Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2000-03-10

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INDEX
News Around Indian Country 2
News Tidbits 3
Commentary/Editorials/Voices 4
Smoke Signals of Upcoming Events 5
Classifieds 6-7
Boyfriend receives
life sentence in
murder of Indian
woman
pg 1
Commentary
Minnesota Indian Affairs Council
director responds to Press/ON
publisher
pg4
;'v"     ">■ .
Commentary
Sacagawea on our
coin, on her way to
our hearts
pg4
Certified candidates for offices of
Minnesota ChippewaTribe
pgj .	
Commentary
No special voting rights for aboriginal
descendants
pg4	
Former White Earth
chairman Chip
Wadena discusses
criminal past, effort
for re-election
pgi
Certified candidates
for offices of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
bands
By Julie Shortridge
March 6 was the deadline for candidates to file for the chairman and district representative seats, up for election this spring and summer in the
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (MCT).
The tribal councils for the Fond du
Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, and
Mille Lacs bands granted certification
to the candidates listed below. All positions are 4-year terms, with elections
staggered every two years.
Nett Lake and White Earth met
March 9 to certify the eligibility of
their candidates, but too late for press
time this week.
The two winners ofthe MCT's April
18th Primaiy Election for each category will go on to June 13 General
Election.
Red Lake, which is not part ofthe
MCT, will have elections for four district representatives this spring and
summer as well, with their candidate
certification process in May.
Fond du Lac Band
• Chairman: Kevin Dupuis, Sr.; Robert
Martineau; Les Northrup; Jim
Northrup: Robert "Sonny" Peacock
Don E. Wissen
• District 1. (Cloquet) Rep: Carl "Jr."
Abramowski; Ernest W. Diver; Keith
Diver Sr.; Julia "Bunny" Jankola;
Albert Joe Martineau; Cynthia (Cindy)
McCloskey; Patty Petite; Clifton A.
Rabideaux; Bernard Roy
• District 111 (Brookston) Rep: George
Dupuis; Roger A. Higbee: Bryan Jon
Mackwaki; Dawn LaPrairie Sutten
Grand Portage Band
• Chairman: Norman W. Deschampe;
June K. Evans
• Committee member Darlene
LeGarde; Wallace M. Deschampe:
Lawrence T.P. Bushman: Kenneth A.
Sherer; Donna J. Anderson: Dana R.
Logan; Allan Deschampe
Leech Lake Band
• Chairman: Guy G. Cloud; Alfred W.
Fairbanks. Jr.; George Goggleyc. Jr.;
Tony "Skin" Hare; Eli Hunt; Bibsy
Kingbird; David Chief Morgan
Walter "Frank" Reese; Jerry "Otto'
Reyes: Martin Robinson; Bonnie J.
Rock; Lence D. Ross
• District 111 Rep: Robert J. Budreau.
Sr.; Emmanuel Headbird: Fred K.
Jackson. Jr.; Delmer Jones (Junior):
Arthur "Archie" LaRose; Sally M.
Morrison: Richard Robinson, Jr.
Mille Lacs Band
• ChiefExecutive: Marjorie (MargeJ
Anderson; Melanie A. Banjamin;
Clifford K. Churchill: Timothy A.
Jackson; Mushkooub; Joseph L.
Nayquonabe; Larry Nickaboine; Herb
Weyaus
• District 1 Rep: Sandra L. Blake;
Reginald Garbow; Suzanne Merrill;
Arlene R. Weous; Kenneth G. Weyaus
Sr.; Eloise B. Wind
Nett Lake (Bois Forte) Band
• Chairman: Not available
• Rep: Not available
White Earth Band
• Chairman (Notyet certified as eligible): Albert "Jughead" Bellcourt;
John L. Buckanaga; Doyle Turner;
Darrel "Boone" Wadena; Darrell
"Chip" Wadena
• District III rep: 17 candidates tiled.
Names and certification status not yet
available.
Candidates seek eligibility for
Leech Lake positions
Convicted felon Pemberton denied
The Leech Lake Tribal Council certified 12 candidates to run for tribal chair
March 7, but it was the one candidate
they didn't certify that has caused the
most discussion.
At a special meeting to detemiine eligibility of candidates filing for the positions of Chairman and District III representative, the Leech Lake Tribal Council
voted not to certify Alfred "Tig"
Pemberton for the position of tribal
chairman.
Pemberton was convicted in 1996 federal district court of three separate felony
counts involving theft and misappropriation of funds belonging to the Leech
Lake Band of Ojibwe. He served nearly
three years in federal prison for: 1) conspiracy to defraud the United States, 2)
theft and misapplication ol'Tribal Funds,
and 3) theft concerning a program receiving federal funds. Pemberton committed these crimes while serving as
Tribal Chaimian ofthe Leech Lake
Band.
The convictions stemmed from a conspiracy reportedly operated by
Pemberton, fonner Leech Lake Secretary-Treasurer Daniel Brawn and fonner
Alfred "Tig" Pemberton
state senator Skip Finn, who had teen a
hand attorney at the start ofthe conspiracy.
The three were accused of siphoning
band money beginning in 1985 through
a company called Reservation Risk
Management, a tribal corporation that
administered the kind's sell-insurance
plan. The three were accused of siphoning off nearly $1 million ofthe premiums.
PEMBERTON topg.5
Former White Earth chairman Chip
Wadena discusses criminal past, effort
for re-election
By Gary Blair
Former White Earth chairman,
Darrell "Chip" Wadena, convicted in
1996 of federal corruption charges,
officially filed
for elected office on Monday. Feb. 28 for
the position he
had once held
for 20 years.
Wadena said
when interviewed on
Tuesday, Feb.
29 that no one
at the
reservation's
headquarters
attempted to
discourage him Darrell "Chip"
from filing. "I
talked and joked with some ofthe
people that I seen there." Wadena
said as he recalled the first time he
entered the complex since being released from prison.
Getting from there to here
In 1996, Wadena was defeated in
his re-election effort, receiving 520
out of 1,886 votes that were spread
out among four candidates. The
election took place during Wadena's
trial, and one week before his
conviction for bid-rigging related to
the construction of Shooting Star
Casino. Wadena siphoned off over
SI million.
Also convicted were two other
former tribal council members, secretary/treasurer Jerry Rawley and
District I representative Rick Clark.
Wadena was released from prison in
Dec. 1998, after serving two years
for the conviction. Since then, the
61-year-old has been living with his
family in Naytawaush, Minnesota.
Wadena claims he doesn't have
any money and can't pay the hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines
Wadena
and restitution that the federal court
imposed on him as part ofhis sentence. I le says he doesn't even have a
running vehicle.
During the height
ofhis fonner reign.
Wadena dtOVe
flash) high-riding
four-Vi heel drive
pick-up trucks with
custom reservation
license plates that
read: "Chip One"
j|    and "Chip l\w>."
co    on them, (le also
2p   had bug deflectors
O    on his trucks with
o    signs that read,
.c    "Super< liK-t." later
°"    referenced .i.-
pcr Thief by some
tribal members
Wadena said that his decision to
run in this year's tribal election resulted from what he called "the lack
of morale" he has seen amongst most
ofthe tribal members who presently
work for the tribal council. "If the
present tribal council was doing a
good job. I wouldn't be asked to ran
by so many people." Wadena said.
Wadena predicts that after the primary election April 18. he'll be facing off against Rev. Doyle Turner, a
third candidate in this year's election.
Current chairman John Buckanaga is
also running.
Admits wrong-doing
Wadena acknowledged that he had
done wrong and that's what caused
him to be convicted. "I got greedy
and I was arrogant, and I'm very
sorry that I did that," said Wadena. I le
says he's aware that the White Earth
reservation, which was once known
for its high-level of poverty, is now
also known for its corruption, in large
part due to him.
WADENA topg.5
Leech Lake Band, counties at odds
over law enforcement agreement
CASS LAKE, Minn. (AP) - Four
counties and the Leech Lake Band
of Chippewa have been working on
a joint law-enforcement agreement
for more than a year, but talks are
hung up on which officers should
keep certain responsibilities.
The agreement involves Cass,
Itasca, Hubbard and Beltrami counties. The main dispute is over
whether tribal police should take
more responsibility for policing the
reservation for all crimes, not just
traffic incidents.
Currently, the Leech Lake tribal
police only have authority over civil
matters. According to federal and
state law, they patrol the
reservation's highways for traffic
violations; if a crime is discovered
in the process, they must call a
deputy to make an arrest.
But with a state-recognized law
enforcement agreement, county officials say, Leech Lake police could
help respond to criminal calls,
which would put more officers on
the street.
Reservation officials, however, say
they do not possess the resources
now to turn their seven officers into
a full-fledged police force.
In addition, tribal officials feel
spurned because they say they told
the counties from the beginning they
were not interested in sharing criminal police work on the reservation.
Leech Lake hired its first tribal police force in January 1999. Late in the
spring, the tribe began meeting with
representatives from all ofthe counties to devise an agreement.
Pete White, a Leech Lake Tribal
Council representative, said the tribe
doesn't have the resources to enforce
criminal matters and the state
shouldn't shirk its duty on reservations.
White said tribal officials think that
the counties want to usurp the authority ofthe tribal police by cross-deputizing them and making them extensions ofthe county departments.
Another concern, White said, is
that once the agreement is signed, the
counties might drop enforcement of
mostly American Indian communities
known for high-crime rates, leaving
enforcement of those areas to the
tribal police.
Cass County officials said Wednesday their only motive behind the
agreement is to improve enforcement. They are mystified by the
tribe's response.
White Earth
regional jail turning
into three-way race
By Cole Short
77k? Fargo Forum
Rusty Pavey swears that a new prison
near Mahnomen would be a blessing
for overcrowded county jails in west-
central Minnesota.
That is, if it's ever built.
A S34 million regional jail planned
by the White Earth Tribal Council is a
cure-all for area counties cramped for
jail space and forced to bus convicts to
neighboring counties, says Pavey, assistant police chief at White Earth.
Tribtil leaders want the medium-security jail to house 124 to 400 inmates
south or east of Mahnomen.
Unfortunately, Pavey says, two other
Minnesota communities within 65
miles have the same plan:
• Becker County leads a coalition of
five counties seeking to build a S26
million, 220-bed jail near Detroit
Lakes.
• Red River Corrections, a Moorhead
business, wants to build a 96-bed, $1
million private housing facility in Ada
for low-risk inmates on work release.
Proponents for each facility are keeping close tabs on any progress the oth-
WHITE EARTH to pg. 5
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Founded in 1988
Volume 12 Issue 21
March 10, 2000
Cowlitz receives federal recognition
Washington, D.C. - Assistant Interior Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Gover signs an order at
the Interior Department in Washington, D.C. February 14, 2000 recognizing the Cowlitz as a
federally recognized tribe. Looking on are Cowlitz leaders, John Barnett, left, and Roy Wilson.
The order means the Washington state tribe will have access to a range of federal programs.
Boyfriend to get life sentence in murder
of Indian woman
Excerpted from Randy Furst
Star Tribune
ST. CLOUD. MINN. — In the photos that her mother spread across the
coffee table in the small apartment,
2()-\ ear-old Germaine Chatkana was
dressed in powwow regalia.
"My daughter was s\\ eet. naive and
vulnerable," said her mother, Barbara
Hanska, who covered her face and
wept at the memories, which include
how Chatkana was strangled to death
13 months ago.
At 9 a.m. March 7, Ole Maxwell,
24, Chatkana's boyfriend, will be sentenced to mandatory life in prison on
one count of premeditated first-degree
murder. Members ofthe Little Hawk
drum and dance group plan to gather
outside the courthouse to sing an
honor song for Chatkana.
The tragedy shook the local American Indian community, and more than
100 people attended rallies and vigils
after her death Jan. 26,1999. "It was
horrible," recalled Debra Johnson
Fuller, executive director ofthe St.
Cloud Area American Indian Center.
"Our community suffered a big loss."
Chatkana was a popular shawl
dancer in the Little Hawk group, and
her performances often were showcased in programs at local schools.
"She was very much involved with the
community and the center," Fuller
said. "I miss her terribly."
Indians aware of domestic abuse issues have embraced Germaine
Chatkana's story....
2-year-old son 'distressed'
During an interview, Chatkana's 2-
year-old son, Ta-Te Ma-Ni, which
means "wind walker," toddled around
the apartment, alternately laughing
and crying. He is being raised by
Hanska and Chartrand.
A Stearns County social worker
wrote a report saying the boy "continues to become distressed when Mrs.
Hanska or Mr. Chartrand are not with
him," and his behaviors "indicate that
he either witnessed the murder or saw
other violent behavior" between his
parents.
vinced her daughter to have the baby,
which she did.
The murder occurred days after
Maxwell got out of prison where he'd
been serving a sentence for criminal
vehicular operation in 1997.
Court records in the murder file indicate many other signs of abuse. In
1994. Maxwell was arrested for threatening to kill his mother, brother and an
earlier girlfriend, and beating her as
well. Records also indicated his use of
cocaine and abuse of alcohol.
| Letters talk of violence
Maxwell and Chatkana began daring
I in March 1997, and he beat-her on a
\   i s
A family photo shows Barbara Hanska
and her daughter Germaine Chatkana
Hanska said she has
seen the boy pick up a
piece of ribbon, hold it at
both ends and make gagging sounds.
According to police reports, Chatkana was outside Maxwell's mother's
house in Waite Park, a St.
Cloud suburb, when he
dragged her inside and
killed her. When he
pleaded guilty Feb. 15,
Maxwell said he "took a
belt and wrapped it
around her neck" and
strangled her for 20 minutes. "She kept wanting to
come back, so I had to
keep trying to kill her
again," he said.
During his testimony,
Maxwell said he'd "do it
again, man, I'd do the
same thing every time."
He said he was angry that
Chatkana had talked
about getting an abortion
when she'd been pregnant, so he made a plan to
kill her.
Hanska said last week
that both Maxwell and
Chatkana had discussed
an abortion, but she con-
CHATKANA to pg. 6
Shouting match
erupts as man
sentenced in St.
Cloud murder
Excerpted from Randy Furst
Star Tribune
, CLOUD, MINN. —A convicted murderer engaged in an angry shouting match
with the mother ofthe victim in a packed
Stearns County courtroom March 7, moments
before he was sentenced to life in prison.
The outburst occurred as Ole Maxwell, 24,
shackled and handcuffed, listened to family
members and friends deliver victim-impact
statements before he was sentenced for the
Jan. 26, 1999, murder ofhis 20-year-old girlfriend, Germaine Chatkana.
Maxwell expressed no remorse and ridiculed Chatkana's stepfather, who did not attend the hearing but had a statement read on
his behalf.
Later, members ofthe local American Indian community gathered outside the courthouse, where the Little Hawk drum and dance
group played honor songs in memory of
Chatkana. A Dakota Indian, Chatkana had
MAXWELL topg. 6