OPA

Jerome F. Tomhave, 42, an enrolled member of the Gros Ventre Indian Tribe from Elbowoods, N. D., has been named Superintendent of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Southern California Agency in River side, Calif., Louis R. Bruce, and Commissioner of the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs, announced today. Tomhave replaces Stephen Lozar, who transferred from Riverside to the Colorado River Agency in Arizona.

Tomhave began his career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1951, serving as a clerk-stenographer at the Ft. Berthold, N. D., and Agency. He has held positions of increasing responsibility in Bureau installations in Ashland, Wisc.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Aberdeen, S. D.; and Hoopa, Calif. From 1966 until 1968 he served as Realty Officer in Hoopa, Calif. and was then appointed Superintendent at the Fort Totten, N. D., Agency the position he held when he was named to his present position.

Tomhave is a graduate of Haskell Institute, Lawrence, Kansas. And served in the U. S. Army from 1951-53.

"Mr. Tomhave has demonstrated his ability to work effectively and harmoniously with Indian people, " Bruce said, "and I know he will continue this record in southern California."

Tomhave is married and the father of six children.

Leroy W. Chief, 35, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux. Tribe from: Pine Ridge, S. D., has been named Superintendent of the bureaus of Indian Affairs Wahpeton Indian School, Wahpeton, N. D., Louis R. Bruce, Commissioner of Indian Affairs announced today. Chief replaces Joseph Wellington, who retired after 17 as superintendent at Wahpeton School.

Chief began his career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1960 as an elementary teacher at the Standing Rock Agency, Ft. Yates, N. D. Most recently, Chief has been serving as an Education Specialist at the Aberdeen, S. D. Area Office.

A member of the Association of Indian Educators, Chief received a E, S. degree in Education from the University of North Dakota in 1962, and completed his M. E. degree in Elementary Education Administration the summer of 1972. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Award in the field if Education by the University of North Dakota.

“We feel fortunate to have a man with the qualifications of Mr. Chief to assume the post of Superintendent of Wahpeton Indian School” Commissioner Bruce indicated. “He has the academic background and the experience in Indian education to make a real contribution. "

Chief is married and the father of two sons.

Evan L. Flory, Chief of the Branch of Land Operations, Bureau of Indian Affairs, was named a fellow of the Soil Conservation Society of America at the Society's annual meeting in Jacksonville, Fla., on November 16, Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay announced today.

Mr. Flory, who has been in charge of the Indian Bureau's soil and moisture conservation program since 1946, is the first Department of the Interior employee to be so honored. Under his leadership, provisions for soil conservation work have been specifically incorporated in the leases on all Indian lands and the entire 3,500,000 acres of leased Indian cropland is now under conservation treatment.

The citation from the Society reads as follows: "The grade of fellow is bestowed on Evan L. Flory by the Soil Conservation Society of America in recognition of his exceptionally outstanding achievement and leadership in the field of soil and moisture conservation."

Christian H. Beitzel will replace Robert B. McKee as superintendent of the Crow Creek Indian Agency in South Dakota when the agency moves from Fort Thompson to Pierre on December 1, Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay announced today.

For the past two years Mr. Beitzel has been superintendent of the Pierre Indian School which is being brought under supervision of Crow Creek Agency in the transfer. He joined the bureau in 1936 as school principal at Fort Berthe1d Agency, N. Dak., and was later named superintendent of that agency. Subsequently he served as superintendent of the Pipestone Agency, Minn.; the Turtle Mountain Consolidated Agency, N. Dak.; and the Winnebago Agency, Nebr.

Mr. McKee, who has been superintendent at Crow Creek since 1950, will transfer to the position of administrative officer in charge of the Sisseton Area Field Office, Sisseton, S. Dak. His earlier experience with the bureau included seven years as agricultural extension agent at the Flathead Agency, Dixon, Mont., and six years in the same position at the Pine Ridge Agency, S. Dak. Before coming with the bureau in 1937 he had 19 years as county agricultural agent in Yellowstone and Flathead counties, Mont.

Local direction of the Pierre School will be taken over by the principal, George R. Weisz.

Francis E. Briscoe, 54, an enrolled member of the Caddo Indian Tribe from Anadarko, Okla., has been named Area Director for Administration in the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Area Office, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Louis R. Bruce announced today. Briscoe replaces Doyce Waldrip, who has been named Assistant Area Director for Economic Development in the Portland Area.

Briscoe began his career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1949, serving as a clerk-typist in the Central Office, Washington, D. C. Since then he has held positions of increasing responsibility in BIA installations in Minneapolis, Minn., Aberdeen, S. D.!, Albuquerque, N. M. From 1955 to 1964, he served in Washington, D. C. as an accountant, supervisory accountant and financial manager. He moves to his new position from Aberdeen, S. D., where he was Assistant Area Director for Administration.

Briscoe is a graduate of Oklahoma University, Norman, Okla. with a B.B.S. in Business Administration. From 1940-1945, he served in Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany as part of the 45th Division (Thunderbirds) of the U. S. Army.

“Mr. Briscoe has had well-rounded experience for the post he is assuming, II said Commissioner Bruce. “ I know he will put his knowledge of administration and of the Bureau to its best use in Portland.” Briscoe is married to the former Bonnie Lee.

Transfer of Frell M. Owl on January 26 from the position of superintendent of the Northern Idaho Indian Agency, Lapwai, Idaho, to the same position at the Fort Hall Agency near Pocatello was announced today by Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay.

Mr. Owl, an eastern Cherokee Indian, has a long background with the Indian Bureau. After joining the Bureau in 1928, he served for 17 years at the Great Lakes Agency, Ashland, Wisconsin, as teacher, principal, education field agent, community worker, and assistant to the superintendent. In 1945 he became superintendent of the Crow Creek Agency, Fort Thompson, S. Oak., and in 1950 was moved to the Red Lake Agency, Red Lake, Minn., where he served until his transfer to northern Idaho last May. He was born at Cherokee, N.C., in 1899, attended Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., Hampton Normal Agriculture Institute, Hampton, Va. and received a B. S. degree from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N. H., in 1927.

At Fort Hall Mr. Owl succeeds Peru Farver who recently transferred to the Bureau's Washington office as chief of the branch of tribal affairs. Several candidates are currently under consideration as successor to Mr. Owl.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs today made public an exchange of letters between Commissioner Glenn L. Emmons and Mr. Reuben Olson, director of public relations, Anselm Forum, Inc., Gary, Indiana.

The correspondence deals with basic questions of Indian affairs policy on which there has been widespread public misunderstanding. The text of the two letters follows:

ANSELM FORUM INC. Gary, Indiana

Bureau of Indian Affairs November 1, 1954

Washington, D. C.

Gentlemen: We are greatly disturbed over the disclosure that it is evident to some that a motive for the intended transfer of the Indian Affairs Bureau is a mercenary one.

Can you inform us as to the validity of the fear that liquidation of the Bureau is desired so that Indian's land can be bought up for a song? And that uranium deposits are expected to be found in these disposed of lands?

Anything we can do in behalf of justice for the Indian please command us.

Very sincerely yours,

(Sgd) Reuben Olson

Director Public Relations

4456 Jackson St.

December 10, 1954

Dear Mr. Olson:

Reference is made to your letter of November 1, 1954, requesting our views on a reported fear that the “liquidation” of the Bureau of Indian Affairs is desired so that Indian land may be "bought up for a song" and that lands to be disposed of contain uranium deposits.

I am afraid that there is a widespread lack of informed public opinion about present Indian policy and I am, therefore, more them happy to comment on some of the assertions and assumptions in your letter. It has for many years been the principal end and aim of Indian administration to admit the Indian into the enjoyment of full citizenship. To bring his economic, social and political life up to the level of American standards and to relieve him of all special Federal supervision and restrictions have also been leading objectives of Indian administration. It follows that, as these objectives are achieved, this Bureau would progressively retire from the operation of special services for, and the exercise of special guardianship over, Indians.

We would strongly oppose any proposal brought before the Congress for an abrupt termination of Federal guardianship over the tribes with the object of liquidating this Bureau. An essential fact about the American Indian tribes is the diversity in their background and their present readiness for complete or partial readjustment of their relations to the Federal government. Nany tribes have reached such a degree of group and individual advancement that it is possible to take decisive steps towards the termination of Federal supervision and the removal of restrictions and controls over their lands.. Throughout the country it is not generally appreciated to what extent certain tribes have developed to the point of being completely capable of managing their own affairs.

The 83rd Congress, recognizing this fact, enacted six "terminal" bills, namely, for the Klamath Tribe of Oregon, the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin, four small Paiute groups in Utah, the Ute Tribe of Utah, a group of tribes in Western Oregon, and a small remnant group in Texas. The periods for carrying out the termination programs of these tribes range from two to seven years. In one case, that of the Ute Tribe of Utah, only a portion of the tribe, the mixed-bloods, are to be terminated, while the full-bloods are given an unspecified period in which to carry out a development program under which to achieve self-support and independence, with the active help of the Federal government. Prior to the introduction into the Congress of legislation affecting these tribes, careful field studies were conducted and extensive consultations with the Indians were carried out. In view of this approach, we cannot understand how it would be possible to characterize these terminal bills as a calculated conspiracy to deprive the Indians of their lands or the Indians' mineral rights.

As a part of this general policy, this administration has actually sought, with considerable success, to accelerate the transfer of Indian children from special Indian Bureau schools to regular public schools. Here there is a distinct loss of Indian Bureau operation but a heightened increase in educational service to Indians. Similarly, the 83rd Congress enacted a law providing for the transfer of the Indian Bureau health program to the U. S. Public Health Service. Again, there is a gain for the Indians, but a diminishment of Bureau organization. Such deliberate steps are strictly in accordance with the generally accepted objective of improving services to Indians through normal or established arrangements. The "liquidation" of this Bureau is a secondary result, not a primary purpose.

When the above mentioned terminal bills were before the Congress, there was criticism on the score of exposing minerals to alienation in only one case, namely, the four small Paiute tribes in Utah. We immediately supported an amendment, which was incorporated into the bill, under which the Secretary of the Interior is required to appoint one or more trustees for management of such rights for a period of not less than ten years. It is confidently believed that if any minerals or oil and gas should be discovered in the future on the lands of these four groups, sufficient safeguard has been erected to prevent any spoliation.

Certatn1y it cannot be truthfully charged that these forward looking steps, aimed at bringing the Indian people into the main stream of American life, are for the purpose of exposing their lands to alienation to whites at premium prices. On the basis on which our fundarnenta1 approach is being made, it is not foreseen that there will be disadvantageous alienation of land.

Your interest in writing is appreciated.

Sincerely yours,

secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton announced today that he is setting aside nearly 79 million acres in Alaska which will be studied for possible additions to the National Park, Forest, wildlife Refuge, and Wild and Scenic Rivers Systems.

The so-called "Four Systems" lands thus withdrawn fire almost half the size of Texas. Put another way, they are as large as New York State and New Jersey, plus .a11 six of the New England States combined.

The action is in accordance with the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act which was signed into law by President Nixon on December 18,1971. It confirms, with some final acreage and boundary adjustments, the set-asides which the Secretary initially announced in March and which, under the Act, he is required to make final prior to September 18, 1972.

"This action, ' Secretary Morton said at a press conference today, "could result, after study and favorable Congressional action, in doubling the lands now contained in the National Park and Wildlife Refuge Systems and could provide significant additions to the National Forest and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Systems.

"In selecting these final areas I have chosen not only areas of unique splendor, but also a mixture of habitats which support a wide range of wildlife -- the great marine mammals, millions of shorebirds and waterfowl, grizzly bears, caribou, and sheep. The rivers and lakes serve as habitat for the great runs of salmon and trout."

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make two types of land withdrawals. Section 17 (d) (1) allows the withdrawal of lands in the general public interest, pending further study and classification. Section 17 (d) (2) further authorizes the withdrawal of up to 80 million acres to be studied for inclusion in the four national systems.

The Act also requires the Secretary to advise Congress at six-month intervals of his specific recommendations for the use of the withdrawn D-2 land areas. Congress has five years from the recommendation dates to act before the D-2 withdrawals automatically terminate.

Secretary Morton said that the areas tentatively identified in March for the D-2, or four systems, withdrawals have been extensively studied during the past six months. As a result, about 14 million acres of the D-2 80 million acres that was initially withdrawn have been shifted to D-l public interest areas and to State and Native land selection areas. A slightly smaller total acreage has been added to ~e initial D-2 withdrawal, thus holding the overall total close to the authorized 80-million-acre limitation.

D-2 lands are withdrawn from new locations and, leasing under the mining and mineral leasing laws, from Native and State selection, and from entry under the public land laws. D-I lands are open to metalliferous mining claims but are withdrawn from the other land actions listed above.

In deciding on the withdrawals made today, the Department of the Interior has worked closely with the State of Alaska and with the Joint Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission which was established by the Settlement Act.

The Secretary emphasized that in studying the withdrawn areas for inclusion in the four systems the Department will be concerned with creating manageable units for lands in the system and for adjacent lands. 'we will, therefore, look not only at the D-2 land but at the D-l land in making our study and recommendations and will endeavor, as much as possible, to preserve natural management units and complete ecosystems intact."

Among the more significant areas withdrawn to be studied for inclusion in the four systems are the following:

1. The Wrangell Mountains -- This area, in southeastern Alaska, combined with the adjoining Kluane National Park of Canada, is truly the mountain kingdom of North America. Mt. St. Elias towers more than 18,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean only 18 miles away and a number of other peaks rise above 16,000 feet. Glaciers of every variety abound. Bering Glacier, 127 miles long, is the largest and longest in North America and Malaspina Glacier is larger than the State of Rhode Island. Heavy glaciation from the Great Ice Ages to the present has carved a mixture of high, steep pinnacles and ridges separated by deep valleys and broad basins. The Copper and Chitina Rivers surround the Wrangells and the area supports a great diversity of plant and animal life.
2. Mt. McKinley Area -- Lands north of Mt. McKinley National Park are primarily lowland tundra and spruce and spruce-birch forests and are striated with a multitude of streams. They include the critical remainder of the ranges of the primary out-ranging park wildlife species: wolf, grizzly bear, Da11 sheep, moose, and caribou (a portion of the summer caribou range lies south of the park). Lands south of the park include granitic cathedral spires and their glaciers, and part of the Mt. McKinley massif with spectacular peaks and glacial systems.
3. Iliamna This unit, on the upper Alaskan Peninsula between Bristol Bay and Cook Inlet borders Lake Iliamna, the seventh largest lake in the world. The varied habitat supports a diversity of wildlife including the Alaska Peninsula caribou herd of about 15,000 animals. The peninsula and related estuaries produce a fall flight of over half a million ducks and 10,000 whistling swans and in October serves as a staging area for the entire world populations of American emperor geese and black brant. The area is of prime importance for sport, subsistence and commercial fisheries. The Kvichak River system is the largest red salmon producer in the world.
4. Lake Clark Pass This area, less than 100 air miles from Anchorage, is characterized by its resource diversity and high recreation potential. Landforms include glacier-clad mountains, two active volcanoes, extensive lowlands, and a deeply-incised seacoast with glacier-formed bays. Wildlife abounds and the fisheries are significant.
5. Yukon Flats -- On the Arctic Circle, about 100 air miles north of Fairbanks, the Flats include the Yukon River and its tributaries in Eastern Alaska. Topography ranges from flood plain to alpine highlands. The area contributes over two million waterfowl to the fall flight annually, is a major spawning grounds for fish, and supports a variety of big game animals. The Steese-Forty Mile caribou herd of 50,000 animals ranges the upper Yukon and the Porcupine caribou herd of 150,000 ranges the upper Porcupine River.
6. Gates of the Arctic -- In the central Brooks Range, this is a wilderness of gaunt peaks and deep glacial valleys. It includes some of the basins of the Atlanta, John and North Fork of the Koyukuk, the upper reaches of the Noatak and Kobuk, and the entire Killik River Watershed on the Arctic slope. Walker Lake, one of the region's most beautiful, has been declared eligible for natural landmark status. The study area embraces several complete ecologic units like the entire Killik basin, and it constitutes extremely important habitat for caribou, Dal1 Sheep, grizzly bear, wolves, and the golden eagle.
7. Noatak -- This area in the Brooks Range presents a unique opportunity to preserve an entire large river basin virtually untouched by human uses. Its scientific importance could be enormous. Wilderness and scenic values are outstanding and the area supports a diversity of wildlife: two-thirds of the Arctic caribou herd of 300,000 animals pass through it annually. The three major streams, the Noatak, Kobuk, and Ambler, have been recommended for study for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic River System. Cape Krusenstern to the west contains the remains of seven prehistoric cultures dating from 3000 B. C. and is considered one of the most important archeological sites in North America.
8. Imuruk -- This area is 90 miles north of Nome in the north central part of the Seward Peninsula. Its significance lies in the continuing story of evolution in Arctic terms over an extremely long period as told by its marine, terrestrial, and aquatic habitats and their interactions; by the effects of two types of volcanism in at least six separate eruptions; and by the fact that the area has never been glaciated. Superimposed over this mosaic of natural diversity is an archeological record of over 5,000 years of continuous human use beginning with the Bering Land Bridge theory. The area is an important waterfowl habitat and is a staging area for spring and fall migrations.
9. Yukon Delta -- The vast Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta ranks among the richest faunal regions in Alaska and is justly famous as an outstanding waterfowl and other migratory bird producing habitat; for example, it supports estimated breeding fowl populations of 1.3 million ducks and an average fall flight of 2.7 million. Even without its vast populations of waterfowl, the Delta would still be unique for its awe-inspiring number of shore and waterbirds. Its coastal habitats provide staging areas for shorebirds whose wintering areas extend from Australia and New Zealand to the Antarctic and many countries in South America.
10. Aniakchak Crater -- This 4,450 foot high volcano on the Alaska Peninsula is a registered National Natural History Landmark. Its crater is 30 square miles and its rim is dotted with ice fields. The floor of the vast caldera contains Surprise Lake (2 square miles), several subsidiary cones (one of them 2,200 feet high), boiling Sulphur pools and hot springs. The Aniakchak River, which issues from a spectacular gash in the crater's east wall, will be under study for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

The first step in a "pilot" operation to test the feasibility of contracting for food service in Indian Bureau schools will begin at Cherokee Agency, Cherokee, N. C., on January 17 when Cleaves Food Service, Washington, D. C., takes over the job of providing noonday lunches at the five schools under the agency, Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay announced today.

Similar operations are planned for the near future at other Indian Bureau boarding and day schools in New Mexico and Arizona as part of the feasibility study. If the plan of contracting for food services proves effective and more economical than Federal operation of kitchens and dining halls at Indian Service schools, the Bureau contemplates turning the job over to private concerns under contract at all or most of its 263 schools throughout the country.

The contract with Cleaves Food Service was negotiated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs under a special delegation of authority from the General Services Administration. Negotiation was used for the "pilot" or study contract because of the difficulties inherent in advertising for bids on such an unusual operation. In the event of large-scale contracting, however, the Bureau intends to advertise for bids and award the contracts in accordance with standard governmental procedures.

The five schools covered in the initial operation are Cherokee Central, Big Cove, Soco, and Birdtown at Cherokee and Snowbird at Robbinsville. Their combined enrollment is approximately 800.

Louis R. Bruce, Commissioner of the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs, announced today that two 26 inch by 36 inch maps of Indian country are now available to the public through the Superintendent of Documents. The maps are: "Indian Land Areas: General” and “Indian Land Areas: Industrial".

“We believe these maps will be invaluable to tourists that are interested in visiting Indian reservations and Indian communities, and to business people with an eye to enlarging their operations to encompass Indian reservations," said the Commissioner.

"Indian Land Areas: General" shows Federal Indian Reservations in chrome yellow. In addition it includes an outline of former Indian reservations in Oklahoma (the Indian tribal population has tended to remain within those general boundaries), existing and planned tourist complexes on Indian lands , interstate highways (they take a traveler to Indian lands and communities), National Forests (where a traveler might wish to camp) , National Parks and Monuments and National Wildlife Refuges (often of interest to a tourist to Indian lands and communities), State Indian reservations, Indian groups without trust land, and federally terminated tribes and groups. A comparable map published in 1965 shows merely Federal reservations.

"Indian Land Areas Industrial" also shows Federal Indian Reservations in chrome yellow and an outline of former Indian reservations in Oklahoma. In addition it indicates industrial parks, airstrips and airports, and interstate highways.

The "Indian Land Areas: General" can be combined with another Bureau of Indian Affairs publication soon to be available from the Superintendent of Documents for a comprehensive picture of Indian affairs as they are today. This second publication is entitled "American and Their Federal Relationship". It list all Indian tribes for which the Bureau of Indian Affairs services in recent years, those recognized only for claims purposes, and certain other categories.

The basic listing of the tribes is by State. Throughout the booklet a code number· follows the l1ame of each Indian group. This number indicates the status of each as of March 1972. A map code number precedes the names of some of the groups listed in this booklet and are keyed to "Indian Land Areas: General".

"Indian Land Areas" General!' and "Indian Land Areas: Industrial" can be ordered for 35 cents each from: Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. c. 20242. "American Indians and Their Federal Relationship" can be ordered for 30 cents from Superintendent of Documents.