The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1990-11-28

              White Earth woman assaulted, kidnapped
By Mark Boswell
Staff Writer
An assault and kidnapping on the
White Earth Reservation last week
prompted local law enforcement to
arrest one juvenile and issue
warrants for a 20-year-old man and
his 21-year-old wife.
Cleo Parisian, 39, rural Waubun,
Minn., was brutally beaten and
kidnapped in the early morning hours
of Sept. 23. Her house was also
ransacked and demolished, according
to Mahnomen County Police.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested by
Mahnomen County Deputy Kevin
Penner and was charged with
second-degree assault, terroristic
threats and kidnapping, this
according to Mahnomen County
Sheriff Dennis Spickard.
The couple, from Minneapolis,
was not identified and was still at
large. Warrants were issued.
Deputy Penner said that the
beating and subsequent kidnapping
were probably in relation to a
previous burglary that occurred
earlier this month. "Basically," said
Penner, "they destroyed the house. It
was really messed up. And as far as
I know it was done in retaliation for
a burglary in the area that occurred
earlier in the month." Although
Penner was not specific, it seems
that the assault was planned
beforehand by the three individuals
involved.
The incident occurred between
the hours of 1:30 and 3:30 a.m. on
the morning of Sept. 24. According
to Sheriff Spickard, the three went
to the woman's home in Oakland
Township in eastern Mahnomen
County. He said she let them in,
and they proceeded to beat her
around the head and neck, kick her
and drag her around the house by
her hair.
"I don't know how she ended up
without a broken nose, but there
were apparently no broken bones.
She had several bruises and black
eyes," Spickard said.
Spickard said they ransacked her
home and then brought her to the
boy's home, where his mother
protected her. The three then left.
"I'm not sure why they took her to
the 16-year-old's house, but her life
was threatened the whole time,
according to her statement,"
Spickard said.
It is unclear if the juvenile was
related to the couple or to Parisian.
According to Spickard, Parisian
claims her attackers were carrying
guns, though the boy did not have a
weapon when he was arrested.
Parisian was treated and released
from the Mahnomen County Village
Hospital.
The juvenile was being held at the
Northwest Regional Correction
Center in Crookston.
Indian Housing Program
offers low interest rates
American Indian families in the
Twin Cities metropolitan area will
now be able to take advantage of
below-market interest rate home
mortgages through the new 1990
Urban Indian Housing Program.
The loan program, which becomes
effective immediately, is
administered by the Minnesota
Housing Finance Agency (MHFA).
The 1990 program offers mortgages
to qualified families for 7 percent -
an amount well below current
market rates. Approximately $3.7
million is available through the
1990 Urban Indian Housing
Program to American Indian
families who reside in the seven
county metropolitan area.
In order to qualify for the
program, applicants must have at
least one adult family member
who is enrolled in a
federally-recognized tribe, be a
first-time home buyer, maintain
good credit and have a maximum
family gross income which does
not exceed $30,000.
" The Urban Indian Housing
Program offers attractive financing
terms to American Indian families
who are interested in obtaining
their first home," explained
program coordinator Donna
Fairbanks. "This year's program is
different in that the MHFA is
requiring program applicants to
attend a series of four scheduled
Home Buyer's seminars to learn
essential information about
qualifying for, purchasing, and
maintaining a home."
In addition to attending the
Home Buyer's seminars,
applicants are required to meet the
qualification criteria, find a home
that meets the program's
standards, obtain a signed purchase
agreement for the home and apply
for a mortgage with MHFA.
Existing single-family houses,
townhouses, condominiums and
duplexes all qualify as homes for
purchase under the Urban Indian
Housing Program. The homes
must be complete, in good repair
and able to meet usual mortgage
underwriting standards. The
purchase price for the home cannot
exceed $81,000 for a one-family
residence or $91,000 for a duplex.
American Indians in the Twin
Cities who would like additional
information can contact MHFA at
296-7613 in the Twin Cities or
1-800-652-9747 in Greater
Minnesota and ask for "Home."
The MHFA provides affordable
financing and technical assistance
for the purchase, construction, or
improvement of decent, safe and
energy-efficient housing for low
and moderate income
Minnesotans.
[Reprinted with permission from The
Alley, St. Paul Minn.]
Red Lake, Minn. — Law
enforcement authorities with the
Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources (DNR), Division of
Enforcement, recently announced a
cooperative agreement with Red
Lake Reservation officials regarding
the enforcement of state game and
fish laws on the reservation.
According to Byron Dyrland, DNR
Regional Enforcement Supervisor at
Bemidji, "DNR Conservation
Officers, when called for assistance by
Red Lake Conservation Officers, will
respond to assist with violations of
state game laws on the Red Lake
Reservation."
The intent of the new agreement is
to protect wildlife resources and the
legal hunting and gathering rights of
Red Lake band members on
reservation property, while allowing
the state to process cases of
suspected game and fish law
violations by persons other than Red
Lake tribal band members.
Recently, two men from Buffalo,
Minn., were arrested by the DNR
Federal agencies are rated- BIA is tenth
The National Security Council is
tops. The Bureau of Indian Affairs
is at the bottom of the federal
agency barrel.
So finds a recent survey of
former government executives, all
members of the Washington-based
Council for Excellence in
Government who were asked to
rate federal agencies on a scale of
1 ato 5, with 5 being the strongest.
The 250 members who returned
the survey, which was conducted
for a Fortune Magazine issue that
appeared this month, span the
political specturm and are former
employees of a wide range of
federal departments and agencies,
said council president Mark
Abramson.
Members were ^sked to rank
agencies and offices within
departments on four criteria: the
quality ofthe managment, the quality
of the work force, the quality of
service, and return on the tax dollar.
Their responses, said Abramson, are
"based on their experience in
government." For those with no direct
involvement in the agencies rated, "it
is their perception" of how well a
certain office does its job that counts.
Abramson said the common
features among the.offices that rated
in the top 10 were that they are
older, more established agencies for
which a political consensus exists
about their mission. Further, these
offices are generally highly
visible, there is a degree of
stability within the leadership and
top-quality political appointees
often are assigned to these
agencies.
On the contrary, the 10 agencies
that scored the lowest on the
survey tended to be newer
organizations whose mission was
less clear and for whom a national
political consnsus about their
worth is missing. The lack of such
a consensus means they are
vulnerable to funding cuts,
Abramson said. Cuts, in turn, may
make it harder for these agencies
to attract and retain quality
employees.
Founded in 1988
ie 3 Issue 10
November 28,1990
]
1 Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1990
A Bi-Monthly Publication
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
State, Reservation cooperate to
enforce game and fish laws
after being checked by Red Lake
officers while hunting waterfowl on
the reservation. DNR Conservation
Officers were called in and the two
men were charged with several
violations of state game laws
including — the use of lead shot for
waterfowl hunting, the use of
unplugged shotguns (capable of
holding more than three shells),
over-limit possession of hen
mallards, and failure to kill
waterfowl reduced to possession
(keeping wounded ducks alive), i
Two firearms were also seized in
connection with the arrest, and
federal charges are still pending
against the pair for hunting on the
reservation without a permit. Most
violations of state game laws are
misdemeanors, punishable by fines
up to $700 and/or 90 days in jail.
For more information about
hunting and hunting regulations on
the Red Lake Indian Reservation,
contact the Red Lake Law
Enforcement Center or the Red Lake
Tribal Council office.
The Shape
of things
to come
The Bemidji area got its first taste of winter this week when
the thermometer dropped the red into the teens and tens and
windchilis dipped below zero. With only a dusting of snow on
the ground, many are worried about a deep frost layer that
will affect plants and animals throughout Indian Country. With
out snow cover the freezing temperatures reach deeper into
the ground...what we need is some snow. (File photo)
Attorney wary of project on Indian land
Tulsa, Okla. (AP) - A state Health
Department attorney claims a
Colorado company is building an $80
million incinerator on Indian land in
Kay County to avoid state regs.
Kaw Tribe chairwoman Wanda
Stone says the tribe has signed an
agreement with Waste-Tech Service,
of Golden, Colo., to build an incinerator
on Indian trust land in Chilocco, just
south ofthe Kansas border.
Ms. Stone told The Tulsa Tribune
in a story Tuesday that the agreement
would bring money and jobs to the
area and that the incinerator is not a
threat to the environment.
But Barbara Rauch, an attorney for
the health department, said there has
been "negative dialogue" between
department officials and Waste-Tech.
She said the company does not
believe it has to follow stringent state
rules because the incinerator will be
located on Indian land.
"It is a large corporation that is trying
to get an exemption," Ms. Rauch said.
Construction is not expected to
begin until 1993, when Waste-Tech
completes the Environmental
Protection Agency's permit process,
said Carl Norbeck. He said 220
construction jobs and 125 permanent
jobs would be created.
"There are going to be a lot of
people against it," Stone said. "But
as long as we get a permit (from the
EPA), we are going to go forward."
Dave Bary, spokesman for the EPAs
regional office in Dallas, said the
agency has not received an application
from Waste-Tech. He said any dispute
over whether Oklahoma must approve
a permit "is going to have to be sorted
out at the state level."
Damon Wingfield said
Oklahoma's requirements for a
waste disposal site are stricter and
cost more than EPA requirements.
Couple's Indian artifacts fool even some collectors
Greenville, III. (AP) - Kevin
Costner strove for authenticity in
his film "Dances With Wolves,"
shot with many Indian actors on
the South Dakota prairie, but for
some things he went to a couple in
southern Illinois.
Bill and Kathy Brewer's
reproductions of American Indian
artifacts, good enough to fool
serious collectors, won them a
place on the movie's closing
credits.
"It started out as a $15,000 order
for weapons," Ms. Brewer said.
But once the film's producers
saw the Brewers' work, they
ordered more and more. The
couple said they ended up making
more than 200 props for the film,
and billed the movie makers
$37,000.
"They sent us a script and then
the set director called and said,
'What does the inside of a
medicine man's teepee look like?'
And then a chief's teepee. They
ordered everything Bill drew," Ms.
Brewer said.
Ordinarily they use authentic
materials, such as horns purchased
from buffalo ranchers. But they were
pressed for time on the movie and
only one of the eight buffalo-horn
headdresses they made is made of
real horn, she said Thursday. The
other seven are painted plastic.
So convincing are their products
that collectors of Indian artifacts are
learning to ask "Is it real or is it a
Brewer?" before plunking down
thousands of dollars.
The Brewers urge prospective
buyers to look closely for their
"BKB" mark on pieces offered by
dealers or at auctions. They say they
are starting to get a bad name for
making reproductions that are too
good.
"We were chewed out at a recent
auction in Santa Fe by some
dealers," Ms. Brewer recalled. "They
said we had no business making
stuff as good as we do."
What started as Brewer's boyhood
hobby has become a cottage industry
for trie couple, who work out of their
modest one-story house in this small
community about 40 miles east of
St. Louis.
Ms. Brewer, 36, said they get
details for their works mainly from
genuine artifacts in museums, and
that her 37-year-old husband also
has built up an extensive collection
of books and journals.
In addition to "Dances With
Wolves," the Brewers said they
produced props for "Son of the
Morning Star," a television
miniseries about the private life of
George Armstrong Custer. It stars
Gary Cole and Rosanna Arquette
and is scheduled for broadcast in
February.
Demand and prices for Indian
artifacts have soared in the past
year since a Navajo chief's blanket
fetched $500,000 at an auction
house in New York.
But some collectors have gotten
burned by buying items advertised
as authentic that turn out to be
Brewer originals.
"We made a painted Apache gun
case that ended up at Sotheby's,"
Ms. Brewer said. "It got sold,
$7,000, because we didn't get the
(auction) catalog until later."
The Brewers wrote to Sotheby's
about the mistake and enclosed a
photograph of the piece in
progress, she said.
"They had to give the lady her
money back," Ms. Brewer said.
"She called us, and we made her a
case just like it for $250. Because
some of the prices are so high,
they're creating a market for
reproductions."
American
Indians in
Film:
An Ojibwe
News Special
Feature. See
pages 6-7.