Post by blackcrowheart on Dec 27, 2005 5:48:30 GMT -5
News from the Pacific Northwest
Posted: December 20, 2005
by: Richard Walker / Indian Country Today
Click to Enlarge
Photo courtesy Weldon Wilson -- Gov. Christine Gregoire presented the Governor's Heritage Award to the Wapato Indian Club on Nov. 22.
Nearly $6 million for tribal programs
SEATTLE - Northwest Indian tribal nations will receive nearly $5.8 million in federal funds next year for salmon recovery, habitat restoration and gang intervention programs.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., secured the funds in the Science, State, Justice and Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. ''This funding is going to boost our economy, help create good jobs, fund law enforcement and help preserve our natural heritage for future generations,'' Murray said in a press release.
The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, $67.5 million, provides $4 million to Pacific Coast tribal nations and $1.25 million to Columbia River tribal nations to continue salmon recovery efforts.
The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe is budgeted $250,000 to expand its Gang Intervention Program. The program was established eight years ago to address gang activity on and near the Muckleshoot reservation. This funding will enable Muckleshoot to hire an additional caseworker and female counselor to work with female youth.
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe will receive $280,000 to continue its work restoring salmon habitat on the Lower Elwha River. Lower Elwha Klallam is developing a fisheries recovery plan with the Olympic National Park, National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Prosecutor: Regulators overdid it
SEATTLE - King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng said the state Gambling Commission overstepped its bounds when it negotiated a compact that would have the Spokane Tribe give the state a portion of revenues from a proposed off-reservation casino.
Gov. Christine Gregoire struck down the proposed compact, but Spokane and the commission continue to negotiate.
The commission's job is to regulate gambling and manage gambling policy, Maleng said. He said the commission cannot effectively regulate gambling and manage policy when it has a vested economic interest in gambling expansion.
Maleng and Spokane Tribal Attorney Scott Crowell addressed a Northwest Indian gaming summit Dec. 1 - 2 at the Westin Hotel in Seattle.
Northwest Indian gaming generates $1.6 billion per year; nationwide, gaming is a $19.5 billion industry. Tribal officials fear that the Spokane compact could lead to further revenue sharing with the state, cutting into proceeds that by law are committed to essential government services, including education, health care, police and fire protection, water and sewer services, and elderly and child care.
Northwest gaming tribes also contribute millions of dollars annually through impact fees to local governments and contributions to charities.
''Although Northwest Indian tribes have only been engaged in the gaming industry 17 years, Indian gaming has made a most significant and positive impact on the tribes' quest for self-reliance,'' Washington Indian Gaming Association Chairman W. Ron Allen said in a press release. ''Today, and seemingly every day, we are faced with new political and legal challenges to maintaining this economic opportunity for the benefit of our communities.''
Makah have voice at oil spill forum
SEATTLE - Chad Bowechop, ocean policy adviser of the Makah Nation, participated in an oil spill forum Dec. 12 in the Mountaineers Clubhouse in Seattle.
Bowechop is the Makah liaison to the Northwest Straits Commission and is consulted regionwide for the tribe's perspective on environmental issues.
The forum marked the first anniversary of the grounding of the MV Selendang Ayu and resultant oil spill in the Aleutian Islands. The forum brought together experts from Alaska and Washington to discuss how to prevent catastrophic oil spills, particularly in Washington's Puget Sound.
One topic of discussion was a Marine Mammal Protection Act amendment prohibiting refinery docks from handling crude oil beyond that required for Washington state's needs. Congress is considering overturning the amendment, which could mean increased oil tanker traffic in Puget Sound.
Forum participants included Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Mountlake Terrace; Bill Dunbar, Washington state director for Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Walter Parker, former chairman of the Alaska Oil Spill Commission; and Mike Cooper, chairman of the Washington state Oil Spill Citizens Advisory Council.
Heritage club honored by governor
OLYMPIA, Wash. - A Yakama student club and a Yakama elder were two recipients of the 2005 Governor's Arts and Heritage Awards, which recognize individuals and organizations for ''their significant contributions to the creativity and culture of Washington state.''
Gov. Christine Gregoire and the state Arts Commission presented the awards Nov. 22 in the governor's mansion.
Virginia Beavert of Topboy thingyh, a Yakama Nation elder, received the Heritage Award for her work as a teacher of sacred songs and ceremonies. The Wapato Indian Club, a Yakama heritage club and dance troupe from Wapato Middle School on the Yakama Reservation, also received a Heritage Award. Club members, dressed in regalia, performed a moving traditional story in sign language during the ceremony.
Gregoire presented each recipient with an original bronze sculpture, ''River Otter,'' by Leo Osborne of Anacortes.
Since 1966, the Governor's Arts Awards have recognized 145 individuals for their artwork, community service, leadership in the arts, and teaching and mentorship. The Governor's Heritage Awards were established in 1989 to honor those who preserve and promote traditions and cultural heritage in Washington state.
Documentary explores passage's cultural diversity
SEATTLE - Performance artist Chenoa Egawa, Lummi/S'Klallam, hosted ''Inside Passage,'' a documentary about the history, cultural diversity and natural beauty of the Pacific Coast passage between mainland Canada and Alaska and their coastal islands.
The program premiered Dec. 8 on KCTS public television in Seattle.
At its southern end, the Inside Passage starts in the Puget Sound, ancestral home of the Duwamish and Suquamish. The passage continues north past the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands, ancestral home of several Coast Salish nations; across the border into British Columbia, home of the Kwakwaka'wakw; to the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland.
The passage's northern end is the Alaska panhandle, home of the Haida and Tlingit.
For centuries, the passage has inspired legends, stories and chronicles of life on the edge of the sea. In ''Inside Passage,'' Egawa and actor Gene Tagaban, Tlingit, share stories and legends passed down by generations of peoples for whom the waters of the Inside Passage have always held great meaning.
For more information, visit www.kcts.org.
Richard Walker is a correspondent reporting from San Juan Island, Wash. Contact him at rmwalker@rockisland.com.
Posted: December 20, 2005
by: Richard Walker / Indian Country Today
Click to Enlarge
Photo courtesy Weldon Wilson -- Gov. Christine Gregoire presented the Governor's Heritage Award to the Wapato Indian Club on Nov. 22.
Nearly $6 million for tribal programs
SEATTLE - Northwest Indian tribal nations will receive nearly $5.8 million in federal funds next year for salmon recovery, habitat restoration and gang intervention programs.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., secured the funds in the Science, State, Justice and Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. ''This funding is going to boost our economy, help create good jobs, fund law enforcement and help preserve our natural heritage for future generations,'' Murray said in a press release.
The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, $67.5 million, provides $4 million to Pacific Coast tribal nations and $1.25 million to Columbia River tribal nations to continue salmon recovery efforts.
The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe is budgeted $250,000 to expand its Gang Intervention Program. The program was established eight years ago to address gang activity on and near the Muckleshoot reservation. This funding will enable Muckleshoot to hire an additional caseworker and female counselor to work with female youth.
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe will receive $280,000 to continue its work restoring salmon habitat on the Lower Elwha River. Lower Elwha Klallam is developing a fisheries recovery plan with the Olympic National Park, National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Prosecutor: Regulators overdid it
SEATTLE - King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng said the state Gambling Commission overstepped its bounds when it negotiated a compact that would have the Spokane Tribe give the state a portion of revenues from a proposed off-reservation casino.
Gov. Christine Gregoire struck down the proposed compact, but Spokane and the commission continue to negotiate.
The commission's job is to regulate gambling and manage gambling policy, Maleng said. He said the commission cannot effectively regulate gambling and manage policy when it has a vested economic interest in gambling expansion.
Maleng and Spokane Tribal Attorney Scott Crowell addressed a Northwest Indian gaming summit Dec. 1 - 2 at the Westin Hotel in Seattle.
Northwest Indian gaming generates $1.6 billion per year; nationwide, gaming is a $19.5 billion industry. Tribal officials fear that the Spokane compact could lead to further revenue sharing with the state, cutting into proceeds that by law are committed to essential government services, including education, health care, police and fire protection, water and sewer services, and elderly and child care.
Northwest gaming tribes also contribute millions of dollars annually through impact fees to local governments and contributions to charities.
''Although Northwest Indian tribes have only been engaged in the gaming industry 17 years, Indian gaming has made a most significant and positive impact on the tribes' quest for self-reliance,'' Washington Indian Gaming Association Chairman W. Ron Allen said in a press release. ''Today, and seemingly every day, we are faced with new political and legal challenges to maintaining this economic opportunity for the benefit of our communities.''
Makah have voice at oil spill forum
SEATTLE - Chad Bowechop, ocean policy adviser of the Makah Nation, participated in an oil spill forum Dec. 12 in the Mountaineers Clubhouse in Seattle.
Bowechop is the Makah liaison to the Northwest Straits Commission and is consulted regionwide for the tribe's perspective on environmental issues.
The forum marked the first anniversary of the grounding of the MV Selendang Ayu and resultant oil spill in the Aleutian Islands. The forum brought together experts from Alaska and Washington to discuss how to prevent catastrophic oil spills, particularly in Washington's Puget Sound.
One topic of discussion was a Marine Mammal Protection Act amendment prohibiting refinery docks from handling crude oil beyond that required for Washington state's needs. Congress is considering overturning the amendment, which could mean increased oil tanker traffic in Puget Sound.
Forum participants included Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Mountlake Terrace; Bill Dunbar, Washington state director for Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Walter Parker, former chairman of the Alaska Oil Spill Commission; and Mike Cooper, chairman of the Washington state Oil Spill Citizens Advisory Council.
Heritage club honored by governor
OLYMPIA, Wash. - A Yakama student club and a Yakama elder were two recipients of the 2005 Governor's Arts and Heritage Awards, which recognize individuals and organizations for ''their significant contributions to the creativity and culture of Washington state.''
Gov. Christine Gregoire and the state Arts Commission presented the awards Nov. 22 in the governor's mansion.
Virginia Beavert of Topboy thingyh, a Yakama Nation elder, received the Heritage Award for her work as a teacher of sacred songs and ceremonies. The Wapato Indian Club, a Yakama heritage club and dance troupe from Wapato Middle School on the Yakama Reservation, also received a Heritage Award. Club members, dressed in regalia, performed a moving traditional story in sign language during the ceremony.
Gregoire presented each recipient with an original bronze sculpture, ''River Otter,'' by Leo Osborne of Anacortes.
Since 1966, the Governor's Arts Awards have recognized 145 individuals for their artwork, community service, leadership in the arts, and teaching and mentorship. The Governor's Heritage Awards were established in 1989 to honor those who preserve and promote traditions and cultural heritage in Washington state.
Documentary explores passage's cultural diversity
SEATTLE - Performance artist Chenoa Egawa, Lummi/S'Klallam, hosted ''Inside Passage,'' a documentary about the history, cultural diversity and natural beauty of the Pacific Coast passage between mainland Canada and Alaska and their coastal islands.
The program premiered Dec. 8 on KCTS public television in Seattle.
At its southern end, the Inside Passage starts in the Puget Sound, ancestral home of the Duwamish and Suquamish. The passage continues north past the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands, ancestral home of several Coast Salish nations; across the border into British Columbia, home of the Kwakwaka'wakw; to the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland.
The passage's northern end is the Alaska panhandle, home of the Haida and Tlingit.
For centuries, the passage has inspired legends, stories and chronicles of life on the edge of the sea. In ''Inside Passage,'' Egawa and actor Gene Tagaban, Tlingit, share stories and legends passed down by generations of peoples for whom the waters of the Inside Passage have always held great meaning.
For more information, visit www.kcts.org.
Richard Walker is a correspondent reporting from San Juan Island, Wash. Contact him at rmwalker@rockisland.com.