The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1988-07-15

              Indian Interests
Sould Be Included
in Water Plan
see page 2
Federal Judge
Dismisses Suit
Against Indian
Company
see puge 3
Ojibwe Owed
For Resources
see page 4
The
National
Police Will Picket
Peltier Fundraiser
Providence, Rl (IPN) -
Police are protesting concerts
planned by country singer
Willie Nelson to raise money
for Leonard Peltier, the
American Indian activist
convicted in the slayings of
two FBI agents.
"We don't take too kindly to
people raising money for a
killer of policemen," said
Wayne Sacco, president of
the statewide Fraternal Order
of Police. Trustees from the
Rhode Island FOP voted
unanimously to protest the
upcoming concerts
Peltier, who maintains he is
innocent, is serving two
consecutive life sentences at
Leavenworth federal prison.
He was convicted for the 1973
shooting deaths of two FBI
agents on the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation in South
Dakota!
Information that was
uncovered under the
Freedom of Information Act
revealed that Peltier's
prosecutors withheld
evidence during his trial.
Peltier's defense committee
asserts he should be given a
new trial, but the courts have
rejected the pleas.
Sacco said the union,
comprised of about 3,000
members, is upset after a
1987 Peltier defense fund
raising concert that featured
Nelson and Kris Kristofferson.
Unionized police all over
Rhode Island will picket
during the concerts,
scheduled for July 29 and 30
at the Warwick Musical
Theater. "We're not going to
try to stop the conceert,"
Sacco said. "We'll make a
public appeal protesting the
event." *
Larry Bonoff, the business
manager for the theater, said
the police action disappoints
him. "Willie Nelson has
always supported the
underdog," Bonoff said.
Dukakis is
Against Bradley's
Black Hills
Legislation
Rapid City, SD (IPN) -
Michael Dukakis, the
Democratic presidential
candidate-hopeful is against
the Bradley Bill, which would
return federal land in the
Black Hills to Sioux Indian
tribes, Sen. Tom Daschle
(D-SD) told The Rapid City
Journal.
Daschle, who opposes the
bill, told the Journal that he
talked with Dukakis, the
Massachusetts governor,
during a flight from
Washington to Iowa on June
28, and he agreed the land
should not be returned to the
Indians.
The bill, pproposed by Sen.
Bill Bradley (D-NJ) would
return 1.3 million acres of
unoccupied federal land in the
Black Hills region of South
Dakota to the Sioux tribes.
The United States federal
government illegally took the
land in 1877, but in 1980, the
Sioux were awarded a cash
settlement currently vallued
at $200 million.
The tribes say they want
the land back, instead of the
monetary compensation
awarded by federal courts.
Oil bwe
News
"News by and for the Ojibwe Nation"
I Founded at Bemidji, Minnesota in 1988
c Copyright Ojibwe News 1988
THIRTY-FIVE CENTS
Volume 1 Issue 8
Friday July 15,19881
A Weekly Publication
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
Ross Swimmer interviewed
Transcript of Press Conference with
Commissioner of Indian Affairs Ross
Swimmer July 12, 1.988 Minneapolis, MN
Swimmer: So with that, I presume, the
press is around the table, and I'm
willing to answer, or try to answer, any
questions that you might have, and if
you don't have any, I'm sure I'll find
something else to say.
Goldenberg: Steven Goldenberg, with
First Person Radio, Migizi
Communications. Mr. Secretary, it seeis
kind of contradiction here, to teach
people to be better managers for the
B.I.A., in view of your main idea that
the B.I.A. should eventually go out of
business. Is that a good career track
for these people then, if all that ...
Swimmer: That's what I was
get across to then earlier,
think that it does work well,
to their benefit, especially
saying is, if we plan today .,
aying is,
say," let's go back — if
1975
trving to
Yes,   I
and works
what I am
. or let's
planned   in
a policy,
going
then, I
we
self-determination was
and enacted into law, for what was
to happen fifteen years from
think everyone at that time aould had
said that the object is for tribes to
take over the functions of the Bureau of
Indian Affairs, and that's what began to
happen. We contracted out for a lot of
the programs. What didn't get said
then, was "what will the role of the
Bureau be, then, at the end of fifteen
years. And as a consequence of that,
even though the policy of
self-determination was announced, and
law was passed, we had a lot of
resistance in the field. There were a
lot of people of the B.I.A., out at the
agency,' who said, 'hey, they may think
that way in Washington, but don't you
come over here, Mr. Tribe, and try to
take my prograi, because that's my job.
And so, vou have that built-in
resistance there, because really what
did happen was, if the Superintendent
was successful in contracting out his
program, he lost his job. That was
never accounted for, and it was almost
like, well we put this into effect, but
we really don't mean it. What I'm
suggesting is that a policy of
self-determination, we carry it forward
new, has to have some goal, some
probability of success in the future,
and that would be that, if we set apart,
say in 1995 or in the year 2,000...
maybe that's a good year to pick, the
turn of the Century, the Bureau of
Indian Affairs budget, as it is today,
would be approximately a hundred million
dollars instead of a billion dollars,
whatever they might be. Well, let's say
ten percent, and what we're going to do
with that ten percent, is we re going to
be an administrative agency that will be
the contact for Indian tribes in
Washington, is we're going to ferry
programs and laws to the hill, and we're
going to provide some technical
assistance to tribes, but the basic role
of the Bureau has really been
transferred over to the tribes; tribes
have been managing, their trusteeship;
tribes will be managing this and
managing that. But, if we don't say
that, what worries me then is that we'll
never get there. If we don't make that
statement, and what I'm saying to these
managers is that we need competent
people to carry this into that nest
phase of the IJureau of Indian Affairs.
Cook: Yeah, I'm Don Cook of the Ojibway
News, and I have a question or,... as far
as your management of millions of
dollars going into tribes — what is
your policy as far as accountability to
the people that the tribes are
representing? We constantly hear
self-determination, and the Red Lake
Band of Chippewa Indians,
self-determination means eleven people.
The rest of the people — we haven't
seen our tribal government since 1979.
We go to a council leeting in Red Lake;
we are arrested by the Bureau of Indian
Affairs police. We go our elecion;
every polling place on the reservation
is supervised by the Bureau of Indian
Affairs police. You know, where is the
people? Where is the
self-determination'7'
representative of the people. I have
also seen cases the local and state
government is not very representative of
the people. They don't feel like the
State goverment listens to them,
sometimes either. But, I can tell you.
that I don't condone it. I believe that
tribes, if they are going to participate
in this process, also must have a free
and open election, and they must have a
process by which the people participate
the  tribal  government,
and
Swimmer: Well, I'm not going to get
into the local tribal politics any more
than I absolutely have to, but that's
Cook:    Well,   I'd   like   to  ask  you  a
question about it, though.
Swimmer: Well, let me answer the
question as best I can. The Federal
Government, and Congress in particular,
decided that this course was what was
right, they said that, in effect, tribal
government is it. They said, we're
going to accept tribal government, and
in fact in many cases Congress is the
one that mandated that we will have
Tribal Government, because they needed
someone on the Reservation, to
distribute these dollars. They claimed
at the time, that the state and Federal
Governments weren't doing it; that the
money wasn't getting to the people. So,
the way tc do it, would be for the
people to organize a tribal government.
And then, we'll use those tribal
governments as conduits, so that the
money, and the programs, can get to the
people. Look, we're going to have
Tribal Government, That implies then,
that there's going to be some
representation by that tribal government
of the people. There is no doubt, in
mind, that that has not happened in
cases. I have seen many, many cases...
I'm not citing any in particular, but
I've seen many cases, where the tribal
government     is     not     really     very
aR
participate in the election of those, or
the selection of those leaders, however
they might do it.
Cook: What is the responsibility that
the Bureau of Indian Affairs has for the
Constitution of the Tribe? For example,
our Constitution says that our Tribal
Chairman shall live on the Reservation
one year prior to running for election.
Our tribal chairman hasn't been living
on the reservation for' the last nine
years.
Swimmer: Well, I don't consider that
our responsibility, or that of the
B.I.A., to ...
Cook: You're part of the Constitution.
Our constition would be... I think it's
a contract, our constitution is a
contract between the Federal Government
and the Tribe. And, before it's
recognized, the Secretary has to approve
the Constitution. Now. in Red Lake in
particular, we're... the people are left
totally out in left field, our
representatives ... they don't know
what's coming up at the meeting until
're asked to vote, and it's that way
yyvs~2 the country.... and in the
votes... the Government is hand-picking
their leaders.
Swimmer: What I had hoped to do is,
that is this morning at least, is to
talk to the press generally about issues
that they might have. You're making
statements, and I can't respond to
those, because I don't have the other
side here. And I know that there are
other people on that reservation, that
believe that they do have certain
rights. I do know that Red Lake has
elections. Now, I don't look at it as
the Bureau of Indian Affairs
responsibility to get involved in the
elections, any more than we absolutely
have to. I don't look at it as proper
that we should be in your constitution.
I believe that the" people of that
reservation should call the shots, and
that the people of that reservation
should decide what kind of leadership
they want, and that they should set up a
mechanism to do that. And. it's hard
for me to believe that everybody on the
reservation is co-opted by one or two or
eleven people, and that NO-ONE else out
there has any rights, or abilities to
make any changes. Now if, I said that
it's hard for me to believe. I'm not
saying that it's not. tod, I'm not
saying that it's not a way to remedy
that, but I do believe that it is a
local issue, and that it has got to be
resolved. Now, I'm willing to talk to
you-all about a specific issue, but I
think that we're getting off the course
as far as what we would like to try to
do today, and answer questions a little
bit more broader. But, if you want to
go ahead and make your statements, I'll
be happy to listen ...
Blake: Mr. Swimmer, I'm Francis Blake,
with the Ojibway News, and what you're
talking about is the press that you've
dealt with is the corporate press. We
ire not the corporate press. We are
printing the truth. And, these are the
questions that we are asking you.
Swimmer: Well, I want you to print the
truth. I'm not...
Blake: We're not the corporate press.
Swimmer: I mean, if you're making
statements, and you're not asking
questions... If you want to ask a
question, I'll be more than happy to
answer it.
Gordy: I've got a question. I'm with
the Circle Newspaper. My name is
Gordon... You referred earlier to the
possibility of the B.I.A. phasing out
over time, in the period 1995 to the
year 2,000. The possibility, is that
then the program that's being
instituted, where the funds are going to
the number of ten tribes. Is that part
of that long-term phase-out — is this
the trial run?
Swimmer It won't be a ... the
so-called ten tribes was a ... it could
be considered sort-of a first start at
that. What I was trying to do, was look
at the Federal resources, and instead of
the Federal Government planning how the
dollars get spent in Indian country. I
wanted to reverse the process, so that
we could start the planning from the
ground up, so that the tribes ... let's
say that tribe A last year received five
million dollars of federal B.I.A. funds
for a whole list of different programs
that Congress authorized. They nave to
spend that money for those particular
programs. They might not even want
those prorams, but if they don't operate
those programs, they won't get the
money. What I said to Congress was, why
don't we tell Tribe A, there's five
million dollars of federal dollars
available. Now, you tell us how you're
going to spend it. You've told us that
you have high unemployment, you've told
us about the alcoholism, you've told us
about poor health, and all this... how
are you going to deal with those
problems with this five million dollars?
And you develop the program that you
want... we then will incorporate it into
the B.I.A. budget, this being your
budget, in effect, is in addendum to
ours, send it to the hill, let them
appropriate the money, and your tribe
then will be held accountable for
whether you were successful. The way it
is now, is that because we operate in
this programmatic mode, tribes almost
have to fail, in order to get re-funded
the next year. If they don't show the
same need that they had this year, then
those programs that they're operating
that we send to them, they don't need to
be there, and
so the "money will go
somewhere'else.. What I was trying to 3o
was sort of' guarantee this level of
funding to a tribe, and say "we're going
to give you credit for being
successful-., so, as you begin solving
problems, it doesn't mean that you begin
losing money." Because, as we know,
there will be plenty of other things
that you can continue doing. Almost
revenue-share concept. So, those ten
tribes... what happened was, those ten
tribes were at the hearing last
December, and congressman Yates
suggested that because they were there
and had heard, and said, 'well, new
maybe that might be an idea," why don't
you ten tribes try to get with Swimmer
and develop some tribal specific
programming like that, and we'll give
ou a million dollars a plan. That's
ow those ten tribes... but there are
several other tribes, besides those ten,
that are interested in it.
Lussier: Uh, Mr, Swimmer, I'm going to
stop you. You know, when I go to a
meeting, I like something to cose. You
was asked a question. Who's responsible
for the Constitution that you've made, I
think the question was. Did vou answer
it? And I'm going to tell you this. I
was on the Chief's council, and the
B.I.A. said that "you don't have no
Council." So, they took it away from
us. just like that. The B.I.A.... and,
I told the B.I.A. at the time, "you're
to be sued for this some day."
Students and educators gather to
discuss Ojibwe language teaching
.hat's Red Lake, now. My name is Adolf
Lussier, and I m enrolled on the Red
Lake Indian Reservation, and I served on
the Council for eight years, so I know
exactly what the Council is doing, and I
want to thank you, if I said anything to
hurt you're feelings, I hope to Christ
it didn't. Thank you.
Swimmer: As far as who's responsible
for the Constitution, it's the Tribe.
Lussier: Eh! YOU are!
Swimmer: No.
Lussier: I helped make the
Constitution, and you sent the Secretary
of the Interior, signed it, that's why
it's got him in power.
Swimmer: But, it's not our constitution,
(Continued on Page 10)
By James Johnson
Staff Writer
About 40 students and
educators of Ojibwe language
and culture gathered this past
week at the College of St.
Scholastica in Duluth for a
four-day conference.
The conference brought
together students and
educators from Minnesota,
Wisconsin and Canada to
discuss the current trends and
concerns in the teaching of
the Ojibwe language.
The conference, an annual
event in its fourth year, was
sponsored jointly by the
Minnesota Department of
Education, the Arrowhead
Community College System,
and the Fond du Lac ojibwe
School.
Linda Pelly, a researcher
and consultant at the
Saskatchewan Indian
Language Institute, said one
of the biggest obstacles in
teaching tne Ojibwe language
is the lack of cohesiveness
between the schools and the
community. "It's not only the
responsibility of the schools
to teach the children," Pelly
sai d, "it's also the
responsibility of the parents
to encourage and reinforce
the learning of the language."
Another obstacle, Pelly said,
is the communication media
"A long time ago we didn't
have television and radio to
distract us," she said. "Now
we just want to watch
television instead of learning
those kinds of things."
Although the media can
pose a threat to the revival of
the Ojibwe language and
culture, Pelly feels that it can
also be used to their
advantage. She said that a lot
of people have started
developing television and
radio programs in Ojibwe.
Besides the teaching of
Ojibwe language and culture,
Pelly said there are other
things that need to be done
to maintain the Indian
heritage, such as learning
from our elders. "We tend to
shun our elders when they
get to an age when we think
they can no longer help
themselves," she said. "We
say that our elders are very
important to us, yet at the
same time we put them in
old-folks' homes where they
become very lonely."
Although the Ojibwe people
are living in a predominantly
white society, Pelly said that
the maintenance or the native
culture is important for many
reasons. "We have been
witnessing the degeneration
of our language over a period
of time, sne said. "Our
children no longer speak the
language, and our mothers
and fathers have forgotten
how to communicate with
their children in the language.
We ue English as a medium
for communication now and
we can't speak to our
grandparents in our language.
We want to retain our culture
and in order to do that we
have to retain our language,
because without language
you don't have a culture."
Pelly said the Indian people
can't get away from the fact
that they're going to be
working with non-Indians, so
we also have to make them
aware of how important the
maintenance of the culture is
to the Ojibwe people.
The conference also
featured speakers from the
Minnesota Department of
Education, St. Scholastica,
Minneapolis Public Schools
and the Fond du Lac Ojibwe
School.
Joyce Biagini, from the
Upper G reat Lakes
Multifunctional Resource
Center at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, delivered
a two-part session on the
teaching and learning
strategies of second
languages. Although she is
not familiar with the Ojibwe
language, she said the same
basic principals are common
to the teaching of any
language. She also said that
there are certain linguistic
universale such as "wherever
people exist, language
exists." She also said there
are no "primitive" languages-
all languages are equally
complex and equally capable
of expressing any idea Also,
similar gram matical
categories, such as nouns
and verbs, are found in all
languages.
Biagini said the methods
and theories of teaching
languages have changed
dramatically since the
teaching of languages first
began. When monks began
translating many of the old
Latin scriptures, the most
common method of teaching
language emerged. Language
courses taught only to
translate by reading and
writing, but taught nothing of
oral language and social skills.
This method lasted
throughout most of history
until about the early 1900s
when the "behavioral
Esychology" movement
egan to have a profound
affect on education. The
behavioralists believed that
learning was nothing more
than a set of habits, and that
practice, repetition and
association were the keys to
learning anything. After World
War II, the emphasis switched
from mere translation and
reading to improving speaking
and listening skills.
Biagini said that few
language instructors use only
one teaching method. Most
utilize parts of many methods
with which they feel the most
(Continued on page 11)