Bringing you today’s stories on issues important to Native communities. NewsClips is a complimentary service of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. Please save the dates for our Fourth Annual Native Hawaiian Conference from August 30 - September 2 2005, at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. For information and updates on our training workshops and events, please visit our Web site: www.hawaiiancouncil.org.



March 24, 2005



Posted on: Thursday, March 24, 2005


Native Hawaiian housing bill advances


By Vicki Viotti

Advertiser Staff Writer


A bill to give Native Hawaiians an advantage in qualifying for future affordable housing units has survived a round of scrutiny by the state Senate, passing three committees yesterday.


The measure, House Bill 1731, is part of this session's flood of proposals on ways to produce more housing units for lower-income residents and to provide more public funding to underwrite that expansion. It was heard earlier this week by the three Senate committees that deal with land, housing and Hawaiian affairs.


This bill, however, attempts to underscore the state's long-standing public policy of serving the needs of the Native Hawaiian population.


It proposes that the state identify public land suitable for housing and to require that all developers building on this land set aside 20 percent of the units — whether for purchase in leasehold or fee, or for rent — for those of Hawaiian ancestry.


It's a limited gesture, however: The law would be in effect only until July 1, 2010. And, if one of the proposed Senate amendments survives, the units reserved for Native Hawaiians would be released to the general population if a qualified buyer or renter isn't found within 120 days of the completed project's acceptance by the state.


That last change was proposed by the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawai'i, the state agency that will prepare the inventory of public land. The corporation will consult with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.


Another of the Senate amendments also includes the Office of Hawaiian Affairs on the consultation list; OHA officials testified that the office wants to be sure that none of the "ceded lands" — the former government and crown lands under the Hawaiian kingdom — are sold without the consent of OHA trustees.





Posted on: Wednesday, March 23, 2005


Overhaul sought at land board


By Gordon Y.K. Pang

Advertiser Capitol Bureau


Several environmental and cultural groups said yesterday they want drastic changes at the Department of Land and Natural Resources in the next two months or they will seek the resignation of Land Board Chairman Peter Young.


It was the latest in a string of attacks in recent months on Young's management of the embattled agency. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has also voiced concerns about the DLNR's direction, with several of its members calling for Young's resignation. A House committee meets Monday to discuss whether to order a financial and management audit of the department.


Critics say it's important the public know about the problems some have had with Young because the DLNR is entrusted with the management of more than 1.3 million acres of conservation land, one-quarter of the land in the state, making it the state's largest landowner. The department also is responsible for managing historic sites, water resources and ocean recreational concerns, wildlife, hunting and natural area reserves.


"This is the public's resources," said Donna Wong, executive director of Hawai'i's Thousand Friends. "It's your streams, it's your mountains, it's the watershed, all the important public parks. They need to be managed."


Young said he and the Lingle administration are committed to the state's natural and cultural resources and that both budget and staffing at the department have increased since he arrived in early 2003. The overall DLNR budget increased from $60 million under the final Cayetano administration budget to $70 million in fiscal year 2004. Position counts also have increased, he said.


Late yesterday, Gov. Linda Lingle issued a statement backing Young's leadership. "I continue to have full confidence in Peter Young's ability to oversee the management and stewardship of Hawai'i's natural and cultural resources," Lingle said.


Representatives from the Sierra Club Hawai'i Chapter, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. and Hawai'i's Thousand Friends said yesterday that under Young, the DLNR has placed private landowners above the public trust and so mismanaged the agency several upper-level staffers have resigned.


The most controversial of the resignations involved former land director Yvonne Izu, who resigned after refusing to support the administration's proposal to transfer many of the functions of the state Water Commission, which falls under the DLNR umbrella, to the four counties. She said the plan, which has made no progress at the Legislature, amounted to dismantling the agency. Environmental agencies have agreed.


Young said many of the duties now shouldered by the commission would best be handled by the counties, but that the shift in responsibilities does not constitute a dismantling of the commission.


The environmental groups want Izu's and other key positions filled immediately and for Young to lobby more vigorously for increased DLNR spending.


Alan Murakami, litigation director for the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, said Young reversed a decision of the Hawai'i Island Burial Council to preserve a burial site that contains the remains of Hawaiian royalty. He said the decision allowed a wall to be built halfway up the hill where the remains were interred, rather than at the base, thus making way for five additional houselots.


Young said his decision was based on the recommendation made by the burial council as well as discussions he had with representatives for descendants of those buried in the area.


Murakami also said that because the burial sites program is understaffed, hundreds of sets of remains that have been unearthed statewide "are still located in storage lockers and closets across the state."


Young said the administration has transferred about half of the sets of remains to the custody of Kamehameha Schools, on whose property the 'iwi were found, for them to inter, and is working on others.


OHA administrator Clyde Namuo, who was not part of yesterday's press conference, said the issue of the staff shortages in the burial sites program was also raised when he and OHA Chairwoman Haunani Apoliona met last week with Young and Bob Awana, Lingle's chief of staff.


OHA trustees also were concerned, Namuo said, that they were not included in discussions, or even consulted, before the granting of easements on ceded lands - which are managed by the DLNR but from which OHA receives revenues. Namuo said Awana and Young were "very reassuring" that OHA's concerns would be addressed and that there would be better communication.


Young, during his later press conference, spoke of partnerships the state has struck with non-profit organizations including the Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i and the Hawai'i Nature Center to protect the environment and educate the youth about natural resources. Leaders of both organizations stood by Young and acknowledged his support.


Young's opponents remain skeptical. "You hear public-private partnerships are a good idea and they may be, but you can't rely on the private entities all the time to manage the public's assets," Wong said.





Posted on: Tuesday, March 22, 2005


Tribute to Hokule'a designer planned


Associated Press


KAILUA, KONA, Hawai'i — The designer of the Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hokule'a will be honored this week when the canoe stops in Honaunau during its 30th anniversary cruise around the state.


Herb Kane, who is also known for his paintings of old Hawai'i, designed and directed the construction of the Hokule'a in 1975. Kane was aboard to recruit and train crew members on the double-hulled sailing canoe's maiden voyage around the Hawaiian Islands.

Since then, the Hokule'a has logged tens of thousands of miles using the navigational techniques of ancient Polynesians in voyages to Easter Island, New Zealand, Samoa, Tahiti and island groups throughout Polynesia.


The ancient Polynesians sailed without instruments such as sextants or compasses. Instead, they studied heavenly bodies, winds, ocean swells and the flight paths of seabirds to chart courses that stretched for thousands of miles on the open ocean.


"My main interest was that the canoe be recognized as the central object of the Hawaiian culture. As time moves on, people's memory of the voyages and navigation becomes blurry and then forgotten, a cultural disintegration," Kane said. "I hoped by taking a pounding on the ocean and re-enacting long voyages, the Hokule'a would spark a revival."


Hokule'a has done just that, inspiring other Polynesian nations to construct their own voyaging canoes for travel on the open ocean.


"The Hokule'a used a replica of ancient voyaging canoes to prove people can sail without instruments and migrate from Polynesia to Hawai'i," said Joanne Kahanamoku-Sterling, a past crew member and curator of Kealakowa'a heiau, a Hawaiian temple representing navigation and astronomy.


The 62-foot voyaging canoe left O'ahu this month for a five-month tour of 26 communities throughout the Islands.


Hokule'a arrived at South Point on the Big Island this weekend. It sails this week to Okoe Bay, Honaunau, Miloli'i and Ka'upulehu before mooring at Kawaihae on Friday.

At Honaunau, Kane will be honored for designing the vessel and supervising construction.


Kane, 76, co-founded the Polynesian Voyaging Society and was the first person to recreate a seaworthy ancient Hawaiian sailing canoe. The society, a private nonprofit organization, was founded in 1973 to disprove the notion that Polynesians drifted to islands in the Pacific by chance.


Big Island Mayor Harry Kim has designated March 20-26 Polynesian Voyaging Week.





March 21, 2005


Native Hawaiian Community Development Programs Benefit from NCL’s Gala Fundraiser Cruise


(Honolulu, HI) - The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) is one of three local charities participating in the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) overnight Gala Fundraiser cruise on Friday, July 22, 2005.


The charity cruise is part of the inaugural festivities for the arrival of NCL’s second U.S.-flagged ship, the Pride of America. This new ship, which will be based year-round in Hawaii, is the first new U.S.-flagged cruise ship in nearly 50 years and showcases a “Best of America” theme.


100 percent of all CNHA-designated sales will benefit Native Hawaiian community development initiatives. “NCL has created an important opportunity for individuals to support critical and vital community programming all across the state,” said Robin Danner, CNHA’s president and CEO. “We are proud to be working with NCL and are excited to dedicate the funds raised to initiatives that promote Native Hawaiian cultural approaches to community solutions in Hawaii.”


In addition to CNHA, the charities of Child and Family Service and Kapiolani Children’s Miracle Network are participating in the Gala Fundraiser. “Our first two cruises raised more than half a million dollars for local charities,” said Robert Kritzman, NCL’s executive vice president and managing director of Hawaii Operations. “Hawaii is our home and we are proud to partner with these organizations, which make such important contributions every day. We look forward to continuing and growing our partnerships with them,” Kritzman added.


Prices for the overnight gala are per cabin and are as follows:

Inside Cabins $300 SOLD OUT

Outside Cabins $500 ALMOST SOLD OUT

Balcony Cabins $700

Family Suites $1,000

Penthouse Suites $1,250

Deluxe Penthouse Suite $1,500 SOLD OUT



Cabin prices include all food and beverages for two people (except the Penthouse Suites which accommodate up to 4 people) and all available amenities, including a sail away cocktail party, live entertainment, comedy show, show bands, a variety act and much more! CNHA has many supporters who really enjoyed last year’s cruise. Many of them called and reserved their cabins before they were advertised so that all of CNHA’s Inside Cabins and its Deluxe Penthouse Suite were sold out by the first day that CNHA advertised them.


The Pride of America will depart from Aloha Tower on July 22 at 4:00 p.m. and return at 6:00 a.m. on July 23. Guests will be able to enjoy restaurants with diverse flavors ranging from Italian to Pacific Rim, and ten lounges featuring open bars, live music and dancing.


Cabins are limited. Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. All cabins must be reserved and paid for by April 15. For more information about NCL’s Gala Fundraiser, please call CNHA at 808.521.5011.


NCL Corporation is headquartered in Miami, Florida, with a fleet of 14 ships in service and under construction. The corporation oversees the operations of Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL America, and Orient Lines. For more information on NCL, visit www.ncl.com.


The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement is a national, member-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting community development in Native communities.  For more information, please call 808.521.5011 (toll free at 800.709.2642) or visit www.hawaiiancouncil.org.





March 18, 2005


OHA Board Approves $309,820 in Community Grants


HONOLULU — At a meeting in Nanakuli on Thursday, March 17, the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs approved three community grants totaling $309,820. Recipients of the grants included organizations that are preserving an ahupua‘a on Maui, producing a documentary on Hawai‘i’s ali‘i trusts and preparing for the Hokule‘a’s voyage to Micronesia and Japan.


Added to two previous rounds of grant approvals, this means that the board has approved of a total of $2,409,820 in grants this year.


Prior to approval, the grant applications were reviewed by OHA grants staff and other personnel in the appropriate program areas, then recommended to the board’s Asset and Resource Management and Beneficiary Advocacy committees. The grant awards were then approved unanimously by the five trustees present at the March 17 meeting.


OHA accepts grant proposals twice each year. Proposals must support goals and objectives of OHA’s strategic plan, and should be submitted by nonprofit organizations. Grant applications and information are available online at www.OHA.org.


The next deadline for grant proposals is Fri., April 29, 2005. For information on OHA’s grants program, call 594-1762.


What follows is a list of the three organizations that were awarded grants on March 17. For a list of all of this year's grant recipients, visit www.OHA.org.


Maui Tomorrow Foundation Inc.: $48,300. To support Project Ka‘eo, which will produce a comprehensive cultural report and preservation plan for the Ka‘eo ahupua‘a on Maui.


PBS Hawai‘i: $121,520. To support the research and development phase of a production of Hawai‘i’s ali‘i trusts, an educational television documentary.


Polynesian Voyaging Society: $140,000. To support preparations for Building Bridges, Hokule‘a’s voyage to Micronesia and Japan.


TOTAL of three grant awards: $309,820






Posted on: Tuesday, March 22, 2005


UH changing course on Mauna Kea


By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Staff Writer


With decades of controversy dogging astronomy activity atop Mauna Kea, the University of Hawai'i is launching an initiative aimed at making peace with its foes. The initiative likely will include a traditional Hawaiian forgiveness ceremony that acknowledges past UH mistakes, a promise to better manage the project and an offer of a gift, perhaps a privately raised endowment for scholarships. The university also is reshuffling its Mauna Kea management structure and funding vacant positions it said are aimed at providing greater environmental protection for the mountain, among other things.


Critics including environmental and Native Hawaiian groups have said the university has allowed the area to become overdeveloped and that the observatories desecrate a sacred site. The latest effort comes as the university is eyeing several new telescope projects for the summit, including the possible construction of the world's largest and most powerful telescope, a $700 million project that has been called essential for modern astronomy.


But Jim Gaines, UH vice president for research, insists that even if Hawai'i were to lose the 30-meter Next Generation Large Telescope tomorrow, the university must make things right on the mountain.


"It's the right thing to do," Gaines said.


UH began developing the summit of Mauna Kea — "White Mountain" in Hawaiian — for astronomy in the 1960s. More major telescopes are on Mauna Kea than on any other mountain peak.


Longtime critic Kealoha Pisciotta, president of the cultural group Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, said she is skeptical. She said foes have offered to sit down with university officials many times.


"You cannot just keep saying you want a win-win situation and then do what you want for yourself while creating the illusion the people are getting what they want," she said.

Pisciotta said the proposed Next Generation Large Telescope in the undeveloped northern plateau of Mauna Kea is unacceptable, in part, because it may lead to the destruction of a number of important shrines in that area. To many Hawaiians, construction on the summit is seen as a desecration of deeply held cultural and spiritual beliefs.

"We're not taking money for desecration," she said. "Nothing good can come of this unless they actually entertain the question that the community isn't supportive of further development."


Deborah Ward, co-chairwoman of the Sierra Club's Mauna Kea Issues Committee, said she's encouraged by the possibility of additional environmental protections and the potential for more discussion with cultural practitioners.


"There is room for meaningful dialogue," she said.


The university's management of the Mauna Kea Science Reserve has been criticized by more than just Native Hawaiian and environmental activists. A 1998 state auditor's report found that the state's stewardship of the summit — now home to 13 telescopes and one antenna array — was inadequate to protect natural resources.


In addition, the environmental impact statement for NASA's proposed Outrigger Telescopes at the W.M. Keck Observatory noted that the university has allowed "substantial and adverse" impacts on Mauna Kea's cultural resources.


Rolf-Peter Kudritzki, director of the UH Institute for Astronomy, acknowledged that mistakes were made in the past. But, he said, that has changed over the past seven years.

Kudritzki, the director since October 2000, said a significant step forward occurred about four years ago when the university created a separate entity to run the summit area. UH-Hilo oversees the Office of Mauna Kea Management with help from a community advisory board.


Still, he is "absolutely comfortable" with the latest effort to reach out to the community. "It's a very essential step," Kudritzki said.


Gaines said the plan calls for an internal reorganization in which the Institute for Astronomy-run Mauna Kea Support Services branch would be placed under the the Office of Mauna Kea Management. That should end a perception of undue influence by the institute, he said.


Also under the plan, the university would pay for six previously unfunded positions — including a cultural practitioner, biologist and a couple of rangers — to help care for the 1,600-acre preserve, Gaines said.


The plan also would include an education and outreach campaign to encourage Big Island residents to pursue technical careers, including astronomy and engineering.

No details or time line is set for the forgiveness ceremony or a potential gift. Gaines said there needs to be a dialogue with the community to determine exactly what should occur.

"But it's something we need to do," he said. "It's a statement that we really want to manage the mountain better."


Reach Timothy Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.






Saturday, March 19, 2005


Kuhio School council members sing for the prince’s birthday


By Pat Gee
pgee@starbulletin.com


Eleven students made their way cautiously down a steep stairway and draped leis on the wooden stand fronting the underground crypt of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole.

Then the Kuhio School students sang two songs in Hawaiian in sweet, high-pitched voices that echoed off the walls of the entryway: "Happy Birthday" and the school alma mater.

Each year, the ceremony is repeated by the students of Kuhio School because it is the namesake of Prince Kuhio, often called "Prince of People."

Eleven members of the Student Council went to the Royal Mausoleum on three acres of sacred ground in Nuuanu to commemorate Prince Kuhio's birthday. He was born on March 26, 1871, but the youngsters had to come about a week early because their spring break starts next week, said Debbie Nishihira, council adviser.

Fourth-graders April Jingco and Jessica Tuquero, council vice president, couldn't believe there actually were people buried behind the pristine white marble walls.

"When I heard we were coming here, I was very excited because I've never been to a place where royal people have been buried," Jingco said.

"It was nothing like I thought it would be. I thought it would be like the graveyard next to our school. But here the people are buried under the ground (instead of having their graves marked by headstones on ground level), and it's more peaceful," she said.

Tuquero said, "I was proud to get to see the royal people."

Fourth-grader Sierra Akana added, "I (felt) royal, too," in the presence of the Hawaiian alii buried at the Royal Mausoleum.

As part of the tour, curator and kahu Bill Maioho gave the students a brief history of the mausoleum while they sat in the little church on the grounds. The building, formerly just a burial site for royalty, was converted into a sanctuary where the Hawaiian people could come and pay homage to the alii on their birthdays, he said. It was dedicated to Kuhio when he died in 1922, and opened to the public in 1947.

Maioho constantly referred to the mausoleum as "Mauna Ala" or "fragrant mountain," a specific portion of Nuuanu Valley, because the "fragrance (of trees and flowers) brings back favorite memories of the people buried here."

The state will celebrate the birthday of Prince Kuhio with an official holiday on Friday. Kuhio was the first Hawaii delegate to Congress and spearheaded the establishment of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, among other significant contributions.






Posted on: Sunday, March 20, 2005


Heart disease studies to focus on Hawaiians


Advertiser Staff


Under a $6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, the University of Hawai'i Medical School will work with The Queen's Medical Center in looking at heart disease among Native Hawaiians over the next five years.


Dr. Marjorie Mau of the medical school and cardiologist Dr. Todd Seto of Queen's are partners in the grant and expect to conduct four studies aimed at improving heart disease disparities in Native Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders.


The specific focus will be heart failure and its potential causes in Native Hawaiians. The studies also will identify families that may have several members affected.


"One of the overall goals of the partnership is to improve access to quality healthcare for Native Hawaiian and other similar at-risk communities so that people can live healthier lives," said Mau.


The partnership, called The Heart Disparities Partnership Program, also will work with four community health centers to develop a patient base: Kalihi-Palama Community Health Center, Kokua Kalihi Valley Community Health Center, Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and Waimanalo Health Center.






Posted on: Sunday, March 20, 2005


A 'go see' movie that leaves you feeling good


By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Staff


Audience members stood in line to shake filmmaker Vilsoni Hereniko's hand after the movie.


"And how did you hear about this?" he asked each one.


Every person said it was someone from work who told them they HAD to see this film, or a cousin who saw it and couldn't stop talking about it, or an auntie who laughed and cried and insisted every family member get to the theater.


Hawai'i is still small enough that word-of-mouth is the most trusted endorsement. It is also the most difficult honor an artistic effort can win. If people are telling their friends and family to go see a movie, that supersedes all hype. It's the real deal.

So pretend you're not reading this in the Sunday paper. Pretend you're hearing it in the "order here" line at Zippy's or at your kid's baseball game or at a family pa'ina.

Go see "The Land Has Eyes."


The story is about a girl on the island of Rotuma who finds a way to right an injustice done to her beloved father. The girl gets strength and guidance from the Warrior Woman, an ancestor and the first inhabitant of the island.


The film has been compared to "Whale Rider," but it was actually shot before the Maori movie came out. The films are similar in that the protagonist is a young girl connected to her spiritual ancestry. They differ in the culture, in the central conflict and in the message of the film. "The Land Has Eyes" is about justice. Hereniko quotes the ancient Rotuman belief:


the land has eyes
the land has teeth
and knows the truth


This was a grueling labor of love for Hereniko, his wife, Jeannette Paulson Hereniko, and his family in Rotuma. The movie was shot on the island over 40 days for less than a million dollars, money gathered here and there from dozens of sponsors and a number of achy credit cards.


Some days, the crew trucks had to be pushed, physically pushed, to a new location. At one point, they ran out of water. Hereniko's sister planted a garden, a crucial set piece, months in advance of shooting so that it would be just right for the scenes. A calf was brought over from Fiji and raised expressly to feed the cast and crew involved in the large wedding and funeral scenes. Cast members constructed the houses used in the film, and moved into them after the shooting was over.


It just doesn't get more homegrown than this.


All but two cast members were recruited from Rotuma. Most had never seen a movie before, much less acted in one. When the film was finished, Hereniko brought it back to Rotuma, borrowed a sheet from the hospital to use as a screen, and showed it eight times around the island.


"Oh, they loved it," Hereniko says. "They came back to see it more than once, because people were so excited laughing and talking the first time that they couldn't hear the movie."


This little movie shot on a little island premiered at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival last year. The lead actress, Sapeta Taito, accompanied the film to Sundance in Park City, Utah. It was her first trip off the island.


It also was screened at the Moscow International Film Festival, the Rotterdam International Film Festival and the Hawai'i International Film Festival.


Right now, you can see it at the Dole Cannery theater complex on the big screen. It's not quite the same as seeing it projected on a hospital sheet, but the filmmakers are there during weekend showings and will talk story with you after the credits roll.


Hereniko is a professor at University of Hawai'i Center of Pacific Island Studies. He teaches literature, theater and film. He is also a playwright and author. He grew up on Rotuma, was educated in Fiji and went on to study in England.


Hereniko has taken his education, his talent and his steadfast work ethic back home to Rotuma to tell the stories of his people. In his biography, he wrote:


"In making this film, I was faced with great obstacles. If I know that fellow Pacific Islanders realize they, too, can be producers of their own images as a result of this work, I will feel that every challenge will have been worth it."


Go see this movie if you have ever cringed over an outsider's misinterpretation of island culture.


Go see this movie if you have ever cried over the systemic injustice visited upon poor, honest families.


Go see this movie if your heart needs to hear that justice can prevail and that a force greater than all of us is watching and keeping score.


Go see this movie if you want to be reminded that hard work leads to success.


Go see this movie.


Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8172.






Tuesday, March 22, 2005


Three wealthy tribes set up charity endowment

Indianz.Com. In Print.
URL: http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/007157.asp


Three Minnesota tribes with successful gaming operations have created a charity endowment that could grow to $100 million.


The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, the Prairie Island Indian Community and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe say they will donate between $2.5 million to $5 million a year to other tribes and charitable organizations. The money is in addition to the donations each tribe makes individually.





Posted March 21, 2005


Reintroduced bill seeks recognition for Virginia tribes


By Bobbie Whitehead/Indian Country Today


WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. George Allen, R-Va., has once again introduced a bill that, if passed by Congress, would give six of Virginia's Indian tribes federal recognition.

Allen on March 1 introduced Senate bill 480, also known as the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act. A companion bill for the U.S. House of Representatives, sponsored by Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Jo Ann Davis, R-Va., most likely will be introduced by the end of March, said Kenneth Branham, Monacan Indian Nation chief.

''It's basically the same bill - nothing's changed since it was first introduced in the last session of Congress,'' Branham said.

The Senate bill, first introduced in 2003, would grant the six tribes federal recognition and place land in trust for the tribes. The tribes that would receive federal recognition include the Nansemond, the Rappahannock, the Upper Mattaponi, the Chickahominy and the Eastern Chickahominy Indian tribes, along with the Monacan Indian Nation.

Opponents to the bill have argued it would allow the tribes to operate casinos in the state. The bill, however, includes a provision that prohibits the tribes from utilizing the federal Indian gaming act, according to Allen's office.

None of the state's Indian tribes have expressed an interesting in operating casinos, Branham said. Instead, the tribes want to be recognized as Indians to qualify for educational scholarships, reclaim ancestral remains, qualify for low-interest business loans and have access to health benefits available to federally recognized tribes, he said.

''I do look for the bill to move, and I'm pretty confident it will pass in the Senate this time,'' Branham said. ''If it passes the Senate this year, then we can concentrate on the House next year. We've been doing it for a little over five years now, and I would like to see it pass this time.''





Posted: March 19, 2005


Homer: Congressional probe of Alaska Native Corporations an attack on Indian country’s economic future


By: Pete Homer/National Indian Business Association


On the surface, the recent attacks on Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) for receiving large no-bid federal contracts appear to be only directed at Native Alaska 8(a) contracting. However, tribal federal contracting in the lower 48 could be harmed if Congress decides to change the tribal 8(a) program that was created, in the first place, to remove institutional barriers to tribal economic development.

This issue deserves a closer look: this is not just about Indians.

All minority 8(a) contracting could suffer if drastic changes are made to the 8(a) set-aside program. Today we are witnessing increasing calls to end all types of affirmative action programs: minority 8(a) set-asides could be added to that doomed list. I hope our friends from the various minority groups will stand beside us and let Congress know that we are holding them accountable for a fair and equitable investigation of ANC's federal contracting.

From the news coverage, it appears that ANCs are the focus of this investigation despite being awarded these contracts by federal agencies imbued with the power to award such contracts. A March 5 article in The Washington Post stated that federal lawmakers Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, R-Va., chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, and the panel's ranking Democrat, Rep. Henry A. Waxman of California, called for a congressional investigation of 8(a) contracts awarded to ANCs.

The National Indian Business Association has learned from other minority groups that there are many factions we do not know about, including hidden agendas and the real who and what is behind the call for this investigation. If so, ANCs and tribal governments and potentially the whole 8(a) program could become a causality of a political battle.

Recent studies indicate that the American Indian economy is at least 20 years behind the mainstream economy. Even with the advent of tribal gaming, only a handful of tribes have realized a substantial financial turn of fortune. These tribes are now diversifying their financial portfolios and creating joint-ventures that will help them build sustainable economic futures beyond gaming.

The issue of any ''special'' federal contracting incentives for American Indians and Alaska Natives continues to be one of a lack of education for the general public, non-Native business owners and, to a large extent, Congress. Tribes are not a minority group, but sovereign nations that have a unique relationship with the federal government that is defined and protected by constitutional law - the legal basis for federal programs for Indians.

Despite the United States' treaty obligations and trust responsibility, Indian country continues to struggle with cuts in federal funding needed to meet the basic day-to-day needs of their tribal communities. As a people, we continue to be the poorest in this land of plenty. Some tribes and ANCs see government contracting as a way out of poverty and have created strong, qualified and proven businesses: these businesses provide the taxpayer with value received for services rendered.

The issue of ANCs' 8(a) set-aside contracts may be a case of business jealously. There was applause when federal contracting began increasing opportunities for Hispanic, women and African-American business owners: people believed that it was about time the federal government opened its doors for these often-disenfranchised Americans.

It appears that when American Indians begin catching up, people feel threatened and attack our rights to an equal share of the American dream. It is frustrating that the very minority groups that once were left out of the process are now hopping mad that tribes and Alaska Natives are finally getting a chance to be real business players with the federal government.

The education needs to begin now. The treatment of tribes by the federal government has crafted many shameful pages in America's history. Most Americans don't know the truth or, to borrow a line from the movie ''A Few Good Men,'' ''can't handle the truth.''

Many of the more than 200 Alaska Native villages that the corporations represent are in very remote regions and have limited access to resources that the rest of us take for granted. The Alaska Native story is a ''they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps'' story; one that should make every American feel good knowing that if you have business savvy, work hard, and are receptive to all the opportunities to which you are entitled, you can be successful.

Federal contracting for Alaska Natives is like tribal gaming for the tribes in the lower 48: both are vital to the economic welfare of these communities. In most cases these federal contracts provide the necessary funding for village community programs including health, education and child and elder care. Unlike the tribes in the lower 48, Alaska does not have gaming. Without the revenues from federal contracting, many programs would disappear and the people would suffer.

Imagine if tomorrow Congress decided to make tribal gaming illegal and they shut down all our casinos and bingo halls. Not only would there be tens of thousands of people out of work, most of whom are non-Native, but many tribal programs that have become dependent on gaming revenues would have to be cut. And again, our people would suffer. This nightmare scenario could become a reality if we don't stand guard against it. Indian country must stay alert to any threats, like this current ANC situation, to our sovereignty and our well-being no matter how it is disguised. If Congress takes steps to change or perhaps end tribal 8(a) contracting, it establishes a precedent that could be used against Indian country to attack tribal gaming and any number of other tribal rights and programs.

To share a holistic view; the ANCs might have avoided this attack if they had been more generous in sub-contracting with minority-owned businesses: it has become an issue of money. If the money had been dispersed more readily through the minority and small business community maybe they wouldn't have cried foul. Now all of Native American 8(a) contracting could be in danger, and the decades of hard work we have devoted to opening these doors of business opportunity may be for not; in the future we may find the doors shut in our faces.

Government no-bid contracting is not something new. This has been a federal government practice since 1953 to equalize the playing field for small disadvantaged and minority- and woman-owned businesses. It wasn't until the recent past, 1992, that the federal government included tribes in their contracting set-aside program. I joined the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Native American Programs in January of 1992 and began implementing the tribal 8(a) contracting program. Before that tribes were pretty much left out of the process.

A bit of SBA history: around 1989 the American Indian Senate Affairs Office (AISAO) requested an investigation of the federal government's lack of contracting with tribes. The AISAO issued a report that blasted the SBA for not doing anything to assist tribes: no loans, no training or technical assistance. The AISAO report directed the SBA to create a National Indian Desk in the SBA's Headquarters Office in Washington, D.C. to focus on Indian country and provide it with the same services that the minority business community had been receiving since 1953. In 1971 under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which was an attempt to resolve historical land disputes, the ANCs were granted special contracting privileges because of a provision in federal law sponsored by members of Congress: Senator Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, led this effort.

In my opinion, it is an insult to all American Indian businesses when Rep. Davis tells the Post in this March 5 article: ''This could be turning into a scam because of the sole-source nature of these contracts. The purpose of federal procurement is to make sure taxpayers are getting their dollars worth.'' That sounds like a very anti-ANC statement to me, one that clearly demonstrates his low opinion of a people and their proven ability to provide quality federal contracting services. Indian country must rally against this kind of mindset and ensure that an objective and fair investigation takes place.

It is unfortunate that this cry of ''you got a bigger piece of the contracting pie than me'' could turn into an attack on 8(a) contracting for all Native-owned 8(a) firms. The potential impact of this type of congressional investigation is daunting. Indian country's economic development future, and perhaps that of our minority brother and sisters, has a lot at stake and a lot to lose.

I've been told that corporate America receives 88 percent of all federal contracts. No one tells large non-Indian contractors whom to partner with; we do not need any group telling Alaska Native Corporations, tribal or minority 8(a) firms with whom they can partner or sub-contract. NIBA will continue to assist Indian country and the minority business community in working together more effectively to help prevent the intervention of Congress or anyone else. If we do not, Congress will continue to probe into our ''business'' and we all could end up with the economic doors of opportunity locked tight, with a sign saying ''Indians and minorities need not apply for federal contracting.''


Pete Homer, Mojave, is president and CEO of the National Indian Business Association. He is an enrolled member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes of Arizona.






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