Program Helps NAs Learn Skills For Union Trades - WIND - Caters To Vets

Program helps Native Americans learn skills for union trades that they say will get them off the reservation

By Joel Hood – Chicago TribuneDecember 10, 2008
Submitted by Native Workplace
Surely there are many benefits to raising a young family in a tiny, rural town like Black River Falls in west-central Wisconsin. A thriving job market is not among them.

So when Jose Ortiz, 34, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, became a father for the first time almost two years ago, he took stock of his life. What became clear was that most people his age who had stayed in Black River Falls were working dead-end jobs at the casino or for meager wages as office clerks—choices that typify the lack of opportunities facing Native Americans on tribal lands or in small towns far outside urban centers.

Seeking a way out, Ortiz enrolled in a pilot job-training program with a pipe-fitters union in Mokena to learn basic welding skills that could land him a union job with benefits and good pay. The training is part of a 3-month-old federal program in the Chicago and Phoenix areas designed to unlock doors to the kinds of trade jobs that had long seemed out of reach for many Native Americans.

“Once people receive this training, they’re not only able to move off the reservation, but they have the life skills that are needed on the reservation if they choose to go back,” said Robert Middleton, director of Indian, Energy and Economic Development for the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The effort is a spinoff of a National Iron Workers Indian program based in Chicago, which has trained more than 1,200 Native Americans in the commercial building trade for more than a decade. The hope, Middleton said, is to expand training with the plumbers and pipe fitters unions to Utah and New Mexico in the coming years, encouraging dozens more to start their own businesses and break free from the cycle of dead-end jobs.

“The students we’ve talked to know how valuable this opportunity is,” Middleton said. “They view this as their shot.”Ortiz was among 16 from tribal lands around the country who landed in September at the Pipe Fitters Local 597 Training Center in Mokena, where welding instructors crammed into 16 weeks what it sometimes takes a beginner two years to learn.

“This is the greatest opportunity I’ve ever had in my life,” said Ortiz, who lived in Chicago until age 17. “But it’s intense. There was a lot we had to learn.

”The federal government pays for lodging, food and daily expenses, totaling about $5,000 a student. The unions donate their expertise and training equipment. All that’s required from the students is the initial travel cost and the sacrifice of leaving their families for four months.

“To me, leaving my family was the toughest thing,” said Dana Jimerson, 39, a father of three and a member of the Seneca Nation in upstate New York. “It wears on you being away for so long.”

Not that there’s much idle time during the day. The students, who live together in a hotel in Tinley Park, are shuttled to the training center by 7 a.m. each day. Workdays begin with classroom instruction on basic stick-welding techniques. But soon the students are sent to the training floor, where they can spend hours stooped over twists of burnt metal and an intense, crackling flame. They work five days a week, but some log extra hours on the weekends to hone their skills.

“The most challenging part is learning to be patient and dealing with rejection when something doesn’t go right,” said Owen Tincup, a Lakota Sioux from Eagle Butte, S.D. “But I feel lucky to be a part of this. There’s nothing like this for me back home.”

Michael Shue, an instructor at the training center, said the demands of the program already have weeded out those who were not committed. Of the 16 who began training, only eight remain. Shue said four failed unscheduled drug tests after they arrived, three were released for poor performance and one left because of a medical condition.

But those who complete the program Monday will earn an apprenticeship certification that can initially bring hourly pay between $16 and $20 and later up to $30—three to four times what many jobs back home offer, Ortiz said.

While some students return home to hunt for work, many will be given entry-level union jobs that can take them to another region.

When students talk about this program bringing opportunity, they don’t just mean for higher wages but for broadening perspectives, Ortiz said.

“You get one of those jobs back home and your chance for advancement is, like, slim and none,” he said. “But you come here and you work hard and … there are all these other opportunities that open up to you.“This is a godsend.”
mailto:godsend.”jhood@tribune.com

WIND: Catering to Veterans
Mesaland Community College - Tucumcari, NM

The North American Wind Research and Training Center provides instruction in wind turbine technology, turbine maintenance, tower safety, and wind economics.

Students in these 1-year (basic) and 2-year (advanced) programs will be prepared for rewarding and profitable careers in this industry. There is no state residence requirement for veterans to attend this program.

For more information, contact Tracy Roscoe (Navy and Army veteran), director of wind energy training . tracyr@mesalands.edu.

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Latest On Peltier -Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Transportation Plans - Casting Call For NA Males

BREAKING NEWS
Peltier Transferred Back To Lewisburg, Penn
January 30, 2009
ONE BATTLE WON!
Leonard has been transferred back to USP-Lewisburg and released to the general population. He was welcomed back not only by the brothers at Lewisburg, but by all of the prisoners.

Leonard wishes to thank all of his supporters for standing with him during this difficult time. But we need to finish the job.

Take Action:www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/alert.htm
Leonard's address:
Leonard Peltier #89637-132USP-
LewisburgUS Penitentiary
PO Box 1000
Lewisburg, PA 17837

http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee

Nuclear Waste Transportation Plans
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
WINDOW ROCK – Despite President -Elect Barack Obama's opposition to creating a burial ground for nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, the U.S. Department of Energy on Friday released a National Transportation Plan that outlines its current strategy for waste shipments, including a truck route on Interstate 40 through Gallup and the Navajo Nation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., met with Obama and Vice President-Elect Joe Biden on Jan. 5 regarding Yucca Mountain. “During our conversation, the President-elect reiterated his promise to work with me to prevent the dump from ever being built,” beginning with a deep cut in the current federal budget, Reid said.

Last July, the Department of Energy estimated the price tag for Yucca at $96.2 billion in 2007 dollars, up 67 percent from a 2001 estimate of $57.5 billion. Approximately $13.5 billion already has been spent on the nuclear waste repository which is estimated to be completed in 2017.

DOE's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management plan implements a system to ship spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste by rail or truck from more than 120 sites across the country. The office is taking comments on its transportation plan through April 30.

Director Ward Sproat said actual shipments are not expected to begin before 2020, but the transportation planning process has begun well in advance to ensure the concerns and input of state, tribal, and local officials as well as other interested stakeholders are taken into account.

In Arizona, Interstate 40 follows Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks almost all the way across the state, passing near the sacred San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff, the gateway to the Grand Canyon at Williams, and the Petrified Forest National Park near Holbrook before crossing several Navajo Nation chapters. In New Mexico, I-40 passes through the city of Gallup and one of the busiest Wal-Marts in the United States, as well as by the Navajo Nation's newly opened Fire Rock Casino.

Arizona counties affected by rail or highway routes include: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai and Yuma. New Mexico counties include: Bernalillo, Cibola, Dona Ana, Grant, Guadalupe, Hidalgo, Luna, McKinley, Quay, Santa Fe and Torrance.

Because there is a chance that an accident involving a radioactive shipment could occur, emergency response plans will be put in place to handle situations that could arise. The Department of Energy will provide technical and financial assistance for training public safety officials through jurisdictions where the waste is transported.

In May 2006, all eastbound traffic on I-40 was diverted to old Route 66 between Seligman and Ash Fork following a fatal accident in Yavapai County involving a truck carrying radioactive materials. Two tractor-trailer rigs carrying containers of tools and clothing that had been used in nuclear environments collided in Yavapai County while the truck was on its way to a radioactive waste disposal facility.

As early as 1998, when New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was then-Secretary of Energy, President Milton Bluehouse Sr.'s administration expressed concern regarding the shipment of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste through Navajo lands and the ability of the Nation to have adequate emergency response capability in place.

The Nation said it is the responsibility of tribal government officials to choose whether they need to attain a state of radiological emergency preparedness, and if so, they must be provided resources to attain their goals, according to a DOE document.

The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management intends to offer grants for training and conduct a pilot program involving a limited number of states and tribes after it issues a revised policy. The grants would be subject to available appropriations and the first ones would be issued about four years prior to the beginning of shipments.

In an October 2007 letter to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Obama said billions of dollars have been spent by taxpayers and ratepayers in the construction of Yucca Mountain.

“Legitimate scientific questions have been raised about the safety of storing spent nuclear fuel at this location,” he said, adding that the National Academy of Sciences maintains that peak risks might occur hundreds of thousands of years from now. “Questions also have been raised about the viability of transporting spent nuclear fuel to Nevada from different locations around the country.

“We should select a repository location through a process that develops national consensus and respects state sovereignty, not one in which the federal government cuts off debate and forces one state to accept nuclear waste from other states. The flawed process by which Yucca Mountain was selected now manifests itself as a profoundly expensive endeavor of monumental proportion,” Obama said.

“The selection of Yucca Mountain has failed, the time for debate on this site is over, and it is time to start exploring new alternatives for safe, long-term solutions based on sound science.”

Information: www.ocrwm.doe.gov

Clips From Christine:
CASTING CALL: NATIVE AMERICAN MALES AGES 18-25
Los Angeles based, or willing to get to Los Angeles at own expense – production not paying transportation costs for out of towners. 15 ROLES AVAILABLE – NO ACTING EXPERIENCE REQUIRED!

Looking for Native American males, ages 18-25, for an upcoming film about Lacrosse. No acting experience required, but individuals must have strong Native features, athletic build and be somewhat athletically inclined. Professional photos not necessary, but if available, preferred. Please send headshot and full-length body shot and resume (if available) via email to:
Michelle R. Shining Elk,
SHINING ELK ENTERTAINMENT GROUP,
Email: michelleshiningelk@gmail.com.
Please reference in the subject: “Lacrosse Movie Submission.”

VENUE: Autry Museum, Los Angeles
February 28th, 2009
A View From the Braun Lecture Series Wikikmal: Cahuilla Bird Songs of Native Southern California1-2 pm Southwest Museum, Mt. Washington (free event/program)
Paul Apodaca, Associate Professor at Chapman College, examines the performance aspect of bird songs, as well as their context in Cahuilla tribal culture. Listen to historic and modern songs of the Cahuilla people—first inhabitants of the Coachella Valley area.

christine yazzie
krystyn media
los angeles, california

http://www.krystynmedia.blogspot.com/
call 323-280-4172
write krystyn_media@yahoo.com

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Native Americans, Peltier Supporters Outraged at FBI & Bush

From Brenda Norrell's 'Censored' Blog
By Kari Ann Cowan
FARGO, N.D. -- The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) recently influenced the federal prison system to transfer elder Native American, Leonard Peltier, to a facility for young gang members where upon his arrival he was immediately attacked and severely beaten. He was thrown into solitary confinement and denied proper medical care and food.

The FBI has put out a letter encouraging others to indulge in whatever activities they can to block a possible pardon by President Obama for Leonard Peltier.

The latest ploy of that faction of government has been to enlist the help of George W. Bush by getting him to sign a clemency denial that could possibly stave off Peltier’s release. This action is an extreme outrage to all the people who believe in freedom and justice for ALL.

It is an outrage to all the people who are aware of the true facts of Leonard Peltier’s innocence. The George W. Bush Administration and its followers obviously are trying to set a stage for anything that could possibly expand into some kind of incident that would mar President Obama, President Obama’s Administration and the Democratic Party.

This incident, attacking a 64 year old Native American is unjustified and immoral. People consider Leonard Peltier an extension of themselves and his plight if allowed to continue jeopardizes the freedom of all men.

If his case is allowed to stand as it has for 33 years, then no one is guaranteed a fair trial. Some might have a dream – we have a reality.

We sincerely ask President Obama to intercede in hopes that this nightmare for American Indian people will end.

For more information contact David Hill,
National Coordinator of the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee,
(218) 790-6035.

BUSH DENIED CLEMENCY FOR LEONARD PELTIER!
From International Peltier Forum
President George W. Bush, on January 19th - his last full day in office - formally struck down the petitions for clemency of some high-profile politicians and businessmen, including convicted lawmakers Randall "Duke'' Cunningham, Edwin Edwards and Mario Biaggi and "junk bond" financier Michael Milken, the Justice Department said today.

Bush also denied one of the longest-standing petitions for clemency: for Leonard Peltier. Leonard's application had been under consideration since 1993.

Last year, we asked Sir Bob Geldof (musician, organizer of LifeAid and Life 8, and one of the signatories of the IPF "VIP" petition) if he would be willing to speak with President Bush about Leonard's case. Bob Geldof traveled to the G8 Summit in Tokyo (July 2008) and was able to briefly speak with Bush and handed a letter to the president's Counsel. In the letter Sir Geldof pleaded to grant Leonard executive clemency.

On December 12th, 2008, Michael Kuzma, attorney for Leonard Peltier, received a letter from Fred F. Fielding, another Counsel to the President, in which he wrote:
"I am writing to thank you for your recent letter requesting an update on Mr. Leonard Peltier's petition for a commutation of his sentence. His petition is under review, and please be assured that Mr. Bob Geldof's views on this matter will be seriously considered."

A denial is a serious setback for those intent on clemency. After a denial a petitioner must wait two years to re-apply for a pardon and one year for a commutation of a prison sentence. (the latter in Leonard's case)

Petitioners can also circumvent the Justice Department and appeal directly to the White House whenever they want.

See more below...The Justice Department declined to comment on any details of the cases.

The White House had no comment, before the inauguration on who might be granted clemency, or why.The pardon power was created to allow the President to redress injustices that the judicial system is unable to remedy or for other reasons, such as Jimmy Carter's pardon of Vietnam-era draft resisters in an effort to restore domestic tranquility.

The Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney traditionally issues a formal recommendation based on a thorough investigation of the applicant and the case. But over the past two decades, more and more applicants have gone directly to the White House, citing a huge backlog of cases at the Justice Department.

In the end, the President alone has the ultimate power to grant or deny pardons or keep them alive.Some of those denied by Bush had been considered likely candidates for some kind of clemency, in part due to the length of the prison terms, their contributions to society and their extensive lobbying campaigns.

We, supporters of Leonard Peltier have waged a decades-long campaign to free him. He is a political prisoner; he never received a fair trial; there is sufficient evidence of his innocence.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
The President and only the President has the power to grant clemency. It is a power given to the President by the U.S. Constitution with no conditions attached.

Call President Obama to express your outrage and concern, and ask him to pardon Leonard now at 202-456-1111 (White House comment line: don't push any buttons, and a real person will answer your call)

E-mail President Obama to express your outrage and concern, and ask him to pardon Leonard now at www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ or email comments@whitehouse.gov or use or online petition form at http://users.skynet.be/kola/lppet.htm (this petition form is sent directly to the White House!)

Write to President Obama to express your outrage and concern, and ask him to grant executive clemency to / a commutation of sentence for Leonard Peltier now.

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington D.C. 20500
(USA)

Don't do it once. Do it every single day !!!
Posted by brendanorrell@gmail.com

(It has been suggested by his attorney, Michael Kuzma, that Leonard be transferred to the Turtle Mountain Reservation or Sandstone or Oxford FCIs )

Please, President Obama, get Leonard to safety! - ASAP!!!!!

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Letter from Betty Peltier-Solano Asking Help for Brother

January 20th, 2009
Dear Leonard Peltier Supporters -
I am so OUTRAGED! My brother Leonard was severely beaten upon his arrival at the Canaan Federal Penitentiary. When he went into population after his transfer, some inmates assaulted him. The severity of his injuries is that he suffered numerous blows to his head and body, receiving a large bump on his head, possibly a concussion, and numerous bruises. Also, one of his fingers is swollen and discolored and he has pain in his chest and ribcage. There was blood everywhere from his injuries.

We feel that prison authorities at the prompting of the FBI orchestrated this attack and thus, we are greatly concerned about his safety. It may be that the attackers, whom Leonard did not even know, were offered reduced sentences for carrying out this heinous assault. Since Leonard is up for parole soon, this could be a conspiracy to discredit a model prisoner.

He was placed in solitary confinement and only given one meal, this is generally done when you won't name your attackers; incidentally being only given one meal seriously jeopardizes his health because of his diabetes. Prison officials refuse to release any info to the family, but they need to hear from his supporters to protect his safety, as does President Obama. His attorneys are trying to get calls into him now.

This attack on LP comes on the heels of the FBI's recent letter, prompting this attack by FBI supporters as an attempt to discredit LP as a model prisoner. Anyone who has been in the prison system knows well that if you refuse to name your attackers or file charges against them, then you lose your status as a victim and/or given points against your possible parole and labeled as a perpetrator.

It is not uncommon, in fact is quite common for the government to use Indian against Indian and they still operate under the old adage "it takes an Indian to catch an Indian." In 1978, they made an attempt to assassinate him through another Indian man who was also at Marion prison with LP. But Standing Deer chose to reveal the plot to him instead of taking his life in exchange FOR A CHANCE AT FREEDOM.

When Standing Deer was released in 2001, he joined the former Leonard Peltier Defense Committee as a board member. He also began to speak on Leonard's behalf until his murder six years ago today. Prior to his murder, Standing Deer confided with close friends and associates that the same man who visited him in Marion to assassinate Peltier, had came to Houston, TX and told him that he had better stay away from Peltier and anything to do with him.

We are aware that currently, the FBI is actively seeking support for his continued imprisonment of Leonard Peltier and also also seeking support from Native People. So please be aware, and keep Leonard in your prayers.

The FBI is apparently afraid of the impact we are having. If they will set him up to blemish his record just before a parole hearing, what will they do when it looks like his freedom will become a reality? We need to make sure that nothing happens to him again!

Please write the President, send it priority or registered mail. Email to Change.gov or email President Obama. Call your congressional representatives and write letters, not email, to them. Do what you can to get the word out to insure that LP is receiving adequate medical attention for his injuries.

I am asking you, supporters of Leonard and advocates of justice at this time to help. I don't know what else to do. Please Help!

Thank you Betty Peltier-Solano
Executive Coordinator
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee

Also call and request Leonard be treated with dignity and respect.
Canaan Federal Prison
570-488-8000

If you call the prison on Leonard's behalf you will need this register #:

LEONARD PELTIER 89637-132

Pursuant to Betty Ann Peltier Solano's letter about her brother, let the Bureau of Prisons know that the public will hold them accountable for the safety and well being of Leonard Peltier.

Warden Ronnie R. HoltUSP-Canaan
3057 Easton Turnpike
Waymart, PA 18472
Phone: 570-488-8000
Fax: 570-488-8130
E-mail address: CAA/EXECASSISTANT@BOP.GOV

D. Scott Dodrill,
DirectorNortheast Regional Office
Federal Bureau of Prisons
2nd & Chesnut Streets.,7th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Phone: 215-521-7301
E-mail: NERO/EXECASSISTANT@BOP.GOV

Harley G. Lappin, DirectorBureau of Prisons
U.S. Department of Justice
320 First Street, NW, Room 654
Washington, DC 20534
Phone: 202-307-3250
Fax: 202-514-6878

Ask President Obama to investigate this incident:
The Honorable Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

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Leonard Peltier Brutally Attacked In USP Canaan

Taken From The Democratic Underground Internet Forum

January 24, 2009
Mr. Harley G.Lappin, Director
Bureau of Prisons
320 First Street, N. W.
Washington, D. C.
20534

Re: Leonard Peltier, #89637-132

Dear Director Lappin:
I represent Mr. Leonard Peltier, #89637-132, who is currently incarcerated at USP Canaan.

Mr. Peltier was recently transferred to USP Canaan from USP Lewisburg. It is my understanding that Mr. Peltier was brutally attacked on or about January 13, 2009. Mr. Peltier suffered a possible concussion, the middle finger on his left hand may be broken or is badly injured, he has a large bump near his right wrist, the right side of his rib cage and chest are in a pain, the right side of his chest is bruised as is his left knee, and he is now having headaches, which Mr. Peltier believes are a direct result of the January 13, 2009 beating.

It is clear that Mr. Peltier is in grave danger at USP Canaan. By letters dated November 29, 2008 and December 15, 2008, I requested that Mr. Peltier be transferred to the Turtle Mountain reservation or, in the alternative, he be sent to Sandstone FCI or Oxford FCI.

As I noted in my letter of December 15, 2008, on August 20, 2008 Mr. Peltier sought to be transferred to Sandstone FCI or Oxford FCI. A copy of the “Inmate Request to Staff” form dated August 20, 2008 that Mr. Peltier submitted to Case Manager Rothermel is once again enclosed for your information.

Please advise me of what steps, if any, you have taken to ensure Mr. Peltier’s safety. More specifically, I would like to know what you have done to make sure that he is not attacked again in the future. Also, has Mr. Peltier received appropriate medical treatment for his injuries? If not, it is imperative that he sees health care professionals without any further delay so that his injuries may be properly treated.

I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Thank you.

Yours truly,
Michael Kuzma, Esq.

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'U.S. Supreme Court Denies Cert In MichGO v. Kempthorne'

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MNN Editors Got It Wrong! - NAPT News

Mohawk Nation News Editors Got it All Wrong!!!
BEWARE "RAHNATAKIAS" - CURE FOR OBAMA FEVER IS "INDIAN" HISTORY
MNN. Jan. 21, 2009.
"U.S. President Barack Obama slipped a subtle comment into his inauguration "mind control" speech on January 20th.

“When Obama defined America as a nation of "Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers", he deliberately left out Indigenous peoples. We have our value systems. We have our knowledge. He sneaked in the intention to ignore us when he said that "the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve".
---------------
Dear Canadian Mohawk Nation News Lady Editors – You got it all wrong, here – When President Obama defined America as a nation of: Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers, he was referring to religions – Indigenous Peoples are not a religion, we are a race of people.

I do believe you owe our distinguished 44th President of the United States an apology!!! During the campaign, he went out of his way to include six Native Americans as members of his Transition Team and has pledged to help our tribes with their many health, housing, welfare, civil rights, etc. problems and I believe him.

As editor the of “Native Unity Digest” blog, I feel it is my responsibility to set the record straight on this issue as you sent your article directly to me.
Bobbie Hart O’Neill

Congressional Leaders Consider Delaying DTV Transition
From Native American Public Telecommunications - NAPT January 2009 Newsletter

Those who use an antennae to get a signal for their television and haven't bought a digital converter box yet may get a reprieve.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-WV, incoming chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, proposed legislation Thursday that would delay the upcoming digital television transition to June 12.

"I am especially concerned because this transition is going to hit our most vulnerable citizens--the poor, the elderly, the disabled, and those with language barriers-the hardest," Rockefeller said in a press release posted on his Web site.

"Rural communities that rely on over-the-air television will be especially impacted."Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., House Commerce Committee chairman, has also introduced a bill to delay the date until June 12.

President-elect Barack Obama and other congressional leaders have asked that the transition from analog to digital broadcast slated for Feb. 17 should be pushed back, saying that many in the country are simply not ready for the transition.

At issue is the waiting list of more than 1 million consumers who have signed up for $40 coupons for converter boxes. A spokesman at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration said although all the convert box coupons have been issued, only about 52 percent have been redeemed.

"We encourage family and friends who have a coupon and don't need it that they share it with others," NTIA Spokesman Todd Sedmak said.

Until Congress makes a change in the law laying out the transition and the Feb. 17 deadline, Americans are continuing to prepare for the transition.

KOAT in Albuquerque, N.M., has been running digital tests during their newscasts. And Hawaii on Thursday became the first state in the nation to shut off its analog transmitters. The move was made early to avoid the nesting season of an endangered bird, the Hawaiian dark-rumped petrel.

In Indian Country, federal officials have been working during the past year to prepare Native Americans, especially those in rural areas. Fliers, special meetings and announcements about the transition were done during powwows, conferences and other tribal meetings.

Geoffrey Blackwell, chairman of the National Congress of American Indians' Telecommunications Subcommittee, said while federal officials have performed good outreach to tribes, more can be done on a government-to-government level to address unique problems.

"Issues insuring a smooth transition in Indian Country hinge not just on direct consumer outreach but also on the federal government's ability to coordinate effectively with tribal governments, who know best their members and families needing assistance and most at risk of getting left behind," said Blackwell, who also serves as director of Strategic Relations for Chickasaw Nation Industries."...

Tribal governments and their internal offices can be engaged as valuable partners in carrying out the governmental side of this transition," he said.

For more information on the DTV transition, go to: http://www.dtv.gov/.

Series Nominated With Broadcast Journalism Award For Excellence
A series exploring health and socioeconomic disparities in America has been awarded the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for excellence in broadcast journalism.

Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? aired on PBS last year and questioned fundamental beliefs about what makes Americans healthy or sick.NAPT and other members of the National Minority Consortia provided funding for the series.

For more information about the award or series, go to:
http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/

New NAPT Website Coming Soon
In order to better serve our viewers and listeners, NAPT will unveil a new website soon. Producers will be able to upload video and musicians will be able to upload audio.

For a sneak peak, go to:
www.nativetelecom.org/beta.

Keep checking www.nativetelecom.org to see the new and improved user-friendly Web site by NAPT.

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Groups Press President Obama For Tribe-Friendly Renewable Energy Policies

By Rob Capriccioso
Indian Country Today
Submitted by Native Workplace

WASHINGTON – As more tribes explore and get involved in the renewable energy field, a network of tribal groups is asking President Barack Obama to support tribally owned and operated renewable energy projects, along with economic development initiatives that could reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

“The Obama economic stimulus plan that incorporates a green economy and green jobs portfolio must include provisions for access of these resources by our Native nations, our tribal education and training institutions and Native organizations and communities,” according to a policy statement released jointly Dec. 17 by the Intertribal Council on Utility Policy, the Indigenous Environmental Network, the International Indian Treaty Council and the Honor the Earth environmental group.

“When considering energy production, resource extraction, housing and energy efficiency, it is essential that the incoming administration takes into account the disproportionate impacts of climate change and energy development on American Indian reservations and Alaska Native villages, and the potential for catalyzing green reservation economies.”

The groups represent approximately 250 grassroots tribal organizations and tribes that want to ensure American Indian participation and prosperity in the green economy of the future.

The statement says that federal government subsidies for the nuclear, coal, gas and oil industry should be rapidly phased out with a proportional ramp up of subsidies for renewable technologies and locally administered conservation and efficiency improvements.

Under current federal law, tribes are not directly entitled to credits provided to non-Native developers for renewable energy production. This has created a system where outside companies sometimes think twice about teaming with tribes on renewable energy projects, since, if they do so, the federal government does not allow for a full tax credit.

“Projects involving technologies like wind power could stand on their own if none of the energy sectors got [federal] subsidies or incentives, but there are already billions of dollars built into coal, gas and coal subsidies,” said Bob Gough, a leader with Intertribal COUP.

“To compete against them, renewable energy technologies require subsidies as well. You can’t artificially keep the price of energy down, and then expect new kinds of technology to bear all the costs.”

The groups are pressing for changes to subsidy laws to make them more tribe-friendly, and also say that any climate change legislation should not allocate funds for nuclear or clean coal technologies, as they believe those practices are often harmful to the Earth and to tribal interests.

The policy paper specifically asks that policymakers provide a renewable production refund for tribal projects that can’t utilize current tax credits, as well as offer financial matching grants to capitalize renewable energy potential in tribal communities.

The organizations believe that a new crop of tribal renewable projects, which would be assisted by the legislative changes they seek, would provide dual benefits of low carbon power and green economic development where it is needed most.

Support for legislative action involving tribes and energy is based on the following research gathered by the groups:

• Tribal lands have an estimated 535 billion kWh/year of wind power generation potential.

• Tribal lands have an estimated 17,000 billion kWh/year of solar electricity generation potential, about 4.5 times the total U.S. annual generation.

• Investing in renewable energy creates more jobs per dollar invested than fossil fuel energy.• Efficiency creates 21.5 jobs for every $1 million invested.

• The costs of fuel for wind and solar power can be projected into the future, providing a unique opportunity for stabilizing an energy intensive economy.

In sum, members of the tribal network believe that forward thinking energy and climate policy will have the ability to transform tribal and other rural economies, while also providing a basis for an overall economic recovery in the U.S.

Gough estimated that close to 100 tribes across the country have already assessed or are currently assessing the wind and/or solar energy resources that are available on their lands. Some of the tribes, including those in the Plains and Southwest regions, have found that their renewable energy resources rank among the most abundant in the U.S.

Tony Skrelunas, an America Indian program director with the Grand Canyon Trust environmental group, said that it will be important in 2009 for tribes to continue banding together to make their energy interests well-known to federal policymakers.

Skrelunas, a member of the Navajo Nation who used to manage the tribe’s economic development operations, said many tribes are now savvy on energy issues, and have evolved to the point where they want strong federal policies put in place to help them harness their power. His group plans to help convene several tribal renewable energy players early in 2009 to focus on national strategies.

“There are a lot of issues that have to be worked out and laws that need to be clarified,” Skrelunas said. “And the tribes have to be the ones championing this. The tribes have to be the ones going to Congress saying they want these laws changed.”

Skrelunas said he is looking forward to what the Obama administration brings forward regarding tribal energy issues.

In terms of tribal economics, many energy experts say that renewable projects could create a more stable business model than, say, the development of casinos alone.

“One of the issues facing economic development with casinos is that you need to have a number of customers – you need to have a large population market to draw on, but that’s not always the case for remote reservations” Gough noted.

“Whereas, it doesn’t matter how many people want to use the electricity you’re able to produce from a wind turbine in a rural area, you can serve thousands and thousands and thousands of customers from across a whole region.”

Gough said he hopes to see dozens more tribal renewable energy projects up and running by the end of 2009.

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Action On Bush Admistration's 'Last Minute' Mining - Oil And Gas Leases

HAPPY INAUGURATION DAY: Change Is Coming!!!

Hearing To Stop Further Mining At Tenabo!
Demonstration and News Conference to Protect Native Religions

Where: Gordon R. Thompson Federal Bldg. (S. Virginia and Liberty)

When: Tuesday, January 20, 8:00 AM

On this day of the inauguration of a new president with hope for the future we are reminded that the founding fathers of the United States dedicated into our constitution freedom to practice religion as ones tradition required.

Just two months ago, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved the construction of a massive open pit cyanide heap leach gold mine on the face of well-known spiritual area, Mt. Tenabo. Western Shoshone communities, the Western Shoshone Defense Project and Great Basin Resource Watch are seeking an injunction to stop further destruction of Mt. Tenabo by Barrick Gold Corporation. The Federal Court in Reno has scheduled a hearing on Jan. 20th and 21st.

The peaceful and respectful demonstration will open with native drumming, song, and prayer. Western Shoshone elders will speak, and supporting local religious leaders will follow. Just before 9:00 AM the demonstration will close and all supporters will be invited to attend as much of the injunctive hearing as they can in support of religious freedom. There will also be a similar demonstration at the same time on January 21.

“Denabo (correct pronunciation) has special significance for Western Shoshone, it means the writing on the rocks walls of the mountain (White Cliffs) put there by our Creator. We go to pray to our Creator to give us strength to keep us going. How can we pray to our creator when the place is being blown up?” - Joyce McDade, Western Shoshone Grandmother

“When God makes a covenant to provide for human beings, the covenant always includes the land. Our well-being as a species is conditioned upon our capacity to love and care for the land. Native American communities and their spiritual practices have enlightened our way to this love and care.”– John Auer, Reverend First United Methodist Church, Reno NV.

Barrick Gold Corporation is the world’s largest gold company and operates mainly on Indigenous lands for the extraction of gold. This company has refused to accept its social responsibility to protect Indigenous peoples’ land, sacred areas, water, and air pollution.

This destruction of Indigenous spiritual areas must stop now.

Contact: Julie Cavanaugh-Bill (775-397-6726), wsdp@igc.org
Dan Randolph (775-348-1986), dan@gbrw.org

JUDGE RULES IN FAVOR OF CONSERVATION GROUPS
We have terrific news to share with you that bodes well for protecting Utah's wild lands!

On Saturday, January 18, Judge Urbina of the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of SUWA (Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance) and other conservation groups to temporarily block the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from leasing more than 110,000 acres of Utah wilderness.

This ruling from Judge Urbina prohibits the BLM from issuing oil and gas leases for Utah wildlands until the lawsuit is resolved sometime later this year. The judge recognized the legitimacy of our concerns, especially regarding damage to air quality, and acknowledged that the lease sale could cause irreparable damage to some of Utah's amazing wild landscapes.

Our challenge is against the BLM's December 2008 oil and gas lease sale, which included areas near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Dinosaur National Monument, and Nine Mile Canyon. The BLM's sale was based on hastily approved resource management plans that have opened up million acres of Utah's public lands to potential damage.

Thanks to everyone who has taken an interest in this issue and worked so hard to prevent these leases from being issued. By continuing to work together we will protect Utah's wild lands!

The staff at SUWA

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Support The Western Shoshone On Inauguration Day!

WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON INAUGURATION DAY?
Spend Inauguration Day Supporting the Western Shoshone and the Freedom of Native Religions and Human Rights.

As the Martin Luther King human rights weekend and on the Inauguration Day of President Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, approach, we at the Western Shoshone Defense Project ask the support of everyone to assist us in opposing the continuing Human Rights violations of the Western Shoshone People and their lands.

Just two months ago, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved the construction of a massive open pit cyanide heap leach gold mine on the face of well-known spiritual area, Mt. Tenabo. Western Shoshone communities, the Western Shoshone Defense Project and Great Basin Resource Watch are seeking an injunction to stop further destruction of Mt. Tenabo by Barrick Gold Corporation. The Federal Court in Reno has scheduled a hearing on Jan. 20th and 21st.

WHAT YOU CAN DO AS WE AWAIT THE COURT’s DECISION: We need supporters at both of the following locations:
1. Attend the Public Demonstration to Protect Native Spiritual Areas and Human Rights in front of the Courthouse on S. Virginia Street beginning at 8 am on both Jan. 20th and 21st.

2. Attend the Mt. Tenabo encampment and Arbor Vigil beginning tomorrow, Thursday Jan. 15th and lasting through the following week of hearings at the gathering area on the Southeast flank facing Grass Valley, Nevada. (Contact wsdp@igc.org for directions and supplies needed).

3. We also need people to write requests to President-elect Barack Obama and his transition team. This destruction of Indigenous spiritual areas must stop now and a commitment to good faith talks with the Western Shoshone must be made.

4. Make a donation to support our work. Make checks payable to : SGF/WSDP. Send to: PO Box 211308, Crescent Valley, NV 89812.

Addresses and talking points are attached below, please do what you can – we need all the help we can get.

Background: Barrick Gold Corporation is the world’s largest gold company and operates mainly on Indigenous lands for the extraction of gold. This company has refused to accept its social responsibility to protect Indigenous peoples’ land, sacred areas, water, and air pollution. Barrick has carried out many violations of Human Rights, and abusively opposed the struggle of Indigeous lands and people. Barrick is now beginning construction of an open pit cyanide mine directly on Mt. Tenabo – a Western Shoshone spiritual and cultural area.

Shoshone opposition to this mine has been ongoing and has gained global attention. Barrick has failed to recognize these concerns and has instead attempted to divide the Shoshone people, giving money and gifts to the communities, and using its media channels to state that all the people are happy and are supportive of their operations. The time is critical now as Barrick has already received full approval from the U.S. Dept. of Interior and has begun ripping out the pinyon forest and digging the pit to create its “Cortez Hills Expansion Mine”.

This mine will cause permanent destruction of the cultural and spiritual practices of the Western Shoshone. Mt. Tenabo has been, and continues to be, used by Western Shoshone people as a central part of their religious practices and world view. Western Shoshone visit the mountain and the valley below (the location of the mine pit) for prayer ceremonies, gathering of sacred plants, fasting, and vision quests, among other uses. The Mountain also contains Western Shoshone gravesites. All of these values and uses will be destroyed by the Project. In addition, the massive pumping of groundwater will likely dry up sacred springs and streams on and around Mt. Tenabo.

No big mining project in Nevada has ever been denied by the United States. This is one must be stopped.

Again, we need your help to tell Barrick to to stop presenting false information to the media making the Shoshone people and the violations of this mine to the lands and sacred areas invisible to the public. At this time we need your support to stop mining at Mount Tenabo and to tell the U.S. there must be a full review of the human rights violations of the Shoshone people. We ask for your support in this urgent case which has common elements with indigenous peoples and mining abuses around the world.

Thank you for supporting the Western Shoshone Defense Project.

Some important talking points to consider in your Request:
∗ The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Decision 1/68) has specifically raised concerns regarding the mining threat to Mt. Tenabo. The United States is in further violation of this Decision in approving this project – the Obama administration needs to understand this now before taking office.

∗ The Bush administration has strong connections to the mining industry and this decision approving the “Cortez Hills Expansion” before the new administration comes in is highly questionable.– President Obama should demonstrate the change he is committed to and respect Western Shoshone spirituality and the need to stop this destructive project and uphold the human rights and Treaty rights. Request that the Obama Team meet immediately with Western Shoshone representatives to investigate further the human rights violations.

∗ Barrick is well-aware of the concerns and the Mt. Tenabo mine proposal has been specifically criticized by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The details of the mine would:

∗ Disturb 6,792 acres of land, including a heap leach and waste rock facilities.

∗ Blast the new Cortez Hills mine Pit approximately 900 feet in length, 6,400 feet in width, and a maximum depth of 2,200 feet.

∗ Pump groundwater from around the pit with an average dewatering rate of approximately 1.8 billion gallons per year for ten years.

∗ Create a drop in the water table of 1,600 feet surrounding the pit, decreasing to 10 feet at a 3-4 mile radius of the pit.

∗ Potentially impact 50 springs and seeps in the area.

∗ Of the 11 non-Cortez Gold Mine water rights impacted, only one is expected to recover fully within 100 years after dewatering ceases

Also: President-elect Barack Obama – Needs to demonstrate his commitment to change and meet with traditional Western Shoshone immediately to investigate the human rights situation.

Type in your info and your request directly to the Transition Team at: http://change.gov/page/s/yourstory

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Indigenous Peoples' Global Summit On Climate Change

Conference Announcement:
Submitted by Western Shoshone Defense Project

Leading The Way: Indigenous Peoples' Global Summit on Climate Change
Dena'ina Center
Anchorage, Alaska ( USA )

April 20-24, 2009
Indigenous peoples from all regions of the world depend upon the natural environment. Their rich and detailed traditional knowledge reflects and embodies a cultural and spiritual relationship with the land, ocean and wildlife. However, human activity is changing the world's climate and altering the natural environment to which Indigenous Peoples are so closely attached and on which they so heavily rely.

In a very real sense, therefore, Indigenous Peoples are on the front lines of climate change. They observe climate and environmental changes first-hand and use traditional knowledge and survival skills to adapt to these changes as they occur. Moreover, they must do so at a time when their cultures and livelihoods are already undergoing significant changes due, in part, to the accelerated development of natural resources from their traditional territories stimulated by trade liberalization and globalization.

Reflecting their position as "stewards" of the environment and drawing upon their age-old traditional knowledge – the heart of their cultural resilience – Indigenous Peoples were among the first groups to call upon national governments, transnational corporations and civil society to do more to protect the Earth and human society from climate change. The Indigenous Peoples’ Global Summit will bring together 200-300 indigenous participants and observers from around the world to pursue four key objectives:

1. Consolidate, share and draw lessons from the views and experiences of Indigenous Peoples around the world on the impacts and effects of climate change on their ways of life and their natural environment, including responses;

2. Raise the visibility, participation and role of Indigenous Peoples in local, national, regional and international processes in formulating strategies and partnerships that engage local communities and other stakeholders to respond to the impacts of climate change;

3. Analyze, discuss and promote public awareness of the impacts and consequences of programs and proposals for climate change mitigation and adaptation, and assess proposed "solutions" to climate change from the perspective of Indigenous Peoples;

and4. Advocate effective strategies and solutions in response to climate change from the perspective of the cultures, world views, and traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, including local, national, regional and international rights-based approaches.

For further information, please contact:
Patricia Cochran - Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Anchorage , Alaska , USA
mailto:pcochran%40aknsc.org

Steering Committee members:
• Patricia Cochran (Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Anchorage , Alaska )

• Victoria Tauli-Corpuz (Chair, UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Philippines )

• Tarcila Rivera Zea (Executive Director, Chirapaq-Centro de Culturas Indigenas del Peru )

• Andrea Carmen (Executive Director, International Indian Treaty Council)

• Joseph Ole Simel (National Coordinator, Mainyoito Pastoralist Integrated Development Organization, Masai , Kenya )

• Cletus Springer (Director, Dept. of Sustainable Development, Organization of American States)

• Ben Namakin (Program Manager Environmental Education & Awareness Program Conservation Society of Pohnpei (CSP)

Contact: info@indigenoussummit.com
Registration: www.indigenoussummit.com

SUWA Gets More Wilderness For Washington County
Today, Congress took the first step towards nearly doubling the amount of designated Wilderness on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in Utah.

After nearly five years of hard work by SUWA,(Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance) a greatly improved version of wilderness legislation for Washington County was included earlier this week in a package of public lands provisions.

The U.S. Senate today approved the first key vote on that package, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act (S. 22). Another procedural vote and a vote on final passage, likely to occur next week, are needed before the package moves to the House of Representatives for a vote. It is expected to then proceed to the desk of President-Elect Obama for his signature.

Today's successful vote marks a momentous step forward for wild lands in Utah. Countless Redrock supporters have toiled for decades to designate wilderness in Southern Utah, and SUWA is proud of the many improvements made to this Washington County legislation in recent months.

Please see SUWA's detailed statment on the important new changes to this legislation.
We congratulate Sen. Bennett, Chairman Jeff Bingaman and the the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Congressional supporters of America's redrock wilderness.

425 East 100 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84111
801-486-3161
http://www.suwa.org/

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Record-Breaking Winter Hits Pine Ridge Elders- Hard!

Feeding, Heating, and Healing One Family at a Time
Record-Breaking Winter Hits Reservation Service Organizations Hard
By Stephanie M. Schwartz, Freelance Writer

Winter in South Dakota started early this year and has been exceptionally brutal with days and nights already breaking many records for below 0*F temperatures and reported wind chill factors defying comprehension at -72*F

On the Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux Reservation, this has set even the most solid of reservation organizations scrambling for heating fuel. Add to the problem a 33% increase in propane costs this year and it has become a very tenuous situation.

Sadly, like everywhere, it’s always the elders and sick who are the most at risk.

Robert Quiver, Jr., is the Elderly Coordinator for the Porcupine District, one of the largest Districts on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Quiver reports that the building used for their Elderly Meals Program is nearly out of propane. They are down to the last 10% of a 500 gallon tank. A full tank could probably get them through the rest of the winter but at $2.20 per gallon, they simply don't have $1,100.00 to fill it.

This may be disastrous news for the 70 to 90 elders who depend on the program for lunch each day, a meal which is delivered to them at home and which may be their only real meal of the day.

Increased gasoline prices for those deliveries made deep cuts into the program's budget and now the increased cost of propane has brought concern that the program will be able to continue.

Quiver stated that if anyone wants to help keep the program going, they should call Crystal at the Lakota Plains Propane Company 1-605-867-5199 and tell her they want to donate towards propane for the Porcupine Elderly Meals Program using their credit or debit card. For anyone with questions, Robert Quiver can be reached at the Porcupine Elders Advisory Council office 1-605-867-2062

Another service organization in need is the Porcupine Clinic, the only independent, Indian community-controlled health clinic in the United States. It is not connected with the Federal Indian Health Services (IHS) program and is funded primarily by grants and donations. They, too, are feeling the pinch.

The Porcupine Clinic opened its doors in 1992 and serves the entire Reservation as well as the Porcupine District in which it is located. Patients are billed according to their ability to pay and many patients, many of whom are low-income Elders and children, receive free health care there.

Stella White Eyes, Administrative Assistant, reports that at least 120 patients per week are served at the Clinic through their Well Child Program, Podiatry Program, Diabetic Program, Midwife Classes, etc.

Additionally, their CHR Program tries to provide rides for patients to and from treatment at the IHS Hospital in the community of Pine Ridge 30 miles away (at a cost of $10 per person + 65 cents per mile). The Clinic also hopes to re-open its two-bed dialysis unit soon now that necessary repairs to the building have been completed.

But the Clinic needs help. Ms. White Eyes says they are not out of propane but they definitely could use help to make it through the winter due to the increase in propane costs. They have three tanks: a thousand gallon tank which services the main clinic building and two five hundred gallon tanks servicing the dialysis unit.

People wishing to donate propane for the Porcupine Clinic can contact Loretta Margrave at Westco (Western Cooperative) in Chadron, Nebraska at their toll-free number, 1-800-762-9906. Minimum delivery is 200 gallons but donations can be of any size.

Another propane assistance program on the Reservation was founded by Russell Mean, long-time AIM activist and Lakota leader. He is spearheading the Republic of Lakotah Emergency Propane Assistance for the Elderly. For this program, propane can also be purchased and donated directly through the Lakota Plains Propane Company by calling 1-605-867-5199. Questions can be answered by emailing info@RepublicOfLakotah.com

Meanwhile, Robert Eagle Elk, District Coordinator for the Oglala Sioux Tribe Heating and Energy Assistance Office as well as Coordinator for the District CAP Offices, spoke recently on NAMAPAHH internet blog radio about the effects of this severe winter and the multiple blizzards on Pine Ridge. He noted that not only were the elders suffering but also the many working poor who cannot afford heat either.

He said the tribal assistance program was very low on funds and would welcome donations. The Oglala Sioux Tribe website notes that donations may be sent to the OST Energy Assistance Program c/o OST Treasurer, Crystal Eagle Elk, P.O. Box 2070 – Pine Ridge, SD 57770

When asked by this reporter, Eagle Elk responded that he was not sure when the Federal LIHEAP low-income energy assistance fuel allotments would be released but believed it would be in January or February, 2009.

But historically, research has shown that LIHEAP allotments have only been a partial help and never enough to last long through the many months of winter in South Dakota.

Another program, non-tribal but serving the Pine Ridge Reservation, is Link Center Foundation's Emergency Winter Heating/Utility Assistance Program for the Elders, Disabled, and Seriously Ill.

This small, grassroots all-volunteer 501c3 non-profit organization from Colorado was able to assist 220 individual families in 2008 but still has over 200 qualified elders and disabled from the Reservation on a waiting list for assistance.

The organization has been trying to assist those who qualify with $150 in fuel one time. But sadly, donations have slowed down to a trickle even though additional support came in from other organizations such as NAMA (the Native American Music Association).

Meanwhile, winter is barely at the half-way mark. Bitter cold temperatures and snow still persist and are expected to continue well into March. Anyone wishing to donate to this program can visit the Link Center Foundation website and donate securely with a credit or bank card. www.linkcenterfoundation.org

There are also many other good non-tribal, non-profit organizations trying to help with heating assistance. But with the early onset of winter and the blizzards and extended frigid temperatures creating extreme need, funding is low or depleted at this point for most of them.

Additionally, the majority of these organizations operate solely from donations and are usually unable to obtain grants for their heating assistance programs, which are often referred to as “band-aid programs” by the grant funders. Yet, while it’s true these programs don’t provide permanent solutions, they do address a very real and on-going need.

That is the ultimate point. There simply are no permanent solutions at this time. Further, until such solutions arrive, it will be the programs such as these organizations provide which will continue to keep people alive and warm, one family at a time.

And, if propane arrives for the Porcupine Elderly Meals Program, at least some elders will eat as well.

This article may be reprinted, reproduced, and/or re-distributed unedited with proper attribution and sourcing for non-profit, educational, news, or archival purposes.

Stephanie M. Schwartz may be reached at SilvrDrach@aol.com
View other publications of Stephanie M. Schwartz at http://www.silvrdrach.homestead.com/
Member, Native American Journalists Association (NAJA)
President, Link Center Foundation
© January 8, 2008 Porcupine, South Dakota

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Fort Robinson Outbreak Spiritual Run - Starts January 9th

Yellow Bird Inc., Heove ve ‘keso
Ft. Robinson Outbreak Spiritual Run
PO Box 1138 Lame Deer, MT. 59043 (406)
477-8720, http://www.yellowbirdinc.org/

Fort Robinson Outbreak Spiritual Run
Submitted by Western Shoshone Defense Project
Starting January 9th through the 14th, 2009 the Annual Fort Robinson Outbreak Spiritual Run will be celebrating it’s 10th Anniversary of running the 400 miles from Fort Robinson, Neb. to Busby, Mont.

On January 9, 1879, at 10:30 pm, approximately 130 sick, starving Northern Cheyenne people, primarily elderly, women, and children, broke out of their wooden barracks attempting to escape from Fort Robinson, Neb. to return to their homeland in Montana. Although most were killed at the door step, some fled 40 miles before the Calvary caught up with them.

They sought cover in a deep depression, where they were slaughtered and buried. This location is known as, “The Last Hole.” A small group also found safety among Red Cloud’s people. Oral history of the Oglala Lakota and those of Cheyenne descent state that an encampment of these survivors were fed and given blankets infected with small pox by Calvary soldiers. Remains of these Cheyenne ancestors have been discovered on the banks of Cheyenne Creek, just outside of Pine Ridge.

Today, “The Last Hole,” and “Cheyenne Creek,” will be among numerous sites revisited on the 400 mile spiritual journey by Northern Cheyenne youth runners and elderly participants. All of whom have been brought together to honor their ancestors, learn of their history and to address the issues of historical trauma so they can strive towards a better future.

The run’s participants include a wide range of ages, from 10 year old 5th graders, young adult college students to the elderly. After arriving at Fort Robinson, the runners will spend the next day, January 9th, visiting historical sights, listening to their ancestors’ stories and learning about their Northern Cheyenne heritage. That evening the runners will break out of the rebuilt barracks at the approximate time and on the exact location that their ancestors broke out of 130 years ago.

The following day on January 10th, the runners will follow a new route through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and stop at Cheyenne Creek that evening to hear the oral history of that location. On this day they will be joined by Oglala Lakota runners. The alteration of the original route to go through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is in commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of running the full 400 miles from Fort Robinson to Busby.

It is also in memory of and to pay homage to those killed at Cheyenne Creek. Later, that evening both Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne Tribal Presidents and officials will be honoring the Fort Robinson Outbreak Spiritual Run participants at the Prairie Winds Casino.

The run will resume the original route the next morning on January 11th, through the sacred Black Hills, from Hot Springs, Custer and onto Deadwood. The runners will make a special stop at Crazy Horse Monument at noon to give a gift of appreciation to Ruth Ziockowski and her family for their continued contributions and support of the run. That evening, a meal will be organized for the runners by Debbie Eagle Elk at 6 pm at the Mother Butler Center. The community is invited to help with the meal and support the runners and participants.

January 12th marks the longest day of mileage for the run. Runners will start in Deadwood and will continue into the night until they reach Hammond, Mont. On this day runners will cover over 100 miles. On this evening, the Butte County Historical Society and members of the Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce will provide and serve a meal to the runners. The meal in Belle Fourche is significant because it creates a bridge between cultures and stimulates cultural awareness and understanding. These concepts are taught to the runners throughout the run.

The evening of January 13th, 2009 the runners will reach the reservation boundary in Ashland, Mont. where they will be welcomed home by hundreds of family and tribal members. Saint Labre Catholic School will provide the meal that evening. The final day of the Fort Robinson Spiritual Outbreak Run will end at the Two Moons Monument in Busby, Mont. This is the site where the remains of the Northern Cheyenne who were killed at, “The Last Hole,” are laid to rest.

The 10th Anniversary of the Fort Robinson Spiritual Outbreak 400 Mile Run will end at the Allen Rowland Gymnasium in Lame Deer, Mont. The runners will be honored with a meal provided by community members. Their 400 mile journey ends, but their journey in life continues with a strong sense of spiritual justice.

For specific route information, location, dates and times please see attached schedule. For more information regarding the Fort Robinson Spiritual Outbreak Run’s coordinators, Phillip Whiteman Jr. and Lynette Two Bulls and their non profit please visit http://www.yellowbirdinc.org/.

Coordinators, Phillip Whiteman Jr. & Lynette Two Bulls
(406)477-8720
or spiritseeker@rangeweb.net
Fort Robinson Outbreak Spiritual Run

Interior's 'Outhouse' - WOW!!!
AIR BLOG
Kempthorne's New Bathroom at Interior May Have Cost More than Your House
Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Washington Post columnist Al Kamen reported Monday that Dirk Kempthorne, the outgoing secretary of Interior, spent about $235,000 a few months ago to renovate his office bathroom. Although some renovation may have been justified, because the aging plumbing in the exiting bathroom needed to be replaced, most of the money was spent on lavish paneling and tile, installing a shower, a refrigerator and a freezer.

The Inspector General's office said there was no wrong-doing -- well at least none of this was illegal -- because the General Services Administration approved the project. Go here to read more and keep in mind that this is the same federal agency that won't appropriate enough money to renovate Indian schools or jails.

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Native Groups Partner For Green Jobs - Green Economy - Let's Thank Raul Grijalva

Native Groups Partner to Promote Green Careers
Submitted by Native Workplace

Austin, TX , January 5, 2009: A new national alliance is forming to encourage the expansion of the Green Job-Green Economy movement in Indian country.

Native Workplace, Navajo Green Economy Coalition and Honor the Earth are joining forces to invite tribal members around the nation to start a green information group in their own communities. The purpose of this alliance is to ensure that green career education will reach everyone in Indian country and so that all tribal members feel included and that their voice is represented.

"It is very important that we have a national effort that grows from within our own community. Green career and business opportunities vary from region to region, and the alliance can offer our existing resources to tribal members that need help getting started,” said Cristala Allen, Executive Director of Native Workplace.

The National Native Green Alliance will be an informal network, designed to support emerging groups and promote green business development by sharing information and connections. The talking circle will have no regular meetings, no fees and no “Roberts rules.” Events will be promoted throughout the network.

Anna Marie Rondon, of the Navajo Green Economy Coalition says, "The alliance is practicing a long tradition of tribal members uniting and creating an inter-tribal effort that will protect and benefit the general well being of indigenous peoples."

Coordinators feel that green business development is equally important as green career education. There are a variety of options for tribal members to consider, but the information needs to become widely available.

"This alliance is about creating and actualizing a new vision for the future by supporting our peoples and protecting the earth," said Nellis Kennedy, National Campaign Associate at Honor the Earth. "It is a way to create a networking strategy for ideas and communication."

All of the organizations are working to build an Indian economy based on traditional values of preserving our natural resources.

Enei Begaye, Black Mesa Water Coalition Co-Director and Navajo Green Economy Coalition member says, "A green economy is nothing new to Indigenous peoples, we have been practicing this way of life in harmony with Mother Earth before Wall Street. But today, what we strive to do is unite the modern non-polluting technologies, such as wind and solar, with the tradition technologies, such as weaving and farming; and with that unity we can open up new doors of opportunity for ALL our people - young and old, college educated and land educated alike."

Alliance members can be reached by contacting them through their websites, by email or phone. Student and Veteran groups are encouraged to join. A list of participating organizations will be posted on the Native Workplace website.

"We have very bright people in our community, and we are confident that more tribal members will be stepping up the effort to provide information to their families and elected officials on the various opportunities coming to their areas," said Cristala. "We can be more effective if we work together.”

Contact information:

Cristala Allen: Native Workplace
www.NativeWorkplace.com
info@nativeworkplace.com
512.462.9056

Anna Marie Rondon: Navajo Green Economy Coalition
annarondon@msn.com
www.navajogreenjobs.com
505.726.9392

Nellis Kennedy: Honor the Earth
nellis@honortheearth.org
www.honortheearth.org
218.375.3200

SUWA AND I THANK CONGRESSMAN RAUL GRIJALVA - HOW ABOUT YOU?
Dear Bobbie,
In the waning days of the Bush administration, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has sought to industrialize much of Utah's redrock country by finalizing land use plans that would open up millions of wilderness-quality acres to oil and gas development and off-road vehicle use. The finalization of these Resource Management Plans (RMPs) resulted in an oil and gas lease sale on December 19, affecting tens of thousands of acres of redrock wilderness.

While this picture may look bleak, there is hope -- thanks in part to your Representative, Raul Grijalva! As chairman of the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Grijalva wrote a a letter protesting the Bush administration's damaging plans for Utah wilderness.

This letter in opposition has already resulted in the deferral of some of the original lease sale parcels, and will also prove very helpful in our efforts to reverse the final lease sale and revise the RMPs during the next administration.

Please take the time to thank Rep. Grijalva for his leadership in protecting Utah wilderness!
For Wild Utah,The SUWA Grassroots Team

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Native Radio Theatre Special Call For Scripts - NAPT Opporunities - OOPS -Two Robin Youngbloods!

OOPS - TWO ROBIN YOUNGBLOODS - VERY SORRY
Hello Bobbie,
I was recently notified about your Sept. 25 blog entitled, "An Open Letter to Sarah Palin from an Indegenous Woman."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7176694#7177098

You attribute the quote in your blog to the wrong Robin Youngblood. I am the Robin Youngblood who works at St. Ambrose University, but you are looking for the Native American shaman of the same name. Here is a link to her web site: http://www.dreamingshaman.com/about_robin.htm

I am deeply disturbed that you somehow confused the two. Could you please correct the attribution on your blog?
Thanks,
~Robin
Robin J. Youngblood
St. Ambrose University
Assistant Director of Publications
Communications & Marketing
(563) 333.6043
YoungbloodRobinJ@sau.edu
www.sau.edu/ambrosezine

NATIVE RADIO THEATER SPECIAL CAL FOR SCRIPTS
Deadline: February 13, 2008
2009 Native Radio Theater Special Call for Scripts Information and Application (pdf)
Life is a soap opera...or it could be.

Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT) is teaming up with Media for Health and the National Society for American Indian Elderly in a Call for Scripts to be considered for production through the Native Radio Theater Project.

Our goal is to produce a series of short audio dramas that would be entertaining and educational. The deadline for submissions is February 13, 2009. NAPT's Native Radio Theater project is a partnership with Native Voices at the Autry in Los Angeles, CA.

As a public health drama, this radio program will revolve around common health concerns such as diabetes, diet and nutrition, mental health, substance abuse and other issues that are currently impacting Native communities across the country.

In an entertainment-education radio drama serial, these health issues are interwoven with the personal stories of the characters who model for the audience new behaviors that can improve their lives and their communities. However, while this is a drama, in drama there is always room for humor.

This health promotion radio drama is a partnership between the Native American Public Telecommunications, the National Society for American Indian Elderly (NSAIE), Media for Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health and the Corporation for National and Community Service. The project's current working title is Healing Circle.

We aim to create pilot episodes for a serial (that is an ongoing story like TV "soap operas.") This call for scripts is announced with the intention of finding writers who have a serious interest in participating in an exciting and innovative radio drama while also positively impacting American Indian communities across the country.

Media for Health, a Birmingham, Alabama based non-profit dedicated to improving the public's health through entertainment-education principals, is contributing their extensive expertise in creating radio dramas "that are good for you" to this project.

Media for Health has had proven success with its radio drama serials BodyLove and Keeping Up With the Walkers. NAPT shares Native stories with the world through support of the creation, promotion and distribution of Native media with offices in Lincoln, Neb., and Albuquerque, N.M.

NAPT is one of five members of the National Minority Consortia funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to provide diverse programming to PBS and other public broadcasting systems.

For more information on NAPT, go to http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?

For more information about Media for Health, go to http://www.mediaforhealth.org/.

You can hear past segments of BodyLove on their website. To keep updated about the project, please visit: http://www.healingcirclemfh.wordpress.com/

Call for Script Parameters:- 3-4 five minute long scripts
-Three main characters
-One character should be an elder
-Should include a character dealing with diabetes or mental health problems
-Based on the principles of Entertainment-Education
-Include a title of your radio drama

Application Process:
- Complete and sign application form. By entering this contest, writers and theater companies affirm that scripts are their own work and are not under contract for pay by other theater groups.
- Submit six copies of the script using 8.5 x 11-paper with 1-inch margins and a 12-point standard typeface. The script cover page should include the title, names of all authors, name and address, phone and fax numbers, and email address of the corresponding author.

Subsequent pages should include only the manuscript title and page numbers.
- Include a self-addressed stamped postcard for receipt notification.

Mail to: Robin Perenchio
Media For Health
2917 Central Avenue
Birmingham, AL 35209

Questions? Email
Robin@mediaforhealth.org
Or call Robin Perenchio at 205-870-9422

Contact Information
phone: 402-472-3522
or email mailto:native@unl.edu

NAPT OPPORTUNITIES;
TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund
Deadline Jan. 9

The TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund will provide up to $170,000 in support of innovative and compelling filmmaking that explores scientific, mathematical, and technological themes and storylines, or a leading character who is a scientist, engineer, innovator or mathematician in fresh ways.

They are seeking exceptional narrative work of all genres (except science fiction or fantasy) with scientifically accurate themes or characters. The TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund is open to both established and emerging narrative filmmakers.

For additional information, please visit the website at:
www.tribecafilminstitute.org/sloan/fund

National Film Festival For Talented Youth
Deadline Jan. 30

NFFTY (pronounced nifty) is one of the largest youth film festivals in the country and includes juried screenings of over 75 youth-made films in a state-of-the-art theater, filmmaking workshops and panels, and a gala opening night.

Submissions are open to any filmmaker 22 years old or younger. Any length or genre. NFFTY 09 will be held April 24-26 in Seattle, Washington. For more information and registration go to website:
http://www.nffty.org/submit.html

The Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Festival Award
Deadline Jan. 31

From the Top and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation share a passion for helping exceptional young people reach their potential in all areas of their lives.

The goal of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award Program is to identify and nurture talented young musicians whose lack of financial resources might otherwise impede their progress.

This year From the Top will select twenty-five $10,000 Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award recipients ages 8-18.

For more information and registration go to website:
http://fromthetop.org/awards/cooke.cfm

Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program
Deadline Feb. 5

Each year, the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program awards more than $1.5 million in grants to support documentary films focused on contemporary social issues.

If you believe that creative non-fiction filmmaking is vital to society, and you are an artist with passion for the work of storytelling, we want to hear about your project. Tell us what you see.

For more information go to:
www.sundance.org/documentary

Making Your Media Matter Conference
Deadline Feb. 12-13

On February 12th and 13th in Washington DC, The Center for Social Media invites established as well as aspiring filmmakers, non-profit communications leaders, funders, and students to our fifth annual Making Your Media Matter conference where we will explore the theme: Ethics, Money and Mission.

How can media makers connect their ethical and aesthetic values with their financial needs? This is a perfect opportunity to learn and share cutting-edge practices for creating media that matters.

Further information and to register:
http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/articles/mymm2009/

We Media Miami 2008
Registration Open
Deadline Feb. 24-26

The We Media Conference is a vibrant, relaxed conference that sets out to give you a better sense of the world, a network of new relationships, and the inspiration to become a "Game Changer."

We Media gathers an eclectic community of industry leaders, scientists, technologies, social change agents, artists, educators, journalists, bloggers, explorers and thought-leaders from a variety of fields who come to We Media to share their intense commitment to the forces shaping the future.

Visit the We Media website to fill out a registration application:
wemedia.com/miami/register

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