ALLIANCE
Continued from Page 1
bi< st lists traveling ihrough the < itv together Now. 300
to 400 people participate in that ritit*
I hf first Eugene riclf Imp,an in September 1003 Hie
mitts draw an average of 30 to 50 people in Eugene I hf
group meets every first Friday and Saturday of thf
month at Fast Eighth Avenue and Oak Street Both ritlfs
start at about r> p m
Thu Alliant e has no t entrnl leadership anti is run by
whoever has (lit* desire to help
Mot« said thf Alliant tt pros idns a forum to discuss
transportation issues
We take up lt*ss space than t ars, and we ore bas ing
more fun." Mote said. "We do not block traffu the
majority of the time Hut oven when we do, for every
person that sells at us. three will honk in support."
The name, Alliance for Critical Mass, is based on a
staentifii principle. Mote said The principle is Once
something reaches a certain point of reaction, it is
impossible to stop
The Alliance operates in San Francisco; Boulder.
Colo . New York, and Montreal. Canada Other groups
with similar goals o|>erate throughout the United States
but are not diret tlv nssot lated with the Alliant e for C.rit
it til Mass
"f )ur sot lets is so addicted to t ars," Mote said It has
gone bevontl the i In he of ss ind in your hair anti free
dom The t ar has become a fort a t ast le. a home away
from home
Mote stud the Alliance is trving to t rente a presence in
the i ummumtv Sometimes this presence causes t on
Hitt
Mote said people have threatened to run him over On
a rule two months ago. someone from the group was hit
front behind.
"This guy hit one of the riders with his t ar.' Mote
saitl. "Then he pist took off."
Mote said the police were unsympathetic anti told the
Alliance members that what they were doing was die
gal
"They said sve would have to get a parade permit and
have a planned route." Mote said "Hut that goes against
our principles."
Jan Power of the Eugene police department said the
department s com ern was for the safety of the Alliance
members.
"We are concerned about them riding in mass in traf
fic and at night," Power said "They are endangering
themselves "
Powers said the Alliance could l>e cited for intending
to impede the flow of traffic
Mole said he has no intention of getting a parade per
mit.
"We are not doing anything to hurt anyone," Mote
said
Mote believes Eugene is a perfect place for the
Album e to make its presence known He said tin- flat
terrain and mild weather make Eugene especially friend
ly to hit vi lists
Mote also believes now is the time lor bit vi les to be
considered a serious alternative to driving
"l think we are doing a positive thing here." Mote
sail! "Any road in Eugene can hold 50 times more hikes
than cars."
Political protest
i
Members of Students tor Campaign Reform hang a "voter" from the balcony In the EMU Courtyard. The mock hang
ing was staged Wednesday to Increase awareness of a bill that would limit campaign contributions.
REMAINS
Continued from Page 1
faced the bodies of dead people. Presi
dent Clinton provided the money for cas
kets to relnirv these people," 1-ognn said
"Buifor Native Americans, our remains
are taken to museums. This is not right."
I.ogan, who is a member of the Nation
al Sat red Sites Preservation Committee
and a Calapooia Indian tribe member,
likened these actions to grave robbing
Vet. Don Dumond, anthropology pro
lessor and director of the museum, said
he believes there is no issue at stake.
"Four years ago. this would have been
an issue." lie said, "but now there are
laws that govern what we can and cannot
do."
Dumond said the anthropology depart
ment is only acting in accordance with
the Native American Craves Protection
and Repatriation Act of 1990.
This act. Dumond said, required the
University and all museums in the coun
try receiving federal funds to notify fed
erally recognized tribes of the museum's
holdings by November 1993. Dumond
said the University has done this.
The University also must offer specific
possessions like skeletal remains and
sacred objects back to their original tribes
by 1995. The museum has two years to
prepare a detailed inventory of human
remains, and supply this information to
the federal register for publication.
"Anything newly acquired in our exca
vations has to he given to the tribe,”
Dumond said. "The tribe then decides
whether we < an work on these remains
That's been an Oregon law sinc e 1979 "
Wilkinson, however, said problems
exist with these laws He said he had
questions about the federal definition of
sacred objects
Dumond said the federal law says
sac.red objects are only necessary for
modern people to conduct native reli
gious services
Western com opts of sacredness are not
totally congruous with Indian views,
Wilkinson said
"Certain people have a tradition of
burying things with their loved ones,"
Wilkinson said "In a contemporary
example, what would it lie like for me to
go digging in Pioneer Cemetery looking
for diamond rings?"
I.ogan agrees with Wilkinson.
"It's a violation of our ancestors,” she
said. "Our people's belongings are worth
a lot of money. It is like legalized grave
robbing."
Logan said a skull could be sold for
$5,000 and a pipe could be sold for
‘In a contemporary
example, what would it
be like for me to go
digging in Pioneer
Cemetery looking for
diamond rings T
Mitch Wilkinson,
Native American Student Union
codirector
S lo.ooo
The museum, Dumond said, cannot
sell artifacts
Another major problem with current
laws and bureaucracy, Wilkinson said, is
federal recognition of Indian tribes.
Tribes that had been ancestral enemies
were often grouped together when
authorities granted federal recognition,
Wilkinson said.
These tribes do not always speak with
one voice or have one point of view.
"People seem to have this idea that
whenever an Indian speaks, he is speak
ing for the entire tribe," Wilkinson said.
"Yet. that is not how it is.”
A Native American tribe like the Con
federated Tribes of Grand Ronde may be
composed of 15 or more smaller tribes
Some of these smaller tribes may still
hold grudges against each other
“It's divide and conquer.” Wilkinson
said. "It's working against us."
Another problem within the tribes,
Wilkinson said, is the elected officials
may not feel as strong on certain issues as
some members of the trilie feel
Yet, Dumond said he can only deal
with the people he is told to deal with.
The federal act of 1990 states the fact
that it does not affect private collectors
Private collectors may never have to
return their artifacts to any tribes
In 1979, the Oregon Legislature passed
a state law similar to the federal act of
1990.
Oregon now has nine federally recog
nized trilies the Burns Paiute Tribe; the
Confederated Tribes of Coos. Lower
Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians; the Con
federated Tribes of Grand Rondo, the
Confederated Tribes of Siletz; the Con
federated Tribes of Warm Springs; the
Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian
Reservation; the Cow Creek Band of the
Umpqua Indians; the Klamath Tribe; and
the Coquille Tribe.
Over 200 smaller, unrecognized tribes
exist in Oregon. Wilkinson said.