Missoulian reporter Tristan Scott takes a closer look at the U.S.-Cadanda border and how crossing that line is sometimes a struggle for tribal members.

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe officials have been mulling options and expressing frustrations about the situation at the border during talks with U.S. Border Patrol and Customs representatives this winter.

As Scott writes, there is a lot to discuss.

ELMO – The 49th parallel. The International Boundary. The Border.

In Montana, it is the northernmost perimeter, a 545-mile-long line along which the state rises to meet three Canadian provinces. The border distinguishes two nations and was born of negotiations that helped end the American Revolutionary War.

But to members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the Blackfeet Nation, among others, the U.S.-Canada border is an arbitrary line demarcating ancestral lands, separating families and undermining tribal sovereignty.

In the most trifling circumstances, the border poses an annoyance to tribal members who regularly travel between Canada and the United States for family visits, council meetings or cultural and religious ceremonies. However, in other instances, either due to a lack of cultural awareness or a misunderstanding by officials with Customs and Border Protection, tribal members have been deeply offended or had their travel plans derailed.

Too many tribal members share horror stories of family members who are prohibited from crossing the border because they do not have a passport (they are not required to possess one) and of religious or cultural items that are unknowingly desecrated by Customs personnel, such as eagle feathers, sweetgrass or sacred medicine bundles.

“A lot of law enforcement and border patrol are ignorant about our culture and tradition in general,” said Vernon Finley of the Kootenai Culture Committee. “They don’t understand that as a tribe who lives along the border, we are allowed to move fluidly throughout our territory. We always have been. And they don’t understand the significance of our religious objects.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Blackfeet, border, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, customs, customs and border protection, kootenai culture committee, Missoulian, tristan scott, u.s.-canada border

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana held council elections in mid-December. The winds of change must of been blowing hard that day.

As Vince Devlin of the Missoulian reports, four of five incumbents were voted out of office.

The CSKT council consists of 10 seats come up for election every two years. Once the councilors are seated, they choose a chairman.

PABLO – Tribal government on the Flathead Indian Reservation will take on a decidedly different look Friday, when the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Council elects a new leader and four new council members are sworn in.

Voters last month turned four of five incumbents out of office, including Tribal Chairman E.T. “Bud” Moran.

Only council member Terry Pitts of Dixon was able to hang onto his job, defeating challenger Anita L. Orr Matt 659-626.

Every other incumbent went down to defeat. The casualties included both Moran, who represented the Pablo District, and former Chairman James Steele Jr. of Arlee.

“I’ve said before that Jimmy the Greek would have lost his shorts in a tribal election,” said former CSKT Chairman Fred Matt, who himself lost a 2006 council race that cost him the leadership position. “I can’t see any rhyme or reason to why it happens. There were no hot-button issues. I really think a large number of people just vote to change. They don’t always have a specific reason.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Bud Moran, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, CSKT, James Steele Jr., Missoulian, terry pitts, tribal council, vince devlin

Bridge to connect communities, pave way for future generations
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes celebrated the opening of a 265-foot long footbridge connecting its tribal complex to Salish Kootenai College last month, Char-Koosta News reports.

The bridge is anchored on both sides by teepees ramps that tower over the highway running through the town of Pablo.

Planning for the $3.2 million project, which was partially funded by stimulus funds, began in 2009.

CSKT Tribal Health Director and Montana Transportation Commission Chairman Kevin Howlett said the structure connects the community to the future. “Building this represents generations to follow us into the future,” Howlett addressed those in attendance.

More Native American remains found in Oak Harbor; count rises to 11
Workers recovered more Native remains at a work site near Coupeville, Wash., the Whidbey News-Times reports, convincing experts working at the site that the space now occupied by a mini-mart must have once been a burial ground used by tribes in the area.

Eleven sets of remains have now been found under a section of land there and experts expect more will be revealed as the investigations into the remains’ origin continues. The findings have halted a road project, as state officials continue to investigate the remains.

(The state’s) physical anthropologist has completed only about two-thirds of his analysis so it’s very possible the remains of more people could be identified. She could not say whether this will further delay the project.

However, Project Manager Larry Cort said today that the recent discoveries will warrant another meeting between the state office, the city, and the six affected tribes.

The discussion will focus mainly on what to do with the remains. They could be left where they are or removed and reburied with the bones of the four others discovered in June, Cort said.

Jenna Cederberg

Tags: bridge, burial grounds, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, highway 93, washington, whidbey

Casey Lozar, an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, was promoted to the position of vice president of resource development for the Denver, Colorado-based American Indian College Fund.

In his new role, Lozar is responsible for resource development for all fundraising departments at the Fund, a Fund news release said.

ICTMN had the story as well.

Lozar grew up in northwestern Montana and along with his job at the AIC Fund is working toward an MBA at the University of Colorado.

Lozar’s career includes having received two prestigious professional honors. He was named as one of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s 2010 Native American 40 Under 40 Award, which recognizes 40 existing and emerging American Indian leaders under 40 years of age who demonstrate leadership, initiative and dedication to achieve significant contributions in their careers, communities, and to Indian Country. He was also named as one of 12 of the Independent Sector NGEN Leadership Fellows.

Jenna Cederberg

Tags: American Indian College Fund, casey lozar, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Flathead Indian Reservation

Two bills signed into law this spring will help even out taxes for tribal entities, the Char-Koosta news reports. A lobbying effort from members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes help ensure the passage of the bills.

The first victory was the passage of House Bill 618, which provides for a property tax exemption for property owned by the Tribes if the property is used for essential governmental services. The passage of this bill puts the Tribal government on equal footing with cities, counties and the state where property is used for governmental purposes.

HB 618 will also help equalize tribal college tax exemptions and help clarify property size limits for the institutions.

The next triumph was Senate Bill 412, which provides for a temporary tax exemption while the Tribes are transitioning tribally owned property from fee status to tribal Trust status. The federal fee-to-trust process is an expensive 17-step process with involvement of the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs and several contracted professionals.

Jenna Cederberg

Tags: Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, CSKT, Montana Legislature, Salish Kootenai College, taxes, tribal colleged

Several tribes are asking for more organization when it comes to managing bison in Yellowstone National Park.

The Bozeman Chronicle reports:

Representatives from the Nez Perce tribe, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes and the Intertribal Buffalo Council said there was a lack of protocol and choreography among the groups involved and asked that there be a written procedure for the way they make decisions, meet and conduct business.

Representatives from several government agencies said they agreed written protocol as needed.

Those at the meeting also asked about the fate of bison that are part of a quarantine project. The animals in question do not have brucellosis, a disease that can cause miscarriages. The disease has made bison a controversial topic once they wander onto state land because of a fear that the sickness could spread to cattle and threaten the livestock industry.

Pat Flowers, Region 3 supervisor for FWP, said environmental assessments are ongoing at four locations where quarantined bison could temporarily be taken. Flowers noted that though the Department of Livestock tends to have a say in the management of potentially infected bison in the state, it would not have jurisdiction over the quarantined animals because they are disease-free.

Jenna Cederberg

Tags: bison, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, intertribal buffalo council, Nez Perce, Yellowstone National Park

Indian Country Today Media Network site launches
The new Indian Country Today Media Network launched this week under the motto “Serving the Nations, Celebrating the People.”

The site include news alert and recent posts section under a slideshow-like format containing its features. Not only are the photos done more justice, videos are now also have a spot to call their own. Reader shared content is being actively solicited.

I spent some time on the site Friday afternoon, but not enough. Take some time to look around if you haven’t yet.

Oneida Nation CEO Ray Halbritter posted this in his site introduction message:

The website will serve as a one-stop destination for the vast and growing number of people interested in our news, culture, ideals and businesses. Most important is the website’s social network: The nations’ first true online community and forum for all of our disparate and common interests.

Maggie Goode first Native American appointed to federal board
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes member Maggie Goode was recently named to the USDA’s Federal Crop Insurance Corporation board of directors. It makes her the first Native and first Montanan to hold a spot on the board, the Char-Koosta reports.

Goode’s family ranches in northwestern Montana, near the small town of Niarada. She will serve a four-year term.

The FCIC consists of a ten-member board, with each being nominated to and then selected and appointed for a four-year term by the Department of Agriculture Secretary. Goode said, she is still unaware of who may have nominated her for the position.

Goode said, she is honored for the appointment and is pleased that a tribal member will be involved in the decision making process. “Tribes need involvement at all levels; county, state and federal,” she added.

Crow Tribe discusses water settlement bill
From Susan Olp of the Billings Gazette:

CROW AGENCY — In 1998, Clara Nomee, then chair of the Crow Tribe, instigated negotiations with state officials over a possible water compact.

On Tuesday, she sat on the stage of the Multipurpose Building in Crow Agency as speaker after speaker, including U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, talked about the importance of the recently passed federal bill that would quantify the tribe’s water rights and bring hundreds of millions of dollars in water projects to the Crow Tribe.

“It’s for the benefit of employment of the people,” Nomee said in a soft voice, over the din of a loudspeaker. “And it’s for the betterment of the reservation.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: confederated, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Crow Agency, crow water rights settlement, CSKT, flathead, Flathead Indian Reservation, Indian Country Today, indian country today media network, maggie goode, Oneida Nation, ray hal, Ray Halbritter, water rights

By JENNA CEDERBERG
of the Missoulian

Four thousand new doses of medicine for the Salish language arrived at the Nkwusm language immersion school in Arlee this summer.

The second edition of Nkwusm executive director Tachini Pete’s Salish language translation dictionary was printed in hardback form in August and copies are now being housed in the school where students learn the Native language each day.

The book, “Selis nyo?nuntn: Medicine for the Salish Language” includes English to Salish translations in the updated, streamlined form.

A scholar of the language for 16 years, Pete knows elders are elders and won’t be around forever. Around 50 fluent Salish speakers remain today, and few are under the age of 75.

“That’s always been my motivation, that other people could learn, not just me. I just want to provide the best tool they can have,” Pete said.

It’s the first time the language has been presented in this form so completely. Pete’s first edition was 186 pages long. The latest edition boasts 816 pages. It’s not only filled in with a treasure trove of new words and information, but it’s in a more useable form, Pete said.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: arlee, buffalo post, confeder, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, flathead, medicine for the salish language, nkw, Nkwusm school, rosie matt, Salish, Salish Kootenai College, tachini pete

Missoulian photographer Kurt Wilson’s photo from the National Bison Range accompanied Vince Devlin’s update on the range since a federal judge in Washington, D.C., rescinded a funding agreement in September that removed about a dozen Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal employees from the U.S. wildlife refuge.

Happy New Year from the Buffalo Post. Sunday Brunch will return next week.

Jenna Cederberg

Tags: Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, CSKT, Kurt Wilson, Missoulian, moiese, National Bison Range, vince devlin