Published Bi-Weekly for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska • Volume XXXVIII, Number XVI Saturday, May 1, 2010 EPD Hosts “Earth Day Celebration” Banner Parade BBagoago BBits…its… The Spring Clean Up of Winnebago was held last week, with everyone pitching in, Winnebago is looking in tip-top shape. Winnebago Senior, Aaron LaPointe, signed a ‘letter of intent,’ to attend and play bas- ketball for the Briar Cliff Chargers at the nearby University, located in Sioux City, The Winnebago Tribe’s ‘Environmental Protection Department,’ held an Earth Day Celebration last week in conjunction with the Department’s Iowa. See page 11 of this issue for more. Annual Spring Community Clean-up. Students at the Winnebago Public Schools were invited to construct their own Earth Day banners and walk in the Earth Day Celebration Banner Parade. More pictures of the successful event on page 6 of this issue. Joba Chamberlain & Yankees visit the White House Courtesy of Marc Carig/The Star- Obama welcomed the Yankees on their Ledger Posted: Monday, 4/26/10 customary visit as world champions. “I’m kind of interested to see,” Cham- WASHINGTON -- President Obama berlain said. “It’s pretty fresh in my wasn’t home the last time Joba Cham- memory going last year to see how berlain visited the White House. similar the tour is, or what’s different, Chamberlain’s closest encounter with or what’s the same.” any members of the fi rst family came as For Chamberlain, it was his fi rst visit he was walking toward the Rose Garden, to the White House as a champion. For where the president’s daughters had Yankees captain Derek Jeter, it was his gone to play, prompting offi cials to divert fi fth, his fi rst coming with President The Maintenance Crew of HCI was busy the pitcher and the rest of the Yankees Clinton in offi ce. last week planting mini-pear trees along 1 Mission Drive, the entrance to the World delegation away. EDITORS NOTE: Major League sylvania Avenue, last Monday when the Headquarters of HoChunk, Incorporated. “We had to get out of there,” said Baseball World Champion, Joba Cham- Yankees visited the White House and Chamberlain. berlain invited his cousin, Winnebago presented President Obama, a fan of Of course, things were a bit differ- Tribal Council Treasurer, Brian Cham- his hometown White Sox, with a jersey ent this time around, when President berlain along for the ride to 1600 Penn- from the world champion Yankees. Indianz.com… County backs agreement for Ho-Chunk Nation trust lands The board of supervisors in Craw- [email protected] • April 28, or the inability to provide amenities ford County, Wisconsin, approved an 2010 and entertainment to compete in the intergovernmental agreement with the long run,” the tribe said. Ho-Chunk Nation. The Meskwaki Indian tribe, which Signature Management Inc. of Sioux The tribe will pay the county annu- spent $111 million on a casino-hotel City is asking state regulators for a The WIN’s Offi ce Manager, V.J. Wolfl ead- ally $1,000 for every acre of trust land. expansion project near Tama four years casino license to operate a $40 million er made his way to Albuquerque, New That comes to $80,000 a year for the ago, is opposing plans for a new, pri- gambling complex to be known as the Mexico last week for the “Gathering of next 25 years. vately operated Tama County gambling Prairie Hills Resort, Hotel and Casino. Nations,” Powwow. Here V.J. caught The agreement requires the money operation. It would include a 90-room hotel, a Head Southern Dance Judge, Winneba- to be used in a way that benefi ts the The Meskwaki Tribal Council, in restaurant, a 500-seat conference cen- go’s own, Thomas Snowball, Sr., during tribe. Of the amount, $10,000 will go a letter sent earlier this month to the ter, a recreational vehicle park, an ATV the Powwow. to a Native American art exhibit and Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, park and an outdoor amphitheater. It $70,000 will fund an economic develop- warned that another casino could cause would be built along the U.S. Highway ment coordinator in the county. adverse impacts to the existing Meskwa- 30 four-lane bypass under construc- The tribe has trust land in 12 coun- ki casino, as well as the Isle Casino in tion around Tama-Toledo. ties. Waterloo. The tribe said many casinos Signature Management President have been hurt by the recession and John Pavone said Tuesday he was dis- Get the Story: they are competing within a shrinking appointed with the tribe’s letter, “but Crawford County will get $80,000 market. we certainly still intend to extend the annually from Ho-Chunk Nation (The “Many people in the industry are olive branch to the Meskwakis.” Telegraph Herald 4/26) concerned that Iowa has reached the Pavone had previously told state saturation point and we run the risk of regulators he believed there was plenty The new construction along U.S. highway Meskwakis oppose new casino hurting existing facilities by setting up of room for growth in the Tama County 77 continues this spring, with the addition in Tama casinos that will start out at a competi- of a sidewalk, all the way from the new By WILLIAM PETROSKI • tive disadvantage due to shaky fi nancing ... Con’t. on page 7 round-about to the Winnebago Agency. Slow down for the work crews along this route. Visit us at www.winnebagotribe.com Page 2 — Winnebago Indian News, Saturday, May 1, 2010 I Was Thinking Thoughts from Bingo… by Lance Morgan throughout the Ho-Chunk Village. To date we planted several dozen trees and we intend to continue doing it as time and money become available. To be fair, the tribal facilities department is doing much the same thing with trees and plants throughout community also. In the past, the tribe only had mini- mal resources and planting trees always Come One Come All fell short when it came to budgets and that is why there are few trees in the Join us at Pony Express new areas of our community. Only a HWY 77, Winnebago, NE few of the tiny trees planted in some areas survived. We have been planting May 6, 2010 From 11am - 2pm As you may have noticed I change the much older trees to increase their visual title of this column every time. I used impact and give them a better chance to call it thoughts from HCI, but people of survival. didn’t think I should mix my opinions To me the lack of trees is a sign of with our corporate identity. That was the past. It represents old Winnebago. Come Enjoy A probably right, but most people still Things are changing for us and we know I work at HCI despite my attempts need to think of ourselves differently. at being clever with the naming. Throughout history, a culture thrives $.50 Hot Dog I called this one “Thoughts from Bin- when life gets easier. When people go,” for no reason other than I thought thrive, culture does too. When you move $.50 Cookie it might get the readers attention or at beyond day to day survival, you begin to least my mothers. look around and question things. You Earth Day at HCI want more and you are willing to focus $.50 Fountain Soda I have these pictures I use when I on the small things in life. present a power point on the Ho-Chunk The trees are a small thing, but they Village when I am out giving speeches. represent something that is far larger. The pictures show a nice green corn They are a symbol. If we have the time, fi eld and then the next picture shows desire and budget to plant trees, then that same fi eld all brown and concrete we must have moved beyond day to day We will have a few outside vendors here that day as well. after we started construction. It was survival and starting to thrive. meant to show progress, but it always No one will remember who planted made me feel bad because it seemed so the trees in 20 years, all they will know anti-environmental. is that Winnebago sure looks good and But we have been slowly changing things like a beautiful community will that. The HCI crew has been doing just be another thing our kids will just a steady job of planting trees along take for granted—as it should be. the road at HCI’s headquarters and Contact me at [email protected] Teachings of the Winnebago… As told by Larry Payer “The Little Boy and Owl” peared. It seemed like he stepped into There was this family of three; fa- the air leaving no clues. He looked as ther, mother and their son who lived in much as he could and called to him with a log cabin near a woodland area. The no avail. This continued for a few days. father worked for this farmer and his While searching for him in the deep wife did most of the chores around the woods he heard his son call to him. The homestead. Their little boy however was father looked around and looked up this troubled and he would cry a lot. Dur- huge tree. He asked him how he got up ing supper time the boy would become there and it looked like he was growing negative over things that were not very feathers. The boy replied and told him important to his parents and he would that the owls came after him, that he start to cry.