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

From Vince Devlin, of the Missoulian:

PABLO – An educational partnership agreement announced Wednesday morning between the Naval Undersea Warfare Center of Newport, R.I., and Salish Kootenai College here seemed to kill a lot more than two birds with one stone.

At its most basic level, the agreement will provide internships for SKC students who will assist with research and development of digital acoustic sensor technology at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center.

But that’s just the start.

It should also help the college recruit science, technology, engineering and mathematics students to its campus who can take advantage of the opportunity.

It will fund sabbaticals for SKC faculty members so that they can participate in the research.

That will help Luana Ross, first-year president of SKC, steer the tribal college in the “research institution” direction she is pursuing.

And the CEO who helped broker the agreement says the tribally owned company he runs benefits as well.

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Tags: alex philip, luana ross, naval undersea warefare center, Salish Kootenai College, skc, terraechos, tribal college, vince devlin

There are few in the world of higher education who aren’t holding their breath as Congress and state legislatures talk cuts, cuts, cuts. And tribal colleges are no exception.

The Missoulian’s Vince Devlin examines what massive funding shortages could do to Salish Kootenai College, on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

SKC, arguably the most successful tribal college in the nation, could face up to $1 million in cuts, which would mean laying off faculty, and see a steep decline in student assistance funds.

There’s been much talk about how proposed cuts at the federal and state levels will affect Montana’s university system, including its community colleges, SKC President Luana Ross says.

But she’s seen little discussion about the potential effects on Montana’s tribal colleges.

SKC is facing the loss of almost $500,000 in direct state and federal funds. If that happens, says Lon Whitaker, vice president of business affairs on the Pablo campus, the fallout – including higher tuition, which could lead to a drop in enrollment – could double the impact on the school, and take away job training and educational opportunities for people who need it most.

. . .

“The way out of poverty is education,” SKC’s president says. “That’s almost a no-brainer.”

Jenna Cederberg

Tags: Flathead Indian Reservation, luana ross, Missoulian, Native education, Salish Kootenai College, skc, vince devlin

Information on how Native Americans in Montana can share in the recently approved $3.4 billion settlement of Indian Trust claims will be discussed at two newly-scheduled meetings in Montana next week, a new release from Elouise Cobell’s media director said.

On Tuesday, March 8, attorneys Bill Dorris and David Smith from the Kilpatrick Stockton law firm will discuss the settlement at 5 p.m. at the Browning High School Cafeteria, 105 Highway 89, in Browning.

At 5 p.m., on Wednesday, March 9, they will hold a meeting on Flathead Indian Reservation at the Johnny Arlee Victor Charlo Theater, building 83, 58138 Highway 93, in Pablo. This is on the Salish Kootenai College Campus.

Native Americans, whose families have individual Indian money trust accounts or who own individual Indian trust land, are welcome to attend these meetings regardless of their tribal affiliation and ask questions about the settlement.

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Tags: Blackfeet Reservation, Browning, Cobell v. Salazar, Elouise Cobell, flathead reservation, indian land trust, Salish Kootenai College

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.

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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

Native-owned public TV station holding auction this week
KSKC-Public TV, broadcasting from its home on the Salish Kootenai College campus on the Flathead Indian Reservation, will kick off its annual fundraiser on Monday. The live broadcasts and auctions are legend in the area. You can get any number handmade, hand-painted items, or even a year’s worth of cookies (a dozen delivered to you each month), as the Missoulian’s Vince Devlin reported this week.

The TV station is only one of a few on Native-owned in the country. Station manager Frank Tyro keeps things running there, with local content and regular public TV programming.

Tune in to see for yourself this week (you can watch online, too!) and give to a good cause.

MTPR new director Sally Mauk talks with Native journalist Duncan McCue
Listen to the interview: Duncan McCue has been a TV reporter with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for the last 12 years, producing stories for the CBC’s flagship evening news program called “The National.” He’s also one of the few Native journalists in Canada. In this feature interview, McCue talks with News Director Sally Mauk about his career – and about reporting on Native issues.

Little Bighorn monument still awaits improvements
Its a popular monument in dire need of more space, and talks about upgrades first discussed almost 30 years ago at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument are set to start again.
As the Billings Gazette reporter Lorna Thackeray reports, Battlefield Superintendent Kate Hammond has scheduled meetings to talk about fixing issues like museum overcrowding, park lot woes and a “chronologically backward” tourists roadway.

Hammond wants all stakeholders at the table. But that’s a tall order

Moving forward has never been easy at the 1876 battlefield surrounded both by controversy and the Crow Reservation.

Expanding park boundaries seems always to be the sticking point. In the past, the Crow Tribe has resisted efforts to enlarge the park, which Hammond said would require congressional approval. It is unlikely Congress would approve a boundary change without the tribe’s support.

The Custer Battlefield Preservation Committee, a nonprofit organization set up with the idea of buying land for the National Park Service, has 3,500 acres of land it would love to donate, said Jim Court. Court is a former Little Bighorn Battlefield superintendent and was chief fundraiser for the Preservation Committee.

A ‘Good Day to Die’ wins another award
Received more good news from “A Good Day to Die” filmmaker Lynn Salt this week: The film, based on the story of Dennis Banks and the American Indian Movement (A.I.M.) movement he co-founded in 1968, won Best Documentary at the American Indian Film Institute Film Festival in San Francisco.

“We are moving toward distribution and will let you know when we have it,” Salt said in an e-mail.

Buffalo Post will keep readers updated as well.

Jenna Cederberg

Tags: A Good Day to Die, duncan mccue, Flathead Indian Reservation, frank tyro, kate hammond, kskc, kskc tv, Little Bighorn, Little Bighorn National Monument, Lynn Salt, mtpr, Salish Kootenai College, sally mauk, the national

Teachers on and around reservations in Montana are singing the praises of a program implemented to beef up and make more interesting elementary science classes.

The Big Sky Science Partnership partners schools, Tribal communities and universities to help bring color and substance to science. As Ann Cantrell of the MSU news service reports, teachers involved receive tools from the program. The increased attention to science has inspired some teachers to get very creative.

Teacher Dora Hugs of Pryor invited Crow elders into her classroom to tell science-related stories about stars.

The program is a collaboration of Montana State University, the University of Montana and Salish-Kootenai College, the lead collaborator. It trains science teachers on or near reservations in the state and is funded by a five-year, $4.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation. In addition to the original NSF grant, which was awarded in the fall of 2006, the program received a total of $900,000 in supplementary funding from the NSF Math and Science Partnership in 2008 and 2009.

“The Big Sky Science Partnership is doing great things,” said Elisabeth Swanson, director of the project at MSU. “It works with teachers to help them feel more comfortable teaching physical sciences. It also helps teachers connect traditional science knowledge with topics that are culturally relevant, and to use inquiry-based teaching methods.” Inquiry-based teaching invites students to explore subjects by posing, investigating and answering questions, putting students’ questions at the center of the curriculum.

Tags: big sky science partnership, Crow, dora hugs, elizabeth swanson, msu, Salish, Salish Kootenai College

Number of Native smokers remains high
With Native American Heritage Month in full swing, the serious concern over the continued high-numbers of Native smokers is also being highlighted,Indian Country Today reports.
In 2009, almost a quarter of the Native population smoked. The EX project, which is a collaborative public health campaign presented by the National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation, is hoping to drop that number to zero.

“Native Americans continue to smoke at a high rate,” said Cheryl G. Healton, president and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation, “and it is an extremely difficult addiction to end. It’s important that Native Americans who do smoke are provided with quitting solutions. EX is a free resource created by and for smokers, and I am confident that it can help Americans re-learn life without cigarettes.”

Visiting speaker details problems with Native Americans as mascots
The author of “Native Americans in Sports,” Richard King visited Central Michigan’s campus to discuss the use of Native symbols and cultural representations as mascots.
The Michigan Central Life reports that King spoke on the common misconceptions and misrepresentations brought about by the images used as mascots.

“Native American mascots emerge out of commodity racism,” King said. “Misrepresentation of Indians leads to misrecognition”.
King closed with tips on moving forward from the issue of wrongful use of Native Americans in sports.
People have to be aware they are privileged, King said. They also have to work to recognize the humanity of indigenous people and combat racism, he said.

Treaty law, tribal sovereignty nuances, confusions discussed on Flathead Reservation
Bernie Azure of the Char-Koosta News attended attorney Dan Decker’s presentation of Tribal law and sovereignty. Decker discussed what he sees as confusion on the part of Natives and non-Natives on both issues. Decker was speaking at Salish Kootenai College as a part of the W.J. Kellogg Foundation’s Heart Lines lecture series.

“The earliest treaties were a nation-to-nation basis with European nations then after the American Revolution the treaties continued to be on a nation-to-nation basis,” Decker said. “They are as good today as they were yesterday.”

Native American studies course for MT educators
My mom (on her way to completing 33 years of teaching middle school in Lolo) was excited to see this in the teachers’ lounge: Montana State University is offering two Native American Studies Spring 2011 online courses. “Federal Indian Law and Policy,” along with “Native America: Dispelling the Myths” will run starting in January for 12 credits in NAS (toward graduate credit). Interested educators can visit MSU’s website.

Jenna Cederberg

Tags: dan decker, ex project, flathead reservation, mascots, Montana State University, Native American studies, native americans in sports, native mascots, richard king, Salish Kootenai College, skc, tribal sover, tribal sovereignty

For years — three decades, actually — Joe McDonald defined Salish Kootenai College on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana.

He helped found the school, served as its second president, and shepherded it from a handful of students in Quonset huts to more than a thousand today on a 140-acre campus. But change is inevitable, and so it seemed fitting that yesterday’s ceremony welcoming Luanna Ross as SKC’s new leader put a strong emphasiss on change.

“Institutions need to be fluid and dynamic,” Ross said at the ceremony, covered by Vince Devlin of the Missoulian. “I find change invigorating, thrilling and exciting. It means you’re being provided an important experience.”

Ross, an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, has a wealth of experience:

Ross, a graduate of Ronan High School, comes to SKC from the University of Washington, where she was a professor and co-director of Native Voices, a graduate film program.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from UM, her master’s from Portland State University and her doctorate, in sociology, from the University of Oregon.

Ross also previously taught at the University of California-Berkeley and UC-Davis, and is the author of the book “Inventing the Savage: The Social Construction of Native American Criminality.”

One thing that won’t change – SKC is frequently characterized as the most successful tribal college, and Ross vows to uphold that.

“I am committed to making sure Salish Kootenai College remains the flagship of tribal colleges,” she says. “This is exactly where I should be: home, and your next president.”

Gwen Florio

Tags: Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Flathead Indian Reservation, Inventing the Savage, Joe McDonald, Luanna Ross, Native Voices, Portland State University, Ronan High School, Salish Kootenai College, Univeristy of California Berkeley, University of Montana, University of Washington