THE BULLETIN • MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021 A3
TODAY
It’s Monday, March 1, the 60th
day of 2021. There are 305 days
left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
In 1954, four Puerto Rican
nationalists opened fire from
the spectators’ gallery of the
U.S. House of Representatives,
wounding five members of
Congress.
In 1781, the Continental Con-
gress declared the Articles of
Confederation to be in force, fol-
lowing ratification by Maryland.
In 1893, inventor Nikola Tesla
first publicly demonstrated
radio during a meeting of the
National Electric Light Associa-
tion in St. Louis by transmitting
electromagnetic energy without
wires.
In 1954, the United States
detonated a dry-fuel hydrogen
bomb, codenamed Castle Bravo,
at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall
Islands.
In 1957, “The Cat in the Hat” by
Dr. Seuss was released to book-
stores by Random House.
In 1961, President John F. Ken-
nedy signed an executive order
establishing the Peace Corps.
In 1966, the Soviet space probe
Venera 3 impacted the surface
of Venus, becoming the first
spacecraft to reach another
planet; however, Venera was
unable to transmit any data, its
communications system having
failed.
In 1968, Johnny Cash married
June Carter at the First Method-
ist Church in Franklin, Kentucky.
In 1971, a bomb went off inside
a men’s room at the U.S. Capitol;
the radical group Weather Un-
derground claimed responsibili-
ty for the pre-dawn blast.
In 2005, Dennis Rader, the
churchgoing family man ac-
cused of leading a double life as
the BTK serial killer, was charged
in Wichita, Kansas, with 10
counts of first-degree murder.
Rader later pleaded guilty and
received multiple life sentences.
A closely divided Supreme Court
outlawed the death penalty for
juvenile criminals.
In 2010, Jay Leno returned
as host of NBC’s “The Tonight
Show.”
In 2015, tens of thousands
marched through Moscow in
honor of slain Russian opposi-
tion leader Boris Nemtsov, who
had been shot to death on Feb.
27.
Ten years ago: Yemen’s em-
battled president, Ali Abdullah
Saleh, accused the U.S., his
closest ally, of instigating the
mounting protests against him,
but the gambit failed to slow the
momentum of his ouster. The
GOP-controlled House handily
passed legislation to cut the
federal budget by $4 billion and
avert a partial shutdown of the
government for two weeks.
The Senate passed the stopgap
funding bill the next day.
Five years ago: In the Super
Tuesday primaries and caucuses,
Republican Donald Trump won
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia,
Massachusetts, Tennessee,
Vermont and Virginia; Ted Cruz
won Alaska, Oklahoma and
his home state of Texas; Marco
Rubio won Minnesota. On the
Democratic side, Hillary Clinton
won Alabama, Arkansas, Geor-
gia, Massachusetts, Tennessee,
Texas and Virginia while Bernie
Sanders prevailed in Colorado,
Minnesota, Oklahoma and his
home state of Vermont.
One year ago: Health officials in
Washington state, announcing
what was believed at the time to
be the second U.S. death from
the coronavirus, said the virus
may have been circulating for
weeks undetected in the Seattle
area. (Earlier deaths in the Seat-
tle area and in California were
subsequently linked to the vi-
rus.) State officials said New York
City had its first confirmed case
of the coronavirus, a woman in
her late 30s who had contracted
the virus while traveling in Iran.
President Donald Trump said
there was “no reason to panic”
about the virus.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Robert
Clary is 95. Singer/actor Harry
Belafonte is 94. Rock singer Mike
D’Abo (Manfred Mann) is 77.
Former Sen. John Breaux, D-La.,
is 77. Rock singer Roger Daltrey
is 77. Actor Dirk Benedict is 76.
Actor-director Ron Howard is
67. Actor Catherine Bach is 66.
Actor Tim Daly is 65. Singer-mu-
sician Jon Carroll is 64. Actor
Russell Wong is 58. Actor Chris
Eigeman is 56. Actor John David
Cullum is 55. Actor George Eads
is 54. Actor Javier Bardem is 52.
Actor Jack Davenport is 48. Ac-
tor Mark-Paul Gosselaar is 47.
Singer Tate Stevens is 46. Actor
Jensen Ackles is 43. Actor Lupita
Nyong’o is 38. Pop singer Kesha
is 34. Pop singer Justin Bieber
is 27.
— Associated Press
LOCAL, STATE & NATION
COVID-19 | Native American populations
Pandemic leaves tribes at higher risk
Problems are worst for
those that lack federal
recognition, leaders say
BY CHRISTINE FERNANDO
Associated Press
Rachel Lynne Cushman is
used to getting calls from Chi-
nook Nation members worried
about losing housing or hav-
ing their power shut off. Since
COVID-19 hit, they come in
daily.
Cushman is secretary-trea-
surer for the group of tribes
whose rural, ancestral lands are
based in one of Washington
state’s poorest counties. While
they mostly have been spared
from the health effects of the
coronavirus, the pandemic has
taken a significant economic toll.
“We’re doing the best we
can,” Cushman said. “But the
reality is we don’t have the re-
sources to help.”
Unlike federally recognized
tribes, the Chinook Nation
doesn’t have a political rela-
tionship with the United States,
which would make it eligible for
federal coronavirus relief fund-
ing for state, local and tribal gov-
ernments. Hundreds of tribes
lack the designation, which
they say leaves them struggling
to help their members and less
equipped to combat a pandemic
that’s disproportionately affected
Native Americans and other
people of color.
The 574 federally recognized
tribes shared $8 billion from
a massive coronavirus relief
package approved last March.
They have used the money to
provide meals, personal pro-
tective equipment, cleaning
supplies, COVID-19 testing,
business support, housing re-
lief and more.
Another bill that passed in
December gives those tribes
another year to spend the
money and includes funding
for vaccines, testing and hous-
ing assistance for federally rec-
ognized tribes.
The Chinook Nation — con-
sisting of the Lower Chinook,
Clatsop, Willapa, Wahkiakum
and Kathlamet tribes — re-
ceived some federal funding
through a local nonprofit for
small tribes to distribute food
to elders and help with electric-
ity bills, tribal council chairman
Tony A. (Naschio) Johnson said.
But even paired with grants, he
said it’s a drop in the bucket.
“It’s completely unfair for
our neighbors to get millions
of dollars, and for us to get
some trickle-down, if any-
thing,” Johnson said. “That’s
not to say that other tribes
shouldn’t be getting funding;
we just need funding, too.”
The path to federal recog-
nition is long, complicated
and expensive, requiring deep
anthropological and genea-
logical research and extensive
documentation proving that
the tribe is distinct from others
and has continuously operated
since the 1900s. The process
can cost millions of dollars.
Five tribes were recognized
under the Obama administra-
tion and seven tribes under the
Trump administration, the lat-
est being the Little Shell Tribe
of Chippewa Indians of Mon-
tana, according to the Interior
Department.
Ted S. Warren/AP file
Tony A. (Naschio) Johnson, center, elected chairman of the Chinook Nation, plays a drum in January 2020 as he leads tribal members and support-
ers as they march to the federal courthouse in Tacoma, Washington, as they continue their efforts to regain federal recognition.
“It’s completely unfair for our neighbors to get millions of
dollars, and for us to get some trickle-down, if anything.
That’s not to say that other tribes shouldn’t be getting
funding; we just need funding, too.”
— Tony A. (Naschio) Johnson, Chinook Nation tribal council chairman
Tribes have received the des-
ignation through treaties, acts
of Congress or by applying to
the Interior Department. With
it, tribal land is protected from
being sold, their governments
are recognized as sovereign,
and they share in federal fund-
ing for things like public safety,
education and health.
Journey started in 1899
The Chinook Nation’s quest
for federal recognition started
with hiring lawyers to fight for
land rights in 1899. The tribe
was recognized in 2001, but the
status was revoked 18 months
later after the U.S. Bureau of In-
dian Affairs ruled that it failed
to prove it had consistently ex-
isted as a tribe through history.
The revocation was trau-
matic, said Johnson, who cut
his hair in a traditional sign of
mourning. He said he some-
times looks back at a letter he
wrote to his children about the
bright future ahead and wants
to scream.
They’re still battling for the
status and got a boost from a
U.S. judge who ruled about a
year ago that a ban on the tribe
reapplying for federal recogni-
tion was unjustified.
Meanwhile, the Fernandeño
Tataviam Band of Mission In-
dians, a tribe in Los Angeles
County without a land base, has
raised $2.6 million to build a
case. It’s among six tribes based
in California, Florida, Michigan
and New Mexico whose peti-
tions are being considered by the
U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Five more tribes in Louisi-
ana, North Carolina and Cali-
fornia are seeking federal rec-
ognition but haven’t completed
their paperwork yet.
Additional roadblocks
The Los Angeles-area tribe’s
900 members are facing job
losses and food insecurity,
tribal President Rudy Ortega
said.
The problems are not un-
like what federally recognized
STATE BRIEFING
Portland demonstrators smash windows, spray graffiti
Protesters sprayed graffiti and smashed windows at several
businesses in Portland’s Pearl District late Saturday, and police
said they arrested two people before the two-hour incident ended.
Dozens reportedly participated in the protest. Social media
posts suggested the gathering was organized to protest federal im-
migration policy.
People smashed windows at a Chipotle restaurant while cus-
tomers were inside. Area residents shouted at the protesters from
their balconies to “Go home” as protesters chanted that police “Go
home.”
The Portland Police Bureau said officers arrested Darell Kim-
berlin, 31, for investigation of criminal mischief and a 17-year-old
male for investigation of interfering with a peace officer. Kimber-
lin was cited and released and the juvenile was released to his par-
ents’ custody.
— Bulletin wire report
tribes and others are facing in
the pandemic, he said, but his
tribe has additional roadblocks
to financial help. Grant fund-
ing has helped, but applying for
the money has become more
arduous after 10 tribal govern-
ment employees were laid off,
Ortega said.
“We do the best with what we
have, but we wish we had more
because we can’t fulfill every-
one’s needs on our own,” he said.
The tribe is recognized by
California, but that doesn’t
guarantee government fund-
ing. While it can open access to
state funding, state recognition
is mostly seen as a stepping
stone to federal recognition.
In the meantime, the tribe’s
leaders are asking members for
help delivering food and do-
nating money for emergency
rental assistance, COVID-19
testing and protective equip-
ment. Other than that, much of
the tribe’s funding comes from
grants and an online store.
Likewise, efforts within the
Chinook Nation to combat
the pandemic haven’t gone
far enough, tribal leaders say.
While they have taken strict
COVID-19 precautions, in-
cluding canceling big events
and encouraging people to so-
cially distance, there was little
to prepare the tribe for the eco-
nomic effects.
Tribal leaders expanded a
distribution system for those
most in need and invested in
a traditional foods program.
They distributed two to five
fish per household each week
last summer, and processed elk
and bear that volunteers of-
fered for tribal refrigerators.
But Johnson, the tribal
chairman, said what they need
most is federal status and
funding, which members have
been fighting for through let-
ter-writing efforts and social
media campaigns.
“With federal recogni-
tion, that’s how we’re going to
change the future of our com-
munity,” he said.