Financial Transparency Legislation Renews Controversy Over First Nation Chiefs’ Salaries

MIKE DEAL/WINNIPEG FREE PRESSAboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister Bernard Valcourt addresses reporters.Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/18/financial-transparency-legislation-renews-controversy-over-chiefs-salaries-148898

MIKE DEAL/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister Bernard Valcourt addresses reporters.
Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/18/financial-transparency-legislation-renews-controversy-over-chiefs-salaries-148898

By David P. Ball, Indian Country Today Media Network

Newly enacted federal legislation forcing First Nations to disclose their leaders’ salaries and spending online has been decried by critics who say the public is being misled by “myth” and stereotypes.

On Wednesday March 27 in Winnipeg, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister Bernard Valcourt attempted to announce that the First Nations Financial Accountability Act, known as Bill C-27, had received royal assent and become law. But advocates say that accountability already exists, and the Conservatives’ real purpose is to demonize Natives as corrupt and incapable of managing themselves.

Demonstrators cut short Valcourt’s press conference, one of them drowning out a speech by aboriginal advocate Phyllis Sutherland by beating a hand drum while shouting “Oppressors!” as she and the minister were ushered into a back room. Sutherland, an outspoken critic of her Manitoba band’s leadership—her chief reportedly earned $206,381 in 2009—brought the salaries of some First Nation chiefs to national media attention three years ago when she leaked the information to the right-leaning Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF). The federation launched an ardent campaign for transparency legislation by releasing data suggesting that dozens of chiefs earned more than the country’s Prime Minister and provincial premiers. Highest paid was the chief of Glooscap First Nation in Nova Scotia, population 304, who reportedly earned $978,468.

But aboriginal critics tore apart the federation’s method of comparing First Nations and Canadian politicians’ salaries. The organization included travel reimbursements for Natives but not Members of Parliament, for instance, and also inflated aboriginal incomes—which, under treaties, are not taxed on reserves—in order to compare them with Canadian politicians’ taxed salaries, a tactic that nearly doubled the leaders’ salaries in some cases.

“As far as I’m concerned, people have a right to know what their chief and councils are making and what their band finances are being spent on,” Sutherland, of Peguis First Nation in Manitoba, told Indian Country Today Media Network. “Where is all this money? Why didn’t they do anything for the people? There’s certainly no benefit to the people out there.”

Sutherland said her goal was to end alleged mismanagement and secrecy, especially as many Natives suffer from substandard housing and education.

“In every First Nations reserve I talk with, it’s always the same story: widespread corruption among leaders,” she said. “Not all of them. There are some First Nations doing wonderful things for their people. But I can’t see the problem with them having to post their salaries, honorariums and remuneration. It should be automatic.”

Pam Palmater, chair of Ryerson University’s Indigenous Governance program and runner-up in last year’s election for National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), says information on band finances already is provided to Aboriginal Affairs. Reserves must fill out 163 spending reports a year, she said, quoting AFN reports. On average, she added, chiefs actually make about $36,000—less than 80 percent of average per capita earnings in Canada.

“The financial information already is transparent,” Palmater told reporters. “That’s the myth that’s being perpetuated by this legislation. First Nations don’t get a single cent unless they submit audited financial statements. More than audited financial statements: On average they have to submit one report every three days.”

The AFN also opposed the legislation, saying that there are other ways to improve accountability on reserves without extending federal control over bands.

“First Nations have been clear in their commitment to accountability and transparency to all of our citizens,” said AFN National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo. “Bill C-27 would not support this accountability, but instead gives more power to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. We do not support unilateralism that further entrenches us in a system that doesn’t work for our people or Canada. The answers lie in our communities and with our citizens, not with more control from Ottawa.”

Valcourt told reporters on March 27 that C-27 represents “an important step” toward First Nations’ self-sufficiency, and would help assure outside investors their money is well managed.

“In our quest for self-sufficiency and economic development, we have a whole youth there that is waiting [for] training and getting the skills they need to get the jobs that are available and can be available for them,” he said. “Investors need the assurance there is accountability and transparency. That’s why I believe this is an important step for First Nations all across Canada.”

 

Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/18/financial-transparency-legislation-renews-controversy-over-chiefs-salaries-148898

‘American Buffalo’ Opens at National Museum of Wildlife Art

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

Before you head to Yellowstone National Park this summer to see the real deal, stop at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to see stunning paintings of bison from the early 18th Century.

The exhibit “George Catlin’s American Buffalo” opens May 18 and runs until August 18, featuring 40 paintings by the artist, who produced about 500 works based on the travels among 50 Native tribes in the 1830s, according to the museum. The show takes a “fresh look at the famous works of [Catlin] through the lens of his representation of buffalo and their integration into the lives of Native Americans.”

George Catlin, "Buffalo Bull, Grazing on the Prairie," 1832-1833, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
George Catlin, “Buffalo Bull, Grazing on the Prairie,” 1832-1833, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.

“Catlin’s paintings illuminate in great detail the close ties between Native American tribes and bison in the 1830s, and his writings about the land and its native inhabitants have informed generations of conservationists as they wrestle with sustainable ways to manage America’s Great Plains,” said Adam Duncan Harris, curator of art for the National Museum of Wildlife Art, in a press release.

 

George Catlin, "Hee-láh-dee, Pure Fountain, Wife of The Smoke," 1832 oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
George Catlin, “Hee-láh-dee, Pure Fountain, Wife of The Smoke,” 1832 oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.

 

The exhibition, organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum in collaboration with the National Museum of Wildlife Art, is drawn entirely from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection. For more info on “George Catlin’s American Buffalo” and the National Museum of Wildlife Art, click here.

 

 

Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/18/american-buffalo-opens-national-museum-wildlife-art-148861

Wisdom of the Elders Celebrates 20 Year of Good Works

Wisdom of the Elders is celebrating its 20 year anniversary on April 19, 2013

We’d like to you to join us. For the past twenty years, we have completed numerous oral history recording projects, three American Indian radio series, culturally tailored multimedia health and wellness curricula, sponsored seven Northwest Indian Storytelling Festivals and emerging tribal storytellers workshops, hosted Turtle Island Storytellers Network, and formed Wisdom Gardens. Our mission:  Wisdom of the Elders, Inc. records and preserves oral history, cultural arts, language concepts, and traditional ecological knowledge of exemplary American Indian historians, cultural leaders, and environmentalists in collaboration with arts and cultural organizations, and science and educational institutions.
The evening at Ecotrust’s Billy Frank Jr. Conference Center at 721 NW 9th in Portland (97209) will include music from Cedar Rose, featuring Nico Wind and Karen Kitchen; storytelling; and an account of Wisdom’s history. There will be a raffle to help cover event expenses and a paddle raising to welcome new Friends of Wisdom.
Please let us know that you can join us April 19 for our celebration. This is our “thank you” to our friends, board members, teams, and volunteers. And it is free, but seating is limited. So please RSVP:http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/337502.
Special acknowledgement goes to our colleagues at Ecotrust for the grant for the use of the Billy Frank Jr. Conference Center at The Ecotrust Building; and to New Seasons for their generous food donations. Also a huge thank you to all of our Friends of Wisdom, board members, teams, and volunteers from the past 20 years!
Please contact Lisa Lakes at lisawisdomelders@gmail.com for more info or if you have questions.

Tribal member Tyler Fryberg trains for NW Regional Spring Sports Festival

Article by Monica Brown

Tyler Fryberg carries the torch for the Special Olypmics
Photo by Brandi Montreuil

Tulalip Tribal member Tyler Fryberg has set his mind to return to the Special Olympics Summer Games this year. Tyler has been participating in sports activities like track and field, cross country, basketball and bowling, since high school. Prior to the summer games last year, Tyler was asked to carry the Special Olympics Torch, which he gladly accepted and ran 18 miles.

“I definitely want to carry the torch this summer,” said Tyler “it’s so much fun.”

For the past few weeks Tyler and the Marysville team have been training and preparing for the Northwest Regional Spring Sports Festival on May 5th, 2013 at Marysville Pilchuck High School. Tyler will make every effort during the festival to qualify for the Special Olympics Summer Games that will be held at Joint Base Lewis – McChord on May 31-June 2.

This year at the festival, Tyler will be taking part in the 100 meter and the 4 X 100 meter relay along with two extra events; the shot put and the 400 meter.

“I’m okay at shot put” says Tyler, “The ball is eight pounds and my best throw is ten meters.” Tyler has been practicing the shot put since the beginning of winter.

Even though Tyler has FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome), he has not let that determine his limits in life. In high school Tyler was accepted on the varsity track team at Monroe High School and ran a 5:28 mile. Tyler explains, “For someone that has a disability, I was trying to prove that they could get on the varsity track team, and I did. I was on the varsity team for two years.”

Tyler maintains a busy schedule of sports, training, school and volunteering. His favorite sport is running, but Tyler participates in other activities such as bowling and basketball.

“I actually won the bowling tournament, that was kind of cool.” boasts Tyler.

Tyler Fryberg battled rain & cold weather as he began the 3.5 mile run
Tyler Fryberg battled rain & cold weather as he began the 3.5 mile run
Photo by Brandi Montreuil

Along with sports, Tyler has an active interest in criminal justice. Last year he began taking criminal justice classes at Everett Community College. He contacted the Tulalip Police Department (TPD) and met with the Police Chief at the time, Jay Goss, and began volunteering in the office.

“It’s an interesting story,” laughs Tyler, “I came in and asked for a ride-along, I had a meeting with Chief Goss and I told him all about myself, and that because I have a disability I couldn’t get a real job, but he said I could volunteer instead.” At the TPD, Tyler gains extra experience in the criminal justice field by helping out around the office.

“Ty is very helpful,” says Shawn Edge of the Tulalip Police Department, “he’s always here at the busiest time of the day and he’s always here to help with the stuff that we can’t get to. “

2nd Annual Opportunity Expo

Article by Monica Brown

TUALIP, Wash. -The Opportunity Expo had its second successful year. Marysville Rotary, Marysville School District and The Tulalip Tribes coordinated this year’s Expo. Students preparing to graduate were ushered into the Expo where they could speak with a variety of recruiters and employers about their plans for their future.

The Opportunity Expo booths included over 100 different vendors, including colleges, universities, and vocational and technical schools from across the country, along with law enforcement, military recruiters, and top employers like Boeing.

 

Gardening Together as Families begins its second year

Gardeners replant Lettuce in the lettuce wall

   Article by Monica Brown

TULALIP, Wash.- The Hibulb Cultural Center’s Gardening Together as Families event was planned for Saturday April 13, 2013, rain or shine. Despite the cold and rainy weather, gardeners began arriving at ten am, dressed in rain gear and ready to garden. They made their way inside the Cultural Center where they enjoyed traditional prayers and songs prior to heading out to the garden and greenhouse.

Sweet peas vining on an old crab pot
Sweet peas vining on an old crab pot
Photo by Monica Brown

In the garden’s raised planter boxes they replanted the starts from the green house. Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli were all placed in the raised beds. Sugar snap peas were replanted in a raised bed and given an old crab pot to vine on. A spring mix variety of lettuce was replanted in a lettuce wall that looks like upside down stairs to maximize space and water. These cold weather plants are hardier to cold and some freezing temperatures. While the sweet peas and broccoli may produce all summer, cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce will need to be reseeded after they are done producing.

Master Gardener Richelle Taylor inspects the Kale plants
Master Gardener Richelle Taylor inspects the Kale plants
Photo by Monica Brown

Early spring plants that are able to withstand the cooler temperatures were already thriving in the raised planter boxes. Master Gardener Michelle Taylor coerced me to try the fresh Kale that she tore from the stalk. Kale is surprisingly refreshing, sweet and tender; it is similar in taste to sweet peas. Michelle explained how Kale is an easy vegetable to grow in this area of Washington and is full of nutrients like Iron, fiber, calcium, Vitamins C, A and K. Kale is simple to cook with and prepare, it’s great in salad, soup, casserole, or in a smoothie.

Carol Kapua fascinates over the artichoke plant
Carol Kapua fascinates over the artichoke plant
Photo by Monica Brown

Gardener Carol Kapua was enthralled when she saw the large artichoke that it was “so very healthy” and explained how the artichoke will grow and mature on the inside of the bushy plant. Artichoke is not usually grown in this wet climate and is a bit of a finicky perennial but is able to be grown as a low maintenance annual. The artichoke plant will need to be “overwintered” a term which means the plant will need to be cooled to a low temperature of 30 degrees in order to flower.

Inside the greenhouse
A peek inside the greenhouse
Photo by Monica Brown

The next Gardening Together as Families event will be in May. All levels of experience are welcome and Gardeners do not need to bring any tools, although if you have your own garden gloves, knee pads etc. you are welcome to bring them. At the end of each Gardening Together as Families event a delicious and nutritious lunch is prepared by the Cultural Center staff.

For more information or you would like to attend future garden events please contact Veronica Leahy at (360) 716-5642 or email vleahy@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

 

“The Life of William Shelton, a Tulalip Indian” Documentary on Kickstarter

"The Life of William Shelton, a Tulalip Indian" on Kickstarter
“The Life of William Shelton, a Tulalip Indian” on Kickstarter

 

“The Life of William Shelton, a Tulalip Indian” documentary, which recently took first place for “Best Overall Film” at the Tulalip Hibulb Film Festival is now on Kickstarter. The film, produced by Lita Sheldon, Tulalip tribal member and Jeff Boice, is working to raise money to create a broadcast quality film that can be aired on TV stations and small independent theaters, along with raising funding for additional interviews, footage and to cover the cost of editing, post production and securing distribution rights.

Kickstarter is an online site home to everything creative, including films, games, music, art, design and more. All of the projects on Kickstarter are brought to life through the direct support of people willing to pledge money and show their support. “The Life of William Shelton, a Tulalip Indian” currently has 42 days to raise their goal of $30,000.

You can read about the project, the people behind it and the various items you can receive depending on your donations here.

 

 

 

Using Video Games and Kickstarter to Learn the Cherokee Language

By Ralph Richardson, Indian Country Today Media Network

In our highly competitive global economy, learning a new language is back in vogue, whether it’s Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic—or Cherokee. There are a plethora of programs, applications and schools to help people hone their communication abilities. Now comes a new strategy: Don Thornton, founder and president of Thornton Media, Inc. and a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, has developed Talking Games, the first commercial 3-D video game that teaches language.

“The problem is that too many language courses are sitting on shelves gathering dust,” Thornton says. “The reason is boredom. You simply can’t get the player to continue using the game for hundreds of hours because they are bored. We intend to make language learning more fun.”

People are embarrassed to struggle with a language in the real world but can have fun with the exercise in a gaming situation. (Courtesty Don Thornton)
People are embarrassed to struggle with a language in the real world but can have fun with the exercise in a gaming situation. (Courtesty Don Thornton)

Thornton has utilized new technology to help preserve the language of his ancestors. “Our video game model is a true paradigm shift in the language software industry,” he claims. “It’s a disruptive technology advance that will change the way all languages are learned.”

Thornton says his grandmother, Lucinda Robbins, taught Cherokee in her hometown of Tahlequah, Oklahoma for 40 years. “While visiting her I purchased a Cherokee-English dictionary near her home, which I showed to her for her opinion,” he recalls. “She flipped through it and said she knew the professor who wrote it and commented that he used to ‘Come over and ask me how to say words when I was sitting on my porch.’ ”

Eventually the professor didn’t even bother to sit on Robbins’s porch and “would just drop off lists of words and she would fill them out for him. He did this for three years. I flipped through the dictionary thinking at least he must have thanked her profusely for her help. But her name didn’t appear anywhere in the book. She told me about many similar projects that she had worked on. She translated books for people into Cherokee and had a request to narrate the entire New Testament—a two-year project. At no time did she ever get paid for these major projects or even receive a copy of the work. It got me thinking how Indians don’t have control over their own cultural property and must rely on others.”

Determined to bring Cherokee back to the Cherokee, Thornton says he “started the company by adapting the world’s first ‘smart toy’ to teach an indigenous language.” He claims that development of Talking Games has created many “endangered language firsts,” including the first handheld translator, first two-way translator, first Nintendo DS language-learning apps, first language-learning apps in the iTunes Store and first language-learning video game for an endangered language.

“All of the R&D for these projects was paid for out-of-pocket,” Thornton states proudly. “No grants. We have created custom language tools for more than 170 tribes and First Nations.”
All of this came from his desire to honor his grandmother, who, he says, “died in December 2012 at the age of 92. She was the best Cherokee speaker in our family.”

Despite his successes, Thornton still needs the support of Indian country to continue his work. His Kickstarter campaign launched on March 11, and his goal is to produce his game in both Cherokee and Spanish. Thornton hopes the inclusion of Spanish, which he says is the most requested second language in the country, will subsidize the inclusion of Cherokee. “If we are successful in launching this project it will benefit the revitalization of all endangered languages,” he says.

The game Thornton has developed is engaging and fun. Users fight zombies, wrestle Bigfoot and escape from aliens—all while learning a language. “The virtual world we create for

Thornton was inspired by the mistreatment of his grandmother. (Courtesy Don Thornton)
Thornton was inspired by the mistreatment of his grandmother. (Courtesy Don Thornton)

 

Talking Games is not meant to simply recreate a town or community, but to create a ‘suspension of disbelief,’ ” Thornton says. “We want the player to sort of forget they are playing a game. This is the reason for the amazing addictive power of immersive video games. When you read a great book or see a great movie, you become lost in it, and part of your brain actually forgets you are playing a game. We use 3-D characters that you interact with in our virtual world.”

No special glasses or equipment are required to play Talking Games. It is a role-playing game with 3-D characters, like Grand Theft Auto. In Talking Games, the player controls the main character, Charlie Vann, gets a head injury in a car crash and forgets how to speak Cherokee. His family and friends must help him regain his language. The obstacles he must overcome include zombies, Bigfoot, and aliens. “The problem with most ‘serious games,’ Thornton says, “is that the motivation to play the game is external. You are ordered to play the game by your superiors, for instance. There are no internal motivators to play, making the game fun to play.”

Talking Games also differs from other language-learning programs in that users must speak to play the game. In addition, Talking Games provides what Thornton calls an “immersion environment.” Virtual characters can only respond to the language the user speaks. These aspects of the Talking Games system create a richer learning environment.

Thornton says studies on 25,000 military personnel learning Arabic show that video games that teach languages are “more effective than traditional methods” of language learning. “When you attempt to learn a new language, one of the biggest fears is that you will speak incorrectly and will be laughed at,” he explains. “There is a moment where you look the other person in the eye to see if they understood you. Some people are not bothered by making mistakes in public, but most people feel very uncomfortable if they make a mistake. Talking Games provides a safe environment to practice basic conversation. If you make a mistake in front of a video game character, it’s really not that big of a deal.”

With the introduction of Talking Games, Thornton says he has expanded his goals to promote accelerated learning of all languages—but the heart and soul of his company remains with the languages of original peoples, like his grandmother. “Part of our efforts and profits,” he says, “will always be devoted to the revitalization of endangered languages.”

 

Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/18/using-video-games-and-kickstarter-learn-cherokee-language-148883

North Bend Offers Free Movie Screening for Green Fire

Free Movie Screening of Green Fire
In honor of Earth Day, the North Bend Theatre is hosting a free movie screening of “Green Fire,” a documentary film about legendary conservationist Also Leopold and his environmental legacy. Aldo Leopold’s youngest daughter Dr. Estella Leopold will speak before the showing. Aldo Leopold is best known for his book “A Sand County Almanac.” 
 
When: April 24,  7 p.m.
 
Who: North Bend Theatre and Aldo Leopold Foundation
 
Where:  North Bend Theatre, 125 Bendigo Boulevard N., North Bend, Wash., 98045
 
Cost: Free
 
Contact: Rachel Hopkins at rachelberningerhopkins@gmail.com or 206-715-5009
 
Visit Green Fire website at http://www.aldoleopold.org/greenfire/ for more information.