AAnniisshhiinnaaaabbeegg TTooddaayy A Monthly Chronicle of White Earth Reservation Vol. 24 No. 8 White Earth, Minn. [email protected] Wednesday, August 7, 2019 White Earth RBC addresses issues with White Earth Reservation Elders Picnic Minnesota DHS and billing related to MAT The White Earth Reservation Business Governor Peggy Flanagan, as well as other Committee (RBC), through its Vice State staff, and expressed our concern that Chairman Eugene “Umsy” Tibbetts, submits this letter came from DHS without any this statement regarding Minnesota advance notice and without any consulta - Department of Human Services (DHS) and tion. Without the Tribe’s knowledge and the issues surrounding the agency’s position towards the end of the engagement, Mr. about billing related to Medication Assisted Ness informed the Tribe that his spouse Therapy (MAT). worked for DHS related to billing and that On April 4, Minnesota Governor Tim his role in the discussion was not a conflict Walz signed Executive Order 19-24, affirm - of interest. We are now unsure of this asser - ing the government-to-government relation - tion. We asked several questions about the ship between the State of Minnesota and content of the letter and we were told that Minnesota’s 11 Tribes. The press release our questions would be looked into for indicates that Governor Walz’s order applies answers. to all state agencies and was made in con - We had not heard anything else from sultation with both agencies and tribal DHS or the State about this matter until the governments as it was written. Tribe received a request for an urgent meet - On May 1, then-Commissioner Tony ing on July 31. The topic of the meeting was Around 250 elders Lourey sent an unsolicited letter to Vice to discuss this matter, and the fact that this attended the annual White Earth Chairman Tibbetts clarifying DHS’s posi - information would soon be made public Elders Picnic on tion regarding how the Tribe had been within the next couple of days. However, the July 26 at Waubun billing for MAT. The letter closes that the Tribe had already published a preliminary City Park. agency, “hope[s] to continue discussions on public notice through a report given by achieving our mutual goal of providing qual - Secretary-Treasurer Roy at a July 19, Elders could visit ity health care and service to members of Special Meeting with Kathy Goodwin, resource booths, White Earth Nation.” The Tribe was Eugene Tibbetts, and Raymond Auginaush enjoy a picnic-style unaware of what discussions were to be con - in attendance. lunch, and win tinued. During the phone conference, Vice door prizes. On June 27, Secretary-Treasurer Alan Chairman Tibbetts, Secretary-Treasurer Serveral White Roy and District 1 Representative Raymond Roy, and District 1 Representative Earth programs Auginaush, as well as several Tribal Auginaush repeated the concern that DHS’s helped prepare employees, travelled from White Earth to St. actual and anticipated course of action was and serve the food, Paul to discuss the letter and to address the not done with any meaningful Tribal consul - along with several Tribe’s concerns. Tribal Officials met with area youth. Patrick Ness, Senior Advisor to Lieutenant See Billing Page 5 Photos by Gary W. Padrta White Earth Tribal College donates computers N E 4 D M D 1 G E s R e A T O A k D T R N I a D S TTENTION EADERS O t TTENTION EADERS L A i N O S A R P t A R i P m A E r o T r S e R v t S P P e U This edition of the Anishinaabeg Today was D sent to the printer before the Tuesday, Aug. 6 White Earth Special Election for Chairman. Check out our White Earth Nation Facebook page or our website at www.whiteearth.com for election results. Local news sites should also r e have timely information. m S o S t v s The Pine Point Traditional Pow-Wow is Aug. W u R 9-11. See more information on Page 17. C C l E a v t The Naytahwaush Harvest Festival is Sept. 6- s o 8. See Page 6 for more information. Updates P will be provided for the September newspaper. v If you move or have moved in the past, please tell us so we can forward your newspaper or can - Submitted photo cel your old address. We still have papers going to old addresss. Members of the Naytahwaush Boys and Girls Club hold up four of the 15 computers White Earth Tribal and Community College recently donated to the club. Enjoy kids. 2 Anishinaabeg Today Wednesday, August 7, 2019 Anishinaabeg Today Bemidji State University at 100: The Anishinaabeg Today (AT) is the offical publica - American Indian Resource Center was decades in the making tion of White Earth Reservation and is published once a month. Editorials and articles appearing in the AT are By Joe Bowen “It’s the middle of three reservations,” Cook said, the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily Bemidji Pioneer referring to the three tribal nations within an hour’s drive of reflect the opinion or attitude of the AT staff or the White campus. “It made sense to have a center for Indians there.” Earth Reservation Business Committee. The Anishinaabe Family Center sat on the edge of The university struggles to retain students generally, The AT reserves the right to reject any advertising Bemidji State University’s campus for years. and the social hurdles that make a student leave before or materials submitted for publication. The submission It was a spot for American Indian students to meet, host they’ve earned a degree -- poverty, being the first in their of articles, and photos is encouraged, however, they are fundraisers, and more -- the next step of a years-long effort family to attend college, and so on -- are more pronounced subject to editing for grammar, length, and malicious/ to carve out a space for American Indian students at the uni - in the American Indian community, from which students libelous content. The Editor makes the sole decision of versity, which developed one of Minnesota’s first can feel metaphorically thrown into the deep end of acade - what is published in the AT and will not assume any Indigenous Studies programs (“Indian Studies” until a few mia. years ago) in 1969 and a seminal Ojibwe language program responsibility for unsolicited material nor will the AT “A lot of them sank,” Anton Treuer, a professor of about the same time. guarantee publication upon submission. Deadlines are Ojibwe at the university, said. “Some swam.” The building was in disrepair by the 1980s, though, strictly enforced! Deadline dates are printed on Page 2 The center, then, which routinely hosts social gather - which presented leaders there with a choice: fix it up or in each issue. ings, guest speakers, and has mechanisms in place to help think bigger. The AT is distributed at no charge to all postal students with childcare and even relatively small emergen - They chose the latter, and a decades-long effort to build patrons living on White Earth Reservation, and by mail cies like a minor car repair, works as a “home away from the school’s American Indian Resource Center began. to White Earth Reservation members (who request the home” that can replicate the functions of a traditional Leaders such as Roger Aitken, Don Day and Lee Cook newspaper - one per household) living within the United Anishinaabe community. States. The cost of a newspaper subscription is $12 per secured funding for the resource center in the early 2000s. year for non-members (including descendants) living off Red Lake Nation, White Earth Nation , and the Leech “It’s also a place where American Indian students can the reservation. The AT can be read online for no cost Lake Band of Ojibwe all chipped in several hundred thou - come be themselves,” said Bill Blackwell, Jr., the resource at www.whiteearth.com. sand dollars between them, and the rest came from center’s executive director. “You feel a lot more a part of Minnesota lawmakers then, who voted to borrow millions the campus when you’ve got people with similar back - For more information call 218-983-3285 Ext. for the project. The center opened in 2003. grounds that understand the dynamics of the culture.” 5903, email: [email protected], fax: 218-983- 3641, or write to: Anishinaabeg Today PO Box 418 White Earth, MN 56591 Member of the v Native American Journalist Association v Minnesota Newspaper Association WER Business Committee Eugene “Umsy” Tibbetts Acting Chairman / District III Representative Leonard Alan Roy Secretary-Treasurer Raymond Auginaush Sr. District I Representative Kathy Goodwin District II Representative Photo by Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer The American Indian Resource Center at Bemidji State University hosts social gatherings and guest speakers, and Editor helps students with childcare and even relatively small emergencies like a minor car repair. Gary W. Padrta White Earth’s blood drive brings in 24 volunteers Future Issues * The White Earth community hosted a blood drive with patients across the region. Donations from O-negative Vitalant, formerly United Blood Services, on June 26 at donors, the universal blood type, are especially important Deadline Issue Date White Earth Clinic, which helped collect a total of 19 units this time of year due to increased accidents and trauma cases. of blood products for patients in need. Vitalant is the only blood provider to nearly 70 hospitals August 29 September 4 A total of 24 individuals volunteered to donate blood across the region.