TWILA BARNES: Dead Birds Leave STAIN on Cherokee Nation

Cherokee blogger extraoridinaire has the story of a pigeon slaughter, labeled a hunt that was a fundraiser. 


Many of you have already heard about US Senator from Oklahoma, James Inhofe's "Pigeon Shoot" fundraiser.  

What you might not have heard is that Bill John Baker, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, participated in it and that the Cherokee Nation was listed as a Gold Level sponsor of it.


There is a video of the event at the link below. I think it is important everyone see exactly what a "pigeon shoot" is.

Read more: Thoughts from Polly's Granddaughter's Blog

Be sure to learn MORE about Senator Elizabeth Warren at Twila Barnes' blog...

Chukchansi Says their Casino is Safe: It's ONLY a tribal dispute. Last one have Bear Pepper Spray, Burning Logs UPDATE: Comments get Racist and Rude...

Things on the outside of Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino may look normal. But things behind the scenes are far from it.

"It is a power struggle, and we're no different than other tribes in California," says Reggie Lewis, a former chairman of the Picayune Rancheria, the tribe which owns Chukchansi Casino.

At issue, the leadership of more than 900 members (OP: There used to be 1500 members) and millions of dollars in revenue.

“There's politics, there's history from families in the area. A lot of things combined put us In the position we're in right now,” he says.

Lewis, Nancy Ayala, and four others say their group is in charge, and have set up shop on the 11th floor of the casino's hotel.

"We are there because we were asked by the casino staff and other tribal members to go and do what we did," says Lewis. "We're only following the direction of the people."

The Lewis–Ayala partnership may surprise some, since just last year Ayala accused Lewis of frivolously spending away millions of tribal dollars on hotels, travel and meals.

"We invested five to six million to Chukchansi inc, and received no benefit," she says, in a clip posted on YouTube.

Lewis brushed it off.

"We are trying to do whatever is necessary to work through this and get the tribe back together," he said.

The last elected tribal council is also claiming leadership.

Diana Krall Cancels Concert At Apartheid Reservation Pechanga Casino

Pechanga is well known as an Apartheid reservation and as a tribe that have stripped the citizenship of 25% of it's tribe and stealing $500 million in per capita and benefits from Native Americans.

Singer Diana Krall has canceled her entire United States fall tour due to what is being described as severe case of pneumonia.

Krall was set to perform at Pechanga Resort & Casino Sunday, Nov. 9. The illness has even changed the singer’s other plans as well

ERIC HOLDER TO RESIGN WITHOUT Addressing Civil Rights Violations In Indian Country

We have been asking AG Holder to look into violations of civil and human rights for years now.  Looks like he will leave without addressing the issue, leaving THOUSANDS of Native Americans without JUSTICE.
This comes on the heels of a judge ruling the FAST & FURIOUS documents MUST BE RELEASED.

SPIN? According to the official, "Attorney General Holder has discussed his plans personally with the president on multiple occasions in recent months, and finalized those plans in an hour-long conversation with the president at the White House residence over Labor Day weekend.

---

 Last November, Mr. Holder, the first black attorney general, told CBS News he didn’t have “any plans” to step down.

Mr. Holder has made voting rights the test case of his tenure, the New Yorker reported. He has been a vocal critic of the Supreme Court case that invalidated key parts of the Voting Rights Act and has supported Congressional action to renew and revise the law.
OP: Curiously, he never looked into the loss of voting rights to THOUSANDS of Native Americans who suffered under tribal disenrollment

During his five years as the nation’s top law enforcement officer, Mr. Holder has also weighed in on other controversial Supreme Court decisions. Mr. Holder said he wouldn’t defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court and over the weekend announced the Department of Justice’s plans to give same-sex couples the same rights in the federal legal system as married heterosexual couples, regardless of whether a state recognizes same sex marriage.

North Fork Rancheria Wins Against Corrupt Chukchansi Tribe Challenge

Efforts by the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians to build a casino and resort near Highway 99 in Madera County have cleared a legal challenge.

The California 3rd District Court of Appeal says California’s governor acted within his authority in concurring with a U.S. Department of the Interior decision that the Indian gaming establishment would not be detrimental to the surrounding community.

Another tribe, the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, which operates an established casino about 30 miles from the proposed gambling hall, had challenged the decision, contending the governor is a public agency subject to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act, often known by its acronym, CEQA.  Click THESE LINKS BELOW for more on CHUKCHANSI

Morris Reid
editorial in the Fresno Bee 
Read Story for BIA quote here
 REGGIE LEWIS

Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro's WIFE's Lobbying Firm Registers to Lobby for Table Mountain Rancheria

 Holly Cook Macarro's Ietan Consulting has registered to lobby for Table Mountain Rancheria, a tribe whose settlement is located in Fresno County, Calif. The tribe, which owns and operates Table Mountain Casino, is involved in a battle over a state-level initiative known as Proposition 48. 

The proposition would allow the North Fork Rancheria tribe to build a hotel and casino that would not be located on its reservation. The federal government and state of California have signed off on that deal, but Table Mountain Rancheria opposes it, arguing it would expand gambling off historic tribal lands.

The Pechanga Tribe of Temecula is well known for violating the civil and human rights of its people and for the theft of their per capita that has surpassed the $500 million level.  Currently Pechanga practices APARTHEID on their reservation.  They were also attempting to steal water rights from descendents of original allottees of the Temecula Indian Reservation.

Another Disenrollment Tribe, UNITED AUBURN Joins Against North Fork Rancheria Casino

It's about the MARKET SHARE STUPID....

The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians in California is facing yet another opponent in its bid for an off-reservation casino.

The United Auburn Indian Community donated $100,000 to the campaign against the tribe's Class III gaming compact, The Sacramento Bee reported. The issue appears on the November ballot as Proposition 48.

Up until now, the paper points out that all of the money for the campaign came from the Table Mountain Rancheria and investors in the casino owned by the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians. Those tribes operate gaming facilities that would face competition from the North Fork project.

The Auburn Community also operates the Thunder Valley Casino Resort but it's more than 170 miles away from the North Fork site. The facility is located on land outside of the tribe's original reservation boundaries.

The tribe also opposes an off-reservation casino for the Enterprise Rancheria.

In related news, the Table Mountain Rancheria hired Ietan Consulting in Washington, D.C. The registration form states the firm will be lobbying on "Tribal Governmental issues" but The Hill newspaper notes that the tribe is fighting the North Fork Rancheria casino.

A description of Proposition 48, from the California Secretary of State, follows:

Proposition 48 - Referendum to Overturn Indian Gaming Compacts
If signed by the required number of registered voters and timely filed with the Secretary of State, this petition will place on the statewide ballot a challenge to a state law previously approved by the Legislature and the Governor. The law must then be approved by a majority of voters at the next statewide election to go into effect. The law ratifies two gaming compacts (with the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians, and the Wiyot Tribe); and it exempts execution of the compacts, certain projects, and intergovernmental agreements from the California Environmental Quality Act. (13-0007)

California INDIAN LAW ASSOCIATION to Hold Gala at APARTHEID RESERVATION: Pechanga, Who has Violated the Civil and HUMAN Rights of their people. Worse than a Redskins Nickname

Yes, you read that headline correctly.  This "prestigious" Law association, that probably wants the Washington Redskins to change their nickname, because "it's mean" is going to hold their gala/conference at the reservation that practices APARTHEID and has stripped the citizenship of 25% of it's membership.

REGISTER NOW:

14th Annual Indian Law Conference & Gala

October 16-17, 2014 

We are pleased to announce that this year's Conference will be held at the 

Pechanga Resort & Casino in Southern California.

The Pechanga Tribe is one the CILA should avoid.   How can they be serious about justice in Indian Country when they party at one of the WORST offenders?

SOME PECHANGA ISSUES they should read up on.

Pechanga’s corrupt tribal council
  Mark Macarro lied to Congress
READ Corruption Exposed…
  culture of corruption child molester
  Larry Miranda On burying the bad news at Pechanga
  TEXT Read more on Victor Rocha

DemsTake NO STAND on Stripping Citizenship from Tribal Members Block Bill To Strip Citizenship From ISIS Defectors

We've written about the stripping of tribal citizenship of Native Americans BY corrupt tribal councils.  This is so egregious, that you'd think the Department of Justice would have looked into it, instead, crickets.

Look what happened today in the Senate:

Sen. Ted Cruz tried to get the Senate to consider a measure Thursday providing that any American who joins the fight with terrorist groups such as the Islamic State would immediately renounce their U.S. citizenship, but a Democratic senator objected, saying more time is necessary to weigh the significant constitutional issues it raises.

Ahead of the Senate’s scheduled consideration Thursday afternoon of a proposal to arm and train Syrian rebels, part of President Obama’s strategy to combat the terrorist group, the Texas Republican asked for unanimous consent to pass the Expatriate Terrorist Act he introduced earlier this month.

The Democrats response:

 Sen. Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Democrat, objected, saying the bill has not been brought before the Senate Judiciary Committee and it affects “fundamental constitutional rights, which should be given the full deliberation of the Senate.”

“Legislation that grants the government the ability to strip citizenship from Americans is a serious matter, raising significant constitutional issues,” she said.

We think stripping of TRIBAL CITIZENSHIP is a serious matter too Senator.  Look into that.

Learn More on Disenrollment, Ethnic Cleansing in Indian Gaming Country at these Links

disenrollment is paper Genocide
CA Tribal Cleansing
Tribal terrorism
TRIBAL TERRORISM includes Banishment

High Stakes for Saginaw Chippewa and Labor Unions

After the Saginaw Chippewa fired a housekeeper at the Soaring Eagle casino in 2010, the Michigan tribe found itself at the center of a national legal battle over the reach of U.S. labor law and the sovereign rights of Native American tribes.

The housekeeper, Susan Lewis, was fired for soliciting union support among workers at the casino in central Michigan. She challenged her dismissal before the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, which ordered the casino to reinstate Lewis.

The Saginaw Chippewa refused, saying the NLRB, which oversees union elections and referees private-sector labor relations disputes, had no right to meddle in tribal business.

Four years later the tribe is fighting the NLRB in one of three nearly identical court cases whose outcomes could be felt throughout the $28 billion tribal casino industry.

Fair and Balanced: North Fork Rancheria Urges Voters to SUPPORT Prop. 48

We've posted about why we don't think the North Fork Rancheria should get OFF Reservation gaming, here's their point of view.  Fails to note that this is NOT what the CA voters intended.

Maryann McGovran, the vice chairwoman of the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians, urges voters to support Proposition 48 and ratify the tribe's Class III gaming compact:

The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians near Yosemite — with nearly 2,000 citizens, one of the largest federally recognized tribes in California — has been striving for decades to restore its tribal status and reclaim a fraction of their rightful lands.

Similarly, the Wiyot Tribe near Humboldt Bay has been working to achieve economic self-sufficiency while protecting environmentally sensitive coastal lands from development.

Prop. 48 accomplishes both. It creates thousands of good jobs in high-employment areas and provides hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenues to state and local governments, law enforcement, schools and non-gaming tribes.

That’s why Prop. 48 is strongly supported by Gov. Brown, the California Democratic Party, state building trades, state firefighters, state Chambers of Commerce, local peace officers, and both the city and county of Madera (where the project will be built).

TWO Navajo Code Talkers Pass On in the Last Week

Two Navajo Code Talkers died this past week, according to the tribal government and family members.

Guy Clauschee, 87, died early Thursday morning in Fort Defiance. Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday at the Fort Defiance Presbyterian Church.

A Code Talker throughout most of World War II, Clauschee came back from the war and continued his education at the Ganado Mission. After graduating in 1950, he moved to Window Rock and started work with the Bureau of indian Affairs as a facilities management foreman. He retired after 40 years.

On Wednesday, tribal officials reported the death of another Navajo Code Talker, Robert Walley Sr., 93.

Walley served as a Code Talker from 1943 to 1945, during which he received a Purple Heart. He served in the 6th Marine Division and was a Marine Raider who fought in the Battle of Bougainville, Guam, Okinawa and the occupation of Emirau Island.

Both Walley and Clauschee received Congressional Silver Medals for their service as Navajo Code Talkers.

According to figures supplied by the Navajo Code Talkers Association, the number of Code Talkers has gone from more 400 to just 27.

Paskenta Band elects Four to replace Corrupt Council

A Northern California tribe that has been the subject of internal power struggles and an audit alleging the mismanagement of millions of dollars elected four members Saturday to its tribal council.

The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians elected Latisha Miller as vice chairperson, Andrew Alejandre as secretary, Ambrosia Rico the treasurer and Natasha Magana a member at-large. The elections formally ended the leadership of ousted council member Leslie Lohse, according to a news release issued by an attorney who represents Tribal Chairman Andrew Freeman.

The winning slate of candidates received 138 of 199 votes, according to the media release.

An audit of the tribe, which runs the Rolling Hills Casino near Corning off of Interstate 5, alleged that former leaders of the tribe spent $17 million in private jet travel and $450,000 on tickets to the World Series, the Final Four college basketball tournament and other sporting events.

Freeman had suspended three members of the tribe council – including Lohse – this spring over questions regarding their tribal eligibility, setting up a struggle for control of the tribe and Saturday’s election.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/13/6704857/embattled-northern-california.html#storylink=cpy

Looked Like and Indian, Acted Like an Indian....NOT AN INDIAN. Non Indians Harming Actual Indians Through Fakery

Many tribal people suffer at the hands of people who claim Indian ancestry. The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians have a faction of people who have NO Pechanga blood, yet led a successful effort to remove proven Pechanga people from the tribe.   There is NO requirement of Indian blood to be a tribal member.  Here is the story of one who pulled the wool over everyone's eyes. 

From PRICEONOMICS: 

The True Story of 'The Crying Indian'

  

On Earth Day, 1971, nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful launched what the Ad Council would later call one of the “50 greatest commercials of all time.” Dubbed “The Crying Indian,” the one-minute PSA features a Native American man paddling down a junk-infested river, surrounded by smog, pollution, and trash; as he hauls his canoe onto the plastic-infested shore, a bag of rubbish is tossed from a car window, exploding at his feet. The camera then pans to the Indian’s cheerless face just as a single tear rolls down his cheek. 

The ad, which sought to combat pollution, was widely successful: It secured two Clio awards, incited a frenzy of community involvement, and helped reduce litter by 88% across 38 states. Its star performer, a man who went by the name “Iron Eyes Cody,” subsequently became the “face of Native Indians,” and was honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Advertisers estimate that his face, plastered on billboards, posters, and magazine ads, has been viewed 14 billion times, easily making him the most recognizable Native American figure of the century.

But while Hollywood trumpeted Iron Eyes Cody as a “true Native American” and profited from his ubiquitous image, the man himself harbored an unspoken secret: he was 100% Italian.

America's Favorite Indian

Long before his fame in the 1970s, Iron Eyes Cody had carved out a niche for himself in Hollywood’s Western film community as “the noble Indian.” With his striking, “indigenous” looks, he perfectly fit the bill for what producers were looking for -- and his story correlated. Until the late 1990s, Iron Eyes’ personal history (provided solely by himself) was that he’d descended from a Cherokee father and a Cree mother, and had been born under the name “Little Eagle.” An old archived article filed in the Glendale Special Collections library elaborates on his account:

“Iron Eyes learned much of his Indian lore in the days when, as a youth, he toured the country with his father, Thomas Long Plume, in a wild west show. During his travels, he taught himself the sign language of other tribes of Indians.”

From 1930 to the late 1980s, Iron Eyes starred in a variety of Western films alongside the likes of John Wayne, Steve McQueen, and Ronald Reagan. Clad in headdresses and traditional garb, he portrayed Crazy Horse in Sitting Bull (1954), galloped through the plains in The Great Sioux Massacre (1965), and appeared in over 100 television programs. When major motion picture houses needed to verify the authenticity of tribal dances and attire, Iron Eyes was brought in as a consultant. He even provided the “ancestral chanting” on Joni Mitchell’s 1988 album, Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm. 

By all accounts, he was Hollywood’s -- and America’s -- favorite Native American.