Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2003-04-11

              INDEX
Three Leech Lake RBC
Arrests in Anna
Gaylord Anoka
Indian community
1 Commentary
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY
2
reps hold "special
Mae execution
nominated for Peace
invited to name
i   .   T   1 Press/ON
NEWS BRIEFS
3
meeting" to reinstate
and Justice
representative,
I congratulates award-
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS
4
LaRose removal petition
Scholarship
alternate for federal
\  .        I winning Indian
CLASSIFIEDS
mediation
I journalist Paul DeMain
page 4
page 4
page 4
page 4
1 page 4
Leech Lake chairman terms anti-LaRose hearing
unconstitutional, calls April 14 meeting
By Jeff Armstrong
Three Leech Lake RBC district
representatives met secretly
Wednesday in an attempt to revive
a recall petition against secretary
treasury Archie LaRose, scheduling an April 25 public hearing on
the charges in the absence of the
two constitutional officers.
The three RBC members acted
without approval from—or even
notice to—chairman Pete White,
who had dismissed the petition
March 30 under a constitutional
requirement that the RBC act
within 15 days of LaRose's March
13 withdrawal of his tribal court
lawsuit.
Declaring their latest action
"null," White accused the RBC
members of attempting to circumvent the chairman's authority, in
violation ofthe governing constitution and bylaws. White said he
met with anti-LaRose petitioners
April 7, but he refused their demands for an immediate RBC
meeting due to LaRose's absence
on official business.
The chairman said he would
neither recognize nor participate
in the scheduled April 25 hearing,
instead calling an April 14 special
meeting in accordance with Article II of the constitutional bylaws.
"I am not going to operate like
this. Why should I participate in a
hearing I believe is invalid?"
White asked. "I have not even
seen a petition in front of me. The
original petition was not even submitted to the tribal council."
White said he remained neutral
on the merits of the recall petition,
stating that his primary concern is
for the integrity of constitutional
government. But White said the
ongoing political dispute has interfered with, among other things, the
functioning of a committee established to represent Leech Lake in
a TEC-mandated constitutional forum.
"We have an opportunity to
make some good changes for our
people. But this petition is in the
way of everything," said White.
"It's the first time in many, many
years that we have a chairman
who's trying to follow the constitution as it's written. And I'm not
using any lawyers to do it for me.
I'm doing it to the best of my
abilities, as I swore to do when I
took my oath of office."
LaRose had obtained two tribal
court orders blocking the RBC
from acting on the recall petition
based on alleged violations ofthe
tribal constitution. Elected last
LAROSE to page 2
Indian newspaper editor honored, threatened for lawsuit over
prizewinning journalism
Paul DeMain, editor of News From
Indian Country, a twice-monthly
newspaper published at the Lac
Courtes Oreilles reservation in
northwest Wisconsin, is among the
winners ofthe fourth annual Payne
Awards for Ethics in Journalism.
DeMain was cited "for doggedly
pursuing the truth, taking a courageous stand and acting with integrity in the face of political pressures" in his coverage of the case
of Leonard Peltier, convicted of
killing two FBI agents during the
standoff at Wounded Knee in 1973,
and the murder of Anna Mae
Aquash, whose body was found on
the Oglala reservation in 1976.
DeMain had gathered enough information to write "Peltier Exposed," which used grand jury testimony and background inforrna-
tion from informants concerning
Peltier's actions at the Pine Ridge
Reservation in the 1970s.
After many years of supporting and
advocating clemency for Peltier,
DeMain reconsidered based on bis
research, and concluded that Peltier
was guilty. In January, a grand jury
began again investigating Annie
Mae Pictou-Aquash's murder, according to the Associated Press.
The Payne Awards honor journal
ists who encourage pubhc trust in
the media by courageously practicing the highest standards of their
profession in the face of political or
economic pressures.
"The judges were impressed by
the courage demonstrated by all the
nominees," said Dr. Tim Gleason,
Edwin L. Artzt Dean ofthe School
of Journalism and Communication.
"One trend in this year's nominations raised red flags about the current climate. We received a record
number of nominations for journalists who either resigned or were
DEMAIN to page 6
BSU student calls for historical balance in education
By Jeff Armstrong
Speaking at Bemidji State
University's annual scholarship
conference Wednesday, BSU student Victor WhiteHorse of Red
Lake said non-Native education
has a long way to go if it is to accommodate the alternate reality of
the past and present indigenous experience.
"Apparently, Native Americans
don't belong to history at all," said
WhiteHorse. "History is written by
the winners. We like to think we were
all winners in the end, but if you go
up to the rez, it's not so clear."
Attending schools in Bemidji
while growing up, WhiteHorse said
the only Native intrusion into the
school district's ethnocentric curriculum was a discussion of "Plains
Indians." He said, however, that the
grouping by race of many distinct
Native cultures—along with generalized racial Discrimination—has
had the unintended consequence of
fostering a pan-Indian identity.
"It forces all Native Americans
to unite," said WhiteHorse. "Our
separate identity is what makes us
who we are."
WhiteHorse said Natives face the
added obstacle of overcoming centuries of deeply-ingrained popular c:
stereotypes and an equally powerful
American historical mythology.
"We weren't like the barbarians
and brutes they depict us as. We
were more egalitarian,"
WhiteHorse said.
WhiteHorse said the
Anishinabeg refused to give up
their land at any price, even under
threat of military invasion. He credited such steadfastness in part to the
social equality and political democracy which prevailed among the
people at the time.
"We didn't sell [Anishinabe
land] even after they surrounded
our negotiators with cannons," said
WhiteHorse. 'To make a decision
[our ancestors] needed to have the
consent ofthe whole tribe, the
women, the men and the
elders...We didn't need written-
down laws because we were governed by the people."
But WhiteHorse said non-Natives are not alone in their need for
1 a deeper understanding of
Anishinabe culture. '
"We're just scratching the surface to get back to the roots of our
culture," he said.
While acknowledging that rampant social problems on reservations are in large part the legacy of
more than a century of colonialism,
WhiteHorse said many such afflictions are self-induced. He confessed to a certain amount of ambivalence towards his homeland,
though he is attending college with
future hopes of representing Red
Lake as a treaty rights attorney.
"I would like to hve on the rez, but
I wouldn't want to be trapped on
the rez. A lot of people feel that
way," said WhiteHorse.
Tribal dispute freezes bank accounts, could close casino
TAMA, Iowa—Two banks
have frozen accounts ofthe
Meskwaki Casino at Tama and the
casino could be temporarily closed
as a result of a power struggle between two factions claiming to be
the Indian tribe's leaders.
Tama County Sheriff Dennis
Kucera said his deputies have been
called to the settlement twice and
asked to stand by and keep the
peace.
"It's been, so far, peaceful,"
Kucera said Tuesday. "I'm just
hoping they get it resolved soon."
A hearing on competing leadership claims is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Thursday in U.S. District Court in
Cedar Rapids.
Lawyers for Alex Walker Jr. and
the elected tribal council filed a
federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging
that a dissident group forcibly and
illegally took control ofthe settlement and the operation ofthe
Meskwaki Bingo-Casino-Hotel.
They are asking for a temporary
injunction restraining the group
from operating the tribe's government.
At issue is the tribal council
headed by Walker or a group
headed by Homer Bear Jr., and
supported by the tribe's hereditary
chief, Charles Old Bear, is the legitimate representative pf the Sac
and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in
Iowa
The dissidents and their supporters have occupied the tribal government offices for about two
weeks with guards carrying rifles.
At stake could be the continued
operation of the tribe's casino,
which generates more than $10,000
daily, according to court documents.
Wells Fargo Bank in Des
Moines and the State Bank of Toledo have frozen casino accounts,
including the account used to pay
payroll, the lawsuit filed by the
council says. The accounts were
DISPUTE to page 6
Federal officials approve Potawatomi
compact
Associated Press
MADISON, Wis — Federal officials approved the state's gaming
compact with the Forest County
Potawatomi Sunday, allowing the
tribe to offer more games in exchange for larger payments that
Gov. Jim Doyle plans to use to help
close Wisconsin's budget deficit, a
tribal spokesman said.
The deal's approval by the Bureau of Indian Affairs means the
Forest County Potawatomi will be
allowed to offer games like roulette, craps, keno and pari-mutuel
wagering, Potawatomi spokesman
Tom Krajewski said. The tribe also
will no longer be subject to limits
on the number of slot machines it
can offer at its casinos in Milwaukee and Carter.
The tribe expects the compact to
take effect within the month,
Krajewski said.
Potawatomi Attorney General
Jeff Crawford said the tribe is already looking at architectural firms
to expand their casinos as well as
purchasing additional tables and
machines.
"We're very pleased with the results," Crawford said Monday at a
press conference in Milwaukee.
'This has been a long and trying
experience.
The compact has no expiration
date, but it allows the state or the
tribe to offer amendments to the
compact to enhance regulation of
gaming every five years. It also allows the two sides to propose
amendments to any portion of the
agreement every 25 years.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs did
require two changes to the original
compact, Krajewski said.
A provision that would have prevented other tribal casinos within
50 miles ofthe Potawatomi Bingo
Casino in Milwaukee was dropped.
A provision allowing the tribe a 50-
mile exclusivity for non-Indian
gaming remained.
Another provision allowing the
tribe to operate any game played
now or in the future within 75 miles
of the Wisconsin border has also
been changed. Crawford said the
tribe was willing to drop that provision and cooperated when the BIA
ruled against it.
Instead, the compact named specific games that could be offered,
including craps, roulette and poker.
Krajewski said that provision
would require the tribe and state to
COMPACT to page 6
American Indian
community mourns
death of first U.S.
woman soldier
killed in Iraq war
ByLynnDucey
Associated Press
TUBA CITY, Arizona— News
of the death of the first American
woman soldier killed in the Iraq
war hit hard in this American Indian community on the Navajo
Reservation.
The Pentagon identified Pfc.
Lori Ann Piestewa, one ofthe few
American Indian women in the
military, as one of eight soldiers
found dead during Tuesday's rescue of prisoner of war Jessica
Lynch.
"Our family is proud of her. She
is our hero," her brother Wayland
said to reporters outside the
family's home Saturday. "We are
going to hold that in our hearts. She
will not be forgotten. It gives us
comfort to know that she is at
peace right now."
Piestewa, 23, was the mother of
a 4-year-old boy and a 3-year-old
girl and a source of pride in her
Hopi community.
SOLDIER to page 6
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Founded in 1988
Volume 15 Issue 44
April 11,2003
(LEFT) John Graham, also known as John Boy Patton, is shown during a November 2001 interview
with Canada's Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Graham was one of two men indicted March 20, 2003, for the 1975 slaying of American Indian Movement activist Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash, whose body was found on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. (AP Photo/Aboriginal Peoples Television Network)
(RIGHT) Arlo Looking Cloud is seen in this 1998 booking mug released by the Denver Police Department. Denver police picked up Looking Cloud, 49, on Friday, March 28, 2003, in connection with
the December 1975 slaying of American Indian Movement activist Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash. Looking Cloud pleaded innocent on Monday, March 31, in federal court in Denver to a charge of first-degree murder committed in the perpetration of a kidnapping, according to U.S. Attorney James
McMahon in Sioux Falls. (AP Photo/Denver Police Department)
Second man named in indictment for
1975 AIM slaying on Pine Ridge
By Carson Walker
Associated Press
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. —ACa-
nadian man and former American
Indian Movement security guard
is the second person indicted by a
federal grand jury for the December 1975 slaying of AIM activist
Anna Mae Pictou- Aquash.
John Graham, also known as
John Boy Patton, has not been arrested. The Canadian Indian was
last known to be in western
Canada, according to people fa-
miliar with him.
The other man, Arlo Looking
Cloud, 49, pleaded innocent this
week in federal court in Denver to
first-degree murder committed in
the perpetration of a kidnapping,
according to U.S. Attorney James
McMahon in Sioux Falls.
On Thursday, a federal magistrate ordered Looking Cloud to
be transferred to South Dakota to
stand trial in the killing. He will
be held without bond pending the
transfer, which could take up to two
weeks.
Looking Cloud smiled at nine
relatives and friends who attended
the brief hearing in U.S. District
Court.
A March 20 indictment accuses
Graham and Looking Cloud in the
fatal shooting of Aquash, 30,
around Dec. 12,1975. They would
serve mandatory life prison terms if
convicted.
American Indians have said for
years that federal investigators and
prosecutors knew who took
Aquash from a home in Denver,
drove her to Rapid City and then to
the Pine Ridge reservation and executed her.
In a 2000 interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. show
"The Fifth Estate," Graham denied
any involvement.
"I wasn't there and I didn't witness it. And that's all I can say
about that," he said.
AIM to page 6
Correction:
A photo on page 1 of the April
4* issue of Press/ON was incorrectly identified as Arlo
Looking Cloud. News from Indian Country generously provided the photo to Press/ON
News from Indian Country
takes full responsibility for the
error in the previous photo.
Curt Tail View (deceased) is
the person whose photo was
inadvertently published in
last week's issue, and News
from Indian Country apologizes for any inconvenience
to the family.
Editor's note: the pubhshed
photo was cropped from an
original that included three individuals, and it was explained to the NFIC editor
that Arlo Looking Cloud was
"to the left." There was a misunderstanding about whether
this meant "to the left" from
the perspective of the other
people in the photo, or "to the
left" as seen by someone
looking at the photo.
Tony Lee Lussier
pleads guilty to
burglary, assault
Minneapolis - Twenty-two-
year-old Tony Lee Lussier from
the Red Lake Indian Reservation
pled guilty on Tuesday, April 8th,
to burglary and assault charges.
Lussier pled guilty to one
count of burglary in the first degree and two counts of assault
with a dangerous weapon.
Lussier entered his plea before
Judge Ann Montgomery in Minneapolis.
During his guilty plea hearing,
Lussier admitted that on July t6,
2002, he entered a residence
without permission and assaulted
its inhabitants. Lussier also admitted that he abducted three individuals, including two juvenile females. Finally, Lussier admitted
to assaulting two members of the
Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians with a pickup truck.
Lussier faces a maximum potential penalty often years in
prison and/or a $250,000 fine on
each count of assault with a dangerous weapon and up to 30 years
in prison and/or a $30,000 fine
for burglary in the first degree.
The actual sentence will be determined by Judge Montgomery
based on the federal sentencing
guidelines. A sentencing date has
not been set. Lussier continues to
be held without bond.
The case is a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Red
Lake Law enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney Joe
Dixon prosecuted the case.
Indian gambling leaders: Tribal
sovereignty 'under attack'
By Erica Werner
Associated Press
PHOENIX— Indian leaders
said Tuesday that tribal sovereignty is being threatened and
tribes must stick together to defend it.
"Make no mistake my friends,
we are at war. Our sovereignty is
under attack," Anthony Pico,
chairman of the Viejas Band of
Kumeyaay Indians in San Diego
County, told the National Indian
Gaming Association.
"But this is not a war of guns
and bombs, it's a war of words.
It's a war of perception and it's a
war for truth," Pico said.
Pico, a prominent Indian leader
whose tribe operates a bank and   <
an oudet mall along with a Nevada-style casino, also said that
the opportunities Indian gambling
has given to tribes may not be
around forever. He and other
tribal leaders have said that pohtical opposition poses a threat to
ATTACK to page 6
Marcus James Neadeau pleads guilty to
cocaine possession
St. Paul, MN - Twenty-one-
year-old Marcus James Neadeau
from the Red Lake Indian Reservation pled guilty today in United
States District Court to possessing
with the intent to distribute 16.8
grams of crack cocaine. Neadeau
entered his plea before Judge Richard Kyle in St. Paul.
Neadeau faces a mandatory
minimum of five years and up to
40 years in prison. The actual sentence will be determined by Judge
Kyle based on the federal sentencing guidelines. A sentencing date
has not been set.
The case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation and Red Lake Law
Enforcement. Assistant United
States Attorney Clifford Wardlaw
prosecuted the case.
Ralph Edward Cloud, Sr. sentenced
for assault
Minneapolis - Ralph Edward
Cloud, Sr., a member ofthe Red
Lake Band of Chippewa Indians,
was sentenced on April 9Ih in United
States District Court for assault.
Cloud, age 50, was sentenced to 33
months in prison by Chief Judge
Rosenbaum in Minneapolis.
Cloud pled guilty in November
2002 to assault resulting in serious
bodily harm. Cloud admitted to assaulting the victim on May 27,2000
and breaking a rib when he kicked
the victim in the chest.
The case is a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Red Lake Law Enforcement. Assistant United States
Attorney Clifford Wardlaw prosecuted the case.
c