Vol. 2, Issue 44 June 3, 2015

A Letter from the Publisher

Shekóli. With the United States Congress in the control tween the two men and the high regard Nixon had for of the Republican Party, the close of the last term of argu- Newman—whom he felt would have been a more-famous ably the best president for Indian country ever nearly at football coach had he not been discriminated against for hand, and the 2016 elections looming on the horizon, it being Indian. The combination of personal affinity, in- is worth taking time to explore a notable moment in his- tellectual knowledge and a nose for sensible policy con- tory. In this week’s issue, ICTMN columnist and UCLA tributed in making Nixon the standard by which all U.S. Professor Duane Champagne writes about the politician presidents are judged when it comes to Indian affairs. who changed U.S. policy towards Native nations for the better: GOP President Richard M. Nixon. “Nixon’s pol- It is worth remembering that for Native nations, there icy change toward tribal self-determination was a land- are beneficial policies on both sides of the political aisle. mark initiative in Indian policy,” writes Champagne, “and Hallmark Republican policies—less governmental in- has characterized federal policy ever since.” terference and bureaucracy, more control at the local level—can be leveraged for the greater good of the U.S. In the recent book The Last Great Battle of the Indian and for Indians. As election season approaches, political Wars, author and ICTMN contributor Mark Trahant re- campaigns that seek Native support will be wise to craft counts how Forest Gerrard, the Blackfeet advisor to Sena- effective policies and messages that have worked in the tor Henry “Scoop” Jackson, crafted the policy presented past and will work again. by Jackson and embraced by Nixon. Champagne adds another layer beyond the overwhelmingly sensible politics behind NΛ ki� wa, self-determination for Indian nations—namely, Nixon’s high regard for one of his lifelong mentors, football coach and La Jolla Reserva- tion citizen Wallace Newman. At an April conference at the Nixon Library, a former Nixon staffer emphasized the close relationship be- Ray Halbritter

Table of Contents 2 COMMENTARY 13 WEEK IN PHOTOS

4 NEWS 14 WEB, EVENTS, LETTER

7 FIGHTING FOR THE 15 CARTOON, ALERTS CHILDREN

10 BEYOND ‘EMERGENCY!’ 16 POW WOWS

13 12 CLASSIFIEDS 17 BIG PICTURE ONCEATREEMUSIC.COM

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 2 COMMENTARY

Nixon and the Indians man one of the best coaches in football. And during conference sessions, Nix- Some tribal leaders believe the best time for But because he was an Indian, he did not on’s nephew Roy affirmed that “Uncle Indian governments was during the Nixon get the chance to coach for a big league Dick” and his father, Donald, often en- presidency, as ICTMN contributor Duane school. Nixon wrote in his memoirs that gaged in evening discussions about In- Champagne relates: besides his father, Wallace Newman had dian policy and issues. the greatest impact on his life and values. Early in his presidency, Nixon asked At the Richard Nixon Presidential In a panel discussion, Robert Preze- Indians to voice their views, and he lis- Library and Museum on April 24-25, a klasa, a doctoral candidate at the Uni- tened. In his 1970 address to Congress, conference was held entitled “Self-De- versity of California-Riverside, reported he asked Congress to honor Indian trea- termination and Tribal Sovereignty: The that Nixon supported Newman as com- ties, strengthen tribal governments, allow Lasting Impact of the Nixon Adminis- missioner of Indian Affairs during the tribes to subcontract federal programs, tration.” In the keynote address, former Eisenhower administration. During his and invite tribal communities to engage Nixon assistant Bobbie Kilberg discussed own administration, Nixon suggested in decision making over their futures. how Nixon relished achievements like the Newman for the position. In both cases, Nixon’s policy change toward tribal return of Blue Lake to Taos Pueblo. Kil- he did not succeed. But the nominations self-determination was a landmark initia- berg also emphasized the close relation indicate how highly Nixon regarded tive in Indian policy and has character- Nixon had to Wallace Newman, of the La Newman and expressed his confidence ized federal policy ever since. http://bit. Jolla Reservation. Nixon thought New- in his ability to manage Indian issues. ly/1cVcYtp 0

Native Authenticity on the bert in Pow Wow Highway, there is John- and the role we have played in Holly- Silver Screen ny Depp as Tonto in The Lone Ranger. wood. It is Reel Injun: On the Trail of the André Cramblit, a Karuk tribal member For every Thomas Builds-the-Fire, as Hollywood Indian. from the Klamath and Salmon rivers seen in Smoke Signals, there is an Iron One of my favorite movies with an in northwest California, protests the Eyes Cody weeping his way into 16 mm American Indian theme is Black Robe. “whitewashing” of Natives in Hollywood lore in a public-service announcement It is the story of a Jesuit priest in the fare: about pollution. wilderness who is trying to perform I am tired of being “whitewashed” by two miracles—saving the souls of the Natives have always been an easy tar- movie directors and producers. So just savage Natives and surviving the brutal get for Hollyweird’s wild lack of imagi- say no thank you to Irishman Daniel Canadian winter. Spoiler alert: He ends nation as to who we are as a people. This Day Lewis as Hawkeye in Last of the up doing neither. One reviewer, in his takes in everything from such offensive Mohicans. Adios to vile visuals such as thumbs-down review, effectively said, “I movies as 1492: Conquest of Paradise the lost boys of Peter Pan. Let’s see some didn’t like it. Everyone died in the end.” or Mel Gibson’s travesty Apocalypto, to real American Indians on our digital Imagine that—a historical picture mildly amusing offerings like Little Big screens. A good documentary annotates that contains some historical accuracy. Man. For every good character like Phil- the history of Natives on the big screen http://bit.ly/1d15lS7 0

Indian Country’s Gay population in excess of 300,000—voted to sex marriages are not allowed within this Marriage Divide ban same-sex marriages. That ban has di- jurisdiction.” Gregory Smithers, author of The Chero- vided Navajo citizens. But traditions never stay the same. Take, kee Disapora: An Indigenous History The Eastern Band of Cherokees in for instance, a provocative 1825 docu- of Migration, Resettlement, and Iden- North Carolina, with a population of ap- ment that refers to “men who assumed tity, predicts divided Native reactions to proximately 13,000, and the Cherokee the dress and performed all the duties of the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision Nation in Oklahoma, whose population women and who lived their whole life in in Obergefell v. Hodges, which could exceeds 300,000, both hold strong posi- this manner.” Anthropologists once re- determine if gay marriage is a constitu- tions against gay rights and same-sex ferred to such people as “berdache.” Today tional right: marriage. the term “two-spirits” is used to describe For gay Cherokee couples, their tribal people who defy easy classification as male At least ten tribes—such as the Chey- government’s position on same-sex mar- or female. enne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma— riage is unequivocally clear. As the state of The positions people take on the issue recognize same-sex marriages. But at least North Carolina has moved toward issu- will say as much about our own times (and 1 million Native Americans are citizens of ing marriage licenses to same-sex couples lingering prejudices) as they will about the tribal nations that do not recognize them. over the past decade, the Eastern Band of relationship of Native Americans to the These include the Osage and the Navajo. Cherokees has passed laws that declare history of colonialism in North America. In 2005, the Navajo Nation—which has a “the licensing and solemnizing of same- http://bit.ly/1cpSYhS 0

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 3 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

Murkowski Opposes EPA Clean Water Rule Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a leading figure in Alaska Native issues and a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, is opposing a new Clean Water Rule issued LEARN & PRESERVE by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The rule, released last week, will ostensibly streamline industrial permitting processes as it protects wetlands and waterways by giving the EPA jurisdiction over ditches, pud- dles and other wetland areas. “For the water in the rivers and lakes in our communities that flow to our drinking water to be clean, the streams and wetlands that feed them need to be clean too,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. But Murkowski accused the EPA of “overreaching in its efforts to expand the list of waterways covered by the Clean Water Act.” Expanding the area in Alaska that is subject to the permitting process would deter development, she argued. “The EPA’s expansion of the definition of ‘Waters of the United States’ under the Clean Water Act appears to threaten economic activities across the country—and nowhere is the impact more likely than in Alaska,” Murkowski said. “With half of all of the wetlands in the United States, Alaska is directly in the sights of the federal bureaucrats back in Washington, D.C.” Plants Have So Much to Give Us, The EPA insisted that no new permitting requirements would be implemented and All We Have to Do Is Ask that all previous exemptions and exclusions would remain in place. Murkowski coun- Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings tered that by expanding the definition of what constitutes a waterway, to include small MARY SIISIP GENIUSZ streams and wetlands, the rule is too broad. "Our state would be prohibited from mov- Edited by Wendy Makoons Geniusz ing, breathing,” she said. http://bit.ly/1FEJvhq 0 Illustrated by Annmarie Geniusz “A thoroughly engaging, holistic, and vibrant book.” — ROBIN WALL KIMMERER, author of Braiding Sweetgrass $22.95 paperback | 344 pages | 38 b&w photos

Nunavut Inuit Group Settles Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Ottawa Lawsuit for $255.5 Northern Development Bernard Val- Million court admitted the government had Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) and “dropped the ball” in 2003 in failing to the Canadian government have settled renew a 10-year implementation con- a $1 billion lawsuit, first filed in 2006, tract for the agreement, the Nunatsiaq that was brought over alleged failures to News said. implement key components of the Nun- Employment training for Inuit will avut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA). take up $175 million of the funds, with The $255.5 million agreement, reached NTI investing the other $80.5 mil- on March 5, was signed on May 4, the lion, the Nunatsiaq News said. Among Chi- mewinzha Nunatsiaq News reported. other changes, the settlement creates a Ojibwe Stories from Leech Lake The lawsuit concerned a section of new type of dispute resolution process, DOROTHY DORA WHIPPLE the NLCA that mandates affirmative NTI said, as well as new contracting Edited by Wendy Makoons Geniusz action programs and other measures measures that will enable the hiring of and Brendan Fairbanks to enable Inuit to work in government. more Inuit in government roles. In ad- Illustrated by Annmarie Geniusz This provision was to remain in effect dition, Ottawa will spend $50 million A venerable elder’s stories in the original until the proportion of Inuit working above and beyond the $255.5 million Ojibwe with English translation— an invaluable resource for learning in government was the same—85 per- settlement amount to pay for training this cherished language. cent—as that in the general Nunavut programs for Inuit over the next eight population. Though money had been years, the Nunatsiaq News said. That in- $21.95 paperback | 144 pages | 73 b&w photos spent to that end from 1993 to 1999, cludes conducting a labor force analysis. NTI claimed that once Nunavut Terri- “This is an historic moment for Inuit,” tory was officially created on April 1, said NTI President Cathy Towtongie. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS 1999, the money stopped flowing. http://bit.ly/1FMz5xr Available at better bookstores or to order 0 call 800- 621- 2736 • www.upress.umn.edu

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 4 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

Paraguay Official Sentenced for Illegal Sale of Indigenous Lands by rick kearns Reserve Ad Space for The former head of Paraguay’s In- digenous Institute has been sen- tenced to six and a half years in prison for illegally selling indig- 50 FACES enous land. A Paraguayan federal OF INDIAN COUNTRY tribunal handed down the sentence against Ruben Quesnel on April 16 for the illegal sale of 61,776 acres Special Print Edition NOW! to Julia Vargas, who has returned titles to the land to the Institute. Quesnel’s accomplice in the crime, notary Justina Esteche, received a Call (315) 447-6145 two-year sentence. Quesnel became head of the In- stitute (known as INDI) in 2012, not long after the coup that oust- ed former Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo. That same year, Quesnel illegally sold the land, which belonged to the Cuyabia community of the Ayoreo people in the Chaco region. Nineteen in- digenous families were living on the property. The Ayoreo community took public action against the sale. “In an exemplary act of resistance, organi- zation and mobilization,” UNESCO reported, “the indigenous Ayoreo came out in protest, setting up road blocks and demanding reparation of their rights in order to ensure that, despite the formal transfer of own- ership, the community would still be able to live on its lands.” The case was soon referred to Paraguay’s Spe- cial Unit for Economic Crimes and Corruption. Quesnel is still awaiting trial for allegedly stealing $700,000 from the Institute that had been earmarked for food, medical goods, road and housing works for the impoverished Yakye Axa and Sawhoyamaxa com- munities. Prosecutors had already begun to investigate the allegations distributed at: before filing charges in regard to the Santa Fe Indian Market * Global Gaming * NIGA Mid-year* NCAI * RES 2016 land sale. http://bit.ly/1AqAnOe 0

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 5 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

High Native Arrest Rate in are being considered for a new middle Minneapolis school that will be constructed on an Nine times higher than whites, important Duwamish site in the Licton says ACLU Springs neighborhood of Seattle. Along with an elementary school, the middle Native Americans in Minneapolis, Min- school will be built on the Wilson- nesota are nearly nine times more likely Pacific School site, which is situated to be arrested for minor crimes than over a spring used historically by the are whites, a new report states. The re- Duwamish people. Both facilities are port, “Picking Up The Pieces: Policing scheduled to open in the fall of 2017; Mitch Factor in America, a Minneapolis Case Study,” the middle school will house the Licton Father, Comedian, Insured was conducted by the American Civil Springs K-8 program, a successor to the Liberties Union’s Criminal Law Reform American Indian Heritage School Pro- Project and the American Civil Liberties gram. http://bit.ly/1RljEjy 0 Nothing is Union of Minnesota. It was found that Native Americans were 8.6 times more Tribes Cope With Oklahoma Funny About likely than whites to be arrested for low- Flooding level crimes that are punishable by up Minor closures and delays Not Having to $3,000 in fines or less than a year in jail. The study was based on an analy- Flooding last week briefly posed prob- Health sis of 96,000 arrests made from January lems for both the Comanche and Mus- 2012 through September 2014. http://bit. cogee tribes in Oklahoma. Workers and Insurance ly/1SFayQq 0 volunteers made and set up sandbags to keep waters at bay from homes and “Juggling a career as a Statue of Priest and Indians buildings on the Comanche reservation comedian and as a parent Is Moved in the state’s southwestern region, while is one thing. Trying University relocates controversial the Comanche Nation Casino in Lawton was closed for a day. The Comanche Na- to do it without health sculpture to indoor venue tion Community Center in Walters was insurance is another. To St. Louis University, a private Catholic designated as a shelter for victims. In travel and perform with institution, has transferred a statue of addition, the flooding forced the Mus- peace of mind, I needed the missionary priest Pierre-Jean De cogee (Creek) Nation to postpone its health coverage for myself Smet (1801-1873) that depicts him con- Festival Bass Classic until July 18. The and my family. I went verting two American Indians to Chris- decision was undertaken “for the safety online and signed up. It tianity. The statue, “Where the Rivers of our participants,” said spokesman Meet,” formerly displayed outside Fusz William Lowe. “We hope to have even was easy! Get informed. Hall, will now be displayed in the uni- more anglers for the new date.” http:// Sign up like I did. Isn’t it versity’s art museum. It shows De Smet bit.ly/1d2teJ7 0 time to get the peace of holding a cross above his head with his mind you deserve?” left hand while putting his right hand Youth Group Gets Parks on a Native American who stands below Grant him. A second Native is shown kneeling. Money will fund trips to two sa- Visit www.healthcare.gov/tribal, Writing in The University News, Ryan cred sites call 1-800-318-2596, or visit McKinley called the sculpture a depic- your Indian health care provider. tion of “colonialism, imperialism, racism The National Park Service has grant- and . . . Christian and white supremacy.” ed the Cheyenne River Youth Project http://bit.ly/1PR3MrR 0 $2,250 to help fund a two-day trip to two sites that are sacred to the Lakota Possible Native Names For Nation: Devils Tower National Monu- Middle School ment in Wyoming and Bear Butte State Two icons being considered Park in South Dakota. The youth group plans on taking 15 teens and five adult The names of fishing-rights activist chaperones on the trips. “It is a beauti- Billy Frank Jr. (Nisqually) and educa- ful thing to see organizations like yours tional leader Robert Eaglestaff (Min- touching the lives of our Native youth @CMSGov #CMSNativeHealth neconjou Lakota) are among those that and working to connect them to the

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 6 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY traditional and sacred places of their ancestors,” said Carol L. McBryant, the Park Service’s program manager for tribal interpretation and tourism. http://bit.ly/1FQQncM 0 Native Student Won’t Have To Cut Hair GET BACK TO SCHOOL! School officials relax dress Advertise in the fall print edition of code In an exemption from his school’s INDIAN COUNTRY dress code, 13-year-old Lestat Ar- chuleta (Diné) will be allowed to grow his hair long in accordance EDUCATION TODAY! with his indigenous spirituality, it was announced last week. Archuleta, a student at the Classical Academy Call (315) 447-6145 North Springs Campus in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has lately begun studying and practicing his Diné heritage; as part of his enlighten- ment, he has not been cutting his hair. But school officials said he was violating a dress code that prohibits long hair on boys. After his mother cited legal precedents, administra- tors said that Archuleta could wear his hair in a bun. BUNhttp://bit. ly/1G4G2fi 0 Saginaw Chippewa Remains Are Reburied A ‘Recommitment to the Earth’ The remains of 43 ancestors of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan were reburied in a ceremo- ny at the tribe’s Nibokaan Ancestral Cemetery on May 22. The remains, excavated from the Fairlane Estate in Dearborn, Michigan, came from the American Museum of Natural Histo- ry in New York, the Toledo Zoologi- cal Society in Ohio and the Dearborn Historical Society in Michigan. Na- tional Park Service Director Jona- than Jarvis called the reburial “a step toward addressing past violations of the treatment of human remains and sacred objects.” The cemetery was es- tablished in 1995 specifically for the reburial of repatriated remains and associated funerary items. http://bit. Wide distribution to Tribal High Schools and Colleges ly/1HyRgU7 0

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 7 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY Fighting For The Children

Adoption hearings reignite ongoing clash over Indian youth by suzette brewer

Witnesses on both sides disagreed sharply at the ICWA hearings about what was best for Native children.

Bottom Line: Native Americans believe American Rights Fund, had flown to Throughout the afternoon, one af- that their orphaned children belong in Tulsa to provide comments in the stand- ter the other, witnesses on both sides tribal homes. A vocal group of attorneys ing-room-only ballroom at the local engaged in a tug-of-war over one of disagrees. Washington has issued guide- Marriott in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hundreds the most contentious issues currently lines. Now, a blow-up is brewing. of Indian people, tribal leaders, ICWA confronting American Indian tribes: workers and lawyers from across the the right to raise their own children in John Echohawk had heard enough. country had converged for the sixth— their home communities. The debates On May 14, he listened with growing ir- and largest—public hearing conducted reopened old grievances and unhealed ritation as lawyers representing a lobby- by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The wounds. ing group denigrated proposed changes meeting was held in anticipation of the The hearing pitted tribes and their al- in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). agency updating and enforcing the pro- lies against a Washington, D.C.-based

Echohawk, who founded the Native visions of the 37-year-old ICWA. group called the American Academy of FRANK DUNCAN COURTESY

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 8 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

agree on what’s best for Indian children,” said Noelle Tucker, an adoption attorney from Edmond, Oklahoma. Tribal witnesses lodged their own complaints. Tribal attorneys and ICWA workers said their intervention on be- half of their children in state courts across the country is routinely met with irritation—if not outright contempt—by family court judges and social services. Often, they said, judges and social work- ers make it difficult for tribes to locate and reclaim their children. Emergency temporary custody hearings are often perfunctory and dismissive of the ICWA and its provisions and are the point of permanent departure for many Indian children. In many cases, the tribes argued, they are never given notification that a child Melissa Clyde (Navajo) not only attended the Albuquerque hearing, she did so with her is in the system. 18-month-old daughter, Nevaeh Asdzaan Atsa Woods. “We can’t help a child we don’t know Adoption Attorneys (AAAA). The latter the foster family. about,” said one witness. group, comprising approximately 340 at- In March, Assistant Secretary-Bureau By this point, John Echohawk was torneys nationwide, states on its website of Indian Affairs (BIA) Kevin Washburn seething. “Since the Native American that it is dedicated to “promoting the (Chickasaw) took the February guide- Rights Fund was organized 45 years reform of adoption laws and dissemi- lines a step further. He said that the ago,” he said, his voice rising, “we have nating information on ethical adoption BIA intended to seek a federal rule that been involved in thousands of cases practices.” would make the ICWA legally binding, across the country which involve our But many tribes believe the AAAA rather than “legally persuasive.” sovereignty, our homelands and our is out to stymie adoption efforts that The period for public comment re- culture. Some have been Indian child would keep Indian children within In- garding the proposed change has con- welfare. I support the proposed rule dian families—and is doing so in the cluded. Now the BIA has begun the because ICWA enables us as tribal gov- pursuit of potential profits. process of evaluating and analyzing tes- ernments to protect our children to stop For nearly a year, many of the people timony and written comments. The final their wholesale removal. who attended the six federally conduct- rule will be entered into the Federal Reg- “But in my opinion, the biggest prob- ed public hearings devoted to ICWA re- ister later this year and become codified lem we face as Indian people is the ig- form had worked in near-unprecedented into the Code of Federal Regulations. norance on display by social services, solidarity with tribal nations across the lawyers, state judges—and yes, even Su- country and numerous Indian child Showdown in Tulsa preme Court justices.” welfare organizations. They submitted At the hearing in Tulsa, AAAA mem- comments and suggested changes to bers lined up at the microphone. Among A Clash of Cultures new guidelines even before the Bureau their complaints: Indian parents and The growing conflict between the tribes of Indian Affairs (BIA) published them tribes never show up in court to in- and the adoption industry, brewing for in February. tervene in ICWA foster cases. The BIA years, came to a head during the recent In effect, those guidelines constitute does not have authority to enact regula- “Baby Veronica” case. It flared anew an attempt to halt the practice of plac- tions. The bureau failed to consult the after the Bureau of Indian Affairs pub- ing Indian children in non-Indian fos- adoption industry. Indian children with lished its February guidelines. ter homes. In some cases, children have low blood quanta should not be eligible The American Academy of Adop- been seized and placed with non-Native for ICWA. Being forced to attend the tion Attorneys has since challenged the families, in circumvention of the pref- hearings was subjecting the adoption BIA’s authority to engage in rulemaking, erences outlined in the ICWA. Under attorneys to a “hostile environment.” saying that the proposed changes “are many such circumstances, it has become Hearings were only held “east of the contrary to the best interests of Indian almost impossible for a tribe or Indian Mississippi.” children, Indian parents, and will only family to retrieve a child out of foster And so on. foster increased litigation and constitu- care after he or she has *bonded” with “I don’t know that either side will ever tional challenges.” SUZETTE BREWER

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 9 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

The American Academy of Adoption Dr. Evelyn Blanchard, a member of the Oklahoma, the two largest Indian nations Attorneys states that it is a not-for-profit Laguna Pueblo of New Mexico, has been in the United States, have stepped into the organization of U.S. and Canadian attor- working in the field of Indian child wel- fray. neys, judges and law professors. Its de- fare for over 50 years. A grandmother and “I think it’s important that this commit- clared mission is to “protect the interest of tribal elder, she says the ICWA has always tee and that the executive branch know all parties to adoption,” including “legisla- faced opposition from the social service that when we hear about children being tive efforts to amend ICWA and establish and private adoption industries. Now she forcibly removed from their families, that federal protections for birth parents.” is concerned about the campaign to un- this is not just historical accounts,” said But tribal nations are suspicious of the dermine it. Chrissi Ross Nimmo, assistant attorney organization’s motives, given that adop- “These are powerful interests that have general of the Cherokee Nation, at the tion in the United States is a big business. surrounded us because of an underlying Tulsa hearing. “This is modern day.” According to at least one estimate, the assumption that Indian kids would be In written comments to the BIA, the adoption industry pulls in some $14 bil- better off being raised outside their com- Nation was more blunt: “[The adoption lion a year, with a projected annual growth munities,” Blanchard told ICTMN. “I’ve industry] embrace[s] the idea that tribal of nearly 10 percent as approximately worked in this field a long time and I can families and tribal value systems are infe- 150,000 children are placed for adoption tell you theirs is an everlasting belief that rior to the families and values of the dom- annually. Indians are not worthy. We talk a lot about inant culture,” they said in a statement. In March, the AAAA charged that the historical trauma, but the trauma is hap- “These people brutalize tribal children new federal guidelines were published “in pening now.” and tear Indian families apart, and then what appears to be a purposeful effort to In testimony at the ICWA public hear- portray themselves as the protectors for bypass input from our Academy.” But ac- ing in Albuquerque, Blanchard recounted children’s rights. . . . It is sometimes appall- cording to one tribal lawyer who request- a recent case whereby New Mexico’s Chil- ing, 37 years after the passage of ICWA, ed anonymity, “[The new guidelines] were dren, Youth and Families Department the comments that we still hear from state not a ‘surprise.’ It was public knowledge seized two tribal children and separated employees, attorneys and even judges.” and everyone in the industry, Indian and them into two non-Indian foster homes Last month, however, a powerful coali- non-Indian alike, knew the guidelines 250 miles away, over their grandmother’s tion of organizations signed a statement were being revised. objections. After what Blanchard de- that supports the new ICWA regulations. “Their [AAAA’s] strategy has always scribed as a cursory investigation, the These groups include the National Council been to engage in equivocation to main- department said it had engaged in “rea- of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the tain the status quo, because any changes sonable efforts” to place the children in an American Civil Liberties Union, the Casey represent a loss of profit to their bottom ICWA-compliant home. Foundation and the 400,000-member line,” the lawyer continued. “The adoption “Their idea of ‘reasonable efforts’ in this strong American Bar Association. They industry doesn’t care about our Indian case is completely insufficient,” she said. were joined by hundreds of law professors, kids, all they care about is money.” “There was a unilateral decision made re- tribal representatives and Indian child wel- Throughout the process, the Academy garding their emergency placement and fare experts from across the country. has insisted that court proceedings should that’s what happens when so much is left Sharon Begay-McCabe, a tribal court weigh the “best interests” of the child, in- to individual discretion, which is com- advocate, prosecutor and former director cluding “attachment and bonding” with pounded when you have social workers of the Navajo Nation Division of Social prospective parents, which has been de- out in the boonies. But the way the guide- Services, reflected on the challenges fac- emphasized under the new proposed lines are written, you don’t have to engage ing Indian tribes during the rulemaking guidelines. Bonding, the industry says, in placement efforts until after they have process. is not simply a legal mechanism used to been seized.” “Children want to know who they are override ICWA, but a guiding principle At press time, New Mexico’s Children, and where they’re from and I think chil- followed by its members. Youth and Families Department had not dren who are raised knowing who they are Tribes, however, maintain that the responded to ICTMN’s request for a re- have a much higher chance of success in standard operating procedure among sponse to Blanchard’s presentation. life,” she told ICTMN after the Albuquer- the states is to unnecessarily hold Indian que hearing. “There needs to be enforce- children as “hostages” in state custody for “Tribal Values are Inferior” ment and penalties so we can ensure that months on end—only to claim the child For tribal nations, support of the ICWA is ICWA is followed. Because when it’s not, it had “bonded” with their foster family to not only about upholding and enforcing a hurts the child, the family, the community clear the way for termination of parental nearly 40-year-old law, but also a crucial and the tribe as a whole. We can no longer rights and formal adoption. defense of the rights of Indian children and tolerate this type of tribal destruction. the battle to guarantee the survival of the “Children,” she said, “are a gift from the “Powerful Interests Have nations themselves. To that end, the Na- holy people and there’s no price you can Surrounded Us” vajo Nation and the Cherokee Nation of put on them.” http://bit.ly/1RgRA0O 0

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 10 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY Beyond Emergency! Randolph Mantooth looks back as he forges ahead BY VINCENT SCHILLING

ever. At first they wanted me to change my name because they thought that Mantooth wasn't a good name to have. I thought they met my first name at first so I said, "Yeah, I can change my name to 'Randolph.'" They said, "That's not the name we're talking about." I looked at them and said "Change Mantooth? What the hell would I tell my dad?" I said, "No, I'm not changing that." When I say they had no imagination in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, I am not kidding. My biggest fear is that if they viewed you as an "ethnic" actor you were dead. I resisted it at first, but I certainly didn't resist being who I was. I didn't want to be known as an "Indian actor" or sadly, I wouldn't get any work. As I got older and I established myself as an actor, I became less and less afraid of that sentiment and I became more vo- cal about such things as Italians playing “Firefighters and paramedics have always had a close place in my heart,” says Mantooth. Natives in the industry, which has always annoyed me. Bottom Line: Seminole and Cherokee What are you doing these My dad, my grandmother, and my heritage is in the blood of the man who days? grandfather are Indian; my mother is played fireman/paramedic John Gage on I'm in the middle of a normal routine of German. My grandfather's Cherokee the hit series Emergency! So is a passion being on the road talking to firefighters and my grandmother’s Seminole and for acting and a commitment to helping and paramedics. I have also been writing Potawatomie. People ask me how I'm so fellow Natives in the trade. screenplays and I will probably be doing many tribes: “How do you do that?” Well, a play at Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theater you go to Oklahoma. Many television viewers who grew up in in Chelsea, Michigan sometime next year. I have since become very vocal about the '70s may immediately recognize Randy non-Indians playing Indian roles which, Mantooth as the brown haired, wavy- You've had quite a career as I said, has always bothered me. They locked paramedic and firefighter on the since you first started in the say to me, “Well, there are no Indian ac- long running TV series Emergency! Soap ‘70s. tors.” I have responded with, "Go to Can- opera fans may recognize him as Clay Al- My first job was in 1971. I was fresh out ada, because they have a lot of resources." den from the soap opera Loving or as other of school and I got a contract at Univer- These young Native actors in Canada evil or good characters in General Hospital, sal. I started doing small roles and then I have access to schooling in the arts that One Life to Live, or As the World Turns. got a role with Emergency!—and the rest American Indian students in the United Mantooth, who is of German, Semi- is history. States don't have. nole and Cherokee descent and has con- tinued to do well in the acting world, is You have also said in your You say that you speak also a proud public speaker who address- career that you had an across the country quite es firefighters and paramedics all over aversion to selecting Native a bit to firefighters and the country every year. In a conversation American roles. Can you paramedics. Can you with ICTMN, he discusses his career, his explain that? explain? love of public speaking and how he has I was very young when I said that, and Firefighters and paramedics have always addressed the challenges unique to being that was because my biggest fear was that had a close place in my heart. This is not a Native actor. Hollywood has no imagination whatso- just because I did Emergency! Right after MANTOOTH RANDY COURTESY

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 11 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY the show was completed, the fire chief Steve Houts came up to me and asked if I want- ed to become a firefighter because I had trained with them. He said I would have to take the course for firefighters but he would help me. I truly had to go home and think about it. But I really enjoyed being an actor, so I decided to stay in my profession. You've continued to do a lot of acting and speaking since the Emergency! days. You know, I was also in soap operas for a few years. I was Clay Alden in Loving and in others. Those were fun times. I was sin- gle, and I would wake up in the mornings, my feet would hit the floor and I would think, man, I'm getting paid for this? There was a lot of dialogue I had to memo- rize, sure—but they were great times. I've also been a part of Operation Pet- ticoat and many others; I even appeared in Sons of Anarchy recently.

What else have you been working on these days? I've been trying to raise funds for a screenplay entitled The Bone Game, which highlights the goods and bads of Indian casinos. They are not all run the same way and some are absolutely ben- eficial and the benefits outweigh the bad. Sometimes we can learn that our tradi- tions can be kept alive with something The cast of Emergency! in 1975. Clockwise from bottom left: Bobby Troup, Kevin Tighe, Ran- such as a casino. Saginaw Grant has ex- dolph Mantooth, Robert Fuller and Julie London. pressed interest in the script. Do you have any advice for the Family. I definitely never thought I'd be young Native actors? You've done so much in talking about this 35-plus years later. your career. What's next for Do acting for the love of it. If your high Randy Mantooth? You say you were trained as school has a play, be in it. If your college (Laughs) My wife has always said I need a firefighter. Did you ever has a play, be in it. Be generous and at a five-year plan. Yeah, I have a five-year use your life-saving training? first you will have to give for free before plan; I still hope to be breathing. Truth- I sure did. During one of the wrap parties you get paid. In Los Angeles, less than fully though, I've never had a plan. If I for Emergency! I assisted the comedian one percent of actors in the Screen Ac- was hanging with friends who were audi- Shelley Berman after he fell over one of tors Guild are making a living. And even tioning, I thought, "Ok, I’ll audition too." the tables and he was laughing and an ice fewer are making millions. I never even auditioned for Emergency! I cube got lodged in his esophagus. I man- But if you love it, if you love being a had a contract with Universal and they aged to blow some air and he coughed it storyteller, work hard and if at all pos- told me I'd be playing the part. up. The Los Angeles Times and some oth- sible get them to come to you. Los An- ers picked up the story. geles is tough. Every waiter I know is an Did you ever think actor. Go to college. College is a place Emergency! was going to be So you gave mouth to for everybody. Involve yourself and so successful? mouth to Shelley Berman? if you have a story to tell, put it up on Hell no, we thought we were going to get (Laughs) Yes, I gave mouth-to-mouth to stage. If it is in your heart, I know you canceled because we were up against All in Shelley Berman. can do it. http://bit.ly/1clMEI8 0 NBC/MARIO CASILLI/IMDB.COM

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 12 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

A Non-profit organization dedicated The White Eagle Health Center-Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma to advancing American Indian Higher is hiring: Clinic Director Education, seeks a Director of AIHEC Finance Division Salary: DOQ/DOE/Annual/ Qualifications: NARCH Research with 5+ years of 1. Minimum Bachelors Degree in health, experience. Successful candidate Manager Benefits, Full Time—Monday thru Friday business, public administration or should be able to work independently 8:00am-4:30pm equivalent experience. Preferred in a fast paced environment, be Master’s Degree in health, business, Summary: The Director administers all accurate, well organized and and public administration. departments of the White Eagle Health Center possess excellent computer and 2. Two years minimum in related health Northern Cheyenne Tribal (WEHC) and is responsible for ensuring the administration field in the Tribal Health communication skills. Housing Authority highest possible health care to all eligible field or in federal service with Indian patients. The Incumbent will also ensure that Health Service. Please visit http://ai- Northern Cheyenne Tribe patients will receive quality care in Optometry, 3. Three years supervisory experience hec.org/what-we-do/docs/an- Dental, Diabetes Prevention, Family Medicine, 4. Knowledge of procurement, grant nounce/2015_AI- Lame Deer, Montana Nutrition, Health Education, Pharmacy, administration, planning and proposal HEC-NARCH-ResearchDirector.pdf for Laboratory, X-ray, Behavioral Health, writing, budget and finance, auditing. a complete job description. Community Health Representative Program, 5. Computer proficiency with Microsoft and Dialysis Services. Additionally, Incumbent Word, Excel spreadsheets, Opening Date: May 20, 2015 will ensure that supportive business services PowerPoint, and Access database. Competitive salary (commensurate such as Billing, collections, development, and 6. Must possess excellent written and w/experience) excellent benefits. Closing Date: June 4, 2015 program planning/resource development are oral communication skills. Must be willing to submit to a meeting performance goals to strengthen 7. Must have valid driver’s license and be background check. Salary: DOE clinic operations and services. insurable. 8. Must successfully pass drug and Apply today by emailing your cover Contact: Ernest Robinson alcohol testing. letter, resume, salary requirements, and 406-477-6419 Indian Preference Policy applies to this position salary history to [email protected]. Applications must be received by June White Eagle Health Center, Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma 26, 2015. If you do not provide all of ATTN: Human Resource Email resume to: [email protected] the information requested, your resume 200 White Eagle Dr. will not be considered for employment. Ponca City, OK 74601

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IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 13 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

Once a Tree, a husband-and-wife duo fronted by Jayli Wolf (Salteaux), Carnell Chosa was one of 10 Pueblo Indians who received doctorates has released its debut music video, “Howling.” last week from Arizona State University. ONCEATREEMUSIC.COM; CHARLIE LEIGHT/ASU NEWS; THE LAWTON CONSTITUTION; GOOGLE MAPS/AMERICAN RIVERS GOOGLE MAPS/AMERICAN CONSTITUTION; THE LAWTON NEWS; CHARLIE LEIGHT/ASU ONCEATREEMUSIC.COM;

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell visited the Riverside Indian School Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye has opposed commercial in Anadarko, Oklahoma on May 27. development on the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 14 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY Headlines from the Web DELEGATION BEING SENT PLAN FOR TRIBAL CASINO IN WASHINGTON IS TAKING TO INSPECT LOWER BRULE TAUNTON A ‘CONUNDRUM’ NOTICE OF CRUMBLING NATIVE FINANCIAL RECORDS FOR GAMING COMMISSION AMERICAN SCHOOLS http://argusne.ws/1ewo9tA http://bit.ly/1erIjFd http://wapo.st/1JTpuGN

TRIBE SUES OVER DRUG NATIVE LAW STUDENTS AWARDED 162 BLACKFEET VETERANS HONORED ‘MISBRANDING’ PRESTIGIOUS CLERKSHIPS AT MONTANA MEMORIAL http://bit.ly/1LEFaNe http://bit.ly/1AuRE9i http://gftrib.com/1KAbLpK

UPCOMING EVENTS land management and ecological bal- discuss water leadership, challenges and ance. “Traditional Crafting,” “Unmanned achievements with tribal water leaders; NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENT Aerial Systems,” “Forestry Workforce” and reflect on indigenous traditions in ADVOCACY INSTITUTE and “The Carbon Marketplace” will be caring for agricultural lands and riparian CONFERENCE JUNE 4-5 among the workshops. Panels and discus- areas. Keynote addresses will be deliv- “Educating Youth for Success: Many Na- sion groups will include “Developing Our ered by historian of Pima culture David tions, One Vision” will assemble edu- Future Firefighters and Fire Leadership,” Dejong, Native poet and linguist Ofelia cational professionals from throughout “Why Indian Forestry is the Solution to Zepeda, Native attorney John Echohawk the nation to share strategies and best Our Ailing Forests” and “Indian Forestry: and Navajo historian Harry Walters. Orga- practices that have helped American In- A Model for a New Paradigm.” Among nized by the University of Arizona Water dian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian the scheduled speakers are Feline Haven, Resources Research Center in association students achieve academic success. Con- Associate Deputy Bureau Director, Office with the Gila River Indian Community. ference offerings will include “Stories of of Trust Services of the Bureau of Indian Location: Wild Horse Hotel & Casino, Native Identity: Building Community Affairs; and Fred Clark, Director of the Chandler, Arizona in Higher Education,” “Is Your Institu- Office of Tribal Relations of the U.S. For- tion Ready to Recruit (More) Native Stu- est Service. Hosted by the Coquille In- SENATE INDIAN AFFAIRS dents?”, “Developing Pathways to Success dian Tribe. COMMITTEE HEARING JUNE 10 in STEM,” “A Holistic, Tribal Education Location: Mill Casino Hotel & RV Park, Conducted by the U.S. Senate Committee Model for Student Services,” and “Circle North Bend, Oregon on Indian Affairs, this business meeting of Success: To Recruit, Retain and Serve.” and oversight hearing will consider S. Location: Washington State University, INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES 248, “A Bill to Clarify the Rights of In- Pullman, Washington ON SUSTAINABLE WATER dians and Indian Tribes on Indian Lands PRACTICES JUNE 9-10 Under the National Labor Relations Act.” NATIONAL INDIAN TIMBER Participants at the annual conference will Participants will consider the issue of vic- SYMPOSIUM JUNE 8-11 learn about indigenous perspectives on tim services in Indian country. “A Vision for the Future,” the 39th annual water; consider how this knowledge can Location: Room 628, Dirksen Office symposium, will be devoted to themes of be used to improve water management; Building, Washington, D.C.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The proposed Grand Canyon Escalade est of the Navajo Nation and Navajo partners toward local Navajo people. project, which would allow commer- people.” We are relieved because this We hope President Begaye’s admin- cial development on the south rim of has been a drawn-out fight with a istration and the council will take a the canyon and run a gondola from the Scottsdale developer, who teamed up firm stand. And we hope the local top to an elevated walkway a mile be- with Gap, Cedar Ridge and northern people begin to mend their relation- low, has been a nightmare for Navajo Bodaway stakeholders to divide our ships with one another and re-estab- families. people. lish their relationship with the land. One of the first decisions of the We hope President Begaye and the new Navajo Nation President Russell new members of the Navajo Nation —Renae Yellowhorse, Begaye has been to deem the Esca- Council will have fresh eyes when for Save the Confluence Families lade project as “not in the best inter- they see the unethical behavior of the and Supporters

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 15 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

TOP NEWS ALERTS From IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com

COQUILLE TRIBE REGAINS as chairman of the Tohono katsinam—masklike items that historic Cobell settlement, has CULTURAL LANDS O’odham Nation in south cen- are community owned, rarely so far paid nearly $435 mil- Following six months of nego- tral Arizona, Edward Manuel displayed and not meant for lion to individual landowners tiations, the Coquille Tribe of was re-elected last week to the public consumption. “This is a and restored the equivalent of Oregon has purchased 3,200 post. Manuel, who will be sworn big affront to the Hopi people,” more than 690,000 acres of acres of its ancestral land in in June 12, defeated incumbent said Hopi chairman Herman land to tribal governments. Curry County. The deal was Ned Norris, Jr. by 213 votes. The Honanie. “We must do every- completed last week between transfer of power is not expect- thing that we can to stop these DRUG BUST INVOLVES the tribe and Ecotrust Forest ed to affect a West Valley ca- auctions.” One auction was MINNESOTA RESERVATIONS Management, a forestland and sino that the Nation is building. scheduled for June 1; a sec- Forty-one people have been advisory services company. However, Manuel must now deal ond is scheduled for June 10. indicted by a federal grand The area offers timber, salmon, with litigation raised by the Gila jury in a drug trafficking con- culturally significant fauna and River Indian Community and OSAGE JOIN LAND BUY- spiracy that operated in part hunting/foraging opportuni- the Salt River Pima-Maricopa BACK PROGRAM on the Red Lake and White ties. The Coquille have dubbed Indian Community, both of The Osage Nation last week Earth Indian reservations in the land “Sek-wet-se,” refer- which operate area casinos. became the 20th tribe to sign a northwestern Minnesota. The ring to the appearance of the cooperative agreement with the alleged drug ring trafficked in area. “When you’re on the MORE KATSINAM Interior Department to imple- heroin, methamphetamine, oxy- hill, looking at the mouth of AUCTIONS IN FRANCE ment the federal Buy-Back Pro- codone and methadone, among the [Sixes] River, it resembles Once again the French auc- gram for Tribal Nations, which other controlled substances, a shinny stick,” said Tribal tion house Estimations Ventes facilitates the purchase of according to the indictment. Chairperson Brenda Meade. aux Encheres is selling sa- individual interests in fraction- Omar Sharif Beasley, who was cred Hopi artifacts, and once ated trust lands and consoli- identified as the ringleader, TOHONO O’ODHAM again the tribe is protesting. dates ownership for the tribe has drug convictions going CHAIRMAN IS RE-ELECTED This is the sixth time that the with jurisdiction. The program, back over a dozen years, ac- Twelve years after departing auction house is purveying which is a consequence of the cording to court records.

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 16 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY UPCOMING POW WOWS

AL-ANON DESERT POW WOW 9TH ANNUAL MIAMI INDIAN ALL NATIONS GATHERING 6/4/15—6/7/15 6/6/15—6/7/15 Renaissance Esmeralda Resort Miami Indians of Indiana Land Indian Wells, CA 11515 East US Highway 36 DesertPowWow.com Rockville, IN 765-210-7670 PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI POW WOW [email protected] 6/5/15—6/7/15 MNIGathering.com Prairie Peoples Park Kansas 12305 150th Road 62ND ANNUAL CHICAGO POW WOW Mayetta, KS 6/6/15—6/7/15 PBPIndianTribe.com Busse Woods Forest Preserve Elk Grove Village, IL GATEWAY TO NATIONS NEW YORK NATIVE 773-275-5871 AMERICAN HERITAGE CELEBRATION AIC-Chicago.org 6/5/15—6/7/15 Aviator Sports Complex Floyd Bennett Field 16TH ANNUAL INTERTRIBAL GATHERING 3159 Flatbush Avenue 6/6/15—6/7/15 Brooklyn, NY Fort Robinson State Park 718-686-9297 Crawford, NE [email protected] RedhawkCouncil.org 12TH ANNUAL METIS OF MAINE GATHERING AND POW WOW 6/6/15—6/7/15 47TH ANNUAL ALABAMA-COUSHATTA Yellow Feather Cultural Center TRIBE OF TEXAS POW WOW 105 Gould Road 6/5/15—6/6/15 Dayton, ME Alabama-Coushatta Reservation Ballpark 207-793-4801 571 State Park Road 56 MetisofMaine.org Livingston, TX 936-563-1116 DELAWARE RIVER BEARS CIRCLE [email protected] 6/6/15—6/7/15 Alabama-Coushatta.com Delaware County Route 28 Margaritaville, NY 29TH ANNUAL RED EARTH NATIVE 607-746-6833 AMERICAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL [email protected] 6/5/15—6/7/15 Cox Convention Center DEER RUN MINI POW WOW Oklahoma City, OK 6/6/15 405-427-5228 Deer Run Camping Resort [email protected] 111 Sheet Iron Roof Road RedEarth.org/red-earth-festival/ Gardners, PA 717-776-1075 HON-DAH CASINO SOCIAL DANCE AND [email protected] POW WOW IN THE PINES 6/6/15—6/7/15 3RD ANNUAL HIDDEN VALLEY POW WOW Hon-Dah Festival Grounds 6/6/15—6/7/15 777 Highway 260 Hidden Valley Golf/RV Campgrounds Pinetop, AZ Derry, NH Hon-Dah.com 508-880-6887

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com June 3, 2015 17 INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

‘Spiral’ is one of several ceramics by Navajo artist Christine McHorse currently displayed at the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. ADDISON DOTY PHOTOGRAPHY ADDISON DOTY

IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.comTHE JuneJuly 10, 3,BIG 20152013 PICTURE