Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2001-01-19

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INDEX
News Around Indian Country 2
Commentary/EditorialsA/oices 4
Smoke Signals of Upcoming Events 5
Classifieds 7
Commentary
New constitutional
reform effort is as
ludicrous as
previous effort
pg4
Commentary
Don't even think
about pardoning
Leonard Peltier
pg4
Commentary
The myth of
Leonard Peltier
perpetuated,
challenged
pg4
MCT attempts
new constitutional
reform effort
pgi
Interview
Bellecourt talks
about Anna Mae,
Leonard Peltier, AIM,
FBI, other issues
pg4
MCT attempts
new constitutional
reform effort
By Bill Lawrence
Leech Lake tribal members were
caught off guard Saturday, Jan. 13,
when they received copies ofthe proposed revised Minnesota Chippewa
Tribe (MCT) Constitution and tlie proposed amended Election Ordinance
No. 8 from Leech Lake Reservation
Tribal Chairman Eli Hunt. In his letter
dated Jan. 12, Hunt asked for tribal
members' review and comment and
announced there would be a Tribal Executive Committee (TEC) working
session on the Constitution and Election Ordinance Thursday, Jan. 18.
Even though Hunt in his letter expressed strong dissatisfaction with the
TEC's short notice ofthe meeting.
Hunt didn't even mention the location
ofthe TEC working session where
people are supposed to submit their
comments. Press/ON learned that the
Constitution working session was held
at the Shooting Star Casino in
Mahnomen, Minn.
In addition, Press/ON learned that
the proposed revised Constitution and
proposed Election Ordinance No. 8
will be further discussed at a TEC Legislative Subcommittee meeting on
Wednesday, Jan. 24, followed by a
TEC meeting to be held Thursday, Jan.
25. Both meetings will be held at the
Grand Casino Mille Lacs.
Because of previous attempts, MCT
members have become highly suspicious of any effort by the TEC and its
administrative staff to consolidate their
power by amending the Constitution.
Those efforts were only prevented by
mass demonstrations and near riots on
several MCT reservations.
Press/ON was unable to find out
who were the current members ofthe
MCT Constitution Reform Committee.
For more on the proposed Constitutional changes see the commentary by
Robert Fairbanks on page 4.
Bush Administration raises tribal
interests, concerns
By Linda Ashton
Associated Press
Y AK1MA, Wash. - When President
Clinton took office, he invited tlie
country's
tribal leaders
to meet with
him on tlie
south lawn of
die White
House as fellow heads of
state.
"That was
iH I  the first time
tliat ever occurred as far
as I know," recalls Colleen Cawston, chairwoman of
the Colville Tribal Business Council in
President-elect
George Bush
northeastern Washington.
When it comes to respect and access, I
President-elect George W Bush may
have a tough act to follow. Cawston
hopes he will continue to develop tlie
good working relationship forged with
the tribes.
"We hope that President-elect Bush
can recognize this, that we can go down
that road together, that we can work in a
good way with one another," she says.
During the campaign, there were reports Bush favored state control of tribal
affairs, says John Echohawk, director of
the Native American Rights Fund in
Boulder, Colo.
"Tliat was of great concern to tribal
leaders across the country," he says.
Since then, Bush has indicated support for tribal sovereignty, Echohawk
BUSH to pg. 3
Voice     of     t he     People
web page: www.press-on.net
Native
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Ojibwe News
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Volume 13 Issue 9
January 19, 2001
Chancellor says it's time to move away
from nickname controversy
Associated Press
BISMARCK, N.D. -The Board of
Higher Education's decision to keep the
University of North Dakota's "Fighting
Sioux" nickname will stand says the
chancellor of tlie state university system, who wants the dispute put aside.
Larry Isaak spoke Jan. 12 in response
to reports that UND's president,.Charles
Kupchella told faculty members he
would promise to drop the nickname if
American Indian tribal leaders still object to it after some years have passed.
"I would be willing to, some years
out, and we didn't name a year... to
make a recommendation to the board at
that point to reconsider, recognizing
fully, though, that the board is tlie ultimate authority here," Kupchella said
Jan. 12.
He said the idea was hypothetical,
and was part ofa larger discussion
about ways to work with Indian tribes to
improve cultural understanding.
"Give us a shot at making (tribes)
even prouder of what we have here,
what we do," Kupchella said, adding, "I
was never thinking... in terms of undoing what the board has done."
The board voted 8-0 last month to
keep the nickname. Isaak said a
Kupchella promise to drop the name
would conflict with the board's decision. He has talked about the dispute
with the UND president, Isaak said.
"He certainly understands that the
board has made the decision to retain
the Sioux nickname," Isaak said.
Tribal leaders have discussed a possible boycott of UND to protest the
name, which many Indians believe is
offensive. Its supporters say the nickname is meant to honor Indians.
Phillip "Skip" Longie, chairman of
the Spirit Lake Sioux tribe, mentioned
the dispute in speeches to the state
House and Senate on Jan. 11, saying the
board's decision made him feel like "an
animal without a voice."
Isaak said the argument had gone on
CHANCELLOR to pg. 3
Daschle opposes clemency for Peltier
AssociatedPress
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Sen. Tom
Daschle has advised President Clinton
against granting clemency to American
Indian activist Leonard Peltier who was
convicted in 1977 of killing two FBI
agents.
Daschle, who has worked closely
with Clinton as the Senate minority
leader, said the president asked for his
views on the Peltier issue.
"I'm opposed to a pardon of
Leonard Peltier and have always been
opposed. That is what I shared with
him," Daschle told the Sioux Falls
Argus Leader.
"1 believe the law enforcement
agencies, and those involved in law enforcement, and the accounts they provided about what happened and how it
happened" he said. "1 believe that is a
matter well documented."
With only days left in his second
term as president, Clinton is reviewing
all clemency requests but Peltier's name
has not been included on the first two
rounds of clemency granted.
Peltier is serving two life terms in a
federal penitentiary in Leavenworth,
Kan. in the deaths of FBI Agents Jack
R. Coler and Ronald A. Williams on the
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in June
1975.-
Peltier, who is a North Dakota native and a member ofthe Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, was convicted
in Fargo in 1977.
They were pursuing a robbery suspect into the reservation and were
caught in a long-range gunfight and
killed
Sen.Tom Daschle
Two other suspects were acquitted
and a third freed for lack of evidence.
Peltier fled to Canada, was extradited to
tlie United States and eventually convicted.
The FBI has protested any easement
of punishment for Peltier.
Supporters have said Peltier was unjustly convicted.
Art War Bonnet, director of American
Indian Services in Sioux Falls, said
Clinton has three options.
"He can deny him a pardon, approve
it unconditionally or pardon him with
conditions," War Bonnet said.
"If Leonard Peltier was involved in
the incident with loss of lives, part ofthe
conditional pardon would be that you
can pardon him if he provided the
names ofthe people who he knows are
involved in the actual killing," War Bonnet said.
James Starkey of Sioux Falls, an
American Indian artist, doesn't doubt
that Peltier had some involvement, but
said it is time for an appropriate gesture
DASCHLE to pg. 3
DNR sketches
Mille Lacs
'overage' plan
By Rob Driesslein
Outdoor News
St. Cloud, Minn. - DNR Fisheries
Research Manager Jack Wingate explained the future ramifications of state
overharvest on Lake Mille Lacs during
a brief presentation Saturday at the
Fishing Roundtable.
The DNR is preparing an 'overage
plan' that it will present to Great Lakes
Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
biologists and the Lake Mille Lacs Advisory Input Group in coming weeks.
Under such a plan, the state would
face a penalty if anglers exceed annual
quotas significantly in 2001 and in the
future, Wingate said. He stressed that
midseason adjustments ofthe walleye
regulation on Mille Lacs, if necessary,
should prevent serious overages by anglers on the big lake.
An overage plan is necessary to follow court protocols and to show the
bands that the state intends to abide by
the 1837 Treaty ruling, Wingate said.
"They want to see a plan with some
teeth in it," he said
Since 1997, non-Indian hook-and-
line fishermen on Mille Lacs have harvested a combined total of about
240,000 pounds overthe state's walleye
allocations. The state has exceeded its
allowable harvest on average by about
19 percent each year, he said. The 2000
fishing season marked tlie first time the
DNR to pg. 3
Beautiful winter day in Minnesota
A female otter frolics along a patch of open water near Bemidji, Minn.
Photo credit: Monte Draper, Bemidji Pioneer
Pine Ridge occupiers end stay at HQ;
faction vows to remain
Tribes give big; baseball stadium
supporters say their efforts blocked
By Patrick Howe
Associated Press
ST. PAUL - Leaders ofa group that
seeks to expand gambling in Minnesota
and use the money for a new Twins stadium say American Indian tribes have
blocked their path through large donations by their political action committees.
A study conducted by Joe Marble and
David Hoch, who run the group Citizens United for Baseball in Minnesota,
found that five tribal PACs donated
more than $330,000 to state lawmakers
in the last election cycle.
That would place them among educators and Realtors as some ofthe top political donors to legislators.
"Tlie deck is stacked," said Hoch, noting that 111 lawmakers, including the
heads of most committees that would
consider expanding non-tribal gambling, have taken donations.
"It looks bad" said Marble. "Can't
say it's illegal, it's probably legal, but
when you have 111 legislators taking
money, you just wonder ifyou can get a
fair hearing."
The five tribal PACs represent the
Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa which
runs Grand Casino Hinckley, the
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, with Mystic Lake Casino, Prairie Island Community, owners of Treasure Island Resort and Casino, the
Lower Sioux Indian Community, with
the Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel, and
Fon du Lac Band of Lake Superior
Chippewa, owners ofthe Black Bear
Casino and Hotel.
John McCarthy, executive director of
the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association, said the tribes play by tlie same
rules other political donors do. He noted
that non-tribal gambling proponents and
the Twins give money to lawmakers'
campaigns as well.
"I think these individuals are frustrated because they want a stadium and
nobody wants to pay for it," McCarthy
said. "They're looking for someone to
blame."
Several proposals to expand non-
tribal gambling are expected to be put
forth this session. A Nevada casino -
owner has said a state-owned casino
could bring $100 million in public profits. Others want to expand casino-style
games at Canterbury Park racetrack.
In 1997, a Canterbury Park proposal
that would have provided money for a
Twins stadium was narrowly defeated in
the Senate.
Potawatomi try to
block quick
approval of another tribe's casino
AssociatedPress
MILWAUKEE, Wise—An Indian
tribe has gone to U.S. District Court in
Washington, D.C, seeking to block another Wisconsin tribe's proposed $275
million casino near Kenosha a spokesman said.
The Forest County Potawatomi Community contends in a lawsuit filed
Thursday that the U.S. Bureau oflndian
Affairs has failed to do an adequate environmental study of such tilings as traffic patterns and air quality at the proposed Dairyland Greyhound Park casino, Potawatomi spokesman Tom
Krajewski said.
The lawsuit seeks to overturn the
BIA's finding that the project would not
cause significant environmental impact,
and to require the agency to do a comprehensive review of possible environmental problems such as further ozone
depletion in southwest Wisconsin,
Krajewski said.
The Potawatomi, which operates a
POTAWATOMI to pg. 3
By Chet Brokaw
AssociatedPress
PINE RIDGE, S.D. — Leaders ofa
group that seized the Oglala Sioux
Tribe's headquarters one year ago
said Tuesday they ended the occupation because they had succeeded in
prompting reform.
But a dissatisfied faction ofthe occupiers vowed to remain in the building. They said tribal government has
not changed enough since
November's tribal election.
Some who remain seek a return to
a more traditional form of government
because they do not trust the elected
tribal government on the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation, one ofthe nation'
s poorest areas.
"We wanted our voice to be heard,
but that's not happened. So we're going to keep the building. We're not going to give it up," said Guy White
Thunder, one member ofa group of
elders sitting in tlie occupied building
late Jan. 16.
Dale Looks Twice, a spokesman for
the original group thai occupied the Red
Cloud Building on Jan. 16,2000, said
the occupation should end because it
had accomplished its main goals. A new
tribal council and president took office
in December, and an audit of tribal finances is expected to lead to indictments of fonner officials later this
month, he said.
"I think we've done our job by exposing the corruption, exposing the embezzlement," Looks Twice said.
In a meeting with some members of
the new tribal council. Looks Twice and
other leaders ofthe original takeover
announced tliat they considered tlie occupation over.
But those who want to continue it
walked out early in tlie meeting, which
was broadcast live throughout the'
southwestern South Dakota reservation
by KIL1 Radio. Tlie meeting was held a
block from the headquarters building in
Billy Mills Hall, named after the Oglala
runner who won an Olympic gold
medal.
Looks Twice said he will now seek a
referendum in which all tribal members
could vote on whether to turn tlie building back over to the tribal government.
The protesters took over the red brick
building because they believed tribal officials were corrupt and had mismanaged money. Their top demands included audits, the removal of Tribal
Treasurer Wesley " Chuck" Jacobs and
the suspension ofthe tribal council.
Former Tribal President Harold Salway
had tried to suspend Jacobs in 1999, but
a tribal judge reinstated the treasurer.
Salway later was suspended by the
council, which alleged he had mishandled money meant for victims ofa
1999 tornado.
Looks Twice said an audit has now
been completed. The report found some
serious problems in how money was
handled in the tribe's general fund.
Ten members ofthe new tribal council
were part ofthe occupation or supported it during the past year, Looks
Twice said.
PINE RIDGE to pg. 3
Judge throws
out Oneida
tribal court case
Associated Press
ONEIDA, N. Y. - A judge has ruled
the Oneida Indian Nation Tribal Court
is not the right place for 19 Oneida Indians to sue the tribe's leadership.
Judge Stewart Hancock Jr., in one of
his first tribal court rulings, said the
court does not have jurisdiction over
political or membership questions.
Barbara Olshansky, a lawyer for the
Center for Constitutional Rights, argued tliat nation Representative Ray
Halbritter violated die civil rights ofhis
aunt, Maisie Shenandoah, and 18 of her
relatives and friends.
She said her 19 clients were banished from the nation after speaking out
in a 1995 rally. They were accused of
treason, ban-ed from nation meetings
and events, suspended from their employment and cut off from their quarterly distribution checks. Ultimately,
she said, they were evicted from their
homes.
The group had hoped the lawsuit
would stop Halbritter from moving forward with a housing initiative designed
to condemn substandard homes on tlie
nation's 32-acre territory. Nation
spokesmen have said the plan is to ensure safe housing for its members aid
insist no one will be without a home.
Halbritter has said those who 'lost
their voices" in the Oneida Indian Nation can regain membership by appearing before the Men's Council and
promising never again to attempt a
coup.
ONEIDA to pg. 3
Wisconsin's lieutenant governor says
he would oppose any casino expansion
By Pat Doyle
Star Trilmne
In his strongest statement yet on casinos, Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Scott
McCallum said he would oppose any
expansion if he becomes governor
when Tommy Thompson is confirmed
as secretary ofthe U.S. Health and Human Services Department.
"I have long been an opponent of
gambling and have long made it very
clear 1 don't support any expansion,"
McCallum told the Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel editorial board Monday.
"People keep coming to me and asking,
'How much wiggle room?' There is
none."
Although McCallum has called for a
moratorium on gambling expansion, his
latest statements went further, specifically addressing casinos proposed for
Hudson, Wis., <ind elsewhere.
Asked if he would veto any casino
expansion plan as governor, McCallum
told the newspaper, "That is correct."
However, a spokesman for McCallum
said it's not clear tliat his opposition
would apply to a proposed casino in
Kenosha, because Thompson may have
promised state approval of that project if
tlie federal government authorizes it.
McCallum policy director Scott Kelly
said last month that McCallum
wouldn't reverse Thompson's commitments, and chief of staff Lisa Hull said
Tuesday that he would have to consult
Thompson or aides.
But there is no indication that Thompson committed himself to backing
a casino at St. Croix Meadows dog
Hack in Hudson.
"In the case of Hudson ... he's been
crystal clear: no expansion of gambling," Hull said. "Enough is enough."
The comments come as the U.S. Bureau
oflndian Affairs and Interior Department consider the Hudson and Kenosha
proj ects. A casino project is at an earlier
stage in Beloit.
Developers need federal approval to
create miniature gambling reservations
in the cities for Indian tribes that live
hundreds of miles away. The federal
government must determine that the casinos would be beneficial to the tribes
and not detrimental to surrounding
communities. Governors then can approve or reject such projects.
Hudson and St. Croix County have
refused to support a casino for St Croix
Meadows proposed by the Mole Lake,
Red Cliff and Lac Courte Oreilles
Chippewa and die track's Miami owner.
Thompson has said that casino proposals must win local support before he
would approve them. But despite a lack
of support in the Hudson area he has
stopped short of vowing to reject that
project.
McCallum told the Journal Sentinel
that casino backers are working to get
their projects approved before Thompson leaves office, because "there is very
much an awareness in Kenosha and
Beloit and Hudson that the clock is running."
McCallum's seemingly firm stand
"gives me a lot of hope," said Judith
Kelly, a Hudson City Council member
and longtime casino opponent "That's
a lot stronger than Tommy."
But she said the six-year battle over
the Hudson casino makes her skeptical
THOMPSON to pg. 3