Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2009-08-01

              INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY
NEWS BRIEFS
2
3
Nez Perce horse
program featured at
Smithsonian
Wash cemetery offers
'natural' burials
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS
4-5
CUSSIFIEDS
7
nanp 3
paqe 5
Why do Receivership?
page 4
Time to fight against
corrupt politicians
on Leech Lake and
White Earth
page 4
Press/ON was my
vehicle to challenge
the status quo of
tribal establishments
page 4
Ojibwe youth learn culture hands-on immersion
camp connects them with respected elders
VOICE       OF       THE       PEOPLE
By Mark St. Germaine
Rutledge, MN - Algin
Goodskye reached over and
grabbed a hold of an ironwood
sapling with both hands and
pulled hard, as his teacher
David Matrious cut away some
old wiigoob bindings. Goodskye
yanked the pole off an old
wigwam and dragged it over to
a pile of saplings, then he came
back and asked Matrious if he
could help with the next one
as other young students also
worked on the project.
Goodskye, a 12 year old
Ojibwe from Minisinaakwaang
village near McGregor,
Minnesota, was one of ten.
students who participated in the
Misizahga'igani Anishiinabe
Izhitwahwin Immersion
culture/ language summer
camp for Ojibwe children from
the Duluth public schools.
He recently moved to Duluth
to improve his education
opportunities, according to his
mother Tanya Aubid-Schmidt.
"I kind of like it here (at
Rutledge)," said Goodskye as
he took a break from his work,
"because it's getting back close
to home with some elders that
I know."
The summer camp at Rutledge
is a key service that the Mille
Lacs Band of Ojibwe offers
to Ojibwe Indians thought
Minnesota. Led by Larry Amik
Smallwood, the language
immersion program is a unique
opportunity that combines
elders' teachings with actual
experiences in making and
building Ojibwe crafts and
dwellings.
Goodskye paid close attention
to all of the language teachers
St Scholastica
Receives
$1.28 Million
Grant For
American
Indian
Teaching
Program
DULUTH, MN - The College
of St. Scholastica in Duluth,
MN, has received a new four-
year grant from the U.S.
Department of Education to
support its Ojibwe Laanguage
and Culture Education
(OLCE) program. Only 11
such grants were awarded
nationally in 2009.
The $1.28 million grant
is administered by the U.S.
Department of Education's
Office of Indian Education. It
will support 12 American
Indian students who are
interested in teaching and
working in the American
Indian community. Students
will major in elementary or
secondary education and in
Ojibwe language and culture
education. The rant will
provide students with tuition
support as well as a monthly
living stipend.
PROGRAM to page 6
as they talked to the Duluth
students about traditional
seasonal activities like maple
sugar harvest, spear fishing,
drying fish, and wild rice
harvest.
He was one of the students
that laughed the hardest at
Clara Jackson, Leech Lake
elder, who was raised in the
early part ofthe past century by
her grandparents. Jackson used
a lot of humor in her lesson
on seasonal Ojibwe crafts. She
taught the students key Ojibwe
words as they touched and
handled objects like a mukuk
basket, wiigwas sheets, and
wiigoob bindings.
"Some people didn't like to
make the ends of the canoe
because it was very difficult,
but my grandpa always said to
make the ends," said Jackson,"
then you can ram other boats...
hmm, he must have been a
great warrior." This made the
students laugh even harder.
Smallwood is a well-known
pow-wow emcee, ceremonial
drum keeper, and recognized
Ojibwe language teacher. He
looked off into the woods as
he described the power and the
value ofthe language program
for the Ojibwe people.
"Our kids nowadays have a
completely different life from
the way we were brought up,"
stated Smallwood; as he now
looked over at the children.
He then explained his own
upbringing by elders who
lived deep in the forest behind
Aazhoomog village near a
small river. He was raised
absorbed in the language of
his ancestors and educated
in a culture where everything
that was needed to survive was
crafted by hand from wood,
bark, roots, or plants.
"This camp gives our kids a
chance to re-learn the old ways
so that they can find the real
direction in their life," said
Smallwood.
All the teachers used both
Ojibwe words and phrases
with English in their lessons
as they involved the students
in actual projects like basket
making, canoes, and wigwam
construction.
Lee Staples (Obisanigeezhik)
held the attention of every
participant with his detailed
description of the spirits that
are essential to recognize and
give help to the Anishiinabeg.
Staples is a ceremonial drum
keeper and spiritual advisor
who helps people throughout
the region. He too was raised
by elderly grandparents in
the early part of the 20th
century in the remote village
of Aazhoomog at a time way
before electricity.
Staples began his lesson with
the students by teaching about
the manidoog and their good
qualities. And then Staples
taught the rules of life he
learned from his grandparents
like: do not interrupt older
peoples' conversations, avoid
playing outside at night, don't
waste your life on alcohol,
forgive those who have been
mean to you, if you put your
shoes on the wrong foot you'll
meet your doodam, and if you
button your shirt wrong you'll
meet a girl.
The young students gave
Staples their complete attention
CAMP to page 6
Racial Justice: Trickling Down
From the Top
By Daniel LeClaire
It only makes sense that big
changes should start up here at
the top of the world. Similar
thinking must have been at work
at the American Civil Liberties
Union-MN (ACLU) five years ago
when it decided to open a pilot
program in Bemidji called the
Greater Minnesota Racial Justice
Project (RJP) to address persistent
complaints about law enforcement and the administration of
justice in communities shared by
Native American citizens residing
in and around three reservations
here and the majority culture. It
is here in the heart ofthe Anishi-
naabe Nation that the continent
divides. Water tables deliver their
contents to Hudson Bay to the
north as well as feeding into the
headwaters of the largest freshwater artery of North America
flowing south to the Gulf of
Mexico. Map makers put the
continent's geographic center
just to the west of this place.
Geologists describe the area as
the most stable on all of Turtle
Island. Others note it as the storehouse of a wide array of essential
natural foods and medicines, as
well as being the repository of
ancient, sacred texts ofthe indigenous people of this land. It is also
the site ofthe last battle of Native
people with uniformed soldiers of
the U.S. government a little more
than 100 years ago. What better
place, then, than north central
Minnesota to keep the battle for
education and racial justice reform percolating. The RJP takes
as its goal the elimination of
disparities and injustices in
Greater Minnesota. Located in
the old warehouse district of Bemidji, county seat of Beltrami
County, RJP officers and volunteers have used their energies
over the past five years to launch
a campaign of education, court
monitoring, voter registration
and advocacy services to reveal
the substance and source of the
ongoing racism imbedded within
the systems and psyches of influence today. Now the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken
notice. At the request of RJP director Audrey Thayer, the acting
regional director ofthe DOJ, Ken
Bergeron, and conciliation specialist Justin Lock, made their
second trip last week to Bemidji
to talk about solutions to the
statistical data that supports
claims of racial disparity in the
justice system, not only in Beltrami, but significantly in Cass
County and to varying degrees in
the seven counties touched by the
White Earth, Red Lake and Leech
Lake reservations. In June, the
two DOJ officials moderated a
JUSTICE to page 5
Bill Blake's brainchild: tribal-city database
The Minneapolis sergeant and
Red Lake native saw a benefit of
tribal and urban police sharing
information.
By DAVID CHANEN
Star Tribune
Bill Blake spent his life
arresting bad guys and teaching
other officers how to stop gang
violence. Even with all his good
work, his 20-year-old daughter,
Erica Rae Blake, reminded the
Minneapolis police sergeant
there was still more he could do.
It's a message he took to heart
after she was shot to death at a
house party in 2003.
As a member of the Red
Lake Nation, preventing Indian
violence was his passion, but
Blake's efforts crossed all races.
Five years ago, he coordinated
Minnesota's first Native American
Law Enforcement Summit. In
2007, Blake received a two-year
federal grant to set up a common
computer network between
Minneapolis police and tribal
police departments in Minnesota
and Wisconsin to share and
evaluate crime data, the first of
its kind in the United States.
Over the past several months,
Blake's heart grew weak, and
he was working to get on a
Jim Mone, Associated Press
Police Sgt. Bill Blake
transplant list. Then an infection
led to a stroke last week, which
relatives said caused a brain
aneurysm. Blake, 45, was taken
off life support Saturday.
"Bill did the right things for the
right reason," said Ed Krueger,
director of the Criminal Justice
Center for Innovation in Appleton,
Wis., who worked closely with
Blake on the computer network.
"The project will continue
because of Bill Blake. He had the
correct vision, and it's up to us to
carry it forward."
Even with this lofty mission,
Blake met resistance. Some
officers accused him of only doing
the summit for a promotion.
Tribal officers told him they
should be planning such an event,
not a city cop. "One officer was
afraid we'd put our families at risk
because people in the community
would be angry," Blake said in an
interview with the Star Tribune
in 2005. "Doing nothing will get
your family killed. To not address
the situation is irresponsible."
Several  hundred social
BILL BLAKE to page 5
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Founded in 1988
Volume 20 Issue 24
August 1, 2009
Arson Fire Destroys Bois Forte headquarters
building
NETT LAKE, MN -The Bois Forte Tribal
Government Headquarters in Nett Lake
sustained a severe fire early this morning. Firefighters from the Bois Forte Fire
Department and the Orr Fire Department
battled the fire. Tribal Chairman Kevin
Leecy said no one was in the building.
"We are fortunate no one was injured
and we are grateful to firefighters for
their efforts. However, the building was a
total loss." The cause of the fire is under
investigation. Preliminary reports indicate
a vehicle fire near the building may have
ignited the structure. The building housed
the Tribe's administration and finance offices, its leasing, grant administration and language preservation program, planning, fuel assistance, IT, a
registrar and the tribal council chambers. "This is no doubt a setback," Chairman Leecy said, "but we have
a strong team that will pull together, and our tribal government programs and services will continue." A
.nearby, secondary tribal government building known as the DNR building, which houses the Tribal Council,
the DNR and water quality, was not damaged by the fire. In an ironic twist, Bois Forte had planned an Aug.
11 groundbreaking for a new government and community services facility that would replace many of the
offices lost in the fire.
NETT LAKE, MINN. - Early
July 20, 2009, the bois. Forte
Tribal government headquarters
was destroyed in a fire. The
Bois Forte Fire Department
received a call at 3:01 a.m. and
firefighters were on the scene in
minutes. Orr fire fighters also
helped put out the blaze.
The following departments
were destroyed in the blaze:
Accounting, Administration,
Enrollment, Finance, Grants,
Human Resources, IT, Planning,
Registrar/Energy Assistance,
and TERO. The Band expects
to recover records as they were
stored in fire-proof cabinets and
on back-up record systems.
Children's trust funds files
are backed up outside of the
building and were not damaged
or lost.
The per capita payments due
out on August 14 and payroll
will not be late despite the
destruction of the building.
No phone numbers or email
addresses were changed as a
result ofthe fire.
Press Release - Information
leading to arrest
The Bois Forte Tribal
Council announced today
that preliminary analysis
indicates that the July 20
fire that destroyed the tribal
headquarters was arson.
Bois Forte Police, the State Fire
Marshal, the FBI and BIA are all
involved in the investigation
and have not issued a final
report. However, Tribal Leaders
disclosed that the fire was
ignited in two separate places in
the building, indicating it had
been intentionally set.
The Tribal Council, their
insurance company, the
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, and
Crime Stoppers have created a
reward fund of up to $14,000
for information leading to the
arrest and conviction of the
individual(s) responsible for
the fire.
Tribal Chair Kevin Leecy
encouraged anyone with
information to call the Nett
Lake Police Department at
218-757-3237 or 866-638-0905.
Anyone with information who
wishes to remain anonymous
can call Crime Stoppers at
1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
Fire rebuilding fund
established
A fund has been established
to help Bois Forte replace
the materials lost in the July
20 fire that destroyed the
Tribal Headquarters building.
Monetary contributions can be
sent to the First National Band
of Buhl, 121 State St. Buhl,
MN 55713. Office supplies or
furniture can be donated by
calling Public Works Director
Marty Connor at 218-757-0193
or 218-757-0196.
Press Release: August 3, 2009
Ralph S. Boelter, Special Agent
in Charge of the Minneapolis
FBI office, today, announced
the federal arrest of William
Lynn Isham , age 20, of Nett
Lake, Minnesota, for the alleged
July 20, 2009 arson at the
Boise Forte Reservation Tribal
Center. FBI and Bureau of
Indian Affairs agents arrested
Isham Friday morning, July
31,2009, at approximately 1:00
pm, at a residence in Duluth
where he had been staying.
On July 30, 2009, a federal
criminal complaint was filed
in United States District Court,
District of Minnesota, Duluth,
Minnesota, charging Isham,
an enrolled member of the
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa,
with arson, for willfully and
maliciously setting fire to the
Bois Forte Reservation Tribal
Center, located within the
boundaries of the Bois Forte
Indian Reservation. Shortly
after 3:00 am on Monday, July
20, 2009, Nett Lake and Orr
Fire Departments responded
to a reported fire at the Center,
and arrived to find the building
and a vehicle engulfed in
flames. Both the building and
the vehicle were destroyed
in the fire. On Friday, July
31, 2009, Isham made his
Initial Appearance in United
States District Court in Duluth,
Minnesota, and was ordered
detained pending further court
proceedings.
This investigation is a joint
effort by the FBI, the BIA,
the Bois Forte Tribal Police
Department, and the Minnesota
State Fire Marshal. The United
States Attorney's Office, District
of Minnesota is prosecuting
this case.
1975 Pine Ridge reservation slaying trial date set
By CARSON WALKER
Associated Press
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - One of
two men charged with killing
a fellow American Indian
Movement member more than
33 years ago is scheduled to
stand trial this fall.
U.S. District Judge Lawrence
Piersol has scheduled Richard
Marshall's trial to start Oct. 6
in Rapid City.
Marshall and John Graham
pleaded not guilty to federal
charges they committed or
aided and abetted the December
1975 murder of Annie Mae
Aquash on the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation.
Last week, a federal appeals
court upheld the dismissal of
a key charge against Graham,
opening the possibility he could
be tried in state court if the
federal government doesn't
prosecute him.
Marshall was indicted one year
ago _ five years after Graham
and Arlo Looking Cloud were
charged.
Looking Cloud, who was
living in Denver, was convicted
in 2004 for his role in Aquash's
death and was sentenced to
life in prison. He is now a
government witness.
Judge Piersol threw out
the first indictment against
Graham because it did not
show that either Graham or
Aquash belonged to a federally
recognized American Indian
tribe. They both belonged to
Canadian tribes.
When federal prosecutors
re-indicted Graham, Piersol
again dismissed a similar charge
against him, which delayed the
scheduled May trial of Graham
and Marshall.
In an unanimous decision
affirming Piersol's ruling, the
8th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals
agreed both indictments were
flawed because they did not
prove that either Graham or
Aquash were American Indian.
Tribal status gives the federal
government jurisdiction in the
case.
Marshall's lawyer, Dana
Hanna, renewed his request for
a separate trial days before that
ruling, arguing that Marshall has
been in jail a year, his request to
TRIAL DATE to page 5