California Appeals Court Declines to Halt Tejon Ranch Development (Cultural Resources)

Here is the unpublished opinion in Center for Biological Diversity v. Kern County (Cal. App.):

CBD v Kern County

An interesting footnote in the opinion (note 8 on page 48:

Delia “Dee” Dominguez, a Native American who, as will be seen, was designated as one of those “most likely descended” from the inhabitants of the area (§ 5097.98), objected in a comment letter to the use of the term Tejon Tribe. She pointed out that the inhabitants of the area were of several distinct tribes, and stated that “the Ranch should not be allowed to rely on made-up tribes to cover their actions.”

Profile of “Education of Little Tree” Author — Asa Earl Carter/Forrest Carter

Here, via Pechanga.

An excerpt:

(MONROE, WA) — This is one of those almost unbelievable stories that, if it were the plot of a movie script, no one would buy it. The story seems too far out there. It is also a story of the failure – not to mention the gullibility – of many in the news business, the TV business and the book-publishing world to sniff out a phony.

Some readers may be familiar with this story as the information in it is not new. But many younger readers likely have never heard the tall tale of a man named Asa.

It is the true tale of how a Ku Klux Klan man who once wrote speeches for the late segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace (until he thought Wallace had gone “soft” and sold out to liberals) who then later, as a reinvented “Native American” writer named Forrest Carter, was praised by Oprah Winfrey and others.

It is the stunning story of a man many might consider dangerous who, from all accounts, could shape shift himself at will into a new past, a new present and a new identity – of a non-white person of all things – and go on to become a best selling American writer.

It’s the saga of a man preaching a vision from a grand stage constructed from nothing but swamp gas and dime store illusions and how no one, from book publishers and editors to famous TV news people to print and TV interviewers caught on to his real identity.

He took them all down for the count in perhaps one of the greatest straight up con jobs ever pulled on the American media.

He got the fame, the money, success and easily carried off what con artists call “the long con.”

News Coverage of Court Fight over Jim Thorpe’s Remains

Here. An excerpt:

The case already has produced evidence that Thorpe — an athlete who piled up superlatives like so many sweat socks — must have had the wackiest funeral of all time.

Go back 59 years. At a feast on the night before Thorpe was to be buried on Sac and Fox tribal land in Oklahoma, his wife, Patsy, showed up with a hearse and police escort, loaded up the body and sped away down a dark rural road, leaving gaped mouths behind in the dust.

She put the burial rights out to the highest bidder, insisting only that the winning town change its name to Jim Thorpe.

Two worn out coal-mining boroughs in Pennsylvania took her up on the offer, though Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk may have been thinking about a name change anyway. They merged, became Jim Thorpe, Pa., and that is where the town’s namesake has been in a mausoleum since 1953.

Kumeyyay Repatriations Complaint against University of California

Here is the complaint in Kumeyyay Cultural Reparations Committee v. University of California (S.D. Cal.):

Kumeyyay

Assassin’s Creed 3 Video Game to Feature American Indian Assassin…

…developed with an American Indian consultant and voice actor.

Hmmm. Weird.

Here.

Grand Ronde Women Share Stories of Resilience

Story about the Willamette Heritage Exhibit (running from April 6th to May 28th ) is here.

WaPo Article on Jim Thorpe Burial Dispute

Here.

Ninth Circuit Rejects RFRA Money Claims in Hawaii-Based Native American Church Case Involving Marijuana

Here are the materials in today’s opinion in Oklevueha Native American Church v. Holder:

Oklevueha Opening Brief

US Appellee Brief

Oklevueha Reply Brief

CA9 Opinion

Lower court materials here.

N.D. Supreme Court Issues Opinions in Fighting Sioux Case

Here is the opinion.

News coverage here, via Pechanga.

From the coverage:

The North Dakota Supreme Court today declined to address the constitutional issue raised by the State Board of Higher Education, which claimed that a law requiring UND to keep the nickname improperly intrudes on the board’s authority.

A slim majority of the court was ready to take up the constitutional issue but was blocked by the opposition of two justices and the requirement that such decisions require the support of four of the court’s five members.

“There are not enough members of this court willing to decide the constitutional issue at this time,” Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle wrote. “We therefore do not address the constitutional issue, and we decline to enjoin the secretary of state from placing the referendum measure on the June 2012 primary election ballot.”

Second Amended Complaint in Oglala Suit against Brewers and Whiteclay Distributors

Here.

More details here.

Via Pechanga.