The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1994-03-11

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Auditors arrive at Indian Veterans Center
By Gary Blair
The American Indian Vets Center,
located at 2309 Nicollet Avenue in
South Minneapolis, is currently being
audited by the CPA firm of Hinckley
and Northcutt, Chartered, of Wichita,
Kanas. Accountants from the firm
were on the scene Wednesday and met
with the center's director James
Monchamp.
In recent months allegations of mismanagement have been leveled
between the organization's director
and one of the organizations board
members, Ken Webster. The organization receieves sub-grant federal
funding from the office of Adminis-
trationfor Native Americans, Children
and Families Divison of Discretion
ary Grants, through the Three Feathers Associates of Norman, Oklahoma.
It's the Three Feathers group that has
called for the audit.
In the letter notifying the Vets Center of the scheduled audit, Three
Feathers Associates President Antonia
Dobrec, wrote, "It is our objective to
resolve the AIVC's fiscal and management issues that havebeen reported
to Three Feathers Associated in a
professional and straightforward manner." The issues that brought about
the audit are not fully known at this
time. Ken Webster, one of the Vets
Center's three board members
receieved the letter notifying them of
the audit team's arrival date.
The Vets Center has been renting
office space for it's single person op
eration at the Anishinabe Council of
Job Developers, Inc. According to
Wilma Mason, Anishinabe's director
and the Vets Center's director
Monchamp, the two programs are totally separate and independently
operated other than the rental arrangement. However, Mason'sprogram staff
will be part ofthe audit team's interview process.
Spelled out in the letter to Webster,
Three Feathers stated they would be
conducting a fiscal and program audit.
PRESS sources say the arguments between the AIVC's director Monchamp
and board member Ken Webster did
spill out into Anishinabe's work area
and that's why they're also being
interrviewed. Results ofthe audit won't
be known for about three weeks.
Frank Parker remembered with love/ page 1
Committee denounces Welfare Reform Bill/ page 3
AIM Tribunal Indictment, part III in series/ page 4
When people get sued for speaking their mind/ page 4
Fond du Lac CC to Host Ojibwe art Expo f94/ page 8
Voice ofthe Anishinabeg (The People)
J
Wife of former MIAC executive director is
charged with alleged embezzlement of $62,000
A 49 - year old Bemidji woman
was charged in Beltrami District Court
Wednesday for allegedly embezzling
more than $62,000 from the Archdeacon Gilfillan Center in Bemidji.
Mary Ester Head, 1921 Wee Gwaus
Lane, is charged with one count of
felony theft. Bemidji Police Investigator Sgt. Gerald Johnson has been
conducting an investigation since
Nov. 19 when he received a call from
the center's Director Richard Wolleat
concerning an embezzlement.
The center had fired her two days
earlier for "gross misconduct" on
Nov. 17 after a bank official alerted
the center to financial irregularities
that include missing money, said
Wolleat in November.
Wolleat could not be reached
Wednesday for comment.
According to a court complaint,
Wolleat indicated to police that on
Nov. 15 Head announced she was
resigning from the center and accepting a new job. He said that Head had
worked there for 24 years, and that
the time of her resignation, she was
the head bookkeeper.
Wolleat said that the next day a
check was received at the center that
appeared to be of questionable origin.
The check was made out to Mary
Head, and was improperly endorsed.
When Head was confronted about the
check, she allegedly admitted to forging and cashing the check, Wolleat
said in the complaint.
Aquick check ofthe booking records
disclosed an additional forged check,
made out to the University of North
Dakota, that appeared to have been
used by Head to pay for her son's
tuition, the complaint said.
Subsequent investigation and an
internal audit reportedly disclosed a
long history of embezzlement through
forged checks from the Gilfillan Center. Investigators checked through
the general ledger, comparing the
ledger to the banking records at first
National Bank ofBemidji.
According to the complaint, a check
would be made out, with forged sig
natures, since all of the Gilfillan
checks require the signatures of two
authorized people. The ledger would
indicate that the check was payable to
a business that the Gilfillan Center
had an account with, the check itself,
however, would allegedly be made
out to either Head or to a business
where she owed money.
When the canceled check came back
to the Gilfillan Center, it was allegedly destroyed, leaving the ledger as the
only evidence of the transaction.
Copies of the checks obtained from
the bank did not match the ledger.
The 1993 audit from all of the
Gilfillan Center's various accounts
showed that the amount of funds taken during this time was $62,410.09.
However, sources tell the Press that a
continuing audit by the Center revealed that over $204,000 is missing
since 1990.
Head could not be reached for comment as her telephone line in Bemidji
Head/ see page 3
Fifty Cents
OjibWi
News
We Support Equal Opportunity For AU
Founded in 1988
Volume 5   Issue 37
skly
March 11, 1994
______________________Bl
Copyright, The Ojibwe News, 1994
Frank Parker remembered with love
By Gary Blair
Frank Irving Parker, 47, an enrollee
from Standing Rock, South Dakota
passed away on March 7, 1994. He is
survived by one daughter, Claudine,
three sons, Hunter, Gene, Frankie and a
brother Gene from Kenel, South Dakota were he will be laid to rest on Saturday.
Wilma Mason, an enrollee from the
Red lake Reservation, says she shared
part ofher life with him and remembers
him as a good provider and friend. His
three youngest children were from a
later relationship with Judy Barret, also
a Red Lake enrollee, she added.
Mason says she'll also remember him
as a multi-talented individual; smart; a
good athlete; meticulous machinist; outstanding artist; inventor, decorated
Vietnam veteran and loving father to their
daughter Claudine. "His son Hunter was
staying with his dad when he past away.he
found him that morning", she said
"We called him 'Geronimo' because
he spent a lot of time searching for his
idenity as an Indian. He was raised in a
White foster home," she continued.
"He wanted to belong like we all do. We
used to spend a lot of time at the library
in the early days lookingup information
about his family. We found both ofhis
parents. They've since passsed away,"
she remembered. "His brother Gene
found their relatives and that's why he's
now living back in South Dalota,"
Mason also recalled.
Parker's daughter, Claudine, said her
dad had been sober for the last eight
years. "Once he had quit drinking he
became motivated and began a new life
for himself, "she Said. "Heoncehadan
upholstery shop here in Minneapolis.
You should have seen the type of work
hedid,itwasteautiful,''sheadded. "In
November his health problems became
the most noticeable, he had very little
energy left." Mason said that in the last
few months he had lost a lot of weight.
"He was being checked for 'Agent
Orange' (chemical used in Vietnam to
kill foliage during the war) poisoning.
He had developed bad lungs, heart and
liver problems," she said.
Four years ago Frank Parker became
known in the Twin Cities and South
Dakota Indian county as a rising new
inventor. He was written up in both The
Circle and the Lakota Times. Parker
obtained a U.S. patent for a simple, but
tough plastic device called the "Parker
Safe Hose" a mechanism used to lock a
garden hoseto its faucet soitcouldn'tbe
easily stolen. At the time of the news.
articles he and his business partner
Melvin Hunt, a Leech Lake enrollee,
were in the process of having a major
area retailer test market and sell the
hose locking device.
What some people don't know about
Parker's invention is that he had drawn
n^ehand^visc^v^lscherr_lticsfo^l_srJaten^,
something usually done by a mechanical
draftsman who specializes in patent wont
"His business venture is presently contained in his will," Mason said
"We got Steve Perion to handle his
funeral you know. Steve has taken care
of all the arrangements. He has taken all
the stress out of everything. I think the
Indi an community needs to know that"
she concluded.
There will be a wake held for Mr.
Parker on Thrusday, March 10th at
5p.m. at the Minneapolis Indian Center.
His burial mass is set for Saturday in
Kenel, South Dakota
By Monte Draper - Pioneer
Students at the Bug-O-Nay-Gce- Shig School east of Cass Lake are participating in Music Awareness Week by
getting a variety of area musicians to volunteer in demonstrating American Indian instruments and songs, as well
as modern musical instruments. The school's mission is to prepare students to walk in two worlds. Above, Ann Hayes
of the Headwaters Music Center demonstrates to a group of kindergartners the lovely sound from a small violin.
State Rep. Karen Clark applauds progress of
Native American community
Walter Jourdain announces his candidacy for chairman ofthe Red
Lake Nation
My name is Walter Jourdain. I am
announcingmy candidacy forthe Tribal
Cl-urmanship ofthe Red Lake Nation.
My parents were Patrick Jourdain and
Elizabeth May, both enrolled members
from the LitUerock District
I have a Master's degree in Social
Workfrom the University ofMinnesota
with an emphasis on management. I
havebeen the director of Social Services
atRedLakeforthelast21/2 years. Prior
to that I was the Senior Foster Care
Licenser for Hennepin County for Indian
Families for 5 years. I have grown up at
Red Lake and also have lived in the
Cities. I have experienced many ofthe
problems we have both on and off the
reservation. I believe this experience
has given me the sensitivity to understand
what is needed for the people.
The following is a brief rundown of
my stance on some issues:
Youth and Children's Issues: Many of
our children are involved in the juvenile
justice system, foster care, group homes,
and most are unemployed. As tribal
chairman, I will strengthen our
children's education system. I will use
gaining dollars to create a jobs program
forour students. I will improve existing
youth programs.
Community Involvementand Activities:
I will establish reservation task forces
for people of all ages. They will report
to the tribal council. Our community
centers will have funding to provide
activities for residents of all ages.
Enviromental Issues: The tribe has to
put more effort into replanting the trees
consumed by the logging industry. I
will press to get another mill started in
Red Lake. We will plant trees in our
immediate communities. Replanting
will insure our loggers of continued
employment in the future. We will
restock Red Lake to insure the future of
our fishing industry. Larger amounts of
the fishing royalties will be used to
develop walleye rearing ponds. I will
Jourdain/ see page 3
By Sara Lawrence
In the face of recent publicity about
the problem of chronic alcoholism in
the Twin Cities' Native American
population and the skyrocketing costs
of providing services, State Representative Karen Clark of Minneapolis
offers fresh insight into the issue.
Although there are still many hurdles
that must be overcome before a culturally-specific detox and wet/dry facility
become operational in Minneapolis,
Rep. Clark reminds us that conditions
have improved greatly in the past two
decades. "Some people might not be
aware of this but twenty-five years ago
being alcoholic was a crime in Minnesota," said Rep. Clark in a March 8,
1994 interview. "Alcoholics were automatically taken to jail when the police
picked them up rather than a medical
facility like they are now," she added.
"The Native American population
has come a long way since that
time.and I really want to encourage
people not to lose hope now."
Clark, who lost a brother to alcoholism, has witnessed firsthand the
Minneapolis community's struggle to
address the problem over the years.' 'I
first became involved in 1967 when I
was asked by Dennis Banks to ride
along with the AIM Patrol as they
went around picking up people who
were passed out on the street," she
recalled. "I was a nurse at the time
and provided medical services to those
in need."
Clark continued, "I also belonged
to the Medical Committee for Human
Rights which provided medical services at peace demonstrations during
the war. We wore armbands and carried medical supplies to care for people
who were maced or clubbed by the
police."
According to Clark, the most noticeable difference between that time
in our history and now is that there
exists a "whole recovered community" of people who have maintained
their sobriety, many of whom are now
working as counselors or in some
other capacity to help others become
sober as wel 1." I find there is a reservoir
of goodwill within these people that is
so moving, especially when I hear
them speak of their recovery experiences and how long they've been
sober," shesaid. "Now 'sobriety pow
wows' and honoring songs for those
maintaining their sobriety are very
common. I think that sobriety is something people have begun to respect
and cherish almost like what is felt for
elders and veterans," she continued.
Clark says she can't help but feel
"really good" about this and hopes
that people don't lose sight of their
progress in light of recent events. She
is especially concerned that, due to
negative publicity surrounding the
New Visions Chemical Dependency
Treatment Center and the proposed
Indian-run detox center, the public
may be mislead into doubting the integrity and dedication of certain New
Visions staff and board members.
Clark attributes some ofthe fiscal and
management problems which have
occured recently and in the past to a
lack of technical support by Hennepin
County. More assistance with fiduciary procedures and practices certainly
does seem to be in order.
At any rate, Clark is encouraged by
the fact that more and more Native
Americans are starting to get directly
involved in community issues and are
realizingthat by doing so they really can
make a difference.
Bellecourts give statements about AIM in-
Lawsuit over custody of 10-year-old back in court    dictment and tribunal
FORT YATES, N.D. (AP) The mother
wtogaveupcustodyofherdaughter nearly
10 years ago says she has sobered up and
wants thechildback on the Standing Rock
Indian Reservati on.
The case of 10-year-old Kayla American
Horse was scheduled for another court
hearing in Kentucky where she now lives.
At issue is whether the tribal court or the
state court should control her future.
The case is before the Boyd, Ky.,
Circuit Court. Loni Rye of Ashland,
Ky., has cared for Kayla since she was
8 months old, saying she found the
infant with no bottles or diapers and
wearing a filthy T-shirt that said
'' Someone in SouthDakota loves me.''
Effie Iron Road, 42, says she signed
papers while intoxicated that gave custody
ofherdaughterovertoRye. Now, she says,
she has sobered up, and her daughter
belongs back on the reservation
Standing Rock Tribal Judge Michael
Swallow said that Rye never adopted
Kayla, and he said she belongs with her
tribe under the federal Indian Child
Welfare Act.
"This is an important question, because
the question of where our children live and
who they live with are inherentrightsofour
sovereignty," Swallow said
Mrs. Iron Road said she learned through
family friends that Rye and Kim Weasel,
amemberoftheStandmgRock tribe, were
divorcing, and feared Kayla would be
placed in foster care. The tribal court
petitioned the Kentucky court for custody
and Mrs. Iron Road withdrew her consent
for Rye and Weasel to have Kayla
"Kayla is happy," Rye said. "She
wants to stay with me. Itdoesn'tchange
my mind to know Effie has sobered up.
I believe in the Indian Child Welfare
Act _ I'm for the tribe having their
rights, but it doesn't make sense in our
case. We'reherfamily. Kaylahas never
lived on the reservation. My son and
daughter are torn up over this. She's
their sister."
Swallow said the Standing Rock
community canoffer Kayla everythingshe
has in Kentucky. He also said permanent
custody dees not have to be all or nothing
and summer visits may be possible.
By Shelley Davis
The International Confederation of
Autonomous Chapters ofthe American
Indian Movement has summoned Clyde and Vernon Bellecourt to appear
before a tribunal and answer charges
brought against them by the autonomous chapters. The tribunal is meant to
"insure accountability within the
American Indian Movement'' and will
not be open to the general public according to the indictment against the
Bellecourts. The summons was signed
by Russell Means, long time activist as
the tribunal prosecutor.
The Bellecourts have received their
26-page indictments listing specific
charges against them. The first week of
March they held a meeting with their
supporters todiscussthetribunal. Clyde
Bellecourt National American Indian
Movement Inc. co-founder, said he is
unsure if the tribunal is going to be
conducted. "There seems to be a lot of
confusion on where it's going to be
held," Bellecourt said. The tribunal
will be held in the San Francisco Bay
area, according to Bob Robideau, of
New Mexico AIM.
Bellecourt said he, his brother,
Vernon, and their supporters would
rather see a summit take place in Minnesota. He also said in "fairness" he
would prefer to see elders from "all
over" sitatthe tribunal, "likeRigoberto
Menchu," the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize
recipient. He also said that many ofthe
chapters noted as plaintiffs on the indictment were unawareofthe Edgewood
meeting which resulted in calling for a
tribunal. "They don't know who these
people are," said Bellecourt. "Itsounds
to us like it's about 10 or 11 people
(doing this)."
"No information has been transmitted to us that gives information of how
the evidence was gathered,'' he added.
"And those making the charges are the
prosecutors."
When asked what his response was to
the charges, Bellecourt said, "We're
Tribunal/page 3