Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2007-04-13

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INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY
2
Global warming a threat
to Upper Midwest wildlife
NEWS BRIEFS
3
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS
4
CLASSIFIEDS
7
page 3
Case of fatal Elwha River
crash headed to grand jury
page 3
Excerpts from History of
the Ojibway People
page 4
Tribal police searches new
ruling in California
page 4
Indian gaming
works for very few
in Minnesota
page 4
RLTC fires prosecutor, court administrator
ByBillLawrence
In action taken at a meeting
April 10, 2007, the Red Lake
Tribal Council fired its chief
prosecutor Hector Martinez and
its tribal court administrator,
Bobby Whitefeather.
Sources told Press/ON that
Martinez was fired because of
numerous complaints from the
law enforcement community,
and others, of botched
prosecutions. Most complaints
mentioned missing evidence and
the inadequate prosecution of
cases.
The Council voted 8-2 to
terminate Martinez, with the
two Red Lake Representatives
Donald Desjarlait and Dudie May
voting against. Sources also said
Chairman 'Buck' Jourdain spoke
in favor of retaining Martinez.
Rumor has it Martinez has been
soft on drugs.
In an unusual evening
session the Council voted 7-0
with 3 abstentions to terminate
Bobby Whitefeather as court
administrator. The 3 abstentions
were Secretary Jody Beaulieu,
Treasurer Darrell Seki, and Redby
Representative Al Pemberton.
Sources also told Press/ON the
movement to fire Whitefeather
was promoted by Chairman
Jourdain in retaliation for
the Council's earlier action to
terminate Martinez. However,
other sources said there has been
a great deal of dissatisfaction with
the overall management of the
court and the lack of progress
in the implementation of court
reform. Whitefeather didn't
attend the 4/10 meeting.
Press/ON has heard from
several sources that a nine vehicle
FBI Swat team was on the Red
Lake reservation last Friday, April
13, apparently conducting a drug
bust and seeking an individual
who was allegedly in possession
of a fully automatic weapon.
It is unknown whether any
arrests were made as a result of
the Swat team visit to Red Lake.
Our calls to the local offices
of the FBI and the Beltrami
Sheriff, seeking verification
of this information, were not
returned prior to press time.
VOICE      OF      THE      PEOPLE
Curtis Buckanaga wins Golden
Gloves Boxing Achievement Award
Curtis L. Buckanaga, Head
Boxing Coach of the Upper
Midwest American Indian Center
received an award on April 7,2007
from the Upper Midwest Golden
Gloves Association in Hinckley,
MN. Curtis received the first
Achievement Award in honor of
Harry Davis, former Golden Glove
Association Executive Director.
(Davis passed away on August 11,
2006.) Curtis and Harry shared
their boxing dedication with the
Golden Gloves Association for
many years. Curt also received
an Achievement Award from the
Golden Gloves Association in
1983. He received these awards,
for his dedication to the sport of
Golden Gloves.
Coach Curt' also serves on
Region One Minneapolis Board of
Directors, and is the Chief Safety,
and Chief Weigh Master. He
weighs all the contestants in the
city and Upper Midwest Golden
Gloves Tournaments. Curtis has
volunteered his time for 37 years
to train and work with youth in
Golden Gloves. Curt was also
selected as an Assistant Boxing
Coach for the National Golden
Gloves Tournament which takes
place in Chattanooga, TN from
April 29th to May 6,2007.
Curtis is from the Pine Point
community and is an enrolled
member of the White Earth
reservation. His wife, Gertrude
of 53 years, is also from the
Pine Point community. They
had three sons, Ron, Neil, and
Kevin; and one daughter, Sharon
(James Walker). Curt is real
proud of his children, because
they all graduated from high
school and attended college.
Three of his children earned
Bachelor's degrees (Ron, Neil,
and Sharon), and two of them
earned Master's degrees (Ron and
Sharon). Sharon also received
a second Dan Black Belt in Tae
Kwon Do).
Currently, Neil is a candidate
to earn his Master's degree.
Curt also trained his late son,
Kevin during his teen years and
traveled to many bouts with
him. As a little girl, Sharon,
learned to box from her brother
Kevin by sparring with him
and her cousins in their home
basement. She also learned the
art Of boxing from by watching
her dad train the boxer's. He is
Curtis Buckanaga holds Harry
Davis Achievement Award he
received on April 7, 2007. This is
Buckanaga's second Achievement
Award. He is holding both awards.
proud of his grandchildren and
great grandchildren. He has
had the opportunity to train
his grandson's Joe, Ryan, and
Ray, and granddaughter Kerry.
Kerry has become an excellent
female boxer. Currently, he is
training his great granddaughter,
Cheyanne, to learn the art of
boxing.
Curtis served in the Navy in
WW2 from 1942 to 1946. He
served in the south Pacific and
the Atlantic Ocean. After being
BOXING to page 6
Healthier Living with Diabetes Workshop Tailored
Specifically to Native People
By Jean Pagano
Due to the high rate of type-2
diabetes among Native people, a
6-week online workshop is being
offered by Stanford University
to help people learn to live with
their diabetes. This workshop
will feature Native American
moderators, representing
different tribal groups from
across the United States. The
6-week program is offered
entirely on the internet, and the
only requirements are that the
enrollees be Natives with type-2
diabetes, internet access, and an
active email account.
The workshop is offered online
through the Stanford University
School of Medicine. Enrollment
is open and information can be
found at http://indiandiabetes.
stanford.edu. The Healthier
Living with Diabetes Program for
Native Americans was designed
by healthcare professionals
working with Native American
community members. The
program is a highly-interactive,
online small-group workshop.
Also included is a research
study to gauge the workshop's
effectiveness. Enrollment is
open to Native adults with type-
2 diabetes living in the United
States.
Some of the benefits that the
program offers to participants
are a) learning to manage
symptoms better; b) learning to
manager blood glucose (sugar)
levels better; c) learning ways to
balance food, activity, medication,
and stress levels; d) tips for
managing day-to-day activities;
e) establishing a support network
with other diabetes sufferers; and
f) sharing personal experiences
with others.
Online workshops will consist
of groups of 15 to 20 people, all
who have type-2 diabetes. While
participants may also suffer from
other medical conditions, they
must at least have type-2 diabetes.
Each workshop will be hosted by
two moderators, one or both of
which also have type-2 diabetes.
Workshop topics include healthy
diet, medication use, exercise,
communication skills, dealing
with difficult emotions, decisions
about treatment, and problem
solving. Each participant will
share their experiences online
with other members of the group
and will have the opportunity to
share and receive suggestions
and support.
Participants may access the
program at any time during the
week throughout the 6-week
session. Each person is required
to spend at least two hours a
week in the workshop and must
complete the required activities
online. The program is open to
people of all skill levels when it
comes to computing.
Because the workshop is also
a study, those who apply will be
selected to either take the next
available workshop or be a part
of the "wait-list control" group
that waits six months to take
the program. The assignment
of people into the various
groups is performed randomly
by computer.
Participants will be asked to fill
out online questionnaires about
their health over an 18 months
period to help determine the
effectiveness of the workshops.
Once the brief questionnaire
is completed, enrollees will be
notified. For information, email
diabetes@med.stanford.edu or
call 1-800-366-2624.
Leech Lake Executive Director Rodney White has
troubled employment history
CASS LAKE, MN—The Leech
Lake Band of Ojibwe's Executive
Director, Rodney White, has
been under investigation by
the Band in 2003-2004. He
was fired from his position as
the Band's Gaming Director on
October 20, 2003. He appealed
that termination, but he was
unsuccessful in returning
to the position of Gaming
Director. The investigation
was started by then Chairman
Pete White and then Executive
Director Gerald White. The next
General Election of the Tribal
Chairman's position brought
in George Goggleye who was
the White Oak and Northern
Lights Casino General Manager
during the time period Rodney
White was the Gaming Director.
Goggleye and former District 1
Representative Burton "Luke"
Wilson strongly support Rodney
White and hired him as the
Tribal Referral Director before
Rodney White's promotion to
the Band's Executive Director
position.
On March 22, 2007, Leech
Lake Gaming vendor Craig
Potts was indicted in federal
court. Potts was charged
with one count of conspiracy,
two counts of making false
statement, and two counts
of obstruction of justice. The
federal investigators found that
Potts had caused $35,000 to be
wired to Leech Lake's Gaming
Director Rodney White through
Potts' father's Twin Cities area
check cashing business. Below
is a sequence of events that
may have led to the recent
indictment.
Sequence of Events
In an undated investigative
report written by Samuel
"Rocky" Papsodora to the Leech
Lake Band of Ojibwe's Gaming
Division, Papsodora found that
Rodney White, then Gaming
Director, did not secure the
appropriate information as
required by gaming policy
and procedures. White's lack
of information regarding his
out of state travel caused an
appearance of a conflict of
interest involving gaming
vendors. Papasodora did not
find evidence of a vendor paid
trip to Las Vegas, nor the June/
July Corporate Commission
meeting minutes which White
contends state the approval of
the solicitation of vendors for
the "on the scene" visits to Las
Vegas.
Papasodora notes that policy
dictates gaming employees are
prohibited from accepting gifts
or favors of significant value
(more than $25) directly from
guests or vendors. Papasodora
found that White's actions
violated three gaming policies:
1) Travel Policy Procedures, 2)
Receipt of Gifts; and 3) Conflict
of Interest.
October 20, 2003 - Mike
Johnson, CEO of the Leech
Lake Business Corporation
terminates Gaming Director
Rodney White's employment. In
a letter dated October 20,2003,
he writes, "It is my unhappy
duty to inform you that your
at-will employment with
Leech Lake Gaming Division
is terminated effective today."
Johnson writes that White
violated human resources
policy regarding Code of Ethics
- Receipt of Gifts and Conflict
of Interest. White also failed
to adhere to Gaming's travel
policy procedures and hiring
HISTORY to page 6
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Founded in 1988
Volume 19 Issue 27
April 13, 2007
The Minnesota Court of Appeals will decide if its resident, taxpaying Indians are also citizens, with protected
civil rights under the Minnesota Constitution in a case called Buddie Greene v. Commissioner of the Minnesota
Department of Human Services and Aitkin County Health and Human Services, heard April 12, 2007 at the
St. Louis County Courthouse, in Duluth, Minnesota. See story in this edition Minnesota Court of Appeals to
Make Historic Decision. Pictured above are Buddie's Greene's extended family and Anishinabe Legal Services
attorneys. (Front row L-R; Megan Treuer (ALS), Dale Greene, Sr., Archie LaRose, Buddie Greene. Back row
L-R; Frank Bibeau (ALS), Dale Greene, Jr., David Davis, Roxanne LaRose, and Mary Greene).
Leech Lake tribal member Buddie Green case
heard at Minnesota Court of Appeals
By Bill Lawrence
On April 12, 2007, the
Minnesota Court of Appeals
held its hearings at the St.
Louis County Courthouse in
Duluth, Minnesota. Sitting on
the court of appeals panel were
Judges J. A (Jim) Randall, Bruce
D. Willis, and Gary L. Crippen.
The first oral argument of
the morning was for Buddie
Greene v. Commissioner of
the Minnesota Department of
Human Services and Aitkin
County Health and Human
Services, which alleges that
Aitkin County and the state
of Minnesota have engaged
in racial discrimination with
regard to delivery of public
MFIP Employment Services to
some of Minnesota's Indians.
MFIP is the Minnesota Family
Investment Plan, which provides
medical, financial and support
services to out of work and poor
families.
In July 2004, Buddie Greene
applied for public assistance in
Aitkin Countywhereshehadbeen
a long-time, resident taxpayer-
-but became an unemployed,
teenage, single mother. When
Greene completed an Aitkin
County form, which asked
about her Indian heritage, she
identified herself as a member of
the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
(MCT), enrolled at Leech Lake,
but living off-reservation near
Malmo, Minnesota. As a result
of Greene identifying herself
as an enrolled MCT member
she was eventually informed
that she was now mandated to
receive Employment Services
only from the MCT and could
not use Aitkin County's Services.
Greene appealed, arguing that
she is a resident, taxpaying
citizen and should be able to
use the same governmental,
CASE to page 6
Suicides
continue to
plague Alaska
Natives
Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Suicides
among Alaska Natives continue
at rates far higher than the
national average despite two
decades of effort by state and
community leaders, a new
study shows.
Fifty-eight of every
100,000 Alaska Natives killed
themselves in 2004, compared
with the national suicide
rate of 11 per 100,000 the
same year, according to the
study, conducted by the Alaska
Injury Prevention Center and
other groups for the state
Division of Behavioral Health
and other interested parties,
including the Alaska Statewide
Suicide Prevention Council.
The national rate has hovered
around 10 per 100,000 for
years.
"The figures command
immediate attention from
society and the state as whole,"
said Lanny Berman, with
the American Association of
Suicidology in Washington,
D.C, which helped with the
study.
State and tribal officials said
Alaska Natives battle the same
ills, such as alcohol abuse, that
they faced two decades ago,
with new factors thrown in,
such as methamphetamine.
Many are culturally adrift.
The behavioral health
system has made great strides
in dealing with depression,
substance abuse and other
suicidal factors, experts said.
But it doesn't extend enough
into villages where per-capita
SUICIDES to page 7
Becker County authorities
investigate death near Ogema
Associated Press
OGEMA, Minn. - The death
of a 34-year-old rural Ogema-
White Earth resident was being
investigated Friday as a possible
homicide, Becker County Sheriff
Tim Gordon said.
The sheriffs office received a
call about 10 a.m. that a body
had been found near Ogema,
Gordon said.
The death was being
investigated by the sheriff's
office, White Earth Tribal Police
and the Minnesota Bureau of
Criminal Apprehension.
No other details were
released. Ogema is on the
White Earth Indian Reservation
in northwestern Minnesota.
Casino expansion puts lawmakers
between tribes, labor groups
By Aaron C. Davis
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO-State
lawmakers Tuesday opened
debate on bills that would
launch a massive expansion of
casino gambling in California,
questioning whether the
deals would prove as lucrative
to the state as Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger has promised.
Schwarzenegger has struck
deals with the state's most
influential Indian tribes,
allowing them to install
about 22,500 additional slot
machines in exchange for the
state collecting more than $500
million in casino winnings
annually. That revenue is crucial
for Schwarzenegger to deliver
CASINO to page 7
2 former Twin Buttes school
board officials plead guilty
Associated Press
BISMARCK, N.D. - Two former
members of the Twin Buttes
school board have pleaded guilty
to stealing money from the
school and have agreed to help
an investigation of its finances,
authorities said.
Darcy Lone Bear, a former
board vice president, pleaded
guilty Friday, and former
president Melissa Starr pleaded
guilty earlier this week in federal
court in Bismarck. U.S. District
Judge Daniel Hovland ordered
a presentence investigation for
both Starr and Lone Bear, said
Clare Hochhalter, an assistant
U.S. attorney.
A federal grand jury indicted
Starr, Lone Bear and five others
from the school last fall on
charges they conspired to steal
about $665,000 from the Fort
Berthold Indian Reservation
school district from August 2001
until October 2006.
Gov. John Hoeven has
suspended Starr, Lone Bear
and Hank Starr, another board
member, while they await a
hearing to remove them from
the school board. The Starrs are
brother and sister.
Don Canton, a spokesman for
GUILTY to page 6