The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1990-03-21

              Sec-Treas. of Bois Forte Reservation under fire
By Mark Boswell
Editor
Problems continue to plague the
government of Bois Forte
Reservation in northern Minnesota.
Recently, the Secretary-Treasurer,
Lester Drift, Sr., made a desperate
move to persuade other Reservation
Business Committee members to
come to a negotiating table to air
their differences. His decision to
remove his signature plate from the
payroll printer last Wednesday
jeopardized the disemination of
checks to tribal employees. Angered
by the move, the employees
threatened to walk off the job, the
second such time recently that
employees have protested the
actions of the elected officials at
Bois Forte with a potential walkout.
Yesterday, officers of the Nett
Lake Bureau of Indian Affairs
Police Department appeared at
Drift's resident with a warrant for
his arrest. Drift, who was in transit
to a meeting in Marquette, Mich.,
was not arrested. The warrant,
signed by Chairman Eugene Boshey,
was in relation to alleged charges
that Drift had overstepped his
authority in the removal of the
payroll signature plate.
According to a memo dated Feb.
27, Bois Forte Reservation
Secretary-Treasurer, Lester Drift,
Sr., and District II Committeeman,
Marvin Knott, believe that Bois
Forte Chairman Eugene Boshey has
"assumed full authority over all
RBC members, thereby taking away
the rights of other RBC members,
tribal activities and violat(ed) the
Reservation Constitiutional Rights
to participate in tribal activities..."
Knott and Drift believe that Boshey
has done this at the expense of their
own names and positions as
members of the Bois Forte RBC.
"He (Boshey) has taken that and our
rights away and placed himself in
the throne, blaming the
Secretary-Treasurer for all he is
doing."
A two member mediation team
appointed by the Minnesota
Chippewa Tribe was approved by
Boshey and Drift after Bois Forte
citizens requested intervention
before a Legislative Subcommittee
meeting in St. Paul on Feb. 23.
The mediation team is made up of
Roger Head, Director of the Indian
Affairs Council and Henry Buffalo,
Attorney from Fond du Lac.
According to Nett Lake officials,
the mediation team has initiated
their first mediation effort.
Conducted in Duluth, Chairman
Boshey, who had other obligations
at the time, was not present at the
meeting. Drift, who attended the
meeting, helped set policy for the
future plans of the team.
Review of these decisions have not
been decided upon at press time. It is
believed that the second mediation
meeting will take place at this
week's Marquette, Mich, meeting.
Boshey and Drift are expect to
attend the meeting.
Disputed representatives
A memo dated Feb. 26,1990, from
Chairman Boshey to Thomas Haney,
Comptroller for the RBC, states "I
am hereby giving you this directive
to not process Mr. Jerome
Whiteman's time card . . . Also you
are not to allow any travel
disbursements to Mr. Whiteman."
Chairman Boshey's decision to deny
Whiteman income from the RBC
came in response to a petition from
the Bois Forte constituency. The
petition, with of over 100 signatures
of eligible voters, disputes the
appointment of Jerome Whiteman as
Bois Forte District I Committeeman.
Appointed on Jan. 3, Whiteman
took the post vacated by Jacqueline
McKeon. McKeon was removed
from her post after allegations that
she had abused her power as
member of the RBC governing
body. Charges were brought against
her by other members of the tribal
government.
Whiteman does not have the
support of the Minnesota Chippewa
Tribe, who argued that he is
officially not a member of the RBC
because he has not been officially
sworn into office.
Drift argues that he is a legitimate
member of the RBC because he was
appointed by a majority vote during
an official meeting of the RBC.
Despite the controversy
surrounding the appointment of
Whiteman, he allegedly continues to
receive payroll and travel benefits
from the RBC accounts.
Vermilion secessionists
In recent months, a move to sever
ties between the Vermilion sector of
the Bois Forte Reservation and the
Nett Lake section of that reservation
BOIS Forte/see page 2
Features:
e:
and ofbi paradoxkal figure from Red L^e's past, See pagq 6.
Founded in 1988
Volume 2 Issue 17
March 21, 19<
1 Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1990
A Bi-Monthly Publication
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
RLTC to contract hospital
By William J. Lawrence
Publisher
Yesterday morning at a special Red
Lake Tribal Council meeting called
by Chairman Roger A. Jourdain, the
RLTC by a vote of 5 to 4, voted to
contract the operation of the Red
Lake Indian Health Service Hospital
pursuant to P.L. 93-638.
The vote in effect rescinded a
Sept. 16, 1989 resolution of the
RLTC which had turned down an
attempt by Jourdain and Tribal
Health Director Monte Hammitt to
take over control of the hospital.
The split council vote not only
showed the devisiveness on the
reservation over this issue, but is
unprecedented as well. It allowed
Chairman Jourdain who, according
to the Red Lake constitutioon, can
only vote in the case of a tie to cast
the breaking vote. Due to the fact
that the vote was taken in secret
session, the News was unnable ot
learn the breakdown of those who
voted for or against control of the
IHS hospital.
Last week the News was able to
learn that tribal contracting of the
Red Lake EHS hospital was recently
reviewed at a meeting in
Washington, D.C. between Dr.
Everette Rhoades, IHS Director and
Hammitt.
A source told the News that
Rhoades made the tribal contracting
of the hospital a condition before he
would approve bailing out the
deeply in debt Health Care Delivery
System.
That same source also told the
News that Rhoades also told
Jourdain that he would immediately
make $650,000 available if he would
agree to contract the hospital as soon
Jourdain's vote breaks
4 to 4 tie, deciding fate
of Red Lake IHS facility
as possible. Yesterday's council vote
appears to be a direct result of that
agreement.
The March 7, 1990 edition of the
News carried an article that reported
the Red Lake Health Care delilvery
system was over $1.1 milliom in
debt.
Tribal contracting of the Red Lake
IHS Hospital has been a
controversial issue on the
reservation since last November
when Hammitt notified the IHS by
letter that the RLTC intended to
contract the operation of that facility
by May of 1989. The notification
was followed by an application in
February 1989 requesting $11.7
million of IHS funds to operate the
hospital for fiscal year 1990, and
proposed a contact starting date of
July 1,1989.
The Red Lake IHS Hospital
employs a staff of over 80 persons
and has an annual budget of
approximately $5.5 million. In
addition, the tribe is currently
contacting nearly $2.6 million of the
IHS funds to operate the Red Lake
Comprehensive Health Program.
The program employs nearly 80
persons on the reservation.
Tribal opponents to the contracting
are concerned that, like the Red
Lake Comprehensive Health
Program, the Hospital/Clinic would
"B.J." Graves announces candidacy for Red Lake Council
"I promise not to be a
globetrotter," said Robert "B.J."
Graves, Sr., 43 of Redby, who
announced his candidacy for
Redby representative of the Red
Lake Tribal Council this week.
Graves is the son of Wilford and
Gladys "Fussy" Graves. A
graduate of Minneapolis North
High School, Graves has been
involved in coaching at Red Lake
High School in Redlake.
Married for 20 years to Floreen,
Graves has two children, B J. Jr.
and Beverly Jean, two
grandchildren, Matthew and
Mathaniel.
His hobbies include hunting,
fishing, golf, bowling, chess, and
pool.
"If elected, "said Graves, "I will
work hard for necessary changes
in all areas of tribal business.
There are many things I would like
to see improve for our reservation
and I think we can accomplish
them"
Grave's concerns include
keeping the people of his district
informed of what we are doing in
the tribal council and insuring that
concerns are being presented
properly.
"I'd like to get enrollment up to
date and keep it on an on'going
quarterly basis. I'd also like to
reorganize the commodity system
to include a choice of food stamps.
"I'd like to bring the prices at the
tribally-owned store down. We
don't have to compete with the
Robert "B J." Graves and his family: Wife Floreen holding grandson Matthew, daughter Beverly holding
grandson Mattaniel; back row: son "B.J." Jr. and nephew Greg.
other local stores."
Graves would like to see changes
in the youth programs to include
year-round programs and events.
"I want to see a concerted effort to
protect the environment of our
communities; I would like to see a
firestation built in Redby to make
our community safer.
"I will work for providing better
fish bonuses for our fishermen and
create better opportunities for
employment on the reservation. I'd
like to see the roads maintained
better in the winter.
"As   one   of  the   Redby
Representatives and as a member of
the Tribal Council, I would like to
take part in the process of making our
reservation a better place to live in.
"Another point I'd like to stress,"
said Graves, "is that, if elected, I will
work to separate the Redby 'church'
from tribal business."
Urban Indian Hearse Project helps
take Native Americans 'Home'
By Laura Baenen
Associated Press Writer
Minneapolis, Minn. (AP) -
Indians unable to afford hearses no
longer have to use pickup trucks to
ferry their dead to reservations for
burial.
They can now turn to the Urban
Indian Hearse Project, which has
taken 217 people "home" free of
charge since the non-profit
organization made its first run in
October 1987.
The project evolved out of a small
group of people who used to take the
dead from the Twin Cities to
reservations in personal vehicles as a
kindness, said John Stone, who
coordinates the effort from Indian
Family Services in south
Minneapolis.
"They would take them back in the
Contract/ see page 7
Red Lake Housing Authority denies access to Red lake enrollee
By Mark Boswell
Editor
Elroy Smith wanted to bring his
family back to the reservation. He
envisioned a place where Indian
people lived without bigotry,
accusations, and intolerance.
He wanted to raise his children in
the Indian way. In Indian Country.
He wanted this, but didn't get it. Red
Lake Housing Authority put an end
to his dream by denying him access
to housing that he feels is rightfully
his.
Last Wednesday a court hearing in
Red Lake declared that Elroy Smith
had been denied housing because he
had been abusive to his wife and had
been jailed in Bemidji as a result.
Smith denies the charges, stating
that he was in jail because of
non-payment of a fine. Smith was
surprised to find this difference in
reasoning behind the housing denial.
When first told of the denial by the
Red Lake Housing Authority, it was
stated that he could not live in Red
Lake because his wife was an
enrolled member of a Canadian
tribe. Smith was ready to defend this
reasoning by pointing out the Jay
Treaty that guarantees the legitimacy
of tribal enrollment between the
Judge denies access to family because of abuse
No regulations exist determining legitimacy of denial
United States and Canada. Surprised
by this change, Smith had nothing to
defend himself at the hearing
because of the new, and allegedly,
falsified charges.
Red Lake Reservation has no
written regulations determining
whether or not housing can be
denied because of abusive
behaviour. In fact, no regulations
exist.
Although Smith has a record of
domestic assault, it still is not clear
if he can be denied housing on that
accord.
"The secretary to (Red Lake)
housing told me that the house was
put on hold," explained Mary Smith,
his wife. "No reason was given for
the hold, and the house wasn't in
Elroy's name." Mary was also
surprised to find that Red Lake had
Kemp gives Little Earth housing project life
Minneapolis, Minn. (AP) - U.S.
Housing Secretary Jack Kemp says
he'll put on hold the government's
attempt to foreclose on the Little
Earth housing project, meaning the
complex may be able to remain
predominantly American Indian.
Kemp said Wednesday he will
work with representatives of Little
Earth to resolve their eight-year-old
fight with the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development.
Foreclosure and sale of Little
Earth could mean the 212-unit
South Minneapolis housing
development would lose its
American Indian preference status.
Federal officials have argued that
the preference status violates civil
rights and fair housing laws.
Kemp also promised to let the
city of St. Paul set up a pilot project
in which the city would rehabilitate,
then sell homes foreclosed by
HUD.
Kemp was in Minneapolis to
speak at a national meeting on
affordable housing sponsored by
the Humphrey Institute of Public
Affairs and the National New
Housing Conference.
He also addressed the
Metropolitan Council and held a
closed, last-minute meeting with
Minneapolis Mayor Don Fraser,
attorneys and others representing
Little Earth. Housing project
advocates had threatened to hold a
protest rally outside the Hyatt
Regency Hotel, where Kemp
addressed the Met Council.
Following the 40-minute closed
meeting, Kemp invited American
Indian Movement leader Clyde
Bellecourt, city officials and Litde
Earth managers to meet with him
next week in Washington to discuss
a solution.
City officials and Little Earth
tenants want to create an Indian
Housing Authority and to protect
the project's housing preference for
American Indians.
"We're very, very pleased with
the outcome of the meeting,"
Bellecourt said.
Bellecourt said Little Earth faced
foreclosure because of lagging
mortgage payments from residents
who withheld rent so that money
could be used to take care of
serious construction and plumbing
problems at the complex.
Earlier, after Kemp's speech at
the housing meeting, the crowd
laughed and clapped when Tom
Dimond, a member of the St. Paul
City Council, proposed that HUD
turn over foreclosed homes to the
city, which would rehabilitate them
and sell them on the open market.
The city would turn over any
profits to HUD.
But Kemp didn't laugh. Instead,
he gestured for the surprised
Dimond to join him on stage and
proclaimed, "We're going to do it,
we're going to do it."
determined that the couple were
separated. "We were never separated
at any time," said Mary.
Smith explained that, since his
family had gotten out of their
Bemidji rental agreement in hopes
of moving to Red Lake, it had been
hard to find a place to live.
Caught betwixt and between.
Smith decided to live with relatives
in Red Lake while Mary stayed with
their three children in Bemidji so
they could continue attending school
at the Chief Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig
School in Cass Lake. "They asked
me, "said Mary, "if we were
separated becasue he was abusing
me. And I told them we were
separated because we had no place
to live."
"They even gave us a tour of the
house," said Mary. The house, a
building about five miles west
Redlake in a area commonly called
"Hooterville",
"They said at the hearing that I
was in jail because of wife abuse,"
exclaimed Smith.
According to Smith, Jim White,
Assistant prosecutor, stated that he
could only get legal representation
from within the Red Lake Tribe.
According to a memorandum from
the Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Indian Affairs, the Personnel
Conduct and Responsibilities in
Courts of Indian Offenses states
that: "Professional attorneys can not
be denied the right to practice before
courts of Indian Offenses." Smith,
Housing/ see page 2
back of a pickup truck or station
wagon or whatever that they could,
partly because the cost that a funeral
home charges to transport a body
from the urban area," Stone said.
Some of the metropolitan area's
18,000 American Indians had no
choice but to inter their dead in local
and unfamiliar cemeteries. Without
transportation, they couldn't use free
plots among their relatives on tribal
burial grounds, said Stone, who lives
in Bloomington and grew up on the
White Earth reservation in
northwestern Minnesota.
That changed with the donation of
two used hearses by the Minnesota
Chippewa tribe and the formation of
the, hearse project.
"It's meant that they've been able
to have the type of funeral important
to the Indian heritage," said David
Karsnia, owner of the
David-Donehower Funeral Home in
Detroit Lakes, which serves White
Earth.
Charles Stately of Minneapolis is
among those who have donated to
the hearse project. He remembers
what it did for his family when his
mother, Elaine M. Stately, died in
August 1988.
"It was a hard time, and my
mother was a lo.ig way from where
she was born and wanted to be. It
was real nice to deal with Indians,"
Stately said. "All the things that
happened were hard to handle
except that part of it. That went
smoothly."
With the hearse project's help,
Stately was able to fulfill his
mother's wish to be buried on the
White Earth reservation, where she
was bom.
The Rev. James Notebaart with the
Office of Indian Ministry for the
Archdiocese of St. Paul and
Minneapolis sees the project in
spiritual terms.
"It's not a business and it's not an
attempt to be 'cheap,' but it's part of
their whole sense of unity and
communion in life and death," he
said.
k