articles-september 13

Attorney argues for release of Peltier documents from FBI

BUFFALO, N.Y. Supporters of imprisoned American Indian activist Leonard Peltier (pehl-TEER') are accusing the government of withholding documents in his case to cover up misconduct in its investigation 30 years ago.
A Peltier attorney was in federal court in Buffalo today to ask a judge to order the release of documents from the F-B-I's field office there.


The F-B-I has already given attorney Michael Kuzma nearly 800 pages that he requested under the Freedom of Information Act. But Kuzma wants the 15 pages that the F-B-I withheld, citing national security and other concerns. full article

War dance highlights fight to save heritage

A plan to raise Shasta Dam worries tribe

By M.S. Enkoji -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Monday, September 13, 2004
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SHASTA LAKE - Overlooking the deep blue of Shasta Lake, flames rose from rubbing two sticks together as the evening breeze picked up chanting and the sun disappeared Sunday.

It's the beginning of a war dance. The Winnemem Indians, or "Middle Water" people, say they are in a fight to preserve their culture.

For four days straight they will dance a dance older than the lake for reasons as new as the motorboats skimming its surface: There is talk of raising the lake level.

The last time the Winnemem danced this way, there was no Shasta Dam. There was no Bureau of Reclamation. But there was the river. full article

Tribes hope to protect ancient sites

Developer to preserve cultural resources, Hughes officials say

For more than 1,000 years, tribes from at least three American Indian cultures came to a place overlooking what is now the Las Vegas Valley to feast on agave, hunt bighorn sheep and etch symbols of their lifestyles in the sandstone outcroppings kn- own as Little Red Rocks.

It was a crossroads for bands of Southern Paiute, tribes from the lower Colorado River and the Anasazi from the Virgin River who have long since vanished but left reminders of their distinctive, fired pottery and paintings on rock walls.

This stretch of high desert that reaches from about 3,000 feet to a mile high in elevation had what the Indians needed to survive in the harsh climate. full article

Poet shares pride in Catawba heritage

By Denyse Clark The Herald
(Published September 13‚ 2004)
CATAWBA INDIAN RESERVATION -- A poem about a tribal member's response to cultural identity is garnering the Catawba Indian Nation much attention.

The poem, "Funny, You Don't Look It," is Beckee Garris' response to someone who questioned her American Indian heritage.

Garris' 20-line, freestyle poem is included in the exhibit "We're Still Here: Native Americans in the Southeast," which opened Friday at the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte. It also will be translated into the Catawba language and shared at the tribe's annual Yap Ye Iswa festival in November. full article

Honoring the fallen: Pipe ceremony salutes Nez Perce battle at Canyon Creek

By MIKE STARK
Of The Gazette Staff
LAUREL - The weather 127 years ago was terrible - wet, cold and howling with nearly gale-force winds.

The Nez Perce and the U.S. Army were surprised to find each other at Canyon Creek on Sept. 13, 1877. But Col. Samuel Sturgis, intent on intercepting the Nez Perce, hoped to cut off the tribe after a summerlong chase sparked by the tribe's refusal to confine themselves to a small patch of reservation land in Idaho.

Both sides exchanged fire until sundown, maneuvering across the dusty battlefield and rocky cliffs.

When it was over, three Nez Perce were dead and three U.S. soldiers were dead, according to most estimates. Sturgis would not be able to claim a victory at Canyon Creek and the pursuit continued for nearly another month. full article

How Do You Say "Death Squad?"

Language in Colombia's War

By PHILLIP CRYAN

In war, word choice is important. Everyone can hear the difference between calling civilian deaths 'collateral damage' and calling them 'crimes against humanity,' between using 'freedom fighters' or 'terrorists' to describe rebel groups. What about different ways of naming Colombia's rightist death squads?

Newspaper editors have a number of options when deciding how to mention these groups. And their choices matter. When headlines in Beijing's Xinhua news wire and the London daily Guardian call them "rebels" (August 6 and May 14, respectively), readers can be forgiven for assuming these groups oppose the Colombian government.

In fact, the death squads' leaders have always described their mission as supporting the State. And human rights organizations have documented hundreds of cases of cooperation between Colombia's Armed Forces and the death squads. full article

The Real Reason We're In Iraq
by Harley Sorensen
 
We should get out of Iraq immediately. Let me explain ...

But, first, bear in mind why we're in Iraq. It has nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction, and it has nothing to do with the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.

It has a lot to do with ambition.

Before we invaded Iraq, our politicians told us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction in great quantities. Secretary of State Colin Powell even went to the United Nations and described Iraq's cache in detail, down to the pound of certain weapons.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told us that not only did Iraq have these weapons but he knew exactly where they were. full article