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Cuomo gives the Senecas an ultimatum

North East News
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Cuomo gives the Senecas an ultimatum By Justin Sondel Niagara Gazette May 9, 2013 Niagara Gazette — Gov. Andrew Cuomo has given the Seneca Nation of Indians an ultimatum: Resolve the dispute with the state or Western New York will be fair game for a non-Indian casino. Cuomo said that Western New York would be listed as a possible location for a new casino in his plan to expand gaming upstate if the Senecas do not resolve the dispute with the state over the exclusivity clause in the 2002 gaming compact between the parties by the end of the legislative session on June 20. Cuomo made the comments during a question and answer session after discussing details of his plan for casino expansion during a tourism summit in Albany. "The answer at one point is either yes or no," Cuomo said in reference to negotiating a settlement with the Senecas. "I'm a patient person. I'll talk as long as you want to talk. But, at one point the decision factors aren't going to change." A Cuomo press officer provided the Gazette with an audio recording of the press conference. Attempts to reach representatives from the Senecas were unsuccessful Thursday afternoon. The dispute went to an arbitration panel last year and lawmakers have repeatedly said they expect that process to wrap up by mid-year.
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Wampanoags get hearing on new compact

North East News
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Wampanoags get hearing on new compact Original compact gave state 21.5 percent of gaming proceeds, but under new one MA gets between 15%-17% May 9, 2013 By Michael P. Norton Gov. Deval Patrick's proposed gaming compact with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, which languished in committee during April while state regulators opened the southeast region up to commercial bidders, has been scheduled for a public hearing. The Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Committee plans to hold a hearing on the compact and a related resolve (H 3375/H 3376) at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15 in Room B-2, according to a notice posted Tuesday in the State House. *The tribe is angry* On April 18, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted to open southeastern region to bids for a commercial casino development, angering the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe and creating a new dynamic for developers as they seek to win casino licenses in other parts of Massachusetts. Federal officials last year rejected the initial compact that Patrick negotiated with the tribe, which has plans to build a casino in Taunton, forcing a second round of negotiations. Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby last month published a message on the commission's blog acknowledging that the state's gaming law sought to have only one casino in southeastern Massachusetts, but provided for commercial bids if it appeared unlikely the Mashpee tribe would be successful in obtaining federal protected land. Big change in state's share
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Billboards removed in Greeley that used Native-Americans to promote gun rights

National News
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Billboards removed in Greeley that used Native-Americans to promote gun rights Posted: 05/08/2013 By Whitney Phillips Greeley Tribune GREELEY — The anonymous residents behind two Greeley billboards that drew criticism and support for their depiction of Native Americans and a pro-gun rights message did not renew their lease, and the images have been replaced with blank space. The billboards — one on the northbound side of U.S. 85 near 18th Street, the other on the westbound side of U.S. 34 near 95th Avenue — showed three men dressed in traditional Native American attire and the words "Turn in your arms. The government will take care of you." Brent Window, vice president and general manager at Lamar Advertising, which owns the billboards, said those who purchased the space held a one-month lease, and it expired. http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_23197905/billboards-removed-greeley-that-used-native-americans-promote

Maine students should protest, end Native American school mascots

North East News
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Maine students should protest, end Native American school mascots By Ed Rice Posted May 08, 2013 From our Colonial period right through to the present day, Native Americans have always been the victims of an intrinsic “institutional racism” in the United States. Or, put more bluntly, it’s always been okay to be flat-out disrespectful. Don’t think so, huh? Ready to join the gutless, no name-given and no address-given e-mailers who will undoubtedly post their “enough with the political correctness” mantra to this commentary on this newspaper’s website? Let’s keep it simple then. In this newspaper, when dealing with slurs for gender, color, creed, or ethnicity, you certainly wouldn’t find the “B”-word for women, the “N”-word for blacks, the “S”-word for Hispanics/Latinos, the “K”-word for Jews, the “T”-word for Muslims, the “M”-word for the Irish, the “W”-word for Italians, and so on. But, in this newspaper, and in almost all of the newspapers around our country, you will commonly find the word “Redskins.” Indeed, there it is: The BDN has no problem with it. And, of course, you’ll hear it all over the radio, and on television, and on the Internet, often spoken by many of our most respected people in the media. The term is not the racial epithet it should be, I believe, merely because it’s been acceptable for so damn long. For instance, it was commonplace to call Louis Sockalexis, the great Penobscot baseball player who inspired the Cleveland Indians nickname and the subject of my 2003 biography, “a redskin” and “a savage” on newspaper pages in 1897, and things truly haven’t improved all that much.
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Wounded Knee Mystery Bidders Working to Secure Land for Tribe

National News
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Wounded Knee Mystery Bidders Working to Secure Land for Tribe Vincent Schilling May 08, 2013 On May 1 the site of the Wounded Knee massacre was put on the open market by owner James Czywczynski with a price tag of $4.9 million. He says three of the five standing offers he has could benefit the Oglala Sioux Tribe, who he would prefer to sell to but have not yet made an offer. “All five are looking for additional time to put their funding together,” he said. “It appears that three of the five are acquiring this property for or on behalf of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. “I do not know for sure because these people will not tell me. They told me by the end of the week, which is this Friday they should have their offer submitted,” Czywczynski said. Denise Mesteth, director of the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Tribal Land Office, the tribe has not made an offer. She further commented about Czywczynski’s statements that the tribe should have money from the Cobell and Salazar settlements.
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Willard resigns as Chair of Vermont Indian Commission

Commission News
Written by Administrator
Wednesday, 08 May 2013
Willard resigns as Chair of Vermont Indian Commission Posted May 8 2013 NOTE: This website received the below resignation letter via e-mail today. We would like to take this time to thank Luke for his service and wish him the best as he continues to follow the path less traveled. Commission members, In 2010, a new VCNAA was created. As you know, the former commission could barely conduct the most simple of tasks due to members who stalled all business because of their own destructive agendas and refusal to set their sights on positive goals for the betterment of Vermont's Indian people. The new commission was made up of people who were mostly new to the bureaucratic environment and therefore had not yet become jaded or ineffective by it. It's difficult to find the words to properly describe the passion and determination that was present at the time. We refused to allow politics and oversensitive norms to get in the way of progress. Refusing to take no for an answer, we shouted our intentions from the rooftops and we made history. We did what was RIGHT, not what was "normal" or politically plausible. Those first two years were really something and I'll never forget it.
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Vermont Indian Commission Minutes - 4.15.2013

Commission Meeting Minutes
Written by Administrator
Sunday, 05 May 2013
Vermont Indian Commission Minutes - 4.15.2013 Posted 5.5.1013
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Protest divides Dartmouth Natives

North East News
Written by Administrator
Thursday, 02 May 2013
Protest divides Dartmouth Natives By Brandon Ecoffey Native Sun News Managing Editor Wednesday, May 1, 2013 HANOVER, NH—A recent protest and the response to it by Dartmouth’s Native American student group has left the Native Alumni of Dartmouth at odds with the Ivy League college’s current Native American students. Nestled in the forests of central New Hampshire, Dartmouth College is home to one of the most successful Native American student programs amongst America’s elite institutions of higher learning. Originally founded in 1769 by Eleazer Wheelock and Samson Occom, a Mohegan and primary fundraiser, the college has a long history of educating Native people as the charter states its purpose is “for the education and instruction of Youth of the Indian Tribes in this land.” Dartmouth has a reputation for producing highly successful Native American alumni, a group that includes the likes of Charles Eastman (Santee Dakota), one of the first Native Americans in history to earn a medical degree. However, in the first 200 years of the institutions existence there were only 19 Native American graduates. In 1973, the college recommitted itself to its original purpose of educating Native American students and has since placed a heavy emphasis on both the recruitment of Native American students and the development of a Native American Studies program, which is now widely considered to be the best undergraduate program in the world.
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41st Annual Dartmouth Powwow

Pow Wow Schedules
Written by Administrator
Monday, 29 April 2013
41st Annual Dartmouth Powwow Posted 4.29.2013 41st Annual Dartmouth Powwow May 11th and 12th, 2013 Grand Entry at noon on Saturday and Sunday Location: The Dartmouth Green Dartmouth, NH (Rain Location: Leede Arena)

2013 Saratoga Native American Festival

Pow Wow Schedules
Written by Administrator
Monday, 29 April 2013
2013 Saratoga Native American Festival September 28th & 29th 2013 Rain or Shine! Saratogo Performing Arts Center Saratogo Springs, NY Daily Admission Prices: $12 Adults, $10 Seniors, $5 Children 6-12. Children under 5 are free. Discounts available when pre-ordering online! Click Here to Purchase Tickets for the Festival Online!

Lumbee bill reintroduced in Congress

National News
Written by Administrator
Monday, 29 April 2013
Lumbee bill reintroduced in Congress by Staff report Apr 28, 2013 WASHINGTON — Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in Congress seeking full federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, whose members make up almost 40 percent of Robeson County’s population. The legislation was introduced Friday by U.S. Reps. Richard Hudson and Mike McIntyre. Hudson, a Republican, is a freshman legislator from Concord who represents the 8th District, which includes most of Robeson County, and McIntyre, a Lumberton native and Democrat, represents the 7th District, which includes a small slice of the county. McIntyre has been seeking recognition for the Lumbee tribe since he joined Congress in 1997. Paul Brooks, chairman of the Lumbee Tribal Council, recently met with Hudson to discuss the legislation. The Lumbee Recognition Act is the same bill that has been filed during the past three congressional sessions, Brooks said. “It’s time to do it,” Brooks told The Fayetteville Observer. “Let’s get it done. The whole population of the Lumbee will enjoy a better way of life, and actually the whole area will be blessed.” The Lumbees have sought federal recognition since 1888. Congress recognized the tribe in 1956, but denied its members financial benefits afforded to other federally recognized tribes.
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