Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2000)
Smoke Signals 2 mi? V ftMHMi ii ill in na Quinaults ask reversal of sovereignty status for Cowlitz PORTLAND, OR. (AP) - The Quinault Indian Nation has asked the federal Interior Board of Indian Ap peals to reconsider the government's decision to recognize the Cowlitz In dian Tribe of Longview, Washington, as a sovereign Tribal nation. The appeal delays implementation of a Feb. 14 decision by U.S. Assis tant Interior Secretary Kevin Gover to extend to the Cowlitz Tribe the rights and privileges shared by the 556 federally recognized Tribes in the United States. The recognition process interests some Oregon Tribes, including the Grand Ronde. The Cowlitz, if recog nized, could build a casino within an hour's drive of Portland and compete with Oregon Tribal casinos. The Cowlitz Tribe has been seek ing recognition for the past 25 years through the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Three years ago, the bureau found in the Cowlitz' favor. Then in February, the bureau made its final determination, again in favor of the Cowlitz. But the Quinault, located in West ern Washington and whose members include individuals from seven his toric Tribes, including the Cowlitz, re cently asked a three-member panel to review the evidence in the case. An attorney for the Quinault ar gues that a re-analysis of the evi dence, among other things, would likely show the Upper and Lower Cowlitz bands ceased to exist as func tioning Tribal entities in the late 19th century. Cowlitz representatives say the appeal is an attempt to block Cowlitz claims to lands on the Quinault's richly timbered 200,000-plus-acre coastal reservation in Western Washington. Cowlitz attorney Dennis Whittlesey says the Quinault recently offered to drop its opposition if the Cowlitz would give up its interests and rights in the Quinault Reservation. The history of the Quinault Reser vation, and the Cowlitz claims, goes back to 19th century federal policy toward Western Washington Tribes and subsequent treaties and federal court decisions. Beckham says the Cowlitz are one of eight Tribes whose members have allotments parcels of land held in trust on the Quinault Reservation. Beckham said the Quinault Reser vation originally was established af ter the 1855 Treaty of Olympia, signed by the Quinault and Quileute Tribes. The Cowlitz were never forced to live on the reservation, but some were given allotments on the reservation, particularly in the 1930s, after res ervation timberlands were opened up for allotment. Beckham says 16 percent of the Quinault's reservation is held in trust by the federal government for mem bers of the Cowlitz. Whittlesey says the Tribe will assert jurisdiction over those lands when the Tribe is recog nized. Federally recognized Tribes are considered sovereign nations, depen dent on the federal government, with the right to govern their own citizens, to exercise jurisdiction on reservation lands, and they are eligible for fed eral health, economic, education, housing and other assistance. A year after Makah hunt, students work on whale's legacy NEAH BAY, WA. (AP) - A year after the Makah Indians reclaimed their centuries-old whaling tradition, high school students are about half way through an effort to ensure the first whale a permanent place in Tribal history. Students in shop teacher Bill Monette's carpentry class at Neah Bay School are preparing the skeleton for display at the Makah Museum. "It's THE whale. It's special," says Jessie Giovane, 17, a senior who has put in many hours on the project. When they're finished, the whale's bones will be suspended from the mu seum ceiling, floating above a display of dugout canoes. Before last spring, it had been 70 years since the Makah killed a whale. Hunting stopped in the 1920s after gray-whale populations were deci mated by commercial whaling. . After grays were taken off the En dangered Species List in 1994, the Tribe moved to resume whale hunts guaranteed under their 1855 treaty. The move brought high-profile op position from environmental groups, but a novice crew in a 32-foot cedar canoe finally made a kill on May 17, 1999. Hundreds of Makah watched the pursuit on live television and waited hours in the rain as the 31-foot gray whale was towed home to welcom ing prayers and cheers. The skeleton project began once the whale was removed from the beach and its meat and blubber were dis tributed among Tribal members. "It's a good chance for us to be in volved in the history," said Dan DePoe, 17, a senior who says the hunt not only brought the commu nity together but "brought other Tribes together with us." Those who oppose the Tribal whal ing "don't understand fully," Monette said. "Everything in that whale was used, even the bones." Now that the communal first hunt is over, whaling is up to Makah fami lies, the traditional way. Six have expressed interest, and one group has received two 10-day whaling per mits this spring from the Tribal whal ing commission. Whalers this spring have thrown their harpoons at sev eral grays but missed. vvneii tney re iimsnea, me wnaie s dui a novice crew in a az-ioot ceaar nunt not only brought the commu- eral grays but missed. High school drops nickname after pressure to drop "Redskins' CANAJOHARIE, NY (AP) A Smith, who is part Cherokee and was offensive to Native Americans. was on athletic uniforms, hi community upset that its school board dropped the nickname "Redskins" a year ago has decided to have no mascot. Students and residents in the Canajoharie Central School District voted that they would rather have no name for their teams. "It'll just be simplified," said Cathy originally wanted to keep the Redskins name. "I think that 'no mascot' lends dig nity. I like it," said Marcia Velicky, who helped organize the vote. "No mascot" was the top choice of 10 names, which included Castle guards, Pioneers and Cougars. The school board decided Redskins Many residents in the rural area 46 miles northwest of Albany criti cized the school board for throw ing out the Redskins name a year ago without notice that they were considering a change. As a result, the committee was formed. For years, the name and the logo of an American Indian in full headdress was on athletic uniforms, high school T-shirts, jackets and other items. If the school board goes along with the vote, high school sports teams will feature CHS on their jerseys, while the middle school will use CMS and CES for the elementary school. Many students from kindergarten through 12th grade cast ballots. Tribe, state and local governments to share $1.8 million in grants SEATTLE, WA. (AP) Contaminated "brownfields" in Washington are the target of $1.8 million in grants announced by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The grant money will be divided among the Colville Tribe of Northern Washington, Kitsap County, the City of Tacoma and the state Department of Community Trade and Economic Development. The federal program has made grants for tens of millions of dollars to cities nationwide to clean up the brownfields. Brownfields are mostly abandoned and former industrial properties that are polluted, but not severely enough to qualify for the EPA superfund list. The trade department will receive the largest portion of the money: $1.2 million for a revolving loan fund for locally organized redevelopment projects. Two-thirds of the money will go to projects in the Seattle-Tacoma area, and the rest will be available for projects elsewhere in Washington which "have landfills, (former) industrial property, fish and food processors and mill sites that need to be returned to productive use," the EPA said in a press release. Tacoma will receive $200,000 to train 45 low-income students to be environ mental technicians and work on redevelopment projects in the Nalley Valley. The Colville Tribe will receive $200,000 for cleanup of former Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Services sites on the reservation, both of which have unspecified contamination. Kitsap County will receive $200,000 for redevelopment and another $50,000 in "greenspace" funding. Clarification of Native American lands held in trust SPOKANE, WA. - The Risk Man agement Agency's Office in Spokane recently clarified the definition of Native American lands held in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Tribal governing bodies who wish to purchase USDA federally subsi dized crop insurance products. Native American land is frequently held in trust by the BIA or a Tribal governing body and leased to opera tors. Applications for insurance for Native American land held in trust by the BIA or Tribal Governing body are handled similar to other trusts. Councils can be issued crop insurance contracts in the BIA or Tribal Council's name to insure their share ofa crop farmed by a tenant. The name of the trust is the name insured. Often BIA trusts are referred to as allotments, identify an allotment number. BIA or Tribal governing body leases this land by allotment, which is a portion of land owned by an entire Tribe or a portion of mem bers within a Tribe. A seperate in surance policy is required for each allotment with different owners. All of the crop insurance regula tions and procedures concerning Catastrophic Risk Protection (CAT), Limited, Additional and revenue policy coverage apply to the insur ance of these contracts. All other Native American entities will be in sured as applicable (i.e., individuals, partnerships, joint operations, etc.) Native American farmers who need more information about crop insur ance products should contact a crop insurance agent. A listing is avail able at USDA Service Centers or at www.rma.usda.govtoolsagents.
