Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2009-02-01

              s
INDEX
Pembina Land
Humbled and
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY
2
Commission
Honored
NEWS BRIEFS
3
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS
4-5
CLASSIFIEDS
7
page 5
page 5
Institutional racism
against American
Indians
page 5
Reprint - Leech
Lake Ojibwe News,
Issued, January
2009
page 4
Bill Lawrence
writes to
President Barack
Obama
page 4
Tribal corruption, disen roll merits the focus of
Thursday event in state capitol
VOICE       OF      THE       PEOPLE
By Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY - Indian
activists from around Lake
County and the state will
converge in Sacramento on
Thursday to shine a spotlight
on critical issues facing Indian
Country - from disenrollments
to corruption on the part of tribal
leaders.
The gathering, titled "Tribal
corruption is not traditional,"
will take place from 11 a.m. to 3
p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, on the
north side of the State Capitol
Building, 10th and Street and
the Capitol Mall in downtown
Sacramento.
United Native Americans Inc.
and the American Indian Rights
and Resources Organization
(AIRRO) are sponsoring the
event, whose guest speakers will
include Lehman Brightman,
founder of United Native
Americans Inc.; Wanda Quitiquit,
who the Robinson Rancheria
Citizens Business Council has
targeted for disenrollment,
along with her family; John
Gomez, president of AIRRO who
was himself disenrolled from
the Pechanga Band of Luiseno
Indians in 2004; Cesar Caballero
of the Shingle Springs Band of
Miwok; Clayton Duncan of the
Lucy Moore Foundation and a
Robinson Rancheria member;
Norman "Wounded Knee"
DeOcampo, a disenrolled Miwok
from Vallejo; and Ukiah resident
Loise Lockhart, another victim
of disenrollment.
"Nobody quite understands
what's going on in Indian
Country," said Quanah
Brightman, vice president of
United Native Americans Inc.,
based on the Bay Area.
Brightman, who is Lakota
Sioux and Creek, said it's
important to get beyond some
current myths about Indians
to get to the core of the very
complex issues facing Indian
nations around the country.
For one, he said, it's believed
that because of casinos and an
exemption from income tax that
Indians are rich. "It's the furthest
thing from the truth," he said.
To emphasize that point,
Brightman said the gathering
is scheduled for Feb. 5, the one-
year anniversary of California
voters approving gaming
compacts between.the state and
the Pechanga, Morongo Band of
Mission Indians, Sycuan Band
ofthe Kumeyaay Nation and the
Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla
Indians.
Brightman said one of the
event's goals is to give Indian
leaders the chance to meet with
state legislators and to educate
them and the general public
about the issue of disenrollment
- the increasing practice of tribes
kicking out members.
He called disenrollment "the
new form of termination" for
CAPITOL 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, 2009
Founded in 1988
Volume 20 Issue 18
February 1, 2009
Revenue tumbles at Arizona casinos
Fourth straight quarterly decline for tribes amid recession further
dents states budget
The Arizona Republic
Revenue plunged at Arizona's
22 Indian casinos during the
fourth quarter, as the worsening
recession kept gamblers away
from the tribes' gaming tables
and slot machines.
Based on fees paid to the state,
the casinos' combined revenue
was down 16 percent, marking
the biggest quarterly drop since
Arizona Indian gaming was
legalized in 1993.
"People are saving their
money," said Sheila Morago,
executive director of the Arizona
Indian Gaming Association.
The casinos don't break out
revenue figures on a quarterly
basis.
The Tohono O'odham Nation,
which operates Desert Diamond
Casino near Tucson, one of the
state's largest, has cut back on
hiring but has not laid off any
employees.
"We're down some, and we
need our wages and salaries to
track with our revenue," said
Scott Sirois, chief executive
of Tohono O'odham Gaming
Enterprises.
The shortfall is adding to the
state's budget woes and cutting
into state programs that are
supported by casino revenue.
It was the fourth straight
quarterly revenue decline
reported by the casinos, smashing
the myth that gambling, like
certain other forms of recreation,
is recession-proof.
"It's a business based solely on
people's discretionary income,
and eventually, it was going to
get hit," Morago said.
Under various compacts, the
tribes pay licensing fees, 1 to 8
percent of their quarterly gross
revenues, to state and local
governments.
The state gets 88 percent, with
12 percent being distributed at
the tribes' discretion to cities,
towns and counties.
The state's portion for the
fourth quarter of 2008 was $12.8
million, compared with $15.2
million a year earlier.
The payments are based in a
sliding scale, from 1 percent of
the first $25 million to 8 percent
of revenue in excess of $100
million.
The funds support
education, trauma care,
wildlife conservation, tourism
promotion, problem-gambling
services, and the Arizona
Department of Gaming, which
ARIZONA to page 6
Mike Fogel and Valerie Shannon are pictured with Cody the Buffalo II, at the couple's Money Creek Buffalo
Ranch near Houston, Minn. Photo: Michele Jokinen, Associated Press - Ap ,
Another SE Minn, buffalo could become a star
Salmon dining to help suffering
Alaska villages
ALASKA
By Hal Bernton
Seattle Times staff reporter
Three years ago, Seattle
seafood consultant Jon Rowley
was drawn to the Yukon
River delta by salmon —
silver chinook endowed with
prodigious amounts of oil that
help them swim some 2,000
miles across Alaska to distant
Canadian spawning grounds.
With proper handling and
marketing, Rowley figured that
these fish could gain the same
type of celebrity status as the
Copper River salmon he began
promoting back in the 1980s.
But this winter it's the
fishermen, not the fish, that
have Rowley's attention.
The fishermen are Yup'ik
Eskimos whose villages in
western Alaska have been
slammed by a dismal salmon
season, high Fuel prices and
recent cold snaps that forced
some families to skimp on
food as they tried to scrape up
enough cash to warm their
homes.Their plight has helped
stir an unusual relief effort
aimed not at some distant
Third World nation but at
rural communities in oil-rich
Alaska.
Rowley helped launch a
monthlong fundraising event
that began Sunday at Elliott's
Oyster House at Pier 56 in
Seattle, where Yukon chum
salmon, marketed as keta,
will be on the menu. From 20
to 25 percent of the revenue
from each keta plate will be
donated to a fuel fund for
Alaska villagers.
"These are strong people
who are used to enduring
hardships," said Rowley. "They
do it quietly and are not used
to asking for help."
But last month, delta
fisherman Nicholas Tucker
wrote a letter — that was
then sent out in an e-mail
to newspapers and others
organizations — that starkly
detailed the situation of 21
families in the village of
Emmonak.
Those families included a
father who had run out of milk
for his 1-year-old daughter, an
elderly couple who poured so
much money into heating oil
that they couldn't afford to buy
their groceries, and a family
of nine whose menu had been
pared back to Spam and rice.
The e-mail buzzed all over the
Internet, eventually winding up
in Rowley's inbox.
Public disclosure of
these private hardships was
controversial. Some villagers
were angry as bloggers spread
the news. Others supported
speaking out.
"With the cost of fuel and the
lack of fisheries, it kind of just
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ALASKA
Associated Press
MONEY CREEK, Minn.
_-Rancher Mike Fogel might
have another star buffalo on
his hands.
Fogel's 19-year-old buffalo
named Cody died three years
ago of kidney failure. Cody
had a starring role in "Dances
With Wolves," portraying the
charging buffalo that was
/"shot" by Kevin Costner as he
thundered toward an unhorsed
Indian boy. Cody also starred in
the movie "Radio Flyer" and
several commercials.
When Cody died in January
2006, Fogel didn't know if he
could find room in his heart to
train another buffalo. He had
raised Cody from a calf, gave
him the run ofthe ranch, then
taught him to accept riders and
walk through parades.
"He behaved more like a
dog than a buffalo," accepting
rewards of Oreo cookies, Fogel
recalled.
Cody was buried at Money
Creek Buffalo Ranch, which
Fogel owns with Valerie
MILES
Shannon. A few months
before Cody's death, Fogel
and Shannon bought a tame
buffalo at an exotic auction in
Missouri.
"We weren't even looking
for a buffalo," Shannon said.
"There was just something
about him."
The new buffalo was unruly
at first. Fogel said the first
time the buffalo was brought
into the barn, he reared up,
knocking the light out with his
front feet.
"I was ready to say the heck
with it," Fogel said.
But Fogel kept working with
the buffalo, walking him every
day. Over the course of three
years the buffalo's behavior
improved, and now the couple
says he's more people-friendly
than the original Cody.
He's also more needy.
"We have to be out there
with this one at least once a
day," Fogel said. "Every time I
drive by with the truck, he gets
a little excited because he thinks
we're going somewhere."
Now called Cody II, he's
following in his namesake's
footsteps.
He recently performed in a
Taco John's commercial airing
in the Midwest. A talent agent
had called and asked if Cody II
could stand still when being
pushed. Fogel and Shannon
loaded 1,600-pound Cody II in
his partially remodeled trailer
and headed west.
The commercial can be
viewed on the Web site for
Buffalo Gal, Shannon and
Fogel's buffalo meat business,
which also has a blog about
Cody IPs travels.
"I'm really impressed with
him," Fogel said. "I didn't think
I would ever find one with the
same qualities, the same kind
of eye as the original Cody. You
can tell a lot about an animal
through its eyes."
Now, they're hoping he'll
get a few more acting jobs and
are waiting for parade season
to start. Shannon plans to ride
him this year.
THE SEATTLE TIMES
exploded," said Billy Charles,
a former mayor of Emmonak.
"But it's been developing for
years."
In the past two weeks,
hundreds of food boxes have
been airlifted to Emmonak and
other western Alaska villages as
part of a private aid effort.
Villagers will get some relief
from the heating crunch in
February, when a U.S. subsidiary
of Venezuela's national oil
company provides vouchers
good for 100 gallons of fuel
oil. The fuel assistance won't
be enough to get the villagers
through the cold that often
lasts long into spring. So there
is a wider effort to help that
SALMON to page 6
Feds indict 24 people in drug
conspiracy
By DAVE KOLPACK
Associated Press Writer
FARGO, N.D. (AP) _ A case
that began five years ago with
a drug seizure in Fargo has led
to charges against 24 people
accused in a conspiracy to
distribute drugs from the Turtle
Mountain Indian Reservation.
Authorities said Thursday
that large amounts of
methamphetamine and
marijuana were moved from
Washington, California and
Mexico to the reservation for
distribution elsewhere.
The case is known as
Operation Paint By Numbers.
The alleged leader of the
operation, Miguel Chavez, is
from eastern Washington.
He faces charges that
include continuing criminal
enterprise, which "has very
grave implications for him if
he is convicted," U.S. Attorney
Drew Wrigley said. Chavez has
not appeared in court.
Most of the defendants are
from North Dakota or have
ties to the area, prosecutors
said. One of them is a fugitive
in Mexico.
Wrigley said the investigation
began in 2002, with the seizure
of 4 pounds of meth in Fargo.
More arrests are expected, he
said.
"I'm anticipating the very
real possibility of defendants
cooperating," Wrigley said.
"Once that happens in the
relatively small community
like that, we expect great gains
to be made beyond an already
large indictment and large
CONSPIRACY to page 7
Police: Former
US senator's
jewelry found
in Vegas
By KEN RITTER
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS - Police seized
more than $400,000 worth of
jewelry designed by former U.S.
Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell
in a cache of items found during
the arrest of a man who was
alleged to have been planning
a coin truck heist, authorities
said Thursday.
Brett Clinton Combs, 28, was
arrested Jan. 8 at a southeast Las
Vegas home where investigators
said they also found several
guns, thousands of rounds of
ammunition and about $25,000
worth of additional merchandise
JEWELRY to page 6
Tribe: Casino
deal would
create 45,000
Fla. jobs
By Brendan Farrington
Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) _
The operator of the Seminole
Tribe's Hard Rock hotels and
casinos told a House committee
Monday that the state can
immediately use $288 million
and will soon have another
45,000 jobs if the gambling
agreement Gov. Charlie Crist
signed with the tribe stays in
place.
James Allen, the Seminole
Gaming CEO and chairman
of Seminole Hard Rock
International, told a House
committee on Monday that
the tribe is working on plans
to expand its Florida hotels
and casinos and estimates the
projects will add $4.5 billion
to the state's economy when
finished.
"We think this is about
jobs," Allen told the House
Select Committee on Seminole
Indian Compact Review. "We're
out hiring people. We're not
laying people off."
His job projection includes
almost 12,000 more people
hired by the tribe and another
nearly 34,000 jobs created
indirectly.
While Allen's promise of
jobs and money might sound
appealing to some at a time
when state unemployment is
the highest its been in 16 years
and lawmakers are cutting
the budget, House members
probably won't be quick to
embrace the compact that Crist
TRIBES to page 6
American Indian museum to put
collection online
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -The
Smithsonian's National
Museum of the American Indian
is putting its 800,000-object
collection online.
The museum plans to launch
the first phase of the project
Monday, beginning with 5,500
items and photographs. The
project is part of the museum's
regular Web site.
Officials say the digital
showcase will allow people
living far away from the
museum's three locations in
Washington and New York to
view its archives.
Museum director Kevin Gover
says the project also is geared
toward American Indians who
may not be able to afford to
travel to the museum's locations
but have access to the Internet
and satellite technology.
Currently, the museum can
barely display 1 percent of its
collection at its locations.
Officials say it will take about
four years to put all of its objects
on the Web site.
Johnson: Stimulus money
should help Indians
By DENNIS GALE
Associated Press Writer
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Sen.
Tim Johnson says the money
in federal economic stimulus
legislation for American Indian
tribes will help people in some
of the most impoverished areas
ofthe nation.
"It goes a long way to improve
our conditions for our Native
Americans in South Dakota,"
Johnson said.
The Senate Appropriations
Committee has included $2.8
billion for Indian tribes in its
portion ofthe stimulus legislation
moving through Congress. It
includes hundreds of millions of
dollars for schools, health clinics,
roads, law enforcement and water
projects.
Early in January, Johnson, a
member of the Indian Affairs
Committee, and a dozen other
senators asked then-President
elect Obama to include almost
$3.6 billion for Indian Country
programs in any economic
stimulus proposal.
The senators asked for $1.2
billion for Indian health facilities
construction and support, $658
million to build tribal schools and
colleges; $600 million for water
infrastructure development,
$568 million to build tribal roads
and bridge projects, $360 million
for construction of tribal justice
infrastructure and support, and
several other categories.
The National Congress of
American Indians says real per-
capita income of Indians living on
reservations is still less than half
the U.S. average, unemployment
is twice that of the rest of the
country, and eight of the 10
poorest counties in the United
States are on reservations.