More News from Indian Country
Unique veterans ceremony
Pgge 9
Spilygy Tymoo
May 2, 2012
Obama names Gillette to top
Native American advisory post
(AP) — P re s id e n t
B arack
O bam a
has
named a m em ber o f the
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
to serv e as his se n io r
policy adviser for Native
American affairs.
O bam a last w eek an
nounced the appointment
o f Jodi Gillette to advise
him on Native American
issues on the W hite H ouse
D o m e stic P olicy C ouncil.
Gillette previously worked on
Indian issues at the Interior
D epartm ent.
O bam a says Gillette has
been a key m em ber o f his
administration’s efforts in In
dian Country.
H e says she’ll continue to
ensure that Native American
issues will have a seat at the
table.
G illette is an enrolled
m em ber o f the Standing
R ock Sioux T rib e , in
N orth D akota and South
Dakota. She holds degrees
from D artm outh College
and the University o f Min
nesota.
Maryhill opens new wing
Tina Aguilar photo for the Spilyay
Randy Smith, Ross Kalama and Andy James at the Twenty-Fifth Annual Veterans
Healing Circle at HeHe.
"Veterans and their families
gathered April 25-27 at HeHe
for the Twenty-Fifth Annual
Veterans Healing Circle.
This year’s gathering in
cluded a unique ceremony.
Several years ago, veteran
R oss K alam a p u t his w ar
medals and ribbons in the
casket w hen m other passed
away.
His older brother Larson
Kalama Sr., w ho is director
o f th e H ealing Circle, and
v e te ra n s ad v o c a te Sheila
D anzuka arranged to have
the medals and ribbons re
placed.
“H e was very surprised,
pleased and honored to re
ceive th e m ,” said T in a
Aguilar, relative who attended
the ceremony.
“I was very touched to be
able to , share in this event
along with everyone else who
came to the gathering,” she
said.
Close to 100 people at
tended this year’s gathering.
Official touts ND youth program
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -
The No. 2 official in federal
law en fo rc e m e n t said last
week his departm ent is keep
ing an eye on a pilot program
in the D akotas th at is de
signed to keep American In
dian youth from making bad,
choices, and may incorporate
it elsewhere.
James Cole, deputy attor
ney general for. the U.S. D e
partm ent o f Justice, said his
visit to the Standing Rock
Indian Reservation a day ear
lier piqued his interest in a
youth outreach series led by
G ary D elorm e, an assistant
U.S. attorney in N o rth D a
kota.
T h e p ro g ra m fe a tu re s
sp eak ers w h o talk a b o u t
In tern et and texting safety,
bullying, drug and alcohol
abuse, and gangs.
“Gary is bringing in people
who really know how to re
late to the kids,” Cole said.
“These are the kind o f open
and candid exchanges that will
help kids think about their
consequences,”
Cole said the program is
unique and he expects his
d ep artm en t to analyze the
N orth D akota results.
“A lot o f what we try to
do is science based,” Cole
said. “I t’s n o t just, boy, this
sounds Eke a good idea, let’s
do it. We have ideas that ,we
start as pilots. We may n o t
have data, but we try to look
at w h eth er there has been
some success or tangible ef
fects.
‘W hen we do see that, then
we’re going to im port these
into bther places,” he said,
Standing Rock straddles
th e b o rd e r o f N o rth and
S o u th D a k o ta . T im o th y
Purdon, the U.S. attorney in
N o rth Dakota, said a similar
program is planned by Assis
ta n t U.S. A tto rn e y Jan ice
M orley on the Spirit Lake
re s e rv a tio n in n o rth e a s t
N o rth Dakota.
“It’s an experimental p ro
gram, b ut boy, we like what
we see here,” P urdon said.
N o rth D akota contains all
or part o f four Indian reser
vations: Fort Berthold, Spirit
Lake, T urtle M ountain and
S ta n d in g R ock. A sm all
am ount o f tribal tru st land
b elo n g in g to th e S isseton
W ahpeton Oyate Tribe also
exists in southeastern N orth
D akota, although th e vast
majority o f the reservation is
located in South Dakota.
. J Cole acknowledged that
while lie received a welcome
re s p o n s e fro m stu d e n ts
Wednesday during an appear
ance at Standing Rock High
School, in F o rt Yates, the
loudest ovation was saved for
Delorme. Delorm e prom oted
his final event o f the school
year, and promised to be back
in the fall.
“I ’m trying to get you guys
to see what implications your
decisions today have on your
future,” said D elorm e, an en
rolled m em ber o f the Turtle
Mountain Band o f Chippewa.
“My primary message to you
is, I don’t want to see you in
court.”
Cole told tribal and law
enfo rcem en t leaders in, his
k eynote address T hursday
that the N o rth D akota youth
outreach plan is an example
o f a 2010 Ju stice D e p a rt
m ent directive to have U.S.
attorneys engage directly with
N ativ e A m erican g o v e rn
ments.
G O L D E N D A L E , Wash.
(AP) — The Maryhill Museum ■
o f A rt celebrates the open
in g o f a new w in g n ex t
m o n th , after m ore th an a
year o f construction.
The new wing is the first
expansion in the history o f
the museum, located south o f
Goldendale overlooking the
C o lu m b ia River. M useum
visitors will be treated to free
adm ission to celebrate the
weekend o f May 12.
Events will include behind-
the-scenes tours o f the new
wing and collections storage
areas, family art activities, an
antique car show and more.
The $10 million expansion
a d d e d m o re th a n 25,000
square feet for an education
suite, collections storage, a
new cafe an d an o u td o o r
plaza.
The museum first opened
to the public in 1940. Today,
its collections include m ore
than 80 w orks by A uguste
Rodin, E uropean and Ameri
can p ain tin g s and N ativ e
American art,
Mass, tribe unveils casino plan
B O S T O N (A P) - T h e
M ashpee W ampanoag tribe
has unveiled details o f a p ro
posed $500 million resort ca
sino in Taunton.
The tribe announced lsat
week it hopes to build the
resort over a five-year period
on 146 acres o f land at the
junction q f R outes 24 and
140.
T h e p la n calls fo r a
150,000 square foot casino,
three hotels, retail stores and
a family-oriented water park.
The tribe estimates the com
plex would create m ore than
2,500 perm anent jpbs.
T he state’s new casino law
gives exclusive rights to a fed-
erally-recognized Indian tribe
to develop a casino in south
eastern M assachusetts if it
can negotiate a com pact with
the state by July 31.
T h e A q u in n a h W am
panoag tribe is also seeking a
casino but state officials have
told the tribe it waived its right
to gaming in the 1980s.
Okla. Native caucus supports center
OKLAHOM A CITY (AP)
— T h e 18 m em b er H o u se
Native American' Caucus has
a n n o u n c e d s u p p o rt o f a
p lan n ed A m erican In d ia n
C ultu ral C en ter along the
b an k s o f th e O k lah o m a
River near downtown Okla
hom a City.
Rep. Seneca Scott o f Tulsa
and a m em ber q f the caucus
said Thursday it's the first time
in recent years that the cau
tional $40 million from the
cus,' which includes Republi
H owever,som elegislators
have b een critical o f th e
m u seu m 's estim ated $171
m illio n co sts an d H o u se
S p eak er K ris S teele says
there is little support for a
state bond issue to help fund
completion o f the center.
cans and D e m o c ra ts, has
unanim ously agreed to en
dorse a project,
The state agency oversee
ing the center says it has se
cured $40 million in private
funds to complete the project
and is looking for an addi
state.
Madras High School students Delbert Goudy, Nathan Stwyer and Jariah
Thompson, and teacher Foster Kalama spent the afternoon at the Museum at
Warm Springs learning about the Sweat Lodge.
Miss Teen Navajo wows crowd by speaking Navajo
G ALLUP, -N.M. (AP) -
W indow Rock High School
sophom ore Gypsy Shannon
Pete was left speechless when
she heard h er nam e being
announced as the new Miss
Teen Navajo last weekend at
the Navajo N ation Museum.
“I ’m speechless,” Pete said. “I
feel accom plished and very
proud o f myself. This pag
e a n t is a b o u t h elp in g th e
youth and that’s w hat I want
to contribute to.”
P ete w ow ed th e crow d
with her fluent Navajo speak
ing, which is seen as a great
talent. Young Navajo speak
ers are a rarity. Trying to re
vitalize the Navajo language
is one o f the reasons why
Miss Teen Navajo coordina
to r Mel H oskie started the
pageant three years ago.
“Anywhere you go — mov
ies, restaurants 4- you never
hear teenagers speaking to
gether in conversation N a
vajo,” Hoskie said. “We need
to have o u r language spo
ken.”
H oskie said in o rd er to
make his vision o f th e Miss
Teen Navajo a reality it took
him tw o years o f research
and preparation. Participating
as a judge in the Miss E ast
ern Navajo, Miss Navajo N a-
“My heart
pounds every
time I hear you
(contestants)
speak Nava/o, ”
tion, Miss N orthern Navajo
and Miss Central Navajo pag
eants gave Hoskie the knowl
edge o f traditional pageants.
But it was the assistance o f
his friends, Hoskie said, that
g av e h im th e e x tra h elp
needed to start his own pag
eant.
“I hope it grows,” Hoskie
said. “Last year we had three
contestants; this year we have
six. It’s grbwing.”
E ach co n testan t had to
com pete in b o th traditional
and contem porary events. As
th e dtty o f c o m p e titio n
moved on it was time for the
2011-2012 Miss Teen Navajo
Jerae Curtis to give her final
farewell speech. Curtis ex
plained in her speech how
hard it was at tim es w hen
people criticized the fact that
she wasn’t a fluent speaker or
other small discrepancies that
they saw w ith her, b u t she
never let those bad times ruin
her overall reign that she en
see m e I will be able to have
joyed.
“A t times I did discourage a conversation w ith you in
because people w ould say, Navajo.”
A fter gaining the crown as
Y ou’re n o t speaking enough
Navajo,’” Curtis said. “They the new Miss Teen Navajo,
didn’t understand that I was Pete already set as her future
goal to earn the title o f Miss
still learning.”
During the pageant Curtis N avajo N atio n , for w hich
got up on stage and attempted contestants are expected to
to speak in Navajo w ithout speak and understand fluent
reading from a sheet o f pa Navajo.
“I plan to run for Miss
p er and she vow ed to the
crowd that she will one day Navajo,” Pete said. “A nd to
be able to hold a conversa all the young wom en I want
to say be proud o f w ho you
tion in Navajo.
“My heart pounds every , are. Beauty is n o t in makeup
time I hear you (contestants) or anything like that. It’s natu
speak Navajo,” Curtis said. “I ral beauty.. Be proud to be a
prom ise you next time you D iñé woman.”