articles-october 5

Judge: Indians have right to land notification

By MIKE STARK
Of The Gazette Staff
A federal judge has ordered that the government must notify American Indian landowners of an ongoing lawsuit over royalties before the land can be sold or transferred.
The ruling from federal court in Washington, D.C., was hailed by supporters as a significant step toward informing Indian landowners of their rights to royalties and potential involvement in a class-action lawsuit in which about 500,000 Indians have sued the government over trust payments.
"For more than a century, the U.S. government has sold our land out from under us - without consent, without appraisal and without informing us of our rights as trust beneficiaries," Eloise Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet tribe of Montana and the lead plaintiff in the case, said in a statement after the court ruling. "That ends today. full article

Youth detention horror must end

EDITORIALS

The condition of jails and detention centers on Indian reservations has been a concern for some time, but new allegations about treatment of juveniles in a facility in Browning take that concern to a whole new level.

If the complaints are borne out, they suggest a new priority for tribal councils and, if needed, Congress: Fix the problems.

The allegations include common use of several methods of restraint that are forbidden or sharply limited in other juvenile detention centers.

Earlier this year a national report documented abysmal conditions in jails and prisons throughout Indian Country. full article

9th Circuit upholds dam operations

Associated Press
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the federal government's operation of four hydroelectric dams on the Snake River, saying the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers keeps water temperatures as low as it can to protect endangered salmon.

The split decision of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Army Corps against environmental groups, and concluded the agency is complying with state water quality standards as required by the Clean Water Act.

It was a victory for forces that want to keep the dams over those calling for removal of the structures.

Kristen Boyles, a lawyer with Earthjustice in Seattle, said it was too early to say if the decision will be appealed. full article

Tribal group accuses Pawlenty of inflating casino numbers

BRIAN BAKST
Associated Press

ST. PAUL - A group representing American Indian bands that run casinos in Minnesota accused Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Tuesday of distorting gambling revenues to increase pressure on them to share profits with the state.

The Minnesota Indian Gaming Association allegations stem from a report issued by Pawlenty's administration last month and the governor's public mentions to it since. Authors estimate that as much as $10 billion is wagered each year, contributing to casino profits of about $1.4 billion. full article

Tribes to recommend new names for creek

Published: October 5, 2004

By Keith Chu

The Bulletin

Squaw Creek may get a new, more politically correct name.

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs have wanted the name changed since the mid-'90s, but never recommended a replacement to the Oregon Geographic Names Board, which regulates place names. After years of internal debate, the tribes' Cultural Heritage Committee will ask tribal elders about possible replacements at a meeting this Thursday, said Mike Clements, the tribes' economic development manager. full article

God Talk and Burning Children

Ugly

By LARRY KEARNEY

If you think God is talking to you and the result is a burned or crushed child, you,re wrong. If you find yourself taking revenge in your head on everyone who ever insulted you, however slightly, you are not one of God's messengers. If the substance of the information you get from your God is that he requires you to kill in his name, the information is garbage.

If your word from God recommends punishing the innocent in any way, for any reason, your God is not God at all but a drifting sediment of resentment, greed and the ugliness that needs a dream of power.

Is this hard for us to grasp? full article