Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2000-10-20

              INDEX
Edward S. Curtis        Jgj jVBJ
Grand Opening
News Around Indian Country
2
photographs on                Wm
held for new
News Briefs
3
display                       Xf*i*
casino at Deer
Commentary/Editorials/Voices
4
River
Smoke Signals of Upcoming Events
5
yL    '^
Classifieds
7
pge
pg3
I Battle of Sugar
Point
commemorated
pg3
Man willing to
divorce wife to avoid
her eviction in Iowa
pgi
Crow Tribal
Secretary Tilton
Old Bull ousted by
council
pgi
Toddler dies in
Beltrami County
house fire
Associated Press
BEMIDJI, Minn. - A 21/2-year-
old boy died and his 16-year-old
mother was injured in a house fire
north of Cass Lake on the Leech
Lake Indian Reservation, authorities
said.
De-Shawn M. Staples and his
mother, Cherilynn Staples, were in a
Ten Lakes Township home at the
time ofthe fire, which was reported
at 10 a.m. Oct. 12. She wasn't able
to rescue the boy, said Beltrami
County Sheriff Keith Winger.
When authorities and firefighters
arrived at the scene, the house was
in flames. Staples suffered smoke inhalation and burns to her feet and
arms and had to call for help from a
neighbor's house.
The child was later found in the
house and was pronounced dead at
the scene.
Staples was released Oct. 13 from
North Country Regional Hospital in
Bemidji.
The cause ofthe blaze was being
investigated.
Gambling competition is the wave
of the future, Indians told
By Pat Doyle
Excerpted from Star Tribune
RED WING, MINN.—American
Indian leaders fearing gambling competition were told Oct. 12 to expect multiple bids in the next year by non-Indians to open casinos or add other gambling in the Twin Cities.
Expansion of gambling "will be probably one ofthe largest issues in the legislative session," Attorney General Mike
Hatch said at a meeting ofthe Midwest
Alliance of Sovereign Tribes at Treasure
Island Casino.
The possible bids include new high-
stakes casinos or a new card club connected to a harness-racing track in the
metro area, said John McCarthy, executive director ofthe Minnesota Indian
Gaming Association. Canterbury Park
in Shakopee has a card club
Although the prospects for such
projects are uncertain, they worry tribal
leaders who fear that any gambling expansion would undercut tribal casinos.
Compounding their concerns is Gov.
Jesse Ventura, who hasn't signaled
whether he would back a non-tribal casino.
Bobby Whitefeather, chairman of die
Red Lake Band of Chippewa and presi
dent of the Midwest Alliance, said he
senses Ventura wants to "leave it alone
for now, and if it comes up, deal with it.
It is not an open-and-shut issue."
Ventura was invited to speak at the
conference but was unable to attend because ofa scheduling conflict, his office
said.
The conference also dealt with threats
to tribal casinos posed by changes in
federal law. Tribes oppose proposals in
Congress to require background checks .
of tribal gambling commissioners and
to restrict tribes from using die Internet
for gambling.
U.S. Senate candidate Mark Dayton,
also speaking to tribal leaders Oct. 12,
praised their casinos. "The jobs you
have created and the economic benefits
your businesses have provided have
been extraordinarily valuable," he said.
Dayton pledged strong support for
tribal sovereignty, saying, "I will do
anything I can politically do in Washington to protect that sovereignty."
Afterward, he was asked about a proposal by Nevada casino developer Don
Laughlin to build a casino in the Twin
Cities with 90 percent of profits going
to the state. While not commenting on
GAMBLING to pg 5
Voice     of     t he     People
web page: www.press-oh.net
Woman's land gift sparks* dispute
By Tina Moore
Associated Press
WEST CHESTER, PA — It's
some gift, nearly 12 acres of fertile
flood plain covered with grass, wild
rose bushes and goldenrod in a
Philadelphia suburb. Just enough,
thought Carol Galantino, to make
peace with the American Indian tribe
that once called the land home.
But the actions ofthe late
Galantino and her husband, Peter,
infuriated neighbors who don't
doubt their generosity, but say their
rights have been trampled in the process.
Carol Galantino, who died last
year of leukemia, was no stranger to
the plight ofthe American Indian
when she and her husband found arrowheads three years ago in a creek
bed on their 17 acres in Thornbury
Township. She had been committed
to the Indian cause for years, but the
arrowheads sharpened her resolve to
do something about it.
The Galantinos would give 111/2
acres to the Delaware Tribe. The
couple' s bucolic barrier from the
strip malls and houses going up on
the major thoroughfare nearby was
difficult to let go.
When Carol told the tribe about
the donation, tribal secretary Linda
Poolaw's first thought was, "What's
the catch?"
There was no catch.
"If s their land," said Peter
Galantino, 78. "We took it from
them."
Marshall Becker, a history professor at West Chester University, said
he knew of no other instance in
which anyone had given land to a
tribe. He didn't doubt the
Galantinos' sincerity, but called the
gift "part of this whole swing of trying to address a perceived wrong."
But neighborhood disputes soon
followed.
Shortly after the Galantinos found
the arrowheads, the couple began
trying to buy land around their property, in hopes of giving it back, too.
George and Denise Wood, however, were building their dream
house and weren't interested in selling.
Peter Galantino responded by constructing a 400-foot-long, 12-foot-
high fence along the edge ofhis
land, effectively blocking the
Woods' view.
"I cried for weeks when that thing
first went up," Denise Wood said.
The feud landed the Galantinos in
court in 1997, and a Chester County
judge found Carol Galantino guilty
of disorderly conduct. George Wood
alleged she fired a gun and threatened to kill him. Carol Galantino
said she had struck the fence with a
board to scare Wood away.
Another clash occurred in 1998 at
a party Carol Galantino threw to
welcome tribal members to see the
land.
And some township residents began to question the sincerity ofthe
Galantinos' graciousness and the
Delaware tribe' s plans for the land.
Township Supervisor Ron Miller
said there' s no threat ofa casino being built, as has been done on other
Indian lands. The deed to the tribe
prohibits that, he said.
As for any other plans, Miller re-
DISPUTEtopg5
Man says he's
willing to divorce
wife to avoid her
eviction
Associated Press
TAMA, Iowa - A Rosebud Sioux
Indian married to a member ofthe
Meskwaki tribe says he's willing to
divorce his wife so the Meskwakis
won't be able to evict her and their
two daughters.
Eloise and James Iron Shell have
been given until Oct. 22 to leave their
home.
On the settlement west of Tama,
only Meskwaki males can live in a
tribal house with a spouse or partner
ofa different tribe or race. Women
living with a spouse or partner other
than a Meskwaki must live elsewhere,
a tribal ordinance states.
"So that my children and my wife
won't be thrown out on the street on
the 22nd, we're willing to go to that
extreme. T'm willing to go to that extreme" of divorce, James Iron Shell
said.
One sign at the settlement reads "J.
Iron Shell, you don't belong here!
Please leave."
"Ifthey were so set on protecting
culture and tradition, why would they
be wanting almost full-blood Indian
children out of their home sites?"
James Iron Shell said.
Tribal executive director Larry
Lasley, a relative of Eloise Iron Shell,
declined to comment about the evic-
EVICTION to pg 5
National anti-gambling group focuses on
South Dakota measure
By Steven Barrett
Associated Press
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -A national
anti-gambling organization on Oct. 13
zeroed in on an effort to end the video
lottery in South Dakota.
"We get as close to the front lines of
the battle as we can be, and there is no
place as close to the front lines as
South Dakota," said Tom Grey, executive director ofthe National Coalition
Against Legalized Gambling.
The Leesburg, Va.-based group
kicked off its three-day annual convention in Sioux Falls with rebukes of
video lottery.
National studies show clearly that
such "convenience gambling" - meaning gamblers need not travel far to play
- is closely tied to increases in crime
and economic ruin among gamblers,
said Grey, of Rockford, 111. Opposition
to video lottery is as much practical as
it is philosophical, he said.
"This is no longer about 'What does
the church believe?'" Grey said during
a news conference.
Passage of constitutional Amendment D on the Nov. 7 ballot in South
Dakota would repeal video lottery in
the state.
Grey predicted South Dakotans will
reject the games and that pro-gambling
forces will lose on measures before
voters in Massachusetts, Arkansas,
Maine and South Carolina as well.
"The fall of gambling is beginning
with tlie 2000 elections," he said.
John Paulton, chairman ofthe Yes on
D! Stop Video Lottery campaign,
agreed. "After November 7, South Dakota values will have prevailed," said
Paulton, also the South Dakota Family
Policy Council's executive director.
Video lottery advocates have cast the
debate in the wrong terms, he said. It's
a myth that the state "can treat the addict and still enjoy the revenue,"
Paulton said.
That, he said, is because 75 percent
ofthe revenue from video lottery
comes from addicted gamblers, and
owners of gambling venues will fight
anything that would cut into their profits.
A video lottery proponent, Jerry
Freidel ofMobridge, said problem
gamblers will not disappear if the
games are banned.
Freidel, a former president ofthe
South Dakota Music and Vending Association, said there are too many gambling venues in South Dakota - such as
on American Indian reservations - to
stop people who are determined to
gamble.
"They're just going to redirect their
problem," he said. "At the most, it
would probably maybe slow a few of
them down. But they're not going to
get rid of problem gamblers in South
Dakota."
The repeal would cost the jobs of
more than half the people in his company, Freidel Music, he said. The company services video lottery machines.
South Dakota had 7,934 video lottery machines as of Oct 7, according
to Chris Rogers ofthe South Dakota
Lottery office in Pierre.
Frank Quinn, a researcher from
South Carolina, said at the convention
Friday that the unplugging of 36,000
video lottery machines there July I had
not spelled doom for the state's
economy. South Carolina is enjoying
low unemployment and a tax surplus
since the $3 billion industry was
banned, he said.
"There's been no negative economic
impact except on the individual operators," Quinn said.
An economist in South Carolina,
however, recently said the sales tax
revenue increase expected there once
people started spending more money
on things besides video gambling has
not materialized.
Proponents of video lottery in South
Dakota have said the loss to the state of
an annual $95 million in revenue from
the games could prove harmful to state
programs, a concern echoed by Gov.
Bill Janklow.
"They're going to have to come up
with it some way," Freidel said.
Opponents ofthe games say the
money can be made up through natural
economic growth and other measures.
The national group planned a multi-
faceted attack on video lottery during
the convention, with seminars focusing
on addiction, crime, the role of religious groups in fighting gambling and
other areas.
Larry Mann, campaign manager for
the forces fighting the repeal, said he
hopes the coalition enjoys its stay in
South Dakota but that voters should
decide the issue for themselves.
"The people of South Dakota must
decide for themselves whether video
lottery revenues should continue to
provide $95 million every year to reduce property taxes and fund local
schools or whether the games are
banned and the revenue replaced with
what Governor Janklow has described
as the 'biggest tax increase in the history of South Dakota,'" Mann said in a
release.
Native
American
Press
f?
■V&&
Ojibwe News
.We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.   Copyright, Native American Press, 2000
Founded in 1988
Volume 12 Issue 52
October 20, 2000
New housing
program
extends Native
American home
ownership in St.
Paul area
By Judy Archibald
By early next year eight to ten
low income Native American Indian families in Ramsey County
may be able to buy a home of their
own for the very first time thanks
to the efforts of three dedicated
people who were having coffee together at the Black Bear Crossings
coffee shop in St. Paul last March.
The program came together so
quickly because David Glass,
owner of Black Bear Crossings;
Andrew Pitcher, Program Manager
of North End Area Revitalization
(NEAR); and Darwin Strong, Program Coordinator of St. Paul
American Indians in Unity
(UNITY) decided to collaborate
about the housing crisis in St. Paul.
"Home ownership is vital," said
David Glass. "For whatever reasons, families who rent end up
moving four or five times a year.
The children can't engage in the
learning process because it's difficult for them to stay in school. A
home owner has a stake in the
community and can keep their kids
in the same school."
The problem is that many working families are still not earning
(l-r) Andrew Pitcher, David Glass, Darwin Strong.
Photo by Judy Archibald
House in District 6 newly remodeled.
enough money to qualify for a home
mortgage in today's real estate market. This is where the new program
will step in to fill the gap.
NEAR and UNITY received grant
money that will be allocated to
qualifying families to use as a second mortgage - $100,000 from Urban Indian Program of Minnesota
Housing; $200,000 from Community Revitalization Fund through the
Minnesota Housing Finance Agency
and $100,000 from the Family
Housing Fund. If a family remains
in the home and takes care of it, this
second mortgage will be written off
in ten years. If a family wants to
purchase a $90,000 home but can
only qualify for a $70,000 mortgage,
this program will supply the $20,000
difference, which could be written
off after ten years.
If a family doesn't have enough
money for a down payment, there is
still hope. A new program effective
Nov. 1 through the Minnesota Hous-
PhOlo by NEAR
ing Finance Agency will assist appli
cants with down payment money.
There are specific criteria that
need to be met before someone can
receive assistance. The head of
household must attend home ownership training classes on three succes
sive Saturday mornings in one
month, be approved by a lender for
the highest amount they can afford,
currently not own a home, be an enrolled Native American Indian currently residing in Ramsey County,
have family income less than 50% oJ
the area median, locate a house to
purchase that is within Planning
Council District 6 in St. Paul.
NEAR and UNITY will process
applications. Prospective applicants
should contact Darwin Strong of
UNITY at 651-290-4849. "From A
to Z, UNITY will walk diem
through buying a house to the actual
closing," said Darwin. "We are
HOUSING to pg 5
Crow tribal secretary ousted by
council
AssociatedPress
BILLINGS, Mont - The secretary of
the Crow Tribe, who has publicly criticized the administration for failing to
keep campaign promises, was ousted
this weekend.
Secretary Tilton Old Bull was impeached because he "failed to perform
his duties and represent the best interests ofthe Crow Tribal membership by
refusing to cooperate with the other
elected tribal officials," according to
the ruling adopted by 87 percent ofthe
965 council members present at
Saturday's meeting.
Old Bull, who was elected in May
on the same ticket as Chairman
Clifford Birdinground, was initially
given equal check-signing authority to
the chairman. After criticizing the administration, he was stripped ofhis
signing authority in September.
"I am going to protest this and 1 am
going to fight it" Old Bull said Oct. 15.
"I wasn't given the proper due process
at the meeting."
Crow Tribe Spokesman Leroy Not
Afraid said the decision to seek Old
Bull's impeachment was difficult.
"The council made a decision in
the best interests of tlie Crow Tribe
today," Not Afraid said Oct. 14. "It's
very unfortunate, but we as a council
took action to protect the solidarity of
our nation. We carried out an unfortunate task to remove one of our
friends from an honored position."
Vice Secretary Lamy Little Owl
was appointed Secretary. The council
is reviewing the constitution and bylaws to determine how to replace the
vice secretary, NotAfraid said
The resolution adopted by the tribe
said Old Bull refused to perform
some ofhis duties, including not regarding "budgetary constraints" and
not participating in "key negotiating
sessions with the State of Montana."
The Tribe is currently reviewing its
agreement with the state over the use
ofthe Bighorn River.
Old Bull blamed the chairman's
advisers for pushing to remove him
from tribal government.
Kiowa tribe
leader yields
casino data
Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - A federal grand jury now has the financial records from a Kiowa-run casino the panel is investigating.
The tribe's chairman, Billy Evans
Horse, recently surrendered the
records to the grand jury, said R.
Brown Wallace, a lawyer for the
tribe.
The FBI began an investigation
into the Kiowa Grand Amusement
Center in Carnegie in February after an independent audit showed
more than $2 million was unaccounted for from an estimated $5
million annual operation. .
Casino records voluntarily submitted by Shan Gachot, who had become casino manager weeks earlier,
also indicated thousands of dollars
went to selected tribal members in a
KIOWA topg 5