As the only Native American in Congress, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma) is constantly educating his colleagues about tribes and Indian policy.
Cole, a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, likes to tell fellow members that they swore to uphold tribal sovereignty when they took their oath of office. The U.S. Constitution recognizes tribes in the same clause as states and foreign nations.
"A tribe is not a genealogical association and it's not a fraternal society," Cole said yesterday in a speech at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. "It's a living, breathing entity that exists organically and its purpose is to improve the lives and protect the identity of its members."
But Cole, whose family has been active in politics for generations, said lawmakers of both parties don't always respect tribal sovereignty. Republicans are almost always concerned about gaming while Democrats try to extend federal oversight of tribes, mainly through labor unions, he said.
Both issues have been heavily debated during Cole's time in Congress. Just this year, he broke with his party to support to federal recognition bills -- one for Native Hawaiians and another for six Virginia tribes. In the past, he has co-sponsored bills to shield tribes from federal labor laws.
There's more here: http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/005779.asp
Friday, November 9, 2007
Do you know...
Simon Ortiz is a contemporary Native American writer who continues to be a strong voice in literature today. His many writing accomplishments include creating poems, short stories, essays, and children’s books.
Biographer A. Walton Litz recounts that as a child, Ortiz would listen closely to adults telling traditional stories and gossip and through this fascination with stories was given the nickname of “the reporter” by his father (American Writers, 500). This interest in culture and history fueled his passion for writing. Having grown up in the Acoma Pueblo community in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ortiz experienced the hardships of Native American and English cultures colliding from a very early age.
According to biographer A. Walton Litz, “at most of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and mission schools, the children were punished by a sharp crack on the knuckles if they were caught speaking their native language” (American Writers, 501). As a result, he found literature to be a way to express his frustration and passionate beliefs. This medium provided a way to embrace his Acoma culture while sharing it with others.
According to an article by A. Walton Litz in the American Writers Supplement series, Ortiz is unlike most Native American contemporary writers in that he is full blooded Native American and his first language was his native tongue of Keresan (500). By learning English, he found a way to communicate with those outside of his immediate culture. His writing was first supported by teaching at several institutions such as the University of New Mexico and the University of Iowa. A. Walton Litz tells of how Ortiz entered writing in the 1960’s when equal rights and social justice were at the roots of everyday life (American Writers, 497). This timing proved fruitful because it provided a foundation of readers that wanted to “fix” our nation, both environmentally and socially.
Simon Ortiz’s writing is a success because it describes events in everyday life. Readers can relate to his works because they reveal that, by introspection and experiences, anyone can learn from past experiences and gain personal growth. He writes about everyday life and how our industrial culture has effected environment and society. These issues not only affect Native Americans, but all Americans, all people. Biographer Kathy Whitson suggests that “Ortiz has used the language of the colonizers to fight against oppression” (Native American Literature, 178). In this way, his works provide a reader with the sense of self-respect that they need in order to to stand up for their rights and preserve their way of life.
He's also listed in 100 Native Americans Who Shaped American History.
Check out this website to find some of his works as well as more information: http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/poetry/so/ortizmain.htm
Biographer A. Walton Litz recounts that as a child, Ortiz would listen closely to adults telling traditional stories and gossip and through this fascination with stories was given the nickname of “the reporter” by his father (American Writers, 500). This interest in culture and history fueled his passion for writing. Having grown up in the Acoma Pueblo community in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ortiz experienced the hardships of Native American and English cultures colliding from a very early age.
According to biographer A. Walton Litz, “at most of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and mission schools, the children were punished by a sharp crack on the knuckles if they were caught speaking their native language” (American Writers, 501). As a result, he found literature to be a way to express his frustration and passionate beliefs. This medium provided a way to embrace his Acoma culture while sharing it with others.
According to an article by A. Walton Litz in the American Writers Supplement series, Ortiz is unlike most Native American contemporary writers in that he is full blooded Native American and his first language was his native tongue of Keresan (500). By learning English, he found a way to communicate with those outside of his immediate culture. His writing was first supported by teaching at several institutions such as the University of New Mexico and the University of Iowa. A. Walton Litz tells of how Ortiz entered writing in the 1960’s when equal rights and social justice were at the roots of everyday life (American Writers, 497). This timing proved fruitful because it provided a foundation of readers that wanted to “fix” our nation, both environmentally and socially.
Simon Ortiz’s writing is a success because it describes events in everyday life. Readers can relate to his works because they reveal that, by introspection and experiences, anyone can learn from past experiences and gain personal growth. He writes about everyday life and how our industrial culture has effected environment and society. These issues not only affect Native Americans, but all Americans, all people. Biographer Kathy Whitson suggests that “Ortiz has used the language of the colonizers to fight against oppression” (Native American Literature, 178). In this way, his works provide a reader with the sense of self-respect that they need in order to to stand up for their rights and preserve their way of life.
He's also listed in 100 Native Americans Who Shaped American History.
Check out this website to find some of his works as well as more information: http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/poetry/so/ortizmain.htm
First Native American inducted into Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame
Lawton_In the history of the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame there have been no Native Americans on the list - until now. Master Gunnery Sergeant Vernon Tsoodle joins the elite list of honorees. 7News' own Neely Tsoodle talked with her uncle in a very special interview. The entire family is proud of Vernon's many accomplishments, both in his personal and military life. But no accomplishment is as special to Vernon as this award.
This honor recognizes his years fighting for his country while representing Oklahoma - "The Land of the Red Man" - and Native America. Vernon spent almost 25 years in the military as a Marine and remembers every conflict, situation, victory or defeat as if it happened yesterday.
He's seen his share of history. Like the Korean Conflict in November of 1950. His unit was outnumbered almost eight to one by Chinese forces and the Marines needed him to fight. They pulled him from his communications job and handed him a machine gun - he hadn't shot a weapon like that for years, but he did it, and he did it well. "A lot of Chinese came out with Purple Hearts," he joked.
It was a bloody battle with a lot of US casualties - the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. It was cold with temperatures at 40 below and despite this, Vernon and his fellow Marines succeeded. If you see his wall full of medals you get a small idea of all that he has accomplished.
Read the full article here: http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=7327643. There's a video too.
This honor recognizes his years fighting for his country while representing Oklahoma - "The Land of the Red Man" - and Native America. Vernon spent almost 25 years in the military as a Marine and remembers every conflict, situation, victory or defeat as if it happened yesterday.
He's seen his share of history. Like the Korean Conflict in November of 1950. His unit was outnumbered almost eight to one by Chinese forces and the Marines needed him to fight. They pulled him from his communications job and handed him a machine gun - he hadn't shot a weapon like that for years, but he did it, and he did it well. "A lot of Chinese came out with Purple Hearts," he joked.
It was a bloody battle with a lot of US casualties - the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. It was cold with temperatures at 40 below and despite this, Vernon and his fellow Marines succeeded. If you see his wall full of medals you get a small idea of all that he has accomplished.
Read the full article here: http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=7327643. There's a video too.
BIA decision supports Mohawks' claim against Harrah's
by: Gale Courey Toensing
AKWESASNE, N.Y. - The BIA has recognized the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe's existing governing body and its tribal court in a ruling that supports the tribe's $2.8 billion claim against Harrah's Entertainment Inc.
In an Oct. 31 decision, BIA Eastern Region Director Franklin Keel said the Indian agency affirmed the Mohawks' three-chief system as the tribe's representative body with which it will conduct government-to-government relations.
Additionally, Keel said that all of the agency's previous decisions invalidating the tribal court have been vacated by a federal court and ''as a matter of law are now no longer extant.''
This was the third time in 11 years that the BIA had ruled on the tribal governance issue.
The decision reiterates the authority of the tribal court's March 2001 default judgment against Harrah's for $1.8 billion in compensatory and punitive damages for unlawfully interfering in the tribe's efforts to establish a casino at Monticello Gaming and Raceway.
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096416089
AKWESASNE, N.Y. - The BIA has recognized the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe's existing governing body and its tribal court in a ruling that supports the tribe's $2.8 billion claim against Harrah's Entertainment Inc.
In an Oct. 31 decision, BIA Eastern Region Director Franklin Keel said the Indian agency affirmed the Mohawks' three-chief system as the tribe's representative body with which it will conduct government-to-government relations.
Additionally, Keel said that all of the agency's previous decisions invalidating the tribal court have been vacated by a federal court and ''as a matter of law are now no longer extant.''
This was the third time in 11 years that the BIA had ruled on the tribal governance issue.
The decision reiterates the authority of the tribal court's March 2001 default judgment against Harrah's for $1.8 billion in compensatory and punitive damages for unlawfully interfering in the tribe's efforts to establish a casino at Monticello Gaming and Raceway.
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096416089
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