From the House Judiciary Committee website:
The Honorable Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick
U.S. House of Representatives
Michigan, 13th District
Chief Fred Cantu
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan
chippewa
House Hearing on Bay Mills/Sault Tribe Off-Rez Gaming
From Indianz:
Not sure what it means below that Alicia Walker is chair at Sault Tribe….
The House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing this morning on two off-reservation casino bills.
H.R. 2176 and H.R. 4115 settle land claims for the Bay Mills Indian Community and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The tribes would be able to open casinos on sites hundreds of miles away from their existing reservations. The bills have been approved by the House Natural Resources Committee. But Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan), the chairman of the Judiciary committee, opposes the measures. The hearing takes place at 10am and will be broadcast at http://judiciary.house.gov.
Bouschor Appeal to Sault Tribal Court Denied
NEWS RELEASE
SAULT STE. MARIE
TRIBE OF
CHIPPEWA INDIANS
*************************
Bouschor’s appeal to become candidate denied
SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – (March 7) – The Sault Tribe Court of Appeals issued a ruling today denying former tribal chairman Bernard Bouschor’s appeal on the election committee’s ruling that according to a specific tribal law, Mr. Bouschor and other defendants in an ongoing lawsuit are not eligible to be a candidate for elected office until such litigation has been resolved.
Protecting the St. Mary’s Waterway
From the Sault (Ont.) Star:
First Nations will bridge the river to protect the St. Mary’s on World Water Day, March 22.
Elders from both sides of the border will share their knowledge about water ceremonies and raise awareness about the need to protect local waterways. Garden River and Batchawana First Nations, Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the Bay Mills Indian community will all be on hand.
The four tribes first came together in 2004 to sign the Tribal and First Nations Water Accord, under which they work to influence the Canadian and U.S. governments to protect St. Mary’s River and its ecosystems.
The event takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sault Tribe Cultural Building in Sault, Michigan. Traditional food will be served, bring a dish to pass.
Black Ash Basketry Conference — May 16, 2008
From Kelly Church:
Emerald Ash Borer/ Black Ash Basketry Conference 2008
Since the discovery of the Emerald Ash Borer(EAB) in 2002, Michigan has lost over 20 million ash trees, and the numbers continue to rise. The entire lower peninsula of Michigan is under a “no ash movement” quarantine, and the EAB continues to spread and infect entire ash lots, eventually killing off once healthy, thriving ash trees.
For hundreds of years Native Americans of Michigan (Anishnabe) and Natives from all over the North Eastern United States have been using Black Ash trees for basketweaving. These baskets have been used for centuries for utilitarian purposes such as Market baskets, berry picking baskets, fishing creels, baby baskets, laundry baskets, and sewing baskets. Today they are still used in a variety of ways, and are also collectible baskets as pieces of art.
Sault Tribe Seeking Investors in Greektown
From Crain’s Detroit Business:
Tom Celani, owner of MotorCity Harley Davidson and MotorCity Power Sports, has dropped plans to acquire a stake in Greektown Casino L.L.C.
Under a plan announced in January, Celani was to become president of casino operations and buy a 22 percent stake in the company from the majority owner, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
Radio Podcast re: Grand Traverse Band’s Successful Child Welfare Program
More than 18,000 children and teens live in Michigan’s child welfare system. Officials in Lansing say there are too many kids who have been taken from their homes to live in the care of strangers. In Leelanau County social workers with the local Indian tribe say they had almost 40 kids in state care a decade ago – but not anymore. What the Grand Traverse Band is doing right And what native traditions of family life can teach us about helping struggling families stick together.
Here is the radio podcast.
Jeff Parker in Business Week re: Metro Detroit Casino Proposals
From Business Week:
MGM Mirage’s Hidden Card
The flyers mailed to homes across Michigan in late January looked like the handiwork of a group bitterly opposed to gambling. They pictured dice emblazoned with exclamation marks, piles of crumpled-up cash, and text blaring: “Washington Poised to Force Two New Casinos on Michigan Families. Only You Can Stop the Special Interests.” The outfit behind this grassroots campaign calls itself Gambling Watch.
As it turns out, Gambling Watch is a tiny operation financed by MGM Mirage (MGM), one of the world’s largest gaming companies. MGM is locked in a bitter dispute with two Native American tribes that hope to open casinos in Michigan. The Las Vegas company inaugurated a new $800 million casino in downtown Detroit in October and is not in the mood for competition. There’s nothing underhanded about its tactics, MGM says. “We’ve made no secret of where we are on this,” says Alan Feldman, senior vice-president for public affairs at MGM Mirage.
Grand Traverse Band Revenue Sharing Slowly Declining
From the Leelanau Enterprise (H/T Indianz):
This winter’s “2-percent” payments from the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians are down for the third year in a row to the lowest level in more than a decade.
The twice-yearly payments represent two percent of the revenues earned from video slot machines at the tribe’s Leelanau Sands Casino in Peshawbestown and Turtle Creek Casino in Grand Traverse County. The tribe is required to pay out the money to local units of government in the immediate vicinity of tribal casinos for governmental services and “for impacts associated with existence” of tribal casinos in their vicinity under terms of a 1993 federal court consent decree. Since 1994, the tribe has paid out around $18 million in “2-percent” money.
Off-Reservation Casino Bills Inspire Big Fight — Bay Mills & Sault Tribe
From Indianz:
Disgraced Republican lobbyists Jack Abramoff is in prison but his name is being thrown around a lot as the House considers legislation to authorize two off-reservation casinos.
Abramoff lobbied against casinos sought by tribes in Louisiana and Michigan. One of his former clients was the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan, which spent $14 million in hopes of defeating rival gaming projects. The Saginaw Chippewas dumped Abramoff but the tribe is opposing legislation to allow the Bay Mills Indian Community and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians to open casinos hundreds of miles from existing reservation. Other opponents include members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Las Vegas gaming interests. “I’m somewhat optimistic that we can get this through Congress, which is not to say it isn’t going to be a battle,” Bay Mills Chairman Jeff Parker told The Port Huron Times Herald. “Those opposed to this for financial reasons will continue to throw money at it.”
Turtle Talk 
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