The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1988-10-05

              STATE:
Ramsey County to try
Food Stamp credit cards
page 2
NATIONAL:
Tribal leaders criticize
Gambling Commission Bill
page 3
FAMILY PAGE:
Reservation schools face
high drop-out rates
page 6
News Briefs
Nay Tah Waush
boy dies in
hunting accident
An 11-year-old boy was
killed in a hunting accident
Sunday 16 miles east of
Mahnomen near Mah
Konce. The fatality
occurred when a
companion's rifle
accidentally discharged.
David Wayne Bunker,
son of Richard and Carol
Bunker of Nay Tah Waush
was shot in the head while
hunting grouse with a
younger friend. Authorities
say the unidentified
10-year-old stumbled and
the weapon fired.
Bunker was dead on
arrival at St. Lukes
Hospital in Fargo N.D. The
accident occurred at
about 7 p.m.
Fire fighters
await checks
Duluth, Minn. (AP) - It's
taking the 180 volunteers
recruited from
northeastern Minnesota to
fight fires in the West
longer to get their money
than it did to earn it.
"The ones who are
calling here are hostile,
but most of them
understand," said Karen
Matthiesen of the U.S.
Forest Service in Duluth.
"Some of them have been
out as (volunteers) before
and they know it takes
time to process the
checks."
The volunteers earned
an average of $1,500 for
two weeks of fighting fires
in Montana, Idaho and
Wyoming. The 10 citizen
crews spent from 12 to 21
days out West, with the
last crew returning to
Minnesota a week ago.
But it will take up to four
weeks for the volunteers
to get paid because of the
large number of volunteers
hired this summer,
Matthiesen said.
State sues
optical
company
for death
of minor
St. Paul, Minn. (AP) - A
St. Cloud lens factory
where a 16-year-old
worker died violated state
regulations against
employing minors in
hazardous work conditions, according to a
lawsuit filed by the
Minnesota Department of
Labor and Industry.
In the lawsuit filed
Thursday in Ramsey
County District Court, the
agency asked for a judge's
ruling that Lantz Lenses
Inc. violated the regulations in 1986 and for a civil
penalty of $1,100.
The suit alleges that
Troy Allan Weber was one
of six workers under the
age of 18 working at the
plant at the time of
Weber's death on Sept.
24, 1986.
Lantz officials could not
be reached for comment,
but Kirby Dahl, an attorney
representing Lantz, said
the company admits hiring
minors but denies it did so
illegally.
The
Ojibwe
News
"News by and for the Ojibwe Nation"
Copyright Ojibwe News, 1988
FIFTY CENTS
Founded at Bemidji, Minnesota in 1988
Volume 1  issue 20 Wednesday, October 5, 1988~]|
A Weekly Publication
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
Deconcini: /
Indian Affairs probe bigger than first expected
Grand Forks, N.D. (AP)-
An investigation into allegations of fraud, negligence
and theft within the Bureau
of Indian Affairs has grown
much larger than first
thought, said the chairman of
a special Senate investigative committee.
Sen. Dennis DeConcini,
D-Ariz., described the
investigation's scope as
"mammoth, larger and more
comprehensive than I had
anticipated."
"It's a tremendous problem
that we have already
substantiated, but we are not
going to be rushed into
hearings," DeConcini told the
Grand  Forks   Herald
Wednesday in a dispatch
from Washington.,
DeConcini said Senate
hearings in the case could
begin in February, but he
said no schedule has been
set.
Since last February, the
special committee's staff has
issued more than 100
subpoenas, interviewed 278
witnesses and collected
almost half a million
documents, said Ken Ballen,
chief investigator.
"The investigation has
been national in scope,"
Ballen told the newspaper.
The committee mailed a
letter to every federally
recognized Indian tribe, and
the staff or committee
members has visited 43
reservations, Ballen said.
Reservations in both North
Dakota and South Dakota
have been visited by staff
members, Ballen said,
although he could not give
further information about the
visits.
Sens. Tom Daschle,
D-S.D., and John McCain,
R-Ariz., are the other members of the special committee. About 20 staff
members have been hired,
Ballen said.
The investigation was
Manypenny released from jail
Takes first step in fight
By Mark Boswell criminal court. Criminal court many alleged violations of
Assistant Editor procedings enable the Judicial lawful process.
arm of government to order Among them the lack of
Marvin Manypenny, member incarceration as well as fines "being informed of the nature
of Anishinabe Akeeng was for breaches of the law. and causes of the accusations
released from the Nett Lake According to Darrell "Chip" against him", the lack of
jail Friday after serving a ten- Wadena, chairman of the "Compulsory process for
day sentence for an incident White Earth Reservation obtaining witnesses in his
that occurred Sept. 6 at a Tribal Council and co-signer favor", and "the right to be
conservation court hearing in of the conservation code free   from   unlawful
WhiteEarth. incarceration".
Manypenny was " among others,
held in contempt of ._ —^                 . A writ of habeas
court  by White ' JU?| f T    Tr% f\ corpus is the single
Earth Conservation §     LJI     4//C' avenue  open  to
Department Judge 1 indians contesting
Richard Tanner of         Of f ^rl /^Kf f 1/   rS'^S^Ls'       incarceration under
orad1rLaade.onpara       «««" OH 1/ DaCK       ™* P^f "w°a%
$100 fine or face 10    „, ,!■%.*«***.«%    Z J.    L± *+.!*+. «•*>«.**** created under the
days in jail. \A/ll' f*fr*   IT   LlGI fill CIS  Indian Civil Rights
The contempt of    "»'vl  Wf   f(    KSKsl KSl 'M*-'  Act in the United
court arrest was in 'JLL*     JLJ-*  *-*              States District Court
response    to \A/I Til     Til r"*               of Minnesota
Manypenny's              * •    *     Vwi LI I    iliv/                 The writ was filed
questioning of the in                       in Duluth at 10 a.m.,
legal jurisdiction of                 «.     l^jO/^l^/,0 4  hours  before
the conservation L/vv/jL//v7                             Manypenny's official
code and the legiti- *                I                                          release at 2:30 p.m.
macy of the conser- ...                            from the Nett Lake
vation court. Tanner -Marvin Manypenny   j a j |.     Had   the
was unavailable for sentence  been
comment on the =      - — ■        . _ completed before
charges. the filing of the writ,
Manypenny chose the document, just such an     the case would have been
sentence in order to make his amendment was added to the     considered closed. "The best
case with the White Earth document in 1981. The     thing they ever did was jail
Conservation Department and amendment would have     me,   said Manypenny in an
the White Earth Reservation legitimized the criminal     interview yesterday in White
Tribal Council the organization proceedings of the court.             Earth,
that oversees the department. "In fact,   said Wadena, "the       The writ of habeas corpus
He was taken into custody on conservation code started     will enable Manypenny to
Sept. 20 and transported to under criminal jurisdiction,     further pursue his questioning
the Nett Lake jail to serve his switched to civil for a few     of the  viability  of the
sentence. years, and was then changed     conservation code, the
According to Manypenny back to criminal."                         conservation court, and the
there is a question of where John Morrin and Ray     Reservation Tribal Council
the jurisdiction lies in dealing Bellecourt, members of     that oversees it.
with cases that are taken to Anishinabe Akeeng filed a writ        Manypenny  sees his
the conservation court. Many- of habeas corpus on behalf of     argument, with the White
penny believes that there is a Manypenny before his release     Earth government as a first
problem with the conservation on Friday. The Writ was     step to "Put the authority
code, the document that was drafted with the help of    back where it belongs...with
ratified in  1979 by the Maggie Penn, who works for     the people."
Executive Committee. the law office of Larry
The   problem,   says Levanthal, a Twin Cities
Manypenny, is in the transfer attorney.  Their justification
of the jurisdiction from civil to for the document stems from
spurred by articles last year
in an Arizona newspaper that
indicated the BIA's programs
are in a shambles. Indian
leaders had been making
such claims in less detail for
years.
The newspaper charged
that a bloated BIA bureaucracy spends 90 percent of
its $1 billion budget on
administrative costs, cannot
account for more than $250
million in equipment and is in
such disarray that it cannot
meet most Indian needs.
It also charged that the
BIA had been negligent in
allowing oil and gas
companies to steal $5.7
Native American
Heritage Day
held at Pine Point
The first annual Native
American Heritage Day was
held at the Pine Point School
in Ponsford on Sept. 30. About
300 spectators and 90
dancers attended the
celebration that included
Grand Entries at 1 p.m. and 7
p.m. and a dinner for those in
attendance.
The indoor celebration
honored local elders and
emphasized Native American
heritage and culture.
Six drum groups represented
area reservations, including
Sweet Grass, Fox Point
Singers, Pomemck Ramblers,
Johnson Kingbird Singers, and
the East Redlake Singers.
The Powwow featured M.C.
Vince Beyl of Bemidji,
Also in attendance were the
1988-89 Miss White Earth
Princess Vanessa Jones of
Pine Point (pictured at left)
billion from Indian tribes over
the last 10 years.
Daschle said he was aware
that the investigation had
received little publicity since
it began last year, but he
said the committee was
satisfied with the progress
and scope of the investigation.
The committee recently
requested an additional
$108,000 in federal money to
continue the investigation,
he said. About $1.2 million
had been appropriated
earlier.
Newsstand
price raised
to 50 cents
As of this week, the
newsstand price of the
Ojibwe News will be 50
cents per issue. Subscription prices have also
been raised (see inside for
new rates).
The Ojibwe News'
mailing address has also
changed. Mail should be
addressed to: Ojibwe
News, 1819 Bemidii Ave.,
Bemidji, MN 56601. The
telephone numbers are
751-1655 (news, editorial
and billing) and 751-06&0
(advertising).
and the Chief Bug-O-Nay-Ge-
Shig School Junior Princess
Natasha Kingbird and her
friends Karen Jones and Tina
Crowell.
The celebration was a great
success thanks to those who
helped in its organization and
all those who attended.
House completes
action on Indian
gambling legislation
Washington (AP)- Legislation establishing a commission to regulate and
monitor high stakes gambling
on Indian reservations has
gone to the White House
following a 323-84 House
vote that completed congressional action on it.
The bill passed by the
House Tuesday provides for
joint regulation by the tribes
and the federal government
of bingo, lotto, and certain
card games. It would permit
casinos, and horse and dog
racing on reservations only if
the tribes enter into specific
contracts with state governments.
Indian tribes, faced with
cutbacks in federal money
and a limited tax base, have
instituted gambling
operations to raise needed
revenues. Bingo is the
predominant, but not the
only, form of gambling.
The measure would set up
three classes of gaming
activity, two of which would
be subject to federal regulation or monitoring.
Class I, defined as
traditional ceremonial
gaming, would be left solely
to the jurisdiction of the
tribes.
Class ll--bingo, lotto, and
other card game--would be
monitored by a National
Indian Gaming Commission
to be established under the
bill. Card games would be
subject to state regulations
regarding hours of play and
betting limits.
Class III would involve all
other gambling including
casinos, horse and dog
racing, and jai-alai. Tribes
could engage in Class III
gambling if they enter into
compacts with the state for
the operation of such games.
The national commissiori
would be composed of five
people, three of whom must
be members of federally
recognized tribes. The
president would appoint the
chairman, who would need
Senate confirmation.
The commission would be
empowered to close tribal
games permanently, enforce
the collection of fines,
conduct background
investigations of employees,
and monitor all Indian gaming
activities.
The measure would
authorize $2 million for the
first year of the commission's
operation, and require that
its operation be financed at
least 50 percent by the
tribes, through assessments
on gaming revenues. The
remainder would be paid by
federal appropriations.
Cook resigns
as general
manager of
Ojibwe News
Donald Cook has resigned as general manager of
the Ojib we News citing
personal reasons for his
leaving, according to
News publisher William J.
Lawrence
* Cook worked for the
now-defunct Ojibwe Times
before it ceased publication early in 1988. Cook
and Raymond Bealieau
(former editor of the
News) were instrumental
in establishing the Ojibwe
News in the spring of
1988. No replacement for
Cook has been named.    -