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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (June 8, 2006)
T T News from Incjign Country Pigci, Indian radio stations have source of help SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - American Indian radio stations have a new partner helping them broadcast an eclectic mix of community programming to res ervations across the country. T he C en ter for N ative American Radio offers 33 radio stations that serve Indians, help ing with programming, account ing, engineering and fundraising, which is a big challenge for most o f the noncommercial opera tions. A $1.5 million grant from the Corporation for Public Broad casting established the center, which is overseen by the N a tional Federation of Community Broadcasters in Oakland, Calif. America’s 4.2 million Indians often live on reservations lo cated far from each other, in creasing the sense of isolation for some o f the nation’s poor est, m ost vulnerable groups. Radio stations that cater to Na tive Americans’ interests could help boost morale, provide net working opportunities and give them a sense that they aren’t alone, proponents say. “W e’re now this u n ified group. Before, the stations were sort of on their own and a lot o f them felt iso lated ,” said Peggy Berryhill, director of ser vices and planning for the cen ter. “So now they’re beginning to see their collective strengths and share their assets and issues and begin moving forward.” The center doesn’t provide funding, but it connects stations with people and groups who know how to find money that’s available, she said. Idaho doesn’t have any In dian radio stations; the nearest are in Oregon, which has two FM stations, in Warm Springs and in Pendleton. There’s also an AM station in Toppenish, Wash., run by the Yakama Na tion Tribe. In South Dakota, KILI-FM on the Pine Ridge Indian Res ervation has been off the air since an April 15 lightning strike. CNAPR referred the station to a consultant who knows how to write grant proposals, said Tom Casey, business m anager and development director. T he statio n req u ested a $201,000 emergency grant from the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program at the Depart ment of Commerce in Washing ton, which could help KILI re place the antenna, transmission line and transmitter, and install a grounding system. The station has six months to raise $40,000 to $50,000 in matching money and is halfway to its goal, Casey said. He hopes to hear back on the grant within weeks. CNAPR’s help with the grant was priceless, he said. The center also tipped him off about another funding pro gram to help the station go digi tal, Casey said. “We’re going to come back stronger than ever w ith new transmitting equipment and new studio equipment and we’ll be in good shape,” he said. Berryhill said strengthening Indian radio stations helps In dian communities maintain their traditions and sovereignty. “The m ission o f m ost o f these stations is about cultural preservation,” she said. “It’s about economic devel opment for the reservation. It’s about having a voice for their communities, an independent media.” Several American Indians seeking office PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Inter est by American Indians in state legislative seats is high this year, and an Indian lawmaker of 16 years who is not seeking re-elec tion said Friday he’s encouraged by the number of Indian candi dates. At least 13 legislative candi dates are Indians; 11 are Demo crats and two are Republicans. Rep. Paul Valandra, D-Mis- sion, said many Indians have purposely avoided state politics for years out of distrust of gov ernment and a belief that little would be done anyway for In dian fam ilies struggling with m eager fin an ces, a h o u sin g shortage and other pressing is sues. “We w ere in an iso latio n policy with the state of South Dakota for many years. It was a cold war of sorts,” Valandra said. “Philosophically, it’s a stretch that we seem to have gotten beyond with all these candidates running this year.” Valandra is hopeful that many of the Indian candidates will be successful. In recent years, fewer than a handful of the 105 legis lators were Indians. Jason Schulte, executive di rector of the state Democratic Party, said it is no surprise that most of the Indian candidates are running as Democrats. The party has long had close ties to the Indian community, he said. “I attribute the large number o f Democratic Native Am eri can candidates to two things,” Schulte said. “One, everyone is fed up with the lack o f leader ship and the abusive one-party rule in Pierre. And two, Native Americans recognize that the Democratic Party is inclusive and committed to solving the challenges they face on a daily basis.” Max Wetz, executive director of the South Dakota Republi can Party, said the GOP is an open party and welcom es all who wish to join or run for of fice under the party banner. The party has worked to recruit In dians among its candidates, he said. “The Republican Party fields candidates that are good lead ers and active in their commu nities,” Wetz said. “When that happens to be Native Am eri cans, we happily embrace those people.” One of the candidates in a legislative district that was split into two House districts in south central and southwestern South Dakota as a result of an Ameri can Civil Liberties Union law suit over voting rights is an In dian. District 26A was created to give Indian candidates a bet ter chance of succeeding. Paul A. Joseph of Wood, a Democratic candidate for Leg islature in that special district, is an Indian. He shares the ticket w ith form er H ouse m em ber Larry Lucas of Mission. On the Republican side of the ledger in that district is Rep. Barry Jensen of White River; Calvin Jones Jr. of Rosebud is running as an in dependent in 26A. Only one of the Democrats will advance after Tuesday’s pri m ary e lectio n , facin g both Jensen and Jones in the general election for the legislative seat. In the state’s only other split House districts, located in the northwest, two brothers who are tribal members are running. Rep. Tom Van Norman, D- Eagle Butte, is seeking re-elec tion in District 28A; he will face R epublican E verett H unt o f Eagle Butte in November. Van Norman’s brother, Steve Emery of McLaughlin, is one o f two Democratic candidates seeking to advance in the D istrict 28 Senate primary; his opponent is Ryan Maher of Isabel. Emery is the attorney who filed the complaint that led to the district being split eight years ago. Forgotten petroglyphs to be studied, displayed B A LTIM O R E (AP) - They’re well traveled for prehis toric stone carvings, having been moved from the flood-threat ened lower Susquehanna Valley in the 1920s, then to various sites in Baltimore, ending up on concrete platforms in eastern Druid Hill Park, all but forgot ten in what is now an overgrown space. And they’ll be traveling again to a Calvert County laboratory. Eventually the more than two dozen Native American carv ings, which may be thousands of years old, will be put on dis- play. The carvings are called the Bald Friar Petroglyphs. They are older than those of the Aztecs and include concentric circles, fishlike designs and shapes that appear to depict the sun and humans, The (Baltimore) Sun reported. They were rediscovered in the fall by officials at the Mary land Historical Trust. On Thursday, state archae ologists used chisels and crow bars to dislodge the carvings. “They are an attempt by pre historic folks who lived in Mary land to communicate with each other, and they’re still commu n ica tin g to us today,” said Charles L. Hall, Maryland’s ter restrial archaeologist. “These are expressions of an inner life, a symbolic life.” Dig planned along lake NEW TOWN, N.D. (AP) — A site along Lake Sakakawea where American Indians camped and hunted ancient bison is to be excavated this summer by an archaeological team. The Beacon Island site, estimated to be about 12,000 years old, was exposed when the lake began shrinking due to re cent dry years, said Fern Swenson, the state historical preser vation director. Experts consider it one of the rarest sites in North America, she said. Some preliminary tests have been done at the site, said Fred Sellet, the field director for the excavation, who is now at the University of South Florida. “It’s very rare and it’s very exciting,” Sellet said, o f the site. “These were paleo-Indians and represent some of the earliest archaeological rem ains in that part o f the world.” The petroglyphs arrived in Baltimore in 1926 after preser vationists removed them from the lower Susquehanna Valley to avoid their being inundated by Conowingo Dam. The stones were found in the Bald Friar area of Pennsylvania. Because the rocks were too large to carry, they were blasted into smaller pieces with dyna mite. Some were reassembled like puzzles into concrete that was ordered from France. Many of the carvings were collected by the Maryland Acad em y o f S cien ces on N orth Charles Street. When the acad emy moved in the 1940s, the rocks, too large to fit into the academy’s new space, ended up in Druid Hill Park. When The Sun reported the rediscovery of the rocks last fall, H all and others feared they might be vandalized or stolen. Since then, archaeologists have removed about 26 of the carv ings, and only a handful of large rocks remain. On Thursday, archaeologists chiseled the rocks free from the con crete fo u n d atio n s, then pounded wooden wedges under the approxim ately 300-pound rocks to lift them up slightly. Officials passed ropes under the carvings and used an electric lift to transfer them onto a flatbed truck. Spily^y Tymoo June 8, 2006 Opponents of casino weighing ways to block vote PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Opponents of a proposed casino in West Warwick are considering legal options to stop a vote that would allow state residents to approve the plan. Both the House and the Senate recently approved a con stitutional amendment that would pave the way for the Narragansett Indian Tribe and its business partner, Harrah’s Entertainment, to open the casino. Rhode Island law requires all lotteries, which include casi nos, to be state-run. The amendment passed by the General Assembly would exempt the tribe and Harrah’s from that constitutional provision, which the state Supreme Court has cited in twice advising against the casino proposal. The amendment must be approved in a ballot question in November. Gov. Don Carcieri and Johnston Mayor William Macera _ whose town had a competing casino proposal with Donald Trump and his business partners _ are mulling legal chal lenges. Johnston town officials say the casino should been put out to bid to get the best deal possible. They might seek an injunction that would block the November vote. “We’re thinking about that to prevent (the vote) from going forward until we have a fair hearing,” Macera told The Provi dence Journal. “What happened there wasn’t fair at all.” Carcieri, a vocal casino opponent, has rehired a lawyer, Joseph Larisa Jr., who has previously kept the casino ques tion off the ballot. “The governor’s legal team has identified some areas of concern,” Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal said. “I think it would be imprudent now to go into specifics.” Attorney General Patrick Lynch is also deciding whether to get involved. He wants to ensure that any amendment being presented to voters is constitutional, said spokesman Michael Healey. Proponents say a casino would provide the state with mil lions o f dollars in gam ing taxes and thousands of jobs. Harrah’s officials have said they will invest up to $1 billion under their latest proposal and pay a $100 million licensing fee to the state. Critics are concerned that existing entertainment venues and restaurants could suffer a big financial loss if a casino opens. Ruling favors Oneida nation SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - A federal judge on Friday rejected Oneida County’s efforts to fore close on Oneida Indian Nation land. U.S. D istrict C ourt Jud ge David Hurd said state and fed eral laws prohibit the county from taking the land. H urd’s ruling was similar to one he made last year that prevented M adi son County from taking tribal land. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling forcing the Oneida nation to pay property taxes. That decision doesn’t entitle the co u n ty to fo reclo se on Oneida land, however, and the county must find other means to obtain any taxes owed, Hurd said. In a separate decision, Hurd also denied Madison County’s attempts to decrease the size of the Oneida Indian reservation. Eastern Shawnee tribe presses land claims in Ohio TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Oklahoma’s Eastern Shawnee tribe has asked a federal judge to allow its lawsuit to go for ward with its demand for 146 square miles of land in west ern Ohio as compensation for past injustices. The tribe filed a response Wednesday in U.S. District Court to state requests that the lawsuit before Judge James Carr be dismissed. The tribe sued Ohio, Gov. Bob Taft and 60 other govern ment entities and individuals last year after state officials ob jected to a tribe-owned casino. The tribe, forced from Ohio in the 1830s, argues that faulty treaties and land deals legitimize its land claims for the city o f Wapakoneta, part o f Lima and a rural area near Bellefontaine and hunting and fishing rights across one third of Ohio. The tribe is negotiating casino-resort agreements with a number of Ohio cities but the deals are contingent on over coming state and federal objections. Ohio Attorney General Jim Petrc has accused the East ern Shawnee of trying to bully its way into a casino. Arapaho in danger of losing their language RIVERTON, Wyo. (AP) - The director of bilingual edu cation at Wind River Tribal Col lege says the Northern Arapaho Tribe should consider putting all o f its young people into lan guage immersion programs to keep the Arapaho language from dying out. A recent survey found only 3 percent of the tribe’s 8,000 members, or about 240 people, could speak the Arapaho lan guage, according to E ugene R id gely Jr., who directs the co llege’s bilingual program s. Most of those Arapaho speak ers are at least 45 years old, he said. The Arapaho and the East ern Shoshone share the Wind River Indian Reservation, and reservation schools teach both tribal languages. But Ridgely said such instruction is limited in its effectiveness because students have few chances to practice the language outside the classroom. “One o f the biggest draw backs for those who are learn ing the language is that they still cannot talk to anyone except their fellow classmates and el ders,” he said. That’s why he’s recommend ing an immersion program, in w hich in stru ctio n w ould be given only in Arapaho _ no En glish allowed. Ridgely said im mersion programs are the most effective w ay to teach a lan guage, and that students could be paired with tribal elders so they could continue to practice. A recent pilot program in- v o lv in g ju st two stu d en ts showed some success, Ridgely said. One of the students “was successful in acquiring semi-flu ency,” he said. Results with the other student weren’t as clear. Ridgely said maintaining the Arapaho language was essential to preserving the tribe’s culture. “Loss of language means loss o f identity, culture and tradi tion,” he said. “It should be avoided at all costs.” I
