|
American-Indians-R-Real
Thursday October 11, 2007
|
 |
| "I think that's what unity is - knowing one another and coming together and working with no conflict." |
| --Chief Alan Wilson, HAIDA |
| When we are aligned with spiritual values, we cannot be in fear or conflict. When we are aligned to spiritual values, we have the Creator whispering solutions in our ears. Unity is one of the spiritual values. When we value unity we value solutions. If we think this way, then we have no conflict within ourselves. |
Great Spirit, let me see through Your eyes | | | |
|
|
Tuesday October 9, 2007
| Tribal chairmen stung over BIA no-show |
 Email this page  Print this page |
| Posted: October 09, 2007 |
| by: David Melmer / Indian Country Today |
 |
ABERDEEN, S.D. - Leaders of Great Plains tribes who had gathered Sept. 28 to meet with BIA officials walked out when they realized that Assistant Secretary Carl Artman would not be present.
Tribal leaders had expected some high-ranking official from the BIA, namely Assistant Secretary Carl Artman, to attend. The meeting was called to gather ideas and information about the bureau's proposed modernization.
Thirteen members of the 16-member Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association held a planning session the day before and they expected Artman to be present at the Sept. 28 meeting. Local BIA officials were present, as was Majel Russell, principal deputy assistant secretary.
When the chairmen learned that Artman would not be in attendance, they asked all BIA officials to leave the meeting room. Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Ron His Horse is Thunder then facilitated a meeting; and after each chairman had his or her say, they voted to walk out.
His Horse is Thunder said because of the disrespect the BIA showed to the elected tribal leadership and to the tribes who signed the treaties by not sending top-level decision-makers, the tribal leadership voted with their feet and walked out.
''As tribal leaders, we expected their leaders to come in. These consultation meetings are held and we are the last ones to know what is going on,'' said Myra Pearson, chairman of the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe.
''We found it an insult that they sent their support staff.''
Michael Jandreau, chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and the elder statesmen of the tribal chairmen in the Great Plains, said, ''Today the BIA has acted disrespectfully toward tribally elected leaders and at the very minimum they should have sent the assistant secretary to meet with tribal leaders.''
The tribal leaders have requested another meeting with Artman.
Artman told Indian Country Today that he will try to make that meeting as long as the dates do not conflict with his schedule.
''I heard the tribal leaders loud and clear in the Dakotas. We will have a meeting specifically to talk about the modernization,'' he said.
''What you saw in South Dakota isn't represented everywhere.''
Meetings have taken place in the different regions; the final meeting was to take place in the Great Plains.
''I understand where the tribal leaders are coming from. It shows a sign that there is a great interest in this. With that kind of interest, I will try my darndest to meet with them,'' he said.
''There was no sign of disrespect. We would not overtly try to offend the tribal leaders; that is my last intent, never an intent. If that is what they left with it was mistaken,'' Artman said.
Artman has asked the tribes across the nation for input that would help modernize the BIA because in the next few years many retirements will take place; and when those retirees leave, so will a vast amount of knowledge of Indian country and the bureau's workings in relationship to the tribes.
He also said Congress will not increase the BIA budget anytime in the future, so some creative action must be taken. He added that he wants to hear suggestions and ideas from the tribal leaders.
''The raw facts are while we are trying to increase the budget, they [Congress] decrease the budget,'' Artman said.
''In the next five years, a lot of people are eligible for retirement, and if all of those chose to retire we will be in a world of hurt. We want to make sure we are thinking ahead of those issues.
''It's always good to try to remain evolutionary and change to the surroundings. We are not your father's BIA or your grandfather's BIA; we have seen a lot of change with gaming compacting and the way that cities, counties, states and tribes relate,'' he said.
Artman said that each region is different: some tribes that are self-governed don't want to see much change, while others have concerns over economic development and gaming and energy. He said the BIA is hearing from some tribes that they want the freedom to run things themselves.
At other meetings, Artman said that other meetings have been productive even though there was some hesitation - not resistance - on the tribes' part.
''I can understand why the hesitation. We are not the same old BIA; we should be changing how we communicate with tribes.
''This [modernization] may be viewed with some suspicion, but this is something we need to work on. This is the BIA reaching out to tribes and we ask 'how can we make this better for you?''' Artman said.
Discussions on this issue will take place at the NCAI convention in Denver, Nov. 11 - 16, Artman said. | | | | |
|
|
| Columbus fray no holiday |
Email this page Print this page |
| Posted: October 04, 2007 |
| by: Editors Report / Indian Country Today |
|
The popular notion that indigenous populations of the Americas were primitive and uncivilized informed the post-Columbian celebration of a ''discovery'' of a ''new world.'' Sadly, it still does, and with as much fervor as ever. Despite decades of debunking the founding myth of the Americas by indigenous scholars - not to mention many non-academic Indian sages - the fabric of American culture still allows for outdated and wrong, racist and paternalistic information to persist. ''This tendency is so ingrained in the culture that people don't even recognize racist remarks when they are directed at Indians,'' wrote the late John Mohawk in 2006. ''They're freebies!''
As Columbus Day comes and goes this year, it is not difficult to find instances of these freebies in the media. A Denver Post columnist, fed up with Indians using the city's Columbus Day parade as an occasion to protest the genocide and slavery associated with that fateful 1492 voyage, wrote, ''Columbus may have been less than perfect as a human being, but that is no excuse for denying Italians hundreds of years later the rights of assembly guaranteed under the U.S. and Colorado constitutions.'' Such ardent defense of the holiday and its festivities may be the most appalling of ''freebies'' because they have become so ingrained in the American psyche as expressions of national pride, despite meaningful protestations by those whose ancestors knew the real story.
The self-repeating pattern of European conquest of lands and colonization of peoples through the most atrocious of acts - murder, torture, rape and slavery - defines Columbus' legacy. At least, it does for indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. Others have differing views, like this 1989 gem offered by former President George H.W. Bush: ''On Columbus Day, we pause as a nation to honor the skilled and courageous navigator who discovered the Americas and, in so doing, brought to our ancestors the promise of the New World. In honoring Christopher Columbus, we also pay tribute to the generations of brave and bold Americans who, like him, have overcome great odds in order to chart the unknown.'' It's the same mindset, different Bush.
We are right, and have the right, to challenge this dangerous myth of discovery. In his essay, ''An Overview of Indian Populations,'' from the recently released ''American Indian Nations'' (2007, AltaMira Press), C. Matthew Snipp examines the political doctrine of terra nullius. Literally ''empty land,'' the doctrine allowed the powers that be to simply take control of lands inhabited by indigenous peoples that appeared to be unoccupied and unused by Indians. It became a primary justification for westward expansion, and continues to be such to this day. ''As Europeans came to understand that the land being taken was inhabited by indigenous people, the doctrine evolved,'' writes Snipp. ''This notion of terra nullius and the idea of uncultivated land became very important ... for opening the lands in the West for settlement, because if land is not cultivated by the Indians, it must be there for the taking.'' Indigenous peoples continue to experience modern interpretations of this doctrine in relation to waters and territories that, because of their rich resources, are deemed more valuable to the United States than to Indians. This is the invented legacy of Columbus that America cherishes.
It is puzzling that Americans express pride in their culture and citizenship through the celebration of an individual who, for millions of others, represents imperialism and genocide. In the sensationalistic media and at the forefront of protests at Columbus Day celebrations, it appears American Indians cannot seem to get over it. It's unjust and insulting to portray a whole people this way. Then again, so is having to suffer this annual indignity. | | | | |
|
|
| Program aids newly released prison inmates |
Email this page Print this page |
| Posted: October 05, 2007 |
| by: The Associated Press |
|
Click to Enlarge |
|
|
 |
|
|
AP Photo/The Tulsa World, Robert S. Cross -- After serving a prison sentence, Charley Wilson, 28, got help with his return to outside life. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reintegration Program helped him to land a job as a line cook at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., get an apartment and regain his driver's license. The program was started in 2004 and is funded mainly from the nation's gaming revenues. |
| By S.E. Ruckman -- Associated Press
HENRYETTA, Okla. (AP) - Fate had a way of finding Charley Wilson while he was serving time for a drug-related conviction at the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite.
The 28-year-old picked up a brochure left by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reintegration Program officials and began reading. The brochure helped change his outlook on life.
''I filled out the paper, and they came to see me, and I got a case manager,'' he said. ''They built a relationship with me.''
Close to his release time, Wilson found assistance from the tribe's reintegration program that helped him develop a workable plan for the outside.
He landed a job with a food service contractor at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa as a kitchen employee and was able to get an apartment. That allowed him to save for the $600 fee to get his driver's license back.
The program, which focuses on helping tribal citizens in prison get back into the swing of life, also helped him with bus passes, rent, referrals and morale boosts.
The initiative's mentor was tribal legislator Keeper Johnson, who drafted a bill to get the program started in 2004. Johnson was a vocational rehabilitation officer for more than 20 years.
Gaming revenues of $500,000 annually comprise the bulk of the program's funding, officials said. The amount could grow with its success, Johnson said.
Creek Nation caseworkers target people who are about to be released from prison and concentrate on providing them with basic life skills - such as catching a bus or setting an alarm clock, caseworker Andrea Alexander said.
The Creek Nation re-entry program has developed liaisons with ''friendly'' vendors in case of unforeseen circumstances for clients who are overwhelmed by common living emergencies.
''We have local contacts set up that if we need to, we can get food, clothing or shelter within 24 hours,'' Alexander said.
Most clients are men; only about 5 percent are women.
''Women inmates mostly have children waiting on them on the outside,'' Alexander said. ''Their motivation for being successful is different.''
Of about 250 inmates who have taken part in the program so far, only two have gone back to jail, Alexander said.
Details in helping people make the transition from prison to the outside are important, Johnson said.
''The alternative is for them to return to prison, and we can't have that,'' he said. ''These people are Creeks; they are our citizens.''
The Creek Nation program also makes referrals for other tribes' members who need reintegration services. Only two other Oklahoma tribes have prison reintegration programs - the Comanches and the Chickasaws.
But other tribes, such as the Absentee Shawnee and the Cherokee Nation, are expressing interest in similar programs.
Jimmy Ivey, the Chickasaw Nation's re-entry coordinator, said his tribe's program is newer but that it is growing at a hasty pace.
''We have about 100 clients in our program,'' he said. According to Oklahoma Department of Corrections demographics, about 2,195 inmates, or 8.7 percent, are American Indian.
Most Native offenders are serving time for drug- or alcohol-related crimes, although some have committed offenses such as murder and robbery.
Wilson, the Creek Nation client, is enthusiastic about the future. He hopes to go back to school and finish his degree. But he stresses the helping hand he received from the re-entry program.
''They were there for me; it was the real deal,'' he said. ''People always promise things, then don't deliver; but they did. It made all the difference.'' | | | | |
|
|
| Tribes present a united front on Native 8(a) |
Email this page Print this page |
| Posted: September 28, 2007 |
| by: Jerry Reynolds / Indian Country Today |
|
WASHINGTON - The Natural Resources Committee of Chairman Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., is not the principal committee of jurisdiction over the Small Business Administration Native 8(a) contracting program, so it has had no chance to derail a bill from Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., that would limit the program dollars federal agencies must direct toward American Indian and Alaska Native contractors. Waxman's bill has passed the House of Representatives and is now in the Senate.
An especial gripe of Waxman and the like-minded have been so-called ''sole source'' contracts, awarded in large dollar amounts on a non-competitive basis. Alaska Native Corporations have done well enough under the guidelines for sole-source contracting to have drawn heavy criticism over the past two years.
The SBA 8(a) funds provide opportunities for minority businesses and entrepreneurs. Critics, armed with a General Accountability Office study from 2006, have charged that special rules in the Native 8(a) program divert overall minority-preference funding from black and Hispanic contractors. Native 8(a) tribes and businesses have resisted being singled out for their successes under a program intended to foster business success among minority groups.
By inaugurating a series of hearings on Native economic diversity with a Sept. 19 session on the Native 8(a) program, Rahall helped to build a positive record for it in the House. According to a lobbyist, speaking on condition of anonymity so as not to eclipse a client who was also at the hearing, supporters of the Native 8(a) program were jubilant Sept. 19 when 14 lawmakers attended the hearing and expressed support. If only a few committee members had turned out, the lobbyist said, the show of support would have been diluted.
''We need allies. We've got enough enemies.''
Rahall and ranking member Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, set a tone for the hearing in their opening remarks. Young described the Native 8(a) program as being ''under attack'' in other committees of Congress, and Rahall set the perimeters of the big picture.
''With a 26 percent poverty rate in Indian country and unemployment rates as high as 80 percent, the need for economic development in Native communities is self-evident,'' Rahall said. ''Some Native governments have made great strides in combating this situation while others continue to struggle. Likewise, some federal programs have worked better than others. ... Testimony today will discuss the benefits that the Native 8(a) program has brought to Native America.
''Data shows that tribal and Alaska Native corporations received less than 1 percent of the $377.5 billion awarded through federal procurement contracts. Of the $145 billion awarded through sole source contracts, tribal and Alaska Native corporations only received approximately 1.4 percent of that amount. ... I look forward to hearing testimony on how this program affects Native communities and how it can be improved to ensure that it is working as intended.''
In a voluminous and impassioned defense of Native 8(a) contracting, Neal McCaleb, chairman of the board of Chickasaw Nation Industries Inc., described Native 8(a) successes, and the strength they bring to Native economies, as antidotes to the darkest chapters of the American Indian past. ''While in the past our presence served to threaten others,'' McCaleb said, ''today we represent an important opportunity for partnership and shared success across America, especially in rural and remote America. As tribes work toward modern prosperity and enjoy varying degrees of economic success in our times, we remember well what happened in those eras. Working together with the federal government, the private sector and our neighbors will ensure that the experiences of those eras never return. ...
''Please, do not harm this program.''
Tex Hall, chairman of the Inter-Tribal Economic Alliance, called on all tribes to support Alaska Native Corporations as they endure the withering criticism of Waxman and company. ''Although the recent attacks have been aimed at our Alaska Native brothers and sisters, make no mistake - they are attacks on tribes and all Indian people. As our collective history has shown, when termination policies come for one, they come for all.
''Indian country, we must not sleep. We must unify to protect our full participation in the 8(a) program.'' | | | | |
|
|
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330
| |
13500 Visitors
|
