Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2001-09-14

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INDEX
News Around Indian Country 2
Commentary/Editorials/Voices 4
Smoke Signals of Upcoming Events 5
Classifieds 6-7
■ *A
Search of the
new Leech Lake
logo design
continues
pgs
Foran American
tragedy, indignation
is in order
pg4
All power to the RBCs
is theme of
amendments
pg 1
In the matter of custody of
S.E.G., nine years later
pgi
■■^iffc.      Commentary
Beyond
words
pg4
SACRICING WELFARE OF A CHILD FOR POLITICAl/'cULTURAL" AGENDAS
In the matter of the Custody
of S.E.G., nine years later
V   O   l   C   E
O   F
T   H   E
P   E   O   PL   E
web page: www.press-on.net
by Clara NiiSka
"She had been so alone - and now
she's terribly alone," Carol
Campbell told Press/ON. "She has
been a victim ofa system that had let
her down I love her and support
her."
Carol Campbell lay in bed, paralyzed from the chest down in consequence of multiple stab wounds.
The young woman of whom Carol
spoke, her voice sometimes cracking
with grief, is Sierra Goodman, age
17. Sierra is incarcerated at the
Northwest Juvenile Training Center
on the outskirts of Bemidji after
pleading guilty to two counts of aiding first-degree assault and two
counts of aiding an offender.
On the afternoon of May 28,
2001, Sierra's 14-year-old boyfriend, Darryl Headbird, Jr., allegedly stabbed Carol's husband, Gene
Campbell, and then stabbed Carol
Campbell twice in the back, wounding both Campbells severely enough
"to cause death ifthey had not received medical help," according to
staff writer Molly Miron's August 31
report in the Bemidji Pioneer. The
boy also allegedly murdered his father, Darryl Headbird, Sr., on May
26*. Headbird Sr. was discovered
dead at his residence—just north of
Cass Lake, Minnesota, on the Leech
Lake Indian Reservation—the
evening after the attack on the
Campbells.
The Beltrami County criminal
complaint against Sierra Goodman
indicates tliat the Campbells were
looking for her on the afternoon of
May 28"', after she "ran away" from
her foster aunt's home. Tlie
Campbells found Sierra walking
with her boyfriend down a county
road not far from tlie Headbird residence. As Press/ON reported on
June 1, there was an "altercation"
when the Campells drove up to the
teenage couple. According to
Beltrami County Sheriff Keith Winter, the boy reportedly stabbed tlie
Campbells, then fled with the girl in
the Campbell's pickup truck. The
teenagers were arrested that night as
they were hitchhiking along State
Highway 2 about 75 miles east of
Bemidji.
Some media reports shortly after the
murder of Darryl Headbird Sr. and
the assaults on the Campbells noted
a possible "cult" connection. The St.
Paul Pioneer Press reported tliat
Gordon Headbird, a cousin, described both teenagers as avid readers of "cult books." Tlie Bemidji
Pioneer expanded on possible
CUSTODY to page 3
Native  *~
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 42
September 14,2001
Bellanger
accuses White
Earth police of
harassment,
excessive force
By JeffArmstrong
A 69-year-old White Earth man
says reservation police used unnecessary force when they maced and
dragged him out ofhis car after he
refused to immediately comply
with what police say was a "routine
traffic stop."
White Earth police chief Bill
Brunelle said Lowell Bellanger led
tribal and Mahnomen County police on a lengthy pursuit Aug. 31 on
Highway 113 before pulling over
his automobile.
'Tie exited the vehicle and tried
to assault the officers," forcing patrolmen Duane Brownlee and
Shane Plautz to defend themselves
with mace, said Brunelle.
Bellanger tells a far different
story. The longtime tribal activist
maintains that tlie RBC police had
no valid reason for tlie stop and that
his subsequent treatment proves he
had good reason to fear for his
safety on the isolated highway.
BELLANGER to page 3
MCT CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION SET TO BEGIN ON MlLLE LACS
All power to the RBCs is
theme of amendments
By JeffArmstrong
Tlie executive committee ofthe
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe has begun preparations for an Interior Department secretarial election to
amend two articles ofthe tribal constitution and revoke a third.
According to an informational
booklet sent to many tribal members, the TEC is proposing amendments which would permanently
bar convicted tribal embezzlers
from holding office, sharply curtail
the ability oftribal members to recall elected representatives and revoke Article XV's requirement of
BIA approval of certain tribal ordinances.
Tlie first of what is billed as a series of meetings on the proposed
amendments is to be held Sept. 29-
30 at the Grand Casino Mille Lacs
Convention Center beginning at
1 Oam each day. Mille Lacs solicitor
general Tadd Johnson will moderate the event, which will allow for
written and verbal comments from
tribal members. Because secretarial
elections require voter registration,
MCT members who did not receive
the mailing are urged to update
their addresses by sending written
notice to The Minnesota Chippewa
Tribe, Tribal Operations, PO Box
217, Cass Lake, MN 56633.
In its most recent incarnation,
the draft constitution sheds previous proposals aimed at restructuring the tribal administration and
authorizing existing and emerging
tribal law enforcement and judicial agencies. And although the
TEC previously voted down similar reforms, the committee is
seeking to amend Article IV to
strip tribal members convicted of
misappropriating reservation
funds ofthe right to run for office.
Other convicted felons would not
be eligible for a tribal candidacy
"for a period of twelve years following incarceration," though the
ambiguity ofthe wording makes
it unclear whether the 12-year bar
starts with the beginning or the
end of imprisonment.
The proposed amendment i<> Article X would more than double the
required number of signatures on a
recall petition, from 20% of resident eligible voters to more than
half, and otherwise complicate an
already unworkable process. How-
RCB to page 5
Coldwater Springs: sacred site or parking lot?
By Cheryl Lewis Fields
"We don't want Coldwater
Springs to have minimum protection. We want it to have maximum
protection," stated Lynn Levine of
the Preserve Camp Coldwater Coalition at a recent public hearing on
the sale ofthe sacred site-to the
Metropolitan Airports Commission
(MAC).
State Rep. Mark Gleason (D-
Richfield), who earlier this year introduced the legislation to protect
Coldwater Springs, together with
Rep. Wes Skoglund (D - Mpls) invited the public to comment on a
draft Memorandum of Agreement
(MOA) that stipulates how the
MAC may use this land.
Rep. Gleason called the "unofficial" public hearing to prevent this
issue from again disappearing "behind closed doors" after the National Parks Service who is negotiating the transaction for the US Department of Interior refused any further hearings on the sale. Levine
points out the National Parks Service (NPS) will benefit by $2 to $3
million from the proceeds of this
sale, a serious conflict of interest.
If Coldwater Springs remains under the federal government - it is
currently "owned" by the US Department of Interior - it will have
much higher protection than when
transferred to the MAC, a state
agency. The MOA, a covenant that
will run with the deed to tlie land, is
supposed to ensure continued protection but unanimous public comment denounced the document as
entirely inadequate.
Also attending the short-notice
hearing were State Reps. Jim
Davnie (D - Mpls), Scott Dibble (D
- Mpls), Margaret Kelliher (D -
Mpls), Jean Wagenius (D - Mpls)
and State Senator Jane Ranum (D -
Mpls), a representative from US
Rep. Betty McCollom's office,
Minnehaha Creek Watershed District commissioners, members of
the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota
Community, as well as representatives from the sale "closure team" -
tlie MAC, National Parks Service
and the State Historic Society.
Rep. Waginius who authored legislation this year to sell only the "air
rights" to the MAC, pointed out
that a main contention is the selling
of this site to the MAC "which does
not have a reputation of trust" and
would not be the best steward of tlie
land and water.
A written statement fromthe
MAC says, "The MAC has indicated its intent to enter into an
agreement with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources or
the Minneapolis Park Board to
manage and operate the
property.The MAC continues to
stand behind these commitments."
One hearing attendee's written
comments read, "The MAC wea-
seled out on the insulation issue.
Will they try to weasel out of tiiis
too?'     A transportation department, and one with a poor environmental record, the MAC is not an
appropriate steward say Coalition
and other community members
who continue to question MAC's
intent for purchasing the property.
"A parking lot keeps appearing,"
Coalition spokesperson Levine told
the packed hearing room at the
Nokomis Public Library. The
vagueness of language in the MOA
COLDWATER to page 5
Photo credit: Clara NiiSka
A staff member at Hennepin County Medical Center uses a hands-on approach to comfort and reassure a tiny infant at the neonatal intensive care unit. The HCMC Department of Pediatrics, part of the HCMC's Children's
Hospital, plans to celebrate its service to the community wilh a special gala this fall. The October 27 fundraising
gala, Reaching lor the Future, Pediatrics in the Heart of the City, will feature a silent and live action of Venetian
masks, hand decorated by well-known children's book illustrators, in support of the Children's Hospital.
Better health
i>\ Jean I'agano
The Native American Press /
Qiibwe News recently reported on
the higher-than-national-average
rates lor diabetes and other diseases among Native peoples.
Much ofthe research indicates
that much ofthe diabetes could be
cured or alleviated by a change in
diet. The week of 9 - 15 September is National 5 A Day Week,
dedicated to encouraging all
people to eat more fruits and vegetables.
Jan Malcolm, Minnesota
Health Commissioner, says, "Eating five or more servings of fruits
and vegetables every day reduces
tlie risk of cancer, heart disease,
stroke, diabetes, obesity mid other
health concerns".
The Minnesota Department of
Health is to reach out to communities across the state to promote
tlie need to eat 5 A Day. Research
shows that eating five servings of
fruits and vegetables each day can
reduce the risk of cancer, heart
disease, diabetes, and other illnesses. Since the 5 A Day program began in 1991, adults and
children have increased their daily
fruit and vegetable intake by about
half a serving. Americans eat 4.4
is as easy as "yes you can"
i i igs of fruit arid v egetable
day while children eat an average
of 3.4 servings a day, according to
the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Statistics for Native peoples
were not available at press time.
Research also shows tliat people
who eat five or more daily servings
of fruit and vegetables have half the
cancer risk that those who eat fewer
fruits and vegetables. One-third of
the 500,000 cancer deaths each
year are preventable by eating a
HEALTH to page 3
FRUITFUL TOPPING
2 cups unsweetened fresh or
frozen fruit: peaches, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries,
etc. or combination
2 teaspoons frozen apple juice
concentrate
In blender or food processor,
process 1 cup of fruit and the
apple juice concentrate until
smooth. Cut remaining cup of
fruit into small pieces. Combine
sauce and cut fruit. Serve as
topping for pancakes or waffles
(or ice milk!)
WEST INDIES DINNER
2 cups chopped onion
3 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tables spoons olive, canola, or
other vegetable oil
Heaping tablespoon grated fresh
ginger root
2 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme
(or 1 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
(ororegano!))
6 cups cooked black beans (415-
ounce cans, rinsed and drained)
1 cup or more of orange juice
6 cups hot cooked rice
Heat oil in large pan and stir-fry
onion until onions begin to soften.
Add in garlic, and stir fry a little
longer. Add ginger and thyme.
Continue to stir-fry until onions become soft. Stir in drained beans
and 1 cup of orange juice. Cook
and stir over low heat 15 minutes,
until starting to thicken. For thicker
mixture, use back of mixing spoon
to mash a few beans. If mixture
becomes to thick, add a little more
orange juice. Taste; add salt and
pepper as desired. Serve immediately over hot rice. Make 6 main-
dish servings.
//
Drawing the Line
//
Montana court case could open up jurisdiction question
ByJeffHinkle
American Indian Report;
September 2001, page 20.
Experts in Indian Law will be
keeping a close eye on the events
unfolding in a Montana courthouse
in the next few months as lawyers
argue a seemingly minor case that
could have major repercussions
throughout Indian Country.
The case, Morris v. Tanner, was
recently kicked back to the
Missoula courtroom from where it
came from by the judges for tlie 9"1
Circuit Court of Appeals.
Those judges - alter reviewing
the suit - said the lower court,
which dismissed die case based on
a 1990 ruling by Congress, had
failed to address the issue that was
at the heart of tlie matter: namely
whether a tribe has jurisdiction
over non-member Indians.
"I'm concerned about what might
happen next," says David Mullon,
an associate general counsel with
Cherokee nation and a former
Creek attorney general, who is one
ofthe many legal scholars watching
from the sidelines. "By sending the
case back to the lower case, it
opens it up for some significant discussion.
That discussion will bring into
play several issues that have been
discussed. Ruled and re-ruled on
the national level during the last
three decades - all stemming from a
case involving an allegedly anxious
teenage driver.
In June 1999, Thomas Morris,
then 18, was ticketed near Ronan,
Mont., for allegedly exceeding the
local speed limit by 20 miles an
hour. Morris, an enrolled member
of tlie Minnesota Chippewas, was
driving on land belonging to the
Confederate Salish and Kootenai
tribes on the tribes Flathead Reservation in western Montana, a reservation tliat he also calls home.
Moms appeared before Judge
Tanner, of tlie Flathead Tribal
Court, and asked that the charges be
dropped, something the judge refused to do. Morris next petitioned
the federal district court authorities
in Missoula to hear the case on the
grounds that the tribal cop who
ticketed Morris lacked authority to
do so, since Morris is not a member
ofthe Confederated Tribes
Morris' defiance was not simply
the act ofa rebellious teenager. In
fact, his argument is one that federal
lawmakers have been hashing out
for years.
Two landmark Supreme Court
JURISDICTION to page 5
Wisconsin court: Chippewa
Indians properly charged
with illegal hunting
By Robert Imrie
Associated Press
WAUSAU, Wis. - Two members of an Upper Michigan
Chippewa tribe were properly
charged widi illegally hunting
deer in 1999, a state appeals
court ruled Wednesday in a case
reviving the issue of off-reservation Indian treaty rights in Wisconsin.
A 17-year legal fight that ended
in the early 1990s established
that the Chippewa retained certain hunting, fishing and food-
gathering rights in treaties signed
in the 1800s that ceded millions
of acres of what is now northern
Wisconsin to the federal government.
In the case decided Wednesday,
the 3rd District Court of Appeals
said Marinette County Circuit
Judge Tim Duket properly refused to dismiss the illegal hunting charges against Adam
Matthews and Jeremy Husbeck,
members ofthe Keweenaw Bay
Indian Community.
The men argued the state had
no power to regulate how they
hunted.
CHIPPEWA to page 3
NAPI tops
list of federal
agricultural
payments
By Sue Major Holmes
Associated Press
The 68,000-acre farm the Navajo Nation runs near Farmington
received S3.1 million in farm
subsidies last year under the same
program that pays individual
farmers - the 10th largest amount
in the nation and three times the
next-highest subsidy in New
Mexico.
The federal government has
put millions into the water pro-
NAPI to page 6
Small victory for the Navajo
By Richard B. Williams
On Aug. 10, a federal appeals
court ruled that the United States
breached its trust responsibility to
the Navajo Nation by approving a
lease with mining giant Peabody
Coal at below market value without the knowledge ofthe tribe. As
a result ofthe court's findings, it
is estimated that the goveniment
could owe the tribe as much as
$600 million in back royalties
from the coal mine, which has
been operating on the Navajo reservation for 50 years.
Tlie decision was a victory for
die nation's largest tribe, which
has been embroiled in the battle
against Peabody and the government for nearly 40 years. But Navajo Nation vs. the United States
is a perfect example ofthe
NAVAJO to page 3