Just filed Friday: United States Cert Opposition
Here are the earlier materials at the NARF website:
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More on the Manoomin Project – U.P. program for Juvenile Court youth
From Indian Country Today:Manoomin Project teaches at-risk youth respect, culture Posted: November 21, 2007 by: Greg Peterson
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| Photo courtesy Greg Peterson/second photo courtesy Steve Durocher — The Manoomin Project teaches at-risk teens – sentenced in juvenile court for minor crimes – respect for themselves, Native heritage and nature. The teens study and plant wild rice, and learn how the grain is used in ceremonies. Don Chosa, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, guides the students on the outings. Teens and volunteers, who later planted wild rice, were shown young plants prior to the July 2006 survey. The teens were then asked to identify the wild rice – mixed with other plants – at the seven remote planting sites. |
MARQUETTE, Mich. – American Indians have long known the medicinal and spiritual benefits of manoomin; but along the shores of Lake Superior in northern Michigan, a wild rice restoration project is teaching non-Native teenagers respect for American Indian culture and the environment.”This is about respect for nature,” the Rev. Jon Magnuson said to a rambunctious group of teenagers.
On the first of a three-day outing in July 2006, the teens were embarking on a several-mile hike into the remote Northwoods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to study the previous year’s wild rice crop.
It wasn’t long before those teens topped a hill and surprised two bear cubs that scrambled up a tree about 50 yards away.
”Look – there are two bears,” said a teenage boy motioning to others to run toward the cubs.
Their guide, Don Chosa, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, knew that meant a protective mother wasn’t far away.
”Remember what I said about respect,” Chosa said – and the curious teens stopped in their tracks.
Chosa instructed the youth to give the cubs a wide berth.
The Manoomin Project teaches at-risk teens – sentenced in juvenile court for minor crimes – respect for themselves, Native heritage and nature. The teens study and plant wild rice, and learn how the grain is used in ceremonies.
Since 2004, about 130 teens and dozens of adult volunteers have planted more than a ton of wild rice seed in U.P. waters, where it once thrived but disappeared a century ago due to logging and other human activities.
The project is sponsored by the Cedar Tree Institute, the Superior Watershed Partnership and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.
2007 Consent Decree media coverage shows progress
I have been tracking media coverage of the 2007 Consent Decree and have been pleased to see that most reporting on the issue has been balanced and reasonable. It is well documented that media coverage of topics related to American Indians and Indian affairs has been unbalanced and has had impacts on both public perception and policy making. Media coverage of Indian issues is critical because the majority of the general public has little to no direct contact with American Indians or tribal officials and news reports therefore serve as a primary influence on public perceptions of these issues (Jarding, Social Science Journal 2004). Local and regional newspapers around the state, including those in Ludington, Escanaba and Sault Ste. Marie, continue to provide coverage of this topic and their journalists are providing very professional and informative articles.
Furthermore, the recent news reports have given us a sense for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ public discussions of the 2007 Consent Decree and I am pleased to see their level of professionalism and balanced presentation of the topic. Unfortunately I have not yet made it to any of the MDNR’s public meetings, but it seems based on the media coverage that the MDNR is doing a stand-up job of leading these important discussions. I hope the MDNR’s productive public discussion on the Consent Decree is a sign that they are willing to work in an intergovernmental fashion with the 1836 tribes to co-manage fish, wildlife and ecosystems in the Ceded Territory in the future.
Lastly, I recently reviewed materials posted on the MUCC website regarding the 2007 Consent Decree and was again, very excited to see balanced and useful information that shows an understanding of treaty law and is respectful to Indian people and tribal resource rights.
It appears we have learned some important lessons from past experiences of treaty negotiations regarding resource use and management in and out of Michigan. If the 1836 tribes, the MDNR, federal agencies and other key partners can work together cooperatively, there is no doubt we can build on respective strengths and improve ecological and socio-economic conditions in the region over time.
Going to Law School: Film Clips of Indian Lawyers
This link is a great introduction to law school for American Indians interested in a career in law. Speakers include:
Raquel Montoya-Lewis
Wambdi Wastewin (Angelique Eaglewoman)
Scott Sufficool
Kevin Gover [soon to be Curator of the NMAI]
Violence Against Indian Women
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee heard powerful testimony from Indian women last week on the pervasive problem of violence against women. Riyaz Kanji of Ann Arbor’s Kanji & Katzen testified that Congress has authority to extend criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians to Indian tribes, if it chooses.
The Amnesty Report that helped to jump start this issue in Congress is here.
Sarah Deer’s recent editorial in Indian Country Today on the topic is here. And some of her related material is here, an article in the Suffolk Law Review.
Boozhoo!
Welcome to the blog of the Michigan State University College of Law’s Indigenous Law and Policy Center!!!!
You can learn more about the Center by visiting our website.
We are hosting the 4th annual Indigenous Law Conference on October 19-20, 2007. You can register here.
We also publish occasional papers and white papers regarding Indian law and policy areas at this site. We have researched and written (often with our students) papers on tribal law, the Michigan ban on affirmative action, and other topics.
Coming Soon
The Indigenous Law and Policy Center blog.
Turtle Talk 