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Jay Red Eagle



Last Updated: 12/11/2009

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Status: Single
City: Quapaw
State: Oklahoma
Country: US
Signup Date: 3/8/2008

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Wednesday, December 09, 2009 

Category: News and Politics
Where is the hue and cry from Allen Unruh, Chris Nelson, and the other South Dakota Tea Partiers?

The Crow Creek Reservation just shrank by about 11 square miles, courtesy of Uncle Sam. The IRS auctioned off a portion of the reservation last week to recover $3.1 million in back taxes owed by the tribe. I should have brought my bidding ticket: at auction last Thursday, the land went for not quite $2.6 million, about $370 per acre. That's well below the $4.6 million appraisal cited by the tribe's appraiser, and well below SDSU's 2009 estimate that central South Dakota rangeland is worth $898 an acre. (Dang—the IRS should have hired Wieman Auction to market the sale.)

Judge Roberto Lange declined to block the auction, but he is letting the tribe proceed with a lawsuit to challenge the sale. Lange will hear that trial March 29. The tribe is mustering numerous arguments:

    only an act of Congress can take tribal land
    the Bureau of Indian Affairs gave them bad tax advice (who hasn't been there?)
    the land is culturally significant (tribal members are buried there)
    the land is a vital tribal resource for developing wind power
    the IRS failed to study the environmental impact of the sale
That last point may not warm the cockles of the Glenn Beck club's hearts, but on the general point of the IRS taking people's land away, shouldn't the anti-government crowd be joining the Crow Creek Sioux in this fight to restore their sovereignty? I would think this would be a perfect opportunity for the folks in tricornered Whigs to build a functioning political coalition. Challenge the IRS, fight for South Dakotans' sovereignty, and win the allegiance of a key political demographic.
1:24 AM 
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Wednesday, December 09, 2009 

Category: News and Politics
The US government has settled a long-running case over royalties owed to American Indians.

Under the deal the interior department will share $1.4bn (£859m) among 300,000 tribe members as compensation.

The tribes claim they have been cheated out of billions of dollars worth of natural resources since 1887.

The agreement ends a case which has been running for 13 years. The secretary of the interior department said it would aid reconciliation.

"This is an historic, positive development for Indian country," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement released by the department.

Contentious case

The dispute dates back to the 1887 Dawes Act, which seized Indian land - much of it rich in natural resources - and gave it to white-owned companies to exploit.

Under the Act, the land was divided into plots and each Indian family was assigned a parcel of land, a concept alien to their culture in which all land belonged to the tribe.

The idea was for them to be "compensated" for the use of their land, however disputes arose almost immediately, perpetuated as ever smaller parcels of land were inherited by new generations.

Attorney General Eric Holder said the parties had tried to reach an agreement "many, many times".

"But today we turn the page. This settlement is fair to the plaintiffs, responsible for the US, and provides a path forward for the future," he said.

On its website the department for the interior said that the litigation had included hundreds of motions, dozens of rulings and appeals, and several trials.

The agreement must be approved both by Congress and a federal judge.

  
1:01 AM 
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Monday, December 07, 2009 

Category: News and Politics
Between 1820 and 1934, it was national policy to break up reservations and parcel out allotments of 80-160 acres to individual Indian owners. Many of these lands were rich in timber, minerals, water and fertile soil. Today, 11 million acres of land are held in trust for over 387,000 beneficiaries via the Individual Indian Monies (IIM) system. More than $300 million annually from agricultural and oil leases, mining and water rights, rights-of-way and timber sales is collected by the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for distribution to owners.

Locating them has become more difficult as the Native American population has become more mobile. BIA has lost track of at least 47,000 account holders. On e reason - more than 123,000 accounts lack Social Security numbers.
Even many of those who are not listed among the missing don't receive regular statements, and therefore have been unable to verify whether their holdings and payments are correct. The current trust balance is around $450 million, but several billion dollars more have been lost over the years due to undervalued and/or uncollected lease payments, missing records (the majority of BIA's leases are stored in places with "no retrieval capacity," like abandoned salt mines) and destroyed checks.

In addition to IIM are some 2000 Tribal Trust Accounts, which includes per capita annual payments, compensation for rights-of-way and court settlements, which total $2.3 billion. As with IIM, however, waste, fraud and abuse are rampant. An audit revealed at least $2.4 billion is missing or otherwise unaccounted for over just the 20-year period from 1973 to 1992, making an accurate reconciliation of accounts virtually impossible.

additional information and claims assistance go to
http://www.unclaimed.com/indian_money.htm

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) holds 11 million acres in trust for Native Americans. Money from timber sales, agricultural and oil leases is distributed under the Individual Indian Monies (IIM) program. In addition to Individual Indian Monies, the Office of Trust Funds Management administers Tribal Trust Accounts.

The Special Trustee for American Indians oversees annual payments of $450 million for 300,000 Native Americans, but the whereabouts of 47,000 Native Americans eligible for payment are unknown.
Due to lost and inaccurate records - many lack a current address and social security number - you will likely not be contacted, so you should initiate a search. Because the funds are held by an agency of the U.S. Federal government, your name will not appear in a state unclaimed property database search. Note: Pending litigation may significantly increase your entitlement.

For a search the Office of Trust Funds Management Individual Indian Monies (IIM) Whereabouts Unknown database and to obtain recovery and claims information complete the form below.

8:14 AM 
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Thursday, December 03, 2009 
From: Gail Chehak Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 21:03:38

Subject:

NEWS FLASH - IACA Testifies Tomorrow on Crafts Laws

Contact: Gail Chehak (505) 265-9149 or gchehak@iaca.com

IACA Testifies Tomorrow on Crafts Laws December 2, 2009, Washington, D.C.

(December 1, 2009, Albuquerque NM) ? Michael ?NaNa Ping? Garcia, President of the Indian Arts and Crafts Association, will testify on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 Legislative Hearing on H.R. 725, ?Indian Arts and Crafts Amendments Act of 2009.?

The amendments would strengthen enforcement, expanding the existing federal investigative authority by authorizing other federal investigative bodies, such as the BIA Office of Law Enforcement to take action.

The bill also revises the requirements for the initiation of civil actions for misrepresentation of Indian produced goods and clarifies the requirements for the initiation of civil actions, as well as penalties for the misrepresentations of such goods.

Other witnesses include the Honorable Shan Lewis, Fort Mojave Indian Tribe Vice Chairman and President of the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., Jewell James, Policy Advisor for the Lummi Indian Nation and Larry Parkinson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement, Security & Emergency Management at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.

The Hearing is being held before the Committee on Natural Resources Office of Indian Affairs. at 10:00 a.m. in Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building. The Committee provides online public access with live webcasts beginning approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the hearing at http://resourcescommittee.house.gov

http://resourcescommittee.house.gov

Established in 1974, the IACA is an international, not-for-profit trade association whose mission is to support the effec­tive pro­tection, ethical promotion and preser­vation of American Indian arts and crafts. Headquartered in Albuquerque, NM, IACA was formed by American Indian artists and reputable businesses when imitation goods began flooding the marketplace.

The founders joined forces to more effectively promote authenticity and find ways to educate the buyers and public about American Indian art. Today, IACA is a well-respected trade association which represents all facets of the American Indian arts and crafts industry, artists, retailers, wholesalers, cottage industry, museums, other related organizations and businesses (such as suppliers, educational institutions, book publishers, studio photographers), as well as collectors.

IACA promotes ethical business standards within the Indian art market through education, publicity, authentication, and use of its logo to certify reputable businesses.

Indian Arts & Crafts Association 4010 Carlisle Blvd NE, Suite C Albuquerque, NM 87107 Phone: 505.265.9149 Website: www.iaca.com http://www.iaca.com
1:16 AM 
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Thursday, December 03, 2009 
12:35 AM 
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Wednesday, December 02, 2009 
Readers respond to Cherokee poverty opinion

Read more: http://64.38.12.138/News/2009/017605.asp

Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Filed Under: Opinion

An October 23 opinion piece about poverty by Cherokee Phoenix staff writer apparently touched a chord within the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Here's a sampling of some of the responses.

Former council member John A. Ketcher: "If our people are still living the conditions of 70 to 80 years ago, we are not doing a better job than the Bureau of Indian Affairs was when we promised the U.S. Congress we could."

Ramona Williams: "I have family members in poor financial circumstances, and I help when I can but much more needs to be done for all of those who live in dire conditions. I believe the answer is for the poorer full-blood class to be able to participate in the decision-making process."

Jim Downing: "It is a shame that any tribal citizen should go without any needs. Where is all that money the Cherokee Nation gets? If it’s not for the Cherokees, who for then?" Holly S. Rosser: ""It seems Mr. Chavez invokes a paternalistic or racist argument that “full bloods can’t help themselves so some one else needs to help them.” I have heard some of Cherokee Nation’s elected officials talk about our “poor full bloods,” and I take offense. Most of the full bloods I know do not ask for help from the governments of the United States, Oklahoma or CN. They show up to work on time, prepared and with a good attitude."
8:40 PM 
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Friday, November 27, 2009 

Category: News and Politics

This was posted at http:// nativeunity.blogspot.com/2009/11/navajo-relocation-still-stings-stacy.html  You can paste the url.. myspace doesn't like it.

Navajo Relocation Still Stings! - Stacy Leeds For Cherokee Nation Leader

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM NATIVE UNITY

Trauma Of Relocation Echos Through Generations Of Dine
By Kathy Helms
Dine Bureau
Gallup Independent

WINDOW ROCK – The Navajo-Hopi Settlement Act of 1974 separated the Navajo people from their homeland, their livestock, and their way of life. Politicians say it's history, but resisters and relocatees told the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission this week that the effects are just as real today as they were then.

The commission was in Bird Springs and Dilkon conducting a series of public hearings to assess the impact of the settlement act, which divided thousands of acres of Joint Use Area land into Hopi Partitioned Land, or HPL, and Navajo Partitioned Land, NPL. About 100 Hopis were relocated from NPL and approximately 10,000 Navajos were required to move from HPL.

Duane H. Yazzie, chair of the commission, said some Navajo Nation Council delegates tell them, “That issue is dead. Why are you bringing it back up?” But, he said, “The bottom line, and what we're saying, is forced relocation is a human rights violation. That's why we have the responsibility to see what we can do, even though Window Rock is saying don't bother.”

Thousands of Dine were chased off their land and scattered to the winds, resulting in feelings of desperation, isolation, suicide, joblessness, alcohol abuse, physical abuse, and family abuse, he said. Some refused to move.

Ida Mae Clinton, 82, and her daughter Verna of Star Mountain Valley are resisters. Ida Mae would not sign the 75-year lease agreement because there were too many limitations, Verna said. “Public Law 93-531 has destroyed people who have never done anything wrong. My grandmother died saying, 'I've never done anything wrong except care for my family and my sheep and my horses and pray every day.'

“That law was passed by Congress, senators, congressmen holding up the United States Constitution to kill my people,” Verna said. “It is vital that the Navajo Nation Commission of Human Rights do something with these hearings. I hope that we can see some sort of peace for the people that are refusing to sign.”

Clinton said she returned home from San Francisco in 1973 and went house to house, pleading with friends and family not to take the government's money. “I tried to educate them on what the relocation meant and what it would be like to live in a city where they did not know how to manage their lives.”

She said her father, a medicine man known as “Dr. Clinton,” used to say, “'I will not leave my land. I will not abandon my people, the remains of my family, my relatives, my community members. It is not right.' So we stayed, and to this day we still are there.

“We still have sheep, we still have horses. But we are surrounded by fencing. We have no rights. We are under Hopi jurisdiction and Hopi rule. We are under surveillance by the Hopi Rangers every day. They come around, they look at us through binoculars; we look at them through our binoculars. After 35 years, I'm charging the Hopi Tribe and the United States with genocide,” she said.

Despite the official lifting of the Bennett Freeze on May 8, Ida Mae said they are still unable to make repairs to their homes. “Our houses are falling apart. That's just the way life is out here. That's the way it's always been.”

In addition, the Hopi Rangers keep close tabs on her livestock, she said. “I was told you can only have five sheep and one horse. I told the Hopis I have 13 grandchildren. Are they all supposed to ride this one horse?” She said the document that she was given by the Hopi, she threw in the fire, and the person that delivered the document stormed out of the house.

“I'm not afraid to share my stories, my experiences,” she said. “What took place (with relocation) was illegal. They had people approaching households asking them to put their thumbprint on documents. I witnessed all that.”

Norris Nez, a traditional medicine man from Coalmine who has been “across the ocean” to speak before the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, said attorneys have told him that it is possible to file suit against the federal government and the Hopi on the land issue.

Nez travels all over the Navajo Nation to conduct ceremonies. “I see the impact of the Dine people not knowing where to go,” he said. “Many of our children are displaced. They're just wandering, they have no place to go, no place to stay. Many of our grandchildren have no place. They don't know where to even get a meal.”

People are constantly coming to his home, asking him to perform a ceremony. “Our medicine men are not being produced like they used to be. We've left our culture behind, we've left our ways behind and looked into the future, to the Western ways ... We need to come together, we need to be one. We need to unite, we need to get our water back, we need to get our land back. We need to get our way of life back.”

Caroline Tohannie of Red Lake, said that when she was a young girl it was told by the elders that some day the land would be an issue. “You may even be bickering over the land among yourselves,” she said. “In my old age, I realize that is what we are experiencing. I have observed that the land is tired, the land is frustrated over this bickering.

“Black Mesa is like a food basket. There are many food items there. There are many herbs and plants to cook with, but all these things are viewed as useless. It's given no value,” she said. “That's how I feel Washingdoon views our way of life. Some day we will have no sheep. Some day the land will not be viewed as our own to design and plan our future.”

When Tohannie attended boarding school, she experienced some abuse. “Washingdoon says you don't abuse elderly, you don't abuse children. It is a law that they stand by. So why then does the federal government abuse us? That's a double standard. Why is it that they run us off our land? To me that's a form of elderly abuse, and abuse of children and families.

“We want to go back to the way of life that we once knew – the life where we were self-sufficient, where we grew our own foods, we raised our own animals and harvested things that grew in the wild. I don't understand why our livestock is a problem. Why do they want to eradicate our ownership of livestock?”

Chelsea Chee of Teesto said her father was relocated and because of that she feels out of balance. “Since my dad was moved from where he grew up, I'm not familiar with the land that he grew up on. I'm not very familiar with my nali's strong side of the family.

“As a Navajo woman and a Navajo person we talk about having a male and a female balance inside of us to do things. These are some indirect effects that relocation has had on some of the people from my generation,” she said.

Her father talks about herding sheep and riding horses and having cattle, “but I never had that. I grew up with TV and video games and basketball. ... I'm 25 years old now and it's the first time I've ever ridden a horse. There are a lot of teachings and traditions that come along with livestock. It's been 25 years now that I haven't had those teachings.”

Cassandra Martinez-Allen, 37, of Cudeii said it was only recently that she came to accept that she has depression, anger, resentment. “You get angry,” she said through tears.

Now working and living in Pinon, she remembers when her grandparents thought about relocating. She went with them to Sanders to take a look. “They decided not to move there. Instead, they just came down the hill and hopped the fence. You can see their homestead. The foundation from the hogan is still there. I keep telling my dad, 'What if I just move back, who would know?' And he said, 'They would throw you in jail.'

“I want to have some homestead for my children. I want to grow old as a grandmother with sheep. I want to have my own horses, I want to have my own cows. And I don't know when that's supposed to happen,” she said.

The Human Rights Commission will assess the testimonies and evidence presented at the relocation hearings and will offer recommendations to the Navajo Nation and other governments as well as in an international forum. The hearings will continue in mid-December at Tonalea, Piñon and Nahata Dziil chapters.

Cherokee Nation Group To Draft Professor Stacy Leeds
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Opinion
Origina Pechanga

Cherokee Nation Group Seeking to Draft Prof. STACY LEEDS to Oust Chad Smith
A Facebook Group to draft Stacy Leeds for Cherokee Nation Chief has sprung up. Many believe it's time to relieve Chad "Our Slaves Were Treated Well" Smith.

Join in the group to show Stacy that she is needed.

Just who Is Stacy Leeds?
Stacy Leeds serves as Professor of Law at the University of Kansas School of Law and directs KU’s Tribal Law and Government Center. She also serves as adjunct faculty for the School of Business at Haskell Indian Nations University.She has published numerous law reviews, book chapters and essays. Her forthcoming book American Indian Property will be published by Carolina Academic Press later this year.

Leeds has served on several tribal courts including: Prairie Band Potawatomi District Court, Supreme Court for the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, Kaw Nation Supreme Court, Cherokee Nation Supreme Court, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Court of Appeals, and a Special Judge for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation District Court.

7:15 AM 
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Thursday, November 26, 2009 

H1N1 Vaccine Available at Cherokee Nation Health Centers

By CN Communications

TAHLEQUAH, Okla.— The Cherokee Nation has announced that the H1N1 vaccine is now available at all tribal health facilities to all Cherokees and other Native Americans from a federally recognized tribe with a Certified Degree of Indian Blood card. The vaccine reduces a person’s risk of getting the H1N1 flu virus.

While vaccine supplies remain limited, demand from the priority groups has dropped to a point where any citizen can receive the vaccine.

“We have obtained enough vaccine that we can now offer it to anyone who wishes to have it,” said CN Medical Director Dr. Gloria Grim. “We continue to strongly encourage the priority groups, primarily children and expectant mothers, to get the vaccine.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the H1N1 vaccine is the best way to protect yourself from the H1N1 virus and help reduce its spread to others. The Oklahoma Health Department has said H1N1 influenza activity has been widespread in Oklahoma since early September. Even though statewide monitoring has recently shown a decline in influenza-linked hospitalizations, the virus is expected to circulate throughout the winter months. The possibility also exists that another surge of H1N1 flu may follow the current one.

Since Sept. 1, 890 Oklahomans have been hospitalized due to complications from influenza and 27 people have died. Ninety percent of the H1N1-related deaths have been people less than 65 years old. This finding contrasts significantly with seasonal flu which tends to cause the greatest proportion of deaths among persons older than 65 years. The best protection against getting the flu is to receive both the vaccine for H1N1 flu and seasonal flu.

CN citizens and others with a CDIB card can contact any CN health care facility for more information. Other Oklahomans wanting the vaccine are encouraged to check with their physician or their local county health department. 
10:46 AM 
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Friday, November 13, 2009 
PROCLOMATION: TO THE GREAT WHITE FATHER AND ALL HIS PEOPLE

We, the Native Americans, reclaim the land known as Alcatraz Island in the name of all American Indians by right of discovery....

We feel that this so-called Alcatraz Island is more than suitable for an Indian Reservation as determined by the white man's own standard. By this we mean that this place resembles most Indian reservations in that:

1. It is isolated from moderen facilities, and without adequate means of transportation.

2. It has no fresh running water.

3. It has inadequate sanitation facilities.

4. There are no oil or mineral rights.

5. There is no industry, and so unemployment is very great.

6. There are no health care facilities

7. The soil is rocky and unproductive; and the land does not support game.

8. There are no educational facilities.

9. The population has always exceeded the land base.

10. The population has always been held as prisoners and kept dependent
       on others.

Futher, it would be fitting and symbolic that ships from all over the world entering the Golden Gate, would first see Indian Land, and thus be reminded of the true history of this nation.

This tiny island would be a symbol of the great lands once ruled by free and noble Indians.
7:53 PM 
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Saturday, November 07, 2009 
The Muskogee Area Office of the BIA, according to a confidential source, is under close scrutiny by Department of Interior investigators. Under conditions of anonymity, a source in tribal government stated that Jeanette Hannah, MOA director has been placed on administrative leave pending results of the internal investigation.

The source also stated that another employee with the last name of Sullivan was also placed on administrative leave.

A number of BIA employees are being brought into Muskogee, some from as far away as Phoenix, to give information about Hannah's administration and behavior, which some have described as dictatorial and capricious.

Charles Head, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma member and BIA employee, has been appointed as acting director, the source said, and added that all of the cameras have been turned off in the federal building so that Hannah will not know who is coming in to give evidence, which may incriminate her as the investigation broadens.

The source stated that one area of concern for the investigators will be budgetary discrepancies that may indicate corruption that could touch area tribal governments that have benefited from decisions Hannah has made over the past few years.
3:44 PM 
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