OKLAHOMA CHEROKEES PLAN $2 MILLION PROGRAM
The Oklahoma Cherokees have announced plans for a $2 million program of social and economic benefits for tribal members, to be financed from judgment awards by the Indian Claims Commission for Cherokee claims against the United States.
Projects include financing of construction and equipment for industrial enterprises; construction of trade and technical schools at Stilwell and Tahlequah; a loan guarantee program for tribal members; home improvement projects; student loans; research and writing of a history of the Cherokee Nation; establishment of a Cherokee Shrine and a drama production at Tahlequah; and development of a 40-acre commercial site near Tahlequah, to include an arts and crafts center and a Cherokee council house.
SEMINOLES PLAN FOR BIGGER AND MORE BUSINESS
The Seminole Indians on the Dania Reservation in Florida are planning to increase the attractions they offer for tourists. In the planning stage are a motel complex and golf course, to cost an estimated $980,000, near the Seminole office building at Sterling Road and State Route 7 in Dania.
Plans call for a 40-unit motel with a restaurant to seat 250 diners and a Banquet room for an additional 250. Manager's quarters, bar, storage, swimming pool and parking area are also included. The motel complex will be consolidated with a nine-hole lighted golf course and pro shop, to be constructed nearby.
Meanwhile, the Business Council of the Tribe has endorsed a resolution designating 66 acres of tribal land for industrial use. A tribal industrial development corporation, established by the Seminoles under Florida law, is now exploring means of financing site preparation such as roads, water, sewerage, electricity, and gas. The Tribe plans to lease the development areas to businesses engaged in research, warehousing, or light industry, and to construct buildings as required by the tenants.
NEW PLASTICS PLANT FOR MOBRIDGE, SOUTH DAKOTA
Ceremonies on August 26 marked the start of construction of a new $467,000 manufacturing plant for Products Miniatures of South Dakota, Inc. at Mobridge, South Dakota. The company, a manufacturer of plastic toys, novelties and industrial components, has been negotiating with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Standing Rock Tribe, and the local community.
The new plant will employ Indians from the nearby Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Reservations and a contract may be negotiated with BIA to provide on-the-job training for Indian employees. An initial work force of 30 will be hired, with peak employment expected to reach 100 when the plant is fully operating.
The 30,000-square foot building will be partially financed by a $380,900 loan from the Economic Development Agency, formerly the Area Redevelopment Administration.
SEATTLE FIRM TO STUDY ALASKA COOPERATIVE
The firm of Ernst and Ernst, Seattle, Washington, will conduct a year's study of the operation of the Alaska Native Arts and Crafts Cooperative Association, Inc. (ANAC) under a contract recently awarded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The study will examine ANAC merchandising practices with an eye to expanding markets for native arts and crafts products and improving technical services to native craftsmen.
UINTAH AND OURAY GET JUVENILE COURT
A comprehensive juvenile code for the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Utah was recently enacted by the tribal Business Council of the Ute Indian Tribe. The code provides for a juvenile tribal court with extensive powers, and was developed in consultation with State juvenile court officials.
YAKIMA INDIAN CLAIMS AWARD
The Indian Claims Commission has granted a $49,000 award to the Yakima Tribe. The amount represents additional compensation for 23,000 acres of land in the State of Washington ceded to the United States by the tribe on January 8, 1894.
KENNECOTT COPPER TO SPONSOR MINING TECHNOLOGY COURSE
A one-year training course for mineral industry technicians will be sponsored this fall by Kennecott Copper Company at the University of Alaska. About three fourths of the class of 15 will be Indians or Alaska Natives. The enrollees, all of whom have at least a junior high school education, will receive instruction in subjects such as: claim staking laws; map reading and drafting; mineral and rock identification; prospecting and mining methods; blasting and drilling; basic geography and geology; surveying and mapping; ore dressing techniques; and oral and written communication. The graduates will be offered employment in Kennecott's operation in the Copper River area.
