PRESS RELEASE

 

Native American Transglobal Summit, held at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando Florida

 

"CELEBRATION OF SPIRIT-Path of the Warrior"

Event held at the Walt Disney World Resort hotel, expected to attract 1,000 attendees including:

Artists, actors, professionals, motorcycle industry, and some of the largest corporations to raise money for Native American Achievement Centers

August 10, 2008

 

For Immediate Release, Tinton Falls, New Jersey,

We are just 10 days away from the opening celebration, of the COS on August 20^th, and the excitement is just exhilarating, as we continue to add more and more wonderful people to our line up of events.

The Event is taking place at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando Florida, beginning Wed. August 20^th thru Sat. August 23^rd.

The entire event is built to generate global awareness about diversity, and the Native American Communities, its hopes, aspirations, accomplishments and ongoing path.

The lineup of supporters and sponsors from the national corporate community is groundbreaking: Wal-Mart, IBM, UPS, HP, Walt Disney, Marathon Oil, Verizon, Coca Cola, Lockheed Martin, BNSF, Dell, ConAgra Foods, Conoco Phillips, Northrop Grumman and many more.

On day two for instance will the COS offer the Talking Stick Supplier Diversity Forum, at which Native American business owners are encouraged to join and learn, how to become a supplier to participate in the billions of dollars of revenue The Federal Government/Department of Defense and corporations such as IBM, Marathon Oil, Northrop Grumman and others spend annually procuring products and services from Native American owned businesses. During lunch, you'll enjoy a panel discussion with well known Native American women CEOs such as Dr.Freda Porter - CEO & President, Porter Scientific
Valerie Red-Horse - Senior Managing Director Tribal Finance Western International Securities, Monica Simeon - CEO, Sister Sky, Andrea Rush - CEO Rush Trucking
Moderator:  Marilyn Johnson, Vice President Market Development IBM
who will speak about their experiences and success as business leaders/owners.  

This approach to helping the native compete on the job market "has broken new ground in bringing technology to rural and low-income Native American communities," said Wayne Rustin, Director  Global Equal Opportunity, Marketplace and Workforce Diversity, IBM.

The COS is continuing to add to the already registered 200 plus Tribal Leaders and Elders that will be attending, and will be part of many panel discussions pertaining Indian Issues.

In addition will the COS also host a very special concert event which will help raise much-needed funds for Native American technology centers, the four-day event will feature prominent leaders and native celebrities from many of the 565 Indian Nations recognized by the federal government.

This is part of the line-up,

Award winning Actress and one of our finest Ms. Tonantzin Carmelo, known for her work as Thunder Heart Woman from Into the West, which for this role Tonantzin received various awards as well as a prestigious nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actress in a TV Movie, Tonantzin is also part of a brand new documentary PBS Mini-series which will air in 2009 called,

"We Shall Remain" will bring her knowledge and profoundly visionary voice, to some of the COS keynote events, and panel discussions.

Ms.Irene Bedard Native American Actress and definitely one of our Pioneers, known through films such as Smoke Signals, and also as her role as Margaret Light Shines in Stephen Spielbergs "Into the West", and her role as Pocahontas, will share her experiences, and her thoughts, about our Native American Women, people and struggles, adding her profound knowledge of the Media Industry, and bringing a true role model to any of the young American Indian Women that will be present throughout the event. 

Dr. Joseph Kalt head of the Indian Studies Department at Harvard University will be a Keynote speaker about American Indian Studies, Education and the furthering of the American Indians.

Dr. Michael Epitropoulos, PhD in Nutrition, Chiropractor, and Dr. Arnold Vera, Board Certified in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, are co-founders of the Vera Endo Wellness Institute will speak on the health of Native Americans 

Russell & Pearl Means co-founders of AIM, Actor with numerous powerful roles such as Chingachgook in Last of the Mohicans, also part of the new PBS Mini-series " We Shall Remain, Educator and Visionaries, will add their experiences, visions, hopes and voices in several of the events, Joanne Shenandoah Musician and Visionary, will be performing as will The Aztec Fire Dancers astound you with their unique ancient methods of Indigenous dancing with fire.

Dr.Will Morreau Goins Renowned Native American Author of Native American Literature, Cultural Speaker, Story Teller and Advocate, Pat Spears Co- Founder & President of the Intertribal Council on Utility Policy and is also on the Executive Board of Native Energy, and some surprises for later...

Red Feather Woman (Rose Red Elk), our 2006 Native American Music Award Winner and also traditional story teller, Kevin Locke Famous Flutist and Visionary Hoop Dancer, also will add to the wonderful Entertainment line-up, which Kevin will come directly from his Tour in Europe just to participate in the Celebration of Spirit.

John Two Hawks Award Winning Flutist will be performing, adding a spiritual experience through his music.

Fred Snyder, Director of the International Native American Co-Operative, which Fred will actually be traveling 2300 miles from Tucson AZ, Fred and his family will have unique hand-made crafts from over 300 Tribal Nations of North America. An information desk with maps, brochures, Indian Events, will be available free for those who want to know more about the 556 Tribal Nations in America;  The NATIVE AMERICAN DIRECTORY an 886 page book [The Indian Red Pages ] will be given away each hour in a drawing, the largest collection of  antique seed beads  from 1860-1910 will be on display and available to repair you treasured grandmothers beadwork, a collection of Indian old pawn turquoise jewelry will be a highlight of the 4 day exposition for the most serious collector. Some items that the Information & Trade Center will bring are baskets ,bead-work ,fetishes , kachinas , Alaska ivory / bone carvings ,Southwest turquoise jewelry ,miniatures for doll collectors ,Indian music including flute ,powwow, peyote, storytelling ,and Native American Church, drums ,and pottery of the Southwest.  

The Celebration of Spirit Charity Motorcycle Ride is on Day Four.  Image Makers Advertising, The Biker Guide Magazine, Main Street Merchants' Association and the Full Moon Saloon have joined together to host musical entertainment and the unveiling of the Celebration of Spirit Themed Motorcycle built by Apache Builder, Daniel Sanchez of Cut Throat Customs, Humble, TX. Attendees will also be greeted with opportunities to enter raffles, win prizes, including a 3 Day/2 Night getaway, and the first 250 registered riders will receive welcome bags. The event begins at 11:00am at the Full Moon Saloon for the ride registration and the riders will leave at 2:00pm from Historic Main Street Daytona to arrive at Vans Skate Park at Festival Bay Mall on International Drive in Orlando, FL to attend the 2^nd Annual Native Skate Jam.

More details and registration is available through http://www.hopeharmony.org/  and http://www.namcham.org/.

If you would like to participate, attend and be part of this truly amazing Celebration, then please contact us as soon as possible to register, and secure your rooms.

We like to add, that all proceeds of this event are paying for the event itself, and all remaining funds will go directly back into the establishing of more Native American Achievement Centers throughout Indian Country.

Please join us at the Celebration of Spirit, and within the American Indian Proverb:

We all will be remembered by the tracks that we leave!

Cherrie Richardson Collazo                 

Acting Media Chair COS                             

crichardson66@comcast.net               

Main: 732-747-7518

                            

Carroll Coccia

Chair of the Native American Chamber of Commerce, Houston TX

cocchia1@sbcglobal.net

Mobile: 713-614-1272

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

"CELEBRATION OF SPIRIT"

August 7, 2008

 

 

Tinton Falls, NJ - for immediate release

Tansi, osiyo ,hua  kola, hau halito, istonko, Yá'át'ééh, kwai, kahe, dagot ee, Haaah, epivah-wuh-ennah, Pave-ésheeva, halito, auka, maruawe haitsi,kwaay,waciye, hau koda, han, dosha, um waynuma, asujutidli,aksunai,uma, aho, kiana, Kwe kwe,wa tkwanowera:ton,hacika no,haawka,onkwaho,aquai, estonko, hesci,aniin,boozhoo,he ha,way, sekoli, mike-tu-cubin,manahoo,tan kahk, saygo,nich-che-coogh,mique-wush-taagoven  Meaning Hello in Several Native American Languages

From the COS Committee 

Well Friends, we are now in the countdown phase for the Celebration of Spirit Conference, which is only 13 days away. A lot has happened since the last release, and I am sure that you will be as excited as we are about the following: 

The Dates are August 20th thru August 23rd 2008, at the Disney World Resort in Orlando Florida

This Event has and is continuing to create quite a buzz throughout Indian Country, but since it has been some time, let me just recap on some of the people that will be participating this year and are attending so far:

Award winning Actress and one of our finest Ms. Tonantzin Carmelo, known for her work as Thunder Heart Woman from Into the West, which for this role Tonantzin received various awards as well as a prestigious nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actress in a TV Movie, Tonantzin is also part of a brand new documentary PBS Mini-series which will air in 2009 called,

 "We Shall Remain", will bring her knowledge and profoundly visionary voice, to some of the COS keynote events, and panel discussions.

Ms.Irene Bedard Native American Actress and definitely one of our Pioneers, known thru Films such as Smoke Signals, and also as her role as Margaret Light Shines in Stephen Spielbergs "Into the West", her role as Pocahontas, will share her experiences, and her thoughts, about our Native American Women, people and struggles, adding her profound knowledge of the Media Industry, and bringing a true role model to any of the young American Indian Women that will be present throughout the event. 

Dr. Joseph Kalt Head of the Indian Studies Department at Harvard University will be a Keynote speaker about American Indian Studies, Education and the furthering of the American Indian etc.

Russell & Pearl Means Co-Founders of AIM, Actor with numerous powerful roles such as Chingachgook,in Last of the Mohicans, also part of the new PBS Mini-series " We Shall Remain, Educator and Visionaries, will add their experiences, visions, hopes and voices in several of the events, Joanne Shenandoah Musician and Visionary, will be performing as will The Aztec Fire Dancers astound you with their unique ancient methods of Indigenous dancing with fire.

Red Feather Woman (Rose Red Elk), our 2006 Native American Music Award Winner and also traditional story teller, Kevin Locke Famous Flutist and Visionary Hoop Dancer, also will add to the wonderful Entertainment line-up, which Kevin will come directly from his Tour in Europe just to participate in the Celebration of Spirit.

John Tow Hawks Award Winning Flutist will be performing, adding a spiritual experience through his music.

 Fred Synder, Director of the International Native American Co-Operative, which Fred will actually be traveling 2300 miles from Tucson AZ, Fred and his family will have unique hand-made crafts from over 300 Tribal Nations of North America. An information desk with maps, brochures, Indian Events, will be available free for those who want to know more about the 556 Tribal Nations in America;  The NATIVE AMERICAN DIRECTORY an 886 page book [The Indian Red Pages ] will be given away each hour in a drawing, the largest collection of  antique seed beads  from 1860-1910 will be on display and available to repair you treasured grandmothers beadwork, a collection of Indian old pawn turquoise jewelry will be a highlight of the 4 day exposition for the most serious collector. Some items that the Information & Trade Center will bring are baskets ,bead-work ,fetishes , kachinas , Alaska ivory / bone carvings ,Southwest turquoise jewelry ,miniatures for doll collectors ,Indian music including flute ,powwow, peyote, storytelling ,and Native American Church, drums ,and pottery of the Southwest.  

On day two of the Event, Native American business owners are encouraged to join the Indian Talking Stick Supplier Diversity Forum to learn how to become a supplier to participate in the billions of dollars of revenue The Federal Government/Department of Defense and corporations such as IBM, Marathon Oil, Northrup Grumman and others spend annually procuring products and services from Native American owned businesses. During lunch, you'll enjoy a panel discussion with well known Native American women CEOs such as, Dr.Freda Porter - CEO & President, Porter Scientific
Valerie Red-Horse - Senior Managing Director, Tribal Finance, Western International Securities, Monica Simeon - CEO, Sister Sky, Andrea Rush - CEO, Rush Trucking
Moderator:  Marilyn Johnson, Vice President, Market Development, IBM
who will speak about their experiences and success as business leaders/owners.  

The new additions to the COS line-up and program are Dr.Will Morreau Goins Renowned Native American Author of Native American Literature, Cultural Speaker, Story Teller and Advocate, Pat Spears Co- Founder & President of the Intertribal Council on Utility Policy also on the Executive Board of Native Energy, and some surprises for later...

We have also at this time at least 200 plus Native American tribal leaders registered to join the COS, which will proof to be powerful and emotional with regards to the different events as they will unfold.

Now next imagine the wind in your hair as you ride...what comes to mind?

The next best thing to being on a horse...A Bike Run...yes friends you have heard correctly...and here is a little on that;

The Native American Chamber of Commerce, The Biker Guide Magazine, Image Makers Advertising Agency, The Main Street Merchants Association and the Full Moon Saloon join together in commemoration of the first annual Celebration of Spirit Native American Charity Motorcycle Ride.  This inaugural ride will take place on August 23, 2008 and all riders are welcome.

The event will kick off at 11:00am with registration and an unveiling of the Celebration of Spirit custom motorcycle built by a well known Native American bike builder (Danny Sanchez, Cut Throat Customs Fabrication, from Houston, TX. There will be raffles and other prizes, along with entertainment and food. Attendees can register to win a 3 day /2 night weekend getaway a Full Moon Saloon Jacket and a unique piece of Native American Art. The first 250 riders participating in the Celebration of Spirit Ride will receive Welcome Bags upon their arrival. The riders will leave Historic Main Street at 2:00pm, after shopping and touring Main Street shops.  They will ride to Van's Skate Park, located at the Festival Bay Mall on International Drive where the second annual Native Skate Jam will be in full swing.  The motorcyclist will have a welcome reception, the opportunity to attend the skateboarding events and tour the many shops at Festival Bay Mall. Funds donated in lieu of registration fees will go directly to the Achievement Centers created by the Native American Chamber of Commerce (http://www.namcham.org/) on reservations. 

As an added FYI, has our committee invited all of this year's presidential candidate's!

If you would like to participate, attend and be part of this groundbreaking Celebration, then please contact us as soon as possible to register, and secure your rooms.

Also would we like to add, that the proceeds of this event are paying for the event, and all remaining funds will go directly back into the establishing of more Native American Achievement Centers throughout Indian Country.

We will keep the memento going, as we do expect many different surprises to still come our way with regards to Sponsors, Media Coverage, and especially participants. We will keep you informed as these things happen, and rest assured that The Indian Proverb goes; we all will be remembered by the tracks that we leave!

Please reach out to us with any question, to register and / or any sponsoring thoughts.

Cherrie Richardson Collazo                Carroll Coccia

Acting Media Chair                                Chair of the AICC, Houston TX

crichardson66@comcast.net             coccia1@sbcglobal.net

Main: 732-747-7518                             Mobile: 713-614-1272

 Tan si to ALL MY RELATION...

I am sitting here listening to one of my favorite CD's by Cree Summer...'Street Faerrie"...and the track playing is called Curious White Boy ( none the less....;-) )...I went to myspace, and one of my Native sisters blasted the news below...as I read...I started to laugh, since the song and the below...it just all seems to flow together...also had I met with the Chairman of American Indian Tv last Thursday...the meeting went well, and you know what...BELIEVE THIS...the NDN is coming once again...he never left...he's not going to...and the sooner this country get's a grip on that...the better we all be off...

It is amazing how long it takes for someone...to think...hmmmm their is an untapped market...as to demographics, and what the American Indian can provide as to MEDIA contant...let me just be clear... all of the below  will give you a glimpse of CONTENT, 
this goverment is considering "appologizing" and Leonard Peltier...which is still in prison...has been nominated FIFE as in 5 TIMES for the Nobel Prize...if someone were to actually consider producing a true Network of American Indian Content...from beginning to the end of time itself...WE CAN PROVIDE...anything one could possibly think of...it's simply a matter of someone finally saying...let's DO IT...none the less, know this too, if you are at all spiritually connected to a higher sense of awareness, and pocess the depth of a soul...then you must also realize that the prophecies are playing themselves out IN LIVING COLOR...

WAKE UP EVERYBODY Recess is O V E R ! Besides...going GREEN...and contemplating BLUE...

we are def. seeing RED!   Yours Truly WayOFTheSpirit aka so many names so little time!
Naheo!

 

An overdue apology to First Nations
By ANDREW HANON

"Remorse is the punishment of crime; repentence, its expiation. The former appertains to a tormented conscience; the latter to a soul changed for the better.
"

- Joseph Joubert

More than a century after the crimes began, it looks like the federal government will finally own up to its murderous campaign against native people.


Federal Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl announced last week that on June 11, Prime Minister Stephen Harper will rise in the House of Commons and formally apologize for the native residential school system.


Presumably, the apology will be similar to the one issued on Feb. 12 by Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for similar programs aimed at obliterating Aborigine language and culture, resulting in "profound grief and loss" among its first people.


Rudd did not equivocate.


"As prime minister of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the government of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the parliament of Australia, I am sorry," he said. "For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say, sorry.
"

Let's hope Harper has the spine to do the same.


Every time I write about residential schools, I hear from people who can't understand what the fuss is all about. The government of Canada has nothing to be sorry for, they say. It's just another way of exploiting our collective guilt, they argue.


One particularly dense ingnoramus ended his "we've-been-held-hostage-by-Indians-long-enough" rant by stabbing his finger into the table and bellowing, "I don't know what they're complaining about. We taught those people to read.
"

We also took an estimated 150,000 native children from their homes and taught them that their parents were evil, that the values and beliefs they held were demonic.


Completely contrary to biblical teaching, we forced them to worship Jesus and made following their grandparents' traditions a crime.


We punished them for speaking anything other than English or French. We raised them in a cold, prison-like atmosphere, devoid of affection or nurturing.


We beat them for disobedience or undisciplined behaviour. We made thousands of children sexual playthings for hundreds of pedophiles working within the system.



We kept the children in crowded, cramped quarters, where they were exposed to deadly diseases like tuberculosis. Then when we were finished debasing, humiliating and abusing them, we sent them home to raise families.


They had learned their lessons well. Everything we taught them - anger, self-loathing, sexual dysfunction and physical abuse - was passed along to the next generation.


Residential schools were some of the key components in the federal government's answer to what officials called the "Indian Question." They were responsible for ruining individuals' lives, destroying families and undermining the fabric of entire communities.


Of the few who have even heard of residential schools, the vast majority steadfastly refuse to believe the horrors that went on inside them.


Maybe, when the prime minister rises in the house on June 11, the state of denial will finally end.

Really, there's only one thing to be said about next month's apology to First Nations: What the hell took so long?

Have all the news delivered to your door 7 days a week.

SOURCE:http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3Lndob2lzbGVvbmFyZHBlbHRpZXIuaW5mby9tZWRpYXJlbGVhc2UyMDA4MDUxOC5odG0=

Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fargo, North Dakota

Leonard Peltier is a Five-Time Nobel Nominee

American Indian activist Leonard Peltier has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the fifth consecutive year. The fact that Peltier has earned the distinction of a Nobel nomination every year since 2004 is especially remarkable - Peltier has been an inmate in the United States federal prison system since 1976.



Peltier's conviction in the killing of two FBI agents in South Dakota has long been internationally decried as one of the most blatant injustices in recent United States legal history. In the aftermath of his trial, federal prosecutors were openly excoriated for having manufactured evidence against Peltier, for having withheld exculpatory evidence, and also for having coerced witnesses into giving false testimony. Lynn Crooks, Assistant Special Prosecutor in Peltier's trial, admitted to a federal judge that "the government does not know who killed its agents, nor do we know what participation Leonard Peltier may have had in it.

"

And yet Leonard Peltier has remained a prisoner for more than 32 years. Fifty five United States Senators and Congressional Representatives (including Democrats and Republicans) have filed an appeal brief demanding that Peltier receive a new trial. Amnesty International has repeatedly called for Peltier's immediate release from prison, governments from all over the world have passed resolutions insisting that Peltier be released, and a large contingent of distinguished human rights advocates have been very outspoken in their strong support for Peltier - including four people who have already received the Nobel Peace Prize: Mikhail Gorbachev (1990), the 14th Dalai Lama (1989), Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1984), and Mother Teresa (1979).



It is not Peltier's status as a political prisoner, however, that has earned him the honor of five Nobel nominations. The basis for Peltier's nominations has been his own remarkable success in furthering the causes of peace and human rights. Despite more than three decades of unjust incarceration, Peltier has worked tirelessly on a multitude of efforts to help other people achieve a more dignified and humane existence. While the Nobel Committee in Oslo (Norway) requests that letters of nomination not be made public, it is nonetheless widely known that Leonard Peltier has facilitated numerous significant donations to a wide variety of charities and human rights organizations.



Peltier is, of course, not financially wealthy - but he is an accomplished painter. Often expending his meager prison commissary account funds on art supplies such as paints, brushes, and canvas, he produces works of art which are subsequently donated and auctioned. Peltier has also worked to establish assistance programs for many underprivileged groups, and he has helped in other ways to fund a multitude of efforts from scholarships for Native students to shelters for victims of domestic violence. It is difficult to determine precisely the sum total of donations and contributions that Peltier has helped to facilitate, Peltier refuses to boast about his humanitarian work and many of his projects have not been made public. It is estimated, however, that the contributions resulting from Peltier's work extend into the millions of dollars.



Peltier's long record of human rights advocacy involves more than raising money. He has written a great deal while in prison, consistently taking advantage of every opportunity to encourage people not to harbor resentments, to take care of the environment, and to treat each other with love and respect. It is no small irony that a person treated in such an inhumane way should so strongly advocate the humane treatment of others, that a person so financially impoverished should help raise such extraordinary amounts of money for others, that a person with such just cause for bitterness and resentment should encourage forgiveness, and that a person imprisoned should be one of America's strongest advocates for freedom.



Peltier's 1999 book Prison Writings: My Life is My Sundance (Saint Martin's Press) continues to be a best seller on many lists. It is fitting that Leonard Peltier's own words (from his book) should conclude this press release: "We are in this together - the rich, the poor, the red, the white, the black, the brown, and the yellow. We are all one family of humankind. We share responsibility for our Mother Earth and for all those who live and breathe upon her. I believe our work will be unfinished until not one human being is hungry or battered, not a single person is forced to die in war, not one innocent languishes imprisoned, and no one is persecuted for his or her beliefs. I believe in the good in humankind. I believe that the good can prevail, but only with great effort. And that effort is ours, each of ours, yours and mine....Never cease in the fight for peace, justice, and equality for all people. Be persistent in all that you do and don't allow anyone to sway you from your conscience.

"

For more information about the content of this press release, media correspondents are encouraged to speak with the Leonard Peltier media contact person at 701-412-4617.



For more information about Leonard Peltier's case, about his humanitarian work, or about his works of art, please contact his defense committee at this address:

Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
P.O.

Box 7488
Fargo, North Dakota 58106
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd2hvaXNsZW9uYXJkcGVsdGllci5pbmZvLw==

Write to Leonard Peltier at this address:

Leonard Peltier # 89637-132
USP Lewisburg
PO BOX 1000
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania 17837

Released on 18 May 2008

Just an FYI.....

 

PRESS RELEASE

"CELEBRATION OF SPIRIT"

May 12, 2008

Houston, TX - for immediate release

"Celebration of Spirit," a trans-global conference of American Indian and Alaskan Native tribal leaders to be held at Disney Resorts in Orlando on August 20-23 - is attracting considerable attention. 

The "buzz" is that Barak Obama may be there to meet tribal leaders from many of the nation's largest and most vocal tribes.  In anticipation of his presence, and possibly that of John McCain, a special "Get out the Native Vote" and native journalist event is being staged to be sure that - whichever candidate shows - that they will have a maximum opportunity to speak their piece and win over native support.

This may prove to be crucial in a number of states with large aboriginal populations.  The four-day event will feature prominent leaders and native celebrities from many of the 565 Indian Nations recognized by the federal government, as well as many from Canada and the Americas.

Obama's or McCain's presence will help put the event's beneficiary - technology centers to be placed on the lands of some of the nation's poorest tribes - into a public awareness.  Tribes know that few people are aware of the attempt to establish technical capabilities to eventually enable Internet commerce and call centers.

Just last month, IBM, SeniorNet and the U.S. Department of the Interior partnered with the Native American Chamber of Commerce out of Houston, TX (NACC), to open a technology achievement center for the Houlton Band of Maliseet in Houlton, ME. 

This collaborative that has attracted sponsorship by some of the largest corporations in the U.S., and "has broken new ground in bringing technology to rural and low-income Native American communities," said Wayne Rustin, Director, Global Equal Opportunity, Marketplace and Workforce Diversity, IBM.  

Major U.S. firms practicing social responsibility and supporting diversity, such as Lockheed Martin, Wal-Mart, Marathon Oil, UPS and BNSF are among the dozens of U.S. Corporations signed up to sponsor the event.  All proceeds less expenses will go to education and native achievement centers.

This is the fourth of five Achievement Centers to be opened over a three-year period.  It offers computer and Internet access, education, and training for reservation residents and will feature a special program to educate the Maliseet tribal elders, most of whom have never used a computer.

"The Native American Chamber of Commerce is very proud to assist and support American Indian People in their ongoing quest for equal opportunity through education," said Carroll Cocchia, President of NACC.

NACC's newest venture, championed by UPS, are Native American Career Skills Development Centers which prepare students to apply at directly for employment at UPS, HEB, Wal-Mart, BNSF, and Sysco Foods.  Given a distance-learning orientation, it has also attracted support from Video Professor - a new sponsor.  "Exactly the "fast-track" that qualified Indians need to help them become employed," Carroll added.

NACC is counting on the upcoming Celebration of Spirit/Disney Resort experience to spur its money-raising efforts.  Its four day event is expected to attract 1,000+ attendees.  The agenda includes:

Day One - "Gathering of Eagles Tribal Leaders Summit" - listening, mentoring, assisting and solving the everyday, insurmountable challenges faced by the Indian on the reservation - where unemployment can reach as high as 80%.  A VIP dinner afterwards will be for tribal leaders, prime sponsors, the media - and perhaps one or two Presidential candidates.

Date Two - International Talking Stick - where Indian entrepreneurs pow wow with representatives of Fortune 500 corporations and governmental businesses from mainland U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Canada and Puerto Rico.  Sponsors Verizon, UIDA and American Indian TV as sponsors and will be recognized by way of NACC's 2008-2009 Spirit Award, a very special award given to those who are working tirelessly to breathe life back into Indian Country. This will be only the fourth such award presented by NACC.

Day Three - "Gathering of Young Eagles" sports day which will feature native skateboarders from all over the U.S. under the watchful and professional eye of Todd Harder, Native Skates.  That evening, scholarships will be presented to outstanding young natives as part of the "Walking Between Worlds and Corporate Awards Gala" during a formal evening dinner.

Day Four - An International Cultural Festival featuring dancers, drum competitors, storytellers, vendors and flutists will present their art at an authentic Indian village being set up at the Disney resort. 

Registration is available through http://www.hopeharmony.org/ and http://www.namcham.org/.  Inquiries can be addressed by email to Carroll Cocchia:  cocchia1@sbcglobal.net.

 

Happy Mothers Day

Dedicated To All The Women I Know...

 

What defines a Mother...is it conceiving, and giving birth to Life?

I tell YOU...that a Mother comes in many forms, No matter how one may perceives this to be...A mother is the creation of every emotion that lingers within goodness...that nourishes life, within and outside of the womb...A mother is selfless in her gestures of LOVE, caring, and understanding...it takes a mother to embrace the sick, the dying, the young and the old, to reach beyond the  comprehension...of space and time...A Mother is born each second a woman realizes that only through her feminine soul, can she flow and heal and connect with any human young or old, to lift them up much as the earth holds and cradles the roots of all living matter within her...

You are not defined by giving Birth...but by the way you take care of humanity, and the Earth itself, How many women do you feel are right now taking care of another womans loved one...may that be through caring for a sick child, elder of injured soldier...do these acts of woman not give them the right to be called a mother too...I tell each of you here today, that if you would take care of any of my loved ones, and even if I would be in another place on this planet...I would be elated to know...that a mothering soul is embracing one of mine...Motherhood is a Sisterhood of the feminine coming together and disbursing an unconditional love for Life and the living!!!

So here is to YOU All You Mothers that care for the children, the old, your neighbors, co-workers, husbands, boyfriends, relatives & strangers to all of you that give selflessly of yourself to create love and happiness in another humans existence by doing what a Mother does naturally, this being to LOVE Humanity and all Living Matter...

Happy Mothers Day

To All The Women I Know
 

My Love To All Of You Today,& Always

Cherrie May 11^th, 2008

Good Morning, Tan si

The following is just one of the prayed upon visons with regards to the two calfs that were born last year in PA...

From a humanitarian point, and Indigineous point and just simply from a spiritual point...one can not ignore that changes are upon us all... although some say, think and feel that global change is just as constant as time itself...yet I am certain that most people no matter where they are or who they are...agree that man has shiftet evolution...more then any other living creature...
This said, I know within my spirit that the fast spiraling forward motion that we have been experiencing just within the last 150 years... is reason enough, to believe that we are capable of fore seeing the eventual possibilities of where we are heading...

In American Indian culture along with of course many others it is said;
That one should not seek knowledge...but wisdom...a spiritually driven individual...therefore will mostly verbalize things that are not of this plane...but come from within and have been gathered from all sources that compelle it...

to surrender the will of body and and mind...to spirit, is the achivement of those that walked and are walking the path...of what we may call "holy'" or gifted...

Prophets if you will...

Here is one of the thoughts that were put forth about the time we are now living in...

From Uqualla...

Message from Uqualla,
Traditional Spiritual Advisor, Wisdom Keeper, and
former Chief of the Havasupai Nation
Grand Canyon, Arizona
November 01, 2007
 
Edited by:
Stephanie M. Schwartz, Freelance Writer
Member, Native American Journalists Association
(NAJA) www.SilvrDrach.homestead.com

 
Greetings,
 
While in the desert these past days, I was informed of
this powerful spiritual event and was told by Spirit
that this information would be coming soon.  These two
buffalo [in Pennsylvania] are from Creator and they
are virgin births. That this has happened on the East
Coast is significant and the meaning will be revealed in
time.
 
These two sacred four-leggeds were brought by Spirit
for the benefit of all mankind.  It is highly
significant that one is black, one is white, that
one  is male, one is female.
 
This is the balance of all things. Neither is more
than or less than.  All are equal. Woman is not more
than man and man is not more than woman.
 
This is the message to all humanity: to come again to
a spiritual path.
 
There is no one belief, no one Way being the only Way.
We must each come again to our own Way.  The
spiritual DNA is in all of us and that needs to be
re-awakened.  
 
It is not for one Nation or one People or one place.

This is for all mankind, worldwide.
 
It is also time for the indigenous people to resume
their birthright as caretakers of this earth.  Because
of this, the information needs to be released under
the advice and counsel of many spiritual leaders of
all mankind from around the world.
 
These are virgin births to a recognized four-legged
which are sacred and respected and known to many
people.  They have come so that we may understand,
again, the responsibility given to each and every one
of us to begin to live again in this good way.
 
The way of the First Nations' People is being spread
worldwide.  Many prophets are not listened to in their
own countries yet their message is accepted elsewhere.
Now, the message of understanding is being passed
to all Nations.
 
This is a message of peace for all mankind; for the
world.

This is what I was told.
   
Now, I have shared the message with you.

Hongyuo. It is good.

 

Elisa's Comment on yesterdays Blog entrance;

I read this and began to cry...
they spoke
i listened
they said...."which of you first will help her to finish the dress
which of you first will help the soup to appear done
which of you will kill the dog
what are the effects of any of these potential actions?"

we are glad to be of service to our ancestors
we hope our message is clear and timely
elisa

My response to Elisa This Morning May 7^th 2008-

Yes Elisa...
it is painful...to feel in just one article like this, how crazy we all are...
it is painful...to understand, especially when looking at it from a parents point of view...no matter if you are a mother or father...that all the generations yet to come...may very well still be put in the midst of this type of wear and tear....
it is mind boggeling to me...as the founder of Earth Day said it best...which can be seen in it's entirety on gaiapod tv...
THAT THERE ARE ENOUGH RESOURCES, LAND,MONEY and WILL for no one...and I do mean NO ONE to ever be hungry, cold, homeless, and poverty stricken ever again....

Why is it that we allow for RICH and POOR to excist...how can it be that we allow globally to have enough $$$$$$$ to create Billions of $$$$$$$ in Revenue within the Movie and fashion Industry for instance...and there are little ones dying of hunger...
How can we sell the earth...the air...water...or having to "buy" it for that matter...why is it that we can take care of our own children so freely without question...yet have no compassion, and love left inside to do this for all and any child...

Things not only must...but more importantly WILL change...if you belief in prophecies....no matter what your spiritual path may be...then you NEED to understand...that even though we "as parents" only see what is "ours"
Our overall parents...meaning our Mother The Earth...and our Father The Great Spirit...Creator, God or whatever you call him...are tired of seeing their children so recklessly and mercilessly...devasting this planet!!!!

How long as a parent do we sit when our children act like they have lost their minds...we talk...we scold...we may beat them..to get their attention...and if all fails...the measures become more drastic...
Same with Mama Earth...and Father Creator....

I am attaching a link...that will give you a means of reading what some of the Native American spiritual Leaders had to say about the living prophecy that was born just last year...please I urge you to read...and maybe reach out to anyone, that needs you...

leave your thoughts with us on gaiapod.com by emailing us...
electricbrave@gaiapod.com

or me at crichardson66@comcast.net

How are we going to be remembered....................?

http://www.buffalomessengers.org/. 

 

Call me crazy...but intuition is most times in a spiritual sense The Creator giving foresight...( some call it manifestations of Visions ) everything that will be making it's way into this ongoing blog will generate a very clear view, of just how much we do not hear or see of "NDN Country" Things like this never make it into National News...or as another example...The Longest Walk...it is happening as we speak again...there is no coverage of this at all...seemingly, have native people, still a better chance in knowing what goes on within their culturally communities by possibly reverting to smoke signals...The few stories I am touching on and bringing forth here, are almost enough material, for extremely wonderful movie making...and guess what...the European market would probably eat this up...anyway...treat yourself, to yet another article from the depth of Lakota Country , please read it in it's entirety including the comments...Nick white Swan is in there again...gotta love this brother so here it is courtesy yours truly Cherrie aka WayOfTheSpirit

From The Rapid City Journal

Sioux urged to take Hills payment

Attorney seeks Native people willing to accept lawsuit settlement

By Kevin Abourezk and Travis Coleman, Lee Enterprises Monday, May 05, 2008

131 comment(s) Normal Size Increase font Size

As a young Lakota man, Gary Montana's elders told him about the Black Hills.

About the land the Lakota considered sacred and believed had been stolen from them. About a 1980 U.S. Supreme Court decision that awarded the Sioux people more than $146 million for the theft by the government of the hills and lands east of them.

And about the Sioux people's refusal to accept the money.

The reason, they told him, was simple: To accept the money meant accepting the loss of the Sioux Nation's sacred land.

"The hills are not for sale, and we will not accept any payment for them," said Montana, an attorney from Osseo, Wis.

Sioux people have wrestled for years with the question of whether they should take the money.

Now, a Yankton attorney is resubmitting the question.

On Saturday, about 80 Native people attended a meeting at a church in Sioux City, Iowa, where attorney Doug Kettering spoke to them about trying to get their share of the Black Hills settlement.

"They're favorable," Kettering said of those who attended the meeting. "I think people are interested."

With interest, that settlement stands at more than $863 million, according to Huffington Post columnist Tim Giago.

Other sources could not confirm that number. The staff of Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., was unable to provide a number.

Tom Young, a fiduciary trust officer with the U.S. Department of Interior Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians in Rapid City, said he has the number but can provide it only to tribal council members.

Figures from Kettering indicate the total amount could be well over $1 billion.

No opposition was voiced at the meeting. And several people approached by a reporter at the meeting said they are in favor of accepting the settlement money.

Michelle Barrientos, a Santee Sioux from Sioux City who attended the meeting, said she worries about how she'll pay her college tuition and take care of her five children.

"I'm not out to get rich," she said. "I need the money."

Kettering said he hasn't decided whether to file an intervention action seeking to have the courts or government address the settlement question. He said he wants to gauge how much interest there is among Sioux people first.

He plans to host meetings later in the South Dakota communities of Sioux Falls, Yankton, Flandreau and Mobridge.

He said he was approached by Sioux people who wanted to accept the settlement money, people who felt their own grandparents had failed to benefit from the large pot of money sitting in the fund.

If 90,000 Sioux tribal members sign up, each could get about $12,000, he said.

Kettering said it's OK if people disagree with paying out the settlement. But he wants to help those who wish to get their share.

"We're just trying to get as many people as possible," he said.

Most people left the meeting Saturday with copies of the agreement that retains the representation of Kettering's law firm.

According to the agreement, clients would pay $20 each as a retainer. The firm and counsel of record would then be paid 20 percent of all proceeds at the conclusion of any court proceedings.

But some wonder whether a legal action could really free up the settlement money.

Young, the trust officer in Rapid City, said the various Sioux tribes who were awarded the money would first have to agree on how it would be distributed before the money would be dispersed.

If the tribes failed to agree on a plan to accept the money, Congress could enact legislation that would disperse the money, he said, citing the Indian Judgement Funds Distribution Act of 1973.

Young said he knew of at least two failed attempts to enact such legislation in Congress, the first of which occurred in 1988, when then-South Dakota Sen. Larry Pressler introduced a bill to disperse the money.

No action was taken on Pressler's bill.

Then, in 1990, Rep. Matthew Martinez of California introduced a similar bill. No action was taken on that bill either, Young said.

For his part, Montana said he questions the motives of anyone who attempts to accept payment for the Black Hills.

"I personally, as a Native American attorney, will oppose vigorously any attempted distribution of those funds to any individual or tribe," he said.

Debra White Plume, an Oglala Lakota activist, said she had heard about the meeting but did not attend.

"In our traditional way of thought, we have a trickster named Iktomi," White Plume said. "I think that's the role this law firm is playing. They're trying to trick our people into being foolish, because only a foolish person would accept money for the Black Hills."

White Plume said she favors a resolution such as that proposed by Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J., in the 1980s, which would have returned 1.3 million acres of the Black Hills national forest land to the Sioux people.

"We attempted that 20 years ago as a way to peacefully settle this issue between our people and the United States government, because we knew it wasn't the current landowners' problem. It was the government's problem," she said. White Plume said the majority of Oglala people would not accept the money.

"In the face of this great poverty, our spiritual connection to the Black Hills is much more powerful. The money would be gone in a day or two, and we would have to face our ancestors."

Lori-concrete indian-LAKOTA first wrote on May 6, 2008 6:44 AM:

" I have read most of the comments here, they are the same. It sounds like an echo. The ignorant say 'get over it', the activists say'never', what I don't here is a solution or ideas for a solution. Me, I say DON'T TAKE THE MONEY!. Change is coming. I can see it. I can feel it. The Lakota and every other native people of this land need to stick together. The natives in the city need to know that we are all one. We are family. We move off the rez because of housing, jobs, education and to just plain get away. The money may help for immediate needs but not for long. The hills are being destroyed by tourists and local greedy people who say that they are native to the hills because they moved there. The US took advantage of the Lakota along time ago, but they won't today. Not unless we as people stand up for ourselves. That means all tribes and concrete indians across the land. We have a voice, we need to use it. "

IKTOMI wrote on May 6, 2008 5:54 AM:

" RE:IFLYSEL
IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD THAT YOU HAVE STUDIED THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN, AND FOR THAT FACT ALONE I COMMEND YOU. MY PROBLEM IS THAT YOU STOP AT 1700. THE HISTORY OF THE SIOUX GOES BACK MANY THOUSANDS OF YEARS. THE TIME PERIOD OF WHICH YOU SPEAK IS BUT A DROP IN THE BUCKET. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN NATIVE HISTORY OR MORE SPECIFICALLY SIOUX HISTORY I SUGGEST LOOKING INTO OUR CREATION STORY, STAR KNOWLEGE, AND THE HISTORY OF OUR LANGUAGE, AS WE HAVE A WORD FOR THE MONKEYS FROM SOUTH AMERICA, THE GREAT LAND OF ICE TO THE NORTH, AND THE SHELLS FROM THE OCEAN. SO WHERE DID WE COME FROM BEFORE WE WERE IN OHIO? DID WE LEARN THESE WORDS FROM LIVING IN OHIO? OUR CREATION/POST CLEANSING STORIES SURROUND THE HILLS, OR MORE SPECIFICALLY THE WIND CAVE. FROM WHAT I HAVE BEEN TAUGHT, THAT WAS AROUND 2000 YEARS AGO. WE HAVE CROSSED THIS CONTINANT MANY TIMES. IF YOU WENT ON VACATION AND CAME HOME TO FIND PEOPLE LIVING IN YOUR HOUSE WOULD YOU SAY IT'S THIERS? WHAT WOULD YOU THINK IF PEOPLE TOLD YOU THAT SINCE YOU WERE GONE ON VACATION, THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE THE OWNERS, BECAUSE YOU WERE NOT THERE? THERE ARE ARROW HEADS IN THE HILLS THAT ARE ATTRIBUTED TO THE SIOUX. I WONDER IF SOMEONE COULD DATE THESE ARROW HEADS. I THINK THAT WOULD BE PROOF POSITIVE FOR THE NEY SAYERS. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO COMMENT ON THE BEAUTIFUL WORDS OF THE PEOPLE ON HERE. IT IS VERY INSPIRATIONAL TO HEAR. I CAN'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I HAVE BEEN SO PROUD OF THE PEOPLE. THE VOICES ARE GREAT ON THIS ONE. THE CREATOR IS WITH US NOW AND FOREVER. BILLION IS TOO LITTLE, THAT WAS A GREAT COMMENT, AND GIVES JUSTICE TO THIS STORY. "

Native America Forever wrote on May 6, 2008 3:27 AM:

" This is our country-native peoples have the highest enlistment in fighting for our country. Our ancestors were 100% in defending this country. For the record-no one gave us sovereignty. We already had it, U.S.government recognizes it.We hold dual citizenship and we don't "get things" from the government, it is in kind for land in each tribes territory. We make up such a small percentage of the U.S. population ,we are like a few grains of sand on the whole beach. Yet we warrant some peoples' attention and hate. "

Oglala Woman wrote on May 6, 2008 12:36 AM:

" This is all you got from what you read over all the other comments? Yes I am American but I am first an Oglala Sioux. Have you never looked at profiling when you fill your paperwork out? Do we still have Black as an option? NO, they are now African American! That is my point at how ignorant and biased people can be. Let say we can no longer call ourselves Native American or American Indian in the future. We are now Bi-racial or Indigenous American. That was my point but then again it is a clever way to draw away from the main point isn't it? It is so subtle how easily we are turned. Owe me something? Never said that. I take care of my own. I do what I can when I can. So quick to judge.



Reply to BC:
Are you not American? Linked to Native american, are you kidding. Wow what have we done to you lately, and what do we really owe you? " "

BEWARE wrote on May 5, 2008 9:56 PM:

" In 1978, a mining company reported there was an estimated 8 million pounds of uranium in western South Dakota, mostly in the Black Hills, worth an estimated $800 Billion. At todays going price of uranium, that amount is well over a Trillion dollars. Counting the loss of $4 Billion in gold, the loss of Sacredness, timber, etc., the measley $6,109.00 each is not worth it. "

I say.... wrote on May 5, 2008 7:15 PM:

" Dis-enroll any Tribal Memebers who want to take this money. Show them the same disreguard they'll be showing our ancestors when they take this money. "

Tshunka Witko wrote on May 5, 2008 5:48 PM:

" You might as well dig my bones up as well and sell them to the white man. "

Slap in the face wrote on May 5, 2008 5:24 PM:

" To take this money would be to slap in the face to each and every ancestor we the Sioux have, and all they've sacrificed for us. Shame on all you Concrete Indians who want to make a quick buck. We're ALL broke, you guys aren't the only ones, but still some of us refuse to sell our Heritage for a mere $12,000 dollars. You people need to go to a sweat, ceremony or sundance to remind you of why we shouldn't sell and why we haven't sold our sacred Hills. Pray for the sellouts, they're pitiful. "

READER wrote on May 5, 2008 5:17 PM:

" Divide and Conquer.....tactics from the beginning.....read the history and see, listen and feel why our ancestors shed blood so you could call yourself a Lakota and not a "immigrant" or visitor like everyone else! "

To iflysel wrote on May 5, 2008 5:16 PM:

" No one. Unlike the governement the Sioux had never entered into any type of financial or otherwise agreement with the Arikara, Hidatsa or the Mandan. There was never any binding contracts. Now, the government had entered into SEVERAL documented treaties and agreeements with the Sioux then violated everyone of them. Since they wre going to take the land away, why enter into a legal binding contract? THIS IS WHY THE SIOUX HAVE A CASE. Had the government not left a huge paper trail of misdeeds, we the Sioux wouldn't have been able to come up with evidence helpinf their cases. Enough about the Arikara, Hidatsa and Mandan, that was PRE AMERICA, PRE TREATIES, PRE EVERYTHING GOVERNMENT, the SIOUX never promised them anything on paper that they can them take to court and say "look they broke their promises too" because THERE WERE NEVER ANY. "

BC wrote on May 5, 2008 4:20 PM:

" To Ogala woman,

Are you not American? Linked to Native american, are you kidding. Wow what have we done to you lately, and what do we really owe you? "

iflysel wrote on May 5, 2008 4:00 PM:

" Just asking the question??????? Who did the Sioux/Lakota pay when they took control of the area now encompassing the Black Hills? According to information I have read the Sioux/Lakota first moved in to the area around Lake Traverse and the James River Valley, in eastern South Dakota, in the early 1700s. They migrated to this area from Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, and prior to that came from areas south and east of Ohio. In the 1700s the strong Arikara, Hidatsa and Mandan presence generally kept them from crossing in to the area west of the Missouri river. In the mid 1700s Sioux/Lakota moved further west and first saw the Black Hills. Later the Sioux gained control of the area west of the Missouri river after defeating the Cheyenne in the latter half of the 1700s. (The Cheyenne had taken control of this area by defeating the Kiowa.)Which brings up another question, did the Cheyenne pay the Kiowa for the land? Now tell me again why the Sioux should be paid for something they took from another tribe to begin with? If the US owes the Sioux the Sioux owe the Cheyenne, and the Cheyenne owe the Kiowa, and the Kiowa owe ??? "

Nick Carroll C Swan Jr wrote on May 5, 2008 3:21 PM:

" The answer still is "NO". 12g's per person?

...the gold taken; the water, timber, grazing and other natural resources stolen; the miseducation of our young; the ecomonic highjacking of our economies i.e. tourism, agriculture; and taxes collected; not to mention the sick imbalance of justice for you and injustice for us, not to mention your disease of all forms and imagination...you think you can wave it all away with one fell swoop of 12 grand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You who would like to see us accept this insult could at least let us fish, hunt, and partake of our environement for free as some guesture of apology and comepensation.

Yet I am glad you have not, because you in being complicit with your own political adultureous forefathers keep the embers stoked.

To you of my people, if ONE person gets any of this money - then the argument for our treaty rights dies instantly and forever! Moreover, it would be tantamount to a blanket of forgiveness for their genocidal policies that have been heaped upon us.

Do not give up. Do not give in.

Stay the course.

And thank you Kevin for this article - I was wondering when you would begin emerging!

Pilamyaye "

China Gets It wrote on May 5, 2008 1:00 PM:

" The indigenous people of Chinese descent crossed the Bering Strait from Mongolia 12,000 years ago, and populated North America. China;s population is 1 billion, and the Chinese Army is 1 million. China is waiting for us to become vulnerable with all of our military concentrated in the Middle East. Then, the Arabs can shut-down world oil supply; and, the Chinese, with Russia's approval, can cross over the Bering Strait again, and take the Black Hills, from both, the Natives and Euro-Americans. "

Whitney M wrote on May 5, 2008 12:57 PM:

" To the numbers & facts person: thank you & well put. In other words, the only person who will benefit greatly will be the lawyer and the law firm. Say NO! Paha Sapa is not for sale! "

Oglala Woman wrote on May 5, 2008 12:23 PM:

" Do any of our people really know what is at stake with acceptance of money? What could so little do for anyone, an amount not even equal to a years salary? Do you realize that IHS and other benefits are tied to this treaty and acceptance would be total dissolution of your ability to call yourself Sioux? You would be "American" with ties to Native American heritage. Assimilation has always been the Grand design of the US Government. They are waiting as our youth absorb the outside world, losing their cultural heritage and pride. The families are slowly disintegrating as mothers and fathers no longer marry or take responsibility for their children and teach them to loyalty to the tribe FIRST above everything else. Add drugs, alcohol, and dysfunction in hopes that we will tear ourselves apart as they sit back and watch. Find yourselves, be educated, but always be loyal to the tribe. That is what I was told and tell my own children. Sell the only thing that keeps our people going. Unspeakable. Our ancestors shed blood, fought honorably. We have warriors today who continue that fight. This is not a past issue as some have said. This is an ongoing issue for time to come. Be there for your children, teach them, and NEVER SELL THE BLACK HILLS! Ask yourselves what this law firm wants? It said they sent papers home and could retain for $20 dollars. Do you really think that he has YOUR interest at heart? He is looking to make MONEY. Watch out for he may charge you for every phone call, paper copy, and perceived hours that he "works" and you may be the only one left paying a bill on something that won't happen in your lifetime!I am a proud and honorable Sioux Woman and I will not sell our Black Hills! "

Nervous CRST Member wrote on May 5, 2008 11:59 AM:

" I hope and pray that this money is not accepted by our tribal leaders who do not have the ability or want to speak on the peoples behalf! Our tribal Council is slowly but surely selling us out! We have out right thieves sitting on council and you all know who you are!! Our representatives can NOT be trusted with finances look what happened to our Buffalo Program, Si-Tanka/Huron college and our Elderly Village!! It's to the point where we will be soon known as the Cheyenne River Shakopee Sioux Tribe! "

wrote on May 5, 2008 11:40 AM:

" Ok let's put all the emotions aside and use cold, unsympathetic numbers here. Unless something changed since 1980 only the tribe as a whole can take the money and not individuals. According to the last census taken in 2000 there are about 113,000 Sioux members and according to the article the money awarded in 1980 now sits at $863,000,000 give or take a million.

Mr. Kettering and his law firm want $20.00 per individual for a retainer plus 20 percent of proceeds at the end. I'm assuming that proceeds mean the $863,000,000.

Since only the tribes can get this money that means that all 113,000 members will probably have to pay the $20.00 retainer and that Mr. Kettering's law firm just made $2,260,000. (20 times 113,000)

The money gets awarded and the tribe's get $690,400,000 which is the amount after the law firm gets their 20 percent. BTW the law firm just made another $172,600,000.

$690,400,000 is then divided by 113,000 so every Sioux member gets about $6109.

Mr. Kettering will probably get some type of compensation for earning his law firm $172,600,000. While I don't know how much they will award him (if any) lets say that his firm gives him 10 percent, that means that Mr. Kettering will get $17,260,000. Maybe his firm won't be that generous and they instead give him 5 percent and he receives $8,630,000. Or maybe his firm decides that he should receive only 1 percent so he receives $1,726,000.

So, here is what everyone concerned gets.

Tribal member: $6109 actually $6089 because you paid a $20.00 retainer
Mr. Kettering: Anywhere from $0 to $17,260,000
Law firm: $172,600,000 plus the $2,260,000 retainer

To those who are thinking of taking the money, if this amount is ok with you then give Mr. Kettering a call. I for one will be joining "The Black Hill are Not for Sale" crowd.

Lastly for those of you concerned about losing your land in the Hills from the proposal made in the 80's, that land was for FEDERAL and not private land so you wouldn't lose anything, although I suspect that you wouldn't be happy with this arrangement either. "

get over it wrote on May 5, 2008 11:01 AM:

" we didn't give the british any land when they lost the war. Instead, our government gives away tons of money and resources to those who want to be a soverign nation.
Seems like something is wrong with the way our government has handled this situation for way too long.
I say keep the land and don't pay a dime... "

question wrote on May 5, 2008 10:55 AM:

" Question for the Black Hills residents with a little chunck of land. When and from whom did you obtain your little chunks of land? And who said the indian where going to live in the hills? How many people live in there churches? The Black Hills are not for Sale. "

Black Hills Native wrote on May 5, 2008 10:49 AM:

" No, not a Native American. I was born and raised here and consider myself a native of the Black Hills, and I am sick and tired of people who live in California, New York, and other parts of the country saying that the Black Hills should be given back to the Sioux. This is absurd. How would they like South Dakotans telling them to give the land they live on back to the Iroquois, the Delaware, or the Erie tribes? How about we give California back to the Achomawi, the Serrano, or the Shasta tribes? Let's face reality people. The Black Hills are federal land. Treaties have been broken since the dawn of time. Move on.

Nobody is prohibiting anybody from accessing the Black Hills. The public land is available for anyone to use. Both Indian and non-Indian have access to the land. Who cares whose name is on the deed? Do you wish to collect taxes from white men who wish to enter the sacred land, or prevent them from stepping foot in the Black Hills? Is that what this is all about? If the land is free, it should be free to ALL people. "

Good Words wrote on May 5, 2008 10:46 AM:

" Debra White Plume's words about Iktomi are right on! Also her words about "facing our ancestors". The Black Hills Are Not For Sale. "

Im not gloating wrote on May 5, 2008 10:41 AM:

" You missed my point entirely. I'm just saying that a lot of people think that because their forefathers moved here back in the 1800's or early 1900's, that they have a better right to live here than we newcomers do. They cite their old-time "South Dakota values" as being superior to the more liberal values of the new people. These are the same people who refuse to see that the Natives claim that their forefathers were here WAY before the white man, and that THEIR values are superior to the white man's is the same arguement that they are using. You can't have it both ways. Against newcomers, you say "Go away! We were here first!" And yet, when the Natives say that, you think it's bogus.


Not all "locals" feel that way. I made friends with a long-time local right here last week. We agreed that a respectful dialog is far better than pointless name-calling . This person is a conservative, and I as a liberal respect this person. We ALL love the Hills, and anything we can do to preserve their beauty, MUST be done together. "

deminn wrote on May 5, 2008 10:38 AM:

" Good for you, don't take the bribe. Hold out. "

Wheres Chairman Rodney Bordeaux wrote on May 5, 2008 10:19 AM:

" We need to hear it come directly from his mouth: "The Black Hills are not for Sale!". Tribal officials should quit being afraid of telling the United States government that Native Americans in South Dakota are not red headed step children. Chairman Bordeaux told our Sicangu elders that he stands on the 1868 Treaty so they voted for him. Now is the time to keep your word and talk not as a victim but as a Lakota man who will stake himself to the battlefield and stand for the people! "

NDN Judas-Never wrote on May 5, 2008 9:52 AM:

" $12,000 is a slap in the face when you consider how much land was taken and the gold and other natural resources which have been exploited. May be $12,000 each for Mt. Rushmore but anything else is laughable. But some would sellout for 30 pieces of silver . "

another american wrote on May 5, 2008 9:50 AM:

" I am sure we all are Americans by now. The native people pay taxes and get their share of
government programs. Get an education, get a job, obey the laws and knock the chip off your
shoulder. If the Black Hills was "given back"
it would look like a giant garbage dump in no
time. You will never get it back. This beautiful land is available for all of us to enjoy including the Lakota. "

RST MEMBER wrote on May 5, 2008 9:40 AM:

" DIDN'T LARRY PRESSLER RUN SOME KIND OF A POLL AMONGST THE LAKOTA BACK IN THE EIGHTIES AND THE MAJORITY OF LAKOTAS WERE AGAINST ACCEPTING THE MONEY OR WAS IT SOMEONE ELSE WHO RAN THE POLL. THE IKTOMI LAWYER MUST NOT HAVE HEARD ABOUT THAT POLL. "

Oglala Lakota Woman wrote on May 5, 2008 9:32 AM:

" I am enrolled as an Oglala Lakota Sioux and I WILL NOT ACCEPT the payment...I was just wondering how much money this attorney will get from EACH individual?! Then what, he will just laugh and walk away a rich man...What happened to your family pride, your respect for your great great grandfather? Those of you who are in favor of this do you know what struggles your ancestors had but still they thought of you and never backed down for you and your grandchildren...instill this into your children, remember it's hard to be a Native American especially today and taking this payment will not get you accepted into the white world, they will still stereotype you and never accept you, because they were raised to value money not family or the fight to reserve what was our according to the 1851 and 1868 Treaties. After the money is gone then what are you going to do? The BLACK HILLS ARE NOT FOR SALE!!! "

inhumansquirrel wrote on May 5, 2008 9:28 AM:

" and remember money is spent and its gone..land will be here forever! "

inhumansquirrel native animal by choice and birth wrote on May 5, 2008 9:26 AM:

" OMG..how many of you actually know whats involved here there is 40,000 enrolled members in the Rosebud alone and from Pine Ridge maybe 20,000 from what im told and idk how may more in the other reservations entitled to this money "IF" we choose to except it there are 7 tribes involved in the suit and 1 billion isn't enough to cover tribal operating cost for one year for each tribe or even give over $100 apiece to each member,our only option it to try to negotiate to get back federal lands in reality we will never see privatively owned lands in the black hills from ppl who had nothing to do with things in the first place, and to never except the money or except it and use it to buy any and all lands up for sale in the black hills lots, small acreages,farms & ranches and possibly business's for sale, but yeah our elected leaders never think out side the box or anything other than cattle or family we need to expand into places were there is money not wait for it to casually pass by nobody wants to come to the reservation only because we don't appeal and make them feel safe while in our casino ventures in rosebud we have ppl coming up to you as soon as you win with hard luck stories like they can't pay for food " why the hell you at the casino 30 miles from any were then?" then there are those who stagger in drunk and and are allowed to stay and the place is soo saturated in smoke ..then the restaurant the waitress's act like your taking up their time and its all so ugly i come though and sometimes compare the casino to a prison its only missing the guard towers, and this is only how we manage our casino our so called money maker how would we manage the black hills? i shutter to think how much infighting would be involved in who gets what or who gets to do what and how much they going to get paid to do what.. if we got the black hills back. "

Tyrant wrote on May 5, 2008 9:11 AM:

" To those that are advocating the "Sale" of the Black Hills, SHAME ON YOU. I am a proud Western Shoshone and like the Lakota we have been refusing the sale of our Homeland that encompasses most of the state of Nevada and parts of Idaho, Utah, and California. Our settlement offer is up around the same figure and we still say NO. At some point you have to say, our land, our heritage, our people are not for sale. I pray to the Grandfather every night to give my people the strength to stand up fight, I will also be praying for all the "Sioux" to do the same. You might think a paltry $12,000 a person is something great, but when you have to face your children and grand-children and tell them that you sold their heritage for practically nothing you will be doing it with your head hung low and tears in your eyes. People want to put a white man's price per acre, when they do they don't factor in such things as gold or other valuable minerals, and they certainly don't factor in how sacred the site is. These crooked lawyers stand to take a huge cut of the money, that is the only reason they are trying to push for a sale, they are not trying to help based on some noble purpose, they are just thinking of that FAT cut they will get for brokering a deal that doesn't need brokering. The deal is already in place, you don't need some crooked lawyers to set it up for you. "

Lakota Teacher wrote on May 5, 2008 9:08 AM:

" We must never compromise what our ancestors died for. The Black Hills are forever ours and must never be sold. I have told my children and they have told theirs. Charmaine has said "we will face our ancestors" in the Spririt World, and I will..... with a courageous heart. The lawyer is an agent provocateur (Iktomi) and this will pass; no true Lakota will pay him any heed. Ho!! Hecetu Welo!!!! "

RE JUST A THOUGHT wrote on May 5, 2008 8:47 AM:

" I said I was sorry last week....you already changed my views. "

TO OGLALA LAKOTA wrote on May 5, 2008 8:41 AM:

" You best get your facts straight here on which tribe want and received ANY money for the BLACK HILLS. I'm from CRST(Eagle Butte) and we are on record as opposing any SALE and have never received any money. All you want to do is to cause trouble and split the Nation up more with your Weak, Uninformed, Comments. Those comments are typical of someone who supports the sale and also supports the US GOVT's side of this issue. "

Whitney M wrote on May 5, 2008 8:12 AM:

" To me, being Lakota, means never selling the Black Hills. And $12,000 per person is a paltry sum. Allotted Indians were to receive 160 acres on the reservations, I would rather have my 160 acres in the Hills.

$12,000 could be spent very quickly! In some instances, it would barely cover a year's tuition at some SD Universities. You cannot buy a home for 12 grand, or even a brand new car (which would only last you 10 years if you're lucky).

No, better to think in terms of a lifetime, but...

With that said and to play the devil's advocate, what will happen if the USA decides to withdraw this settlement money? Or decides to allocate it towards IHS or BIA programs?
"

american wrote on May 5, 2008 8:03 AM:

" I thought we were all Americans by now, those looking for college money and money to raise their children should look elsewhere, I don't get money handed to me for these things I had to work for it. And I think if the natives would clean up the rez we might have a better opinion of them in general, people feel the same way about certain parts of towns that are treated with the same disrespect as you treat the land which you were given to live on. Seems to me no matter what race, gender or sect, if people are just handed things-they don't respect those things-for the most part-not all people but most. Take the money -keep the land-whatever the decision make it and be happy with your choice-move your life forward-quit living in the past. "

Leon M wrote on May 5, 2008 12:22 AM:

" Maybe some of you know me and some do not. I am Follower of Christ or Christian Lakota man living on the Pine Ridge. It is my choice to live here because we have a very beautiful people. The issue of taking money or not taking it has been part of my life since the judgement in 1980. The U.S. government used a philosophy called Manifest Destiny. If you are not up on this philosophy I hope you will study it because it is EVIL. You need to understand Greed is the value held by many Americans and because of this we as Lakota have been devastated. I am sure many of the racist comments are done with ignorance and this is sad. I have many friends that are white Americans and they love our people unfortunately not all of them live close. I believe the Land is cursed now and people cannot see outside of their own ignorance. People have talked about Pine Ridge but it is not the people's fault we struggle with Garbage. It is the system that was set up and we need to work to change the system. We have Great people working on these issues and we have great young lawyers and doctors and teachers and the list goes on. It will take a bit of time but the Sacred Hoop will be mended by the seventh generation. I hope you will take the time to understand the policy of the United States, It was in 1978 where the Lakota and other Indians were given some keys to success. The Indian Child Welfare Act, The Freedom of Religious Act and the all inportant Self Determinatin Act. these are three important if not vital Acts of Congress. You see our people were smart enough to make sure 3/4th of the male would have to be there for another Treaty. We as Lakota won the War and then were fooled or tricked by the U.S. Government and it was the thought of the said government to seek out to destroy through ethnic cleansing and other terrible policy. I choose to live here to make a better life for myself and for my people. We need to be clear about what is being talked about. The Hills were taken illegally and as a person who studied ethics and philosophies of the western mind I can tell you with a clear mind, if you are living in the western part of south dakota, parts of wyoming, montana, north dakota, and nebraska you are living on stolen land because the Great Sioux Nation was never sold but it was Stolen. If you would like further dialog look me up in Pine Ridge and I would be happy to come and discuss these issues with you. Leon Matthews "

kolyne wrote on May 5, 2008 12:07 AM:

" I too favor a resolution like the one proposed by Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J in the eighties. How dumb does Kettering Law firm think us Oglalas are? Why don't they come up with a plan to pay us Oglala a monthly per capita check for using our SACRED PAHA SAPA? That area has so much worth and to this day there is still gold being pulled out of the Black Hills,why don't we ask the US Government to start paying us lease?Why don't this law firm set all this up instead thinking that we will all go for the money. Those that want to take the money and run are not real Oglalas. Remember the stipulations for tricking our ancestors into signing the treaties was free health care and free education. As it is we have people in the top jobs at our IHS hospitals selling us out and one of those reasons is that we need to get our own health insurance. Remember two years ago our service unit director told an elderly lady that since she didn't have health insurance she would only get minimal care. After it was recommended by the head dentist here in PR that she needed her teeth pulled and there was money for false teeth. "

Think About It wrote on May 4, 2008 10:01 PM:

" I am an enrolled Lakota tribal member and up to now I have not been in favor of taking the money. I am now inclined to believe we should consider taking the payment. Since we have had so much embezzlement and dishonesty from our tribal officials, it makes me think, do we want to leave this money for the tribes to get ahold of? They would borrow it, squander it and embezzle it! The feds will not stop this thievery. We need to vote as individual tribal members as to whether we should take the money. Let the majority vote of the enrolled tribal members decide this one once and for all! Pilamayaye "

Tanya Kindle wrote on May 4, 2008 8:22 PM:

" I am a Native American from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. I feel that we should take the settlement because what our ancestors had is gone. There are too many people already living in the Black Hills. Even if the Native people were given the land back what good would it do there would just me more fighting about how to disperse that between all the tribal members. The money would help a lot of younger Native kids to go to college. The best thing would be to take the settlement and give those members under the age of 18 a trust fund. So when they get old enough to take responsibility for it, it will be there for them. Rather then those who have parents that are irresponsible with money would not have access to it. I have two children and I would like for them to have college money set aside. "

Native wrote on May 4, 2008 7:37 PM:

" It is pure hypocrisy to recognize that the traditional Indian beliefs are based on the fact that we are merely visitors to Mother Earth which should belong to no one. Yet when a method is presented to enrich onesself the traditional thinking can be easily discarded to now recognize the concept of ownership of this land. We all know this concept was from the white settlers, whom we condemm for their invasion, yet we willingly abandon traditional ways when we think it might come to our individual benefit. Those who shout that the Black Hills are not for sale are correct in the traditional sense. As public land it belongs to us all irrespective of tribal affiliation. This is how the Great Spirit intended it and this is how it should be. One cannot claim ownership to this anymore than one can claim ownership to the sun and the moon. The spirituality of this land does not exist solely in the hearts and minds of the Sioux merely because they were here at a time when the white man's treaties were inked. You can continue to hold out for another hundred years or more in hopes to gain ownership, or you can accept reality and use the money for the well-being of the people. "

john stover wrote on May 4, 2008 6:33 PM:

" regardless of how wrong i may be in my sarcastic rant, unlike some people i am man enough to let you know those are my words. like so many others sacred is left to interpretation by the phrase it is utilized in... sacred in this particular context means "holy" as in the churches of Rome and the hill where Jesus Christ was crucified. so i guess you can use that statement how you want...lol... hahahhahahaha "

Censored wrote on May 4, 2008 6:03 PM:

" Don't take the money. But maybe its time for the reservation's to be done away with and native americans intergrated into the general population of the USA.

Life on the reservations living on goverment welfare surely don't lead anywhere but to more welfare. "

Indian biker wrote on May 4, 2008 4:20 PM:

" Even though the indian people are suffering and enduring hardships we are atill going to refuse to except the money.
Hey how about trying to pay us with Gold bars from Fort Knox, kentucky..
The Oglala's still refuse to accept it.
My personal opinion to you other indians is say NO! to the money.
The Black Hills Are "Not for Sale".

"

Lawyer Says..... wrote on May 4, 2008 3:40 PM:

" Sioux should accept the money. Your ancesters are long been dead. Why not take the benefit and improve your lot in todays life. "

Zipadee wrote on May 4, 2008 3:19 PM:

" The comments found on this board only prove why reconcillation will not happen until it is no longer based on land returns. It would wise if the RCJ stopped running such patently biased articles regarding the issue; it never fails to stip up a giant, non-productive stink. "

Re bc wrote on May 4, 2008 3:05 PM:

" bc wrote: "If you are not Lakota then your voice has not real importance here. "

What a racist attitude! Yes, reverse-racisim is also alive & well in the Black Hills. Your comment is like suggesting that only PROVEN 100% pure native americans who are tribally registered can get the money.....because IF NOT, you must not be lakota.
"

toto the Gap wrote on May 4, 2008 2:21 PM:

" It will never happen the entire country will block any attempt to let a national forest get turned into a landfill. "

reinterested party wrote on May 4, 2008 2:19 PM:

" The hills are in no way broken, Take a little trip to the southeast and you will see a broken land. "

reJust a thought wrote on May 4, 2008 2:14 PM:

" Alot of locals buy land or have owned land in this area for decades dont get a big head because your a transplant buying land. its really not a big subject and this is the first I've heard anyone gloating about it "

Jeff wrote on May 4, 2008 2:14 PM:

" How and why is this land the Sioux Indians? If my history is correct, they were not the first settlers in the Black Hills. They masacured the people on the land before them. If they think we owe this land to them, they are wrong! If anyone should get it, it is the people whom the Sioux Indians took it from. If that doesn't happen, then the white man has just as much right to it as the Sioux. We didn't do anything to them , that they didn't do to someone else. period!! "

al wrote on May 4, 2008 2:10 PM:

" Here come the big speeches with slams within the text. Practice what you preech. "

fluffy indian guy wrote on May 4, 2008 1:42 PM:

" heys is that going to be a paper check or direct deposit, mcdonalds here i come "

Lakota member wrote on May 4, 2008 1:31 PM:

" History books, we often struggle with past accounts and aspects of what really happen in our history and often at times we question how things was recorded and are being taught in mainstream america, One can argue the fact that in most cases; events and stories can be one-sided, altered, or organized in a way to benefit other special interests. The question of who was here first will always come up in debates, or we found evidence that the Sioux came from the east, etc...but in our oral accounts, we have been a revolving nation, traveling and roaming across the whole US trading and gathering. look at the ornaments on our shell dresses for example and stories that tie us here. no one can argue that we weren't here to begin with. Think about it. The other issue, the point of interest(s) is actually when the Government has to make ammends with all individual Indian Nations at the time they done Indians wrong in changing their way of life reqardless of who or what nation they did it to. Turning things around and tribe against another are historical know facts of what the dominate race did to indians in general. These tactics are still going on in the land grab issues we currently have overseas. That is why europeans view America as being a wolf. Lastly, It would be a dominal effect of termination of reservation status and obligations the government owes our people that is specifically stated in the treaties if we lay down and except the offer. Don't be blind Indian people. All other tribes and the world is looking at us, the great loss that was illegally taken from the Sioux Nation. In studing history, it got to a point that I hated the word forced, it's listed over and over what our people were subject to. Their are negative consequences if you are a sell out. The Black Hills are not for sale!!! "

native wrote on May 4, 2008 1:01 PM:

" honestly how are we going to take care of it. we are to currupt but i say leave it the way it is we don't need to sell it why not put it up for rent lol i rather not take the money. why not be like everyone else and earn a living an stop complaining about no jobs if you really need money for you family get up get out and find something. stop blaming we got to move on. if we ever get rid of these old currupt old guys and maybe if you people vote in the young ones with educations we could be a better people and stop waiting for someone to take care of us. "

BLACK HILLS HOLY ROLLER... Sunday Driver wrote on May 4, 2008 12:32 PM:

" On the land that is sacred to the Sioux, it is here- where a monument is built. This monument (a monument in honor of men that represented a nation). A nation that is known in words that describe freedom and justice for all. Many people of all nationalities view it. I think of the blood that has been shed for it and yes, it brings a tear within. This Sunday driver has seen a majority of products sold here, "Made in China". How does that make "Americans" feel? I see people of many different nationalities living in America who call themselves Americans. This land is occupied by many people who have foreign ancestry. Individuals risks their lives to "get across the border" to live the American dream. What has America become? A land of opportunity, for who-? I see a country helping others gain their freedoms at the costs of Americans' lives. A country in dire-straits on verge of recession... is this the nation called America, hmmm! On this Sunday drive... I reflect on the Sioux Nation in contrast. The Sioux have had their land taken in name of land of opportunity. The Sioux, left in a land of recession (reservations). The Sioux Language once spoken now heard in English- in order to survive in a ever changing world. Must they be taught another, such as Spanish, German, etc... to exist in modern America! Reservations- a g