articles-october 29

Tribes aim for hunting access
Indians, timber industry search for a deal

JOHN DODGE
KAMILCHE -- Leaders of the state's timber industry came to Indian country Thursday and vowed to work with tribes on tribal hunting access to their private forestlands.

Tribal leaders challenged the Washington Forest Protection Association, which represents many of the state's private timberland owners, to hash out protocols for private land access in the same cooperative spirit that led to the 1999 state Forests and Fish law.

"We're concerned about hunting access," Quinault Indian Guy McMinds said during the annual forestry association meeting at the Squaxin Island tribal hotel. "We want to enter into a collaborative process with the timberland owners." full article

Agua Caliente shocked over governor’s jab at Section 14

By Brian Joseph
The Desert Sun
October 29th, 2004

PALM SPRINGS -- The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians said Thursday they were "stunned" by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s "ludicrous" comments this week about Measure U on the Palm Springs ballot.

"We think he is being misled by his staff," said Tom Davis, the tribe’s chief planning officer. "Or he’s in the pockets of special interests."

Schwarzenegger said this week Measure U is bad for Palm Springs, just like Proposition 70 is bad for California. He believes both could lead to the expansion of gambling without proper controls, said Rob Stutzman, the governor’s spokesman. full article

Indians as thieves - the Schwarzenegger schtick
Posted: October 29, 2004

Arnold Schwarzenegger is in his favorite role as terminator when it comes to American Indians. His recent use of language in his attack on the California tribes, with which he is charged to negotiate in good faith, is tantamount to bigotry. A governor should not approach any of his constituencies with such vulgar disdain for public manners, with a use of careless (or perhaps intended) language that demeans a whole people and ethnicity.

For instance, a governor or any public figure, should refrain from calling a whole people thieves as in, ''the Indians are ripping us off.'' Said Schwarzenegger on Oct.14: ''The Indians are ripping us off. We want them to negotiate and pay their fair share.'' Rip-off in our dictionary is synonymous with ''thieving'' as in, ''the Indians are stealing from us,'' to paraphrase the governor of California. Schwarzenegger's chosen words hyped up a non-Indian audience in San Diego, not far from where a couple of small, courageous tribes have challenged Californians to support a more equitable approach to the state ''taxation'' of tribal income from gaming enterprises. full article

Groundbreaking Indian-owned business to distribute diabetes drug
Almost four out of ten tribal members suffer from disease

Sam Lewin 10/29/2004

The first and only majority owned and publicly traded Native American company in the U.S. is preparing to launch a diabetes vaccine.

Officials with the San Francisco-based Indigenous Global Development Corporation say that it is the latest in a concentrated effort to reduce the disease in the Indian population. Over 34 percent of tribal members are diagnosed with diabetes. Complications of this disease are also the major cause of death and health problems for Native Americans.

"We strive to make a difference in Indian Country. What better way than to provide a high quality and lower cost pharmaceutical that can impact diabetes," said Deni Leonard, Chairman and CEO, Indigenous Global Development Corporation and Chairman of NETPHARMX. "We believe this will be the first of many healthcare products we can provide to impact Tribal health issues." full article