The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1994-07-01

              Pillsbury reaches out to minority consumers
By Gary Blair
On Wednesday, June 29, Mike
Bongo, Director of Community
Relations for the Pillsbury Company,
hosted a luncheon meeting for
members of the Minnesota Minority
Media Coalition.
The former executive director of
American Indian Opportunities and
Industrialization Center in
Minneapolis told the group that the
"food giant" wants to build better
consumer relations with the minority-
communities and sees the coalition as
the means to accomplish their goal.
The meeting was arranged by-
coalition member Al McFarlane,
publisher of Insight News. Both
Bongo and McFarlane explained to
the group of minority print and radio
media representatives who attended
the two hour meeting the types of
exchange that could bring about that
improved relationship.
"Pillsbury wants to more effectively
reach the consumer dollar in your
communities and we believe the
minority media does that job best,"
Bongo said.
McFarlane told the group this would
mean that for the first time the
minority media will receive competing
advertising dollars from Pillsbury that
the major media enjoys.
He said later, "We'll get the type of
advertising the big boys do."
Bongo went on to say that Pillsbury
sponsors a number of programs in the
different minority communities and
the company would submit to each
media group periodical write-ups
about those organizations'
accomplishments. He also said the
advertising that each community
media receives will not be controlled
by whether that group prints or
announces those submittals.
According to Bongo, plans for such
events as a community youth
conference jointly sponsored by
Pillsbury could be part of his
company's goodwill building efforts,
with other events to follow. He told
the group that it won't be a something-
for-nothing deal—everyone will
benefit.
Additional meetings will be
scheduled with Pillsbury as the new
relationship moves forward. Members
of the commumty are encouraged to
submit their ideas to the NAP.
Native healers lead ethnobotanist to pharmaceuticals/pg 3
Reiki, the ancient art of relaxation and rejuvenation/pg 5
Reflections by Wub-e-ke-niew/pg 5
Shooting at White Earth Reservation/pg 1
--.
=====
Voice ofthe Anishinabeg (The People)
I
Minnesota expert testifies tribe wanted to give up
traditional ways in 1855
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Mille
Lacs Chippewa had decided to give
up their traditional lifestyle and try
to take up the white man's way when
the band signed a treaty in 1855, an
anthropologist testified.
When the band signed an 1837
treaty, it had no intention of giving
up its established ways of hunting,
fishing and gathering, testified Paul
Driben, a professor at Lakehead
University in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
"When you take a look at the 1837
treaty, I think the signatories intended
to continue the chase," he said
Monday, referring to the Indians'
traditional lifestyle. "But in 1855, they
abandoned the chase."
The Mille Lacs band claims rights
under the 183 7 treaty to fish, hunt and
gather wild rice outside their
resen'ation without state regulation.
The state, some counties and
landowners say an 1850 presidential
order and an 1855 treaty that
established the Mille Lacs reservation
abolished those privileges.
The state called Driben to refute the
band's claims that it unknowingly
gaveup its special rights when it
signed the 1855 treaty.
"I think they wanted to be Chippevva
Americans," Driben said. "I think
they wanted to be integrated, not
assimilated." He said a collapse ofthe
fur trade and the pressure of
encroaching white settlement
prompted the band members to try to
change their way of life to something
more like that ofthe settlers.
This attempt at "revitalization"
failed, he said. "The means weren't
provided by the government for the
Indians to succeed in changing their
way of life. The Chippevva suffered
as a result."
Driben contradicted some of the
earlier testimony of the band's
witnesses. He said the Mille Lacs
Chippevva understood their special
privileges under the 1837 treaty could
be temporary. He also said Chief Hole
in the Day ofthe Gull Lake Band, who
led the 1855 treaty negotiations for
the Indians, was a legitimate
representative ofthe Mille Lacs Band.
What the Mille Lacs Chippewa
believed they were agreeing to when
they signed the 1837 and 1855 treaties
is central to the case before Chief U.S.
District Judge Diana Murphy. Federal
courts have ruled Indian treaties
should be interpreted to mean what
the Indians who agreed to them
understood they meant.
Earlier Monday, a historian testified
that the 1850s were a time of
explosive growth in Minnesota, when
the settler population jumped from
only a few thousand to more than
100,000.
As European settlement began in
earnest, said John Massmann, a
retired history professor for St. Cloud
State University, the foundation ofthe
local economy changed rapidly from
the fur trade, to logging, to
agriculture.
"For $200 a person can get 160
acres of farm land in Minnesota," he
said, citing the land prices ofthe day.
The
Fifty Cents
Ojibwe
News
We Support Equal Opportunity Far All People
Founded   in 1 988
Volume E   Issue 1
July 1, 1994
ha
1
A weekly publication.
Copyright, The Ojibwe Newi, 1994
South Dakota Supreme Court lets tribal liquor
license issue stand
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The
U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday
to let an appeals court ruling stand
involving the Cheyenne River Sioux
Tribe's authority to regulate alcohol
sales on the reservation. The tribe has
been fighting to make non-tribal
businesses buy tribal permits for
commerce and alcohol sales.
The Supreme Court's decision
supports a 1993 ruling by the 8th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals, said Tim
Joranko, a tribal lawyer. The ruling
said Indian tribes could regulate all
alcohol sales within reservation
boundaries, including those of non-
tribal businesses, he said.
The tribe has argued it needs to
regulate alcohol to control excessive
drinking. The ordinance bans liquor
sales on Sundays or at drive-up
windows and prohibits "knowing"
sales of liquor to pregnant women.
Five businesses in Dupree, Isabel
and Timber Lake had challenged the
1991 tribal move, arguing they were
exempt from tribal ordinances.
They lost their case in tribal court,
won at the U.S. District Court level
but lost when the tribe appealed to the
8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Tim Engel of Pierre, a lawyer for
four ofthe businesses, said he didn't
know what course of action his clients
would take.
"The way the law currently stands,
based on the Supreme Court's refusal
to hear the case, they have to buy the
tribe's liquor license.and business
license," said Engel. But he said the
case could open up other kinds of
issues.
"We think by implication... that this
also means that anyone wanting to
cross the reservation, whether it be a
wholesaler or you or I with a bottle of
wine in the trunk, could be in violation
ofthe tribal ordinance by crossing the
reservation with alcohol in our
possession," said Engel.
Rocky LeCompte, a member ofthe
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council,
said he was happy with the outcome.
. "We are very pleased that Supreme
Court has recognized the validity of
the tribe's efforts to combat alcohol
abuse, which has been a problem of
serious proportions on our
reservation," LeCompte said in a
written statement.
The ordinance is one of several
efforts directed at fighting alcohol
abuse, tribal leaders said. Others
include counseling programs, youth
activities, an emergency
detoxification center, and community
education.
Joranko said the decision also lets
the tribe to continue to charge a luxury
tax on alcohol sales. The money is
used to fund the tribe's alcohol abuse
programs, he said.
University of Minnesota Kirby Puckett Scholarship winners (left to right): LaReisha Suggs, Reedus Bcrr;,
Jaime Sargent and Kathryn Bracho posed with Tonya and Kirby Puckett at a ceremony before the Twins game
Friday, June 24 at the Metrodome.
First U of M Puckett Scholarship winners
honored at Twins game
July 18 hearing set for Red Lake election suit
Minneapolis, MN — Four high-
achieving minority students were
honored as the first University of
Minnesota Puckett Scholars before
the Twins game against the Kansas
City Royals at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June
24, at the Metrodome.
The winners are: Reedus Berry,
Minneapolis, an African American
from Patrick Henry High School who
plans to major in engineering;
Kathryn Bracho, Excelsior, a
Mexican American from Mound
Estonka High School who plans to
major in journalism;
Jaime Sargent, Minneapolis, a
Minnesota Chippewa from Edison
High School who plans to major in
human ecology;
LaReisha Suggs, Brooklyn Park,
an African American from Champlin
Park High School who plans to major
in psychology.
All four will begin studies at the
university in the fall with help from
the Puckett Scholars program, which
provides scholarships of $3,000
annually for up to five years, with
bonuses awarded to those who keep
their grade point averages at 3.0 or
above. Each will be assigned a
university mentor, and each will be
encouraged to become a mentor for a
future Puckett Scholar.
The Puckett Scholars program was
started with a $250,000 donation from
Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett and
his wife, Tonya, matched by an
anonymous bequest to the University
ofMinnesota Foundation and $50,000
from Wilsons The Leather Experts,
who have pledged an additional $ 100
for every hit Kirby Puckett gets this
season. The goal is to build the
endowment to $1 million, which
would permit up to 15 students to
receive Puckett Scholarships every
year. The scholarships go to students
of color from Minnesota who have
financial need and a demonstrated
potential to succeed at the university.
By Bill Lawrence
Special Red Lake Nation Tribal
Court Judge Eugene L. DeLorme told
the PRESS during a telephone conversation on Wednesday that he has
scheduled a hearing at 1:00 p.m. on
July 18th to consider a motion to dismiss the three election suits filed as a
result ofthe May 25, 1994, Red Lake
Tribal election.
Judge DeLorme said that the Red
Lake Tribal Council defendants had
made a motion to dismiss the suits on
the grounds that the plaintiffs had
failed to exhaust their administrative
remedies and on the basis of sovereign immunity. He also stated that he
had asked the parties to submit written briefs on the issues to the court by
July 11.
Plaintiffs in the suit are Eugene
Stillday, Sr., Thomas Westbrook,
Julius Thunder, Clarence Stately and
Betty Schoenborn. Named as defendants are the entire Red Lake Tribal
Council, in their official capacity and
individually.
The plaintiff's filed the suits alleging that several candidates for the
May 25th Red Lake Tribal election
were allowed to run who had felony
records which is a violation ofthe Red
Lake fribal constitution.
In addition, several ofthe plaintiffs
alleged that there were irregularities
in the handling of ballots in one of
the districts.
The Plantiffs are seeking a new election for the offices of secretary and
both Redby council seats.
Gaming benefits not reaching out to all enrolled
tribal members
Youth shot at White Earth—in critical condition at Fargo
By Gary Blair
An early Monday morning drunken,
drug party on the White Earth
Reservation involved the shooting of
one youth and the jailing of another in
Detroit Lakes, MN.
Richard Michael Person, ,18, ofthe
community of White Earth, is listed
in critical condition at a Fargo, ND
hospital after being shot in the chest.
Formerly charged in Becker County
District Court on Wednesday for the
shooting was 22-year-old Cory
Van Wert, also of White Earth.
According to county officials who
offered limited information, Van Wert
has been arraigned and charged with
first degree attempted murder and
two lessor charges. Bail for Van Wert
has been set at $100,000.
PRESS sources say a disagreement
broke out at the party and Van Wert
and another youth went to a relative's
home and returned with a gun. They
say it is not clear what led to the
shooting. The incident took place at
the home of Julie Bevin who is a
reservation youth worker.
"I don't know why someone didn't
do something sooner. Those boys have
been at it for over six months now,"
said one community member the
PRESS spoke to.
"It's surprising something hasn't
happened there sooner. Kids as young
as 12 and 13 years old are drunk and
high on drugs at that house all the
'1
time," he added.
Kids were seen going in and out of
Bevins house even after the shooting
happened.
"Once she (Bevins, who is 19) closes
the youth center, those kids go over to
her house and the party begins," the
PRESS was told.
Sources at the Becker County
Sheriffs Department denied that their
officer was attacked by the 10 to 15
youth who were at the party when he
arrived. But, according to people who
listened to the 2 a.m. shooting report
on their scanner, one of the deputy's
patrol car windows was broken out
and he was hollering for help. They
say that deputy is an Indian.
By Diane E. White
Minnesota boasts 18 Las Vegas-
style Indian owned casinos, including
the largest, singly-owned casino,
Mystic Lake and Dakota Country.
The casinos vary widely in style, from
casual to extravagant, and in size
from small to magnificent. There has
been much publicity surrounding
these casinos ranging from good and
bad, true and false and just plain
controversy.
Most of the published opinion had
been generated by tribal leaders,
gaming officials and state officials,
but not much has been said, or publicly
heard, by the State's Indian enrolled
member populations. In order to
remedy this, a recent poll was
conducted by Enrolled Members for
Accountability (EMA) which
objectively gathered the Indian
perspective toward the benefits they
receive (or do not receive) from
gaming and as intended by the IGRA.
This poll fielded 100 responses-
89% were enrolled into the MCT or
eligible to be enrolled into the MCT;
several respondents were enrolled
outside of the MCT; and a few
considered themselves to be Indians,
but did not meet the blood quantum
requirement, mostly from the Leech
Lake Reservation.
Overwhelmingly, the Indian
respondents FAVORED Indian
casinos in Minnesota by an 85% to
9% margin (3% gave no opinions and
there were three unanswered surveys).
All ofthe respondents had been to at
least one Indian casino and gambled.
On average, Indians spend up to $50
per casino trip, but 27% indicated
they spent more than $50 every time
they visited an Indian casino. Several
respondents indicated they routinely
spent more than $100 per casino
outing.
Perhaps the most important aspect
of casinos for both the customer and
casino manager is customer service.
Indian respondents rated casino
"Customer service" very acceptable,
as 64% indicated the service they
received while a guest at a Minnesota
Indian casino was Good to Extremely
Good. There were no Unacceptable
customer service ratings, while the
remainder (26%) graded customer
service as Fair.
While customer service is
acceptable, RTC or contracted casino
management of respondent's tribal
casino is viewed very unfavorably
with 64% respondents indicating they
are "Not at all" satisfied with how the
RTC or managing company is
managing their tribal casino(s).
Indian respondents were not
satisfied with the number of Indians
working at tribal casino and believed
that many more Indians should be
hired. Hiring practices were also
viewed unfavorably by respondents
who were again "Not at all" satisfied
with how Indians became employees.
Respondents (67%) believed that
many more Indians or only Indians
should be promoted by casino
management.
Over half of the respondents
believed it is easier to get ajob (53%),
or get promoted (55%) at their tribal
casino if you have a friend who is a
casino manager or a member of the
RTC. Respondents (60%) believed it
is easier to get a job or be promoted by
their tribal casino if thev were a family
member of a casino manager or RTC
member. Finally, 99% indicated
they DID NOT RECEIVE any per
capita payments.
Only 1/4 of the respondents felt
they had spent too much time and/or
money in a casino, but nearly half of
the respondents knew someone who
was spending too much time and/or
money at an Indian casino. One-
quarter of the respondents knew
someone who had experienced
relationship problems with other
family members as a result of their
Survey/ cont'd pg 3