The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1993-11-19

              Proposed bridge construction site becomes
latest Indian war locale
By Mel Rasmussen
In light of the issue of the Native
American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act and its related state
statutes on protecting graves and
cemeteries there are issuesboiling within
the State of Minnesota. At odds are
members ofthe Minnesota Department
of Transportation (MnDOT),the
Minnesota Indian Affairs Council
(MIAC) and the Minnesota Association
of Professional Employees (MAPE).
Here is how this scenario of confusion
goes.
At issue is the archeological workup
of the worksite where a bridge is
supposed tobebuilf MnDOThad issued
a proposal request for a study of the
bridge site, titled SP 3604-44. During
this bid process, four companies had
subrruttedbidtodothearcheologywork.
Thesecompanies were: Larson, Tibothor
from the State of Wyoming, BRW
Engineering, Lauck Engineering, and
the   University    of   Minnesota
Archeometry who included a
subcontract withtheallNative American
firm called All Nations cultural Resource
Preservation. According to individuals
in this business there was an informal
understandingthattheAllNationsteam
would be awarded this bid. But the
clinker to this would come from within
MnDOTintheformofaMr. JoeHudak,
current Project officer and archeologist
forMnDOT.
Bridge/See Page 8
Jimmy "Ironlegs" nears Washinigton/Page 8
Bidto recall LDF Tribal Chair fails/Page 7
Red Lake man charged in shooting death/Page 6
Candidate Todd Otis meets with PRESS/Page 3
Roger Head violates rights of state employee/Page 1
Little Six donates half a million to DlW/Page 1
Voice of the Anishinabeg
Millions of dollars: Where are the services?
By Gary Blair
This week two Native Americans in
Minneapolis were due to be evicted from
whereorieofthemhasbeenlivingformore
then two years. Fred Armell, from Winnebago, Nebraska and Zac Mitteness from
the White Earth Reservation are expected
to be removed by the most unlikely land-
lordandundermostunusal circumstances.
It seems these homeless men have been
Irving oncityparkpropertyinan in-ground
shelterhiddenbeneathapileofbrush. The
once secret location for the year round
home isinbackof FairviewHospital along
the bottom ofthe tall grey retaining wall
next to the West River Road parkway.
For many Native Americans in the Twin
Cities homelessness isagrowingproblem.
Traditionally, homelessness was unheard
of in the old days. Even when poverty was
at an all time high on reservations, such as
in the 1950s, there was always someone
willing to take in others who had no place
to stay. Now it appears those times are
gone.
In August of 1991, after returning from
a Sun Dance at Pipestone, Minnesota
Housing/See Page 8
Appeals Court: White couple can adopt three
Indian girls
Fifty Cents
i
Ojibwe
News
We Support: Equal Opportunity For All
By Melissa Klcingartner
Reprinted by Permission ofThc Pioneer
In a 2-1 ruling, a Minnesota Court of
Appeals panel decided to allow a white
Bemidji couple to adopt three troubled
American Indian girls despite opposition
by Leech Lake and Red Lake bands.
Eugeneand Carol Campbell, whooperate
a Bemidji foster home, won the right to
adopt the children, ages 6 throug 10, this
spring in a ruling by Cass County District
ludge J.P. Smith
However, both bands opposed the
adoptionon groundsofviolatingthelndian
Child Welfare Act, which states Indian
children should be placed within the tribe
to which they belong "in absence of good
cause to the contrary."
"We recognize the difficulties that may
arise in seeking to place three children, all
of whom have special needs, in the same
lKMne.UnfcHtunately,suchplacementcould
not be arranged with an Indian family.
While we are not insensitive to the tribe's
conscientious efforts to find a suitable
Appeals/See Page 7
Founded in 1988 Volume 5   Issue 21        November 13, 1993
,„;  , ,-;,„;,>;.y,Z
A weekly publication.
Copyright:, The Ojibwe Mews, 1993
]
Little Six donates half a million dollars to
Division of Indian Work Minneapolis
Minneapolis, MN — In what is
believed to be the largest charitable
gift ever given by an Indian organization^ theUnited States, the Shakopee
Mdewakanton Dakota Community is
donating half a million dollars to a
Minneapolis social service agency
serving Indian and non-Indian people.
The Division oflndian Work (Dl W),
a partner agency ofthe Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches
(GMCC), will use the gift to help fund
a new building, the centerpiece of
"Weaving a Circle of Hope,"
GMCC's capital campaign.
The donation is being made by Little Six, Inc., the corporate arm ofthe
Shakopee Mdewakanton tribal community. The funds come from gaming
proceeds from the tribal casinos run
by Little Six ~ Mystic Lake Entertainment Complex and Little Six Casino.
DIW, the oldest Indian-serving
agency in the Twin Cities, provides
education, youth leadership, teen
parenting skills, emergency assistance
and family violence programs. The
building will include program and
meeting rooms, administrative offices,
a library and a community room in the
sacred shape ofa circle. The commu
nity room will be called' 'Mystic Lake
Lodge" and will provide room for
ceremonials.
The building is designed by Native
American architect Dennis Sun
Rhodes fo AmerlNDIAN Architecture, Inc., who is leading a movement
to incorporate American Indian symbols into contemporary architecture.
The new building will allow DIW to
serve an additional 1,600 people each
year, according to Mary Ellen Dumas,
associate executive director of the
Greater Minneapolis Council of
DiW/SeePagei5
Judge upholds Indian flag use
Case involved boat
AP Madison- Law enforcement
authorities violated the free-speech
rights of two Indian treaty-rights
supporters who were arrested for
displaying a United States flag bearing
the superimposed image of a Plains
Indian, a federal judge has ruled.
Constitutional law prohibits
prosecuting people for expressing
political opinions, even if they do so by
adding symbols to theU.S. flag,Federal
Judge Barbara B. Crabb ruled.
The case stemmed from an incident
Oct. 7, 1989, at a Round Lake boat
landing involving treaty-rights
supporters Roger Stone, of Odanah, a
member of the Bad River Chippewa
band and Arthur Koser, of Waukegan,
Dl.
The altered flag was stuck in the lake
bed, and Stone was arrested when he
refused to remove it.
Another flag was stuck in the lake
bed, and Koser also was arrested after
refusing to remove it.
The arrests for alleged improper use
ofthe American flag came in the midst
of numerous conflicts between treaty-
rights supporters and opponents after
federal rulings affirmed Indian off-
landing arrests
reservation hunting and fishing rights.
Although spearfishing protests have
quieted in recent years, in 1989 there
were anti-Indian jeers and attacks on
spearers' boats.
Crabb ruled the flag-related arrests
would have been lawful if it had been
shown that displayingtheflagwas likely
to incite a breach of peace.
According to a court affidavit, Price
County Sheriff Wayne Wirsing made
up his mind the day before the
demonstration that he was going to
arrest anyone who refused to remove
the Indian flag.
"That indicates Wirsing was not acting
on determination of intent to incite a
riot. He had already decided that the
flag was not going to be tolerated at the
landing," saidStevenPorter.theattorney
for Stone and Koser.
Crabb cited a case in which a
Washington state flag statute nearly
identical to Wisconsin's was ruled
unconstitutional and a 1989 flag-
burning case from Texas in which it was
held that burning a flag was protected
political expression.
Reasonable police officers would have
know about those cases, Crabb ruled.
Attorneys for Wirsing andan Ashland
police officer who made the arrests
argued First Amendment free speech
protection is only extended to express a
message about the nation, not to
communicate Native American pride
or support oflndian fishing rights.
They argued Koser's and Stone's acts
were not protected because they put in
jeopardy the integrity of the flag's
symbolism.
Crabb disagreed.
The use ofthe altered flag can express
"Indian are part ofthe American nation
and that fishing are federally secured,"
she wrote.
"It can also be read as expressing the
message that many Americans do no
want to consider Indians as part ofthe
nation and that many do not want to
recognize the Indians' federal treaty
rights.
"The idea that Americans do not enjoy
'unity as a nation' or that 'the concepts
reflected in the flag do not in fact exist'
are exactly what the court found to be
protected" in the flag-burning case.
Lawyers for both parties told the court
they were finalizing a settlement that
would dismiss the case.
UW Stout Professor investigates education
issues
By Mel Rasmussen
On a cold Saturday afternoon over a
bowl ofchili, Professor Sharon S. Giroux
of the University of Wisconsin-Stout
came to the attention of members ofthe
Lacdu FlambeauBand ofLake Superior
Chippewa. Giroux is an Associate
Professor in the Department of
Hospitality and Tourism. Giroux is
currently working with the tribe in
studying the impact of the education
system on high school students and
their attrition rates. Currently that
attrition rate is around 53% on the Lac
du Flambeau Reservation. As shocking
as this may seem it seems to be part of
a pattern that is occurring across the
country andisnotlimited to this northern
Wisconsin reservation.
Giroux is doing a qualitative study of
this issue for a doctorates dissertation at
the University ofMinnesota and plans
to share this information with the tribe
once it is finished. The purpose ofthe
qualitative study is to provide
constructive understanding and
enlightenment and empowerment for
those affected. She has been in and out
ofthe reservation since April conducting
interviews with numerous people and
in obtaining the base data concerning
this issue. Giroux stated that she is now
finished with the on-site interview
process and is now working up the final
report with the data.
In a discussion with Giroux it was
evident that she has a great concern
about the quality of education that is
occurring in the Native American
community. One important issue that
she was not aware of was the existence
of these same drop out rates that are
occurring within the urban populations
ofNative Americans. This was occurring
in the high school level of education and
within the vocational technical section
of education.
Giroux expressed concern with the
current level of education standards
Pictured is the old Hennepin Detox Center at 1800 Chicago.
File Phofo
Hennepin County Detox Center revisited
By Gary Blair
On Tuesday of this week the PRESS
accompaniedKatlileenMessinger, spokesperson for the Native American Coalition
forCivil Rights (NACCR) for our first visit
to the new Hennepin County shelter that
opened when the county was forced by the
State Health Department to close their old
detoxification center due to client abuse.
Abuse that involved reports of beating,
rape and mutation NACCR was formed
ever a year ago in response to those abuse
allegations.
Our first stop was a short meeting with
BobOlander, whoseofficeislocatedonthe
first level ofthe old 1800 Chicago Avenue
site. Olander, isthedirectorofthecounty's
chemical health division and is one ofthe
few remaining administrative staff from
the former detox center.
We came unannounced, and to our surprise Olander put his other appointments
on hold and met with us. This was quite a
switch from the days when he was busy
trying to cover up what has recently been
disclosed by a state health department's
investigation.
However, it was disappointing to find out
that many ofthe staff who were accused of
commiting the abuse are still employed by
the county. Olander stated that the reten
tion of the abusersshouldbeblamedonthe
Civil Service department When questioned as to why one ofthe worst abusers
had actually been promoted to a desk job,
Olander said,' 'That's what we had to do.
We couldn't fire them''
Next, we were taken to the third floor of
the building by Joan Johnson, the nurse
who was in charge of medical services at
the time the client abuse was exposed. She
operated the elevator with her key and we
stepped out into thecenter hall of what was
once the old detox center.
It was immediately apparent that the
DetOX/ See Page 6
Dakota-Ojibwe Planning Group to meet at
Mille Lacs
By Mel Rasmussen
Recently on November 4,1993, an
intertribal group came together to
discuss protection or lack of protection
for burial sites within the state of
Minnesota. According to Dave
Larsen, former chairman of Lower
Sioux, Morton, "The Dakota-Ojibwe
people must first come together in a
healing ceremony to despess any
misconceptions of bad feelings
between the two nations." This
ceremony is scheduled for December 4,
1993, at the Grand Casino in Vineland,
MN. The ceremony is scheduled for
3:00 p.m. with a feast to follow.
Historically the Dakota Sioux have
ties to the Mille Lacs area; this is why
this site was chosen.
The overall goal is to schedule a
spring gathering of traditional elders
of both sides to address protection of
burial sites, sacred sites as well as the
remains of ancestors still being held
by Hamline Law School in St. Paul. For
more information call Richard LaGarde
(218) 473-3110, Gerald White (218)
335-8240 or Dave Larsen (612) 588-
1123.
that are occurring at Lac du Flambeau.
She felt that in the end she will be able
to go back to the tribe and provide them
with some solid data and possible
solution to this issue.
Recently members from the
reservation have been meeting with the
school district about their concerns of
racism that havebeen arisingat Lakeland
High School. It has been a problem for
a number of years and there is an active
involvement by parents to stop this
activity at the high school. Although
this is truly a part ofa qualitative study
it must be noted that this does have an
impact as it creates an adverse
atmosphere in which these young men
and women must learn in
Currently within the education
systems in the country there has been a
majormove to provide andupdateNarive
American cultural issues within schools
systems. There has been a resistance
Giroux/See Page 3
Divided Interests
The loss of American Indian Lands
By Roxanne Poupart
American Indian people are
collectively the single largest land owner
in the United States, second to the U. S.
government. Also, they are the poorest
of the poor in the world's wealthiest
nation. American Indians have been
systematically disenfranchisedfrom the
land, theirmost critical natural resource.
This problem is crucial because each
day tribes and Indian individuals lose
countless economic benefits and the
U.S. Government pays a very high price
to administer these lands. Land owned
by tribes and Indian individuals is
passing out of tribal ownership and
destroying the remaining land base.
Land is the most important resource
for tribe's, it is the basis for economic
development. Without land, tribes
cannot plan for the future Of their
membership. Land is the fundamental
buildingblock ofthe community which
consists of three components, past,
present and future. Mixed land
ownership is a result ofthe Dawes Act
(General allotment Act) of 1887.
Congress decided that tribal
governments were really unnecessary
and that Indians should be given the
same rights and privileges as other
citizens. One major way to accomplish
this was to give Indian land to Indian
individuals. Congress believed that
Indians would farm the land, become
typical landowners and assimilate into
Americans.
This act can best be described as the
most devastating piece of legislation
ever passed in terms of reduction of
tribally owned lands, and creation of
some ofthe greatest barriers to tribal use
and control of land. The Dawes Act
divided reservations into allotments of
160, 80, and 40 acres with remaining
land declared surplus and open to
settlement by non-Indians.
Tribal governments were severely
undermined if not eliminated. Without
a land base, these governments had no
authority separate from the State and as
Indians became citizens of the U S., the
amount ofland over which Indian tribes
lost control was staggering: from 128
million acres in 1887 to 48 million acres
in 1934. Of this remaining land, over
one acre in 10 was desert or swamp
scarcely capable of supporting any type
of agriculture.
Only after 80 million acres of the
original Indian land base had passed out
of Indian hands did the federal
government put an end to allotment
Lands/See Page 5