Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2002-01-04

              INDEX
News Around Indian Country
Commentary/Editorials/Voices
Smoke Signals of Upcoming Events
Classifieds
Nohearts to
fc open graphic
^arts business in
Rapid City, S.D.
pgi
Summer enrichment
programs offered
through CAIMH
pg 1,5
What's the impact of
a decade of Indian
casinos?
pgi,5
MIAC meeting
rescheduled
pg 1,4,5
Commentary
Dan, do the
tribe a favor
and resign
'pg4
RLTC gives petitioners 21 more days to
cure signatures defects
voice     of     the     People
web page: www.press-on.net
By Bill Lawrence
At a special meeting of the Red
Lake Tribal Council on the afternoon of Friday, December 21,
chairman Whitefeather accepted
presentation of the petition to recall
treasurer Dan King from petition
spokespersons Archie King and
Bill Lawrence. The petition seeks
the recall of King on two grounds:
1) that he failed to perform his constitutional duties as treasurer, and
2) that he spent tribal funds without proper authorization from the
tribal council. The petition contained 1743 verified signatures on
311 pages.
According to newly enacted Red
Lake tribal recall ordinance, Ordinance 1-2001, a total of 1665 signatures are required on a petition;
25% of the registered voters for the
recall of a tribal council officer.
The petition was originally presented to tribal secretary Judy Roy
on December 5, but after verification of signatures was returned to
the petitioners because several
hundred signatures lacked com
plete addresses. The petition was
subsequently returned to Roy on
December 16 with 1687 certified
signatures and 65 new signatures.
After briefing the council on their
responsibility in considering the
petition and the difficult decision
they would have to make, chairman Whitefeather turned the meeting over to secretary Roy to
present the petition to the council.
Upon resubmission of the petition,
Roy explained that the 7-person
petition review board verified 1743
signatures and certified that they
• met the requirements of the recall
ordinance. Roy told the council
that the review board disallowed
92 signatures for incomplete addresses, illegible signatures, and
other reasons. King criticized Roy
for selection of members of the review board and being biased in the
handling of the petition.
Treasurer Dan King was the next
to speak at the December 219 tribal
council meeting. He challenged
the petition on numerous grounds,
including that the petition had seri
ous flaws in it. He went on to
challenge 30 to 40 signatures as
not being consistent or being altered. He said that he wasn't afforded due process, that people
. were coerced to sign the petition,
and that 6 of the 7-member review
board signed the petition. He also
said the recall ordinance had many ■
defects in it. King also complained
that the petition wasn't specific
enough in its reason for his recall.
Roy shot back that the council only
authorized $27 million for the ca- •
sino and she was aware that at least
another SI 2 million had been spent
on the casino water park-motel
project without the proposed expenditures coming to the council
for required tribal council authorization. King made no attempt to
answer that charge.
Little Rock representative
Harlan Beaulieu complained that   '
the 60-day election period set forth
in the recall ordinance was too
short and suggested that 90 days
RLTC to page 5
Robert
Butcher, Jr. dies
in Ponsford
by Clara NiiSka
White Earth Indian Reservation, MN—Robert Butcher, Jr.,
age 16, grandson of Jerome
Goodman, died in Ponsford late
New Year's eve.
According to John Steinhaus,
Chief Deputy, Becker County
Sheriff's Department, an "officer
clocked a vehicle" going seventy
miles an hour "in a 30 zone," and
began pursuit. The "vehicle
pulled into the projects," and the
"driver exited with two rifles.
The officer asked him to drop the
guns," but the driver, Robert
Butcher, "shot a couple of rounds
into the house, then entered the
house," Deborah Peake's residence. The driver, Robert
Butcher, Jr., then apparent.!} ran
into the bedroom and shot himself with a 30-06 hunting rifle.
His aunt, Laurie Hill, age 18, was
present in the bedroom when
Butcher died. She was taken into
custody by the Becker County
Sheriffs' department for questioning, held overnight, and released the next morning.
Steinhaus denied rumors of
mass arrests—one source heard
that twenty-one people were arrested—and assured Press/ON
that Hill was the only person
taken into custody. He also said
that he believed that alcohol was
BUTCHER to page 5
What's the impact of a
decade of Indian casinos?
by Clara NiiSka
One of the arguments frequently made in support of Indian gambling enterprises is that
casinos provide much-needed
economic growth in impoverished rural areas. Minnesota's
$2 billion-plus Indian gambling
industry' generates more than
half a billion dollars in annual
net income for Indian tribal
governments in the state. Additionally, the federal government
contributes more than S120 million annually to Minnesota's Indian tribal governments in contracts and grants.
State-tribal compacts establishing Indian casinos under the
National Indian Gaming Regulatory Act were signed in 1989
and 1990; most Indian reservations had casinos up and running by 1991. With this issue.
Iress/UA starts taking a look at
the impact of a decade of Indian
gambling.
Casinos do not actually generate "economic growth": commercial gambling transfers
money from individuals to casinos (and "pays out" enough in
"winnings" to keep gamblers interested in the "game"). Gambling does not create new
wealth, it just moves dollars
from one pocket to another.
What does the flow of money
through Indian casinos do to the
communities where these gambling enterprises are located?
Over the next several months,
Press/ON will examine several
aspects of the impact of the casinos.
Welfare statistics give a
"snapshot" indication of economic conditions. Although
welfare laws have changed significantly during the past decade, the difference between
welfare rates in the rural white
communities, and welfare rates
in contiguous Indian communities is one indication of whether
or not Indian casinos have actually lifted reservation Indian
communities out of poverty.
Are casino advocates' claims
about the economic benefits of
casinos accurate?
The chart on page 5 provides
a brief summary of Minnesota
Department of Human Services'
statistics: total number of Indians and whites eligible for
"Minnesota Family Investment
Program" welfare services in
January 1994, January 2000,
and July 2001. The state
agency reports its statistics by
county, except for the Mille
Lacs band, which has recently
contracted with the state to administer state social service programs on the reservation.
Have Indian casinos improved the economic situation
for Indians living on or near
reservations?
Nett Lake (Bois Forte) and
Fond du Lac: welfare rates for
whites in 2001 were about half
CASINOS to page 5
A life saved on Christmas day
By Sue Gruman Kraft -
Mahnomen Pioneer
On Christmas Day, the quick actions of a Native American girl and
guests and staff at the Shooting
Star Casino, Hotel and event Center of Mahnomen, Minnesota,
helped to save the life of a patron,
a Christmas gift without equal.
Cassie Belsheim, 15, of Isanti,
Minnesota, was swimming in the
pool at the Shooting Star Casino of
Mahnomen, Minn., on Christmas
Da}', December 25, at about 4 p.m.
with family members.
Cassie is a strong swimmer. She
first learned to swim in Strawberry
Lake on the White Earth Indian
Reservation when she was four
years old. She is now on her
school's swim team and Cambridge-Isanti High School, where
she is a freshman.
As she was swimming, she had
noticed an Asian lady carefully
making her way around the edge
of the casino's pool by hanging
onto the edge. She didn't look like
she could swim very well, said
Cassie.
Then she noticed that the woman
was under water, somewhat leaning over with her face and arms
hanging down. "She wasn't coming up," said Cassie.
Cassie dove in and swam down
to the woman, put her arms under
the woman's anns and around her
torso, and swam for the surface.
She did so without thinking much
about it, she said. It just seemed
the thing to do.
When she reached the surface,
she yelled for help, but it was so
noisy in the pool atrium, that no
adults were hearing her. Her siblings and cousin also started yelling for help as she swam to the
edge of the pool and shallower water, pulling the woman with her.
Cassie's aunt, Merceline Parisien
of Moorhead, and two other
guests, a man and his adult daughter, went to the side of the pool.
CHRISTMAS to page 6
Tribe threatens suit over
unpaid lease, royalties
Associated Press
FORT HALL, Idaho -The
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are
threatening legal action against
the U.S. Department of Interior
for its failure to pay out $3 million in royalties and land lease
payments.
Tribal officials said the money
is due the tribes and individual
tribal members weeks ago from
their federal trust accounts.
In a letter sent Monday to Interior Secretary Gale Norton, U.S.
District Judge Royce Lamberth
and the Idaho congressional delegation, the tribes blasted the department for not sending out the
checks.
Fort Hall Business Council
Chairman Blaine J. Edmo said
many of the payments are owed
to low income tribal members
who count on the money for their
economic survival.
The letter demands immediate
issuance of the payments and
threatens quick legal action if the
money is not released this week.
Edmo said the nonpayment resulted from an order by
Lamberth to shut down the
department's computer system
after a court hired hacker was
LAWSUIT to page 6
Former Mille
Lacs Tribal
Police officer
must face
assault
charges
By Jeff Armstrong
District judge Steven Ruble denied a motion by former Mille
Lacs Tribal Police sergeant Marc
Gabiger to dismiss charges that he
assaulted Roland Smith, then a juvenile, during the course of his arrest and booking.
While terming Smith's conduct
"deplorable," the judge mled that
Gabiger would have to make the
case to a jury that his use of force
was legally allowable under the
circumstances. Gabiger had
sought a summary dismissal without trial for lack of probable
cause, but the judge ruled that the
evidence, including statements
from jail and law enforcement officers and a videotape of the incident, was sufficient to raise a factual dispute to be decided at trial.
"The State ultimately bears the
burden of proving at trial that
defendant's use of force was not
reasonable," Ruble wrote. "Here,
the state has produced evidence
that while two jailers were holding Smith face down on the floor,
defendant punched Smith in the
face perhaps as many as three
times."
In a statement to a Mille Lacs
County investigator, Gabiger admitted attempting to render Smith
unconscious, claiming the assault
suspect swore at, threatened
and tried to strike the tribal officer.
ASSAULT to page 6
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Founded in 1988
Volume 14 Issue 5
January 4, 2002
ore Indian artists leave town
ohearts to open graphics arts business Rapid City, South Dakota
photo credit: Clara NiiSka
Daryl and Sharon Noheart with one of Daryl's paintings of the buffalo hunt. The mural-size painting
will be hung near the Little Nikita coffee shop in the Rossmor Building in downtown St. Paul.
Daryl Noheart and Ms wife
Sharon loaded the last canvasses
into a rented moving van on Tuesday evening, and headed west into
inter night on Januar
They plan to open a graphics arts
business in Rapid City, South Dakota. The Nohearts have worked
out of a St. Paul studio since 1996.
"1 keep hearing about '.American
Indian nations'," acclaimed painter
Daryl Noheart told Press/ON,
"politicians, educators talking
about Indian nations. But, I'm
finding out that there really are no
'Indian nations,' because there is
no support" from tribal governments. Indians are focusing on
"individual pursuit of pers^nol
happiness, and our Indian values
and community are disappearing."
Noheart said that the decline in
traditional values and lack of support from tribal governments "is
why there are more homeless," Indians in jail, and other social problems, and urged Minnesota Indian
tribes to take responsibility for In
dian people here.
Although the Nohearts are looking forward to their new business
venture in Rapid City, Daryl told
Prea/( >/V "Sharon grew up here,
tins is a state that she came to love
and hates to leave. She has family
here. ... But, to fulfill her mission
of Indian womanhood," to do what
needs to be done in terms of the
larger community, "in order to do
this she has to leave the state" and
go to South Dakota.
Summer enrichment programs
offered through CAIMH
By Jean Pagano
The Center of American Indian
and Minority Health (CAIMH)
will offer summer enrichment programs at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Two programs will be
offered: one for high school students entitled the High School Super Star program, and another for
college students or promising high
school graduates preparing to enter
college, named The Native American into Medicine (N.AM) program. Both programs will begin on
June 24 and end August 2,2002.
Each participant will receive a
$40.00 per day living allowance^
for a total of $1200.00 for the
length of the program.
The High School Super Star program is geared for students in
grades 9 through 12 who are at
least 14 years of age and have a
strong interest in health careers and
bio-medical science.
The program will familiarize the
student with science and health-related projects that blend problem-
based learning with research design and technique. Students will
work as part of a team with the
University of Minnesota, Duluth
(UMD) School of Medicine fac
ulty and other high school students
on fun and interesting science and
health-related projects.
The Super Star program will allow participants to experience field
trips, recreational activities, cultural events, and the opportunity to
familiarize one's self with the
UMD campus, faculty, and staff.
Participants will be placed on the
CAIMH Indian Health Pathway
program. Entrance into this program will open doors for interested
students by providing guidance
and information while keeping the
participant appraised of opportunities. It is also an outstanding program for those who want to not
only enrich their educational experience but also prepare themselves
for college and enrollment in future Native American into Medicine (NAM) Programs.
The Native American into Medicine (NAM) is an enrichment program for college students or promising high school graduates preparing to enter college.
The NAM summer program is
designed to provide opportunities
for career exploration in the health
SUMMER to page 5
Riders commemorate
massacre at Wounded Knee
Associated Press
RAPID CITY, S.D.-A two-
week horseback ride held to mark
the 1890 massacre at Wounded
Knee ended Saturday with prayers at
the Wounded Knee cemetery where
some of the victims are buried.
"There should be no more
Wounded Knees anywhere
throughout the world," Arvol
Looking Horse, told those who
gathered for a two-hour ceremony.
Looking Horse is the keeper of the
sacred buffalo calf pipe.
The annual Big Foot Memorial
Ride honors the more than 250
mostly unarmed American Indians
who died at the hands of the U.S.
Army's 7th Cavalry on Dec. 29,
1890, near Wounded Knee.
The riders this year set out Dec.
15 from the Standing Rock Reservation. They followed the route
taken in 1890 by Big Foot's band
as they tried to evade soldiers and
reservation police.
On Saturday about 90 riders
gathered at the edge of a mass
grave on a hilltop near Wounded
Knee. Looking Horse led participants in prayers - in both Lakota
and English - and offered tobacco,
food and drink.
Ramey Hill, 7, of Wakpala, was
the youngest rider. He and six
other students from the Wakpala
School on the Standing Rock Reservation joined this year.
MASSACRE to page 6
MIAC
meeting
rescheduled
The Minnesota Indian Affairs
Council's board meeting, originally scheduled for 10:00 a.m., will
be held at 9:00 a.m. on January 15
at the Kelly Inn at 1-94 and Marion
Street in downtown St. Paul, according to June Kendall of the
MIACs Bemidji office. Kendall ■
told Press/ON that the MIAC
holds board meetings quarterly,
"on the third Tuesday of the quarter." .An agenda was not available
at press time.
Kendall also told Press/ON that
she was "still working on" the
MIAC's annual report for 2001.
According to Minnesota Statutes §
3.922, Sec. 9, "The council shall
make an annual report to the governor and the legislature on its activities, its findings, and its recommendations before November 15
in each year." (On January 3rd,
2002, the annual report posted on
the MIAC's website, at http://
www.indians.state.mn.us/
annual.html. was the 1999 Annual
Report.)
The MIAC describes its mission
as, "to protect the sovereignty of
the eleven Minnesota Tribes and to
ensure the well being of American
Indian citizens throughout the State
of Minnesota." It was established
in 1963 by the Minnesota Legislature. The executive board includes
the chairmen of the reservation
tribal councils in Minnesota, as
well as two at-large members who,
by statute, are "legal members of a
federally recognized nibe ... and
are not members of any federally
recognized tribe with a reservation
in Minnesota."
The MIAC's November 2000
annual report includes "Legislation
Affecting American Indian and
Tribal Government." Among the
bills defeated by the State Legislating in 2000 we're H.F. 2504, Abolishment of the Indian Affairs
Council; H.F. 2485, Prohibiting
Tribes from making campaign
contributions from casino rev-
MIAC to page 5