The Native American Press (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1992-08-14

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80 percent of Mpls soup kitchen guests are Indians with children
By Gary Blair
April Smith is the Site
Coordinator for Loaves and Fishes
at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church
on 18th Avenue and 24th Street in
the Phillips community of South
Minneapolis.
On Wednesday she told the Press,
"Last year we served 91,649 guests.
Approximately 80% were American
Indian. Of that 80%, at least 40%
were children. This site is the largest
free dining site in the city and we
serve four days a week. The largest
group we've served thus far has
been 863 people and our average is
about 450 people a day."
Smith, who is from the Nett Lake
Indian Reservation, continued, "Not
once in the 6 years that I have
worked here has any so-called
"Indian leaders" ever come here with
their concerns about the number of
Indians having to use this dining
site. It seems like they are turning
their backs on this growing problem
in our community."
She went on to say, "I think people
like Clyde Bellecourt eat fine but the
rest of the Indian people eat poor. I
know this because I've seen him in
restaurants eating steak with his
AIM buddies. We asked AIM
sometime back if they would patrol
the church parking lot for us and the
first thing they wanted was money."
She added, "Never once has anyone
from the Minneapolis American
Indian Center ever stopped by or
called to voice their concerns
either."
they're lucky enough to have a place
to live, then they only have food
stamps left. There are some small
stores in the neighborhood who
will exchange cash for food stamps
at half of their value and this is
how many people get money to
buy personal items. This is how
many of them survive. They don't
have any choice."
The Press writer ate dinner at the
church which opened the doors at
5:30 and closed them at 6:30.
Smith said, "Volunteer groups
bring the food to the dining site
and then they also prepare and
serve the meal that evening. Most
are from church groups and they
really care about the people we
serve." She continued, "I've had to
educate a few who want to
volunteer here. Some think Indians
are poor simply because they drink
too much. They don't realize how
racism and discrimination has
effected Indian people."
"People use the dining site as a
place to socialize. For many it's a
time to meet their friends," Smith
said. She is also part of a group
that opens up the church on
Christmas day for the residents of
the neighborhood and they throw a
party and pass out Christmas gifts.
This year the group is hoping to
have over one thousand people
attend. She said, "The main thing
here at the dining site is respect for
one another. We want people to
leave their differences at the door."
Smith, who has been homeless
herself, knows all to well the
to bring their children to the
church to eat. She said, "The first
time I had to eat at a free dining
site I was embarrassed." She
added, "I felt like I wasn't able to
take care of my daughter or
myself. It seemed like everyone
was looking at me and they knew
what I was feeling."
Smith said that she came to the
Phillips community looking for her
Indian identity. "My mother raised
us "white". She was light
complected and I was the only
dark child in our family. Once, I
remember my mother hiding me
under a blanket in our car so we
could get a landlord to rent to us.
That was up in Duluth and I was
six years old at the time."
"It seemed every landlord that
saw me didn't want to rent to us,
so my mother had me stay under
the blanket and we were able to get
a place that night," she continued.
"I also remember driving down
Franklin Avenue with white
friends and listening to them say,
"Look at those drunken	
Indians."
"I've gotten to know Indian
people and not everyone drinks.
I've met many of my relatives and
I've made a lot of friends," she
said. "Indian people are very
friendly and they're nothing like
what I was told when I was
growing up."
Smith said that her family moved
around a lot and that one time her
sisters told some people she was
adopted  so they  would  be
She is currently working on a book
about these and other experiences
of her life. One of the dining site
volunteers is a publisher and has
been helping her put the book
together.
Of the non-Indians who ate at
the site that evening, few had
children with them. And of the
white people, none had children
with them. Smith expressed anger
that so many Indian people have to
use the dining site. "It seems
no-one really cares. It has to do
with the government. Our Indian
leaders are helping them cover it
up. They're not speaking out."
Smith said, "People who eat at
the dining site develop financial
problems for many reasons. Some
play bingo as their way of
breaking the stress they live under.
Others simply don't have enough
money to live on in the first
place." She continued, "You
should see the poor housing Indian
people are having to live in. The
city hasn't been enforcing their
housing codes and landlords are
renting and kicking people out as
they please."
Smith would like to see the
dining site open 5 days a week.
She concluded, "We have the need
but for now we are going to stay
on the four day a week schedule. If
something doesn't change soon,
though, we may have to be open 7
days a week."
By and For the Native American Community
3
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Native
American
Press
"Once people pay their rent, if   feelings of many parents who have    accepted.
Mpls:Highest poverty rate in the nation for Indians
We support Equal Opportunity For All People
A Weekly Publication
Founded in 1991                    Volume 2 issue 14
August i4, i992
Copyright, The Native American Press, 1992
Minneapolis had the highest
poverty rate for American Indian
children and St. Paul had the highest
poverty rate for Asian-Americans
among America's largest cities,
according to a new analysis of 1990
census data recently released.
The analysis also found that
poverty rates for black children in
the Twin Cities were among the
worst in the nation in 1989 and that
rates for Hispanic children were also
higher than most other large cities.
In addition, about half of the 200
largest cities in the country had
lower poverty rates for white
children than Minneapolis and St.
Paul. The study was done by the
Children's Defense Fund.
Even though many Minnesota
politicians both past and present
have named child welfare as a high
priority during their administrations,
it is obvious that things are not
working.
In light of the statistics it would
seem that there is a serious racist
problem among the general
population of the Twin Cities. Either
that or a sweeping lack of concern.
Experts have suggested that the
increase in poverty among
minorities in the Twin Cities is due
to migration of poor immigrants
from Southeast Asia and the
migration of poor blacks from the
rust belt cities. However, this does
little to explain the fact that two out
of every three American Indian
children in Minneapolis were poor
in 1989, the highest rate recorded by
the Children's Defense Fund. In St.
Paul, about 46 percent of American
Indian children were poor.
Others contend that increased
poverty rates in the 1980's can be
attributed to changes in the job
market that led to lower pay for
some workers, mostly in the service
industry. Also, the failure of the
state to keep welfare payments in
pace with inflation, an increase in
the number of single-parent
families, lax standards for
enforcing child support payments,
and the failure of the economy to
provide jobs.
Although there are certainly no
quick fixes for the problem, it
appears that the most effect way to
deal with it in the coming year
would be to pass legislation to
increase wages in the lower
brackets, tighten enforcement of
child support payments and give tax
credits to lower-income families.
Opportunity for Native Americans
at Mall of America?	
April Smith is the coordinator of Loaves and Fishes at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in south Minneapolis.
What's sacred should remain so
By Julie Gravelle
Duluth News-Tribune staff writer
By Steve Carlson
Impact on metro business
As the Mall of America (also
known as the "Megamall")
official)' opens, it will have an
immediate impact on area business
In fact, several large retail
business closings have already
been linked to the coming of this
mammoth shopping center. "But
whether it turns into a great
success or a giant headache
depends on the new ideas the mall
developers are bringing.
Entertainment, theme parks, state
of the art retail marketing,
educational value, entrepreneurial
development and tourist attraction
are some of the big new ideas
being implemented by Melvin
Simon & i Associates , an
Indiana-based company who is the
developer for the project.
Many of those same ideas will
undoubtedly find their way to the
downtown retail centers of
Minneapolis and St. Paul, who will
have to compete with the large
newcomer.
One important idea, that of
minority involvement, or ethnic
diversity, "has not been a big
winner as the Mall opening
approaches. This is in spite of
what Maureen Hooley, a
spokesperson for Mall of America,
described as some good faith
efforts on the part of the
developers.
Old-fashioned ideas
While seeking to be innovative,
the Mall will seek to keep the
old-fashioned values of convenient
shopping, discount-stores and good
buys. "It will have to if it is to be
competitive in the Twin Cities
market," said Hooley. A number of
discount stores are concentrated
around the Sears store, and parking
is conveniently located near the
different "streets" so that shoppers
can reach their store quickly if
they just want to do some good
old-fashioned shopping.
And even though the Mall and
many of its famous anchor
department stores are big, Simon
& Associates is trying different
ways to meet the needs of small
and diverse markets, too. They
have done this by trying to test out
some new retail outlets and by
fostering an entrepreneurial
development program to try to
bring "new" retailers on line at the
Mall of America.
A spokeperson for Mall of
America said that innovation is
important to be competitive and to
reach the biggest market possible.
Opportunity for Indians
Hooley said that achieving
ethnic diversity, even in the types
of stores that are available, is still
an objective of Mall of America.
But she said that despite making 2
or 3 presentations before a
minority coalition that was trying
to recruit minority-owned
businesses for the entrepreneurial
program,   only   a   very   few
materialized. Therefore, the
selection of tenants at this time is
still predominantly
Euro-American.
Still, the Mall is now only 70%
occupied, and Native American
businesses may well want to take a
second look at getting a spot in the
Mall of America. Hooley declined
to disclose what kind of rent they
are asking, saying there is too
much variation depending on the
store being proposed. For more
information you may call her at
612/883-8849.
Another important area for
diversity is jobs. Here the current
situation is not as clear. Of the 220
employees that work for the Mall
of America management company,
25% are minorities. The heaviest
concentrations of minority
employment is in the office
housing human resources and in
the operations areas. However, the
weakest representation is in the
service area. One percent of the
Mall's employees at this time are
Native American.
The big question, though, is the
9,000 jobs that will be created
overall by the Mall and its tenants.
Affirmative numbers on those are
not available at this time through
the Mall of America. Hooley said
that it is important to the Mall
developers to reach inner city and
minority customers. One indication
of their efforts at outreach will be
an extensive agreement with MTC.
Ten express bus lines will go
directly to the Mall.
Earl Sargeant frowned as he gazed
into a glass case containing
Chippewa quill baskets, tomahawks,
leather vests and an eagle feather
headdress. His face grew stern, his
eyes sad.
"That headdress was worn by a
chief, but it belonged to a tribe," he
said. "Tribal property can't be
owned, sold or traded."
Jo Anne Coombe, director of the
St. Louis County Historical Society,
nodded in agreement. The headdress
would likely be removed from the
case and returned to its rightful
owners, she said.
The artifact will join three rattles,
a water drum, medicine wheel,
birchbark scroll and medicine bag
the Historical Society earlier pulled
from its Sieur duLhut collection and
returned to tribes.
That gesture made the group the
first historical society in the state to
remove culturally and spiritually
sensitive items from its collection. It
represents an increasing awareness
among museums and historical
societies of the sacredness of some
object to indigenous peoples.
Tradition-based Indians believe
obects like pipes, rattles and drums
are infused with spiritual
significance. Because their use is
tied to religious ceremonies, their
appearance in displays is considered
disrespectful.
"We believe returning them is
morally right," Coombe said. "This
pass-off was done with ease and
without regret."
The headdress had been
inadvertantly omitted during the
original review that began a year
ago," Coombe said.
"Now we're confident that what
we have here isn't offensive," she
said.
The movement to re-examine
Indian museum artifacts, including
bones and skeletons, began nearly
two decades ago in Minnesota,
which in 1976 passed the nation's
first law for reburying human
remains.
The state's active Indian
leadership placed it "light years"
ahead of the rest of the country,
Sargeant said. He has helped 21
other states develop similar
legislation.
Since then, a federal law has been
passed called the "Native American
Graves Protection and Repatriation
Act," which essentially provides
equal rights to Indians regarding
their dead.
It protects Indian mounds, bones,
jewelry or other items buried in
graves on federal or tribal lands, and
sacred objects used in Indian
spiritual ceremonies. Individuals or
agencies that sell or buy Indian
remains without possession rights
face a fine and/or prison.
Because they're unmarked by
gravestones, Indian burial mounds
often are disturbed by vandalism,
construction or excavation.
Although Minnesota has one of the
nation's toughest laws protecting
skeletal remains, digging them up
remains a common practice because
there's an international market for
Indian artifacts and remains, said
Betty Da-hl, Duluth program
coordinator for the State Archaelogy
Office.
One southwestern Minnesota
museum built its facility into the
side of an Indian mound and
displayed the bones and other items
inside. Another had a grave replica
at the entrance complete with Indian
bones.
"They just don't see the remains as
being living, breathing, loving,
caring humans," Sargeant said.
Federally funded museums and
federal agencies that have
collections of Indian remains or
sacred or burial objects have three
years to inventory them and find out
how they were acquired. They then
must contact the religious leaders of
those tribes to have the items
reviewed and possibly returned.
Sargeant said he hopes museum
curators and historical societies will
come forward on their own to have
their collections reviewed. "We
don't want to use the law as a club,"
he said.
The Minnesota State Historical
society advised museum directors a
few months ago of state and federal
laws, asking them to hold regional
meetings in which several museums
can bring in items for review. There
are more than 300 museums in the
state, and about 200 have Indian
artifacts.
Six Minnesota Indian Affairs
Council members, including
Sargeant, are traveling the state,
examining museum items to
determine their significance.
(Reprinted with the permission of
the Duluth News-Tribune.)
Mending the Sacred Hoop Within: A spiritual journey
By Sara Lawrence
A few years ago Germaine
Tremmel attended a ceremony near
her home on the Standing Rock
reservation in South Dakota and
was told by a medicine man that
she would die at age 34. Laughing
it off, she continued on her way of
life which involved heavy drug
and alcohol abuse.
She admits feeling a little
nervous when her 34th birthday
arrived but as the months went by
she barely gave it a thought until
the day she suffered a massive
heart attack and was considered
technically dead for a short time. It
was then that Tremmel recalls
hearing a voice that said her time
on earth was not yet over and that
she must fight to regain her health.
Tremmel recovered from the
heart attack in Minneapolis where
she now resides. It was during this
time that she had a dream or vision
which led her to fulfill what she
believes is her purpose in life. In
the dream she was shown the
sacred hoop and told that she must
use it to bring healing not only to
her own people but to persons of
all nations. Her list of clientelle
reflects this as Tremmel has
worked with people from many
different backgrounds including a
growing number of health
professionals who see the value in
integrating Native American
beliefs with our modern
technological society.
The sacred hoop represents the
circle of life and the concept that
we are related to all of creation. "I
teach people that nature is the best
support group," Tremmel said. " I
tell people that when they are
having problems go outside and
relate to Mother Earth." She
advocates such techniques as
running cool water over the hands
of people who are depressed
saying that water is a healer and it
acts to soothe the mind.
She attributes depression and
other emotional problems to losing
touch with one's spirit and the
desire of the spirit to follow the
path of the circle. "Instead of
going around the circle and
learning how to understand and
forgive, people try to take
shortcuts, cutting from west to
east, and arrive at their goals
feeling frustrated because they're
still not happy or they encounter
obstacles that prevent them from
going forward with their lives at
all," she says.
According to Tremmel, a person
enters the hoop in the west going
toward the north by recognizing
that there are choices in any
situation. "When a person comes to
me and wants to take the journey
towards wellness and healing, I first
ask them what they really want in
life. What do they want to become.
What do they want to change. Then
I tell them 'Okay. That's what
you'll do then.' And there a choice
has been made."
At this point the person has
arrived at the the part of the circle
going from north to east and enters
into the process of grieving. "A
void occurs once you have made a
choice because^you are leaving
something behind that you have
been accustomed to having around.
We experience a sense of loss, and
must grieve for that loss." Some of
the things people make a choice to
leave behind include an abusive
relationship, drug and alcohol
problems, an eating disorder, and
low self-esteem.
Tremmel feels, "Once we realize
the truth about the situation we
have left behind, we often cry or
get angry. If we suppress our
anger, we do not allow ourselves
to grieve. Instead, we pretend to
ourselves there is no secret and we
won't cope with it. At this point
we need to confess or admit there
is a problem or a secret and
forgive ourselves for it and start
loving ourselves as worthy people.
You can accomplish this only
when you come to terms with your
problems and allow your spirit to
heal you."
The portion of the circle going
from east to south is labeled
"understanding". True
understanding can only take place
when a person learns to forgive.
Tremmel says, "Forgiveness is
something we do for ourselves. In
order to forgive, you must let go of
self-pity and give up the desire for
revenge; you say goodbye to that
familiar companion suffering.
When understanding has led to
forgiveness you will be able to
look at the hurting spots in your
life without covering them up with
indifference, self-pity, or
misdirected anger. Once you have
accepted the hurt and loss of the
past without letting it interfere
with the present or destroy the
promise of the future, you have
succeeded in understanding and
have learned how to forgive
yourself and others!"
Experience is the key word that
characterizes the final portion of
the circle, from south to west. It is
only through experience that one
receives wisdom and when it is
remembered and honored then the
journey has been successfully
completed. Tremmel believes, "We
honor the wisdom of our elders
because past knowledge has been
earned through experience, and
this knowledge has the power to
create our present experiences."
Tremmel admits that this is not a
one time only journey to total
peace and happiness. Instead, it is
a way of dealing with life that
allows an individual to experience
pain but to come through it a
stronger person rather than burying
their feelings in denial or alcohol.
She feels that in the past
traditional beliefs provided strong
role models for men and women to
follow as well as initiations that
marked the important transitions
from one phase of life to another.
These are absent in most
communities today, and coupled
with the lack of economic
resources many Native Americans
live under, people are often left
with only confusion and despair.
This contributes to other problems
like chemical dependency, teenage
pregnancy, and abuse.
Tremmel has proven that her
program can help people regain a
sense of direction in the midst of
all this chaos when other healing
programs fail to address the
special needs of Native Americans.
Recently, Tremmel received a
$2000 grant from the Sumasil
Foundation in Stillwater that has
helped her present her program to
a broader audience. She speaks at
various conferences, provides
training for organizations such as
the Red School House and is a
volunteer at a battered women's
shelter run by Women of Nations
as well as working with individual
clients." I'm ..i call 24 hours a
day," Tremmel concludes.
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