By: Stacey O'Brien
When the buffalo were scarce in the past, a legend tells of a Blackfoot woman going out and looking for guidance about how to feed and clothe the tribe.
“She came along and found one of the ammonite that she thought was a beautiful rock. She took it back to the tribe and, within a short time, the buffalo came back,” said Beth Day Chief, one of the owners of the Buffalo Rock Mining Company.
The story inspired the name of Day Chief and her husband Tracy Day Chief’s company, Buffalo Rock Mining Company. Day Chief said it’s the first aboriginally owned mining company mining for ammonite and she is appreciative of Blood Tribe chief and council and Indian Affairs for giving them the opportunity to start the company on the Blood Reserve.
The mining began six short weeks ago, but Day Chief and her husband started looking into doing the mining five years ago and incorporated their company more than two years ago, with shareholders and marketers Cathy and Todd Spencer coming on board. They eventually hope to employ 25 people from the Blood Tribe.
The company has taken special precautions with the site, 10 kilometres southwest of the Lethbridge County Airport, close to the St. Mary River. They’ve had Fisheries and Oceans Canada come in and elder Bruce Wolf Child examine the site because it’s close to the river and a buffalo jump.
A past campsite with teepee rings and a couple of gravesites are also nearby, so the company is told where they are able to mine and where they cannot.
“Once we’re done two acres, we have to reclaim the site to make it look exactly like it was before we started. So that is really important to the tribe that we do not disturb the land,” Day Chief said.
She said they expect to be on the current site for the next three years and, besides the elasmosaur, they have already uncovered about 40 recycling bins of ammonite, which they hope to eventually sell not just locally, but internationally. A large fully intact ammonite fossil can be worth $15,000.
“It’s really exciting to get to this point,” Day Chief said. “It’s been a long hard road to get here, but it is worth it.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Family of missing Six Nations woman appeals for clues
CBC News
The family of a pregnant woman from the Six Nations reserve who has been missing for nine weeks has made an appeal to the public for clues to her whereabouts.
Tashina General, 21, was reported missing to Six Nations Police on Jan. 23 in her hometown of Ohsweken, a village on the Six Nations reserve southeast of Brantford, Ont.
Members of her family held a press conference at Grand River Polytechnic in Ohsweken Thursday, making a tearful request for information on her disappearance.
"If she's out there and she can see what's going on, please call home. Everyone's really concerned about her. We just hope that she'll make it home safely," her best friend, Chloe Dennis, told CBC News.
Dennis, 18, said it was very out of character for General to disappear without contacting her family. She said she spoke to General the day before she went missing but didn't notice anything suspicious about her friend's behaviour.
"She seemed her happy self, because she is really outgoing," Dennis said.
Get the whole story and a photo of her here: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/03/27/missing-woman.html
The family of a pregnant woman from the Six Nations reserve who has been missing for nine weeks has made an appeal to the public for clues to her whereabouts.
Tashina General, 21, was reported missing to Six Nations Police on Jan. 23 in her hometown of Ohsweken, a village on the Six Nations reserve southeast of Brantford, Ont.
Members of her family held a press conference at Grand River Polytechnic in Ohsweken Thursday, making a tearful request for information on her disappearance.
"If she's out there and she can see what's going on, please call home. Everyone's really concerned about her. We just hope that she'll make it home safely," her best friend, Chloe Dennis, told CBC News.
Dennis, 18, said it was very out of character for General to disappear without contacting her family. She said she spoke to General the day before she went missing but didn't notice anything suspicious about her friend's behaviour.
"She seemed her happy self, because she is really outgoing," Dennis said.
Get the whole story and a photo of her here: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/03/27/missing-woman.html
Navajos set to tap power of the wind
By: Dennis Wagner and Ryan Randazzo
Hundreds of windmills reaching nearly 400 feet into the sky could begin sprouting on the Navajo Reservation north of Flagstaff under a new agreement to harness wind energy for electrical use.
The Navajo Nation announced Thursday that it will partner with a Boston company to capitalize on the blustery conditions prevailing on the high mesas of northern Arizona. The Diné Wind Project, which would be the first commercial wind farm in the state, calls for Citizens Energy Corp. to invest millions of dollars to build the energy-collecting towers.The enterprise was sealed this month by Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr., other key tribal officials and Citizens Energy Chairman Joseph P. Kennedy II, a former congressman and son of the late U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy. The agreement comes after nearly two years of pre-development work and marks another step in the Navajo Nation's move to exploit renewable-power sources for so-called clean energy.
In a news release Thursday, Shirley said the wind-gathering effort will "bring prosperity for the Navajo people and build our energy independence while providing jobs and other benefits for the Navajo Nation.
"The operation is planned in the Gray Mountain area west of U.S. 89, about 50 miles north of Flagstaff.
The tribe and its Diné Power Authority become partners in a joint enterprise known as Citizens Enterprise Corp., a subsidiary of Citizens Energy. Deswood Tome, a Navajo Nation spokesman, said the project is expected to generate 500 megawatts of electricity, enough to serve an estimated 100,000 households. As many as 300 turbine towers would be erected in several locations between Flagstaff and Tuba City, with first-phase completion in about three years.
There's more to the story here: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0328navajo-wind0328.html
Hundreds of windmills reaching nearly 400 feet into the sky could begin sprouting on the Navajo Reservation north of Flagstaff under a new agreement to harness wind energy for electrical use.
The Navajo Nation announced Thursday that it will partner with a Boston company to capitalize on the blustery conditions prevailing on the high mesas of northern Arizona. The Diné Wind Project, which would be the first commercial wind farm in the state, calls for Citizens Energy Corp. to invest millions of dollars to build the energy-collecting towers.The enterprise was sealed this month by Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr., other key tribal officials and Citizens Energy Chairman Joseph P. Kennedy II, a former congressman and son of the late U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy. The agreement comes after nearly two years of pre-development work and marks another step in the Navajo Nation's move to exploit renewable-power sources for so-called clean energy.
In a news release Thursday, Shirley said the wind-gathering effort will "bring prosperity for the Navajo people and build our energy independence while providing jobs and other benefits for the Navajo Nation.
"The operation is planned in the Gray Mountain area west of U.S. 89, about 50 miles north of Flagstaff.
The tribe and its Diné Power Authority become partners in a joint enterprise known as Citizens Enterprise Corp., a subsidiary of Citizens Energy. Deswood Tome, a Navajo Nation spokesman, said the project is expected to generate 500 megawatts of electricity, enough to serve an estimated 100,000 households. As many as 300 turbine towers would be erected in several locations between Flagstaff and Tuba City, with first-phase completion in about three years.
There's more to the story here: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0328navajo-wind0328.html
Friday, March 28, 2008
Hundreds expected at tribe's memorial for teen who drowned in car crash last year
By: Jim Casey
PORT ANGELES — The Lower Elwha Klallam on Saturday will host an event the like of which hasn't been on their reservation for decades.
Between 500 and 1,000 people — many from Puget Sound and Vancouver Island — will celebrate the life of the late Vanna Francis.
The public will be welcome at the event at the Lower Elwha tribal center, 2851 Lower Elwha Road, near Port Angeles.
The celebration will start at 10 a.m. in the tribal center's gym with a ceremonial sweeping of its floor with cedar boughs.
That will be followed by dedication of a memorial bench fashioned by Lummi carver Jewell Praying Wolf James.
The rest of the day after lunch will be given over to songs, prayers and dances by the dozen tribes and Canadian First Nations who will attend, dinner and giving gifts to participants.
The event will be over when every group has finished, sometime Saturday night or even early Sunday morning.
End of spirit's journey -
"It's a celebration of Vanna for her going to her ancestors," he said."The journey takes one year."
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080327/NEWS/803270302
PORT ANGELES — The Lower Elwha Klallam on Saturday will host an event the like of which hasn't been on their reservation for decades.
Between 500 and 1,000 people — many from Puget Sound and Vancouver Island — will celebrate the life of the late Vanna Francis.
The public will be welcome at the event at the Lower Elwha tribal center, 2851 Lower Elwha Road, near Port Angeles.
The celebration will start at 10 a.m. in the tribal center's gym with a ceremonial sweeping of its floor with cedar boughs.
That will be followed by dedication of a memorial bench fashioned by Lummi carver Jewell Praying Wolf James.
The rest of the day after lunch will be given over to songs, prayers and dances by the dozen tribes and Canadian First Nations who will attend, dinner and giving gifts to participants.
The event will be over when every group has finished, sometime Saturday night or even early Sunday morning.
End of spirit's journey -
"It's a celebration of Vanna for her going to her ancestors," he said."The journey takes one year."
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080327/NEWS/803270302
State-tribal agreement could transform reservation
Great Falls Tribune Online - author not posted
Central and northern Montana make way for more wind mills; developers keep a sharp eye on the possibility of building ethanol plants; coal is dug in southeastern Montana and burned there and in many other states; and natural gas heats homes and spins turbines.
These are just some of the major movements occurring in Montana related to energy development.
Beneath the radar of most folks in central and western Montana — but not folks in the east and in Helena where tax revenue is tallied — is an oil boom in northeast Montana and North Dakota.
Up to now, there's been a kind of doughnut hole in a map that development — more of a trapezoid, actually — delineated by the borders of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.
Although experts say the rez sits on the oil-rich Bakken Formation, at present just two wells are producing there.
That, however, is about to change.
There's more here: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080327/OPINION01/803270305
Central and northern Montana make way for more wind mills; developers keep a sharp eye on the possibility of building ethanol plants; coal is dug in southeastern Montana and burned there and in many other states; and natural gas heats homes and spins turbines.
These are just some of the major movements occurring in Montana related to energy development.
Beneath the radar of most folks in central and western Montana — but not folks in the east and in Helena where tax revenue is tallied — is an oil boom in northeast Montana and North Dakota.
Up to now, there's been a kind of doughnut hole in a map that development — more of a trapezoid, actually — delineated by the borders of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.
Although experts say the rez sits on the oil-rich Bakken Formation, at present just two wells are producing there.
That, however, is about to change.
There's more here: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080327/OPINION01/803270305
Mohegans Again Returning Funds To Government
By: Heather Allen
Uncasville — The Mohegan Tribe is giving back more than a half million dollars in federal funding to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, with the intention of helping tribes that have demonstrated great financial need, according to a release issued by the tribe.
The tribe made the announcement Wednesday, stating it will send back $105,680, which it was awarded through a contract between the tribe and the BIA as part of the Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. The tribe also plans to send back another $518,440 that it has yet to receive from the same contract.
Tribal Chairman Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozsum asked that the funds be redistributed to tribes who do not receive more than 10 percent of their revenue from gaming or who have substantial gaming projects under development and who “have demonstrated the greatest need and suffer from current or previous year shortfalls in funding,” according to the release.
The practice of sending federal funds back to be redistributed is not unusual, said Nedra Darling, a spokeswoman for the BIA.
“In the past they have returned the money, and other tribes have as well,” Darling said. They've done it a few times in the past.”
Get the rest of the story here: http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=10e4f964-45c9-4750-b675-634f44c2c254
Uncasville — The Mohegan Tribe is giving back more than a half million dollars in federal funding to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, with the intention of helping tribes that have demonstrated great financial need, according to a release issued by the tribe.
The tribe made the announcement Wednesday, stating it will send back $105,680, which it was awarded through a contract between the tribe and the BIA as part of the Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. The tribe also plans to send back another $518,440 that it has yet to receive from the same contract.
Tribal Chairman Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozsum asked that the funds be redistributed to tribes who do not receive more than 10 percent of their revenue from gaming or who have substantial gaming projects under development and who “have demonstrated the greatest need and suffer from current or previous year shortfalls in funding,” according to the release.
The practice of sending federal funds back to be redistributed is not unusual, said Nedra Darling, a spokeswoman for the BIA.
“In the past they have returned the money, and other tribes have as well,” Darling said. They've done it a few times in the past.”
Get the rest of the story here: http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=10e4f964-45c9-4750-b675-634f44c2c254
Lummi youngsters thank veterans
By: John Stark
LUMMI NATION — Tribal youngsters gathered Wednesday at the tribal veterans’ hall on the Stommish Grounds to thank the veterans for agreeing to share their building with a new after-school cultural education program.
Kids and veterans in Veterans of Foreign Wars caps sat together for a traditional salmon dinner, and the young people presented the veterans with pillows and necklaces they made under the direction of certified teacher Doralee Sanchez. She is the director of the Cultural Learning Center that will operate in the veterans’ hall every school day from 3 to 6 p.m.
Sanchez said the youngsters who participate in the program will learn traditional handcrafts such as drummaking and the weaving of baskets and cedar hats, among other things.
“My job description is prevention,” Sanchez said. “I’m here to give people healthy alternatives.”
Cheryl Sanders, Lummi Indian Business Council member and the tribe’s youth wellness coordinator, said she was excited to see the new program up and running.
“It’s a great opportunity for our children to learn about our culture, from making baskets to listening to stories,” Sanders said.
At the closing of the gathering, veterans and the rest of the group “retired the colors.” They honored the U.S. flag with drumming, a tribal farewell song and “God Bless America” before the color guard left the building.
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Richard Hillaire said the decision to share the veterans’ building with the young people was an easy one to make.
“We like to see this culture continue on through the younger generation,” Hillaire said.
LUMMI NATION — Tribal youngsters gathered Wednesday at the tribal veterans’ hall on the Stommish Grounds to thank the veterans for agreeing to share their building with a new after-school cultural education program.
Kids and veterans in Veterans of Foreign Wars caps sat together for a traditional salmon dinner, and the young people presented the veterans with pillows and necklaces they made under the direction of certified teacher Doralee Sanchez. She is the director of the Cultural Learning Center that will operate in the veterans’ hall every school day from 3 to 6 p.m.
Sanchez said the youngsters who participate in the program will learn traditional handcrafts such as drummaking and the weaving of baskets and cedar hats, among other things.
“My job description is prevention,” Sanchez said. “I’m here to give people healthy alternatives.”
Cheryl Sanders, Lummi Indian Business Council member and the tribe’s youth wellness coordinator, said she was excited to see the new program up and running.
“It’s a great opportunity for our children to learn about our culture, from making baskets to listening to stories,” Sanders said.
At the closing of the gathering, veterans and the rest of the group “retired the colors.” They honored the U.S. flag with drumming, a tribal farewell song and “God Bless America” before the color guard left the building.
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Richard Hillaire said the decision to share the veterans’ building with the young people was an easy one to make.
“We like to see this culture continue on through the younger generation,” Hillaire said.
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