News from Indian Country
Page 9
Spilyay Tyrnoo
October 11, 2007
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California voters may be asked to decide casino expansion
SACRAMENTO (AP)—O p ­
ponents o f a nearly 30 percent
expansion o f tribal gambling be­
gan turning in petition signatures
Friday for what could prove to
be latest ballot fight over Indian
casinos in California.
A group opposing deals be­
tween four wealthy Southern Cali­
fornia tribes and Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger said it has col­
lected enough signatures to let
voters decide if the agreements
should be revoked. It said the rest
o f the signatures will be turned in
by Monday to the secretary o f
state’s office.
T he deals, w hich were ap­
p ro v ed by th e Legislature in
June, would allow the four tribes
to install a? many as 17,000 ad­
ditional slot machines.
In e x ch an g e, th e A gua
Caliente Band o f Cahuilla Indi­
ans in P a lm S p rin g s, th e
M orongo Band o f Mission In­
dians in Cabazon, thé Pechanga
B and o f L u isén o In d ian s in
Temecula and Sycuan Band o f
th e Kumeyaay N atio n in San
Diego would share à percentage
o f their earnings with the state.
But a coalitioft o f two other
tribes, horsetrack owners and a
casino workers’ union say the
deals are flawed. The coalition
consists o f the United Auburn
Indian Comm unity east o f Sac­
ramento, the Pala Band o f Mis­
sio n In d ia n s in R iv ersid e
County, Unite H È R E Interna­
tional Union and Terry Fancher,
managing partner o f the parent
company o f Bay Meadows and
Filmmaker makes mark with film featuring Navajos
AL B U Q U E R Q U E ,
N.M., (AP)— W hen Travis
Hamilton set out to make his
first feature length film on
the Navajo Nation, he lacked
money and experience as a
director and had a crew that
knew ev en less a b o u t
moviemaking than he did.
B u t n eith er he n o r his
crew .were short on desire to
capture a Navajo sfoty j n its
true setting.
“It really came down to I
believed in them and they be­
lieved in me,” he said.
H am ilton now boasts, a
m ovie, “T urquoise Rose,”
that features Navajos in ev­
ery Navajo role and a crew
th at is 90 p ercent Navajo.
That, he believes, is- some­
thing unique in the film in­
dustry
“I really feel th at w e’re
just on the very tip o f N a­
tive cinema,” he said. “For
m erit’s humbling to kind o f
look and realize I had a little
tiny hand in getting some o f
that moving.”
‘Turquoise Rose” is the story
o f a big-city Nayajo girl w ho has
plans to vacation in E urope for
the summer with her roommate.
B ut w hen her grandm other on
the reservation becomes sick,
she m ust choose between car­
ing for her or sticking tp her
vacation plan.
Hamilton crafted the script
after being pulled from film
school at Scottsdale Community
College in A rizona for a 15-
m onth deploym ent to Iraq. It
was there w here two N avajo
wom en in his National G uard
unit gave him the idea for the
story line.
I t h a s n ’t far o f f from his
first short film he had produced
in school about a young Navajo
girl on the reservation. ,
“I don’t know why I was writ­
ing a chick flick,” he said. “It’s
just th at that’s what happened.”
Hamilton’s main fear was that
his idea would be rejected by Na-
vajos, who he said often are leary
o f a story being told through the
eyes o f a non-Native.
“I knew going into what I was
trying to do that that would be way that it was more real,”
a factor,” he said. “I f I was na­ she said. ‘P eo p le that were
tive, I would feel the same way.” a part o f that were actually
But Hamilton arm ed himself N ative A m ericans, young
with the Navajo cast and crew, and also Navajo. They could
cultural advisers, letters o f sup­ po rtray w hat they w ere a.
p o rt from tribal leaders and a p art o f because this is the
resume that included at least 12 way that they live.”
other productions filmed on the
Hamilton has two other
Navajo Nation.
productions lined up . to be
Hamilton also had lived on filmed o n the Navajo reser­
th e v ast reserv atio n fo r two vation, but he said he’s hold­
years before he began writing ing o ff until he breaks even
the script for “Turquoise Rose.” on “Turquoise Rose.” V
The film, which for the
As a M orm on missionary, he
butchered sheep, hauled wood majority o f the actors was
from the mountains and made their first tim e on screen,
was show n ip Gallup this
bread from scratch.
“I t was th e n up to, ‘L et’s' week.
make the best movie we can and
“It was a very true and
let the movie speak for itself” positive story., In the end,
hopefully if fostered pride
he said.
Lorie Lee, media production especially with thè youth that
specialist for the Navajo Nation they need to stay connected
Film Office, said the nearly $1 to our traditional homeland,”
million film, which debuted in said Lee, w ho has seen the
the tribe’s capital o f W indow film. “W hat we have as Dine
Rock, Ariz., has a sense o f au­ bu t also knowing we have to
thenticity n o t seen in other pro­ live sometimes ,jn the m od­
ern world.”
ductions. ;
“I think it was unique in the
C om pany begins sellin g buffalo-cranberiy energy bars
R A PID CITY, S.D. (AP)-^~.
A n A m erican In d ian -o w n ed
company has gone back to its
roots for a healthy, natural al­
ternative to the energy bars now
on the market: the Tanka Bar,
made w ith South D akota bison
and Wisconsin cranberries.
The Pine Ridge Indian Res­
ervation company came up with
the Tanka Bar as a modern-day
spinoff o f a traditional Lakota
food called “wasna” that sus­
tained G reat Plains Indians dur­
ing long trips centuries ago.
T he Tanka Bar is produced
and marketed by Native Alneri-
can N atural Foods, who^e pri­
mary owners, Karlene H unter
and Mark Tilsen, also run a di­
re c t marketing company, Lakota
Express.
After two years o f develop­
ment, the bars launch Friday at
the Black Hills Pow Wow in Rapid
City arid will be available for sale
online a t www.tarikabar.com and
eventually at some stores.
H u n ter said native people
were healthy before they started
eating fo o d w ith w hiçh they
were unaccustomed. T hat has
led to epidemic rates o f diabe­
tes an d o th e r h e alth -related
probleiris, she said.
“W e’ré- g e ttin g back to a
healthy lifestyle and a healthy
diet,” H unter said o f the new
venture. “The buffalo supported
everything to us — meat, uten­
sils, clothing. I t ’s com ing full
circle.” ■ <
Bison m eatis high in protein
and low in cholesterol. The cran­
berries add antioxidants and a
sweet, natural flavor, Tilsen said.
The bars look like jerky but have
a lotfriaorë water in them than
the dried meat, he said. Each
package is'sealed with a unique
card that keeps the bars fresh.
“It will be the first protein bar
on the market with meat in it and
the first dried meat product that
has fruit in jt,” Tilsen said.
E a c h 1-o u n ce b a r has 70
calories and will retail fori$2.25.
T he smaller Tanka Bites, which
are half th e’size, also go on sale
Friday. Tanka Trail, a mix o f
sh re d d e d b u ffa lo and d ried
cranberries, is due o u t in the
spfing-
Chiidren o n the Pine Ridge
Reservation w ho helped test the
v ario u s recip es d u b b e d th e
T anka B ar “b u ffa lo candy,”
Tilsen said.
The buffalo snacks are a lot
health ier th a n cheap snacks
loaded w ith processed ingredi­
ents, said D r. K evin Weiland,
an internal medicine physician
from Rapid City w ho w rote a
book called “The D akota D iet”
a b o u t th e health benefits o f
eating grass-fed buffalo and
o th e r su c h fo o d fro m th e
plains.
Weiland was part , o f an up­
c o m in g PB S d o c u m e n ta ry
filmed earlier this year featur­
ing Beau LeBeau, a Lakota man
w ho lost m ore than 60 pounds
in 100 days, lowered his choles­
terol and reduced the fat in his
liver simply by eating bison and
other natural foods.
“H e basically is a diet-qO&-.(
trolled diabetic by what he’s eat­
ing,” Weiland said.
O n e o f th e p e o p le w h o
helped vtith development o fth e
T an k a B ar, b u ffa lo e x p e rt
Duane Lammers o f Hermosa,
said more Americans are discov­
ering the benefits o f eating bi­
son, though the market is mi­
nuscule compared to beef.
M ost jerky eaters are yourig
m en, b u t the Tanka Bar’s sweet
taste and softer texture will at­
tract health-conscious people
o f all ages because they taste
good, aren’t salty and stick to
the ribs, he said.
“I think this is a product that
is going to appeal to people as a.
snack, w h eth er it’s at a g o lf
course o r ju s t o u t fp r a day
hike,” Lammers said.
- “I f you’re n o t starv ed to
death when you eat the first one,
jjt seems to carry you pretty well
to the next meal.”
Hollywood Park race tracks.
They point to a state analyst’s
report that found the gambling
expansion for the four tribes
w ould n o t p rovide as m uch
money to die state as promised.
They also argue the deals amount
to one o f the single hugest expan­
sions o f gambling in the nation’s
history and a major shift in , the
state’s policy toward Indian gam­
bling.
A1 Lundeen, spokesman for
the coalition, said the group be­
gan turning in nearly (700,000
signatures to p u t four referenda
against the compacts on the Feb.
5 presidential primary ballot.
“Voters want to have a say,
and they want to say no to this
drastic change in gaming policy,”
Lundeen said.
G roups ask U C Berkley
to return artifacts
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP)—
Native American groups have
asked the University o f Califor­
nia, Berkeley, to return th o u ­
sands o f m useum artifacts to
tribes from California to Alaska.
U niversity s ta ff m em bers
joined tribal representatives in
a p ro te s t Friday, calling fo r
tribes to be given a say in the
H earst Museum’s decisions on
which items in its collection must
be returned. The Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, D.C.
is the only museum in the coun­
try that has a larger collection
o f remains than the Hearst.
A reorganization o f the m u­
seum stripped tribal representa­
tives o f their say in deciding
which o f the museum’s artifacts
get chosen for return. Now, the
decision making in the hands o f
museum staff.
“It’s our ancestral right to bury
our dead,” said 43-year-old Lenora
Starr, a descendant o f Oregon’s
Warm Springs tribe. “Regardless
o f which nation you are a mem­
ber of, I consider this our people.”
Native American groups are
trying to get possession o f hu­
man remains and cultural arti­
facts using the Native American
■Graves Protection and Repatria­
tion A ctil^r a law th at -orders
museums and federal agencies
to return as many o f the esti­
m ated 200,0.00 rem ains being
held for study as possible.
A ssistant Chancellor Beata
FitzPatrick said the university is
abiding by the law.
“I would like to say our chan­
cellor has very great respect for
native peoples,” FitzPatrick said.
“We believe the university is in
compliance with (the law).”
Former Miss South Dakota
promotes new Nike shoe
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP)—-A
fo rm e r M iss S outh D akota,
Vanessa Shortbull, is a spokes­
woman for Nike’s new Air-Na­
tive N -7, a shoe the company
says is designed specifically for
the foot "structure o f American
Indians.
The shoes w on’t be available
from retailers. Nike plans to sell
the shoes wholesale, for $42.80
a pair, to Indian wellness pro­
grams, reservation schools, the
Indian Health Service and simi­
lar organizations. Shortbull said
the proceeds will go back to In ­
dian health and wellness” pro-
grams.
Air Natives will be offered
free as incentives to participate
in programs to prevent obesity
and diabetes. Nike said the N-*7
is m ade to fit the w ider arid
“taller” feet o f Indians.
- Shortbull, 28, was b o rn in
Pine Ridge and grew up in Rapid
City. She was' Miss South D a­
kota in 2(302.
She’ll travel and speak on
behalf o f Nike as time allows.
Shortbull is employed with the
Northwest Portland Area Indian
Health Board in O regon and is
in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Muckleshoot tribe buying Salish
Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls
S N O Q U A L M IE , W ash.
(AP) _ T he Muckleshoot Tribe
is buying the Salish Ldjdge at
Snoqualmie Falls.
The Muckleshoots beat out
the Snoqualm ie T ribe, w hich
regards the falls as sacred.
A Muckleshoot spokesman,
Rollin Fatiand, says -it respects
the significance o f the site and
bought the resort as a business
opportunity The tribe plans no
change in the lodge, which was
built in 1919.
T he sale price was n o t an­
n o u n c e d , b u t K in g C o u n ty
records show the property is
válued at more than $16 million.
Tribes sift for history in road project
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.
(AP) p Some clues to ancient
life , may em erge fro m th e
c a re fu l e x c a v a tio n o f an
A m erican Iridian site th a t
Could be paved over w hen
highway crews begin construc­
tion on a safety im provem ent
project.
The last day o f the four-
week archaeological dig by
U n iv ersity o f O re g o n re ­
searchers and tribal members
was Friday. Testing o f arti­
facts from the site indicate
that people lived there as far
Back as 1,500 years ago.
O ne portion o f the site has
primarily prehistoric signifi­
cance while another portion
is th e lo c a tio n o f p o te n tia l
hofnes built on top o f prehis­
toric remains, said Pat OGrady,
staff archaeologist.
Artifacts found include obsid­
ian flakés called debitage and
bone and shell fragments. Ar­
rowheads were unearthed as well
as blue beads and even fish
scalesl
O ne m em ber o f the dig was
D eborah Herrera, w ho grew up
in th e sm all to w n o f B eatty
along Highway 140 near Kla­
m ath Falls. A descendant o f the
Modoc, Yahooskin and Pamte
tribes, Herrera's grandfather was
given an allotment p f land near
Beatty in the early 20th century.
“W hatever they found o u t
here I wanted to witness first
hand,’’.Herrera said.
The state first' sought to
improve a dangerous curve
on the highway in the 1970s,
when artifacts were discov­
ered during land surveys.
The curve is a regular site
for accidents because vehicles
don't slow down enough to
m ake th e tu rn safely, said
Tom Connolly, University o f
O regon research director.
T h e d isco v ery o f a rti­
facts c o m b in e d w ith th e
p resen ce o f w etlands and
fish spawning grounds com ­
plicated efforts to im prove
the highway.
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Senate panel OKs bill to return bones to tribes
R IC H L A N D ,
W ash.
(AP)— A U.S. Senate com m it­
tee has approved a bill th a t
could allow American Indian
trib e s to claim th e an cie n t
bones o f K ennewick Man, a
9,300-year-old skeleton found-
o n the banks o f the C olum ­
bia River in 1996.
T h is is th e th ird tim e a
change has been proposed to
the N ative A m erican G raves
P ro te c tio n and R ep atriatio n
Act. T he change would ensure
th at federally recognized tribes
could claim Ancient rem ains
even if a direct link to a ,tribe
can’t be proven.
The act governs the control
o f American Indian skeletons,
requiring museums and federal
agencies to return them to tribes
if there is evidence that links the
remains to the tribes.
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