The Keweenaw Bay Ojibwe (2011)

WIIKWEDONG

DAZHI-OJIBWE

The Keweenaw Bay Ojibwe

Manoominike Giizis - Rice Making Moon - September 2011 Issue 86

FREDERICK DAKOTA PROCLAIMED

“FATHER OF INDIAN CASINO GAMING”

Tribal Council Members:

Warren C. Swartz, Jr., President

Fred Dakota, Keweenaw Bay Tribal member and current Tribal Councilman, has been declared the “Father of

Indian Casino Gaming.” The United Tribes of Michigan,

through Resolution #014 07-27-2011, honored Frederick

Dakota for his contributions to the protections of tribal sovereignty and for his far sightedness in his pioneering work

on establishing Indian Casino Gaming. The resolution proclaimed Frederick Dakota the “Father of Indian Casino

Gaming” and was passed by The United Tribes of Michigan on July 27, 2011, unanimously. At its Saturday meeting, August 6, 2011, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Council passed Resolution KB-1849-2011

where it also resolved that: The Keweenaw Bay Indian

Community hereby proclaims Fred Dakota the “Father of

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

William E. Emery, Vice-President

Susan J. LaFernier, Secretary

Toni Minton, Asst. Secretary

Eddy Edwards, Treasurer

Elizabeth (Chiz) Matthews

Elizabeth D. Mayo

Michael F. LaFernier, Sr.

Jerry Lee Curtis

Frederick Dakota

Gary F. Loonsfoot, Sr.

Isabelle H. Welsh

Continues page two.

KBIC HOLDS 33RD ANNUAL KEWEENAW BAY MAAWANIJI’DING

The KBIC 33rd Annual Maawanji’iding

was held the weekend of July 22-24,

2011, at the Ojibwa Powwow Campgr ounds

in

Baraga,

Michigan.

“Celebrating 75 Years of Recognition”

was chosen for this year’s theme. Records indicate 545 dancers registered and

20 drums, with admission sales totaling

over 4500 for participants and spectators

who enjoyed a beautiful weekend of song

and dance at Keweenaw Bay. KBIC Tribal

President Warren Chris Swartz, Jr., gave

the welcome following Friday evening’s

grand entry. The Powwow Committee

honored four of their elders this year: Albert W. Matthews, Elsie Marie Loonsfoot

Matthews, Elizabeth “Chiz” Matthews, and

Earl Otchingwanigan.

Fifteen-year-old

Savannah Seymour was crowned as Keweenaw Bay’s Royalty for the 2011 term.

Savannah is the daughter of Tammy and

Michael Seymour of Marquette County.

LCO Badgers honored the Community

as host drum, along with Young Kingbirds

as co-host drum and two home drums –

Four Thunders and Woodland Singers.

KBIC member Donald Chosa, Sr. served

as Head Veteran Dancer, Rodney Loonsfoot (KBIC) as Head Male Dancer, Veronica Adams (KBIC) as Head Female

Dancer, Ethan Lee (KBIC) as Head Youth

Male Dancer, and Sheila Halverson

(KBIC) as Head Youth Female Dancer.

Larry Smallwood and Eric Awonohopay

served as emcees. Brian Moore served

as Arena Director and was assisted by

the Assistant Arena Director, Robert Rajacic (KBIC). Donald Stolp (KBIC) served

as Head Firekeeper. Cultural teachings

were delivered by Karen Drift. Summer

Rosebear (age 13) of Circle Pines, MN,

won the junior fry bread championship,

and Levi Rosebear, Circle Pines, MN,

won the adult division fry bread championship.

On Saturday, the “Kingbird Kid’s,”

Cherish (age 7) and Mark (age 10) Kingbird of Red Lake, MN, a brother/sister

team took first place in the youth two-step

competition. First place for the adult twostep competition went to team “Hot

Sauce,” consisting of dancers Paul Smith

SPECIAL POINTS

OF INTEREST:

•

August 6, 2011 Tribal Council

Meeting

•

Frederick Dakota named Father of Indian Casino Gaming

•

33rd Maawaniji’ding

•

Heritage Celebration held

•

KBIC hosts Don Burnstick

•

Kellie Pickler visits KBIC

•

Update—Mining Activities on

Reservation and the U.P.

•

Deepest Sympathy

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

Newly crowned Miss Keweenaw Bay 2011, Savannah

Seymour, with her mother, Tammy Seymour.

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

Head Dancers, (l to r) Veronica Adams,

Shelia Halverson, Rodney Loonsfoot, and

Ethan Lee.

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

Head Veteran, Donald Chosa, Sr., leads the KBIC Honor

Guard in Friday evening’s Grand Entry.

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

Vice-Chairman of the Powwow Committee, Elvera Lantz,

presents Fry Bread Awards to (left) youth winner, Summer

Rosebear and (right) adult winner, Levi Rosebear.

Community shows their support for the

family of KBIC’s Fallen Soldier, Robert L.

Voakes, Jr. during an honor song.

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

33rd Annual Maawanji’iding continued on page six.

(1) Bezhig

AUGUST 6, 2011

TRIBAL COUNCIL MEETING

The Tribal Council held their regularly

scheduled Saturday Tribal Council meeting

on August 6, 2011, at the Ojibwa Casino

Resort Conference Room in Baraga, Michigan. President Warren C. Swartz, Jr. presided over the meeting with William E. Emery, Susan J. LaFernier, Toni J. Minton,

Eddy Edwards, Jerry Lee Curtis, Fred Dakota, Michael F. LaFernier, Sr., Gary F.

Loonsfoot, Sr., Elizabeth “Chiz” Matthews,

Elizabeth D. Mayo, and Isabelle Helene

Welsh present. President Warren C. Swartz,

Jr. shared numerous Thank You and For

Your Information items addressed to Council.

President Warren C. Swartz, Jr., gave

the President’s Report (page three); Secretary Susan J. LaFernier gave the Secretary’s Report (page four); Treasurer Eddy

Edwards gave the Treasurer’s Report (page

two), and President Warren C. Swartz, Jr.

read the CEO’s report on behalf of Larry

Denomie, III, CEO (page five). Council

passed the Department Head Reports for

June 2011.

Motion by William E. Emery to approve Resolution KB-1849-2011 to honor

Fred Dakota as the “Father of Indian Casino Gaming,” supported by Michael F.

LaFernier, Sr., nine supported (Emery, S.

LaFernier, Minton, Edwards, Curtis, M.

LaFernier, Matthews, Mayo, Welsh), 0

opposed, one abstained (Dakota), one

absent (Loonsfoot), motion carried. (See

related article on page one.)

President Warren C. Swartz, Jr. presented the United Tribes of Michigan’s

Resolution #014 07-27-2011 as an item of

information. (See related article on page

one).

Eddy Edwards, Treasurer, presented

donation requests for August 2011 to the

Council for their consideration. Motion by

Eddy Edwards to approve $1,000 for the

Bay Cliff Health Camp; $1,000 for the

Michigan House Democratic Fund; $500

for Madeline Island Anishinaabeg Gathering (food donation); $1,000 for Gwinn

Lions to help purchase digital cameras

for sight screening across the U.P.; and

$1,000 for the MTU Parade of Nations; for

a total of $4,500, supported by Susan J.

LaFernier, ten in favor (Emery, S.

LaFernier, Minton, Edwards, Curtis, Dakota, M. LaFernier, Matthews, Mayo,

Welsh) 0 opposed, 0 abstained, one absent (Loonsfoot), motion carried.

Eddy Edwards brought forward a discussion on the Transfer Station bids. Consensus of the Council was to not post the job

for bids and to conduct the construction as

an in-house project.

Council adjourned with no further actions.

~ submitted by Lauri Denomie, Newsletter Editor

Father of Indian Casino Gaming

continues:

Indian Casino Gaming.”

The United Tribes of Michigan’s resolution indicates that in 1974 the Keweenaw

Bay Indian Community (KBIC) adopted its

first federally approved Tribal Code. KBIC

was an impoverished Indian Tribe located

on the shores of Lake Superior in Baraga

County, Michigan. Helene Welsh, a forward

thinking Council woman, insisted that this

new Tribal Code included broad language

authorizing the Tribal Council to license casino style gaming establishments. In 1983,

Fred Dakota secured a casino license from

the KBIC Tribal Council authorizing him to

open the first full-scale casino in Indian

Country; a casino that offered blackjack,

poker, pull-tabs, and eventually video gaming. Subsequently, the Bay Mills Indian

(2) Niizh

Community opened the first tribally owned

casino in the entire country; a move that

was followed by the opening of over 440

Indian gaming operations by 237 tribes

across Indian County. In 2008, Indian gaming generated revenues in excess of $26.8

billion. These gaming facilities are operated

pursuant to minimum internal control standards and are protected by the most sophisticated high-tech security systems. Indian

casino gaming has come a long way since it

began in Fred Dakota’s garage in the community known as Zeba, near L’Anse, Michigan, located on the Keweenaw Bay Indian

Community reservation 28 years ago.

The KBIC resolution further stated, the

success of Indian gaming has raised the

standard of living for tribal members and

non-Indian residents of Baraga and Marquette Counties bringing millions of dollars

in revenue to stimulate the local economy;

maintain and expand governmental programs; repurchase lands within the reservation boundaries; and develop the infrastructure of the reservation which includes roads,

bridges, and natural gas lines. The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community is a vital,

integrated part of the economic, social, and

political communities in and surrounding

Baraga and Marquette Counties of Michigan

and is one of the largest employers in the

Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

“I’m really honored,” Fred Dakota said.

“As you know it’s gone from Keweenaw

Bay Indian Community’s little Village of

Zeba throughout the United States and not

only for Indian tribes, but also for other government agencies, the states are now getting into it.

It all dates back to this little community

here that had the guts to go ahead with it,

and it all goes back to a lady by the name of

Helene Welsh,” Dakota continued. “When

we were doing our Bingo Code which we

had to have in order to start Bingo on this

reservation, she had the foresight to say,

‘Mr. Chairman…Fred, why don’t we do a

casino gaming code also while we are doing

this? Shouldn’t we spend some time doing

that?’ I didn’t have the foresight at that

time, but I was going to appease her anyway because she was my elder, and I had a

lot of respect for her. Really that is how it

started. We passed that and sent it to the

Bureau. Then there came a time when I

had five children to feed, and no way of

feeding them, unemployment had run out. I

went back and asked the council, ‘Do you

suppose I could get one of those gaming

casino licenses?’ They granted me that license, and little did I know how far it would

go, but I’ll tell you it was one scary hell of a

trip.

This says a lot for our community,” Dakota went on, “not just me; I just had to feed

my family. I also had the help of a local

banker. I went to see if I could borrow some

money as we had run out of money to finish

building. I was able to get $10,000 from the

Superior National Bank, from a banker

named Dan Lazzari. I took him for a ride

out to Zeba, to the garage, and showed him

what we were trying to do. He didn’t give

me an answer and said he’d see what he

could do. A few days later he gave me a

personal loan for $10,000 to finish this and

get started. So there are a lot of people

who can take credit for what this tribe did.

Who else would do that?” Dakota questioned. “Mr. Lazzari did that for me and the

tribe. I am really happy it has done so well

for all the Indians in this country. It just

goes to show you what it is to recognize that

you have treaties with this United States

government, and they do mean something.

Just recently the UN has convinced the

United States of America to honor the treaties; I would say that is what they are going

to do or what they’re supposed to do for indigenous people. They change with every

administration, and every administration

makes changes, and we always lose something, and that is not right,” Dakota paused.

“We have to bring ourselves up to a level

that says who we are, and you must honor

your agreements. You can’t say it too many

times, but you also have to bring it to the

rest of the Indian people in this country.

Keep your chin up, keep fighting, don’t let

them do this to you because you will be

nothing more than a minority in this country,

and we are much more than a minority; we

are the original inhabitants, the indigenous

people.”

~ submitted by Lauri Denomie, Newsletter Editor

JULY 2011 TREASURER’S REPORT

Activities reported by the Treasurer, Eddy

Edwards, for the month of July 2011.

Today, I will give an update on the performance of our casinos as compared to

last year and as compared with this year’s

budgeted goals.

As of the end of the third quarter, ending

June 30, 2011, our casinos have performed

as follows: Baraga casino’s house profit

was down $236k. Our Marquette casino’s

house profit was up $486k compared to last

year.

Compared to the budgeted goals for the

year, the Baraga casino’s house profit is

down only $50K. The Marquette casino’s

house profit is ahead of budget by $600k.

Some of Marquette’s additional profit is

coming from increased cigarette sales.

Speaking of cigarette sales, both the

Pines and our casinos showed increased

sales compared to last year. We have August and September sales to tally before

coming up with final figures on our gross

profit on cigarettes. The gross profit goes

toward Christmas checks for members residing in Baraga and Marquette County as

of the end of the fiscal year. In addition, I

found out that the new roll your own cigarette machines we bought are under a

Court Injunction where new owners are required to put $20 in an escrow account for

every 200 cigarettes rolled until the case is

resolved in Court this winter.

In regards to our balances for our cash

and investments, I was unable to obtain the

latest schedule in time for this meeting. I

hope to report on the state of our cash and

investments at next month’s meeting.

In regards to our weatherization program, our grant revenue from the Department of Health and Human Services for our

low income heating energy assistance program (also known as ‘LIHEAP’) took a major hit in that a quarter million dollars in predicted grant revenue that was budgeted for

the weatherization program did not materialize. Instead of performing weatherization

on up to 45 tribal member owned homes,

we might be able to weatherize up to 18

homes. We also only have until the end of

the fiscal year to spend that grant. Our

staff is working to complete the task.

Later on in the agenda, we will be addressing donation requests submitted to

Tribal Council.

Respectfully submitted,

Eddy Edwards, Treasurer

To place an ad, submit an article, or

relate information or ideas on possible

articles contact: Lauri Denomie at

(906) 201-0263, or e-mail

newsletter@kbic-nsn.gov.

To be added to the mailing

list or to correct your mailing address, contact the enrollment office at (906) 3536623 ext. 4113.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2011

The following is a list of activities that occurred in the office of the President for the

month of July 2011:

▪

▪

I called the Indian Gaming office and

spoke to Paula Hart regarding the community’s 2-part application for the casino

in Negaunee, specifically addressing the

10-25 mile radius requiring consultation.

I informed her about our 2-part application that was filed in 2006, and the Midwest region sent out consultation letters

to all municipalities within a 10 mile radius. I told her we shouldn’t be required

to comply with the 25 mile requirement

because we’ve already complied with

the ten mile requirement. Additionally,

we had consultation in Minnesota, and

we and the Midwest region recalled that

we wouldn’t have to comply with the 25

mile radius. Paula Hart from the gaming

office told us that we should comply with

the 25 mile directive because it could be

difficult to give the community an exception to the radius requirement. She also

stated we only had to get consultation

from the local units of government between the 10-25 mile radiuses and

wouldn’t have to get new ones. We

asked her to define the “within” 25 mile

radius as there are municipalities not

wholly within the 25 mile radius. She

deferred us to the regional office for

clarification. We are in the process of

conducting consultation with the municipalities within the 25 mile radius.

I attended a meeting of the OHA Board

of Directors. At the meeting, I asked to

be placed on the agenda to request

monthly financial statements. After discussion, a motion was made to disperse

monthly financial statements to the

KBIC council chairman, relating to the

businesses of the Ojibwa Housing Authority. I also asked for approved minutes of the Board and a packet of information for each OHA Board of Directors

meetings. A number of other items

were on the agenda including quotes for

an addition to the plumbing shop and a

few market rate opportunities. Apparently, they had four different people ask

if OHA would be interested in purchasing their homes through their market

rate program. The Executive Director

reported that they had $529,184.65 left

in competitive stimulus grant funds to

use in the Beartown Development for

new home construction. They are using

those funds for a new house on lot #41

for Diane Charron, lot #28 for Dan and

Beth Connor, and a house on an unnamed site for Donald Stolp.

The

Ojibwa BP has been busy renting boats

and jet skis this summer. Unfortunately,

it was reported that a renter caused

damage to one of the jet skis. It was

reported that Tyler Tolonen, supposedly

▪

▪

drove it directly into someone’s pontoon

boat on purpose and caused a physical

injury to a person on the boat.

OHA requested to release their performance bond, in the form of a letter of

credit that used two CDs in the amount

of $312,000 on the health center job. All

work has been completed and the performance bond was released.

On January 8, 2011, Treasurer Edwards

wanted the CEO’s office reviewed and

made a motion to have the Tribal President oversee the review. The Tribal

President conducted the review for the

period starting January 2011, and ending on July 2011. I concluded the review and stated: The CEO accomplishes considerably more than required

or expected. He frequently demonstrates the ability to integrate a variety of

skills to effectively solve problems and

carry out duties, responsibilities and objectives beyond the expectations of the

position. His performance is consistent

with the behavior associated with the

▪

▪

selected critical performance factors.

He adds value to the organization beyond what is expected and is one of the

key contributors within the organization.

▪

▪

▪

▪

▪

I attended the 33rd annual Powwow. We

recognized Spc. Robert L. Voakes, Jr.

The Tribal Council donated 250 pins

and 250 Pine’s gas cards. The powwow

was a huge success again this year,

and Chi Miigwech to all those who contributed their time and effort.

I was interviewed by WCUP where I

spoke of the status of the Casino, gas

station, Zeba Hall, sex offender laws on

the reservation, mining, economic development, and the 33rd annual Maawanjiiding.

I attended a Tribal/State Summit and

met with Governor Snyder. I had an opportunity to discuss with the governor

the impacts of Indian gaming on the

L’Anse Indian Reservation. I informed

him of the positive impacts gaming has

on our local economy; not only does it

provide jobs for the tribal members but

also jobs for the non-Indian as well. I

asked the governor to send up personnel from his office to help provide some

economic stimuli for Baraga County.

After all, Baraga County consistently

has the highest unemployment rate in

the State of Michigan.

I accepted a letter of resignation from

the Executive Director of the Gaming

Commission, Dale Shalifoe. He accepted the offer to serve as the Assistant General Manager of the Ojibwa Resort and Casino. The President took

over the duties as interim-Executive Director of the Gaming Commission.

I attended a bi-monthly department

head staff meeting.

▪

▪

▪

Sierra Ayres and Savannah Dakota from

the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

attended a week-long leadership conference in Santa Fe, N.M. The National

Intertribal Youth Summit gave the students the opportunity to engage with

other American Indian and Alaska Native youth targeting leadership development and critical youth issues such as

health relationships and lifestyles, education, substance and alcohol abuse,

cultural preservation, community development, and protecting the environment.

The summit also provided an opportunity for the Obama administration officials to hear directly from youth in Indian

Country.

On July 19, 2011, Wells Fargo along

with Mass Mutual met with the KBIC Retirement Plan Committee for their biannual review of the Pension Plan and

401K. Updates were given on the Economy; Investment Management; Education; and risk/return and benefits of a

fully diversified portfolio; administrative

updates; and on-going due diligence for

the Plans. Both Groups were happy to

report a reduction in their fees starting in

2011. Mass Mutual reported that the

Guarantee Fund within the 401K is at

3% for money market rate, which is very

appealing to the participants. New

changes to the Plans were discussed

along with the added loan feature in the

401K, which is also being utilized.

I attended a United Tribes of Michigan

meeting. On the agenda was a Legal

Update on Mining from Godrey & Kahn,

Cyber Security from the Homeland Security Administration, Tribal Health Issues from Cathy Abramson, and a discussion regarding the Michigan Indian

Tuition Waiver.

A resolution was passed relating to contributions Fred Dakota made to Indian

Gaming in Indian Country. He was

named the “Father of Indian Casino

Gaming.”

The Community received an apology

from Mary-Anne Tribble, Senior Policy

Analyst from the Michigan Department

of Community Health (MDCH) for an

oversight on the part of the MDCH. Apparently there was a “Kickoff” of the

Michigan Health Insurance Exchange

associated with President Obama’s

Health Care Reform. The persons responsible for planning and developing a

work group for the Health Insurance Exchange neglected to inform or invite the

leaders of the Native American Tribes of

Michigan to participate in the meeting.

This concludes my report.

Respectfully submitted,

Warren C. Swartz, Jr., President

Decorative License Plate available for our Tribal Member Veterans

Veterans who don’t live on the Reservation have been looking for a License Plate

since the first Veteran plate was issued. The

Motor Vehicle Department listened to their

request and worked with the KBIC Veterans

group to design a plate. That design was

brought to the Tribal Council, and they approved it on May 19, 2011. The new plate is

a Decorative License Plate and is to be displayed on the front of the vehicle.

To get a decorative plate, our Tribal

Member Veterans must complete an application, submit a copy of their DD214 or their

discharge papers, and pay $10.00 to cover

the cost of the plate. The application is

available from the Motor Vehicle Department

and will soon be available on the Tribe’s

All Tribal Veterans’ Meeting at the Lighthouse, Sand Point, will be held every

website. If Veterans have any questions, third Wednesday of the month at 1900

they may contact the Motor Vehicle of- hours. All Tribal Veterans Welcome!

fice at (906) 353-4114.

The Porcupine Mt. Folk School is presenting Copper Bowl Making With Ed Gray. American Indians living in the U.P. discovered outcroppings of a very pure form of copper; the

most pure in the world. They forged tools from the copper to fit their life needs. This Ed

Gray workshop will follow the same ancient methods. Workshop participants will form a

copper bowl by using primitive tools. The copper bowl will be annealed by fire until the

forming process is completed. The bowl can than be embellished with beads, and/or found

objects. The copper bowl will be about 6 inches in diameter. Cost of class is $65 plus

$30 for materials. The Class will take place Saturday, September 17th at 9 AM – 3 PM at

the Porcupine Mt Folk School. Bring a bag lunch for the ½ hour break. In case of rain,

bring rain gear. PRE- REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED: Call Beth at 884-4188.

(3) Niswi

SECRETARY’S REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2011

Activities reported by the Secretary, Susan

J. LaFernier, for the month of July 2011.

ANIN! We honor the greatness in you.

Remember: “Indian Country Counts” and

“Our People, Our Nations, Our Future.”

We continue to recognize the richness of

Native American contributions, accomplishments, and sacrifices to the political, cultural, and economic life of Michigan and the

United States.

The annual Heritage Celebration 2011

will be held in Calumet on August 15-20,

2011, which celebrates the history of the

people of the Keweenaw. This year the

Ojibwa people will be celebrated and honored. During the celebration week there will

be a presentation on Tribal History (our

Constitution’s 75th Anniversary, our 40th

Anniversary of the Tribal Center, and our

Radio Station’s 10th anniversary), storytelling, Ojibwa music, KBIC Dance Troupe,

drumming, fry bread workshop, and a Nishnaabemwin language immersion presentation. We hope that our entire Council will be

able to be together for the Heritage parade

on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. and then

be able to visit at Agassiz Park for an afternoon of fun, food, music, vendors, games,

and horse drawn guided tours. Come to the

events all week, come to the parade, or

come all day on Saturday. See the schedule and posters.

On July 13th, I attended the “Margaret

Ross Early Childhood and Family Education

Center” Open House and Dedication Ceremony where the KBIC Pre-Primary and

Even Start programs are housed. Many

attended and toured the beautiful new building.

On July 15th, there were many volunteers (summer youth program included) that

helped clean our shorelines and beaches. I

cleaned from the marina campground to the

Pines Convenience Store and was amazed

that the shoreline was pretty clean. Much

litter was picked up by everyone around the

bay. Thanks to everyone (our Natural Resource Department coordinated the event)

who participated for recognition of Lake Superior Day—July 17th. Also the Council

passed Resolution KB 1846-2011 presented

by the Natural Resources Department to

commit to purchasing policies and procedures that consider the environmental effect

and impact of purchases that can protect

the environment and promote the long-term

health and welfare of the Tribe and Tribal

employees. This information was also presented at the Department Head meeting

held on July 12th. I also attended the annual Ceridian EAP (Employee Assistance

Program) participation report review conference call, the Health Board meeting on July

13th, and the Weed & Seed meeting on July

20th. The Comprehensive Plan document

will soon be ready for review and updates

by the department heads and then the Community as we are planning to have draft

copies available at the two Constitutional

Convention meetings on August 17th and

31st for comments.

Our KBIC Beartown Firefighters have

finished clearing, cutting, and burning the

dead trees at the Pinery Cemetery. Thank

you to all for the hard work. Also thank you

to our Natural Resources Department summer youth workers for stacking the wood on

the side of the road at the Pinery for the

Powwow, and they also did more leaf raking/cleaning.

The employee W.H.I.P.P. (Wellness,

Health, Intervention, Prevention Program)

Task Force and volunteers continue to have

monthly meetings. It is never too late and

begin positive lifestyle changes that will help

us live longer, healthier, happier lives. The

2nd Annual WHIPP Task Force Employee

“Walk your Way to Wellness” Challenge be(4) Niiwin

gan on May 16th, and will continue until August 7th. Congratulations to all who completed the “Tribe to Tribe Walking Challenge.” Keweenaw Bay took 2nd place and

walked over 30,122 miles and averaged

11,000 steps per person per day! Keep up

the good work and stay active.

The

Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe took 1st

place, Huron Potawatomi 3rd, Bay Mills 4th,

and Grand Traverse 5th.

Once again the Annual KBIC Powwow

was a great success and many thanks to all

who made this weekend wonderful. There

is much hard work involved, and our Community appreciates and looks forward to this

event every year.

The Drug Tip Line number is 353-DRUG

or 353-3784.

The yellow banners are

around the reservation with this tip line

number displayed. The Drug Task Force

holds monthly meetings. The Drug Task

Force Mission Statement: “To promote education through public awareness with the

specific objective to eliminate the use of

‘illegal drugs’ for the betterment of the

health, welfare, and safety of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and our

neighboring Communities.”

Remember to continue to pray for each

other and to honor and remember all of our

veterans, service men and women, and

their families. Also remember those who

are ill, our economic struggles, and all who

have lost loved ones. Let us continue to be

thankful for our beautiful area, and we pray

for peace in the world, good health, and

happiness.

•

•

August 12th;

Approved Resolution KB1846-2011 Environmentally (Respectful) Preferable

Purchasing Policies Program;

Approved the renewal business license

for Stacey Koski as “Koski’s World of

Wheels.”

At a council meeting held July 21, 2011,

the following actions were taken:

•

At a council meeting held July 7, 2011,

the following actions were taken:

Approved the December 16, 2010, and

January 6, and 8, 2011 meeting minutes;

• Approved the KBIC Youth Program

Chaperone Policy with the changes;

• Approved Aecom Technical Services of

MI, Inc. to do an asbestos and lead

based paint survey for $3,000 on the

former Los Tres Amigos Restaurant

property in Marquette;

• Approved to move forward in conducting

a community survey for a charter

school;

• Approved Resolution KB1848-2011

Shirley A. Zasadnyj residential lease

hold interest sale to David B. and Lisa

A. Zasadnyj;

• Approved Resolution KB1844-2011 Department of Interior Road Maintenance

Contract for $15,000 for three years

2011-2014;

• Approved the M.O.A. BE-11-G35 with

the Indian Health Service for on-site

wastewater management for homes;

• Approved to table the Pressbox ceiling

tile replacement bids for two weeks;

• Approved to table the OVW (Office of

Violence against Women) organizational

structure topic until Council receives the

information;

• Motion was defeated to overturn the

CEO’s decision regarding Case #004-11

(Government appeal of dismissal).

At a council meeting held July 28, 2011,

the following actions were taken:

•

•

During July 2011, the Tribal Council held

one Regular Tribal Council Meeting on July

9, 2011. This meeting is covered in the August 2011 Newsletter. Tribal Council held

four Special Council Meetings. Following

are the unapproved motions from July.

•

•

Approved to cancel the youth Milwaukee trip until the youth policies and procedures are updated for travel;

Motion to approve the Four Thunders

Drum services agreement to provide

educational services regarding drum

construction, handling, and care for four

sessions by July 19th;

Approved to not proceed on litigating

the Pinery Fire.

•

•

•

At a council meeting held July 14, 2011,

the following actions were taken:

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Approved the December 9, and 11,

2010 meeting minutes;

Motion to offer the Baraga Casino Assistant General Manager position to

Dale Shalifoe at $65,000 - no support;

Approved to offer the Baraga Casino

Assistant General Manager position to

Dale Shalifoe at $57,500;

Approved the Kellie Pickler concert

agreement with Creative Artists Agency;

Approved the Horizon Environmental

Corporation services agreement for

data validation and assessment services for $4,800 (Natural Resources Department);

Approved the professional services

agreement with Ronald Demaray/

Dorsey & Whitney, LLP, or the Community’s contract support costs funding research, analysis, and expert testimony if

needed;

Approved the purchase of (2) two RYO

(Roll Your Own) cigarette machines at

$32,500 each;

Approved a donation request from the

Baraga County Community Foundation

for two teams at $180 and a one-hole

sponsor at $200 for the Tony Selkey

Memorial three-man golf scramble on

•

•

•

Approved the January 14, and 20, 2011

meeting minutes;

Approved the Sand Point layout as presented;

Approved the caterpillar excavator

(repair) parts from Fabco for $11,267.09

and the labor costs from J & H Welding

for $750 for a total of $12,017.09 (for the

Public Works Department);

Approved our 50 acres of wetlands at

the end of Usimaki Road for nondevelopment and to use the grant dollars (from the Fish & Wildlife Service

grant);

Approved the Personnel Policy 3.6

amendment regarding KBIC Background Investigations Policy for employees, volunteers, and others subject to

the Indian Child Protection and Family

Violence Prevention Act;

Approved to transfer the OVW (Office of

Violence against Women) Program from

D.H.H.S. and make it a department

(OVW Programs and Services Department) and approve the organizational

structure; promote Sylvia Murray as the

Programs and Services Team Lead,

change her to a Grade 13 at $27.00 and

adjust the job description;

Approved the proposal by Aecom to

complete an asbestos and lead based

paint survey on the former Los Tres

Amigos Restaurant (property in Marquette).

Respectfully submitted,

Susan J. LaFernier, Secretary

CEO REPORT FOR THE MONTHS OF JUNE/JULY 2011

The month of June 2011 included the following activities and reportable items:

▪

▪

▪

▪

▪

▪

▪

▪

▪

On June 6th through the 9th, I attended

the USDA Commodity Food Program

Annual Conference in Tulsa, OK. The

conference provided good informationfor ways to improve our program. We

will be seeking grant funds to improve

the structures as well as inventory control features. During tours of facilities of

the Cherokee Nation, we were able to

see automated systems in action and

how they could improve our distribution

setup.

Staff continues to meet and work on

moving the new gas station in Marquette forward. The environmental assessment portion of the application for

Land to Trust is the next step in the

process.

Once complete, an RFP

(request for proposals) for demolition of

the former Los 3 Amigos building will

take place. We also continue to work

on design elements and site layout.

The Rite Track program which will be a

Tribal wide system is encountering

some issues. The enrollment department has features which exist in their

current system they use but are not

working in the new one. IT is working

with the programmers to facilitate the

development of the program. It was

hoped that the new system would be

operational at this time, but the problems are causing delays. Our office is

aiding in moving the issues forward.

The Department of Public Works has

located their offices at the Tribes Industrial Park. The economic development

offices have moved to the Planning and

Development offices located on U.S. 41.

On the 20th, Amy St. Arnold, Education

Director, Susan LaFernier, and President Swartz met with Tom Miller, Superintendant of the Hannahville School.

The meeting was in regard to our intent

to conduct a survey of the community

regarding a Tribal school. The information will be shared with Council to see

what direction they would like to take.

Employees will soon be receiving a notice in their paychecks regarding

SORNA (Sex Offender Registration and

Notification Act). With the Tribe taking

over the registration of sex offenders

within the reservation, notices regarding

compliance with our law need to be issued. Public notices will also be put out

in the coming weeks.

Dave Firestone has been hired as the

Elderly Nutrition Director. He is taking

the position which was held by Philly

Ekdahl who has retired. Dave began

working on June 27th.

Plans are being developed for the governmental employee picnic. The event

will take place at the L’Anse Golf

Course again this year on August 5th.

Council has graciously allowed governmental offices to close on the 5th, for the

event which will begin at 9 a.m.

On the 28th, our IT Dept. organized a

▪

demonstration of a VOIP telephone system. The system is computer based

and provides a wide array of capabilities

which would enhance and streamline

operations. We were quite impressed

with the system which has the potential

of paying for itself in a short period of

time. Once we have all of the information needed, a presentation will be

made to Council for consideration.

On the 29th, I participated in a meeting

hosted by our Natural Resources Dept.

The meeting was held to introduce the

concept of moving toward environmentally friendly purchasing practices. This

would include purchases of cleaning

products, furniture, office supplies, disposable products, etc. A formal resolution will be presented to Council for consideration.

▪

▪

The month of July 2011 included the following activities and reportable items:

▪

▪

▪

▪

▪

The FY12 Budget processing is upon

us. The budget work group met and has

developed a schedule for the coming

months. Both the enterprise and governmental budgets for next fiscal year

will be compiled and ready for Council

review beginning September 6th.

On the 13th, an open house was held for

the new Margret Ross Early Child and

Family Education Center. Family members of the late Margret Ross along with

Council members, Tribal employees,

and participants in the Pre-primary and

Even Start programs were in attendance. A tour of the new state of the art

facility was provided as well as a light

lunch.

We continue to meet on finalizing the

draft form of the Tribes Strategic Plan

which will be sent to department heads

for final input prior to being presented to

the community. The tentative plan is to

present the document to the community

at the August 31st Constitutional Convention meeting which is open to all

Tribal members. Final approval of the

plan will be sought of Council in September.

Dale Shalifoe has accepted the new position of Assistant General Manager of

the Ojibwa Casino Resort. Dale’s former position of Executive Director of the

Gaming Commission will be posted for

eligible applicants to apply. Dale will

begin his new role on August 1st. The

new position was developed as part of

the agreement with the current General

Manager of the OCR, Robert Mudd, who

will train Dale as his replacement approximately one year from now.

On the 14th, Council approved the purchase of two Roll Your Own tobacco

machines. Customers will insert raw

tobacco into the machines which will put

the tobacco into the filter tube and dispense completed cigarettes. The machines will provide a less expense

means for customers to purchase cigarettes. Locations for the machines are

being developed and will be announced

▪

▪

▪

▪

soon.

The bi-monthly department head meeting was held on the 19th. One item of

note from the meeting relates to the

Tribes Employee Assistance Program

which is offered through Ceridian Corp.

A conference call with Ceridian indicated that the program provides much

more information than is being utilized.

During our upcoming meetings we will

host mini trainings using some of the

tools that are available on the Life

Works site of the program. The services

of the EAP are available to all employees and their families.

On the 21st, information gathered from

the prior months meeting with Tom

Miller regarding a Tribal school was

shared with Council. Council has directed staff to move forward with conducting a reservation wide survey to

gain input from the community prior to

making any formal decisions. Staff will

be working with Tom to develop a survey which will be conducted door to

door instead of mailing one to get a better response percentage.

The Tribe’s Tribal Historic Preservation

Office has two vacancies which will be

posted and filled in the near future. Until

the THPO Coordinator position is filled,

Chris Chosa will serve in an interim capacity through a temporary appointment.

On the 26th, our office met with staff of

the USDA’s Food Distribution Programs

on Indian Reservations staff. They are

conducting a review of the program as a

normal course of accepting funds. Darren Webb, who administers the program

will be meeting with them throughout the

week they are here. A formal report will

be provided to the Tribe in the coming

weeks. During our initial meeting it was

shared that additional funds are available yet this year of which plans are being developed to access them.

On the 28th, Council approved the final

layout for the roadway at Sand Point.

The new layout will provide staff with the

ability to further design the property to

accommodate future plans for individual

camp sites and related infrastructure.

The road is planned to be moved according to the layout and paved later

this year.

In a final note, Council approved reorganizing the Office of Violence against

Women department. The department

was directly reporting to Carole LaPointe, Health Director, but after consideration, review, and recommendation

from Carole and staff, it has been

placed under the direct direction of the

CEO’s office. The change will not affect

the programs and services offered.

As always, if anyone has questions, concerns, or issues that the CEO’s office can

assist with, please don’t hesitate to stop, email, or call.

Respectfully submitted,

Larry J. Denomie, III, CEO

NOTICE:

There will be a blood drive

on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011,

co-sponsored by the KBIC

Health Dept., WHIPP Taskforce, and the UP Blood Center. Registration is required,

if people are interested in donating or have any questions

should contact Heather Wood

-Paquet, Health Promotions

Educator, at 353-4546.

Are you interested in starting a business? Expanding your

current business? The Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Housing Community Development Corporation is happy to announce that it

is offering Small Business Loans to eligible Tribal members.

Enjoy a low-interest loan of up to $30,000 to help you with

your business ventures. Call 353-7117, visit www.kboha.com,

or stop by the Ojibwa Housing Authority at 220 Main Street in

Baraga for more information.

(5) Naanan

33rd Annual Maawanji’iding continues:

HERITAGE CELEBRATION HELD — CALUMET, MI

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

Honored elders: Albert W. Matthews, Elsie Marie Loonsfoot Matthews,

Elizabeth “Chiz” Matthews, and Earl Otchingwanigan, shown above with

head dancers.

(KBIC) and Sarah Hindsley

(WI). Saturday’s events included a special memorial

event for KBIC’s Fallen Solider, Specialist Robert L.

Voakes, Jr., which consisted

of an honor song, gifts to the

family, and a give-away to

participants. Also held Saturday was a drum competition,

a hand-drum competition, and

a Lester Drift Memorial Men’s

Traditional Dance Competition.

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

Cherish and Mark Kingbird of Red Honored Elders:

Lake, MN, “Kingbird Kid’s” a brother/ Albert W. Matthews

sister team took first place in the youth

Albert is 74 years old. He

two-step competition.

was born 10/25/1936. He is

married to Elsie Matthews and

they have five children, seven

grandchildren and six great

grandchildren. Albert served

in the US Army.

He has

worked many years in the grocery business, he started as a

meat cutter and eventually

worked his way up to supervisor. He continued working as

a produce supervisor for a

wholesale grocery. He was

again promoted to Sales Manager of 85 stores. He eventuPhoto by Lauri Denomie.

ally owned his own grocery

Paul Smith (KBIC) and Sarah Hindsley store before retiring in 2003.

(Wisconsin) “Hot Sauce” were the Al loves to hunt and fish and

crowd’s favorite, taking first place in he is a diehard Green Bay

the adult two-step competition.

Packer fan.

Al says,

“Although I spent my life away

from my people, my heart has always been back home with you. All

of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community has a special place in my

heart as well as my family’s. My family loves their heritage and

where they came from. May the rainbows always run up the Silver

and Ravine rivers.”

Elsie Marie Loonsfoot Matthews

Elsie is 72 years old. She was born 02/24/1939. Elsie first met

Al in the 6th grade, but wasn’t interested until 5-6 years later. They

were married on March 3, 1958. Her first job was a mother to five

children in six years. Elsie went back to school and became a dental assistant. She has worked for the Oneida, Lac Court Orielles,

and Potowatomi Tribes at their clinics. She has worked in oral surgery in Green Bay. She is now retired and enjoys gardening, volunteering for the local rescue auxiliary, sewing, and spending time

with her grandkids.

Elizabeth “Chiz” Matthews

Elizabeth is 72 years old, was born in Zeba, MI, and has lived

there the majority of her life. Her Native name is Spirit Of Woman.

Her mother and father were Charollete Blaker and George

Mathews, and she comes from a family of nine. Chiz has five children: Mike, Mark, Loring, Lori Ann, and Elizabeth; eleven grandchildren; and three great grandchildren. Chiz will have served on the

Tribal Council for ten years this coming January. She is currently a

member of the Cultural Committee and the Elder’s Advisory Board,

and she has been taking language classes for the past two years.

In the past, she has served on the Child Welfare Committee and on

the Education Committee for 19 years. Chiz states, “In my free

time, what is most important to me is spending time with my family

and friends, and I like to garden. I am greatly appreciative of being

honored at this year’s powwow.”

(6) Ningodwaaswi

33rd Annual Maawanji’iding continued on page eight.

An annual Heritage

Celebration is held in

Calumet,

Michigan.

We Celebrate the

Ojibwa was held August 15-20, 2011.

Monday evening, August 15th, began with

a Flag Song by Eric

Awonohopay as the

Keweenaw Bay Indian

Community Veterans

Honor Guard prePhoto by Lauri Denomie.

sented the colors at

the Keweenaw Heritage Center in Calumet, Michigan, with

the beginning of the

week’s

festivities.

President

W arren

“Chris” Swartz, Jr. presented the Heritage

Center with the KePhoto by Lauri Denomie.

weenaw Bay Indian

Nicole Eagle and E Halverson performed a Community Flag to

duet, which E wrote, “Me.”

display proudly in their

building. A storytelling

session followed beginning with Doreen

Blaker, a KBIC Cultural Committee member, presenting the

Great Migration Story

up to 1800. Susan J.

LaFer nier,

T r ibal

Council

Secretary,

presented Tribal HisPhoto by Lauri Denomie. tory from the 1800’s to

Dale Dakota drives Fred Dakota, Warren present, and Fred Da“Chris” Swartz, Jr., and Elizabeth “Popcorn” kota, Father of Indian

Mayo.

Casino Gaming and a

Tribal Council member, presented the

gaming history as it

began on the Keweenaw Bay Indian

Reservation. A beautiful musical duet was

sung by the talented

Nicole Eagle and E

Halverson. The evening concluded with

an Honor Song by Eric

Photo by Lauri Denomie. Awonohopay.

On

Wednesday

Savannah Seymour, Miss Keweenaw Bay

evening, August 17th,

2011.

the Summer Cloud

Drum Group provided

songs for a dance

presentation by the

KBIC Dance Troupe.

On Saturday, August 19th, the day’s

festivities began with

the Copper Country

Heritage

Parade

which featured the

Photo by Lauri Denomie. KBIC Tribal Council,

Parade participants, Shirley McKasy, Nancy Keweenaw Bay Indian

Community Veterans

Shalifoe, and John and Carol Jacker.

Honor Guard, KBIC

Dance Troupe, and Miss Keweenaw Bay.

Summer Cloud

Drum and the KBIC Dance

Troupe presented exhibition dancing in the Agassiz Park following

the parade.

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

BUILDERS

BUILDING

SUPPLY

PLUMBING &

HEATING

For all your maintenance needs.

353

353--7127

353

353--8850

Ojibwa BP & Deli

353-BP4U

Ojibwa Car Wash

& Laundromat

ATM, Sporting Goods

FEATURING

Tribal Gas Discounts Honored Inside

Pay-at-Pump features for your convenience

Lotto & Lottery Tickets Now Available.

— EBT Cards accepted here —

Daily Lunch Specials

Whole Pizzas Made To Order

Business Delivers Available (call for details).

Ultrasonic Touchless Automatic Car Wash

Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa

Housing Authority

Owned & Operated by Ojibwa Housing

Authority; all proceeds go to Affordable

Housing Activities.

"Owned and operated by the

Ojibwa Housing Authority.

Students: Back to school

lunch specials!

All proceeds go to

affordable housing activities

in our community."

Receive an additional 10¢ off per gallon of

gasoline with purchase of an ultimate car

wash. *See Cashier for details!

353

353--6967

Your car will sparkle and shine line NEW!

Open 24 Hours a Day

7 Days a Week

Ojibwa Car Wash & Laundromat

US 41, Baraga

Owned & Operated by Ojibwa Housing

Authority; all proceeds go to Affordable

Housing Activities.

Newsletter designed ad

(7) Niizhwaaswi

33rd Annual Maawanji’iding continues:

Earl Otchingwanigan

Earl Otchingwanigan is an enrolled member of

the L’Anse Keweenaw Bay Tribe, KBIC, of Lake

Superior. He has dual descendancy with Keweenaw Bay, Lac Courte Orielles, and the historical Gaa-namegosikaag Band of Ojibwe [Chicaugon

Lake, Michigan]. Earl, a first speaker, grew up in

the language and is a life-long carrier of cultural

arts and crafts including building full size birch bark

canoes, wigwams, birch bark basketry, cradleboards, and carving wood spoons. Earl’s parents

were hunting and fishing guides from the 1930’s

through the mid-1950’s, giving him an added education of hunting, fishing, and trapping. This experience also gave Earl the first-hand knowledge of

knowing the Ojibwe names for nearly all of the rivers, streams, and lakes in the Iron County area.

Earl is a Professor Emeritus of Ojibwe Language, Minnesota State University at Bemidji, serving 1971-2000. He was the Master of Ceremonies

of Ojibwe Powwows at Chicaugon Lake, Michigan,

1975-1990. Earl is the co-founder of the Ojibwe

Heritage Council of Iron County, Michigan.

He

was a consultant and participant for the Smithsonian Institution FolkLife Programs, Washington

D.C. and the Museum of the American Indian,

Washington, D.C. and New York City, 1975 – 2004.

He was a consultant and participant for Minnesota

DNR Parks Program at Itasca State Park and

Bemidji State Park, serving 1976 - 2001. Earl was

a film participant in Jacques Cousteau’s documentary mini-series for television entitled the

“Mississippi River” 1980. Earl has been a twice

recipient of Minnesota Outstanding Native Teacher

Award in 1986 and 1989. In 1996, he received the

Minnesota Outstanding Book Award for co-author

of “Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe.” He

received the Golden Eagle Award for best documentary film in 1999, entitled “Earl’s Canoe” a

Smithsonian Institution Folk Life Series film. Earl

was featured in a Northern Michigan University/

Hannahville Indian School cooperative documentary entitled “Earl’s Wigwam” in 2005. He received

the State of Michigan Lifetime Heritage Award for

cultural contributions presented at Michigan State

University, Lansing, Michigan, in 2007.

Earl has been an invited lecturer/presenter at

numerous universities and colleges including Harvard University, Northwestern University, University

of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin, Lakehead

University [Thunder Bay, Ontario], Michigan State

University, Northern Michigan University, Nicollet

Junior College, Itasca Junior College, and numerous elementary and high schools. He has presented many cultural talks/programs/contributions

at museums including the Museum of the American

Indian in New York, Mashantucket Pequot Museum

and Research Center, Mount Horeb Folk Museum,

Ziibiwing Center of Anishinaabe Culture and Lifeways, and at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival

Series in Washington, D.C.

The Otchingwanigan family, Earl, Christie, and

Keenan created and built the Ojibwe displays for

the new Marquette Regional History Museum in

2010. Earl is the founder of Oshkaabewis, originally a newspaper, which is now continuing as

Oshkaabewis Native Journal, a series in book-form

of Ojibwe language articles and stories.

KBIC Tribal Outpatient Substance

Abuse presents, Don Burnstick,

“Laughter is Good Medicine”

KBIC Tribal Outpatient Substance Abuse Program sponsored with the help of Ojibwa Housing

Authority, KBIC Youth Program, KBIC Pow-wow

Committee, and KBIC Tribal Court, a week of Don

Burnstick for the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. Youth workshops were held throughout the

week with two evening comedy shows, Wednesday

evening’s family night and Thursday evening’s

adult night.

Burnstick, a

Cree Canadian

Indian, is famous

for his comedic

performance,

that humorously

portrays

First

Nations people,

their habits, likes

and

dislikes.

Burnstick visited

KBIC during the

week of their

July

Comedian Don Burnstick. Photo Pow-wow,

18-22nd.

compliments of Stanley Spruce.

(8) Ishwaaswi

KBIC Spends an evening with

Country Star, Kellie Pickler

M a n y

community

members

spent

an

evening with

Country performer Kellie

Pickler, live

at

the

Ojibwa Casino Resort

Photo by Lauri Denomie. in Baraga on

Saturday,

August 13th. After enjoying many

favorites, she closed the show with

Red High Heels.

SEPTEMBER 2011 Calendars Events

Sept. 2: Constitutional Committee Meeting, 1 pm,

Council Chambers;

Sept. 3: Reg. Sat. Council Meeting, 9 am, Ojibwa Casino Resort Conference Room;

Sept. 5: Labor Day—Tribal Gov’t Businesses closed;

Sept. 17: Parade of Nations, 12 noon;

Sept. 21: Veteran’s meeting 7 pm;

Sept. 23: Michigan Indian Day—Tribal Gov’t Businesses closed.

Events occurring throughout KBIC are welcome to be listed

on the Calendar of Events. Contact newsletter@kbic.nsn.gov to

list your events. Some events are more detailed FYI within the

newsletter. For up-to-date event listings, visit www.ojibwa.com

and click on calendar.

For Youth events, see @

www.ojibwa.com, click on youth club, or contact 353-4643/Main

Office at Youth Club, or 353-4644 for the facility attendants or

the Kitchen/craft rooms.

New Children’s Book Opens Door to Environmental Education

through Indigenous Prophecy

BERNARD N. TIOSH

(September 8, 1934—July 29, 2011)

BERNARD N. TIOSH, age 76, of

Baraga, passed away after a period of ill

health at his cousin’s home in Baraga on

Friday, July 29, 2011. He was born in

L’Anse on September 8, 1934, the son of

the late William and Josephine (Papin)

Tiosh, Sr. Bernard attended school in

L’Anse. He served in the US Navy during

the Korean Conflict. Bernard worked as a

woods worker for local logging companies

and the KBIC Commodities program. He

was a member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian

Community, the L’Anse VFW, and the

American Legion. He enjoyed playing cribbage and was active in local tournaments.

Mr. Tiosh is survived by his nieces and

nephews:

Robert Genschow, JoAnn

Racette, Debra Parrish, and Darlene Genschow; and his special cousin Will Loonsfoot, with whom he made his home. Many

more nieces and nephews also survive. He

was preceded in death by his brothers: Clifford, William Jr., and Robert; and sisters:

Saraphine Bresette, Elizabeth Genschow,

and Patricia Abrahamson Sullivan.

A graveside service was held on Tuesday, August 9, 2011, at the Assinins Cemetery with Father John Longbucco officiating.

Baraga County area veterans, under the

direction of the Baraga American Legion

Post 444, conducted military honors. The

Reid Funeral Home assisted the family.

Four Thunder Drum

Offers Teachings

The Weed and Seed Program facilitated

drum teachings offered by the Four Thunders Drum. Participants gathered on July

11, 12, 18, and 19, 2011, at the Niiwin

Akeaa Recreational Facility, in Baraga,

where the Four Thunders Drum provided

drumming sessions which included stick

construction, drum teachings, cultural

teachings, and singing. “I’d like to thank all

of the providers and the participants that

were part of this learning event,” stated Tyler Larson, Weed and Seed Coordinator.

“Though many of the days were very warm,

there were still over 60 people who participated in the event leading into the pow-wow

weekend. “

“The time to empower our children with indigenous wisdom is now.”

~ Gabriel Horn, A.K.A. White Deer of Autumn *

Using oral traditions from the indigenous people of

eastern

North

America,

author

Lisa A. Hart has

written the Anishinabe Prophecy of

the Seventh Fire

into a children’s

story titled Children

of the Seventh

Fire—An Ancient

Prophecy for Modern Times. Children learn

how to interpret the universal themes of

each of the seven prophecies (or fires) as

Native and non-Native characters in the

story listen to an Ojibwe elder’s retelling of

this ancient wisdom.

This children’s book, which will be released in the coming weeks, explains the

Prophecy of the Seventh Fire to the children

as they visit a Native American reservation.

Kinoo, an Ojibwe elder, teaches that we are

living in the time of the seventh fire and in

order to move into the time of the eighth

(and final) fire, we need to live in balance

and harmony in the world where Earth is

treated with respect.

Children learn ways to live an environmentally friendly lifestyle through recycling,

energy conservation, clean energy creation,

and legislative involvement. These lessons

make environmental awareness and action

accessible for children of all ages who read

the story. They will also learn about the

importance of living in peace, love, brotherhood and sisterhood, and respecting other

cultures.

Children of the Seventh Fire—An Ancient Prophecy for Modern Times is published by McDonald & Woodward Publishing

and includes a glossary and a list of many

relevant print and web resources. The

Foreword was written by Edward BentonBanai who is the Grand Chief of the Three

Fires Midewiwin Society and author of The

Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway.

All illustrations are provided by well-know

artist Joe Liles.

About the Author

Lisa Hart received her Bachelor of Arts

Degree in Intercultural Studies from Warren

Wilson College in 1985 and her Master’s

PRESS RELEASE—WARREN “CHRIS” SWARTZ, JR.—KEWEENAW

BAY INDIAN COMMUNITY PRESIDENT

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community; Lake Superior Day Beach Cleanup

Degree in Medical Anthropology from The

University of Connecticut in 1989. She

taught English as a second language in

American Samoa, and worked as a teaching

assistant in grades K-8. She also interned

at The Wittenberg Center for Alternative Resources, which hosted a wide variety of traditional indigenous elders who came to

share their knowledge with the public. It

became evident during her internship that

the wisdom found in traditional indigenous

people’s cultures was lacking in teaching

children from western society. One of the

those teachings—The Prophecy of the

Seven Fires—inspired a 15-year project, her

first book, Children of the Seventh Fire—An

Ancient Prophecy for Modern Times.

Lisa grew up in rural Connecticut on 25

acres of fields, woods, streams, and a pond.

She credits her father for helping her develop a positive and respectful bond with

nature at a young age and her mother for

creating ways to introduce her to diverse

and interesting cultures. She has lived and

worked in various situations with indigenous

people for the past 26 years, and has been

attending Midewiwin ceremonies for more

than six years. Lisa is a member of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the Northern American Association for Environmental Education, and owns

an organic gardening business in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. Her

philosophy reflects the moral and environmental lesions conveyed in the book and

how to live an environmentally conscientious life.

Children of the Seventh Fire—An Ancient Prophecy for Modern Times, available

in softcover with 40 pages of text and more

than 50 color illustrations, also includes a

pledge page for children to make the book

more personal. A teacher’s guide, published separately by the author, will be available upon release of the book. For more

information about the book, visit McDonald

and

W oodward’s

website

at

www.mwpubco.com/titles/

childrenoftheseventhfire.htm or contact

them directly at 1-800-233-8787.

Founded in 1986, The McDonald and

Woodward Publishing Company publishes

books on cultural and natural history, natural resources, and educational resources.

Baraga County, Michigan — The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

(KBIC), whose Reservation lands border Keweenaw Bay of Lake Superior,

organized a beach cleanup on July 15th in celebration of Lake Superior

Day. About 30 people including KBIC Natural Resources Department

staff, tribal youth crews, and area community members cleaned approximately five miles of Lake Superior beaches from Assinins/Sand Point all

the way around the Bay to Pequaming. The day started with an opening

ceremony performed by KBIC member, Debra Williamson. The cleanup

was followed by a pot luck luncheon at the Sand Point Light House day

use area. “It was hot out, but it was a rewarding effort,” said Erin Johnston, KBIC Lake Superior Program Coordinator. “We estimate we collected

and disposed of about 40 bags of trash off the beaches. It was nice to

take a day to reflect on how lucky we are to live where we do and share

that with others.” Local businesses and restaurants shared in the celebration by distributing post cards and bookmarks and using special Lake Superior Day placemats throughout the week and weekend that contained

information about threats to and ways to protect Lake Superior. Lake Superior Day, which was created in the early 1990’s by the Binational Forum,

is officially the third Sunday in July. The Binational Forum, a group of volunteers from the United States and Canada working together to protect

Lake Superior, states that “Lake Superior Day is a special day held around

the lake to highlight the importance of the world’s largest freshwater lake to

the basin’s environment and economy.” KBIC will continue to hold annual

events in honor of Lake Superior Day, but we encourage the community to

treat every day as Lake Superior Day and take actions to restore and protect our beautiful Lake. For further information please contact our Natural

Resources Department at (906) 524-5757.

KBTNRD continues page eleven.

(9) Zhaangaswi

website: www.kboha.com

Mission: To provide affordable and attractive housing opportunities

in a safe and healthy environment to qualifying tribal members of

the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, encourage self-improvement

of the community’s low income families, and provide employment

opportunities.

Programs and Services provided by the KBOHA:

• Low income rental homes and apartments

1. 158 Homes/apartments in Baraga

2. 50 Homes in Zeba

3. 40 Homes in Marquette/Harvey;

• Supportive housing/transitional housing to help address family

issues;

• New, custom built, super-insulated homes for homeownership

on Bear Town Road;

• Home buyer training to prepare members for home ownership;

• Financial literacy training to improve members’ financial skills;

• Home maintenance training to improve members’ ability to maintain homes;

• Home rehabilitation program to improve the condition of member

-owned homes;

• Home emergency assistance program to remedy negative con-

ditions in the home;

• Individual development account program – a 4:1 matched savings program for member goals that include:

1. Down payment assistance for home purchase;

2. Business expansion/start-up expenses.

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Low cost home improvement loan program for qualifying Tribal

members;

Low cost tax preparation program for residents and Tribal members;

Affordable curbside trash service for residents and members;

Ojibwa Building Supply Do It Best—providing Tribal employment, quality affordable building supplies and profits for housing

programs;

Ojibwa Builders Construction Company—providing Tribal employment, quality affordable construction, and profits for housing

programs;

Market rate rentals—five rental properties in Baraga and one in

Negaunee- providing profits for housing programs;

Ojibwa BP, Car Wash and Laundry- providing Tribal employment, superior products and service, and profits for housing programs.

Congratulations to the 'Walk Your Way To Wellness”

segment three winners:

∼ Jim Nardi from Ojibwa Enterprises and Diana

Chaudier from the Enrollment Office. They each

received a mountain bike!

Congratulations to the 'Walk Your Way To Wellness”

segment four winners:

∼ Catherine Woodward from the Marquette Casino Housekeeping Dept., Vicki Emery from KBIC Gov’t Accounting Dept., and

Betty Kauppila from the Baraga Casino Bar. They each received $200 in Nike merchandise.

Congratulations to the 'Walk Your Way To Wellness” grand prize

winners:

∼ Jennifer Almli from KBIC Gov’t Accounting Dept., and Heather

Wood-Paquet from the Donald LaPointe Health Dept. They

each received up to $750 in health related merchandise of their

choice.

Great job to everyone who participated!

CANCER AWARENESS CARNIVAL

Heather Wood-Paquet

Health Promotions Educator

EDUCATION INCENTIVE PROGRAM

The Keweenaw Bay Education Committee

offers the Education Incentive Program to local

KBIC Tribal students. Monetary incentives are

awarded at the end of each of the four marking

periods of the academic year. Awards are

given for Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance.

Students must meet the following criteria:

1. Must be enrolled KBIC members.

2. Must reside in one of the following four counties:

Houghton, Ontonagon or Marquette.

3. Must attend a public or private school.

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s Community Health held a

Cancer Awareness Carnival on Friday, July 22, 2011, at the

KBOCC gym. Amongst the displays was a 20-foot long, eight-foot

high air-inflated “super colon” used to educate all of the various colorectal cancers which was made possible by the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan. Many booths were offered which focused on our

youth and offered cancer prevention information for both children

and adults.

“We had about 200 people register,” stated Heather WoodPaquet, Health Promotions Educator with KBIC’s Department of

Health and Human Services. “We had the local Great Exploration

programs come though. We had a lot of activities and one of the

big draws for the kids was the custom hat making booth.”

Another crowd favorite was the booth of Marie Harju for the

MSUE program which had ingredients to make fruit and vegetable

rollups.

(10) Midaaswi

Baraga,

A student’s Honor Roll status is defined according to the regulations of their school district. Students in grades 4 through 12 are

eligible to receive this award.

Perfect Attendance follows the school policy also but time for

doctor or dental appointments and funerals may be allowed. Please

contact the following people for more information:

•

L’Anse Area Schools – Shellie

shdenomi@laschools.K12.mi.us

•

Baraga Area Schools – Helen Jondreau, 353-6661

hjondreau@up.net

•

All others contact—Amy St. Arnold, 353-4117 amy@kbicnsn.gov

Denomie,

524-0367

Houghton, Ontonagon, and Marquette students must provide a

copy of student report card. If attendance is not noted on the card,

please have a school official document by signature. Report cards

may be mailed to: Keweenaw Bay Tribal Center, Education Office,

16429 Bear Town Rd. Baraga, MI 49908

Mining Activities on the Reservation and in the U.P.

By Jessica Koski, KBIC Mining Technical Assistant

Mineral Exploration within the L’Anse Reservation

The map to the right shows the

location of the active Kennecott Keweenawan BIC (Bovine Igneous

Complex) exploration sites located

about 10 km east of the village of

L’Anse. The main BIC site is located

east of Indian Road on Kennecott

owned and leased property. A second prospect in the same area that

Kennecott has named little BIC extends to the west of Indian Road.

On August 5th, KBIC staff visited

the BIC site and found that active

drilling was taking place.

The

amount of drilling that has occurred

at the BIC site suggests that Kennecott is in an advanced exploration

stage.

The BIC site geology is similar to

that of the contested Eagle Mine on the Yellow Dog Plains. The BIC site

target minerals, or minerals they are considering trying to mine, are metallic sulfides, containing copper, nickel and platinum group elements.

There are at least five additional companies actively exploring for metallic sulfide and uranium mineral deposits in areas around the L’Anse and

Ontonagon Reservations within KBIC Home Territory.

Eagle Project Update

Above ground construction is well underway at the Kennecott Eagle

project site on the Yellow Dog Plains and includes construction of a metal

entrance support at the eastern base of Eagle Rock, cementing of an ore

haul road leading to the planned underground entrance, and a large waste

water treatment plant. Kennecott currently plans to begin blasting and

constructing the entrance tunnel into Eagle Rock in early September,

2011.

On June 9th, a Contested Case Appeal hearing took place in Lansing in

which the KBIC, National Wildlife Federation, Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, and Huron Mountain Club (‘plaintiffs’) appealed a previous Michigan

administrative court decision upholding the legality of the Eagle mine permits granted to Kennecott by the State of Michigan. The plaintiff’s arguments challenging the Kennecott permits contend that there were numerous legal errors in the permitting process, there is an extremely high potential for the mine to collapse as it is designed, there is no protection of

Eagle Rock as a place of worship, and that the mining will contaminate

groundwater. The date for a decision by the Michigan Appeals Court is

unknown at this time.

Humboldt Mill Superfund Investigation

The Humboldt Mill is located about 23 miles from the L’Anse Reservation, south of US-41 in Humboldt Township, Marquette County, and within

the 1842 ceded territories. The Humboldt Mill was originally an iron ore

processing facility for the Humboldt Iron Mine and the nearby Republic

Mine from 1954-1979. It consists of a large open-pit lake that naturally

filled with groundwater and precipitation. This lake was subsequently filled

with about 18 million tons of sulfide waste materials from the Ropes Gold

Mine in the late 1980’s. Kennecott plans to use this open-pit lake to dump

an additional 25 million tons of processed sulfide waste tailings from the

Eagle Mine after they process the ore at the Humboldt Mill.

Environmental data and information has been collected for the Humboldt Mill property over the course of many years by previous owners and

operators, and the State of Michigan. Existing data documents that soil

and water at the Humboldt Mill property is currently contaminated and that

contaminants are moving off site into the surrounding environment. After

review of existing data, KBIC requested that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency complete a Preliminary Assessment in accordance with the

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

(CERCLA), a federal law that was established to address inactive sites

where hazardous contaminants are present. CERCLA is also sometimes

referred to as the Superfund program. The process established by CERCLA is designed to stop contaminated properties from releasing contaminants to our environment and is also set up to hold responsible parties liable for clean-up of contaminants and costs associated with cleanup. An

EPA Preliminary Assessment has been completed. EPA officials are currently working on setting up an on-site investigation to collect additional

data for the next phase of the Humboldt Mill property assessment.

Mining Proposals on the Horizon

KBIC is paying close attention to activities at other prospective mining

sites in the Upper Peninsula. Currently, there is extensive copper, nickel,

and uranium mineral exploration being conducted by Bitterroot Resources,

a Canadian Company whose mineral rights comprise approximately 461

square miles within Ontonagon, Houghton, Baraga, and Iron Counties.

Most of the Bitterroot Resource targets contain sulfides.

Orvana Resources Corporation is preparing to submit a mining permit

application for the Copperwood Project, which would be a copper mine

located about 18 miles southwest of the former White Pine Mine. This project is located very close to Lake Superior, with much of the ore deposit

extending under the lake. It is tucked between the Presque Isle and Black

Rivers, and next to the pristine Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State

Park.

Aquila and Hudbay Minerals are in the advanced exploration stages of

the proposed Back 40 Project located in Menominee County near the border of Wisconsin. The Back 40 deposit consists of a sulfide ore body, like

BIC and Eagle, and contains zinc, gold, copper, and silver. It is located in

the Shakey Lake Savanna area next to the Menominee River, which flows

into Lake Michigan. This deposit or similar deposits may extend under the

Menominee River and into Wisconsin.

Potential Impacts

There are numerous existing historic areas of concern from former mining and prospective mineral developments throughout most of Lake Superior’s watersheds: from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, northern Wisconsin,

and Minnesota, to extensive mineral rights claims and prospective sites

throughout Ontario, Canada.

Many of the proposed mines throughout the Lake Superior basin contain sulfide bearing minerals. A main concern with sulfide mining is Acid

Mine Drainage (AMD). AMD occurs whenever sulfides (especially those in

waste tailings after the sulfide ore is processed) are exposed to air and

water. Acidic runoff water from sulfide mine wastes mobilizes heavy metals such as arsenic, copper, nickel, mercury, and lead. Exposures to

these metals can be extremely toxic to wildlife and to people. Dissolved

copper, for instance, is toxic in aquatic environments at very low concentrations. AMD conditions caused by sulfide wastes generally can’t be

stopped once started and generally requires treatment or containment indefinitely, long after a company that benefited from the mining has left the

mine site, left the mining region, gone bankrupt, or been dissolved as a

business entity.

General impacts of mining operations may include increased air emissions, large increases in energy development and usage, installation of

new roads, disruption to wildlife habitats and landscapes, contamination of

ground and surface waters, and loss of traditional cultural resources. Mining developments can also bring socio-economic impacts associated with

an unsustainable boom-and-bust mining economy, as well as financial liability for local taxpayers if sufficient financial assurances are not guaranteed or required for mine site clean-up required after closure.

Role of Native American Tribes

Native American tribes have traditionally occupied the mineral rich Lake

Superior region. Historical treaties signed by the Ojibwa people separated

surface and mineral rights, and opened the area to resource development.

Native American voices have not always been listened to and have sometimes been absent during development of Michigan’s mining heritage.

Over time, tribes have developed the capacity to play a more prominent

role in natural resource protection and mining related permit activities.

There is also increasing recognition of the sovereign regulatory authority

tribes possess, particularly through the federal Clean Air Act and Clean

Water Act. Under the Montana v. United States (1981) case, it was recognized that tribes have a right to regulate the conduct of non-Indians within

their reservations when that conduct threatens or has a direct effect on the

political integrity, economic security or health and welfare of its members.

Currently, the Mole Lake Sokaogon, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, and

Lac du Flambeau bands have their own Water Quality Standards, and the

Bad River band recently submitted water quality standards for which federal approval is pending. KBIC is preparing to submit an application for

TAS which will then allow the community to establish and enforce its own

Water Quality Standards as well.

Community Outreach & Education

The KBIC Natural Resources Department is committed to increasing

community capacity, awareness, and knowledge as the interest in mining

activity expands throughout the KBIC Home Territory region. Future articles will discuss updates and information on areas of concern from previous mining, the mining process, treaty rights, mining and environmental

law, as well as education and information opportunities for the Tribal membership. A free monthly community film series entitled “Mining Impacts on

Native Lands” will provide greater awareness to the social and environmental impacts mining can have on Native communities. The second film,

Mining Madness, Water Wars: The Great Lakes in the Balance, will take

place at 6pm on Thursday, September 8th at the Ojibwa Casino Chippewa

Room.

(11) Ashi bezhig

Ojibwa Community Library

409 Superior Ave., Baraga, MI 49908

353353-8163

www.oclib.up.net

Hours:

Funded by:

Monday—Thursday 11am-7pm

Friday—closed

Saturday—10am—3pm

Newsletter editor designed ad

and the Keweenaw Bay

Indian Community

KEWEENAW BAY INDIAN COMMUNITY

OFFICE OF CHILD SUPPORT

SERVICES

427 N. Superior Ave. • Baraga, MI 49908

In Tribal Court Building

Phone: 906-353-4566 • Fax: 906-353-8132

• Email: ocss@kbic-nsn.gov

“Your Children…Our Priority”

We provide the following services:

Zeba Indian Mission

United Methodist

Church

“We welcome each of you to our

worship services, at 9:00 a.m. each

Sunday.”

Pastor: Rev. Stephen Rhoades

Church office 524-7939

Parsonage 524-7936

• Establishment, Enforcement and

• Location of Custodial and

Modification of Child Support Orders

Non-Custodial Parents

• Paternity Establishment

• Community Education

Catholic Community of

Baraga County

Holy Name of Jesus

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

Pastor

Father John Longbucco

Father Antony Lukka

Confessions: Sunday before Mass

Sunday Mass 11:30 a.m.

353-6565

saintann@up.net

Community Enjoys Appreciation Day

tp://www.kbic-nsn.gov/html/ocss.htm

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Employment Opportunities

http://www.kbic-nsn.gov/html/personnel.htm

∗

Dental Receptionist —September 2, 2011

∗

Clinical Applications Coordinator—September 2, 2011

∗

THPO/NAGRPA Technician—September 12, 2011

∗

Preprimary Teaching Assistant II—September 13, 2011

∗

Native American Outreach Worker/Home Visitor—September 13, 2011

s:

* Community Service Supervisor * Cashier

tion

osi

p

* Unit Manager

* Receptionist/Clerical Worker

l

l

a

C

* LPN

On

* Pre-Primary Teaching Assistant

* RN

* Youth Program & Facility Attendant

* Account Executive/Sales

* Family Aide

*

For current job listings, complete job announcements, applications and closing dates contact: KBIC Personnel Department, 16429 Bear Town Road, Baraga, MI 49908-9210 or 906-353-6623, ext 4176 or 4140 or

visit: www.ojibwa.com.

Permit No. 62

U.S Postage PAID

Big Rapids, MI 49307

PRE-SORT STARDARD

(12) Ashi Niizh

Photo by Lauri Denomie.

The Donald A. LaPointe Health and Educational

Center held an Appreciation Day on Wednesday,

August 10th, for the Community to stop in and

meet their staff, and visit their department displays

and learn of the services they offer. Visitors enjoyed complimentary hotdogs, popcorn, and snow

cones.

The Appreciation Day was held in conjunction

with Community Health Center Week. The second

week of August is dedicated to recognizing the role

that community health centers play across our nation.

KBIC Library News….

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

16429 Bear Town Rd-Baraga, Mi 49908-9210

The library had a new patron drawing during July.

Books and movies were given away to ten new patrons: Layne and Gavin Flynn, Jordan Chosa, Kristin Mattson, John Hebert, Joseph Francois, Sr.,

Joseph Francois, Jr., Johnathan Francois, Brittany

Nieskes, and Sarah Oger. Congratulations!

The library received a bench from Tribal Council. It was purchased from Baraga Area School’s

AmeriCorp. Students painted the bench in honor of

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and it has brought a

lovely splash of color to the library. The visiting

PrePrimary and Head Start classes enjoy sitting on

it while they read. Miigwech to the Council.