Happy Father’s Day!
Jim Boyd’s song, “Father and Farther,” was featured in “Smoke Signals,” the movie based on Sherman Alexie’s short stories. Meanwhile, in Carroll County, Ark., the annual Father’s Day Powwow is going on this weekend, according to this Carroll County News story. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads!
Sounding off on New York’s latest cigarette tax plan aimed at Native Americans
Managing editor Eric DuVall of the Tonawanda News does not think much of New York’s plan to tax tribes’ cigarette sales. Of the complicated plan, he says here: “Either system would be surely subjected to a court review, and considering either system does mean that Native Americans will be taxed on sales to fellow Native Americans, it’s likely to be struck down. And if it isn’t, I sincerely hope they go back to burning tires on the Thruway.”
Deadline extended in Keepseagle suit on behalf of Indian farmers and ranchers Shades of Cobell – the deadline to settle a lawsuit on behalf of Native American farmers and ranchers denied access to USDA loans has been extended until July 29. A tentative agreement in a similar case involve Hispanic ranchers reportedly has been reached, Rob Capriccioso of Indian Country Today writes here. A report in the Keepseagle v. Vilsack case estimates Native farmers and ranchers were denied about $3 billion in credit, resulting in between $500 million and $1 billion in damages.
Salish language camp attracts students of all ages
Last week’s Salish language camp on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana was a blend of old and new, B.L. Azure writes here in the Char-Koosta News. Part of the Salish Language and Culture Camp held by the Salish Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee involved lessons by Shirley Trahan, who used a MacBook Pro computer loaded with the Salish language font.
Wisconsin tells school to dump Ho-Chunk chief logo
The state of Wisconsin wants the Osseo-Fairchild high school to ditch its nickname — the Chieftains — and logo of a Ho-Chunk chief. Local parents Harvey and Carol Gunderson filed a complaint about the logo. “It’s about a matter of psychological harm to students. Research has found that it lowers the self-esteem of American-Indian students, but it raises the self-esteem of European-American students,” Harvey Gunderson tells WQOW, here. The state agrees, but a school board member is fighting the order. A hearing is set for June 28.
KJ Lang, of the La Crosse Tribune in Wisconsin, offers this lovely column today:
KJ Lang
Imagine celebrating Thanksgiving every day.
I’m not talking about stuffing yourself 24-7. I’m talking about regularly giving thanks.
“For a lot of indigenous cultures, Thanksgiving is every day … giving thanks for what you have — community, family, friends, food, how you got the food and what animals had to give up so you can eat,” said Elyse McCrary, co-chairwoman of the Native American Student Association at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
At a “rethinking Thanksgiving feast” Tuesday at the Ho-Chunk Branch office in La Crosse, NASA and community members didn’t forget to give thanks for the food. They talked about how food brings a community together in the process of growing it, preparing it and eating it.
Navajo Nation in “turmoil” as president placed on leave
Good investigative reporting by the Navajo Times results in publication of this information showing “substantial evidence” that Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. violated the tribe’s ethics laws. Tensions are so high that a significant, armed police presence was deemed necessary during last week’s special tribal council meeting in Window Rock. The video above gives an idea of the atmosphere that day.
Canada’s First Nations reserves see “explosion” of tuberculosis
The Winnipeg Free Press reports here that “Manitoba now has one of the highest rates of TB in Canada because the disease has been allowed to spread rampant in the First Nations population. On some reserves, the TB rate is more than 100 times the national average.”
Ho-Chunk buy land where Chippewa had planned casino
There’s been considerable buzz about this story, mainly because the Bad River and St.Croix Chippewa bands had options to buy a parcel of land near Beloit, Wisc., for an off-reservation casino. On Thursday, the Ho-Chunk Nation announced it had purchased that same parcel. The two Chippewa bands wanted to build a casino there, but the Ho-Chunk say they stand a better chance of getting approval to build a casino off their reservation.
Turkey sponsors Native American education exchange
The Web site TurkishNY.com makes its first appearance in Buffalo Post with this story about a lecture tour in Turkey this month by Native American educators. The Turkish Coaltion of America is sponsoring the trip in conjunction with the American Indian Higher Educational Consortium. The story says the idea is to foster collaboration between tribal colleges and Turkish universities.
Powwow celebrates couple’s 63rd wedding anniversary Here’s the sort of story we love to see: Victor Matt met Delma Gebeau at the Arlee powwow on Flathead Indian Reservation shortly after he came back to Montana after World War II. The Salish couple have been married 63 years, and celebrated their union the way it began – with a powwow, according to the Char-Koosta News.
Here are a couple of similar stories on the state of tribal gaming.
The Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrats reports here that California’s tribal casinos will continue to see declining revenues through the beginning of next year, but recovery should start in the last half of 2010. Those predictions come from a new report by Fitch Ratings, an international credit agency.
And, in Wisconsin, the Capital Times in Madison says, here, that state analysts see a similar pattern, predicting that Wisconsin Indian casino revenue will drop 4.8 percent decline in 2009, and rise only 3 percent in 2010.
That’s bad news for both states, which – along with the tribes – have come to depend on gaming revenues. Wisconsin foresees a drop of nearly $16 million from gaming compact revenues during the 2009-2011 budget cycle.
Cheryl Silha tells the Capital Times that she’s gambling less because of the tight economy. “We used to go about twice a month,” she told the paper last week as she headed for the front door of De Jope bingo hall in Madison, owned and operated by the Ho-Chunk Nation. “Now it’s maybe once every other month. … Well, not even that.”
