OPA

The Havasupai Indian Tribe can now move out of the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon National Park Enlargement Act signed by President Ford early this month gave the tribe 185,000 acres of land on the rim of the canyon and adjacent to the park. It is land that the Havasupais had occupied for about 1,000 years, until it was taken away from them about a century ago.

Since 1882 the tribe has been confined to 519 acres of almost inaccessible land at the bottom of the canyon. In good weather it can be reached by traveling 63 miles of graveled road off Highway 66 to Hualapai Hilltop at the top of the canyon and then proceeding by mule or foot down an eight mile trail into the canyon. In severe weather access is limited to helicopters.

The traditional pattern of living for the Havasupais had been to use the floor of the canyon for crop raising during the spring and summer but to move to the rim during the winter. They maintained homes in both areas. They also used the rim for grazing horses and other animals.

The tribe now has 425 members, of which 275 have been living on the 519 acre tract. Since 1908 the Havasupais have been granted grazing permits for about 250,000 acres in an area set aside as the Coconino Forest Reserve. They were not permitted to live on this land, however.

In 1944 the tribe was also given lands totaling 2,539 acres in Cataract Canyon. This land is a long, narrow strip even more remote than the 519 acre tract. It is used only for grazing horses.

Restrictions on the use of the 185,000 acres granted the Havasupai are included in the Act to ensure compatibility with the uses of the adjacent park. Commercial timber production or mining, for example, are forbidden. The Act also granted the Havasupais the exclusive use of an additional 95,000 acres running from near the canyon rim down to the river on the floor of the canyon.

Regulations governing loans to Indians from the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Revolving Loan Fund are being published in the Federal Register. The regulations have been revised to reflect the provisions of the Indian Financing Act of 1974.

The Indian Financing Act consolidated existing revolving loan funds administered by the Bureau and authorized the appropriation of an additional $50 million for the consolidated fund. Loans from the fund can be made to Indian organizations or individuals for purposes which will improve and promote economic development on Indian reservations.

Loans may be made directly or through eligible relending organizations for economic enterprises, individual housing needs or education needs.

Loans may be made only to applicants who are unable to obtain financing on reasonable terms and conditions from other sources and are unable to obtain a guaranteed or insured loan under Title II of the Indian Financing Act.

Application forms and further information are available at Bureau Agency offices.

Proposed regulations governing the preparation of the membership roll for the per capita distribution of more than $20 million awarded to Northern Paiute Indians by the Indian Claims Commission (Docket 87) are being published in the Federal Register.

The proposed regulations state that all persons who meet the following requirements shall be entitled to be enrolled to share in the distribution of the fund:

1) Persons who were born on or prior to and living on October 10, 1974;

2) Who are lineal descendants of Northern Paiute Indians and;

3) Whose name or whose lineal ancestor's name appears on any available census roll or other record or evidence acceptable to the Secretary of the Interior, and who is identified as being of Northern Paiute ancestry.

Some specified persons, however, have been excluded from eligibility for enrollment. They are any person who has shared in the awards granted by the Indian Claims Commission in Dockets 88, 330 and 330-A to the Southern Paiute Indian Nation; or in Dockets 31, 37, 80, 80-D, 176, 215, 333, and 347 to "Certain Indians of California; or in Dockets 351 and 351-A to the Chemehuevis; or in Docket 17 to the Malheur Paiutes; or whose Indian ancestry Western is derived solely from the Walpapi Paiutes, Yahooskin Snakes, Barmocks or Monos; or is a member of the Quechan Tribe or of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs Morris Thompson has appointed William Lynn Engles as Public Information Officer for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C.

Engles, an enrolled member of the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin, has been the Public Affairs Officer for ACTION in Seattle, Wash. since May, 1972. His experience before that included almost seven years with United Press as a state broadcast editor, news bureau manager and political reporter in Oregon and Montana.

"Lynn's diverse experience in communications -- as a Government information officer and as a writer and editor for both the broadcast and print media -- makes him well qualified to head up our public information staff," Commissioner Thompson said.

Engles, 39, has completed studies for a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and public affairs at Evergreen State College, Olympia, Wash. He has also attended Stanford University, the University of Montana and St. Thomas College, St. Paul, Minn. He is a native of Poplar, Mont.

Edmund Manydeeds, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, has been named Superintendent of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Great Lakes Agency at Ashland, Wisconsin, Acting Commissioner Raymond v. Butler announced today.

Manydeeds has been at the agency since 1960 and has been the Acting Superintendent the past year.

A World War II veteran, Manydeeds earned both a B.S. and M.S. in Education at North State College, South Dakota.

Manydeeds, 55, began working with the BIA in 1948 as a teacher at the Cheyenne River Agency, South Dakota.

Secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton today issued a policy statement concerning Indian cultural and religious use of migratory bird feathers and parts. Following is the text of the statement.

"I am aware that American Indians are presently experiencing uncer­tainty and confusion over the application of Federal bird protection laws to Indian cultural and religious activities. Apparently, this confusion and concern may have resulted, in part, from this Department's enforcement activities under such laws. This statement is intended to clarify the Department of the Interior's responsibilities and intentions, and to ease the minds of American Indians.

"The Department of the Interior recognizes the unique heritage of American Indian culture. It also recognizes that American Indians have a legitimate interest in expressing their cultural and religious way of life. At the same time, both the Department of the Interior and American Indians share an additional responsibility to conserve wildlife resources, including federally protected birds.

"As a result of meetings between agencies of the Department of the Interior, the Association for American Indian Cultural and Traditional Activities, and others, I can assure American Indians that our policy is to permit them to engage in the following activities without fear of Federal prosecution, harassment, or other interference.

"1. American Indians may possess, carry, use, wear, give, loan, or exchange among other Indians, without compensation, all federally protected birds, as well as their parts or feathers.”

2. American Indians who wish to possess bird feathers or parts to be worked on by tribal craftsmen for eventual use in Indian religious or cultural activities may transfer such feathers or parts to tribal crafts­men without charge, but such craftsmen may be compensated for their work.

"However, the Department of the Interior will continue to enforce against all persons those Federal laws prohibiting the killing, buying or selling of eagles, migratory birds, or endangered species, as well as those laws prohibiting the buying or selling of the parts or feathers of such birds and animals.

“I encourage American Indians to express their identity and to freely pursue their cultural and religious practices. At the same time, I encourage them to support the purposes of the Federal bird protection laws. There is much work to be accomplished to further clarify the rights and obligations of American Indians with respect to Federal bird protection laws, and special efforts will be made to conduct a two-way education process between Government employees and Indian communities. In addition, we have agreed to work in a spirit of cooperation with the Association for American Indian Cultural and Traditional Activities, and other interested Indian representatives, in order to harmonize the policies, practices, and procedures for enforcement of the Federal bird protection laws with the legitimate needs of Indians. This includes review of Federal regulations, with probable changes where the legitimate needs of American Indians can be legally recognized without harming federally protected birds.

"In this regard, one area of discussion should be the possibility of American Indians sharing with Federal officials the responsibilities of wildlife management and enforcement through the adoption of tribal ordinances designed to conserve federally protected birds.

"In the past, one problem has been that legitimate sources of feathers, which might have been available to the Department for distribution to American Indians, have not been fully utilized. We are presently developing better procedures to collect and distribute eagle feathers from the Fish and Wildlife Service repository at Pocatello, Idaho, where feathers of eagles found dead are stored. In addition, we will make an effort to distribute the feathers and parts of other migratory birds to Indians.

"I hope that this statement will help to take away the uncertainty and confusion presently experienced by American Indians. I hope also that our efforts will encourage tradition, culture, and religious activities among American Indians, while at the same time promoting a mutual effort to protect and conserve federally regulated birds.

Regulations governing the administration of funds to assist Indian irrigation projects and fisheries under the Drought Emergency Act of April 7, 1977, are being published in the Federal Register, Acting Commissioner of Indian Affairs Raymond V. Butler announced today.

The regulations tell how qualified applicants may obtain funds to remedy some detrimental effects of the 1976-77 drought. Provisions are made for short-term actions to increase water supplies and to repair, or improve water supply facilities.

Since the Act is in response to emergency conditions, actions funded under it are to be completed prior to or during the 1977 irrigation season.

The regulations will be effective on publication and will expire on September 30, 1977.

These regulations are supplementary to regulations being published by Interior's Bureau of Reclamation.

For further information contact Charles P. Corke, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington, D.C. 20245, phone 202 343-2287.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is going to take a long, hard look at the educational needs of Indian, pre-school-age children. And what can or should be done to improve the development of infants, toddlers and youngsters up through the age of eight.

Commissioner of Indian Affairs Morris Thompson has announced that a $325,000 contract has been awarded to the Bank Street College of Education New York City, to make the study.

"To some people it seems odd that we would be concerned about education programs for such young children," said Dr. Clennon E. Sockey, the Bureau's Director of Indian Education Programs. "Research has indicated, however, the crucial importance of these first years. It is estimated that 50 percent of a child's intellectual potential is developed before the age of 5."

Sockey said this does not mean the five-year-old knows half as much as he ever will. It is, rather, a matter of ability to learn which is established. "In the early years, even before birth," he explained, "impairments to learning can be created which could be prevented or reversed if caught soon enough."

Results of the study and program recommendations will be submitted to the Congressional Appropriations Committee as an information base for making funding decisions about BIA education programs.

Two pilot programs for children up to age four are now in operation in the Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico and the Choctaw Reservation in Mississippi. They are called Parent-Child Development Programs. In these programs the goal is not to teach a lot of things. It is, instead, to bring together the resources of the community and the family to enable the child to enjoy a healthy, happy and stimulating beginning of life. Many Indian children just beginning school have already suffered permanent damage to their learning abilities because of previously undetected hearing defects, pre-natal malnutrition or other physical, emotional or intellectual problems.

The role of parents as the first and primary educators of children is stressed in these programs.

The study will be carried out in six BIA field areas with the cooperation of participating tribes.

Bank Street College is a private graduate school with a prestigious reputation among educators. The school has been extensively involved in the development of Head start, Follow Through and other early childhood education programs. Staff members have worked with the BIA in the establishment of kindergarten programs on the reservations and the training of teachers and aides of these programs.

An Indian advisory board will be established to provide guidance for the project. Indian professionals will also be added, in top level positions, to the project staff and Indian community members will be trained for the collection of data at the reservation level.

Daniel D. McDonald, Director of Tribal Resources Development for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, died Saturday, April 16.

A Nez Perce/Flathead Indian, McDonald was one of four program directors in the Bureau. His office was responsible for assisting Indians through the development of business enterprises, credit and financing, and manpower training and placement programs. It also provided technical assistance to tribes in road construction and maintenance. He was appointed to this position in April, 1974.

Funeral services and interment were to be held at St. Ignatius Montana on the Flathead Reservation where McDonald grew up.

McDonald came to Washington, D.C. in 1970 as Director of Intergovernmental Relations with the National Council on Indian opportunity.

From 1963 to 1970 McDonald was an Industrial Development Specialist for BIA on the Navajo Reservation. He was instrumental in the development of many new industries on the reservation. These included the establishment of the General Dynamics plant at Fort Defiance, Arizona; the establishment of the Fed-Mart store, first supermarket on the reservation and the Window Rock Motor Inn, both at Window Rock, Arizona; and the expansion of the Fairchild Semi-conductor Division at Shiprock, New Mexico, into the largest single employer of Indians in the Nation.

A World War II Marina veteran, McDonald graduated from the University of Montana and later did graduate work at George Washington University. He began his career with the BIA as a relocation assistant on the Fort Belknap Reservation at Harlem, Montana.

McDonald was the 9th of 13 children. His brother, Wyman McDonald is Superintendent of the BIA agency at Fort Hall, Idaho.

McDonald is survived by his wife, the former Gloria Gardipe of the Flathead Reservation, and four children.

Carl J. Cornelius, a 40-year veteran with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, has been named Field Administrator for the Bureau, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Morris Thompson announced today. In his new position in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Cornelius will be responsible for administrative and management services for Bureau field units.

A member of the Oneida Indian Tribe, Cornelius has worked the past 20 years in Bureau headquarters in Washington, D. C., where he has held various high-level, policy-making positions. Since August of 1974 he has been Assistant Director, Management Service, in the Office of Administration.

Cornelius began his career with the Bureau in 1935 as a clerical assistant at the Fort Berthold Agency in North Dakota. He spent 12 years at the Consolidated Chippewa Agency in Minnesota before coming to Washington in 1954 as a trainee in an Executive Development Program.

Cornelius, who will assume his new- duties May 19, received the Bureau's Meritorious Service Award in 1974.

A native of the Green Bay, Wisconsin area, Cornelius attended Haskell Institute and, in later years, took courses in Public Administration at American University.

Cornelius, 61, is married and has two sons and two daughters. He was an infantry captain in World War II.