Multiple Issues & Indigenous News Vol. 2

Multiple Issues & Indigenous News Vol. 2

Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, Montana 59758
Phone: 406-646-0070
Fax: 406-646-0071
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www...buffalofieldcampaign.org

TELEVISION SHOW HIGHLIGHTS YELLOWSTONE BISON CONTROVERSY
"Buffalo Battle" Airs on Discovery's Planet Green December 5

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 1, 2009
Contacts:
Stephany Seay, Buffalo Field Campaign 406-646-0070,bfc-media@wildrockies.org
Mike Mease, Buffalo Field Campaign, 406-646-0070,mease@wildrockies.org

WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONTANA: On Saturday, December 5 at 10pm EST, Discovery Channel's Planet Green will air Buffalo Battle, a one-hour television documentary on the plight of America's only continuously wild bison population and the work of Buffalo Field Campaign.

Buffalo Battle captures the ongoing war against wild bison and the conflict between bison advocates, government agencies and Montana's cattle industry as wild bison follow their seasonal migratory instincts from the high country of Yellowstone National Park into the state of Montana. State and federal agencies - including Yellowstone National Park and the Montana Department of Livestock - spend millions of federal dollars to enforce Montana's intolerance for native bison. Government agents have killed more than 3,600 wild bison since 2000.

"We are very excited for the opportunity to bring the buffalo's plight into the living rooms of so many Americans," said Mike Mease, Campaign Coordinator with Buffalo Field Campaign, "Buffalo Battle will allow viewers to experience the buffalo's mistreatment firsthand, learn about the forces behind the slaughter, and take part in efforts to protect the bison and their habitat."

Matthew Testa, creator of the award-winning 2001 documentary The Buffalo War, is the executive producer of Buffalo Battle. Testa and his film crew spent weeks in the field with Buffalo Field Campaign, interviewing activists, government agencies, and local ranchers while witnessing first-hand the continuing struggle wild buffalo face on their native landscape.

"I'm fascinated and inspired by the dedication of Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers," said Matt Testa, executive producer of Buffalo Battle. "BFC is a diverse group and everyone has a unique story about how they came to join the cause. No matter where you stand on the buffalo issue, I think these volunteers show us that anyone can take a stand for what they believe in. And when you add lots of action, a beautiful setting, and a controversial animal issue in our crown jewel National Park that many Americans don't know about, it makes for great television."

For thirteen years Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers have come from all over the nation and around the globe, withstanding one of the most inhospitable climates in the Lower 48 states to stand on the front lines in defense of wild bison. Buffalo Field Campaign is a comprehensive source of news and information on the bison issue, documenting all actions made against wild bison and advocating for their right to roam.

Buffalo Field Campaign video footage and photographs were used in the production of Buffalo Battle.

For more information, video clips and photos visithttp://www...buffalofieldcampaign.org
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Upcoming Relocation Hearings, The Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission (NNHRC)
Lehman Brightman sent a message to the members of United Native Americans, Inc.

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Subject: The Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission (NNHRC) Upcoming Relocation Hearings

The Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission (NNHRC) Upcoming Relocation Hearings


Good Morning!

The Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission (NNHRC) will be conducting several public hearings in or near your community in the coming weeks and months. The public hearings are specifically geared for those who may be experiencing the effects of the 1974 Navajo-Hopi Settlement Act. We would like to extend a welcome to you and your peers to attend the hearings.

Dec. 16 - Tonalea Chapter - 2-5PM
Dec. 17 - Pinon Chapter - 10AM-3PM
Dec. 18 - Nahata Dzil Chapter - 10AM-3PM

I'd like to request you forward the information to all your contacts. I thank you for joining our efforts in advancing Navajo Human Rights.



Sheree D. Peshlakai - Public Information Officer
Office of the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission
P: (928)871-7436
F: (928)871-7437
speshlakai@navajo.org
http://www.facebook.com/l/..a6a99;www.NNHRC.navajo.org

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Oneida Indian clan mother, Maisie Shenandoah, dies at 77

By Glenn Coin / The Post-Standard
December 02, 2009, 10:16AM


Michelle Gabel/The Post-Standard, 2000


Oneida Indian clan mother Maisie Shenandoah

Oneida Castle, NY -- Maisie Shenandoah, an Oneida Indian Nation clan mother who was among the first to return her family to the tribe’s ancestral lands, died at 3:30 a.m. today at the Oneida Castle home of her daughter, Joanne Shenandoah. She was 77.

Shenandoah and her twin sister, Elizabeth Robert, were born on Onondaga Nation land but brought their children back to the Oneida's 32-acre territory in the early 1960s when it was little more than bare land.

Shenandoah installed her nephew, Ray Halbritter, into a position of power in the tribe, but later tried to remove him and fought for traditional values as the tribe moved into high-stakes gambling with Turning Stone casino.

In the late 1980s, Shenandoah, a member of the tribe’s Wolf Clan, was an instrumental force in erecting a traditional longhouse on the territory, recalled her daughter Joanne Shenandoah.

“We had that longhouse full of people dancing and singing for years,” Joanne Shenandoah recalled. “We had many, many ceremonies there.”

Maisie Shenandoah’s funeral service will be held in the longhouse, Joanne Shenandoah said. The current Oneida Nation land straddles the border of Madison and Oneida counties, about 25 miles east of Syracuse.

Maisie Shenandoah, whose Oneida name means “She teaches,” often took her six children and her extensive collection of American Indian art to local schools to talk about Oneida history. Maisie Shenandoah also continued the Oneida nation art of beadwork; some of her necklaces are in the collection of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

One of her life’s goals was to re-establish a homeland for the Oneida people, Joanne Shenandoah said.

Maisie Shenandoah traveled widely, often with Joanne, a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter. The elder Shenandoah met a variety of famous musicians and politicians, and was once serenaded with “Happy Birthday” by country singer Willie Nelson.

Maisie Shenandoah was named a clan mother in 1977. Traditional Oneida society is matriarchal, and clan mothers hold the power to appoint and remove leaders. After her clashes with Halbritter in the mid-1990s, however, Maisie Shenandoah and her daughters were denied Oneida nation benefits and a voice in nation affairs.

Contact Glenn Coin at gcoin@syracuse.com or 470-3251.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/..index.ssf/2009/12/post_105...html



Tamra Brennan
Founder/Director
NDN News
www.NDNnews.com
www.protectsacredsites.org
www.protectbearbutte.com

NDN News is a grassroots organization which acts as an information hub and resource for many issues in Indian Country. We are dedicated to providing information featuring headline stories, on-going issues, action alerts, and upcoming events.

PROTECT BEAR BUTTE!!!!!!!!
Our Sacred Ground is NOT Your Playground!

"Our sacred lands are all that remain keeping us connected to our place on Mother Earth, to our spirituality, our heritage and our lands; what’s left of them. If they take it all away, what will remain except a vague memory of a past so forgotten?" ......excerpt from One Nation, One Land, One People by Tamra Brennan, 2006

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American Indian Display Vandalized in Rimrock
Dec. 02, 2009
RIMROCK, Ariz. - Yavapai County Sheriff's Office deputies are investigating a vandalism at a Rimrock honey store over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The owner's dream catcher was vandalized while on display in front of the store.
The dream catcher is about 12 feet tall. The vandals cut the interior strings and stole pieces of turquoise. The Dream Warrior is valued at over $4,500. It was last seen intact Thanksgiving at 6 p.m. and was found vandalized at 8 a.m. Nov. 27.
The display trailer that the dream catcher was sitting on was found at the edge of a nearby embankment.
Anyone with information is asked to call police. A reward will be offered if an arrest is made.
TIPLINE: 928-771-3260 or 1800-932-3232
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/..dpp/news/local/dreamcatcher-..vandalism-12-02-2009

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The Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission Upcoming Relocation Hearings

The Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission (NNHRC) will be conducting several public hearings in or near your community in the coming weeks and months. The public hearings are specifically geared for those who may be experiencing the effects of the 1974 Navajo-Hopi Settlement Act. We would like to extend a welcome to you and your peers to attend the hearings. Attached is a flyer indicating place/date/time/description of the hearings. I'd like to request you forward the information to all your contacts. I thank you for joining our efforts in advancing Navajo Human Rights.

Dec. 16 - Tonalea Chapter -AZ- 2-5PM
Dec. 17 - Pinon Chapter -AZ- 10AM-3PM
Dec. 18 - Nahata Dzil Chapter -AZ- 10AM-3PM


Sheree D. Peshlakai - Public Information Officer
Office of the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission
P: (928)871-7436
F: (928)871-7437
speshlakai@navajo.org
www.NNHRC.navajo.org

Clean Coal Air Freshener. . . Too Bad The People Whom Own Stock In Peabody Coal Company Don't Have a Bottle In Their Homes To Ingest Daily!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?..v=W-_U1Z0vezw

An Old Enemy To Our Tribal People. Crisis on Black Mesa

http://wiki.colby.edu/display/..es298b/Black+Mesa+Peabody+..Coal+Debate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?..v=h-b1rmQt8gM

http://www.indiancountrytoday...com/opinion/letters/63847702...html

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National Indian Child Welfare AssociationBulletinPosted by Eddie Sherman
Dear NICWA Cause Members:

Robby Boston, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, embodies the next generation of leaders in his community. However, that was not always so. As a youth growing up in southeast Oklahoma, he struggled with severe depression after losing his father and turned to alcohol and drug abuse to find solace from his despair. Sadly, Robby was convinced that ending his own life was "... the only way to get away from everything. All this hurt. All the pain I've been through. This is the only way..." Robby was not alone in his struggle.

Today, the suicide rate among young American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) males continues to be two to three times higher than the general U.S. rates (ages 15 to 24 accounting for 64% of all AI/AN suicides). Despite these appalling statistics, more than half of those who committed suicide in Indian country had never been seen by a mental health provider, yet 90% of all teens who die by suicide suffer from a diagnosable mental illness at the time of death.

Fortunately for Robby, he was able to overcome his depression by engaging services in his community to address his mental health needs. An equally important part of his healing process was taking an active role in traditional ceremonies, which helped him find a "place of belonging" and guided his "spiritual well-being." We met Robby when the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) provided training and technical assistance (T/TA) to the Circles of Care initiative at the Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa. Finding strength in his culture, family, and community, Robby is working with NICWA to advocate and create change for children experiencing emotional or behavioral difficulties.

This work is far from done and we need your help to advance the effort to improve mental health services for American Indian children. In delivering our services, NICWA is engaging youth in all levels of the organization; from the board to the communities we serve, and is committed to fostering young leaders like Robby and empowering them to be advocates for their community. But we need your help.

Here's how you can make a difference. Make a donation and ensure that our crucial work continues. Now more than ever, your gift to NICWA can go a long way towards improving the lives of American Indian children. I hope you will support NICWA and consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. TO MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION, PLEASE VISIT OUR SECURE DONATION SITE POWERED BY NETWORK FOR GOOD:
https://npo.networkforgood...org/Donate/Donate.aspx?..npoSubscriptionId=1001861&..code=Email%20Appeal%20Holiday%..202009

If you have any thoughts or questions, please feel free to contact me. I would enjoy hearing from you.


With warm wishes this holiday season,


Terry L. Cross (Seneca Nation)
Executive Director
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Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
December 3, 2009

BFC Klean Kanteen Water Bottles Make Perfect Gifts.Order Yours Today While They Last!

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In this issue:
* Update from the Field
* Buffalo Battle: BFC Will Be on TV's Planet Green This Saturday!
* BFC Needs Vehicles for Field Patrols
* LAST CHANCE: Help the Buffalo with Your Comments to APHIS
* Take Action: Quarantined Bison Need Our Help
* Last Words ~ We Miss You, Rodeo: Mourning the Loss
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

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* Update from the Field

A bull buffalo was shot yesterday on Horse Butte. For a few weeks he had maintained a space for himself outside of the hunt zone, in the buffalo-friendly Yellowstone Village housing area. The last time we saw him alive he was bedded downinside Montana's largest "buffalo safe zone" on the Galanis property. I can still see his wooly head and horns just peaking over a small rise, hoping that he would keep refuge there, but knowing that buffalo will go where they choose, even if the consequences are fatal. The Galanis property borders Gallatin National Forest land which is in the hunt zone; once he stepped across that imaginary line he became a target and was killed.

It feels as if something has been stolen from the landscape; the bullet extinguished his beneficial and majestic presence, further diminishing the wild bison gene pool by yet another senseless killing of a species moving toward extinction. The Montana Department of Livestock has manipulated wildlife management so severely that hunters are blindly doing some of the killing for them. They call it a hunt but to me it looks more like just another way to kill buffalo that step into Montana. Wild bison still have no year-round habitat in Montana and they are ecologically extinct through most of their native range. Hunting wild bison is extremely premature and bison need to be given the opportunity to recover as a wildlife species in Montana before a hunt can be deemed fair, sustainable, or even ethical.

Snow has been slow to come this season, and we hope that means fewer buffalo will need to make the journey into Montana while the hunt is underway. For those that do, we will be watching over them, and while we cannot stop the bullet, we can give all we have to help change hearts and minds.

Roam Free,
~Stephany

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* Buffalo Battle: BFC Will Be on TV's Planet Green This Saturday!


Tune in this Saturday night, December 5 at 10pm EST (check local listings) for the premier of Buffalo Battle on Discovery Channel's Planet Green. Buffalo Battle is a one-hour television documentary on the plight of America's only continuously wild bison population and the work of Buffalo Field Campaign. Buffalo Battle captures the ongoing war against wild bison and the conflict between bison advocates, government agencies and Montana's cattle industry as wild bison follow their seasonal migratory instincts from the high country of Yellowstone National Park into the state of Montana. Help spread the word by sharing this Buffalo Battle E-Postcard with everyone you know!

Many thanks to Executive Producer Matt Testa and his amazing crew at Authentic TV for being in the field with us, learning from all sides of the issue, and helping BFC tell the world about the last wild buffalo!

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* BFC Needs Vehicles for Field Patrols

We currently have one working vehicle to convey patrols to and from the field, leaving us in dire need of vehicle donations for our campaign. Many of our vehicles have hundreds of thousands of miles and after serving us well, have moved to the vehicle graveyard. Ideally, we need vehicles that have less than 160,000 miles, are 4-door, and have 4WD to carry our patrols through the season. If you can help us with a car or truck donation, please contact BFC's Mechanic Dennis atmechanic@buffalofieldcampaign...org.

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LAST CHANCE: Help the Buffalo with Your Comments to APHIS

Tomorrow, Friday December 4, is the deadline to submit comments to the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) about their Bovine Brucellosis Program, which maintains the status quo of harming wild bison and elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. If you haven't submitted yours yet please do so today. If you have, thank you, and please spread the word to save these herds! Click here to learn more and submit your comments today!

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* Take Action: Quarantined Buffalo Need Our Help

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) is poised to hand over to billionaire Ted Turner 74 Yellowstone bison that were captured as calves from Yellowstone National Park, setting a negative precedent of commercializing wild bison that are protected for the benefit of enjoyment of all people. These buffalo have been held captive for five years in a quarantine feasibility study by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture APHIS and FWP to produce "disease-free" bison for conservation and recovery of American bison as a wildlife species. That was the agencies stated goal, and that is the reason why the U.S. Congress funded millions for the experiment. BFC has strongly opposed quarantine when wild bison have yet to be recovered on their native range in Yellowstone.

Turner is a commercial entity: if the buffalo go to him, they belong to him. The Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana put in a proposal for obtaining these buffalo, and they've been working on bringing buffalo home for years. Why would the State of Montana and the U.S. government deny them this opportunity? One thing is certain, these poor buffalo need to get out of their quarantine prison as they still have 5 more years of captivity ahead of them . . .

TAKE ACTION: We need your help to put pressure on decision-makers to give Yellowstone bison a chance to remain as public wildlife on lands available to all people. Start by asking the decision-makers below to answer some pointed questions:

1. Contact the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) commissioners and urge them to develop a proposal to open State Wildlife Areas for these bison. FWP has hundreds of thousands of acres of suitable bison habitat available on State Wildlife Areas.
Question: Where is the FWP proposal to reintroduce them onto these lands?
Email the FWP Commissioners at fwpcomm@mt.gov or write and call them individually:
Shane Colton, Chairman, 335 Clark Billings, MT 59101 (406) 259-9986
Dan Vermillion, Vice-Chairman, PO Box 668 Livingston, MT 59047 (406) 222-0624
Bob Ream, Commissioner, 521 Clarke Street Helena, MT 59601 (406) 443-2595
Ron Moody, Commissioner, 109 Bach Avenue Lewistown, MT 59457 (406) 538-2698
Willie Doll, Commissioner, PO Box 1142 Malta, MT 59538 (406) 658-2120

2. Give Fort Belknap a helping hand by getting the Department of Interior involved. The tribes have long sought to establish a permanent herd from Yellowstone bison on 22,000 acres "on tribal and public lands in a manner that promotes cultural enhancement, spiritual revitalization, and ecological restoration."
Ask DOI:
A) Where is the initiative in the Department of Interior's Bison Conservation Initiative? Interior is the largest land owner in the US. Surely there are suitable Parks, Refuges, BLM lands for reintroduction of bison. Why did they not submit a proposal? Without qualification the bison in Yellowstone are the most important population to the survival of American bison as a wildlife species.
B) Why has Yellowstone National Park walked away from these bison? Why are they not offering assistance to keep them in the public trust? Millions of dollars has been allocated to YNP to kill bison and biologists, scientists, rangers have put in thousands of hours to carry out their bison plan. YNP handed over a million dollars to Church Universal & Triumphant to let a few bison on and through their land. So where is the commensurate action to restore these bison for conservation?
Email National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis atjon_jarvis@nps.gov
Email Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar atfeedback@ios.doi.gov
For full contact information, including phone and address, click here.

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* Last Words ~ We Miss You, Rodeo: Mourning the Loss

In the land of true winter, where we measure snowfall in feet and low temperatures in the neighborhood of 40 below zero, we were lucky enough to meet a gentle giant of a man who lived in a tipi with two dogs. This man, who lived on the BFC property when we first began renting here, shared his skillful wisdom with us and made it possible for us to survive our first winter. He showed us how much wood we would need, how to keep the pipes from freezing, and all the other little tricks needed to stay warm through a Yellowstone winter.

He accepted me as a brother and before long was cursing me (in jest) after he was arrested while saving the buffalo. But we were friends for life. At first we knew this man simply as "Rodeo" but after his arrest we learned his name was Roger Vincent. He never stopped giving to anyone: friend, foe, or new acquaintance. He was the kind of guy who would stop his work to help you with yours. I could go on and on about his positive attributes but he would have made me stop by now. Every night in the tipi where I have lived for the past 11 years I thank Rodeo for teaching me how to live like this.

I will miss you, my friend, as will many others. I am sure you are already in the lead in that dog-sled race up in the sky. I will never forget you because what you taught me I use every single day.

For one who inspired so many stories it is only fitting to end this remembrance with a story. Jeremy, a young native man who was with the Campaign back in our beginning told Rodeo one day that he had come up with an Indian name for him. Rodeo, feeling honored, turned bright red and waited with pride to hear his new name. Jeremy then pronounced "From now on you will be known as "Walking Eagle." Rodeo, obviously honored by the new name, smiled from ear to ear.

"Don't you want to know what it means?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes," replied Rodeo, "of course I do."

"It means you're too full of poop to fly," Jeremy, smiling, told him. Everyone erupted in laughter, especially Rodeo.

So Walking Eagle, fly high and watch over us, because we will always need your help.

To read more about this great man an an event he inspired, please click:
http://www.islandparknews.com/..atf.php?sid=7512¤t_..edition=2009-12-03

For the Buffalo,

Mike Mease
Buffalo Field Campaign

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* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2009-2010 Total: 2

2009-2010 Slaughter: 0
2009-2010 Hunt: 2
2009-2010 Quarantine: 0
2009-2010 Shot by Agents: 0
2009-2010 Highway Mortality: 0

2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,704*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortalities
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Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www...buffalofieldcampaign.org

BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY

Join Buffalo Field Campaign -- It's Free!

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ROAM FREE!
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LA SKINS FEST
@ American Indian Resource Center
Saturday, December 12, 1 -3 PM
1st Floor Meeting Room

This year's AIRC screening will include popular selections from LASKINFEST 2009 featuring original and innovative animation, documentaries on subjects relevant to Indian County , and film shorts about various NDN communities, that explore where we come from, where we are, and where we are going.

Award winning filmmakers, young and old, have produced these works that will entertain and enlighten. This is an opportunity to support the work of aspiring Native and non-Native filmmakers who dedicate much time and energy to keep our stories and our experiences alive, and to share them with the world.

American Indian Resource Center
Huntington Park Library
6518 Miles Avenue
Huntington Park , CA 90255
airc@library.lacounty.gov
rsvp: email or (323) 583-2794
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Rocks Go Camping
(2009, 1min) Canada
Director: Syrena Kaiser-Fox

Peer pressure always leads to bad consequences. Rocks Go Camping is an animation piece produced by Native students at the Weengushk Film Institute in Ontario, Canada.


Finding D-QU: The Lonely Struggle of California’s Only Tribal College.
(2009, 30 min.) USA
Director: Christopher Newman

In 2005, D-Q University, California’s only tribal college, was shut down after a 35-year struggle. Since then, the school’s board of trustees, past students, and community members have tried to reopen the school against all odds. This documentary is structured around a group of occupants who illegally live at the closed D-QU campus amid threats of arrest by the school’s board of trustees.


Walking On Turtle Island
(2008, 20 min.) USA
Director: Ian Skorodin

"Walking on Turtle Island" is a fresh, exciting Native American story. In the spiritual tradition of Kung Fu, the heartwarming Highway to Heaven and the thoughtful surprise of Quantum Leap, come two Native American heroes for these times. Killed in a gun fight, a young Lakota warrior sees his traditions and his own life ebb away at the hands of white intrusion. He and the obnoxious, endearing trickster, "Iktomi," arrive in the Spirit World where they are given a sacred and daunting task. . .travel through time together, helping people in need.


Mayan Reign
(2008, 5 min.) USA
Director: Jose Olmos

Told in stunning animation, Mayan Reign is a fictional story about a Mayan Rain God. Director and USC student, Jose Olmos, interprets indigenous culture with vivid visual images and original music.


A Gift From Talking God: The Story of the Navajo Churro
(2008, 29:30 min) USA
Director: Peter Blystone
Producer: Peter Blystone and Margaret Chanler

The Navajo-Churro sheep is the original breed. Known for its hardiness and long, coarse fleece, it sustained Navajo, Pueblo and Hispanic people for nearly 400 years. Almost extinct a generation ago, the Navajo-Churro is making a comeback. Ensuring the survival of the breed and the rich heritage associated with it.


Crazy Ind’n The S