Good morning!

Welcome to American Indian Heritage Month. As American Indian Special Emphasis Coordinator at WRCC, it is my responsibility and my pleasure to share with you during the month of November informative e-mails I call "Notes from Native America".

While we are waiting for the official Presidential Proclamation for this year, here is a little bit of history on the designation of November as American Indian Heritage Month.

On August 3, 1990, a Joint Resolution designating the month of November 1990 as "National American Indian Heritage Month" was approved by President Bush, becoming Public Law 101-343 (104 Stat. 391).

On March 2, 1992, President Bush issued a proclamation designating 1992 as the "Year of the American Indian" based on legislation by Congress (Public Law 102-188).

On November 5, 1994, President Clinton issued a proclamation based on Senate Joint Resolution 271, designating the month of November 1994 as "National American Indian Heritage Month".

Since 1995, President Clinton has issued a proclamation, each year, designating the month of November as "National American Indian Heritage Month".

For more information on efforts to establish a day, week and month to recognize American Indians, you can go to the BIA website at:

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Greetings and happy election day.

As we head out to the polls today, I am sure a number of us are grateful for the opportunity to participate in our government, unlike those in many other countries who do not have that option. One of the reasons that the American democracy has survived for over 200 years is the structure on which it is built, which incorporates a blend of Greco-Roman philosophies, as well as another very important element. That element is the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on America's founding fathers. It is our diversity of thought that gives our country its strength.

The Great Peace

Before the arrival of the Europeans, an unending series of wars and feuds among the Iroquois nations nearly destroyed their civilization.

A visionary Huron named Deganawida appeared in Iroquois territory with a message of peace--thirteen laws that promoted peace without violence. An Onondaga man named Hiawatha became a strong supporter of the "Peace Maker."

Hiawatha, a great orator, traveled to the other nations and submitted the plan for their consent. A Mohawk woman was the first person to approve the plan. Her actions symbolized the importance of women to the Iroquois political process. The Iroquois chiefs subsequently approved the plan.

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The Iroquois Confederacy

The Iroquois Confederacy was a sophisticated political and social system. It united the territories of the five nations in a symbolic longhouse that stretched across the present-day state of New York.

The original five nations of the Confederacy were divided into two groups: the Elders, consisting of the Mohawk, the Onondaga, and the Seneca; and the Younger, the Oneida and the Cayuga. Despite this distinction, all decisions of the Confederacy had to be unanimous.

The decision-making process mirrored the creation of peace among the Iroquois. The Onondaga introduced a topic and offered it to the Mohawk for consideration. When a decision was reached, they passed it to the Seneca. A joint decision was announced to the groups across the fire for deliberation.

When these groups reached an agreement, they reported to the Onondaga Council Leader. If he agreed, the decision was unanimous. If not, the negotiation process began again with the Mohawk. If unanimity were impossible, the matter was set aside and the fire covered with ashes.

At the conclusion of a session, the acts of the council were recorded in the belts of wampum that chronicle events of significance.

To this day, Iroquois law remains unchanged. It continues to guide the Grand Council of the People of the Longhouse and has influenced nations outside of the Confederacy as well. The structure of the Iroquois Confederacy inspired the American Colonists' development of the U.S. government.

From the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh website at:

http://www.clpgh.org/cmnh/exhibits/north-south-east-west/iroquois/confederacy.html

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As the 21st century begins, there are over 190,000 Native American military veterans. It is well recognized that, historically, Native Americans have the highest record of service per capita when compared to other ethnic groups. The reasons behind this disproportionate contribution are complex and deeply rooted in traditional American Indian culture. In many respects, Native Americans are no different from others who volunteer for military service. They do, however, have distinctive cultural values which drive them to serve their country. One such value is their proud warrior tradition.

In part, the warrior tradition is a willingness to engage the enemy in battle. This characteristic has been clearly demonstrated by the courageous deeds of Native Americans in combat. However, the warrior tradition is best exemplified by the followings qualities said to be inherent to most if not an Native American societies: Strength, Honor, Pride, Devotion, and Wisdom. These qualities make a perfect fit with military tradition.

To be an American Indian warrior is to have physical, mental, and spiritual strength. A warrior must be prepared to overpower the enemy and face death head-on.

American Indian soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen have fought heroically in all of this century's wars and armed conflicts. They have not only been formally recognized for their bravery through military decoration but through anecdotal observation as well.

More important, however, is the warrior's spiritual strength. Many traditional cultures recognize that war disrupts the natural order of life and causes a spiritual disharmony. To survive the chaos of war is to gain a more intimate knowledge of fife. Therefore, military service is a unique way to develop an inner strength that is valued in Native American society.

Having a strong sense of inner spirituality is also a part of the Indian character. Many Native Americans are raised on rural or remote reservations, an environment that fosters self-reliance, introspection, and a meditative way of thinking. These character traits can be very beneficial when adapting to the occasional isolation of military life in times of both peace and war.

"We honor our veterans for their bravery and because by seeing death on the battlefield, they truly know the greatness of life. "

- Winnebago Elder

NOTE:***For more information on American Indians in the US Military you may go to:

http://128.174.5.51/denix/Public/Native/Outreach/Warriors/warriors.html

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Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

November 9, 2000

NATIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2000

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians are a special part of the tapestry of our Nation's history. As keepers of a rich and ancient cultural heritage, Native Americans share with all of us the beauty of their art, the power of their songs, and the grace of their people. As individuals, they have distinguished themselves in virtually every field, from the arts to the sciences, from the world of sports to the world of commerce.

This month, we celebrate the culture and contributions of the first Americans. We also remember with sorrow the suffering they endured because of past Federal actions and policies that had long-term and often devastating consequences for Native Americans and their culture. But, as the new millennium dawns, there is reason for optimism. During my 1999 New Markets tour of the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota and my visit to the Navajo Nation in New Mexico in April of this year, I saw firsthand a strength of spirit and hope sweeping through Indian Country. The Vice President and I have worked with tribes to foster this hope -- through economic development initiatives and improved education and health care.

We still have much to accomplish, however. While my Administration has worked hard to bridge the digital divide and bring the Information Superhighway to Indian Country, some areas still do not have telephone and power lines. We continue striving to provide American Indians with the tools they need to strengthen family and community life by fighting poverty, crime, alcohol and drug abuse, and domestic violence, and we are working with tribes to improve academic achievement and strengthen tribal colleges.

We are also seeking to ensure that tribal leaders have a voice equal to that of Federal and State officials in addressing issues of concern to all our citizens. I reaffirmed that commitment to tribal sovereignty and self-determination by issuing this month a revised Executive Order on Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments. This order builds on prior actions and strengthens our government-to-government relationship with Indian tribes by ensuring that all Executive departments and agencies consult with Indian tribes and respect tribal sovereignty as the agencies consider policy initiatives that affect Indian communities.

This year, my Administration proposed the largest budget increase ever for a comprehensive Native American initiative for health care, education, infrastructure, and economic development. Just last month, as part of the Department of the Interior appropriations legislation, I signed into law one segment of this budget initiative that includes significant investments for school construction in Indian Country and the largest funding increase ever for the Indian Health Service. These are the kinds of investments that will empower tribal communities to address an array of needs and, ultimately, to achieve a better standard of living.

Back in 1994, when I first met with the tribal leaders of more than 500 Indian nations at the White House, I saw the strength and determination that have enabled Native Americans to overcome extraordinary barriers and protect their hard-won civil and political rights. Since then, by working together, we have established a new standard for Federal Indian policy -- one that promotes an effective government-to-government relationship between the Federal Government and the tribes, and that seeks to ensure greater prosperity, self-reliance, and hope for all Native Americans. While we cannot erase the tragedies of the past, we can create a future where all of our country's people share in America's great promise.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2000 as National American Indian Heritage Month. I urge all Americans, as well as their elected representatives at the Federal, State, local, and tribal levels, to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

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 The following Spiritual Message to America was delivered at the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) conference in Duluth MN in August 2000. The text was taken from NICOA's website (http://www.nicoa.org/)

A SPIRITUAL MESSAGE TO AMERICA

As we stand before the dawn of a new millennium, we pray for America's survival, our survival.

We pray that we will be given strength by the Creator to follow the footsteps of our forefathers to share our love, respect and compassion for one another. There is good in everyone because our Creator has put a little of Himself in all of us.

We pray for forgiveness for the pain and suffering we have caused one another.

We pray that our children will not repeat our mistakes.

We pray that we can respect the diversity of America; all life is sacred. Every child born is a precious gift of our Creator. It is our sacred trust to embrace children from all walks of life because we are part of the same family.

We pray that children will honor and respect their elders-that is where the wisdom comes from. This respect will not allow forgotten elders. We are all equal, with each having our own special gift to contribute.

These values allow our youth to become leaders and workers in our society. Children, you are our future and our hope for the people. Stand and be courageous.

We pray to learn and use the wisdom of all that has come before us, to achieve personal successes and to contribute to those of others. Only when our young ones learn respect for everything can they evolve.

EARTH

We pray for respect and love of Mother Earth because she is the foundation of human survival and we must keep her pollution-free for those who will travel after us. Protect her water, air, soil, trees, forests, plants and animals.

Do not just take and waste resources. Make it a priority to conserve.

The land is given to us by the Creator to care for, not to own. If we take care of the land, the land will take care of us. 

UNITY

We should have respect for each other. We pray for commitment and responsible behavior in order to help those in need and to give them support and friendship. Be an example in life that others may follow; serve people, community and country.

We should all strive to be a leaders and contributors. Do not sit back and let others plan and do all the thinking.

Let us unite together so that we may have the strength to protect our future. Strength comes from working through trials and tribulations. 

HEALTH

Spiritual health is the key to holistic health.

We pray to have the discipline to set healthy examples for our children to follow.

Respecting everyone and everything in the universe starts with self-respect.

Take time to listen and take care of your body and spirit.

FAMILY AND YOUTH

Family is important and precious. Always let them know that they are loved.

Let your children and grandchildren know you are always there to love and support them and that they mean the world to you no matter what they do or say. Children are of infinite value.

Live what you teach. Spiritual values, honesty, and integrity start in the home.

We pray for the youth. We must teach the youth to work together and respect all that is living on our Mother Earth.

We need to convey to our younger generations that the survival of our people lies in spirituality.

PEACE

We pray to learn ways to settle differences peacefully.

Teach respect for each other's ideas. Value honesty on all levels, from children to parents to community to governments. We will be happy when we create peace with each other.

To the 7th Generation

- Survive

- Keep hopes and dreams

- Take care of yourself

- Remember your spirit

- Be there for each other

- Respect courage

- Share knowledge

- Always keep learning

- Remember your true values

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Indian Tycoons Stress the Role of Tribes' Sovereignty

Thursday, November 16, 2000

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- American Indian tribes that exercise greater sovereignty in creating strong tribal government are doing a better job of developing their economies, several business leaders said Wednesday.

Crucial ingredients include strong institutions, such as courts, and clear distinctions between the role of tribal councils and Indian corporations.

"We set in place a system that the Tribal Council can respect," said Lance Morgan, of the Winnebago Tribe in Nebraska and chief executive of Ho-Chunk Inc., the tribe's business development arm.

Six years ago, Ho-Chunk began using gambling proceeds as seed money for businesses that this year employed 250 people and reaped $15 million in revenue. Indian business leaders shared their strategies for economic growth Wednesday at the National Congress of American Indians, a weeklong conference that has drawn leaders and officials from more than 200 tribes to a convention center here. A recurring theme: Indians do better when they make their own decisions, control reservation resources and craft regulations that allow companies to operate apart from tribal governments.

It's not unusual for investors to treat Indian reservations with the same skepticism they apply to developing countries in eastern Europe, said Stephen Cornell and Joseph Kalt, co-founders of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

"You can have all the natural and human resources in the world, but it won't do any good unless you can establish that you have a rule of law that makes investors feel safe," said Kalt, a Harvard professor.

But the business climate is changing, several leaders said. In addition to drafting commercial codes, some tribes are reforming their constitutions and creating dispute resolution mechanisms. Federal oversight of reservations has also changed from the top-down, assimilation model of the 1930s to more self-determination for tribes, Cornell and Kalt said.

BY GREGG AAMOT / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law.

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Welcome back- hope you had a great holiday!

Most everyone knows that Sacagawea was the young woman who helped the Lewis and Clark expedition finally reach the Pacific ocean in the early 1800's. We also are aware that last year a dollar coin was created to honor her. Here is some more detailed information from the US Mint website, which has a number of interesting links, including one that introduces you to the model who posed for the image on the coin:

"Sacagawea 'who accompanied you that long dangerous and fatigueing rout to the Pacific Ocean and back diserved a greater reward for her attention and services on that rout than we had in our power to give her [sic].'" L. M. Clark

"The expedition hung in the balance in many cases along the trail and it was Sacagawea's participation that was so crucial to its success." Philip N. Diehl, U.S. Mint Director

Sacagawea was the Shoshone Indian who assisted the historic Lewis and Clark expedition. Between 1804-1806, while still a teenager, she guided the adventurers from the Northern Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean and back. Her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, and their son who was born during the trip, Jean Baptiste, also accompanied the group.

Without Sacagawea's navigational, diplomatic, and translating skills, the famous Lewis and Clark expedition would have perished. For one, she helped Lewis and Clark obtain the horses they needed to continue their journey.

Now, almost 200 years later, the resourceful Native American steps back into the limelight. Sacagawea replaces suffragette Susan B. Anthony as the image on the dollar coin. Soon everyone who handles the Golden Dollar will remember the brave 15-year-old who, carrying her child on her back, guided an unprecedented mission.

For more information go to:

http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/golden_dollar_coin/index.cfm?action=about_sacagawea

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"The Scalpel and the Silver Bear" is an autobiographical book written by the first Navajo woman surgeon, Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord. Here are some excerpts from an article about her from "Winds Of Change" , the magazine published by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

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For many years, Lori Alvord knew that she had to tell two stories. The first story is about how a girl from a remote town in Dinétah was able to travel across cultural, class and educational borders and become a surgeon in a medical world whose doors have been closed to minority people for most of its existence. The second story is about how ancient tribal ways and philosophies can help a floundering medical system find its way back to its original mission: healing.

In "The Scalpel and the Silver Bear," Dr. Alvord and Elizabeth Cohen Van Pelt beautifully intertwine these two stories. The themes are so universal and timely that the book is well on its way to becoming a best-seller. Both Native and non-Native readers are finding inspiration in Alvord's journey.

Lori Arviso Alvord grew up in the small Navajo community of Crownpoint in a family without money, power, or influence. Although her parents did not have college degrees, they encouraged her and her two sisters to get an education. Lori made good grades in high school. She allowed herself to believe that she might some day hold a college degree, but her college plans were modest. And, Alvord writes, "I resisted any larger dreams, for fear they could not come true."

Lori became the first graduate of her school to become an Ivy League student when she was accepted by Dartmouth College.

Despite the relatively large number of Indian students at Dartmouth, Lori experienced culture shock: "I thought people talked too much, laughed too loud, asked too many personal questions, and had no respect for privacy. They seemed overly competitive and put a higher value on material wealth than I was used to."

At Dartmouth she began to honor and cherish her tribal membership. She realized that tribes provide connectedness, a blueprint for how to live, a feeling of inclusion in something larger. In the years that followed, she would even come to understand that tribal membership is central to mental, spiritual, and physical health. She realized that community and tribe not only reduce the alienation people feel, but in doing so, stave off illness.

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During medical school, (at Stanford) Alvord had to deal with Navajo taboos. Dissecting a cadaver during the anatomy course meant breaking the taboo against touching the dead. Examining and operating on patients required breaking the taboo against touching another person, especially a person one does not know. Asking patients sensitive and probing questions required breaking the taboo against asking personal questions.

She knew that she wanted to be a surgeon and that she wanted to help her people. This meant not only continually going up against these taboos but also facing other obstacles. At that time approximately 4% of practicing surgeons were women. Further, there were only a few Native American surgeons in the world, none of whom were women.

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After facing a serious personal illness and completing her residency program, Alvord joined the Indian Health Service and worked at the Gallup Indian Medical Center, 50 miles from her hometown. She thought that she could easily fit back into Dinétah, but discovered that, because of the ways her education had changed her, returning was as difficult as leaving. "Although I was a good surgeon, I was not always a good healer," she states. "I went back to the healers of my tribe to learn what a surgical residency could not teach me. From them I heard a resounding message: Everything in life is connected. Learn to understand the bonds between humans, spirit, and nature."

Alvord was reminded of the concept of Walking in Beauty, which means caring for yourself mind, body, and spirit, and having the right relationships with your family, community, the animal world, the environment, earth, air, and water, our planet and universe. People, she decided, want and need medicine that connects rather than isolates.

Alvord discovered among other things that patients who went through sings and ceremonies were calmer and did better in surgery. "I needed the patients' spirits to assist me in surgery, and their minds should be relaxed and in a state of trust before they went to the operating room," she says. "They should be prepared to let me enter the sacred chambers of their bodies."

In time, Alvord learned, "The scalpel is my tool, as are all the newer technologies of laparoscopy, but my Silver Bear, my Navajo beliefs and culture, are what guide me." Alvord learned that she could draw both on western and traditional medicine, not only when caring for her patients but also when caring for herself.

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For the full article, you may go to the AISES website at: http://www.winds.uthscsa.edu/2000/Spring/alvord.html

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