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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 2012)
r News from Indian Country Page 9 Spilyay Tym oo February 22, 2012 Family, Tulalip tribe feuding over land SEA TTLE (AP) - To the Campbell brothers, the 56 acres o f prime land near the Tulalip Tribes’ popular casino and out let mall was a chance for the family to generate income for generations to come. The parcel in the 22,000-acre Western Washington reservation had been left behind by their grandmother, a tribal member who went by the white name o f K atrina Jim and had been an allottee in a land agreem ent signed by the federal govern m ent in 1904 — back when the re s e rv a tio n h ad a b o u t 450 people. But the Campbells are now in a dispute over the land with their own tribe and the federal governm ent, saying the tribal council and the U.S. Bureau o f Indian Affairs purposefully de valued the land and then offered a quick, b elow m ark et cash value to the 50-plus sharehold ers — and got enough sellers to gain a majority ownership. “I ’m a veteran. I’m a senior,” said 67-year-old Walt Campbell. “They’re supposed to put us on a pedestal. I feel uncomfortable doing this. But something has to be done. We got railroaded on this land.” As for the tribe, what started with a bingo hall in 1983 devel oped into a casino, an entertain m en t cen ter and a 12-story, 370-room hotel and resort along Interstate 5. The hotel alone cost $130 million to build. The tribe also leases land for a 110-store outiet mall, located about 45 minutes north o f shop pers living in the Seatde area and just 15 minutes from Everett. The tribe also hosts a H om e D epot, a Wal-Mart and a soon- to-open Cabela’s. In all, the Tulalips have built at a rapid pace one o f the most economically successful tribes in the state. The revenue goes to benefit the 4,100 m em bers — 2,600 who live within the reser vation. “The tribe is prosperous for its people,” said Les Parks, a form er tribal council member and an ally o f the C am pbell brothers. ‘W e are baffled as to why the council would want to oppress an Indian family o f 50- plus members from earning an in co m e from th e land th eir grandm other w anted them to own.” The 56 undeveloped acres sit a few hundred yards from the oudet mall, where people stream door to door to buy everything from clothes to electronics. Tulalip Tribes chairman Mel Sheldon said the price paid to sellers was app ro v ed by the BIA. ...“T he Tribes paid the BIA ap proved price to those owners who wanted to sell,” he said in a statement. Tribal officials de clined to comment beyond that. An inquiry to the Bureau o f Indians Affairs this past week was n ot immediately returned. But the Campbell brothers, and the 12 other family mem bers who signed on to a lawsuit, say they don’t trust the relation ship between the bureau and the tribe. Tribe suing beer companies for alcohol problems LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) — A Native American tribe is su ing some o f the world’s largest b eer m akers, claim ing they knowingly contributed to dev astating alcohol-related problems on the Pine Ridge Indian Res ervation in the state o f South Dakota. T he Oglala Sioux Tribe o f South D akota said it is demand ing $500 million in damages for the cost o f health care, social services and child rehabilitation caused by chronic alcoholism on the reservation, which encom passes some o f the m ost impov erished counties in the United States. One in four children born on the reservation suffer from fe tal alcohol syndrome or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and th e average life expectancy is estim ated betw een 45 and 52 years— the shortest in N o rth America except for Haiti, ac cording to the lawsuit. The av erage American life expectancy is 77.5 years. The lawsuit filed in US. Dis trict C ourt o f N ebraska also targ ets fo u r b e e r sto re s in W hiteclay, a N ebraska tow n near the reservation’s border that, despite having only about a dozen residents, sold nearly 5 million cans of beer in 2010, Tribal leaders and activists blame the Nebraska businesses for chronic alcohol abuse and boódegging on the Pine Ridge reservation, where all alcohol is banned. They say m ost o f the stores’ custom ers come from the reservation, w hich spans southw est South D akota and dips into Nebraska. “You cannot sell 4.9 million 12-ounce cans o f beer and wash your hands like Pontius Pilate, and say we’ve got nothing to do w ith it being smuggled,” said Tom White, the tribe’s Omaha- based attorney. O w ners o f th e fo u r b eer stores in Whiteclay were unavail able o r d eclin ed co m m en t Thursday w hen contacted by The Associated Press. A spokes w om an fo r A nheuser-B usch InBev Worldwide said she was not yet aware o f the lawsuit, and the other four companies being su ed — SAB M iller, M o lso n C o o rs B rew ing C om pany, M lllerC oors LLC and P ab st B rew ing C om pany— did n o t immediately return messages. The lawsuit alleges that the beer makers and stores sold to Pine Ridge residents knowing they would smuggle the alcohol into the reservation to drink or resell. The beer makers supplied the stores w ith “volum es o f beer far in excess o f an amount that could be sold in compliance w ith the laws o f the state o f Nebraska” and the tribe, tribal officials allege in the lawsuit. T h e v a st m ajo rity o f The lawsuit alleges that the beer makers and stores sold to Pine Pddge residents knowing they would smuggle the alcohol into the reserva tion to drink or resell. Whiteclay’s beer store custom ers have no legal place to con sume alcohol since it’s banned on Pine Ridge, w hich is just north, state law prohibits drink ing outside the stores and the nearest town that allows alcohol is more than 20 miles (32 kilo m eters) so u th , said M ark Vasina, president o f the group Nebraskans for Peace. The Connecticut-sized reser vation has struggled with alco holism and poverty for genera tions, despite an alcohol ban in place since 1832. Pine Ridge le galized alcohol in 1970 but re stored the ban two months later, and an attem pt to allow it in 2004 died after a public outcry. T he reservation spans im poverished areas, including Sh annon County, South Dakota, which U.S. census statistics place as the third-poorest in the U.S. It has a median household in com e o f $27,300 an d nearly half o f the population falls be low federal poverty standards. Tribal President John Yellow Bird Steele said the tribe coun cil authorized the lawsuit in an e ffo rt to p ro te c t th è reservation’s youth. “Like American parents ev erywhere, we will do everything lawful we can to p ro tect the health, welfare and future o f our children,” he said. The tribe views the lawsuit as a last reso rt after num erous failed attempts to curb the abuse th ro u g h p ro tests an d public pressure on lawmakers, White added. H e said the tribal counr cil voted unanim ously about four months ago to hire his law firm. “The illegal sale and trade in alcohol in Whiteclay is open, notorious and well documented by news reports, legislative hear ings, movies, public protests and law enforcement activities,” the lawsuit states. “All o f the above have resulted in the publication o f the facts o f the illegal trade in alcohol and its devastating effects on the Lakota people, especially its children, both born and unborn.” N ebraska lawmakers have struggled for years to curb the problem , and are considering legislation this year that would allow the state to limit the types o f alcohol sold in areas like Whiteclay, The measure wòuld require local authorities to ask the state to designate the area an “alcohol impact zone.” Shiprock counselor focuses on tradition education settin g to a m ore mainstream environment. For m erly S h ip ro ck A lte rn a tiv e Schools, Inc., the school changed its name in 2007. “Students here, it seemed like some o f them had discipline is sues,” Johnson said. “They were highly m obile, m oving from school to school, and they came here because we were alterna tive.” A lth o u g h th e sch o o l has changed, some students still need additional support or help work ing through challenges, Johnson said. A dm inistrators w orked closely w ith governing board member Charley Joe to develop a job description that captured the schools’ need for contem porary counseling and trad i tional knowledge. De Vore fit the role, Johnson said. “We wanted to find someone with extensive background in tradition, someone who knows the significance o f culture,” he said. “Mr. D e Vore was very knowledgeable and had a good background. He also is fluent in a SH IPR O C K , N.M. (AP) - The towering Shiprock pinnacle is perfecdy framed by a window in W ilson D e Vore’s modular classroom tucked behind N orth west High School. D e Vore, the first traditional co u n selo r on th e payroll at Shiprock A ssociated Schools Inc., gazes at the famous land mark when he needs inspiration or tranquility. | “I ’m here because I was a headache to teachers as I was growing up,” he said during an interview. “I'm hete to tell the kids that I ’ve m ade mistakes. I share as much as I can with Students to get them to talk, to help them find their identi ties.” S h ip ro c k A s s o c ia te d Schools Inc., which comprises N o rth w est H igh School and A tsa B iy aazh C o m m u n ity School, began seeking a tradi tional counselor several years ago, Executive D irecto r Leo Jo hnson said. Adding the position was part o f the schools’ effort to change their image from an alternative English so he can connect with the students.” D e Vore, who started at the school in Septem ber, quickly moved from a classroom inside the high school to a modular building outside, he said. His tra ditional singing was disturbing nearby classes. D e Vore doesn’t mind. His new location allows students to leave th e m ain cam pus an d make a special visit to his of fice, a building he describes as “a place where you can be your self.” Inside this building, students who are referred to D e Vore by teachers, administrators or other staff members can talk openly about challenges. D e Vore also hosts classes for groups o f students who he teaches the fundam entals o f Dine culture, including the cre ation story and how youths can discover identity through tradi tion. His sessions don’t take the place o f the acadetnic Dine lan guage arid culture classes in the high school. N either is his role to convert students to native religion, he said. “It’s not conversion but iden tity,” he said. “It’s asking, “Who is that brown guy looking back at me in the mirror? W hat does it mean to be Dine?”’ Navajo legend D e Vore, who spends m ost o f his time with male students in grades 7 through 12, bases his lessons on the Hero Twins, deities in Navajo culture. The twins, as legend has it, visited Spider Woman to learn the identity o f their father. Af ter learning their father was the sun, the boys traveled to him, seeking weapons that would al low them to defend their people against the monsters and create harmony. O ne of th e tw ins, M onsterslayer, co nfronts the negativity in life, D e Vore said. His brother follows to generate resolution. Students are encouraged to use the story to find resolution to modern struggles. Choctaws get $2M for transportation projects P H IL A D E L P H IA , Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Band o f Choctaw Indians has received two federal grants to fund con struction o f a new transit main tenance facility. The tribe was awarded grant funds totaling $2.1 million. The tribe will use $192,000 to build a new Regional Vehicle Maintenance Center. Construc tion is scheduled to be com pleted by September 2013. T h e trib e also w ill use $120,000 for a new w recker, $169,000 fo r a new trolley, $102,284 for two new 17-pas- senger ADA buses and $185,000 for shop equipment. T he trib e also receives a $200,000 U.S. D epartm ent o f Transportation for the purchase o f three public transit buses. C hief Phyliss J. A nderson says the buses will be used on new routes to help tribe mem bers get to nearby colleges. Okla. AG asks Sup. Ct. to decide tribal water case OKLAHOM A CITY (AP) - O klahom a A ttorney G eneral Scott Pruitt has asked the state Supreme C ourt to decide the rights o f two Oklahoma-based American Indian tribes to water in two major streams in their historic territories in southeast ern Oklahoma. Pruitt filed an application on behalf o f the Oklahoma Water R esources B oard asking the state's highest court to assume jurisdiction over a comprehen sive stream adjudication o f the water rights o f the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations. The tribes filed a federal law suit against the state in August. It seeks an injunction to stop the board from selling water stor age rights to Sardis Lake in southeastern Oklahoma to the O klahom a City W ater Utility Trust. In a statem ent, Gov. Mary Fallin says her goal is to work with lawmakers and the tribes to develop a statew ide w ater policy. January winnings drop for Louisiana casinos BATON ROU GE, La. (AP) Last m o n th ’s w innings for Louisiana’s state-licensed casinos fell 3.5 percent from January 2011. The tally for the 13 gambling B riverboats, H arrah's land casino in N ew Orleans arid the four race track casinos totaled $185.6 million in January. Gamblers lost $191.3 m illion the previous January. The boats won $126.4 mil lion, H arrah’s won just a shade un d er $26.9 m illion and the track casinos took in $32.3 mil lion. In D ecem ber 2011, players left behind $201.9 million. The figures do n o t include In d ia n re s e rv a tio n casinos, which are not required to report their winnings to the public. Ore. gold miner gets prison (AP) — A southern O r egon gold m iner has been sentenced to a year in fed eral prison for illegally min in g on a salm on stream . 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