Small Town News

Several concerns brought to forefront at tribal forum

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The forum held last Thursday at the Turtle Mountain Community College revealed a great many varied opinions and facts to the attending community members.

The Tribal Community Concerns Forum was a "wonderful event," according to Levi Baker of Dunseith. Baker was one of the main coordinators who felt there was a need for tribal community members to openly express their opinions and ideas. Baker is a young traditional and cultural advocate. His Ojibwa name is Wah-Say-Cumig-Gah-Bow (One Who Walks on Glowing Earth).

"I was pretty happy about it and proud to be part of the forum. It was positive and enlightened me and hopefully many others," Baker noted. "We spoke out against meth and other unhealthy behaviors. The presenters got the people involved all of the discussions and that was important. I really appreciate everyone who walked into that auditorium. They each made it a successful thing for our people."

Baker designed the forum so that it would have a strong Ojibwa cultural focus. The forum's moderator was Gene Laducer, who made it a point to include the traditions of native people being the caretakers of Mother Earth.

Laducer laid out the ground rules and offered his opinions about the need for community forums that allow people to speak freely and to unify. Laducer thanked the drum group and prodded the audience to ask questions and feel comfortable about any issue in which they felt was important.

"We have a lot of concerns here on our reservation," Laducer stated. "This forum is a good way to talk about the poverty, health, education and environmental issues we have. Alone, we can't solve our community and world problems, it takes an entire community to make a difference. In my eight years working in the tribal water planning office, I've found it's tough to fight the good fight and we don't have enough people to fight with us. A lot of our culture is lost but things are getting better and groups are starting to revive our culture. Twenty years ago, it would have been tough to even get a drum group here to honor the event."

Baker agreed that the traditional values of the tribe need to be discovered once again.

"A long time ago, our ancestors whole tradition and culture was based on honesty and good healthy living and knowing each moment that the Creator would guide them if they asked for it. The way of our people was totally healthy and good for the spirit and body. We need to listen to the elders now. They are not going to always be with us," said Baker.

Baker and his fellow coordinators invited the TMCC Student Senate to speak and that organization was represented by Alyssa Lun-day, Nick Gladue and Tanya Houle. They all spoke briefly about how important education is to their future, community concerns and the needs they have as students.

Gladue indicated that the reservation community must take responsibility to keep the area clean and how recycling is a real opportunity to make a difference in protecting the environment.

"We all should pitch in and clean up around here," Gladue said. "We all got to pick it up."

Lunday suggested that since TMCC has an established Early Childhood Development Program, there should be a daycare area provided at a reasonable cost for the students who have children and attend the college.

"We would like to see the college's early childhood program intertwined with a day care service here," Lunday noted.

Lunday also expressed the concerns the students have with the terrible road conditions and the need for the tribe to fix them. She also said the costs associated with travel to class were a real strain on all the students. Lunday also said the TMCC Student Senate was spearheading a winter coat drive and that anyone with any parka or coat could bring them into the student services office.

The first presenter was Dr. Jim Davis, TMCC President. Dr. Davis emphasized the importance of education and underscored the work that the tribal college is doing to enhance the community and lives of its residents.

"Part of the "mission we have here at the college is to preserve our language and culture. We just got a grant from the American Indian College Fund and we'll receive $50,000 for each of the next live years. We plan on using that to build our intellectual capital. To do that, we have to enhance our knowledge of our language and culture. I would hope we would begin to investigate who the real speakers of our native language are. We are going to get the involvement of the community in this effort. To be truthful, we could do a better job in preserving and maintaining our culture. In the future, our college needs to take the lead in this area."

Dr. Davis also spoke on how the college is taking on new programs to initiate new and innovative ideas in the mission to improve the lives of the community members and quality of the tribal college. He emphasized the need for a unified community to achievealLthciutended goals,

"Nothing is impossible if we choose to do things together,"' Dr. Davis said.

Roy LaRocque, a meth awareness coordinator for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, gave personal stories on how he uses strong parenting to give the youth the right direction in life.

"We have to show by example and be there for the children providing them with other healthy activities to enjoy," LaRocque said. "I love horses and so do my kids. They're a lot like family to us and that gives my kids something positive to do with their free time."

Bureau of Indian Affairs Chief of Police Gerald Medrud and Tribal* Drug Elimination Officer Rick Poitra spoke on the recent efforts to curb the once-again rising meth drag trade.

"We just had four people from South America staying at the casino who were trying to set up a drug ring that would be based out of here," Officer Poitra revealed. "Most of the meth is coming from the Grand Forks and Fargo areas with people from here hooking up with the migrant workers from Mexico who have ties to the Mexican drug cartels. The meth problem is increasing again and we have to work to s'top it."

Poitra said the meth problem was practically eliminated but now has seen a new resurgence in use once again within the last year. Where there were once four drug elimination officers on staff, Poitra is the lone staff member now due to budget cuts and loss of grants. He said it is a hard job to do alone.

Chief of Police Medrud said the job he has taken on has been a very challenging one but he is hoping forums like last Thursday will call attention to the crisises that all tribal members are facing.

One of the drum group's singers stood from his circle and spoke on the evils of alcohol abuse. Tribal elder Tom Davis said much of his family has been afflicted by alcohol since 1954 vyhffi .aipobol-was made legal to buy on the reservation.

"Look what alcohol has done to us. Every family has been hurt in some way by alcohol. Ninety-five percent of our problems are directly or indirectly related to alcohol abuse. We have not found our Indian medicine to do away with this problem. We have to deal with this in our own way and go back to our traditions of helping each other." Davis stated.

Another topic discussed was the widespread and accepted use of commercial tobacco, which is responsible for over 400,000 deaths nationwide each year. Tobacco abuse is by far the number one killer of Native Americans, said Logan Davis, the final presenter. Davis has worked previously with tribal tobacco prevention program and coalition.

"I have seen many of our tribal members and even some of our traditional people become addicted to commercial tobacco and that's sad," Davis stated. "Respect for tobacco as a sacred plant is to use it in a proper way. Abusing the tobacco plant is not respecting it. Our youth look to us for guidance and we don't want to see them become addicted. We have a lot of different addictions and afflictions and tobacco is a major one. Please stop abusing tobacco if you love your children. Do it for them."

Verlin Dubois, a drum group member and event xo-coordinatox, spoke of how he has lost four close family members to cancer. Dubois feels that the water has been somehow polluted by lax laws and apathy among tribal leaders.

"We see how much cancer is around here. 1 remember how the manufacturing plant was dumping their used paint thinner and other hazardous chemicals in the ground near our aquifer," stated Dubois. "Why didn't anyone say anything about that or stop it when they knew they were doing it? Why is everyone scared to talk about the questions we have of what is in the water? We have the right to ask our tribal leaders these questions. We are so worried about the (swine) flu now. I think we should put some red flags up about how much cancer we have here on the reservation and do something about it as a community. Together we will have a lot stronger voice. I'm glad we had a chance to get together and talk about these things tonight."

Levi Baker said the sponsorship of the TMCC Student Senate and Tribal Planning Department was critical in getting the forum to actually take place.

"This is the start of something very good, very powerful and all my brothers and sisters who came tonight really enjoyed the talking apgiid sharing. We would sure like, to keep these forums going and together become a healthier and stronger tribe," said Baker.

Baker said the healing journey takes place when people come together and discuss the problem they want to meet and defeat.

"That journey started here in the college auditorium tonight. It makes me feel good in my heart to see this happen in my life." Baker concluded.

"We have to show by example and be there for the children providing them with other healthy activities to enjoy."

Roy LaRocque



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© 2010 Turtle Mountain Star Rolla, North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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