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American-Indians-R-Real
Sunday July 8, 2007
| Catching up with Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell |
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| Posted: June 29, 2007 |
| by: Jerry Reynolds / Indian Country Today |
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Part two
WASHINGTON - Former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell comes back from Colorado to Washington every three weeks or so. Indian Country Today caught up with him in the offices of the Holland & Knight law firm and lobbying shop, where he serves as a senior policy adviser. Midway through the interview, David Devendorf, senior public affairs adviser at Holland & Knight and a longtime Campbell colleague, joined the conversation.
Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell: I think that we [Holland & Knight] probably get as many or more calls, at least to me, from corporate groups, corporate America, that are looking for Indian tribal partnerships in energy development and casinos, and hotel - in anything. I was amazed that there are so many corporate groups in America now looking for a tribal partner. And some of it, I guess some of it's a dollar and cents thing, you know; they see potential to invest in something and a return on investment. I think that there's a much better awareness in corporate America too about Indian country, and a better feeling about trying to help the people that still have basic 70 percent unemployment in some places. And I sort of - I like that. And the nice thing about Holland Knight - it's a big firm. And so they have some very, very high-powered clients in hotels, in banking, investments and so on. So it's not real difficult to hook them up. If they want to visit with a tribe, basically we say ''Okay, well we'll call them up, see if you can't go see the chairman, see the council and so on. Then whatever you do, it's up to you and the tribes to reach an agreement.'' ''Great, great.'' ''We feel good that we got you in the door so you could have a discussion about what's of benefit to both of you.''
Indian Country Today: And this is just a level, a degree of access, as you know well, just hasn't been there for years.
Campbell: Well, it hasn't, and that's what we've noticed. A lot of the corporate groups, I mean, they saw ''Dances With Wolves'' but they don't know much else about Indians. I'm glad they saw ''Dances With Wolves''!
ICT: Well you know ... [in previous years] the watchword was that all kinds of people wanted to help Indian country, but they just really didn't know how.
Campbell: That's still the case a little bit. They just don't know anybody out there. But as you know, Indian country's really pretty small compared to say the African-American community or the Hispanic community. Everybody knows each other. And what you don't know you learn through the moccasin grapevine about each other. And so I've kind of enjoyed doing that, taking them out to meet with tribal groups. And if it works out good for the tribe and good for them, it makes me feel good that we've, at least, kind of been the bridge, the vehicle, so they could go out and talk to them.
ICT: Well this brings us kind of back around to energy, because I'm sure you know ... they're going to come out with these Tribal Energy Resource Agreement regs, which is the heart of the Energy Policy Act for Indians, isn't it?
David Devendorf: Yes, TERA is the whole heart of that.
ICT: And of course you were behind getting that [Indian title of the Energy Policy Act of 2005] into law.
Campbell: I wrote the darned thing. Actually, Paul Moorehead, who used to be my legal counsel for Indian affairs, really a bright guy, he did the actual legalizing, getting it legal for me. But first time we introduced that, we got it through the Senate - boy, I mean we had to literally pull teeth. I think we won by one vote or something.
ICT: I remember that. In committee, that's right.
Campbell: Because the Sierra Club and you know the enviros [environmentalists] were all against it. ... We lost some important people on it when the enviros were against it. I think they want to keep Indians on their knees, frankly. And we got the thing out of committee, we got it to conference [a conference committee between Senate and House of Representatives members, called to iron out differences between House and Senate versions of a bill]. Even [Sen.] Harry Reid [D-Nev., the current Senate Majority Leader] helped us in conference. That was a little bit of payback, because I was the only Republican that opposed the shipment of nuclear waste into Nevada, at Yucca Flats, Yucca Mountain. ... So we got the thing into conference, but we couldn't get it out because the House version of the bill that year had ANWR in it [a provision that would have opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to exploration for oil]. And we just couldn't get the thing back out of conference. The next year ... same thing. Introduced it; got it past the Senate; got it into conference. That time we ran out of time; we just ran out, we adjourned before we could get it out. And by then I had already said I was going to leave and retire, so I asked [Sen.] Pete Domenici [R-N.M.] to reintroduce it. And he did, I mean almost verbatim he reintroduced it. Since it had gone through the Senate twice already and he did it early, it was on a pretty good roll by then, pretty good momentum, so Pete got it passed for us. But we made sure that it was strictly voluntary, because some tribes worried that it might be some erosion of sovereignty attached, or something. There's not. No tribe needs to participate if they don't want to, and if they want to, great. They can opt in or opt out. They can do a lot of things with it. | | | | |
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| 'Being Lakota' by Larissa Petrillo |
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| Posted: June 27, 2007 |
| by: Babette Herrmann / Today correspondent |
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Even books are written in Indian time. It has taken Larissa Petrillo about 10 years to research, write and edit her first novel, ''Being Lakota.''
Published by the University of Nebraska Press, the 167-page book features candid interviews with Pine Ridge Indian Reservation residents Lupe and Melda Trejo, and the ethnographic insights of Petrillo, a professor of interdisciplinary studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Petrillo met the couple through a mutual friend at a Sun Dance on Pine Ridge in 1995. The non-Native scholar said her love for the Lakota culture grew after reading ''Lakota Woman'' by Mary Crow Dog.
''I found there to be a real depth to the material, and the political, spiritual and cultural history, which seemed to be packed full of complex relationships,'' she said. ''It pulled me in and made me want to learn more.''
The Trejos were together for more than 40 years before Lupe passed away in 1999. Lupe, born in Texas of Mexican/Aztec heritage, became immersed in the Lakota way of life, yet throughout the book he talks about his unwavering connection to his bloodline.
Melda Red Bear Runs Along the Edge Trejo, 66, Lakota/Mexican, grew up attending American Indian Church meetings and various traditional ceremonies. She was born in Pine Ridge, but spent most of her childhood in Denver, Colo., and Scottsbluff, Neb.
It was in Scottsbluff where Melda met Lupe, the love of her life. After their courtship, and with the blessing of her father, the two traveled the country together as migrant workers. Jobs were limited in Scottsbluff, which is about four hours south of Pine Ridge.
During their life journey, they had 11 children, who helped bring 35 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren into their lives. Tragically, they lost three sons along the way.
The book itself is split into three sections: family, identity and tradition. Petrillo transcribed the open-ended interview recordings with little to no editing of the couple's actual words. Much like a play, Melda and Lupe converse about their life together. Some stories are funny while others are seemingly tragic, yet it doesn't seem to shake their faith in the Creator or each other.
''We went through some hard times and went through some good times, but we stick together,'' Melda said. ''You have to work at everything and trust.''
Altogether, Petrillo recorded a total of 10 90-minute interviews. The couple spent a good portion of the interviews talking about how the Sun Dance ceremony became an integral part of their lives when they moved to Pine Ridge in 1989 to care for Melda's elderly mother.
Melda, who speaks fluent Lakota, still lives on her family's land in a renovated, nearly 100-year-old log cabin four miles east of Allen, S.D.
Interwoven between the chapters and passages filled with the Trejos' dialogue, Petrillo humbly lends her ethnographic knowledge to expand on the couple's comments and uses quotes from scholars that help explain specific aspects of the Lakota culture. Additionally, using scholarly quotes, she juxtaposes past ethnographic writings on the Lakota - positive and negative - and how they have helped her in her approach to writing the novel.
''A lot of the academic discussions that take place are similar in theme to conversations that take place on the reservation ... questions about ethics, leaders and ways of doing things,'' she said.
In Chapter 4, she goes into detail about how the collaboration with the Trejos was born and how she initially intended to write exclusively about a traditional Lakota woman.
During her 10-year odyssey, she had to change her concept of gender roles, what defined being Indian, and make the decision to include Lupe. ''I thought that it might be good to make my writing process very transparent so everyone can learn about what it means to work together cross-culturally,'' she said. ''By showing people the things I did right, and the things I did wrong, we can hopefully all learn to work together and break down some of the barriers that seem to exist.''
Melda said she hasn't slowed down to read the entire novel, as she is busy raising a grandchild and working. ''I am a busy person and I am trying to keep the house going,'' she said. ''I am still selling burritos to make a living.''
As a result of the collaboration, a friendship was formed and continues to flourish. Petrillo said she plans to make the trek to South Dakota to spend some time with Melda.
''Native and non-Native readers alike who read the book will hopefully be struck by two things,'' she said. ''One, the meaning that can be found in the lives of each and every individual; and two, the friendship and learning that can occur across cultures.'' | | | | |
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| New music |
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| Posted: June 27, 2007 |
| by: Staff Reports / Indian Country Today |
Canyon Records, Red Feather Music release albums
PHOENIX - Canyon Records has announced the release of four new albums featuring courting and social Round Dance songs, Northern-style pow wow music and a unique recording of vocals that meld with Mayan flute, percussion and atmospheric guitars.
With spine-tingling singing anchored by the beat of the drum, two-time GRAMMY nominee Northern Cree remains one of North America's greatest pow wow drum groups. Their latest release is ''Calling All Dancers,'' the last installment of Round Dance recordings from the April 2006 Round Dance events held in Canada. Featuring some of Canada's finest Round Dance singers, this live recording captures all the sounds, humor and lively singing of one of the largest Round dances ever held in Canada.
Northern Cree, of Saddle Lake, Alberta, has been honored with multiple awards, including three GRAMMY nominations for ''Long Winter Nights'' in 2007, ''Rockin' the Rez'' in 2002 and ''Still Rezin'' in 2003. Northern Cree was named Northern Drum Champion at the 2005 Gathering of Nations held in Albuquerque, N.M.
''Blue Scout'' marks the ninth recording by championship drum group Tha Tribe. Featuring some of the finest singers drawn from all four directions, these original pow wow songs recorded live in Parker, Ariz., reflect the heart of Native America and the energetic pulse of the pow wow trail.
Led by singer and songmaker Wayne Silas Jr., Tha Tribe is a multi-Native American Music Award nominee. Most recently, the group received a double nomination for group of the year and best pow wow album, ''Best of Both Worlds - World One,'' in 2005.
For 20 years, Black Lodge, led by Kenny Scabby Robe, has been on of the premier drum groups on the pow wow trail. ''Watch This Dancer!'' marks the group's 22nd album with Canyon Records. Known for ever-popular songmaking and tight ensemble sound, this multi-GRAMMY nominee presents the very best of northern-style singing and drumming.
''Watch This Dancer!'' displays their creativity and innovation as a traditional drum group with original compositions. The group is comprised largely of Robe's 12 sons, all residents of White Swan, Wash.
In 1994, Black Lodge was a GRAMMY nominee in the Best Traditional Folk Album category for its collaboration with R. Carlos Nakai and William Eaton on the album, ''Ancestral Voices.'' In 2001, ''Tribute to the Elders'' was nominated for Best Native American Album and in 2002, ''Weasel Tail's Dream'' was nominated in the same category.
''The Color of Morning'' features the harmonized vocal chants of GRAMMY-winning singers Verdell Primeaux and Johnny Mike that melds with Mayan flutes and percussion within a sonic mist of shadowy atmospheric sounds. This unique recording also features musicians Xavier Quijas Yxayotl, Mayan double clay flute, wind whistle, death whistle and clay bird whistle; Steven Butler, acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards and programming; and Stephen Frailey, additional acoustic and electric guitars and programming.
Primeaux and Mike have many recordings that have pioneered the sounds of healing chants as heard on their GRAMMY award-winning album ''Bless the People,'' as well as the more contemporary style of song heard on this recording.
Canyon Records, headquartered in Phoenix, has produced and distributed traditional and contemporary American Indian music for 56 years. For more information on Canyon, its artist and for sound clips, visit www.canyonrecords.com.
Red Feather Music
ARVADA, Colo. - The Red Feather Music label has announced the release of two new albums: ''Wind of the West'' by Sacred Earth with special guest Bill Miller and ''The Shape of Light'' by Jeff Ball.
Sacred Earth's ''Wind of the West'' is the first of a four-album set based on the four directions. This album lights the sacred ceremonial fires of the soul with emotional vocal performances by Mohican GRAMMY-winner Miller.
The Native flute, guitars and rhythms of Sacred Earth are sculpted into a musical feast for the soul by multi-GRAMMY nominated producer Peter Kater. This contemporary musical journey through the depths of the soul is deeply rooted in the traditions of surrender to the mysteries carried deep within the sacred earth.
Throughout the world, people of diverse cultures and spiritual traditions recognize the energies of the Four Winds, the four cardinal directions. Many believe that by facing west, the direction of the setting sun, the coming nighttime and darkness, the hidden mysteries of the self are revealed. With the help of the West Wind, the journey of personal healing and transformation is begun.
Jeff Ball, a premier player of wooden American Indian flutes, and his band have always been on the cutting edge of contemporary Native flute music. On his seventh album, ''The Shape of Light,'' the artist brings together one of the world's oldest melodic instruments with one of the newest.
Ball plays the flute in a traditional style amid a tapestry of other instruments including cello, violin, piano and acoustic guitar. Guest artist Arvel Bird from the Shivwit Paiute tribe is the best-known Native violinist. Guest artist Peter Phippen is an innovative performer of flutes.
Ball and his gathering of talented friends and family create introspective melodies with new and ancient musical instruments.
For more information or to purchase these albums, visit www.fourwinds-trading.com. | | | | |
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| Pine Ridge farmer struggles to grow hemp |
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| Posted: July 06, 2007 |
| by: The Associated Press |
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AP Photo/Chet Brokaw -- Alex White Plume sat on the back steps of his house near Manderson, S.D., June 26, near some hemp plants that grew from seeds knocked off plants confiscated by federal drug agents. White Plume sought to grow hemp, a cousin of marijuana with only a trace of marijuana's drug, on his ranch on the Pine Ridge Reservation. |
| By Chet Brokaw -- Associated Press
MANDERSON, S.D. (AP) - Alex White Plume hoped his extended family could make a good living growing hemp when he first planted seeds on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwest South Dakota, but years of fighting with federal drug officials have left him in financial trouble.
The White Plume family planted hemp for three years from 2000 through 2002, but they never harvested a crop. Federal agents conducted raids and cut down the plants each year because U.S. law considers hemp, a cousin of marijuana, to be a drug even though it contains only a trace of the drug in marijuana.
''We had all these plans of grandeur and independence, to lead the way with industrial hemp,'' White Plume said. ''None of it worked out.''
White Plume plans to sell much of his ranching operation this fall. He said he probably can keep his house and at least some of his buffalo that graze among the pine-dotted ridges that give the reservation its name. His horses, a truck with license plates reading ''HEMP'' and other equipment likely will be sold to pay off some of his debts.
But even though White Plume, a former Oglala Sioux Tribe vice president, lost a court case last year, he is ready to resume the cultivation of hemp if the federal government ever allows it. The plant could help boost the economy of the OST's poverty-stricken reservation, where unemployment is estimated to be as high as 85 percent, he said.
''I could never climb back up to where I was, but I still believe in hemp, so we're going to continue to struggle,'' White Plume said.
The family's attempt to grow hemp, which is used to make rope, oils, skin lotion, cloth and a variety of other products, is featured in a ''Point of View'' documentary that aired July 3 on Public Broadcasting Service stations nationwide. The film started as a look at hemp growing, but it grew to include a look at Indian treaties and the Lakota culture and tradition, according to filmmakers Suree Towfighnia and Courtney Hermann.
An important part of the story, filmed periodically over a five-year period, deals with the emphasis on extended family among the Lakota, Towfighnia said during a recent visit to White Plume's home.
White Plume said he used to run a successful trail ride business that faltered after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks because fewer European tourists visited the United States.
He said he became interested in growing hemp in 1998 after seeing country star Willie Nelson promote it. The OST also passed a measure legalizing the growing of hemp on the reservation.
The tribal law should have been enough to allow hemp farming because of the sovereignty granted to the Lakota by treaties, White Plume said.
White Plume planted hemp on his land in 2000, planning to make money by selling the seed to others, but U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents cut down his plants a few days before he intended to harvest them. The DEA also seized similar plantings by his brother and sister in the next two years.
''All that left us in debt and demoralized, trying to figure out what to do because our sovereignty was directly attacked,'' White Plume said.
But he laughs when he talks about the hemp plants that still grow on his land, even right outside the back door of his house. The plants spread from seeds knocked off during the DEA raid, he said.
White Plume never was charged with a crime, but the DEA sued him and got a court order to bar him from growing hemp. He argued that the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 gave the Sioux the right to grow hemp.
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals last year ruled against White Plume, saying the treaty did not give tribal members the right to grow the plant. Hemp is also subject to federal drug laws, which require a DEA permit to grow the plant in both its marijuana and hemp forms, the appeals judges said.
''We are not unmindful of the challenges faced by members of the Tribe to engage in sustainable farming on federal trust lands. It may be that the growing of hemp for industrial uses is the most viable agricultural commodity for that region,'' the appeals judges wrote.
The appeals court also noted that hemp is used to make many useful products, and the DEA registration process imposes a burden on anyone seeking to grow hemp legally.
''But these are policy arguments better suited for the congressional hearing room than the courtroom,'' the appeals judges wrote.
White Plume's lawyer, Bruce Ellison of Rapid City, said courts have consistently declined to give much consideration to Indian treaties. And the hemp law should be struck down because it is not rational, he said.
''The only argument against it is fears based upon misleading information or misinformation that it can somehow be used as a drug or to hide drugs or something like that, which it can't,'' Ellison said.
Those who oppose legalizing hemp have argued that law officers could have difficulty determining whether plants are drug-laden marijuana or hemp that has only a trace of the drug.
The best hopes for the White Plume family and other farmers who want to grow hemp are measures in Congress and North Dakota's effort to get the DEA to issue licenses for the production of hemp, Ellison said.
White Plume said he and his family have gone through some tough times, particularly when they were uncertain whether federal officials would charge them with drug crimes for growing hemp.
White Plume now intends to spend time working on environmental protection and treaty issues, such as an effort to regain the Black Hills that were taken from the Lakota more than 125 years ago.
And if farmers ever are allowed to grow hemp, he's ready to plant another crop.
''We didn't give up our struggle. We still want to grow hemp and we still got all our plans in shape,'' White Plume said.
''It's not a drug plant,'' he said. | | | | |
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| Elder's Meditation of the Day - July 8 |
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| "You are going to learn the most important lesson - that God is the most powerful thing there is." |
| --Mathew King, LAKOTA |
| The Medicine Wheel teaches that there are two worlds - the Seen World and the Unseen World, or the Physical World and the Spiritual World. We need information from both of these worlds in order to live our lives in a harmonious way. The most difficult way is to figure things out by ourselves and leave the Great Spirit out of it. When we do this, we are making decisions with information only from the Physical World. This can be called reliance on self. If we ask the Creator to help us, we then get information from the Unseen World or the Spiritual World. The Spiritual World is where we get our power. When we do this, we are God-reliant. Being God-reliant is the same as being on the Red Road. |
Great Spirit, whisper the secrets of the Unseen World in my mind's ear. | | | |
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