The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1994-10-21

              ihB sues NAP for defamation
By Bill Lawrence
In an apparent companion suit to
, the one filed last January by IHB executive director Norine Smith, the
Minneapolis Indian Health Board
(IHB) filed a suit late last week alleging defamation against the Native
American Press (NAP). The suit alleges that the IHB was defamed by a
series of articles written by Blair and
Lawrence and published in the Native American Press and Ojibwe News
during the Fall and Winter of 1993.
In counts one through five of the
complaint, the IHB accuses the NAP
of "publishing false, misleading and
otherwise defamatory statements regarding IHB alleging, among other
things, financial mismanagement,.
abuse of spending, misuse of donated
funds, fraudulent misrepresentation to
government agencies and mismanagement of its financial condition to
contributors." The complaint goes on
to state that, "NAP"s statements were
published with reckless disregard for
the truth or falsity ofthe statement."
'"As a result of NAP's false, misleading and otherwise defamatory statements. IHB has suffered damages via
a reduction of contributions in an
amount in excess of $50,000."
The articles published by the NAP
dealt with charges of employee abuse
and discrimination by IHB executive
director Norine Smith. The charges,
which were formalized in two complaints of discrimination, were filed
with the Minnesota Department of
Human Rights. That department later
found evidence to indicate that Ms.
Smith discriminated against employees on the bases of race, national origin, religion and sex. Those findings
are currently under administrative re-
Suit cont'd on pg 3
Word from White Earth continued
By Gary Blair
* Last week. White Earth activist
Lowell Bellanger found four dead
ducks in a plastic bag inside the advertiser tube located beneath his driveway mailbox. There was also a note
that referenced those ducks "behinds"
and a delightful little poem about a
train. On the back of the note there
was a signature which someone had
tried to cover-up with a blue marker.
* Chip Wadena, chairman ofthe
White Earth reservation, has been
telling people the federal investigation involving the reservation's tribal
council is over.
* Business at the "Falling" Star
Casino in Mahnomen is down, some
say by as much as 50 percent since
Labor Day. The price of drinks has
increased and the size of the cups
decreased. No one has been laid-off so
far, but staff are being told if they want
to go home early they can.
* Last summer there were 30 buses
a day bringing players to the casino
and now they say there are as few as
three.
* Carley "Baby Doll" Jasken,
A.K.A.. "The Shredder," recently
charged in federal court with obstruction of justice for her alleged involvement in election fraud, says, she plans
to "sing more than [herfriend's] caged
bird" the next time she goes before a
grand jury in Minneapolis.
* Jerry Rawley, the reservation's
secretary/treasurer is now blaming
Chip Wadena for the fraudulent votes
he received in last June's election.
Rawley says Wadena is trying to get
him in trouble so he (Wadena) can get
rid of him. It's also reported that
Raw ley says the whole thing has been
such a mess it's not worth it.
* Former council member Dan
Stevens was supposed to get his job
back at the casino as head janitor.
Stevens ran unsuccessfully against
Raw ley in the last election and then
filed an appeal that opened up the
election fraud scandal at White Earth.
"My daughter told me I wasn't hired
back," he said. "She works at the
casino."
* An inside source says Chip
Wadena promised to get Stevens his
old job back at the casino, but then
"Wadena told me, 'Just when we were
getting ready to bring him back, he
(Stevens) shoots his mouth off.>"
Stevens, it's reported, has been telling people, "If they (federal authorities) don't get them (tribal council)
for anything else, they will get them
for income tax evasion."
Minneapolis    NAIM    interferes   with
Wisconsin/Oklahoma tribal affairs
By Shelley Davis
The National American Indian
Movement, Inc. of Minneapolis has
been accused of interfering with the
governmental affairs of a couple of
tribal governments.
In May, Clyde Bellecourt and mem
bers of NAIM interfered with the St.
Croix tribal affairs, Lewis Taylor, St.
Croix Chairman alleged.
Taylor said he was called in the.
early morning hours about an abrupt
"takeover" of the St. Croix casino at
Turtle Lake. He alleged that Clyde
Bellecourt headed the "takeover."
Even though the St. Croix did not
close the facility, the nation did lose
business, said Taylor.
Taylor negotiated an agreement but
forbid anyone who was not a member
ofthe St. Croix to participate. He said
NAIM cont'd on pg 3
White Earth people gear up to take action
against officials  — —
By Gary Blair
The mercury continues to sore at
White Earth, as the web of corruption
is unraveled by federal authorities
probing criminal activities of the
reservation's tribal council and associates.
With the certainty that charges are
forthcoming, concerns have now
shifted to other matters that residents
view with equal importance. PRESS
sources say the tribal council has been
trying to pass measures to create a
reservation criminal justice system that
would include a court, jail, and law-
enforcement officials, all of which
would be handpicked by the council.
If approved, it's believed the council
members would move to be tried in
that court system.
Last Friday the reservation's program workers were told at 10:00A.M.
to take the day off— that A.I.M. was
coming. Those who related the story
laughed as they expressed their opinions of Clyde and Vernon Bellecourt.
"Who are Clyde and Vernon going
to get to come-up here, some of their
white AIM buddies? They're the only
ones left that are still stupid enough to
follow those T.V. clowns."
Another reservation member added,
Action cont'd on pg 5
Bemidji   State   University   professor
contributes to Smithsonian
Bemidji, Minn. — Earl Nyholm,
professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State
University, contributed to one of three
exhibits that will be featured at the
grand opening of the Smithsonian
Institution's National Museum ofthe
American Indian (NMAD) at the
George Gustave Heye Center in New
York City.
Nyholm was among the 23 Native
Americans who selected objects for
"All Roads Are Good: Native Voices
of Life and Culture." which opens simultaneously October 30 with "Creations Journey: Mastervvorks of Native American Identity and Belief
and "The Path We Travel: Celebra
tions of Contemporary Native American Creativity-" in the NMAI's three
exhibition halls.
Located in lower Manhattan, the
Heye Center of the NMAI occupies
the first two floors of the renovated
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom
House, which is a National Historic
Landmark. The museum includes
three exhibition galleries and public
spaces totaling 20,000 square feet
w ith an additional 62,000 square feet
for a 500-seat auditorium, stage, administrative offices, and support facilities.
The selectors for "All Roads are
Good" were Native American artists,
singers, storytellers, educators, elders
and community leaders. They chose
more than 300 objects for the exhibit
Nyholm cont'd on pg 3
Update from Mille Lacs Anishinabe People's Party
To: Past participants and supporters
ofthe Mille Lacs Anishinabe People's
Party (MAPP)
From: Vincent Hill, St., P.O. Box
7282, Mpls., MN 55407 (MAPP Coordinator/ Chair) and Solita Reum.
HCR67,Box351.Onamia. MN 56359
(MAPP Secretary)
MAPP. essentially came about because Mille Lacs tribal members residing on and near the Mille Lacs
reservation, and those from urban centers, desired a non-Mille Lacs govern
mental sponsored group to address
the 1994 Mille Lacs tribal election
and to look into accountability issues
of the Mille Lacs tribal council.
Similar election and tribal accountability problems exist on other Minnesota Ojibwe reservations which
shows the need for changes or reforms
of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
(MCT) constitution. Actually, Indian
country is replete with dysfunctional
tribal councils and undemocratic election systems.
As reported in the 8/12/94 Native
American Press publication, the Wis
consin Winnebago tribe apparently
encountered election and accountability issues of their own recently. Instead of taking tribal council abuse,
the Winnebago people drafted a new-
constitution for their reservation,
which recommended a governmental
structure not unlike that at Mille Lacs:
a general council of tribal elders and a
very interesting provision, that twenty
(20) percent of eligible voters retain
the power to reverse actions of the
tribal council or remove them, includ-
Party cont'd on pg 3
1st Annual Manitoba Nations Pow Wow/ pg 8
NAP served with SLAPP suit by IHB/ pg 1
News from around Indian Country/ pg 2
BIA auth. MCT to est. tribal courts/ pg 3 & 6
Reflections by Wub-e-ke-niew/ pg 5
Voice of the Anishinabeg (The People)
1
Fifty Cents
Ojibwe
News
We Support Equal Opportunity For All  People
Founded   in 1988
Volume 6    Issue 1 7
October SI, 1994
A weekly publication.
1
Copyright, The Ojibwe Mews,  1994
Grand Champion barrel racer Erica Fairbanks.
Submitted photo
Profiles in Pride -grand champion barrel racer
Erica Fairbanks	
By Anne M. Dunn
Cass Lake, Minn. — Cass County
Grand Champion barrel racer Erica
Fairbanks has collected over 350
awards for horsemanship since 1986
when she got her first ribbon. In 1994,
she received 112 ribbons and the most
trophies of any single year.
Inspite of heavy competition she
took 22 ribbons and three trophies at
Verndale (MN) this season. There
were 58 barrel racers in her class.
At the 1994 Minnesota State Fair
she carried the flag for Cass County
and rode in formation during Grand
Entry. She also competed in four
events and took prizes in three. Erica
was second in jumping figure eight,
fifth in barrels and seventh in pole
weaving.
She spent a lot w eekends on the road
and traveled 3,000 miles this year. Her
home on-the-road is a three-horse-
slant electrified trailer with living
quarters. Erica, a 14-year-old Ojibwe,
travels with her parents, LeRoy
Fairbanks and Mary McKenzie.
LeRoy is driver and chief cheerleader. "Everywhere we go, the stands
are full of Erica fans," he boasted.
LeRoy and Mary are the owners of
"Agidaaki Farm" (on top of the hill)
near Walker, where they breed award-
winning Scottish Highlanders.
Erica, who attended Bug-O-Nay-
Ge-Shig School from kindergarten to
eighth grade, is a ninth grade student
at Walker-Akeley-Hackensack now.
She proudly displayed her pow wow
yoke and leggings which she doesn't
wear anymore. "I had to choose between dancing and riding."
"She can't do both," Mary said, "because there isn't enough time for that."
Racer cont'd on pg 5
MPR aires story on White Earth election fraud
The following is the written transcript of a Minnesota Public Radio
broadcast
Federal obstruction-of-Justice
charges filed last month against White
Earth Chippewa official... have renewed protests among some tribe
members — who are now calling for
new elections, and the resignation of
all top tribal officials on the reservation in north-central Minnesota.
A federal grandjurv- is investigating
allegations of election fraud, theft of
government funds, and construction
fraud... made against White Earth
Tribal chairman Darrell Wadena and
other reservation officials. Minnesota
Public Radio has obtained evidence
that some ballots cast in last summer's
tribal election were fraudulent. The
FM News Station's John Biewen reports.
***
Voting records and death certificates examined bv Minnesota Public
Radio show that at least eight people
listed as absentee voters in last June's
White Earth tribal election were in
fact dead at the time. The names ofthe
dead voters are among a list of almost
350 absentee ballots thatwere deemed
questionable by a tribal election review board on the White Earth reservation.
At a meeting last weekend in Minneapolis, about 60 White Earth tribe
members looked over the list of 346
absentee voters..: and found more
names of people they say definitely
did not vote... including themselves,
and dead relatives. »
(Webster: "I wasn't there. I don't
even hardly know Rawley. and I
wouldn't vote for him anyway. And
there's my name, it shows I voted,
which I didn't do.")
(Becky Rock: "She's my cousin, and
she died. Geneva Adams, she burnt in
a fire about three years ago.)
(Bosvvell: "Right here, this Boswell
Ellis here? He's dead. He's been dead
for about three vears. Far as I'm con
cerned these people should be prosecuted.")
Those who should be prosecuted,
according to some tribe members, are
the five elected leaders of the 20-
thousand member white Earth tribe
— most notably, tribal chairman
Darrell "Chip" Wadena, and Secretary-Treasurer Jerry Rawley. Rawley
was re-elected last June... and most of
his votes came in absentee ballots that
are being called into question. A federal grandjuiy is investigating election fraud allegations... as well as
other charges that tribal officials
awarded casino construction contracts
to companies they owned, and used
federal money for personal use.
Tvvoweeksago, U.S. Attorney David
Lillehaug charged White Earth Election Board Chair Carley Jasken with
obstruction of Justice, after she was
allegedly caught shredding election
documents that had been subpoenaed
by a federal grand
Fraud cont'd on pg 3
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