The Native American Press (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1993-08-27

              Native American Veterans start "Warriors to
Walk"
By Mel Rasmussen
It is 2,129 miles from Farmington,
New Mexico, to Washington,
D.C.and a group of walkers has
started this trek to honor the women
who served in the armed forces during
the Viet Nam Era. Richard Begay, a
Navaho Tribal official, stated in an
interview, "The main reason is they
are showing their respect and
appreciation for the women veterans.
They will be there in Washington,
D.C, on November 11th. Currently
they are between Grant, New Mexico,
and Albuquerque and will be in
Albuerquerque tomorrow.''
Another spokesperson further added
to the reason for this endeavor by the
Navajo Nation. Larry Anderson,
Tribal Council member, stated,' 'Last
year we took a busload of Navajos
through the assistance ofthe Navajo
Nation here. We took a busload of
Navajo veterans up to the 10th
anniversary of the memorial in D.C.
When we got up there they unveiled a
Vietnam Womens Veterans
dedication monument. When they
unveiled that we started making plans
from last year to go ahead and start
supporting our women who were in
the service."
Anderson went on to state, ' 'We
started to supporting our women, we
starting organizing and so what we
did was said, 'Hey let's do a walk for
our ladies and for our women.' So last
Saturday we kicked off a march from
Farmington because there was
recently a dedication of Vietnam
Veterans Commemoration Wall. So
we thought that it would be a good
gesture to start from there."
There were approximately 20
marchers who have started on this
journey. But the most important and
honored marcher on this walk is a 72
year old grandmother from the Navajo
Nation. Ms. Babe Chichilly is walking
to Washington, D.C. to honor her
grandson who was killed in Vietnam,
she wanted to do this for him and her
family.
The march started off with the first
unveiling publicly of the bronze statue
that was cast in SantaFe, New Mexico.
The monument was sculpted by Santa
Fe sculptor Glenna Goodacre. The
multi-figure bronze statue (6 feet 8
inches high) is of three military
women, one caring for a wounded
male soldier. The statue will make a
whistle stop tour across America to
its final home in Washington, D.C.
Ms. Diane Carlson Evans, Chair
and Founder of the Vietnam Women's
Memorial Project (VWMP), who
served as an Army Nurse in Vietnam,
stated that excitement is mounting
across the country as veterans and
their families learn about the tour.
She said, "The grassroots response
hasbeenphenomenal. Wearegetting
calls about busloads of veterans
coming to the malls on the Whistle
Stop Tour to see the memorial. I am
so gratified that so many Americans
will get a chance to see the statue
before it is placed near the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial this fall."
Evans went on to further state, "The
Native Americans, this was their idea.
When they found out that the statue
was going to leave New Mexico for
Washington, D.C, they decided that
they were going to do something for
the women. They are so excited about
this, for them this is such an honor
and for us it is such a honor. It's a
great thing what they are doing. I've
asked for a Native American honor
guard to circle the statue out in
Washington, D.C, onNovember 11th
during the dedication. So we will
have Native Americans in their tribal
and ceremonial dress standing watch
at the monument on November 11th.
Which is a real honor as thousands of
other people have asked to be the
Honor and Color Guard. I decided
that the Native Americans would be a
wonderful group to do this for the
whole effort."
The statue will stop in parking lots
across the country. It will be at the Mall
ofAmericaninBloomington, Minnesota
during the Labor Day weekend of
September 6-7. After itleaves Minnesota
it will stop in Chicago, Illinois, at the
Lincolnwood Town Center on
September 8. For further information
contact the Vietnam Women's
Memorial Project at 202-328-7253.
Wa Kunga Hoohega honored / Page 3
Laura Woodstock's community involvement examined/Page 1
Clyde catches it again in the editorial section/Page 4
Navajo tribe marches on Washington/ Page 1
MAIC appears to be overstepping its direction/ Page 4
AIM gathering to meet at Fort Snelling/ Page 1
By and Far the Native American Community
Fifty Cents
The
Native
American
We Support
Opportunity For AD
Founded In 1991    Volume 3   Issue 16      August 27, 1993
l
A Weekly
Copyright, The Native
1993
AIM to host its 25th Anniversary Celebration/
Reunion
By Mel Rasmussen
The National American Indian
Movement (N-AIM) will be
sponsoring their 25th Anniversary of
the American Indian Movement with
a celebration/reunion. The location
of this event will be at The Fort
Snelling State Park where it has been
held for the last several years.
The theme of this historic gathering is the International Indigenous
Minneapolis,
continues on
By Delvin Cree
You can find him on Franklin
Avenue in the Native American
community in Minneapolis. He has
long black hair, wears a cowboy hat
and walks a crooked walk in his
cowboy boots and also has a grin that
goes ear to ear. The man who is
nicknamed "The Bullrider" has been
homeless since his eviction in
September of last fall.
According to Theodore "Ted" Day,
a full-blooded Native American from
the Turtle Mountain Reservation in
North Dakota told the PRESS that he
was evicted from his apartment in
September of last year. He said that he
had a friend ofhis stay in his apartment
while he went to visit family members
on his home reservation. While
visiting he received an eviction notice
from his landlady that stated that he
was being evicted for damage that
was done to his apartment and other
reasons that he says was done by the
person he left in charge ofhis place.
But the biggest challenge for the
former bullrider was taking on the
Peoples Summit 1993. There will be
members from AIM chapters from
across the country arid also participation by the following organizations.
The League of Indigenous Sovereign
Nations(LISN) the National Coalition on Racism in sports and Media
(NCRSM), the National Indian Prisoners Support Network (NIPSN), the
Heart of the Earth Survival School
(HOTESS), as well as reports from
the International Indian Treaty Coun
cil (IITC).
Prior to the national gathering AIM
will host their third annual Sundance
at the pipestone quarries in Pipestone, Minnesota. The Sundance will
be from August 22 through August
29, 1993. After the Sundance the
participants and members will then
proceed to Fort Snelling for the National Conference.
AEVI/SeePage3
the City of the Homeless
h
s/Marge and Lowell Bellanger stand together against abuse
Photo by Gary Blair
streets in Minneapolis and being
homeless for a while.
Some of the problems he had
encountered on the street varied from
finding a place to sleep at night and
fighting off strangers who would rob
him ofhis social security money that
he had on him. In one incident that
happened earlier this summer, Ted
Day said that he was stabbed three
times in an attempted robbery ofhis
person. That happened in June of this
year. He still has the scars on his arms
andlegs. Hesaid, "I fought off the two
men that tried to rob me and I managed
to make it to the hospital on my own,
even though when the police officers
didn't want to help me."
But the hardest part of living the
homeless life said Ted Day is that you
find our what the Native American
community is all about. He told the
PRESS that he and other Natives in
the past year have been sleeping in
different areas around the
Minneapolis IndianCenter. "One spot
where we sleep all the time is in the
Amplitheater area aka as the Circle
Area," said Ted Day. He said that he
slept there most of this summer till
some young gang members came and
drove him and others away by
throwing rocks at them.
Another area that he showed the
PRESS was a spot that was about fifty
yards to the east from the Indian
Center. Much of the ground was
covered with liquor bottles, Lysol cans,
mouthwash, and clothes scattered
throughout the area where the
homeless slept. "They know that we
are out here," said Ted Day. "And
they ain't going to do a damn thing to
help us out." He said that a lot of
homeless still sleep outside of the
Indian Center. He also showed the
PRESS an area where he would have
liked to have slept in behind the Indian
Center but there was too much trash
and garbage in the back stairwell in
the rear of the building. He said,
"With all the money that this center
gets, don't you think they should keep
the back area clean? That's the least
that they could do for the homeless,
give them a clean place to sleep!"
Homeless/See Page 3
White Earth cronyism and abuse are still issues
By Gary Blair
On March 19,1867, the White Earth
Reservation was established by an
Act ofthe United States government.
History books say the place was to be
a' 'heaven'' for the Minnesota Chippewa Indian who at the time were
being pushed by the government to
one location in northwestern Minnesota. Forthe Indians whose forefathers
came to the reservation over a century
ago, many will tell you for them its
been a place of starvation, corruption,
sell-outs, and wannabes.
With the recent federal grand jury
probe for suspected corruption on the
neighboring Leech Lake Reservation
involving tribal leadership and with
White Earth's continuing history of
unrest, the PRESS visited the land
with clay-topped hills that "shone in
the moonlight'' and gave the place its
name.
The focus of our visit was to learn
more about U.S. Senator Paul
Wellstone's recent visit to the reservation and our twenty million dollar
casino that's supposed to be employing Indians. We also wanted to know
more about the casino managers,
Angelo Medure, whose reported to
have mob connections. And, last but
not least, we wanted to check on the
Reservation's Chairman, Darrell
"Chimp" Wadena, who they say has
been seen at the casino gambling for
hours on end.
On the White Earth Reservation if
one wants to acquire about this type of
information one has to find someone
who is willing to talk about Wadena
and his administration. Someone
whose income the 54-year-old chairman does not control. You need to
find someone whose family has gone
hungry because of past corruption.
Most importantly, you need to find
someone who wants to create change
for their grandchildren.
At White Earth, Mr. and Mrs.
Lowell Bellanger fit that description.
Lowell and his wife Margie (whose
maiden name is Hanks) have spent
the past five years monitoring and
addressing what they say has been a
continuous trail of corruption led by
reservation Chairman, Darrell
"Chip" Wadena.
The Bellangers spoke freely with
the PRESS about the problems faced
by the people on the reservation. They
explained how Wadena has maintained his support by employing
"Wannabes" (want to be an Indian)
and reservation sellouts in order to
stay in office. Lowell said, "He gave
them a lot of perks (fringe benefits)
when he first got in office and that's
how he's maintained his support."
The PRESS received a copy of a list
Bellanger/See Page 3
Clinton changes mind, supports Indian
gaming
AIM's ghostwriter Woodstock is questioned about
manipulation of community funds and control
Indian Country Today, Washington
President Clinton has apparently
changed his mind about Indian
gaming.
The president took the middle
ground last May when he entered the
heated political fray between states
and tribes over who has control over
gaming on Indian lands.
Then, at a recent town meeting in
San Diego to tout his economic plan,
he observed that "Indian reservations
have been kept dependent too long,"
but added that gambling "is a lousy
basis for an economy, past a certain
point."
Recently, he's also said gaming has
proven "a positive economic
development tool for Indian tribes."
The president said Interior Secretary
Bruce Babbitt has done a lot to further
educate him about the contentious
issue.
The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
is now under the scrutiny of Congress
where several bills have been
introduced to make changes in the
1988 law.
Lawmakers from Nevada and New
Jersey have introduced bills to
radically restrict Indian gaming to
conform with state law, with strong
support from the private gambling
industry.
Casino mogul Donald Trump
recently sued the federal government,
claiming the law is unconstitutional
and gives the tribes an unfair
advantage in the gambling industry
nationwide.
Tribal leaders say measures in the
proposed bills trample on tribal
sovereignty and have denounced the
acts as in disguised attempts to protect
state coffers and the gambling
industries of Nevada and New Jersey.
The National Governors
Association, the Western Governors
Association and the National
Association of Attorneys General have
all passed resolutions this year to
amend the gaming law to restrict
Indian gaming to specific state law.
Nevada Gov. Bob Miller has made
claims that Clinton supports.
Clinton, a former Arkansas
governor, said the governors have
been talking to him about the issue.
The western governors, he said, are
particularly concerned that Indian
gaming will lead to the spread of
gambling on non-Indian land. He said
they have raised the "any means all"
controversy where governors have
expressed fear that any form of
gambling in their states authorizes
full-scale tribal casinos.
"I kn6w now that's not the case,"
Clinton said, adding that he came to
this conclusion from briefings by
Babbitt on gaming in general, court
decisions and current law.
A negotiating team representing
tribal and states' interests is now
hashing our compromise legislation
that would keep their differences out
of court.
The president said he would "stay
faithful" to his Indian voters who
came out in record numbers in the
general election last fall. The turnout
has been credited with pushing him
over the top in several key western
states.
ByDdvinCree
This coming week the local American
Indian Movement (AIM) in the Twin
Cities area will be celebrating what they
call 25 years of service to the Native
American community.
Twenty-five years of service is questioned by many elders and other interested
Native AmericansintheMinneapoliscom-
munity who are appalled by what they
believe the sole purposeof ATMis-totake
money from people that really need it
The Native American community does
rrctknowtr^overthepastfewyearsLaura
Waterman-Wittstock, of Minneapolis,
serves on a number of foundation boards
which appropriates funds to native agencies: Ms. Waterman-Wittstock could very
well be behind the whole fiasco of problems that are happening in the Native
American community.
Ms. Waterman-Wittstock is the Director
ofMgizi Communications in Minneapolis ardisbelievedtobethedrivingforcefor
the Twin Cities AIM area chapter. Due to
her ability to serve on funding boards, she
is believed to have directed thousands of
dollars toward that organization
In recent months, AIM has also come
under pressure by the Native American
community for having one alleged child
molester and one convicted child molester
working at the Peacemaker Youth Center.
Despite the removal of one ofthe men, Ron
"Bear" Cronick by Clyde Bellecourt,
Director of the Peacemaker Center, Mr.
Cronick is still working with the children
from the Peacemaker Youth Center. At
this time Mr. Cronick is working with the
children at the farm in Long Lake, Minnesota Theotherman isno-longer associated
with the center. Both were members of
AIM
The PRESS learned that Waterman-
Wittstock wasaBoard member at the Red
School House in St Paul when allegations
of sexual assault charges were brought
against her son who taught in the cultural
department ofthe school. The allegations
took place duringthe 1988-89 school year.
The allegations were made by young girls
who came forward at that time said they
had been "felt up" under some blankets
on a camping trip.
At that time more allegations surfaced.
Waterman-Wittstock, at that time, not
only defended her son, but also defended
the other staffin the cultural department
One of them was a respected elder in the
native community and the other was a
teacher. After a much disputed fight with
other board members she resigned after
they released her son and the other staff of
the cultural department
One of the young girls that attended the
Red SchoolHouse and helpedexpose what
was happening to her and cither girls at the
school was said to have moved out of state
because ofthe incidents.
At about the same time, Waterman-
Wittstock was on the Board ofDirectorsof
theRed School House, Stephanie Autumn,
also a board member was appointed by
Walermen-Witlstock to be the Administrator ofthe school because ofthe events
that were surrounding the school at that
time.
During her tenure at the Red School
HcuseasAdministratOT,alk^c*Kcpckty
surfaced about Autumn misusing the
school's funding. It took some time for the
proper authorities to intervene after much
pressure from the schools staff members
and certain board members.
In 1991, Minnesota State Auditor Mark
Dayton's office performed an audit ofthe
Red School House and found financial
inequities and miseuse of funds during
Autumn's administration The most serious funding by the state auditor's was that
Autumn hadforged checks for her person-
WoodstOCk/See Page 5
t