Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2007-02-02

              INDEX
American Indians on center
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY
NEWS BRIEFS
2
3
stage at University of
Minnesota
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS
4
CLASSIFIEDS
7
page 3
Exposure death highlights
need for shelters
page 3
2007 State of Indian
Nation: The Pride of Our
Nations: Many Tribes,
One Voice
page 5
King Arthur
page 4
State of the Indian
Nation: Fiction or Fact
page 4
Northern Lights Casino bar under 10 day shut down
VOICE      OF      THE      PEOPLE
By Bill Lawrence
According to sources on the
Leech Lake Reservation who
prefer too remain anonymous,
the bar (liquor) operation at
the Northern Lights Casino and
Convention Center near Walker,
Minn, was shut down for a ten-day
period January 27. The shut down
was ordered by casino officials
pending a tribal investigation into
allegations of theft and of selling
liquor to minors. The shut down
is believed to effect between 25
and 30 employees.
The investigation into the
allegations is under the direction
of Rocky Papasodora, a tribal
law enforcement official. The
Northern Lights Casino and
Convention Center is owned and
operated by the Leech Lake Band
of Ojibwe. A call to Northern
Lights CEO/CFO Dan Erickson
was not returned by press-time.
web page: www.press-on.net
Red Lake Court, Council at odds over bail bonding
By Bill Lawrence
Goldberg Bonding Company
of Minneapolis owes the Red
Lake Tribal Court $41,000 for
the year 2006. It is unknown
how much might also be owed
for 2004 and 2005. Because of
this large debt, the Tribal Court
judges suspended use of bail
bonding by individuals charged
with criminal offenses.
When Tribal Council members
became aware ofthe suspension,
they questioned whether the
Court had the authority to take
such action.
The matter was on the agenda of
the Special Meeting held January
25, 2007, but after considerable
discussion, Chairman Floyd
"Buck" Jourdain refused to
pursue the matter. The Legal
Department distributed proposed
regulations regarding Surety
requirements, but the Council
Arrest Warrants
Issued for
25 People in
Drug Raid
Associated Press
LAC DU FLAMBEAU, Wis.
- There are arrest warrants
issued for 25 people following
a lengthy drug investigation
on a northern Wisconsin
American Indian reservation.
A spokeswoman for the
Lac du Flambeau Chippewa,
Laura Stoffel, says a probe
into the distribution of LSD,
cocaine and marijuana on its
reservation and nearby areas
involved tribal police, state
investigators, county sheriff
departments and local police
departments.
She says raids occurred
this morning at five homes
following an eight-month
investigation.
She says the investigation is
continuing.
Vilas County Sheriff
John Niebuhr referred all
questions on the matter today
to Tribal Police Chief Elliott
Rising Sun. Rising Sun did
not immediately return a
telephone message from The
Associated Press.
did not act on the proposal.
During the discussion it
became clear this is not a simple
matter. There is confusion about
the Court's records keeping
and notification methods, the
Court's authority, and the tribal
regulations concerning bail
bonding.
Whether the Council has
authority to intervene in Tribal
Court matters is one issue.
It appears the Council thinks
everyone should be able to get
out of jail on bond, regardless of
the offense.
The Court suspended the
bail system for more than the
matter of the non-payment
of forfeiture. The system has
allowed individuals, duly charged
with serious offenses, to walk
away from jail, and effectively
from consequences. The Court
believes it must have discretion
in granting an incarcerated
individual bail. It is customary
to allow judges to make the
decision based on the severity of
the crime and on the individual's
perceived trustworthiness to
appear in court.
In the discussion over these
issues, the matter of Goldberg
owing $41,000 was raised. This
led to further concerns. It is
unknown whether the Clerk
of Court has in fact formally
notified GBB ofthe forfeitures.
Over the past ten years there
have been many personnel
changes - at all levels - in the
court and as a consequence
there are gaps in the records,
lapses in administration policy,
and evidence of manipulation of
court matters by persons with
vested interests.
Goldberg Bonding (GBB)
BONDING to page 5
Report of Substance Abuse
Among Natives is Released:
Likelihood of Alcohol and Drug
Use Disorder Highest in Native
People
By Jean Pagano
A new report from the National
Survey on Drug Use and Health
(NSDUH) was released recently
which details the likelihood of
drug and alcohol use and its
accompanying disorders among
racial groups. Native peoples
were found to have the highest
incidence of alcohol and drug use
disorders than in any other racial
groups.
An alcohol use disorder is
identified as being either alcohol
dependence or alcohol abuse or
both. Similarly, drug use disorders
are defined as drug dependence or
drug abuse. In either case, Native
people had higher rates of both
alcohol and drug use disorders
than any other racial group. These
higher rates crossed both gender
and age boundaries. Rates for
both alcohol and drug use and
use disorders were composed of
combined NSDUH data from 2002,
2003,2004, and 2005.
The measurement of alcohol use
and use disorders were gathered
in use over the past year. The
questions were broken down
by gender, and into various age
gradations. For example, alcohol
use among Native males in the
past year was reported at a rate
of 65.5%, whereas the incidence
among other racial groups was
70.2%.
While Native people did not
have the highest alcohol use
rates, one shocking statistic is that
Native children aged 12 to 17 had
a higher rate of alcohol use than
any other racial group. Natives
aged 12 - 17 had a use rate of
35.2% whereas their counterparts
of other races had a use rate of
34.0%. This indicates that more
Native children are drinking
earlier than among other races.
Natives have the highest rates in
all categories of past year alcohol
use disorders. Native men had
alcohol use disorders in 13.6%
of the surveyed population while
other racial groups' rates were
10.5%. Native women, while at
a lower rate than men at 7.9%,
were higher than their non-
Natives counterparts at 4.9%. Use
disorder among 12 -17 year olds
was 8.5% against 5.8 percent in
other racial groups. In the 18 to 25
range, Natives had a use disorder
rate of 20.8% while other groups
HEALTH to page 5
Red Lake officials make plans for
reopening of the Fishery
By Francis "Chunky" Brun
Chairman Floyd "Buck"
Jourdain stated that the Red Lake
DNR was authorized to provide all
information required to get the
Fishery up and running.
He reported that he, Roger
Head, and Donald May had met
with the Shakopee Tribal Council
to discuss a the possibility of a $2
Million Grant to get our Fishery
up and running. This would be an
outright grant to Red Lake, over
a two-year time period, with no
strings attached.
The Shakopee Tribe will require
three (3) documents from Red
Lake: 1) A Tribal Resolution
authorizing the request. 2) A
Letter of Intent and a proposed
budget for 2 years. 3) A Plan of
Operation for the Fishery - Draft.
The Shakopee Tribe will consider
our grant request at their January
31, 2007 council meeting.
The proposed target date for
hiring a Fishery Manager is the
middle of March 2007 with the
posting of this position to begin
on January 25, 2007. Proposed
Plan of Operation to be completed
within 7 to 10 days with the
period between now and 9/30/07,
as the fiscal period for first year of
operation.
Joel Rhode responded to
Treasurer Darrell Seki's question
on what method of harvest will
be utilized by stating with hook
and line will be used initially,
and, if this doesn't work out,
other options will have to be
considered.
Chairman Jourdain indicated
that tribal members would be
allowed to take 70 to 100 fish per
day instead of the subsistence
amount as contained in last year's
allocation policy.
Jourdain also pointed out
FISHERY to page 6
Dorgan Introduces Legislation To
Help Prevent Child Abuse, Teen
Suicide In Indian Country
U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan
(D-ND), Chairman of the Indian
Affairs Committee, introduced
legislation last Thursday along
with Senator John McCain (R-
AZ) to help end child abuse and
teen suicide in Indian Country.
The Indian Child Protection and
Family Violence Prevention Act of
2007 would improve the reporting
and tracking of child abuse and
address the high number of
youth suicides throughout Indian
Country.
This legislation will provide
treatment programs for children
who have been victimized, and
require annual reporting to
Congress on the incidence of
child abuse in Indian Country.
In addition, the bill will authorize
background checks for employees
who work with Indian children,
involve participation by the
FBI and Attorney General in
documenting and tracking
the incidents of child abuse,
and require training in suicide
prevention and treatment for
professional staff at the regional
Indian Child Resources and
Family Services Centers.
"Suicide is often linked with
child abuse, and we must put
an end to the high number of
DORGAN to page 5
Indian tribes
oppose NIGC
bid to change
some gaming
machines
By Garry Mitchell
Associated Press '
ATMORE, Ala. - The melodic
bing-bing-bing on the electronic
bingo machines at the always-
open Poarch Creek entertainment
center in south Alabama has kept
players busy and the parking lot
crowded.
Would they keep playing if the
game took a little longer and
required more players? Or would
they head to gaming centers
elsewhere, off tribal land?
These questions have poured
into the National Indian Gaming
Commission in response to its
proposal to change such electronic
games, a move that Indian tribal
leaders in at least 10 states,
including Alabama, fear could
cause hundreds of millions of
losses in annual revenues and
hundreds of jobs.
"These proposed rules are
unnecessary and should be
significantly revised to reduce
new layers of federal bureaucracy,"
Chadwick Smith, principal chief of
the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma,
has told the NIGC.
With advances in technology,
the NIGC says the line between
Class II games, such as bingo, and
Class III games, such as Vegas-
style slot machines, has blurred.
The commission, joined by the
Justice Department, has proposed
new uniform standards for Class
II games that are widely used in
Indian gaming centers.
Tribal leaders contend the
change would cause bingo games
to be less entertaining, played at
NIGC BID to page 5
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.  Copyright, Native American Press, 2006
Founded in 1988
Volume 19 Issue 22
February 2, 2007
Diver is Fond du Lac's new leader
By Janna Goerdt
Duluth News Tribune
Members of the Fond du Lac
Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
have their first female tribal
chairwoman.
Karen Diver won Tuesdays
tribal election, earning more
votes in all three reservation
districts than her challenger,
Clarence "Chuck" Smith. Diver
received 649 votes to Smith,s
370 votes out of 1,019 regular
and absentee ballots cast.
A large crowd gathered at
the Fond du Lac Tribal Center
on Tuesday night to watch as
election judges counted the
ballots. The room erupted in
cheers as the final vote counts
were read.
"Fond du Lac has been so
progressive as a tribal nation,
there are so many opportunities
available to us," Diver said
Tuesday night. "It will be a
challenge for the Reservation
Business Committee to come
together and capitalize on our
strengths."
Diver said one of the first
tasks she would undertake as
chairwoman is to shed more light
on some of the decisions that
have been made surrounding
the current Black Bear Casino
Karen DiverwonTuesday's general election
forthe position of Fond du Lac Reservation
Business Council chair.
expansion " specifically, how
the band plans to pay back $119
million in debt on the project.
However, an election challenge may be coming from
Smith, according to relatives.
Smith's sister, Carol Smith,
attended the ballot count on
behalf of the candidate. She said
Smith was considering filing
a protest, based on how band
members, names and addresses
were gathered to make absentee
ballots available to them.
FOND DU LAC RESERVATION
CHAIRMAN (JENKKAL ELECTION
January .JO, 2007
Clarence Smith, reached by
telephone late Tuesday, said he
was discussing his options.
The election results will be
certified today. Any challengers
have until Feb. 6 to file a
protest.
If a protest is filed, the mat-ter
goes before the Tribal Council
for a decision.
About one-third of eligible
voters cast ballots in Tuesdays
election. One was 22-year-old
Daniel Barney.
"I want to see the rez going
in the right direction, more
towards the people," Barney
said. "I,d like to see better jobs
for young people."
The new tribal chair-woman
beco mes the head of the five-
person Reservation Business
Committee, sometimes
called the Tribal Council. The
Reservation Business Committee
is directly or indirectly involved
in most of the business on
the reservation " businesses
that have grown to about $300
million in value and employ
about 1,600 people.
The four-year term pays about
$125,000 per year, depending on
how long the chairwoman holds
the office, a past Fond du Lac
tribal chairman said.
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Struggling White Earth Urban Community Council
Sponsors Community Dinner in Minneapolis
By Vincent Hill
The large White Earth Ojibwe,
off-reservatioin population,
residing for decades in the Mpls
- St. Paul region of the state
had been galvanized in more
recent times to organize for
tribal political purposes. The
Bellecourt brothers of fame,
from the Wounded Knee, South
Dakota, Takeover in 1973,
tried to rally their fellow White
Earth urban enrollees, residing
in Mpls-St.Paul, to organize
before the 2000, 20004, and
2006 tribal council elections
on Ojibwe reservations in the
state. Off-reservation enrollees
can vote for candidates of their
choice, during Ojibwe tribal
council elections; off-reservation
enrollees, however, cannot run
for tribal council positions.
Prior to the Ojibwe tribal
primary elections last year, or on
April 4,2006, White Earth urban
Ojibwe activists, sent out a call
again to organize White Earth
urban Anishinabeg for political
voting purpose and to finish
the organizing efforts of the
White Earth Urban Community
Council (WEUCC), that had
been started in 2000. "10,000
White Earth Ojibwe enrollees
reside in Mpls-St.Paul" was the
propaganda buzz word, which
reached the ears of White Earth
Ojibwe reservation residents,
including White Earth Ojibwe
tribal council leaders.
The WEUCC successfully held
a White Earth Ojibwe tribal
candidates forum at the American
Indian Center, Mpls, in late May,
2006, just before the main tribal
election, in June, 2006. The
WEUCC was also successful in
hosting a summer picnic for
Ojibwe White Earthers at the
beautiful public Minnehaha Falls
Park in South Mpls.
It should be noted that some
of the leadership on the present
WEUCC rallied many of their
own relatives and other urban
White Earthers to vote for Erma
Vizenor in June, 2004; Vizenor
had been running for tribal
council chair of the White Earth
Ojibwe reservation; she won
but only by a narrow margin.
The last minute rally of a small,
urban homespun group was, in
effect, that of a "Swing Vote."
That was enough to get Vizenor
elected!
Erma Vizenor, White Earth
Ojibwe tribal council chair,
was the keynote speaker at the
WEUCC sponsored dinner at
the Upper Midwest American
Indian Center in North Mpls, this
last Saturday, January 27, 2007.
Vizenor immediately thanked
and acknowledged the White
Earth urban "Swing Vote" for
getting her into office. "I think
about this all the time," she
stated, during her speech to a fair
sized crowd of at least 200 Ojibwe
Anishinabeg, mostly a mix of
younger and older adults.
I have not checked on Vizenor's
track record since she got in
office, but no doubt she fights
for her White Earth Band of
Ojibwe. I think under her watch
as Secretary/Treasurer for two
terms, and her third year as tribal
chair, she has helped in stopping
financial mismanagement and
what not else of a negative
nature in the gambling casino
business on the White Earth
Ojibwe reservation.
Vizenor proposed a joint
gambling casino venture with
the State of Minnesota two
years ago in hopes of bringing
in badly needed funds to her
geographically large and poor
reservation. The equally large
Red Lake and Leech Lake
Ojibwe reservations in northern
Minnesota joined White Earth in
this politically divisive endeavor,
that served to split and alienate
the remaining four Ojibwe
reservations, including the four
Sioux reservations in the state.
This joint gambling venture
was so politically charged that
the Red Lake and Leech Lake
reservations pulled out of the
deal. Governor Pawlenty thought
it best to pull the plug on going
ahead with just the
White Earth reservation
DINNER to page 5
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