Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1999-10-22

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Smoke Signals of
upcoming events
Pg.5
White Earth
Tribal College
wins BIA funding
pg. 1
Red Lake
substance abuse
program
threatened
Pg-5
In memory of
Wub-e-ke-niew
pg.4
Workers approve
first union
contract at
California Indian
casino
pg.l
IVIIAC holds
quarterly
meeting, passes
resolutions
pg.l
MIAC holds quarterly meeting,
passes resolutions
Meeting reveals
disarray, frustration
By Jeff Armstrong
Freelance writer
A recent meeting ofthe
Minnesota Indian Affairs Council in
Red Lake left several ofthe tribal
chairmen comprising the state-
sponsored body questioning the
continued relevance ofthe
organization, as well as the
implications of being grouped for
state purposes among "people of
color."
"We may be colorful people, but
we're not people of color. We're the
indigenous people of this
continent," said Upper Sioux and
MIAC chairman Dallas Ross at the
Oct. 19 meeting.
It was generally agreed by the
council that the label American
Indians, which the MIAC had
adopted by resolution in 1978, was
preferable, but few seemed
enthusiastic about pressing use of a
term one member conceded was a
"misnomer."
With seven ofthe 13 board
members in attendance, meeting a
quorum established by the state
attorney general's office, the council
aired their grievances with state
officials present and groped for
solutions to restructure an
administrative program stung most
recently by a state audit revealing
mismanagement and under-
utilization of hundreds of thousands
of dollars in state business
MEETING to pg. 6
Wants the Canadian and U. S. governments to
consult with them on natural resource issues
By Devlyn Brooks
Excerpted from the Bemidji Pioneer
RED LAKE - Minnesota's 11
American Indian tribes called on the
Canadian and U.S. governments to
consult them when natural resources
are being considered for or
permitting the removal from the Great
Lakes chain and its basin.
The Minnesota Indian Affairs
Council approved the resolution Oct.
19 at its quarterly meeting... The
MIAC is a liaison group to the state
Legislature and the Governor's
office.
The action was prompted by a
request from the First Nations, an
organization of American Indian
tribes in Canada's Ontario province.
According to MIAC Executive
Director Joe
Day, First
Nations became
concerned over
the taking of
natural
resources from
the Great Lakes
region when a
company called
Nova received a
permit to bottle Great Lakes water
and sell it to foreign countries.
Day said he did not know which
country issued the permit.
None ofthe Indian tribes in either
Canada or the United States were
consulted about the permit even
though they have a vested interest
NATURAL RESOURCE to pg. 6
Chairman Bobby
Whitefeather
Supports American Indian Resource Center at
Bemidji State
By Devlyn Brooks
Excerpted from the Bemidji Pioneer
RED LAKE - The Minnesota
Indian Affairs Council pledged its
support Oct. 19 to Bemidji Sate
University's effort to build an
American Indian Resource Center on
its campus.
The action was taken by the. affairs
council during the group's quarterly
meeting held at the Red Lake
Reservation's tribal headquarters in
the village of Red Lake. The MIAC is
a state funded group comprised of
the chairs of Minnesota's 11 Indian
tribes and charged with the role.. .of
liaison to the state Legislature and
the Governor's office.
BSU announced last week it is
seeking to build a $2.6 million
American Indian Resource Center
just south of the Bangsberg Fine
Arts Complex on the southern end
ofthe campus.
The project was well accepted by
the several members ofthe affairs
BEMIDJI STATE to pg. 8
Kennewick Man in some ways bears no
resemblance to modern people
By Linda Ashton
Associated Press Writer
YAKIMA, Wash. (AP)-
Kennewick Man may have had
Asian or Polynesian roots, but one
ofthe scientists who wrote a report
on him for the U.S. Department ofthe
Interior says there are still a lot of
questions to be answered.
"It's similar to what we're seeing
with other ancient skeletons in both
North and South America - there's
some difference between them and
any modern people anywhere in the
world," Joseph Powell, a professor of
anthropology at the University of
New Mexico, said Friday.
In the newly released Interior
Department report, Powell and
scientist Jerome Rose, part of a-
federal team appointed to examine
the bones, found that Kennewick
Kennewick Man
Man "appears to have the strongest
... affinities with populations from
Polynesia and southern Asia, and
not with American Indians or
Europeans in the reference
samples."
The report also notes that
Kennewick Man probably died of
old age, when he was between 45
and 50. He had a spear-point lodged
in his hip, but it is believed to have
been an old wound.
Saying that Kennewick Man might
be most closely linked to the people
of Polynesia or even the ancient
Ainu of Japan, "doesn't totally
convey what we found," Powell
said.
The older the bones, the more
difficult it can be to neatly link them
to specific populations, he said.
While Kennewick Man can be
connected statistically to a number
KENNEWICK MAN to pg. 6
Tribal members seek direct share of casino profits
SALTPJVERPJMA-MARICOPA
INDIAN COMMUNITY, Ariz. (AP) -
Some tribal members want a direct
share ofthe profits from the two
casinos this community operates.
Janet Johnson, a tribal
spokeswoman, told The Tribune that
1,000 members signed a petition
asking community leaders to
distribute 25 percent ofthe profits to
the community' s 5,300 residents.
The petitioners estimate that Salt
River earns $400 million ayear in
casino profits - meaning an annual
windfall of $ 18,000 foreach tribal
member of whatever age, the
newspaper serving suburban
Phoenix reported on Saturday.
The Salt River tribe does not
disclose profits from its casinos.
One ofthe petitioners, Broderick
Antone, argues that tribal members
approved legalized gambling on the
reservation because it would bring
jobs and money to the people. It's
time for the tribe to live up to its
promises and share with the needy,
including the elderly and disabled,
Antone said.
Only one Arizona tribe, the Fort
McDowell Indian Community,
distributes a portion of its casino
profits directly to members. The tribe
doesn't disclose the exact amount of
its payments. Other tribes have made
occasional one-time payouts of $500
or $ 1,000 per person.
TheGilaRiverIndian Community,
however, chose not to make direct
per capita payouts. That decision
has become a key issue in Gila
River's ongoing council election.
"It's a tough question for tribes to
confront," Jacob Coin, spokesman
for the National Indian Gaming
Association, told The Tribune.
"Some tribes choose to spend their
money on infrastructure that can
help a tribe for generations. Others
would rather help people in need
directly."
Salt River is using its casino
profits to build a new school, a
community center and a cultural
center; install pipeline along Pima
Road to spur economic
development; and repay loans used
to build the casino and fund the
tribe's campaign to bring gambling
to Salt River.
Johnson said the Community
Council accepted the per capita
petition on Wednesday. She said
the council plans to form a study
group, including community
CASINO PROFITS to pg. 6
Workers approve first union contract at
California Indian casino
ALPINE, Calif. (AP) - Communication
Workers of America members have
approved the first union contract for
employees at a California Indian
casino.
Nearly 700 service and maintenance
employees of a casino owned by the
Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians
will receive a salary increase and
benefits equaling a 15 percent pay
hike under the two-year pact, said
Michael Hartigan, CWA Local 9400
executive vice president.
The amount ofthe pay increase
ranges from 42 cents per hour to
about $ 1.40 per hour, Hartigan said.
The union official declined to
provide details about the vote,
except to say more than 80 percent of
the ballots cast were in favor ofthe
contract.
Ballots were counted Saturday
after voting on Thursday and Friday.
"We had an excellent turnout and
an overwhelming vote," Hartigan
said.
Tribal officials must sign the
contract before it can take effect, but
that is considered a formality since
the union and tribe had negotiated
the agreement voted on by union
members, Viejas spokeswoman Nikki
Symington said
"There's not going to be any
problem with it," Symington said.
Under the agreement, service and
maintenance workers at the Viejas
Casino and Turf Club, 30 miles east
of San Diego, can reopen
negotiations over their wages in the
second year of the contract.
Workers can also earn up to an
additional 8 percent increase under a
bonus program run by the casino.
The contract also sets
compensation policies for sick days,
jury duty and holidays.
The agreement came on the heels
of a compact Viejas and 56 other
tribes signed last month with Gov.
UNION CONTRACT to pg. 6
Voice ofthe People
1
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Founded in 1988 Volume 12 Issue 2
October 22,1999      |
A weekly publication.      Copyright, Native American Press, 1999
WACIPI-
POWWOW, an
original KTCA-TV
production by producer
Barbara Wiener,
chronicles the
Mdewakanton Dakota
Community Pow-wow
held in Shakopee,
Minnesota during the
summer of 1994. The
program captures the
colorful beauty of the
Native American powwow culture, including
the dances, songs and
community interactions.
See Smoke Signals of
Upcoming Events (Pg.
5) for details of the Nov.
28th re-airing of the
program.
White Earth tribal college is booming
Enrollment doubles in two years, college wins BIA funding
By Nathan Bowe
Detroit Lakes Tribune
The fledgling White Earth Tribal
College received some good news this
month - the Bureau oflndian Affairs
has determined it meets the criteria for
a new tribal college and has agreed to
provide funding for general
operations.
At about $3,000 per student each
year, and enrollment currently at 95
students, the BIA ruling will generate
about $285,000 for the school.
The school, located in Mahnomen,
just celebrated its second birthday. It
has been funded by the White Earth
Reservation's general fund.
The BIA conducted a site visit of
the college Aug. 30-31, said college
president Helen Klassen.
"The visit concluded that our
college was doing very well. We have
a very strong faculty, very good
programs and good facilities," she
said.
The faculty includes a core group of
leaders, all with doctorates.
"This council is concerned about
education," tribal chairman John
Buckanaga said.... "Too many people
don't realize that education is the path
to a good job and self-sufficiency," he
added.
Others with doctorates are academic
dean Betsy McDougal; development
coordinator Ann Brummel; and
Sandra Parson, director ofthe early
childhood education program. The
financial comptroller is Deb
McArthur.
There are about 20 faculty members
in all.
"Enrollment has grown
tremendously," said Brummel. "The
first year's enrollment was 41
students. Now we have 95, which is
tremendous growth in a short period
oftime."
The college "is working very hard
on the accreditation process," she
added. "We hope to have
accreditation in about a year's time."
Meanwhile, the college has
articulation agreements with
Moorhead State University,
Northwest Technical College (with
five campuses including Detroit
Lakes) and community and technical
colleges in Thief River Falls.
That means faculty from those
institutions were involved in the
curriculum-writing process at the
tribal college, and students from the
tribal college can transfer credits to
those institutions "on a course-by-
course basis," Brummel said.
There are 17 students enrolled in
the college's early childhood
education program, Parsons said.
"We're putting together an early
childhood teaching degree," she
added.
.. .The college is also talking about
developing a tribal justice and
American Indian law program.
The BIA decision that White
Earth's college meets the
requirements ofthe Tribally
Controlled Community College Act of
1978 means- in addition to the $3,000
per student funding - the college will
be eligible for other types of federal
funding....
It also means the college is eligible
for membership in the American
Indian Higher Education Consortium,
Klassen said. White Earth is the 32nd
member.  -
The community college is open to
all, including non-tribal members,
Klassen said. [Seventy-three ofthe 95
students currently enrolled at the
college are Native American, all but
one of whom are enrolled White Earth
tribal members, according to the
school's Registrar.]
In the future, those students may
be strolling the wooded grounds of a
campus on White Earth Lake.
Tribal officials are considering
moving the campus from Mahnomen
to the 250-acre White Earth
Rediscovery Center on the lake.
[Bracketed comment added by Press/
ON editor.]
Liquor sellers complain about Indian sales tax break
By Deborah Baker
Associated Press Writer
SANTA FE (AP) - Liquor sellers
complaining about a tax break for
Indian-operated businesses are
asking the Legislature for help.
A recent ruling by the Taxation
and Revenue Department means
cheaper liquor on tribal lands could
lure customers away from off-
reservation retailers, they said.
While the Legislature may not be
able to do anything about the
taxability ofthe on-reservation sales,
it could enact a fix that would keep
retail prices more competitive,
industry spokesmen said Friday.
"We as an industry are asking the
Legislature today to solve the
problem," Ed Mahr, a lobbyist for
four liquor wholesalers, told the
Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy
Committee.
Lawmakers could fix the situation
by enacting a law similar to that
governing on-reservation gasoline
sales, the Taxation and Revenue
Department suggested.
The department ruled in July that
under federal law, liquor sales by
Indian tribes or tribal members on
their own lands are not subject to the
state's liquor excise tax. That tax is
paid by the wholesalers, who build it
into the price they charge retailers.
Eventually, it's passed along to
drinkers.
If Indian retailers can pay less for
the liquor, they can charge
customers less than off-reservation
sellers.
Complaints have come largely from
the Espanola area, where a couple of
tribes are selling beer and liquor in
stores or bars.
"Since they opened the lounge at
San Juan (Pueblo), I've lost about 20
percent of my customers," Art
Martinez, owner of Martini 'z, a
restaurant and lounge in Espanola,
said in an interview.
Rep. Jerry Sandel, D-Farmington,
vice-chairman ofthe tax committee,
said the ruling could lead to a
proliferation oflndian retailers.
SALES TAX to pg. 6