Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2007-11-15

              INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY
NEWS BRIEFS
2
3
Leech Lake Super
Hero Homies Strike
It Rich Again
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS
4
CLASSIFIEDS
7
page 5
Leech Lake's Anonymous
Writer Please Stand Up
page 5
O'siyo (thaf s Cherokee
for ahneen)Leech
Lakers
page 5
More questions
about the Leech
Lake Tribal Police
Chief
page 4
Reflections on
I giving thanks
page 4
Leech Lake Sec/Treas. LaRose will run for
Chairman against Goggleye in next election
VOICE      OF      THE      PEOPLE
By Bill Lawrence
Arthur "Archie" LaRose,
Leech Lake Secretary/Treasurer,
announced November 9, that
he will resign his position in
January and challenge George
Goggleye for the Chairmanship
of the Leech Lake Band of
Ojibwe.
After a press conference where
Chairman Goggleye announced
his plan to run for re-election,
La Rose invited the media to
accompany him to his office in
the old tribal office building. He
pointed out his office was across
the street from that of the other
members of the Tribal Council.
Refusing him office space with
the other Council members was
the first order of business by
the Tribal Council upon his reelection as Secretary Treasurer
in a 2005 special election.
In 2006, LaRose was again reelected Secretary Treasurer. He
was the highest vote getter in all
13 districts, an unprecedented
accomplishment.
The Tribal Council also stripped
the Secretary/Treasurer of his
constitutional duties, refusing
to allow him to sign checks or
other tribal documents. They
kept information from him, e.g.
scheduled meetings, Council
decisions, budget information,
etc. for over two years.
Although those duties have
been restored to him, LaRose
said that stripping him of his
constitutional duties was an
affront to Band members, and
that the people were offended
when the Council did not honor
their choice. He added that he
felt honored that Band members
had elected him three times
to serve as their Secretary/
Treasurer, and looked forward
to the possibility of leading the
people as Chairman.
There is much to do and undo.
LaRose believes the current
Tribal Council has created a
situation where many people
feel they have no job security
and that many more are in need
of employment. He feels the
sitting Council is out of touch
with Leech Lake members.
In an allusion to the travel
schedules of other Tribal
Council members, LaRose told
reporters that he thinks tribal
officials should be "taking care
of business at home."
Earlier, Chairman Goggleye,
surrounded by family and friends,
announced his intention to seek
a second term. He said he was
proud of his accomplishments
while in office, citing that the
Band has climbed up and out
of a $10 million deficit. Aside
from saying the Tribe was in
the black, he did not give any
specific information about
actual amounts.-
Goggleye also cited the help of
department managers and staff
in eliminating debt.
He promised to use tribal
resources wisely, to protect
Tribal Sovereignty, grow the
tribe's acreage, provide needed
services to Band members, to
preserve Anishinabe culture and
promote self-sufficiency.
Both candidates see job
creation to enhance employment
opportunities as an important
goal.
Oglala Tribal
Council
suspends
members
refusing drug
test
By Bill Harlan
The Oglala SiouxTribal Council
has suspended some members
for refusing to take a drug test,
and a tribal judge in Pine Ridge
upheld the suspensions in a
ruling Friday afternoon.
In the same ruling, Chief
Judge Lisa Adams reversed
the suspension of the tribe's
treasurer, Crystal Eagle Elk,
saying the council did not have
authority to suspend her.
"My ruling was really simple,"
Adams said late Friday afternoon,
after a court hearing that lasted
all day. It was not clear Friday how
many council members had been
suspended for refusing the test.
Adams' list had six members, and
possibly a seventh, but council
members put the number at four
or five.
It was clear, however, that
Eagle Elk was not suspended.
The judge said suspending her
would have resulted in a "crisis"
because the tribe would have
been unable to pay employees
or provide vital assistance.
Adams also struck down two
parts of a resolution to suspend
council members who refused
the drug test. One of those
provisions would have required
publication of the results of
the drug tests in newspapers.
The other would have required
members who failed tests to
resign or be impeached.
"The problem is, the council
abrogated its own rights," Adams
said.
Drug-test results should be
private, Adams said, in part
because they could expose
council members to criminal
prosecution.
Tribal Councilman Floyd
Brings Plenty of Oglala, in the
White Clay District of Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation, introduced
the original resolution Oct. 18.
It passed 10 to 3, Adams said,
with five council members
absent
Brings Plenty said the measure
was a response to federal
charges in New Mexico against
TEST to page 6
KBIC to close college, tire business
By Dan Schneider
BARAGA — Ojibwa
Community College will close at
the end of the current semester
and the Keweenaw Bay Indian
Community is shutting down
one tribe-owned business while
considering selling two others.
KBIC Tire will close its doors
Jan. 1, according to tribal
President Susan LaFernier.
The tribe is also taking the
first steps toward selling its
radio stations — Eagle Country
105.7 FM (WCUP) and The
Rockin' Eagle 89.7 FM (WGLI),
according to tribal CEO Larry
Denomie.
He said the tribal council
voted to move toward selling
the radio stations, and will seek
appraisals of both, but for the
time being they will continue
operating as usual.
"We've just decided it isn't
a business that we want to be
in any more at this point,"
Denomie said.
He said all of the decisions
have come after a year-long
process of re-examining its
financial priorities.
"We're just trying to be
fiscally responsible and we've
had several sessions throughout
the year regarding economic
development and what our
options are and those are our
conclusions," Denomie said.
At a meeting in October, the
tribal council voted 6-5 in favor
of shutting down the college.
A press release from LaFernier
cited the cost of running the
college and unsuccessful efforts
at achieving accreditation.
Denomie said the tribe has
spent about $2.1 million to
operate the college from 1998,
when it reopened and began
seeking accreditation, through
2006.
Currently, 60 students attend
the school. Six of them are full-
time students.
Denomie said the college
remains a topic of discussion
at tribal council meetings,
including one held Thursday,
but the planned closure still
stands.
"The present status is the
motion that actually was made
originally which is to discontinue
KBIC to page 6
Crist, tribe sign deal to expand
Indian gambling, state gets cash
By David Royse
Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Existing
Indian gambling facilities in
Florida will be able to add las
Vegas-style slots and card games
like blackjack, and the state will
get a cut of the money under an
agreement signed Wednesday by
Gov. Charlie Crist and leaders of
the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
The 25-year deal will mean
a minimum of $100 million a
year for the state, and while the
Legislature will determine how
that's spent, Crist suggested it
should go almost entirely for
education.
The Legislature may fight the
agreement anyway, with some
House members saying the deal
isn't valid without their OK.
Crist, a Republican who
said while campaigning that
he opposed the expansion of
gambling, said he didn't really
have a choice in the matter,
contending that the federal
government was set to allow
the Seminoles to expand their
gambling offerings anyway.
It would have been
irresponsible, Crist said, to
bypass an opportunity to have a
say in the details of what exactly
is allowed at the casinos and how
they are regulated, and to leave
on the table millions of dollars
that will be generated at the
seven existing facilities on tribal
lands.
Crist was up against a
Thursday deadline set by the
U.S. Department of the Interior,
and he said he was told by
federal officials that if a state
deal weren't signed Washington
would move forward with
allowing the Seminoles to have
slot machines.
"To allow the people of Florida
to not share in possibly billions
of dollars of revenue over time,
that is a gamble I am not willing
to take," Crist said.
The agreement, signed by
Crist and Seminole Chairman
Mitchell Cypress gives the tribe
exclusive rights to operate slots
and certain casino card games
in tribe's Hard Rock casinos in
DEAL to page 6
Bush taps Hopi for Arizona's U.S. attorney
Nomination for U.S. attorney
for Arizona still needs OK
from Senate
By Lindsey Collom
The Arizona Republic
A member of the Hopi Indian
tribe could be the first Native
American to serve as the U.S.
attorney for Arizona.
President Bush on Thursday
nominated Diane J. Humetewa,
who has spent most of her career
as a federal prosecutor and is
currently the senior litigation
counsel and tribal liaison with
the Arizona U.S. Attorney's
Office.
Humetewa, 42, said she was
"extremely honored" by the
nomination but declined to
comment further, saying it was
too early in the process.
If the U.S. Senate confirms
the nomination, Humetewa
will fill the position vacated
by Paul Charlton, one of
eight U.S. attorneys forced to
resign nationwide in a Justice
Department purge. Daniel
Knauss has served as the interim
U.S. attorney since January.
Charlton said he and
Humetewa have discussed the
job in recent months and he
feels she is a "perfect fit."
"I tried a case with Diana about
10 years ago, and it was there
that I saw this extraordinary
combination of outstanding
prosecutor and an individual
with a clear moral compass who
understood what was right and
demonstrated good judgment
consistently," Charlton said.
"One of the qualities you need to
be a U.S. attorney in Arizona is
to have a great deal of sensitivity
to issues in Indian country, and
no one has been better able to
exemplify that than Diane."
Sens. John McCain and Jon
Kyi in January recommended
Humetewa for the post.
Humetewa served as counsel
to the U.S. Senate Committee
on Indian Affairs during both of
McCain's tenures as committee
chairman.
In a joint statement Thursday,
the senators urged a swift
confirmation.
"Diane has demonstrates a
devotion to public service and
commitment to justice, and I
believe she is uniquely qualified
to address legal issues in the
state of Arizona," McCain said
in the statement.
Humetewa began her career
with the U.S. Attorney's Office in
1987 as a victim's advocate. Six
years later, she graduated from
the Arizona State University
College of Law. Humetewa sits
as an appellate court judge for
the Hopi Tribal Court.
web page: www.press-on.net
Native ,gmm
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.  Copyright, Native American Press, 2007
Founded in 1988
Volume 19 Issue 41
November 15, 2007
American Indian Cultural House helps U of M
students succeed in college
U of M students who participated in the Cultural House are left to right Kourtnee Baukol, Erica Jensen
and Julia Littlewof.
Thanks to the American
Indian Cultural House (AICH),
University of Minnesota
students such as Julia Littlewolf
and Kourtnee Baukol are
blossoming as scholars and
individuals.
The AICH, which recently
held a reception to celebrate
its fifth year, is a U of M
program aimed at helping
American Indian students
adjust to campus life. AICH is a
living and learning community
on the university's Twin Cities
campus open to all incoming
freshmen who are either
American Indians or students
interested in the American
Indian culture. AICH creates
a sense of community for these
students, help them adapt to
college and increase retention
rates among American
Indians.
Littlewolf and Baukol are
both members of the first
Cultural House class back in
2003.
Littlewolf, a member of
the White Earth Reservation,
is a senior well on her way
to graduation this spring
with a double major in
communications and American
Indian studies.
"The Cultural House helped
me build connections right
away," Littlewolf said. "We took
classes together, had meetings
and hung around each other.
Just to be able to share with
other students with similar
background was encouraging
and Jillian Rowan (program
director) was a great support.
"The best thing is that being a
part of the Cultural House was
like having your own family.
It was a good stepping stone
to the campus for first-year
students."
Baukol, a resident of
Rochester and a member of
the Turtle Mountain band of
Ojibway in Belcourt, S.D.,
said she had received plenty of
assistance from Rowan in areas
such as applying for financial
aids and scholarship letters.
With the support of AICH
students and staff, Littlewolf
successfully made the transition
from a small reservation to a
major university campus. She
is doing well in school and also
is serving as a board member
on the U of M American Indian
Student Cultural Center
and as a peer mentor for
the Multicultural Center for
Academic Excellence. She
credited the Cultural House
for much of her success.
In addition to those
important services, the AICH
gave Baukol even more.
"As a freshman it is often
hard to transition into life
on your own," Baukol said.
"The Cultural House gave me
an informal education about
how to survive and how to
incorporate Native traditional
ways. The people in the house
were also always there for each
otherwhetheritbe emotionally
or just simply a bag of Ramen
noodles to tie us over till the
next meal. The house gave me
a home, a community in which
I belonged. That is what the
house was intended to provide,
a place that would make the
transition easier."
Baukol also will be graduating
this spring with a degree in
family social science.
T know that a large part of
the reason I am graduating
is because of my experience
within the Cultural House,"
she said, adding that she
continued to receive support
from the staff in the years she
left the house. "What I can
take away is a strong student,
woman, and friend, much of
which I don't think I could
have fully developed without
the extraordinary scaffolding
the house provided."
"When I was in the
reservation school was always
difficult for me," Littlewolf
said. "I became a better student
in high school but I never
expected to be going to college
so soon. But in May I am going
to have a bachelor's degree.
I can't even imagine how I
would have done without the
Cultural House."
For more information about
the American Indian Cultural
House, contact: Jillian Rowan
at (612) 626-0733.
Bush adding to poet's honors
By M.J. Van Deventer
Oklahoma Centennial Poet
Laureate N. Scott Momaday will
receive the National Medal of
Arts in a ceremony at the White
House today. President Bush
announced the 10 recipients
for 2007 on Monday.
Momaday is the only
Oklahoman and the only
author to be honored. The
recipients will be honored in a
ceremony in the East Room of
the White House this morning.
President and Mrs. Laura Bush
will present the awards.
The National Endowment for
the Arts manages the National
Medal of Arts nomination
process and notified the
recipients of their selection to
receive the medal, the nation's
highest honor for artistic
excellence.
"We are delighted that N.
Scott Momaday has received
this distinguished honor for
his contributions to American
literature. His books, poetry
and memoirs, which so lyrically
celebrate Native American
culture, have made a historic
contribution to our national
letters," NEA chairman Dana
Gioia said.
Established by Congress in
1984, the National Medal of
Arts goes to recipients based
on their contribution to the
creation, growth and support of
the arts in the United States.
"Scott is one of those rare
individuals who belong to
Oklahoma and to the world,"
said Betty Price, former
executive director of the
Oklahoma Arts Council. She
will attend the ceremony.
"His generous spirit touches
our lives — both Indian and
non-Indian. He is among
the few honored ones who
have been named an Official
Oklahoma Cultural Treasure.
His compositions allow us to
see the world through his eyes
and have enriched our national
culture," Price said.
Momaday is the third
Oklahoman to receive the
honor. Ballerina Maria Tallchief
and sculptor Allan Houser were
previous recipients.
Momaday is a Pulitzer Prize-
wining writer who celebrates
American Indian art and oral
tradition in his novels and
essays. A member of the Kiowa
tribe, he also is a poet, painter,
playwright, photographer,
storyteller and professor of
English.
Gov. Brad Henry named
Momaday the Oklahoma
Centennial State Poet Laureate
HONORS to page 2
Tribal Council
is sued by
would-be
member
By Jen Cullen
The Republican Eagle
A man seeking membership
in the Prairie Island Indian
Community has filed a civil
lawsuit against the Tribal
Council.
Lawrence Larson wants
benefits and privileges dating
back to 1991, the year he and
his family formally applied to be
included on the tribal roll.
The lawsuit was filed in August
in the tribal court on behalf of
Larson, his daughter and his
deceased mother,s estate.
Robin Zephier, Lawrence.s
lawyer, said tribal lawyers have
filed a motion to dismiss the
case.
Zephier said his client is not
looking to get paid, but to get the
membership he deserves.
„The overriding interest here is
that they ,ve fought long and hard
for their ancestral recognition,"
Zephier said. "That's really the
most important thing here.
That,s why they've hung in here
and fought so hard."
MEMBER to page 2