June 2006 Archive

June 30, 2006 Listen to the Show

Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas Suffers Water Crisis, Files Lawsuit For Rights to Reservoir Project; Language Teacher Succeeds in Making Lakota Part of High School Curriculum

Kickapoo Tribe Files Lawsuit Against U.S. and Local Officials for Water Rights
The Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas relies on water from the Delaware River for consumption, but they are suffering from a serious water shortage and water quality problem. Their plans for a solution have been blocked by a disagreement with local officials. In turn, the tribe announced a lawsuit against the local watershed board, the state of Kansas and the U.S. government. The tribe filed its lawsuit in the middle of June in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, naming 14 federal, state and local officials as defendants. The tribe’s proposed solution to their water problems is a reservoir project. Local officials say this can’t happen unless more money is offered. And now the question of who has senior water rights lies at the center of the dispute. Meanwhile, one tribal member told a reporter for the Kansas City Channel “We are crying for help. We must have water, or we won’t hold out much longer.”

Damon Williams, General Counsel for the Kickapoo tribe in Kansas. Link for more information: The Native American Rights Fund

Lakota Teacher Fights for Language Rights in Public School
The issue of language has been in the news recently as a component of the “path to citizenship” for immigrants coming to the U.S. In May, the Senate passed immigration legislation that would create a program permitting undocumented immigrants who had resided in the United States for five years or more to "earn" their citizenship after paying a fine and back taxes, learning English and holding a job for six years. But as lawmakers push for more incentives to learn English, how are the first languages of this continent faring? Throughout Indian country, the fight is on to keep ancient languages from crumbling under the weight of English. Language revitalization programs are on the rise as activists struggle to get the youth interested and to make it clear that the language is still relevant. In 1995, the Alaska Native Language Center found that of 175 indigenous languages still spoken in the United States, 155 were on the verge of disappearing because children no longer learned them.

Susana Geliga, director of the Little White Buffalo Project, teaches the Lakota language at a public high school in South Dakota. To contact the Little White Buffalo Project: P.O. Box 6203, Rapid City, SD 57709

News and Announcements

Fire Thunder Goes to Trial - Suspended president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, Cecilia Fire Thunder, will go before the tribal council today for her third impeachment hearing. The hearing was called over Fire Thunder's public opposition to the state's restrictive abortion law. Fire Thunder said in an interview with Indian Country Today “I got really angry about a bunch of white guys in the state Legislature making decisions about my body, again." Fire Thunder was ordered not to talk to the media but she told ICT she couldn't remain silent as Native women continue to suffer sexual and physical abuse, many of them at the hands of non-Indians. She said ''The abortion issue is the key that opens the padlock to sexual deviancy that is occurring on the Pine Ridge reservation,” referring to rape and incest. Critics say her call to open a women's clinic on the Pine Ridge Reservation went against traditional Lakota values. They say she solicited funds for the clinic in violation of tribal law. The tribal council subsequently suspended Fire Thunder and outlawed abortion. Some tribal members have started a drive to put a ban on abortion in the tribe's constitution.

EPA Know of Hazardous Waste Dump Near U.S./Mexico Border - Documents show a hazardous waste dump planned by the Mexican government and a private company near Tohono ceremonial grounds was kept secret from the Indigenous peoples. The documents show the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency knew about the dump nearly one year before in Mexico were informed. Indian Country Today obtained the EPA reports that describe the dump and say “No significant impacts” were expected. The EPA knew Mexico had issued state and federal permits to store 45,000 tons of asbestos, organocholorides and industrial waste sludge. The permit is for 50 years in the community of Quitovac, where annual sacred ceremonies are held. Whistle blowers exposed the hazardous waste dump in February 2006, but most learned of the dump months later. According to Indian Country Today, said the government entities are working in collusion and ignoring the impact on the traditional communities and their culture and spiritual well-being. in the state of Sonora said the hazardous waste dump would expose children to deadly toxins, contaminate underground well water, desecrate ceremonial grounds and affect those who depend on tourism for livelihood.

Canadian Native Groups Cancel Rail Blockade - Canadian aboriginal groups canceled a planned blockade of Canadian National Railway lines set for Thursday, after the company agreed to lobby Ottawa to help resolve natives' outstanding land claims, both groups said on Wednesday. CN Rail had asked the courts to stop Indian groups in the western province of Manitoba from carrying out threats to block rail lines in an effort to draw attention to their land claims disputes with the federal government. The groups requested on Wednesday that the matter be put aside in court after each had made oral commitments. According to Reuters, Rondeau River First Nation Chief Terrance Nelson said his community will rally next to a CN line about 60 miles south of Winnipeg that leads south to the United States. Another group intends to rally at a domestic CN line.

Interior Official Charged in Abramoff Scandal - The first official charge in connection with the Jack Abramoff scandal has been made against an Interior Department official. Roger Stillwell is expected to plead guilty next month to a misdemeanor charge. He worked closely with Abramoff, whose clients included U.S. territorial governments that fall under Interior's jurisdiction. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee released a report a week ago on its Abramoff investigation. The report urges tribes to develop contracting and conflict of interest laws to ensure that legal, lobbying and other contracts are subjected to an open and transparent process. The committee also urged tribes to strengthen their elections process.

Bush Administration Withholds $300M from Indian Housing - The Bush administration's decision to withhold up to $300 million in Indian housing funds came under fire on Wednesday. Key members of Congress questioned why the Department of Housing and Urban Administration appeared to be punishing nearly every single federally recognized tribe by denying them access to their money. They suggested a legislative fix may be needed to prevent what tribal housing leaders predicted would be a total disaster. Sen. Byron Dorgan, the vice chairman of the Senate Indian affairs committee said HUD was going overboard by tying up the entire program over a lawsuit filed by just one tribe. The Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana filed a lawsuit after HUD claimed they received excess funds under the Native American Housing and Self-determination Act. Marty Shuravaloff, the newly elected president of the National American Indian Housing Council, said some tribes may have to stop building homes altogether as a result of the administration's move.

Ward Churchill To Appeal Dismissal - Ward Churchill has vowed to appeal his firing through university channels and file a federal lawsuit if his appeal fails. The University of Colorado professor now faces dismissal for alleged research misconduct. Churchill ignited a furious controversy with a 2001 essay that compared some of the World Trade Center victims to Adolf Eichmann, who orchestrated the Holocaust. On Wednesday he called the investigation of his work "a farce" and said he is being singled out because he is a dissident scholar. Ward Churchill told The Associated Press no scholar's work could stand up to the scrutiny he is under. University officials concluded his essay was protected by the Constitution but they ordered an investigation into his scholarship. A faculty committee concluded last month that Churchill committed "serious, repeated, and deliberate research misconduct," and Interim Chancellor Philip DeStefano said Monday the university should fire him.

Canadian Tribe Rejects Treaty Money as Insult - The Chief of the West Point First Nation in the Northwest territories of Canada is demanding more money from the federal government for annuities after receiving a check for an amount which she called “an insult”. The government sent Chief Karen Felker a check for $216, that’s $3 a person for the 72-member band for their hunting and fishing allowance. It’s a legal provision under a Treaty signed in 1921. The government originally agreed to send ammunition and twine for hunting and fishing but replaced it with money in the early 1990s without consulting the band. Chief Felker sent the check back to Ottawa this month with a warning that it won’t accept any more money until the federal government accounts for inflation or at least send actual hunting supplies. A spokeswoman for the federal government’s Indian and Northern Affairs Department said the West Point First Nation’s money will be put in a special fund and returned in full if the band eventually decides to collect it. Other bands are applauding the West Point Chief’s demand.

Announcement: Upcoming IEN Conference - Next week will be the 14th Annual Protecting Mother Earth Conference. An Indigenous International Grassroots Environmental Gathering. It begins next Thursday, July 6th and ends on Sunday the 9th. You can go to www.ienearth.org for more information. We’ll be webstreaming the many workshops and speeches taking place. There are activists convening from Alaska, Arizona, Montana, well, from all corners of Indian country. You can get information on webstreaming from the IEN web site: www.ienearth.org

June 22, 2006 Listen to the Show

Native Americans, Military Service and PTSD

We take a look at the culturally-unique experience of Native Americans and combat experience. How are Native American veterans coping with post traumatic stress disorder and why are they the ethnic group with the highest proportion of military enlistment in the U.S.? Compared to the general population, nearly three times as many Native Americans have served in the armed forces as non Indians during the 20th century.

Red Lake Elder and Vietnam Veteran Says PTSD Best Treated With Tribal Ceremonies.
The Iraq war has sparked a rise in Vietnam Veterans seeking help for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Figures from the Department of Veterans Affairs show that PTSD disability compensation cases have nearly doubled since 2000, most notably since 2003, when the U.S. and UK invaded Iraq. A survey of Vietnam Veterans revealed that watching reports about the war on TV triggered flashbacks, sleeplessness, and depression among the Veterans. Many said they sought counseling since the 2003 Iraq war. And now as thousands of veterans are returning from combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, concern is growing about the ability of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to meet the demand for mental health services. Over the past year, the number of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan diagnosed with PTSD has more than doubled, increasing from a cumulative 9,000 by May 2005 to 25,000 by last month, according to a recent VA report. A statement from the Democratic members of the House VA Committee said that even as the number of PTSD cases increased, the VA had cut back the number of PTSD therapy sessions for veterans by 25% in the last 10 years.

For many Native American Veterans, culturally-specific treatment for PTSD is an even more important issue. This week, Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley and the director of a VA Medical Center in Arizona signed an agreement to add the traditional Lifeway Ceremony to a dozen ceremonies for which the VA now pays. Returning Navajo veterans reportedly used traditional ceremonies for healing more than anything else. Other Native nations show similar patterns. Many Native veterans suffering from PTSD supplement or replace standard psychotherapeutic techniques with culturally specific healing techniques. The path to healing for Native veterans is oftentimes more complicated and meaningful than a visit to the nearest VA medical center.

Larry Stillday, a tribal elder from Ponemah, a village on the Ojibwe Red Lake Reservation in Northern Minnesota. He is a Vietnam Veteran and outpatient supervisor at the Ponemah Health Center.

Gulf War Veteran on the Cultural Barriers Encountered when Struggling with PTSD.
We continue talking about Native Americans and post-traumatic stress disorder, and the combat experience in general for Native Americans.
Sean Fahrlander, (Anishinaabe) Navy Gulf War veteran.

Indigenous News Roundup

Committee to release results of Abramoff investigation

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee is releasing a report today on its Jack Abramoff investigation. The staffs of Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), the committee chairman, and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the vice chairman, worked on the report. It summarizes what the committee learned over the course of its investigation and makes recommendations for potential changes to prevent tribe from being defrauded again. The committee held five hearings and investigated how much money tribes spent on the services of Abramoff and Michael Scanlon, one of Abramoff's associates. The probe did not focus on members of Congress who are tied to Abramoff. The report will be considered at a business meeting this morning.

Former BIA official Reveals former Interior Department deputy secretary Griles as Abramoff's "Point Man."

Smith said Griles regularly advocated for the interests of Abramoff's tribal clients. In the wake of the election of George W. Bush, Smith said Abramoff and other Republicans wanted to "make a killing inside the BIA" by representing wealthy gaming tribes. Smith said "They have no respect whatsoever for Native Americans. They're there to make a lot of money."

Racist Cartoon Targets Seminole Tribe

In Davie Florida, the mayor has denounced a cartoon as racist that a member of the town’s planning board circulated. Davie Mayor Tom Treux charged Karen Stenzel-Nowicki with sending around a cartoon depicting Seminole Leader Max Osceola as shirtless and banging on a drum as his canoe passes the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. A local councilwoman is depicted at the other end of the boat, with the words “open space princess” tattooed on her arm and a cocktail in hand. Treux said Stenzel-Nowicki denied drawing the cartoon, but he is calling for her removal for circulating it. The town council postponed a decision last night on whether to remove her. Stenzel-Nowicki is defending her actions as her constitutional right to free speech. According to the Miami Herald, Osceola hasn’t seen the cartoon and he said he doesn’t need to. He said “They’re stereotyping natives. They think every native lives in a tepee and has drums as a musical instrument. That’s the uneducated nonnative trying to stereotype us.”

North Dakota: Group Challenges Right to Use "Fighting Siouxs" Mascot

The University of North Dakota is moving forward with a lawsuit against the NCAA’s Indian mascot policy. The NCAA has asked colleges and universities with an American Indian mascot to conduct a review. The State Board of Higher Education voted 8-0 last week to challenge the placement of the "Fighting Sioux" logo and name on the list of hostile and/or abusive mascots. The NCAA has rejected two UND appeals, saying the university may not use the nickname or logo during NCAA postseason tournaments and it may not host a tournament if it continues using them. A number of Indian tribes, as well as faculty members and students on UND's Grand Forks campus, support dropping the nickname and logo, contending that they cause campus divisiveness. David Gipp, president of Bismarck's United Tribes Technical College, sent a letter to board members this week, asking them to forgo legal action.

Six Nations Caledonia Update

Police arrested a prominent Six Nations businessman on assault charges relating to an incident in Caledonia, Ontario on June 4. Ken Hill is charged with two counts of assault stemming from a confrontation between native protesters and Caledonia residents. Protesters have been occupying the housing development since Feb. 28. They say the property is part of a land grant dating from 1784, but provincial and federal governments insist the land in question was surrendered in 1841. Yesterday, dozens of non-aboriginal Caledonia residents protested outside a convention center where Ontario Premier McGuinty was speaking. He met briefly with three of the protestors who complained that the Ontario Provincial Police failed to respond to violent clashes between residents and aboriginal protesters and accused the government of abandoning the rule of law in the community. Meanwhile, Six Nations protesters say they are conducting an archeological dig at the occupied housing site in search of a burial site. They reportedly believe thousands of bodies may be buried there. They have had to publicly insist they are not digging a bunker after residents reported fears of militant actions. A survey done earlier for the developers found fragments of aboriginal artifacts, but no evidence of a burial ground. And the Ontario government is refusing to disclose how much it paid last week when it bought out the developer for the tract of land at the center of the occupation. However, the sale does not mean the province is giving the land back to the First Nations, and talks are continuing to end the occupation. On the same day, the government increased aid to compensate Caledonia-area businesses hurt by road blockades to about $1.7 million. The province is also talking about compensating those residents who suffered during the blockade.

Hawaiian School Ruling

Judges of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on Tuesday about the Hawaiians-only admissions policy at Kamehameha Schools. Admission to the elite school is first granted to all qualified Native Hawaiian students. Only one in eight eligible applicants get in, and tuition is 60 percent subsidized by the private trust. The case began three years ago when a Caucasian boy, only identified as John Doe, sued for admission to the school. Following the initial ruling last year declaring Kamehameha's Hawaiians-only admissions policy illegal, 15,000 people marched through downtown Honolulu in protest. The attorney for the school Kathleen Sullivan said yesterday, QUOTE "What we argue is that our admissions policy is entirely legal under U.S. civil rights laws because it helps redress the continuing harms from a legacy of devastation against the Native Hawaiian people that Congress has acknowledged and for which Congress has apologized. The success story of the Kamehameha Schools in lifting up Hawaiian children, educating them and sending them off to seed the society with leaders is exactly what Princess Pauahi intended when she left her charitable testamentary trust, and it's exactly what the Kamehameha Schools do today."

Michigan Tribe Seeks Boost in Recognition Struggle

The Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians asked the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Wednesday to speed up its federal recognition petition. The tribe needs federal recognition to obtain $4.4 million, its share of a Congressional settlement fund. The tribe also wants to provide health, education, housing and other services to its members, said Ron Yob, the chairman. Virginia Tribes Press for Recognition Measure A bill to extend federal recognition to six Virginia tribes went before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Wednesday. The bill contains no language on gaming rights. Members of Congress from Virginia and Chief Stephen R. Adkins of the Chickahominy Tribe said legislative recognition is warranted due to special circumstances. A state law forbade tribal members from identifying themselves as Indian. Adkins said, "The state systematically worked to destroy us. I call it paper genocide." The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. National Aboriginal Day Celebrated in Canada Yesterday people celebrated the 10th National Aboriginal Day in Canada. A festival kicked off in Montreal yesterday that will last through the weekend. It will have singing, dancing and storytelling. The opening ceremony brought together aboriginals from across Canada and the United States, the Montreal community and visitors from around the world. Celinda Sosa, a Quechua Indian, and minister for economic development for Bolivia spoke in support of the solidarity of Aboriginal people in Canada. Visit http://www.nativelynx.qc.ca to learn more about the 2006 First Peoples Festival.

June 15, 2006 Listen to the Show

Penobscot Nation Part of Unique Collaboration to Restore River and Salmon; Montana Coal Wars Veteran Gail Small on Energy Policies, Land Rights, Abramoff and More

Cecilia Fire Thunder Refuses to Be Silenced
In South Dakota, Oglala Sioux Tribe President Cecilia Fire Thunder is speaking out against a gag order issued by the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council. She says a suspension letter she received from the Tribal council ordered her not to talk to the media. She called it a violation of her constitutional rights in an interview Tuesday, according to the Rapid City Journal. The tribal council suspended Fire Thunder last month for proposing an abortion clinic on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and for allegedly raising money for the clinic. She proposed the clinic in response to South Dakota’s new abortion ban, which has since been referred to a statewide vote in November. The tribal council also banned abortions on the reservation. Last year there were two attempts to impeach Fire Thunder. She was suspended once and reinstated when charges were dismissed. She is the first woman elected as president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. A hearing to discuss impeachment has not yet been set.

The Navajo Nation Declares State of Emergency
The Navajo Nation has declared a state of emergency in the wake of ongoing drought conditions and a series of recent wildfires, according to a press release. Of nine fires only one is still burning, said Selena Manychildren, Navajo Department of Emergency Management public information officer, according to the Farmington Daily Times of New Mexico. People who need fires for ceremonial purposes are required to obtain a BIA Burn Permit, which will only be issued for ceremonial use. The law enforcement department reportedly used all their funding last week to provide meals, water and other supplies, she said. The Department is seeking water, energy bars, toiletries and non-perishable food among other items.

US Supreme Court Decision Favors Native Hawaiian Programs
A lawsuit seeking to cut off public money used for Native Hawaiian programs has suffered a setback in the U.S. Supreme Court. The lawsuit contended that programs through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs should not receive state funding on the grounds that they only benefit people of Native Hawaiian ancestry. But the Supreme Court Monday told an appeals court to reconsider whether taxpayers have the right to sue over how the government spends their money. A lawyer for the Hawaii taxpayers making the claim said the Ninth Circuit Court could stand by its September ruling that taxpayers can challenge Hawaiians-only programs, or he could refile the lawsuit with new plaintiffs. Chief Justice John Roberts did not participate in the decision and the Supreme Court offered no explanation. Roberts was previously hired by the state to defend the Office of Hawaiian Affair’s Hawaiians-only voting restriction. In the case, the court ruled unconstitutional OHA's requirement that voters for its trustees must have Hawaiian blood.

Appeals Court Blocks Critical Trust Fund Reports
A federal appeals court ruled last Friday to suppress reports which contained information that the US Department of the Interior allegedly destroyed documents related to a class action lawsuit brought by Native Americans. The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit against the Department ten years ago, accusing the government of mismanaging an Indian trust in their names for a period of 120 years. The Native Americans say they are owed tens of billions of dollars. The author of the reports, Alan Balaran, was appointed by US District Judge Royce Lamberth. He supervised the exchange of information between parties in the lawsuit and investigated document destruction. Balaran's reports to the judge, including observations from personal visits, found the department had destroyed Indian records, sometimes intentionally, at federal depositories and Indian reservations in the West. According to the Associated Press, Keith Harper, a lawyer for the Indian plaintiffs suing the department, said Friday, "Most of the facts in those reports have been conceded as true" by the Interior Department. Interior officials nonetheless asked a federal appeals court to strike Balaran's reports from the record, saying he had improperly hired as an expert witness a former Interior contractor who had accused the department of fraud. Balaran resigned two years ago, saying the government wanted him off the case after he found evidence that private landowners near the Navajo Nation got as much as 20 times more money than Indian landowners from gas pipeline companies for rights to cross their land. Those findings have not been disputed by the government in the lawsuit.

Caledonia Update
From the Six Nations standoff in Caledonia: Violent incidents last Friday resulted in the arrest warrants for seven people. Ontario Premier McGuinty on Monday called an end to negotiations with native protestors and said it’s time the road blockades come down. He said the Native community must help search for the seven wanted people. Talks between the government and Six Nations people are set to resume today. Protestors have now removed barricades from the railway and roads, and say the government now has no excuse to avoid tackling their land claims. Negotiators will update the Six Nations community after the talks end tonight. Yesterday, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the traditional native government, issued a news release saying the seven people wanted by the OPP will not be at the protest site until the Confederacy completes its own investigation, according to the Hamilton Spectator. Also yesterday, Caledonia business owner launched a class action lawsuit to recoup tens of millions of dollars in losses, their lawyers said Wednesday according to the Canadian press. Only two businesses have signed on so far. The suit is expected to grow exponentially as homeowners may join the legal fight. Six Nations and other Aboriginal protestors have been occupying a half-finished housing development since the end of February.

Colorado University Panel Votes to Fire Ward Churchill
The committee at University of Colorado looking into charges against Ward Churchill issued a strongly worded report Tuesday. The panel, made up of nine CU faculty, a staff member and a graduate student, agreed unanimously with an investigative committee’s earlier findings that Churchill “has committed serious, repeated and deliberate research misconduct.” This includes plagiarism and fabrication of material. In a vote with secret ballots, a majority of the committee said the ethnic studies professor should be fired. The committee forwarded a 20-page report to the University’s Interim Provost and Dean. They will evaluate the report and then advise the Chancellor on what they think should happen to Churchill. The Chancellor will make the final decision, most likely in the next few weeks, according to the Rocky Mountain News. Churchill’s attorney, David Lane, has said Churchill will sue CU in federal court if he is fired. Churchill and Lane have called the investigation politically motivated and the committees’ findings without merit.

Three South Carolina Tribes Seek Federal Recognition
In South Carolina, the Commission for Minority Affairs met last week to consider the recognition petitions of three more tribes. The Croatan Pee Dee, the Piedmont American Indian Association-Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation and the Darlington County Pee Dee Tribe are the latest to seek state recognition. The commission has recognized two tribes so far. The Croatan Pee Dee group has since withdrawn after questions were raised about its status and Indian ancestry. One expert reportedly said the group is making claims that can not be supported by history or documentation.

Abramoff Investigation Update
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will meet on June 22 to vote on the Jack Abramoff lobbying investigation report, Indianz.com is reporting. Back in June 2005, Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), the chairman of the committee, said the committee would issue a report. He said it would make recommendations to prevent tribes from being duped by lobbyists. Five people have since been indicted in connection with their lobbying activities in Washington, D.C. Four of them have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with federal prosecutors as the investigation targets members of Congress. The committee itself held five hearings as part of its investigation. Tribal leaders, lobbyists, former Bush administration officials and other people connected to the scandal testified, although in some cases, they refused to provide testimony.

Cherokees to Vote on Whether to Admit Freedmen
The Cherokee tribal council voted Monday night to have Cherokee voters decide whether the descendents of black freedmen should be allowed to enroll in the Cherokee tribe. The vote could come in a special election, at a cost of $150,000 to $350,000, or at the tribe’s next regular election — in July 2007. The Council failed on Monday to gather the majority needed to call the special election. The Cherokees’ Judicial Appeals Tribunal ruled in March that descendants of black freedmen — emancipated slaves who joined the Cherokees in the 1800s — must be recognized as citizens of the tribe. More than 800 descendants of freedmen have registered with the Cherokee Nation since the tribal high court’s ruling. Amending the constitution would remove them from the tribe’s citizenship rolls. According to the Muskogee Phoenix, most councilors said Indian blood should be required for tribal membership.

Native American Music Awards
The 8th Annual Native American Music Awards were recently held in Florida, co-sponsored by the Seminole Tribe. An equal mix of new artists and previous Nammy Award winners were nominated. The Nammys are also designed to make Native American music more accessible to a wide audience. Keith Secola won artist of the year for “Americana” and Best Male artist was Wade Fernandez with “Song of the Black Wolf.” This year’s Best Female Artist was Pura Fe’ with “Follow Your Heart’s Desire.” Jim Boyd won Songwriter of the Year for “Treaties.” Winner for Song/Single of the Year went to Bill Miller for “Sacred Ground.”

IEN Protecting Mother Earth Conference
The 14th Annual Protecting Mother Earth Conference will take place July 6 – 9 in Cass Lake, Minnesota at the Leech Lake Memorial Pow-wow Grounds. Hosted by the Indigenous Environmental Network, there will be workshops on Water of Life & Prayer for the Water, Toxic Contamination and Health of All Life, Energy & Climate Justice, Native Youth Resistance Movement, and more. For more information go to www.ienearth.org or contact Simone Senogles at +1 218 751- 4967 or simone@ienearth.org

Penobscot Nation Moves Forward With River Restoration Project
For years, the Penobscot Nation has fought to increase the number of fish annually making it to their homelands. But their journey has been halted by several dams on the Penobscot River owned by the PPL Corporation. In 2004, the federal government, the Penobscot Nation and the PPL Corporation all signed the Lower Penobscot River Multi-party Settlement Agreement. It is a collaborative effort to restore the Penobscot River. The Agreement allows for increased production at some PPL mills and calls for the removal of two dams. Another dam would be decommissioned and bypassed with a fishway. At the end of May, PPL Corporation started generating more power at other dams, signaling a step towards compensating for the loss of power generated by the dams which will be removed and decommissioned. The Penobscot River Restoration Trust is now working to raise $25 million to buy the three dams from PPL. The trust includes six conservation groups and the Penobscot Nation. John Banks, Penobscot and director of natural resources for the Penobscot Indian Nation. Visit this web site for more information: www.penobscotriver.org and www.penobscotnation.org

Montana Coal War Veteran Gail Small on Energy Policy, Food Politics and More
The largest coal strip mine and gasification complex in America lies just 15 miles from the Cheyenne Reservation. The Cheyenne people are living on one of the poorest Reservations in the country and yet for over 30 years, they have refused to strip mine their homeland for promises of riches. As a teenager, Gail Small was immersed in the infamous Montana Coal Wars – a grassroots struggle to reverse government policy allowing energy companies to mine the rich coal reserves underneath the Northern Cheyenne reservation. Prohibited from mining on the reservation, the coal companies have dug into nearby lands scarring the landscape with strip mines. After getting her law degree from the University of Oregon, Small returned to the Northern Cheyenne reservation and founded Native Action, a ground-breaking non-profit advocacy group dedicated to environmental and political reforms, education and other causes that directly affect the life of her tribe. Today Native Action is struggling to keep thousands of methane gas wells from surrounding the Northern Cheyenne reservation. In April 2005, they lost a battle to stop a ruling that is allowing 500 wells per year to be opened up in Southeastern Montana despite the fact that the environmental impact statement the Bureau of Land Management issued was declared invalid. The wells will be right up to the Cheyenne’s borders within two years if the industry has it’s way. Gail Small, Northern Cheyenne lawyer and founder of Native Action. For more information visit: www.nativeaction.org

 

June 8, 2006 Listen to the Show

A Debate on the Native Hawaii Recognition Bill; 100 Days: An Update on the Six Nations Standoff in Caledonia; The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Moves Towards Federal Recognition

100 Days of Occupation: Six Nations Standoff at Caledonia Continues
First Nations chiefs from across Ontario pledged their support to Caledonia protestors yesterday on the eve of the occupation’s 100th day. The group of 100 chiefs also warned governments to expect more occupations if aboriginal land claims aren’t settled. "We are all one nation across this country," said Grand Council Chief John Beaucage, who represents 43 First Nations across the province. Six Nations spokesperson Clyde Powless said the mass show of support was about more than Caledonia. "Canada," he shouted, "this giant you woke up grew enormously today and will continue to grow." Meanwhile in the Canadian Parliament on Monday, Progressive Conservatives leader John Tory made a motion calling for a public inquiry into Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty’s handling of the Caledonia standoff. Liberals failed to vote down the motion even though they have a majority in the legislature. There were only 6 or 7 Liberals in the legislature at the time. McGuinty dismissed the motion’s vote as “mischief-making” and told reporters on Tuesday the vote shows the Progressive Conservatives who sponsored it “have not drawn the lessons that should be drawn from Ipperwash.” In 1995, police killed native protestor Dudley George at Ipperwash provincial park. An inquiry to determine if the PC government of Mike Harris directed police force against protestors who occupied the provincial park on Lake Huron has not yet concluded. In February, Six Nations members occupied or reclaimed land where a housing development was under construction. The situation became more tense weeks ago after the Ontario Provincial Police stormed the site to enforce a court order as land claims talks continued. The Six Nations community has made it clear they want to deal primarily with the federal government. An update from: Kahentinetha Horn, Editor of Mohawk Nation News, www.mohawknationnews.com

Debate on the Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill: Giving Native Hawaiians Their Long Overdue or Preventing Land and Sovereignty Claims?
The U.S. Senate debated for three hours on Wednesday the long-stalled Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill. The bill would recognize a legal and political relationship between the United States and a Native Hawaiian governing entity, giving Native Hawaiians self-governing rights similar to those of Native American tribes. The Native Hawaiian governing entity would be authorized to negotiate with the state and federal governments over such issues as historical grievances and control of natural resources, lands and assets. Yesterday on the Senate floor, opponents blasted the bill as divisive and race-based. Supporters said the bill would give recognition that’s long overdue for Native Hawaiians. It has been called the Akaka bill after it’s sponsor, Democratic Senator Dan Akaka. He says Native Hawaiians have not been given the same treatment as other indigenous people in the U.S. Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee launched the longest attack on the bill yesterday calling it a “dangerous precedent.” He said “If we start down this path, the end may be the disintegration of the United States into ethnic enclaves… [it] Wouldn't be much different than if American citizens who were descended from Hispanics who lived in Texas before it became a republic in 1836 created their own tribe.” Republican Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona voiced concern that the bill will “divide Hawaii and encourage racial division there and elsewhere.” The bill’s supporters who spoke yesterday on the Senate included both Democratic Senators from Hawaii, Republican Sen. Ted Stevens from Alaska, and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama. Meanwhile, in Hawaii yesterday a group of Native Hawaiians occupied Iolani Palace for a couple of hours to protest the bill. Members of the group Hui Pu said the Akaka bill would prevent Hawaiian land and sovereignty claims, among other things. One protestor said, “I think it is important that history knows that Hawaiians stood up against this bill despite that fact that there is hundreds of thousands of dollars of propaganda by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and other organizations to support this bill.” This according to KITV Honolulu. Lobbyists for the bill include the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the National Congress of American Indians, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and the American Bar Association. Anne Keala Kelly, Native Hawai'ian journalist and filmmaker. She is working on a documentary called "Noho Hewa Ma: The Wrongful Occupation of Hawai'i." Robert Klein, attorney with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as its board counsel, and a former associate justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii. While on the high court, Klein authored the landmark decision expanding the rights of Hawaiians to enter some private property for traditional gathering, religious and cultural practices.

Federal Recognition in the United States: The Mashpee Wampanoag Seek Tribal Status
After decades of work, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe in Massachusetts was recently accorded preliminary acknowledgment by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a federally recognized Indian tribe. The Mashpee Wampanoag were among the earliest Native peoples of North America to have significant contact with Europeans. Almost 400 years ago, they greeted the Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower near what is now the town of Plymouth. It is their story that has been mythologized in the celebration of Thanksgiving. Federal recognition will make this tribe the 564th recognized tribe in the nation and the second in Massachusetts. The preliminary decision is followed by a 210-day public comment period. The tribe will receive final determination by March 31, 2007. Glenn Marshall, Chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council. Christine Grabowski, PhD. She has more than 20 years experience in federal recognition and has testified before Congress on the process. She is the principal of Grabowski & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in economic development, research and analysis, and communications for Indian country.

June 1, 2006 Listen to the Show

Carrie Dann on the Pentagon's Cancelled "Divine Strake" Test Blast; Tohono O'odham Battle Secret Plans to Build a Hazardous Waste Dump Near Ceremonial Land; Winona LaDuke on Food Sovereignty: the New Arena of Colonialism

Divine Strake Test Called Off, Western Shoshone Protest Ongoing Violation of Land Sovereignty
The Pentagon's Defense Threat Reduction Agency had planned to detonate a 700-ton non-nuclear fuels explosion at the Nevada test site tomorrow, June 2nd. But the test, called the "Divine Strake." was postponed by the National Nuclear Safety Administration because of questions about possible fallout. Members of the Western Shoshone Nation were at the forefront of opposition to the test. They and their supporters argue that the test site, along with most of Nevada and parts of California, Idaho and Utah, is still Western Shoshone land. Though Divine Strake has been delayed indefinitely, more than 200 people peacefully demonstrated on Sunday at the Nevada Test Site. More than 30 were arrested when they crossed over onto the site. Carrie Dann was one of those people. For over forty years, along with her late sister Mary, Carrie has been at the forefront of the Western Shoshone Nation’s struggle for land rights and sovereignty. Leading the political and legal battle to retain ancestral lands, Dann has squared off against international gold mining corporations, the nuclear industry and the U.S. government. Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone Nation, working with the Western Shoshone Defense Project. Tom Goldtooth, Indigenous Environmental Network.

Opponents of Secretly Planned Toxic Waste Dump Near U.S.- Mexico Border Say it Poses Danger to Indigenous Communities on Border and Violates International Law

Plans to build a hazardous waste dump in Tohono territory south of the U.S. - Mexico international border have drawn fire from the indigenous communities straddling the border, local officials in Tucson, and citizens in Mexico. The plans have been secretly carried out without notifying in the surrounding communities, who fear for the effects of released toxins into the land, air and water. Pima county officials in Arizona said Mexico violated an international treaty when it failed to notify them about plans for the waste facility. It would be located about 125 miles southwest of Tucson, close to the Tohono community of Quitovac where sacred ceremonies are conducted. People on both sides of the border have voiced opposition during protests in April and May. Ofelia Rivas, member of the nation. Brenda Norrell, a journalist with Indian Country Today. Talli Nauman, co- director of the independent media project: Journalism to Raise Environmental Awareness. She is a long time collaborator with the International Relations Center based in Silver City, New Mexico, of the Americas Program.

Links to articles:
Brenda Norrell's article "O'odham Oppose Planned Hazardous Waste Dump" in Indian Country Today.
Talli Nauman's article "Public Due Consideration on New U.S. - Mexico Border Toxic Waste Site Proposal" published by the Americas Program of the International Relations Center.

Winona LaDuke on Food Sovereignty: "The New Arena of Colonialism...is the Biological Make-up of the World"
Author and activist Winona Laduke, a Mississippi Band Anishinaabe, recently spoke at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City with Northern Cheyenne lawyer Gail Small. LaDuke (re)affirmed her commitment to preserve Native lands against the ravages of environmental abuse. She also spoke about recovering humanity, in the theme of her most recent book “Recovering the Sacred.” We play her speech from that night, in which she talks about food sovereignty and more. Winona LaDuke, activist and author. Her newest book is "Recovering the Sacred: the Power of Naming and Claiming." She is the Program Director of Honor the Earth and the Founding Director of White Earth Land Recovery Project.