Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2000-01-07

              INDEX
News Around Indian Country 2
News Tidbits 3
Commentary/Editorials/Voices 4
Smoke Signals of Upcoming Events 5
Classifieds 6-7
Are our children chattel for
tribal governments?
pgj	
Hennepin County Detox Center
in turmoil again
pgi
U of MN American
Indian students
help others
succeed
pg 1
Lakota Sioux Dance
Theatre at Millennium
celebration in New York
pg3
ft
Most influential
American Indians
of the 20th century
f
pgs
r23£f
Red Lake Tribal
Council makes
Christmas merrier
for hay-baler
pgi
N A
T  I   V  E
American     Press/Ojibwe     News     wishes     you
voir
LOVED
Happy     Millennial     N e
Year!
Red Lake Tribal Council makes Christmas $12,500 merrier for some
By Bill Lawrence
Sources on the Red Lake Reservation recently told Press/ON that the
Red Lake Tribal Council, at a special
council meeting Dec. 23, approved
the purchase of what appears to be
about 10 bales of the tribe's own hay
from Adrian Beaulieu for $12,500.
The source told Press/ON that the
hay purchase was nothing but a rip-
off of tribal funds so that certain
council members and their friends
could have more money for Christmas.
In effect, the tribe paid $1,250 per
bale for its own hay. To have its own
hay cut, baled and delivered, the
tribe should only have to pay
approximately $5/bale. If the tribe
bought someone else's hay, cut
baled and delivered, the tribe would
have to pay approximately $ 10/bale.
According to the source, the
purchase was such a "done deal"
before the meeting even started, that
no one on the Red Lake Tribal
Council even questioned the
transaction at the Dec. 23rd meeting.
Other reservation sources speculate
Pictured: "$12,500
worth" of hay near the
roadside by Red Lake's
River Road Casino.
that no one on the council questioned
the deal because they also received
Christmas "bonuses" of up to $1,000
per person through similar unscrupulous arrangements.
The hay was cut on tribal property
along the River Road
west of Red Lake. The
hay was then stacked
in a field just southwest ofthe River Road
Casino. Press/On was
unable to learn what
the hay was allegedly &
needed for.
Sources told Press/On that the deal
was arranged by Littlerock Tribal
Council Rep. Harlen Beaulieu.
|Adrian, the hay-baling contractor
who received the $ 12,500, is
Harlen's brother.
Are our children chattel for tribal governments?
The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978: Public Law 95-608
By Elizabeth S. Morris
Freelance Writer
Maria Charles, 4 years old, has
known only one father her whole
life. Wayne Hawkins has taken
care of her from the time she was
27 hours old. According to
Hawkins, "She was born into
adversity. She overcame drug
addiction at way too young of age.
She's overcome a tremendous
amount of roadblocks to get where
she is. Why would anybody want
to take that kind of success away
from a child? It makes no sense."
But someone does want to take
away Maria's success. Although
Hawkins estimates she is only 1/32
Chippewa Cree, and is more
Hispanic than Indian, the Rocky
Boy Tribe has come to claim her,
and the State of Montana has
decided to allow them to.
Being "enrollable"
Tribes have the right to define
what percentage of blood qualifies
for membership. Most say a
quarter; some go down to 1/64.
ICWA pertains to any child the
tribe deems "enrollable." In effect,
ICWA ignores up to 3A, or more, of
the child's non-Indian heritage in
making decisions about'who has a
right to care for a child.
According to Shirley Tiernan of
the Montana Child and Family
Services Division, "Whether we
think it is a good idea or not is
immaterial; every state has to obey
the Indian Child Welfare Act."
According to 25 USC 1911, "...the
Indian tribe shall retain exclusive
jurisdiction.. .and.. .the (State)
court, in the absence of good cause
to the contrary, shall transfer.. .to
the jurisdiction of the tribe..."
Noting the reference to "good       :
cause", Hawkins isn't about to give
up. With three other children in the
house and a new mother waiting in
the bridal wings, Marie is a happy,
well-adjusted little girl. Hawkin's
adoption of her would have been
final in October had the tribe not
stepped in at the 11 th hour. He
believes that's good cause to
prevent transfer of jurisdiction, so
on Jan. 10th, he's taking the issue to
Federal Court in Billings, Montana.
CHILDREN to pg. 6
White Earth tribal police nearing full enforcement powe.ru
By Nathan Bowe
Excerpted from Becker County Record
Becker County came close to
approving a law enforcement
agreement with the White Earth
Tribal Police Department Dec. 28,
but at the last minute the county
board postponed it to Jan. 11 to
make sure the document has the
flexibility to resolve problems as
they arise.
Commissioners said they have
little doubt the agreement will be
approved next month, but first they
want to be sure the formal agreement refers to a secondary document
that will spell out exactly how the
departments will cooperate in a   .
variety of situations.
That secondary document will
give the county and tribe the
flexibility to work out problems as
they arise, said Commissioner Jack
Murray.
"We've worked on this a long
time. Getting it done right is crucial.
I don't think it's a question we will
do it. It's doing it right the first
time," said Murray.
The agreement will authorize the
White Earth Police Department to
enforce criminal laws — not just
regulatory laws like speeding —
within the borders ofthe reservation.
In effect, the agreement with the
tribe will be similar to agreements
the county has with city police
departments in Detroit Lakes and
elsewhere, Evans said.
Tribal officers will have jurisdiction over tribal members and non-
tribal members alike, and will be
empowered to make arrests, gather
evidence and present it to the
Becker County Attorney's Office
for possible charges. People arrested
on criminal charges will be placed
in the Becker County Jail and
prosecuted by the Becker County
Attorney's Office.
Regulatory offenses will be
handled by White Earth tribal
courts, since the state no longer has
the right to enforce regulatory laws
on tribal members.
After the agreement is signed,
Becker Countv residents who live
within the border ofthe reservation
will be served by whoever is closest
- be it county deputy, tribal police
officer, state trooper or even Clay
County deputy, Murray said.
All tribal officers will be POST-
certified by the state. The tribe will
waive its right to sovereign immunity from lawsuits regarding its
police department, and will obtain
adequate insurance to cover such
lawsuits.
Mahnomen County, which is
entirely within the reservation
boundaries, already has a law
enforcement agreement with the
tribe.
Clearwater County has agreed to
the same wording as Becker County,
and tribal officers will be able to
work throughout the reservation
when agreements with those two
counties are signed.
The move will likely increase
incarceration and prosecution costs
in Becker County, though there is
always the chance that a bigger
police presence may actually lower
those costs by discouraging crime
before it occurs or escalates,
according to county attorney Joe
Evans.
Like all licensed peace officers,
tribal officers have authority to
make arrests outside of their
jurisdiction.
Red Lake Band of Chippewa enters bottled water market
By Brad Swanson
Excerpted fromBemidji Pioneer
Redby, Minn. — By March,
consumers throughout northern
Minnesota will be able to buy
bottled water from an aquifer tapped
by the Red Lake Band of Chippewa.
The $3.5 million project was given
a blessing Dec. 21 in ceremonies
held in what will be the bottling
plant in Redby. So far, only the slab
floor and the huge sheet metal
building stand. Chairman Bobby
Whitefeather says the new plant
should employ 30 people when fully
operational.
Efforts are underway to build the
reservation's industrial park at
Redby, including the bottled water
facility, and the tribally run custom
home building plant, which became
operational in 1999. Work is also
underway to build an education/
training center in the industrial park,
which will be staffed by Northwest
Technical College in Bemidji.
The bottling plant, mostly funded
from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and
U.S. Agriculture Department and a
tribal match, is a partnership
between the Red Lake Band and
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Bemidji.
The tribe will produce two lines of
bottled water and will also manufac-
Red Lake Tribal business planner Quentin Fairbanks (left) and Red Lake
Tribal Chairman Bobby Whitefeather stand behind a sing proclaiming the
new bottled water plant being constructed in Red Lake.
ture plastic bottles, which will be
sold empty. Coca-Cola will market
and distribute the tribe's water
products throughout northern
Minnesota.
Quentin Fairbanks, who has    '
steered the project though more than
six years of planning and wrote the
federal EDA grant requests, said the
project involved three phases.
The initial partnership with EDA
called for a $345,000 federal grant to
be matched 25 percent by the tribe,
and provided a plant to bottle water.
The second phase added $180,000 in
EDA funds to have the tribe
manufactu4re its own plastic bottles.
The third phase, Fairbanks said,
saw another $1.4 million come from
the federal government to make the
plant large enough to make plastic
bottles for others, selling the empty
bottles with the buyer's label on
them, ready for them to fill.
The market for making the bottle
alone could exceed 8 million bottles
a year, said Dave Beaupre of Coca-
Cola. "The bottles will create a
RED LAKE WATER to pg. 5
the     People
web page: www.press-on.net
fi
-tee-
Ojibwe News
upport Equal Opportunity For All People
opyright, Native American Press, 2000	
Founded in
Volume 12 Issue 12
January 7,2000
American Indian Student Cultural Center 1999-2000 board members, (left to right): Shauna McBride,
Philomena McCullough, Maurcie Venhorn, Clarissa Sidel, Brandy Satchell and Randy Gresczyk.
University of Minnesota American
Indian students help others succeed
At the heart ofthe University of
Minnesota-Twin Cities east batik--""
campus, on the second floor of
Jones Hall, is a room dedicated to
American Indian students to get
away, relax, and find support and
encouragement.
The American Indian Student
Cultural Center (AISCC), established in the 1970s, has several
tables, couches and computers, and
plans many programs for Indian
students. This year the center has
about 200 members.
All the center's board members
ew this ytar. and they bring
new ideas about the goals or
objectives for the center.
According to board member
Philomena McCullough, some ofthe
center's major activities this year
include the Silver Feather Festival
concert, a cultural center retreat for
AISCC members to visit with elders,
a AISCC reunion and a Billy Mills
run to promote wellness and
remember the triumph of Mills.
Smaller events are also planned
throughout the year, and the center
is creating, u newsletter tnut wii*
include students' news and views.
The overall purpose of the center
is to connect American Indian
students with the American Indian
community off campus through
community programs, and to
improve American Indian students'
retention rates.
For more information on the
AISCC, contact the board at (612)
624-0243.
— University ofMinnesota News Service
Hennepin County Detox Center in turmoil
By Gary Blair
The Hennepin County, Detoxification Center that is now operated by
the Salvation Army at 1800 Chicago
Ave., South in Minneapolis is
scheduled to close for two months
starting Jan. 31. Asbestos needs to be
removed from the building's air-ducts.
Staff at the nearly 20-year-old, 40-bed
facilities are concerned about the
effect the closing will have on their
employment and on clients.
Questions about the timing and the
reasons for the closing are also being
raised. Some ofthe present and
former Indian detox staff say the shutdown is an attempt to stop an employee union from forming. One of
the present detox staff says they're
fearful that Char Benson, the detox
center's former director who was
recently let go by the Salvation Army,
says the shut-down is an attempt by
her former employer to stop the
employees from forming a union.
"That's what they were talking about
stopping when I worked in the
(Salvation Army's) office downtown," Benson said on Wednesday.
The detox center is located on the
second floor ofthe former Sister
Kenny Hospital. Hennepin County
owns the building that also houses
other county programs that will
remain open during the renovation.
Fifty percent ofthe clients now served
by the center are reported to be Native
Americans.
In the fall of 1992, this newspaper
broke the first of over 30 articles
about the abuse of clients at this same
detox center. As a result of concerns
from certain Indian community
HENNEPIN DETOX to pg. 5
Crappies filling void left after
walleye crash on Red Lake
WASKISH, Minn. (AP) - It almost
seems like old times on Red Lake
except the quarry is crappie instead of
walleye.
Lots of big crappies are biting near
Waskish, where shuttered resorts and
dilapidated cabins have lined the
northeast shore ofthe giant lake since
the walleye fishing crashed and then
was closed. But the area seems to be
undergoing a modest rebirth with the
crappie boom and return of anglers.
A snowmobile trail is also bringing
in some visitors. A new resort is set to
open this spring. Abandoned cabins
are being bought. Hudec's Resort is
adding a gas pump, and the family is
thinking about adding a few new
motel rooms.
Babe Winkelman featured the
lake's "slab" crappies on his nationally syndicated television show
Saturday. Other outdoors writers,
broadcasters and magazines have
been calling nearly daily.
"The phone rings about every
seven minutes, all day. We started
taking names and numbers. But we
gave that up pretty quick," said Marie
Hudec at Hudec's Resort. "People
were calling at Thanksgiving. But we
had open water until Dec. 12. Is there
anything more impatient man a
fisherman?"
The hubbub started about one year
ago when a few local ice anglers
found a big school of crappies and
caught their limits of big fish. And
they kept catching them, quietly, day
after day.
"Finally, about March 1, they must
have felt guilty or something, they
started to talk about it," said Don
Hudec, Marie's son. "Within 10 days
of that we already had 1,200 cars
come through our resort" to pay $5
each to drive onto the frozen lake on a
plowed road.
Nearly everyone left with a limit of
15 crappies.
"I'd leave here at 45 minutes before
sunrise, and I'd have my 15 crappies
shortly after the sun came up," said
Jim Petrowske, owner ofthe Waskish
Minnow Station bait store. "You
could not use two lines. It was that
CRAPPIES to pg. 5
Becker County
deputy charged with
excessive force in
discrimination
complaint
By Jeff Armstrong
A Lakota woman who says she
was beaten by a Becker County
deputy outside her White Earth
home filed a discrimination complaint this week with the Minnesota
Department of Human Rights over
the Dec. 28 incident.
In her complaint, Christina
Wilson charges deputy Brad Skoog
with physically and veYbally
assaulting her without cause. Wilson
says she was subsequently denied
medical treatment for injuries
incurred during her arrest.
According to Wilson, the 26-
year-old woman was helping push a
friend's car stuck in her driveway
when Skoog pulled up and ordered
the driver out ofthe vehicle. Wilson
said she began walking towards her
house and the deputy grabbed her
from behind, knocking her to the
ground.
"He pulled my hair and slammed
my face on to the car. He put his
elbow in my back and handcuffed
me, threw me to the ground, picked
me up by the arms and threw me in
the back seat," Wilson states in her
complaint. The Lakota woman
alleges that Skoog also directed
several obscene, derogatory and
sexually threatening statements at
her.
Wilson says she was never read
her rights, photographed or fingerprinted, and was not brought to court
until more than 56 hours after her
arrest, well in excess ofthe 36-hour
deadline for bringing charges against
a suspect. Although originally held
on disorderly conduct allegations,
Wilson was finally charged with
obstructing legal process and
damage to property. She says the
latter charge arose from an alleged
BECKER COUNTY to pg. 5
\
J