Red Lake skateboarders ready to roll

Posted at 12:25 PM on May 8, 2012 by Tom Robertson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Northwest Minnesota, Tribal issues

Young people on the Red Lake Indian Reservation will soon have new places to exercise and hangout with friends. The Red Lake Nation this week received a $750,000 community development grant from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community south of the Twin Cities.

Red Lake will use the money for youth projects, including construction of a skateboard park and basketball court, as well as amenities for the Ponemah Community Center.

Red Lake Tribal Chairman Floyd "Buck" Jourdain says the tribe's goal is to provide a safe environment for youth and to develop their interest in outdoor sports.

"We have a diverse set of needs when it comes to youth activities, with skateboarding being the highest in demand," Jourdain wrote in a letter requesting the funds. "Once completed, the center, skateboard parks, and basketball courts will provide a safe environment for the whole community to engage in community activities, provide a healthier alternative for our youth's free time, and promote a healthier lifestyle."

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, which operates large casinos in the metro area, has assisted Red Lake several times in the past. In 2009, the SMSC loaned Red Lake $31 million to construct its newest Seven Clans Casino and Hotel, a tribal law enforcement center and a greenhouse.

In 2010, SMSC loaned Red Lake $3 million and gave them a $1 million grant to fund several Red Lake economic enterprises, as well as a health care center and a youth center.

Lakeland Public Television has more on the skate park that is scheduled to be completed this fall.

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It's primary day in parts of Minnesota

Posted at 9:27 AM on April 3, 2012 by Dan Gunderson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Government, Tribal issues

MPR file photo Dan Gunderson

Tuesday April 3rd is primary election day for several northern Minnesota American Indian tribes.

There are a lot of choices for voters. A quick perusal of the primary ballots for tribal chair shows 18 candidates at Mille Lacs, 11 at Leech Lake, nine at Fond du Lac, six at Bois Forte and 5 at White Earth. There are also long list of candidates for tribal council positions. The primary narrows the field of candidates ahead of a June general election.

The Red Lake Nation has a May election, and the four Dakota tribes in southern Minnesota have elections later in the year.

Most Minnesota nations are governed by a Reservation Business Committee which consists of a Chair, a Secretary Treasurer and Council members who represent designated reservation districts.

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White Earth Nation to pursue foreign trade zone

Posted at 4:15 PM on March 30, 2012 by Dan Gunderson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Economy, Northwest Minnesota, Tribal issues

MPR file photo

The White Earth Nation is considering an interesting move to spur economic development on the northern Minnesota Reservation.

In her recent state of the nation report, Tribal Chairwoman Erma Vizenor mentioned the idea of setting up a Foreign Trade Zone on the reservation.

White Earth Economic Development Director Jerome Lhotka said he's only done preliminary research on the idea, but it appears promising. He said a foreign trade zone at White Earth could lead to "bricks and mortar" economic development and job creation.

The idea is to induce businesses involved in international trade to locate on the reservation.

A foreign trade zone allows companies to delay, reduce or, in some cases, eliminate U.S. Customs duties on products which are imported or exported through the zone.
Companies can also avoid paying some state and local taxes.

Lhotka said the tribe will complete a detailed analysis and request legal advice before applying to the federal government for the zone.

Minnesota now has three foreign trade zones; in Minneapolis -St. Paul, Duluth and International Falls.

Typically zones are tied to a customs port of entry.

Other Indian tribes have Foreign Trade Zone status, including the Lummi in Washington State, and the Oneida in Wisconsin.

A Foreign Trade Zone is just one idea among many White Earth is pursuing in an effort to diversify the economy in an impoverished part of the state.

White Earth Chairwoman Erma Vizenor is pushing hard for a tribal casino in the Twin Cities, but she also said long-term economic security for the tribe requires diversifying the economy beyond gaming.

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County attorney says fed's gang bust won't fix problem

Posted at 11:04 AM on February 13, 2012 by Conrad Wilson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Around MN, Law enforcement, Tribal issues

At least one county attorney is concerned that a mass bust of alleged gang members will amount to a short lived victory.

In a statewide bust last month, federal authorities charged 24 people said to belong to a gang called the "Native Mob." Charges included attempted murder, drug trafficking and racketeering.

Arrests were made in the Twin Cities as well as on the Leech Lake, White Earth and the Mille Lacs Indian reservations.

"The indictment that was unsealed ... I think is a pretty important indicator as to the efforts we are taking in Minnesota at all levels to enhance public safety," U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones said at the time of the arrests.

But Mille Lacs County Attorney Jan Jude, whose office assisted in the investigation, has doubts about how big a dent law enforcement put in the gang problem.

"Certainly a big bust like that should have an impact," she said. "I don't have a lot of faith that it's going to have a long-term impact. I think that there are people that are going to fill those shoes very quickly."

Jude said serious felonies have quadrupled since 2007 on the tribal land in Mille Lacs County, resulting in hundreds of cases. She said most of the repeat offenders her office prosecutes also come from the reservation.

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New rules allow feds to help fight reservation crime

Posted at 12:20 PM on January 6, 2012 by MPR News Staff (0 Comments)
Filed under: Tribal issues

By Dan Gunderson, Minnesota Public Radio News

New federal rules in effect this week allow Minnesota Indian tribes to seek federal crime fighting help.

Minnesota is one of six states where the state has primary criminal jurisdiction on most reservations. The new rules allow tribes to request that federal authorities investigate and prosecute crimes.

The change is a result of complaints by tribal officials that Indians were not treated fairly in the state judicial system.

"We want to make the situation better if we're going to come in and do this," said Tracy Toulou, who heads the federal office of Tribal Justice within the U.S. Department of Justice. "There's obviously an issue or people wouldn't be asking for this. And we want to be sure we make the situation better rather than status quo or worse."

Several Minnesota tribes are expected to request federal help in fighting crime. Toulou says it will likely be July before federal officials assume jurisdiction on any Minnesota reservations.

"For any successful law enforcement relationship you need to bring all resources to the table," Toulou said. "We clearly intend to do that, work with the state and the tribe. We hope through this process, where relationships have not been strong, by working together we can make them stronger and better."

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Duluth mayor threatens to close casino over money spat

Posted at 1:55 PM on January 5, 2012 by MPR News Staff (10 Comments)
Filed under: Arrowhead, Tribal issues

The Fond-du-Luth Casino in downtown Duluth, Minn. was the state's first jointly run gambling operation. (MPR Photo/Dan Kraker)

By Dan Kraker

Duluth, Minn. — The city of Duluth laid out its strategy Thursday in an increasingly fractious dispute with the Fond du Lac Ojibwe Band.

For the past two years, Duluth and the band have been fighting over revenue generated at the downtown Fond du Luth casino.

A federal judge ruled last month the Band is no longer obligated to share slot machine earnings with the city. If upheld, that would cost the city about $6 million a year.

The city has appealed. If the ruling stands, Duluth may have another option. Mayor Don Ness said the original contract would then allow the city to close the casino.

"We become the leaseholder, and no gaming can take place on that site without the written consent of the city," Ness said. "That is the protection that we have, and we need to be ready to exercise those rights."

Fond du Lac Chairwoman Karen Diver disagrees with that assessment, and said Duluth has not reached out to the Band to try to resolve their differences.

"I'm a little dismayed that the mayor continues to keep this issue in the public eye," Diver said. "It really seems that he is trying to cultivate some racial intolerance against the Band and its members."

The mayor said he's never made the dispute into a racial issue. Rather, he said, it's simply a very public contractual disagreement.

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Dakota ride to Mankato starts Saturday

Posted at 12:17 PM on December 8, 2011 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Southwest Minnesota, Tribal issues

The riders in 2008 MPR photo

A horseback ride commemorating the mass execution of 38 Dakota warriors following the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 is set to start this Saturday in South Dakota.

The group of predominantly Native American riders will cross into Minnesota a week or so later. They're scheduled to arrive in Pipestone on Dec. 17.

Darwin Strong, the Minnesota coordinator of the ride, says the annual event will end with a Dec. 26 ceremony in Mankato, at the site of the hangings.

"People need to know and understand that the blood of those 38 plus two men, still runs today, their ancestry is still here today," says Strong.

Strong's 'plus two' comment refers to Dakota chiefs Little Six and Medicine Bottle, who were executed in 1865 for their roles in the war which was fought in and near the Minnesota River valley.

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UND starts transition from Fighting Sioux nickname

Posted at 12:08 PM on December 7, 2011 by Dan Gunderson (4 Comments)
Filed under: Education, Tribal issues

MPR file photo

University of North Dakota President Robert Kelley sent a memo across campus this week outlining the process for ending use of the Fighting Sioux nickname.

The memo follows a decision last month by North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple to sign a law allowing the state's flagship university to shed its 81-year-old nickname.

North Dakota tribes are divided over the nickname use. The Spirit Lake nation voted to support the use of the name and logo, while the Standing Rock tribal council declined to bring the issue to a vote of residents. Under NCAA rules, both tribes needed to support use of the Fighting Sioux nickname in order for UND to continue using it.

Kelley says much of the initial Fighting Sioux logo removal should be done by the end of December. Most Fighting Sioux images will be removed from the university's website, according to the memo.

"The University will also remove nickname Images and verbiage from University owned facilities, except for their use in historical or similar applications, such as championship banners."

It's not clear what the process will be at the Ralph Engelstad Arena, since the facility is not owned by the university. But the agreement with the NCAA to end use of the nickname allows many Fighting Sioux images to remain in the arena:

University athletes will still use Fighting Sioux gear for a few months. For example, Kelley says new uniforms for the men's hockey team won't be available until February, so the team will finish the season with their current uniforms. They won't be able to wear the Fighting Sioux logo during tournament play.

Fighting Sioux gear also will be available to the public for some time:

"Licensed vendors will be allowed to produce apparel and merchandise with the Fighting Sioux name and logo through March 31, 2012, and will have until June 30, 2012, to sell off their stock. Retailers will be able to sell Fighting Sioux apparel and merchandise as long as supplies last, but there will be no more production of Fighting Sioux apparel and merchandise under existing licenses after March 31, 2012."

Under North Dakota state law, the university can't adopt a new logo or nickname before 2015.

There are still legal cases, both to save the nickname and eliminate it, making their way through the courts.

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Leech Lake tribe moves forward with new water treatment plants

Posted at 3:16 PM on November 4, 2011 by Tom Robertson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Northwest Minnesota, Tribal issues, Water

The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe is making progress on serving more tribal communities with municipal water treatment plants.

A plant came on-line this week that will serve residents living in a neighborhood known as Tract 33, adjacent to the City of Cass Lake. About 60 percent of an estimated 280 homes are already hooked up to the water system. The rest will be connected next spring, according to Tribal Engineer John Fairbanks.

Until now, those homes have been served by a combination of individual wells, small cluster systems and one larger public water system, none of which provided residents with treated water.

"It's been a high priority for the reservation for quite some time," Fairbanks told the Bemidji Pioneer.

The system cost nearly $4.2 million, and includes funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Planning on the project began 10 years ago.

The new system includes about 10 miles of pipe and a 250,000 gallon elevated tank.

The Leech Lake Band is expected to complete a similar water treatment project next week in the tribal community of Inger.

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Dakota Music Tour gets underway

Posted at 3:03 PM on May 20, 2011 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Arts, Tribal issues

With the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Dakota War approaching next year, an effort at musical reconciliation concerning the events of that year is about to get underway. The Dakota Music Tour begins this Sunday in Mankato, and will also include stops in Redwood Falls, Granite Falls and Winona. The tour includes traditional American Indian music and Western classical music.

The war lasted about six weeks in the late summer of 1862. In December of that year, 38 Dakota warriors were hanged at Mankato. Mankato Symphony Orchestra Music Director Kenneth Freed calls 1862 a 'dark year' in the city's history. He says along with the music, there will be 'community chats' after the concert is over. Freed says he hopes the tour will bring people "a deeper understanding of our shared living history".

The music for the tour was composed by Brent Michael Davids, a Native American from the Mohican Nation. After Mankato, the tour stops in Redwood Falls on May 28th, Granite Falls on the 29th and Winona on June 4th.

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Bemidji poised to replace historic statue

Posted at 11:15 AM on April 29, 2011 by Tom Robertson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Arts, Northwest Minnesota, Tribal issues

A statue that's been sitting on the shore of Lake Bemidji since the 1950s is another step closer to being replaced.

The statue is known as "Chief Bemidji." It depicts a real Ojibwe person named Shaynowishkung, who lived in the Bemidji area in the 1880s and was said to be the first Native American to greet European immigrants when they arrived in 1888.

A statue honoring Shaynowishkung was carved by a Danish lumberjack in 1901. That one deteriorated and was replaced in 1952.

The problem with the "Chief Bemidji" statue, according to a committee working to replace it, is that it's mediocre folk art, at best, and not a dignified representation. Living descendants of Shaynowishkung agree. A movement to replace the statue began last year, and the effort got public support from the Bemidji community, as well as Ojibwe tribal members from the three surrounding reservations.

Now, the Chief Bemidji Statue Project committee has established a fund at Northwest Minnesota Foundation for the purpose of accepting contributions. The funds will be used to commission an artist to create a new, realistic sculpture of Shaynowishkung. The new statue will be located close to the same spot as the old one. The current statue will be moved to the local history museum.

The committee hopes to raise $116,500 through grants and donations. The George W. Neilson Foundation recently awarded the project a $25,000 grant, with a requirement of equal matching funds.

To make a tax-deductible donation, make checks payable to "Chief Bemidji Statue Project Fund" and mail to: Northwest Minnesota Foundation, 4225 Technology Drive NW, Bemidji, MN 56601.

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Red Lake Ojibwe receive YouthBuild grant

Posted at 8:57 AM on March 4, 2011 by Tom Robertson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Government, Northwest Minnesota, Tribal issues

A Red Lake Band of Ojibwe effort to help young people has landed a grant of more than $1 million from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The money will help participants in the band's YouthBuild program earn their high school diplomas or GEDs, while gaining construction and work-readiness skills. Occupational training will be provided by the construction program at Northwest Technical College in Bemidji.

The program aims to give at-risk youth the skills they need to become productive adults. It also will provide much needed safe, affordable housing for families on the reservation.

Participants will build two low-income housing units through the Red Lake Housing Authority. They'll also rehabilitate two substandard dwellings owned by low income households.

The project works in partnership with a number of Red Lake programs, including: New Beginnings, Housing Authority, Housing Finance, Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance Office, Chemical Health, Red Lake Schools Adult Learning Center, Red Lake Nation College, Red Lake Public Safety, tribal courts and the Red Lake AmeriCorps program.

Nationally, the Department of Labor will award more than $30 million for YouthBuild programs this year.

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