The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1989-06-14

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Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1989
A Bi-Monthly Publication
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
Anishinabe Nation Honors
the Past-Present-Future
On June 17 and 18, a meeting will be held at the White Earth
Lutheran Camp. Honored guests will include Apeshankwat, Chairman
of the Menominee Nation, St. Croix Chairman, Louis Taylor, Bad River
Chairman, Don Moore, L.C.O. Chairman, Bruce Taylor, L.F.D.
Chairman, Mike Allen, Mole Lake Chairman, Emanuel Poler, Red Cliff
Chairman, Don DePerry, Inter-Tribal Associate, Joe Bresette, and
George Aubid from East Lake.
The 1867 Treaty was the last treaty made with the Ojibway. There
were 44 treaties made with the Ojibway people and we honored every
one of the treaties.
The Anishinabe Nation will start to rekindle the ties we had with each
branch and division of our nation, each nation had duties which tied
them to a greater nation which surrounds the Great Lakes.
When any part of the nation is in trouble, the other divisions
responded with help. Today the White Earth Reservation is in turmoil
because of tribal council leadership, and to correct that, we have
brought together the leadership from other branches of our nation for
counseling and direction.
This gathering of minds is a very historical moment in our ongoing
history and it will be cnducted with respect and dignity that befits our
ancestorial ways.
Issues and concerns will include history, clan system, reserved rights,
laws, traditional tribal government, leadership role, agreements,
Canadian border, and the court system.
Entertainment will be provided by Muscogee/Cree guitarist, Ben
Yahola, and Menominee guitarist, Herman Martin.
Summer Science and Math
Experience for Kids
Available at BSU
Bemidji State University will offer its eleventh annual summer
science program June 27 through 29. University science and
mathematics education students will conduct projects during daily
two-hour sessions. Math activities include geoboards, fraction factoring,
fraction burgers, and geometric constructions. Participants will also
explore minerals and rocks, mystery powders, gears, pulleys, colors,
batteries and bulbs.
The sessions will run from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and they are open to
students from kindergarten to eighth grade. Interested parents should
pre-register children as soon as possible since enrollment is limited to
100 participants. Registration began June 5. This program is free of
charge.
To register or obtain more information, parents should contact Joan
Abbott, Education Department, Bemidji State University, 1500
Birchmont Drive NE, Bemidji, MN 56601-2600,218-755-2934.
Anishinabe Family Christian
Counseling and Learning
Center Presents Seminar
The Anishinabe Family Christian Counseling and Learning Center
will present a seminar on June 16 for those who recognize the spiritual
aspects of life.
Addicition has been dealt with without a great deal of success for as
long as can be remembered. In the Center's opinion, there are three
reasons for the poor results in the treatment of addicition: Dealing on
primarily the emotional level., dealing on a scientific level without an
appreciation for the spiritual dynamics of human behavior, and dealing
on a spiritual level without sufficient depth of understanding of mental
and emotional relationships and functioning.
For more information, please call (218) 679-3723 or (218) 751-1578.
TOP PHOTO —
The jingle dress
dancer s At
White Earth,
were called the
"backbone of
thepow-wow," a
phrase which
spnn off the
more commonly
known slogan
about Indian
women,
"Women—The
backbone of the
Family."
BOTTOM
PHOTO — The
1989 White
Earth Pow-wow
was dedicated to
the Elders.
Pictured are
three traditional
women elders
during the
grand entry
Sunday evening,
June 11th.
Photos by Terri
LaDuke.
Racial tension makes life in Bemidji difficult
By Kathy Thornes
Bemidji, Minn.
Racial tension does still exist in
Bemidji. Although it's not as bad as
100 years ago, most Native
American people have come up
against a wall of discrimination
which has made life difficult for
them and their families and their
friends.
"It's got to be brought out into the
open," Joe Sayers, founder of
Bemidji-based NAIAD (Native
American Indians Against
Discrimination) said, "It can't be hid
forever...If nobody does anything
about it how can we solve it?"
AIM leaders Vernon and Clyde
Bellecourt were invited to Bemidji
Saturday, June 3, to lead a protest
march to confront the community
about the problem.
"AIM is not as militant as it used
to be," Sayers pointed out, "They
didn't come here to threaten the
community...they came here on a
peaceful mission."
"It's the stereotypical attitude that
needs to change," Sayers said.
"I don't think people are naturally
prejudice," said Dwight Stuart,
Beltrami County Sheriff, "I think it
(prejudicial attitudes) results from a
lack of education."
Cultural differences have to be
taken into consideration, he agrees,
the laws are the same for everyone.
More protest marches will be held,
Sayers said, but the next step for
NAIAD is a call for help from tribal
leaders from Leech Lake, Red Lake
and White Earth to vote for a
selective boycott, targeting some of
Bemidji's businesses who, they feel,
"choose to continue to treat
American Indians and others
unfairly and inappropriately."
NAIAD has presented a list of
demands to Mike McCurdy, City
Manager. McCurdy was unavailable
for confirmation. The list was
presented also to Gail Skare,
Chairman of the Beltrami County
Board. Skare said the only demands
in their jurisdiction would come
under justice/law enforcement, and
welcomes NAIAD to meet with the
commissioners.
Other demands include economic
parity, which Skare feels has been
"well taken care of through the
Indian Employment Council."
Other concerns are discrimination
in housing and discrimination in the
marketplace, which is under the
jurisdiction of the city, said Skare.
A significant demand, Sayers
feels, is NAIAD's recognition as a
"community liaison group."
Stuart agrees that a community
liaison group in the community
"could only be positive," but does
not think NAIAD is the only group
that should be considered to play
that role.
NAIAD has been in existence
since October of 1987. There are
five organizers in the group with a
network of people in support of their
cause to abolish racism, and the
hope and desire and dedication, said
Sayers, is to do this by peaceful
means.
Since their existence, he added,
"not a week has gone by that I
haven't gotten a complaint...(and)I
do not take a complaint without
hearing the other side of the
story...In the position I'm in I can't
afford to make any mistakes."
The group has a network of
scanners and a network of people
monitoring police moves. There is
also direct communication by the
group on these issues. According to
Sayers, people are losing confidence
in the system.
"I feel an Indian cannot be
protected in this town," Sayers said,
"It seems an Indian is guilty until
proven innocent... We're supposed to
be protected under the Constitution
just like anyone else...My fight is to
see that our people get equal
treatment."
Stuart believes, though, that once
Indian people come within the
justice system they do get fair
treatment. "There are more Indian
people in jail because they are poor
and cannot afford to pay the fine."
"I don't like that," he added, "I'm
real unhappy with that... But I really
think the differences are as much
economic as anything else."
Complaints include the singling
out of Indian people for accusations
of shoplifting, poor treatment by
some law enforcement officals and
denial of request for rental housing
because of race.
Ken Butcher and his son Ken Jr.
were reprimanded after leaving a
local grocery store with a bag of
groceries.
One of the managers apparently
said, "I think you guys got
something you didn't pay for."
Butcher's son was searched twice.
Nothing was found. The manager
got loud, said Butcher, started
hollering and insisted that they hand
over what was supposedly stolen. A
crowd gathered. The police were
called. Two squad cars showed up
and Ken Jr. was searched again.
Twice. Butcher was searched twice,
too, he said. Still nothing was found.
According to Butcher, they were
hauled to the Beltrami County Jail
and charged with disorderly
conduct. They attempted to put me
in jail over the weekend, said
Butcher, and I told them I was a
single parent with six kids at home. I
had just gone to the store to get
something for supper, Butcher
added.
His charges were dismissed at his
second court appearance. "But I
shouldn't have even had to go to
court on it," he retorted.
Patti Jourdain was charged with
"obstructing legal process" which
was later changed to "giving false
identification" when the police were
originally called because of a
complaint of loud music and
parrying at the apartment building
she was living in.
At the time, Jourdain said, I was
the only Indian living in the
building. The rest were college
students, she added, and there were
quite of few parties going on there
that night. I just had a friend over
and a twelve- pack of beer.
The police knocked on the door.
She opened it. They demanded to
know who the renter was, she
recalled. Before she said anything
her friend said he was. They took
her friend, came back and asked her
why she had lied. She responded,
she said, that she hadn't lied as this
was the first time she had said
anything to the police.
They said they had a warrant for
her arrest because of an old fine of
$43 for no insurance. She asked if
she could pay it right then and there.
They responded, she said, no, as
they had other charges on her now -
obstructing legal process.
The charges were changed about
25 days later to "giving false
identification," she said.
The judge did dismiss the charges
against Jourdain.
"My kids were scared," she said, "I
don't have a criminal record.
There's alot of racism in this town,
I'm just trying to get around it.
There's alot of good white people in
this town, too. I have some white
friends."
"As long as someone doesn't mess
with me I don't mess with them,"
she added, "And I will file a lawsuit
if they (police) bother me again."
Debra Kay Coumoyer was looking
for a house to rent for her, her three
kids, her brother and her mother.
They were unsatisfied with the
house they were living in, it wasn't
well heated and her 15 month old
daughter kept getting sick. It was
November. There was only one gas
stove in the living room. It was in
Nymore. She said that often times
the neighbors seemed to be watching
whoever came and went. In one
incident, she recalled, her children
were playing outside on the lawn. A
neighbor came out of the house and
said I should be watching them.
"They weren't doing anything," she
said, "they were just playing in the
yard.
She responded to an ad for a house
for rent. She asked the woman
questions about the place. Then she
started asking me questions and
came right out and asked me what
nationality we were. I told her we
were Indian. Then I could hear her
talking to her husband in the
background. She came back on the
line, Coumoyer said, and said they
didn't rent to Indians. Coumoyer
started to say something and the
woman hung up on her.
Editor's Note: The stories illustrated
above are not claimed to be an
exhaustive research on the cases. They
are intended to serve as a description of
what life can be like for Indian people in
Bemidji.