Inside this edition –

Calling Oyate to 142nd annual Wacipi July 2-5, 2009

Visitors Guide to the Wacipi

Highlights of last week’s General Council

Snapshots of TZTS senior class trip to Europe

Report on national entrepreneurship conference held locally

Photo highlights of Unity Riders visit to Lake Traverse Reservation by Bessie Genia

Update on SWC Library Summer ’09 Children’s Reading Program

Calling all Oyate, kodas –

142nd annual Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Oyate Wacipi

The 142nd annual gathering of the Sissetonwan-Wahpetonwan Dakotah Oyate will be held this week, with warm-ups on Thursday, July 2nd, and grand entries at 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th, and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday the 5th.

SWO Princess Contest applications can be picked up at the reception desk at SWO Tribal headquarters, Agency Village, SD for Junior Miss SWO (6-12 years of age) and Miss SWO (13-18 years of age). Deadline to submit completed applications is July 1, 2009 at 12:00 noon. Applications may be turned in at the reception desk at Tribal headquarters. Interviews will be held at 10:00 a.m. July 2, 2009 on the SWO Pow Wow Grounds. Bring your regalia and be ready to dance your style for the judges.

There will be more than $125,000 in prize money distributed during this year’s wacipi.

Drum split will be $15,000.

Admission fees are: $5 weekend pass; and $2 day pass.

There will be five places for adult dance categories, with the following prizes: $1,000, $800, $600, $400, and $200.

Categories are: Golden Age (50 & Over); Sr. Adult (35-49 Years); and Jr. Adult (18-34 Years).

There will be five places for Junior categories, with these prizes: $300, $200, $100, $75 and $50.

Tiny tots will be paid day money.

Community meals will be served at 5:00 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Masters of Ceremonies: Jerry Dearly of Minneapolis, Minn.; and Vince Beyl, of Bemidji, Minn.

Arena directors: Gabe Desrosiers, Browns Valley, Minn.; and Nathan Smith, Fort Totten, ND.

Host drums are: Mandaree, Mandaree, ND; and Meskwaki Nation, Tama, IA.

Invited drums: Big Bear, Thunderchild, Sask., Can.; Black Bear Crossing, Penima, Minn.; Blackfoot Confederacy, Browning, MT; Fort Peck Sioux, Fort Peck, MT; North Buffalo, Manitoba, Can.; Northern Wind, Lake of the Woods, Ont.; Poundmaker, Sask, Can.; Standing Horse, Rapid City, SD; Wildrose, Tacoma, WA; and Yankton Sioux, Lake Andes, SD.

Here are several special contests and tournaments being held at this year’s wacipi:

*Moccasin Tournament ($2,500 - $1,800 - $1,200 - $800 - $400). For more information, contact Fidel Kirk, (605) 698-7629.

*SWO Princess Kimamina Heminger Teen Girls Fancy Shawl Special.

*SWO Jr. Princess Raven Shepherd Jr. Girls Special.

*Men’s Fancy Dance Special in memory of Hazen Shepherd (1st place $1,500 & Star Quilt; and & 2 Consolation Prizes).

*Men’s Grass Dance Special in honor of Dion Bernard ($500 & Star Quilt, $400 - $300 - $200).

*Womens Jingle Dress Special in honor of Evangeline Brant and Seeva DeCoteau Sartwell (1st place $300 & Jacket, $200 - $100).

*Men’s Grass Dance Special in honor of Garrett White ($500 - $300 - $200).

*Sandman Honor Guard in honor of Sandman Princesses Women’s and Teen Girls Special.

*Darrell Frenier Memorial Singing Contest ($3,000 total prize money).

*5K Road Race in honor of Dion Bernard (1st place $300 & Jacket, 2nd place $150 & Pullover, 3rd place $75 & Sweater).

*The 31st annual Big Jim Crawford Men’s and Co-Ed Softball Tournament (Co-Ed July 3-4; Men’s July 4-5).

There will be 24-hour security provided at the pow wow grounds.

No drugs or alcohol will be allowed.

The Pow Wow Committee is not responsible for accidents, theft or lack of funds.

For more information, contact members of the SWO Pow Wow Committee: Delmer Bernard (605) 698-4403; Darwin Bernard (605) 268-1234; Jody Owen (605) 268-6943; Ella Robertson (605) 698-4972.

Highlights of first General Council of 2009; Held last Thursday and Friday, June 25-26

June General Council focuses on Tribe’s finances, gaming, for-profit operations

The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe held its first General Council of the year last week, Thursday and Friday, June 25-26, 2009, with a fair, but not heavy crowd turning out to hear financial reports and share the meal and drawings for prizes.

Following roll call, the Woodrow Wilson Keeble American Legion Post 314 honor guard carried in the colors. High Plains Trail was the drum group.

Arnold Williams gave a traditional opening prayer using the Dakotah Language.

SWO Tribal Chairman Michael I. Selvage Sr. gave a welcome address to the Oyate, giving an update on the current status of the Tribe.

Here is the text of the Chairman’s remarks:

Hau, Mitakuyapi Owasin:

Cante waste oyuhapi, a ke napeci usa po. I greet all of you with a good heart and shake your hand in a good way. On behalf of the Sissetonwan Wahpetonwan o-itancanpi, tribal council, as well as our seven district councils, we welcome each and everyone of you today for our 2009 summer General Council meeting. This is our 142nd General Council meeting of the Oyate, since time of our Treaty of 1867. We also are grateful that you were able to survive a very harsh and difficult winter, as well as a very cold and wet spring.

Some of our Tribal members who were here with us during the General Council meeting last December, 2008, as well as the General Council meeting held last June, 2008, are not here today and have passed on. In their memory and honor, I would ask you to share in a moment of silence, especially for former Enemy Swim Councilwoman Audrey Bernard, who passed away one year ago, following the summer General Council meeting.

For those of you who have been sick this winter and spring, we remember you in a good way, and ask our Creator to help you so that you can become well and can continue to be with us in a good way. We need to pray for each other often so that good health and well being can become more prevalent among the Oyate.

Turning now to the business at hand, I am happy to report that our new tribal council has worked hard to continue on the road of prosperity and success. Specifically, our council has made progress in the following areas on behalf of the Oyate:

All past audits have been brought up to date, including the audits of FY-2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. The audit for FY - 2008 is now in the final stages of completion. The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate now is eligible for federal, State, and private sector funding.

The Council has reviewed and approved the current 2009 budget and is in the process of preparing and reviewing the 2010 Tribal budget, which accounts for all funds.

Despite the recession and very hard economic times, our Tribal government and all of its entities have maintained fully 1,500 employees on a full time basis as well as 500 part time employees, thus ranking the Tribe as the 10th largest employer in the State of South Dakota, and our Council is continuing its efforts to create more employment opportunity for members of the Oyate.

We presently are in the process of inventorying the actual volume of dollars paid to vendors over the course of a 12-month period, and preliminary results indicate that we pay close to $125 million annually to vendors in our region.

Two new housing communities have become established, one at Lake Traverse and one at Long Hollow have been constructed and completed, and a third community at Agency Village, the Barker Hill site, is being developed, including the water and sewer system, and an access road and streets for 32 housing units that are ready for construction after the 4th of July holiday.

At our Dakota Magic Casino, Hotel, and Convention Center property, a new wastewater treatment center was constructed, and soon a new water system, including additional wells and a 250,000 gallon water tower that is under construction. At this property, we also will be constructing a new 24-unit apartment complex for our people in need of housing.

In our local District communities, new District centers have been constructed at Lake Traverse, Heipa/Veblen, and Long Hollow; and the communities of Big Coulee, Buffalo Lake, and Old Agency are completing their plans for the construction of their District centers. We also are working on obtaining funding for a new District center for the Enemy Swim District as well as direly needed housing for the community.

We also are encouraged with the commitment of the younger generation of Tribal members who have been hired in management positions in our gaming enterprises. You will be meeting and hearing their reports during this General Council meeting.

In closing, we wish you the very best this forthcoming summer, and encourage you to attend the forthcoming 4th of July Pow-wow and enjoy one another's Dakota kinship.

Mitakuyapi Owasin, Michael I. Selvage Sr. Tribal Chairman.

*****

Dakota Nation Gaming Enterprise CEO

The new Dakota Nation Gaming Enterprise CEO Michael Roberts was first to the podium.

He told the Oyate he was “glad to be here . . . a year ago I sat out there with you, listening to another CEO.”

He introduced the corporate management staff of the three casinos, saying that “for the first time, all are Tribal members.”

Michael provided a forecast of what the Oyate can expect during his term as head of DNGE.

In previous good economic times, he explained, profit was more assured from Indian gaming.

Today, he said, “we are in the most difficult economic times,” which need very different, more focused approaches to increasing efficiency and the “bottom line.”

He said he will help “to further develop our enterprises . . . (and) here’s what you can expect of me.”

There are “promises you can hold me to,” he said.

“You can expect me to be honest . . . fairness.”

“I will never betray your trust,” he said, adding he will “protect our assets.”

He said he would never “violate our community trust in working for greater sustainability and profitability under these difficult economic conditions.”

Currently, Michael explained, he is undertaking an in-depth assessment of each site, “studying solutions.”

He has begun with the “smallest property” and is working toward the largest.

He said he expects to complete his assessment of Dakota Connection within the next couple of weeks, then he will work at Dakota Sioux Casino before doing the in-depth work at Dakota Magic.

These “assessments” involve daily meetings with managers and staff at the casinos.

The goal is to move the Tribe “where we must be in the future . . . providing opportunities for our children, training our work force.”

He called for “new ideas for job opportunities in the Tribal enterprises . . . more strategic management.”

Dakota Nation Gaming Enterprise CFO

DNGE CFO Weston Quinn spoke next, giving the 2008 financial report to the Oyate.

While gross revenue dropped by 1% from the previous year, the gaming operations provided a better net return in ’08 than in ’07 – with a 41% better “bottom line” in 2008.

That also made for a healthier distribution to the Tribe and Districts.

The reason? According to Weston, the biggest factor was a reduction in payroll. Due to the slowdown in the economy, job positions were eliminated.

He, and the General Managers later, praised remaining workers for taking on whatever load or challenges left by the departure of fellow employees.

What about 2009?

Both the CEO and CFO reported that the Oyate can expect a decline in gross revenue from the three casinos. How much would only be “a guess.”

Michael Roberts said that Tribal members should expect that increasing efficiency and sharing resources and vendors will minimize the impact.

It would be great if 2009 follows the previous year with another rise in net income, but neither DNGE corporate executive expects that to happen.

Weston gave an “employee report” with the most recent available figures, from May 2009.

There are 811 employees working at all three properties; 459 at Dakota Magic (down from a high of 550 before the cuts in 2008).

As already reported by Michael, fully one hundred percent of the top corporate managers are SWO Tribal members. And 87 percent of all casino managers are Tribal members. That represents a “huge increase over the year before,” said Weston.

Chairman Selvage commented on the 100% corporate management staff being Tribal members, and 87% of all managers being Tribal members, saying it was a big step from when gaming first began on the Lake Traverse Reservation. “It is nice to see our Tribal members in management positions, each in their own way bringing contributions to these positions.”

He called those contributions “responsible, honest . . .” saying “these are our relatives and financially trustworthy . . . and held accountable.”

The Chairman said, “That’s our world, nearly all Dakota in all our key positions, all but a few are Tribal members.”

He said that John Rondell (Dakota Sioux GM) is an “interesting success story,” demonstrating how Tribal members can come from the ground up.

Chairman Selvage reminisced about the original SWST gaming project in 1986, saying “It goes back a long way . . . and John (Rondell) was there when it started.”

At that time, John started out working as a porter on the floor. From there he was worked his way up to top management post at Dakota Sioux Casino.

Dakota Magic Casino, Convention Center & Hotel GM

General Manager Danny White gave highlights of the 2008 year at Dakota Magic Casino, calling the increase in distributions “remarkable.” He compared it to 2007, when less money was available for distribution despite a larger gross revenue, and then compared it to 2001. The increase in the bottom line from ’01 to ’08 is over 150 percent.

“When you consider where we came from, where we started, back in the old bingo hall . . . now our young people can earn a living here,” said Danny.

“This is what Indian gaming is for,” he said.

Danny gave highlights of 2008.

A new wastewater treatment plant has been built, which will allow further expansion.

He called it “state-of-the-art . . . allowing us to grow.”

Danny gave credit to Fran Quinn for her role in expediting the treatment plant and other projects.

The lounge has been remodeled.

“it is nice, very nice . . . a classy place to go,” he said, drawing “lots of compliments.”

The job was done “by our own people employed to do the remodeling . . . we can take pride in that.”

This project, he said, was done in a very “timely” manner because “we couldn’t afford to have it down any longer than was absolutely necessary.”

“Entertainment is very important to the casino,” he added.

Danny commented on how Dakota Magic benefits from what he called “a generous compact with North Dakota,” adding “South Dakota is not so generous.”

Like Michael and Weston, who spoke before him, Danny thanked the staff “. . . for them to pick up the slack (after going from 569 to 459 employees) . . . remarkable . . . a lot of work.”

He called for the Oyate to contact him and/or his staff any time. “Let us know your concerns,” he said.

Dakota Sioux Casino & Hotel GM

General Manager John Rondell spoke next, echoing much of what had already been said by his fellow corporate managers and by Dakota Connection GM Lisa Jackson who followed John.

John told how, despite a decline in gross income, Dakota Sioux Casino and Hotel had managed to increase its net income by increasing efficiency, and he credited the managers and staff for making it possible.

“They are a big part of it (profits),” he said.

While many of the Dakota Sioux manager posts are already filled by Tribal members, the GM said that Tribal members are being trained to fill additional management spots – the Cage Manager, hopefully in August ’09, and the MIS Manager post following later.

In presenting the financial report, GM Rondell pointed out that Dakota Sioux enjoyed an “unqualified opinion” from the accounting firm doing its audit.

“That’s the best you can do,” he said.

He said the operation is benefitting from consolidating purchasing, including food and other items.

John said the casino must increase efficiency and do more to attract business to make up for the unwillingness of the state of South Dakota “to allow us more machines.”

“We have to make the most of what we have . . . to make the most of what we do,” he said.

Dakota Connection Casino GM

GM Lisa Jackson was the final speaker to share the podium to give the Oyate a report on their gaming enterprises.

Lisa said she is “honored to be part of the corporate team, representative of the women here.”

“One thing I can say is . . . I have a lot of support from my fellow workers, who support my time here.”

“You,” she said, referring to her staff, “. . . are the ones who make us successful.”

The GM spoke of renovations, including new lighting for the facility, and a brand new restaurant.

She said the restaurant offers “a new, better atmosphere, is bigger and more comfortable.”

Lisa said that she and the staff receive “lots of good comments” on the restaurant.

Right now, she said, there are other improvements being made, including renovating the bathrooms.

She apologized for the on-going work, but reported that it should be completed “in a couple of weeks.”

She said that the C-Store has installed new inventory tracking and control software.

For the good of the employees, she said, Dakota Connection is offering more part-time positions, targeting especially “single parents . . . and students.”

She called attention to the recent National Guard Employer recognition given Security Manager Donovan Pratt, who was nominated for the award by employee Thomas Drum. Sgt. Drum is now on deployment in the Middle East, and she asked everyone’s prayers for his well-being and for all those who are serving in harm’s way.

“You are in our thoughts and prayers,” she said.

Joe Williams gave a prayer before the community meal was served.

Everett “Butch” Felix provided music during the meal. One of the songs Butch dedicated to the memory of the late Enemy Swim Councilwoman Audrey Bernard, who passed away the day after last year’s June General Council.

Tiospa Zina Tribal School

Tribal Councilwoman Joyce Country, who serves as ex-officio representative to the Tiospa Zina Tribal School Board, gave a report on the school.

She reported that there were 32 seniors who graduated this spring from TZTS – 14 of them from the school’s Alternate Learning Center.

Joyce reported that all positions have been filled for the fall 2009 school term. “Tiospa Zina has a full staff for the fall semester,” she said.

She also said that Superintendent Dr. Frank Palleria has left TZTS due to his retirement. A new Superintendent has been selected from a pool of six candidate and will be introduced to the community soon.

Enemy Swim Day School

Superintendent Dr. Sherry Johnson spoke on behalf of the Enemy Swim Day School staff and students. Dr. Johnson shared a video presentation on the school, its mission and school/community programs.

She said this was a “draft” form of the video, with the final version being available soon.

(Editor’s note: Watch for the video to be available on the Sota website.)

Also making remarks on behalf of Enemy Swim Day School was Darrell DeCoteau, School Board Vice-Chairman.

SWO Tribal Vice-Chairman’s Report

SWO Tribal Vice-Chairman Garryl Rousseau thanked the Tribal Finance staff for making it possible to bring the Tribe’s audits up-to-date.

He reported that the staff is now “just beginning the 2010 budget.”

To help in the budget process, he said that the Tribe had established a new budget office and a Contract Special position, filled by Ramona Owen.

Also, new computers and software have been installed.

“We will go paperless,” he said “no more time cards and vouchers.”

That drew applause from the crowd at Dakota Connection. Everyone, from program managers to their employees who have to fill out the paperwork, seemed to recognize the value in putting the data in computer form.

Garryl emphasized that streamlining record-keeping is being done in order to improve accountability as well as efficiency.

General Council Day Two

Friday, June 26, 2009

The BRAVO honor guard carried the colors for the opening of day two.

On this day, managers and representatives of several for-profit Tribal programs presented reports on achievements, challenges and goals for the future.

Old Agency C-Store

Courtney Crawford of the C-Store management staff reported a net profit for FY 2008 and pointed out that a major need is a surveillance system. Dakota Magic Casino staff is helping to obtain and install the cameras.

The C-Store is helping the overall Dakotah Language preservation effort by using Dakotah names for products on the shelves.

The main goal is to maintain financial stability and keep the store running properly.

Dakota Nation Art & Gift Store

Liz Anderson, Store Manager, said that the Tribal store which began as a project funded by the Administration for Native Americans, is now in its fourth year of operation. The store recently moved to building owned by the Tribe on Veterans Avenue, downtown Sisseton, which had formerly held the SWO teen center.

A grand opening is a is planned for this Wednesday, July 1st. (See the advertisement elsewhere in this Sota.)

Goals and objectives for the Store are:

*To  promote, educate and support the tribal arts in the community and region.

*To purchase artwork directly from the Tribal artists.

*To develop a retail store on trust land.

SWO Construction Management Program

Loren Welch, new Program Manager, said that Construction Management has had major changes in personnel in the past year including his taking over for Vern Cloud, who retired.

Several project are currently underway. These include:

*I.H.S. Early Site Development Project.

*I.H.S. Quarters Project.

*I.H.S. Storage Garage.

*Tiospa Zina Tribal School Road.

*I.H.S. Old Hospital Demolition Project.

*BIA 700 South Road Surfacing Project.

*Barker Hill Housing Project. (See photos of groundwork underway this week.)

*BIA Jail Renovation.

*Renovation of Veterans Memorial Drive and roads into the housing area at Agency Village. (Watch for detour signs coming soon; work is expected to be completed before winter.)

The goals and objectives include:

*To act and serve as both general contractor and construction contract administrator for Tribally and federally funded construction projects.

*To provide greater opportunity in contracting and employment for qualified construction workers and companies owned by members of the Tribe.

*To provide for quality assurance and quality control functions for all constructions projects on the Lake Traverse Reservation.

A Bingo Bash Dance Contest was held with Pat Bernard taking first place; Bill LaRoque, second place; Cynthia Star, third place; and Bernadette Mocassin, fourth place.

Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO)

Program Director DelRay German reported the following:

*TERO has assisted over 1,500 Tribal members with TERO essential governmental services.

*570 Tribal members have registered with the TERO office for the first time or updated their job skills information.

*Of 226 Tribal members referred to jobs 78, or 35%, were hired.

*Tribal members received $40,920.00 for fuel assistance for work.

*The TERO Compliance Office and Director assisted 32 individuals with Indian preference complaints in finding resolution and compensation.

A challenge  for the TERO program is to uphold and strengthen the Tribal sovereignty of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate. Unfortunately, recent U.S. Supreme Court cases continue the trend of disregarding Indian sovereignty and divesting tribal governments of authority of non-Indians on reservation lands; the Court has decided that Tribal business entities are subject to the National Labor Relations Act.

Dakota Western Corporation and SWO Plastics

 Robert Huff, General Manager, said that for FY 2008, DWC made a profit and SWO Plastics suffered a loss. He said that the businesses have products developed to go toward a "green" direction. These products include a compostable product and bio-degradable bags. SWO Plastics currently has been awarded a three-year federal government General Service Administration contract for providing degradable bags.

SWST Fuel, Inc.

Douglas Dolney, who was hired six months ago as the General Manager of Fuel Inc. said that prices for propane delivery have been lowered. Fuel Inc. provides propane to approximately 1,000 customers.

Other services provided to the community include: maintenance of furnace and air conditioning units; and replacement of existing units or new construction including duct work.

Goals and objectives include:

*Working with suppliers and vendors for better pricing.

*Decreasing Fuel Inc.'s operating costs.

*Lowering gasoline and propane prices.

*Providing better customer service.

A new computer system has been installed to help make the propane delivery system more efficient.

Fuel Inc. is having an Open House next Friday, July 10th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (See the advertisement elsewhere.)

The lunch that was served was sponsored by Dakota Sioux Casino. Joe Williams said the prayer prior to the meal.

Lake Traverse Utility Commission

John C. Cloud, Sr., III, Program Manager reported that the program operates the community and sanitation systems at the following locations: Agency Village, Lake Traverse, Finley Heights, Peever Flats, Enemy Swim, Red Iron, Long Hollow and new Long Hollow housing site, and Veblen Flats. Also, the program is responsible for scheduling of the SWO Community Center, due to its being located in the building.

The program challenges include bringing the WEB Water System into the developments of a new housing community (Barker Hill) and tor the individual sites. Another challenge is to meet the need for additional storage tanks/reservoirs across the Lake Traverse Reservation, as the Tribe grows with the additions of new homes and new tribal facilities.

The LTUC is financed under a grant system from the USDA Rural Development.

Dakota Nations Housing Development Corporation (NDHDC)

Nancy Two Stars, Housing Development Specialist, provided information for the DNHDC. The purpose of the DNHDC is to provide and maintain a high standard of affordable, suitable, and community-integrated housing projects.

The program goals are to plan, develop, direct, and coordinate a wide variety of construction projects, including construction of all types of residential and commercial structures; to supervise the construction process; to oversee planning; scheduling and implementation of the design of construction projects; ensuring that facilities meet environmental, health and security standards; and to work cooperatively with all Tribal, federal, state and local agencies.

Presently, an estimated 600 families are in need of housing on the Lake Traverse Reservation. During the past year, the Tribe has been able to fund housing projects through a tax credit program administered by the Internal Revenue Service.

Throughout the two-day General Council meeting, several youth from the Veterans Memorial Youth Center helped by serving coffee and honoring elders by serving them their meal at lunchtime.

The Veterans Memorial Youth Center is for young Oyate members five years through 18 years of age.

Among the youth participating are: Ilana Genia, Keally Genia, Kyann Crawford, Thomasena Genia, Kaycee Renville, Shayann Taylor, Logan Grimm and Raven Shepard. The staff includes: Carly Lieberman, Jill Cataldo, and Harvey Crawford.

(Note: The Sota editor gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Brenda Bellonger in covering day two of the June ’09 General Council.)

Unity Ride in memory of late Sioux Valley Chief Robert Bone –

Reception held for Sioux Valley Unity Riders

SWO Tribal Chairman Michael I. Selvage Sr. and the Tribal Council hosted a reception and meal for the Sioux Valley Unity Riders at the Tribal ceremonial grounds, Agency Village, SD last Thursday evening, July 18th.

The Unity Riders made a stop at the Lake Traverse Reservation last week on their way home to Sioux Valley Reserve, Griswold, Manitoba from Winona, Minnesota, where they began their annual trek on horseback.

This year’s Unity Ride is dedicated to the memory of the late Sioux Valley Chief, Robert Bone, who passed away earlier this year during the United Tribes celebration, in Bismarck, ND.

During his tenure as Chief of the Sioux Valley Reserve as well as during his years of public service on behalf of his people, Chief Robert Bone was an activist in the Ikce Wicasta Ta Ominiciye movement, which promoted unity of the Canadian Dakota/Nakota/Lakota Bands in Canada with their relatives in the United States, in particular with their relatives in North and South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, and Minnesota.

Many of the families on the Sioux Valley Reserve in Canada once lived in the Lake Traverse Reservation area throughout the 1700s and 1800s, however many of them moved to Canada during the 1862 Dakota War in Minnesota and never returned to their homelands on the Lake Traverse Reservation.

Their language, cultural customs, and practices have remained essentially unchanged since the time of their departure from the Lake Traverse Reservation area.

The late Chief Robert Bone throughout his lifetime encouraged members of his community to re-establish kinship ties with their relatives not only on the Lake Traverse Reservation, but also with relatives on reservations and communities throughout the Midwest.

During the past decade prior to his passing away, Chief Robert Bone dedicated himself to promoting healthy lifestyles including an alcohol- and drug-free way of life among members of his community.

During the dedication of the Woodrow Wilson Keeble Health Care Center, Chief Robert Bone and his Tribal Health Committee traveled to Sisseton to participate in the dedication ceremonies, and at that time, spoke of the need to promote a healthy lifestyle among Dakota families and in the local community.

Here are photo highlights of the riders’ visit to the pow wow grounds, and meal held in their honor, courtesy of Bessie Genia.

Great Plains Tribal Chairmen meeting at Standing Rock

Tribal chairs from the Great Plains tribes are scheduled to meet this Monday and Tuesday, June 29-30 at Prairie Knights Casino & Lodge at Standing Rock.

There will be briefings, listening sessions and discussions with representatives of the Congress and the Administration, and including remarks and a speech by Jodi Archambault Gillette, Deputy Associate Director, White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Former SWC President sentenced in federal court

William Lonefight, former Sisseton Wahpeton College President, was found guilty in federal court of embezzlement.

He was sentenced on April 27, 2009 to six months in federal prison, one year supervised probation, and restitution of $3,549.00.

Mr. Lonefight had to report to prison on May 19, 2009.

National Conference on Entrepreneurship held in Glacial Lakes

The 7th Annual National Economic Gardening Conference was held June 17-19, 2009 at Prairie Sky Guest Ranch and Historic Fort Sisseton State Park. The conference was attended by over seventy economic development directors, entrepreneurs, educators and the public from twelve U.S. states and three countries including Japan, Australia and Kenya. The attendance was the second largest in the seven years the conference has been held throughout the nation.

Conference attendees started out their South Dakota experience at Prairie Sky Guest Ranch where they enjoyed a steak fry supper and entertainment from Grammy-nominated flute player Bryan Akipa and a Native American dance and drum group.

Thursday started early at Fort Sisseton with a group from the Rural Learning Center introducing the attendees to social media as a source for communication and marketing benefits. They created a conference group networking site at www.egconference.ning.com to continue business development discussions and share resources. Barb Fails and Christine Hamilton-Pennell then spoke about how librarians can help the process of economic development in communities.

The afternoon session featured speakers Beth Davis and Jael Kampfe explaining the Dakota Rising- Entrepreneur Development Systems program. The nest two speakers, Michael Foster and Rob Pochert explained how their communities are using the Economic Gardening program. The last presentation of the day was given by Julie Johnson and Jim Barringer from the Aberdeen Development Corporation.

Later that night attendees could tour the Fort grounds and visit with re-enactors and take wagon rides. A bit of weather brought everyone inside where they enjoyed some traditional Native American food such as buffalo, fry bread, and corn stew. The night concluded with a performance from the Uffda Brudders.

Day three included speaker Jacob Wipf, the founder of the Oak Lane Hutterite Colony in Alexandria, SD. Jacob explained the Hutterite history and the entrepreneurial approach they use. Takashi Yamamoto then spoke on "EG-like" activities in Japanese municipalities. Speaker presentations concluded with host Chris Gibbons. Chris talked about Maltego, a social network mapping software that quickly identifies hub people and ideas.

The day finished with tour packages that included a tour of the Sunset Hutterite Colony west of Britton or the Coteau Heritage Package that included stops at the Nicollet Tower and the Stavig House Museum.

The local hosts of the conference are overwhelmed by the success not only expressed by attendees, but from the great local civic organizations and businesses that contributed their time and energy into putting on an impressive professional conference in our tri-county and tribal region of Glacial Lakes Dakota Rising. Thanks to everyone who helped make this national conference fun and memorable. We look forward to sharing and utilizing the new knowledge, new networks created, and collaboration in the region.

Editorials –

Sota guest editorial –

NCAI urges Congress, Obama Administration to act swiftly on Tribal Law and Order Act of 2009

Rate of Violent Crime in Indian Country is 2½ times the National Average

Washington, DC – June 25, 2009 – As the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hears testimony on the Tribal Law and Order Act (TLOA) of 2009 (S.797), the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is urging Congress to act swiftly on passage of the bill to address the high rates of violent crime in Native American communities.

“It’s time for action to improve law enforcement in Indian Country to protect our people,” said NCAI President Joe A Garcia. “The federal government has taken the authority, and with it comes the responsibility. Tribal leaders have long raised concerns about the problems with law enforcement on reservations, and now important members of Congress and the Administration also understand the need to take action.”

The statistics on violent crime in Indian Country have caught the attention of lawmakers such as Senators Byron Dorgan and John Barrasso, Chair and Vice Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and Representatives Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin and Tom Cole of the U.S. House of Representatives, among many other sponsors of the legislation.

The rate of violent crime in Indian country is 2½ times the national average and the rate of violence against women is 3½ times. One in three American Indian women will be raped in her lifetime. Many reservations are also suffering from drug trafficking, particularly the incredibly destructive methamphetamines.

“We must change these statistics,” said Garcia. “Lives are on the line here and it is up to Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice to work with tribes to quell the violence. Tribal authority to address crime has been stripped away by federal laws and Supreme Court decisions, federal and state governments are not doing the job and law enforcement in Indian Country suffers greatly from lack of resources.”

NCAI has outlined four proposals to improve law enforcement in Indian Country that are included in the legislation:

1.) Improve and hold accountable the federal law enforcement response at the U.S. Department of Justice.

2.) Increase cooperation between tribal, state and federal law enforcement.

3.) Reaffirm and support tribal government authority to protect their communities.

4.) Maximize the resources for law enforcement.

“I am confident that with President Obama’s commitment to working closely with Indian Nations and with support in Congress, we can move this legislation quickly and get it to the President’s desk,” said Garcia. “Our people are depending on it.”

Sota guest editorial –

House passes Bill to address threat of climate change

By John M. Broder

(Published on Friday, June 26, 2009 by the New York Times.)

Washington, DC – Overcoming deep divisions within its Democratic majority, the House passed legislation on Friday intended to address the threat of global warming and transform the way the United States produces and uses energy.

The US House of Representatives on Friday narrowly passed historic legislation to cut carbon emissions blamed for climate change.

The vote was 219 to 212.

The vote was the first time either house of Congress had approved a bill intended to curb the heat-trapping gases scientists have linked to climate change, and its provisions could lead to sweeping changes in many sectors of the American economy, including electric power generation, agriculture, manufacturing and construction. The House vote also establishes a marker for the United States when international negotiations on a new global climate change treaty begin later this year.

"This legislation will break our dependence on foreign oil, make our nation a leader in clean energy jobs and cut global warming pollution," said Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, a co-sponsor of the bill, adding that Friday's vote was a "decisive and historic action" that would position the United States as a leader in energy efficiency and technology.

The bill's provisions forcing reductions in the use of fossil fuel while increasing production of alternative energy sources would produce millions of new jobs, Mr. Waxman said.

But the legislation, a patchwork of compromises, falls far short of what many European governments and environmentalists have said is needed to avert the worst impacts of global warming. And it has pitted liberal Democrats from both coasts against more conservative Democrats from areas dependent on coal for electricity and heavy manufacturing for jobs.

Friday's vote illustrated that rift: The bill passed by a seven-vote margin, with 44 Democrats voting against it.

As difficult as passage in the House proved, it is just the beginning of the energy and climate debate in Congress, since the issue now moves to the Senate, where political divisions and regional differences are even starker.

At the heart of the legislation is a cap-and-trade system that sets an overall limit on emissions of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide while allowing utilities, manufacturers and other emitters to trade pollution permits, or allowances, among themselves. The cap grows increasingly tighter over the years, pushing up the price of emissions and presumably driving industry to find cleaner ways of producing energy.

While some environmental groups supported the legislation, others - Greenpeace, for example - vigorously opposed it. Business groups were also split. Republican leaders called the bill a national energy tax and predicted that those who voted for the measure would pay a heavy price at the polls next year.

"No matter how you doctor it or tailor it," said Representative Joe Pitts, Republican of Pennsylvania, "it is a tax."

Only eight Republicans voted for the bill, which runs to more than 1,300 pages.

Apart from its domestic implications, the bill is a show of resolve that American officials can point to when negotiating the new global climate change treaty, after years of American objections to binding limits on carbon dioxide emissions.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, who was in Washington Friday to meet President Obama, strongly endorsed the bill even though it fell short of European goals for reducing the emissions of heat-trapping gases.

Ms. Merkel, a longtime advocate of strong action to cut carbon dioxide emissions, has been pushing the United States to take a leading role in advance of the global climate negotiations set for December in Copenhagen.

After meeting with Mr. Obama, she said she had seen a "sea change" in the United States on climate policy that she could not have imagined a year ago when President George W. Bush was in office.

"This really points to the fact that the United States is very serious on climate," Ms. Merkel said.

The compromises in the bill were necessary to attract the support of Democrats from different regions and ideologies. In the months of horse-trading leading to Friday's vote, the bill's targets for emissions were weakened, its mandate for renewable electricity was scaled back, and incentives for various industries from automobiles to natural gas were sweetened.

The final bill intends to reduce overall heat-trapping gases in the United States by 17 percent of 2005 levels by 2020, and 83 percent by midcentury.

When the program is scheduled to begin in 2012, the estimated price of a permit to emit a ton of carbon dioxide will be about $13. That is projected to rise steadily as emission limits come down, but the bill contains a measure to prevent costs from rising too quickly in any one year.

The bill grants a majority of the permits free in the early years of the program, to keep costs low. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the average American household would pay an additional $175 a year in energy costs by 2020 as a result of the provision, while the poorest households would end up with $40 in rebates.

Several House members expressed concern about the new market to be created in carbon allowances, saying it posed the same risks as markets in other kinds of derivatives. Regulation of such markets would be divided among the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Treasury Department and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The bill also sets a national standard of 20 percent for the production of renewable electricity by 2020, although a third of that could be met with efficiency measures rather than renewable energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal.

It also devotes billions of dollars to new energy projects and subsidies for low-carbon agricultural practices, clean-coal research and electric vehicle development.

Brief editorial comments from the editor’s desk –

On and Off the Lake Traverse Reservation

Thanks to everyone of the Oyate who attended last week’s first General Council of 2009.

Read our report and view photo highlights of the Tribe’s business gathering elsewhere in this issue.

Of course, another important gathering is the 142nd annual Wacipi, which happens this week, Thursday through Sunday, July 2nd-5th, at the Tribal ceremonial grounds at Agency Village.

The scheduled grand entries and other events are published in this week’s issue. Also see our annual visitors guide to the pow wow.

This is the time, traditionally, when the Oyate would come together, to visit, to share among their families, their tiospayes, and to share their culture. Its continuation today gives us hope for the future.

*****

Thanks to Bessie Genia for capturing photos of the visit a week ago by the Unity Riders to the Lake Traverse Reservation.

The riders were on the way home to Sioux Valley Reserve, Manitoba, when they stopped and enjoyed a meal at the Tribal ceremonial grounds sponsored by the SWO Tribal Executives and Council.

This year’s Unity Ride has been in honor of the memory of former Sioux Valley Reserve Chairman Robert Bone.

*****

Watch for more features in the series on the Massacre of Whitestone Hill, as they become available from the SWO THPO staff.

We can imagine no other event of the Great Plains that cries out more for historical correction than the Whitestone Hill Massacre.

*****

OnCall Medical Radio, an audio podcast produced at South Dakota State University, is available on the Sota website.

Each week, listen to a new 3-minute audio interview conducted by Dr. Rick Holm.

Check it out!

*****

Words to consider (or, perhaps, not!):

“Start every day off with a smile and get it over with.” W. C. Fields (1880 - 1946)

“I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which, when you looked at it in the right way, did not become still more complicated.” Poul Anderson (1926 - 2001)

“The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.” Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001), Mostly Harmless

“My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with me.” Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)

“A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.” Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), The Critic as Artist, part 2, 1891

“Silent gratitude isn't very much use to anyone.” Gertrude Stein (1874 - 1946)

*****

Please remember, we need to continue praying for all of our soldiers serving in all branches of the military in harm’s way today, by prayer, by letters, by sharing our concern with them and with others of the community.

We pray that their service helps bring peace and stability to the world, and that they all come home safe and sound.

We need to continue to remember our servicemen and women, because there are still many serving in the war zones.

Please pray for peace!

*****

Others who can always use our prayers are our incarcerated Oyate.

They are brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, uncles and aunties, and all in need of a concerned and caring tiospaye on the outside of the walls.

Let us renew our commitment to their well-being.

*****

While we are remembering our warriors in harm’s way, and those who are incarcerated, let’s not forget our homeless.

Whatever circumstances, or “trauma” has carried them to wherever they are, they deserve our attention and prayer.

*****

Those who have internet access can read the Sota news and view photo highlights from each weekly issue – in full color – at the following website, which is updated weekly (more frequently when needed):

http://www.earthskyweb.com/sota.html

*****

There is no way your Sota staff could possibly cover all the many activities in the schools and Districts of the Lake Traverse Reservation. We encourage our readers and friends to submit material and pictures whenever you can!

Submission of articles, ideas and rough drafts, and photographs, are always welcome.

If you have an interesting family story, or news you would like to share, please contact the editor.

Besides news updates of interest to the Oyate, we are always open to publishing historical features, stories, and legends. Keeping the traditions alive is one of the missions of the Tribal newspaper, and is too often ignored in the rush of current events.

*****

Copy to be considered for publication – news, advertising, editorial opinion letters, etc. – are to be submitted to Sota, P.O. Box 5, Wilmot, SD 57279 by 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. FAX and e-mail submissions will be accepted until 12:00 noon on Friday (with the exception of letters to the editor/Open letters to the Oyate, or “opinion” letters, which must be received no later than 10:00 a.m. Thursday).

If you are writing an opinion letter, please note that it must be signed and the author’s name will appear in print. Letters must not contain libel and must be brief, ideally 500 words or less. Letters may be edited for content. Omissions will be identified with periods . . . editor’s explanations will be provided in [brackets]. Readers who want access to unedited versions will need to contact the authors.

Earlier receipt of copy is always appreciated. So, if you are aware of a date or message that needs to be publicized or advertised, please let us know about it in advance of the weekly deadline.

For more information, contact Tribal headquarters, Agency Village, (605) 698-3911. Also, a 24-hour dedicated fax line is installed at the Sota production office: (605) 938-4676. Voice-mail messages can be sent to the production office at (605) 938-4452. The preferred way to submit typed articles and ads, art, and photos (if you happen to have access to a digital camera or scanner), is by e-mail. Sending photos as moderately compressed jpeg files, each approximately 150-300 KB in size, is preferred, attached to an e-mail message containing information about the pictures.

The editor can be reached at the following e-mail address:

earthskyweb@cs.com

Digital files are also accepted on disc/cd.

CDF

Services held for George Robertson

George C. Robertson, Makizinens “Little Moccasin” age 53, of Minneapolis, Minnesota journeyed to the Spirit World on Saturday, June 20, 2009 in Minneapolis.

George was born in Red Lake on August 9, 1955 the son of Daniel Raincloud & Fannie Robertson and moved to Minneapolis from Redby, Minn. in 1963.

As a young man, George played softball. George traveled to many pow wows where he enjoyed singing. George especially enjoyed time spent with his family, going to the Palace Casino and Mystic Lake Casino. He also enjoyed fishing and loved children.

George was formerly employed as a carpet layer, a bartender at the Silver Star on Broadway and as a Cab Driver.

He was preceded in death by his parents Daniel Raincloud and Fannie Robertson; brothers Charles, Robert W., Albert, Daniel and Bobby; a sister Cricynthia; sons George and Shawn; a daughter Pamela; and a grandson Desmus.

Survivors include his daughters Frances (George), Elizabeth (Joe) and Rosalyn (Arnold); sons Daniel, John and Anthony; fourteen grandchildren; a brother Frank (Georgette) of Bemidji; sisters Ona Kingbird, Fran (John) Embertson, Philomene (Mousey) Armstrong, Rosalyn (Vince) Keahna and Betty Strong; and his special friend Diane Thompson; other relatives and many friends.

An all-night wake was held on Wednesday, June 24th beginning at the Office of Indian Ministry, in Minneapolis.

Funeral services were held on Thursday, June 25th at the Office of Indian Ministry in Minneapolis.

Father James C. Notebaart officiated.

Interment is at Hillside Cemetery.

Casket Bearers were John Wind, Charles Wind, Clifford Robertson, Conrad Robertson, Kevin Robertson, Dennis Robertson; and Alternates Vernon Robertson and Richard Romano.

Honorary Casket Bearers were Kevin LaRusso, Joe Belgarde, Arnold Belgarde, George LaMont and Ruth Wind.

The Drum Groups were Darwin Strong & “Wakinya Duta.”

The Chilson Funeral Home in Winsted, Minnesota served the family. Online condolences may be made to www.chilsonfuneralhome.com.

Cornelia Frenier services held this Monday

Cornelia Iona Frenier, 30 years old, of Peever, SD entered into the Spirit World on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 1:50 p.m. in Fargo, ND.

Cornelia was born on August 25, 1978 in Fargo, the daughter of Cornelius and Theresa (Barker-Standfast) Frenier. She was a direct descendant of Ta Oyate Duta (Chief Little Crow).

She attended school at Peever Elementary, Sisseton Middle School, and graduated from Tiospa Zina Tribal School in 1996.

Cornelia was blessed with two sons, in 1997 Dylan DeMarrrias and in 2003 Dominic Frenier.

Cornelia worked for Tekakwitha Nursing Center, Carlson’s Mini Mart, Dakota Magic Casino, SWO Tribal Payroll Department, SWO Tribal Tax Office, and most recently the Dakota Connection Restaurant as a Waitress.

Cornelia was a very free spirit, and liked to make people laugh. She was a person that you could talk to about anything. She was very loyal to the people that she allowed to become a person she considered a friend, and it was an honor if she let you in that close.

She was always ready to laugh, but wouldn’t hold back if she had something to tell you . . . that’s what made her Cornelia.

A person could honestly say that she has been through it all and still held strong.

Some of the things she enjoyed doing were visiting, riding around, traveling, gambling, watching some of her favorite movies, and listening to her favorite music Second Chance-Shinedown.

Cornlia is survived by her sons Dylan E. DeMarrias of Sisseton, and Dominic L. Frenier of Peever; three sisters – Linda (Frenier) LaVato of New Mexico, Dina Frenier of New Mexico, and Mary Jo Keeble of South Dakota; three brothers – Robert Frenier of New Mexico, Creighton Renville of South Dakota, Thurman Frenier of South Dakota; maternal aunt Joan Flores and paternal aunt Priscilla Simon. She also has many numerous beloved aunts, uncles, cousin, nieces and nephews. She adopted many people that she called her sisters and brothers.

Cornelia was preceded in death by maternal grandparents Jonah Standfast and Vicdtoria Barker-Udenberg and paternal grandparents Joseph Frenier and Cordelia Frenier, mother and father, three brothers, one child and one nephew.

Funeral services were scheduled to be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, June 29, 2009 at the community center, Agency Village. Rev. Enright BigHorn, Rev. Filmore Simon, Rev. Clifford Chanku and Sacristan John Cloud III officiated.

Interment followed at Big Coulee Cemetery, Peever.

All-night wake services were held on Saturday and Sunday at the community center.

Honorary casket bearers: Cornelia’s close friends and Tiospa Zina’s graduating class of 1995.

Casket bearers: Derek DeMarrias, Thurman Frenier, Creighton Renville, Gabriel Rodlund, Kevin LaFontaine, Darin Gill, Jerwin Rodlund, Brian Rodlund Jr. and Evan Rodlund (alternate).

The Chilson Funeral Home of Winsted, Minn. is serving the family. On-line condolences may be made to www.chilsonfuneralhome.com.

From the White House –

Nationwide call to service

June 22, 2009 – Last week, I announced United We Serve – a nationwide call to service challenging you and all Americans to volunteer this summer and be part of building a new foundation for America.

And when I say “all,” I mean everyone – young and old, from every background, all across the country. We need individuals, community organizations, corporations, foundations, and our government to be part of this effort.

Today, for the official kick off of United We Serve, members of my administration have fanned out across America to participate in service events and encourage all Americans to join them.

The First Lady is rolling up her sleeves and getting to work too. But before she headed out today, she asked me to share this message with you.

Our nation faces some of the greatest challenges it has in generations and we know it’s going to take a lot of hard work to get us back on track.

While Michelle and I are calling on every American to participate in United We Serve, the call to service doesn’t end this fall. We need to stay involved in our towns and communities for a long time to come. After all, America’s new foundation will be built one neighborhood at a time – and that starts with you.

Thank you, President Barack Obama.

Thank you for gifts to Lakota Council of Tribes

The Lakota Council of Tribes, Inc. would like to thank Russell Smith for his donation of rocks for our inipi ceremonies. We would also like to thank the other individual(s) who also brought rocks to us for our inipi ceremonies.

Being incarcerated we rely heavily on our brothers and sisters for their support in taking the time and gas to bring down these items.

In this letter we humbly ask for wood, sage, sweet grass, red willow trees and rawhide for drum making. Monetary donations would also make it possible to allow spiritual leaders to travel to us and allow us to purchase office supplies.

Although we are called the Lakota Council of Tribes, we have Dakota relatives in here that are looking for a Dakota spiritual leader that might find the time to travel down to Springfield and hold an inipi ceremony with them.

Again, we are grateful to our relatives who have given us the much needed support in their prayers and bringing rocks.

The Lakota Council of Tribes, Inc.

Notice of editorial policy

(Editor’s note: The following comes from the editor’s column and the Sota “deadlines and policies” statement published weekly in the Sota.)

Copy to be considered for publication – news, advertising, editorial opinion letters, etc. – are to be submitted to: Sota, P.O. Box 5, Wilmot, SD 57279) by 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. FAX and e-mail submissions will be accepted until 12:00 noon on Friday (with the exception of letters to the editor/Open letter to the Oyate, or “opinion” letters, which must be received no later than 10:00 a.m. Thursday).

If you are writing an opinion letter, please note that it must be signed and the author’s name will appear in print. Letters must not contain libel or offensive language and must be brief, 500 words or less. Letters may be edited for content. Omissions will be identified with periods . . . editor’s explanations will be provided in [brackets]. Readers who want access to unedited versions will need to contact the authors.

Open letter to the Oyate

Hello, my people of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate.

Please allow me to introduced myself, my name is Trinity L. Thompson, a proud enrolled member of the Big Coulee District. I was born and raised on the Rez my whole life, and have an understanding of the many different pains and struggles that we’re faced with everyday as a Native people. Not on a political standpoint, but as a Native growing up through the hardships in modern day society.

I know I can’t speak for everyone, but I can share my own personal experiences throughout my life. As a person who felt what it’s like to grow up being called a “stupid Indian.” Even today I hear the same remarks and comments, but growing up over the years I’ve learned to be proud of who I am . . . and what I stand for, I’ve found my lost pride in being a Dakota, and now it only makes me stronger. We come from a bloodline of brave, prestigious Chiefs who fought and died for these lands so we could live our Native ways today.

I’m on a healing journey to mend the hearts of family and friends, from the injustices I have suffered, and also the many others who have suffered the same. Many people know, we as Native people receive no justice in the legal courtrooms. So from this, I want to make myself a prime example with the hopes of opening new doors for all my fellow Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate members who have also suffered from the injustices of the legal system.

As of December 19th, 2003 I’ve been serving time on a 35-year sentence for a plea bargain that I reluctantly took on a 1st Degree Armed Robbery and Aggravated Assault charge. I’m currently in the process of appealing to the State Supreme Court. I am praying justice will be brought to light by a jury trial.

Throughout the last couple of years with the love and support of my family and friends, a website was put up in hopes of gaining much needed public support, as well as financial support in order to obtain adequate legal representation. I contribute by making and selling my beadwork as well as artwork.

I hope you can find it within your heart to hear my cry for help. I want to thank you “the people” for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely, Trinity L. Thompson.

Anpetu Waste Yuha.

(Editor’s notes: For more information on-line, check out Trinity’s blogsite http://justicefortrinity.blogspot.com/; Trinity had also provided another link to his support page but that link no longer works.)

Health Career Camp 2009: “Your Future Starts Now!”

The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Community Health Education Program was honored to host a five-day health career camp for area high school youth interested in learning more about the health care field and how to prepare for college.  The camp was held June 8-12 on the campus of the Sisseton Wahpeton College, Agency Village, SD.  Seven (7) students participated: Jaiden Carlson, Alicia Gangone, Rachael German, Diana Hawkins, Brianna LaBelle, Henrietta Means, and LaKresha Mireau. 

The theme of this year’s camp was “Your Future Starts Now!”  Students took part in a variety of activities geared to educate them on what it takes to be a health care professional and what they can do now to prepare for college.

Highlights of the week included: a tour and job shadowing experience at the Woodrow Wilson Keeble Memorial Health Care Center; presentations/lectures by local educators and health care professionals; a campus field trip to North Dakota State University; and getting certified in Adult CPR-AED and Child Infant CPR.

The week culminated in an Awards Day Luncheon held at the SWC Log Cabin on Friday, June 12th.  During the luncheon students individually shared power point presentations they had created on something they had learned during the week of camp.  They did an impressive job on their presentations.

They also had fun taking part in a joke contest.  Winners of the contest were Diana Hawkins, Henrietta Means and Alicia Gangone.

At the end of the luncheon students were presented with Certificates of Completion.

The Health Career Camp is one strategy identified in the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Health Plan 2006-2010, which was approved by Tribal Council Resolution No. SWO-04-128, dated 12/08/05, to address the severe health profession manpower shortage on the Lake Traverse Reservation. This was the sixth health career camp held on the Lake Traverse Reservation since 2004.  To date 71 students have been mentored through this program.

We want to say pidamayaye to the students and their families for their hard work and commitment to being a part of this camp.  Also nina pidamayaye to the following individuals for sharing their knowledge and time with the students in support of their interest and desire to be our future health care professionals: from Sisseton Wahpeton College – Vice-President Kathryn Akipa, Nursing Director Alta Jacquet, and from the Financial Aid office Janel Many Lightenings; from the Woodrow Wilson Keeble Memorial Health Care Center: CEO Richard Huff, Performance Improvement Coordinator Rose Gaikowski, Medical Records Supervisor Kyle Fisher, Physician Dr. Jefferey Peterson, from the Mental Health Department Debbie Crawford, Julie Heitmann, RN, Optometrist Dr. Lynette Dzuik, Family Nurse Practitioner Carmen Pryamus, Dentist Dr. Lindell Kemmet, Dana Wilson, RN, and Don Fischer, RN; from the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate – Health Career Camp Leader Sandi Bernard, Health Career Camp Assistant Carolyn Soles, Injury Prevention Specialist Shannon White, Fitness Center Coordinator Brenda Uses Arrow, Community Health Education Specialist Teddi LaBelle, Community Health Education Wellness Coordinator Shobi Renville, and Volunteer Jarrod Marks.

Fourth of July Safe Driving

By Sara McGregor-Okroi

Community Prevention

Officers will be out in full force during the Fourth of July holiday period, cracking down on drunk drivers with an aggressive Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest enforcement blitz. "Driving while drunk isn't worth the tremendous risk. No matter your age, if you've had too much holiday spirit, you'd better find a safe and sober ride home or your chances of arrest are high," said a local law enforcement official. In 2007, 34 percent of all drivers involved in traffic-related crashes during the July 4th holiday period (6 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, 2007 to 5:59 a.m. on Thursday, July 5, 2007) had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, the legal limit in all states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. During the July 4th holiday period in 2007, there were a total of 200 traffic-related fatalities. Of those, 44 percent involved a driver or motorcycle rider with a BAC of .08 or higher. Drunk driving is one of America's deadliest problems. In 2007, 41,059 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes. There were 12,998 people who were killed in traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. Alcohol plays a big role in motorcycle fatalities too. Forty-one percent of the 2,182 motorcycle riders who were killed in single-vehicle crashes in 2007 had BAC levels of .08 or higher. In fatal crashes for 2007 a higher percentage of motorcycle riders had BAC levels of .08 or higher than any other type of vehicle driver. Much of the tragedy from drunk driving can be prevented with a few simple precautions before going out to celebrate:

*Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.

*Before drinking, please designate a sober driver and give that person your keys.

*If you're impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely.

*If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don't hesitate to contact your local law enforcement.

*And remember, Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk. If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

Driving impaired is simply not worth the risk. The consequences are serious and real. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for driving while impaired can be significant. Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver's license, higher insurance rates, and dozens of other unanticipated expenses. It's obvious to recognize someone who's had way too much to drink to drive safely. But what about those who have had just a few too many? You don't have to be 'falling down drunk' to be a threat to yourself and others on the road. Don't let this Fourth of July blow up in your face. Remember, Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. Designate your sober driver before the parties begin. For more information, please visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org.

Healthy Kids Column –

Early Intervention Works!

By Sonia J. Magat, D.O., Ph.D.

With recent findings in neurobiology, behavioral and social sciences on child development, it is clear that early environments and experiences encountered affect all aspects of child development in a cumulative fashion from prenatal period and throughout early childhood years. Early adverse experiences affect a child's brain development and pose a risk for mental and physical health problems. There is no question that early childhood development can be improved through intervention, which is" more efficient than treating health problems arising later in life". This is the message of this month's article in the Journal of American Medical Association entitled "Creating a Healthier Future Through Early Interventions for Children", by James Mercy, Ph.D. and Janet Saul, Ph.D. (JAMA, June 3, 2009).

In spite of the knowledge gained from considerable public investments in research on children from birth to 5 years, The nation as a whole, and policy makers have not fully capitalized on the wealth of knowledge to ensure the well-being of young children. A committee was convened to evaluate and integrate the science of child development, particularly developmental promotion and early childhood intervention. The results of the 2 ½ year- project are summarized in the book "From Neurons To Neighborhoods" (Jack P.Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips, eds., National academy Press, 2000).

Four main ideas addressed in the book are:

1. All children are born wired for feelings and ready to learn.

2. Early environments matter and nurturing relationships are essential.

3. Society is changing and the needs of young children are not being addressed.

4. Interactions among early childhood science policy and practice are problematic and demand rethinking.

What does this all mean to parents and young children? Child development can be compromised by any early mental health impairments. Children respond to trauma and are capable of experiencing deep lasting sadness, grief and disorganization. New investments need to be made to address the nation's incapacity to address young children's mental health needs. It is recommended that more effective screening, early detection and treatment of serious mental health problems be in place. Early childhood experience and development involving educational and economic achievements can be improved through interventions.

The health and well-being of parents are important. Children need a close, dependable, safe and nurturing relationship, without which, their development is disrupted. Family resources affect child development by three pathways:

*Parent's own mental health.

*Parental beliefs about childrearing.

*Home environments parents create for their children.

"Parents and parental environments affect children, but not vice versa." Government agencies and programs dealing with environmental protection, reproductive health service and early intervention should expand services to reduce risks that arise from prenatal and postnatal toxic exposures and disruptions in children's relationships due to chronic family mental health problems, substance abuse and violence in families.

Early interventions help to increase children's exposure to safe, stable and nurturing relationship by teaching parental skills on child- rearing and management as well as providing social support to parents and families.

Parental work patterns are changing. Young children are being raised by parents whose earnings are inadequate to lift their families out of poverty. Children growing up in poverty are exposed to environments and experiences that create risks to their well-being. The President's Council of Economic Advisers and Congress should assess the income support policies to ensure that no family suffers from persistent poverty regardless of the employment status.

Programs providing interventions for children vary. Some are home based and others are delivered in centers or clinics. These programs have to determine the most cost-effective strategies for achieving their goals. Programs should be coordinated and effective linkages among agencies working with early intervention programs and child and adult mental health services should be established. There is currently a shortage of early childhood professionals with mental health expertise working with the intervention programs.

The development of children is a concern for parents and the nation as a whole. The Early childhood Intervention program of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate is constantly expanding their program and addressing needs of children and parents in the community. Effective screening , early detection of delay, disability or concern and timely referrals for services and treatments are the goals. A parent support group meeting is held every last Wednesday of each month. Parents learn about parenting techniques and share experiences to help others. Contact the Early Childhood Intervention Program by phone at 698-4400, ext 300; by email at ecip@venturecomm.net or browse the web site at: www.hjprovoice.com for news about the program functions and monthly events.

This is one of a series of articles from the Early Childhood Intervention Program. Your questions and comments are welcome.

HHS Secretary will administer ceremonial oath of office

This Monday, June 29th HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will administer the oath of office to new IHS Director, Dr. Yvette Roubideaux at a ceremonial swearing-in.

As the IHS Director, Dr. Roubideaux administers a $4 billion nationwide health care delivery program composed of 12 administrative Area Offices. The IHS is responsible for providing preventive, curative, and community health care to approximately 1.9 million of the nation’s 3.3 million American Indians and Alaska Natives in hospitals, clinics, and other settings throughout the United States.

The event is being held at the National American Indian Museum in Washington, DC.

Sioux Falls VA Medical Center opens temporary mobile outpatient clinic in Watertown

The temporary mobile clinic was delivered on June 2nd. VA staff has worked closely with the National Guard, City of Watertown, Codington County Veterans Service Officer, American Legion, and other community partners to set up the clinic. It is located near the National Guard Armory at 1900 S. Kemp. This 40’ x 8’ clinic was obtained from the Emergency Management Strategic Healthcare Group and is similar to those used in emergency situations such as Hurricane Katrina.

The mobile clinic will be the temporary location for the Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) and will provide Veterans with primary care medical services similar to the other three Sioux Falls VA CBOCs in Aberdeen, and Spirit Lake and Sioux City, Iowa. Veterans who are currently enrolled for VA services are being contacted by phone or letter to see if they are interested in receiving their care in Watertown. Veterans who are not currently receiving VA health care are asked to contact their local County Veterans Service Officer for assistance.

VA employees from Sioux Falls will initially staff the clinic, and recruitment has begun for the permanent staff.

The mobile clinic will be used until a permanent location for the Community Based Outpatient Clinic is finalized. VA is currently advertising for available space for the permanent location. Individuals and businesses with space available should contact Crystal Dobbins, Contracting Officer, at 605-333-6819.

Did toxic chemical in Iraq cause GIs' illnesses?

By Sharon Cohen

AP National Writer

Larry Roberta's every breath is a painful reminder of his time in Iraq. He can't walk a block without gasping for air. His chest hurts, his migraines sometimes persist for days and he needs pills to help him sleep.

James Gentry came home with rashes, ear troubles and a shortness of breath. Later, things got much worse: He developed lung cancer, which spread to his spine, ribs and one of his thighs; he must often use a cane, and no longer rides his beloved Harley.

David Moore's postwar life turned into a harrowing medical mystery: nosebleeds and labored breathing that made it impossible to work, much less speak. His desperate search for answers ended last year when he died of lung disease at age 42.

What these three men - one sick, one dying, one dead - had in common is they were National Guard soldiers on the same stretch of wind-swept desert in Iraq during the early months of the war in 2003.

These soldiers and hundreds of other Guard members from Indiana, Oregon and West Virginia were protecting workers hired by a subsidiary of the giant contractor, KBR Inc., to rebuild an Iraqi water treatment plant. The area, as it turned out, was contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a potent, sometimes deadly chemical linked to cancer and other devastating diseases.

No one disputes that. But that's where agreement ends.

Among the issues now rippling from the courthouse to Capitol Hill are whether the chemical made people sick, when KBR knew it was there and how the company responded. But the debate is more than about this one case; it has raised broader questions about private contractors and health risks in war zones.

Questions, says Sen. Evan Bayh, who plans to hold hearings on the issues, such as these:

How should we treat exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals as a threat to our soldiers? How seriously should that threat be taken? What is the role of private contractors? What about the potential conflict between their profit motives and taking all steps necessary to protect our soldiers?

“This case,'' says the Indiana Democrat, “has brought to light the need for systemic reform.”

For now, dozens of National Guard veterans have sued KBR and two subsidiaries, accusing them of minimizing and concealing the chemical's dangers, then downplaying nosebleeds and breathing problems as nothing more than sand allergies or a reaction to desert air.

KBR denies any wrongdoing. In a statement, the company said it actually found the chemical at the Qarmat Ali plant, restricted access, cleaned it up and “did not knowingly harm troops.''

Ten civilians hired by a KBR subsidiary made similar claims in an arbitration resolved privately in June. (The workers' contract prevented them from filing suit.)

This isn't the first claim that toxins have harmed soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan; there have been allegations involving lead, depleted uranium and sarin gas.

This also isn't the first challenge to KBR, whose billions of dollars of war-related contracts have been the subject of congressional scrutiny and numerous legal claims.

Among them are lawsuits recently filed against KBR and Halliburton Co. - KBR's parent company until 2007 - that assert open-air pits used to burn refuse in Iraq and Afghanistan caused respiratory illnesses, tumors and death. (KBR says it is reviewing the charges. Halliburton maintains it was improperly named and expects to be dismissed from the case.)

Earlier this year, several members of Congress asked Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to investigate potential burn pit hazards. He replied that his agency is conducting a health study of 30,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and noted the VA “has learned important lessons from previous military conflicts'' as it deals with environmental exposure questions.

Some veterans advocates say the military is more attuned to health risks than it was in Vietnam and the Gulf War, but still falls short.

“I'm a realist - things are going to get burned, things are going to be blown up,'' says Tom Tarantino, an Iraqi veteran and policy associate at the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. ``But I think the DOD (Department of Defense) could do a better job at tracking what people are exposed to. If there's a big pit outside your base, you need to know what's going on and do tests ... so if people start getting sick, they won't spend years trying to figure out what's wrong with them.”

This isn't a natural fit, he concedes, since the Defense Department “is a war-fighting agency, not an environmental protection agency. But I think there's a lack of information out there.”

This case stems from the chaotic start of the war in 2003 when a KBR subsidiary was hired to restart the plant, which had been looted of equipment, wiring, even metal roofing and siding. The Iraqis had used hexavalent chromium to prevent pipe corrosion at the plant, which produced industrial water used in oil production.

It's the same chemical linked to poisonings in California in a case made famous in the movie “Erin Brockovich.”

Hexavalent chromium - a toxic component of sodium dichromate - can cause severe liver and kidney damage and studies have linked it to leukemia as well as bone, stomach, brain and other cancers, according to an expert who provided a deposition for the civilian workers.

The chemical “is one of the most potent carcinogens know to man” and it can “enter every cell of the body and potentially produce widespread injury to every major organ in the body,” said Max Costa, chairman of New York University's Department of Environmental Medicine.

KBR, however, says studies show only that industrial workers exposed to the chemical for more than two years have an increased risk of cancer - and in this case, soldiers were at the plant just days or months.

The company also notes air quality studies concluded the Indiana Guard soldiers were not exposed to high levels of hexavalent chromium. But Costa says those tests were done when the wind was not blowing.

Both soldiers and former workers say there were days when strong gusts kicked up ripped-open bags of the chemical, creating a yellow-orange haze that coated everything from their hair to their boots.

“I was spitting blood and I was not the only one doing that,” recalls Danny Langford, who worked for the KBR subsidiary. “The wind was blowing 30, 40 miles an hour. You could just hardly see where you were going. I pulled my shirt over my nose and there would be blood on it. I also saw the soldiers. They had blood splotches on their masks.'”

Larry Roberta, a 44-year-old former Oregon National Guard member, remembers a strange metallic taste and dust everywhere. He sat on a bag of the chemical, unaware it was dangerous.

“This orange crud blew up in your face, your eyes and on our food,” he says. “I tried to wash my chicken patty off with my canteen. I started to get sick to my stomach right away.”

Roberta had coughing spells and agonizing chest pains, he says, that “went all the way through my back. Whenever I breathed, the pain got more sharp. ... Every day I went there, I had something weird going on.”

Russell Kimberling, a former Indiana National Guard captain, had severe sinus troubles that forced his evacuation to Germany. After returning, he became alarmed one August day in 2003 while escorting some officials to the plant in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.

“I jumped out of the truck and I turned around and they (KBR staff) had full chemical gear on,” he says. “I looked at some of my soldiers and said, 'This can't be very good.”

“They could have told us to put chemical suits on,” Kimberling adds. “There are so many things that could have been done.”

Ed Blacke, hired as plant health, safety and environmental coordinator, says he became worried after workers started having breathing problems and a former colleague sent him an internal KBR memo outlining the chemical's dangers. Blacke says when he complained at a meeting, he was labeled a troublemaker and resigned under pressure.

“Normally when you take over a job, you have a briefing - this is what's out there, here's what you need for protective equipment,” says Blacke, who testified at a Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing last year. “There was nothing, nothing at all.”

Blacke and Langford were among those whose civil claims were resolved in arbitration.

Kimberling is among nearly 50 Guard veterans - most from Indiana, a smaller number from Oregon and West Virginia - who've sued.

Mike Doyle, the Houston lawyer representing the soldiers and civilians, maintains KBR knew as early as May 2003 the chemical was there, but didn't close the site until that September.

“Once they (KBR) found out about it, they didn't tell anybody and they did everything to conceal it,” he contends. “You have (KBR) managers in Houston, in Kuwait City who knew about this. Their staff was getting reports and soldiers and civilians who were in the field were told, 'No big deal. There's nothing to worry about.”

The lawsuit cites minutes of an August 2003 KBR meeting that mentions ``serious health problems at the water treatment plant'' and notes “almost 60 percent of the people now exhibit the symptoms.”

In a recent wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, KBR chairman William P. Utt suggested the company be given some latitude with its military contracts.

“We think there ought to be some consideration given in many of these claims to the same protections the government has from these suits that exist,” he said.

He also said KBR has been unfairly targeted in war zones. “People think there's an opportunity here in Iraq, let's paint it on KBR, then we'll worry about making the facts precise or correct later,” Utt said.

As for the water plant, KBR says once it learned of the chemical, it took precautions to protect workers, notified the Army Corps of Engineers and led the cleanup. It says the Corps had previously deemed the area safe.

KBR also points to Army tests of 137 Indiana Guard soldiers that showed no medical problems that could be linked to exposure, as well as a military board review that found it unlikely anyone would suffer long-term medical consequences.

But Bayh and Doyle say those tests were done too late to be valid and note that soil tests were taken after the contaminated area was covered with asphalt and gravel.

Doyle also disagrees with KBR's contention that workers weren't there long enough - weeks or months - to have elevated cancer risks.

It can take a long time for symptoms of illness to surface - five to 10 years or more for cancer. But some of those who say they were exposed are already ill.

Gentry, a retired lieutenant colonel who commanded the Indiana Guard unit, is in the late stages of lung cancer, which has spread to other parts of his body, according to his friend, Christopher Lee.

Gentry hasn't sued, but in a December 2008 deposition he recalled complaining to his superiors after his soldiers were told by KBR workers the orangish sand was a cancer-causing chemical. He said it was “very disappointing” that KBR managers didn't share that information.

“I'm dying because of it,” he said.

While acknowledging he wasn't 100 percent certain that's why he has cancer, Gentry - who served a second tour in Iraq - said his doctor “believes the most probable cause was my exposure to this chemical.”

KBR's actions, he said, had put “my men at risk that is unnecessary.”

The Indiana, West Virginia and Oregon National Guards have sent hundreds of letters to soldiers notifying them of possible contamination and urging them to seek medical attention. The Oregon Guard also set up a Facebook page and reports about 15 soldiers have reported medical symptoms.

Bayh has introduced a bill calling for a special medical registry that would require the Department of Defense to notify all military members of exposure to potential toxins - and provide comprehensive medical care. (It would be limited to those serving after Sept. 11, 2001.)

A similar notification measure was approved Thursday in the U.S. House, an amendment to the defense authorization bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, an Oregon lawmaker.

All these measures come too late for 1st Sgt. David Moore, who served with Gentry.

He thought his persistent cough in Iraq would stop when he returned home. Instead, breathing became difficult; he eventually needed a chair in the shower because he could no longer stand, says his brother, Steve. Moore had nosebleeds, too, and boil-like rashes behind his ears and on his back, arms and legs. He went from doctor to doctor. “None of them could ever figure out what it was,” his brother says.

By late 2007, the one-time construction worker - who had been “strong as an ox,” and ran 3 1/2 miles every other day - couldn't even venture outside, Steve Moore says. But he didn't give up.

“He was always upbeat,” his brother says. “He said, 'They'll figure it out, they'll figure it out.' He thought that until the last time I talked to him. You could see the fear in his eyes. They had him on 100 percent oxygen and he still couldn't breathe. He requested to be put on a ventilator so they could figure it out.”

Moore died in February 2008. The cause was lung disease. His death was ruled service-related. His brother believes it was hexavalent chromium.

Larry Roberta, the former Oregon Guardsman who needed stomach surgery after his return, still has physical and emotional problems: Post traumatic stress. Mood swings. Nose polyps. Chest pains. Migraines that can keep him bedridden for days.

He takes two inhalers - he can't walk a block without them - and high blood pressure medicine every day and testosterone shots every two weeks.

“I have 100 percent disability,” he says. “I've got a long laundry list of things that happened to me while I was there. If you add it all up, I'd be almost 200 percent disabled.”

Roberta recently testified before Oregon lawmakers, urging them to set aside money for Guard members who develop cancer from exposure to the chemical.

His wife, Michelle, says her husband's illness has dramatically changed his outlook.

“He has no ambitions for life anymore,” she says. “At his age, that makes me very sad. I worry about him every day.”

Kimberling, the former Indiana Guardsman, struggles as well.

The father of two young children - he's a pharmaceutical salesman in Louisville, Ky. - says he hasn't been able to get life insurance because his possible exposure is mentioned on his medical records.

Sometimes, he says, it's hard to sort out his real aches from his fears.

“I feel like I'm a 38-year-old in a 60-year-old's body,” he says. “There are a lot of things that seem to be going south a lot quicker than they should. Sinus problems ... pain in my joints that I've never felt before.”

“I'm not sure if it's the anxiety of finding out about it or not. I kind of know and feel it's just a matter of time before it catches up with me.

Kimberly Hefling in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

IHS presents Conference on Behavioral Health

Experts in American Indian and Alaska Native behavioral health issues will meet in St. Paul, Minn., August 4 to 7, 2009 to collaborate, network, strategize and share knowledge at the nation’s premier annual conference on behavioral health issues affecting Indian Country.

The 2009 Indian Health Service National Behavioral Health Conference is expected to attract leading substance abuse and mental health counselors, psychologists, physicians, nurses, traditional practitioners, health program administrators and senior officials from federal, tribal, state and local governments.

Nationally recognized speakers will give presentations about methamphetamine prevention, technology, care for returning veterans, caregiver fatigue and other compelling current topics. Planned cultural activities include a healing room and visits to a sweat lodge.

Organized around the theme “Honoring Our Traditions While Embracing Change,” the conference will explore innovative and best practice approaches to behavioral health integration while honoring and demonstrating a commitment to Native traditional ways.

The conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza St. Paul – Riverfront. There is no registration fee. Continuing education credits for mental health professionals will be available. Information and registration is available at www.bhconference.com.

House unanimously passes Herseth Sandlin’s Bill: Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act

Legislation improves health care for women Veterans; Enhances treatment and services for PTSD and newborn care

Washington, DC – Late Tuesday, the full U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 1211, a bill introduced by Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin to expand and improve VA health care services for women veterans. The bill will improve health care for women veterans, including treatment and services for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; and newborn care.

With a rapidly growing number of women veterans, Rep. Herseth Sandlin believes that veterans policy must keep pace with the changing needs of those who serve our country in uniform. The Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act will help ensure the health care services offered by the VA reflect the rising percentage of women veterans by prioritizing their unique health care needs.

“Unfortunately, services at VA facilities often fall short of properly providing for the health care needs of women,” Rep. Herseth Sandlin said. “There is too much fragmentation of care and there are too few clinicians with the correct training and experience. Child care considerations are not being adequately met for male or female veterans, and, currently, the VA does not cover care for the newborn child of an eligible veteran. In addressing these challenges and others, H.R. 1211 will help the VA better provide the services and care that our women veterans need.”

Two key areas of concern that the Veterans Health Care Improvement Act addresses are child care and newborn care.

Child care concerns have emerged as a crucial issue for women veterans seeking care. Sometimes, veterans without access to appropriate child care are forced to forgo important health care appointments. H.R. 1211 begins to combat this issue by authorizing a child care pilot program for patients and requires the VA to carry out this study in at least three Veterans Service Networks. Possible forms of child care assistance include stipends for child-care centers, the development of partnerships with private agencies and collaboration with other Federal agencies that have similar programs.

H.R. 1211 also requires the VA to provide seven days of medical care for the newborn children of women veterans. Currently, the VA has no provision to provide care for these infants. However, 86 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom women veterans are under the age of 40 and this benefit represents an important updating of VA policy.

Additionally, H.R. 1211 authorizes the VA to conduct two important studies. First, the VA will examine barriers to health care that women veterans experience within the VA system. This study will examine the full range of barriers including the stigma of seeking mental health care services, the availability of child care, the lack of comprehensive primary care, and the sensitivity of VA providers regarding gender-specific issues. The second study is a comprehensive assessment of the VA’s women health program with the task of developing a strategy to improve services at every VA medical center.

The bill also works to enhance the VA’s sexual trauma and Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD) programs for women by requiring the Secretary of the VA to ensure that all mental health professionals have been properly and consistently trained to help women veterans. Rep. Herseth Sandlin added, “Women veterans who have suffered such attacks have already suffered enough. They need to know, before they begin treatment, that every VA mental health professional is prepared to help them and understands the best methods and practices, and can make them feel secure in seeking treatment.”

Finally, the bill requires the VA to add recently separated women and minority veterans to serve on key advisory committees such as the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans.

“The VA must ensure adequate attention is given to women veterans’ programs so quality health care and specialized services are available to our entire veteran population,” Rep. Herseth Sandlin concluded. “My bill will help the VA better meet these specialized needs and develop new systems to provide for the health care of women veterans – especially those who were sexually assaulted, suffer from PTSD, or who need child care services. Congress must honor our nation’s commitment to our veterans and I’m hopeful that the Senate will act quickly to pass similar legislation introduced by Senator Murray.”

Following passage of Rep. Herseth Sandlin’s legislation, David W. Gorman, Executive Director of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) made the following statement of support , “DAV is thrilled with today’s House action on the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act, H.R. 1211, legislation that would significantly strengthen VA’s ability to provide quality and accessible health care to women veterans. Thanks to the outstanding leadership of Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, the brave women who have served, are serving and will serve in our armed forces can look forward to receiving improved health care services at VA facilities in the future.”

Indian country calls on Congress for permanent re-authorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act

Washington, DC – June 25, 2009 – Today representing the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) and the National Tribal Steering Committee (NTSC) for the Reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA), Rachel Joseph testified today on H.R. 2708 before House Committee on Natural Resources. H.R. 2708 aims to reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act- the baseline for Indian health care.

In her testimony, Joseph strongly urged Congress to quickly pass H.R. 2708, called for the removal of “sunset” dates to the IHCIA and make it permanent. Rachel Joseph, a member of the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of California and Co-Chair of the National Tribal Steering Committee for the Reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act has worked on this reauthorization for more than a decade.

Joseph requested full funding for contract health services and contract support costs. The last review of the IHCIA should have occurred in 2000, but did not happen which delayed the advancement and improvement of Indian health care delivery system.

“I urge Congress to properly fund the contract health services (CHS) program through which the Indian Health system is unable to supply directly and contract support costs (CSC) of Tribes who elect to exercise Indian self-determination rights provided by Federal law to take over direct operation of health program at the local level,” said Joseph.

“With the nation focusing on health care reform, American Indians/ Alaskan Natives are actively engaged in offering solutions and recommendations,” said Stacy A. Bohlen, Executive Director of the NIHB. “The passage of the new IHCIA bill, H.R. 2708, would modernize and improve the health care system for American Indians, but for the first time would include other critical needs such as an integrated behavioral health programming (substance abuse and mental health prevention and treatment services) and in-home care for Native elders,” said Bohlen.

American Indians suffer from some of the worst health disparities in the world and this is in no small part due to a lack of funding. “The needs are clearly evident when you look at the scope of problems occurring among this specific population,” said Bohlen. Indians are 630% more likely to die from alcoholism, 650% more like to die from tuberculosis, 318% more likely to die from diabetes, and 204 % more likely to suffer accidental health compared with other groups. “With the passage of this legislation, the overall health of American Indians and Alaskan Natives would improve,” said Bohlen.

*****

The National Indian Health Board advocates on behalf of all Tribal Governments and American Indians/Alaska Native in their efforts to provide quality health care. Visit www.nihb.org to read the testimony submitted by Rachel Joseph.

Cardiac Arrest Facts

The American Heart Association urges the public to be prepared for cardiac emergencies:

*Know the warning signs of cardiac arrest. During cardiac arrest a victim loses consciousness, stops normal breathing and loses pulse and blood pressure. They may suddenly collapse.

*Call 9-1-1 immediately to access the emergency medical system if you see any cardiac arrest warning signs.

*Give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to help keep the cardiac arrest victim alive until emergency help arrives.

*If you don’t know CPR or haven’t been trained, call 9-1-1 and push hard and fast on the center of the chest until help arrives.

What is cardiac arrest?

Cardiac arrest is the sudden, abrupt loss of heart function. It’s not the same as a heart attack. Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become rapid or chaotic, which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating. A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is blocked. A heart attack may cause cardiac arrest.

Sudden death (also called sudden cardiac death) occurs within minutes after symptoms appear.

What causes cardiac arrest?

The most common reason for patients to die suddenly from cardiac arrest is heart disease.

Other factors besides heart disease and heart attack can cause cardiac arrest. They include respiratory arrest, electrocution, drowning, choking and trauma.

Cardiac arrest can also occur without any known cause.

Can cardiac arrest be reversed?

Brain death and permanent death start to occur in just 4 to 6 minutes after cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest can be reversed if it's treated within a few minutes with an electric shock to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat. This process is called defibrillation.

A victim's chances of survival are reduced by 7 to 10 percent with every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation. Few attempts at resuscitation succeed after 10 minutes.

How many people survive cardiac arrest?

Each year, EMS treats nearly 300,000 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital. More than 92 percent of cardiac arrest victims don’t survive to be discharged from the hospital. In cities where defibrillation is provided within 5 to 7 minutes, the survival rate is as high as 30–45 percent.

What can be done to increase the survival rate?

Early CPR and rapid defibrillation combined with early advanced care can result in high long-term survival rates for witnessed cardiac arrest.

If bystander CPR was initiated more consistently, if AEDs were more widely available, and if every community could achieve a 20 percent cardiac arrest survival rate, an estimated 40,000 more lives could be saved each year.

July 2 “On Call” will focus on children’s health issues

Brookings, SD – Parents can struggle keeping up with the latest facts about nutrition, vaccinations, ADD, and other health issues their children may face.

The July 2 “On Call®” program aims to help parents – and kids – get a better handle on a wide range of children’s health topics.

Medical editor Dr. Rick Holm and program producer and host Tami Watson will share conversation on children’s health with guests Bonny Specker, a leader on the National Children’s Study at South Dakota State University, and Drs. Matt Bien and Ingrid Chamales both of Avera Brookings Medical Clinic.

Watson said having this discussion with an administrator in a national study, a pediatrician, and an obstetrician/gynecologist will give viewers a unique insight on a wide range of questions.

“Our guests bring a tremendous amount of experience to the episode and provide contrasts based on their specialties,” she said. “Our goals for the episode are broad – we plan to cover the many issues related to the health of children.”

“On Call” airs Thursdays on South Dakota Public Broadcasting-Television at 7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. Mountain. “On Call” is a weekly program about health produced by the South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service.

The South Dakota State Medical Association and the South Dakota Department of Health both endorse “On Call” and its programming. “On Call” is the only show to receive these endorsements.

The program is made possible by major underwriter support from Avera Health and the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care. Additional sponsors include Dakotacare, Brookings Health System, the South Dakota American College of Physicians, Swiftel Communications, and the Friends of SDPB.

The Brookings Health System, Fishback Financial Corporation, and the Larson Foundation provide closed captioning for “On Call.”

The July 9 “On Call” program will look at gallbladder diseases and treatments. For more information about the program, visit the “On Call” Web site at http://oncall.sdstate.org/.

To study happiness

By Richard P. Holm, M.D.

Have you noticed that every bookstore seems to have a corner dedicated to the topic of “How to be happy?” On the magazine shelf, you can almost always find at least one article from some magazine with the same promise. No question, every one of us would like to know what the key to a good life is. That’s why it sells books.

Probably the most famous scientific study to define what predicts happiness and healthy aging began in 1938 and continues today. The Harvard “Grant” study started with 268 “normal” well-adjusted male sophomore students, and it has followed their stories all these years. The survivors are now about 90 years old and are still under observation.

Of course these were Harvard boys, mostly with silver spoons in their mouths, and they were not normal. Many achieved dramatic successes. One was a best-selling novelist, four ran for the U.S. Senate, one served on a presidential cabinet, and one of the students, John F. Kennedy, was president. Still, one-third of the men in the study experienced significant mental illness and alcoholism in their lifetimes. Indeed, they were perhaps not “normal” in accomplishments, but certainly normal in experiencing tragedy.

There have been lessons gleaned from this research worth remembering, however. Cholesterol, IQ, and childhood temperament have nothing to do with healthy aging, while smoking, alcohol abuse, and depression all have a major negative effect on physical health.

In contrast, results encouraged getting a good education, having a stable marriage, and, of course, developing caring relationships, especially with siblings. In addition, researchers found that regular exercise predicted mental health. One analyst said that what mattered the most had to do with how these men coped and defended themselves against life’s pain and loss.

I read this to one friend and he suggested, “Pets sure help.” Another advised, “You’ve got to have faith.” Still another said, “You need someone to love, enough to eat, and work to keep you busy ... that’s it!”

That’s what should be in a book.

Dr. Rick Holm wrote this editorial for “On Call®,” a weekly program about health on South Dakota Public Broadcasting-Television that is produced by the South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service. "On Call" airs Thursdays on South Dakota Public Broadcasting-Television at 7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. Mountain.

Health and Wellness Column −

Zani Unpi

June is Eye Safety Month - Protect Your Eyes - Protect Your Children's Eyes

Submitted by Jodi Lutjens, RN

Public Health Nursing

Woodrow Wilson Keeble Memorial Health Care Center

Eye injuries can be life-changing; however, eye safety is often times overlooked. Ninety percent of eye injuries can be prevented by following safety rules and by wearing safety glasses. Eye injuries can occur at home, the workplace or while engaging in recreational sports.

According to Prevent Blindness America, accidents involving common household products cause 125,000 eye injuries each year. By taking precautions you can reduce the risks of eye injuries in your home. Eye injuries can be caused by falling into or against something. Children under five years of age and adults over 70 years of age are at highest risk for falls. Using safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs and providing good lighting and handrails can improve safety on stairs. Keeping children safe and teaching them eye safety is vital. Other safety tips for the home are to pad or cushion sharp corners and edges of furniture and home fixtures. Use cabinet and drawer locks anywhere detergents, cleaning supplies, or other dangerous chemicals are stored. Keep in mind that nail polish remover, mouthwash, and makeup all contain chemicals that can injure an eye. Keep all objects such as kitchen utensils and desk supplies out of reach of children. Avoid toys that have sharp points, shafts, spikes, or dangerous edges. Keep small toys away from younger children. Avoid flying toys and projectile firing toys.

Keep the garage and backyard safe for your children. Inspect your child's outdoor play area for items that can cause eye hazards. Teach kids to wear eye protection when playing contact sports. In your garage or workshop, keep nails, glue, screwdrivers and other tools out of reach of children. Keep children away from areas where power tools are used.

Remember, children learn by example. When adults are mowing the lawn, operating power tools, working with caustic chemicals, or performing any other activity that could cause an eye injury, it is important to wear eye protection as well as keeping children at a safe distance - away from potential injury from flying objects or chemical fumes.

With July 4th just around the corner, it is important to recognize the danger that fireworks pose to our eyes. Eyes are the second most commonly injured part of the body from fireworks. Contusions, lacerations and foreign bodies are the most common injuries to the eyes from fireworks. Data from the United States Eye Injury Registry shows that bystanders are more often injured by fireworks than operators themselves. The leading types of fireworks that have caused injures are firecrackers, followed by rockets and sparklers.

If you or your family member does sustain an eye injury, it is very important to know emergency first aid for these injuries:

Be prepared:

*Use eye protection for all hazardous activities and sports at school, home and on the job.

*Stock a first aid kit with a rigid eye shield and commercial eyewash before an eye injury happens.

*DO NOT assume that any eye injury is harmless. When in doubt, see a doctor immediately.

Chemical Burns:

*Immediately flush the eye with water. Hold the eye under a faucet or shower, or pour water into the eye using a clean container. Keep the eye open as wide as possible while flushing. Continue flushing for at least 15 minutes.

*DO NOT use an eyecup or bandage the eye.

*If a contact lens is in the eye, begin flushing over the lens immediately. This may wash away the lens.

*Seek immediate medical treatment after flushing.

Specks in the eye:

*DO NOT rub the eye.

*Try to let tears wash the speck out or use an eyewash.

*Try lifting the upper eyelid outward and down over the lower lid.

*If the speck does not wash out, keep the eye closed, bandage it lightly and see a doctor.

Blows to the eye:

*Apply a cold compress without putting pressure on the eye. Crushed ice in a plastic bag can be taped to the forehead to rest gently on the injured eye.

*In cases of pain, reduced vision or discoloration, seek emergency medical care.

Any of these symptoms can mean internal eye damage.

Cuts and punctures of the eye or eyelid:

*DO NOT wash out the eye with water or any other liquid.

*DO NOT try to remove an object that is stuck in the eye.

*Cover the eye with a rigid shield without applying pressure. The bottom half of a paper cup can be used.

*See a doctor immediately.

Resources: Prevent Blindness America Center for Disease Control.

Zani unpi.

Historic swearing-in ceremony for Larry Echo Hawk as Interior’s 11th Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs

Event Highlights Obama Administration’s American Indian Appointees

Washington, DC – The Interior Department’s Sidney R. Yates Auditorium resounded with drum beats and applause this morning as Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar administered the oath of office to the Obama Administration’s Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Larry Echo Hawk. The ceremony took place before an estimated crowd of 300 that included family members, tribal representatives, and Interior and other federal employees.

“Today is not a day for long speeches,” Echo Hawk said. “It is a day for solemn oaths, a day for thanksgiving, and a day for prayers. I am honored to have been entrusted with this responsibility.” “Today is another milestone in President Obama’s agenda to empower Native American communities,” Salazar said. “Across the government, agencies are working together and with tribes to help build new schools, improve health care access, upgrade housing, fix roads and bridges, and make communities safer.”

In attendance were officials from the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, where Echo Hawk is an enrolled member, and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation of Idaho, who, as he explained, gave a fresh law school graduate his professional start more than 30 years ago when they hired him as their Chief General Legal Counsel. The Assistant Secretary expressed his deep appreciation to both tribes and to his family for their support and encouragement.

Also among those in attendance were Congressman Eni F. H. Faleomavaega, American Samoa; Senate Indian Affairs Committee staff members; and Obama Administration appointees Jodi Gillette (Standing Rock Sioux) Deputy Associate Director, White House Office of Inter-governmental Affairs; Dr. Yvette Roubideaux (Rosebud Sioux), Director, Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Hilary Tompkins (Navajo Nation), Solicitor, U.S. Department of the Interior; Michael L. Connor (Taos Pueblo), Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior; Wizipan Garriott (Rosebud Sioux), Advisor to the -Continued-Echo Hawk – Page 2 Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs; and Paul Tsosie (Navajo Nation), Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary. Also attending was Kimberly Teehee (Cherokee Nation), who is the in-coming Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs at the White House Domestic Policy Council.

Echo Hawk noted as “historic” the number of American Indians who have been appointed by President Obama to White House and Executive Branch posts: “Future generations will look back on this time and know that something special happened.”

Witnessing the gathering was a group of students from the Muckleshoot Tribal School, a Bureau of Indian Education-funded K-12 school in Auburn, Wash., serving the Muckleshoot Tribe. The students happened to be visiting the city when they received word of the swearing-in ceremony in time to attend.

Echo Hawk is the 11th Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 19, 2009, and was officially sworn into office in a private ceremony at the Interior Department on May 22.

Let us treasure the freedom we enjoy this Independence Day

By Senator John Thune

Across South Dakota and across the nation, friends and families will gather this July 4th to celebrate our nation’s independence. These gatherings should be light-hearted and fun, but the 4th of July gives us a special opportunity to reflect on the costs of our freedom, the history of our nation, and the promise that lies ahead.

On Independence Day, we recognize the courage of those who refused to submit to the rule of those who offered them no voice of representation in government. All too often, we become complacent in appreciating our freedom and all of the actions that Americans in generations past took to earn and defend it. Today, we see images through our televisions and the Internet of people around the world suffering because of their desire for freedom. The struggles for freedom from persecution and dictatorship around the world serve as a jarring reminder of how fortunate we truly are.

There will be many families in South Dakota who will be spending the 4th of July without the company of loved ones who are currently serving in the Armed Forces overseas. Freedom has a special meaning for those who fight to defend it and for those who wait for them at home, so I urge all South Dakotans to keep those who serve in their thoughts and prayers this Independence Day.

Similarly, South Dakotans who attend parades and picnics will almost certainly see veterans who have returned to our free country after fighting in lands that were not. For these veterans, the 4th of July has special meaning, and for the rest of us, this national holiday gives us an opportunity to express our gratitude for their service. Veterans of every conflict contribute to our history, and we are all fortunate to learn from their experiences.

Even with all of the serious things to think about on Independence Day, it is a happy occasion. There will be parades, rodeos, baseball games, and fireworks across South Dakota, and I know that everyone in our state will approach the fun with the right frame of mind. I look forward to visiting several communities in South Dakota throughout the holiday weekend to share in the celebrations and remembrances. I want to wish all South Dakotans a happy Independence Day as we ask for God’s continued blessings on our state and our nation.

Introduces Bill to fight crime and drug use in public and Indian housing

Washington, DC – June 24, 2009 – U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) today introduced legislation to reauthorize funding for the Public and Indian Housing Crime and Drug Elimination Program (PIHDEP). The bill will help fund public and Indian housing entities to battle crime and drug use in partnership with their local law enforcement.

“This effective program eliminated by the previous Administration left public and Indian housing without important resources,” said Johnson. “This bill would allow local communities to develop programs to better fight drug use and drug-related crime. I’m proud to introduce this bill and will continue to fight to provide critical funding for public and Indian housing in South Dakota and across the country.”

The Public and Indian Housing Crime and Drug Elimination Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 would authorize Fiscal Year (FY) 2009-2011 grants and direct payments to those public housing authorities (PHAs), tribally designated housing entities (TDHEs), and Indian housing authorities (IHAs) seeking to eliminate crime and drug problems. Funding will be used in concert with local law enforcement agencies to combat drug problems through rehabilitation, relapse prevention, drug discouragement through education, capital improvements, and improved security.

Additionally, no less than 2% of all funds appropriated will be set-aside for the Office of Policy Development and Research so that it may evaluate the drug and violence elimination strategies implemented by the qualifying public and Indian housing entities.

From 1989 to 2001, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provided grants and direct payments to PHAs, TDHEs, IHAs through the PIHDEP. The program successfully enabled qualifying agencies to address and eliminate drug use and drug-related crime around public and Indian housing.

Under the Bush Administration, the program was zeroed out from the HUD budget since FY 2002 despite reauthorization attempts by members of the 107th-110th Congresses.

Fort Yates hearing to examine how to combat crime in American Indian communities

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) will hold a field hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee this Wednesday, July 1st in Fort Yates, North Dakota, to examine the outcome of Operation Dakota Peacekeeper and what needs to be done to boost law enforcement in American Indian communities in the long term.

The hearing will be held at 9:00 a.m. at the Sitting Bull College, Fort Yates Campus.

The hearing will be the second that Dorgan, Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, has held on this topic on the Standing Rock Reservation, which has had a violent crime rate that was 8.6 times the national average in 2008. Dorgan pushed the U.S. Department of Interior last year to start “Operation Dakota Peacekeeper,” which boosted the number of police officers at Standing Rock. The operation, and the added police presence, resulted in a number of arrests and convictions, and brought an overall sense of safety to the community.

“Our American Indian communities across the nation face a severe lack of law enforcement resources, and Standing Rock is no different,” Dorgan said. “Tribal leaders have told me that Operation Dakota Peacekeeper was a success. Now that it’s over, and fewer police are on the ground, I have some concern that delays in responding to victim calls for assistance will again lead to an increase in violence. The purpose of this hearing is to determine what we learned and how we can use this to make a long-term change that will ensure we are guaranteeing basic public safety for our First Americans.”

Dorgan has authored bipartisan legislation, the Tribal Law and Order Act, designed to give a long-term boost to law enforcement efforts in Indian Country. If approved, the bill would provide tools to tribal justice officials to fight crime in their own communities, improve coordination between tribal, state and federal law enforcement agencies, and increase transparency and accountability standards.

Secures increased investment in Indian Safety and Justice Programs

Washington, DC – In a bill now making its way through Congress, U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) secured an increased investment in two critical safety and justice programs for Indian Country.

Dorgan, Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured $25 million to fund public safety and justice programs as authorized by the Emergency Fund for Indian Safety and Health. He also secured an additional $25 million to finance public safety and justice construction projects. These funds will help to address the public safety crisis in Indian Country. The funding is in the FY 2010 Interior Appropriations bill, which was approved by the Appropriations Committee today.

The $50 million secured by Dorgan will begin to address the lack of staff and resources to arrest, prosecute, and detain criminals in Indian Country as well as provide funds for construction projects related to public safety. American Indians experience violent crime at a rate more than twice the national average, yet funding for law enforcement in Indian Country is seriously deficient, and contributes to serious public safety risks.

“This nation’s Indian reservations are suffering from a public safety crisis, where there is a lack of resources and manpower to keep the reservations safe,” said Dorgan. “We have a long way to go in improving the safety of Indian Country, but this funding is an important step to provide resources and address the crisis.”

Pushes Bill to help SD Tribes develop renewable energy

Washington, DC – Rep. Herseth Sandlin is working to pass a new bill to help tribes in South Dakota generate renewable power and spur economic development. The bill, the Fair Allocation of Internal Revenue Credit for Renewable Electricity Distribution by Indian Tribes Act - or FAIR CREDIT Act - would streamline the tax code to overcome key roadblocks to developing renewable energy in Indian Country. The FAIR CREDIT Act is sponsored by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and would allow tribal governments to transfer the production tax credit (PTC) for energy produced from renewable resources to an individual with an ownership interest in a joint venture with the tribe, thereby removing a strong disincentive to investment and development on tribal lands.

“Reservations in South Dakota offer vast sources of renewable energy, including wind energy. It’s critically important for tribes to be able to fully and fairly utilize those resources for economic development in Indian Country,” Rep. Herseth Sandlin said. “However, due to the way the tax laws are written, there is less incentive for private companies to invest in renewable energy projects on reservations, leaving a large part of this potential source untapped. By allowing tribes to transfer credits for generating renewable sources of energy to private entities, private companies interested in developing energy projects will have much greater incentive to partner with tribes on projects, leading to greater prosperity on our reservations, improving the overall quality of life for tribes in South Dakota, and adding to our nation’s energy independence.”

Tribal governments are tax exempt. Therefore, under current law, if a tribal government seeks to enter into a joint venture partnership with external business partners for any renewable energy project taking place on tribal lands, the tribe cannot take advantage of the production tax credit for renewable resources as a private landowner could, nor can it transfer its portion of the credit to its taxable partners. Thus, even as tribes are seeking capital to fund renewable energy projects on tribal lands, non-tribal companies are facing this financial disincentive for investment. For example, if a private business provides 100% financing for a renewable energy joint venture with a tribe, the private business may only receive 50% of the tax credit. In contrast, if the business located its project on private lands, it could take advantage of 100% of the credit. Consequently, this puts tribes at a disadvantage when trying to attract renewable energy projects to their lands. With the change in the federal tax code that this legislation would make, tribes can retain ownership in projects while fully utilizing the benefits of the production tax credit for a project on Indian lands.

By facilitating and encouraging such investment in Indian Country, the legislation would not only support tribal communities in many rural areas, but also harness an abundant renewable resource.

Secures funding to boost Indian education programs

Washington, DC – Legislation making its way through the U.S. Senate includes funding secured by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) that will help boost investments in Indian education in North Dakota and across the nation.

Dorgan, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked to boost funding to $64.3 million – an increase of 8.4 percent over last year – for tribally control community colleges across the nation, including Sitting Bull College, Fort Berthold Community College, Turtle Mountain Community College and Cankdeska Cikana Community College in North Dakota.

Dorgan also secured $650,000 to provide training and equipment for the Indian police academy satellite program. The funding is an important first step toward Dorgan’s goal of establishing United Tribes Technical College as the second Bureau of Indian Affairs site in the nation where Indian police cadets can go to receive training.

In addition, Dorgan included a total of $1.6 million to support programs at the University of North Dakota that encourage American Indians to pursue careers in medicine, psychology and law enforcement.

“Our American Indian communities face a critical lack of education opportunities. This funding will help address those needs,” Dorgan said. “These are investments in the future of our First Americans, and I’m proud I was able to include it in these bills.”

Dorgan included the funding in two bills that won approval at the subcommittee level today. The Interior Appropriations bill and the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill will go next to the full Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.

Thune Elected Republican Policy Committee Chairman

Washington, DC – June 25, 2009 – U.S. Senator John Thune was elected Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee (RPC) today by the Senate Republican caucus. Senator Thune’s previous position as Senate Republican Conference Vice Chairman was filled by Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. The Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee is considered the number four leadership position for Senate Republicans and deals directly with policy formulation.

“I would like to thank my Senate colleagues for their support,” said Thune. “I look forward to continuing to make sure that issues important to South Dakota and our nation are brought to the forefront of policy discussions. I will continue to work hard on issues such as renewable energy, agriculture, transportation, health care, defense, and our nation’s dangerously large debt and believe that this position will give me another opportunity to make the case for these and other South Dakota priorities.”

The U.S. Senate majority and minority party policy committees were created in 1946 to coordinate and enhance legislative policymaking. The policy committees hold weekly policy lunches to gather and discuss issues before the Senate and review the anticipated agenda. The experienced policy analysts on staff at RPC produce in-depth research papers on many issues before Congress, as well as legislative updates that assist Senators and staff regarding floor debate and votes.

Urges BIA to honor Standing Rock Law Enforcement commitments

Washington, DC – June 25, 2009 – Senator John Thune today sent a letter to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar drawing his attention to the current shortage of Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) law enforcement officers on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Standing Rock, which is roughly the size of Connecticut, has only 13 law enforcement officers.

Last summer, the BIA conducted a policing surge on the Standing Rock Reservation called “Operation Dakota Peacekeeper.” At the height of the operation, 37 BIA officers patrolled the Standing Rock communities. The BIA indicated that the permanent police force on Standing Rock would be 25 officers, but that number now stands at the pre-surge level of 13 officers.

“Operation Dakota Peacekeeper was a success, but by reducing the police force to the pre-surge level, the BIA is jeopardizing all of the progress that was made last year,” said Thune. “The difference in public safety before and after the policing surge was unmistakable, but with the reduced number of law enforcement officers, crime is again on the rise. The BIA must act quickly to restore law enforcement levels to at least the 25-officer level that was originally promised before all of last year’s gains are lost.”

Senator Thune raised his concerns with the anemic police staffing level on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on a telephone call with BIA Office of Justice Services Deputy Director Patrick Ragsdale earlier this week. Senator Thune worked actively with Tribal, state, and BIA officials leading up to and throughout Operation Dakota Peacekeeper.

To assist in addressing a number of issues in Indian Country, last year Congress enacted and the president signed into law a $50 billion foreign assistance bill that included Senator Thune’s amendment creating the Emergency Fund for Indian Safety and Health. The fund is authorized to spend $2 billion over the next five years for critical public safety, health care, and water needs in Indian Country.

Senator Thune joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues in introducing the Tribal Law and Order Act earlier this year. This legislation would provide for the appointment of special U.S. Attorneys to prosecute violent crime on reservations, as well as improve training for reservation police and make improvements to Tribal court systems.

The full text of Senator Thune’s letter to Secretary Salazar follows:

June 25, 2009

The Honorable Ken Salazar, Secretary

U.S. Department of the Interior

Washington, DC 20240

Dear Secretary Salazar:

I write to respectfully request that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) take immediate action to address the growing crime problem on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. As you know, last year I worked with the BIA and members of the North and South Dakota Congressional delegation to lower crime and increase security on the reservation through Operation Dakota Peacekeeper. However, because the additional number of law enforcement officers that were assured to be assigned to Standing Rock are not currently in place, many the gains brought by Operation Dakota Peacekeeper are starting to erode.

Prior to the Operation Dakota Peacekeeper surge, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, located in both North and South Dakota, had only 13 BIA law enforcement officers to patrol a reservation the size of Connecticut. This lack of adequate law enforcement personal led to one of the highest crime rates on any Indian reservation in the country, one that was six times higher than the national average.

At the height of the surge, the BIA provided a total of 37 officers to the reservation. These officers brought immediate safety to the reservation by performing their normal daily activities, answering emergency calls, and also by providing additional services. These included setting up DUI stops, executing arrest warrants, performing child welfare checks, and engaging in community outreach. As someone who visited the reservation both before the surge and twice during, the difference additional officers made was very evident.

At the conclusion of the surge my staff and I were told that the BIA would be providing an additional 12 law enforcement officers, for a total of 25, permanent officers on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. With these additional officers there would be at least two officers on duty for every shift who would be able to maintain the gains brought about by the surge.

However, it was recently brought to my attention that the number of law enforcement officers on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation has again dropped to the pre-surge number of 13 officers. With this reduction in force, there is again only one officer able to patrol most shifts and crime rates are on the rise.

While I understand there are many challenges associated with the hiring, screening, training, and retention of BIA law enforcement officers, I am concerned that without adequate staffing for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe the additional time and resources devoted by the BIA to the surge will have been a waste. I have already spoken directly to Mr. Ragsdale about my concerns, but I wanted to directly raise them with you as well and ask for your assistance to ensure that the Tribe is provided with an adequate number of permanent BIA law enforcement officers.

I look forward to hearing from you about what the BIA plans to do in the thirty-days to address this need. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kindest regards, John Thune, U.S. Senator.

Youth, school activities highlighted –

Education watch on the Lake Traverse Reservation

News from the summer reading program –

Look at what is going on at SWC College Library

The Sisseton Wahpeton College Library 2009 Children’s Summer Reading Program’s theme is “Be Creative!”

Our registration started on May 26, and ended on June 5, 2009. We had twenty-one registered children participants and three dedicated parents and relatives who read to the children.

The SWC Library held two story hours on June 10 and 17th. Guest speakers were Darlene Pipeboy and Roberta Trevino.

Also provided were two hour days of craft making.

This year our sponsors are: SWC College staff and volunteers, Sisseton-Wahpeton Federal Credit Union, Old Agency District, Veblen District, Grimsrud Visual Clinic, Venture Communication Cooperative, Sisseton Pizza Hut, and the SWO Tribe.

Thanks to our sponsors that provided assistance for all registered SWC Library Program children. You helped motivate pre-school to 6th grade level children through incentives to read books! Your monetary donation and gift certificates provided supplies, guest speakers, awards, door prizes and lunch. Thank you, we appreciate you greatly.

See accompanying pictures from story hour and craft hour activities.

SWO Head Start recruitment of children with disabilities and special needs for 2009-2010 school year

The SWO Head Start Program is accepting applications for children with disabilities and special needs (minimal to severe) for the 2009-2010 school year.

Parents and guardians, please provide Head Start/Early Head Start with copies of the following, if you have them in your possession:

*Health professional’s evaluation/diagnosis stating the child has a disability and the recommended services.

*Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Individual Family Services Plan (IFSP) of the child with a disability and/or special need.

*Service provided for child now or in the past with a minimal, moderate, or severe disability and/or special need.

*The standard Head Start application and documents that are required for selection and enrollment of all prospective enrollees, for example; your child’s state birth certificate, immunization record, social security number, any health screenings (including hearing, vision developmental screens) etc.

There will be twelve (12) openings for 2009-2010 school year which ideally should be filled by the end of August 2009.

Please pick up your application packet from the SWO Head Start Centers at Agency Village or Enemy Swim.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please call the Centers: 698-3103 ext. 20/21 or 947-4404.

Challenge: Making better use of Meeting time

By Tracey Lehrke

Roberts Co. Extension Educator

The challenge for all committees is to make better use of meeting time. Yet, research shows that the retention rate of information reported at meetings is only 20%. Why is that? In many instances, the information shared at meetings is not critical to the current business at hand. Instead, the information can often be categorized as either review of previous business, committee reminders or communication sharing for committee members. And, while these are great things to include in the agenda for committee members to know, they tend to consume a great deal of agenda time.

These types of “information review” are often included at the beginning of a meeting agenda because we tend to think they will be “quick”. Yet, committees dedicate a lot of time to this type of information distribution. The result is that far less time is spent on the critical work of the committee throughout the remaining meeting agenda.

To determine where components of work or information should go on a meeting agenda, screen the information components by asking the following questions:

· Is there any significant action to be taken now, in this meeting, as a result of this information?

· Does this information imply that some sort of action should be taken by a majority of the committee members in the near future?

· Is this the only way that committee members can get this information in a timely manner?

· Do more than two-thirds of the people in this meeting need to know this?

· Will a significant number of the committee members be in some kind of trouble if they don’t get this information here, right now, in this meeting?

To make better use of meeting time, consider these strategies:

· Limit the time for information dissemination and stick to the limit.

· Place information items close to the end of the agenda- not the beginning- where they tend to absorb time.

· Send the information out in advance and ask group members to read it prior to the meeting. Then at the meeting the chairman can simply say, “Are there any questions or comments on the report submitted by the “X” committee. Receiving no comments or questions we will now move to the “Y” committee written report. Are there any questions or comments on the…” and so forth. That way, time spent on the topic at the meeting can be significantly reduced.

· Use one of the following techniques for compressing information dissemination:

Headlines: Ask the members to put this information items in headline form, capturing the essence of the information in 13 words or less.

Start-Stop-Alert: Quickly share in headline form (a.) what’s starting or what’s new, (b.) what’s stopping or what’s at an end, and (c.) what to be on alert for or what’s on the horizon. Source: Creating Effective & Successful Groups, Karla Trautman SDSU Cooperative Extension Service Leadership Development Specialist

Thought for the Day: What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. ~ Joseph Addison

Garden Corner

Submitted by Eric Hanssen

Browns Valley, Minnesota

Decline of walnuts:

The decline begins with yellowing and thinning of the canopy, followed by dieback and eventually the entire tree dies. While this decline may be due to a multitude of stressors, including the persistent drought in the western part of the state and country, there is also the possibility we are seeing thousand cankers disease in association with twig beetle. The insect is a small yellowish-brown bark beetle about 1/8-inch long (or shorter). It has been associated with declining walnuts in some of our western states including Colorado. The beetle has also been linked to the canker fungi. This recently described canker disease often results in literally hundreds of cankers forming on the branches and trunk. The cankers are not readily visible and often are not discovered until the bark has been removed around a chamber created by the beetle. Once this bark, sometimes with an amber stain, has been scrapped away, a dark brown to black canker will appear. While this problem is found in more western states, there is the possibility the disease is present here. However it is important to point out we do not have any record of this insect being found in South Dakota nor the cankers so our state walnut decline may be due to other factors. I examined another walnut that was reported to decline rather rapidly last year. The tree had very few live branches when I saw it but it also had no signs of either the twig beetle or the cankers. However I did find many D-shaped holes along the trunk and branches and beneath the bark numerous galleries and larvae. The larvae, and their gallery pattern, appear to be an Agrilus insect. Agrilus is the genus for the bronze birch borer, the two-line chestnut borer and the emerald ash borer. The insect in this instance is most likely the walnut borer, but I’ll have to rear out the adults to be sure and that will not be completed until early summer. Ash leaf curl aphid: Is showing up across the state again this year as it frequently does each early summer. The symptoms are curled leaves forming rosettes at the ends of ash shoots; particularly the rapid growing terminal shoots. If you unfold the leaves you’ll find these little “fuzz balls” that are aphids. You might also find lady beetle larvae that are feeding on the insects. Control is usually either letting it be – since any treatment will not uncurl the leaves and the lady beetles do a pretty good job of control – or an insecticide containing acephate as the active ingredient, such as Ortho Systemic Insect Killer, since these products will kill the aphids as they feed. Many other insecticides are contact poisons and will not reach the aphids living inside the curls.

Information in this article comes from professor John Ball, SDSU Forestry Specialist in his Pest Update publication available online at http://www.state.sd.us/doa/forestry/educational-information/pest-alert-archives.htm.

Legal Notices

SISSETON-WAHPETON OYATE

IN TRIBAL COURT

LAKE TRAVERSE RESERVATION

STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA

CASE NO. D-04-232-115

Et seq D-08-139-1428

In the matter of AC, MC, BC, Minor Children

NOTICE OF HEARING

To: Edith MacConnell.

Take notice that a Petition for Custody has been filed and a hearing will be held at the above named Court, Agency Village, outside the city of Sisseton, County of Roberts, South Dakota, on the 8th day of July , 2009, at the hour of 3:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as possible.

You are required to be at the hearing. Upon request, the Clerk will provide you with a copy of the Petition describing this matter.

Dated this 18th day of May 2009.

By order of the Court: B.J. Jones, Tribal Court Judge.

Attest: Lois Kohl, Clerk of Courts.

24-3tc

Trading post –

Home For Sale

303 7th Ave. E., Sisseton. 2-bedroom home. Asking $49,000. Contact: Sisseton Realty, 698-7987, or www.sissetonrealty.com.

25-2tc

 

Home For Sale

703 E. Maple St., Sisseton. 3-bedroom. Double detached garage. Asking $65,000. Contact: Sisseton Realty, 698-7987, or www.sissetonrealty.com.

25-2tc

 

Home For Sale

721 E. 4th Ave. E., Sisseton. 3-bedroom. Price reduced to $35,000. Contact: Sisseton Realty, 698-7987, or www.sissetonrealty.com.

25-2tc

 

Home For Sale

612 4th Ave. W., Sisseton. 3-bedroom. Price reduced to $27,500. Contact: Sisseton Realty, 698-7987, or www.sissetonrealty.com.

25-2tc

 

Home For Sale

221 7th Ave. E., Sisseton. 2-bedroom. Detached triple garage. Attached single garage. Asking $64,000. Contact: Sisseton Realty, 698-7987, or www.sissetonrealty.com.

25-2tc

 

Home For Sale

305 Ogdin Ave., New Effington, SD. 3-bedroom on approx. 3 acres. Asking price $55,000. Contact: Sisseton Realty, 698-7987, or www.sissetonrealty.com.

25-2tc

 

For Sale

4 bedroom trailer, $1500. 1989 Brougham Cadillac, $1500. Couch and loveseat, $500. For more information call (h) 698-3920; (c) 268-0157. 25-1tc

 

SWO Tribe

Job Openings

The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe is seeking to fill the following positions:

Detention Officer, Tribal Law Enforcement

Dispatcher, Tribal Law Enforcement

JOM Coordinator, JOM Program.

Closing date: July 3, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.

Judicial Coordinator, Judicial Committee.

Closing date: July 10, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.

All interested applicants may obtain application and job description information at the Human Resource Department of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate. You may contact Arnold Williams at (605) 698-3911. Ext 112.

 

SWO Gaming Commission

Job Announcement

Title: Director.

Reports to: SWO Tribal Chairman.

The Tribal Council shall appoint the Director of the Gaming Commission.

For a complete job description see SWO Human Resource Department.

Closes July 10, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.

 

Dakota Connection

Job Opening

Bingo Department: Cashier (1) part-time, rotating shifts, day, weekday evenings, weekend afternoons, weekends and holidays. Good communication skills with both external and internal customers. Excellent people skills. Will be cross-trained for other positions in the Bingo Department. Must be at least 18 years old. Must have High School Diploma/GED. Must be able to obtain a Key License.

Opening date: June 26, 2009.

Closing date: July 2, 2009 at 4:00 p.m.

Indian Preference will apply/EEO Employer.

If you already have an application on file with the Human Resources Department and would like to be considered for this position please stop by the HR office to have your application reactivated. Your application must have been on file within the past 6 months.

Apply with the Human Resources Department, call or write for job description. Submit application to:

Human Resources Department, Dakota Connection Casino, 46102 SD Hwy 10, Sisseton, SD 57262.