Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2009-07-01

              INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY 2
NEWS BRIEFS 3
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS 4-5
CUSSIFIEDS • ■ 7
Stimulus funds
bring clean water to
Indian Country
page 2
Seneca Nation creates
investment company
page 3
Burning Questions:
The casino exemption
page 5
Leech Lake
Chairman LaRose
Reports First Year
July 2008-June 2009
page 5
Despite
disappointments,
LaRose's first year
as Leech Lake Chair
shows promise
page 4
Lessons from Indian Country: First, do no harm
VOICE      OF      THE       PEOPLE
www.Indianz.com
By Mark Trahant
DENVER - The last national
health care reform conversation
was one-sided when it involved
Indian Country. The topic was
simply how would change impact
the Indian health system.
That conversation remains
critical.
Reno Keoni Franklin, chairman
of the National Indian Health
Board, said at the Denver Indian
Health Summit that the current
funding model has created a crisis
for California tribes. Because of
the state's financial implosion,
it's an outright conflict of interest
for the state to tell tribes what's
a reimbursable expense under
Medicaid and Medicare.
This very notion is a preview
of the impacts that could come
from any larger health care
reform. If nothing else, tribes
are major employers and that
promises to be the foundation for
health insurance mandates.
But that's just the beginning.
For example: On Wednesday Vice
President Joe Biden announced
a deal where hospitals will
contribute $155 billion in savings
in government reimbursements.
Perhaps it's a helpful contribution
to the federal deficit on the
national level - but what kind
of impact will this, and other
changes, make on an already
under-funded Indian health
Prescription
drugs 'newest
monster' in
Indian Country
www.indianz.com
By Eric Newhouse
Tribune Projects Editor
BROWNING — Prescription
drug misuse is the newest
monster to roll through Indian
Country, Erma Skunkcap
told the pill epidemic public
forum Thursday.
"When I started at the
(Crystal Creek) treatment
center, it was all alcohol,"
Skunkcap, a substance abuse
counselor, told a score of
tribal leaders and Indian
Health Service officials from
across northern Montana.
"Then we got a new monster:
meth.
"And now we have the newest
monster — prescription
drugs — and it's affecting
everyone," said Skunkcap.
Kathy Mountain Chief, a
nurse at Crystal Creek, said
that only about two of the
12 patients at the Browning
treatment center are addicted
to alcohol. "The rest are
prescription drug abusers,"
she said.
Marry ofthe patients buy the
drugs illegally, grind them
up and either snort them or
inject them intravenously.
"Because of that, our rates
of hepatitis C are climbing,
and most of them are IV
prescription drug abusers,"
Mountain Chief said.
Jim Kennedy, director of
the Indian Health Service
hospital in Browning, said
hepatitis C patients require
an average of $15,000 a year
in prescription drugs, as
compared to the average
patient who uses about $300
worth of prescription drugs
provided by the IHS annually.
Those figures were incorrect
in Monday's Tribune.
"A lot of people come to us
seeking help, but we can't
even assess them because
they're so high," Skunkcap
told the forum. "Hundreds
DRUGS to page 4
system? It's one thing to suggest
cost-cutting in a system that
costs twice as much as those
in other developed countries;
yet that same "savings" could
be devastating when applied to
the part ofthe system that takes
frugal to a new level.
What if reform means a future
insurance program - federal
or private - further strips the
funding base from the Indian
Health Service? It's absolutely
possible that a new program
would cover uninsured American
Indians and Alaskan Natives -
but without a full recovery for
those costs to the IHS.
Of course, the best outcome
would be a health care system
that combined a variety of
funding sources in a way that
the Indian health system would
get adequate support.
But, as Sally Smith, chairman
of the Bristol Bay Health
Corporation, said in Denver:
"First, do no harm."
The bottom line here is that the
driving force in national health
care reform is saving money
because our current system is
not sustainable. But it will be
unfortunate - and with serious
consequences for American
Indian and Alaskan Native people
- if that broad notion is applied
wholesale to the Indian Health
Service.
That's why I think that the very
conversation about health care
reform needs its own reform.
We need to pull back and look at
the bigger picture - and at least
examine one system that doesn't
have profit built into its model.
Lessons from Indian Country
could help the entire country
improve its health care systems.
That means changing the
conversation. Big time. And
that's pretty hard to do when the
legacy news media isn't aware of
what's possible. Even the idea
of saying, you know, the Indian
Health Service model is worth
considering in the health care
reform debate is preposterous. It
generates a blank stare. If that.
Thursday morning I read the
Associated Press's four-paragraph
story about the Denver Summit.
"Diabetes is one of the main
topics. The Indian Health
service says about 16.5 percent
of American Indians and Alaska
Natives ages 20 and older have
diagnosed diabetes," the AP
reported.
It could be a story from last year
- or a decade ago. Yet here we are
at this extraordinary moment
where the whole country is
talking about health care reform
- and the conversation from
Indian Country is reduced to
one that can be read on TV in 10
seconds. There's no room for this
LESSONS to page 5
Tribal Consultation Reveals
Pressures On Obama Officials
Senior officials in the Obama
administration have indicated
for the first time the urgency
with which they are pursuing
congressional action to remedy
the implications of the recent
Supreme Court decision that
would limit the ability of US tribes
to establish off-reservation casino
facilities.
Speaking at an event that
marked the Obama administration's first real public engagement
on the recent 'land into trust'
controversy, the newly confirmed
US Assistant Secretary for Indian
Affairs admitted that he has been
instructed by Obama's Secretary
for the Interior Ken Salazar to
make finding a resolution to
the concern generated by the
Supreme Court's 'Carcieri v.
Salazar' decision the top priority
for the new-look Bureau of Indian
Affairs (BIA).
Assistant Secretary Larry
EchoHawk told a gathering of
US tribal leaders in Minneapolis
earlier this week that he had
been given his "marching orders"
by Salazar over the issue that
has provoked ire across Indian
Country.
The Supreme Court's highly
controversial February opinion
determined that only tribes "under federal jurisdiction" prior
to the Indian Reorganization
Act's (IRA) enactment in 1934
were entitled to apply to the US-'
Secretary ofthe Interior to have
off-reservation land taken into
federal trust.
Since the ruling, a whirlwind
of debate has ensued over its
potential consequences. As the
ability to have land taken into
PRESSURES to page 5
Deputies jurisdiction stops at
Red Lake Reservation border
B e 11 r am i County
Commissioners approved
upgrades to the Sheriff's
Department Policy Manual
regarding procedures that
involve the Red Lake Nation.
Pursuits onto the reservation
are no longer be allowed and
the County sheriffs deputies
must terminate pursuits once
the reservation line is crossed.
The new casino complex along
Highway 89 poses jurisdictional
issues. The Red Lake Police
Department has jurisdiction over
the casino itself, but the Beltrami
County Sheriffs Department has
jurisdiction over the parking lot
of the complex. Commissioner
Quentin Fairbanks stated tribal
authorities may seek to put the
parking lot into trust status, but
this could take years, because
the Bureau of Indian Affairs
must approve all new trust land
requests.
The new policies require
County and Tribal deputies to
notify each other department
when they are entering or
leaving their jurisdictions. Red
Lake requires Beltrami County
Deputies to request for Red Lake
Tribal Police officer's assistance
and accompaniment when
conducting police business on
the reservation.
The pursuit of Red Lake Band
Members within Beltrami
County, tribal policy may allow
for Red Lake Police to take the
offender into custody on the
Reservation. If the offender has
charges pending in Beltrami
County, the county can take
custody. Upon completion
prosecution, the offender will
be returned to Red Lake police.
For all other offenders, Red
Lake can "arrest by a private
person" and Beltrami County
can take custody for review and
prosecution.
If tribal police observe a
violation on the reservation by
a non-Indian, they can stop the
offender but then must submit
a report to the Beltrami County
Sheriff's Office at which time
a sergeant will determine if a
citation should be issued, if
further investigation is needed,
or if it should be submitted to
the county attorney for review
or charges.
Okla. Indian tribes give $106M in gaming revenues
Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY - The 29
Oklahoma-based American
Indian tribes that offer gaming
contributed almost $106 million
to state coffers during the just-
completed fiscal year, according
to a report from the Office of
State Finance.
That is a 23 percent increase
over the previous year, when the
state received about $81 million
from the tribes.
"It's still growing," state
Treasurer Scott Meacham said.
"We don't know where it's going
to top out at."
Under compacts between the
state and the tribes, the state
receives a percentage of revenue
from card games and Las Vegas-
style gaming machines.
While most ofthe money goes
to education, the first $250,000
goes to the state Department of
Mental Health and Substance
Abuse Services.
Among the state's tribes, the
Chickasaw Nation paid the most
at $28.7 million. The Choctaw
Nation contributed $21.5
million.
"It keeps getting better from
the state's perspective," Meacham
said.
He said Oklahoma casinos
are attracting a wider variety of
people as tribe's have upgraded
casinos over the years.
The Chickasaws have been
among the top contributors since
Oklahoma tribes were allowed to
offer gaming, but tribal officials
aren't complaining.
"From a business perspective,
it makes sense to contribute
to our state's education efforts,
as well as various economic
development projects, because
it gives Oklahoma the edge over
other states and the end result
provides benefits for Oklahoma
and Chickasaw citizens," said
Bill Lance, CEO of the tribe's
commerce division.
The tribe's payout increased
by a third over 2008, an increase
officials attribute to the expansion
of WinStar World Casino near
Thackerville.
The half-mile-long casino
off Interstate 35 near the Texas
border now ranks as one of the
largest casinos in the country,
officials said.
The Choctaws have opened new
casinos this year in McAlester,
Stringtown and Grant to replace
old ones, she said. New casinos
are set to open next year in
Durant and Idabel.
web page: www.press-on.net
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.  Copyright, Native American Press, 2009
Founded in 1988
Volume 20 Issue 23
July 1,2009
Leech Lake Band Member Lisa Shulman
Graduates from West Point Military Academy
Secretary Treasurer Mike Bongo, Dist III Rep. Ribs Whitebird, Keynote Speaker and recent West Point Graduate
Alisha Schulman, Chairman LaRose, and Bruce Baird at the Northern Lights Casino high school graduate
appreciation dinner in June. Picture courtesy of De-Bah-Ja-Mon, Chris Haugene, Managing Editor.
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Cadet Alisha Mae Shulman, daughter of
Richard and the late Lisa Shulman of Cass Lake, graduated
from the U.S. Military Academv
on May 23, 2009.
Schulman graduated from
Cass Lake High School in
2004. While at West Point,
she concentrated her studies
in electrical engineering. She
was commissioned as a Second
Lieutenant in the U.S. Army
within Signal Corps branch
and will report to Fort Bragg,
North Carolina for-her first
assignment.
The mission of the U.S.
Military Academy is to educate,
train, and inspire the Corps of
Cadets so that each graduate
is a commissioned leader of
character committed to the
values of Duty, Honor, Country
and prepared for a career or
professional excellence and
service to the Nation as an
officer in the United States
Army.
American Indian FBI investigates death on Wind
summit's focus   River Reservation
on diabetes,
obesity
By CHARLES PULLIAM
Associated Press Writer
DENVER - For Henry Sun
Eagle, this week's Indian
Health Summit in Denver gave
him a chance to share ideas
and learn from other American
Indian health officials from
around the nation.
"I'm basically a fitness trainer
for Indian diabetics," said Sun
Eagle, the special programs
coordinator for the Southern
Ute Shining Mountain Diabetes
program in Ignacio, Colo. "But
I learned some new games and
other exercises to use without
actually making the patients
think they are exercising,
which is great."
More than 1,500 American
Indian health officials and tribal
leaders like Sun Eagle attended
the three-day conference in
Denver that ended Thursday
that focused on, among others,
obesity and diabetes treatment
and prevention.
The American Diabetes
Association reports that
nearly 57 million Americans
are prediabetic, with another
6 million more Americans
who have the disease but don't
know it. Type 2 diabetes, which
accounts for about 90 to 95
percent of diabetics, is directly
linked to obesity.
American Indians are at
greater risk for both, and are
also twice as likely as whites
to die from diabetes.
The Indian Health Service
reports that more than 16
percent of the nearly 2 million
American Indians and Alaska
Natives ages 20 and older
served by the agency were
diagnosed with diabetes.
"Diabetes is a huge challenge
for this population," new .IHS
director Yvette Roubideax said.
"But it is a growing problem
in the United States. We're
fighting an uphill battle, but
we have to fight in the entire
country."
Roubideax, a Rosebud Sioux
and the first American Indian
woman to be nominated
DIABETES to page 3
Associated Press
FORT WASHAKIE, Wyo. - The
FBI is investigating the death of
a 19-year-old man on the Wind
River Reservation.
FBI spokeswoman Kathy
Wright said Wednesday the
victim was Shyrone R. Brown.
She says the death is being
investigated as a homicide.
Wright says Brown wasn't
shot but she didn't release the
cause of death. She says no other
details are being disclosed.
Wright says the Wind River
Police Department reported the
death to the FBI on Monday.
The FBI has jurisdiction on
American Indian reservations.
Minn, tribe to dedicate wind
turbine plant
Associated Press
McGREGOR, Minn. -The
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is
investing in a new type of wind
turbine designed for use by
homes and businesses.
On Thursday, tribal officials
plan to dedicate a new
manufacturing plant where
workers will make a part for the
Windspire. That's a vertical-axis
wind turbine made by Reno,
Nev.-based Mariah Power.
The parts will be assembled
at MasTech Manufacturing LLC
in Manistee, Mich.
Through its investment in
Mariah Power, the Mille Lacs
Band will be the exclusive
distributor for any Indian
reservation buying a Windspire
turbine, which costs about
$6,500.
A Windspire is 30 feet tall
and spins on a vertical axis
unlike the larger turbines seen
on wind farms.
The reservation plans to use
a Windspire turbine to power
the District II Community
Center in McGregor.
Alaska village suing former
tribal president
Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -The
Native Village of Tatitlek is
suing its former tribal president,
accusing her of draining village
bank accounts of more than
$560,000.
The lawsuit, filed June 15 in
Anchorage Superior Court, says
Lori Ann Johnson removed the
money over the past two years
without explanation.
Johnson's replacement, David
Totemoff, told The Anchorage
Daily News village officials believe
Johnson took the money.
Johnson's lawyer, Lance Wells,
says that's not true. Wells says all
expenditures were authorized
and canceled checks prove the
money was spent on behalf of
the village.
Tatitlek is an Alutiiq village
of 100 people about 30 miles
northwest of Cordova. Johnson
won election in October of 2007,
beating Totemoff. The lawsuit
says that over the next two years,
village bank accounts dwindled.
Until recently, Johnson was
also president of the Chugach
school board. The Anchorage-
based district serves about 240
students at schools in Tatitlek,
Whittier and Chenega Bay.
The school board voted last
week to declare Johnson's seat
vacant _ effectively removing
her from the board. District
Superintendent Bob Crumley
says there was a lot of community
concern about whether she was
acting as a positive role model for
the students.
Troopers arrested Johnson
at Merrill Field in March for
illegal possession of prescription
painkillers. She pleaded no
contest to a lesser drug charge
in June and received a suspended
sentence. She is currently on
probation.