The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1991-10-23

              Reorganization Task Force for the BIA met in Anchorage
The Advisory Task Force on the
reorganization of the Bureau of Indian
Affairs met Oct. 15-17 in Anchorage,
Alaska. The Anchorage Hilton hosted
the seventh meeting of the Joint
Tribal/BlA/DOI Advisory Task Force
since its formation last December by
Interior Secretary Manuel Lujan.
The meeting was open to members
of the public who signed up to testify
during the three-day meeting. The
Task Force set up offices in the hotel.
Task Force members wresded with
comments received from Indian
tribes on the two "ideal agency"
concepts drawn up and approved by
the Task Force at their Sept. meeting
in Bismarck, N.D. Tribal members
took the concepts back to their area's
tribes and sought approval or
modification of the two prototypes.
According to Task Force members
the two agency concepts were not
designed to fit any particular agency
now existing in the field. Instead
tribes were asked to "pick and choose"
from the alternatives to best suit the
needs of their particular tribe.
The two agency concepts stem from
the draft conceptual organizational
structure agreed upon by the Task
Force members earlier this year and
presented to Secretary Lujan and two
congressional committees last April as
a preliminary report. That overall
design of the Bureau broke out the area
offices as an "either/or" situation that
would be determined by tribes in each
of the areas. Under the plan, tribes
The spirit of Camp Justice
Dissidents abandon the tents but not the cause
By Jamie Marks
When the withering winds of
winter assault the north, one might
believe the tent city known as Camp
Justice will be rendered a ghost
town.
Not so.
True, the camp itself has dwindled
to a few empty tents, a half-built
lean-to and a trailer outside the
Reservation Tribal Council
headquarters.
But dissidents remain committed
to the removal of the perceived
roadblock to democratic reforms:
Tribal Chairman Darrell "Chip"
Wadena.
This week, dissidents will launch a
petition drive to hold a new election
Spirit/ see page
11
5th National Miss Indian USA Contest
Would you like to be the next national Miss Indian USA? Single,
never married, high school graduates between 18 and 26 are eligible.
The winner, to be selected on November 8th in Washington, D.C, will
be crowned the fifth National Miss Indian USA.
For applications and more information, call the Foundation at
202-INDIANS.
900 seek jobs at new WE Casino
About 900 people have applied for the 450 jobs the White Earth Band
expects to provide when its new casino opens in May. The tribe has
received 587 applications since late August, when it already had more
than 300 applications on file, said Lorna LaGue, the casino's personnel
manager. Employee training on the site of the Shooting Star Casino
began last Tuesday. More than 120 applicants began an eight-week
training course on blackjack dealing.
The unemployment rate on the White Earth Reservation is 86 percent.
Of the jobs that do exist, one-third pay less than $7,000 a year, and
three-fourths are controlled by the tribal council.
About 50 of the applicants will be hired to run a temporary casino the
tribe hopes to open by Nov. 15. It will be located on the construction
site of the new casino, a $10 million complex that will include a
200-seat bingo hall, 400 video slot machines, 15 blackjack tables, a
hotel, lounge and restaurant. The temporary casino will have 100 slot
machines, eight blackjack tables, a bar and a food counter. The tribe
decided to open a temporary site when construction delays pu&fred the
casino's completion date to May.
Wellstone urges sensitivity in Series
"I want to congratulate the Minnesota Twins on reaching the World
Series and also congratulate the Atlanta team on being the second club
to go from last to first to reach the series. But there is also a more
serious side fo the series this year. There has been controversy in
Minnesota and Georgia concerning the name "Braves" and the behavior
of some fans. Many Indian people find the nickname objectionable.
And certain behavior, such as wearing feathers, painting faces, shouting
war chants, whooping, using phrases such as "scalp," "massacre" and
"tomahawk chops" brings to mind unfortunate stereotypes of Indian
people. These actions are not in the spirit of fun generally associated
with sporting events.
I hope we can take this opportunity to learn from past mistakes and
not engage in behavior that is offensive to a particular group. By
actively avoiding racial stereotypes we can thoroughly enjoy the World
Series and celebrate it as a real victory for both teams and their fans.
Bemidji Community Arts Council
The Arts Council is sponsoring a slide presentation and workshop for
adults by artist and educator Nadema Agard-Smith on Nov. 1, 7-8:30
p.m. The slide show and discussion at 7:00 will be in the main gallery.
The workshop for a limited number of adults will be downstairs in the
conference room at approximately 7:45.
Ms. Agard-Smith is a New Yorker, educated in the East and has
exhibited her work widely. She holds a graduate degree from Universita
Catholica di Milano of Rome, Italy, and is experienced in classroom
work with people of all ages.
The workshop centers on the Mexican Celebration of the Day of the
Dead and the arts and crafts which are produced as a result of this
culture's interest in these feast days: All Soul's Day, AH Saints Day and
the Day of the Dead. The workshop will be on Mexican paper cutting.' It
will last about 40-50 minutes and is limited to 12 adults. There is a $10
materials fee and the class will be filled on a "first-come" basis. If you
are interested, please call the Arts Center to register at 751-7570.
Red Lake men convicted of forcible rape
Minneapolis, Minn. - A jury in United States District Court
convicted two men from the Red Lake Indian Reservation for raping a
minor. The jury deliberated one day before returning guilty verdicts
against Gerald Norquay, 23, and Ronald Schoenborn, 22. Norquay and
Schoenbom were convicted on both counts of forcible rape for which
they were charged. Testimony at the four-day-long trial before Judge
Rosenbaum in Minneapolis showed that in May, 1991, the two men
picked up the 17-year-old victim on Highway 1 just east of Redby .They
then drove onto a logging trail where both men repeatedly raped her.
The victim's clothes from the waist down were left in the logging area.
She was then tdken to another location and again raped by Norquay and
Schoenborn. The victim was beaten, threatened and choked during the
sexual assault. Afterwards, the defendants abandoned their victim. She
obtained a ride to the police station and reported the crime.
"It took a great deal of courage for this young woman to come forward
and report the rape," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanne Grahm, who
prosecuted the case. "But the end result is that these men are no longer
free to commit crimes such as this to another person, "she said.
Both Norquay and Schoenborn could be sentenced up to life in prison
under federal law. Sentencing should be in six to eight weeks. Norquay
and Schoenbom are being held without bond.
Set Your Clocks back
1 hour on Sunday,
October 27th at 2 a.m
would select, in place of the current
BIA area office, a rep. of the
Commissioner's office/regional
manager or office/technical assistance
office. The other choice was the
Commissioner's office/regional
manager or the current setup of the BIA
area office as it now exists. Under each
of those configurations would be an
"agency manager." From that concept
came the two "ideal" agencies. See
chart on page 2.
In response to questions from the
media. Assistant Secretary Eddie
Brown made it very clear that neither
of the two "ideal" agencies were
concepts that would necessarily be
adopted by any tribe in the country.
"What has happened here is that the
Task Force members have come up
with what could be considered an ideal
agency. But they are also saying that
Indian tribes would look at the duties
and responsibilities of each of the
offices within the boxes and decide
whether they want that in their
particular agency," Brown said. He said
the tribes would pick and choose from
the current boxes and offices or
positions within those boxes to decide
whether that particular position was
needed in their agency.
"I think it is a good concept from
which all of the tribes can work. They
certainly know what they would like to
see in the way of a delivery system for
services provided to them by the BIA,"
Meeting/ see page 2
of the
for the office of tribal chairman.
They seek 566 signatures — 20
percent of the enrolled population. If
received, the signatures will be
forwarded to the Bureau of Indian
Affairs and eventually to the
Secretary of the Department of the
Interior, who has authority to order
such an election.
The petition is based on
allegations that Wadena exceeded
his scope of authority in 1986 by
actively campaigning in favor of the
White Earth Land Settlement Act, in
opposition to the wishes and
resolution of the tribal business
committee.
The first was made in 1986.
Fifty Cents
Founded in 1988
Volume 4 Issue 8
October 23,1991
)
e Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1991
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
A Bi-Monthly Publication
Native people and supporters protest mockery of culture
By Jim C. Ortiz
On Saturday, October 19, before
the first game of the World Series in
Minneapolis, members of the
American Indian Movement and
supporters protested the mockery
and lack of respect toward the
Native American culture.
Clyde Bellecourt commented,
"This is nothing more than a
high-tech massacre of Indian
culture." He went on to say it is
not so much the name but
everything that goes along with it.
Racial slogans appear, such as
"Scalp 'em Braves." Native people
are being stereotyped, sacred items
are being mocked without regard
and respect for our people. The
"frontier and John Wayne
mentality" must end Vernon
Bellecourt commented, after the
protest had been underway for a
time. The media seems to be
asking the same questions, so the
American Indian Movement has
seized this opportunity to publicize
the issue, implying that Native
people would not be protesting nHr
had been the Twins and Pirates in
the World Series. Bellecourt
responded it has been and will be
an ongoing issue. "Our struggle
does not hinge on the pennant."
The "Indian mascot" issue has
been debated not only in Minnesota
high schools and colleges, but
nationally as well. The debates have
been so controversial that native
communities have split, perhaps a
cleaver ploy by the dominant culture
to further divide and conquer. The
plan seems to be working.
Communities, both rural and urban,
are divided on the issue. Supporters
claim that they are, "paying homage
to Indian people." There are those
who say that they are honoring the
native culture, but seeing the foolish
antics on television would seem
otherwise. They are honoring the
hollywood stereotypes that native
people have been trying to overcome
for decades.
Native people are the only racial
and cultural group in the country to
be used as team mascots. The
depictions of most Indian mascots
INDIANS ARE JCPE0PU
mrAMASWFORwmekSFmntnntts!
Upper Photo: Sign mounted on the Metrotome by those protesting the insensitive Atlanta fans before the
first game of the World Series last Saturday. Lower Photo: Protesters, before the game in Minneapolis,
who greeted the fans as they arrived. The protest organized by AIM was both peaceful and significant.
are embarrassing, non-human
caricatures. If the moccasin were on
the other foot we, as Native people,
would never get away with using
such images and names for our
teams.
A member of the concerned
American Indian Parents
Organization stated at the protest
"we shouldn't have to educate the
educators. They have failed to
educate people about Native
Americans and have failed to tell the
truth about our history." That
statement is indicative of the
educational system and the media
manipulation that native people have
endured for 500 years. Must we
continue to be treated in an
undignified, stereotypical, racial
manner? If some mascots are used
properly and others, the majority,
are used in a disrespectful way, we
should seek to ban all forms of
"Indian mascots" to ensure that there
is no margin for error.
On the Friday before the first
game,  the American  Indian
movement was joined by a dozen
ethnically diverse human rights
groups and Minneapolis Mayor Don
Fraser in denouncing the national
broadcasts of the war-painted and
feathered Braves fans doing the
"tomahawk chop." On Saturday
protesters chanted "The Chop Stops
Here." And the group plans to
protest every game held at the
Metrodome.
Protesters   challenged
MOCkery/ see page 9
Non-binding vote opposes Thief River Falls casino
Thief River Falls, Minn. (AP) -
Eighty-four percent of those who
voted in an informal, non-binding
election in Pennington County were
against bringing a casino to Thief
River Falls.
David Grothe, an opponent of the
casino, said 1,213 people voted
Saturday.
In the Pennington County general
election in 1990, 5,132 people
voted.
Last month the Red Lake Band
proposed to spend $2 million
renovating the former Red Owl
grocery store into a casino. City and
county officials continue to work
on details of a proposed contract
with the tribe.
At a public meeting last month,
some church leaders said the casino
would be an evil that would destroy
area families. Business people said
the casino could help a struggling
economy.
Last Saturday's vote was
sponsored by a citizen's group
opposed to the casino.
, "Why have a vote to discriminate
against a legal business coming
into town," asked Bob Bergan of
the Thief River Falls Chamber of
Commerce.
"Having a public vote is simply
the American way of doing
things," Grothe said.
The city's economic
development directors said the
casino would create nearly 500
jobs and add more than $16
million to the local economy.
City Council member Greg
Brekke said some in the
community dropped their
opposition to the casino when the
tribe said it would forego liquor
sales at the casino and pay the
city for police and fire
protections.
That doesn't mean the officials
won't pay attention to the results
of Saturday's vote, Brekke said.
"If enough people vote against
it, you can be sure somebody's
going to pay attention to it,"
Brekke said before the vote.
Circle of Life to be renovated
School enrollment jumps 15 percent in one year
By Jamie Marks
By the time renovation at Circle
of Life is completed, construction
of a new school may begin. That
won't bother school officials a bit
The school, which has doubled its
enrollment in five years, is busting
down walls, both figuratively and
literally.
Addition of classrooms will come
none too soon.
This year's enrollment of 135
students is a 15 percent increase
from 1990.
"We're almost going to be
out-moded by the time we get in it,"
said Bill Wessels, administrator.
The $1,047,830 construction
project will begin shortly, with
completion expected June 1, 1992.
The tribal council will act as general
contractor.
"Initially the whole project was
overbid," said Wessels. "That was
the particular reason that the tribal
council wanted to have local control
over the construction, because we
were able to save a great deal of
money that way."
Funded by the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, the three-phase project will
involve construction of four
elementary classrooms and a locker
room, a new kitchen cafeteria, and
renovation of the present building.
The original building was a Work
Projects Administration activity
about 57 years ago. Some adjacent
buildings, owned by the White Earth
Reservation Tribal Council, are
being used for additional space this
year.
Wessels said the all-Indian school
has experienced an across-the-board
enrollment increase in kindergarten
through 12th grade classes.
"I think it's the improvement of
the programs that are existing here, I
think it's the personnel at the
school," he said.
Circle of Life has added a gifted
and talented program, a special
education transition vocational
program and an expanding regular
vocational program.
"I think that by offering more
we're drawing the attention of some
students that are interested in an
education that is culturally based
as well as some of the things that
the public schools are offering,
too."
This type of school is growing in
popularity among Indian students
all over the state, he said.
"We're playing catch-up and in
some cases I think we're passing
public instruction," he remarked.
When this construction project is
completed, Wessels hopes to begin
another.
"We have applied in the past for
new construction of the entire
facility, and that construction
application has been renewed or
will be renewed shortly."
[Reprinted with permission from the
Becker Count}' Record, October 13,
1991.]