Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2001-05-18

              - : :■:■ •■_■' ":" "   ; 3SSSS
INDEX
News Around Indian Country 2
Commentary/Editorials/Voices 4
Smoke Signals of Upcoming Events 5
Classifieds 7
MAPP Chair
resigns from
Citizens for Equal
Rights Alliance
pg4
Improving Indian
education in the
21st Century?
pgi.5
Knowledge Bowl team
places third in statewide
competition of public,
tribal schools
pg3
Press/ON to challenge
jurisdiction of Mille
Lacs tribal court
scheduled for May 24
pg4
Commentary
Alfred needs your
vote really, really
bad!
pg4
Press/ON to
challenge
jurisdiction of
Mille Lacs
tribal court
Civil rights hearing
scheduled for May 24
NativeAmerican Press/Ojibwe
News
The NativeAmerican Press/
Ojibwe News and reporter Jeff
Armstrong will appear at the Mille
Lacs RBC Court of Central Jurisdiction 1:30 pm May 24 to satisfy
the requirements of a federal court
hearing a civil rights lawsuit over
Armstrong's arrest at an Oct. 22,
1997 MCT Tribal Executive Committee meeting.
The plaintiffs contend the reporter was unconstitutionally arrested and jailed by Mille Lacs
Reservation and County agents to
prevent him from covering a tribal
meeting on a controversial federal
land claims settlement. Armstrong
was arrested on trespassing
HEARING to pg. 6
MN legislature quietly
moves to fund 'tribal' police
Voice     of      i   he      People
web page: www.press-on.net
By Jeff Armstrong
Legislation to provide slate funding for tribal police has been kept
under tight wraps at the state capitol.
In fact, the controversial bill, sponsored by Minneapolis state senator
Lawrence Pogemiller, was such a
closely guarded secret that the chief
author's own office staff was unable
or unwilling to ascertain the bill's
status or explain its provisions until
after it had passed by unanimous
vote on the senate floor Monday.
Pogemiller failed to respond to an e-
mail inquiry from tlie Press about
possible public comment on the legislation after several Med attempts
to reach the sentor by phone. Locating information about the bill on the
usually reliable legislative website
was a virtual shell game. Introduced
as SE 1536 last March, the proposed
legislation was incorporated into a
bill to provide aid for a north Minneapolis community support group,
which was later absorbed into an
omnibus building expenditures bill.
The tribal law enforcement provisions were then buried within an
even less contentious state pension
Improving Indian education
in the 21st Century?
By Clara NiiSka
According to documents recently provided to Press/ON by
the state Department of Children,
Families & Learning, including
CF&L's report, "Class of 1999,
ending status of students by
ethnicity," 463 Indian students
graduated from high school in the
state ofMinnesota in 1999.
CF&L has not yet released statistics detailing Indian students'
more recent graduation rates.
Two years ago, this newspaper
published a series of articles addressing the problems oflndian
education, including a summary
ofthe then-recent study of graduation rates for the Class of 1997.
Out ofa total public school enrollment of i 6,956 Indian students, 447 seniors graduated from
high school. The graduation rates
calculated by the state for 1997
ranged from a low of 13% in tlie
Minneapolis public schools, to
73% in Cloquet and 94%—fit-
teen of sixteen high school seniors—in Waubun. An additional
24 students graduated from trib-
ally-run Indian schools in 1997.
Since then, enrollment in tribally-
run secondary schools has de-
STATE
STATISTICS
on Indian enrollment,
dropout rates
page 5
clined, and
informed
sources estimate that
about a
dozen seniors
graduated from the four tribally-
run schools in Minnesota, most of
them from the Bug-o-nay-ge-shig
school on Leech Lake reservation.
Official state statistics for this
year are not yet available. But,
despite Indian students' improved
passing rates on the state's basic
standards test on writing, the
"pass" rates on state reading and
math tests in majority-Indian
schools like Red Lake were the
lowest ofall state public schools.
Difficulties with the stale's mandatory basic skills tests have,
most likely, not only lowered Indian graduation rates even more,
but have also increased the likelihood of students' dropping out of
school rather than facing further
failure.
Press/ON recently examined
the state's statistics on Indian enrollment and dropout rates for the
EDUCATION to pg. 5
Navajo legislature unable to
override gambling veto
Associated Prvss
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. - The
Navajo Nation Council tried twice
unsuccessfully on Monday to override President Kelsey A. Begaye's
veto ofa gambling ordinance.
The council voted 52-21 in favor
ofthe override and then voted 51-27
upon reconsideration, but neither
carried the necessary margin to succeed.
Meanwhile, the council also lifted
sanctions it had imposed on the Navajo Board of Election Supervisors
and the Navajo Election Administration in an elections dispute.
The council had approved an ordinance that would establish tribal
procedures for governing the
Tohajiilee Chapter's proposed casino as a pilot project.
The ordinance stated gambling
would be legal only for that chapter,
but there was speculation the ordinance would apply throughout the
Navajo Reservation that includes
portions of Arizona, New Mexico
and Utah. Thus, some said, it could
make gambling elsewhere on the
reservation a possibility in the future.
Navajo voters had rejected gambling twice previously, and Begaye
had vetoed two previous council
resolutions that would have opened
the door to casinos.
In vetoing die latest council effort,
Begaye referred to voter rejection of
gambling and noted that 23 members ofthe council - 26 percent -
hadn't voted when the ordinance
was passed.
The Tohajiilee Chapter and its
about 2,000 members are situated on
land about 15 miles from Albuquerque which the U.S. Congress gave to
the Canoncito Band. The chapter is
part ofthe Navajo Nation but controls its own land.
The chapter had been exempted
last year from the antigambling provisions in the tribe's criminal code.
However, for the casino the splinter
group proposes to build near Rio
Puerco, a tribal gambling ordinance
and a tribal gambling commission
had to be in place.
Former BIA head says investors
evaded federal law
Associated Prvss
MONTVILLE, Conn - The
fonner head ofthe federal Bureau of
Indian Affairs has changed his opinion ofa deal between the Mohegan
Indians and investors who backed
the Mohegan Sun casino.
"They clearly evaded the law to
get more money than the law was
supposed to permit," Kevin Gover,
who headed the bureau at tlie time of
the deal, told The Boston Globe last
week.
Previously Gover - like the Iribe
and the investors, Trading Cove
Partners - said the deal was legal.
But Gover, who left the BIA at the
end ofthe Clinton administration
and is now a partner in a Washington
law firm, said he has a new understanding ofthe deal, the newspaper
said.
The investors, Trading Cove Partners, fronted tlie Mohegans more
than $ 100 million to build and operate the casino and a hotel.
The Indian Gaming Regulatory
Act of 1988 places a cap of 40 percent on profits developers can receive from casinos started by poor
tribes. The law also requires review
of side agreements by tlie National
Indian Gaming Commission, to prevent evasion ofthe limits.
Trading Cove made the hotel proposal a separate contract which was
not submitted to the commission,
former commission general counsel
Michael Cox told the Globe.
"There's no question the deal was
structured to avoid federal review,"
BIA to pg. 6
bill, which passed by a 60-0 vote. In
the legislation's listed companion
bill, SF 712, there is no mention of
tribal police. Representatives Mary
Murphy and Harry Mares are sponsors ofthe original house version of
the police bill, HE 1743. To take effect, Minnesota legislation must be
approved by both legislative
branches and signed into law by the
governor. State funding for police
departments is determined by a
complex formula based on 104% of
their respective annual state insurance premiums for potential liability
suits, the number of officers employed, and deductions for state auditing expenses. Tribal police premiums were capped at coverage for up
POLICE to pg. 6
Native f
American
Press
Ojibwe News
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.   Copyright, Native American Press, 2001
Founded in 1988
Volume 13 Issue 26
May 18, 2001
fiHatl*
Beatrice Mitchell, 12, placed a piece of tile in the mural at Nay Ah Shing School in Onamia, Minn, the mural represents
the past, present and future ofthe Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
Mural celebrates history
Students and artist create in mosaic the Ojibwe past, present and future
By Jodie Tweed
The Brainerd Daily Dispatch
ONAMIA, Minn-Tile by tile,
Onamia students have spent the
past four years creating a priceless
piece of artwork that celebrates tlie
traditions and history ofthe Mille
Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
Tlie impressive mosaic mural,
built in the main circle or gathering
area at the Nay Ah Shing School, is
10 feet high and 55 feet long. It depicts the past, present and future of
the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
through various scenes and artistry
designed by St. Paul artist Craig
David.
For the past four years, David has
spent each January through March
at the fifth through 12lh grade school
helping students create the mural, a
project funded in part by a grant
through the Minnesota State Arts
Board. The Mille Lacs Electric Co
operative gave a $2,500 grant for
next year's work The mural is expected to be completed next year,
with a ceremony to celebrate the
completion of tlie five-year project
to be held May 29,2002.
To project has accomplished
more than just filling up a wall
space. Students have learned that.
with patience and determination,
each tiny, broken piece of colored
tile can be joined togetiier to create
something beautiful.
"For some of our students who
aren't as academically successful,
it's a place where they are successful," said Sara Roehn, art teacher
and gifted and talented coordinator
at the school.
All 110 students in the school
were granted the opportunity to
work on the mural, either in their art
classes or individually. When a student may have had a particularly
difficult day, Principal Jody Crowe
said, the student was invited to
work with David on the mural. One
student spent an afternoon creating
a birch tree.
"He's going to be able to come
back and touch this," said Crowe,
running his hand along the mosaic
birch tree. "This is his tree."
Students from Brainerd, Wisconsin and as far away as Sweden were
also given the opportunity to work
on the mural and leave their mark.
A group of visiting Swedish students worked on the mural, placing
stones from Iceland on the wall. A
group of Mississippi Horizons students worked alongside Nay Ah
Shing students on the mural while
their classmates watched on a video
feed between tlie schools. The
Brainerd students will bring stones
from the Mississippi River to be
placed on the wall.
'To me, it shows how the arts are
a common thread," said Crowe.
"It's building community beyond
school."
The mural features ceramic designed similar to history beadwork
designs created by the Mille Lacs
Band of Ojibwe. The mural places
each scene along Indian Point on
Lake Mille Lacs, where the school
is located. Nay Ah Shing means
"on the Point"
The mural celebrates the Mille
Lacs Band's history and present
through scenes that include birch
bark collecting, a woman gathering
berries and a woman nurturing her
infant. There are also hidden
scenes and faces within the mural.
Students added a squirrel and rabbit and other personal effects
within the tall grass ofthe mosaic.
David also hid his name in the mural. Details like this have given students something to search for
MURAL to pg. 6
White Earth veteran gets fist
VA home loan in state
By Molly Miron
Bemidji Pioneer
Because residents of tribal lands
have a difficult time obtaining
mortgages from off-reservation
lending companies the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs set up in
1992 the VA Native American Direct Loan.
Now, John Sullivan, and enrolled
member ofthe White Earth Band
of Chippewa, is the first recipient of
an NADL in Minnesota. The loan
was closed April 5 and Sullivan and
with it, Sullivan and his partner,
Melisa Houle, bought a four-bedroom home with a full basement on
the White Earth Reservation.
"We lived in a trailer house before," Sullivan said. "We went from
one bedroom to four. It has a huge
basement 26x56, a one-car garage.
It's the first house I ever had. I've
always rented."
Sullivan said tlie 18-year-old
house is situated on 1.5 acres of
tribal trust land, which he and his
descendants hold in a 25-year renewable lease. He said the house
had new doors, siding and roof in
1997 and was valued at $33,000.
But it was hard to sell because only
enrolled tribal members can live on
the trust land. To sell to non-members, the house would have to be
moved.
A retired, disabled carpenter,
Sullivan said he is doing some remodeling ofthe house, and is finishing tlie basement as living space.
"It feels great tojustgeta
home. The happy part's already
there," he said ofhis new home.
Sullivan, 54, is a veteran ofthe
Vietnam War. He served overseas
from 1966 to 1968.
The NADL program is designed
to provide loans for American Indian veterans living on trust land on
reservations. Loans can be made
when tribes and tlie VA sign a
Memorandum of Understanding.
Katherine Crews ofthe St. Paul VA,
which covers a nine-state area, said
White Earth, Upper Sioux and Bois
Forte have sign MOUs. The program allows loans up to $80,0000
to build, purchase or improve
homes. Payments can be made over
30 years and a down payment is not
required.
No down payment was an impor-
VETERAN to pg. 6
Judge rules tribe cannot
interfere with hog farm
ByChetBrokaw
Associated Press
PIERRE, S.D. - The Rosebud
Sioux Tribe cannot use its tribal
court to interfere with the operation or construction ofa large hog
farm on tribal land, a federal
judge said Friday.
U.S. District Judge Charles
Kornmann said he will issue a
more detailed written order within
a week so the tribe can seek a
quick review by an appeals court.
The Rosebud Sioux Tribal
Council recently asked the tribal
court to order Sun Prairie Partnership of Nebraska to stop work on
a second hog-farm site. The tribal
court later issued an order stopping all work at the site.
The judge's decision Friday extends a temporary ailing he made
last week. That means Sun Prairie
can continue construction ofthe
second site.
The previous Tribal Council
had signed a lease with Sun Prairie, an affiliate of Bell Farms of
Wahpeton, N.D., to build up to
288 hog barns in two phases on
tribal land. Sim Prairie plans to
invest more than $100 million on
13 farms.
The first hog fann, which has
been operating since 1999, was
built west of White River, has 48
bams and feeds about 100,000
pigs a year. Work has begun on a
second site.
At the request ofthe tribe and
Sun Prairie, Kornmann last year
ordered that the federal government and various organizations
not to interfere with construction
and operation ofthe hog farm.
That order has now been appealed, but the tribe has switched
sides in arguments to the 8th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals.
After a hearing Friday,
Kornmann said last year's order
preventing the federal government from interfering with the
project also applies to the tribe.
That means the tribe cannot now
go to tribal court in an attempt to
stop the project he said.
Kornmann said the case bothers
him because the tribe has changed
sides since he ruled that the lease
between the tribe and Sun Prairie
was valid.
ROSEBUD to pg. 6