A Letter from the Publisher
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Vol. 1, Issue 25 January 8, 2014 A Letter from the Publisher Shekóli. During the course of his 30-year run consultation with tribal officials and parents.” in Congress, retired Senator Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), former chair of the Senate Most important, Dorgan emphasizes the short- Committee on Indian Affairs, proved to be one sightedness of the U.S. government’s inability to of the most dedicated friends of Indian coun- properly foster educational opportunities for Na- try in the United States government. So it’s no tive kids. He does not mince words as he draws surprise that he has continued to work hand- the connection between the perennial failures of in-hand with Natives in the three years since the government to live up to its treaty obligations he left the Senate. This week, we feature an in- and promises; the underfunding of the multitude terview with Senator Dorgan by Indian Coun- of programs designed to live up to these legal try Today Media Network’s Washington, D.C. obligations; and the vulnerability of the funds to Bureau Chief Rob Capriccioso. In it, Dorgan budgetary politics. “These are commitments by describes his current ongoing projects, namely treaty and by promises made,” says Dorgan. “I his Center for Native American Youth, and his think they should have been protected against thoughts in general on the federal government’s sequestration, and they should be protected into interactions with Indian country. The discus- the future.” sion is a fascinating primer on the interrela- tionship of major issues from the perspective While Dorgan’s presence in the Senate is missed, of someone intimately aware of how broad- his ability to form partnerships with Native peo- stroke federal policies can impact the poorest ples is heartening, and an example of how coop- and youngest among us. eration within Indian country offers promise for our youth, and future generations to come. Dorgan’s vision for the Center for Native American youth is for it to focus on general well-being of children, teen suicide pre- NΛ ki� wa, vention, and the celebration of positive achievements by kids on reservations through a program called “Champions for Change.” This program focuses on establishing role models nominated by tribal leaders as particularly exemplary. In fact, Dorgan credits the early success of his Center to its dedication to consultation. As he says, “You can’t work on these issues without having very close Ray Halbritter Table of Contents 2 COMMENTARY 14 TRADEWINDS CLASSIFIEDS 4 NEWS 15 WEB, EVENTS, LETTERS 9 Dorgan’s NEW LIFE 16 CARTOON, NEWS ALERTS 11 WHY WOUNDED KNEE LIVES 12 SAVING NATIVE EDUCATION 17 UpCOMING POW WOWS WEEK IN PHOTOS THE BIG PICTURE MAGES 13 18 I 13 P A IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com January 8, 2014 2 COMMENTARY Calling Out Dick to dance with an Indian woman is punish- asked him about the “Lander system,” and Cheney ment, a form of humiliation?” he told me there is an annual Governor’s Immediately he said, “Well, you have to One-Shot Hunt in Lander, featuring one Former Vice President Dick Cheney raised understand, that is the system in Lander shot at some critter and a lot of drinking hackles when he publicly joked at a roast [Wyoming]. That is the way things are done and carousing by people who for the most that the loser of an antelope-hunting contest up there.” I said, “What system? There is a part should have more dignity than that. in Wyoming had to dance “with an Indian system in Lander that requires you to talk My guess is that in Lander, as in other squaw.” Here his Yale College classmate like that?” “You need to understand the sys- parts of the country, it is possible to seek Philip S. “Sam” Deloria (Standing Rock tem,” he kept saying. “What is the power in out and find pockets of racism. But nasty, Sioux) tells what happens when he con- Lander that made you tell that story? What dehumanizing racism is no longer a re- fronted him at a party some weeks later: the hell are you talking about?” He pro- quirement for white people to be socially I said, “Dick, I don’t know if you remem- ceeded to make his escape, apparently hav- acceptable. ber, but I am an Indian; you don’t know my ing given up any hope that I was capable of Dick, if there is such a system in Lander, wife, but she is an Indian. Do you know understanding the system in Lander. you can change it by saying, “We shouldn’t what an awful word ‘squaw’ has become? I wrote to a good friend of mine, a white dehumanize people, even among our- Do you really mean to say that our women man of great principle from Wyoming selves.” What are you risking? http://bit. are so low on the human scale that having who happens to know Dick Cheney. I ly/19jHniC 0 Native Solidarity With Native scholars have feet in both Native colonialism in which the experience of Palestine Makes Sense American and American Studies (myself Palestinians being ejected from their lands included). What they have in common is and ethnically cleansed far more closely The December vote of the American Studies their critical perspectives on American resembles the experience of American Association (ASA) to support the boycott, colonialism. Indians, Native Hawaiians and other in- divest and sanctions movement against American Indians can often be heard digenous peoples in settler states such as Israel was widely criticized. But Dina Gilio- comparing their experience of persecu- Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Whitaker, a research associate at the Center tion to that of the Jewish people, but such American Indian intellectuals and for World Indigenous Studies, explains why a perspective exhibits a lack of knowledge scholars recognizing this express their the Native American and Indigenous Stud- of more recent history. Israel is usually solidarity for the Palestinian people—not ies Association (NAISA) recently passed a portrayed as the homeland of the Jewish against Jewish people, but against an un- similar declaration of support. people who were exiled 2,000 years ago just system of repression and profound ASA and NAISA are discreet enti- and to which they have been righteously human rights violations. And when the ties with objectives and agendas of their returned. But the conditions of that return boycott, divest and sanctions movement own, but they do share ties. The field of reveal a dark and agonizing story for the has finally reached critical mass and Israel American Studies is a mix of academic people who were already there. These are is at its tipping point, the only question disciplines that frequently crosses paths people who were also indigenous to the left will be why it took so long. http://bit. with Native American Studies and many land. It is a story of modern-day settler ly/JpEssI 0 Why Indian Gaming recognized tribes asserting land claims such an acquisition could take place. Won’t Overrun North in North Carolina. Another exception As for the Catawbas, their federal set- is for the initial reservation of a newly tlement act exempts them from the In- Carolina federally recognized tribe, but there are dian Gaming Regulatory Act and so they Some North Carolinians fear that the no newly federally recognized tribes in operate free of its restrictions. However, gaming efforts of the Catawbas would, North Carolina. And the one with the the Catawbas’ proposed site is only about when added to the current activities of best chance of recognition–the Lumbee 30 miles from their current reservation the Eastern Band of Cherokee, lead to a Tribe–has agreed to language in its rec- and is both within the Tribe’s congres- dramatic expansion of gaming in their ognition legislation that would prohibit sionally established service area and its state. But lawyer Tim Moore says the it from gaming. Finally, the act provides ancestral lands. It would be acquired pur- Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 that land taken into trust after 1988 can suant to its land settlement, and so would makes this effectively impossible, even be used for Indian gaming if both the be eligible for gaming if the federal gam- with IGRA’s built-in exceptions: governor of the state and the Secretary of ing act did apply. The exceptions to IGRA are very lim- the Interior agree such use would be ben- The bottom line is that the Eastern Band ited. There is an exception for land that eficial. Obviously, this exception grants a and the Catawbas are the only tribes that is taken into trust as part of a settlement state official veto power over the process, can establish gaming operations in North of a land claim, but there are no federally effectively requiring state consent before Carolina. http://bit.ly/1emDJ5b 0 IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com January 8, 2014 MX9032_IndianCountryTodayAd_Layout 1 12/10/13 1:46 PM Page 1 Seeking a Job in an Expanding Field? Explore AHIMA’s Coding Basics Online Program! Demand for medical coding professionals is growing. Capture the opportunity! Who Should Choose Why Choose AHIMA? AHIMA’s Coding Basics? We’re the experts and have set standards for Anyone interested in the flexibility and benefits medical information across all healthcare of our online program! settings for over 86 years • Create a training schedule to fit your needs. Seeking a Credential? – Flexible, self-paced program • Coding Basics is a recommended resource for • Individuals with healthcare backgrounds the Certified Coding Associate (CCA) exam may take a reduced number of courses to – Visit ahima.org/certification fill in knowledge gaps for more information – Coding Basics courses are approved for college credit through the American Council on Education (ACE) – Students moving into two- and four-year health information management (HIM) programs won’t need to repeat courses ahima.org/codingbasics | (800) 335-5535 The American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) has evaluated and recommended college credit for the 12 AHIMA Coding Basics courses.