OPA

The Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service today announced that it will reimburse the Shoshone and Arapaho Indian Tribes a total of $130,000 during Fiscal Year 1994, for auditing costs for participating in the MMS Cooperative Audit Program.

The addition of the Shoshone and Arapaho Tribes, which are located on the Wind River Reservation in central Wyoming, brings the number of participating tribes to six, including the Navajo Nation, the Ute, the Southern Ute and the Ute Mountain Ute.

The program enables a tribe to join with MMS in providing additional audit coverage of revenues derived from oil, gas and other mineral leases located on its land.

"Last year, more than $150 million in mineral revenues were collected from Indian leases," said MMS Director Tom Fry. "Sharing resources and information and working on a partnership basis has increased our auditing coverage and effectiveness. I am pleased to have this program expanded," he added.

Under provision of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982, the MMS reimburses participating Indian tribes for cost of conducting audits, such as salaries and travel expenses.

Ten states - California, Colorado, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming - participate under similar provisions.

The MMS is responsible for the collection, accounting for and disbursement of nearly $4 billion annually in mineral revenues from federal and Indian lands.

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt today signed agreements to complete final action on implementation of the Fort McDowell Indian Community Water Rights Act of 1990.

Clinton Pattea, President of the Fort McDowell Indian Community, joined Secretary Babbitt in signing the agreements at a ceremony held at the Interior Department. Also attending the ceremony was Ada Deer, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.

Under provisions of the Fort McDowell Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act of 1990, and actions set forth by the signing today, the Community will receive a maximum annual diversion right of 36,350 acre-feet of water from the Verde River.

The agreement includes an increase in the Community's entitlement to Central Arizona Project (CAP) water, and a provision for storage of up to 3,000 acre-feet of water at the Salt River Project, behind Horseshoe or Bartlett Dams.

The Community, located in central Arizona near Phoenix, will increase the amount of its entitlement to CAP water from 4,300 to 18,233 acre-feet. In accordance with the Act, the Community may lease a portion of its water, and has signed an agreement with the City of Phoenix to lease 4,300 acre-feet of water annually.

John J. Duffy, Chairman of the Interior Department's Working Group on Indian Water Rights, said that today's action satisfies the tribe's federally reserved water rights.

--First of all, I don't think I have to tell you that there has literally been an explosion in Indian gaming during the last one to two years. No one -- not Congress, Interior, BIA, the Indian people, or anyone else anticipated this tremendous growth. The 1988 legislation did not provide for a time period after it became law for all the safeguards and rules and regulations to be put into place. Neither did it provide time for anyone to hire the necessary expertise to monitor all the things for which we were given the responsibility.

--This particular audit took place earlier this year, but monitored activities that had taken place over the past several years. Most of the things pointed out in the audit -- with the exception of all of the unapproved tribal-state compacts -- have been corrected.

-Let me also point out that the audit covers a time period when the Bureau was in process of creating an Indian Gaming Management Office and hiring personnel to staff it. The Bureau was also working closely with the National Indian Gaming Commission to spell out the responsibilities we had, and to learn when the Commission would be in a position to assume the responsibilities that the Act assigned it. The Audit report fully points out that the Commission did not consider itself fully operational until February of 1993.

--With that aside, I must emphasize as I pointed out in the audit report, the Department of the Interior and the Bureau pay "great deference" to tribal views and concerns. We also pointed out that the "striking feature" of the current debate over Indian gaming is the lack of deference to tribal views and positions.

--Having said that, I remind you that these are responsible elected tribal government officials who are signing the contracts and tribal-state compacts discussed in the Audit report. We call it self-determination -- sovereignty -- self-governance, autonomy. Neither the Bureau nor the Commission will ever and we should not -- be at the elbow of a tribal chairperson when he or she signs legitimate contracts whether they be for gaming management or whatever.

--Tribal chairmen and tribal governments have to assume the responsibility for their actions and they must be held accountable. That does not mean that the Bureau will step away and shirk any of its responsibilities. We are necessarily limited in "protecting" the tribes and that is the way it ought to be if tribal self-determination and self-governance are going to work.

--One more thing -- the Inspector General's report does not bear out what the critics of Indian Gaming have been shouting for years -- that Indian gaming is rife with organized crime. The FBI has been saying for years there is no evidence to support such claims. The report does prove that Indian tribes have to be more diligent in policing their own employees to prevent such theft and embezzlement as pointed out in the report.

The proposed $31-million decrease in education funds in the FY 1996 Senate Appropriations Bill will result in school closures and will severely curtail school operations in the remaining Bureau of Indian Affairs elementary and secondary schools. Currently the Bureau is responsible for providing educational and residential services to approximately 49,000 Indian students in 187 schools in 23 states.

The Senate is proposing to cut an additional $23.6 million from new construction funds and $10 million from facility improvement and repair projects. Minor improvement and repair projects, roofing projects, and emergency repair projects will also be affected. The Bureau currently has more than $660 million in unfunded facility life/fire safety, handicapped, and educational program work that require completion. "There is simply no justification for placing any Indian child in unsafe facilities," said Dr. John Tippeconnic, Director of the Office of Indian Education Programs.

"For the past five years, our Bureau-funded schools have developed nationally recognized programs that have resulted in increased student performance. The proposed cuts will severely curtail these reform efforts, which resulted in increased student academic performance, reduced dropout rates, increased attendance rates, higher level of accreditation, and improved total quality school programs," Dr. Tippeconnic added.

When students are deprived of educational opportunities, academic development and social activities, there will be an increase in student antisocial behavior, substance abuse, and suicide, he said. School activities are among the few outlets these Indian students and their families have available to develop their academic, creative, and social skills. Some Indian students will drop out of school entirely, be forced to go to boarding schools, or go to overcrowded public schools. Public schools have limited financial resources and no increased tax base for additional school operations.

The proposed education cuts mean schools will lose their state and regional accreditation due to reduced course offerings, increased student/staff ratios resulting in the "warehousing" of students, reduction of student program/activities, and the lack of instructional resources and materials.

Indian and non-Indian communities alike will be devastated by cuts that will eliminate as many as 700 teaching positions. There will be insufficient funds for teacher and support staff salaries. The majority of Bureau-funded school employees are local tribal members, which means these cuts will hurt the economies of surrounding rural communities. "These cuts will strike at the reservation level where unemployment is 46 percent and where the nation's First People face further erosion of what amounts to the poorest quality of life in America," says Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Ada Deer.

"The cuts are too deep and too fast. Loss of local employment will result in an increase in child/spouse abuse, domestic violence, and a greater work load for law enforcement," Deer said.

"The non-Indian community will be forced to limit educational services to all students because of unfunded increases in student population. Social services will experience increased needs due to unemployment, student dropouts, diminished family revenues, substance abuse assistance, and shortages of available counseling services. Increased case loads for law enforcement and an overall decrease in the quality of life at the local level are among the devastating effects American Indians will experience."

Thanks to a newly established Bureau of Indian Affairs service, Indian tribes and schools can now better protect their children by using a fingerprint service that will detect the past criminal history of prospective and newly hired employees.

"We are very pleased to announce this important and, needed new service, which will help to ensure the safety and well-being of our Indian children," says Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Ada E. Deer.

The BIA's Division of Law Enforcement Services has hired Security Specialist Kay Hayes to serve as its liaison with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for the fingerprint service. Tribes and tribal organizations that need background checks through the fingerprint service can contact Hayes .at the _Division of Law Enforcement Services, Operational Support Branch, P.O. Box 66, Albuquerque, N. M. 87103. (The office is located at 123 Fourth Street SW, Room 217, in Albuquerque). The current cost for each fingerprint search is $22. Information about procedures and training is available by calling Hayes at (505) 766-8000, fax (505) 766-1425.

"This is a great opportunity for tribes to comply easily with The Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act (Public Law 101-630) and the Crime Control Act of 1990, Child Care Worker Employee Background Checks (Public Law 101-647)," says Ted Quasula, the director of the BIA's Division of Law Enforcement Services. Under the Crime Control Act, each Federal agency and facility, including those operated under contract, are required to perform a fingerprint check for each existing and newly hired employee who provides childcare services to Indian children (under the age of 18). The FBI fingerprint search includes a check of past state criminal history. However, the FBI search does not include local or tribal criminal histories.

A meeting with senior Clinton Administration officials and 106 tribal leaders on April 28 marked the one-year anniversary of the historic meeting with tribal leaders and President Clinton. This year's meeting focused on progress and accomplishments being made department-by-department in Indian affairs. The White House Domestic Policy Council released a 67-page report entitled One Year Later: A Clinton Administration Progress Report to the Federally Recognized Tribal Nations One Year after the Historic April 29, 1994 Meeting with President Clinton and the Tribal Leaders, detailing the work completed thus far.

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt led the meeting with his report to the tribes describing the recent formation of the Domestic Policy Council's Working Group on American Indians and Alaska Natives. The working group, which Babbitt chairs, is intended not only to further strengthen relations between tribes and the federal government, but to facilitate coordination among departments on Indian policy matters. Babbitt also reported on a second priority of the working group, religious freedom. A proposed executive order currently is being drafted. Babbitt encouraged the tribes to comment on and support the order.

Babbitt told tribal leaders that executive order draft, on access to and protection of sacred sites, will be developed by the Interior Department. The order could direct federal land managers to notify, consult with, and accommodate tribes whenever federal activities might change or affect access to sacred sites. Babbitt updated the group on the 1994 presidential memorandum on eagle feather and parts. The Department of the Interior has since established a national repository in Denver, CO, to supply tribal religious leaders with eagle feathers and parts needed for traditional religious ceremonies. A presidential memorandum signed one year ago required this action

Babbitt also reported that since the National American Indian Listening Conference held last May in Albuquerque, N. M., he has met with more than 200 tribes to continue the dialogue with tribal leaders and plans to visit at least four other states to meet with federally recognized tribes on their concerns.

Office of Management and Budget Director Alice Rivlin told tribal leaders that the current Federal budget reflects ''a strong shift to tribal priority programs" as well as an overall 17-percent increase in Indian program funding since the Administration began. "We had a much improved consultation process," Rivlin said. "OMB is more involved than ever before." Rivlin answered numerous questions from tribal leaders as did other Administration officials.

Tribal leaders saw a demonstration of one of the working group's first priorities, which is to develop a government-wide consultation process that Federal agencies can incorporate in their dealings with tribes. The new process, called CODETALK, will allow Federal agencies and tribes to communicate and share information via the Internet. U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary David Barrom advised tribal leaders "that anyone going to be successful with organizations and enterprise must be on the information highway." The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration last year awarded a $150,000 grant to the Native American Public Broadcasting Corporation for a demonstration project that eventually will link all tribal nations with the "information superhighway."

Unprecedented progress in meeting with tribes and giving them more control over federal services and functions has been made by the Administration, said Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Ada Deer, who also told tribal leaders that "in the past six months I have met with more of you than many of my predecessors have during their entire tenure. During the short time of this Administration, there has been more consultation with tribes. I've listened and learned. I'm proud of this record and am confident that this Administration has met its trust responsibility to Indian tribes," Deer said.

Four Northwest Indian Tribes will receive in-lieu fishing sites on the Columbia River, which they are entitled to through treaty rights, thanks to a memorandum of understanding signed today by the Department of the Interior and the Department of the Army.

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Ada E. Deer and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works John Zirschky both signed the agreement at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. The agreement compensates the Nez Perce Tribe (Lapwai, Idaho), the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation ( Pendleton, OR), the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon (Warm Springs, OR), and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Indian Nation (Toppenish, WA). Approximately 29 fishing sites along the Columbia River and the Bonneville Dam Pool will be acquired and constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the tribes from 1996 through 2000 at a total cost of $57 million.

"We have worked very hard to achieve this agreement for the tribes," says Ada E. Deer, the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs (head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs). "This agreement has been in the works for more than half a century and we are now gratified that we can begin to establish these fishing sites for the tribes. We especially appreciate the cooperation of the Army Corps of Engineers and want to thank Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works John Zirschky and his staff for their cooperation and effort in bringing these fishing sites closer to reality."

Construction of the Bonneville Dam in the mid-1930s inundated approximately 37 fishing sites that the tribes had traditionally used. The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1945 authorized five fishing sites for Northwest Tribes to partially compensate for their loss. These sites are now managed for the tribes by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. As a part of the agreement approved today, a $6.2-million operation, maintenance and repair fund is being established by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

In 1988 Congress approved Public Law 100-581, Title IV, to more equitably compensate tribes for all of their fishing site losses that occurred because of the dam's construction. Pacific Northwest Tribes established their rights for access and fishing to accustomed Columbia River fishing sites through treaties signed during the 1850s.

"New Mexico's economy is going to be especially hard hit by the U.S. Senate's proposed budget cuts for Indian programs," said Ada E. Deer, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, yesterday. New Mexico, because it is home to most of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' central office operations, in addition to being the site of two area offices and seven agency offices, will bear a major share of the cuts. Additionally, there are twenty-three tribes in New Mexico, each of which are slated for a 32 percent cut in tribal program funds.

"Given the huge cuts proposed in Indian Programs, state economies are definitely going to be hurt," said Deer, who estimates that nearly 5,000 tribal and local BIA agency workers across the United States will lose their jobs in November. The average annual salary, including benefits, for a BIA employee is $42,172. The $245- million Senate cut from the 1995 BIA budget, adjusted by the economic multiplier, translates to an almost three-quarter billion dollar negative impact on state economies. "New Mexico alone stands to lose more than $26,000,000 in tribal base funding; $6,323,000 in welfare assistance, and approximately $4,182,000 in Indian schools money for the next school year. The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe has been cut by $6,000,000. Additionally, the cuts in tribal roads maintenance funds may affect tribal eligibility for Highway Trust Funds, which could result in a loss of an additional $32,606,000 in federal highways dollars, and another 500 BIA jobs. "If we factor in the economic multiplier," said Deer, "the economic loss to New Mexico is three times greater.

According to the BIA, cuts of this magnitude will drastically increase tribal unemployment, which already averages 46 percent and significantly reduce services and dollars in Indian communities and surrounding areas. It is estimated that some 2,400 tribal employees will lose their jobs nationwide.

The availability of federal Indian program dollars has insulated the states from much of the financial burden associated with the harsh economic environment of most reservations. Many tribes in the western United States and Alaska are located in rural areas, where there is little industry or other economic activity to offset deep federal program cuts and employee layoffs. "Lost jobs mean lost spending," said Deer, adding, "business is going to suffer. People are going to be looking to states and counties to pick up worker displacement costs, such as unemployment-related expenses, increased demand for social services, and public welfare assistance. Reductions and eliminations in federal social programs for Indians will shift a heavy financial burden on to states."

Unprecedented attacks in Congress on American Indians programs demonstrate a reckless disregard for the federal government's deep and historic legal responsibilities to Indian Tribes. Yesterday, the Interior Appropriations conferees proceeded to gut the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the federal agency most responsible for fulfilling the Federal Indian Trust Responsibility. The conferees cut a full 26 percent from the Bureau's Central Office function, compromising the capacity of the agency to perform its mission, provide executive direction, and conduct oversight. With the 28-percent cut in the Area Offices, the Bureau will not be able to provide adequate levels of technical support to the tribes.

"The conferees have crippled the Bureau of Indian Affairs," said Ada E. Deer, Assistant Secretary of lndian Affairs. "It is unrealistic to expect the Bureau of Indian Affairs to carry out its trust and other o ligations without adequate resources." While several conferees attempted to restore funding to tribal accounts to support essential tribal, services, such as law enforcement, child welfare, so · al services, fire protection and senior citizen services, in the end the effort failed to achieve the level of restoration needed. The conferees reduced these critical tribal programs (Tribal Priority Allocations) by $110 million, or 15 percent below the current level.

Among the losers in the budget battle were Indian schoolchildren. Conferees did not restore any of the $32 million cut by the Senate for elementary and secondary education despite an anticipated 4 percent growth in student enrollment. Neither did the conferees provide funds to address the $600-million backlog in Indian school construction and repairs including safety violations. Deer said, "Apparently the conferees do not care whether Indian children are educated in unsafe, overcrowded schools."

Senator Slade Gorton (R-W A) was successful in maintaining a special provision singling out certain tribes within the State of Washington for monetary sanctions if the tribes fail to negotiate with competing private interests, notwithstanding the strong opposition of Congressman Sidney Yates (D1IL) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA).

Interior Assistant Secretary Ross Swimmer announced today the appointment of three top officials for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).

Named to direct the principal program offices of the Bureau are Henrietta Whiteman, a Cheyenne Indian on the faculty of the University of Montana, to be director of Indian education programs; Frank Ryan, a member of the Gros Ventre Tribe who was executive director of the President's Commission on Indian Reservation Economies, to be director of trust responsibilities, and Hazel Elbert, a Creek Indian who served as the acting head of the BIA prior to Swimmer's appointment, to be director of Indian services. Swimmer, who became assistant secretary for Indian affairs December 5, said he was pleased "to begin to get his management team on board. They are highly qualified, very competent people who share my determination to make the BIA a more effective agency in helping Indian tribes achieve self-sufficiency and self-government."

As director of Indian education programs for the Bureau, Whiteman is in charge of a federal Indian school system that includes 57 day schools; 46 on reservation boarding schools; seven off-reservation boarding high schools; 13 dormitory facilities for Indian students attending public schools; and three post-secondary schools -- a junior college, a fine arts institute and a technical training institute. She also has oversight responsibility for 58 schools operated by tribes under contracts with the BIA. The FY 1986 budget for Indian education programs is $269 million. Whiteman, who is a full professor and director of Native American Studies at the University of Montana, has accepted her appointment for two years under an Intergovernmental Personnel Agreement with the university. A native of Oklahoma, Whiteman has been on the Montana faculty since 1972. She was a visiting lecturer in the graduate school of education at Harvard in 1977. She has talked and taught about Indian education at various universities and be ore many education groups. She has published numerous articles in both professional and popular publications,

Whiteman, 51, graduated with a B.A. from the Southwestern Oklahoma State University, earned an M.A. in English from Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of New Mexico. She began her education career in 1955 as a seventh grade teacher, in 1982, she was named Cheyenne Indian of the Year for her achievements in education. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Indian Education Association.

Frank Ryan, in the Office of Trust Responsibilities, will work with the tribes in the development of their natural resources. He will be responsible for tribal rights protection and will function as trustee for more than 53 million acres of land held in trust by the United States for Indian tribes and individuals. The FY 1986 budget for these functions is $185 million. Since 1981, Ryan has been a member of the Department of Education's Senior Executive Service as director of the Indian education program, director of the organizational performance service and personnel resources management service. He served for approximately one year on loan to the Executive Office of the President to work with the President's Commission on Indian Reservation Economies. Born on the Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana in 1948, Ryan graduated from Yale in 1971. While an undergraduate, he received a Carnegie Foundation grant to study economics in Japan and to work for a Japanese company. In 1970 he received a National Science Foundation grant to return to Japan where he studied paternalism in Japanese industry. Ryan graduated from the Harvard Law School in 1977, received a faculty appointment there and remained at Harvard until 1981. He did research, taught and did some consulting in the area of Indian rights protection and development. In the early 1970's he worked with the Fort Belknap Tribal Management team, spent some time in the office of the Montana Governor as an economic development specialist, and worked with a business management firm in Chicago.

The Office of Indian Services, which will be directed by Ra2el Elbert, includes social service programs, law enforcement, housing, economic development and employment programs and a number of other reservation governmental programs. 'The annual budget in FY 1986 is $328 million. Elbert has been the acting director of the office since June 1985, after serving as the deputy director of Indian services since July 1981. A 1957 graduate of the Haskell Indian Junior College, the Oklahoma native began her government career in Washington, D.C. as a clerk-stenographer and has worked through a series of increasingly responsible jobs. During 1957-67, Elbert worked with the Indian Health Service in the old Department of Health, Education and Welfare. She transferred to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1967, serving eight years as a legislative specialist. In 1975, Elbert began a four-year stint as the legislative assistant for Senator Dewey Bartlett of Oklahoma. In May 1979, she returned to the Bureau as a staff assistant to Forrest Gerard, Interior's first assistant secretary for Indian affairs.

DOI

INDIAN NEWS NOTES

A Publication of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Public Information Staff 202/343-7445

Interior Royalty Management Committee Includes Indian Representatives:

Interior Secretary Donald Hodel met January 10 in Denver with his recently appointed Royalty Management Advisory Committee. The 31-member committee includes seven Indian representatives. Hodel said the committee would "assure active and knowledgeable external oversight and continuing involvement in decision-making." It was selected from nominees submitted by state governors, Indian tribes, industry associations and other interested parties. Indian representatives include: Lester Chapoose, chairman, Uintah and Ouray Tribal Council; Louis Denetsosie, deputy attorney general, Navajo Nation; Judy Knight, vice chairman, Ute Mountain Tribal Council; Wes Martel, councilman, Shoshone Business Council; Ben Mathies, CPA/consultant to the Southern Ute Tribe; Thurman Velarde, administrator, Oil and Gas Administration, Jicarilla Apache Tribe; and Pressley Ware, chairman, Oklahoma Indian Mineral Association.

Indian People Share in Observance of Dr. King's National Holiday:

Indian people throughout the United States participated in the tribute paid to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this year, when his birthday -- like that of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln -- was celebrated as a national holiday. An editorial in the Navajo Times Today wrote of Dr. King's dream: "The United States has come a long way towards Dr. King's dream. Sure there is still hatred and still evil. But look at how much more good there is today than there was when Dr. King was marching for a better society. More kids, kids from every race, are educated and taking their rightful place in society. Society still has a long way to go. But it's important to keep sight of the dream. And, more important, when the dream is important enough, it's time for those who really believe to begin giving. The process of giving, of sharing and of choosing to die for a belief, is what make the human being human." In Washington, D. C, Indian Affairs Assistant Secretary Ross Swimmer told an Interior Department audience that the nation "owes a great debt to Dr. King. We need to make the principles he exemplified and taught a part of our lives. 11 Swimmer said "not being part of the problem as an active racist is not enough. 11 He added that the passive acceptance of racism and racist attitudes was a major cause of the continuing problems we .still have today.

Report on Indian Tribes of Washington Published by Seattle Times:

A lengthy report on the Indians of the State of Washington was published by the Seattle Times in December. The six-part series has been re-issued as a twenty-six page special section available by mail for $1.25 from the _Seattle Times, P.O. Box 1926, Seattle, Washington 98111. Reporter Bill Dietrich, who did the report, worked for more than a year researching and writing the articles. He visited most of the state's 26 reservations. Photographer Alan Berner visited nine of the tribes over a period of several months. 'The report includes statistical information, historical background and information on the problems and progress of the state's Indians. 'The report also gives considerable attention to the conflicts in the state between the Indians and anti-treaty rights organizations. 'The following is from the introductory article: "Washington is in the midst of an Indian renaissance. Thanks to legal decisions, a switch in federal policy and a new generation of sophisticated Indian leaders, there has been more change in the state's tribes in the past ten years than in the previous 10?,. Washington has also become the nation's leading state for Native American political activism, courtroom battles, congressional Indian legislation and an anti-Indian backlash. For today's Indian ' such positive and negative currents circle each other in a dizzying whirlpool. Also swirling are the old debates -- assimilation versus cultural survival, equal rights versus treaty rights, redneck racism versus bleeding-heart guilt, independence versus welfare."

New Mexico County Required to Change Voting Precincts for Indians:

The Justice Department recently ordered McKinley County, New Mexico to increase the number of voting precincts in Indian areas and reassign voters to their proper precincts. Justice officials said the county had violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by locating voting precincts and assigning voters to precincts so that Indians are required to travel great distances to vote. Officials also said many Indians are assigned to vote in precincts that do not follow the geographic terrain or respect Indian living patterns. County officials said the non-compliance with the Voting Rights Act was not done on purpose. The order requires the county to increase the number of voting precincts in rural areas from 19 to 23 and to create two polling places in two of the precincts. It also requires the county to reassign voters to their proper precincts. The county is required to make information about the changes available to the public written in English, Spanish and Navajo.

Supreme Court Agrees to Rule on Indian Land Consolidation Act:

The United States Supreme Court agreed December 13 to rule on the constitutionality of a 1983 amendment to the Indian Land Consolidation Act that required highly fractionated interests in reservation lands to revert to the tribe upon the owner's death. The amendment was passed to eliminate the administrative problems when a small parcel of trust land was held for as many as 100 heirs of the original owner. The amendment required that an undivided interest of no more than two percent in land that earned less than $100 the preceding year would revert to the tribe after the owner's death. The amendment was challenged in court by some potential heirs of land on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations. The district court ruled the law was constitutional, but the circuit court of appeals held the law unconstitutional because it allowed tribes to reclaim land without compensating the estate of the deceased person,

Indian Woman Is Elected Mayor in Montana City:

Julene Kennerly, an Indian woman from Montana, was featured in the January 16 issue of USA Today as the first female, Indian mayor of a U.S. city. Kennerly, 45, wife of the late state Representative Leo Kennerly Jr., was elected to the non-paid position last fall. Her goal as mayor is to revive the Blackfeet Indian reservation city of Browning. Kennerly said of her new position, "I really want to restore the pride within Browning and the dignity that we all deserve."

Indian Business Woman Is Honored By President Reagan:

Peggy Shreves, A Chickasaw Indian woman from Oklahoma, was honored by President Reagan at a White House ceremony as "Female Entrepreneur of the Year" for 1985. Her accomplishments are featured in the January/February issue of the magazine Minorities and Women in Business. Shreves is president and founder of Frontier Engineering, Inc. (FEI), a computer products plant located in Norman, Oklahoma. Shreves and her husband left their positions at Oklahoma State University to gamble on their abilities as entrepreneurs. In just four short years their sales rose from $24,000 in 1981 to more than $5 million in 1985. Shreves said that the genetic engineering equipment FEI is working on has the potential for finding a cure for cancer. She also said FEI engineers designed equipment for the Federal Aviation Administration, which is expected to help reduce the potential for airline crashes. Shreves said credit for her success goes to the assistance she received from Oklahomans for Indian Opportunity (OIO), a Oklahoma based organization that provides business development assistance to Indian-owned firms, and the Small Business Administration for helping to smooth out some early problems. Shreves was named the "Indian Business Persons of the Year" by 010 in 1984 and won a similar honor from the Dallas Regional Office of the Minority Business Development Agency.

Ceremonies Celebrate Translation into Navajo of Complete Bible:

Dedication ceremonies were held December 19 on the Navajo Reservation for a new translation into Navajo of the complete Bible. A group called the Navajo Bible Translators had been working on the project for more than 40 years, a translation of the New Testament was completed and published in 1955. This New Testament translation underwent major revisions while work was completed on the Old Testament. According to Mrs. Geronimo Martin, whose husband was one of the first Navajos to join the translators, the only other complete Bible published in an Indian language is in Chol, a Mexican Indian dialect. The New York Times, reporting on the event, said the translators had "to struggle to convert the English of the King James into the language of the country’s largest tribe, and they kept a keen eye out for cultural pitfalls." One of the translators, Faith Hill, said, "The easiest parts were anything about sheep and lambs. Navajo people know everything about sheep."