The Native Blog

Fire damages unoccupied home on the reservation

Fire damages unoccupied home on the rez

DELIA — "A fire on the Prairie Band Potawatomi Indian Reservation on Tuesday caused extensive damage to the interior of an unoccupied, single-story home, the tribal fire department said today.

A new release from the department said firefighters responded shortly before 4 p.m. to a structure fire at 7015 126th Road, Delia, where approaching units saw a large column of black smoke.

Potawatomi Tribal firefighters entered the wood-frame home and found fire in the living room and a back bedroom. They were able to rapidly bring the fire under control, saving the rest of the structure, the news release said."

Stories of the Potawatomi People

Gary Mitchell has updated his book: Stories of the Potawatomi People with some new pages. Among the several new pages are stories on Jerry Tuckwin, teacher, mentor, coach and Potawatomi writer Marty Kreipe De Montano.

The latest edition of his book is in color and IS a must have copy. Every now and then I bring it down from my library and go through it. There are really some great old pictures and stories from the rez in there...!

He has a short story in his book about yours truly that was written back in 1995 and is called Vietnam wounds are healing. That is today's must read...eh!

A thank you from Chago Hale

Good day to everyone!

I would like to start off by offering Steve Ortiz a congrats on winning the election. Good luck Steve.  Second I am thankful to my family and  everyone who supported me.  I appreciate everything that everyone helped  with.

Thank you

Chago

Congratulations to Steve Ortiz...

"Congratulations to Steve Ortiz for winning the Chairperson position.  I hope people will let him serve out his term.  We need stability in the worst way here.  With the per cap voted in by a large margin, there will be deep cuts to programs and jobs.  It makes me feel bad since the Indian Gaming Act was passed with the express intent to provide jobs for tribal members, but the people have spoken with this vote.  This will also affect services for everybody.  We can’t have high percaps and expect to receive the same benefits as before.  I voted no, but I knew it would pass.  In a general council meeting, I suggested raising the percaps in increments, 5% a year over the next 4 years to give everybody time to adjust to services and programs cut-backs, but nobody wanted to listen.  I guess I didn’t make any sense.  Oh, well.

Another thing I noticed during this election was the class displayed by many of the candidates.  I heard Chago Hale tell my brother Eddie good luck in the election and the same with Tony Wahweotten.  There was no animosity among those three whatsoever.  That made me feel good.  There is hope here.  It’s not all hate.  The same thing happened on election day when Steve won, the other candidates lined up and congratulated him.  That showed class, too.  There was nothing wrong with that at all.  Maybe all of us can learn from these people and just maybe we will really progress as a tribe."

Gary E. Mitchell

A thank you from Tony Wahweotten

Bo Sho   

"My name is Tony Wahweotten.  I want to thank Larry Mitchell for having the ability to let candidates, including myself, post campaign messages on his web site.  Igwien Larry.  It's great that we have one more avenue of communication for our use.  We have been battling bad information and no information for a long time.  I, also, want to thank those of you who voted for me.

We had 10 members of our Nation willing to step up to a very difficult position.  I thank all of you for your efforts.  I've taken time to gather up my signs and close my campaign pages.  I thought maybe I would hold on to them just in-case I get another wild hair - aye.   As for the Nation, we still have many challenges ahead of us and it is every-ones concern.  We have many intelligent members  out there who can make a difference.   For example, I have been seeing here on the blog a campaign "against" the Amendments and "for" the Accountability policy.  It's not like if we have one we can't have the other.  We can take the best parts of either suggestion (that's all they are) or bring forward new ideas from the parts of these ideas that we like and forget the rest.  That is working together.   

For you angry native bloggers, it's unhealthy that we fight amongst ourselves.  Nitte eshwepsiyen?  Kego mi'katgek.  These kinds of reclusive conversations, names being withheld, remind me of a spider called the Brown Recluse.  Poisonous and not liking the light.  Raid.    For some, a new fiscal year begins.  For others like myself (business owners), it is known as 4th quarter.  As a business manager, year end reports are near and I am looking to expand in the new year. 

I will be taking a break from political ventures until I feel the same unease I did coming into this most current election.    This is my favorite time of the year, Indian summer.  I know, now, that I'll have time to enjoy the fall and winter seasons.  Not only is hunting season just around the corner, as well as fall and winter chores, but the holiday season as well.    I'm, also, looking forward to the We Ta Se Veterans Pow Wow.  My son, Note-kno-schkuk, has been asked to perform the Head Boy Dancer duties.  He accepted and hopes to do a great job.  The event is usually a little tight, but !hey!, where else can you find a Pow Wow in November?  Stay healthy."   

Pama kowabmen   

Tony Wahweotten

On the Tribal Election

"I would like to extend my deep appreciation to all of those who supported me in the tribal election.  I would also like to congratulate Steve Ortiz on a successful campaign and best wishes to all the other candidates."   

Sincerely,

Tamara M. McClammy

They are still counting...

The Potawatomi grapevine is saying there were 1479 voters in this election or 60% of the eligible voters. They are still counting...maybe around eleven they will know who the next chair is!

Update: At 12:30 they are still counting...!

Update: Steve Ortiz is the next PBPN Chairperson and the per cap passed...with 1066 yeas and 364 nays!

Vote No...

I will support the Tribal Council Accountability Program if it comes to a vote, but I will not support the amendments that I received in the mail from the Secretarial Election Board. I will not support an ethics committee. Are we going to pay a committee to spy on our tribal members? 

I have observed tribal politics on our reservation for a long time and this committee could turn into a witch hunt on any tribal member they don't like? Who would the committee members be? Would they be people who have no faults of their own? Is our tribe going to be like the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Mussolini’s Italy and Pinochet’s Chile? Would our own Tribal members turn on one another if they held a grudge for something real or imagined?

I encourage every tribal member to fill out the form and when they get the ballot to vote no on every one of these amendments…!

The Potawatomi grapevine...

The Potawatomi grapevine is saying 150th and 158th roads on the rez are closed, due to that movie The Only Good Indian being filmed. Wes Studi is in this movie! Maybe this blog will get some photos of the filming!

"The Only Good Indian" is a fictionalized account detailing the removal of Indian children from their homes and forced attendance at Indian boarding schools. The purpose was to indoctrinate them into a white culture and destroy their Indian heritage."

Passing of a Tribal Member

Lavina Mae Leach Obituary

"LaVina Mae Leach (Cow-so-quah), 71, of Topeka, KS died Tuesday, October 02, 2007 at Midland Hospice House in Topeka. She was born May 16, 1936 in Mayetta, KS, the daughter of Scott and Anna Mae Matchie Nanogah. She was a retired CNA and a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. She was married to James W. Leach in June of 1959 in Topeka, KS. They were later divorced. Survivors include her daughters, Mary Garcia and Jan Leach both of Topeka, KS; her son, James Leach of Baxter Springs, KS; her sister, Augustine Hale of Topeka, KS; her brother, Henry Young, Jr. of Topeka, KS; 16 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son, Jon Walton Leach in 1997 and her daughter, Joyce Yvonne Leach in 1994. Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 6, 2007 at the Mercer Funeral Home in Holton, KS. Burial will be in the Danceground Cemetery west of Mayetta. The family will greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday evening at the funeral home. Memorials may be given to the LaVina Leach Memorial Fund c/o Mercer Funeral Home, Box 270, Holton, KS 66436."