News from Indian Country
P^ge 8 Spilygy Tymoo
Cherokee election still in dispute
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP)
— The Cherokee N ation Su
prem e C ourt gran ted a key
motion by Principal Chief Chad
Smith last Saturday, the second
day of a hearing over the Ameri
can Indian tribe’s disputed elec
tion.
The court ordered a com
parison of all voters in the tribal
election commission’s voter da
tabase to the tribe’s current en
rollment registry.
Smith maintains that by com
paring the two lists, it can be de
termined if unregistered voters
cast ballots during the June 25
election for the principal chief’s
office.
There was no immediate in
dication when such a compari
son m igh t be done. A bout
15,000 votes were cast during
the election.
Smith is appealing a hand
recount conducted June 30 by
the election commission after
Smith and tribal councilman Bill
John Baker were separated by
only a handful of votes. The
recount showed Baker ahead by
266 votes over Smith, who has
asked the court to order a ma
chine recount.
Unofficial returns gave Baker
the lead by 11 votes the morn
ing after the election, but the
commission declared Smith the
winner one day later by seven
votes. The overall vote totals
have been different in each
count.
The justices h aven ’t said
when they might rule on Smith's
request for a machine recount
or if they might order a new
election. The hearing was con
tinuing into Saturday evening.
After Smith’s attorneys rested
their case Saturday, Baker’s at
torneys asked the court to dis
miss the appeal, saying Smith has
failed to prove fraud. Under
Cherokee election law, the fee
for a regular appeal is $500, but
if fraud is alleged, that fee is
$1,500. Smith paid the latter
amount in filing his appeal.
The hearing Saturday began
w ith testim o ny from T erry
Rainey, who owns Automated
Election Services, about whether
the process of using machines
to count absentee ballots could
explain the difference between
the initial vote count and the
hand recount.
Baker’s campaign has said
Rainey has acknowledged in
court and in a deposition that a
double count of absentee votes
could explain the difference.
Rainey clarified those state
m ents Saturday, saying he
reached that conclusion only
because he worked through the
vote numbers in the matter of
fered by Baker’s attorneys.
Two observers of the hand
recount, V alerie G iebel and
Melanie Knight, testified about
watching tired ballot counters
and seeing tabulation issues dur
ing the recount. Giebel was an
observer for the Smith cam
paign. Under cross-examination
by Baker’s attorneys, she ac
knowledged that even though
the counters were tired, each
counter matched tallies on pre
cincts before the to tal was
agreed upon.
The Tahlequah-based Chero
kee Nation is Oklahoma’s larg
est tribe and one of the nation’s
biggest, with membership ap
proaching 300,000. Smith or
Baker w ill adm inister a $600
million annual budget after an
inauguration set for Aug. 14.
Umatilla tribe elects new chairman to top job
PEN D LETO N (AP) _
The Confederated Tribes of
the Umatilla Indian Reser
vation have elected a new
chairman of their board of
trustees, the tribe's top post.
The East Oregonian reports
that Les Minthorn, a previous
chairman and treasurer, won
with 160 votes out of 478 to
tal.
Minthorn is taking over for
Elwood Patawa, who resigned
in April and whose term ends
in November. Minthorn beat
out five other candidates.
g a rn e re d
126
v o tes.
Minthorn will b e sworn in
on Ju ly 11. He served as
chairm an o f the board of
trustees from 1974-1980.
The electio n 's runner-up
Native American rights lawyer dies at 68
BOULDER, Colo. (AP)
- David Getches, a leading
American Indian rights law
yer and former dean of the
U n iv ersity o f C olorado
School of Law, has died. He
was 68.
The Boulder Daily Cam
era reports that university
officials say Getches died at
his home a week ago Tues
day of pancreatic cancer. He
had stepped down as dean of
the law school at the end of
June to rejoin the faculty.
Getches moved to Colo
rado in 1970 to become the
founding executive director
of the Boulder-based Native
American Rights Fund. He
also served as executive di-
Getches will be remembered as
a great friend and brother to
Native people.”
As a p ro fesso r at CU,
G etches tau gh t n atu ral re
sources law, including water,
pollution, environmental and
American Indian public lands
law. Recent academic projects
in clu d ed w ork on Suprem e
Court Indian law decision-mak
ing, as well as water law involv
ing the Colorado River and in
digenous peo ple in L atin
America.
Former U.S. Attorney Troy
Eid, who in private practice spe
cializ es, in Indian law, said
G etches and CU p ro fesso r
C harles W ilkin so n forged
American Indian law as a disci-
pline o f study. Eid called
Getches a “giant of the pro
fession.”
G etches also authored
several law books in English
and Spanish, and wrote nu
merous articles on water,
natural resources and Ameri
can Indian law.
“For over 30 years, David
Getches has been a mentor,”
In terio r S ecretary Ken
Salazar said in a statement.
“He inspired my work on
conservation. He taught me
about the importance of up
holding our trust relationship
with the nation's first Ameri
cans. For Colorado and the
nation, the legacy of David
Getches' life will live forever.”
Man charged in Navajo officer’s death
The next deadline to submit
items fo r publication in the
Spilyay Tymoo is Friday,
July 22. Thank yo u !
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A
K aibeto (KY' bih toh) man
charged with first-degree mur
der in the death o f a Navajo
Nation police sergeant remains
hospitalized.
FBI spokesm an M anuel
Johnson says authorities for
mally arrested Victor Bigman at
a Flagstaff hospital last Thurs
day and are w atch in g him
around the clock.
B igm an has been under
medical care since tribal police
Choctaw Fair
starts today
PH IL A D E LPH IA , M iss.
(AP) — The Sixty-Second Annual
Choctaw Indian Fair begins this
Wednesday, July 13. The fair is
a four-day event featuring tribal
culture and spirit.
The fair will give visitors a
sampling of tribal arts, crafts and
dances along with the action of
stickball competition.
Entertainment ranges from
midway rides to performances
by
en tertain ers
C rystal
Shawanda, Leann Rimes, The
Spinners and Atlanta Rhythm
Section. The Choctaw Indian
Princess pageant is this evening.
rector of the Colorado Depart
m ent o f N atural R esources
from 1983 to 1987.
A m ong A m erican Indian
rights cases litigated by Getches,
the 1974 United States v. Wash
ington case is cited by the Na
tional Congress of American
Indians as the leading case on
enforcem ent o f tribal treaty
rights. That case involved the
fishing rights o f N orthw est
tribes granted under treaties
signed in the 1800s.
“D avid Getches forged a
revolution in federal Indian law
that led to a new respect for the
rights of Indian tribes in court
houses throughout the nation,”
Jefferson Keel, president of the
American Indian group. “Mr.
were called to his home June 25
to break up a fight between his
sons.
Authorities say Bigman inter
vened in the arrests and fired
four shots at Sgt. Darrell Curley,
who returned fire and struck
Bigman. Curley died hours later.
Jo h n so n declined to say
M artha’s Vineyard tribe
eyes Cape W ind lawsuit
AQUINNAH, Mass. (AP)
— A M arth a’s V ineyard
American Indian tribe has
announced that its tribal gov
ernm ent has authorized a
lawsuit against a wind farm
project off Cape Cod.
The Wampanoag Tribe of
Gay Head said Friday that it
wants to join more than a
dozen groups in a new legal
challenge to the proposed
130-turbine w ind farm in
Nantucket Sound.
The tribe said in a state
ment that the planned lawsuit
against the U.S. Department
of the Interior’s Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management
Regulation and Enforcement
cites multiple violations, in
cluding the destruction of
“historical, cultural and spiri
tual tribal resources.”
There are 1,121 enrolled
trib al m em bers in the
Aquinnah tribe.
M ark Rodgers, spokes
man for Cape Wind Associ
ates, said about 14 legal chal
lenges against Cape W ind
have been rejected by vari
ous courts over the past eight
years.
8 SD tribes to share in
$4.4 m illion in grants
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -
Eight American Indian tribes will
share in more than $4 million in
federal grant money for historic
preservation.
The grants are funded by rev
enues from federal oil leases on
the Outer Continental Shelf.
They're intended to pay for pre
serving cultural sites and pro
m oting education program s
about the cultural heritage of
tribes.
The Crow Creek Sioux tribe
w ill receive about $70,000.
Other South Dakota tribes to
receive grants are the Cheyenne
River, Flandreau Santee Sioux,
Oglala Sioux, Rosebud Sioux,
Sisseton -W ahp eton O yate,
S tan d in g R ock Sioux and
Yankton Sioux.
Twelve Okla. tribes receive
historic preservation grants
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -
Twelve American Indian tribes
based in Oklahoma are receiv
ing federal historic preservation
grants from the U.S. Interior
Department.
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken
Salazar says the A bsentee
Shawnee, Caddo, Cheyenne and
A rapaho, Choctaw , C itizen
Potawatomi, Comanche, Miami,
M uscogee (C reek), Paw nee,
Ponca, Quapaw and Wyandotte
tribes from Oklahoma will re
ceive grants. Nationwide, $4.4
million in grants are going to
117 tribes.
Among the Oklahoma tribes,
the size of the grants range from
$29,975 for the Caddo Nation
to $59,431 for the Muscogee
(Creek) Nation.
The gran t m oney com es
from revenues from federal oil
leases on the Outer Continental
Shelf. The money is used by the
National Park Service for tribal
historic preservation efforts.
O g la la S i o u x n a m e n e w p o lic e c h i e f
PINE RIDGE, S.D. (AP) —
The Oglala Sioux Tribe on the
Pine R idge reservatio n has
named a new police chief.
R ichard G reenw ald took
over the tribal police last week.
Tribal leaders are considering a
move to turn over public safety
responsibilities to the federal Bu-
reau of Indian Affairs. The po-
lice and tribal officials have long
feuded on the reservation south
of Rapid City. The tribe’s judi
ciary chairman, Toby Big Boy,
has said local police have not
addressed many complaints.
where Bigman was hit or discuss
his condition.
F ederal au th o rities have
charged Bigman's son, Tyson
Bigman, with assaulting another
tribal officer at the scene. He
was released from custody fol
lowing a detention hearing Fri
day.
$400
CASH REWARD
VARIETY OF CARPENTRY TOOLS
ITEMS TAKEN FROM 2572 Mt Jefferson Street, Warm
Springs, during the night of 13 June 2011. Tools were
removed from our trailer, we are trying to recover
them.
PARTIAL LIST OF MISSING TOOLS
Ridgid Compound Mitre Saw, mounted on a work stand with wheels, Model R-4120
Milwaukie, skill saw, no case
SENCO AIR NAIL GUNS:
Red head, finish nailer, with case, model Finish Pro, SFN 30
Three finish air guns in a case, black plastic
Coil siding Nailer, Model SCN 49
Framing Nail Gun, Frame Pro
Micro pin nailer. Finish Pro 11
Milwaukie, Saws-all in red plastic case, cord is detached, lots of blades
Dewalt, scroll jig saw in a black beat up metal case.
Many other items, garden tools and hoses, blower, extension cords, brooms,
Three ladders.
Police Case #11-1174 at the
Warm Springs Tribal Police Department, (541) 553-3272
Makita, 10” fold up tabla aaw, the rip guide has a broken plastic lock, m odel 2705X1
MAURICE
July 13, 2011
541-546 9008
Fans
COS
SAT. July 16, 2011
WS Campus Lawn
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Clothes gun players
Sg6es Kitchenware
Fry Bread
NDN Tacos
Rez Dogs
Funnel Cakes
Shortcake
Soda/Water
l
The House Runneth Over!!!
Please help us clean it out.
One’s mans junk is another
mans treasure!