Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2005-01-07

              INDEX
•NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY 2
NEWS BRIEFS 3
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS 4
CLASSIFIEDS 7
Sensible wishes
for Leech Lake in
the new year 2005
page 4
The voice for the
native community
page 4
I would like to state
a few facts about
Archie LaRose
page 4
Facts Band members
should consider before
making a choice for
Secretary/Treasurer
page 4
Has Leech Lake
political activity
hit a new low?
page 4
Issues before 2005 legislature of concern to Native people
VOICE      OF      THE      PEOPLE
By Bill Lawrence
The Minneapolis Star Tribune published a list of issues
expected to dominate the 2005
Minnesota legislative session.
They are: Abortion, Bonding,
Crime, Education, Environment,
Gambling, Health, Same Sex
Marriage, Smoking, Stadium,
and Transportation.
The Star Tribune coverage
of the eleven items is skimpy.
The list is adequate and probably authentic, but there are so
many other aspects under each
category that should have been
mentioned. Some of the agenda
items are of greater interest
to Indian people than others,
like Gambling, Crime, Health,
Education, and others contain
elements that are probably irrelevant, i.e. Same Sex Marriage,
or may only be of a peripheral
interest, e.g. abortion.
Wliile the question of abortion
has not been a major concern
on tlie resenations and with tlie
Indian population, those with a
burning interest in die subject
are proposing (among other
things) a plan "to require emergency rooms to offer victims of
sexual assault emergency contraception." If this proposal should
pass tlie legislature, it could be
an important service to those
who may need it.
Tlie Bonding question caused
such a deadlock during the
last legislative session that
both houses adjourned without
resolution. This is of on-going
concern since school projects (at
Red Lake for instance) and other
projects that are of benefit and
interest to Indian people are also
affected by the ultimate bonding
outcome. Bonding has traditionally been a highly negotiated
matter and it is regrettable that
such an important issue ends up
being decided in the final hours
of tlie legislature when energy
is down and tempers are up and
constituents are far away from
die Capitol.
Crime.  This issue of extreme
importance on die reservations
merited just two small paragraphs in the Star Tribune article.
The discussion was limited to
repeat offenders and methamphetamine traffic in rural areas.
Tribes certainly have a stake
in this issue, as crime on the
reservations is a grave and ongoing concern. To use die usual
cliche, it is of epidemic proportion. The presence of drugs and
related activities is like a cancer
constandy growing and growing, yet diere was no mention of
increased funding for additional
law enforcement resources or
reallocation of funds for greater
participation and involvement in
tribal justice affairs. Under Public Law 280, nine of the eleven
Minnesota Tribes, Chippewa and
Sioux, are under State criminal
jurisdiction so it is a legitimate
State concern.
Education. Minnesota has been
described as one of die stingiest states in die country when
it comes to spending for education. Per capita payments for
Indian students on reservations
has apparendy been unaffected
by this stinginess since their per
capita payments are considerably
higher dian for non-reservation
students. The reservation school
population however accounts for
only approximately 10-13% of
the State's Indian students.
It is clear that the major portion of Indian children living on
and off die reservation will be
affected. Statistics indicate that
oidy about half of all Indian students graduate from high school
so it remains a question diat
deserves die full attention of both
tribal and legislative leaders.
State spending on education
has been frozen for die past
several years. Legislators will
be setting funding levels for the
next two years (2006-2007) in
diis session. There is some inter
est in tying educational funding
to student performance.
Environmental issues were
limited to a discussion of a plan
to raise $80 million from a fee
on water bills and septic systems
to clean up rivers and lakes
and some miscellaneous items
like reckless ATV driving and
mercury emissions. Clear lakes
and rivers would be a benefit
to all who live (and visit) die
state. Non-reservation Indians
would share in raising the $80
million in tlie fonn of rent payments. Minnesota citizens could
conceivably find diemselves
paying twice—once in the form
of higher costs for water and
septic services and secondly in
the price of services and goods
as the increase is passed on to
consumers by manufacturers,
distributors and other business
connections.
Concerns abound in the area
of healdi widi predictions of cuts
to public healdi programs. Such
cuts would impact especially
hard on die urban Indian population. Tribal leaders would be
wise to be in touch widi then-
legislative representatives on this
subject.
Same Sex Marriage is a topic
dial will no doubt occupy tlie
legislature's attention and hold
it for a considerable amount of
time. A considerable amount
of voters believe diat legislative
time and effort could be better
spent in looking for solutions
to problems that affect many
people and have a wider field of
influence than this one.
The Stadium issues might be
considered irrelevant to Indian
issues but some pundits are recommending tribal support for a
stadium in lieu of giving a percentage of casino revenue to tlie
State. There is an enthusiasm
for two, maybe diree, new sports
complexes in the metro area.
ISSUES to page 5
Health issues for Native women
Part 1: Symptoms, Solutions
By Jean Pagano
Health issues affect women
all across America. The problems and challenges that confront non-Native women are
also found among Natives, and
often in greater percentages.
One such issue is obesity.
More than one-third of
Americans are considered obese
and that means that people are
carrying more weight on dieir
frames than dieir height and
weight can support. According
die Centers for Disease Control
(CDC), the Body Mass Index,
or BMI, is the most accurate
scale for determining body fat
rations by calculating die relationship of height to weight.
Being overweight or obese
can give rise to a number of
health issues. The CD has
linked the following health issues to obesity: heart disease,
high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, high cholesterol,
congestive heart failure, gallbladder disease and gallstones,
osteoarthritis, kidney disease,
pregnancy complications, sleep
apnea, and breathing problems.
Your physician or healdi care
practitioner can help you calculate your BMI, or if you have
internet access, visit the Center
for Disease Control's website at
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/
dnpa/bmi/calc-bmi.htm. Women
with a BMI between 25 and
29.9 are considered overweight,
wliile women with BMIs of 30
and over are considered obese.
The issue of being overweight
is not the only concern. The
location of excess weight is
also of interest to health care
professionals. "Pear" shaped
women tend to carry excess
weight around the hips and buttocks, while "Apple" shaped
women retain the additional
weight around their waists. In
either case, the additional stress
on the system contributes to die
problems listed above. In some
soudiwestern Native populations, obesity among women is
at almost 80 percent. The best
way to lower the BMI is to eat
a balanced diet that is liigh in
fiber and low in fat and to be
active for 30 minutes a day.
Smaller portions coupled with    ■
exercise will take weight off and
keep it off.
Anodier serious issue among
Native populations in America
is diabetes. Diabetes occurs
when the body does not make or
use insulin correcdy. Insulin is a
hormone that converts the sugars in food into energy that the
body can use. When a person
has diabetes, the sugars are not.
properly converted into energy
and are passed out of the body
tlirough the urine, thus depriving
die body of needed energy. Type
I diabetes occurs when the body
destroys die cells in the pancreas
that are responsible for making
insulin. Type II diabetes occurs
when the body either doesn't
produce enough insulin or the
body becomes insulin-resistant.
Most type II diabetes is caused
by being overweight. This can
lead to heart disease and stroke,
HEALTH to page 3
A political outcast rises again on
the Leech Lake Reservation
by Mike Mosedale
Citypages
Standing beside liis white
Monte Carlo in the parking lot
of die Nordiern Lights Casino
and Hotel, Arcliie IxiRose
doesn't look much like a politician. Tall and barrel-chested, he
sports a shock of short, spiky
black hair widi a fluffy rattad.
His smoodi-skimied face makes
him look younger than liis 33
years. But in his tumultuous
and often controversial two-
year stint as die secretary-treasurer of the Leech Lake Band
of Ojibwe-tlie second most
powerful elected office on tlie
reservation, and the one he is
again seeking now—LaRose
learned a few tilings about die
political game.
So before heading out for
another evening on the campaign trail, LaRose decides to
take care of some last-minute
hygiene and carefully clips his
fingernails. As he does diis, he
casts his eyes across the half-
full parking lot at the recendy
expanded casino. If circumstances were different, he might
take this opportunity to pop
inside. N faybe he would thank
some of the voters who supported hini in his recent primary
victory. Maybe he would try to
win over some new voters for
Archie
LaRose
the upcoming general election.
But circumstances don't
pennit diat. Six months ago,
LaRose received a fonnal
notice barring him from the
premises of Northern Lights
and the other two other casinos
owned by die Leech Lake band.
The letter, signed by the band's
gaming director and security
chief, said diere was reason to
believe that LaRose had committed an act "that threatened
the reputation and/or safety of
persons of Leech Lake Gaming."
"It was just another insult,"
LaRose says with a shrug.
"They didn't even bother to say
what I did." The ban is the least
of his troubles. After a long and
acrimonious power struggle, his
colleagues on die Leech Lake
Tribal Council voted him out
of a job this July. He appealed
to the Leech Lake Tribal Court.
Tlie court raled in his favor and
LAROSE to page 6
Three Affiliated
Tribes seeks to
get back land
taken for dam
Associated Press
RIVERDALE, N.D. - North
Dakota's Three Affiliated Tribes
wants to get back some 36,000
acres of reservation land taken
50 years ago for construction of
Garrison Dam on the Mssouri
River.
The land was taken by die
Army Corps of Engineers, wliich
has specific authority to return
tribal land no longer needed to
for die dam. The tribe asked last
fall to get back land on bodi sides
of Lake Sakakawea.
Corps spokesman Jeny Alexander said die corps wants to
establish transfer authority this
year. He said die agency has yet
to determine which acres coidd
be returned.
Among properties that could
be transfened is the McKenzie
Bay recreation area, operated by
the Watford City Park Board and
the McKenzie Marine Association.
McKenzie County developer
Gene Veeder said the recreation
lease is an asset to the county's
quality of life, with a ramp and
50 trailer sites, and he wonders
about the effect of a change in
ownership.
TRIBES to page 6
web page: www.press-on.net
Native ,*»--]
American
Press
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.   Copyright, Native American Press, 2004
Founded in 1988
Volume 17 Issue 29
January 7, 2005
Jamie Manuel, 6, gives her mom, Serena Norris, a hug in the kitchen of their new house on the Salt River
Reservation, near Scottsdale, Ariz., Friday, Sept. 29, 2004. Norris' path has brought her to a home of her own,
something considered commonplace for most Americans but nearly unattainable for those living on reservations. But reliable jobs, courtesy of casinos, and innovative legal and financial programs have private lenders
looking at reservations as safe investments for the first time. (AP Photo/Arizona Republic, Mark Henle)
Home ownership rising on Arizona reservations
By Judy Nichols
The Arizona Republic
PHOENIX - Inside die
front door of Serena Norris'
moss-green home is a welcome mat bearing die Pima
symbol of the Man in die
Maze, a circular depiction of
a person's path dirough life.
Norris' padi has brought
her to a home of her own,
something considered commonplace for most Americans
but nearly unattainable for
those living on reservations.
But reliable jobs, courtesy
of casinos, and innovative
legal and financial programs
have private lenders looking
at reservations as safe investments for die first time.
In the past, die trast status
of reservations, which prohibits sale of land outside the
tribe, made banks unwilling
to fund conventional mortgages.
If die borrower defaulted, die
bank could not foreclose on the
land.
"There have been two big
impediments to housing: jobs
and a legal stmcture to allow
mortgages," said Stephen Hart,
a lawyer widi Ixwis and Roca, a
Phoenix law finn working with
a task force to increase housing
on reservations.
"Tlie issue of jobs is being
answered in part by gaining,"
Hart said. "Not just gaming
jobs, but probation officers,
policemen, court clerks. These
people make money, and diey
want to buy a house and invest
in die community."
Tribes are educating members
about financing, helping them
clear credit problems and finding ways to shorten tide searches, wliich in die past have taken
up to diree years through die
Bureau of Indian Affairs, wliich
administers Indian land.
Tribal members who qualified as low-income could get
on long waiting lists for subsidized cookie-cutter housing
built by die BIA. Those who
didn't qualify were relegated to
trailers, unless diey had enough
cash to pay for constniction.
"The estimate is tiiat over 56
percent of households on tribal
lands are living in substandard
conditions or are paying too
much for housing," said Sheila
D. Harris, director of the Arizona Department of Housing,
wliich is helping funnel housing
money and resources to tribes.
"People finally understood
that, die way die BIA did
things, this would never change.
HOUSING to page 6
Persistent amateurs can make
their voices heard at the Capitol
Associated Press
ST. PAUL-A group of
sometimes surprisingly effective amateur advocates
wdl soon return to die state
Capitol, along widi the better
known crew of lawmakers,
lobbyists and journalists.
The amateurs are diere
every session, wielding less
influence than die professional
lobbyists, but still making dieir
presence known. They are
sometimes motivated by tragedy _ crime victims seeking
changes in sentencing laws,
for example.
Other times they are moti
vated by an unusual interest in a
specific legislative area, such as
civil liberties, taxes, public transit
or sports stadiums.
One man known as die "cabin
tax guy" spent 10 years around
die Legislature and anodier man
still works for a memorial for
the victims of die Bataan Death
March. They work alone, but others are more organized.
Whatever their backgrounds or
mediods, all are willing to sacrifice time and money and expose
diemselves lo ridicule as crackpots to make dieir voices heard.
CAPITOL to page 7
Indian income improving
Gambling didn't make as big a difference in Ihe last 10
years as expected, researchers find
Associated Press
BOSTON - American Indians made significant economic
gains during the 1990s, with
per capita income rising about
30 percent for gaining and
nongaming tribes alike, but
still straggled compared widi
the overall population, according to a Harvard University
study released Wednesday.
Although tribes with gambling operations had generally
higher incomes and lower unemployment, gaining did not
play as significant a factor in
economic gains as researchers
had expected when comparing
census data from 1990 and 2000.
"It's turning out gaming isn't
such a huge advantage," said
Joseph Kalt, a co-audior of the
smdy, which was conducted by
Tlie Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development at the John F. Kennedy
School of Government.
According to the analysis
released Wednesday, American
Indians remained well behind the
overall population by numerous
economic measures. Per capita
income rose about one-third
for bodi gaming and nongam-
INCOME to page 5
Law firm gains
Indian Affairs
powerhouse
By Judy Sarasohn
washingtonpost.com
Holland & Knight, a law firm
diat has one of die largest Indian affairs practices around, has
scored one of the most widely
known names in Indian affairs -
- retired senator Ben Nighthorse
Campbell (R-Colo.).
One of die 44 chiefs of the
Northern Cheyenne tribe,
Campbell was the only Native
American in die Senate before
liis recent retirement. He is
joining Holland & Knight in
a couple of weeks as a senior
policy adviser.
Campbell served in the Senate from 1993 to 2004 and in
the House from 1987 to 1992;
he switched from Democrat to
Republican in 1995.
"I'm going to be a conduit for
Indian issues," Campbell said
yesterday. "I've always encouraged tribes to be active in public policy."
Indian casinos may be "a
flamboyant" issue, he said, but
few tribes have casinos and
fewer still make big money on
gaining. He said some of the
key issues on which he expects
to be working include tribal
sovereignty, water rights, health
care, education and economic
development. One of his big
disappointments last year was
FIRM to page 6
■M*aMMM^M*MMMMMMM||MgMWy|Mi
EttfM£££w^ &&£-j