescue” plan for the people. Maybe then, congress would put money in these social programs that so far politicians have failed to even mention in their campaign speeches. Please don’t tell me after the presidential election that we need to balance the budget because you spent all the money on the war and saving the rich. Sorry—that is unacceptable.

Maybe they need to face the wrath of the people to keep them honest. And for the record, the mainstream press and media have been all too complacent about not mentioning the obvious criminal acts of the government. They have instead only written about the superficial benefits of the few and have purposely tried to avoid the use of the word bailout because it has negative connotations. The media has forgotten to write about the overall consequences the working class people are facing.

It is important to share with all of you why we must demand that money be put into funds that protect working people and their families. This means the almost non-existent middle class people as well, although they are evaporating before our very eyes. This goes on as more of the wealthy become the healthy, and the rest of us are getting sicker.

What prompted this article was an op-ed piece written by David S. Scharfstein and Jeremy C. Stein, a professor of finance at Harvard Business School and a professor of economics at Harvard, respectively. In their article “This Bailout Doesn’t Pay Dividends,” they state that because Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson has allowed dividends on stocks of banks that he and the government have lent billions of dollars, the banks can essentially pay out money to the officers and directors. In other words, the officers and directors “will be among the leading beneficiaries of the dividend payouts” and the amount of money paid to them “will amount to approximately $250 million in the first year.” There is something deeply disturbing about this continued trend, despite public outcry.

I think the taxpayers, the public, and the people have expressed that CEOs and others should not receive bonuses or golden parachutes while their companies are receiving federal bailout money. Since elected representatives have stopped listening to us, then we must take action to make them understand we to mean business and not as usual. And knowing these feelings of disgust, they continue to exercise the same loan policies that got us to this broken place.

There are other corrections that loan institutions need to make at once. The whole system of predatory lending has not stopped; it continues with wild abandonment. Some banks are lowering interest rates on home loans in order to make it possible for the person to make payments. But the value of the home is still way over inflated.

Thus, people still owe more than the house is worth and will eventually walk away from the loan down the road. The other predatory loans are on cars. People wishing to trade in SUVs that lost most of their value and are upside down, basically owing more than the car is worth, are being taken advantage of.

The balances owed on the SUVs are being added to the new car they are buying. So the new car is upside down before they drive off the lot. Will car insurance companies cover all the debt if there is a total lose in an accident? Probably not. How long will it be before people walk away from cars that are not worth what is owed to the banks? The banking system goes on creating the inevitable crash down the road and the government and the Secretary of Treasury help them do it over and over again.

I can’t believe that the Secretary of Treasury has not given any guidelines or mandates that the bailout money will not be used as profit, bonus payments or stock dividends, while taxpayers lose their jobs and fight to make ends meet.

There should be a mandate that stops all predatory loans and puts an end to financial bailout money for the wealthy. The only conclusion is that this is being done with the knowledge that it is wrong and morally incomprehensible. We have no recourse but to take action ourselves. Even though we know they can fine us or put liens on our homes. We realize these problems stem from basic structural flaws in the system.

This profit motive system based on material wealth has degraded us to selfish, greedy rulers of a global economy that we helped to create and have now plunged it into the unavoidable world depression of the 21st century. The scenario of the boom bust capitalist system is antiquated and needs to be replaced. The economists of our time must create a hybrid economy for all of human society that allows profit to be used in conjunction with a type of equilibrium formula that embraces the basic needs of the global population.

We need to veer away from blaming other nations for “taking our jobs away” and create jobs that all nations can partake in, insuring that their fundamental economic needs are met, which will slow the immigration explosion dilemma.

Worldwide heads of households, men, women and even children, have been deduced to the source of income figures by being labeled as good according to the size of their paycheck. There is not an attachment to character, truth, honesty or fidelity in the end. If your check is small then you are bad or lazy. The fact that every penny earned is given to the family becomes the paramount measurement of a ‘good provider’ and becomes far more important than the true expressions of love, compassion, unselfishness and sharing.

These all hold little, if any, value at all in a system where profit is king. Those who earn more money are held to higher levels of respect, far more than those who make less but essentially work longer, harder hours for their “meager” pay. This is why it seems acceptable to give billions of taxpayer money to the wealthy institutions, while the fate of the rest of the masses lies in the hands of the heads of household with no comprehensive federal rescue plan for us.

Is it time for all taxpayers to revolt against the thieves that are giving away our hard earned tax money to the rich, upper class? If so, it is by the pen and not the sword that will lead us to victory

The excerpt below is from a New York Times article that was printed on October 5, 2008.

To help pay for the rescue, the government should raise taxes on the wealthy, Mr. Buffett suggested. “I’m paying the lowest tax rate that I’ve ever paid in my life,” he said. “Now, that’s crazy.”

Warren Buffett is one of the richest men in the world. But he is talking about the fake rescue plan; he is really talking about the Bailout Plan for the rich. He is talking about saving the rich, but he still realizes that he pays a lower tax rate than most workers.

I believe that all American workers, blue and white collar alike, should stand up for true representation in a way that the weak elected politicians of our time have so far refused to do.

Bob
Black Crow
www.onlinewthbob.com

Dear President-elect Obama,
It is with great pride that I share my story with you and how my family supported you during your raise to power. I put it in these terms because now in the face of the 21st century depression you have the power to engineer a new system, one that will never let this happen again.

You and I both know that the brunt of this economic disaster is not hurting those executives at AIG that continue to party like rock stars with taxpayer bailout money. Those that are on the verge of oblivion are the workers of this country. Yet, Bush is still ignoring workers by not helping the auto industry where so many of us are connected and rely on for paychecks. So, how will you use this power to make substantial change to a broken system?

My story has always revolved around my children, of who three received their college education at Harvard and the other two at Stanford and Berkeley Law School. As a lawyer Michael went to Florida to over see the counting of votes, as you turned this state blue. Gus went to Nevada to help with your campaign before your national victory. The rest of my family voted for you.

What I believe we need is a hybrid economic system. A system that can extract profit, not just from workers paychecks in terms of taxes (the governments profit), but one that sets percentage ceilings to prevent the greed and corruptions seen in the global oligarchies of our time. I believe the term is user friendly. The time is right to go forward with something so bold. I think you have touched on this when mentioning a kind of equilibrium.

I have been a truck driver for 35 years. I was laid off this week because of the economic slow down. This is my resume Barack.
Do you dare take me in? I need the money. If there is no room in your cabinet for a working class person, then where is there a place for us in your government?
I remain,
Robert Bracamontes
www.onlinewithbob.com

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Uranium Hearing - Fire Rock - First Navajo Casino Opens November 19th - NAPT Opportunities

ADVERSARIAL HEARING ON URANIUM EXPLORATION - NOV. 19TH IN PIERRE, SD

Defenders of the Black Hills
P. O. Box 2003, Rapid City, SD 57709
Phone: (605) 399 -1868

The South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment will be conducting an Adversarial Hearing in Pierre, SD, on a permit application from Powertech (USA) Inc. to drill 30 uranium exploratory wells in the southern Black Hills. The wells are from 300-800 feet deep. Powertech already has 4,160 uranium exploratory wells in the same area.

Twenty-seven (27) individuals and three organizations sent letters of objection to granting the permit triggering the adversarial hearing. Members of Defenders of the Black Hills are among the objectors, and some of those sending in letters of objection will be in attendance.

The hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. CST on Wednesday, Nov. 19th, at the Matthew Environmental Education and Training Center, Joe Foss Building, 523 East Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD.

For more information about the hearing, contact Roberta Fivecoate, Minerals and Mining Program at (605) 773-4201.
###

NAVAJO CASINO OPENING -
Gallup Independent
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
WINDOW ROCK - The Navajo Nation’s first casino will open Wednesday on a grand scale despite tales of skinwalkers and uranium in the six acres of fill dirt, as well as issues of smoking vs. non-smoking, according to Navajo Gaming Enterprise CEO Bob Winter.

Several months ago, the Fire Rock Casino appeared beset by obstacles, some of which Churchrock Delegate Ernest Yazzie attributed to witchcraft, but, he said last week, “We didn’t let no skinwalkers stop us.” In fact, after Yazzie brought up the matter, the problems started to subside, he said. “ I think they got scared.”

The project was fast-tracked and the 65,000-square-foot casino was completed in just four months. “I’m just really amazed at the work that’s been done here,” Winter said. “I think the Navajo Nation will be very proud of this facility once they see the inside. A lot of consideration was given to Navajo culture, which was our intent.

“It’s the kind of facility, I think, everyone should be able to have fun in and enjoy not only the gambling but all of the extra amenities that we’ve put into this facility. You’ve never seen a tent like this before!”

Winter was working Wednesday to get the Nation’s permit in place to serve wine and beverages with in the restaurant. “Hopefully we’ll have it in time for the opening,” he said.

Ray Etcitty, general counsel for the enterprise, said he expected construction to be completed and the building to be turned over at the end of the week. “We’re now putting into place all the slot machines and running all the systems.”

The casino will feature 472 slots, a bingo hall that seats more than 300 people, blackjack and five poker tables. "We trained our own Navajo blackjack and poker dealers,” Etcitty said, and all policies and procedures required are in place.

“We have in excess of 200 employees and they’ve gotten their licenses from Business Regulatory. Last week and this week we’ve been putting them through training. We’ll be going through dry-run training this weekend and then we’re all set to go.”

Employees were at their jobs Saturday and had some friends and family on hand so they could actually practice with people they know. “It was not for any money; it was just a dry run,” he said.

“Sunday is the VIP with the elected officials where we will be showing them the inside of the casino. On Monday and Tuesday we then go over with staff what we’ve seen over the weekend on their run-through and then on Wednesday at 4 p.m., we have the grand opening ribbon-cutting and we are in business at that point,” he said.

Rhonda Ray, marketing manager, said Tohatchi Veterans will serve as color guards and Miss Navajo will sing the national anthem.

“We have the welcoming address by Shawn McCabe, chairman of the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise, we have the invocation by Churchrock Chapter President Johnny Livingston, and then we’ll have public speaking by President Joe Shirley Jr. and also an introduction by Ernest Stevens, chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission in Washington.

“Once we finish that, we’re going to invite everybody inside. The staff and everybody will be ready to go.”

Chef Anton from Austria has prepared a menu for everyone visiting Cheii’s Pub and Grill, she said. “Then we have an Asian noodle bar, we have Navajo traditional food, and we’ve got live music coming in that will be entertaining.”

There will be Navajo flute players and drummers outside welcoming visitors as they enter the casino, and a lounge act inside.

They will be signing up patrons for the Atsa’ (Eagle) Players Club, to be known as the “Road to Riches.”

Shuttle pickups will be offered at six different locations in Gallup, including a stop at La Quinta/El Rancho and all of the truck stops. “There will be two shuttles. The first will be running 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and then the second shuttle will be running from noon until 1 a.m.,” Ray said.

“There’s a nice gift shop and a coffee shop inside. We’re working with a lot of our Native artists on consignment.

They can come in and we’ll rotate their artwork like every 45 days so we give a chance for everyone to display their artwork inside.

“We’re really excited. We have been working really well and close with the community. It’s entertainment, so we invite all our guests to come out and have some food and fun. I know it’s going to be good for the community. I really believe it’s going to start bringing in a lot more revenue for everyone,” she said.

NAPT Opportunities - Etc.
FIRST NATIONS FILM FESTIVAL
Viewing Nov. 5 - Dec. 13
The First Nations Film and Video Festival (FNFVF) announces 'The Path Less Traveled Native Film Series' and the screens are "Four Sheets to the Wind" as its "Featured Feature" and features outstanding performances by Cody Lightening and Tamara Podemski, which is taking place at various venues across Chicago, Illinois and beyond from November 5 to December 13, 2008.

More information: http://wwwfnfvf.com/schedule.html

CALL FOR PAPERS: AMERICAN INDIAN/INDIGENOUS FILM AREA
Deadlines:Priority Submission & Registration: Nov 15
Final Deadline for Proposals & Panels: Dec 1
Final Conference Registration: Dec 31
Conference Dates: Feb 24-28, 2009

Southwest/Texas Popular & American Culture Associations 30th Anniversary Conference,
Albuquerque, NM

The American Indian/Indigenous Film Area is looking for panels, papers, and workshops on topics related to American Indian, First Nations, and Indigenous film. We welcome proposals from all disciplines that examine, utilize, promote, or teach Native/Indigenous film and media are welcome.

The American Indian/Indigenous Film Area is particularly interested in bringing together Native filmmakers and Native/non-Native academics to talk about the burgeoning field of Indigenous Film

More information including on how to submit your proposals

INDIE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
Deadline Nov. 29
The Indie Short Film Competition is now accepting entries for its 2nd annual international short film competition. This online short film competition is a chance for indie filmmakers to advance their career, get noticed in the filmmaking industry and be internationally exposed.

Open to shorts 40 minutes and under. $25,000 in cash and prizes. 10 categories to enter! Winners are determined by a judging panel of industry professionals.

For more information visit http://www.indieshortfilm.net/

WOMEN'S FILM PRESERVATION FUND
Deadline Nov. 30
The WFPF's mission is to save films of unique importance in the history of women's cinema. Grants up to $10,000 are available for not-for-profit organizations and individuals. The WFPF is committed to working with others to try and contribute to an understanding of the importance of women in film history, and the preservation of it.Application and more information

CALGARY SOCIETY OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL
Deadline Dec. 2
The Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers is pleased to present the annual $100 Film Festival which will take place in March 2009.

It is the only competitive festival in Canada that screens exclusively on Super 8 and 16mm film. The $100 Film Festival does not charge any entrance fees and pays artist fees for all films selected for the festival. The selected films will also be eligible for festival prizes.

For more information: www.csif.org/festival

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Fury In Indian Country - Jeanne Bedell's Videos - Native Radio Theater

Four In Ten Inmates Held For Violent Offenses In '07
Gallup Independent
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
WINDOW ROCK - At midyear 2007, an estimated 4 in 10 inmates in Indian Country jails were confined for a violent offense, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics announced Friday.

Domestic violence accounted for the largest group of violent offenders - 20 percent - followed by simple or aggravated assault, 13 percent, and rape or sexual assault, 2 percent. Six percent of Indian Country jail inmates were being held for unspecified violent offenses.

The percentage of Indian Country jail inmates held for drug offenses was unchanged from 2004 to 2007 at 7 percent each year, while DWI/DUI offenses dropped from 14 percent in 2004 to 8 percent in 2007.

At midyear 2007, a total of 27,674 American Indians were in prison. More than half, or 13,956, were in state prison and about 1 in 10, or 2,955 inmates, were in federal prison. Of the remaining 10,763 inmates, only 2,163 were confined in Indian Country jails, while 8,600 were in local jails. Some of those in local jails may have been housed there under contracts with tribal, city, or county governments.

The Indian Country jail population has increased an estimated 24 percent since 2004 when the Bureau’s last Survey of Jails in Indian Country was conducted.

Navajo Department of Corrections in Window Rock reported 41 inmates in custody in June 2004, compared to 99 at midyear 2007 for a 141 percent increase. Window Rock’s peak population in June 2007 was reported to be 154, or 112 inmates over capacity.

Four of the Navajo Nation’s detention centers out of 18 jails in Indian Country operated above 150 percent capacity on their peak day in June 2007. Window Rock ranked No. 4, at 367 percent, led by Pine Ridge, S.D., adult detention at 575 percent, San Juan Pueblo Police Department in New Mexico at 500 percent, and Tohono ‘�odham adult detention in Arizona at 391 percent.

Kayenta’s holding facility was at 300 percent, Crownpoint at 221 percent, and Chinle, 175 percent. The Pueblo of Acoma�s holding facility was at 165 percent on its peak day.

“The information in this survey is useful ‘as a glimpse’ of the situation that Indian Country is facing in relation to the jail facilities. It’s a glimpse into the dire situation of jail facilities,” said Hope MacDonald-LoneTree, a member of the Public Safety Committee and chair of the oversight committee in 2007.

“On the Navajo Nation, on any given day we do not know if one facility or more will be shut down due to plumbing problems, heating or cooling problems, or any other issues that would present a health hazard to both inmate and staff.”

Though the report states that that since 2004, available bed space for inmates held in Indian country jails grew faster than growth in the inmate population, that doesn’t hold true for Navajo, according to MacDonald-LoneTree.

“While new jails may have been constructed in Indian Country, the dilapidated facilities on Navajo were shut down completely or temporarily for repairs and maintenance. We are spending an excessive amount of funds to transport prisoners from facility to facility. We are short on staff and the wear and tear on vehicles burdens our limited budget.

“We need significant funding to construct new jail facilities so that we can move beyond the consent decree that limits the inmate population on Navajo.”

Inmates were held an average of 4.5 days, up from four days during the same period in 2004. The average length of stay for inmates in facilities rated to hold 50 or more was 9.4 days. Inmates held in jails rated to hold 10 to 24 people experienced the shortest average length of stay, at 2.1 days.

“Despite the slow flow of construction funds, I am encouraged that the level of concern is growing and should yield new and increased funding in the new administration. We will continue to advocate on behalf of the thousands of victims of crime and the concurrent need for rehabilitation and treatment,” MacDonald-LoneTree said.

PSC Chair Rex Lee Jim and the full committee have made numerous trips to Washington to lobby for increased funding. Jim also sponsored legislation to hire a lobbyist to work on behalf of Navajo.

Though American Indians and Alaskan Natives account for less than 1 percent of the U.S. resident population, they make up 1 percent of inmates in jail or prison. Tribal rights to sentence offenders are limited to one year imprisonment, a $5,000 fine, or both.

For every 100,000 American Indians, 942 were incarcerated. The rate of incarceration was about 24 percent higher than the overall national rate of 761 persons for any other race per 100,000 residents. Between 2000 and 2007, the number of American Indians confined in jails and prisons nationwide grew on average by about 4.6 percent annually.

From Jeanne Bedell-Mashkikinabinais
Hi All,
I have two music video's out. If you all have the time, please go to: http://www.vidiac.com/ press on music videos Mytwo video's are: "I Believe in You" and "Free" my account number is A49feead or just simply jiiniikwe

Please score them and leave a comment and tell me what you think. The first video (A Memorial Ride to Remember) was meant to have that old time effect..I know its kind of jumpy, but I hope you will enjoy them.

I Believe in You was footage from the Big Foot Ride or Memorial Ride each year that takes place here on Pine Ridge. The riders ride from Standing Rock at Bull Head (Sitting Bulls home) to Wounded Knee each year at around Christmas time.

I am also volunteering my services for a concert meant to help with this ride this year at Little Wound School I think on December 19th. See ya there!

jiiniikwe
605-890-1183
http://www.myspace.com/jiiniikwe

NAPT's NATIVE RADIO THEATER KICKS OFF THIRD SEASON WITH ALL-NATIVE VARIETY SHOW RECORDED LIVE

LINCOLN, Neb.-Native American Public Telecommunication's Native Radio Theater project is kicking off its third season of audio plays with a story of young love and a new variety show that includes music, poetry, comedy and more.

"This is Native entertainment and talent at its finest," NAPT Executive Director Shirley K. Sneve (Rosebud Sioux) said of the show being billed as A Prairie Home Companion for Native Americans. "This is the first time NAPT has done a variety show."

The 90-minute variety show features playwrights Jim Northrup (Ojibwe) and Rhiana Yazzie (Navajo), who each take a slice of Indian life and bring it to the stage. Northrup gives the game show world a spin with Shinob Jeopardy. Yazzie creates a spoof on reporting on the reservation in the Really, Real News from Indian Country.

In addition to the variety show, a play by Robert Vestal (Cherokee) is included in this year's mix of radio theater. Vestal re-creates an Eastern Band of Cherokee story of young love with The Bullfrog Lover. Vestal's re-creation, which was taken from the recordings by anthropologist James Mooney in the late 1800s, is performed by Eastern Band of Cherokee high school students.

Vestal's play is performed live in front of an audience in North Carolina, and the variety show is recorded live in Minneapolis.

Other acts and performers in the variety show include:
-Poetry by Ardie Medina and Marcie Rendon
-Traditional storytelling by Faith Bad Moccasin
-A drum group led by John Oakgrove

The Native Radio Theater project was created in 2005 with the Los Angeles-based Autry National Center's program, Native Voices at the Autry, to promote greater awareness of the range of talent in the Native American theater community. The goal of Native Voices at the Autry is to develop and produce new works for stage by Native American playwrights.

Native Radio Theater is the only Native American programming of its kind produced for public radio in the country, and is heard through tribal, public and community radio stations throughout the nation. The project is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Ford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The variety show, which can be broken up in an hour or half-hour segments, is being distributed to tribal and public radio stations by Native Voice One starting this month for Native American Heritage Month, and will be available on the satellite system from now until March 9, 2009.

The third season of Native Radio Theater also will be aired on AIROS.org, NAPT's online Native radio network, from November through February. Check AIROS.org for air dates and times. Encore shows of Native Radio Theater's 2006 and 2007 seasons are also set to air on AIROS.org during this time.

Past plays produced include Super Indian, written by recording artist, actor and writer Arigon Starr (Kickapoo), and Melba's Medicine, written by Rose-Yvonne Colletta (Lipan Mescalero Apache).

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Blizzard Hits Wanblee-Pine Ridge - NAHA Calls For Donations - Clips From Christine - American Experience - Studio 360

Blizzard Hits Wanblee-Pine Ridge Residents Hard
By Scott Aust and Barbara Soderlin,
Rapid City Journal staff Monday, November 10, 2008

Spending five days without electricity or running water has been an ordeal for people in Wanblee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Up to 200 people have been spending the night at the Crazy Horse school, at first without blankets or beds, cooking the school's food, diapering babies with old clothes, and trying to stay warm through power from a generator.

The makeshift shelter is being run by Pastor Gus Craven, who has also been helping residents make runs between their homes and the shelter, and who went to Kadoka Friday night on newly opened roads to get cots and blankets from that community's Red Cross.

He said he isn't sure when Wanblee will get power. On his trip to Kadoka he saw perhaps 20 downed power lines.

Most Wanblee residents don't have the gas or money to make the 56-mile round trip to Kadoka themselves, he said.

And some are afraid to leave, since there have been reports of people looting empty homes, he said. Craven said several families have dropped their elders and children off at the shelter and returned to their cold, dark homes to protect them from thieves.

Some relief came Saturday for the people at the shelter when the Black Hills chapter of the Red Cross sent blankets, water and toiletries. The state emergency management department planned to send food and diapers Saturday, said Russ Korzeniewski with the Red Cross. Craven didn't know Saturday evening if those supplies had arrived. He said the school was not out of food but there was not an excess, either.

Help apparently came after people at the shelter contacted state offices, where workers then contacted the Red Cross.

The South Dakota National Guard also helped with a Blackhawk helicopter on Friday, airlifting four dialysis patients out of the community to get medical attention at the Pine Ridge Hospital.

People living in rural areas on the reservation are without electricity and their food supplies and firewood are running low, Craven said.

"Is there a way we can get a front-end loader or a dozer down here?" he asked.

He said people are wondering if the tribal government is making an effort to help them. The store in Wanblee hasn't opened, and the school's generator quit Friday, making for a chilly night.

Celeste Pretends Eagle of Wanblee said she and her family have been without electricity or running water since Tuesday.

"As of now, we're still melting snow and putting it in the toilet to flush, and we're melting snow to boil water and do dishes and wash the kids up. Just today, someone brought us a case of bottled water," she said.

The situation has been frightening for the 28-year-old mother of four young children between the ages of 10 and 4, as they and four other adults and three nephews under age 5 braved the blizzard and its aftermath for the past five days.

Pretends Eagle said she hasn't experienced such an extreme storm in the 10 years she's lived in Wanblee.

"It's been scary. Pastor Gus, he delivered us some candles, so we've been using those. My brother is disabled, and he can't leave the house to go to the bathroom, so we've been melting snow so we can flush the toilet," Pretends Eagle said.

Pretends Eagle had purchased groceries on Monday but food began to run out as the week progressed."We've been running out of food, so we go up to the school to eat," Pretends Eagle said.

"We've been getting by as best we can on rice and beans."

She said people are stuck and supplies are dwindling.

"Nobody had four-wheel drive. If you don't have it, you can't get out around here. The Longcreek store hasn't been open and we can't get any supplies. It's the only store within 30 miles," Pretends Eagle said.

Roads had started to be cleared on Saturday allowing people to get out. Pretends Eagle hopes the worst is over and people will be able to get re-supplied.

"We could really use help. Water would be good," Pretends Eagle said.

Contact the Black Hills chapter of the Red Cross at 342-4010.
Contact Scott Aust at 394-8415, or
scott.aust@rapidcityjournal.com

Native American Heritage Association - Operation Winter Rescue
NAHA can buy in bulk - Propane Heating Stoves For About $90 each in 50 stove lots. It takes 6 to 8 weeks for delivery.

NAHA
P.O. Box 512
Rapid City, South Dakota, 57709
http://www.naha-inc.org/
Phone (605) 341-9110
Fax (605) 341-9113

Your generous donation will help protect the health and could even save the lives of many sick, elderly people and small children who are high-risk victims for pneumonia and flu.

Gifts are tax deductible
Dave Myers
President, NAHA

Clips From Christine
November 7, 2008
Los Angeles

Locally, in Native American theater is Salvage by Diane Glancy (Cherokee). About a hard-working family scatching out a life running a salvage yard. In this taut, suspenseful drama, a deadly accident throws them into a turbulent world of doubt, recrimination, and vengence, pushing their lives into horrific new territory.

Cast: Elena Finney (Mescalero Apache, Tarascan), Robert Greygrass (Lakota), Noah Watts (Crow). Directed by Sheila Tousey (Menominee, Stockbridge Munsee). Executive Producers Randy Reinholz (Choctaw) and Jean Bruce Scott.

Salvage now plays through Sunday, November 23rd. Fridays & Saturdays at 8 PM and Saturdays & Sundays at 2 PM. Tickets: $20, Autry Museum Members $12. Call TicketWeb for reservations at 866-468-3399, or visit www.ticketweb.com.

Best,
Christine Yazzie Krystyn Media
Los Angeles, California U.S.A.
E: krystyn_media@yahoo.com
W: http://www.krystynmedia.blogspot.com/

American Experiencce
Hi Bobbie!
I came by your blog and wanted to share with you the brand new website that has just gone up for American Experience's (PBS) brand new 5 part film mini-series.

It will be broadcasting in April, but there are many elements on the site now that I truly believe you will find very interesting.
Please visit www.pbs.org/weshallremain

all the best!
Kim--

Kimberly Wakefield
WGBH - American Experience National Marketing Intern
history_intern@wgbh.orgp.
617.300.5335

Greetings From Studio 360
Public Radio International’s Peabody Award-winning, nationally syndicated weekly show about creativity, pop culture and the arts, hosted by Kurt Andersen. We thought you might be interested in our most recent show:

“In the Land of the Headhunters”
Edward Curtis is known for his early 20th-century photos of Native Americans, but he also made a silent movie with an all-indigenous cast, called "In the Land of the Head Hunters." The film is being shown again now, accompanied by a live orchestra - this time, the musicians are all Native.

Also this week: The Day After
Exactly 25 years ago this month, the largest audience ever for a TV movie tuned to ABC to watch a simulated nuclear holocaust. “The Day After” focused on a group of survivors in the heartland of Kansas. Studio 360's Derek John grew up nearby. He asks his 9th grade science teacher why she made him watch the program.

Visit us on the web at http://www.studio360.org/ to listen to the show, find station listings, or browse our archives. The show can also be heard as a podcast or purchased from audible.com.

I’d love to hear your questions – and your thoughts on the show.

Best,
Frederick

Studio 360, WNYC 646.829.4173
160 Varick St. New York, NY 10013

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Glen Canyon Development No Longer 'Good Deal' For Navajo

Speaker offers resolution to end Glen Canyon MOA.

Gallup Independent
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
WINDOW ROCK – A memorandum of agreement (MOA) to develop the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and adjacent tribal lands probably was a good deal for Navajo back in 1970 when it was signed, but not anymore.

Navajo Nation Council Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan, in a report Tuesday to the Resources Committee, said the MOA between the National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management and the Navajo Nation is perhaps one of the major reasons why Navajo has not made any type of development on the Navajo side at Lake Powell.

“The Navajo Nation is pretty much committed to economic development on the Navajo Reservation. The Speaker and other members of the Navajo Nation Council are looking at the feasibility of major development near Lake Powell,” Morgan said.

And now, because the federal government allegedly has not lived up to a provision within the MOA, Morgan has introduced a resolution calling for its termination.

“One major area that we found in the 1970 memorandum of agreement is there is supposed to be a concession to Navajo Nation on a portion of Rainbow Bridge. In the agreement there is also a provision that if such doesn't take place, the Navajo Nation can call for a termination of the agreement,” he said.

The proposed legislation to terminate the agreement is the result of several meetings with the National Park Service at Glen Canyon, Morgan said. “The first attempt was to amend the MOA. That didn't go very far.”

He said agreements such as the MOA have held back the Navajo Nation from going into large developments. Chapters near Lake Powell, such as Navajo Mountain, are in support of development, according to Morgan, while LeChee Chapter's interpretation “is that the Navajo Nation – maybe the Speaker's Office – is working on developing the area. But we're not there yet.”

Ivan Gamble, a member of LeChee Chapter, said recently that he and LeChee Delegate Tommy Tsosie ended up at a meeting in Gallup during the July 2007 summer session attended by Morgan, Chief of Staff Pat Sandoval, several of the standing committee chairmen, Judge Marcella King, billionaire B.J. “Red” McCombs, and a business associate, Bob Honts.

“What they said was they wanted to have 40,000 acres of land for development within LeChee, Kaibeto, and Inscription House chapters to be able to put five hotels, three golf courses and three casinos,” Gamble said. “Their whole plan was they wanted to be able to take several acres of land and build homes there for multimillionaires from the East Coast hugging Navajo Canyon, and that these people could have 75 year leases.”

Two months ago, Gamble was invited to a meeting which Morgan reportedly had requested with the Park Service regarding the Glen Canyon boundary. Honts, Morgan, several members of the Speaker's Office, Delegate Ervin Keeswood, Glen Canyon and Park Service representatives were among those in attendance. At that meeting, Gamble said he learned that the land area now requested for development is 50,000 acres.

“My family's land, all my aunts' and uncles' land, my grandparents' land, that's all part of where they want to develop this. But they've never told the local people, and everybody knows that on Navajo you have to get the local consent to be able to do anything, and without it, you have no project.

“Our ancestors hid over along the river; they never went on the Long Walk. That's where we've always been, for six generations since then. And here they are trying to sell our land to these developers.

“We're not against development, but we think that we need to have a say in all the development that occurs in our chapter, and 50,000 acres is one-fourth of LeChee Chapter. We're not going to give that much land up.”

Regarding Morgan's legislation to terminate the MOA, Resources Chairman George Arthur said, “As reported by the Speaker, this is a discussion that has been going on for several months. At various points and times, I have been a part of the discussion and also have taken part in the discussion at the national level.

“This legislation is to say to the Park Service and the Department of the Interior that we are no longer interested in this agreement that was put in place back in the 1970s. In essence, you could probably go to the extent of saying that somebody failed to meet their contractual obligations, and it wasn't the Navajo Nation.”

A Sept. 5 memorandum from the Office of the Controller states that according to a review by Navajo Department of Justice regarding the Rainbow Bridge concession fee, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation to transfer fees to the Navajo Nation. However, it failed at the Senate level and legislation to legally transfer the fee to the Nation never materialized, therefore, the Nation never received any revenue for the concession fee.

Morgan told the committee, “We are working on seeing a major development on the Navajo Nation, but added, “Let's concentrate on resolving issues with this agreement first.”

In a memo to Arthur regarding the legislation, Morgan said the National Park Service is incorrectly interpreting the MOA as granting it land use review and approval authority over all development on Navajo within one mile of the Glen Canyon National Recreation boundary.

By incorrectly interpreting the agreement, the Park Service “is thus directly challenging the sovereign authority of the Navajo Nation to govern land use decisions on tribal lands. As long as this disagreement exists, any major new development on the Navajo Indian Reservation near Lake Powell will be significantly delayed or stopped altogether,” Morgan said.

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

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World's Reaction To Obama Win - NAPT Documentaries

Unimaginable' Obama Win Resonates Beyond U.S.: Global Voices
By Berni Moestafa and Heejin Koo

Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Here is a sampling of the world's reaction to Barack Obama's victory in the U.S. presidential election.

``Forty-five years ago, Martin Luther King dreamed of an America where men and women will be judged not on the color of their skin but on the content of their character,'' Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told reporters in the southern island state of Tasmania. ``What America has done is turn that dream into a reality.''

French President Nicolas Sarkozy congratulated Obama in a letter released to the public, saying the outcome ``resonates well beyond your borders.''

``Your stunning victory rewards a tireless commitment to serving the American people,'' Sarkozy wrote. ``It is also the crowning achievement of an exceptional campaign whose brilliance and high tone demonstrated the vitality of American democracy to the entire world, while keeping them spellbound.''

``A hundred years ago, he would have been a slave,'' said T. K. Kurien, president of strategic programs at Wipro Ltd., India's third-largest software services provider, in an interview from London. ``A hundred years on, he is the president. That's massive.''

``For Obama to overcome what people consider to be synonymous with America -- race -- it's unimaginable,'' said Eric Shepherd, a professor at City University in London. ``It's given the world a lot more faith in America. America has become a place that does deliver on its promises. People can achieve anything.''

``So often crudely caricatured by others, the American people yesterday stood in the eye of history and made an emphatic choice for change for themselves and the world,'' the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper said. ``Savor those words: President Barack Obama, America's hope and, in no small way, ours too.''

``The new president has transcended tensions to achieve the essential: balancing black resentment and white anxieties, and uniting them in a single design for justice,'' the French newspaper Le Monde said. ``After having elected George W. Bush twice, in an incredible turn of boldness and faith in its own resources, America has put an end to its conservative revolution made from deregulation and the wild law of the market which resulted in the sub-prime crisis and the collapse of the financial system.''

``President-elect Obama was inspirational, and I'm certain he will continue to be,'' U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters in Washington. ``One of the great things about representing this country is it continues to surprise, it continues to renew itself. It continues to beat all odds and expectations.''

``I have the honor and pleasure to congratulate you wholeheartedly on the impressive win you have had,'' Iraqi President Jalal Talabani wrote in a letter released to reporters. ``We look forward to the relations between our two countries under your mandate, and further consolidation and development in all fields.''

Pope Benedict XVI, the leader of more than 1 billion Catholics around the world, hopes Obama ``can respond to the expectations and the hopes of those that look to him,'' Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told reporters in Rome. He said Benedict also wants the new American president to ``favor human growth and dignity with respect to essential human and spiritual values.''

``While this is without a doubt a moment of great happiness, at the same time we should remember those men and women that made the greatest sacrifice, their lives, in the fight for an equal society,'' Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said in a letter to Obama. ``I'm sure many veterans of those days have been reflecting on the words of Reverend King: `I have a dream that my four small children will someday live in a country where they aren't judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their characters.' This day has arrived.''

``I thank God for having lived to see that we have a U.S. president of color,'' said Yehude Simon, Peru's prime minister. ``Peru wins with the change; it's a change that we all expected. God help us he won't fail us, that all his proposals during the campaign can be real.''

``The historic election of an Afro-descendant to the head of the most powerful country in the world is a sign that the change that's been carried out in South America may be reaching the doorstep of the U.S.,'' the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said in an e-mailed statement. ``The hour has arrived to establish new relations among our countries and with our region.''

``The profoundly symbolic value of Obama's victory escapes no one,'' Jean Leonard Touadi, the first black man to be elected to the Italian parliament, said in an interview in Rome. ``Martin Luther King's dream has been realized by Barack Obama.''

``We hope Obama can restore America to become a great nation again,'' said Yustina Amirah, principal of Asisi Elementary School in Jakarta, where Obama studied for a couple of years as a child. ``Obama's election may motivate children here to see that dreams can be reached. We hope that our children have dreams as high as Obama's.''

Mohammed Abdo, a 32-year-old restaurant employee in the Gaza Strip, said the election result won't make any difference where he lives. ``The only difference between the two American candidates was their color,'' he said. ``U.S. policy will remain biased in favor of Israel.''

``This is beautiful,'' said Ijaz Shahid, who was leading a demonstration of landless peasants protesting the seizure of their farms by local landlords at barbed-wire barricades outside Pakistan's presidential offices in Islamabad.

``A true democracy has elected a person from the oppressed people of that country,'' said Shahid, a retired army major.

``Obama winning the election shows just how much the U.S. has changed,'' said South Korean Kim Sang Hyuck, 32, watching the results on his mobile phone in downtown Seoul. ``When I was studying there in Philadelphia nearly 10 years ago, there were still pockets of racism. I never thought then that the U.S. would choose an African-American president.''

``A new face offers Europe a new chance to remarry America,'' said Wolfgang Ischinger, 62, a former German ambassador to the U.S. ``That's the good news. The bad news is that this outburst of Obama-mania does create expectations which no president can possibly fulfill. Sooner or later there will be some disappointment on the way.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Berni Moestafa in Jakarta at bmoestafa@bloomberg.net; Heejin Koo in Seoul at hjkoo@bloomberg.net


NAPT Documentaries Highlight Contemporary Struggles And Cultural Survival

LINCOLN, Neb._Four new documentaries about contemporary struggles and cultural survival among Native Americans hit PBS stations across the nation starting this November for Native American Heritage Month:

March Point
Cody Nick and Travis, three teens from the Swinomish Tribe in Washington, wanted to make a gangster movie or rap video but instead were asked to investigate the impact of two oil refineries on the tribe.

March Point follows the teens' journey as they come to understand themselves, the environment and the threat they face.The film premieres on PBS' Independent Lens on Nov. 18.

To view a trailer and read more information about March Point, click here. To see the filmmakers' Web site, go to: http://www.marchpointmovie.com./

Waterbuster
A personal story of how a multimillion dollar damming project displaced the Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara Nation in North Dakota.

Producer J. Carlos Peinado returns to the Ft. Berthold Reservation to discover stories of the past.

To read the Waterbuster news release or download pictures, visit the press kit page by clicking here.Ronnie Scheib of Variety Magazine called Waterbuster: "A lyrical, haunting account of loss of community and cultural identity...vividly reimagines the fabled towns and rich bottomland from which the North Dakota Indians were evicted by the damming of the Missouri River."

The film has been a selected project of Tribeca Film Institute's All Access program.

Weaving Worlds
Presenting an intimate portrait of economic and cultural survival through the art of Navajo rugs, Weaving Worlds also reveals the often controversial struggle between the artists and Anglo traders in the face globalization.

To view a trailer or read Weaving Worlds news release or download pictures, visit the press kit page by clicking here.

This documentary has received the Award of Commendation from the Society for Visual Anthropology, a branch of American Anthropological Society, and the Rigoberta Menchu Award at the 2007 Montreal First People's Festival. The film has also been nominated for Best Documentary at the 2008 American Indian Film Festival.

Oceti Sakowin: The People of the Seven Council Fires
Across the rolling plains of the Midwest, a great nation was created by a people who had their own system of government and a livelihood that was forever changed by settlers.

The Oyate, the people, tell their own story in the hour-long documentary, Oceti Sakowin: The People of the Seven Council Fires.This regional Emmy-nominated film is designed to aid educators of grades K-12 in teachings of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Nations.

To view a trailer, read a press release or see historical pictures, visit the Oceti press kit page by clicking here.

Check your local PBS listings for each documentary's air dates and times at PBS station


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